Fruit and Cream Birthday Cake | Recipe

Have a friend/family member's birthday coming up and trying to look for that perfect birthday cake? Look no further- this cake is sure to impress! It consists of two light sponge cake surrounding a layer of fresh fruits and cream. On top of the cake, I've decided to decorate with half of a fresh mango, strawberries and a really cool sugar decoration, but feel free to use your favorite fruits that are in season. Not only is this cake impressive and elegant, it's also soooo delicious!

Birthday Cream Cake Recipe                                                                            Recipe by iSaamuel
INGREDIENTS;
Cake
4 egg yolks,
55g of bread flour (sifted),
3 tablespoons of milk,
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract,
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or any other flavourless oil)

4 egg whites,
50g of sugar

Sugar decoration
100g of sugar,
2 tablespoons of water

Cream
450ml of heavy whipping cream,
3 tablespoons of powdered sugar (more or less according to taste)

METHOD;
Cake
1. Mix together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla extract and oil together with a whisk until well homogenised.
2. Sift in the bread flour and whisk for about 2-3 minutes or until gluten strands form and the mixture becomes thick. Set aside.
3. In another large, clean bowl, add in the egg whites and start whipping it until frothy.
4. Once frothy, gradually add in the sugar and whisk until soft, glossy peaks are formed.
To test if they're ready, tilt the bowl with the egg whites and see if they move around. If not, they're done- they should be nice and firm.
5. Fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Start off with a 1/3 of the egg whites and whisk this in to lighten up the egg yolks.
6. Add the rest of the egg whites in, but this time, folding gently so as not to deflate the air bubbles we worked so hard for (while whipping).
7. Once the batter is well mixed and that there are no more streaks of egg whites, pour this mixture into two 7-8 inch lined baking cake tins.
8. Bake at 180c for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of both cakes come out clean.
Let the cake cool before decorating.

Sugar decoration
1. Heat the sugar and water on medium low heat until it becomes light amber in colour.
2. Take it off the heat immediately once it reaches this stage and set up a bowl with two knives on top. (See video)
3. Using a fork, dip it into the caramel and drizzle on top of the knives rapidly from left to right to form thin sugar strands.
4. Once you have made enough, gather the strands and form a sugar ball. (See video)

Cream
1. Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form.
Use this cream to decorate the cake.

DECORATING
1. Place the cake on a cake turntable lined with 4 pieces of parchment paper on either side of the cake. (We remove these pieces of parchment paper at the end for a clean finish.)
2. Spread cream and add fruits on top before covering with the 2nd layer.
3. Cover the whole cake evenly with cream. Smooth with a palette knife, pipe and decorate as you wish.

For a decoration idea, watch the video.
Enjoy!

Birthday Vanilla Cupcakes | Recipe

These cupcakes are absolutely perfect for any birthday party. They may look normal on the outside, but inside, they are filled with a creamy, vanilla custard waiting to be oozed out and suprised by anyone. Topped off with whipped cream, feel free to decorate them your way!

Birthday Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe                                                                       Recipe by iSaamuel

INGREDIENTS;
45g of Bread Flour,
3 Egg Yolks,
2 Teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract,
3 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil,
2 Tablespoons of Milk,
45g of Sugar,
The seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean/Pod,

3 Egg Whites,
1 Teaspoon of Cream of Tartar,

- Custard*
 3 Egg Yolks,
 The seeds from 1 Vanilla Bean/Pod,
 1 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract,
 1/2 Cup of Sugar,
 1 Tbsp of Cornstarch,
 3 Cups of Fresh Milk

- Whipped Cream**
  3/4 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream,
  2 Tablespoons of Sugar

Vanilla Cupcakes
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Bread Flour, Egg Yolks, Vanilla Extract, Oil, Milk and Sugar until pale, thick and creamy.
2. Add in the seeds from the Vanilla Pod and whisk well until the seeds are evenly visible and distributed through the batter.
3. In another large bowl, whisk Egg Whites and Cream of Tartar until stiff peaks are formed and Egg Whites are glossy. When the bowl is tipped, the Egg Whites should not fall out or move. If it moves, whisk longer until it does not move at all.
4. Fold the Egg Whites, with a rubber spatula, into the Egg Yolk batter, gently and gradually., until a complete batter is formed. Be gentle and don't whisk vigorously otherwise you will lose the air beaten for the Egg Whites, resulting in an unfavorable texture (chewy).
5. Divide batter equally into a lined cupcake pan. Bake at 180C for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick or a skewer is clean when inserted into the centre of a cupcake.
6. Let the cupcakes cool before decorating.

