Christmas Roast Chicken

I spent my past few Christmases away from Singapore for our family year-end vacations. This year, we returned from our Australia holiday in time for Christmas. Our celebration at home was a small scale affair over a simple home-cooked dinner that consisted roasted juicy whole chicken (in lieu of a big turkey) and cream-less cream of mushroom soup (in the next post).

 

 

 

 

Here is the recipe for this juicy and tender roasted chicken:

Roasted Whole Chicken

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Fantastic Roasted Chicken found here

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (I like to use kampong chicken for its tender and juicy meat)
• 1 lemon
• 8 slices prosciutto or bottle parma ham, thinly, sliced (I omitted this)
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled, and, finely, chopped
• 2 handful fresh thyme, leaves picked, and, finely, chopped (I used 2 tsp of dried thyme)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 100g softened butter
• 3 potato, peeled and cut in chunks (I also included 1 yellow onion and 1 carrot, all cut into chunks)
• 1 large celeriac, peeled (I omitted this)

  

Methods 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (I set my oven to 200 degree C).
2. Wash the chicken inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using your fingers, part the breast skin from the breast meat, be careful not to rip the skin.
3. Grate the lemon skin finely.
4. Chop prosciutto (if using) and add to the bowl with the lemon skin, garlic and thyme. Season, with salt and pepper and then mix it all into the butter.
5. Push the butter mixture under the chicken skin, rub and massage any remainder all over the inside and outside of the chicken.
6. Cut the peeled lemon in half and push it into the cavity.
7. Place chicken in a roasting tray (I line it with aluminium foil for easy cleaning) and roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
8. While the chicken is cooking, parboil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes and drain. (I skipped this step)
9. Cut the celeriac (if using) into irregular chunks around the same size as the potatoes.
10. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and gently life the whole chicken out of the tray.
11. Spread the potato, onion and carrot chunks in the tray, toss and coat them with the melted butter that are left in the roasting tray.
12. Put the chicken back on top of the vegetables and cook for around 40 minutes (Mine was ready in 30 minutes due to it small size).
13. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before cutting out to serve.

 

Eggplant Glazed with Yuzu Miso (Nasu Dengaku)

This is a Japanese dish that is easy to prepare at home.

 

Eggplant Glazed with Yuzu Miso (Nasu Dengaku)

Ingredients:

1 medium size eggplant

1 tbsp miso (I used yuzu miso)

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp sake

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Preparation Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180˚C
2. Cut the eggplants into halves, length-wise. Score criss-cross marks on the flesh of the eggplants and place them on a baking sheet.
3. Brush the criss-crossed top with some oil and baked them for 30 minutes.
4. While the eggplants are being cooked in the oven, prepare the glaze by mixing together the miso, mirin, sake, sugar and ginger in a small pan. Simmer it over low heat until the miso has melted and thickened.
5. When the eggplants are soft and cooked through, brush the glaze over the criss-crossed top, put them back in the oven for 5 minutes to allow the glaze to caramelise.  Serve warm.

 

Adapted from: Azeliaskitchen

Butter Cookies

My younger daughter has been craving for the buttery danish butter cookies and was pestering me over the last 2 weeks to bake her some of them.

 

She was delighted when her wish came true last Thursday. And now, it is my elder girl's turn to request for chocolate chip mint cookies. I am blessed with easy to please kids :).

 

 

 





 

 

Butter Cookies

(Makes about 20)

 

 

Ingredients:

• 185g unsalted butter
• 60g icing sugar
• 185g plain flour, sifted
• 60g custard powder, sifted

 

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 160 degree C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Cream butter and icing sugar then stir in sifted flour and custard powder.
3. Scoop out the dough with a teaspoon and roll in into small balls (about 3cm in diameter) and place on the baking tray.
4. The cookies will spread a bit, so ensure that there are sufficient space in between each cookie.
5. Gently press down each cookie with a fork to create the indention patterns.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes.

 

Allow to cool before storing them in airtight container 

Enjoy them plain with fresh milk or turn them into edible yo-yos by sandwiching nutella spread between 2 pieces of cookies.

 

Adapted from droolfactor

 



Steamed Sweet Corn Cupcakes

A simple and light cupcakes that my family enjoys as breakfast to start our morning.

 

 

Steamed Sweet Corn Cupcakes

1. Whip until creamy and fluffy:

• 3 eggs, and
• 90g sugar

2. Add in and mix till combined:

• 160g canned creamy corn

3. Sift and fold in:

• 188g plain flour, and
• 3/4 tbsp double action baking powder

4. Add in and mix until well incorporated:

• 60g melted butter

5. Pour batter into cupcake liners, until 80% full

 

6. Steam over high heat for 30 minutes.

 

Yield about 8 cupcakes.

