Chocolate lava cakes

We have boxes accumulating in our make-shift storage room, and I've been itching to clear them - boxes that came from new appliances, mostly. Skepticism about the robustness of the works and whether the appliances' performances are as claimed, my husband amassed the boxes that they came in just in case we had to return them.

I was eager to clear the boxes, which meant that I had to test out all the appliances first. For a long while I've checked all but one off the list. I figured it's about time I used my new mixer and tidy away the hoard of boxes that were beginning to be an eyesore.

To make lava cakes, you can simply use a bowl and whisk. However, bringing in the mixer wouldn't be an overkill.

The lava cake is a classic example of a mistake turned into a miracle. It came into existence when a chef took his chocolate sponge cake out from the oven too soon, and revealed a cake that was nevertheless warm and tasty.

I made this trice; the first batch was baked for 11 minutes at 220 degC and didn't have nice flowing lava centers as intended. Nevertheless, it turned out to be a moist and super chocolaty cake that wasn't bad at all! (Ice cream makes all things better...)

The second one was baked for a shorter duration of 8-10 minutes at 220 degC, and this gave centers that were partially liquefied. This was almosttt there, but not quite as desired.

My third attempt was an adaptation of Gordon Ramsay's recipe for Chocolate Fondant. The baking temperature was much lower (160 degC) than what I've used previously, which is probably why I've been getting less lava than I hoped for. I mean, it's his recipe, I had a feeling it was gonna be perfect.

And so it was.

Yields 4 cakes.

What?

• Butter, for greasing ramekins
• Cocoa powder, for dusting
• 170 g semi-sweet chocolate
• 115 g unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• Ice cream, for topping (IMO, not optional...)

How?

1. Butter the ramekins and dust with cocoa powder. Set the ramekins aside.
2. Break the chocolate into smaller pieces. Melt the chocolate and butter using the double boil method. Stir until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and egg yolks, salt and sugar until thick. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture, followed by the flour.
4. Spoon the batter into prepared ramekins.
5. Bake for about 11 minutes a preheated oven at 160 degC. The edges should appear firm, but centers are still soft. Let the cakes cool for 1 minute before gently inverting them onto serving plates.
6. Serve warm, topped with ice cream.

Note: The batter can be make ahead (up to step 4) and refrigerated for max. two days. Allow the batter to come to room temp before baking it in the oven.

Almond and apple cake

Daylight saving time ends, marking the start of the cold season once again. We've had an unusually balmy summer this year, and the glorious warm days seemed to have held up till late September.

Then the cold sets in, all too sudden, plunging to below 10 degC, and I found myself rummaging through my wardrobe to find my night socks. I have cold toes.

Despite the chills, fall is a pretty season. The most spectacular in my opinion. I love the red, the orange and the yellow of fall foliage - talk about the colours explosion of the leaves. Even when they fall, the leaf piles turn the ground into a beautiful bed of colours.

And undoubtedly, when it's cold, it's nice to keep the oven working - and even better to have warm cakes and pies.

Since fall and apples go together, I made an almond and apple cake (mini one, halved the recipe) over the weekend so I can treat myself to a warm dessert. Simple to make, and delightfully moist!

I think this would go well with ice cream or custard, but I enjoyed mine on its own, warm out of the oven.

From: FirstCovers.com

What?

• 180g butter
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 small red apples

How?

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. When pale and creamy, beat eggs into the mixture, one at a time.
3. Stir in the almond meal.
4. Add half the flour mixture and half the milk and stir until well combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and milk. Stir in ground cinnamon.
5. Core the apples and slice them thinly. Arrange the apple slices over the base of the lined cake pan. Overlap the apple slices slightly. Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth out the surface.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 170degC for about 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before turning it over into a serving plate.
7. Serve warm.

Easter egg cakes

Did you know that eggshells are really strong? If you try squeezing the ends of an egg between your palms, you'd notice that it'd withstand considerably greater force than expected. Or you can try the following below...

From: And Today's Idiom Is...

From: Scientific American

Besides using eggshells for supporting weights, you can use them for baking in place of the usual muffin cups/tins!

Happy Easter everyone!

What?

• 3 eggs
• 150 g butter
• 150 g sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

How?

