Life is Great

Lemon Layer Cake with 7-Minute Frosting
Adapted barely from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen, original recipe by Paula Deen, detailed lemon curd and 7-Minute Frosting recipes from Joy of Cooking.
Yield:
One 3-layer 9-inch cake OR
One 3-layer 8-inch cake OR
One 4-layer 8-inch cake OR
One 4-layer 6-inch cake OR
One 6-layer 6-inch cake OR
24 filled cupcakes

Note: I wrote this recipe as how I made it but essentially you can size it to your pans and cake layers as you wish. All the yields given are possible, only ensure your pans are at least 2-inches tall for each application to prevent overflow dramas. I would say though that if you, like me, have a love affair with homemade lemon curd; consider doubling the curd recipe to put more between (more?) layers and possibly around the cake like Deb's. Personally, if I had three 6-inch pans instead of only two, I would make a 6-layer cake just to stick more lemon curd in between.


1-2-3-4 Lemon Cake

Note: This classic cake gets its name from its proportion of ingredients - 1 cup butter and milk, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups of flour and 4 eggs, and from cupcakes to layers cakes, as a basic, white cake, it does not fail. I added lemon zest to make it a lemon cake. Though the idea of adding some fresh lemon juice to the milk to make it buttermilk did cross my mind, I dropped the idea for the fear of screwing up the cake. That was a mistake, at this recipe here clearly shows. The lemon juice would balance out the cake's sweetness and improve its texture further.

• 1 cup/2 sticks/8 ounces butter, at room temperature


• 2 cups castor sugar


• 4 eggs


• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour (I made my own)


• 1 cup milk


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• zest of 2 large lemons

Preheat oven to 350∞F. Prepare, grease and line cake pans or muffin tins according to your application of choice.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter until soft and fluffy. Add sugar gradually and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down bowl at least once between the additions. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add lemon zest and vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed.

Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4-inches above counter, then dropping them flat onto the counter. Do this several times to release as much air bubbles as possible and to ensure you of a more level cake. (For my very tall cakes I did this about 10 times for each layer.) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Baking time varies according to your pan size, increasing as the diameter is reduced and height increased. For my two 6-inch round 2.5-inch tall cake pans, they took about 1 hour each. Start checking at 15 minutes if you are making cupcakes.)

Turn out cakes onto wire racks and cool completely before icing.


Lemon Curd

Note: I find this curd recipe just nice as it makes use of leftover egg yolks I gather from making Swiss Meringue Buttercream or pavlovas. Use larger lemons for a tangy curd - despite some comments on the recipe not being exact on the amount of lemon juice, I find this call for accuracy rather unnecessary. For the purpose of this cake, I made this curd thicker than usual - it was slightly wobbly after cooling to room temperature and sticky coming out of the fridge. This prevents it from running when sandwiched between cake layers. The texture will be just right when the assembled cake is served near or at room temperature. From the Joy of Cooking: This makes a sensation filling for sponge rolls or an Angel Food Cake. You can also marble it into a cheesecake.

• 8 egg yolks


• 1 1/2 cups sugar


• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter


• 3 lemons, zest grated and juiced

Place the ingredients in the double boiler over boiling water. Ensure that the top pan does not touch the water. Cook and continuously stir until mixture begins to gel or thicken, for about 15-20 minutes (yes, tough job but it will be worth it). Remove from heat and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate it to thicken more.

The curd keeps, covered and refrigerated, for about 1 week.


Seven-Minute Frosting

Notes:

Recipe adjustment: I've modified this recipe to suit my appliances and the hot and humid tropical weather. The water was deliberately reduced and I think I could do with another tablespoon less. In this frosting, both the light corn syrup and cream of tartar are important stabilizers - so I recommend them to be included.

Method and time: Most handheld electric mixer would not be able to go on a slow enough speed before the egg white foam too quickly and the sugar is yet to be melted. Experiment with your mixer but the hand whisking method works well with much more control. Made on a hot and humid day (it's not like I have a choice here), my frosting only became fluffy after about 10-12 minutes of whisking and beating. So eyeball yours but have no fear, since this was tested to survive Singapore, I'm pretty sure you will be equally if not more successful.

