Fruit Tartlets

Sugar Pastry

Ingredients:
100gm icing sugar
100gm butter, at room temperature
 1 egg
1/4 tsp vanilla
250gm all purpose flour

Instructions:

• In a bowl of a  stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until combined. Take the dough out and form a ball. Wrap the dough with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Using a medium round cutter, cut the pastry and press them into tart shells.
• Bake at 190C until golden brown.
• Let them cool completely before piping the vanilla cream.

Vanilla Pastry Cream

Ingredients:
350 ml milk
70gm white sugar
4 yolks
40gm cornstarch
35gm butter
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

• Combine 300gm milk and sugar in a pan and bring them to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining milk, yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Temper the egg mixture by slowly beating about quarter of the hot milk in a thin stream. 
• Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and return them over the heat and bring them to a boil, constantly whisking.
• When it starts to thicken, remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter until completely blended in.
• Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid the cream from forming a crust.
• Cool in refrigerator.

Assembly:
Pipe the cream into the shells and arrange the fruit of your choice such as strawberries, peaches, kiwis, cherries or grapes. 

Classic Genoise

Another basic recipe that I learned from the chef is Classic Genoise. A genoise is an Italian sponge cake which is using whole eggs, unlike American sponge cake where yolks and egg whites are beaten separately. What we did in the class was preparing a genoise for the Strawberry Shortcake layers. As it is very hard to get a nice and sweet strawberry in the supermarket now, I thought I could use these recipe for my Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake. I guessed the Strawberry Shortcake needs to wait until end of the year or early next year when it is easier to get good strawberries...wow! that's a long wait...errr...let's see. At the meantime, here is the recipe for a Classic Genoise.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
80g caster sugar
80g cake flour
20g cornflour
20g melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 6-inch round baking pan and line their bases with a parchment paper.
2. Prepare a double boiler. In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine and whisk the eggs and the sugar. Put the bowl on the double boiler, continue whisking until the mixture is slightly warm and foamy. Remove from the heat. Put the bowl in the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the eggs mixture to a ribbon stage.
3. Sift the flour onto the eggs, add in the melted butter and fold carefully until just incorporated. It might be a little bit lumpy bit it is okay. You do not want to over-mix the batter or it might deflate.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the pans. 
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Note: 

A genoise can substitute lady fingers in making a tiramisu. It also can be used to make a roulade or swiss roll.

Macarons

I made 4 attempts over 2 years to bake macarons before I decided to call it a day and swore that I need to learn the techniques from the expert. Even before these attempts, I did a lot of research, I spent hours reading the tips and the dos and don'ts of macaron making...but still, I ended up with a bunch (a lot) of failed macaron shells in the bin. When I was reading the tips from well known bloggers, it seems so easy and I thought I fully understand them but when I was in the kitchen doing the exact same process and procedures...everything went WRONG!! So after the fourth unsuccessful attempt, I quit and told myself that I need to watch and learn from the guru.

In my first class in Taylor's last month, Chef Karam taught us how to make macarons but not just any macarons...they are Laduree's macarons. Yes, I heard about Laduree but not as much as I heard about Pierre Herme. From what I gather from the www, Pierre Herme is claimed to be THE best macaron but since I haven't tasted it, I'm at no position to judge it. But I'm sure they taste great.

Being trained at Laduree during his younger days, of course my chef claimed that his Laduree's version is the best. What a good macaron looks like? The top of the shell is shiny, it has ruffled straight feet and when you break it into 2 with your fingers...the shells didn't break into pieces. When you bite it, it is chewy and not crunchy like you are eating a biscuit. All in all, a good macaron is a perfect shell with nice ruffled feet and chewy texture.

The moment I bite into the chef's Laduree macaron, it was like falling in love for the first time...I was on cloud nine...the nutty taste of the shell which I love so much is very prominent and it wasn't as sweet as all the macarons that I have tasted previously. Now that I have learned to make them and understand the macaron as a whole, I am beginning to appreciate what macarons are all about. Macarons are about challenging yourself, perseverance, humble but confident and strive for perfection. YES! It is challenging and I'm still perfecting my macarons.

Ingredients: (digital scale is a must, don't convert into cups!)

