Mini matcha and earl grey madeleines

Madeleines have been on my list of things to bake for quite some time now. For some strange and incomprehensible reason, these dainty little treats have intimidated me. In my mind, the simpler the recipe is, the more difficult it is to make the treat. I guess because it is so simple to make, people become overconfident and can easily mess up. However, madeleines require such few ingredients and really are so simple to make. I don't know why I was so scared.

My brother was coming home for a day after traveling for six months, so I decided it would be nice to treat him to an afternoon tea. This was the perfect excuse for me to finally make madeleines. I also have to admit that I have been sucked into the vortex that is…matcha. Matcha is simply a green tea powder and it adds a wonderful earthy depth to anything you put it in. So for this afternoon tea, I made matcha madeleines [and also earl grey madeleines]. 

Seeing as I only have a mini madeleine pan on hand, I was forced to make mini madeleines. At first I was a bit frustrated with this, but when the madeleines came out of the oven, they were just the cutest little cakes ever. They don't have the brightest green color. In fact, I like the earthy, slightly pale green color they have. If you wanted to make them more vibrant, I suppose you could add some green food coloring. 

One more thing that I didn't do and what I would recommend for you to do is to add some milk or lemon juice to the batter; maybe about 1 tablespoon because the cakes were just a tad on the dry side. Other than that, they were delicious. The matcha flavor came through just enough to not be overpowering. The earl grey was also so floral. I think I prefer the earl grey to the matcha, but they were both delicious. If you are ever in the mood for afternoon tea or want to make use of your matcha, I highly recommend making these madeleienes. 

Matcha [and Earl Grey] Madeleines
makes approx 50 mini madeleines

Base batter
ingredient:
2/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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directions:

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

On a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, combine the sugar and eggs. Beat the mixture for 5-6 minutes, or until thick and pale. Once pale, add the vanilla. (At this point you would want to add about 1 tablespoon of milk or lemon juice.

Gently fold in the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then add the melted and cooled butter. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated thoroughly. 

Now, divide the batter in half into two medium bowls. In one bowl, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of matcha. In the other, add 2 teaspoons of finely ground earl grey tea leaves. Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours. This step allows the madeleines the form their signature humps. 

After the batter has been refrigerated for long enough, preheat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the mixture into greased pans. Fill them about 3/4 of the way up, approximately 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons. Flatten the tops just slightly. If you overfill the pans, the batter will spill over and the madeleines will bake into each other. Bake the cakes for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are just golden brown. Cool completely. Once they are completely cooled, just tap the pans onto a sheet tray and the madeleines should pop out easily. 

These little cakes are so delicious when dipped into a nice cup of hot tea. Any tea is fine. Choose your favorite. The earl grey madeleines are so wonderfully floral and the matcha madeleines are extremely rich and earthy. I really do hope you enjoy them!

As always, Happy baking!!  

 

Almond Financiers with Honey-Mint Poached Pears

Financiers have always reminded me of madeleines. They have that golden brown color and they look extremely spongy and moist. Often, financiers are mistaken for pastries when in fact, they are small French cakes. Typically, they are made with almond flour or powder. One key trait of financiers is that they include browned butter, which is extremely simple to make.

Financiers have a similar texture to sponge cakes. I would say that they are slightly denser and have a nice nutty flavor because of the almond flour. I also added slivered almonds which enhanced the almond flavor and added some texture to the cake. What ever you choose to add to the financiers, they always have the same five ingredients: almond flour, powdered sugar, flour, egg whites, and [browned] butter.

After thinking about it, I realized that just making financiers alone would be too boring. So I decided that I would add a little flare to them. What I did was poach some pears in honey, water and mint. The honey made the pears even sweeter and even caramelized them a bit. I think it was the perfect touch the the delicate financiers.

 

I adapted Pastry Pal, Irina's recipe. The recipe for the financiers is word for word, but the pears are different. Instead of rosemary, I used mint and instead of wine I simply used water. I know the wine would have added more flavor, but I didn't have any wine on hand so I had to make do. I topped the finished product with a fresh mint leaf and brushed the entire surface with syrup, which gave it a beautiful shimmer.

