Saturday, April 21, 2012

Raffaello Cake

P1190214

Raffaello Cake

Ingredients
For the base
4 egg whites
pinch of salt
3-4 Tbsp sugar (incl. 1 sachet vanilla sugar)
100gm desiccated coconut

For the cream top
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp plain flour
250ml milk
1 sachet vanilla sugar / or vanilla extract

200ml whipping cream
3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp gelatine

For decoration
Toasted almond slices
Toasted desiccated coconut

Steps
1) Pre-heat oven at 160°c / Gas mark 3. Grease cake tin
2) In a bowl, pour in egg whites and pinch of salt. Beat egg whites until soft peak. Add in sugar gradually and continue to beat egg whites until stiff peak. Fold in desiccated coconut carefully.
3) Pour batter into cake tin and bake for 15 mins. or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
4) Set cake aside to cool.

5) In a sauce pan, mix together a little of milk with egg yolks and flour until smooth in texture. Then gradually add in remaining milk.
6) Cook mixture over low heat until thicken by stirring continuously.
7) Once thicken to the right consistency, remove from heat and cover the custard directly with cling film. Set aside to cool.

8) Once custard is cool, you can start soaking gelatine powder by sprinkling gelatine power over 60ml of cold water. Do not stir the mixture! Leave to soak for 5 mins. Then cook gelatine over double boiler until gelatine is fully dissolved. Do not boil the mixture. Set aside to cool.
9) In a mixing bowl, pour whipping cream and 3 - 4 Tbsp of powdered sugar until stiff.
10) Mix half of whipped cream into cool custard and whipped until well combined. Mix in a few table spoons of gelatine liquid into the custard mixture, combine well and pour this custard cream onto cake.
11) Mix remaining whipped cream with a couple of spoons of gelatine, combine well and pour whipped cream over custard cream.
12) sprinkle a little of the toasted desiccated coconut over cake. Let cake chill in fridge over night.
13) sprinkle toasted almond slices over cake when serving.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Garlic Paprika Roast chicken

P1190201b 
Garlic Paprika Roast Chicken 

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp cooking oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Steps
1. Pre-heat oven at 375°c (Gas mark 6)
2. Mix dry spices into cooking oil.
3. Clean chicken and pat dry. Spread spice mix (step 2) all over chicken, place chicken skin side down onto roasting tin and let it sit in room temp. for about 30-45 mins.
4. Bake chicken first for 20 mins. After which remove roasting tin from oven, flip over chicken, this time skin side up. Baste chicken with juice from roasting. Place roasting tin back to oven and continue to cook for another 20-30 mins. After 50 mins. chicken should be fully cooked and skin crisp.

Banana Bread


P1190211
Finally I've found the best banana bread recipe!

Banana Bread
source : http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2011/01/banana-rum-cake.html

Ingredients
90g canola or sunflower oil
70g castor sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
125g plain flour, sifted (- 2 Tbsp, + 2 Tbsp ground walnuts)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
2 large bananas, mashed with a fork
25g regular milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla sugar)

Steps
1. Pre-heat oven at 175°F (Gas mark 3). Grease and line loaf tin.
2. Beat egg and sugar till light and creamy.
3. Add milk, mashed bananas, oil, vanilla and combine.
4. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, and give a quick whisk. Fold in flour into the wet ingredients until no traces of flour remain. Do not over-mix. Stop the moment everything is incorporated.
5. Pour into a lined loaf tin.
6. Bake for about 30mins, or until cooked.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Chocolate carrot cake





P1190199
Chocolate Carrot Cake
http://mochachocolatarita.blogspot.com/2009/08/chocolate-carrot-cake-moist-very.html

2 eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cups grated carrots
handful of cherries, chopped

Chocolate Icing
60gm chocolate
Rum essence, to taste
vegetable oil, as needed to loosen chocolate

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Lightly grease a loaf pan.
Using a electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale in colour. Add in vanilla extract and vegetable oil continue to mix until well combined.
In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
Add flour mix into egg mixture and beat until well mixed, add grated carrots and chopped cherries and mix well.
Pour batter into your cake pan, bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Set aside to let it cool on a wire rack.

