The Baking Diaries since March 30th, 2011

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake:

Recipe: makes 6 ramekins

113g butter, 190g dark chocolate, 3 eggs separated, 50g sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/8tsp cream of tartar, 1tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 190C.

Melt chocolate and butter in bowl over simmering water, mix until melted.

Remove from heat.

Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale, fluffy, thick. Add vanilla.

Fold in chocolate. 

Beat egg whites until foamy, add cream of tartar, beat until soft, add 1tbsp sugar, beat until stiff.

Fold into chocolate mixture.

Butter 4 ramekins and coat with sugar. Pour in the batter into the ramekins until nearly full. Bake for 10 minutes. Top will crack. The cake will rise (like a souffle! but not that much)

Take out, use knife to loosen edges and invert the cake. Dust with icing sugar, and decorate.

blue christmas cupcakes!

chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting

recipe: makes 12 cupcakes

• 1/2c + 3/8c flour
• 1 cups sugar
• 3/8 c cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• 1/4c oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1c hot water

180C. 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder. Mix in sugar and mix until combined.

Beat milk, oil, eggs, vanilla. mix in with the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Slowly add hot water and beat. It should be a pretty thin batter, but not water like consistency. 

Pour in cupcake liners, Fill 3/4 full (or even less if you don’t want it to rise too high) and bake for 20 minutes. Once it’s done take out and let it cool.

Vanilla Variation: replace cocoa powder with flour, and reduce the sugar to 3/4c

Frosting:

180g butter softened

1c icing sugar

1tsp vanilla

blue food colouring

beat butter until creamy, sift in icing sugar and beat (you may need more, depends on how sweet you want it to be). Add vanilla and beat. Beat in a few drops of colouring.

Frost and decorate cupcakes

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

blue christmas cupcakes!

chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting

recipe: makes 12 cupcakes

• 1/2c + 3/8c flour
• 1 cups sugar
• 3/8 c cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• 1/4c oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1c hot water

180C. 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder. Mix in sugar and mix until combined.

Beat milk, oil, eggs, vanilla. mix in with the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Slowly add hot water and beat. It should be a pretty thin batter, but not water like consistency. 

Pour in cupcake liners, Fill 3/4 full (or even less if you don’t want it to rise too high) and bake for 20 minutes. Once it’s done take out and let it cool.

Vanilla Variation: replace cocoa powder with flour, and reduce the sugar to 3/4c

Frosting:

180g butter softened

1c icing sugar

1tsp vanilla

blue food colouring

beat butter until creamy, sift in icing sugar and beat (you may need more, depends on how sweet you want it to be). Add vanilla and beat. Beat in a few drops of colouring.

Frost and decorate cupcakes

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

christmas cake!

chocolate cake with snow flake stencil icing on top!

recipe: makes 1 8 inch cake

• 1/2c + 3/8c flour
• 1 cups sugar
• 3/8 c cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 c milk
• 1/4c oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1c hot water

180C. Put baking paper in 8inch cake mould

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder. Mix in sugar and mix until combined.

Beat milk, oil, eggs, vanilla. mix in with the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Slowly add hot water and beat. It should be a pretty thin batter, but not water like consistency.

Pour in cake mould and bake for 30 minutes. Once it’s done take out and let it cool.

If you want to have the snowflake shape like I have then you need to either make your own stencil or buy one from a store. There are also many other different stencil patterns!

Vanilla Variation: replace cocoa powder with flour, and reduce the sugar to 3/4c

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Vegan brownies

makes 16 - use 8x8 inch pan

1/3 c cornstarch

2/3c flour

1c sugar

1/2c water

1/4c oil 

1/4c + 2 tbsp cocoa powder ‘

1/2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2tsp salt

180C. Sieve flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder. Mix. Add oil, water, vanilla. MIX. Put in pan lined with baking paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar to serve

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Banana Tiramisu

Recipe- makes one 8 in cake + a few leftover glasses

Lady finger sponge (this is only the sponge layer, so not the lady finger pieces, which you buy) (not essential btw, for a cake its better, for spoon out tiramisu from pudding cup or a bowl then no need)

70g egg whites

70g sugar

100g yolks

60g flour

30g cornstarch

30ml oil

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peak

Add yolks, sift in flour, cornstarch, fold into egg mixture.

Fold in oil.

Pour into 8in cake mould, and bake at 210C for 10min.

Cool, slice into two layers.

