Japanese Roll Cake

I had a bake day with a friend. Remember how my swiss roll didn't turn out too nice when I did it in school?, well I wanted to try it again. I have always liked the japanese type of roll cake. It is very soft and airy. My friend who is a japanese found a recipe from a japanese website that we could try. It was really simple and apparently it had more than 3000 people who liked the recipe according to the site. There are only 3 ingredients. Eggs, Flour and Sugar. So I guess it is all about the technique then. 

Rolling the cake with loads of strawberries inside.

Well, it seems simple enough but we actually failed the first time. We over whisked the egg white and had trouble folding it in evenly and it deflated a little. Yes, we made another one. The second time, we were careful not to over whisk the egg white. Folding in was much easier. 

I get to practise rolling the swiss roll and I was really happy that it didn't crack this time. We actually cooled the cake completely before rolling it. 

Yippie! This time it didn't crack.

I think a little more whipped cream will make it a nicer roll or maybe just cause I like whipped cream. Ha Ha. 

Strawberry Roll Cake.

I am thinking maybe I will try to use a slightly smaller tray for this recipe the next time.  I would prefer the cake to be thicker.

I am very happy with the result. Even though it is not yet perfect, at least it looks quite pretty and taste yummy. It was good practise. 

Pistachio Macarons

Macarons! Yes, people say you should do the basic macarons and get it right before playing with colours, shapes and designs. Well, I admit I am not an expert with macarons yet. I have only made them a few times and not once did I play with colours or explore with any shapes except round. 

This time, I wanted to make pistachio macarons so I said to myself, it was time to colour the macaron shells. Pistachio = green colour. I was determined to make green macarons. Since I am playing with colour, maybe I can play with shapes too. 

I've seen many bloggers creating very cute shapes like Hello kitty, little pigs and teddy bears. I am not really sure how they do it but I felt adventurous and I wanted to make some shapes this time. I don't care if I am not an expert with macarons. It's ok if I don't get it right but I wanted to have some fun. 

So.... pistachio macarons = green colour, so green colour = Frogs! Yes... I wanted to make froggy macarons. I searched for some frog cartoon pictures and started drawing my froggy template on a cardboard. Then I traced it on the baking sheet and used it as my template. 

Happy froggy

Well, I wouldn't say that my froggy macarons were a success because there were so many cracks and it turned brown at the sides. The macarons were not smooth because I dont have a food processor to blend the almond meal finer. Well, at least it was still generally green, it did look like frogs and it tasted like pistachio macarons. Like all the expert macaron bloggers say, it doesn't matter if it is not perfect, it is still yummy! 

I didnt have those edible ink pens so I had to draw the eyes with melted chocolate.

Angry froggy

 The crack on the angry froggy's face kind of gave him a little character. It looks like it was so angry, it cracked its face.  Ha Ha.... (I guess this is called looking at the bright side of things)

Best smile froggy.

Oh no! She picked me!

It took so long to make this batch of macarons but I sure had fun making them. 

Week 11 Sponges

After two weeks of holiday, I was excited to finally get back to the kitchen and learn. This week we made four types of sponges. We learnt a few ways of making sponges and I am not too sure what the difference is as to the end result because we only got to eat  two of the four that we made. The other two had to be frozen for later use. 

Sponge, also known as Génoise in French is different to cake, as it is lighter and airier than a cake. The name Sponge says it all, it is like a sponge.

First one we made was Vanilla Sponge where the whole eggs were whisked with the sugar till pale and frothy before folding in the flour. The end result looks good, it rose up beautifully. Not sure about the taste because this is one that we had to keep for later use. 

Vanilla Sponge

 Next one we made swiss roll. For this sponge, we used cake emulsifier in the recipe. Emulsifier is an ingredient that is used in a lot of commercial bakery because it helps make the sponge to be airier, smoother in texture, softer with finer crumbs and it extends the shelf life too. It is also cost efficient because it requires lesser eggs in the recipe. It is an all in method, where all the ingredients can go into the mixer at once, except the melted which is added in last. 

Our swiss roll turned out ok, the texture of the cake was soft like all the store bought cakes. I was just not too happy with the cracks and I think I put in too much strawberry jam in it. It was too sweet for me. I will have to make this again at home to get it right. 

