Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Strawberry Cream Cake
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2009
Strawberry Cream Cake
I mentioned before that I made my boyfriend two cakes for his birthday - one waschocolate mousse layer cake and the other was this strawberry cream cake. I was convinced that I'd like the chocolate mousse cake better because I don't usually like baking with fruit (waste of fruit! I like eating it fresh) and I also don't like the sourness and mush that fruit can add to baked goods. BUT, this cake was outstanding. I must make it at least once a year, maybe more. It is absolutely worth sacrificing some delicious strawberries for.
The cake that's used is like a sponge cake, that is then layered with a strawberry sugar filling in the middle and halved strawberries around the edge, then on top of that goes the most amazing whipped cream concoction in existence - and the layers continue like so. The whipped cream is mixed with cream cheese, which is really brilliant. If you haven't tried this before you must, whether it's with this cake or another or just on top of something else or just in a bowl even. And on top of that, the cake is pretty easy to make.
If this sounds good, you might also like:
Raspberry and White Chocolate Pie
Creamy Coconut Cake
Lemon Cheesecake
Perfect Party Cake
Strawberry Cream Cake
Cook's Illustrated May/June 2006 (found on Simply Recipes)
Cake
1 1/4 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs (2 whole and 3 separated), room temperature
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 Tbsp water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Strawberry Filling
2 pounds fresh strawberries (medium or large, about 2 quarts), washed, dried, and stemmed
4-6 Tbsp sugar
Pinch table salt
Whipped Cream
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 cups heavy cream
Bake the cake:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan or 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, by hand, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and all but 3 Tbsp of the sugar in mixing bowl. Whisk in 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), butter, water, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
2. Using a mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat remaining 3 egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. With machine running, gradually add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form, 60 to 90 seconds. Stir one-third of whites into batter to lighten. Add the remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert cake onto greased wire rack; peel off and discard parchment. Invert cake again; cool completely, about 2 hours.
Strawberry filling:
3. Cut in half 24 of best-looking berries and reserve. Slice or quarter remaining berries; toss with 4 to 6 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness of berries) in medium bowl and let sit 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sugar will macerate the strawberries, making them soft, and generating liquid. Strain the juices from berries and reserve (you should have about 1/2 cup). Put the strawberries in a bowl and use a potato masher to mash them; set aside.
In small saucepan over medium-high heat, simmer reserved juices until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour reduced syrup over macerated berries, add pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Set aside until cake is cooled.
Whipped cream:
4. When cake has cooled, place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Reduce speed to low and add heavy cream in slow, steady stream; when almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed (you should have about 4 1/2 cups).
Assemble the cake:
5. Using large serrated knife, slice cake into three even layers. Place bottom layer on cardboard round or cake plate and arrange ring of 12-20 strawberry halves, cut sides down and stem ends facing out, around perimeter of cake layer. Pour one half of puréed berry mixture (about 3/4 cup) in center, then spread to cover any exposed cake. Gently spread about one-third of whipped cream (about 1 1/2 cups) over berry layer, leaving 1/2-inch border from edge. Place middle cake layer on top and press down gently (whipped cream layer should become flush with cake edge). Repeat with 12-20 additional strawberry halves, remaining berry mixture, and half of remaining whipped cream; gently press last cake layer on top. Spread remaining whipped cream over top; decorate with remaining cut strawberries.
Serve immediately, or keep chilled. If the whipped cream warms to room temperature it will be harder to keep stable while cutting. Serves 8 to 10.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Homemade Frozen Strawberry Yogurt
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8 ounce) container strawberry or raspberry yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
Preparation:Place strawberries in medium freezer proof bowl and sprinkle sugar over. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain off juice and place juice in small saucepan.
Add unflavored gelatin to juice and let stand for 2 minutes. Then cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Coarsely mash strawberries in bowl.
Pour juice mixture over strawberries in bowl and add yogurt, cream, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well, then cover and freeze for 2 hours.
