27.12.11

cupcake project | 10: devil’s food cupcakes.


What is Christmas without chocolate?

Wait, let me rephrase that… What is a day without chocolate?

It’s going to be boring, I bet.

When my Tito Bunnie asked me to bring cupcakes for Christmas dinner, I immediately knew what I was going to bring – red velvets and devil’s food cupcakes. It sounded like the most logical thing to do. Well, for me at least. ;)

When you search Google for “devil’s food cupcakes,” it would give a loooot of recipes. And I mean helluva lot. I’ve already posted a recipe here, taken from David Lebovitz, but since I am me, and I don’t stop searching for recipes I could try… Yeah, you guessed it. I found another recipe. And it’s just one of the best devil’s food cupcakes recipes I’ve tried.

This new recipe is from Zoe Francois, I have been semi-stalking her blog for a few months now and when I saw the title “Not Your Average Devil’s Food Cupcakes,” I knew I just had to try it out.

And I’m not looking back. I think I’ve found the “one.” I’ve baked them six times in one month. ;P

It’s moist and delectable. My family couldn’t stop eating them. Ahh. That’s the best compliment a baker can have.

With Vanilla Buttercream
With vanilla buttercream
Curious yet?

26.12.11

cupcake project | 09: red velvet cupcakes for christmas.

Happy Christmas, everyone! :)

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How’d you guys spend Christmas?

Our family has Christmas traditions that I haven’t “followed” since I started working. When I was younger, we would go to Manila to spend Christmas with my Dad’s clans from the father and mother’s side.

We usually have Christmas eve lunch with the Jaranillas – my grandpa’s side. I haven’t joined Christmas lunch in a very long time since I usually have work during the holidays. I know, sucks to be me, right? LOL.

This year, we had Christmas dinner instead. I travelled through EDSA on Dec 24th – it was such a pain in the a** having to take the bus. They take forever!

Christmas dinner was spent at my Tito’s “new” house in Alabang. I said “new” cos it used to be my Lolo and Lola’s house (my Dad’s parents) and when they both passed away, the siblings put the property up for sale. My Tito Bunnie, Dad’s brother, bought the house and had it renovated. It looks so different now – more spacious and airy. I failed to take photos, though. Hehe.

Anyway, Christmas dinner was great. All families brought their share. I did, too! I brought Devil’s Food  and Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Christmas eve was spent at the Fort, at my Tita Yolly’s house/condo in the Pacific Plaza. We had drinks and a few pica-pica.

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Our chosen poison. ;)
Christmas is all about tradition in my family. There are just some food that can’t go missing during the holidays – Lola Ems’ American Lumpia, Del Monte’s Ham (the BESSSSSSST!), Arroz Caldo, Castanas, and Turkey, to name a few.

And I guess I’ll start my own tradition – Red Velvet! I finally found the best recipe. ;) I used two recipes – one from Betty Crocker and the other from Joy the Baker. :)

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Moist and surprisingly wonderful.

21.12.11

Typhoon Sendong and a Call for HELP.

It’s almost Christmas.

While most Filipinos are completing their Christmas shopping over the weekend, many of our Filipino brothers and sisters suffered the wrath of what could probably be the strongest and deadliest typhoon in the world Philippines this year – Sendong. It is said that it's worse than typhoon Ondoy.

Among hardest hit was my hometown, Cagayan de Oro.

I was not completely aware of the impending typhoon that was about to hit the Philippines last weekend. On Friday, I called in sick as I was having severe menstrual cramps and bleeding – let’s not get to the details. At around 3:00 AM on Saturday, I saw Melissa’s, a childhood friend, Facebook post asking if there’s anyone she can contact in Manila or any government agency to help her family who is stranded in the midst of fast-rising floodwater. I started to panic, my Tita lived within the same baranggay. I checked on PAG-ASA’s website and found out that the storm was somewhere northwest of CDO. I initially shrugged it off and went to bed.

When I woke up the following morning, my Twitter and Facebook feeds were filled with not-so-good updates on the state of our beloved city.

