Tag Archives: desserts

My Favourite Cookbooks – The Good Looking Ones

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Starting this month, I will be sharing some of my favourite cookbooks on the blog.
Whenever I go to a book store or library, I always go straight to the Cooking section. Of course I am looking for ideas of what to make all the time, but sometimes, I just love to look at all the gorgeous food photos ! People say most of us eat with our eyes first and I couldn’t agree more. So this week, I have picked a few books that show us some amazing ideas and photos on cake or dessert decorating. 

1. 1,000 Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes
– Sandra Salomony & Gina M. Brown

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This is my number one favourite ! It showcases many beautiful cakes and cookies around the world for every occasion ! From Christmas, Valentine’s to Halloween, from weddings to kids’ birthdays. I have read this book many many times and I am still in love with it !

2. Sweet: Our Best Cupcakes, Cookies, Candy, and More
– Editors of Food Network Magazine

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This one is my daughter’s favourite ! We both get amazed by the cakes that were dressed in disguised ! A hamburger, a gigantic candied apple, even spaghetti and meat balls ! This book also has many other recipes, including cookies, pies, cakes, bars, etc. It’s a great book for both beginners and more experienced bakers.

3. Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for more than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats
– Bakerella

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When I was first started baking, cake pop is one of the challenges I wasn’t sure if I could do. But it is actually quite simple. And you can be really creative with it. This book has many cute creations that you can easily follow. You can just use it as a basic reference and let your imagination be your guide.

You can find these great books on the Amazon website by clicking on the title of the books. I will receive a small compensation if you purchase the item. 

 

 

Matcha Green Tea Pudding

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Matcha green tea is one of my favourites !  It is served as a tea and is found in many sweets, like ice cream, cakes, cookies, candies, etc. This pudding is another tasty dessert using matcha. As the pudding cools, some matcha powder settles at the bottom which gives the pudding two layers of flavour and texture.  I like mine with sweetened red bean paste, but you can also top it with whipped cream.

Makes about 6 servings
Total time = 3 hours

  • 1 + 1/2 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 envelope or tablespoon unflavoured gelatin powder
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup sweetened red bean paste or whipped cream
  1. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of milk, let sit for a few minutes
  2. In a non-stick pot, heat remaining milk and sugar over medium heat until just starting to boil, remove from heat
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk green tea powder in about 1/2 cup of hot milk until no more lumps
  4. Add gelatin mixture, green tea mixture and vanilla into pot, stir until all dissolved
  5. Strain through a fine mesh twice and pour into bowls
  6. Cool, then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2-3 hours or overnight until set
  7. Top with red bean paste or whipped cream

Easy Chocolate Croissants

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If you have kids at home, this would be a great recipe for them to do. It’s easy, tasty and fun to make!

Makes about 16 croissants

  • 1 box frozen puff pastry (two 10 inch x 10 inch squares), thawed
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • icing sugar for dusting
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Lightly beat egg and water together to make egg wash, set aside
  3. On a floured surface, roll out pastry sheets (if you pastry comes in a block, cut and roll into two square sheets, about 1/8 inch in thickness)
  4. Cut each pastry sheet into a big circle about 8 inches in diameter (you can use a plate to help)
  5. Cut into 8 triangular wedges (like a pizza)
  6. Put chocolate chips at bottom of wedges and roll towards the tip 
  7. Seal ends with egg wash
  8. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (seam-side down), brush top with more egg wash 
  9. Bake for about 15-16 minutes until golden
  10. Melt remaining chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave oven
  11. Drizzle croissants with melted chocolate, dust with icing sugar

Easy Chocolate Fudge

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Happy Valentine’s Day ! I got a Valentine’s card before I even got out of bed this morning from my daughter, how sweet !  And here is a sweet treat that I made last night, yummy chocolate fudge ! Classic chocolate fudge requires the chocolate to be heated to a precise temperature which can be tricky. This recipe is much easier and it tastes just as good.

Makes about 16 ounces

  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup condensed milk
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Put chocolate, cocoa powder, butter, condensed milk and salt in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water
  2. Cook and stir until all melted
  3. Turn heat off, stir in vanilla extract
  4. Spread evenly in a container lined with slightly greased parchment paper or aluminum foil
  5. Refrigerate for about 3 hours until firm
  6. Cut into squares
  7. Store in refrigerator

Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

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This dessert is definitely for chocolate lovers like me !  It is simple, yet very yummy and looks amazing.  It makes a great Valentine’s dessert.  Try it with vanilla ice cream, it’s divine with the warm chocolate “lava” ! I don’t think anyone can resist that.   

Makes about 4 servings

  • 4 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/4 cup cake and pastry flour, sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 50 g unsalted butter at room temperature, more for coating ramekins
  • 1/4 cup demerara or brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF
  2. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, cool slightly
  3. Generously coat ramekins with butter
  4. Using an electric mixer, cream 50 g of butter and sugar until fluffy
  5. Add eggs and vanilla extract
  6. Slowly pour in melted chocolate, mix until blended
  7. Mix in flour and salt
  8. Pour batter into ramekins, about 2/3 full 
  9. Bake for about 10-11 minutes
  10. Cool for about 5 minutes, invert ramekins over plates, cakes should come out fairly easily
  11. Dust with icing sugar, serve warm

 

 

 

 

Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

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For me, the taste of chocolate and orange brings back a lot of childhood memories.  One of my favourite treats when I was young was Jacob’s Club Orange Chocolate Bar.  It’s a orange-flavoured wafer biscuit coated with chocolate.  It’s absolutely delicious !  So when I was thinking about a cupcake recipe, this combination came to my mind.

