Big Mac Meatloaf

Feb 24, 2022

Big Mac Meatloaf – Candy Coated Culinista

When you’re craving a Big Mac for over two weeks; action must be taken.

Yield/Serving: 3-4
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 1 hr. & 15 min.
Difficulty level is: Easy

Ingredients
⦁ 1lb ground beef
⦁ 1 small white onion, finely chopped
⦁ 1 egg
⦁ ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
⦁ ¼ cup old cheddar cheese
⦁ chives, finely chopped, to taste
⦁ parsley, finely chopped, to taste
⦁ 1 tsp sea salt
⦁ 1 tsp black pepper
⦁ ¼ tsp season salt
⦁ ¼ tsp paprika
⦁ ¼ tsp onion powder
⦁ ¼ tsp garlic powder
⦁ 5 small dill pickles, finely chopped
⦁ ½ cup not so secret sauce or Big Mac sauce

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients until mixture comes together.
3. Spray loaf pan with non-stick spray and form beef into shape of a loaf.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes basting every 15 minutes with not so secret sauce.
5. Once cooked, let rest for 10 minutes and remove from pan and serve.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
I haven’t had McDonalds since the pandemic started and I made it a resolution to never return and I am keeping my promise. I really do miss those fries, quarter pounder with cheese and of course the Big Mac so this satisfied my cravings perfectly. The pickles and secret sauce made this taste just like a Big Mac and I still kept my promise to myself.

Vanilla Sheet Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Feb 18, 2022

Vanilla Sheet Birthday Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Who remembers birthday’s as a child when the cake was always a sheet cake no matter the occasion. I remember always saying not a corner piece because it was so so much icing and I had that one friend that I would always say give her the corner piece because she loved the icing more than the cake. Well I saw this mini sheet cake the other day and it looked so beautiful decorated and brought out the nostalgic feels, so I knew I had to start thinking about making a sheet cake.

Yield/Serving: 12
Prep Time: 25 min.
Cook Time: 35 min.
Difficulty level is: Easy

Ingredients
Cake
⦁ 3 cups all-purpose flour
⦁ 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
⦁ 1 tsp baking powder
⦁ ½ tsp baking soda
⦁ ½ tsp sea salt
⦁ 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 1 tbsp vanilla extract
⦁ 1 cup 2% milk
⦁ 1/3 cup sour cream or yoghurt, at room temperature
⦁ 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Cream Cheese Frosting
⦁ 8oz cream cheese, at room temperature
⦁ ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
⦁ 1 tsp vanilla extract
⦁ pinch of sea salt
⦁ 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
⦁ sprinkles, for decorating
⦁ food colouring (optional)

Assembly
Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray 9″ x 13″ pan with non stick cooking spray.
3. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachement on low gently combine flour mixture.
5. Add in the butter, vanilla extract and ½ cup of milk and turn mixer on to medium speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, 1 minute. The mixture will be thick at this point
6. In a medium sized bowl whisk the remaining milk, sour cream and eggs.
7. Turn the mixer back on at medium speed and add the mixture in three portions and scraping down the sides. Don’t over mix.
8. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 32 – 35 minutes or until a cake tester insterted comes out clean. (Begin checking at 25 minutes to be safe).
9. Allow to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
   Cream Cheese Frosting
10. In the stand mixer with the whisk attachment combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt.
11. Mix on low speed until combined and increase to medium speed for about 2 minutes.
12. Turn off the mixer and add in the confectioners’ sugar on low speed 1 cup at a time.
13. Once all sugar is added increase to medium-high speed and beat until fluffy.
14. Once cake is cooled using an offset spatula or spatula add frosting to the top of the cake.
15. Decorate and add sprinkles.

Tips
⦁ Store in an air-tight container or tightly cover with plastic wrap at room temperature for a few days.

Please Enjoy

My thoughts
As February is a busy birthday month for me starting with my dad I though to make him this sheet cake with a cream cheese frosting to cut some of that sweet that makes the icing so cloyingly sweet. I’m already a baker that always decrease the sugar by a quarter cup to half cup under the recipe because who needs all that sugar in their lives. But this time I decided to go for the cream cheese frosting I hate so much just to cut it even more. I was also looking forward to decorating this in that of so familiar sheet cake style. I even made myself two sprinkle mixes like a nerd and I loved the outcome.

Valentine’s Day Malted Cookies

Feb 14, 2022

Valentine’s Day Malted Cookies – Candy Coated Culinista

Happy Valentine’s Day all. This weekend I made these Valentine’s Day themed cookies the celebrate with the leftover Malteser’s I had from making my birthday cake.

Yield/Serving: 18 cookies
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 10 min.
Difficulty level is: Easy

Ingredients
⦁ ½ cup unsalted butter
⦁ ¼ cup granulated sugar
⦁ ½ golden brown sugar
⦁ 1 egg
⦁ ½ tsp vanilla extract
⦁ 1 cup all-purpose flour
⦁ ½ tsp baking soda
⦁ ½ tsp sea salt
⦁ 1 cup Malteser’s cut in half, or Whoppers (malted milk balls)
⦁ Heart shaped sprinkles, leave some to top cookies once out of oven
⦁ Large flaked sea salt

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Using an electric stand mixer with the padde attachement beat butter for a minute.
4. Add sugars and beat for 2 minutes.
5. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and continue to combine.
6. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda and sea salt.
7. Pour flour into the butter mixture in three parts until completely incorprated.
8. Mix in by hand using a spatula the Malteaser’s and heart shaped sprinkles.
9. Roll dough into 18 balls and place on cookie sheet; leaving an inch pace between each cookie to allow to spread.
10. Bake for 10 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and top with a few more heart shaped sprinkles.
12. Sprinkle with large flaked sea salt.
13. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Please Enjoy
My thoughts
This was such a fun bake and it took no time at all. These tasted wonderful and the flaked sea salt really added that extra special touch. I was so happy to finally find large flaked sea salt online after giving up finding it in the stores after 2 years of looking.