What is a melon pan?

Melon pan is a Japanese sweet bread that has thin cookie crusts on the outside and a soft and fluffy bun inside. It is called “melon pan” because it resembles the appearance of melon or cantaloupe that is popular in Japan. “Pan” simply means “bread” in Japanese.

What does melon pan taste like?

Even though it is called a “melon pan,” a traditional melon pan does not contain any melon flavor. If anyone has tried the Mexican sweet bread, conchas, melon pan tastes very similar to them. They are gently sweet without any fillings.

What is special about this melon pan?

With my version, I turned the traditional melon pan into something more fun! I arranged the recipe and technique developed by a Japanese food artist, Eriko Hanada (@elly.hana), and shaped the cookies to Hello Kitty.

I used this Hello Kitty cookie cutter and these cookie cutters for stars and hearts.

Ingredients

For the cookie

• unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• milk
• all-purpose flour
• pink food coloring
• golden yellow food coloring

For the bread

• bread flour
• soft unsalted butter
• granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• milk
• active dry yeast
• warm water

For the decoration

• granulated sugar for sprinkling
• chocolate chips to draw Hello Kitty’s eyes

Instructions

For the cookie

1. In a large bowl, mix softened butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and milk with a spatula. You may not need all milk if making this in warm environment.
2. Once the dough becomes a ball, divide it into three. Leave one of the portions as-is for white dough. Add a dash of golden yellow food coloring to one of the dough balls and mix until well combined. Add a dash of pink food coloring to the other dough ball and mix until well combined.
3. Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about ⅛ inch thickness in between two sheets of plastic wrap. Chill the dough sheets in a refrigerator for at least 10-15 minutes.

4. Using cookie cutters, cut out the dough into shapes. I cut out the plain dough with a Hello Kitty cookie cutter, then cut the yellow dough into star shapes and the pink dough into heart shapes. Don’t forget to attach noses with tiny amounts of yellow cookie dough and bows with the pink cookie dough on Hello Kitty faces.

5. Once all the cookie doughs are shaped, place them in between two sheets of plastic wrap and rest them for at least an hour. You can even make these cookies a day ahead and chill them overnight.

For the bread

1. In a small bowl, add warm water and active dry yeast and mix. Set it aside for the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes or until creamy foam shows up on the surface. (This step is not necessary if using instant yeast. It can be added directly to the dry ingredients.)
2. In a large bowl, mix bread flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
3. Add the yeast mixture, softened butter, and milk to the dry ingredients and mix. 
4. Transfer the dough to the lightly floured work surface. Next, using your hand, knead by pushing the dough down and forward then folding the dough over itself. Repeat until it becomes smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes.
5. Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and leave it at a warm place (about 90ºF/32ºC) for 1 hour.
6. Make a fist with your hand and push the dough gently and firmly into the center and deflate it. 
7. Turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide the dough into 3 (about 96g each). Roll each dough into small buns. Place each of them onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap loosely, let them rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.

For the assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 320ºF/160ºC.
2. Brush on some water on top of the buns.
3. Take out the cookies from the refrigerator and start pasting the cookies on the buns.

4. Once all the cookies are pasted, put plastic wrap over the buns and gently press them with your hands to make sure all the cookies are stuck well. Then remove the plastic wrap.

5. Sprinkle the buns with some granulated sugar. If granulated sugar is not sticking, brush the buns with some water.

6. Bake for about 20-25 mins or until the surface gets dry and has a subtle brown color. Once baked, let the buns cool completely. 

7. When the melon pans are cooled, melt chocolate chips in a microwave. Zap them for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

8. Place the melted chocolate in a piping bag. Snip off the tips to have an about ¼-inch diameter hole.

9. Fill Hello Kitty’s eyes and whiskers with the melted chocolate and enjoy! Tip: If the chocolate hardens back before you could finish decorating, boil some hot water and place it in a heat-resistant cup. Once the cup gets hot, press the piping bag against it and melt the chocolate until it becomes workable again.

For the leftover cookies

1. Preheat oven to 320ºF/160ºC.
2. Bake them for 5-10 minutes or until the surface looks dry. *The baking time varies depending on the size of the cookies.

