Red Berry Cake: Tangy Lovely Delicious !

I saw this kind of cake from one of my cookbook, I'm sorry that I won't tell you the name of the book, because I find that the recipe is not reliable. So, this time the cake is my own creation from that nightmare, haha.
The original recipe turn out damp and the red layer was not stable enough, the red jelly (make from apricot jam with red coloring, >*<) run down the side of the cake, I think it's suitable for the horror movie party than afternoon tea. The flavor of the apricot jam is not elevating the cake, it's nothing. So, I change the topping into the strawberry jelly, because of the color and the flavor. Then the filling, the original is plain vanilla mousse without any liqueur and the gelatin. So, the taste is boring. Without the gelatin the filling melt too fast and the cake collapse. I think gelatin give a good texture if not using too much. I love the result of my cake, the marzipan cake has the great almond smell, the mousse is soft and full of the amaretto flavor then the fruits and the jelly they really go well with each other. I hope you will enjoy this cake, as much as I do.

Red Berry Cake: Tangy Lovely Delicious

Makes 20 cm square cake

Cake
4	Eggs (separated)
95g	Marzipan
90g	Sugar
150g	Cake flour
30g	Bread flour
¼ tsp	Cream of tartar
Vanilla Mousse
250g	Milk
75g	Sugar
	Seed from ½ of vanilla pod
5	Egg yolks
8g	Gelatin
250g	Whipping cream
30 ml	Amaretto
	Mix fruits of your choice: strawberry blueberry, kiwi or etc.
Strawberry jelly
200g	Frozen strawberry
70g	Sugar
4g	Gelatin

Preheat oven to 180°C
Sift both of the flour together, set aside.

For cake, grease 21cm cake tins and line bases with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, whisk yolks, 60g sugar and marzipan on high speed for 3 minutes or until mixture has tripled in volume. Transfer to a large bowl.

In a clean bowl, whisk whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining sugar until stiff and glossy.

Add 2 large spoonfuls of meringue to egg-yolk mixture sift over flour and stir in. Gently fold in remaining meringue. Pour the batter into the tin, then spin tin to level batter.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, swapping shelves halfway through cooking, or until cake spring back when pressed gently. Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks.


First make the Creme anglaise:

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and seeds from vanilla pod together and whisk in a heavy‐bottomed saucepan.

Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.

Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stop) until the mixture returns to a boil.

Mix gelatin powder with Amaretto.

Strain the mixture into the bowl to remove any egg that may have scrambled.
Pour ½ cup of the hot mixture into the gelatin mixture, stir to combine.
Pour the gelatin mixture back to the bowl, stir to combine.
Wait until it has completely cooled.

Whisk cream just to soft peaks.

Gently fold 1/3 of the cream into the creme anglaise.

Gently fold back the the creme anglaise and cream mixture into the cream. The mixture will be quite loose.

Grease, then line base and side of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper (I used the plastic cake side cover). Slice the cake into 2 layers, place one cake in tin.

Stand strawberry halves upright and slightly apart so cut sides touch perimeter of tin, fill the centre with the fruits. Carefully spoon vanilla mousse mixture over the fruits, filling the gaps. then level the top. Place other cake layer over filling. Cover tin with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to firm.

Bloom the gelatin in the water (if using gelatin powder, mix the gelatin with 2 tbsp of water).
Put the strawberry in the food processor and process until smooth, pour the sugar into the strawberry and process again.
Pour the mixture into small sauce pan, set over low heat. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolve but not boil.
Take the pan out of the heat, then add the gelatin, stir until smooth.
Pour the mixture over the cake, refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until the jelly set.

Red Berry Cake: Tangy Lovely Delicious !

French Fruit Tart

I love the color of fruit tart, and I love the taste of it too. This tart has two textures, the filling is the baked custard with fruits, and the top is the fresh fruits. The original recipe come from the book

This tart is very easy to make, the custard filling is great, especially when you plan to serve it in the hot weather. It's good for prepare ahead menu too, because you can bake the custard (in the tart pastry) then keep it in the fridge and decorated it just before serving.

Feel free to use any kinds of the fruit that you like, I made two tarts, the one is berry (that I show you), and the other one is banana. I use the banana instead of the berry, and eat it with sweeten whipped cream and caramel sauce. It's very delicious that me, by brother and sister finished it very quickly (I didn't have a chance to take a photo.

