Mocha Chocolate Cake Roll

This is actually my first made-from-scratch recipe from a long time ago. All the previous things I've ever made were ready made packages. When I made this and showed it to my family, they couldn't believe an 8th grader made something as impressive as a cake roll. This is the cake that made me want to make more and more so I would have the same reaction from my friends and family.

Ingredients for Cake:

• 2 egg whites
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, unsalted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

Ingredients for Filling:

• 1 tbsp instant expresso
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-ounce semi-sweet chocolate, grated
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 15X10in jelly roll pan (cookie pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Then line the pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a clean, oil-free bowl, beat your egg whites until you have stiff peaks. Set aside. (Note: Beat in one direction.)

• In a large bowl, combine your egg yolks, sugar, butter and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until creamy. Scrape bowl often.
  

• Reduce your speed to low and add the last 2 eggs, flour, water, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Clean your whisk attachment and put it in the freezer along with a medium size bowl. (Note: Metal bowl it best.) Put in your heavy cream in the fridge.

• Add in your stiff egg whites and fold it in completely.

• Pour your batter into the pan and spread evenly. (Note: Drop it on your table to smooth the batter. Be careful when you drop it.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Immediately loosen sides of the cake and let it cool for 10 minutes and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Prepare a lint-free kitchen towel by generously sprinkling powdered sugar on top.

• Turn the cake over onto your towel. Very carefully, remove the parchment paper. Roll up your cake from whichever side you want to. Preferably the shorter side, but today I used the longer side. Let it cool, seam side down, for 30 minutes.

• Dissolve instant expresso with your water and set aside. Chop up your chocolate and set aside. Take out your whisk attachment and bowl from the freezer and heavy cream from the fridge.

• Beat the heavy cream and gradually add in your powdered sugar. Beat until you have stiff peaks.

• Add in your expresso mixture and grated chocolate. Mix well. 

• Carefully unroll the cake and spread filling evenly. (Note: Don't put as much filling on the edges as the middle.) Carefully roll up the cake again but without the towel. Slice and enjoy!

-Ellenia

Chocolate Meringues

My friends were coming over so I thought I should make something light and low in calories. My friends are both trying to cut down the amount of sugar they eat so cookies and cakes would just be to rude to them. So I decided to make chocolate meringues because they don't have as much sugar as a regular meringue and also it's only a few ingredients. But today since my friends are cutting down on sugar, I decided to not add in the chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 3 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your cookie pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium bowl. add in your egg whites and beat until frothy. Then add in your cream of tartar and vanilla.

• Start adding in your sugar when you start to form soft peaks. Add in 2 tablespoons at a time. Finish beating until you have stiff peaks. (You can tell if you have stiff peaks if you can flip the bowl over your head and nothing falls on you.)

• Add in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Use your spatula to fold in and incorperate all the ingredients together.

'

• Use a cookie scoop and scoop out your batter onto your baking pan. Or you can pour your mixture into a disposible piping bag or ziplock bag with a tip and then make your meringues.

• Bake for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!

-Ellenia

Baked Donuts

I wanted to try out my new donut maker (Sunbeam) that my friend got me as a present so I found a recipe online for a simple donut and tried them out. These donuts aren't fried, they're baked so they are a lot healthier than a regular donut. After I finished baking these, I ate them and they were surprisingly really good. They were a little bit more dense than a regular fried donut but still really tasty. If fried donuts are like cupcakes, because they're light and fluffy, baked donuts are like muffins, healthy and a little bit dense.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 9 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

• Turn on your donut maker (Mine is Sunbeam) and wait until it is fully ready.

• In a small bowl, add your flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix with a whisk until fully combined.

• Cut up your butter and melt in the microwave. Melt until there are no clumps, and then, measure out 9 tablespoons and add it into a small bowl. Add your milk and egg as well and mix well.

• Add your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix well.

 

• Open your donut maker and spray each well with cooking spray. Or if you don't like the taste of cooking spray, mix a little vegetable oil with butter (equal parts) and dip a paper towel into the mixture and wipe each of the donut wells.

• Pour half of the batter into a disposable piping bag with a metal tip and fill up each well. (Metal tip because the heat from the machine can melt your piping bag.)
  

  

  

  
  

• Close the lid gently and bake for 6 minutes or how long your donut maker instructions tell you to. Remove them gently with a wooden spoon and enjoy!

-Ellenia

Snickerdoodles

I'm back after a long month!!! I've been having tests the whole month of May so I wasn't able to have a social life and I was cooped up in my room studying. So now, since I finished all my tests and school ended, I back and ready to bake my summer away! My family really likes cookies, mostly chocolate chip, but since I didn't have any chocolate chips around, I made snickerdoodles! Hope you like them:)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar (separate)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie pans with parchment paper and set aside for later.
• In a medium bowl, add in your flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar. Stir lightly with a whisk to incorperate all the dry ingredients. 

• In a large bowl, cream your unsalted butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy. Add in your egg and vanilla. Beat until they are well combined.

• Pour your dry ingredients to your butter-sugar mixture. Use a spatula to combine them together. In a small bowl, mix in your separate sugar and cinnamon together.

• Use a small cookie scoop to make little balls of dough. As soon as you rolled it in your hands to make each ball smooth, roll it in your sugar cinnamon mixture. 

 

• Lay them on your prepared cookie sheets. After you've used up all your dough, use the bottom of a clean cup to sightly press the cookies down.

• Bake the cookies for about 15 to 18 minutes. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

-Ellenia