I had some success with it, but it was not consistent.
I was able to make enough good-enough ones, but it was so frustrating because I did not know what resulted in the good batch or the bad batch.
I read so many guides and forums online for macaron troubleshooting.
But often times, they say something like… the reason this happened is because either the batter was overmixed or undermixed, or the oven temperature was too high or too low…
Can you see why it’s frustrating?
So basically, every process of macaron-making has to be PERFECT, which is, as you know, hard to do (sigh)…
Anyway, these are some of the shells that turned out better than others.
Blueberry buttercream.
Chocolate ganache.
Lemon buttercream.
I love this color combination.
Muted and elegant.
(Actually I wanted one of the colors to be “gray”, and I bought and used “super black” coloring gel. And this is what I got (the blue looking one). It’s still pretty, but it’s definitely not black or gray. I was completely perplexed. )
I put some blueberry syrup to the buttercream, but I thought it would be fun to place syrup and syruped blueberries on top for extra blueberry flavor.
It’s pretty this way, too!
I probably won’t make macarons for a while after this experience.
I need a little break.
But next time I do, I will either go back to the old recipe or try something different, maybe this one ↓.
I had a feeling that this cake was going to be great.
Isn’t it interesting that you use a whole orange, skin, rind, and everything!
I used an organic orange for this.
Wash, cook, and puree it.
Just looking at this already made me excited.
I scraped every bits of the batter off the container and licked the spatula.
If the batter is so good, then the final result should be great, right?
I initially thought of making one big cake, but I decided to go with this mini Bundt pan.
I love this pan, but I don’t have a lot of chances to use it.
The cake turned out great!
I was so relieved that the cake came out of the pan okay.
(I took out the first one too quickly when it was still warm, and it did not come out cleanly. Note to myself: wait until they are cool. I waited for the rest, and they came out fine.)
This cake is so good that you really don’t need anything.
Do not even think about frosting.
Trust me.
You don’t need it.
It has a wonderful texture and great orange flavor.
Hoping that these will magically clean themselves…
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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓ There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.
It’s hard to describe, but almond-flavored milk jelly may be the best name for it.
This is a Chinese dessert popular in Japan.
We call it “An-nin-tofu”.
You are supposed to use “An-nin” powder, but since it’s hard to get it here in the U.S., I used almond extract, which a lot of people do.
I hardly ever buy canned or jarred fruits, but this was gifted by Ms. S, my father-in-law’s wife, and it does come handy when I want something sweet but “healthy-ish”.
I like my jelly not too hard.
This was very refreshing, and I enjoyed it very much.
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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓ There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.
*I also have an Instagram account. ↓ There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.
This is dedicated to all the Kinako lovers out there.
Kinako, soybean powder, is in the donut batter, and the baked donuts are coated with Kinako.
They were finished with a drizzle of Kuromitsu (Japanese “black” syrup).
This is a classic combination, Kinako and Kuromitsu, in Japan, and it has been used in various traditional sweets for many many years.
But I wasn’t done yet.
Kuromitsu was mixed in whipped coconut cream.
This is a winner!
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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓ There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.
