a spoonful of sugah

World Peace Cookies

2012-02-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

It all started when Sugababe 2 read her Richard Scarry book. There was a picture of some small cute animal (I forget which one, the book's full of them) munching on a plate of chocolate cookies. Somehow the moral lesson of the story was eclipsed by that tantalising illustration of tiny chocolate chip cookies, because after that, she kept begging me to make her some. I know how it feels to have a craving, and more so, how important it is to satisfy one, especially when chocolate is involved. So, busy as I was, I immediately set about to make her the best chocolate cookies in the world. Of course, the fact that by that time I was experiencing the onset of the same craving may also explain why I went straight to the kitchen instead of saying "Shoo!".

Thankfully, I DO know the recipe for the best chocolate cookies ever. Seriously. You don't have to look elsewhere. Nothing beats this for an intense hit of chocolate. It's ridiculously good for very little effort. Just use really good dark chocolate, like Valrhona or Callebaut, and enjoy with a tall glass of cold milk. And because I love that salted chocolate thing going on there, I sometimes sprinkle some extra flaked Maldon sea salt on top before popping it into my mouth. Heaven. Bless Richard Scarry and his cute animals.

Recipe for World Peace Cookies

Excerpted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).

"I once said I thought these cookies, the brainchild of the Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé, were as important a culinary breakthrough as Toll House cookies, and I've never thought better of the statement. These butter-rich, sandy-textured slice-and-bake cookies are members of the sablé family. But, unlike classic sablés, they are midnight dark — there's cocoa in the dough — and packed with chunks of hand-chopped bittersweet chocolate. Perhaps most memorably, they're salty. Not just a little salty, but remarkably and sensationally salty. It's the salt — Pierre uses fleur de sel, a moist, off-white sea salt — that surprises, delights and makes the chocolate flavors in the cookies seem preternaturally profound.
When I included these in Paris Sweets, they were called Korova Cookies and they instantly won fans, among them my neighbor Richard Gold, who gave them their new name. Richard is convinced that a daily dose of Pierre's cookies is all that is needed to ensure planetary peace and happiness."

Ingredients

175 grams all-purpose flour

30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

150 grams unsalted butter

180 grams light brown sugar

50 grams sugar

1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

150 grams bittersweet chocolate
Instructions

1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

3. Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

4. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 160C. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6. Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Chocolate Tweed Angel Cake - Fit for a Princess

2011-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

My little girl is growing up. For her 6th birthday, instead of asking me to make a 3D cake, or a pink 'princessy' cake, Sugababe 1 graciously told me that she was fine with anything I chose. This, coming from a girl who has always been a 'girly-girl', insisting on pink, or princess themes, when faced with a choice on anything.

"Anything you like, Mummy" she said.

It wasn't just about the cake. This year there was no list of demands, and she was even happy not to have a birthday party but to just spend a day out with us.

It's a change that has been happening for some time, this realisation that she doesn't always need to insist on her way, but that she can give way to others, and make room for other ideas of what is good, or what is beautiful. That it's okay if she doesn't have the only available pink cup or crayon (is it only in my household that girls would fight over this?). That she doesn't always need to be in a dress, but that jeans and a T-shirt are fine too. That it is okay for her sister to have, wear or enjoy something that is 'nicer' than hers, because she is not any less special for not having the same thing.

Such are the rewards of a parent when you see glimpses of your child maturing into gracious and beautiful inner attitudes and behaviour.

I have always delighted in meeting my kids' birthday cake demands, no matter how much work it took to bake and build those 3D confections.

But this time, given free reign to bake for her what I chose, I had joy of a different kind.

I decided on this Chocolate Tweed Angel Cake, because she loves the soft texture of angel cakes, and also anything with chocolate. But mainly, I loved that this was such a beautiful cake, its chocolate-speckles against white bringing to mind the elegance of Chanel tweed, and a princess of a different kind. Yes, not a make-believe fairy tale princess with pink frou-frou and ribbons and bows. But a REAL princess - sophisticated, gentle and gracious.

Happy Birthday!

Recipe for Chocolate Tweed Angel Food Cake

by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Serves 14 to 16.

1-1/2 cups, divided superfine sugar

3/4 cup cake flour, lightly spooned and leveled off (or 1 cup, sifted into the cup and leveled off)

1/4 teaspoon salt

16 large egg whites, at room temperature, or 2 cups

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

fine-quality unsweetened or 99% cacao chocolate, chilled, finely grated, refrigerated

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: One ungreased 10-inch (16 cups) two-piece metal tube pan or 1 long-necked glass wine or soda bottle, or a large inverted metal funnel that will fit into the opening at the top of the pan. (Have this ready before baking and weight it by filling it with sugar or marbles to keep it from tipping.)

PREHEAT THE OVEN: Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

PREPARE THE SUGAR, FLOUR, AND SALT: In a small bowl, whisk together half the sugar, the flour, and salt until evenly combined. Sift the remaining sugar onto a piece of wax paper.

BEAT THE EGG WHITES INTO A STIFF MERINGUE: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. With the mixer off, add the cream of tartar. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Gradually beat in the sifted sugar and continue beating on medium-high speed until very stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Beat in the vanilla until combined.

MAKE THE BATTER: Dust (lightly sprinkle) the flour mixture over the beaten whites, 1/4 cup at a time (if using cake flour, sift it over the whites). With a large balloon whisk, slotted skimmer, or large silicone spatula, fold in the flour mixture quickly but gently. It is not necessary to incorporate every speck until the last addition. Fold in the grated chocolate until evenly incorporated. Using a long narrow spatula or silicone spatula, spread a thin layer of batter onto the sides of the prepared pan to ensure smooth sides. Empty the rest of the batter into the pan. In a 16-cup pan, it will be 1/2-inch from the top of the rim. Run a small metal spatula or knife through the batter to prevent air pockets and smooth the surface evenly.

BAKE THE CAKE: Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown, a wire cake tester inserted between the tube and the side comes out clean, and the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. (A wooden toothpick will still have a few moist crumbs clinging to it.) During baking, the center will rise about 2 inches above the pan, but it will sink to almost level with the pan when done. The surface will have deep cracks, like a souffle.

COOL AND UNMOLD THE CAKE: Invert the pan immediately, placing the tube opening over the neck of the bottle to suspend it well above the countertop. Cool completely in the pan, about 1-1/2 hours.

Loosen the sides of the pan with a long narrow spatula and remove the center core of the pan. Dislodge the cake from the bottom and center core with a metal spatula or thin sharp knife. (A wire cake tester or wooden skewer works well around the core. To keep the sides attractive, press the spatula firmly against the sides of the pan, moving the spatula up and down as you go around it.) Invert the cake onto a flat plate covered with plastic wrap that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray and reinvert it onto a serving plate. Allow the cake to sit for 1 hour, or until the top is no longer tacky. Then cover it with a cake dome or wrap it airtight. It keeps for 3 days at room temperature and for 10 days refrigerated. Freezing toughens the texture. The cake is also lovely decorated simply with a light sprinkling of cocoa or lacy drizzles of melted chocolate. Do not serve this cake with sauce as it would fall apart.

Lime Yogurt Cake with Rosewater and Pistachios

2011-07-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

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I remember when I first saw Rachel Allen demonstrate this very exotic, Persian-inspired cake with rose and pistachios on Rachel Allen: Bake. I thought it was just one of the prettiest flavour-combinations ever. It put me in mind of beautiful Middle Eastern desserts like baklava and romantic holiday escapades to Arabia ala Sex and the City and Disney's Aladdin.

I am glad that when I finally had a chance to make and taste this cake, it did not disappoint.

Refreshing with zesty lime, and fragrant with the floral scent of rosewater, it also has a very light and tender crumb. Ground almonds give this cake a pleasant nuttiness and a delicate 'fall-apart' texture. A welcome departure from the usual rich, buttery cakes that I am so fond of (this one has no butter at all). It is a subtle cake which is neither overpowering nor assertive. Beautifully ambrosial, with a flavour that improves over time. In a tea spread, it won't jostle for attention among richer cakes of chocolate, cream and butter. But, like a true Middle Eastern veiled beauty, its unique, alluring flavour will grow on you and have your guests returning for more.

Recipe for Lime Yogurt Cake with Rosewater and Pistachios
(slightly adapted from a recipe by Rachel Allen)

Ingredients

For the cake
225 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
75 g ground almonds
100 g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 generous tbsp or 50g runny honey
250 ml natural yogurt
150 ml sunflower oil

1 lime, finely grated zest only

For the syrup

150 ml water
100 g caster sugar
1 lime, juice only

1-2 tsp rose water (I used Nielssen Massey)

For decorating

50 g unsalted pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

rose petals, (optional)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line the base and sides of a 22cm spring-form/loose-bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the ground almonds and caster sugar.

3. Mix together the eggs, honey, yogurt, sunflower oil and lime zest together well in a medium-sized bowl until smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, bringing them together with a whisk until they are just combined. You can add some chopped pistachios to the mixture if you wish, or save them for decorating.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.

5. While the cake is cooling, make the syrup. In a small saucepan, boil the water and sugar for about 5 minutes until it is reduced by half. Add the lime juice and boil for a further 2 minutes, then cool. Add rosewater to taste (about 1 teaspoon, see note below).

6. With a fine skewer, make holes on top of the warm cake and spoon the syrup all over the top. Scatter the pistachios over, if you wish, and leave to settle for 1 hour.

7. Decorate with rose petals, if using. Serve with cream, natural yogurt, sliced mangos or berries. It is a very moist cake so keeps extremely well in the fridge for a few days.

Note:
1) Rosewater can be overpowering if used excessively, so use sparingly. I used 1 teaspoon for the syrup. The original recipe calls for 1-2tbsp but that is excessive in my opinion.

2) Although this cake can be refrigerated, it is best served at room temperature. Part of its beauty is that it has a very delicate, tender and crumbly texture. However, this will not come through if the cake is cold and not thawed properly. I kept mine at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container and found that it improved in taste and texture over time.

3) This cake looks best when baked into little rose or flower shaped mini cakes. I used a Nordic Ware bouquet pan. A Nordic Ware rose muffin pan, like the one I used for my Salted Caramel Banana Cakes, is also an excellent choice.

Blueberry Yogurt Brûlée

2011-07-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

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Here in our household, we've all been trying to eat more yogurt these days, ever since a recent Harvard study concluded that yogurt was the best food for long-term weight loss. Apparently, the study found that not all calories are created equal. So one could theoretically eat the same number of calories of yogurt as another might eat in, say, french fries, and the former would lose weight while the latter gained weight.

Interesting, you may say. Tragic, if you ask me.

Since the same study also found potatoes to be the worst food for keeping off weight gain. Hard to swallow as that may be, I can't pretend that the finding was really a surprise. Deep in my gut I always suspected my faulty logic of replacing lunch or dinner with a giant bag of chips wasn't good weight-loss practice (although I frequently pretended it did). So guilty was I about my unhealthy potato habit (and also for all the times I've used chips to bribe the kids) that I immediately declared our home a potato-free zone for a year. Yes, that means no chips, french fries, mash or hash for 365 days. I think this might be the hardest dietary choice I have ever made in my life. If it makes no difference to our health or weight in a year, you can be assured I will resume my chip habit.

At the same time, I also decided we could all try to consume more yogurt.

I was mulling over a healthy-ish dessert/supper option for tonight (not many, I can assure you) when I chanced upon this Blueberry Yogurt Brûlée in an old copy of Delicious Magazine. Not only did it look delicious, it was also easy, and more importantly, guiltless. How great is that.

I LOVE that it uses Greek yogurt, which is richer and creamier and therefore feels absolutely sinful in its luxuriating unctuousness while being absolutely not. A most lovely contradiction. Apparently, Greek yogurt is also healthier than regular yogurt, as it contains more protein and less carbs - all the more reason to make the switch.

The additional step of cooking the blueberries lightly in honey, really helps the flavours to meld together much better than merely folding in fresh berries (which is what I usually do for breakfast). Sprinkled atop the yogurt, the velvety muscovado sugar turns into a beautiful, dark, caramelly syrup, which I slurp up (and pretend is toffee sauce). Good quality manuka honey, with its unique woody, caramel notes, also makes a real difference to this dessert (so don't use the cheap stuff).

Great as a simple dessert, and refreshing for breakfast. At 112 calories per serving, guiltlessness really doesn't get much better than this.

Recipe for Blueberry Yogurt Brûlée
(by Joy Skipper, Delicious Magazine)

This is a healthier take on crème brûlee which, because of the high cream content, is extremely high in saturated fat. Using yogurt instead of cream makes for a lighter, yet still delicious end to the meal. Serves 4

Ingredients
200g blueberries
2 tsp manuka honey
250g Greek yogurt
4 tsp dark muscovado sugar

Method

Place the blueberries and manuka honey in a small saucepan and heat gently, until the juices of the blueberries start to run and the fruit softens slightly. Remove from the heat and spoon the fruit and juices into 4 individual serving bowls (about 125ml). Leave to cool.
Spoon the yogurt over the blueberries and sprinkle each bowl with 1 tsp of the muscovado sugar. This will melt and turn syrupy. Place the bowls in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 112kcals, 3.8g fat (2.6g saturated), 3.6g protein, 9.5g carbs, 14.4g sugar, 0.2g salt

(This dessert was submitted for Sweets for a Saturday Party #25)

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2011-07-06T04:29:00.000-07:00

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It's amazing what one can accomplish when the baby sleeps. Sugababe 3 took an unprecedented 2 hour nap yesterday and I immediately got to work on this Pandan Chiffon Cake. It's a recipe from the well-known food blog ieatishootipost that I had been dying to try for some time. I am pleased to report that the Pandan Chiffon turned out as fluffy, moist, voluminous and delicious as promised, and is easily the best chiffon recipe I have tried so far!

In particular, I really liked that the recipe asked for the additional step of beating the egg yolks until light and lemon-coloured. Most chiffon recipes only call for the egg whites to be beaten to stiff peaks, and for the egg yolks to be mixed with the other ingredients (i.e. oil, milk, etc). Beating the egg yolks until they are light does make it easier to fold the egg whites in at the later stage, and also seems to incorporate more air into the batter, which is a good thing. I will definitely be using this technique for all my chiffon cakes from here on.

If like me, you have none-too-fond memories of dry, coarse and scarily mutant-green pandan chiffon cakes sold in local bakeries, you will be won over by this recipe. My Sugababes, who are partial to soft, fluffy cakes, absolutely adored this cake. And as I always say, anything that my picky eater Sugababe 2 willingly devours, is a must-try!

Recipe for Pandan Chiffon Cake
(from Leslie Tay of ieatishootipost. Instructions have been summarised and paraphrased in my own words. For more detailed instructions and an excellent step-by-step tutorial, please go to this link)

Ingredients

A
6 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
115ml corn oil
140ml coconut milk
200g cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp pandan juice
2 tsp pandan essence
1 tsp vanilla essence
(* You can use 3/4 tsp of pandan paste, in place of pandan juice and pandan essence. Although convenient, pandan paste definitely tastes more artificial, so stick with fresh pandan and pandan essence, if you can)
** I used Kara brand coconut cream, which is nice and thick)

B
9 egg whites
100g caster sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Sift cake flour and baking powder, mix evenly. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks and sugar until light and lemon-coloured. Add in the oil, coconut cream, pandan juice, pandan essence, vanilla essence and salt. Sift flour and baking powder over the mixture. Mix well until smooth.

Beat egg whites with wire whisk attachment until slightly foamy. Add cream of tartar, and beat until soft peaks. Add in sugar tablespoon by tablespoon and beat until stiff peaks form and mixture does not slide out of mixing bowl when upturned.

Add in 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently with whisk, to 'lighten' the mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the rest of the beaten egg whites into egg yolk mixture, gently, to prevent batter from deflating. Do not overfold.

Pour batter into 25cm ungreased tube pan. Run a spatula through the batter to eliminate large bubbles in the batter.

Bake at 170C in preheated oven, for about 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean (or with few dry crumbs adhering)

Remove cake from oven, prop it up on a bottle to cool, upside-down so as to prevent the cake from sinking.

Once cool, remove from tube pan by sliding a knife along the sides, and bottom.

To serve, cut with a serrated knife (so as not to flatten the cake).

(This dessert was submitted for Sweets for a Saturday Party #25)

Let's Do the Hokey Pokey!

2011-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

Hokey Pokey, Sponge Toffee, Sea Foam, Honeycomb Candy - whatever you may call it, I recently had an inexplicably intense craving to gorge on some - chocolate-covered ones specifically. This was right on the heels of my cravings for chocolate ice cream, iced chocolate, and chocolate cake, in that order. No, I am no longer pregnant, but cravings while one is breastfeeding can be just as powerful, if not more so. And in my particular case, it was all the more cruel as having a newborn on my hands meant I had little time to bake up my own treats. Unfortunately, store-bought chocolate treats are largely disappointing. Blame it on the fact that I've been eating and baking with Valrhona chocolate for almost 3 years now. I never set out to be a chocolate snob, but after you get used to the good stuff, it's hard to enjoy supermarket chocolate. They taste too waxy and milk-powder-like for me. I bought 3 Nestle Crunchie bars to satisfy my chocolate honeycomb craving. In the end, I barely finished one, and not before scraping off the chocolate to get at the honeycomb insides. I tried foisting the remaining 2 Crunchie Bars on my kids (how clever of me I thought), but while Sugababe 1 happily polished off hers in a jiffy, Sugababe 2 refused to eat more after a wee bite. Believe it or not, she's developed a taste for Valrhona chocolate too.

So if you are asking why bother with scratchmade honeycomb if you can get Crunchie or Violet Crumble, I would say, because you can use better chocolate, that's why. But if you are not partial to that then, by all means, save yourself the trouble.

