Pistachio Cake With Rosewater Frosting

Since now that I have my new toy (KitchenAid Mixer) I want to bake more often like everyday but having a full time job, that means I only have the weekends and there are always a lot of activities that we do as a family during that time. So I only get to bake at night when T has gone to bed. Nonetheless I have scour and archive a few recipes that I will be trying in the weeks to come. I had a packet of raw pistachios which has been sitting in my pantry for quite a while waiting for me to use it up so when I found this recipe it was only befitting that I put it to use. 

Pistachio Cake (Makes 2 x 8" cake pan) 

Note: You can half the recipe to make 8 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios 

1 1/3 cup plain flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cardamom 

110gm butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract 

Method: 

1. Pre heat oven to 175 degrees celcius. Grease and flour both the cake pans or line muffin trays with paper case if you are making it as cupcakes.
2. Place the pistachios in a food processor and blend till finely ground. Transfer the ground pistachios into a bowl reserving two tablespoons for topping the frosting.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a bowl and set aside.
4. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed till light and fluffy for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the eggs and beat on medium for another 30 seconds until mixture is incorporated. Scraping down the bowl making sure everything is mix well. 
6. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
7. Then add the milk, vanilla and almond and mix on medium speed for about 15 seconds careful not to overwork the mixture.
8. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix on low speed until barely combined, at this stage if there is still flour on the side of the bowl just scrape it down with a spatula. Remove bowl from mixer.
9. Add the ground pistachios and mix gently to combine.
10. Divide the batter between the two cake pans or if using muffin tins scoop into paper cases. Bake until top springs back lightly when touched or skewer comes out clean for 22 to 25 mins for cake pans and 16 minutes for muffin tin. 
11. Let cake cool completely before frosting.

Rosewater Frosting:

3 large egg whites

2/3 cups caster sugar

170 gm butter

1/2 tsp rosewater (Found in middle eastern or indian shops)

1 drop green colouring (Optional)

Method:

1. Simmer a saucepan of water big enough for the bowl of your mixer to sit on top of it.
2. Add the egg whites and sugar to the mixer bowl, whisk well to combine, then place over the pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is opaque and thick for 3 minutes.
3. Transfer the bowl back to the mixer and starting on low speed and over the course of 30 seconds, bring the speed up to high. Whip on high speed until the whites are thick and glossy and the bowl is cool to the touch about 7 minutes.
4. While the whites are whipping, cut the butter into bite size squares, it's important that the butter is not too soft, if it is put in the fridge so that it is somewhat firm.
5. Add the butter one at a time to the whites and whip on low speed until combine for about 10 seconds. Continue doing this with the rest of the butter waiting 10 seconds between each addition.
6. When all the butter has been added, turn the speed up to high and whip until the mixture comes together to form a thick frosting. This may take a while if it's a warm and humid day but don't lose faith it will come together.
7. Add the colouring and rosewater and whip on high for 10 seconds.
8. Cover cake with frosting and sprinkle with reserved pistachios from earlier on or if making cupcakes, place frosting in a piping bag and pipe over cupcakes sprinkling the reserved pistachios.

This was the first time I had made buttercream from a meringue base, and I kind of like it better even though there are a few more steps involve. I found that I had control of how much butter and icing sugar I use therefore the buttercream use in this recipe was not too sickeningly sweet.

Orange Chocolate Mousse

I'm a fan of chocolate mousse BUT wait for it, wait for it.....only if they were not make with raw eggs. If you know me I hate egg yolks, I know I'm one of those special people that cannot stand the taste or smell of that yellow thing that is love by everyone around me. So when I had this particular mousse at a friend's recently during Christmas I absolutely love it because no eggs were harm in the making of it. So of course I ask her for the recipe and she obligingly shared it with me. This is such a simple thing to make and you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. 

Ingredients:

• 8oz good quality dark chocolate (I use Lindt)
• 8oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 tbsp orange liqueur (or Cointreau works fine too)
• Zest of 1 orange 
• 1 cup whipping cream

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of boiling water making sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Set aside.
2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar till smooth. 
3. Add the liqueur and orange zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the chocolate and combine well.
4. In a separate bowl whip the whipping cream till it forms soft peaks.
5. Fold the whip cream into the cream cheese in two batches.
6. Pour or you can use a nozzle and piping bag to add the mixture into containers you are going to serve in (I use shot glasses as I found them to be the right portion size)
7. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.

The mousse was so light and airy, the mixture was smooth and delectable in your mouth. It was hard to stop at just one but I had to practice self control or it will be extra time in the gym.

Butter Cake with Buttercream Icing

What better way to start the New Year than with a celebratory cake and a new cake mixer. It is'nt any mixer it's a KitchenAid, something which I have been eyeing for quite a while. Santa must have figured that I have been such a good girl that I deserve a nice Christmas gift. I got the cake recipe from a friend who's aunty had pass it down to her so I know it's a tried and tested recipe, I adapted the recipe by adding a few extra ingredients to it.

