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Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coffee. Show all posts

Monday, March 30, 2009

Chocolat et Café



Have seen many bloggers posting recipes of cupcakes. That is a good advantage for those who are really into cupcakes to actually do experiments with various recipes and come out with their own formulated ones. Subsequently if they post those new recipes, everyone of us will benefit from them all over again. And soon enough, a circle of neverending cupcake learning community will be formed!

I am one of the cupcake lovers, who also happened to have craving for chocolate cupcakes recently. Initially planned to crown my cupcakes with tangerine cheese cream from one of the appetizing recipes found on the Net, but then it wasn’t the season of tangerine. So I had to figure out the replacement. My bet was coffee butter cream. Nothing can go wrong since both chocolate and coffee compliment each other to deliver the most of both taste and aroma.

RICH CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Makes 11 cupcakes



1. Chocolate Cupcakes
Prepare: 11 muffin paper cups (diameter 2 ¼ inch, height 2 ¼ inch) and a large baking tray

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 120 grams
- Cocoa powder > 44 grams
- Baking powder > 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda > ½ teaspoon
- Salt > ¼ teaspoon
- Milk > 190 ml
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Butter – soften > 90 grams
- Granulated sugar > 187 grams
- Eggs > 2

Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place 11 muffin paper cups on the baking tray with adequate gap between one another.
- Mix all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift.
- Separately combine milk and vanilla essence.
- Place softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until both ingredients are fully combined. Change to high speed and cream for 5 minutes.
- Change speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time.
- Adjust speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in a few additions. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.
- Spoon batter into each muffin cup until ¾ full.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the cake turns out clean.
- Remove from stove and cool on wire rack.



2. Coffee Butter Cream
Makes approximately 450 grams

Ingredients:
- Egg yolk > 20 grams
- Whole egg > 60 grams
- Water > 90 grams
- Vanilla powder > 1 teaspoon
- Sugar > 124 grams
- Salted butter - room temperature > 250 grams
- Coffee flavoring > 1 tablespoon
- Mocca paste > 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate coloring > 1 teaspoon

Method:
- Combine egg yolk with whole egg. Whip moderately with fork until frothy. Set aside.
- Mix water, sugar, and vanilla powder. Bring to boil until it reaches 118°C. Remove from fire and quickly place hot syrup in a mixing bowl.
- Pour egg mixture into hot syrup while whipping with cake mixer at medium speed. When it is fully in, switch to high speed and continue whipping until cream is cool and thick.
- Add butter into cream and whip until hard and smooth (approximately 5 minutes).
- Fold in coffee flavoring, mocca paste, and chocolate coloring. Mix thoroughly.
- Pop a star piping nozzle into the piping bag and fill with coffee butter cream.
- Pipe cream on top of chocolate cupcakes.
- Decorate more as desired. Serve.



Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Café Fanatique



Never met anyone who was so into coffee cake until I was introduced to my friend's mom. One Sunday morning I took the initiative to bake her one huge coffee cake. Then something funny really happened. My friend told me that her mother was keeping the entire cake for herself. When the word "coffee cake" slipped out accidentally during an afternoon conversation with her dear neighbor, had she come to face her ultimate fear of sharing. Yes, she had no choice but expressed a little generosity. Well, she had to, hadn't she?

Guess what happened? She went into the fridge, took the cake out, and sliced it to the thinnest that she possibly could. Maybe it was too thin, it hardly had the strenght to stand on a plate ha ha ha! And maybe I should have looked at her face when that precious little slice of cake was handed over. Oh, come on... order another cake, okay?

Anyway, she always has cravings for my coffee cake and orders regularly through her son. She is my loyal customer! As I promised my friend since last 2 weeks, I should just make her happy again, one more time...

COFFEE CAKE
Serves 10 persons



1. Coffee Sponge Cake
Prepare:
- One 7.5 inch round cake tin
- Baking paper > cut into 7.3 inch diameter circle

Ingredients:
- Margarine - to grease cake tin > 1 tablespoon
- Salted butter > 35 grams
- Cake flour > 72 grams
- Corn flour > 7 grams
- Coffee powder > 5 grams
- Baking powder > 1/2 teaspoon
- Sugar > 74 grams
- Egg > 2 1/2
- Ovalett (cake emulsifier) > 7 grams
- Water > 18 grams
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate coloring > 3 drops

Method:
- Grease base and side of the cake tin with margarine. Line with baking paper and grease it too.
- Melt butter and leave to cool.
- Preheat oven to 175 degree Celcius.
- Combine cake flour, corn flour, coffee powder, and baking powder. Sift thoroughly.
- Place sifted flour mixture in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, eggs, and ovalett. Mix moderately with a spatula.
- Turn on electric cake mixer and whip flour and egg mixture for 3 minutes.
- Fold in water, vanilla essence, and chocolate coloring.
- Continue whipping until batter becomes glossy and thick, approximately 4 minutes. Finally add melted butter and mix well.
- Pour into cake tin and bake at 175 degree Celcius for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove cake out of tin and leave to cool.

2. Coffee Butter Cream
Makes approximately 450 grams

Ingredients:
- Egg yolk > 20 grams
- Whole egg > 60 grams
- Water > 90 grams
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Sugar > 124 grams
- Salted butter - room temperature > 250 grams
- Coffee essence > 1 tablespoon
- Mocca paste > 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate coloring > 1 teaspoon

Method:
- Combine egg yolk with whole egg. Whip moderately with fork until frothy. Set aside.
- Mix water, vanilla essence and sugar. Bring to boil until it reaches 118 degree Celcius. Remove from fire and quickly place the hot syrup in a mixing bowl.
- Gently pour egg mixture into hot syrup while whipping with electric cake mixer at medium speed. When egg is fully in, switch to high speed and continue whipping until cream is cool and thick.
- Add butter into cream and whip until thick and smooth, approximately 5 minutes.
- Fold in coffee flavoring, mocca paste, and chocolate coloring. Mix thoroughly.

3. Assembly:

Ingredients:
- Cashew nut chunks > 200 grams
- White chocolate discs > 13
- Fresh fruits > as desirable

Method:
- Slice cake into 3 equal layers.
- Sandwich cake layers with coffee butter cream. Spread some cashew nut chunks.
- Cover cake with coffee butter cream.
- Sprinkle baseline of cake with cashew nut chunks.
- Decorate top of cake with butter cream, white chocolate discs, fruits and the rest of cashew nut chunks.