10 Sweet Recipes with Caribbean Flavor

En Español

10 Easy and delicious sweet Caribbean recipes you can enjoy this spring summer season! Which is your favorite?

1. Banana Mama (photo below) - . An exotic blend of tropical fruits such as strawberries, banana, pineapple and coconut.

2. Coconut Tres Leches Cake - . Exotic, delicious and incomparable. Learn to make a tres leches coconut, follow the step by step and enjoy this rich dessert at home.

3. Soursop Pastry Cream Recipe -  A delicious custard that can be used as a filling or a topping on cakes and cupcakes.

4. Dulce de Coco Tierno (photo above) - . A Dominican homemade dessert made with a tender coconut meat, milk and sweet condensed milk. I know you'll like this creamy dessert.

5. Boniato Pudding (Jalea de Batata) - A known favorite dessert in the traditional Dominican cuisine. Its main ingredient is the batata, also known as boniato, or sweet potato. There are different ways of preparering this dessert, in this post I share the recipe with pineapple or without pineapple.

6. Coconut Macaroons - These coconut macaroons aka coconut kisses in Spanish, taste so delicious you won't believe they are this easy to prepare! For coconut lovers this is one treat you won't be able to control yourself with, you'll definitely eat more than one kiss!

7. Cassava Bread - . This bread has a resemblance to cassava fritters, with the difference that it is sweet, has coconut and is baked.

8. Passion Fruit Scones - These scones make a delicious morning or afternoon snack. I've been baking these scones for many years and I have also adapted it to make a passion fruit scone cake. Find both recipes in this post.

9. Tropical Pavlova (photo above) - Are you a pavlova lover? Why not try these ´personal size tropical pavlovas topped with pineapple, papaya, melon, and sprinkled with coconut flakes. For Mother's Day these will be a special treat in your dessert table.

10. Plátanos al Caldero (photo below) - Sweet caramelized plantains are a traditional Dominican sweet side dish prepared with ripe plantains and served with the meal. He brings that sweet touch to the food you like so much.

Cheers to a happy and blessed day!

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Chocolate Nutella Brownies

En Español

I am starting the week with a chocolate and Nutella treat. When it comes to desserts and traditional American favorites, brownies could be one of the most popular if not the favorite of them all. Depending on their density brownies can be of either fudgy, cakey, or moist. They are also called blondies when prepared without chocolate.

These brownies have nutella in them and that makes them spectacular! I am sure you will like them very much. I have waited a too long to share a recipe for brownies, but here goes, a very rich and delicious brownie recipe! Get your nutella bottle and enjoy this decadent chocolate dessert.

This post is dedicated to my lovely daughters who always eat all the nutella and leave the empty bottles in the pantry. I love you girls!

Caramel Pecan Popcorn

En Español

On holidays or vacation time I like to try out new recipes, but I also do not forget to prepare tasty and favorite family recipes like these caramel pecan popcorn. They make a perfect treat for snacking on, or for family movie night. The recipes I share is a different and tasty way of preparing popcorn at home, super easy to make with ingredients that you already have in hand.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell invite you to follow me on google+, leave me a comment, share my posts, etc. Find me here, +Mari Nunez. Unlike Facebook, that no longer is a social media to keep you connected to the people and pages you want to see, Google+ is the best! I also created a new page for the blog on google+: +Mari's Cakes. If you still have not connected to G+, do so! Leave me a comment on today´s post so that I could + you too!

For this occasion I decided to serve this caramel popcorn on these lovely elegant vintage style cones. I am sure these would make an attractive treat for your dessert table. If you would like to make your own paper cones like these get the template here: Vintage Paper Cones.

Change this...

To this...

Nutty Marshmallow Pops

En Español

Every year around this time we make a bonfire to roast marshmallows, but this year it has been raining almost every evening and we have not gotten a chance to get those marshmallows in a skewer to roast. Three days ago I came up with this idea to make chocolate covered marshmallow pops. It was the perfect treat since it is no bake and I was able to use the wooden skewers and marshmallows.

These tastes slightly like charleston chew and are delicious! They make a great party table or valentine treat, so check it out!

Homemade Applesauce

En Español
Baking with love is a wonderful cooking action from the heart, but what happens on those days we make or prefer a no bake recipe, especially a dessert? I say there is some love in this too!  Love is what this eye-opening applesauce recipe exuberates when you taste it. I fell in love with it from the moment I started making it. The fragrance of the cinnamon, cloves and apples simmering in a citrus concoction and then the smooth texture it has after I blended the mixture was enough for me to enjoy and prepare it with love. This cannot underestimated nor compared to store bought applesauce, you HAVE TO try this to understand why I had an eye opening experience.

