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Name: Christmas Macarons
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: Electronic scale; 2 very clean and dry mixing bowls absolutely free of oil or water – preferably NOT plastic.; Hand mixer; Sifter; Flexible spatula; Piping bag; Round piping tip*****; Good quality baking pan; Template with macaron outline; Oven thermometer; Parchment paper or Silpat mat******; 65 grams – almond flour*; 65 grams – powdered sugar; 45 grams – castor sugar (a.k.a “berry” sugar or extra fine granulated sugar)**; 50 grams – egg whites aged***; 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1 teaspoon of lemon juice; GEL color of your choice****

Ultimate Guide to Making Christmas Macarons (Templates)

Oct 5, 2020 · 5 Comments

A comprehensive guide for making Christmas macarons successfully using my Best Macaron recipe, free Christmas macaron templates, homemade gift box, shopping list and more. Here is everything you need to know to make edible gifts for holiday gift giving.

A variety of different Christmas character macarons, some holding gift boxes.

'Tis the Season for Christmas Macarons

Christmas is the best time of the year to be baking macarons as gifts and party favours. Imagine just how much your loved ones will appreciate the time and effort you spent creating such cute creations for them. In addition, the "WOW" factor of receiving these beautiful French pastries just can't be beat. This is especially true when you take the time to pipe them into cute characters or fill them with special boozy macaron flavors that can't be bought in stores. I hope you enjoy this guide to making Christmas macarons and good luck with your holiday baking this winter season.

XOXO,
Mimi

**Tip**: almond flour can be made by grinding blanched almonds together with the powdered sugar in the recipe. See paragraph below on how. Even when using ready-made almond flour, it can be ground to a finer texture (than what is shown in the photo above) for a smoother macaron shell.

Mimi's Best Macaron Recipe

To save time and make sure you achieve success with your Christmas macarons, you'll need a good reliable macaron recipe. If you don't have one yet, below is my Best Macaron Recipe. Make sure you do all the prep work below to ensure your macarons will turn out successfully the first time. It will help save valuable time for doing other important tasks during the Christmas holiday season.

Prep Work and Tips for Success

Age egg whites. Age egg whites by separating out the egg whites at least 24 hours in advance. This will allow for the proteins to relax, helping it reach volume. Here's a detailed post on how to age egg whites.
Wiping down the mixing bowls for the egg whites with lemon juice. The egg whites don't whip easily in the presence of yolk, oil or water.
Smooth out parchment paper
Print out the free Christmas macaron templates provided below.
Setting out the piping bag. Here's a video showing how to set up a piping bag for macaron batter.
Sifting the almond flour/sugar mixture.
If this is your first time baking macarons, refer to the original Best Macaron Recipe for more visuals and explanations.
If you already know how to bake macarons and need help making multiple colors in one batch of macaron batter, read this post.

Recipe

Yield: 12 macarons

Christmas Macarons

Mimi's best macaron recipe for making non-hollow macarons successfully for beginners at home or in a commercial kitchen. Covering proper techniques: macaronage, aging the egg whites, making the meringue, figure-8 test, resting the shells and more. Step-by-step explanations, visuals, troubleshooting guide, free template and a how-to video are provided.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Resting Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Macaron Ingredients - recipe can be doubled, tripled and so forth

65 grams – almond flour*
65 grams – powdered sugar
45 grams – castor sugar (a.k.a “berry” sugar or extra fine granulated sugar)**
50 grams – egg whites aged***
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
GEL color of your choice****

Supplies

Electronic scale
2 very clean and dry mixing bowls absolutely free of oil or water – preferably NOT plastic.
Hand mixer
Sifter
Flexible spatula
Piping bag
Round piping tip*****
Good quality baking pan
Template with macaron outline
Oven thermometer
Parchment paper or Silpat mat******

Instructions

Complete all the Prep Work as listed in post.
Print out your favorite Christmas macaron template from the Christmas macaron guide.
Set aged egg whites out on counter to bring back to room temperature.
Whip room temperature egg whites with a handheld mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar. (Further reading: How to make perfect meringue for macarons.)
Once the beater starts leaving tracks in the egg whites and the bubbles have tightened up in size, add granulated sugar ⅓ at a time.
Once all the sugar has been fully incorporated and before reaching stiff peaks, add 1-3 drops of gel colour to your liking. Whip until Stiff Peaks.
Test meringue stiffness. Pull the whisk out, the points left in the egg whites should point upwards instead of drooping on itself.
Pour a third of the almond/powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold it into the egg whites. Then add the rest of the mixture and fold.
Stop folding once the dry ingredients have been fully incorporated and the batter has reached a “lava” like or honey consistency. The batter should pass the figure-8 test. (Watch video: How to Macaronage for No Hollows)
On a baking tray, place Christmas macaron templates underneath the parchment paper or silicone mats. Pipe the batter to the shape of the design. (Further reading: Proper macaron batter consistency while piping.)
Remove the paper template from underneath the parchment paper or mat.
Rap the tray several times on the counter to rid of excess bubbles.
Before the batter dries, pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.
Let it rest on the counter for 30 min. AND until a firm “skin” has developed. This will prevent the shells from cracking during baking and it's especially important for character macarons. (Further reading: Resting the macaron shell.)
Preheat oven to 320 F. (Further reading: How to use your home oven for baking macarons.)
Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes. Bake only one tray at a time.
Take them out and test doneness. The feet should not push back and the shell should not be wobbly.
Let them cool off on the pan (or off if they are overdone).
Fill with your favorite Christmas macaron filling.
Leave them in the fridge in an airtight container and let them mature for 24 hours. (If making ahead for a holiday party, read: can macaron shells be frozen and made in advance?)
After 24 hours of maturation in the fridge, bring them back to room temperature 30 min. before serving. ENJOY!

Notes

* Read this post on How to Make Your Own Almond Flour

** Regular granulated sugar can be used by castor sugar is preferable.

*** Measure out 50 grams of fresh egg whites and then age it before using. Read this post on how to age egg whites. Do NOT use meringue powder

**** DO NOT use liquid color.

*****Wilton #12 or Wilton #1A. I prefer Wilton #1A or Ateco #805 Plain Seamless Tip for regular round macarons or Wilton #12 for more control with character macarons.

****** I prefer the Macaron Silpat mat with macaron outline. DO NOT use wax paper

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, and so forth.

This recipe yields 12 assembled macarons.

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information

Yield

12 macarons

Serving Size

12
Amount Per Serving Calories 403Total Fat 40gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 36gCholesterol 0mgSodium 10mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 1gSugar 10gProtein 2g

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Macaron Troubleshooting Guide

And if you run into problems with baking your Christmas macarons, below is a handy macaron troubleshooting guide. It will explain some of reasons behind wrinkly, cracked, hollow macarons and more.

7 Christmas bear macarons holding onto present boxes.

Winter Macaron Recipe Flavours

After baking these festive macaron designs, it's time to fill them with flavours that evoke the spirit of the winter holidays. Think classic flavors like gingerbread, peppermint, Baileys Irish Cream...mmm... yum! Below are a few recipes for macaron fillings that are perfect for the holiday season.

Gingerbread Spice Macarons

These gingerbread spice macarons embodies the festive flavour of the holidays. Made with white chocolate, it's a good choice for Christmas parties or winter travel because it remains stable at room temperature. It's a filling that is also super easy to prepare. Save yourself the stress with this great holiday flavour.

Gingerbread Baileys Chocolate Macarons

Biting into this gingerbread Baileys chocolate macaron is like biting into a miniature chocolate liqueur bottle. The chocolate filling is liken to a boozy Frappuccino sandwiched in between two macaron shells that are infused with gingerbread spices.

A stack of Irish Cream Chocolate macarons set against Christmas ornaments.

Baileys Irish Cream Gingerbread Macarons

A bit creamier than the former and without the chocolate, Baileys Irish Cream Gingerbread Macarons allows more of the Irish whiskey, chocolate and coffee flavours to come through.

Baileys irish cream macarons with Baileys liqueur bottle in the back.

Candy Cane Peppermint Macarons

A cool peppermint candy cane flavour macaron is a must for the holiday season and this one is very easy to execute. If you're new to making macarons, this is one recipe which you should take a look at first.

Christmas bears hanging onto a candycane macaron.

Basic Chocolate Macaron Filling

This basic chocolate macaron filling is great for adapting your own Christmas macaron flavors. It uses 3 simple ingredients and is sturdy enough for filling macaron lollipops.

Winter bear macarons on lollipop sticks.

Here is the white chocolate version of basic chocolate macaron filling.

Here are some Christmas macaron inspiration for you. All of these projects have an accompanying macaron template which you can download and use to pipe with. They are available exclusively for Newsletter Subscribers. Just sign up for the newsletter and wait for the double opt-in confirmation email. Confirm your subscription and you’ll be sent the password to the Subscriber’s Only Area.

All the different Christmas macaron designs build upon the techniques that are discussed in this first foundation tutorial. Take a look at it first if you are unfamiliar with making macaron art.

Bear in Ugly Christmas Sweaters

Full tutorial on how to make Christmas Macaron Art. Read this post first if you don't know how to make macaron art.

Bear macarons in ugly Christmas sweaters.

Bear on Christmas Tree Macarons

Piping order:

Pipe tree with green batter.
Add Christmas holly sprinkles onto the tree before it fully dries. Let a light skin develop before moving onto next part.
Pipe bear head with brown batter.
Pipe tree stump with brown batter.
Once a light skin develops on the bear head, pipe snout, ears and paws in that order.
Once the macaron art develops a thick strong skin, bake and let cool.
Once baked and completely cooled, draw in eyes and nose with edible pen.

Christmas bear macarons hanging onto a Christmas tree.

Bear on Christmas tree macaron template.

Bear with Winter Cap Macarons

Piping order:

Pipe the bear's face with brown macaron matter. Wait until a thin skin develops.
Pipe the bear's ears. Wait until a thin skin develops.
Pipe the bear's cap with red macaron batter.
Carefully add a round green sprinkle on the top of the hat in the center.
Lightly sprinkle white nonpareil sprinkle onto the cap.
Add snout onto the bear's face.
Add a row of red batter underneath the cap for the visor.
Once the macaron art develops a thick strong skin, bake and let cool.
Use edible pen to draw in nose and eyes.

Christmas bear macarons with snow caps on a presentation plate.

Christmas Bears Hanging Onto Candy Canes

Piping order:

Pipe the candy cane with red macaron batter.
Add a thin white stripe on the candy cane with white batter.
Gently add the Christmas sprinkles onto the candy cane.
Pipe the bears head with brown batter.
Gently add the holly sprinkle onto the side of the bear's head.
Pipe the bears snout with the white batter.
Once a thin skin develops on the bears head, pipe the bear's ear and paws.
Once the macaron art develops a thick strong skin, bake and let cool.
Use an edible pen to draw in the eyes, nose and mouth.

Christmas bear macarons in candy cane shape.

Winter Holiday Puppy Dog Macaron Pops

Piping order:

Pipe dog's face with brown batter.
Gently add holly sprinkles to the side of the dog's face.
Once a thin skin develops on the face, pipe the dog's ears and feet.
Pipe the nose and eyes with black batter.
Once the macaron art develops a thick strong skin, bake and let cool.
Use some edible glue/royal icing to add pink confetti sprinkles onto the face for rosy cheeks. (Recipe for royal icing here.)
Draw in the mouth with edible pen.
Pipe a dollop of filling on the center of the shells, add lollipop stick, assemble 2 shells together.
Let set in fridge before packaging.

Christmas dog macarons on a lollipop stick.

Multi-color Christmas Macarons

Full tutorial for these tri-color macarons here.

A festive holiday cake with a macaron tower on top.

A Christmas sweets table with a macaron tower and cake.

Various Designs Using Simple Bear Template

Christmas bear macarons on a table with a Christmas card.

Christmas bear macarons holding presents.

Gingerbread Men Macarons

These gingerbread men macarons are decorated with Bailey's royal icing and edible gold flakes and silver flakes. You can also make the gingerbread men and allow your children to decorate them with cute faces and maybe some clothing for the gingerbread men.

Full tutorial for Gingerbread Men Macarons here.

Gingerbread man macarons on a light marble counter.

Dacshund Puppy Macarons

Everyone loves a sweet puppy dog and these sweet dacshunds are wrapped in ugly Christmas sweaters! Full tutorial on Dacshund Puppy Dog Macarons here.

Dachshund puppy macarons with ugly christmas sweater.

Gingerbread House Macaron

Gift Box for Packaging Christmas Macarons

Once you're done with piping your macaron art and filling them, you'll also want to package them beautifully so they have a certain "WOW" factor when you present them to the receiver. Here is a tutorial that will teach you how to make this flat box which has a window for visibility and is shallow enough to show off the beautiful macaron art inside.

Full tutorial on DIY Macaron Gift Box here.

Christmas macarons in a homemade gift box.

Making Macarons in Advance of Christmas

This guide on How to Make Macarons in Advance will come in handy for the holiday season. It will teach you how to make and store macarons well in advance of Christmas Day so you can focus on other things like shopping, decorating and entertaining.

A stack of Baileys Irish cream macarons.

Shopping List for X-mas Macarons

Note: This post was originally published on December 17, 2017

How to Make Multiple Colors from One Batch of Macaron Batter

Oct 3, 2020 · 11 Comments

Step-by-Step guide on how to make multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter. 3 main methods are introduced with pros and cons of each. Use this tutorial to make beautiful multi-colored or character macarons.

Multiple bowls filled with different colored meringue and almond flour to make multiple colors in one batch of macarons.

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Methods for Preparing Different Colored Batters

There are 3 main ways to make multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter:

Prepare separate macaron batters at the same time.
Prepare macaron batter as usual according to my Best Macaron Recipe but fold it until just incorporated, split the batter up at this point, and then fold in color.
Split the finished meringue, incorporate the color into the meringue by hand and then fold it into divided almond flour.

Multi-color galaxy macarons on a lollipop stick displayed in a gift box.

Prepare Separate Macaron Batters at the Same Time

Let's go over the first method to make multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter: preparing separate macaron batters at the same time. This is my number one preferred method for preparing macaron batter that yields different colors. I prefer it because it results in the most consistent results but it does require more equipment and time. I usually reserve this method for working with very important projects that require perfection. (Who am I kidding, us macaron bakers are all looking for perfection in every project :P)

This method requires that there be a dedicated counter mixer (or extra bowls) for every color of batter there is to be made. Take the ingredients in your usual macaron recipe and start making as many batches as you need for all the different colors. Whip the meringue at the same time and once it comes to stiff peaks, fold it into each respective almond flour/powdered sugar mixture.

If you don't have access to several counter top mixers, this method can still be implemented by making the meringue one at a time. You can buy several mixing bowls which can be immediately swapped into the machine once the meringue has come to stiff peaks. Take this time to fold the meringue into the almond/sugar mixture while the new meringue is being whipped. Once the first macaron batter is ready, transfer it into a piping bag, seal it to close and let it sit in the bag until your other macaron batters are completed. (Alternatively, if you don't have multiple bowls, you can still prepare the batter separately following the above steps but you won't have as much time to work with.)

Making a completely separate macaron batter for each color needed yields consistent results because it eliminates the mathematical mistakes that can happen with dividing out the macaron batter and the technical difficulties in gauging the readiness of a macaron batter that has been reduced to portions that are too small to fold properly. Most importantly, preparing the macaron batter separately allows you to add gel color in the meringue stage, allowing it to be fully incorporated into the meringue.

Pros:
- Yields the most consistent results
- Color is added in the meringue stage for better color incorporation
- Less risk of over-folding

Cons:
- Requires more time & equipment

Folding macaron batter in a mixing bowl with spatula.

Adding Color After Batter is Almost Completely Folded

The second method for making multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter is to prepare the macaron batter as usual according to my Best Macaron Recipe but fold it until just incorporated, split the batter up at this point, and then fold in the gel color. In my humble opinion, this is the least desirable method as it is easy to over-fold the batter when adding the color during the folding stage.

The goal of the folding stage is to focus on incorporating the meringue and almond/sugar mixture together. It's a very critical part of macaron making so it's better not to divert our focus at this point. The readiness of the batter should be dependent on the incorporation of these 2 element alone (meringue and almond/sugar) and not on how fully incorporated the color is. When using this method, you might end up over-folding just to get the color fully incorporated.

Another problem with this method is that it's harder to control the color vibrancy or create a very specific color that requires blending of various colors. When adding color in the meringue stage as in my regular recipe, there is more room for blending colors and adding more color until the desired color is achieved. For reference, in my recipe, the color is introduced after the sugar has been added and the meringue has come to volume but before stiff peaks.

Nevertheless, this method is perhaps the most straightforward and simplest way to get multiple colors in one batch. To use this method, just prepare a batch of macarons as usual. Fold the batter until it is almost fully incorporated then split it into separate bowls for each color required. Add color into each bowl and then fold until the color is fully incorporated into the batter.

Pros:
- Easy to implement, requires no math skills

Cons:
- High risk of over-folding
- More difficulties in achieving the correct vibrancy or exact color via blending

Meringue split up in different bowls with different colors.

Adding Color into a Split Meringue

The last method covered here is to split the completed meringue, incorporate the color into the meringue by hand and then fold it into divided almond flour. This is a good compromise between the 2 methods outlined above and it's the one I recommend for most home bakers.

The color is added in the meringue stage to allow for blending and adding additional color to build vibrancy as in the first method. However, it doesn't require any additional costly equipment. Another pro of this method is that different colored batters will be ready to be piped at the same time, decreasing the likelihood of deflated or dried out batters for those who work at a slower pace.

This method does require some math skills though but don't worry, I have this chart here for you to help you calculate how to divide up the meringue and almond/sugar mixture properly. Just sign up for my newsletter to get the password to the subscriber's area to download the chart.

Pros:
- Ability to add color in the meringue stage for color blending and layering of color
- Doesn't require extra mixer
- Different colored batters will be ready to pipe at the same time

Cons:
- Requires planning and math calculations
- Requires more small mixing bowls
- Smaller amounts of batter might be harder to fold properly

Sign up for my newsletter and get the password to the subscriber's only area to download a blank version of this handy chart for calculating how to split up the ingredients when making different colored macaron batters in one batch.

Step-by-Step

Multiply my Best Macaron Recipe by at least 2 or 3 times.
To double the recipe:
65 grams almond flour X 2 = 130 grams,
65 grams powdered sugar X 2 = 130 grams ,
45 grams castor sugar X 2 = 90 grams,
50 grams egg whites aged X 2 = 100 grams,
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar X 2 = ¼ teaspoon

Determine in percentages how much batter of each color is required. For example:
50% pink
30% blue
20% yellow

Divide up the dry mix (sifted almond flour+powdered sugar) into separate bowls according to the same percentages for the corresponding color.
For example:
130 grams almond flour + 130 grams powdered sugar = 260 grams
260 grams dry mix X 50% pink = 130 grams
260 grams dry mix X 30% blue = 78 grams
260 grams dry mix X 20% yellow = 52 grams

Almond flour split up into different bowls, one is on a scale.

Prepare the meringue in one batch. Once meringue is at stiff peaks, stop the mixer.

Stiff peaks meringue shown with tip pointed.

Weigh the meringue before dividing it up. Divide the meringue into separate bowls according to the same percentages for the corresponding color.
For example:
190 grams X 50% pink = 95 grams
190 grams X 30% blue = 57 grams
190 grams X 20% yellow = 38 grams

Meringue is split into 3 separate bowls with a spatula.

Add the gel color into the bowl filled with meringue, then gently incorporate the color with a whisk, making sure not to deflate the meringue.

A whisk is whisking color into meringue in a bowl.

Once the color is mostly incorporated, pour the almond flour into each respective bowl of meringue with the same corresponding percentage.

3 different colors of pre-mixed macaron batter.

Macaronage/fold in the almond flour as usual.

Transfer batter into separate piping bags and pipe as usual.

Three different colored macaron batters in a piping bag.

Refer to post on how long to rest character macarons.

A bunny character macaron with multiple colors piped onto a silicone mat.

Tips for Preparing Different Colored Macaron Batters

When using my macaron recipe, multiple it by at least 2 or 3 times depending on how much batter you need. Using the original amount of ingredients is not ideal as it can be hard to properly fold smaller amounts of meringue and dry mix together. There will be too little batter to gauge the readiness correctly. (Obviously, if the macaron recipe you are using is in a larger quantity, then you don't have to do this step.)
Avoid dividing up the batter into a quantity that is too small to fold.
Weigh the meringue before dividing it up. Technically, the meringue should weigh the same as the ingredients that were put inside (egg whites + sugar) but to err on the side of caution, weigh it to see if any of the ingredients got lost along the way (aged egg whites can weigh less after aging). Incorrect measurements is one of the biggest culprits of macarons that don't work out so it's worth it to be on the safe side.
Accurate measurements is critical using this method for making multi-colored macaron batters in one batch. Always use a digital kitchen scale and write all measurements down or download the provided calculations chart I've provided for my newsletter subscribers.

Best Tools for Making Multi-colored Macarons

Counter mixer - an ordinary handheld mixer will also work.
Extra mixing bowl for mixer
Mixing bowls - 2 bowls are needed for every color
Piping bags - access to multiple clean piping bags is crucial. These ones from Atecco are very sturdy and doesn't warp during piping. Flimsy piping bags can flip flop during piping and cause special designs to pipe differently than anticipated.
Piping bag tie - To prevent the batter from drying out, transfer the completed batter into a piping bag and seal it with bag ties so it doesn't start drying up during this time
Gel food coloring - as always, use gel food coloring. I prefer Americolor, it resists fading from exposure to oven heat.
Silicone baking mat - I prefer SILPAT silicone mats when working with character macarons. They prevent the unique shapes from spreading.
Whisk - It helps to have one dedicated whisk for each color you're working with. Alternatively, you can wipe it down with a damp paper towel after whisking in each color. Make sure to dry it thoroughly afterwards.
Spatula - same as above.

How to Make Small Quantity of Batter in a Different Color

Often times when we are making multiple colors in one batch of macaron batter, it's most likely for use with character macarons. If you want to add small details like eyes, a nose etc., you only need a small amount of a dark color like black. It wouldn't be an efficient use of time or ingredients to make a separate black batter for this use. For darker colors where only a very small amount is needed, take some of the batter from the color with largest portion and add some dark color to it and incorporate well. This batter may be structurally weak and should ideally be used for decorative purposes on top of the main body only.

How Long Can Macaron Batter Sit Out For?

After reading the different methods above for preparing different colored macaron batters in one batch, you can see that there are several stages where the batter needs to be set aside to wait for the other colors to be completed. You've probably wondered, how long can macaron batters sit our for? This all depends on the strength of your batter, particularly the meringue. Generally, a folded macaron batter can comfortably sit for at least 30 min. to one hour while you go about preparing the other colors. There are 2 issues which will cause the batter to degrade at this point: deflation and drying out.

To prevent the batter from drying out, it's important to transfer this completed batter into a piping bag and seal it with ties so it doesn't get dried up during this time. To stop the batter from flowing out of the tip end, I like to twist the smaller opening of the bag into the piping tip. Here's a video showing how to set up a piping bag for macaron batter. Keeping the batter in a covered bowl is not as ideal because it has more exposed surface area where it can start drying from. It's also better to transfer the delicate batter into the piping bag when it's strongest.

A hand holding a multi-colored bunny character macaron over a plate of other macarons in the background.

Does Each Color Need to be Tapped After Piping?

Whether or not a multi-colored macaron will require tapping after the introduction of each color will depend on the design. If the main body is piped first with only one color, of course, tap the tray as usual, then wait for it to develop a light skin before piping another color on top. Tapping the main body is usually sufficient in these type of designs as we are only concerned about the proper formation of the main body.

