Christmas Cake (Cheat)

There is obviously not enough time to make a traditional fruit cake now. Dousing the cake in alcohol alone will take me at least a week! A non-alcoholic rendition might work for some but its flavor is not as rich and deep as the alcohol-soaked, aged traditional fruit cake. *sighs*

With less than 2 days away from Christmas Eve, I've decided to "play cheat" and took a shortcut by making us a banana cake! Banana is a fruit so technically it is still a "fruit" cake! Anyway, in our current kaleidoscopic world of pastries, not that many people likes fruit cakes any more, right? *self-deluding* >.<

What you'll need:

Banana Cake (any shape you like)
Frosting
Fruits or Figurines for decoration
Snow Powder
Pinch of Cocoa Powder

1. Prepare Banana cake and let cool completely. You are welcome to use your favourite Banana cake recipe instead of mine.

2. With a little creativity, frost and decorate in any way you like!

You can also bake them in the form of cupcakes and share the <3 with a few friends like I did! Christmas is all about the giving spirit anyway!

You are welcome to use other things as decorations but personally, I think Banana cake with Strawberries and Cream can never go wrong!

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Eggnog Créme Brûlee Tart

Christmas is around the corner again! Woohooo~ It's the time to mess up the kitchen and create a whole load of sweets for family and friends! Bûche de Noël, fruit cakes, stollen, mincemeat pies, Christmas puddings and of course, Christmas cookies!!

But this time, I've decided to try my hands on something less than common -- Eggnog Créme Brûlee Tart! I shamelessly admit that I got the idea from Napa Rose Restaurant located in Disneyland USA's but it is eggnog in créme brûlee style baked in a sweet crust! Who can resist that thought?!

After much contemplation, I went with Alton Brown's Eggnog, using Gordon Ramsay's Sweet Crust and putting it together using a recipe from Chow.com. I think the last step should be redundant since the ingredients, proportion and preparation for eggnog is (almost) the same as custard itself. But just to be safe, I've decided to follow the recipe anyway.

Eggnog Crème Brûlée Tart

A batch of sweet pastry crust

 170g     Eggnog
 179g     Heavy Cream
 122g     Whole milk
    5        Large egg yolks
   67g     Sugar + extra to brûlee

Optional

1/8 tsp   Ground Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 150ºC


1. Using a whisk attachment, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until color is pale and volume has doubled. Meanwhile, combine the eggnog, cream, milk, and nutmeg in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

2. Remove saucepan from heat and gradually temper the eggnog mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly. I.e. add the hot eggnog in a slow, steady stream while whisking to prevent from cooking the egg yolks. Adding too fast will result in curdled eggs.

3. Slowly pour the custard mixture into the tart shells (or ramekins), try to fill as much as you can. Bake for 25-35mins on the middle rack till the custard is set but the center is slightly jiggly when rotated. If using ramekins, bake in a water bath for about the same time till the custard is set but center is jiggly.

4. Remove from oven and let cool the tarts (and/or ramekins) completely before refrigerating for 2-4 hours. 

5. When ready to serve, sprinkle an even layer of approximately 2 tsps of sugar over the tarts' top (may use brown sugar, but they're not as pretty). Using a kitchen blowtorch, carefully caramelize the sugar till golden brown, avoid charring the sugar. Serve immediately. 

With a few handmade Christmas motifs toppers, they kind of look like cupcakes, don't they?! My "supposedly" snowman looks utterly horrendous, I can't draw anything with eyes and nose (or mouth in this instance). I'm sorry if I gave any kids nightmare. Hahaha..

This is a great Christmas party food idea especially if you are also serving up eggnog, it'll save you a little time. Even if you don't have time to make the sweet crust pastry, you can simply bake them in a ramekin. Whipping some of the leftover whites as a meringue topping and going over it with a blowtorch will work beautifully too!

Guests who don't dare to try the eggnog drink have a chance to taste how eggnog is, although I would say they are still not quite similar but... I guess that's about the closest you can get! Hahaha.. Together with some Christmas cookies, few slices of fruit cakes, perhaps a cheese and prosciutto platter, they make a wonderful pre-dinner snack while the guests mingle and chat. Some might frown at the idea of having sweets before dinner, not for me! It'll actually make me look forward to having the Bûche de Noël (if any) at the end of the meal!

OK, maybe it's just me 'cause I'm too much of a glutton! Hahaha.. Merry Christmas (preparation) everyone!! 

**I have created this bake to submit to "Aspiring Bakers #26 – Creative Christmas Motif Bakes! hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies" which Alan has warmly invited me to**

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. 

Egg Nog

Being as adventurous in food as I am, I haven't had the chance to taste eggnog until Christmas dinner, 2 years ago at one of our iconic hotels, yet it wasn't an exceptionally pleasant one. When I put the glass to my lips, even before tasting, the server warned me that "this contains raw eggs". Err... Thanks? I didn't know that so I hesitated a little. Hahaha.. I remembered they were very generous with their alcohol; I thought eggnog is a sweet concoction so I didn't expect the alcohol to assault my nostrils the way wasabi does, as it vaporizes. My first impression of eggnog is a super sweet and creamy drink, heavily spiced with a "healthy" boost of alcohol. I was guessing perhaps it was so to mask the egginess of raw eggs, but it was not something I would like to try again and I left with a bad taste in my mouth, literally.

Not until a few days ago, that is. LOL! I was brainstorming for Christmas bakes ideas good enough for " Aspiring Bakers #26 – Creative Christmas Motif Bakes! hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies" which Alan warmly invited me to join and of course, eggnog was on the list. Meh... I should give it another chance. Using Alton Brown's recipe, I realized it's not such a bad drink afterall! I made some slight modifications the following time, just so it suits our preference and it's even better!

Since it was a test batch, I halved the recipe. Oh, if you don't have bourbon, these alcohol might do the trick too. Give it a try, experiment! =)

Egg Nog (makes 4 small servings)

(modified from Alton Brown's recipe)

Mixture A
      2       Eggs
      2       Egg yolks
    50g     Sugar

Mixture B
  488g     Milk
  238g     Heavy Cream
    20g     Honey
      1g     Ground Nutmeg

Optional
    60g     Bourbon
      2       Egg Whites + 5g  Sugar

1. Using a whisk attachment, whisk (A) at maximum speed till colour lightens and is light and fluffy.

2. In a saucepan, over high heat, bring mixture (B) just to a boil while stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from heat and gradually temper the hot (B) into (A). I.e. continue whisking (A) while adding (B) in a slow steady stream. Add too fast and there will be curdled eggs. XD

4. Return everything to pot and cook until mixture reaches 70º C. Remove from heat, stir in the bourbon (if using) and chill in refrigerator.

5. (If using), whisk egg whites till stiff peaks before whisking into the chilled mixture. Serve immediately.

Some people still can't quite get pass the idea of eating raw eggs, so I think it's best to leave the option open, whether to add the egg whites or not. A great party idea would be to chill them in little jars like above and let your guests decide if they want the egg white. Or alternatively, use some whipped cream in its place or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream! That will really kick it up a notch! Or if feeling more adventurous, add a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon before serving, they go really well with the floral after taste of the honey!

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.