Everyone loves cake on their lips…but not on their hips. Candies and chocolate and icings are full of sugar and fat. Not everyone in attendance at your party will want to indulge on such a treat. You could be stuck with miles of cake or cupcakes that might go to waste because your guests are watching their waist. There are ways to have your cake and actually eat it too when you decorate your cake with fruit or other healthy toppings.
Fruit
Fruit is not only a healthier option than candy cake toppings, it’s also colorful and provides various shapes and textures to your cake. Depending on the theme of your party and the colors that are dominant in your decorations, you can dress up any cake with fresh or dried fruit. Slice strawberries long ways, use wedges of star fruit, sprinkle blueberries or raspberries, or section oranges or mandarins for bright, vivid additions. If you decide to use fruits in a decorative manner on your cake, be aware that fresh fruit will moisten the cake and help it spoil quicker. You’ll also want to make sure that the fruit flavors don’t clash with each other, the cake itself, or any icing you choose to put on it. Stay away from fruits that oxidize too quickly (apples, pears, bananas) as no one wants to eat a cake with wilting brown fruit on top.
Fruit Jams
Have you ever wondered how your bakery gets those fruit-covered tarts to look so shiny and wet with flavor? The secret is…fruit jam. It’s nature’s paint. If you take apricot or raspberry jams, or any other flavors, and heat them in the microwave for a minute or so, it will form this vibrant and delicious glaze that you can dabble over fresh fruit or over a bare cake itself. Get a new paint brush ad become the DiVinci of your kitchen as you slather the sweetness over a pound or angel food cake. Try sugar-free jams to reduce calories even more.
Whipped Toppings
Instead of plopping gobs of fat-laden, sugary-sweet icing on top of a cake, you can use a simple ingredient fresh from your grocer’s freezer: whipped topping. Cool Whip or generic store brands provide a sweety, yet less fattening icing to cupcakes, cookies, and cakes. Replace the heavier frostings with a layer of fat-free or reduced calorie whipped topping. You’ll have to serve the dessert immediately after “icing” to ensure freshness. You won’t miss out on any taste, even though you may save your waist.
Nuts
Nuts provide extra protein for us, so why not toss a handful of chopped favorites onto your next cake. German chocolate cakes slather on walnuts to the icing, but you can do it without the chocolate. Add coconut slivers, almonds, ground peanuts, roasted macadamia, or chopped pecans with your other decorations. Be careful, though, to inform your guests of the nut toppings as some people are allergic to tree nuts and ground nuts. Put a sign out next to your cake as an FYI.
No matter what kind of party you’re hosting, you can find healthy alternatives to top your cake instead of the lardy icing.
Criss White is a professional writer and enjoys baking for parties and special occasions. With the right baby shower cake sayings, cakes with healthy toppings are one of the best baby shower ideas for your party. Criss also enjoys reading and travel when not writing.
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dessert. Show all posts
Thursday, August 18, 2011
How to Make an Ice Cream Cake
You don’t have to visit your local bakery, grocery store, or even specialty ice cream store to get the perfect ice cream cake for your party. Depending on the type of event you’re hosting, you can design your own homemade ice cream cake that will be tastier, more fun, and less expensive than anything you can pick out of a retail freezer. Here’s how you can make an ice cream cake.
What you’ll need…
Cake pan/mold (get one that reflects the theme)
Plastic wrap
Three gallons of ice cream (mix and match your favorites)
Ice cream scoop
Bowl of warm water
Store bought frosting, optional
Fruit or candies for decoration
Cake plate
Let’s say you’re making this ice cream cake for a baby shower or infant’s birthday. You can get a cake mold in the shape of a teddy bear, rocking horse, baby, building blocks, whatever you can find at the store.
Take the cake pan and spread a very large piece of plastic wrap down on the inside of the mold. Press the plastic wrap into the design.
Allow ice cream to soften to room temperature before working with it. Take the first flavor (we’ll say strawberry) and scoop it into the mold until it’s completely full. Smooth out the ice cream. Then, dip the scoop into the warm water and remove the inner parts of the ice cream, leaving only a shell around the edges. Return unused ice cream to the container. Place first layer of ice cream in the freezer for forty-five minutes.