125g ground almond

125g confectioners' sugar
45g egg whites
125g caster sugar
45g egg whites
Coloring gel

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together ground almond and confectioners' sugar with the first egg whites and coloring. Using a wooden or silicone spatula, stir until it becomes a paste.
2. In a small deep saucepan, put the sugar and add a little bit of water until it just wet. Cover the pan with an aluminum foil. Prick a fee holes on the foil using your sugar thermometer. Suspend the thermometer in the pan and boil the sugar until it reaches 118C. 
3. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, on medium speed whisk the second egg whites until foamy. Once the sugar reaches 118C, remove from the heat and straight away pour it into the foamy egg whites in a slow steady stream from the sides of the bowl. Whisk until firm peaks form and the meringue looks smooth and shiny.
4. Fold the meringue into the ground almond mixture and pipe onto a sheet on the baking tray. Rap the tray a few times and leave them to dry for 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Bake at 150C for about 8-10 minutes depending on your oven.
6. Cool completely before applying your choice of filling.

Peach Almond Tart

The main observation that I learned from the pastry class was always digitally measure the flour, the sugar, other dry ingredients, butter and eggs. An accurate measurement is crucial for some delicate pastries or confectioneries so digital scale is a must in one's kitchen. For milk and cream, use measuring cups. Water and vanilla extract...just trust your instinct! :)

Ingredients:

Shortcrust Pastry
200g all purpose flour
100g cold butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
30g caster sugar
1 egg

Almond Filling
70g butter, at room temperature
75g caster sugar
80g ground almond
1 egg
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from half lemon
1 peach, sliced



Instructions:

Shortcrust Pastry

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and add sugar. Rub the butter into flour mixture until crumbly and resembles a coarse breadcrumbs. 
2. Add in the egg and knead until it forms a soft dough that doesn't stick to the bowl.  If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of cold water at a time to soften it. 
3. Form the dough into a ball, put it onto a plastic wrap, using your palm flatten it a bit, wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Almond Filling

1. While your pastry is in the chiller, prepare the almond filling.
2. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat for a minute. 
3. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the almond, flour and zest until incorporated. Set aside.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle with a diameter of 8 inches. 
3. Line an 6 inch tart pan with the pastry. Press down into corners and sides. Trim the edges or crimp it if you want. 
4. Using a fork, prick the pastry base a few times and blind bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow to cool until you can touch the tart pan with your bare hands.
6. Spread the almond filling and garnish with some peach slices.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Variation:

You can also use apples and pears instead of peaches.

Molten Chocolate Cake - (Flourless)

Ingredients:

113 gram unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
170 gram dark cooking chocolate (60%-70%), finely chopped
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

1. Using a silicone pastry brush, generously butter four 8oz ramekins and dust the insides with granulated sugar. Set aside. 
2. Preheat the oven to 200C.
3. In a microwavable bowl, combine the butter and chocolate together. Microwave for 20 seconds, take it out and stir using a silicone spatula. Put it in the microwave again for 20 seconds and stir. Repeat until the mixture fully melted and smooth when stir. Set aside.
4. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the yolks and sugar. Beat until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
5. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture until well blended.
6. In a clean mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until frothy, add the cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks form.
7. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture until just incorporated.
8. Scoop the batter into the prepared molds. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the outside edges set but the inside still wobbly when you give them a shake.
9. Take them out from the oven and let them rest for a minute or two. Serve with ice cream or cream, or just dust the top with confectioners' sugar.

Butterscotch Blondies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 cup whipping cream/heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
2 cups plain/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
Confectioners' sugar - for dusting

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Using a silicone spatula, stir the brown sugar until it starts bubbling, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, stir in the cream and let it bubble and start whisking until smooth and slightly thickened , about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and salt. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Preheat your oven to 180 degree Celsius. Grease a 9 inch baking tray with butter.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Stir the butterscotch mixture into the dry ingredients, then whisk the eggs one at a time until it is well blended.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, let cool completely and indulge it with chocolate sauce, ice cream,or whipped cream and some berries! Or just dust some confectioners' sugar on top and enjoy.

Lemon Squares

Ingredients:

Crust
3/4 cup plain flour
1/4 cup confectionery/icing sugar
A pinch of salt
90gm cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Filling
3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained (about 3-4 medium lemons)
90gm soft unsalted butter
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Instructions:

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius and butter an 8 inch square baking pan.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, icing sugar and salt, stir until blended. Fold in the butter and mix until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 15-17 minutes until slightly golden and the top feels firm when lightly touched. Set aside.

