Showing posts with label Dessert Cakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert Cakes. Show all posts

May 27, 2012

Profiteroles

Profiteroles 


Serves: 6 approx
Preparation Time: Make the cream the night before which takes approx 20 minutes
Making Choux pastry takes approx 20 minutes and the chocolate melted topping approx 10 minutes

400g of Choux Pastry which is made with the following ingredients:
1/2 cup of water (125ml)
1/2 cup of milk (125ml)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup (110g) of butter (lurpak is better)
1 1/2 teaspoons of caster sugar
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
5 eggs
One warm mixing bowl or a warmed saucepan

When measuring out the egg volume you need a measuring cup like the one in the picture so you can see that the volume of liquid makes up exactly 1 cup (250ml). You may need one less egg or one more.


Now bring the water,milk, butter, salt and sugar to the boil in a saucepan.  When boiling quickly remove from the heat and mix in the flour beating with a wooden spoon. Return and beat over heat if there is still watery liquid present, just until its all evaporated.  Then pour into the warm mixing bowl or saucepan and add two of the eggs stirring briskly for a few seconds til mixed in then add two more eggs and stop stirring as soon as blended.  Mix any remaining eggs until you get a good blend that you can see can be scooped up into a piping kit.



Now you can scoop into piping kit with a nozzle for round shaped profiteroles (or eclair shapes). Place baking paper on the tray and slightly grease with butter. Bake for approx 25 minutes on 180 degrees.
Let them sit in oven to cool with door slightly ajar.  They will deflate slightly.  Slit them horizontally when cooled down.

If you find you have made too much choux you can freeze it in shapes for up to one month.



Vanilla pastry cream:

5 egg yolks
2 cups of milk
5g of vanilla sugar or a vanilla bean cut lengthwise
3/4 cup of caster sugar
40g cornstarch

Bring the milk to the boil with the vanilla sugar or the vanilla bean



Turn down the heat and scrape the beans from the vanilla bean with a spoon or knife carefully not to burn yourself. Even remove it and do this as its being heated.  

In another mixing bowl whip with beater the egg yolks with the caster sugar until pale and thick.  Stir in the cornstarch and do not beat any further.  Then pour the boiling milk with vanilla over the egg yolks mixing continuously over the heat and bring to simmer.  Make sure to fully scrape the bottom of the saucepan so that none of the mixture sticks to the bottom while heating.  Simmer only briskly (2 - 3 minutes or so) and you will see it begin to thicken.  When you can see it becoming quite thick turn off the heat and transfer to a clean bowl and leave to cool then refrigerate overnight.  

Chocolate topping:

I used freddo frogs!
You can use whatever chocolate you like.  Approx 150g chocolate covers around 8 small size profiteroles but you may need to melt more if you make eclairs as they are longer in shape.

Saucepan filled half with water. Place a stainless steel bowl over the saucepan add the chocolate in pieces  and boil the water. 

You need to stir the chocolate continuously so that it does not start to clump.  Depending on the type of chocolate you melt it can take longer with some brands.  Then you can scoop out onto each cooled profiterole shell and refrigerate until cool.

Serve cold with coffee or tea..enjoy!




Feb 3, 2012

Raspberry Cheesecake

RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

200g Sweet biscuits (can use anything you like) crushed up in a blender
80g approx of melted butter
300g cream cheese (room temp approx if possible)
1/2 cup thickened cream
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of boiling water
2 teaspoons of powdered gelatine or you can use the gelatine leaves (use packet instructions)
300g raspberries (not frozen fresh only)




Mix the sweet biscuits crushed with the melted butter in a blender until the consistency is able to be spread into a pie dish and pressed by hand fitting the whole dish

Refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese, cream, sugar until it is smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Mix the gelatine with the boiling water until dissolved and add to the cream cheese mixture.

Fold in a handful of rasperries into the mix and blend through just quickly (not too much).

Spoon this filling into the base and top with the remaining raspberries.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or until set properly.



Delicious!!!  Share it....... mmmmmm

Apr 14, 2011

Cream Sponge with Strawberry

Simple Vanilla Sponge Cake 

Yes it can be simple to make a home made sponge. Theres a few tricks to making it light and fluffy but you can do it!

Ingredients:

6 eggs separated yolks from whites when cold (must be at room temperature when starting to prepare covered with plastic wrap in separate containers )
200g white caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of water
teaspoon of zest of lemon 
1 cup of sifted cake flour (lighthouse brand is my choice)
3/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar  (stabilises the egg whites from drying)

Cream for cake:

250ml cream heavy like double
1 tablespoon of caster sugar

Berries for top of cake eg. Strawberries or Blueberries and some icing sugar for the top sifted.

To make your sponge get two 25cm or 10 inch pans for cake baking.  I use butter to grease the pans and also use baking paper cut to size for the pans and more butter and some flour to dust into the pans.

Turn oven on to around 175 degrees celcius and make the tray in the centre of the oven fan forced.

Get a large bowl out and sift the flour x 3 times.  Add 1/4 cup of the sugar to the flour and mix up.

Place 1/4 cup of the sugar into a bowl and add the yolks and beat on high until they are really pale and thick (ribbon like falling back into the bowl) At this point beat in your vanilla essence and water and lemon zest.

Then you need to sift in the flour, sugar mixture from before. Do not fold in but sift in.

Now wash the beaters as you need to use them in the egg white mixture now. Make sure they are dry (beaters) as no water should get into this mix.   Mix the egg whites until foamy (can take up to 7 minutes or more sometimes) add the cream of tartar and keep beating until they are shiny and stiff peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 of the sugar and blend until shiny peaks form. Gently fold a little egg white into the batter to lighten it. Then add the rest of the whites folding until just incorporated.  This is important now to not overmix as this is where if we overmix here it wont be as volumed.   Pour batter into the pans making sure its pretty even in both.

Bake these pans for around 35 minutes or until you see light brown on them. A toothpick in the middle should tell you if its ready or not.  Cool a little before inverting out of the pans.

Then you can whip your cream while the cake part is cooling.  When cake is cooled fill with the cream and top with cream and fruit and dust with icing sugar on the top.  I also filled the lower level with strawberry jam.