Remove mold and add your second flavor of ice cream (we’ll say chocolate.) Do the same with the second flavor as the first. Once the mold is full, remove the inner portion and return it to the carton, leaving a second shell of chocolate inside the strawberry. Return mold to freezer for another forty-five minutes.
Repeat steps with third flavor (we’ll say vanilla), only fill the entire middle with the remaining flavor. Then let the mold stay in the freezer for two to three hours to get good and solid.
Before you’re ready to serve, remove the ice cream mold from the freezer. Using the loose ends of the plastic wrap, lift it from the mold. This should come out easily. Flip the mold onto a cold cake plate. At this point, you can frost the cake with a store bought frosting or just leave it as it is. You can also spruce it up with candies, cherries, peppermints, drizzles of caramel, chocolate, or strawberry, or any of your other favorite ice cream toppings.
Serve immediately by slicing with a sharp knife dipped in warm water. Your guests will wonder how in the world you managed to make this. They’ll think you’re a culinary genius. You’ll never tell just how easy it was. So whether your are making the cake for a party, like a baby shower or birthday, or just for fun, just follow the simple steps above for a special treat that everyone will love.
Criss White is a professional writer and enjoys preparing food for parties and special occasions. With the right baby shower cake sayings, ice cream cakes are one of the best baby shower ideas for a summer party. Criss also enjoys reading and travel when not writing.
What you’ll need…
Cake pan/mold (get one that reflects the theme)
Plastic wrap
Three gallons of ice cream (mix and match your favorites)
Ice cream scoop
Bowl of warm water
Store bought frosting, optional
Fruit or candies for decoration
Cake plate
Let’s say you’re making this ice cream cake for a baby shower or infant’s birthday. You can get a cake mold in the shape of a teddy bear, rocking horse, baby, building blocks, whatever you can find at the store.
Take the cake pan and spread a very large piece of plastic wrap down on the inside of the mold. Press the plastic wrap into the design.
Allow ice cream to soften to room temperature before working with it. Take the first flavor (we’ll say strawberry) and scoop it into the mold until it’s completely full. Smooth out the ice cream. Then, dip the scoop into the warm water and remove the inner parts of the ice cream, leaving only a shell around the edges. Return unused ice cream to the container. Place first layer of ice cream in the freezer for forty-five minutes.
Remove mold and add your second flavor of ice cream (we’ll say chocolate.) Do the same with the second flavor as the first. Once the mold is full, remove the inner portion and return it to the carton, leaving a second shell of chocolate inside the strawberry. Return mold to freezer for another forty-five minutes.
Repeat steps with third flavor (we’ll say vanilla), only fill the entire middle with the remaining flavor. Then let the mold stay in the freezer for two to three hours to get good and solid.
Before you’re ready to serve, remove the ice cream mold from the freezer. Using the loose ends of the plastic wrap, lift it from the mold. This should come out easily. Flip the mold onto a cold cake plate. At this point, you can frost the cake with a store bought frosting or just leave it as it is. You can also spruce it up with candies, cherries, peppermints, drizzles of caramel, chocolate, or strawberry, or any of your other favorite ice cream toppings.
Serve immediately by slicing with a sharp knife dipped in warm water. Your guests will wonder how in the world you managed to make this. They’ll think you’re a culinary genius. You’ll never tell just how easy it was. So whether your are making the cake for a party, like a baby shower or birthday, or just for fun, just follow the simple steps above for a special treat that everyone will love.
Criss White is a professional writer and enjoys preparing food for parties and special occasions. With the right baby shower cake sayings, ice cream cakes are one of the best baby shower ideas for a summer party. Criss also enjoys reading and travel when not writing.
Cupcakes Vs. Cakes - Which is Best for Your Party?
When acting as the hostess for a bridal or baby shower, one of the keys to the party's success is the main dessert. But what to serve? Cupcakes? A cake? How do you choose and how will each choice be viewed by your guests? Depending on your budget, the time involved, and the guest of honor's preference, here's a look at which option is best for your party.
Cupcakes Vs. Cakes
It's very trendy these days to pass up the detailed, expensive, tiered party cakes and opt for stylish, designer cupcakes for guests. Which is better?