Filling

1. Set a saucepan filled with 1 inch water over a medium heat.
2. Off the heat, combine egg, yolks, lemon juice and sugar into a large heat resistant mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar dissolves. 
3. Reduce the heat to low, once the water comes to a gentle boil, set the mixing bowl over it, add the soft butter and stir constantly using a silicone spatula until the mixture begin to thicken, about 12 minutes.
4. The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and tt should register 160F or about 71C on the thermometer. Remove from the heat.
5. Using the spatula, immediately push the curd through a fine strainer into a medium glass bowl. Pour the lemon curd into the baked crust.
6. Bake until the center is just set, 13-17 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled at least 3 hours before cutting it into squares and serve.

Tiramisu-in-a-cup

Monday Blues? ...no more, honey!

Open your fridge
Grab a tiramisu in a cup
Take off your shoes
Turn on the music
Indulge!

Note:
The recipe is half of the tiramisu found in this page.

Lemon Chiffon Cake

The Cake

Ingredients:
4 medium sized lemons
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius and prepared one 25cm 2-pc ungreased tube pan or chiffon cake pan with removable bottom.
2. Grate the zest from the lemons and set aside. Juice the lemon and strain the juice into a cup. You should have 1/2 cup or 4 fl oz juice. 
3. Combine and sift flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl. Add in the sugar and whisk until the sugar incorporated with the flour. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, water, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest. Using a whisk, beat until well blended. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth.
4. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until soft peaks form.
5. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in one spoonful of the egg white into the yolk batter and carefully blend them together. Then fold in the remaining egg white mixture into the batter until combined.
6. Pour batter into the ungreased tube pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, turn the pan upside down and place it on a flat surface for cooling process. Let the cake cool for about 1- 2 hours before removing it from the pan.

The Citrus Glaze

Ingredients:
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp lemon juice, strained
1 tbsp heavy cream

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until the sugar dissolves and the glaze is smooth. Add a few drops of lemon juice if too thick, add a little more sugar if too runny.

Loosen the cake from the tin and glaze as pleases... :)

Yellow Butter Cupcakes

Theme: Butter & Buttermilk
Title: Yellow Butter Cupcakes
Inspirations: Rose's Heavenly Cakes

Ingredients:

2 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup buttermilk, divided
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups cake flour, sifted into the cup and leveled off
1 cup minus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
170g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 160C(fan forced). Have ready 16-18 cupcake liners set in muffin pans.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, 3 tbsp of the buttermilk and the vanilla until lightly combined.
3. In a bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and the remaining buttermilk and mix on low speed until the flour mixture is moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for another 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and fold using a silicone spatula until smooth.
5. Scoop the batter using a small spoon into the cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Smooth the top using the back of a spoon.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a wire cake tested inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool cakes in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set them on a wire rack to cool completely

Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake

This recipe is from F&W magazine. But of course with a little bit adjustments, I only make 2 layers instead of 3. I also sandwiched the cake layers with whipped cream. I whipped 1/2 cup whipping cream and a tablespoon of sugar until firm peaks form. Other than that, just follow the recipe.

Theme: Chocolate
Title: Fudgy Chocolate Layer Cake
Inspiration: F&W Magazine

Cake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup hot coffee

Filling and Frosting

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon water 
 

 Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C(fan forced). Line the bottoms of three 8-inch round cake pans with rounds of parchment paper. Spray the pans and the parchment paper with vegetable cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar with the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs and vanilla. In another small bowl, melt the butter in the hot coffee. Using an electric mixer, beat half of the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients at low speed. Beat in half of the coffee mixture, then scrape down the bowl. Beat in the remaining buttermilk and coffee mixtures.
3. Pour the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cakes are springy to the touch. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a rack to cool completely. Peel off the parchment paper.
4. Put the chocolate in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a boil. Immediately pour over the chocolate and let stand in a warm place for 5 minutes. Gently whisk the ganache until smooth. Whisk in the butter until incorporated. Refrigerate, stirring frequently, until the ganache is thick enough to spread, about 30 minutes.
5. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar with the water and heat for 30 seconds. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Set a cake layer on a cake plate or cake cardboard and brush lightly with the sugar syrup. Spread about 3/4 cup of the frosting onto the cake in an even 1/4-inch layer. Repeat with the remaining cake layers, sugar syrup and frosting. Spread the remaining frosting around the sides of the cake. Let the cake stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Coconut Layer Cake with Swiss Meringue Frosting

I'm in the mood of making layer cakes. Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake that I baked last week was excellent. There's always a reason why we need to chill certain kind of cakes before cutting and serve it. After an overnight chilling, the flavor of the lemon curd has intensely blended with the sponge cakes and it tasted great. I definitely will bake that again.

