To Die For Carrot Cake

 Hello to you all! I should probably apologise for the very late blog post, I do try my best to put one up every wednesday but this week has been particularly hectic for me. On monday we had our Cake Foundations practical assessment, then on thursday we had our food science and commodities test which as usual I was stressing out about. I was then going to put up a post on Friday but I get distracted very easily and the day was then filled with cupcakes, coffee dates, blogilates, lilo and stitch and new girl. So considering I only just woke up and I'm still in my pj's (lazy i know) I decided to finally put up a post!

This carrot cake recipe is literally to die for I couldn't stop at just one piece, it's a melt in your mouth, not caring about the thighs kind of recipe. I mean who doesn't like a big slice of moist carrot cake?

Carrot Cake Recipe

240g flour (medium)
1 1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1tsp mixed spices
1/2tsp cinnamon
120g brown sugar
200g castor sugar
3 eggs
300g olive oil
160g grated carrot
80g walnut pieces (optional)
110g crushed pineapple

Cream cheese icing
105g cream cheese (soft)
90g Butter (soft)
190g icing sugar
1tbsp lemon juice

Method

Preheat oven to 160C
1. combine eggs, oil, grated carrots, chopped walnuts and crushed pineapple. Mix thoroughly then add the sugars, combine well
2. sieve flour, baking soda, salt, mixed spices and cinnamon; add to the mix
3. pour batter into a prepared cake tin (grease proof paper on base and greased around the sides/bottom) and bake for 90 minutes or until set
4. cool in tin for 20 minutes before turning out
5. Once cold ice with the cream cheese icing

That's it and in the end you will have a beautifully moist and delicious cake to enjoy, I should probably change out of my pj's and actually do something productive so that is all from me.

Have another great week!

B.

Chocolate Hazelnut Gugelhopf

Helllo hello! I'm back with another recipe that before I had made it in class I had never heard of, seen or eaten one before, let alone been able to pronounce the weird name. It is called a Chocolate Hazelnut Gugelhopf (pronounced google-hof, weird I know). The only reason it is called a Gugelhopf is because this recipe is baked in the Gugelhopf mould, you could make a banana cake in these moulds and it would then be a banana gugelhopf, but that doesn't sound fancy enough so we shall just stick to the chocolate hazelnut recipe. 

How's Auckland going B? Well thank you for asking, It is going great apart from the fact that I literally just put my washing out on the line and it's now bucketing down with rain. First world problems, it's a hard life. Patisserie is going better though, if you saw my photos on Facebook you will know that we are now going into more of the cake decorating side of things which I absolutely love! I have my cake foundations assessment on monday and then it's on to sponges, gateau and torten, yum!

I'm sure you didn't click on the link to read my lame jokes and my blabbering so here is the recipe...

Chocolate Hazelnut Gugelhopf (Makes 2)

Ingredients

100g soft butter

50g sugar

100g melted chocolate (preferably a good quality chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa)

5 egg yolks

4 egg whites

50g sugar

50g

ground hazelnuts

50g ground almonds

65g soft flour

Decoration:

300g chocolate (compound will be fine)

30g oil

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

1. melt the good quality chocolate over a bain-marie

2. cream softened butter and sugar until white and fluffy

3. gradually add egg yolks

4. stir in melted chocolate

5. Make up a meringue, with the egg whites and sugar, until soft peaks

6. fold the meringue into the basic mixture until combined

7. gently fold in sifted flour and ground nuts

8. place batter into greased and floured moulds (into 2 moulds)

9. Bake at 180C for 30minutes or until firm to touch

10. once cool, flood with melted compound chocolate (300g chocolate combined with 30g oil) and decorate base with lightly roasted ground hazelnuts or almonds

Just so you know to 'flood' the cakes means to pour the melted chocolate over them starting in the middle and working your way out. Once all the chocolate is poured over the cake gently tap the tray to even out the chocolate. Do one at a time and then once they are covered pick up the cake and lightly press into the hazelnuts.

Now I'm going to stop being lazy and run into the rain to get my washing, Have a great week!

B. 

Indulgent Mille Feuille

Hello fellow food lovers, I’m back in the land of grumpy bus drivers, busy streets and unpredictable weather. I am very grateful that I have the smell of fresh baking, great friends and good food that gets me through living in this big little city.  So far this week we made a few more traditional cakes, they were the Madeira cake and the marble cake. We then made a delicious chocolate hazelnut Gugelhopf, fruit cake and also a chocolate divinity cake. If you would like any of the recipes for those cakes just let me know and I will message it to you on facebook.

Over the break I decided to do a sort of demonstration to some of my mum’s friends to show them how to make a Mille Feuille. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be and I loved being the teacher instead of being a student. They all seemed to enjoy it, especially when they got to try it, so I thought I would share the recipe to all those that weren’t there.