If the main body consists of several colors, personal judgement will be required as tapping the tray each time a new color is introduced may cause the batter to run into each other if there isn't enough drying time in between each color.

How Long to Rest Character Macarons?

Character macarons take so much time to prepare so it's a real shame when they crack after baking. Character macarons are weakest along the joints where the different colors meet. The best insurance against cracking is to let the trays rest until a very firm skin has developed. I prefer to rest mine - a bit beyond the stage where the batter doesn't come off onto my fingers - until it cannot indent when pressed.

I hope you found this new tutorial to make multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter useful. I know this has been a common topic of request and I have been a bit busy over at my family lifestyle blog IndulgeWithBibi. Please take a look and join me over there as well 🙂

Leave me a comment if you still have any further questions not addressed here.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 24 macarons

How to Make Multiple Colored Macaron Batter in One Batch

Step-by-Step guide on how to make different colored macaron batters in one batch. Use it to make beautiful multi-colored or character macarons.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

130 grams almond flour
130 grams powdered sugar
90 grams castor sugar (Note 1)
100 grams egg whites, aged
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Gel food coloring

Instructions

Determine in percentages how much batter of each color is required.
Divide up the dry mix (sifted almond flour + powdered sugar) into separate bowls according to the same percentages for the corresponding color.
Prepare the meringue in one batch. Once meringue is at stiff peaks, stop the mixer.
Weigh the meringue, divide the meringue into separate bowls according to the same percentages for the corresponding color.
Add the gel color into the bowl filled with meringue, then gently incorporate the color with a whisk, making sure not to deflate the meringue.
Once the color is mostly incorporated, pour the almond flour into each respective bowl of meringue with the same corresponding percentage.
Macaronage/fold in the almond flour as usual.
Transfer batter into separate piping bags and pipe as usual. Refer to post on how long to rest character macarons.

Notes

1. Castor sugar is an extra fine granulated sugar also known as berry sugar. It can be substituted with regular granulated sugar.

"Matcha" Green Tea Macaron Recipe

Sep 19, 2020 · 36 Comments

Matcha macarons has green tea infused into the shells making them extra flavorful. White chocolate ganache is sandwiched in between for a delicious Japanese-bakery-inspired flavor pairing.

Close up of green tea macarons sandwiched with white chocolate in the middle.

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Tea Infused Macaron Shells

Matcha green tea macarons is one of the most popular macaron flavors and for good reason. Matcha green tea has a slightly bitter taste and is a great contrast to sweet macaron shells which are comprised mainly of sugar and almonds. Green tea and white chocolate filling is a great pairing, especially so for those who find macarons to be "too sweet". The astringency from the matcha powder will help to balance out the sweetness.

Matcha powder is one of my favourite flavourings to use in baking because the flavour is so stable and comes out true to taste across a variety of different baked goods. This is the case for matcha macarons as well.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a powdered tea specially cultivated from green tea leaves that have been shaded from the sun for several weeks before undergoing a special processing technique which involves stem removal and de-viening. It is then ground up into a fine green tea powder that has a beautiful vibrant green tea color. Popular culinary usage of matcha can be seen in a wide range of drinks an desserts like matcha latte, matcha crepe cakes and matcha cookies. It is also a beloved flavor used in desserts because the earthy profile and astringency contrasts extremely well with the sweetness in desserts. Here are a couple of my most popular matcha recipes: Matcha cake roll with red bean cream, Matcha pound cake.

Where Can I Buy Matcha Powder for Baking?

Matcha powder is an easy product to find in Japan where it is used for the elaborate traditional tea ceremony or for regular use in brewing everyday tea or baking desserts. I am able to find Matcha powder that is sourced from Japan in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada because we have a large population of Asians here. I can usually found it in Japanese convenience stores and other well-stocked Asian food stores. If you have difficulty finding matcha powder in your city, try this highly rated one with Japanese origns which you can find online.

The packaging will usually tell you if it's either ceremonial grade or culinary grade Matcha. Ceremonial grade matcha is usually reserved for drinking on its own so many discerning connoisseurs look for the very best. For our use in matcha macarons, a culinary grade matcha is sufficient, especially if you want to cut down waste if you're in the practice stage of macaron baking.

What Filling is Best for Green Tea Macarons?

I've tried pairing this matcha macaron with both a chocolate ganache and white chocolate "ganache". The white one was the hands down winner because it did the best job in highlighting the distinct characteristics of the bitter matcha flavour. This will be the recipe that I will be sharing with you today.

Another classic flavor inspired by Japanese baked goods is matcha macarons filled with Adzuki red bean cream. I don't have a dedicated recipe for this yet but the red bean cream can be easily made with this recipe for Matcha cake roll with red bean cream. Just make the red bean paste portion only and then use the white chocolate filling in this recipe to pipe a hollow circle to create a dam. In the center, add a dollop of the red bean cream. (I don't recommend using the paste on it's own as will be too soft.)

I hope you enjoy this new recipe for Matcha green tea macarons too.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 12 assembled macarons

"Matcha" Green Tea Macaron Recipe

A beloved Japanese flavor in macaron form. Matcha green tea is infused into the shells making the macaron extra flavorful. White chocolate ganache is sandwiched in between for a delicious flavor pairing.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 seconds

Total Time 1 hour 44 minutes 30 seconds

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Shells:

65 grams almond flour (Read: How to make your own almond flour)
65 grams powdered sugar
45 grams castor sugar (or a.k.a “berry” sugar or extra fine granulated sugar)
50 grams egg white - aged* (Read: How to age egg whites)
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Green GEL Colour of your choice (DO NOT use liquid color)
1 tablespoon matcha powder

Ingredients for the Filling:

100 grams chopped white chocolate
30 grams heavy cream

Instructions

Matcha Macaron Shells Instructions

Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
Print out free macaron template in the Subscriber's Only Area.
Pulse almond flour, icing sugar, and matcha powder together in a food processor.
Sift dry ingredients. Discard big pieces of almond that can't be sifted.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO MAKING MACARONS, please read the instructions to my BEST MACARON RECIPE before attempting to follow the rest of the instructions since it is condensed for the advanced macaron baker.
With the balloon whisk attached, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-medium speed.
Add cream of tartar when it becomes foamy.
Turn up the speed to medium.
Once the whisk starts to leave tracks in the egg whites, add sugar a little at a time.
Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks.
Add green gel colour if desired to meringue.
Fold the almond flour and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
Transfer batter into piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the round macaron shells.
Wait until the shells have developed a "skin" and have become completely dry before baking. This is critical to prevent cracking.
Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes. Every oven is different, you may need to adjust your own temperature settings. Please read How to Use Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.

White Chocolate Ganache Macaron Filling Instructions

Chop up or grate white chocolate into fine pieces.
Heat up the heavy cream in a small sauce pan on low heat, watch it so that it doesn’t over boil.
Once it starts to steam and small bubbles appear on the side, immediately pour it over the chopped white chocolate.
Blend well with a spatula until fully incorporated.
Let it cool and firm up a bit before piping

Assembly:

Find two similar sized macaron shells.
Pipe a dallop of the the ganache in the center of one of the shells, assemble with the other shell.
Place in an airtight container and let mature for 24 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

*Egg whites should be measured first and then aged. DO NOT use meringue powder as a substitute.

Resting the Macaron Shell

Sep 18, 2020 · 59 Comments

Do you really need to rest your macaron shells? Here's what to do to prepare a proper macaron batter and prevent macarons from cracking during baking.

It's almost Easter! I have been seeing a barrage of baked goods in the form of bunnies, Easter eggs and chicks on Instagram. For this new Easter macaron, I wanted to blend the latter two together to make one cohesive design. Because really, what came first? The chicken or the egg? Well, I can tell you that for me, the chicken definitely came first because I piped them first lol.

After I posted these onto Instagram, I received a few questions about techniques and even a request for a tutorial. I will post those questions and answers here to make it easier for anyone not tracking my convos with others. As for the tutorial, I would love to have done one but I didn't get a chance to take any step-by-step photos since my original post theme was to discuss the issue of resting the macaron shell which I did end up making a video for.

What Does Resting the Macaron Shells Mean?

If you've been having bad luck with macarons, you've probably googled many different kinds of advice which seems conflicting at times. One of those is the procedure of "resting" the macaron shells after baking. "Resting" a macaron shell involves letting it air dry for 30 minutes after piping until the surface loses its glossy sheen and you can lightly touch the shell without any trace of the batter transferring to your fingers. Here, watch this video to see me "petting" these chickies:

"Why Should I Rest My Macarons?"

Letting the macaron shell dry out allows the outer surface to harden up so that when it is baked, the air in the batter will escape from the bottom edge (thereby, creating feet) instead of from the top of the macaron which can cause cracks and/or leave you with no feet at all.

No Rest Macaron Recipes

In my best macaron recipe, I do include instructions on resting until there is a skin. There are some macaron recipes out there that call themselves "no-rest" recipes but it should be clarified that there is nothing different that sets them apart from recipes that require resting. It is simply the author telling you not to do so. They are not guaranteeing that your macaron shells won't crack during baking, that part is all up to you.

"So, Do I Need to Rest My Macarons?"

This is definitely a controversial topic in macaron baking. Some bakers swear that they never rest their macarons and others swear by it. From all the readings I have done both online and in print, it appears that most bakers are in favor of doing this. Specifically, in both the Laduree Macarons Recipes Cookbook and Pierre Herme Macaron Cookbook, it instructs to do it in this way:

♥ Laduree: "Set aside uncovered for 10 minutes to allow a crust to form."

♥ Pierre Herme: "Allow the shells to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes until a skin forms on the surface. The batter should not stick to your fingers."

Even in my macaron class, it was advised to wait for about half an hour until a skin develops. The important wording to pay attention to is "waiting until a skin or crust forms". I don't think it depends so much on the time as it does on the condition of the shell. Sometimes, I can pipe a tray of shells and the ones I piped first can form a crust within the time it took me to finish piping the last one. It really depends on how wet your batter is and on how dry is the environment you are working in.

Now let's get back to the experience of other bakers who do not rest their shells at all and claims that it's not necessary. Yes, it is true, not every batter needs to be rested. If the macaron batter is prepared properly and the environment is ideal, it can be baked right away. Batters that are a bit weak and underdeveloped do benefit from resting. The formation of the skin will prevent shells made with these types of batters from cracking. So resting the macaron shells is extra insurance against cracked shells.

What to Do After Piping

- Rap the tray firmly on the counter several times to release the air bubbles inside the batter which can cause cracks
- Remove visible air bubbles with a toothpick by poking and running the tip around that spot to disperse the batter back into one uniformed batter.
- Wait until a "crust or skin" develops. This is characterized by being able to touch the shell without the batter transferring to your fingers.
- Wait until the surface becomes matte and dull and has lost its glossy sheen.

"My Shells Won't Dry Up"

Sometimes your batter just won't dry up regardless of how long you have been waiting. The two main reasons for that are "Bad/Wet Batter" and "Humid Environment":

Bad/Wet Batter

You should be gaging the health of your batter during the macaronage stage. If it is very easy for the dry and wet ingredients to become homogenous and the batter runs like pancake batter, you may have a case of bad batter on your hands.

There is really no way to fix a bad batter. I would recommend that you bake your shells anyways to gain experience on seeing how a bad batch develops. I recommend baking on parchment paper as it's more forgiving for wetter batters.

Two issues which can prevent a "bad batter" from resting and developing skin are: "wet batter" and "over folding".

To ensure that your macaron batter is not too wet:
- use aged egg whites READ: how to age egg whites for macarons
- beat your meringue very firm until stiff peaks
- do not add any liquids to the mixture, use only gel colour or powder colour
- make meringue in a clean bowl free of oil or traces of yolk or water

To prevent over-folding:
- ensure you are folding with the right techniques to deflate some of the air but not all of it
- use the Figure 8 test to gauge when to stop folding the batter VIDEO: How to Macaronage

Air in the Baking Environment is Too Humid

There's cautionary tales of baking on rainy days and I can only share my experience. I know certain environments can be too humid for the macaron shells to develop a skin. I have heard of baker friends in Hawaii who let their shells dry for hours at a time. I, myself, live in Vancouver, Canada where it rains everyday for months at at time but I do not shy away from baking macarons on the days that it rains.

If you are sure that your techniques are fine and its not a case of bad/wet batter causing your shells to remain wet, you can start on fixing this issue by making changes in your baking environment.

Preparing an optimal environment for baking macarons:
- get a dehumidfier and set it for below 50
- avoid running water for prolonged periods of time in the kitchen
- open all the windows to let moisture escape from your kitchen
- place your shells underneath the range hood fan to further dry them up. (Do not use an external fan to blow directly on the shells. It will make them lopsided.)

"Can My Shells Be Too Dry or "Over-Rested?"

Yes, it can. More is definitely not better. If your shells have already developed a skin and lost its glossy sheen, put them in the oven. Shells that have become too dry may become lopsided when baked or the feet may get stuck to the mat and break off.

Final Verdict

I like to rest my macaron shells and have had great success with them when I rested them. I have also not rested them and a majority of the time, they bake perfectly because the batter was prepared correctly. For the batters that weren't prepared properly and I didn't rest the shells, I have shed a tear or two when they cracked during baking.

FURTHER READING: TOP TIPS ON BAKING SMOOTH AND ROUND MACARONS

Having said all of that, I am a firm believer that for macarons, you should do what works best for you in your kitchen and in your oven. I've given you some of my insights into this issue and I hope it will help you come to your own conclusions. What do you think? Feel free to share your own experience with other fellow bakers below in the comments.

Thanks for visiting!

XOXO,
Mimi

Note: This post was originally published on March 27th, 2015

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How to Bake Two-Colored Galaxy Macarons

Aug 25, 2020 · 6 Comments

Tutorial with video on how to bake two-colored galaxy macarons with regular tools you already have for baking French macarons.

Galaxy macarons on a grey decorative plate.

Galaxy Macarons without Special Tools

The last tutorial I wrote on How to Bake Multi-Colored Macarons required a specialized three part coupler. It's a great tool for creating more definition between the three different coloured batters. You can find the tool here. However, I appreciate that not everyone may have access to this tool so I created this new tutorial to show you another way to bake multi color macarons with the same tools you already use for baking regular macarons.

To create this dark moody galaxy look, I utilized two dark gel colours aptly named Super Black and Super Red from Americolor. I made two separate macarons batters following my Best Macaron Recipe and I added the gel colours in the meringue stage before folding. Lastly, I sprinkled on some white sprinkles before the shells completely dried. They kind of remind me of planets. What do you think?

How to Prepare 2 Different Colored Macaron Batters for Galaxy Macarons.

There are 2 main methods I use to prepare different colored macarons for galaxy macarons:

The first method is to prepare two completely new macaron batters with my Best Macaron Recipe. This is my preferred method as it creates two equally perfect batters because I can add the colors into the meringue while it's whipping. I have two mixers running at the same time while making the meringue. Now, if you don't have two mixers, you can also prepare one meringue at a time and then fold it into the dry mix. Once one complete ready-to-pipe batter is prepared, let it sit inside the bowl with a plastic wrap on top to prevent skin from forming. Then go ahead and quickly prepare the next meringue. Make sure to clean and dry the bowl for mixing the meringue very well.
The second method is to add the ingredients (egg whites + granulated sugar) together for the meringue and whip it as usual. Once the meringue is ready, weigh the total mass with a digital scale and split this in half. Add the 2 different gel colors into the meringue at this time by folding in the color very carefully without deflating the meringue. Fold each half portion of the meringue into the respective almond/sugar mixture. This method is simpler but does have some risks like over-mixing due to late incorporation of color and incorrect measurements resulting in unequal ingredient ratios. It's a little more complicated but this dedicated post on How to Make Multiple Colors from One Macaron Batter will show you how to use this method for making more than 2 colors of equal quantity.

When to Add Sprinkles to Macarons

To prevent cracking during baking, follow this timeline:
- Pipe the macaron batter and wait a few minutes for the batter to settle, if sprinkle is added on immediately, it might sink.
- Lightly sprinkle the sprinkles on top before the batter develops a skin.
- Let the macarons dry completely with a firm skin before baking. The skin should be harder to indent that usual, this will give more insurance against cracking during baking. Bake with the usual temperature for your oven while baking macarons.

I hope you enjoy this new galaxy macaron tutorial. Please make sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don't miss out on my new tutorials and free macaron templates.

XOXO,
Mimi

Note: This tutorial was originally published on November 17, 2016

A stack of galaxy macarons standing tall.

Recipe

Yield: 24

Galaxy Macarons

Tutorial with video on how to bake two-colored galaxy macarons with regular tools you already have for baking French macarons.

Ingredients

RED BATTER INGREDIENTS:

- 65 grams almond flour
- 65 grams icing sugar
- 45 grams castor sugar
- 50 grams aged egg whites
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Red Gel Colour (2 drops of Super Red from Americolor)

BLACK BATTER INGREDIENTS:

- 65 grams almond flour
- 65 grams icing sugar
- 45 grams castor sugar
- 50 grams aged egg whites
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Black Gel Colour (2 drops of Super Black from Americolor)

SUPPLIES in addition to ones used for regular macarons:

- White sprinkles
- Plastic wrap
- Rectangular cake pan
- Round #10 piping tip

Instructions

Set up a piping bag with a Wilton round 10 piping tip.
Prepare two sets of macaron batters in different colors according to desired method outlined in post.
Line a rectangular baking pan with plastic wrap (use video below as guidance).
Use a spatula to gently transfer the first batter into the pan. Be very careful not to deflate the batter any further.
Do the same with the second batter- Gently lift the plastic wrap and close off both sides by twisting the ends
Push the tip of one side into a piping bag, pull the end through the tip and cut off the end
Pipe from the center in a swirl pattern.
Wait a few minutes for the batter to settle but before it forms a skin, then lightly sprinkle the white sprinkles on top .
Wait until the shells have developed a strong membrane before baking. This is crucial for baking macarons with sprinkles.
Bake for 12-14 minutes at 325C. Read my oven guide on how to use your oven properly to bake macarons.

Notes

There are 2 methods to create multi-colored macarons. See blog post on how to prepare batters in different colors.

Sourdough Discard Crackers with Cranberry & Flaxseed

Aug 20, 2020 · 4 Comments

Easy sourdough discard crackers with cranberry and flaxseed is an amazingly delicious way to re-purpose discard or overproofed dough. Great for cheeseboards and edible gifts.

Close up with sourdough discard cranberry flaxseed crackers.

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Recipes for Discarded Sourdough or Over-proofed dough

Sourdough discard crackers has become my guilt-free reason for keeping my sourdough starter alive week after week during this stay-at-home period. In the beginning of my sourdough baking journey, I baked some not-so-great loaves that progressively got better and better but in the meantime, I had a dilemna... What to do with all that sourdough discard?

At first, I did actually discard my starter while making some terribly dense sourdough loaves along the way. After my sourdough bread failures, I just couldn't bear to waste anymore time in the kitchen making sourdough discard pancakes, waffles etc. I still had to take care of Little Miss Bibi and chronicle our adventures over at IndulgeWithBibi. But as time wore on, I discovered a great way to use up my sourdough discard without having to spend an exorbitant amount of time in the kitchen or waste anymore precious ingredients via this recipe for sourdough discard crackers, which this recipe is based on. (Please follow Jenny's work and the other sites I will list below as I humbly admit I am still learning everyday when it comes to sourdough. For maintenance of the actual sourdough starter and boule shaping and baking, I refer a lot to Alexandra Cooks, Breadtopia and Theperfectloaf)

I am now convinced that sourdough discard crackers with cranberry and flaxseed is the most perfect way to make use of all that discard. The great thing about this homemade cracker recipe is that it's pretty forgiving and I encourage you to use different types of flour or starter you have on hand (more on that below). I even tried it with over-proofed dough and it was also a huge success! A great discovery as I suffer from serious guilt when I waste ingredients in the kitchen. This recipe has been wonderful for both my belly and my conscience 🙂

Sourdough discard crackers flanked with flowers, cranberry and flaxseed.

What Kind of Flour and Discard to Use

Let's go over all the ingredients needed for this sourdough discard cracker as there are a lot of variations that could still make the recipe work:

Flour: I like to use wholewheat in mine for the nutritional value, I prefer Flourist's stone-milled organic Einkorn. I've also tried it successfully with a variety of different flours like regular unbleached white AP, sifted red fife, and a 60/40 blend (white/whole grain sprouted wheat, spelt, rye). How much flour you need will depend on the hydration of your starter. As you mix the ingredients together, gradually add more flour until you can make a smooth pliable dough ball that you can eventually roll out. For reference, I am using a 70% hydration starter in this recipe.
Starter: The starter should be mature and can be fed or unfed. It should ideally be at room temperature to better incorporate with the other room temperature ingredients but I have tried it straight from the fridge will no ill effects after some additional kneading.
Over-proofed dough can also be used instead of the starter. Depending on how long it has been proofing for, the taste will become more sour.
Butter (unsalted): The butter adds a rich buttery flavor and gives a flakey texture that makes this cracker so good, I prefer it over using oil. Butter should be at room temperature so that it can incorporate readily with the rest of the ingredients.
Sea salt: to substitute with table salt, use half the amount. I also like to add an extra ¼ teaspoon if I don't plan on sprinkling any salt flakes on at the end.
Dried Cranberry: I usually use the sweetened kind from Ocean Spray with 50% less sugar. A bit of tang is what we're looking for, not necessarily the sweetness.
Flaxeed: Use the whole seed kind, it gives the cracker an interesting texture and is just more nutritious. You can leave it out as well.
Honey
Optional: Sea salt flakes: sea salt flakes are great for sprinkling on top of the crackers right before baking. I like to use Maldon sea salt to infuse mine with the whole vanilla pod and it's seeds (removed from the pod) for a minimum of 2 days.

How to Make Sourdough Cranberry Crackers

Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together starter, flour, butter, salt, cranberries and flaxseed.

Ingredients for sourdough discard cracker in a big mixing bowl.

Use enough flour to form a pliable dough ball.

Knead it together until it becomes a smooth ball.

Hand kneading cranberry flaxseed sourdough cracker dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll it out to a 3 mm thickness. (If it is too soft for rolling, refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes.)

2 hands rolling out sourdough discard cracker dough.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shape or use a knife to cut dough into squares.

Pressing cookie cutter into cranberry sourdough cracker dough.

Transfer to silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Prick each cracker a few times with a fork.

Put honey and water into a small bowl, microwave it for 7-10 seconds, mix together. With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the crackers with the honey mixture.

Pastry brush brushing the tops of crackers with honey.

Optional: lightly sprinkle sea salt flakes on top.

hand sprinkling salt flakes on cranberry crackers

Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges becomes golden.

Sourdough discard crackers baking in the oven.

Easy Ratio for Different Types Sourdough Crackers

Here's an easy ratio for making this sourdough cracker recipe with varying amounts of sourdough discard you have on hand. You can also modify it by adding other ingredients to make different flavored crackers.

Starter
Flour - 50% of the starter and increase as you mix all the ingredients together to make a smooth pliable dough ball.
Butter - 25% of the starter
Salt - ¼ teaspoon for every 50 grams of starter
Flavor Idea: 1 tablespoon of dried herbs or seeds for every 50 grams of starter
Topping Idea: Parmesan Cheese

How to Store Homemade Crackers

These sourdough discard crackers will stay fresh for one week in an air-tight container at room temperature. They are so resilient at room-temp that I plan to make them for gift-giving during the holiday season. When giving edible gifts, it's always important to find one that will require low-maintenance from the receiver in case they don't have access to a fridge right then and this one is perfect for that reason. I can imagine delicious these will be served with some cheeses, jams and marmalade.

