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