Simple, yet delicious recipes like this makes me thankful for apples. Thanksgiving doesn't have to be all about baking, enticing desserts like this one that are low in sugar, with  no preservative and healthy would most definitely make number one on the list of favorites. Don't forget to download our free five favorite apple and spice recipes: November is for Apples and spices.

Apple Almond Autumn Galette

En Español

What do you think about this extraordinary dessert? Did you know a galette is a freeform tart that can be prepared both sweet or savory, and that it is a specialty of Brittany, France? Well I did not, lol, all this time I thought it was Italian, shame on me! With its place of origin cleared up in my mind, I decided to prepared this delightful apple almond autumn galette on Friday.

It all started with a few apples placed in a fruit bowl in our dinning table. They needed to be converted into something spectacular to surprise my daughters. With only a few apples and my pâte brisée recipe I got to put a smile on the faces of my loved ones when they got home! After they tasted it I got "my mom is the best cook ever" and "my wife is the best" and lots of hugs and kisses!

It is very easy to prepare so hopefully this will inspire you to get in your kitchen and prepare this delicacy! I would love to hear about what your darlings will say when the taste it.

Coconut Macaroons (Besitos de Coco)

En Español
These coconut macaroons aka coconut kisses in Spanish, taste so delicious you won't believe they are this easy to prepare! For coconut lovers this is one treat you won't be able to control yourself with, you'll definitely eat more than one kiss!

While other countries celebrate fall with pumpkins, cranberries, and nuts, we continue to celebrate our paradise climate with Caribbean fruits desserts. I highly recommend this recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it would be nice to have a tropical treat in your dessert table. There are many variations of these macaroons on the web, some have egg whites, but these do not and taste superb!

Pavlova, Tropical Pavlova

En Español

Have you ever had the opportunity of enjoying a pavlova? What do you like the most of it? Last week I made personal size tropical pavlovas, topped with pineapple, papaya, melon, and sprinkled with coconut flakes. These fruits are easily found in the Dominican Republic, and since I already had them at home, I was glad to have found the perfect luxuriating way of eating these fruits. What I like the most is the combination of the cream and crispiness of the meringue... totally scrumptious and worth trying!

Pavlova originated in New Zealand and is consumed in both, Australia and its home country. It consists of a bowl shaped and cake like French meringue, that after it's baked is filled with whipped cream or creme fraiche and topped with soft fruits.

Did you know? This dessert was named in honor of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, during her New Zealand tour in 1926.

Creamy Lemon Tart

Lemons are definitely for lemon tarts... well I had mentioned before they were perfect for lemon curd, but they are also ideal for this tart. This is my favorite irresistible lemon tart recipe. I love the combination of the pie pastry crust with the slightly tangy creamy lemon filling with no butter. If you are looking for a perfect dessert to surprise your kids after school, this is the one... look no further.

In Dominican Republic we have Persian lime all year round; these are what we use for recipes that

Miriam’s Flan Recipe

I have been fortunate enough to have my family's no-fail flan recipe for years, which my sister Miriam graciously shared with me. This dessert holds a special place in my heart as it was the first one, I learned to make from scratch in the 80s, and the first one I ever made for my husband back in 1991. Since then, it has become one of his all-time favorites.

Receta de Flan dominicano: Aqui.

As today marks Father's Day in the Dominican Republic, I asked my husband what he wanted for this special occasion, and to no surprise, he picked flan! I couldn't resist making two, as one is simply not enough. Check out the photo of the second flan below.

The key to achieving a flawless, smooth finish with a gelatin-like custard flan is to slowly mix and cook the ingredients. However, one day I decided to take a risk and beat all the ingredients in a blender to incorporate as many air bubbles into the mix as possible. This daring move resulted in a flan with numerous holes filled with caramel. While it was incredibly delicious, it didn't have the smooth finish we typically look for in this dessert. To my surprise, my husband loved it and declared that this was how he wanted his flan from that day on.

I initially disagreed, believing that flans are not supposed to be like that, but my husband insisted that the taste and the way the caramel syrup stuck to the bubbles made it perfect for him. Since then, I've struggled to replicate the air bubble-filled result of that day, but I continue to try.