 

Adapted from Magic Steamed Cake by Alex Goh via

Misstamchiak.com.

Ribena Jellies

On the last day of school, my younger girl has a "School's Out" class party in school. I made these simple, tasty and refreshing dessert for her party. She told me that all her classmates and teacher like the jellies very much.

Ribena Jellies

Adapted from Blessed Homemaker

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 packet Konnyaku Jelly Powder (10g)
• 80g Caster Sugar (Reduced from 150g)
• 750ml Water
• 200ml Ribena blackcurrant juice cordial (Increased from 100ml)

 

 

Method

1. Combine and mix konnyaku powder and caster sugar together in a small bowl.
2. Boil the water  and pour the konnyaku mixture into water gradually. Stir as you pour,  till sugar dissolved.
3. Turn off flame and keep stirring for about 5 mins, till jelly the mixture no longer cloudy and becomes clear.
4. Pour in the Ribena. Stir to mix well.
5. Pour the Ribena jelly mixture into jelly moulds.
6. Leave  them to cool down to room temperature before chilling them in the fridge.

Cheesy Beer Bread

I am not a beer/wine drinker but somehow I like to look out for recipes that contain beer or wine. Well, since I can't drink them, I shall eat them :)

 

This is a very easy to make and very tasty savory quick bread - Cheesy Beer Bread, adapted from Handletheheat.

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2.5 cups plain flour
• 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (I subs with 120g mixed cheddar and mozzarella)
• 3 tbsp caster sugar (I used 2 tbsp)
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt (I omitted) 
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 1.25 cups light-bodied beer (I used light Korean Fruity Beer)
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided ( that is 70g) 

 

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease an 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan.
2. Mix the flour, cheese, sugar, baking powder, salt (if using) and pepper in a mixing bowl.
3. Add in the beer and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Stir to mix but do not over mix.
4. Place the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Brush lightly with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached.

 

Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool for 1 hour before serving. 

Steamed Man-Tou with Custard Filling

I made these steamed buns (or man-tou / 馒头) for tomorrow's breakfast as  hubby and younger girl need to leave home early for a community service activity.

 

 

 

When the buns first came out from the steamer, my girl quickly run over to ask for one. But when she noticed that there are filling inside the buns, she immediately protested why they are not her favourite plain white bun. I gave her a small bite to try and she immediately liked it and ask for one whole bun for herself.

 

I think the custard spread was too thin. Nonetheless, they are soft and tasty. Next time, I will increase the custard filling amount by half for a thicker filling.

 

 

 

Steamed Bun/Man-Tou with Custard Filling 

(Adapted from my Dual Color Buns recipe)

 

Ingredients:

• 300g flour (I used Hong Kong Flour but plain flour is fine too)
• 3g baking powder (about 1 tsp)
• 3g instant yeast (about 1 tsp)
• 25g caster sugar
• 160ml milk
• 15g canola oil

 

For the Custard Filling:

• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 7g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp custard powder
• 100 ml milk

 

Methods:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and make a well.
2. Pour in the milk and mix.
3. Knead the mixture into a dough and add in cooking oil. Continue to knead by hands until the dough become smooth and non-sticky.
4. Form the dough into a ball, and cover with a damp cloth. Let rest for 15 minutes before use.
5. Meanwhile, make the custard filling by mixing together all the filling ingredients in a small bowl and place it over a pot of boiling water. Keep stirring the mixture until it become thicken. Cover with cling film and set aside.
6. Roll the dough into a flat long stretch about 20 cm long. 
7. Spread the custard evenly over the surface of the dough.
8. Roll up the dough lengthwise to form a log. 
9. Seal up the seamed edge with wet finger.
10. Cut the roll into 8 equal parts and place each of them on a piece of baking paper. Let rest for about 50 minutes until each bun rise by 50% in size
11. Place the buns into a bamboo steamer and steam over medium heat for 12 minutes.

 

Serve warm.

 

This is for Yeastspotting.

Healthy Banana Quick Bread - Low in Fat and Sugar, High in Fibre

Whenever there is ripe bananas stocking up at home, my kids know it is banana cake time. This is a new recipe that I tried last week, adapted from here, with some slight variations to produce a healthy and yet delish banana cake, that is low in fat and sugar and high in fibre. We absolutely enjoyed this much healthier bake.

