Yue's Handicrafts ~月の工作坊~

Asian Pear & Oolong Mousse Cake

2012-01-26T21:45:00.000Z

This lovely mousse cake is when East meets West.

The subtle, sweet & fragrant oolong mousse with crispy Asian pears coupled with the chewy & moist pecan brownie.

When it melts in the mouth, I can feel the delicacy & sweetness, gradually overtaken by the rich & nutty chocolate brownie.

I've chosen to use Asian pear over William pear.

William pear usually go tender after poaching, but I wanted crunchy bits in the mousse & Asian pear retains its crisp texture.

Plus, Asian pear is very juicy with a delicate & refreshing fragrant.

It is one of my favourite fruit.

Oolong tea varies in taste & the tea I used is originated from China which is sweet & fruity.

The taste of oolong tea is vital so I would recommend to get the best oolong tea you can get hold of.

I really like it, especially the mousse & I'll definitely make it again :)

You can also make a 'West meets West' version, simply replacing the oolong tea with black tea like earl grey, Asian pear with William pear.

Recipe (8" square):
Oolong Tea Poached Asian Pears

2 Asian pears, peeled, cored & diced

5 g oolong tea leaves, in a tea infuser

50 g granulated sugar

200 g water

In a saucepan, combine sugar & water, bring water to boil & stir until sugar dissolved.

Remove from heating, put in the pears & the infuser containing oolong tea.

Leave to stand for 3-5 min then remove tea infuser but leave pears to stand for at least 1 h.

Drain the pears & reserve the syrup.

Pecan Chocolate Brownie

2 eggs, separated

75 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

80 g sugar

100 g dark chocolate 72%

100 g salted butter

45 g plain flour

Preheat oven to 190C & line a parchment paper on a 8" square pan.

Melt chocolate & butter over simmering water, stir until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with 20 g sugar until light & creamy, fold in the chocolate butter.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites with remaining sugar to soft peaks, fold in chocolate batter.

Sift in the flour & add the pecan nuts, fold until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 18-20 min.

Oolong Syrup

50 ml pear oolong syrup

1/2 tbsp whisky

Combine all ingredients.

Oolong White Chocolate Mousse

3 egg yolks

350 g whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks

20 g sugar

120 g white chocolate, melted

10 g sheet gelatine, bloomed in cool water

200 ml milk

10 g oolong tea leaves

Combine oolong tea & milk in a saucepan, bring the milk to boil then keep it simmering for 3-5 min, remove tea leaves.

Add in the bloomed gelatine & stir until dissolved.

Add in melted chocolate & stir until smooth.

In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with sugar over simmering water until pale & creamy.

Pour in the chocolate milk & stir until smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream until smooth.

Topping Jelly

150 ml pear oolong syrup

2 tsp whisky

4 g sheet gelatine, bloomed

Combine all ingredients, heat using microwave & stir until gelatine is dissolved.

Assembling

Remove the brownie & place it at the bottom of a 8" square mousse ring.

Brush generous amount of oolong syrup on the brownie.

Pour the oolong mousse over the brownie, arrange the pears evenly over the mousse, refrigerate to set.

Pour the jelly on top & refrigerate to set.

Carefully remove the cake from the mousse ring, cut into 10 entremets & decorate with fruits.

Michel Rostang's Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

2012-01-20T19:53:00.000Z

One word to this chocolate cake, DIVINE.

Fall in love instantly with this moist & melt-in-the-mouth chocolate mousse cake.

I added a little variations to the recipe.

I really like the subtle note of Grand Marnier matching with bittersweet chocolate & I used muscovado sugar to increase the richness & moisture.

I baked a small 6" cake instead of 8", only because I didn't have a 8" pan in hands.

I think it's the right size, a small slice with a cup of tea makes my day happy & satisfied after the photo shoot.

Below is my favourite photo of the day, really like the tone & composition :)

Recipe (6" round):

adapted from here

60 g dark chocolate 72%

40 ml hot brewed espresso or strong brewed coffee

50 g salted butter, soften

65 g dark muscovado sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 tbsp Grand Marnier

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 200C, line a parchment paper at the base & grease the side of a 6" springform pan.

Dissolve 30 g of sugar in hot brewed espresso or coffee.

In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate over simmering water, stir in the espresso or coffee.

Remove from heating, stir in butter until smooth.

Stir in egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.

Add in Grand Marnier, stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites with the remaining sugar to soft peaks.

Fold the 1/3 of egg whites into the chocolate batter until smooth.

Fold in the remainder of the egg whites.

Pour in 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan, cover & refrigerate the remaining batter.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 min, remove from heating & cool to room temperature, cool further in a refrigerator (at least 1 h).

Pour the remaining batter on top of the cake, return to the oven & bake at 200C for 25 min or until a skewer inserted come out almost dry.

Leave to cool & refrigerate for at least 4 h or overnight before serving.

Run a blunt knife around the edges & carefully remove the cake from the pan.

Dust with cocoa powder & serve.

Note: If you're using 8" cake pan, just double the recipe.

White Wine Cheesecake

2012-01-13T19:43:00.000Z

I almost forgot to share this recipe, the photos were lost in my endless photo library.

I've created a new portfolio from 500px as you can see I've added a new badge & a new tab at the top :)

So, I'm reorganising my photo library at the moment.

A snapshot of my 500px wall.

I found the photos from the library & then I've to find the recipe...

Luckily, I have an iPad & I've used it to jot down note & recipe.

