Chocolate
#COOKING: “LAMINGTONS”
Lamingtons. We’ve always wanted to visit Australia and maybe one day post-Covid we finally will! This chocolate-dipped butter cake, sometimes filled with raspberries and raspberry jam is an Australian favourite. Australia Day is January 26, 2021! Happy Australia Day! 🇦🇺
Note these are extremely sweet and I have adapted the recipe to my tastes. You can increase the sugar in the cake and icing if you wish.
Cake:
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
1/3 cup corn starch
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps organic vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup raspberries
Dessicated coconut, unsweetened
Chocolate Icing:
3 1/4 cups icing sugar
200 grams dark chocolate
1/2 cup or more whole milk
1 tbsp butter
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350Ā°F.2. In large bowl, cream eggs, butter and sugar.
3. Mix-in flour, starch, baking powder and salt with handmixer.
4. Mix-in vanilla and milk. Beat till mixture is light yellow and smooth.
5. Line rectangular baking pan with wax paper and fill with batter.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool 10 minutes, then flip cake over on cooling rack. This will flatten the bottom so the cake is even.
8. Cool at least 2 hours, room temperature.
9. Cut cake in half along the middle. Spread jam and raspberries over the center with spatula and re-assemble cake.
10. Cut into even squares, place in container and freeze overnight.
11. The next day, in double boiler on low heat, melt butter and chocolate, stirring frequently. Add milk, stirring often till smooth and then add icing sugar. Mix till smooth and consistency is thin, yet thick enough to coat cake. If it gets too thick, add a little bit more milk and stir till smooth.
12. Using two forks, dip cake squares into chocolate till coated.
13. With coconut ready in a shallow tray or plate, dip coated cake squares in coconut till covered. Quickly transfer to a platter to cool. Repeat till all cake squares are coated.
14. Once chocolate has set, transfer to air-tight container. You can freeze if not eating right away.
15. Let Lamingtons sit at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes before serving.
Gallery:
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#COOKING: MR. WILL X HUBIE HALLOWEEN
We are thrilled to collaborate with our friends at Netflix to bring you some super fun activities to help put you in that Halloween spirit. If thereās anything we need right now, itās a lift! Netflix releases #HUBIEHALLOWEEN, starring Adam Sandler, on Wednesday October 7th. You can check out the trailer below. 🎃
We crafted a FUN SIZE SNACK PUMPKIN which will make a gorgeous, edible Halloween centerpiece and also a PUMPKIN FUN SIZE CHOCOLATE LOAF which tastes exactly like Fall should! You can add a bit of your personality to these and make these YOU with your favourites! We had so much fun putting this together with our friend Angela who generously leant us her gorgeous kitchen for this!
Fall is definitely our favourite season. We love Pumpkin and we whipped-up a PUMPKIN FUN SIZE CHOCOLATE LOAF which you can customize with your own favourite chocolates. Halloween Candy and Pumpkin Spice, together at last! Just remember to be super-careful when carving the bottom of the Pumpkin!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
2 tsps cinnamon
2 tsps nutmeg
1 tsps ginger
2 tsps baking powder
2 tsps baking soda
1 1/2 tsps sea salt
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
2 cups of pumpkin pulp (seeds removed)
1 cup chopped, assorted Halloween chocolates
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven at 350Ā°F.
2. Grease baking pans (2-3 depending how large they are) lightly and dust with flour.
3. In mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars till creamy with handmixer.
4. Add eggs and beat till smooth.
5. In separate mixing bowl, combine spices, flour, baking powder and soda, plus salt.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in large mixing bowl, mixing sparingly.
7. Using spatula, gently fold-in pumpkin pulp.
8. Using spatula, gently fold-in chopped chocolates.
9. Pour batter into baking pans and smoothen with spatula.
10. Bake 45-60 minutes, checking after 45 minutes with fork/toothpick for doneness. Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool for about 40 minutes before serving.
See our How-To Video:
A Carousel of fun:
Have fun and let us know what you think! Don’t forget, #HUBIEHALLOWEEN arrives on Netflix Wednesday, October 7, 2020!
More on HUBIE HALLOWEEN here.
