I would not be surprised if you tell me that Oreo played an important role in your childhood. I used to wake up to adverts of Oreos in the morning, and like a typical child begged my mum to get some for me. 😂 There is more to this beloved treat than dunking it in the milk though as it is quite a widely used ingredient in baking and desserts.
This week, I received a request to bake an Oreo cake for one of my local charities. I also got to use the silver food colouring spray I bought from L’atelier des Chefs in Paris a few days ago, and created this metallic Oreo cake.😉 This cake was composed of Oreo-incorporated vanilla sponges covered with an Oreo buttercream and a chocolate ganache. Hope you enjoy! 😊
Metallic Oreo Cake
Quantity: 1 cake
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
4 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
64g caster sugar
48g flavourless oil
56g warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
80g self-raising flour
20g corn starch
154g (1 packet) Oreos , crushed coarsely
For the buttercream:
295g unsalted butter, softened
520g icing sugar
52g double cream
1 tsp salt
154g (1 packet) Oreos, crushed finely
For the chocolate ganache:
125g dark chocolate
70g double cream
For decorations:
Oreos, whole
Silver food colouring spray
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F/gas 4.
2. To prepare the sponge, start by whisking the egg whites in a large bowl using an electric whisk with half of the caster sugar until soft peaks are formed. Be careful not to overwhip the egg whites.
3. In a large bowl, mix the yolks with the oil, water, vanilla extract and the remaining sugar together until smooth. Sieve in the flours until mix until well-combined.
4. Fold half of the whisked egg whites into the yolk mixture. Then, pour the mixture into the remaining egg whites and fold until they are evenly combined.
5. Fold in the coarsely crushed Oreos into the sponge batter until well-combined.
6. Pour the cake mixture into a greased cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake briefly in the tin before demoulding to cool on a wire rack.
8. To make the buttercream, use an electric whisk to beat the softened butter until smooth. Add in the icing sugar, double cream and salt, and whisk until well-combined. Save a small portion of the plain buttercream for decorations before folding in the finely crushed Oreos.
9. Assemble the cake by carefully slicing the sponges into two even layers. Cover and sandwich the sponge with the buttercream. Chill the cake in the fridge for the buttercream to firm up slightly.
10. To make the chocolate ganache, heat the double cream in a saucepan. Break down the chocolates and place them in a bowl. Add the hot cream onto the chocolates and whisk until smooth.
11. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cake. Let it set before spraying the silver food colouring on top.
12. On some parchment, spray the silver food colouring onto the whole Oreos. Pipe the plain buttercream on top of the cake, and place the coloured Oreos over it.
Finally, my summer holiday has officially begun! And as if my holiday hasn’t come quick enough, I am already packing for my trip to Paris tomorrow. 😉 I have always been very excited to visit the city again since the last time I was there when I was 4 years old, and now at last it’s happening! Hopefully, I will have plenty to share with you guys about it. 😊
One of the things I am most looking forward to now is to see all the amazing pâtissière in Paris, and I am hoping I will learn something more about them while I am there. So, meanwhile, here is a quick throw back to an entremet I did a while ago.
This entremet is composed of a raspberry mousse with a layer of vanilla sponge, sandwiching two layers of jellies, one blackcurrant and one clear strawberry. The entremet is topped with a tempered chocolate flower. For those of you who may have seen the recipe of my mango mousse cake, the recipes for the individual components follow almost the same method. (Here is the link 👉 https://tangosbaking.home.blog/2019/06/29/its-a-long-hot-summer/) To make the raspberry mousse, replace the mango purée in the recipe with a raspberry purée. The vanilla sponge is the same recipe without the desiccated coconut, and the blackcurrant jelly is made using blackcurrant juice. The glaze is made from raspberry purée. This entremet is also moulded using a silicone mould. Also a quick tip– when demoulding, dip the mould quickly in warm water to loosen the mouse up, then you should be able to get a clean finish when removing the entremet from the mould. 😉
Do you have any travel plans in the summer? Let’s share in the comments section! 👍
Humans eat to survive. Is this why you eat though? For me, food is way more than a survival need. My most favourite things about food are the many memories and moments that come with each meal, and the love the cooks can bring to people’s hearts. The reason why I love baking is to be able to similarly share and bring this joy to other people.
Yesterday, my friends and I arranged a surprise dinner for a friend who would be soon moving to a different country. My two friends put together a beautiful album of our memories for her, whilst, being me (the token baker in our group lol), I decided to make a strawberry and cream cake for the occasion.
After a hefty steak dinner, my friends and I ended up munching this cake away whilst sitting by some corner seats inside the shopping mall. (LOL to the restaurant who tried to charge us for bringing our own cake in.) We laughed and talked as we tucked in. Such times like that are ones that are the most beautiful, simple moments in life. And more importantly, whenever I see and taste these foods again, I will always remember the joy and happiness that it was associated with on this very day.
