Yummylicious Experiments

1. Stir coffee, espresso, and 2½ tablespoons Kahlua in a wide bowl or baking dish until espresso dissolves; set aside.
2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat yolks at low speed until just combined. Add sugar and salt and beat at medium-high speed until pale yellow, 1½ to 2 minutes, scraping down bowl with rubber spatula once or twice. Add ⅓ cup of the heavy cream to yolks and beat at medium speed until just combined, 20 to 30 seconds; scrape bowl.
3. Set the bowl with yolks over a medium saucepan containing 1 inch of gently simmering water; cook, constantly scraping along bottom and sides of bowl with heatproof rubber spatula, until mixture coats back of spoon and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir vigorously to cool slightly, then set aside to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
4. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons Kahlua until combined. Transfer bowl to standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, add mascarpone, and beat at medium speed until no lumps remain, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer mixture to large bowl and set aside.
5. In now-empty mixer bowl, beat the remaining cream at medium speed until frothy, 1 to 1½ minutes. Increase speed to high and continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks, 1 to 1½ minutes longer. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten, then gently fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Set mascarpone mixture aside.
6. Working one at a time, drop half of ladyfingers into coffee mixture, roll, remove and transfer to 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Do not submerge ladyfingers in coffee mixture; entire process should take no longer than 2 to 3 seconds for each cookie.) Arrange soaked cookies in single layer in baking dish, breaking or trimming ladyfingers as needed to fit neatly into dish.
7. Spread half of mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers; use rubber spatula to spread mixture to sides and into corners of dish and smooth surface. Place 2 tablespoons cocoa in fine-mesh strainer and dust cocoa over mascarpone.
8. Repeat dipping and arrangement of ladyfingers; spread remaining mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and dust with remaining 1½ tablespoons cocoa. Wipe edges of dish with dry paper towel. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 to 24 hours. Cut into pieces and serve chilled. Leftovers can be stored, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

(A)
225g all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
65g sugar

(B)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp Earl Grey Tea leaves

(C)
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
95g sugar

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree celsius.
2. Combine (A) in a bowl. Stir well to blend.
3. Add (B). Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
4. Beat (C) until moist peaks formed. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff and shiny peaks are formed.
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture, fold to mix and then add the rest of the egg whites. Fold gently but thoroughly.
6. Pour batter into ungreased 10" tube pan.
7. Bake for 60 mins or til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Invert cake and cool completely in pan. When cool, loosen the edges and shake pan to remove cake.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in middle of oven. Line muffin pans with paper liners or spray with a vegetable spray.
2. In a small measuring cup mix together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
5. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and place in a small bowl to make a streusel topping later.
6. Gently fold in the blueberries and lemon zest.
7. Add the milk and egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix this mixture or the muffins will be tough when baked.
8. Fill each muffin cup almost full with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Fill any unused muffins cups with water to prevent the pan from warping.
9. For streusel topping: Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter and drizzle over the reserved 1 cup of streusel topping. Mix together with a fork until it is crumbly and looks like coarse meal.
10. Sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of the streusel over the top of each muffin. Place in the oven and bake until very lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 - 20 minutes.
11. Place on a wire rack to cool.
12. Makes 12 - 14 regular-sized muffins.

(A)
225g all-purpose flour, sifted
1 tbp baking powder
1 tsp salt
65g sugar

(B)
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp pandan paste

(C)
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
95g sugar

1. Preheat oven to 175 degree celsius.
2. Combine (A) in a bowl. Stir well to blend.
3. Add (B). Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
4. Beat (C) until moist peaks formed. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff and shiny peaks are formed.
5. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture, fold to mix and then add the rest of the egg whites. Fold gently but thoroughly.
6. Pour batter into ungreased 10" tube pan.
7. Bake for 60 mins or til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Invert cake and cool completely in pan. When cool, loosen the edges and shake pan to remove cake.

Note:
Best kept in the refrigerator because the coconut milk will turn the cake sour if kept in room temperature after 2 days.

1. Preheat oven 190 degree celsius.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence till light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, salt.
5. Fold flour into butter mixture, alternating with milk.
6. Fill the cups half-full and bake for 20 min.

Buttercream Icing (to be prepared the day before)
Ingredients
35g solid vegetable shortening
30g butter
150g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 - 3 tsp milk

Flavourings
Chocolate - Blend 1 tbsp cocoa powder with 1 tsp hot water
Coffee - Blend 2 tsp coffee powder with 1 tbsp hot water

1. Put shorteningg, icing sugar, vanilla essence and 1 tsp milk in a bowl.
2. Beat and add sufficient extra milk to give a light, smooth and fluffy consistency.
3. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
4. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.

An old recipe since my Home Econ days. Love the smell of the fresh lemon... A tat bit too sweet and sour I find, so you might want to add in more water to fine-tune the taste.

I'm attempting cupcakes and swiss roll this weekend. Stay tuned! =)

Lemon Meringue Pie (makes about an 8" pie)

Ingredients

Crust:
400g digestive biscuit
200g butter, melted

Lemon Cream:
200g caster sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon ( approx. 14 g)
60 g cornstarch
Pinch of salt
320 ml cold water
125 ml fresh lemon juice, strained
3 egg yolks

Meringue:
3 egg whites
Cream of Tartar
150g caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Mix the melted butter and digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl till bonded.
3. Lay the mixture firmly onto the pan and freeze the batter for at least 15 minutes.

To make lemon cream

1. Place sugar, zest, cornstarch and salt into a stainless steel pot, mix ingredients well.
2. Add egg yolks and mix until well blended.
3. Add the lemon juice and mix to make a thick cream.
4. Add the water and place on the stove to bring to a boil mixing all the time.
5. When the mixture starts to boil, keep on the burner for 1 minute and mix well. Pull aside and let cool it for a while.

To make meringue

1. In a bowl, using a mixer, at high speed mix the 3 egg whites with a touch of cream of tartar, bring to a medium froth.
2. Add 150g sugar, one tbsp at a time making sure to dissolve. Sugar grains will turn liquid and you get this syrup between the cream and the meringue while baking.
3. Take the pie shell, add the lemon cream, level nice.
4. Add the meringue and spread all over the cream. With the back of a spoon make peaks, touching the meringue and pulling up really fast.
5. Place pie in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until meringue should look light brown to the tip of the peaks. If the meringue is getting dark really fast, it means that the temperature is too high. Lower the temp.