Mari Bermain di Dapur

mille feuille

2011-12-12T20:00:00.002+07:00

it is starting to feel like christmas has been so close. wherever i go, i hear christmas songs playing and christmas decorations have already hung everywhere. so warming! i have made panettone last week, which is a traditional italian bread usually served during christmas. this time, i want to get a little merrier with mille feuille. i think this pastry will soon be a hit around the city, replacing red velvet cake and macarons.

turns out this pastry is crazily easy to make but insanely delicious. however, i didn't make my own puff pastry from scratch and just used the store bought one. if you were planning to make it from scratch, well it may take you some time to make it before you are able to make this mille feuille. once you had your puff pastry in your hand, mille feuille is made just by stacking those puff pastry and layer it with cream and any fillings that you like. i prefer fruits though.. mine was layered with cream diplomat and peaches and then topped with another thin layer of cream diplomat and finely chopped dried cranberries, mint leaves and last but not least.. generous amount of shaved white chocolate. the topping gives you shades of red and green which will go well with this holiday theme. and the minty flavor you got from munching those leaves are just adorable and refreshing.. i want to eat it againnn, now!

one thing that i'm not really content with is the cream diplomat. cream diplomat is basically pastry cream mixed with some whipped cream so that it becomes lighter. i love the taste of it so much, but i didn't get the super smooth satiny cream texture i wanted. it's all because i added the pastry cream into the whipped cream in undesirable temperature. you should wait until the pastry cream has completely cool before you add it to the whipped cream, otherwise your cream diplomat will curdle and looks ugly and separated. i hope none of you follow my mistakes, okay? ;) and look at those roses, they are real roses! bicolor roses with red and yellow color. they are so beautiful, aren't they?!

Mille Feuille
serves 4

1 ready rolled puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp granulated sugar

cream diplomat:
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
50 gr sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup whipping cream
vanilla extract
1 tsp unsalted butter

sliced peaches
chopped dried cranberries
chopped mint leaves
shaved white chocolate

directions:

preheat oven to 200 degree C.
make pastry cream: dissolve cornflour with 2 tbsp of the milk. heat remaining milk in a medium saucepan, meanwhile whisk sugar with egg yolks until pale and lemon colored. remove milk from heat, slowly pour into the yolks, whisking continuously. add cornflour mixture into the yolks. pour mixture into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously until thick. remove from heat. let cool completely.
cut thawed puff pastry into 8 (5 x 11cm) rectangles. scatter with granulated sugar. bake in preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
make cream diplomat: whip the whipping cream until soft peaks stage. gradually add room temperature pastry cream into the whipped cream, mix evenly until smooth.
to assemble: spread 1 tbsp of cream diplomat on top of 1 slice puff pastry, arrange some peaches over the cream. spread another 1 tbsp on the bottom of other slice, stack it over the peaches so that the cream will stick with the peaches. spread another tablespoon cream on top, scatter with white chocolate curls, chopped cranberries and mint leaves.

what happened in my kitchen?

tips from me: to make beautiful chocolate curls, use potato peeler and your chocolate will automatically curls beautifully. so practical.
never ever add hot or warm pastry cream to cold whipped cream, your mixture will curdle and look ugly.

so, that's all for today's post..

thank you for reading my dear readers..

have a blessed day!

KBB#26: panettone

2011-12-01T23:35:00.001+07:00

hello everyone, it feels great to be back from my unofficial hiatus last month. let's start this month with last month's KBB challenge. we were expected to make a traditional italian christmas bread. yay! panettone! feel so satisfied making this bread. it is surprisingly good for my taste because usually i didn't like fruit cake or raisin bread but this one is an exception.

at first, i really wanted to excuse my self from joining this panettone challenge. but deep inside my heart i still wanted to make it so much. so until the day before the last day (yeah it sounds confusing..) of November, i decided to make this beautiful panettone by skipping my Wednesday class. hahaha. i did it for the sake of panettone! i made it half a day and i wouldn't be able to do it if i didn't skip class. i hope nobody would punish me for this ;)

fortunately, the result is soo great.. that is why i feel so satisfied with it, at least my sacrifice for skipping class was worth it. i heard some of other's panettone didn't rise in the oven or even when it was being proofed because this bread is not the usual kind of white bread, this is called the rich bread dough which contains so many fat in it. let me share my experience below.. promise you that today i will give you more details on the directions. i didn't think my bread would rise as well when i proofed it, but suddenly when i baked them, they were like poof rising to the top and cracked on the center. they were so beautiful i can't even believe my self made it. so, any of you tempted to make it, let's wait no more and read the recipe below.. :D

Panettone
originally from The Worldwide Gourmet
serves 8 (in baba moulds)

1 package active dry yeast (11 gr)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp warm water
6 egg yolks
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
2-3 cups flour
6 tbsp candied peel
100 gr + 2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp sultanas
4 tbsp currants
1 tsp vanilla extract

my modification (which i am sure is richer and tastier :p), cut down to half:

1/2 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp warm milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 mandarin orange, reserve the juice for soaking dried fruits
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup bread flour (high protein flour)
1/4 cup pastry flour (low protein flour)

50 gr butter

3 tbsp chopped dried apricots
2 tbsp chopped dried sultanas
2 tbsp chopped dried cranberries
sliced almonds for garnish
2 tsp icing sugar (garnish)
1 tsp cinnamon powder (garnish)

directions:

soak all the dried fruits in the reserved orange juice, set aside. warm the milk just until slightly warmer than the body temperature, pour into a medium size mixing bowl, stir in 1 tbsp of sugar, sprinkle dry yeast on the warm milk. let sit for about 1 minute without stirring. after all the yeast are rehydrated, stir evenly and let sit for 5-10 minutes or until it doubles in size and foamy.
add in the remaining sugar, splash of vanilla extract, orange zest, cinnamon powder, egg yolks, and salt. mix with wooden spoon until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. gradually add the flour in third, mix evenly until each addition (please note that not all the flour we prepared probably will be used, it may remain or even needed to be added more). the flour is enough used when the dough can easily come together into a ball. knead vigorously with wooden spoon or with your hands until it becomes smoother and starts to be elastic.
gradually add butter in third, knead evenly after each addition. until the dough becomes even smoother and more elastic.
add more flour (pastry flour is better to prevent the dough to be tougher than it should), until dough is firm and silky but not sticky anymore. knead again until dough is smooth and shiny, for approximately 10 minutes (it will not be as elastic as a white bread and it doesn't need to pass the gluten window test).
grease another mixing bowl with butter and lightly dust with flour. round the dough and put it in the greased bowl, cover with wet towel or cling wrap. let sit until doubled in volume, approximately 1-2 hours, in a warm place. dough may not completely rise, but you can tell it rise when you can smell fermented yeast when opening the towel/wrap. surface will not be as shiny and it will spring back when you touch it.
drain the orange juice from the dried fruits, add the fruits into the dough and gently knead until all fruits has evenly incorporated. do not over knead or it will lose its elasticity.
divide mixture evenly into four, place on each buttered mould. cover with cling wrap or kitchen towel.
preheat oven to 200 degree C or 400 degree F. place the mould around the oven, so that the warmth of the oven preheating stimulates the dough for second proofing.
when oven has reached the temperature, uncover mould, brush the dough with some melted butter, topped with few sliced almonds and bake it in 200 degree C for 10 minutes. it should has risen by 10 minutes. turn down the heat to 160 degree C, use a double tray to prevent the bottom from browning too fast. brush the bread again with melted butter and bake again for another 30-40 minutes, until the surface are golden brown and crisp.
remove from the oven. let the bread cool down in the mould for 15 minutes, unmould then topped with icing sugar + cinnamon powder mixture.

fuuuh.. what a really long recipe!
i hope it could help you all making this panettone.. :)
thanks for reading!
have a good day!

dadar unti / rolled crepes with coconut stuffing

2011-10-19T20:23:00.003+07:00

hello again.. with a new post for this week. this is my entry for this month's IFP. so happy for hosting this event with Tata Bonita. what come to our surprises is that many-many people has joined and submitted their entries to our IFP's email (indonesianfoodparty@yahoo.com). we are very lucky and also grateful for all of your supports. please join us again next month? my entry for this month is dadar unti or as i've stated above rolled crepes with coconut stuffing. it was one of my favorite traditional kuih. however, it is getting harder to choose what kind of sweets to make for IFP, because i have tons of sweets i want to make.

dadar unti is quite simple to make. you just have to prepare the stuffing which can be made ahead, then just make pandan crepes, simple and lovely. my dadar unti doesn't come to its perfection though, i made the crepes to thick and i think there must be something wrong with my way of folding the crepes. it's not like what i used to eat. maybe it will be better if i cooked it the right way. so, how about if you try to make some dadar unti at your place and tell me how yours turn out?

