Vanilla Ice Cream

I always make this homemade vanilla ice cream available in my freezer for it is so important to serve with some dessert that we have it at home most of the time. For example lava cake, fruit crumble, soufflé, waffle, pancakes, chocolate fondue, banana boat dessert, ice blended drinks, brownies.... you name it! Not only that, having just a good scoop of this vanilla ice cream alone is so wonderful!

I had a five stars lava cake in the restaurant before but the vanilla ice cream at the side is so light and watery. I could taste the sweetness  only but without and flavour. It would be nice if the lava cake serve with a good dollop of vanilla ice cream.

I have been making different ice cream and this is the base of every ice cream. The important part is the ingredients and the best cooked custard. It produce a creamy, rich and smoorh  texture. This recipe is the best I have experienced so far and before I experiment a better one. I will stick on this recipe.  My family love it so much. Thumbs up!

Recipe modified from Cook with Jamie::

370ml whole milk

470mll cream

6 tablespoons caster sugar

2 vanilla pod, scored lengthways and seeds scraped out

6 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 1/2 teaspoon cointreau

Miix the milk, 3 tablespoons of caster sugar and the vanilla pod and seeds together in a saucepan. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave for a couple of minutes to cool slightly and allow the vanilla flavour to infuse. Discard the vanilla pod. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the 3 remaining tablespoons of caster sugar until pale. Ladle a little of the hot milk mixture onto the eggs and whisk immediately. Continue to add the milk, a ladleful at a time, whisking each well before adding the next. Pour this mixture back into the warm saucepan and cook very gently for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until smooth and thicken. Strain the custard through a fine sieve and keep stirring to reduce the heat to avoid the egg cook any further. 

Once the custard slightly cool down, add the cream and vanilla bean paste and mix well. Lastly, add the cointreau if using. It is quite optional but I just like that little flavour inside the ice cream and  I also believe a bit of liqour helps the ice cream set smoothly in the freezer. Cling wrap the custard and chill in the fridge overnight before churning in the ice cream maker. Once the custard had churned,  transfer them to an ice cream container and keep in the freezer for few hours until set. Enjoy!

Lemon Gateau

I am falling in love with this lemon cake. It lightness and softness make me crave for more. The combination of soury lemon curd and a bit of fresh cream give a wonferful refreshing effect that you will not feel enough for it. I regret not to try it earlier. 

Recipe for the lemon curd: 

4 large eggs

120g caster sugar

130g lemon juice 

2-3 lemon zest

90g Butter

Combine the eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest and cook over a double boiler until smooth and thicken.  Add butter and stir for the final shining and silky consistency. Set aside to cool while preparing for the sponge cake.

Recipe for an 8 inches sponge cake:

recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

83g butter (salted)

83g cake flour

5 egg yolks (A size)

92g milk

5 egg whites (A size)

83g caster sugar

10g corn starch

Method

1. Prepare a cake pan, don’t need to line paper.

2. Immediate separate cold eggs from fridge (easy to separate this way) into two mixing bowls. Set aside to return to room temperature.

3. Melt butter in a saucepan, once you see small bubbles, remove from heat.

4. Immediately add in flour, quickly stir to become batter (at this stage, the batter is thick. Also suggest to transfer this batter to another clean mixing bowl), then add in milk, mix well.

5. Add in egg yolk one at a time, stir well on each addition. The batter is slightly runny if compare to normal chiffon batter.

6. Mix sugar and corn starch together. Beat egg whites till foamy, gradually add in sugar and corn starch mixture (in three batches) and continue beat until approaching stiff peaks (meringue stand straight up with a little curve at the tip) or till stiff peaks (this stage is a bit difficult to fold with egg yolk mixture)

7. Take 1/3 of meringue and use a hand whisk to mix well with egg yolk batter.

8. Fold in 1/3 of meringue and use a silicone spatula, gently fold with egg yolk batter till slightly combined. Fold in the balance meringue and gently fold till well combined.

9. Pour into cake tin, bake at pre-heated oven at 140C (no fan) for 25mins at low rack, then increase to 170C (no fan) for another 25mins.

10. Once baked, turn your chiffon tin upside down and cool completely before remove from the tin.

Assemble the cake:

Cut out three equal pieces of sponge cake horizontally. Whip up 300g of whipping cream with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. 

Place a piece of sponge cake on a plate or cake board. Spread some lemon curd on the cake follow by some whipped cream. Place another piece of sponge cake on the top and spread some lemon curd and whipping cream. Cover the last piece of sponge at the top then spread the whole cake with whipped cream. Freeze the cake until the cream harden then drizzle all the lemon curd on the cake evenly. 

Chill in the fridge. It is best serve cold from the fridge. Enjoy!

Tiramisu II

I like my previous tiranisu recipe. Its lightness texture make me long for more bites. That makes me don't feel to go for others recipe. But lately my taste buds change without any reason which I feel want to have richer and creamier tiramisu. After search through some others bloggers recipe, I realised tiramisu contains egg custard will taste richer, thicker and creamier which exactly what I want to try out. But the making process surely need extra effort unlike my previous tiramisu recipe that no eggs is added. 

After giving it a try for adding egg custard for the batter,  I didn't regret for my extra effort in cooking the custard. It is so rich and creamy and for sure a cup or a portion is just enough for me especially with the strong liquor contain that really will heat up your throat.  

This cake was made for my cell group birthday celebration and everyone was enjoying it very much according to my husband. Unfortunately, I was not unable to attend the party. Guess what, I did reserve a cup of it for myself he he he. .....