Ingredients for tiramisu

1 lady finger sponge (the cake that can be made from ingredients above)

One pack of lady fingers- 10 pcs around

Warm coffee- 250ml. If you like stronger coffee taste, put more coffee beans

40 ml Amaretto (you can substitute this for marsala or kahlua, or a mixture of any of these together) (i put around 60 ml because i like a stronger alcohol taste)

Mascarpone cheese 250g

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

75g sugar 

10g gelatin powder

325g already whipped cream to stiff peaks

cocoa powder for dusting

Banana filling

3 bananas

20g sugar

1/2 pc lemon zest (not mandatory)

40g butter

1/4tsp cinnamon

5g rum

Banana filling: 

cut bananas into small slices. Heat butter & sugar in pan. Fry banans w/ lemon zest, cinnamon, rum until light golden brown. Leave to cool and for later use.

Beat mascarpone cheese and yolks

Beat whites with sugar to soft peaks & dissolve gelatine powder in 100ml hot water.

Fold whites, gelatine water, and whipped cream into mascarpone cheese.

Mix warm coffee with amaretto and other alcohol if you have.

Dip one slice of the lady finger into the coffee mixture so that it is soaked, but not so soaked that it will break.

Place in bottom of cake mould, then cover with some cheese mixture. Add some banana filling. Dip some lady finger biscuits into coffee mixture then arrange on cheese mixture, put some banana filling and put another layer of dipped sponge cake. Spoon some mascarpone cheese mixture.

Chill until set- around 2 hrs.

Dust with cocoa powder- use stencils for patterns.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Tiramisu

Recipe- makes one 8 in cake + a few leftover glasses

Lady finger sponge (this is only the sponge layer, so not the lady finger pieces, which you buy)

70g egg whites

70g sugar

100g yolks

60g flour

30g cornstarch

30ml oil

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peak

Add yolks, sift in flour, cornstarch, fold into egg mixture.

Fold in oil.

Pour into 8in cake mould, and bake at 210C for 10min.

Cool, slice into two layers.

Ingredients for tiramisu

1 lady finger sponge (the cake that can be made from ingredients above)

One pack of lady fingers- 10 pcs around

Warm coffee- 250ml. If you like stronger coffee taste, put more coffee beans

40 ml Amaretto (you can substitute this for marsala or kahlua, or a mixture of any of these together) (i put around 60 ml because i like a stronger alcohol taste)

Mascarpone cheese 250g

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

75g sugar 

10g gelatin powder

325g already whipped cream to stiff peaks

cocoa powder for dusting

Beat mascarpone cheese and yolks

Beat whites with sugar to soft peaks & dissolve gelatine powder in 100ml hot water.

Fold whites, gelatine water, and whipped cream into mascarpone cheese.

Mix warm coffee with amaretto and other alcohol if you have.

Dip one slice of the lady finger into the coffee mixture so that it is soaked, but not so soaked that it will break.

Place in bottom of cake mould, then cover with some cheese mixture. Dip some lady finger biscuits into coffee mixture then arrange on cheese mixture, and put another layer of dipped sponge cake. Spoon some mascarpone cheese mixture.

Chill until set- around 2 hrs.

Dust with cocoa powder- use stencils for patterns.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Tiramisu

Recipe- makes one 8 in cake + a few leftover glasses

Lady finger sponge (this is only the sponge layer, so not the lady finger pieces, which you buy)

70g egg whites

70g sugar

100g yolks

60g flour

30g cornstarch

30ml oil

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peak

Add yolks, sift in flour, cornstarch, fold into egg mixture.

Fold in oil.

Pour into 8in cake mould, and bake at 210C for 10min.

Cool, slice into two layers.

Ingredients for tiramisu

1 lady finger sponge (the cake that can be made from ingredients above)

One pack of lady fingers- 10 pcs around

Warm coffee- 250ml. If you like stronger coffee taste, put more coffee beans

40 ml Amaretto (you can substitute this for marsala or kahlua, or a mixture of any of these together) (i put around 60 ml because i like a stronger alcohol taste)

Mascarpone cheese 250g

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

75g sugar 

10g gelatin powder

325g already whipped cream to stiff peaks

cocoa powder for dusting

Beat mascarpone cheese and yolks

Beat whites with sugar to soft peaks & dissolve gelatine powder in 100ml hot water.

Fold whites, gelatine water, and whipped cream into mascarpone cheese.

Mix warm coffee with amaretto and other alcohol if you have.

Dip one slice of the lady finger into the coffee mixture so that it is soaked, but not so soaked that it will break.

Place in bottom of cake mould, then cover with some cheese mixture. Dip some lady finger biscuits into coffee mixture then arrange on cheese mixture, and put another layer of dipped sponge cake. Spoon some mascarpone cheese mixture.

Chill until set- around 2 hrs.

