Category: Baking

Salted Caramel Macarons

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It has always been my dream to buy a Kitchenaid mixer but I never had the heart to spend that much on an item. haha BUT I JUST DID. (: I’m a happy and proud owner of one! Thanks so my wonderful parents who is ever so supportive of me.

And immediately after getting it, I had to use it and bake something. Especially when I haven’t baked in a long long time. And one thing at the back of my mind that I wanted to try again was of course, macarons.

I have been having Lindt’s macarons for the past 2 months, cause whenever family and friends come. Lindt Chocolate Cafe is one place I will definitely bring them to have their macarons. And we all have our own favourites: mine is their vanilla and the mr loves their salt caramel. So what did I decide to bake for the first time using the sexy toy? Salted caramel of course (:

Although it didn’t turn out perfect, but I was really quite happy with the way it looked and the texture of it, cause it is wayyy better than my last attempt of chilli chocolate macaron. hehe

So the first thing I needed to get was fleur de sel. and boy was I shocked at how much it costs! haha but then again, it is the caviar of salt, so I guess its worth as it really made the caramel magical.

love the shape of the salt crystals

the verdict ? The mr LOVED it. and it made me a happy girl. (:

so here’s the recipe I used :

adapted from Chef Pang Kok Keong (a recipe on Chubby Hubby)

the macaron shell :

250g ground almond

450g icing sugar

220g egg white (aging for 48 hours)

60g castor sugar

Steps :

1. Sieve the ground almond and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Make sure the mixture is lump-free. They call this the Tant Pour Tant (TPT) mixture.

2. Beat the egg whites using an electrical mixer with a whisk attachment at high speed until you can see a line made by the whisk going round. Then add in the sugar while the mixer is at medium speed. Make a stiff meringue.

3. Fold the meringue into the dry sieved ingredients until you get a homogeneous mix, taking care not to overfold it, as normal meringue are very delicate.

4. Pipe the mixture onto a silpat with a no. 5 plain tube into 3cm balls. Allow space in between as the cookies will spread to approximately 5cm. If the mixture is too thick, you’ll see a tip sticking up from the balls (from where you piped them) even after you finish piping the last row. If this happens, give the tray a little tap so that you’ll get a nice smooth surface.

5. Leave the piped macaron cookies out to form a skin before baking them (about 30 mins) at 160 degrees Celsius in a fan oven for approximately 14-16 minutes. When totally cooled, sandwich two cookies together with the salted caramel filling.

I did the happy feet dance (: SUPER HAPPY!

Salted caramel :

200g sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste
200g cream
3.75g fleur de sel
140g butter, chilled

Steps :

1. In a 1 litre heavy based pot, cook the sugar with a little of water, stirring all the time to get an even caramel.

2. Then add in the vanilla paste.

3. Add in the warm cream a bit at a time as it will bubble up and splatter. Then add in the fleur de sel.

4. Stir to make sure all the caramel has dissolved. Cool the mixture to approximately 40 degrees Celsius.

5. Add in the well chilled butter, cut into cubes. Using an immersion blender, blend in the butter till you achieve a smooth glossy paste. Line the surface of the caramel with plastic wrap or greaseproof paper to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the fridge until needed.

All packed! (: Enjoy !

Croissant Bread and Butter Pudding

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Sorry for the lack of posts everyone! Been really busy with uni work and accompanying family and friends who have been visiting non-stop for the past 2 months and it has been awesome! (: But keeping them company means less time to cook and bake in the kitchen. Till now! So I do apologise but thank you for still reading my blog! Really honoured (:

So it’s the semester break now and I’ve got alot more time on my hands and I have to say, it feels really good to be back in the kitchen coming up with new dishes to try! Absolutely loving it!

So today I decided to make a dessert that I have always loved having at buffets : bread and butter pudding, but with a small twist! I used croissants instead of bread. Who could resist croissants huh? I definitely can’t!

