tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14558917247577860072024-03-18T18:42:16.303+11:00raspberri cupcakesa Sydney baking blogStephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.comBlogger390125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-49972388122860687292015-02-20T09:00:00.000+11:002017-06-16T09:42:04.511+10:00Blueberry Elephant Macarons<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16378024748" title="Blueberry Elephant Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Elephant Macarons" height="556" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7353/16378024748_cf44318998_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have no excuses. Not only have I not blogged in almost a month, I haven't baked in almost as long. A few years ago this would have been unheard of! But at the moment it's an unfortunate side-effect of my life. The last baking I did was for a dear friend's wedding in January, they asked me to make some personalised macarons for them and I was super excited to make something special. The requested macarons were purple elephants and black skulls, which was quite an interesting challenge. I just had to share the purple elephants with you guys, they are so darn adorable I can't stand it. I think they might be my favourite of all the animal macarons I've made so far (though the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/06/kitty-cat-carrot-macarons.html">cats</a> are a close second). They were also the hardest to pipe, I had to use a stencil on my baking paper for the first time. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15943124344" title="Blueberry Elephant Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Elephant Macarons" height="638" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8672/15943124344_c390826b65_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The tusks are made from slivered almonds (I was pretty proud of this, I had a bit of a lightbulb moment in a supermarket aisle while trying to figure out what to use), and the ears are big heart sprinkles. I made about 80 of these stumpy, cute, fat little elephants, which was a rather slow and painful process. But totally worth it in the end. The filling was a blueberry ganache, while the black skulls (I didn't remember to take any photos of them unfortch) were filled with a mango buttercream. I think (hope) the macarons went down well at the wedding. Anyway I finally got off my bum and edited the few shots I managed to grab of these little dudes before I shipped them off to the wedding, so here you go! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16539686526" title="Blueberry Elephant Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Elephant Macarons" height="648" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8604/16539686526_d2728fb7d8_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Blueberry Purple Elephant Macarons</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>(recipe adapted from <a href="http://trissalicious.com/2010/09/24/how-i-taught-my-mom-to-make-macarons/">Trissalicious</a>)</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Note: this method uses an Italian meringue. If you prefer, you can continue to use the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/08/coconut-and-lychee-macarons.html">French method</a> I normally use. If <span style="font-style: italic;">you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Almond Meal Paste:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">125g almond meal </div><div style="text-align: justify;">125g icing/confectioner's sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">50g egg whites</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Italian Meringue:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">125g caster (granulated) sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">35g water</div><div style="text-align: justify;">50g egg whites</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pinch of egg white powder</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Purple powdered/gel food colouring, heart sprinkles and slivered almonds + black food colouring to decorate</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>To achieve the elephant shape, I cut an elephant shaped stencil out of cardboard and traced the shape on to sheets of baking paper for piping. <b>Remember you need to make half the elephants piped to face the left, and the other half to face to the right so that you have mirror images that can be sandwiched together.</b></li>
<li>In a food processor, blend the almond meal, icing sugar together for a minute, then add egg whites and blitz for a couple seconds to form a paste. Set aside.</li>
<li>To make the Italian meringue, place the caster sugar in a saucepan. Add the water and make sure that the sugar is dampened. Heat the mixture and bring this to a boil (do not stir). Place a candy thermometer in the syrup and take the temperature of 118°C (245°F)</li>
<li>While the sugar is cooking, beat the egg whites and egg white powder using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium speed until the eggs become foamy. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form.</li>
<li>Stop the syrup from cooking once it reaches 118°C (245°F) and take this off the heat and let the bubbling subside for a few seconds. Pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream over the beaten egg whites while the continuing to whisk at medium speed.</li>
<li>When all the syrup has been added, (add food colouring here) continue to beat until glossy and meringue has cooled to room temperature (around 10 to 15 minutes).</li>
<li>Using a silicone spatula, fold a third of Italian meringue into the almond mixture to loosen it. Then, fold in the rest of the Italian meringue. (You really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of the bowl with your spatula) Continue folding and stirring until the batter is glossy, and fluid. Take care not to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place 1/3 of the mixture in a piping bag with a very narrow tip (1-2mm) and the remaining mixture in a piping bag with a slightly wider (about 0.5cm) round piping tip. Use the wider tipped bag to fill in the body of the elephant, then the narrower tip to add on the legs and trunk of the elephant. Tap baking trays carefully and firmly on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles.</li>
<li>Decorate each shell with a half piece of slivered almond for the tusk and a pink heart for the ear (if you can't get big enough sprinkles, you can also use rolled pink starburst chew lollies or pipe royal icing on the baked shells). </li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins, until when you press the surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs.</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven (fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really depends) . You can place the tray of piped shells on top of an upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat distribution.</li>
<li>Bake for 15-20 minutes. Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.</li>
<li>Use a black edible ink pen or a skewer dipped into black food colouring to draw on the eyes. </li>
</ol><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16379762207" title="Blueberry Elephant Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Elephant Macarons" height="422" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/16379762207_faeb0aa56c_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>For the Blueberry Filling:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Note: You can replace the blueberry sauce with store-bought blueberry jam to save time</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g (1.7oz) blueberry (fresh or frozen), pitted and diced</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 3 tbsp sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> 2 tsp lemon juice</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A few drops of pure vanilla extract </div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 1 tsp cold water</div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 tsp powdered gelatine </div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g (3.5oz) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped </div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Prepare the blueberry filling first; place blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a small saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl then add to the saucepan with gelatine powder and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and gelatine dissolves, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool then blitz mixture in a food processor. </li>
<li>Place blueberry mixture and chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stir over a pot of simmering water until the chocolate melts and the mixture combines (if chocolate splits, add 1 tsp of water at a time and stir over heat until mixture reincorporates). </li>
<li>Chill mixture until it thickens (if it is too runny, you can melt more white chocolate into it), and then pipe mixture between macarons shells. </li>
<li>Chill macarons in an airtight container overnight to allow flavour to mature. Serve at room temperature. </li>
</ol>Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-27583580494981492302015-01-12T11:00:00.000+11:002015-02-18T11:53:01.225+11:00Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16072662227" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="608" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7468/16072662227_b75dab3c89_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi! Happy New Year! Can you believe its 2015? Well it is. I know, I've been very quiet. I've been very busy. Life is craaaaaaaaaaazy. But there is always cake. I thought I should share this recipe with you before I forget how I made it. Because it's a pretty good one. Last month was my brother's 40th birthday. A big occasion like that called for a big cake, or at least a very pretty one. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16232604936" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="681" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7487/16232604936_b67747d4cc_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My sister-in-law planned a lovely surprise party for my brother and of course I was tasked with the birthday cake. One of my brother's favourite flavours is chocolate and orange and he LOVES jaffa cakes. So I thought I would make a layer cake based on the flavours and textures of the good old jaffa cake. I made four layers of my favourite orange tea cake from Stephanie Alexander, it's always light and fragrant. I sandwiched the cake layers with orange jelly, which I set with half the usual amount of liquid so it wouldn't fall apart inside the cake (dodgy instagram innards shot at the bottom of the post). The cake was covered in a thick layer of rich but not too sweet dark chocolate and orange icing and lots of gold leaf to add something special. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16070985648" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="790" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7579/16070985648_e2febb2cc8_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I topped the cake with bits of jaffa cakes, jaffa chocolate balls and jaffa flavoured macarons. As always I agonised over getting the icing neat and smooth enough, and I'm never satisfied with it. I used my fancy icing comb to create the texture on the side, and I kinda love it. Though the gold leaf is actually hiding my very untidy edges because I got too fed up with trying to smooth the corners.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16072663157" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="810" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/16072663157_da05963862_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The cake went down very well with everyone at the party and looked very pretty sitting next to the delicious canapes from <a href="http://www.simmonelogue.com.au/private-catering">Simmone Logue catering</a> (highly recommended for anyone looking for fancy party catering). My brother was not at all surprised by his surprise party since he noticed it marked on his friend's calender a few weeks earlier, and saw me loading food into our car right before the party. Doh. But it was still fun and I think he loved the cake. The jelly layers worked surprisingly well with the cake, and the slightly bitter chocolate icing was good for balancing out the sweetness of the jelly. This cake is sure to win over anyone who loves the classic combination of chocolate and orange.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16072661617" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="649" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/16072661617_879b6c81f0_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a 4-layer 15cm (6", this is what I used) or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers) cake</i><i><span style="font-style: italic;">, cake recipe adapted from Stephanie Alexander's </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Companion-Stephanie-Alexander/dp/0670863734" style="font-style: italic;">The Cook's Companion</a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the orange jelly layers:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Using two orange jelly/jello (2x85g) packets, (I used Aeroplane Jelly), prepare 3 of the same sized baking tins that you are going to use for the cake, greased and line with baking paper. Make up jelly as per instructions, but only use HALF the specified amount of water. This will ensure that the jelly will set firmly. Pour equal amounts of jelly mixture into prepared tins and chill in fridge until set (I prepared mine the night before assembling cake).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake: </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 large oranges</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 large eggs, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
220g (about 2 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup (200g) caster (granulated) sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g (approx 3 cups) self-raising flour</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) (if fan-forced use 180°C (350°F)) and grease and line the base with baking paper of four 15cm (6", this is what I used) or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers round baking tins (I used two and baked two layers at a time). </li>
<li>Zest and juice oranges. Combine all cake ingredients in a food processor and blend for 2 minutes. If you have extra time and are worried about over-mixing the flour like me, blend the orange juice and zest, butter, sugar and eggs together first for one minute, then add the flour and blend for another minute. If you don't have a food processor, cream butter and sugar together using an electric beater until light and smooth. Add eggs at a time and beat in well. Add the juice, zest and flour and quickly mix until combined, avoid overbeating the flour. </li>
<li>Split the batter into four equal portions (I used a scale to measure it exactly), and pour into prepared tin(s) and smooth with a spatula. </li>
<li>Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes and then carefully remove and cool cake on wire rack completely. (Cakes can be made a day ahead and wrapped in cling film in the fridge overnight before icing) </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/16072665767" title="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Jaffa Layer Cake with Macarons" height="540" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7546/16072665767_542df4e919_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/10/blueberry-swirl-cake-with-lemon-curd.html">Follow these instructions </a>to make shells, using red/orange food colouring. (Or you can use my old <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/08/coconut-and-lychee-macarons.html">French method</a>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Prepare
the orange chocolate ganache, using 100g dark chocolate with 1/4 tsp
orange essence/extract, finely chopped and placed in a heatproof bowl.
Heat 90ml (about 1/3 cup) thickened/heavy cream just to the boil then
pour over chopped chocolate and leave to melt for a few minutes before
whisking. Chill ganache until it thickens but is still pipable, then
fill macaron shells and leave in the fridge overnight to allow the
flavour to mature.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the chocolate-orange icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
340g (3 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g Lindt orange intense chocolate (or about 350g dark chocolate with 1/2 tsp orange essence/extract)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
600-700g (about 5-6 cups) icing sugar, sifted (I blitzed in a food processor to save time)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>In a heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate (if using Lindt orange intense, strain mixture to remove almonds)</li>
<li>Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add melted chocolate, cocoa powder and milk and beat on low for a minute to start to combine ingredients.</li>
<li>Continue beating while gradually adding icing sugar until mixture is smooth and well combined. Adjust the amount of icing sugar until the desired texture is achieved. You want the mixture to be stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to be spreadable. If it is too stiff, add more milk.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jaffa chocolate balls</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Jaffa Cake biscuits (I got mine from Aldi)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: gold leaf to decorate</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Trim the tops of the cake layers to remove any doming. Place one layer of cake on your cake stand or plate and carefully place a layer of jelly on top. Trim the jelly layer to the same circumference as the cake if there is any overhang. Try not to crack the jelly layer, but it is okay if it does break apart as the icing and cake will hold it together.</li>
<li>Repeat with the remaining cake layers and jelly. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat </a>cake with a layer of icing, then chill cake for about 30 mins-an hour to allow coat to set.</li>
<li>Cover cake with a thick layer of remaining icing using an offset spatula, to achieve the texture I created on the side of the cake, you can use an icing comb <a href="http://bakingpleasures.com.au/p20221/icing-comb-bowl-scraper-set">like this one</a>.</li>
<li>If you are using gold leaf, use a paintbrush to carefully decorate the edge of the cake with it. </li>
<li>Top with macarons, jaffa balls and jaffa cakes. Chill cake to allow icing to set, and remove the cake from the fridge about 30 mins before serving.</li>
</ol>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-63844926113970475342014-12-10T10:00:00.000+11:002014-12-10T21:34:38.767+11:00Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15980918822" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="771" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7519/15980918822_f5445e1cfb_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Remember how I made this <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/09/psychedelic-rainbow-swirl-lollipop-cake.html">crazy lollipop cake</a>? Well I decided to take it one step further for Christmas and make a crazy Candy Cane cake! I love me some candy canes. They are so pretty and deliciously pepperminty. And now I have enough candy canes in my house to last me a lifetime. I may have gone slightly overboard stocking up on every single different sized candy cane I could find in the stores, because I wanted to make sure I had a good assortment to decorate this cake with.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15794296370" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="814" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/15794296370_3558572879_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
How awesome are the super giant candy canes?! I got them at Target. This cake is far from perfect. I baked it on a super humid day, right before a storm hit and was rushing to get a photo of the cake before the sun completely disappeared. As a result I didn't let the cakes cool completely, the icing melted a little and the cake got messy. I'm sorry. But luckily my not so pretty icing can be covered up with pretty candy canes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15955815986" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="820" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/15955815986_c80f0d8f2e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The icing is the lovely fluffy white chocolate icing that I made for <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/03/raspberry-swirl-cupcakes-for-raspberri.html">these cupcakes</a>, with a hint of peppermint. The cake inside is a super moist white chocolate mud cake, with a bit of a surprise. I added a bit of red food colouring to some of the batter to make a red and white marble cake. It's probably unnecessary and I know a lot of people aren't a fan of food colouring, so you can decide if you want to skip this step or not. I think it's kinda fun and a nice little surprise when you cut into the cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15795577059" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="765" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7566/15795577059_93d246b0fd_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Just don't be like me and rush the making/cutting into of the cake, or things will get messy. It's the most important advice I can give you when making layer cakes - be patient. I rarely listen to my own advice on this, and it always gets me in trouble. Make this cake for a Christmas party and you're sure to wow people. You could even skip all the ridiculous candy canes on top (since they're there purely for decoration), and just cover the cake in crushed candy canes. I find the candy cane bits soften quite a bit in the fridge overnight, so you don't have to worry about the cake being too crunchy from them.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15955817836" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="799" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7463/15955817836_1a2d1e4586_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Candy Cane Peppermint White Chocolate Swirl Cake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(adapted from <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/white-chocolate-mud-cake-3436">this</a> recipe, icing adapted from <a href="http://cookiesandcups.com/2-ingredient-white-chocolate-buttercream/">this</a> recipe)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the icing (Note: Prepare the mixture for the icing before you start the cake as it will need time to chill):</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
340g (1.5 cups) unsalted butter</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
255g (9oz/1.5 cups of chips) good quality white chocolate (min 30% cocoa solids, do NOT use baking chocolate), finely chopped </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tsp peppermint essence</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Additional note: this only just makes enough cake to cover a 3 layer 6" cake, you can make 1.5x the amount of icing if you are making a larger cake. This icing is quite fiddly to work with and softens quickly at room temperature. If you are not comfortable with icing layer cakes I recommend you use <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/11/purple-ombre-sprinkle-cake.html">this icing recipe</a> instead. </i></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Prepare the icing mixture ahead of time as it will need to be chilled before whipping. Place butter and white chocolate in a large saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring regularly until smooth (the solids may separate but this is okay). </li>
<li>Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes, then chill in the fridge until solid, about 2 hours. If you are impatient like me you can stick it in the freezer for about half an hour. </li>
<li>Prepare cake as per instructions below.</li>
<li>Before you are ready to decorate your cake, remove white chocolate mixture from fridge at least 30 mins ahead of time to allow it to soften slightly.</li>
<li>Place white chocolate mixture and peppermint essence in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until very light and fluffy.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
255g (9oz) butter, chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
140g (5oz) white chocolate, chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
370g (13oz/about 1 &3/4 cups) caster/granulated sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225g (8oz/about 1 & 2/3 cups) plain/all-purpose flour </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
85g (3oz/about 2/3 cups) self-raising flour (can be replaced with an additional 2/3 cup plain flour plus 1 tsp baking powder)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 eggs, lightly beaten</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: red food colouring (I used Americolor gel)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F) (I set my fan-forced to 165°C), grease and line with baking paper three 15cm (6", this is what I used) or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers), or two 20cm (8") round cake tins.</li>
<li>Place butter, white chocolate, sugar and milk in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat until smooth.</li>
<li>Set mixture aside for 15 minutes to allow it to cool.</li>
<li>Whisk in flours, vanilla and eggs until just combined.</li>
<li>Place about 1/3 of the batter in a separate bowl and add red food colouring.</li>
<li>Pour small amounts of red and white batter into your prepared tins, ensuring there is an equal amount of batter in each tin. Use a butter knife to run through the batter once to help swirl the red and white batter around a bit. I placed my batter into two pouring jugs to make this part easier.</li>
<li>Bake for about 50-60 minutes (longer if your cakes are thicker obviously), until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out just clean. If the tops of your cakes start to brown too early you can cover the tins loosely with foil. </li>
<li>Cool on rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove from tins and cool completely.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Variety of different sized and coloured candy canes</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Red and white candy canes, crushed with a rolling pin</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Once your cakes are completely cool and your icing is whipped, place one layer of cake on your cake stand or plate. Spread a layer of icing over the top using a spatula.</li>
<li>Sandwich with another layer of cake and repeat. Top with remaining cake layer.</li>
<li> <a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> the cake with some of the prepared icing and chill for about 30 mins.</li>
<li>Cover with a thicker layer of icing and smooth sides with an offset spatula. Running the spatula regularly under hot water will help to smooth the icing.</li>
<li>Chill cake again to allow icing to set. Decorate the edge of the cake with crushed candy canes. You can leave the cake as it is for something a bit simpler/elegant, or go nuts and top the cake with lots of different candy canes. </li>
<li>Chill cake to allow icing to set again. Remove from the fridge 30 mins before serving.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15981583445" title="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Candy Cane Peppermint and White Chocolate Swirl Cake" height="775" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/15981583445_a02c0e06c1_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-38726892442784568522014-12-01T10:00:00.000+11:002014-12-01T13:23:55.318+11:00Christmas Wreath Macarons<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15917248615" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="720" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8634/15917248615_89d1388323_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
