Tag Archives: Oven

Chocolate Fondant

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Continuing with my plan of Valentine’s Day inspired recipes, I thought I would try my hand at making melt in the middle chocolate puddings.  A chocolate pudding oozing with chocolatey goodness, is certainly one way show your one true love how much you care. They are also a lot easier than you would think to make, it’s just all in the timing. My first was too runny, my second too hard but the third, fourth, and fifth were perfect. This recipe is from the one and only Gordon Ramsay. Although I did change it a little as I used milk chocolate so I had to put a tablespoon of cocoa powder in the mixture to make them look better (sorry Gordon).

Ingredients

100g of butter (plus extra to grease)

3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (2 for dusting, one in the mix)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

100g of good quality chocolate (I used Belgian from the bakers mart but Tesco’s finest at Homeplus will work well too)

120g of white sugar

100g of all-purpose flour (the buksul one with noodles and dumplings on the front)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160˚C/Gas 2.

2. Butter two large ramekins, about 7.5cm in diameter, then dust liberally with cocoa, shaking out any excess.

3. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

4. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk, and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the mixture and gently fold in, using a large metal spoon. Divide between the ramekins about 3/4 full and bake for 10 -12 minutes. Keep an eye on them, they are done when the mixture has risen and comes away from the sides.

5. Turn the chocolate fondants out on to warmed plates. Dust the tops with icing sugar and serve with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream or cream.

If you would like any extra help you can watch Gordon in action in this video.

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Chocolate cake

Posted in Baking by

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So last Sunday I had a pot luck dinner with my friends. Now the cold winters here I am not really into going outside. It’s just too cold and I prefer lying on my sofa and eating my baked treats to venturing outside. So hosting a potluck party is the perfect way for me to  see all my friends and indulge in some delicious food all without leaving my house (although you do get stuck with the washing up, but it’s a small price to pay). I made the roast pork belly as my main dish but I also wanted to make something sweet. I decided upon chocolate cake, as everyone loves cake right? Plus I had a lot of chocolate in the cupboard that I had picked up at the Bakers Mart. I chose the cake recipe from the queen of indulgence herself,  Ms. Nigella Lawson, but decided upon my own for the frosting.

Ingredients 

200g of all-purpose flour (I use the one for noodles and dumplings)

200g of white sugar

175g of butter

2 eggs

40g of cocoa powder

150ml of sour cream (foreign food mart/costco)

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Butter cream

1 stick of butter

300g icing sugar

200g of milk chocolate

2 teaspoons of milk

Directions

Take everything out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line and butter your cake tin. Now all you have to do is put all the cake ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarb, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream – into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter. If you want to go the long way around, just mix the flour, sugar and leavening agents in a large bowl and beat in the soft butter until you have a combined and creamy mixture. Now whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, vanilla and eggs and beat this into your bowl of mixture. Divide this batter, using a rubber spatula to help you scrape and spread, into the prepared tin and bake until a cake tester, or a thin skewer, comes out clean, which should be about 35 minutes, but it is wise to start checking at 25. Also, it might make sense to switch the cake around in the oven halfway through cooking time. Remove the cake, from its tin, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning out. Don’t worry about any cracks as they will easily be covered by the buttercream later.

To make the buttercream, Mix together the butter cream and powder sugar until thoroughly combined. If it’s a little tough you can add a teaspoon or two of milk. Melt the chocolate in bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. When the chocolate has completely melted allow to cool to bring down the temperature so it doesn’t melt the butter. Once its cooled but still liquid, add to the butter cream and mix thoroughly.

Once the cake has completely cooled, slice into two. Fill the middle of the cake with buttercream and do a crumb coating. Leave to set then decorate the top and sides with an extra layer of frosting. I piped little blobs all the way around the outside and finished with some chocolate curls I found at the bakers mart. Voilà there you have a scrumptious chocolate cake.

