Raspberries and cream swiss roll

I was meant to make a raspberry soufflé but I was busy with my job interview preparations so I thought I might as well make a swiss roll out of it because I love swiss rolls especially chiffon rolls. Since my boyfriend bought two packets of fresh raspberry,I kept the balance in the freezer for future use and I already have a recipe in mind!=) Making soufflé would require me to blend the fresh raspberries into a puree and I felt it would be a waste since the fresh raspberries looked beautiful so eating it whole would be wonderful! I was meant to make a chiffon roll again but I followed a different recipe,silly me although this swiss roll is pretty tasty, I prefer the previous one I made, the durian chiffon roll. It is a simple swiss roll with fresh cream and raspberries.




Swiss roll recipe adapted from Aunty Yoschana
4 large eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
90g cake flour,sifted
60g corn oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven at 180C. Grease & line with baking paper a 30cm x 30cm swiss roll pan. (shallow square pan)
2. Beat egg yolks and 50g caster sugar until ribbon stage. 
3. Add vanilla extract,mix until well combine.
4. Sift flour over mixture and fold until well incorporated.
5. Fold in oil until combined. (the batter will be very thick and mousse like)
6. In another bowl, Whisk egg whites until soft peaks.Gradually add remaining sugar in 2 additions and whisk until stiff peaks.
7. Fold 1/3 of meringue in cake batter until well combined. Continue with the remaining meringue in two batches until well incorporated.
8. Pour batter into prepared tin. Level the batter with spatula evenly. Rap baking pan on a hard surface to remove large air pockets.Bake for 18-20 minutes.
9. Remove from oven. Rap pan again right after removing it from oven to allow steam to escape if not your swiss roll with be soggy.
10. Place a baking paper,slightly dusted with icing sugar on a cooling rack and turn cake upside down,remove baking paper from cake and allow to cool completely.

Whipped cream filling
200g cold whipping cream
50g icing sugar

Place beaters and bowl in the fridge for 2 hours or freezer for 30minutes - 1 hour. Just before assembling your swiss roll. Remove bowl and beaters from fridge/freezer and pour cream & icing sugar in the bowl. Place the bowl over another bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes. Beat until stiff peaks.

To assemble:

50ml kirsch (cherry liqueur) or fruit juice/liqueur/liquor you like

3 hands full raspberries

Brush cold cake with kirsch. Then spread whipped cream on cake evenly,arrange raspberries in three straight rows. Gently roll the cake into a swiss roll and chill for a minimum of an hour. Before serving, slice the ends off and dusting icing sugar on top. Serve chilled.

swiss roll layered with whipped cream

Raspberries arranged in three rows

Roll the cake carefully, wrap it in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 

Remove from fridge, slice the ends off,dust with icing sugar on top and serve!!

Vanilla butter (with little surprises in the middle!) cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Dad complaints I don't eat enough fruits. But honestly I love my fruits in my desserts. Give me anything sweet with fruits any day I would eat it instead of something with chocolate. Call me weird but I'm just being me!lol.

Anyway, I always get myself a packed of raspberries from KLCC each time I am in KL. Why KLCC? Because priceless of raspberry in Isetan Foodhall is cheaper compared to other supermarkets and the berries look fresh. I walked into Ben's Grocer in Solaris the other and to my dismay, I found a packet of raspberries covered in mold! Ewww. The raspberries are either moldy or too pricey in most supermarkets. 

Wanted to make something different with my expensive purchase but with time constraint (because I have an interview tomorrow,fingers crossed I get the job & raspberry can only keep for a maximum of 3 days), I made a little cupcakes with my raspberries and also blueberries. Next time, I will have a recipe (and enough mouths to feed) in mind before buying my raspberries.hehe.

Little surprises in a cupcake that looks like a plain butter cupcake with vanilla buttercream!

Cupcakes: (makes 25 medium size cupcakes)

250g unsalted butter

230g caster sugar + 2 tablespoons

5 'kampung' eggs/small eggs (4 large eggs), separated

250g cake flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoon fresh milk

25 raspberries and blueberries, each

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add yolks one at a time. Mix well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and continue to mix.
4. Turn mixer to low speed and add flour & baking powder into the mixture,mixing until just combined.
5. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff peaks, gradually add one tablespoon of sugar at a time until you get a nice semi marshmallowy mixture. 
6. Fold in milk into the cake batter,then add fold egg whites in three additions.
7. Fill cupcake liners to 1/2 full and insert a raspberry and blueberry in the middle of the cupcake.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove and cool completely.