Dadar Unti

adapted from Femina Cook Book Series - Indonesian Dishes and Desserts
serves approx. 20 stuffed crepes

crepes:

250 gr all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
375 ml coconut milk
50 ml suji leaves extract (20 suji leaves pounded together with some water and squeezed)
margarine/butter

stuffing:
1/2 coconut flesh, grated
150 gr palm sugar
2 pandan leaves
125 ml water
pinch of salt

directions:

crepes: sift the flour and salt in a bowl. make a well in the center and break the eggs in. stir in the batter while gradually adding coconut milk slowly. make sure there are no flour granules remaining. finally, add the suji extract and beat well.
heat an omelette or crepe pan and butter it. pour in a ladleful of the batter and quickly tilt the pan so the batter will evenly coat the pan. stack up each finished crepes separated by parchment paper.
stuffing: add all the ingredients in a medium saucepan. cook the mixture, stirring continuously until all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is fairly dry. remove from the heat.
assembling: put 1 tbsp of the stuffing in the center of each crepe. fold over and tuck the ends under neatly. serve.

so, i guess that's all for today's post. i hope you enjoy it.. :)

thanks for reading anyway!

have a very nice day!

strawberry muffins

2011-10-10T21:14:00.002+07:00

it's october already and i heard everyone around the blogosphere has been busy preparing halloween. well, i'm not, or at least i haven't participated yet. besides halloween, everybody also seems like having feast with apples. i really want to make something with apple this month. i hope i could have some spare time and also chances to make it. but today, i will give you strawberry muffins on my first october's post.

to be honest, i have never completely succeeded making muffins with those easy-without-mixers-methods. i've always ended up with a tough-unrisen-muffin. but this one, i think it was quite perfect and flawless. i don't know is it because i was that lucky or because i finally learned the mistake i've made. lol. now, let me tell you my secret about strawberries. i think i am now having an affair with her. strawberry is now officially become my favorite ingredient. i love how it tastes, i love how it looks, i love its color, i love everything about it! strawberry always looks beautiful in every way. can't wait to make something with strawberries again, don't know yet though.

well, i guess this muffin would be best served in the morning for breakfast, to make our day more cheerful. i hope everyone would love to enjoy my strawberry muffin, because i am enjoying every piece of them happily..

Strawberry Muffins
recipe from allrecipes.com

1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped strawberries

directions:

preheat oven to 190 degree C (375 deg F). oil an 8 cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
in a small bowl, combine oil, milk and egg. beat lightly. in a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. pour in the milk mixture and stir together.
fill muffin cups. bake at 190 degree C (375 deg F) for 25 minutes, or until the top bounce back from the touch. cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

what happened in my kitchen?

here's some note from me: when making easy-method muffin, we should never overmix the batter or we will end up having tough muffin. the reason is because we don't wanna create gluten there, unlike making breads or pasta. that's why, i always uses pastry flour or cake flour because it contains less gluten.
i omit white sugar and use granulated sugar. still good.

so, for any muffin-beginners like me, why don't you also make some? perhaps we'll have the same luck.

well, i think there's nothing left for me to blab.

that's all for today, readers!

HAPPY BAKING.. :)

KBB#25: happy birthday kbb

2011-09-30T23:23:00.002+07:00

hello again, i am so shock to know that this month i only write 2 posts. just two?! where's the promise i made to all of you saying i will be able to post maybe 5-7 posts on this new college semester? uh, sorry dear reader and dear foodie-blogger friends. i am kinda busy with my jobs now.. (feel so cool stating it, lol). i am organizing and preparing for my client's birthday next saturday, so it feels a little more hectic in my mind. and also, there are some orders, yay! long lists of orders. so thankful for it though.. :)

however, this is the post to close this month.. it's KBB's special chalenge, KBB's turning four! yay! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST BAKING CLUB! this year, KBB celebrates its birthday party in a British style, we have a high tea party. so, to complete the party we've been trying many recipes to make and present one very famous tea accompaniment. guess what?! scones it is.

when i first read the recipe, what came straight to my imagination is a chocolate scones either with chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. but then i used a chocolate chips and i'm not satisfied with it, because if i want to make a chocolate scones then i had to make the batter sweeter by adding more sugar (which i didn't do). so the scones i made, taste plain with some chocolate chips, weird for my liking. lol. the only thing i could do to save this scones was by taking all the chips out and sandwiched the scones with my favorite pairs. cream cheese and blueberry jam, who would say no to it?! perfect match! just like apple and cinnamon. and i ended up eating all the scones, four to be exact, with blueberry jam and cream cheese. yum!

Scones
adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book, NZ
serves 4 slices

1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
25 gr butter, chilled and diced
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
extra milk for greasing

directions:

preheat the oven to 220 degree C. prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
rub in the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
gradually add in milk, mix until just combined with a wooden spatula. (mixture will be sticky and wet)
divide and spoon the mixture evenly into four on the baking sheet.
bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, more or less. until golden brown.

who knows making scones would be that easy?
i hope you find it interesting.. :)
have a nice day and thanks for reading everyone!

putu ayu

2011-09-18T15:23:00.001+07:00

hellow! i am back again with good news! tee-hee.. wait for it okay! anyway, this cake called putu ayu (read: poo-too a-yoo) is also my entry for this month's Indonesian Food Party, a monthly event held by me and my dearest TaBon! :) check out what she has made for this month. last month, we have made kue pepe and quail egg satay. and also if you are interested for joining this event with me and TaBon, just post it and tell us. this event is opened for anybody anywhere, we'll be delighted with your indonesian food entry.

so let me introduce you to this cake, this sweet and beautiful cake to be exact. this is my very first time making this cake. but i could find it pretty easy between traditional cakes which are sold in the traditional market. this is basically a very simple cake to make, the batter is similar with most Indonesian steamed cakes batter, almost similar with sponge cake batter. flavored with pandan and finely grated coconut. i love this cake. i don't know why but when i eat this cake, i think this is the best cake to represent the taste of other indonesian traditional sweets. it is very easy to make with very simple ingredients to find in my country, but i don't know if you can easily find pandan leaves or suji leaves or even coconut flesh when you live outside asia.

see the leaves, the greener one is suji and the other is pandan

now, let's go to the good news. starting from monday.. i'll be back to campus and my college life but with a very nice schedule. i have my class only for 4 hours monday til saturday, i can bake and make anything before or after class. so happy! i can be back on track and post regularly again with mostly 5-7 posts a month. yay! hopefully the assignments won't hold me hostage. that's the news i wanted to tell you and now without further ado let's check out the recipe..

Putu Ayu
yield 6 cakes

100 gr cake flour
75 gr sugar
1 egg
1/6 cup pandan and suji leaves mixture (see below)
1/4 tsp cake emulsifier
150 gr finely grated ripe coconut flesh
1 pandan leaf
pinch of salt

directions:

steam the grated coconut flesh with salt and pandan until fragrant and the leaf has wilted. meanwhile, grease the putu ayu mould (or you may use donut mould) lightly with oil.
remove the coconut from steamer and let cool slightly. once the coconut has cool to the touch, put around 2 tbsp into each mould and press it until it could hold its shape.
with electric mixer, beat the egg and emulsifier until foamy, gradually add the sugar, continue beating until very light in color and fluffy. when you lift your whisk, the batter should fall back in a slow ribbon.
gradually fold in the flour alternating with the pandan-suji solution. fold until just well incorporated.
pour the batter on top of the coconut flesh in each mould. steam for about 25 minutes or until springy to the touch. remove from the steamer and let cool without removing from the mould.
once the cake has cool down into room temperature, remove from the pan and serve.

pandan and suji leaves solution

5 suji leaves (suji is still one type with pandan leaf but it doesn't have the fragrance and it is greener, smaller, and shorter than pandan)

5 pandan leaves

200 ml water

directions:

blend all of the ingredients into a juicer. strain and take only the water.

so, i guess it's enough for today's post. enjoy the beautiful cake people!

thanks for reading!

happy belated independence day with red velvet cupcakes

2011-08-31T21:44:00.002+07:00

as what i've promised you before. wait for my red velvet cupcakes, this is the red velvet cupcakes. however, i'm not quite happy with the flavor and also the texture, i must have done some wrong again. but according to my research, many many people love red velvet cake. i should try making it again later.

and this is my red velvet shoes. i want to make my cake as cute as the shoes but i just can't, the limitation of time and equipment killed the chance. lol. so i should just feel happy and thankful with those messy cupcakes. i want to present them as an Independence Day gift, which has been late for exactly 2 weeks. so sorry, Indonesia. but at least it still on August and it still looks red and white.

i got this recipe from Sprinkle Bakes, another crazily amazing blog. she gives a lot of inspiration! please check it out.. and for now i think i won't blab too much, i'm not really in the mood of blabbering so i hope you'll just jump out to the recipe and excuse my self for posted such a short post today. at last, HAPPY BELATED INDEPENDENCE DAY INDONESIA, may you grow into a much more better country!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
by Sprinkle Bakes

2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1.5 tbsp liquid red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cider vinegar

