Category Archives: Cakes

Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

 

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How was your thanksgiving?? I must say that mine was great!! I really enjoyed my time  off, and I will tell you that it will be hard tomorrow to get back to work. But good things always come to an end, that is how we get to appreciate them.

For Thanksgiving, I only got to prepare appetizers and desserts, and I had much fun Wednesday spending my day in the kitchen listening to Christmas tune and cooking.

I made :

  • Mini Pecan PiesIMG_3551
  • Vanilla CheesecakesIMG_3557
  • Raspberry. Lemon Mousse CakesIMG_3542
  • Chocolate Feuille D’automneIMG_3549
  • Lemon TartsIMG_3514
  • and Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes IMG_3555

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Most of the desserts can be served at all times of the year besides maybe the Pumpkin Cupcakes and that is why I decided that I would share the recipe of them today. It is a easy, quick recipe that is very very flavorful.

The batter of the cupcakes is similar to the Pumpkin Roll that I make, and the frosting is also similar to the Praline Cupcakes that i also make. I love both flavors together, they marry well. However, you could stay with a Vanilla flavored Frosting for a more subdue frosting.  If you did not like the spices in the cupcakes batter, you could also do without. Just an idea.

I must say that the cupcakes taste better the day that they are made. They are soft, very moist. They still will taste good the days that follow, but they will have a much more dense texture. 

Ingredients for about 35+ Mini- Cupcakes:

  • 1 ¾ cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of Clover powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pie Crust Hearts:

  • Half a rolled pie crust
  • Milk, for brushing
  • Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Filling:

  • 8 oz of cream cheese,
  • 6 tbsp of butter at room temperature,
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract,
  • 1/4 cup of sugar.
  • 1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar,
  • 2 tbsp. of heavy cream.
  1. Turn your oven  to 350 degrees F. Place the mini cupcakes mold onto a medium perforated sheet and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the spices, baking powder and salt together.IMG_3490
  3. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.
  4. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet pumpkin mixture until just incorporated.IMG_3491
  5. Fill the wells up to about 3/4.IMG_3492
  6. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
  7. While the muffins are cooling, cut out as many hearts as you need to decorate the top of each cupcakes.IMG_3501
  8. When placing them onto the medium silpat that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet, stretch them a bit so that they will appear longer.
  9. Brush each with milk, and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar.IMG_3502
  10. Bake until deep golden brown, 10 minutes at the most.
  11. Once cooked, set them aside to cool.
  12. For the topping, first prepare the caramel.  In a small saucepan, place the cream and the brown sugar, and cook until it is bubbling and the sugar dissolves.
  13. Empty the caramel into the small round flexiform and place it in the fridge for the caramel to cool.
  14. In a bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese, the butter, the vanilla, the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix until it is well combined. Set aside.IMG_3517
  15. When the caramel is cold, empty it into the cream cheese frosting. With a spatula, fold the caramel into the frosting slowly but do not combine!IMG_3518
  16. With a small teaspoon, top each cupcake with the frosting.IMG_3519
  17. Then gently push a pie crust Heart into the frosting of each cupcake, and serve. Et voila!IMG_3525

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Pumpkin Praline Cupcakes

  • Servings: 24-30
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

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Ingredients for about 35+ Mini- Cupcakes:

  • 1 ¾ cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp of Clover powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Pie Crust Hearts:

  • Half a rolled pie crust
  • Milk, for brushing
  • Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Filling/Topping:

  • 8 oz of cream cheese,
  • 6 tbsp of butter at room temperature,
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract,
  • 1/4 cup of sugar.
  • 1/2 cup of firmly packed brown sugar,
  • 2 tbsp. of heavy cream.
  1. Turn your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the mini cupcakes mold onto a medium perforated sheet and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the sugar, the spices, baking powder and salt together.
  3. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet pumpkin mixture until just incorporated. Fill the wells up to about 3/4.
  4. Bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until the tops spring back when pressed. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
  5. While the muffins are cooling, cut out as many hearts as you need to decorate the top of each cupcakes. When placing them onto the medium silpat that you would have placed onto a medium perforated sheet, stretch them a bit so that they will appear longer. Brush each with milk, and sprinkle generously with granulated sugar. Bake until deep golden brown, 10. Once cooked, set them aside to cool.
  6. For the topping, first prepare the caramel. In a small saucepan, place the cream and the brown sugar, and cook until it is bubbling and the sugar dissolves. Empty the caramel into the small round flexiform and place it in the fridge for the caramel to cool. In a bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese, the butter, the vanilla, the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar a little at a time and mix until it is well combined. Set aside.When the caramel is cold, empty it into the cream cheese frosting. With a spatula, fold the caramel into the frosting slowly but do not combine!
  7. With a small teaspoon, top each cupcake with the frosting. Then gently push a pie crust Heart into the frosting of each cupcake, and serve. Et voila!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

