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Thursday 20 May 2010

Rose Butter Cookies



Haven't posted for a really long time! Hopefully this will start me up again~

While researching on a recipe for tea flavoured cookies, I came upon this recipe that replaces egg with milk and ground tea leaves. Its so clever! I went to my cupboard searching for suitable tea and found the pack of dried rose buds my mom got me from Hong Kong staring at me. So rose flavour it is!

These cookies are gorgeous and even my husband who doesnt like to see pieces of tea leaves or flowers in his food loved it. My 2 years old daughter helped me cut the cookies out and she loved them so much she woke up this morning (made them yesterday) shouting: Abby loves cookies!!!

Reference - Nigella Lawson's Butter Cut-Out Cookies and Vanlily's Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Ingredients (Make approx. 20-25)

87.5g Unsalted Butter, softened under room temperature
100g Icing Sugar
35g Milk
1/2 tbsp Ground Rose Buds (stalks removed and grind the buds into powder)
200g Plain Flour (I use weak flour)
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

1) Soak the ground rose buds in the milk (no need to boil) for approx 20 mins
2) Cream butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy
3) Bit by bit add the milk mixture into the butter, making sure its mixed well each time you add the milk.
4) Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture and fold until its just combined.
5) Form a dough and then flatten to a disc. Wrap with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for ~30 mins.

Preheat oven to 180C

6) Roll the dough on a very lightly floured worktop and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake for approx. 12 mins until golden brown.
7) Remove from oven, rest for a couple of mins then remove the cookies and cool them completely on a cooling rack.

Note:
- Store them in an airtight container once its completely cooled to retain its crispness.
- Amount of rose bud powder is adjustable according to preference
- Amount of milk is adjustable as well, think of '1 large egg' amount of liquid being replaced by milk.
- Original recipe called for 100g caster sugar, I replaced it with icing sugar, you can adjust the amount as well if you think it could be too sweet.

Thursday 21 January 2010

Happy 2010!!!




Been ages since I've last updated this blog! I have been so busy moving house I just couldn't find the time :(

I made this cake for my niece who's born in December 2009. Since we visited them during Christmas I made a Baby Girl com Christmas Cake.

It's not my first time piping cream, but its definitely my first time piping patterned and coloured cream! I guess for the first time this isn't that bad right! hehehe

This is actually a Citrus Opera Cake. It's just as heavy as the normal Opera cake, but it went down really well! Some actually had second and third helpings even after a huge Christmas meal! I'm really glad they enjoyed it as I've adjusted the original recipe to this *feels proud*

Layer Combo:

Almond Joconde Cake
Orange Syrup
Cinnamon Buttercream
Joconde Cake
Orange Syrup
Lemon White Chocolate Ganache
Joconde Cake
Orange Syrup
Cinnamon Buttercream
Lemon Jelly
Chantilly Cream

I would probably find another chance to train up on my cream piping skill, after my new kitchen is fitted (in March! *sob*)


Note: I've decorated the cake with sugar balls the night before, huge mistake! The colours have melted into the cake, bah!