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease and lightly flour 2 or 3 round 9" cake pans. (prepare 24 cupcakes liners if you're making cupcakes).
sift flour and salt together, set aside. in the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the butter and sugar. mix until light and fluffy. add the eggs one at a time. mix well after each addition. add the flour mixture to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. blend in vanilla.
in a small bowl, mix the 1.5 tbsp red food coloring and 1 tbsp cocoa powder until a paste forms. add to the sugar and butter mixture. mix well. in a small bowl or condiments cup, stir together the baking soda and cider vinegar. this will foam and should be put into the batter immediately after well mixed. after adding the foam mixture, blend on medium-high speed until batter is consistent.
spoons batter evenly into pans (or liners), batter will be very thick! level top of batter with an offset spatula, bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed in the center. turn out on wire rack and cool completely.

cream cheese frosting

2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

4-5 cups sifted confectioners sugar

directions:

in the mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. with the mixer on low, gradually pour in the confectioners sugar. increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. if mixture is too thick, add a little milk to loosen it. and if it's too thin, add additional powdered sugar or put in refrigerator to firm up.

i think you should try it at home and see if you are luckier than me. :)

for now, thanks for reading and have a very nice day!

decorating with fondant and a little news from me

2011-08-24T21:01:00.001+07:00

hello readers! to be honest, i feel so bad for not joining giving my country any present on independence day. but i have an excuse and also a story to tell, i have planned my self to post a red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for independence day, it's red and white like Indonesia's flag. i've made it actually, i have baked it too, but i failed to serve it, ask me why.. the muffin pans fell down when i took it out from the oven and because the cake is still fragile when its hot, automatically all of them couldn't hold its shape and crumbs on my floor. i was speechless and just couldn't stop cursing my self that time. hahaha. as a result of that, i don't have anything to post for our Independence Day. yes, come on and blame me.

however, i have something to tell you as well. as some of you might have already known, i'm on my holiday now, a long holiday - but the weird part is i don't post much huh? it's all because i am so busy with my life now, i'm growing up now, i'm starting to do this and that for my future. thankfully, pastry is involved there. i am now working on an Event Organizer with some friends and starting to sell my cakes (email me if you look for some information). one thing that really occupy me on this holiday is.. i am now studying pastry in a pastry school for 3 months. soo.. it doesn't really mean that i am having a holiday, i'm still going to school, pastry school though. i am so grateful to finally have that chance. on the other hand, i will still pursue my college degrees which are completely on a different field and it will start again next month.

so, to make this long story short, i just wanted to show you some cupcakes that have been ordered by my friend. this is only my second time doing fondant decoration, quite happy with the result though. i still need more tutorial from the masters to make some other beautiful and cute designs like angry birds and so on. if i got the chance to post the step by step on making those fondant decoration, i'll post it right away. and don't forget to wait for the red velvet cupcakes because i will make it this weekend and post it as a present for Independence Day no matter how late i am. hahaha. and last thing, i'll be joining The Daring Bakers next month, wait for it!

sorry, no recipes today.. just bye bye for now.. :)

thanks for reading anyway..

indonesian thousand layer sticky cake - kue pepe

2011-08-09T21:46:00.001+07:00

hello readers, start from this month, i will give you a special monthly treat. what is it? it's indonesian traditional sweets. actually this is supposed to be a monthly event between me and TaBon, but she will give you the indonesian traditional foods while i do the desserts. this indonesian sweets post will be featured on the beginning of every month. and here come the first one! yay!

this kue pepe (read: coo-way peppay) has two original version, with more sago flour or with more rice flour. the difference is if using more sago flour you'll end up having a more elastic and transparent layers but chewy as well. on the other hand, if you use more rice flour, you'll end up having easier-to-tear-layers, but not chewy. my father and my grandma prefer the rice flour versions, while i personally love the sago flour versions. why? because it reminds me of my childhood.

when i was little, i used to be given this kue pepe by either my mom or dad whenever they visited traditional cake seller. and i love the color of this cake: chocolate, white, topped with red. always always always love the slightly thicker red one. but my most favorite part of this cake is eating it, up until now whenever i eat this cake, i eat it layer by layer , i always separate each layer and stretch it into a long ribbon before putting it in my mouth. lol. i just love this habit and i want to share it with all of you. i hope my habit will become contagious to all of you whenever you eat kue pepe.

Kue Pepe

400 ml coconut milk
2 pandan leaves
1 tsp salt
150 gr sago flour
75 gr rice flour
100 gr sugar
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp red food coloring

directions:

grease a small loaf pan with a little oil . preheat the steamer.
sift sago flour and rice flour into a medium bowl, add in sugar.
heat coconut milk with pandan leaves and salt. bring to almost boiling point. remove from heat, let cool slightly.
gradually pour coconut milk into the dry ingredients little by little, whisking continuously. mixture should be very smooth and light, not heavy.
pour 200 ml of the batter into a measuring cup. sift cocoa powder, add into the measuring cup. whisk until smooth and mixture become evenly colored.
using a laddle, pour the plain mixture into the loaf pan, make sure you make a very thin layer. steam for about 3 minutes. then pour the same amount of the chocolate mixture into the pan using a laddle as well. steam for another 3 minutes, and keep doing the same thing until all the chocolate batter run out.
laddle the last white mixture with the same amount as the previous layers, steam for another 3 minutes. reserve the remaining white batter, add in red food coloring and stir until evenly colored. pour the red batter on top of the cake, steam for another 30 minutes.
remove from heat. take out the pan from the steamer, let cool slightly for about 10 minutes. loosen the sides of the pan, take out the cake and put on a wire rack. let cool completely.
once the cake has cooled completely, trim the edges, slice and serve.

now you've read the recipe, care for a try?

tell me what do you think..

thanks for reading everyone!

have a superb day!

kbb#24: rich chocolate tart

2011-07-30T22:30:00.000+07:00

today, i will present you a chocolate treat. this rich chocolate tart was KBB's challenge for this July. i can guarantee you this tart is so sinfully delicious. but what makes this post special is because today i'm gonna tell you something a little personal about me and also this blog, it has something related with chocolate.

chocolate is almost everyone's favorite ingredient or food. if you've been following my posts these past years, maybe you've known that i am not a huge fan of chocolate. i like chocolate, almost love it, but not crazy with it unlike someone i know really well. i have a special someone who loves chocolate so much and again.. if you've read all my posts labeled under chocolate, i think this person is always being mentioned in each and every chocolate post. lol. the problem here, me who don't love chocolate too much automatically not really often make something related with chocolate, while S. is always waiting for a chocolate treat. S. is indeed a very important person in my culinary journey and the one i really don't like to disappoint with any foods i make.

this food blog, could be established mostly because of S., to be honest i am a girl who spend too much time thinking and hesitating in making decision. at first, i was just too afraid to make a food-blog, i thought i wasn't qualified enough to join this amazing world, but S. supported me and forced me to take that step and keep on moving forward. and here i am, quite proud of what i've done. until now, S. still supported me to make progresses in this culinary world and i'm overwhelmed with those supports. it really means so much for me. so.. to make this long story short, i would like to make this post and also this chocolate tart as a tribute for S.

but for all of you my dear readers anywhere you are, it doesn't mean that i don't wanna share this treat with you as well. there's a lot of slices there, you can enjoy it too.. :)

Rich Chocolate Tart
originally from Best Food Desserts, The Australian Women Weekly
serves 10 slices

pastry:
185 gr all purpose flour
25 gr cocoa powder
55 gr icing sugar
150 gr cold butter, diced
2 egg yolks
1 tsp cold water

filling:
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
55 gr caster sugar
80 ml heavy cream
300 gr dark cooking chocolate, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

for the pastry: put flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and butter in a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (do not process too long, or the dough will be tough). add in egg yolks and water, process until mixture forms a dough.
take out the dough from the food processor, knead until smooth. wrap the dough with cling film, refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
preheat oven to 180 degree C or moderate temperature.
roll out the cold pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to fit a 23cm/9 in fluted loose-bottomed tart tin.place the pastry in the tin to form a pastry case and trim around the edge. refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
line the pastry case with baking paper and fill with baking beans. cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently lift out the paper and beans. return the tin to the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is dry and golden brown.
for the filling: beat egg yolks, eggs, and caster sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until mixture is thick and creamy. add in cream, chocolate, and vanilla extract. beat until smooth. pour in the filling into baked pastry base.
bake the tart for about 30 minutes or until filling is set. remove from the oven and let cool the tart in the tin for about 10 minutes. remove from the tin and dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

what happened in my kitchen?

i spread a layer of peanut butter on the pastry base before pouring the filling in. the amount of peanut butter is adjusted according to your liking.

that's all for today's post, readers!

thanks for reading and have a very pleasant day!

cheesecake ice-cream

2011-07-21T21:48:00.005+07:00

i was quite confuse with the weather lately. haha. there were some weeks ago where rain always come in the afternoon, pretty hard rain. but these couple weeks, the sun has been terribly scorching. maybe we are in the middle of monsoon (again), ah anyway who cares about the weather, it just makes me realize 'when was the last time i make ice-cream?'. everybody loves ice-cream in a hot sunny day, including me and my ice-cream machine. it has been neglected for months, i didn't even realize how much i miss him until yesterday..

