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Name: Japanese Matcha Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Total time: 3 h 55 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: 190 ml heavy cream; 190 ml milk; 5 tbsp granulated sugar; 3 large eggs; 35 grams vegetable oil; 120 grams cake flour; 2 tablespoon matcha green tea powder; 6 tablespoon water; Butter for frying pan; Matcha powder for dusting; 360 ml heavy cream; 105 grams powdered Sugar; Pastry brush; 8” Round non-stick pan; Blender; 3 Mixing Bowls; Medium-sized pot; Silicone tongs; Hand held mixer; Sifter; Sieve; Spatula

Japanese Matcha Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake - A No-Bake Dessert

Oct 28, 2018 · 21 Comments

Stunning 28-layer Matcha green tea crepe cake filled with a light Chantilly cream. It melts in the mouth, the secret is to make the crepes extra thin, this tutorial will show you how.

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Why Are Mille Crepe Cakes So Expensive?

The first time I ever had a matcha mille crepe cake, I remember being surprised that each slice of cake cost between $9.50-$13.50 CND at the specialty dessert shops that sold it (which in Vancouver, isn't many). By the looks alone, I knew it involved extra care to make mille crepe cakes because of the multitude of layers that comprised this special cake.

What I didn't know was how long it actually takes to pan fry each and every single crepe needed to make up just one cake. From my own experience, each crepe took approximately 2-3 minutes to prepare and pan fry. If you take that and multiply it by the amount of crepes you'll actually need, (in this recipe, I used 28) it will take almost 2 hours just to make the crepes alone!

Mind you, it's not like a regular cake that you can put it in the oven, set it and forget it. You literally need to stand in front of the stove watching over the crepes the entire time so you won't be free to use your time for other more productive endeavors like doing the dishes or cleaning the kitchen. You'll also need to factor in the time it takes to prepare the crepe batter, wait for it to develop and after making the crepes itself, you'll need to assemble it with filling, layer by layer. It's very labor intensive but I adopt the same view towards it like I do for good Macaron Art - the results are well worth the challenge. (If you love matcha and would like a less challenging dessert, try my easy matcha cream cheese pound cake.)

After having made this cake everyday for a week to develop this recipe, often times, making several in one day, I really learned to appreciate the time and skills needed to make a truly good mille crepe cake. Update: I loved how these crepe cakes turned out, I've since made them in different flavors like Rainbow Crepe Cake and Strawberry Crepe cake.

If you enjoy light Asian-style desserts, take a look at Asian-Bakery Fresh Fruit Cream Cake.

A close-up showing a cross section of a slice of 28 layer matcha mille crepe cake.

What Makes a Good Mille Crepe Cake?

I must admit, I arrogantly thought the first crepe I made was a huge success. There were no tears in the crepe, it was ever so slightly golden brown and it tasted delicious. I thought, "Perfect! Now I just need to slap these layers together with filling and I've got myself a cake!" But the next day when I tried the cake after it had time to set in the fridge, I heard the dessert Gods telling me, "Oh no, not so fast, little grasshopper." My first crepe cake was hard and not at all fluffy. Because the layers were so firm, the slice of cake broke apart as I tried to run my fork down through it. I even looked up #crepecake on Instagram to see if other crepe cakes could be broken down easily with a fork and sure enough, it can (and it should). My problem was that my crepes were too firm and way too thick! I think my first cake had about 10 layers when it really should have double that amount while keeping the height the same. I set about to rework the recipe to make the crepes less firm and utilized some other cooking techniques to make a much thinner crepe.

In short, a good crepe cake should consist of many layers of extra thin crepes filled with an appropriate ratio of filling. Assembled together, a fork should be able to easily break it down without disassembling it in the process. The texture should be soft and not too hard or chewy. And, of course, the flavor of the cake should also come through as well.

A whole matcha mille crepe cake cut open with 2 slices on the side.

Tips on Making a Good Mille Crepe

Allow the crepe batter to rest at least one hour before using to allow the dry ingredients to be fully saturated with liquid and to rid batter of extra air which could cause the crepe to tear.
Use a undamaged non-stick pan to prevent crepes from tearing. They are very delicate! It doesn't have to be fancy, just one like this 8" one will work great.
Butter the pan generously for the first crepe and then add a very small dab onto the pan for subsequent crepes. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter around evenly.
Practice on a few sacrificial crepes first to find the perfect temperature, time and amount of batter needed. Use a timer to keep track of time and a small ladle to keep the batter amount consistent.
Cook crepes on a non-stick pan on low heat. I used number 4 heat (out of 10) on my stove top. The batter should sizzle as it hits the pan but not set completely. A lower cooking temperature may be needed if the batter sets too soon.
Cooking time will vary as you keep cooking since the pan will become hotter. It may take up to 3 minutes to cook the first few and 1.5 minutes for the last ones. The first side usually takes longer.
Try to avoid brown spots on the back side of the crepe by watching it closely after flipping.
Extra thin crepes are desirable for a soft and tender mille crepe. Each crepe by itself should almost be too thin to handle and translucent like a stretched out balloon. While cooking, it may take some skill and practice to flip such a thin crepe. When the edges can be picked up with silicone tongs without tearing, it can be flipped with a flat spatula.
To make extra thin crepes, immediately before cooking, add some of the water to the batter to thin it out. The batter should look runny and not gooey. Immediately as it hits the pan, it should sizzle. Tilt the pan to swirl the batter around so it coats the pan evenly. If it sets too soon, either lower the heat or add more water. If the batter sits for too long, more water may be needed so only use half of the batter at one time.
Place finished crepes on a cooling rack before stacking together on a plate. This will prevent them from getting soggy.
Add an appropriate amount of filling in between each layer. Soft fillings like cream should be thin as the cake disassembles more readily without support.
Before cutting, allow the cake to fully set by refrigerating it overnight.
For more details read this detailed post: How to Make Great Crepe Cakes

Matcha powder dusted on top of the 28 layer mille crepe cake.

This cake is not only super photogenic, it's also very delicious with a unique texture that only a pancake crepe cake can offer. Due to the high cost and special technique involved in making such a cake, it's not one which one can find readily at the stores. So take this opportunity to practice making such a unique cake for your next special occasion. What's more, for those who don't consider themselves a good baker, you don't even have to turn the oven on for this one!

I hope you enjoy it.
XOXO, Mimi

Mille crepe cake on a cake stand with a piece on the side. Both shows 28 layers of crepes stacked to make mille crepe cake.

Recipe

Yield: 8 people

Japanese Matcha Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake

28 layers of soft and tender matcha crepes make up this delicious Japanese Matcha Green Tea Mille Crepe Cake that requires no baking at all. Filled with a light chantilly cream, it is both tasty and visually impressive.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 35 minutes

Resting time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake Ingredients for 28 Crepes

190 ml heavy cream
190 ml milk
5 tbsp granulated sugar
3 large eggs
35 grams vegetable oil
120 grams cake flour
2 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
6 tablespoon water
Butter for frying pan
Matcha powder for dusting

Chantilly Cream Ingredients

360 ml heavy cream
105 grams powdered Sugar

Supplies & Tools

Pastry brush
8” Round non-stick pan
Blender
3 Mixing Bowls
Medium-sized pot
Silicone tongs
Hand held mixer
Sifter
Sieve
Spatula

Instructions

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake Instructions

Heat milk, cream and sugar on medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Take off heat immediately once sugar is dissolved, do not bring to a boil.
Allow milk and sugar mixture to come to room temperature.
Pour into blender.
Add egg, oil, cake flour and matcha powder into blender.
Blend until the mixture becomes homogenous. A few pulses should do, do not over blend.
Pour equal amounts through a sieve into two mixing bowls.
Let rest for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
Immediately before cooking, add 1-3 tablespoons of water into one bowl of the crepe batter to thin it out.
Heat a pan on low-medium heat, using a pastry brush, coat pan generously with butter for the first crepe. Pan is ready when the butter sizzles as it hits the pan.
Using a small ladle, pour batter onto pan, swirl the batter around until it coats the pan evenly.
Set timer for 3 minutes. Cook first side for approximately 2 minutes. The crepe will bubble up and once the sides can be picked up with a silicone tong without tearing, the crepe can be flipped with a flat spatula. It will look slightly golden.
Watch the second side closely. It will cook much faster, about 1 min. Remove from heat before it turns brown.
Place on cooling rack to cool before stacking on plate.
For subsequent crepes, coat the pan with a very small dab of butter and repeat steps #10-13.
Once all the crepes are finished (26-28 in total), set them aside and prepare the cream filling.

Chantilly Cream Instructions

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer to chill. It will help the cream whip better.
Place cream in the chilled mixing bowl, then beat on low speed until the beater starts leaving light tracks in the cream. Add icing sugar.
Increase speed to medium-high.
Stop beating when the cream starts to get stiff and turns from glossy to matte. Do not over whip.

Assembly

Once cream is completed, use immediately.
Spread a thin layer of cream in between each layer of crepe.
Place in an air tight container and let set overnight.
Before serving, dust some matcha powder onto the top layer with a sifter.
Cut into 8 slices. Enjoy!

Recommended Products

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Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

8 people
Amount Per Serving Calories 499Total Fat 35gSaturated Fat 19gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 159mgSodium 107mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 1gSugar 24gProtein 7g

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.

A cross section slice of matcha mille crepe that shows all 28 layers of crepes in the cake.

If you're a big matcha fan like I am, here is another matcha recipe that you'd be interested in. It's my very Matcha-y Coconut White Chocolate Cookie recipe.

School of Magic Afternoon Tea at Trump Hotel Vancouver

Oct 9, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Harry Potter Inspired Afternoon Tea Set

Today I had the pleasure of being invited to experience the new "School of Magic Afternoon Tea" which launches tomorrow at Trump Hotel Vancouver. It's a Harry Potter inspired fall-themed tea set that exhibit the high quality standard set by this hotel which was recently named by Forbes Magazine as one of the world's most luxurious properties of 2018.

This new tea set features small sweets and savouries that evoke the magic of the wizardry world. You'll find treats fashioned into items fit for a wizard: Magic Wand Pocky, Golden Snitch Lollipop, Apple Mousse Cauldron, Dragon Deviled Eggs and more. Another fitting but less obvious item is the Philosopher's Scone which is made with pumpkin. The attention to detail to bring this themed tea set together is something to be admired. For those who have enjoyed the Tipsy Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Vancouver Notch8 in previous Fall seasons, you can also enjoy an alcoholic beverage of Prosecco with this tea set for an additional cost. Alternatively, you can always order any other drink to your heart's desire since it is the Trump Champagne Lounge after all.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to try this new tea set. It's a little more sweets focused so those with a sweet-tooth will really enjoy this one. Also, there's a marked improvement in the scones from my last visit . The top was a bit crumbly and the inside tender - delicious!

For those who want to consider another option for Fall themed tea sets, take a look at the new Harvest afternoon tea set I experienced at TWG Tea. Wishing you a scrumptious fall season. Until our next tea date.

XOXO,

Mimi

Trump Champagne Lounge
A: 1161 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6E 0C6
T: 604.979.8885

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

You can start tea time with a Chanel No. 5 cocktail.

Matcha and pumpkin scones, perfectly fitting for the fall season.

Savory selections include: Professor Sprouts Vegetable Garden, Dragon Deviled Egg, Duck Shepherd's Pie.

Mini Butterbeer topped with whipped cream.

Sweets selection in School of Magic Afternoon Tea: Green Apple Mousse Cauldron, Magic Wand Pocky Stick and Sorting Hat Battenberg Cake.

Hogwart's Express Pumpkin Eclair, Cauldron, Battenberg Cake.

Golden Snitch Lollipop filled with champagne chocolate truffle.

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Super Fluffy and Soft Japanese Chocolate Cake Roll

Sep 23, 2018 · 151 Comments

Japanese style chocolate cake roll made from a super soft and fluffy chiffon cake filled with a light chocolate whipped cream. Airy, semi-sweet chocolate goodness, it's so easy to indulge in the whole cake all by yourself!

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A "Not-Too-Sweet" Japanese Style Dessert

One of my husband's favorite desserts is a chocolate swiss roll that we used to buy at a Japanese bakery on Robson street in downtown Vancouver. Every time we'd go there, there would be a few other desserts that would pique his interest by their attractive appearance but after trying several kinds, he eventually set his heart on getting this one particular chocolate cake every single time. (I hope that it's a good indicator of his decision making style for life partners too HAHA.)

The cake roll is chocolate flavoured and consists of a soft fluffy chiffon cake base which is rolled up and filled with a light and airy chocolate whipped cream. Like most popular desserts in Asia, it has a light texture and creamy taste and most importantly, it's not too sweet. We had a good few years of dropping by the little bakery to pick up this heavenly cake until one day, to our dismay, it had closed down. I was never able to find a replacement dessert for hubby so I decided that if there was a cake I wanted to recreate in my kitchen, this would be the one! (update: it was such a hit that I ended up adapting it to a strawberry cake roll, matcha cake roll, carrot cake roll, coffee cake roll, gingerbread cake roll, pumpkin spice cake roll, fancy pattern cake roll, Earl Grey cake roll too.)

A slice of chocolate cake roll shown from the side.

The Difference Between Chiffon Vs. Sponge Cake

One of the most appealing aspects of this cake is the soft and fluffy cake body. I have found cake rolls in other Asian bakeries but I wasn't able to find one with such a light airy texture. In developing this recipe, I experimented by making it 7 times, each with different ratios of flour, eggs, etc. I think I finally developed the perfect recipe for a soft and fluffy chiffon chocolate cake which could be rolled into a chocolate cake roll.

For the cake, I decided to use a chiffon cake technique because it is lighter and fluffier. A chiffon cake is a type of foam cake, similar to a sponge cake. Technique-wise, the main difference between the two is the use of oil in a chiffon cake vs. no butter/butter in a sponge cake. Oil in a chiffon cake makes the cake lighter and more tender. It is also great for refrigeration since butter hardens up in cooler temperatures.

Another signature technique used in the making of chiffon cake is the separate whipping of the egg whites. A flour mixture is first created with the flour, egg yolks and oil, next the whipped egg whites are then folded into this flour mixture to make the chiffon cake batter. It's an easy cake to master for you macaroners out there since you've probably brought egg whites to a stiff peak condition many times before. And if you're a bit time crunched and want to make a chocolate cake with less steps, try this very easy Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake that doesn't require rolling of the cake or any fillings.

Chocolate cake roll slices on a grey plate with eggs and a creamer in the back.

Tips for Making a Great Chiffon Cake Roll

Use a lower protein content flour like cake or pastry flour. These flours usually have a protein content of 6-8% and 8-9% respectively. I recommend having a bag on hand in the pantry for baking the softest fluffiest baked goodies. In addition to use in cakes, cake flour can also be used to make fancy soft chocolate chip cookies too!
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.
Use a Dutch processed cocoa powder like this one. There is a difference between natural cocoa and dutch processed cocoa. Dutch processed cocoa has been treated with an alkalizing agent that makes it darker in color and give it a milder taste. This process neutralizes the cocoa's acidity and makes it less reactive to baking soda. This recipe was written for use with a dutch processed cocoa.
Once the liquid (chocolate milk in our case here) is introduced to the flour, do not over mix. This will produce more gluten, making the cake less tender.
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.
Rap the tray a few times on the counter to get rid of large air pockets.
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. 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 #7), the amount of cream in this recipe will allow the sheet cake to hold up without cracking due to large gaps. See accompanying video in post on how to roll.
When peeling off the parchment, try to remove as much of the "skin" as possible. The cake looks better with exposed crumbs. If you have trouble getting off the skin, limit the cooling time and remove the paper as soon as you can handle the hot cake and pan.
If rolling the cake seems too daunting or you don't have the right pan size, try making this cake in a cup. This post will teach you how to bake this chiffon cake base with any sized pan.
Lastly, if you want more tips and detailed instructions on how to make the chocolate filling, see this dedicated post on chocolate whipped cream.

How to Roll a Swiss Cake Without Cracking

The accompanying video in this post will show you how to roll up the cake without it cracking. There are several tricks to this: roll it up when the cake is no longer hot but still warm; use parchment paper to roll it and unroll it gently; and let it continue to cool down in this wrapped condition to retain 'muscle memory' until it's time to add the cream.

How To Make Cake Rolls in Different Flavors

To make the cake roll in different flavors, powders, extracts and infusion-method can be utilized in either the cake base or the filling. Like in this recipe, dry powders (like cocoa) can be added into the cake base with the dry mix while liquid extracts can be added into the wet mix.

Another way to add flavor is to add extracts into the cream filling during the whipping process. The flavors can also be infused into the cream by letting the flavored ingredients soak inside the cream before using it for whipping. 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. For example, you can make a mocha version of this cake roll by using the chocolate cream filling in this recipe with the coffee cake base in this recipe. Once you've got your flavors down, you might want to bring the appearance of your cake roll up a notch. Try making beautiful patterns on the cake roll with this tutorial, Tiger Cat Pattern Cake Roll.

