Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

Back home for Christmas!

When I got back here by train, I saw snow everywhere.

I though it'd be a white Christmas this year.

But it rained in these few days, so all the snow has gone... feel disappointed :(

To cheer up myself, I had a heavenly chocolaty mousse cake I made for this Christmas.

Perfect for a chocoholic like me!

Merry Christmas!!!

Recipe (6'' round/6 x 2'' round):

adapted from here

Chocolate cake:

2 eggs

50g plain flour

10g corn flour

40g sugar

50ml milk

50g dark chocolate (70%)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate with milk over simmering water.

Beat the egg with sugar until fluffy & white in colour, then fold in plain flour, cocoa powder & corn flour.

Fold in the chocolate batter & then pour in a mould with a sheet of parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180'C for 15 min.

Cool the cake on a rack.

Cut out the cake base using a mousse ring.

N.B. I used 8'' round pan to bake the cake, this gave me 6 cake bases.

Chocolate mousse:

50g dark chocolate (70%)

60ml milk

30g sugar

110ml whipping cream

1 sheet of gelatin

Soften the gelatin in cold water for a few minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.

Melt the chocolate with milk over simmering water, add the gelatin & mix until it dissolves.

Whisk the whipping cream with sugar until firm, fold in the chocolate batter.

Decoration & Assembly:

Fresh raspberries

Fresh strawberries

Place the cake base inside the mould.

Arrange fresh raspberries on top of the cake base.

Pour the chocolate mousse on top of the raspberries in each mould.

Cool in the fridge to set.

Decorate with raspberries & strawberries or as you like & serve cold.

Raspberry Chocolate Fondant Cake

Warm & bright summer days seem so long ago.

Although I love autumn & winter, I really not enjoy the gloomy weather lately.

I felt like spoiling myself with a warm chocolate cake today.

This is my favourite recipe for delicious & simple chocolate cake.

Great for chocoholics like me!

This heavenly warm chocolate cake is sure to cheer me up \\(^__^)//

Recipe (4 ramekins):

Cocoa batter:

70g unsalted butter

80g dark chocolate (70%)

40g plain flour

30g dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp milk

1/4 tsp soda

2 tbsp ground almond

20g raspberry

Butter and lightly flour the ramekins with cocoa powder.

Melt butter and chocolate over simmering water.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with sugar until it begins to be frothy.

Remove the chocolate butter from heating and whisk until smooth, fold in the eggs.

Fold in the flour, soda, ground almond and milk.

Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins until 1/3 full, put some raspberry on top.

Cover the raspberry with the chocolate batter until the ramekins are 2/3 full.

Cool in the fridge for 15-30 min.

While cooling, preheat the oven at 180'C.

Remove from the fridge and bake for 10-15 min or until the sides of the cakes are firm but the centres are still soft.

Raspberry sauce:

30 g raspberry (puree)

4 tbsp water

2 tsp honey

While baking, make the raspberry sauce.

Put all ingredients in a food processor & blend until well-mix.

Strain out the sauce.

When the cakes are ready, let the cakes cool in the ramekins for 1 min.

Cover each with an inverted dessert plate, and then carefully unmold the cakes.

Decorate as you like and serve immediately with the raspberry sauce.

Lychee Cheesecake

Back to Basildon this weekend for my birthday celebration.

I had a lunch with my family in Frankie & Benny's restaurant in my town, it's great.

I made a lychee cheesecake & a few mini ones.

Taste great & light!

Recipe (6'' round/6 ramekins):

Crust:

70g digestive biscuit crumbs

30g Butter (unsalted & melted)

Mix the crust ingredients & press into a pan/ramekins, cool in a fridge.

Lychee cheese filling:

120g canned lychee (blended into puree)

250g cream cheese

35g sugar

8g gelatin

50g water

150g whipping cream

Dissolve gelatin in hot water.

Whisk cream cheese with sugar until smooth then blend in the puree.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks then fold in the cheese mixture.

