Monday 25 June 2012

Vanilla Mille Crepe

This is something so worth blogging about.

I decided to challenge this mille crepe cake that is oh-so-popular in a facebook baking group.



All these while, we got our Mille Crepe fix from Food Foundry, Section 17. There was once during my confinement where hubby drove all the way there and brought back a few slices for me just because I was craving for it! (Yeah, craving starts during confinement month for me!)

I also bought it once for a birthday party where I requested for 4 different flavours of the cake to be assembled into one whole cake.

So on Wednesday night, I started this super tedious cake.

First, I decided to fry the crepe layers first and keep it chilled overnight in the fridge. Started at 11pm and finally finished everything at 1am. One recipe yields about 15-16 layers, taking into account the ruined ones.

On Thursday, (its easier to jot down using timeline)
5pm: I used Wendy's recipe for the pastry cream. Did one portion of it and kept in the fridge.

11pm: I started work frying crepes again figuring the 15 layers of crepe wouldn't be enough.

12am: Halfway through frying, I decided that I would start assembling it. So I whipped up some cream and fold it into the pastry cream, divide each layers into 50gm of fillings and assembled 3 layers.

1am: I realised one batch of pastry cream isn't enough and I did up another batch.

1.30am: I finish frying my second batch of crepes and then clean up, waiting for the pastry cream to be chilled enough to fold into the whipped cream. (Sat down to type this post)

2.30am: Finally DONE!

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Vanilla Mille Crepe
**For a 22cm Frying Pan

For the crepes:
(Adapted from: Alvina Chua)

200gm Whole Eggs
40gm Castor Sugar
140gm Low Protein Flour
700gm Full Cream Fresh Milk
100gm Salted Butter

1. In a pot, cook milk and butter under low heat until butter almost melted. Remove from heat.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the castor sugar and whole eggs till combined.
3. Sieve in flour and mix till no lumps.
4. Slowly mix in the warm milk and butter mixture into the eggs mixture.
5. Cover the crepe batter with a cling film and rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.
(I stand my first batch for 15 minutes before frying. Second batch for a few hours in the fridge.)


Frying the crepes:
I use a non stick pan and did the first crepe as my test batch. I did not grease the pan at all. After the first crepe, turn the heat to low(about 140c). The pan should be oily enough after the 1st crepe. 
Pour in 1/3 cup of the batter and quickly swirl the pan for the batter to distribute evenly and quickly pour out any excess batter. (I find that its still too thick with 1/3 cup of batter but then its the least batter I could manage)
Use very low heat (I use 120c on my induction and fry for 3-4 minutes for one side and another 1 minute on the other side) and fry until the crepe turns solid and can be flipped easily. 
I run the edge with a silicon spatula and then lift it up a little with the spatula and quickly use my fingers to flip it. 
Separate the fried crepes with pieces of wax paper/greaseproof paper/baking paper. 
The crepes are not supposed to be brown so when its cook enough, it can be remove from the pan. 
Don't worry if your crepe turns out crispy, it will turn soft after u spread the filling. 

If you would like to store the crepes in the fridge, make sure you keep them in an airtight container. I put them on a cake board and wrap it with a few layers of cling film.


For the Vanilla Filling:
(Pastry Cream Recipe Adapted from: Wendyinkk)

6 egg yolks
70gm Sugar
2 Tbsp Cornstarch
300ml Whipping Cream
Vanilla Beans scraped from one whole vanilla pod

1. Prepare an ice bath, with a clean metal bowl in it.
2. Using a stand mixer, whip egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. 
2. Add in cornstarch and mix well under low speed. Scrape the bowl. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the cream and the vanilla beans in a pot until bubbles start to appear at the sides. 
4. Slowly pour in the heated cream into the yolks. Keep your mixer running at low speed. If not, the eggs would cook and curdle.
5. Transfer everything back to the pot and heat it again under low heat while whisking with a hand whisk all the time. 
6. Once the mixture starts to boil, turn off heat immediately, keep stirring and transfer them into the clean metal bowl soaked in ice water prepared earlier. Continue stirring for a little while to stop the cooking process. 
7. Chill the pastry cream in the fridge, cover with cling film touching the surface of the pastry cream.