I added chocolate and raisins and a little cowboy shot liquor to give it the additional kick! hahas. The mr and his sister loved it, which made me even happier! (: Always nice to know what people think about it after they’ve tried it. Almost like having food critics in your restaurant, and waiting for their review on the papers or their blogs. haha. Although I am my toughest critic, always good to know what other people think too!

I had extra yolks in my custard as I’m aging my egg whites for another shot at making macarons. (fingers crossed!) so my custard is extra thick and heavy which I actually prefer! Not too bad for my first try I think! hehe With such a heavy custard, we only need to have a little to be full! So it is a good thing too! trying to watch the waistline haha

So here’s the recipe, hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients :

3 crossiants (medium in size)

20g unsalted butter

20g dark choc chips

30g raisins

zest of 1/2 an orange

300ml cream

50ml milk

3 tbs cowboy shot liquor

1 egg

3 egg yolks

50g sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

my egg had a double yolk! was so super excited and amused haha

Steps:

1) Tear the croissants into smaller pieces and fit them into the baking pan (a deep dish is best)

2) Cut the butter into small pieces and place then in between the croissant pieces. Top the croissants with the chocolate chips and raisins.

3) To make the custard, mix the cream, milk, orange zest and vanilla in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks and sugar till well combined and mix it into the cream mixture. Stir until well combined.

4) Pour the custard over the croissants and let it sit on the bench for 10 mins while pre-heating the oven at 180 degrees celcius.

5) Bake for 20 mins until golden brown. You can eat it really hot, or have it warm (the way I like to have mine!)

ENJOY!

on a side note : I found the cutest stamp from the Sunday markets along St Kilda beach! (:

Absolutely loving it! (:

ps: I’ve added this post on “Sweet as Sugar Cookies” sweet treat linky party! Head over to see much more yummy sweet treats! (:

Just to Say Thanks!

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Sorry for the lack of post everyone! Been really busy with a whole series of events happening one after another :

First was moving out of the old place

Moved into the new place (which I totally love!)

Started my placements

Ended the first placement

Had an assignment due

Didn’t sleep for 40 hours straight

Totally knocked out right after! haha

PHEW! that was a long list!

Didn’t really have the chance to bake or post! But here I am! Back in my comfort zone – the kitchen. (:

I had such a great time at my first placement! The teachers were so giving, sharing with me everything that I need to know and learn. The students, they were awesome. I already miss them! The environment and culture of the school was exactly what and where I wanna be – inclusive.

When it was my last day at that beautiful school, I just had to bake something for everyone there to thank them for everything! and I wanted to bake them something I knew everyone would like (with fingers and toes crossed!) I went back to the recipe book, and used a recipe that was a family favourite! Just to be safe. hehe

Was really nice knowing that everyone enjoyed these little cupcakes of mine and really funny to hear the teachers discussing what ingredients that they think was in the icing! haha. But very humbling. (:

My initial plan was to make the usual peach and cream cheese cupcakes. But silly billy me bout canned apricots instead! It didn’t even hit me that I bought the wrong fruit until i finished baking them, and was tasting the juice the fruits were in and realise it wasn’t as sweet as it should be, a little tart even! I was a little worried that the fruit was spoilt. haha Would be too late to salvage it! So only when I checked the can, did I realise it was apricot! But wasn’t a bad “mistake either, cause it turned out the cupcakes were just the right degree of sweetness! Thank goodness!

I was a little worried when I made the yogurt-cream cheese icing as it felt a little too runny, and even when I let it set in the fridge for an hour, it was still too runny. But I piped the first layer and let it set over night and place the rest of the icing in the fridge to set as well. In the morning before I brought them to school, I piped the second layer and it worked! and actually gave the icing two-tones! Which I thought was quite pretty (:

So here’s the recipe for apricot cream cheese cupcakes topped with apricot yogurt-cream cheese icing !

Apricot Cream Cheese Cupcake

125g unsalted butter, softened

250g cream cheese

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 cups (300g) self-raising flour, sifted, plus extra to dust

450g apricot, cubed

Steps :

1.     Preheat the oven to 1800C and line 12 mini cupcake pans with paper case

2.     Place the butter, cream cheese and caster sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale.

3.     Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined.