Assembly: Seven-minute frosting is extremely temperamental, sensitive to heat, humidity and draft. Make the frosting the day you'd like to serve the cake. Bring cake and curd close to room temperature if previously chilled and assemble the layers and filling. As you prepare the frosting the assembled cake would come to room temperature so it will keep the frosting stable. Frost immediately after the frosting is prepared - it will crust and dry up after about 15-20 minutes, sooner in dry conditions.

• 3 tablespoons water (original recipe uses 5)


• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar


• 1 1/3 cups sugar


• 2 large eggs whites at room temperature


• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts or shredded sweetened dried coconut (optional)

With a balloon whisk, mix the first five ingredients together in a large, stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide, deep skillet filled with about 1 inch of simmering water. Make sure the water level is at least as high as the depth of the egg whites in the bowl. Continue to whisk the whites until the mixture reaches 140∞F on an instant-read thermometer. Do not stop beating while the bowl is in the skillet, or the egg whites will be overcooked. If you cannot hold the thermometer stem in the egg whites while continuing to beat, remove the bowl from the skillet just to read the thermometer, then return the bowl to the skillet.

Once the temperature is reached and the sugar has melted (I test both using my fingers), remove from heat and continue to beat the mixture with a handheld or stand mixer for about 5 minutes on high speed. Add vanilla, beating on high speed for 2-3 more minutes to cool. Stir in coconut or nuts, if you are using them. Use this frosting the day it is made. Do not refrigerate before frosting.

Lemon Layer Cake Assembly: Prepare cake layers and split them if necessary. I refrigerate mine overnight and this made the cake more stable during assembly. Run hands along the side of the cake to remove excess crumbs. Add 1 tablespoon of the lemon curd filling to the cake board or pedestal. Place the cake layers on the pedestal, spreading filling between the layers. To avoid conflict between the lemon curd and the 7-minute frosting, I did not cover the cake with the curd but I believe if you make yours thick and spread it on the outside thinly as Deb did, it shouldn't run into the frosting. Also, the curd recipe yielded just enough for a nice 1/2-cm thick layer of filling between my tall cake layers (my preference). Frost top and sides of the cake with seven-minute frosting and toast lightly with a blowtorch if desired, taking care not to burn the tips of the billowed peaks.

Filled Cupcakes Assembly: With a melon baller or a small sharp knife, remove the center of each cupcake (and proceed to snack on them as you move along). Fill a piping bag attached with a cake filling or 1/2-cm plain tip nozzle with lemon curd already brought to room temperature. Ice with frosting on the tops and torch if desired.

Do ahead and storage: Lemon curd can be made up to 4 days in advance. Cake layers can be made ahead and refrigerated till required. Make frosting the day of. For best results, serve cake day of without returning it to the fridge after frosting. I made frosting on a hot and humid day and it rained cats and dogs after my cake was assembled. Assembled cake keeps, covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days, depending on how far ahead you prepare the lemon curd. The frosting will run the longer it is chilled, however the cake and curd flavors and texture will not be compromised.

Chocolate Ganache Tartlets with Muscat-Poached Peaches
Adapted barely from the July 2011 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Yields 8 10.5cm or 6 11.5cm individual tartlets
Cooking Time Prep time 25 minutes, cook 1 hour (plus resting, cooling, standing)

Note: Nothing compares with homemade pastry, especially when it produces such delicate crisp tart shells as these. Brushing the baked pastry cases with egg wash before baking them again seals the pastry and ensures it remains crisp after the filling has been added. In hot and humid Asian weather, refrigerate the pâte sucrée dough for an extra hour.

• 330 milliliters pouring cream


• 30 milliliters Muscat


• 250 grams dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped


Pâte sucrée:


• 200 grams/1 1/3 cups plain flour


• 60 grams pure icing sugar


• 120 grams cold butter, coarsely chopped


• 1 egg yolk


• 1 tablespoon iced water


• egg wash for brushing


Muscat-poached peaches:


• 500 milliliters water


• 400 milliliters Muscat


• 440 grams/2 cups caster sugar


• Thinly peeled rind and juice of 1 large orange


• 2 cinnamon quills


• 6 small peaches, halved, cores removed

For pâte sucrée, process flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor to combine, add butter and 1 tbsp iced water, process until mixture resembles fine crumbs. You can also do this quickly with a pastry cutter. Add yolk, process to combine, turn onto a work surface and bring together with the heel of your hand. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours (see recipe note).

