A Mousse Cake

It was Papa's birthday... :)  Thinking about something new to try, I came across this site   http://www.sugarhero.com/chocolate-raspberry-mousse-cake/  ...It looked awesome... A mousse cake.. :P
I have eaten this dessert several times and have always wanted to give it a go. The addition of gelatine did not appeal to me... and searching for an agar version was not fruitful either. The only information I got was to add 1 Tsp of agar powder or a tablespoon of flakes for every cup of liquid/cream.. I had no agar powder nor the flakes. . Just the strands. Having no alternative I decided to experiment. Somehow I managed to get a cake which was firm enough to slice when chilled but soft when brought to room temperature.... Thus a long post on my first experience with agar. Next time I would try with more quantity of agar.. to try if it would remain firm at room temperature.













       The layers ... brownie, chocolate mousse, cream cheese, ganache...

                       
It all starts with a fudgy layer of brownie ...recipe here
I made it in a 7 inch pan this time.

 Give a wrap of baking paper around the brownie..securing it with tape. Put the cake ring on.                                                                              


                                                                                                                 
The Mousse layers...

Chocolate layer:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2-3 teaspoons of granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120g dark chocolate (mine is Galaxy)
80g milk chocolate
agar 2 teaspoons powder/ the strands as shown in the picture

It has to be soaked in a cup of water for 15-20mins








Beat the cream till soft peaks form..add the vanilla and sugar and whip until dissolved.

Melt the chocolate . Bring the agar to a slow boil ...for about 10-15 mins till dissolved, stirring frequently. Take off the flame and bring down the temperature a little by stirring to avoid setting. Add the hot agar mix to the melted chocolate spoonful at a time..  if the chocolate seizes(mine did) continue adding the hot agar mix little by little and stir till the chocolate is free of lumps. (I read that to prevent the chocolate from seizing you can add a teaspoon of water to it before melting) 

Stir your mix constantly as you bring down the temperature because you don't want to set your agar before adding the cream. Add the cream in 3 additions folding in carefully to avoid loosing the fluffiness.

Your mix should look like this. Pour it over the brownie. Smoothen the top. Refrigerate till it sets. 

Note:You need to work very quickly with agar or it will set before you pour over the brownie. 

The cream cheese layer:                                                                                                                     200g philadelphia cream cheese                                                                                                    

4 table spoons honey+ a tablespoon of sugar                                                                                 

1 cup of heavy whipping cream.                                                                                                    

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar                                                                                                  

A teaspoon of vanilla extract or Bailey's Irish cream                                                                    

     2 teaspoons of agar powder/agar strands as shown in the earlier picture(soak it in a cup of water for 15-20mins)

Beat the cream till soft peaks form..add the vanilla/ Irish Cream and sugar and whip until dissolved. 

Bring the cheese to room temperature and add the honey. Mix well. 

Bring the agar to a slow boil ...for about 10-15 mins till dissolved, stirring frequently. Take off the flame and bring down the temperature by stirring to avoid setting. Add the warm agar to the cheese mix a spoonful at a time stirring to avoid setting the agar. Fold in the cream in 3 additions.

Pour over the chocolate mix and smoothen the top.Refrigerate till it sets.. ( I left for 2 hours)

The moment of truth!! Unmold from the ring. It has set !!!... :) :) 

(the chocolate layer has set well.. the cream cheese layer need more agar I think)

Pour over the ganache ...recipe here

Refrigerate till you use it. ....:)

Weight of common ingredients in gram

Ingredient	Weight - (ounces)	Weight - (grams)
1 cup of whole wheat flour (sifted, then measured)	4.5 oz	125 g
1 cup of All Purpose flour (spooned into the cup)	4.25 oz	121 g
1 cup of AP flour (sifted, then measured)	4 oz	114 g
1 cup of cornstarch (lightly spooned or sifted)	4.2 oz	120 g
1 large egg (in the shell)	2 oz	56.7 g
1 large egg (without shell)	1.75 oz	50 g
1 large egg yolk	.65 oz	18.6 g
1 large egg white	1.05 oz	30 g
1 cup of butter	8 oz	227 g
1 cup of clarified butter or ghee	6.8 oz	195 g
1 cup of vegetable shortening	6.75 oz	191 g
1 cup of vegetable oil	7.7 oz	218 g
1 cup water	8.3 oz	236 g
1 cup of heavy cream	8.2 oz	232 g
1 cup of sour cream	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup of full-fat yogurt	8.6 oz	243 g
1 cup of buttermilk	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup of whole milk	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup half and half	8.5 oz	242 g
1 cup mascarpone	8.8 oz	250 g
1 cup of granulated sugar	7 oz	200 g
1 cup of dark brown sugar (packed)	8.4 oz	239 g
1 cup of light brown sugar (packed)	7.7 oz	217 g
1 cup of powdered sugar (dip and sweep)	4 oz	125 g
1 cup of honey	11.75 oz	336 g
1 cup of molasses	11.25 oz	322 g
1 cup of corn syrup	11.5 oz	328 g
Cocoa – nonalkalized or natural (dip and sweep)	3.33 oz	95 g
Cocoa – nonalkalized or natural (spooned into the cup)	2.9 oz	82 g
1 cup almonds – whole	6.7 oz	191 g
1 cup almonds – slivered	4.2 oz	120 g
1 cup almonds – sliced/coarsely chopped	2.6 oz	75 g
1 cup almonds – finely ground	3.7 oz	107 g
1 cup almonds – powder fine	3 oz	89 g
1 cup pistachios – whole	5.32 oz	152 g

