Chocolate Tart on Christmas

This Christmas is a great feasting for me indeed. I have been eating like non stop and no chance to feel hungry at all. Guess what!? Immediately I put on weight.

Other than eating I make some desserts too. Log cake, chocolate tart, fruits puffs, panettone and so on.

Here, I want to share about the chocolate tart. It is a rich, smooth and silky chocolate fillings on top of a rich shortcrust  pastry. The berries enhance the Xmas atmosphere to cheer up everyone.

Ingredients for a pastry fit 28 cm tart pan

330g plain flour
70g sugar powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
70g whole beaten eggs
160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)
100g melted dark chocolate 

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. 

Brush the melted chocolate on the pastry surface and the sides to help the chocolate filling attach to nicely it later.

For the chocolate fillings

200ml whole milk
565ml double cream or cooking cream
60g caster sugar
350g 70% dark chocolate
2 large eggs

Put the milk, cream and sugar into a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring gently. Take off the heat and add the broken chocolate, whisking until smooth, then add the eggs and whisk again. Pour the filling into a jug. Put the baked tart case back in the oven, carefully pull out the oven shelf and pour in the filling. Push the oven shelf back in and bake for 15 - 20  minutes. It is cooked when the filling still has a slight wobble to it. Remember, it will keep firming up a little as it cools down. 

Xmas Log Cake 2014

It has been quite a busy year for me. I thought after my little one started his schooling  I could have more time to do my own things but seems like things are still  queuing behind hasn't completed yet and now come to the end of the year. Hopefully the coming year I will plan my works better and be more organised.

No much time to share too many stories here but as usual a xmas log cake for this festive season to wish you a blessed Christmas and happy new year 2015.

It's quite a big cake about 3.5 kg which is custom made for December birthday babies in my cell group and it's just enough to feed about 30 members.

Have a joyful Christmas !

Peach Cloud Cake

I named this cake as cloud cake because it's tasted as soft and light as cloud. The texture is melt in the mouth like eating without adding any colorie to your body. This cream cake is well accepted by many people for the cake is cottony soft and texture is not so sweet that will make you feel want to have another bite after one and never get enough of it.

For 10 inches sponge cake X 2

Ingredients

180g egg yolks

80g caster sugar

140g vegetable oil

180g full cream milk

240g plain flour

540g egg whites

160g caster sugar

600g whipping cream

canned peaches (sliced)

150g frosty whip powder

240g cold water

Whisk the egg yolks with caster sugar until pale in color then add the oil follow by the milk. Shift in the plain flour and mix until no any lumps left.In another clean bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy then add the caster sugar in three batches and keep whisking until nearly to a stiff peak foam. 

Fold in the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture in three batches until well mix. Divide the mixture into two round lined baking pan and bake in 100C preheated oven. Bake at 100C for 15 minutes follow by 120C for 25 minutes then 140C for 20 minutes and lastly 150C for 30 minutes. Bring out the cakes from the oven to cool down while preparing the cream.

Whisk the whipping cream until stiff peak and chill in the fridge. Whip up the frosty whip powder with cold water until thicken then chill in the fridfe . Divide each cake into two portions, you will have four pieces of cake.

Place a piece of cake on a cake board, spread some whipped cream and arrange some sliced peaches. Cover the peaches with a layer of cream then place another peice of sponge on top. Continue with this process until you got a tall cake. Cover the whole cake with whipped cream and freeze the cake until whipped cream is harden.  

Spread the frosty whipped cream to the whole cake and smooth it nicely. Pipe some spiral pattern and arrange some peaches on the top. Cover the side of the cake with some toasted almond or puff pastry flakes. Chill for 4 hours before serve. 

Lemon Curd Hokkaido Cupcakes II

This hokkaido cupcakes become my number one bake product of the year. People had tried never get enough of it.