YAYYY! December is here! Far out this year has gone by quickly. There are a lot of intense things going on at the moment, but that hasn't stopped me from getting into the Christmas spirit. Christmas is my all-time favourite holiday to bake for, I never get sick of it and never find it too cheesy (unlike Valentine's Day). So I thought I'd kick off my baking for this month with some Christmas-themed macarons!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15891468846" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="521" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8566/15891468846_f099083a87_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You may remember some of my previous Christmas macarons; <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/12/penguin-macarons-with-eggnog-ganache.html">Penguins</a>, <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/12/christmas-red-velvet-snow-cake.html">Snowmen</a>, <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/12/christmas-present-box-macarons.html">Present boxes</a>. This year I decided to make some Christmas Wreath Macarons. I piped them just like I piped my <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/05/doughnut-macarons.html">Doughnut Macarons</a>, making sure to leave a big hole in the middle of each when I piped them since the mixture spreads out a lot as it settles. I'm totally not impressed with my actual macarons this time around, I underwhipped the meringue so the feet are pitifully small. But the idea is still super cute and festive so I wanted to share it with you guys. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15891460466" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="667" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7467/15891460466_2f41f4b672_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was torn as to what filling to fill these with, but I ended up going with a cherry flavour. Cherry is one of those quintessential Australian Christmas fruits, with so much fresh, cheap cherries available at this time of the year. I actually used frozen cherries for this, to avoid wasting time pitting cherries, but you could use fresh ones, or use cherry jam to save even more time. And for those of you on the other side of the planet, you could always substitute it with a more Winter-friendly flavour like the egg-nog ganache in my penguin macaron recipe that I linked earlier.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15915304361" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="677" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7515/15915304361_60e9dc2e4f_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I love how vibrant and purple the filling is! This isn't a normal ganache, I didn't need to add any cream since the liquid from the cherry filling was enough to get the right consistency, but you can add some cream if you prefer. I found these adorable holly sprinkles online (link in the recipe below), but you can always just use regular long green sprinkles and round red sprinkles or cachous to decorate it. Anyway I'm hoping I have enough time to test out all the fun Christmas baking I have planned, we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, you can check out all my other Christmas recipes <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/p/recipes.html#holidays">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15295024144" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="632" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7557/15295024144_46e163b58a_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Christmas Wreath Macarons with Cherry Filling</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(recipe adapted from <a href="http://trissalicious.com/2010/09/24/how-i-taught-my-mom-to-make-macarons/">Trissalicious</a>)</i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: this method uses an Italian meringue. If you prefer, you can continue to use the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/08/coconut-and-lychee-macarons.html">French method</a> I normally use. If <span style="font-style: italic;">you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Almond Meal Paste:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125 grams almond meal </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125 grams icing/confectioner's sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50 grams egg whites</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Italian Meringue:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125g caster (granulated) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
35g water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50grams egg whites</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pinch of egg white powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Green powdered/gel food colouring, sprinkles to decorate (I used <a href="http://bakingpleasures.com.au/p280/holly-berries-edible-quins-sprinkles">these</a>, Wilton also has <a href="http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=710-1126">these</a>, plain red and green sprinkles will also be fine, or silver cachous) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>In a food processor, blend the almond meal, icing sugar and egg whites until this resembles a fine paste. Set aside.</li>
<li>To make the Italian meringue, place the caster sugar in a saucepan. Add the water and make sure that the sugar is dampened. Heat the mixture and bring this to a boil (do not stir). Place a candy thermometer in the syrup and take the temperature of 118°C (245°F)</li>
<li>While the sugar is cooking, beat the egg whites and egg white powder using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium speed until the eggs become foamy. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form.</li>
<li>Stop the syrup from cooking once it reaches 118°C (245°F) and take this off the heat and let the bubbling subside for a few seconds. Pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream over the beaten egg whites while the continuing to whisk at medium speed.</li>
<li>When all the syrup has been added, (add food colouring here) continue to beat until glossy and meringue has cooled to room temperature (around 10 to 15 minutes).</li>
<li>Using a silicone spatula, fold a third of Italian meringue into the almond mixture to loosen it. Then, fold in the rest of the Italian meringue. (You really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of the bowl with your spatula) Continue folding and stirring until the batter is glossy, and fluid. Take care not to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place mixture in a piping bag with a narrow (about 0.3cm) round piping tip. Pipe a thin ring about 4cm wide on your prepared trays, leaving about 3cm space around each one. (Make sure to pipe these with a wider hole in the centre than you want the final shape to be, as the mixture will spread slightly) Tap baking trays carefully and firmly on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles. Top with red and green sprinkles.</li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins, until when you press the surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs.</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven (fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really depends) . You can place the tray of piped shells on top of an upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat distribution.</li>
<li>Bake for 15-20 minutes. Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15729949020" title="Christmas Wreath Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Christmas Wreath Macarons" height="767" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/15729949020_c3decdb745_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the Cherry Filling:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: You can replace the cherry sauce with store-bought cherry jam to save time</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (1.7oz) cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted and diced</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tbsp sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp lemon juice</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A few drops of pure vanilla extract </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 1/2 tsp cold water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Prepare the cherry filling first; place diced cherries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a small saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl then add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool. </li>
<li>Place cherry mixture and chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and stir over a pot of simmering water until the chocolate melts and the mixture combines (if chocolate splits, add 1 tsp of water at a time and stir over heat until mixture reincorporates). </li>
<li>Chill mixture until it thickens (if it is too runny, you can add melt more white chocolate into it), and then spoon mixture between macarons shells. </li>
<li>Chill macarons in an airtight container overnight to allow flavour to mature. Serve at room temperature. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/p/recipes.html#holidays"><b><i>Check out all my other Christmas recipes!</i></b></a></span><br />
</div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-86110816762782455522014-11-18T09:00:00.000+11:002014-11-18T09:36:52.664+11:00Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15785728846" title="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits" height="661" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8554/15785728846_b41944cfb5_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
You know what's strange? I love eating pavlova, it is one of my favourite summer treats but somehow I have never made it before. In all the years of baking, all the cakes and macarons and cupcakes, I have yet to make my own pavlova. So when I was asked to make one for an upcoming BBQ, I actually got nervous. What fruits should I choose? What if I completely stuffed up the meringue? Should I do anything to mix it up a bit or should I not mess with a classic?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15810958922" title="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits" height="705" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7571/15810958922_f2bce9dcf7_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the end I didn't add too much to it, I swirled a delicious raspberry sauce into the cream, which was a whipped mix of regular cream and mascarpone. Berries and mangoes are super cheap and in season here in Australia, so I went a little nuts with those. I know its not summer just yet but this just feels so summery. By the way, the pav shown in the photos is a mini version, the recipe below actually makes a full size pavlova. Obviously I couldn't prepare and photograph the pavlova the day before the BBQ so I made an extra mini one to practice. The full-sized one that I served up actually looked even better because it was piled super high with so much fruit and the raspberry sauce was swirled better. I wish I could have photographed it! Oh well, it went down really well and everyone was a big fan of the raspberry swirled cream. I think it added something a little special.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15807509071" title="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits" height="748" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7476/15807509071_151b5b253c_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sooo, this is probably what you're all waiting for! Thanks so much to everyone who entered the cookbook giveaway last week, it was really lovely to see so many entries and read all about your dream cakes! It was incredibly difficult to choose just one entry, if I could give out a book to every one of you I would! So the winner is *drumroll*...... </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><img alt="winner" height="114" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5607/15624307217_1f9cb59f9b_o.jpg" width="540" /> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Congratulations E. Danieletto! Check your inbox and get back to me quick and you will have a copy of <i>Lomelino's Cakes : 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special</i> by Linda Lomelino thanks to Roost Books coming your way!</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15189431934" title="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits" height="742" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5612/15189431934_8dec8607fe_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Raspberry Swirl Pavlova with Summer Fruits</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(meringue recipe from <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-search/classic-dish/2008/12/pavlova/">Gourmet Traveller</a>, serves 8)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the meringue: </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 eggwhites, at room temperature (even better if aged i.e. separated and stored in the fridge overnight, or even frozen and defrosted)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A pinch of salt </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
240g (about 1 & 1/3 cups) caster (superfine) sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tbsp cornflour </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp white vinegar </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For dusting: melted butter or vegetable oil + extra cornflour</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 100°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper, brush with butter/oil and dust with cornflour.</li>
<li>Whisk eggwhites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With motor running, add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking until sugar dissolves (5-10 minutes, you can check it by pinching a small amount of mixture between your fingers). </li>
<li>Fold in cornflour, vinegar and vanilla seeds, then pile mixture into a 20cm-diameter circle on oven tray, gently smoothing top and making a slight indentation. </li>
<li>Bake in centre of oven until crisp but not coloured (1-1¼ hours). Turn off oven and leave to cool completely with door ajar. Meringue will keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the raspberry sauce:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
150g (125oz) raspberries, fresh or frozen</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup sugar<br />
2 tsp lemon juice<br />
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 2 tsp cold water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Place raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl then add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Strain to remove seeds and then set aside to cool.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2.5 cups cream (thickened/heavy cream will do, but I used 1 cup thickened, 1 cup double cream and 250g mascapone to give it a slightly richer texture)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 vanilla bean, scraped seeds only</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Selection of summer fruits; I used fresh raspberries, blueberries and diced strawberries (1 punnet each) and mango (2 mangoes) and a bit of passionfruit (1)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Whip cream first; place creams in a large mixing bowl with icing sugar and vanilla seeds and beat on high with an electric mixer until it reaches soft peaks. Take care not to overmix (especially if you add the double cream, its very easy to overwhip). Cream can be whipped a couple of hours ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.</li>
<li>Only assemble your pavlova when you are ready to serve it or it will go soggy. Place meringue on serving plate or stand. </li>
<li>Add raspberry sauce to your cream and use a spatula to give it a couple of quick folds. Spread cream mixture of the top of your meringue (sauce will swirl throughout the cream as it spreads on).</li>
<li>Top with fresh fruit and serve immediately. </li>
</ol>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-44397160039422422142014-11-11T10:00:00.000+11:002014-11-17T17:22:58.907+11:00Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing & a Giveaway!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15566073768" title="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing" height="760" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5609/15566073768_928e4a4c35_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes all you need is a good old-fashioned tea cake with a thick layer of icing on top. This buttermilk cake was made for an afternoon tea, chock-full of chocolate chips and topped with an orange-flavoured butter icing. It was simple but satisfying. The buttermilk cake in this recipe has become one of my go-to recipes for when I want to whip up a cake that's fairly easy. It's an incredibly forgiving recipe, since the buttermilk ensure that the cake stays rich and moist even if you forget about it and leave it in the oven too long like I did.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15566685390" title="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-4 by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-4" height="773" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7522/15566685390_1772e2f151_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Interestingly (in a bad way) my icing curdled when I added orange juice to it, and I figure it was because I am super lazy and was whipping my butter when it was still really cold (thanks to my powerful kitchenaid), so I melted another 2 tbsp of butter and whipped it into the mixture, which seemed to fix it up. I'm always a fan of any tips that can stop me from having to throw away wasted ingredients!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15753051092" title="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-2 by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-2" height="735" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/15753051092_58544044a3_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On to something very exciting; for the longest time I've been a HUGE fan of the wonderful blog <a href="http://www.callmecupcake.se/">Call Me Cupcake!</a> by Linda Lomelino. She bakes the most beautiful creations and takes stunning photographs, it's the kind of work that I aspire to create. Her <a href="http://call-me-cupcake.blogspot.com/2011/04/pink-rainbow-cake.html">pink rainbow cake</a> was one of the first ombr<span class="st">é</span> cakes I ever saw, and inspired me to create my <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/11/purple-ombre-sprinkle-cake.html">favourite cake</a>. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard that an English version of her first book, <a href="http://www.roostbooks.com/lomelino-s-cakes.html"><i>Lomelino's Cakes : 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special</i></a> was finally being published AND I had the opportunity to share a copy of the book with you. That's right, <b>my very first cookbook giveaway!</b> It's an absolutely gorgeous book, full of the prettiest looking cakes I've seen in a while and plenty of handy tips for making beautiful cakes. P.S. For those of you interested, the book will be on sale in bookstores from November 11th (that's today!).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="lomelino's cakes" height="720" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/15501132700_b81a8a732e_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="540" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">From <i><span class="il">Lomelino</span>’s Cakes </i>by <span class="il">Linda</span> <span class="il">Lomelino</span>, © 2014 by <span class="il">Linda</span> <span class="il">Lomelino</span>. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston, MA. <a href="http://www.roostbooks.com/" target="_blank">www.roostbooks.com</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strike><span style="font-size: large;">To enter for a chance to win 1 copy of <i>Lomelino's Cakes : 27 Pretty Cakes to Make Any Day Special </i>by Linda Lomelino:</span><b> Leave a comment below and tell me, what is your dream birthday cake?</b> <i>This giveaway is currently open to <b>Australian residents only</b>, and closes Monday 17 November 2014. I will select one entry and announce the winner on Tuesday 18 November. Make sure to include your email address in the comment form (you can enter it in the Name/URL box) when you enter so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner! Thanks to Kate from Roost Books for organising this.</i></strike><br />
<b>This giveaway is now closed! Thanks everyone who entered, come back tomorrow to check if you're a winner!</b><i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15565643669" title="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-3 by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing-3" height="658" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15565643669_8486f9e025_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b></b> <b>Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Cake with Orange Icing</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(adapted from this <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/recipes/recipe-search/feature-recipe/2010/9/buttermilk-and-vanilla-cake-with-raspberries/">Gourmet Traveller recipe</a>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake: </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
165g (about 1.5 sticks) butter (I used salted, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt to your flour mixture), softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
220g (1 cup) sugar (I used caster/superfine)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 eggs, room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (about 1.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (about 3/4 cups) self-raising flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 tsp bicarb (baking) soda</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
220ml (about 1 cup minus 2 tbsp) buttermilk (or milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup milk or dark chocolate chips</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F) and grease and line a 21cm or 23cm round cake tin (7 inch or 8 inch, baking time will vary) /or a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. </li>
<li>Mix flours and baking soda in a bowl together and set aside</li>
<li>Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. </li>
<li>Add eggs one at a time, beating to combine. </li>
<li>Add vanilla and beat to combine.</li>
<li>With the mixer on low speed add half the flour mixture, follow by half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Mix until just combined.</li>
<li>Fold in chocolate chips and pour mixture into prepared tin. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. (I used a 21cm round tin and it took about 70 mins)</li>
<li>Cool in tin for 10 minutes then carefully remove from tin, cover with a tea towel and cool on wire rack before serving. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
150g (1 & 1/3 sticks) butter, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 cups (250g) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 1/4 cup orange juice, adjust to taste and texture</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li style="text-align: justify;">Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until fluffy. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Gradually add icing sugar and continue to beat until combined and smooth.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Adding orange juice and beat, adjust to taste and texture (if the mixture becomes too runny, add more icing sugar).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake using a spatula. Serve immediately or can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days.</li>
</ol>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com91tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-69034416688211422322014-11-03T10:00:00.000+11:002015-05-10T09:14:14.616+10:00Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15662208966" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="720" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7553/15662208966_38f0413016_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This year I've been enjoying the good and the bad parts of being a homeowner. As someone whose family moved around a lot when I was younger, it feels amazing to put roots down. Perth, Doha and Kuala Lumpur were all wonderful but Sydney is home. It's been great to have a place of our own, but also stressful and expensive. I still haven't had a proper housewarming party because we are furnishing and improving our place at such a snail's pace. Last weekend was my first moment of breathing space in a long, long time and I got to potter around my kitchen and really enjoy being in this house. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15500728827" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="691" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/15500728827_eabf53cac6_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was the first weekend in a long time that I didn't have to make a birthday cake for someone, which was kind of a relief. I could make whatever I felt like and this tart was the result. I managed to score some fresh cherries for fairly cheap and I wanted to make something that would allow them to be enjoyed just as they are. I made the most delicious brown butter tart shell which filled the house with its beautiful aroma as it baked. I whipped up a very simple white chocolate and vanilla bean cream filling that would complement the cherries without overpowering their flavour. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15685923665" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="749" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3942/15685923665_381ec83812_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've read my blog before then you've probably heard me wax lyrical about the wonders of brown butter. The smell and flavour really elevates any baked good that you add it to. This tart was no exception, I would have happily eaten the tart shell on its own like a giant cookie. But the filling is pretty great too if you're lucky enough to get your hands on some fresh cherries. If not, this would work great with fresh strawberries or blueberries as well. I have a feeling this tart will become one of my go-to recipes whenever I find some fresh berries on sale. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15687520912" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="589" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5615/15687520912_692a01a1ab_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Errr so I posted on facebook all excited about a giveaway I was going to share with you guys this week, but I'm an idiot who doesn't read my emails properly, so it will actually be happening next week. So please come back soon for my very first blog giveaway! Those who know me will know that I'm not big on the PR stuff, so I am only going to do a giveaway for you guys if I think it's really good and relevant to this blog. Trust me, it's good! But for now you will have to settle for this recipe.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15066560393" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="681" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3941/15066560393_a6692d0a69_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Cherry & Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>(makes one 24cm tart, tart shell adapted from <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/05/chocolate-passionfruit-brulee-tart.html">this recipe</a>)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>For the brown butter tart dough:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div>125g (4.5 oz/just over 1 stick) butter</div><div>105g (3.75 ounces/about 1/2 cup) sugar</div><div>35g (1.25 ounces) brown sugar</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 tsp pure vanilla essence</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">3 egg yolks</div><div style="text-align: justify;">300g (10.6oz/ about 2.5 cups) plain/all purpose flour, sifted</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><br />
<i><b>Prepare the brown butter ahead of time as you will need to chill it:</b></i></div><ol><li>Place butter in a small saucepan on low-medium heat and stir until it melts completely.</li>
<li>Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes longer (or as long as it takes to turn golden brown). Take care not to burn (it will continue to brown even after you remove it from the heat, so take it off early).</li>
<li>Scrape the melted butter and browned bits into small bowl and chill until solidified (about half an hour in the freezer, an hour or so in the fridge). When ready to make cake, remove from the fridge long enough that the butter is soft enough to be beaten with an electric mixer</li>
<li>With a hand or stand mixer, combine sugars, vanilla extract, salt and brown butter on medium speed. Mix only until ingredients are thoroughly combined, but by no means light and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add in the yolks, one at a time then reduce speed to low. </li>
<li>Add in the flour all at once and mix until homogenous. If you’re comfortable with dough and a pin, you can roll it right away with very lightly floured hands and rolling pin. Otherwise, form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate about 15 minutes to make the it easier to handle. You can refrigerate the dough for up to a week or freeze for several months. Before rolling, set the dough out and let it slowly come to room temperature over a few hours. </li>