Remove mixture from freezer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Cover bowl and return to freezer. Freeze yogurt for 6 hours. Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving, then scoop into bowls. Serves 6
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8 ounce) container strawberry or raspberry yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
Preparation:Place strawberries in medium freezer proof bowl and sprinkle sugar over. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain off juice and place juice in small saucepan.
Add unflavored gelatin to juice and let stand for 2 minutes. Then cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Coarsely mash strawberries in bowl.
Pour juice mixture over strawberries in bowl and add yogurt, cream, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well, then cover and freeze for 2 hours.
Remove mixture from freezer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Cover bowl and return to freezer. Freeze yogurt for 6 hours. Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving, then scoop into bowls. Serves 6
Homemade Frozen Strawberry Yogurt
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8 ounce) container strawberry or raspberry yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
Preparation:Place strawberries in medium freezer proof bowl and sprinkle sugar over. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain off juice and place juice in small saucepan.
Add unflavored gelatin to juice and let stand for 2 minutes. Then cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Coarsely mash strawberries in bowl.
Pour juice mixture over strawberries in bowl and add yogurt, cream, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well, then cover and freeze for 2 hours.
Remove mixture from freezer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Cover bowl and return to freezer. Freeze yogurt for 6 hours. Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving, then scoop into bowls. Serves 6
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 (8 ounce) container strawberry or raspberry yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
pinch salt
Preparation:Place strawberries in medium freezer proof bowl and sprinkle sugar over. Let stand for 15 minutes, then drain off juice and place juice in small saucepan.
Add unflavored gelatin to juice and let stand for 2 minutes. Then cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is smooth. Coarsely mash strawberries in bowl.
Pour juice mixture over strawberries in bowl and add yogurt, cream, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well, then cover and freeze for 2 hours.
Remove mixture from freezer and beat on medium speed until smooth. Cover bowl and return to freezer. Freeze yogurt for 6 hours. Remove from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving, then scoop into bowls. Serves 6
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Baked eggplant with white miso
served 4
65 ml mirin
50ml sake150g white miso paste
75g sugar
8 japanese eggplants
Preheat the oven to 180C
Bring the mirin and sake to a simmer and cook for 1 min to burn off the alcohol from the sake. Turn down the heat and add the miso paste. whisk to dissolve, then add the sugar. cook brieftly , stirring, until the sugar had dissolved. removed from the heat and allow to cool
Meanwhile, slie the eggplants lengthways. over a moderate hear, pan-fly the eggplant halves in a little oil unitl golden. transfer to an over tray and arrange snugly, cut side up. backe in the oven until cooked through (about 5 min) remove from the oven and evenly spread 1 tbsp of the cooled miso mixture on top of each piece. place under a salamander or grill and cook until the eggplant starts to blister and caramelise. serve immediately
65 ml mirin
50ml sake150g white miso paste
75g sugar
8 japanese eggplants
Preheat the oven to 180C
Bring the mirin and sake to a simmer and cook for 1 min to burn off the alcohol from the sake. Turn down the heat and add the miso paste. whisk to dissolve, then add the sugar. cook brieftly , stirring, until the sugar had dissolved. removed from the heat and allow to cool
Meanwhile, slie the eggplants lengthways. over a moderate hear, pan-fly the eggplant halves in a little oil unitl golden. transfer to an over tray and arrange snugly, cut side up. backe in the oven until cooked through (about 5 min) remove from the oven and evenly spread 1 tbsp of the cooled miso mixture on top of each piece. place under a salamander or grill and cook until the eggplant starts to blister and caramelise. serve immediately
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Savory Char Hor Fun
Ingredients
White Chinese Noodles
1 Chicken Breasts - sliced into strips
2 SquidsSquids
- cut into slices
20 Medium sized PrawnsPrawns
1 Fish CakeFish Cake
- cut into slices
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 Garlic ClovesGarlic Cloves
- chopped
2 cups Water
1 EggsEggs
- beaten
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Oil
1 ScallionScallion
- chopped
Spinach or your preferred green vegetable
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Sliced pickled Green ChiliGreen Chili
- to serve on side
Directions
1] Put 1 tbsp of oil into wok and stir fry 1/2 of the chopped garlic.
