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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Chocolate Brownie & Vanilla Cheesecake

Do you like Brownie? Do you like Cheesecake? What about a Brownie-Cheesecake?!

I ate my first Cheesecake when I was in New York, and immediately felt in love with this extra heavy and creamy (but delicious!) cake. I, later, learnt the different ways to make it when I was working in California. I love the fact you can replace its typical vanilla flavor to almost anything you want (chocolate, honey, dulce de leche, strawberry, coconut...whatever you like!).




For this version, I simply used a vanilla cheesecake recipe but decided to replace the classic crust by a layer of chocolate brownie for an absolute pleasure.

Chocolate Brownie Layer:

Granulated Sugar:  150g (3/4 cup)

Butter: 140g (5 oz)

3 eggs

Cake Flour: 50g (2 oz)

Dark Chocolate: 200g (7 oz)

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).

With an electric mixer, beat together the granulated sugar and the butter until the mixture becomes smooth (about 5 min.).

Add in the first egg. Mix until it is incorporated. Add in a little of the flour, and mix until incorporated. Repeat the operation until you have mixed in all the eggs and the flour.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave.

Add the melted chocolate to the mixture. Mix with a spatula until the chocolate is fully incorporated.

Grease a baking pan (i used a square one of about 25cm x 25cm (10in x 10in)). Pour the batter in the pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Make the vanilla Cheesecake Layer while the brownie is baking.

Vanilla Cheesecake Layer:

Cream Cheese: 600g (21 oz)

Whipping Cream: 60g (2oz)

Granulated Sugar: 135g (5oz)

3 Eggs

Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add gradually the sugar, the whipping cream and the vanilla extract. Mix in the eggs.

When the brownie layer in baked take the baking pan out of the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 150C (300F).

Pour the cheesecake batter on the top of the brownie. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until the cheesecake layer is just set in the center.

Let cool down for 1 hour. Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight if you can.

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Vanilla & Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are easy to make and everybody loves them! Traditionally made of one part of sugar, two parts of butter and three parts of flour, their crumby texture is perfect and delicious with coffee. Recipes have evolved and this version combines a buttery & vanilla flavor with a delicious chocolate aroma.





So invite your friends over for coffee and surprise them with those fabulous homemade cookies!


Vanilla Dough:
Granulated Sugar: 135g ( 0.30 lbs)
Unsalted Butter: 205g (0.45 lbs)
Salt: 2g (1 tsp)
Vanilla Extract: 5g (1 tbsp)
1 Egg
Cake Flour: 155g (0.35 lbs)
All-Purpose Flour: 155g (0.35 lbs)

In the bowl of a mixer, combine both flours, the granulated sugar and the salt. Mix slowly with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds.
Add the butter and continue mixing on low to medium speed, until it looks like sand (about 2 min). Add the egg and the vanilla extract. keep mixing until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough with a plastic film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Dough:

Granulated Sugar: 135g ( 0.30 lbs)

Unsalted Butter: 205g (0.45 lbs)

Salt: 2g (1 tsp)

Vanilla Extract: 5g (1 tbsp)

1 Egg

Cake Flour: 140g (0.30 lbs)

All-Purpose Flour: 140g (0.30 lbs)

Cocoa Powder: 30 g (1 oz)

In the bowl of a mixer, combine both flours, the granulated sugar, the cocoa powder and the salt. Mix slowly with the paddle attachment for 30 seconds.
Add the butter and continue mixing on low to medium speed, until it looks like sand (about 2 min). Add the egg and the vanilla extract. keep mixing until the dough comes together. Wrap the dough with a plastic film and leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.




Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).

Roll out the chocolate dough. Cut it in a rectangle of about 20 cm x 30 cm (8in x 12in). Keep it aside.



Roll out the vanilla dough. Cut it in a rectangle of about 20 cm x 30 cm (8in x 12in).



Brush the top of the vanilla dough with a little bit of water. Place the rectangle sheet of chocolate dough on the top of the vanilla rectangle.
Trim the edges of the two-layered rectangle.






Roll it up. Slice the roll into 1cm thick (about 1/3 in) cookies. Arrange them on a baking pans lined with parchment paper. Bake them for about 8 to 10 min.