The final result was a beautiful honey mint poached pear almond financier. The top of the cake had a light crust and the inside was chewy but moist. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet and the pear was perfectly tender. I would really recommend making this if you're in the mood for a delicate treat.

Honey Mint Poached Pear Almond Financier
makes approx 8-10 (4" diam., 1 1/4" high) cakes 

Financier
adapted from Irina 
ingredients:
1 stick (4 oz, or 112 g) unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups (200 g) powdered sugar
1/3 cup (42 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (42 g) almond flour
4 large (about 1/2 cup, or  125 ml) egg whites
1/2 cup slivered almonds  
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directions: 

Preheat the oven to 375°F

In a large bowl, stir up the powdered sugar, flour and almond flour. Pour in the egg whites and whisk the mixture until smooth. Set the mixture aside. 

In a saucepan, melt the butter over high heat and watch it melt. Keep your eye on it as you do not want it to burn. The color you are aiming for it a chestnut brown. Once you smell a nice and nutty aroma, the butter is done. It will take about 5-7 minutes. Make sure the butter does not start smoking, that's when you know it is burnt. 

Slowly incorporate the browned butter into the flour and egg white mixture. There will be some blackish milk solids at the bottom of the saucepan. Make sure not to pour that into the batter. It will make it taste bitter. Just leave that in the pan. 

Now it's time to bake the financiers. I used mini tart pans from Williams-Sonoma, but you don't have to. You can use cupcake tins or mini brioche pans. Spray the pans with cooking spray or coat them with butter. Fill the pans until halfway full. Sprinkle the slivered almonds on top. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool as we prepare the pears. 


Honey-mint poached pears
ingredients:
1 tablespoon canola oil 
4 ripe bartlett pears, peeled
1/2 cup (125 ml) honey
2-3 sprigs of fresh mint
1/4 cup water 
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directions: 

Cut the pears along the four sides. Try to get most of the fruit off, cutting close to the core.

Heat a saute pan over high heat and pour in the oil once the pan is heated. Toss in the pears and allow them to sit for 30 seconds before stirring. Cook the pears for about 5 minutes. If desired, move them around to get each both sides seared. 

Once the pears have cooked for a while, add in the honey and mint. Stir the ingredients together and allow the pears to release their juices while taking in the honey and mint as well. Let them cook in the honey for about 5-7 minutes. If the edges of the pan seem to be too caramelized and start to look burnt, add some water. After about 5-7 minutes, poke the pears to test their tenderness. If they are still hard and the liquid is evaporating too quickly, add more water and honey and turn the heat to medium. Once the pears are tender (test by poking a toothpick or fork into the center), pour them into a sheet tray and let cool. Reserve any left over syrup.

Assembly:
Take the cooled financiers out of their pans and place them onto small doilies or onto a small plate. Cut the pears into thin strips. Place the sliced pears, in their original shape, onto a financier. Gently top each pear with a fresh mint leaf and brush the entire surface of the dessert with the left over syrup from the pears. Done. Now it's time to enjoy them. 

I do wish I had the chance to try one of these, but they were gone before I could even have a bite. The description of the cakes come from my family, but I trust them enough to say they are accurate descriptions. Either way, they look delicious, so they must taste delicious as well! 

As always, Happy baking!!

Raspberry Pistachio Tarts

I love making tarts. They're so wonderful to look at and to eat. Especially those with many components and contrasting flavors and textures. Such as my raspberry pistachio tarts. They are the perfect combination of sweet, tart, crunchy and creamy. What's in them, exactly? Well, I'll tell you: pâte sucrée, almond cream, pistachio whipped cream, raspberries, and chopped pistachios. 

What I love most about these tarts is the beautiful pop of red against the pastel green. They're just so beautiful to look at. And best of all, if you somehow manage to not finish them in one go, they can be refrigerated for up to one week.

Lately, I've been obsessing over pistachios in desserts. In one week I managed to make these tarts, pistachio cake, and pistachio ice cream. I guess I love pistachios more than I thought. These tarts are very similar to my strawberry tarts. The shell (pate sucree) and almond cream both come from that recipe. Speaking of recipes, why don't I share this recipe with you now? 

