February 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge #27: For the Love of Chocolate, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino!

If you notice something, my posting of this month are are a lot of love, haha. February, the month of love and chocolate! But I love it anyway, both love and chocolate ^ ^, nothing else can make this world a happy place. The Daring Bakers February 2009 challenge is Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino. The cake that is really easy to make but full of special thing "chocolate", yes, there is a lot of chocolate in this cake.

So, when the main ingredient is chocolate, use the best that you can find. The cake will taste the same as the chocolate that you use.
For this month, it's the first time for the Daring Bakers Challenge to make the ice cream, there are 2 recipe, but I choose the easy one "Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe Vanilla Philadelphia Style Recipe" it's the easiest recipe that you can find, because all you have to do is whisking the ingredients together, then let the ice cream maker work. You don't have to step into the kitchen to make any custard, so great!

I have to say that I really love this month challenge, and I want to say "Thank You" for the host, for the great recipe and that happiness that I got from this month's challenge.

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Makes about 16 (standard muffin size pan)

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams)	semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total)	unsalted butter
5	large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.


3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).


5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the cooled chocolate to the egg yolks.


7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.



8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 15-20 minutes (if using large pan the baking time will be 25 minutes) until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Wendy's Ice Cream Recipe
Vanilla Philadelphia Style Recipe
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

2 cups (473 ml)	half and half (1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of whole, full fat milk)
1 cup (237 ml)	heavy cream
2/3 (128 grams) cup	sugar
	Dash of salt
1 (12 grams) tablespoon	vanilla

Mix all ingredients together (we do this in a plastic pitcher and mix with an emulsifier hand blender-whisking works too).
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer
Mix in your ice cream maker as directed.

February 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge #27: For the Love of Chocolate, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Valentino!

Poppy seed Cinnamon Rolls

I don't post the bread recipe for a long time, not that I didn't bake any bread but there are the same as before, nothing interesting. But this time, I bake something new (ok, it's not new for anyone, cinnamon bread is simple, haha) but I didn't have any cinnamon bread in my blog so, it's new.

The interesting things in this recipe are the ingredients. The dough is a rich dough with poppy seed, and the filling is special with the almond and rum.
The dough is very easy to knead, so let try it together. You will feel great when you smell the fragrance from the oven, I'm sure.

Poppy seed Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 6

Poppy seed Dough
200g	Bread flour
20g	Light brown sugar
3g	Salt
80g	Milk
3g	Instant yeast
30g	Unsalted butter
1	Egg
8g	Poppy seed
Cinnamon filling
30g	Butter
40g	Light brown sugar
1	Egg yolk
6g	Cinnamon powder
60g	Almond powder
1tsp	Rum
Icing
80g	Icing sugar
1½ to 2 tsp	Milk

Put the flour, poppy seed, sugar and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add and salt whisk again. Pour the egg and milk mixture into the bowl.

Use large spoon (or pastry scraper) to mix everything together, and knead briefly to bring all the ingredients together.
Add the butter and take the dough out of the bowl and knead.

Knead by using the heel of your hands to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself. Give the dough a little turn and repeat. Put the weight of your body into the motion and get into a rhythm. Keep folding over and compressing the dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is soft, pliable, smooth and slightly shiny, almost satiny.

Or you can also try stretching part of the dough, if it can stretch into a thin sheet without breaking, you've kneaded enough.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (can be 1 hour or 1 hour and a half check often depend on the temperature).

Make the cinnamon filling:

Mix the sugar, almond and cinnamon powder in the bowl.
Beat the butter, egg yolk and rum together, then add the almond mixture, beat to combine.

Place the paper cup into the muffin tin (size 7.5cm).
Roll the dough into 25x25 cm square.
Spread the filling over the dough, then roll into the cylinder.

Cut into 6 pieces and place into the prepared tin.
Let the dough rise until almost double in size.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
When the dough is ready, put the dough into the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the dough is golden.
Let the bread cool on the wire rack.

Make the icing:
Sift the icing sugar into the bowl, then mix with milk.
Pour over the bread.

Poppy seed Cinnamon Rolls

Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 7: Always together? Yes, we are new couple! White Chocolate and Sesame Chiffon Roll

February is the month of LOVE, so Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 7: Always together- The host (my dear friend, Bua) want us to pair the ingredients, the couple that will be great together. Actually, there are many couple in this baking world, orange and chocolate, strawberry and cream etc. But for me, I want to try something different, sesame and white chocolate!

The black sesame seed has its own special fragrance, and the nutty flavor, while the white chocolate has a mild and sweet flavor. So when they are together, they become great couple.
I choose the chiffon to be the base of this recipe because the sesame seed can be too heavy for sponge and it's easy to make.
The white chocolate mousse is very easy to make too, just remember to bloom the gelatin before melting the chocolate, (I made this mistake before so, don't want you to make it too, haha)
So, this month of love, let me introduce you to our new lovely couple "white chocolate and black sesame seeds", hope their love are forever too.