A few days ago, my girlfriends and I went to Ben's at BSC for lunch and we also ordered some desserts. One of them was Coconut Cakes and I thought of baking a coconut cake for the weekend. No....I'm not trying to replicate Ben's Coconut Cake, instead I'm doing my Williams Sonoma book's Coconut Layer Cake.

Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup coconut extract /coconut milk

1 cup loosely packed sweetened coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 160C(fan forced). Grease two 9-inch cake pan and line with a parchment round.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a bowl of a stand mixer or you can also use a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla. Remove the bowl from the mixer. 
4. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture until almost incorporated. Fold in half of the coconut milk, and then fold in another third of the flour, followed by the other half of the coconut milk. Add the remaining flour and fold the ingredients until fully incorporated, and try not to overwork the batter or else the cake will be tough.
5. In a clean mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the egg whites into the batter, and then fold in the coconut.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool in the pans for 3 minutes. Invert the pans onto the wire rack and lift of the pans. Peel of the parchment paper. Let cool completely.

Swiss Meringue Frosting

2 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp corn syrup
1/8 cream of tartar
2 tbsp water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups loosely packed sweetened coconut
Lemon Curd

Instructions:

1. Set a saucepan filled with 1 inch water over a medium heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Off the heat, combine egg, sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, water and lemon juice into a large heat resistant mixing bowl and whisk until blended. 
3. Set the mixing bowl over the saucepan and whisk constantly while frequently scraping the edges until the mixture begin to thicken, about 10 minutes (an instant thermometer will register 75C). 
4. Remove from heat, using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whip attachment, beat the mixture at high speed until stiff and glossy, about 7 minutes. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the vanilla and half of the coconut.

Assemble the cake:

1. Lay one cake layer cut side-up on a cake stand. Tuck in strips of baking paper under the cake edges to keep the plate clean.
2. With a metal frosting spatula, evenly spread some lemon curd on top of the cake. Place a second cake layer on top of the curd.
3. Using a frosting spatula, frost the sides and top of the cake with the frosting. Sprinkle the remaining coconut all over the cake.

Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake

Theme: LEMON
Title: LEMON MASCARPONE LAYER CAKE

Cast:
Lemon Curd
Sponge Cakes
Lemon Syrup
Mascarpone Filling

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup minus 1tbsp sugar
3/4 cup strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Instruction:

1. Set aside a large bowl filled with 2 inches cold water and some ice.
2. Set a saucepan filled with 1 inch water over a medium heat.
3. Off the heat, combine egg, yolks and sugar into a large heat resistant mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Add the lemon juice and and mix well.
4. Reduce the heat to low, once the water comes to a gentle boil, set the mixing bowl over it and whisk constantly while frequently scraping the edges until the mixture begin to thicken, about 7-10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the yolks. 
5. A finished curd is done when it hold its shape, when the whisk is lifted and a bit of curd falls back into the bowl, it should remain distinct on the surface rather than blending back into the mixture. It should register 180F or about 80C on the thermometer. Remove from the heat.
6. Using a spatula immediately push the curd through a fine strainer into a medium glass bowl. Add the cold butter into the curd, burying them so they could melt quickly. Whisk until smooth and all the butter bits blended with the curd. Press a plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd.
7. Set the bowl in the large bowl of ice water. Once the curd is cooled, store in the refrigerator until needed.

Sponge Cakes

Ingredients:

6 large eggs, separated
7 tbsp plus another 7 tbsp sugar
1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 175C(fan forced). Have ready 2 9-inch cake pan fitted with a parchment round. Do not grease the pan.
2. In a bowl of a stand mixer or you can also use a handheld mixer, beat the yolks and 7 tbsp sugar until thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Transfer into a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed to soft peaks, With the mixer still running, gradually add the remaining 7 tbsp sugar and beat until firm peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the beaten yolks, sift half of the flour over the top and gently fold it in. Repeat. Fold in the last egg whites until smooth and fully blended.
4. Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Bake for 18 minutes. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid is clear. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Stir in the lemon juice.