4.     Add the vanilla and fold in the flour and a pinch of salt.

5.    Stir the cubed apricot through the mixture.

6.     Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for 12-14mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allowed to cool.

Apricot Yogurt-Cream Cheese Icing

250g cream cheese, room temperature

113g unsalted butter, softened

43g greek yogurt

50g pureed apricot, strained through a seive

150g icing sugar (add more to get the consistency you want)

Steps :

1) Cream the cream cheese, butter and pureed apricot till smooth and no visible lumps.

2) Add the yogurt till well combined.

3) Add the icing sugar till you get the consistency you want!

4) Place half of the icing into a piping bag and place the rest into the fridge. Pipe the icing on the cupcake and let it set overnight (just make sure it’s setting in an aircon room if you’re living in a hot climate!).

5) Place the rest of the icing that has been setting in the fridge overnight into another piping bag, and pipe another layer of the icing on top, and top it with a small metallic cachou.

ENJOY! (:

Make it for a party or for any occasion, I promise you it will be a hit! (:

Homemade Granola

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Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day. With a full breakie, I usually don’t even feel hungry for lunch. Not that I will skip lunch, just don’t have to eat much for lunch. (:

It has become a routine for me to wake up and have a bowl of yogurt with granola with a cup of green tea with lemongrass and lemon.  I feel happy when I eat it. hehe I was reading a post by Laureen and I was inspired to make my own granola! So I got down to doing it today.

Yummy Granola (Adapted from Eat And Be Happy)

1 1/2 cups of old fashion rolled oats

1/2 cup silvered raw almonds

1/2 cup mixed nuts (sunflower seeds, pine nuts & pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts (roughly chopped)

3 tbs packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbs olive oil/ vegetable oil

4 tbs honey

1 cup of dried mixed fruit (sultanas, cranberries and other fruits you like)

For the hazelnuts, I put it in my mortar and pestle and lightly pound it till most of them is broken into smaller pieces. This mortar and pestle is the best investment ever and I bought it at a steal of $2.50! haha

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 150C. Line the baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

2) Mix all the dry ingredients (except the dried fruits) together in a large bowl. Combine the honey and oil in a saucepan over low heat until smooth. Stir the honey mixture into the dry ingredients and mix till well combined.

3) Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden, stirring every 10 minutes.

4) Remove the tray from the oven. Let the granola cool completely before stirring in the dried fruits. Store granola in an airtight container.

And the only two ways to eat it is to have it in handfuls or with yogurt of course! (:

ENJOY! (:

Chinese New Year Inspired Cupcakes

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Happy Lunar New Year everyone! (: Sorry I know I’m very late and I have gone missing in a long long time. Heading home always does this to the poor blog of mine. But I’m back! and it’s always good to be back (:

so what was your favourite cny goodie out of all that you tried? Mine’s no doubt pineapple tarts. I don’t only love to eat them, I love to make them!

I actually love making them so much that I am considering selling them next year! Will you support me?

If you’re not a fan of pastry, how about a pineapple tart inspired cupcake?

I have awesome friends who constantly give me ideas on the different flavour combinations I should try on a cupcake and no doubt, this was one of them. I originally wanted to bake the tart base to crumble it and put it on the top, but I was too lazy. So i topped it with digestive biscuits instead!

It’s really not so difficult to make, and I can even say it’s not as sinful as a pineapple tart. Only cause, you probably can eat 3-4 tarts at one go (guilty!) but after eating one cupcake, you would be happy enough to stop (or maybe you will have just ONE more haha).

so here’s the recipe! Hope you all will enjoy!

Pineapple Tart Inspired Cupcakes

125g unsalted butter, softened

250g cream cheese

1 cup caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups (300g) self-raising flour, sifted, plus extra to dust

300g pineapples, chopped (I used the tin ones, squeeze the pineapple dry before using them)

Steps :

1.     Preheat the oven to 1800C and line 12 mini cupcake pan with paper case

2.     Place the butter, cream cheese and caster sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until pale.

3.     Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just combined.

