Banana Chocolate Tart Gateau

I am not so sure about the name of this cake or tart. There is a chain shop of "fruit paradise" that sell variety of the cakes or tarts like this one that filled with fruits, sponge cake, mousse and cream etc and the bottom hold by a tart base for everything on the top. There are not only looks good also quite yummy. 

My son and I love to have a big slice for afternoon tea during our monthly shopping in Singapore. While enjoying the cake I was thinking if I could make this by myself would be good until recently I had a chance to try it for a birthday party for August babies in our cell group. 

This 4 kg huge cake was very impressing for everyone in the cell and it taste good too. I'm so pleased for the result although it's quite time consuming as many process and steps involved. After all, I must say it worth the effort. 

Recipe for 11 inches approximately 4kg gateau

Shortcrust pastry for the bottom of the cake:

330g plain flour

35g sugar powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)

70g whole beaten eggs

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a 28cm tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack at room temperature until ready to use.

Cocoa sponge cake recipe for 8 inches round cake pan : 

whole eggs 203g

egg yolks 32g

caster sugar 135g

glucose 21g

salt 1g

oil 32g

cocoa powder 21g

plain flour 106g

baking soda 1g

milk 21cc

Heat up the oil in a sauce pan, turn off the heat and add cocoa powder immediately and stir until well mix. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the whole egg, egg yolk, salt and sugar at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Turn the speed to medium and add the glucose and then continue beating until stable foamy batter. 

Sieve in the flour and baking soda. With electric mixer on low speed, mix in few second until no lumps left. Do not over mixed at this stage. 

Take out 1/3 of the batter mix into cocoa mixture until combine. Pour it back to the egg batter with the milk and fold everything together with a hand whisk or spatula until well combine. 

Pour into a lose bottom baking pan and bake at preheated oven at 180C for 30 - 35 minutes. Cool upside down on a wire rack before unmould with a thin sharp knife. Once completely cool and unmould, divide the cake into four equal portions horizontally. You will need two pieces for this cake and keep another two pieces in the freezer for future usage or other puporses.

To assemble the cake you may need:

100g dark chocolate to brush the tart base

1 recipe of chocolate mousse

500ml Whipped cream

50g icing sugar

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cups cointreau

Fresh bananas

Fresh lemon juice

Some chocolate leaves or flakes for garnish

Some cocoa powder for garnish

Gently remove the shortcrust pastry from the pan and place on a serving board or cake board. 

Melt the chocolate on a double boiler until melted and brush on the shortcrust pastry then chill in the fridge.

For the chocolate mousse:

30g egg yolks 

45g sugar

120ml melted butter

225g dark chocolate (melted)

375ml whipped cream

Whisk the egg yolk and sugar on a double boiler until pale in color and thicken. Mix in the melted butter.

Add the melted dark chocolate to the egg yolk mixture, mix until well combine.

Fold in the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

Pour the chocolate mousse into the brushed chocolate shortcrust pastry and chill in the fridge until set.

Whip up the whipping cream with icing sugar and vanilla extract.  Spread a thin layer on the chocolate mousse then place one piece of cocoa sponge cake on top. Brush some cointeau on the cake then another thin layer of whipped cream. 

Halve the fresh bananas and brush with lemon juice to avoid turning brown. Immediately arrange on the cake. Leave a space at the center without bananas. 

Spread some whipped cream cover the bananas and top with a piece of cocoa sponge cake. Brush the sponge cake with contreau then thinly spread some whipped cream on the surface. 

Again, halve the fresh bananas and brush with lemon juice to avoid turning brown. Immediately arrange on the cake. Leave a space at the center without bananas. Spread the whipped cream all over the top and the side. 

Slice the bananas into small pieces and brush with lemon juice and immediately place on the cake start from the bottom edges around the cake until fully cover 2/3 of the cake. 

Put some whipped cream into a piping bag, squeeze out on the top around the cake to decorate. Then place some chocolate leaves or flakes at the side. Continue to slice the bananas and brush with lemon juice then arrange on the rest of the cake at the top.  

Sprinkle some cocoa powder at the squeeze out whipped cream. Chilled in the fridge for 4 hours before serve. 

Cakes Corner | HT | 11:10 PM No comments Read More

Apple Crumble Cake

This is a beautiful fremch recipe of apple crumble cake that warm and melt your mouth with the fragrant of cinnamon. 

For the slow cook apple:

4 large apples or 8 small apples

Caster sugar 30g

Butter 20g (cut into small cube)

Ground cinnamon 2 teaspoon



For the Fragipane cream:



(i) Almond batter:

beaten eggs 20g / ground almond 25g / sugar powder 20g / butter 25g

(ii) Custard:

egg yolk 1 / milk 70ml / flour 10g / vanilla extract 3 ml / caster sugar 20g



For the cake batter:

Butter 200g

Caster sugar 150g

Whole egg 120g

Bread flour 40g

Plain flour 160g



For the cinnamon crumble:

Butter 100g (cut into small cubes)

sugar powder 60g

Ground almond 100g

pinch of salt

plain flour 100g

Ground cinnamon 3g

Method :

• Peeled and cored the apple. Cut each apples into 8 equal portions for big apples. Deep them into a shallow baking dish and coated with sugar then top with small cube butter. Place into a preheated oven at 180C bake for 1 hour. Set aside to cool down once the apples is cooked and soften and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

• Make the fragipane cream. Blend all the almond batter ingredients in a food processor until well blended. For the custard, warm the milk in a sauce pan with sugar until sugar dissolved. Mix egg yolk and flour together and gradually add in the warm milk. Pour the mixture back to the sauce pan and cook at low heat until the custard thicken. Set aside to cool then mix with vanilla extract and almond batter.  

