A sweet delicious desert treat. Pear poached in white wine, spices and orange rind, poached until it is soft and easy to cut with a spoon, A rich chocolate sauce accompanies the pear. Loved the recipe because it’s packed with sweetness and pure cholate indulgence. You can also use the chocolate sauce with ice cream,
Ingredients
4 cups water
40 ml white wine
4 peeled pears
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon cardamom
1/4 tsp. star anise
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2x8cm strip orange peels.
Method
Add water, wine. spices orange zest and maple syrup and bring to boil.
Add the four pears to the liquid and reduce heat to medium. Cook pears for 30-60 minutes or until it is soft.
Remove the pears once ready and strain the cooking liquid and discard the spices.
Cook the liquid until it is thicker. Put the heat off and add the pears to absorb the flavor.
Serve with cholate sauce.
Ingredients
Chocolate Sauce
280g Milk Chocolate
100ml Milk
40ml Thick Cream
20g Sugar
20g Unsalkted butter
Method
Gentle melt chocolate over Bain Marie or microwave.
Place the milk, sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Add the boiled milk, sugar and cream to the melted chocolate, stir gently.
Return the chocolate mixture to the pan and boil for 15 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat and add butter, stir until butter is melted.
My sister is a fan of tiramisu cake because the cake is soaked in strong coffee. It was her birthday last Friday so I made her a tiramisu cake. The cake has four layers with two different sponges, a vanilla sponge and a coffee sponge. Each layer of sponge is soaked in coffee and topped with mascarpone cream.
Tiramisu means “lift me up”. It originated from Veneto Italy in 1960. Tiramisu is an Italian dessert where lady fingers are dipped in coffee. It covered in mascarpone, whipped cream and sabayon. The recipe has been adopted in different ways over the years.
Ingredients
Vanilla sponge
4 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
drop of vanilla paste or essence
2/3 cup sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 1800
Line a swiss roll pan or a large square pan 36×21, or two small square pans 18×21 with oil and non stick baking paper.
In a mixer place egg, vanilla paste and sugar and whisk until it is creamy, foamy, pale and four times the size.
Once ready, gradually add flour and fold the mixture.
Place on baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fully baked. To test the cake, touch it, when it springs back it is ready or use a skewer. If it is clear than it’s ready.
After five minutes, remove from pan and let it cool.
Coffee Sponge
4 eggs
1 cup plain flour (remove two tablespoons of flour and replace with two table spoons of ground coffee).
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
drop of vanilla paste
2/3 cup sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 1800
Line a swiss roll pan or a large square pan 36×21, or two small square pans 18×21 with oil and non stick baking paper.
In a mixer beater place egg, vanilla paste and sugar and whisk until it is creamy, foamy, pale and four times the size.
Once ready, gradually add flour and fold the mixture.
Place on baking pan and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until fully baked. To test the cake, touch it, when it springs back it is ready or use a skewer.
After five minutes, remove from pan and let it cool.
To make Coffee Syrup
You can extract coffee from your coffee machine and add a bit of sugar, when it is cool add marsala.
or make a syrup
Ingredients
100g Sugar
100g water
1-2 tablespoon of coffee
15g Marsala (optional)
Method
Boil water and sugar together. Let sugar dissolve, remove from heat and add the coffee. Let it cool and add marsala.
To make Mascarpone cream
The ratio is 1:1
600g thick cream
600g Mascarpone
Method
Whisk Mascarpone and place in a bowl.
Whisk thick cream until it is a firm peek.
Add a bit of mascarpone to the cream and fold, add more mascarpone and continue folding.
If not using mascarpone
2x 600g whipped cream.
Method.
Whip cream until it’s a firm peek.
To assemble.
If you used the large tray, cut sponge in half.
Place coffee sponge at the bottom, use a brush and dab coffee syrup on the cake, add the mascarpone cream, add the vanilla sponge, dab coffee syrup and mascarpone cream. Continue with the remaking two layers.
Once done ice the whole cake and place in the fridge.
Use the remaking icing to make decorations on top of cake.
I experimented with two recipes and it worked. it usually doesn’t but this one worked. The pineapple gateau consists of four layers, the bottom layer is a almond dacquoise, the middle part is a pineapple jelly. The pineapple jelly jelly is sandwiched between a pineapple bavarois. The last layer is a pineapple mirror glaze. It has a sweet tangy taste from the pineapple. A smooth soft texture from the bavarois.
It is challenging and takes a couple of hours to do. You need to have the patience to let everything set before you go to the next component or you will have a runny or messy product, Make sure you have a termometer to check the tempreture of the bavoirs when it;s cooling down.
First start with the Almond Dacquoise,
Ingredients
45g egg whites (approximately two eggs depending on size of the egg.)
1g white vinegar
45g caster sugar
45g icing sugar
36g almond meal
10g plain flour
Method
Use a 6cm cutter and make round circles on the baking tray and turn it round.
Preheat oven to 160o
In a bowl place the icing sugar and almond meal.
In the mixer add the egg whites and vinegar, whisk until frothy and add the sugar gradually, mix until it is a soft peak.
Fold into the almond and flour mixture.