Healthy Banana Cake/Quick Bread

Ingredients:

(Makes one loaf, about 12 slices) 

• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 120 ml low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 40ml canola oil
• 90g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 130g all-purpose flour
• 35g whole wheat flour
• 30g ground almond
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

 

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, sugar, egg and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, ground almond, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
5. Combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and add to the flour mixture. Throw in half of the sliced banana pieces. Stir just until all the ingredients are combined and there is no dry flour. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Top with the remaining banana slices.
6. Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. To prevent the top from over browning, I cover it with a foil after 35 minutes and continue the baking for another 20 minutes before it came out nice and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

 



Soft Cheese Bread

Soft Cheese Bread - A tasty and soft bread that is not complicated to make at home.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Cheese Bread

Adapted from chubbyhubby

 

 

Ingredients

• 397g bread flour
• 1½ tsp kosher salt (I used 1 tsp)
• 32g brown sugar
• ½ cup of lukewarm water (around 35^oC)
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp lukewarm milk (around 35^oC)
• 7g instant yeast (I used 2 tsp)
• 28g unsalted butter
• 170g grated cheese (I used 200g grated cheddar cheese)
• 3 tbsp dried chives (optional)
• some garlic power, mixed into the grated cheese (not in original recipe)

Method (Kneading by Hand):

1. Whisk the yeast in the lukewarm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Warm the milk and melt the butter in a small saucepan set on low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Pour the milk and yeast  mixtures into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
4. Knead the dough by hand, sprinkle extra flour if too wet, add more water (bit by  bit) if too dry, until  you get a non-sticky and smooth dough, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add in the chives (if using) and knead to incorporate into the dough.
6. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for first proofing, about 60 minutes or until it doubles in size.
7. Once the first proofing is done, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
8. Roll them into small balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll it  into flat rectangle sheet, around 8 inch in length by 6 inch in width.
9. Sprinkle the garlicky grated cheese on the surface of the rectangle, and roll the dough up like a rug, from the long side, like rolling a swiss roll. Seal up the seam part (tapping it with wet finger) to prevent the melted cheese from leaking out after baking. Coil the roll to form a spiral bun and tuck the other end underneath the bun.
10. Place the spiral buns about 1” apart in a greased round cake pan. Sprinkle the top with some water and cover loosely with plastic wrap for second proofing until 1.5 times it original size. This will take about 1-1.5 hours.
11. Before baking it at preheated oven (180^oC), use a toothpick to poke some holes gently through the top crust to release the air bubbles that may have formed in the cheese buns during the rising process.
12. Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
13. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

 

This is for Yeastspotting.

French Apple Tart

Another bake with apple.

French Apple Tart or Tarte Aux Pommes

Recipe adapted from Sugareverythingnice
(Yields a 10-inch tart)

Ingredients:

For the tart shell

• 200g plan flour
• ½ tsp of salt
• 125g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 – 3 Tbsp iced water

For the apple filling

• 4-5 apples, peeled and cored
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 50g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 – 6 tbsp apricot jam

 

Method:

1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl, throw in 125g butter cubes. Use the pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. Add in egg yolk, mix it in using the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in water bit by bit and mix until the mixture comes together to form a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out. (This will allow the gluten in flour to rest or the pastry will shrink when cooked.)
2. Return the dough to room temperature before rolling out (about 5-10 minutes). Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
3. Roll pastry thinly on a lightly floured work surface and fit it into a 10-inch loose based tart tin. Chill tart shell for about 30 minutes.
4. Slice apples thinly and coarsely chop up the uneven smaller pieces. Arrange the smaller pieces in the base of the tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in your desired pattern. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder all over the sliced apples. Then dot with the remaining cubed butter.
5. Bake the tart for about 45 - 60 minutes until the apples are very well browned and the pastry golden in colour. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tart tin.
6. Brush the top of the tart with warmed apricot jam.

Banana Flognarde

My family loves this Banana Flognarde so much that I made this custard-like french dessert with fruit filling consecutively over two nights last week. But I was more than happy to be obliged and please them as this flognarde is so easy to make.

 

This is not the first flognarde that I had baked (see Mango & Peach Flognarde post and Peach Flognarde post) but this latest one with bananas fillings is sure the most yummy one.  
 

  

 

Banana Flognarde

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas (ripe but not too ripe), skin removed and sliced
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 65g all-purpose flour
• 40g Castor sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 230 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Method:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter a loaf pan thoroughly.
2. Mix together the sliced bananas, cinnamon and brown sugar, then spread the bananas evenly over the bottom of the pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, whisk it into a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter over the bananas in the prepared baking pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes until surface lightly browned or until a small knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan. Slice and serve.

 

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

I like to bake with fruit as they add moist and natural sweetness to the baked breads/cakes. Among the many, apple is my first choice, followed by bananas. Both are relatively cheap and available all year round.

