Almond Cookies

Almond Cookies.. where do I begin? Tiny yet packed with flavour.. Even though the cookie is tiny, it's sweet but yet packed with the fragrance of ground almond! It's kinda irresistable.. so much so that I keep popping one after another into my mouth! Just this inability to control the popping of CNY snacks.. uurgh! Just when I need to shed some weight for the big day!

In any case, even though I don't really fancy the Chinese-ness of Chinese New Year cos' it's usually associated with loud festive Chinese music for my family, some family visits and maybe some good food! The only thing I love about Chinese New Year is the abundance of good food! Love Letters, Pineapple Tarts (Oh I so wanna bake these again!), Kueh Bangkit, Barbecued Pork and the list goes on and on.. and oh yes, the ultimate favourite of mine? MANDARIN ORANGES! 

Chinese New Year is so much about food and more food! So.. if you have the luxury of time, why not try this relatively simple to prepare Almond Cookie? The only difficulty/set back in this is that the moulding of the cookie is tricky but I found a way to combat that.. Other wise, this is relatively manageable and is worth a try! This recipe was given to me by Sally who took it from Alan Ooi's book.

Chocolate Layered Cake with Toasted Almonds

And so, I've always had a penchant for chocolate cakes and so I wanted to try something new.. I did this Chocolate Layered Cake with Toasted Almonds last Tuesday.. Boy is this one recipe I'd always keep and tweak! I simply love the rich chocolate taste in this cake! This is also the cake used in Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Ganache (: This took me about 3 hours to bake but of course, if you have more time allowance, allow the cake to chill for a longer time in between so that it sets better! (: 

Chocolate Layered Cake with Toasted Almonds Recipe

This recipe yields one 9-inch cake

Ingredients: 

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE (A)

30g cocoa powder mixed with 120ml water

4 egg yolks

130g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

60ml corn oil

1 tsp vanilla paste/essence

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE (B)

4 egg whites

60g castor sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

225g dark coverture chocolate

85g unsalted butter

3 eggs, separated

250ml whipping cream

3tbsp castor sugar

4 bananas, sliced

CHOCOLATE GANACHE FROSTING

140ml whipping cream

350g dark coverture chocolate

1 tbsp butter

DECORATION

50ml whipping cream

30g toasted almonds (diced)

Some leftover chocolate ganache filling

Some leftover chocolate ganache frosting

Mango Mousse Cake with Toasted Almonds

I finally learned the proper way to perfect a Mango Mousse Cake after my lesson with Richard Goh. I'm glad that this cake was so fun to make and this is especially so after my 2 week hiatus from baking! This cake still has room for improvements since I'm still short of my cake ring.. but it's here in Singapore.. waiting to be delivered to my place! (: 

Nevertheless, this cake took me 3 hours to bake and prepare.

I just love baking layered cakes! 

This recipe is adapted from Richard Goh's Mango Mousse Cake.

Mango Mousse Cake with Toasted Almonds Recipe

Ingredients:

SPONGE CAKE

4 eggs (60g each)

100g sugar

100g plain flour, sifted

100g melted butter

MANGO MOUSSE

3 tbsp water

20g gelatin 

(Bake King is 'weaker' and so I used more.. If it's better brands, can use lesser, like 12g)

100 - 250g Mango puree 

(I like mangoes so I used 250g..)

250g whipped cream 

JELLY TOPPING

400ml water

38g gelatin (Bake King)

80g sugar

3 mangoes 

(I used Thai Mangoes)

40g silvered almonds or 40g toasted diced almond (ready-to-use)