I absolutely adore this cake and even after making 7 of these and eating most of it by myself for the purpose of "taste testing", I can say I still crave for more. I really hope you enjoy this recipe as well.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Super Fluffy and Soft Japanese Chocolate Cake Roll

Japanese style chocolate cake roll made from a super soft and fluffy chiffon cake that melts in the mouth. Inside, it's filled with a light chocolate whipped cream. Airy and not overly sweet with all the chocolate goodness, it's so easy to indulge in the whole cake all by yourself!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Japanese Style Chocolate Chiffon Cake

50 ml whole fat milk
5 teaspoon Dutch processed cocoa powder , (e.g. Fry's Cocoa Powder)
20 grams granulated sugar
45 grams cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon sea salt, (see substitutions in notes)
3 egg yolks
40 ml vegetable oil, (e.g. canola)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
50 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Light and Airy Chocolate Whipped Cream

290 ml whipping cream 33%
120 grams semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions

Japanese Style Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper.
In a small sauce pan, heat the milk and cocoa powder on medium heat until powder is fully dissolved. Do not let the milk come to a boil. Keep stirring continuously while breaking down big clumps of powder. Once fully dissolved, set chocolate milk mixture aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 325F.
In a large mixing bowl, add in sugar, baking soda, first portion of cream of tartar and salt. Sift in cake flour, stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and chocolate milk mixture.
Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this chocolate-flour mixture aside.
In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add second portion of cream of tartar. (Note 1)
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 chocolate-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 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 325F 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. Try to remove as much of the "skin" as possible since the cake will look better with exposed crumbs. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.
Place a piece of new parchment paper on top
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 chocolate whipped cream.

Light and Airy Chocolate Whipped Cream

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer to chill. It will help the cream whip better.
Chop up chocolate into small pieces.
Place chocolate in a small pot along with the cream.
Heat over medium heat until chocolate is fully melted. Do not bring to a boil.
Let cool to room temperature then place in the fridge to chill. Check on it every 10-15 minutes and give it a gentle stir. It should be chilled before whipping but do not let it cool for too long as it will become too stiff to whip.
Place the chocolate and cream mixture in the chilled mixing bowl, then beat on low speed and slowly increasing to medium. Stop when it start to get stiff. Do not over whip.

Assembly

Very carefully unroll the cake.
Gently add one even layer of the chocolate whipped cream onto the unrolled cake.
Very gently roll the cake back up using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself. This will help prevent cracking. To further prevent cracks, add more cream along the short edge that is folded first and do not try to roll the cake too tightly. Cut off the sides before placing on a presentation plate. Enjoy!

Notes

Use half the salt when using table salt.
Always whip egg whites in a clean and dry boil non-plastic bowl free of oil and water. Use a clean paper towel to wipe down the bowl with some lemon or vinegar.
Stiff peaks is characterized by egg whites that have a beak that points upwards (instead of slumped over) when the whisk is pulled out.
Some ingredients are repeated, use them in the same order as outlined in instructions.

To-Go Afternoon Tea at Laurence and Chico Cafe

Sep 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I heard a lot of buzz recently about an interesting afternoon tea set that was being offered at the new Laurence and Chico cafe in downtown Vancouver so I quickly made my way down with bestie in tow. The cafe is a new venture for Canadian designer duo, Laurence and Chico, best known for their clothing and accessories featuring vivid colors and contemporary styles. Faithful to their design aesthetics in fashion, the cafe is also filled with color and contemporary themes - chairs that look like fluffy unicorns, stools reminiscent of sprouting mushrooms, bar tables painted with mermaid scales, and the like. It's really hard not to take a ton of pretty photos for your Instagram page there. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a photo in a rainbow colored unicorn canopy chair 🙂

Their afternoon tea set is a little different than conventional ones served on a traditional 3-tiered afternoon tea tray. Aptly named the "To-Go" tea set, the tea items are neatly nestled inside a disposable but sturdy take-away case which is actually super pretty! It's constructed from a firm cardboard stock that's predominantly pink and adorned with graphics. It even has a black ribbon handle that you can use to carry the box like a purse. A purse full of edible goodies, now that is really cool. There's even tea or coffee of your choice, served in a pink disposable cup. Imagine going back to the office and opening up this box full of beautiful treats at your desk. I think you'll definitely be surrounded by a handful of curious, if not, jealous co-workers lol.

The set includes a tea or coffee of your choice and four different treats: Chicken Liver Onigiri Rice Ball; Smoked Tuna Wrap; Chocolate Cream Puff; Brown Butter Caramel Mochi. These are all made specially for the afternoon tea set and cannot be ordered a la carte which makes them somewhat "special". But at $29/set, it's not a whole lot, quantity-wise, compared to the other tea sets available in town. Therefore, I would have expected a near perfect execution of every item. Three of the items were good but the caramel mochi was a real disappointment. The caramelized sugar was so thick and hard that we couldn't even break it open with our fork. There wasn't a good way to eat the rest of the dessert so this item was left mostly abandoned. Besides the To-Go afternoon tea set, we also ordered two à la carte desserts which turned out to be really delicious.

Overall, I had a really good experience because of the ambiance, service and most of the food items. I would not hesitate to go again for their other items. I think the lunch sets would have been a better choice than the To-Go afternoon tea set. There are two sets available: 4 items of your choice (savory or sweet) with a drink for $18 and 3 items with a drink for $15.

My next visit will be for the lunch sets. See you then 🙂

XOXO,

Mimi

To Go Tea Set at Laurence & Chico Cafe — Clockwise from upper left: Chicken Liver Onigiri Rice Ball; Smoked Tuna Wrap; Chocolate Cream Puff; Brown Butter Caramel Mochi; pretty pink paper cup for tea or coffee; To Go Tea Set served on plates when eaten in.

Whimsical pink decor at Laurence & Chico Cafe. — Whimsical decor at Laurence & Chico Cafe.

Drink menu broken down into three categories: tea, coffee, juice.

Click to view drink menu at Laurence and Chico.

A-la-carte mini savories and desserts. These can be ordered as part of the lunch set special.

Mannequins wearing Laurence and Chico designs and holding onto To Go afternoon tea boxes.

A-la-carte desserts from left to right: Tropical Mousse Tart consisting of a vanilla shell, almond milk black rice pudding, mango passion fruit mousse and toasted coconut; Raspberry Garden consisting of a vanilla shell, hibiscus marshmallow, raspberry ganache, mint and fresh raspberries.

Notable Points:

- Innovative To-Go afternoon tea concept.

- Imaginative and whimsical decor.

- Many a-la-carte desserts and savories to choose from which you can take a look at first inside the counter.

- Different coffee choices available.

Ambience: Decor-wise, it's very different from all the other tea salons in the city. It does not possess the country charm of the Secret Garden, the chic and sleek vibe of the H Tasting Lounge or the feminine cuteness of Fur Elise. It's in a category all its own. The space is funky and vibrantly colorful. Big furry canopy chairs adorned with fur and unicorn horns help to separate the room into small nooks that make it more intimate for smaller parties of 2-3. On the flip side of that, the room layout doesn't do it any favors for coming across as well-equipped for hosting larger parties.

Scones: No scones provided in the tea set nor is it available a-la-carte.

Savoury & Sweets: The set includes 2 savouries and 2 sweets. As mentioned above, the Brown Butter Caramel Mochi was left mostly uneaten since the caramelized sugar was so thick and hard that it could not be broken up with a fork. The other three items were pretty good but I would recommend trying the lunch sets instead (see below for lunch set pricing).

Tea: Tea is provided with the tea set along with a few select coffees. Ask server.

Tea Ware: The To-Go Tea set can be taken away in a pretty and sturdy take-away box or it can also be eaten in-store with vintage-style glassware. All drinks are served in disposable pink paper cups.

Alcoholic Beverages: none

Service: There were many different servers bringing food to the tables and behind the counter. Our principal server was very attentive and even offered to take photos for us several times. She took the time to ask about our experience and took a genuine interest in knowing how what we thought. Most of the other staff were friendly and inviting.

Other notes:

♥ To-Go Afternoon Tea Set

$29/set includes 1 drink with 2 savouries and 2 sweets

Lunch Sets

$18 for a drink with 4 mini items of your choice from the pastry counter, includes savouries and sweets.

$15 for a drink with 3 mini items of your choice from the pastry counter, includes savouries and sweets.

♥ Parking: Lots of metered parking on Robson Street. There is a Car2go parking spot right outside the cafe. Closest skytrain station is Burrad (8 min. away by foot) or Vancouver City Centre (12 min. away by foot).

♥ Hours: 11 am - 8 pm everyday, Friday & Saturday 11 am - 11 pm

A: 833 Bute St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3Y4

T: (604) 688-8680

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"Ispahan" Inspired Macaron Cake with Fresh Lychees & Raspberries

Jul 23, 2018 · 5 Comments

A recipe for a beautiful pink "Ispahan" macaron cake made famous by Laduree and Pierre Herme. Filled with a fragrant rose buttercream, lychee cream, lychee and raspberries. Perfect for a Parisian afternoon tea party.

Big macaron cake filled with fresh raspberries with a rose petal on top.

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What is Ispahan Macaron Cake?

Even if you've never tasted the Ispahan, made famous by the famous macaron companies of Laduree and Pierre Herme, I'm sure you will recognize the sight of this iconic Parisian dessert - composed of a big macaron cake filled with rose petal cream and lychees, and decorated with fresh raspberries. It is a delicious constrast between refreshing and rich at the same time. After spending Bastille day sampling Laduree's new dessert offerings for afternoon tea two weeks ago, I went home totally inspired to create my own Ispahan Macaron Cake, here is the recipe.

The Addition of Lychee Cream

This new macaron recipe is inspired by the flavours of the Ispahan, it consists of both a rose buttercream and a lychee cream made from white chocolate. Instead of just embedding a piece of the fresh lychee flesh into the cake, I wanted to bring that fruit flavour forward by making a lychee cream with it too. With the addition of the fresh juicy raspberries, it's just the perfect combination between fragrant, sweet and tangy. Even those who usually find macarons too sweet will really enjoy this one.

A trio of macaron cakes made with raspberries, lychee and rose.

Tips on Macaron Cake Making

Lastly, here are some important steps to pay attention to in this recipe:

Add the edible gold decorations at the very end right before serving as they can fly away or disintegrate when it comes into contact with moisture. Order it here.
Wash raspberries thoroughly and gently pat dry with paper towel. Allow it to dry completely on the paper towel before assembly. Special care must be taken to dry the raspberries in order to prevent adding any excess moisture onto the macaron shells.
Because of the higher moisture that fruit adds to macaron shells, the Ispahan macaron cakes are best eaten between 12-24 hours after assembly.
Big macaron shells take longer to rest and bake. Allow plenty of time for the big macaron shells to dry before baking. This could be anywhere between 45 min. to 1.5+ hours to rest and 25-35 min. to bake at 325 F. Of course, every oven is different so please make sure you take a look at these two posts if you are unsure:

How to Make a Big Macaron Cake
How to Use Your Oven for Baking Macarons

2.5 Inch Macaron Cake Template

This macaron template makes six macarons according to the recipe above and utilizes approximately 8 fresh raspberries for decoration. This template and many more is free for my newsletter subscribers. Please sign up to have the password to the member's only area sent to you via email.

I really enjoyed making this cake. Not only is it so scrumptious, it really has that "wow" factor that all ages can appreciate. I would definitely remake it for a Parisian themed afternoon tea party. I don't remember any of the French I learned in high school but can I at least say that it's c'est merveilleux? 🙂

XOXO,
Mimi

Close of the fresh raspberries sandwiched in between 2 large macaron shells to make a cake.

Recipe

Yield: 6 macaron cakes

"Ispahan" Inspired Macaron Cake with Fresh Lychees & Raspberries

A beautiful raspberry pink macaron cake inspired by the iconic "Ispahan" dessert made famous by Laduree and Pierre Herme. Inside, it is filled with a fragrant rose buttercream, lychee cream, and fresh lychee and raspberries. Absolutely perfect for a Parisian afternoon tea party.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients

Macaron Shell Ingredients

65 grams almond flour
65 grams icing sugar
50 grams egg whites, (aged)*
45 grams granulated sugar/castor sugar
⅛ tsp. cream of tartar
A few drops of dark pink gel color, (Americolor's Super Red was used here)

Lychee Cream Ingredients

2 ½ teaspoon corn starch
90 ml strained juice from lychee puree, (from 1 can of lychee in syrup)*
50 grams granulated sugar
50 grams white chocolate
50 grams unsalted butter , (at room temperature)

Rose Buttercream Ingredients

65 grams egg whites
130 grams granulated sugar
195 grams unsalted butter , (at room temperature)
1 ¼ tsp. rose water
A few drops of rose extract
50 Organic Raspberries*

Instructions

Macaron Shells

Print out the big macaron template provided in post.
Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
Pulse almond flour and powdered sugar 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 firm peaks, stop mixer and add gel food color if desired. Continue whipping on medium-high until stiff peaks.
Fold the dry mix and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a #6 round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the big macaron cake shape.
Rap the tray hard on the counter to remove any excess air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles.
Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. This is a critical step to prevent cracking of the big macaron shell. Resting time for big macaron shells will take longer than regular sized macarons. READ: TIPS ON BAKING BIG MACARON SHELLS.
Bake at 325F for 25-35 minutes. Every oven is different, you may need to adjust your own temperature settings. Please read How to Use Your Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
Macarons are done when the foot doesn't push back and the tops don't move when you wiggle it.
Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.

Lychee Cream Instructions

Set butter out at room temperature.
Open canned lychees. Discard syrup.
Set aside 3 whole lychees for use later in the macaron assembly.
Pulse the rest of the whole lychees in food processor until it becomes a fine puree.
Pour puree through a strainer to separate the pulp and juice. Keep 90 ml of the juice for use in this recipe. With a spoon, push out as much liquid out of the pulp as possible. Discard pulp.
Chop up white chocolate into small pieces.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of lychee juice and corn starch until no visible lumps can be seen.
Heat remaining juice and sugar on med-high heat until sugar fully dissolves. Take off heat before it comes to a full boil.
Pour a little bit of the hot juice into the corn starch mixture while whisking vigorously.
Take this mixture and pour it back into the pot of hot lychee juice while whisking vigorously.
Place pot back onto the stove on low-medium heat. It will thicken up considerably within 30 seconds to 1 minute. Take off heat.
Pour onto the chopped white chocolate. Wait one minute.
Mix well with a spatula until all the chocolate has melted.
Add butter and mix together until incorporated.
Pour into blender and blend on high for 1 minute.
Place in the fridge to set before putting in piping bag.

Rose Buttercream Instructions

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*
Pour the mixture into the Kitchenaid 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 to become a smooth and fluffy buttercream.
Keep 100 grams of the buttercream for use in our current recipe. Freeze the rest of the buttercream for use at a later date.
Add rose water and rose essence and beat until incorporated.

Ispahan Macaron Cake Assembly

Wash raspberries thoroughly and gently pat dry with paper towel.
Find two similar sized macaron shells to make a pair.
Starting 1 cm away from the edge of the shell, pipe a ring of rose buttercream as a dam then fill it with a small dab of lychee cream. Spread the cream out evenly so that it creates a "barrier" between the shell and the lychee flesh which is to be added next.
Pat dry whole lychees with paper towel and split into halves.
Add lychee flesh inside the dam and top off with more lychee cream.
Add raspberries around the mound of buttercream. Let it touch the cream slightly to help keep it in place.
Pipe more rose buttercream into the dam until it reaches the height of the raspberries.
Assemble remaining macaron shell on top.
Top off with an edible red rose petal and add 24K gold leaf if desired. Let the macaron cake mature for 6 to 12 hours before eating. (Best eaten within 24 hours.) Enjoy!

Notes

* Aged egg whites were weighed before aging.

* Organic raspberries are preferable over conventional as they are part of the "Dirty Dozen" fruits/vegetables.

* This temperature is generally accepted to be able to kill salmonella in eggs. However, always take caution when serving to those with compromised immune systems.

Laduree Vancouver's New Dessert and Pastry Offerings for Afternoon Tea

Jul 16, 2018 · Leave a Comment

overhead shot of Laduree desserts on a picnic table.

New Laduree Pastries and Desserts

I was invited to celebrate Bastille Day this weekend at Laduree on Robson Street to sample their brand new pasty offerings. I absolutely adore the world of Laduree so I was especially excited to learn more about their new offerings. I had the opportunity to hear Laduree Executive Pastry Chef, Mickael de Monte, introduce these wonderful new treats to us. The 15-year industry veteran relocated from Paris to live in Canada soley to work at the new pastry laboratory in Vancouver which serves Laduree's two locations in Vancouver: on Robson Street and in Holt Renfrew Department Store.

