Fondants aux Pommes

Its time again for Sugar High Fridays, and this time, SHF #36 is hosted by Spittoon Extra with a theme of Drunken Apples. As you may surmise then, in order to participate, one needs to find a recipe that pairs apples with alcohol.

When I first read the theme, my mind instinctively thought to make something French since I often come across French recipes that combine apples with Calvados, an apple brandy from Lower Normandy. So I reached into my bookshelf for my copy of Paris Sweets and started searching for a recipe. It wasn't long before I found the recipe for Soft Apple Cakes, or Fondants aux Pommes - doesn't it sound so much more poetic in French? The alcohol used for this recipe, however, is rum not Calvados as it is the raisins, which also go into the apple cakes, that are soaked in the alcohol.

As Dorie Greenspan promises in her introduction to these treats, which originate from the famed Boulangerie Kayser, the cake in this recipe is incredibly soft and creamy. Not at all like the texture of a muffin even though this is the type of tray in which they are baked in. Combined with the sweetness of the apples and the slight kick from the rum, it makes for an irresistible snack. Bet you can't stop at just one!

PS: Special credit goes to M for helping me with flambe-ing the raisins. Something I didn't dare do on my own!


Fondants aux Pommes

From Paris Sweets

60g moist, plump raisins
30g dark rum
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 to 4 large apples, peeled and cored
105g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp double-acting baking powder
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
100g sugar
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Soak the raisins in hot water for about 4 minutes, until they are puffed. Drain, drop them into a small saucepan, and, stirring constantly, warm them over low heat until they are very hot. Remove the pan from the heat, pour the rum over the raisins, and, standing back, ignite the rum with a match. Swirl the pan until the flame goes out.

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 325F. Line 20 muffin molds with cupcake liners.

Put the lemon juice in a large bowl. Cut each apple in half from top to bottom, cut each half into 1/4 inch slices, and then cut the slices crosswise in half. Toss the slices in the bowl with the lemon juice.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Put the eggs and sugar in a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until the eggs are pale and voluminous, about 4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Switch to a large rubber spatula and stir a couple of spoonfuls of the batter into the melted butter. Working gently, fold the flour into the remaining batter, followed by the melted butter, apples and raisins.

Spoon the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling each mold just about to the top, and slip the tins into the oven. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, rotating the tins top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking; the cakes are done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the tins to a rack and wait for 5 minutes before gently lifting the cakes, in their papers, from them. Allow the cakes to cool to tepid or room temperature before serving.

Makes 20 little cakes

A startling confession

Prior to today, I have ever eaten a fresh fig. There I've said it. While I've certainly eaten the dried version - in the form of mo far kor, a Chinese snack that is essentially strips of dried fig coated with sugar - I've never touched a fresh one before. The reason for my going out to the supermarket today then and buying two packs of fresh figs is none other than Sugar High Friday #35, hosted by Ivonne, the theme of which is the beautiful fig.

Having never had a fig before, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to make with them. Thankfully the 3 or 4 cookbooks that I leafed through served up no less than 20 odd recipes involving figs. Many of them sounded delicious including fig clafouti, fig and raspberry pie, fig and almond galette, but I settled on a humble pound cake made with fresh figs. Reason being that as I was still new to figs, I wanted something simple that would showcase its flavour.


Given it was my first time handling figs, I was quite surprised to discover that they were extremely soft and delicate. For some reason, perhaps its dark skin, I had assumed they would be hard and that only the inside would be edible. As I was chopping up the figs to make the pound cake filling, I couldn't help but pop a piece into my mouth. It was soft, juicy and incredibly sweet. One piece turned into two which turned into three and it took much willpower to refrain from eating the rest of the chopped figs, else there would have been none left for the cake.

I popped the cake into the oven an hour before dinner and throughout our meal, I could only think of one thing - freshly baked pound cake for dessert. You're probably thinking that pound cake is not really an after-dinner type of dessert and I guess that's true. Its generally more of a tea time or even breakfast cake. Still, I think that it can be dressed up with a scoop of vanilla or coconut ice cream and hold its own at the dinner table. I, however, opted to eat it plain.

It was absolutely delish. The pound cake was moist, crumbly and buttery and the figs provided additional sweetness and texture. I couldn't help it, I had to have seconds and as suggested by the book, I'm looking forward to trying it with some jam tomorrow for breakfast.


Fresh Fig Pound Cake
From The Essential Baker

1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (for buttering pan)
2 tsp all-purpose flour
1/2 pound fresh figs (3 to 4 large), rinsed and dried
2 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz unsalted butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Use your fingertips or a paper towel to butter the inside of a loaf pan. Dust the inside of the pan with the all-purpose flour. Shake and tilt the pan to coat then turn the pan over the sink and tap out the excess flour.

