Cherry clafoutis tart

I actually never had the cherry clafoutis before, but this tart was surprisingly good! The crust was made with a basic tart recipe, which doesn't require for roll out, but using finger to shape the crust shell. I kind of like this method!
The filling texture was like in between pudding and custard. Warm, soft and flavorful. Clafoutis had immediately made to my recent fave list :)

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Chocolate Wafer 朱古力薄脆

The word "wafer" confuses me.

In Asia, wafer often refers to a sweet bar contains multiple layers of thin crispy biscuits sandwiched with cream. "Wafer" in North America can be a thin biscuit itself, or the layered wafer biscuits.

But either how, I love this little chocolate wafer! It's light, crispy and chocolaty. Perfect when you have a sweet crave but don't want to go too crazy.

Chocolate wafer

6 dozen cookies
Recipe revised from Gourmet Magazine

Butter // 3/4 cup
Sugar // 1 1/4 cups
Rum // 1 tbsp
Egg // 1
All-purpose flour // 1 1/2 cups
Cocoa, unsweetened // 3/4 cup
Baking powder // 1 1/2 tsp
Salt // 1/4 tsp

1. Cream 3/4 cup butter, add gradually 1 1/4 cups sugar, and cream them together until light and fluffy. Add 1 tablespoon rum extract and 1 egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat thoroughly.

2. Sift together 1 1/2 cups sifted flour, 3/4 cup breakfast cocoa, 1 1/2 teaspoons double-action baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the sifted dry ingredients gradually, mixing well after each addition to make a light dough.

3. Roll the dough out 1/8 inch in thickness on a lightly floured board and cut it with a floured cookie cutter into rounds about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

4. Place the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet in a hot oven (400° F.) and bake for 8 minutes. Six dozen cookies are yours.

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Apple pudding cake 蘋果布甸蛋糕

Recently I got free lunch from a project everyday, they usually order a lunch box that comes with sandwich, cookies and a very small apple. Yup, the kind of apple that doesn't look intriguing. How should I deal with it? Make them into something tasty -- and here it is the apple pudding cake!



I looked up a few pound cake and apple cake recipes and came up with this one. I replaced some portion of butter with yogurt and tossed the apples with custard powder (so it won't be watery around the apple cubes), resulting a very soft, moist, almost pudding-like apple cake. It's yummy and full of apple flavour! 10 million times better than the raw tiny apple.

Apple pudding cake

6" loaf cake

Butter // 80g
Sugar // 40g
Egg // 100g
Yogurt // 40g
Malt syrup // 2 tbsp
Baking powder // 3g
Flour // 140g
Custard powder // 1 tbsp
Ground cinnamon // 1 tsp
Apple, small // 2

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy, then whisk in sugar until pale in color.

2. Pour malt syrup in a bowl, beat in 2 eggs. Heat the bowl over low heat to melt. Remove from heat. Add in yogurt and mix well.

3. Pour egg mixture into butter mixture in a few additions.

4. Combine and sift flour and baking powder. Add into egg mixture. Cut apples into slices or cubes. Toss them with ground cinnamon and custard powder. Fold in the apples into the batter.

5. Bake at 205C/485F for first 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 180C/375F for another 15-20 minutes.

蘋果布甸蛋糕

6"長條蛋糕

牛油 // 80g
糖 // 40g
蛋 // 100g
乳酪 // 40g
麥芽糖 // 2 tbsp
泡打粉 // 3g
麵粉 // 140g
吉士粉 // 1 tbsp
肉桂粉 // 1 tsp
蘋果,小 // 2

1. 牛油打至蓬鬆加入糖打至顏色變淡。

2. 麥芽糖中打入雞蛋，以小火煮溶麥芽糖。離火後加入乳酪混合。

3. 雞蛋糊分數次逐少加入牛油糊。

4. 麵粉和泡打粉混合過篩，加入雞蛋糊。蘋果切粒或切片，與肉桂粉和吉士粉混合後拌入麵糊。

5. 205C/485F　焗15分鐘, 轉至180C/375F 再多焗15-20分鐘。

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Pain Viennoise bread 維也納麵包?

