3-ingredients Roulade with Cream Cheese Filling

This roll cake is made from 3-ingredients cake with 3-ingredients cream cheese filling...no eggs...easy to make. It can be used ice cream or gelato. Gelato is Italian style ice cream and will give the cake a velvety texture. You may use any of your favorite ice creams or fillings to make this roll cake. 

For the cake:

• 1 pint (1 1/2 cup) chocolate ice cream
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a parchment paper on a jelly roll baking pan or cookie sheet. Lightly spray with no-stick cooking oil.

Leave the ice cream at room temperature until melt. Add cake flour and baking powder. Whisk until well blend and no lumps. Pour the batter on the baking pan and spread with a spatula. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick come out clean. 

Roll the cake sheet while it is warm. Set aside or in the refrigerator until cool. Then, open the cake roll, spread cream cheese filling over and roll it back to a roll. Leave in the refrigerator for about an hour before cut into slices.

 For cream cheese filling:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar (more or less to fit your sweet tooth)
• 1/2 stick (4 tbsp.) butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blend and creamy. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. If you like to have less filling, you may use half of this recipe for one roll cake only.

Fudge Brownies

These brownies are made from cake flour and cake flour. Always taste better after overnight.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cool
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour 
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 coco powder
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Make it...

1. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix until well blend. Add the rest of the ingredients. Continue to mix until well blend to creamy batter.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a bottom of 9x13 baking pan. If you like it with walnuts, place a layer of half walnuts on the bottom of the baking pan. Pour the batter over and flatten with a spatula.
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool before cut into squares.

For nuts lovers: you may fold in some chopped nuts in the batter before baking.

3 ingredients Cake

Yap! Only 3 ingredients! I can't believe it turns out so goooood...velvety, rich, soft and so easy! I will make again and often...I find this recipe and adopted from http://kirbiecravings.com/2013/08/3-ingredient-chocolate-cake.html

Super simple ingredients:

• 1 pint gelato/ice cream (I used Belgian Milk Chocolate Gelato), about 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

Super easy to make:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare and spray with oil two 6 x 2.5 loaf pans, or line parchment paper under the pans.
2. Leave Gelato at room temperature until almost fully melted. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add in flour and baking powder. Either by hand or using a stand mixer, mix until no flour lumps remain (use a whisk if mixing by hand). Pour into two loaf pans. 
3. Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Note: I used other flavor gelato/ice cream to make this easy cake, too. They are all GOOD. If you have a sweet tooth, add 1/4 cup sugar into the batter.

I use the same batter, baking with a jelly roll baking pan for 15 minutes. Roll up with a soft towel and let cool. Then, add cream cheese filling to make a roulade. Refrigerator for one hour, then cut into slices to serve.

Cream cheese filling:

• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 stick butter (about 4 Tbsp.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix with an electric mixer until creamy. Set aside and ready to use.

Caramel Popcorn Cookies

Another easy and simple cookie recipe. If you like it sweet, you may add more sugar to it. But I like it less sweet with a little salty...so that I can eat more :)

Simple ingredients: (makes 24 cookies)

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup caramel popcorn, roughly chopped

Easy to make:

1. Cream the butter and sugar together with a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla extract and egg, blend well until creamy. Fold in chopped popcorn.
2. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until just blend.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line parchment paper on cookie sheets. Scoop about 1 Tbsp. cookie dough and drop on the cookie sheet(s) with 1-inch apart. Sprinkle some salt on the top of the cookie balls.
4. Bake for 12 minutes or turn lightly brown. Remove from oven and chill on cooling rack.

Easy Baklava (reduced sugar)

Store brought baklava always very sweet. I enjoy the nutty texture, but not too sweet...less sugar, better for your health, too. I used 5 phyllo sheets for each layer. If you like more crunchy of phyllo, you may double the layers of phyllo sheets.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup raw or roasted walnuts
• 1 cup raw or roasted pistachio
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 package of phyllo sheets, thawed (2 packages in one box)

For the syrup:

• 1/2 cups honey
• 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

Make it...

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and sugar  into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty or powdery, approximately 15 quick pulses. Set aside.
3. Trim the sheets of phyllo to fit the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan. Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat this step 4 more times for a total of 5 sheets of phyllo. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spread thinly. Layer 5 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between each of them. Repeat with another 5 sheets of phyllo, butter, and remaining nuts. Top with 5-8 sheets of phyllo brushing with butter in between each sheet. Brush the top generously with butter. 
4. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 28 squares. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Remove pan from the oven, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the top of the baklava, allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan.

Make the syrup while the baklava is baking in the oven. Combine the honey, water, sugar, and cinnamon in a 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Optional: dust some powdered sugar for decoration before serving.