Nutella Magic Cake

I've been seeing a lot of Magic Cakes on the web since March...and honestly, I wasn't so interested. But when I found the Nutella Magic Cake at Kirbie's Cravings, I knew I have to try it! You see, we're big Nutella fans in this family.  We eat it with toasts, bagels, pancakes, waffles, crepes, crackers, ice cream, strawberries, bananas, and even apples. We bake with it, make desserts with it, use it as a dip...and sometimes, we would just eat it plain on a spoon. It's just so good and addicting, you know! And the thought of how yummy a Nutella Magic Cake could be, was enough to make me jump on the Magic Cake bandwagon!

So what is so magical about this cake, you may ask. Well, if you can see in the photo above, the cake has three layers...i.e., sponge cake on top, custard in the middle and fudge at the bottom. But would you believe that it was made from a single batter? Yes, you read it right! This cake was made from one batter that magically turned into 3 layers while baking...and that is why it is called Magic Cake. Of course, there's no magic involved here at all. It's actually Science that made it happen. Though I am no scientist to explain it fully, I think density has something to do with the layering that took place. Being less dense, the part with the meringue (beaten egg whites) went to the top of the cake, the part with the egg yolks and milk which is more dense went to the middle and the Nutella part which is the most dense settled at the bottom. Oh well, no matter what the scientific explanation behind this Magic Cake is, I must say that it turned out really amazing...and in the eyes of my daughters, there really was magic in it! :) 

I've read that some who have tried the original version think that it tastes like a chiffon cake lacking flavor...so I'm glad I made the Nutella version. At first, I was afraid that I will end up having only two layers as what happened to some. I was looking through the sides of the baking dish, and all I could see are two visible layers...but when I sliced it,  there were indeed 3 layers! It was so awesome and beautiful to look at! And the best part is --- IT WAS SO DELICIOUS! You really can't go wrong with Nutella!

Banana Cream Trifle

Next to Christmas, New Year's Day is the second most celebrated holiday in the Philippines. We, Filipinos make lots of preparations for it, and there are some traditions that we follow in the belief of ushering in a prosperous New Year. We literally celebrate this day with a BIG bang! At the strike of 12:00 midnight, you can hear church bells ringing, firecrackers banging and booming everywhere, children making sounds with their torotot (horns), car horns tooting and empty cans dragged all around. These things are done to make lots of noise which is believed to scare away evil spirits. After all the noise making, a midnight meal called Media Noche is shared with family members. This feast symbolizes family union and celebration. It is believe that when we put lots of food on the table, we will have food all year round. I grew up practicing these things, and I have always loved the sight of fireworks display and abundant food as we welcome the new year. 

Now that we are in Texas and firecrackers aren't allowed here in our area, we just content ourselves in watching fireworks display on TV. But we still blow our colorful horns as the clocks strikes 12 and we fill our dinner table with lots of food. But let me tell you a secret --- for some reasons, I don't enjoy spending too much time in the kitchen on this day. I guess I don't want to be spending the whole year in the kitchen so I'm thinking that I'd better be out of there when the clock strikes midnight. LOL. So it's either I serve food that can be prepared ahead of time, or I make easy to prepare ones. This dessert that I am sharing with you today falls on both categories...it can be made the day before and it is also so easy to prepare. :)

I want to end 2011 with this Banana Cream Trifle - a very simple yet beautiful and truly delicious dessert that my family and I love so much. There's no cooking involved and can be easily whipped up in minutes, so this is perfect for any occasion!

Holiday Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches with Nutella Filling

Just 18 days to go before Christmas...how exciting could that be! One of the things I enjoy about the Christmas season is baking cookies with my girls. It is actually something we love doing together all year round, but we find it such a perfect thing to do during the cold holiday break. Not only does baking help heat up our home, it is always fun to knead, shape and smell the goodness of cookies baking in the oven. Of course, eating the cookies we baked with a cup of hot chocolate or a glass of milk during cold nights is what we love the most. Sharing them with our friends is another thing!

Every year, we make an assortment of cookies which include Peanut Butter Cookies (Clarise and Ryan's favorite), Pecan Sandies (my favorite), Chocolate Chip Cookies (Cherlin's favorite), Snickerdoodle cookies for Santa, our family's favorite Chocolate Crinkles, and the very simple but delicious, Shortbread Cookies. 

Making Shortbread Cookies is so much fun! Not only are they so easy to make, they also require minimal ingredients. With just butter, flour and sugar, you'll have delicious treats in no time. You can shape and design them as festive as you want or you can just leave them plain and simple.

Clarise and Cherlin love shortbread cookies so much. Regardless of the flavor, shape and design, they just enjoy making and eating them! But do you want to know how they enjoy these delicious cookies the most??? They make cookie sandwiches with them...filled with their favorite Nutella. Does that sound yummy to you???

I love Nutella and I must tell you that Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches with Nutella Filling taste perfect! And if you make your Shortbread Cookies in fancy holiday shapes and dust them with confectioners' sugar, you'll have such easy-to-make but festive addition to your Holiday table!

Cherlin and I made these last Monday afternoon...

 

I love how Holiday-ish these Star Shaped Shortbread Cookies with Christmas tree cut out in the middle look. The design is actually Cherlin's idea. We made these yummy treats together while Clarise was at choir practice...and we all had fun eating them after dinner. Oh well, Cherlin & I actually had one each just after taking pictures. You can't blame us - they're so good!!! :)

I'm sharing these Holiday Shortbread Cookie Sandwiches with Nutella Filling on Food Frenzy's "Holiday Cookies" Challenge. Voting runs the 15th through the 24th...please do vote for it! ;)

No-Bake Cheesecake Cup with Nutella Spiderweb Topping

Back when I was growing up in the Philippines, Halloween wasn't celebrated...so I didn't experience being in costumes or doing trick or treating. November 1 or All Saints Day is what we celebrate back there. It's a special non working holiday in the Philippines so families can go together to the cemetery to bring flowers and candles, and gather to pray for their loved ones who passed away. All Saints Day is more like a family reunion to most Filipinos. Many will camp out at the cemetery with lots of food and spend the night playing cards, drinking and having fun. Though my family stick to simply bringing candles/flowers and praying in the cemetery, All Saints Day is something I always look forward to when I was a kid. It's because of the yearly gathering we have at my aunt's place (which was near the cemetery) where we get to be with our relatives who we rarely see. Having the chance to catch up with them was always fun! There were also lots of food and drinks, and that made spending time with our relatives more enjoyable!

Here in the US, Halloween is such a big deal. And though I didn't grow up with this Western celebration, I'm not being a complete killjoy this time of the year. Though I don't do Halloween decorations nor let my daughters dress up in spooky costumes, I don’t hold them back from enjoying Halloween. I'm aware of how much they love it just like all kids do. For one day, they get to go door to door, show off their cute costumes in the neighborhood, and get showered with sweet treats --- I just know how much fun it is for them! I know too that for kids, Halloween is really all about sweets, so whenever Clarise and Cherlin ask me to make treats, I always give in to their request! But I always go for easy-to-prepare ones...those that, as much as possible, won't require cooking nor baking but something that they will love. This No-Bake Cheesecake Cups with Nutella Spiderweb Topping is one of those! My girls love Nutella (who doesn't???) and cream cheese so this is so perfect for them. And with chocolate chips, they say it's like heaven! The spiderweb topping makes it a cute Halloween treat. I love it because it doesn't require baking. It actually doesn't involve any cooking, what could be better than that??!

It's sweet, I know...but it's just a once a year thing, so I guess I can stop worrying and just let them enjoy this delightful treat! ;)