Pain Viennois, a variation of baguette, with crispy crust and softer texture. I would say it is in between baquette and brioche: does not contain eggs, but not as much butter is used.

I made these with chocolate chips and ginger syrup leftover from candied ginger. Didn't taste any ginger in the final product though ;p

The bread is light and tasty. Love the crust with the slightly sweet and soft texture inside.

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Malay cake / Ma Lai Go (traditional method) 古法馬拉糕

I miss 蓮香樓/居。真是巴閉，尤記得上次我可是足足等了３籠才搶到一碟馬拉糕到手呢！不過又真係巴閉得起喎！吃完之後有感動喔！

之前我試做過２次：第１次，完全失敗；第２次，貌似味不似。經過上兩次的失敗，這次我認真的跟它撩下去下去了！花了２天作發酵４次的麵種，作成需時4日的古法馬拉糕。今次終於有點睇頭，色香味都不錯，本小姐給它80分！不過還有可改進的空間，同志還需努力哩~~~

古法馬拉糕

9"圓模

:麵種:
參考至麵種的誕生by小三看天下

麵粉 // 38g
清水 // 19g

1. 第一天：搓揉成麵團，蓋上保鮮膜，發酵 24 小時。

2. 第二天：將麵團的1/2或1/3分量棄掉，餘下的麵團+麵粉38g+清水19g搓揉成麵團，發12~16小時。

3. 第三天：將麵團的1/2或1/3分量棄掉，餘下的麵團+麵粉38g+清水19g搓揉成麵團，發12~16小時。

4. 第四天:將麵團的1/2或1/3分量棄掉，餘下的麵團+麵粉38g+清水19g搓揉成麵團，發12~16小時後，化身成中國娃娃--已發酵麵種。

:馬拉糕:
A:
麵種 // 204g
糖 // 204g
蛋 // 3
吉士粉　// 22g
奶粉 // 38g
高筋麵粉　// 34g
淡奶 // 少許

B:
泡打粉 // 8g
鹼水 // 1/2 tsp
菜油 // 20g
牛油，溶化 // 20g

1. 將A料中麵種和糖打滑，攪至糖溶化，分次加入蛋，再加入麵粉，吉士粉，奶粉，淡奶打勻混合。

2. 攪妥成蛋漿後，用布或保鮮紙蓋著，待發酵一夜(從用眼看發至2倍以上為準，如冬天時間側要較長)，使雞蛋粉漿發酵成熟，這樣糕蒸出來會較滑。

3. 第２天用少量麵種糊加入泡打粉攪勻，再將兩者混合攪勻麵糊。加入梘水攪勻(麵糊明顯已轉色)，再逐少加入熱牛油及菜油攪至滑身。

4. 篜盆鋪紙掃油，用大火蒸25-30分鐘即成。

Malay cake / Ma Lai Go

9" round cake

:starter dough:
revised from麵種的誕生by小三看天下

Flour // 38g
Water // 19g

1. Day 1: Combine the ingredients into a dough, covered with plastic wrap and let rise for 24 hours.

2. Day 2: Throw away 1/2 or 1/3 of the dough, combine the remaining dough with 38g flour + 19g water. Let rise for 12-16 hours.

3. Day 3: Throw away 1/2 or 1/3 of the dough, combine the remaining dough with 38g flour + 19g water. Let rise for 12-16 hours.

4. Day 4: Throw away 1/2 or 1/3 of the dough, combine the remaining dough with 38g flour + 19g water. Let rise for 12-16 hours. Now the starter dough is completed.

