Fresh Strawberry Daifuku Mochi

Strawberries, Sweetened Red Beans, and Mochi = YUMMY

Hello! I've always wanted to make Fresh Strawberry Daifuku Mochi and finally made it! When I posted photos to Instagram, several people asked for the recipe. I felt I couldn't just give you the recipe because there's some technique involved. So, here is a video of me making Strawberry Daifuku Mochi. It's a fresh strawberry covered with anko (sweetened red Azuki beans, smooth texture), covered with mochi made with Koda Farms Mochiko sweet rice flour.

This video uses the microwave method. You can search the interwebs for a steamed method. I adapted recipes and techniques from Just One Cookbook, Bon Appetit, and my 40+ years of mochi making experience with my family. Also, I worked in a mochi & manju shop while in high school (Sakura-ya in Gardena, CA - um, seriously the best mochi in Southern California), and I helped make mochi during their busy New Year's holiday season.

Hints for success:

• Work fast - mochi needs to be hot/very warm when you form it. That's why this is a small batch. 
• Make sure your hands have potato starch on them to prevent sticking when working with hot mochi. You know what sucks and could hurt you? Having sticky HOT mochi stuck to your hands. It's a pain. Thus, if children are helping, you need to be careful. 
• If you screw up microwaving the mochi, just make another batch. You are using a small amount of ingredients and your box of Mochiko will give you several batches. (I overcooked it once and had to start over).
• Some of the video is sped up so I'm not working that fast. Please know that I've been making mochi and baking for a long time. I can hold hot mochi in my hands pretty easily. I think forming mochi might be one of those "harder than it looks on the video" techniques. But keep practicing and you'll get it! And no matter what it looks like, it's delicious! 
• I've only ever used Koda Farms Mochiko sweet rice flour made with short-grain glutinous rice. This California family business has been making Mochiko for the Japanese American community forever. Support them and follow them on IG. Also, "sweet" rice doesn't mean any sweetener is added, it refers to the type of rice. (You can't use Bob's rice flour because that is made with medium and long grain rice. You need the short-grain rice flour... just get Koda Farms and you'll be good.)
• This isn't the only way to make mochi. The interwebs has lots of videos and recipes. The ratio of mochi, anko, and strawberry varies. 
• FYI - I can't make this low-carb and have never substituted real, granulated sugar for other sugars. Koda Farms Mochiko is rice flour and gluten-free. Anko (sweetened Azuki beans) is usually gluten-free but read labels carefully.
• I have seen people substitute corn starch for potato starch and I think that'll work. You brush off most of the powder.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup Koda Farms Mochiko rice flour (link on Amazon) (Hey, I noticed that I have the wrong amount on the video. The correct amount is 3/4 cup Mochiko).
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup cold water
Anko (sweetened azuki red beans), smooth (comes in smooth and rough texture. I prefer smooth for mochi) (link on Amazon)
6-8 small or medium fresh strawberries

Preparation (see video for details):

1. Cover strawberries with a thin layer of anko. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix mochiko and sugar. Add water and stir until smooth and well combined.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 1 minute. Remove and stir with spatula.
4. Return covered dish to the microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir.
5. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir.
6. Finally, microwave another 30 seconds and stir. Mochi needs to be smooth and sticky.
7. Microwave times may vary because all microwaves are different.
8. Spread potato starch on work space, and plop mochi on the potato starch.
9. Cut small pieces of mochi and form into a circle.
10. Wrap anko covered strawberries with mochi, placing seal at the bottom.

* I am part of Amazon Affiliates program so I can earn a few pennies if you purchase something - at no cost to you.

Music in video by Ben Sound. Thank you!

  

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake in the Party Bundt

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries

I should just call this post, "THE PARTY BUNDT IS AN INSTANT PARTY." NordicWare brought back the Party Bundt. I didn't even know about this awesome bundt pan until my friend East Coast Mary aka ECM (yes, I'm West Coast Mary) sent me a link. When I said, "OMG. This is the greatest!!!" Then, being the sweetheart she is, she promptly wrote back, "Don't get it!"

