Just Some Macaron Moral Support

Cindy's Toasted Coconut Macarons

My friend Cindy made her very first batch of French Macarons today and invited me over to guide and offer moral support.

As it turned out, she really didn't need my help and I got to relax and sip coffee as she successfully whipped up a top-notch batch of Toasted Coconut Macarons.

The macarons really did turn out great. They were uniform in size, had matte tops, even feet and tasted great!

Cindy really impressed me. Look at those even-sized rounds!

Lime green polka dot cupcake liners and self-sealing cellophane bags make for a nice presentation. Super cute!

Working with Cindy reminded me that macarons are indeed intimidating little buggers but once you decide to go for it and have success, it's deeply satisfying. Sometimes you just need a little moral support.

I knew Cindy could do it and you can too. Don't be scared, here's the recipe:

Toasted Coconut Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.

While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable. 

Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.

Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with toasted coconut buttercream.



Toasted Coconut Buttercream
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

Toast the coconut in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, coconut extract and salt and whip on high speed until fluffy. Add the toasted coconut and whip again.

Transfer to a pastry bag for filling the macarons.

Whip It!

When you make a Swiss Meringue Buttercream for the first time, the look of it after you add the butter might scare you. It will look curdled and not smooth and creamy.

Just keep whipping it and it will become light and beautiful. This might take some time, but don't be afraid and don't give up.

Just whip it and whip it good.

Before

After

Swiss Meringue Buttercream on a birthday cake.

Here's the recipe:

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
6 large egg whites
1 1/4  cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt
1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water.

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt and coffee and whip on high speed until fluffy.

Red Velvet Sheet Cake With Peppermint Buttercream

Chocolate and peppermint go so well together.

Peppermint chocolate chip ice cream is one of my favorite flavor combinations and recently I had a slice of chocolate peppermint cake from Baker & Spice Bakery (6330 Southwest Capitol Highway  Portland, OR 97239) that was ooh soo good. The cake was rich and chocolatey but the light peppermint buttercream also made it refreshing.

So with the Baker & Spice cake as my inspiration, I decided to make this Red Velvet sheet cake with a light pink peppermint buttercream icing for my God daughter GraceLin's 4th birthday celebration.

Traditionally Red Velvet cake is topped with cream cheese frosting but the peppermint works well too since a Red Velvet cake is just chocolate cake with red food coloring added.

And, what little girl wouldn't like a bright red cake topped with pink icing? — Especially a cake decorated with buttercream roses. The roses are easy to pipe - I promise. You just fit your pastry bag with a large star tip, start in the center and go around a few times.

These roses are so easy to make. A few candied pearls and green leaves complete the look.

Red Velvet Sheet Cake With Peppermint Buttercream

Cake:
(makes two 9x13 cakes)

3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 ounces red food coloring

Grease and flour two 9 x 13 cake pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Be sure to grease and flour your cake pans so that the cakes don't stick.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whip together the butter and sugar until light, add the eggs, sour cream and buttermilk and mix well. Add the vanilla and food coloring and mix again.

Add the flour mixture and mix just until well combined. Divide the batter among the cake pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool the cakes completely before icing.

Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack. Be sure the cakes are completely cool before icing.

Peppermint Buttercream

6 large egg whites
1 1/4  cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
pink food coloring (optional)

Place the whites in a clean mixing bowl. Whisk in sugar and cream of tartar.

Place bowl over a double boiler on medium heat, stir frequently until the mixture is very hot (120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Move to mixer and whip whites on high for 2 to 3 minutes; turn down to medium low until cool (use the bowl as your guide).

In a separate bowl with a wooden spoon, stir butter to soften.

With mixer on medium/high speed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time, adding the next tablespoon just as the previous one is blended in. Once all the butter incorporated, add in vanilla, salt and peppermint and whip on high speed until fluffy. Color as desired and whip again.