Fold in the gelatine solution.

Fill the prepared pan/ramekins then freeze to set.

Lychee jelly:

240ml syrup of canned lychee

5g gelatin

Boil the syrup then add in the gelatine.

Let the syrup cool down.

Pour over the top & freeze again to set.

Decorate with lychees or as you like & serve cold.

Desserts with Berry 2

Last week, I went back to Basildon & made a blackberry chessecake for my mother.

These raspberry mousse cakes were for myself, I used dark chocolate so she thought it's too bitter for her.

I love it, very rich in chocolate coupled with the refreshing raspberry flavour.

Here come the recipe.

Recipe for 4 ramekins:

Crust:

70g digestive biscuit crumbs

30g butter (unsalted & melted)

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Mix the crust ingredients & press into a pan/ramekins, cool in a fridge.

Raspberry mousse:

170g fresh raspberry (blended into puree & strained)

10g sugar

2g/1 sheet gelatin

100g whipping cream

Soften gelatin in water.

Heat raspberry puree with sugar until slightly boil, then add the bloomed gelatin.

Let the puree cool down.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks then fold in the puree.

Fill the prepared pan/ramekins until half way with the mousse then freeze to set.

Chocolate mousse:

50g cream cheese

35g whipping cream

15g sugar

2g/1 sheet gelatin

20ml water

30g dark chocolate (72%)

Dissolve gelatin in hot water.

Beat the cheese with sugar then blend in the molten chocolate.

Add the gelatin solution to the chocolate cheese.

Whisk the whipping cream to soft peaks then fold in the cheese mixture.

Fill the mousse on top of the frozen raspberry mousse then freeze to set.

Note: The cream cheese can be replaced by whipping cream. I used it because there's some leftover cream cheese from the blackberry cheesecake.

Ganache topping:

50g dark chocolate (72%)

60g whipping cream

10g sugar

Heat all ingredients on slow heat until chocolate is fully melted.

Spread over the top & freeze again to set.

Decorate with fruits or as you like & serve cold.

Desserts with Berry 1

I havent's updated the blog recently.

I wasn't particularly busy but I have gone through the most precious moment: my graduation!

It was truly a great ceremony & also a great chance to meet all my friends.

I haven't been spending much time in baking lately.

But as I was going home for the weekend, I was thinking of making a cheesecake for my mum.

I bought some blackberries & raspberries not knowing what cheesecake to make.

I ended up making this blackberry yogurt cheesecake & some chocolate raspberry mousse cakes.

Click here for the recipe of blackberry yogurt cheesecake & substitute the raspberry with blackberry (150g).

Overdoor Hook

Moving to London today.

A lot of things to unpack.

A lot of places to explore.

A lot of shopping to do.

Busy, busy, busy...

An overdoor hook for hanging coats, jackets.

Going to make more wired accessories to decorate my new room.

Earl Grey Tea Cheesecake

Got London accommodation sorted.

Next thing is to pack my luggage, which I'm still lazy to do.

I had time for baking but not for packing...

Well, force myself to start packing today.

I've tried baking muffins using earl grey tea which were great.

So, I wanted to try baking a cheesecake using the tea.

Smell great, taste great & feel comforted!

The cheese texture is rich & smooth, a heavy taste of earl grey tea.

It's perfect for the time of autumn.

Recipe (adapted from here) for 6'' round pan:

Crust:

100g digestive biscuit crumbs

30g butter (unsalted & melted)

Mix the crust ingredients & press into a 6'' round pan, cool in a fridge.

Cheese Filling:

250g cream cheese

130ml whipping cream

100g sugar

5 Earl Grey tea bags

80ml water

2 2ggs

3 tbsp corn flour

Infuse tea bags in hot water for 3 min, then remove the tea bags.

Whisk cream cheese & sugar until smooth.

Gradually blend in eggs, corn flour & whipping cream.