What happy memories are you going to create with food today? 😊
The heat wave is finally here in London! ☀️ 🔥 🔥 Now that summer has officially begun, how many of you have planned your holiday already? Whether you’re spending time with friends, families or alone by yourself, summer is an important for one to unwind and enjoy the beauty of nature. For someone who loves exploring new places, you may be surprised to hear that I don’t actually travel abroad an awful lot during the holidays. However, I do dream about lying alone on a beach 🏖🏝 (or next to a hunky companion hehe), staring at the clear water or the bright blue sky, and snoozing under the sun with a cold, tropical drink in my hand…🍹
Meanwhile, I will imitate this tropical feeling at home by making my favourite mango mousse cake. This mango mousse cake is one of my more complicated dessert. Inside the mousses hides a layer of coconut sponge cake and strawberry clear jelly over a buttery digestive biscuit base. The cake is finished with a mango glaze and topped with a tempered chocolate nest filled with coconut white chocolate truffles. It does take a bit of time to make this but it’s well worth the effort!
Tropical Mango Mousse Cake
Quantity: 1 cake
Ingredients:
For the clear strawberry jelly:
5g leaf gelatine
225ml lemonade
5-6 strawberries, chopped
For the digestive biscuit base:
200g digestive biscuit
70g unsalted butter, melted
For the coconut sponge cake:
2 eggs, separated
32g caster sugar
24g flavourless oil
28ml warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g self-raising flour
20g desiccated coconut
For the mango mousse:
11g leaf gelatine
450g mango purée/pulp
50g caster sugar
400ml double cream
For the coconut white chocolate truffles,
100g white chocolate, chopped
30ml double cream
1 tbsp butter
Desiccated coconut
For the tempered chocolate decorations:
300g dark chocolate
For the mango glaze:
56ml water
47g caster sugar
1 lemon, peels only
16g leaf gelatine
175g mango purée/pulp
Other decorations:
Fresh mangoes, chopped
Desiccated coconut
Dark chocolate
White chocolate stars
You will also need at least a small cake tin and a larger cake tin (both should have a loose base) to create the layering effect.
Method:
1. Start the jelly first by soaking the leaf gelatine in cold water. Line the small cake tin with cling film.
2. Bring the lemonade to boil in a saucepan. Squeeze off any excess water from the soaked gelatine and stir it into the saucepan until fully dissolved. Take it off the heat, and add in the strawberries. Pour it into the tin and place it into a fridge for about 2-3 hours to set. Once the jelly is set, remove it from the cake tin with the cling film and continue to chill it in the fridge until use.
3. Prepare the digestive biscuit base by blitzing or grinding down the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs. Mix in the melted butter. Line the bottom of the larger cake tin with a cling film, and spread the biscuit mixture evenly at the base of the cake tin. Chill the biscuit base in the fridge for about 30 minutes so it can firm up.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. For the sponge cake, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with half of the sugar until stiff.
5. In a different bowl, mix the yolk, oil, water, vanilla extract and the remaining sugar together until smooth. Sieve in the flour and add the desiccated coconut into it, and mix until well-combined. Fold this mixture into the whipped egg whites.
4. Grease the small cake tin and pour in the cake batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the mould and cool on a wire rack.
5. To make the mango mousse, soak the leaf gelatine in cold water and whip the double cream to soft peaks.
6. Warm the mango purée/pulp with the sugar in a saucepan. Squeeze excess water off from the gelatine and stir it in until fully dissolved. Pass the purée mixture through the sieve. Pour and fold it into the whipped cream until smooth.
7. To assemble the mousse cake, pour in some of the mousse into the larger cake tin with the digestive biscuit base. Place the coconut sponge at the centre and flip the strawberry jelly on top of the sponge using the cling film. Fill up the sides with the mango mousse (ensure they are completely filled up, or else you will see gaps later on), and pour the remaining mousse on top and spread evenly. Place the mousse cake into the fridge to set for about 4 hours.
8. To make the truffles, place the white chocolate, cream and butter in a bowl and heat it a microwave in 20-seconds intervals until melted. (Take care as white chocolate is easy to get overheated and burnt.) Cover the bowl and chill the chocolate in the fridge until firm. Grease your hand with a bit of oil. Scoop and roll the cooled white chocolate in your hand to shape into balls. Roll the truffle balls in desiccated coconut to cover them.
9. For the tempered chocolate decorations, warm two thirds of the dark chocolate in a double boiler to 45-50C/113-122F until melted. Stir in the remaining chocolate to cool it to 31-32C/87-89F.
10. For the chocolate palm trees, pipe the tempered chocolate into shapes on baking parchment. For the chocolate sticks, cut out a rectangular strip of baking parchment and pipe diagonally across it to create a net effect, then carefully roll the paper into a tube shape and secure with tape. For the chocolate nest, flip a bowl upside down and covered with baking parchment, then similarly pipe the chocolate in a net pattern around the bowl. Leave the chocolate decorations to cool and set in room temperature before removing and use.
11. Once the mousse cake is set, remove it from the cake tin and pull out the cling film underneath. Keep the cake cooled in the fridge while preparing the glaze.