Regardless of how you prefer your flan, it is a perfect dessert for any occasion. It is so easy to make that you'll want to try making one yourself right now. So grab your can opener and keep reading for the recipe.

The color of the caramel should be like this when removed from heat it will continue to cook and will get a tad darker. From start to finish to get the caramel to this stage takes about four minutes.

Three tablespoons of vanilla may sound like a lot, but it is just perfect to get that delicious vanilla taste for this flan recipe.



My way of setting the bain-marie. I bake uncovered for speed and to get a nice color overall.



1-2-3 steps and you have your dessert ready to enjoy!



If you like what you see wait until you see the last photo below the recipe, it is one to grab a spoon and eat it!

Miriam’s Flan Recipe

Easy three-step classic and homemade flan recipe, also known as caramel flan or vanilla flan. A perfect cool summer dessert.

Ingredients 

Caramel: 

 1¼ cup sugar

 2 teaspoons vanilla

Flan (custard): 

2 cans of evaporated milk or whole milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

5 whole eggs slightly beaten

¼ teaspoon of salt

3 Tablespoons brown vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. Make the caramel: Place 1½ cups of sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla in a non-stick pan over medium fire (no water is needed). The sugar begins to melt and darken in the edges, stir from the sides into the center to melt evenly and prevent it from burning. After the sugar melts completely and obtains an amber color pour into baking pan. This process can take about 4 minutes. Hold the pan with oven mitts and tilt to get the entire bottom and at least an inch of the sides covered in caramel. Leave to cool to allow caramel to harden. Note: The caramel will be very HOT and will continue to darken after you remove it from the fire; therefore, do not let it get too dark. I use an 8” or 9” pan that is 2 ½ inch tall.

2. For flan: In a bowl mix the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk, slightly beaten eggs, salt, and vanilla. Stir slowly with a spoon or whisk until completely combined, pour into a sieve, and slowly pour into the caramelized pan. Note: The more air you incorporate into the custard, the more holes you’ll get in the texture.

3. Place in a double boiler and bake at 400˚F 200˚C or cook over the stove for 50 -60 minutes until set but still soft. It will settle even more once it has cooled. Leave to cool on rack and refrigerate until completely cold or preferably overnight. At serving time, run a knife or rubber spatula to separate all sides from pan, and invert flan into serving plate. You should get a perfectly golden brown topped delicious flan. Garnish with cherries, nuts, dried fruit, dulce de leche or whipped cream. Go ahead fall in love with your flan and enjoy!

Yield: 10 servings.

Notes: 

a) For a spiced caramel add a pinch of ground cloves and cinnamon to the sugar.

b) To make coconut flan, substitute one can of evaporated milk for coconut milk.

c) While baking or cooking in bain-marie, make sure enough water is kept in pan to prevent it from drying. If water is left to boil your custard will also boil and will have a texture with holes. Not that that is bad, but aesthetically might not be what you want.

Children’s children are the crown of old men,And the glory of children is their father.~ Proverbs 17:6

Nectarine Fruit Crumble

This nectarine crumble is so delectable!! What I love about this dessert is the combination of pecans, oats and the fruit cooked in its juice. This is a dessert to enjoy and to prepare often because it is too easy to prepare. You can use this same recipe to prepare an apple crumble, pear or plum crumble.

I thank all my blog readers who write to thank, congratulate and greet me. You really surprise me and encourage me to continue publishing even though at times I feel I won't be able to continue blogging. God is my strength a guide in all I do, but you, readers are my motivation to continue with this blog. My daughters are also great inspiration a motivators because every time I post, it's one less recipe they can't say they do not know how to prepare, lol.

I mixed all the dry ingredients before adding butter for photo purpose, but the steps are a bit different. I will explain in the recipe's instructions below.

Cake Pops for Mom!!

I made some cake pops using the strawberry cake recipe I shared in the previous post and they tasted like a heavenly experience, I highly recommend it. I also made a classic at home, chocolate cake pops... scrumptious and yummy too! I used pink and white chocolate colors, kept it simple but elegant to make these, special cake pops, for moms. I hope to inspire you to make some today or anytime soon.

I dedicated these cake pops to my mom and my three precious daughters. Thanks to them, I feel I am the happiest daughter / mom in the world. May the Lord continue to less them. I would also like to congratulate all my readers moms who celebrate Mother's Day today.

Make, Enjoy, Pin and Share :)

To make the pops no exact recipe, you can use any cake recipe and frosting of your preference.

