Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cake

10.06.2017 - If you love heavy, thick, fudgy, gooey, dark chocolate cake, this is the Perfect Cake for you.   I personally hate overly sweet cake, so i created this cake with the right amount of sweetness level.  Its just perfect, you do not feel like eating sugar like any other old fashion dark chocolate cake.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
(A)
1 3/4 cups + 6tbsp APF / Cake Flour
1 cup caster sugar
6 tbsp Dark Coco Powder
1 1/2tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2tsp Baking Soda
1tsp Salt

(B)
2 eggs
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Oil
2tsp Vanilla

(C)
1 Cup Boiling strong coffee ( 2 sachets Nescafe = 4g )

MINT SWISS MERINGUE RECIPE
400g Unsalted Butter
4 egg whites
100g sugar
2tbsp corn syrup
2 1/2tsp Mint Flavour
Green coloring

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
100g Dark Chocolate
100g Non-dairy Whipping Cream

METHOD:
* Line base 2 x 8" round pan and grease and dust with flour
* Sift (A) dry ingredients, in a mixing bowl mix well with a hand whisk.
* Add (B) wet ingredients, into dry ingredients mix well with hand whisk.
* Beat batter in a mixer for 2 minutes, Fold in (C) slowly and mix well with a whisk.
* Pour batter into 2 separate pans.
* Bake at 180c for 30 minutes.
* Insert toothpick to check. When its cooked, remove from oven cold on wire rack for 20mins, remove cake from pan.
* To make SMBC - Double boil egg whites, corn syrup and sugar, whisk till sugar melt, removed egg whites, beat on high speed until peak and add cold butter, keep beating until it has become smooth cream.  Add Mint Flavour mix well.  Separates half portion of white SMBC for cake filling, another half add 2 drips of green coloring for cake frosting.

* To make Ganache - Double boiler, melt chocolate & cream mix well and set aside to room temperature before use.

* Slice 2 cakes horizontally total of 4 layers, fill white SMBC.  Frost with green SMBC.  Chilled for 10-15 minutes.  If you want a proper nice drips, pour ganache with a teaspoon around the edges set to chilled for 5 minutes and pour the remaining ganache in center spread slowly to the edges and do not allow to drip more. However you may do another way round if you do not mind the drips in nature way covering the cake, pour ganache in center let it spread to the edges and allow it to drip down to cover cake.

Happy Baking!!

  

Coffee Mocha Old School Sliced Cake

07.06.2017 - Craving for some simple cake, so make old school sliced cake again since i have so much left over buttercream from the previous bake "Mocca Nougat Roll Cake..

I am using the same recipe from my 1st post of OSSC, only added 1tsp of Coffee Mocha Paste.  I just love decorate them! look at this batch, they are getting more and more old school style!...love it!

SPONGE CAKE RECIPE
4 egg yolks
1tsp coffee mocha paste
75ml corn oil
100ml water
150g cake flour
1tsp baking powder

4 egg whites
80g caster sugar

METHOD:-
* Line 20x20 / 8" square pan base only, side no needed to grease, set aside
* Beat egg white until peak with sugar, side aside.
* Beat egg yolks until double volume in between add in paste beat until combine.
* Add oil slowly follow by water with a mixer, fold in flour slowly with mixer until all combine.
* Add in meringue into 3 batches.
* Pour into baking pan.
* Preheated 180c, Bake for 30 minutes.
* Invert cake into wire rack to cool.
* When cake is cool, halve cake, slice cake in half horizontally, fills buttercream and sandwich together.
* Top coat a thin layer of crumbs coat, let it set and chilled for 5-10 minutes, removed from fridge continue coat the 2nd layer buttercream with a smooth top, chilled for another 10 minutes, removed from fridge, here you can either cut into pieces before pipping or vise versa.
* Delicious to consume in room temperature or chilled.

FROSTING 
SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM ( SMBC) RECIPE
150g Cold butter
2egg whites
60g sugar
1tsp Coffee Mocha Paste

* Double boil egg whites and sugar, whisk till sugar melt, removed egg whites, beat on high speed until peak and add cold butter, keep beating until it has become smooth cream, add paste to mix to combine.