2] Add noddles and coat with light soy sauce.
3] Remove from wok and unto serving dish.
4] Place the rest of the oil into wok and stir fry the rest of the garlic.
5] Add 1 cup of chicken broth, then 2 cups water. (add more water if you prefer a watery mixture)
6] Add slices of chicken breasts.
7] Add prawns, slices of fish cakes and squid.
8] Boil till everything is cooked.
9] Add in spinach.
10] Bring everything to a boil again then turn off heat.
11] Stir in egg.
12] Add in salt and pepper for taste.
13] Pour soup over noodles.
14] Garnish with green onions.
15] Serve immediately with pickled green chilies.
Note:
- If its possible, use chinese cabbagechinese cabbage
instead of spinach.
- You can substitute the green chilies with Jalepeno peppers.
White Chinese Noodles
1 Chicken Breasts - sliced into strips
2 SquidsSquids
- cut into slices20 Medium sized PrawnsPrawns
1 Fish CakeFish Cake
- cut into slices1 cup Chicken Stock
2 Garlic ClovesGarlic Cloves
- chopped2 cups Water
1 EggsEggs
- beaten2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Oil
1 ScallionScallion
- choppedSpinach or your preferred green vegetable
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Sliced pickled Green ChiliGreen Chili
- to serve on sideDirections
1] Put 1 tbsp of oil into wok and stir fry 1/2 of the chopped garlic.
2] Add noddles and coat with light soy sauce.
3] Remove from wok and unto serving dish.
4] Place the rest of the oil into wok and stir fry the rest of the garlic.
5] Add 1 cup of chicken broth, then 2 cups water. (add more water if you prefer a watery mixture)
6] Add slices of chicken breasts.
7] Add prawns, slices of fish cakes and squid.
8] Boil till everything is cooked.
9] Add in spinach.
10] Bring everything to a boil again then turn off heat.
11] Stir in egg.
12] Add in salt and pepper for taste.
13] Pour soup over noodles.
14] Garnish with green onions.
15] Serve immediately with pickled green chilies.
Note:
- If its possible, use chinese cabbagechinese cabbage
instead of spinach.- You can substitute the green chilies with Jalepeno peppers.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Crème Brûlée (serves eight)
The ingredients needed are (clockwise from top) 2 cups heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 8 large egg yolks, and 1/2 cup sugar.
First pour the sugar into the egg yolks.
Beat the yolks until smooth.
Heat the heavy cream until almost simmering (you can bring to a simmer and let cool a minute). Add heavy cream to the egg yolks on tablespoon at a time while stirring vigorously. This will temper the eggs so as to not curdle them (or make scrambled eggs) when exposed to the heat of the heavy cream.
When about 1/4 cup of heavy cream has been integrated into the yolks, pour the yolks into the heavy cream and mix until smooth.
Now, use a fine mesh sieve and strain the custard mixture to remove and small clumps that may remain the mixture. This step will help ensure a silky texture to the custard. Blend in the vanilla extract after the mixture has been strained.
Pour the mixture into six to eight ramekins depending on size. (Makes a little more than eight four ounce creme brulees.) In the picture below, I filled six four ounce ramekins and two six ounce ramekins (the six ouncers were not full).
Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Pour boiling water into the pan (be careful not to get water into the ramekins), so that the water level is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cooking the custards in a water bath will provide a low even temperature for the custards to cook evenly and set properly. Place in an oven preheated to 250?F for about one hour.
After an hour, check to see if the custards are done. We want them to be set on the outside edge, but jiggly (like jello) at the center. The easiest way to do this is to take a pair of tongs with food grade rubber bands wrapped around the ends to help grip the ramekins. Pick up a ramekin and shake to see if the centers jiggle. If the only the center jiggles a little, it's done. If the whole thing is set, remove immediately - it'll be a little over done, but still delicious. If it's not done, just put it back in the water bath and check again in ten minutes. Once the custards are done, let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature. This will let the custards finish cooking the centers on their own.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least eight hours before serving.