Vanilla buttercream:

250g unsalted butter,diced at semi room temperature

250g icing sugar,sifted

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Beat butter and sugar until very light and fluffy (5minutes). Then add vanilla extract and continue to mix for another 3 minutes.

To assemble, place buttercream in a piping bag with a preferred nozzle and Pipe rosettes on your cupcakes and serve immediately.

If you prefer your cupcakes less sweet or feel your cupcakes are overcooked/dry and want it more moist, try pouring a tablespoon of lemon syrup on top cupcakes as soon as you take the cupcakes out of the oven.I tried one cupcake with/without the lemon syrup and preferred the one with the lemon syrup but it's totally optional.

Recipe of lemon syrup follows.

Juice of 2 lemons,strained
5-6 tablespoons caster sugar

Mix the lemon juice and sugar,let aside.

In very humid temperature, I normally leave my butter out for 5 minutes and then cut them into cubes and beat the butter using the paddle attachment. I never leave my butter out for too long cause the buttercream with turn runny quickly.I rather beat butter cubes while it is cold because by the time you have buttercream ready,it is the perfect consistency for frosting the cupcakes.

As soon as they saw a cupcake in my hand, they jumped excitedly to grab my cupcake. My greedy babies.

Based on my experience, troubleshooting macarons

This is my personal experience. My experience may differ to yours because I may not have to same oven as yours, weather at where I am living and where you do may be different and ingredients used may not be the same.

I hardly make macarons at home because it's too sweet for everyone at home. As much as I would love to make them and practice on my macaron skills, they are pretty expensive to make and no one eats them so they sit forever in the fridge. After making macarons for the fourth time,I can say 97% of my macarons have 'feet'. In humidity, I turned on my air conditioner and place the piped macarons under the air conditioner for half hour to help the drying process. It was not wet to touch after 20 minutes. Macarons have temperamental issues.LOL. I dont have the fan force function on my old oven so the first batch of macarons came out slightly coloured (baked macaron shells should have the same colour as pre baked ones). The oven temperature was 180C if baking in fan forced oven but using a 'normal' oven, I had to increase the temperature by 10-20 C (different people say different things on the internet), I ignored that rule because I felt it would be too hot, and also I placed my macarons in the middle shelves (Big mistake!!). And also I had left the oven door slightly ajar after 5 minutes into baking time; continue baking the shells for another 10 minutes.


Although, My macarons looked good besides the fact that it was slightly browned.I wasn't satisfied.


After the first batch, I realised I should reduce the temperature to 150-160 degrees and I placed the macarons on the lowest shelf. Baked it in a closed oven for 5 minutes and then open the oven door slightly ajar,continue baking it for another 10-15 minutes.It was almost perfect but still not to my satisfaction but hey,It was definitely better looking then all the 3 times I made before! :) The bottom was slightly wet but most of them didn't stick to the silicon sheets which was a good thing! Quite an achievement but still not there yet. I would try using the French or Swiss meringue technique the next time instead of the usual Italian meringue technique found in Pierre Herme's Macarons book.


P/s: Make sure you sift the almond meal/almond powder. If you not, you will have a grainy top not shiny one!


Another issue I had was with the buttercream. Original plan was an all ribena macaron thing but when I wanted to flavour my buttercream, I realised that ribena sold now is so diluted!! I thought Malaysia had the pre mixed ribena bottles and I bought the wrong one!That was a huge bummer to me. So since I had raspberry jam in the fridge I used a tablespoon of it to give it a better flavour. 

I used my mastrad macaron sheet.

For the macaron recipe, I used the same recipe found the link below but I halved the original recipe (thank god!). And for the buttercream, I used the recipe given below!


Lemon macarons with boysenberry swiss meringue buttercream


Swiss meringue buttercream :
55g egg whites
100g caster sugar
170g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoon raspberry jam
3 tablespoon ribena cordial

Put the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick shiny meringue, about 5 minutes. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. Add raspberry jam and ribena and continue to mix until combined.