Red Velvet Cake

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Who would have thought it, me and my toaster oven are capable of making a fully formed cake. To celebrate my 100th post I baked myself this amazingly good (even if i do say so myself) red velvet cake. This is the first time I have ever made red velvet cake, so I didn’t want to go messing around with the recipe. I just used the one from The Joy of Baking. I’ve been obsessed with watching “The Great British Bake Off”, lately and it sends me (or should I say Niall) hurtling off to the shops in search of ingredients for me to satisfy my baking urges. Generally baking is not my forte, I’m just too keen to tamper with the recipes which usually alters the results with sometimes disastrous consequence. However, throughout my TV marathon, I must have actually managed to learn a few things as I have really upped my game in the baking stakes. First the bread and now this marvelous cake. I have to confess that as the eater of the large majority of the cake (with a little bit of help from Niall and Tor) I think it was pretty damn good. But don’t take my word for it, have a go yourself and celebrate my 100th post with me.

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

250g of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (dutch or regular)

113g or one stick of butter

300g white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk (just put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a cup of normal milk and leave for five minutes)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

2 tablespoons of red food coloring (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar (foreign food mart)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

White Chocolate Butter Cream

113g of butter (1 stick, room temperature)

150g cream cheese (philadelphia)

150g of white chocolate

250g of icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

Grease your cake tin and preheat the oven to about 185 degrees celsius. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well, either with an electric mixer or by hand, then add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl sift the flour cocoa powder and salt. Add one third of the flour mix into the butter and sugar and fold in with a metal spoon in a figure of 8 movement (do not whisk). Add the red food coloring to the buttermilk then add half of it to the cake mix. Stir together then add another third of the flour. Mix in the second half of the buttermilk then finish with the last third of the flour. In a cup mix together the vinegar and the baking soda then quickly add it to the cake mix and stir thoroughly. Next put the mixture straight into the cake tin and into the oven. This step helps the cake to rise.

Bake your cake for around 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the cake is firm but springy to the touch. When the cake is done take it out of the oven and leave it to rest for 5 minutes then remove it from your tin and allow to cool completely before wrapping in clingfilm and putting it in the fridge for about 4 hours or overnight. This will help you to slice the layers more easily. If you are too eager the cake can tear when you cut into it (as mine did).

To make the buttercream melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir and leave to cool slightly. Beat together the butter and the cream cheese. When the chocolate is still melted but not hot (you don’t want to melt the butter) add to the butter and cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the the vanilla extract and stir in the icing sugar until the butter cream has thickened to the right consistency. Leave at room temperature. If you put it into the fridge it will set and make it hard to frost the cake.

When the cake has been properly chilled, level off the top if it is not flat. Then cut the cake into two layers. Spread a thick layer of the buttercream onto the cake taking care to fill it evenly all the way up to the edges. Put your second layer on the top then put a thin layer of buttercream all over the cake, this is called a crumb coating. Put it back into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.  It doesn’t have to be perfect as mine clearly isn’t but this will make it easier to apply the second layer of frosting.

When the crumb coating has set, apply a thick layer of the buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake. I flattened the top and side of my cake using a scraper I got at Bangsan market for 1,000 won, you could also use a palette knife if you have one. I then piped little blobs all around the outside.

I topped it with strawberry rock decorations I also got at the market.Leave to chill in the fridge again for another hour and enjoy. Voilá amazing red velvet cake, my finest baking achievement to date. 

Cappuccino cake

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I think we can all agree that baking in Korea can often be quite a challenge. So its been quite sometime since I last knocked up a cake. Seduced by my mums shiny new oven, I donned her Cath Kidston apron and whipped up this delicious baked treat.

This is actually the cake that turned me into a cakeaholic, it’s the perfect combination of chocolate and coffee and I think we all know how hard it is to say no to a bit of butter cream.

Ingredients

Cake

250g of butter

225g sugar

3 eggs

150g flour

3 table spoons of coco powder

1 shot of espresso (use a few teaspoons of instant if you don’t have as coffee maker)

Butter cream

250g of icing sugar

3 tablespoons of butter

100g white chocolate

2-3 tablespoons of milk

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and espresso and mix thoroughly. Sieve in the flour and coco powder and stir gently. When the mixture is ready pour it into a greased cake tin and put it into a preheated oven at 180 degrees centigrade. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Turn the cake out on a rack to cool while you make the buttercream.