An Authentic Parisian Afternoon Tea Experience

The pastries are made according to the same recipes and techniques as they do in France using local ingredients and imported ingredients from France for those which cannot be found locally. The end result is that you'll be experiencing Laduree the same way as you would if you were in Paris. And who doesn't want to take a short break from their everyday lives on the West Coast and have a little break in Europe? With the addition of these new treats it's definitely much easier to take that Parisian coffee break (yes, they serve coffee now!) or you can even bring a little bit of that magic home too.

I hope you enjoy looking through these photos from the event and that you'll get a chance to make your way down soon. Until our next tea date!

XOXO,
Mimi

Laduree Canada Website

Laduree Robson Street

1141 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1B5
Tel: (604) 336-3030

Holidays
11: 00AM - 07: 00PM

Sunday - Wednesday
10: 00AM - 07: 00PM

Thursday - Saturday
10: 00AM - 09: 00PM

TEA SALON CLOSES ONE HOUR EARLIER

Laduree Holt Renfrew

A: 737 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1E4
T: (604) 681-3121

Sunday & Holidays
11: 00AM - 07: 00PM

Monday - Saturday
10: 00AM - 09: 00PM

TEA SALON CLOSES ONE HOUR EARLIER

patio shots of Laduree. — Laduree Vancouver has these new outdoor seats for patrons who prefer to dine Al Fresco.

Inside Laduree shop with dessert counter. — The new pastries taking their place inside the counter.

dessert counter filled with mini desserts. — From Left: Isaphan Macaron Cake large, Rose Raspberry Saint Honore, Fleur Noire, Plasir Sucre , Lemon Meringue Tart, Praline Millefeuille, Ispahan Macaron Cake mini, Milk Chocolate Eclair.

Guide to new Laduree desserts and pastries.

Dessert guide on the different treats available in store. — Click to view. Photo courtesy of Laduree Canada.

Second part to dessert guide for desserts available in store. — Click to view. Photo courtesy of Laduree Canada.

Close up of Laduree macaron cakes. — The iconic Ispahan: a rose macaron, filled with rose petal cream and lychees, adorned with fresh raspberries. This one is a must order!

Close up of croissants on a tray. — From Left: Brioche & Pistachio Paste Croissants, Rose Croissant with crispy rose and rose syrup from France, Croissant with walnut and Pain au Chocolate.

Overhead shot of Laduree desserts. — Milk Chocolate Eclair, Ispahan and Plasir Sucre. I really loved the delicately sweet milk chocolate eclair filled with a soft chocolate pastry cream.

Laduree desserts on a 3-tier tray. — Assorted pastries. The lemon tart as shown on right is so tart and mouthwateringly delicious.

Server standing in front of Laduree tea cups. — Besides tea, Laduree Vancouver now serves coffee too! You can have your morning or afternoon break enjoying a cup or two with your pastries.

Close up of Laduree gift box. — Left: new gift box design. Right: macaron ice cream cakes.

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

More From the World of Laduree

The Ultimate Guide to Laduree Wedding Favors

Afternoon Tea at Laduree Vancouver

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Afternoon Tea at The Little White House in Fort Langley

Jun 25, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I finally had a chance to make my way down to the only tea house in Fort Langley, a township that's one hour away from Vancouver by car. The Little White House is the name of this dining establishment and it is indeed set inside a beautiful little white heritage house. The owners have made full use of the space and turned it into so much more. Besides being a pretty brunch and tea spot, it also serves as a retail destination for gifts, home decor items and trendy fashions. Three rooms inside are fully dedicated to retail and four to dining.

Inside, the decor is reminiscent of a charming farmhouse fit for a doll. The space is fitted with antique chandeliers, pretty floral wall papers, gorgeous chaise lounges and white furniture. It's the perfect space for a girl's get together, bridal party or baby shower.

The tea set features a home-style selection of savouries and sweets that doesn't go out of its way to "wow" you but with such a low price position, I don't think it needs to. The main draw of having tea at The Little White House is not so much the food as it is for the captivating house itself and the location. Although, it's a little far away from the city, you can make a day trip of your visit by also dropping by the local businesses in town. There's a great shop for those who love collecting antique tea ware which I've posted below.

I had a fun time visiting Fort Langley and The Little White House and I think you will too.

Until next time,

XOXO,

Mimi

Entranceway dining room is receives the least natural light. It's where the cash register is located and has higher traffic.

Private room with it's single long table.

Notable Points:

- The only afternoon tea service in Fort Langley.

- Gorgeous photogenic heritage house with tons of natural light. There is a beautiful covered outdoor patio as well.

- The house also has several rooms for retail featuring gifts, home decor items and trendy fashions.

- Also serves lunch and breakfast items.

- Make it a full day out at Fort Langley by visiting antique shops like the Village Antique Mall.

- Gluten-free and vegan afternoon tea sets available.

- Good price position.

Ambience: The main draw for having afternoon tea at The Little White House is the little white house itself. It's a beautiful heritage home that has several different rooms dedicated to both retail and dining. It's decorated in the form of a light and airy farmhouse - chandeliers, chaise lounges, white frames, white furniture and gold accents. It's the perfect setting for a bridal or baby shower where your photos will turn out amazing with the diffused light and pretty decor. There are several rooms for dining: entrance way room with cash register, a brightly lit tea main room with gorgeous chandeliers, a private room with a long table and the outdoor patio. With the exception of the entrance way dining room which is cramped and devoid of much natural light, every other room is bright, white and pretty.

Scones: It was gummy and a bit tough like cornbread. Served with raspberry preserve and Devonshire cream.

Savoury: None of the savouries stood out to me in terms of flavor or selection but it met its mark for the price. I think most customers will be more than satisfied with the low price position.

Sweets: I appreciated the homestyle sweet treats in the set. In the "comfort" food dessert style that is consistent with the overall comfy cozy vibe of the business, I found them to be on the sweeter side. The macaron had a sweet jam center while the mini cupcake was topped with a gritty frosting that was very sugary sweet. Even the shortbread cookie was coated with a sweet glaze. I really enjoyed, no, LOVED the lavender meringue (and I don't even like them usually.) It melts in the mouth, not too sweet and had a fresh lavender flavor.

Tea: Only Creamy Earl Grey Tea is offered with the tea sets.

Tea Ware: Whimsical, mismatched, modest vintage teaware.

Alcoholic Beverages: Champagne can be added to the set for a steal at $8.

Service: Attentiveness was lacking from the front line as we waited for one hour (yes, one hour) for our food. Upon inquiry, we were simply told that "they were understaffed today." A simple apology or some bread to hold us over would have been a thoughtful guesture. While paying, we were asked by the manager how our meal was, we told her we waited one hour. She promptly decided to comp our meal but we said it was quite alright and we understood when she told us that there were some sudden unforeseen staffing issues. In the end, she comped one of our items. Had it not been for this lead staff who was there to deal with crisis management, I think my perception of this whole tea experience would have been much different.

Other notes:

♥ Creme de la Earl Grey Tea

5 savouries, 4 house made sweets & 1 scone. Includes 1 pot of Earl Grey tea.

$26

$34 for champagne set

Alice in Wonderland Tea

$14 for children

Gluten-free and vegan tea

$26

♥ Parking: Lots of free parking in the strip mall next to the tea house.

♥ Reserve Online

Tel: 604-888-8386

Adress: 9080 Glover Rd, Langley, BC V1M 2S5

Click to see menu for The Little White House

Amazing selections of vintage tea ware at Village Antique Mall. It's only a short a walk away from The Little White House.

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Earl Grey Japanese Cheesecake Topped with a Tangy Lemon Cream

Jun 19, 2018 · 2 Comments

A souffle-style cheesecake that is light, fluffy and moist. Topped off with a light, airy and stabilized lemon whipped cream that's fit for piping - just heavenly!

Earl Grey cheesecake cut up into triangle slices on a wooden cutting board.

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A Fluffy Japanese Cheesecake with a Western Twist

Japanese cheesecakes seem to be all the rage right now in Vancouver. With the opening of the world-famous, Uncle Tetsu, in my hometown I was really craving a nice fluffy and moist Japanese cake. Instead of driving to the mall and lining up for hours (yes, literally), I decided to revisit an old recipe of mine: Chocolate Japanese Cheesecake, this time changing it up by incorporating a beloved Western flavour pairing of Earl Grey tea and lemon.

Btw, if you like cheesecakes, here are several more cake recipes which have that special tangy and rich cheesecake taste: no-bake pumpkin cheesecake cups, matcha cream cheese pound cake & chocolate cream cheese pound cake.

Tangy Mouthwatering Lemon Whipped Cream

The tangy lemon whipped cream that I added on top of the cake is light and airy just like the texture of the cake. Because it's so light weight, you can also use it to frost a whole chiffon cake. And even though it's a whipped cream, the addition of icing sugar helps to stabilize it and allows it to be piped with different decorative piping tips. Of course, it will have less definition than say a Swiss Meringue Buttercream but it's a good compromise considering how good it tastes! People who find meringue based buttercreams too "buttery" and American based buttercreams too sweet, will really love the taste of this whipped cream. It's not too buttery, not too sweet; it's just light, airy and creamy. With the addition of a tangy lemon, it's really mouthwatering! (On a side note, this cream is not suitable as a macaron filling since it is higher in moisture. Please take a look at this lemon buttercream instead.)

Lastly, please note that, if left unused after a while, this cream has a tendency to deflate and separate a little so it's important to make this cream immediately before serving or up to one day ahead. It will need a bit of re-whipping before you pipe it. Once piped or spread, it can hold up for 3-4 days. If you're really adventurous, you can make an even more stable whipped cream by stabilizing with gelatin, here's How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.

Close of of the lemon whipped cream on top of the cheesecake.

A Hot Water Bath

Lastly, you'll see that the instructions call for the cheesecake to be baked in a hot water bath. Japanese cheesecakes are usually baked at low temperatures in a hot water bath to keep the moisture level in the oven high and the heat gentle. It helps bake the cheesecake slowly and evenly to prevent cracking. At the end of the baking time, we also leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar to prevent shrinkage and cracking from the sudden change in temperature. It's a sweet little process to bake this delicious fluffy treat but well worth the effort!

XOXO,
Mimi

Lemon cheesecake shown with lemons and earl grey tea leaves.

Recipe

Yield: 6 people

Earl Grey Japanese Cheesecake Topped with Lemon Cream

A souffle-style cheesecake that is light, fluffy and moist. Beloved Western flavour pairing of Earl Grey tea and tangy lemon brings this Japanese dessert to the next level. Topped off with a light, airy and stabilized lemon whipped cream that's fit for piping - just heavenly!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Cake Batter:

100 grams whole milk
90 grams cream cheese, (block cream cheese, NOT cheese spread)
38 grams unsalted butter, (cut into cubes)
3 egg yolks
10 grams cake flour
5 grams corn starch
50 gram granulated sugar
3 egg whites, (at room temperature)
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 grams Earl Grey Tea , (approx. 4 tea bags)
½ tsp. vanilla extract

For the Lemon Whipped Cream:

120 ml heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoon icing sugar
1 organic lemon, (zest of whole lemon & 1 tbsp. juice)

Supplies:

Loaf pan 5X9"
A pan large enough to fit a 5X9" loaf pan , (for the water bath)
Parchment paper
Whisk
Flat spatula
Glass mixing bowl
Kitchenaid or handheld mixer
Small strainer

Instructions

Earl Grey Japanese Cheesecake

The night before, place the milk and 2 grams tea leaves in a small sauce pot on medium heat. Once the milk starts to steam and a few bubbles can be seen, take off heat and place a plate over it to steep. After it cools off, put in the fridge overnight.
The next day, pour the milk through a strainer. Keep 90 ml of milk for our current use. Discard the excess along with the tea leaves that can't be strained.
Cut up the cream cheese into cubes, place it inside a heat safe bowl, microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds to bring to room temperature
Heat up the milk and cream cheese in a heat safe bowl over a boiling pot of water, stir with a spatula until well incorporated. *a
Add the butter.
Put the cream cheese mixture aside and let it cool down before adding the egg yolks to avoid cooking it.
Once the mixture has cooled off, add the egg yolks and vanilla extract, incorporate well with the spatula.
Sift the dry ingredients of cake flour, cornstarch, and remaining 2 grams of tea into the melted cream cheese mixture. Do this in two parts.
Gently stir it with the spatula. Do not stir too vigorously as this will toughen up the cake. Stop as soon as it becomes homogeneous.
Prepare a very clean non-plastic bowl free of oil or residue for making the meringue. *b
Put the whites into the clean bowl, leave the egg whites on the counter to bring back down to room temperature (around 20 minutes).
Using a hand blender or Kitchenaid, whip the egg whites on low speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium.
Once the whisk starts leaving tracks in the egg whites, which have become opaque, add one third of the granulated sugar at a time. Keep beating on med-high until stiff peaks.
Pre-heat oven to 300F
Fold a third of the meringue into the cake batter. Then fold in the rest of the meringue. Keep folding until the mixture is homogeneous and no visible clumps of meringue can be seen.
Line the rectangular cake pan with parchment paper. *c
Pour the batter into the small loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Rap it once on the counter to smooth out the top and get rid of excess air pockets.
Place the cake pan in a water bath. For the water bath: place the cake pan inside a larger pan filled with 2 cm of hot water. *d
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 300F. It's ready when a skewer pulls out clean when inserted and the cake bounces back when you gently press into it with your fingers. The top should also be golden brown.
Turn off the oven. Leave the oven door ajar for 10-15 minutes before taking the cake out of the oven. *e
Gently lift the cake out of the pan. Peel off paper and let it cool off on a cooling rack. Be careful, it is very fragile at this point.
Once cooled, place in the fridge in an air-tight container overnight to set. This will allow the flavours and texture to develop. The cake is best eaten within 3-4 days.

Fresh Lemon Whipped Cream

Work on lemon cream immediately before serving. *f
Place whisk (of handheld mixer) and glass mixing bowl in the fridge to chill. Do not use metal bowls since the acid in the lemon will react with metal.
Zest (whole) and juice (1 tbsp) the organic lemon. Set aside. *g
Whip the cream inside the chilled mixing bowl on low speed. Once it has thickened and increased in volume, add the icing sugar. Increase speed to medium.
Once it has reached soft peaks, add the lemon juice and zest and whip until stiff peaks. Look for the cream to develop ridges along with a matte surface. DO NOT OVER WHIP *h
Pipe immediately.

Notes

*a. Ensure that your cream cheese is totally blended and there are no large lumps left. The cake won’t rise properly if there are large clumps of dry ingredients holding it back.

*b. You can use some lemon juice or white vinegar to wipe down the bowl to remove any leftover oils. Meringues do not like any type of oil!

*c. This will help the cake lift off easily from the pan and prevent cracks due to over-handling.

*d. Water baths keeps the moisture level in the oven high and the heat gentle. It helps bake the cheesecake more slowly and evenly to prevent cracking.

*e. This will help prevent shrinkage and cracking from the sudden change in temperature.

*f. It's best to use lemon cream immediately but it can be successfully re-whipped for use within 24 hours. Stop whipping once the cream has become matte again.

*g. Use organic lemons since there may be pesticides on the peel of conventional lemons.

*h. Whip cream cannot be salvaged once over whipped. Stop beating once the cream starts to develop ridges and becomes matte. If the cream is just a bit overwhipped, you may be able to salvage it by adding more whipped cream and beating again.

How to Fold Macaron Batter with Real-Time Macaronage Video

Jun 10, 2018 · 4 Comments

Many macaron problems start from improper macaronage or folding techniques. Here's how to properly fold to the figure 8 consistency and more.

Real-Time Macaronage Video

Ever since I posted the video tutorial on How to Macaronage in 2 Minutes, I've been asked many times for a real-time video on the process so that viewers can gauge how long the whole process actually takes. Today, I'm posting this real-time video of my macaronage process complete with a countdown clock to show you how your batter should look in the bowl 30 seconds after dropping the "ribbon" of batter back into the bowl. Remember to read all the FAQ's before watching the video. I hope you find it useful. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask in the comments below.

XOXO,
Mimi

Macaronage FAQs

Q: Do these tips work with every recipe?

A: No (and maybe), these tips are only applicable to my Best Macaron Recipe. Other recipes may perform differently.

Q: If I follow the exact number of times you fold in this video along with doing every step at the same time, will that yield the perfect batter?

A: NO! How many times you need to fold your macaron batter and how long it takes can depend on a variety of unique factors like: meringue stiffness, folding pressure, climate, ingredients and equipment used etc. Use the video as a visual cue on what to do once your batter reaches a certain stage.

Q: If my macaronage is perfect, will that eliminate hollows?

A: Yes and no. It can help to press out the excess air in your batter which can cause hollows but you also need to have the proper meringue stiffness and proper use of your oven for baking macarons. Read these posts here:

How to Make Perfect Meringue for Macarons
How to Use Your Oven Properly for Baking Macarons
How to Prevent Hollow Macarons

Q: When should I stop folding?