250ml Whipping cream
25gm Castor Sugar
1 tsp Gelatin
1 Tbsp Water

1. Freeze the beaters and mixing bowl for 10 minutes before starting. 
2. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let sit for 5 minutes. 
3. Fill a bowl with boiling hot water, soak the bowl of gelatin mixture into the hot water, keep stirring till gelatin dissolve. Remove from hot water and leave to cool. 
4. Using a stand mixer, whip the cream under medium speed till thickens then add in castor sugar. 
5. Continue whipping till soft peaks then slowly pour in gelatin. 
6. Whip till stiff peaks. Chill the whipped cream in the fridge for 30 minutes before proceeding. 


To assemble:
Go through your crepes and pick one to be the top. I still use mine if there were some holes in the middle but not those with a big tear.Count and note how many layers your are going to make so that you will not run short of cream or crepes.
Fold the pastry cream into the whipped cream until well combined.
Divide it into 50gm portions and put it back to the fridge. (I separate it into 5 portions of 50gm then put the whole bowl back to the fridge)
Start by spreading one portion of fillings on a crepe. (I prefer my sides to be bare. I find it nicer)
Layer with a piece of crepe and repeat until done.
During the process, if you find the fillings a bit runny, put the whole cake and the filling into the freezer for a while before continuing.
Chill the cake in the fridge overnight before serving.
Use a very sharp knife to cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Wednesday 7 March 2012

Aspiring Bakers #16: Fun with Fondant!(February 2012) - Round Up

Dear Aspiring Bakers, did you have fun with fondant this month? 

Thanks to SSB for the chance of letting me host this month's aspiring bakers. It was indeed a fun experience opening each and every email to look at the beautiful creations! 

Thanks to all who have submitted an entry, without all your submissions, this event would not be such a great one!

To those who did not submit an entry, fear not, do click on each link for more tips and tricks or even inspiring ideas to get started on fondant decorating!

Let me present to you the round up of entries of the Aspiring Bakers # 16: Fun with Fondant(February 2012).


1. Luv You Beary Much
by Fong's Kitchen Journal


2. Marine Life
by Passionate About Baking
3.  {Valentine Special} Edible Sugar Roses
by Hankerie
4. Valentine's Day bakes 01!~
by Happy Bakers
5. Valentine's Day bakes 02!~
by Happy Bakers
6. Valentine's Day bakes 03!~
by Happy Bakers
7. 巧克力戚风蛋糕 (Okashi 食谱) by 爱丝特の烘焙记录
8. CNY Mandarin Butter Cake
by iceamericanos
9. Hello Kitty Cupcakes
by Hankerie
10. My First 3D Fondant Figurine by ChunkyCooky
11. Baby Shower Cupcakes - Part I
by Hankerie
12. Baby Shower Cupcakes - Part II
by Hankerie
13. 2012 High End Fashion Cupcakes by Li Shuan
14. Birthday cake ideas
by The Sweet Spot
15. {Edible Sugar Flower} Wild Orchid
by Hankerie
16. Chicken & Mash Cake for Dogs
by iceamericanos
17. Black and Purple Theme Hantaran Cake
by 
DayBab's Delectable Treats
18. Baby Sleeping by Passionate About Baking
19. Bonjour, Paris!
by 
Cosy Bake
20. Bake Cupcakes for Charity Event
by Hankerie
21. 鲜奶油磅蛋糕 (Whipped Cream Cake) by 爱丝特の烘焙记录
22. {Edible Sugar Flower} Purple Roses
by Hankerie
23. {Edible Sugar Flower} White Orchid
by Hankerie
24. My First Fondant Cake by Cook.Bake.Love
25. Dinosaur Fondant Cake
by 
Awayofmind
26. Monopoly! by bakingoncloud9
27. Knitting fondant cup cake by Life Is An Illusion
28. Channel Bag
by Cuteycake
29. Castle
by Cuteycake
30. Cake Painting
by Cuteycake
31. Love is in the air
by Cuteycake
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And for the lucky draw, the draw is based on the order of submission so there will be 31 numbers. I used random.org for the draw and this is the result:



Congratulations to Jane of Passionate about Baking!! 

