The Daring Bakers July, 2010 Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

It's the Daring Bakers Challenge post again and as exciting as waiting for the new challenge to be revealed every beginning of the month, blogging about the completed challenge was as delighted and exciting too. Celebrating the 7^th month of me as a member of the Daring Bakers, I specially dedicate this challenge to myself and since this month was also the month of my birthday…….so I told myself I'm definitely going to make this cake and no matter how busy and how late I'll be tied up with, it will be done before the posting date……..and YES! I did it!!In fact this July month has more to celebrate than I have ever thought, 1^st – it's MY birthday, 2^nd- it's Ian birthday, 3^rd - I'm entering into the 7^th month as a Daring Bakers and 5^th – my blog had reached a 1,000 readers count already since I started this blog almost a year ago. I knew it was not a big figure to shout about, but I'm a very 'easily satisfied' person in terms of things like this………heheJ Anyway, a big and sincere 'THANK YOU' to those of you who have been kind enough to hit the button and read my blogs, tried my recipes and also visiting me once awhile to check if I'm still baking…….LOL ;) Thank you so much for your support and time, and I promise that I'll bake more and also to try to keep the post as relevant as possible (not baking today and posting weeks later, sorry!)
So, coming back to making the posting up to date, let me cut things short by introducing this month's challenge from Daring Bakers and it is hosted by Sunita of Sunita's World – Life and Food. Sunita is celebrating her 3^rd year in Daring Bakers and that makes me counting exactly how many challenges she has attempted……wow! What an achievement, congrats, Sunita!! She has chosen the Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake from Taste of Home. In this challenge, we are asked to bake the Swiss Roll, make a batch of Vanilla ice-cream and Chocolate ice-cream and a Chocolate hot fudge sauce before we proceed to assembling the whole cake. Cool…..was what I said when I saw the notes.
It took me two days to complete this challenge as Day 1 was all about making the ice-cream, however, I have decided to just make the Vanilla Ice-cream only as I still have a tub of Cookies and Cream ice-cream in my freezer and I don't want to squeeze another one in it. So I settled for just plain Vanilla ice-cream which turned out really good, and easy to make.

 Here's the Vanilla Ice-Cream recipe:
*This ice-cream was made without an ice-cream maker, FYI.

Ingredients
2 ½ cup / 625ml of whipping cream
1 vanilla bean, minced or 1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup / 115gm castor sugar
 Method

1. Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together. If you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream.
2. Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer. Do this 3-4 times and then set completely.

For the Swiss Roll, kindly refer to my previous blog on Chocolate Swiss Roll for the recipe.

Then, to make the Chocolate Hot Fudge Sauce , this is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 cup / 230gm castor sugar
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbsp Cornflour / cornstarch
1 ½ cup / 355ml water
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

 Method

1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, until it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla extract. Keep aside to cool.

 
Now, we have come to the assembling of the Swiss Swirl Ice-cream Cake, this is a very tedious part and it requires a little bit of your patience and creativity. Ready?? Hehe……

1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices (approximately 2cms each).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film / plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with the seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice-cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice-cream, on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put back into the freezer till firm (at least 1 hour).
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice-cream, cover and freeze till firm (at least 1 hour).
6. Soften the chocolate ice-cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set.
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outside of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened wit hot water. The bowl will come away easily.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice with a sharp knife , dipped in hot water for a clean cut.

Happy Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake Making!

Daring Bakers Challenge for May 2010 – A Piece of Montee / Croquembouche

It's the Daring Bakers Challenge posting period again, and you might start to queried me as this is already the month of June ( and to be exact, 1^st week of June is gone) and I'm only posting my completed May challenge now?? Yeah, yeah, I'm so, so late this time, and I have personally write in to apologized and also requested a late posting date from the organizer………….hehehe, and guess what, I'm not the only one lah…that's makes me feels so much better knowing that there are members out there who also lives in the 'real' world where…….sometimes, you just get out of schedule and be late for something, that's just normal……phew!! :P
So, I finally completed my 'Piece of Montee' after so many postponements due this this lah, that lah…..and sometimes, when it comes to baking, I don't know about you, but me…..it's all about the mood, and the mood swing includes what you want to bake for the day…..not anything will do, that's the thingy :P Anyway, I'm just glad that I did it and have however fulfill the members criteria……..as we are only allowed to miss maximum 4 challenge in a year and I have already skip two.
Ok, getting back to the challenge, May challenge was all about the Montee / Croquembouche where it is the traditional wedding cake in France. They are also often served at occasions like Baptisms or Communions. I was a bit skeptical at first when I saw the notes for the challenge…..I was thinking that what am I going to do with a mountain of Choux Puffs after the challenge??? I don't have a wedding to be gifted to , or a Baptism or even a Communion………and who is going to eat all these up……as I'm not talking about 10 choux puffs…….but at least 28 – 40 pieces of choux to be mounted up high in order to get that height to be qualified as a MONTEE!! OK…….no worries, I'll get to that later I thought, I'll find my eating troupes who are willing to wallop that montee for me…..LOL

The challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake and the recipes are from Peter Kump's Baking School in Manhattan and also designed by famous pastry chef , Nick Malgieri. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't deny that this is s far 'd' best Pate A Choux recipe in my collection. The recipe given has 3 components in it and that is the (1) Pate A Choux (2) Crème Patissiere and also (3) Chocolate Glaze as the mounting agent. I made the Crème Patissiere a day ealier as it requires at least 6 hours or overnight to cool and the flavor I have chosen is Vanilla.

