A Very Special Birthday Cake

I celebrated few days ago my 25th birthday, and for this occasion, I wanted to make a special cake.
After a massive brainstorming (when it's about Pastry, I'm always brainstorming a lot :) ), I finally decided to make an "American Style" cake. And as I wanted something classy and girly, I made it all 'Black & White'.

It was my first time making this kind of cake so I will not give you the recipe or any advice to make it, as it was way too far from perfect, but I still wanted to share some pictures with you.
(Of course, if you have any questions you can ask me and I will try to answer the best I can :) )

The bottom cake was a Chocolate cake with a buttercream filling and the two cakes on the top were vanilla cakes with a praline buttercream filling.All the decorations were made of sugar paste.


Enjoy the pictures! 

                           



                                   

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Chocolate and Basil Fondant

Who can resist to the deliciousness of a chocolate fondant? It is the ultimate indulgence!

In this recipe the chocolate heart is replace by a melting basil ganache. Chocolate and basil are an unexpected but delicious mix of flavor.
Impress your guests by making this surprisingly good and easy making chocolate cake!






Ingredients (For 6 individual cakes):

For the ganache:
3 Tbsp (50 mL) Manufacturing Cream
0.35 oz (10 g) Basil Leaves
3.5 oz (100 g) White Chocolate

For the cake:
6 oz (170 g) Butter
5 oz (150 g) Dark Chocolate
6 Eggs
3/4 Cup(150 g) Granulated Sugar
1 Cup + 2 Tbsp (140 g) Flour


Make the basil ganache:
Bring the cream and basil to a simmer. Remove from the heat and use a hand-blender to cut the basil leaves in small pieces. Pour the mixture over the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
Pour the ganache in small silicone molds and place the mold in the freezer for one hour at least. This will make some "basil ganache ice cubes", easy to drop into the chocolate batter just before you bake your cakes.


To make the cakes:
Melt the chocolate and the butter together. Place the pan off the heat. Whisk the eggs and the sugar together. Add the egg mixture to the chocolate-butter mixture. Add the flour and stir until it combines.


Prepare the molds. Brush each mold with melted butter and then dust it with flour.
Pour enough batter to fill 2/3 of each mold. Place the molds into the fridge for 30 min.


Preheat the oven to 355F (180 C).
Remove the molds from the fridge and add a "basil ganache ice cube" in each mold. Fill the 1/3 of the mold left with the chocolate batter.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.




When they are baked flip each mold to place the cake into a plate. You can use some fresh strawberries and basil leaves to decorate. Also you can serve the hot chocolate and basil fondants with vanilla ice cream...Everything will be perfect to surprise your guests!

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Strawberry Milkshake

Homemade milkshake are and easy and fun way to eat fruits. You can use almost any fruits (peach, banana, kiwi...) and top it with anything you like (whipped cream, chocolate syrup, fresh fruits...).

I had some strawberries in the garden and decided to make the classic (but so wonderfully good) Strawberry Milkshake.

The recipe is simple and you will need only 3 ingredients:

- 300g (10 oz) of Fresh Strawberries.

- 3 Scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream

- A Splash of Milk (depending on the consitency you prefer) (I used about 1/2 cup)

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Mix for about 2 minutes. Pour in glasses decorated with a fresh strawberry. You can garnish with some whipped cream and a fresh strawberry. Enjoy!

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Petits Bouchons au Chocolat and Financiers

I invited some friends over yesterday for the 'goûter' ('Goûter' in French is the name of the snack kids get when they come back from school around 4pm). As London is hosting the Olympics, I decided to make it more 'British' and changed it to a "tea party".

I made a variety of mini cakes. I selected two recipes, particularly easy and fast to make, but still incredibly delicious!

Petits Bouchons au Chocolat:

Dark Chocolate: 3.5oz (100g)

Butter: 3.5oz (100g)

Granulated Sugar: 3.5oz (100g)

2 eggs

Flour: 1/4 cup (30g)

Those little 'Bouchons' ('Cork' in English) are cooked on the outside and melting on the inside. You can eat them  hot or cold, they are always delicious!

Place the chocolate cut in small pieces and the butter in a microwavable container. Heat in the microwave for one minute. Stir with a spoon. If it's the chocolate is not melted yet, heat it for another minute. 

Add the sugar and the eggs. Stir until it's combine.

Add the flour and stir until incorporated. 

Place the batter 15 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 210 C (410 F). Place the batter in a silicon mold. Bake for 8 minutes exactly. 

                                                                                       Financiers:

Flour: 2 tbsp (25g)

Confectioner's Sugar: 2/3 cup (80g)

Almond Meal: 1/3 cup (40g)

2 Egg whites

Melted Butter: 1/3 cup (70g)

Sliced Almonds

Preheat the oven to 190C (375 F).

In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, the sugar and the almond meal. Add the egg whites. Stir until incorporated. 

Add the melted butter and stir again.

Fill the financier molds with the batter. Place some sliced almond on the top.

Bake for about 13 minutes.

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Chocolate & Hazelnut Eclairs

Eclair is a traditional French Pastry made of Pâte à Choux filled with Pastry Cream. The origins of the name 'Eclair' (meaning lightning in English) are not really well known ; but some say it's because this pastry is so good, it is eaten as fast as an 'eclair'!








This pastry is usually made with chocolate, coffee or vanilla pastry cream filling. I made this one Chocolate and Hazelnut to change a little and twist the classic recipe.










