Cooking with Manuela

Let's celebrate the holidays with these cute Christmas tree vanilla cakes stuffed with rich custard cream, and decorated with colorful sprinkles These little tree cakes are super cute, very festive and they will surely impress all your holiday guests. Made with moist vanilla cake layers, covered with velvety and rich custard cream, and decorated with red, green and white sugar sprinkles and a dash of powdered sugar. You can prepare your classic frosting recipe and a different yellow cake, vanilla cake, or even chocolate cake. One word of advise: prepare the custard cream, the vanilla cake cut into stars ahead of time, but assemble at the last minute.

Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove form the heat and cool for a couple of minutes and pour over the cheesecake. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove form the heat and cool for a couple of minutes and pour over the cheesecake.

Untie the meat, wash and pat dry with paper towel. Bake uncovered for about 75 to 90 minutes, depending on size, until fully cooked. It each a minimum of 145°F (65°C) to 160°F (70°C) in the thickest part. Before serving, heat the sauce, bring to a simmer, and add one tablespoon of butter.

Thick and chewy, butter-free oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins and pecan pieces The bad news: I made these thick and chewy, oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins and pecans a couple of days ago, and I'm sad to say there is not even a crumb left. In this recipe, I use rolled oats and whole wheat flour for a hearty dessert; a touch of baking powder to make them thick and cakey; a sprinkle of cinnamon to make my kitchen smell like the holidays; and most importantly, I swapped the butter with unsweetened applesauce and Alove aloe vera yogurt for a soft and moist result. Alove is the first smooth and creamy Japanese-style yogurt in the United States containing refreshing cubes of the succulent inner part of the aloe vera leaf.