If you like this Hello Kitty Melon Pan, you may also like:

• Hello Kitty Cookies – Simple Recipes
• Hello Kitty Cake Roll – A step by step recipe with a template
• How To Make Rilakkuma Pull-Apart Bread

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Melon Pan – Hello Kitty Version

Melon pan is a popular Japanese sweet bread. Traditional melon pans have cantaloupe-like appearances, but my version is decorated with cute Hello Kitty cookies. Try this fun baking project today!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Japanese

Keyword Bread, melon pan

Prep Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Resting Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 3 buns

Equipment

• Large bowl
• Spatula
• Rolling Pin
• Plastic wrap
• Cookie cutters
• Small bowl
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Piping bag

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

• 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter 50g
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 30g
• 2 teaspoons milk 10ml
• ½ cups all-purpose flour 80g
• pink food coloring
• golden yellow food coloring

For the bread

• 1 cup bread flour 160g
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 40g, soft but not melted
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 12g
• 3 tablespoons milk 45ml
• ½ teaspoons kosher salt 3g
• ½ teaspoons active dry yeast 2g
• ¼ cups warm water 55ml

For the decoration

• some granulated sugar for sprinkling
• ½ cups chocolate chips to draw Hello Kitty’s eyes

Instructions

For the cookie

• In a large bowl, mix softened butter, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and milk with a spatula. You may not need all milk if making this in warm environment.
• Once the dough becomes a ball, divide it into three. Leave one of the portions as-is for white dough. Add a dash of golden yellow food coloring to one of the dough balls and mix until well combined. Add a dash of pink food coloring to the other dough ball and mix until well combined.
• Using a rolling pin, roll out each dough ball to about ⅛ inch thickness in between two sheets of plastic wrap. Chill the dough sheets in a refrigerator for at least 10-15 minutes.
• Using cookie cutters, cut out the dough into shapes. I cut out the plain dough with a Hello Kitty cookie cutter, then cut the yellow dough into star shapes and the pink dough into heart shapes. Don’t forget to attach noses with tiny amounts of yellow cookie dough and bows with the pink cookie dough on Hello Kitty faces.
• Once all the cookie doughs are shaped, place them in between two sheets of plastic wrap and rest them for at least an hour. You can even make these cookies a day ahead and chill them overnight.

For the bread

• In a small bowl, add warm water and active dry yeast and mix. Set it aside for the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes or until creamy foam shows up on the surface. (This step is not necessary if using instant yeast. It can be added directly to the dry ingredients.)
• In a large bowl, mix bread flour, granulated sugar, and salt.
• Add the yeast mixture, softened butter, and milk to the dry ingredients and mix. 
• Transfer the dough to the lightly floured work surface. Next, using your hand, knead by pushing the dough down and forward then folding the dough over itself. Repeat until it becomes smooth and elastic for about 10 minutes.
• Place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and leave it at a warm place (about 90ºF/32ºC) for 1 hour.
• Make a fist with your hand and push the dough gently and firmly into the center and deflate it. 
• Turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide the dough into 3 (about 96g each). Roll each dough into small buns. Place each of them onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap loosely, let them rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.

For the assembly

• Preheat the oven to 320ºF/160ºC.
• Brush on some water on top of the buns.
• Take out the cookies from the refrigerator and start pasting the cookies on the buns.
• Once all the cookies are pasted, put plastic wrap over the buns and gently press them with your hands to make sure all the cookies are stuck well. Then remove the plastic wrap.
• Sprinkle the buns with some granulated sugar. If granulated sugar is not sticking, brush the buns with some water.
• Bake for about 20-25 mins or until the surface gets dry and has a subtle brown color. Once baked, let the buns cool completely. 
• When the melon pans are cooled, melt chocolate chips in a microwave. Zap them for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Place the melted chocolate in a piping bag. Snip off the tips to have an about ¼-inch diameter hole.
• Fill Hello Kitty’s eyes and whiskers with the melted chocolate and enjoy!

  Tip: If the chocolate hardens back before you could finish decorating, boil some hot water and place it in a heat-resistant cup. Once the cup gets hot, press the piping bag against it and melt the chocolate until it becomes workable again.

The post Melon Pan – Hello Kitty Version appeared first on Simply A Homebody.

I’ve been eyeing many patterned cake rolls on Instagram, and I finally got to make it myself! I adopted Love & Olive Oil’s recipe to create my Hello Kitty cake roll, and this cake is perfect for special occasions like birthdays.