This is the paste i used for this cake, so good!! 

Yummy!!

Mocca Nougat Roll / Cake

03.06.2017 - Has anyone heard of Mocca Nougat Cake? A year ago, Indonesia igers went viral with this cake and so am I was so curious what was special about this cake that everyone wants to bake! Finally down to a year now, I manage to bake one to try myself.

Now why do you think it took me so long to bake this cake? It is because when this cake goes top of the world, not much people are kind enough to share the recipe, as a year goes by, i finally saw people posting it! im glad, since i have been searching up and down for the 1st baker recipe, i finally get it from instagram.  I did alot of comparison though from recipe to recipe.  But i will try the original recipe 1st then will go to a larger cake.

Today i am baking Mocca Nougat Roll.  Its small and easy!!   I know why people love about this cake! It is extremely aromatic! If you love coffee mocha. this is the right cake for you! The whole cake coated with crunchy sugary peanut, that is the famous part of the cake the "Nougat" It was the crunchy sugary peanut.  When mocha mix with crunchy peanuts! you know how good it taste! Its delicious!

When this cake was done, I do not know why the sponge cake wasnt as light as it suppose to be, indeed looking for a lighter sponge cake texture for this cake though....will try another recipe when time to come. However, it was delicious too, I personally love the nougats thats what they called it and the coffee mocha SMBC, i found this paste is the best among all paste!! that coffee mocha aroma just takes my breath away!! it smells good and taste so delicious!!

Look at those nougats ( crunchy sugar peanuts ), they are so yummy!

MOCCA NOUGAT ROLL / CAKE
INGREDIENTS:-
4 egg yolks
2 egg whites
60g sugar ( original 65g )
75g melted butter
50g cake flour
8g corn flour
8g milk powder
1tsp "MAGLAM" coffee mocha paste

* Line 20x20 square pan with grease paper set aside.
* Beat egg yolks and sugar till ribbon stage add in mocha paste.
* Sift in cake flour, corn flour and milk powder fold gently with a spatula ( Do not over mix ) and mix melted butter with a spatula until well combined.
* Preheated oven at 180c, bake for 20-25 mins center oven.
* When its done, removing cake from oven, wait for few minutes, removed cake from pan and carefully remove the baking sheet and roll up the while its still warm. skin side up. Let it cool on the rack.
* When it is cool, unfold cake and fill SMBC sprinkle some nougats and gently roll it back, keep in fridge and let it chill.
* Remove cake from fridge on pan/cake plate, coat cake with buttercream and finish with nougats coating all over cake.

* Served chilled or room temperature. 

Yummy!!!

This is the paste i used, so good!!

FOR NOUGAT / PEANUT CRUNCH 
INGREDIENTS:-
100g caster sugar
150g peanuts ( with / without skin )

*Roast peanuts with wok, stir fried until fragrance. set aside. ( if you used peanut with skin, pls removed skin )
* Heat clean wok, add in sugar, do not stir. let it caramelize to brown color, off fire, fold in peanuts, mix well with a wooden spoon and transfer sugar peanuts on a baking pan that has lightly grease.
* Spread sugar peanuts, let it cool, harden.
* On a baking pan, use a mortar to crush the sugar peanuts. I prefer to have some good bites of the peanuts, so i do not crush it so fine.
* Keep in a zipper bag.

BUTTER CREAM RECIPE 
( I don't used this butter cream recipe, i used SMBC for this cake )

125g Butter
70g sweeten condensed milk
1/2tsp mocca paste

* Beat butter until double volume, add in sweeten condensed milk and mocca paste, beat until all combine.


SWISS MERINGUE BUTTER CREAM RECIPE ( SMBC ) 
150g cold butter
2 egg whites
60g sugar
1/2tsp "MAGLAM" coffee mocca paste

* Double boil egg whites and sugar, whisk till sugar melt, removed egg whites, beat on high speed until peak and add cold butter, keep beating until it has become smooth cream, add in mocca paste mix well.