Sieve the cheese mixture, then blend in the tea (50ml).

Add in 3 bags of tea leaves, then blend well.

Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180'C for 60 min.

After cooling to room temperature, cool it further in a fridge for at least 2 hrs before serving.

Yue the Jewelry Online Store

Launched my handcrafted jewelry online store!

Yue the Jewelry

A Wired Violin

Haven't been working in jewelry for sometimes, but in wire crafts.

I'd just come back from a short break in Nice, France.

It was a really great trip, I've had a fantastic time with my family in France.

However, it's a shame that we didn't go in June or July to visit the famous lavender & sunflower field.

So, it's definitely worth going again, but this time we could stay in Avignon.

Recently busy in looking for a room to rent in London.

Hopefully, I can get an ideal room.

Strawberry Yogurt Cheesecake

It's still the season of berries.

The strawberry sold in my nearest supermarket was cheap so I thought of making a strawberry cheesecake.

I used the recipe for raspberry yogurt cheesecake I made last time.

This time I added a tablespoonful of rosewater.

This increased the depth of flavour of the cheesecake together with the strawberry jelly.

I love it!

Strawberry Jelly:

100g fresh strawberry (blended into puree)

2g/1 sheet gelatin

25g sugar

Boil the strawberry puree then add in the gelatine.

Let the syrup cool down.

Note: Cool a layer of cheese filling or jelly in fridge until stiff before adding another layer.

Bird Cage

'Open the cage

Let the bird fly away

And give the cage back its freedom'

by William Mar

When I came across this poem & I thought it came well with the cage I made.

When a bird is kept inside the cage, which side has lost the freedom?

The cage or the bird?

Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies

I have baked these cookies twice now.

It's absolutely delicious!

Once I start eating it, I can't stop myself from eating.

Recipe:

140g unsalted butter

170g plain flour
70 roasted whole hazelnuts
80g sugar
25g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder (b.p.)
110-140g chopped nuts

Whisk butter & sugar until fluffy & light in colour.

Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder, b.p. & fold until well-mix.

Roll the dough into 70 small sized balls.
Wrap one whole hazelnut with one ball of batter then coated with chopped nuts.

Bake at 180'C in preheated oven for 15 - 20 min.

N.B. This recipe makes 70 mouthful size cookies.

1st Time on Wire Crafts

Wire Crafts - my most recent interest.

It seemed complicated & difficult to make a piece.

But it's not as hard as I thought it would be.

They're made of basic shapes: circles, squares, lines, curves etc.

I love the simplicity & the combination a wire can give.

Macau Sawdust Pudding

I have seen blogs & forums about this famous & chilled dessert originated from Macau.

I didn't see shops selling this dessert during my visit in Macau last year.

I wasn't so keen & passionate in cooking & baking, I think that's why I missed it.

Well, I got the recipe I noted a long time ago.

Finally digged it out & made it this week.

I couldn't find Marie biscuits in my nearby supermarket so I used rich tea biscuits instead.

It's a nice & light dessert, not too sweet.

The biscuit & cream layers make a wonderful combination.

Recipe:

160g rich tea biscuit crumbs

400g whipping cream

100g condensed milk

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix the biscuit crumbs with cocoa powder.

Whisk the whipping cream until soft stiff.

Fold in the condensed milk & vanilla essence, then continue beating until creamy & fluffy (80% stiff).

Put a layer of biscuit crumbs in your choice of cake pan (can be a bowl, glass, mousse ring etc.)

Spoon some creams on the crumb layer.

Repeat the last 2 steps until the pan is filled.

Chill in freezer for 2 hours to set.

This dessert is easy to make & has delicate taste.

I'll definitely make it again.

But don't know when though because I have a long waiting list for bakery.

Chinese almond cookies, tofu-fa, hazelnut chocolate sables, black sesame seed & tofu cheesecake, New York cheesecake, black tea cheesecake...

This will keep me busy during my holiday.