Having said that, honeycomb really should not be that much trouble. The recipe is simple and straighforward, and if done correctly shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. I confess however, that having a newborn put me in such a very distracted mummy state that I burnt my caramel no less than THREE times.

Thankfully, once out of those three times, I ended up with caramel that was not TOO burnt, but salvageable for the purposes of making burnt caramel ice cream. It was one of those times when my attempts to manage a kitchen disaster brought about a most fortuituous result - an improvised no-churn burnt caramel gelato that didn't take more than 10 minutes to make (minus freezing time). Yes you heard right - an Easy No-Churn Salted Burnt Caramel Gelato. Otherwise known as Obesity 101. I will happily endanger your health by sharing the recipe in a future post.

In the meantime, back to the honeycomb. There are many recipes for honeycomb candy, all calling for largely the same ingredients - sugar, corn syrup and the magic-making baking soda. In the end, I struck honeycomb gold with a recipe that called for the addition of gelatine, which resulted in a better, crispier texture, with fine bubbles throughout.

Making honeycomb is fun and exciting, and always makes me feel rather like a science-experimenting lab genius. You'd feel the same too when you see how the hot caramel syrup bubbles up into a towering mass of candy foam once the baking soda is added. If you have older kids (who can handle molten sugar safely under supervision) I can imagine this would make a fun cooking exercise for them.

Look at those little golden nuggets, dipped in luscious milk chocolate. So much better than Crunchies. And super addictive too. My kids have been asking me for Hokey Pokey all day. These will surely be even more phenomenal with dark chocolate, but unfortunately I'm out. A good excuse, surely, to do the Hokey Pokey again!

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How to do the Hokey Pokey
(A recipe adapted from Wilde in the Kitchen)

¼ tsp gelatin
1 tsp water
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 tbsp baking soda (sifted)

Melted milk or dark chocolate (tempered)

Butter a 9x9 pan then dust with flour. Tap out excess flour. Alternatively, line pan with greaseproof paper.

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 tsp water and allow to bloom.

In a medium stock pot with high sides, mix sugar and corn syrup together. Heat over medium heat and swirl the pot occasionally to ensure that the sugar dissolves evenly, and the mixture comes to a boil. Do not stir. Clip on candy thermometer and heat to 310° F.

Remove from heat and let sit for a few seconds, the bubbling should subside. Add gelatin and whisk, be careful, the sugar syrup will bubble up. Sprinkle baking soda over syrup and whisk vigorously. Return mixture to the heat and whisk for 30 seconds. The sugar will rise up in the pot, a lot!

Quickly pour into prepared pan, it should come out in a big blob. Do not spread the mixture, just let it settle into the pan. Allow to cool completely (about 2 hours or overnight) before removing from the pan.

Either break into odd pieces or cut into squares (this is a messy process!). To cut into squares - using a serrated knife, score the candy at 1-inch intervals. Snap the candy apart at the score lines. Then score and break into squares.

Dip sponge candies in molten tempered chocolate, tap off excess. Ensure that the honeycomb is completely covered with chocolate, as any exposed parts will absorb moisture from the air and quickly degenerate. Chill in the fridge to set the chocolate shell.

And that's what it's all about!

Notes:
1) The original recipe also called for 1/2 cup of water to be added to the sugar. This is the 'wet method' of caramelization which takes a longer time. I prefer to use the dry caramelization method and therefore the adapted recipe does not require the addition of water. The caramelization will occur pretty quickly, so one must keep a careful watch on the colour of the sugar syrup. If you are using a digital instant read candy thermometer, great. If you are eyeballing it, stop once it turns a medium amber shade, otherwise you run the risk of burning it. My preferred method is to drop a few drops of molten syrup into a bowl of water every once in a while. When it reaches the hard crack stage (which is what we want), the syrup will form hard, brittle threads that break when bent.

If you are not careful and it becomes dark amber, it will be no longer good for honeycomb. However, if it has only a whiff of burntness but is still fit for cunsumption, quickly pour in 2 cups of milk or cream to stop its temperature from rising (and therefore being TOO burnt) and then make burnt caramel gelato with it.

2) If you cannot be bothered to temper chocolate (like me), simply use tempered chocolate (like Valrhona). When melting, ensure that you do it over low heat (whether in a double-boiler or in microwave) and stir often. Once 2/3 of the chocolate is melted, remove it from heat or microwave, and keep stirring until the remaining chunks of chocolate are melted.

3) Honeycomb degenerates quickly in humid weather. Make sure to store them immediately after making, in an airtight container with food-grade desicants, or they will degrade into a sticky mess within minutes.

Cranberry New York Cheesecake

2011-04-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

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New York Cheesecakes are by far my favourite kind of cheesecakes. I like that they are dense and cheesy, and when combined with chocolate, deliciously fudgey. A ruby red cranberry topping just takes it over the top.

I adapted a recipe from Smitten Kitchen by (1) adding in whipping cream to lighten up the texture of the cheesecake, (2) incorporating chocolate into the bottom layer of the cheesecake; and (3) giving the cake a cranberry topping. I do love how the bright red topping spills dramatically down the cake when you cut it.

Recipe for Cranberry New York Cheesecake
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Crumb crust
8 ounces (227g) finely ground graham crackers or digestives

8 tablespoons (1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Very tall cheesecake filling:
5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (or 1134g) (I used Elle Et Vire, great quality and cheaper than Philadelphia. Pick it up from Euraco finefood, next to TOTT Store)
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup whipping cream
200g dark chocolate

Make crumb crust: Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and up the sides, stopping one inch shy of the top rim**, of a buttered 9 1/2-inch (or 24 cm) springform pan. Pop it into the freezer so it quickly sets while you prepare the filling.

Make very tall cheesecake filling: Preheat oven to 550 degrees***. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and zest with an electric mixer until smooth. Add vanilla, then eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated. Scrape bowl down between additions; I cannot stress this enough as if you do not, you’ll end up with unmixed stripes of cream cheese. I always find at least one, despite my best efforts. Stir in whipping cream and mix until evenly blended.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, taking care not to burn it. Divide cheesecake filling in half. Mix one half with the melted dark chocolate, until even.

Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips). Pour chocolate filling into crust, smoothen the top, then pour the remaining cheesecake mixture in the pan. Bake in baking pan in the middle of the oven for 12 minutes or until puffed. Please watch your cake because some ovens will top-brown very quickly and if yours does too fast, turn the oven down as soon as you catch it. Reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and continue baking until cake is mostly firm (center will still be slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken), about one hour more.

Run a knife around the top edge of the cake to loosen it and cool the cake completely in springform on a rack, then chill it, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

Recipe for Cranberry Topping
(adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum)

1 cup (100g) fresh or frozen cranberries

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75g) sugar
2.5 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup (59g) water

(Note: If you like more topping, you can use 1.5 recipe like I did)
In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cornstarch and cranberries and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 minute, swirling the pan occasionally. The mixture will be thick but pourable. Allow it to cool to room temperature. Spread topping over chilled cheesecake.

Earl Grey Sticky Date Pudding, with Salted Toffee Sauce

2011-04-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

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I've tried several sticky date pudding recipes in the past, and while none of them were too bad (after all, it is not difficult to like anything served with toffee sauce), they were not particularly memorable either. Some may consider what I am about to say next rather sacrilegious, but to be very honest, I don't like the 'pudding' texture of sticky date pudding. What some recipes promise to be "moist" have often turned out for me to be too cloyingly sweet, gummy, sticky and dense. My memories of most sticky date puddings are that they are sweet in a very one-dimensional, toothache-causing kind of way.

I like this recipe by Rachel Allen very much, because it manages to be very moist without being gummy or overly sticky. This more open crumb texture means that the cake still has room to soak up the generous lashings of toffee sauce that you will inevitably be pouring over it. But the best part of this recipe is the addition of black tea, which has a wonderful way of balancing out its sweetness and adding some complexity to its flavour.

I have adapted the recipe very simply by using Earl Grey tea, which complements the naturally-honeyed Medjool dates beautifully with its bergamot notes. And to bring even more depth of flavour to the sticky date pudding, I salted the toffee sauce, which makes a most amazing difference. From simple to extraordinary. More toffee sauce, anyone?

Earl Grey Sticky Date Pudding with Toffee Sauce
very slightly adapted from a recipe by Rachel Allen

Ingredients 225g (8oz) Medjool dates (stoned weight), chopped
250ml (9fl oz) earl grey tea (not too strong)
100g (3 ½ oz) unsalted butter, softened
175g (6oz) brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda

Toffee sauce
110g (4oz) butter
250g (9oz) soft light brown sugar (or half brown and half caster sugar)
275g (10oz) golden syrup
225ml (8fl oz) double cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fleur de sel/salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Butter and flour the sides of a 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form/loose-bottomed tin, or a 20 x 20cm (8 x 8in) square cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
Place the chopped dates and tea in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes to soften the dates, then remove from the heat and set aside.
Beat the butter in a large bowl or an electric food mixer until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the spices and vanilla extract. Fold in the date mixture. Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and fold in gently until mixed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is just firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow to stand in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a serving plate. While the cake is cooking, make the toffee sauce.
To serve, cut into slices (or squares if it is in a square tin) and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a very generous drizzle of warm toffee sauce over the top!

Toffee sauce

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan set over a high heat and boil for approximately 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly, until it has thickened.

Easy Quiche Lorraine

2011-03-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

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What makes a good Quiche Lorraine? Nice, salty bacon, a crisp (as opposed to soggy) crust, and a well-cooked egg custard that is not too dry. The last one is a common problem.

But, anyway, I don't mean to scare you. Because making a quiche is really not that hard. If a stupid stupid rat creature can do it, well then so can you.

The recipe is an easy one to learn by heart too. Just remember "half fat to flour" for the shortcrust pastry, and 1 egg to 1/2 cup liquid, for the egg custard. The traditional fillings are bacon/ham, and Swiss cheese. But you can really vary this creatively to include a variety of other ingredients like mushrooms, leeks, broccoli and spinach.

Recipe for Quiche Lorraine

Shortcrust pastry
250 gram flour

125 gram unsalted/salted butter, cut into small cubes, chilled
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 egg, beaten (optional)
2 - 3 tbsp cold water (may not need all)

Method:
Place flour in a mixing bowl and, using a pastry blender, cut chilled butter into flour until the mixture just resembles coarse breadcrumbs. (Alternatively, you can rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips, but be careful not to handle the mixture for too long as the butter will melt). Add beaten egg, mix well. If needed, add cold water tablespoonful by tablespoonful until a manageable dough forms.

Roll out the dough on Silpat or lightly floured surface into a 1/4 inch thick round. Line a lightly greased tart tin with the dough, taking care to smoothen it out and press out any air bubbles beneath the dough. Ensure that the dough comes up evenly to the top of the tart tin (otherwise the wet custard may leak out). Trim any excess.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the freezer.

Line the top of the shortcrust pastry with parchment paper or foil and weigh it down with baking beans. Ensure that the parchment paper or foil hangs over the sides of the tart tin otherwise the sides will burn before the base is baked.

Bake at 180C for 20 minutes or until the base of the shortcrust is almost dry. Remove baking beans, cut a whole in the parchment/foil such it will only cover the rim of the shortcrust pastry but not the base. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the base of the shortcrust pastry is dry and lightly browned.

Set aside.

Egg custard

250 gram heavy cream
125 gram mix of bacon and ham, sauteed and chopped
2 eggs, beaten
50 grams cheese, shredded (e.g. Swiss, parmesan)
dash of black pepper
pinch of white pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt

Mix above ingredients well. Pour mixture carefully into pre-baked shortcrust tart base. Bake at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes or until the egg is set. You can test for doneness by shaking the tart tin a little (the egg should not jiggle!) or poking the egg custard with a skewer. The skewer should not have traces of uncooked egg. Be sure not to confuse this with the wetness on a skewer that is from the steam in the egg. Do not overcook!

Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

White and Dark Valrhona Chocolate Mousse Cake

2011-03-21T21:42:00.000-07:00

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Love is a Many Layered Cake.

That's what I thought when I baked this for my husband's birthday last week. Despite the fact that we already bought an excellent Laurent Bernard chocolate cake for him earlier to celebrate with, I thought I should still bake something special for him. After all, I always pull out all the stops for the kids birthdays and I thought it was only fair that SugahDaddy got a bit of effort too. Deciding on the flavour was easy - he likes chocolate and macadamia nuts. It would have to be a boldly flavoured, 'solid' kind of cake and not light, fluffy and sissy (sorry no Chiffons then). And lastly, I love doing layered cakes, because they always manage to look so elegant, special and like something you bought from a chi-chi cake shop (and often for correspondingly less effort than you would think!).

I modified a Bon Appetit recipe on Epicurious, and the result was a 5-layered White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, with alternating layers of white and dark chocolate eggless mousse and Kahlua-soaked chocolate genoise sponge, atop a crunchy macadamia chocolate crust (arguably the best part!). The contrast between sweet white chocolate and bittersweet dark chocolate was very pleasing, and unlike a pure dark chocolate cake, you can many more slices of this cake as it doesn't feel as heavy.

Decorating the cake was easy - no need to smooth out icing all over the cake. All I did was dust the top all over with cocoa powder. For this cake, leaving the sides of the cake exposed (instead of covered with icing) actually has a better aesthetic effect. I confess I really like those gold flakes they put on cakes which make them look so luxe. But they cost a bomb, and if like me you'd rather spend money on gold you wear, then well, here's something you might want to try: I sprinkled edible gold dust (from Wilton, cheaper than gold flakes!) in a rough zig-zag pattern over the cake, and also brushed some on the berries on top of the cake. Simple and elegant.

Did SugahDaddy like his cake? You bet. Happy Birthday Luv.

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Recipe for White and Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

Cake
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) (57g) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup (40g) sifted all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)
1/3 cup (40g) sifted unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process; sifted, then measured)
4 large eggs
2/3 cup (150g) sugar

Macadamia crunch base
5 ounces (142g) dark chocolate chopped
1 cup paillette feuillettine
1/3 cup macadamias toasted, chopped

Dark Chocolate Mousse
5 ounces (142g) white chocolate, chopped
5 ounces (142g) dark chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt

4 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur for brushing on cake layers
Additional unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting on top cake layer

For cake:
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F (176C). Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Spoon off foam from top of butter and discard. Spoon clear yellow butter into small metal bowl, leaving water and milk solids in bottom of pan. Add vanilla to butter in bowl; set clarified butter aside.

Sift flour and cocoa powder together 3 times into medium bowl. Whisk eggs and sugar in large metal bowl to blend. Place bowl with egg mixture in large skillet of barely simmering water; whisk constantly until egg mixture is lukewarm (105°F), about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from water. Place bowl with clarified butter in hot water in same skillet over low heat to keep warm.

Using electric mixer, beat egg mixture until cool and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes. Sift 1/3 of flour-cocoa mixture over egg mixture and gently fold in with rubber spatula. Fold in remaining flour-cocoa mixture in 2 more additions. Fold 1 cup of cake batter into warm clarified butter until incorporated. Using rubber spatula, gently fold butter-cake batter mixture into remaining cake batter.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean and top springs back slightly when gently pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)

Run knife between pan sides and cake to loosen. Invert cake onto rack; remove parchment. Using long serrated knife, trim top of cake horizontally, so that cake is level. Split the cake into 2 layers. Set cake layers aside.

For macadamia crunch:
Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with parchment paper. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave (being careful not to overheat it). When chocolate is smooth and completely melted (it should look satiny), stir in pailette feuilettine and nuts. Spread crunch evenly over parchment in pan. Place one genoise cake layer atop crunch layer, pressing to adhere before the chocolate crunch layer cools down and solidifies. Chill until crunch is firm, about 1 hour.

For dark and white chocolate eggless mousse*:

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave (being careful not to overheat it). Stir slightly until melted chocolate is smooth. Cool chocolate to lukewarm. Do the same for the wite chocolate.

Using whisk attachment in electric mixer, beat cream and salt in another bowl until very soft peaks form (when bowl is tilted, cream should be fluffy but still pourable and flow to one side). Divide whipped cream into two equal portions. Pour one portion of whipped cream over and fold into dark chocolate just until incorporated. Pour second portion of whipped cream over and fold into white chocolate just until incorporated (mousse will be very soft).

Brush top of chilled cake layer with Kahlua. Spread dark chocolate mousse over cake in pan. Place 2nd chocolate genoise cake layer over dark chocolate mousse. Brush top of 2nd layer with Kahlua, and spread white chocolate mousse on top. Dust the top with cocoa powder and chill overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

Run knife between cake and pan sides to loosen. Soak kitchen towel in hot water; wring out water. Wrap hot wet towel around pan sides and hold 30 seconds. Carefully remove pan sides from cake; smooth mousse with knife if necessary. Place cake on pan bottom on rack set over baking sheet. Transfer to platter and serve.

* You can use crushed vanilla wafers or rice cereal (which was in the original Bon Appetit recipe) as a substitute but the result will not be as good.

**This cake would be great with the usual chocolate mousse made with egg. In fact, the texture of regular mousse is smoother. I used an eggless mousse (which is really the texture of whipped cream) as I can't consume raw eggs during pregnancy.

Vargas Butter Cake - the BEST butter cake on the planet

2011-02-01T06:59:00.000-08:00

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You have never really lived until you've tasted a Vargas Butter Cake.

Until I bit into one, the perfect butter cake existed only in my imagination. In my fantasies, such a cake would be oozing with fragrant, buttery goodness, without being heavy, dense and oily. As a child, there was nothing I liked so much as to snack on a plate of little salted butter cubes. It's crazy but I swear, on some days, the sensation of creamy butter melting on my tongue was waaay better than having ice cream. To me, a butter cake is no good unless it is buttery enough to rival that taste sensation, otherwise I might as well just eat pure butter on its own.

