Mexican Pinata Pockets Recipes

RAINBOW PINATA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour four 9-inch cake pans.
• Whisk flour, 1 teaspoon salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a bowl.
• Beat 1 1/2 cup butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in white sugar on high speed, scraping the bowl with a spatula as needed, until fully incorporated, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-high; beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.
• Mix flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with buttermilk, until batter is smooth and slightly thick.
• Divide batter evenly among 4 bowls. Tint each portion of batter with green, blue, purple, or pink food coloring; stir until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared baking pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Set baking pans on wire racks and let cakes cool completely, about 25 minutes.
• Beat 1 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with a clean paddle attachment until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; beat on low speed for 30 to 60 seconds.
• Increase speed to high and beat frosting until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in 1/8 teaspoon salt.
• Cut a 4-inch circle out of the center of 2 cake layers using a round cookie cutter.
• Place one of the intact cake layers on a cake stand or serving plate. Frost the top using an offset spatula or butter knife. Position one of the cake rings on top. Spread frosting over the top and inside the circle. Repeat with second cake ring. Fill the hole with candies and sprinkles. Place remaining cake layer on top. Frost the top and sides of the entire cake.
• Tint any remaining frosting with pink food coloring and pipe decoratively over the cake. Cut cake into slices; spoon any candies that spill out over the slices.

MEDITERRANEAN PORK AND PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• Slice the pork into 1 cm strips. Mince the ginger and garlic, mix with the lemon juice, sea salt, and ground coriander. Put in fridge for about half an hour; longer if you like.
• Slice onions and capsicums in to strips about 1/2 cm wide. Slice chilies finely and put all in a bowl for later.
• Heat oil to medium hot and add a few strips of pork and cook (in batches) until they just start to brown at the edges (about a minute). As each batch browns remove it and put in to a bowl to relax.
• Now cook the onions in remaining oil (add more oil if you need to) until the onions begin to soften and become slightly transparent. This takes about a minute, so don't overcook them as they will be cooked more later.
• Remove and mix well with the pork strips.
• Fry the capsicum and chili strips for about minute, add the roughly chopped tomatoes, and cook for about 30 seconds on high heat.
• Now add the pork and onions to this mixture, add Tabasco, and bring back to full heat.
• Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you need to. You can also add more Tabasco if you like it hotter. Garnish with a little chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) if you wish. Keep the dish warm while you do the Pitas.
• Heat pitas and slice open on one side.
• Serve the pork mixture in a bowl and let each person stuff their own pita. If it is anything like our house you will be checking how many each person has had! I can never make enough of this dish.