Monday, February 27, 2012

Despite the creativity I have admired in many of the other bakers recipes, I chose to join in this month's challenge with the simple lemon and banana with chocolate chips cakes. Considering the minimum preparation time, the result was one of the worthiest so far, especially for the coconut-lemon flavored ones in whitch lemon zest but also juice gave them a perect sourness and moist and the cream cheese frosting added even more creaminess to the texture.

                       Lemon cakes (for 8 mini-sized)
                       220gr                                                               cake flour
                       120gr                                                               butter, room temperature
                       180gr                                                               granulated sugar
                       180gr (3 big)                                                    eggs
                       90gr                                                                 lemon juice
                       1tsp                                                                 baking powder
                       2                                                                     lemons (zest)
                       80gr                                                                cream cheese
                       1 Tbs                                                               powdered sugar
                       1 cup                                                               shredded coconut


Beat the butter with granulated sugar and zest until creamy and separately shift the flour and baking powder together. Add and beat the eggs in the butter, one at a time, pour in the lemon juice (90gr) and incorporate the dry ingredients. If not using silicone, butter and flour muffin-sized forms before filling and bake at a preheated oven to 180C for about 20min. For the frosting soften the cream cheese whisking in the powdered sugar and add the juice. Then spread a thin layer on each cake and cover completely with a coconut coating. Alternately drizzle some simple sugar glaze on top.

lemon cake

                 Banana and chocolate chips cakes (for 8 mini-sized)
                 90gr                                                                      butter, melted
                 200gr                                                                    granulated sugar
                 70gr                                                                      eggs
                 290gr (3bananas)                                                   banana puree
                 320gr                                                                    cake flour
                 80gr                                                                      milk
                120gr                                                                     chocolate chips
                5 Tbs                                                                     cold coffee
                4gr                                                                        baking powder
                4gr                                                                        baking soda
                pinch of                                                                cinnamon


Shift the dry ingredients together and mix the puree with eggs, milk, sugar, coffee, butter and chocolate. Then add the flour mixture and and whisk until combined. Fill equally 8 forms and bake at preheated oven to 180C for 20min. Let cool and optionally cover with melted chocolate. 

banana and chocolate chips cake


Monday, February 13, 2012


                         Pate sablee
                         200gr                                                     flour
                         110gr                                                     butter
                         70gr                                                       powdered sugar
                         1                                                            small egg
                         as preferred                                           vanilla extract                                           

                         Chocolate filling
                         300gr                                                     chocolate
                         160gr                                                     light cream
                         50gr                                                       granulated sugar
                         30gr                                                       cointreau
                         2                                                            eggs

                         Orange cream
                         400gr                                                      orange juice
                         50gr                                                        yolks
                         1                                                             big egg
                         50gr                                                        granulated sugar
                         45gr                                                        butter
                         5gr                                                          gelatin, softened in cold water
                         1                                                             orange (zest)

For the tart crust beat butter with sugar until creamy, add the eggs with vanilla and whip to combine. Mix in the flour without much kneading, just until the dough comes together, and refridgerate for an hour. Then roll the dough with some flour and cover the bottom of a 24cm-diameter tart tin. Place a piece of aluminum foil on top, fill it with beans or rice and bake at a preheated oven to 180C for about 20min.


Meanwhile prepare the first filling by melting chocolate with the hot cream or by heating them in the microwave. Give a quick whisk to the eggs and mix the rest of the ingredients together. When the time comes, remove the half-baked crust from the oven taking off its bean topping and pour in the chocolate mixture. Cntinue baking at 170C for another 20min and set aside. In order to make the orange cream, follow a method similar to making creme anglaise and slightly whisk the eggs with the sugar.


Heat the juice with the zest until hot, and before it boils, temper with the half of it the egg mixture. Return to heat and stir continueously watching the temperature with a candy thermometer. As soon as it reaches 85C remove from heat, disolve in the gelatin and add the butter. Set aside until cool and then pour it over the chocolate. Finally refridgerate for a couple of hours or more and optionally serve with a caramelized sugar top.

chocolate and orange tart