Mascarpone Filling

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
7 tbsp sugar
1 pound or half a kilo mascarpone cheese

Instructions:

1. Combine the cream and sugar into a mixing bowl. Refrigerate the bowl together with the whisk attachment for 10 minutes. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip until soft peaks form.
2. In a large bowl, combine the mascarpone and 1 cup of the lemon curd and stir until blended. 
3. Gently fold in the whipped cream until the mixture is fully blended and thick.
4. Divide the filling into 3 portions for filing the layers, frosting and piping. You may want to set aside more for piping decorations.

Assemble the cake:

1. Run a metal spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and transfer them onto a flat surface. Using a serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Set aside one of the bottom layers to use last.Take off the parchment paper.
2. Lay one cake layer cut side-up on a cake stand. Tuck in strips of baking paper under the cake edges to keep the plate clean.
3. Brush the cake with 1/4 of the lemon syrup. With a metal frosting spatula, spread 1/3 of of the mascarpone filling on top. Place 3 tbsp of remaining lemon curd on top of the filling and spread evenly to the edge. Place a second cake layer on top, cut side up and repeat with syrup, filling and curd. Repeat with the third layer.
4. Top with the last layer, cut side down. Moisten with remaining lemon syrup. Frost the whole cake with the reserved mascarpone for frosting.
5. Transfer the reserved mascarpone for piping into the pastry bag and pipe your choice of decorations over the entire top or the whole cake, it can be rosettes, stars or hydrangeas. Put a few tbsp of the lemon curd into a plastic disposable piping bag, make a small tiny cut at the edge and pipe it onto the top of the rosettes or stars. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Coconut Friands

I was watching the latest Masterclass episode of the Masterchef Australia Season 5 last week. The MC Oz S5 is in their final week with 5 remaining contestants i.e. Rishi my man..., Lynton, Emma, Christina and Samira. I hope (fingers crossed) that Rishi will win. That man is a machine, he's genius, he's so focussed but at the same time has some sense of humour.

So back to the story of the Masterclass episode, Gary made a batch of friands and I never thought that it was so easy. I saw one coconut friands recipe in one of my cookbook by Dorie Greenspan but it didn't come with a photo so I was turned off. But when I saw Gary made it which is obviously so simple and seems like making a pancake batter, so...I thought I can do this. I have an office potluck scheduled on Monday 26th August and my colleageus requested for tiramisu. I made 2 batches of tiramisu using 12 egg yolks on Sunday. So I thought of using the egg whites for the friands and I thought the cakes are best to be consumed on the day they are baked so I bake them on Monday morning.

The original recipe by Dorie uses 4 egg whites so I doubled the recipe...and I still have some more egg whites in the fridge. Her recipe is a basic recipe using coconut without any filing, nuts or fruits. So I took Gary's idea by adding some raisins soaked in some liquid. So what I have here is an adaptation of Dorie Greenspan and Gary Mehigan's recipe. Actually I was a bit worried seeing the ratio of sugar in it! But Dorie assuring us a not-too-sweet little tea cake...and yes it was true. So enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup orange or grape juice

4 egg whites
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
1.5 cups shredded dried or dessicated unsweetened coconut
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1. In a small saucepan, combine the raisins and juice. Heat them up on medium, and let it boil and the juice reduced a bit. Turn of the heat and set aside.
2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 180C. Have ready 12 paper cups or a 12-hole greased muffin pan 
3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in the sugar, salt and coconut. Lightly whisk and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until smooth and a little foamy. Whisk in the dry ingredients in 2 addition, making sure it fully incorporated. Add the melted butter and whisk until smooth.
5. Spoon the batter into the paper cups, filling them almost to the top. Spoon a small amount of the soaked raisins on top.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway of the baking time. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
7. Cool on wire rack.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sunflower or canola oil
2 large eggs
1.5 cups cake flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
zest of 1/2 orange
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Have ready 12 paper baking cups
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk sugar and oil together until just combined, then add eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour mixture and zests. Add in the carrot and walnuts, and stir until combined.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the baking cups and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack. 
6. Start on the Cream Cheese Frosting.
7. Once the cakes completely cooled, just smear the frosting on top.

