Black Forest cake

Besides this Black Forest cake, check out the Fresh Fruit roll..... Ingredients:
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
100g sugar
90g plain flour (sift)
10g chocolate powder
100g butter, melted
Topping ingredients:
300g fresh cream
250g dark sweet pitted cherries ( use fresh ones!!! the "fake" ones taste horrible) @__@ )
chocolate shaving
2 tsp rum flavor ( opt)
200g chocolate cream

Method 1:
1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a deep 9 in round baking tin with paper
2. Whisk eggs and sugar at maximum speed for 5-6 minutes until stiff
3. Fold in sifted flour and chocolate by hand, using an upward circulating motion. Add in warm melted butter and mix well until batter is shiny.
4. Pour into baking tin and bake for about 35 minutes. Turn cake out from baking tin and leave to cool. Cut cake into 3 layers. Remove top thin layer too.
5. Whisk the fresh cream until stiff and add half of the whipped cream to the chocolate cream and rum flavor.
6. Spread a thin layer of chocolate fresh cream on one cake layer and pipe a round of the cream on the edge. Put the pitted cherries in the center and cover them with a thin layer of the cream. Continue creaming with the second layer of cake. Spread the final layer of cake with white whipped cream ( opt: with rum flavor added).
7. Pipe 12 rosettes using a star nozzle and place the stem cherry to decorate. Cover the center and sides of the cake with chocolate flakes.
ENJOY!! ^_________^

Fresh Roll cake

As you can tell from my previous posts, I've been posting up many cake recipes! Well, I'm concentrating on "mastering" it now and hence, signed up for some cake classes. Richard Goh, who teaches at many community centers in Singapore is superb! I'm so glad I'm learning it from him. :DWhat we learnt this time ::::Black Forest Cake and Fresh roll cake! ^__^
Ingredients:
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
100g sugar
100g plain flour
100g butter, melted ( use corn oil)
Decoration: fresh cream, 150-200g, strawberries, kiwi, peaches, pineapple slices, chocolate rice
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Grease and line a shallow 11 inches square baking tray with paper
3. Whisk eggs vanilla essence and sugar at maximum speed for about 5-6 minutes until stiff.
4. Fold in sifted flour by HAND, using an upward circulating motion. Add flour slowly, but by bit but not until completely mixed before adding the next batch of flour.
5. Add in warm melted butter and mix well, until batter is shiny. Pour into baking tray and bake for about 13-15 minutes. Turn cake out from baking tray and leave to cool. If cake is not removed from the tray, the cake will shrink. And if batter sinks fast, the cake is not beaten up well.

6. Whisk fresh cream at medium speed until stiff. Spread whipped cream + mango puree or lemon jam ( whatever you like) over the cooled cake and roll up with the aid of a piece of paper. Place a piece of damp cloth beneath the paper to prevent slipping when rolling up cake. Freeze roll for 15 minutes.
***If you want the roll to be very rounded, slice the side of the cake diagonally, and place it at the other end of the cake. Look at the illustration below>>>>
7. Coat the roll with fresh cream and/or chocolate rice. Cut into pieces of 1 inch thick.
8. Spread whipped cream on top and decorate with fresh fruits and glaze with agar agar.
Preparation for agar agar:
150g water
30g sugar
1/2 tbsp agar agar powder
Boil all ingredients together.
OR to get a better and clearer look, use >>>
APRICOT GEL ( 100g) + 80 ml water,
Boil until dissolved, use a whisk to stir.

Longan cake

If I had to choose between the 2 cakes - Custard fruity cake or Longan cake, I would choose the longan cake. Both are good but longan cake has a special twist of exotic taste that I fancy. :) Besides I love longan.^_^ And so, here's how it's made!!!
Ingredients:

sponge cake4", 4

4" cake ring, 4

Ingredient A:

water, 100g
longan (cut into pieces), 80g, remove 80g longan juice)

sugar, 10g

fresh milk, 50g

instant jelly, 1/2 tsp

agar agar powder, 5g

Ingredient B:
Fresh cream, 160g

Method:

1. Cut 80g longan into small pieces

2. Bring ingredients 1 to a boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and immediately start on the whipped cream.

3.Whip fresh cream until very stiff. Add mixture 1 ( while it is still hot) into the beater and mix well, about 10 seconds.

4. Pour the mixture on top of the sponge cake, sandwich it with another piece of sponge cake. Pour the remaining filling over.

5. Arrange longan and fruits on top immediately, while the mixture is warm! 6. Boil topping ingredients together.
Topping ingredient:

water, 150g
sugar, 20g
instant jelly, 10g

Boil these together. Cool it for 3 minutes before pouring it over the cake. Keep refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving.