Place in a piping bag, use a 7cm plain nozzle and pipe the mixture onto the circles,
Bake for 10-12 minutes, set aside to cool.
Next make the Pineapple Jelly
250g tinned crushed pineapple
60g brown sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Paste
4g unsalted butter
50g pineapple juice
2g silver gelatin sheets
Method
Add the drained crushed pineapple in a saucepan, add the brown sugar cook gently until sugar dissolves.
Soak gelatin in cold water, until it is soft, make sure it does not dissolve in the water.
Add the pineapple juice to pineapple mixture. Bring it to a simmer , remove from heat and add the gelatin sheet. Stir until gelatin has dissolved.
Pour in 2.5cm round mold and freeze, or use a round deep dish and freeze. Once frozen use a 2.5 cm round cookie cutter to cut out the jelly.
It takes an hour to set or more.
Them make the pineapple bavarois
You need to be patient and work fast.
Put everything ready before hand.
Get a 12 round silicon mold
Make sure your almond dacquoise are cool and ready to go
Make sure your jelly is set and ready to go
Ingredients
15g silver gelatin sheets
200g pineapple juice
110g egg yolks
90g sugar
420g whipped cream
Method
Whip the cream to a soft peak and place in the fridge.
Add the egg yolk and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk. Place the pineapple juice in a saucepan and let it simmer.
Add the pineapple juice to the egg mixture and place it back to the pan, continue whisking it and cook it to 75o.
Soak the gelatin in cold water. Add the gelatin to the pineapple mixture. Make sure all the gelatin has dissolved.
Cool the mixture to 35o . As it is cooling, continue stirring, to prevent the gelatin from setting.
Once it has reached 35o . Add the whipped cream and fold, do not spend too much time with it, it sets quite fast. Make sure there’s no lumps in the mixture.
Place bavarois in a piping bag or use a jug. Pour 1/3 of the bavarois in the mould, add the jelly in the middle and pour the remaining bavarois. Add the dacquoise and press gently. Remove any excess bavrarois from the mould.
Set in freezer for two hours, or until it is rock solid.
Lastly, making the the miror glaze
12g gelatin sheet
150ml water
150g caster sugar
175g white chocolate
100g condensed milk
5g yellow food colouring
Method.
Soak Gelatin in cold water.
Boil the sugar and water. Make sure the sugar is dissolved. Do not over boil it or it will become caramel. Add gelatin.
In a jug add the chocolate, pour the syrup over the cholate, add the condensed milk, using a hand mixer blend all the ingredients together, making sure there is no lumps. Add the yellow colour, mix and place in the fridge to cool. Let it cool to 35o.
If it oversets, place in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen up.
Final touches
Once done, remove frozen bavarois from mould, place on a tray and pour the mirror glazze on the bavarois. Let it set for a while before moving it.
Yesterday was the first time I did an Easter bunny cake. The whole process was fun to do. I used two butter cakes. One was used for the bunny’s face and the other one was used to make the ears, used a knife and to cut out the shape, if you have a cutter that resembles an ear, that would be perfect. I used triangle cookie cutters to make the bow tie. I also made basic vanilla icing, used the number 5 star nozzle to pipe and divided some buttercream and added pink colour. I used black fondant to make the nose, ears, mouth whiskers.
To make the basic butte cake:
Double the recipe to make two.
Use 2X 18cm round tin
Ingredients
125g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
70g caster sugar
2 eggs
185g sieved flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
125ml milk
Method
preheat oven to 180o
Line baking tins with melted butter.
Place butter and vanilla essence in a bowl beat until light and fluffy Gradually add add sugar, beat well.
Add eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition. Add the baking powder to the flour. Fold flour and milk alternatively to the mixture.
Add mixture to tins and bake for 40-45 minutes or until fully baked.
Remove from oven and let it set for 5 minutes before turning it over.
This is the easiest and fastest butter cream to make. I increased the quantity, the more buttercream you have the better. Buttercream can be stored in the freezer up to a month.
Vanilla butter icing
I kg icing sugar
240g butter
8 tablespoons boiling water
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
Pink coloring to be added to the buttercream
Method
Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat until it is a creamy consistency.
How to make bunny.
Cut out two ears from one cake and a bow tie. You can use a cookie cutter or a knife.
Place buttercream on the round cake. Attach the ears and tie to the round cake,
Place buttercream on ears and tie.
Place in the fridge.
Once set, use the number 5 nozzle and pipe. Start with the pink first, once done, wash nozzle and work with the white.
Rosetta “Rose.” This bread originated from Italy, the bread is a shape of a rose and it is a tribute to a baker’s elder sister who worked in the Mills and she brought bread home after work.
The Rosetta bread is a perfect tea time or breakfast bread, or you can have it as a sandwich during lunch. It has a sweet taste, and simple to make.
Ingredients
7g dried yeast
2 tablespoon warm water
50g soft butter
1/4 cup olice oil
1/4 cup caster sugar
11/4 cup extra warm water
4 1/2 – 4 1/4 sieved bakers flour
1 teaspoon salt
Milk to glaze
Method
Add the yeast and 2 tablespoon of water in a bowl. Cover it with cling wrap nd set aside for 5 minutes.
