Cheating on Cupcakes

All you need is cupcake mix and a bottle of sprite!

Add about 8 fl. ounces of sprite into the cupcake batter (23 servings), pop it into the oven, and wait for magic.

No eggs, no oil, just sprite.

And it's delicious. 

PODCAST - Promoting Healthy Eating for the Youth

How Chocolate is Made

Chocolate is an essential element in the world of desserts. But did you know that the chocolate bean is actually extremely bitter? It started off in the forests of the Aztecs, being an essential part of their rituals. They're the ones that actually discovered it, and used it as a consumer product. It first started out as a hot, bitter drink, meant for the wealthy, and eventually turned into currency. When the Spanish explorer, Cortez arrived, the Aztecs thought he was a God, and treated him to chocolate.  He took the ingredient back to Spain, and it became extremely popular. They added sugar to the chocolate drink to suit their taste. The news of chocolate spread in France, and they added condensed milk to the chocolate drink, and it became hot cocoa. In the 1800's, technological advancements allowed chocolate to become solid, and around the same time, the Swiss added dried milk to chocolate, creating milk chocolate. (sokol, 2006)


From Bitter to Sweet

• First, the pods of that come from the cacao tree are plucked and opened. The beans are inside the pods. "The pods are about the size of a football. (The World Atlas of Chocolate).
• The beans then go through a fermenting process. "They are either placed in large, shallow, heated trays or covered with large banana leaves. If the climate is right, they may be simply heated by the sun. Workers come along periodically and stir them up so that all of the beans come out equally fermented. During fermentation is when the beans turn brown. This process may take five or eight days (The World Atlas of Chocolate)."
• The beans are dried after being fermented so they can be shipped to the manufacturers. The farmers place them in trays and leave them in the sun to dry (The World Atlas of Chocolate)."

Manufacturing

• The cocoa beans are inspected and cleaned, and are roasted afterwards (World Cocoa Foundation).
• Once the beans have been roasted and shelled, the heat from the processor causes the cocoa butter in the nib (the center of the bean) to melt, which is "cocoa liquor" (World Cocoa Foundation).
• The cocoa liquor is then fed in hydraulic presses that remove the cocoa butter (but leave 2 - 4%), which is stored in a liquid form (World Cocoa Foundation).
• Then, to manufacture the chocolate, the cocoa liquor is mixed with cocoa butter and sugar. To make milk chocolate, sweetened condensed, or powdered milk is added, depending on their preferred taste (World Cocoa Foundation).
• The liquor is blended with sugar and pre-condensed milk, and dried on heated rollers to produce the actual European flavors (World Cocoa Foundation).
• After that mixing process, the reduced product is placed in "conches", which are large agitators that stir the mixture under heat, which causes the chocolate mixture to become extremely smooth (World Cocoa Foundation).
• The chocolate is complete. It is then "shipped in tanks or tempered and poured into molds for sale in blocks to confectioners, dairies, or bakers. It may also be converted into proprietary bars for sale direct to the consumer market (World Cocoa Foundation)."

Did You Know?

• More than twice as many women crave chocolate than men (Food Editorials.com).
• Almost half of the world's chocolate is consumed in America (Food Editorials.com).
• A cocoa pod contains about 42 beans. About 270 pods are needed in order to make one pound of chocolate (Food Editorials.com).
• A dark chocolate bar has approximately 10-15g of sugar. A glass of orange juice has about 22g of sugar (20-20 Site, 2012).
• Chocolate is a natural form if anti-depressant. It produces serotonin –a chemical that elevates the mood. It is also referred to as the "happy chemical." Now that is a happy fun chocolate fact (20-20 Site, 2012).

Sources:


sokol (2006, Feb 6 ). Youtube: Chocolate Production [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tez9RZZIwC8

World Cocoa Foundation (n.d.a.). How Chocolate is Made. Retrieved from http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org/learn-about-cocoa/tree-to-table/how-chocolate-is-made.asp


The World Atlas of Chocolate (n.d.a.). The Production of Chocolate. Retrieved from http://www.sfu.ca/geog351fall03/groups-webpages/gp8/prod/prod.htm


20-20 Site (2012). Fun Chocolate Facts. Retrieved from http://www.2020site.org/fun-facts/Fun-Chocolate-Facts.html


Food Editorials.com: The Yummy Food Guide (2012). 20 Chocolate Facts. Retrieved from http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/snacks/chocolates/20_chocolate_facts.html

Interview with Healthy Desserts Baker: Sam Al-Nahi

Q: What do you generally bake?
A: I bake everything from cakes to casseroles. I have three young ones that constantly keep me on the go. I try my best to help them make healthy choices, but at the same time, I don't want them to be deprived of any food. For this reason, I bake a lot of things, especially desserts, and try my best to duplicate (or improve) the taste. 


Q: As a Mom, what kind of desserts do your kids prefer?
A: Anything that involves chocolate. They can have some now and then. Usually, I substitute all of their sweets with fruits, brown sugar, and honey.


Q: What is your favorite dessert to make?
A: Why cherry cobbler, of course! 


Q: What made you to start cooking healthy?
A: I've always eaten healthy food growing up, so I have always been cooking healthy foods. 


Q: What advice would you give people who have a sweet tooth, but want to stay healthy?
A: Substitutes. It's all about the substitutes. Also, using organic foods makes a huge difference. The more you practice making healthy choices, the better you become at it. It gets so much easier after a few weeks, and by a month, you wouldn't even notice. Just keep your head in the game, have your goals set, and shoot for the target. 


