French Macaron

INGREDIENTS
3 Egg Whites
¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
2 cups confectioners sugar (200 g)
1 cup almond flour (120 g) (SEE NOTE BELOW)
pinch of salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar (2 ml) * You can omit if needed, just may take a bit longer to reach stiff peaks but the recipe will still work)

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 300F degrees

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10 mins. TIP: #1 eggwhites should be room temp. To create room temp eggs, submerge in warm water for 5 mins.

Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Think Seattle Space needle.

Then add the food coloring. TIP#2 Color does fade as it cooks, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.

TIP#3 Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just discard those, or use them to snack on :) You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.

Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. TIP#4 This is where all your hard work can really go wrong. Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and cracked when the bake with no feet, over mix and your macaroons will be flat and won't have feet, the mark of a well-made macaron. In my experience 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding is about the right amount of time. But again, it can be tricky, depends on how strong you are, Ha! So it can take a few tries to get it right. But when you do, the trumpets will blare and you will feel SO accomplished!

Transfer batter to a pastry bag.

Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

TIP#5: tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.

TIP#6 Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons develop feet! When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up. That's what creates the feet!

Bake for 20 mins. DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray.

Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Then place sieve on top of a bowl the same size. Work raspberries through the sieve with a spatula, pushing them through, mashing them around until you extract their juice. You want 3 tablespoons of juice.

Add juice to buttercream, and whip until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ " in diameter)

Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell et Voila! 

If not eating right away, keep refrigerated.

RASPBERRY BUTTER CREAM
1/4 cup salted butter (60g)
3/4 cup powdered sugar (75 g)
1 cup (150 g) fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tbsp of juice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ636Y8N6E8

Pound Cake

Ingredients
¾ cup butter, at room temperature (plus more for greasing pan)
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ tsp salt
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract 
5 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons milk
1¾ cups + 2 T. flour (plus more for flouring pan)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9" x 5" loaf pan, or butter and flour bear cake ring if using bear pan. Wrap ring in nonstick aluminum foil, and place ring into bottom lid. Grease foil with butter.
2. Cream together butter, cream cheese, salt, baking powder, and vanilla extract.
3. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
4. Mix in milk, and then stir in flour. Pour into loaf pan or bear cake pan. If using bear cake pan, you may also make a few small 5" x 3" pound cakes with leftover batter.
5. If using loaf pan, bake for 1 hour and 10-15 min. If using bear pan, bake for about one hour or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCLmyjd9t_Y&list=UUy8YC5oYluMVYARiCRarcjw

How to make chocolate muffins

Ingredients:

dry mix:
250g self-raising flour
50g brown sugar
125g caster sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp salt
sprinkle of cinnamon powder
wet mix:
125g butter melted
175ml milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs



Directions:

1. Mix the self-raising flour, brown sugar, caster sugar,  bicarbonate soda, salt, cinnamon powder in a bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix the butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs.

3. Pour in the wet mix in the dry mix, and mix until well combined.

4. Evenly pour the mixture into the cupcake liners. Do not fill the cupcake liners fully,  give them space to rise.

5. Pop them into the oven at 180 degrees for about half an hour or when you insert a toothpick it comes out clean.   

Using the same batter you can make various muffins. You can add to  the batter coco powder and then you will have chocolate muffins. You can also use the same batter to make blueberry muffins - just add the blue berries to the batter above. You can add anything you want. It taste wonderful with fresh diced bananas! Use your imagination and enjoy the muffins!

vanilla cake

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour, plus more for flouring the cake pans
• 2 cups sugar, plus more for unmolding the cake
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil or 1 1/2 sticks of butter
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• Unsalted butter, for greasing two cake pans

Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the flour, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, vanilla and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can put the ingredients in a bowl and use a hand mixer with the blending attachments.) Mix on slow just until the ingredients are blended together, a few seconds, then raise the speed to low-medium and continue to mix until smooth, approximately 1 additional minute.

With the motor running, add 1 egg at a time, adding the next one after the previous one has been absorbed into the mixture. Stop the motor periodically and scrape the bowl from the bottom with a rubber spatula to integrate ingredients, and return the mixer to low-medium speed. After all the eggs are added, continue to mix for an additional minute to ensure the eggs have been thoroughly mixed in. This will help guarantee that the sugar is dissolved and that the flour has been thoroughly mixed in, which will help produce a luxurious mouth-feel in the final cake.