In favor of cupcakes...
- They are thought to be a money saver
- They can be baked and designed at home
- They can be displayed in a variety of manner - stand, shelves, shapes
- They can act as a personalize, individual dessert
- You can add decorations, theme items to store-bought cupcakes
- They can be fun and memorable
- They can be more flavorful and natural than a fondant cake
- They can have special cups to match theme or colors
Cupcakes are small and cute. You can decorate them in so many ways and if you have a cupcake stand, they make a great centerpiece.
In favor of cakes...
- They are still traditional for most parties (birthday, bridal or baby shower, holiday event)
- There's an elegance to a tiered cake that cupcakes don't offer
- Easy to make tiered cakes at home with simple ingredients and store bought decorations
- They have a larger "canvas" to fulfill any theme or color design
- Tradition is in favor of cakes; cupcakes being almost too casual or quirky
- They can be simple or can be decorated to the hilt to impress
- More leftovers for guests and guest of honor to take home
Cakes are a traditional treat for any party and come in a variety of flavors. They can be decorated with fruits, chocolate, and many other toppings that your guests will love.
Results?
Honestly, in today's world, there really are no rules that you absolutely have to follow when you plan and execute at party. Cupcakes and cakes are both a delicious way to entertain your guests. Depending on the theme, style, and budget of your event, either provide elegance to your table and no matter the choice, people will take away from the shower, event, or party what you put into it. In the battle of cupcakes versus cakes, there are no losers.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
Cupcakes Vs. Cakes
It's very trendy these days to pass up the detailed, expensive, tiered party cakes and opt for stylish, designer cupcakes for guests. Which is better?
In favor of cupcakes...
- They are thought to be a money saver
- They can be baked and designed at home
- They can be displayed in a variety of manner - stand, shelves, shapes
- They can act as a personalize, individual dessert
- You can add decorations, theme items to store-bought cupcakes
- They can be fun and memorable
- They can be more flavorful and natural than a fondant cake
- They can have special cups to match theme or colors
Cupcakes are small and cute. You can decorate them in so many ways and if you have a cupcake stand, they make a great centerpiece.
In favor of cakes...
- They are still traditional for most parties (birthday, bridal or baby shower, holiday event)
- There's an elegance to a tiered cake that cupcakes don't offer
- Easy to make tiered cakes at home with simple ingredients and store bought decorations
- They have a larger "canvas" to fulfill any theme or color design
- Tradition is in favor of cakes; cupcakes being almost too casual or quirky
- They can be simple or can be decorated to the hilt to impress
- More leftovers for guests and guest of honor to take home
Cakes are a traditional treat for any party and come in a variety of flavors. They can be decorated with fruits, chocolate, and many other toppings that your guests will love.
Results?
Honestly, in today's world, there really are no rules that you absolutely have to follow when you plan and execute at party. Cupcakes and cakes are both a delicious way to entertain your guests. Depending on the theme, style, and budget of your event, either provide elegance to your table and no matter the choice, people will take away from the shower, event, or party what you put into it. In the battle of cupcakes versus cakes, there are no losers.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
How to Make Your Own Three-Tiered Cake for a Party
You’ve seen all the cake battles, icing wars, and decorating skirmishes on the cable cooking shows. It looks simple and easy to make your own tiered cake for a birthday party, baby shower, or wedding, but can anyone do it? Of course you can. All you need are the right tools, a little patience, and a willingness to try and you, too, can make a professional-looking cake in a matter of a few hours. Here’s how to make your own three-tiered cake for a party.
The key to a perfect three-tiered cake is three separate cake pans of varying sizes. Whether you go for round or square pans, aim for 12 inch, 8 inch, and 6 inch pans as the resulting cakes will be ideal to stack. Before you actually start baking and assembling, make sure you have all of the proper tools. Simply visit a local bake store or an arts and crafts store for the things you’ll need.
Cake pans – 12, 8, and 6 inch pans
Cooking spray
Waxed paper
Two cake mixes (you can vary the flavors if you want)
Several cans of frosting (better to buy more)
Cake decorations of your choice (from store)
Large flat spatula for icing
Colored frosting tubes
Wooden dowels, if needed, or toothpicks
Cake plate or large piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil
Preheat oven. Mix cake mixes according to directions on the box. Trace the bottom of each pan over a large sheet of waxed paper and cut to fit the pan. Spray with ample amount of cooking spray before pouring in the cake batter. Fill your three cake pans with equal amounts of batter and bake according to the directions.