32 cups of Hokkaido cupcakes

Ingredients

180g egg yolks
80g caster sugar
140g vegetable oil
180g full cream milk
240g plain flour
540g egg whites
160g caster sugar

400g whipping cream
100g frosty Whip powder
160g cold water

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 hokkaido cupcake.

Whisk the egg yolks with caster sugar until pale in color then add the oil follow by the milk. Shift in the plain flour and mix until no any lumps left. In another clean bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy then add the caster sugar in three batches and keep whisking until nearly to a stiff peak foam. 

Fold in the egg white mixture to the egg yolk mixture in three batches until well mix. Divide the mixture into each hokkaido cups about 80 to 90 percent full and bake in 100C preheated oven. Bake at 100C for 10 minutes follow by 120C for 20 minutes then 140C for 15 minutes and lastly 150C for 10 minutes. Bring out the cupcakes from the oven to cool down while preparing the cream.

Whisk the whipping cream until stiff peak. Place into a piping bag and chill in the fridge. Combine the frosty whip powder with cold water then whip until thicken. Put into a piping bag with flower tip attached. Once the cupcakes completly cool down, pipe some lemon curd into the cupcakes then follow by the whipped cream. Pipe leftover lemon curd at the center of the cake and lastly pipe out the frosty whip cream. Chill in the fridge and it is best serve cold.

Profiteroles

This is one of my son favorites snack. The happiness of watching him enjoying every bites of the profiteroles is hard to describe. If he would eat the profiteroles like having his normal meal that would be good. 

I think not only my son, everyone including adult would love to eat this cute and delicate dessert, I would! 

Again, I dig out my very old recipe for the choux pastry as well as the pattieserie cream. I still find this recipe is the best for me. The pastry puff up nicely and stay soft even until the 3rd day from the fridge. The feeling of the first bite is so wonderful when the cold cream ozzing out from the pastry. Arhh... try it!

Recipe for 20 puffs:

For the Puff: 

70g plain flour

3 beaten eggs

100g water

60g unsalted butter

Pinch of sugar and salt

For the pattieserie cream: 

3 egg yolks

200ml milk

60g sugar

20g plain flour

10g unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the puff, boil the water, butter and pinch of sugar and salt in a cooking pan until its bubbling. Off the heat, immediately add in all the plain flour and mix with a wooden spoon until well combine and become a smooth dough.

Add half of the beaten eggs and mix (this stage is a bit hard work but please patient and keep stirring until the egg mix into the dough.) Once the eggs completely mix with the dough, you will find it quite dry and hardly to mix. Add the beaten eggs little by little into the dough and continue mixing. You might not finish using all  the beaten eggs. You will need to have a smooth and thick consistency of the mixture. When the spoon lift up the mixture, it should drop back to the pan slowly and form a transparent smooth skin from the spoon to the pan. The mixture should not too dry or too wet.

Once you get the right consistency of mixture, transfer it into a piping bag and pipe out about 20 dollops of mixture on a baking tray with baking paper.

Dip your fingers with some water and gently touch the tip of the mixture. This is to prevent it over burning on the top while it's baking in the oven. Then spray some water on the mixture surface. (Not too much)

Bake at middle rack of 200'C preheated oven for 15 minutes until it puff up then turn the temperature to 170'C and bake for another 15 minutes. (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR DURING BAKING) 

Transfer the puff on a wire rack to cool down.

For the pattieserie cream, 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 with very low heat and keep stirring until it thicken.

Once the mixture is thicken, remove from the heat and keep stirring until the heat slightly cool down but slightly warm. Then add in the butter and vanilla extract. Continue stirring until well combine.

Transfer the cream 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. Chill the cream in the fridge and ready to use.

Melt 100g of dark chocolate with 100g cream in a sauce pan. Stir and combine well.

To assemble the profiterole, poke a small hole with a knife or chopstick on top or side of each puffs. Fill the cream into a piping bag and squeeze into each puffs. Coated the top with melted chocolate and chill in the fridge for few hours before serve. Best serve cold within 2  to 3 days provided keeping well in an airtight container in the fridge.