Swiss Roll

The third one that we made was a Chocolate Gateau with strawberries and créme chantilly. Gateau is a French word which means layered cake. In German it will be called Torte. So in our patisserie course, not only do we learn how to bake, we learn French and German as well. 

Anyway, this Chocolate Sponge is made with a method where the egg white is whisked with the sugar and then the yolks are added in. Then the dry ingredients are folded in. 
After the sponge is baked, it was cooled completely and divided into 3 layers and  whipped cream was spread on each layer. We were suppose to use strawberries in each layer but there wasn't enough strawberries so our trainer found some canned cherries for us instead.  We were only given three strawberries to decorate the gateau. 

Chocolate & Strawberry Gateau

 The fun part was the chocolate decoration. I remember how much fun I had when we did chocolate filigree in Stage One. This time, we get to do chocolate shavings, chocolate cigars, ruffles and whatever designs you can think of. When our trainer did the demo , it looks simple and easy. It was actually harder than it looks. The temperature of the chocolate has to be right to get the chocolate to curl. Ours was either too soft or too hard. So in the end we only managed to get some shavings and some odd shaped curls. If only we had more time that day, I would love to try it a few more times. 

"Piece of cake"

If you look close enough, you will notice that there are only cherries on the bottom layer. There wasn't enough cherries for the top layer. 

The last sponge that we did was an Almond Coffee Génoise. This one was where the egg whites and egg yolks were whisked separately before folding in the flour. We actually did this cake twice because the first one didn't rise properly, most likely because we didn't whisk it long enough. The second one that we did came out beautiful but unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of it. This one we don't get to eat either. So I don't know how it tastes like yet. 

This week was a crazy week, I was not too happy that the management of the school decided to combine two classes together. It was way too crowded in there, it was actually more like a zoo than a kitchen. Hopefully next week will be better.

Holiday Bake - Chocolate Cupcake

Cupcakes are just so pretty to look at. They come in all sorts of sizes, colours, toppings, flavours and beautiful paper cases. 

Now this is my first cupcake. I wanted to make the most basic chocolate cupcake with frosting so that I have some fun piping the frosting. 

When I was searching for a recipe from other blogs, I found so many that I got confused and wasn't sure which to pick. I ended up using Nigella Lawson's recipe which wasn't even a cupcake recipe but it was recommended by a blogger which I like. I used this recipe mainly because I had some leftover sour cream in the fridge which I had used for another chocolate cake a few days back.

The way Nigella made the cake was rather interesting, it is a method that I have never tried before. She just put all the ingredients into a food processor and blended it until smooth and then baked it. I was curious as to whether it will really work so I tried it.

 It worked alright but I didn't get a really nice looking cupcake, I think it was probably because I over baked it. My mistake was that I forgot that my cupcakes were rather small. It came out with a high dome and I cheated by cutting off the top bit. Ha Ha. The cocoa powder also plays an important part in this recipe, mine wasn't too good quality thus resulting in a not very chocolatey flavour cupcake.

Then I thought I better make sure the frosting is good or else the cupcake will be a disaster. I needed something that has a richer chocolate flavour. So instead of cocoa powder, I used chocolate ganache and then whipped it. It was a rather thick and a stable frosting. It wasn't too sweet either. Then I sprinkled toasted pistachio on top. 

Overall, it was nice but I would be happier if the cake was more moist and more chocolatey.  

Holiday bake - Cheesymite scrolls

After the exam we got 2 weeks break and without realising it, it is already a week into the holiday. I just want to share with you what I baked this week. I made Cheesymite scrolls but the result wasn't good. It wasn't soft and the texture was more like a cake. I was also a little too generous with the vegemite, so it was quite salty. To make it worse, I overbaked it a little too. So triple failure for this bake. Oh well, I will just have to try it again. 

Vegemite is very Australian. It is the same as what we call Marmite back home. I remember when I first visited Australia many years back, I bought vegemite as a souvenir to bring home. Cheesymite scroll is a very Australian bun. It is a spiral bread with vegemite and cheese on the inside. I really like eating Cheesymite scrolls but not these that I made.

Simple Bun Dough.

The dough that I made was a simple bun dough which I proved for 1 hour until it doubled in size. It looked well risen but I am not sure why the end result of the texture wasn't soft. 

Rolled the dough flat.

Spreaded the vegemite and sprinkled with cheese.

