Chocolate Mousse Cake

This is to simply the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake into dark chocolate mousse only.

Ingredients

【Oreo Crust】
7 oz (200 g) oreo cookies
4 tbsp (60 g) butter, melted
【Dark Chocolate Mousse】
15 oz (450 g) semi-sweet chocolate
1 and 1/2 cup (360 g) whipping cream
2 cup (480 g) whipping cream, chilled
2 packs of gelatin powder (14 g)
4 tbsp (60 ml) cold water
【For decorating (optional)】
Cocoa powder
Fresh fruits
Chocolate covered strawberries
Chocolate pieces/curls
Chocolate Macarons

Steps

1. Prepare the crust. Place the Oreo cookies into the bowl of a food processor and crush until crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until evenly moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom of 8 inch mousse cake ring using the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until the first layer of mousse is prepared.

2. In a heat proof bowl add the semi-sweet chocolate and 1.5 cup whipping cream. Place the bowl over a saucepan with simmering water, over low heat, until all the chocolate is melted. Meanwhile dissolve gelatin in cold water and let it swell for about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Place the gelatin over low heat just until the gelatin dissolves and pour it over the melted chocolate mixture. Let the chocolate mixture cool completely at room temperature.
4. Whip the remaining 2 cup chilled whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add melted chocolate mixture and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the chocolate mousse over the crust and refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight to set.

6. Run a knife around the edges of the cake to remove the mousse cake ring.

7. Decorate and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Chocolate French Macaron 2

This is an update to my Chocolate French Macaron two years ago. I feel this recipe is simpler and more consistent in yielding Macaron shells with nice foot.

Ingredients:

Powdered sugar - 130 g
Almond flour - 120 g
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 26 g
Egg white - 3 eggs, about 105 g, at room temperature
Superfine sugar - 92-100 g (used spice grinder to grind the granulated sugar)

Chocolate Ganache - 1 cup

Steps:

1. Sift the sugar, cocoa powder and almond flour through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.

2. Beat the egg whites with a stand mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until it hold a firm peak, about 5 more minutes.

3. Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold. Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes. It takes about 35-40 folds.
4. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the silicon baking mat or baking sheet lined with Parchment paper, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles.
5. It is important to firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.
6. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity.

7. Preheat convention oven 310°F.
8. Bake for 5 minutes.
9. Reduce oven to 275°F, and bake 8 minutes.
10. Cover the cookies with a big sheet of aluminum foil and bake for the last 5-8 minutes.

11. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

12. Peel the cookies off the sheets and let it cool completely. Sandwich the cookies with filling.

11. When cookies are cool, put in a sealed container in refrigerator. The cookies taste better after 1-2 days.

Mini Pork Chop

If you like ketchup and BBQ sauce flavor, you will like this tender mini pork chop.

Ingredients

Boneless pork chop - 1 thick piece, about 200g
salt - 1/4 tsp
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce - 1/2 tsp
BBQ sauce - 1 tsp
Ketchup - 1 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 TBSP
Tapioca starch or potato starch - 1 TBSP

Steps

1. Slice pork chop along the sides and pound each piece with steak hammer (meat tenderizer), or just back of a knife, to tenderize it.

2. In a mixing bowl, add pork chop slices, salt, pepper, soy sauce, BBQ sauce and Ketchup. Mix and marinate for 1 hour.

3. Add flour and starch in the mixing bowl and mix to make sure every piece of pork chop is covered.

4. Using medium to low heat, pan fry the pork chops to fully cooked.

Buttercream Cake - Water Lily

I am continuing to practice my buttercream piping skill. This time is with water lily.

Simple Soft Bun (牛奶软面包）

Simple buns using bread machine.