<li>Preheat the oven to 180°C (350° F) and lightly grease a 22-24cm loose bottomed tart tin. Dust the counter with a very, very light coat of flour. Roll to 0.75cm (1/3") thickness.Carefully set dough over the tart shell and use your thumbs to press the dough into the corners of the pan. Press the overhanging dough against the edges of the tart pan to trim off the excess and leave the dough flush with the edges. Dock tart lightly with a fork. The dough is extremely forgiving and can be rerolled two or three times, you should be able to press any cracks together to mend them or fill any defects with leftover dough by pressing it gently together. </li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, check on the tart. If it has formed an air bubble; use a skewer to gently poke a small hole in the bubble to deflate it. Continue baking until the tart is dark golden brown and firm and dry to the touch. (It is better to slightly overbake than underbake to prevent any raw taste.) Cool in tin for about 10 minutes, then carefully remove from tin and cool completely on a wire rack. Shell can be stored in an airtight container overnight. </li>
</ol><i><b>For the Cherry & Vanilla White Chocolate filling:</b></i><br />
1 & 1/2 cups thickened/heavy cream <br />
300g good quality white chocolate, chopped<br />
1 tsp vanilla bean extract or scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod<br />
About 300g fresh cherries, pitted and halved<br />
<ol><li>Place 1 cup of cream in a large mixing bowl and set aside.</li>
<li>Place 1/2 cup cream and white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and heat over a small saucepan of simmering water, stirring regularly with a whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.</li>
<li>Whip remaining cream with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form. Take care not to overwhip. </li>
<li>Stir 1/3 of the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold the remaining cream into the mixture until combined. Pour mixture into the brown butter tart shell (You may not need to use all the filling, depending on the height of your tart, remember that when you add the cherries on top, the filling will rise slightly). Decorate with fresh cherries. </li>
<li>Chill tart until filling sets, at least 1 hour. Tart can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.</li>
</ol></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15065987684" title="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cherry and Vanilla White Chocolate Tart with a Brown Butter Shell" height="679" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5601/15065987684_d2e263bf39_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-35950177217754977182014-10-22T10:00:00.000+11:002014-11-09T10:03:40.522+11:00Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15571475315" title="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake" height="752" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3955/15571475315_6cff03a1b4_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I had a pretty good weekend. The weekdays have been not so great, but my weekend was lovely. And this weekend it was my Mum's birthday. <u>S</u>he was in the country to celebrate it too! You may recall that this time last year was when my Mum's birthday cake was dropped on to the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/10/carrot-cake-with-lemon-ginger.html">middle of the road</a>. I didn't mention in that post that it was actually <b>my husband</b> that turned that poor cake into roadkill. I was being all nice about it and not letting him take the blame for it but screw it, it's been a year. It was his fault! Poor guy, he's so traumatised from that experience that he now refuses to carry any of my cakes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15384847619" title="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake" height="727" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5605/15384847619_84e2f504eb_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So my Mum's only request for this year's cake was that it wasn't too sweet or heavy and that I didn't drop it on the ground again. I went with an oldie but a goodie. A classic vanilla sponge cake, sandwiched with raspberry jam and cream. I could have left it there as a traditional Victoria sponge, but I couldn't resist adding a few embellishments to change it up a little. I decided to incorporate some rose and lychee flavours, a la <span class="st">Pierre Hermé's ispahan creations. After seeing some rose meringue inspiration on <a href="http://instagram.com/p/uB_83KmLmq/">instagram</a>, I knew I had to make some mini rose meringues. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15385845200" title="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake" height="645" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15385845200_773c908699_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The mini meringues take a little longer to bake because of the added moisture from the rose water, and they will get soggy from sitting next to the lychee and raspberry pieces, so make sure you don't put all the toppings on to the cake until you're ready to serve it. I've made a few desserts involving the combo of rose, raspberry and lychee and it is always a winner. My sponge was slightly overbaked (which you might be able to tell from its colour in these not so great photos) so it was a little bit drier than I preferred, but luckily the mountain of cream and jam ensured that this wasn't a problem. This cake is nothing ground-breaking but it's a nice and pretty cake and I think it's exactly what we needed after the insanity of the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/10/fried-chicken-cookie-pop-cake.html">fried chicken cake</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15568807191" title="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake" height="663" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3949/15568807191_67c3f3b235_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a 3 layer 18cm (7") round cake,</i> <i>sponge recipe from <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/basic-sponge-cake.htm">Gourmet Traveller</a></i>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the Sponge Cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: If you are new to sponge cakes make sure you click through to
the Gourmet Traveller link above for extra tips. This sponge cake
relies solely on the whipped eggs for leavening and it is important
you follow all the steps carefully.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Sponge cake:</b></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
60g (about 4.5 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled plus extra for greasing tins</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
180g (about 1 & 1/3 cups) plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6 eggs, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (about 1 cup) caster/superfine sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Make sure your eggs are at room temp and preheat oven to 180°C
(350° F) (you may need to adjust to 160-170°C (340° F) for
fan-forced). </li>
<li>Brush two 18cm (7 inch) round cake tins with melted butter, line
base and sides with baking paper, grease paper with a little extra
butter and then dust lightly with flour. </li>
<li>Triple-sift flour and set aside. </li>
<li>Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until thick,
pale and tripled in volume (about 7-8 minutes). Sift over flour in two
batches, folding each batch in with a large metal spoon or spatula.</li>
<li>Fold in melted butter. </li>
<li>Carefully pour equal amounts into prepared tins and bake until
light golden and centre springs back when pressed lightly with your
fingertip (about 20-25 minutes). </li>
<li>Pull cake gently away from sides of tin with your fingers or
carefully loosen with a knife. Turn onto a wire rack, remove baking
paper, turn back over swiftly and cool completely. Cakes can be baked a day ahead stored in an airtight container at room temperature</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the mini rose meringues:</b></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 egg whites, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A pinch of salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (about 1 cup) caster/superfine sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp rose water </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: Powdered pink food colouring </div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F) (100°C (210°F) fan-forced) and
measure all your ingredients. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Mix sugar with rose water in a small bowl.</li>
<li>Place egg whites and salt in a large, clean mixing bowl and beat
with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With the mixer on low,
add sugar 1 tbsp at a time then whisk on high until thick and glossy
(at least 5 mins). (Optional: Add food colouring here to tint mixture light pink)</li>
<li>Pinch a small amount of mixture between your thumb and forefinger.
If mixture is smooth then the sugar has dissolved, if it is still
grainy, beat for a minute or so more and check again. Beat until sugar
has completely dissolved. </li>
<li>Place mixture in a large piping bag with a 1cm round tip and pipe
on the prepared baking trays. </li>
<li>Place in oven and reduce oven temp to 90°C (195°F) (85°C (185°F)
fan-forced). Leave the oven on for 75-90 mins or until the meringues
are crisp (mine took longer but I prefer to leave them longer at a low
temp than risk them browning at a higher temp), then turn off oven and
allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven (2-3 hours). </li>
<li>Store in an airtight container until ready to serve cake.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup thickened cream (or replace 1/2 cup with creme fraiche like I did), cold</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tbsp icing/powdered sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 3/4 cup raspberry jam</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To decorate: Fresh raspberries, fresh or canned pitted lychees chopped in to small pieces, dried edible rose petals, extra icing sugar to dust</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place cream (and creme fraiche) and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Take care not to overwhip. </li>
<li>Place one sponge cake layer on your cake stand or plate. Spread a thick layer of raspberry jam over the top of cake, followed by a thicker layer of whipped cream. Sandwich with remaining sponge cake layer.</li>
<li>Arrange rose mini meringues, raspberries, lychee pieces and fresh rose petals over the top of the cake. Dust with extra icing sugar to finish. Serve immediately, or can be stored in the fridge for several hours before serving.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15384846849" title="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Raspberry, Rose and Lychee Sponge Cake" height="629" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3941/15384846849_68a3138218_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-53543956317676101412014-10-14T11:00:00.000+11:002015-07-14T14:02:15.943+10:00'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15527542801" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="738" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15527542801_850c440c03_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before you say, "EW, what the eff?!" let me say this is NOT real fried chicken on top of a cake! I did not go there. It's actually cookie pops covered in cornflakes made to look just like fried chicken, with shortbread chips! But why? Last week was <a href="http://citrusandcandy.com/">Karen's</a> birthday. We love Karen. And Karen (and most us really) loves fried chicken. We were heading to Red Pepper in Strathfield for Korean fried chicken dinner, and I was tasked with bringing the birthday cake. I was struggling to think of a theme for the cake, and <a href="http://chocolatesuze.com/">Suze</a> mentioned that Karen just wanted fried chicken for dessert. Which got me thinking of this crazy idea. Imagine if I could make my cake look like fried chicken! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15344233327" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="769" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5602/15344233327_547e5f0311_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A quick google search showed me that I was not the first person to be crazy enough to think of this. There was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmOq5aHMqw">this fantastic video tutorial from Haniela's</a> for fried chicken cake pops and it was exactly what I needed. Her version is a little more complicated, as it's made with cake, and she even crafts the chicken 'bone' with white candy melts and mini marshmallows. I decided to save some time by making cookie pops instead of cake pops, saving me from baking and crumbling up a cake. Instead I used crushed white chocolate Tim Tam biscuits, mixed up with cream cheese, and milk chocolate finger biscuits as the 'bone' and covered the whole thing with cornflakes. The result was so darn realistic it was disturbing. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15531087222" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop" height="736" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15531087222_9d114dc8de_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I seriously thought taking a photo of a cut up cookie pop would help prove that it wasn't fried chicken, but even the cookie pop mixture is the colour of chicken! I swear it's not really fried chicken. It's still mind boggling how realistic it looks, it's almost too realistic. It definitely managed to creep me out, and everyone who saw the cake did do a double take. But sometimes you just gotta have a little fun with your food and mess with people's heads.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15344231997" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="646" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5610/15344231997_371a1d2cc3_o.jpg" width="540" /></a> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Tim Tam cookie pop mixture is very sweet and quite rich, so if you want to use the original cake pop mixture instead, the link is below. Though I'm not sure how many people out there are as random as me and want to make cakes that look like fried chicken. Maybe for the KFC-obsessed? It's <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/02/eclair-notdogs.html">not the first time</a> I've done something like this. I'm weird, I know. The shortbread chips tasted great, I will totally make those again. Imagine them served with a raspberry compote 'ketchup'! My instructions below are a little sketchy, so feel free to ask any questions in the comments below if you need more details!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15530253125" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="799" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3954/15530253125_fc6ef43f9a_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
'<b>Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(adapted from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmOq5aHMqw">Haniela's Fried Chicken Cake Pops</a>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the 'fried chicken' cookie pops:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (7oz) white chocolate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam">Tim Tams</a> (or any other Tim Tam/Penguin/Cream-filled biscuit/cookie like Oreos)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
80g (2.8oz) cream cheese, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 packet <a href="https://www.cadbury.com.au/Products/Biscuits/Fingers.aspx">Cadbury Fingers </a>or any stick shaped biscuit (the original tutorial linked above uses similar sized pretzel sticks, if you can get them)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Icing: 125g (4.4oz) cream cheese + 30g (2 tbsp) butter, softened and 1 heaped tbsp brown sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Coating: 3 cups corn flakes + a pinch of ground cinnamon</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place Tim Tams and cream cheese in a food processor and blitz until it forms a smooth paste (you will need to stop and stir the mixture a few times while the bigger pieces break up). Scrape into a bowl and chill to allow mixture to harden slightly so it is easier to handle.</li>
<li>(I recommend wearing food prep gloves for this messy bit) Roll about 2 tbsp of mixture into a ball and push one of the stick-shaped biscuits into the ball. Pinch mixture to the stick into the shape of a drumstick. Also place a small ball of mixture on the opposite end of the stick biscuit. (See picture below) Place moulded mixture on a lined baking tray. Repeat with remaining mixture, I think manage to make about 10.</li>
<li>Chill tray for about 45 mins (or freeze to save time), until cookie pop mixture sets and is easy to pick up and handle. Prepare icing in the meantime.</li>
<li>Place cornflakes and cinnamon in a large bowl, use your fingers to break up the cornflakes into large crumbs and set aside. </li>
<li>Place icing ingredients (cream cheese, butter and brown sugar) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and and fluffy. </li>
<li>Use a small spatula or knife to spread a thin layer of icing over the surface of each chilled cookie pop, then place the cookie pop in the cornflakes and roll, pressing cornflakes into the icing so that the surface of the cookie pop is covered. </li>
<li>Return covered cookie pops to fridge to set (at least 1 hour) until ready to use.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the shortbread crinkle cut 'chips:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Follow instructions <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/12/ginger-shortbread-with-cherry-icing.html">for this shortbread dough</a>, omitting ground and candied ginger. Roll dough between two baking sheets to about 0.5 cm thickness, then use a pizza dough cutter or a pastry crimper (if you want to get that crinkle cut look) to cut strips of dough to form the 'chips'. Make sure you cut them about half the thickness of the intended size, as they will expand slightly in the oven. Follow instructions in link to bake until edges turn golden brown.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15344098078" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="540" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15344098078_16a1d5ac6a_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake (Milo cake with milo icing and condensed milk icing):</b></i></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Follow the instructions for this <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/07/chocolate-raspberry-layer-cake-with.html">Devil's Food Cake</a> recipe, using three 15cm (6", this is what I used) or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers). round cake tins Optional variation: I replaced the 9 tbsp of cocoa powder with 2 tbsp cocoa powder and 7 tbsp <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%28drink%29">milo</a> powder (you could also use Ovaltine) to make it a Malted Devil's Food Cake.</li>
<li>Beat 200g (1 & 3/4 sticks) salted butter (softened) with 3 cups (375g) icing/powdered sugar, and half a cup of milo powder in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high until fluffy and spreadable. Use a serrated knife to level the tops of cakes. Place one layer of cake (upside-down) on cake plate and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cakes and icing. </li>
<li>Beat 300g (2 & 2/3 sticks) salted butter with 1 can (395g) condensed milk and 500g (4 cups) icing/powdered sugar until light and fluffy (you may need to adjust icing sugar amount until desired icing texture is achieved, you want it to be spreadable but stiff enough to hold its shape). <a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake with some of the icing and then chill for about half an hour. Use offset spatula to cover cake in another layer of icing and smooth (run spatula regularly under hot water to achieve a smoother result)</li>
<li>Top cake with shortbread chips and fried chicken cake pops and chill. Remove from fridge at least half an hour before serving to allow to come back to room temperature. Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15344738590" title="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="'Fried Chicken' Cookie Pop Cake" height="686" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5599/15344738590_f2c4f397d5_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-13634692078053149232014-10-08T11:00:00.000+11:002014-10-08T11:00:06.390+11:00Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15462590181" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="671" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2949/15462590181_7e35c78691_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My life is finally starting to return back to my regular routines. Weddings are hectic. And it wasn't even my wedding! Luckily for me, there was a long weekend the week after, which allowed me to rest up and get back my baking groove. So I made cake. And macarons. And lemon curd. And blueberry sauce! I love long weekends. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15278847929" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="703" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3934/15278847929_29d0eec4b5_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm in love with the swirly mess of icing on this cake. It's an easy way to pretty up a cake that doesn't require any precision or perfection, that's what I love about a messy finish on a cake. All I did was mix a little bit of blueberry jam into some of my regular lemon butter icing and swirled a few dollops of the icing on the cake. I was hoping for it to give the icing a purple tint, but it came out more of a deep pink. Still pretty! I love how it looks like the cake is covered in big pink rose petals. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15462589761" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="681" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3935/15462589761_8b3df0400f_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The cake inside is a blueberry lemon cake, sandwiched together with some lemon curd. I had a ton of lemons in the fridge and blueberries were on special so these were easy choices. I stupidly didn't follow my own recipe instructions and forgot to turn the temperature down on my cake so the edges browned a lot more than they should have and dried the cake out too much, but luckily the curd, blueberies and icing helped to take away some of that dryness. I was a little too timid with the amount of lemon curd on the bottom layer, but other than that I'm really pleased with how the cake turned out.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15279030350" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="757" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15279030350_8042fa5a27_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As I've mentioned in recent macaron posts, I'm having a horrible time with hollow shells when I bake macarons in my new oven. I've tried so many different tweaks, which have only slightly improved them but not eradicated those darned air pockets entirely. I have always used the French method for my macarons since I have a huge aversion to dealing with hot sugar syrup, but I finally worked up the energy to switch over to the Italian meringue method that <a href="http://trissalicious.com/2010/09/24/how-i-taught-my-mom-to-make-macarons/">Trissalicious</a>, and many other bakers use. I know from the few times I've used it that it results in a much smoother shell and is more forgiving to the little mistakes that the French method exposes. And I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, and a sugar thermometer, so my only excuse for avoiding it now is laziness. No more! The result were these picture perfect macarons, without an air pocket in sight! I undermixed the batter slightly, so the texture was more fluffy than I would have preferred, but much better than a crunchy, hollow shell. Feel free to keep using my <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/08/coconut-and-lychee-macarons.html">old French method recipe</a> if it's working successfully for you, but I think from now on I'm gonna stick with the Italian method to save me from hollow shell hell.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15462590921" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="659" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2946/15462590921_c7c4e0063d_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a 3 layer 6 inch (or thinner 7 inch) cake, macaron recipe from <a href="http://trissalicious.com/2010/09/24/how-i-taught-my-mom-to-make-macarons/">Trissalicious</a>) </i><b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the lemon blueberry cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
170g (1.5 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 cups (about 420g) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 tsp baking powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter, add an extra 1/2 tsp)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 eggs, room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3/4 cup milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup lemon juice + 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300g (10.5oz/about 2 punnets) fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Grease and line three 15cm (6") or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers) round cake tins and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). </li>
<li>Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Place lemon juice and milk in a jug together.</li>
<li>Place butter and 1.5 cups sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electic mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.</li>
<li>Fold in blueberries gently until evenly distributed. </li>
<li>Split mixture between the three prepared tins and smooth tops with a spatula.</li>
<li>Bake cakes for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees. Bake until cakes are golden brown and firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, about 40-50 mins but timing will vary depending on your tin size (if on top and bottom rack, switch cakes between racks halfway through, baking). Let cool in tin on a wire rack, then turn out. Can be stored in an airtight container for a day or so before icing. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">For the lemon curd:</span></i><br />
170g (about 4/5 cup) sugar<br />
100ml (about 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp) freshly squeezed lemon juice<br />
4 tsp finely grated lemon zest<br />
5 large egg yolks (save the egg whites for the macarons)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (about 1 stick minus 1 tbsp) butter, cubed<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li> Stir the sugar, lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.</li>
<li>Beat the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl and gradually add the hot lemon mixture. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.<i> </i> </li>
<li>Return to the heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil. It is important to ensure this cooks for long enough or curd will be too runny for your macarons and cake.</li>
<li>Remove from the heat and add the butter cubes, one at a time, stirring until fully combined. </li>
<li>Cover surface of mixture with clingfilm and refrigerate to allow it to set, at least 30 mins.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15462590501" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="816" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5600/15462590501_3c7026cea0_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: this method uses an Italian meringue. If you prefer, you can continue to use the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/08/coconut-and-lychee-macarons.html">French method</a> I normally use. If <span style="font-style: italic;">you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Almond Meal Paste:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125 grams almond meal </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125 grams icing/confectioner's sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50 grams egg whites</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Italian Meringue:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
125g caster (granulated) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
35g water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50grams egg whites</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pinch of egg white powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: powdered/gel food colouring </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-AU</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>In a food processor, blend the almond meal, icing sugar and egg whites
until this resembles a fine paste. Set aside.</li>
<li>To make the Italian meringue, place the caster sugar in a saucepan.