 I didnt know how much vegemite to use, but now I know, this is too much. After I was done spreading the vegemite and sprinkling the cheese, I rolled the dough up and cut into 4-5cm thick. Placed them in a tray and let it prove again before baking them.

They have risen and are ready to be baked.

 They actually look quite nice except for some burnt bits. But too bad, it wasn't as tasty as I wished it was. 

Ready to eat.

Week 10 Exam

This 10 weeks went by so quickly. That's it for our Stage 1 in Patissierie. For the last week, we had a practical exam where we had to serve a few guests whom we invited. 

We were given the menu on Wednesday and had to work out a workflow together with our partner. We had to plan everything so that on Friday the sequence goes smoothly and make sure the customers get their food on time.

It was a 6 course lunch. Yea.. who can finsih a 6 course lunch right? well, the portions were rather small but my guest said she was stuffed till late evening. Ha Ha.... 

Menu for our guests.

The table was all set and waiting for the guests. I am not sure who did the table arrangements because we were all busy in the kitchen that morning. 

Tomato, Feta Cheese and Fried Tofu Bruschetta on Focaccia.

The first dish , tomato, feta cheese and fried tofu bruschetta tossed in olive oil and basil, served with focaccia. It was a rather simple dish to make. Tomatoes and feta cheese were cut into small pieces. Tofu was cut and fried. We pre-prepared them and only tossed it together when it was time to serve. 

Bruschetta in the making.

The focaccia was toasted on the pan before serving. But unfortunately our focaccia lost its crisp because our dish was ready and waiting for other's before it was served to the guest. The guest commented that the focaccia was a little soft. 

Pumpkin Soup

Second dish up was pumpkin soup. The soup was served in a tiny little espresso cup. To make that little cup of soup, we had to first make one big pot of chicken stock. Then boil pumpkin, celery, leek, onions, bacons and herbs. After simmering for a while, the soup was  pureed and sieved through and reheated again before serving. It was topped with a little cream as garnish. This pumpkin soup is not a vegetarian meal, as you would have guessed by now. It has bacon and chicken stock in it. 

Our guest enjoyed the pumpkin soup, she commented that she normally doesn't like pumpkin soup but this one she really enjoyed!

V

Vol-au-vent filled with Chicken Stroganoff

This is the one that I was most worried about. I made the vol-au-vent case and my partner made the chicken stroganoff. Why was I worried? Well, the puff pastry was a little tricky to make. Puff pastry takes a long time to make because it needs to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes after each fold and we need to do 3 folds for this puff. If I don't get it right, I wont have time to make another dough. 

Vol-au-vent case

 The worst thing is that we were only allowed to make one serve and the portion is just enough for one vol-au-vent. There is no second chance to get it right if you burnt it in the oven.There was a slight hiccups during the baking process because someone opened our oven but luckily our puff rose and was still presentable in the end.

Lamb & Prawn brochette with homemade tomato chutney in a filo basket.

This dish is made up of 2 parts, one part which takes a long time to make and another part which was quick and easy. The quick part was preparing the skewers. The prawns were seasoned and threaded on the skewer. The lamb was seasoned and threaded on the skewer alternated with capsicum, onion, zucchini and mushroom. Both were pan fried right before serving. The timing of this was important to make sure that the dish was served hot. Our guest was very happy with the prawns and lamb skewers. She said it was cooked perfectly and was served hot. 

Filo basket 

The slow part of preparing this dish were the filo basket and the tomato chutney. The filo dough had to be kneaded and left to rest for more than an hour. Then it was stretched to window pane thin and then cut into squares and layered on an upside down dariole mould to bake. My partner did a great job with the filo basket. The first one she did was  little brown on the edge and she wasn't too happy with it. So she made another one which turned out so pretty and golden. It was rather difficult to get it out from the mould though. 

I forgot to take a photo of the tomato chutney, it too took a long time to make. It was in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. The tomato chutney was filled into the filo basket.  I think our guest said the tomato chutney was delicious. 

Rum Baba and Custard tart Dessert.

The last 2 dishes were served together. I was very happy with the result of the custard tart. The colour of the case was golden and the texture was crumbly. We actually managed to get 2 tarts from the recipe. My teammate and I shared one of it. It was very nice. The créme patissiere filling was prepared by my teammate. I think it was so good. Silky smooth and not too sweet. 

