Mini Nutella Filled Fluted Cakes

Brown butter (called beurre noisette in French) is made by cooking butter long enough to turn the milk solids and salt particles brown while cooking out any water present. It has more complex flavour than melted or clarified butter. Brown butter is traditionally served with fish, but makes a delicious topping for vegetables such as broccoli. It adds a deep, nutty flavour to sweet items like butterscotch pudding or cream cheese frosting.

But this time, I add the complex and nutty flavour to my mini fluted cakes with this classic French technique.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup      Brown Sugar
3/4 cup      Cake Flour
1/2 tsp      Baking Powder
4 Egg Whites
1/2 cup (100g)      Butter
4 tbsp      Nutella Spread

材料：
3/4 杯      黑糖
3/4 杯      蛋糕粉
1/2 小匙      发酵粉
4 颗      蛋白
1/2 杯 (100克)      牛油
4 大匙      巧克力酱

Methods:
1. Cut the butter into 4 pieces.
2. Over low heat, use a sauce pan, place in the first piece of butter and cook until it melts completely.
3. After the butter has melted, place in the second piece and continue to cook.
4. Follow the same steps for the third and fourth piece of butter. Move the pan around constantly to let it cooks evenly.
5. Once all the butter has melted and browned, turn off the heat and let it cool. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven in 200˚C / 400˚F.
7. In a large bowl, mix in the flour, brown sugar, and baking power.
8. Add the egg whites into the dry ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy.
9. Slowly add the brown butter into the batter and whisk until well combined.
10. Spoon the batter into a non-stick mini cake mould about 3/4 full.
11. Bake it until the edges starts to look golden, about 8-10 minutes.
12. Once its baked, use a skewer to poke it out and place in a wire rack to cool.
13. When its cool completely, pip the Nutella into the cake centre. You can feel the pressure from inside when its filled.

做法：
1. 把牛油切成4块。
2. 放第一块牛油进小锅中，用小火煮溶。
3. 第一块牛油煮溶后，放入第二块牛油继续煮溶。
4. 重复步骤将其余的牛油煮溶。期间不停的移动锅子，让牛油煮均匀。
5. 当牛油煮至咖啡色后，熄火备用。
6. 这时候，烤箱预热200˚C / 400˚F。
7. 将蛋糕粉，黑糖及发酵粉混合均匀。
8. 加入蛋白搅拌至顺滑及蓬松。
9. 慢慢加入金黄溶化牛油搅拌均匀。
10. 用汤匙把面糊倒入 不沾贴的小蛋糕 模具里，大约3/4满。
11. 送进预热烤箱，烤至边缘开始显得金黄色，大约8至10分钟。
12. 蛋糕烤熟后，用竹签将它插出来，然后放在烤架上摊凉。
13. 蛋糕凉透后，用挤花袋将巧克力酱挤入小蛋糕中央。

Homemade Almond & Coffee Ice Cream (without machine)

My boyfriend and I are really an ice cream fans. Serve ice cream as a dessert never goes wrong for us. Since I have learned how to make ice cream at home, I rarely choose to purchase the manufacture one. 

Once I know the ingredients of the ice cream base, I like to explore and try to make the new flavour, and this time I have tried the coffee flavour. It comes out really good. 

The good thing about making ice cream by own is that you can add the nuts or filling as much as you desire, all in your control. =P 

I haven't had enough budget to buy an ice cream machine now, but still I couldn't resist myself to make ice cream at home. I choose the traditional and fully manual method to satisfy my crave. 

The outcome of the "project" is totally worth to spend the entire time of processing it. For those people who do not have an ice cream machine, this is the good time to get a try, you will never regret. =)

Ingredients:

2 cups   Whipping Cream

1/2 cup   Full Fat Milk

1/2 cup   Castor Sugar

1 tbsp   Vanilla Extract

2   Egg Yolks

2 tbsp   Espresso or Dark Roasted Coffee

1/4 cup   Roasted Almond (chopped)

材料：

2杯   鲜奶油

1/2杯   全脂鲜奶

1/2杯   幼白砂糖

1汤匙   香草精

2颗   蛋黄

2汤匙   浓咖啡粉

1/4杯   烤杏仁（切粒）

Methods:

1. Beat up the egg yolks with sugar until pale yellow and creamy.

2. Add in cream, milk, and vanilla extract.

3. Mix everything until well combined.

4. Bring it to the stove, cook with low heat.

5. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon to prevent it burns on the bottom.