You can also use the chocolate dough and the vanilla dough separately. And don't forget...be creative!

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Fresh Strawberries with Spiced Red Wine Reduction & Homemade Milk & Vanilla Sauce

Strawberry season just started and I picked up the first ones in my garden today!

When I was a kid my grand mother would often make 'miget' with them. 'Miget' is a traditional and ultra refreshing dessert from the French region I'm from. It was served in summer, during threshing.
The recipe is simple: cut some strawberries, add pieces of bread, pour red wine (you can also add milk) and sprinkle a little bit of sugar: Here you go!

I tried to bring back some childhood memories with this recipe, replacing the simple splash of wine and milk by two different sauces.







Spiced Red Wine Reduction:

500 mL Red Wine
150 g Granulated Sugar
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Star Anise
2 Black Peppercorns
3 Cloves
1 Teaspoon Grounded Nutmeg


Crush the cloves and the peppercorns.
In a sauce pan pour the red wine. Add the granulated sugar and all the spices.
Bring to a boil and leave it to simmer until you get a syrupy consistency (about 45 min to 1 hour). Strain the reduction to remove the spices.


Homemade Milk &Vanilla Sauce:

250 mL Whole Milk
125 g Granulated Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean

Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds.
Pour the milk in a sauce pan, add the granulated sugar and the scraped seeds. Bring it to a boil and live it to simmer until the color turn to a pale yellow and the consistency get thicker (about 30 to 45 min).

TIP: You can use the vanilla bean to make vanilla extract. Simply place it in a airtight glass container and pour some vodka on the top. You can use it when needed after few day!




Using a squeeze bottle (or a spoon), drizzle some Red wine Reduction on one side of the plate. On the other side, drizzle some Milk & Vanilla sauce.









Cut some fresh strawberry and arrange them harmoniously in the middle of the plate.
You can add some mint leaves to finish the decoration.










For extra 'Gourmandise' you can add some vanilla ice cream!

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Grapefruit Tart with Crispy Meringue

Grapefruits are often eaten raw, sprinkled with some sugar or salt but rarely used in baked recipes. I love this fruit, and thought it was a pity it wasn't used more often!








So, I tried to twist one of my favorite dessert recipe, the lemon tart, and make a grapefruit version. The acidity of the lemon is replaced by the bitterness of the grapefruit for an absolute pleasure!







Step 1: The Crispy Meringue.

1 Egg White
50g (1/4 cup) Granulated Sugar

Set the oven to 100C (200F).
Whip the egg white until soft peaks. Add slowly the sugar and keep mixing until stiff peaks.
Spread a thin layer of meringue on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 3 hours or until the meringue is dry.

Step 2: The Dough.

190g Softened Butter
5g Salt
50 mL Milk
250g Flour

Mix the butter with a wooden spoon (or with the paddle if you have a mixer) until it's soft. Add the salt and the milk. Mix for one minute. Add the flour and mix until it combines. Form a ball by hand. Wrap it in a plastic film and leave it to rest for one hour in the fridge.
Line your tart tin with the dough. Poke some little holes in the dough with a fork. Cover the base with baking parchment and fill the tin with baking beans. Bake for 15 to 20 min. Remove the beans and parchment. Bake for 5 more min or until the crust is golden.

Step 3: The Filling.



375g (1 cup 3/4) Granulated Sugar
75g (3/4 cup) Corn Starch
Zest of 2 Grapefruits
375g (1 cup 1/2) Grapefruit Juice
Juice from one Lemon
75g Butter
6 Egg Yolks






In a sauce pan, mix the sugar, the corn starch and the grapefruit zest. Add the grapefruit juice, the lemon juice and the egg yolks. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil. Take the pan off the heat. Add the butter and mix until melted.

Strain the filling to remove the zest. With a blender, mix the filling for 5 minutes.

Pour the filling into the tart shell. spread it evenly (you can use a spatula). Place the tart in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

I even added some grapefruit pieces before pouring the filling into the shell for extra 'gourmandise'!


Just before serving, cut the meringue into pieces and place it on the top of the tart.







If you want a lighter version, you can replace the meringue by grapefruit pieces.

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