Add the water and make sure that the sugar is dampened. Heat the mixture
and bring this to a boil (do not stir). Place a candy thermometer in the
syrup and take the temperature of 118°C (245°F)</li>
<li>While the sugar is cooking, beat the egg whites and egg white powder
using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat at medium speed
until the eggs become foamy. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form.</li>
<li>Stop the syrup from cooking once it reaches 118°C (245°F) and take this off the
heat and let the bubbling subside for a few seconds. Pour the syrup in a
thin, steady stream over the beaten egg whites while the continuing to whisk at
medium speed.</li>
<li>When all the syrup has been added, (add food colouring here) continue to beat until glossy and
meringue has cooled to room temperature (around 10 to 15 minutes).</li>
<li>Using a silicone spatula, fold a third of Italian meringue into the
almond mixture to loosen it. Then, fold in the rest of the Italian
meringue. (You
really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which
is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of
the bowl with your spatula) Continue folding and stirring until the batter is glossy, and
fluid. Take care not
to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture
spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should
disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place
mixture in a piping bag with a 1cm round piping tip. Pipe circles about 3cm wide on your prepared trays, leaving about
3cm space around each one. Tap baking trays carefully and firmly
on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles.</li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins, until when you press the
surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This
will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs.</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven
(fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really
depends) . You can place the tray of piped shells on top of an
upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat
distribution.</li>
<li>Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting
one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it
needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then
gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. </li>
<li>When completely cool, sandwich shells with set lemon curd (recipe above). </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300g (about 2 & 2/3 sticks) butter </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
500g (about 4 cups) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3-4 tbsp lemon juice, adjusted to taste and texture</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To mix: blueberry jam, or this <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/05/maple-blueberry-cheesecake.html">blueberry topping</a> (strained) + 1/3 cup (about 40g) icing sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: fresh blueberries and lemon curd macarons to decorate</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Prepare the icing; remove butter from fridge 30 mins before starting
and chop into small cubes. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on
high with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add icing sugar until
combined, add lemon juice then increase speed to high and beat until very
pale and fluffy. </li>
<li>You may need to
add more icing sugar if your mixture is too runny, if mixture is too stiff you can add more lemon juice or milk (if it is already sour enough). The icing should be smooth and easily spreadable,
but stiff enough to hold its shape.</li>
<li>Place 3/4 of the icing in a separate bowl and set aside. With the remaining 1/2 of icing add about 1 tbsp blueberry jam or topping and 1/3 cup icing sugar and beat again with an electric mixer to combine (you can adjust the amount of jam/icing sugar to taste here).</li>
<li>To assemble cake; use a long shape knife (preferably serrated) to carefully trim the
tops of the cake to ensure they are level. Flip your cake layers upside
down before assembling.</li>
<li>Place one layer on your cake stand and use an offset spatula to
spread a thick layer of lemon curd over the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cakes and more lemon curd.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake with some of the plain lemon icing and then chill for about half an hour.</li>
<li>Using an offset spatula, alternately swirl blobs of plain white icing and blueberry icing over the surface of the cake. Top cake with macarons and blueberries and chill to allow icing to set.</li>
<li>Remove from the fridge at least 30 mins before serving to allow cake to come back to room temperature. Can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15279101808" title="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Blueberry Swirl Cake with Lemon Curd Macarons" height="789" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2947/15279101808_678777cbd3_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-47028173823921407052014-09-16T10:00:00.000+10:002014-09-18T17:52:43.952+10:00Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15246554702" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="771" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3882/15246554702_36fcd34543_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Woaaah. This cake is a bit of an attack on the eyeballs isn't it? But I love it so much. I think this may be my favourite cake that I've made this year. Yes, even more than the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/09/strawberry-pocky-cake-with-chocolate.html">Pocky Cake</a>. Last week was Regex Man's birthday, and in case you don't remember, he has been the recipient of some of my craziest cakes; the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/09/mint-chocolate-chip-cake.html">Mint Chocolate Chip Cake</a>, the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/09/rainbow-cake-with-jelly-beans.html">Rainbow Cake with jelly beans</a> and the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/09/fudge-brownie-cookie-dough-cake.html">Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough Cake</a>, just to name a few. He was also the inspiration behind my beloved <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/10/orange-cake-with-fruit-tingle-icing.html">Fruit Tingle Cake</a> i.e. pretty much the best icing I have ever made. He has a sweet tooth that rivals my own, and I always feel like I can go super over the top on his cakes and he'll love it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15060365717" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="800" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5579/15060365717_5eab109931_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But this year I was completely out of ideas. I've been in a creative baking rut for a while now, and I keep having to force myself out of it. I looked to the internets for inspiration in my time of need. I came across this visually stunning but seriously simple decorating technique from <a href="http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/melted-rainbow-cake/9150c1ed-296b-44c1-b181-071f63d5b529?sf3153206=1">Hungry Happenings</a> and immediately loved it. I decided it would be a perfect idea for this cake since last year I put a rainbow inside the cake, and this time I would put a rainbow on the outside. I'm also a big fan of Katherine Sabbath (if you're not following her on <a href="http://instagram.com/katherine_sabbath">instagram</a>, you should be) and remembered her gorgeous <a href="http://instagram.com/p/mlozRsmLsm/">lollipop-covered cake</a> and realised that rainbow lollipops would be the perfect topper for this particular cake. This cake is exactly the type kind of cake I like to bake because it's so impressive looking but is actually relatively straight-forward to make. And there's rainbows and lollies and popping candy. I love how the swirling icing matches the lollipops so that it kinda looks like the lollipops are melting all over the cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15060377148" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="737" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5589/15060377148_fe2bc3f355_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I simplified the swirling rainbow decoration on the top of the cake by using royal icing instead of white chocolate ganache. It was less work, quicker to set and I think it helps ensure a brighter colour since you're working with a bright white icing as the base rather than a semi-translucent white chocolate ganache. I definitely suggest using gel colouring if you want to achieve the same brightness of colours in your royal icing. No innards shot of the cake, but it was fairly simple; a vanilla layer cake with <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/10/orange-cake-with-fruit-tingle-icing.html">Fruit Tingle Icing </a>in between the layers and vanilla icing on the outside. Just so you know, I sat and ate the whole of that huge lollipop at the back while watching the Lego Movie. It was pretty great.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15246925715" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="825" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3900/15246925715_5858daf885_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a tall 3-layer 6" cake or a shorter 7" cake, icing idea adapted from <a href="http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/melted-rainbow-cake/9150c1ed-296b-44c1-b181-071f63d5b529?sf3153206=1">this recipe</a>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
355g (about 2.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 tsp baking powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225ml (about 1 cup minus 1 tbsp) milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tsp vanilla extract or scraped seeds from 2 vanilla bean pods </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
350g (about 1 & 3/4 cups) sugar (granulated or caster)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225g (2 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 eggs</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease three 15cm (6 inch) (or 18cm (7 inch), cake will be shorter) round cake tins. Line the base of the tins with baking paper. </li>
<li>Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.</li>
<li>Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. </li>
<li>Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula. </li>
<li>Split mixture equally between prepared tins and smooth top with a spatula (I usually do this accurately by weighing the batter first)</li>
<li>Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre just comes out clean and the outside is golden, about 35-40 minutes (will vary depending on your cake tin size). Take cake not to overbake or cake will be dry. </li>
<li>Cool in tins for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep cakes wrapped in clingfilm and chilled in fridge until you are ready to assemble. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight if you want to prep the cakes a day ahead.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15060379158" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="767" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/15060379158_b2c49c7fa5_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
<i><b>For the vanilla icing: </b></i></div>
<div>
800g (about 6 1/2 cups) icing (powdered) sugar, sifted (or blitzed in the food processor)</div>
<div>
400g (about 3.5 sticks) butter (I use salted, add about 1/2 tsp of salt if you use unsalted)</div>
<div>
1 tsp pure vanilla extract </div>
<div>
2- 4 tbsp milk adjusted to taste/consistency<br />
Optional: 2-3 rolls of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_Tingles">Fruit Tingles</a> or any other fizzy tablet candies like Bottle Caps or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarties_%28wafer_candy%29">Smarties</a> (not the chocolate covered candy with the same name), SweeTarts or Barratt's <a href="http://www.handycandy.co.uk/refreshers-p-83.html">Refreshers</a> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Prepare the icing; remove butter from fridge 30 mins before starting and chop into small cubes. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on high with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add icing sugar until combined, add vanilla then increase speed to high and beat until very pale and fluffy. </li>
<li>Gradually add milk until you reach desired texture, you may need to add more icing sugar if your mixture is too runny, or more milk if you mixture is too stiff. The icing should be smooth and easily spreadable, but stiff enough to hold its shape.</li>
<li>Optional: Separate 1/3 of icing mixture in a separate mixing bowl. Place Fruit Tingles in a food processor and blitz until it breaks down to small crumb-sized pieces. Using an electric mixer, gradually beat fruit tingle pieces into the icing, adding to taste. </li>
<li>To assemble cake; remove cake layers from the fridge and use a long shape knife (preferably serrated) to carefully trim the tops of the cake to ensure they are level. Flip your cake layers upside down before assembling.</li>
<li>Place one layer on your cake stand and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing (I used the Fruit Tingle icing for the filling of this cake) over the top of the cake. Repeat with remaining cake and more icing.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake and then chill for about half an hour, then cover with remaining icing (plain vanilla) and smooth with offset spatula.</li>
<li>Chill cake to set icing, and prepare royal rainbow icing below.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the royal rainbow icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: can be replaced with storebought royal icing mixture if you prefer (<a href="http://www.queen.com.au/pantry-item/royal-icing/">like this</a>) </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 large egg white (can be replaced with 2.5 tbsp meringue/eggwhite powder + 5 tbsp water)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 cups (about 250g) sifted icing/confectioner's sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Juice from 1/2 lemon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Food colouring (I used Wilton gel colours to achieve a more vibrant colour without using too much colouring)<br />
To decorate: rainbow lollipops in a variety of sizes and shapes </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place egg white in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer to form soft peaks. </li>
<li>Add icing sugar and lemon juice and stir with a spatula to combine. </li>
<li>If icing is too thick, add water 1 tsp at a time; if it is too thin, add more icing sugar. <b>You want your mixture to be a thick but still running paste, if it is too thin it will run right off the cake and if it is too thick it won't mix and drip down the sides.</b></li>
<li>Split mixture into 6-7 bowls and add colour to each bowl. I did yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, blue and green.</li>
<li>Carefully drizzle small amounts of each colour over the top of the cake. I started from the centre and worked my way out, this makes it easier to gauge when there is enough icing for it to just start over-flowing around the edge of the cake. Some of the icing may pool around the bottom of the cake stand, you can either leave it or attempt to wipe it up but it may get messy. (Another option is to place strips of baking paper around the edges of the cake so that it catches the excess without messing up your plate). <a href="http://www.tablespoon.com/-/media/Images/Articles/Post%20Images/2014/06/2014-06-03-melted-rainbow-cake-gif-680x384.gif">This gif</a> might help give you an idea of how it should look.</li>
<li>Chill cake until ready to serve, then remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and decorate with lollipops. I also decorated the bottom of the cake with some rainbow popping candy.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15060178369" title="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Psychedelic Rainbow Swirl Lollipop Cake" height="805" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/15060178369_39f8683105_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-17646101815077641952014-09-08T11:00:00.000+10:002015-01-20T20:56:19.830+11:00Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14976989829" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="605" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/14976989829_ef63dd92f4_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
More celebratory cakes! A belated birthday cake. I was offered the challenge of making a cake that involved pear and salted caramel and I can rarely say no to a challenge. My friend is not a fan of sponge/cream cakes. He's a big fan of mud cakes, especially caramel ones. A couple of years ago I <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/09/tetris-cake-with-macarons.html">attempted to make him one</a> and it was one of my first mud cake attempts. It wasn't the best, totally overbaked and brick-like. But this time I think I got it just right.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15163727615" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="752" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/15163727615_8a39907036_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I haven't made a secret of the fact that I am not a mud cake person. I'm scarred from many years of crappy chain bakery and dodgy supermarket mud cakes that are super dense and/or dry and tasteless. I prefer my cakes light and airy. I prefer a vanilla cake over a chocolate cake. But I really enjoyed this cake. A two-layer caramel mud cake with salted caramel icing, poached vanilla bean pear, crumble and salted caramel sauce. It's INTENSE. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14976987269" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="776" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/14976987269_12d7fee12b_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was my first time poaching pears! They turned out beautifully tender and matched so well with the buttery crumble that I sprinkled on top. I poached them in a brown sugar, vanilla bean and star anise mixture. I know the cake is a little on the brown and messy side presentation-wise, but don't let its appearance fool you. All the elements combine to make a pretty spectacular cake. I'd recommend eating small slices served with extra crumble and salted caramel sauce and a really big cup of hot tea.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15140687456" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="668" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3901/15140687456_c4c5781865_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(caramel mud cake adapted from this <a href="http://www.aww.com.au/food/recipes/2007/1/caramel-mud-cake/">AWW recipe</a>, salted caramel sauce adapted from <a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/05/22/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce-recipe/">Brown Eyed Baker</a>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the caramel mud cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">250g</span></span><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description"> (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp) butter, chopped</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">200g (7oz) white chocolate, chopped</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">2¼ cups (about 450g) firmly packed brown sugar</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">1½ cups (375ml) water</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">1 tsp pure vanilla extract </span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">3 eggs, beaten lightly</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">2 cups (about 280g) plain/all-purpose flour</span><br />
</span> <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">2/3 cup (90g) self-raising flour</span></span> </div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Grease and line the base and side of a two 18cm (7 inch) round cake tins (warning: batter is quite runny so spring-form tins may leak out the bottom, it is better to use non-springform).</li>
<li>Sift the plain and self-raising flour into a bowl and set aside.</li>
<li>Combine the butter, white chocolate, sugar and water in a medium saucepan, whisk over low heat until the chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool for 15 minutes.</li>
<li>Whisk in vanilla and eggs, then add sifted flours. Pour equal amounts of mixture into prepared tins. Bake for about 60-75 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out just clean. Cover cake loosely with foil if it is over-browning.</li>
<li>Cool the cake in the pan covered with a clean tea towel. Cake can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temp.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the salted caramel sauce:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g sugar (about 2 cups)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