I barely remember what I liked about the cheesecake but the chewy bits & the subtle note of wine.. from my note.

Recipe (8" round):

Crust

150 g viennese butter cookie crumbs

75 g unsalted butter, melted

Mix all ingredients & press into a loosebase cake pan.

Grapes in White Wine

240 ml white wine

200 g green grapes, chopped

1 tbsp dried osmanthus (optional)

Combine all ingredients & leave to stand overnight.

Drain to remove grapes & reserve the wine for the filling & topping.

Cheesecake Filling

250 g cream cheese

100 g sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

240 ml whipping cream

10 g sheet gelatine

120 ml white wine, from grapes in white wine

grapes in white wine

In a small saucepan dissolve sheet gelatine in white wine over low heat.

Beat cream cheese, sugar & lemon juice until smooth, then fold in gelatine mixture.

Whisk whipping cream to soft peaks, then gently fold into the cheese mixture.

Fold in the chopped grapes.

Pour into the prepared pan & refrigerate to set.

Decoration

90 ml white wine, from grapes in white wine

15 g sugar

50 g water

4 g sheet gelatine

Grapes

Lemon slices

In a small saucepan, combine wine, sugar, water & gelatine over low heat until gelatine is dissolved, cool slightly.

Pour over the cheesecake & refrigerate to set.

Remove from the pan & decorate with lemon slices & grapes.

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake

2012-01-05T19:13:00.000Z

On New Year day, I'd gone home to celebrate with my family.

We had hotpot & dumplings :)

Hotpot is simple to prepare but it's absolutely tasty, also very enjoyable with family & friends.

On new year's eve, I didn't go out for countdown but baked a simple yet delicious chocolate whipped cream cake.

I brought that home for desserts after the meal but my sister also made two delicious cakes.

I took the chances to take some photographs & also to practice the skill of using flash indoors.

Food Photography Practice

Recipe:

Chocolate Whipped Cream Cake

2 eggs

100 g icing sugar

232 g double cream

110 g plain flour

24 g corn flour

20 g cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl, whisk double cream with icing sugar to soft peaks.

Add eggs, one at a time, beat until mix.

Mix & sift in all flours, fold until combine.

Bake in a preheated oven at 170C for 30-40 min.

Chocolate ganache

25 g dark chocolate 72%, chopped

30 g double cream

In a saucepan, bring double cream to boil, stir in chocolate until dissolve, leave to cool.

Pour ganache over the cake & decorate with chopped nuts.

Brésilienne

2011-12-31T11:41:00.000Z

This is the first time I've tried to test the recipe from the book 素材より素材らしく―杉野英実の菓子 (Le Goût Authentique Retrouvé by Hidemi Sugino) my friend bought it for me from Japan in September.

I've tried to make Pomme d'Eve but the recipe wasn't his, I might give it a try sometimes.

Evan from Evan's Kitchen Ramblings has tried many desserts, all of them look gorgeous.

The recipe I chose to give a closure to 2011 was Brésilienne.

A truly elegant dessert consists of coffee mousse, caramel mousse & coffee joconde biscuit.

I have to say I didn't do a perfect job to make the entremets look like the photos from the book.

I didn't have the right mousse rings & I did make a mess with the first cake when I spread the glazing on top.

So, I gave up with the glazing part...

I think the taste is the most important.

First of all, this cake is definitely not for people with a sweet tooth, if you're coffee lover, you'll fall in love with it.

When eating the coffee mousse alone, it's quite bitter.

But the sweetness is enhanced by the caramel mousse & the coffee joconde.

I personally think the Cognac syrup for the joconde is a must as it adds a sophisticated note to the cake.

Thank you for joining me in my journey of baking this year.

Wishing you all the best the coming year.

Recipe (make five 3" x 3" or ten 1.5" x 3" entremets):

from Le Goût Authentique Retrouvé by Hidemi Sugino

Sirop à 30°B / Simple syrup

130 g sugar

100 g water

In a saucepan, bring the sugar & water to boil.

When all sugar crystals have dissolved, pour into a sterile jar & let cool.

Keep the extra in the refrigerator after use.

Biscuit joconde sans beurre au café (9" square)

25 g ground almond

25 g icing sugar

20 g egg yolks

15 g egg whites

2 g instant coffee (mix with 1 tsp of hot water)

23 g plain flour

Meringue

50 g egg whites

30 g caster sugar

Combine icing sugar & ground almonds in a bowl.

Add in egg yolks & egg whites, whisk until thick & fluffy.

Fold in flour.

To make the meringue, whisk egg whites & caster sugar together until stiff peaks then fold into the yolk mixture.

Fold in coffee.

Spread a thin layer of mixture on the baking tray lined with baking paper with spatula.

Bake in a preheated oven at 230C for 6-7 mins until golden.

Sirop d'imbibage

30 g sirop à 30°B

1 tbsp Cognac

1 tbsp water

Mix all ingredients & set aside.

Mousse au café

135 g whipping cream, whipped up

2 g sheet gelatine, bloom in cold water

12.5 g Cognac

Crème anglaise au café

60 g milk

10 g instant coffee

30 g egg yolks

20 g caster sugar

To make crème anglaise au café, whisk egg yolks & sugar in a saucepan, bring milk & coffee to boil in another saucepan then slowly whisk it into the yolk mixture.

Whisk the yolk mixture while heating over low heat until 82-85C.

Remove from heating & stir in the gelatine.