My new shiny mixer

Ingredients:

• 195gm plain flour 
• 1 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 170gm butter 
• 225gm caster sugar
• 1 large egg plus a egg yolk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 tbsp full cream milk
• 2 tbsp cognac

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcius. Butter and line a 8-inch cake pan.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy for about 2 mins.
4. Beat in egg, egg yolk, vanilla and cognac until well combined.
5. On low speed, add flour mixture in 3-parts alternating with milk.
6. Switch mixer to medium and beat for 10 to 15 seconds, just until batter appears uniform.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.
8. Bake for about 40 mins, test by inserting a skewer into centre of cake and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
9. Leave to cool in pan.

Buttercream Icing:

• 200gm butter
• 8 cups icing sugar 
• 2 tbsp milk 
• food colouring of your choice

Method:

1. Beat all ingredients in a mixer until well combined.
2. Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.

Note: I had double the quantity of the cake batter to make 2 as I wanted a double layer cake

I had not taken pictures of the icing process as it got a little messy and it was hard trying to juggle the camera on one hand and the piping bag on the other. Spread a little icing on a cake board, this stops the cake from moving about and put on the first layer. Using a spatula spread a thin layer on the top and place the second layer on top. Spread the whole cake with icing to crumb coat it, this makes it easy to pipe. I use a wilton 1M tip to get the rose effect.

I got a lot of compliments for the deco although as you can see from the picture above my icing was not as evenly spread out in the centre as I would like it to be but for a first attempt I must say it was pretty good. As the saying goes practice makes perfect. The cake was absolutely divine, it was buttery and moist and not oily at all. This is definitely a recipe I'll be using again and again. 

Egg Benedict with Smoked Salmon and Avocado on Baguette with Hollandaise Sauce

Happy New Year 2014 to all my readers. The new year also marks my first anniversary in the blogging world and what a better way to celebrate with a good hearty breakfast.

It's the holidays and I've been wanting to make poach eggs for quite a while since hubby likes to eat them and they are not cheap at cafes and restaurants. So after a few click of the mouse and a bit of read up I decided to take the plunge and attempt the recipe. The first try was a BIG disaster, I had scrambled eggs swimming in the pot of water. I had to have a visual tutorial of how it is done and where else to go then the reliable youtube, after watching a few videos I realize what my mistake was. I had drop the egg too high the top and the egg had spread all over. This I thought was a good Video it was well explain and easy to follow.

How to Poach Eggs:

1. Working with 1 egg at a time, crack an egg on to a saucer. Fill a wide saucepan with water until approximately 8cm deep. Add vinegar and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low-medium - water should be just simmering, with small bubbles rising from the base of pan and small ripples across the top of the water.
3. Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. Using a wooden spoon or whisk, stir simmering water in one direction to create a whirlpool (this will help to give your poached eggs a neat shape).
4. Slide egg from saucer into centre of whirlpool, as close to water as possible. Cook for 2-3 minutes for a semi-soft yolk or 3-4 minutes for a firm-set yolk, without stirring.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer egg to the bowl of cold water (this stops the cooking process). 
6. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels. During and between cooking eggs, use slotted spoon to skim any foam from water surface.
7. Repeat with remaining eggs. 
8. To reheat eggs, bring a clean pan of water to the boil then remove from heat. Add eggs. Stand, covered, for 1 minute. Remove and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Hollandaise Sauce:

Salt & pepper to taste
A bunch tarragon
3 large egg yolks
175gm butter cut into cubes
2 tbsp lemon juice

• Place a heatproof bowl over a medium saucepan that is quarter-filled with water. The bowl should fit snugly into the pan without touching the water (lift the bowl to check and remove some water if it does).

• Remove the bowl, cover the pan and bring the water to the boil over high heat. Uncover and reduce heat to very low so the water is barely simmering (there should be almost no movement at all). It is important that the water is barely simmering while making the sauce - if it is too hot, the egg yolks will cook too much and the sauce will curdle.

• Place the egg yolks and the 2 tbs water in the heatproof bowl and place over the pan. Use a wire balloon whisk to whisk the mixture constantly for 3 minutes or until it is thick and pale, has doubled in volume and a ribbon trail forms when the whisk is lifted.

• Add the butter a cube at a time, whisking constantly and adding another cube when the previous one is incorporated completely. (It should take about 10 minutes to add it all.) If butter is added too quickly, it won't mix easily with the egg yolks or the sauce may lose volume. At the same time, it is important that the butter is at room temperature and added a cube at a time, so that it doesn't take too long to be incorporated - if the sauce cooks for too long, it can curdle.

• The sauce will begin to thin when you start adding the butter. However, once the emulsion is established (after about the third cube), it will begin to thicken again. It will continue to thicken as the remaining butter is added. If the sauce curdles or separates it can be saved as long as it isn't grainy and the eggs haven't set.