Please email me your name, contact address and telephone number by 10th March 2012 to claim your gift!

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Do hop on over to his blog by clicking the link above for more information. 


p/s: Kindly send me an email if there are any mistakes on your name/link and I would amend it accordingly. 

Tuesday 28 February 2012

Mascarpone Creme Brulee Cheesecake with Phyllo Pastry - Taste like ice cream!

Me and the hubby was watching Anna Olson on AFC the other day and he saw her baking this creme brulee and asked me to make some for him.

Before Anna could finish whipping the recipe up, I have already found the recipe online from foodnetwork. Talk about technology nowadays..

Needless to say, hubby was impressed and I told him no matter nice or not, he have to finish all cause Mascarpone are so expensive here! A small tub of 250gm cost about RM 25 from Cold Storage.

Despite the simple ingredients used, the end result was quite surprising! The creme brulee was soft but not too soft, almost like eating mousse or ice cream. Make sure you chill it properly before serving and I don't think its necessary to torch it anymore to achieve the creme brulee presentation! Also, do try and use real vanilla seeds fresh from the pods.



Mascarpone Creme Brulee with Phyllo Pastry
(Adapted from: foodnetwork.ca)
**Make about 4 ramekins

For the Mascarpone Creme Brulee:

250gm Mascarpone Cheese
1/4 cup Castor Sugar
1/4 cup Whipping Cream
Scraped seeds from half a vanilla bean
2 medium Eggs

1. Best Mascarpone cheese till smooth and soft then mix in castor sugar, whipping cream and the vanilla seeds. Mix using a hand whisk.
2. Whisk in eggs one at a time till mixture is smooth and well blended.
3. Line 4 ramekins at the base with non stick parchment paper and pour the mascarpone mixture in it.
4. Bake in a water bath at 160c for 35 minutes or until set and golden brown. (Mine is still wobbly in the centre but its alright cause u have to chill it)
5. When the cheesecakes are done, bring it out from the oven and leave to cool in the water bath till room temperature and then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours before serving.

For the Phyllo Pastry crust:

3 sheets of Phyllo Pastry (The one I bought is called FILO pastry)
30gm Melted Butter
2 Tbsp Castor Sugar

1. Lay out one sheet of Phyllo pastry on a piece of parchment and brush melted butter and sprinkle some castor sugar on it, cover with another sheet of pastry.
2. Repeat with butter and sugar on the second sheet and cover with the 3rd piece of pastry.
3. Brush butter and sprinkle sugar again and then fold the pastry into half.
4. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out 4 circles of the pastry about the diameter of your ramekins.
5. Bake at 180c for 7 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Leave to cool and store in an airtight container.

To serve:
Run a sharp knife along the edges of the ramekins and over turn it on the cool phyllo pastry. Peel away the parchment and sprinkle some sugar on top. Using a blow torch, torch the top of the cheesecake till sugar caramelized. Serve immediately.

Sunday 26 February 2012

Chicken and Mash Cake for Dogs

Here is a cake I did for Renee's 2nd birthday. Renee is a friend's poodle and my friend asked me whether I could do a cake for her lovely toy poodle to celebrate her birthday!

I used fresh minced chicken and carrots as my main ingredients. I also added in some dried oregano found in my kitchen for some nice fragrance and aroma.

For the frosting, I mashed up some potatoes with unsalted butter and use as a doggie-friendly-frosting.

The cost of the cake cost a bomb as its a 100% meat cake, something like a human meatloaf.



I will be submitting this recipe to 
Aspiring Bakers #16: Fun with Fondant! hosted by Yvonne of iceamericanos. 