Praline Chocolate Cake ll

After many years playing with variety of cake recipes, I would still like to stick with certain recipes that suit my taste buds as well as my loves one just like this praline chocolate cake. We had the first taste 10 years back and till now we still miss it and find it is the best. I just realised it hasn't occurred in my menu ever since four years back. As this cake needed lots of effort, it will only be made in special occasion. I took an ppopportunity of a cell group  birthday party  to make a huge one recently, a big round 10 inches approximately 3.3kg praline chocolate cake.

This cake again won over everyone taste buds. It's well accepted no matter the youngest to the oldest and even a non appetite person ask for half ended up eat a whole piece of cake. I was not in the party but all good feedback  was leaving after all and I believe the wonderful cake is unforgettble one.

Thank you for a cell member reserved a piece for me and so I able to take a picture of the inner part of the cake as well as tasted it myself. I'm quite happy with the result as the praline taste very well with the cream, chocolate and soft layers of sponge cake.

Recipes for 10 inches round cake

Ingredient for 10 inches cocoa sponge:

254g egg whole eggs

40g egg yolks

169g Caster sugar

26g sugar syrup

1.25g salt

133g plain flour

1.25g baking soda

Vegetable oil 40g

26g cocoa powder

26g fresh milk

Heat up corn oil at low flame, turn off flame, add in cocoa powder and mix well, set aside.

Beat whole egg and egg yolk, sugar and salt on HIGH speed till foamy.

Add in glucose and continue beat on MEDIUM speed till double in volume and ribbon-like.

Sift in cake flour and baking soda, beat on LOW speed till mix well.

With a spatula, take 1/3 of the batter and mix it with oil cocoa mixture, fill in this mixture with the remaining batter, combine well. Last add in milk and mix well.

Pour batter in a 10” round baking pan and bake for 35mins at 180c.

Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let cool completely before unmould.

Ingredient for 10 inches plain sponge cake:

5 whole eggs

150g caster sugar

133g plain flour

50g unsalted butter (melted)

Beat the whole eggs till yolk and white mixed together. Place under a double boiler keep whisking the eggs and gradually add in caster sugar in three batches. When the sugar dissolved and the batter is slightly thicken remove from the double boiler. Continue to whisk the batter until pale in color, double the volume as well as thicken. 

Gradually add in the shifted flour and fold gently and slowly with spatula. After the flour well cooperated with the batter, add in the melted butter. Combine well and pour into a baking pan. The baking pan should be lined with baking paper and grease and coated with flour at around the baking pan. 

Spray some water a thet batter and bake at 180C preheated oven for 30 minutes then turn the heat down to 170C bake until the top golden brown and the sponge cake spring back when lightly press by a finger at the center.

Ingredients for the praline paste:

120g whole hazelnuts

150g caster sugar

150g water

Lightly toast the whole hazelnuts on a baking sheet.

In a stainless steel sauce pan, combine caster sugar and water. Do not stir. The mixture will reduce. Allow to caramelize and you will see the sides start to color first. Once the sugar reduction has caramelized, remove from heat. Add the lightly toasted hazelnut to the caramel then stir briskly, this should be done very quickly as the sugar reduction will start to harden. The heat from the caramel will warm the nuts and allow the hazelnuts essence to permeate. The nut caramel is then poured onto a greased marble slab. Allow the caramel to cool. Once cool use a spatula to spread and press the nut caramel in an even layer. Flip the cooling layer over. Allow to harden. Use a rolling pin or some other weighty tool to break up the hardened nut caramel. The pieces should be small enough to fit in your food processor. Pulse the food processor until the pieces begin to smooth until a smooth paste.

Chocolate praline truffle (makes 22 pieces):

130g 70% Dark chocolate

125ml cream

25g unsalted butter

some toasted almond nibs

Add the cream and dark chocolate in a clean bowl and melt on a double boiler. Once the chocolate melted add in the butter until well combine. Once the mixture cool down.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes until a thick consistency. 