4.     Add the vanilla and fold in the flour and a pinch of salt.

5.     Dust the chopped pineapple with a little extra flour then stir through the mixture.

6.     Spoon into the cupcake cases and bake for 12-15mins or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allowed to cool.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted (more if needed)
10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and cut into small pieces
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbs reduced pineapple syrup

Digestive biscuit, crumbled finely

1. Sift powdered sugar and matcha together into a small bowl.

2. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar mixture, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in). Add the reduced pineapple syrup (make sure it has cooled to room temperature) until well combined.

3. Pipe it on the cupcake how you like it. Sprinkle some digestive biscuit crumbles and top with a chocolate bead.

So do you think I should sell my tarts? haha Will you support me?

Everybody HUAT AH! (: Still not too late! hehe

Raspberry-filled Congratulations

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There is just one thing I really love to do for my close friends : Bake of course !

It’s something about seeing the smiles on their faces when they see the baked goods and a wider smile after they bit into it. Just makes me wanna bake more and continue sharing with them. Just to see the smiles once again.

I got inspired to create this cupcake cause Peggy has been raving about the lychee rose ice cream at Passionflower. And because she was going to get her results for her exams the end of last week, I decided at the very point she told me about the flavour lychee-rose that I was going to bake a cupcake for her with those flavours to celebrate her passing the unit! (:

and so I did!

It was a challenge. I was worried that the rose water would overpower the lychee and plus it was going to be my first time making a swiss meringue buttercream. So yes, I was nervous when I started measuring all the things needed to make this mini cuppie happen.

My buttercream almost split while making it! I almost gave up having an icing altogether. But decided to whip the buttercream over the hot water bath and it actually brought it together and got thicker! PHEW! I was super duper relieved. haha. Can you imagine? It won’t be a cupcake without the icing!! Baby actually said my pipping skills have improved! really made my day. (:

I am not that huge a fan of rose water (although I LOVE bandung haha) so I thought the flavour of the rose water was quite strong and overpowering the lychee taste! In fact, I can’t really taste the lychee until I bit into the lychee that was stuffed in the middle of the cupcake. haha. Will have to work on that the next time! (: But nonetheless, Peggy loved it! And so did baby and my classmate! So I was happy! hehe

Here’s the recipe that I adapted from Tartelette

Lychee-rose Cupcake

3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp ground almonds
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup PLUS 2 Tbsp sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
6 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp rosewater
12 whole lychees or 24 halves if big (I used canned ones and cause I made mini cupcakes, I cut them into quarters)

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a mini cupcake pan with baking liners. In a small bowl, combine the flours and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, on medium speed using an electric mixer, cream butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and rose water. Do not overbeat. Using a flexible spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

4. Carefully spoon half the batter into the liners, place one lychee in the center of each and top with the remaining batter, leaving a 1/2-inch space to the top for the cupcake to rise. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely.

5. Once cooled, cut a cone in each cupcake and spoon in 1 teaspoon of the crushed raspberry. Replace the cone and spread or pipe on buttercream frosting.

Raspberry filling

1 cup raspberries, crushed

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp lychee juice
14 Tbsp unsalted butter, cool room temperature and cut into 10 pieces
1- 2 drops of food coloring (optional)

Steps :

1. Combine the sugar and egg whites in the stainless steel bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water making sure the bottom does not actually touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer (I just whisked by hand and cooked it until the sugar was completely dissolved and the top became foamy). Be careful not to curdle the egg whites, remove from heat if this starts happening.

2. Remove the bowl to your stand mixer and beat on high speed with the whisk attachment for at least 3 minutes, until the mixture holds glossy, marshmallow-esque peaks and the bowl is completely cool (Very important – the frosting’s consistency will be off otherwise).

3. With mixer on medium-low, add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition (about 10 seconds between each addition). Increase speed to medium-high; continue beating until frosting appears thick, at least 3 minutes. (You’ll hear a distinct slapping sound and visibly see the buttercream go from soupy to a cohesive, pipeable consistency.)

