Tokyo Desserts

Flaky Coconut Oil Scones

I finally thought I should try baking with coconut oil so I bought a jar of it. It really is quite oily. I took a small taste from the jar and it was like eating coconut flavored lard.

Anyway, I persevered and went on baking. This recipe is incredibly simple and only takes about 15 minutes to put together. You actually can bake them for breakfast!

The texture of the scones if very flaky and not crumbly as can happen with scones. I highly recommend baking scones with the coconut oil if you don't mind the taste of coconut.

Recipe:
200 grams flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
pinch of salt
80 grams coconut oil
20 grams sugar
100 grams dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries
100 grams milk (room temperature)

1. In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together then add the salt. Mix in the coconut oil using a fork then add the sugar.
2. Mix in the milk. You can use a spatula to mix together. Lastly, add the dried fruit.
3. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. Lightly knead for a couple of minutes to ensure everything is well mixed.
4. Use your hand to flatten the dough to about 3.5 cm high. Use a round biscuit cutter to cut each piece. Place on a baking pan. Makes about 8 pieces.
5. Brush with milk before baking. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 15 - 18 minutes.



Checkerboard Cake Just add Milk and Serve!

I always thought this cake looked a bit too complicated to make so I never got around to making it. After one try though, it didn't turn out too bad.

It actually only takes a couple of hours to put together and some of that is waiting time so give it a try!


Cake:

6 eggs
200 grams sugar
200 grams flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100 grams butter
120 grams sweet chocolate (chopped)


1. In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, measure the butter add melt over a saucepan filled with hot water.
2. Put the chocolate in another bowl and melt over a saucepan filled with simmering hot water.
3. In a large bowl, whip the eggs with a hand mixer and gradually add the sugar. Continue to mix on medium speed until the batter is yellow and fluffy. This may take about 10 minutes so don't skip on this step. After the batter is well mixed, add the flour mixture gradually and continue to mix until everything is well combined.

Cakes after Baking

4. Add a little of the batter into the bowl with melted butter and mix well with a spatula then add to the bowl filled with the batter. Mix for a few seconds with the hand mixer.
5. Evenly divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Add the melted chocolate to one of the bowls and mix using a spatula.
6. Pour the batters into separate baking pans that are lightly rubbed with butter and dusted with flour. I used 2 20 cm round pans.


Putting Together:

Now you need to cut the cakes to put them together. Don't panic :)

Use a guide to cut your cake evenly

 First, you should cut your cake in half. I had these  
 wooden dowels at home so that I used them as a
 guide to cut the cake evenly. If you have a cake
 cutter, you can use that.

Guides for the cutting the cake circles

Secondly, find a piece of paper and outline the cake on it. From the outer edge of the circle, measure points at 4 cm then at 8 cm. Cut out 3 circles from the paper and place them on one of the cakes. Cut the cake based on the circles.

Mix alternate pieces of the cake circles then place alternate layers of cake on top of each other (i.e. alternate layers based on the outer cake color).

Ready for the last step!

Ready for dinner!

I really enjoy baking bread, just wish I had more time to make it.  Making bread at home is a luxury.

This is a basic recipe and you can easily add other ingredients to add extra zest such as black olives or nuts.

This bread is soft and easy to eat, great as a sandwich roll as well.

Here is the recipe:

375 grams flour
35 grams sugar
7 grams salt
6 grams yeast
100 grams milk
100 grams water
1 egg
40 grams olive oil
Fresh thyme (4 - 5 pieces)

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the yeast. Mix the egg, water and milk in another bowl.

 2. Add the egg mixture to the flour.  Use a bench scraper to mix and coat the flour. Put on a flat surface and knead for about 10  minutes. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Let rest under a bowl for about 10 minutes.

 3. Stretch the dough and pour 1/3 of the olive oil over it, knead well to incorporate the oil. Repeat several times until all of the oil has been added. Knead until the bread is soft & supple. If  the dough feels too dense, add a teaspoon of water or so and knead again. Add in the thyme. Put in a bowl and cover with wrap. Let rise in warm place for 60 minutes.

 4. Divide the dough into 70 gram pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place on the kneading board and cover with plastic and let rise for 20 minutes (bench time).

 5. Flatten each ball to remove the air and roll again into ball. Place on the pan you will use for baking - leave room between each piece since they increase in size during rising. Brush with olive oil. Cover with plastic and place in a warm place. Should rise again for about 30 minutes.

 6. Heat oven to 210 degrees Celsius and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes until browned.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentines' Day!  Here is another great chocolate cake recipe. It is made with hazelnuts powder and hazelnuts so it has a delicious nutty flavor.

The cake has 3 parts, a light crunchy bottom topped with a thin layer of Nutella then the chocolate cake on top and finished with chocolate ganache.

You can bake this cake using a pound cake pan.



30 grams flour
1.       In a food processor, add the hazelnuts powder, flour and powdered sugar and mix. Add the butter and mix and then add the egg.
2.       Spread the batter on a baking sheet about 20 cm x 20 cm square. Use a spoon to smooth the mixture evenly. Bake at 180 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes.


40 grams cocoa mass
75 grams flour
100 grams powdered sugar
100 grams hazelnuts powder
30 grams hazelnuts (finely chopped)
40 grams butter
200 grams egg white
50 grams sugar

1.       In a saucepan, heat the butter until it become bubbly and turns a golden brown color. Do not overcook. Strain the butter into a bowl to remove the sediment and let cool for 5 minutes then pour over the cocoa mass.  Use a spatula to mix. Put the bowl over hot simmering water to melt the cocoa mass completely if needed.
2.       Sift together the flour, powdered sugar, and hazelnuts powder.
3.       In a bowl, whip the egg whites and add the sugar in portions.
4.       Add the cocoa mass to the egg white in portions. Mix with a spatula. Add the flour mixture to the egg whites and mix with a spatula. Lastly, add the chopped hazelnuts.
5.       Pour into a lined baking pan and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache:
120 grams sweet chocolate (chopped)
15 grams corn syrup
100 grams fresh cream

1. Heat the cream and the corn syrup in a saucepan until it is lightly boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and mix with a small whisk.
2. Let cool until the texture becomes like pudding. Either decorate the cake with a knife or put the ganache in a pastry bag with a decorative nozzle to decorate.

Putting Together:
1. Cut the crunchy cookie the same size as the cake bottom. Spread a light layer of nutella on the cookie and place the cake on top. Decorate the cake with the chocolate ganache.