A: You want to see a batter that is starting to look flowy and shiny. There should also be an absence of big air pockets when you press down on the batter. Ensure that the batter passes the "Figure-8" test which you can see here.

Q: My batter is getting thicker and not loosening up.

A: There are several reasons for this:

The meringue may be too stiff.
Wrong measurements of ingredients. This is often the case when you split the batter up to make several colored batters. Here is a post on How to Make Multiple Colors from One Batch of Macarons.
Use of old/expired food coloring.
Wrong timing of sugar addition. See this detailed post on How to Make Perfect Meringue for Macarons.

Q: Are there other easier methods to fold?

A: You can also try adding the dry mix into the mixing bowl after the meringue is completed and then beating the batter with the paddle attachment for 15 to 30 seconds, then finish it off by incorporating the rest by hand.

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Afternoon Tea at Yandoux Patisserie in the Olympic Village

May 18, 2018 · Leave a Comment

As you know from my previous afternoon tea experience at the Hy Tea Lounge, I had my heart set on visiting another newly opened tea lounge/dessert shop also situated along False Creek. Yandoux Patisserie is a half-year new dessert shop located in the former LuvCravings Cakes and Tea House in the Olympic Village. The space has undergone a complete makeover, giving the small shop a sleek, bright airy look that's been very popular in the restaurant scene as of late.

Yandoux specializes in cakes and desserts which they really excel at. Specifically, the desserts in the tea set are smaller (very small) versions of their full-sized dessert offerings. As for the savouries, they don't have offerings for those on their regular menu so maybe because of that, it struggles a bit in that area. I really loved all the desserts on the set and I would definitely return to enjoy just the cakes.

The price point of the tea set is similar to other new offerings like Trump Hotels and H Tasting Lounge, yet it lacks the ambiance and 5-star service. The desserts - the one thing that they did well and could really upsell - were just so teeny tiny. I'm not sure why they chose to split their exquisite and perfectly made cakes into such small pieces that it became hard to truly enjoy the flavours. In the same area, Hy Tea Lounge might be a better choice for their extensive menu, quantity, price position and the bigger comfier space. I would recommend the Yandoux afternoon tea set for those who have already tried some of the other tea spots in the city and are looking for something new. C'mon, I know you would LOVE to have a photo of the air balloon display on your Instagram page 🙂 Otherwise, go and enjoy just the cakes, you won't regret it.

Until our next tea date.

XOXO,

Mimi

Yandoux Patisserie is located in the Olympic Village on Manitoba and 1st Avenue.

Yandoux Afternoon Tea Menu. Click to view.

Left: Cranberry white chocolate scone and mini macaron. Darjeeling chicken basket and smoked salmon rose.

Exquisite cake selection in mini cupcake liners.

View of the outside from the seating area.

Notable Points:

- One of the newest afternoon tea offerings in Vancouver. (H Tasting Lounge being another one.)

- Bright airy space with tons of natural light. Great for photos for your special event.

- Exquisite cake selection.

- Great location for those in the Olympic Village/Fairview area.

- Photogenic "Air Balloon" tea display.

Ambience: The space is airy and bright with simple modern furnishings. Because of the small space, it's very conducive for a nice intimate gathering for a small group. The decor is very simple and not very refined so if you're planning on taking a lot of photos with your group, you might find the background a little bit uninspired, your own decorations will be necessary.

Scones: 2 to choose from: dark chocolate, white with cranberry. The outside was nice and crumbly but the inside was a bit underbaked and gummy. Served with a light whipped cream and berry compote.

Savoury: The savoury items in the tea set did not make an impression like the desserts. A lot of care was taken to create the smoked salmon "rose", which I really appreciated. They insisted on re-heating the sablefish for us since we were taking photos, I found it a bit salty. The chicken cone was also salty and tough. The two salads were refreshing, the Concorde salad stood out for it's unique savoury whipped cream.

Sweets: All the sweets were amazingly delicious and well made but abnormally tiny. The mini macaron was crunchy and hollow and exhibited no special flavours although we knew it was supposed to be chocolate. The pyramid was filled with a graham cracker and had a delightful texture. The cheesecake mouse was very smooth and flavourful while the matcha cake exhibited a good matcha flavour with a nice crunch. I recommend ordering the full-sized versions of these desserts.

Tea: The tea selection is very small (8 teas) and there were only two black teas to choose from; not so great for those who love to take their tea with cream.

Tea Ware: Gorgeous and photogenic "air balloon" tea display. The rest of the tea ware featured materials and colors in Millenial favourites like rose gold and marble.

Alcoholic Beverages: No alcholic beverage service. Afternoon tea spots serving alcohol: Laduree, Trump, H Tasting Lounge, Notch 8 Fairmont.

Service: Friendly down-to-earth service. There was one server for the whole dessert shop. Although there were no introductions for any of the items on the tea set, our hot water was refilled several times.

Other notes:

♥ Yandoux Tea Set

$48/set

♥ Parking: Inexpensive pay parking in and around Olympic Village. Closest skystrain station is Olympic Village, 10 minutes away by foot.

♥ Yandoux Website

Tel: 604-620-1899 E: [email protected]

Address: 1731 Manitoba St. Vancouver, BC, V5Y 0H8

Hours: Monday to Sunday 12:00 - 19:00, Tuesday Closed

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Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut

May 14, 2018 · Leave a Comment

An easy and scrumptious Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, perfect for those who love a strong matcha flavor.

Matcha cookies cooling on a baking tray.

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What Pairs with Matcha Green Tea?

You may have noticed that I love baking with matcha green tea from my previous posts like Matcha White Chocolate Macarons , Unicorn Macarons with Matcha Butter Cream and Matcha Strawberry Macarons. Matcha is so stable for baking and remains true to taste. Because of it's distinctive and delightful (for those who love matcha) bitter aftertaste, I paired it with a white chocolate. I find that white chocolate provides the desired sweetness without competing with the flavours like brown chocolate would. I also added some shredded coconut to help round out the flavours and give it some texture.

Tips for Extra Flavorful Cookies

There are two extra steps you can take to make this cookie look and taste even more scrumptious. The first is to chill the dough for a minimum of one hour before baking. This makes the fat take longer to melt while baking, resulting in a cookie with less spread and a better texture. If time allows, chill the dough for up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.

The second is to keep some of the white chocolate chip aside and manually place them on top of the cookie dough after you've scooped and placed it on the pan. Once baked, the chocolate chips stay on the top, making for a more attractive presentation.

Where to Buy Good Matcha?

The bold green color of the cookie is all naturally derived from the matcha powder itself. I remember the first iteration of this cookie with much less matcha, the dough was noticeably less green and my taste testers were asking for it to be more match-y. I agreed, it needed more, so I incorporated abundantly more matcha in this recipe because we love a good strong matcha flavor with that slightly astringent aftertaste.

Here in North America, matcha green tea powder is more readily available 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. This cookies is an easy way to incorporate matcha into your desserts for a quick green tea fix. I hope you'll enjoy it as well.

Xoxo,
Mimi

Close up of slightly browned white chocolate on top of matcha cookies.

Recipe

Yield: 25 cookies

Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut

An easy and scrumptious Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe with added coconut. It's the best treat for those who love a strong matcha flavor that's perfectly paired with a delectably sweet white chocolate and nutty coconut.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Time to chill dough 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

100 grams AP Flour
28 grams matcha powder, (approx. 4 tbsp.)
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
120 grams room temperature butter
65 grams granulated sugar
110 grams brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg room temperature
1 cup white chocolate chips
15 grams unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Set out egg and butter at room temperature.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, matcha powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
With the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter along with the white and brown sugar on medium speed.
Once the mixture is fluffy and increased in volume, add vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
On slow speed, add room temperature egg and beat until incorporated.
Add dry flour mix in 3 parts and mix on low speed until incorporated.
Add shredded coconut and continue beating until incorporated.
Add white chocolate chips in 3 parts and mix until incorporated. (Optional: Set aside some to be added manually on top of the formed batter before baking.)
Form the cookie batter into a small flat disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, preferably 12-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 350F.
With a cookie scooper, drop round balls of batter onto cookie pan lined with parchment paper or silicone mats. If desired, add a few chocolate chips manually on top of the formed balls.
Bake for 9-12 minutes. Drop cookies are done when the edges start to look light-golden brown, in this case, it will become dark green. Pull them out of the oven.
Cookies will keep cooking on the hot pan as it cools. Transfer to a wire rack after 5 minutes.
Store at room temperature in an air tight container. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 119Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 19mgSodium 100mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 0gSugar 11gProtein 1g

Ingredients for matcha coconut cookies shown with cookies.

Lavender Macarons Made with Real Lavender Buds

May 5, 2018 · 12 Comments

Donut shaped macarons naturally flavored from real lavender buds. A delicate and aromatic lavender chocolate ganache is sandwiched in between two light purple macaron shells that are infused with lavender buds making it extra flavorful.

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Lavender donut macarons on a unicorn stand.

Delicate and Naturally Flavored

Lavender is one of my favorite flowers to use in my macarons, it has an aromatic and clean note which is very delicate. Used in the proper quantities, it can be fresh and uplifting, but moderation is key here since there can be "too much of a good thing" when it comes to using lavender in food. Some people say that lavender infused foods remind them of soap which I don't completely disagree with. I find that lavender extracts tend to highlight lavender's sharp top notes so instead, I've opted to use real lavender buds to give this macaron flavor a fuller body.

How to Extract Lavender Flavor for Macarons

Lavender buds are such a joy to use in baking since it can be ground down in it's dry form while retaining it's fragrance/flavour. For macaron use, this is especially helpful, we can add flavour to the macaron shells without compromising the batter with too much moisture. For use in the chocolate ganache, just set aside plenty of time for the lavender to macerate with the cream. This is preferably done overnight or up to 24 hours in advance if you have the time.

Lavender plant in a garden. — Some of the many lavender plants in mom's garden. Once harvested and dried, we squirrel them away for use throughout the year.

Where to Buy Lavender Buds

It's not too difficult to buy lavender, it is sold in the spice aisles of many of the better grocery shops. If you're buying it elsewhere, just make sure it's labelled as food grade. I've included a link below on a brand that you can consider. I usually get my lavender from mom's garden because I know it's 100% organic and the bonus is that it's free too 🙂 The lavender flower is usually ready to be harvested in the summer, we would remove the buds and put them in an air tight container and then save them for use throughout the year. It really gives us a sense of achievement to create a sort of "farm-to-table" dish together.

Whichever way you acquire your lavender, I hope you'll try your hand at this and feel the same sense of accomplishment as well.

XOXO,
Mimi

lavender donut macarons on a unicorn plate shot from above.

Donut Macaron Template

Available exclusively for my 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.

Recipe

Yield: 18 donut shaped macarons

Naturally Flavored Lavender Macarons with Lavender Chocolate Ganache

Donut shaped macarons that are naturally flavored from real lavender buds. A delicate and aromatic lavender chocolate ganache is sandwiched in between two light purple macaron shells thare are infused with lavender buds making it extra flavorful.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Rest Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 14 minutes

Ingredients

Lavender Chocolate Ganache

1 ½ tsp. lavender buds
65 grams heavy cream, only 50 grams is needed after maceration
50 grams semi-sweet baking chocolate
10 grams butter

Lavender Infused Macaron Shells

2 teaspoon lavender buds
65 grams almond flour
55 grams powdered sugar/icing sugar
45 grams castor sugar (Note 1)
50 grams egg whites, aged, room temperature (Note 2)
⅛ teaspoon Cream of tartar
A few drops of purple gel food color, (optional)

Instructions

Lavender Chocolate Ganache

In a small pot bring the heavy cream and lavender buds to a light simmer. Take off heat. Once cooled, place in the fridge to macerate overnight.
The next day, pour the mixture through a strainer. Keep 50 grams of the macerated cream for our current use.
Chop up chocolate into small pieces, place in a bowl with the butter.
Bring the 50 grams of macerated cream to a light simmer.
Pour over chopped chocolate and butter, let it sit for 1 minute.
Stir until incorporated. Let it cool to set before transferring to piping bag.

Lavender Infused Macaron Shells

Print out the donut macaron template provided in post.
Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.*
Pulse lavender buds, almond flour and powdered sugar 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 firm peaks, stop mixer and add gel food color if desired. Continue whipping on medium-high until stiff peaks.
Fold the dry mix and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a #6 round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the donut shape out using template as a guide according to the video provided in post. Leave plenty of room in the middle unfilled since the batter likes to spread into the middle.
Rap the tray hard on the counter to remove any excess air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining bubbles.
Lightly sprinkle the nonpareils on top before the shells develop a skin.
Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. This is a critical step to prevent the batter from escaping from the center.
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 Your Home Oven Properly for Baking Macarons if you are unsure.
Macarons are done when the foot doesn't push back and the tops don't move when you wiggle it.
Once baked, let cool completely before removing from the baking mat/parchment paper.
Pair two similar sized donuts together, fill them with the Lavender Chocolate Ganache filling. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and give it 12-24 hours to mature before eating.

Notes

1. Castor sugar is also known as extra fine granulated sugar or berry sugar. Granulated sugar can be used by castor sugar is preferable.

2. Measure out 50 grams of egg whites, then age.

Chilliwack Tulips of the Valley Festival - The Prettiest Sight I Ever Did See

May 4, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Last weekend, I saw with my own eyes one of the prettiest sights I ever did see - the tulip fields of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival. It's a Springtime attraction near Vancouver that you cannot miss, especially if you love flowers and photography. The festival takes place over a 3-5-week period, usually in April, sometimes into May, depending on the weather.

It's the perfect place to bring the family for a walk in the majestic flower fields planted with tulips of every colour. There's also a food truck, honey truck, tractor rides, a flower gift shop and activities for children.

I highly recommend buying your tickets online since you'll save a few dollars and also get to skip the line up! Weekday tickets cost less than the weekend, as are tickets for seniors and children.

Take a look on the Tulips of the Valley website for operating hours, activities, contests and special sales.

I hope you get a chance to visit and for those who don't live nearby, I hope you enjoy the photos.

XOXO,

Mimi

Needless to say, I gravitated towards these rows of pink tulips immediately.

Be that fierce red tulip in a sea of yellow.

There are also tractor rides, a Dutch food truck and a honey gifts truck.

The flower gift shop on site helps you bring a piece of the tulip fields home with you.

Gift shop and a miniature train for children.

Mimi's Macaron Friends

Apr 25, 2018 · 5 Comments

One of the joys of having this blog is being able to communicate with so many baking friends from around the world. It really amazes me how far some of you are from little o'l me here in Vancouver, Canada. I know some of you are from the U.S., Middle East, Australia and Europe and you are all crazy about macarons like me. No wonder why we have all become instant baking friends! I really appreciate everyone who have been sharing their macaron progress with me. It's seriously very exciting for me to find out that you have achieved some of your macaron dreams by using my recipe. Thanks for taking time out of your day to do that. You can find me by mentioning me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

I wanted to share all these sweet treats that you baked with everyone and hope that it gives others the confidence that they can do it too 🙂

Congrats to the first winner of my SURPRISE A READER SUNDAY giveaway. The last time I uploaded a batch of reader work on here, I chose one winner for a surprise gift:

"Hand painted rose macarons filled with spiced white chocolate for the new year. Inspired by Indulge with Mimi." Click to view original tutorial

Halloween macarons using Bears with Jack-o-lantern tutorial. Click to see original tutorial.

Galaxy macarons using Indulge with Mimi's Galaxy Macaron tutorial. Click to see original tutorial.

Valentine's Bear Macarons by IG@french_macarons_creations using my V-day macaron tutorial. Click to get to tutorial.

Neopolitan macarons with straweberry buttercream and chocolate fudge center by @catrina.rittenhouse

IG@Dessoy made these cuties with my Over the Rainbow Macarons using my template and tutorial. Click to get to tutorial.

Nancy made these pink beauties with my Lychee Rose Macarons recipe. Click to see recipe.

macarons by theresa-san-jose-seminara on FB

non hollow macarons by sista-richardson on FB

Freeze dried strawberry macarons by Nancy Hoekman

Gold flakes and pearls on macarons also by Nancy H.

macarons complete with a homemade Cricket box by Nancy Hoekman

macarons by
mariem-bemri-ep-allani on FB

chocolate macarons by lesley-bernard-mcrobbie on FB

"Feet, not hollow! Filling with peanut butter cream and grape jelly!"

"Today I tried Mimi's recipe for the first time and I love it!! No hollows and nice feet."

"Made my first big macaron fruit sandwich yesterday using Mimi's tips and 3" template. Can't stop staring at the finished product"

"What can make Sunday better? Chocolate Macarons! Delicious recipe by Indulgewithmimi"

"Non-hollow macaron shells can take a while to master, so thank goodness for Indulgewithmimi! Be sure to check out her blog. She has fantastic macaron tips and how-to's!"

