Flag Cake
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten
Ingredients
18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
For the icing:
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 pounds’ cream cheese at room temperature
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
To assemble:
2 half-pints blueberries
3 half-pints raspberries
Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.
Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and icing until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
I serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.
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Ferrero Rocher Strawberry Chocolate cake
Ingredients
1 box double fudge cake mix
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Ferrero rocher chocolates
Strawberries
1 cup cool whip
Hershey’s chocolate syrup
Method
Start by mixing cake ingredients as directed, I add chocolate chips and baked in a greased and flour lined spring form pan let cool
Once cool slice in half. Now reserve about 6-8 large strawberries and slice the rest. Add half the tub of cool whip to bottom layer and some of the strawberries shave 1-2 Ferrero Rocher chocolates, now add top layer
To top layer, add cool whip, arrange the large strawberries around the edges and chocolates in between with 1 large strawberry in the center and the last of sliced strawberries around the that. Shave as much chocolate as you like around the top and drizzle with Hershey syrup! Enjoy! Simple but beautiful cake
Octopus and shrimp salad
Ingredients
2 lb. shrimps
1 1/2 lb. octopus cubed
2 tomatoes chopped
1 Large onion, chopped
cilantro chopped
4 fresh lemon juice
5 oz. stuffed olives chopped
5 oz. olive oil, extra virgin
salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce (optional)
Method
Clean, peel and cook the shrimp to taste.
Clean and cook and cut the octopus to desire length
Cut the vegetables
Mix all together
Set it in the refrigerator to chill and served
