Cinco de Mayo Baking Fiesta!

Hello again! Maybe you're like me and you're saying, it's only Wednesday?! or maybe you're having a spectacular week. Either way, I've got a few new recipes to get you excited to celebrate Cinco de Mayo this weekend! If you're having a big celebration (which is often the case around my neck of the woods), here are a few recipes to consider to make your crowd say WOW! at the end of the meal.

Tres Leches Cake
Alma in Dallas via Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter (for pan)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon dark rum

Special equipment: An 8x8x2" metal cake pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour bottom and sides of cake pan. Set aside.
2. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in another large bowl until firm peaks form, 7-8 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in 2 tsp. vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into pan; smooth top.
3. Bake cake for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°; continue baking until cake is golden brown and middle springs back when pressed, 20-25 minutes more. Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Whisk 1/2 tsp. vanilla, evaporated milk, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Poke holes all over top of cake with a skewer. Slowly drizzle half of sauce over cake, letting liquid soak in before adding more. Let cake sit for 10 minutes.
5. Invert a plate on top of cake. Lift rack and gently invert cake onto plate. Drizzle remaining sauce over. Spoon any liquid collected on sheet over cake.

Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan
Jennifer Jones, Topolobampo

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 6 ounces Mexican chocolate, such as Ibarra, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/3 cups whole milk
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick, preferably canela
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

Ingredient info: Canela, also called true, Mexican, Ceylon, or Sri Lanka cinnamon, is a less pungent variety than the cassia cinnamon commonly used in the United States. It's available in specialty shops, some supermarkets, and online from Penzeys Spices.

Special equipment: Pastry brush, 8 (5- to 6-ounce) ramekins, large roasting pan


Directions

1. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar with 1/3 cup water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, using a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wash down any sugar crystals clinging to the side of the pot, then lower the heat and simmer, without stirring, until the syrup begins to color. Swirl the pan continually until the syrup is an even, deep amber color. Immediately divide the caramel among the ramekins, swirling so it coats the bottom of each.
2. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F.
3. In the bowl of a food processor, process the chocolate until it resembles small pebbles. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add the half-and-half, milk, cinnamon stick, and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Place over moderate heat and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, coffee liqueur, and the vanilla and almond extracts and whisk to combine. Slowly pour about 1 1/2 cups of the hot milk/half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add in the rest of the hot milk and whisk to combine. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl and divide evenly among the 8 ramekins. Discard solids.
5. Transfer ramekins to a large roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Loosely cover the pan with foil and bake until the custard has barely set (a knife inserted halfway between the edge and the center should come out clean), 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the water bath, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. DO AHEAD: The flans can be made ahead and stored, wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator, up to 3 days.
6. Just before serving, run a small thin knife around each flan, then invert onto small plates and serve.

Sopaipillas with Chocolate Sauce

Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Sopaipillas:

• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 4 8-to-10-inch flour tortillas, cut into wedges or strips
• Granulated sugar, for coating

Directions

1. Make the sauce: Bring 1/4 cup water, the brown sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. (You can refrigerate the sauce, covered, up to 3 days; reheat before serving.)
2. Make the sopaipillas: Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large deep skillet until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the tortillas, turning once, until bubbly and golden on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. (Return the oil to 350 degrees F between batches.) Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle both sides generously with granulated sugar. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce.

Happy baking!