Lemon Custard Cake

Today is 7 Syawal 1434H and I'm still on vacation :) . I'll be back in the office tomorrow so today I have my close families coming over for Raya Lunch. I made some fish curry, ayam masak merah, nasi putih, ulam kacang botor and some soup and ayam kicap for the kids. For dessert, I made some tiramisu in a cup, carrot cake (recipe follows in the next post) and my first attempt of Lemon Custard Cake. According to Williams Sonoma, it also called magic cake as it bakes, it will finally form one layer of lemon custard at the bottom and a light-textured lemon cake on top.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs, separated

1 tbsp grated lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained

3 tbsp melted butter

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 180C.
2. Have ready a 9 inch pie dish with 1 3/4 - 2 inches deep.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream and yolks until blended, Whisk in the zest, lemon juice and melted butter. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg whites and cream of tartar. Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat until the egg white forms a soft peak, slowly add 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until firm glossy peaks form.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk in the milk mixture until smooth. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold in half of the egg whites mixture until just combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in until fully incorporated. Pour into the pie dish.
6. Bake until set about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Blueberry Mascarpone Roulade

 

Haze has worsened here at my area since this morning to late afternoon. I can even smell the smoke inside the house...gosh!. But tonight it is all about the Supermoon...it is a full moon tonight and it coincides with the supermoon. By definition, supermoon is when the moon is closest to the earth.  There are 3 supermoon phenomenons this year which has already happened on May 25 and will occur again in July 23. But tonight and tomorrow nights are the most super. My son is still outside with a tripod and zoom lense to capture the moment. 

 Berries

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup blueberries

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the blueberries and remove the pan from the heat. Let the berries syrup cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator.

Roulade

1/2 cup cake flour

1/4 cup corn flour

6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

Some icing sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Line a 12 x 17 inch (30 x 42.5cm) rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Sift cake and corn flour into a small bowl.
4. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white at a medium speed until foamy and slightly thicken. Gradually add the sugar and beat until firm peaks form. 
5. In a separate medium bowl, add the yolks and whisk for about 1 minute until smooth. Gently scoop one quarter of the meringue into the yolks mixture and whisk it to lighten them.
6. Scrape the lightened yolks mixture onto the meringue and fold in the dry ingredients over the yolks. Gently and carefully fold the ingredients together with a large silicone spatula.
7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a long metal spatula
8. Bake the cake for 8 minutes. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack.
9. Generously dust a large parchment paper or a clean kitchen towel with icing sugar. Invert the cake onto the paper or sugared kitchen towel. Roll the cake snugly in the towel or paper. Allow the rolled up cake to cool to room temperature.

Mascarpone filling

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup whipping cream

1. Drain the blueberries, discard the syrup.
2. Put the mascarpone and icing sugar in a medium bowl and whisk gently. Add in the vanilla.
3. Whip the cream in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until firm peaks form.
4. Using a silicone spatula, scoop a quarter of the whipped cream onto the mascarpone mixture and stir until blended. Fold in the rest of the cream. When the whipped cream is almost incorporated, add in the berries and fold them in.

Assemble the Cake:

Unroll the cake. Scoop the filling onto the cake and spread them evenly using a large metal spatula, leaving an inch or 2 bare around the edges. Gently lift and re-roll the cake. Wrap with a plastic film and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Just before serving, neatly trim the edges to expose the filling. Dust the top with icing sugar.

And here is my son's masterpiece... :)

 

And this one is mine...

4S1N Red Velvet Birthday Cake

ooh! ooh!..the cheese is melting..

The birthday cake was adapted from Handle The Heat's version of Red Velvet, it was one easy recipe because you don't have to use the stand mixer to make the batter, just used balloon whisk, spatula and a mixing bowl. It was a little bit different from other versions that I have tried where this recipe calls for one cup of espresso or coffee in it. You can hardly notice the coffee taste but the color was great...deep red-marooned-like kind of color. I must say...the color was definitely sexy :)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour ( I used the same amount of cake flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons red gel food coloring, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup of prepared plain hot coffee ( I dissolved 2 tbsp instant coffee in a 1/2 cup hot water)

red themed party

Let's make the velvet:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil. Add in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and food coloring. Whisk in the vinegar and coffee. Gradually add the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until completely incorporated. The batter will be thin.
5. Divide the batter equally between the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Place the cake pans on cooling racks. When the pans are cool enough to touch, run a thin knife around the edges of the pans to loosen the cakes. Invert onto the cooling racks. Let cool completely. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup whipping cream
500g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream until thick and fluffy. Do not over beat. Add in the cream cheese and the confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth.

To assemble:

Lay one cake layer flat side-up on a cake plate. Tuck in strips of baking paper under the cake edges to keep the plate clean.

Use about 1 cup of frosting to fill the bottom cake layer then top with the other cake layer, flat side-up. Use the rest of the frosting to ice the whole cake. Serve.

what was left at the end of the day..