lemon-walnut bread.

This post marks the last post of January 2013, bringing the total for this month to 12. That seems to be pretty much the average number of times I update this blog per month, regardless of how busy or free I am. Maybe I have a sweets quota programmed internally in me that I must fulfill or not exceed every month? 12 times I bake a month. That translates to 3 times a week and slightly more than once every two days. Yet, I hardly feel that it's enough. This... is mildly disturbing. But then again, perhaps not so. If anything, it tells me that I can probably go on a non-stop baking spree- a stamina I will need if I ever decide to join the bakery biz. Oh ho!

Anyway, this cake, or bread or whatever you would like to call it, is what I should divert my attention to right now. The cake itself is not very lemony (maybe because I didn't use lemon sugar), but the glaze you would apply after baking more than makes up for it. Personally, I think the glaze was a bit of an overkill as it was extremely tart and there was too much of it, but if you like lemon, rejoice. Needless to say, I'm not that big a citrus fan so I like the cake sans glaze or maybe with just a touch. Not just because of the flavour, but also because the glaze softens the crust that was so crunchy and heavenly.

Did I mention that this cake smells so ridiculously-amazing-that-it's-criminal when in the oven?

Lemon-Walnut Bread
makes a 9 x 5 inch loaf
adapted from Baking by Flavour

For the cake:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 cup lemon sugar (lacking this, I upped the quantity of lemon zest instead)
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tbsp ground walnuts
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and cooled

For the glaze:
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup + 2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl.

Cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar in 3 additions, beating well after each addition. Beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating the first well before adding the next. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon extract and ground walnuts.

Stir in half of the flour mixture, all of the heavy cream then the rest of the flour mixture, mixing to just incorporate each addition before adding the next. Stir in the toasted walnuts.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before unmolding onto a rack.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze. Combine the lemon juice and sugar in small saucepan and place on low heat until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. After the sugar has dissolved, continue heating for another minute. Pour the glaze into a bowl and stir in the lemon extract. Set aside to cool slightly.

When the cake has been unmolded, immediately brush the cake with the cooled glaze. Cool the cake completely before slicing.

lavender-lemon sponge cake with chocolate cream.

I've always wanted to make a cake like this- with the sides and top unadorned with frosting, and only a layer of filling in the middle as thick as one of the layers. Very minimalist, very afternoon-tea-cake.

This sponge cake is so much moister than your average genoise and springier too. Try to hold yourself back from jabbing it too many times with a finger. Even the parts of the sponge not soaked with syrup were not too dry to eat without complaint. The whole lavender buds embedded in the sponge may prove too strong at times but I would prefer pockets of lavender flavour than a lavender-infused sponge. If you find biting into a lavender bud too jarring for your tastebuds (it's not that bad, trust me), you could grind them down to a powder and proceed according to the recipe's instructions as per normal.

I had some issues with the chocolate cream because it never seemed to reach soft peaks and I stopped just before the whole thing degenerated to curdled cottage cheese consistency. That, was too close for comfort. If you find yourself in the same situation as me, I suggest just taking the mousse-y thing and slather it over the bottom layer of the cake and be happy or, refrigerate the mixture for a while until it's a little colder before you continue whipping.

Lavender-Vanilla Sponge Cake with Chocolate Cream
makes a 7 inch cake

For the sponge cake:
115g cake flour, sifted twice
2 tsp dried lavender buds
3 eggs
130g sugar
15g glucose
30g unsalted butter
45ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter and flour only the base of a 7 inch round cake pan.

Stir the flour and lavender together.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and glucose together in a bowl over a pot of simmering water until the sugar has dissolved. Off the heat, continue whisking until the mixture is pale and thick (the ribbon stage).

While the egg mixture is being whisked, heat the butter, milk and vanilla together in another bowl placed over the same pot of simmering water until the butter has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

When the egg mixture has reached the ribbon stage, fold in the flour mixture until no traces of flour remain. Take 1/6 of this mixture and whisk it into the butter mixture until homogenous. Fold this butter mixture into the rest of the egg mixture until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack completely before unmolding. Slice the cake into half horizontally.