After cooling, mix in the Cognac.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Mousse au caramel

Crème caramel

75 g whipping cream

1/10 vanilla pod, split & seeded

43 g granulated sugar

25 g glucose

Pâte à bombe

30 g egg yolks

25 g sirop à 30°B

135 g whipping cream, whipped up

4 g sheet gelatine, bloom in cold water

1 tsp Cognac

To make crème caramel, warm whipping cream & vanilla.

In a saucepan, combine sugar & glucose, heat over low heat & caramelise, carefully stir in vanilla cream, then stir in Cognac.

Sift through to remove vanilla pod then stir in gelatine.

To make pâte à bombe, bring the syrup to boil then add slowly to egg yolks with stirring.

Fold pâte à bombe into creme caramel, fold in whipped cream.

Decoration

Coffee extract

Nappage (or apricot glaze)

Assembling

Cut the joconde into 3" square & place at the bottom of the mousse ring, Soak with syrup then pipe in the coffee mousse until half the height of the mousse ring.

Place another joconde on top & soak with syrup.

Pipe in the caramel mousse, freeze until firm.

Brush with coffee extract & cover the top with nappage/apricot glaze.

Remove from the rings & serve.

Chestnut Loaf Cake

2011-12-24T15:43:00.000Z

Winter is the time for chestnuts.

The lovely smell of chestnut, the rich & moist texture, the sophisticated note of rum all give to subtle & nutty flavours.

It's great on its own or as an accompanied to a hot cup of tea or coffee.

Also, a great way to celebrate winter.

Wish you all have a merry Christmas & happy New Year.

Recipe (4" x 8" pound cake):

Sweetened Chestnuts

200 g ready to use chestnuts

80 g water

40 g sugar

1 tbsp rum

Combine all ingredients & leave to stand for 2-4 hours.

Chestnut Loaf Cake

150 g sweetened chestnuts, drained & roughly chopped

100 g unsalted butter, soften

90 g icing sugar

2 eggs (L), separated

100 g unsweetened chestnut puree

100 g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp soda

1 tbsp rum

Preheat oven to 170C, mix & sift plain flour, baking powder & soda.

In a large bowl, whisk butter with 45 g of sugar until light & fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, until smooth.

Blend in chestnut puree & rum, mix until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy then add in remaining sugar gradually, then whisk to soft peaks.

Add 1/3 egg whites into chestnut batter, fold in gently.

Sift in flours, fold gently to mix.

Add the remaining egg whites & fold until smooth.

Add chestnut pieces & fold to mix.

Pour into a pound cake pan & bake for 40-50 min.

Chestnut Cream

100 g unsweetened chestnut puree

40 g unsalted butter

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp rum

Melt butter in a microwave & combine with all other ingredients.

Assembling

Remove the cake from the mould.

Decorate with chestnut cream & sweetened chestnuts.

Cream Cheese & Whipped Cream Cupcakes

2011-12-17T12:25:00.000Z

I baked these lovely cupcakes for my breakfast last week.

As a chocoholic myself, putting chocolate truffles inside is what I always do.

I usually warm the cupcake in a microwave so I'd have a melting chocolate centre, plus it's great with a cup of mocha :)

These cupcakes are moist, fluffy & light!

Recipe:

150 g cream cheese

170 g whipping cream

2 eggs (L)

130 g icing sugar

150 g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

Chocolate truffles

Preheat oven to 180C & line muffin mould with cupcake cases.

In a large bowl, whisk up whipping cream with sugar.

In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, fold into whipped cream.

Add one egg at a time & whisk until smooth.

Mix & sift flour & baking powder, blend with the batter.

Fill in the prepared moulds until 2/3 full & squeeze in one chocolate truffle in each cake.

Bake in the oven for 30 min.

Sweet Orange

2011-12-07T20:08:00.001Z

I designed a cheesecake on a tart & drew it out.

I went shopping & bought all the things I needed.

At the end, I made something different.

Things don't always go as planned but it happens.

The cheesecake is great, I like the orange slices on the side & the ginger biscuit base.

I think the cake will look prettier with the cream on the tart but there was no whipping cream left when I decorated it.

It still tastes great & less calorie without cream :)

Recipe:

Cream Cheese Tart (7" round)

Crust

150 g ginger biscuit crumbs

70 g unsalted butter, melted

Line a loose base tart pan with parchment paper & preheat oven to 160C.

Mix all ingredients & press into the prepared pan.

Bake in the oven for 15 min.

Remove from oven, leave it to cool & refrigerate before use.

Cream cheese filling

2 eggs

130 g cream cheese

90 g sugar

1 tsp rum, best using orange liqueurs

Combine all ingredients & stir until smooth, pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160'C for 20-30 min or until golden colour.

Orange Chilled Cheesecake (6" round)

150 g orange juice (about 2-3 oranges)

60 g sugar

100 g cream cheese

120 g whipping cream, whipped up

8 g sheet gelatine

1 unwaxed orange, halved & thinly sliced

Line a parchment paper on the base & the side of a loose base cake pan, arrange the orange slices on the side.

Soak sheet gelatine in cold water & squeeze out excess water.

Bring orange juice to boil, add in gelatine & stir to dissolve, leave to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk cream cheese until smooth, fold into the whipped cream

Fold in the orange juice mixture, pour into the prepared pan & refrigerate to set.

Assembling

Remove the tart & cheesecake from the mould.

Place the cheesecake carefully on top of the tart.

Decorate as you like & enjoy.

Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse Cake

2011-11-30T14:30:00.005Z

Last week, I made a chocolate mousse cake for my birthday.

I always wanted to make an earl grey chocolate mousse cake & finally got around to make it for my special day.

I wasn't happy with the decoration overall, I wanted a dome shape & the chocolate ganache wasn't smooth.

I wasn't going to post this but it did taste really nice & rich so I decided to post it anyway.

I might try to make this again sometimes & I believe decoration will become better with practice.

I tend to design the cake before getting to make it e.g. the look & the flavours.

It's not always turn out like the drawings but I find it inspiring :)

I draw more often now as I have an iPad which is great for drawing but I rarely show my works here.

Jenny also made me an apple & red wine mousse cake which was pretty & delicious.

Recipe (6" dome):

Vanilla Crème Brûlée (5" round)

100 g whipping cream

18 g milk

1/4 vanilla pod, split & seeded

26 g sugar

1 egg yolk (L)

3 g sheet gelatine

Soak sheet gelatine in cold water & squeeze out excess water.

In a large bowl, mix egg yolk & sugar until smooth.

In a saucepan, bring whipping cream, milk & vanilla pod to boil, pour the vanilla cream to egg mixture & whisk while pouring.

Return to heating & bring to 82C.

Turn off heating, add bloomed gelatine & mix until smooth.

Pour into a 5" round container & refrigerate to set.

Chocolate Cake Base (5" round)

2 large eggs

50 g sugar

33 g all purpose flour

10 g cocoa powder

20 g unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 180C, line a 6" square loose base pan with parchment paper & grease the side.

In a large bowl, whip the eggs & sugar until pale & fluffy (approx. 3-4 min).

Mix & sieve all flours 3 times, add to the batter & fold until smooth.

Gently fold in melted butter.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 15-20 min or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from oven & cool on a wired rack.

Earl Grey Syrup

2 teabags earl grey tea

40 ml boiling water

10 g sugar

1 tsp Grand Marnier

Mix all ingredients & let it stand for 10 min.

Remove teabags & leave to cool.

Earl Grey Chocolate Mousse

5 teabags earl grey tea

105 g milk

240 g dark chocolate 72%, melted

300 g whipping cream

2 tbsp sugar

In a saucepan, bring milk to boil, infuse teabags & leave to cool before removing teabags.

Whisk up the whipping cream.

Fold in melted chocolate & earl grey milk.

Chocolate Ganache

30 g whipping cream

45 g sugar

30 g water

16 g cocoa powder, sifted

2.5 g sheet gelatine, bloomed with cold water

In a saucepan, mix & warm all ingredients except gelatine, stir until smooth.
Go through a sift to remove any lump.
Add bloomed gelatine & stir to dissolve.

Assembling

Cut the chocolate cake into 2 pieces.

Pour 1/3 chocolate mousse into the mould, refrigerate to set.

Put in a piece of chocolate cake, brush generously to soak with the syrup.

Put crème brûlée on top & then chocolate cake, brush with the syrup.

Pour in the remaining mousse, refrigerate to set.

Remove from the mould, cover with chocolate ganache, refrigerate to set.

Decorate as you like & enjoy!

Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake with Toffee Tuile

2011-11-17T18:16:00.006Z

Chocolate cake again!

The glory of autumn & winter is when I'm craving for chocolate & don't feel guilty of having too much of it.

I baked this dark chocolate & hazelnut cake on a cosy Sunday morning.

This is a true chocolate heaven, very rich & dark chocolatey.

It's very moist & dense, almost like the texture of a brownie.

It's best serving in a small slice with a cup of tea or coffee.

I also made some caramel-dipped hazelnuts & toffee tuile for decoration.

The tuile were simple to make, it's fun to see them melting & bubbling in the oven.

Caramel-dipped hazelnuts were more difficult & I burnt myself with the hot caramel, so be careful.

The end result was a pretty presentation of the chocolate beauty.

Recipe (makes 6):

adapted from Flagrante Delicia

Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake

2 large eggs, separated

60 g icing sugar

100 g dark chocolate 85%

75 g unsalted butter

8 g plain flour

50 g hazelnut, toasted & skinned & powdered

1 tsp rum

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180C & line a 6" square loose base pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks & sugar until light & creamy (approx. 3-4 min).

Add melted chocolate, mix well.

Gently fold in the flour, hazelnuts, rum & melted butter.

In another large bowl, whip up egg whites, fold 1/3 into the chocolate batter.

Fold in the remaining eggs whites & pour into the prepared pan & bake for 15 min.

Remove from oven & let cool on a wired rack.

Caramel-dipped Hazelnuts

60 g sugar

25 hazelnuts, toasted & skinned

Gently insert pointed end of a long wooden skewer into the side of each hazelnut.

In a saucepan, caramelise the sugar.

Dip a skewered hazelnut into the caramel, letting excess to drip back into the pan.

When dripping caramel becomes a thin string, Let stand until caramel string has hardened.

Repeat with remaining hazelnuts.

If caramel hardens before all hazelnuts have been dipped, rewarm it over low heat.

Toffee Tuile

50 g Werther's original caramels

Preheat oven to 180C.

Grind the caramels & spread a thin layer over a parchment paper.

Bake to melt then remove from oven to cool.

Assembling

Cut the chocolate cake into 9 small pieces.

Decorate with candied hazelnuts & toffee tuile.

Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.

Chocolate & Cinnamon Madeleines

2011-11-11T02:16:00.001Z

When the weather becomes colder everyday, it is time for comfort foods.

