Mini bite-size Madeleines (French Butter Cakes)

For some reason, I have never imagined myself making Madeleines from scratch. To me, there is something special about these cute little French shells, that makes me feel like I will not be able to create them just like the ones in cafes.  Well now I made it! And I am excited to share with you how delicious they are - every bite is just as airy as clouds, with a mouthful of butter and sweetness. The next day after I experimented my first batch, I couldn't wait to create another batch with 3 flavors! I just became addicted to baking madeleines! 

Yield 12 regular size 3-inch Madeleines or 36 minis (1/2 inch) (which is what I made)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees °F (190 degrees °C). Butter and flour 12 madeleine molds (or 18 madeleine molds); set aside.
2. Melt butter and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light.
4. Beating constantly, gradually add sugar; and continue beating at high speed until mixture is thick and pale and ribbons form in bowl when beaters are lifted, 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Sift flour into egg mixture 1/3 at a time, gently folding after each addition.
6. Add lemon zest and pour melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Spoon batter into molds until full
7. Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip. For mini ones, bake about 5 minutes of less, do not bake too long or they will get too dry
8. Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with granulated sugar (optional, I skipped this step)

Tips:

1. The folding part is key. Do not over mix, only fold in the flour lightly until just combined
2. Madeleines are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftover madeleines are wonderful when dunked into coffee or tea
3. Variation: Chocolate Madeleines: Omit lemon zest. Increase sugar to 1/2 cup. Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour; sift into batter with flour

Rachel Khoo's Apple Crumble Cake

It was one of the best cakes I have ever baked and I can't NOT share with people around me. This cake is highly rated by my family and friends. I got at least 10 people tried the cake and their comments, including mine are:

Friend A: MMMMMM....I like the two layers of the cake.
(Apparently this friend is a total foodie AND she knows about cakes!)

Mum and Dad: Where's the cake gone? (ten minutes later...) Did you really finish the cake or you just threw it away? (They never actually TELL me what they think about the cake but their actions probably say it all)

Friend E: Why don't you serve with custard? Why apple crumble without custard? (BLAH BLAH BLAH...This friend is a total English and he thanked me in the end and told me it's yum)

and so many more comments!

Hence, you don't need any reason to hesitate! JUST! BAKE! AWAY! This cake is quite fool-proof and what you need is some music to dance to when you are whipping up the batter. And love. I like to talk to the cake the moment it goes into the oven. (Be good won't you cake?)

The recipe is exactly from Rachel Khoo's Apple Crumble Cake and there are only two things I adjusted myself.
1) I made the dulce de leche from scratch myself. It is a cheat version but here in Hong Kong I really can't find any equivalent.
2) I added crushed walnuts. Talking about apple and walnut come on...


Notes and some comments about the cake:
-Don't freak out about the sugar and butter amount. Go with it.
-The cake comes out quite crumbly. I cooked it in the cake pan for hours but still it crumbles quite a bit when I tried to cut it into nice and neat squares. What I can conclude is you need to bake this cake Not Too Thin and Not Too Thick. Make sure you line the pan with baking paper. Always let it cool completely IN the pan.
-Best to warm it up  in the oven before serving to crisp up the crumbles again. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard. Anyway you want. 

Looking good already in the pan.

Apple crumble cake

250g sugar
250g butter, softenend
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
300g self raising flour
5 tbsp milk
2 large apples
250g dulce de leche
A handful of crushed walnuts

Crumble topping

200g flour
120g butter, well chilled
100g sugar

Large rectangle tin (30cm x 20cm) lined with baking paper

Preheat oven to 160°c. Cream together the sugar with the butter and vanilla essence until fluffy. Beat in one egg in at the time. Sift in the flour and then add the milk. Pour mixture into the tin. Spread out evenly. Peel, core and chop up the apples, mix with dulce de leche. Pour on top of the cake mixture. Sprinkle the crushed walnuts on top.

For the crumble mixture, either process the ingredients in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs. Or cut the butter into small pieces, mix the dry ingredients together and rub the butter into them with your fingers until you have a crumbly texture.

Sprinkle the mixture over the apples. Bake for 35-40mins or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

The best pineapple upside-down cake

Sorry for the long wait, I have been suffering from a "baker's block" to decide what to bake and have the energy to write recently. Here I am again to share with you my recent baking experiments. 

The pineapple upside down cake has been an American classic, which I miss a lot after moving back to Asia. Amidst the fast growing pastry industry, it has been receding slowly from the dessert menu. However, there's something about the juicy pineapples and the rustic look of the cake that makes me crave for again. I am definitely intrigued to try new flavors and combinations, but the classics are always my go-to choice if I can't decide what to get. The pineapple cake is one of the examples. When I stumbled upon a beautiful fresh pineapple from the supermarket, the first thing popped in my mind is to bake this cake. 

