Esctasy over Macarons

Don't they look like rainbow ?!! Where's my pot of gold !

I have the very fortunate opportunity to attend Aunty Yochana's Macarons class recently. It's one of those amazing days to get to see an expert Aunty cooking up a storm on the macarons.

If you have tried making macarons, you know it's not an easy feat to get the "feets" up. Of course there were a few ladies jokes as to why macarons feets sometimes show and sometimes don't show. Hahaha.. blame it on the weather , blame-the-maid or the m**thly thingy.

Imagine these lovely macarons which originates from the land of Paris arriving at our very door-steps. Classy and chic ... so lovely to look at . How could anyone bear to gorge down these refined biscuits. Hmm...

Oh well, let me share with you all the nice macarons photos taken. You are welcome to drool all you want. Drooling is free. Here goes..brace yourself for the deliciously sweet yummy ones..

Look at the arrays of colours.. aren't they magical ? !!!

The Rock of foundation.. so cool

The Kissables..

The Leaning Tower of Macarons

Just when you think all is over, there is ..

The Avalanche of Macarons

EVER WISH it never ENDS ... I do !

Carrot Cake

I love Carrot Cake , love, love, love it !! Next to chocolates cakes, this is the next best yummiest cake. You simply cannot get enough of this delicious "Top-of-the-hill cheesy lemony creamy" spread across the moist Carrot Cake. How could anyone live without it ! I know I wouldn't.

My first experience of carrot cake was at Secret Recipe (famous for its cakes !) which happened to be served as a dessert, part of a main meal set. I wasn't expecting much from the look of the cake, but the first bite was an instant amazement ! Simply delicious tender cake with contrasting sweetish ,sourish creamy topping.. and the toppings are so so so ..Generous. Whenever I do happen to drop by at Secret Recipe, I had to have it, otherwise I would hate myself for not tasting it.

Now for my version of Carrot Cake, I have added a generous amount of cheesy creamy toppings. Hmm.. could have been more but I ran out of cheese (sigh !) Luck has it that I have pure cream, and added pure cream instead.. And, after that, I ran out of pure cream.. hmmm...

Surprisingly, this concoction came out angeliciously good ! Haha.. my good guy KC, came out with the word "angelicious" for my earlier cakes !

To start off, this is what is required, the ingredients :

Cake

250 gm butter

300 gm castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

5 eggs

350 gm cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

100 gm chopped Walnut

300 gm grated Carrot

Frosting topping

150gm cream cheese

50gm pure cream (I use Bulla pure cream)

150gm icing sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

How to Do it

1. Cream butter and sugar into a creamy mixture.

2. Add vanilla essence and eggs. Mix well with a mixer.

3. Add in the Cake flour, baking powder and cinnamon powder. Do not over-mix.

4. Fold in with the carrot and chopped walnuts.

5. Pour into the 10 inch cake tin and bake for 130C for 60mins

6. Let the cake rest. Reverse the cake to remove it.

7. To make the frosting, mix the frosting ingredients together and whisked it until creamy.

8. Spread the toppings over the cake.

Here's my very own version of Top-of-the hill creamy cheesy lemony Carrot Cake.. yum yum !

If anyone ever ask me what is my last meal going to be, carrot cake with generous creamy topping has to be one of them ! I will eternally RIP..

Moist Chocolate Cake

I made this Moist Chocolate Cake during the weekend but did not have the time to put it up in the blog until now. Too hectic over the weekend having to attend a wedding dinner, send sons to swimming lessons on Saturday and again on Sunday, going to 2 OpenHouse Secondary schools for exploration (for my elder son) ... Tough life.. I mean for me !

Here's the moissy chocolatey one, my crave ... it's very soft and deliciously moist that melts into one's mouth. So if you do like chocolate, this is one that you cannot miss doing it. Simple and yet heavenly.

In fact , this is a recipe from chowtimes. You got to try it to believe it !

What is Required
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons white vinegar
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) oil
a handful of semisweet chocolate chips.

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C

How To Do
Sift the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl.
Whisk sugar and wet ingredients, water, vanilla, vinegar and oil in another bowl.
Pour the batter into a parchment lined 9 x 13″pan and bake for 45 minutes at 180C
Cake is slightly moist in the middle when baked.

Hmm.. all packed..not sure if this will last through the week since the 2 boys love this moist chocolate cakes !

Craze for Mango Mousse Cake

Here's the Mango craze me...

Along the stretch of road, opposite Century Square and Tampines Mall, one can see a long stretch of mango trees brimming with countless mangoes. These are just so wonderous to look at and drool. As always there is this "animalistic-human" instinct within me, the urge to pl**k and the insatiable desire to taste them. Ooo.. if only this is possible. Sigh. Forbidden fruit. We do have a Fine city, you know. LOL , get the pun ?!!