Unfortunately, I never managed to find or bake such a cake. Until now. Some time ago, I stumbled on rave reviews about the famed Vargas butter cake from Philippines. When my husband went there for a business trip last week, I begged him to bring back one for me. I was going crazy just thinking about it. He managed to get his colleague to lug back not one, but TWO butter cakes.

Did it live up to the hype? You bet. This is one crazy good cake, completely saturated with the intensely rich fragrance of butter. It is also by far the moistest, lightest and most tender cake I have ever eaten. If you can just imagine - it has a very tender, open crumb structure, so tender that it threatens to fall apart in your hands. It is moist without being wet or heavy, and at each bite you can feel the individual butter-soaked crumbs falling apart and melting in your mouth. And as if the pure butteriness of the cake wasn't enough, it was ALSO topped with a shiny, sticky butter glaze. Absolutely lip-smackingly swoon-worthy.

Just when I thought butter cake couldn't get any better than this, I followed the suggestions on the cake-box to toast a slice for a few minutes. I can't even BEGIN to describe how awesome it is when toasted. Just imagine a lightly browned, slightly crisp outer crumb coating, and the fragrance of browned butter sizzling on the pan. Butter Heaven.

I am so sorry that after all this, I can't leave you with anything other than a butter cake craving. No there will be no recipe in this post, as I have not the faintest clue how to bake a butter cake like that (although you can bet I will be working hard on that ). Someday, when I have figured out a way to cram a maximum amount of butter into my cake batter and still have a cake that is light as air, I will certainly share my findings here.

In the meantime, to stave off your cravings, you can try soaking your toast in lots of melted butter (another disgusting habit I have besides eating little cubes of butter).

And, needless to say, if you are EVER in the Philippines, you have to get your hands on this cake.

Vargas Kitchen

49 Pili Avenue, Forbes Park,

Makati.

Manila, Philippines.

Telephone 810-7529 and 817-8483

Also available at Saturday Salcedo Market and the Sunday Legazpi Market.

Chinese New Year Pineapple Tarts Recipe (Open-face)

2011-01-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

If you want a pineapple tart recipe that can rival the best from your aunty, grandaunty, grandmother or great-grandmother (or will at least not be laughed off the table), look no further. 150 tarts and 9 pineapples later, I have finally arrived at one that I am happy with. I have, however, to give credit where credit is due. No recipe could ever have a chance of matching a mother's or grandaunty's, unless it is from a matriarch herself, none other than the grandmother from whom all their recipes originated. My recipe is only decent because it was adapted from such a recipe in the first place.

If you are wondering whether this is THE recipe you have been waiting for, let me describe the pineapple tart for you. After all, there are many differing opinions on what constitutes the best pineapple tart - moist jam, caramelized jam, melt-in-the-mouth pastry, firm biscuit-like pastry etc.

This recipe yields pineapple jam that is moist and full of natural pineapple flavour. The spices are in such quantity as to complement rather than overshadow the beautiful honeyed taste of the pineapples. More importantly, you won't taste the sourish tang of lemon in this jam. I know that lemon juice is a very common ingredient in pineapple jam recipes, and my fellow baking aficionado C informs me that it is used to supply pectin to the pineapple jam. However, I find that most recipes add them in such quantities as to make the jam slightly sour and rob it of its natural pineapple goodness. The difference in taste is more pronounced than you would think - I could taste the juice in 80% of tarts I have tried this year, both commercial and home-made versions, and they suffered for it next to a pineapple tart unadulterated with lemon juice. The pineapple jam I made set well without the use of lemon juice, so I do think it is not essential especially if there is enough sugar to 'set' the jam. Of course, getting good quality pineapples is essential to making good jam. Many people swear by Sarawak pineapples. I used 'honey' pineapples recommended by my fruit grocer this year, and they were fantastic. Making pineapple jam is the most time-consuming aspect of making pineapple tarts - from peeling to grating to cooking the pineapple to the right consistency. I tried grating the pineapples both by hand as well as with the food processor, and I have to say, the latter method is superior. Apart from saving you from accidentally grating your fingertips, machine-grating also results in pulp with shorter fibrous strands, which is to be desired. Cooking the pineapple jam, which can take anything up to 2 hours, also requires some skill. The desired colour is golden yellow, and the jam should no longer be wet but moist. In deciding when to stop, you have to take into account that the jam will dry out further in the oven when the tart is baked. So you are aiming for a degree of moistness that is slightly more than what you would expect in a finished tart. If the jam is too dry, you will get a crispy jam 'shell' on top of your tart (yes, that happened to me), and if it is too moist, your pineapple tarts will get mouldy fast. For the same reason, do not be tempted to cut down on the sugar in the jam too much, as that will also cause your tarts to become mouldy. The jam has to be a little sweeter as the pastry in this recipe is not very sweet.

As testament to how good the jam is, take a look at this picture on the right. I had sternly forbidden my kids from snatching pineapple tarts off the cooling rack. So Sugababe 2 slyly thought that I wouldn't miss a thing if she just pinched the jam from a whole row of tarts. You can see what challenging conditions I work under. Now I don't have enough good tarts for gifting (not that my family is complaining).

Now we move on to the pastry. In our family, we all differ in opinion as to what makes a good pastry. Grandma likes the pastry firm and biscuit-like, my husband likes it firm but yet tender, and I like it crumbly and melt-in-the mouth. I was striving for the texture I liked, but my husband insisted that he really disliked that crumbly, powdery texture (no doubt melt-in-the-mouth) which always makes him choke. I have to respect the guy who brings home the dough (so to speak), so this recipe achieves a texture that is firm (as in it won't break apart into little bits in your hand) and yet very tender. What we all agree on however, is that the pastry has to be very fine, fragrant, and buttery. For that reason, the rubbed-in dough in this recipe has the highest fat to flour ratio that can be tolerated. The minimum ratio for a shortcrust pastry is half fat to flour, i.e. 50% fat to flour. This recipe has the highest percentage I have seen i.e. 66% fat to flour. It does result in a dough that is slightly trickier to handle, but the results are worth it. The recipe for the pastry is actually very simple. I have seen recipes that call for milk powder to be added, to achieve a 'melt-in-the-mouth' texture, but again, this compromises on the taste. And don't even consider using margarine or shortening, which gives that tell-tale plastic taste to commercial baked pastries.

If there is any secret to the pastry at all, it is in the use of salted Golden Churn butter. Or any salted butter of the highest butterfat percentage you can find (no less than 80%). Most of the time, I bake with unsalted butter, but salted butter really makes a difference to this pastry. The other 'secret' is to work the dough as little as possible, since an over-worked dough results in a tough pastry. I used my fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, but my friend C recommends the use of a pastry cutter for this step (so that less heat is transferred), and I think this sounds like a brilliant idea which you should certainly try.

Pineapple tarts are painstakingly laborious to make, but when done well, they are well worth the effort, as nothing that you purchase commercially will ever come close.

If you are craving pineapple tarts, I hope this recipe will serve you well this Chinese New Year. If not (and you find something better) then in the Chinese New Year spirit of generosity you must absolutely share it with me ;) From my home to yours, Happy Lunar New Year!

Recipe for Pineapple Tarts

Pastry

340 g plain flour

20 g cornflour

240g salted butter

1/2 egg

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cold water

2 tbsp icing sugar

Pineapple Jam

3 big pineapples (grate and discard core. drain all except 3/4 cup of its juice)

284g caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 inch piece of cinnmon stick

2-3 cloves

2 segments of star anise

Method

1) Cook all ingredients for pineapple jam in a pot on the stove, ovver low heat. After 30 minutes, remove spices and continue cooking until the juice has dried up but pineapple jam is still moist (not wet). This will take approximately 1 hour. Refrigerate.

2) Sift flours and icing sugar together, twice. Cut butter into small pieces and run into sifted flour.after it is completely rubbed in, add egg and then slowly add in the cold water (only if needed) to get a nice and fairly firm dough. Divide dough into 2 portions, wrap each portion in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out into 0.5 cm thickness between 2 sheets of plastic and then chill again for another 15 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, roll jam into small balls for easy filling.

4) Take out dough and cut using a pineapple tart mould. Fill with jam. Work in an air-conditioned room. If dough is too soft to work with, flour your hands, the work table and rolling pin, making sure not to add too much flour to the dough or it will become tough. If necessary, flour the tart cutter before cutting each tart, so that the tart removes easily with all its patterns/grooves intact.

5) Arrange tarts on tray lined with baking paper. Chill in fridge for about 10 minutes, then bake at 140C for about 30 minutes. When ready, leave to cool and store. Makes about 50 - 70 tarts depending on the size of the pineapple mould.

Almond Polvorones (aka Russian Tea Cakes/Mexican Wedding Cookies)

2011-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

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Every Chinese New Year, home bakers all around our little island will be busy baking up their Chinese New Year specialties for gifting or selling. In our families, there is always this unspoken rivalry among the aunts and grandmothers as to who bakes the best pineapple tarts, kueh bangkit (a melt-in-the-mouth coconut cookie), sugee cake (a Eurasian almond cake) or kueh lapis (a multi-layered cake). Needless to say, most of these treats are extremely time-consuming and laborious to make, for what else other than a completely masochistic recipe could set one's skills apart from the other?

Not daring to prove myself against these doyens of Chinese New Year goodies, I choose every year to bake the simplest (and yet oh so delicious!) type of cookie possible for gifting - Almond Polvorones. The distinguishing characteristics of these cookies is their fragrant, nutty flavour and incomparably fine, melt-in-the-mouth texture. My kids go crazy for these cookies and snatch them right off the cooling rack. Which creates problems for me since I need exactly 20 cookies to fill a jar ... and it drives me nuts when I am short of 1 or 2 due to these thieving little runts.

I find these cookies a welcome change from the usual Chinese New Year treats (as do my friends and family). More importantly, I love it that they are so delicious and yet simple to make in large quantities, as that means I can bless more friends and family with these tasty treats. After all, isn't generosity and abundance the hallmarks of a good Chinese New Year celebration?

But don't let my characterisation of these as Chinese New Year cookies stop you from baking them for just about any other event or reason: for fund-raisers, Christmas, or just simply for an afternoon tea with friends. these Polvorones are simply beautiful when enjoyed with a cup of hot tea.

Recipe for Almond Polvorones

(adapted from Epicurious)

For cookies:

1 cup (226g) butter, room temperature

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup almonds, toasted, coarsely ground

For dusting:

1 1/2 cup icing sugar/snow powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method: Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. Beat in flour, then nuts. Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 170C.

Whisk remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or snow powder and cinnamon in pie dish to blend. Set cinnamon sugar aside.*

Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between palms into balls. Arrange balls on heavy large baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes.

Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough.

(Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature; reserve remaining cinnamon sugar.)

Sift remaining cinnamon sugar over cookies and serve.

*Note:

1) You can easily substitute the almonds in these recipe with other nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia, or a combination of the above. I used almonds simply because almond treats are popular and considered 'lucky'during the Chinese New Year.

2) Note that icing sugar can be used if the cookies are to be consumed immediately, or if your climate is generally dry. In humid weather, icing sugar will start to melt and turn gunky, so the use of snow powder is recommended instead, especially if you are baking these for gifting.

3) This recipe makes 40 cookies, each weighing 14 g (in dough form)

Coconutty Banana Fritters (Goreng Pisang)

2011-01-01T05:04:00.000-08:00

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Move aside banana crumble, banana bread and banana cake. Goreng Pisang (literally, 'fried bananas' in Malay, and one of the most popular desserts in Singapore and Malaysia) is hands down the best way to use up overipe bananas.

Who can resist deep fried banana fritters with a crispy coconutty coating and melty-hot banana insides? I know I can't. Have it piping hot, with a scoop of cold rum and raisin ice cream and a drizzle of maple syrup, and you will know why my kids literally BEG me to make this all the time.

The secret to good deep fried banana fritters? Coconut, not so much as to overpower but enough to lend some fragrance to the crispy coating. Also, the use of baking soda and soda water help the fritters to fry up nice and crunchy. Having said that, these fritters are best served hot, as they will inevitably become less crispy if left sitting for a while. As a side note, I do wonder about that extra crunchy goreng pisang that is sold at Maxwell Market, which seems to stay crispy the entire day. I love the crunch but I really dislike the overwhelmingly bitter taste of baking soda in its crisp coating. So, don't be tempted to add too much baking soda to your fried goods as it can, and does, affect the taste!

Recipe for Coconutty Banana Fritters

Ingredients
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tbsp cornflour/tapioca flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp dessicated coconut
1 cup cold water/soda water

8 ripe or overripe medium-sized bananas (pisang raja variety is best)

Method
1. Combine and mix all ingredients together to form the batter
2. Heat up sufficient vegetable oil for deep frying at high heat. To test if oil is hot enough, drop 1/2 teaspoon of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and floats to the surface, the oil is at the right temperature.
3. Dip each banana into batter and deep fry in hot oil. Turn heat down to medium high and turn the bananas over occasionaly to brown evenly on all sides. Remove to drain on a paper towel when they turn golden brown. Do not over-crowd the oil with too many bananas. Depending on the size of the bananas, I usually only fry 2 or 3 at a time.
4. Serve piping hot with ice cream (vanilla or rum and raisin is best), and a drizzle of maple syrup or some cinnamon sugar.

Bun in the Oven

2010-12-29T06:16:00.000-08:00

Hi World, say hello to my latest confection - baby buns, or sweetie pie, as we like to call our girls. Yes, number 3 is sugar and spice and everything nice, and she's been all the baking I have managed to do well for the past few months.

Mainly because morning sickness and baking are not complementary. My one attempt at baking during the first 16 weeks did NOT go well. For some reason I decided on making a souffle cheesecake. I ended up running away from my baking every few minutes to gag/upchuck because, well, cheese does that to you when you are nauseous. I haven't had cheese since then. And I am only slowly starting to try chocolate desserts again. Isn't it strange how pregnancy messes up your taste buds?

Thankfully, the dreaded nausea ended after 16 weeks. And at 21 weeks now, my energy levels are starting to rise slowly again. More importantly, I am finally getting round to the idea of desserts again. Which means I might get round to posting about them again soon. Provided I can get over this inexplicable urge to spring clean every corner of my house. Another side effect of pregnancy. Oh well.

In the meantime, if you are still reading, drop me a line. Tell me what awesome desserts you have been eating. Inspire me.

And oh, by the way, a Blessed Christmas and Jolly New Year to all! May you have an abundance of meals this year that will be memorable because they are prepared and shared with love, and with those you love.

And may you (and I) also not have to eat turkey leftovers into the New Year.

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, with Praline Macadamias (aka Kill Me With A Spoon)

2010-09-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

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If my refrigerator ever became sentient, I swear the first thing it would do is take out a restraining order against me.

But since that is almost certainly never going to happen, will somebody PLEASE, I beg you, just lock up my freezer and throw away the keys.

Because ever since I made my first 2 tubs of this Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, I have been violating my freezer repeatedly through the day, every day.

At first, I thought I just had to finish it fast and get it over with. But instead, the empty tubs tricked me into filling 'em up with another batch of ice cream. Only this time, I also added Praline Macadamias.

And what a bloomin' fool of a decision that turned out to be.

What was I thinking. Salty burnt caramel ice cream, with fragrant, buttery, toasted macadamias in sweet and crunchy praline?? It might as well have been chunks of Kryptonite.

And there's no stopping me now, as I am scraping the bottom of my 4th ice cream tub. Consumed all the time with thoughts of making a third batch. What do you think, Salted Caramel Ice Cream with ... Praline Pecans? Crunchy Nougat? Chocolate Fudge? Chocolate cookies?

I think I need HELP.

Recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream, with Praline Macadamias
(aka Kill Me With A Spoon)

(slightly adapted from David Leibovitz)

For the ice cream custard:
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk, divided
1 cup (200 gr) sugar*
4 tablespoons (60 gr) salted butter
scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cups (250 ml) heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Praline Macadamias (do ahead)

Method
1. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

2. Spread 1 cup (200gr) of sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)

3. Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long.

4. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.

5. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F (71-77 C).

6. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate in the coldest part of your refrigerator for at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

7. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

8. When you've almost finished churning the ice cream in your ice cream maker, mix in the Praline Macadamias.

For the praline macadamias

1/2 cup (100gr) sugar
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup toasted macadamias

1. Caramelize sugar as in steps 2 and 3 above. Once caramelized, quickly remove from heat and stir in macadamias and salt.

2. Drop spoonfuls of macadamias on a silicone sheet to cool down. Try as best as you can to separate the nuts from each other so that you don't get huge chunks. Once cooled, break into smaller pieces with one macadamia nut each.

* The original recipe required 1.5 cups of sugar for the caramel (instead of the 1 cup listed here). I found that using 1.5 cups of sugar lowered the freezing point of the ice cream too much, such that it did not freeze very well. The ice cream was literally melting into a caramel goop the second I took it out of the freezer and was quite impossible to serve to more than one person (because when you get to number 2, it disintegrates .. you get the idea). Reader feedback on the original recipe shows that I was not the only one to have this problem with the freezing point. My solution was to reduce the amount of sugar to 1 cup, which helped the ice cream to freeze much firmer (although still softer compared to other ice creams). Rest assured that the ice cream still tastes superbly caramelly even with the reduced sugar. Some folks even preferred the taste of the ice cream with the reduced caramel proportions, finding the original too sweet and overpowering. Taste-wise I don't mind either, but if you prefer a very assertive burnt caramel flavour, or live somewhere in Alaska where things refusing to freeze is pretty much unheard of, then please feel free to stick to the original recipe.