Dust with cocoa powder- use stencils for patterns.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Tiramisu

Recipe- makes one 8 in cake + a few leftover glasses

Lady finger sponge (this is only the sponge layer, so not the lady finger pieces, which you buy)

70g egg whites

70g sugar

100g yolks

60g flour

30g cornstarch

30ml oil

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peak

Add yolks, sift in flour, cornstarch, fold into egg mixture.

Fold in oil.

Pour into 8in cake mould, and bake at 210C for 10min.

Cool, slice into two layers.

Ingredients for tiramisu

1 lady finger sponge (the cake that can be made from ingredients above)

One pack of lady fingers- 10 pcs around

Warm coffee- 250ml. If you like stronger coffee taste, put more coffee beans

40 ml Amaretto (you can substitute this for marsala or kahlua, or a mixture of any of these together) (i put around 60 ml because i like a stronger alcohol taste)

Mascarpone cheese 250g

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

75g sugar 

10g gelatin powder

325g already whipped cream to stiff peaks

cocoa powder for dusting

Beat mascarpone cheese and yolks

Beat whites with sugar to soft peaks & dissolve gelatine powder in 100ml hot water.

Fold whites, gelatine water, and whipped cream into mascarpone cheese.

Mix warm coffee with amaretto and other alcohol if you have.

Dip one slice of the lady finger into the coffee mixture so that it is soaked, but not so soaked that it will break.

Place in bottom of cake mould, then cover with some cheese mixture. Dip some lady finger biscuits into coffee mixture then arrange on cheese mixture, and put another layer of dipped sponge cake. Spoon some mascarpone cheese mixture.

Chill until set- around 2 hrs.

Dust with cocoa powder- use stencils for patterns.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Tiramisu

Recipe- makes one 8 in cake + a few leftover glasses

Lady finger sponge (this is only the sponge layer, so not the lady finger pieces, which you buy)

70g egg whites

70g sugar

100g yolks

60g flour

30g cornstarch

30ml oil

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peak

Add yolks, sift in flour, cornstarch, fold into egg mixture.

Fold in oil.

Pour into 8in cake mould, and bake at 210C for 10min.

Cool, slice into two layers.

Ingredients for tiramisu

1 lady finger sponge (the cake that can be made from ingredients above)

One pack of lady fingers- 10 pcs around

Warm coffee- 250ml. If you like stronger coffee taste, put more coffee beans

40 ml Amaretto (you can substitute this for marsala or kahlua, or a mixture of any of these together) (i put around 60 ml because i like a stronger alcohol taste)

Mascarpone cheese 250g

4 egg yolks

4 egg whites

75g sugar 

10g gelatin powder

325g already whipped cream to stiff peaks

cocoa powder for dusting

Beat mascarpone cheese and yolks

Beat whites with sugar to soft peaks & dissolve gelatine powder in 100ml hot water.

Fold whites, gelatine water, and whipped cream into mascarpone cheese.

Mix warm coffee with amaretto and other alcohol if you have.

Dip one slice of the lady finger into the coffee mixture so that it is soaked, but not so soaked that it will break.

Place in bottom of cake mould, then cover with some cheese mixture. Dip some lady finger biscuits into coffee mixture then arrange on cheese mixture, and put another layer of dipped sponge cake. Spoon some mascarpone cheese mixture.

Chill until set- around 2 hrs.

Dust with cocoa powder- use stencils for patterns.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

hostess marshmallow cream filled chocolate cupcakes

recipe makes 15

1 1/2c+2tbsp flour

2 1/4tsp baking powder

1/4ts salt

1/2tbsp vanilla

1/2c +1 tbsp milk

3/4c cocoa powder

99g butter softened

3/4c + 6tbsp sugar

2.5 egg whites

180C oil muffin tray, dont need to put paper liners.

Mix flour, bakign powder, cocoa powder, salt. Stir vanilla with milk.

Beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy. Add flour in 3 batches alternating with milk,.

Separately beat egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 into batter. Fold remaining.

Fill muffin tray cups 3/4 full. Bake 22 min. Cool

Cut hole in bottom, hollow out hole. Save the cut out pieces Put frosting in piping bag, pipe, and reseal using reserved piece. Decorate top with frosting.

Marshmallow Cream filling/frosting

280ml marshmallow cream

68g butter softened

Beat two together until combined. Chill 15-20 min until slightly firm.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

hostess marshmallow cream filled chocolate cupcakes

recipe makes 15

1 1/2c+2tbsp flour

2 1/4tsp baking powder

1/4ts salt

1/2tbsp vanilla

1/2c +1 tbsp milk

3/4c cocoa powder

99g butter softened

3/4c + 6tbsp sugar

2.5 egg whites

180C oil muffin tray, dont need to put paper liners.