Just on a side note the Auckland Regional Culinary Fare is on the 28^th and 29^th of June so I have decided to enter in the traditional fruit flan competition this year. I am very excited to be able to do a competition so I will let you know if I completely fail at it or get a medal.

Anyway here is the recipe; it’s quite long but not very difficult. My sister made one the other week using this recipe and she nailed it, so if she can do it any one can do it. 

Mille Feuille Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 sheet of Convenience puff pastry

Pastry Cream

300g milk

50g sugar

1 egg yolk

25g custard powder

100g cream (whipped)

Royal Icing and Decoration

2 egg whites, room temperature

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cups icing sugar (approx.)

80 g bittersweet chocolate, melted

Method

Pastry Baking

1. Preheat your oven to 200° C

2. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into three equally-sized pieces

3. Transfer the dough to a baking pan (or pans) lined with parchment paper and pierce the dough all over with a fork

4. Cover the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and place a baking pan or pie weights on top to weigh down the dough as it bakes

5. Bake for approx. 15minutes or until the dough is golden brown

Pastry Cream

1. Place half the sugar and most of the milk (retain 2 tablespoons for later use) into a saucepan and bring to the boil

2. Mix custard powder and sugar together, add the left over milk (two tablespoons) to the mixture.

3. Stir in the yolk

4. Pour the boiled milk over the prepared mixture of milk, custard powder, sugar and yolks while stirring

5. Pour back into the saucepan and cook thoroughly, constantly whisking

6. Pour into a clean bowl

7. Cover the pastry cream (not the bowl) with glad wrap

8. Put in the fridge to cool down

9. Once cool beat the pastry cream until lump free

10. Fold in the whipped cream

Assembly

1. Work on a flat surface lined with baking paper

2. On the bottom layer spread half of the pastry cream

3. Put the middle layer of puff pastry on top of the pastry cream and slightly press down

4. Spread the rest of the pastry cream on top of the middle layer and finish by putting the last layer of        puff pastry on top

5. Put in the fridge to set

Decoration

Royal Icing

1. Beat the egg whites and lemon juice until foamy

2. Add most of the icing sugar and mix on low speed until very smooth and glossy

3. Add the rest of the icing sugar if necessary so that the icing drips off the beater and sits briefly on the top of the mixture before sinking back in

4. Melt the chocolate and put into a paper piping bag

5. Pour the royal icing over the Mille Feuille and spread until flat

6. Working quickly, drizzle the chocolate across the top in horizontal parallel lines from one side to the other

7. Using the tip of a sharp knife make perpendicular vertical “cuts” down through the chocolate

8. Next do the same as step 7 but up through the chocolate instead of down

9. Set in the fridge

Once the royal icing has hardened trim the edges to improve the appearance and don’t throw away the off cuts, I’m sure someone will want to eat them.

This recipe is absolutely delicious, but once you start eating it you can't stop. Ever. It's that good.

So I hope you all have a fantastic week full of sweet things and great moments.

That's all from me,

B.

Cup Cakes!

 Good morning to you all! As you all know I love being a student in the diploma in Patisserie course however I am excited to say that as of tomorrow I am officially on holiday for two weeks! So because it is Easter this weekend I thought I would share with you the cupcake recipe we made yesterday. Keep in mind this recipe is just the foundation, many of us decided to add flavourings such as butterscotch or apple to the mixture. But in the end it makes a fabulously delicious cupcake.

I've added a few photos of the classes creations as well as my own so don't be fooled I didn't make all of those beautiful cupcakes. On a side note if any of you saw that very evil looking photo of a strange girl posing in front of the cupcakes (on Facebook) that oddly looked very much like me, don't be alarmed that's not me at all. That's actually my long lost evil twin that is extremely unphotogenic, unlike me of course who is not strange or unphotogenic at all (note the sarcasm).

Now on with the show:

Cup Cakes (Makes 12)

110g Butter

180g Sugar

3 eggs

95g sour cream

125g flour

4g baking powder

½ Vanilla Pod

Icing

100g Butter

200g Icing Sugar

10g Water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C

2. Whisk the butter, vanilla and sugar together until light and fluffy

3. Gradually add the eggs then add the sour cream

4. Gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients until combined

5. Pipe into a muffin tray lined with paper cups and bake for approx. 20minutes

6. Leave to cool for 2 minutes before un-moulding

7. Pipe icing when cold

Icing: Cream the butter and sifted icing sugar until light and fluffy

Add water to soften

I hope you have a lovely Easter weekend filled with plenty of chocolate and fun with family and friends. Just for your enjoyment and to prove I don't always look creepy in photos, below is a more normal looking photo of the Diploma in Patisserie students with our Easter themed cupcakes and muffins.

That's all from me folks,

B.  

All that needs to be said is... Pavlova.