Q: Do you have a key ingredient that you use in desserts that help its healthiness?
A: You can replace regular sugar with brown sugar, and I actually prefer the taste of brown sugar. A lot of people also use Splenda, but I can always taste the difference, and I really don't like it. But for people that do, go crazy. Frozen yogurt can always replace ice cream. And like I said before, condensed milk instead of cream.  


Q: What desserts do you chose when you eat out?
A: Oh, when I eat out, which is rare, I don't really eat healthy desserts. But on some occasions, I mostly eat desserts that involve fruit, berries, yogurt, nuts, and/or honey.

Lactose Intolerance

It seems impossible to actually think of dairy free products for calming the sweet tooth. Thankfully, those of you that are lactose intolerant don't have to be deprived. There are ways to eat your favorite types of desserts and get the same wonderful taste.

First and foremost, it is extremely important for everyone to be aware of lactose intolerance. Just a bit of knowledge can save lives.

Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest lactose, which is a particular sugar found in milk and milk products (NDDIC: "What is lactose intolerance?", 2009). The majority of desserts have milk as an important component, which is why it's a rather big deal for being aware of lactose free desserts. I actually ran into a situation where I didn't know a friend of mine was lactose intolerant, and let's just say it didn't turn out alright. 

For starters, be aware of some product brands that will help everyone free to enjoy their food.

• LACTAID Products: Not only do they have 100% lactose free milk, but they also have an entire array of other lactose free dairy products from eggnog, ice cream, cheese, yogurt, and etc. (LACTAID - "Our Products", 2012). What I love about their website is the amazing list of recipes they offer (LACTAID - "Recipes", 2012). They even have chewable supplement pills that can ease discomfort in the digestive system. LactoseIntolerant.com says that "they are pretty tasteless, but sometimes a bit hard on the first chew; the chewable pills can also be swallowed if you prefer (LactoseIntolerant.org - "Lactase Supplements, 2012)."

• Organic Valley: I've actually heard many compliments about this brand, but it's a little more expensive. Organic Valley actually has an even wider range of milk products (Organic Valley, 2012).

• Land O Lakes: Dairy Ease: I would safely say that this brand is the one that's the most easily found in local grocery stores. Although they don't really have a very wide array of products, they're priced very reasonably (Land O Lakes - "Dairy Ease", 2012).

i hope everyone understands that they should consider all the possibilities before cooking. If you're catering, always always ask if you should be aware of any allergies or medical problems.

Sources:


National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (2009, June). Lactose Intolerance. Retrieved from http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/#what

LACTAID: Our Products (2012). Product Pantry. Retrieved from http://www.lactaid.com/products-home#Products


LACTAID: Recipes (2012). Recipe Collection. Retrieved from http://lactaid.tastebook.com/


LactoseIntolerant.org (2012). Lactase Supplements. Retrieved from http://www.lactoseintolerant.org/understanding-lactose-intolerance/dealing-with-lactose-intolerance/lactose-substitutes/


Organic Valley: Products (2012). Lactose Free. Retrieved from http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/milk/lactose-free/


Land O Lakes: Products (2012). Dairy Ease. Retrieved from http://www.dairyease.com/products/

Interview with a Professional Dessert Maker: Nida Riaz

Q: What are your favorite desserts to make?
A: Well, to name some off the top of my head, I absolutely love making peach cobbler, tapioca pudding, angel cake, brownies, tapioca pudding, honey cake, coconut macaroons, and rhubarb crumble. Of course, some of them are very tedious, but it all pays off in the end.

Q: What is the most tedious dessert to make?

A: I would definitely have to say any type of soufflé just because it’s so easy to mess it up. You have to be very careful in each step you take. The most tedious part about it is actually when the dessert is almost finished, which during baking time.  If it over-bakes, the soufflé would just spew over the bowls. If it under-bakes, it would sink in. Oh, another very tedious dessert to make is the syrup for crème caramel. You have to keep the consistency going, and it requires a lot of patience. As for the crème caramel, boiling milk can be a bit overbearing if you’re a beginner in dessert making, or just cooking with milk in general.

Q: What is the easiest dessert to make?

A: One of my favorites, peach cobbler.

Q: How do you make it?

A: You only need 3 ingredients!  Vanilla cake mix, peaches, and butter.  

1.       Butter the dish you’re going to make it in. It involves just layering, no mixing. Depending on how many people you are serving or how big the dish is, it can take half of the cake mix or one full box of cake mix.

2.       Layer half of the vanilla cake mix on the dish. Just drop the powder into the baking dish, and make sure it covers the bottom completely.

3.       Lay the peaches (canned or fresh) down side to side until the powder on the bottom is completely covered.

4.       Take the rest of the cake mix and pour it over the peaches. There may be cases where you may need more cake mix on the top, so be careful about how you divide it in the first step.

5.       Take about 3 sticks of butter, and cut them into small squares, and put them on top.

6.       Pop it in the oven, and eat to your heart’s desires. Don’t forget to have it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Q: What is your most popular dish among customers?

A: Usually, it’s cupcakes and cakes. Most people want them for parties. Pastries are quite popular as well.

Q: What is your favorite thing about making desserts?

A: I have a huge sweet tooth. Also, I love the satisfaction out of a successful dessert. There are just so many things I love about making desserts. To start, it really calms me down. I just unconsciously cook sweet things and ponder about life, haha!