To be honest, I couldn’t achieve a satisfying result on my first try. In this post, I will show you all the steps in detail and mention all the mistakes I’ve made in the beginning so you can achieve a great result much easier than I did 🙂 Don’t worry, it is fairly simple to make once getting the hang of all the processes.

Special items you need to make Hello Kitty cake roll

• Piping Bags
• Small Piping Tip (about 1 mm in Diameter)
• Parchment Paper
• Jelly Roll Pan (15”x10”x1”)

Drawing Pattens

On this Hello Kitty cake roll, you will draw designs with some cake paste. When you are making the paste, it is very important to make sure there are no lumps. When the paste is not completely smooth, piping tips will be clogged and make it difficult to draw designs on parchment paper.

If you see any lumps larger than 1mm, I recommend strain them with a fine strainer before packing them into the piping bags.

Drawing patterns on parchment paper is really fun. If you ever tried decorating cookies with royal icing, the process should feel somewhat similar. The paste doesn’t harden as quickly as royal icings, so making mistakes is more forgiving. If you made any mistakes on the patterns, just scrape the bad part off with a tip of a toothpick and keep going!

You can use any designs you like, but my Hello Kitty cake template can be downloaded from the button below. Print it out on letter-size paper and you are good to go.

Ingredient List

For paste:

• 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, softened (softer than room temp, but not melted)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons (30g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (40g) cake flour, sifted
• 1 large egg white
• Black food coloring
• Red food coloring
• Yellow food coloring

For cake:

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, for egg white
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (23g) whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup (67g) cake flour, sifted
• Pink food coloring
• Red food coloring

For filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7-10 strawberries medium, chopped

Instructions for Hello Kitty Cake Roll

For paste:

1. Lightly butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan. Place any templates you like and put parchment paper over it, or you can line parchment paper with your design traced onto the backside with thick pencil lines.

2. To make a paste, with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix softened butter and sugar together until you get a smooth paste.

3. Add flour and mix until partially incorporated, then add egg white and mix until smooth. Paste should have a buttercream-like consistency.

POINT: Make sure there are no lumps larger than 1mm. If there are, straining the paste is recommended.

4. Leave about 1 teaspoon of paste in the large bowl and divide the rest of the paste into 3 small portions (I divided it almost evenly into 3 but slightly more for one of the cups). Leave the largest portion as is and add food colorings to the rest of the 2 – one with red coloring, the other with black food coloring. Mix yellow food coloring to the teaspoon of paste in the large bowl.

5. Transfer the black paste into a piping bag, fitted with a small round piping tip (1mm in diameter). Transfer the red and the plain paste into separate piping bags. For red and plain paste, piping tips are optional. Just snip the tips off about 3mm.

6. Pipe design onto parchment paper. Start with the black to outline Hello Kitty’s faces then place the yellow paste on Hello Kitty’s nose with a toothpick.

7. Pipe red paste to fill in Hello Kitty’s bows and hearts.

8. Finish by piping plain paste to cover Hello Kitty’s entire faces. Place pan in the freezer to allow the design to set while you prepare the rest of the batter.

For cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and yolks are lightened in color. Drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. Whisk in milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Add some pink and a tiny bit of red food coloring.
3. Sprinkle sifted cake flour over the batter and fold until incorporated.
4. In a clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until whites hold medium-stiff peaks.
5. Fold a third of egg whites into batter to lighten it, then add the remaining egg whites and fold until just incorporated.

POINT: Do not overmix the batter once egg white is added. Overmixing will cause cake to turn out flat.

6. Pour batter over top of the frozen design, spreading the batter into an even layer using a large offset spatula. Bang the pan a few times on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and level out the top.

7. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is springy and the edges are just barely starting to brown.

8. Remove from oven. Carefully invert warm cake onto a piece of parchment backed by a solid surface like a large cutting board. Peel off parchment paper backing, revealing the design.

9. Liberally dust a clean towel with powdered sugar and lay it on top of the cake. Flip cake over so the design is facing down.

10. Starting with the side of the cake without the design, carefully roll up the warm cake in the towel. Doing this while the cake is still warm will mold the cake into a rolled shape and makes it easier to roll it back up later with the filling.