 

 

Fruit Pizza

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Filed under Cakes, cookies, deep flexipan, dessert, fruit, large muffin, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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Looking for a fun dish to bring to a party, or for a quick treat to give your children?? This is it: Fruit pizza. Thank you Donna Waltz for giving me the idea. I would have never thought of it. But you are right, it is easy, fun to make, cheap and yummy!!!

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Ingredients for a pizza for 8 people:

  •  1 and 1/2 pack of sugar cookie dough
  • 2 cups of fruit of your choice  ( I used 3 kiwis, 6 large strawberries and a few chunks of pineapple). 
  • 1 container of mascarpone cheese ( italian cream cheese to be found in the Euopean section of the dairy product) or you can substitute with cream cheese. 
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
  1. Cut the sugar cookie dough in 1/3 or 1/4 of an inch. Place each slice inside the pan of your choice ( I chose the grande mold. If you choose the deep flexipan, you will need 2 cans of sugar cookies. )IMG_1107
  2. Turn the oven at 350 and cook the cookie pizza for 15 minutes. It will be very soft at first, but let it cool completely and it will firm up.IMG_1108
  3. While the cookie is cooling, prepare the topping. In a large mixer bowl, beat the mascarpone with the sugar, vanilla extract and whipped cream until you have a whipped cream.IMG_1097
  4. Spread the cream over the cookie.IMG_1099
  5. Decorate the pizza with fruit of your choice.IMG_1103
  6. Eat up;-)

Fruit Pizza

  • Servings: 8-10 persons
  • Difficulty: Super
  • Print

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Ingredients for a pizza for 8 people:

  • 1 and 1/2 pack of sugar cookie dough
  • 2 cups of fruit of your choice ( I used 3 kiwis, 6 large strawberries and a few chunks of pineapple).
  • 1 container of mascarpone cheese ( italian cream cheese to be found in the European section of the dairy product) or you can substitute with 8 oz. of cream cheese.
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
  1. Cut the sugar cookie dough in 1/3 or 1/4 of an inch. Place each slice inside the pan of your choice tat you will have placed on a medium perforated sheet( I chose the grande mold. If you choose the deep flexipan, you will need 2 cans of sugar cookies. )
  2. Turn the oven at 350 and cook the cookie pizza for 15 minutes. It will be very soft at first, but let it cool completely and it will firm up.
  3. While the cookie is cooling, prepare the topping. In a large mixer bowl,
  4. Once the cookie is cold, beat the mascarpone with the sugar, vanilla extract and whipped cream until you have a whipped cream.
  5. Spread the cream over the cookie, and decorate the pizza with fruit of your choice.
  6. Eat up;-)

 Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

 If you like what you read, enter your e-mail on the box on the right of this post, and please share. Merci beaucoup!!!;-)

Soft Balls for the Superbowl;-)

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, mini muffin, petit four, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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To keep with the news, why not make soft balls for the Superbowl:-)

I am just kidding. But since this year Superbowl is all about soft and spongy balls, we decided to bring this time not a Super Bowl cake, but molten chocolate mini cakes.

Ingredients for 40 mini footballs:

  • 5 eggs
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 8 oz of good quality chocolate ( ghiradhelli)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • icing of your choice to make the lines on the cheese
  1. Place the chocolate and the butter in a small bowl and microwave it for 90 seconds. IMG_1078
  2. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and the eggs together a few strokes ( enough so you will not see the sugar any more.)IMG_1077
  3. Mix the butter and the chocolate chips so that it will look like syrup. IMG_1079
  4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and stir. IMG_1080
  5. At first it will be very liquid, but as you stir, it will become thicker and looks like goo. IMG_1081
  6. Pour the mixture into the mold of your choice. I chose the quenelle mold, but you can use the mini muffin mold. IMG_1083
  7. If you choose this mold, cook the cakes for 5 minutes for 400. IMG_1085
  8. Let the cakes cool completely in the mold until they are cold. IMG_1087
  9. Unmold them, and decorate them as you wish. I chose brown icing to make the lace of the balls. IMG_1089Enjoy!!!