This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking. The yellow cake recipe calls for whipped egg whites instead of whole eggs. I was surprised what a big difference it makes by doing the extra step. Glad I didn't take the easy way out. 

Baking time: 45-55 minutes

Yield: one 9" round cake

Ingredients:

Topping:
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup (140 grams) light brown sugar (original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)
1 medium pineapple(peeled, quartered, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick)
Maraschino cherriesor candied cherries (optional, I didn't use cherries this time)

Cake Batter:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp (120 grams) granulated white sugar (the original recipe calls for 1 cup but I cut back for less sweetness)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (I opted with 1 tbsp of sugar since I don't have it at that moment)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Butter a 9" round cake pan generously to avoid sticking
2. Topping: Place butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until butter and sugar are dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, for a few minutes or until it starts to bubble. 
3. Then remove from heat, and pour into your prepared cake pan. Evenly arrange the fresh pineapple slices on top of the sugar mixture. Set Aside (Can also garnish with cherries.)
4. Cake: In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt
5. Use an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then beat in the vanilla extract. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture (in three additions), alternately with the milk (in two additions), ending with the dry ingredients
   
6. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar (optional) just until the whites hold a firm peak. Take 1/3 of egg whites and add into the cake batter first. Mix the rest of the egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the top. 
7. Bake in preheated oven for 45 -55 minutes, or until golden brown (a toothpick inserted into the cake part will come out clean). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan and then invert the cake onto your serving plate when it's still warm

Fluffy blueberry pancakes II (without buttermilk)

Morning breakfast becomes gourmet weekend brunch when you add pancakes to the menu — at least this is how I feel. My first encounter of fluffy pancakes are from Japanese style pancakes. Thereafter I was spoiled by all the fancy brunch places in America that offers buttermilk pancakes smother with maple syrup and creamed butter. It's just pure awesomeness. 

Moving to China has limited my options for a good brunch, and left me no choice but make it at home. I have experimented a few versions of pancake recipes (another successful one here), and this by far is the softest and flavorful version without using buttermilk. Realizing using vinegar to "sour" milk can produce similar results gives me a no brainer a-ha moment. Why would I never think of that? Amazingly, 2 tablespoons of vinegar sounds a lot but you won't taste it at all in the pancakes. It almost feels like I am doing some high school scientific experiment. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup of blueberries (optional)

Steps:

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour"
2. Combine dry ingredients flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into "soured" milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone. Mix in the blueberries quickly while you after you add the flour. DO NOT OVERMIX!
3. Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat, and coat with cooking oil or butter. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. Lower heat for the rest of the pancakes to avoid burning
4. Stack the pancakes and serve warm with honey (or your desired syrup) and butter

Baby homemade snacks – flaxseed banana chewy biscuits

I can't wait to share this post because it's my very first time to make my own baby snacks, plus I just got some curious feedbacks from readers how it's made (last time I published the post by accident). Moving to China has been a challenge to find new recipes and food for my baby boy, imported goods became overpriced and local produce are questionable. That being said, I decided to look up baby snack recipes and try to create homemade bites just as enjoyable as the store bought ones. The first try is a success and I hope there will be more to come :)

Banana has been my son's staple favorite. I am almost positive he's addicted to it. He goes bananas when he just see these yellow long fruits on the fruit plate. As I ran out of snack inventory, I came across this flaxseed banana chewable recipe. The second I saw this I just couldn't wait to give it a try. These biscuits are packed with rich omega-3, protein and potassium. And did I mention it's sugar-free? It's healthy and my baby boy just can't stop munching on them :) within 2 days these were gone.  YES, homemade snacks are the best! 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour 120g

Ground Flaxseed 20g

1 Egg yolk 

Full cream milk (formula or water) 10g

1 Banana (about 60g)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven 170 °C, line cookie tray with parchment paper
2. Sift flour and mesh banana, set aside
3. Add milk, yolk, flaxseed, mesh banana and add flour
4. Mix all ingredients until combined and become a soft dough (do not over mix or else the biscuits will get tough)
5. Roll out the dough until 0.3 mm thin or your desired thickness
6. Use desired cookie cutters cut out different shapes and place them on lined cookie tray
7. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown 
8. Store in an air tight container, good for up to 4-5 days

Valentine's and Birthday : pink ombré strawberry cake

Okay, this is the longest recipe I've ever written and anyone who read this probably won't even give it a try, because making the cake alone is difficult enough! But I have to say it is one of the best celebration cakes I've ever made - so light and just about the right sweetness. Too bad I didn't take a picture of the dissection and show the layers of the cake. 

This cake was made for the new friends I met in Chongqing who have birthdays in February. And I figure pink is a nice color for this month which coincides with Valentine's Day.  You won't need an 8" cake for your valentines but hey, this is a good recipe for birthdays, showers and housewarming parties :) There is always a reason for baking a nice cake! 