Raspberry Pistachio Tarts 
makes approximately 6 small tarts or 1 large tart 
 

Tart Shell
Almond Cream 
(Follow the same procedure as the strawberry tarts)

Pistachio whipped cream 
adapted from Wendy 
ingredients: 
70gm pistachios
10gm cornstarch
2 egg yolks
100gm heavy cream
1 drop food coloring

200gm whipping cream
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp gelatin
1 Tbsp water 

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directions:

To make powdered pistachios: In a food processor, combine the pistachios and cornstarch. Blitz until finely ground; approx 20 seconds. Set aside.

For the pastry cream: Combine the egg yolks and heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until slightly warmed. Next, stir in the powdered pistachios and continue to cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. Once the mixture has thickened, transfer it into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until completely cooled. 

Once the mixture is completely cool, begin the whipped cream process. In a small bowl, combine the water and gelatin. Let the gelatin bloom. Next, put the small bowl into a bowl filled with hot water or a microwave and melt the gelatin. This process should only take 10-15 seconds.

In a chilled mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and beat until streaks start to show. Then, add in the gelatin and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. Remove the cold pastry cream from the fridge and fold some whipped cream into it. Once incorporated, fold the rest of the whipped cream into the pastry cream. If needed, add some green food coloring to brighten the green color. Use immediately or chill before using. 


Garnishes:
2 pints raspberries (I picked out the nicest ones)
chopped pistachios 

Assembly: 
Pipe a swirl of pistachio whipped cream onto the cooled tart base (I used an Ateco #827 tip). Next, place the raspberries around the pistachio cream. Finally, sprinkle some chopped pistachios on the cream.   

  

May I just say...these tarts are absolutely delicious. The raspberry adds just the right amount of tartness to the sweet almond cream and whipped cream. The tart shell is just crispy enough to add texture without overwhelming the delicate cream. It was a big hit in my family and I hope it is a big hit in yours too!  

As always, Happy Baking!!  

Strawberry Tarts

It saddens me to say that I am allergic to strawberries. Such a horrible fruit to be allergic to. They are beautifully red and deliciously sweet and juicy. Yet, that does not stop me from using strawberries in my baked goods. What I have chosen to make with them are gorgeous strawberry tarts. I wish that I could take the credit for this recipe but sadly, I have borrowed it from Keiko's Cakes. If you are someone who is very serious about baking, I would highly recommend becoming a member of this 'cooking school'. Keiko is a master pastry chef who really knows what she is doing. I found her videos to be extremely helpful and even though the recipes may look tough, they are not too difficult to follow. I definitely would not recommend beginners to use these recipes though.

Now back to the tarts. What I love about these tarts is that they are perfectly balanced in terms of textures and flavors. The tart shell has just the right amount of crunch and density to hold the smooth custard. The custard has just the right thickness to hold the strawberries. And the strawberries...well they are just the right amount of wonderful. Using pistachios to cover the edge of the strawberries is not only aesthetically pleasing but they also add a nice kick of saltiness. From bottom to top the tart is made up of: tart shell, almond cream, pastry cream, strawberries, whipped cream, pistachios. The whole tart is sweet, salty, crunchy, creamy, light and...well why don't you just make it and see for yourself. 


Strawberry Tarts
adapted from Keikos Cakes 
makes approx 6 small tarts or 1 large tart

Tart shell
ingredients:
Butter 110 g (cold)
Icing sugar 75 g
Flour 185 g
Almond powder 25 g
Egg 50 g (one medium size egg)

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directions:

In a food processor, combine the flour, icing sugar, and almond powder. Blitz for 10 seconds. Then, add in the cold butter and process until you have fine crumbs. Transfer the mixture into a small bowl and slowly work in the egg. Once the mixture starts to come together, transfer it onto a flat work surface and knead until all the ingredients have fully incorporated. Work the mixture into a ball, flatten it, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put the dough into the fridge for one hour.

 

After one hour, roll out the dough to a 3 mm (0.1 inches) sheet and place the dough in the tart pan. Make sure not to stretch out the dough in this process. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out round sheets with a ring cutter slightly larger than the size of your tartlet pan. Place the dough sheets in the tartlet pan. Again, do not stretch the dough. Cut the excess dough with a knife. Prick the bottoms with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes in your pre-heated oven at 375°F.

Almond Cream
ingredients:
Butter 140 g
Sugar 140 g
Egg 140 g, beaten
Almond powder 140 g, sifted
Flour 20 g, sifted

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directions:

In a stand mixture, cream the butter until it is pale and fluffy. Add the sugar and mix. Then, add the egg little by little. Mix well after each addition. Finally, fold the sifted almond powder and flour into the batter.  

Fill the almond cream into a pastry bag and pipe out a large spiral onto the baked large tart shell. Also fill the small tart shells with almond cream. Bake the filled tart for another 20 minutes in your pre-heated oven at 350°F. After baking, remove the tarts from the tart pans and let them cool down completely.
 

Pastry Cream

ingredients:

Milk 300g
Butter  20g
Sugar 60g
Egg yolk 60g

1/2 Vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
Flour 35g

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directions:

Combine the milk with the scraped vanilla pod, 1/4 of the sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. When the milk starts boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it with a plate. Leave it for 5 minutes to let the vanilla flavors infuse into the milk.
 

In the meantime, mix the egg yolk and remaining sugar in a large bowl. Mix until the egg mixture is thick, pale, and creamy. Next, add the sifted flour and mix well. Pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolk and mix gently. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Put the saucepan back on medium head and stir until the pastry cream thickens. Pour the hot pastry cream into a flat pan and let it cool completely. 

Garnishes:

Strawberries, sliced in half

Whipped cream

Chopped pistachios    

Melted apricot preserves  
 

Assembly:

Pipe the cooled pastry cream into the tart shell until it reaches the rim. Then, gently place the sliced strawberries in the middle of the tart (refer to the pictures). Brush the strawberries with the melted apricot preserves. This gives the strawberries a nice shine and also preserves them. Next, pipe a small swirl of whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Last, but not least, cover the edge of the strawberries with the crush pistachios.

Voilà! You now have successfully made strawberry tarts. Granted, this recipe is extremely time consuming and can be a little bit difficult. However, the results are well worth the effort. Good luck! 

Happy Baking!!  

 
 

Éclairs

After coming home from my two week adventure in Europe, I found myself craving some french pastries. Pierre Herme definitely changed me. Well, he changed the way I view baked goods, at least. My oh my were his pastries divine. I can still taste the creamy and rich Infiniment Vanille Tart. My mouth waters just thinking about it. But I know that I do not have the skills to attempt to recreate such a masterpiece, so I settled for something that was easier but equally as delicious-Éclairs!  

 

Regretfully, I did not have an opportunity to try an eclair in Paris. I wish that I had been able to taste an eclair from Fauchon. They have a wide selection of beautifully decorated and delicious looking eclairs. They come in all different colors, sizes, and shapes. Basically eclairs in Paris are equivalent to cupcakes in America. They're the latest craze...and I can see why. 

The most basic eclair consists of a light Pâte à choux base, a sweet and luscious pastry cream filling, and a rich dark chocolate glaze. They require a few different components but they are all fairly simple to make. I'd say the most difficult part is making the perfect pate a choux, which consists of only 4 simple ingredients- butter, water, flour, and eggs. The difficult part is making sure enough moisture is employed to create the most steam and the puffiest/hollowest pastry. It is crucial that the finished product results in a light pastry with a hollow center. 

The recipe I used comes from Raiza of Dulce Delight. I love watching all her videos and following her blog. She really knows what she's doing and is really knowledgeable about baking. Her recipes are very straightforward and simple if you follow her directions. Her recipe uses a Cream Légère. It's simply a pastry cream with whipped cream folded in to make an extremely light and airy filling. I found that it was better to make the cream the night before and leave it in the fridge to chill overnight.

Eclairs

adapted from Dulce Delight 

makes approx 15 3-inch eclairs 

Pâte à choux

ingredients: 

250g water
110g butter, cubed
pinch of salt and sugar
140g all purpose flour
3 to 5 eggs, depending on the dough's consistency (I used 4 eggs)

egg wash:
1 egg
2 tbs milk

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directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside

In a medium saucepan add the water, butter, salt, and sugar and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. 

Once the mixture has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the flour. Stir and once the flour is combined, turn the heat back on. Cook the flour mixture for about 2-3 minutes or until a slight film forms on the side of the pan.

Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the dough on medium speed for 3 minutes to allow it to cool down. Then add the eggs one by one. (Be careful not to add too many eggs. The dough should be able to fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.)

Fill a pastry bag with the dough and pipe the eclairs (I used an Ateco#808 tip). Beat the egg and the milk in a small bowl and brush the mixture over each eclair. Bake the pâte à choux for 35-40 minutes or until they are golden brown. After the 40 minutes, turn off the oven, and keep the oven door open using a wooden spoon. Let the eclair shells sit in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

Cream Légère

makes enough to fill approx 15 eclairs

ingredients:

500g milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
75g sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
100 ml cold heavy cream

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directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and vanilla to a simmer. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the flour and cornstarch. 

Pour some of the hot milk mixture over the egg mixture and stir. This step is called tempering. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook everything until the mixture has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. 

Transfer the cream into a small bowl. Cover the cream with plastic wrap directly on top so a skin does not form. Chill the mixture for 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Right before you're ready to use the pastry cream, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in half the whipped cream into the pastry to lighten the cream. Once incorporated fold in the remaining whipped cream. 

Chocolate glaze

ingredients:

60g bittersweet chocolate
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp hot water

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directions:

Microwave the chocolate and heavy cream for about 1 minute, or until melted. Incorporate the honey and water. Stir until fully combined.

Assembly:

Using a small pastry tip, poke two wholes under each eclair shell. Starting on one end fill the eclair shell until cream comes out the other hole. Then dip the eclair into the chocolate glaze. Let sit for 15 minutes until set. Serve immediately.

Happy Baking!

Classic Butter Cupcakes with whipped vanilla frosting

I love cupcakes. I love making them, eating them, even just looking at them. They're delightful and delicious. So when my brother asked me to make his bosses some baked goods in return for giving me free perfume, I knew that I had to make cupcakes. I scouted for hours for the perfect recipe. At first I thought I'd make devil's food cupcakes with swiss meringue buttercream. However, as I started searching through recipes, that idea slowly disintegrated. Chocolate cupcakes just didn't seem as appealing for some reason. I think that was mostly because of my decorations. I envisioned the cupcakes topped with my fondant decorations and decided that the dark brown wouldn't compliment my pastel flowers or royal blue "University of Michigan" buttons.

 

My first instinct was to go onto Tastespotting; my newest obsession. But as I scrolled through the endless submissions, I couldn't seem to find a cupcake that caught my eye. Then I thought of Rosie from Sweetapolita. She's a baking wizard. I absolutely adore all her recipes and pictures. Plus, her two daughters are absolutely adorable. Rosie's obsession, I think, is vanilla cake. She has over 10 different recipes for vanilla cake, each with their own unique taste and techniques. In the end I decided to combine her classic butter cake with her whipped vanilla bean frosting. I also added my own caramel swiss meringue buttercream filling, but I won't be posting a recipe for that since I just combined some left over caramel with some left over SMB. 

 

Shall we move onto the recipe?

I think we shall. 

Classic Butter Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Frosting 

adapted from Sweetapolita

makes 28 cupcakes 

Classic Butter Cake

ingredients:

4 large eggs (separated), at room temperature

3 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (I used half cake flour and half AP flour)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar, divided

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup milk, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

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directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside

While eggs are still cold, separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one bowl and the whites in another bowl. Cover the two bowls with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature before using (about 30 minutes).

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

In a clean bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula gently fold a little of the whites into the batter to lighten it, and then fold in the remaining whites until combined. Do not over-mix the batter or it will deflate.

Fill each prepared muffin cup 3/4 full. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting, about 1 hour. 

Whipped vanilla frosting

makes enough to frost 28 cupcakes

ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 vanilla bean, scraped

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt (optional)

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directions:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed, until very pale and creamy Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy, and fluffy.

*I used an Ateco #808 tip to pipe the frosting

You can top each cupcakes with some sprinkles, or jimmies, if you want for an added flare. I think they added a nice touch to an otherwise bland looking cupcake. These cupcake are perfectly moist and delicious. The frosting is extremely light and fluffing due to the long periods of creaming and whipping. 

I hope you like these cupcakes if you do try to make them and as always....

Happy Baking!