Mix flour, bakign powder, cocoa powder, salt. Stir vanilla with milk.

Beat butter with sugar until pale and fluffy. Add flour in 3 batches alternating with milk,.

Separately beat egg whites until stiff. Fold 1/3 into batter. Fold remaining.

Fill muffin tray cups 3/4 full. Bake 22 min. Cool

Cut hole in bottom, hollow out hole. Save the cut out pieces Put frosting in piping bag, pipe, and reseal using reserved piece. Decorate top with frosting.

Marshmallow Cream filling/frosting

280ml marshmallow cream

68g butter softened

Beat two together until combined. Chill 15-20 min until slightly firm.

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

mint chocolate cupcake with mint buttercream frosting :) 

man i haven’t baked in a long time!

Recipe- makes 18 cupcakes

1 1/2c flour

1c +2tbsp sugar

3tbsp oil

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp baking soda (+1 tsp)

3/4 tsp baking powder (+3/8 tsp)

3/4c buttermilk

3/4c cocoa powder (if you don’t have enough, melt some dark chocolate and mix it in, just a bit)

3/4c warm water

80ml peppermint liqueur (mine was 24% alcohol- u can replace this with extract, i added quite a lot because the taste wasn’t so strong, so adjust the amount according to the peppermint concentration)

3/4tsp salt

180C.

Put cupcake liners in tray.

Mix flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda together, mix with electric mixer until combined.

Add eggs, buttermilk, oil, warm water, peppermint liqueur and beat until combined. (it was at this point that i saw that it was way too watery, so i just added lumps of flour in, literally spoonfuls until it was slightly thicker, so that’d be around 1/3-1/2c more flour.

So with that i put in brackets how much more of the raising agents i added.) Beat, and pour into cupcake liners, it should be of pouring consistency but not water consistency.

Bake for 20 min. Take out cool.

Frosting:

150g butter softened

amount of icing sugar really depends on you, but i used half cup, sifted

3 tbsp peppermint liqueur (depends on how concentrated u want the frosting to be)

Beat butter until creamy and soft, sift in icing sugar, beat until fluffy, add the peppermint, it should turn whiter and slightly green.

Frost!

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Viennese Cookies (no eggs!)

Recipe: this is the perfect amount, if u half it u end up with around 8 ^^

• 250g  butter softened
• 55g icing sugar (i used more around 65-70g)
• 225g plain flour
• 75g corn flour
• 300g dark chocolate
• pinch salt

180C

Cream butter until fluffy. Sieve in icing sugar. Beat

Sieve flour, cornflour, salt in, beat.

Put in piping bag with a nozzle attachment (star). Pipe onto non stick baking sheet.

Bake for 15min until golden brown.

Once cooled, melt chocolate (the methods of doing so- microwave, set over hot water, simmer over hot water in saucepan, or just put the bowl of chocolate in the oven which is still hot for a while). Dip half of the cookie into chocolate.

Let it sit until cooled and set

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)

Hazelnut Crunchy Cake

Recipe: 

Crunchy Base:

45g dark chocolate

10g vegetable oil

60g paillete Feuilletine

Hazelnut Sponge Cake:

150g egg

65g sugar

20g milk

20g oil

60g flour

40g ground hazelnut

1/2tsp baking powder

Hazelnut Custard Cream

250g whipping cream

100g instant custard powder

230g milk

140g praline paste

Decorate; toasted hazelnuts

Sponge Cake:

Beat eggs until foamy, add sugar, beat until thick and pale.

Sift in flour and baking powder and ground hazelnuts in 3 additions. Fold

Pour in milk and oil, mix.

Pour into 6x6in square mould. Bake 25-30min at 180C.

Cool

Make Crunchy Base:

Melt chocolate. Add oil, mix. Add to paillete Feuilletine. Mix. Press into bottom of 6x6in square ring with baking powder(cake is taken out by now and ring/mould is washed.)

Chill.

Make cream:

Beat cream until stiff peak.

Add milk to custard powder and beat until thick. Add cream to custard and fold. Add in praline paste and fold.

Assemble:

Cut sponge cake horizontally into 3 layers.

Place crunchy base on the bottom

Sandwich the hazelnut sponge cake with layers of hazelnut cream, so the layers are as following: crunchy base, cream, sponge, cream, sponge etc. When putting layers of cream, pipe it in thin rows.

Slice cake into a square. Spoon remaining cream into piping bag with round nozzle. Pipe cream on top of acke, sprinkle with toasted and chopped hazelnut.

Pipe the hazelnut custard cream

(Source: Flickr / bakingexplosion)