Luckily, my birthday is in December and so is Christmas! Thanks so much ECM for my December Birthmas gift of the Party Bundt. I will use it all the time and think of you!

Look at those humps! It makes it so easy to cut perfect sized slices!

NordicWare Party Bundt (Amazon) or Nordic Ware or King Arthur Flour 

I received the pan and knew I had to use it for an upcoming dinner party. When I asked my friends for their favorite desserts, they both said Vanilla. Thus, the Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries by Matt Lewis, Renato Poliafito that appeared in Bon Appetit! I made this Bundt during I Like Big Bundts celebration, and it was time to make it again.

OMG. Look all those humps. Those lovely bundt cake humps! Whenever I bring a Bundt to work, I precut it into many slices (moderation and all that). But you have to cut in-between the humps of a regular bundt pan...but with this Party Bundt, everyone gets a hump (be careful not to say "Gets To..." instead of "Gets A...").

 

This recipe is called Vanilla Bean Bundt...but I didn't have any Vanilla Beans. Besides, they are so expensive. So I used the next best thing: Vanilla PASTE. It has all the micro vanilla bean seeds and it is much more economical. Look for Nielsen-Massey Vanillas 4-oz. Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste at your local cooking store or Amazon.

This cake has a nice crumb. It's hardy enough to take strawberries...and a side of ice cream if you wish. It keeps for a few days too...if it lasts that long.

I Like Big Bundts with Lots of Humps! :)

Recipe:
Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries
Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 sticks butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste (original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon bourbon and 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise with the seeds removed)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Vanilla Glaze
2/3 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons (or more) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste)

Strawberries Topping
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, hulled, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar

Cake
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare the bundt pan (I use    spray)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together.
3. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (5 minutes or so).
4. Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating until combined after each edition.
5. Add vanilla paste.
6. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the buttermilk until just blended.
7. Pour batter into pan and smooth out the top.
8. Bake until a skewer comes out clean. Check at 45 minutes (recipe calls for 55 minutes, but mine only took 45 minutes).
9. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes and then invert on the rack and cool completely before applying glaze.

Glaze

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl. If it's too thick, add a little more milk.
2. Drizzle over cooled cake. Let stand for 15 minutes before eating.

Strawberries

Toss strawberries and sugar in medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, tossing occasionally, 20-30 minutes. Serve with the cake and enjoy!

   

Smitten Kitchen's Strawberry & Cream Biscuits

Strawberry & Cream Biscuits

It's hot in Los Angeles.
Like 91 F hot.
And our poor Dodgers get rained/snowed out in Minneapolis.
I wish I could send Minneapolis some of our heat. And they give us some of their snow pack for our drought!
(Don't get me started on the whole Clippers fiasco. I hope Oprah buys the team.)

These are like scones/biscuits. Cut up strawberries and fold in with the flour/butter mix. Be sure to coat the strawberries in flour before adding the cream.

I cut them into rounds. Next time, I would have thicker biscuits. I think these are a little too thin.

Nothing like a light biscuit filled with strawberries!

It's strawberry season in California now (well, we grow strawberries all year, but now they are crazy sweet good). Like "get 1/2 flat of strawberries (6 green plastic containers) for $9-11 at the Farmer's Market" strawberry season. Deliciousness.

When you get some strawberries (hopefully California grown!), make these Strawberry & Cream Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen.

RECIPE: Click here to go to Smitten Kitchen's blog and recipe

Lydia's Austrian Strawberry Shortbread Bar Cookies

Lydia's Austrian Strawberry Shortbread Bar Cookies

These are lovely little bites of heaven. Light and delicate, these are perfect for a potluck, dessert bar, or with a cup of coffee or tea. You can exchange the jams for different flavor profiles. Or, you can add some chocolate to the dough too.

These photos write their own jokes.

Okay, so you make the dough and split it into two. The instructions say to form into balls and freeze. Then, you grate the balls. Yes, grate the balls.

After making this recipe a few times, I came up with, I believe, is a better plan. First, grating balls of dough by hand is a pain in the neck. Pull out your food processor for this one - it's worth the washing. Second, when I tried to grate the balls in the food processor, I had to cut frozen balls to make them fit into the processor - annoying. Finally, it dawned on me to form the dough into logs so they fit into the food processor! Now, I can easily grate the frozen dough with one easy push of the machine.