Mango and Mixed Berries Coconut Crumble

2010-09-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

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Which way do you crumble?

I know folks who like it plain. Just the usual butter, flour, sugar (maybe brown sugar) and a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg. But I never did like basic.

I like to add oats (what a good way to fill up on more of that artery de-clogger, I say), and sometimes, toasted almonds (extra crunch!).

But my favourite crumble of all time, has got to be a coconutty crumble. It's just a little bit unexpected. A special touch that makes me (and hopefully my guests) feel like my homely crumble was actually something I honestly wanted to make. And not just a rescue plan for my fruits in distress.

Do you know that coconut goes amazingly well with mangoes?

The berries were great too, although I will confess that they were in there because, well, they needed rescuing. But c'mon, check out that beautiful purply burst-berried rim in the photo above, they baked up so pretty! Blueberries + Raspberries = Purple Juices!!! And they tasted brilliant too, honest.

But if you are not dictated by the fruits in your fridge (like I frequently am) I urge you to go ahead and make a Banana and Mango Crumble. THAT, I know, would be totally phenomenal with the coconut topping.

Mixed Fruit Coconut Crumble

Ingredients

For topping:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (226g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

For filling
Fruits of your choice (enough to fill a 13x9x2 pyrex glass baking dish) (drain/dry fruits if wet).
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method
Mix oats, brown sugar, flour, salt and spices evenly in bowl. Add chilled butter and rub in with fingertips until topping comes together in moist clumps. Add in flaked coconut and almonds and mix together until it all clumpts together a bit. (The topping can be made 1 day ahead and kept in the fridge)

Preheat oven to 190C. Grease a 13x9x2 pyrex glass baking dish with butter or non-stick spray.

Toss together filling ingredients and transfer to baking dish.

Sprinkle topping evenly over the filling.

Bake until topping is brown and crisp, about 55 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

(Crumble is best eaten on the day itself!! I find that the fruits will make the topping soggy if left overnight. So dig in right away!)

The Perfect Birthday Chocolate Cake

2010-08-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

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I promised I would share the recipe for the Despicable Me Birthday Cake I made for Sugababe 1.

This is also my go-to recipe for all my 3D birthday cakes. There are 3 very good reasons for this:

Firstly, chocolate cake is a real crowd pleaser. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that the rate of consumption for chocolate cakes is about 3 times faster than for any other type of cake. Or that people seem to have a separate stomach for chocolate that makes them go back for seconds. My 3D birthday cakes tend to be pretty big, and if I want to avoid having leftover birthday cake for days after the event, chocolate cake it will have to be.

Secondly, this recipe makes a large enough cake for me to construct a proper-sized 3D cake diorama. And allows me to fit all those cartoon characters that my Sugababes are so fond of requesting for their birthdays. Also, this is the largest-sized cake that can still fit on the largest foil-wrapped cake board (and cake box) that is sold here.

Thirdly, this is a buttermilk recipe. You may already know how much I adore the tangy flavour of buttermilk cakes. The other thing to love about buttermilk recipes like this one is how easy and failproof it is. No creaming of butter till 'pale and fluffy' or beating of egg whites to 'stiff but not dry'. Not that I am doubting your ability to do those well. But if you are like me, cakes have a cruel way of failing on me on the eve of big events. I kid you not - I once had to throw out 24 cupcakes I was doing for a birthday. I almost cried, not just because they were so flat, oily and ugly. But from the sheer shame of it all. I mean, cupcakes??? Not only were these very BASIC cupcakes, I had also baked from this recipe umpteen times without incident. No matter how much I think I have improved in my baking skills, tragic events like these keep me humble.

So. If you have to bake a big birthday cake (which is really the size of TWO birthday cakes - think how painful it would be to have to redo that). And do not want to discover that it is possible to suddenly lose your butter-creaming prowess because of Murphy's law. Or if you have more important things to stress over (like what expressions to give Gru's naughty little minions). This chocolate cake recipe will serve you well.

There are so many ways to fill, frost and serve up a good chocolate cake.

For the Despicable Me cake, the basic recipe was transformed into a Coco-Nana Chocolate Cake. Imagine dark, rich and moist chocolate cake layers with a hint of espresso. Separated by generous chunks of sweet pisang mas ('golden bananas'), embedded in rich whipped chocolate. And frosted all over with a layer of fragrant coconut buttercream. That combination of dark chocolate, sweet bananas and salted coconut .... I can't tell you how delicious it was. I hope you try it and find out!

This was definitely one birthday cake I wish I had more left over.

Recipe for Coco-Nana Chocolate Cake

Basic Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Cake
(adapted from Melissa McKinney's recipe, Portland Monthly Magazine)

Once you pour the hot coffee into the batter, don’t be alarmed by its thinness. “It’s definitely the thinnest cake batter I’ve ever worked with,” McKinney says.

3 cups (375g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2.5 cups (562.5g) caster sugar
1 tbsp and 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
70g semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (187.5ml) canola oil
1/2 cup (115g) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (375ml) buttermilk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) freshly-brewed, extra-strong hot coffee
1tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line two 10" by 7" inch rectangular cake pans with parchment paper.

2. Place flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix on low to combine.

3. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave (taking care not to burn) or double boiler. Whisk in the oil to combine.

4. Keeping the mixer on low, add softened butter, the oil and chocolate mixture, buttermilk, then eggs one at a time. Add hot coffee in a thin stream, pouring down side of bowl. Add vanilla and mix until batter is smooth. Divide into pans and bake until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool in pans for at least 20 minutes.

5. Remove cakes from pans. Trim the tops off with a serrated knife to make it even. Split each cake into 2 layers. Trim the top off the other layer and place the untrimmed side down on top of the frosted layer, pressing gently. Spoon more ganache on top and smooth it around the sides, adding more ganache as needed to cover. If you need to apply a second coat of ganache, put the cake in the refrigerator for no more than 15 minutes to set before adding a second coat.

Coconut Buttercream Frosting

200g unsalted butter, room temperature
140g shortening
125 ml coconut cream (I used Kara brand)
2 teaspoons vanilla
480g icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (or 1/4 teaspoon salt)

In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla and then salt. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add coconut cream and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Buttercream Filling

85g butter, room temperature
370g icing sugar
60g unsweetened cocoa powder
80ml heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Cream together butter and cocoa powder with electric mixer. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as necessary. Add vanilla then salt. Gradually add icing sugar and whipping cream. Beat until thick and of spreadable consistency.

Assembly

Bananas (in 1 cm thick slices)*

The quantity depends on the type of bananas used. I used a bunch of pisang mas, which are very small. Do avoid Del Monte if you can - they taste so bland!

Arrange 2 cake layers side by side on foil-wrapped cake board (with the trimmed-off tops face down).

Fill with half the amount of Chocolate Buttercream, and press banana slices into the frosting. Cover evenly over bananas with the remaining Chocolate Buttercream. Press down the other 2 cake layers on top of the filling (with the smooth untrimmed sides facing up). Using a long palette knife, frost top and sides with Coconut Buttercream.

Despicable Me Birthday Cake: How to Make A Minion

2010-08-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

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After making so many minions for my daughter's Despicable Me birthday cake, I feel somewhat qualified (as Chief Minion) to give this tutorial. Before you embark on this venture, you should note that an alternative, but no less appropriate, title for this tutorial would be "How to Make Yourself A Minion".

So if you are still not deterred by that warning, here goes:

Materials:

1 box Wilton's Pure White Rolled Fondant

3 - 4 strands rice vermicelli

Wilton Paste Colours in Black, Royal Blue & Golden Yellow

Toothpicks

Prep:

Before you start, dye your fondant separately into black, blue and yellow. (More for yellow, less for blue and even less for black). Reserve some white fondant. Depending on how many minions you wish to make, you may not need to use up the whole box of fondant. (I used less than one box for 15 minions).

Also dye some strands of rice vermicelli black, for the hair.

Sculpting:

Roll out a yellow piece like this!

Give him eyes ...

Roll out a flat rectangular blue piece and wrap it on him like a little diaper


Roll out 2 blue pieces like these (rectangles with bottom 2 corners trimmed)	and attach it to his sides


You may have to do a fair bit of smoothening to make it blend seamlessly. I like to use a toothpick (moistened slightly if necessary) like a mini rolling pin to blend the edges. Cut (not roll) 2 long strips for the overall straps


Add buttons to the front, and using a toothpick, render the stitching along the edges of overall and in the front (for pockets)


Roll out two long yellow pieces for the arms (note that they have long arms almost reaching to their feet) and wrap the ends in black for the hands.

Give him black goggles and black shoes. He should start to look cute at this point ... so exciting!

Stick short pieces of vermicelli for his hair, give him eyes (I like to use a 10ml syringe (without the needle of course) to punch out equal size eyeballs) and draw his mouth with a toothpick.

Feel free to give your minions all sorts of different expressions:

Despicable Me Birthday Cake

2010-08-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, I become completely masochistic about baking. Specifically, about baking my daughters' birthday cake.

In May, I made a 3-D Ponya on the Cliff by the Sea cake for Sugababe 2's birthday. I thought then that it was the most difficult, laborious baking project I'd ever done (the little goldfish were terribly hard to sculpt). It was rewarding, but boy! Was I ever so glad that I was not doing 3D cakes for a living.

Then August rolled round and I had to start thinking about Sugababe 1's birthday cake. Feeling a little phobic about having to make yet another 3D cake, I asked her hopefully if it was okay if we just had a small birthday celebration with family, and a simple strawberry shortcake birthday cake.

Who was I kidding.

Of course she said NO. She wanted to invite all our friends AND have a big 3D cake to boot.

First, she asked for a Strawberry Shortcake cake in the shape of ... get this - a STRAWBERRY. Not a flat strawberry but a standing up 3D strawberry. I told her that structurally, that wasn't going to work.

And then she asked for a Cars (Pixar) cake. That was not too hard actually. I thought I would just do a racing track in the shape of the number "5", put some cars on it and make little racing flags to decorate it.

However, I somehow couldn't muster up enough enthusiasm to do a Cars cake. After all, the movie was four years ago - it just seemed like a Cars cake would be terribly passe.

And this is where my tendency for masochism becomes evident. I started thinking out loud about other cartoons for a themed cake. And before I had the good sense to stop myself, I said the words 'Despicable Me'. Which is like only the coolest animated 3D film in recent memory. With only the cutest most adorable yellow twinkie-shaped critters you ever saw. Is it any wonder then that Sugababe 1 was instantly in love with the idea?

The full extent my folly only dawned on me when I realised that, it being such a new movie, there would be no Despicable Me cake toppers and toys available. Which means that I would have to sculpt everything myself. *Face palm*

Whaddya know. Love makes you do strange things.

Three days of backbreaking labour later, here are the results.

And the reward for me? How she smiled when she saw the cake, and then squeezed me so tight and said, "I love you Mommy, you're a genius!"

And just like that, my heart melts. And I gladly sign up for many more years of completely masochistic birthday cake baking.

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Coming Up Next: How to Make A Minion and the recipe for Coco-Nana Chocolate Cake.

Chocolate Banana Stud Cake

2010-08-02T08:02:00.000-07:00

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We recently implemented a reward chart system for our girls. Basically, every time they successfully produce the desired behaviour (finish their food on time, go to sleep without fuss, etc), they will earn a fancy ink stamp on their charts. If they accumulate enough stamps, they get the reward they asked for.

Guess what reward Sugababe 1 asked for? Yup. A cake. And not just any cake, but Rose Levy Beranbaum's Chocolate Banana Stud Cake. No, I don't mean that she actually said that. She's only 4, goodness. That would be too creepy. What I mean is that she found the object of her desire while leafing through my copy of Rose's Heavenly Cakes and decided that that would be her reward.

I thought it was rather surprising that she wanted a 'reward cake'. As opposed to toys, books or dolls. But a cake. Oh well. Perhaps it's a little bit telling of what her mum spends too much time doing. Of course, Sugababe 2 asked for snakes. But that has nothing to do with me.

So, after 20 days of good behaviour, it was time for me to make good on the reward. (I should add that Sugababe 2 was very excited about this, she reminded me no less than 4 times that I had to fulfil my promise).

If there was ever a cookbook author who was a textbook high "C" on the DISC profile (think Monica on Friends), Beranbaum might just be the one. Extremely meticulous, each of her recipes is detailed down to the last letter, so that you will know exactly what to do. It is no secret that Beranbaum's recipes are rigorously tested, and that she approaches each one with the precision of a food scientist. That, coupled with the way she writes with such authority and exactitude makes me (admittedly a real meddler with recipes) guilty about varying it in the slightest degree. I mean, she doesn't just tell you to put in "one large banana". She lets you know that she means 112 grams of banana. So I dutifully ate up the extra 22 grams of banana.

But hey, I am not complaining. Her meticulous style means that your cakes will turn out as promised.

Just as mine did this time.

Chocolatey, extremely tender-crumbed and deliciously fragrant with banana. Not like those heavy banana cakes that tend to be a little cloying, no. This one was full of flavour and yet light in texture and taste.

Plus the white chocolate studs were just such fun to put on.

Recipe for Chocolate Banana Stud Cake
(from Rose's Heavenly Cakes, by Rose Levy Beranbaum)

(PLAN AHEAD Make the ganache several hours before using.)

Chocolate Banana Cake

Batter	Volume	Weight
unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder	½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (sifted before measuring)	1.5 ounces/42 grams
boiling water	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces)	3 ounces/88 grams
1 large ripe banana, peeled and lightly mashed	½ cup	4 ounces/112 grams
sour cream	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons	3.2 ounces/90 grams
2 large eggs, at room temperature	¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces)	3.5 ounces /100 grams
pure vanilla extract	¾ teaspoon
cake flour (or bleached all-purpose flour)	1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon (or 1¹?³ cups), sifted into the cup and leveled off	5.5 ounces/156 grams
superfine sugar	1 cup	7 ounces/200 grams
baking soda	1 teaspoon
baking powder	¾ teaspoon
salt	¼ teaspoon
unsalted butter (65° to 75°F/19° to 23°C)	10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons)	5 ounces/142 grams5

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: One 9 by 2-inch round cake pan, encircled with a cake strip, bottom coated with shortening, topped with a parchment round, then coated with baking spray with flour.

MIX THE COCOA AND WATER: In a medium bowl, whisk the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. To speed cooling, place it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before proceeding.

PREHEAT THE OVEN: Twenty minutes or more before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F/175°C.

MIX THE LIQUID INGREDIENTS: In a food processor, process the banana and sour cream until smooth. Pulse in the cocoa mixture, eggs, and vanilla and process briefly just to blend.

MAKE THE BATTER: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half the banana-cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the remaining banana-cocoa mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. The batter will be light but creamy. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small offset spatula.

BAKE THE CAKE: Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

COOL AND UNMOLD THE CAKE: Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so that the top side is up.
Cool completely.

Ganache Studded with Chocolate Chips

MAKES: 1¾ cups/16.5 ounces/466 grams

	Volume	Weight
dark chocolate, 60% to 62% cacao, chopped		8 ounces/227 grams
heavy cream	1 cup (8 fluid ounces)
pure vanilla extract	2 teaspoons
liqueur of your choice or extra cream (optional)	2 tablespoons	1 ounce/28 grams
chocolate chips, preferably Guittard bittersweet	2 cups	11.5 ounces/325 grams

MAKE THE GANACHE: In a food processor, process the dark chocolate until very fine. In a 2-cup or larger microwavable cup with a spout (or in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often), scald the cream (heat it to the boiling point; small bubbles will form around the periphery).
With the motor of the food processor running, pour the cream through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process for a few seconds until smooth. Pulse in the vanilla and liqueur or cream, if using. Scrape the ganache into a glass bowl and let it sit for 1 hour. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to cool at room temperature for several hours, until the mixture reaches frosting consistency. The ganache keeps for 3 days at room temperature, for 3 weeks refrigerated, and for 6 months frozen.

COMPOSE THE CAKE: When the cake is completely cool, spread a little ganache onto a 9-inch cardboard round or serving plate and set it on top. If using the plate, slide a few wide strips of wax paper or parchment under the cake to keep the rim of the plate clean. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the ganache.

Stud the cake all over with chocolate chips, pointed ends in. It will take about 45 minutes to place the chips close together. Fewer chips more widely spaced also are very attractive. Or, if desired, form a design with a combination of dark and milk chocolate or peanut butter chips. If using the paper strips, slowly slide them out from under the cake before serving.

Scrumdiddlyumptious Fudgemallow Pie

2010-07-24T07:05:00.000-07:00

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Blame it on Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, a cookbook by the gorgeous, curvaceous former model Sophie Dahl. I chanced upon her book while browsing at the library last week. It is a pretty cool cookbook/food memoir, full of charming little anecdotes and homely recipes which I thought I might get round to trying someday.

Problem was, once the book was back on the shelf, (and this is revealing of my hopelessly distracted thought process) all I could think of was the word "Scrumdiddlyumptious". A word ingeniously coined, of course, by none other than Miss Dahl's famous writer grandfather Roald Dahl.*

I believe it is difficult, if not impossible, to find another word in the English language which so singularly and immediately conveys a sense of supreme, lip-smacking yummaliciousness (see, I needed to use 3 words, told ya). Once planted in my head, it simply refused to leave me alone. On and on, like a chorus of inebriated Oompa Loompas, the refrain of "Scrumdiddlyumptious scrumdiddlyumptious scrumdiddlyumptious" played on my mind for the rest of the week.

You can understand of course, that it was only a matter of time before I was seized with the irresistable urge to make, and consume in large quantities, something truly and marvellously scrumdiddlyums.