Place the chocolate mixture into a piping bag and squeeze out equal amount of round chocolate on a tray with baking parchment.

Chill in the fridge until harden. 

Coat the balm of hands with sugar powder and roll each chocolate into ball shape. Chill in the fridge until set.

Coat each chocolate truffles with praline paste then coated with toasted almond nibs. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.

Chocolate mix nuts pieces:

100g dark compound chocolate

Some mix nuts 

a handfuls of shelled pistachio

a handfuls of skinned hazelnuts

a handfuls of whole almond

a handfuls of walnuts or pecan

Melt the dark chocolate on a double boiler. Toast all the nuts in a 160C preheated oven until lightly brown. Roughly chop into small tiny pieces. Add them into the melted chocolate and spread evenly on a tray with baking parchment. Chill in the fridge until harden. Break the chocolate nuts into pieces and store in a container. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Garnishing:

500ml whipping cream

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoon sugar powder

150g ready made praline paste

350ml whipping cream

150ml cream

50g 70% Dark chocolate

some toasted almond nibs

Some baileys for brushing on the cocoa sponge

some cointreau for brushing on the plain sponge

Whip up the 500ml whipping cream with vanilla extract and sugar powder until thicken. Chill in the fridge while preparing others cream.

Whip the 350ml whipping cream until slightly thicken then add the ready made praline paste. Whip until thicken.  Chill in the fridge while preparing the chocolate cream.

Melt the chocolate and cream in a sauce pan at very low heat. Turn off the heat after the chocolate melted and stir until well combined. Set aside and start to assemble the cake.

Slice the plain sponge and cocoa sponge into three equal sheets. You will only need two sheets of cocoa sponge cake and two sheets of plain sponge cake. Keep leftover in the freezer for future other purposes. 

Place a piece of cocoa sponge on a cake board, brush some baileys on the sponge then spread a layer of the vanilla cream on the cocoa sponge evenly. It's better to use the piping bag to pipe out the cream, that would be much even. Place a plain sponge on the vanilla cream then brush with some cointreau and pipe out the praline cream on top. Place another cocoa sponge on the praline cream with baileys brushed and pipe out the vanilla cream. Place the last piece of sponge cake with cointreau brushed and pipe out a thin layer of praline cream and chill in the freezer until the cream has set. Spread the vanilla cream around the top and and side of the whole cake then chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. Coat some toasted almond nibs at the side of the cake. Then, pour the chocolate cream on the top and use a spatula to spread evenly and left some sauce drip down from the edges. Chill in the fridge until the chocolate set. Pipe some cream around the top edges then spread left over praline paste at the center evenly. 

Arrange the chocolate praline truffles and the chocolate nuts pieces on the cake. Chill the whole cake in the fridge

overnight before serve.

Too much work??? Worth the effort for special occasion really!!!

Banana Chocolate Tart Gateau

I am not so sure about the name of this cake or tart. There is a chain shop of "fruit paradise" that sell variety of the cakes or tarts like this one that filled with fruits, sponge cake, mousse and cream etc and the bottom hold by a tart base for everything on the top. There are not only looks good also quite yummy. 

My son and I love to have a big slice for afternoon tea during our monthly shopping in Singapore. While enjoying the cake I was thinking if I could make this by myself would be good until recently I had a chance to try it for a birthday party for August babies in our cell group. 

This 4 kg huge cake was very impressing for everyone in the cell and it taste good too. I'm so pleased for the result although it's quite time consuming as many process and steps involved. After all, I must say it worth the effort. 

Recipe for 11 inches approximately 4kg gateau

Shortcrust pastry for the bottom of the cake:

330g plain flour

35g sugar powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)

70g whole beaten eggs

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a 28cm tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack at room temperature until ready to use.

