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Macarons

Macarons originate from France. The name is derived from the Italian word macarone, maccarone or maccherone, the Italian meringue.It’s made with egg white, icing sugar , granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond and sometimes food coloring. The food coloring allows the macarons to stand out with bright and vivid colors. Colored macarons are usually the ones sold in cafes. They are composed of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam, or ganache filling, was originally called the "Gerbet" or the "Paris macaron."Traditional flavors of macarons are commonly chocolate, vanilla, and raspberry.

Pandan Cakes

This is a Malaysian originated cake. These cakes are light and fluffy. They are flavoured with the juice of Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves or Pandanus extract. The flavoring gives the cake the green tone. It is a popular cake in asian countries. Typically it has two layers with a cream in the middle.

Flan

Flan is a native puerto rican dessert. Its usually served with caramel sauce that makes the flavor pop. There are many different types of flans. It's historically dated back to the times of the ancient Romans. Nearly all Central and South Americans as well as Mexicans love Flans. Each has their own unique Flan.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is a Italian cake. It looks very complex and takes a while to make. Unlike most cakes it could not be eaten right away or on the same day. Typically one would have to wait around two days to be able to eat it.

Banh Quy

This is a Vietnamese dessert. It has a jelly like outer shell.

Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream

A cupcake has many different names. They are called fairy cakes in England, and patty cakes in Australia.These cupcakes originate from America. They are typical American desserts that are often found at birthday parties and are simple and fun to make. There are many different types of cupcakes ranging from a wide variety of flavors and frosting. There are also different types of toppings for cupcakes.

Postre Chajá

This is a peach meringue cake from Uruguay. It is one of the most typical desserts in Uruguay. It was originally invented by Paysandú, who made it for some house guests. These cakes were originally made with strawberries, but peaches have started to become more popular because of its greater accessibility in Uruguay.

Pound Cake

Pound cakes are traditionally made from flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. They dated back to England in the 1700s. They are generally baked in the shape of a loaf of bread. Over the course of time the recipe from pound cakes changed but every one of them involves around the four crucial ingredients. There are many different styles of pound cakes because many different countries adopted it and changed it to make it their own.

My name is Mona Zheng and I am 15 years old. My interest in baking started when I was 11 years old. I always loved desserts. The first thing I ever baked were chocolate chip cookies; I burnt them to crisp. After that horrible experience i gave up on baking for a while. The next time I baked, I baked a cake. That time I had put too much cake batter into one pan so the cake blew up at the center and was raw in the middle. My baking experience was a bit sour in the beginning but I didn’t give up and tried to bake the cake again. The next time I think i made cupcakes instead. These turned out way better but it was also way messier. The down part about baking is the cleaning up that usually follows. Whenever I bake, I usually create a big mess and I would have to then clean up. Baking got easier for me as time went on and less of a challenge. For this project i decided to challenge myself and learn how to bake pastries from scratch.

My name is Nhi, and I am 15 years old. I became interested in cooking when I was around nine years old because my mom was a really bad cook, so she would constantly watch cooking shows and look at cookbooks to improve her skills. My mom has trouble understanding many English terms, so she would always make me watch the cooking shows with her and translate certain parts back to Vietnamese for her. I actually grew to enjoy cooking. As I grew older, I started to enjoy making desserts more than actual dishes. This project has given me the opportunity to do something that I truly enjoy. One day, I would actually like to travel to various countries and try their authentic desserts.

Ingredients

Macarons:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 2 large eggs (room temp.)
• pinch of cream tartar
• 1/4 cup super fine sugar

Pandan Cakes:

• 8 egg whites
• 6 egg yolk
• pinch of tartar
• 1 cup of self raised flour
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 cup coconut milk
• pandan extract

Flan:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 large eggs
• condensed milk
• 26 oz evaporated milk
• 1 tb vanilla extract

Tiramisu:

• 3 cups coffee
• 16 oz mascarpone
• 5 eggs
• savoiardi cookies
• 6 oz sugar

Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting:

For the Cupcakes:

• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1½ teaspoons espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature

For the Espresso Buttercream Frosting:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2½ cups powdered sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons espresso powder

Postre Chaja (Peach Meringue Cake):

For the Meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• For the Cake:
• 1 sponge cake recipe

For the Peaches and Peach Syrup:

• 6 or 7 peaches
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons rum or peach-flavored vodka (optional)
• Pinch salt

Pound Cake:

• 1 pound (3 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 9 large, room-temperature eggs

Important Materials Used Throughout This Project

Kitchenaid electric stand mixer: mixes ingredients effeciently

Electric handmixer: Give you more control and easy to use

Whisk: Easy set up but requires more effort in mixing

Silicone spatula: Has a lot of purposes, could be used to fold

Cookie sheet: good when baking cookies and other treats

Parchment paper: non-sticky paper often used when baking

Piping bag: good for icing and precise