Gender reveal macarons inspired by the oh so talented Indulgewithmimi!! I've wanted to do gender reveal macarons for quite some time but wasn't sure how to approach it and low and behold Mimi posted a picture of some a while back and then I knew it would be possible.

IG@meleezabakes: Created by adapting Indulgewithmimi's recipe and swapping out almonds for cashews.

IG@Cinnamnsprinkle: Finally tried my IG Pal's French Macaron recipe and was happy to see feet on my raspberry chocolate macarons. Thanks for the successful recipe.

IG@the_stay.in_foodie: Double Chocolate Macarons

IG@mylonii: This is from now on my favourite macaron recipe.

IG@sugarnated: No hollows after barely 5 months approximately once a week making macarons lot of research and reading indulgewithmimi's blog.

IG@e_piu_ti_penso using my Ice Cream Shaped Macaron Template.

Screenshot_2016-07-02-17-09-10 — IG@SeasideIndulges: Mint Choc Chip Ice Cream Cone Macarons with thanks to Indulgewithmimi for the template.

I finally conquered macarons! Third try and we finally got perfect feet on EVERY shell, no cracks, and beautifully smooth tops thanks to the recipe from indulgewithmimi.

FB@SeasideIndulgences: Thanks to IndulgeWithMimi for the template.

IG@connayang: I have been using Indulgewithmimi's recipe and found it to be super reliable and consistent! I've always been bothered by holows in my macarons, but after her useful tips and great advice, I was able to achieve beautiful and delicious no hollow macarons!

IG@Punkspastries: I was inspired by Indulgewithmimi to figure out how to make these surpriseinside generreveal macarons and I'm so happy with the results!!!

IG@Satisfyyourcraving: French Macaron - Thank you for the recipe! I did it!!!

Screenshot_2016-04-16-09-58-18-1 — IG: @dulcesbysandy Ladies and gentleman I think I found a recipe for macarons that works for me. We got smooth tops and feet!! Thanks indulgewithmimi for sharing your recipe!

Screenshot_2016-04-14-10-38-10-1 — IG: ddsmacarons. Gold speckled navy blue macarons! ?? Thanks @indulgewithmimi for the tutorial, I love how they came out!

Screenshot_2016-03-17-20-09-13 — IG: @sweetlingscookies I'm proud to say that I'm no longer a macaron virgin thanks to indulgewithmimi! I've been on your website for hours today!!

Screenshot_2016-03-05-10-03-57-1 — IG: @Ruehlmannyour recipe, Mimi. Thank you very much. Your feed and blog are very inspirational!

Screenshot_2016-03-01-09-28-45-1 — IG@alina_idu Macarons #newrecipe #betterone #chewy #thanksforsharing #indulgewithmimi

Screenshot_2016-02-02-16-07-01-1 — IG: @melissaman_Periwinkle blueberry lemon. Using indulgewithmimi recipe. These take so long but so worth it in the end!

Screenshot_2016-01-26-07-34-23-1 — Blogger Rework! by IG @livforcake "Oreo macarons adapted from my friend Indulgewithmimi's Best Macaron Recipe. Check out her profile -- she is the macaron maven!!"

Screenshot_2016-01-24-15-02-32-1 — IG @erica_belletete "Thank you Indulgewithmimi for the perfect macaron recipe!"

Screenshot_2016-01-17-23-03-56-1 — IG @pinkovencreations "Nutella macarons... thank you Indulgewithmimi Your recipe works like a charm and it's the perfect amount of sweetness."

Screenshot_2015-12-31-07-30-20-1 — IG @808ange "Using Indulgewithmimi's recipe and methods I was able to cook them faster than my other recipe and the colors came out more vibrant."

Screenshot_2015-12-13-15-42-22-1 — Reese's macarons by IG@beanherber26 "Thanks indulgewithmimi! Your tutorials have been immensley helpful!"

tempFile_2015-12-12-09-26-14 — IG@fancywong twinning with my Bears on a Candy Cane design

Screenshot_2015-12-08-10-48-24-1 — IG@Littlepreciousthing made these bears following using the Christmas Bear macaron tutorial and template

norenkay-macarons — Totally beyond ecstatic. I've made so many and they all come out hollow. I've made using the italian and french method but yours is by far the most successful. Thank you for sharing your recipe. IG: Norenkay

"I used Indulge With Mimi's macaron recipe again with lovely results! " IG: @Montezoolandes — "I used Indulge With Mimi's macaron recipe again with lovely results! "
IG: @Montezoolandes

"Made your recipe for French macarons today and it was a success!! I'm so happy! After months of hollows and fails, I finally have fluffy, perfect, beautiful macarons! Thank you!" IG: @Injadin

"Peanut butter, lemon and pistachio macarons. Finally found a recipe that works perfectly! Thanks #indulgewithmimi" Thx for sharing your work with me! @duyenmpham. So thrilling to see everyone's results.I've finished uploading my latest youtube video. I think I'll have to do some baking myself today too. What to make.....

Aren't these amazingly beautiful? By: @montezoolandes "My second attempt went very well because I used a recipe from Indulge with mimi. So much easier!" ♡ Thx everyone for tagging me, I am sooo happy to hear about all your results. I always want to bake but some nights I'm just too tired and end up reading or editing my YouTube videos. I feel like I can bake wonderful things vicariously through all of you!!! #beyondhappy!

Macaron surprise cake, inspired by @indulgewithmimi, This is my first attempt. IG'er @mylastephemeralwish

Hi.. mimi....yes....finally get it and love it...yes...love your recipe. Instagrammer: lindaerica76 — Hi.. mimi....yes....finally get it and love it...yes...love your recipe.
Instagrammer: lindaerica76

kevin-clark-macarons — Dark cherry macarons - red cocoa shells filled with a dark chocolate ganache infused with puréed cherries and finely diced almonds. The macaron learning battle continues, but I'm much closer now thanks to a tutorial video from @indulgewithmimi. Instagrammer: kevinertia

chocolates-and-connie-macarons — Made with your recipe @indulgewithmimi ! Your recipe seriously saved my life!! Instagrammer: chocolatesandconnie

tempFileForShare_2015-09-08-23-37-46 — "Macarons with chocolate ganache. Getting better. Inspired by @indulgewithmimi and her incredibly useful blog!" Instagrammer: beckybakesuk

tempFileForShare_2015-09-08-23-27-59 — "I think I've finally figured out how to get rid of hollows in my macarons: use a different recipe! Thanks @indulgewithmimi for the awesome recipe! Anyway here are some saffron and honey macarons." Instagrammer: silvery_mist

blue macarons — "Earlier today was my second time attemping your recipe and it came out amazing, again! Just wanted to share how good these look along with my #nohollow shells! Hahaha. Also, this recipe really produces macarons that aren't overbearingly sweet. Love it! Thank you again for your amazing guidance. Much love all the way from Malaysia :)" @carol_clement

Introducing another baker friend to everyone ♡ Thx for leaving me a note with your pretty macs @pinn.wheel "Thanks for the advise!! I just got my silpat mats and I'm already loving them ♥" If you haven't tried @mysilpat yet, you're missing out on a great baking tool in your kitchen! #homemademacarons #baking #desserts #macarons #foodblog #foodblogger #silpat #macaronstagram #bakingtips #recipes #indulgewithmimi — "Thanks for the advise!! I just got my silpat mats and I'm already loving them ♥" Instagrammer: @pinn.wheel

Screenshot_2015-09-08-23-16-29 — "I think I'm the happiest woman right now! I succeeded in baking macarons!!! Look at that pretty foot! All thanks to @indulgewithmimi and her perfect recipe!" Instagrammer: @tea.cup.cake

best macaron recipe — "I would say last night's baking frenzy was a success. The best looking and tasting macarons I've ever made. All thanks to @indulge.with.mimi's super amazing recipe! I am no longer scared of making macarons and will continue experimenting until they're perfect!" Instagrammer: @annanguyen_

macaron surprise cake — Cake made using my "Macaron Surprise Cake" Tutorial "Thank you for the how to @indulge.with.mimi" Instagrammer: @the.macaron.house

11850036_391455447727768_2028038366_n — Alphabet macarons by Instagrammer: @chocolateandconnie

indulge with mimi macarons — Sharing the work of two talented bakers who took my advice on increasing the oven temperature to achieve #nohollows. "Thank you Mimi. Thank you for your blog, info and willingness to help!" Instagrammer: @macs_just_because Instagrammer: @shereee

Some more work which was sent to me via private DM so I am not publishing the names and comments. Contact me if you'd like me to include it though.

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Coffee Donut Birthday Macarons

Apr 14, 2018 · 9 Comments

Coffee donut macarons are rich, dark and sweet, the perfect way to brighten up anyone's day. These coffee macarons are packed with flavour since there is coffee and chocolate not only in the filling but in the macaron shells as well!

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Wake Up to a Big Cup of Coffee... Macarons!

What is better than starting your morning with a big cup of coffee macarons? Rich, dark and sweet, it's the perfect way to brighten up anyone's day. These coffee macarons are packed with flavour since there is coffee and chocolate not only in the filling but in the macaron shells as well! It's not always easy to find an appropriate ingredient that can be added into the shells for extra flavour. You run the risk of compromising the integrity of the shell when adapting the recipe with added ingredients, sometimes it can cause blotchiness or cracks. After a few test runs, I'm happy to introduce my version of coffee macarons. And if you're looking for a super simple recipe, here's another coffee dessert you might like: Japanese Coffee & Milk Jelly Dessert.

Coffee donut macarons in a cup with a macaron tower behind it.

Free Donut Macaron Template

For this project, I piped the macarons into a fun donut shape and sprinkled some rainbow nonpareils on top to make them extra playful. Just imagine the look on your friend or co-worker's faces when you bring out a a box of donut macarons for a morning pick-me-up. Besides being perfectly presentable in a box, they also work very well in a macaron bouquet that's ready for gift-giving for a birthday or special event. I posted some pictures of the bouquet at the end of the post.

Tips on Piping the Perfect Donut Macaron Shape

Use a smaller piping tip. Wilton round #10 piping tip was used for these donuts.
Pipe batter onto silicone mats instead of paper since they hold special shapes so much better.
Be sure to leave plenty of room in the center devoid of batter for the donut "hole". The batter tends to run into the center as it settles so leave more room than you think is needed.
Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking to prevent cracking. This step is especially crucial for donut macarons during baking since the batter likes to escape through the center if it is not completely dry.

This is a fun and flavourful macaron that will be sure to please the coffee lover in your life. I hope you enjoy making it.

XOXO,
Mimi

Close up of coffee donut macarons in a cut.

Close up of multi-colored sprinkles on macarons.

Coffee macarons wrapped into a flower bouquet. — Coffee donut macarons made into a pretty bouquet for a birthday or special occasion.

Recipe

Yield: 20 macarons

Coffee Donut Birthday Macarons

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 14 minutes

Rest Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 44 minutes

Ingredients

Coffee Chocolate Macaron Shells

65 grams almond flour
60 grams icing sugar/powdered sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee crystals**
1 teaspoon dutch-processed cocoa powder*
45 grams granulated sugar / castor sugar (preferable)
50 grams aged egg whites
⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
A few drops of brown gel colour , (Americolor warm brown was used here)
Rainbow colored nonpareils sprinkles

Coffee Chocolate Ganache

75 grams couverture chocolate
75 grams heavy cream
15 grams butter
2 teaspoon instant coffee crystals**
½ teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Print out the donut macaron template provided in post.
Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
Pulse almond flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and coffee crystals together in a food processor.
Sift the dry mixture. 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 firm peaks.
Stop mixer and add the brown gel colour to the meringue.
Turn mixer back on and whip until colour is fully incorporated and the meringue has reached stiff peaks.
Fold the almond flour and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
Transfer batter into a piping bag fitted with a #10 round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe out the donut shape.
Add rainbow sprinkles on top of the donut macaron shells before it dries completely.
Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking.
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.
Pair two similar sized donut macaron shells together, fill them with the Coffee Chocolate Ganache filling. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and wait for it to set before decorating.

Coffee Chocolate Ganache

Chop up chocolate into small pieces, place in a bowl with the butter.
In a small pot bring the heavy cream and instant coffee crystals to a light simmer. Take off heat.
Pour over chopped chocolate and butter, let it sit for 1 minute.
Stir until incorporated. Add vanilla extract and stir until fully incorporated. Let it cool to set before transferring to piping bag.

Notes

* Most cocoa powders purchased at supermarkets in North America will be natural cocoa powders, not Dutch Process cocoa powder. A popular brand of Dutch processed cocoa powder would be Fry's.

** The brand of coffee crystals used in this recipe can be found in the shopping list at the end of this post.

*** Coffee contains caffeine, take caution when serving to children or pregnant women.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 105Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 7mgSodium 13mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 1gSugar 14gProtein 1g

Reader's Macaron Baking Questions and Messages

Apr 12, 2018 · 70 Comments

From now on, reader questions that I receive in private will be answered here. Since I receive a lot of requests for personal help, I have decided to publish the questions and answers publicly so that others can benefit from it as well.

Please take a look through these questions and the resources I listed if you need help. If you have a question for me, please leave a comment on a corresponding blog post instead of through email or private message. This will allow me to make better use of my time so I can continue to create content that will be of use to you. Thanks so much for understanding and for your support of my work. XOXO, Mimi

P.S. These posts will be of help to you. Please take a look at them to get immediate answers to frequently asked questions:

A: Thank you! The buttercream recipe for piping the flower blossom macarons are here.

A: You can try using peach gel color (or a mix of orange and pink) in the meringue. Once the macaron is finished baking and cooled off, brush it with some gold pearl dust.

A: I always use silicone mats to help retail the shape. If using my recipe, I recommend keeping the meringue stiff and don't over fold. Your batter might be too runny.

xoxo,

Mimi

A: You can try to let it dry even longer. I have heard another baker let hers dry for several hours. However, if you are only piping round shapes and your batter is correct, you do not need to rest them at all. It's just extra insurance for weaker batters or macaron art with use of several colors.

A: Hi! Thank you! The answer I can give you is very similar to the one above. You can try to let the macaron batter rest longer. I have heard another baker let hers dry for several hours. However, if you are only piping round shapes and your batter is correct, you do not need to rest them at all. It's just extra insurance for weaker batters or macaron art with use of several colors.

A: You might be overwhipping with your kitchaid mixer. I discuss this issue in this post about hollow macarons.

A: Here is an article I wrote all about hollow macarons. btw, do ask the original recipe writer about how to deal with their particular recipe. XOXO, Mimi

A: Hi, Yes you can double and even quadruple!

A: I learned from a french pastry chef who ran a bakery. You can learn to make them at Bon Macaron in Vancouver. Good luck!

A: Hi, you don't necessarily need a skin to form for baking. If you really can't get the skin to develop, bake them anyways. Resting is just extra insurance for them not to crack. If you beat your meringue to a much stiffer consistency, they do dry better.

A: I use Americolor's Super Red and I use about 5 big drops. You can add a bit of dark purple to up the intensity.

A: Hi, No I don't have any tips, I have heard that my recipe works at high altitudes. I don't have any personal experience with high altitudes so I don't have any info for you. Sorry 🙁

A: Hi, it's usually not the recipe's fault if there are hollows, mostly its due to the techniques. Since you've tried so many different recipes, it's another indicator that there is something wrong with your technique. Here is a post which will discuss hollow macarons and how to to overcome it.

A: Thank you! I've added it to my Mimi's Macaron Friends post.

A: Wonderful results! These are absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sending it to me.

A: Yes I do freeze sometimes if I have extras and I want to save some as extra treats for myself. Just make them when it's convenient for you and put them inside air tight containers in the fridge or freezer. Make sure to place a parchment paper in between each layer to prevent them from sticking.

A: It is from Rainbow Dust 🙂

A: Yes you can definitely wait longer until they are completely dry. Yes, too little heat can cause hollows. Read here how to prevent hollows.

A: I would recommend Amazon and only buy the original SILPAT brand.

I would start again. I think your batter has been compromised already. Watch out for these issues: don't over whip meringue, weigh the almond flour properly, make sure gel colours are new and not expired.

A: Thank you! You should watch out that your temperature is not too high and that you have not over folded.

A: Wow! It looks wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing with me!! I bet they were delicious. XOXO, Mimi

A: Thank you so much! I'm so happy you are getting better results now. The possibilities are endless once you learn how to make them.

A: Yes you can! Just make them when it's convenient for you and put them inside air tight containers in the fridge or freezer. Make sure to place a parchment paper in between each layer to prevent them from sticking.

A: Please read my troubleshooting guide. It will address that issue under blotchy tops.

A: You can try piping them smaller, don't over beat the meringue and using a bit more heat.

A: Thank you so much! Keep baking! XOXO, Mimi

A: I haven't tried shipping macarons before... if I were to do it, I'd package them each individually in clear bags and them lay bubble wrap in between each layer of macarons with the cooling pads next to it. I'd also fill the entire box with of bubble wrap or foam so that the macarons don't shuffle around which can cause them to break.

