Chestnut cream

Chestnut paste is widely used in French dessert, so the price is cheaper. My husband loves chestnut paste, I think he loves its sweetness...

So I want to make some chestnut dessert for him, found these 2 recipes, it isn't say the end use, but I rather divide them into 2 usages.

The first one is rather for serving as filling with cake, yogurt... Of course you can ice & pipe the cake if your whipping cream contains 40% fat, the texture should be firm.

The second one is rather for icing the cake since it contains butter in it, the texture should be firmer & easier to pipe any shape.
If you use 30% fat cream, you can increase the quantity of butter to make the cream firmer.

Recipe 1
Ingredients
250g chestnut paste (sweet)
200g whipping cream (at least 30% fat)

Instructions
1. Beat chestnut paste until smooth

2. Add in whipping cream, beat the mixture until firm

Ready to use!

Recipe 2 - for icing cake

Ingredients

200g chestnut paste (sweet)

60g butter, room temperature

100g whipping cream (at least 35% fat)

Instructions
1. Beat chestnut paste & butter until smooth

2. Add in whipping cream, beat the mixture until firm


Ready to use!

Enjoy!

Coffee cream

It is easy to find 40% fat cream during Christmas season, so I bought some and try to make this coffee cream for my chocolate cake!

Ingredients
100g whipping cream (40% fat)

10g soluble coffee powder
40g sugar

300g whipping cream (40% fat)

Instructions
1. In a small pot at medium low heat, dissolve coffee and sugar in 100g whipping cream, once it is dissolved, turn off the fire

Leave it cool down, then store in the fridge for 1 hour

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 300g whipping cream until it forms soft peak
Add in the coffee cream mixture, whisk until the firm peak

Ready - You can now use it to pipe the cake

Enjoy!

Lemon curd

I like Lemon dessert because it is refreshing, like sour and sweet combination. This lemon curd is delicious, can be used as bread spread, serve with yoghurt or cake... 

close up of lemon curd, it is thickened after simmering in a saucepan

You can pour lemon curd over a cake - yummmm!

Ingredients - Make about 1 1/2 cups
3 eggs
2 egg yolks 
1 cup sugar 
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice 
150g unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large saucepan, whisk well

Then cook it over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolved

2. Reduce heat to low, add in the butter, stir continuously until melted

3. Continue to stir and let it cook for 4–6 minutes or until the mixture is thickened 

=> check:

- if it coats the back of a spoon

- when you stir, you need more force

3. Turn off the heat, use seive to strain lemon curd into a medium bowl (cover with plastic wrap) or directly in air-tight jar (close lid), let it cool at room temperature

Store it in fridge maximum 1 week

Enjoy!

Matcha milk sauce (green tea)

I found it on facebook, that matcha milk sauce is popular now, let me try it also :)
If you are fan of matcha, you will love it, the flavor is very strong.

All you need is time, yes, it does takes time to cook it.

Ingredients
50ml warm evaporated milk*
10g matcha/greentea powder

150ml evaporated milk*
100ml cream
15g sugar

*Original recipe is whole milk, but it has higher water content, so I replace it by evaporated milk

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, mix warm milk and matcha together, mix well until the matcha powder dissolved completely into the warm milk

Note: Use a tea spoon to press/squeeze the matcha powder at the edge of the small bowl, it helps to blend the powder into the milk

2. In a pot, heat the milk, cream and sugar at medium heat, let it cook until about 2/3 of the mixture is evaporated, here you need patient to observe the mixture

Attention: Use a spetula to stir it regularly so that the milk won't burn

3. Add in the matcha milk into the pot, mix well

Let it cook, stir it regularly, let the water evaporate

How do you know it is ready?
i/ When you stir the mixture with spetula, it leaves stirring mark. 
ii/ You can also see the bottom being scarped clean while you stir the mixture

4. Scrap the mixture and pour it into a tight container, store it in fridge

Enjoy!

Mascarpone frosting

If you like decorating cakes and you get bored with buttercream or cream cheese icing, you can try to decorate with mascarpone frosting.

The texture is lighter than buttercream :)

This is mascarpone frosting on carrot cake

Ingredients of mascarpone frosting
226g mascarpone
32g or 1/4 cup icing sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whipped cream 

Instructions
1. Beat mascarpone, sugar and vanilla extract, until they blend well and look smooth

2. In another mixing bowl, whisk whipped cream until the peak becomes stiff

3. Fold in whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture delicately, with the help of spetula

Be creative and decorate your cake nicely!

Enjoy!

Mascarpone cream

I like mascarpone cream, not too sweet like buttercream :) I use it for making filling of different cakes.

Vanilla mascarpone cream matches Earl grey chiffon cake perfectly! Love this combination!

Ingredients of mascarpone cream 
(filling the middle part of the chiffon cake)
150g mascarpone
30g icing sugar
37ml whole milk
1g vanilla extract*

* Green tea flavor = 6g powder

Instructions
1. Beat mascarpone until it becomes smooth

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients, beat them until well blended and the mixture becomes smooth
Note: It is normal if it looks a bit liquid, will be firm after cooling down

3. Store in the fridge few hours before use

Now it can be chiffon cake filling, swiss roll filling, or cupcake filling!

Mascarpone cream fills the middle of the chiffon cake

The top is the whipping cream

Enjoy!

Olive Tapenade

I like black olives, not as salty as green olives. I remember the first time I ate olives in France, served as snacks before meal (apéritif).

Here are some info about the difference between green and black olives - green olives are picked before they are ripe, while black olives are allowed to ripen on the tree. They will then be treated to remove its bitterness. Green olives will have further treatment to become salty. Therefore, usually in France (in Europe?) we consume green olives as snacks while we consume black olives in dishes such as pizza, pasta, salad....