Recipe

Yield: 36 crackers

Sourdough Discard Crackers with Cranberry and Flaxeed

Easy sourdough discard crackers with cranberry and flaxseed is an amazingly delicious way to re-purpose discard or overproofed dough. Great for cheeseboards and edible gifts.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

100 Grams sourdough starter (note 1)
50 Grams wholewheat flour (see note 2 on how much flour needed)*
25 Grams unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 tablespoon dried cranberry, measured then finely chopped
1 tablespoon Flaxeed
¼ teaspoon sea salt (note 3)
1 tablespoon honey
Optional topping: (Sea Salt Flakes ex. Maldon)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350F
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together starter, flour, butter, salt, cranberries and flaxseed. Use enough flour to form a pliable dough ball. Knead it together until it becomes a smooth ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 3 mm thickness. (If it is too soft to roll, place it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.)
Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shape or use a knife to cut dough into cracker shapes.
Transfer to silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Prick each cracker a few times with a fork.
Put honey into a small bowl, microwave for 5-7 seconds until it becomes runny.
With a pastry brush, brush the tops of the crackers with the honey mixture.
Optional: lightly sprinkle sea salt flakes on top.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges becomes golden. Transfer to cooling rack. Store at room temperature for up to one week. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Starter should be mature and can be either fed or unfed.

2. Flour needed will be between 50-70 grams, depending on the hydration of the starter. Add flour gradually until a pliable dough ball can be formed. Whole wheat or white can be used. For reference, a 70% hydration starter was used in this recipe.

3. Add another ¼ teaspoon sea salt if not topping with salt flakes.

Recipe consulted for the writing of this recipe: https://livingbreadbaker.com/sourdough-discard-crackers/

Stabilized Whipped Cream with Gelatin for Piping

Aug 1, 2020 · 14 Comments

Stabilized whipped cream with gelatin - a light and airy frosting, sturdy enough for piping designs and use as a deep filling for cakes without deflating.

Close up of stabilized whipped cream piped into a swirl design.

A Sturdy Whipped Cream for Piping or Deep Filling in Cakes

A stabilized whipped cream is perfect for those who prefer a frosting that is light, airy, less sweet and buttery but still sturdy enough for piping designs. Regularly, fresh whipped cream is not sturdy enough to be used for piping or as a deep filling without being stabilized with ingredients like gelatin, powdered sugar, cornstarch or pudding mix.

For use as a decorative cake topping, whipped cream can be conveniently stabilized with powdered sugar as shown in this recipe. However, to make it sturdy enough for piping and especially as a deep filling, it's preferable to make stabilized whipped cream with gelatin instead. The whipped cream will be much sturdier with a slightly spongy texture. It may sound intimidating to add gelatin to whipped cream but it's actually quite easy and the results are well worth the effort. Nobody likes a cake with droopy frosting.

Adding gelatin to whipped cream makes it super sturdy and stabilized enough for piping medium to large designs, and for use as a filling for cakes like this Japanese strawberry cake roll I made below. To prevent it from deflating, it's also a good idea to stabilize whipped cream if mixing it with other elements like in this red bean whipped cream filling used to fill this Matcha Cake Roll. I also have a new version of this stabilized cream with mascarpone. Lastly, if you find pouring gelatin into whipped cream intimidating (it's really not!), you can try this easy stabilized 2-ingredient Real Chocolate Whipped Cream.

strawberry cake roll filled with whipped cream — Japanese cake roll with stabilized whipped cream filling and fresh strawberries.

This stabilized whipped cream with gelatin can be piped into designs with a good amount of definition. Here, I piped the swirl design using a jumbo open star tip by Atecco (#828). (For piping finer details or if the cake needs to be left out at room temperature for long periods of time, I recommend a Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting instead.)

Half a cake frosted with stabilized whipped cream topped with strawberries.

Whipping Cream vs. Heavy Cream

Whipping cream has milk fat content of 30-35% and is usually found at 33% in most regular grocery stores. The heavy whipped cream designation is given to cream with a minimum milk fat content of 36% and above. Even with just a small percentage change, it's whipping ability changes dramatically.

Whipped cream and heavy cream are sometimes used interchangeably in some recipes and it can usually be swapped one for another in cooking without affecting the texture too much. For whipping, however, there is a marked difference with heavy cream being more stable after whipping.

Personally, I find the flavour of whipping cream at 33% to be a bit brighter and a bit sweeter than heavy cream so I prefer it in recipes like this Strawberry and Cream Cake Roll where it is stabilized with gelatin. I found that even regular whipping cream that is stabilized with gelatin to be firm enough for piping and filling. But if you're looking for a very stable whipped cream, consider using heavy cream instead. Heavy cream is usually found in gourmet food shops.

A matcha cake roll filled with red bean whipped cream. — Matcha cake roll filled with Adzuki bean whipped cream stabilized with gelatin. Stabilizing the whipped cream before mixing it with other elements makes it much sturdier for filling.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Powdered Gelatin Unflavored:
The Knox brand is pretty standard and can be found in most grocery stores. It's usually found in the baking aisle or you can order it online.
Heat-proof Glass:
This is for blooming the gelatin and placing inside a pot of simmering water. A Pyrex measuring cup with handle is great for this. If you don't have a heat-proof bowl or glass and prefer to use the microwave method, microwave the bloomed gelatin on medium-high for 10 seconds at a time until it becomes liquid.
Granulated Sugar
Whipping Cream (30%+ M.F.):
Read above on the difference between whipping cream and heavy cream. Either one can be used in this recipe with heavy cream producing an even more stable whipped cream. Make sure the cream is sufficiently chilled before whipping as it will not whip up otherwise.
Stand Mixer:
The melted gelatin needs to be poured into the whipped cream as it is whipping, this is much easier to do with a stand mixer if you're baking alone. If you don't have a stand mixer, try to enlist the help of someone else in the home to do the pouring or whipping.

Close up of a swirl of whipped cream with a half open-faced strawberry on top.

How to Add Gelatin to Whipped Cream

To make a stablized whipped cream by adding gelatin isn't hard at all. First off, chill the cream, beaters and mixing bowl. This will help the cream whip up much easier without over beating which can cause it to curdle and break apart. Make sure the whipped cream itself is also very cold as it won't whip up at all if it's not cold enough.

Ingredients and tools laid out to make stabilzied whipped cream.

Next, bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over water placed in a heat-proof measuring cup. After 5 minutes, the gelatin will swell and become solid.

Close up of measuring cup with bloomed gelatin in a solid form.

Place the measuring cup in a small pot of boiling water. Once it starts melting, stir it gently until it becomes liquid. Take off heat immediately and let it cool.

A cup of gelatin bloomed inside a measuring cup.

During this time, start whipping the cream and the sugar in a chilled bowl and beater in a stand mixer on medium, then increase speed to medium-high

Whipped cream beginning to be whipped and foaming inside bowl.

Check on the gelatin. It should be liquid and runny, and no longer hot. If it has started to solidify again, place it in the warm water until liquid. Make sure it has cooled down again before using.

Gelatin has become liquid inside a measuring cup.

Once the beaters leave tracks inside the cream, pour the cooled gelatin into the mixing bowl aiming for the spot in between the beater and the side of the bowl, much like you would when adding the sugar syrup to an Italian meringue. Keep whipping and if desired, add extract and food coloring at this time.

Pouring gelatin into whipped cream while whipping. — Add gelatin once the whisk starts to leave tracks inside the cream.

The whipped cream will start looking much fluffier and a bit matte. Stop whipping and check the stiffness. Once it reaches stiff peaks, stop whipping. Do not over beat. That's it, you have made stabilized whipped cream which can be used for piping designs or filling a cake. Use it immediately to fill or decorate your desserts.

Balloon whisk whipping cream and leaving ridges in the cream. — The whipped cream is starting to clump up and big ridges are left by the beaters. It's time to stop the mixer before the cream becomes over whipped.

How to Fix Over-whipped Whipped Cream

If the cream has just begun to separate, it is still possible to salvage the over whipped cream. Stop the mixer and add some more cold cream, just a little at a time, then gently fold it into the mixture until it all comes together again. If this doesn't work, it means the whipped cream has separated too much and you'll need to start over again unfortunately. Next time, watch the whipping process closely, especially at the end. Once the gelatin is added, make sure to look for signs that the cream has become matte and begins to clump up. This change happens very quickly. Be ready to stop the mixer when the entire mixture has reached this stage.

Close up of whipped cream clumped inside a balloon whisk.

How to Store Stabilized Whipped Cream

While non-stabilized whipped cream should ideally be used and consumed immediately, the stabilized version can hold up for several days in the fridge once piped or used as filling. It's still better to use it immediately, however, unused portions should be placed on a cheesecloth elevated inside of a bowl to allow the water to drain out of the cream since it will start separating over time. Re-whip the cream before serving.

Whipped Cream as a Macaron Filling

Stabilized whipped cream with gelatin is great for cakes and many other desserts. It's naturally white, sturdy and pipeable. However, even though it has been stabilized, the mositure content is still too high to be used as a macaron filling. (Just think about the ingredients used, it's still mainly a liquid presented in a more solid form.) I would skip this one as a macaron filling, it tends to eat away at the macaron shells within the hour. READ: Yummy Macaron Filling Ideas.

Save this delicious stabilized whipped cream for use in desserts as toppings, deep fillings and frosting. It's so light and airy! Enjoy!

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 2 cups

Stabilized Whipped Cream with Gelatin

Stabilized whipped cream frosting sturdy enough for piping designs and for use as a deep filling for cakes. Light, airy and delicious.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 teaspoons powdered gelatin (unflavored)
4 teaspoons water
1 cup whipping cream (33%)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Flavor extract (optional)

Instructions

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. Ensure cream is very cold as well. This will all help cream whip better.
Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed and then increase to medium-high.
Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be hot but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl. If desired, add extract and food color before the cream becomes stiff.
Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Use cream to assemble cooled dessert immediately.

Notes

Read post on how to store whipped cream and how to fix over whipped cream.

For vanilla flavor, add ½ teaspoon of extract.

Matcha Cake Roll with Adzuki Bean Cream

May 20, 2020 · 32 Comments

The fluffiest matcha swiss cake roll paired with a semi-sweet azuki bean cream. Heavenly Japanese style green tea dessert just like the ones at the shops.

Japanese Matcha green tea chiffon cake roll on a cutting board with one slice cut out.

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A Dessert in the Japanese Style

An earthy Matcha cake roll made in the Japanese style and filled with a semi-sweet Azuki bean whipped cream is one of the best cake combinations I can think of. Besides wanting to have a cake to enjoy after dinner without having to venture out to the stores, I wanted to make this cake for all the readers who have requested it after their success with making my fluffy and soft chocolate cake roll and fresh strawberries and cream cake roll. I've seen how creative readers have been at adapting my original recipe in various flavours like Hojicha and Earl Grey, I must say it inspires and motivates me to work even harder to bring this new recipe to you.

This matcha cake roll is made with the same chiffon cake body so it's super fluffy and soft. After baking, it's filled with a whipped cream filled with Azuki beans, also known as the red mung bean, which is a popular bean used in food and desserts in East Asia. This flavor combination of matcha and red bean is very popular in Japan and this recipe follows the same Japanese culinary style of keeping desserts light, airy and not-so-sweet.

A slice of cake cut out of the green tea roll.

The Fluffiest Chiffon Cake Body

Chiffon cakes fall under the umbrella of the sponge cake family. It relies on egg foam to leaven the cake. But instead of little or no butter, it uses oil, making it especially soft and fluffy (for example, butter hardens when refrigerated.) For this matcha cake roll, we need to make a matcha milk mixture first, then whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and gently fold it into the other ingredients. It's not too difficult at all but if you want an even simpler, one-bowl style matcha cake, you can try my Easy Matcha Cream Cheese Pound Cake instead.

Green tea swiss roll cut into 8 slices and placed slightly apart on a white presentation board.

What is Matcha Green Tea?

Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially cultivated green tea leaves that come from trees grown in the shade for several weeks before undergoing a special processing technique which involves stem removal and de-viening. It is then ground up into a fine green tea powder and consumed with water or milk, like in a matcha latte. It is also a beloved flavor used in desserts because the earthy profile and astringency contrasts extremely well with the sweetness in most desserts. Here are a few of my matcha flavoured desserts that are reader favorites: matcha mille crepe cake, matcha macarons, matcha coconut cookie.

Where to Buy Matcha Powder?

For those living in Japan, Matcha powder is extremely easy to find because it is a big part of the Japanese culture. It is consumed on a regular basis as a simple cup of tea or as part of their intricate tea ceremony rituals and it's also used extensively in desserts. Here in North America, matcha flavoured foods aren't as mainstream but it can be easier to find in cities with a large Asian population. If you plan to buy some matcha for yourself, it can usually be found in well stocked grocery stores selling Asian produce. Some specialty tea shops also sell matcha powder. Alternatively, Amazon offers a good selection to choose from, like this highly rated one with Japanese origin.

How to Cook the Adzuki Red Beans

For this recipe, I consulted with my mom on how to best cook Adzuki beans since these little beans are a very common ingredient used in Asian cooking. These little red beans can be purchased in Asian grocery markets or in the baking aisle of some well-stocked grocery stores. Amazon also sells this one from Bob's Red Mill.

For our use in this cake roll, it's best to pre-soak the beans in 3X the amount of water at least 1 hour before cooking to soften them and cut down on the cooking time. You can leave them soaking overnight as well. Make sure to use a big enough bowl as the beans will swell and enlarge. After that, we wash and drain it to remove any impurities, then simmer it for about 30 minutes, until it becomes soft. Lastly, we add the sugar and salt and let it immerse with the beans. Once all the water evaporates and a line can be drawn in the beans without disappearing, it's done! So easy!

Step By Step for Cooking Adzuki Red Beans

Soak Adzuki beans in 3X the amount of water for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. Rinse pre-soaked beans to rid of any impurities and throw away damaged beans

Place in medium sized pot. Add enough water to go past the beans by 2 inches. Using a medium-high heat, bring water to a boil, then reduce to low for a light simmer.

Red beans boiling in a pot with steam coming out.

Let beans simmer until it becomes soft, about 30 minutes (time will depend on how long it was pre-soaked). The best way to test doneness is to taste it to see how soft it is. Pour cooked beans into a colander to drain water.

Testing one single Adzuki bean for red bean paste.

Add beans back into pot, add sugar and stir on low heat until the water has evaporated and a line can be drawn in the beans with a spatula without disappearing. Set aside to let cool.

Sugar and red bean being boiled in a pot. A line drawn inside the Adzuki bean paste.

Mash up half of the beans with a fork or pulverize in a food processor. Add it into the whipped cream along with the rest of the whole adzuki beans.

Tips for Making a Nice Roll Cake

A strong and healthy meringue (whipped egg whites with sugar) is needed to act as one of the leavening agents in this cake. Egg whites should be whipped in a clean and dry non-plastic bowl since plastic tends to trap oil. Use a paper towel and wipe down the mixing bowl with lemon or vinegar before you start.
Carefully separate the egg whites and yolks. Make sure no yolks are present in the egg whites. An egg separator can come in handy.
Bring the egg whites to a stiff peak. This is characterized by egg whites that have a beak that points upwards (instead of slumped over) when the whisk is pulled out.
Once the liquid (matcha milk in our case here) is introduced to the flour, do not over mix. This will produce more gluten, making the cake less tender.
Rap the tray a few times on the counter to get rid of large air pockets.
Use a gentle folding movement with a spatula to incorporate the meringue into the wet flour mixture. Do not stir, this will prevent the air in the meringue from deflating.
Add more cream along the short edge of the cake which is to be rolled first. This will prevent the cake from cracking due to large gaps in between the folds. These angled spatulas will come in handy for even frosting any time of cake. Instead of putting your hands directly onto the cake, use the parchment paper to push the cake onto itself as you roll.
Fold gently and do not worry too much about rolling the cake very tightly. As long as the cream is spread out evenly (with a bit more along the short edge as per above), the amount of cream in this recipe will allow the sheet cake to hold up without cracking due to large gaps.
I like to test the doneness of the Adzuki beans with my mouth instead of my fingers since it gives me a better idea what the mouthfeel will be like. It can seem softer than it actually is when mushing it between your fingers.
Keep half portion of the beans whole to give the Adzuki cream some texture.
Chill the bowl, beaters and whipped cream for optimal whipping volume. They should all be be very cold.
Gelatin is added to the whipped cream to help stabilize it. Many recipes do not include this step but I prefer it when using whipped cream in a cake roll. It prevents the cream from deflating so the roll stays rounder and looks nicer. The red beans added to the cream will also make it a bit softer looking than usual so stabilizing it is a good idea. You can leave this step out if you plan on serving the cake immediately. If you need further guidance on stabilizing the cream, please read my post on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.
If you find rolling the cake and stabilizing the whipped cream is too time-consuming, try this easy Japanese Peach Cake in a Cup, it has the same great chiffon base but doesn't require rolling or whipped cream stabilization and can be baked in a pan of any size.
You might also like these new versions I created: Japanese Carrot Cake Roll with Stabilized Mascarpone Cream & Coffee Cake Roll with Kaluha Cream, Fancy Pattern Cake Roll.

Step By Step Green Tea Cake Roll

Green tea powder being sifted into a small pot, then heated with milk over stove. — In a small sauce pan, pour in milk, sift in matcha powder. Place over medium heat, keep stirring mixture until it starts to steam and no visible clumps of powder can be seen. Take off heat and set aside to cool. Do not let boil.

Egg whites being whipped in a stand mixer until stiff peak stage, with peaks that stand vertically. — In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have tightened up, add sugar a little bit at a time. Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.

Dry ingredients being sifted into a big bowl and then mixed. — In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Create a well in the center.

Inside a big bowl, green tea milk mixture is being stirred with dry ingredients. Meringue is being folded into the mixture. — Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and the now cooled matcha milk mixture. Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.

Green tea cake batter poured into a big rectangular cake pan, then baked in the oven. — Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 10-12 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.

Parchment paper being ripped off the fully baked green tea cake. — Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing. Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min. Place a new piece of parchment paper on top of the cake.

Matcha sheet cake in the process of being rolled. — Flip the cake over and remove rack. Start rolling, allowing the parchment paper to be in between the folds. This will prevent the cake from sticking to itself. It's important to roll the cake before it cools completely, otherwise, it will crack while rolling. Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.

How to Make Rolled Cake Round

Once the rolled cake has been assembled with the Adzuki cream, finish up with this final tip to make the cake look nice and round instead of soft and floppy. Wrap the assembled cake in plastic wrap. Once it's secured inside the first piece of plastic, place it on a new piece of plastic and start wrapping it again while gently rolling it away from you, making sure you are creating a log shape at the same time. Just use gentle pressure, we don't want to squish the fluffy cake base! Allow the assembled cake to firm up in the fridge for several hours before serving. Doing both of these will give you a beautiful round cake log at home.

Slices of matcha tea cake roll stacked in a row.

After making and remaking this matcha cake roll over 20 times during recipe development to get the taste and texture just right, I'm happy to add to the blog another original recipe from my home kitchen. It's a dessert I would be proud to bring to a party or gathering. Everyone loves the texture of a nice fluffy cake roll, and when pre-cut and displayed on a beautiful presentation board, it looks just like the luxurious cakes you find at high-end bakeries. I love both the taste and look of a good roll cake and I know you and yours will too.

Stay safe and thank you so matcha 🙂 for coming by again.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Matcha Cake Roll w/ Adzuki Cream

The fluffiest matcha swiss cake roll paired with a semi-sweet adzuki bean cream. Heavenly Japanese style green tea dessert just like the ones at the shops.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

Japanese Style Matcha Chiffon Cake

60 ml whole fat milk
5 teaspoon matcha powder
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
50 grams granulated sugar
45 grams cake flour
30 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
3 egg yolks
40 ml vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Adzuki Red Bean Cream

160 grams Adzuki red bean (pre-soaked)
115 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
5 teaspoon water
1 cup whipping cream 33% M.F.
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Adzuki Bean Cream Preparation

Soak Adzuki beans in 3X the amount of water for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.

Matcha Chiffon Cake Instructions

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a small sauce pan, pour in milk, sift in matcha powder.
Place over medium heat, keep stirring mixture until it starts to steam and no visible clumps of powder can be seen. Take off heat and set aside to cool. Do not let boil.
In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have tightened up, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks. (Note 2) You've now made a meringue.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and the now cooled matcha milk mixture.
Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix.
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 10-12 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing.
Place cooling rack over cake pan.
Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.
Place a new piece of parchment paper on top of the cake.
Flip the cake over and start rolling, allowing the parchment paper to be in between the folds. This will prevent the cake from sticking to itself. It's important to roll the cake before it cools completely, otherwise, it will crack while rolling.
Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.

Adzuki bean cream Instructions

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
Rinse pre-soaked beans to rid of any impurities and throw away damaged beans
Place in medium sized pot. Add enough water to go past the beans by 2 inches.
Using a medium high heat, bring water to a boil, then reduce to low for a light simmer.
Let beans simmer until it becomes soft, about 30 minutes (time will depend on how long it was pre-soaked).
Pour beans into a colander to drain water.
Add beans back into pot, add sugar and salt and stir on low heat until the water has evaporated and a line can be drawn in the beans with a spatula without disappearing.
Set aside to let cool.
Place water in a heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.
Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Check that the beans have completely cooled off.
Mash half of the azuki beans into a paste with a potato masher or pulverize it in the food processor to make a paste.
Gently fold in the cooled Adzuki bean paste and whole beans into the whipped cream.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Gently unwrap rolled cake and spread an even layer of cream on it. (Note 3)
Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself.
Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before cutting.
Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation. Matcha cake roll can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Notes

1. Some ingredients are repeated, use them in the same order as outlined in instructions.

2. Stiff peaks are characterized by egg whites that have a pointed peak when the whisk is pulled out. It points upwards and doesn't droop on itself.

3. Depending on the volume your cream attains once whipped, not all of the cream may be needed. A layer about ½" is recommended, with a bit more on the edge that will be rolled first.

Other Cake Roll Flavors You Might Like

Here are all the other cake roll flavors you might like. You can use them as a guide to help you adapt the cake for different flavors using techniques like adding different ingredients to the dry mix, the wet mix or the filling. Try these rolls: Fancy Pattern Cake Roll, Fresh Strawberry Cream Cake Roll, Earl Grey Cake Roll, Coffee Kahlua Cake Roll, Chocolate Cake Roll, Carrot Cake Roll, Gingerbread Cake Roll, Pumpkin Spice Cake Roll , Cotton Candy Cake Roll, Christmas Silent Night Cake Roll, Bear Pattern Cake Roll, Gingerbread Man Pattern Cake and Peach Cake Roll in a Cup.

Easy Matcha Cream Cheese Pound cake

May 6, 2020 · 15 Comments

An easy matcha pound cake using minimal ingredients and simple baking steps. This addition of cream cheese make this green tea cake extra tender. It can be kept at room temperature and transports easily for tea time, parties and edible gifts.

Many slices of matcha pound cake shown open faced on a long white plate.

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An Uncomplicated Indulgence

The recipe for this easy matcha cream cheese pound cake came about after spending the last several weeks staying indoors with a rambunctious toddler while juggling with making meals using the priceless ingredients we have in our pantry at the current moment. At the end of the day, I just want to sit down, take a break and have a sweet treat. Mind you, it took a whole month of recipe testing every single day for this final recipe which I'm sharing with you today so I really really needed that break! The result is the most tender matcha pound cake a girl could ask for 🙂 It has an excellent matcha flavor without the amount of work needed like the recipe for Japanese Matcha Cake Roll.