i had some leftover strawberries in my fridge, of course from the strawberry friands which i posted last week. i didn't have any idea what to make with it again, i had no particular strawberry desire either that time. then i looked at my recipes bookshelf, i saw David Lebovitz's Perfect Scoop, then again realize i haven't tried any of the recipes in the book, so silly. i thought, i wouldn't go with just plain strawberry ice-cream, i've made it before! so my mind quickly decided strawberry cheesecake ice-cream will be perfect. actually, the main idea is to play with texture in the ice-cream. i wanted to add some chunks of cream cheese in my silky smooth ice-cream, just like i usually had my strawberry cheesecake ice-cream in gelato shop; not forgetting, some tangy slices of cooked strawberries in it as well. however, things didn't go as well as what i've planned, i didn't have enough cream cheese left to be chunked. so i just ended with some sliced strawberries there.

in case you wonder how to eat it differently, i have some tips for you. as what the name says, it's cheesecake ice-cream, i serve it like a cheesecake should be: graham crackers for the base, filling, completed with topping. so.. put 1 piece of any biscuits on your plate, scoop some ice cream over the biscuits, and drizzle a generous amount of jam or any topping you like on it, mine use blueberry jam. another thing i regret is i forgot to put mint leaves on top of my presentation! it makes me feel like missing something whenever i saw all this ice-cream photos, my bad. but anyway, for now let us enjoy this ice-cream altogether..

Cheesecake Ice-Cream
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

230 gr cream cheese
1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
240 gr sour cream
125 ml half-and-half
230 gr sugar
pinch of salt

directions:

cut the cream cheese into small pieces. zest the lemon directly into a blender or food processor, then add the cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, sugar, and salt, and puree until smooth.
chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

what happened in my kitchen?

substituted half-and-half with mixture of milk and heavy cream, 1 part milk : 1 part heavy cream. so for this recipe, as it stated 125 ml of half-and-half, combine about 62.5 ml milk with 62.5 ml cream. to make it easier, 60 ml milk with 65 ml cream.

that's all for today's post reader..

hope you find this enjoyable for your summer day!

thanks for reading and have a nice day.. :D

strawberry friands

2011-07-12T22:29:00.001+07:00

i'm back on track, on my regular track. i am on my holiday now! i have been enjoying my holiday for a week today. today, i woke up in a very good mood, big smile on my face and i felt so motivated. i have planned my self to cook a chicken laksa today and bake some cakes. maybe because of my ecstatic mood, everything tastes better than usual. the chicken laksa is so crazily delicious, i've eaten it for about, hmm.. 4 times maybe or is it 5, i'm not really counting. haha. unfortunately, i was just too busy eating it until i forgot to take a picture of it and show it to all of you. i'm so sorry, so i think i should stop talking about it before you all get more curious. now, let me introduce you to something lovely, see the heart-shaped strawberries?

another beautiful things i made today is friands. friands is basically almost the same as financier. well, financier are actually a French cake, a light, moist teacake which usually used ground almonds. financier according to wiki literally derived from French traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold. while friands, popularized by the Australians and the Kiwis, is a modified financier with additional flavor like chocolate or fruits like berries and also baked in oval shape.

my love for this cake is actually haven't been that long. i just knew this kind of cake like a year ago and have been very keen on trying since these couple months. friands has been everywhere i look, i look at my cookbook - there are friands recipes, i look at other foodblogs - there are also friands, and finally i watch Masterchef - there is a financier. seems like this cake has been haunting me.. that's why i couldn't stop my self from making it today. haha. any of you interested and having a curiosity about this cute little financier? don't hesitate, just make it straight away..

Strawberry Friands
makes 12 mini muffin size

50 gr butter, melted, cool to room temperature
50 gr ground almonds
100 gr icing sugar
50 gr all purpose flour
3 egg whites
1/4 vanilla pod, slit open, scrape seeds
6 strawberries, hulled, cut half lengthwise

direction:

preheat oven to 180 degree C. grease a mini muffin tin with butter. set aside.
beat the egg whites with vanilla seeds just until frothy. sift the icing sugar, flour, and ground almonds into the egg whites. fold it with metal spoon just until incorporated.
add melted butter into the egg whites mixture, mix evenly.
pour about 3/4 tablespoons of batter into each muffin holes. topped each of them with the heart-shaped strawberry.
bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.

simple but lovely. this is my new love-affair.

in the end, thank you for reading everyone!

have a nice day.. :)

wajik - brown sticky rice cake

2011-06-27T14:51:00.001+07:00

my dad now has been the frequent readers of my blog. he gives a lot of supportive ideas about this blog and also about the photographs. he was the person who first introducing me to the world of photography back when i was a toddler. sadly, i didn't develop too much skill on it even until now. hahaha. however, one interesting idea that my dad has told me is to create more indonesian traditional sweet foods. traditional? yes. as an Indonesian, i think it's an obligation for me to master all those traditional Indonesian food or desserts, but in fact i don't. making Asian dishes is not an easy one for me, Asian dishes are so rich in spices and flavor, it feels complicated to really get a perfect balance of all those spices and ingredients. that's why, once the dish has been done perfectly, Asian dishes will give you the superb explosion of flavors in your mouth.

wajik literally means diamond shape. in case you wonder how to spell it, it should be like this: 'waa-jeek'. in terms of food, wajik is a sliced sticky rice cake, it is flavored by caramelized palm sugar and coconut milk. it is very simple to make, just cook the glutinous rice in the boiled and reduced palm sugar-coconut milk syrup until all the syrup has been absorbed, then we spread the rice into a lined baking-pan and let it cool. when it has reached the room temperature, slice it into diamond shape. i think any people would love this cake, from whatever nation you are. i mean, who doesn't like the richness of coconut milk? and who can resist a caramelized sugar?

this cake is one of our favorite among those traditional Indonesian desserts. my mom, dad, and siblings love them tweaked with durian flavor, not me though. i don't really like durian. in this post, i will give you the original recipe also the durian flavored wajik recipe. for the first-time wajik-eater, i think it would be wiser for you to try the original one first and then you may go to the next step with durian flavor. come on, try it and tell me what you think about it! :)

Wajik / Brown Sticky Rice Cake

1000 gr white glutinous rice
250 gr palm sugar
750 ml coconut milk (naturally from 1,5 coconut)
salt to taste
3 pandan leaves
10 pieces of durian fleshes, juiced (optional) -- preferably an almost ripened
banana leaves
vegetable oil

directions:

soak the glutinous rice overnight and steam until it is half cooked. remove, set aside and let cool.
cook the palm sugar, coconut milk, salt and pandan (and the optional durian juice) together, stir from time to time and bring it to a boil. reduce the mixture into 2/3.
add the glutinous rice into the syrup and stir until the rice has cooked and the syrup has all been absorbed. let cool for a while, until slightly warm.
line a baking sheet with oiled banana leaves. pour the glutinous rice mixture onto the banana leaves and spread evenly to a thickness of approximately 2,5 cm.
let cool, it will be harden by then. cut into diamond shapes and serve.

that's all for the recipe. it's easy and simple.

thanks for reading everyone!

have a very good day!

sweetened condensed milk pound cake

2011-06-21T21:12:00.002+07:00

hey readers.. guess what! i'm done with all my projects, there's only one thing left for me, my exams. but fortunately, i managed to make 4 different desserts this month. prepare for it! i've posted a bougatsa for you last week and this week is pound cake's turn. hurray!

i got this recipe from Wendy in Table for 2.... or more. she invented this recipe and call it Sweetened Condensed Milk Pound Cake. the reason is simple, it is made from sweetened condensed milk. i grew up as a big fan of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and vanilla, both has their own place in my heart. they always smell so good and always make everything sweeter. i have never imagined on using it in a pound cake until i saw Wendy's recipe. then i started to think, maybe they will match perfectly. too bad, it isn't taste that fantastic. i think i might need to add extra sauce to pour on it, or maybe adding some chocolate chips in the batter. the cake just taste so plain and boring for me because i ate it without any complementary dish. however, eating this with a cup of coffee would be a perfect way to savor this cake, just like wendy did.

out of this cake topic, i am planning my self on joining The Daring Bakers, but somehow feels a little intimidated. i am feeling quite nervous with the recipes they usually make as a challenge. it feels too complicated and i am not dared enough to make it. haha. i should join it though, but not today nor tomorrow. i think maybe next month or next two month or three. well just wait and see.. hahaha. for this moment, let's be simple and enjoy this pound cake.. :)

Sweetened Condensed Milk Pound Cake

original recipe from Table for 2.... or more

120 gr good quality butter

45 gr sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1.5 tsp vanilla paste

120 gr cake flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs

directions:

sift the cake flour and baking powder, set aside.
cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy for about 2 minutes.
add in salt and vanilla paste. cream well.
pour in condensed milk and beat them until well combined.
using the mixer on low speed, add in flour in 3 batches. mix until batter is smooth.
add in eggs one at a time. make sure it's well mixed and smooth.
bake at 175 degree C for 1 hour.

that's all for today people. enjoy!

thanks for reading..