12. To make the mango glaze, first make a syrup by heating the water, sugar and lemon peels in a saucepan for 2-3 minutes. Remove the lemon peels.
13. Soak the leaf gelatine in cold water. Add the mango purée/pulp to the syrup and heat. Squeeze the excess water off the soaked gelatine and stir it in until fully dissolved. Pass the glaze through a sieve and let it cool slightly before use.
14. Place the cake on a wire rack over a tray. Pour the glaze over in a swirl motion to cover the cake evenly. Dust the sides with desiccated coconut.
15. While the glaze is still setting, decorate the cake with fresh mangos, truffles and the chocolate decorations. (Use a knife to cut open a small gap to insert the palm trees into the cake). Move the cake to a stand and keep in the fridge until serving.
Now, excuse me as I continue to stare upon the bright blue sky. 😉
How are you all getting on this Monday? Are you all being busy bees back to work? Don’t forget no matter how busy you get, always take time to relax and spend time with your loved ones. (One of the good thing about living alone is you can ignore the latter haha 😛)
As a child, I was very lucky to have a family who worked very hard in order for me to get the life I have now. Whether you’re trying to earn a living for yourself or your loved ones, I commend you for your hard work and your determination to make the most of your lives. And, to commemorate those of you busy bees out there, I would like to share this recipe of my bumble bee lemon cupcakes. Best wishes to the rest of the week! And keep fighting! 💪
Bumble Bee Lemon Cupcakes
Quantity: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cake batter:
125g unsalted butter, soft
125g caster sugar
125g self-raising flour
2 large eggs
1 lemon, zest only
1 tsp baking powder
For the lemon icing:
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zest only
Yellow food colouring
For the bumble bees:
Yellow fondant
Dark chocolate, melted
Dr. Oetker Chocolate Hearts (alternatively, you can temper your own chocolate)
Other decorations:
Wafer flowers
Popping candies
Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
2. Cream the butter with the caster sugar using an electric whisk.
3. Sieve your flour, and add the rest of the cake ingredients into the butter mixture. Beat or whisk until well-combined and smooth.
4. Line muffin tin with cupcake paper cases. Place the batter evenly across the cases. Bake the cupcakes for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack once ready.
5. For the icing, sieve the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. If your icing is too wet, add more icing sugar to thicken it.
6. To make the bumble bees, roll yellow fondant into small balls. Pipe the melted dark chocolate to form the stripes and the eyes. Insert the chocolate hearts on it to form the wings.
7. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, spread or pipe the icing on top and decorate with the bumble bees, wafer flowers and popping candies.
As the famous quote in Forrest Gump goes, ‘you never know what you’re gonna get’. Life can get tough at times, but those sweetest and happiest moments also sometimes come at the most surprising times. However, one thing for certain is you can never have too much chocolates. This rich and moist chocolate cake covered in velvety chocolate ganache will be a delicious treat at any time you desire. In fact, life should be filled with chocolates!
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients:
Chocolate Cake:
225g self-rising
flour
85g cocoa
powder
200g caster
sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking
powder
220ml milk
20ml flavourless
oil
1 tsp
vanilla extract
60 ml hot
water
Chocolate Ganache:
240ml double
cream
200g dark chocolate,
chopped
20g unsalted
butter, softened
Decorations (optional):
Coloured
fondant, purple and green
White chocolate, block
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a large
bowl.
Add all the other cake ingredients, apart from
the hot water, into the flour mixture. Mix until it is well combined. Then, gradually add in the hot water and mix
until smooth.
Grease the cake tin, and pour the cake batter
into the tin. Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into
the centre comes out completely clean. Remove the cake from the oven and leave
it to cool in the tin before icing.
To make the chocolate ganache, heat the double
cream in a saucepan to boil.
Place the chopped chocolate in a large bowl,
then pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is smooth
and well combined.
Add the butter to the ganache mixture and whisk
until it is fully incorporated.
Leave the ganache to set at room temperature for
about 1-2 hours before using it to ice the cake.
Using a peeler, scrape the white chocolate block
to create white chocolate shavings. Shape the coloured fondant into flowers and
leaves.
Decorate with coloured fondant flowers and white
chocolate shavings before serving.
They once said, ‘Click your heels together three times and say ‘There’s no place like home” and you’ll be there’. When I moved away from home, I was hungry for more in life. New job, new friends, new relationships and everything more. Three years in, I feel unhappy and frustrated at my job, whilst those around me go through new changes and challenges. But as I sat here feeling unfulfilled about my life, I always try to remind myself about how far I come. How far away from home I am.
Being in the city has its quirk of seeing many things that remind me of home, but food always come first on my list. My mum and I always have a fondness for angel food cake. This light yolk-less sponge paired with whipped cream and passion fruit curd is quite literally a recipe from the heaven. To paraphrase Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, I say ‘Eat your cake three times and say ‘There’s no place like home” and you’ll be there’.
Tango's Baking 