Amaretti - Baking with Tray ep. 6

Hello again!

Can't believe we are up to episode 6 already :D wow! After the last episode's semi fail bake, I needed to bake something a little more simple to get my confidence back up! I have actually never eaten amaretti before but a friend baked some and it looked so good so I thought I'd give it a go!

Amaretti are a sweet almondy Italian cookie that have a crispy outside and a soft and chewy inside. They are actually supposed to be slightly bitter (from bitter almonds) but this is a sweeter recipe. Best to be eating with coffee or tea. They only contain 4 ingredients so hope you give it a go too!

Amaretti
Recipe from Breadaheadbakery

Ingredients
1 egg white (30g)
94g caster sugar
150g almond meal
pure icing sugar, for coating

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pre-heat oven to 190oC (mine was fan-forced)
2. Whisk the egg white in a clean bowl (can you a manual whisk or electric beater) until soft peaks.
3. Add caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy (~1 minute)
4. Using a spatula, mix in almond meal until it turns into a dough. 
5. Roll teaspoonsful of dough into balls (or you can make larger ones if you want). Coat balls generously in icing sugar and place on baking tray. (Don't be tempted to dust off extra icing sugar).
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and the tops have cracked open.

Loved the taste of my first amaretti and also was easy to bake :) You could do so many different flavours! Maybe next time I'll try matcha!!

Happy Baking :) till the next episode....

If Jonah Can Bake THUMBPRINT COOKIES, So Can You! (Episode 2)

Hi everyone!

My husband, Jonah, asked me the other day, "How did I become a regular baker on your instagram?" hahaha! Quite funny! Not sure how it happened because he was supposed to be a special guest and now he's a regular! But I think it's pretty cool. I get to teach him what I love to do and also get to see his progress!

This week he levelled up! Not only did he make the dough beforehand (so that with TV magic he could say "Here's one I prepared earlier.") but he also did some cookie decorating! He made these Thumbprint cookies (aka Raspberry Shortbread Cookies on a previous blog post) and filled them with different fillings. The cookie dough needs to be rested for at least 1 hour so make sure you plan ahead. 

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients
113g butter, room temperature
67g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
140g (1 cup) plain flour
Glaze
60g (1/2) cup soft icing sugar
1-2 tbs milk

1. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined.
2. Add vanilla and mix. 
3. Add half of the flour and either mix on low speed or use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the rest of the flour and mix until combined. If still dry, you can use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 180oC and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 
5. Shape teaspoonsful of dough into balls (If the dough is too hard, you can work it with your hands. The warmth of your hands should soften the dough). Place 1 inch apart onto baking tray. Using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indent in the centre of each cookie. Fill with jam or any other spreads (e.g. nutella, biscoff). 
6. Bake for 14 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Allow to cool.
7. Make glaze by mixing icing sugar and milk and drizzle over cooled cookies.

You can be creative with the fillings (maybe not vegemite haha) and the shapes :)

Happy Baking!! Till the next episode....

If Jonah Can Bake ANZAC BISCUITS, So Can You! (Episode 1)

Hello all!

If you have been following my live baking sessions on instagram (@bakingtraybakes) and the previous blog posts, you will know that 2 weeks ago my husband Jonah, was a special guest on a new series I was working on (Previously called: Blind Baking with Tray). After seeing the response, I decided to keep him as a regular and change the name of the series to: IF JONAH CAN BAKE, SO CAN YOU!

My husband isn't a baker... If you saw his interview with EJ (who asked, "Do you bake lots?" ^^) the answer was: this is probably my 3rd time! haha (the 2nd time was probably 2 weeks ago when he baked the chocolate cake!). So the premise of these live bakes is that if Jonah is able to bake these recipes, someone who is a beginner baker, then you can too!

ANZAC day was last weekend so we were a bit late to the baking of the biscuits! But better late than never right? :) 

ANZAC BISCUITS
Recipe from Adelaide Bakes

Ingredients
125g unsalted butter
40g (2 tbs) golden syrup (I used honey)
1 tsp vanilla
160g (1 cup) plain flour
100g (1 cup) rolled oats
100g (1 cup) shredded coconut
50g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
110g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raw macadamias, roughly chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
60g boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 160oC (mine was fan-forced) and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place flour, oats, coconut, sugars, salt and macadamias (if using) into a large bowl and mix together.
3. Combine butter, vanilla and golden syrup in a small saucepan and heat on low-medium heat until butter is completely melted.
4. In a separate small bowl combine the boiling water and bicarb soda. As soon as the butter has melted, remove from heat and add the bicarb soda/water solution. Whisk gently, being careful as the mixture will froth up.
5. Pour the wet mix into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix together until combined. Place in fridge for 10-15 min in the fridge to firm up the mixture for easy rolling.
6. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking tray allowing room to spread. Bake for 16-18 minutes or until evenly spread and golden. Leave the cookies on the tray for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookes will be soft when they first come out of the oven and crisp up as they cool.

These biscuits were nice and soft, yet chewy with crispy edges! Pretty much everything you want with a biscuit! Enjoy making them :)

Happy Baking! Till the next episode...

Basque Burnt Cheesecake - Baking with Tray ep. 4

Hi all! I've been wanting to make this cheesecake for a while now after seeing so many friends and bloggers make it. It seemed so easy!

It's supposed to be the easiest cheesecake you can make, one that breaks all the rules because there's no biscuit base and you are trying to burn the top!! Funny because when I made it, my top wasn't fully burnt U_U But that's because every oven is different! I'm still learning about my oven with every bake! Now I know where my "hot spots" are in my oven. Will definitely try and bake this again with this new knowledge =)

BUT! A few friends made it with me and it worked out perfectly in their oven :) So I hope you give it a go as well!

Basque Burnt Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from No recipes

Ingredients
250g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
236ml thickened cream
15g cake flour (can use plain flour)

1. Preheat oven to 230oC and line 15cm round cake tin with baking paper. (Double the recipe if using a 20cm round cake tin).
2. Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer/stand mixer until soft and creamy (~2 min).
3. Add in caster sugar and beat until combined (~1 min).
4. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add in vanilla, salt and cream and beat until combined.
6. Add flour and beat well until all combined.
7. Pour mix into cake tin and gently tap to allow air bubbles to come to the surface. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes (really depends on your oven. Mine took 30 minutes). You will know when its ready when the top is a nicely burnt/dark brown, yet still jiggly in the centre. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Place in fridge for minimum 4 hours then remove from tin, slice and eat!

The texture was amazing!! Super light and creamy! The burnt portion added a nice flavour as well. One of my new favourite cheesecakes!!

Happy Baking!! Till the next episode...