I developed this easy green tea dessert which can be kept at room temperature because both time and fridge space have become a scarce resource. In addition, I know many of my readers do not want to waste precious ingredients on a challenging new baking project that might not work out. I can assure you, I made this recipe simple to follow and very forgiving. We even bake this cake in an unpretentious loaf pan. Quick and easy but delicious!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Keeps well at room temperature, reducing need for fridge space.
Transports easily for picnics, dessert tables and parties.
Delicious matcha flavor that pairs well with the sweetness of the cake.
Addition of cream cheese makes traditional pound cake extra tender.
Easy to make - just sift, cream and stir.
Bakes in a simple loaf pan.
Simple - doesn't need to be frosted.

A piece of matcha pound cake on a small dessert plate with japanese motif.

What Is Pound Cake?

A classic pound cake uses the simple ratio of 1 pound each of: sugar, flour, eggs and butter, hence, its name. Because a pound cake is a type of butter cake, you'll find that it's richer and denser. It's one of those cakes that give off a very inviting and delicious buttery aroma. This cake is unlike my other recipes featuring a fluffy sponge cake body (Fluffy Chocolate Cake Roll, Carrot Cake Roll, Coffee Cake Roll or Japanese Strawberry Cake Roll).

How Do I Make Pound Cake More Tender?

Pound cakes can sometimes be dry and dense but this one is tender and buttery with added matcha powder for that undeniable earthy matcha green tea flavour. The main ingredients used in this cake are similar to those found in a traditional pound cake but doesn't exactly follow the exact ratio because I added a secret ingredient - cream cheese. Along with cake flour, instead of regular AP flour, both ingredients give it the most tender texture that a pound cake could have.

The end piece of matcha cake loaf shown cut open with a few slices in front of it.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a finely ground powder of specially cultivated green tea leaves. These tea leaves come from trees that are grown in the shade for several weeks before undergoing a special processing technique which involves stem removal and de-viening. It is then ground up into a fine green tea powder and consumed with water or milk, like in matcha latte. It is also a beloved flavor used in desserts because the earthy profile and astringency contrasts extremely well with the sweetness in desserts. Here are a few reader favorites for matcha desserts: matcha mille crepe cake, matcha macarons, matcha coconut cookie.

Where Do I Buy Matcha Powder?

Matcha powder is easy to find in Japan and other East Asian countries with a strong tea culture. Here in North America, it is usually sold in well stocked grocery stores selling Asian produce. Some specialty tea shops also sell matcha powder. Alternatively, Amazon offers a good selection to choose from, like this highly rated one with Japanese origins. If you still have difficulty finding matcha powder, consider this Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake which uses ingredients found at almost every grocery store.

Bird's eye view of matcha cream cheese pound cake with a perfect center crack.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Cake flour - cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this pound cake lighter and softer than if using all purpose flour.
Matcha powder - a regular culinary grade (vs. the more expensive ceremonial grade) matcha was used in this recipe so the sugar level is suited towards a matcha powder that has a slightly more bitter taste.
Baking powder - this is the leavening agent. Traditionally pound cakes are naturally leavened by the air created in the batter when creaming the butter and sugar together. Adding baking powder helps by giving the cake additional lift in case there are any weaknesses in the batter and opens up the crumbs a bit more.
Sea salt - if using regular table salt, use half the amount.
Granulated sugar - this can be substituted with extra fine sugar (berry sugar/castor sugar) for a finer texture.
Unsalted butter at room temperature - it's very important to have the butter at room temperature for it to cream properly with the sugar allowing the mixture to trap in air which will then help the cake expand when baking. This will give the cake a nice soft texture. To speed up the process of bringing it to room temperature, cut it into small cubes and microwave it on low for 6-8 seconds at a time. It should be soft enough to indent with your fingers but still holds its shape.
Eggs at room temperature - Use large size. It's important for the eggs to be at room temperature as well. If cold eggs are added to the butter, it will make the butter solidify, the butter melts once baked resulting in unsightly tunnels and large holes in the cake. To speed up the process of bringing cold eggs to room temperature, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes.
Cream cheese - use the brick type as cream cheese in a tub is too soft for use in this cake. It needs to be softened to a spreadable consistency, microwave it on medium at 8-10 second intervals.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature so they can be easily incorporated into a smooth evenly textured batter. This will give the cake a nice soft texture and prevent tunnels and holes.
Triple sifting the dry mixture will ensure that the leavening agent is dispersed evenly throughout the mixture, again, preventing holes and tunnels.
After adding the dry ingredients to the wet batter, use the lowest setting ("stir" on some machines) to stir the batter until just incorporated. There will be some flour left on the side of the bowl, use a spatula to fold in the rest by hand. This will ensure the batter doesn't get overworked resulting in a tough cake.
After transferring the batter into the cake pan, drop it on the counter several times to remove all the excess air in the batter.
Line the cake pan with parchment paper for a clean release and cleanup.
Serve it dusted with powdered sugar, with ice cream or adzuki red bean paste.
If you like the taste of cheesecake-like cakes and want to avoid baking, make sure to try this no-bake pumpkin cheesecake.

How to Store & Freeze Matcha Pound Cake

This delicious unfrosted cake keeps very well at room temperature. Store it in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days for the most tender pound cake texture.
If placing in the fridge, bring it back to room temperature before serving, about 20-30 minutes.
This green tea cake also freezes wonderfully for enjoyment at a later time when you want a quick treat from the freezer or have unexpected guests. Once it cools down completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1-2 months for maximum freshness. The night before serving, take it out to defrost in the fridge.
Bonus tip: you can cut the cake up in slices and freeze for single servings, it will defrost more readily. (Freezing the whole cake will keep it more moist.)

Step By Step

Sift together cake flour, matcha powder, baking powder and salt. Sift 3 times to ensure leavening agent is evenly dispersed throughout dry mixture. Stir to incorporate. Set aside.

Matcha and icing sugar and flour being sifted.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and room temperature butter together on medium speed until pale and fluffy.

Butter and sugar being creamed together.

Add softened cream cheese (spreadable consistency) into mixture.

Beat on low until incorporated. Do not over beat.

Cream cheese being whipped in pound cake batter.

Add room temperature eggs one at a time.

Beat until it looks smooth and creamy.

A smooth creamy pound cake batter in mixing bowl.

Pause mixer, add dry ingredients into the wet batter in 3 separate additions.

Matcha dry mix being added into the wet batter.

Stir batter on the lowest setting until almost all of the dry ingredients inside bowl are no longer visible.

Pound cake batter is now green after the addition of matcha dry mix.

Turn off mixer, take the bowl out and scrape down the sides, gently folding in the rest of the dry ingredients by hand. This will ensure that the batter doesn't get overworked resulting in a tough cake.

Hands scraping down batter from the side of the bowl with spatula.

Swipe some of the batter onto the pan to help the parchment paper stay in place.

Spreading some batter onto the cake pan with a spatula.

Transfer batter into pan, bang the pan on the counter several times to remove excess air.

Adding matcha pound cake batter into a cake pan lined with parchment paper.

If desired, place a thin strip of cold butter into the center of the cake. This will create a beautiful center crack once baked.

Butter slices placed in center of cake loaf.

FAQ

Why Does My Pound Cake Have a Crack?

It is normal for pound cakes to have a crack after baking because it is a denser cake and the exterior finishes cooking first forcing the batter to rise, creating a crack on the top. You can add thin strips of cold butter into the batter to force a beautiful center crack in the cake.

Can I Make This Into a Birthday Cake?

Definitely! This is a sturdy cake that will support heavier frostings like buttercream. Although, it's pretty delicious on its own already 🙂 To bake it in another type of cake pan, just make sure there is enough heat reaching the center so shallow round cake pans for layer cakes will work.

Can I Substitute Matcha with Cocoa Powder to Make a Chocolate Version?

Although it might seem intuitive to do so, it actually doesn't work as well to simply sub in cocoa powder. I tried 🙂 After a lot of recipe testing, I created a new recipe for a chocolate cream cheese pound cake that includes two extra ingredient to make the flavors pop!

Top view of matcha pound cake with some slices cut out.

I have enjoyed making and eating this matcha pound cake at home with Bibi these past few weeks. I keep the cake on the kitchen counter and take a small slice from it whenever I need a little pick-me-up. Sometimes when I'm really lucky and have time to steep some light green tea, I'll enjoy the two together for a true afternoon tea break. It is sweet quiet moments like these that help me catch my breath after cooking endless meals and (deep) cleaning my home over and over again. After so much recipe testing where I made this cake many many times, I'm finally happy with the results. The effects its had on brightening my day has been worth the effort. I really hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as well.

Sending you all positive vibes. Stay safe and take good care.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Matcha Cream Cheese Pound Cake

The most tender matcha pound cake made with green tea powder and cream cheese. Enjoy it with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Stores well at room temperature - perfect for edible gifts.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

160 grams cake flour
3 tablespoon matcha powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
180 grams granulated sugar
160 grams butter at room temperature (unsalted)
135 grams cream cheese (note 1)
3 large eggs at room temperature

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 325 F
Soften cream cheese in the microwave on medium for 10 seconds. It should be at a spreadable consistency.
Sift together cake flour, matcha powder, baking powder and salt. Sift 3 times to ensure leavening agent is evenly dispersed throughout dry mixture. Stir to incorporate. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat sugar and room temperature butter together on medium speed until pale and fluffy.
Add softened cream cheese into mixture, beat on medium-low until incorporated. Do not over beat.
Add room temperature eggs one at a time and beat on medium-low until it looks smooth and creamy.
Pause mixer, add dry ingredients into the wet batter in 3 separate additions. Beat on the lowest setting ("stir" on some machines) until almost all of the dry ingredients inside bowl are no longer visible.
Turn off mixer, take the bowl out and scrape down the sides, gently fold in the rest of the dry ingredients by hand.
Transfer batter into an 8.5" X 4.5" loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
Bang the pan on the counter several times to remove excess air.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the cake springs back in the center when gently pressed and a skewer inserted comes out clean. The cake will look golden brown.
Let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Once cooled, keep cake at room temperature for 2-3 days in an air tight container. If placing in the fridge, let it come back to room temperature before serving, about 20-30 minutes.
Serve it alone or with ice cream or Azuki bean paste. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Cream cheese in block form not cream cheese spread as it will be too soft for use in this cake.

How to Make Perfect Meringue for Macarons

Apr 22, 2020 · 18 Comments

Prepare a proper meringue for baking perfect macarons using the right kitchen tools and the correct whipping speed at every step.

A series of baking steps in the process of making meringue for macarons.

The Perfect Foundation for Macarons

By popular request, here's the guide on how to make perfect meringue for macarons with a dedicated video and instructions. The meringue is perhaps the most important foundation for perfect macarons so it's important to make it properly. I'd venture to say that most macaron problems derive from a poorly prepared meringue. Make sure to start with aged egg whites and follow the step-by-step instructions outlined. I also made a video which will give you a visual idea of the key markers to look for when preparing meringue for macarons.

Step-By-Step

Start by wiping down mixing bowls and utensils with lemon juice or vinegar to remove oils.

Wiping down a stainless steel bowl with lemon juice.

Use aged egg whites for making meringue for macarons. Bring it back to room temperature first. Whip the egg whites on low until foamy. At this point, the bubbles are bigger and clear.

Whipping egg whites to foamy consistency.

Add the cream of tartar, increase speed to medium.

Egg whites in a mixing bowl being whipped with cream of tartar being added.

Once the bubbles have tightened up in size, the egg whites have become opaque and the whisk has started to leave tracks in the egg whites, add the sugar gradually.

Egg whites being whipped with sugar being added.

Once the meringue is at the soft peaks stage, add the gel colour. Soft peaks is characterized by a pointed beak in the meringue that droops back on itself. Increase speed to medium high.

Gel colors being added to a mixing bowl with meringue.

Beat until stiff peaks are reached. Stiff Peaks is characterized by points in the meringue that stand vertically without drooping. Use immediately.

Tips for Making Perfect Meringue:

Do not use plastic bowls to whip the meringue since they have a porous surface and holds onto oils.
Wipe down tools and bowls with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any oils.
Always start whipping egg whites on low speed. This will allow the air bubbles created to have a more stable structure.
Yes, a meringue can become over beaten. Once it starts to separate into chunks, you know you've gone too far. It cannot be used anymore.
Another test for macaron stiffness is to flip the bowl upside down, if the meringue doesn't slip, it's ready. This might not work so well with glass bowls since it slips easily on glass. Use stainless steel ones like these if possible.
Do not use aluminum bowls for beating meringue since some of it may come out during the beating process.
Cream of tartar is added to stabilize the meringue. This can be substituted with another acid like lemon juice or vinegar in double the amount. Cream of tartar is usually found next to the spices in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.
Caster sugar is also known as berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar. It melts easily into the meringue making it ideal for whipping meringue desserts. It is usually found right next to the granulated sugar in the baking aisle. It can be substituted with regular sugar granulated sugar but castor sugar produces more desirable results.
You can get just as much flavour into the macaron shells simply by osmosis during the maturation phase with the filling. There is usually no need to add liquid extracts into the meringue.
Previously frozen egg whites cannot be used to make meringues since they tend to be watery once thawed. They can be used in other recipes which do not rely on it to be the sole leavening agent.
Never add liquid coloring into a meringue. Always use GEL coloring. This is a great brand that doesn't fade while baking.

This post was originally published on March 18, 2017

Recipe

How to Make Meringue for Macarons

Prepare a proper meringue for baking perfect macarons using the right kitchen tools and the correct whipping speed at every step.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Meringue

Aged egg whites
Castor sugar (Note 1)
Cream of tartar (Note 2)
Lemon juice or vinegar
Gel food colour

Tools

Stand mixer with balloon whisk attached or handheld mixer
Non-plastic mixing bowl
Spatula

Instructions

Start by using aged egg whites (read this post on how to age egg whites for macarons)
Wipe down non-plastic mixing bowls with lemon juice or vinegar to reduce oils.
Bring whites back to room temperature before whipping. You can bring egg whites to room temperature more quickly by placing the vessel holding the egg whites into a bowl filled with warm water.
Throughout the process, whip the egg whites while increasing the speed gradually. Start on low then build up from there.
Whip whites on low until foamy
Add cream of tartar or lemon juice
Whip on medium until whisk leave marks in the whites
Add sugar a little at a time. Wait until it dissolves into the whites before adding next portion.
Before it gets stiff, while its at a soft peak stage, add GEL color. Soft peaks is characterized by egg whites that have become white and holds a soft droopy beak.
Whip on high until stiff and whites clump in the whisk. Stiff peaks is characterized by a pointed beak that stands vertically and doesn't droop on itself.
Use immediately

Notes

1. Castor sugar is also known as berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar. It dissolves easily into egg whites making it ideal for meringue use. Granulated sugar can be used as a substitute.

2. Another acid like lemon juice or vinegar can be used as a substitute.

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How to Age Egg Whites for Baking Macarons

Apr 18, 2020 · 37 Comments

Aging egg whites helps to create a more stable meringue for baking perfect macarons. Here's a simple tutorial that will teach you how and a discussion on if it's really needed.

Eggs being cracked open to be used for aging egg whites.

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What is Aged Egg Whites?

Aged egg whites are ones which have been separated and left in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours so that the proteins inside can relax, making it easier to whip to volume. It's very important to use aged egg whites for baking macarons because a lot of problems derive from a poorly prepared meringue. All good macaron recipe rely on a good meringue to help the macaron shells develop. To build a good foundation for a healthy meringue, start with aged egg whites.

How to Age Egg Whites?

To age egg whites, start with cold eggs and separate the whites from the yolk with an egg separator like the one you see in my video. Keep it in a non-plastic container for a minimum of 24 hours. This process helps to dehydrate it and relax the proteins inside the whites, thereby, preventing over whipping while creating a strong meringue with stiff peaks.

Do I really need to age my egg whites?

Some bakers do not believe in aging the egg whites and claim it's one of those myths surrounding macaron baking. Yes, you can definitely bake macarons with fresh egg whites. I have done so on many occasions. However, I still always leave aged egg whites in the fridge every few days because I want to make sure I have them on hand whenever I need to bake macarons.

World renowned macaron pastry chef, Pierre Herme, recommends the aging process in his popular Macarons cookbook and this is also what I've seen done at the bakeries. I find aged egg whites do whip up easily and have a "drier" consistency. When it whips up more readily, they are less apt to be over whipped.

I know how frustrating it is when macarons don't work out and you feel like you've wasted your ingredients and several hours in the process. If you age your egg whites, it will act as extra insurance and that never hurts. If things still don't work out, then at least you can rule out the fact that aged egg whites were not used. Once you are able to make macarons successfully, you can skip the aging process and go from there.

Step By Step

Clean and dry hands and other kitchen utensils that are to be used.

Hand is wiping water off with towel, egg whites and a yolk are shown in the back.

Wipe down non-plastic bowls with some vinegar or lemon juice to remove leftover oils.

Hand is wiping clean the bowl with a paper towel.

Set an egg separator over a bowl for holding the egg whites. Have another bowl handy for holding the separated egg yolks.

Hand is lifting an egg separator out of the bowl.

Crack the eggs while cold.

Hand is cracking an egg over an egg separator.

An egg is being opened in into an egg separator.

Transfer the egg yolk into another bowl. To avoid compromising the integrity of the entire amount of egg whites if the yolks burst, crack each egg and then transfer the egg whites to a bowl dedicated to keeping the egg whites.

Hand is separating the egg yolk and egg whites into separate bowls.

Pour the egg whites into a measuring cup and weigh out the amount you need for your recipe.

Hand is pouring egg whites into a measuring cup placed on a scale.

Place plastic wrap over the the measuring cup.

Plastic film is being stretched over a measuring cup filled with egg whites.

Poke a few large holes in it. Place it in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. You can keep the egg whites in the fridge for up to 2-4 days.

Hand puncturing plastic wrapped measuring cup filled with aged egg whites.

Recipe

Yield: Enough egg whites for use in Mimi's Best Macaron Recipe

Age Egg Whites for Baking Macarons

Aging egg whites helps to create a more stable meringue for baking perfect macarons. Here's a simple tutorial that will teach you how to separate the egg whites and help relax their proteins for baking.

Active Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Materials

50 grams of egg whites

Tools

3 small non-plastic bowl for cracking eggs
non-plastic measuring cup
egg separator
lemon juice or vinegar
plastic wrap
container for holding yolks
knife

Instructions

Clean and pat dry hands. Meringues cannot whip up properly in the presence of yolk, oil and water.
Wipe down mixing bowls with some lemon juice or vinegar to remove leftover oils.
Crack the cold egg into a small non-plastic bowl. (Cold eggs are easier to separate than warm eggs.) Separate egg whites, making sure to leave no traces of egg yolks. Cracking the egg into the extra bowl on the side will ensure that if you make a mistake, your entire portion of egg whites will not be compromised.
Place the yolk in the yolk container and then pour the egg whites into the measuring cup. Do this for each egg.
Make sure to measure the exact amount of egg whites the recipe calls for. You’ll find that egg whites can weigh a little less after a few days of dehydration in the fridge. So, in my best macaron recipe, measure out the egg whites BEFORE aging it.
If yolks do get into the egg whites, just scoop it out with the egg shell. you’ll find that the yolk is easily attracted to the shell.
Place plastic wrap over the the measuring cup and then poke a few large holes in it. Place it in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours. You can keep the egg whites in the fridge for up to 2-4 days.
Set it out at room temperature for 20 minutes before you start baking.
Follow the next step to Making Perfect Meringues for Macarons

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Note: This post was first published on September 15, 2016.

How to Make Almond Flour for Macarons

Apr 17, 2020 · 65 Comments

Use blanched almonds to make your own homemade almond flour for baking macarons to save money and get more consistent results.

Save Money and Get Better Results

Making your own almond flour for baking macarons can be one of the best ways to save money and get consistent results when making this sweet treat. A good finely ground almond flour is one of my top tips for baking round and smooth macarons. Commercially produced almond flour are made for a variety of uses like tarts, breads and cookies. Almond flour for use in baking macarons should ideally be less oily but the grinding up of almonds into a fine flour can sometimes release these oils, making the flour less desirable for macarons. Making almond flour at home is a good way to control the results and it can be considerably cost savings too. Here is a guide on how to make your own homemade almond flour for baking macarons.

Almond Flour Vs. Almond Meal Vs. Blanched

Almond flour is one of the main ingredients in macarons. Anytime you read a macaron recipe, you will see that almond flour or almond meal will be required. The two are commonly used interchangeably. However, you still need to judge for yourself which one its referring to in context of the particular recipe you are using since almond flour can also mean a more finer ground almond vs. a coarser almond meal (used for breading). There are also blanched and non-blanched almond flours/meals. Blanched almonds basically mean that the brown skin has been removed.

For making macarons, you always want to use blanched almond flour. When I first started making macarons, I found myself driving all around the city to find almond flour available only in specialty stores. On the other hand, blanched almonds in its raw form was available in almost every common grocery store. Being that I love convenience and did not prefer to visit a specialty store to get almond flour every time I wanted to bake these babies, I decided to try making my own almond flour. I found it to be quite easy and could be considerably cost saving too. But the best part about making your own almond flour is the consistent quality of your almond flour. There have been some almond flour that I've used before which were extremely oily and caused my macarons to become blotchy or "sweaty". I highly recommend making your own macaron flour to save money and achieve better results.

There's a video after the instructions below. I hope all of it helps you in your macaron making journey.

XOXO,
Mimi

Step-By-Step

Place the blanched almonds into the food processor along with the powdered sugar.

Pouring blanched almond slices into a food processor.

Pouring powdered sugar into a food processor.

Start pulsing, stopping intermittently to bring up the sugar that have sunken to the bottom with a spoon.

Close up of food processor grinding almond flour.

Sift the mixture into a big bowl with an open faced sifter or fine strainer.

Sifting almond flour and powdered sugar mixture.

Discard the big almond pieces that cannot be sifted.

Weigh out the amount of discarded amount.

Take some fresh almonds to compensate for the discarded amounts and pulse it again along with some of the sifted mixture.

Pulse again.

Grinding almond flour in a food processor.

Sift. The almond flour is now ready to use.

Weigh Out a Little More Almond than What the Recipe Calls For

Another tip is to weigh out a bit more almonds that what the recipe calls for. I have a pretty reliable food processor from Braun that grinds almonds to a pretty fine consistency. I find that I usually discard about 10 grams (from a total of 60 grams) of almonds that cannot be sifted so I compensate for that by weighing out an extra 10 grams of blanched almonds for grinding. You may need to adjust this amount depending on your own situation.

"My almonds feel wet and clumpy! Why?"

Grinding the almonds by itself without the powdered sugar will release the oil inside the nut and soon you will find that your almonds have become almond butter! So don't forget to grind your almonds with the powdered sugar that's needed in the recipe

"Should I double sift my almond flour?"

I usually only sift mine once. It's so tedious that I don't have the patience for any more than that and my macaron shells never turn out bumpy. If your sifter is fine enough and you seem to be getting good results from one sift, then by all means, save your time and your energy!

I use an open faced sifter or a fine mesh strainer like this one. These types of sifters make it so much easier to use a spoon to push the almond mixture through the mesh. I find the sifters with a lever very clumsy for use with almonds. The almonds that are not finely ground tend to clog up those systems and it's hard to extract afterwards.

Where to buy almonds and almond flour in Vancouver? (list compiled in 2015)

Here is a list of the places that I know of for buying almonds and almond flour. It's not exhaustive so if you happen to know of any other places, please drop me a note below. By far the lowest price I've found for almond flour is at Costco and the lowest price for slivered/whole almonds is at Superstore. For those who do not have those stores in their city, try Amazon, I looked around at many brands and this one seems to have a lot of positive reviews, even from macaron makers.