Leaveners and other ingredients
1 tsp baking powder		4.9 g
1 tsp baking soda		5 g
1 tsp yeast, instant		3.2 g
1 tsp yeast, active dry		3.1 g
1 tsp salt		6.7 g
1 tsp gelatin, powdered		3.1 g
1 tsp vanilla extract		4 g
1 tsp cream of tartar		3.1 g
1 cup raisins	5 oz	144 g

It might be helpful to refer How to measure in Baking 

volume conversions, weight to volume conversions,

Chicken Pizza

How would you like to make your pizza from scratch??? The exact method for creating a pizza is simple, though it does vary a little by recipe.You can begin by making the dough. The basic ingredients for dough are water, flour, salt, and yeast. Variations include olive oil, sugar, and spices. The sauce comes next. Most pizzas have a tomato sauce with ingredients like basil, olive oil, and garlic, but there are tons of alternatives and additional flavors one could add. After that there are the cheese and toppings. Almost any type of cheese can be used, but I used mozzarella and cheddar. You can put the toppings on over the cheese so that they can be shown off...:) or put the toppings underneath the cheese so that the toppings can become extra bubbly. The beauty of it is that there is no right way to do it – making your own homemade pizza ensures that the best possible recipe is created for everyone's enjoyment! 

My recipe here is adapted and adjusted according to my taste... :)...but....as I have seen that it is enjoyed by others too...I have decided to put it up...for anyone who might like to have a go at making their own pizza including the dough... Good luck !! :)

                        Chicken Pizza with Tomatoes, Capsicum and Onions

For the dough:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• approx. 1 cup very warm water
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Combine water, sugar, and butter/oil in a bowl.

Mix wheat flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Gradually add the warm liquid mixture, beating with your hand or an electric mixer at low speed for one minute.

Add egg, and beat an additional 2 minutes at medium speed. Gradually add all- purpose flour to make a soft dough. Add more water or flour if necessary. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes). 

Turn the dough inside out and with the seam side down, put the dough in a large bowl coated with oil. Coat the dough also with a little oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap.Keep it in a warm place undisturbed and free from drafts.

Let the dough rise and double in size.(maybe 1 hour or more depending on the weather) After it has doubled, punch down and divide into 3 equal balls and let it rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Then place one of the balls on a buttered pan and flatten it with your palm. Now, slightly stretch it to all sides with your palm, retaining the circular shape...to about 10 inch diameter. Do this slowly allowing the dough to rest for five minutes in between. Your pizza base is ready. Add the sauce and toppings.

Toppings (for 3 pizzas):

• 1 cup pizza sauce 
• 3 chicken breasts (or an equivalent amount), cooked and diced
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 green peppers/capsicum chopped
• 2 tomatoes diced
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic grated
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilly powder
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded

To brush on:

• olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

(The chicken used can be of any flavour and the taste of your topping depends on it. I would suggest garlic chicken or chicken tikkas.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degree F.

Mix the vegetables with the grated garlic, chilly powder, olive oil and some salt. 

Prick the base all over with a fork.Crush the garlic and add it to some warm olive oil.Allow it to infuse for some time. Then brush the base liberally with this and pour 1/3 of the sauce onto it.

Arrange the vegetables and chicken.

Drizzle with more oil.

Bake the pizza for about 10 minutes and then take it out and add the cheese. Brush all over with eggwash (egg beaten with little milk and a pinch of salt)

Bake again for another 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown in colour and the cheese has melted and browned. The bottom of the crust will be light brown.

Serve immediately.