It's hard to resist ombre cakes and the cute layers of colors either inside or outside the cake. This is my second attempt of an ombre cake and I took the "artsy" approach by making a rustic gradient effect on the side (inspired by here and here). So far I haven't tried the ombre colors between cake layers. Maybe I will try it next time :) 

Yield one 21cm (~8") chiffon cake 

Ingredients: 

Cake base

4 Egg yolks

80g granulated sugar

80ml vegetable oil (commonly use olive or canola)

160g all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

160ml milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Egg whites

7 egg whites (I used 8 here because my eggs were slightly smaller)

60g granulated sugar

Filling

2 cups fresh strawberries

2 tbsp Contreau

3 tbsp jam 

half lemon juice

sugar (optional if desired)

Decoration

600g whipping cream 

red gel coloring (I used Americolor, 1 1/2 drop for darkest pink)

Steps:

Cake

1. Preheat oven 175 °C (347 °F), prepare unlined chiffon cake pan. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two individual mixing bowls
2. Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer and add sugar 1/3 at a time until it's mostly dissolved. The egg yolks should become thick and frothy, the color turns into a pale yellow
3. Add oil, milk, vanilla extract in sequence. Mix well each ingredient 
4. Gently mix in flour and salt. DO NOT over mix
5. Use a stand mixer/handheld electric mixer to beat the egg whites. First beat the whites in medium speed until it adds volume. Start adding 1/3 sugar at a time until soft peaks form
6. Check constantly on the consistency of the egg whites but testing the peaks. Stop beating when you notice the peaks are stiff enough to stand but drops slightly
7. Scoop 1/4 of egg whites into the egg yolk batter. Gently fold in the whites until combine
8. Pour (7) into the rest of the egg whites and fold gently from bottom to top
9. Pour mixture into cake pan and gently tap it on the table to get rid of air bubbles
10. Lower oven temperature to 170 °C (338 °F) and bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Stick in a toothpick to test if it comes out clean
11. Remove from oven and let it cool upside down

Filling

1. While the cake is baking, prepare the strawberry filling for the cake
2. Slice strawberries into small thin pieces, set aside
3. Heat all ingredients in a saucepan in medium to high heat. Boil until the sauce condense into a syrup consistency. Remove from heat and let it cool 

Decoration

1. When the cake is cooled down, slice the cake in half and trim off the sides if needed
2. Take whipping cream straight from the fridge and beat when it's chilled. Beat until creamy but not too stiff
3. Divide cream into 3 bowls. Leave more for the white color. Drip food gel coloring to the one that you want the darkest color and mix until you reach a nice pastel pink
4. Scoop 1/2 cup of pink whipping cream to the second bowl and create a lighter shade of pink
5. Spread a generous amount on each layer. Top with the strawberry filling on the cream layer. 
6. Crumb coat the cake with the white cream. Smear the cake starting with darkest pink at the bottom and gradually add the lighter shade in the middle. Finally coat the top with the remaining white cream
7. Garnish the top with fresh fruits or pipe cream around it. Put in the fridge to let the cream settle

The Secret Salted Caramel Sauce

Who doesn't love Salted Caramel? Second to Nutella, salted caramel is almost a magical flavor that adds sparks to any food – banana pudding, vanilla ice cream, french toast, even bacon. It's just hard to explain the perfect chemistry when savory meets the burnt sweetness of caramel. So today I am introducing you to this basic recipe that makes your dish into a chef gourmet masterpiece, to surprise yourself and your guests. Making perfect caramel is all about controlling the heat and precision of timing. There are two ways of making them. I adapted the recipe from the wonderful The Boy Who Bakes. 

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar (200g)

9 tbsp butter (90g), cut up into pieces

1/2 cup full cream (120ml), warm

1 tbsp sea salt (I used pink himalayan salt) 

2 tbsp water or liquor (for method 2) 

No Liquid Method I:

1. Heat granulated sugar in a saucepan over medium high heat, wait for the rim around the sugar starts to brown then slowly stir the brown parts to the center with a heat proof spatula or wooded spoon. DO NOT stir too frequently as it will crystalize 
2. Sugar will slowly clumps and melt into an amber color liquid. Watch the color carefully as it may overcook and burn easily
3. Heat up the full cream in a microwave or saucepan before boiling point. Move the caramel liquid away from heat and add in the full cream 1/3 a time. Be careful of the hot mixture as it may bubble rapidly
4. Add butter into the caramel until it is completely melted
5. Season the caramel with sea salt until it's up to your desired flavor
6. Heat the sauce for another 1 minute and allow it cools down before use
7. Store in an air tight container, store up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator 

Liquid Method II:

1. Similar to method 1, but add the 2 tbsp of liquor (I usually use grand marnier or contreau) or water into the sugar before boiling
2. Make sure you boil the sugar liquid in high heat or else it will evaporate the moisture and become crystalize 
3. After creating an amber-colored caramel mixture, follow method 1's step 3-7

Enjoy!