HAPPY BAKING!

bougatsa without poached figs

2011-06-13T22:07:00.001+07:00

hahaha, it is a funny post title, isn't it? well, i am having a Masterchef Australia fever again. and i guess this dessert just appeared few weeks ago in Masterclass, George Calombaris made it. guess what! he extremely hates food-blogger. i just got the info from Not Quite Nigella, she did mention it a few times though. i don't care if he hates us, i just wanted to try to make some of his recipe. but if once in a blue moon, he accidentally read this post, i would like him to kill this page as soon as he could because i haven't cooked his dish into perfection.

bougatsa is a traditional Greek dessert, according to what George said, bougatsa is the Greek version custard tarts. according to wikipedia, bougatsa is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo. i faced some problems making it though. problem number 1, phyllo pastry is very rare here in Jakarta, at least that's what i've been thinking for quite a long time. problem number 2, no figs here, i could substitute it with pear but it leads me to problem number 3. problem number 3, i had no verjuice. problem number 4, i don't have semolina flour. this time i really hope George doesn't read this paragraph, he surely will despise food blogger more because he may think i couldn't find any substitute for it or he'll think i'm crazy trying to make the dish without those ingredients. however, i think there's always a solution to any kitchen's problem and also a substitute to almost every ingredients. i actually think i could make this dish with homemade phyllo pastry, pears, and perhaps a pomegranate juice to substitute verjuice. but, i couldn't make a proper phyllo pastry, i think i made it a little thicker than it should. then i decided not to poach anything to accompany the bougatsa because i was just too lazy that time. the custard ask for semolina flour, i don't have any, even worse i haven't seen semolina flour before, so i substituted it with cornflour though i think it ruined the texture of the custard.

but, let's be honest. the flavor of the custard is beyond amazing. i wonder if i make the phyllo better and perfect, this tart would be divine. what if i added the poached pear or figs, it would be magnificent for sure. not to forget the cinnamon dusting, it enriches the flavor sweetly. i will recreate this dish again someday, with poached pears and also with a pasta machine i hope, rolling pin didn't do the justice for me. somebody please buy me a pasta machine, i will pay you with homemade pasta almost everyday and this homemade bougatsa almost every week. hahaha. in the end, does any of you interested on making this bougatsa?

Bougatsa with Poached Figs
original recipe from Masterchef Australia

fresh filo pastry:
400 gr plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
200 ml warm water (warm = to activate the gluten)
cornflour to dust

bougatsa:
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped out of the bean
2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp semolina flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
200 ml full cream milk
100 ml pure cream
1/2 cup clarified butter, for brushing (clarified butter = to avoid burnt specks; make it by removing the milk solids from melted butter)
icing sugar, to dust
cinnamon powder, to dust

poached figs:
3 cinnamon quills, split into 3-4 pieces lengthways
3 medium figs, halved
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped out of the bean
2/3 cup rose verjuice
4 tbsp water

direction:

preheat oven to 180 degree C.
for filo, place flour, salt, olive oil, and warm water into food processor, process for 1-2 minutes or until mixture forms a ball.
place dough onto a bench, lightly floured with cornflour and knead for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. place into a lightly oiled bowl, wrapped with cling film and let rest for approximately 2 hours.
for bougatsa filling, place vanilla seeds, corn flour, semolina, sugar, egg, milk, and cream into a saucepan and whisk to combine. place over a medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until custard boils and thickens. spread custard over the base of a tray and allow to cool.
for poached figs, spear a piece of cinnamon quill through each fig. place sugar, vanilla bean, verjuice, and water in a small saucepan, add figs, cover with a cartouche and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. turn off heat and leave covered for 5-10 minutes.
remove figs and set to one side. cook liquid for 7-10 minutes or until liquid is thick and syrupy.
Divide pastry into eight portions, roll each portion to approximately one 1cm thick, dusting with cornflour to prevent sticking. cover with a tea towel and rest for 10 minutes.
using a pasta machine, roll out one portion of pastry, starting at the largest setting work through the thinnest setting, rolling the pastry through each setting 2-3 times. laminate pasta a few times at the thickest setting. cut pastry sheets into length, dust with cornflour and using a rolling pin roll sheets until very thin. keep sheets of filo between sheets of baking paper while not working with it so it doesn't dry out.
lightly grease a 6x1/2 cup muffin pan. cut the filo into 15cm x 15cm squares, brush one square with butter and top with second square. gently press squares into prepared pan. cut chilled custard into 3cm cubes and place in the center of the pastry sheet. brush filo with butter, bring together sides and pinch to seal. brush with a little more butter.
bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.
to serve, arrange 3 bougatsa and 3 figs on a serving plate and drizzle with syrup.

whew, what a long recipe! it sounds really chef-y but worth the efforts. come on, try to make some! :)
anyhow, thanks for reading!
happy baking and enjoy your day..

KBB#23: Cheesy Fun

2011-05-31T07:00:00.005+07:00

hello again my dear readers, too bad i have to say that this month i could only give you two posts. i am really keeping up with my college's projects these past weeks. i am doing two projects at a time and the deadline is next week. however, the results are pretty satisfying for me. i am feeling quite content even though i have to sacrifice most of my baking time.

this lemon cheesecake is an obligation for me to post. this is KBB's challenge for May and i really wanted to share this cheesecake with all of you. this cheesecake, according to all the members is a very fantastic cheesecake. it is lemony, light, fragrant, and has a wonderful texture. this cheesecake is a perfect one for those of you who absolutely love lemon. but, truth be told, i am not a huge fan of it. you and i both know about my personal problem with lemon flavor. i do not keen on lemon flavor, especially the strong one. this cheesecake honestly isn't that strong in taste, but the candied lemon on it does. it is not said in the recipe though, i made it on purpose as a garnish. another problem, i also don't really like a strong spice flavor, and i find it on the crumb crust. too strong for me, but not for you spice lover.

some people said, you should not bake or cook anything when you are not in a good mood. i think, i am not in my perfectly good mood too this month. i made some crucial mistakes in the kitchen, the worst part is miscounted the ingredients. hahaha. i love to cut down a recipe, i almost always make all recipes half portion. first time i baked this cheesecake, i have already divided all the ingredients in half except for the mascarpone. i felt so confuse that time why my cheesecake didn't rise and after i found out the reason, i felt so stupid. but the second batch worked so good! to make the long story short, i know some of you out there love lemon much more than i do, i also know that you are interested on making this cheesecake. wait no more, make it soon after you read the recipe! ;)

Lemon Cheesecake

from Successful Baking

8-10 serving

1/4 cup port

1/4 cup orange juice

75 gr. sultanas

150 gr. mascarpone cheese

400 gr. ricotta cheese

125 gr. caster sugar

2 eggs, separated whites and yolks

3 lemon, zested

60 gr. all purpose flour

80 gr. dried apricot

crust:

30 gr. butter, melted

185 gr. ground mixed nuts

8 tsp. caster sugar

4 tsp. dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. mixed spice

direction:

preheat the oven to 170 degree C. prepare 23 cm springform cake tin, grease the base and side with butter. line with baking paper, grease again.
heat the orange juice, port, and sultanas in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes. remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
crust: mix all the ingredients evenly. put in the base and side of the tin, press evenly until all the sides are coated with the crust.
beat mascarpone and ricotta until soft and fluffy, add in sugar, egg yolks, and lemon zest, then add in flour, mix evenly. add in the sultanas-port-orange juice mixture and dried apricots.
beat egg whites until soft peaks form, fold into the cheese mixture. pour into the tin.
put the cake tin on the oven tray/baking tray, bake for about 1 hour, or until set but the center is still wobbly and golden on around the side. turn off the oven. let cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar for about 50-60 minutes.
take out from the oven. use the spatula to loosen the side. cool completely. take out from the oven and chill in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

pavlova

2011-05-16T22:49:00.003+07:00

how long have i been gone? in case you're wondering, if i do math, the answer is 22 days. i could just wait another 8 days to make my self lost for 1 month. i am really really sorry if anyone out there waiting for my posts. as usual, my excuses are college-business, the failing of making any baked goodies, and for this time.. i am running out of many ingredients in my kitchen-shelf. but to be honest, i miss my blog so much, i miss posting recipe and showing my creation here. moreover, i miss commenting at other people's posts and of course amazed by their creation. i can't stand this any longer.. so let me start, let me start!

today's post is pavlova, i really love it when people say this as 'pav', it sounds sweeter. anyhow, this dessert was first invented in Australia. it was named after a Russian Ballerina, Anna Pavlova. it is actually a meringue disk with a crispy surface and soft marshmallowy texture inside. this is my first time making pavlova but it turns out good and i love this dessert so much. beautiful, beautiful dessert! the most lovable part of this dessert is the texture, i love the crispiness of the meringue's surface and the soft-chewy inside, the smell of vanilla and the sweetness of the meringue. oh, it's just too wonderful to be told by words. i want to eat this everyday!

best way to serve this pavlova is classically with whipped cream and fresh fruits. i did that too.. i think sour fruits will balance the sweetness of the meringue better. next time i will make this pavlova in chocolate flavor, i bet it tastes nice as well. for this pavlova, i used Donna Hay's recipe, always a perfection from her! a little trick from me, it is better to shape your meringue quite high and mountainous, it makes the inside chewier and softer. so, don't flatten it too much or you will get a crispy meringue inside outside. wonderful! come on, make some!