4. Reduce speed to low, add the vanilla and food coloring (if using), and continue beating 1 minute to incorporate the additions and reduce air bubbles. If your buttercream looks like it’s going to split (like mine) just put it over the waterbath and keep beating it on low speed with ur beater and it will slowly thicken up and then take it off the waterbath and you’ll be fine! (:

I might also add a few drops of lychee essence to add more lychee flavour to the cupcake! Will update you once I’ve tried it! (: for now, ENJOY!

Bread Baking Frenzy!

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The boy loves bread. He would usually have a couple of pineapple buns from Bread Top when he’s hungry or a couple of slices of raisin toast at home! He has been asking me to make bread at home so that we won’t have to buy it anymore. And so I did!

I made two of his favourite types of bread : Po Lo bun (pineapple bun) and Raisin bread !

I suspect my yeast is not working anymore, as my bread hasn’t been proofing on both occasions. Sadly. haha So the bread has turned out denser than I hope, but it was still yummy! (: Gonna buy new yeast and try it again!

the recipes I used were easy to follow and really quite quick besides the time needed for the dough to proof. other than that, you will be able to eat the bread within 35mins of it being in the oven! How good is that? hehe so here’s both the recipes! Hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did!

Po Lo Bun

(Adapted from Kitchen Corner, I doubled the recipe)

For the bread :

300g bread flour

2 tbsp milk powder

1/2 tsp salt

60g sugar

2 tbsp beaten egg

2 tsp yeast

140g water

30g butter

For the polo pastry :

100g plain flour

50g sugar powder

2 pinch of salt

2 tbsp beaten egg

60g butter

Steps :

  1. Knead all the bread ingredients with the dough hook mixer for 15 minutes then proof for one hour.
  2. Punch out the gas and divide it into 8 portions then rest for 15 minutes.
  3. Make the polo pastry: beat the butter until pale and fluffy then gradually add in sugar powder, salt and milk powder.
  4. Gradually add in beaten egg till everything combine.
  5. Gently fold in plain flour, don’t over mix the pastry. You might find it too sticky, add a little flour but not too much.
  6. Divide it into eight portions. I let it sit in the fridge for half and hour. (it would be much easier to handle later on)
  7. Take a polo pastry on the left hand and a dough at right hand. Push the dough into the polo pastry from outside to inside by turning the palm of your left hand until 3/4 of the dough has place inside the polo pastry. (follow the photos show at the original website)
  8. Place the dough seal side down and egg wash it then use a sharp knife gently draw chequer pattern on the pastry surface.
  9. Let it proof for 1 hour then bake at 170 degrees C preheated oven for 25 minutes (till the top is golden brown).

Raisin Bread

(adapted from Table for 2 or more)

Gorgeous recipe and I just added raisins after punching out the air of the dough (:

Bread loaf :

320 gm Bread flour
66 gm whipping cream
162 gm milk
33 gm honey
16 gm butter
3 gm yeast
4 gm salt
30gm egg

75g raisins (or more if you like to have more fruit in your bread)

Topping :

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp coarse sugar
Egg (to brush)

Method:

1. Knead everything together, except butter for 15 minutes. Add in butter and knead until a thin membrane can be formed when stretched. (I couldn’t really get this consistency!)

2. Cover and let proof for an hour or until doubled. (Mine didn’t, sadly, but i still gave it a good punch haha)

3. When dough has doubled, punch down and knead. Mix in the raisins and divide into six balls.
Stretch each ball long and flat, roll up. Place rolled up dough into a buttered loaf pan.
Let proof until double again.

4. Preheat oven to 180C. When dough has doubled, make a long 1 inch deep slit all the way through the centre. Mix butter and sugar for topping and spoon into the slit, trying to push them down a bit. Brush egg onto dough top.
5. Bake at 180C for 10minutes and 160C for 25 minutes.
Give them a try! (: You definitely won’t regret it! hehe

FREEEEDOM!