Cut off the stems of the figs, then cut them in half vertically. Cut each half verticially in half again, then cut each quarter into small pieces, placing them into a small bowl.

Sift together the cake flour and baking powder. Add the salt and toss to blend well. Take 2 tablespoons of this mixture and toss with the fig pieces to coat them completely.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Use the flat beater attachment to beat the butter on medium speed until it is fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, and cream together well. Stop occasionally and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Adjust the mixer speed to medium-low. One at a time, add the eggs to the butter mixture, mixing well after each addition. The eggs will sit on top of the butter mixture, so stop after each addition and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to help mix evenly.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla. Add to the butter mixture and blend well. Turn the mixture speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 stages, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add the fig pieces and mix to distribute evenly.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes, until the cake is light golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Use a flexible-blade spatula or thin-bladed sharp knife to run around the outer edges to loosen the cake from the pan. Invert the pan over the cooling rack or a serving plate and gently pull the pan away from the cake.

Makes one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf cake

Dreaming of Chinese New Year

One of my favourite celebrations of the year, besides Christmas, is Chinese New Year. For me, growing up, Chinese New Year was always a time when family got together to celebrate the start of what was hoped to be a prosperous new year. On top of that, my memories of CNY are also filled with food. It is customary when visiting friends and relatives to bring along mandarin oranges as the word for them in cantonese sounds like gold. In return, you also receive oranges and are usually treated to an array of sweets and cookies.

You're probably wondering why I'm talking about Chinese New Year in August. Well, the reason is simple, its the theme for my entry into SHF #34. When I read that the theme was local or regional specialities, I knew immediately that I had to make pineapple tarts. Although you can get pineapple tarts year round in Singapore now, they are particularly associated with Chinese New Year where there are often served to guests when they come a visiting. Having spent so many years away from home, they are one of the foods that I miss the most. I have never been able to find them outside of Singapore and often have my parents bring me a few boxes whenever they come to visit.

For those who have never had a pineapple tart, they are really more like a cookie than a tart and they are filled with a pineapple jam that has been spiced with cinnamon, star anise and cloves. The pastry itself has a tender, flaky crumb that marries perfectly with the sweetness of the jam. Pineapple tarts are just one of those things that I find impossible to stop at just one. Can you?

Pineapple Tarts
From Shiok!

Pineapple jam:
4 cans (about 500g each) pineapple chunks in natural juice
1 whole star anise, broken into petals
3 cinnamon sticks
7 cloves
450g caster sugar, plus more as necessary

For the pastry:
400g plain flour, sifted
2 tbsp caster sugar
⅔ tsp salt
250g cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
50 ml iced water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water

To make the pineapple jam, drain pineapple, reserving juice, and chop it very finely in a food processor. Combine with juice, spices, and sugar in a large, wide pot. Stir well over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Taste, then add more sugar as necessry for good tart-sweet balance.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring very frequently, until the mixture is reduced to a thick, amber-colored jam, 1½ to 2½ hours. Watch it carefully towards the end of cooking, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning. Let cool completely. Store in a clean airtight jar.

To make the pastry, whisk flour, sugar and salt together in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add butter cubes and rub them in with your fingertips or a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Whisk egg yolks, vanilla, and water together and drizzle evenly over flour mixture. Stir with a fork to bring dough together into a ball. Knead lightly for 5 seconds, then divide into three portions. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. Repeat this step to make another batch of pastry as you will need at least 2 batches of pastry to finish using up the jam. Alternatively, the jam will keep well in the fridge for use at a later time.

While dough is chilling, pinch off small teaspoonfuls of pineapple jam and shape them into little balls about 1-1.5cm in diameter. Warning: the jam is very sticky so it is a good idea to have a wet towel nearby.


To make open tarts (as in the opening picture), roll out pastry dough about 5-6 mm thick. Cut out tarts with open tart cutter. Place one ball of jam onto the centre of each shape and pat it down gently. Place tarts on baking sheet and gently brush the rims with eggwash if desired. Bake at 325°F/170°C for 15-18 minutes, until pastry is pale gold. Cool on a rack.

To make closed tarts (as in the picture below), take a walnut-sized ball of pastry and flatten it to a round about 4 mm thick with your fingers. Place a ball of jam on pastry and bring up edges to enclose. Pinch off excess pastry and pinch seams well to seal. Then, roll ball between palms to make it evenly round. Brush tart with eggwash and stick a clove into the top for decoration. Place tarts on baking sheet and bake at 325°F/170°C for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is pale gold. Cool on a rack.