170g (12 tbsp) unsalted butter</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2/3 cup thickened/heavy cream </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 1 tbsp sea salt flakes, adjust to taste</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Place sugar in a heavy-based medium to large saucepan on medium heat and whisk until it starts to melt (it may clump together but this is okay), continue whisking until all the sugar melts down.</li>
<li>Add a sugar thermometer to the pan and continue cooking without stirring, swirl the pan occasionally to stop the bottom from burning. </li>
<li>Heat until mixture turns dark golden in colour and the sugar thermometer reaches 180°C (350°F), then add all the butter at once. Take care as mixture will bubble up.</li>
<li>Whisk until the butter is incorporated, then add cream (mixture will bubble up again) and whisk until smooth. Pour into a heatproof bowl. and allow to cool slightly. </li>
<li>When cool enough to taste, add salt to taste. Cool to room temperature.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15163725425" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="748" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/15163725425_b57d30404e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the poached pears:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2-3 brown pears (I used 3)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6 cups water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 1/2 cups (about 300g) <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">firmly packed brown sugar</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">Optional: 1 star anise </span></span></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place water and sugar in a saucepan on medium high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to simmer.</li>
<li>Peel pears (keeping the stem) and place pears, vanilla pod an seeds (and star anise) in the saucepan.</li>
<li>Simmer, turning pears occasionally to ensure even poaching, for about 20 minutes or until pears are tender (check with a fork).</li>
<li>Carefully remove pears and set aside to cool completely, then pat very dry using paper towels. </li>
<li>Slice pears in half and use a spoon to remove the core and seeds. Use a small sharp knife to thinly slice pears. You can keep it attached at the stem at fan out the pear slices as shown in the photos, or remove the stem and arrange the slices however you prefer. I retained one half of a pear and diced the fruit into small cubes to use inbetween the two cake layers.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the crumble:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup (about 50g) <span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">firmly packed brown sugar</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup (about 35g) flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
25g (about 2 tbsp) cold butter, diced</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: A pinch of cinnamon </div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper</li>
<li>Place ingredients in a bowl rub between fingers to distribute butter throughout the dry ingredients. Mixture should resemble large breadcrumbs</li>
<li>Spread mixture in an even layer on baking paper and bake. Check on mixture every 5 minutes, it may start to melt down into a giant thin cookie, just use a fork to break up the mixture and maintain a crumb consistency.</li>
<li>Bake until mixture starts to go dark golden brown on the edges, ensure it does not burn. Leak on tray to cool completely.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the salted caramel icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"> <span itemprop="name description">250g</span></span><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description"> (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp) butter, softened</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">2 cups (about 250g) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">About 1 cup salted caramel sauce (recipe above), adjust to desired taste and texture</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">Place butter and salted caramel in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and combined.</span></span></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">Gradually add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. </span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">To assemble cake; trim cakes to ensure that their tops are level. Place one layer of cake (cut side up) on your cake stand/plate.</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">Place 1 cup of salted caramel icing in a piping bag with a wide star tip attached. Pipe a circle of icing about half a cm inside from the edge of the cake, then use a spatula to spread a layer of icing inside the piped circle. (I also spread a layer, using half a pear, of small cubes of pear throughout the icing, this is optional) Sandwich with the other cake layer (cut side down) and repeat with another layer of icing.</span></span></li>
<li><span itemprop="ingredient" itemscope="" itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/RecipeIngredient"><span itemprop="name description">Arrange sliced pear of top and sprinkle a layer of crumble on top. Pour extra salted caramel sauce on top (you may need to warm the sauce up quickly in the microwave if it has become too thick to pour). Serve immediately. If serving layer, keep crumble and sauce separate and place on top right before serving.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14976991439" title="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Caramel Mud Cake with Salted Caramel Icing, Crumble and Vanilla Poached Pears" height="662" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3863/14976991439_9da7d51691_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-13354776948105979762014-09-03T09:23:00.000+10:002014-09-03T11:34:42.475+10:00Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15113198351" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="761" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3925/15113198351_bd6b422432_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Phewwww, it's been a crazy week. I've been super quiet on the blog and instagram recently because everything has been full-on nutso in every other part of my life. Work, friends and home. One of the crazier things on the schedule was planning for Asian Gaga's hens night. Asian Gaga and I are complete and utter opposites in so many ways, so planning an awesome night for her and her friends presented quite a challenge. Luckily she knew pretty much exactly what she wanted, so it was just up to me to make it a reality. And my reality was always going to involve a large amount of baked goods.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15115832552" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="777" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5596/15115832552_90b93cb5e9_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As soon as I showed Asian Gaga this gorgeous <a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/06/pink-vanilla-pocky-cake.html">Pocky Cake from Sprinkle Bakes</a> a couple of years ago she was in love with it. We even discussed making it as part of a wedding cake table, but it turned out to be too casual for the style of wedding she's planning. I decided that the hens night would be the perfect time to make this cake. I didn't change it up too much from the inspiration, except to go even crazier with the strawberry flavours. I added Strawberry Nesquik to the icing to make it strawberry milk icing, and topped the whole thing with a ton of chocolate-dipped strawberries. Oh, and then I put the cake on top of a macaron tower.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15119543341" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="540" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3862/15119543341_359d856be3_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, I did make her wear that headdress. I love Etsy. So much better than a veil or a sash! Oh man, those macarons gave me grief all week. I had to make so many batches and I still wasn't happy with the texture of them. I made three flavours; strawberry jam, chocolate and Earl Grey, coconut and lychee. I totally overcatered for the night, considering that we had already had a full dinner including dessert. But better to have too much than too little, right?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15093209816" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="774" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/15093209816_aaca4d0af6_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I love this cake so much. Strawberry pocky is the best thing ever. Those skinny pretzel sticks covered in strawberry chocolate smell so great. The strawberry milk icing matches it perfectly. And who doesn't love chocolate-dipped strawberries? Sorry you guys don't get to see a peek of the icing and the fluffy vanilla bean cake, but I think it tasted alright. Asian Gaga loved it so my mission was accomplished. It's actually a fairly easy cake to assemble, even though it looks complicated. The pocky helps to cover any mistakes you may have made with your cake or icing, so no stress over making your icing smooth! If you're a strawberry fan like me you'll love this cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15115833872" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="713" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/15115833872_b3e3149620_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Strawberry Milk Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a thicker 7" cake or a thinner 8" cake, inspired by </i><i><a href="http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/06/pink-vanilla-pocky-cake.html">Sprinkle Bakes</a>)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
355g (about 2.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 tsp baking powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225ml (about 1 cup minus 1 tbsp) milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tsp vanilla extract or scraped seeds from 2 vanilla bean pods </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
350g (about 1 & 3/4 cups) sugar (granulated or caster)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225g (2 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 eggs</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease two 18cm (7 inch) (or 20cm (8 inch), cake will be shorter) round cake tins. Note this will make a fairly thick cake layer so you need a tin with higher sides. If using thinner tins, split the mixture into 3 tins instead. Line the base of the tins with baking paper. </li>
<li>Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.</li>
<li>Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. </li>
<li>Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula. </li>
<li>Split mixture equally between prepared tins and smooth top with a spatula.</li>
<li>Bake until a skewer inserted into the centre just comes out clean and the outside is golden, about 40-50 minutes (will vary depending on your cake tin size). Take cake not to overbake or cake will be dry. </li>
<li>Cool in tins for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep cakes wrapped in clingfilm and chilled in fridge until you are ready to assemble. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight if you want to prep the cakes a day ahead.</li>
</ol>
<i><b>For the Strawberry Milk Icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
250g (2 sticks plus 2 tbsp) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 cups (about 375g) icing (confectioner's) sugar </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup (about 100g) strawberry Nesquik powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 1/4-1/3 cup milk, adjust for texture</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To decorate: Strawberry <a href="http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPocky&ei=aEoGVIOMLcjjuQSkvYHYAw&usg=AFQjCNHRSNSpJtxMrgzG23Qp1cUD8yzl0w&sig2=GErgcXAl58Vv5yTjOkHq7Q&bvm=bv.74115972,d.c2E">Pocky</a> sticks (I used about 5-6 packets), chocolate-dipped strawberries (I made some with milk, white and dark chocolate) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add icing sugar, Nesquik powder to bowl and mix until it starts to come together, then gradually add milk while beating on high until light and fluffy. I added my milk 1 tbsp at a time until I achieved the desired texture. You want your icing to be stiff enough to hold its shape but smooth enough to be spread easily.</li>
<li>Trim the tops of your cakes so they are level using a long, sharp, preferably serrated knife. Place one layer on your cake stand and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake. Sandwich with the second layer of cake. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake and then chill for about half an hour, then cover with remaining icing and smooth with offset spatula.</li>
<li>Decorate the side of the cake with pocky sticks. Carefully press the pocky into the icing on the side of the cake so that it stays in place. Chill cake to set the icing.</li>
<li>Prepare chocolate dipped strawberries. </li>
<li>Place cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Remove from fridge at least 15 mins before serving. Place chocolate-dipped strawberries on top and serve.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14929509539" title="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Pocky Cake with Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries" height="707" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3838/14929509539_3b7b137b45_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-81313751510250444502014-08-26T09:00:00.000+10:002014-10-08T09:15:08.675+11:00Coconut and Lychee Macarons<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15007112696" title="Coconut and Lychee Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Coconut and Lychee Macarons" height="594" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3875/15007112696_3b8ace5396_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Helllloooo! This is just a super quick post to let you know that I'm still alive! Things are just super, super busy. These macarons are my peace offering to you for being so neglectful of my blog recently. Well actually, I wasn't actually being neglectful, I was baking heaps over the last two weekends but everything I made was a complete and utter disaster. Yep I'm a flat out, freaking mess at the moment, and so is my kitchen.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15029747542" title="Coconut and Lychee Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Coconut and Lychee Macarons" height="757" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3910/15029747542_0423dd508d_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These macarons were made for an upcoming party and are inspired by one of my favourite flavours from <a href="http://www.gelatomessina.com/">Gelato Messina</a>. The ganache is made with lychee puree, and I was meant to add some coconut cream but somehow totally forgot to add it to the mixture. But the coconut on the top of the shell helps to make it for it as it got lightly toasted in the oven. I'm still having super annoying issues with hollow macarons so these were not technically the best but they still tasted great so I wanted to share them with you. I'm pretty sure that it's my oven that causing the issue, not the recipe, since it's the same recipe I've used since I started making macs. Hopefully you'll have better luck than me!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15027052701" title="Coconut and Lychee Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Coconut and Lychee Macarons" height="668" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/15027052701_1b148fffae_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Coconut and Lychee Macarons</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(makes 15-20 macarons)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: If you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) egg whites, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 tsp salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
110g (about 4oz) almond meal, at room temperature and well sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (7oz) icing (confectioner's) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (1.74oz) caster (granulated) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dessicated/shredded coconut to sprinkle on top</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Line two baking trays with good quality baking paper. </li>
<li>Place icing sugar in food processor and pulse for a minute to
remove any lumps. Stir in almond meal and pulse for about 30 seconds
to combine. (If you don’t have a processor just sift together with a
fine sieve.) Sift into a large mixing bowl and set aside. </li>
<li>Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in a medium
mixing bowl until it reaches soft peaks. With the mixer on high
speed, gradually add sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks.</li>
<li>Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix together with a spatula,
quickly at first to break down the bubbles in the egg white (you
really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which
is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of
the bowl with your spatula), then mix carefully as the dry mixture
becomes just incorporated and the mixture starts to become shiny again. Take care not
to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture
spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should
disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place
mixture in a piping bag with a 1cm round piping tip. Pipe circles about 3cm wide on your prepared trays, leaving about
3cm space around each one. Tap baking sheets carefully and firmly
on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles.</li>
<li>Sprinkle a pinch of coconut over the top of each piped shell. </li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins, until when you press the
surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This
will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs.
(I find the easiest way to do this is to point a fan at the shells,
but make sure you stick or weigh down the baking paper first)</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven
(fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really
depends) . You can place the sheet of piped shells on top of an
upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat
distribution. </li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your shells.
Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting
one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it
needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then
gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the lychee coconut ganache:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
250g (about 9oz) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50ml thickened or pure/heavy cream (min 35% fat unthickened) OR coconut cream</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Half can (I think mine was a 565g can) of lychees in syrup (lychees well drained and pureed, about 100g puree)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a pot of simmering water.</li>
<li>Heat cream and lychee puree in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until it just
comes to the boil. </li>
<li>Add hot cream mixture to melted chocolate a third at a time (mixture may seize up after you add the first part, but will hopefully melt back down as you add the rest. If not, return bowl to over the simmering water and whisk until smooth) </li>
<li>Chill, whisking
it every 5 minutes to ensure it stays smooth, until the mixture
thickens but is still pipable. If mixture is too runny, you can melt in more chocolate, 50g at a time.</li>
<li>Place in a small piping bag (ziplock bags with a corner snipped
off are handy for this), pipe and sandwich between macaron shells. </li>
<li>Chill macarons in an airtight container overnight to allow flavour to mature. Serve at room temperature.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/15030102955" title="Coconut and Lychee Macarons by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Coconut and Lychee Macarons" height="620" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/15030102955_d69ba5ecdd_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-40511734665383295222014-08-06T10:00:00.000+10:002014-10-16T19:56:57.680+11:00Eton Mess Cake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14826043655" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="747" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3879/14826043655_e4ac72a67c_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sorry for the late post this week, it's coming to you from the hazy
world of head colds. Last weekend was my father-in-law's birthday and as
per usual he requested a sponge cake with cream and fresh berries. This
didn't surprise me but at first I was thinking, '<a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/07/lemon-syrup-sponge-cake-with-whipped.html">Damn I just made that kind of cake</a>'.
