Saturday 18 July 2015

Green Tea Madeleine

Hi
Madeleine is a traditional French tea cake which is distinctive by its petite shell shape, is well liked by all ages and makes an ideal afternoon tea with girlfriends.
Before making my own Madeleine, the only Madeleine I had tasted was from Delifrance.  From then, I started to like this little sponge cake.  The reason why for years I didn’t make my own is because I couldn’t find a cheaper Madeleine pan.  It was until my boys tasted this light and airy little cake, with a little crispy at the side, they like it so much that make me decided to go ahead and invest on this non-stick Madeleine pan.  
I chanced upon this Green Tea Madeleine by Just One Cookbook while searching for Madeleine recipe, and decided to give it a try for this month’s Thumbs Up on Tea.
The outcome wasn’t disappointed at all.  I like it very much but my boys and hubby prefer the original version with some chocolate chips on it.

I have made a few rounds of Madeleine and they aren’t fickle.  They are pretty easy to make.  Batter can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days as according to Joy Of Baking.

Happy Baking!


INGREDIENTS
(Yielded 24 pcs)
113g       unsalted butter
133g       granulated sugar (I reduce to 100g)
120g       all-purpose flour
1 pinch   salt
1 tsp        baking powder
1 tbsp      Matcha (Green Tea Powder)
2              large eggs at room temperature
1 tbsp      milk
1 tbsp      confectioner’s (powder) sugar, for dusting.

METHODS
(1)Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.  Be careful not to burn the butter.  Once melted completely, transfer to a small bowl and let it cool.

(2)In a large bowl, add sugar.  Then shift flour, a pinch of salt, baking powder and matcha.

(3)Whisk all together to combine.

(4)In medium bowl, combine 2 eggs and milk.  Whisk together till frothy.

(5)Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

(6)Slowly add half of the cooled melted butter.  Make sure to blend the butter and mixture well before you add more butter.  Mix until just blended and do not over mix.

(7)Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest the batter for 3 hours, or I you have time, overnight (highly recommended).

(8)Remove the batter from the refrigerator.  Fill each mould shell with 1 tbsp of batter. 

(9)Bake at 190˚C for 11-13 minutes or until the madeleine edges looks done and the tops spring back when touched.

(10)Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for 3 minutes.  Using a fork, gently release the madeleine from the mould and transfer them onto a cooling rack. 

(11)The madeleine are ready to serve when they are slightly warm or at room temperature.  Dust the tops with confectioner sugar if desire.  If you are storing/freezing the madeleine, do not dust with sugar until you are ready to serve.

(12)Store the completely cooled madeleine in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. 


For this month, the theme for Little Thumbs Up is Tea.  Therefore, I’m linking the post to this event which is organised by Zoe (Bake For Happy Kids); Doreen from my little favourite DIY and for July, it is hosted by Cheryl from Baking Tai Tai



Sunday 12 July 2015

A Durian Birthday Cake

Hi
Durian season is here!  You can find durian everywhere, in market and retail fruit stall.   The strong pungent fragrant, it’s either you love it or hate it.  But I guess most people will love it.  It simply drives the durian lovers like me and my hubby crazy :P
D24?  Guess nowadays it’s no longer the best.  Now everybody is going after Mao Shan Wang (Cat Mountain King 猫山王).  It’s the current hottest favourite.  Mao Shang Wang is pricey.  It easily costs average about $15 per kg.  Look at the amount of Mao Shang Wang durians I have on my dining table.  You must be thinking it might cost me a lot on these durians?  Haha!  Not at all.  I didn’t spend a single cent on these durians.  My brother-in-law has Mao Shang Wang plantation in Muar.  Every year, my siblings will get to eat it free.  We’ll either drive to Muar over weekend (about 2.5 hrs drive from Singapore) just to have durians or my brother in law will never fail to pack them in boxes and bring it back for us to enjoy.  
What a blessing!
This is not my 1st time making durian cake.  I have tried making durian puff too.  You can find my blog on durian Here, Here and Here.
My hubby and I simply love the texture of the thick Mao Shan Wang flesh.  It’s rich and creamy.  Its aroma is sweet and has mildly pungent without being overpowering.

This homemade goodness is definitely a cake to impress and to please.
This cake is specially baked for my sister-in-law’s 29th Birthday.  
Wishing her happy and cheerful forever!