A: I use 2 different kinds. You can find it on my SHOP

A: I think it looks GREAT! I really don't see anything wrong with them.

A: I have a home oven that is a dual compartment oven. Here is the link to the answer I gave another reader. Please look at the comment published on March 30th, 2018. Your oven might be the culprit if it doesn't have a consistent temperature. It's not the biggest issue. If your batter is correctly prepared, it should only affect it by causing cracking (if too hot but easy fix) or giving you hollows (since the temperature might be dropping). If your macarons look much worse than what I'm describing, I would work on your batter first.

A: I make a large batch of batter and just pipe them all at the same time. I wouldn't make multiple batters unless they were different colored. The batter can last for a while in the piping bag if it's sealed.

A: Yes, it's OK to add cornflour/cornstarch to your dry mix. There is corn starch in most powdered sugar brands. Just check the ingredients on the package. I have heard that adding it can make the macarons less hollow.

A: Hi, with my recipe, they should be firm and sticky on the inside immediately when they come out of the oven and once they cool off, they should be crisp. Only after filling and maturing, do them "soften" up. If the meringue is not fully baked, it will collapse after cooling causing hollow macarons.

A: Thank you! Yes you can put it into the dry mix of almonds and sugar. Keep in mind, almonds are not naturally white, the shells will always be a bit ivory regardless of how much white you put in. One more thing I want to add is that in the last few years, I read articles about the health effects of inhaling titanium dioxide. You might want to look into a bit more before handling it for use in your baked goods.

XOXO,

Mimi

A: I do not make any sugar free macarons. However, all macarons are gluten-free by their simple composition of sugar, almonds and egg whites.

A: I use Americolor Black. It works really well. You can also add some black powder colour to make it more intense.

A: You can keep the shells in an air tight container in the freezer or in the fridge until you are ready to fill them. Either one is fine. I would not keep them on the counter.

Q: Yes I do have an individual question for you - I hope you'll answer for me. 🙂 I use a commercial convection oven (blodgett) for macarons - still struggling with hollow shells 8 yrs later. What temp setting do you use on yours? I have been baking at about 265F for ~16 min in total. Thanks so much! M******le

A: I don't have experience using a commercial oven. For my regular home oven I have had great success with these two temperatures: Big regular sized oven: 325F for 12-14 minutes. Small Dual Compartment Oven: 275F for 16-18 minutes.

You might want to look at this new post I wrote about all the different ways to combat hollow macarons.

Q: I have used your recipe but although they are completely full, they sink. You can see that the dome is not curve, and the feet has really spread, which I’m pretty sure that it is due to the temp, I know I can lower it, and increase the time but, I could avoid them sinking. At the time I took the picture, they were a little toasted, but they were actually chewy when I took’em out of the oven. I baked 330, for 21 min, using silpats in a conventional oven.

A: I don't think temperature is your main issue as 330 is a pretty descent number (if your temp is accurate). It looks like your meringue was not beaten stiff enough. Try beating it a bit firmer. XOXO, Mimi

Q: Hi Mimi, As someone with more experience I’m hoping you can help me. I purchased a silicone mat for baking my macarons because I’m so annoyed by the crinkling of the parchment paper. Well they’re expensive lol. And it didn’t work out for me! So I recently saw someone using teflon sheets so I got some and was so excited for a cheaper solution to get round smooth bottomed macarons! Well every time I’ve used them they crack/explode out the top. I have even piped ½ a batch on parchment and the other ½ on the teflon sheet. The parchment ones came out perfect (with the exception of the wrinkly bottoms from the parchment) and the teflon ones exploded out the tops. They went in immediately after I took out the first tray and the oven temp was the same and it was the same batch. I have no idea why. I’m assuming they conduct heat differently? I’ve tried turning the oven down and that doesn’t seem to do the trick either. So, I’m sorry for the novel of a back story, but do you have any suggestions or could you offer any help? I would so appreciate it!! Thanks in advance! ❤ K****a

A: I understand your situation. Different mats/paper do conduct heat differently. In this case, the Teflon is allowing a lot of heat to reach your mac shells. I would let them dry much longer so they are strong enough to withstand the heat that is reaching it. Turning down the heat also helps even though you did mention you have already tried that. XOXO,

Mimi

A: Yes! Definitely too much folding!

A: Wow! Wonderful tie-dye effect! I wish I could make a cake like that too!

A: Wow! I love the pretty little feet and how nice and bright they are!

A: Hi. It's definitely hard for all of us. You're not the only one. I have a huge planner 🙂

I used to use a combination of mobile To-Do-Lists and Calendars (a single app just doesn't cut it!) but my phone screen is so tiny that it just wasn't effective for seeing everything all together at once. I finally decided to go old-school and bought myself a small pen/paper agenda. It was pretty nice to write everything down and have a good bird's eye view of everything. But after a month, I realized that it was still too small so I took the plunge and just got a huge planner from BANDO. It's 3X thicker than my laptop. Talk about going back to the stone age LOL. However, it has changed everything about the way I organize my time.

Small planner VS. bigger much more efficient BANDO planner.

Here's how I use it:

Monthly Calendar View for Publishing& Appointments:

I put all my appointments on the bottom half of each block for each day. The upper half is reserved for social media posts/newsletters that are to go out that day.

Monthly Goals:

There is a NOTES section in the beginning of each month, here, I keep a running tally of all the items that need to be done during the month. I look over them each day and transfer those items onto the Daily To Do section. See next photo.

Daily To Do List:

Daily TO DO section has ample room for writing down all the items that need to be done each day. I get these tasks by looking at my Monthly Calender View & Monthly Goals list. I also write down things that happened on that day which may be useful to look back on in the future.

Long Term Projects:

Receipts/Loose Paper:

I keep receipts that need to be filed here. Every week, I take these, input them into an excel file to keep track of expenses and file them into another permanent folder.

I continue to use 3 mobile apps for organization since I can't always carry out such a big planner. I keep track of my appointments on GOOGLE CALENDAR so when I need to make an appointment, I can quickly refer to my phone to see if I'm available. This can be accessed on desktop as well which is so useful.

I use TO DO-IST to keep a simple clean shopping list. I keep this as a widget on my home screen so it's easily accessible, especially handy when you're in a rush at the grocery store or mall.

Last is a precious new app I discovered called LIST: Daily Checklist. It is the app I have been waiting for all my life 🙂 It is a list that resets itself daily which makes it so convenient for tracking tasks that you need to do everyday like drink 8 cups of water, excercise, take vitamins etc...

Hope this helps.

XOXO,

Mimi

A: You can use a combination of Black gel color from Americolor and black powder color together.

A: Hi, I'm glad you found my tutorials useful. For this bear, I would wait until a thin skin develops before piping the next part and then wait until it dries completely. Like very dry! before placing in the oven. The full tutorial for batter on batter macarons here. From the photo you showed me of your macaron, I would watch out now to over-whip the meringue to avoid hollow macarons. Whip until its firm enough not to slip around when you turn the bowl over.

A: Hi, try to beat the meringue stiffer and turn on an overhead fan for them to dry out. If your batter is at the correct consistency, you don't even need to rest your batter and it can go straight into the oven. XO, Mimi

Q: Hi! I made your recipe today! from: IG@Dessoy

A: Wow! these are soo nice! I'm glad you were able to use my Over the Rainbow Macaron tutorial to make this. It looks fabulous.

Q: Hi Mimi!!!
I hope you read this message 😳.
I’ve besen using your macaron recipe and it worked for me wells I was trying to improve my meringue because they were hollow sometimes. But today happened something crazy. From: IG@P***C***S

A: You may not have whipped the meringue stiff enough. Also watch out for the colours you put in. Make sure you shake them well and is at the right consistency. Older gel colours can break your meringue.

Q: Thanks for the idea! Love your hard work. From: IG@french_macarons_creations

A: WOW! these are so cool! I love them so much!! You made them just in time for Valentine's Day. Thanks for showing them to me. XOXO, Mimi

Newsletter Subscribers can download macaron template for free here:

Q: I made these Neopolitan Macarons with Strawberry Buttercream and chocolate fudge center today using your recipe!! Thank you!! IG:@catrina.rittenhouse

A: Wow! They look amazing! I'm so impressed with them. Thanks for your note. XOXO, Mimi

Q: Hi Mimi, I've been following and reading your blog. New baker to macaroons. I tried your recipe to a tee but I ended up with swollen cracked tops. Not sure what caused that. I baked at 300 degrees. Any advise would be helpful and appreciated. IG@Sa***3**2

A: Your meringue should be strong and stiff before folding. Make sure you are allowing your macaron shells to dry completely before placing them in the oven. XOXO, Mimi

Q: Hi Mimi! I stumbled upon your blog a week ago and used your basic macaron recipe to make my first ever batch of macarons! I was completely surprised my macarons turned out near perfect especially since i never made macarons before and it was pretty much my first time piping out anything from a pastry bag! Loved all the macaron tips you posted on your blog. They were all super helpful! Can't wait to try more of your macaron recipes in the future! From: IG@Ja*****k**n

A: Thank you so much! I really appreciate the love!

Q: Hi mimi! I'm writing to ask how I could fix my Macaron as I can't really find in your guide what is wrong with my Macaron. It seems a mix of "no feet" and "cracked". Would you be able to advise what went wrong with these photos attached? My oven has only fan force function, which I can't fix that. From: IG@A*****81

A: Your oven most likely not the culprit in this case. You'll need to beat your meringue much stiffer and also wait until the shells completely dry before baking. XOXO, Mimi

Afternoon Tea at Hy Tea Lounge by Granville Island in Vancouver

Apr 12, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Afternoon Tea Near Granville Island and Olympic Village

Recently, it seems that there are abundantly more afternoon tea services popping up around the city. New choices in town include downtown newcomers like H Tasting Lounge and Honey Salt Vancouver. On the outskirts of the city, there's Audrey Moment in Burnaby and Little White House in Langley. For those who live in Vancouver and prefer to get around in their own personal automobile, there's Hy Tea Lounge. It's conveniently situated in the Armoury district, right on the edge of Granville Island and it's surprisingly easy to find parking. That is always a bonus. After taking some tea, you can make a day of visiting the island and picking up some fresh produce at the Public Market.

Take Tea or Try on Dresses?

The lounge itself is bright and airy since the stand alone glass building is blessed with floor-to-ceiling windows. Fashion themed artwork lines the walls while a rack of elegant ladies formal wear hangs by the cash counter. Apparently, the four-month new tea lounge is used not only for taking tea, one can even try on elaborate evening gowns in a private fitting room at the back. I'm not quite sure how this service works and neither was the manager. He told me that they're still working on a concept to blend the two services together into one cohesive business. I think it's a new and interesting concept if they can pull it off. It's definitely worth a try since it's getting harder and harder to stand out in the Vancouver afternoon tea scene. There are just so many new choices, specifically along the False Creek area, there is already a newcomer like Yandoux Patisserie. I have plans to visit them soon so stay tuned.

With or without the dresses, tea at the Hy Tea lounge proved to be quite an enjoyable experience for me and my dining companions. The food was good, the ambiance was modern and comfortable, and the location is convenient for those going by car. Overall, there wasn't a specific aspect which stood out to me but everything met my expectations; with their medium price position, perhaps by default, that may be their unintended selling point: great value.

Until our next tea date.

XOXO,

Mimi

Left: scones served with clotted cream and honey. Right: Rose Lychee, a cold drink of rose petals, lychee juice, lemon, sparkling water, honey and apple.

Top: assortment of finger sandwiches. Bottom left: prawn and avocado crostini. Bottom right: duck salad.

Left: matcha green tea "Opera Cake". Right: Mixed berry panna cotta.

Notable Points:

- One of the newest afternoon tea offerings in Vancouver. (H Tasting Lounge being another one.)

- Gorgeous photogenic space with tons of natural light.

- Specialty blended tea selections.

- A la carte lunch options available.

- Great location near Granville Island, easy to find parking.

- 3 different types of tea sets according to price.

Ambience: The lounge is situated in a stand alone glass building shaped like a pyramid. The entire space is bathed in natural light making it the ideal place to feel like you're outdoors, without facing the harsh elements. It's perfect for taking super photogenic photos of your pretty tea set.

Scones: The regular sized scone was served with honey and clotted cream. The scone was neither crumbly or fluffy. It was on the chewy side, almost like a bun. Unfortunately, this was a miss.

Savoury: 6 savouries of decent size. They were all average to good so the sweet items were the stronger offering in this tea set.

Sweets: 4 house made sweets were all good. Especially the panna cotta and rose cream puff which impressed me. It's always a challenge to make a cream puff that has a crispy shell that holds the cream well without getting soggy.

Tea: An interesting medium sized tea collection including 5 black teas, 3 green, 2 Oolong, 5 herbal, 2 Rooibos, 4 lattes and 9 specialty blends. Their tea choices will please most guests as there is something for everyone. I was most impressed with their latte and specialty tea blend offering. I ordered the Rose Lychee (specialty tea, see below) which is a cold drink consisting of rose petals, lychee juice, lemon, sparkling water, honey and apple. It was so heavenly!

Note that the specialty teas are $10 when ordered without the tea set. With the tea set, only an additional $2.50 is charged since the set comes with one pot of tea valued at $7.50

Tea Ware: Chic and sleek. All the gold cutlery matched the gold rimmed plates that were also printed in gold with "Hy Tea Lounge" on it. For those who love to snap a good afternoon tea photo, you'll be happy to know that the treats are brought out on a traditional white 3-tiered tea tray.

Alcoholic Beverages: Prosecco can be added onto tea sets for an additional charge.

Service: With everything good happening here, perhaps the weakest link is the service. It's good enough and definitely appropriate for the venue but it lacked a bit of energy and focus. The manager did take the time to come over and speak with us and tell us more about the tea sets.

Other notes:

♥ Hy Tea

6 savouries, 4 house made sweets & 1 scone. Includes 1 pot of tea worth $7.50.

$36, add $12 for Prosecco

Demi Hy Tea

3 savouries, 3 house made sweets & 1 scone. Includes 1 pot of tea worth $7.50.

$29, add $12 for Prosecco

Signature Hy Tea (by reservation only, min. 2 sets)

7 premium savouries (lobster, fois gras etc), 4 sweets & 1 scone. Includes 1 pot of tea AND 1 glass of Prosecco.

$88, no extra charge for Prosecco

♥ Parking: Lots of metered parking available on the streets. There is also an open air parking lot across from the lounge. The closest Car2Go parking spots are a block away by the water. It's a little harder to reach by public transit as it is 30 minutes away by foot from the closest sky train station, Broadway-City Hall. Research on Google your direct bus route.

♥ Tel: (604) 731-9636

Adress: 1540 W 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 1H2

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The Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream for Macarons, Cakes and More

Apr 4, 2018 · 43 Comments

Easy meringue based Swiss buttercream frosting that is so smooth and not overly sweet like American buttercream. Perfect for piping designs on cakes or filling macarons.

Close up of buttercream piped into rose swirls decorated on a cake.

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A Pipeable and Fluffy Meringue Based Buttercream

Today, I want to share this standard Swiss Meringue Buttercream with all of you since it is one of the best ways to prepare a meringue based frosting which is fluffy, stable, pipeable and most importantly, delicious tasting. As the name suggests, it's part of the meringue buttercream family. Unlike American buttercream, which is simply made with powdered sugar and butter, it doesn't have that overwhelming sugary taste and gritty texture. Swiss meringue buttercream is smooth, rich and buttery.

Many home bakers find that the method for making Swiss buttercream more approachable than the Italian one so it's a great recipe to have on hand in case you need to frost a cake, cupcake or fill macarons. Once you have mastered the easy steps in this base recipe, you can modify it for a variety of different flavors. The possibilities are endless!

Here are some macaron recipes that uses this Swiss meringue buttercream as a base: lemon curd macarons, strawberry basil macarons, & rainbow vanilla macarons.

Why You'll Love Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Delicious Taste & Texture - less sweet than American buttercream and super smooth.
Minimal Ingredients - requires only sugar, egg whites and butter.
Easy Swiss Method - it's easier than the Italian method, no pouring of hot syrup.
Convenient 3:2:1 Ratio - easy to convert ratio allowing you to make just enough buttercream for X amount of ingredients you have on hand.
Prepare in Advance - prepare and freeze for important events.
Multiple Uses - use it in macarons, cakes, cupcakes and more.

Swiss buttercream piped onto a cake in rossette pattern perched on top of a minimalistic white cake stand.

What is the Difference Between Swiss, Italian, French and American Buttercream?

First of all, Swiss, Italian and French buttercreams are meringue-based buttercreams meaning that they all contain meringue, which is a whipped mixture of egg whites and sugar. The difference between them is mainly based on how the meringue is prepared. American buttercream on the other hand is not meringue-based and is a simple mixture of icing sugar and butter.

