I like to think of cream cheese frosting as cheesecake on cake. This recipe is quick and easy to prepare, and you can use it on cakes of many sorts, like a sponge cake, or a red velvet cake.
Orange Almond Spongecake
Buttercream with Sugar Syrup Base
Classic Tart Dough
How to Measure Flour Without a Scale
By far, the best way to measure flour is by weight. However, not all home bakers have a kitchen scale, and most recipes I find online and in many cookbooks default to volume measures in cups. Here is a technique that you can use to make sure that you use the right amount of flour every time: scoop, sift and swipe.
Chocolate Spongecake
Sweet Short Paste - Tart Shell
Hazelnut Pralin - Powdered Sugar Method
If you're unwilling to make a caramel for your pralin, then this method if for you. This recipe uses Hazelnuts, but you can use any other nut. Because it is cooked directly in the pan, there is no need to toast them in the oven first. It's a straightforward recipe that will leave you with a crunchy and sweet recipe.
Icing and Decorating a Cake
Pastry Cream - Crème pâtissière
This custard is great to use on tarts. It usually goes over a baked tart shell, and is topped with fruit, whipped cream, meringue or any other topping. It can also be used as a filling for pastries, and flavoured with liqueurs, melted chocolate, vanilla, pulverized almonds, pralin, macarons or any other component to give it your special twist.
Sugar Crust for Baked Goods
Chocolate Icing
Melt some chocolate, melt some butter, and you have a delicious icing for your cakes. Done right, this coating is good enough on its own. It's my personal practice that anytime a recipe has a flavouring option, I'll default to the one that uses rum, bourbon, cognac, or any other spirit. This recipe should be enough to coat a two-layer cake.
Almond Pralin - Caramel Method
Italian Meringue
Beat the Perfect Egg Whites
So many recipes call for beaten egg whites. Whether you are making a cake, a mousse, a soufflé, a meringue, macarons or any other dessert, the objective is almost always the same: incorporate air into the base or flavourings of your dessert. Here is a quick guide of things to do when beating whites.
Making the Ribbon - Mixing Egg Yolks and Sugar
Mise en Place - Preparing your Ingredients
Mise en place is French for putting something in place. It refers to what is perhaps the best advice you can get from anyone that's spent a good amount of time in a kitchen (that and wash as you go). The concept is simple: Before starting out a recipe, measure out and place all the ingredients you will need within easy reach.