Soft SuperBowls

  • Servings: 10-20 people
  • Difficulty: Super Easy
  • Print

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Ingredients for 40 mini footballs:

  • 5 eggs
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 8 oz of good quality chocolate ( ghiradhelli)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • icing of your choice to make the lines on the cheese
  1. Place the chocolate and the butter in a small bowl and microwave it for 90 seconds.
  2. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and the eggs together a few strokes ( enough so you will not see the sugar any more.)
  3. Mix the butter and the chocolate chips so that it will look like syrup.
  4. Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and stir.
  5. At first it will be very liquid, but as you stir, it will become thicker and looks like goo.
  6. Pour the mixture into the mold of your choice. I chose the quenelle mold, but you can use the mini muffin mold.
  7. If you choose this mold, cook the cakes for 5 minutes for 400.
  8. Let the cakes cool completely in the mold until they are cold.
  9. Unmold them, and decorate them as you wish. I chose brown icing to make the lace of the balls.Enjoy!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

If you like what you read or see, please share;-) Merci beaucoup!!!

Meyer Lemon and Poppy Seed Pound Cake

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, Fleximolds, Large round mold, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, sunflower, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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One of my customer asked if my mold would hold a pound cake and how long it would take for it to bake. Since I am not one that bakes a lot of pound cakes, i decided to fix a few so as to check those details and also to find the best recipe ever. I will say that my favorite pound cake comes from the blog page entitled Plain Chicken. I did change a few things. I needed to reduce the quantities and I substituted butter to the shortening she had listed in the recipe ( not fan of this). Anyway, try it, it is delicious;-)

photo 1

Ingredients for one Pound cake:

  • 1 cup or 2 sticks of butter
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 tsp or 10 gr. of baking powder
  • 2/4 tsp of salt
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup of milk
  • 4 tbsp of lemon juice or about the juice of one entire lemon
  • the zest of one lemon
  • 4 tbsp of poppy seeds
  1. Turn the oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients ( flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds) and set aside.
  3. In a mixer, place the butter and the sugar and beat until it has doubled in size and is very fluffy.photo 1
  4. Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk. Mix well in between each addition.
  5. Mix in the lemon zest and the lemon juice.photo 2
  6. Pour in the mold of your choice. I chose to use the sunshine mold. Make sure that you leave an inch off the top so that the cake will not overflow. 
  7. Bake in the oven at 350 for 55 minutes ( you may cook it a little more times if you are using a tin or a glass bakeware. Demarle bakeware seems to bake things much quicker. Also all oven cook at different temperature so you may need to check for doneness with a toothpick.
  8. Eat as such, or with sides of your choice;-) Yumm….

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Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Meyer Lemon and Poppy Seed Pound Cake

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

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Ingredients for one Pound cake:

  • 1 cup or 2 sticks of butter
  • 2 cups of granulated sugar
  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 tsp or 10 gr. of baking powder
  • 2/4 tsp of salt
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup of milk
  • 4 tbsp of lemon juice or about the juice of one entire lemon
  • the zest of one lemon
  • 4 tbsp of poppy seeds
  1. Turn the oven to 350.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients ( flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds) and set aside.
  3. In a mixer, place the butter and the sugar and beat until it has doubled in size and is very fluffy.
  4. Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the milk. Mix well in between each addition.
  5. Mix in the lemon zest and the lemon juice.
  6. Pour in the mold of your choice. I chose to use the sunflower mold. Make sure that you leave an inch off the top so that the cake will not overflow.
  7. Bake in the oven at 350 for 55 minutes ( you may cook it a little more times if you are using a tin or a glass bakeware. Demarle bakeware seems to bake things much quicker. Also all oven cook at different temperature so you may need to check for doneness with a toothpick.
  8. Eat as such, or with sides of your choice;-) Yumm….

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Graduation Cupcakes

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, Fleximolds, mini muffin, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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My oldest child, Lisa, graduated from High school this past Friday. What a milestone. As a parent, we are very proud when our children succeed and do well in school, but watching them walking up that stage is a feeling like no other. My heart was filled with lots of emotions: Pride, Joy and Sadness. I was proud, of course, of her and her accomplishments. I was happy to see her excitement when she received her diploma. And as you would imagine I was also a bit sad to realize that this young beautiful lady walking up that stage was my baby not too long ago, and that time has flown too quickly;-(

I am certain that if you have children, you have or will feel the same way I did. But for us, those feeling were even more important because she is and was the first person in our family to graduate from an American school!!! For my husband and I, this is something we had seen on TV until this past Friday. So it was very special to see our daughter walk that stage and receive her diploma;-) One that i will not forget!!!