Also, I just found that olives are rich in iron! As we rarely eat beef, it is good to consume olives to retrieve iron!

Nutritive value of olives:

• Iron:  which is necessary for the body to manufacture red blood cells
• Fiber: Helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract
• Vitamin E: A powerful antioxidant  

Ingredients
2 cup cured black olives, pitted6 canned anchovy fillets4 tablespoons drained capers4 garlic cloves, peeledextra virgin olive oil

*You can add extra ingredients - basil, parsley, and thyme. adding There are some recipes with lemon juice

InstructionPut everything in a food processor and blend them well (stop for a few time, use a spetula to scrap down the ingredients at the edge)

Serve with French crusty bread/biscuits/vegetables for dipping

Enjoy!

Cranberry brioche with caramel sauce

Happy Friday! It's so hot! I made the cranberry brioche yesterday, the dough risen a lot faster :)
It's very yummy with caramel sauce
All are homemade! 100%!

Click here to get the brioche recipe, don't miss it, it is the best recipe ever!
Click here to get the caramel sauce recipe, it is very easy!

Have a great weekend!
Enjoy!

Fresh Pesto sauce

I love pesto sauce, I usually bought it from the supermarket and I wonder if I can make my own? Yes! I can! It is real easy.

Pesto sauce consists of basil leaves, which is why it is green :)

Ingredients

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup or 19g pine nuts

3 garlic cloves, minced (about 3 teaspoons)

1/2 cup or 56g freshly grated Romano or Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
1. In a food processor, place basil leaves and pine nuts, mix well
Add in garlic and cheese, mix until it is blended
*You may need to stop several times to scrap down the mixture so that it mixes better

2. Run the food processor, slowly pour the oil into the mixture in the small opening
Stop several times to scrap down the mixture

3. Add salt and pepper, mix again

Store it in the air-tight container and put it in the fridge

Ready to serve!

Enjoy!

Cupcakes with icing - new test of white colorant

I have another sister of a bible study who will get married this coming Saturday. We celebrated the bridal shower last Friday after the meeting, to give a surprise to her :) so they asked me to prepare some cupcakes for her. That is why I need to make some white icing to match the wedding theme!

See, it is very white the icing! I'm so pleased! now I can make more professional icing haha!

I always see people making beautiful white icing on the cupcakes and I wonder why mine is always yellowish :( 

So I searched on internet and found that there is white colorant to whiten the icing..... I heard that people would use shortening to replace butter to make the icing whiter, but I prefer the smell of butter so I simply use white colorant to color it :)



I bought Wilton's white white colorant, which is liquid => it will soften the icing to become more liquid, so you might need to add more icing sugar or put the icing in the fridge to harden it a bit before you use.

Caramel sauce recipe

I was making my matcha ice-cream, I don't know why suddenly I just want to eat the caramel sauce. So I just found out the recipe and did it.

This sauce is super easy to make, I saw some recipes they add the cream in the 2nd part... well, after trying this recipe, what you need to do is to mix all the ingredients and sim it, that is very simple, isn't it?

I'm planning to make the caramel ice-cream next time... looking forward...

Ingredients

3/4 cup Brown sugar

1/2 cup half-and-half => Here I use 30% cream

4 tbsp butter (about 57g butter)

Pinch salt

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instruction

1. Mix the brown sugar, half-and-half, butter and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. 

2. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until it gets thicker. 

Note: I cook for 5 mins

3. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further.

4. Turn off the heat, cool slightly and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold.

Note: I didn't put in the fridge... but I keep it in a cool place.

Enjoy!

New trial - chocolate cream cheese icing

Yesterday I wanted to celebrate sister's birthday because I will not be able to attend her birthday party, so I made a cake for her. I'm glad that she likes it :)

The icing made in this photo, I didn't use any butter (very proud), yet I can still pipe the icing on the cake and it is super easy to make it!

So if you want to know how to make the icing... here you go!

If you use cocoa powder...
Ingredients

• - 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• - 3 cups sifted powdered sugar 
• Note: You can decrease this amount if you don't care about it being as stiff for piping
• - 1/2 cup cocoa powder*
• *if you want to make vanilla flavor - 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. 1. Beat cream cheese until soft and then add in butter, beat the mixture until smooth and creamy
2. 2. Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time
3. Note: you might need the quantity written according to your taste
4. 3. Mix in cocoa powder or vanilla extract

If you use chocolate bar...

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup butter, softened

- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

- 3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted

- dash of salt

- 3 cups confectioners' sugar

- 1/3 cup half-and-half (you can just use milk, preferably whole milk)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. 

2. Add melted chocolate, salt, sifted confectioners' sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla. 

3. Beat until smooth and spreadable.

* If you want the icing stiff enough to hold the shape when you pipe it, I suggest you using at least the quantity indicated above... Actually butter can help once you cool it in the fridge

Cheese icing egg white cake

I love this cake - it has been the 3rd time I made it :) It is light and delicious.

In this recipe I needed to use 6 egg whites - it seems a lot. I usually make this cake when I have to make a dessert with mascarpone or vanilla ice-cream or custard... anyways, the 2nd time I made this cake I used only 3 egg whites.

However, my husband said the cake becomes less soft the next day :( which can be the inconvenient of this cake...







I can't let the cake to be presented without any decoration... I feel like the cake is naked :( poor cake...
Actually I like decorating, to make it more appetitizing, and especially when I am not the only one who eat the whole cake (I don't want to get fat...) Usually I bake for my brothers and sisters at church on Sunday, that motivates me to bake nice cakes hehe.

The piping tip used is my favourite one, I use it to decorate the cup cakes as well, which is simple and nice.
















For info: the piping tip is from Matfer, the model number is F8.