Pavlova
recipes by Donna Hay

150ml egg whites (about 4 eggs)
1 cup superfine sugar
2 tbsp cornflour, sifted
2 tsp white vinegar

fresh fruits and whipped cream

direction:

preheat oven to 150 degree C / 300 degree F.
place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy. add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined. shape the mixture into an 18cm round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
reduce ovem to 120 degree C and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. turn the oven off and allow pavlova to cool completely in the oven.
decorate with whipped cream and fresh fruits, or your desired topping.

what happened in my kitchen?

i substituted superfine sugar with vanilla sugar with the same amount.

i guess that's all for today..

thanks for reading and thank you for still being my loyal reader! :)

i love you all!!

three colors trifle

2011-04-24T23:05:00.000+07:00

this is my first time making trifle. you may see how messy it is. it doesn't look neat at all. but please remember, looks maybe deceiving. lol. for the exact meaning of trifle, i'm not quite sure whether this dessert i made can be called as trifle. i didn't use sponge cake nor ladyfinger to layer it, i used chocolate soil instead. for some of you who doesn't know what chocolate soil is, well chocolate soil is basically baked crumbs, it almost resembles cheesecake base (with graham crackers crumbs). the difference is in chocolate soil, it is completely made from scratch and it stays as crumbs until it is baked. i got the recipe for this chocolate soil from my cousin, he will soon graduated as a chef! i don't really know where he got the recipe from.

if chocolate soil is the actor of this dessert, then the white chocolate mousse is the actress, together they become superstars. the pressure point is to make the mousse silky smooth. if you can make it silky smooth then this white chocolate mousse will be flawless. it will be so perfect in flavor and also the texture. the keys to make it smooth are a perfect custard and a perfect whipped cream. never ever let your custard overcooked, it will curdle and nobody likes curdled custard. but if somehow you fail and get a slightly curdled custard, you may strain it using a fine mesh sieve, it helps a lot to clarify the custard. over-whipped cream is as bad as curdled custard. if you over whipped your cream, it may become buttery and not creamy anymore. when you whip your cream, stop at the almost stiff peaks not at the stiff peaks stage. however, i'm not Mr. Google nor Ms. Pastry Chef, so please feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.

this trifle consists of four different layers; they are chocolate soil, white chocolate mousse, strawberry puree, and the last is strawberry jelly. i put the strawberry to cut the sweetness of this trifle, strawberry gives some acidity to it so the trifle could end up in a balance of flavor. but i do regret something from this dessert, the strawberry jelly. it ruins the texture of my white chocolate mousse. maybe i should not put it above the mousse or what, i don't know. i think if i'll make it again, i will omit the strawberry jelly part. you may or maybe should omit that part too.. ;)

Three Colors Trifle
serves 3 glasses

chocolate soil:
25 gr sugar
25 gr almond flour
15 gr plain flour
10 gr cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter, melted

**preheat the oven to 150 degree C. combine all the ingredients until resembles the texture of soil. scatter on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

white chocolate mousse:
modified from Claire Robinson, food network
100 gr white chocolate, chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp sugar
1/8 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup

**in a large glass bowl. place the chopped white chocolate and set aside. add the yolk and sugar into a small bowl and whisk until pale in color. in a saucepan, over low heat, bring 1/8 cup of the cream to a simmer, slowly add the cream into the yolk and sugar mixture to temper. pour the creamy mixture back into pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of it. pour the hot mixture into a fine mesh sieve placed directly over bowl with the chopped chocolate. stir until completely smooth. in another bowl, whip remaining 1/2 cup of the cream to almost stiff peaks. fold half the whipped cream into the white chocolate custard. mix to lighten and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

strawberry puree:
8 medium size strawberries, halved
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar

**put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse it until all strawberries are mashed.

assembling:

spoon each glass with chocolate soil, level it. layering with white chocolate mousse, strawberry puree, and white chocolate mousse again, and so on. repeat with the remaining mixture.
top with sliced strawberries and arrange the slices beautifully on top.

many elements but not too much effort to be put. it tastes delicious for me, how about you?

thanks for reading,

HAPPY EASTER! :)

ginger creme brulee

2011-04-17T22:05:00.000+07:00

i have a long list of sweets i wanted to make lately. but they basically need more egg whites than egg yolks. regarding to it, i decided to make some desserts with yolks first and the simplest yet satisfying one is creme brulee. but maybe this is going to be my last creme brulee in some short terms, i've been making quite many brulees recently and eating them frequently makes me almost sick. lol. that's why i think maybe i should give my self a break from it for a while.

the creme brulee i made this time is flavored with ginger. the idea came to me due to my preferences of drinking wedang ronde or sekoteng. wedang ronde and sekoteng are two of our traditional desserts in Indonesia. both of them have warm sweet ginger soup, wedang ronde is a warm sweet ginger soup with glutinous rice ball stuffed with peanut paste while sekoteng is a warm sweet ginger soup with roasted peanuts, tapioca pearls, toasted white bread, etc. they taste wonderful, i should post it here someday. well, back to the reason why i made this ginger creme brulee. sekoteng and wedang ronde are commonly served warm, however i sometimes prefer mine cold. haha.

i always like the sensation of eating cold ginger-something. ginger gives a sweet and warming flavor to your body, it is very nice to enjoy ginger warm on rainy days, it can quickly warm you. however, i mostly have it on sunny days so i prefer the cold version. that's why i came up with this ginger creme brulee. i thought maybe infusing a hint of ginger flavor in custard would be nice. and the result... unfortunately i still prefer vanilla creme brulee. hahaha. i still couldn't give my heart to any brulee flavor except vanilla. lucky vanilla, pity me.. but still, this brulee actually has unique flavor and i pretty like it too. how about you?

Ginger Creme Brulee
modified from Jamie Oliver, The Naked Chef 2

1 cm ginger
75 ml double cream
50 ml full fat milk
2 egg yolks
20 gr sugar

directions:
preheat the oven to 140 degree C. roast the ginger until fragrant, crushed it until almost becoming a paste. put it into the pan with the cream and milk and slowly bring to the boil. meanwhile beat together the yolks and the sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. when the cream and milk are just boiling, remove from the heat and using a fine mesh sieve add the cream mixture little by little to the egg mixture (sieve the ginger and press it using a teaspoon so the flavor are all extracted), whisking continuously. remove any bubbles or froth from the mixture before dividing it into the serving dishes. stand these in an appropriately sized roasting tray filled with water half way up the containers, and bake in the preheated oven for around 35 minutes until the custard mixture has set but is still slightly wobbly in the center. allow to cool to room temperature then place in the fridge until ready to serve. sprinkle with sugar and caramelize under a very hot grill or using a kitchen blowtorch.

so are you interested on trying a new unique flavor? i hope you enjoy my today's post.
thanks for reading, have a nice day!

onbitjkoek

2011-04-10T22:04:00.000+07:00

hello everyone! i'm back again. haha. this time will be the time for onbitjkoek. onbitjkoek is one of the traditional Indonesian sweets which may be influenced by the Dutch. well, it is basically a sponge cake flavored with spices and lots and lots of java almonds. this cake will make a good recommendation for elder people though. not preferably for us, under 40 years old. lol.

the reason why i want to make this cake is because i had a big family gathering today. most of the attendance are elderly. since onbitjkoek probably will suit their taste-bud, i decided to make this classic cake. i always love the technique of making sponge cake. i failed thousand times before when i have just started baking. however, i eventually succeed and it felt so satisfying, that's why i love making it now. it feels like repeating your victory over and over again. ;)

i used KBB as my references on making this onbitjkoek. KBB ever came with onbitjkoek challenge when i haven't joined them yet. i saw the recipe not from KBB's website but from KBB's member's blog, it was Mbak Hanna's blog. she made a slight modification for this cake and i thought it is better with the modification. this is an excellent recipe and i feel glad using this recipe. all people eating this say that it was delicious. so why don't you give it a try and make this soon?

