Pretty Pastel French Macarons

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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups + 1 teaspoon confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup finely ground sliced, blanched almonds
- 6 tablespoons fresh egg whites (3 large eggs)
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 to 2 drops of food colouring
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid whitener for each colour


Steps
1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.
3. Separate the batter into smaller bowls. Add food colouring and liquid whitener to each batch and fold.
* Liquid whitener is used to lighten the colour of macaron batter. If liquid whitener is not used, blue food colouring may turn green, red food colouring may turn orange, etc.
4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macarons and the shiny surface turns dull (about 15 minutes).
5. Bake, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macarons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Gently peel off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Macaron filling is chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients
- 1 cup baking chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream


Steps
1. Chop up baking chocolate into smaller sizes.
2. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a double boiler, make sure that you stir it consistently to prevent the sides from burning.
3. Pour boiled heavy cream over chocolate, and stir until all chocolate has melted.
4. Set ganache to cool.

'Some Serious Chocolate Business!' Cupcakes

Hello all!

To make up for my hiatus, I am going to share a simple cupcake recipe.
These cupcakes were made for my A-Levels classmates, PM6, and teachers, as a token of appreciation to them for being so supportive over the past half year.
PM6, this flog post is for you!





Moist chocolate cupcake with bittersweet chocolate lava center, topped with chocolate buttercream frosting.


Yield : about 24 cupcakes


Ingredients
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 cups granulated sugar (I personally like my cupcakes less sweet, using 1 1/2 cups of sugar)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups brewed coffee (or 2 cups of warm water mixed with 3 teaspoons of espresso powder or instant coffee granules)
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 tbsp olive oil


Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks of butter (226.8g), softened (but not melted!)
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp milk or heavy cream


Lava Centre
- 1 cup baking chocolate
- 1 cup heavy cream


Steps
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle position. Prepare a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until there are no visible clumps (cocoa tends to clump up).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee, vinegar, vanilla extract, and olive oil.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until they just come together. The mixture should be thin and rather lumpy.
5. Ladle the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about two-thirds of the way full. Place in oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack.


Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1. Cream butter for a few minutes in a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Turn off the mixer.
2. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar and cocoa into the mixing bowl. Turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the dry ingredients do not blow everywhere) until the sugar and cocoa are absorbed by the butter.
3. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes.
* If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add a little more sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time.


Lava Centre
* This is just the basic chocolate ganache.
1. Chop up baking chocolate into smaller sizes.
2. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a double boiler, make sure that you stir it consistently to prevent the sides from burning.
3. Pour boiled heavy cream over chocolate, and stir until all chocolate has melted.
4. Set ganache to cool.


Putting the cupcake together
1. Make a hole in the middle of the cupcake using a skewer or knife.
2. Fill hole with chocolate ganache.
3. Pipe chocolate buttercream onto cupcakes in any design you like. (Piping nozzle used in photo : 12mm, plain round tip)

Kitty cupcake just for fun. :3

Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream

They are his favourite.

Cookies and Cream ice cream

Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk

- Pinch of salt
- 
¾ cup sugar
- 
2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 
4 egg yolks

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 22 Oreo cookies, chopped


Set up an ice bath by placing ice water into a large bowl. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a smaller large bowl, then place the bowl in the ice bath of the larger bowl.


Heat the milk, salt and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Do not let the mixture boil. 


In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolks. Pour some of the heated milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking the entire time. This is to prevent the eggs from scrambling when added straight to the hot saucepan. Pour the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken (about 10-15 minutes).


Pour the custard into the cream and stir until cooled. Add the vanilla extract. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.


Remove the custard from the refrigerator and freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. 
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the Oreo cookies. Once the ice cream is half-firm, stir in the cookie pieces. Place in a freezer safe, airtight container and place in freezer for several hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream

One of the best delights in life comes from sharing a tub of ice cream with a partner in front of the tv. 

So here is a post on how to make a simple Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream for those with a sweet-tooth.


Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream

- 2 cups heavy cream

- 1 1/4 cup sugar

- 12 large egg yolks *You can use less eggs to have ice cream which is less creamy.

- 2 cups buttermilk
- 
2 teaspoons vanilla or half a vanilla bean, scraped and simmered with the cream

- Pinch of salt


In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream and one cup of sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.


In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.


Remove the cream mixture from the heat and drizzle a small amount into the yolks, slowly, and whisking constantly to keep the eggs from curdling. Do this a few more times to warm up the yolks before pouring the yolk mixture back into the cream, whisking constantly.


Cook over low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. 


Whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, and salt. Cool completely and freeze according manufacturer’s directions.





Enjoy!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

22nd September marked the day of one of my fellow good friend's birthday, Isaak John. To celebrate with our 'family', I made red velvet cupcakes. 

On the day of the celebration, my other 'family members' bought a birthday cake for him. Ironically, it was a red velvet cake. Seeing the clash between the two, I had to save it for the next day, where we celebrated again in church.
I hope you like the cupcakes, Isaak. They're your birthday present. :)

This is my KNS family and I love them to bits.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

- 2½ cups all purpose flour

- 1½ cups sugar

- 1 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

- 1 tsp. salt

- 2 large eggs

- 1½ cups vegetable oil

- 1 cup buttermilk (combine 1 cup nonfat milk w/ 1 tbsp lemon juice is you don't have buttermilk)

- 1 tsp. vanilla extract

- 1 tsp. white vinegar

- red food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C). 

Line cupcake pans with paper liners. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to combine. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until well blended. 

Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed and beat until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared liners (I use an ice cream scoop). 

Bake, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. 

Let cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese

5 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract (I use vanilla pods)

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. 

Beat on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract (vanilla pods). 

Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. 

Store cupcakes in the refrigerator, remove an hour before they will be served so the frosting can soften back up.

Enjoy!