Azuki cake like an Ardéchois

I already told you how much I enjoy chesnut purée. 

I discovered azuki bean purée in New York, and was very much surprised and pleased to see how they were similar in taste and texture. 

The Ardéchois is a French cake from the Ardèche region, where chestnut fruits have been growing for centuries. It is much like a pound cake, with chestnut paste. 

It is a rich cake that taste ... light? It's a real trick!

I decided to try an azuki cake, using an Ardéchois recipe.
I followed the recipe, simply replacing the chestnut purée with azuki bean purée. 

It worked pretty well, the texture of the azuki paste being so similar to the chesnut paste.

You can find the azuki bean purée recipe here, in another post.

Preheat the oven at 428°F. 

The recipe: 

Eggs	2		100g	Beat together until "light and fluffy"
Sugar	½ cup	3.5oz	100g
Vanilla extract	1 Tsp		5g
Flour (sifted)	¾ cup	3.5oz	100g	Mix and add to mixture
Baking powder	2 Tsp		10g
Butter (creamy)	¼  cup  + 2 Tbsp	2.8oz	80g	Combine and add to mixture
Azuku paste	1  ¾ cup	12.3oz	350g

Step by step: 

Mix egg + sugar and vanilla bean (vanilla essence) with a wire whisk until "light and fluffy."

Add flour and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, combine azuki paste with creamy butter. 

Combine the two mixtures together. 

The batter is thick but soft. 

Butter a mold with melted butter.

Put some cooking paper on the sides and bottom; butter again. 

Add the batter and put in the oven for 10 minutes, then lower to 350°C and cook for another 35 minutes.

The cake is ready when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Immediately wrap into plastic in order to retain the moisture, and let it cool on a wire wrack. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Caramel à l'Orange

Creamy Caramel à l'orange

This creamy caramel à l'orange can be used in many desserts.
I put it in my cake with apple and caramel à l'orange heart.
It is delicious on crêpes, biscuits, pancakes, on the bottom of a chocolate tart, etc.
The caramel and orange flavors offer an exquisite combination.

The recipe: 

Sugar	1 cup + 2 Tsp	7.4oz	210g	Make a "caramel à sec"
Glucose		1.48oz	42g	Add melted and stir
Butter	3 Tbs	1.48oz	42g	Out of the stove: add small cubes and stir
Heavy Cream	½ cup + 2 Tbs	4.93oz	140g	Add warm and stir
Orange Juice (from an orange)	¼ cup + 2 Tbs	2.46oz	70g	Add warm and stir

Step by step:

Prepare weighed ingredients, and put everything next to you:
Glucose, small cubed butter, heavy cream, orange juice (from a fresh orange, please) in separated pans.
Bring the heavy cream to a quick boil; do the same with the sifted orange juice. Do not do it too far in advance, because it has to be incorporated while still warm in the caramel. Set aside.

The way to prepare this caramel is called "caramel à sec."
It means that you are going to cook some sugar and only sugar (no water added) in a cooking pan until it turns into a nice caramel.

Put a little bit of sugar in a cooking pan (cover the bottom of the pan) on a light fire.
You don't want the sugar to burn.
Every time it starts to melt, add a little bit more sugar on the melting part. Do not stir, just move the cooking pan if you want to spread the sugar.
Do this until all the sugar is used.

Melt glucose a few seconds in the microwave, add to the caramel. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Out of the stove. Add the butter cut into small pieces, and stir until incorporated. 

Add the warm (but not too hot), heavy cream and stir; then the orange juice and stir.













Sometimes the sugar may crystalize. Do not worry, because you are going to put it back on the stove and it's going to melt.

Put the caramel back on the stove and bring to 226°F / 108°C.
Pour it into a sterilized glass container. The caramel can be kept in the refrigerator for about a month.

Enjoy!

Cake with an Apple and Caramel à l'Orange Heart

Cake with an Apple and Caramel à l'Orange Heart

This is a very simple cake to make. The simplicity of the batter is enhanced by a caramelized apple wih a drop of caramel à l'orange. 

The crispy crust of the cake and the melting caramelized apple heart offer a nice combination of texture for the mouth.

The caramel à l'orange makes a perfect couple with the apple and softens its sourness.

The recipe: (for ten cakes)

Sugar	1 cup	7.05oz	200g	Beat until "light and fluffy"
Eggs	2		100g
Salt flower	½ Tsp		3g
Vanilla bean	1
Butter (creamy)	¾cup + 1 Tbsp	3.98oz	180g	Add and combine
Flour (all purpose)	2cups	7.05oz	200g	Combine together and add to the mixture
Almond Flour	½cup	1.78oz	50g
Baking Powder	1 Tbsp		15g
Apple (golden delicious)	1			Medium cube the apple, set aside

Step by Step:

Cube the apple into medium pieces. Put a little piece of butter in a nonstick cooking pan. Add apple pieces until it gets a nice color. 