What you need: 

Lemon Mousse, Mousse de Limón

Mousse have a light and creamy texture makes them a favorite in any dessert menu. As done in my passionfruit mousse, I prepared this one with Italian meringue, which is beaten egg whites with a hot sugar syrup instead of beating egg whites with granulated sugar only. This avoids the risk of contamination with raw eggs whites and gives the mousse a better texture and flavor. The following may be eaten alone as a cold dessert or as use a cake filling. Note: Dominican lemons are green, so what you see here are lemons not lime.

Prepare the lemon curd and reserve.

Prepare the meringue and  reserve.

Mix unflavored gelatin with lemon curd, add merigue and stir.

Add the whipped cream to the meringue mixture and fold using a spatula. This time I used a whisk to speed the process and the end result was fine.

Lemon Mousse 

Receta en español: AQUÍ.

Ingredients: 
1 ½ cup of Lemon Curd
1 ½ heavy cream (whipping cream / cream)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin 
For the meringue: 
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla

Preparation: 
1. Prepare lemon curd and reserve.

2. Prepare the meringue using the same recipe of Italian meringue but halved and because it is to use for a mousse less ingredients are needed, set aside. 

Use the 3 egg whites, 1 cup sugar ¼ cup water and ½ teaspoon vanilla for the meringue. 

Boil 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup of water until it's bubbling with a thick consistency like a syrup. While the syrup starts to thicken you can proceed to beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, add the syrup while it is still hot, in a slow stream while egg whites remain beating at high speed. Continue beating until the meringue cools and looks shiny. For more tips and information read the complete meringue recipe.

3. Hydrate the gelatin in ¼ cup of water, stir with a fork and place in a double boiler to heat and dissolve gelatin; reserve.
4. Whip the cream, reserve.
5. Incorporate the dissolved gelatin to the lemon curd, fold in meringue and then finally the whipped cream.
6. Place in serving containers or in a mold and let cool in the refrigerator until it sets. Serve cold.

Yield: 10 servings.

Note: If you prefer you can use a pastry bag to serve in cups.

Check out these other cool mousse:

Mango Mousse, by Elisabeth.

Maracuyá (passionfruit) Mousse, by Gaby.

Orange Mousse, by Merchi.

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.~ Proverbs 13:10.

Divinity

Divinity Fudge is a traditional American, meringue type confection, made with granulated sugar, water, egg whites and corn syrup. There are many variations of this recipe, the one I share today also calls for nuts and vanilla as flavoring. I didn’t find a translation for it in spanish, so I named it suspiritos o merenguitos divinos. 

En español: AQUÍ

 No matter what variation you prepare, the result remains the same, a fluffy, air like candy with a crisp outer layer. It's recommended to prepare this recipe on sunny days as humidity prevents the candy from drying and alters its texture. What I hope doesn’t happen to you? After several days of extremely high temperatures and no rain, I thought this would a perfect dessert to prepare, since there is no need to turn on the oven, but as soon as I started preparing the syrup, clouds began to form. This is a photo of the cloudy sky above our home.

Divinity 

(Recipe adapted from Southern Living)

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups sugar
½ cup water
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
2 eggs whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Garnish: pecan halves

1. Lightly grease a large sheet of wax paper or tray with butter; set aside.
2. Cook first 4 ingredients in a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat about 15 minutes or until sugar thermometer registers 248˚F. Lower heat and begin to beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Pour half of hot syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating constantly at high speed, about 5 minutes.
3. Cook remaining half of syrup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 272˚F. Slowly pour hot syrup and vanilla extract over egg white mixture, beating constantly at high speed for 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture holds its shape. Place machine in stir (low speed) and add 1 cup chopped pecans.
4. Drop mixture quickly by rounded teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased wax paper or tray. Garnish, if desired. Cool.


YIELD: 4 dozen (I got 34 candies).

Notes: 
a) The process used when beating egg whites is as important as cooking the ingredients to the proper temperature. Start with a clean bowl. Any greasy residue in the bowl can reduce the volume of beaten egg whites.
b) Having a partner isn't necessary, but in helps to complete the procedure quicker. Drop candy by teaspoonfuls quickly, dipping from the bottom of the bowl and using the back of a second spoon to push the mixture off the dipping spoon. The candy will start to harden on the bottom of the bowl first.

En español: AQUÍ

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. ~ Proverbs 15:18

 
 Photos © Mari's Cakes