Onbitjkoek
originally from YasaBoga modified by Keluarga Cinta

125 gr palm sugar
5 egg yolks
3 egg whites
125 gr all purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
50 gr butter, melted
50 gr java almonds, chopped

directions:

preheat the oven to 180 degree C. line a loaf tin with parchment paper, grease with butter and thinly dust with flour.
beat the egg yolks, egg whites, and sugar until pale and double in volume. the batter would fall back in slow ribbon when the mixer is lifted.
meanwhile, sift all the dry ingredients except sugar in a medium bowl. fold the flour mixture into the eggs mixture altogether with the melted butter and some chopped nuts. fold until just incorporated.
pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes (half cooked).
scatter the chopped java almonds on the cake surface and bake for another 15-20 minutes more.
let cool in the tin. remove cake from the tin and serve.

enjoy!

thanks for reading..

have a wonderful day! :)

KBB#22: Spun Sugar

2011-03-31T22:13:00.000+07:00

hello again my dearest reader.. today i'll give you one amazing KBB's challenge again. hmm, this challenge was quite shocking yet fascinating this time. i am so glad to be able to try and make this beautiful spun sugar. never tried before but i've already seen lots of them in my life and they are so wonderful. i've never thought that i'd make it somehow. i love making spun sugar, the reason is because i love pastries so much and i also love arts, making spun sugar is like combining those two of my favorites together. moreover, it's caramel! sweet!

spun sugar is basically done by burning sugar syrup until it becomes amber color and when it start to thicken it is shaped into our own imagination. we can use either spoon or fork, and for something more artsy we may use trimmed whisk. wondering what is a trimmed whisk? it is actually made by cutting all of the circular wire edge of your whisk so you will end up having a whisk that looks like Harry Potter's magic broom. lol. however, making spun sugar will create an awful mess in your kitchen so before you start spinning the sugar, please cover all your working area with parchment paper or newspaper.

to be honest, i didn't experience too much problem on making this spun sugar. i stick with the original recipe of this challenge and they turned out so satisfying for me. it is all maybe because i do caramel quite often and i've befriended them long enough, or maybe i'm just lucky this time.. the only key to create beautiful spun sugar is patience. you have to wait quite long to see the syrup turns into the amber color. and as you all may have known already, be very careful when you make caramel, you work on an extremely hot temperature. beside all of the spun sugar madness, KBB's theme this month was actually titled 'Made In Indonesia' and KBB still asks us to make something that was created by an Indonesian people or something that was originally came from Indonesia. so, i used one of my own recipe of Molten Chocolate Cake and decorated it with the spun sugar. ta-da!

Molten Chocolate Cake with Spun Sugar
serves 2 ramekins

50 gr bitter-sweet cooking chocolate

75 gr butter

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp dark rum

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1.5 tbsp all purpose flour

direction:

preheat the oven to 350 deg F. prepare 2 greased ramekins, dust them thinly with sugar. set aside.
melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. when the butter has all melt, remove from heat. stir it gently from the center of the bowl to the outside.
add in the cocoa powder into the chocolate-butter mixture, stir gently until it dissolves. add the vanilla extract and rum.
beat the egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt until they become very pale and creamy. mix in the chocolate mixture until they are evenly incorporated. fold in the flour.
pour the batter into the ramekins and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edge look firm but still wobbly in the center.
to serve: place an up-turned serving plate on the ramekin, gently turn them upside down, and the cake will slowly fall into the plate. serve warm with a scoop of ice-cream or a dollop of whipped cream, garnished with almond flakes if you like.

Spun Sugar (Angel's Hair)

from Dessert Techniques by Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup water

direction:

heat the sugar syrup to 311 F then plunge into a pan of cold water to halt the cooking process.
cover your work surface with parchment paper. holding a rolling pin in one hand over the paper, dip the whisk into the sugar syrup and flick it back and forth over the rolling pin so that railing threads are formed.
gently gather up the strands and fold them back over the rolling pin. loosen and lift them or slide them off the pin gently.
break the sugar in half and gently shape each half as desired in your hands.

what happened in my kitchen?

for the molten chocolate cake: i served it with a shot of baileys and omitted the almond flakes.
for the spun sugar: i made half of the recipe's amount, i ended up with 2 angel's hair and 2 caramel cage.
i didn't use candy thermometer, the indicator of 311 F is when your spun sugar starts to turn into amber color, take it off the heat and plunge the saucepan into the cold water.
do not place the saucepan in the cold water for too long or it will harden quicker.
i didn't use rolling pin for gathering the sugar strains, i used one pair of wooden spatula as you can see on the photos above.

so, it's quite intimidating and i'm not gonna lie and tell you that it is an easy and simple task. this is quite difficult and need a little higher technique. but if you are patience and careful, i'm sure you can do this. believe me, this is really fun and i really want to make another spun sugar again next time.

thanks for reading everyone! :)

may you have a super amazing day!

lemon meringue mini tartlets

2011-03-21T22:09:00.003+07:00

hey hey! this is my best lemon meringue pie ever made, you should know. hahaha. but at first, for your information i don't really like lemon flavor, it sometimes tastes like car-perfume for me. lol. however, any desserts involving lemon always look more appealing to me. the pale yellow color always strikes me. that's why i never stop making lemon-desserts, fortunately mom loves anything tangy.

i made lemon meringue pie before, but it didn't turn out really good. i over-kneaded the crust and the filling tasted extremely weird. not like this one superstar, these lemon meringue mini tarts have a perfect filling that i even love. it's me the one who doesn't like lemon flavor loves this lemon filling. this recipe is Donna Hay's by the way, she has never disappointed me so far. her combination of flavor always hits me sensationally. the filling tastes a little tart but somehow i can feel creaminess there. moreover, it goes perfect with the sweet meringue top. they complete each other beautifully. if you are a big fan of lemon meringue pie, try this. i think you'll be dazzled.

too bad, i made a crucial mistake to this cute mini tartlets. i must have done something wrong with the egg whites because they couldn't form a stiff glossy peaks. they resemble more like icing so they couldn't stands tall and beautiful. hate it! if only the meringue was perfect, these mini-tartlets would definitely be cuter. other thing to inform, i finally use my blowtorch again, lol. i was sooo afraid before on using it but yesterday with experts' supervisor i used it, it isn't look as scary as i thought. actually i was kind of excited to use it and wanted to use it again really soon, wait for it! hahaha. without further ado, let's see the recipe.

Lemon Meringue Mini Tartlets
modified from Donna Hay

1/2 qty sable pastry

lemon curd:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/8 cup cornflour
1/4 cup milk, extra
40 gr butter, chopped
1/3 cup (90ml) lemon juice
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks

meringue:
75 ml very fresh egg whites, about 2 eggs
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice

direction:

preheat oven to 200 degree C (390 degree F). line a lightly greased mini muffin tins with the pastry and trim edges. prick the base with fork and line with baking paper and baking weights. bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 15 minutes or until golden and crisp, cool on a wire rack. remove pastry from the tins.
to make the curd: place the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. place the cornflour and extra milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. pour the cornflour mixture into the milk mixture and stir to combine. bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low. add the butter and whisk until melted and combined. add the lemon juice, rind and egg yolks and cook, whisking, for 5 minutes or until thickened. do not boil or else it will curdle. spoon the lemon mixture into the pastry case and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
to make the meringue: place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until soft peaks form. gradually add the sugar and white vinegar and beat until thick and glossy. spoon the meringue on top of the curd and grill (broil) under a preheated hot grill for 1-2 minutes or until golden and cooked.

what happened in my kitchen?

i didn't follow the instructions for making meringue at all. that's why my meringue fail. lol. well, you should follow the directions and i can guarantee it will turn out well.
i didn't use the grill to burn the meringue, i used blowtorch as i've already said. but after a while i think maybe it would be better to use the grill since this meringue hasn't been tempered and probably needs to be broil slowly so that it will be enough cooked. well, it was my opinion, correct me if i'm wrong.

that's all for today's post. these mini tartlets are perfect for entertaining party or brunch. enjoy!

thanks for reading and have a great day! :)

famous amos' chocolate chip cookies

2011-03-13T21:28:00.000+07:00

it takes me about 5 minutes to name today's post. i wrote one, then i erased it, and it keeps going on for 5 minutes until i finally decide to name it "famous amos' chocolate chip cookies". to be honest, i think it still sounds wrong for me because it's not famous amos' real recipe. it's almost. or maybe it's the real famous amos' recipe? man, this is really confusing.

i found this recipe around the blogging neighborhood. there was a story behind this recipe and not only story but also a controversy whether it is true or not. ha ha. i don't really care, what i care is that this cookie taste extremely amazing and unbelievably delicious. i got this recipe from Biskuit Raya through Mbak Regina's blog. she was a member of KBB and has so many great recipes in her blog. this recipe has been so famous since i haven't started blogging and i never thought i will finally make this.

the reason why i made this cookies is simply because i miss famous amos. famous amos has became quite rare here in West Jakarta. fortunately, about 2 weeks ago i went to my favorite supermarket here and find a kiosk that sells famous amos' cookies. love it so much. the only thing that stop me from buying a lot of it is because of the super expensive price. so i guess it would be a waste if everytime i want to eat that cookie, i have to spent that much money. that's why i give that recipe a try and found out that it really really resembles famous amos, both the texture and the taste. try this and i bet you'll think thrice on buying famous amos again.