But then I had a small jolt of inspiration; if I used strawberries and
cream and added some meringue to the cake I could make a cake inspired
by one of my all-time favourite desserts, the Eton mess. This cake is made up of layered sponge flavoured with rose water, vanilla bean whipped cream, crushed meringue and a thick strawberry sauce. You cannot go wrong with that.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14822952111" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="683" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3917/14822952111_df9f399a4a_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Eton mess is pretty much the ideal dessert for a baker like me. It's
fresh, easy and delicious even though it looks like an absolute mess on
the plate. I always love the mix of all the textures and flavours in it,
with the fresh berries, tart strawberry sauce, crunchy meringue bits
and fluffy whipped cream. This works really well for a naked layered sponge cake because it keeps it super light but still interesting (perfect for capping off a home-cooked roast dinner in the middle of winter, trust me!). And it's good for messy bakers because it doesn't matter if it looks a bit rough, it's supposed to be like that! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14822953561" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="692" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2910/14822953561_9091bb0564_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was puffing my chest out feeling so original about this idea until I went back to look at the cake I baked for the same occasion last year and realised that it was <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/08/cream-lemon-curd-layered-sponge-with.html">nearly identical in presentation</a>, right down to the topping of fresh berries and meringue cookies. Damn. It does taste completely different though. It's fairly messy once you start cutting into the cake, but I think that makes it extra appropriate for its title.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14822949741" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="738" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3920/14822949741_1e8d887369_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Eton Mess Cake</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a 3 layer 18cm (7") round cake,</i> <i>sponge recipe from <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/basic-sponge-cake.htm">Gourmet Traveller</a></i>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the Sponge Cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: If you are new to sponge cakes make sure you click through to the Gourmet Traveller link above for extra tips. This sponge cake relies solely on the whipped eggs for leavening and it is important you follow all the steps carefully.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
<i><b>Sponge cake:</b></i> </div>
<div>
60g (about 4.5 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled plus extra for greasing tins</div>
<div>
180g (about 1 & 1/3 cups) plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting</div>
<div>
6 eggs, at room temperature</div>
<div>
200g (about 1 cup) caster/superfine sugar</div>
<div>
1 tsp pure vanilla extract</div>
<div>
</div>
<ol>
<li> Make sure your eggs are at room temp and preheat oven to 180°C (350° F) (you may need to adjust to 160-170°C (340° F) for fan-forced). </li>
<li>Brush three 18cm (7 inch) round cake tins with melted butter, line base and sides with baking paper, grease paper with a little extra butter and then dust lightly with flour. </li>
<li>Triple-sift flour and set aside. </li>
<li>Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until thick, pale and tripled in volume (about 7-8 minutes). Sift over flour in two batches, folding each batch in with a large metal spoon or spatula.</li>
<li>Fold in melted butter. </li>
<li>Carefully pour equal amounts into prepared tins and bake until light golden and centre springs back when pressed lightly with your fingertip (about 20 minutes). </li>
<li>Pull cake gently away from sides of tin with your fingers or carefully loosen with a knife. Turn onto a wire rack, remove baking paper, turn back over swiftly and cool completely. </li>
<li>Optional: I placed 1 tbsp rose water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan and stirred it over medium heat until it formed a syrup, poked holes through the cakes using a fork and brushed the syrup over the cakes to give it light rose flavour. This part isn't necessary but adds an interesting touch.</li>
</ol>
<i><b>For the meringues:</b></i> <br />
<div>
4 egg whites, at room temperature</div>
<div>
A pinch of salt</div>
<div>
200g (about 1 cup) caster/superfine sugar </div>
<ol>
<li> Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F) (100°C (210°F) fan-forced) and measure all your ingredients. Line two baking trays with baking paper. </li>
<li>Place egg whites and salt in a large, clean mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With the mixer on low, add sugar 1 tbsp at a time then whisk on high until thick and glossy (at least 5 mins). </li>
<li>Pinch a small amount of mixture between your thumb and forefinger. If mixture is smooth then the sugar has dissolved, if it is still grainy, beat for a minute or so more and check again. Beat until sugar has completely dissolved. </li>
<li>Place mixture in a large piping bag with a 1cm round tip and pipe on the prepared baking trays. I kept my meringues about the same size as my fresh strawberries </li>
<li>Place in oven and reduce oven temp to 90°C (195°F) (85°C (185°F) fan-forced). Leave the oven on for 60-75 mins or until the meringues are crisp (mine took longer but I prefer to leave them longer at a low temp than risk them browning at a higher temp), then turn off oven and allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven (2-3 hours). </li>
<li>Store in an airtight container until ready to serve cake.</li>
</ol>
<i></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14822950521" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="692" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14822950521_e897670235_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the strawberry sauce:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300g (5oz) strawberries berries, fresh or frozen, hulled and finely chopped </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/3 cup (about 65g) sugar<br />
4 tsp lemon juice<br />
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste<br />
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 4 tsp cold water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl then add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes (if mixture becomes too thick, add water 1 tbsp and stir until it reaches the right consistency). Set aside to cool.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble cake:</b></i><br />
<i>Note: Amounts of cream, strawberry sauce and meringue in this recipe makes more than you need to assemble cake but the extra amounts are good for serving on the side of the cake<b><br /></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
600ml (about 2.5 cups) thickened (heavy) cream<i><b> </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 cup icing (confectioners') sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste/pure vanilla extract)<br />
Strawberry sauce and meringue cookies from recipes above </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fresh strawberries to decorate, hulled </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Glaze: 1 cup icing sugar, sifted, about 1-2 tbsp milk or water (I also added a few drops of rose water)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place cream, icing sugar and vanilla bean seeds in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until it reaches stiff peaks.</li>
<li>Use a sharp, serrated knife to level the tops of your sponge cakes. </li>
<li>Place first cake layer on your serving plate or stand and top with a thick layer of cream swirled together with dollops of strawberry sauce and crushed meringue cookies (ensure you retain enough meringues to decorate the top of your cake). Keep filling about 1 cm from the edge of the cake to stop mixture from overflowing when you sandwich layers on top.</li>
<li>Sandwich with another cake layer and repeat. </li>
<li>Mix together icing sugar with liquid to form a thick, smooth paste for the glaze. Spread over the top of your cake using a spatula.</li>
<li>Decorate with fresh strawberries and meringues. Place in fridge to allow glaze to set and store there until ready to serve. Can be served with extra cream, sauce and meringue cookies.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14639383109" title="Eton Mess Cake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Eton Mess Cake" height="747" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/14639383109_01be2afc51_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-55629244866040026482014-07-22T10:00:00.000+10:002014-07-22T11:54:58.463+10:00Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14704172361" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="724" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14704172361_e7dea3b56b_o.jpg" width="540" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14520909507" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I love doughnuts. I eat them more often than I should. They're one of the few things that I would rather buy than make myself, mostly because I hate deep-frying anything. Me and hot oil don't mix well. You're talking to a girl who managed to stab a blunt knife all the way through her finger when she was sleepily trying to remove a pit from an avocado early one morning. I'm not to be trusted around sharp things, flames or anything boiling hot.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14520909507" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="681" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5580/14520909507_59c3498196_o.jpg" width="540" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14727210733" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is why I like the idea of baked doughnuts. I've made cinnamon ones before and they were <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/08/baked-cinnamon-doughnuts.html">pretty good</a>. Of course, they'll never taste as soft and fluffy as the real deep-fried thing, but it comes very close. And then you don't have to deal with all the mess of getting rid of all that oil. And no need for a special doughnut pan!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14727210733" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="750" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2939/14727210733_19e9e9b3be_o.jpg" width="540" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14684352136" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So I saw lots of gorgeous looking chocolate doughnuts on pinterest while trying to get ideas for this recipe, but all of them were basically cake batter that needs to be poured into a special doughnut-shaped pan to be baked. They sound delicious, but I usually prefer not to have to buy another pan for one specific purpose (there are exceptions to this but you know what I mean). So I decided to play around with the original plain baked doughnut recipe (which is more like bread than cake) and turn it into a chocolate doughnut. My first attempt was noooot good. The yeast didn't activate and they stayed like hard, poo-like lumps in the oven. But the second attempt with a few tweaks came out perfectly.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14707344525" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="763" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3877/14707344525_d21972578b_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I topped these doughnuts with a cookies and cream flavoured topping. It was a simple icing glaze and lots of Oreo bits. I've always wanted to do a cookies and cream flavoured recipe but nothing has seemed like a fun enough idea until this one. To be perfectly honest, the baked version of these doughnuts can be fairly dry at room temperature, but I find that if you warm it up ever so slightly in the microwave before eating it, it keeps makes them super soft and more like the fried version, without melting the icing. So please, serve these warmed up! They are so much better. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14520907307" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="758" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3835/14520907307_4d18d2d07d_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Anyway, these were fun for a baking day where I wasn't in a rush and had time to wait for the dough to rise. I don't get many of those days anymore so I had a lot of fun with it. The only thing I'd like to work on is how to make these even softer and less dry at room temperature, maybe if I did a dough that had more butter, like brioche. Oooooh. And apologies for the slightly dark photos, I'm still getting used to my new computer screen! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14520687929" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="763" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2933/14520687929_7d47bbba25_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(adapted from these <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/08/baked-cinnamon-doughnuts.html">baked doughnuts</a>, makes about 12)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the doughnuts:</b> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 1/2 teaspoons (1 packet/7g) instant dried yeast</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
20g (1.5 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
350g (about 2.5 cups) plain flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (about 0.5 cups) cocoa powder (I used dutch-processed but regular is fine)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 cup (100g) caster/granulated sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Mixture to help rolling dough: 2 tbsp icing (confectioner's) sugar and 2 tsp cocoa powder, sifted together</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Heat milk to lukewarm (I did this by placing it in a microwave-safe jug and zapping it on medium-high (75%) for about 20 seconds). Make sure it's not too hot, then stir in yeast and let it sit for a minute so it starts to froth up. </li>
<li> Sift flour and cocoa powder together into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Make a well in the centre. Add melted butter, then add milk mixture. Mix to form a soft dough. </li>
<li>If you have a mixer with dough hooks, beat on high for about 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic. If not, turn out onto a surface dusted with the icing sugar/cocoa powder mixture (rather than using flour which will affect the colour of your dough). Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.</li>
<li>Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size (mine took a little longer during winter). </li>
<li>Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Using your fist, punch dough down. Dust your surface with more icing sugar/cocoa mixture. Knead until smooth. </li>
<li>Roll dough out until about 1 cm (1/3 inch) thick. Using a 6.5cm (2.5 inch) cutter, cut 12 rounds from dough. Using a 3cm (1 inch) cutter, cut circles from the centre of each round. </li>
<li>Place doughnuts (and doughnut holes), 5cm apart, on prepared tray. (You can try rerolling the dough scraps and holes to cut more doughnuts but I found that these ones turned out a lot uglier.) Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. </li>
<li>Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C (350°C). Bake doughnuts for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through (make sure not to overbake or they will be hard and dry. The easiest way to test if they're ready is to sacrifice one for tasting).</li>
<li>Place on a wire rack and cool completely before icing. They must be completely cooled or the icing will melt! Note: doughnuts are best served after being warmed slightly in the microwave for about 15 seconds.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14707346835" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="763" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3921/14707346835_5828d82891_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 cups (150g) icing sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 2 tbsp (30-40 ml) milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Oreo biscuits, full sized or mini (I used mini)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place several biscuits in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin (or blitz in a food processor) to make fine oreo crumbs (I used about 1/3 cup of fine crumbs) </li>
<li>Using a sharp knife, chop up several biscuits into larger chunky bits for decorating (about 3/4 cup of bits).</li>
<li>Place icing sugar in a bowl and gradually mix in milk until it becomes a very thick paste (add the milk very slowly until it is all mixed in before adding more milk). You want it to be smooth but even thicker than tooth paste, so it doesn't run straight off your doughnuts.You can add a small pinch of fine Oreo crumbs to the icing at this point if you want it to look a little more like cookies and cream icing, but you don't need to.</li>
<li>Dip the tops of your doughnuts in the icing, or use a spoon to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of each doughnut (icing should settle back down after being spread on, if it is too thick/starting to dry out then add a tiny bit more milk, and if it is running too thin add more icing sugar).</li>
<li>Place in a wire rack to allow icing to set. While icing is still set, sprinkle several big chunks of Oreo pieces over each doughnut and sprinkle a pinch of fine crumbs over each doughnut as well. Set aside to set for about half an hour, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Doughnuts will store in an airtight container at room temp for about 2 days.<b> Note: doughnuts are best served after being warmed slightly in the microwave for about 15 seconds.</b></li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14684352136" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts" height="798" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14684352136_1355dac615_o.jpg" width="540" /></a><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14704172361" title="Cookies and Cream Baked Chocolate Doughnuts by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-56493628279046981772014-07-14T10:00:00.000+10:002014-08-02T12:57:42.755+10:00Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14642788062" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="721" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3890/14642788062_9e4875cbf4_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I lost my tiny, ancient <a href="http://instagram.com/p/p7OnqwhYBF/">budgie</a> who has been with me since I moved to Sydney and who I thought was going to live forever. I finally, FINALLY got my Ps, so have a newfound sense of freedom (don't judge, I lived right next to a train station for over 10 years so there wasn't much motivation to drive until recently). We bought a couch. So yeah...life. Anyway. This past weekend we had my cousin from Singapore visiting for her birthday, and I demanded to make her birthday cake.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14641030324" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="650" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3890/14641030324_6bab0b89e6_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
She requested anything with berries, preferably with sponge and cream cheese. So I made a simple vanilla sponge cake and soaked the sponge in a sticky lemon syrup, sandwiched it with one layer of raspberry filling and another layer of blueberry filling, and covered it in a fluffy whipped cream cheese icing, fresh berries and raspberry heart macarons. My original idea was to tint half the icing with blueberries to make it purple, and the other half with raspberries to make it pink and to ice the cake with an ombré effect. I did it, but the tinting was so faint that you can barely see it so it probably wasn't worth it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14456802257" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="798" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/14456802257_3f691f0470_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm still having issues with hollow macarons in my new oven, I'm going to have to keep experimenting to get the right temperature. It's driving me nuts. Anyway, it was one of the several things that I wasn't 100% happy about with this cake, but whatever it tasted great! Everyone was saying that they loved that the sponge wasn't too dry, the filling was super tasty and the icing tasted almost like ice cream! (<a href="https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10472857_10152317995373337_484798756478755238_n.jpg">Sneaky shot</a> of the innards from my cousin) Surprisingly the whipped cream and cream cheese holds up fairly well at room temperature, the cake didn't melt at all (though it probably helps that it was friggin freezing). I think the icing worked particularly well with the sponge since both were quite delicate in texture and flavour, but the icing is so great that I want to try it out with some white cake next time. Happy Birthday P!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14643212675" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="714" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14643212675_f33b6edc6f_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a 3 layer 18cm (7") round cake,</i> <i>sponge recipe from <a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/basic-sponge-cake.htm">Gourmet Traveller</a></i>)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Note: If you are new to sponge cakes make sure you click through to the Gourmet Traveller link above for extra tips. This sponge cake relies solely on the whipped eggs for leavening and it is important you follow all the steps carefully.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Sponge cake:</b></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
60g (about 4.5 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled plus extra for greasing tins</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
180g (about 1 &1/3 cups) plain/all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6 eggs, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
165g (about 3/4 cup) caster/superfine sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Make sure your eggs are at room temp and preheat oven to 180°C (350° F) (you may need to adjust to 160-170°C (340° F) for fan-forced). </li>
<li>Brush three 18cm (7 inch) round cake tins with melted butter, line base and sides with baking paper, grease paper with a little extra butter and then dust lightly with flour. </li>
<li>Triple-sift flour and set aside. </li>
<li>Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until thick, pale and tripled in volume (about 7-8 minutes). Sift over flour in two batches, folding each batch in with a large metal spoon or spatula.</li>
<li>Fold in melted butter. </li>
<li>Carefully pour equal amounts into prepared tins and bake until light golden and centre springs back when pressed lightly with your fingertip (about 20 minutes). </li>
<li>Pull cake gently away from sides of tin with your fingers or carefully loosen with a knife. Turn onto a wire rack, remove baking paper, turn back over swiftly and cool completely. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Lemon Syrup:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Zest of 1 lemon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Juice of 2 lemons, about 1/2 cup</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup (about 200g) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 cup water</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Increase heat slightly and allow mixture to come to the boil, then simmer for about 3-5 minutes to allow syrup to thicken slightly. </li>
<li>Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Use a fork or skewer to poke holes over the surface of your cooled sponge cakes. Use a brush or a small spoon to carefully drizzle lemon syrup over the surface of all three cakes (you don't need to use all of it, just enough to generously cover the surface of all three). </li>
<li>Cakes can be wrapped in clingfilm and stored in the fridge overnight, until ready to assemble.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14663117643" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="716" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3873/14663117643_7eca789379_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the berry filling:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300g (5oz) berries, fresh or frozen (I used 1 punnet raspberries to fill between one layer, and blueberries for the other layer)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/3 cup sugar<br />
4 tsp lemon juice<br />
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste<br />
2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 4 tsp cold water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Place berries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl then add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the whipped cream cheese icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
250g (about 9oz) cream cheese, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 cup (about 100g) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300ml (about 1 & 1/3 cups) thickened (heavy) cream</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: 1/4 tsp vanilla extract or 2-3 tbsp of berry filling from above to flavour icing</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth.</li>
<li>With the mixer still running on medium speed, gradually add cream to mixture.</li>
<li>Beat on high until mixture reaches stiff peaks, take care not to over mix or cream will split.</li>
<li>Fold in vanilla or berry filling to flavour mixture.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>To assemble cake: </b></i></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place first cake layer on your serving plate or stand. </li>
<li>Spread a layer of berry filling over the top of the cake (I started with blueberry for the bottom layer and raspberry on top).</li>
<li>Sandwich with another cake layer and repeat. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake with cream cheese icing and chill cake for 15 minutes.</li>
<li>Cover cake with remaining icing, smoothing with an offset spatula.</li>
<li>Decorate with additional fresh berries and/or macarons (recipe <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/07/chocolate-raspberry-layer-cake-with.html">here</a>).</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14663118613" title="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Lemon Syrup Sponge Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Icing and Berries" height="745" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2923/14663118613_e61e3ca96d_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-8597837161902385012014-06-30T10:00:00.000+10:002014-07-22T11:53:36.146+10:00Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14344645878" title="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers" height="714" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14344645878_feb3eff266_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I really do love making super tall cakes. I don't get sick of them. The possibilities are endless and they are always so PRETTY. This particular cake was for my sister-in-law's birthday last week, and I served it on top of a stand full of the macarons that I made in <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/06/heart-inside-macarons-strawberry.html">last week's post</a>. Her only request this year was that my macarons be involved in some way and that there were also some of her favourite chocolate bars. Ask and you shall receive! (Apologies in advance for some of the blurry, lazy photos. I had to quickly shoot this as the sun was setting on a weekday.)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14531215795" title="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers" height="716" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/14531215795_2ac0b4d4ec_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now the chocolate made things a little tricky since my mother-in-law can't eat it, so to be fair I made sure the cake was piled high with Maltesers and Crunchie but I kept all the chocolate out of the actual cake itself so that everyone could enjoy it. I also added a surprise between the layers of the cake by adding pieces of crushed honeycomb (without chocolate) in the icing (a very delicious trick that I learnt from <a href="http://www.thedaintybaker.com/">The Dainty Baker</a> last week while tasting her amazing cake flavours, thanks Rhonda!). If you're interested, there's a crappy iphone photo of the fully assembled cake on <a href="http://instagram.com/p/ps_PxqBYHy/">my instagram</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14344645158" title="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers" height="810" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/14344645158_9ec368ea7e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I made my usual fluffy vanilla bean cake, based off the yellow cake from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cordon-Complete-Step-step-Cookery/dp/0304350001%3FSubscriptionId%3D19BAZMZQFZJ6G2QYGCG2%26tag%3DSquid683524-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0304350001">Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Step-by-Step</a>. Somehow, this is the best version I have ever made from this cake. It helped that I had all my ingredients at room temperature, and I took my cake out the minute it was just cooked through so that it was still super, super soft and fluffy even after sitting in the fridge overnight. To match the Vanilla Malt Macarons from last week, the icing was made with malted milk powder, a delicious sweet and salty combination that is perfect for a large amount of icing since it's not overly sweet. I made the mistake of choosing to decorate the side of the cake with that big swirly spiral effect that you get from running your offset spatula around your cake from top to bottom. Once I started doing it, I remembered why I've never done it before. It's bloody hard to do unless you have a handy cake turntable! It was a messy and very slow process, and the cake ended up having a slight lean to it because I was pressing on the sides so hard. It wasn't too noticeable thankfully, and the cake went down really, really well. It's a crowd-pleaser for sure.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14344646418" title="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers" height="791" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/14344646418_8c1cac33f0_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Vanilla Cake with Malt Icing, Honeycomb and Maltesers</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes a tall 3-layer 15cm (6") cake or a shorter 3-layer 18cm (7") cake)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