Once ready, add the yeast mixture, oil, butter, sugar and the extra water in a mixing bowl and combine.
Using a dough hook, add the flour and salt to the mixture and beat until mixture is smooth and elastic, if using your hand knead for ten minutes until smooth. If too sticky add little bit flour.
Oil a bowl with butter or oil and place dough in the bowl, add butter or oil onto dough and cover with cling wrap. Let it rest for an hour.
Spray oil in a round baking tray, make round balls to form a rose shape. The recipe makes ten balls, but I made extra. I used a 25 cm round tin. If they are remaining balls make buns or place them in another bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let it set for an hour.
Preheat oven to 180o degrees, brush milk onto bread and bake for 25 minutes or until cooked.
Over the weekend I made my niece a graduation cake. The vegan cake is light and simple to make, you do not need a mixer just a spatula and two bowls. One for the dry ingredients and the other one for the wet ingredients. I used vegan buttercream to decorate the cake. I love this recipe because you use the day to day ingredients in the pantry therefore you are not running around looking for a special ingredient and you can reuse the ingredients again.
The vegan cake does not have eggs which is substituted by using vinegar and bi-carb. Instead f butter I substituted it with vegetable oil.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
180g cake flour
45g cocoa powder
6g bi-carb of soda
180g caster sugar
Wet ingredients
180ml of water
120ml vegetable oil
15ml white vinegar
15 ml marsala (feel fre to use vanilla esence, fruit juice or brandy.)
Method
Preheat fan force oven to 170C.
Add the sieved flour, cocoa powder ad bi carb of soda in a bowl, add the sugar.
Add the ligiids in another bowl.
Make a well in the middle of the bowl and pour the wet ingredients. Mix all ingridents together.
Pour in a lined 20 round cm cake tin and bake for 25 minutes or until skewer come out clean.
(I used a cone shape tin to make the graduation cake, which was 12cm x 12cm and took 45 minutes to bake. The time will vary by the tin you use.)
To decorate
I both vegan buttercream in a tin and I did a crumb coat first and let it set in the fridge. Once it set I used a 7cm star nozzle and piped. (Fell free to use another design)
Notes
Do not cut cake in half if you notice cracks on the cake.
If they are cracks, gently put buttercream on the cracks.
Because it is fragile do not pile another cake on top of each other, will fall apart. (Trust me that happened to me.)
Christmas is not Christmas if there is no pudding. The Christmas pudding is filled with load of sultana, raisins and glazed cherries soaked in grand mariner overnight. The following day I beat the butter and brown sugar until it becomes creamy, than add the eggs and flour, bread crumbs and chopped almonds. I placed the mixture in a lined tin and steamed it in the oven for an hour.
Once it had cooled down I I made a caramel sauce which is made by placing brown sugar and butter in a saucepan and once it is melted I added masala.
My second gingerbread center piece is a reindeer on on a sledge flying through the sky. Everything is edible, the bottom is a square gingerbread covered with a simple icing glaze, icing sugar and water. The reindeer and gingerbread biscuit is coved with royal icing. The snowflakes is made with fondant and I dusted it with icing sugar.
Every year I look forward to buying delicious Christmas fruit mince tarts. This year I decided to make my own tarts. It’s simple to do and the tart tasted better, crumbly and melts in your mouth, than the store bought one, mine had less sugar.
To make the tart I made sweet pastry which consists of flour, butter, egg and sugar. I rolled out the pastry to a thin layer and set it in the fridge to firm. Greased a small tart pan and used the cutters to make the shapes. Placed a spoonful of the fruit mince. One it was done I cut out decorative shapes and placed it on top of the fruit mince. I placed it back in the fridge and after 30 minutes baked it for 20 minutes,
Lesson I learnt
Made sure the butter is cold, you need a sand like mixture when mixing the butter and flour,
Put mixture back in the fridge when pastry is too soft
This was my first attempt doing a meringue/macaroon tower. It’s not perfect but I am glad I gave it a try and look forward to trying it again. . The meringue came out well on my second attempt. My first batch burnt because I left the oven too high. It has to be in a low oven and once you remove put the oven off, you should leave the meringue in the oven for an extra two hours.
The macaroons came out well, no crack. Once I made the meringue I let it set for an hour. and I used the French meringue recipe to do the macarons. I sandwiched the macarons with white chocolate ganache. Chocolate ganache is made by boiling thick cream and pouring it over white chocolate.
I bought the cone and covered it with fondant, placed toothpicks and stuck the meringue amd macarons onto the cone.
The lessons I learnt:
Make extra meringue and macarons
Make different sizes of macaroons and meringue
Avoid over beating the egg whites or it will become runny
Add color towards the end and use a whisk to mix
The oven should not be too hot for the meringue or it will burn and the macaron will crack.
Let the macarons rest for 30-60 minutes. the longer the better. before baking it
Make sure the consistency for the merigue and macarons are not to runny or they will not hold their shapes
Make sure the chocolate ganache is fully set before pipping on to macaron shells
Always work in a cooler kitchen or merigue and ganache will melt
Make sure there are nu lumps in the chocolate ganache
