Raspberry Moussecake

Yesterday I made these.
Was so intrigued by the colors and thought this would taste delicious!
Indeed they were!



It sure takes a while to set but they were beautiful pink. I can imagine these being served on V-Day. However, I'd make a few changes next time. Use a little bit of pink/red coloring to enhance it. The plus to this is that I've all ingredients in my pantry =)

This recipe has been cut in half. To make a full cake, simply double the recipe!

Raspberry Moussecake

Ingredients
25 g flour
10 g cocoa powder
2 yolks
35 g sugar
1 tbsp oil
25 mls water
2 egg whites

To make the bottom chiffon cake
Preheat oven 180C
Line baking paper in pan.
Sift flour and cocoa powder together. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and add half the sugar. Whisk til creamy. Gradually add oil and water. Tip in the flour mix and combine. Whisk egg whites with remaining sugar til soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes til toothprick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Cut your chiffon cakes into round moulds. Put 10 g of caster and 25 mls water in a small bowl and microwave til bubbly. Brush the mixture on top of cakes. Leave the cakes in the fridge while you continue to make the mousse.

Tips: I used a small-ish loaf pan to bake my bake. And as for the moulds, I used small sized plastic trifle cups which got me 3 wonderful round cakes. The rest of the chiffon cakes I just dumped them into 2 other trifle cups and swirl the mix around.

Raspberry Mousse
Ingredients
150 g raspberry puree - I pureed my berries with a fork so I get some berry chunks in my mousse =)
45 g caster
3 g gelatine - I'd reduce this tad next time for a less gelatine-like mousse
150 g cream

How to make
Put 1 tbsp warm water into a small bowl and dissolve the gelatine in. Heat 1/2 of the puree with sugar in the microwave wil hot. Combine gelatine mixture into hot puree and whisk til well combined. Add the remaining puree and leave to cool a little. Whisk cream til soft peaks form and fold into puree mixture.

Top cakes with mousse mix. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Tips: The mousse mixture I topped with 5 tablespoons each onto each cake moulds. They fit perfectly.

Verdict: It's definitely for a sweet-sour tooth type of person. I don't particularly like the chiffon cake but after spending an overnight in the fridge, I don't quite mind it at all. The sweet chocolatey taste and sweet-sour taste from the mousse blended so well together.

Definitely a keeper =)

Mascarpone Marbled Cheesecake

We had few friends over for dinner so I made these for dessert!



After filling up all my mini cups pan, there are more chocolate batter than whites so I topped chocolate batter on whites instead into a muffin pan. I must say, the chocolate cheesecake is SO SO gooood!! Much better than the cheesecake itself!



Here's the recipe

Mascarpone Marbled Cheesecake

(A)
50 g Oreo cookies, crushed and fillings removed

(B)
100 g bittersweet/dark chocolates - use good quality chocolates
40 ml (2tbsp) water
300 g cream cheese
120 g sugar
2 eggs
140 g mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract

How to make
Preheat oven to 160C.
Spray moulds with olive oil or butter.
Cover bottom pan with foil.
Sprinkle A into bottom of the moulds, pressing lightly.
Combine chocolates with water and melt together.
Beat cream cheese til smooth. Add sugar.
Add eggs one at a time, beating smoothly.
Mix mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract together.
Add to cheese mixture and mix til smooth.
Take out 1/3 cup of mixture and mix it into chocolate mix.
Alternate cheese mixture and chocolate mixture into moulds filling up to top. Start with cheese mix, then chocolate mix, ending with cheese mix til mixture comes up to the brim. Using a toothpick, swirl mixture in moulds carefully not to overmix.

Put kettle on. Place moulds into large roasting pan. Pour hot boiling water into roasting pan til it comes up to half mould bottom level.

Congratulations you've mastered the water-bath baking method :)
Depending on the size of your mould, I baked 15 mins. If using muffin pans, bake up to 30 mins. The centre should come out slightly wobbly in the centre.
Cool cheesecake on rack and put them into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Verdict: The taste is absolutely yummy though the crust didn't turn out crumbly. In fact it blended well into the cheesecake. I LOVE the chocolate mix, next time I'd make it all chocolate instead of marbling them =p

38 weeks!

YUMMO!

Almond and Chocolate Pound Cake with Lemon Curd filling

Hello.

Okay, I know now that at 37 weeks along, I'm supposed to be relaxing at home, put my feet up and lay sprawled on the couch in front of the TV with a tub of chocolate brownie ice-cream..

But!
Unfortunately that is too uncomfortable to do at this stage and I don't think I'm capable of handling that kind of lifestyle for long. So up I went to make myself a little useful and head off to the supermarket. Bought ingredients and did some retail 'baking gadgets' therapy =)

And here's what I turn up with!



Recipe for the pound cake can be found here!
I decided to give the original pound cake a try and used almond essence instead.
Verdict: Don't quite like the taste. I think 5mls of almond essence is too much. Try reducing it to half next time. OR better yet, switch to vanilla altogether.

I melted some choc chips, took out some of the batter and mix. I find the chocolate part is yummy with less almond-y taste. Luckily I made some lemon curd for the filling and these cuppies turned out DELICIOUS!



Not that these little cuppies needed the moist centre, but the lemony tang twist in the middle takes these little ones up another level =) *yum*

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Curd (original recipe from here)

Ingredients (- indicates halved)
3 large eggs - 2 small eggs
2-3 lemons, juiced out to make up to (80mls) fresh lemon juice - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp juice
150 g sugar - 75 g
56 g unsalted butter, room temp, cut to small pieces - 28 g
1 tbsp lemon zest - 1 tsp

How to make
Whisk constantly eggs, lemon juice and sugar on a double boiler til a consistency of sour cream or hollandaise sauce is reached. Check temperature so it comes up to 71C. Remove from heat and put through a fine sieve if lumps appear. Drop butter pieces one at a time whisking through with each addition til butter melts in the mixture. Add lemon zest.

Lay a piece of cling wrap on top of lemon curd surface to prevent skin forming and place it in the fridge to cool. Mixture will thicken more while cooling.

Note: I have halved the recipe and it made up close to half a cup of lemon curd. Just enough for me to fill 12 standard size cuppies!

SMBC (Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting)

Ingredients
2 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
113 g butter (divided to 1 tbsp each or 14 g segments)
1 tsp vanilla extract
yellow coloring

How to make:
Whisk egg whites and sugar on a double boiler to reach a safe temperature of 160C, whisking constantly.
Remove and place in mixing bowl and whisk away on high speed til stiff peaks form but not dry.
Switch to paddle attachment.
Add 1 tbsp (14g) butter one at a time, whisking til well combined.
Increase to medium-high speed til you get a fluffy consistency.
Lower speed and add vanilla extract and yellow coloring.



Can you decide which design you'd like?



Sorry but can't resists!
Here's our little beast Koda.
Just moments before the flower vase toppled over her!