Anyway, to celebrate this wonderful milestone, we had a few friends over for dinner. Nothing fancy, hamburgers, hot-dogs and a few other things. But for dessert, I had to make it special so we made:

 Tuxedo strawberriesphoto 1

Blueberries and White chocolate mousse

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and Graduation Cupcakes.

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Ingredients for about 25 mini cupcakes:

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  • 1 cups of flour,
  • 1/2 cup of granulated sugar,
  •  3/4 tsp of baking soda,
  • 1/4 tsp of salt,
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened chocolate powder,
  • 1 egg at room temperature,
  • 1/2 stick of butter,
  • 1/2 cup of brown sugar,
  • 1 tsp of vanilla extract,
  • 1/2 cup of lukewarm water,
  • 1/4 cup of buttermilk.
  1. In a bowl, sieve the flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate powder, and set aside.
  2. In a mixer, place the butter and the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and beat until it becomes light and fluffy.
  3. Then add the egg and beat it in.
  4. Add the vanilla.
  5. In a bowl, mix the water and the buttermilk.
  6. Incorporate the flour mixture in three times, mixing in the water mixture in between each time.
  7. Beat at a very low-speed, just enough to mix the flour in well.
  8. Beat on high for a minute until all the ingredients have been incorporated.
  9. Empty the batter into a ziplock bag, cut a corner and fill each of the cupcake openings to about 2/3.
  10. I used the mini muffin tray from Demarle.
  11. I cooked the cupcakes 12 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool before piping the frosting.

Frosting:

  • 1 bag of bittersweet Guiradhelli chocolate chips,
  • 1 1/2 sticks of butter at room temperature,
  • 1/2 cup of sour cream,
  • 1/4 cup of sugar.
  1. Place the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat the chocolate up for 90 seconds. Stir and cook it again for another 30 seconds. Repeat if necessary.
  2. Let the chocolate cool a bit, then add the butter and beat it.
  3. Add the sour cream and beat on high until it fluffed up. If it is still too soft, place it in the fridge for a few minutes to get cold.
  4. Take it back out and beat it to fluff it up.
  5. PLace the large round tip inside the pastry bag.
  6. Place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe the frosting on top of the cupcakes.

For the Decoration:

  • 1 bag of large reese cups
  • 3 barks of bittersweet chocolate from ghiradhelli
  • one bag of M&M
  • Sour Patch candy
  • 1 square of vanilla chocolate bark
  1. Unwrap the reese cups. Then cut squares of chocolate of about 1 inch.
  2. Place a bit of the frosting on top of the Reese and place the chocolate square.
  3. With a bit of frosting, glue the M&M on top of the chocolate square.
  4. With scissors, cut small strips into the sour patch candy, and attach the strip onto the chocolate square to make it look like the tassel.
  5. Place the vanilla bark into a small container and microwave it for 20 seconds.
  6. Pour the chocolate into a small piping bag, or even into a ziploc bag and write the date of the graduation year.

Et voila!!! Enjoy!!!


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Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

 

Croquembouche

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Filed under Cakes, Creams and Puddings, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, silpat, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

 

photo 4Last week was Mother’s day and as such, it called for a fabulous dessert. But what to do??? Having seen eclairs, profiteroles at every corner of cooking magazines and facebook profiles, I could not help but making my own the night prior to Mother’s Day. So at 10 o’clock in the evening, this is what I was doing in my kitchen.

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Ingredients for 16-20 small cream puffs or croquembouches:

  • 80 ml  or 2 oz of milk
  • 80 ml or about 2 oz of water
  • 70 gr, or about 5 1/2 tbsp of butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 10 gr. or 2 tsp of sugar
  • 100 gr. or about 1/2 cup and 2 tbsp. of flour
  • 2 eggs

Creme Patissiere, or Vanilla Pastry Cream

  • 330 gr. or 11 oz. of milk
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 4 yolks
  • 70 gr. or 1/4 cup and 1 tsp of sugar
  • 12 gr.  or about 1 tbsp of flour
  • 12 gr, or about 1 tbsp of corn starch

Caramel:

  • 1 cup of granulated sugar
  • patience 
  1. In a saucepan, heat up the milk, water, salt, and sugar.
  2. Add the butter cut up in pieces.
  3. When the butter has completely melted, bring the mixture to boil.photo 1
  4. Remove the pan from the stove and add the flour by stirring very well.photo 4
  5. Place the pan back on the stove ( it must be turned off, but will still be warm), and stir and stir with a heat-resistant spatula until the dough starts becoming a ball and will no longer stick to the rims of the pan.
  6. Remove the pan from the stove, empty the dough into a cold bowl and add the eggs to the dough one at a time, mixing well after each egg.
  7. photo 2
  8. Place the dough in a pastry bag, with the large circular tips make large rounds of about  1 1/2 inches wide  on a large silpat that you would have previously lay on a large perforated sheet.photo 3
  9. Place the perforated sheet in a warm oven of 350 and cook the cream puffs for 20 minutes. The dough should be brown and dry on all sides. If the dough is a little bit soft, continue cooking the puffs for 1-3 more minutes. Take them out to cool. photo 5Set them aside to prepare the pastry cream or creme patissiere.
  10. In large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture becomes whitish.
  11. Add the flour and the corn starch to the eggs and mix.
  12. Open the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of the bean and put them into the milk.
  13. Warm up the milk over the stove, or in the microwave for 2 minutes.
  14. Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture and stir. Place the milk/ egg mixture back onto the stove and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is becoming really thick. Remove the pastry cream from the stove, and place it into a bowl. Set aside.
  15. Pour the pastry cream in a round mold..
  16. Cover the pastry cream with some plastic wrap and place it into the fridge to cool.
  17. When the cream is completely cool, make a small indentation to fill the cream puffs with the pastry cream and lay them upside down for easier access when you are going to fill them up.
  18. Fill the pastry bag with the vanilla cream and fill each cream puffs.photo 1
  19. Place the puffs back onto the silpat, and prepare the caramel.
  20. Empty the cup of sugar into  a medium-sized saucepan and place the saucepan onto the stove at a medium high temperature. DO NOT STIR!!!
  21. Only start stirring once the sugar is turning an amber color on the outside rim of the saucepan. Stir until all the sugar has turned that amber color. Reduce the heat to low, and leave the  pan on it so that the caramel will not harden.
  22. Dip the head of each cream puff into the caramel and place them back onto the silpat until the caramel has hardened, and has cooled.photo 2

Eat when they are cool. I dare you to only eat one, or two. They are so good, you will want to eat them all at once!!!photo 5Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

A fun treat for Easter: Easter Nest.

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Filed under Cakes, dessert, Fleximolds, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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I hope you guys had a great Easter with your family, and for my non Christian friends, i hope that you had a great passover. I had a wonderful time in company of the whole family. We had a very good brunch. And no, I did not cook, which was fine with me.

I wanted, nonetheless, to share with you a recipe that I made yesterday for our weekend treat. I don’t know what the weather looked like on your side of the world, but yesterday it was just awful here. Cold and rainy. So guess what I did to entertain myself? cook;-)

I wanted to make something fun for the upcoming Easter so  i settled for  cupcakes. Fun cupcakes. Here it is:

 

Ingredients for 12 cupcakes:

  • 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour,
  • 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder,
  • 1/4 tsp of salt,
  • 6 Tbsp of butter,
  • 2 large eggs,
  • 1/2 cup of whole milk,
  • 2 Tbsp of vanilla extracts,
  • 1/2 cup of milk.
  1. Turn the oven to 350.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, the salt and the baking powder and set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat the sugar and the butter until it becomes light and fluffy.
  4. Add one egg at a time beating well.
  5. Add the flour mixture in 3 times, alternating with the milk ( 2 times).
  6. Beat well until well combined, but do not overbeat.
  7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake holes. I used a straight cupcake tray and cook for 15-18 for normal size cupcakes or until they are cooked ( when inserting a toothpick, it should come out clean)
  8. Let the cupcakes cool before decorating with the frosting.

Ingredients for the frosting and the decoration:

  • 12 ounces of Semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
  • 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 1 cup of easter eggs  of your choice ( i like the Cadbury)
  1. Place the cream into a small bowl and place it in the microwave to cook for 1 minute.
  2. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips that you would have placed into another small bowl. Let the cream melt the chocolate by NOT MIXING. Leave it alone for 1 minute.
  3. Mix well.
  4. Add butter and mix well again.
  5. Let the mixture rest until it has cooled down ( about 1 hour or less if you place it in the fridge).
  6. Fill a medium-sized ziploc bag with the frosting. Cut a small hole at the end of the bag and drizzle the frosting on the top of the cupcake making it look like straws of a nest.
  7. Place a few Easter eggs on top of the frosting.
  8. Place the cupcakes in the fridge to cool for a few minutes before eating, or the frosting may fall.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

 

Le Marceau or Scrumptious Chocolate Cake

Posted
Filed under Cakes, chocolate/ candy, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Fleximolds, Large round mold, Mousses, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, stainless steel cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

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I should have posted this dessert months ago, but time has been so scarce that it is seeing only the light of the day today. I know many of you have asked to get this recipe, so here it is;-) A Vos fourneaux mes chers amis!!!