The recipe calls for Raspberry Jam. For this one, I substituted Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves.

You grate one frozen log and place the pieces in the bottom of the pan (for this one, I used a 9 x 9 pan...the full recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan).

The instructions say to use a spoon or flexible spatula to spread the jam. However, I ended up carrying shreds of dough all over and it was kinda messy. So, I now put the jam into a bag and kinda pipe it into the pan. Easy peasy! Top with the second log of shredded dough.

Adapted from Butter Sugar Flour Eggs by Gale Gand
Recipe on Epicurious too

Note: Above, I made 1/2 the recipe and used a 9 x 9 pan. 

Lydia's Austrian Raspberry Shortbread Bars

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
4 egg yolks
2 cups granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup raspberry jam, at room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter until soft and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks one at a time.

With the mixer on low, add the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt until just incorporated. Don't overmix.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two logs that will fit in your food processor. (You can form into two balls if you want to grate them by hand). Wrap each in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (I let it freeze at least overnight - this is a good one you can make ahead).

When you are ready to assemble the bars, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grate one of the frozen balls or logs. Place the shreds of dough the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Spread out evenly and do not press down.

Spread jam over the surface, leaving a 1/2 inch border. You can use a spoon or spatula, but I put the jam in a plastic bag and pipe it onto the shreds. I found the the spoon/spatula method was difficult because you picked up a bunch of shreds along the way.

Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface.

Bake until lightly golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. As soon as the shortbread comes out of the oven, dust liberally with confectioners' sugar.

Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife. You may want to dust a bit more powdered sugar on top when serving.

Strawberry Jello Dessert with Pretzel Crust

Strawberry Jello Dessert with Pretzel Crust

What better way to celebrate summer, National Library week and one of the most awesome fruits, the strawberry?! It's the Strawberry Jell-O Dessert. Some people even call it a "Strawberry Jell-O Salad".

Sweet.
Salty.
Creamy.
Jell-O. (Yes, I think this is a food and a texture).

This a homey dessert to enjoy during strawberry season...or after! I saw several recipes using frozen strawberries but I think fresh strawberries would be best.



Next time, I would crust the pretzels a bit more so the crust will be tighter. I've seen some recipes that have you process the pretzels in a food processor.


You can find a zillion variations of this recipe... Baked, Kraft Foods, ... and lots of Church cookbooks.

Don't forget to visit your local library's book sale for a chance to pick up "vintage" cookbooks. It is a lot of fun to read about food culture in the past. When butter was expensive, you'll see lots of shortening recipes (nobody knew about the dangers of partially hydrogenated oils at the time!) Or you may see the introduction of "ethnic" foods into the American diet...like when they need to put a header note explaining the "taco"! Book Sales usually raise funds for the Friends of the Library group which in turn helps fund programs, programs and other needs of the library.

Happy Library Week! I'm celebrating with a few giveaways: Baked Cookbook (new, not vintage ;) and some cute Biscuit Cutters.  - mary the food librarian

Recipe:
Strawberry Jello Dessert with Pretzel Crust

Crust:
3 cups pretzels, crushed with a rolling pin
3/4 cup butter, melted
3 Tablespoons sugar

Mix together and press into greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Allow to cool completely.

Filling:
1 - 8 ounce container Cool Whip
1 - 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar

Cream the cream cheese and sugar together in a mixer. Add in the Cool Whip until combined. Spread over cooled pretzel crust. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before topping with Jell-O.

Topping:
1 large box (6 ounce) strawberry Jell-O
2 cups boiling water
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced

Mix together the boiling water and Jell-O. If using frozen strawberries, add strawberries and allow mixture to set slightly before pouring over the filling - it shouldn't take very long. If using fresh strawberries, place the strawberries in the Jell-O and allow to sit in the refrigerator to set up before pouring over the filling.

Refrigerate the dessert a few hours until completely set before serving.