It wasn't hard to decide what would fit the bill.

It had to be Fudgey. Creamy. Buttery. Sweet. There would have to be Chocolate. Peanut Butter. And Marshmallows. And most importantly, it would not be healthy. The last being not so much a requirement as it is a matter of fact. For scrummy and healthy never the twain shall meet.

And that's how the Fudgemallow Pie was born.

A fudgey chocolate brownie pie, spread generously with the smoothest, butter-creamed peanut butter, topped with coconut flakes and big fluffy marshmallows. And then smothered all over with warm chocolate sauce. The sensation of melty, chocolate-coated marshmallows against the salty-sweetness of creamy peanut and coconut on fudge, is out of this world.

When you take your first bite, your brain will exclaim in sugar-induced ebullience, "By golly, this IS Scrumdiddlyumptious!!". And then scarcely after recovering from the shock of its intense, chocolatey, fluffernutterish deliciousness, it might scream "MORE!!!". Or in my case, "This needs ice-cream!" Which of course it does. Cold creamy, vanilla bean ice-cream melting atop its warm, oozey, chocolatey, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth fudgey goodness. You cut yourself another slice.

And then after 5 minutes, you realise this was indeed rich. Very rich. And that it might be wise to stop. Now. As you perhaps recall gluttonous Augustus Gloop's ignoble end in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But then your tastebuds override your better sense and you launch yourself into another serving. SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS!!!

Recipe for Scrumdiddlyumptious Fudgemallow Pie

Fudge Pie Base

(slightly adapted from Stephen Bruce's "Miss Milton's Lovely Fudge Pie" in Sweet Serendipity. This is simply one of the best recipes there is for a fudgey brownie.)

Unsalted butter

30 grams (1/4 cup) all purpose flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

113 grams (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

180 grams sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

57.5 grams (1/4 cup) sour cream

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (163C). Butter an 8-inch round glass pyrex pie pan (or any pan that you can cut on and serve from).

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In a double boiler over hot water, carefully melt the butter and chocolate, stirring to mix. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and sour cream together. Add the melted chocolate and mix completely. Fold in the flour mixture and stir only until the batter is uniformly brown.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, just until the batter is set and no longer jiggles when touched. Do not overbake; it should be moist and slightly gooey.

Butter-Creamed Peanut Butter

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) chunky or creamy peanut butter

1.5 tablespoons of slightly salted butter

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

Mix the peanut butter and butter together until smooth, shiny and uniform.

(Note: If you have never had peanut butter with butter, you are missing out. The butter makes peanut butter unctuously smooth and creamy - it's crazy good on toast, I tell ya.)

Chocolate Sauce

180 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped

50 grams unsalted butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine and gently melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Add golden syrup and dark rum and stir through. Sauce should be thick but pourable. If too thick to pour, add more butter.

Assembly

18 - 20 large marshmallows

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Spread peanut butter mix onto fudge pie base. Sprinkle coconut flakes over. Dip each marshmallow quickly into chocolate sauce and 'stick' it onto the pie until you have an entire layer of marshmallows. Sprinkle with more coconut then pour chocolate sauce over until marshmallows are covered. Garnish with remaining coconut flakes.

Serve warm.

Limoncello Spritzer Glaciers with Summer Fruit

2010-07-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

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There are times when I crave a simple dessert. A dessert with a 'light touch' that will be the perfect, sweet ending to a rich, heavy meal. Not a sugar-laden, creamy, chocolatey dessert that will make me sick like "Lardass" Hogan in a pie-eating contest.

That's where these jelly glaciers come in. I call them glaciers, because that's what they look like, with those gorgeous red, black and blue berries in beautiful, suspended animation. Like little pieces of a wild berry summer frozen in liquid crystal. Calling to mind the sensuous summer fruits peddled in Christina Rosetti's Goblin Market, of which goblin men call enticingly to lure fair maidens "Come buy, come buy!"

Rosetti's description of forbidden fairie fruits is certainly one to whet the appetite, but the inspiration for this dessert was taken from Jamie Oliver's Prosecco Jellies.

The beauty of these jellies, apart from the fact that they are "sound to tongue and sweet to eye" (not to mention alcoholic), is that they contain fizz. Yes, when done right, they fizz delightfully in your mouth as you are eating them. However, making sure that there is enough fizz in the jellies takes a fair bit of skill and effort. Out of the 2 batches I made, only 2 jellies turned out fizzy, because I was interrupted halfway and didn't chill them fast enough. (I have to add though, that there was also a cup of 7-Up jelly I made for Sugababe 2 that fizzed ever so beautifully, and which she devoured in 3 seconds flat, but you don't need the recipe for that ...)

So if you need a light, fresh, palate-cleansing dessert; or want another way to showcase berries on your dinner table; or if the following lines from the Goblin Market give you a thirst for the lush sensations of summer-ripened, ambrosial fruit juices; then give this recipe a try.

Goblin Market
by Christina Rosetti
(Read full version here)

Morning and evening 
Maids heard the goblins cry:
"Come buy our orchard fruits, 
Come buy, come buy: 
Apples and quinces,
Lemons and oranges, 
Plump unpecked cherries-
Melons and raspberries, 
Bloom-down-cheeked peaches, 
Swart-headed mulberries,
Wild free-born cranberries, 
Crab-apples, dewberries, 
Pine-apples, blackberries,
Apricots, strawberries-- 
All ripe together
In summer weather--
Morns that pass by,
Fair eves that fly;
Come buy, come buy;
Our grapes fresh from the vine,
Pomegranates full and fine,
Dates and sharp bullaces,
Rare pears and greengages,
Damsons and bilberries,
Taste them and try:
Currants and gooseberries,
Bright-fire-like barberries,
Figs to fill your mouth,
Citrons from the South,
" Sweet to tongue and sound to eye, 
Come buy, come buy."

Recipe for Limoncello Spritzer Glaciers with Summer Fruit
Presentation: These can be made in mini-moulds (this recipe will yield about 8 mini jellies), wine glasses, or in a large bowl. Alternatively, you can do like Delia Smith and make these in a rectangular tin for a show-stopping summer berry terrine.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Limoncello liquor1 3/4 cup Ice Cream Soda
4 tablespoons Lime Cordial
2.5 teaspoons gelatine powder
1 1/2 - 2 cup berries (varies, use as many as would fit nicely in the moulds)

Note: All ingredients (except the gelatine powder) have to be chilled. Jelly moulds should be placed in the freezer to chill. This is necessary to ensure that minimum fizz from the soda escapes from the jellies.

Method

Sprinkle gelatine powder into a small bowl containing 3 tablespoons of hot water, stirring constantly. Place in microwave and warm it up in 10 second intervals, stirring after each session, until dissolved. Do not allow the gelatine to boil.

Fill each mould with berries, ensuring that the nicest berries are on the bottom (as these will be on top when the jellies are turned out of the moulds).

Slowly add the lime cordial 1 teaspoon at a time to the gelatine liquid, stirring constantly. Do not add to much at a time or the gelatine will seize up and become lumpy. Slowly add in the limoncello liquor and then the ice cream soda. The mixture will froth up, this is normal.

Working quickly, pour the jelly mixture into each mould through a fine sieve (to remove the froth), making sure that the berries are covered. Cover with cling wrap, which should be pressed down onto the surface of the jelly mixture, and chill until set. Try to chill for at least 4 hours as more fizz appears with time.

Before serving, place each mould momentarily in a tray of hot water to loosen, and turn out onto serving plates.

Note

I have avoided adding sugar to the jellies because I wanted a more adult version, with a distinctive hit of liquor, and only the slight natural sweetness of the berries coming through. If you prefer a sweeter version, simply dissolve the required amount of sugar (about 2 tablespoons) in cordial before mixing with the gelatine mixture.

Alternatives

This dessert lends itself to so many variations. A simple fuss-free alternative is to substitute the Limoncello, soda water and cordial with, simply, an equal amount of fruit-flavoured sparkling wine. For a non-alcoholic version for kids, try using sparkling grape juice or a mix of cordial and soda water. Of course, they will also be thrilled with jellied soft drinks like my Sugababe.

Oh Luscious Lemon

2010-07-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

How do I love thee, let me count the ways ...

... juiced and cooked, into a jar of homemade Lemon Curd:

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... squeezed and drizzled, in a Strawberry Lemon Trifle:

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... chilled and whipped, into a cup of lovely Lemon Mousse:

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A sweet revenge for every lemon that I have been given lately.

Specifically, in this World Cup Season.

U.S., Portugal, Brazil, Germany. Refereeing lemons, own-goal lemons, and the lemon that is Cristiano Ronaldo. I don't mind you saying, I'm a sour loser.

Well you know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make a lemon ... treat? No? Doesn't work for you?

Yeah I know. There's nothing more I'd like right now than a vigorously lemoned deep-fried octopus. This Octopus, in particular.

But for now we'll just have to behave and stick to the Lemon Mousse, okay?

Recipe for Luscious Lemon Mousse Cups
A deliciously smooth and uplifting dessert. Full of fresh, tangy, lemony zing, this is a joy in hot weather, and refreshingly light after a heavy meal.

Makes 10 - 12 cups

Crust
1.5 cups shortbread cookie/digestives crumbs
40 grams unsalted butter, melted

Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and spread evenly on base of cups. Chill in refrigerator until firm.

Mousse
(adapted from Bon Appetit, Apr 2005)
1 recipe Lemon Curd
2.5 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder
3 large egg whites
3/8 tsp cream of tartar
85g sugar
3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
Lemon slices (garnish)

Pour 2.5 tablespoons of water into small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over. Let stand until gelatin softens, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 7/8 cup of lemon curd in large bowl. Stir 3/8 cup curd in another small saucepan over medium-low heat until very warm.

Microwave gelatin mixture on medium-high setting until dissolved and liquid is clear (do not let boil). Whisk warm gelatin mixture into 3/8 cup of warm curd. Gradually whisk gelatin-curd mixture into curd in large bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in medium bowl until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until whites are stiff, thick and glossy, and swish very slightly in the bowl. Fold whites into curd mixture in 3 additions. Whip cream in another medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg white-curd mixture in 3 additions. Pour enough mousse over cooled crust in each cup. Cover and chill mousse cups for at least 2 hours. Top with reserved curd and chill for at least another 3 hours. Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Summer Berries and Lemon Curd Pavlova

2010-07-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

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What can I say, I love berries. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, boysenberries ... hit me with any berry you can think of - there's a high chance I will like it.

What does this have to do with Pavlova? Well, my friend, Pavlova is simply one of the best ways to deliver some berry love.

But that is just the berry mad part of me talking. Because, of course, Pavlova is more, much more, than just a delivery system for berries.

Named in honour of the famous Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova, this meringue-based dessert is a delight in its own right. Sweet, light and delicate, there could not have been another dessert more aptly named after the ethereal Russian beauty.

What distinguishes the pavlova from normal meringues, is that beneath its thin, crisp shell, lies a soft, marshmallow-like center that literally melts in your mouth. Yes, you heard right, MARSHMALLOW. Another one of those things in life you can't ever get too much of.

If you want to get into the technical side of things, what makes a pavlova different from a normal meringue is the addition of cornstarch. This keeps the insides of the pavlova soft and moist, whereas the usual meringue has a sticky, chewy interior.

One issue, however, that I have with the otherwise perfect pavlova, is that it often tends to be too sweet. Unfortunately, this can't be solved by simply reducing the amount of sugar in the recipe willy-nilly. Even a tinkerer like me is wary of messing with the sugar proportions of a pavlova, because the high sugar content is necessary for its internal structure to hold.

The pavlova is therefore often paired with tart fruits like berries, kiwis and passionfruit, which goes some way towards mitigating its sugary-sweetness. However, nothing quite works the charm for me as having my pavlova with some deliciously sour lemon curd. Besides, since pavlova requires egg whites, and lemon curd requires egg yolks, the marriage of the two is not just gastronomically perfect but also happily convenient in not generating leftovers for my already over-burdened fridge.

There are some desserts that are just better home-made, and a Pavlova would fall in this category. You would not likely find an equal version in a bakery or restaurant, because a home-made pavlova is so delicate that its fragile crust will yield under the slightest pressure. It will simply not take to too much handling. You will also discover that once it is assembled, it will not hold together for more than a few hours, and is therefore best served immediately, and finished on the same day.

As SugahDaddy so wisely observed, the Pavlova is like a ballet performance, delicate and fleeting, to be enjoyed, and savoured, in the moment.

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Recipe for Summer Berries and Lemon Curd Pavlova

(copyright A Spoonful of Sugah)

Pavlova

4 egg whites (120 grams)
1 cup castor sugar (200grams)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons cornstarch/cornflour
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger*
1 teaspoon lemon zest*
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 130C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 18cm circle on the paper. (Alternatively, you can bake the pavlova in a oven-proof plate that can also be used for serving, so that you won't have to transfer it to another plate after baking. This prevents its crust from cracking from too much handling.)

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat to soft peaks, then once that happens, add vanilla extract and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. You know that the right consistency has been reached, when the egg white mixture does not fall out when the bowl is overturned.

Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour, zest, grated ginger, and lemon juice, taking care to distribute evenly but not overfold the mixture.

With a palette knife, spread the meringue over the circle drawn on the baking parchment, into the shape of a cake. (The sides should be slightly higher than the middle so that there will be a slight indentation in which to fill with cream and fruits.) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the outside of is dry and turns a pale cream colour.

Turn the oven off and leave door very slightly ajar, to let the meringue cool completely in the oven (about 3 hours). The pavlova may sink and crack a little on cooling. **

Lemon Curd

(from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar)

4 large egg yolks (74 grams)

3/4 cup sugar (150 grams)

3 fl oz lemon juice, freshly squeezed (about 2 1/2 large lemons=94 grams)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) (57 grams)

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons lemon zest (finely grated) (4 grams)

Have a strainer, suspended over a bowl, ready near the range.

In a heavy noncorrodible saucepan, beat the egg yolks and sugar with a wooden spoon until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice, butter, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for about 6 minutes, until thickened and resembling hollandaise sauce, which thickly coats a wooden spoon but is still liquid enough to pour. (A candy thermometer will read 196°F.) The mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the back of a wooden spoon. It must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle. (It will steam above 140°F. Whenever steaming occurs, remove the pan briefly from the heat, stirring constantly to prevent boiling.)

When the curd has thickened, pour it at once into the strainer. Press it with the back of a spoon until only the coarse residue remains. Discard the residue. Stir in the lemon zest. Let cool complely to room temperature.

Whipped Lemon Cream

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons lemon curd

Using an electric mixer, whip whipping cream into soft peaks, then add icing sugar and vanilla extract, and continue whipping to stiff peaks. Fold in lemon curd gently.

Assembly

Top meringue base with lemon whipped cream, spoon over some lemon curd, and top decoratively with 1 to 1.5 cups of mixed berries. Serve immediately, with remaining lemon curd.

*Another issue with meringue-based desserts, is that they can sometimes have a slight eggy taste and smell that can be a little off-putting. After all, meringues are nothing more than beaten egg whites. I find however that the addition of lemon zest and grated ginger is quite effective in preventing it from developing this eggy aftertaste, besides giving it a refreshing 'lift' on the palate.

**I have been asked by a friend, A, how to prevent a pavlova from sinking upon cooling. Letting the pavlova cool slowly in the oven is commonly done to prevent the pavlova from shrinking too much from the sudden drop in temperature. However, despite this being done, there might still be a slight deflation particularly in the center of the pavlova. From what I have read, this is normal, and not a bad thing since the cracks can be disguised with cream and fruit. The crack-free and sturdier 'pavlovas' which are sold at bakeries, are commonly not true pavlovas as such, but traditional meringues (without cornflour) which, because of its completely different texture, does not suffer from similar problems of shrinking/cracking.

Burnt Caramel Cake with Coffee Cream

2010-07-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

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Do you like caramel?

I ADORE caramel, in any manner, shape or form. Hot caramel sauce, sticky toffee puddings, butterscotch candies ... I haven't yet met a caramel I haven't liked. And don't even get me started on Garrett's phenomenal Caramel Popcorn, otherwise known as Heart-Attack in a Bag. Have you tried it? You should. Just have a defibrillator ready. Because I assure you, you will finish the whole bag yourself.

I guess it is no surprise then, that I was smitten the moment I saw Rose Levy Beranbaum's Karmel Cake recipe. I mean, it's made from a WHOLE CUP of caramel. It had me at "Hello".

When making caramel, I like to take it to the limit - from honey to amber to dark amber-brown - the the point where it is almost burnt, or you could say, scorched. I find that makes the best, full-bodied and complex-flavoured caramel. Undercooked caramel is just sweet in a one-toned, supermarket-confection, kids' candy sort of way. And nowhere as exciting on the palate as scorched caramel. Of course accidents can happen when you try to make burnt caramel. It's important to note that when chefs say burnt caramel, they really mean almost-burnt caramel, not burnt-black-as-coal burnt caramel. The latter is what happens when you play Angry Birds on your iPhone while waiting for your caramel to darken. And is good for nothing except giving your arms a good workout when you scour the pot.

Beranbaum's Karmel Cake recipe is really quite perfect on its own. But of course, being the meddler that I am, I had to tinker with it. And so, instead of using light caramel (softball stage), I used burnt caramel. This produced a beautifully fragrant cake, but also a cake with a darker brown crust, which admittedly did not look as pretty as Beranbaum's unadorned honey golden Karmel cake. Not that it really mattered, because I had already decided that it would become a layer cake. The result? Two layers of coffee-moistened burnt caramel cake, filled with Kahlua-flavoured coffee whipped cream and whipped chocolate frosting. The burnt caramel cake is good enough to eat on its own, but the coffee cream complements it so beautifully you would probably not want to leave that out.