On birthdays, we are expected to invite the whole family over to celebrate the event. I never understood why, but I have gone along this tradition ever since I have been married to my husband. So since I am to cook, and since we are celebrating someone special, i always always ask what my husband, son, or daughter wish to eat on their special day.

When my oldest child  Lisa  turned 18 this year, she requested the following : Beef Wellington, Macaroni and Cheese Appetizers, a chocolate dessert and anything in between. I figured the rest out making sure it would please her. I think we had macaroni and cheese appetizers bites, mini crab cakes, truffle flavored potatoes, green beans and a very very yummy dessert.

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She loves chocolate mousse and love decadent desserts like me so i thought i would bake a cake out of the wonderful book of Stephane Glacier called Le Marceau from hi s beautiful bool called Tartes, Gouters, and Entremets.

I adapted his recipe since it was designed to make 4 cakes, and not everything turns out the same with American ingredients and ovens.

Chocolate Cake:

  • 57 gr. of yolk
  • 50 gr. of sugar
  • 20 gr. of dark chocolate cocoa
  • 29 gr. of flour
  • 57 gr. of egg whites
  • 12 gr. of sugar
  • 20 gr. of butter

Praline Crunch:

  • 175 gr. of pralin ( recipe here).
  • 63 gr. of milk chocolate
  • 8 gr. of hazelnut oil to be found at the fresh market ( or any fancy grocery store)
  • 125 gr. of feuillantine ( very thin waffer from France, if you do not have any, you may replace with cigarette russes ( it will not be as good, but it will work).

Mousse au chocolat:

  • 20 gr. of water
  • 100 gr. of sugar
  • 67 gr. of yolk
  • 100 gr. of eggs
  • 235 gr. of chocolate ( preferably 65% cocoa (I like Ghiradhelli)
  • 340 gr. of heavy cream

Vanilla Syrup:

  • 125 gr. of water
  • 100 gr. of sugar
  • 2 gr. of vanilla extract

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 125 gr. of heavy cream
  • 100 gr. of Syrup ( 60 gr. of sugar, 40 gr. of water brought to boil)
  • 25 gr. of glucose or corn syrup
  • 300 gr. of dark chocolate chips such as bittersweet Ghiradhelli.

First we want to prepare the cake so that it will completely cold when we will assemble to cake.