Chocolate always work wonders for me.

These madeleines are much better than a piece of dark chocolate.

A subtle hint of cinnamon with a rich & soft centre.

It feels really good with a cup of tea in the evening.

I have joined Springpad, it is a multi platform notebook or organiser for mobile devices (Android, iPhone & iPad)

It is absolutely FREE so take a chance to try & spring me :)

Recipe (makes 6):

adapted from baking school (Korean)

Chocolate & Cinnamon Madeleines

2 large eggs

60 g brown sugar

50 g dark chocolate 72%

60 g unsalted butter

80 g plain flour

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp rum (optional)

pinch of salt

nuts of your choice

Preheat oven to 180C & grease madeleine pans well with butter.

In a large bowl, whip to break eggs with brown sugar until smooth & even.

Add melted chocolate (about 45C) & rum, whip until smooth.

Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt & mix until combined.

Add melted butter & mix until combined.

Fill an icing bag with the batter & refrigerate for an hour.

Remove from the refrigerator & pipe into the prepared pan to 80% full.

Bake in the preheated oven for 5 - 6 min.

Remove from the oven, decorate the madeleines with nuts & sprinkle some sugar on top.

Return to the oven & bake for another 5 - 6 min.

Almond Cookies - Malaysian Style

2011-11-02T21:18:00.000Z

It all started when my sister Jenny baked these lovely cookies months ago.

Since then, these cookies are baked twice a week.

I didn't really get my hands on these cookies since Jenny bakes batches of cookies.

Then there was a week & there was no cookies left.

My mum started to complain & murmured that there was no cookies left.

She is cheesecake lover, also a cookies lover.

To keep her happy, I called my sister for the recipe & finally baked some.

So you can tell how irresistible these cookies are.

In this recipe, salt is a must, it adds contrast to the sweetness & bring out the after taste.

It's so simple yet yummy.

If you're almond cookies lover, you must try this.

Recipe:

Cookies

120 g ground almond

180 g plain flour

100 g icing sugar

1 tsp bp

1 tsp soda

1/4 tsp salt

vegetable oil, about 1/2 cup

Decoration

egg york, beaten

almond flakes

Mix all ingredients except vegetable oil in a large bowl.

Pour half of the vegetable oil into the bowl & mix well.

If the mixture resembles chunky breadcrumbs, add more oil & mix.

Remember to add just enough oil to form a dough.

Roll the dough into small balls, place 5 cm apart on a baking sheet & flatten slightly.

Glaze & decorate with almond flakes.

Bake at 180C for 15-20 min or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, transfer to a wire rack & let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

New York Cheesecake

2011-10-26T23:07:00.001+01:00

If you read my blog regularly then you know I always bake cheesecakes.

I've been adventurous & tried to make various desserts & cakes in the past two months.

I've enjoyed baking & eating, also taking nice food photos.

I then left the cakes & food to my family & friends, my mum didn't like some of them unfortunately.

So, I decided to cheer her up with her all time favourite - a cheesecake!

This is a classic baked cheesecake but it's amazing!

Smooth & creamy yet tangy & refreshing.

You'll love it!

Recipe (6" round):

adapted from here (Chinese)

Crust

75 g caramelised biscuit crumbs

30 g Ameretti biscuit crumbs

25 g unsalted butter, melted

Mix the ingredients & bake in an oven at 150C for 15 min.

After cooling, press into a 6" springform pan.

Cheesecake Filling

200 g cream cheese

180 g sour cream

70 g sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 lemon, zest only & finely ground

Preheat oven to 170C & butter the pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with sugar until smooth.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Blend in sour cream, stir until smooth.

Sieve in cornstarch & mix well.

Sieve through the batter.

Add in the lemon zest, mix well.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake for 60 min at a lower shelf.

Topping

90 g sour cream

12 g sugar

1/2 lemon, juice

Mix all ingredients & set aside for use.

Assembling

Remove the cheesecake from oven & let it cool down until the centre sinks.

Spread the topping on top of the cheesecake.

Return to the oven & bake at 150C for 10 min.

Remove from the oven, let it cool in the pan.

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Meringue Cake

2011-10-20T14:32:00.000+01:00

I baked this lovely chocolate cake before going to Wales.

I was so excited about the trip so I didn't get to share this on my blog.

Sometimes when you see a recipe you know you have to make it.

This was one of those, but I totally forgot I have saved this recipe so I would bake it next time.

The problem with my ever growing library, I just have too many recipes on my baking list & I can only make one at a time.

I saw the recipe from a good looking chinese website.

I then found out the recipe is originated from Martha Stewart.

I guess everyone knows who she is:)

I've purchased an iPad app 'Martha Stewart Makes Cookies' when it's on offer, it is gorgeous!

Though I haven't tried any of the recipe, it's fun browsing the pages & seeing the videos.

Back to the cake, the cake is flourless, rich & smooth.

I baked the meringue a bit longer as I wanted a crispy topping to add contrast with the soft & smooth chocolate cake.

It tasted divine & I was happy to have tried it out :)

Recipe (6 square):

adapted from Martha Stewart

Chocolate cake

65 g unsalted butter

75 g sugar

3 eggs (L), separated

170 g dark chocolate (72%)

1 1/2 tsp instant coffee

1 1/2 rum

1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 170C & line a 6" square loose base pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whip the butter & sugar until pale & fluffy (approx. 3-4 min).

Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the melted chocolate, coffee, rum & salt, fold until combined.

In another large bowl, whip up egg whites, fold 1/3 into the chocolate batter.

Fold in the remaining eggs whites & pour into the prepared pan & bake for 20 min.

Meringue topping

60 g dark chocolate (72%), chopped

60 g hazelnut, toasted & skinned & roughly chopped

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

2 egg whites (L)

60 g sugar

While baking the cake, make the meringue.

Combine the chopped chocolate, hezelnut & cornstarch.

In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with sugar until stiff (approx. 7-8 min).

Fold in the hazelnut mixture.

Assembling

Remove the cake from oven & let it stand for 10 min.

Spread the meringue mixture on top of the cake & careful not to deflate the meringue.

Return to the oven & bake until the meringue is lightly browned & crispy (25-30 min).

Remove from the oven, let stand for 10 min before demoulding.

Cooling on a wire rack for 30 min.

Dust with cocoa powder, slice & serve!

Travelling to Wales

2011-10-18T12:23:00.000+01:00

Walking along seaside from Swansea to Mumbles.

Drank a mocha while waiting for my brother, we went to Caswell Bay for a walk.

The next day, we drove from Swansea to Snowdonia National Park, across the valley, across the seaside into the wood.

At dawn, we waited for the sun to rise at Barmouth.

After breakfast, we started a new journey to the north & drove pass a beautiful & quiet lake.

Arriving at Llanberis, we walked over an elevation of 1000m to Snowdon Summit, one place closer to heaven.

Some useful links to anyone planning to visit Snowdonia:

http://www.visitwales.co.uk/

http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/

http://www.star-attractions.co.uk/

The Glimmering Night in Prague

2011-10-15T12:46:00.000+01:00

Prague Castle at Night

My friend & I went on a trip to Prague in the early October.

We booked the tickets & accommodation through easyJet & got on the plane from London.

We went out almost every night taking photos all over Prague.

The apartment we stayed was within walking distance to the central of the city.

There are many nice things to see & do all over.

Old Town Square

My first night in Prague was amazing.

We had a fabulous meal at a Czech restaurant before the puppet show ‘Don Giovanni’ which I had booked through National Marionette Theatre.

The show was played in Czech but if you know the story you would follow & be definitely amused.

Scenes from 'Don Giovanni'

After the show, we went for a nice walk along Charles Bridge where I caught my first sight off the stunning illuminated buildings along the river.

Lights on Charles Bridge

On the way back to the apartment, we also saw many stunning buildings.

Charles Bridge at Night

Powder Gate at Night

It was a perfect night to start my visit to Prague.

Some useful links to anyone planning to visit Prague:

http://www.prague-guide.co.uk/

http://www.praguewelcome.cz/en/

http://www.prazskeveze.cz/en/

Public Transport in Prague

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/

Over the Weekend

2011-10-08T12:59:00.001+01:00

I was busy planning the trip to Prague so I didn't have time to update the blog last week.

I've come back to England 2 days ago & I've so many things to sort out.

The photos & notes I took throughout the trip which I'll tell you later.

From now, I'm sharing a few recipes which I've tried over the weekend almost 2 weeks ago.

I baked some green tea financiers & vanilla semifreddo with espresso.

We had dinner at Strada italian restaurant & we ordered nougat semifreddo with espresso for dessert.

It was great so I wanted to try if I can make it.

I've found some recipes & almost all of them uses raw eggs so I decided to write up my own.

It's simpler & yet delicious!

As for the financiers, I bought a silicone mould from the trip to Calais & I haven't tried making financiers before.

I wasn't sure how financier should be like but I like the matcha flavour.

The sakura looks great too.

Recipe:

Green Tea Financiers

77 g unsalted butter

2 egg whites

90 g sugar

77 g ground almond

15 g plain flour

6 g matcha/green tea powder

9 salt-pickled sakura

Remove salt from the sakura, place at the bottom of the mould.

In a small bowl, melt butter over medium heat, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk up egg whites with sugar until stiff & fluffy.

Sieve in green tea powder & plain flour, add in ground almond, fold until smooth.

Pour in molten butter, fold until smooth.

Divide the batter in the mould & bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 12-15 min.

Vanilla Semifreddo (5 x 3" round)

200 g whipping cream

70 g condensed milk (light)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Whisk whipping cream with condensed milk & vanilla eseence to soft peaks.

Divide into the mould & freeze to set.

Remove from the mould & serve with a shot of hot espresso + 1 tsp Baileys.

Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry

2011-09-24T12:30:00.000+01:00

Chocolate is comforting, smooth & rich.

Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite dessert, simple yet infinitely possibilities in baking.

I love chocolate with raspberry, the tangy freshness matches the dark richness which bring out the sweetness of dark chocolate.

I bought a set of gorgeous teaspoons from ebay.

There are 4 teaspoons in a set with different patterns :)

Recipe (8 small glasses):

Raspberry sauce

200 g raspberry

50 g sugar

2 tbsp Kirsch

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cook until all sugar dissolves.

Once cool, divide into the glasses.

Dark chocolate mousse

200 g whipping cream

100 g dark chocolate (72%)

70 g milk

Heat milk with chocolate & stir until smooth.

Whisk whipping cream to soft peaks, fold in the chocolate milk.

Divide into the glasses & refrigerate to set.

Lychee & White Wine Mousse Cake

2011-09-15T18:17:00.004+01:00

Mid-Autumn Festival fell on 12th Sept this year, sadly it's Monday.

