Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

WARNING :: This is for serious chocoholics!!  

Hands up if you are a fan of lava cake!!

The first time I tried this, it was love at first bite. How could a chocoholic resist rich chocolate cake AND luscious velvety molten chocolate oozing out from the centre?

Absolute heaven!

It's good as it is on its own.
But even better with vanilla ice cream.
Although, my husband will say it's better with cookies 'n cream.

This decadent treat is the probably the easiest thing to bake!
Even easier than muffins.
No need to worry about batter deflating.
No need to worry if it's gonna rise or not.
Just mix everything up and pop it in the oven for 10 minutes!!

You can even make these in advance.
Or freeze it for future cravings.
I can't think of an easier and more versatile recipe, really.

Dark Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
Makes 4 small cakes packed with intense chocolatey goodness.

140g dark chocolate (get the best quality you can find and afford)
80g butter
90g sugar
2 eggs
60g flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, butter and sugar.
When well combined, remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.
Temper the eggs with a little of the chocolate mixture.
Then stir the eggs into the chocolate and mix well.
Add flour and mix well.

Divide the mixture among 4 greased ramekins.
Bake at 200*C for 10 minutes.
Let the cakes cool in the mould for a few minutes before unmoulding.
(Best served warm.)

Now brace yourself for the full impact of C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E decadence!!

Chocolate Cupcakes + Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Isn't that just a gorgeous photo?

Fortunately, the cupcake was made by me  :)
Unfortunately, the picture wasn't taken my me  :(

These first three gorgeous photos were taken by my talented friend - Chester Tan.
He's an artistic photographer. And an award-winning musician.

Check out his pictures, music and reviews of the latest gadgets from his blog.

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 small cupcakes.

180g flour
20g cocoa powder
140g sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
113g butter, softened
120ml milk
1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture till smooth and velvety.
Divide the batter equally among 12 cupcake cases.
Bake at 160*C for 12-15 min.
Remove cupcakes onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Makes more than enough for 12 small cupcakes.

2 egg whites
90g sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g butter, soft but still cold

Whisk egg whites and sugar bain marie (in a double boiler) till sugar is fully dissolved.
Remove from heat and whisk for about 10 min till peaks are stiff, thick and glossy.
At this point, the mixing bowl should be cool to the touch.

Change to the paddle attachment.
Add vanilla extract.
With the mixer at low to medium speed, add the butter by the tablespoon, ensuring that each addition is well incorporated before adding the next spoonful.
If the mixture curdles, don't panic. Continue adding the butter and beating the mixture on medium speed.
After a few minutes, the mixture will come together and become creamy and satiny.
Add colouring if desired and beat till evenly distributed.


Now you'll have soft, light, smooth and satiny frosting for your cupcakes!
And taste it... it's not as sweet as traditional buttercream. Tastes and feels more like a mousse - all thanks to the meringue.

For these cuppies, I used a 1M piping tip.

* * * * * * *

And now for my very amateur photos, taken in a hurry before dashing out of the house to pass these to my friend.  Chester, thank you for your friendship :)

All Wrapped Up

3rd attempt at a fondant cake.

Settled on a simple design. Or so I thought.
It looks simple.
But sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to do perfect, don't you agree.

First, I added too much water when microwaving the marshmallows. So I ended up with fondant that was too moist.

I made the bow and tail ends in advance, so it would have time to dry and set up. But when I was moving the bow, the tip of one of the tail ends broke.
Fortunately, I still have some leftover fondant in the same shade.

Now I have a profound appreciation of fondant cake decorators. Each element you see on the cake is made by the delicate hands of an artist.

Practice makes perfect.
And I'm determined to get those straight edges and sharp corners.


For the fun of it, since I had a little fondant left, I made a little flower.
My hubby calls it a purple chrysanthemum...

Till the next fondant project...

Double Chocolate Macarons

A few days ago, my macs barely had any feet. They were so so tiny, you'd miss them if you didn't look hard enough. 


But this time, the feet were huge! 


Same recipe. 


That's macs for you. These fickle little addictive... things.  

CHOCOLATE MACARONS 
Makes about 12 macarons (24 shells). 

30g almond powder
5g cocoa powder
55g icing sugar 
30g egg whites
15g caster sugar


Sift almond powder, cocoa powder and icing sugar to remove any clumps. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg whites till peaks are soft. 
Gradually add caster sugar and continue whisking till peaks are just stiff. 
Fold in dry ingredients in 2-3 batches till mixture is glossy and well combined. 

The mixture should be thick and sticky and flows slowly. When you run a knife through the mixture, the line should disappear in 10 seconds. If this happens, you have the right consistency. 

If the line doesn't disappear in 10 seconds, fold the mixture a few more times and test again.

If the line disappears too soon, it means the mixture is too thin or has been overmixed. Folding in more almond powder / icing sugar may help firm up the mixture.  

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a #11 tip.
Pipe 3cm circles onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. 
The peaks should fall into place and disappear in 10 seconds. 
If a little peak still shows, tap the bottom of the pan a few times. 
Now leave the piped shells to dry for about 30-60 min till a dull crust forms and is no longer tacky. (Touch the shells lightly with your finger. It should not stick to your finger. )


Bake at 140*C for 14-16 min. 
Remove from oven and cool completely on baking sheet before removing. 
If the bottom of the shell still seems wet and a lot of it sticks to the sheet, pop it back in the oven for another minute or so. 