Saturday 18 February 2012

Aspiring Bakers #16: CNY Fondant Mandarin Butter Cake

This is a basic butter cake i made for prayers on the 9th day of CNY. Initial plans was to only bake those cupcakes and decorating them with fondant. Since I finish everything the night before and had some free time in the afternoon, I quickly bake the most basic butter pound cake with some mandarin oranges zest and juice.

Decorated the cake with characters from the 恭喜发财 cutter and covering it with fondant. This is my first attempt to cover a whole cake with fondant. I spread a layer of marmalade jam on top the cake and the sides then i roll my fondant out thinly and cover the cake. The only mistake i did was i should level the cake out first before spreading those jam. Not leveling resulted in a cake that have portholes all over!


I will be submitting this recipe to Aspiring Bakers #16: Fun with Fondant! hosted by Yvonne of iceamericanos. 



CNY Mandarin Butter Cake

Ingredients:
250gm Butter (I love SCS Salted butter)
160gm Castor Sugar
4 Whole Eggs (Room Temperature)
210gm Self Raising Flour (Sifted)
2 Tbsp Mandarin Orange Juice
2 tsp Mandaring Orange Zest


Method:
1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the mandarin orange zest.
3. Under low speed, add in flour alternating with the mandarin orange juice in 3 batches.
4. Pour batter into an 8" round cake tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160c for about 45 minutes to an hour.
5. Leave to cool completely in the cake tin before decorating.

Wednesday 1 February 2012

*UPDATED* Aspiring Bakers #16: Fun with Fondant! (February 2012)



Dear aspiring bakers,

I am so honoured to be given the chance by SSB to host this month's Aspiring Bakers event. 

The theme for this month is ‘Fun with Fondant!’

Many people bake cakes, cupcakes and cookies. But have you ever tried to decorate them? 

Give decorating a try this month by decorating your bakes with fondant or gumpaste! 

Who can join?
Everyone! (if you do not have a blog, just send me a photo and recipe of your creation)

How to join?
Step 1 :
Decorate any whole cakes, cupcakes or cookies with fondant icing or gumpaste in the month of February 2012.
Homemade or store bought fondant icing or gumpaste can be used.

Step 2 :
Post it on your blog between 1 February 2012 and 6 March 2012.
Your post can include the recipe for your cakes, cupcakes or cookies or link to the original recipe. If you are using a recipe from a book, please include the title of the book too.
*Any entries that are posted outside the date range will not be accepted. 


**Updated: To encourage members to play around with fondant this month, we also accept entries that do not come with any cake/cupcake/cookie recipes. As long as there is an attempt to make and decorate with fondant, we will accept it. (This exception is only for fondant theme this month only).

Step 3 :
Please mention that you are submitting your post to Aspiring Bakers #16: Fun with Fondant! (February 2012) hosted by Yvonne of iceamericanos and provide a link back to this post HERE.
*Entries will not be accepted if the above is not included.

Step 4 :
Email to iceamericanos@gmail.com in the following format:

Your name or nickname:
Your blog name: (omit this if you do not have a blog)
Name of your creation:
URL of your post:
URL of your photo (one photo for each entry):
(alternatively, you can attach your photo in your email, preferably less than 500kb).

Please use "Aspiring Bakers #16" as your email subject. You may submit more than 1 entry.

The roundup will be posted on 01 March 2012.

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As a token of appreciation to you, I will be giving away a set of 'Double Happiness Dragon Phoenix' Cutter to one lucky baker. The lucky one will be chosen by random.org based on the order of submission. 

******

If you are interested to view the entries of 
Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight, please click here for more details.

Sunday 22 January 2012

CNY Cookies

I don't know how did 1st January 2012 came and before I knew it, it was 2 weeks before CNY. I am so behind schedule of my cookies-baking. I would hide in the kitchen every night from 11pm onwards and slowly enjoy the time alone rolling up my pineapple tarts, creaming butter and sugar and moulding my Kuih Bangkit piece by piece. Its always about 3am that I finish packing the cookies, clean up, shower and crawl into my lovely king sized bed. 

Other than those pretty easy Florenta Almond Thins, these are the cookies I bake: 






Lastly, I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Chinese New Year, 
恭喜发财,心想事成!