Sponge cake ( Jialei center)

Ingredients:

egg, 6

sugar, 160g

water, 70g

vanilla/ honeydew essence, little

self-raising flour, 160g
corn oil, 70g
S.P, 20g
Cake tin: 1 rectangular cake tin ( 11"x14") greased with oil and lined with paper.
Method:
1. sift self-raising flour
2. Beat egg and sugar for 1.5 minutes. Add in 1 and S.P. Beat for another 1.5 minutes. Blend in water and vanilla. Beat for 1o seconds. Remove from mixer.
3. Using hands, in circular motion, fold in corn oil and mix well. Pour mixture into cake tin.
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 200C. Leave it to cool. Decorate as desired.

Custard fruity cake

Beautiful on the outside and inside>>>>>Food for thought: " Beauty is always skin-deep. This beauty lies several inches into the skin. Though it cannot be seen, it can be felt. This is the only inner beauty that would ultimately bring you happiness.
I'll post up the recipes of the 2 cakes I learnt from Jialei center- Custard fruity cake and Longan cake ~~~
Ingredients:

sponge cake

Base:

flour, 120g

egg, 1/2

milk, 1 tsp

margarine, 60g

sugar, 30g

Method:

1. Combine margarine, sugar and egg together and mix well. (use a flat beater). Start slow, gradually increasing speed and beat until soft before adding flour and milk to form a dough.

2. On floured surface, roll out the pastry dough and knead till pliable. Roll it out on prepared wax paper. Using a ring to make the sides level. Use the wax paper to lift up the dough and flip it onto the square flat tin 10"10" wax paper. Prick it with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 180C. At the 13th minute, remove from the oven and over turn it to brown the other side of the crust.

Next, custard filling.....

Custard Filling:

sugar, 100g

fresh milk, 300g
water, 350g

egg yolk, 4
custard powder, 90g
Method:

1. Crack eggs into a bowl to get the yolk. Add in custard powder, sugar and a little water to mix well. After they have dissolved, add in the rest of the liquid ingredients. Slowly cook custard over low heat and stir constantly.

Note: the pastry, sponge cake and fruits must be ready and cut before custard preparation because the following movements have to be done quickly. To get this layered look::::::

do these steps:::::

1. Spread a little custard filling over pastry.

2. Place a piece of sponge cake on the pastry layer

3. Slice the sponge cake into half.

4.Spread the custard over the sponge cake

5. Place the last piece of sponge over the custard.

6. Finally, pour the remaining custard filling over it and IMMEDIATELY( while the custard is still hot)

7. Arrange fruits over the top.

8. Pour agar agar solution on it.

9.Leave it to set in the fridge.

Topping:

Fruits, 400g ( strawberry, kiwi, peach, honeydew)

jelly solution:

sugar, 110g

water, 500g

instant jelly, 30g

Method:

Boil together the above ingredients together. At the first boil, remove from heat and cool it for 3 minutes before pouring it onto the cake.

Note: if unable to find instant jelly, use agar agar powder, 10g. However, it will not look as clear as instant jelly powder. Agar will coagulate and make it look cloudy.
**for mango flavored custard, use mango puree instead of milk.

chocolate fudge cake

Finally, after the durian cream puffs and napkin roll, it is the ---chocolate fudge cake!
Require 2x rounded 7" tin, glazed with oil before lining with wax paper.
Ingredients:
egg, 4
sugar, 80g
flour, 80g
baking powder, 1/2 tsp
soda powder, 1/2 tsp
butter, melted and must be warm, 40g
chocolate paste, 1 tsp

Method:
1. Sieve flour, baking powder and soda powder together. Separate egg whites from the yolks. Melt the butter
2. Whisk egg whites and sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Add in egg yolks and beat well for 1 1/2 minutes.
3. Remove from beater. Using hands, fold in the flour, stirring in one direction. (Never use mixer to add flour. Always use spatula). Add in chocolate paste. Finally add in the warm butter. Pour into the baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 200C. Leave it to cool. (trim the edges)
Chocolate fudge topping Ingredients 1 :
corn flour, 10g
hoon kueh flour, 15g
water, 40g
Ingredients 2:
Cocoa powder, 10g
sugar, 70g
chocolate paste, 1 tsp
instant jelly, 20g
fresh milk, 500g

Method:

1. Mix ingredients 1 together and keep aside

2. Mix ingredients 2 together and bring to a boil. When mixture boils, stir in ingredient 1 and bring to boil again.

3. Spread the mixture (must be HOT fudge!) over the sponge cake and sandwich it with another layer of sponge. Spread the rest of the mixture over it. Refrigerate for about 4 hours before decorating it.

durian cream puff + choco variation

Continuation of the previous post:

.....these durian puffs are absolutely heavenly! *lick lips***

Ingredients (filling: durian custard)

custard powder, 30g

sugar, 120g

durian flesh, 240g

hoon kueh powder, 45g

fresh milk, 530g

Direction:

Add all the ingredients and 1/4 of the milk. Mix well until smooth. Add the rest of the milk. Finally bring to a boil. Constant attention and stirring is important!