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake - Day #19 of Food Librarian's I Like Big Bundts 3

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze and Strawberries 

I Like Big Bundts - Day #19

TGIF!! Really, this week was epic long! Glad it's Friday!! And it's also Day #19 of I Like Big Bundts! I'm posting 30 bundts cakes in 30 days...all leading up to National Bundt Day on November 15th. I seriously love the Bundt cake! I love cake and don't care for frosting so the bundt is the perfect ratio of cake to frosting. I hope to inspire you to make a bundt for your friends, family, and random folks on the street.

I made this vanilla bean bundt in the Heritage Bundt...definitely one of my favorite bundt pans. A vanilla glaze covers the cake and it's served with a side of strawberries. I'm lucky to live in Los Angeles and can still find fresh strawberries in local farmer's market.

 

Bake a bundt for National Bundt Day on November 15th! Then submit a photo or blog post by November 24, 2011 and I'll send you a cute 1 1/4" button for baking along with me! The submission info can be found here!

Thanks to American Library Association's AL Direct eNewsletter for a shout out this week! Here is the newsletter (Nov 2nd - scroll to the bottom). I hope we have a good contingent of librarians and library staff participating in National Bundt Day! :)

I used vanilla paste instead of vanilla beans. Have you used vanilla paste? One of my favorite things in the kitchen because it is less expensive than vanilla beans and gives you all the seeds of the beans. This paste is incredible on a bit of ice cream...just sayin'.

Hope you have a great weekend planned! See you tomorrow for another Bundt! - mary the food librarian

Recap of I Like Big Bundts 3:
Day #1: Buttercake Bakery's Marble Bundt Cake
Day #2: Lemon Bliss Bundt
Day #3: Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze
Day #4: Spice Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze
Day #5: Gingery Pumpkin Breakfast Bundt
Day #6: Maida Heatter's Budapest Coffee Cake Bundt
Day #7: Dark Chocolate Bundt
Day #8: Banana Chocolate Chip Bundt
Day #9: Apple Spice Bundt
Day #10: Pumpkin Spice Bundt
Day #11: Doll Bundt Cake
Day #12: Light Chocolate Bundt with Coffee Glaze
Day #13: Spiced Cranberry Bundt
Day #14: Brown Sugar Bundt
Day #15: Buried Alive Bundt Cake
Day #16: Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt
Day #17: Lemon Bundt Cake
Day #18: Ultimate Streusel Bundt Cake

Recipe: Click here for printable recipe on Bon Appetit
by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, April 2010

Bundt Pan: Traditional 12-cup Bundt Pan

Strawberry Cake - Martha Stewart

Strawberry Cake

When you get pick up a pint of strawberries for less than the cost of a latte, make this cake. Baked up in a pie shell, it is perfect for breakfast or tea. And you know it is one of my favorites because it has (a) no frosting (b) has fruit and (c) quick and easy!!!

I walked through the library right before it opened...it was still warm and totally fragrant...staff actually followed me to the "buffet" (the countertop where I put all the treats).

A super easy batter that is topped with slices of strawberries. I like that it is baked in a pie pan...it's pie cake!

Have a bite of edible summer!

Recipe:
Strawberry Cake from Martha Stewart

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Lots of stuff going on...in addition to the World Cup's games at 4:30 am, my usual baking time. I apologize for missing several Tuesdays with Dorie weeks, and hope to get back into the swing of things soon. And special thanks to a few readers who sent me emails asking if I was okay! That was so thoughtful!

Remember Team Dave and the Los Angeles Marathon? I brought this lovely dessert to the post-marathon party. It's a great summer cake for a casual dinner party or way to highlight beautiful strawberries!

I adapted the recipe from Sky-High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman. Man, you have to get this book. It is Delicious with a capital D.

This cake is light (made with cake flour) and just delicious. Get her book for the filling which includes rose water. I didn't do that for this version, just macerated some strawberries in sugar.

Here is the Sky-High cake in three layers...see post here.