So we had a pre-celebration on the day before.

I attempted to make mooncakes last year but it wasn't very successful, so I didn't think of taking that challenge.

Instead I decided to make a mousse cake with lychee & white wine.

I love lychee so when I came across the idea of using lychee & white wine, I was thrilled not the try it.

Even though I like to use wines & spirits in baking, I don't like the bitterness of alcohols.

So I decided to create my own recipe.

I would say lychee & white wine are a perfect couple after I tried mixing white wine & lychee syrup.

With osmanthus, they are a striking trio.

Recipe (6" square):

Cake base

1 egg, separated

18 g sugar

20 g plain flour

7 g vegetable oil

9 g milk

Line a 8" square baking pan with a parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolk with 5 g of sugar until thick & pale, then fold in the oil.

Sieve in the flour & mix until smooth.

In another mixing bowl, whisk up the egg white & fold gently with the batter until smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10-15 min.

Remove from the oven & cool on rack.

Osmanthus, Lychee & White Wine Jelly

90 g white wine

30 g boiling water

6 g sheet gelatine

1 tbsp dried sweet osmanthus

80 g canned lychees, drained & chopped

30 g sugar

Soak sheet gelatine in cold water.

In a small glass, combine dried osmanthus, sugar & boiling water, leave it brewing for 5 min.

Squeeze out excess water of bloomed gelatine & add to the tea, stir to dissolve.

Add chopped lychees & white wine into the tea.

Pour into a 5" square mould & refrigerate to set.

Lychee Mousse

150 g canned lychee, drained & blended into puree

180 g whipping cream

6 g sheet gelatine

Bloom sheet gelatine in cold water, squeeze excess water & add to lychee puree.

Heat the lychee puree & stir to dissolve the gelatine.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks.

Blend in the lychee puree.

Yogurt Mousse

120 g plain natural yogurt

190 g whipping cream

35 g sugar

6 g gelatine leaves

Soften the gelatine in cold water for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.

Whisk the whipping cream with sugar to soft peaks, fold in the yogurt.

Mix 2 tbsp of whipped cream with the soften gelatine & melt it using the microwave (20－30 sec).
Combine with remaining mousse & fold until smooth.

Topping Jelly

50 g white wine

100 g lychee syrup

4 g sheet gelatine

1 tsp dried sweet osmanthus

Soak sheet gelatine in cold water, squeeze out excess water.

Combine all ingredients & heat to dissolve the gelatine.

Assembling

Cut the cake into 6" square then put it into a 6" square loose base cake pan.

Spread the lychee mousse on top, refrigerate to set.

Top with the osmanthus, lychee & white wine jelly.

Spread the yogurt mousse & refrigerate to set.

Pour in the topping jelly & refrigerate to set.

Crème Caramel au Calvados

2011-09-03T19:39:00.000+01:00

On a Saturday, I was craving for custard puddings, so I made some simple yet yummy crème caramel.

The first batch I made was with rose syrup, so I didn't use vanilla to avoid it overtaking the rose fragrance, instead I'd used Calvados which is an apple brandy.

The tang of Calvados added a wonderful taste with rose syrup & then I decided to make the second batch with Calvados caramel.

I'm deeply fond of caramel & I always like to add some extra ingredients to make it more interesting.

Of course, the Calvados can be replaced by other wines/spirits e.g. Cognac, Grand Marnier, Whisky.

Be creative & enjoy baking!

Recipe:

Calvados Caramel Sauce

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp Calvados (apple brandy)

1 tbsp water

In a saucepan, caramelise the sugar.

Carefully add in water & Calvados, stir to dissolve.

Divide into the ramekins/cups & set aside for use.

Custard

2 eggs, beaten

250 g milk

50 g whipping cream

30 g granulated sugar

2 tsp Calvados

Preheat oven to 160C & bring a kettle of water to boil.

In a large bowl, combine eggs & Calvados, lightly whisk to mix.

In a saucepan, heat sugar & milk to 38C, pour into the egg mixture & whisk gently to mix.

Sieve through & pour into the prepared ramekins/cups.

Fill a baking pan with boiling water to 2/3 height of the ramekins/cups.

Bake for 15 min then turn off the oven & leave for 10 min (bake until the centres jiggle like jelly)

After cooling, refrigerate for at least 2 h before serving.

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Jam

2011-08-30T00:22:00.000+01:00

I'm into homemade jam recently.

The jam I've made is very simple, only contain 2 or 3 ingredients: fruits, sugar, sometimes lemon juice.

That's all & it's great.

So, my recent breakfast includes toasted breads with jam, a kiwi & a cup of soya milk.

I baked a chocolate cake one day & had it for breakfast.

Not guilty of having chocolate cake in the morning, it definitely made my day happy!

Recipe:

Chocolate cake

2 eggs

70 g unsalted butter

50 g milk chocolate

70 g condensed milk

150 g plain flour

15 g cocoa powder

120 ml milk

1 tsp bp

1/4 tsp soda

Pinch of salt

Line the loaf cake pan with baking paper.

In a large bowl, whisk softened butter with sugar until pale & fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth.

Blend in molten chocolate & condensed milk.

Sift in all flour, cocoa powder, bp, soda & salt, mix until smooth.

Pour in milk & mix until smooth.

Pour into the prepared pan & bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 35-45 min.

Remove from the oven & leave to cool on a wire rack.