 The passion and love I have towards the kiwi favourite dessert, Pavlova, exceeds any love present between a couple in a relationship. I kid you not I would marry a Pavlova. Which, if you ask my parents, isn't very unusual since I have been wanting to marry a roast chicken since I was 5. You could only imagine how excited I was when I found out we were going to make Pavlova in class. Imagine how excited you would be if you were just told you had won a million dollars and you were given super powers, that's how excited I was. So of course, it is only fitting that I share this Pavlova log recipe with you.


Before I do here's a little fun fact for you, the Pavlova dessert was created in honour of the famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova. The Pavlova itself, with its round shape and built up sides, is meant to represent a ballet dancer's tutu. It was also said in 1926, when Anna toured Australia and New Zealand, that "she does not dance, she soars as though on wings" which is why the Pavlova is light and airy.


This recipe is delicious, with its contrast between the sweet Pavlova and the sour passionfruit pulp. Not to mention it is super quick and easy to make.

Pavlova Roll

Ingredients:

200g egg whites (approx. 7 egg whites)

270g sugar

15g cornflour

15g vinegar

1tsp vanilla essence

Pinch Salt

300g cream

30g cream stabilizer (optional)

50g passion fruit pulp

Method:

Preheat oven to 170C

Beat the egg whites with 1/3^rd of the sugar and a pinch of salt until you reach stiff peaks

Gradually add the rest of the sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy

Fold the cornflour, vanilla and vinegar; mix until just combined

Spread onto greaseproof paper lined baking tray to form a 30x30 cm square

Bake at 170C for 8-10 minutes until just set (slight colour)

Leave to cool on baking tray

Turn out onto a piece of greaseproof paper lightly dusted with icing sugar

Evenly cover with whipped cream, mixed with the passion fruit pulp and cream stabilizer

Roll up into a tight scroll

Divide into slices and store in the fridge until further use

So there you have it a spin on the kiwi classic Pavlova. This recipe can also be altered by adding fresh berries into the cream or using any other fruit pulp. 

Oh the things I would do to be able to eat Pavlova constantly without feeling sick or getting fat. 

Until next week,

B. 

Whirlwind of a Week

Good to see you all, I hope life is treating you well.

It’s just me again, sitting in my room and contemplating what life would be like without sweet things. I have come to the conclusion that life would be utterly horrible without cake, or chocolate or delicious pavlova.  But then again I am very biased since I am training to be a pastry chef, none the less I still think life would be boring without dessert.

Just like life would be boring without dessert it would also be boring without stressful situations and difficulties. The most recent difficulty I have faced was just yesterday when I had my first practical assessment for the paper ‘Foundation Pastries’. Let me talk you through my horrible, stressful yet very rewarding day: It all started when my alarm didn’t go off and instead of waking up to my alarm at 5.45am I was awoken by noisy girls in the bathroom, which I thought was very strange since I was usually the first one up. So I looked at the time on my phone and it said 6.50am, I had to be at AUT at 7.30am sharp. I was mortified to say the least. I literally leaped out of bed put clothes on, splashed my face with water and sprinted out of the house without having breakfast, brushing my teeth, having a shower, or doing my hair. It was a very low point in my life. Luckily I made it to the bus stop just as the next bus was pulling up, I was freaking out about being late so I sprinted from the bus stop to the changing rooms. I looked terrible, I probably smelled terrible but I made it on time with 2 minutes to spare.

Everything was going great through the assessment, I was half an hour ahead of schedule and I was in a rhythm, less stressed and actually enjoying the chaos around me. Until I decided to glance into the oven and notice my Pitivier was a disaster. The entire inside had oozed out from the pastry and it looked like someone had sat on it then decided to trample on it a little. So as usual I panicked. So much for cool, calm and collected. I ran up to the chef and asked if I could possibly have some more puff pastry, which he kindly gave to me. Feeling like I was going to faint from the heat, having no breakfast and stressing out, I put my head down and whipped up another pitivier in 10 minutes.  While that was baking I finished off my choux buns, fruit flan and even had time to do some dishes. Luckily my pitivier came out of the oven just in time and looked 100% better than the first one I made.

It was judging time, by that point I was so emotionally and physically exhausted all I wanted was to pass and get out of that kitchen. The chef came over; inspected and very much surprised me by giving me…  a 98% overall mark!! I was so relieved and over the moon that I had accomplished that mark. Now that it’s over I can relax and look forward to learning all about cakes in our next paper.

Speaking of which I made a mistake in my last blog, I thought we were doing the sponges, torten and gateaux paper next but we are actually doing the foundation cakes paper. I am so extremely excited for this next paper and will put some recipes up that we have learned next week.

So that was my stressful yet rewarding week, I apologise for the lack of recipes but because of the last two weeks being filled with assessment work I have none to share with you. 

Let me know if you have any questions about pastry, the recipes I have shared with you, or if there are any recipes in particular you would want me to put up.

Have a great week and remember without stressful situations we wouldn’t appreciate the wonderful things in life… Like dessert.

B.