Recipe #22 Éclairs

Éclairs are basically choux pastry, which is piped in long strips and glazed with different types of icing like chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, etc.

Choux pastries are hollow pastries which when baked; the air has to escape from the pastry, it doesn’t get the space to escape, hence it puffs up the pastry making it hollow!

Makes: 8

Ingredients

For Choux Pastry

·      65 ml water

·      65 ml of milk (gives moisture to the recipe)

·      55 gms of unsalted butter (room temperature)

·      4 gms sugar (any form)

·      100 gms All-purpose flour (Maida)

·      4 whole eggs (room temperature)

·      Pinch of salt

For Chocolate Icing

·      200 gms whipped cream

·      50 grms of melted chocolate

For Glaze Icing

·      200 gms Icing Sugar

·      25 gms cocoa powder

·      1-2 tblsp boiling water

Topping

·      Chopped hazelnuts

Method

Choux pastry

- In a heavy bottomed pan, put water, milk, butter and sugar. At medium heat, keep stirring until the butter melts and then bring the mixture to a boil.

-Add sifted all-purpose flour to the heavy bottomed pan and stir it with a wooden spoon. Let the mixture cook and keep stirring at small intervals. The mixture is ready when it does not stick to the bottom of the pan

-Preheat the oven a

-Now using an electric hand mixer beat the mixture until it is completely cool and gradually add 4 eggs, 1 at a time and beating in intervals until 1 egg is well incorporated, do not overbeat

-Pour the mixture in the piping bag and pipe long vertical eclairs on well greased oven proof tray and if you want equal sizes of the eclairs, then make start and end dots to help you pipe the mixture well. The mixture shouldn’t be very loose; it should be thick like a cake batter

-Bake at 180deg c for 30 to 35 mins until golden brown and feel hollow when you tap at the bottom, it feels very hollow. Let them cool on the wire rack

For Chocolate Icing

-Mix Whipped cream and melted dark chocolate with a spatula until well incorporated

Assembly

-Make 2 incisions in every choux pastry with a knife to add the filling. Using a round nozzle fill in the chocolate icing

Glaze Icing

-Add cocoa powder and sifted icing sugar in a bowl. Add boiling water a little at a time; add a little more water if the icing is too dry. It should be spreadable and not watery

-Dip the top of the choux pastry immediately into the glaze and if the icing dries out in the bowl, then add a little more boiling water and then use it

-Garnish it with chopped hazelnuts immediately when the icing is wet or plain glaze will be perfect

Happy Baking!

Recipe #21 Victoria Sponge Cake

 My favourite recipe- basic Sponge cake. This recipe is a classic! Cant go wrong.. Easy steps and simple steps to follow!!

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 175 grams unsalted butter
• 175 grams caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 175 grams sifted plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tblsp milk

Method

-Grease 2 8-inch cake pans, grease them with butter and dust it with flour and keep it aside

-Preheat the oven at 180deg c

-In a mixing bowl, take butter and with a wooden spoon soften the butter till smooth and creamy

-Add sugar to the butter and mix well until incorporated

-Add 1 tblsp of flour and add 1 egg at a time, mixing well at each interval

-Sift in flour and baking powder and fold in very gently (be careful so that you don’t knock-off the air)

-Add milk and fold in till it’s well incorporated

-Transfer the mix immediately in 2 pans by dividing the mix equally

- Bake it for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre and it comes out clean

-Let the cakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes and transfer it on a wire rack

-Sandwich the cake with whichever icing you like and dust icing sugar in top

-If you don’t want to use any icing, then you can serve it as it is!..

Happy Baking!!

  

Recipe #20 Almond Cupcakes

A friend of mine shared this recipe with me!..Loved it, hope you love it too!!...Yummy, easy to make cute little almond cupcakes!! Try it out and make your loved ones happy

Serves- 9

Ingredients

·      1 cup unsalted butter

·      ½ tin condensed milk

·      1 cup all purpose flour (maida)

·      1 tsp vanilla extract

·      50 grams almonds (grated/blitz)

·      38 ml water

·      ½ tsp baking soda

Method

-Line 9 cupcake moulds with cupcake cases or grease 9 moulds

-In a mixing bowl, add butter, condensed milk, vanilla essence, baking soda, water and 1 tblsp of maida. Using an electric beater beat this mixture until well incorporated

Preheat the oven at 180deg c

-Add the rest of the maida and 25 grams of almonds to the butter mixture and beat it with the electric beater until well incorporated. Do not overbeat

-Pour the mixture in the cupcake moulds and bake it for 30 mins or when you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean

-Once ready, cool it on the wire rack and sprinkle generously the remaining 25 grams of almonds on the cupcakes

Happy Baking!!

Recipe #19 Deconstructed Strawberry Cheese cake

Cheesecake is an all time favourite with people of all ages.
There are 2 ways of preparing it:
1. Baking
2. Chilling it in the fridge without eggs. It usually uses Whipped cream and sour cream

This Deconstructed version is a recipe which I made cause I had leftovers. Never waste your precious valuable ingredients. Instead of using the biscuit base, I have made crumb which is equally tasty and crunchy!


Serves : 1

Ingredients

1/2 cup whipped cream
1/4th cup cream cheese (softened)
5 strawberries
3 tblsp powdered sugar
1/2 cup Maida (All purpose flour)
3 tblsp unsalted butter (softened)
1 tblsp caster sugar

Method

-Chop strawberries and add 1 tblsp powdered sugar and blitz it in a mixer until it becomes a purée

-Now in a mixing bowl, add whipped cream, remaining powdered sugar, cream cheese and puréed strawberries. Using an electric mixer, whip it until smooth and all incorporated well

-Preheat the oven at 190deg c

-In another mixing bowl, add maida, caster sugar and butter and mix it with your fingers until crumbly. Spread it on a grease pan and bake it at 180deg c for 15 mins or until golden brown

-Once you remove the crumb from the oven, let it cool

-For assembly, using a piping bag pipe one layer of the whipped cream mix in any glass of your choice, then spread the crumb on it and repeat the process.

-Let it cool in the fridge for 15 mins before serving

Happy Baking!!

Recipe #18 Tiramisu

 Tiramisu is a layered coffee flavoured Italian dessert made with mascarpone cheese, whipped eggs and savoiardi biscuits. It’s light and very indulgent. You can make it one day in advance and store it in the fridge

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

5 tblsp caster sugar

500 grams mascarpone cheese (can use any other cream cheese too)

500 grams espresso coffee, room temperature

Dark chocolate curls/ shavings to decorate

20 savoiardi biscuits (lady fingers)/ can substitute it with basic sponge cake

1 tsp coffee essence

Method

-In a mixing bowl, using an electric beater beat egg yolks and 2 tblsp caster sugar until very pale and double in size

-Add mascarpone cheese in the yolk mixture and beat until well incorporated.

-In another bowl, using an electric beater beat egg whites until foamy and soft peaks. Add 3 tblsp caster sugar and beat until stiff peaks formed and add coffee essence. Make sure the mixture doesn’t feel grainy.

-Add ½ the egg white mix in the egg yolk bowl and gently fold it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add the rest of the mixture and fold until well incorporated

-Dip the savoiardi biscuits in the espresso coffee one at a time.

-In serving glasses, arrange a layer of biscuits then cheese filling then grated chocolate and repeat the process. Serve immediately or chill it in the fridge and serve!!

Happy Baking!!