Rum Baba

 The rum baba which was made of savarin paste that we did before except that this has currants that has been soaked in rum. Then it is soaked in sugar syrup and glazed with apricot jam and served with strawberry and créme chantilly.  I think we did well on this one too. 

My messy workstation.

Overall, I was very happy with the day. I think my teammate and I really work well together.
It was a rather stressful day but it was great fun. I was so into my work that I didn't even feel hungry the whole day or maybe because I was tasting some of the food that we made. haha. 

Cleaning up took so long. I think we used every single utensil that was in the kitchen. The piles of dishes were horrendous! But everyone helped out and teamwork made it a little easier. 

At the end of the day, our trainer showed us what our guest commented on our dishes. It was mostly good comments. I thanked our trainer and said good bye because we wont have him for the next stage. 

Thanks to my guests who took the time to participate in our summative food tasting. Hope you enjoyed the food as much as I did preparing them. By the way, my guests were Pei and Kendall. That is how I know that they were stuffed until late evening! Ha Ha. 

Week 9 Sacher Torte

Finally, we are baking cakes. Today's menu is Sacher Torte, Raspberry Mousse Gateau and Shortbread.
Sacher Torte is a type of chocolate cake that was invented by Jewish Austrian Franz Sacher in 1832 for Prince Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna Austria. Franz Sacher was a 16 year old apprentice who was put in charged of creating a special dessert for a few important guests of the Prince because the head chef was ill. The cake delighted the guests but it didn't get famous until a long time after that. That's a little history of the cake for you. 

Anyway, I am not sure how much the recipe has changed since 1832 but this is how ours turned out. 

The cake had breadcrumbs in it which made it a little interesting in texture as well as taste. The chocolate flavour wasn't very strong though.

Just out from the oven.

A piece presented to the trainer for tasting.  

The cake was cut in half and a layer of redcurrant jelly was poured over it and then stacked back together. I think the original version had apricot jam. Then it is covered with chocolate ganache. 

We made 2 whole cakes for the Sacher Torte so my teammate and I each took one whole cake home. 

Close up of the cake.

 Can you see the bottom half of the cake looks denser? Well, that's because it soaked up the redcurrant jelly. The rough texture is the breadcrumbs. The silky smooth chocolate ganache is to die for and then the lovely filigree shapes were just so much fun to make. 

Some of the filigree shapes that I was playing with.

 The Raspberry Mousse Gateau was made up of a few components. The base layer is a sweet shortcrust pastry. Then there is the chocolate sponge cake which is sandwiched with raspberry mousse and the top layer is créme chantilly. 

Sweet shortcrust disc base.

This is the bottom layer of the cake. I have never seen a cake that has a shortcrust pastry as the bottom layer before. So it was quite interesting. I am happy with the sweet shortcrust pastry. It tuned out golden and the texture was crumbly when you bite into it.

Chocolate sponge cake.

 This is the first time I am making sponge cake. I am quite happy with the result. The cake rose up beautifully. It was airy and light. The cake was left to cool completely before I cut the cake into 3 equal discs. This was probably the most stressful part of the whole day. With some help from my teammate, I did it! The middle piece was a little thin though. 

Cut into 3 pieces.

Assembling the cake.

My raspberry mousse was a little soft, I think it was because I was meddling with it too much when I tried to spread the mousse onto the cake.

Managed to stack it all up.

Decorating the cake was the fun part. I piped the créme chantilly and then decorated with raspberries and chocolate filigree. The raspberries were not fresh ones, we got frozen berries. That's why you can see the raspberries bleeding onto the créme chantilly.

Topped with creme chantilly and raspberries.

Raspberry Mousse Gateau

 I am so happy with the chocolate filigree shapes. I wrote my name and my teammate's name but mine broke when we tried to lift it up, so ended up with only Susy's name on the cake. I did a maple leaf too. Does it look like a maple leaf to you?

Traditional Shortbread.

The shortbread tasted pretty good. Light and crumbly in texture. Pretty simple and easy to make. I will probably try baking this at home soon and have it dipped in chocolate. 

Overall a great day. Next week will be our exam week. Need to hit the books and prepare myself. After that it will be school holidays. Wow! These 9 weeks went by so quickly. The last couple of weeks had been great fun. Good trainer, good teammate and interesting menu.