Curious to know ? Well, these are either planted by the Tampines Council or NParks. Many other estates have such similar concepts in Singapore. When these mangoes are riped, I believe they are either given to the residents or sold, although some actually rot away before anything is done about them.

So, pleaaaaseee, I beg, do remember me , I am always ever-ready to lend a hand or two.. ** wink **

Regardless, I find that this is still a sight to truly feast upon, fruits along our streets which make the streets more vibrant and shady. Honestly, to have them in the midst of our urban living is actually quite amazing ! Crazy perhaps, but still an amazing sight.

Again, my neighbour's house across the street has a mango tree, equally as fruitful. Hmm.. should I? Naughty thoughts. Tempting but Nah..

I, instead settle graciously into getting my own mangoes and baking a mango mousse cake.

Here's the recipe.

What is required for sponge cake:
(A) Cake
5 egg yolks
200 gm. cake flour
100 gm. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 tsp. vanilla essence
2 tsp. baking powder

(B)5 egg white
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
100 gm. sugar

Filling:
50 gm. Bulla pure cream
50 gm Bulla sour cream
400gm Dairy whipping cream
100 gm. sugar
3 tsp gelatine powder
5 tbsp hot water
1 cup cut mangoes

How to Do it

1. Mix all the ingredients (A) together until smooth.
2. Whisk ingredients (B) to create a stiff peak, suggests using a cake mixer. Use a metal bowl forbetter results and ensure no oil in the clean bowl (otherwise it will not form).

3. Add this whipped egg white into (A) and fold with a spatula.
4. Pour into a 9" round tin and bake for about 45 mins to 50 mins till cooked at 180C. Remove from oven and leave to cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice into 3 layers.

5. For the Dairy whipping cream, whipped the cream until stiff peak.
6. Dissolve gelatine in hot water . Mix pure cream with sugar and gelatine mixture.
7. Divide the whipped cream mixture into 3 portions.
8. Add mango cubes into 2 portions of the whipped cream. Fold in whipped cream using a spatula.

9. For 3 cake layers, divide equally the portion of whipped cream. Spread the toppings on the bottom and middle layer. For the top layer, decorate as desired with mango slices.
10. Put into the fridge to let it set.

So here it is.. presenting

the Upright Cake ...

the Laid-back cake

......the Spread-out cake

the Oozing-Cake (my elder son little finger ...)
For now, I believe my mango craze has been fulfilled....

hmm..somehow my eyes are twitching again.

Chocolate Banana Cake

School Exams are out! What joy from. guess who.. the Mummy ! Last Friday was the end of the whole exam saga. Not that I help that much with my boys' school work. At least now, I have the boys undivided attention, to be part of my gourmet tasters again in my creation of Food ! Haha..

To begin my gastronomical journey, here's one dedication first to colleague Ms Ever-MamaDrama S, as she is so dearly known. Haha.. name is self-explanatory ! She is yet another very slim one, but since the title has clearly been taken by another colleague (the reigning Ms Ever-Slim J unless she puts on prosperously due to my good food), she's still the Drama Queen.

With the birthday "girls and boys" around the corner in December (sorry Nov "kids") , Ms Ever-MamaDrama requested for chocolate cake first, with additional toppings of Bananas. Oops, Me ? Did I get it right ??! I am not professionally trained. I am just the gutsy Passionate Cooking Foodie .

I decided I better test out first before the impending December. With my endless so-called excellent and well,..sometimes not-so excellent cakes track record (now you know !) , I am not always sure of how it turns out. Hmm..perhaps, I tend to experiment too much, so each time is never the same. Now, with so many gourmets around me, my name-sake is at stake. Humpyh..

So if you ever want to try anything, do what it takes, join me in my maiden journey in the Sea of Gastronomy.

What is Required

Chocolate Sponge Cake
(A) Sponge Cake
125 gm. Cake flour
30 gm. Cocoa powder
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
75 gm. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks

(B) 4 egg white
120 gm. sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

(C) Ganache
300 gm. dairy whipping cream
250 gm. melted chocolate
50 gm. butter

Toppings
4 slices of cut Bananas
250 gm whipping cream
30gm. cocoa powder

What to Do

1. Use hot water to dissolve cocoa powder
2. Add rest of sponge cake ingredients together and mix into a smooth batter
3. Whisk (B) ingredients until stiff peak
4. Fold into the cocoa powder batter.
5. Pour into a 9" round cake tin and bake at 190C for about 45 mins.
6. Set aside cake to rest and cut into 3 layers
7. Mix all the ingredients for Ganache in a double-boiled bot.
8. Whip the fresh cream and add in cocoa powder mixture.
9. Spread between 2 layers of cake. Add the cut-up bananas.
10. Pour Ganache on the top layer
11. Let the cake set in the fridge

Yummy.. cut and slice up ! Ooo.. I can't wait to give out the title of Ms Ever_Prosperous Looking..LOL..