Recipe for Burnt Caramel Cake with Coffee Cream

Burnt Caramel Cake
(adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Karmel Cake recipe)

Caramel:

1 cup light brown sugar, preferrably Muscovado
1 1/4 cups milk, divided
2 tablesoons unsalted butter

Cake:

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour or bleached all-purpose flour, sifted into measuring cup
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Set oven rack in lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 175C.

Butter and flour the inside of a 9 by 2-inch round cake pan. You also could line the bottom with parchment paper that also has been coated with baking spray and flour.

To make the caramel, have ready a 2-cup or larger heatproof glass measure, coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium heavy saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the brown sugar, 3/4 cup of milk and the butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Stop stirring and boil until an instant-read thermometer registers 238 degrees, the soft ball stage. Tilt the pan to get enough depth for an accurate reading. It will take about 10 minutes or more to reach this stage, and the mixture will look slightly curdled. (To make burnt caramel, continue past this stage, till mixture looks dark brown. When dropped into a glass of cold water, the caramel should become a hard bead). When the sugar reaches temperature, immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into a prepared glass measure to stop the cooking. You should have 1 cup. If less, add hot cream or boiling water to equal 1 cup. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl and gently whisk in the remaining milk. Don't worry if some of the liquid crystalizes on the bottom, it will dissolve during baking.

Place the bowl on a wire rack and allow the mixture to cool until is is no longer warm to the touch. It will take about an hour, but to speed cooling, it's fine to set the glass measure in a bowl of ice water. If desired, stir the mixture a few times while cooling in order to equalize the temperature.
To make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until just lightly combined. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the flat beater, mix the flour, baking powder and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and cooled caramel. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Starting on medium-low speed, gradually add the egg mixture in two parts, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter ito the prepared pan, and smoothe surface evenly with a small offset spatula.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a wire cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.

Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing firmly against the pan, and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. To prevent splitting, reinvert the cake so the top side is up. Cool completely.

Coffee Syrup
120 grams water
120 grams sugar
2 tablespoons Kahlua
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let liquid simmer until it thickens (into a consistency similar to corn syrup). Let cool.

Coffee Cream
2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons icing sugar

3 tablespoons coffee syrup (must be room temperature)

Chill metal bowl and whisk in fridge beforehand. Make sure the whipping cream is well-chilled.
Start whipping cream, adding powdered sugar slowly into the cream when it thickens. When cream reaches soft peaks, add coffee syrup slowly, one tablespoon at at time. Stop when stiff peaks form.

Assembly:

Split Burnt Caramel Cake into 2 layers. Place one layer at the bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Brush cake layer with coffee syrup. Spread half the Coffee Cream on top of cake layer evenly. Repeat with the second cake layer. Dust the top (which should be the Coffee Cream) with cocoa powder. Chill for 2 hours. Before serving, let thaw for 5 - 10 minutes.

Note: The version shown in the picture contains, in addition to Coffee Cream, also a whipped chocolate frosting in its middle layer. However, as chocolate frosting can detract from the flavour of the caramel cake, I have left this out in the improved recipe above (which only contains Coffee Cream).

Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes

2010-06-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

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Rich, creamy Valrhona Jivara Milk Chocolate, laced with rum, and studded with butter-roasted hazelnuts. All this sitting on a crunchy chocolate wafer base slathered with sticky Dulce de Leche.

These Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes are so named, because they'll have you falling for them, not them for you.

Sprinkle with some margarita salt flakes before serving and they become absolutely phenomenal with salty-sweet chocolatey goodness. Trust me, like dominoes, your first piece will quickly be followed by another.

Don't just take my word for it. Look at those thieving fingers, stealing them from right under my nose (and camera lens). This is NOT a posed shot, and a common occurence around here, I might add...

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Time to put the camera away.

Recipe for Chocolate & Hazelnut Reverse Dominoes
(copyright 2010 A Spoonful of Sugah)

Ingredients:
Layer 1:
180 grams pailette feuilletine*
260 grams premium milk chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 40%)
80 grams premium dark chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 55%)
105 grams nutella or praline paste

Layer 2:
350 grams thick caramel/Dulce de Leche (see here for instructions on how to make)
80 grams premium dark chocolate (e.g.Valrhona 55%)
pinch of fleur de sel/salt

Layer 3:
250 grams heavy whipping cream (at least 35% fat)
350 grams premium milk chocolate
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp rum
1 cup toasted hazelnuts (rub with butter for the last 2 minutes of toasting).

Method:
Layer 1:
Line a 13"by 13" sheet pan (with at least 1" height) with baking paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler (taking care not to overheat). Remove from heat. Add nutella/praline paste and mix until fully combined. Stir in pailette feuilletine. Press mixture into an even layer on sheet pan. Chill in fridge until firm, at least 1 hour.

Layer 2:
Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave (taking care not to overheat). Stir in melted chocolate, 1 tablespoon at a time, into dulce de leche. Mixing well after each spoonful. Add a pinch of fleur de sel or salt and mix well. Spread chocolate caramel paste evenly onto the chilled wafer base. Chill in fridge until firm, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Layer 3:
Place milk chocolate chips/feves in a bowl. Heat whipping cream gently over stove, remove from heat once it starts to simmer. Pour hot cream over milk chocolate chips/feves and let stand for 1/2 minutes. Stir through until chocolate is completely melted. Add golden syrup and rum, then stir to combine.

Pour chocolate mixture into sheet pan (over layers 1 and 2). Working quickly, press whole hazelnuts randomly into the chocolate. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until chocolate bar is firm enough to cut.

Cut into squares and serve with a sprinkle of margarita or maldon sea salt flakes.

* pailette feuilletine are crushed vanilla wafers. I purchase mine in bulk (i.e. 2 kg) from Euraco Fine Food Ltd (You can contact Ms Celine Lo at 6276 5433, and mention that you were referred by A Spoonful of Sugah). If you are not inclined to purchase so much, I've read somewhere that Chinese love letters, crushed finely, make a reasonable substitute.

Red, White and Blue

2010-06-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

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Seeing as the Fourth of July is just round the corner, what better way to celebrate Independence than with a Red Velvet - a proper all-American Southern cake? Be that as it may, I did not quite have this in mind when I baked this cake. After all, my country's independence is in August, not July. And, truth be told, I don't need much persuasion at all to turn out a Red Velvet Cake. Just a couple of blocks of cream cheese and a carton of buttermilk in the fridge, and my mind will subconsciously incline itself towards this tender-crumbed buttermilk cake.

Add to that the fact that I am as much a fan of buttermilk cakes as I am a sucker for striking visuals. Which explains why after having (I believe) developed a more refined palate over the years I still find myself inexplicably giving in to the lure of the golden arches and all the empty calories it represents. So, much as I am aware that the cake owes it's glorious hue to Wilton's food colouring, I can't help but fall for the beautiful contrast of its bold, velvety red against the creamy white frosting. Good looking cakes just taste better. Just ask my Sugababes, who will eat almost anything heart-shaped and pink.

My favourite way to eat this cake is with lots of blueberries and raspberries heaped on top and sandwiched between its layers. Alternatively, you could eat it like a true Southerner, with a generous topping of flaked coconut.

The recipes for Red Velvet Cakes tend to be pretty standard, with some substituting vegetable oil for butter to produce a more tender crumb. I prefer however the full flavour of a butter cake. The recipe below produces a cake that is not only tender, but which also has an open fluffy texture from the dual leavening action of creaming butter and the reaction between buttermilk and baking soda.

Recipe for Red, White and Blue Velvet Cake
(adapted from Saveur and Bon Appetit)

Cake
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
2 heaped tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (shake well before using!)
1 tablespoon red food coloring (I used 2 tsp Wilton's Christmas Red colouring paste)
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Frosting
454 grams cream cheese, room temperature
113 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp lemon zest

Topping

1 cup blueberries/raspberries

1.5 - 2 cups flaked coconut

For cake:
Preheat oven to 180C. Line with baking paper, two 7.5" by 10.5" rectangular cake pans (alternatively, two 9" diameter cake pans) with at least 1.5" inch-high sides.

Dry ingredients: Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Mix dry ingredients well with a whisk.

Buttermilk mixture: Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, cream sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs in 2 instalments, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 - 30 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

For frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in lemon zest and vanilla. Add icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Trim each cake of its domed top to get flat cake layers. Frost cake with cream cheese frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Top (and/or sandwich cake) with blueberries or flaked coconut. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1/2 hour before serving.

Samba to this Salsa

2010-06-25T04:21:00.000-07:00

The only thing possibly better than having a BBFF (i.e. Baking BFF), is having a FBFF - Football BFF. In my case I am blessed to have found both in my cool girlfriend C (which makes her a BFBFF). This is my contribution for our Brazil vs Portugal football & tapas party which she is hosting tonight.

I am fussy when it comes to salsa. That's not to say I am an authority on it, just that this is the way I like it - fresh, spicy and sharp. I believe the first time I tasted good salsa was at Rosa Mexicano in New York, on our honeymoon. I never ever ate salsa from a jar again. The secret to Rosa Mexicano's salsa is the paste, which is made in a molcajete, or a stone pestle and mortar. I have varied the original version over the years, and as best as I can correctly record, these are the proportions I now use. The qualifier is there because salsa is one of those dishes that you really have to taste and adjust as you go along. This is a less spicy version of what I would do for myself, since my tastebuds can't detect anything less than a direct hit of pure unadulterated jalapeno. If you have more delicate tastebuds this will be exciting enough to make them tingle.

Have these with some of Tostitos' Hint of Lime tortilla chips and you will understand why I need to run every week to keep the pounds off.

The only downside to making this salsa is that 1/4 of it (and the bag of chips) invariably ends up in my tummy before I even make it to the party. Oh well, I hope what's left will be enough to last us until Portugal scores its first goal.

C'mon Portugal! Give me a reason to samba!!!

Guacomole ala Rosa Mexicano

Paste

2 tablespoon onions, chopped

1 teaspoon jalapenos, chopped

1 teaspoon cilantro, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 ripe Hass avocados

6 tablespoons onions, chopped

1 – 2 teaspoon seeded, finely chopped jalapeno chile

3 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro

3 - 4 chopped tomatoes, discard juice and seeds

salt to taste

Juice of 1 white lime

dash of Tabasco

Mash or blend paste ingredients into a paste.

Cut ripe avocado flesh into roughly 1cm cubes.

Squeeze lime juice over the avocadoes to prevent browning.

Add avocado cubes to the paste and thoroughly mix together. Do not mash as you do not want the guacamole to be mushy.

Add the rest of the ingredients and fold them together gently.

Add jalapenos and salt, a dash of Tabasco (and more lime juice if required) to taste.

When in doubt, Tiramisu.

2010-06-24T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have hardly met a person who didn't like Tiramisu (except for my friend M, but that is a story for another time). Whenever I have a dessert deadline to deliver on and have neither time nor energy for something complicated, or more often than not, when I need an easy do-ahead dessert that will improve overnight, I will make tiramisu. The beauty of a tiramisu is that it is an impressive-looking, sophisticated dessert that will have everyone thinking you bought it, but which thankfully, is really a no-bake dessert that is not too difficult to make.

This is my go-to recipe:

Recipe for Tiramisu
(adapted from Gourmet)

Ingredients:
480ml of espresso sweetened with 1 tbsp sugar
113g caster sugar
3 tablespoons Kahlua
4 large egg yolks
80 ml dry Marsala
500g (1 big tub) mascarpone cheese, room temperature
300ml chilled heavy whipping cream (at least 35% fat)
36 savoiardi (crisp Italian ladyfingers)
Unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting

Method:

Combine egg yolks, Marsala, and 1/2 cup sugar in a metal bowl. Set mixture over a saucepan of barely simmering water and beat using a whisk or handheld electric mixer until tripled in volume (7 to 9) minutes. Mixture should look thick, creamy and pale. Remove bowl from heat. Gently beat in mascarpone until just combined.

Beat whipping cream until it holds stiff peaks.

Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream gently but thoroughly.

Dipping both sides of each ladyfinger into espresso, line bottom of a 13- by 9- by 3-inch baking pan or dish with ladyfingers, trimming to fit if necessary. Each ladyfinger should not be dipped into the espresso for more than 1 second for each side. The dipped ladyfinger should feel wet and moist on its outside but still have a firm core. Brush ladyfingers with half the Kahlua. Spread half of mascarpone filling on top and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Repeat with a second layer of ladyfingers.

Chill, covered, for at least 6 hours before serving.

Abracadabra, Alakazim, Eat These Cookies and You Won't Be Thin...

2010-06-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

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...but you won't care either. The first time I tried these, as baked by the inimitable Aunty V, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. The explosion of sweet, caramelly, nutty, coconutty and buttery flavours in my mouth was just out of this world. I immediately packed a couple to bring home to Sugahdaddy. I remember asking him, "What IS this stuff called?? Have you ever tasted anything THIS GOOD?", and obviously he hadn't, because he straightaway demanded that I obtain the recipe.

Aunty V, who is a kind of baking legend in our circles (whose theme song should be 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic') was kind enough to share with me the recipe for what I now know is called Magic Cookie Bars. And they are magic, believe me, because I can get Sugahdaddy to do just about anything with a wave of these cookie bars. The best part is, they are insanely easy to make. These are what I would call high ROI (i.e. Return on Investment) desserts - minimum investment of effort for a crazy good return on results.

It is World Cup season again, and if you want to have some nice munchies while you cheer or cry your way through the games, you will not find a dessert with a better ROI than this, that will satisfy your nervous need to chew on something while leaving you enough time and energy to enjoy your games.

Magic Cookie Bars
(adapted from Borden Eagle brand's recipe)

Ingredients:

1½ cups graham cracker or digestive biscuit crumbs
113 grams butter, melted
1 (14-ounce/397 grams) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
2 cups (340 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut (Baker's Angel Flaked Coconut is the best because it is moist)
1 cup roughly chopped pecan nuts (can be substituted with other nuts)

Method:
1) Heat oven to 350°F/175C. Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with baking paper.
2) Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour half the sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Drizzle remaining condensed milk over the top.
3) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds.
For perfectly cut cookie bars, chill in fridge to set before cutting.

Variations: Substitute chocolate chips or nuts with candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini-marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

Note: Do not be tempted to reduce the amount of condensed milk as it will impact on the taste.

BROWNIE KNOCKOUT!

2010-06-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

Few questions will generate such varied and passionate responses as "How do you like your brownies?", as I discovered last week in an informal Facebook survey. Some like it chewy, some like it fudgey (but almost none like it cakey). Some like it plain, while others preferred fillings ranging from nuts (pecans, macadamias, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios), marshmallows, chocolate chips, to raisins.

I had taken it upon myself to make brownies for 2 parties, and even though I knew I couldn't please everyone, I was psyched enough by the challenge to try.  But how?

Many are the claims among published and unpublished chefs to the recipe for the "Ultimate Brownie", or the "Best Brownie in the World", and I had a difficult task trying to decide which recipes to use.

In the end, it came down to 2 recipes, and 3 different batches of brownies.

The first, a Double Chocolate Mocha Brownie.

Crunchy on the outside, and chewy on the inside, with a strong coffee flavour, and studded with chocolate chips, pecans and macadamias, this is what I imagined a 'Wall Street' Brownie would taste like, and was indeed Sugahdaddy's favourite. If you are looking for a robust, grown-up brownie with a definite bite, this recipe from Gourmet will not disappoint. The bittersweet intensity of the Valrhona Equatoriale 55% Dark Chocolate and Italian expresso packs a punch, which was no less diminished when served with a scoop of vanilla.

They say that coffee brings out and accentuates the flavour of chocolate. But if you, like me, think that your dark chocolate is just fine on its own and needs no help from coffee thank-you-very-much, then perhaps you will be enticed by the Dulce De Leche Brownie:

Deeply chocolately, with a slightly crunchy crust and an interior that achieves that beautiful balance between chewy and fudgey, Nick Malgieri's recipe is not called Supernatural Brownies without reason. This version was made to please those of my friends who preferred their brownies sans nuts. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that a nut-less brownie was a little sad, and decided to drop generous gobs of Dulce de Leche in the brownie batter to liven it up (following the suggestion of my favourite food blogger and cookbook author David Leibovitz).

Dulce de leche is the Spanish name for what is basically milk caramel. I love caramel of any kind, and the best part about dulce de leche (apart from how its sensuously delicious it sounds) is that you can make it very easily at home. All you need to do is to boil an unopened can of condensed milk in a pressure cooker for 30 - 45 minutes, and you will end up with this lovely caramel at the end. (Alternatively, you can cook it in the oven like Leibovitz suggests here.) I boiled my can of condensed milk for the full 45 minutes, so as to get this gorgeously smooth, dark brown toffee. I liked how its creamy sweetness balanced out the dark chocolate and added interest to the otherwise plain brownie.

By the time I got to the third batch of brownies, I decided I wanted to stick to Malgieri's recipe. The original contender, Barefoot Contessa's Outrageous Brownies recipe, apart from the fact that it also contained coffee, would yield too many brownies for that recipe size. Besides, as I said, I really liked the texture of those Supernatural Brownies.

And so, the Gone Nuts! Brownie was born.

Deliciously chocolately and pleasantly (but not overly) sweet, this was made with a mix of dark chocolate and milk chocolate in a 3:1 proportion (Varhona's Equatoriale 55% and Valrhona Jivara Lactee 40%). I went crazy and filled it with 4 different nuts - macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts and walnuts - giving this fudgey brownie a satisfying crunch. This brownie is my favourite, not least because I am such a nut lover. Served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a generous pouring of Dark Chocolate Sauce with Rum, this was irresistable and especially difficult to defend from the Sugababes during the photo shoot.