Swiss Meringue

Swiss meringue buttercream is made from fat, sugar and egg whites. Granulated sugar and egg whites are beaten in a bowl over hot water, butter is then whipped into it.

PROS:

Super smooth silky texture
Easier to make than the Italian buttercream

CONS:

Not as strong as the Italian buttercream

Italian Meringue

Italian meringue buttercream is made from fat, sugar and eggs. Granulated sugar is heated with water to produce a syrup that is poured into egg whites that are beaten simultaneously. Butter is then whipped into it.

PROS:

Sturdy and stable.
Use of only egg whites allows for it to be snowy white and can be colored nicely

CONS:

Texture is not as smooth as Swiss buttercream
Heating the sugar while beating egg whites can be tricky
Some find this buttercream too "buttery"

French Meringue

French meringue buttercream is made similarly to the Italian method except egg yolks are used instead of egg whites. Sugar and water is heated to create a syrup that is poured into egg yolks that are beaten simultaneously.

PROS:

Amazing taste, like whipped custard and less buttery
Helps use up egg yolks that are left over from the macaron making process

CONS:

Fastest to melt due to high fat content, can be a goopy mess on hotter days
Uses a lot more butter than the other buttercreams, may be too "fattening" for some
Use of egg yolks makes this cream yellowy and harder to color

American Buttercream

American buttercream is made from beating butter and icing sugar together optionally along with salt, extract and a bit of milk.

PROS:

Strongest of all the Buttercreams
Withstands heat better than all the other meringue-based buttercream fillings.
Does not contain eggs so it can last longer than the other buttercream fillings.
Does not contain eggs. Safer for pregnant women and children

CONS:

Super sweet. Coupled with a sweet macaron shell or other sweet dessert bases, some might find it overwhelming.
Some find American Buttercream bad tasting in general. ("grocery store" baked goods taste).

Ingredients for Swiss buttercream in dishes on a placemat.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Egg whites - use fresh egg whites for maximum whipping volume. Some brands of carton egg whites denote on the packaging that it can be used for whipping.
Granulated sugar
Unsalted Butter - must be at room temperature to prevent separation.
Optional: vanilla extract (or any other flavoring added to taste).
Optional: sea salt highlights the flavors and cuts down on the sweetness. Use it depending on which flavoring you choose.
Optional: food color. Use gel color for the most concentrated color without adding excessive moisture into the frosting.

3:2:1 Ratio for Swiss Meringue Buttercream

One of the best attributes of this Swiss Meringue Buttercream is its easy to remember 3:2:1 ratio of 3 parts butter, 2 parts sugar and 1 part egg whites. That means for every 1 oz. of egg whites, you just need to multiple that by 2 to calculate the amount of sugar you need and multiple it by 3 for the butter. It comes in handy if you ever find yourself constrained by a certain quantity of ingredients you have on hand. Say for example, you only have 3 oz. of sugar left in your pantry, all you need to do is divide 3 oz. in half to get your egg whites and so forth. I made a handy chart below for you:

Chart showing how to adjust butter, sugar and egg whites using the 3:2:1 ratio for Swiss buttercream.

Step By Step

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, do not let the bowl touch the hot 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*
Whip the mixture in a counter 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 any extract, flavorings, salt or food coloring if desired. 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 to frost or fill cakes, cupcakes, macarons or other desserts. Refer to post on how to store and freeze extra buttercream.

Why Does My Buttercream Looks Curdled and Separated?

Once you start adding the butter to the meringue, you will find that it will start looking separated or curdled. It's really grainy and gross looking! The fats bond quickly together with the proteins while the water takes longer to get incorporated but if you keep beating it, it will all come together.

How to Fix a Runny Buttercream

On the other hand, if you add the butter too soon while the meringue is still hot, your buttercream will still be runny even after lots of beating. Put it in the fridge until the outer edges start to firm up. If the center is still soft, that's okay, it will start balancing each other out when you start beating it. Keep beating the separated frosting until it comes together again.

Tip: remember to always use room temperature butter and only add the butter when the meringue has cooled to 32C.

Secret to a Smooth Buttercream Texture

Have you ever piped a frosting that breaks intermittently because of air pockets inside the mixture? The secret to get this buttercream to a smooth piping or spreading consistency is to use rid it of excess air by folding it out with a flexible spatula. After beating in the mixer, gently press the buttercream against the bowl with the spatula until you can see some of the bigger bubbles in the cream have "popped". This will prepare the cream for spreading and piping.

How Do I Make This Frosting White or Less Yellow?

Choose a paler colored butter - Grass-fed butter tends to be more yellow due to the nutrients in the cow's diet.
Whip it good - butter becomes pale and fluffy after a good whipping.
Add violet - a bit of violet helps to neutralize the yellow color in the butter. Dip a toothpick in a bit of violet gel food color and smear it into the buttercream at the end. Beat to incorporate and add more if desired.
Beware of extract colors - if using a natural flavoring like vanilla, the natural brown color will tint the buttercream yellow. Consider using artificial/clear versions: e.g. clear vanilla extract.

Buttercream piped into mini rose shapes on parchment paper. — This Swiss meringue buttercream is also good for piping 3D flowers.

How to Store and Freeze this Frosting

This Swiss meringue buttercream can be stored for up to 5 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. If storing in the fridge, make sure it's placed in a sealed air tight container.

I usually make a big batch of this buttercream at one time since it freezes so well. It saves a lot of time when I have buttercream on hand to frost cakes or fill macarons. I usually divide the cream up into 100 gram packets and wrap them up with plastic wrap and shape them into flat rectangles. This way, the extra surface area allows them to defrost more readily and I don't need to defrost a whole tub at once.

When you're ready to use it, take the packets you need out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. As soon as you can break up the buttercream with the beater, you can start beating it in the mixer. This will make it all nice and fluffy again. And don't worry about it separating at first. Keep beating it, it will all come back together. If you still have problems, take a look at the section above on how to fix a curdled buttercream.

How Do I Use SMB as a Macaron Filling?

This Swiss meringue buttercream is sturdy enough to be used as-is for macaron filling. To flavor, just add in your favorite extracts to taste or you can get creative by adding other elements like dried powders, teas, jams and curds etc. As with all other macaron fillings, it's important to keep the moisture level low. Here are some ideas on how to add flavor to the basic Swiss meringue buttercream without compromising it's structure:

Add in dried powders
Infuse it with teas: steep the tea leaves in melted butter and let it solidify again before adding it to the meringue.
Mix it with cream cheese: Example: Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons
Add in curds or jams: add fruit curds or jams to finished SMB a spoonful at a time while checking on the consistency and taste. Example: Strawberry Basil Macarons, Lemon Curd Macarons
Use it to create a "dam" for soft center fillings: pipe a ring of it on the outer edge of the macaron and fill the inside with a low-moisture curd or other filling. Example: Pumpkin Spice Macarons, Lemon Curd Macarons

I hope you find this tutorial and chart useful. Don't forget to PIN it to your recipe box since it can be used for a variety of baked goodies.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

3:2:1 Swiss Meringue Buttercream

The Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream using the handy 3:2:1 ratio of butter, sugar and eggs. Servings: Enough to fill 4 dozen regular macarons. Double recipe to frost a round 6 inch cake.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

65 grams egg whites
130 grams granulated sugar
195 grams butter, unsalted (room temperature)
optional: 1 tsp. vanilla extract (or any other flavoring added to taste)
optional: pinch of sea salt
optional: food colour

Instructions

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, do not let the bowl touch the hot 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*
Whip the mixture in a counter 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 any extract, flavorings, salt or food coloring if desired. 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 to frost or fill cakes, cupcakes, macarons or other desserts. Refer to post on how to store and freeze extra buttercream.

Notes

*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.

**Store the leftovers in an airtight container until use for a maximum of 5 days. It can also be frozen, refer to post on how.

***Before using, place on counter until it comes to room temperature, then re-whip with a paddle attachment until it becomes fluffy again.

Eastern Afternoon Tea Set at H Tasting Lounge in the Westin Bayshore

Mar 25, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Eastern Afternoon Tea Set

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of being invited to experience the new Eastern afternoon tea set at the H Tasting Lounge in the Westin Bayshore. Does it seem like déjà vu to you? It's probably because the last afternoon tea experience I shared with all of you was also at the H Tasting Lounge but it was of the Western afternoon tea set. (Read about the Western tea set here.)

The lounge currently offers only two different tea sets - Eastern and Western. The two tea sets cannot be more different from each other. The Western tea set features all the usual items one would normally find in most afternoon tea sets: tarts, macarons, mini cakes and scones. In contrast, the Eastern tea set consists of treats that take its influence from the other side of the world. For the savouries, you'll find Asian delicacies like abalone, lobster roll and "Pekin Style" duck wrap. To satisfy your sweet tooth, there is traditional Chinese pastries like pineapple shortbread, wife cake, and an almond cookie just to name a few.

Aesthetically speaking, the Western tea set is displayed on a "traditional" 3-tier display (it's a very chic and modern looking one), while the treats on the Eastern set are nestled inside two exquisite jewel boxes. I'm still deciding which one I like looking at more 🙂

The different types of teas in their collection. You can smell the dry tea leaves before making your selection.

The majority of the treats in the Eastern afternoon tea is served nestled inside this Tiffany Blue lacquered jewelry box.

Some of the other treats can be found in this pretty mirrored box. Here is the "Wife Cake", a Chinese flakey pastry filled with winter melon paste; Mango Pomelo Sago dessert, a sort of Asian "pudding"; and a Green Tea Mochi filled with ice cream.

Left: Buttery and crumbly raisin scone. Right: Braised abalone tart topped with gold flakes. Abalone is a well recognized marine delicacy in Asia.

Left: "Kung Pao" Lobster Roll. Center: Taro puff stuffed with taro puree. Right: "Pekin Style" Duck Wrap tied with ribbon and secured with a mini clothespin.

East or West?

It's really hard to compare the two sets because they are completely different in every way. The only commonality between the two tea sets are the tea and scones. For tea, there is a modest-sized tea collection with a few unique teas in the Pacific West Coast category. And as for the scones, they are some of the best ones I've had in the city, comparable to Fairmont's signature scones.

Each set has their own unique selling points. In the Western Tea, the sweets are the stronger offering while the draw in the Eastern set are the savouries. The unique Asian inspired offerings on this set are a good choice for those who want to go outside of the box and quite literally - into one, in the form of a pretty and photogenic jewel box.

My advice? Go with a girlfriend and get both! Until our next tea date.

XOXO,
Mimi

"Peaceful Garden". This creation is from the "Free-spirited" collection of non-alcoholic cocktails on the menu. It consists of jasmine pearl cold tea, orange elderflower syrup, lemon juice, Animas Botica Balance Hydrosol and a strawberry & rose caviar. There are currently only two drinks listed on the menu in this collection, however, you are welcome to ask the bartender to create something suitable for your own tastes.

Notable Points:

- One of the newest afternoon tea offerings in Vancouver. (Hy Tea Lounge being another one.)

- Uber photogenic fairy floss tree.

- Unique Asian influenced tea service.

- "Free-Spirit" collection of smart non-alcoholic cocktails.

- Unique tea selection including a Canadian/Pacific Northwest collection, two of which uses a Canadian-pioneered processing technique and Canadian ingredients, respectively.

- Glamorous new lounge setting with lots of natural light.

- Alcoholic beverages available for order.

- Good selection of coffees.

- Complimentary valet parking for guests of the H Tasting Lounge.

Other notes:

♥ Western Afternoon Tea Set $48/person. Reservations not required.

4 savouries, 5 sweets, 1 scone, 1 fairy floss tree, 1 dish of taro chips & 1 pot of tea

Easter Afternoon Tea Set $48/person. Reservations not required.

7 savouries, 3 sweets 1 pot of tea

♥ H Tasting Lounge full menu here

Reserve on Open Table

Served exclusively on its own on the weekend. Served along with lunch from Monday to Friday 11:30-5pm.

♥ Parking: Complimentary valet parking available for guests of H Tasting Lounge. Meter parking immediately around the hotel is surprisingly $1/hour.

♥ Tel: 1-604-691-6962

Adress: 1601 BAYSHORE DR, VANCOUVER, BC V6G 2V4

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

Western Afternoon Tea at the Westin Bayshore

More here about the Western Afternoon Tea service at the H-Tasting Lounge.

This is Part 2 of 2 of what I shared with Deborah Moore on AM1470 on March 27, 2018, Part 1 Lavender Earl Grey Easter Bunny Macarons is here.

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Lavender Earl Grey Easter Bunny Macarons (Template)

Mar 16, 2018 · 7 Comments

Naturally speckled Lavender and Earl Grey tea macarons shaped like the Easter Bunny. Multi-colored macaron tutorial and free templates.

Easter bunny macarons perched on top of a macaron cake filled with Easter eggs.

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Lavender Earl Grey Macarons with that "Easter Speckle"

I've always loved the speckled Easter egg effect on a macaron and after my Easter Egg macaron tutorial two years ago, I wanted to recreate this effect again but this time, the speckles would be embedded inside of the macaron instead of splattered on top with food coloring. We can achieve this effect naturally by adding some earl grey tea and lavender buds into the macaron batter. The resulting batter is one that looks neatly speckled without colors that will rub off on your fingers, and the bonus is that it's also packed with natural flavor.

To make the bunnies with two colored batters, I followed the method I outlined in this post: How to Make Multi-colored Macaron Batter from One Batch of Macarons.

Naturally speckled lavender earl grey macarons in the shape of bunnies on a small plate.

Tips for Infusing Chocolate Macaron Filling with Lavender and Earl Grey

To finish off these bunnies, I created this chocolate ganache infused with lavender and earl grey tea. It's one of the easier macaron fillings in my recipe box but yet oh so good! And who says there's anything wrong with easy? After spending so much time piping these macaron bunnies with macaron batter, easy is welcomed!

Use a good quality chocolate for the ganache. This will usually be labelled as "baking" or "couverture". These chocolates are meant of melting into recipes whereas chocolate chips contain stabilizers which won't work as well for a smooth velvety chocolate ganache texture.
Use a dark chocolate for this recipe, some brands have a distinction between semi-sweet and bitter sweet with the former being more sweet.
Use food-grade lavender buds, you can find it online in the previous link or in the spice or tea aisle at your local gourmet grocery store.
Use ground Earl Grey tea leaves. The ones found in tea bags are ground to a nice fine consistency which will allow more flavor to come through.
Make sure you give yourself plenty of time (preferably, the night before) to macerate the heavy cream with the tea leaves and lavender buds.
Use a sieve to filter out any big pieces once it's done macerating.
I think the ratios in this recipe work perfectly with the lavender earl grey macaron shells. It has just the right amount of both ingredients, which is especially important when working with lavender since too much of it can make your desserts taste like soap. If you plan on making the ganache for use in a plain unflavored macaron shell, I would recommend increasing the amount of lavender and tea leaves in the maceration process.
You can also make this chocolate ganache filling a different flavor by experimenting with other ingredients. See this more detailed post on How to Make Chocolate Filling for Macarons.

A bunch of bunny macarons on a plate surrounded by flowers.

Details of the Big Easter Macaron Cake

If you want to take your Easter macarons to the next level, try baking this big macaron cake and add the Easter bunny macarons on top. I used the basic principles in How to Bake a Big Macaron Cake to bake the big macaron shells. Then I filled it with Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream. For the green "leaf" effect, I piped the cream with a Atecco #352 or Wilton#68 leaf tip. I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you're pressed for time, please take a look at my Gorgeous Last Minute Easter Egg tutorial.

XOXO,
Mimi

Fork splattering edible ink on easter eggs. — Using a fork, brush and a big bowl, you can neatly add speckles to your Easter eggs without all the mess! Just dab a little bit of gel food colour to the brush and run it across the fork back and forth to splatter the food colour neatly on the eggs.

buttercream being piped on big macaron. — The "nest" that holds the Easter egg can be created by piping leaves in a circular pattern with Wilton #68 leaf tip.

Easter egg on buttercream leaves. — Place the egg on top.

piping buttercream leaves under easter egg. — Pipe another layer of leaves around the egg to give it a "nestled" look.

Adding buttercream leaves on the edge of big macaron. — Pipe leaves around the outer perimeter of the macaron.

Three sets of Easter bunnies perched on top of a big macaron filled with Easter eggs.

Easter Bunny Macaron Templates

Since I had a chance to show you how to make Easter egg macarons already, I decided to make this year's Easter macarons into a shape of an Easter Bunny. To pipe them, just print out the two brand new macaron templates I created for you: Sitting Bunny and Bunny Face macaron template. They are available exclusively for my 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.

This is Part 1 of 2 of what I shared with Deborah Moore on AM1470 on March 27, 2018, Part 2 Afternoon Tea at H Tasting Lounge in the Westin Bayshore is here.