For the cake syrup:
20g sugar
40ml water
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool. Brush the syrup evenly onto the cake layers.

For the chocolate cream:
75g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream, divided

Melt the chocolate chips and 1/3 cup heavy cream in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool completely. Whip the remaining cream until the whisk just begins to leave distinct tracks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and continue whipping until soft peaks form.

To assemble the cake: Place the bottom layer of cake on a cake board, spread all of the chocolate cream on top then place the top layer of cake on top of the cream. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours or until the cream has set.

banana mousse parfaits.

Oh parfaits... what's not to like? It's everything that you love in a glass and you don't even have to worry about presentation, because it looks perfect already- layer after layer of contrasting and complementing textures, shapes and colors. Plus, eating a dessert in a cup with a spoon as your shovel, or weapon, is somewhat comforting.

Today, the genetic makeup of these parfaits is primarily chocolate and banana, the chocolate coming from the brownies (or cake in my case) and chocolate sauce (that I didn't use but no biggie), and the banana element represented by banana mousse and fresh sliced bananas.

The banana mousse won't turn out as the same shade of yellow as you would predict it to be, at least in my case. I'm not talking about a bright and cheery yellow, not even a dull and dirtied one. The yellow practically got kicked out and replaced by this grayish tone that I'm sure the black seeds of the vanilla bean paste contributed too. Of course, you have to bear in mind that the bananas will oxidize too. I'm just saying it now so you don't suffer from a heart attack when you end up with soup the colour of a cloudy sky. But it is a delicious banana-y cloudy sky, yes it is.

The only ingredient that I felt was out of place was the granola. Okay, maybe it's not a misfit but I certainly don't agree with the order it is placed in the parfait. The moisture of the mousse will certainly get to it and make it a soggy mess by the time you get to eat it 2 hours later. Either top the parfait off with the granola or omit it altogether. That's my advice.

Banana Mousse Parfaits
adapted from Baked Elements

For the mousse:
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup milk
2 bananas, chopped into large chunks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.

Blend the milk, bananas, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Fold in the whipped cream. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

For assembly:
2 large brownies (I used this chocolate cake with peanut butter cups in it as a bonus!), coarsely chopped
2 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup granola
1/4 cup chocolate sauce (I didn't use. If you ask me though, I would greatly prefer caramel sauce.)
1/2 cup whiskey whipped cream, recipe follows
assorted sprinkles (optional)

The layering of the parfaits works this way: brownies, banana mousse, sliced bananas, granola, banana mousse, brownies. Chill for 2 more hours. Before serving, make the whiskey whipped cream and top the parfaits off with it. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Sprinkle over the sprinkles, if using.

For the whiskey whipped cream:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/5 tsp sugar
1 1/5 tsp to 2 2/5 tsp whiskey, to taste

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and whiskey and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.

chocolate, peanut and peanut butter candy fudge cake.

This chocolate cake is fine-crumbed with frequent punctuation by nutty roasted peanuts and Reese's peanut butter cup pieces. The peanut butter in the batter is really subtle so this cake tastes predominantly chocolate. It does, however, softens the intensity of the chocolate so that the peanutty add-ins blend in nicely with the cake.

This cake will also make an appearance in an upcoming dessert. Look out for it!

Chocolate, Peanut and Peanut Butter Candy Fudge Cake
makes a 9 inch cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 packages (1.6 ounces each) milk chocolate peanut butter cups, each cup cut into 6 chunks
3/4 cup whole roasted unsalted peanuts
1 cup butter, melted
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a 9 inch springform pan.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Toss the peanut butter candy chunks and peanut butter with 2 tsp of the flour mixture.

Whisk the melted butter, unsweetened chocolate and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the eggs until combined. Whisk in the sugar until combined. Blend in the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour mixture and whisk until no traces of flour remain. Stir in the peanut butter candy chunks and peanuts until evenly distributed.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a rack before unmolding.

pierre hermé's carrément chocolat.

I knew it. I knew that I couldn't hold it in any longer. I made a cake with 6 components. And I loved every single moment of the laborious time-consuming process. Why do I have such weird interests I do not for the life of me know.

