20 Sweets in 20 Weeks - #8: Strawberries and Cream Tart

 Stop the press. I think I have found a new favourite dessert. I have always called lemon cheesecake my favourite dessert, but now that I have tasted this divine strawberries and cream tart - I think the cheesecake's days are numbered. The texture of the filling is so light, smooth and creamy, and then the strawberries on top covered in sweet sticky jam perfectly finish off this tart. I would have to say that it is a perfect summer dessert (and yes it is summer down here in Australia :P).

Now because I am true and honest blogger I have something to tell you, and well, this is hard for me to say, but... I used a store bought tart case. I know there is no excuse for not making the pastry myself, but this week has been a bit chaotic and quite frankly I just couldn't be bothered. So there is my dirty little secret. And now that the secret is out I feel a lot better. Also if you are feeling lazy like me that makes this the perfect dessert for you - just buy a tart case, quickly whip up the filling and top with strawberries and jam. Couldn't be easier!

Strawberries and Cream Tart (from taste.com.au)

Serves 6 

1 1/3 cups plain flour

2 tablespoons caster sugar

90g butter, chilled, chopped

1 egg

250g cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 teaspoon rum (I used 1 teaspoon of honey instead)

500g small strawberries, hulled (I used large strawberries hulled and cut in half)

1/4 cup strawberry jam, warmed

1. Process flour, caster sugar and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add egg. Process until pastry just comes together.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth. Press into a 10cm (diameter) disc. Wrap in greaseproof paper. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. Place a baking tray into oven. Preheat oven and tray to 200°C. Roll out pastry on a floured surface to a 5mm-thick round. Line a 3cm deep, 19cm (base) loose-based tart pan with pastry. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
4. Line pastry case with baking paper. Fill with raw rice. Place onto hot baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are light golden. Remove baking paper and rice. Bake for a further 8 to 10 minutes or until pastry case is light golden. Set aside to cool.
5. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, icing sugar and rum until smooth. Spread mixture in cold pastry case. Top with strawberries. Brush with warm jam. Cover. Refrigerate overnight. Serve.

Me cheating with a store bought tart case.

Add the filling.

Cut up the strawberries.

Arrange the strawberries on top of the filling.

Finish by brushing with warm jam - voila!

Sunday Breakfast - French Toast

So now that my mum lives next door to me and she has three lovely chickens it only makes sense that breakfast time should use up some of those lovely fresh eggs. The treat for today - french toast. Could there be a more scrumptious way to start the day?

French Toast (from Survival for the Active Family - Australian Institute of Sport)
Serves 4

2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp brown sugar
pinch nutmeg
oil for cooking
4 slices bread (I used raisin toast)
strawberries, to serve
maple syrup, to serve

1. Combine eggs, milk, sugar and nutmeg in medium mixing bowl.
2. Heat oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
3. Soak bread slices one at a time in egg mixture until saturated.
4. Cook slices for 2 minutes each side.
5. Serve with strawberries and strawberries.

Enjoy!

Baking Mondays - J is for Jube Cupcakes

Strawberry, lemon and orange cupcakes topped with strawberry, lemon and orange swiss meringue buttercream, then sprinkled with coloured sugar crystals and topped with a jube.

This week Jubes won the poll and at first I was having some trouble deciding what to bake. I decided upon three Jube flavours - strawberry, orange and lemon. I wanted the top of the cupcakes to look like a jube so I went a little big crazy with the coloured sugar crystals - they would of looked better if I didn't rush spreading on the swiss meringue buttercream. Oh well they still tasted good and that is the main thing. Okay time for the recipes...

Jube Cupcakes
Makes 36 cupcakes

270g unsalted butter, softened
270g cream cheese, softened
450g caster sugar
6 eggs
150g self-raising flour, sifted
225g plain flour, sifted
1 lemon
lemon essence
yellow food colouring
1 orange
orange essence
orange food colouring
strawberry essence
pink food colouring

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line 3 12-hole muffin trays with cupcake liners.
2. Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl between each addition.
4. Beat in flours on low speed.
5. Divide the batter into 3 equal portions.
6. To make the lemon cupcakes add the zest and juice of one lemon, a few drops of lemon essence and a little yellow food colouring to one of the bowls of batter and gently mix.
   