Allow cakes to cool completely before trying to ice. If the cakes are even slightly hot, the icing will melt and not set right. Make cake plate out of cardboard and aluminum foil, large enough to accommodate the largest cake pan.
Take the largest cake and flip it upside down on the cake plate. Peel off the waxed paper and discard. Frost the cake all over and smooth out with the large spatula. Carefully flip the medium cake over in your hand and place in the center of the larger cake. Peel off the waxed paper, discard, and frost this cake. Repeat the process with the smaller cake. Use extra frosting to fill any holes or to smooth out the cake. Cake should be sturdy enough, but you can insert wooden dowels or toothpicks on each layer before icing.
Now, get as creative as you’d like by decorating the cake with candies, sugar flowers, or anything else you may get from the store. Use the colored icing tubes to make lattice work, loops, or to write out messages. Be creative and have fun. If you’re making the cake for a themed baby shower, pick decorative items that follow along the rest of the party theme and colors.
Your friends will be impressed with your handiwork…and may even have you make cakes for all of their future parties.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
The key to a perfect three-tiered cake is three separate cake pans of varying sizes. Whether you go for round or square pans, aim for 12 inch, 8 inch, and 6 inch pans as the resulting cakes will be ideal to stack. Before you actually start baking and assembling, make sure you have all of the proper tools. Simply visit a local bake store or an arts and crafts store for the things you’ll need.
Cake pans – 12, 8, and 6 inch pans
Cooking spray
Waxed paper
Two cake mixes (you can vary the flavors if you want)
Several cans of frosting (better to buy more)
Cake decorations of your choice (from store)
Large flat spatula for icing
Colored frosting tubes
Wooden dowels, if needed, or toothpicks
Cake plate or large piece of cardboard covered with aluminum foil
Preheat oven. Mix cake mixes according to directions on the box. Trace the bottom of each pan over a large sheet of waxed paper and cut to fit the pan. Spray with ample amount of cooking spray before pouring in the cake batter. Fill your three cake pans with equal amounts of batter and bake according to the directions.
Allow cakes to cool completely before trying to ice. If the cakes are even slightly hot, the icing will melt and not set right. Make cake plate out of cardboard and aluminum foil, large enough to accommodate the largest cake pan.
Take the largest cake and flip it upside down on the cake plate. Peel off the waxed paper and discard. Frost the cake all over and smooth out with the large spatula. Carefully flip the medium cake over in your hand and place in the center of the larger cake. Peel off the waxed paper, discard, and frost this cake. Repeat the process with the smaller cake. Use extra frosting to fill any holes or to smooth out the cake. Cake should be sturdy enough, but you can insert wooden dowels or toothpicks on each layer before icing.
Now, get as creative as you’d like by decorating the cake with candies, sugar flowers, or anything else you may get from the store. Use the colored icing tubes to make lattice work, loops, or to write out messages. Be creative and have fun. If you’re making the cake for a themed baby shower, pick decorative items that follow along the rest of the party theme and colors.
Your friends will be impressed with your handiwork…and may even have you make cakes for all of their future parties.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
How to Make Miniature Cupcakes
There’s a new rage in the baking world today. You see them in magazines, on TV cooking shows, and in the bakery: miniature cupcakes. These one-bite yummy treats are not only fun to eat, but they’re easy to make and are guaranteed to be a hit at your next family get together, birthday party, or baby shower.
Here’s how to make miniature cupcakes:
You’ll need…
Your favorite cake mix
1 can of your favorite frosting (if you’re using a vanilla cake, use vanilla frosting, same with chocolate)
Miniature cookie cutters in the shape of flowers, stars, geometric figures, etc.
Dark and white chocolate bark
Sprinkles, Jimmies, candy, Gummy bears, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, etc.