But this cake, this cake!, or should I say cakes, are worth every single minute of the 2 days I spent making them. What really struck me was how every single component uses the same type of chocolate in differing applications and amounts. What you get is a cake with a singular cohesive taste but varying textures. Interesting huh.

The bottommost layer, the chocolate cake, is dense and fudgy and rich, like a brownie. The following layer, a chocolate cream, is smooth and creamy. Next up is a chocolate mousse that is lighter and airier. Then the glaze, which has a somewhat sticky quality to it (the glaze is a two-part process). Lastly, the tempered chocolate decoration on top to provide a crisp crunchy contrast. I even added caramelized rice krispies in between the chocolate cream and chocolate mousse layers for crunch but they softened. I guess its to be expected. They did leave behind a nice caramel taste that complemented all that chocolate though.

The glaze gave me a bit of trouble because it seized up and then separated when I added the chocolate sauce. Maybe it's because of the differing temperatures of the two components. In the end, the glaze was too thick even though it was at the right temperature and couldn't coat the cakes evenly and smoothly.

Although there are many components to make, you will realize that they are not that hard. Majority of your time spent will go towards the chilling so don't be daunted by the length of this recipe! The sense of accomplishment is worth it. Oh and of course the eating.

Carrément Chocolat
adapted from Desserts by Pierre Herme
makes an 8 inch square cake

For the chocolate cake:
4 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, diced
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

Preheat the oven to 170C. Butter and flour an 8 inch pan that is 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches deep.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and add the pieces of butter. Stir in the sugar, eggs and sifted flour, mixing to incorporate each ingredient after adding before adding the next.

Pour the batter into the prepared mold and bake for 20 minutes. The cake should look underdone. Unmold the cake on a rack and let cool. Clean, rinse and dry the mold then wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the cooled cake at the bottom of the mold.

For the smooth chocolate cream:
2 1/2 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
7 tbsp whole milk
7 tbsp heavy cream
2 1/2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar

Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a saucepan. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Whisk the milk and cream mixture into the egg yolks gradually then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and set over gentle heat until it reaches 185F or 85C. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the chopped chocolate, stirring well. Repeat twice more, stirring after each addition, then process the mixture with a handheld immersion blender. Pour cream over cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then place in freezer for 1 hour.

For the chocolate mousse:
6 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup whole milk
1 egg yolk
4 egg whites
4 tsp sugar

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat. Bring the milk to a boil in a saucepan and pour milk over chocolate in the bowl, beating until the chocolate is smooth. Add the egg yolk and incorporate well. Beat the egg whites until stiff with a dash of the sugar, then, as the mixture begins to stiffen, add the remaining sugar. Incorporate 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture then carefully fold in the remaining beaten egg whites. Pour the chocolate mousse over the smooth chocolate cream in the mold. Smooth the surface with a spatula. Freeze for 2 hours.

For the thin chocolate sheet:
3 1/2 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and cool at room temperature until the chocolate thickens, then reheat it slightly for a few seconds over the pot until it reaches a temperature between 88F and 90F. Pour chocolate over a sheet of acetate and spread it out. Before it can set, cut out a square the same size as the cake. Place another acetate sheet on top and add a weight to prevent the chocolate from warping as it dries. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

For the chocolate sauce:
1 1/2 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
6 1/2 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp heavy cream

Place the chopped chocolate in a small saucepan and bring the a boil with the water, sugar and cream. Stir continuously until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spatula.

For the chocolate glaze:
3 1/2 ounces 72% chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chocolate sauce, recipe above

In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil then remove from heat. Gradually beat in the chopped chocolate, beating it from the centre outward. Set aside to cool to 140F before adding the butter, then add the 1/2 cup of chocolate sauce.

For assembly:

Remove the cake from the mold and discard the plastic wrap. Using a small ladle, pour the chocolate glaze (it should be warm, between 95F and 105F) around the sides of the cake, then over the centre. Using a cake spatula, even coat the sides and edges. Leave to set for a few minutes then transfer it to a cake plate. Remove the acetate from the thin chocolate sheet, and place it on the cake. Set the cake in the refrigerator to defrost for 2 hours before eating. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water for 30 seconds for a clean cut.