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Prepare the eggshells to be used during baking. Carefully crack the eggs at one end. Peel a small hole at the top of each of the eggs. Pour out the contents of the eggs into the butter mixture. I used a chopstick to help empty out the eggs. Soak the emptied eggshells in salt water for 30 minutes (to rid of bacteria). When done, rinse them with cold water and put them to dry hole-side-down on a kitchen towel.
3. Add the vanilla essence to the butter mixture as well and stir to combine.
4. Mix in the plain flour and baking powder until just combined.
5. Place the prepared eggshells onto muffin tins. Use aluminium foil or parchment paper to help stabilise the eggshells.
6. Put the batter into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe batter into prepared eggshells until about 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 180 degC for 20 minutes.
8. Cool eggs before crackin' and enjoy!

Double-layered coffee cheesecake

I am starting to feel the wintry cold in the middle of January. The cold is biting, chilling my extremities till the point they stiffen.

I was told yesterday, however, that if your fingers are cold, it means your heart is warm. :) I really liked that!

So owing to cold fingers and warm hearts, I've made some cheesecake. It is real simple to do, even benumbed fingers can manage! ;)

What?

• 1 cup oreo cookie crumbs
• 50g butter, melted
• 180g x 2 cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 2g instant coffee granules
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

How?

1. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter and press onto the bottom of a pan lined with parchment paper.
2. In a cup, mix the hot water, coffee granules and cinnamon and set aside.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add in the mix and beat just until combined.
4. Divide the batter in half and stir the coffee mixture into one portion. Pour this batter over the prepared cookie crust. Spoon the remaining batter over the coffee layer.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degC for 40 minutes, or until the centre is almost set. Cool and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Quark pumpkin cheesecake

For some time now, I have wanted to try baking with pumpkin. And since it is now fall, pumpkin seems to be the most fitting accompaniment to the season.

I used quark in place of cream cheese. I first had a quark cheesecake in Germany at a welcoming party. It tasted lighter than those made with cream cheese, yet with no compromise in taste. So here's my virgin attempt with quark and pumpkin! I am pretty much pleased with the turn out: a spiced pumpkin cheesecake, top with fresh velvety homemade whipped cream that balances out the rich flavours.

"Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

What?
Crust base

• 3/4 cup digestives, crumbled
• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake filling

• 250 g quark
• 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla

Whipped cream

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbsp sugar

How?

Crust base

1. Combine the ingredients for the base and mix with a fork.
2. Scoop about 1 tbsp of the mixture into a base of muffin tin and press down to form the base.

Cheesecake filling

1. Mix the quark, puree, eggs, sugar and spices until smooth.
2. Add flour and vanilla to the mixture and stir until combined.
3. Pour the filling over prepared based.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 20 minutes.
5. When cakes are done, remove from the oven and let it cool.

Whipped cream

1. Beat cream until soft peaks form. 
2. Add in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form again.
3. Put into a piping bag and pipe on cooled cheesecakes.

Chocolate swiss roll with coffee buttercream

Here's a second attempt at swiss roll. For easier rolling and to attain a swiss roll with a smoother outer cover, the sponge cake should be rolled up once it is out of the oven before it is left to cool.

The best part of this swiss roll is the coffee buttercream! This coffee-flavoured buttery-sugary concoction has a rich aroma and is absolutely lip-smacking. I could eat it on its own! I was impatient and started coating the mildly warm cake with it, and immediately regretted my decision as I watched the buttercream melt into my chocolate sponge cake. *a dramatic NOooooo...*



Nevertheless, this cake made a delightful elevenses. Enjoy with a cuppa!

Chocolate swiss roll
What?

• Olive oil, for greasing
• 100 g caster sugar, and some extra 
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 75 g plain flour, sifted
• 25 g cocoa powder, sifted
• Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

How?

1. Line a swiss roll tin with parchment paper and brush it with olive oil. Dust with some caster sugar.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the water and vanilla extract.
4. Mix the cocoa powder and flour together in another bowl. Fold in the flour mixture to the egg batter, one-half each time.
5. Pour the batter onto the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 minutes.
6. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of a damp tea towel and sprinkle it with caster sugar. Turn the cake onto the sugared parchment paper and peel the parchment paper off the base of the cake.
7. Make an incision (do not cut through!) about 1cm from the edge where you want to start rolling. With another parchment paper placed on the top of the cake, roll the cake up carefully and leave it to cool.
8. Prepare the buttercream (recipe below).
9. When cake has cooled, unroll the cake and spread butter over it, leaving a border at the end (about 1"). 
10. Roll the cake up again. Sprinkle with some icing sugar before serving.