355g (about 2.5 cups) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 tsp baking powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225ml (about 1 cup minus 1 tbsp) milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tsp vanilla extract or scraped seeds from 2 vanilla bean pods (I used 1 tsp extract and the scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
350g (about 1 & 3/4 cups) sugar (granulated or caster)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225g (2 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 eggs</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease three 15cm (6 inch) (or 18cm (7 inch), cake will be shorter) round
cake tins. Line the base of the tins with baking
paper. </li>
<li>Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside. Mix milk and vanilla together in a measuring jug.</li>
<li>Using an electric mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter
in a large bowl until blended. Increase speed to high and beat well
until very pale and creamy, at least 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium low, add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. </li>
<li>Alternately add flour mix and milk mixture, beginning and ending
with flour mixture (I did it by adding 1/4 of of the dry mixture
followed by 1/3 of the wet mixture at a time). Beat until smooth,
occasionally scraping bowl with a spatula. </li>
<li>Split mixture equally between prepared tins and smooth top with a spatula.</li>
<li>Bake until a skewer inserted
into the centre just comes out clean and the outside is golden, about 35-40
minutes (will vary depending on your cake tin size). Take cake not to overbake or cake will be dry. </li>
<li>Cool in tins for 15 minutes, then carefully turn out on to a wire
rack to cool completely. Keep cakes wrapped in clingfilm and chilled in fridge until you are
ready to assemble. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight if
you want to prep the cakes a day ahead.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the malt icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g (3.5 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g (about just under 3 cups) icing/confectioner's sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (about 1 cup) Horlicks or malted milk powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 cup milk, adjust for texture</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: crushed honeycomb pieces (keep them fairly large (just under 1 cm wide) as they will melt slightly) to layer within cake, Maltesers/malted milk balls plus more crushed honeycomb pieces or Crunchie to decorate.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add icing sugar, malted milk powder to bowl and mix until it starts to come together, then gradually add milk while beating on high until light and fluffy. I added my milk 1 tbsp at a time until I achieved the desired texture. You want your icing to be stiff enough to hold its shape but smooth enough to be spread easily.</li>
<li>Trim the tops of your cakes so they are level using a long, sharp, preferably serrated knife. Place one layer on your cake stand and use an offset spatula to spread a thick layer of icing over the top of the cake (I used an ice cream scoop to make sure I spread an equal amount of icing between each layer.</li>
<li>Sprinkle a layer of crushed honeycomb pieces over the top of the icing and sandwich with another cake layer. Repeat with remaining layers.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake and then chill for about half an hour, then cover with remaining icing and smooth with offset spatula. If you want to achieve a spiral/swirl effect with the icing, press the tip of your offset spatula gently into the icing at the bottom of your cake and slowly rotate the cake (this is MUCH easier if you have a turntable, which I did not) and spiral the spatula around the side of the cake. </li>
<li>Place cake in the fridge until ready to serve. Remove from fridge at least 1 hour before serving to allow cake to come back to room temperature. When ready to serve, decorate with Maltesers and more broken up pieces of honeycomb/Crunchie. Avoid decorating ahead of time as the honeycomb/malt pieces will start to soften the longer they are exposed to air.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14527832351" title="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Vanilla Malt Cake with Honeycomb and Maltesers" height="784" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3845/14527832351_aa95e1270e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-30087389859918648702014-06-23T10:00:00.000+10:002014-06-30T09:02:09.534+10:00Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14291825199" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="782" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3878/14291825199_f43d1c6bc0_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wasn't even going to blog about these little macarons. I was mayyybe going to photograph them along with the cake that they are going to presented with later this week. I didn't think they were going to deserve their own special post. But I posted a little preview of these on <a href="http://instagram.com/stephcookie">instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/raspberricupcakes">facebook</a> and so many people were asking questions about them, so I thought I better share the recipe with you guys!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14291877668" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="778" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/14291877668_a83e1b91d2_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Just a plain macaron with a tiny twist, a teeny tiny heart piped into the middle of each shell. Yes, the heart is also piped with macaron mixture, which I separated from the main macaron batter and didn't colour. I pipe the hearts using pretty much the same piping technique that I use for the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/10/balsamic-strawberry-butter-cake.html">full-size heart-shaped macarons</a> that I do all the time but with a smaller piping tip; it's basically just a fat V-shape. You can also use a wooden skewer to carefully clean up the edges of your piping if it messes up slightly.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14498589663" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="659" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3916/14498589663_469f77b0b4_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As you can see, I made a second batch of macarons with the colours switched around. The recipe below only has instructions for making one batch of macarons, you can choose which colour combination you want to use. The pink ones are made with a Strawberry 'Cheesecake' filling; a strawberry-flavoured cream cheese icing. You can even add some biscuit crumbs to the filling to make it even more cheesecake like if you want. The white ones are filled with a Vanilla Malt flavoured ganache, which is so delicious that I couldn't stop licking the spatula clean after I was done. I've included the recipe for both flavours below, so along with your colour combo you can also choose the flavour you prefer.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14291838240" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="723" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3860/14291838240_c7f65c5840_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Someone asked me recently how long it took to get the hang of macaron making. It's a hard question to answer, in my mind I still haven't completely gotten the hang of it. I know that sounds silly considering how many macarons I've posted on the blog over the years, but I feel like I'm always tweaking and trying to improve my technique. And I still make mistakes and stuff it up all the time. At the moment I'm having a little trouble with getting my oven temperature right in my new house, so my macarons are turning out a little harder than I would prefer. I'm tempted to switch over to the Italian meringue method just to give me a little bit more room for error, but I'm so used to making them using the French method so I'm in two minds about it. Which method do you prefer?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14291824019" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="785" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2934/14291824019_e1b50c12d6_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Strawberry Cheesecake or Vanilla Malt Heart-Inside Macarons</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes about 12-15 macarons)</i><br />
<i><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: These macarons are a little trickier, if you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the heart macarons:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) egg whites, at room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/4 tsp salt</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
110g (about 4oz) almond meal, at room temperature and well sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g (7oz) icing (confectioner's) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (1.74oz) caster (granulated) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Pink food colouring, gel or powdered</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: Pure maple sugar to decorate (thanks to The Essential Ingredient for sending me a sample to try!)</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Line two baking trays with good quality baking paper. </li>
<li>Place icing sugar in food processor and pulse for a minute to remove any lumps. Stir in almond meal and pulse for about 30 seconds to combine. (If you don’t have a processor just sift together with a fine sieve.) Sift into a large mixing bowl and set aside. </li>
<li>Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in a medium mixing bowl until it reaches soft peaks. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks.</li>
<li>Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix together with a spatula, quickly at first to break down the bubbles in the egg white (you really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of the bowl with your spatula), then mix carefully as the dry mixture becomes just incorporated. At this point you need to separate your mixture into two bowls so you can add the pink food colouring to one bowl. For the mixture that will be piped as small hearts, I separated about 1/3-1/2 cup mixture from the rest of it. Add pink food colouring to one bowl, depending on which colour combination you want to use. Stir both mixtures until it starts to become shiny again. Take care not to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place the smaller amount of mixture in a piping bag with a narrow (about 2mm wide) round tip for piping the small hearts. Place remaining mixture in a piping bag with a 1cm round piping tip. With the larger bag, pipe circles about 3cm wide on your prepared trays, leaving about 3cm space around each one. Tap baking sheets carefully and firmly on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles. Then use the smaller piping bag to very carefully pipe small hearts in the centre of each piped macaron shell by piping a tiny V-shape (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6eiI84bJ9s">here is an example video</a> of me piping a larger version, but the technique should still be pretty much the same)</li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins minimum, until when you press the surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs. (I find the easiest way to do this is to point a fan at the shells, but make sure you stick or weigh down the baking paper first)</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven (fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really depends) . You can place the sheet of piped shells on top of an upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat distribution. </li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your shells. Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14291878928" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="644" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3877/14291878928_c628e3d860_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the Strawberry Cheesecake filling:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) cream cheese, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
150g (about 1 cup) icing (confectioner's) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 tbsp strawberry jam</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: 1/2 tsp strawberry extrac, a couple of crushed digestive biscuits or Graham crackers</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add icing sugar, strawberry jam and strawberry extract to the bowl and beat until combined.</li>
<li>If you find the mixture too runny, you can keep adding more icing sugar until it stiffens up more, you can also chill the mixture in the fridge to help it set slightly before piping.</li>
<li>Place in a piping bag, pipe and sandwich between macarons shells (sprinkle a bit of crushed biscuit crumbs on top of the filling before sandwiching if you want to add the cheesecake crust element).</li>
<li>Place macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow macaron flavour to mature. Serve at room temperature. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>(Alternative flavour) If you prefer Vanilla Malt filling:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (3.5oz) good quality white chocolate, finely chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100ml (about 1/3 cup plus 1/2 tsp) pure (heavy) cream</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (about 1/2 cup) Horlicks or malted milk powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li> Place chopped white chocolate in a mixing bowl and set aside. </li>
<li>Heat cream with malted milk powder and vanilla in a small saucepan on medium heat until the powder dissolves and it just comes to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the white chocolate. </li>
<li>Leave for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then use a whisk to combine all the ingredients until smooth. </li>
<li>Chill in fridge until mixture thickens but is still pipable, whisking it every 10 minutes or so. Spoon or pipe between macaron shells. </li>
<li>Refrigerate overnight in an airtight container to allow them to mature. Remove from the fridge about half an hour before serving so they come closer to room temperature.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14498589113" title="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Heart-Inside Macarons (Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Malt)" height="785" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14498589113_f21262e854_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-63457339356541044232014-06-17T18:00:00.000+10:002014-06-17T18:35:21.614+10:00Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14439777182" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="725" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3914/14439777182_03e225ea2f_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today is Lisa's birthday! And it only seemed right to be celebrating
with cake. Polka dot-covered cake to be exact. With some of our
favourite flavours; strawberry, ginger and rhubarb. I may have thrown a
bit of brown butter and vanilla bean into the mix too. I couldn't help
myself. You might recognise the plate the cake is sitting on from the birthday cake <a href="http://www.spicyicecream.com.au/2013/11/funfetti-fairy-bread-cake.html">she made me</a>. It has taken me this long to return it to her, I am a terrible friend. But now I can officially dub us the sisterhood of the travelling cake plate. We had to laugh at the people who saw the photo of my cake on Facebook and were shocked that I was presenting her birthday cake with a giant slice cut out of it. If anyone was going to be okay with this, it would be Lisa. She did the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fruitcakey/10860531453/">same thing</a> for my birthday after all. I guess it's something that only baking bloggers will understand.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14254510300" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="755" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3836/14254510300_b11a9225d9_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The super adorable rainbow polka dot icing is made entirely of my regular butter icing, no sprinkles or fondant here! I got the idea from the amazing <a href="http://iambaker.net/target-giftcard-giveaway-i-am-baker/">i am baker</a>, I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of using dots of icing to decorate a cake before. Instead of just decorating the rim of the cake, I covered the entire thing with polka dots. As we are both lovers of all things print, I knew she would love it. There was a moment when I only had pink and green dots all over the cake that I was worried it was looking a bit like a pimple and mould covered cake but it got a lot cuter once I added a whole array of coloured spots. So fun! Yeah my whole kitchen was covered in rainbow smears of icing, but it was worth it.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14439777592" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="783" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2930/14439777592_92035817d7_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The cake is a fresh strawberry cake that I've made several times in the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/12/pink-champagne-strawberry-cake.html">past</a>, it's lovely to eat as you get little pockets of baked strawberry pieces, mixed with the jam-like rhubarb and ginger icing that is sandwiched between the cake layers. I made my cakes in my super small but tall cake tins to achieve that great height on the cake but it will work just as well in a normal sized cake tin, albeit slightly shorter.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14437766611" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="765" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/14437766611_1113b15bcb_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(adapted from <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2010/12/pink-champagne-strawberry-cake.html">this</a> recipe, makes a tall 3-layer 15cm (6") cake or a shorter 3-layer 18cm (7") cake)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the fresh strawberry cake: </b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
170g (1.5 sticks) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 cups (about 420g) plain flour</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 tsp baking powder</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter, add an extra 1/2 tsp)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 1/2 cups (300g) plus 2 tbsp sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 eggs, room temperature</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 cup milk</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 punnets (500g/1 pound) strawberries, hulled and halved</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Grease and line three 15cm (6") or 18cm (7", will result in slightly thinner layers) round cake tins and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). </li>
<li>Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. </li>
<li>Place butter and 1.5 cups sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electic mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. </li>
<li>Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.<br />
Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.</li>
<li>Split mixture between the three prepared tins and smooth tops with a spatula. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries. </li>
<li>Bake cakes for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 160 degrees. Bake until cakes are golden brown and firm to the touch, and a skewer inserted into a non-strawberry part of the cake comes out clean, about 40-50 mins but timing will vary depending on your tin size (if on top and bottom rack, switch cakes between racks halfway through, baking). Let cool in tin on a wire rack, then turn out. Can be stored in an airtight container for a day or so before icing. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14254518598" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="731" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3901/14254518598_e665292866_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the rhubarb filling:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 bunch rhubarb (about 200g/7oz, trimmed weight), chopped into 2cm thick pieces </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
50g (1/4 cup) sugar (or more to taste)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: 1/2 tsp finely grated ginger</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
200g butter, softened (Optional: <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2014/05/strawberry-jam-brown-butter-melting.html">I browned my butter using this method</a>, but you can skip this to save time)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
300g (about 2 cups) icing (confectioner's) sugar,sifted</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place rhubarb, sugar, lemon and ginger in a medium saucepan. </li>
<li>Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolved. Reduce heat slightly and simmer until rhubarb is very soft and sugar syrup is slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temp. </li>
<li>Can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, until ready to be mixed into filling.</li>
<li>Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until smooth. </li>
<li>With the mixer on low, gradually add icing sugar until combined, then beat on high until pale and fluffy. </li>
<li>Gently fold rhubarb mixture into the icing (this may cause the icing to curdle slightly, it is easier to avoid if the rhubarb is not too cold)</li>
<li>Place one layer of strawberry cake on your cake stand/plate. Spread a thick layer of rhubarb icing over the top and sandwich with another layer. Repeat. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.wilton.com/blog/index.php/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/">Crumb coat</a> cake with remaining rhubarb icing. Chill in fridge until icing sets, at least 1 hour.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the polka dot icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
450g (4 sticks. Yes, really. You need extra to make all the coloured icings, especially if you want lots of colours.) butter, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
700g (about 4.5 cups) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
About 1/4 cup milk, adjust for the right texture</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Variety of icing colourings, I used Wilton's gel icing colors</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<ol>
<li>Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat on high with an electric mixer until smooth. </li>
<li>With the mixer on low, gradually add icing sugar, milk and vanilla until combined, then beat on high until pale and fluffy. You can add more milk or icing sugar to achieve the right texture of icing. You want it to be stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to pipe.</li>
<li>Use an offset spatula to cover your crumb coated cake in a layer of white icing. Regularly run your spatula under hot water to achieve a smoother finish.</li>
<li>Split the remaining icing into small bowls and add food colouring of your choice. Place each in separate piping bags with a narrow round tip, or use small ziplock bags with a tiny hole in one corner snipped off.</li>
<li>Carefully pipe colour dots all over the surface of your cake. Keep cake chilled until about 30 mins before serving, then remove from the fridge to allow it to come back to room temperature. Cake can be iced the night before serving.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14437766571" title="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Polka Dot Icing Cake with Strawberry & Rhubarb" height="791" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14437766571_64cae51550_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-16296335220092797972014-06-09T09:00:00.000+10:002014-06-10T08:03:33.565+10:00Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14379207484" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="613" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3874/14379207484_f50a228e97_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is what happens when you leave me at home, bored on a long weekend with bacon and maple syrup. Magic! Or weirdness, depending on the type of person you are. If you're like me and believe that bacon is the answer to many problems, then CELEBRATE! This is the macaron for you. Now for those of you who are weirded out by the idea of a bacon-flavoured macaron, just hear me out first. I've been very hesistant to use bacon in any of my dessert recipes (except for <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/05/maple-custard-pie-candied-bacon.html">this one</a>), and so I only use it when I'm sure it's going to work appropriately well. It really does work this time. If you still don't wanna hear any part of it, take out the bacon and you still have a very cute and tasty maple waffle macaron.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14193558848" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="703" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5318/14193558848_21a5f9542e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's right, macarons that look like WAFFLES. And taste of maple syrup and BACON. Yeah! So cute and delicious. When I first had this idea, I was worried about how I would make them look waffley, but it turned out to be very easy. I made some brown sugar macaron shells and piped extra macaron batter over the top in a criss-cross pattern. I also sprinkled some maple sugar over the top of each one to make it extra maple-flavoured.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14379208014" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="686" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5585/14379208014_e0c5e5917b_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The icing that I filled these macarons with is the magical part of this recipe. Who knew that bacon fat would make an icing sing. That's right, bacon fat. I cooked up a big batch of streaky bacon and kept the bacon fat from the pan, cooled it and then whipped it up with the butter. WOW. I know it sounds random and possibly gross, but it totally works. I went one step further and crumbled up some extra crispy bits of bacon up and added it to the middle of the macarons. I love waffles with bacon and maple syrup. I love waffle macarons with bacon and maple syrup buttercream!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14380167775" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="750" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3840/14380167775_879b2506be_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To say that I'm pleased with how these turned out would be a huge understatement. I am <i>thrilled</i>. It's been a while since I've thought up a new baking idea that's worked out exactly (if not better) than I had hoped. Happy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14193615990" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="725" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2907/14193615990_a4ac4a6638_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>(makes about 12 macarons)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>For the macarons:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-style: italic;">Note: These macarons are a little trickier, if you are a beginner with macarons read up and practice plain macarons first. </span><a href="http://bravetart.com/recipes/Macarons" style="font-style: italic;">BraveTart has lots of useful advice and info on the subject</a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> </i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g egg whites, at room temperature</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/4 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: justify;">110g almond meal, at room temperature and well sifted</div><div style="text-align: justify;">200g icing (confectioner's) sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">50g brown sugar </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Optional: Pure maple sugar to decorate (thanks to <a href="http://theessentialingredient.com.au/">The Essential Ingredient</a> for sending me a sample to try!)</div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Line two baking trays with good quality baking paper. </li>