• Remove the bowl from the pan and place on a heatproof surface. The cooked sauce should have the consistency of very lightly whisked thickened cream. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

To assemble I had toast the baguette in the oven, spreaded it with avocado and top it with smoked salmon. I place the poach eggs on the top of the salmon and drizzle the hollandaise sauce. I had thumbs up from the family and they said it was worthy to be served in a restaurant. Well they are my family and could be biased in their opinions but I was happy with the end result.

BON APPETIT!

MissChu - South Yarra

Me and a girlfriend was out one Saturday afternoon and we did not really have a plan on what we wanted to have for lunch and decided that we will just walk down Toorak road and discover what would wetch our appetite. We parked at the Como centre and from opposite the street our eyes caught this quaint little eatery and decided to check out the menu. Misschu is an unassuming restaurant which has a fusion of asian nostalgia with modern western twist.

It is known as a tuckshop which is what we they call food stalls in schools in the Asia region. We were well received as we walk in and the wait staff was nice and friendly. There is a menu and drinks notepad on the table, you tick in the boxes what you want and the wait staff will come take the paper menu from you.

We did not have to wait long before our food arrive. We started off with the egg omelet, avocado and balsamic caramelised onion fresh rice paper rolls which came accompanied with a sweet spicy sauce sprinkled on top with nuts. I enjoyed how the ingredients in the rolls were fresh. We also had the pork and prawn deep fried rice paper spring rolls, which came in little bite size with a chilli dipping sauce. I was glad that although fried it was not oily at all and I love the crunch of the paper rolls.

It was not long after that we had the lemongrass beef and seared atlantic salmon warm vermicelli salad. The lemongrass beef vermicelli was a little dry and could do with a bit more sauce but it had good flavour nonetheless. The salmon however had more sauce which tasted a little tangy, sweet and spicy all at the same time. The salmon was not over cooked which was a little pick in the centre.

Overall this place serves well if you after a quick simple meal. The portion was generous and we had some salad leftovers, we left with a full and contented belly.

Location:

276 Toorak Road

South Yarra

Adriano Zumbo - South Yarra

 

Adriano is no stranger in the patisserie world, he has a few times been on Masterchef creating his unique cakes and pastries. He is also well known for his Zumbarons which we know as macaroons and I've been wanting to try his creations for a long time. Even a few times contemplating getting on a plane and flying to Sydney just to get my hands on those cakes and zumbarons, so imagine my excitement when I found out that he had open an outlet in Melbourne. I was warn in advance by a few colleagues that there was long queues and to be prepared to wait a while before being served but that was not going to put me off.

So off I went on a Sunday afternoon and lo and behold I was surprise when I got to Adriano Zumbo and there was'nt a queue, good for me so that I can take my time to savour each and every sight, sound and taste of that place. The cakes were nicely displayed and look delectable each and every single one of them. Then there was a showcase of the most talk about zumbarons, there was at least 13 unique flavors. And the last display was all the pastries which had a few unique ones.

I ordered 3 different cakes which was $9 each, some zumbarons which was $2.50 each if I had my choice I would have bought all the flavors and the zonut at $5 from the pastry section. I chose the Dr Dot Cake which was chocolate, white nougat, roasted cocoa nib creme brulee, raspberry vinegar jelly, gianduja mousse and dark chocolate glaze. It was like a chocolate mousse cake with very interesting flavors in between. It was light and not too rich.

The other choice I had was the carrot cake which had layer of baked cheese cake, cream cheese mousse, semi dried carrots and caramalise pecans. I did not really enjoy this particular cake, I found the cake layer a little dry. And the last cake was the wassup bii which unfortunately I did not take down the description but from the name of the cake you can pretty much guess that wasabi was one of the ingredients, it was not overpowering and it left a nice after taste.

I was happy that I finally had the chance to taste this most talk about delectable creations by Adriano and I'll definitely be back for more.

Location:

14 Claremont St 

South Yarra 

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

I had a request from a friend to bake some cupcakes for her baby's christening, I had in mind the flavor and frosting I was going to make. But due to work and personal commitments I had left too late to buying the tip I needed to frost the cupcake with. So instead I adapted the recipe I was going to use into a whole cake and it was such a success I'm now on the top of the best baker in her circle of friends and frankly it did not take too much effort to make just a little creativity to make it look award winning.

For cake layers

• 3 ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut
• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

For ganache frosting

• 1 pound fine-quality semisweet chocolate such as Callebaut

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Special equipment 2x10- by 2-inch round cake pans

• Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius and grease pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.
• Finely chop chocolate. In a saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. 
• Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. 
• Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.

Make cake layers:

• Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
• Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
• In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well. 
• Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. 
• Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, baking time varies between 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely. 
• Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Make frosting:

• Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable (depending on chocolate used, it may be necessary to chill frosting to spreadable consistency).
• Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. Then add any berries of your choice
• Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. 

This is the most moist rich chocolate cake recipe I've come across and it make everyone who had a slice of it go ooh and ahh. And it's amazing the effect it created with some berries decorated on the top and an artistic splash of chocolate ganache to finish it off.