Ingredients

Bread Flour - 2 and 3/4 cup (400 g)
Sugar - 5 TBSP (80 g)
Salt - 1 tsp (4 g)
Active Dry Yeast - 1.5 TBSP (15 g)
Milk - 1 cup and 1 TBSP (260g)
Egg - 1 (40 g)
Butter - 3 TBSP (40 g)
Yield 12 buns for one baking sheet

Steps

1. Put all ingredients in bread machine and set to "Dough" setting.

2. After bread machine cycle is complete, take out dough and divide into 12 portions. Let them rest for 10-15 minutes.

3. Shape into soft bread shape ad put on baking sheet to let it rise again.

4. After the bread volume double, sift some bread flour on. Optionally you can cut a cross on top.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F, and bake bread for 13-15 minutes.

6. Cool bread on cookie cooling rake and store in sealed bag or container. 

Chocolate Flower Cake

Every girl is like a flower. My friend's daughter turned 18 and her favorite color is lavender, so I made this chocolate flower cake from cake blog for her birthday.

Ingredients

8" cake - this is a chocolate mousse cake
White Chocolate

Purple gel color
Purple Sixlets

Buttercream for assembly, tinted purple to match the petals

Steps

1. Use a black Sharpie to draw triangles on parchment paper in various sizes. These triangles will serve as a guide for creating your chocolate petals. I used three sets of triangles, approximately 2, 3, and 4 inches long. I planned to use 5, 6, 7 petals for each layer, respectively, to make total 18 petals. I also planned for an extra petal for each size just in case one breaks during assembly.

2. Melt white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl, over double boiler, and tint it with food color.

3. Flip the pieces of parchment paper over before spreading on the chocolate. Use a small icing spatula to spread melted chocolate onto the triangle template. Work from the tip to the base of the triangle, leaving lines and ridges in the melted chocolate. The base of the triangle will be the outer edge of your petal. Spread the chocolate in a rounded, messy way, not in a solid line. This will give you more of a petal-y look.

4. While the petal is still wet, place it into a bowl to give it shape. Use tape to help hold the petal into place while it dries. Repeat with the rest of your petals.
5. Once petals are completely set, peel away the parchment paper. 

6. Fill a piping bag with buttercream, and use it to attach the largest petals in a circle on the top of the cake, then attached a second layer of smaller petals on top of the first layer, and then the smallest petals. Once petals are in place, pipe some buttercream in the center and attach some sixlets.

White Chocolate Mirror Cake

Ingredients

Any 8" cake will do. I used Chiffon cake

Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting
White chocolate - 8 oz

Sugar - 1 cup

Cold water - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Light corn syrup - 1/2 cup

Sweetened condensed milk - 1/2 cup

Gelatin - 5 tsp

Food color - any combinations

Glitter - optional, I added a little black disco dust

Steps

1. Bake the cake and frost it with buttercream. Keep refrigerated until ready to pour glaze.
2. Bloom gelatin with 1/2 cup of water and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat the water, sugar, and condensed milk in a saucepan. Bring it just to a boil and turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla and bloomed gelatin until it is fully dissolved.
4. Place chocolate chips in a large heat proof bowl. Pour hot mixture over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.

5. Once chocolate has softened, use an immersion blender to smooth mixture. Pour mixture through a sieve to remove any remaining lumps.

6. Divide glaze into different bowls and tint them with different colors. Allow glaze to cool to 90°F (32°C) before pouring. Watch this video on how to pour the glaze. 

7. Let the glaze drip for 5 minutes, cut the drips off from under the cake plate, and place onto a serving plate. Pipe buttercream borders around the base of cake.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I have struggled with piping flowers with buttercream. Now with Swiss meringue buttercream, piping becomes much easier. Also this buttercream can keep its form at room temperature very well. 

Ingredients

6 egg whites
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cubed, slightly softened
Pinch of salt
This is enough to frost an 8" cake. If you want to pipe decorations, you should make at least 50% more.

Steps

1. Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.

2. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking constantly, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160°F on a candy thermometer. Carefully transfer the bowl onto the stand mixer.
3. Using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch and the meringue is fluffy, glossy and holds a stiff peak.
4. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add cubed butter and mix until incorporated. If the buttercream appears soupy, try placing it in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes then mixing again.