Cake pan(s)
Large bowl
Cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper lining
Lollipop sticks (from bake or arts and crafts store), optional
Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. When it’s finished baking, let it cool. Remove cake from the pan (or pans) and place into the large bowl. Using a fork, break the cake up, crumbling it into tiny pebble-sized pieces.
Take the can of frosting and spoon it all in over the crumbled cake. Mix the cake and frosting together until it forms a dough texture. Using your (clean) hands, take small amounts of the mixture and roll it into a Ping-Pong sized ball and place on the lined cookie sheet. Keep doing this until all of the mixture is used. When the tray is full, cover with a dry kitchen towel and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. After that time, the cake and frosting mixture will have become completely bound together.
Remove from the fridge and get your cookie cutters to start shaping them. Press the chosen design into the ball of dough about three-fourths of the way, leaving a rounded muffin top to the miniature cupcake. Do this for all of the dough balls you have made. Put them back in the refrigerator while you melt your dark and white chocolate bark either in the microwave (don’t overdo it and burn it!) or a double boiler on the stove.
The side of your miniature cupcake that has been shaped should be dipped first in the dark chocolate and placed upside down on the cookie sheet for the chocolate to dry. If you’ve like to put your miniature cupcakes on sticks, now is the time to insert the lollipop sticks into the bottom. Once this half is dry, then dip into the white chocolate to “ice” the top of the miniature cupcake. At this point, you can add sprinkles, candy, Gummy bears, or any other decoration to the top. Make sure you do it before the chocolate has completely dried so the toppings will stick.
Now, serve them up to the guests at your party and wait for the accolades to rain in. If you’re using this recipe for a baby shower or themed party, you can buy colored white chocolate to match the appropriate theme colors.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
Here’s how to make miniature cupcakes:
You’ll need…
Your favorite cake mix
1 can of your favorite frosting (if you’re using a vanilla cake, use vanilla frosting, same with chocolate)
Miniature cookie cutters in the shape of flowers, stars, geometric figures, etc.
Dark and white chocolate bark
Sprinkles, Jimmies, candy, Gummy bears, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, etc.
Cake pan(s)
Large bowl
Cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper lining
Lollipop sticks (from bake or arts and crafts store), optional
Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. When it’s finished baking, let it cool. Remove cake from the pan (or pans) and place into the large bowl. Using a fork, break the cake up, crumbling it into tiny pebble-sized pieces.
Take the can of frosting and spoon it all in over the crumbled cake. Mix the cake and frosting together until it forms a dough texture. Using your (clean) hands, take small amounts of the mixture and roll it into a Ping-Pong sized ball and place on the lined cookie sheet. Keep doing this until all of the mixture is used. When the tray is full, cover with a dry kitchen towel and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. After that time, the cake and frosting mixture will have become completely bound together.
Remove from the fridge and get your cookie cutters to start shaping them. Press the chosen design into the ball of dough about three-fourths of the way, leaving a rounded muffin top to the miniature cupcake. Do this for all of the dough balls you have made. Put them back in the refrigerator while you melt your dark and white chocolate bark either in the microwave (don’t overdo it and burn it!) or a double boiler on the stove.
The side of your miniature cupcake that has been shaped should be dipped first in the dark chocolate and placed upside down on the cookie sheet for the chocolate to dry. If you’ve like to put your miniature cupcakes on sticks, now is the time to insert the lollipop sticks into the bottom. Once this half is dry, then dip into the white chocolate to “ice” the top of the miniature cupcake. At this point, you can add sprinkles, candy, Gummy bears, or any other decoration to the top. Make sure you do it before the chocolate has completely dried so the toppings will stick.
Now, serve them up to the guests at your party and wait for the accolades to rain in. If you’re using this recipe for a baby shower or themed party, you can buy colored white chocolate to match the appropriate theme colors.
Criss White is a professional writer that writes about food, babies, and other party planning topics like baby shower cupcakes and other baby shower ideas. Criss enjoys hosting parties and baking when not writing.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Healthy and Unhealthy Forms of Sugar
Who doesn’t like sugar when they are baking? Yes, there are some people who prefer to go sugar-free, but the majority of us can’t get enough of that sweetness. Sugar comes in many shapes and forms when baking, making it hard to know which one is best for what dessert. It is difficult to bake with sugar when you are trying to eat healthy, but it’s not impossible.