Almond Flour Prices

**Gourmet Warehouse** $6.99/200 grams = **$3.50/100 grams**
1340 E Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V5L 1S3 (604) 253-3022

- **Superstore** - Bob's Red Mill $15.99/453 grams = **$3.53/100 grams**

red-mill-almond-flour-whole-foods — **Whole Foods** - Bob's Red Mill $12.99/453 grams = **$2.87/100 grams**

costco-canada-almond-flour — **Costco** - Sunblest Almond Flour $21.99 = **$1.62/100 grams**

Blanched Almond Prices

**Superstore** - blanched slivered almonds in the bulk section sold at **$2.79/100 grams**

**Superstore** - No Name blanched sliced almonds $12.82 for 1 kg = **$1.29/100 grams**

**Superstore** - No Name Blanched slivered almonds $7.97 for 400 grams = **$1.99/100 grams**

Gourmet Warehouse: Cote D'Azur Skinless Sliced Almonds $4.39/200G = **$2.20/100 grams**
Cote D'Azur Skinless Sliced Almonds $5.59/300G = **$2/100 grams**
Cote D'Azur Slivered Blanched Almonds $6.99/250G = **$2.80/100 grams**

- Costco - Golden Boy Sliced Almonds $13.99/1.2 kg = $1.16/100 grams
- T&T supermarket - bulk section
- Whole Foods - bulk section

Recipe

Homemade Almond Flour for Macarons

Use blanched almonds to make your own homemade almond flour for baking macarons to save money and get more consistent results.

Prep Time 17 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

For Almond Flour

Blanched Almonds
Icing Sugar/Powdered Sugar

Tools

Digital scale
Sifter
Food processor
2 Big mixing bowls

Instructions

Weigh out the amount of blanched almonds and powdered sugar you will need in your recipe. (In my Best Macaron Recipe, that is equal to 65 grams almonds and 65 grams powdered sugar.)
Place the almonds into the food processor along with some of the powdered sugar. Start pulsing, stopping intermittently to bring up the sugar that have sunken to the bottom with a spoon. DO NOT grind almonds by itself without the sugar. Without it, your almonds will become too oily and turn into almond butter.
Sift the mixture into a big bowl and discard the big pieces that cannot be sifted.
Weigh out the amount of discarded amount. Take some fresh almonds to compensate for the discarded amounts and pulse it again along with some of the sifted mixture. (We need the icing sugar in the mixture to prevent the oils from coming out of the almonds.)
Pulse the almonds again & sift. The almond flour is now ready to use.

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This post was originally published on October 1st, 2014

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Correctly Using Your Home Oven for Baking Macarons

Apr 14, 2020 · 192 Comments

Using your home oven properly for baking macarons can help to avoid hollow, lopsided, browned or cracked shells. This post will go over different ways to set your home oven for baking colorful macarons.

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I wrote this post on correctly using your home oven for baking macarons because I found that there wasn't much information about how to use your home oven properly when baking macarons. Unlike spacious and sturdy commercial grade ovens with even heat distribution, home ovens can be temperamental and seem to need a lot of coddling.

For any home baker, it's very important to know their own oven well in order to achieve success with any recipe, even my Best Macaron Recipe will only get you so far in achieving perfect macarons if you don't know how to adjust your oven properly for baking macarons. You will need to experiment under different baking conditions like rack position, temperature and bake time to find the optimal conditions for successful baking. When you learn to trust your oven, it will love you back ♥

When I started making macarons, I was more concerned about feet development and just making sure that the macarons actually looked like macarons. Needless to say, I was not too picky back then. But as I baked more of them, I realized that all the faults like hollow shells, crispy over baked bodies etc. would actually manifest itself in its outer appearance. In other words, you are essentially showing the world all your macaron's faults just by its visual presentation. I started to demand more perfection from these little sweet treats.

Even when you follow a macaron recipe religiously, you can still end up with ugly or underdeveloped macarons simply because you used your oven incorrectly (READ: Macaron Troubleshooting Guide). Almost all the recipes I've come across only instructs to bake at a certain time and temperature on the middle rack. It drove me crazy when I ended up with overly brown or under cooked macarons. It led me to experiment with my oven in order to get my macarons just right.

Average Baking Time & Temperature for Macarons

I'm not claiming to have the exact solution for you because all ovens are different. Every baker should know their own oven well. This post highlights the different ways to adjust your own oven to perfect the baking process. You may need to use a combination of these adjustments to achieve the results you want depending on your own situation.

All of the scenarios below are in reference to the average baking time, temperature and rack position of the two methods below:
♥ FRENCH Method: 320 F for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack ♥
♥ ITALIAN Method: 260 F for 20-22 minutes on the middle rack ♥

Oven Adjustment Methods

Baking Time and Temperature

Macarons can be over baked/under baked and feet development can be overdeveloped/underdeveloped if the baking time or temperature is not well aligned. For over baked shells or over developed feet, the temperature is probably too high causing it to bake too quickly. You will also find that feet which develop quickly and outwards are also victims of over folding and overly hot oven temperatures. The high heat forces the feet to develop much too quickly and it has nowhere to go except up and out. On the other hand, under baked shells and under developed feet (not a lack of feet due to wrong folding techniques, just underdeveloped), cannot fully reach their full potential when the oven temperature is not high enough.

Learn to adjust the temperatures in your oven. To compensate for adjusted temperatures, you will also need to readjust the baking time and vice versa. For temperature increases, baking time should be decreased. For temperature decreases, baking time should be increased. However, baking at lower temperatures may sometimes result in an undercooked shell and baking at higher temperatures may cause shells to brown. If that is the case, try adjusting the rack position as outlined in the next section.

Baking Time and Temperature Relationship

Macaron Baking Time and Temperature Relationship
↑ Increase temperature - ↓ decrease time
↓ Decrease temperature - ↑ increase time

As a starting point, for every 25 F increase or decrease, compensate with a 2-3 minutes change in baking time in the inverse direction.

Some Recommended Baking Temperature and Times

350 F for 10 minutes - suitable for spacious large ovens
325 F for 12-14 minutes - standard starting point for my recipe
300 F for 16-18 minutes
275 F for 18-20 minutes - suitable for smaller ovens with small compartments

These temperatures are for conventional ovens without convection setting. Usually, it is recommended to decrease the temperature by 25 F when using the convection setting.

Rack Position

The middle rack is often the "default" position in any oven. It's ideal for most foods since it allows the hot air to circulate evenly around the food, resulting in balanced heat distribution. Most recipes recommend that you bake your macarons on the middle shelf. However, you may need to adjust this depending on where your heat source is coming from and your own individual problems.

Browning of shell top due to broiler's heat source from the TOP of the oven without convection fan: If the tops of your macarons are browning too fast before the centre is fully cooked, try moving your macarons to a lower rack until the feets develop. Then, place an empty tray on the rack above the shells to shield them from the heat.

Inside of an oven with heating coils on the bottom.

Shells browning on bottom due to heat source from the exposed bake element at the BOTTOM of the oven without convection fan: If your macarons are browning on the bottom before the centre is fully cooked, try moving the macarons to a higher rack. If that alone doesn't help, you can try adding an extra tray immediately below the current tray to prevent it from heating up too quickly.

Convection vs. True Convection

A regular convection oven features a fan which helps to distributes the air around the oven. A "true convection" (a.k.a European convection or third-element convection) utilizes an additional heating element behind the fan to blow heated air to your dish. This method produces more even heat distribution and better baking results.

Using the convection fan

I have become a recent convert to the convection fan since I have found that the temperature remains consistent throughout the baking process with only a 5 degree variance. The fan helps to distribute heat more evenly throughout the oven cavity so you may even be able to bake several trays at once. The heat reaching your macarons may be increased and you may need to decrease the temperature or baking time. As a starting point, it is usually recommended to decrease the temperature by 25 F when using the convection setting.

On the flip side, some bakers may find that their convection fan is a little too strong and causes the macaron shells to become lopsided. You can consider turning on convection cooking during the latter part of the baking period since your shells will already be stronger at that point than when they were wet. If that doesn't help, you may need to skip using the fan altogether.

Having said all that, a convection fan is not necessary when using your home oven for baking macarons. It is a nice added bonus to keep the heat distributing evenly and consistently. You can still achieve this by using other baking tweaks and the proper heat conducting kitchen tools which will be outlined below.

Hot-Preheat Method

If you're still having trouble using a slow and consistent temperature method, try the hot-preheat method. Increase the oven temperature 50 degrees more than the usual baking temperature during the preheat. Once it has reached that temperature and you're ready to bake, turn it down to the regular baking temperature once you place your trays inside. You will need to compensate for this increase in temperature by baking it a shorter amount of time.

This method allows your shells to develop feet from the exposure to the initial high heat but lets them finish off at a lower temperature to avoid browning and over baking. You'll need to be careful of this though as home ovens can cycle hot and cold before it ever reaches your desired temperature so adjusting the temperature mid-way in the baking process may not really change the temperature as you'd hope it would. Read this post on finding a consistent oven temperature.

Reduce Oven Moisture

In Pierre Herme's Macarons book, he advises to open the oven door near the end of the baking time after the feet have developed to let out the steam. Personally, I have never had to do this. I rarely open the oven or turn my trays because I prefer to keep the oven door closed so the heat remains consistent but if this is an area of concern for you, you can also keep the oven door ajar for the whole or for a duration of the baking time by propping a wooden spoon in between the door. You will need to compensate for the loss in heat by increasing the oven temperature.

Good Oven Practices for Baking Macarons

Always Pre-Heat Oven and Use an Oven Thermometer

Always Pre-heat your oven to the correct temperature before placing your trays inside. Place an external oven thermometer inside the oven to ensure that the temperature is correct. Many bakers assume that their ovens are at the correct temperature when in fact, it has increased or decreased during the baking process without their knowledge.

You don't need a fancy thermometer, just a simple hanging one like this one will do. I like that it is small and saves space because it can be hooked on the upper tray. Did you know that the temperature during the initial period of pre-heating is the most unstable? Read my other post on Maintaining a Consistent Oven Temperature.

Identify Hot Spots in Your Oven:

If you are getting uneven results from the same tray of macarons - some are browner than others or some are under baked - you may be facing an issue of hot spots in your oven. You'll need to avoid placing macarons in those areas and rotate your tray throughout the baking time to achieve more even heat distribution.

A great way to identify the hot spots in your oven is to bake several slices of white bread on a tray until it turns brown. You can then see if they have all browned at the same pace or if some are browner than the others.

Bake One Batch at a Time:

I do not recommend baking several trays at once until you have already found the optimal conditions in your oven to bake a perfect batch. Until then, it would be difficult for you to determine why your macarons did not bake successfully. When you bake several batches at once in a small home oven, sometimes heat cannot be evenly distributed to all the shells at the same time. Also, if you are baking on different racks, you would be forcing your macarons to be closer to or further away from a heat source than you'd like. Although not advised for new macaron bakers, if baking several batches at once, try to: alternate the trays midway into the baking time or bake 2 trays on the same rack instead of on different racks. If you have a true convection oven, baking several trays may be easier with the convection setting.

A macaron with hollow gap in the middle. — Same batter but 2 different results! If your folding technique is correct and your meringue is strong, you can still end up with hollows if your temperature is not high enough or your cooking time is not long enough. The fully set shell was baked with oven cyclying between 300-325 F for 14 min. The hollow one didn't reach its full potential as the temp. hovered between 275-300 for the same amount of time. Readers often ask what temperature to use for macarons, I'd say start with 320 and adjust from there according to what works for you.

Avoid Hollows

Hollow macaron shells are a result of a combination of poor batter preparation and not enough heat distribution during baking. To combat the latter, use good heat conducting equipment and increase the temperature or baking time.

Check that your baking pan is conducting enough heat to your macaron shells to help it rise. I like using these rimless aluminized steel ones because it conducts heat evenly and allows for good airflow. It is also very sturdy and doesn't buckle easily, preventing lopsided macarons.

A way to encourage heat transfer from the pan to the macarons is to use parchment paper or Teflon sheets instead of silicone mats. I like silicone mats because they keep the macaron shapes from spreading. I only use Silpat branded ones because they are guaranteed to be made from food-grade materials and they conduct heat well.

Lastly, to maintain a consistent temperature inside the oven, try keeping a pizza stone inside the oven on a lower rack from the macarons. I wrote a whole guide on How to Prevent Hollow Macarons if you're interested in reading more about this.

Summary of Macaron Troubleshoots Due to Oven Conditions

(Complete macaron troubleshooting here):

• Shell top is browning:
- move further away from heat source
- decrease temperature, increase time
- shield macarons with empty tray on rack above

• Shell bottom is browning:
- move further away from heat source
- decrease temperature, increase time
- add double pan on bottom

• Shell is undercooked or feet is under-developed:
- move closer to heat source
- increase baking time
- increase temperature

• Shell is overcooked/dry or feet is over-developed:
- let macaron mature 24 hours or more after filling
- brush same flavoured syrup or milk on bottom of shells
- next time, turn down heat or move away from heat source
- stop whipping egg whites once it reaches stiff peaks

• Shell is lopsided:
- avoid using convection fan if thats the culprit
- avoid using fans the blow directly onto macarons while waiting for skin to develop
-use the range hood fan instead to dry out piped macarons
- consider using a silpat mat instead of parchment paper
- incorrect piping techniques

• Inconsistency in the same batch:
- identify hot spots in your oven
- bake only one tray at a time until you find the optimal baking time/temperature
- for trays baked on different racks, alternate the trays midway into the baking time
- ensure batter is fully incorporated before piping

I hope this post on how to correctly use your home oven for baking macarons. Let me know how yours went.

Happy Baking to You!

XOXO, Mimi

Note: This post was originally published on October 1st, 2014.

How to Price Homemade Macarons

Apr 1, 2020 · 24 Comments

Calculate how much a homemade macaron costs to make and figure out how much to charge in your home baking business. This posts lists different ways to cut down on production costs and bring more value to your customers without discounting.

Several rows of homemade macarons on a plate with lemons and lavender on the side.

How to price homemade macarons is a question some of you who have been making macarons for a while now have probably thought about. This may be especially true after receiving admiration and requests to buy your macarons from those who have seen your work at group gatherings and family events.

In this guide, I incorporate what I learned from my post-secondary studies in business with what I experienced baking batches upon batches of great and sometimes not so great macarons in my home kitchen. I will provide you with a worksheet to calculate how much macarons cost to produce (accounting for those not too great batches too), describe the difference between variable and fixed costs and what that means to your bottom line, give you ideas on how to provide more value as a small baking business, go above and beyond without discounting, determine what your time costs and ultimately set a price for your macarons in a way that offers your customers value while getting paid fairly yourself.

Why Are Macarons So Expensive?

Macarons are more expensive than the average sweet treat because of the costly ingredients and the time and expertise involved in making it. Almond flour and egg whites are the two main ingredients that make up a macaron. In relation to other flours, almond flour is several times more expensive. As for eggs, they are used in a variety of other baked goods but being that eggs make up a big part of the macaron (the egg yolk is not used), the costs do add up. In addition, the filling sandwiched in between the macaron cookies requires other costly ingredients like chocolate and sometimes exotic flavorings.

Besides the actual cost for the ingredients, a high level of expertise is required in making a macaron. Not every pastry chef hired in a regular bakery is trained to make this specialized treat. Even with a high level of training, there is always a chance that the notoriously hard-to-master macarons do not bake well. Special care and time has to be taken to make them and the costs of failed batches have to be accounted for in the overall production. For all the reasons given above, macarons, relative to its size, are usually priced higher than other pastries like cakes or ice cream.

Monkey shaped macarons individually wrapped in a bouquet. — Unique macaron designs and special packaging brings value to your customers and justifies premium pricing.

How Much Do Macarons Sell For?

Average sized (1.5") macarons usually sell for $1.50 to $3 (+) depending on a variety of factors like brand, ingredients used and the general market condition in the region where it is purchased.

In my hometown of Vancouver, Canada, we have a very sophisticated culinary scene. The best macarons are usually sold in dedicated macaron shops as opposed to a bakery that sells macarons as an add-on item. We even have Laduree in the city and their macarons sell for $3+ each. Generally speaking, macarons from dedicated macaron shops sell for around $2 - $2.75. I find that non-specialized makers usually charge under $2. Costco even sells large boxes of them in bulk that equals to around $0.44 each.

I asked around and here is a sample of average macaron prices according to my readers in these different cities:

$2.50	Portland, Oregon
$2	Minneapolis
$2	North Suhswap
$2	Seattle, WA
$2.50-$3	Austin, Texas
$2.50	Orlando, Florida
$2.50	Orange County, CA
$24 per dozen	Sacramento, CA
$4-$5	Fresno, California
$2.75-$3.5	NYC, NY
$2.5	Salt Lake City, Utah
$3	Charlotte, NC
$2.50	San Francisco, CA
$2-$2.50	Atlanta, Georgia
$2.08	San Antonio, Texas

$3-$4 CDN	Toronto, Canada
$2.5 CDN	Winnipeg, Canada
$2.5 CDN	Calgary, Canada
$2 CDN	Brantford, Canada

$2.50-$3	Melbourne Australia
$4	Brisbane Australia
40dhms for 1 dozen	Dubai
.90-1.3 Euro	Brescia
4-5 PLN	Wroclaw, Poland
$7	Barbados Bridgetown
$1	Lima, Peru
$2.50 USD	Taiwan
$8.06	Vietnam
$3-$6	Abu Dhabi

How Much Does it Cost to Make a Macaron?

For the home baker, approximately $0.30 CDN or $0.22 USD each. The actual cost (we're only talking about ingredients at this point) to make a macaron depends largely on the types of ingredients used and how much they cost the maker to procure. Bigger buyers will usually get better bulk pricing but since this post is written for the home baker, let's talk about prices that are accessible to this group. Below is the calculation for a dozen macarons with a basic chocolate filling. I am assuming that the almond flour is made at home to cut down on costs and all the items are purchased in bulk at big boxed stores like Costco, Superstore, Wal-mart etc. that are open to regular consumers (READ: How to Make Your Own Almond Flour)

Cost To Make a Dozen Macarons with Filling (ingredients only)
Almond flour $1.30 CDN = $0.96 USD
Eggs $.50 CDN = $0.37 USD
Sugar powdered = $0.20 CDN = $0.15 USD
Sugar granulated = $0.10 CDN = $0.07 USD
Cream of tartar = $.03 CDN = $0.02 USD
Couverture Chocolate = $1.30 CDN = $0.96 USD
Cream = $0.36 CDN = $0.27 USD
Total = $3.79 CDN/DOZEN = $2.80 USD/DOZEN
This works out to be $0.32 CDN each = $0.23 USD

Here is a sample chart of how much it costs to make a batch of macarons. I made a blank version of this chart which you can print out and use at home. Just sign up for my newsletter and you will receive access to the member's only area where you can download this macarons cost worksheet and free macaron templates too.

Click for the tutorial on How to Make a Cute Box for Your Character Macarons

Other Costs

Now that we have established the cost to make a macaron based on the ingredients alone, it's important to factor in other costs such as overhead, breakages, packaging, delivery and your time.

Overhead (Fixed Cost)

Unlike the ingredients - a variable cost, overhead is a fixed cost which includes ongoing expenses that aren't directly linked to the creation of the product and doesn't increase incrementally with the production of each additional unit. They include electricity, rent, marketing, etc.

Most home bakers are just that, bakers working from home but some jurisdictions do not allow food sold to the public to be made at home. They must be made in commercial kitchens which require rent. If you're hoping to reach a larger market and sell at fairs and farmer's markets, this will require rental fees as well. If you're not working in a commercial facility, you should still take into account the electricity and the portion of your home that you are utilizing for your business. In Canada, self-employed people can take these items into account when they are filing their tax returns.

Damages (Variable cost)

While no customer should be "paying" you for the macarons that don't turn out and cannot be sold, this is something you will have to factor into your quotes for your clients. It goes without saying that you shouldn't be adding this as an itemized line in an invoice, but just be aware that mistakes do happen and you shouldn't be quoting such lean prices that when mistakes happen, you end up working at a loss.

Packaging (Variable Cost)

Packaging will increase the cost for the finished macaron product so it's important to consider how much to spend in this area. Most boxes usually hold about 6 macarons, even the plain ones cost around $1 per box and a dozen macarons cost around $3.79 to make, that's a big relative cost. If you have a bigger order that requires only 1 individual box, this will help cut down on the packaging costs. Here are some options for macaron boxes in the $1 - $1.60 price range: Simple 6 pc macaron box , 12 pc macaron box, 6 pc macaron box with protective separator.

Delivery (Variable Cost)

For those who are paying rent to sell at a fair or market, your rent is a clear overhead item on your income statement. In contrast, those baking from home should account for the time and possibly gas/public transportation costs involved in making a delivery or meetup with a client. Delivery or meetups should not be offered free unless you've built it into the quoted price. Remember, every moment you are not in your kitchen baking, it is costing you money. You can choose a flat rate delivery fee or offer free delivery after a certain purchase amount.

To further protect your precious time doing a task that only you are trained to do - baking macarons - you can consider delegating your friends or family members to take care of the deliveries or any other related task on your behalf. (Pay them or repay them with another favor, of course.)

Communication

This usually reveals itself as a hidden cost when dealing with special orders. It is only fair that your customers will have a lot of questions for you but the time you spend on emailing/calling back and forth to confirm delivery dates, order details, project changes etc, can drag down your efficiency. Make sure you have a clear project outline and terms and conditions page that you send to your clients from the beginning to minimize the time spent on frequently asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions From Clients
- What are your prices?
- Is there a minimum order?
- Are there discounts on large orders?
- What colors can you do?
- What flavors do you offer?
- What type of designs can you do?
- Where is your portfolio of past work?
- What type of packaging do you offer?
- Do you have testimonials/references?
- When will my order be completed?
- What about delivery fees?
- Where are you willing to deliver to?
- When will you deliver?
- Set up fees/use of display units
- Cancellation policies
- Project change fees
- Deposits

Your Time (Variable Cost)

Finally, account for your time. I know this might be hard for some people to put a price to. You will need to really think about how much your time is worth to you. In the beginning, some bakers are happy just to get back their costs and have a little bit extra. This is fine if you don't intend to profit from macaron making, everyone has different goals. For those who want to consider macaron making a profitable endeavor, it's important to get back fair return for your hard work.

So what is your time worth? I would say at the minimum, you should see yourself working at the same minimum wage/hour for your region. Otherwise, why not just find a job that would pay the same. Your customers should understand this concept as well. If they try to pay you any less, they are not really supporting your business. In time as your reputation and your skills grow, you should look to increase your price. (Of course, you can charge more from the beginning if you are able to provide more value than your competitors. More on that later.) Google bakery jobs in your area and see how much bakery jobs are worth, that is another way to help you fairly assess what your time is worth.

Don't forget about opportunity costs as well. Every moment that you are doing one task it is taking you away from doing another. Really weigh out the opportunity cost of the macaron order. Is the few extra dollars worth taking that time away from spending it with those you love or working on another more worthwhile project? Even relaxing on the couch after a long week is good and much needed for your mind and body. That's why setting the correct price for you macarons is so important. Learn to provide more value to your customers and make use of economies of scale so you can confidently charge those premium prices as early as possible.

Track Your Time
To provide appropriate quotes, it's important to have an understanding of the time it takes you to make a batch of macarons and how that time increases when new elements are introduced.

Take the time to track how long it takes you to make:
- a single batch of macarons in one color, two colors and so on...
- a single batch of marcaron in a unique shape
- a single batch of macaron in a unique shape with additional colors
- new template creation

Macarons displayed on a two tier dessert stand. — If your budget allows, purchase a few display units that you can rent or lend to clients to display the macarons. This will help elevate your product and provide extra value to your clients at the same time.

Ways to Provide More Value than the Competition

First, it should be noted that regardless of how much you may want to charge for your macarons, the price you set should still be influenced by the market conditions in your local area. If there is already established players in your area who are offering macarons at a certain price, the price that is acceptable for your clients will be somewhere around what is currently being offered. Without big purchasing power and economies of scale, it will always be an uphill battle for small businesses to compete on price alone. That is why it is very important that you provide value that your clients cannot find elsewhere.