Oh shoot, I guess I'll just let her have her have it then.

Meanwhile, back at my parties (the reason for this brownie adventure in the first place) here's how the battle between the brownies played out:

Initially, it looked like the men favoured the Mocha Brownies, as they all seemed to gravitate toward getting a caffeine fix after dinner. Comments pointed out that they were not too sweet and went very well with the ice cream and chocolate sauce. But then, equal votes started coming in for the Dulce de Leche Brownies and the Gone Nuts! Brownies, as they all started to disappear at a more even pace. I then realised that the fans of the Mocha Brownies were not so much dessert fans as a whole. In the end, the clear winner was the Dulce de Leche Brownies, with the pace of consumption outstripping the others by a clear margin. What can I say - even adults can appreciate a sugar high.

So there you have it. Somewhere between those 3 versions, I thought my mission was accomplished and that I had managed to find THE Ultimate Brownie. For about a minute.

Then someone remarked that if I added nuts into the Dulce de Leche Brownies, they would be perfect ...

Sticky Cinnamon Buns

2010-06-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

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Sometimes, when we run out of breakfast food (i.e. sliced bread, cereal or cake), and I am not inclined (which I usually am not) to buy a loaf of sliced bread, I will make my own bread. Yes, I did mention before that I really dislike bread. Which means that I will not go through great lengths to make it, and which in turn means that the recipe that I am about to share is really very simple or I would never have bothered. Simpler, in fact, than driving out to get that loaf of bread.

Sugar and spice and everything nice ... that's what these buns are made of. Laced with sticky cinnamon and vanilla sugar within its swirls, and studded with sweet raisins and chocolate chips, these are phenomenal fresh out of the oven, and even better with a cup of coffee.

The only problem is that they don't keep very well (no preservatives!), but I haven't had to worry about that too much because they disappear quite quickly around here.

You can bake these in muffin cups, muffin tins, or any tin of any shape - round, square or rectangle. Just squash them up like I did above.

The basic sweet bread recipe for these buns produces a loaf of a soft and fluffy texture, and can be used as a base for a variety of buns - e.g. ham and cheese buns, sausage buns, etc.

I should have taken a picture of a ripped apart bun just so that you can see the sticky goodness of the melted cinnamon sugar and chocolate chips within, but somewhere between trying to get a good shot and fending off my Sugababes (who are always hanging around like starved vultures trying to snatch my fresh-baked goodies) I forgot. But I think you can see from this photo the nice, open and fine texture of the bread.

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So if you have never made bread from scratch before, give this a try. You may surprise yourself with how easy it is.

Recipe for Sticky Cinnamon Buns
(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Dough:
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or instant yeast)
1 1/8 cups (266g) lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons vanilla sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup potato flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Filling:
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten, or 1 tablespoon milk (to brush on dough)
1/4 cups raisins
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1. First, make the dough. If using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in the lukewarm milk. Let the yeast and milk sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2. Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the dough ingredients. Mix and knead everything together by hand until you've made a smooth dough. Dough should form a smooth ball that does not stick to your fingers. (If dough sticks, add just enough flour until it comes away in a smooth ball, but do not add too much or it will become tough). Knead for about 10 minutes.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, till it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4. Transfer the risen dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat or roll it into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick.

5. To make the filling, whisk together the sugars and cinnamon powder. Brush the dough lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, covering the entire surface. Scatter raisins and chocolate chips evenly on dough.

6. Roll the dough into a log the long way. Slice the log into 12 – 14 slices. Space the rolls in the prepared baking pans, allowing some space for expansion. Cover the pans, and let the rolls rise till they're noticeably puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours; they should spread out and start to crowd one another. Brush the tops of the rolls lightly with egg.

7. Bake the rolls till they're brown around the edges and beginning to turn golden brown across the center, about 20 minutes. Once done, brush the tops of the rolls with butter so as to soften the brown crust.

Clouds for Tea

2010-06-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888*
A dear friend recounted to me the other day, her memory of the most beautiful cake she had ever seen. She was a little girl then, and her mother brought home a tall cake that was pristine white, covered with snow-white frosting and sprinkled all over with coconut. What made the cake so special was that it was completely white, like a cloud, without a speck of any other colour. That image of a little girl, completely enraptured by this dreamy confection, inspired me to make one too.

Naturally, the cake base for my ethereal vision had to be an angel cake. The angel cake is one of my favourite cakes for several reasons, not least of which is that it is completely FAT-FREE and naturally low in cholesterol (since there are no egg yolks). The fact that it is comprised predominantly of egg whites also means that it is a great source of body-building protein; which makes it possibly the only cake which might actually help you to build muscle. But perhaps the most beautiful thing about an angel cake is that, in sea of pedestrian yellow and brown cakes, it stands elegantly white.

Such a delicate cake must be paired carefully with similarly delicate flavours that will not overwhelm it. In the end, I chose the refreshing tropical flavours of white-fleshed lychees and coconut.

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Incidentally, while picking up red lychees at the market the other day, I chanced upon the brown lychees below from Brazil. Unfortunately I couldn't use them in the cake, as they were not as sweet, and had a faint aftertaste that reminded me too much of (of all things!) of durian. Interesting, but ... nah.

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I had a wonderful baking day with this cake (which kind of made up for my recent harrowing experience with the Strawberry Shortcake). The angel cake baked up nice and tall. Once trimmed of its brown outer crust, it looked as if I had a big piece of cotton resting on my cooling rack! I split the cake into 2 layers, brushed them lightly with lychee syrup, and folded fresh lychees into a whipped lychee-almond cream that went between and over the layers. Lastly, a confetti-like coat of finely-shredded fresh coconut completed the look.

This cake is so light, each slice has to be cut gently with a serrated knife, as any other kind of knife will compress and ruin its delicate structure. On first bite you will first notice how light and airy-soft it is. Then comes the joy of munching on juicy pieces of firm-fleshed lychees enveloped in almond-scented cream, its aromatic sweetness perfectly complemented by the slightly salty and almost nutty flavour of the shredded coconut.

I've heard someone exclaim once that eating a piece of the Ispahan cake (also made from an angel cake base) was like eating air. Well if that is true, then a slice of this Lychee and Coconut Angel Cake would certainly feel like having a bit of a fluffy tropical cloud on your fork.

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Recipe for Lychee Coconut Angel Cake

Angel cake base:

1.5 cups egg white (about 12 large egg whites)

¾ cup less one tablespoon caster sugar

¾ cup caster sugar

1 cup sifted cake flour

1.5 tsp cream of tartar

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170C. Whisk together the ¾ cup less one tbsp caster sugar, together with cake flour, set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy, then add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining ¾ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat to soft peaks, then once that happens, add vanilla extract and beat until the egg whites just forms stiff glossy peaks. Do not overbeat.

Sift the sugar and cake flour mixture lightly over the egg whites in 6-8 additions, and gently fold in after each addition. Take care not to fold too quickly or with too many strokes or the egg whites will deflate and the cake will not rise properly. Once the sugar and flour have been fully folded into the egg whites, transfer the batter gently into an ungreased 9-inch chiffon tube pan with removable bottom. Run a spatula through the batter to ensure that there are no large bubbles in the batter, then smoothen the top.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until the top springs back lightly when pressed and a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean (or with only a very few dry crumbs adhering).

Remove from oven and invert pan over a bottle to cool completely.

Once cool, run a sharp knife around the sides and bottom of the pan to release the cake. Trim the cake completely of its brown crust so that it is completely white.

Lychee cream frosting:

2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (must be cold)

¼ cup lychee puree (if unavailable, increase lychee extract to 1¼ tsp or to taste)

1 tsp lychee extract

½ tsp almond extract

5 tablespoons sifted icing sugar

Using the electric mixer (whisk attachment), beat cold whipping cream. Just when it gets soft and billowy, slowly and very gently add lychee puree in 3 to 4 additions, sugar and extracts then beat to stiff peaks.

Assembly:

1 cup fresh shredded coconut

1 cup of fresh lychees, pitted, drained and patted dry. (Reserve juices)

¼ cup of lychee syrup or if unavailable, simmer lychee juices with sugar to make a light syrup. Lychee liquer if available is also a good substitute.

Brush each angel cake layer lightly with lychee syrup, being careful not to brush on too much as it would make the cake soggy.

Fill the layers with whipped lychee cream and fresh lychees, and then frost the entire cake. with the whipped cream. Sprinkle dessicated coconut liberally over the top and sides of the cake.

Storage: Because of the use of fresh coconut, this cake should be served and eaten on the day it is made. Fresh coconut will quickly turn sour the next day. If desired, the fresh coconut may be substituted with dessicated coconut to allow for slightly longer storage (i.e. 3 days).

Berrylicious Strawberry Shortcake

2010-06-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

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Who sleeps all night in a cake made of strawberry?
Wakes up bright in a cake made of strawberry?
Livin right in a cake made of strawberry?

That was me for the past two days, wouldn't ya know; sleeping, waking and living in a strawberry shortcake baking nightmare.

I'm not a fan of sponge cakes. The only reason I even like strawberry shortcake is purely, PURELY, because since I was a child I identified it with Strawberry Shortcake, the cartoon and merchandising character. That's the power of TV for ya.

I love it that my daughter is just as nuts about Strawberry Shortcake, so after repeated requests from her, I finally got down to making one this week.

As you may know, there are many variations of the strawberry shortcake. The true American version, so I'm told, is not a cake at all, but a biscuit, kind of like a scone, which you split in half and fill with strawberries and whipped cream. Then there is the more common cake version, consisting of pound cake or sponge cake layers (usually soaked or brushed with syrup) sandwiching strawberries and fresh cream. Over here, the Japanese style of strawberry shortcake, consisting of very light sponge layers, is very popular.

My favourite kind of Strawberry Shortcake is ... the berry-scented, collectible rubber figurine kind (I think kids in the 80s were in serious danger of brain damage from sniffing those toys).
Unfortunately, since that is neither bakeable nor edible, I decided that a sponge sandwich version, with strawberries and fresh cream oozing out between layers, would be most reminiscent of Miss Strawberry Shortcake's poofy get-up. It was supposed to be an easy affair: I thought I could bake it in the morning, frost it at noon and have it in time for a late afternoon tea on Tuesday. And even have time after for my run.

How the best laid plans of mice and men go astray.

I followed a recipe on Okashi's cookbook for the genoise sponge, and noticed that it required butter to be added into the egg yolk mixture before flour was folded in. Usually, you are required to add in butter last. However, like the goon that I was, I thought she probably had a good reason for this discrepancy and that this was perhaps a super secret way to make the sponge incredibly fluffy ... and so I pressed ahead. Later, I found out that when you add butter first, it makes it hard to fold in the flour completely, resulting in the cake having little pockets of uncooked flour. I should also mention that I am not without fault in the first failed attempt - I had carelessly doubled the recipe to accomodate my bigger pan and as a result, the cake did not rise well. It ended up so tough and springy I could have bounced on it like a real foam cushion.

Then I chanced upon this post on Crumbb (by Teo Pau Lin, you may remember her as a former local news journalist) on the perfect sponge cake, and was encouraged to try again. The problem with me is that I can never leave a recipe well enough alone. Sometimes my meddling is a stroke of genius, but just as often I realise too late it is a sheer act of imbecility.

In this case, I substituted the plain flour with cake flour, added 2 tablespoons of hot water to the egg yolk mixture (it was supposed to whip to a greater volume this way), and (this probably being the reason for my failure) I scaled up the recipe (again) to accomodate my 9-inch pan. In the end the sponge baked up nice and fluffy along all the circumference but was noticeable denser in the middle. I think it would have baked fine in a chiffon tube pan with its hollow column, but somehow the scaled up recipe didn't allow for it to cook through and rise nicely in the middle. It wasn't bad enough to be chucked, so in the end I decided to go ahead and frost it anyway. I brushed the layers with italian strawberry syrup and Limoncello, whipped up some vanilla cream and folded in some fresh strawberries. After the cake was chilled in the fridge and the flavours had time to work themselves into the spongy layers, the cake actually tasted pretty good, even though I wasn't happy with the texture.

The problem with baking is that when it turns out perfectly, you don't have enough to go around. And when it doesn't, you have to eat it all up yourself (at least if you are a perfectionist like me). And that's where I have to be thankful that it was, after all, a strawberry shortcake, because wouldn't ya know, my little Sugababes would eat practically ANYTHING that has something to do with Miss Strawberry Shortcake. Although that doesn't explain why my husband is eating it...

Japanese Souffle Cheesecake

2010-05-31T09:33:00.000-07:00

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Of all the cakes I have ever baked, this is the one most often requested by my daughters, aged 3 and 5. They call it the 'Marshmallow Cheesecake', because of its pillowy soft look and texture. Although I must hasten to add that it tastes nothing like a marshmallow. A cheesecake marshmallow would be awesome but also beyond my skills to conjure up at the moment.

I followed a recipe from one of my favourite bloggers, Auntie Lily of the "Lily's 'Wai Sek Hong'", blog, who always makes me feel like I am receiving secret cooking tips and instructions from my late grandmother, who was also a great cook.

But anyway I digress. I've made this cake many many times, and have learnt that the key to achieving a light texture lies in beating the egg whites correctly. The water bath is also essential, so that the cake will have a beautiful, crack-free surface.

One of the important adjustments that I made to the basic recipe, was to add cream of tartar to the egg whites while they are being beaten. This is to ensure that you do not overbeat the egg whites, as once you do, your cheesecake will rise phenomenally in the oven only to suddenly shrink and contract at the last stage of baking to become a sunken and dense little cake.

Although this cheesecake looks similar, it is different in texture from the Japanese cheesecakes sold at the malls and supermarkets (like Miki Ojisan) which are drier and more like very soft chiffons. This souffle Japanese cheesecake (which is essentially a type of foam cake) is much more moist and tender. Properly baked, it should have a cottony soft and melt-in-your-mouth texture.

My 3 year old Sugababe loves to eat these plain, cramming it into her mouth in quick succession (they are so light!). I, on the other hand, like to have these with Fragola Frabbri strawberries (Italian, and the best!) and a generous spoonful of its shiny syrup drizzled on top.

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Recipe for Japanese Souffle Cheesecake
(slightly adapted from Lily's Wai Sek Hong)

Ingredients:

8" round cake tin

A.
Plain cream cheese 225g,
fresh cream 50ml,
milk 100ml,
butter 80g,

B.
Cornflour 25g,
milk 30ml
lemon juice 1 tbsp

C.
Egg white 150g (about 6 egg whites)
cornflour 10g,
sugar 100g
Egg yolks 138g, (about 8 egg yolks)
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

butter and plain flour (for buttering the mould, if not non-stick).

Method:
1. Melt A. over a pan of simmering water until the mixture liquefies (stir every 3 minutes), use spatula to stir the mixture well. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Mix B. until cornflour dissolves and pours into A, stir until well-combined. Add in beaten yolks and strain the mixture.

3. Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F. Line bottom of mould with baking parchment paper. Butter the sides of the mould and coat it with plain flour, remove excess flour. If using non-stick mould, you can skip this buttering and flouring step. If using loose bottomed cake tin, cover the outside of the tin with 2 layers of aluminium foil to ensure that water from the water bath does not seep in.

4. In a clean bowl (make sure it is completely free of oil and water), beat the egg whites till foamy and in 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. When soft peaks form, add in sugar and cornflour mixture slowly, one tablesppon at a time, and beat until stiff glossy peaks form.

5. Take 1/3 of the egg white and stir into the cream cheese mixture to loosen the batter. Pour the remaining egg whites into the batter and quickly but gently fold in the egg whites. Ensure that the egg whites are folded in completely and that the batter is uniform in colour. However, do not over fold or the air in the egg whites will escape.

6. Pour batter into cake tin. Sit the tin in a bigger mould or baking tray. Bake in a bain-marie (water-bath). Water must be boiling hot when poured into the baking tray or bigger mould. Water level should come up to ¾ of the height of the cake tin, at least half if you cannot manage ¾.

7. Put in oven and bake for about 25 minutes or when top is brown, reduce the heat to 125°C/260°F, continue to bake for another 1 hour or until a cake skewer comes out clean. (Mine took 1 hour 15 minutes). This cake doesn't dry easily, I would err on the side of a slightly longer rather than a shorter baking time. Let the cake cool in the cake tin and remove from tin when cooled and refrigerate (it’s ok to leave the cake in the tin and refrigerate).

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake with Boysenberry Jam

2010-05-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

I had half a carton of whipping cream left in the fridge and a ton of cream cheese, and I didn't want too much trouble (I already spend waaaaay too much of my time baking, and besides, Michael Weston on Burn Notice was calling ...). So I decided to make a no-bake cheesecake. This has become my go-to lazy-ass dessert. In my world, cheesecakes fall into 3 broad categories - the fluffy Japanese-type cheesecake, the denser, baked (e.g. New York) cheesecake, and the no-bake, chilled cheesecake. My favourite is the New York cheesecake, but I have to admit that the sheer ease of making the no-bake variety is winning me over.

The cheesecake shown in the picture was a very soft and creamy cheesecake that needed to be kept in the freezer (the reason for this being that I varied the usual proportions by adding more whipped cream - I wanted to finish it remember?), but I include below my usual recipe, one that does not require freezing, but only to be chilled in the fridge. I am a fan of tall cakes, so the recipe uses quite a lot of cream cheese. If you are not inclined to buy so much cream cheese, you can half the recipe (of course your cake will look flatter) and perhaps use a smaller springform tin.

