Red Velvet Cake using Devil's Food Mix with Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream

Ingredients
1 box       Devils Food Cake Mix
3              Eggs
1 1/3 cup  Buttermilk
1/2 cup     Vegetable Oil
1 tsp         Vinegar
2 oz (4Tbsp)  Red Coloring

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Lightly oil & flour cake pans (two 9-inch round pan)
1) Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl
2) Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed
3) Divide evenly into two pans, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes
4) Remove cake from cake pans, and place on cooling rack to cool
5) Frost cake once cake is cool

Meringue Cream Cheese Buttercream
Adapted from KitchenSidecar

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp     Meringue Powder
1/2 cup     Corn Syrup
1/4 cup     Warm Water
2 sticks     Butter, softened and cubed
1 block     Cream Cheese, softened and cubed
1 tsp         Vanilla Extract

Methods:
1) Combine meringue powder, corn syrup, and warm water.
2) Beat/whisk until shiny and glossy. About 5 minutes.
3) Add cubed butter and continue beating. Mixture might look like cottage cheese, but keep on beating until well-blended. It may take 10 minutes.
4) Add cream cheese and continue beating. Mixture might look like cottage cheese again, but keep on beating until well-blended. It may take 10 minutes.
5) Beat until mixture is light and fluffy like butter cream. Add vanilla extract and combine until blended.

Link to original The Silver Linings Saga blogpost referring to this dish:

Four-Day Weekend Full of Cooking Shortcuts posted on 11/28/2010

Pumpkin Mousse

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

1 can (15oz)   Pumpkin

3/4 cup          Sugar

1 cup             Heavy Cream

1/2 tsp           Pumpkin Spice

2 tub (8oz)     Whipped Topping (i.e. Cool Whip)

*If you have 29oz canned pumpkin, you can double the recipe above to make a very large batch.

Methods:

1) Combine pumpkin, sugar, heavy cream, pumpkin spice in a pot and cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

2) Remove from heat and let mixture cool.

3) Put cooled pumpkin mixture in a big bowl and fold whipped topping into the mixture.

3) Serve in individual bowl and garnish with nutmeg

Link to original The Silver Linings Saga blogpost referring to this dish:

Four-Day Weekend Full of Cooking Shortcuts posted on 11/28/2010

Pineapple Tart with Cream Cheese Dough

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 block      (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 stick (10oz) butter, softened
1 1/3 cup   (9.5 oz/ 271 grams) Sugar
4 1/3 cup   (1 lb 3oz/ 542 grams) All-Purpose Flour
A pinch      Salt

Filling:
1 part       Pureed Pineapple (fresh or canned)  - (I used 1 1/2 fresh pineapple)
1 p)art       Sugar
1 stick      Cinnamon
4              Cloves

For Dough:
1) Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar together
2) Add flour and salt into the butter mixture and mix well
3) Roll dough and cut into squares
4) Place filling in the middle of each square, close the opening, shape into balls
5) Bake for 25-30 min in 300F oven
6) Take cookies out and glaze with eggwash and cook for another 5-10minutes or until golden.

For Filling:
1) Put everything together in a pot
2) Cook on medium heat until the filling thickened and dry. Keep stirring to avoid burns. It took an hour or two the last time I made it.
3) Let it cool before use

Link to original The Silver Linings Saga blogpost referring to this dish:
Kuih Raya (Eid Celebration Cookies) posted on 9/9/2010

Cornflakes Madu (Honeyed Cornflakes)

Serves about 90 mini baking cups

Ingredients:
2 sticks Butter
1 cup    Sugar
5 Tbsp  Honey
1 (12oz) Box Cornflakes

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 325F.
2) In a large pan/stock pot, melt butter on medium heat.
3) Add sugar and honey to the butter. Cook until everything sugar is dissolved.
4) Turn the heat off. Add the cornflakes to the mixture and mix well.
5) Place mixture into mini baking cups.
6) Bake in the oven for 7 minutes
7) Let it cools before eating. It hardens as it cools.

Link to original The Silver Linings Saga blogpost referring to this dish:
Kuih Raya (Eid Celebration Cookies) posted on 9/9/2010