White Chocolate and Sesame Chiffon Roll

Sesame Chiffon
70g	Egg yolks
80g	Milk
60g	Vegetable oil
65g	Cake flour
25g	Roasted and grounded black sesame seeds
½ tsp	Baking powder
180g	Egg white
70g	Caster sugar
White Chocolate Mousse
5g	gelatin
175g	white chocolate, coarsely chopped
300g	heavy cream
	White Chocolate Curls (for decoration)

Preheat the oven to190°C
Line the base of 30X30 cm pan with baking paper.
Sift the flour sesame and baking powder together.

Beat the egg yolk until light, then gradually add the oil and milk.

Pour the flour mixture into the egg mixture, whisk to combine.

Beat the egg white with sugar until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg white into the egg and flour mixture, until combine.

Pour the batter into the pan, level the batter.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden.

While baking the cake, spray the clean table clothes with water.
As soon as the cake came out of the oven turn the cake over the clothes, pull the baking paper off.
Roll the cake with the clothes, then let the cake cool on the wire rack.

Make the white chocolate mousse:

Soften the gelatin in cold water (if using powder gelatin mix with 2 tbsp of water).In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly
Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff, then stir in ½ cup (100g) of whipped cream to the chocolate mixture.
Pour the chocolate and whipped cream mixture back into the whipped cream bowl, fold to combine.
Refrigerate for 20 minute to firm up the mousse.
Unfold the cake and spread the mousse over the cake.
Reroll the cake.
Frost the cake with the rest of the mousse and sprinkle with white chocolate.

Chicken Farm Bakers' Project # 7: Always together? Yes, we are new couple!

-White Chocolate and Sesame Chiffon Roll-

Double Chocolate Ice Cream: Dark Side Lover!

I really love dark chocolate, 60%-85% of cocoa mass is my favorite. So I tested this recipe with the 70% chocolate, and the result is DELICIOUS! If you remember the basic recipe is coming from September 2008, Chicken Farm Bakers’ Project #2: White Chocolate Ice Cream with White Chocolate and Nougat Chunks. After making that ice cream, I think of the dark chocolate, actually I love dark chocolate than the white one (but my customer(or my sister, haha), she really love white chocolate).
The taste of the ice cream is up to the taste of the chocolate, so beware if you using the deep dark one, it can be too bitter for some people (but I don't have that problem, ^ ^, and I think if you like very dark chocolate, 60%-85% of cocoa mass up, you won't have that problem too).
So, use the chocolate that you like, especially the one that you love to eat on its own, and this ice cream will be your favorite too.

Double Chocolate Ice Cream: Dark Side Lover!

80 g	Dark chocolate, Chopped
3	Egg Yolks
50 g	Sugar
¼ teaspoon	Sea salt
1 cup/250 ml	Milk
1 cup/ 250 ml	heavy (whipping) cream
50 g	Dark chocolate, chopped

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and the salt. Cook the milk, cream, in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until almost simmering. Slowly pour the milk and cream into the egg-and-sugar mixture, whisking as you pour.

Whisk in the chocolate until it is completely melted.

Return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant plastic or wooden spatula, until the custard reaches 175°F and lightly coats the spatula.

Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cool over an ice bath until room temperature. Refrigerate the custard for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

Note: You can speed up the churning process by put the custard into the freezer for 1 hour before churning.

Churn the ice cream in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fold the dark chocolate chunks into the ice cream and freeze until scoop able.

Double Chocolate Ice Cream: Dark Side Lover!

Financier: A bar of gold that you can eat!

Ok, it's not a real gold, but the shape and the golden color of this sweet resemble the gold, ^ ^. So this time let enjoy the taste of gold. The main flavor of the financier comes from the “Beurre noisette”, or the hazelnut butter (the smell of the burn butter really resemble the nut fragrance).

The base of the cake is almond powder and the egg white, so it is good way to use the leftover egg white too. I want to make this cake a long time ago, but I just can't find the financier mold. Until my friend brought them for me from Japan (well, I think you can find everything there, haha).
So, I made it as soon as I got the molds, the recipe came from the book name ..........  But I had some problem with the look, so I had to make them many time before it comes out like this. So, I suggest pouring the batter about 3/4 of the mold.

Financier
Makes about 18 pieces

130g	Egg white
130g	Caster sugar
50g	Cake flour
5g	Corn flour
50g	Almond powder
3g	Baking powder
130g	Salted butter

Melt the butter in the pan over low heat, until the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and let the butter cool completely.(it’s called “Beurre noisette”)

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Sift the flour, almond powder, corn flour and baking powder together, set aside.

Mix the egg white and the sugar, just to combine.
Pour the flour mixture into the egg white, beat to combine, then pour the butter into the batter.
Mix until combine.

Generously butter 18 financier molds. Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess.


Pass the batter through the sieve.
Pour the batter into the prepared molds, (about 25g/mold).
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Financier: A bar of gold that you can eat!