The wonders of a no-bake cheesecake is that you can easily vary the proportions of cream cheese to whipped cream depending on whether you prefer it firmer (more cream cheese) or softer (more whipped cream). Some recipes also call for gelatin to be added to produce a creamy and yet firm texture, but for the sake of simplicity I have kept the ingredient list below simple to make this a truly lazy-asssed recipe that will not require more than half an hour of your time (omitting chilling time).

Enjoy!

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Oreo Cheesecake with Boysenberry Jam (for a 24cm springform tin)

Ingredients:

For biscuit base-
250g crushed Oreo biscuits (for base)
150g melted unsalted butter

For cake-
some Oreo biscuits for decoration
80g crushed Oreo biscuits
750g room temperature, good quality cream cheese (I use Elle Et Vire)
410 ml heavy whipping cream (whipped to stiff peaks)
1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
150g icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Thick (not runny) boysenberry jam (or other berry jam)

Method:
1. Pound Oreo biscuits until finely crushed (to crumbs). Mix 250g of the crushed Oreo biscuits with 150g of melted butter and spread evenly over the base of the springform pan. Chill in fridge until the base sets hard.

2. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and icing sugar and beat on medium speed until well blended. Add lemon juice and icing sugar and beat on medium high speed until soft and fluffy. Mix in 80g of crushed Oreo biscuits on low speed until evenly distributed.

3. Fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until evenly mixed. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture on the chilled Oreo biscuit base.

4. Spoon boysenberry jam evenly over the first layer of cream cheese, then pour the second layer of cream cheese on top.

5. Decorate the top of the cake with Oreo biscuits, then chill in the fridge for several hours (preferably overnight) until the cake sets.

Banana Rose Cakes with Salted Caramel

2010-05-25T06:16:00.001-07:00

When silicone novelty baking pans became available here, I went crazy and bought 3 - a rose muffin pan, a traincar muffin pan, and a silicon castle bundt pan. They looked so promising when I saw them in the shop, but somehow, everytime I baked with them, the results were disappointing. The relief details were not always clear, and save for the one time where I baked a super-dense (and honestly not very good) pound cake in the castle bundt, all the cakes baked in these trays never seemed to unmold properly without some petals, turrets or chimneys disintegrating, resulting in trampled roses, broken down traincars and sad little castle ruins. Of course, there is also the problem that silicone pans are laborious to grease with butter, and if you use a baking spray like Pam, they tend to stay sticky even after a couple of rounds in the dishwasher.

When my friend C bought a heavy cast aluminium Nordic Ware muffin pan after attending a cooking class (plugging the same pan I might add), I laughed. Firstly, because I thought that at more than US$60 it was ridiculously over-priced, and secondly, it was so heavy and bulky I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to buy and store this over the roll-away silicone version (even though we know it's not that good). And lastly, because we both knew that she was always a little susceptible to clever marketing spiel and it seemed (to me) that she had totally been conned.

In a sign of true friendship, not only did C not take offence at my laughter, she even insisted that I borrow the muffin pan and bake away with it so as to make her investment worthwhile. I suspect also that she needed a place to store it ... haha, well, in any case, after my first experience with a Nordic Ware pan, it seems that I will have to eat my words (and silicone pans) after all. Each mini-cake came out tall and evenly baked, with beautifully and precisely detailed petals. I had no problems unmolding them at all as they literally slid out smoothly from the pans. I could never go back to my silicone rose muffin pan again. Colour me converted!

If you're searching for a good recipe to use with your Nordic Ware pan (or even if you're just in the mood for bananas), I highly recommend Dorie Greenspan's recipe for banana cakes (reproduced below). The cakes were soft, moist and deliciously fragrant with banana.

The only variation I made to the recipe was to insert a feve of Valrhona chocolate in the middle of each mini-cake, instead of mixing chopped chocolate throughout the batter. It was wonderful to bite into one of these and find these melty chocolate surprises in the middle. So good, in fact, that I rather regret not stacking 2 feves in the middle instead of 1.

To take these seemingly homely cakes to another level, try serving them warm like I did, on a pool of hot and creamy burnt caramel salted with fleur de sel, and a scoop of deliciously cold vanilla bean ice cream on the side. Banana cakes were never quite so chic.

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Classic Banana Cake, The Small Version (taken from Baking with Dorie, Serious Eats)

Adapted from a recipe by Ellen Einstein in Baking From My Home to Yours

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 ounces chopped chocolate, optional

Procedure

Getting ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously butter 12 regular-size muffin cups.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then the egg, beating for about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed if the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Stir in the chopped chocolate by hand. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake the little cakes for about 28 to 32 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. (The cakes will rise above the muffin cups, dome and then spread out and flatten beyond the cups—that's fine.) Transfer the muffin tin to a rack, cool for 3 minutes, then gently turn the little cakes out of the tin. Cool to room temperature on a rack.

Storing: Wrapped airtight, the little cakes will keep at room temperature for 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Salted Caramel Valrhona Chocolate Bar

2010-05-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

I just bought a 2kg bag of paillette feuilletine - those beautifully crisp vanilla wafer flakes that add a delightful crunch to all sorts of chocolate desserts. Yes if you were wondering what those tasty crunchy bits at the bottom of your dark chocolate tart dessert were, they are not cornflakes. And although some recipes suggest cornflakes as an acceptable substitute for paillette feuilletine, to me the taste and texture are quite different.

My first dessert with paillette feuilletine is a salted caramel Valrhona chocolate bar, inspired from a blog post I saw on sweet pleasure. My version featured a chocolate-nutella-paillette feuilletine base, topped with a layer of rum-flavoured dark chocolate ganache, a sprinkling of toasted almond flakes, then a layer of creamy white chocolate, drenched with - the best part - runny burnt caramel lightly salted with fleur de sel. This chocolate bar is both luxurious and incredibly addictive. My husband is already demanding that I make a second tray of chocolate bars (having demolished the last remaining pieces).

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

2010-05-11T02:12:00.000-07:00

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea .. is an animated film by Hayao Miyazaki, the same genius who did Spirited Away, for those of you who are familiar with Japanese anime. Anyway, it is also one of Sugarbabe 2's favourite movies, she'd been asking for this cake since last August, so I had no choice but to deliver.

My talented husband put his Warhammer miniature painting and figure sculpting skills to good use and helped me do the house and road. I am so married to the right guy, haha. The rocks are chocolate candy rocks which I literally had to beg a cake shop to sell to me. The car and ponyo figurine are actually bath toys from Japan, and the rest are sculpted from sugar gum paste. The base cake is a very rich Valrhona dark chocolate and coffee buttermilk cake (my 'go to'recipe for chocolate cakes!), with chocolate fudge icing. And oh, the green flock is dessicated coconut!

Orange 'Blossom' Chiffon

2010-04-19T19:24:00.000-07:00

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Another version of my Orange chiffon cake, dressed simply in Orange Cointreau fresh cream. It's called an Orange Blossom cake not because of any orange blossom water in it (I didn't have any at hand!), but because the candied orange slices were arranged in a 'blossom' design on top of the cake.

I was glad for the last minute decision to add blueberries between the layers, as it paired wonderfully with the orange flavour and prevented the cake from being a one-note orange confection.

Dark Chocolate Orange Cointreau Chiffon Cake

2010-04-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

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Oranges and lemons. I guess it is unavoidable that, still on a citrus 'high' from my recent Lemon Butter Bars success, I had the urge to revisit that happy citrus taste sensation again. It helped that I had 5 oranges sitting in the fridge, half a packet of cream to clear, leftover dark chocolate, and a whole lot of Orange Cointreau sitting around. I was struck with the sudden realisation that all these would culminate perfectly in an Orange Chiffon cake with dark chocolate glaze. When all the stuff you have lying around in your fridge and larder (and which you had been hoping to clear) happen to all fit into one dessert, it's almost as if all the stars have aligned in your favour. Of course it is essential that this process does not itself generate more leftovers which you will have to think up of another dessert to make use of. (That is a vicious cycle that I am too well aware of, which thankfully did not happen today.)

My first step, which I did the day before, was to make some candied orange slices for decorating the cake. Making candied orange is an amazingly simple process, requiring little skill but much patience for boiling, rinsing and re-boiling the orange slices several times to get rid of the bitterness of the orange skin, and to render the orange slices soft. Unfortunately I am somewhat lacking in the patience department, and did not reboil the slices as often as I should have, resulting in candied orange slices that were rather chewy. Apart from that, they turned out beautifully luminous and glassy - holding one was like holding a little piece of sunshine.

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Next, I made the chiffon cake (recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum) - adding in orange juice and orange zest in abundance. I couldn't decide whether adding in some orange chunks would give the cake nice, interesting orangey pulp parts, or render parts of it soggy instead. Since this was for an event, I decided to reserve my experiment with orange pulp for another time. The cake rose beautifully high, and was a lovely natural orange colour - I liked the fact that it tasted good on its own without even adding any orange extract!

I split the chiffon into 2 layers, and whipped up a simple fresh cream frosting with orange zest and orange Cointreau to go between the layers. Since orange and chocolate is such a well-loved pairing, I glazed the entire cake with a generous covering of Valrhona Alpaco 66% dark chocolate, flavoured again with orange cointreau and orange extract.

I had intended at first to lay the candied orange slices flat on the top of the cake, but somehow that resulted in them looking very dull against the dark chocolate background, which really didn't do justice to how amazing they looked on their own (as you can see). In the end, after a couple of experiments, I decided to stand them up in a fleur-de-lis type arrangement so as to show off the stained-glass luminousness of the candied oranges.

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I liked how the cake looked when it all came together, and even better how it tasted. I served it for supper with some honey orange sauce on the side (made from boiling the oranges) as well as some chocolate sauce. It received rave reviews from my friends, with all of them (and myself too!) going for seconds. The candied oranges were a hit, and the orange cream went beautifully with the fresh lightness of the orange chiffon. The only thing is, I definitely should have cut down on the amount of chocolate that went in the glaze. In my determined attempt to both finish up my chocolate as well as to render the sides of the cake smooth, I slathered too much chocolate glaze on the cake - there must have been 3 coats! And the problem with that is that it rather over-powered the lightness of the orange chiffon. For future reference, a thin pouring of chocolate glaze would be just perfect.

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All in all though, it turned out to be a satisfyingly delicious effort, and has made me even more enamoured of oranges. Next up, stay tuned for a 'white' version of this, for quite a different, lighter effect.

Super Lemon!

2010-04-15T20:02:00.001-07:00

I've always been a fan of anything lemony. One of my favourite candies when I was young was Super Lemon - a yellow, round, hard candy that, the moment you pop into your mouth, hits you with its shocking first taste of intense lemon sourness, before giving way finally to a mellow lemon-flavoured sweetness. For a child who was not particularly into sweets, I consumed quite an unhealthy amount of Super Lemon, especially when my parents weren't looking (to the extent sometimes that my mouth was corroded by the acid .. but that's a gross topic for another day).

Anyway, the point of this is that "Super Lemon!" was my first thought when I first bit into these Ultimate Lemon Butter Bars, made from a recipe by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I'll have to say that this is one of the best recipes I have ever baked from - the instructions were precise and the proportions, perfect. The Lemon Bars had a deliciously smooth and lemon-tangy curd (which was soft to the bite but yet firm enough to be cut beautifully), and most importantly, a crisp shortbread base, avoiding the sogginess that tends to plague desserts of this sort. The bars stayed good and fresh for at least 2 days in the fridge, after which the base understandably got a little softer and definitely lost its 'snap', although as a testament to Rosy's skill and recipe it still never got quite so bad as to be completely soggy. This recipe is a keeper, and if you have a craving for lemons, you can try it here.

Ispahan Cake

2010-04-10T02:28:00.000-07:00

The Ispahan Cake is inspired by famous Parisian patissier Pierre Herme’s signature creation of the same name, the Ispahan Macaron, which features the exciting flavour combination of a rose-scented macaron with lychee and raspberry fillings. In rendering a cake version of the Ispahan flavours, I decided that the angel cake lent itself naturally to this transition. Like a macaron pastry, an angel cake is made predominantly from egg whites. The light airy texture of the angel cake also showcases the delicate flavours of rose and lychee well. For aesthetic effect, the cream frosting is tinted pink (even though it has no rose flavouring, only the cake does), as a nod to the pink Ispahan Macaron. Also, I love the clean white colour of the angel cake too much to add any colour to it! Everytime I bake this cake, I never manage to get a picture of a cut slice of cake in order to show how it looks inside, either because I am in a hurry to deliver it or we finish most of it before any decent photo-worthy slices are left. In any case, if you can employ your imagination a little, it is a 2-layered pristine white cake that is filled with soft pink frosting and raspberies. The contrast between the white and pink is just gorgeous and so girly. Which also explains why it is one of my Sugarbabe 1's top cake request.

The cake shown above was baked for a charity event called Hearts and Hands held at Seen at Dempsey in aid of autistic children (see seenatdempsey@blogspot.com). Hearts and Hands has a fantastic ongoing charity project where you can order delicious home-baked and totally chi-chi cakes from 2 fabulous home-bakers, and they will donate the entire proceeds to charity. If you are interested please email me for the order form.

Easter Cookies

2010-04-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

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This little project started because I had some new easter themed cookie cutters to use, and a tin of meringue powder to clear (most of my projects involve trying to use up baking supplies). And as is typical for me, I thought it was not going to be all that hard - completely underestimating the amount of work it would take to bake and nicely ice each cookie. The results were satisfying, but I would not be in a hurry to repeat this any time in the near future. I spent a good7 - 9 hours from start to finish baking and icing these little cookies!!

Red Velvet Berry Cake

2010-02-21T07:18:00.000-08:00

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Red velvet cakes are a type of chocolate cake that originated from the South and is very popular in the States for big events like weddings and Christmas parties, but less so here. Apart from the Food for Thought cafe, I really don't know of any other place that serves red velvet cake. And so ... I thought it'd be fun if I made one myself! Since berries are in season and going cheap (relatively) at the supermarkets, I decided to do update the traditional version with berries. Looks-wise this is a very satisfying cake to make, as the contrast between the dark red cake and the white frosting lends itself naturally to a visually stunning result. The cake has a moist and tender crumb, and its delicate sweet chocolate flavour goes nicely with the berries.

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Peanut Butter with Everything

2010-02-17T08:25:00.000-08:00

Growing up, I hated eating bread. My mum would serve me two slices for breakfast every day, and the moment she walked out of the kitchen, I'd chuck both slices, SWOOSH! right out of the window. This happened every day until one day, I was unlucky enough to have my mum discover a piece of bread, stuck to the ledge below our window in all it's messy, buttery glory. After that I learnt my lesson.

I made sure I threw better.

I can't explain why I disliked bread so much. I guess I just found it boring. The only time I could be persuaded to eat bread then, is if it was completely smothered in peanut butter. In fact, during my teenage years I was so enamoured of peanut butter that I not only fixed myself peanut butter sandwiches (a big deal for a bread-hater), I would also spread big globs of peanut butter on Khong Guan crackers for a snack. In both cases, I tolerated bread and crackers as mere delivery systems for peanut butter.

You'd be amazed by how I can eat peanut butter with everything. Peanut butter with jelly, peanut butter with banana, peanut butter with marshmallows, peanut butter with cheese (yes, cheese!), peanut butter with noodles, and the one that seems to baffle people the most (although I can't understand why) - Peanut butter with ... BUTTER. If you haven't tried this you are really missing out. Butter makes peanut butter incomparably and luxuriously smooth and creamy.. Oooohhhh ....

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found a way to eat peanut butter with (almost) everything yesterday. All in a cupcake. Peanut butter? Check. Butter? Check. Marshmallows? Check. Jelly? Check.

Behold the Peanut Butter Cupcake with Fluffernutter Frosting and Raspberry Jelly Centre:

Tender-crumbed, peanut buttery cupcake, with a fluffy fluffernutter (i.e. peanut butter and marshmallow) frosting, and a hit of sticky raspberry jam in the centre which was the perfect foil to the richness of peanut butter. Serve up with a glass of ice-cold milk and slip into peanut-butter induced ecstasy.

As my 4 year-old Sugarbabe told me today, after polishing off a whole cupcake for breakfast, "These are so good mummy, so good ...". I should add that she then asked, eyeing my cupcake, "Can I eat yours? I'm hungry ...."

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Super Luxe Valrhona Chocolate Layer Cake

2009-11-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

I'm always on the lookout for a good go-to chocolate layer cake that would make a good base for birthday and special occasion cakes.

I decided to experiment with a chocolate buttermilk layer cake, as I love the fragrance and fine texture of cakes baked with buttermilk. My vision for this cake was that it had to be super rich, moist and decadent, a cake that would showcase my Valrhona Alpaco 66% cocoa dark chocolate in the best possible way.

I baked a dark chocolate mocha buttermilk cake for the base, which was split into 2 layers, with each layer generously brushed with dark rum. A fluffy, whipped dark chocolate truffle frosting and sliced bananas formed the filling between the cake layers, and the entire cake was then glazed with chocolate and covered with a walnut coat on the side.

As I was making and assembling this cake, I decided that it needed to be finished in a real classy and RICH way. This was no child's cake, and its decoration should do justice to its sophistication. Thinking along those lines, I decided to decorate the cake with dark chocolate mint leaves brushed with gold dust. Each chocolate leaf was painstakingly made by brushing mint leaves from my garden with melted chocolate, and then peeling the chocolate leaves away when they cooled and hardened. In the end this turned out to be the most labourious part of making this cake, as it was often difficult to get a clear leaf imprint and the thin chocolate leaves were also very prone to breaking.

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In the end, this cake tasted every bit as rich, moist and LUXE as it looked and it was even better served slightly chilled. Definitely well worth the effort it took to make it.