About an hour before serving, remove the plastic wrap from each ramekin and use a paper towel to gently soak up any moisture that may be extruded from the custard tops. Pour about a teaspoon of turbinado (sugar in the raw) sugar in the middle of each custard. Gently tilt the ramekin and let gravity and gently shaking move the sugar around until the top surface of the custard is covered evenly with turbinado sugar. Using a kitchen butane torch, propane blow torch, or welding torch (whatever strong open flame you've got lying around), heat the sugar until it bubbles and changes color. With a small butane torch, I take my time and don't move from one side of the creme brulee to the other until the spot I've been working on has achieved the brown color that I want. This takes a little over a minute for each creme brulee. (The process is faster with a larger torch.) Don't worry about heating up the custard underneath, we'll refrigerate the creme brulee for a bit before serving. Do worry about lighting your kitchen counter on fire. I usually place the ramekin on a piece of aluminum foil placed over a cooling rack.
Once you're done scorching your cream, place the ramekins back in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. The caramel will still be hard, but if you wait too much longer, the sugar will start to soften and dissolve into the custard.
First pour the sugar into the egg yolks.
Beat the yolks until smooth.
Heat the heavy cream until almost simmering (you can bring to a simmer and let cool a minute). Add heavy cream to the egg yolks on tablespoon at a time while stirring vigorously. This will temper the eggs so as to not curdle them (or make scrambled eggs) when exposed to the heat of the heavy cream.
When about 1/4 cup of heavy cream has been integrated into the yolks, pour the yolks into the heavy cream and mix until smooth.
Now, use a fine mesh sieve and strain the custard mixture to remove and small clumps that may remain the mixture. This step will help ensure a silky texture to the custard. Blend in the vanilla extract after the mixture has been strained.
Pour the mixture into six to eight ramekins depending on size. (Makes a little more than eight four ounce creme brulees.) In the picture below, I filled six four ounce ramekins and two six ounce ramekins (the six ouncers were not full).
Place the ramekins in a baking pan. Pour boiling water into the pan (be careful not to get water into the ramekins), so that the water level is halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cooking the custards in a water bath will provide a low even temperature for the custards to cook evenly and set properly. Place in an oven preheated to 250?F for about one hour.
After an hour, check to see if the custards are done. We want them to be set on the outside edge, but jiggly (like jello) at the center. The easiest way to do this is to take a pair of tongs with food grade rubber bands wrapped around the ends to help grip the ramekins. Pick up a ramekin and shake to see if the centers jiggle. If the only the center jiggles a little, it's done. If the whole thing is set, remove immediately - it'll be a little over done, but still delicious. If it's not done, just put it back in the water bath and check again in ten minutes. Once the custards are done, let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature. This will let the custards finish cooking the centers on their own.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least eight hours before serving.
About an hour before serving, remove the plastic wrap from each ramekin and use a paper towel to gently soak up any moisture that may be extruded from the custard tops. Pour about a teaspoon of turbinado (sugar in the raw) sugar in the middle of each custard. Gently tilt the ramekin and let gravity and gently shaking move the sugar around until the top surface of the custard is covered evenly with turbinado sugar. Using a kitchen butane torch, propane blow torch, or welding torch (whatever strong open flame you've got lying around), heat the sugar until it bubbles and changes color. With a small butane torch, I take my time and don't move from one side of the creme brulee to the other until the spot I've been working on has achieved the brown color that I want. This takes a little over a minute for each creme brulee. (The process is faster with a larger torch.) Don't worry about heating up the custard underneath, we'll refrigerate the creme brulee for a bit before serving. Do worry about lighting your kitchen counter on fire. I usually place the ramekin on a piece of aluminum foil placed over a cooling rack.
Once you're done scorching your cream, place the ramekins back in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. The caramel will still be hard, but if you wait too much longer, the sugar will start to soften and dissolve into the custard.
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