Here is an overview of some common baking sugars, what types of desserts they are best used for, and how healthy they are for your family:
Granulated white sugar - Granulated is the most common form of sugar used in cooking and in recipes. It can be used for just about anything you can think of to bake. Unfortunately, there are no nutritional benefits in using this form of sugar. In fact, there are 108 calories in just one small serving size of granulated sugar!
Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) - Powdered sugar looks precisely like its name, powder. This type of sugar is used in meringue pies, some icings, and toppings for pastries. While powdered sugar may have small amounts of vitamins in minerals it is not significant to warrant the whopping 466 calories that are in a cup.
Brown sugar - Brown sugar is made from refined white sugar with molasses added to it. Brown sugar is a common ingredient in spice cakes, muffins, some cookies, and they give a great taste to baked apple goods. It is considered a cooking myth that brown sugar is healthier than granulated sugar. In fact, in most manufactured brown sugar granulated white sugar is used, so the only health value comes from the molasses, and it is miniscule.
It is important to note that these are not the only three sugars that can be used in your favorite dishes. However, they are the most common. Although these sugars are the most commonly used in cooking and baking, they are definitely not healthy. However, nature has provided us with many forms of sweeteners that are pure and do contain some health benefits.
Some of the purest sweeteners and their health benefits include:
Maple syrup - Natural maple syrup is lower in calories than any processed sugar. It contains nutrients like manganese, giving you energy, and is high in zinc, making it good for your heart health. Maple syrup is also linked to building your immune system and maintaining reproductive health in men.
Molasses - Molasses is a good source of vitamins and minerals when consumed in moderation, since it has as many calories as white sugar. Aside from that small downfall, it also contains calcium, iron, potassium and manganese, and is good for the health of your muscles, bones and teeth.
Honey - Honey is a great immunity builder, it is used as a natural remedy, and it is a natural energy pick-me-up. Honey is actually proven to help seasonal allergy sufferers when a teaspoon is eaten daily!
Corn syrup - Caro syrup is a natural form of corn syrup that has been used for a century to treat ailments like pharyngitis and constipation in babies. It is goof in moderation as it is linked to weight gain and increasing heart attack risks.
Whether you are baking cookies for the holidays or just a snack at home, there are many choices a baker has when reaching for a sweetener. If you prefer the taste of processed, it’s not a crime, however moderation is the key to consumption. Switch up your baking and use white sugar for cookies then maple syrup the next time. You are in control of your health and you control the measuring cup. Just decide which type of sugar you want to scoop up!
Criss White is an article writer for My Baby Shower Favors and enjoys baking holiday cookies and other decorated cookies. Criss also enjoys reading when not writing.
Here is an overview of some common baking sugars, what types of desserts they are best used for, and how healthy they are for your family:
Granulated white sugar - Granulated is the most common form of sugar used in cooking and in recipes. It can be used for just about anything you can think of to bake. Unfortunately, there are no nutritional benefits in using this form of sugar. In fact, there are 108 calories in just one small serving size of granulated sugar!
Powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar) - Powdered sugar looks precisely like its name, powder. This type of sugar is used in meringue pies, some icings, and toppings for pastries. While powdered sugar may have small amounts of vitamins in minerals it is not significant to warrant the whopping 466 calories that are in a cup.
Brown sugar - Brown sugar is made from refined white sugar with molasses added to it. Brown sugar is a common ingredient in spice cakes, muffins, some cookies, and they give a great taste to baked apple goods. It is considered a cooking myth that brown sugar is healthier than granulated sugar. In fact, in most manufactured brown sugar granulated white sugar is used, so the only health value comes from the molasses, and it is miniscule.
It is important to note that these are not the only three sugars that can be used in your favorite dishes. However, they are the most common. Although these sugars are the most commonly used in cooking and baking, they are definitely not healthy. However, nature has provided us with many forms of sweeteners that are pure and do contain some health benefits.
Some of the purest sweeteners and their health benefits include:
Maple syrup - Natural maple syrup is lower in calories than any processed sugar. It contains nutrients like manganese, giving you energy, and is high in zinc, making it good for your heart health. Maple syrup is also linked to building your immune system and maintaining reproductive health in men.