Chocolate & Raspberry cake

I thought I should finally open up my Callebaut semi sweet chocolate pistols. I have always loved Lindt eating/couverture chocolates for my desserts but after reading so much about 'good quality' couverture chocolates like Callebaut and Valhorna; I decided to look for one of the two brands. Most Malaysians are ignorant to the fact that chocolate's number one enemy is the fridge. I stumbled upon callebaut chocolate in KL selling for RM 128 for a bag of 2.5kgs.Pretty cheap but it was kept in the fridge/chiller. I had a pretty bad experience with my chocolates kept in the chiller which was accidentally switched to freezer mode. My chocolates seized no matter how many times I started a new batch of chocolates to melt. I learnt my lesson.

I am not a fan of chocolates,call me weird but I am more into sponge/chiffon cakes.Not much of a rich cake/desserts/pastry person although I love making anything sweet which involves the oven.Anyway, I tried a new recipe using chocolates and fruits. I always like my chocolate desserts plain. I wanted to try something new and thought it would be a good idea to start off with raspberries (my favourite berry) and chocolate. The recipe turned out pretty well. Because my cake came out of the oven with a dome, I had to cut the top off. I left the crumbles and crust on plate on the table and continued. Dad walks into the kitchen and pinches on the cake 'scraps', smiles and asks my cousin to have a taste of it. My cousin had a pinch of it and next thing I knew the cake 'scraps' were all gone with the help of her brother as well,of course! They ate the cake 'scraps' with generous amounts of leftover ganache spreading on the bits like having bread and jam!  How cute! I took that as a compliment. :-) ( I was,honestly, gonna throw the cake 'scraps' away,LOL!)

Here's the recipe:

Sponge cake:

145g butter

240g caster sugar

150g good quality dark chocolate pistols, I used Callebaut 53% cocoa

6 large eggs,separated

120g cake flour , sift twice

23g cocoa powder, sift twice

Ganache:

450g good quality dark chocolate pistols

360ml whipping cream, 35% fat

110g butter,softened & cubed

Raspberry jam

Fresh raspberries

1. Make ganache an hour before baking your cake.
2. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering,make sure not boiling.In another bowl,place chocolates.Pour the hot cream into chocolate and stir gently until chocolate is fully melted.
3. Stir continuously until mixture is slightly cooled, add half of the butter. And continue to stir. Add the remaining butter,mix until you get a smooth ganache. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap ( plastic wrap should touch surface of ganache) and chill in fridge for 2-3 hours.
4. Line a 9 inch round pan with baking paper.Preheat oven at 175 C.
5. Melt butter in microwave until hot and pour into bowl with chocolate. Stir the chocolate mixture until smooth. Whisk 165g of the sugar with egg yolks until pale and fluffy; fold in chocolate mixture. 
6. Fold in flours until fully combined.
7. In another bowl, make meringue. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add sugar and continue to mix until stiff peaks.
8. Add 1/3 of the meringue into cake batter and mix until combine then fold in the remaining meringue mixture in two batches until combined.
9. Pour batter into prepared tin. Drop the baking tin on a hard surface to knock the large bubbles out. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours.Peel liners off the cake.Cut the cake into three slices using a serrated knife. Level the cake on top if it's uneven on the surface.
11. Take ganache out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. If ganache is still in a runny like,place it back into the fridge until it is a spreadable consistency.
12. If too stiff, leave it out a few minutes in a warm area until it is a spreadable consistency.
13. To assemble, Place one slice of cake on a turntable and spread a thin layer of raspberry jam. Then add a moderate layer of ganache and spread to even out. Place fresh raspberries on top and cover with another layer of cake. Do the same with the next layer. Finally frost the layered cake with ganache; on top and on the sides.

It's okay if the top has cracks because we are going to cut the top off

Making the ganache

                                   

Raspberry jam,raspberries,chocolate ganache to filling and frost the cake

                                   

Raspberries I bought at hefty price in Jason Foodhall and I mean it! RM 27 is no joke. I bought the same ones at Isetan Foodhall in KLCC for only RM 22.