Old School Sliced Cake with Buttercream

15.04.2017 - Who remember these beautiful buttery cream slice cakes? I do, i remember mom love to bring me to her friend kopitiam drink lemon tea with 2 slices of these beautiful slice sponge cake with buttercream cake, i love it so much!! I was just in my primary school those days.  

Those days, these cakes are so simple, delicious and no complication...lol*  I always pick the rectangle 2 layers slice cake with piping gel and little flowers on top, the other of my favourite are in round shape, sometimes i love to pick with coated peanuts top with piping gel or round cake coated with coconut and top with piping gel, simply yummy!

Every time i crave for it, i started searching recipes, looking at old school cakes pictures....ahaah....just couldn't resist those temptation. What keeps me being lazy to make are basically i imagine too much work with this tiny cakes, need to bake a cake, make buttercream and piping gel, this and that.....but finally i decided to make them anyway.

This recipe from Lucindafamilykitchen blog. I choose to make all vanilla flavour this time, i hope when i am not lazy and crave for it next time, i will try coffee and strawberry sponge cake with vanilla!!  

I still find my sliced cakes very uneven, messy and not so beautiful.  Anyway, i am happy with the outcome at least finally i got to taste it my very own old school sliced cakes!!! Horey!!..bite to my childhood memories. I will make more beautiful next time. 

BASIC SPONGE CAKE 
4 egg yolks
75ml corn oil
100ml water
150g self raising flour ( i dont have SRF, so i use cake flour + 1tsp BP )
4 egg whites
100g caster sugar ( i reduce to 80g )
* for coffee cake, add 1sp coffee paste

METHOD
* Line 20x20 / 8" square pan base only, side no needed to grease, set aside
* Beat egg white until peak with sugar, side aside.
* Beat egg yolks until double volume in between add in paste beat until combine.
* Add oil slowly follow by water with a mixer, fold in flour slowly with mixer until all combine.
* Add in meringue into 3 batches.
* Pour into baking pan.
* Preheated 180c, Bake for 30 minutes.
* Invert cake into wire rack to cool.
* When cake is cool, halve the cake, slice sponge cake into 2 layers and fill with butter cream.  Top with your own decoration desire.
* Delicious to consume in room temperature.

FROSTING 
SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM ( SMBC) RECIPE
150g Cold butter
2egg whites
60g sugar

* Double boil egg whites and sugar, whisk till sugar melt, removed egg whites, beat on high speed until peak and add cold butter, keep beating until it has become smooth cream.

Neapolitan Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Floral Wreath Arrangement

07.05.2017 - I was thinking about school time 3 colors cake, so Neapolitan comes to my mind.  Use a basic vanilla sponge cake to create 3 colors favour sponge base and frost with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

When this comes in last minute, i always end up busy googling and search for the best i could.  i was looking for Korean Glossy Buttercream recipe but seems like no one is kind enough to really post that or share that entirely.  So i just used SMBC recipe.  I have a little disappointment on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream floral making, the SMBC itself was perfected for frosting the entire cake but however, its not enough structure to pipe a simple floral for my decoration, i don't know what actually is the problem after i have mixed in colors, it turn so soft and just too soft to pipe.  I have probably over whipped occur too much air soften the cream, so much mixing or its not cold enough to pipe.  So i end up throwing and all that SMBC away duh..... and whip another new batch of SMBC for decoration and this time, i try not to over whipped it and it helps but i am still very disappointed with the piping and color mixing. so much to improve.   have do my best to at least pipe some as in the picture.  I will definitely try again with Italian Meringue Buttercream next time to create more realistic florals and get that Korean glossy buttercream consistensy.

Anyway, forget about the decoration! The starring is all about that 3 beautiful layers of flavourful delicious Neapolitan Cake. I really love the sponge cake that i picked for my creation, very satisfy with the cake baking indeed. So delicious!