For the cupcakes

  • 1+1/2 cups cake and pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • zest of one large orange
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 1 +1/2 teaspoon pure orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add eggs, orange juice, orange zest, milk and the 2 extracts, mix until blended
  5. Mix in flour mixture in 2-3 portions
  6. Pour into baking tins lined with baking cups, about 2/3 full
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes
  8. Cool completely before frosting

 

For the chocolate frosting

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (150 g), at room temperature
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
  1. Sift together icing sugar and cocoa powder
  2. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water, cool slightly
  3. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy
  4. Add milk and vanilla
  5. Add sugar and cocoa powder in 2-3 portions, mix well after each addition, scraping sides of bowl
  6. Add melted chocolate, mix until smooth

Vanilla Cream Pastry Puffs

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This is a dessert that has been in my mind ever since I took the pastry course in September. The original recipe uses a choux pastry.  I used a store-bought puff pastry instead. The textures of the two pastries are quite different, but they both go really well with the vanilla cream. 

Makes about 8 puffs

For the vanilla cream

  • 500 mL milk (preferably full fat, but 2 % works too)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 to 1 vanilla bean
  1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 cup of milk together until no more lumps
  2. Cut vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds out of bean pod, do not throw away bean pod
  3. In a pot, heat remaining milk, vanilla beans and the pod over medium heat until just boiled
  4. Whisk 1/2 of boiled milk slowly into egg mixture to temper, then pour everything back into the pot
  5. Heat until just starting to bubble, whisking constantly
  6. Take pot off the heat, remove vanilla pod 
  7. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool

To make the pastry puffs

  • 1 box frozen puff pastry (two 10 inch x 10 inch sheets), thawed
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 -2 tablespoons granulated sugar or vanilla sugar 
  • Icing sugar and fruits for toppings
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Spread two sheets of pastry flat on a floured surface separately (if your pastry comes in a block, cut and row into 2 sheets of about 1/8 inch in thickness)  
  3. Brush one sheet with egg wash, then sprinkle evenly with granulated or  vanilla sugar
  4. Place the other sheet on top, pressing gently
  5. Cut with a round cookie cutter into circles, about 2 -3 inches in diameter
  6. Prick a few times with a fork in the middle, so they won’t puff up too much
  7. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden
  8. Let cool, then gently cut puffs in half horizontally
  9. Spoon or pipe vanilla cream in the middle
  10. Top with icing sugar and fruits

 

Original recipe of vanilla cream by Chef Marco Ropke at Vancouver Pastry Training Centre

Homemade Vanilla Sugar

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Vanilla bean…..an ingredient that can make almost any dessert more flavourful but it can be quite expensive. So why not make the best use of it ? If you have used, empty vanilla pods, you can make your own vanilla sugar very easily. Here is what you need:

  • 2-3 used,dried vanilla beans
  • 2 cups granulated sugar

Put 2-3 dried vanilla pods in about 2 cups of granulated sugar. Shake to combine and let sit in an air-tight container for at least one week before use.

You can use it to replace sugar in your cake, cookie or muffin recipes; or sprinkle it over french toasts, pancakes, pastries, etc.

Preparation time = 10 minutes

Simple Chocolate Mousse

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I just can’t get enough of chocolate, even after Christmas and New Year !  Most mousse recipes contain raw eggs which I don’t feel too comfortable with, especially with kids in the house. This recipe only uses 5 ingredients, it is much easier and doesn’t involve raw eggs.  Hope you enjoy it !

Makes about 4 servings

  • 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, plus about 1/2 ounce for toppings, finely chopped 
  • 1 cup heavy or whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar to adjust sweetness if desired
  1. Heat cream in a non-stick pot over medium heat
  2. Add chopped chocolate, sugar and salt, stir until smooth and chocolate all melted
  3. Turn heat off, mix in vanilla extract 
  4. Pour mixture through a fine strainer
  5. Let cool, cover and refrigerate overnight
  6. Before serving, whisk mousse using an electric mixer until soft peak is formed 
  7. Spoon or pipe into glasses then top with chopped chocolate

Pear Cobbler

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You may have noticed, I like to make my desserts or cakes into individual servings. Instead of making a big cake, I would make 12 minis. The main advantage, especially for baking, is that you can control your baking time and temperature much better. You would need less time, and your goodies would be baked more evenly. There is also more room to play around with your toppings and decorations! This cobbler is another mini version. Top it up with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise…..A great dessert on a cold day ! 

Makes about 8 servings

For the pear fillings

  • 400 g Bartlett or Anjou pear chunks (washed, peeled cored and cut)
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  1. Coat pear chunks with lemon juice and zest
  2. Mix with brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter

For the topping

  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  1. Mix oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon
  2. Add melted butter, mix until blended

To make the cobbler

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Spoon pear fillings into ramekins, add topping
  3. Bake on a tray for about 25 minutes, serve warm
  4. Top with ice cream or a vanilla sauce like Creme Anglaise