Spread the jam,ganache and topped with raspberries

Frosted cake

Still need to work on my photography skills

Ispahan macarons

One of Pierre Herme originality,the Lychee, Rose & Raspberry macaron but I added a twist because I didn't have enough raspberries, I used fresh strawberries as well with the frozen raspberries I had left over.I would be frank about this beautiful french sweet,I had a crazy time doing this. Firstly, not knowing the right temperature to bake these macarons was a trial & error thing for me, then came the lychee and rose ganache.The ganache was a disaster,I wasted so much because the ganache went wrong. I was my fault for using normal eating chocolate instead of the usual couverture chocolate used. I made my own lychee and rose filling in the end because the ganache did not set. Even the raspberry & strawberry jelly did not set.But the taste was pretty alright and it did come out good for a first timer.

excuse the slight crack,I was testing the perfect temperature for the macarons.

Adapted from Pierre Herme: Macarons ( I only made half the recipe) & Poh's Kitchen

For the raspberry and strawberry jelly:

210g raspberries + strawberries

40g caster sugar

2 leaves of gelatine weighing 2g each

For the macaron shells:

150g sifted ground almonds*

150g sifted icing sugar

55g 'liquefied' egg whites**

red food colouring paste

+

150g caster sugar

75g water

55g 'liquefied' egg whites

For the lychee & rose buttercream

150g unsalted butter

100g icing sugar

7 lychees (from a tin),squeeze excess syrup out from the lychees

2 drops oil based rose essence

* make sure you have 150g of sifted almond meal, the coarser grains from the almond meal can be used in other recipes.

** liquefied egg whites are aged egg whites meaning that egg whites kept in the fridge for several days, egg whites will lose their elasticity.I used frozen egg whites. I normally keep extra egg whites in the freezer until needed.

1 egg white = 30g

For decorations:

edible dust

sugar sprinkles

1. Start by preparing the raspberry jelly.Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water to soften. Using a hand blender,blend the raspberries, strawberries and sugar to a puree. Strain the puree to remove the pips. Heat a quarter of the puree to 45 C. Drain and dry the gelatine and add to the hot puree. Stir and add the rest of the raspberry puree.
2. Pour it into a gratin dish lined with clingflim to a depth of 4mm. Allow to cool for an hour at room temperature then put the dish into the freeze for 2 hours. Turn out the jelly and cut into 1.5cm squares. Return the jelly squares to the freezer.
3. To make the macarons shells: Sift together the sifted almond meal and icing sugar together.Add egg whites & red colouring to the almond meal and icing sugar.Mix vigorously.
4. Bring water and sugar to boil at 118 C. When the syrup reaches 115 C,simultaneously start whisking the second portion of egg whites to soft peaks. When the syrup reaches 118 C, pour it over the egg whites. Whisk and allow the meringue to cool down to 50 C, then fold it into the almond & icing sugar mixture. Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.
5. Pipe rounds of batter with a template as a guideline underneath the parchment paper or silpat or alternatively pipe rounds of batter about 3.5cm in diameter spacing them 2 cm apart onto baking trays lined parchment paper or silpat. Slightly drop baking trays on a hard surface to get an even looking shell. Sprinkle with decorations of your preferences and leave shells to stand for at least 30 minutes or until they form a skin.
6. Preheat oven at 150C for conventional ovens and 180C for fan forced ovens then put trays in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.Leave oven door slightly ajar to allow steam to escape.
7. Remove from oven and slide the shells on to a work surface.
8. To make lychee & rose buttercream, squeeze excess water out from the lychee. Blend lychee to a puree.Cream butter & sugar until light & fluffy, add the puree into the cream and continue to the mixture. Add your desired amount of rose essence.Start off by adding few drops at a time as the flavour of rose can be overpowering if too much essence is added.
9. To pipe the macaron shells:Spoon buttercream into a pipping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe a mound of buttercream on to half the shells. Lightly press a square of the frozen jelly into the centre and finish with a dot of buttercream.(I found this very difficult to do and my frozen jelly was melting into the heat of Malaysia.) Top with the remaining shells.
10. Store the macarons for 24 hours in the fridge and bring them out at point of serving.

VIOLA!!!