Cafe Dastan

Cupcake Cake

2010-01-27T08:31:00.002+07:00

There is no denying that cupcake cakes are fast becoming a new tradition at birthday parties, showers, and even weddings. They are versatile, simple and practical. The possibilities are endless, allowing you to explore your creativity and cater to every event and any guest!
If you are looking for cake ideas that allow you to indulge your creativity, then cupcake cakes are your answer. Working with multiple pieces allows you to vary colors, and even decorations. These individual cakes also allow you to include a variety of flavors in one simple design. If needed you could even cater to your guest specific dietary needs (like nut allergies, gluten free, or diabetic).
Cupcake cakes are known to come in two forms. The first is also called pull-apart cake and can be defined as a mass of cupcakes arranged in a certain shape (like a particular animal or number) and decorated to look like a whole cake. The second form is individual cupcakes arranged on stands or tiers to take the shape of larger cake, this is the most common form for wedding cupcake cakes.
Even if you are not oozing with creativity, cupcake cakes are the perfect choice. Cupcakes are simpler to bake than an entire cake and require a lot less experience. They are also a lot more forgiving, if you mess up on one its easier to toss (or scrape off) one rather than an entire cake.
Cupcakes are also a great choice for practical reasons. First off, they are easier to transport than any cake. And transporting cupcakes has become even easier with all the new cases available. Second, cupcake cakes are an excellent choices for parties or wedding because they do not require any cutting, utensils or plates. And last, just look at them they speak for themselves they are beautiful, whimsical, and totally do-able.

Get Yourself a Pizza Stone!

2010-01-20T17:41:00.002+07:00

Making the best possible pizza at home means that you have to start with the best pizza sauce recipe, pizza dough recipe, and toppings available. Better equipment helps too. I started to notice a while ago that my pizzas were coming doughy in the middle. If I left the pizza in longer, I would burn the toppings. Utter fail.

The solution is a pizza stone. Pizza stones heat evenly, which means that your pizza won't be doughy in the middle-instead, when the outer edge is done, you'll know that the inner part of the pizza is done. Pizza stones also tend to suck water out of the dough, so your crust will crisp up nicely.
Before heating your stone, you want to throw some cornmeal on it. This will help keep your pizza from sticking to it when it's done. Preheat your pizza stone by placing it in a cold oven, and then turn the oven on. This will allow the stone to absorb heat evenly, as opposed to from the outside in. If you place your stone in a hot oven, you're quite liable to crack it. In addition, once the stone heats up, you really can't handle it with an oven glove. Those things get hot! So you're going to need a large wooden paddle to grab the stone when your pizza is done. Your pizza paddle will also allow you to place the pizza on the stone without needing to take the stone out of the oven.

Once you've eaten your pizza, you need to clean your stone. It's important that you let it cool in the air-exposing the hot stone to water will crack it. Scrape the stone with a knife to get rid of any chunks left on. Because pizza stones tend to be made of porous materials, you never want to use soap on one. They will end up soaking the soap in and you'll notice the taste in your next pie. So wash it in warm water alone.

From Coffee Beans to Coffee Powder

2010-01-14T17:18:00.002+07:00

Have you ever stopped to think where coffee comes from or what it looks like before it gets to the store? You might be surprised to know that coffee comes in the form of green coffee beans and they grow on the coffee plant. From the coffee plant fields, these beans are collected and sent to a different location to be roasted and crushed. Then it finally looks like what you buy at your local market.

Here are the steps that a coffee bean goes through to get to the store:

The beans are picked by hand by laborers who most often get paid by the basket. The beans have a fruity flesh on them and this needs to be removed right away. So the beans are soaked and then the flesh is removed mechanically.
After the flesh has been removed, the coffee bean is cleaned with water to remove any last pieces of fruity flesh that is sticking to it and also to get rid of any additional sugars. Then the beans are spread out over a large piece of concrete or rock to dry by a combination of sunlight and air.

Once they are dried out, the coffee beans are categorized by their color and size. If a bean is discolored or damaged in any way, it is discarded.

Finally it is time for them to be roasted. The process of roasting coffee beans is important for developing that smell that we love in the morning. After roasting, the bean grows to nearly twice its original size and changes to a light cinnamon brown color. They will then start to crack. This final product is crushed and coffee powder is made.

The Various Types of Chocolate

2010-01-11T00:06:00.002+07:00

Chocolate is a very popular snack and desert. Most people are aware of the three main types (dark, milk and white.) They frequently however do not understand the differences between them. It is important because many people have strong opinions about chocolate. If you're buying a gift or having them for desert, you should be aware of people's tastes.

Some nutritionists and scientists have been raving about the health benefits of dark chocolate for awhile. This is because it contains a relatively high amount of antioxidants. Dark chocolate has more of this because it has a much higher amount of cocoa powder. However, this also gives it a bitter flavor and is thus considered to be an acquired taste. So even though you know someone is a health nut, they might not actually want a gift of dark chocolate. And if you're planning some sort of social event, you should choose other types.

Milk chocolate has significantly more milk (as you can tell by its name.) It is the least offensive and most popular type. If you are unaware of someone's tastes (or you're hosting a party), milk chocolate is probably your best bet.

Many people do not consider white chocolate to be real chocolate. This is because it does not contain cocoa powder (instead it only has cocoa butter.) Sometimes vegetable fat is substituted for the cocoa butter. It has a creamy vanilla taste to it. This is also an acquired taste so unless you know a person will enjoy it you might want to refrain from using it.