 

This Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread is another of my fruity bakes. Sometimes back, I have made a similar one, using puff pastry (Apple Braided Pastry). This time, it is a yeasted bread with cinnamon apple fillings. They are soft, sweet and flavourful.

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

(Adapted from here; Yield : 2 loaves)

 

Bread Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup warm milk

 

Apple Filling Ingredients:

• 3 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (add 1 more tbsp if preferred)
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Method:

For the bread dough:

1. Combine flour, sugar and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine milk, melted butter and salt, stir until well incorporated.
3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon to form into a soft dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand until you get a smooth and non-sticky dough, about 8 minutes.
5.  Place dough in a oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a cool dry place for about 60 to 90 minutes, or until it doubled in size.

 

For the apple filling:

1. Place the apple slices in a mixing bowl, coat them with lemon juice.
2. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and sprinkle them over the apple. Toss to coat them evenly.
3. Set aside until the dough is ready.

 

To assemble:

1. Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 balls.
2. Working with one ball at a time, roll the ball on a floured surface into rectangle (about 1 cm thick).
3. Visually divide the rectangular dough
4. into 3 rectangular sections. Spread half of the apple filling in the centre section.
5. On the two remaining rectangular sections, use sharp knife to cut 6 diagonal stripes of around 45 degree angle on each section.
6. Cross the stripes over one-another to form criss-cross pattern.
7. Repeat the same for the second dough ball.
8. Rest the assembled loaves for 45 minutes, covered.
9. Bake the loaves in pre-heated oven at 190 degree C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter over the surface of the loaves.

Let cool on the rack before serving.

 

I am linking this to Yeastspotting.

 

 

  

 

Steamed Pumpkin Muffins

My daughters are not fussy eaters. But there are 2 items that they are extremely averse to - pumpkin and red beans. Even though they know very well the nutritional values associated with pumpkin and red beans, both of them still classify these 2 items as "disgusting food". They attributed their "hatred" towards pumpkin and red bean to their ex-student care centre that regularly served them with "yucky" pumpkin soup for lunch and red bean soup for tea snack.  

 

 

I have tried very hard to help them overcome their phobia but to no avail. Hence, even though hubby and I like pumpkin, I hardly cook it at home.

 

 

As Halloween is coming, the supermarkets are stocking up with many varieties of pumpkin. They are so attractive that tempted me to google for a steam pumpkin muffin, hopefully to make my girls  consume the delicious pumpkin unknowingly. This "evil" mummy was grinning like a Cheshire cat while googling for the recipe. :)

 

 

I picked this simple recipe that produced pretty looking muffins from food-4tots but make a few variations as indicated in the recipe below.

 

 

Without any artificial coloring added, the steamed muffins came out to be so brightly colored, like little smiley sunflowers. Texture wise, they are light and moist. My girls could taste that I am feeding them with pumpkin but they did not resist the muffins. I personally enjoyed it very much. Too bad, hubby was away and did not get the chance to taste it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steamed Pumpkin Muffins

(Yield 6 large muffins)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 125g pumpkin (I used Korean Pumpkin)
• 200g cake flour
• 1.5 tsp double acting baking powder
•  1 large egg
• 75g Castor sugar (I reduced from 85g)
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g full cream milk (I did not use thick coconut milk as I prefer a lighter cake)
• 30g canola oil

 

 

Methods:

1. Remove the skin of the pumpkin, cut into thin slices and steam over high heat for about 20 minutes, until soft.
2. Mash the pumpkin into puree with a fork. Set aside.
3. Mix flour and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg until foamy with a hand whisk.
5. Add in sugar and salt. Continue beating until well combined and the sugar and salt are dissolved.
6. Add in the milk, oil and pumpkin puree in sequence. Mix well with a spatula after each addition.
7. Add the wet mixture from step (6) into the flour mixture over 3 batches. Use a spatula combine them  until no traces of flour can be seen. Take care not to over mix them though else the muffin will be hard.
8. Spoon the batter into muffin cups until 80% full.
9. Place them into the steamer and steam over high heat for about 15 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and cool the muffins slightly before serving them warm.

 

They are still moist in the next morning when I had it for breakfast.



Samgyetang (삼계탕)

I have been long wanting to make this soup and finally, this wholesome and nourishing Korean-style ginseng chicken soup with glutinous rice is served on my dinning table on Saturday evening.

