Portuguese Egg Tarts

Ingrediemts 60 g dairy cream, 35% fat 60 g sugar 2 egg yolks, 30 g 1 tbsp cornflour 260 g full-fat fresh milk ½ tsp vanilla extract 9 frozen puff pastry shells, each measuring 7 x 3 cm (top D x H) Directions To make custard filling, whisk cream, sugar, yolks, milk and cornflour till smooth. Stir over medium-low heat till thick enough to coat pot thinly (or metal spoon if using non-stick pot). Place pot in water-bath. Add vanilla extract. Stir till mixture is half-cool. Leave to cool completely Preheat oven to 250°C. Line baking tray with aluminium foil, shiny side up. When oven is ready, remove pastry shells from freezer. Place slightly apart on baking tray. Fill shells with custard to 5 mm from edge. Bake till crust is brown, and custard is burnt and just stops bubbling. This takes about 30-35 minutes. You should check every  10 minutes and rotate tray as necessary so that all tarts brown evenly. Remove tarts from oven to wire rack. Leave till cool. Serve within a few hours whilst pastry is crisp. Leftovers should be unmoulded before pastry softens, then refrigerated uncovered (make sure there isn’t any funky odour in your fridge). Reheat tarts on foil lined baking tray at 200°C. Pastry would turn soggy after 5 minutes, then crisp up nicely after another 5 minutes or so. Custard would be creamy and smooth but a bit sunken.

Ogura Cake

Ingredients  150 g egg whites ¼ tsp cream of tartar 75 g castor sugar 75 g egg yolks 45 g egg whites 40 g hot-pressed coconut oil 70 g canned/boxed pineapple juice 55 g cake flour ¼ tsp salt Directions Measure ingredients as detailed above. Preheat oven to 170°C. Cut parchment paper for lining 18 x 18 x 5 cm pan, leaving overhang of 2 cm. Put kettle on. Whisk 150 g egg whites till frothy. Add cream of tartar. Whisk till thick. Gradually add 75 g castor sugar whilst continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till firm peak stage. Separately whisk yolks, 45 g egg whites and coconut oil till frothy and slightly thick. Add pineapple juice. Whisk thoroughly. Sift cake flour into mixture. Add salt. Whisk till just evenly mixed.  Add whisked egg whites in 3 batches, setting aside 1 tbsp or so. Whisk till almost evenly mixed after each addition. Scrape down thoroughly. Fold till just evenly mixed. Smear sides of cake pan with remaining whisked egg white. Place parchment paper in pan, making sure paper sticks to pan and is crease-free.  Pour batter into cake pan, slowly so that big air bubbles burst as they flow out of bowl. Tap pan against worktop 3-4 times to level batter. Bring kettle to a boil again. Place baking tray in bottom of oven. Fill tray with freshly boiled water, to about 1 cm deep. Place cake in middle of oven. Bake till cake is risen and brown, about 40 minutes, rotating as necessary so that top browns evenly. Reduce temperature to 130°C. Bake till cake springs back slightly when pressed lightly, 15-20 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Wait 10 minutes. Unmould. Remove paper from sides of cake. Leave cake on wire rack till completely cool. Remove paper from bottom of cake. Cut and serve.

Butter Cake

Ingredients 

180 g salted butter, softened and cut into small pieces  30 g caster sugar 45 g egg yolks  ¾ tsp vanilla extract 150 g self-raising flour, sifted 45 ml full-fat fresh milk 105 g egg whites 70 g caster sugar Directions Preheat oven to 160°C. Line bottom and sides of 15 x 15 x 5 cm cake pan with parchment paper.  Cream butter and 30 g sugar till pale and fluffy, scraping sides and bottom of mixing bowl as necessary. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, plus vanilla extract with the last yolk. Beat thoroughly  after each addition till whisk leaves distinct trail. Scrape down thoroughly. Re-sift 1/4 of sifted flour into butter mixture. Fold with spatula till just even. Re-sift another 1/4 into mixture. Again, fold till just even, scraping down as necessary to ensure even mixing. Add milk in 2 batches, folding till just fully absorbed after each addition. Re-sift and fold remaining half of flour into mixture in 2 batches as before. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg whites till thick. Continue whisking whilst gradually  adding 70 g sugar, till egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into flour mixture in 3 batches, scraping down as necessary to ensure even mixing. Bang mixing bowl against worktop 2-3 times to remove big air bubbles. Scrape batter into cake pan. Spread evenly and smooth top. Bang cake pan against worktop 2-3 times to remove gaps between batter and pan. Bake cake in bottom of oven till batter doesn’t jiggle when shaken, about 35 minutes. Increase temperature to 180°C. Continue baking till inserted skewer comes out clean and cake is evenly golden brown, another 10 minutes or so. Remove cake from oven. Leave on wire rack to cool down. Cake may be unmoulded once dome has subsided and top has flattened. Leftovers may be refrigerated, tightly wrapped. Reheat in oven, wrapped in foil, till warmed through and fluffy soft.