Almost Famous Amos Cookies
following Mbak Regina's version

115 gr butter, cold and cut into cubes
100 gr caster sugar
90 gr brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 vanilla extract
100 gr oats, grind to a fine powder, sieved
125 gr plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
150 gr almond, coarsely chopped
150 gr milk chocolate chips
90 gr milk chocolate bar, finely grated

direction:

cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
add in egg and vanilla, beat until well combined.
add in flour, salt, oat powder, baking soda, and baking powder. mix until just combined. do not overmix as the cookies may become hard in texture.
add the chocolate and nut mixture, mix until just combined.
leave the dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
lay a baking paper on the cookie sheet.
take about 1/2 tsp each of the mixture and put on the cookie sheets. leave the dough ball stay high so that it will become crunchier.
bake for about 10 minutes.
return the remaining dough to the fridge while waiting for the batch to come out from the oven.
cool on the cooling tray.
store in airtight container.

that's all for today's post. you really have to make this once you read this. lol.

thanks for reading, have a very good day!

florentine tarts with frangipane filling

2011-02-18T22:37:00.001+07:00

hello hello! today i'm going to post another sweet things, helplessly sweet things. i am quite sure that this is a tartlet that every kids in the world would die for. i am exaggerating a bit, but if i was a kid and my mom making this i would run to the kitchen straight away and ate it as fast as i can. man, this sweet-goodies is so incredibly magnificent.

when i saw this tarts for the very first time at Jr. Masterchef, i had already fallen in love with this tarts. moreover, i have never tasted a frangipane tarts before. i wondered what it tastes like. i found frangipane filling is very unique simply because of its name. it's frangipane and frangipane is a name of flower. i personally love the smell of the flower but never imagine how it would taste like. lately, after i entered 'frangipane filling' in the search engine, i knew that my thought was obviously wrong. the frangipane filling has no relation to any of frangipane flowers have ever existed. ha ha. frangipane filling is basically a filling that has a cake/pastry-like texture with almond flavor. i was getting more curious.

a tart with frangipane itself has already have a beautiful delicate soft almond flavor. i absolutely don't mind eating it without any topping on. but the thought of having another rich flavor added to it couldn't stop me from making the topping. especially when the topping involves flaked almond, cornflakes, and caramel. ooh.. la.. la.. . anyhow, when i first saw the recipe i thought this tarts would be too sweet for my liking, so i tweaked it a little with the sugar and honey. i'll still give you the original recipe though. enjoy!

Florentine Tartlets with Frangipane
adapted from Junior Masterchef
serves 6-8 tartlets

sable pastry:
225 gr plain flour
75 gr icing sugar
pinch of salt
150 gr unsalted butter, chilled, diced
1 egg

frangipane:
40 gr unsalted butter
40 gr caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
60 gr almond meal

topping:
50 gr honey
50 gr caster sugar
50 gr unsalted butter
50 gr flaked almonds
60 gr glaced cherries
20 gr cornflakes
100 gr dark chocolate

direction:

preheat oven to 180 degree C.
pastry: sift flour, icing sugar, and salt in a large bowl. add the butter, rubs until resembles fine breadcrumbs. mix in egg and knead dough until just combined.
place half the dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out as thin as possible approx. 3mm. refrigerate. reserve remaining in fridge.
frangipane: add butter and sugar to the chopper attachment of stick blender and blend until thick and creamy, use a spoon to scrape the sides of the chopper if required. add egg and egg white and process until combined. add almond meal and process until combined.
grease 6x8cm loose based tart pans. remove chilled pastry from fridge, using a 10cm round pastry cutter, cut discs from pastry and use to line the prepared tart pans and trim any excess pastry.
spoon frangipane mixture evenly between 6 tart shells, place on a baking tray and bake in oven for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through and golden. remove tartlets from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes.
topping: combine honey, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan, stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and mixture become foamy. add almonds, cherries and cornflakes and stir gently until combined.
place chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stir chocolate until just melted, spoon into piping bag, using scissors snip the end to make a small hole. spoon the topping onto the tarts, then drizzle with chocolate to serve.

what happened in my kitchen?

for the sable pastry: i cut down the icing sugar from 75 gr to 50 gr. as the compensation, i added another 25 grams of flour to the dry ingredients.
make sure the sable pastry stay cold and don't knead it too much, you don't wanna end up with a tough pastry base.
for the frangipane: i only used 25 grams of caster sugar instead of 40 grams. make sure the filling is baked until light golden brown as you don't want to have an undercooked filling, i'm not sure if mine's perfectly-baked though.
for the topping: at the very last minute, i just realized that i was running out of honey. so i replaced it with maple syrup (hey, it's maple syrup and butter, they're still a perfect match). and personally i think the topping tastes much more better with maple syrup instead of honey.
i only made half recipe of the topping and it was enough for 8 tartlets.
i used smaller tart-shells and smaller cutter and was able to make 8 tartlets.
eating it while the topping is still hot or warm can lead you into sore throat. please wait, i know it's hard but please..

it's quite a long recipe but seriously, this is to die for. come on try!

thanks for reading, people.

have a very pleasant day!

donna hay's four tier chocolate cake

2011-02-07T21:33:00.002+07:00

hey! valentine's day is approaching. have you planned your valentine's treat? i have. i've gone crazy with it. LOL. okay, please don't get bored with me talking about Junior Masterchef again. but because of that show, i have tons of thing i wanted to cook for the valentine's day. especially since there was so many pasta involved in that show, i wanted to make pasta for valentine. but that will be in next week's post, let's elaborate this one first.

today, i came to post Donna Hay's Four Tier Chocolate Cake. where this recipe comes from? Junior Masterchef (again). this is their pressure test on one of the episodes. this cake originally looks very innocent and plain. the point is to decorate them beautifully with 'less is more' principle. i always love berries when it comes to decorating pastry, this time i used red currant. red currant makes the cake looking more festive and merrier, but in the other hand i feel like i should use this decoration for Christmas Day instead of Valentine's Day. you can adjust the decoration to your liking, maybe with some heart-shaped candy for valentine? i can guarantee you this one is a must on your special day with your special someone. a cake that can make you feel loved more than ever, even when you eat it alone.

when i saw the kids making this cake, i've thought about how easy and simple making this cake would be. i searched the recipe very soon from their site and found out that my thought is true. this is a simple cake with simple ingredients. i love making this cake. moreover, you should know how this cake tastes. this is the best chocolate cake i've ever tasted! i ended up making this cake twice. the first one was planned to be given for S. , the ultimate chocolate lover, i only tasted so little when he ate it and give me a small bite to try. i felt disappointed.. disappointed because i only made it for him! i should make some for me either. so the next day, i made it again and have a big slice for myself. then i assumed, my college friends would love this too, they've never tasted my baking-goods because we've been friends for just about 1.5 years. i still don't have the guts to give it to them. this is the first cake i gave for them and i'm amazed with their reactions. they can't stop slicing and slicing this cake and eat it! this is truly the best chocolate cake i've ever known. you should really try making this sensational cake..

Donna Hay's Four Tier Chocolate Cake
by Donna Hay through Junior Masterchef

1/2 cup (125 ml) water
60 gr butter, chopped
2 tbsp cocoa, sifted
1 cup (150 gr) plain flour, sifted
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sifted
1 cup (220 gr) caster sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup (60 ml) buttermilk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

chocolate cream cheese frosting:
50 gr butter, softened
250 gr cream cheese, softened
1 cup (160 gr) icing sugar mixture, sifted
1/4 cup (25 gr) cocoa, sifted

direction:

preheat the oven to 150 degree C (fan-forced)
place the water, butter and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the butter has melted. place the flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a bowl, add the cocoa mixture and whisk to combine. add the egg, buttermilk and vanilla and whisk to combine. divide mixture between 2 lightly greased 12 cm round cake tins lined with non-stick baking paper. bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes. turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
while the cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting. place the butter and cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6-8 minutes or until pale and creamy. add the icing sugar and cocoa and beat for a further 6-8 minutes or until light and fluffy.
to assemble, slice the cakes in half horizontally. place one cake layer on a plate and spread with one quarter of the frosting. repeat with remaining layers and frosting. decorate as desired.

what happened in my kitchen?

the first time i baked this cake, i used 150 degree C temperature on a non fan-forced oven, it takes about 1.5 hours to bake. but for the second time, i used 180 degree C temperature and bake it for about 35-40 minutes, the result is the same. moist and tender.
substitution for buttermilk: 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp apple cider / 1 tbsp white vinegar / 1 tbsp lemon juice
i didn't have two 12 cm round cake tins, so i used one 16 cm and only able to make 2 tier.
i reduced the sugar for the cake to 1/2 cup and for the icing to 3/4 cup. personally it still tastes a bit too sweet for me with that reduction. adjust the sugar to your liking freely. a little advice, reduce it from the cake first instead of the frosting because icing sugar is very important for frosting.

that's it! go straight to your kitchen and make it very soon before valentine. make sure you leave some or maybe a lot of slices for your self before giving it to other people..

thanks for reading!

have a very pleasant day! :)