Molasses - Molasses is a good source of vitamins and minerals when consumed in moderation, since it has as many calories as white sugar. Aside from that small downfall, it also contains calcium, iron, potassium and manganese, and is good for the health of your muscles, bones and teeth.
Honey - Honey is a great immunity builder, it is used as a natural remedy, and it is a natural energy pick-me-up. Honey is actually proven to help seasonal allergy sufferers when a teaspoon is eaten daily!
Corn syrup - Caro syrup is a natural form of corn syrup that has been used for a century to treat ailments like pharyngitis and constipation in babies. It is goof in moderation as it is linked to weight gain and increasing heart attack risks.
Whether you are baking cookies for the holidays or just a snack at home, there are many choices a baker has when reaching for a sweetener. If you prefer the taste of processed, it’s not a crime, however moderation is the key to consumption. Switch up your baking and use white sugar for cookies then maple syrup the next time. You are in control of your health and you control the measuring cup. Just decide which type of sugar you want to scoop up!
Criss White is an article writer for My Baby Shower Favors and enjoys baking holiday cookies and other decorated cookies. Criss also enjoys reading when not writing.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Recipe Suggestions for Heart Shaped Desserts
Desserts are probably the most anticipated part of every meal. Whether cakes, tarts, ice cream or just candies, desserts appeal to everyone regardless of age. There are now so many different dessert items and while it is important for these desserts to taste good, it is important that they look sumptuous as well. We even have different plating suggestions and different items we use to serve desserts. For heart-shaped desserts, here are some recipe suggestions that will satisfy not just your taste, but your eyes as well.
To make your cake a little “sweeter” than the usual without having to add sugar, make it a heart-shaped cake next time. To make this, prepare the cake as you would with any other style of cake. Make the cake a simple chiffon cake for easier molding compared to layered ones which can have cream or graham crusts that could break. Use a large square or round cake dish as the cake will be re-shaped later on. The final size will be smaller than the dish. When you are finished baking the cake and it has rested, using your kitchen knife, cut out the round cake and make the edges into a heart shape. Score the cake with the knife before cutting it and make sure that the size of the heart is proportional. Now you cover it with icing, frosting or place sweet toppings such as chocolate shavings on top. You can use heart-shaped boxes or just the regular square box for your packaging and wait until they see the surprise inside.
You can also make heart-shaped gelatins that will have everyone giggle with fun. The package instructions on gelatin packs are basically the same – mix one pack of the gelatin with two cups of hot water and pour the mixture in a shallow dish. Place it in the fridge to chill and with the use of a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the gelatin into small heart-shapes that are bite-sized.
Heart-shaped goodies and desserts are best for family gatherings and on special lovely occasions such as heart-shaped cakes for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day or heart wedding favors like cookies at weddings. Heart shaped goodies are a refreshing break from the usual desserts and sweet pastries that you see on the dining table.
To make your cake a little “sweeter” than the usual without having to add sugar, make it a heart-shaped cake next time. To make this, prepare the cake as you would with any other style of cake. Make the cake a simple chiffon cake for easier molding compared to layered ones which can have cream or graham crusts that could break. Use a large square or round cake dish as the cake will be re-shaped later on. The final size will be smaller than the dish. When you are finished baking the cake and it has rested, using your kitchen knife, cut out the round cake and make the edges into a heart shape. Score the cake with the knife before cutting it and make sure that the size of the heart is proportional. Now you cover it with icing, frosting or place sweet toppings such as chocolate shavings on top. You can use heart-shaped boxes or just the regular square box for your packaging and wait until they see the surprise inside.
You can also make heart-shaped gelatins that will have everyone giggle with fun. The package instructions on gelatin packs are basically the same – mix one pack of the gelatin with two cups of hot water and pour the mixture in a shallow dish. Place it in the fridge to chill and with the use of a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the gelatin into small heart-shapes that are bite-sized.
Heart-shaped goodies and desserts are best for family gatherings and on special lovely occasions such as heart-shaped cakes for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day or heart wedding favors like cookies at weddings. Heart shaped goodies are a refreshing break from the usual desserts and sweet pastries that you see on the dining table.
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