7. To make the orange cupcakes add the zest and juice of one orange, a few drops of orange essence and a little orange food colouring to one of the bowls of batter and gently mix.
8. To make the strawberry cupcakes add a few drops of strawberry essence and a little pink food colouring to one of the bowls of batter and gently mix.
9. Divide all three batters into cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes.

Jube Swiss Meringue Buttercream

400g caster sugar
6 egg whites
375g unsalted butter
juice of one lemon
yellow food colouring
juice of one orange
orange food colouring
strawberry topping
pink food colouring

1. Combine the egg whites and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk over a saucepan of simmering water until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is as hot as you can get it without the egg whites cooking.
2. With the whisk attachment on your mixer whisk the egg white and sugar mixture on high speed until a stiff meringue is formed and the mix has cooled down to room temperature.
3. Now put the paddle attachment on your mixer and with the mixer on a low speed add a tablespoon or two of butter at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy again.
4. Divide the buttercream between three bowls.
5. To make the lemon buttercream add the lemon juice and a little yellow food colouring and beat until incorporated.
6. To make the orange buttercream add the orange juice and a little orange food colouring and beat until incorporated.
7. To make the strawberry buttercream add strawberry topping to taste and a little pink food colouring.

Assembling the cupcakes

1. Pipe the orange buttercream on the orange cupcakes, lemon on lemon, strawberry on strawberry.
2. Sprinkle cupcakes with orange, yellow and pink sugar crystals.
3. Top with orange, lemon and strawberry jubes.

The ratings?

Me - 7/10 - these tasted good, had a good texture - but didn't have the major wow factor. Still good cupcakes though :)
Mat - 6/10 - more akin to a traditional cupcake, the bolder cupcake experiments tend to be much better.

Baking Mondays - Neapolitan Cupcakes

Ah what a disaster. The plan was to make rocky road cupcakes. I chopped up the cherries, marshmallows and peanuts, covered the bowl in cling wrap and then went out to visit some friends. When we got home I was all psyched up to finish the cupcakes but soon discovered that ants had gotten into the rocky road mix! It was extremely disappointing and I nearly gave up there and then, but when I realised that I had all the necessary ingredients for neapolitan cupcakes I was in business again. So without further ado...

Neapolitan Cupcakes (from The Australian Women's Weekly - Cupcakes)

Makes 12

125g butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

185g self-raising flour

80ml milk

pink food colouring

strawberry essence

1 tbspn cocoa powder

2 tsps milk, extra

1. Preheat oven to moderate. Line 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases.
2. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the sifted flour and milk, in two batches.
3. Divide mixture evenly among 3 bowls. Tint one mixture pink and flavour with strawberry essence. Blend sifted cocoa with extra milk in cup, stir into another mixture. Leave third mixture plain.
4. Drop alternate spoonfuls of the 3 mixtures into cases. Pull a skewer through the mixtures to give a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.
6. Decorate with butter cream.

Neapolitan Butter Cream

125g butter, softened

240g icing sugar

2 tbsps milk

pink food colouring

strawberry essence

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsps milk, extra

Beat butter with electric mixer until as white as possible. Beat in sifted icing sugar and milk in two batches. Divide mixture into 3 bowls and flavour butter cream in a similar style to the cupcake mixture.

Note: I added the strawberry essence to give it a true neapolitan flavour, the original recipe just used pink food colouring.

So the verdict?

Me - 7/10, pretty good - I think I would add a tad bit more strawberry essence to the cake and I would like to decorate it differently next time.

Mat - 8/10, sugary goodness - he is looking forward to having another one tomorrow.

One more photo of the cupcakes, this is the inside of the cake...