Peach cake tart recipe

CHARCOAL TART

100g butter

200g plain flour

30g sugar

1 egg yolk (might need egg white)

½ tsp vanilla essence

Bamboo charcoal powder

1.     Mix butter and sugar together. Add in egg. Add in vanilla essence and then mix in flour and bamboo charcoal powder using a wooden spatula.

2.     Add in some egg white if mixture is too dry.

3.     Refrigerate for 30mins-1h.

4.     Blind bake at 180°C for 25mins, then remove the weights and bake for another 10-15mins.

VANILLA CAKE

120g egg whites (4 egg white)

40g sugar

80g egg yolks (4 egg yolks)

40g sugar

40g cake flour

Vanilla essence

Used 20cm (8”) cake tin.

1.     Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2.     Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

3.     Bowl 1: Whisk egg yolks and sugar well (until pale in colour).  Add vanilla essence.

4.     Sift in cake flour, whisk until well-combined and aerated.

5.     Bowl 2: Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually pour in the sugar, whip until to stiff peaks.

6.     Fold the egg whites mixture into the egg yolk mixture until just combined.

7.     Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, smooth surface with a spatula.

8.     Bake for ~30mins (1 x 20cm tin, cut in half later) until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

9.     Flip cake upside down onto rack to let cool.

Coffee banana cake tart recipe

Coffee banana cake tart

TART

100g butter

200g plain flour

30g sugar

½ egg

½ tsp vanilla essence

1.     Using an electric mixer, whisk butter and sugar together. Add in eggs very slowly while whisking. Add in vanilla essence and then mix in flour using a wooden spatula.

2.     Refrigerate for 30mins-1h.

3.     Blind bake at 180°C for 25mins, then remove the weights and bake for another 10-15mins.

COFFEE CAKE

120g egg whites (4 egg white)

40g sugar

80g egg yolks (4 egg yolks)

30g sugar (coffee powder has sugar)

40g cake flour

Coffee powder

Total weight ≈ 310g (each layer ≈ 155g)

Used 20cm (8”) cake tin.

1.     Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2.     Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

3.     Whisk egg yolks and sugar well (until pale in colour).

4.     Sift in cake flour, whisk until well-combined and aerated.

5.     Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually pour in the sugar, whip until to stiff peaks.

6.     Fold the egg whites mixture into the egg yolk mixture until just combined.

7.     Pour the batter into the lined baking pan, smooth surface with a spatula.

8.     Bake for 20mins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Apple custard tart recipe

Apple custard tart

Used 23.5cm tart pan.

TART PASTRY

175g plain flour

100g cold butter, cut in small pieces

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cold water

CUSTARD

35g all-purpose flour

30g granulated white sugar (original: 65g)

2 large eggs

174g cream

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

APPLES

675g apples (approx. 4 medium sized apples)

25g granulated white sugar

25g unsalted butter

A sprinkle of cinnamon

CINNAMON SUGAR

10g granulated white sugar (original: 15g)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TART

1.     Place the butter in your mixer and beat until softened. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating just until incorporated. (Don't over mix or the butter will separate and lighten in color.) Add flour and water and mix just until it forms a ball. (Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked).

2.     On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into a circle that is about 3mm thick. 

3.     When the pastry is the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, unroll onto top of tart pan (never pull pastry or you will get shrinkage). Gently lay in pan and lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan. Roll your rolling pin over top of pan to get rid of excess pastry. Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes). Cover and refrigerate for about 30mins-1h to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

4.     Preheat oven to 200°C. Line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill tart pan with pie weights or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.

5.     Bake crust for 20mins (I removed beans and bake for extra 5mins at 180°C as the middle of the tart wasn’t fully cooked) until crust is dry and lightly browned. Remove weights and cool crust on wire rack. 

CUSTARD

6.     In a large bowl whisk the flour and sugar together.  Mix in the eggs and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste. Do not let this mixture sit too long as it will form a crust. 

7.     Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream until it just starts to boil and foams up. Remove from heat and gradually whisk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Set this mixture aside.

8.     Return mixture to the saucepan. Heat to thicken, whisking constantly (*it burns very fast).

APPLES

9.     Peel, core, and slice the apples into 0.5cm thick slices. 

10. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in the sugar. 

11. Add the apples and 

Adapted from: joyofbaking

Lemon meringue pie recipe

Lemon meringue pie

TART PASTRY

175g plain flour

100g cold butter, cut in small pieces

1 tbsp icing sugar

1 egg yolk (62g egg gave me 15g yolk)

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cold water

LEMON FILLING

2 tbsp cornflour

50g golden caster sugar (original: 100g)

finely grated zest 2 large lemon

100g fresh lemon juice (1 huge lemon) (original: 125g) is a little too tangy, may want to decrease to 90g and fill up with water

Juice 1 small orange

85g butter, cut into pieces

3 egg yolks (total: 53g)

1 whole egg (56g)

MERINGUE

4 egg whites, room temperature (total: 145g)

100g golden caster sugar (original: 200g)

2 tsp cornflour

Used 23.5cm tart pan.

Used eggs of weight 62/63g each.

Prepare the tart one day in advance. Do the meringue, then do the lemon filling.

TART

1.     For the pastry, mix all the ingredients together (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water.

2.     Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out and line a 23 x 2.5cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin. Trim and neaten the edges. Press pastry into flutes. The pastry is quite rich, so don’t worry if it cracks, just press it back together. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for ½-1 hour (or overnight).

3.     Heat oven to 180°C. Bake the pastry case ‘blind’ (filled with dry beans) for 15mins (may want to increase to 20mins), then remove the foil and bake for 12mins until golden. Set aside (can be done a day ahead if you want).

LEMON FILLING

4.     For the filling, whisk the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make orange juice up to 100ml with water (original: 200ml) and strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and smooth. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted.

5.     Whisk the egg yolks and whole egg together in a separate bowl. Pour egg mixture very slowly and whisk into the pan. Return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon (it will bubble, but doesn’t curdle). Take off the heat and set aside while you make the meringue.

MERINGUE

6.     Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating.

7.     Whisk in the cornflour, then add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick (whisk to almost but NOT stiff peaks, peaks must be able to fold over a little to look pretty). Quickly reheat (*till piping hot) the filling and pour it into the pastry case. Immediately, put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl.

8.     Heat oven to 180°C. Return to the oven for 17mins (20mins was too brown) until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30mins (*important), then remove and leave for at least another ½-1hr before slicing. Eat the same day.

Adapted from: bbcgoodfood

To separate egg white and yolk

Lemon meringue before baking