6. Cook about 5 to 8 minutes, until the custard thicken and coats the wooden spoon, and then heat off.

7. Pour the hot custard over the coffee, let it sit about 30 minutes or until becomes room temperature.

8. Once it cooled down, stir it again and strain it with a coffee strainer.

9. Cover the custard with a lid or cling wrap, and then refrigerate in freezer about 2 hours.

10. Take out the half frozen ice cream from freezer, stir it with a spoon to break out the ice crystal.

11. Add in the chopped almond and then mix well, place back to the freezer about an hour.

12. After an hour, stir the ice cream again to break out the ice crystal.

13. Repeat step 12 each hour,  2 to 3 times.

做法：

1. 将蛋黄及幼糖打发至淡黄色和幼滑。

2. 随后加入鲜奶油，鲜奶，及香草精。

3. 将其混合均匀。

4. 用小火煮。

5. 煮的期间用木勺不停地搅拌以防底部烧焦。

6. 大约煮5至8分钟，煮至酱汁变浓稠，然后熄火。

7. 把热酱汁倒入咖啡粉中，然后待凉，大约30分钟。

8. 拌匀咖啡酱汁，然后用咖啡过滤器滤掉咖啡渣。

9. 用盖子或保鲜膜将酱汁盖好，然后放进冰箱大约冰两小时。

10. 从冰箱拿出半结冰的冰淇淋，用汤匙将其搅拌均匀，以防结冰沙。

11. 然后拌入烤过的杏仁粒，放回冰箱大约冰一个小时。

12. 大约一小时后，拿出冰淇淋再搅拌一次。

13. 每小时重复步骤12，重复两三次。

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake (Glutin Free)

I had tried so many times to make a no-bake cheesecake, and I also failed so many times.
My cheesecake doesn't set, the texture is just like a thick cream.
I keep searching for the demonstration of making it, and I finally found on Allrecipes channel.
I substituted the cream cracker base to the Oreo base.
In this recipe, I mix the Oreo cookies with some cream crackers.
It is because I don't like it too sweet.
And then for the topping, I just simply put some Oreo cookies on top.
It is totally up to you and what you like.

Here is the ingredients you need, and just follow the methods......

Ingredients:
For the base:
35g Oreo Cookies (whole cookie with cream filling)
30g Cream Crackers
30g Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
50g Butter, melted
For the filling:
250g (1 package) Cream Cheese (I'm using Philadelphia)
5ml Lemon Juice / 1tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
235ml (1 cup) Heavy Whipping Cream, room temperature
30g Castor Sugar
30g Oreo Cookies (whole cookie with cream filling), crash
For the topping:
4 pieces of Oreo Cookies (separated and remove the cream filling)

Methods:
For the base:
1. Put the cookies and crackers inside a ziploc bag, punch it with a rolling pin until its becomes crumb. If you have a food processor, you may just work with it.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon.Add melted butter and mix well. It will become like a wet sand.
3. Press the wet crumbs into the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan evenly with hands, to make it more pack, you may use a glass to help. Chill in refrigerator until firm, around 30 minutes.
For the filling:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and lemon juice/vanilla extract together until soft.
2. Add whipping cream and beat with an electric mixer until the batter becomes thick.
3. Add the sugar and continue to beat until STIFF.
4. Finally add the Oreo crumbs, combine with spatula or wooden spoon slowly.
5. Pour the mixture into the chilled base, and top with the Oreo cookies.
6. Chill it at least 4 hours. For best result, chill it overnight.

Chocolate Pots de Crème

It's been a while I didn't update my blog because I was busy on my final exam. 

Actually this dessert I was made before my exam start, it's fast and simple. 

The texture is between mousse and pudding, when put inside your mouth, it will immediately melted without any bites. Mmm~ mmm~ =)

Here we go for the recipe and lets get started......

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (120ml) Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 cup (120ml) Full Fat Milk

1/2 tsp Instant Coffee Powder (optional)

60g Semi Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped

1 Large Egg, room temperature

2 Large Egg Yolks, room temperature

1/4 cup (50g) Castor Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 300°f or 150°c.

2. In a heatproof bowl beat the egg, egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile in a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the cream, milk, coffee powder, and chocolate just to simmer (the cream just begins to bubble around the edges).

4. Gradually pour the hot cream into the egg yolk mixture, making sure you keep whisking constantly so the eggs don't curdle. Stir in the vanilla extract.

5. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and stirring constantly, heat the mixture just until hot to the touch.

6. Strain the warm mixture into a large bowl, and then evenly pour the cream into a ramekin or heatproof container. 

7. Prepare a water bath by carefully pouring enough boiling water comes about halfway up side of the ramekins.

8. Cover with a piece of aluminum foil, cutting a few slits in the foil to allow the steam to escape. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or just until it set.

9. Remove the cream from the water bath and cool to room temperature, about an hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

10. It can be served with whipped cream and shredded dark chocolate.