Look mum! No butter, no gluten and no dairy!

If I was a mother, I'd appreciate anything that comes from the heart of my children. (With that said, I'm not thinking of becoming a mother any time soon though!). You see, I like things that come from the heart; not just purchased off the shelf at the last minute. I like genuine thoughtfulness. Kind gestures. Qualities that I wish were in every human being. I know I'm dreaming of a world that can never be. And it crushes me deep down inside..

Anyway, with Mother's Day coming up, why don't you too, make something for someone? Be it your mother, grandmother, aunty, or even someone else's mother. If the thought is there, the appreciation and gratitude is as well.

Personally (as selfish as this sounds), I was kinda craving for a flourless orange cake. So that's what I made. Haha. :P.


Of course, the first slice and taste went to mummy. :)


This was my first time making a flourless orange cake. I love how it has no added butter and oils, and is gluten and dairy-free! (Not that I have any issues with gluten or dairy. I love my gluten. Haha). The cake was a success, but my orange syrup.. well, I need to remember to use my candy thermometer next time. I ended up with an orange toffee glaze instead. Which was reasonably okay! It added a chewy/crunchy texture to the moist dense orangey cake. No big deal in the end, but I did freak out during the process of making the 'syrup' last night! -__-

Flourless orange cake with orange syrup
Makes a 20cm diameter cake, serves 10-15

505g oranges (2 large oranges), washed
150g almond meal
150g sugar
4 eggs (70g eggs), separated
1 tsp baking powder (gluten free)

For orange syrup:
1 extra orange
150g sugar

Place clean oranges in a pot of water. Boil and simmer for an hour or until soft.
Drain and leave to cool.

Preheat oven to 170C.

Chop oranges into pieces, removing any seeds/pips.
Process oranges in a blender until a smooth orange paste is formed.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks are formed. Slowly add sugar and continue beating until smooth and glossy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine almond meal, baking powder, orange paste and egg yolks.
Add 1/3 of the egg mixture and combine. Then gently fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Pour into a lined 22cm diameter springform baking pan. Leave to rest for 10mins.

Bake for 1hr 5mins or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Make the syrup

Finely grate orange rind. Set aside.
Juice orange and pour into a small saucepan. Add sugar and rind.
Simmer on low until syrup consistency. (Temperature should not go above 110C otherwise it will turn into toffee or brittle if higher. Use a candy thermometer.. I couldn't be bothered finding it, and I overestimated, so I ended up with a toffee.. Haha -__-)

Pour over orange cake.
Decorate with almond flakes.



Allow to cool before refrigerating overnight.


Serve with a nice cup of tea.
The cake itself is not too sweet but the toffee gives it more of the sweetness, as well as a little crunch.

ANZAC

Today is ANZAC day, a day of remembrance for the soldiers who fought in Gallipoli during World War 1.

And with ANZAC day, there's ANZAC biscuits!

Mr Kookaburra has his eyes on the target

So.. I made ANZAC biscuits. :) But with a slight twist.

Mr Wombat wants one too..

By the way, did I mention that I hate kookaburras? They are such ferocious little creatures. (Once upon a time, a kookaburra attacked us for our lamb chops. Unfortunately for us, they won that battle on one single swoop.. ) -__-

Almond and orange ANZAC biscuits
Makes about 78 small or 38 normal biscuits

165g plain flour
115g quick cooking oats
109g flaked almonds
96g dessicated coconut
15g grated orange rind
141g brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp golden syrup
3 tbsp water
93g butter

Preheat oven to 165C.

Combine flour, oats, coconut, almonds, orange rind and sugar in a large bowl. Mix.

Melt the butter with the golden syrup and water. Add in baking soda.
Add into oat mixture. Mix until combined.


Line baking trays with baking paper.

Spoon tablespoon fulls (if making normal sized) or half tablespoon fulls of mixture (if making small ones) into your clean palms and roll into balls. Place the balls about 2cm apart and slightly flatten each.


Bake for small ones for about 12mins or until golden brown. (Large ones for about 15mins).


Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from tray and transferring onto cooling rack.


Store in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks consumption.