Mimi posing with Easter bunny macarons in radio studio. — Photo courtesy of Show Host, Deborah Moore

Recipe

Yield: 8 bunny macarons

Lavender Earl Grey Bunny Macarons

Naturally speckled Lavender and Earl Grey tea infused macarons shaped like the Easter Bunny.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Rest Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 16 minutes

Ingredients

Lavender Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache

½ tsp. Earl Grey Tea Leaves
½ tsp. lavender buds
65 grams heavy cream (only 50 grams is needed after maceration)
50 grams dark baking chocolate (semi-sweet or bitter sweet)
10 grams butter

Lavender Earl Grey Bunny Macaron Shells

1 teaspoon lavender buds
1 teaspoon earl grey tea leaves (Note 1)
65 grams almond flour
55 grams powdered sugar
45 grams castor sugar (Note 2)
50 grams egg whites, aged, room temperature
⅛ teaspoon Cream of tartar (Note 3)
A few drops of purple gel food color

Small Batch 15-Second Royal Icing

40 grams icing sugar
1 teaspoon meringue powder
3 teaspoon water
Small spray bottle filled with water
Gel food color of your choice

Instructions

Lavender Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache

In a small pot bring the heavy cream, lavender buds and Earl Grey tea to a light simmer. Take off heat. Once cooled, place in the fridge to macerate overnight.
The next day, pour the mixture through a strainer. Keep 50 grams of the macerated cream for our current use.
Chop up chocolate into small pieces, place in a bowl with the butter.
Bring the 50 grams of macerated cream to a light simmer.
Pour over chopped chocolate and butter, let it sit for 1 minute.
Stir until incorporated. Let it cool to set before transferring to piping bag.

Lavender Earl Grey Bunny Macaron Shells

Print out the bunny macaron template provided in post.
Set aged egg whites out at room temperature.
Pulse Earl Grey tea leaves, lavender buds, almond flour and powdered sugar together in a food processor.
Sift dry ingredients. Discard big pieces of almond that can't be sifted.
Split up the dry ingredients into two equal parts to make two different colored macaron batters.
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.
Split up the meringue into two equal parts.
Add the purple gel colour to one set of meringue. Leave the other set uncolored for white.
Fold the almond flour and meringue together until the batter becomes a "lava" or honey-like consistency.
Transfer batter into 2 piping bags fitted with a #6 round piping tip.
On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the round head first with the "main" color. Do this part for every bunny first, this will allow time for the different parts to develop a thin skin. Do not attempt to pipe one whole bunny at a time.
Pipe a small dab of batter with the inverse color for the center of the bunny's ears. Do this for every bunny before moving onto next step.
Pipe the bunny's main body with the main color. Do this for every bunny before moving onto next step.
Fill in the rest of the ears with the main color. Do this for every bunny before moving onto next step.
Pipe the bunny's tail with the inverse color.
Wait until the shells become completely dry before baking. This is critical to prevent cracking.
Bake at 325F for 16 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.
Pair two similar sized bunnies, fill them with the Lavender Earl Grey Chocolate Ganache filling. Place in an airtight container in the fridge and wait for it to set before decorating.
Add eyes, nose and wreath with some 15-second royal icing (recipe below). Place in an airtight container in the fridge and wait for it to dry completely before packaging.

Small Batch Royal Icing

Sift icing sugar and meringue powder into a mixing bowl.
Add 1-2 teaspoon of water to the dry mixture and stir with a spatula to get the mixture going. If it's still lumpy, add another 1 teaspoon of water and stir again.
With the spray bottle, slowly spritz water onto the mixture until it reaches the proper consistency of a "15 second" icing. When a knife cuts through the icing, it will take 15 second for the cut to disappear.
If it's still too thick, spritz more water. If it's too runny, add more icing sugar.
Optional: Split up the icing and add gel food color to the mixture and mix gently until fully incorporated.
Place in a piping bag and seal the ends so the icing doesn't dry out.

Notes

1. Earl Grey tea: preferably pre-ground from a tea bag.

2. Castor sugar is also known as extra fine granulated sugar or berry sugar. Granulated sugar can be used by castor sugar is preferable.

3. Cream of tartar can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.

4. The lavender Earl Grey filling was created to pair with a flavoured macaron shell. If making this filling for a non-flavoured shell, increase the amount of lavender and tea to 1-1 ½ teaspoon, respectively.

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1 grams
Amount Per Serving Calories 234Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 12mgSodium 23mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 2gSugar 28gProtein 4g

Gender Reveal Surprise Macarons & Pacifier Macaron Template

Mar 5, 2018 · 7 Comments

UPDATED ON MARCH 5th, 2018, this post was originally published on April 28th, 2017.

Gender Reveal Macarons with a Different Colored Inside

I developed this special technique for making macarons with a different colored inside a few years ago for a special gender reveal party. On the outside, it looks a like a plain blackout macaron but once you crack it open, you get a full and fluffy pink inside!

My Little Secret No More

For the longest time this technique has remained my little secret since I was saving it to recreate for friends and family, hopefully, giving them a very one-of-a-kind gift. After many reader requests, I'm sharing it with you today.

What you'll need besides the usual supplies for making macarons:

Pink or Blue gel food color
Black gel food color
Round tip #10 for pink batter
Round tip #6 for black batter
Macaron Recipe
How to Prevent Hollow Macarons Guide

Here's the short video tutorial I made for you:

Tips on Making Gender Reveal Macarons:

It's very important that the macaron shells are NOT hollow. Otherwise, it won't work. Make sure you read my How to Prevent Hollow Macarons Guide if you're having problems with that issue.
A steady hand is crucial, pipe quickly and decisively.
Wait until the first layer develops a thin skin before you attempt piping another layer.
Tapping the tray after piping the black colour is very important. This will allow the tops to smooth out.
Once you've piped the black color, rest the shells and wait until it develops a thin skin before you bake it. (This is a personal preference for bakers as some do not like or "need" to rest their macarons shells.)
Only black gel colour was used for these macarons. It is possible to achieve a very black batter with gel colour only. If you're still having trouble achieving a dark colored batter, try adding some black food color powder color in conjunction with the gel color.

A Simpler Version

If you'd like to recreate a simpler version of this, you can make regular macarons with my Best Macaron Recipe. Once baked, take two equal sized shells, pipe a ring of white buttercream along the outer edge of one shell, fill in the center with a dallop of pink or blue buttercream, lastly, assemble the two shells together. Once your guests bite into it, they will see the colour of the gender.

I've also created a special pacifier template for you to make pacifier macarons for your next baby shower or gender reveal party. I hope you enjoy it.

Remember to sign up for my Newsletter to get the password to the Subscriber's Only Area of the site where there will be more deluxe templates.

Xoxo,
Mimi

Follow my Best Macaron Recipe on how to make the black and pink macaron shells.

Large pacifier macaron template. Download now:

Medium pacifier macaron template. Exclusively available for Newsletter Subscribers:

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Protected: Free Macaron Template Collection for Newsletter Subscribers

Mar 1, 2018 · 21 Comments

What Causes Hollow Macaron Shells

Feb 24, 2018 · 76 Comments

Dealing with hollow macaron shells? Here are the top reasons why your French macarons are hollow and how to fix them.

The Trouble with Hollow Macarons

Most bakers start to notice the issue of hollow macarons later in their macaron baking journey. When most bakers begin baking this little French treat, most are likely trying to overcome common hurdles like cracked macaron tops and bumpy shells. As a result, most tend to covet smooth non-cracked shells and frilly macaron feet above all else. But as their macarons start looking better - on the outside anyways - they realize there's a hidden issue that lies deep within their macarons - hollow shells.

Do Hollow Macarons Go Away with Maturation?

Severely hollow macarons cannot be fixed with maturation. If most of the body has burst out of the shell and into the feet or sank down to the bottom causing a huge gaping hole, no amount of maturation will really help these types of macarons. Pressing into the back of the shells in order to push the body back up to the top - which some bakers do to deal with hollows - may be a temporary solution. But, ultimately, it's worth fixing hollow macarons since there is something inherently wrong with the baking technique.

A truly non-hollow macaron is not hollow even before filling and maturation as shown in the video above. If it's just a small gap in the macaron shells, these do benefit from filling and maturation, yay! You'll find that they can completely go away after 24 hours of maturation.

**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.

Should I Fix Hollow Macarons?

Having said of all that, it's important to remember that hollow macarons are not a problem for most people who eat your macarons unless they're macaron snobs and to which I say, why are you sharing your precious babies with those people anyways 🙂

All kidding aside, although hollow macarons may taste the same as non-hollow ones, severely hollow macarons are more fragile and lack the distinctly chewy texture of a full and fluffy macaron. Those are two of the reasons why you might want to work on your hollow macarons. But if you're obsessed with non-hollows for the glory, save yourself the frustration. It's important to remember that no matter what they look like, macarons are for eating!

For those who are keen on fixing this problem. Below are some key issues to look out for.

How Do I Fix Hollow Macarons?

Hollow macarons can be fixed by whipping the meringue to the correct stiffness, folding the batter to the ideal consistency during the macaronage stage, rapping the tray after piping, using the correct tools, baking at the optimal temperature and possibly the addition of a "secret" ingredient.

Meringue Stiffness

Over-beating the meringue can cause macaron shells to deflate while baking, resulting in a hollow shell. A good stiff meringue is required for my best recipe, however, over-beating the meringue can have an adverse effect and lead to hollow macarons. This is especially true if your macaron looks almost perfect in every way except for a little gap inside the shell.

If your macarons are looking fabulous in every way already (dainty feet, smooth tops), then this fix is for you. Beat the meringue up to the stiff peaks stage and stop immediately once it has been reached. If you are worried about overwhipping, you can skip the mixer and whip the meringue by hand. Yes! It can be done, check out How to Make Macarons without a Mixer and fancy tools.

Meringue clumped inside a ball whisk with stiff pointy peaks. — Stiff peaks have pointed peaks that do not droop.

How Stiff is Stiff Peak?

Beat the meringue until a small peak points upwards when you pull the whisk out of the meringue. The peak can be small! If you beat until a big clump of egg whites can point upwards, you are probably over-beating. This is worth mentioning as some of you may have been trying to test the peaks with a lot more meringue than is needed.

Another way to scale back on how much you have been beating your meringue is to test the bowl by tipping it upside down. Once the egg whites can cling securely onto the bowl without slipping and you have a SMALL stiff peak, stop beating the meringue.

It's very important to create a stable foundation for your macarons and a lot of it starts with the meringue. The speed at which the meringue is whipped and the temperature of the ingredients also play a role. Take a look at the following post to learn more on how to make meringue for use in macaron baking.

FURTHER READING: HOW TO MAKE PERFECT MERINGUE FOR MACARONS

Folding During Macaronage

The macaron batter should be properly deflated to prevent hollows. If you tend to over-beat the meringue, this will help you counteract that. In the beginning of our macaron baking journey, we were told to be careful with deflating the batter. "It's better to under-fold than over fold,"...etc. But that's where a lot of hollow macaron problems begin - from an under-deflated batter. When you're folding the batter, you don't need to baby it as much as you think. Here is a video on how to fold properly to avoid hollows:

Proper Macaron Batter Consistency

On the flip side, over-folding can also cause hollow macarons and feet that are widely spread apart. When folding during the macaronage stage, constantly test the batter using the Figure-8 test in the video above. The batter should flow steadily without breaking but it should not be too runny either. Aim for a thick honey-like consistency. Here is what to look for in terms of consistency during and after piping:

Rap Tray

Rapping the tray after piping will further eliminate the small gaps in the shells that lead to hollows. Make sure you are tapping it hard enough against a hard surface. In the macaron class I took, the instructor literally dropped the baking trays from waist level down onto the floor. It's quite a violent action and sometimes the shape of the shells do change after rapping. For that, I recommend piping on Silpat mats which are great for retaining the shape of the macaron. Pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.

Silpat Mats

Silpat silicone mats are great for retaining the macaron's shape. There are many cheaper silicone mat alternatives out on the market now but I recommend using the Silpat brand. I trust them to have the highest degree of food safety. Also, they are reliable for conducting enough heat to reach the bottom of the macaron shells which helps with reducing hollows. Disclosure: Affiliate Links

Silpat Mats: 11 ⅝ X 16 ½ is the size I use in all the videos showing one single mat on a pan. SILPATS are is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons. This mat has no preprinted templates on it so it's great for using over my free macaron art templates.

Toaster oven sized Silpat mats: are perfect for counter top ovens. I sometimes place two of these on one tray to bake two different sized macarons shells at once. You can easily take out one mat earlier once it's done, leaving the other mat to bake longer. SILPATS is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons.

Bake Time & Temperature

Meringues and by extension, macarons, love heat! Give it as much oven love as you can and you'll see less hollow macarons in your kitchen. You can do this by using a:

a.) higher temperature OR
b.) lower temperature with a longer bake time

325 F for 12-14 minutes is a great place to start. (I know of a baker who likes to go even higher at 350 F for 10 minutes.) I must admit, this is quite a high temperature. Most readers have found that 325 F or higher can cause their shells to become browned so another temperature/time combo I can recommend is 275 F for 18 minutes. You can play with the time/temperature combinations. For every 25 F, compensate with a 2-3 minutes change in the inverse direction.

Some Recommended Baking Temperature and Times for Perfect Macarons:

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

FURTHER READING: HOW TO USE YOUR HOME OVEN PROPERLY TO BAKE MACARONS

A macaron with hollow gap in the middle. — 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. Every oven is different, so set your own oven accordingly.

Silpats VS. Parchment VS. Teflon

Some bakers complain about hollows when using Silpat mats and have given up on them completely even though Silpats produce much better results in terms of retaining the macaron's shape. Sometimes Silpats don't perform as well for fully fluffy shells because of the related issue discussed in the last section: heat. The mats are thicker than parchment paper and don't conduct heat nearly as well.

There are a few adjustments that can be made to compensate for this:

Use better heat conducting baking pans.
Put it closer to the heat source if your oven's heating coils are on the bottom.
Try Teflon paper which better conducts heat.
Keep a pizza stone underneath the baking tray.

Heavy-duty baking pans: This is the cookie sheet I use. It's constructed of aluminized steel, the material of choice for commercial bakeries. It is also heavy duty so it won't buckle while baking . It is also rimless allowing even air flow to the macarons.

Teflon baking sheets: These are great for conducting heat and provides macaron shells the heat that some ovens lack. A great compromise between parchment paper and silicone.

Pizza Stone: A pizza stone in the oven can help stabilize oven temperature for temperamental ovens and provide heat from the bottom.

Convection VS. Non Convection for Macaron Baking

You don't have to get too hung up over whether or not to use the convection setting to bake macarons. I've had both types of ovens and they have both performed equally well for baking macarons. If your batter is at the right consistency, you can bake non-hollow macarons in both a convection or non-convection oven granted that you have found an optimal temperature and bake time. Consistent high temperature is key using the tools provided above. Keep an external oven thermometer to keep track of the temperature in the oven. Keep oven doors closed as much as possible and do a longer pre-heat if needed to reach that consistent temperature. Sometimes it takes a little longer to pre-heat to a consistent heat level.

Magic Ingredient for Non-Hollows?

Although, technically, you should be able to overcome hollow macarons with the right techniques as mentioned above, there is one special ingredient you can consider. There's a lot of buzz around adding egg white powder to the dry ingredients to help combat hollows. I haven't tried it yet but it's something that some bakers have discovered worked for them. If all the above fixes don't work for you, you might want to give it a try.

Please note, egg white powder is NOT the same as meringue powder. Meringue powder contains a mixture of sugar, acids and flavorings while egg white power is just purely egg albumen.

My Secret for Testing Macaron Doneness

If you lower the oven temperature as per above, it's important that you bake for a longer amount of time, otherwise, the meringue will collapse after it cools. How to test the macaron for doneness? I'll cover it in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!

I hope you found this post useful and let me know below if you have any further questions.

XOXO,
Mimi

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Macaron Candle Making Class at Soigne Atelier in East Vancouver

Feb 20, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Girl's Day Out

My Vancouver BFF arranged for us to do something fun together yesterday with just the two of us, which I really appreciated since life for her as a new mom is always hectic. For those of us who don't have children, it means so much to be remembered by our friends who are parents as still an important part of their lives, even though meeting up sometimes can be a challenge (and rightly so).

Macaron Candle Making Class at Soigne Atelier

We spent a few hours in the afternoon taking a private macaron candle making lesson in Soigne Atelier in the heart of East Vancouver. It was a lot of fun and I could hardly believe the results we were able to achieve in such a short amount of time (2 hours). BFF, who doesn't usually make crafts felt so proud of her work, proclaimed that we were probably "the best students ever". Once I saw the results, even I started to feel like we were macaron candle making rock stars 😛

To Burn or Display?

Although these macaron candles can be burnt (they last 1 hour), they are going straight onto my mantle with my permanent macaron tower displays. One thing that makes them stand out from my other display macarons is that they smell delicious in my chosen fragrances of Vanilla, Chocolate and Chamomile & Bergamot.

Take a look at the whole process below. Until our next outing.

XOXO,

Mimi