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I’m back and I’m free!

Free to do what I love to do most: Cook and bake! The past two weeks have been crazy to say the least. I was relying on just 2-3hrs of sleep a day just to complete the last 3 assignments for the semester. Thank goodness I don’t have exams! haha So I crashed almost immediately after I handed in my last assignment. But only recovered a couple of days ago!

One of the first things I wanted to do was of course BAKE! (: Had so many recipes I wanted to try. I had cravings for green tea and it has always been my favourite asian flavour for desserts. My second is black sesame! My day wouldn’t be complete without a cup of hot green tea.

So I why not combine them together right? AWESOME AWESOME idea! (: I came across this recipe on Delicious Coma while blog hopping and I was thrilled and excited to give it a try!

and boy was it yummy! The cupcake was the softest texture I ever got and the green tea cream cheese icing just compliments it SO WELL! My housemate actually said that it’s the best one he’s had so far! WOO! haha.

So here’s the recipe I adapted from Delicious Coma ENJOY!

Black Sesame Cupcakes

6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups (155 g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup PLUS 3 Tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line a mini cupcake pan with 12 baking liners.

2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring them constantly, until they are fragrant (about 2 minutes). Crush toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle until they are the texture of damp sand and set aside (I cut carried away and was crushing them for almost 20 mins!). Separately, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the ground sesame seeds, egg, and vanilla and beat until combined. Alternate the dry ingredients and milk (i.e. beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, add 1/2 the milk and mix well. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and the remaining milk, and the remaining flour). Mix until batter is smooth.

4. Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full (I put the batter in a piping bag and pipe them into the liners). Knock out any air that is in the batter after filling the liners. Bake for 15 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan as soon as safely possible. Cool completely before frosting as desired.

Matcha Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted (more if needed)
10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and cut into small pieces
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 tsp matcha (green tea) powder (I used 4 cause I really like it!)

1. Sift powdered sugar and matcha together into a small bowl.

2. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar mixture, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in).

3. Pipe it on the cupcake how you like it. Sprinkle some toasted black sesame on top.

4. DONE!

Forever 18.

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Turning 18, in my opinion, is one of the milestones of life.

I remember when I turned 18, it was my first year here in Melbourne, and it was also my first birthday away from home. It was bitter sweet, almost. Thank God that I had friends who love me and made my day very very special and unforgettable. So, to me. Having a celebration when you turn 18 is almost crucial! (: It signifies you becoming an adult (I know, not as huge as turning 21, but nonetheless important!) and definitely deserves a good dinner and a huge cake!

A huge cake was what I made for Peiwen for her 18th birthday during the last weekend! To be honest, I was very very nervous. Big cakes are definitely not something I am good at, not to say, I rarely make them. So I was really brave to decide on making not just a big cake, but a layered cake that, to me, is the most complex thing I’ve ever done! And.. it was HUGE! haha I got a shock after I assembled it, at how huge it was!

As “tall” as Peiqi’s hands!

Just shy of Peiwen’s hand haha

The original name of this cake is called the Heaven and Hell cake. I know. Not a very attractive name. But it’s only cause the two flavours of cakes in this recipe is an angel food cake and a devil’s food cake, held together with a peanut butter mousse. haha. So it does make sense yea? But when it was assembled and when I was helping to cut it into smaller portions, only one thing came to my mind: Reeses. So I decided to change the name to Reeses Choc-White cake (:

Thankfully, it was well received by everyone, and most importantly, the birthday girl (: So happy birthday once again! Hope you had an awesome time!

