Winter Vacation in Portland, Oregon

Hi There! I'm back in Portland, Oregon to spend the beginning of this new year with my family. I've been back for a week and it has been great except for being sick with my husband.  We are finally feeling much better. Unfortunately, I was not inspired to bake something fun, creative and healthy, nor was I in the condition to be in the kitchen. However, I do have some photos of a yummy cake to show you.

This is a Mango Mouse Sponge Cake from my sister's boyfriend's family. Andy's family were out grocery shopping and decided to get this for us from Meianna Bakery. It was so nice of them. The cake was a huge treat, especially since it is not something I would bake. It was a sponge cake sandwiched with a fluffy mango mouse and topped with a lightly sweet whipped cream and fruit.

When I return back to Rochester (Feb 2nd), I'll come up with something less sweet and as tasty and beautiful!

Baked Purple Yams *updated*

Happy New Year! I hope you had an amazing 2012 and is excited for all the baked deliciousness this blog will feature this year.

To get this New Year off to a healthy and delicious start, I want to share this simple recipe for baked purple yams with you.  It's healthy, all natural (no added preservatives, calories, chemicals, etc), and super delicious and naturally sweet. You may remember this yam from the time when I used it to bake a chiffon cake.

Taste&Texture:

Purple Yam is super sweet and moist just like regular baked yams or sweet potatoes. When yam is dry, has a powdery-like texture, and light in color the yam is either spoiled or close to being spoiled (as pictured below).

*Updated* I thought the sweetness of purple yam depends on the size of it. However, I am wrong. I learned from my mom this week that the sweetness is determined by how baked the yam is. When baked perfectly, it should be dark purple and very sweet. When it is a bit raw, you won't see a saturated purple color and it won't be as sweet.

Ingredients & Equipment

• Purple Yam (As many as you want)
• Foil
• Baking tray or sheet
• Oven or Toaster Oven

Method

1. Wash the yams well by scrubbing it under running cool water. Pat dry with a towel. 
2. Wrap each yam with aluminum foil and place yams next to each other on a baking sheet or tray. You don't need to space far them apart. Just don't stack the yams on top of one another.
3. Place yams in the oven or toaster oven and bake at 325F for about one hour. If you have large sized yams, you may need to bake it for an additional 30 minutes. 
4. Check yams for doneness by inserting a knife into the yam. If the knife goes in smoothly and comes out smoothly, it is done. You can do this without unraveling the foil if you wish. The skin and inside of the yam should easily be penetrated. The yam should be dark purple, moist, and very tender.