Sunday, 13 2010
photo by Spciy IceCream
The Perfect Carrot Cake
recipe courtesy of Anne’s Kitchen
Makes 1 cake for 10 people
Ingrdients:
2 medium eggs
200g brown sugar
150ml of sunflower or vegetable oil
200g grated carrot
50g walnuts
75g tinned pineapple
40g desiccated coconut
200g plain flour
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
For the Icing:
400g icing sugar
100g cream cheese
50g unsalted butter
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 150c. Line a square baking tin (about 20 cm on each side) with baking paper.
2. Chop the walnut and pineapple pieces so they end up quite small.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs at high speed, add the sugar and continue beating until pale and fluffy. Keep the whisk on at high speed, and add the oil in a steady stream. Keep beating until the mixture holds the shape of any trail across the surface.
4. Gently fold in the flour, cinnamon, bicarb, and salt, and then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Transfer the mixture to your tin and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. If it browns too much before the middle is done, then chuck some foil over it to stop it from burning.
6. Prepare the icing. Cut the butter into little blocks, and then using an electric whisk, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the icing sugar in 3 parts, but hand beat the mixture at first (otherwise you end up covered in icing sugar dust). Once that is all in and mixed, carry on using the electric whist until any lumps have gone from the icing. Put in the fridge to set.
7. Once your cake is done, leave to cool for 10-15 mins, before turning onto a wire rack. Then, when it’s cool, spread the icing generously over the top.
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Sunday, 13 2010
Who could possibly resist sweet, melt-in-your-mouth gooey marshmallows? No one! Especially homemade ones. We aren’t huge fans of them all on their own, but they do wonders as hot cocoa toppers and make sweet little gifts…even long after Christmas. And what makes them Dujour-worthy is play time with food coloring, because you know we are suckers for anything that can be tinted pink!
Marshmallows
(recipe courtesy of Vanilla & Lace)
Ingredients:
About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)
Note: A candy thermometer is key
Method:
Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.
In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)
In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.
Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.
Note: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week
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Saturday, 12 2010
photos by Mable Tan
Red Velvet Cake
(adapted from Joy of Baking)
- 2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two – 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
- In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.
- Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan.
- Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 sticks cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups of icing sugar
Whip the cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and airy (about 2 minutes). Mix in vanilla. Then sift the icing sugar, slowly pour the sugar into the frosting. Mix until combined. Finally, scrape down the sides of the bowl. If the frosting seems too soft, allow it to chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
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Saturday, 12 2010
photo by Naomi
Yo-yo biscuits are an Australian favorite, and since we love some Aussie culture around here, we couldn’t help but share a new worldly recipe with our Dujour dolls. Now don’t get your panties in a twist, biscuits are just like cookies for us American gals. It simply calls for butter, icing sugar, flour, custard powder and buttercream. Once you’re done, they look just like yo-yos! Hence the name.
photo by Chef Joe
Yo-Yo Biscuits
makes 12 to 15 vanilla yo-yo biscuits.
Ingredients:
For the biscuits:
125 gm butter, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup vanilla flavored custard powder (or cornstarch)
For the buttercream:
30 gm butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla flavored custard powder
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
A couple of drops of food color (optional)
Method:
To make the biscuits, put the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl. Using an electric mixer beat this on high speed till it becomes pale and fluffy (for about 3 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl down a couple of times in between.
Sift the flour and custard powder onto this butter-sugar mixture and beat on low speed till everything is just combined to form a soft dough.
Since the dough is not very easy to handle at this stage, refrigerate it for about 30 to 45 minutes till it can be easily shaped.
Then take out the dough. Lightly coat your palms with flour and pinch off equal little bits (about 25 to 30 in all) of dough and roll them into smooth balls.
Place them on parchment paper lined sheets or ungreased cookie sheets. Dip the tines of a fork in flour and lightly press down on each ball of dough, flattening it to about 1 cm high. The tines will leave a decorative mark on the biscuits.
If your balls of dough have been rolled smoothly without any cracks, they will be smooth when pressed down.
Place the sheets in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes (the time it takes for your oven to pre-heat).
Bake the biscuits at 170C for about 15 minutes or till they start looking a light golden color. Do not be tempted to over bake them, as the biscuits will lose their melt-in-the-mouth texture.
Let them cool on the sheets for a while and cool them completely. Beat all the ingredients for the butter cream till light and smooth. Sandwich the biscuits with this buttercream.
These yo-yo biscuits will stay refrigerated for about 5 days, provided they last that long!
Note: Be careful not to bake them for too long. If you do, they lose their melt-in-the mouth quality. They do not need to brown and have to be taken out of the oven just as they’re beginning to change color.
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Friday, 11 2010
Ahh braids. No Pippi-Longstocking look-a-likes here though, fortunately!
For 2010, the messier, the longer, the wavier…the better! It’s all about tousled, bedhead hair that screams ‘I-just-made-out-with-my-summer-crush-for-two-straight-hours.’ Side braids are the ‘it’ braids this year, with the fishtail looming in a close second.
All of these above braid looks are from the Miu Miu and Alexander Wang runways…the fashion world has gone crazy for pretty braided hair! And for those lazy summer days when you don’t want to blow dry or flat iron your lovely tresses, braids are the perfect go-to hairstyle. They hold even better in second-day unwashed hair because of your scalp’s natural oils.
Any way you wear braids this year, don’t forget that something as easy as a delicate rhinestone barrette or a freshly-picked flower can transform your day look into a beautiful evening one!
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Friday, 11 2010
…spend the weekend on designing a manicure that will turn heads!
…from the pages of our Virgin Issue to the runways to your hands, lace is a trend we hope never dies down
…we’ve made it apparent enough that Miu Miu killed it this season with their patterns galore and we can’t get enough
…or maybe a little 80’s flashback is more up your alley a la SJP in SATC2
…and one can never go wrong with a little bow love, we are after all Dujour girls; anything girly rules
Dujour wants to see your fave nail looks! Comment below.
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Friday, 11 2010
Meeting up with girlfriends to enjoy macarons, cupcakes, petit fours and delightful mini sandwiches accompanied with delicious freshly brewed tea is nothing new. But Dujour girls really never need a reason to bring up such an activity right? Women around the globe seem to be embracing this traditional “High Tea” ritual and it’s growing in popularity each day. I’m here to tell you that Australia is chock full of delightful ways to indulge in this little ritual.
Just as the Sex & the City show catapulted the cupcake into the phenomenon that is the ‘cupcake craze’ (via Magnolias) seen from America down to the shores of Australia, their latest movie will only add to the appeal of the ‘high tea’ where a group of close girlfriends can head out to a beautiful venue to chat over a lovely tea or champers with delicious bite sized sweets and savouries. It’s the perfect way to spend an afternoon…
High Tea is no longer just a luxury service at elaborate Tea Room venues like Russian Tea Room in New York but is starting to spread across chic boutiques that want to offer women a place to relax and enjoy. Below are just of a few of my fave Aussie places to find divine tea and cupcakes:
High tea, cupcakes and fashion at Cecylia boutique in Melbourne, Australia.
High Tea parties held at designer stationery and accessory shop Cristina Re in Melbourne, Australia.
Babycakes from Cupcake Central perfect for a DIY tea party.
contributed by guest blogger Sheryl
russian tea room photo by mom in the city
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