Coffee buttercream

What?

• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g icing sugar
• 2 g coffee granules 
• 1 tbsp hot water

How?

1. Cream together the butter and the icing sugar.
2. Mix coffee granules in 1 tbsp hot water and add it to the creamed mixture. Blend well.

Swiss roll

One fine afternoon, I came home with a strange craving for swiss roll.

Contrary to what the name suggests, this sponge roll cake did not originate from Switzerland. Invented 3 decades ago (believably from Central Europe), this is a popular confection served for elevenses or afternoon tea.

This cake is called differently around the world (for instance, roll cake, jam roll, roulade, tortas) and can be filled with fruit jam, whipped cream, butter cream or even cheese. I think back in SG we would have some filled with kaya, durian or mango.

With the waft of eggy-goodness (this batter has a 鸡蛋卷 smell!) coming from the kitchen, I looked forward eagerly to my freshly-baked tea break.

When the sponge cake was done, I slathered it liberally with strawberry jam, rolled it up and dust it with some powdered sugar. Best enjoyed with a hot beverage!

What?

• Olive oil, for greasing
• 125 g caster sugar, and some extra 
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 125 g plain flour, sifted
• 150 g strawberry jam
• Icing sugar, for dusting

How?

1. Line a swiss roll tin with parchment paper and brush it with olive oil. Dust with some caster sugar.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the water and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the flour, one-half each time.
5. Pour the batter onto the prepared tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden.
6. Lay a piece of parchment paper on top of a damp tea towel and sprinkle it with caster sugar. Turn the cake onto the sugared parchment paper and peel the parchment paper off the base of the cake.
7. When cake has cooled down, make an incision (do not cut through!) about 1cm from the edge where you want to start rolling. Then spread the cake with jam, leaving a border at the end (about 1"). 
8. Start rolling! The incision will help to roll it up easier. Sprinkle with some icing sugar before serving.

Chocolate magic custard cake

When I was little, Children's Day was celebrated on the 1st of October. I recall receiving little gifts from my teachers in primary school, and they would perform on stage for us on that very special day. Since 2011, Children's Day in SG was shifted to the first Friday of October. This change does not resonate with me (call me ol'fashioned)... But then again, this day is celebrated on various days in different parts of the world - 1st June and 20th September in Germany, 4th April in Hong Kong and Taiwan, 1st Monday of October in Sweden... and you get my drift.

Children's Day is recognised and established to honour children globally. It is not just a day-off-from-school, not simply just a holiday. It is to bring awareness to children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

"Millions of children around the world are exploited, abused, and discriminated against. They need special protection to promote their physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and social development. These children include child labourers, children affected by armed conflict, sexually exploited children, children in conflict with the law or in the care of the state, as well as children living on the streets, coping with disabilities, or suffering from discrimination because of their religious or ethnic-minority status." from: Children's human rights

I believe children should be celebrated for who they are. These are the people making the vital decisions on how the world will be like in the future. A better childhood, a better education, a better tomorrow.

On a lighter note, the child in me wanted a little chocolate fix! Making a magic custard cake seems pretty much in line with celebrating Children's Day, even more so a chocolate one!

Also known as the magical 3-layered cake, whipping up this exceptional little dessert isn't as tedious as it sounds. It is made up of 3 layers: a light top, a custard-like middle, and a dense bottom. Despite the layered formation, this cake is made up of only one batter (that "miraculously" separates itself during the baking process).

The key to making this cake is the temperature of the ingredients - they have to be all about room temperature when preparing the batter. The melted butter and warmed milk have to be lukewarm before adding them into the batter.

When the cake is done, cool it completely before attempting to slice it. If feeling a little impatient about the wait, the cake can be cooled faster in the fridge. Dust with some icing sugar or cocoa powder and garnish with some berries before serving! Happy Children's Day!

What?

• 50 g butter
• 1 cup milk
• 60 g plain flour
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 2 eggs, separated
• 100 g icing sugar, and some for dusting
• 1 tbsp espresso
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• raspberries for garnish (optional)

How?