:Ma lai go/ Malay cake:
A:
Starter dough // 204g
Sugar // 204g
Eggs // 3
Custard powder (or pudding mix)　// 22g
Milk powder // 38g
Bread flour　// 34g
Evaporated milk // A little bit

B:
Baking powder // 8g
Akaline Water // 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil // 20g
Butter, melt // 20g

1. Combine starter dough and sugar until sugar are dissolved. Add in eggs, one at a time, then mix in flour, custard powder, milk powder and evaporated milk.

2. Pour the egg mixture into a large bowl, covered with plastic wrap and let rise for a night or until double in volume.

3. Next day, combine scrap a little bit egg mixture into a small bowl, mix in baking powder to combine. Fold back into the remaining egg mixture. Add akaline Water, mix to combine. Add in melt butter and vegetable oil, fold to combine.

4. Place parchment paper around inside a pastry ring or cake pan, then brush the bottom and the side with oil, steam the egg mixture with high heat for 25~30 minutes.

:note:
1. Akaline Water can be bought in Chinese grocery store like Ranch99.

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傳說中的狀元糕: 迷你版 The mini champion cake

(以下為迎合此傳統的古樸小吃，鄙人將嘗試把此文寫得文雅一點，看不懂的別打在下呀！)

狀元糕，中國小吃之一。狀元糕相傳是由中國糕點「廣寒糕」演變而來，歷史可遠溯自南宋時期，之所以稱為狀元糕，是因為販賣的成品貌似狀元帽子，因以為名。

狀元糕其名稱由來還有一種說法，即古代有一個書生，赴京趕考，因在半途上盤纏用盡，於是就在京城街上用幾個簡單的木製筒倒入芝麻、花生粉等原料，做起了製糕的生意，後來這個書生終於考上狀元，一日皇上親自拜訪狀元郎，狀元郎一下子心急不知道要用什麼招待皇上，於是就拿出了當年製糕掙錢的工具，將當年自創的糕仔做給皇上吃，皇上吃了龍心大悅並賜封為狀元糕。

一直知道狀元糕這款民間小吃，卻一直停留在”久聞”的狀態，未有機會見識一番。今次無意中尋得食譜，怎說也得做做看吧！？

如今一試，方知狀元糕其實是迷你版的有餡鬆糕，通常裡面夾一小塊黑芝餡或花生餡。原來狀元糕是這樣子的呀！就味道而言，鄙人很喜歡那帶米香的軟糯口感，剛蒸好熱騰騰時吃更是一絕。(Gluten-free喔！)

狀元糕

24個迷你版
狀元糕by周老師的美食教室
白砂糖 // 30g
水 // 140g
糯米粉 // 200g
杏仁粉 // 50g

花生餡：
鹹花生醬 // 35g
糖粉 // 20g

芝麻餡：
黑芝麻粉 // 20g
糖粉 // 20g
固體菜油(Shortening) // 1tbsp

1. 糖加水溶化，加糯米粉和杏仁粉拌勻，用手搓到完全均勻，放置一小時，過篩。因為粉是溼的，所以要把粉糰放在篩子上磨擦才能過篩。篩過就不要再壓到。

2. 把做餡的糖粉都過篩，加其它材料拌勻即成兩種餡，各分成6小塊。

3. 把1/3的粉舀入杯中，排在蒸籠裡。

4. 蒸鍋裡煮沸小半鍋水，上籠用中火蒸5分鐘。

5. 開蓋，把餡放在中間，把另 2/3的粉輕輕撒在周圍。

6. 蓋上再蒸5分鐘即可。

:note:
1. 這次用上mini muffin模作成一啖一個的迷你版。入模前掃油，脫模時先用牙籤順模的型狀沿邊劃一下，再用手指輕輕壓開邊位置順勢脫模。用普通Muffin cup也可以，更方便喔！

mini champion cake (gluten-free & vegan!)

24 mini-muffin size rice cake
Sugar // 30g
Water // 140g
Glutinous rice flour // 200g
Almond flour // 50g

Peanut butter filling：
Peanut butter sauce // 35g
Powdered sugar // 20g

Black sesame filling：
Black sesame, grounded // 20g
Powdered sugar // 20g
Shortening // 1tbsp

1. Melt sugar with water in a large bowl. Add glutinous rice flour and almond flour, combine by hands. Set aside for an hour, then sift through a sieve (The mixture will be like a damp coarse meal or even dough like, force them through the sieve to create coarse flour).

