2014 by Quirk Productions, Inc.
SANRIO, HELLO KITTY, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Sanrio Co., Ltd.
1976, 1988, 1993, 1996, 2014 SANRIO CO., LTD.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-59474-707-6
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-59474-706-9
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Number: 2013944075
Hardcover Designed by Amanda Richmond
Photography by Steve Legato, except for the following pages by Michele Chen Chock;
Food and prop styling by Michele Chen Chock
Hardcover Production Management by Amanda Richmond
Quirk Books
215 Church St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
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v3.1
BAKING WITH HELLO KITTY
Ive been baking all my life, ever since my mother taught me how to make breads and desserts. Baking has been my creative outlet and a way to share with friends and family. My favorite part is seeing how happy my homemade baked goods make people. And through my blogI Heart Baking!Ive been able to share the techniques and recipes Ive learned with even more people interested in creative baking.
I loved Hello Kitty as a little girl also. Just thinking of the whimsical characters created by Sanrio brings back warm memories of my childhood. When my own daughter was born, I wanted to introduce her to this innocent and happy world. So I started baking Hello Kitty cookies and cupcakes and cakes soon it became a challenge to turn any dessert into a Hello Kitty dessert. I had discovered a way to combine my baking obsession with my Hello Kitty obsession, and it was wonderful!
In this book I share all of my desserts inspired by Hello Kitty and her adorable friends. You will find simple recipes for beginners as well as more challenging ones with multiple components, and many in between. So lets start baking with the cute and charming Hello Kitty!
GETTING STARTED
Baking is all about precise measurements, quality ingredients, and a few simple tools. Heres how to ensure your success in the kitchen.
Key Ingredients
Heres what to look for when youre shopping for some of the most common ingredients used in this book.
BUTTER: Unsalted butter is best for baking. Its often used at room temperature, which means it should be soft to the touch but not melted.
CREAM CHEESE: This is a lovely secret ingredient in baking, especially in frostings. Avoid using whipped or nonfat varieties, which wont create the same light, creamy texture.
EGGS: For these recipes, use large eggs unless otherwise specified. Soak the eggs in a warm water bath if you need to bring them to room temperature quickly.
EXTRACTS: Vanilla and almond extracts are common ingredients. Once in a while you may want to bake with peppermint or strawberry extract. Used in moderation, these extracts give a hint of extra flavor without overwhelming the dessert.
FLOUR: Most of these recipes call for regular all-purpose flour, but sometimes they call for cake flour, especially for vanilla cake, which is hard to make light and fluffy. Cake flour helps because its softer and contains less gluten than all-purpose flour.
GEL-BASED FOOD COLORING: I prefer these because it takes only a few drops to make rich, vibrant colors. Plus it doesnt thin your frosting, as liquid food coloring tends to do.
MILK: Most of these recipes call for whole milk; however, I have used soymilk in the cake recipes when baking for kids with allergies. For ice cream or pudding, stick with whole milk or else the texture will not be the same.
SPRINKLES: Many recipes in this book call for rainbow sprinkleswhich kids love! Heart-shaped sprinkles work well for Hello Kittys bow, and they come in many colors for easy customization.
SUGAR: For cake and cookie recipes in this book, white granulated sugar is most commonly used. For the frostings and icings I prefer confectioners (or powdered); its lighter consistency wont weigh them down (plus it wont be grainy). If a recipe calls for brown sugar, measure it packed; either light or dark brown sugar can be used, depending on how much of the molasses taste you prefer.
Baking Equipment
I recommend keeping all of these tools on hand for your baking ventures.
BAKING SHEETS: These wide pans have shallow rims and in this book they are used mainly for baking cookies and macarons. Line with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
CANDY THERMOMETER: When making anything that involves hot sugar, such as meringue, macarons, caramel, and candy, its best to use a candy thermometer so that you know the exact temperature and when to remove the mixture from heat. Burning sugar can happen in mere seconds!
CAKE PANS: The most commonly used in these recipes are 8-inch and 6-inch pans, but I do use a 9-inch pan once in a while. Coat with baking spray and line with parchment paper rounds before pouring in batterthe cake will come out easily without tearing.
CAKE STANDS: When it comes to decorative serving stands, you can never have too many! I find that 10-inch types are the most versatilebig enough for an 8- or 9-inch cake but also perfect for a 6-inch cake or cupcakes. I also have a few that turn, making for the easy application of frosting. Look for ones that glide easily and have a heavy sturdy base.
COOKIE CUTTERS: These are so much fun to collect, especially Hello Kitty ones! Most are fairly inexpensive, and they can be used for many purposes, even as templates for piping shapes on cakes.
MIXER: I find stand mixers efficient because they allow for hands-free mixing so that you can measure your next ingredient or get an item from the pantry or fridge. But handheld mixers are fine too for the recipes in this book.
BOWLS AND SPOONS: I tend to use mainly stainless steel or glass mixing bowls, with rubber or silicone spatulas for mixing, stirring, and scraping that last bit of batter from the bowl. I like spatulas made in one piece; look for ones that can withstand high heat so you can use them for stirring custards and puddings.
PARCHMENT PAPER: This type of cellulose-based paper is nonstick, making it perfect for lining baking sheets and cake pans to ensure easy release.
STAMPERS: These tools are sometimes sold with cookie cutters and are great for adding facial definitions and other details to cookie and pie doughs.