Cocoa sponge cake recipe for 8 inches round cake pan : 

whole eggs 203g

egg yolks 32g

caster sugar 135g

glucose 21g

salt 1g

oil 32g

cocoa powder 21g

plain flour 106g

baking soda 1g

milk 21cc

Heat up the oil in a sauce pan, turn off the heat and add cocoa powder immediately and stir until well mix. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the whole egg, egg yolk, salt and sugar at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Turn the speed to medium and add the glucose and then continue beating until stable foamy batter. 

Sieve in the flour and baking soda. With electric mixer on low speed, mix in few second until no lumps left. Do not over mixed at this stage. 

Take out 1/3 of the batter mix into cocoa mixture until combine. Pour it back to the egg batter with the milk and fold everything together with a hand whisk or spatula until well combine. 

Pour into a lose bottom baking pan and bake at preheated oven at 180C for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool upside down on a wire rack before unmould with a thin sharp knife. Once completely cool and unmould, divide the cake into four equal portions horizontally. You will need two pieces for this cake and keep another two pieces in the freezer for future usage or other puporses.

To assemble the cake you may need:

100g dark chocolate to brush the tart base

1 recipe of chocolate mousse

500ml Whipped cream

50g icing sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cups cointreau

Fresh bananas

Fresh lemon juice

Some chocolate leaves or flakes for garnish

Some cocoa powder for garnish

Gently remove the shortcrust pastry from the pan and place on a serving board or cake board. 

Melt the chocolate on a double boiler until melted and brush on the shortcrust pastry then chill in the fridge.

For the chocolate mousse:

30g egg yolks 

45g sugar

120ml melted butter

225g dark chocolate (melted)

375ml whipped cream

Whisk the egg yolk and sugar on a double boiler until pale in color and thicken. Mix in the melted butter.

Add the melted dark chocolate to the egg yolk mixture, mix until well combine.

Fold in the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the chocolate mousse into the brushed chocolate shortcrust pastry and chill in the fridge until set.

Whip up the whipping cream with icing sugar and vanilla extract.  Spread a thin layer on the chocolate mousse then place one piece of cocoa sponge cake on top. Brush some cointeau on the cake then another thin layer of whipped cream. 

Halve the fresh bananas and brush with lemon juice to avoid turning brown. Immediately arrange on the cake. Leave a space at the center without bananas. 

Spread some whipped cream cover the bananas and top with a piece of cocoa sponge cake. Brush the sponge cake with contreau then thinly spread some whipped cream on the surface. 

Again, halve the fresh bananas and brush with lemon juice to avoid turning brown. Immediately arrange on the cake. Leave a space at the center without bananas. Spread the whipped cream all over the top and the side. 

Slice the bananas into small pieces and brush with lemon juice and immediately place on the cake start from the bottom edges around the cake until fully cover 2/3 of the cake. 

Put some whipped cream into a piping bag, squeeze out on the top around the cake to decorate. Then place some chocolate leaves or flakes at the side. Continue to slice the bananas and brush with lemon juice then arrange on the rest of the cake at the top.  

Sprinkle some cocoa powder at the squeeze out whipped cream. Chilled in the fridge for 4 hours before serve. 

Apple Crumble Cake

This is a beautiful fremch recipe of apple crumble cake that warm and melt your mouth with the fragrant of cinnamon. 

For the slow cook apple:

4 large apples or 8 small apples
Caster sugar 30g
Butter 20g (cut into small cube)
Ground cinnamon 2 teaspoon

For the Fragipane cream:

(i) Almond batter:
beaten eggs 20g / ground almond 25g / sugar powder 20g / butter 25g
(ii) Custard:
egg yolk 1 / milk 70ml / flour 10g / vanilla extract 3 ml / caster sugar 20g

For the cake batter:
Butter 200g
Caster sugar 150g
Whole egg 120g
Bread flour 40g
Plain flour 160g

For the cinnamon crumble:
Butter 100g (cut into small cubes)
sugar powder 60g
Ground almond 100g
pinch of salt
plain flour 100g
Ground cinnamon 3g

