I've been on holidays for a while now, and it seems like all i did was SLEEP, EAT, BAKE, SLEEP
Catching up with friends occasionally and seeing my boy most of the time. Its nearly close to mid July and I finished my first and last exam on the 18th June. I've been on holidays nearly 3.5 weeks? It feels like I haven't done much special things to fill up everyday.
Only thing I fill great about doing this holiday is B.A.K.E
I've only done few (3 to be specific...hehe)
First was Earl Grey Tea Cookies
Early Grey Tea Cookies
Adapted from Vanlily's blog (Original recipe in Chinese) and my buttery fingers
Makes 16-20 small cookies
1 teabag Earl Grey tea (I used Twinings)
1tbsp Milk
70g Butter, at room temperature
30g Icing sugar
Pinch Salt
120g All purpose flour
1/4tsp Baking soda
1. Put the milk into a small microwavable bowl and nuke it for around 10 seconds to warm it up. Cut open the tea bags, put the leaves into the milk. Cover and leave to infuse for around 30 minutes.
2. Beat butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until soft and fluffy, beat in the tea-milk mixture
3. Sift in the salt, flour and baking soda. Gently fold into the mixture with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30mins.
5. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180C. Gently flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough gently until around 5mm thick, use cookie cutters to cut our shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet, cookies and all into the freezer for around 5 minutes.
6. Bake for around 15-20minutes until pale golden. Remove and cool on a cooling rack, where they will crisp up.
Second was Pinwheel Shortbread Biscuits
Adapted from BBC Good Food
Vanilla Dough
160g plain flour
100g salted butter, cold, cut into 1cm cubes
50g sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
1 large egg yolk
Chocolate Dough
140g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
100g salted butter, cold, cut into 1cm cubes
50g sugar
1 large egg yolk
1. Prepare the vanilla dough. Place flour and butter into mixing bowl, rub together
until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and the butter is completely worked into the flour.
Add vanilla and egg yolk, mix together gently until a ball of dough forms. If it is too dry, sprinkle in a few drops of water. Alternatively, place all the butter and flour food processor and pulse together until butter disappears, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until a dough forms. Wrap dough with cling film and chill whilst you prepare the chocolate dough.
2. Prepare the chocolate dough as above, adding the cocoa in with the flour.
3. Unwrap the vanilla dough and place into a large Ziploc bag. Roll out into a square with uniform thickness.
Repeat with the chocolate dough.
4. Place the chocolate dough on top of the vanilla dough and roll up tightly, Swiss-roll style,
but gently so you don't deform the log. Chill for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
6. Remove dough from the fridge. Slice into generous 5mm (1/4 inch) slices and place
them slightly apart on baking sheet.
7. Bake for 20 minutes until the biscuits are just turning pale golden around the edges,
then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
The biscuits will keep fresh for up to one week stored in an airtight tin.
Third was White Chocolate and Cranberries Cheesecakes
100g plan sweet biscuits
50g butter, melted
150g frozen cranberries
Filling
1/4 cup thickened cream
180g white eating chocolate, chopped coarsely
375g cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees fan-forced. Line 6-hole-texas (3/4cup /180ml) muffin pan with paper cases or freeform cases, made from 17cm square sheets of baking paper.
2 Process biscuits until fine. Add butter, process until combined. Divide mixture among paper cases; press firmly over base of plan. Refrigerate 30mins
3. Make filling by combining cream and 130g of the chocolate in small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth.
4. Beat cheese, rind, sugar and egg in small bowl with electric mixture until smooth. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture
5. Divide mixture among cases, sprinkle with cranberries. Bake about 30minutes. Cool in oven with door ajar.
6. Refrigerate cheesecakes 3hours.
7. Melt remaining chocolate, drizzle over cheesecake
In my case when I was baking it the mini cheesecakes did take about 25-30mins with 150 degrees, but the 22 springform tin took over 30mins, nearly over an hour because the thickness of the texture so I had to boil some water and pour the water into the roasting tin then put the cake bounded with foil in the tin and bake until the centre has less jiggle when shaken.
I am hoping to bake some matcha sweets, really need to hunt down some matcha powder to use. I might try the matcha springroll foam cake.
Cant wait till monday, there will be some exciting news yet more responsibility will come on as well.
