Tag Archives: love baking

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

Cake Pops

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This was another fun project that I did with my daughter.  She helped me make the cake balls and decorate them.  I am not a good artist, so I really admire bakers that can make beautiful and amazing cake pops, cookies and cakes.  This is just the basic recipe, you can decorate any way your imagination takes you !

To make cake pops, you need to prepare the cake, the frosting and the coating. You would also need cake pop sticks and a cake pop stand of or a styrofoam block for drying.   

Makes about 30 cake pops

For the cake

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1+1/3 cup self-rising flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 90 mL milk

For the frosting

  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 120 gm cream cheese
  • 1+1/2 cup icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the coating

  • 24 ounces candy melts or chocolate
  • 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil if using candy melts

To make the cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift self-rising flour
  3. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment,  cream butter and sugar until fluffy
  4. Add eggs, vanilla and milk
  5. Add flour in 2-3 portions, mix until blended
  6. Bake in muffin tins for about 20 minutes (toothpick should come out clear when inserted in the middle)
  7. Let cake cool completely

I used muffin tins because the cake would bake more evenly and it would take less time.  You can use a loaf pan, but bake it for about 35-40 minutes.

To make the frosting

  1. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese together
  2. Add vanilla, then icing sugar in 2-3 portions
  3. Mix until smooth

To prepare the cake balls

  1. When the cake is completely cooled, break the cake into fine crumbs with fork or fingers
  2. Gradually add frosting, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mix and knead until you can roll mixture into balls
  3. Roll cake mixture into small balls, place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least about 30 minutes

Meanwhile, start preparing the coating

To make the coating

  1. Melt candy melts or chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water 
  2. Stir in a little vegetable oil, if using candy melts,to get desired consistency and to make coating shiny

Finally ! To assemble the cake pops

  1. Dip cake pop sticks into coating about 1 inch deep
  2. Insert coated sticks into cake balls (you may need to gently reshape them into balls)
  3. Dip into coating, covering the whole cake pop
  4. Gently tap off excess coating
  5. Decorate with sprinkles while coating is still wet
  6. Stand them into a cake pop stand or a styrofoam block to dry

Gingerbread Cookies

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Every Christmas gingerbread cookie is at the top of my baking list.  The kids love to make and eat them.  My daughter and I spent a whole Sunday morning decorating them.  We had so much fun!

Makes about 24, depending on size of cookies
Total time = 90 minutes

For the cookies

  • 2+1/4 cake and pastry flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup fancy molasses
  • 1 egg
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and the 4 spices, set aside
  3. Using and electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until fluffy
  4. Add egg and molasses, mix until blended
  5. Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions, mix until dough starting to form
  6. Transfer dough to a floured surface, press together to form a ball
  7. Wrap with plastic wrap and put in fridge for about 1 hour for easy handling
  8. On a floured surface, roll dough into about 1/8″ thickness, cut with cookie cutters. 
  9. Gather dough scraps together, roll out and cut into shapes again
  10. Place cookies on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  11. Bake for about 8 minutes
  12. Cool on cookie sheets for about 10 minutes them completely on rack
  13. Decorate with icing and candies when completely cooled

For the icing

  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 4 teaspoons corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons water
  • food coloring for icing
  1. Sift icing sugar
  2. Add milk, corn syrup and vanilla
  3. Add water, a few drops at a time to get the desired consistency
  4. Add food coloring
  5. Mix until smooth

Use a thicker icing to outline the borders, let dry, then use a thinner icing for the middle.  The icing is almost transparent, so you will need to add white food coloring to make it white.

Chocolate Macarons

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Macacron is one of the trickiest recipe I have ever made. My first time was a disaster ! The shells were flat and stuck to the cookie sheets ! The color was dull and uneven. After reading many many recipes and trying a number of times, I finally succeed ! It helps if you plan and organize what you need before you start. Here are some tips:

  1. Some recipes recommend aging the egg whites, I tried both aging and using them straight from the shells and didn’t really notice a big difference. One important thing though, they must be at room temperature before whisking.
  2. Colouring can be tricky. I just used cocoa powder here. If you want other colours, do not add the cocoa powder and add colouring powder or paste.
  3. Prepare the piping bag, line a medium bowl with the bag. This helps to pour the batter into the bag.
  4. Print or draw some circles on a piece of paper, about 1+1/2 inch in diameter, place it underneath the parchment paper on the cookie sheet to help piping the batter. Just make sure you remove it before baking.
  5. For easy fillings, you can use Nutella or any kind of jam.