11. Let rolled cake cool for about 1 hour or until completely cool to the touch.

For Filling:

1. Place your mixing bowl in the freezer or fridge 5-10 minutes before starting.
2. In the chilled bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Slowly drizzle in the heavy whipping cream and continue beating until the cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture.
5. Continue to add the remaining heavy whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold in chopped strawberries into the whipped cream mixture.

For assembly:

1. Carefully unroll cake. You may need to hold it with your hand as it will try to roll back up. Spread filling into a thin even layer over the whole cake, leaving about 1/2 inch – 1 inch bare at the far end.

2. Gently roll up the cake, taking care not to use too much pressure so that the filling does not squeeze out the sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to eat

Cut into slices with a sharp knife (the design parts are harder than the cake itself. The slices will look best if you cut by pulling the knife gently towards you, letting the weight of the knife do the cutting; it may take a few strokes to get through the firmer design parts. Try not to saw back and forth or press down or the design will compress into the cake).

Storing Hello Kitty Cake Roll

If tightly wrapped and refrigerated, Hello Kitty cake roll will last up to 3 days.

If you like this Hello Kitty cake roll, you may also like:

• Hello Kitty Cookies
• Rilakkuma Macarons
• Rilakkuma Pull-apart Bread

_{Disclosure: SimplyAHomebody.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn a small affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I would use myself. Learn more}

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Hello Kitty Cake Roll

This Hello Kitty cake roll is not only pretty to look at but also tastes great! The soft cake is filled with whipped cream and tangy strawberry chunks.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Other

Keyword Cake

Prep Time 3 hours hours

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Equipment

• Piping Bags
• Small Piping Tip (about 1 mm in Diameter)
• Parchment paper
• Jelly Roll Pan (15”x10”x1”)
• Hand mixer/stand mixer
• Bowls
• Spatulas

Ingredients

For Paste

• 2 Tablespoons 2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter 30g, softened (softer than room temp, but not melted)
• 2 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar 30g
• ⅓ Cup cake flour 40g, sifted
• 1 large egg white
• black food coloring
• red food coloring
• yellow food coloring

For Cake

• 3 large eggs separated
• ¼ Cup granulated sugar for egg yolk
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar for egg white
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1½ Tablespoons whole milk 23g
• ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ Teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅔ Cup cake flour 67g, sifted
• Pink food coloring
• Red food coloring

For Filling

• 1 Cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 Ounce cream cheese
• 1 Cup powdered sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7-10 medium strawberries chopped

Instructions

For paste

• Lightly butter or grease the bottom and sides of a 15 by 10-inch jelly roll pan. Place any templates you like and put parchment paper over it, or you can line parchment paper with your design traced onto the backside with thick pencil lines.
• To make a paste, with a spatula or wooden spoon, mix softened butter and sugar together until you get a smooth paste.
• Add flour and mix until partially incorporated, then add egg white and mix until smooth. Paste should have a buttercream-like consistency.
• Leave about 1 teaspoon of paste in the large bowl and divide the rest of the paste into 3 small portions (I divided it almost evenly into 3 but slightly more for one of the cup). Leave the largest portion as is and add food colorings to the rest of 2 – one with red coloring, the other with black food coloring. Mix yellow food coloring to the teaspoon of paste in the large bowl.
• Transfer the black paste into a piping bag, fitted with a small round piping tip (1mm in diameter). Transfer the red and the plain paste into separate piping bags. For red and plain paste, piping tips are optional. Just snip the tips off about 3mm.
• Pipe design onto parchment paper. Start with the black to outline Hello Kitty’s faces then place the yellow paste on Hello Kitty’s nose with a toothpick.
• Pipe red paste to fill in Hello Kitty’s bows and hearts.
• Finish by piping plain paste to cover Hello Kitty’s entire faces. Place pan in the freezer to allow the design to set while you prepare the rest of the batter.

For cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add 1/4 cup sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved and yolks are lightened in color. Drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly until incorporated. Whisk in milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Add some pink and a tiny bit of red food coloring.
• Sprinkle sifted cake flour over the batter and fold until incorporated.
• In a clean mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat on high speed until whites hold medium-stiff peaks.
• Fold a third of egg whites into batter to lighten it, then add the remaining egg whites and fold until just incorporated.
• Pour batter over top of the frozen design, spreading the batter into an even layer using a large offset spatula. Bang the pan a few times on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and level out the top.
• Bake for about 10 minutes or until the top is springy and the edges are just barely starting to brown.
• Remove from oven. Carefully invert warm cake onto a piece of parchment backed by a solid surface like a large cutting board. Peel off parchment paper backing, revealing the design.
• Liberally dust a clean towel with powdered sugar and lay it on top of the cake. Flip cake over so the design is facing down.
• Starting with the side of the cake without the design, carefully roll up the warm cake in the towel. Doing this while the cake is still warm will mold the cake into a rolled shape and makes it easier to roll it back up later with the filling.
• Let rolled cake cool for about 1 hour or until completely cool to the touch.

For filling

• Place your mixing bowl in the freezer or fridge 5-10 minutes before starting.
• In the chilled bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Slowly drizzle in the heavy whipping cream and continue beating until the cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture.
• Continue to add the remaining heavy whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Fold in chopped strawberries into the whipped cream mixture.

For assembly

• Carefully unroll cake. You may need to hold it with your hand as it will try to roll back up. Spread filling into a thin even layer over the whole cake, leaving about 1/2 inch – 1 inch bare at the far end.
• Gently roll up the cake, taking care not to use too much pressure so that the filling does not squeeze out the sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

The post Hello Kitty Cake Roll – A step by step recipe with a template appeared first on Simply A Homebody.

To make this tart possible, I made homemade marshmallows. I’m thankful for the recipe from ashleemarie.com<3 The tart pastry recipe was referenced from Better Homes and Garden cookbook that I own for a long time.

The original yam casserole recipe comes from my husband’s grandmother. If you just want to try our traditional yam casserole:

1. Follow the recipe for yam filling from below (ingredient & Instruction)
2. Place yam filling in a casserole dish and put store-bought mini marshmallows all over on top.
3. Bake casserole in a 350 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until marshmallow gets lightly toasted.

There are multiple stages to make this tart and conquering all stages in one day can be exhausting. I recommend making tart shells on one day and making yam filling and marshmallow on the next day to make the process easier.

_{WHAT TOOLS HELP MAKE THESE YAM TARTS?}

• Perforated tart rings
• Perforated Silicone baking mat
• Candy thermometer
• Electric mixer / Hand mixer
• Parchment paper
• Mesh strainer
• Piping bag/ziplock Bag
• Blowtorch

Ingredients

Tart Pastry (Makes 6 tart shells – 3” diameter each + Hello Kitty Decoration)

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup cold butter 
• 2 beaten egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Yam Filling (Fill 6 tart shells + some extra)

• 1 large yam (about 1 lb.)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ⅛ cup orange juice
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

Marshmallow (Makes One 12” x 16” marshmallow sheet*)

*If you like your marshmallow to be thicker than 1/4″, use smaller pan like 9″ x 13′)

• 3 tablespoon unflavored gelatin powder
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Instruction

For tart pastry

1. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter until pieces are the size of small peas.
2. In a mixing bowl stir together egg yolks and cold water. Gradually stir the yolk mixture into the flour mixture. Gently knead the dough just until a ball forms. 
3. On a lightly floured parchment paper, flatten the pastry dough to about ⅛ inch thickness. Cover with another piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
4. Once the dough has chilled, remove the top parchment paper. Using perforated tart rings, cut 6 circle tart bases out of the flattened dough. Leave the rings around the tart base. 
5. Collect the leftover dough around the rings. Make a ball form and flatten it again on the parchment paper. (If the dough is too soft, chill the flattened dough for 30 to 60 minutes again.)
6. From the flattened dough, cut long strips of dough about 7-8” long and ¾” wide using a sharp knife.
7. Place the strips on the inside of the tart rings. Press them against the side to line them up with the tart base.
8. Cut off any excess dough from the top with a sharp knife.
9. Collect the leftover dough and make a ball form. Then flatten it again on the parchment paper. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters to make decorations (I used this one).
10. Freeze the tart shells and decorations for 30 min to 1 hour.
11. Bake the frozen tart shells and decorations in a 320 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until they are lightly golden. 
12. Completely cool the tart shells and the decorations on a wire rack. Once cooled, remove the perforated rings and decorate the cut-out pastry with icing.