You don't feel want to buy or dine this dessert in the restaurant or cafe. Just make it your own and you will close your eye while enjoying every spoonful of it. It's heaven!

Ingredient for 10 inches round cake with higher cake ring about 4 inches ++

Mascarpone Cheese 750g

Caster Sugar 130g

Lemon juice 3 tablespoon

Cointreau 3 tablespoons

Whipping cream 400ml 

For the custard: 

3 egg yolks

200ml milk

30g sugar

20g plain flour

* 1 tablespoon gelatin soak in 50ml cold water

Gelatin is optional if the tiramisu fill into cups whereas I added a bit for the tiramisu cake as I want it to set a little bit firmer as it will be unmold from a cake ring and also for the delivery period in hot weather. If this is going to serve at home, gelatin is not necessary. Anyway, the gelatin really won't change the texture. Imagine that big amount of mascarpone cheese and cream contains you really can't taste any gelatin in it. Trust me.

Coffee Syrup:

Caster sugar 40g

Hot water 80ml

Instant Coffee 3 tablespoon

Kahlua Coffee liqueur 4 teaspoon

2 pieces of 8 inches cocoa sponge cake 

Cocoa sponge cake recipe

Some cocoa powder

First of all cook the custard first. Boil the milk with sugar until sugar dissolve but not boiling. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolks and flour to a thick paste but no lumps. Add two tablespoon of milk if you find it too dry to mix.

Pour the dissolve warm sugar milk into the egg yolks mixture, pour little by little and mix with a hand whisk until everything combine. Then, pour back the mixture into the cooking pan. Cook in very low heat and keep stirring until it thicken.

Once the mixture thicken, remove from the heat  and add the gelatin if you are using it. Keep stirring until the heat slightly cool down then sieve through a strainer. 

Transfer the custard into a plate and cover with cling film. Make sure the cling film touch on the mixture, this is to prevent it from skin forming on its surface.

Beat the mascarpone cheese with sugar then add in the lemon juice follow by the cointreau.  Fold in the cold custard if using and mix well. In another bowl, whip up the whipping cream until about the same consistency as the mascarpone mixture. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture.  Be aware not to over work with the mixture as they might split and the mixture will become rough cream. You want a smooth tiramisu! In another small bowl, mix the hot water with the instant coffee and sugar until dissolved. Then, add in the kahlua Liqueur. Using a springform pan or cake ring, place a piece of cocoa sponge cake then brush some coffee syrup all over the cake. Pour half of the mascarpone cream on the brushed liquer cake then place another piece of cake on top. Brush the remaining coffee syrup on the cake then fill in the remaining mascarpone cream. Chill in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight before unmold the cake. Dust some cocoa powder on top and portion with a hot knife for every slice.

Potato Bread

During the Easter I saw everyone was making hot cross bun and I was very much inspired by their good looking buns. So my hand started itchy for making some for myself. 

I have no time to go through any new recipes so I flipped through my old recipes which can be easy to make and produce soft texture.

This recipe I had chosen was a good choice as my boy and hubby love soft bun, it even stay soft until the 3rd day. Guess what, it can bit the tesco potato bun really.

After I made the hot cross buns, I was so encouraging to make another one but in loaf version. The texture is equally soft, my boy can just eat as it is without any jam.

There are a little difference of making this recipe into buns and in loaf. For buns, it can be simply rolled into balls whereas loaf version need to be rolled up in different shape and place in a bread tin to rise up before bake. I cover the bread tin with a lid to produce a square shape of bread toast. Another reason I cover it with lid is to get a compact texture result, just like massimo bread or even better because no bread improver or softener added. The potatoes help the dough produce soft fluffy texture.  To be frank, the dough is not easy to handle, it is quite sticky though. As for me, I oiled my hand to roll up in ball shape but for loaf version,  it would be better to floured your hand in shaping the dough.

Although this is a repeated recipe in my blog but I still like to share again as it is so good to share and also like to jot down here as my diary for reminding myself this good recipe can be used again and again no matter make them into any version either savory or sweet buns or big loaf of bread.

Recipe (makes 16 buns or one loaf):
(A)
220g bread flour
80g plain flour
30g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
140g cold water
4g yeast (1 teaspoon)
60g mashed potato
2 egg yolk

(B)
30g butter

(C)
40g butter (soften)
25g sugar powder
15g Plain flour

Mix ingredients (A) with a dough hook mixer at low speed follow by the mashed potato. Turn to medium speed continue kneading until it become a smooth dough. Add in the (B) unsalted butter and knead with low speed until the butter combine with the dough. Turn to medium speed continue the kneading process until it become a smooth and elastic dough. (the dough will slightly wet, I oiled my hand then...) place the dough into a lightly grease bowl and cover with cling wrap to proof for 80 minutes. For bread machine, I suggest to give extra 10 minutes in the kneading process.

To produce a loaf of bread:

Oil the hand a little, divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll to form 'ball' shapes. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Flatten each dough and roll out into a longish shape with a rolling pin (you may need a floured surface and floured rolling pin and a floured pair of hand at this stage). Roll up the dough like a swiss-roll. Put vertical shape and roll it out into longish shape then roll up again. Continue with the other two dough then place in the bread tin to rise for 30 minutes. Cover with lid to produce compact texture.

Bake at 210C preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes.

For buns:

Divide the dough into 16 portions and with oiled  hand round them into small balls. Let them rest for 10 minutes. Mix up all ingredients (C) and put in a piping bag. Let the dough rest for another 25 minutes.

Egg wash the dough and squeeze the mixtutre on top of each buns. Bake  at 190'c preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy!