Basic Macaron

Finally after several attempts I manage to get it right this time !!! They have a smooth, crisp and a moist chewy interior.

Ingredients:

• 50g icing sugar
• 5g cornflour
• 30g finely ground almond
• 35g egg white
• 30g sugar

Method:

Prepare the baking tray, lined with silicon coated parchment paper (draw circles behind the parchment if required) or you can also use the special silicon macaron mat. Preheat oven to 160C/140C for fan oven.

Sift icing sugar with the cornflour together. Add the ground almond to the icing sugar mixture and sift again. Set aside.

In another clean and dry bowl, whisk the egg white till frothy. Add in sugar in 2 additions and whisk untill soft peak.

Add in the ground almond mixture into the whisked egg whites in 2 addition, fold until incorporated. Lift the spatula to see if it falls ribbon-like.

Load the batter into a piping bag with round tip. If no round tip, snip the end of the piping bag. Pipe into circles. Bake for about 5-8 minutes. The "feet" will start to form. Lower down the temperature to 110C/90C for fan oven and further bake for another 15 minutes. Set aside to cool and remove from paper or silicon mat.

Pair them up and sandwich with nutella, buttercream or ganache. Refridgerate before serving.

Strawberry Mousse Cake

 Looking for a lighter and healthier cake recipe? This strawberry mousse cake is a delicious option. As the cake is light and your 5 a day you don't have to feel guilty eating them.


Ingredients:

 

For the Genoise sponge base

• 2 eggs
• 50g caster sugar
• 15g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 50gz plain flour, sifted

For the strawberry mousse

• 1 x 135g packet strawberry jelly
• 350g strawberries
• 2 x 170g tins evaporated milk

For the strawberry topping

• 150g strawberry puree
• 1 tbsp gelatine powder
• 41/2 tbsp boiling water

For decorations

• extra strawberries for the side of the cake and also extra for the top decorations
• 50g dark chocolate chopped

Method:

First make the sponge : Heat your oven to 180C/160C for fan oven. Grease and line the base of a 8in springform tin.

Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Use an electric whisk to whisk them together until thick, pale and moussey and doubled in volume. The mixture should hold a trail when you lift the beaters out of the mixture. Take off the heat.

Fold the melted butter gently into the egg mousse, then gently fold in the flour. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 15–20 minutes, or until cooked and lightly golden-brown. Leave to cool completely, then remove the sponge from the tin and peel off the parchment paper.

Line the sides of the same tin with baking parchment, first snipping a line of little ‘feet’ along the base of the paper so it will fit snugly against the base. Put the sponge base back into the tin.

To make the mousse : break up the jelly and put in a pan with a tablespoon of water. Melt gently over a low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside. Puree the strawberries in a blender until smooth and pass through a sieve to remove the seeds.Use 350g for the mousse.

Using an electric whisk, or a free-standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the evaporated milk for at least five minutes, or until it is thick, bubbly and doubled in volume. Gently fold in the liquid jelly, then fold in the strawberry puree.

Arrange the strawberry slices around the edge of the lined tin, cut side against the tin. Scatter any extra strawberries over the sponge.

Pour the strawberry mousse into the tin, levelling the top. It doesn’t matter if the mousse doesn’t quite cover the strawberries. Place in the fridge for at least two hours to set.

To make the strawberry puree topping: dissolve gelatine in hot water for strawberry puree topping. Mix in the strawberry puree. Wait until the mousse is set and the topping is cooled, pour in the topping carefully.Let the cake chill for at least 3 hours before removing the cake ring.

To decorate, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Dip a few strawberries in the melted chocolate and leave to set.

Pour the remaining chocolate into a paper piping bag. Snip the end off the piping bag and drizzle lines of chocolate over the top of the mousse (alternatively use a piping bag with a fine plain nozzle attached). Place the chocolate dipped strawberries in the centre and serve.