1. Melt the butter leave it to cool.
2. Warm the milk and leave it to cool.
3. Whisk together the flour and cocoa powder.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and icing sugar together. Add in the melted butter, espresso and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
6. To the mixed batter, add the flour and cocoa powder mixture and stir.
7. Slowly add in the milk and gently whisk until combined. The batter will be thin and watery at this stage.
8. Fold in the egg whites. 
9. Pour the batter into a 4" x 8" baking dish, lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degC for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is evening browned The centre will still be jingly when gently shaken.
11. Cool the cake completely before cutting. Dust and adorn with icing sugar and berries.

Adapted from: whiteonricecouple.com

Madeira lemon loaf cake

Summer has officially come to an end (or technically it will in 2 days). It is starting to feel a little chillier around here as I found myself lingering a little longer under the cosy warmth of that 13.5 tog duvet in the early mornings.

I think my body is preparing for hibernation mode. It moves a little slower, feels a little heavier - like I have to lug that lazy weight around when I step out of bed, wobbling and swaying like a flubber (remember that green rubbery bouncy substance from a Disney film?).

It is a beautiful day, nevertheless. We've got sunshine ~ on a cloudy day... I have decided to warm up the place a little with some oven heat.

Madeira cake is a classic English sponge cake, much similar to a pound cake. I did a search and found that "Madeira" is actually a Portugese archipelago. This cake was named after Medeira wine from the islands which was popular in England and often served with the cake back in the 18th century.

Goes well with tea too!

What?

• 200 g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 100 g caster sugar 
• 150 g light olive oil
• 2 eggs
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp milk

How?

1. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Mix in the sugar (I used 50 g brown and 50 g caster sugar).
3. Mix in the oil and the eggs, one at a time.
4. Add the lemon zest and juice and mix until combined.
5. Add in the milk last and give the batter a quick stir.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degC for 60 min, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Transfer it to cool on a wire rack after it cools a little.

Pound cake

It's finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As I eagerly await the coming of the special season, I begin to realise it's the preparation towards the festive day that makes it all so special; in fact, it is already that season now. The writing of Christmas cards, sending of gifts, having parties and dinners with friends and family, decorated streets and homes, and happy people - these are the reasons why I love Christmas.

It's my first Christmas with B. :) To "celebrate" his arrival in York, I baked him a pound cake! Traditionally, pound cake is made of a pound of each ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs and flour, hence its name. There have been quite some "modern alterations" of this old recipe, you can add berries, chocolate chip, banana and even peanut butter (eww...) to the basic pound cake recipe.

I wasn't gonna make a 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 pound pound cake, so I scaled it down, keeping the 1:1:1:1 ratio. I squeezed in some lemon and added some grated lemon skin as well. Itchy fingers despite wanting to stick to keeping it simple.

The lemons provided a little tart taste, and I like that it is so moist and dense. Gives a christmasy-cake feel. :p

Merry blessed Christmas to all. :) And a happy new beginning to the new year!

Cream cheese pie

It's unbearably warm here now and I'm ashamed to say I dread turning on the oven in the kitchen because of the heat. However, sweet desserts aren't all baked, how about some chilled ones for a change?

Cheesecake is a baked dessert, a dense one with cream cheese, eggs and sugar. This cream cheese pie, however, is a chilled dessert made without the eggs and sugar but replaced with condensed milk. Squeezed in some fresh lemon juice to add some tartness. Smooth, sweet and creamy, and pairs well with a graham crust. I baked the crust for a while though, despite trying to avoid the oven heat...

The only thing about this recipe was that I had to chill it for really long. Even after a day it was still difficult to make a clean cut. Next time I'll go easy on the condensed milk and prolly throw it in the freezer, maybe then it'll be firm enough to cut.

Regardless, my mom and I enjoyed it. I made a teeny small one so we finished it in one setting. The addition of condensed milk to the cream cheese gives the impression that this pie is gonna be overly sweet, but really it isn't (ok, coming from someone with a sweet tooth you wouldn't think it's a good gauge).

Top a slice of the pie with fresh fruits or some strawberry sauce (my slice was too tiny for any fruit topping)...

Or some chocolate bits (drizzle with chocolate or caramel if you like)...

I like mine plain. Old boring me. *gobbles*