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Netflix)
#COOKING: LEVAIN BAKERY KNOCK-OFF COOKIES RECIPE
Levain Bakery Knock-off Cookies. Levain Bakery in New York City has gained international fame for its droolworthy 6 oz. cookies. They’re dense and an entire meal’s worth of calories and literally people queue hours still to this day at their four locations. They reassure everyone that they never run out of stock – you just basically have to wait. Many a savvy New Yorker have figured out that if you order via delivery, you can bypass the wait entirely. I can’t take credit for this recipe but MODERN HONEY selflessly has deciphered an approximation of their recipe and I am just adapting it to my tastes, cutting the sugar and nuts, keeping all that gooey chocolate in.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 cup chilled butter, cut into small 1″ cubes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp corn starch
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven at 410Ā°F.2. In large mixing bowl, combine butter with sugars using a fork till pasty. Finish and whip with handmixer for 1-2 minutes till creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time.
4. Add salt, starch, baking soda and cream together.
5. Add flour and mix till just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Add nuts and chocolate and mix till even, again careful not to overmix.
7. Shape dough into 8 balls.
8. Grease cookie sheet lightly and bake in two batches, 10-12 minutes each batch. The originals are slightly under-baked but bake to the full 12 minutes if you like them firmer.
9. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before transferring to cooling rack.
10. Store room temperature up to 3 days. Microwave 20 seconds to refresh.
Gallery:
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#COOKING: CHOCOLATE FUDGE MACARONS RECIPE
Chocolate Fudge Macarons. I was hesitant to try Macarons again since they gave me so much anxiety, but my dear friend Angela enjoyed the last batch I made so much, I couldn’t let her down! She literally said those were the best Macarons she’d ever had. She even went out of her way at nine months pregnant to buy me more Almond Flour so I could make more. Say what you will about the look of these which I know need a bit of work still in terms of piping, but they were phenomenal. That fudgy Butter Cream center is to die for.
Macarons:
1 cup Almond Flour, sifted three times
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted three times
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsps cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
6 tbsps cocoa powder
2 tbsps whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate/Rainbow Sprinkles for decoration
Instructions:
1. In large bowl, combine 1/2 tsp salt, almond flour, cocoa powder and icing sugar. Ensure these are all sifted three times.
2. In separate bowl, beat egg whites and 1/2 tsp salt with handmixer till stiff peaks form. You should be able to flip bowl over and nothing moves. Gradually add granulated sugar.
3. Add flour mixture into egg white mixture bit by bit and combine gently with spatula. When ready, you should be able to lift spatula and draw a “figure 8” with batter.
5. Scoop into piping bag with a circular tip and pipe each corner of baking sheet. Place parchment paper over it, using paste on corners to secure it.
6. Pipe Macaron batter evenly in circles over parchment paper. When done, take baking sheet and tap it on counter 3-5 times gently to rid of air bubbles and even out batter. Distribute sprinkles on-top.
7. Let sit for one hour.
8. Preheat oven at 300Ā°F. Bake for 17-21 minutes depending how large your Macarons are. You’ll know they’re done when they don’t stick to the wax paper.
9. Allow to cool about 20 minutes out of oven and gently use spatula to remove from parchment paper and transfer to a tray. If they stick to paper, peel them off gently, taking a sparing amount of warm water and rub against back of cookie till paper peels off. Be gentle and do not over-wet.
10. Cool in fridge quickly for 20 minutes while you prepare Butter Cream.
11. Whip butter in large bowl till creamy. Add icing sugar, cocoa, vanilla and cream till you get a thick icing.
12. Scoop into piping bag and pipe onto “foot” of Macarons leaving a bit of space around the edge. Place another Macaron on-top and gently press into a sandwich.
13. Place in air-tight container overnight, room temperature before serving.
Gallery:
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#COOKING: CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES RECIPE
Chocolate Chip Scones. The Royal Ascot meet runs Tuesday, June 16 ā Saturday, June 20, 2020 and the finest around the world congregate at Ascot Racecourse for an abbreviated, action-packed meet. Queen Elizabeth II already has scored at the meet, her first time in four years, with her horse Tactical. So excited to see Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf champ Sharing represent America for Trainer Graham Motion in Saturday’s Coronation Stakes.
In celebration of the meet which can be seen televised on NBC Sports, how about some tea and scones? We believe in only the best and are serving these with Fortnum & Mason Tea – the real deal, approved by Her Royal Highness herself. 💂
Ingredients:
2 cups flour1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
3 tsps organic raw sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 425Ā°F.2. In large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
3. Grate butter into mixture.
4. Add cream, egg, vanilla and egg. Mix till just combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Either shape dough into disc on floured surfaced and cut into 8 equal slices or roll into 12 equal balls.
6. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Brush with cream and sprinkle sugar on top.
8. Bake about 17 minutes or till golden brown. Serve with clotted cream and preserves.
Gallery:
I miss real British Scones. Having Tea at Selfridges in London.
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
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