Meanwhile, for the Muscat-poached peaches, bring Muscat, sugar, orange rind and juice, cinnamon and water to the simmer in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add peaches, cover closely with a piece of baking paper, weight with a plate and simmer until just tender, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer 500ml of the poaching liquid to a saucepan, simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to a light syrup, about 10-15 minutes, cool to room temperature. Cool peaches in remaining poaching liquid.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Divide the pastry into 6, roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to 2mm thick and line eight 11.5cm-diameter, 2cm-deep fluted tart tins. Trim edges and refrigerate to rest, for about 30 minutes. Blind bake tarts until light golden (15-20 minutes), remove paper and weights, brush with egg wash, bake again until crisp and golden, about 4-5 minutes - mine took about 10 minutes so eyeball it. Remove from tart tins and cool on a wire rack.

Bring cream and Muscat to the simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, add chocolate, remove from heat, stir until smooth, refrigerate until slightly thick, about 30 minutes. Drain peaches and pat dry with absorbent paper. Thinly slice 4 peach halves, arrange in tart cases, pour over ganache and refrigerate until set. Serve with Muscat-poached peaches, reduced syrup and candied orange rind.

Tarts are best served immediately to maintain the crispiness of the tart cases.

Jordan's Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Supershake
Recipe from Jordan MacVay.
Yields 4 cups.

• 1/2 cup ice cubes


• 2 very ripe bananas


• 4 ounces fresh blueberries


• 2 tablespoons peanut butter


• 1/3 cup instant oatmeal/rolled oats


• 350-500 milliliters milk


• 2 scoops mixed berry ice cream (optional)


• 2 tablespoons honey (optional)

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz on high speed for a few minutes. Serve with optional garnish of banana slices and some frozen blueberries with a drizzle of honey.

Ground Spice Chicken
Recipe from Vijay's mother, Mages.
Serves 6 to 8, or 2 with leftovers for the win.

Note: While the list of spices for the blend may look rather long, chances are if you do cook with spices they are already in your pantry. A few missing ones shouldn't be a problem so don't go running to store in case you don't have mustard seeds or caraway seeds. The recipe is written for a 1 kilogram chicken, adjust the ingredients according to the size of your chook.

• 1 whole chicken (about 1-1.5 kilograms), cut into 8-12 pieces


• 2 potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes


• 2 inches fresh old ginger, peeled


• 5 cloves garlic, peeled


• 1 cinnamon stick


• 2 star anises


• 2 large Bombay onions/2 shallots, sliced thinly


• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric


• salt to taste


• vegetable oil for frying


• 1 sprig coriander leaves for garnish


For the spice grind:


• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds


• 8 pieces dried chilies, seeds removed


• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds


• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds


• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds


• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces


• 4-5 cloves, buds removed


• 1 teaspoon uncooked rice


• 1 sprig curry leaves, plucked


• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary


• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

To prepare the spice grind, on low fire in a frying pan, fry all the spice blend ingredients until aromatic and slightly brown. Be careful not to burn them. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Grind the mix in a spice blender till the desired coarseness is achieved, sieve if necessary. Set aside. In a food processor or using a mortar and pestle, blend the garlic and ginger into a fine paste.

In a large wok, heat up oil over medium high heat. Add in cinnamon, star anise and onions. Fry till onions are translucent and aromatic. Add in the chicken pieces and stir well to mix. Add in the ginger and garlic paste. Mix well to coat the chicken and cover over medium heat, 5-10 minutes until chicken has turn slightly opaque. Remove cover, add in turmeric, spice blend and some salt. Reduce heat to low and toss everything to coat evenly. Add in potatoes and mix well. Cover for another 5-10 minutes. Remove cover, give it another stir and cover again briefly. Remove cover, check chicken and potatoes for doneness and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Remove to a serving dish and garnish with some coriander leaves and serve warm with rice, flat bread or ketupat (rice dumpling).