Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
119 Baxter Street
(Near Canal Street)
(212) 925-0425
Hours of operation: 8am-6pm
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
If you ask the locals of Chinatown, they will tell you that this coffee shop sells the best Chinese sponge cakes ever and I cannot agree with them more. Growing up in this neighborhood, my mother would take my brother and I after school to this small and old shop and order many warm and individually wrapped sponge cakes to go. Of course she also orders a cup of coffee for herself and two warm cups of milk teas for my brother and I to drink with the cakes. Those were happier and more delicious times.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop
Kam Hing Coffee Shop Store Front
Recently I was in Chinatown to meet a dear friend of mine from work. She wanted to try all the delicious food that this town has to offer and I figure that the infamous Kam Hing Coffee Shop should be the first stop because they were closing soon and it would be something that I know she will like. We walk in there around 5:50pm which was perfect because the store closes on time at 6:00pm, and was greeted by a Latino cashier who speaks fluent Cantonese. Ever since I was a child, there was always several Latino cashiers who speaks fluent Cantonese which impressed me each and every time. We were fortunate enough to order the last two cakes. The cakes are $0.60 and was $0.50 when I was a kid. Nonetheless it’s quite a bargain and you will never find a bargain like this anywhere else. Even at that time, the cakes were still nice and warm and we decided to eat it right away. While we were eating, this guy came in and ordered a cake and was disappointed with the bad news that it was all sold out. So my advice to you is to come here way before it closes because you never know.
Kam Hing Coffee Shop's Sponge Cakes
The difference between this sponge cake and the other sponge cakes in the other Chinese bakeries is that this cake is very moist, light, fluffy and slightly sweeter. You just have to try it to see the difference!
Anyways, until next time,
<3 FCG
Cafe Astoria Bakery – Belarusian Marshmallow Candies
Cafe Astoria's Belarusian Marshmallow Candies
Cafe Astoria Packaging for Belarusian Marshmallow Candies
As I was making my rounds at work during my lunch break, my co-worker Tina stops me by her department and generously offered this mysterious looking pastry to try. At first I thought that it was glutinous rice flour with walnuts, but when I took a closer look, it was not made of that material. Tina, told me that her mother bought her this from Taiwan and asked whether I had tried this before. Of course I did not, and when I tried it, all I can say that it tastes like a powdery marshmallow with walnuts. There was something unique about it. It wasn’t oozing with flavor, it was a simple desert that literally is a combination of walnuts and marshmallow. Somehow I enjoyed it and it was a unique eating experience. Now whether this was a Taiwanese specialty or not, I had to find out.
Cafe Astoria is located in Taipei, Taiwan.
7, WuCheng St, Sec 1
(02) 2331-7370
Hours: 8:30 am-8:30 pm
From what I learned from the above website and on the Wall Street Journal page, this gourmet cafe is known for their marshmallow candies and great over a cup of coffee. The owner who was from Belarus, opened their first shop in Shanghai and then moved to Taipei. This candy is a Belarusian treat and it is very light and fluffy. Eating this is like eating a piece of cloud. At least that’s how I’d imagine it to be.
If you are fortunate to be in the neighborhood, stop by and share your eating experience there!
Until next time,
<3 FCG
Happy Birthday Mom!
Chinese sponge cake w/kiwis and strawberries on top of whipped cream
Chinese sponge cake w/kiwis and strawberries on top of whipped cream
First cake that I made for my mom! If I had the time and energy, I would make two layers and fill it with fruits. But because I have never tried this recipe before, I wanted to play it save and stick with the one layer. This recipe was a combination between my coworkers recipe and a similar recipe that I found online both with metric and English system measurements. The cake is still in the refrigerator because I made it very late, so I hope it is edible!
My coworker’s came from this:
Mei Ling's Chinese Sponge Cake
I think somehow I messed up the recipe. But I will let you guys know. If it is successful, I will provide the recipe for the cake and the whipped cream.
Until next time,
<3 FCG
The Sweet Spot at the Sweet Spot Dessert Bar NYC
Spot Dessert Bar
13 St. Marks Place
East Village, NY
212-677-5670
Spot Dessert Bar
I must have passed by this sign way too many times and had no idea that it is a dessert bar. Located on the bristling street of St. Mark’s Place where many new and upcoming restaurants fight for survival, Spot seems to be hidden away. Apparently, Spot is plenty known within the local community through word of mouth and I will explain later. I personally don’t like it that they’re located in the basement, right beneath Pho restaurant, but on the positive note, the restaurant doesn’t get overcrowded like at a chain restaurant like Applebees or TGI Fridays.
Spot Dessert Bar NYC
Favorite Brand Name Recipes: Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
In another installment of the cake mix cookies series, today I will be featuring the Chunky Oatmeal Raisin cookies recipe that I got from my Cake Mix Cookie book published by Publications International, Ltd.
Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Trust me, the cookie actually tastes better than it looks. I didn’t take better pictures because I was exhausted from baking at 11pm at night time.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 package (approximately 18oz) yellow cake mix
- 1 1/2 cup of oats
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of grounded cloves (I added this to the original recipe)
- 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) of melted unsalted butter
- 1 cup of raisins
- 1 cup of walnuts pieces, toasted
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine cake mix, oats, flour cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl until well blended. Beat brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture and melted butter to dry ingredients; stir until combined. Fold in raisins and walnuts.
3. Drop tablespoonfuls (I use a cookie scooper) of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. (Make sure to spray PAM cookie oil onto the sheets) Bake 14-16 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove to wire rack; cook completely.
Yield 4 dozen cookies.
To get the cookies to look a little flat, just take two fingers and press on top of the dough so it flattens a little. I made 3 dozen cookies with my cookie scoop, but I’m sure I could have made 4. I don’t like small cookies so these cookies worked out well for me. The cookies are soft like a cake, and chewy like how a cookie is supposed to be. The combination between raisins and oats are heaven to me. I only used 1/2 cup of walnuts because I’m not a big fan but I appreciate the texture in the cookie.
Anyways, good luck if you choose to use this recipe. It is so easy to make, but difficult to make it look nice!
Chunky Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Close up of chunky oatmeal raisin cookies
Until next time,
<3, FCG