 

 

 

The authentic Samgyetang uses fresh Korean ginseng but this is not available in supermarkets here. So I followed this version from Cuisine Paradise and used the dried ginseng we Chinese used to broil our traditional ginseng chicken soup as a substitute and it worked well. The addition of glutinous rice in the soup make the soup slightly creamy, gluey and so delighting. I used a kampong chicken to make this soup. When it comes to buying whole fresh chicken, I always go for kampong chicken as I find that it is not as fatty and the meat is more tender as compared to the ordinary big whole chicken. 

 

This is a tasty and nourishing soup for the family. It does not involve complicated steps and long list of ingredients. The hardest step, to me, is cleaning the chicken. :)

Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup With Glutinous Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (I used Kampong Chicken), cleaned and skin removed
• 2 dried ginseng
• few slices of ginger
• 5 red dates, de-seeded
• 2 tablespoons of Chinese wine (I used 养命酒）
• Half-rice bowl full of glutinous rice (wash and pre-soaked for few hours before use)
• Enough water to cover the whole chicken

Methods:

1. Stuff the glutinous rice, red dates and ginger slices into the chicken and place the whole chicken into the soup pot.
2. Pour the Chinese wine all over the chicken.
3. Add in the 2 whole ginsengs into the pot.
4. Add in the water.
5. On the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and continue to simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.
7. Season with salt to taste before serving.

 

 

Birthday Cake #1 - Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This Mille Cake was a birthday cake I made for my nephew who turned 11-year old on 20th September. It is a cake formed with layers of thin crepes, filled with milo-buttercream and covered with chocolate ganache.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell from the photo below, cake decoration is clearly not my forte. I was so embarrassed to bring out the cake from the box that evening and actually blaming myself inside me for  volunteering to bake him the birthday cake.

 

 

 

 

But fortunately, appearence aside, the cake was delicious. All the children and adults at home enjoyed the un-usual cake very much. This is the first time they have seen and eaten a mille crepe cake. Mum said it is like eating the layered nonya kuih (九层糕) and my girl said it is like kuih lapis. My little 4-year old nephew gave me 300% for it. LOL. Most importantly, the Birthday Boy enjoyed the cake very much and even asked for second helping which is unusual for him to do so as he was never a cake lover. I felt comforted from their comments as well as their requests for second serving. They had made my hours spent flipping and turning the pan to  make the individual thin tissue-like crepes late into the night all worthwhile.

 

 

Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

 

A) The Crepes

(adapted from this crepes cake recipe):

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cake flour (75g)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (about 85g)
• 2 cups warm milk

 

Methods:

1. Sift flour and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk eggs together. Gently stir in flour mixture until smooth. Stir in butter. Slowly stir in milk until just blended with the consistency of light cream – do not over mix.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 1 hour.
4. Rub bottom of an 8-inch nonstick pan with canola oil and wipe out excess with a paper towel.
5. Place over medium heat. Ladle in about 4 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan.
6. Gently swirl the pan immediately to let the batter spread out evenly to cover the surface of the pan.
7. Cook until browned, about 20 seconds.  Flip the crepe over to cook the other side (either lift the crepe with a spatula or throw the crepe into the air to turn it over - this is fun but be prepared for mishap!)
8. Cook the other side for about 10 seconds and slide the cooked crepe onto a plate.
9. Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.
10. I used paper towels to absorb the excess oil from each pieces of the crepe and stack them up together neatly. Wrapped up in plastic film and refrigerated until ready to assemble (I kept them over night).

 

Makes about 20 - 25 crepes.

 
 

B) Milo-Buttermilk

(Adapted from a cake recipe that I chanced upon, author unknown)

 

Ingredients:

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g sweet condensed milk
• 1 packet 3-in-1 instant milo powder

 

Methods:

Cream butter until pale and fluffy. Add in condensed and milo, mixed well. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

  

 

C) Chocolate Ganache, adapted from joyofbaking

 

Ingredients:

• 113g semisweet chocolate chips
• 90 ml whipping cream
• 14g unsalted butter

 

Methods:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
3. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk gently until chocolate melted and turned into a smooth ganache.
5. Leave it to cool down slightly before pouring over the cake.

 

Finally, assembling the cake:

1. Place first crepe on a plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly over the top.
2. Lay second crepe on top. Repeat the spreading and stacking steps until all crepes are used up.
3. Wrap the crepecake with plastic film and place it in the fridge to let the frosting set. About 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache.
4. Put a iron rack in a shallow baking tray lined with aluminium foil (to catch the dripping ganache). Place the crepe cake on the iron rack.
5. Pour the cooled ganache onto the center of the cake. Spread the ganache with a large metal spatula to push the ganache over the sides of the cake for a smooth and even coating.
6. Serve the cake immediately. If you are not serving it immediately, chill it in the fridge. Let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.