Cutting the cake was nerve-wrecking for me. I didn’t know if the layers were going to be distinct, or it was going to be a while mess inside. So with my fingers and toes crossed…

not very uniform in the height of each layer. but the layers are pretty distinct, right? haha Or just me and my self-encouragements. haha. ah wells. anywho! Here’s the recipe I’ve adapted from Food o’del Mundo

Reeses Choc-White Cake

Ganache
1 3/4 lbs (795 g) dark chocolate melts
1 1/3 c (315 ml) heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan and when it begins to bubble up, pour over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently stir, starting in the middle and working your way outward, until the cream and chocolate are completely mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 c (235 g) confectioners’ sugar
1 c minus 2 Tbls (120 g) flour
2 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 c (355 ml) egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 c (200 g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F (160C) and line the bottom of a 10″ round cake pan with ungreased parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar, flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually sprinkle in sugar, then extracts, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift half of the flour mixture over egg whites and fold until just combined. Sift over the remaining half of the flour mixture and gently fold until no streaks remain.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until top of cake springs back when touched, 45–50 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack and let cool.

My angel cake turned out to have a very crispy outer layer, not sure if it’s cause I did something wrong, but it did add this crunchy texture to the cake which actually was pretty good! (:

Devil’s Food Cake
3/4 c (155 g) unsalted butter
1 1/2 c minus 3 Tbls (185 g) flour
3 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c (355 ml) coffee
3/4 c (70 g) cocoa powder, sifted
2 c (250 g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temp

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 10″ round cake pan with shortening and dust with flour to coat. Shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a handheld mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 minutes. Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the bowl in 3 stages, beating to combine after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 30–35 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Mousse
1 lb (455 g) (2 8oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 c (710 ml) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
2 c (315 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 c (235 ml) heavy cream

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Put cream into a large bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining 2/3rds. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Assembly

Using a serrated-blade knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer of the devil’s food cake on a cake stand and spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mousse over the top. Top mousse with a layer of the angel food cake and spread with half of the remaining mousse. Repeat with the remaining devil’s food cake, mousse, and angel food cake. Wrap cake in plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours.

Stir ganache (heat it in the microwave, if necessary, at 10 second intervals. Be sure to stir well) until smooth and pour over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing with a palette spreader if necessary. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before slicing.

Happy 18th Birthday !

So tell me dearest readers, how did you celebrate your 18th birthday?

Chocolate Gluttony Brownies

12 Comments

Chocolate.

The ultimate stress reliever food! (: I will never turn down chocolate. White, milk, dark. With fruits, nuts or plain. GIVE ME ALL! It doesn’t help that Lindt cafe opened in Melbourne last year. haha. A whole range of different quality chocolates within easy reach! Chocolate becomes essential especially when there are assignments and when you get writer’s block. and what did I do? I baked! To me, baking is therapeutic. When I’m stressed, two things comes in mind. Baking and chocolate. Nothing would be more perfect than baking brownies!

A while back, Masterclass had the most sinful and gooey brownie. Baby and I just couldn’t not give it a try. I’m so glad I did though. Cause the recipe is definitely a keeper! The best thing is you can add as many things as you want in it, and it will still turn out yummy! It’s a pity I didn’t have pecans or peanuts as I think it will just bring it to whole other level of delicious. But here is always next time, cause more assignments are due in 3 weeks!

so here’s the recipe I used adapted from Gary Mehigan (Masterclass)

Ingredients :

250g melted butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
90g good quality (Dutch) cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour, sifted
½ tsp baking powder, sifted
5 eggs
1 block of Lindt White Chocolate with Almonds
1 cup chopped dark chocolate

6 big marshmallows

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 165°C. Line 2 x 20cm square baking tins or one larger slice tin with baking paper.

2) Add butter and sugar to an electric mixer and mix on medium speed, sprinkle in cocoa powder and mix until combined and has a gooey consistency.

3) Add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to mix through before adding the next.

After adding 1 egg yolk

Last and final addition

All ready to add the flour

4) Rain in flour and baking powder with electric mixer on low speed, beating until well combined.

5) Stir through the chocolates until combined.

6) Pour equal amounts into the tins and smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Place the marshmallows on top of the batter and push it in just a little.

7) Bake for about 40 minutes until firm at the edges but still a little soft in the middle.

8) Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Alternatively you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge.

GOOEY and filled with chocolatey goodness! (:

I’m pretty sure you will enjoy it! heh The middle is definitely my favourite bits!