For Yam Filling

1. Microwave a yam in the microwave until it’s soft (about 8 – 10 min)
2. Once yams are cool enough to touch, peel the skins off and mash the yam in the large bowl with a fork.
3. Once yam is roughly mushed, add butter, orange juice, and cinnamon then blend with a hand mixer until smooth.

For Marshmallow

1. Soak the gelatin in 1/3 cup of cold water in a small bowl and set aside to swell for 10 minutes.
2. In a large saucepan dissolve the sugar in the 1 1/2 C of water over low heat, stirring constantly.
3. Add the swollen gelatin and dissolve.
4. Raise the temperature and bring to a boil – once it comes to a boil don’t stir anymore.
5. Boil steadily, but not vigorously, until the mixture hits 230-234 (thread stage) – remember to adjust for your altitude. It should take 7-15 mins.
6. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl, or mixer and add the vanilla and beat the mixture until very thick and white.
7. Line 12” x16” pan with parchment paper, and spray nonstick spray over it. Pour the mixture into the pan
8. let set completely in the room temperature – about 2 hours
9. Dust generously with a mixture of cornstarch and icing sugar
10. Use tart rings, cut the marshmallow into circles.

For the Assembly

1. Put yam filling into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Cut off the bottom corner and pipe yam filling into the cooled tart shells. Fill the tart shell enough to make a mound. Smooth surface with a butter knife. 
2. Place circular marshmallow sheet on top of the yam filling.
3. Lightly roast the surface of the marshmallow with a blowtorch.
4. Place the tart decoration on top. Enjoy!

If you like Hello Kitty dessert, check these out

• Hello Kitty Cookies
• Mochi – Shaped in Hello Kitty and Pompompurin
• Hello Kitty Donuts

The post Yam Tart with Marshmallows – Alternative Way to Enjoy Yam Casserole appeared first on Simply A Homebody.

This project was inspired by cafes in Japan that serve kawaii (cute) food. Many cafes in Japan have neatly decorated food, especially desserts. They are so cute that it’s impossible not to take pictures before eating them. I wanted to recreate a similar experience at home. If you try this out, make sure to take a snap<3
The donut recipe was adopted from Sally’sBakingAddiction.

Chocolate Donuts

Ingredient (Makes about 8 donuts)

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 2 tablespoons, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60g) Greek yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instruction

1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Spray a donut pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, unsweetened cocoa powder, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk the milk, yogurt, and egg together until smooth. Add the melted butter and vanilla, whisking until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be very thick.
4. Spoon the batter into the donut cups—I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag for ease. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full.
5. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Allow the donuts to slightly cool before glazing.

Glaze

Ingredient

• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• A few drops gel red food coloring

Instruction

1. Combine the glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk until the glaze is smooth.
2. Remove from heat and immediately begin dunking the donuts, one by one, into the glaze. I simply dropped each donut into the saucepan and moved it around to coat evenly. Transfer each donut to a wire rack over a baking sheet to catch the glaze drippings.

Donuts taste best eaten the same day, though they may be covered tightly and stored at room temperature for 2 days.You can also freeze the donuts for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and warm them up to your liking in the microwave.

Decorating

For decorating, I used:

• Hello Kitty Cookies
• Sprinkles
• White Chocolate Mousse
• Royal icing transfer
• Mint Leaves

I already had most of the decorations prepared from the previous projects. The only element I specifically created for these donuts were the royal icing transfer. The royal icing recipe can be found here.

I piped Hello Kitty’s bow with red royal icing and white flowers with white and yellow royal icing on parchment paper. I let them dry overnight in the refrigerator and placed them on the donuts.

Summary

Hello Kitty donuts turned out really cute. If you have small kids, I think they will love eating themed desserts like this. The taste was also good. The donuts were perfectly soft and cakey. The white chocolate mousse also went really well with the donuts. 

There are so many possibilities with decorating donuts. I will definitely try more themed donuts in the future.

The post Hello Kitty Donuts – Character Themed Dessert appeared first on Simply A Homebody.