Custard*
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl for 5-8 minutes until the mixture is pale and thick.
2. Heat up the milk in a large saucepan on medium-high heat, along with, vanilla beans, and the used vanilla pod, until it just comes to a boil. Take 3 tablespoons of the milk and mix with the constarch to create a slurry. 
3. Remove the vanilla pod. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolks while whisking constantly. When completely mixed in, return to the pan. Pour in your cornstarch slurry.
4. Stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
5. Once completed, sieve the custard with a strainer into a large bowl in case of any cooked or curdled eggs.
6. Stir in your vanilla extract well. It's now done!

Whipped Cream**
1. Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form. Don't over mix or it could turn into butter and seperate. You could also add vanilla extract!

Decorating the Cupcakes
1. Place the Custard and Cream into two seperate piping bags fitted with star piping tips.
2. Poke a hole into the center of each cupcakes and slowly pipe in the custard until the cupcake feels 'full'. Scrape of and remove any excess custard on top.
3. Pipe the Whipped Cream on the cupcakes. Decorate with colorful edible sprinkles, Oreos, or even fruits. It's up to you. Be as creative as you like- enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

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It seems that nowadays cupcakes are the next big thing, but I find that the ones from many bakeries are too sweet... The icing is packed full of powdered sugar, not to mention that the actual cake itself is loaded with a ton of butter and sugar, as if it wasn't sweet enough. Many cupcakes now come in endless varieties of flavors which then has a load of artificial flavor and coloring added- yuck!
I have come up with a recipe, that is much healthier and delicious, as I have cut down on the butter and sugar, and I also find that it has a softer texture than most cupcake recipes out there! I hope you enjoy me recipe!

Vanilla Cupcake Recipe                                                                                         Recipe by iSaamuel

INGREDIENTS;
2 Eggs,
1/2 Cup of Sugar,
1 Tbsp of Pure Vanilla Extract,
2 Tbsps of Melted Butter,
1/2 Cup of Fresh Milk,
1/2 Cup of Cake Flour.

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Eggs and the Sugar until the mixture doubles in volume and becomes thick and creamy. This step takes about 5-10 minutes to reach its maximum volume and texture!
2. Gradually sift in your Cake Flour and whisk gently to incorporate everything. Do not overmix otherwise you'll have tough bread-like cupcakes!
3. In another bowl, whisk Melted Butter along with Milk and Vanilla Extract and pour this mixture into your cake batter.
4. Stir gently until everything's combined but don't mix for too long as the cake batter will develop gluten! The cake batter should be at a nice and creamy consistency!
5. Line your Cupcake Pan with Cupcake liners and scoop the batter with an Ice-Cream scoop or with two spoons, and divide the mixture equally between the liners.
6. Bake at 180c for about 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.

Enjoy and serve with your favorite icing or a dollop of whipped cream! :)

Sponge Cake Recipe

I've always wanted the perfect recipe for moist and soft cake... here it is! After weeks of developing and testing, I have finally come up with this perfect recipe! I love using this for my Birthday Cakes, or just sharing with friends and family beneath a blanket of fluffy whipped cream for a simple decoration- I hope you like this recipe

Sponge Cake Recipe                                                                                                                       Recipe by iSaamuel

INGREDIENTS; 
6 Egg Yolks,
6 Egg Whites,
150g of Sugar,
1 Tbsp of Vanilla Extract,
9 Tbsps of Milk,
110g of Cake Flour,
60g of Butter (Melted).

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Egg Yolks, Sugar, Vanilla until the mixture is light, thick and fluffy. The longer you mix, more air will be incorporated into the final result, making the cake extra soft!
2.  Add in your Milk and Melted Butter and whisk gently until well incorporated. The mixture should still be slightly thick.
3. Sift your Cake Flour into the Egg Yolk mixture, in three portions, mixing gently after a each addition with a whisk to prevent any flour lumps. Do not overmix, other wise you'll have a very dense and tough cake! Once all of the Flour are incorporated and well mixed through, scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Your mixture should be nice and creamy but not too thick or dough-like.
5. Add your Egg Whites in a seperate large mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks are formed for about 3-7 minutes.
6. Gradually add your Egg Whites into your Egg Yolk mixture while folding gently to keep the air in.
7. Once there is no Egg White left, line two 10inch cake pans with non-stick parchment paper and divide the mixture evenly between the two pans. Bake the cakes for 20-25 minutes at 200c. Be careful not to overbake as it will result in denser cakes.

Let your cakes cool and frost with icing to make a Birthday Cake or top off with Whipped Cream and Fruits for an elegant dessert! Enjoy.