Ways to Provide More Value as a Small Baking Business:

- One-on-one service:
No customer wants to be forgotten when they are hiring a business to provide a service for their special event. Bigger stores have more clients and usually can't provide as much individual attention. Make sure you have all your client's notes written down on their own individual project file. Learn about your client by making small talk and asking questions that are relevant to the project. "Will your guests enjoy..... Do you guests have any allergies.... What's a theme that would 'Wow' your friends?..."

- Customization:
Allowing your customers to customize their order will really help set you apart from the big players. Customization should be welcomed in the planning stages but make clear on your terms and conditions that once the details are finalized, changes will require a change fee.

- Delivery & Set Up:
Offer free delivery once a certain purchase amount has been met. Offer to deliver and set up if appropriate.

- Rental Displays:
The more attractive macarons, the more attention they will receive at a special event, further reconfirming your customer's choice of using your service and possibly exposing your work to a wider audience. If your budget allows, purchase a few pretty display units for displaying your macarons. Rent these out to your clients to use on their special day or offer free rental after a certain purchase amount. I found these pretty and very cost effective display units: White porcelain 3-tier tea tray is perfect for feminine tea party themes, Cascading 3-tier rectangular display has a modern appeal and is well suited for all types of themes, Pink cardboard 3-tier stand is economical enough to let the host keep without returning back to you. This will cut down on your travel costs.

- Celebrations:
Make note of your client's special days like birthdays and anniversaries on a calendar. Send them an e-greeting card, flowers or some extra goodies you're currently baking. This will make a lasting impact and your clients will be more apt to recommend you to their own friends and family.

- Support of local industry and sustainability:
Whenever possible try to source local products and work with local vendors. Supporting your local industry creates a mutually beneficial relationship. Local vendors have their own client base and you'll be on their radar when customers ask them for recommendations. And it's just a good thing to do in this special time in the world, we have to rely on each other in our local trade area in order to cut down on the environmental impacts (shipping, non-compliance with environmental regulations) of outsourcing production to other countries. There is an ever-growing number of customers who are choosing to support local companies that make a deliberate choice to leave the world a better place while conducting their commercial activities.

Cheap Prices Attract Cheap Clients

The takeaway from the last few paragraphs is to not undersell yourself. You should never try to make low price your value proposition. One of the most valuable mantras I found in one of my marketing textbooks was, "Cheap prices attract cheap clients." Okay, I should make clear that there is nothing wrong with bargain shoppers. Everyone, including me, loves a good deal and a good customer should always be respected and cherished. However, extreme bargain shoppers should not be your customers.

Customers who put price ahead of everything else will always be on the lookout for the lowest price, making you easily replaceable in their eyes. They are unable to see how you bring value to them in the different ways I've outlined above.

At the end of the day, it may become demotivating for you to work for minimal monetary return while being underappreciated at the same time. Of course, this doesn't apply to someone who appreciates you and your work, who are willing but unable to pay. Use your discretion. You can always make exceptions and adjust your pricing for customers with extenuating circumstances.

In general, avoid setting your prices too low or discounting too often. You don't want to gain new customers only to lose them when you finally decide to increase your prices. Regardless of whether or not it's fair, sometimes customers view price increases as a betrayal of their loyalty to your business. Try to set a price that will be sustainable for your business in the long run from the very beginning.

My Trusted Macaron Recipes:
- Basic Macaron Shells
- Basic Chocolate Ganache Using 3 Ingredients
- Basic White Chocolate Filling - Easy & Adaptable

So How Much Should I Charge for My Macarons?

First off, for those who are taking orders I can't stress enough the importance of a minimum order. Don't think so much of how much you should charge per macaron but how much you should charge per order and you will need to set a minimum amount for this. I once had a request for 5 macarons, each one bearing the resemblance of a different animated character. GASP! I know, all you macaron bakers out there must be in shock. The time it would take to prepare all the different colored batters to pipe 5 different characters requiring 5 different templates... it's doable but more as a passion project. Making only five would take so long that the price would be unjustifiable to a customer.

The moral of the story is to set a minimum quantity per color, per flavour, per design, per order. Per color because each new color will require the creation of a "new" batter and this takes time. In addition, each new color/batter adds another element of "risk" to the success of the macaron's development. Per flavour because it requires time and supplies (piping bags etc.) to create each new flavour. Per design because each new design requires a new template to be made. Per order because your time, supplies and ingredients should be accounted for. We'll talk more about that below.

Minimum Charge For Your Time and Fixed Costs

I highly recommend setting up a minimum charge for each order. A retail store operation has the ability to spread out their fixed costs among many walk-in customers so they have the ability to sell macarons by piece. For a home operation, you will need to account for the minimum amount of ingredients (e.g. a dozen eggs, a package of almond flour) you'll need to buy and the time you will need to invest to get an order started. If a customer requests a special flavor that you don't already have the ingredients for, you will need to buy a minimum amount of it and you might not be able to break even let alone profit by making small quantities of that particular flavour. Let's go over how economies of scale will help you.

A bouquet of individually wrapped macaron bears on a marble coffee table. — To take advantage of economies of scale, try to time non-event related orders on the same day.

Economies of Scale

It's important to take advantage of economies of scale to help you recoup your costs and make a profit. Economies of scale is a term used in economics to describe the cost advantages that occur when the scale of the operation is increased. For example, variable costs (ex. ingredients) is directly linked to the production of each macaron and this cost per unit increases with every extra macaron you make. More macarons = more ingredients = more variable costs.

On the other hand, your fixed costs (ex. table rent, facebook ads) per unit decreases with each additional unit you make because you pay the same rent and marketing costs no matter how many macarons you make. These fixed costs can be spread among a larger quantity of macarons, resulting in each unit being less expensive to produce.

Ways to Take Advantage of Economies of Scale:

- Bake all your orders in one day.
Cleanup and pre-heating your oven to just the right temperature takes time so it's more efficient to do all your baking in one day instead of spread out. If it takes half an hour to clean up each time and you end up baking on 4 separate days, that's 2 hours of cleanup instead of a half hour. Time equals money. You can freeze a fully assembled macaron or the shells by itself until you are ready to deliver or assemble them. READ: How to freeze macarons and make in advance.

- Do one task at a time to maximize efficiency.
Just like workers in an efficient assembly plant, one worker is usually in charge of just one step in the assembly of the complete unit. This helps each worker stay focused and proficient doing that one vital step. In your case, you are probably working alone in your home kitchen, completing every assembly step by yourself. But if you have multiple orders, it is still more efficient for you to bake, fill and package your macarons all together as a big batch. This will cut down on cleanup, oven pre-heat time, piping bags etc.

- Schedule deliveries on the same day.
If possible, try to schedule non-event related deliveries on the same day to save gas/public transportation costs. Don't forget about the time you need to get ready each time you leave the house too.

- Buy in bulk
Once you have enough orders. Consider buying your essential ingredients in bulk: sugar, eggs and almonds. In most case, making almond flour yourself will be cheaper and provide more consistent results. READ: How to Make Your Own Almond Flour for Macarons. Watch that you don't overspend for rarely used ingredients. Exotic flavorings might not get used as often and might even expire before you can recoup the costs for them. If you do need to buy them, buy a smaller quantity first, it will cost you less upfront. Later on, if that flavor becomes a best-seller, you can choose to buy more based on how well it does.

- Prepare in advance
Make as many elements as you can in advance. This will improve efficiency and save you time if anything unexpected happens before a big order. What can be done in advance? Portioning out dry ingredients, making almond flour and sifting it, sculpting fondant elements, pre-building macaron boxes, writing out thank you cards etc. Sculpted fondant elements can be made in advance and remains soft and pliable if sealed with this product.

- Offer "discounts" to clients using portfolio designs
If a design requested by a client requires the creation of a new macaron template, the cost should be accounted for. You can charge a template creation fee for this. Customers who request designs that you've already made before won't incur this fee. You'll see cost savings in remaking old designs as you already know the best way to execute them and can foresee problem areas in advance. You can download my macaron templates for free here once you become a newsletter subscriber.

- Make multiple colors from one batch of macaron batter. This tutorial on how to make different colored macaron batter is very helpful for when you start making multi-colored macarons and character macarons.

- Different ways to save time and money
For more tips, I wrote another post about how to save time and money while making macarons.

How to Set the Price for Homemade Macarons

To summarize, the price for your homemade macarons should:
- Have a minimum charge per order
- Will cover 100% of your variable expenses (ex. ingredients & packaging)
- Will cover some of your fixed expenses (ex. table rent, marketing). This percentage will depend on how many orders you make in your total operation and what retail price your local market will bear.
- Should ideally give you an hourly wage equal to at least the minimum wage in your local area. (You have to work at a realistic pace though).

Cost Profit Analysis of a Sample Order
Regular Round Macarons: $2.50/pc.
Minimum order: 24 pc.
12 pc. minimum per color
Packaged in 1 big box
Delivery Fee: $8
Total Revenue: $60

Cost of Goods Sold: $6.28 (Ingredients: $5.28 + Box: $1)

GROSS Profit: $53.72 This is gross profit only (not net profit). It accounts for the profit after deducting revenue minus cost of goods sold. Don't forget, there are other operating costs like rent, gas, marketing and your labor. Without taking the operating costs into equation, let's look at how much this gross profit works out to be for each hour of work. If it takes you 3 hours to complete this order, you would have effectively made $17.90/hour ($53.72/3 hours). This should account for your grocery shopping time, delivery, baking, packaging, communicating with client etc. There's a lot to be done. That's why taking advantage of economies of scale and setting minimum orders are so important.

Suggested Macaron Pricing and Minimum Order for Special Requests:
- Minimum order: $100-$200
- Minimum pieces per color: 1 dozen
- Minimum pieces per design: 1 dozen
- Minimum pieces per flavor: 1 dozen
- Template creation fee for new designs: $20
- Template creation fee is waived if working with designs from portfolio.
- Regular round macarons: $2.50 - $2.75
- Macaron Art (unique designs): $3.50+ one color, additional $.50-$1 for each additional color added onto design (this works out to be $6-$12 for creating a second batter in another color.
- Macarons individually wrapped in plastic bags: add $.25-$.50 / pc
- Macarons with lollipop sticks inserted: add $.25-$.50 / pc

These are suggested pricing and what you can command will depend on the competition in your area and your skill level. These prices are at the lower end of the spectrum, as your skills increase and you can offer more value to your clients, prices beyond these are justified considering how much labor is involved.

Selling Macarons Without Taking Orders

We talked a lot about taking orders and setting up minimums but you can also consider making macarons in bulk and selling them after the fact to anyone who is interested. You can be more relaxed with the minimums in these situations if you have enough clients to disperse your fixed costs and the cost of your labor among. Making big batches of different flavours and freezing them until it will be delivered to clients will help you offer a variety of flavors and colors to your customers without having to set up minimum spend rules.

A variety of bear shaped macarons styled against a white plate. — Consider a 'template creation fee' or give discounts to clients who choose to work with designs you already have in your portfolio. This will account for the time you will need to spend on creating a new macaron template for the project. Free macaron templates are available for my newsletter subscribers, just subscribe and you will get the password in the welcome email.

Last Minute Orders

We all know life happens and sometimes we can't be as prepared as we'd like and we end up ordering things last minute. While it is easy for bakeries to keep baked goods in the store for last minute walk-in customers, home bakers don't have the scale of operation to provide the same service. A lot of planning and communication has to happen for each order. Be very careful when taking last minute orders. Even if you are not particularly busy during that stretch of time, you'll need to take into account that you'll have less time to fix things if anything goes wrong or you might have to make special trips to the grocery store just to buy certain ingredients. And because it may be the only order at the time, you are not taking advantage of economies of scale. For these reasons, you should always consider charging extra for last minute orders, even if you feel like you have the "free" time to do it.

How Much Should I Charge Friends and Family?

I believe that in a majority of cases, the number one reason why your friends and family want to order baked goods from you is because they want to support you and your business. Already having a good rapport with you, making you easier to work with and appreciation of your talent probably ties for second. Notice how none of those top reasons are related to the price of your macarons. Therefore, I don't think you need to worry so much about giving out discounts that hurt your bottom line.

For people you know well, you should always show extra special appreciation that they chose to support you and your business. This doesn't always have to translate into discounts. You know your loved ones well so use your judgement. Your older aunt who has done well for herself in life won't be expecting a discount from you (and may even be insulted) but she would probably really appreciate that extra dozen macarons in her favorite color that you whipped up just for her. Giving something extra on top of charging your regular prices will usually cost you less (due to economies of scale) and make more of a meaningful impact to the receiver.

If you do want to go the discount route for loved ones who would more appreciate it, make sure you have already set a discount level that you are comfortable with. Tell them, "This is my friends and family rate", be it 10%, 20% etc. off your usual rate.

Ways to Go Above and Beyond Without Discounting:
- Extra product
Make extra macarons each time you bake and keep them frozen for complimentary samples in the future. If you are particularly time crunched but want to do something special, you can re-use these pre-made macarons but add extra details on them tailored to the receiver. Tip: adding extra details is easy with pre-made fondant. I like that these packages come in small packages because fondant dries out after a while and will be wasted if not fully utilized.

- Free delivery & use of display units
Offer free delivery, setup and use of display units.

- Packaging/free greeting cards
Offer special gift wrapping and free mini gift cards for orders purchased to celebrate special occasions. This will help elevate your product and provide value to your customer at the same time. This laser cut pink favors box is so elegant and pretty for packaging a pair of macarons as bridal or baby shower favors. You can provide free gift cards like these ones in the 140 gift mini gift card set, it is so economical and attractive. There's a rainbow of colors included so it will work with any project.

- Gift card for future use
Offer a free gift card for use on a future order. I recommend not requiring a certain sales amount to be met for it to be used as that is not truly "free" and takes away from the spirit of giving.

- Free gift from a colleague in another industry
Partner up with another local company and swap goods/services to offer to your own clients. Perhaps your customer may not need extra macarons but might really enjoy receiving a free scented candle instead. This strategy will make your own clients feel appreciated while exposing your product to new clients and requires little out of pocket costs for you.

Macaron candles inside a gift box. — Consider teaming up with another local business and swap products to provide as gifts with purchase to your own clients. This will bring extra value to your clients and expose your products to another audience base.

Working for "Exposure"

With the advent of social media, working for exposure has become a very common request from organizations big and small. While it may sound like a good exchange at first because you're just starting out and relatively unknown, you really have to weigh how much you stand to gain from the experience. Smaller brands that ask for free goods usually have a smaller audience base so it might not turn out to be the amount of exposure you're expecting while bigger brands... they really ought to have the spirit and budget to pay hardworking people for their services.

As long as you feel like you are gaining something in the process and won't cost you too much in opportunity costs, it might be worth it. Sometimes you do need to give a little more in the beginning in order to put your brand out there but it shouldn't become something you will resent doing.

Working with like-minded people from different industries in a collaborative project is a great way to work for exposure (ex. wedding photo shoot). You will build great connections, learn more about the local business community and perhaps make a new friend. Something like that sounds like a win to me. Additionally, making free goods for local charity events and non-profits are always a good idea even without the return of exposure. You can practice your skills and most importantly, do some good for your community.

Wiener dog macarons on a red paper plate. — The wiener dog macarons I made one year to raise funds for the local food bank. The packaging can be easily made with a colored plate, some colored cardboard to cut out the flower confetti with a shape cutter, then glued onto the plate with a glue gun. The macarons are held in place with royal icing. Lastly, the whole thing is protected inside a clear plastic treat bag.

I hope this post was helpful. Just by the fact that you are here means that you are curious about turning your hobby into a business and every journey begins with a single step. I wish you the best of luck ahead 🙂

XOXO,
Mimi

Healthier Strawberry and Banana Smash Cake

Mar 23, 2020 · 4 Comments

A healthier smash cake for baby's first birthday. The pretty pink color comes from dehydrated strawberry powder while the cake base consists of bananas, Einkorn whole wheat, oats and contains no added sugar. Happy Birthday little one!

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Happy First Birthday Bibi

It's my baby's first birthday so I decided to make her a healthy birthday cake with strawberries and bananas which she could enjoy smashing and eating as well. Unlike at her half birthday celebration, this time, Bibi would get to enjoy eating the cake too. This would be the day we introduced her to some frosting and "cake".

Prior to her birthday, her diet consisted almost completely of homemade foods so her exposure to foods with added sugar were almost nil. For her birthday, a little indulgence was understandable 🙂 I decided the cake base would be something healthy but the frosting could be a little on the dreamy side - and pretty!

A slice of pink smash cake on a small plate in front of a whole mini strawberry banana cake with a slice cut out.

Healthy and Nutritious Banana Cake

For the "cake" base, I made it using my nutritious Banana Oat Muffin Recipe. Bibi eats it on a regular basis and I love it because it contains oats, Einkorn whole wheat flour and has no added sugar. It is also super easy to put together in under half an hour using 2 mixing bowls and simple kitchen tools.

The frosting is made with my 3:2:1 Ratio Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It uses 3 simple pantry ingredients: butter, sugar and egg whites. I know there are healthier alternatives for a frosting but I really wanted to make a very pretty pink cake for her using a frosting that can be piped into intricate designs. I used a 4B Open Star tip to pipe little stars in a horizontal pattern. This design is very easy to pipe but makes a nice impact.

Moreover, the frosting for this cake had to be low in moisture because of the macaron topper. It needed to sit on top of the frosting without breaking down from the moisture transfer. If you don't plan on using a macaron topper, you can choose a healthier frosting like this stabilized whipped cream that I used for Bibi's half birthday and omitting the sugar. Or you can try this creamy stabilized mascarpone whipped cream.

9 step-by-step photos on how to make a healthy banana cake.

Coloring a Pink Cake Without Artificial Food Dyes

I knew from the beginning that Bibi needed a PINK cake. I mean, I have been telling her it's her favorite color for the whole year now 🙂 All kidding aside, she is definitely free to make up her own mind on what color she likes when she can talk. Until now, I will assume she loves pink.

I usually have no problems using artificial food coloring but since it's for Bibi, I wanted to color the cake as naturally as possible. The pretty pink color comes comes from a dehydrated strawberry powder. It gives the buttercream a great true-to-taste strawberry flavor while coloring it a sweet rose pink at the same time.

Baby's hand smashing a pink frosted cake.

A New Piggy Macaron Template

I decided to make a macaron topper that would remind my little 'year of the piggy' of a time in her life when she could be found wearing her signature winter hat with 2 pompoms and with her nose in her books. This piggy macaron was baked as per my Best Macaron Recipe and piped using this new Bibi's Celebration Template which you can get access to once you subscribe to my newsletter. After baking, I used ready-made fondant to sculpt the details of the pompoms and her book. The eyes were drawn with this edible pen.

Overhead shot of baby pig macarons weaing a winter cap.

Close up of a piggy macaron with a grey winter cap holding a book perched on a pink smash cake.

A Sustainable Celebration

The "ONE" topper was kindly shared with us by my friend whose own baby recently turned one as well. We had a conversation on the worries we had about the carbon footprint left behind after each new little human is born into the world. Therefore, it made sense for us to borrow this 'one-time' use item when she offered. After some more thinking, the other details of Bibi's party started to focus more around sustainability. Although we initially wanted balloons too, we decided on just a simple banner which could be reused year after year. I have plans to add some other little decorations on it with each use so we can remember all the celebrations we've had with it.

Get access to a variety of macaron templates and this free number topper template to make your own cake toppers when you sign up to my newsletter.

A mini pink smash cake on a green cake stand placed on a table with kid's wooden blocks and a birthday card.

Make Advance and Freeze for Busy Moms

As a busy mom, I knew it would be too ambitious to make this cake the week of her birthday. I ended up making the cake in stages whenever I could find slivers of time at night after Bibi had gone to sleep. I was able to make the cake, the macarons and frosting all ahead of time and keep it in the freezer until I was ready to assemble it the day before her party.

How to make this cake in advance:

- Bake the cake as per the recipe below. After it comes out of the oven and cools down completely, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then wrap again with aluminum foil. It can be kept frozen for up to 3 months. Take out to defrost in the fridge overnight the day before assembly.

- Prepare the buttercream frosting as per the recipe below omitting the freeze dried strawberry powder. On a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a ball and flatten. Wrap again tightly with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Take out to defrost in the fridge overnight the day before assembly. Let it come to room temperature before re-whipping. Whip the buttercream to add back volume and make it smooth again. Add strawberry powder and whip until incorporated. Use a spatula to fold the buttercream until the small pockets of air inside the frosting is deflated. This will help smooth out the frosting for piping designs.

- Prepare the macarons as per My Best Macaron Recipe and freeze the shells by itself or with filling inside in an airtight container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. Take out to defrost in the fridge overnight the day before assembly. Add fondant decorations and color in the eyes at that time. Read more on How To Make Freeze Macarons and Make Ahead of Time.

I can't believe how fast time has passed. Every parent says this and now I really understand that sentimental look on my aunt's and uncle's faces when they would reminisce on the fact that they knew me since I was 'only this big' while placing two open palms about a foot apart. Oh gosh, do I ever understand that same feeling now. I hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I have while I prepared it all for my sweet and now not so little Bibi.

XOXO,
Mimi

A cross section of a mini smash cake is shown with a slice on a plate in front.

Recipe

Yield: 6 slices

Healthier Smash Cake for Baby's First Birthday

Prep Time 55 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

Healthy Banana "Cake" for Baby

100 grams whole wheat Einkorn flour
100 grams quick cooking steel cut oats
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
460 grams ripened bananas (approx. 4 bananas)
4 large eggs
40 grams melted butter (OR 28 grams avocado oil)

3:2:1 Ratio Swiss Meringue Buttercream

98 grams egg whites
196 grams granulated sugar
294 grams butter at room temperature
1 tbsp. dehydrated strawberry powder

Instructions

Instructions for Banana "Cake"

Pre-heat oven to 375F.
Melt butter in the microwave on high for 15-25 seconds until fully melted. (Skip if using avocado oil)
In a small bowl, mix together flour, oat, baking powder and ground cinnamon.
In a large bowl, mash banana with a spatula or potato masher, add eggs and stir until incorporated.
Add melted butter (or avocado oil) and stir together.
Add dry ingredients, gently stir until just incorporated.
Pour batter into two 4.5" cake pans buttered or lined with parchment paper.
While it's hot, use a long serrated knife to cut off the domed part of the cake until it is leveled.
Place on cooling rack until cooled. If desired, freeze according to instructions in post.

Instructions for Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Set butter out at room temperature.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil.
Place egg whites and sugar into a heat proof bowl. Stainless steel is light and safe. Gently whisk the whites & sugar mix over the boiling water. Pay attention to whisking the mixture when it starts getting hot, you don’t want to cook the eggs.
Whisk the mixture until the temperature reaches 160F* (Note 2)
Pour the mixture into the counter top mixer with the balloon whisk attached.
Whip on low to start, then increase to medium.
Once the mixture is stiff and the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch, stop mixer.
Change the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment.
Add butter a little bit at a time while beating with the paddle attachment on medium speed. The mixture might look curdled or separated for a while but keep mixing. It will all come together.
Add dehydrated strawberry powder. Whip until incorporated.
Using a flexible spatula, fold out excess air in the frosting so that it can be piped or spread smoothly. Use immediately or freeze according to instructions in post.