Now I know I can easily fulfill my mochi cravings at home without the hassle, I quickly purchased the main ingredient, mochiko, at Amazon and got to work. For the mochi, I made my plan to decorate them into two cute characters, Hello Kitty and Pompompurin. For the filling for mochi, red bean paste is traditionally used, but instead, I decided to fill with white chocolate mousse. I’ve made the white chocolate mousse before, and I was sure the mochi would go great with it.

To start out, I prepared the filling first because it needed to be frozen ahead of time for the mochi.

White Chocolate Mousse Recipe

The recipe for the white chocolate mousse is adopted from MyBakingAddiction.

Ingredient

• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 1 tablespoons powdered sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

*The quantity listed above will make a lot more mousse than you need for two mochi cakes. Enjoy the leftover as is or make more mochi to use it up as filling. Any leftover mousse can be refrigerated and enjoyed for up to 2 days.

Instruction

1. Prepare a small tray with parchment paper. Set it aside.
2. In a small microwave-safe container, gently melt the white chocolate in 30-second increments, stirring frequently, in the microwave at half-power.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until light and fluffy
4. Beat in the white chocolate, vanilla extract and salt on medium speed until well combined.
5. In another bowl, beat the whipping cream at high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Fold in the whipped cream into the white chocolate / cream cheese mixture. Do not over mix!
7. Taste the mousse and if it’s not sweet enough, fold in more powdered sugar until the mousse is sweet enough for your liking.
8. Pour the mousse into a pastry bag. Snip the bottom corner. In a pinch, you can also use a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Twist and clip the top of the bag to avoid overflow. On your prepared tray, pipe out 1-inch rounds of mousse.
9. Put the tray in the freezer until the mousse is firm.

Mochi Recipe

The mochi recipe is adopted from kiyafries.

Ingredient for Plain Mochi – (Makes 2 Hello Kitty mochi cakes)

• 1/4 cup mochiko sweet rice flour
• 1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• Pinch salt

Ingredient for Orange Mochi – (Makes 2 Pompompurin mochi cakes)

• 1/4 cup mochiko sweet rice flour
• 1/2 tablespoon + 1/4 orange juice
• 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn syrup
• Pinch salt

Instruction

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl until smooth. The bowl should not be more than ⅔ of the way full of batter. The mixture will be similar in consistency to a cake batter.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap. (If the plastic wrap is too tight, condensation will not be able to escape and will drip back down into the mochi. It can also overflow.)
3. Microwave on high power for 30 seconds, then stir with a heat proof silicone utensil. Re-cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and continue microwaving and stirring 30 seconds at a time until the mochi is no longer white, but has a more translucent quality and is very gummy (This took me about 1.5 minutes, but the time will vary depending on your microwave). It’s better to cook longer to be safe than to undercook– undercooked mochi will not hold its shape.
4. Turn out the mochi onto a plastic cutting board or work surface that has been generously coated in a solid layer of mochiko. Sprinkle more mochiko on top of the mochi. (Be careful, it will still be hot!)
5. While still warm but cooled enough to handle, shape your mochi. Use a knife that is coated in mochiko to divide the mochi into two pieces. Use your fingertips and palms to flatten each piece into a disk. Fill each disk with the frozen white chocolate mousse. Use your fingers to pinch closed around the filling. Roll the mochi in mochiko.
6. Undecorated mochi can be kept at room temperature for several hours, or, wrapped individually in plastic wrap (this will keep it from drying out and becoming hard) and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or two weeks in the freezer. But mochi is best eaten the same day it is made!

Decoration

Before decorating, I cooled the mochi cakes completely in a refrigerator.

I made some features of the characters ahead of time. By using some royal icing I made previously, I drew characters’ facial features, Hello Kitty’s bow and Pompompurin’s hat on parchment paper, and let them harden overnight in a refrigerator.

Placing the decorations was really tricky… Using a tweezers was a must because I made the decorations so tiny. By putting a very small amount of liquid icing as glue, I placed all facial features on the mochi cakes. 

Once I decorated the mochi cakes, they needed to be served right away. The moisture from the liquid icing ruined the powdered surface of the mochi. In a matter of 15 min, Hello Kitty’s face started to melt like a zombie… I was lucky I could take some pictures before all that happened. I will have to figure out how to make the decoration last for the next try.

Summary

Aside from the difficulties in the decorating process, the Hello Kitty and Pompompurin mochi tasted soooo good! The mochi came out perfectly soft and chewy, and the rich white chocolate mousse added perfect sweetness<3 I must do a redo for this recipe and post again.