VANILA SPONGE CAKE
( used 8" round pan )

5 egg yolks ( medium - large )
25g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla
85g water
65g oil
135g Cake flour ( for this time, i ran out of cake flour so i used APF, added DAP, u can skip the DAP if use Cake Flour ) 
1/2tsp double acting powder
1/2tsp vanilla paste
1/2tsp strawberry paste
1/2tsp chocolate paste
5 egg whites
90g sugar
1/2tsp cream of tartar

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:- ( this recipe can use for 16-24 cupcakes )
4 large egg whites
1cup caster sugar
1/4tsp salt
1 1/2cup ( 3 sticks ) unsalted butter
1tsp vanilla
colouring

METHOD:-

* Grease and line 8" pan base only.
* Beat white & sugar until stiff peak and set aside for later use.
* Beat egg yolks and sugar till light to double volumn, add in vanilla, oil, water slowly until all combine and sift in flour with a hand whisk slowly until all combine.
* Mix in meringue into 3 batches, 1st fold in 1/3 portion with hand whisk until all combine, 2nd fold in 1/3 portion mix gently and is ok if u see some meringue not totally mix through but continue add in the last remaining portion, fold with a spatula gently until all combine.
* Separates into 3 equal portion, add in vanilla paste, strawberry paste and chocolate paste into each bowl.
* Pour into prepared 8" pan, I bake with 2 pan, rotate the baking.
* Pre-heated oven at 180c, bake for 20 mins each cake.
* When its done, removing cake from oven, wait for few minutes until cake pull away from pan to unmould.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

11.09.2014 - Nongsa, Batam.. Have left over swiss meringue buttercream, thought of using it up for some cupcakes, so here i am making cupcakes but can't find to trust any good and spongy chocolate cupcakes and so i ended up using my chocolate cake recipe for this cupcakes and the amount of batter just right for 12 cupcakes, bake for 45mins with only 3 cracks cupcakes.....Perfect!! :P

It was incredibly successful, the cake turn out just perfect!! So spongy, light and soft.  Just the right texture for a good cupcake, not too airy and not too dense...  gosh!! Im so happy and in love with this recipe.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

26.08.2014 -  Nongsa Batam.  Very interested to get my hands on trying to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream for cupcakes.   I found this Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe makes about 2 cups or enough for 12 to 15 cupcakes, but in fact, i think the amount can make more than 15 cupcakes, it is enough for 30 cupcakes.   This recipe required 3/4 cup of sugar, but i find that i was too sweet, i will reduce to 1/2 cup next time. but if u love sweet, you can stick to the recipe amount.

To my experience, making swiss meringue buttercream is not hard at all, there is no need to panic or nervous when making this even you're a first timer like me. Nothing is complicated about this recipe.

Overall, i love the texture of my buttercream, thick, smooth and shinny! So lovely!! so happy with the result.  and now i don't need to worry giving some of my cake a real butter frosting without hesitating to eat them and always wondering how am i going to eat those fat and sweet frosting from using real thick butter and confectioner's sugar.

I used half of the buttercream to pipe on my cupcakes and another half i refrigerate for future used.

INGREDIENTS
3 large egg whites
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/16 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature ( 2sticks = 226g )
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Food Coloring (optional)

METHOD
In a large bowl of an electric stand mixer combine egg whites, sugar, and salt; place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Using a wire whisk, whisk constantly by hand until the mixture is hot, about 3 to 5 minutes. Tip: the mixture should reach about 130 degrees on an instant read thermometer, or feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips. Remove from heat.

Attach the bowl to the electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium high speed for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture forms a thick fluffy meringue and is cool. Tip: Touch the meringue and make sure it has cooled to room temperature. Also the outside of the bowl should feel cool to the touch.

Stop the mixer, remove the whisk and attach the paddle. With the mixer on medium speed add the butter, about 2 tablespoons at a time and mixing 20 to 30 seconds after each addition. While adding the butter, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add the vanilla and continue beating until the Buttercream is thick and smooth, about another 2 to 3 minutes.

Optional: add food coloring, a drop at a time and blend with the mixer. Add additional food coloring if necessary to reach the desired shade.

Buttercream should be used immediately, or refrigerate or freeze until needed.