• For the cinnamon crumble topping, put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse the mixture until everything come into a dough. Scrap through a sieve to produce even crumbs or through a potato masher. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• For the cake batter, beat the butter and gradually add in sugar until mixture turn pale and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs and continue to beat until creamier consistency. With a spatula, mix in the bread flour and plain flour until well combine. Measure out 160g of fragipane cream then add into the batter and mix well. 

• Line the bottom of a 9 inches round cake pan with parchment paper. Add half of the cake batter into the cake pan and layer evenly. Place half of the cooked apple then layer evenly with the remaining cake batter. Place the remaining cook apple on top of the cake batter and lastly layer evenly with cinnamon crumble. 

• Bake in a preheated oven at 160C  for 1 hour or until skewer insert come out clean. It is best serve warm with a dallop of ice cream or cream fraiche.  The cake keep well in the freezer and can be reheated in an oven. The top of the cake should be crips and crunchy and soft in the cake. 

Cakes Corner | HT | 1:09 AM No comments Read More

Chocolate Moist Cake II

This rich chocolate cake is definately a heaven for chocoholics! 

Ingredients for 9 inches cake pan

Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

2 teaspoon granulated coffee

Chocolate Frosting

75g cocoa powder 

187ml water 

300ml evaporated milk 

150g sugar 

1/2 + 1/4 tsp salt  

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 egg yolks 

90g cornflour 

1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee 

90g butter

For the cake:

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk through to combine using a hand whisk to stir through flour mixture until combined well. 

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together until well combined. Mix the granulated coffee with  boiling water then pour into the cake batter and mix well combine. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or one cake pan where you can cut horizontally after the cake is baked and cooled down. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes if using two pans or 1 hour until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting:

Mix everything in a double boiler except butter and keep on stirring with a hand whisk until the mixture thickens.

Lastly add in the butter until a smooth  and spreadable consistency.

Cut the cake horizontally into two pieces if the cake bake in one pan. Spread some cream frosting  piece of cake then sandwich with another piece. Gently spread the frosting on top and side of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 

Once the cake set in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before serving. The fridge will make the cake harden but once it back to room temperature, the cake will soft and moist and ready to serve.

Cakes Corner | HT | 1:01 AM No comments Read More

Blueberry Cuppies Cheese Cake

Love the texture of this creamy light and delicate cheesecake. Thank you Nasi Lemak Lover for sharing this beautiful recipe. I used oreo biscuit in the first batch and second batch with digestive biscuit but I didn't manage to take a picture of them before giving away . l prefer the base with digestive biscuit so I share a recipe here with a little changes from the original recipe and also use blueberry instead of of cherry.

Recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

*makes 12 cupcakes 

250g cream cheese, room temperature

30g caster sugar

2 egg yolks (large or A size)

30g plain flour

100g whipping cream, cold from fridge

1tsp cointreau,  optional

2 egg whites (large or A size)

45g caster sugar 

120g digestive biscuit

60g melted salted butter

80g fresh Blueberry

20g sugar

Method:

Line a 12 holes muffin pan with cupcake liners. Process digestive biscuit in a food processor till finely. Add in melted butter and mix well. Add 2tsp of digestive biscuit into each cupcake liners, press it firmly. 

To prepare blueberry filling, blend the fresh blueberries with sugar in a blender till puree. Cook the bluberries puree in a small saucepan till slight thicken. Set aside to cool.

Remove whipping cream from fridge, immediate beat till soft peak, set aside. Beat cream cheese, cointreau and sugar till smooth (I use electric hand mixer). Add in egg yolks and mix well. Add in flour and combine well. Mix in whipped cream, mix till well combine. 

Beat egg white till foamy (I use electric hand mixer), gradually add in sugar and continue to beat till soft peak formed. Use a hand whisk, mix in 1/3 meringue with cream cheese batter till combine. Use a spatula, fold in the balance meringue, fold gently till combine.

Pour batter into muffin pan, then drop 2 to three bluberries puree on the cheese mixture and  make marble effect with a knife or skewer. Bake at a pre-heated oven at 150C for 40mins at lower rack using steaming bake method (place a roasting tin underneath and add in hot water before putting in the cake tin). Chill in fridge before consume.

Cheesecake | HT | 11:43 PM No comments Read More

爱玉冰 Honey Lemon Iced Jelly

This is one of my favourites refreshing dessert  which was first tasted 10 years ago in Taipei. I miss it crazily and couldn't forget the taste ever since I leave Taiwan.