I've make this in a 6" triple layer before and it is quite lovely, but does NOT travel well at all. So this time I decided to make two 8" layers and assemble it at the party. Nothing like pulling out a whisk at the party...makes you look like a baker! :)

Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Adapted from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman, page 89

Cake:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy cream

Fresh Strawberry Filling (See the book for this recipe that includes rosewater...I just macerated some strawberries with sugar)

Whole strawberries, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I made mine with two 8" cake pans. The original recipes calls for three 6" pans.
2. Cream butter, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
3. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to the batter, alternating with the buttermilk in 3 additions. Divide among the prepared pans.
5. I don't remember how long I baked my 8" pans. The 6" pans bake for 20-25 minutes. I pulled them out when a toothpick came out clean. I let them cool for 10 minutes and then cooled them on a cake rack.

Assembly:
1. In a large chilled bowl, whip the cream with the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar until stiff.
2. Assemble the cake with cake, strawberries, whipped cream and repeat. Finish with your best strawberries on top. Enjoy!
Again, the book has a recipe for fresh strawberry filing that includes rose water.

Mini Strawberry Shortcakes

California strawberries are exploding all over the Farmer's Market. A three-pack of deliciousness runs $5 - $8. Yum!!

So what to do to showcase these lovely fruits?! Strawberry shortcake!

I used the Tartine (delicious San Francisco bakery...a must-go on any trip up North) recipe for the biscuits from their cookbook, Tartine.

These biscuits come together in no time! Cut in some butter, mix in heavy cream, pat out the dough, cut and brush with sugar. Easy peasy!

I split the biscuit, layered in some strawberries (macerated in sugar for 15 minutes), and some whipped cream (with a little sugar and vanilla).

The Tartine recipe makes 6 four-inch biscuits but I used a small circle cutter and got 15 minis. Serving them in cupcake liners makes it easier for my co-workers to grab (I did put out forks).

Mini strawberry shortcakes. Summer fruit delights. And isn't this cake stand awesome? I'm borrowing it from my cousin...who may never see it again! :)

Recipe:
Click here for printable recipe
Adapted from Tartine, page 116 (Amazon or WorldCat)
Mixed-Berry Shortcakes - Be sure to pick up the book to get their berry-caramel sauce!

Biscuits
2 1/2 C + 2 T (12 1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/4 c sugar
3/4 t salt
7 T unsalted butter, very cold
1 C heavy cream, very cold
Extra cream and sugar for the tops

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Cut butter into small pieces, and cut butter into dry ingredients. I used a pastry blender, but you can use 2 knives or your fingers to get pea size pieces of butter.
4. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Gently mix the dough together with a wooden spoon or your hands. Don't overmix...it'll look shaggy.
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1-inch thick. I didn't have time for a roller so I just patted it out. Tartine uses a 4-inch circle cutter (for 6 circles). I used a small 2-inch circle cutter and got 15 biscuits.
6. Place biscuits on baking sheet (I placed on a Silpat) and brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

For my shortcakes, I cut about a pint of strawberries and macerated them in some sugar - amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of your strawberries. I whipped some heavy cream (about 1 1/2 cups) and with sugar and vanilla (to taste). Assemble and serve immediately or within a few hours. I assembled mine at 6:30 am, drove to work, stuck them in the fridge and served them at 11:00 am for a coffeebreak/pre-lunch treat. :)

"Easiest Cake Ever" with Strawberries & Blueberries

Its name is "Easiest Cake Ever"
And it lives up to its name. Easy peasy.

I've scheduled this post to publish as I'm heading up to BlogHerFood in San Francisco! I'm excited to meet fellow bloggers and the speakers they have lined up sound great.

I haven't been able to bake much lately as I'm finishing up the move. I hope to get all settled next week and start pounding out some stuff. I have a big thing planned for the blog in October/November...stay tuned! :)

I'll post about the conference (and food) when I get back!

This cake is so easy to make. Give your KitchenAid a break and pull out a bowl, basic ingredients and a whisk. Any soft fruit will be yummy. I'd like to try it with some fresh peaches next summer!

Mix in a large bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour into cake pan. I used a 8" pan. Top with any soft fruit, I used strawberries & blueberries. Top with a tablespoon of raw sugar.

As a bonus, it is non-dairy too!

Have a great weekend! See you next week! - mary the food librarian

Recipe:
Easiest Cake Ever adapted from Everybody Likes Sandwiches