Simple Raspberry Jam

400 g frozen raspberry

150 g sugar

In a saucepan, combine sugar & raspberry, cook until it thickens.

Pour into a sterile jar & store in a refrigerator upto 3 weeks.

London & A Recipe

2011-08-12T00:32:00.000+01:00

Apologised for not updating my blog frequently for the past few weeks.

My life was a bit chaotic & I tried to set my feet on the ground.

While I'm writing this blogpost, I'm really sad that there're riots across London & across the UK.

I love the city as it's historical, friendly & multicultural.

The rioters & looters not only destroyed shops & homes of innocent people but the fame of London which took decades to build.

I'm not here to criticise nor question the cause of riots.

I wish sincerely that riots have gone & the UK can be in peace once more.

Meanwhile, I'm sharing a recipe of the cherry & mint confit cheesecake.

I've never used peppermint tea in baking, it turned to be great.

The cheesecake was soft & creamy, the texture was silky smooth.

It's very satisfying & perfect with a cup of coffee.

Recipe (8" round):

Crust

100 g digestive biscuit crumbs

40 g Ameretti biscuit crumbs

40 g molten butter

Mix the ingredients & bake in an oven at 150C for 15 min.

After cooling, press into a 8" springform pan.

Cherry & Mint Confit

250 g cherries, pitted

1 teabag peppermint tea

160 g water

30 g sugar

10 g pectin

In a saucepan, combine sugar, water & teabag, bring to boil.

Turn off heating, put in the cherries & poach for 10 min.

Strain the liquid & keep the cherries on the side.

Boil the liquid again & add in the pectin, cook until it thickens.

Remove from heating & add back the cherries.

Cheesecake Filling

500 g cream cheese

170 g sugar

150 ml whipping cream

100 g sour cream

1 egg

15 g plain flour

15 g molten butter

Pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth.

Add in other ingredients & whisk until smooth.

Arrange the cherries in a snail shape on the crust base.

Pipe in the cheesecake filling & wrap the pan with aluminium foil.

Bake in hot water bath for 40-50 min in a preheated at 150C.

Remove from then oven & cool in the pan to room temperature.

Refrigerate for at least 1 h before serving.

Scenes from Wales

2011-07-23T16:41:00.000+01:00

Summer Berry Mousse Cake

2011-07-06T20:10:00.001+01:00

I'm going to Swansea... again.

Only this time is in summer.

I'm tired of London, so it's time for a quick escape from the city.

I made this mousse cake after the blueberry yakult cheesecake.

Top with a layer of raspberry yogurt mousse for a variation.

Also, I prefer to have chewy blueberries :)

Recipe (6" square):

Crust

80 g digestive biscuit crumbs

30 g molten butter

Mix the ingredients & bake in an oven at 150C for 15 min.

After cooling, press into a 6" round pan.

Blueberry Compote

150 g frozen blueberries

In a saucepan, combine half of the blueberries with sugar.

Cook over medium heat until the berries have softened.

Blueberry Mousse

100 g cream cheese

30 g sugar

85 g whipping cream

40 g yogurt

65 g Yakult

65 g blueberry compote

7 g gelatine leaves

Bloom gelatine in cold water, dissolve in blueberry compote.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese & sugar, beat until smooth.

Add in Yakult & yogurt, blend gently until smooth.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks, combine with the cheese batter.

Fold in the blueberry compote.

Fill the prepared pan & refrigerate to set.

Raspberry Yogurt Mousse

170 g frozen raspberries

30 g sugar

125 g whipping cream

4 g gelatine leaves

50 g yogurt

Bloom gelatine in cold water.

Make a raspberry puree using a blender, strain the mixture in a bowl to remove the solids.

Dissolve gelatine in raspberry puree.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks, combine with the yogurt then the puree.

Pour over the blueberry mousse & refrigerate to set.

Assembling

After refrigerating, remove the mould carefully & top with the blueberry compote.

Blueberry Yakult Cheesecake

2011-06-30T12:31:00.001+01:00

I didn't keep up to update the blog, as I've been busy with my study.

Anyhow, I made a blueberry cheesecake using Yakult & yogurt.

Yes, Yakult... In Malaysia, I loved it when I was a kid.

At that times, it was one of the healthy drink that parents allowed & kids loved.

Now, there're other healthy drinks for kids.

The chilled cheesecake is great for the summer, a bit tangy & sweet.

Yakult didn't overtake the taste but added a tangy freshness.

It's delicious.

Give it a try & you'll love it.

Recipe (6" round):

Crust

60 g digestive biscuit crumbs

25 g molten butter

Mix the ingredients & bake in an oven at 150C for 15 min.

After cooling, press into a 6" round pan.

Blueberry Compote

200 g frozen blueberries

2 tbsp sugar

In a saucepan, combine half of the blueberries with sugar.

Cook over medium heat until all berries have popped.

Strain the mixture in a bowl to remove the solids, reserve 65 g for cheesecake.

Add the rest of the blueberries & cook until soft.

Cheese Filling

100 g cream cheese

30 g sugar

85 g whipping cream

40 g yogurt

65 g Yakult

65 g blueberry compote

7 g gelatine leaves

Bloom gelatine in cold water, dissolve in blueberry compote.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese & sugar, beat until smooth.

Add in Yakult & yogurt, blend gently until smooth.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks, combine with the cheese batter.

Fold in the blueberry compote.

Fill the prepared pan & refrigerate to set.

Assembling

After refrigerating, remove the mould carefully & top with the blueberry compote.