  1. Beat the egg whites with 12 gr. of sugar until they are forming hard peaks. Set aside.
  2. Place the egg yolks in a kitchen mixer and beat the egg yolks with 50 gr. of sugar until they are foamy and have doubled in volume. Set aside.
  3. Place the butter in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until it is completely melted. Set aside.
  4. Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture carefully so as not to deflate the egg whites.
  5. Mix the flour, cocoa and add it to the egg white/ egg yolk mixture.
  6. Add the rest of the egg whites to it.
  7. Slowly mix in the melted butter.
  8. Pour the batter into a medium round that you would have placed on a medium perforated sheet, and cook in a warm oven of 320 for 20-25 minutes (or until the tooth pick comes out clean).
  9. When the cake is cool. Unmold it from the round mold. photo 2
  10. Slice it in half and set it aside.photo 3
  11. Let’s do the syrup as well since it needs to cool: place 100 gr of sugar, 125 gr of water, and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract into a small saucepan and bring to boil. When it has, turn the heat off and set it  aside to cool.
  12.  Let’s prepare the Praline Crunch: Place the chocolate into a small bowl and microwave it for 60-90 seconds or until it is melted and fluid.
  13. Pour this chocolate into a kitchen mixer. Add the pralin, the hazelnut oil and the feuillantine and pulse a few seconds so as to make a paste like texture.
  14. Place the metal round onto a medium silpat that you would have placed on a perforated sheet.
  15. Pour the praline croustillant inside the metal round and spread it out evenly. Place it in the fridge to cure.
  16. Prepare the mousse: in a small saucepan place the water and 100 gr of sugar and cook over high temperature. Cook until you are starting to see large bubbles or your thermometer is showing 118c.photo 4
  17. Mix the egg yolks, and eggs into a kitchen mixer until they are becoming foamy. Slowly pour the syrup while you are still beating the eggs. And beat on high until the mixture has cooled down completely.
  18. Set aside.
  19. Meanwhile place the chocolate into a medium sized bowl and cook for 90 seconds to 2 minutes until it is melted and free if lumps. You may need to add 30 more seconds to get to the right consistency. Set aside.
  20. In another kitchen mixer, beat the cream into a soft peak whipped cream.
  21. With a spatula carefully fold in the whipped cream into the chocolate.
  22. Whisk the mixture to get an even mixture.
  23. Add the egg mixture and mix well until the mixture is homogeneous.
  24. Yeah, now it is time to assemble the cake!! With a spatula, spread a bit of the mousse atop of the pralin layer.
  25. Pour the syrup into a rectangular cookie sheet and soak up the cake with that syrup. You will need to either turn the cake, or pour some on top of the cake to make sure that the cake is throughly soaked with that syrup.
  26. Place one cake on top of the mousse. Press hard so as to glue the cake to the mousse.
  27. Top the cake with 1/2 of the mousse.
  28. Place the other half of the cake.
  29. Cover the cake with the remainder of the mousse.photo 2
  30. Place the cake in the freezer to set at least one hour.
  31. Meanwhile prepare the chocolate glaze. In a microwavable container, pour in the cream, syrup, and the glucose and cook for 1 minute in the microwave or until it is hot. Pour the mixture over the chocolate chips that you would have placed into a bowl. Let the mixture sit for a while to let the chocolate chips melt on their own.
  32. After 1-2 minutes, start stirring. Let the mixture cool a bit before glazing the cake.
  33. Place the cake onto a cooling rack, and pour the ganache over the cake.
  34. Collect the ganache that dripped down and pour it over the cake again. Be careful to only use “clean ganache” without cake debris so that the cake will look shiny and even.
  35. Place the cake into the fridge to cool.
  36. Decorate the cake as you wish. I used vanilla flavored macarons;-)photo 4
  37. Et voila!!! Miam , miam. Definitely one of the best cake I have ever made!!! Merci Stephane!!!

photo 5

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Poire Belle-Helene Revisited

Posted
Filed under Cakes, Creams and Puddings, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Fleximolds, Mousses, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 3

One of my dad’s favorite was Poire Belle-Helene, or Pear Belle Helene. It is a dessert made of Poached Pears atop vanilla ice-cream, and covered with Chocolate Syrup and toasted almond. It is delicious and really easy to do.

According to Wikepedia, “Poire belle Hélène was created around 1864 by Auguste Escoffier and named after the operetta La belle Hélène by Jacques Offenbach.” The original  Simpler versions replace poached pears with canned pears and crystallized violets with sliced almonds.

I love the combination of vanilla, chocolate and pear. It is a comforting dessert, warm and delicious.

This past Saturday I was in the mood for those combinations, but was also craving cheesecake instead of ice-cream so that is when I decided to combine all those ingredients to make this dessert.

photo 1

Ingredients for 12 people: 

Ingredients for the Pear Compote:

  • 3 pears peeled and cored
  • 1/3 cup of sugar
  • 1 1/2 cup of water
  • 1/8 tsp of tonka powder, if you can’t find any replace with cardamom
  1. After coring and peeling the pears, slice them in half and cube them very small.
  2. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and when the butter is sizzling, add the diced pears. Mix well.photo 1
  3. Add the sugar, the water and the tonka or cardamom spice.
  4. Bring to a boil and when it is boiling, reduce the heat down and cook until the liquid has reduced to half.
  5. When it is done, remove it from the heat and let it cook completely.

Ingredients for the Chocolate Syrup:

  • 1 cup of chocolate of good quality ( I use Ghiradhelli)
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  1. Place the heavy cream into a microwable safe bowl and cook the cream for 2 minutes or until it is really hot. ( you may cook the cream over the stove if you do not want to use the microwave).
  2. Place the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Pour the hot cream over it and let it sit for a few minutes.photo 4
  3. After a few minutes mix the cream and the ganache will be perfect, free of lumps;-)photo 5

Ingredients for 12 individual lingot cheesecakes:

  • ▪ 387.5 gr  or about 14 oz of cream cheese at room temperature ( about 1 1/2 cream cheese bar)
  • 110 gr.  or about 1/2 cup of sugar
  • ▪100 gr.  or about 1/2 cup of sour cream
  • 80 gr.  or about 2 medium-sized eggs
  • 13 gr. , or about 3 tsp of egg yolks
  • 13 gr. , or about 3 tsp of corn starch
  • 70 gr. , or about 1/4 cup and 1 tsp of heavy cream
  • a vanilla bean
  1. Place the cream cheese in a kitchen mixer and beat it.
  2. Add the sour cream and mix again.
  3. Add the sugar, egg yolks, eggs and beat it again until the texture is free of lumps.
  4. remove the vanilla seeds from the bean with a sharp knife and mix it with the heavy cream. Add the corn starch and beat until the mixture is smooth.
  5. Pour the mixture into a fleximold of your choice. I chose the lingot tray.
  6. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes at 194.
  7. When the cheesecakes are cooked, let them cool and place them in the fridge to cool for a few hours ( overnight is better).photo 2
  8. The following day, remove the cheesecake one at a time and dip them into the warm chocolate ganache to half.photo 3
  9. Place the cheesecake on individual plates.
  10. Place a few tablespoons of the pear compote on top of the cheesecake and drizzle of bit of the chocolate on the side of the cheesecake for added decoration. Et voila!

photo 3

If you wish to serve more pear compote, spoon the pear compote on the plate, place the cheesecake on top of it, drizzle some chocolate over the cheesecake et voila!

photo 2

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Les Tendresses… or Chocolate Darlings

Posted
Filed under Cakes, dessert, Fancy European Desserts, Fleximolds, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

photo 3

Two weeks ago I went to the Demarle Convention in Santa Ana. As a consultant for the company I always get energized by going to such event. I connect with other consultant and we share tips and ideas on becoming more successful.photo 2

They are so many meetings,  workshops and speakers that I always learn so so much. The event usually last 4 days. Even though it is meetings and workshops for 4 days, it is much fun because it is a bit of ” me time”;-), no husband to answer to, or children to take care of. Nice!!!

photo

photo 3Four days in between girls would have been nice on itself, but to top it off the company  hired a World Known Chef of the name of Stephane Glacier to do several cooking workshops during the event. What a treat! We learned so much!!!

photo 1

Today i would like to share with you  one of the recipe he was so courteous to share. It is a quick recipe, very easy to make, to adapt and to dress up. In my eyes, a winner.

Ingredients for 12 mini desserts:

  • 190 gr. or 6.7 oz. of almond powder ( 3/4 cup)
  • 190 gr. or about 6.7 oz of sugar (3/4 cup)
  • 190 gr. or about 3 eggs 
  • 100 gr. or about 7 tbsp. of butter 
  • 25 gr. or about 1 oz. of flour (1 tbsp + 2 tsp)

For the chocolate Ganache:

  • 100 gr. or about 7 oz. of heavy cream
  • 15 gr. or about 0.5 oz. of honey
  • 100 gr. or about 7 oz. of chocolate chips ( preferably European or Ghiradhelli)
  • 15 gr. or about 0.5 oz of butter

Soaking Syrup:

  • 200 gr. or about 7 oz. of water
  • 100 gr. or about 3.5 oz of sugar
  1. Turn the oven to 400.
  2. In a regular-sized bowl, mix the almond and the sugar.
  3. Then add the eggs a bit at a time. Add the flour and the melted butter. Don’t over beat!photo 1
  4. Pour the content of the bowl into a large ziploc bag. Cut the corner of the bag with scissors and fill in the flexipan of your choice. photo 2I used the doughnut tray.photo 5
  5. Place a silpat flat to cover the flexipan. ( it will prevent the cake from rising too much).photo 3
  6. Place the flexipan onto a medium perforated sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. Then turn the flexipan around to even out the baking and cook for another 10-12 minutes.
  7. While the darlings are cooking, prepare the ganache and the syrup.
  8. In a small saucepan, cook the water and the sugar until the sugar has dissolved. ( if you want to add a yummy orange flavor, add a tablespoon of the Blood orange olive oil in the syrup if you do not have orange extract).Set aside.
  9. Place the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Then microwave the cream and the honey for 1 minute and pour the hot cream over the chips. ( Add 1 tablespoon of orange flavored olive oil again in the ganache to flavor it).Let it sit a while.
  10. With a small whisk, mix the cream slowly to make the ganache. Add the soft butter and let the mixture cool at room temperature.
  11.  When baked, remove the flexipan from the oven and let it cool before removing the silpat and unmolding the cakes.photo 1
  12. Dip the warm cakes into the syrup and place them onto a cooling rack to drain and cool.
  13. Pour the ganache into a piping bag and pipe rosette on top of the litlle cake. Et voila!!! Un vrai Delice;-)

photo 4

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!