Bánh Bò Nướng: Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake

Bánh Bò Nướng: Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake

by Gina Planas

Ingredients

  • 200ml (½ can) of coconut milk
  • 1 cup white sugar (I use just a bit less)
  • About ⅓ of a 20mL bottle of Buko Pandan flavoring
  • 2 cups tapioca flour/starch
  • 2 ½ teaspoons of SINGLE ACTING baking powder*
  • 6 eggs

Instructions

  1. In a sauce pan over low heat, add the ½ can of coconut milk and the 1 cup sugar. You’re basically just melting the sugar here so it will only take a few minutes. Turn the heat off then add the Buko Pandan flavoring. I usually put about ⅓ of the small bottle, but it all depends on how much flavoring you want your cake to have. To me, ⅓ – ½ is just perfect.
  2. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes or whenever it totally cooled down.
    Preheat the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the 6 eggs (don’t over beat the eggs).
  4. When the coconut milk/sugar mixture is completely cool, mix this to the beaten eggs along with the 2 cups of tapioca flour + 2 ½ teaspoon of single acting baking powder. Again, don’t over mix. The consistency should be watery.
  5. Pour the batter in a bundt or cake pan (sprayed liberally with cooking spray) and bake for 40-45minutes.**

Gina’s Tips

*Substitution for SINGLE-ACTING Baking Powder :

  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¾ teaspoon cornstarch

**I guess this will depend on your oven. I followed instructions in the past to bake it 50-60min and I noticed that the ends end up being way too dry while the inside is moist and chewy. So I started to experiment and lessened baking time, making the entire cake moist and chewy with no dry ends (of course if you prefer the first, you can bake longer so it’s up to your preference).

Coconut Key Lime Pie

Coconut Key Lime Pie
Recipe from blog A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon butter, melted
1 (15-ounce) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated key lime zest (from about 4 key limes)
1/3 cup fresh key lime juice (from about 6 key limes)
5 large egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1.  For the crust:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter. Pour the mixture into a standard 9-inch pie dish, making sure to press the crumbs up the sides and all over the bottom of the dish until you have a nice, even layer of crust.  Bake in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Remove and set aside, letting the crust cool completely. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees F.

2. For the filling:  In a small bowl, set aside three tablespoons of the coconut cream that’s sitting at the top of the can of coconut milk. Place the bowl of coconut cream in the refrigerator to be used later as part of the topping. Stir the remaining coconut cream and coconut milk together, making sure to break up any large clumps. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, key lime zest, key lime juice, egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk and salt.

3. Place the cooled pie dish on a baking sheet and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Pour in the filling and allow to bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the top is firm to the touch yet still a wobbly. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool for approximately 10 minutes. Transfer the pie to the fridge letting it set for at least 2 hours. While the oven is still on, place the coconut flakes on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes in the oven, until lightly golden brown. Set aside and turn oven off.

4. For the topping:   Right before serving add the reserved, refrigerated coconut cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand-up mixer with the whisk attachment; beating approximately 2 minutes until smooth. With the mixer running, pour in about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream beating until incorporated. Slowly pour in the rest of the heavy cream until smooth and medium peaks form, about 2 minutes.

5. Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie, sprinkle the toasted coconut flakes on top, slice and serve.

Chewy Lemon Cookies

Chewy Lemon Cookies
Recipe from blog how sweet it is

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add the cooled, melted butter and whisk in the sugar until smooth. Add in the egg and egg yolk, mixing to combine.  Whisk in the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and lemon extracts. Stir in the flour mixture until a dough forms. If needed, use your hands to help mix the dough.

3.  Scoop the dough into golf-ball sized balls and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until middle is just set an edges are slightly golden.  Let cool on wire racks and then enjoy!