Method :

• Peeled and cored the apple. Cut each apples into 8 equal portions for big apples. Deep them into a shallow baking dish and coated with sugar then top with small cube butter. Place into a preheated oven at 180C bake for 1 hour. Set aside to cool down once the apples is cooked and soften and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

• Make the fragipane cream. Blend all the almond batter ingredients in a food processor until well blended. For the custard, warm the milk in a sauce pan with sugar until sugar dissolved. Mix egg yolk and flour together and gradually add in the warm milk. Pour the mixture back to the sauce pan and cook at low heat until the custard thicken. Set aside to cool then mix with vanilla extract and almond batter.  

• For the cinnamon crumble topping, put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse the mixture until everything come into a dough. Scrap through a sieve to produce even crumbs or through a potato masher. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• For the cake batter, beat the butter and gradually add in sugar until mixture turn pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs and continue to beat until creamier consistency. With a spatula, mix in the bread flour and plain flour until well combine. Measure out 160g of fragipane cream then add into the batter and mix well. 

• Line the bottom of a 9 inches round cake pan with parchment paper. Add half of the cake batter into the cake pan and layer evenly. Place half of the cooked apple then layer evenly with the remaining cake batter. Place the remaining cook apple on top of the cake batter and lastly layer evenly with cinnamon crumble. 

• Bake in a preheated oven at 160C  for 1 hour or until skewer insert come out clean. It is best serve warm with a dallop of ice cream or cream fraiche.  The cake keep well in the freezer and can be reheated in an oven. The top of the cake should be crips and crunchy and soft in the cake. 

Chocolate Moist Cake II

This rich chocolate cake is definately a heaven for chocoholics! 

Ingredients for 9 inches cake pan

Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

2 teaspoon granulated coffee

Chocolate Frosting

75g cocoa powder 

187ml water 

300ml evaporated milk 

150g sugar 

1/2 + 1/4 tsp salt  

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 egg yolks 

90g cornflour 

1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee 

90g butter

For the cake:

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk through to combine using a hand whisk to stir through flour mixture until combined well. 

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together until well combined. Mix the granulated coffee with  boiling water then pour into the cake batter and mix well combine. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or one cake pan where you can cut horizontally after the cake is baked and cooled down. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes if using two pans or 1 hour until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting:

Mix everything in a double boiler except butter and keep on stirring with a hand whisk until the mixture thickens.

Lastly add in the butter until a smooth  and spreadable consistency.

Cut the cake horizontally into two pieces if the cake bake in one pan. Spread some cream frosting  piece of cake then sandwich with another piece. Gently spread the frosting on top and side of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 

Once the cake set in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before serving. The fridge will make the cake harden but once it back to room temperature, the cake will soft and moist and ready to serve.

Blueberry Cuppies Cheese Cake

Love the texture of this creamy light and delicate cheesecake. Thank you Nasi Lemak Lover for sharing this beautiful recipe. I used oreo biscuit in the first batch and second batch with digestive biscuit but I didn't manage to take a picture of them before giving away . l prefer the base with digestive biscuit so I share a recipe here with a little changes from the original recipe and also use blueberry instead of of cherry.

Recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

*makes 12 cupcakes 

250g cream cheese, room temperature

30g caster sugar

2 egg yolks (large or A size)

30g plain flour

100g whipping cream, cold from fridge

1tsp cointreau,  optional

2 egg whites (large or A size)

45g caster sugar 

120g digestive biscuit

60g melted salted butter

80g fresh Blueberry

20g sugar

Method:

Line a 12 holes muffin pan with cupcake liners. Process digestive biscuit in a food processor till finely. Add in melted butter and mix well. Add 2tsp of digestive biscuit into each cupcake liners, press it firmly. 

To prepare blueberry filling, blend the fresh blueberries with sugar in a blender till puree. Cook the bluberries puree in a small saucepan till slight thicken. Set aside to cool.