2. Fillings: Sift the powdered sugar, add in the remaining ingredients, divide and form into 12 small ball-like dough.

3. Fill each muffin mould with coarse flour to halfway fill, place the muffin pan into steamer.

4. Steam them at medium heat for 5 minutes.

5. Remove the steamer cover, place the filling ball in the middle, then fill in the rest coarse flour.

5. Cover the steamer and steam for 5 minutes.

:note:
1. I used mini muffin pan to create these one bite mini champion cake. Grease the muffin pan with oil before fill in the coarse flour. To remove from pan, use a tooth pick to draw around the edge of muffin mould, then gently press the edge with finger to help removing from the mould. You can also use regular muffin cup, that way you don't need to worry about removal!

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Pink Pink Pink! Girly rose infused mousse cake

It was my best friend's birthday day (a milestone one XD) and I thought it would be cute and nice to make her a girly cake...how girly? How about pinky pink!?

What else can be more girly than the elegantly fragrant rose?


This cake smells absolutely beautiful! It's packed with the rose fragrance and would make you want to act like a lady! I have to admit that probably not everyone would like the favour of it; but if you like rose tea, you will probably love it! It's love or hate situation here ;p (Not a preferable choice for man, for sure)



The mousse is smooth, silky and fragrant. First the elegant rose fragrance calm your senses, then the smooth silky mousse slip and melt on your tongue. Hmmm.....!

The elegant rose infused mousse cake

6" round

:Cake:
Egg white // 120g
Sugar // 70g
Hazelnut meal // 30g
Almond meal // 70g
Powdered sugar // 20g

1. Beat egg white, sugar and powdered sugar until stiff peak and glossy.

2. Combine all the flour together, fold into the egg white mixture bit by bit.

3. Place the mousse ring on to the greased baking sheet, fill the bottom by using a pastry bag with a large round tip.

4. Bake 324F for 8 - 9 minutes.


:Rose mousse:
Milk // 140g
Whipping cream, heavy(A) // 140g
Dried rose petals // 4g
Egg yolk(A) // 48g
Honey // 50g
Gelatin powder // half a packet
Egg yolk(B) // 22g
Sugar // 40g
Whipping cream, heavy (B) // 165g

1. In a small saucepan, heat milk over low heat until almost boiled. Sprinkle in rose petal. When milk is boiling, turn off heat and cover with cloth for 10~15 minutes or until the rose fragrance are pleasantly released. Pour in whipping cream (A) to milk mixture.

2. Pour hot milk into egg yolk (A) bit by bit, combine well and pour back into the saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin powder, go through sieve and let sit aside.

3. In another saucepan, place in sugar with a little bit of water, cook until temperature reaches 120C/248F. Beat egg yolk until light and fluffy, pour in the hot syrup. Continue to beat until well blended.

4. Beat whipping cream (B) in a stand mixer until stiff peak, fold in rose cream mixture and finally the yolk syrup mixture.

:Assemble:

1. Place the mousse ring on a flat surface (a baking sheet will do).

2. On a pastry plastic stripe (sold in baking supply store), paint melt chocolate with a brush. Let cool until bendable consistency. Wrap around to form a circle and place it inside the mousse ring.

3. Place the cake base into the bottom of the mousse ring. Fill the ring with rose mousse.

4. Transfer the cake into the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

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Daily Deviation!?!!!???

I was in Spokane for Conan O'Brien's show over the weekend and when I got back, WOW! 788 messages on deviantART???! What's going on??! O_o

Ha! My photo of almond tuile 杏仁瓦片 got a daily deviation under Artisan Crafts!


Click the photo to get to the deviant page.

Now I am super happy :DDDDDD

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