After cake is fully cooled, prepare chocolate icing by melting chocolate over double boiler or the microwave.
To loosen the melted chocolate add in about a teaspoon of vegetable oil and finally the rum essence.
Glaze the top of the cooled  cake with chocolate icing and let it set before serving.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Raffaello Cake

P1190214

Raffaello Cake

Ingredients
For the base
4 egg whites
pinch of salt
3-4 Tbsp sugar (incl. 1 sachet vanilla sugar)
100gm desiccated coconut

For the cream top
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp plain flour
250ml milk
1 sachet vanilla sugar / or vanilla extract

200ml whipping cream
3-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 Tbsp gelatine

For decoration
Toasted almond slices
Toasted desiccated coconut

Steps
1) Pre-heat oven at 160°c / Gas mark 3. Grease cake tin
2) In a bowl, pour in egg whites and pinch of salt. Beat egg whites until soft peak. Add in sugar gradually and continue to beat egg whites until stiff peak. Fold in desiccated coconut carefully.
3) Pour batter into cake tin and bake for 15 mins. or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
4) Set cake aside to cool.

5) In a sauce pan, mix together a little of milk with egg yolks and flour until smooth in texture. Then gradually add in remaining milk.
6) Cook mixture over low heat until thicken by stirring continuously.
7) Once thicken to the right consistency, remove from heat and cover the custard directly with cling film. Set aside to cool.

8) Once custard is cool, you can start soaking gelatine powder by sprinkling gelatine power over 60ml of cold water. Do not stir the mixture! Leave to soak for 5 mins. Then cook gelatine over double boiler until gelatine is fully dissolved. Do not boil the mixture. Set aside to cool.
9) In a mixing bowl, pour whipping cream and 3 - 4 Tbsp of powdered sugar until stiff.
10) Mix half of whipped cream into cool custard and whipped until well combined. Mix in a few table spoons of gelatine liquid into the custard mixture, combine well and pour this custard cream onto cake.
11) Mix remaining whipped cream with a couple of spoons of gelatine, combine well and pour whipped cream over custard cream.
12) sprinkle a little of the toasted desiccated coconut over cake. Let cake chill in fridge over night.
13) sprinkle toasted almond slices over cake when serving.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Garlic Paprika Roast chicken

P1190201b 
Garlic Paprika Roast Chicken 

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp cooking oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Steps
1. Pre-heat oven at 375°c (Gas mark 6)
2. Mix dry spices into cooking oil.
3. Clean chicken and pat dry. Spread spice mix (step 2) all over chicken, place chicken skin side down onto roasting tin and let it sit in room temp. for about 30-45 mins.
4. Bake chicken first for 20 mins. After which remove roasting tin from oven, flip over chicken, this time skin side up. Baste chicken with juice from roasting. Place roasting tin back to oven and continue to cook for another 20-30 mins. After 50 mins. chicken should be fully cooked and skin crisp.

Banana Bread


P1190211
Finally I've found the best banana bread recipe!

Banana Bread
source : http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2011/01/banana-rum-cake.html

Ingredients
90g canola or sunflower oil
70g castor sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
125g plain flour, sifted (- 2 Tbsp, + 2 Tbsp ground walnuts)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
2 large bananas, mashed with a fork
25g regular milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (I used vanilla sugar)

Steps
1. Pre-heat oven at 175°F (Gas mark 3). Grease and line loaf tin.
2. Beat egg and sugar till light and creamy.
3. Add milk, mashed bananas, oil, vanilla and combine.
4. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and baking soda, and give a quick whisk. Fold in flour into the wet ingredients until no traces of flour remain. Do not over-mix. Stop the moment everything is incorporated.
5. Pour into a lined loaf tin.
6. Bake for about 30mins, or until cooked.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Chocolate carrot cake





P1190199
Chocolate Carrot Cake
http://mochachocolatarita.blogspot.com/2009/08/chocolate-carrot-cake-moist-very.html

2 eggs
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cups grated carrots
handful of cherries, chopped

Chocolate Icing
60gm chocolate
Rum essence, to taste
vegetable oil, as needed to loosen chocolate

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Lightly grease a loaf pan.
Using a electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until pale in colour. Add in vanilla extract and vegetable oil continue to mix until well combined.
In another bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
Add flour mix into egg mixture and beat until well mixed, add grated carrots and chopped cherries and mix well.
Pour batter into your cake pan, bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Set aside to let it cool on a wire rack.

After cake is fully cooled, prepare chocolate icing by melting chocolate over double boiler or the microwave.
To loosen the melted chocolate add in about a teaspoon of vegetable oil and finally the rum essence.
Glaze the top of the cooled  cake with chocolate icing and let it set before serving.