I immediately called my Mom, but her phone was unattended. Panic started to grow. I tried calling my brother, thankfully, he picked up. My family was spared, their only issue was power and water outage. While our house was not hit by the ravaging floods, my Tita Liza (who is more like a second Mom to me and one of my Mom’s closest sisters) and her family lost everything they have to the flood. They have not been able to get in touch with any of my Tita’s family until around 7:00 PM.

My family is safe. Thank God – that’s a reason to celebrate for us. We celebrate because God kept my family safe.

But there are more Kagay-anons who have not been able to survive… Or are still trying to pick up the pieces.

For us who have been spared, it’s but fitting to pitch in our share – in cash or in kind. If you have old clothes, mats, blankets, towels, drinking water, rice, just about anything that you’d like to donate, they’d be very welcome.
helpcdo
In-kind donations can be sent thru the following:
  • Any JRS Express branch nationwide for free delivery. You may also contact 02.631.7351 to 56 for assistance.
  • Aboitiz and Negros Navigation have ships ready to transport emergency/relief goods and equipment bound for Cagayan de Oro / Iligan. For bulk items, bring directly to Abotiz/Negros Navigation, Pier 2, Manila. Call 02.211.5484 for more information.
  • For those who are near UP Diliman / Quezon City area, you may drop off your donations at Moon Leaf Tea Shop (@moonleafteashop) along Maginhawa Street in UP Village.

Cash donations can be sent to:
Account Name: Xavier University
Account Number: 9331 0133 63
BPI CDO – Divisoria Branch
Those who wish to receive receipts for their donations may email finance@xu.edu.ph with the following details for proper acknowledgement:
  • Donor’s Name
  • Receiving Branch
  • Date
  • Amount

Philippine Red Cross also accepts donations through Cebuana Lhuillier:
  • Donations are accepted in any of the 1,500 Cebuana Lhuillier pawnshops nationwide.
  • For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. 02.527.0575 or 02.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.
Bank Deposits:
Banco De Oro (Swift Code: BNORPHMM)
Peso: 00-453-0018647
Dollar: 10-453-0039482  
Bank of the Philippine Islands (Swift Code: BOPIPHMM)
Peso: 4991-0036-52
Dollar: 004994-0103-15 
Metrobank (Swift Code: MBTCPHMM)
Peso: 151-3-041631228
Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2 
Philippine National Bank (Swift Code: PNBMPHMM)
Peso: 3752 8350 0034
Dollar: 3752 8350 0042 
Unionbank of the Philippines (Swift Code: UNPHPHMM)
Peso: 1015 4000 0201
Dollar: 1315 4000 0090 

For those who are in Cagayan de Oro, my Mom's school will be having a soup kitchen today at 8 AM at Calacal, Tibasak, Macasandig. They would be feeding around 200 people and will be giving medicines for cough, colds, fever, etc. For those who are within the area, please feel free to drop by. Donations are also accepted.
PROCARE Foundation
Vamenta Compound, Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro
(in front of Macasandig Barangay Hall / beside Corpus Christi High School)
Contact # 08822 714553

A little help can go a long way. A little help can save someone’s life.

*** Sharing is caring – please feel free to share to share this information to your friends.

10.12.11

cupcake project | 08: bibingka cupcakes.

I have been quiet (in my blog, at least) for quite some time, yes?

It’s one of those times where in I have a lot to do, and so little time to do them all. That kind of sucks the life out of me, really. But I’ve recently learned to give myself a break from time to time – and break, I did – from blogging. Heh.

Let me give you a rundown of what happened during my so-called “hiatus.”
Those are just a few stuff…

Today, in the spirit of Christmas, I’ve made bibingka – a rice cake very popular here in the Philippines. It’s traditionally made of glutinous rice or rice flour and cooked over “live” coals. My version was more like bibingka cupcakes made with all-purpose flour.

It tasted so much like the traditional bibingka. I loved it, but I could use some changes in the recipe. It lacked the smokiness of the traditional bibingka, and I didn’t have coconut and salted eggs on hand. But despite the hitches, it definitely cured my cravings.
 bibingka