With the motor running, add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, stopping the motor to scrape the sides and bottom between the two additions. Continue to mix for another minute or until the mixture appears smooth. Before baking, be sure the batter is at 70-73°F or the cake will crown.

Grease two 9-inch cake pans (2 inches high) with the butter, and flour them.

Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and get as much batter as possible out. Bake until the cake begins to pull from the sides of the pan and is springy to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour. The cakes should be at room temperature before you remove them from the pan. Put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, top with sugar, and one at a time, turn the pans over and turn the cakes out onto parchment; the sugar will keep it from sticking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to decorate.

                                    

How to make a Chocolate cake

1 tbsp. butter
2 c. granulated sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 c. reduced-fat milk
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. hot water or hot coffee
Two nine-inch round baking pans
A large mixing bowl
A wooden spoon
A hand mixer
A toothpick, fork, or knife
A cooling rack

Step 1: Prepare the oven and pans
Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the two baking pans with butter, and lightly dust the pans with flour. Set aside.

Step 2: Prepare the chocolate mixture
In the mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with the wooden spoon until they're well combined.

Step 3: Make the chocolate batter
Crack the eggs into the mixture and add the milk and oil. Beat on medium speed for one to two minutes until smooth
Step 4: Mix in vanilla and water or coffee

Add the vanilla to the chocolate batter and beat on slow speed for one minute. Pour the hot water into the mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Step 5: Bake the cake layers

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans for 30 to 35 minutes until the center is slightly firm.
Step 6: Toothpick test


Tip: If you don't have a toothpick, use a fork or knife instead.
Step 7: Cool the cake
Place the cake pans on a cooling rack and let them cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Invert the pans onto the rack and let the cake cool completely, about two hours. Put the layers on a cake stand or plate before frosting or serving. Enjoy!

Melt around 150 or 200 gr chocolate over hot water pan with150 ml double cream. Cover it with cling film and put in the fridge for an hour or so. Also mix it in that time once or twice. 



                               

How to make a Triple Sponge cake

Ingredients

• 170g (6 oz) self-raising flour
• 170g (6 oz) caster sugar
• 170g (6 oz) butter or margarine, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 lemons
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon curd
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) granulated sugar
• 50 to 75g (2 to 3 oz) icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 C / Gas 3 and grease and line two 20cm (8 in) sandwich tins.
2. Mix the flour, caster sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and the zest of the lemons until mixture is smooth.
3. Divide mixture evenly between the sandwich tins and even off with the back of a spoon.
4. Bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the sponge springs up when pressed lightly and no indentation remains. Do not check until at least 30 minutes have elapsed.
5. Turn out the cakes onto cake rack for cooling and while still warm, make little holes in the sponge with a cocktail stick.
6. Juice the lemons setting aside 1 tablespoon for icing, and add the granulated sugar to the remaining lemon juice. Mix well and then spoon over the still warm sponges, leaving them to cool.
7. When cool spread the lemon curd over one sponge and place the other sponge on top.
8. Mix the tablespoon of lemon juice set aside earlier with the icing sugar until it is of a thick consistency and spread evenly over the top over the cake until smooth.

                                                 

               

   

How to make Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (recommended: White Lily)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 (1-ounce) bottle red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk


For the cream cheese frosting:

1/2 cup margarine
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 box confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped lightly toasted pecans

For the Red Velvet Cake:


Directions


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) round layer cake pans.

2. Sift flour, baking soda and coco together. Beat sugar and eggs together in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl mix together oil, vinegar, food coloring, and vanilla. Add to the bowl of eggs and sugar and beat until combined.

4. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the wet mixture by alternating the buttermilk and dry ingredients. Always start with the flour and end with the flour.

5. Pour batter into pans. Tap them on the table to level out the batter and release air bubbles. Bake for 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the middle comes out clean but be careful not to over bake or you'll end up with a dry cake.

6. Let layers cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before turning out of pan. Cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting:


This is the "official" cream cheese frosting recipe but we always use about 1 1/2 recipes on each cake to cover it well.
Let margarine and cream cheese soften to room temperature. Cream well. Add sugar and beat until mixed but not so much that the frosting becomes "loose". Add vanilla and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.