French Fruit Tart
Makes 2x (18 cm) tarts

Pâte Sucrée
200 g	Cake flour (or pastry flour)
120 g	Butter
80 g	Icing sugar
2	Egg yolks
10 cc	Milk
Cream Filling
1	Egg
1	Egg yolk
50 g	Caster sugar
125 cc	Milk
125 cc	Whipping cream
Fruit
300 g	Blackberry
300 g	Blueberry
400 g	Strawberry
4	Kiwi
Apricot glaze
100 g	Apricot preserves

Making Pâte Sucrée:

Sift the flour. Set aside.

Beat the butter until softened, add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beating just until incorporated. Add the flour all at once and mix just until it forms a ball. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.

Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Have ready 2 x (18 cm) tart pans with removable bottom. Cut the pastry in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each half of the pastry into an 25 - 27 cm circle that is about 3 mm thick. To prevent the pastry from sticking to the counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the pastry a quarter turn as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards to get uniform thickness). To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.

When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll. Unroll onto top of tart pan. Never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage (shrinkage is caused by too much pulling of the pastry when placing it in the pan). Gently lay in pan lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. With a thumb up movement, again press dough into pan. Roll rolling pin over top to get rid of any extra pastry. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Make the cream filling:

Preheat the oven to 180º C

Mix all the ingredients together in the bowl.
Cut some of the fruits (except the kiwi) into small pieces, then place in the tart.
Pour the filling into the tart.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the filling almost set(you may have to cover the tarts with foil after baking for 25 minutes).
Let the tarts cool on the wire rack.

Make the Apricot Glaze:

Heat the apricot preserves in a small saucepan over medium heat until liquid. Remove from heat and strain the jam through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.

Cut the fruits into pieces and put over the tarts, brush with apricot glaze.

Ready to serve!

French Fruit Tart

Chocolate and Nut Caramel Shortbread

Shortbread again, but this time with a lot of delicious additional, caramel, nut and chocolate. The best combination for everyone! The original recipe uses only one layer of chocolate (but I like to have more chocolate flavor, I'm a chocoholic, haha), so I add another layer of dark chocolate.

I made the caramel myself, but if you feel lazy (or don't have time, you can use 570g of already made Dulce de leche (like Nestlé Top ‘n’ Fill Caramel) , instead of spending time in the kitchen, (^ ^).

This cookie is very good to have with tea or coffee, I think the additional layer of deep dark chocolate make the cookie great for adults. But if you make this cookie for the children you might change the chocolate thin on top or omit it complete.

Chocolate and Nut Caramel Shortbread

Makes 24 pieces

Shortbread base
175g	unsalted butter, softened
55g	caster sugar
250g	plain flour
¼ tsp	Salt
Caramel sauce
150 g	Sugar
2 tsp	Water
½ cup	Whipping cream
40g	Butter
Nut
150 g	Salted roasted nut (peanut or cashew nut)
Chocolate topping
175g	Bitter chocolate (dark chocolate), chopped
25 g	Butter
24 pieces	Dark chocolate thin

First prepare the caramel cream:

Put sugar in a heavy saucepan. Put the cream in the microwave proved measuring cup. Place the sugar pan on medium heat and cook undisturbed until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize-you’ll see a few wisps of smoke coming out of the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally so that the sugar melts and caramelizes evenly. Put the whipping cream cup in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, add it to the caramel, averting your face-the caramel will boil up and may splatter out of the pan.

Pour the diluted caramel into a medium bowl, add the butter and stir slowly until the butter melted, then cool it to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Line the base and sides of a 25cm x 25cm tin with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and beat until the mixture just comes together. Press into the prepared tin, then bake for 25 minutes or golden. Let the shortbread cool to the room temperature.

Scatter the peanuts over the shortbread layer, then spread over the caramel mixture and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

Stir chocolate and remaining butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Cool slightly, then spread over the caramel layer. Place the chocolate thin on top and refrigerate until set.

Before serving, take the shortbread out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes (if the chocolate is solid hard, it will break when you are cutting), cut into squares with a sharp knife.
Refrigerate again until serving.

Chocolate and Nut Caramel Shortbread