To make the buttercream mix the butter and icing sugar together until its mixed thoroughly. If it’s too dry that’s fine as you will add the milk at the end. Melt the white chocolate and stir into the mixture. Add the milk a spoonful at a time until you have a butter cream consistency. When the cake has cooled completely top the cake with the buttercream and add grated chocolate to decorate. Voilà a delicious chocolate coffee cakey treat.

Pavlova

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As a child pavlova was my absolute favorite dessert. My mum would always buy one if we had a guest for sunday lunch. My love of meringue has never wained as I have grown over the years. Meringue has always been famed as rather tricky to make (although I think it has a rather misguided reputation). As long as you follow the basic principles then they should turn out fine and dandy.

I’ve shied away from making a pavlova in Korea  for several reasons. The main ones being my lack of electric beater and my toaster oven being too small. However if your oven is of a decent size, I highly recommend you try making this delicious dessert.

Ingredients

120z of caster sugar

6 egg whites

1 table-spoon of cornflour

1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar

Topping

400ml of Whipped cream

A selection of fresh berries

Directions

Separate your eggs (whites only) and whisk them to stiff peaks in a clean mixing bowl. I would recommend an electric whisk unless you are very strong. Although my friend matt, seems to make them even better by hand than I can using the beater. So I guess it’s all in the wrist action (I assume he gets a lot of practice). You need the egg whites to be as stiff as possible as they will only get softer as you beat in the sugar. An old trick , is to beat them stiff enough so they are able to stay in the bowl when held upside down. Beat in the caster sugar a bit at time until it has been incorporated into the egg whites so the form soft peaks. Stir in the cornflour and vinegar to help them hold their shape and give them some extra gloss, although this step is not essential.

Line a baking tray with a piece of greaseproof paper. Draw a circle on the greaseproof paper and fill it in with a layer of the meringue. Then build up the edges by spooning or piping blobs around the outside until it forms the pavlova shape. Bake in an oven set to 150 degrees centigrade  for about an hour until the meringue has set. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside to dry out for a few hours, ideally overnight.

Pavlovas should be assembled at the last moment, so wait until you are ready to serve before adding the cream. Whisk the cream (add a little icing sugar and vanilla extract if you have a sweet tooth) and fill the pavlova then top with mixed berries. You can top your pavlova with anything you like, although I always think chocolate and nuts  goes down well.

If your pavlova cracks and breaks when your putting it on to your serving dish don’t worry, just cover it with cream and no one will be any wiser. .. If your meringue turns out too flat for a pavlova you can always break it into pieces and use it to make Eton mess, another british classic.

Rosemary and Lemon Roast Chicken

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So chickens are on sale this week in my favorite supermarket a bargain a 3,000 each. I considered it to be such a bargain that I decided to buy two and eat twice as much, saving myself no money at all (boy am I smart). I must state that chickens here are rather on the small side, to stay the least . It’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility to eat a whole one (or two). I must confess though that I didn’t eat all the meat, I had some left over which I used to make Thai Chicken noodle soup the  recipe coming later this week. Most of my roast chicken recipes are more of a winter theme, so to summer it up I served it with rice salad. The left overs also made a great lunch to take to work. My schools dinners are poor at best, unless boiled bean sprouts and kimchi float your boat? They do not float mine!

Ingredients 

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken

1/4 of a lemon

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 table spoons of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

Rice Salad

200g of brown long grain rice (I used brown as that’s what I prefer but white would be ok too)

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

15 cherry tomatoes

1/2 cucumber

A bunch of spring onions

1 lemon (or just use the 3/4 left over from the chicken)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

A pinch of salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

Directions

Put the two sprigs of rosemary, the wedge of lemon, and the garlic inside the chicken. Rub the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with tin-foil and roast for about an hour at 200. Cooking times may vary, it may need longer depending on the size of the chicken. To check it’s done, cut into the thick part of the thigh,if the juice runs clear its ok. Once the chicken is done, cook for a further 10 minutes without the foil just to crisp up the outside.

For the rice salad, cook your rice and then run it under cold water when it’s done. Leave it to drain. Chop the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, and spring onions into small pieces and mix them in with the rice. Add the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Feel free to add some fresh herbs if you have some on hand. Voilà my easy roast chicken and rice salad!