The apple stays firm and the outside is caramelized. Set aside. 

Preheat the oven to 428 °F.

Beat sugar + eggs + salt flower + vanilla bean until "light and fluffy."

I used a wireless whisk, but you can put everything into your electric mixer and whisk until "light and fluffy."

Cream the butter by putting it in the microwave a few seconds until soft. Do not let it melt; it would change the texture of the batter. 

Add to the mixture and combine.

Mix the flour + almond flour + baking powder together and add to the mixture. The result is a quite thick batter. 

I used a silicone mold with a square shape and was able to bake ten cakes. 

Butter the mold and put some sugar at the bottom. Shake the mold to take out any excess sugar. This will bring some crispiness to your cake. 

Evenly distribute the batter in the mold up to half of the side. Put a piece of apple in the middle of the batter  and slightly push it down. Be careful that the apple does not touch the bottom or the sides of the mold. 

Add a bit of creamy caramel à l'orange on top of the apple.

Finish with some batter. 

Bake for 3 to 5 minutes in 428 °F and lower the temperature to 340°F for 12 to 15 minutes, according to your oven.

Baking in a very warm oven at the beginning will give you a crispy crust.

A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out almost clean (because of the apple). You can check the side as well, it should come out clean.

I decorated the cake with some roasted almonds and a little bit of powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

It is impossible to be in New York without being aware of the cupcake mania striking the city.
Are cupcakes the new cookies?
I became familiar with them in Paris with Berko, which offers a large and beautiful choice of small cupcakes.
I decided to try it myself, being aware of two essential criteria for my cupcakes-to-be: the cake had to be very moisturized, and the frosting couldn't be buttercream (butter and conditioned sugar)!
I went through a lot of recipes, then I ended up with this one, and I made a few changes.
In order to make the cake more moisturized, I added buttermilk and baking soda mixed with white vinegar (the same method used when baking a red velvet cake).
I used more chocolate than cacao powder, just for the flavor that it brings.
I added orange zest as well, because it make a wonderful couple with chocolate.
And I chose a cream cheese frosting, which is very simple to make and very tasty.

The cake (for about 15 medium cakes)
Recipe: 

Chocolate (semisweet) 64% cocoa	3oz (about ½ cup)		85g	Melt in a bowl
Butter	1 stick	4oz	113g	Cut into small pieces and add to melted chocolate
Sugar	¾ cup	5 ¼ oz	150g	Beat together into a light mixture
Salt	½ tsp		2g
Eggs	2(large)		120g
Vanilla Extract	1 teaspoon		5g	Add
Flour (all purpose)	3/4cup	4oz		Combine and add to mixture
Orange Zest	1
Cocoa	1tbs	½ oz	15g
Baking Powder	¾ tsp		4g
Sour Cream	½ cup	4oz	113g	Add
Buttermilk	¼ cup	2oz	57g	Add
Baking Soda	½ tsp		2g	Combine together until fizzy and quickly pour into the batter
White Vinegar	½ tsp		2g

No step by step:
Sorry guys, I was rushing to make these cupcakes for my mother-in-law's birthday, and after a few attempts, I found out that rushing and taking pictures don't work well together for me!

Preheat the oven to 350°F

• Put the chocolate in a bowl and melt "au bain marie" (into a cooking pan filled with water).
• Add butter in melted chocolate removed out of the water. Cut butter into small pieces (it will melt faster).
• Beat together sugar, salt and eggs, until "nice and fluffy" and add to chocolate butter mixture.
• Add vanilla and orange zest (preferably organic).
• Combine dried ingredients together (flour, cocoa, baking powder, sifted) and add to mixture.
• Add sour cream and buttermilk.
• Combine baking soda and white vinegar, and when it fizzes, pour it quickly into the batter and immediately evenly separate the batter into the cupcake cases. 
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes according to your oven.
• Meanwhile prepare the frosting. 

(-;       240ml/1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon fresh lemon set for about 10 minutes = buttermilk

The cream cheese frosting
The recipe:

Philadelphia Cream Cheese	12oz		340g	Softened a little bit
Peanut Butter (creamy)	1 1/2 cup	6oz	170g	Add and combine
Vanilla (pure extract)	1 teaspoon		5g	Add
Confectioner's Sugar	1 1/2 cup	6oz	170g	Add and combine. Don’t over beat

• Soften the cream cheese using the paddle attachment of your electric blender; not too much or it will become too soft.
• Add peanut butter and beat until combined.
• Add sugar and beat until combined. 
• Keep refrigerated until cupcakes are completely cooled.

The batter should be thick enough to allow you to frost cupcakes with nice decoration.

                                                             

Enjoy!