Chocolate Mousse Fraisier

It was Mr. Meow's birthday but he didn't want to have anything to do with birthday.  In fact, he wanted to be a hermit on his birthday.  NOT ALLOWEDS!!  There are plenty of people who would like to celebrate with him including his parents, so he isn't allowed to hide.  If he wants to be a hermit, he needs to be single and sever ties with family.

Weeks ago, I asked Mr. Meow what sort of cake he would like and gave him the Laduree book to flip through.  He flipped through it unenthusiastically.  I suggested the Intensement Chocolat - sort of mousse cake with a macarons bottom and a ganache coat.  "Meh" or no repsonse.  What sort of ass-hattery is this?!?!  People want to do things for you and you let them to appease them, as long as it's within reason.  I think his mother would kill to have people do things for her.  She is always complaining how people just "take and take and take" from her and not give any back, whether voluntary or not.

Anyway, Meow is always partial to chocolate mousse, so chocolate mousse cake it is.  But not with a macarons bottom.  I am already making 50 macarons for a party this week, so no.  No more macarons.  Meow has a favourite chocolate mousse recipe kicking around, it never fails, always fluffy.  And it's a 3 kinds of chocolate mousse layer recipe with the option of having a cake as the bottom layer instead of dark mousse.  So, I decided to revisit my cake making skills (or lack of rather), and decided to make a Devil's Food Cake for the base seeing as how the book says it's a work horse recipe for many variations of chocolate cake.  It shouldn't come out too dry or crumbly, should be stable enough on its own.  That's what Meow likes, a stable cake that can withstand being at room temperature for a few hours.

So, Devil's Food Cake bottom, dark chocolate mousse middle, white chocolate mousse top.  Okay.  Wait.  BORING!!  I have made this sort before, no challenge, not very high on the aesthetic scale, it's okay, but not WOW.  I have a craving for strawberries, last time strawberries cream with chocolate glaze coat on the cheesecake worked wonderfully for flavour.  Somehow, the idea of a fraisier came to mind.  It's really just French for strawberry cake, but the trademark of a fraisier is the halved strawberries that show up around the outside of the cake.  You see a ring of these cut strawberry faces along the side of the cake, that's just pretty.  Done deal.  But wait!  Just strawberries lining the edges isn't enough for flavour, and Meow doesn't want to deal with strawberry purée or chopping up strawberries or bavaria cream.  The mental image of jelly chunks in whipped cream kept popping up in my head.  This idea actually came from this local Asian bakery that does black forest cake cherry filling this way - jelly in whipped cream.

Okay, so cake, brown mousse, strawberry whipped cream, and white mousse.  Mirror glazed top.  Forget the ganache glaze, that was terrible looks-wise.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

This was a request from one of my friends from high school.

As I read and researched about what a Japanese style cheesecake was (because I knew it wasn't anything like the New York style ones) the more I found out how finicky they are - kinda like macarons. I'm not a fan of cheesecakes but CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!

First, a regular cheesecake that you're probably familiar with will have a graham crumb crust, a custard-based cream cheese infused filling, so somewhere between a pie and a soufflé.  However, a Japanese style one is essentially a sponge cake with cream cheese infused into it.

Now comes the deceptive part: the Japanese cheesecake consist of a yolks cream cheese batter folded in with a soft meringue. Sounds easy doesn't it? So does the macarons :P

Meow's Two Bite Fancy Brownies

It was godsister's house warming party and I was responsible for dessert.  By this time I was working pretty much everyday and didn't have much time to bake and stuff (hence the lack of posts), so what can I whipped up in an evening?  BROWNIES!!

I followed the recipe on the side of a can of Fry's Cocoa.  I find that their recipe is by far the best.

Topped with some chocolate frosting...oh yeah!

I would like to think that my piping skills have improved :P 

An egg tray works surprisingly well as a mini cupcake carrier. 

The trays were a bit deep and hard to get the brownies out

without wrecking the pipe job, so I stuck fancy toothpicks

to help get it out. 

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Mini cupcakes

Cupcakes are just too fattening...what if I made small ones and I *could* just eat one little one?  Wishful thinking really, but it's self-denial.

I made them anyways in between making pork cutlets rice bowls during dinner.  Those little mini muffin pans must have a better use than to make two-bite brownies.

The most appealing part about cupcakes is the decorating part.  I'm not that creative, but I still have fun playing with the pastry bag.  Oh, this time, I got to play with the pastry bag TWICE!

This is a different cupcake base recipe as opposed to the previous wheat one.  The cupcake base recipe can also be applicable to making an actual 9" cake.  Frosting is the same recipe.

Vanilla Cake Layer
adapted from The Art & Soul of Baking


3/4 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of flour
6 oz of unsalted butter
1/2 cups of sugar
3 whole large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/3 cup of sour cream (I used 14%)

Cupcake Cravings

Last weekend, Mr. Meow said he was craving cupcakes, and then I started having cravings.  Maybe it's because I had my cats whine and he kept saying "aww muffin" but the kitties insisted on "pink cupcakes".  Whatever, cupcakes were craved and then were made, but still no pink cupcakes.

The Offending Kitteh

I didn't make the cupcakes, Mr. Meow did but I squirted the frosting on as I love playing with pastry bags.

Wheat Cupcakes

adapted from JoyofBaking.com

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) stone ground wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Note: Mr. Meow used 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour and it turned out a bit dry.  Adjust your flour amount accordingly.  We live in a dry climate and high altitude and usually our batter needs more moisture.

1. Preheat oven to 350F (177 C)

2. Butter or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

6. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

7. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

8. Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.

9. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

10. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, decorate with icing.

11. I used a large open star tip to pipe the frosting.

Vanilla frosting and sprinkles

Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams) confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk or light cream

Assorted food colors (if desired)

3 teaspoons of cocoa powder (for chocolate frosting)

1. In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended.

2. Add the vanilla extract.

3. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

6. Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed.

7. Add the cocoa powder for color and flavor at this point if you want chocolate frosting.

Chocolate frosting with sprinkles

Make about 12 cupcakes

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Mr. Meow and I finished these eye-a-betes (thanks Zad) on my birthday.  I thought quietly to myself, is this gonna be my birthday cake...a CUPCAKE???  Thankfully (or not), Mr. Meow didn't stick candles in them to make it even more lame.