Pâte à Choux:
Whole Milk:  1/3 Cup + 4 tsp (100mL)
Water: 1/3 Cup (80 mL)
Butter: 2/3 stick butter - or 0.2 lbs (75 g)
Salt: 1 tsp
Granulated Sugar: 1 tsp
Flour: 3.5 oz (100 g)
Eggs: 3

Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).

Pour the milk and the water in a sauce pan. Add the butter, the salt and the sugar. Bring to a boil.

Add all the flour at once. Stir with a wooden spoon with energy until there is no lump. Once there is no lump keep mixing on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the dough in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring with the wooden spoon. Make sure the first egg is well incorporated to the dough before you add the next one.
When you take some dough in the spoon and make it fall in the bowl the dough should look like a ribbon.

Place the dough in a piping bag. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the dough into 1 in (3cm) by 6 in (15 cm) shaped cylinders.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes..


Chocolate Hazelnut Pastry Cream:
Corn Starch: 1/4 cup (35 g)
Granulated Sugar: 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp (80 g)
Whole Milk: 1 1/2 cup (35 cl)
Egg Yolks: 4
Butter: 1.2 oz (35 g)
Chocolate: 7 oz (200g)
Hazelnut Paste: 2 to 3 tbsp

Pour the milk in a sauce pan placed over medium heat. Bring it to a boil.
In a bowl whisk the granulated sugar and the corn starch together. Add the egg yolks and whisk again.
Once the milk is boiling pour it oven the egg mixture while whisking. Bring it back over medium heat. Keep whisking until it boils. Remove from the heat. Add the butter and keep stirring until it's melted. Add the chocolate (in small pieces) and stir until it's all melted.
Add the hazelnut paste 2 to 3 tbsp, depending on your taste. Leave to cool in the fridge.




Filling and Decoration:
Once the pastry cream is cold place it in a pastry bag. Poke little holes on the bottom of the baked Pate a choux. Fill the Pate a choux with the Chocolate Hazelnut pastry cream.

Place a sauce pan with water over medium heat. In a bowl place 5.5 oz of choclolate (150g) and 2.3 oz of butter (60g). Place the bowl over the sauce pan and slowly melt the chocolate sauce.





Plunge delicately the top part of the 'eclairs' in the chocolate sauce.  You can also place some whole hazelnuts or crush hazelnuts on the top of the chocolate glazed eclairs.

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Lemon & Poppy Seed Tea Cakes

Is it tea time yet?!

I love tea time, and I love tea cakes!
They are usually easy to make and you can play with the flavors and the forms. You can make a big one and cut slices, make them in muffin form or you can even make mini ones in silicon molds.








This one will surprise your friends. The poppy seeds will give an unique crunchy pop sensation in the mouth and the lemon will bring a bit of acidity which reduces the sugar taste.





Tea Cakes:
2/3 cup (85 g) Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
A Pinch of Salt
1/2 stick (55 g) Butter
2/3 cup (135 g) Granulated Sugar, divided in 2 (1/3 + 1/3 cup)
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Lemon zest
2 1/2 tbsp Poppy Seeds
1/4 cup (60 g) Buttermilk



Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup Confectioner Sugar
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).

In a bowl of a standard mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together 1/3 cup of sugar and the lemon zest for about 10 min (if you don't have a mixer, you can also do it by hand). Add the butter and mix for about another 10 min.
Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Beat in the lemon juice and the poppy seeds. Add alternatively the buttermilk and the flour and baking powder sifted.

In a separated bowl mix the egg whites until soft peaks. Add the rest of the sugar (1/3 cup) slowly. Keep mixing until stiff peaks.

Fold the eggs white mixture into the other batter.
Fill the molds you have chosen with the cake batter (you can use a muffin pan or a classic cake pan or even a silicon mold).

Bake the cakes for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stir together the confectioner sugar and the lemon juice to make the glaze. Let the cakes cool down on a wire rack for 15 min. Brush the glaze on the cakes.






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Apricot & Basil Tart

Apricots looked fabulous at the farmers market, so I bought some and decided to make a tart. I usually love to surprise people with unexpected combinations of flavors. 

So I picked up a bunch of basil in the garden and made a Apricot-Basil tart...the result was simply 'délicieux'!

Puff Pastry
Fresh Apricots
Fresh Basil
Granulated Sugar


For the Basil Pastry Cream:
250 mL (1 cup) whole milk
2 Eggs
50 g(2 oz) Granulated Sugar
25 g (1 oz) Corn Starch
About 20 leaves of Fresh Basil


In a saucepan bring the milk to a boil. Take the pan out of the heat. Place the basil leaves in a tea ball (you can also put the leaves directly in the sauce pan, but you will have to take them out before adding the other ingredients). Leave the tea ball in the hot milk and let it rest for about 20 minutes.




In a bowl, mix the sugar and the corn starch. Add the eggs and whisk the mixture.
When the 20 min have passed, whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Return the saucepan to a moderate heat and whisk constantly until the cream thickens and is boiling.
TIP: If you want a stronger basil flavor, you can add some freshly cut basil leaves into the pastry cream.
Let the pastry cream cool down for about 30 min and place it in the fridge until needed.


Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Grease a tart ring (or a tart mold). Place the puff pastry on the ring. With a fork prick the dough. Spread the pastry cream on the dough.





 Cut the apricots in half and place them harmoniously on the tart. 
Sprinkle some granulated sugar on the top of the apricots (about 2 tbsp). 
Cut some fresh basil leaves and place it on the top of the tart.
Bake the tart for about 20 min or until the dough is golden brown.


 

Let the tart cool down for about an hour and...Enjoy!

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