<li>Place icing sugar in food processor and pulse for a minute to remove any lumps. Stir in almond meal and pulse for about 30 seconds to combine. (If you don’t have a processor just sift together with a fine sieve.) Sift into a large mixing bowl and set aside. </li>
<li>Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in a medium mixing bowl until it reaches soft peaks. With the mixer on high speed, gradually add brown sugar and beat until it reaches stiff peaks.</li>
<li>Add meringue to your dry mixture and mix together with a spatula, quickly at first to break down the bubbles in the egg white (you really want to beat all the large bubbles out of the mixture, which is easily done by smearing the mixture on the bottom and side of the bowl with your spatula), then mix carefully as the dry mixture becomes incorporated. Mix until it starts to become shiny again. Take care not to overmix, the mixture should flow like lava and a streak of mixture spread over the surface of the rest of the mixture should disappear after about 30 seconds. </li>
<li>Place about 1/4 of the mixture in a separate piping bag with a narrow (about 2mm wide) round tip if you want to make the waffle pattern. Place remaining mixture in a piping bag with a 1cm round piping tip. With the larger bag, pipe circles about 3.5cm wide on your prepared trays, leaving about 3cm space around each one. Tap baking sheets carefully and firmly on the benchtop a couple times to remove any large bubbles. Leave to dry for about 20 minutes.</li>
<li>Using the bag narrower tip, pipe a cross-hatch pattern (<a href="http://instagram.com/p/o-IHRlhYMX/">example</a>) over the top of each piped circle. </li>
<li>Sprinkle maple sugar over the top of each piped macaron. </li>
<li>Leave to dry for about 60 mins more, until when you press the surface of one gently it does not break/stick to your finger. This will help prevent any cracking and help the feet to form on the macs. (I find the easiest way to do this is to point a fan at the shells, but make sure you stick or weigh down the baking paper first)</li>
<li>Preheat your oven to 130-150°C (265-300°F), depending on your oven (fan-forced ovens may need to be set as low as 100°C, it really depends) . You can place the sheet of piped shells on top of an upside-down roasting tray or another baking tray, for better heat distribution. </li>
<li>Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of your shells. Carefully test if the base of the shell is ready by gently lifting one and if it’s still soft and sticking to the baking paper, then it needs to bake for a few minutes longer. </li>
<li>Remove from the oven and cool on the tray for a few minutes, then gently remove from the sheet and place on a wire rack to cool. </li>
</ol><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>For the Maple Bacon Buttercream:</b></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">100g (7 tbsp) butter, softened</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1 cup (about 150g) icing (confectioner's) sugar</div><div style="text-align: justify;">2 tbsp (about 25g) cooked & cooled bacon fat (can replace with more butter)</div><div style="text-align: justify;">1/3 cup pure maple syrup </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Optional: crispy bacon bits (I fried up a batch of streaky bacon until it was super crisp, let it cool (and saved the bacon fat drippings) and then very finely chopped up the crunchiest bits).</div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Place butter, icing sugar and bacon fat in a large mixing bowl. </li>
<li>Beat with an electric mixer on low, gradually add maple syrup until combined and then beat un high until smooth and fluffy. You can adjust the amount of icing sugar or maple syrup to attain the right consistency, you want it to be stiff enough to hold it's shape but runny enough to be piped or spooned.</li>
<li>Place in a piping bag or spoon mixture between macaron shells to fill them. You can sprinkle a small amount of crispy bacon in the middle of each befor sandwiching.</li>
<li>Place in an airtight container and refridgerate overnight to allow flavour to mature. </li>
<li>Can be stored in the fridge for several days, serve at room temperature.</li>
</ol><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14379208924" title="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Waffle Macarons with Maple Bacon Buttercream" height="656" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2913/14379208924_b97334b91e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-3138230860566300322014-06-07T15:30:00.000+10:002014-06-07T15:49:16.612+10:00Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn on DesignSponge<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/in-the-kitchen-with-stephs-salted-caramel-mousse-and-caramel-popcorn.html" title="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5501/14177569567_894bb7f5a4_o.jpg" width="540" height="699" alt="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hi! I know it's been quieter than usual around here, sorry about that. I'm working on a new recipe for you right now! But I have something a little different to share with you today. I was asked to collaborate with <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/">DesignSponge</a> on a fun & easy recipe and there was no way I could say no.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/in-the-kitchen-with-stephs-salted-caramel-mousse-and-caramel-popcorn.html" title="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3837/14362525602_1ccd8551bb_o.jpg" width="540" height="720" alt="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I came up with a fairly simple recipe for a wonderfully indulgent dessert; Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn. Yes, I'm still stuck on my salted caramel obsession. You're welcome. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/in-the-kitchen-with-stephs-salted-caramel-mousse-and-caramel-popcorn.html" title="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5511/14360724051_101def568d_o.jpg" width="540" height="720" alt="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Make sure you click through to Kristina's <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/in-the-kitchen-with-stephs-salted-caramel-mousse-and-caramel-popcorn.html">In The Kitchen With</a> column for more photos and the full recipe. Hopefully we will be returning to regularly scheduled programming soon. I know I promised that last time but I mean it this time!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.designsponge.com/2014/06/in-the-kitchen-with-stephs-salted-caramel-mousse-and-caramel-popcorn.html" title="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3844/14340942806_94982c225a_o.jpg" width="540" height="720" alt="Salted Caramel Mousse with Caramel Popcorn"></a></div>Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-82835967219951816452014-05-27T10:00:00.000+10:002014-05-27T10:05:45.581+10:00Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14271605802" title="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake" height="782" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5588/14271605802_e1e4be1581_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another week, another birthday cheesecake. But this one is very different to the last one, it's baked and it happens to be gluten free. I'm not experienced at all in gluten-free baking, but my sister in law can't have gluten and she loves cheesecake and requested a blueberry cheesecake (same as <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2013/05/caramelised-white-chocolate-cheesecake.html">last year</a>!). It isn't the prettiest of cheesecake (my baked cheesecakes always seem to turn out kinda fugly), but it's really, really tasty. The base is made with gluten free gingernut biscuits (which you could always replace with regular ginger biscuits), the filling is a baked ricotta cheesecake with maple syrup and vanilla bean and I made a thick blueberry topping similar to a pie filling. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14293864363" title="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake" height="732" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/14293864363_d666cbe392_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No innards shots as this is a birthday dessert, but you all know what the inside of a cheesecake looks like. It's the same recipe as this <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/09/roasted-strawberry-ginger-ricotta.html">strawberry ricotta cheesecake</a>, with a few tweaks. The ricotta keeps the filling light and fluffy, which is good since I usually find baked cheesecakes too dense for my liking. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14087068790" title="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake" height="773" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/14087068790_b575d8fd1d_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I nearly had another cheesecake disaster, can you believe it? The latch on my springform tin broke off while I was trying to carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin, and the tin was jammed shut and refusing to spring loose. I had to pry the thing apart with pliers. Luckily the cheesecake is in one piece and ready for dinner. Hopefully I'll be back soon blogging about something other than a cheesecake recipe!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14271606282" title="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake" height="578" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3704/14271606282_b0a22047fb_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
<b>Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake</b><i><b> </b></i></div>
<div>
<i>(makes one 20cm cheesecake, serves 8-10)</i></div>
<div>
<i><b>For the cheesecake: </b></i></div>
<div>
250g (1 packet) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_nut">Ginger Nut</a> biscuits (ginger snaps for those in the US, homemade recipe <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginger_nut">here</a>), I used store-bought gluten free ones from Coles this time</div>
<div>
80g butter (about 3/4 stick butter), melted</div>
<div>
330g (11.6oz) cream cheese, softened</div>
<div>
500g ricotta (17.6oz) ricotta</div>
2/3 cup maple syrup<br />
<div>
1 tbsp grated lemon zest</div>
<div>
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod (or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract)</div>
<div>
4 eggs </div>
<div>
1.5 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)</div>
<div>
1.5 tbsp water</div>
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 165°C (330°F) (150°C(300°F) for fan-forced), grease and
line the base of a 20cm round springform tin. </li>
<li>Place ginger nut biscuits
in a food processor and pulse until they are broken down to even
crumbs. Add butter and pulse to combined. </li>
<li>Press into the base of your
prepared tin and bake in oven for about 10 minutes, take care that it does not burn.
</li>
<li>
Prepare the filling; place cream cheese, ricotta, maple syrup, lemon zest and vanilla bean in the bowl of a food processor
and pulse until smooth. </li>
<li>Mix water and cornflour together in a separate
bowl until smooth and then add the mixture and the eggs to the food
processor bowl, pulse until combined. (If you don't have a processor,
beat cream cheese and ricotta until smooth and fluffy in a large mixing
bowl with an electric mixer on high. Add the rest of the ingredients and
then beat again until smooth.) </li>
<li>Pour mixture over the chilled base and
bake for an hour. The edges should be just golden and the centre might
still be wobbly. Do not remove cheesecake from oven, turn off the heat
and keep the door closed and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven
for another hour. Then remove from the oven and sit in tin on a wire
rack until completely cool.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the blueberry topping:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
150g (2 punnets/5oz) blueberries, fresh or frozen</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/3 cup sugar<br />
2 tsp lemon juice<br />
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste<br />
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) + 2 tsp cold water</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Place blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a
medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Stir over heat until sugar
dissolves. </li>
<li>Mix cornflour and water together in a separate small bowl
then add to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture
thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool. </li>
<li>When cheesecake and filling are cool, spread mixture carefully over the top of the cheesecake. Run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan and then carefully remove from the springform tin. Keep chilled until ready to serve.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14087067970" title="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Maple & Blueberry Cheesecake" height="741" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3689/14087067970_967d7e86b1_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-14888925895291677692014-05-13T11:44:00.000+10:002014-05-28T15:12:14.770+10:00Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/13981270539" title="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)" height="755" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7460/13981270539_ea7b9c7688_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Don't let this cheesecake fool you with its prettiness. It's EVIL I tell you! This will forever be known to me and Asian Gaga as the Cheesecake Disaster of 2014. It was close (but not quite) as devastating as the <a href="http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/05/passionfruit-lemon-trifle-with-macarons.html">Trifle Disaster of 2012</a>. I've decided that my birthday dessert attempts for Asian Gaga must be cursed. They've resulted in some of the biggest fails in my recent baking history. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14165210732" title="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)" height="617" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/14165210732_3aaec78c03_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So why was this such a fail? It looks fairly good in the photos, doesn't it? Well it was all fine while I was taking these photos, and then slowly I started to realise that it hadn't set properly and the whole thing was starting to melt into a puddle in front of me. In a panic I rushed to try and get it back onto a plate, but the stupid (but gorgeous) cake stand I was taking the photos with doesn't have a flat base, so the crust had split into four or five pieces which made it impossible to lift up, and there was a bloody super high lip on the edge of the stand so I couldn't just slide the damn thing off! ARGH! By this point there were smears of cheesecake everywherrrreee and the strawberries had started sliding off the edges and I was starting to freak out. I eventually got it on to a flat plate (with a lot of swearing). And then I realised that because it was totally not set, the sides were probably going to collapse even if I put it back the fridge. So I had to move it again into a cake tin to hold the sides up. This was a MESS. The cake was threatening to completely fall apart. Strawberries were rolling on to the ground. I was getting hysterical. AND THE TIN WAS TOO BIG. So I had to move it AGAIN. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By the end of it there was cheesecake all over me and the kitchen and about 3 different tins because I couldnt match up my springform tins with their matching bases (I have a lot of them). It was awful. My husband actually fled the house to go shopping in the middle of my meltdown, because he knows better than to be anywhere near the vicinity of one of these disasters. I felt so bad because the cheesecake actually tasted really great, and I had this feeling while I was making it (I was sorta loosely making it up as I went along) that I hadn't added enough gelatine but I was on the cold and flu meds and kinda out of it so I just kept going (I also exploded a ton of melted butter all over the inside of my microwave, I'm just that good). I knew better, but I still managed to completely stuff it up.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14167927655" title="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)" height="719" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/14167927655_59589c2378_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The cheesecake somehow still tasted great, even though it was a little melty as it came back to room temp. If I had the time I would have just started from scratch again, but Asian Gaga was already in her car and on the way when this was all happening. Of course she was a dutiful best friend and ate it all anyway, told me it was great and ignored the smears of cheesecake on the floor. The cheesecake itself is a chilled Strawberry Cheesecake with Strawberry Jelly on top and Fresh Strawberries. The crust is made with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculoos">speculoos </a>(aka Biscoff cookies for those of you in the US). I was so excited to find the Lotus brand in Coles (on special!) and bought about 10 packets, I'm not kidding. These lovely spiced biscuits make an excellent cheesecake crust that match so well with the strawberry and I really recommend you try it if you can find the biscuits. But if you can't get your hands on them, ginger nut biscuits/ginger snaps will work well with this flavour combo too. Anyway, since I'm still completely happy with the flavour of the actual cheesecake, I'm going to share the recipe with you with some modifications so that you can avoid any of my pain (I've more than doubled the gelatine amount so it should be nicely set - if you make this recipe please let me know if it is too firm or not firm enough!).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14164626051" title="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)" height="670" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/14164626051_73577c39c4_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos/Biscoff Crust)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>(makes one 7 or 8 inch cheesecake)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the crust:</b></i><br />
250g (about 9oz) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculoos">speculoos </a>(aka Biscoff cookies), I used Lotus brand (you can substitute with ginger nuts/snaps or any other biscuit of your choice)<br />
75g (about 5 tbsp) butter, melted <br />
<i><b> </b></i></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and line the base of an 18cm (7inch) or 20cm (8 inch) springform cake tin with baking paper (I used 18cm). </li>
<li>Place biscuits in a food processor and blend until crushed to small crumbs, then add melted butter and blend until just combined.</li>
<li>Press mixture in an even layer on the base of the prepared tin.</li>
<li>Bake in oven for about 7-10 mins, make sure it does not burn. </li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the strawberry mixture:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g (about 1.5 punnets/14oz) fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/3 cup (about 65g) sugar</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 tsp lemon juice + grated zest of 1/2 lemon</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 vanilla bean pod, split and seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 tsp powdered gelatine</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place gelatine in a small bowl with 3 tsp of cold water and set aside to soften. </li>
<li>Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest and vanilla bean pod and seeds into a medium saucepan on medium heat.</li>
<li>Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved and fruit softens, about 10 minutes.</li>
<li>Add gelatine and whisk mixture over heat until gelatine is completely dissolved. </li>
<li>Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Place 1 cup of mixture aside to use for topping later, the remaining amount will be added to the cheesecake.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the cheesecake:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3/4 cup thickened/heavy cream </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
400g (14oz) cream cheese, softened</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 cup (100g) sugar (preferably caster/superfine) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Remaining strawberry mixture from above, should be just over 1 cup</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Optional: Extra fresh strawberries to decorate, about 2 punnets</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place cream in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until it reaches stiff peaks (take care not to overwhip). Place cream in fridge until ready to use.</li>
<li>Place cream cheese and sugar in another large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth and fluffy. </li>
<li>With the mixer on low, gradually add the remaining strawberry mixture from above (making sure you leave 1 cup behind for topping) to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until completely combined.</li>
<li>Gently fold in in whipped cream until smooth. </li>
<li>Pour mixture over prepared crust and chill in the fridge until just set, about 2 hours (or about half an hour in the freezer).</li>
<li>Reheat remaining 1 cup of strawberry mixture in saucepan until it is pourable, then pour over top of chilled cheesecake. Return to the fridge to set overnight.</li>
<li>Run a sharp knife under hot water to warm it up, then carefully run knife around the inside edge of the cake tin. Carefully remove from springform tin. Top with extra fresh hulled strawberries. Keep chilled until ready to serve.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14168012924" title="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust) by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Cheesecake (with Speculoos Crust)" height="770" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5112/14168012924_5402f6aa72_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1455891724757786007.post-83915353504443346112014-05-08T09:53:00.000+10:002014-05-15T18:51:10.304+10:00Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/13941855907" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="670" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7306/13941855907_a704bae1ff_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I know, it's ANOTHER brown butter recipe. I'm sorry. I'm addicted! The call of that golden, nutty, delicious elixir cannot be denied. This time it's in biscuit form. I have a special place in my heart for melting moments (also known as yoyos). They are one of the first things I ever learnt how to bake, and they never disappoint. Melt in your mouth shortbread biscuits sandwiched with a buttery icing? You can't go wrong.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14125536282" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="707" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/14125536282_415f881ef2_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These melting moments are made with loads of browned butter, and the icing is mixed with strawberry jam to make that lovely pink shade. If you have read my blog before, you know my fondness for using strawberry jam as an icing flavouring. It's a really quick and easy way to get a fantastic strawberry flavour into an icing with very little work. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14128812254" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="702" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/14128812254_f9e5c5958e_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's like the most girly version of milk and cookies ever. Just in time for Mother's Day! These biscuits were extremely well received by my friends and family. I brought the whole batch to my brother's house expecting them to have a few so that I could take most of them to work the next day but we sat down with a pot of tea and destroyed about 15 of them in one go. So I'm warning you now, they are super, super moreish. One will not be enough!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/14125535842" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="690" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/14125535842_6798402c64_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments (Shortbread Biscuits)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">(adapted from </span><a href="http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/orange_and_passionfruit_yoyos.htm" style="font-style: italic;">this Gourmet Traveller</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> recipe, makes about 22-24 biscuits)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the brown butter:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
250g (about 2 sticks + 2 tbsp) butter for the biscuits (I used salted, add 1/2 tsp salt to flour mixture if using unsalted)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
+ an additional 100g (7 tbsp) butter for the icing</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>Prepare the brown butter ahead of time as you will need to chill it, you can do the two amounts listed above in the same pan and separate them later, or brown each amount separately:</b></i></div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place butter in a small saucepan on low-medium heat and stir until it melts completely.</li>
<li>Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the milk solids turn brown and the butter smells nutty, about 5 minutes longer (or as long as it takes to turn golden brown). Take care not to burn (it will continue to brown even after you remove it from the heat, so take it off early).</li>
<li>Scrape the melted butter and browned bits into small bowl and chill until solidified (about half an hour in the freezer, an hour or so in the fridge). When ready to make cake, remove from the fridge long enough that the butter is soft enough to be beaten with an electric mixer.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the brown butter biscuits:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
250g (weight before browning) brown butter, softened (prepared above) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
80g (about 2/3 cup) icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp pure vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
75 g (½ cup) cornflour/cornstarch</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
225 g (about 1½ cups) plain/all-purpose flour</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper.</li>
<li>Place brown butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. </li>
<li>Add vanilla and beat until just combined. </li>
<li>Sift flours over butter mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir to form a soft dough.</li>
<li>Keeping your hands lightly floured, form level ½ tablespoons of mixture into balls, then place 5cm (2 inch) apart on baking paper-lined oven trays, flatten slightly to 3.5cm (1.5 inch) rounds, then, using a floured fork, press tines gently into dough rounds, to create grooves. </li>
<li>Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly coloured. Allow biscuits to cool on trays for 5 minutes, before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/13941847669" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="729" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7448/13941847669_b5eabd6270_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For the strawberry jam icing:</b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
100g (weight before browning) brown butter, softened (prepared above)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
275g (about 2 and 1/4 cups) icing (confectioner's sugar)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 tbsp strawberry jam </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Place butter and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on low until just combined, then beat on high until smooth and fluffy.</li>
<li>Add strawberry jam and beat until combined. Icing should be soft enough to be spooned or piped, but stiff enough to hold its shape.</li>
<li>Spoon or pipe mixture between cooled biscuits. Serve immediately, or can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for several days.</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/stephcookie/13941898038" title="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments by raspberri cupcakes, on Flickr"><img alt="Strawberry Jam & Brown Butter Melting Moments" height="714" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/13941898038_f58d4507e2_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
Stephcookiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13287192870684938203noreply@blogger.com19