Assembly:

If desired, make macarons according to the My Best Macaron Recipe and download the Bibi Celebration Template in the Subscriber's Only Area.
Apply a little bit of buttercream frosting to the cake stand, gently place one of the cakes on top.
Apply a generous layer of buttercream on top and then gently lay the second layer on top.
Place a small amount of buttercream in a separate bowl and use an angled spatula to apply a thin layer of buttercream onto the entire cake. This "crumb coat" will hold the crumbs in place when you pipe the decorations. Using a separate bowl for this will ensure no crumbs come into contact with the frosting that will be used for piping later.
Place it in the fridge to set.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a 4B Open Star piping tip.
Pipe the stars in a horizontal fashion.
Serve immediately or keep in fridge for up to 3 days for maximum freshness. Apply cake toppers and enjoy.

Notes

1. For further detailed instructions for the cake, frosting, and macarons please see these recipes from which this recipe is derived:
Einkorn Banana Oat Muffin
3:2:1 Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Best Macaron Recipe

2. This is the temperature generally regarded to be able to kill salmonella in eggs. Caution should always be taken when serving meringue based desserts to children, pregnant women or those with a compromised immune system.

Whole Wheat Einkorn Banana Muffins with Oats (No Added Sugar)

Mar 1, 2020 · 4 Comments

An easy and nutritious no sugar added banana muffin made with whole grain Einkorn flour and oats. Make them in under 30-minutes for breakfast and freeze them to enjoy later.

Banana oat muffins laid out with ingredients and tools.

30-minute No Refined Sugar Muffin

I'm so excited to share these 30-minute no added sugar whole wheat Einkorn banana muffins with you all because it's the first recipe Bibi and I "wrote" together. She's not yet one but I can give her credit as my writing partner because I spent the last few months baking these muffins over and over again while Bibi helped me taste test each batch. It has her seal of approval and if I can say so myself, this baby has got great taste 🙂 These healthy and absolutely delicious muffins are great for breakfast on-the-go or as an easy snack. There is no refined sugar so it's more nutritious for the whole family but if you want a more indulgent snack, you can also sprinkle some chocolate chips on top before baking.

A Delicious Muffin Packed with Nutrition

I decided to create this recipe when I started baking muffins for Bibi to learn to self-feed using the Baby Led Weaning method. As most moms can relate, any food packed with nutrition that baby is willing to eat is a winner in the home.

To make it as nutritious as possible, I did a lot of original research in my own kitchen. I started writing this recipe with what ingredients I wanted the muffin to contain instead of using the ratios normally found in regular muffins and adjusting from there. The result is a delicious and moist muffin made with healthy kitchen staples. Each muffin contains ⅓ of a banana, ⅓ of an egg, 1 tablespoon of oats, 1 tablespoon of whole grain flour and less than a teaspoon of butter.

You can also substitute butter with avocado oil to make it extra healthy. The butter adds a little bit more richness and buttery aroma which I always find appealing in my baked goods. Moreover, since these muffins are to be shared with baby and she can use a little fat in her diet, I usually make them with butter. I have made them with avocado oil on other occasions and they are just as moist and flavorful but without that buttery richness.

It was especially important to me that these muffins contained a lot of oats which would then be blended with a nutritious whole grain flour like the Einkorn. Einkorn wheat is known as one of the first ancient grains to be cultivated and it's structure has remain unchanged as it was many years ago. And for the gluten-sensitive, this means it is a flour to consider because it's easier for the body to digest. It also has a high protein content and a soft structure which makes it ideal for baking muffins and cakes. Besides the inherent benefits of Einkorn in general, this particular bag of organic Einkorn I found at the newly opened, Flourist, is especially nutritious and aromatic because of their special low-temperature milling process that they do in-house.

Close up of Einkorn oat banana muffins cooling on a rack.

Freeze them for Breakfast

This muffin can be easily made from start to finish in only 30 minutes - this includes baking! Everything is mixed in two bowls and then incorporated together with a spatula. The clean up is minimal and absolutely perfect for those with a busy schedule.

You can make an entire batch, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy them, you can: take them out and keep them in the fridge overnight; leave them on the counter for 2 hours; bake them in a counter top oven at 300F for 14-18 minutes while you get ready or pop them in the microwave on high for 20-30 seconds.

Banana oat muffins on marble counter with Einkorn flour bag and measuring cup.

Only Have one Banana to Bake Muffins

It's always difficult to have ripened bananas at home for baking so I also wrote another version of this recipe for those times when you only having one banana at home! It's a small batch recipe that is great for busy families, professionals or students. It also doesn't require any measuring with a scale as well - a step that I don't usually recommend over on this blog as it's more baking-focused. But I totally understand when you only want to make a quick batch of 3 muffins for any type of snacking emergencies that arises. Get this other recipe over at my family-lifestyle blog at IndulgeWithBibi.

I hope you enjoy this whole grain Einkorn Banana Muffin recipe that I even ended up making into a healthy first birthday cake for Bibi. It's definitely a snack I feel great eating myself and serving to my baby.

XOXO,
Mimi

Step-By-Step Einkorn Banana Muffins

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Melt butter in the microwave on high for 15-25 seconds until fully melted (You can skip this step if using avocado oil). In a small bowl, mix together flour, oat, baking powder and ground cinnamon.

Small bowl with dry ingredients of cinnamon, einkorn flour and oats.

In a large bowl, mash banana with a spatula or potato masher, add eggs and stir until incorporated.

Add melted butter (or avocado oil) and stir together.

Melted butter being poured into muffin batter in bowl.

Add dry ingredients, gently stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into lined muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes until top of muffin springs back. (For those who prefer to use a skewer to test doneness, please note that when a skewer pulls out of baked goods that contain bananas, some of the bananas may come out with the toothpick. It is better to use the former method to test for muffin doneness.)

Place on cooling rack until cooled. If desired, freeze according to instructions in post. Enjoy!

Recipe

Yield: 12 muffins

Sugar-Free Wholewheat Einkorn Banana Muffins

A healthy and nutritious no sugar added banana muffin made with whole wheat Einkorn flour and oats. Make them in under 30-minutes for breakfast and freeze them to enjoy later. For the smaller batch "one-banana" version of this recipe, go to indulgewithbibi.com.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

100 grams whole wheat Einkorn flour
100 grams quick cooking steel cut oats
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
460 grams ripened bananas (approx. 4 bananas)
4 large eggs
40 grams melted butter (OR 28 grams avocado oil)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375F.
Melt butter in the microwave on high for 15-25 seconds until fully melted. (Skip if using avocado oil)
In a small bowl, mix together flour, oat, baking powder and ground cinnamon.
In a large bowl, mash banana with a spatula or potato masher, add eggs and stir until incorporated.
Add melted butter (or avocado oil) and stir together.
Add dry ingredients, gently stir until just incorporated.
Pour batter into lined muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes until top of muffin springs back.
Place on cooling rack until cooled. If desired, freeze according to instructions in post. Enjoy!

Notes

For the "one banana" small batch version, visit IndulgeWithBibi.com.

Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at Neverland Tea Salon

Feb 4, 2020 · Leave a Comment

My first afternoon tea experience at Neverland was a while back so I appreciated the invitation to visit the salon again from my dear friend @yvreats. This time, we tried their newest tea set which had a Mad Hatter theme.

Walking into the salon, we immediately noticed that - along with the beautiful chandeliers, dreamy vintage tea ware and salon chairs which are the salon's permanent decor - there were new decorations that were on point with the new Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter theme.

From a combination of my last visit and, generally, keeping an eye out for their current offerings, I knew that their tea sets were of good quality and offers a great value. Most notably, it's the size of their treats that really stands out from the other tea sets in the city.

For the tea, I chose a Guava black tea this time because I had never tried that flavour before, here or anywhere else. It tasted just like guava with the astringency of black tea so it wasn't sour. Exactly the type of tea I like. I also asked for cream on the side because I basically LOVE cream. I only needed to use a bit of it and it tasted great.

We started with an amuse bouche of a watermelon shooter which had an on-theme "Drink me" tag on it.

The scones are of a regular size and served with a fruit preserve and clotted cream. I was very impressed with the scones and the cream. The scones had a nice crumbly top sprinkled with sugar and was nice and fluffy on the inside. The cream is very rich and thick without any of the excess moisture that can make it less desirable for spreading.

The savories were all very good and my favourites were the crab roll and croque monsieur because they were especially flavourful.

The sweets are all of a very substantial size, no teeny tiny treats here. After all the savories and scones, I felt quite satiated so I packed up 3 of the dessert pieces and enjoyed them at home afterwards. I found them to be on the sweeter side so I think those with a sweet tooth will enjoy them a bit more than I did. However, I was still able to find 2 favorites in the collection which were the vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate crumble base and a chocolate ganache tart. Both were rich and creamy without being too overwhelmingly sweet.

This new Mad Hatter set is available for 4 different types of diets: regular, vegetarian, gluten-free/dairy free and vegan. That is quite an impressive feat and this is one reason to consider such an accommodating establishment. Besides that, I think you'll really love the value of the tea set, the selection of the food and the whimsical decor and ambiance.

Until our next tea date.
XOXO,
Mimi

Notable Points:
- Substantially sized treats for heartier appetites.
- Regular sized scones served with a thick and luscious clotted cream.
- New Mad Matter theme is picture worthy along with the on-theme decorations inside the salon.
- 'Neverending Tea' program means you can try as many different teas as you like!

Alcoholic Beverages: sparkling wine can be ordered with the set

Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea Set: $38/set, $48/set with bubbly

Hours: Afternoon Tea is served daily 2:00 pm–6:00 pm
A: 3066 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2H1
T: (604) 428-3066
R: Reserve on Opentable Neverland Tea Salon Website

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Frozen Enchantment Afternoon Tea at Trump Hotel Vancouver

Jan 12, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Last month, I was invited to experience the new Frozen Enchantment afternoon tea set for the 2019-2020 winter season at the Trump Champagne Lounge. The establishment, located in the glamorous neighborhood that is Coal Harbour in Vancouver, consistently offers a new themed tea set every season. (Read about my other tea experiences at Trump Hotel this year: Summer Picnic Afternoon Tea, Fall School of Magic Afternoon Tea)

On each of my visits I am impressed by the exciting new elements that are introduced in each new tea set. Only a few of the most popular pieces are recycled from the previous sets. This season, even the display is refreshed with a winter white tree set on a real wood serving board. It's oh so festive!

We started with the lounge's signature Matcha scone and this season's new cranberry scone served with clotted cream, lemon curd, strawberry and rhubarb jam.

The savouries included: roasted spiced duck slider, smoked salmon on pumpernickel, poppy seed tea sandwich, Waldorf salad, mushroom quiche, and corn cream croquette. They were all of a smaller size - save room for dessert!

The dessert pieces are where the tea sets at Trump really shine. The creativity and artistry of each piece really impresses me. I like to start with something lighter like the warm eggnog tea. It's topped with a very creamy whipped topping - so delicious!

This dessert made to resemble a realistic looking snow capped mountain is really a white Valrhona Chocolate and yuzu mousse and mango compote cake. It's one of my favourite pieces for the taste and construction.

The snowflake macaron is packaged neatly in a small plastic bag and hung onto the tree brand. I think it's such a creative way to display a macaron during the holiday season! I am reminded that I can do something like this one day with my own macaron creations.

There are plenty of sweets to choose from and if you can't finish, these chocolate lace lollipops and tree cake pops can be conveniently packed up to go.

I really enjoyed this new winter tea set at Trump Hotel Vancouver. The price point of this set is a little higher than others that are offered in the city but as you can tell, the details on the treats are pretty impressive. The taste and quality of the food is also reflective of the higher price position. I think you will enjoy this one as well this winter season.

Notable Points:
- The lounge is a beautiful bright space.
- The sweets in the set are specially designed with intricate details.
- High quality food selection.
- Ability to order cocktail and other appetizers offered on the lounge menu.

Alcoholic Beverages: Yes, available to order from the bar.

Winter Frozen Enchantment Afternoon Tea Set: December 7th - March 21, 2020

Hours: Afternoon Tea: daily, 12:00PM - 4:00PM
A: 1161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 0C6
T: (604) 979-8885
R: Book here

All drinks and food were complimentary. All opinions are my own.

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Easy Candy-Striped Meringue Cookies

Nov 16, 2019 · 5 Comments

Easy candy-striped meringue cookies made with the French method. Using only a few simple ingredients, these meringue kisses make great edible gifts for Christmas, Valentines or any occasion.

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Meringue Cookies for Christmas, Valentines or Any Occasion

These candy-striped meringue cookies are perfect for two important occasions right around the corner - Christmas and Valentine's. With their red candy-stripes, these sweet cookies make such wonderful edible gifts for your loved ones. I love that they are so easy to pack up in a gift beautiful box and presented without having to worry about refrigeration like other treats like macarons or cakes. Don't get me wrong, I still love my dear macaron babies but there are times during the holidays when we might need to travel with our edible gifts or perhaps leave them on an office desk for the receiver to find. These beautiful meringue candies is the most perfect choice.

(P.S. These meringues also look amazing piped into mushroom shapes for topping onto cakes and for use as sustainable Christmas table decorations, check out French Meringue Mushrooms and Pink Cotton Candy Meringue Kisses here.)

Bird's eye view of a gold teacup holding a bowl of striped meringues.

Easy French Meringue for Beginners

These meringue kisses are made using the French method for preparing meringue. In this method, sugar is simultaneously added to egg whites that are being whipped. Whereas in the Italian method, the sugar is first heated with water to create a syrup that is then added to egg whites that are being whipped. The French method is especially suited for beginners and many of you may already have experience making a French meringue from my Best Macaron Tutorial. You find all that practice you had making a strong and healthy meringue for macarons will now come in handy for these meringues cookies. For those of you who are new to making meringues, here are some tips below for mastering this little cookie.

Striped meringue cookies spaced apart on marble counter.

Tips for Making French Meringue

Meringues don't whip up well when mixed with oil or water. Use a non-plastic bowl like glass or copper and wipe it down with some vinegar or lemon juice to remove leftover oils. (Plastic bowls are porous and may contain leftover traces of oil.)
Wash and dry hands completely then separate egg whites straight from the fridge. They are easier to separate when cold.
Make sure no yolks are present in the egg whites. If a trace amount comes into contact with the whites, you can scoop it out with the egg shell.
Bring egg whites to room temperature before whipping.
Always start on low speed when whipping egg whites and then gradually increase the speed. This will help the egg whites develop a more stable structure.
Add cream of tartar or any other acid to stabilize the egg whites. Lemon juice or vinegar in double the amount can be used as substitutes.
If possible, use castor sugar a.k.a berry sugar or extra fine sugar. This fine sugar will dissolve more readily than regular granulated sugar.
Add the sugar slowly so it has time to dissolve.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks has been reached. Stiff peaks is characterized by egg whites that have pointed peaks that don't collapse on itself. (See photo below)
If available, pipe the meringue onto silicone mats instead of paper since it's easier to pull the piping bag away quickly to stop piping without dragging the paper up with the meringue.
To prevent the meringues from cracking, don't open the oven during the baking time.
Once the meringues are finished baking, let it stay in the oven for 2 hours or more to let it cool off gradually without collapsing.

A paintbrush drawing a red line inside a piping bag with food coloring. — Use a paintbrush to paint stripes inside a piping bag.

3 red stripes painted inside of a piping bag on a marble counter. — Use a paintbrush to paint stripes inside a piping bag.

Meringue cookies shaped like teardrops on a marble counter.

Recipe

Yield: 80

Candy Striped Meringue Cookies

Easy candy-striped meringue cookies made with the French method. Using only a few simple ingredients, these meringue kisses make great edible gifts for Christmas, Valentines or any occasion.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

160 grams castor sugar*
60 grams egg whites (room temperature)
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar**
A few drops of gel colour of your choice
A few drop flavoured extract of your choice

Instructions

Set egg whites out at room temperature.
Add a few drops of gel colour into a small dish. Use a fine food-grade brush to paint 3 stripes onto the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1A round tip. Set aside.
Wipe the dry mixing bowl with some vinegar or lemon juice to remove oils.
When the egg whites comes to room temperature, whip on low speed in the wiped bowl. Once it begins to foam, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium.
Continue whipping until egg whites become opaque and the whisks starts to leave tracks inside the whites.
Add the sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated.
Add desired extract and incorporate.
Continue to whip on med-high speed until stiff peaks are reached.***
Place parchment paper or Silpat mats onto baking tray. If using paper, dab a bit of meringue onto the bottom of the paper and stick it to the pan to prevent it from shuffling around as you pipe.
Pre-heat oven to 200F.
Pipe a small circle onto the mat, release pressure and pull away quickly to stop piping.
Bake for 1 hour at 200F. Do not open the doors while baking.
Meringues are fully baked when they can be pulled cleanly away from the mat without sticking.
Turn off oven. Leave meringues inside with the door ajar for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Once meringues have dried, remove them from the mat and place them in an air tight container. They will last for a week at room temperature.

Notes

* Castor sugar is also known as 'fine granulated sugar' or 'berry sugar'. Can also be substituted with regular granulated sugar but castor sugar is preferable.

** Cream of tartar can be substituted with double the amount of another acid like lemon juice or vinegar.

*** Stiff peaks is characterized by egg whites that hold a stiff peak that stands upright without falling over when the whisk is pulled out of the egg whites. Additionally, the egg whites don't slip in the bowl when tipped upside down.

Easy Gingerbread Macarons with Chocolate Spice Filling

Nov 12, 2019 · 19 Comments

Gingerbread macarons packed full of winter spices of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The filling is an easy gingerbread spice white chocolate filling. Stable at room temperature, they travel well.

A stack of 3 gingerbread spice macarons and a bunch of macarons on an agate plate.

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Easy Gingerbread Macarons for the Christmas Holidays

This very easy gingerbread spice macaron recipe for the winter season was inspired by all the busy moms out there who are baking holiday goodies while taking care of their little ones. Ever since I had Bibi earlier this year, I have really come to appreciate delicious recipes that are easy to execute at the same time. This is especially so during this time of year because there are just so many obligations like Christmas parties, shopping, decorating and the like.

I'm really happy to bring you this new recipe for ginger spice macarons, the filling of which is very easy to prepare. Some of my past gingerbread macaron recipes had more complex filling pairings (like Gingerbread Baileys Cream Macaron or the Gingerbread Baileys Chocolate Macaron) but this one I'm showing you today requires only a few ingredients that you can find easily at the grocery store. What's more, it can be made with a just few simple steps.

A bunch of gingerbread spice macarons amongst a variety of kitchen utensils and plates with gold trim.

Ingredients for Holiday Macarons

Gingerbread Macaron Shells

Icing sugar - also referred to as powdered sugar by some. Note: icing sugar in North America usually contains corn starch as an anti-caking agent.
Almond flour - I prefer to make my own almond flour via this tutorial but many bakers have used this brand successfully.
Castor sugar - Castor sugar is an extra fine granulated sugar also known as berry sugar. Castor sugar is easily dissolved, making it preferable for meringues. It can be substituted with granulated sugar.
Aged egg whites (measure before aging)
Cream of tartar - its used to stabilize the meringue and usually found by the spices in the baking aisle. It can be substituted with lemon juice or vinegar in double the amount. Or left out completely if you cannot find it.
Ground ginger - see below for spice alternatives
Ground Cinnamon - see below for spice alternatives
Ground Nutmeg - see below for spice alternatives
Ground Cloves - see below for spice alternatives

Gingerbread Spice Macaron Filling

White baking chocolate - use a good white chocolate intended for baking as chocolate chips and other ready to eat white chocolates contains additives that makes it less stable for use as a ganache filling.
Heavy cream
Room temperature butter
Ground ginger
Ground cinnamon
Ground cloves
Nutmeg
Vanilla extract (optional)

Gingerbread Spice Subsititutes

The shells for these gingerbread spice macarons are infused with classic gingerbread spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. The first 3 spices are commonly found in most home spice racks because they are often used in a variety of recipes. If you don't have them yet, it's worth investing in. However, if you would rather not buy a few bottles of spices that you might not use again, you can substitute all the spices in the recipe with an equal amount of a manufacturer's Gingerbread spice blend. Lastly, if you have all three spices except for cloves, you can also substitute it with allspice or cinnamon.

Bird's eye view of many gingerbread macarons on an agate plate trimmed with gold. Plates of of spice and sugar flank the sides.

White Chocolate "Ganache" at Room Temperature

Besides being very delicious - think sweet with aromatic spices that warm you up during the winter season - this filling is a great pick for macarons that need to be left out at room temperature during a holiday party or get-together. I found this filling to be very stable at room temperature. I even experimented with keeping them out overnight (although, I don't advise you to do this for food safety reasons) and the filling didn't stick to my fingers. All in all, it's a scrumptious and hardy macaron filling that you can use for macarons that you'll need to travel with during the holiday season.

I'm looking forward to my first Christmas with Bibi and I'm working hard to prepare for it. Please join us for some behind-the-scenes look at our holiday prep and our life in Vancouver on our Instagram accounts: IndulgeWithBibi and IndulgeWithMimi. I wish you a very productive run-up to the festive winter season too. Let me know if you have any questions or comments below.

XOXO,
Mimi

Gingerbread Man & Christmas Macaron Templates

If you want to be a little more adventurous with your macaron baking this holiday season, try piping the macaron batter in these festive shapes. There are a variety of winter themed templates available for download once you subscribe to be a newsletter subscriber and receive the password to the member's only area. Enjoy!

Step By Step

Chop up chocolate into slivers. Add spices to cream.

Hand chopping white chocolate into slivers, hand pouring spice into a pot of hot cream.

On a medium heat, heat up cream with all the spices. Stir to combine. Once steam and a few bubbles appear, take off heat. Do not let boil.

Gingerbread spice in cream being heated in a small pot.

Pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute. Stir to combine.

Hot gingerbread cream being poured onto chopped whtie chocolate and then blended with spatula.

Once, homogenous, add butter and incorporate.

Butter being added to gingerbread spice chocolate mixture.

Taste test and add a few drops of vanilla extract if desired, stir to combine.

Vanilla being added into gingerbread spice chocolate macaron filling.

If time allows, let it set at room temperature until it reaches a pipeable consistency (about 2-3 hours). To speed up this process, it can be placed in the fridge. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate filling to prevent a skin from developing on the surface. Place in fridge to firm up slightly for piping. Do not let harden or it will become too hard for piping. Check on it every 15-20 minutes. The filling lightens up as the white chocolate cools and starts to set.

A stack of gingerbread spice macarons on an agate place set in front of a bowl, gold shakers and a candle and behind a plate of spice.

Recipe

Yield: 12 macarons

Gingerbread Spice Macarons

Gingerbread macarons packed full of winter spices of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The filling is an easy gingerbread spice white chocolate "ganache". Wrap them up for Christmas gifts or serve them at your next winter holiday party.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Gingerbread Macaron Shells

62 grams icing sugar
60 grams almond flour
45 grams castor sugar (see Note 1)
50 grams aged egg whites (measure before aging)
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar (see Note 2)
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cloves

Gingerbread Spice Macaron Filling

130 grams white baking chocolate
65 grams heavy cream
10 grams room temperature butter
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
a few drops of vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

Gingerbread Macaron Shell Instructions

Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
Print out free macaron template in the Subscriber's Only Area.
Pulse almond flour, icing sugar, and spices together in a food processor.
Sift dry ingredients. Discard big pieces of almond that can't be sifted.
IF YOU ARE NEW TO MAKING MACARONS, please read the instructions to my BEST MACARON RECIPE before attempting to follow the rest of the instructions since it is condensed for the advanced macaron baker.
With the balloon whisk attached, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-medium speed.
Add cream of tartar when it becomes foamy.
Turn up the speed to medium.
Once the whisk starts to leave tracks in the egg whites, add sugar a little at a time.
Turn the speed up to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks. Read: How to Make Meringue for Macarons
Fold the almond flour and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency. Use the "Figure 8" test to determine when to stop folding. READ How to Fold Macaron Batter.
Transfer batter into piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the round macaron shells.
Wait until the shells have developed a "skin" and have become completely dry before baking. This is critical to prevent cracking.
Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes. Every oven is different, you may need to adjust your own temperature settings. Please read How to Use Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
Macaron shells are done when they no longer wiggle and the feet doesn't indent when gently nudged.
Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.