Remove whipping cream from fridge, immediate beat till soft peak, set aside. Beat cream cheese, cointreau and sugar till smooth (I use electric hand mixer). Add in egg yolks and mix well. Add in flour and combine well. Mix in whipped cream, mix till well combine. 

Beat egg white till foamy (I use electric hand mixer), gradually add in sugar and continue to beat till soft peak formed. Use a hand whisk, mix in 1/3 meringue with cream cheese batter till combine. Use a spatula, fold in the balance meringue, fold gently till combine.

Pour batter into muffin pan, then drop 2 to three bluberries puree on the cheese mixture and  make marble effect with a knife or skewer. Bake at a pre-heated oven at 150C for 40mins at lower rack using steaming bake method (place a roasting tin underneath and add in hot water before putting in the cake tin). Chill in fridge before consume.

爱玉冰 Honey Lemon Iced Jelly

This is one of my favourites refreshing dessert  which was first tasted 10 years ago in Taipei. I miss it crazily and couldn't forget the taste ever since I leave Taiwan.

Few years ago when I was doing groceries shopping in a supermarket and happened to saw this special jelly powder., without thinking too much I bought it to try.

At first I followed the packet instruction to make the jelly. It's tasteless but the jelly consistency is exactly the same that I had before. I make my own honey lemon juice go along with the jelly and finally it is exactly what I have been hunger for long long ago. After the first experiment, this dessert had become one of the dish for serving my guests always because it is so easy to made and could be made in advance. Most importantly it is very refreshing especially after a heavy meal.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 Aug 2014 : Taiwan hosted by travelling-foodies.

For the recipe you need a packet of this jelly powder. Boil 1 litre of water until bubbling. Turn of the heat and immediately add a packet of jelly powder into the hot boiling water. Stir until everything dissolve. Pour into a shallow dish wait until it cool.dowm then chill in the fridge to set.
For the honey lemon juice. Mix 500 ml water  with 2/3 cups of honey and 1 freshly squeeze lemon juice (I don't have the exact amount of quantity, so please mix and balance the sweetness to suit your taste). Mix everything until well combine and taste the sweetness or add more water if needed. Chill in the fridge.
Right before serving, cut the jelly into cube sizes and add into the honey lemon then add two cups of ice cube or more.  Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables Quiche

Brought this quiche along to the beach for picnic and it's so yummy delicious. The colourful roasted vegetables is sweet and healthy that was purposely made for my dear son. I am so glad that he ate a big piece with good appetite.  The most wonderful feeling is your loves one enjoy the food you have prepared for them.

Ingredients for a pastry fit 28 cm tart pan

(This quiche is only 23cm, I use some leftover pastry for others recipe)

330g plain flour

35g sugar powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

70g whole beaten eggs

160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)

Ingredients for the fillings

Half a red pepper

Half a green pepper

Half a yellow pepper

A big red onion

half a green courgette

half a yellow courgette

a cup of chunky pumpkins

a cup of chunky aubergine

1 tablesppon olive oil

sea salt

60g whole eggs

10g egg yolks

50ml milk

50ml whipping cream

50g mascarpone cheese

Few pieces of cheese kraft

Half cups shredded cheddar cheese

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a 23cm tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. 

For the fillings,  put all the chopped chunky  vegetable into a roasting tray with a tablespoon of oil and sea salt.  Rub them so that everything well coated. I roast the vege in the Philips Airfryer at 190C for 10 minutes. I assume oven roast will be slightly longer. 

Place some cheese kraft onto the bottom of tart and add all the roasted vegetables. Mix the eggs, milk and cream together and pour over to the vegetables and tart. Lastly sprinkle over the shredded cheddar cheese on top of everything.  Bake at 220C preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon

There are a to-do list for my baking which I hardly complete them. I listed them down since my baby boy came in 2011. My time is so pack until I could just drooling over my smartphone which appeared many nice bakes from fb and blogs. My hands is so itchy to try out so many new recipes such as hokkaido cupcakes, new method of fermented dough, agura cake, cotton cheesecake, and etc etc...... Since there are new for me, I need time to read properly the steps and description and make sure I am not in a rush when I do the experiment.  