Makes about 12 macarons

  • 3/4 cup icing sugar
  • 100 g finely ground almond
  • 1+1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 75 g egg whites (from 2 large or 3 small eggs)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Powder or paste food coloring if desired
  • Fruit jam (I used raspberry jam) or Nutella for fillings
  1. Preheat oven to 325ºF
  2. Sift ground almond, icing sugar and cocoa powder
  3. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy
  4. Add sugar slowly
  5. Increase speed to high, whisk until a stiff peak is formed (the meringue at the tip of the whisk should be glossy and won’t drip back)
  6. Gently and quickly, fold in almond mixture in 2-3 portions until just blended, don’t over mix (batter should flow like lava)
  7. Pour mixture in a piping bag with 3/8″ round tip
  8. Pipe batter into circles on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, about 1+1/2 inch in diameter and 2 inches apart
  9. Tap cookie sheets on counter a couple of times to remove air bubbles
  10. Let sit at room temperature for at least about 30 minutes (remember to remove paper with pre-printed circles)
  11. Bake for about 8 minutes
  12. Let cool for 5-10 minutes on cookie sheets then completely on rack
  13. Sandwich with your favourite fillings

Ginger Cookies 

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These are one of my favourite cookies! I thought my kids would not like them, so I added a bit more ginger to please the adults’ palates. To my surprise, my daughter loves them. She said these cookies are really soft and tasty, and not spicy at all!

Makes about 24-30 cookies
Total time = 60 minutes

  • 2 cups cake and pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Crosby’s fancy molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar for rolling
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and the three spices, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugars at medium speed until fluffy
  4. Add molasses, egg and vanilla, mix until blended
  5. Add flour mixture in 2 parts, mix until dough is formed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl
  6. Refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes for easy handling
  7. Roll dough into 1 inch balls
  8. Lightly roll top half of cookie balls in sugar
  9. Place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, sugar side up, spacing about 2 inches apart
  10. Flatten top gently with bottom of a glass
  11. Bake for about 10-12 minutes

Lemon Curd Meringue Cookies

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Meringue and lemon curd go very well together. These cookies are light and delicate but very rich in flavour. To balance the sweetness, I added less sugar to the meringue than I normally would. I also diluted the juice with a little bit of water, you can just use the juice if you prefer a more tangy flavour. Eat them right away though, otherwise the meringue will turn soft and sticky or you can sandwich them just before serving if you want to make them ahead. You can use the leftover lemon curd as a jam on your toasts, pancakes or waffles! Enjoy!

For the lemon curd

Makes about 1/2 cup

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 50 gram unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  1. Whisk together egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, water and zest
  2. Heat mixture in non-stick pot over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened (mixture should coat back of spoon)
  3. Turn heat off, mix in butter, a few pieces at a time until all melted
  4. Cool, and refrigerate up to 2 weeks

For the meringues

Makes about 24 single cookies or 12 sandwiches

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 225°F
  2. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until frothy
  3. Increase speed to high and slowly add in sugar
  4. Whisk until a stiff peak is formed
  5. Pour into piping bag with star or round tip
  6. Pipe onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart
  7. Bake for about 40 minutes, depending on size of cookies, they should be dry to touch, turn off oven
  8. Leave cookies in oven for about 2 more hours to dry 
  9. Remove from oven to cool completely on rack

The Special Ingredient

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I was looking for some powder food coloring and my friend referred me to a cooking supply warehouse.  Wow ! What an eye-opener ! There were so many different ingredients, cooking tools, kitchen ware, dinnerware.  Lots of cute little gadgets too !   We ended up spending 2 hours in the store, looking at almost every single item, and of course, came out with the powder food coloring plus……well, just a FEW more other purchases.

To make tasty food, we have to find the right ingredients and add the right amount. However, there is one ingredient which you won’t be able to find it in any store. You won’t spoil your dishes by adding too much of it. In fact, the more the better! This special and precious ingredient is LOVE. The love for food, the love for cooking, and most important of all…… the love for families and friends.

It just makes my day when my kids say ” mom, is so yummy !” , “mom, can I have more? ” Those contented little smiles are priceless. Cooking can be a lot of work, but if you are cooking for your loved ones, it becomes happy work and it’s all worth it!