I made 60 small ones and 8 normal ones (just because I got sick of rolling out small balls of mixture.. :P)

Florentines

I've been meaning to make these for a while now. That box of cornflakes was just sitting idly on top of the fridge. Haha. I like florentines. Kez's gluten free florentines are especially nice. So I tried to make some. Turns out, I made a lot... -__-


Florentines
Makes about 64

230g corn flakes
150g sultanas
200g flaked almonds
400g skim condensed milk
200g dark cooking chocolate

Preheat oven to 160C.
Crush corn flakes gently.
Add sultanas and almonds. Mix.
Mix in condensed milk.
Spoon mixture into small round lumps. Press down gently so they hold.
Bake for about 8-10mins.
Allow to cool.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler.
Spread onto base of each florentine.
Allow chocolate to set. Refrigerate if required.


Store in an airtight container, away from sunlight and heat. I keep mine in the refrigerator. :D Though they are disappearing quite fast.. o_o

Almond mocha biscotti

I'm in the middle of uni exams.. but I've been itching to bake something. I know it's been a while. But there's just so much to study/cram! I've got 3 exams to go. :(


So I decided to make biscotti. I've been meaning to do this for a while now (but I don't even really like biscotti.. *shrugs*). My first attempt at biscotti and I chose almond and mocha. (Just because that was what I had in the pantry).

Almond mocha biscotti
Makes about 38

1 2/3 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 x 18g sachets of instant mocha mix (I used Nescafe Cafe menu)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup almonds, smashed slightly

3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 160C.

Beat sugar and eggs together.
Sift in flour, baking powder, mocha, almonds and vanilla essence.
Combine throughly. Knead into a sticky dough.

Separate into two rolls.
Place onto lined baking tray, and flatten each slightly.


Bake for about 25mins.
Remove from oven to cool for 10mins. Turn heat down to 135C.


When cool, slice the dough carefully into 80mm or so width strips with a serrated knife.
Place onto lined baking tray.


Bake for another 30mins or until dry. (Flip biscotti over halfway for even baking)


Transfer onto cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container.


Will last for weeks~ :)

They are extremely crunchy.
So dip them into your favourite cup of coffee/hot chocolate (or you might break your teeth. Haha!)

I feel like.. baking tomorrow too. Let's see if I get today's worth of study done first. I really would like to bake something else.. :D *fingers crossed*

Macarons!

Last time I tried making them, it didn't quite work out. This time.. it worked! But only after a few tweaks with the oven temperature. Too high of a temperature will make the macarons crack and you won't get the 'foot' or they won't 'pop' (as some people call it).

The macarons are chewy on the outside and soft on the inside with a very slight hint of green tea flavour amongst the almond.


My only disappointment was that I wasted 2 trays (out of 3) and they're not green enough! :(

Green tea macarons with white chocolate ganache
Makes about 25-30 or so (50-60 pieces)

Italian meringue:
55g egg white
150g caster sugar
40g water

Tant pour tant:
110g almond meal
110g pure icing sugar
55g egg white
1 tsp matcha powder
few drops of green food colouring

Ganache:
150g thickened cream
300g white cooking chocolate
(I had a lot of ganache left over.. so you might want to cut this down)

Draw circles of about 1.5cm diameter onto the back of the baking paper that you will be using. You may need 2-3 sheets depending on the size of your baking tray.

Sift almond meal, icing sugar and green tea powder twice. Add in 55g egg white and combine. Add a few drops of food colouring

Heat water with caster sugar until 116C using a candy thermometer.
In another bowl, whisk 55g egg whites until soft peaks are formed. On low speed, pour the hot syrup slowly down the sides of the bowl. Whisk until combined and thick and smooth in consistency.

Mix 1/3 of the meringue into the almond meal mixture. Then gently fold the rest of the meringue into the mixture within 20 strokes.

Place into a piping bag and pipe circles out onto baking paper lined trays. Sprinkle with remaining almond pieces that were sieved out earlier. Allow to dry out for at least 1hr or until a skin is formed.

While this is happening, you can make your ganache. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler. Remove and add cream. Mix to combine and then allow to cool. Refrigerate until use. The mixture should be smooth and not runny. Should be spreadable like.. peanut butter? (It will usually harden when cooled)

Bake macarons at 180C for 3 minutes, then down to 150C for another 5 minutes or until cooked. Bake one tray at a time.

Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from baking paper. Then allow to cool completely before applying ganache.

Allow to set before serving.

Refrigerate when storing.