When the shells have completely cooled, fill with melted dark chocolate or nutella. 
It will be hard to resist a bite, but if left to 'mature' in the fridge overnight, it will taste even better the next day. 

Good luck to those who are on the quest for the perfect mac!


There are many many different recipes out there. So which one is THE best?


My conclusion is that there isn't a fool-proof formula. 
Every baker is different and every oven is different. Even egg whites are different!


Your perfect recipe will be different from someone else's. 
This recipe may work for me today, and it may not on another day. 
It may work for me, but may not work for you. 
So if you are a mac fan, keep trying and don't give up. 
Practice makes perfect :)  
And don't forget... even the best bakers have off days. 

French Baguette

The French Baguette must be the simplest bread recipe ever. 

Just 4 ingredients.

Flour. Yeast.  Salt.  Water.

It tastes great on its own. Or toasted with some butter. Or as bruschetta. Or with pâté. Or dipped in chicken curry. Or...

No wonder it's the most famous and most popular french bread.

FRENCH BAGUETTE


260-280g bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
180ml warm water

Mix everything in a bowl till a dough forms.
Then, on a lightly floured silicone mat, knead the dough till smooth and elastic, about 20 min.
Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl to proof for at least 1 hour or till double in size.

Turn the dough out onto a silicone mat and roll it out to a rectangle.
Starting from one of the short ends, roll the dough like a swiss roll.
Pinch all edges to seal the dough then place it seam-side down.
With a sharp knife, slash a few diagonal lines across the top of the dough.


This is what the baguette looks like at this point:

Set aside for about 30-45 min till it doubles in size, and looks like this:

Bake at 220*C for 25-30 min till the crust is golden brown.
Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

For first-time baguette bakers, don't worry if the baguette is hard as a rock when it's first out of the oven. That's the way it should be. Once it has completely cooled, the crust will soften slightly to a crisp, crunchy crust, just like how a baguette should be.

Balsamic Chicken

Ever bought a whole bottle of balsamic vinegar just to make a little bread dip of EVOO and BV?

And then realised you have no idea what else to do with it?

Here's a dish that's so simple and full of flavour. And it makes great use of that bottle of BV  :)

BALSAMIC CHICKEN
Serves 4.

80ml balsamic vinegar
100ml red wine (or chicken stock)
2 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
1 tsp dried herbs (I used a mixture of thyme, rosemary, sage)
4 pcs chicken thighs

Combine everything except the chicken.
Marinade the chicken with the mixture for at least 10 min.

In a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, cook the chicken on both sides till they start to brown.
When the chicken is cooked through, pour the marinade into the skillet and cook till it thickens slightly.

Serve the chicken with steamed rice and vegetables, drizzling the thickened sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy!!

Vanilla Bean & Chocolate Macarons

I promised there'd be more macs...

This time, I decided to go back to basics.
No green tea, no chocolate, no oreos.
Plain macaron shells.  (OK, I couldn't resist adding some vanilla beans.)

My oven is a modest space-saving multi-function piece of kitchen equipment - a microwave cum convection oven cum grill.
The largest pan it will fit is a 12"x12" pan. And that's leaving the bare minimum 1" allowance from the oven walls.
I need a bigger oven...
And a dishwasher...
And a larger freezer and fridge...
A larger home with a larger kitchen :)

Why did I start talking about my oven?
Oh, right... I wanted to say... I think it's my oven that's causing these less than ideal mac results.

You see, my oven's heat source (and fan) is from the top. So my macs tend to brown pretty fast, while the bottoms are not quite done yet. See the brown edges on my macs?
Alan from travellingfoodies once commented that it's a miracle that my chiffons rise in my oven. LOL.

I'm still not happy with the macs I've got, despite some very encouraging "they look perfectly fine" words.
OK, so it's great that I finally got feet. But they seem kinda small. Like it should be a size 8 rather than the size 5 it is now.

Anyway, the one thing that I am rather pleased about is the smooth smooth texture of the shells. No rough bumpy surfaces, no nipples that won't settle. That much I'm pleased with.

BUT... WHY are they still so dome-shaped like a hamburger???!!!!

If any of you have had the same experience, and have solved the mystery, please please please share with me.

VANILLA BEAN & CHOCOLATE MACARONS

Makes about 15.

40g almond meal

60g icing sugar

30g egg whites, aged for almost 48 hours

1/4 tsp egg white powder (optional)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

10g caster sugar

Blitz almond meal and icing sugar in a food processor till as fine as possible. 

Sift, and discard any remaining chinks in the sieve. 

In a separate mixing bowl, combine egg whites, egg white powder and cream of tartar.

Whisk till peaks are soft. 

Gradually add caster sugar, whisking till peaks are just stiff. 

Fold the almond/sugar mixture in 3-4 batches into the meringue. 

Stop folding when the mixture is glossy and flows like magma, and any peaks settle in 10 seconds. 

Pour mixture into a piping bag and pipe 3cm circles on a silicone mat or parchment paper. 

Rap the pan a few times so that the mixture settles into smooth circles.

Ignore the piped circles for 45-60 min, till the circles are matte and the skins are no longer tacky when touched. 

Bake at 140*C for 12-15 min till the feet no longer look wet.

Let the macs cool in the pan (to continue cooking and setting the base).

When cool, lift the macs off and you should almost not have to clean the mat/paper. 

Fill the macs with nutella or your favourite chocolate, melted with some butter or cream to get a spreadable consistency.