Few years ago when I was doing groceries shopping in a supermarket and happened to saw this special jelly powder., without thinking too much I bought it to try.

At first I followed the packet instruction to make the jelly. It's tasteless but the jelly consistency is exactly the same that I had before. I make my own honey lemon juice go along with the jelly and finally it is exactly what I have been hunger for long long ago. After the first experiment, this dessert had become one of the dish for serving my guests always because it is so easy to made and could be made in advance. Most importantly it is very refreshing especially after a heavy meal.



I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 Aug 2014 : Taiwan hosted by travelling-foodies.



For the recipe you need a packet of this jelly powder. Boil 1 litre of water until bubbling. Turn of the heat and immediately add a packet of jelly powder into the hot boiling water. Stir until everything dissolve. Pour into a shallow dish wait until it cool.dowm then chill in the fridge to set.

For the honey lemon juice. Mix 500 ml water  with 2/3 cups of honey and 1 freshly squeeze lemon juice (I don't have the exact amount of quantity, so please mix and balance the sweetness to suit your taste). Mix everything until well combine and taste the sweetness or add more water if needed. Chill in the fridge.

Right before serving, cut the jelly into cube sizes and add into the honey lemon then add two cups of ice cube or more.  Enjoy!

Craving Corner | HT | 12:12 AM No comments Read More

Roasted Vegetables Quiche

Brought this quiche along to the beach for picnic and it's so yummy delicious. The colourful roasted vegetables is sweet and healthy that was purposely made for my dear son. I am so glad that he ate a big piece with good appetite.  The most wonderful feeling is your loves one enjoy the food you have prepared for them.

Ingredients for a pastry fit 28 cm tart pan

(This quiche is only 23cm, I use some leftover pastry for others recipe)

330g plain flour

35g sugar powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

70g whole beaten eggs

160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)

Ingredients for the fillings

Half a red pepper

Half a green pepper

Half a yellow pepper

A big red onion

half a green courgette

half a yellow courgette

a cup of chunky pumpkins

a cup of chunky aubergine

1 tablesppon olive oil

sea salt

60g whole eggs

10g egg yolks

50ml milk

50ml whipping cream

50g mascarpone cheese

Few pieces of cheese kraft

Half cups shredded cheddar cheese

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a 23cm tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. 

For the fillings,  put all the chopped chunky  vegetable into a roasting tray with a tablespoon of oil and sea salt.  Rub them so that everything well coated. I roast the vege in the Philips Airfryer at 190C for 10 minutes. I assume oven roast will be slightly longer. 

Place some cheese kraft onto the bottom of tart and add all the roasted vegetables. Mix the eggs, milk and cream together and pour over to the vegetables and tart. Lastly sprinkle over the shredded cheddar cheese on top of everything.  Bake at 220C preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Craving Corner | HT | 11:29 PM No comments Read More

Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon

There are a to-do list for my baking which I hardly complete them. I listed them down since my baby boy came in 2011. My time is so pack until I could just drooling over my smartphone which appeared many nice bakes from fb and blogs. My hands is so itchy to try out so many new recipes such as hokkaido cupcakes, new method of fermented dough, agura cake, cotton cheesecake, and etc etc...... Since there are new for me, I need time to read properly the steps and description and make sure I am not in a rush when I do the experiment.  

After trying out a few of new recipes which actually not new in the baking world, is just that I left so much behind, here I've chosen one of the recipe Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon by  ellenguan and xucacalife. 

This attempt came out to be very successful as the chiffon is well baked.  The texture is soft and a bit bouncy and could stand firm in a slice. The taste is a bit bitter and less sweet. I serve it with a little whipped cream and berries and semi sweet melted chocolate, it's wonderful!  

This chocolate chiffon is very rich in cocoa flavour unlike my previous chocolate chiffon that is soft and light in texture and hardly stand still with a cut out slice. Both of the recipes are equally good depends on your taste buds on that day. For friends who always like rich texture just go for this one.

Recipe adapted from ellenaguan 

Yield: 20cm Chiffon Tin

Ingredients:

5 Egg Yolks (100g)

130g 70% Dark Cooking Chocolate

25g Valrhona Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

60ml vegetable oil

100ml milk

55g plain flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Meringue Batter:

5 Egg Whites (210g) 

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

70g caster sugar

Melt chocolate (break into small pieces) over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cook. 

Beat egg yolks till creamy, stir oil, milk and melt chocolate in order. 

Next add in sieved flour mixtures (cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda & salt) and whisk till no trace of flour found. 

Beat egg whites with lemon juice till frosty then slowly add in sugar and beat till stiff peaks. 

Using a balloon whisk gently fold in egg whites into the prepared yolks batter in 3 batches till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined. 

Lastly lift up the bowl to height, pour batter into the tube pan and tap the pan once or twice on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter. 

Bake cake in preheated 170°Cdegree Celsius (320°F) oven (2nd lower rack) for about 45 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean). 

Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould. 

To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife (i use a small plastic spatula) around the inside of the pan and the center core. 

Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake completely. 

Chiffon Corner | HT | 8:42 PM No comments Read More