The post Mochi – Shaped in Hello Kitty and Pompompurin appeared first on Simply A Homebody.

Baking Cookies

I baked shortbread cookies with these adorable cookie cutters. The cookie recipe was adopted from Sweet & Spicy Living.

Ingredient

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter – softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup Confectioners /Icing sugar (Sifted – Sift first before measuring)
• 1 cup + ⅛ cup  All-Purpose Flour
• 1/8 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

I’ve used this cookie recipe before and love how buttery these cookies are, but for this Hello Kitty version, I added an extra ⅛ cup of flour. These cookie cutters are only about an inch, and the small details are too hard to cut out if the cookie dough is too soft. ⅛ cup was fine to add without making the dough too floury.

Instruction

1. Mix Butter and Sugar in a large bowl and cream together using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
2. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
3. Add salt and flour and continue to mix until mixture forms a soft dough.
4. Flatten the cookie dough between two sheets of saran wrap to about 3/8-inch thickness. Then, keep the flat dough wrapped up with the plastic wrap.
5. Put the flat dough in the freezer for at least a few hours. This way, you can prevent the dough from getting too warm while working. Warm dough is extremely hard to work with…

3. Cut the dough into shapes by using the Hello Kitty Cookie cutters. Use the cookie cutter for outlining first. While the outlining cookie cutter is still sitting, place the cookie cutters with facial details inside. Push it in hard enough to leave indentations, but do not push it through the dough.

If at any moment, the dough starts to stick to the cookie cutters, flatten the dough and put it in the freezer until the dough firms up.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Place the raw cookies on the silicone mat or the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

• I highly recommend chilling the shaped cookies while preheating the oven. When the cookies are warm, they tend to spread and ruin the shapes that you worked really hard for.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edge of the cookies starts to turn golden brown and the center is still pale and soft. Check on the 10-minute mark to avoid overbaking. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store baked cookies in a resealable container or plastic bag until icing.

Icing

Ingredient

• 3/4 tbsp Meringue Powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp Warm Water NOT hot
• 1/4 tbsp Light Corn Syrup
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• Gel food coloring of your choice

The icing recipe is adopted from Cakewhiz. I looked around different icing recipes online and found out lots of them use meringue powder as an ingredient.

What is meringue powder?

Meringue powder is an egg white substitute that’s frequently used in baking and cake decorating. The powder is primarily made of dehydrated egg whites, though it can also have stabilizers, sweeteners and flavoring added to make it a little bit easier to use straight out of the container. ^[1]

Instruction

1. In a deep bowl, add meringue powder and warm water.
2. Beat this for about 1 minute until you have a white and frothy mixture.
3. Add powdered sugar, corn syrup and vanilla extract and start mixing at medium to medium-high speed.
4. Continue mixing until your icing becomes thick and peaks start forming.
5. Color your icing with gel colors. Use a toothpick to add gel colors into your icing.
6. Mix with a spoon until the color is fully blended into your icing.
   • Once all icing ingredients were mixed, I added ¼ teaspoon of water at a time to get to the consistency I wanted. My icing was about “flood consistency.” More detailed explanations of icing consistency can be found here.

Meringue powder was a real game changer. By adding some meringue powder, the icing turned out sturdier and easier to handle. The color was better too. The icing was pure opaque white and the food coloring turned out more saturated.

This icing dries very quickly if exposed to air. Once the icing is made, I moved it to an airtight container, covered the icing with saran warp and closed the lid. I opened the lid and saran wrap off as needed when I was making more icing.

There will be a left-over icing. Icing with meringue powder can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.^[2]

Decorating

My original plan was to fill in Hello Kitty’s face with white icing then draw facial features, but the cookies were so small I kept filling anything and everything on the cookies (T_T). After struggling for some time, I decided to fill in the existing indentations following the bow, eyes, whiskers, and nose. The indentations made it so much easier to decorate.

Summary

Overall I love how these cookies turned out! Once I got a hang of dealing with the soft cookie dough and the consistency of the icing, the decorating process went smoothly. I’m so glad that I got these Hello Kitty cookie cutters. They made it possible for a novice cookie decorator like me to make such cute cookies.

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