I'm in the middle of downturn in my life, I'm feeling I can no longer cope with any more stress & pressure.
When I should go to the college, I stay in my room shutting myself up.
Unable to tell, unable to refuel, as time slips away, I'm getting ever more suffocated.
I want so much to escape from here, there's no exit I can see of but I can only stay at a hopeless corner.
I hate myself being like this, I know I have to change but I'm not brave enough.
Being obsessed with baking, I can at least hide in the kitchen for a quiet moment.
Unable to make any complicated entremets, but a simple chocolate cake that I've picked from my pile of baking books.
Simple ingredients, simple steps, just enjoy the process of baking.
When baked in the oven, the room was full of sweet chocolate which warmed my heart & calmed my mind… at least for a moment.
recipe adapted from 'Low-fat Desserts' (chinese)
50 g chocolate 56%
50 g skimmed milk
40 g unsalted butter
50 g Cointreau
40 g plain flour
20 g cocoa powder
5 egg whites (L)
80 g caster sugar
Preheat oven to 160C & grease the baking tin.
Bring the milk to boil, add in the chocolate & butter, stir to melt.
Pour in Cointreau & mix well.
Mix & sift together plain flour & cocoa powder, fold with the chocolate batter.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk up egg whites & sugar to stiff peaks.
Take 1/3 whipped egg whites & gently fold with the chocolate batter.
Fold in the remaining egg whites & pour into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 min.
PS: Save the remaining egg yolks for creme brûlée which will be updated shortly.
Delicious and beautiful photography as always. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love that last photo! You're so talented!
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better about things soon, Yue. Keep it up and stick with it. Life turns around and gets better.
Sometimes we need time to ourselves, a break away from the noise. But don't overdo it - it can be a vicious cycle. The more we hide, the more isolated we feel. There's a whole world out there and it's waiting for you. Is there anyone at your college you can talk to about your stress and feelings of being overwhelmed? Reach out. I'm not an amazing baker like you, but at a time in my life when I felt very lonely, I used to bake cupcakes and then take them to my neighbours to share. We got to know each other and now coming home is a comfort. I live by myself but I don't feel alone. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll feel better soon. Thank you for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of an intense chocolate cake that is light like this. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis cake looks amazing! And really so simple. Thank you for sharing@
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. For me baking is sometimes the only way to forget about all my problems. Not eating is important, but making things. Sitting in front of oven and watching cake grow or just smelling freshly baked cookies. Thanks for yours recipes. When I had tough year, you helped me even you didn't know that. Take care.
ReplyDeleteGreat post thanks for writing
ReplyDelete