Instructions for Gingerbread Spice Macaron Filling

Set butter out at room temperature.
Chop up chocolate into slivers.
In a small sauce pan on medium heat, heat up cream with all the spices. Stir to combine. Once steam and a few bubbles appear, take off heat. Do not let boil.
Pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute.
Stir to combine.
Add butter and incorporate.
Add a few drops of vanilla extract if desired.
Let cool.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the chocolate filling to prevent a skin from developing on the surface.
Place in fridge to firm up slightly for piping. Do not let harden or it will become too hard for piping.
Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. (e.g. #10)

Assembly

Find two similar sized macaron shells.
Pipe a dollop of gingerbread filling onto one of the shells.
Assemble with the other shell.
Place in an airtight container and let mature for 24 hours before eating.

Notes

1. Castor sugar is an extra fine granulated sugar also known as berry sugar. It can be substituted with granulated sugar.

2. Cream of tartar can be found in the spice area of the baking aisle at most grocery stores. It can be substituted with twice the amount of lemon juice.

A Strawberries and Cream Half Birthday Cake for Bibi's 6-Month Birthday (Cake Topper Template)

Oct 25, 2019 · 8 Comments

A darling half cake to celebrate a 6-month birthday or any occasion really! Composed of a Japanese chiffon cake base filled with layers of fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin.

A birthday cake in a halved shape to celebrate a baby's 6 month birthday.

A while ago we celebrated Bibi's 6-month birthday with a half birthday cake made by yours truly 🙂 I know... some of you might be thinking it's rather absurd to celebrate a baby's half birthday but I hope that one day maybe Bibi will look back on her half birthday photos and appreciate that at one moment in time she was surrounded by mom and dad and her extended family who were all there to celebrate her unbirthday simply because we loved her. And if not, at the very least, we all enjoyed cake!

A half shaped birthday cake on a cake stand sitting on a coffee table.

The inspiration for this "incomplete" half birthday cake came from Pinterest when I was looking for 6-month birthday cake ideas. I'm not sure who started this trend so I don't know who to credit for this great idea to use half a cake to symbolize a baby's half year milestone.

The cake base and frosting are the exact same ones I used in my popular Japanese strawberry cake roll recipe, but this time I baked the cake in round cake pans instead of in a jelly roll pan. The whipped cream frosting is stabilized with gelatin making it super stable - strong enough to pipe rossettes!

Close up of whipped cream that is piped in rossette shape.

I had toyed with the idea of making a fondant or buttercream rossette cake because they looked more glamorous but I knew this particular cake is a favorite of my family's; I didn't want to compromise our enjoyment of Bibi's cake purely for a pretty photo. This cake contains no artificial flavoring or overly sweet decorations. The fresh strawberries cut into halves actually looked like little hearts. The cake tasted delicious but was still attractive. No sugary or colorful fondant here - it looks like a cake that you actually want to bite into!

To complete the half cake look, I wanted a cake topper that said "half". But it turns out they are really hard to come by here in Canada and I didn't have time to wait for one to be shipped to me from the USA. I decided to make one myself. I found a suitable script font to create a "half" template which I cut out and traced upside down onto hard card stock in pink (of, course). After that, I used scissors to cut along the outline and glue it onto a long skewer with a glue gun. To save you time from making these templates from scratch, I've provided you with a whole bunch I made. You can download them from the subscriber's only area once you subscribe to my email newsletter.

Fresh cream cake close up. — Print out cake topper template in subscriber's only area.

Half cake topper template. — Print out cake topper template in subscriber's only area.

Early on in Bibi's life, we experienced some unexpected challenges. Having complications during the delivery and postpartum really forced me to not take our health and happiness for granted. It meant a lot to have our loved ones join us in celebrating Bibi. I look forward to making even more memories with my sweetie who seems to be growing up all too fast. I bet, in a blink of an eye, I will be making her an entire cake (see Bibi's Healthier First Birthday Smash Cake here) but in the meantime, I will enjoy this half cake. I hope you will too.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Half Birthday Cake - Fresh Strawberries and Cream

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 14 minutes

Ingredients

Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

25 grams granulated sugar
45 grams cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar* (Substitutions Note 1)
¼ teaspoon salt
50 ml whole fat milk
3 egg yolks
40 ml vegetable oil (e.g. canola)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
50 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Stabilized Fresh Cream

2 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
8 teaspoons water
2 ½ cup whipping cream (33%)
2 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
16 small fresh organic strawberries

Instructions

Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

Line 2 round 8" cake pans with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and milk.
Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have tightened up, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks. You've now made a meringue. (Note 2)
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Dab a little bit of batter onto the parchment paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the parchment paper from sliding around in the pan.
Pour equal amounts of batter into lined cake pans from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing.
Place cooling rack over cake pan.
Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
Let cool and cut each cake in half.

Stabilized Fresh Cream Instructions

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut 10 of them into thin slices. Save the rest for decorating the top of the cake.
Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.
Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Add some whipped cream to the bottom of the first layer of the cake to act as a "glue" to help it stick onto the cake stand.
Gently add a thin layer of cream and some strawberries on the first layer of cake. Then add the second layer of cake on top. Chill it in the fridge until it sets before adding the next layer. (Note 3)
Once all the layers are assembled and chilled, add a thin layer of whipped cream to the whole cake with an angled spatula to hold all the crumbs in place. Chill.
Use some more whipped cream to add another thin layer of frosting to the cake for a cleaner finish.
Put remainder of whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (e.g. Wilton 1M).
Pipe 6 swirls on top of the cake along the edge. Top with half of a strawberry.
Line half strawberries along the bottom edge of the cake on the open face side.
Insert cake topper in the center. Keep entire cake chilled until serving.

Notes

Cream of tartar can be substituted with lemon juice in double the amount.
Stiff peaks in characterized by the egg whites having pointed peaks that point upwards without drooping when the whisk is pulled out.
Since this is a half cake made with a soft chiffon cake base, the shape and texture of the cake is not as stable as a whole round cake. Chilling the cake in between frosting each layer will help prevent it from sliding around as you assemble it. Use only a thin layer of frosting to keep the cake lightweight. Keep whole cake refrigerated until serving.
Organic strawberries were used in this recipe. Try to buy them organic if possible as they are on the "dirty dozen" list of fruits and vegetables which is better to buy organic.

Harry Potter Inspired Afternoon Tea at Trump Hotel Vancouver

Sep 9, 2019 · 2 Comments

Harry potter castle next to the School of Magic afternoon tea set.

This afternoon I was invited to preview the new Harry Potter inspired School of Magic afternoon tea set at Trump Hotel Vancouver. This Fall-themed tea set was first introduced last year to very enthusiastic guests who were fans of the acclaimed children's book series. Some even brought children with them to experience this magical theme.

Because I already had an opportunity to taste the tea set last year, I wondered if this year's version would be the same. To my pleasant surprise, the new version of the School of Magic afternoon tea for Fall 2019 features many new treats with only a few recycled elements. That's good news for those guests who already experienced it last year but would like to do so again.

Glass door entrance at Trump hotel Vancouver

Top left: The scones this time are Philosopher's Scone in red velvet, jelly bean scone and the signature Matcha scone which is served with every new theme.

Top right: Entrance to the Champagne Lounge from inside the hotel.

Bottom: The gilded interior of the Trump Champagne Lounge.

Harry Potter stencil on a toothpick stuck in a savoury piece.

The savouries this time include: pretzel & cheese broomstick; British sausage roll; smoked salmon tea sandwich; Guiness pie; Mrs. Sprout's Pasty - a crispy pocket with seasonal vegetables; and Ron's Chicken Leg. The savouries this time are a lot heartier than in previous sets so if you're a small eater like me, you might even have leftovers.

Mini butter beer and witches cauldron treats on a 3-tier tea tray.

The dessert tier is served on this new and very fitting 3-tier display made of wood and stone. Sweet treats include: Butter Bubble Beer - boba pearls, non-alcoholic butter scotch; Deathly Hallows chocolate ganache cake; Harry's Favourite Treacle Tart; Cauldron Mousse; Muggles Book of Magic, Golden Snitch Chocolate Truffle; and Magic Wand.

The details on these treats are so exquisite and this is where the tea sets at Trump really shine. Their executive pastry chef, Fumiko Moreton, really knows what she's doing in the dessert department. I can personally say that these desserts not only look good, but they also taste delicious. Of special note this time is the purple Ube flavoured mousse cauldron. I don't often see this flavour being used in desserts in Vancouver and this was executed perfectly with the fluffy cake on top. I also appreciated how the Muggles Book of Magic look like it had actual pages. It's a real clever use of baumkuchen "tree-ring" cake.

Additional treats include the Golden Snitch salted caramel truffle and various School of Magic sugar cookies.

I enjoyed the new School of Magic afternoon tea set, I would recommend it for those who are fans of the Harry Potter book series. It's also an elegant alternative for those who want a chance to dress up with friends this Halloween season. And if you want to get a bit tipsy, cocktails can be ordered from the bar or a glass of sparkling wine can be added for an additional $15. I think you'll enjoy this new School of Magic Tea Set.

Until our next tea date.

XOXO,
Mimi

School of Magic Tea Set starts on September 15th, 2019
$65/person or $118/person for the same set served in a bird cage display with a glass of sparkling wine and a limited edition dessert box.

Trump Hotel Vancouver
Address: 1161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 0C6
Phone: (604) 979-8888
Book on Trump Champagne Lounge

School of Magic Tea Menu at Trump Vancouver

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Fresh Strawberry and Cream Japanese Cake Roll

Sep 1, 2019 · 168 Comments

A fluffy and moist Japanese cake roll filled with fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. The most heavenly dessert.

Strawberry cake roll cut open and presented on a long dish.

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Perfect Not-Too-Sweet Japanese Dessert

A light and airy Japanese cake roll filled with strawberries is one of the most requested recipes I had in the last few months. After the success many of you had with my Japanese Chocolate Cake Roll recipe, many expressed the desire to bake a similarly soft and fluffy chiffon cake but in a vanilla flavor so it can be filled with whichever fruit your heart desired. It took a little while because I've been happily writing away over at indulgewithbibi (this month's topic: baby sleep training) but I'm happy to finally share this recipe for a delicious strawberry swiss roll that is made in the not-too-sweet Japanese style.

This strawberry cake roll is by far one of the easiest and most delicious desserts you can make in under an hour and a half from start to finish. I highly recommend you give it a try. And if you've made it and enjoyed it, I challenge you to bring the look of your cake roll up a notch by making fancy patterns on the cake roll with this Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Light & Fluffy - this strawberry cake roll uses a chiffon cake as the base so it's super light and airy.
Flexible Cake Base - doesn't crack easily when rolled.
Semi-sweet - made in the Asian dessert style, both the fresh cream filling and the cake base are mildly sweet.
Pipeable Whipped Cream - unlike regular un-stabilized whipped cream, the stabilized whipped cream in this recipe is sturdy enough for use in cake rolls without drooping and for piping designs.

Close up of 2 slices of strawberry cake roll cut off from the whole cake.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Japanese Chiffon Cake Base

Cake Flour - cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cake lighter and softer than if using all purpose flour. You can also use "cake & pastry flour" which many stores sell, This is a blend of both flours with a lower protein than AP. It's ok to use AP flour if that is all you have.
Baking soda + cream of tartar - it acts as a leavening agent in case there is any weaknesses in the meringue. It can be substituted as a group with 1 tsp. baking powder.
Sea salt - use half the amount if using table salt.
Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and separate the grains.
Neutral oil - canola, grapeseed, avocado are all good choices.
Vanilla extract - rounds out all the flavors in the cake.
Egg whites - fresh egg whites, large size. Preferably at room temperature.
Granulated sugar - use only granulated sugar, powdered sugar does not work for whipping meringue.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Granulated sugar - the sweetness level is moderate in this recipe, add an extra 1 teaspoon if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Heavy cream 36% M.F. - has a milk fat content of at least 36%. It can be substituted with whipping cream (with minimum 30% milk fat) but heavy cream will produce an even more sturdy frosting. It needs to be completely chilled before whipping or else it won't whip up.
Vanilla extract
Gelatin powder, unflavored - the Knox brand was used in this recipe. It can usually be found in the baking aisle by the yeast.
Fresh organic strawberries - this can be substituted with other fruits like mangoes or canned peaches.

Table top with fresh strawberries in the back and swiss roll in the foreground.

How to Prevent a Cake Roll From Sagging?

This fresh strawberry cream cake roll is filled with a fresh whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. For cake rolls, I prefer taking some extra steps to stabilize the cream filling because whipped cream has a tendency to deflate after a while. It's completely possible to skip the stabilization part by whipping the cream with sugar and omitting the gelatin - which a lot of recipes do - but you might find that the cream gets a bit sloppy and the shape of the cake roll doesn't hold up as well, especially after a few hours.

For use as a cake topping, whipped cream can be conveniently stabilized with powdered sugar as seen in this recipe. However, for use as a filling, it's preferable to stabilize it with gelatin instead. It may sound intimidating but it's actually quite easy and the results are well worth the effort. If you need extra guidance and tips, here is a complete tutorial on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.

Tips For the Fluffiest Chiffon Cake Roll

Unlike a sponge cake which uses no or little butter, the pillow-y soft chiffon cake base in this roll uses oil instead. The secret to this Asian bakery-style roll cake is its super fluffy cake base. Here are some tips:

Use cake flour instead of AP flour.
Always sift cake flour to prevent clumps.
Gently incorporate the dry-mix and wet ingredients together until no lumps of flour can be seen. Do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake.
For the meringue, use room temperature egg whites for better volume.
Whip the egg whites in a clean non-plastic bowl free of oil and water.
Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter, retaining the air that you've built into the meringue. Do not stir.
Use parchment paper to line the cake pan and for rolling. It prevents sticking and tearing of the cake.

Step-By-Step Strawberry Swiss Roll

Sifted flour inside a bowl and Egg yolk, vanilla, salt, flour, milk inside a stainless steel mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine. I like this type of strainer for sifting dry ingredients because it's quicker and provides better control. Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and milk.

Cake batter in a stainless steel mixing bowl and meringue clumped inside a whisk in the stiff peak stage.

With a spatula, stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.

Next, Make the meringue in a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl (ex. stainless steel mixing bowl or glass mixing bowl). This is crucial as meringues do not whip well in the presence of oil and water. Whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks as shown in the photo above on the right. When the whisk is pulled out, the meringue does not droop on itself.

Meringue on a spatula in cake batter and parchment paper in an empty cake pan.

Gently fold the meringue into the cake flour batter until fully incorporated.

Dab a little bit of the batter onto the parchment paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the paper from tipping over into the cake batter. I used a darker colored pan here giving my cake a more golden finish. It turns out this 8 x 12 pan size in this color is a little hard to find, my pan was inherited but I was able to find this one on Amazon for you.

Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Rap the cake pan on the counter a few times to rid excess bubbles. Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F. Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing. Place cooling rack over cake pan.

Cake pan flipped over onto a cooling rack and Cake roll flipped over onto a cooling rack.

Flip cake over onto the rack, remove pan. Gently remove paper. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.

Cake with exposed crumb on a cooling rack and flipped over with clean parchment paper on top.

Place a piece of new parchment paper on top of the cake. Flip the cake over and start rolling. Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.

Sheet cake in rolled up condition with parchment in between layers.

Step By Step - Stabilized Whipped Cream

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better. Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut into 1 cm sized pieces. Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes. Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.

Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium. Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.

Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl. Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip. Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Clean and pat dry strawberries, then cut into 1 cm sized pieces. Apply an even layer of cream to unrolled cake roll, spread strawberries evenly apart, then roll up. Wrap cake roll in plastic wrap and place in fridge to set before cutting. Cut off the sides before serving for a cleaner finish.

Cut up strawberries spread out evenly on a bed of cream on an unrolled cake roll and the cake wrapped up with plastic wrap on a dish.

Fresh strawberry and cream Japanese swiss cake roll. Slices spread out onto a long presentation dish.

How To Make Different Flavored Rolls

To make the cake roll in different flavors, powders, extracts and infusion-method can be utilized in either the cake base or the filling. Dry powders (like cocoa, matcha etc.) can be added into the cake base with the dry mix like in these recipes: matcha cake roll and gingerbread cake roll.

On the other hand, liquid extracts can be added into the wet mix like in this cotton candy cake roll or vanilla flavored strawberry cake roll). For added flavor and natural coloring, fruit/vegetable purees can be added like in this pumpkin spice cake roll or carrot spice cake roll. Adding ingredients with more liquid composition will take more experimentation. If you want an easier method try the next method below.

Another way to add flavor is to simply add extracts into the cream filling during the whipping process. The flavors can also be infused into the cream by letting the flavored ingredients (like leave leaves) soak/steep inside the cream before using it for whipping (see Earl Grey Tea cake roll, instead of steeping the whipping cream, the leaves are steeped in the milk for the cake batter). Just make sure not to use ingredients with high acidity as it will cause the cream to curdle.

You can even try mixing and matching different flavored cake bases with different cream fillings using these recipes to guide you: chocolate cake roll, matcha cake roll, coffee cake roll, and carrot cake roll.

Lastly, you can make beautiful pattern cake rolls using these recipes: fancy pattern cake roll, bear pattern cake roll, Christmas silent night cake roll and gingerbread man pattern cake roll.

How to Use a Different Sized Pan

You can bake this cake in a different sized pan but note that the quantity of ingredients are at an optimal amount for use with the current pan size resulting in a perfect thickness for rolling without cracking. This Sloppy Peach Cake in a cup recipe will teach you how to bake this cake in different sized pans. It has the same great taste but allows more room for error if you're not confident about rolling the cake base.

How to Make This Cake a Birthday Cake

I'm often asked if this cake can be made into a "birthday cake". I completely understand what this question means but a part of me also wants to say, "cake rolls can be birthday cakes too!" Kidding aside, this cake base is super soft and fluffy which makes it perfect for cake rolls but not as sturdy for a round birthday cake that requires stacking and extra cream. I've since worked on adapting this recipe for use as a "birthday cake". The adapted recipe is called: Asian Bakery Strawberry Chiffon Cake.

Fresh fruit cream cake on a white cake stand in a sunlit dining room. — To make this cake roll into a round "birthday cake", please click photo to my new recipe.

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Fresh Strawberry Cream Japanese Cake Roll

A fluffy and moist Japanese cake roll filled with fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. The most heavenly dessert.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 14 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Mix for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

45 grams cake flour*
¼ teaspoon baking soda*
½ teaspoon cream of tartar*
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Wet Mix for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

25 grams granulated sugar
50 ml whole fat milk
3 egg yolks
40 ml neutral oil (e.g. canola, grapeseed, avocado)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue for Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

4 egg whites
50 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar*

Stabilized Fresh Cream

1 + ¼ teaspoons powdered gelatin
5 teaspoons water
1 ¼ cup whipping cream (33%)
1 tablespoon +¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
10 small fresh organic strawberries

Instructions

Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add the wet mix.
Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.* This is the meringue.
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Dab a bit of the batter onto the sides of the parchment paper to keep corners together. Dab a little more onto the paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the parchment paper from tipping over into the cake batter.
Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing.
Place cooling rack over cake pan.
Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.
Place a new of parchment paper on top of the cake.
Flip the cake over and start rolling, allowing the parchment paper to be in between the folds. This will prevent the cake from sticking to itself. It's important to roll the cake before it cools completely, otherwise, it will crack while rolling. Refer to video in post on how to roll.
Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.

Stabilized Fresh Cream Instructions

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut into 1 cm sized pieces.
Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.
Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Gently unwrap rolled cake and spread an even layer of cream on it.
Lay strawberries evenly apart on cream.
Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself.
Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before cutting.
Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation.

Notes

Some ingredients are repeated, use them in the same order as outlined in instructions.
Cake flour is a low protein flour which yields soft fluffy cakes. It is preferred but can be substituted with AP Flour.
Baking soda and cream of tartar in the dry mix can be substituted as a group with 1 tsp. baking powder.
Cream of tartar in the meringue helps stabilize it. It can be substituted with double the amount in lemon juice or vinegar.
Stiff peaks in characterized by the egg whites having pointed peaks that point upwards without drooping when the whisk is pulled out.

Laduree Canada's New Brunch Menu

Aug 27, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Elegant Weekend Brunch on Robson Street

It was a real pleasure to be invited to sample the new brunch menu at Laduree Canada this afternoon. I remember on my last visit, I was already thoroughly impressed with their new pastry and dessert offerings which are made just like the way they do in France by a pastry chef who was specially relocated from there. This season Laduree Canada continues to update their current offerings with a new brunch menu that is served on the weekends from 10 am to 2 pm. You can even make the reservations to Laduree on Robson street on Open Table now. It's an elegant alternative to morning brunch in Vancouver where popular brunch spots require standing in line for over an hour.

Below is the new Laduree brunch menu. It is a focused selection of classic French pastries and brunch fare. Those who prefer hot dishes with a protein will appreciate the omelettes, and the egg and salmon toast. Champagne and cocktails are also available at this time.

Front entrance of Laduree Vancouver. On the right hand side are Laduree gifts including: shopping bags, teas, candles, perfume, books, keychains and various gift sets. Displayed on the left are food items to be consumed in-house or to-go. There are: chocolates, desserts, ice cream and macarons flown in from France. At the back is the cozy tea salon.

The French pastries and desserts are the newest offerings at Laduree. They are made in a local facility following the exact recipe as the ones in France. My favourite pastry is the rose croissant.

Laduree's signature macarons are flown in several times a month. One of the newest flavours is the maple syrup. My personal favourite is the rose petal, its so fragrant and has a very delicate flavour that is not too sweet.

There are over 9 different tea blends to choose from. I've always loved the Marie Antoinette tea blend but this time I decided to have a simple Ceylon tea which is one of the varieties found in English Breakfast. It's mild and tastes good with cream.

The omelette is a must-order for those who love a smooth egg omelette. I was told that it's made with a secret technique that makes the eggs extra silky without browning. Inside the "Laduree Omelette" are mushrooms, Emmental cheese, ham and tomato, served with a mesclun salad.

For toasts, there are 3 variations: avocado, avocado and salmon, and egg, avocado and salmon. Pictured above is the one with the total fixings. It is so delicious with the fresh smoked salmon, perfectly runny soft-boiled egg and a refreshing sauce with a slight acidity.

I was also gifted this classic Ispahan macaron cake and a box of Laduree macarons. The Ispahan is so stunning and delicious, consisting of two expertly made large macaron shells filled with a delicate rose buttercream, fresh lychees and raspberry. All the flavours from each element comes through and pairs well with the macaron shells, cutting down the sweetness. It's the perfect flavour combination and why it is a signature Laduree dessert. I really appreciate this cake because I know baking large macaron shells are no easy feat and the construction with each of the fresh raspberries takes time and precision. It's a wonderful cake to bring to a dinner or birthday party.

As you already know from all my previous posts, I love the world of Laduree. It's continuous new offerings bring excitement and a little Parisian magic to Vancouver. It's always on the top of my afternoon tea recommendations list and now for brunch as well. Maybe I'll see you there?

Until next time.

XOXO,
Mimi

Laduree Canada
A: 1141 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1B5
H: Sunday-Wednesday 10 am - 7 pm, Thursday-Saturday 10 am - 9 pm
P: (604) 336-3030
W: ladureecanada.ca

All food and drinks were complimentary. All opinions are my own.

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Blog

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Did you make this recipe? Share your results with me 🙂

Tea Infused Macaron Shells

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Recipe

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Ingredients for the Shells:

Ingredients for the Filling:

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