After trying out a few of new recipes which actually not new in the baking world, is just that I left so much behind, here I've chosen one of the recipe Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon by  ellenguan and xucacalife. 

This attempt came out to be very successful as the chiffon is well baked.  The texture is soft and a bit bouncy and could stand firm in a slice. The taste is a bit bitter and less sweet. I serve it with a little whipped cream and berries and semi sweet melted chocolate, it's wonderful!  

This chocolate chiffon is very rich in cocoa flavour unlike my previous chocolate chiffon that is soft and light in texture and hardly stand still with a cut out slice. Both of the recipes are equally good depends on your taste buds on that day. For friends who always like rich texture just go for this one.

Recipe adapted from ellenaguan 

Yield: 20cm Chiffon Tin

Ingredients:

5 Egg Yolks (100g)

130g 70% Dark Cooking Chocolate

25g Valrhona Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
60ml vegetable oil
100ml milk
55g plain flour
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Meringue Batter:

5 Egg Whites (210g) 

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
70g caster sugar

Melt chocolate (break into small pieces) over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cook. 

Beat egg yolks till creamy, stir oil, milk and melt chocolate in order. 

Next add in sieved flour mixtures (cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda & salt) and whisk till no trace of flour found. 

Beat egg whites with lemon juice till frosty then slowly add in sugar and beat till stiff peaks. 

Using a balloon whisk gently fold in egg whites into the prepared yolks batter in 3 batches till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined. 

Lastly lift up the bowl to height, pour batter into the tube pan and tap the pan once or twice on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter. 

Bake cake in preheated 170°Cdegree Celsius (320°F) oven (2nd lower rack) for about 45 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean). 

Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould. 

To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife (i use a small plastic spatula) around the inside of the pan and the center core. 

Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake completely. 

Cream Cheese Flowered Bread

If not mistaken, this recipe was baked in 2009 that was long long time ago. I miss the flower shape which I learned from 孟老师的100道面包. I named this recipe as Twisted cheese bread on my previous post.

This time I use my most fuss free dough recipe 65度汤种面包 but still follow the flower shaping of 孟老师. Beside the ugly shaping, the bread texture is cottony soft and fluffy. The cream cheese fillings has light sweetness that goes so well with the fluffy texture.

For the dough:

210g bread flour / 56g plain flour / 20g milk powder / 42g caster sugar / half teaspoon of salt / 6g yeast / 30g beaten eggs / 85g water / 84g water dough / 22g unsalted butter

For the cream cheese fillings:

150g cream cheese / 2 tablespoon caster sugar / 1/2 tsp lemon juice / 10g biscuit crumbs / 10g almond flakes

Recipe for the water dough "water roux": Cook 125g water with 25g bread flour at medium low heat, keep stirring until it become thicken and no lumps left like a smooth baby porridge. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with a cling wrap to avoid skin forming.

Put all the dough ingredients for kneading until smooth and elastic and the dough no more sticking at the side of the mixing bowl. Let it proof for 40 minutes in a clean bowl cover with cling wrap.

While waiting for the dough, mix all theq cream cheese fillings until it become a smooth paste.

Divide the dough into 2 portions and round them into small balls. Let them rest for 10 minutes.

Flatten the dough to a round disc and spread the filling at the center. Roll the doughs into round shape.

Use a rolling pin and gentle roll the dough out to a flat disc. Use a scissor to cut 2 inches at the edges for 12 petals. Twist in two petals face to face and you will get six pairs of petals. Let it proof for 40 minutes.

Egg wash the doughs and sprinkle over the almond flakes on the center of the flower shape doughs. Bake at 180'C preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.