Ingredients (choux pastry)

eggs, 4

water, 235g

shortening, 125g ( use half butter and half shortening for best results)

baking powder, 1/2 tsp

plain flour, 125g

Directions:

1. Sieve flour and baking powder together

2. Bring shortening and water to a boil. After it comes to a boil, quickly add in flour and stir the mixture until it comes together. Do not off the fire at this point. Only when water has been evaporated, off the fire.

3. Pour the mixture into a flat beater mixer and mix well, about 1 minute on max speed to release the hot air. Add in egg and mix evenly. Add essence.

4. Put the choux pastry into a large pastry bag, with a star tip and pipe them out on a greased baking tray.

5. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes.

6. Allow to cool.

7. Pipe in the custard or use a scissor to cut the puff and fill it in with custard filling.

Another variaiton would be to use the same choux pastry and pipe an l to give it an eclair look. Add in whipped cream +chocolate paste for the filling. Top with chopped almonds.

napkin roll

I have to admit that although I do love baking, I am not a pro and have a lot more to learn. Hence, I'm taking this opportunity to learn as much as I can from various pros in Singapore! :) Most people think that dietitians know everything about food, how to cook and bake but what they don't know is that the things we learn in school is more disease-orientated or how foods can be used to heal diseases. There are tons of biochemistry and organic chemistry classes to learn how our body works biochemically. The three domains include clinical ( seeing patients in the hospitals -people who can't eat) to administrative ( management of hospital kitchens or food services) to community nutrition which involves group lectures and consults with clients who need help with their diabetes or renal condition, even clients who need help with obesity or anorexia, etc. In a small nutshell, that is what we can do.
Although the recipes I have posted or will be posting up do not reflect the absolute healthiest foods, I have to concur that I use this place as a melting pot of ideas. Anything is possible once techniques are mastered...for example, sugar can be omitted / substituted if someone is a diabetic. I hope that you'll find these recipes useful and feel free to modify it to suit your health and taste buds!

~~~ ^___^~~~~
Today, I went to the Jia lei confectionery & training center to learn how to make: napkin roll, durian cream puff and chocolate fudge cake. Here's the brief recipe for the napkin roll: Ingredients:

Egg, 5

Egg yolk, 3

Optima flour (or sponge cake mix flour) 140g

Hong kong flour, 50g ( to decrease sweetness)

water, 60g

S.P (or ovalette), 15g

corn oil, 40g

honeydew essence, a little

jam, optional

Use 2 trays, 11x14"

Directions:

1. Beat egg, egg yolks, hong kong flour, optima flour and S.P at maximum speed for approximately 5 minutes. Add in water and essence and mix well, about 10 seconds only.

2. Pour in corn oil. Use hands to mix well. (Never use a mixer to add oil). Pour it into the tin. For the multi-colored look, use a paper cone and pipe the alternating colored batters into the baking tin. Start with a little before batter before adding more. Shake pan to remove air bubbles. Bake in a Baine-Marie for about 15 minutes at 170C. Hot water must be used.

3. When the cake is cooled, spread some jam and fresh cream, and roll it up like a napkin.

a piece of cake (video)

I would like to share with you this beautiful inspirational sharing that aunt Rosy sent me. I modified and converted it into a video so as to post it up here. Enjoy!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMECQz7OZdA

graduation cup caps

Congratulations Clay & Ryan! ^__^

~These cup- caps resemble hats with tassels.~

I made these cupcakes for their party @ the park and guess what happened when I brought the cupcakes there? The hats started to slip off because the whipped cream couldn't stand the heat! =( If I do make them again, it'd have to be in a house-setting.

~Up-side down devil's fudge chocolate and almond flavored yellow cupcakes topped with freshly whipped cream and chocolate coated graham crackers to make a "cap". Attach fruit snacks and M&M to complete the look~Finally, these words were written with white chocolate on the caps~

CLAY

2007

RYAN

Clay was a strong anchor and unwavering co-leader for me when I was the Y&YA director. I'll always remember the long discussions and brain-storming sessions we had. He compliments me with his melancholic personality. ;p Thanks Clay and it's nice to have a lil' brother with whom I can 'punch' and still laugh about it! lol. ^___*

Food for thought:" Real friendship involves loyalty. "A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need." Proverbs 17:17.

It was Persis birthday and to kill two birds with one stone, I made extra cupcakes whilst making Clay & Ryans'. However, I added caramel and mint chocolate in the middle of the batter for hers. For decoration, I topped it with fresh berries or multi-colored mint white chocolate chips. Hope she had a good surprised!! ^__^