Castella Cake

For the last couple of weeks, I have been yearning to have foods from my childhood. The Japanese Castella cake was one of the many delicious desserts I've had as a little girl. This cake brings back so many memories of going to the bakery with my parents and drooling over all the delicious and freshly baked goodies!

This delicate cake is especially spongy, bouncy and moist. The only downside to this cake is that once you take it out of the oven you have to immediately wrap it and place it in the fridge while it is hot for a minimum of 12 hours! This procedure helps the cake to have a fine and moist texture. Another ingredient that makes this cake extra special is the kind of flour you use. The elasticity in this cake is brought on by using bread flour that all purpose flour can't achieve. I recommend making it in the evening and having a slice the next day. It is definitely worth the wait. You can taste the honey in every bite and it is so easy to make, perfect for any occasion!

For the recipe click here

Turkey Stuffed Dumplings

Dumplings... I can never have enough dumplings!

I got ready made dumpling skin and the stuffing consisted of: ground turkey, cabbage and bean thread (optional). Check below for instructions:
-Mix them together and add some soy sauce, salt, pepper and some sesame oil.
-Put around 1 teaspoon of the mixture in the center of the dumpling skin.
-Wet the outer rim with a bit of water so the skin can stick to each other when you fold them together.
-In a non-stick pan, on medium heat, add some vegetable oil. Then add the dumplings.
-Add water in the non-stick pan so it covers half of the dumplings.
-Add some vinegar. Vinegar helps produce a golden layer underneath the dumplings and prevents from sticking.
-Cover and let the dumplings steam and remove the lid when most of the water is evaporated.
-Continue cooking until all liquid is gone and you can see the golden layer underneath the dumplings.
-Remove from heat.
-Sauce: soy sauce and chopped garlic. Enjoy!