 

 Ingredients:
For the Vanilla Crème Patissiere

1 cup (225ml) whole milk
2 Tbsp. Constarch
6 Tbsp. (100gm) sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
2 Tbsp. (30gm) unsalted butter
1 tsp. Vanilla essence

Method:

1. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.
2. Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
3. Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continue whisking.
4. Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify / cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla essence.
5. Pour cream into a stainless steel / ceramic bowl. Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.
    

Pate a Choux (Yield about 28, but I got about 46)
¾ cup (175ml) water
6 Tbsp. (85gm) unsalted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup (125gm) all –purpose flour
4 large eggs

For Egg wash: 1 egg and a pinch of salt (I personally don't like the egg wash, as I feel that it browned too fast, the puff doesn't look nice)

Preparing batter:

1. Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

2. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly. Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.
4. As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes. It is this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs. 

Piping:

1. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip. Pipe choux about 1 inch- apart in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.
2. Using a clean finger dipped in hot water, gently press down on any tips that have formed on the top of the choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.
3. Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with a pinch of salt).
4. Bake the choux at 425~F / 220~C degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.
5. Lower the temperature to 350~F/ 180~C degrees and continue baking until well-coloured and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool. Can be stored in an airtight container overnight.

Filling:

1. When you are ready to assemble your piece montee, using a plain pastry tip, pierce the bottom of each choux. Fill the choux with pastry cream, using either the same tip or a star tip, and place on a paper-lined sheet.
2. Choux can be refrigerated briefly at this point while you make the glaze.

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
8 ounces (200gm) finely chopped chocolate (use the finest quality you can afford as the taste will be quite pronounced; I would recommend the semi-sweet)

Melt the chocolate in microwave or double-boiler. Stir at regular intervals to avoid burning. Use immediately.

Assembly of your Montee:
You may want to lay out your unfilled, unglazed choux in a practice design to get the feel for how to assemble the dessert. For example, if making a conical shape, trace a circle (no bigger than 8 inches) on a piece of parchment to use as a pattern. The take some of the larger choux and assemble them in circle for the bottom layer. Practice seeing which pieces fit together best.

Once you are ready to assemble, dip the top of each choux in the chocolate galze (carefully as it may be still hot!), and start assembling on your cake board/ plate/ cheet. Continue dipping and adding choux in levels using the glaze to hold them together as you build up.

When you have finished the design of your piece montee, you may drizzle with the remaining glaze or use ribbons, sugar cookie cut-outs, almonds, flowers and etc. to decorate. Have fun and enjoy!

Happy Montee Assembling !

The Daring Bakers' Challenge for February 2010 - Heaven On a Dessert Plate

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Heaven on a dessert plate, sounded so heavenly and it must be something really yummy .......oh yes it is......I don't knoow about you, but for me, TIRAMISU is definitely the dessert that I would called it 'heaven on a dessert plate........LOL :P
Classic Tiramisu is made of alternate layers of espresso soaked ladyfinger biscuits and a cream made from mascarpone cheese and zabaglione (an egg custard). The perfect Tiramisu is a balance of flavors of a sweet zabaglione, strong coffee, marsala wine, creamy mascarpone cheese and the dusting of unsweetened cocoa.
I have made Tiramisu a few times now since I started baking from recipes that I gathered from various cookbooks and food bloggers, and I always loved it so much, what’s more, I have a die-hard fan of tiramisu and she is my dear SIL, hehe.........This time in Daring Bakers' February challenge, hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About Baking , their theme is to make Tiramisu from scratch........well, making it from scratch, it means that we are making our very homemade Mascarpone cheese, Zabaglione (an egg custard) , Vanilla pastry cream and also the 'Savoiardi / ladyfinger biscuits. The previous Tiramisu I made does not use Zabaglione and Vanilla pastry cream, and therefore this is something new to me.....:P
I'm so happy when I logged in on the 1st of February to check out on the challenge as I was actually planning to make a Tiramisu sometime in February when my SIL told me she was craving for Tiramisu. So, I promised her that I will definitely made one before the month ends ^-^
I was very excited with the Mascarpone cheese making as I knew this type of cheese cost quite a lot in supermarket, and in fact I have never use Mascarpone cheese before in any of my baking. I always substitute Cream Cheese for Mascarpone, well at least this time, I get to make it and use it in my baking......hehe ;)
Mascarpone + Savoiardi Biscuits + Zabaliogne = TIRAMISU........and here it goes........

 The Daring Bakers’ Challenge for February 2010 – Heaven On a Dessert Plate
TIRAMISU
(Recipe source: Carminantonio's Tiramisu from The Washington Post, July 11 2007 )
This recipe makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
For the zabaglione:
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar/50gms
1/4 cup/60ml Marsala wine (or port or coffee)
1/4 teaspoon/ 1.25ml vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
For the vanilla pastry cream:
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1 tablespoon/8gms all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup/175ml whole milk
For the whipped cream:
1 cup/235ml chilled heavy cream (we used 25%)
1/4 cup/55gms sugar
1/2 teaspoon/ 2.5ml vanilla extract
To assemble the tiramisu:
2 cups/470ml brewed espresso, warmed
1 teaspoon/5ml rum extract (optional) (I used Kahlua instead)
1/2 cup/110gms sugar
1/3 cup/75gms mascarpone cheese
36 savoiardi/ ladyfinger biscuits (you may use less)
2 tablespoons/30gms unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
For the zabaglione:
Heat water in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a pot with about an inch of water in it on the stove. Place a heat-proof bowl in the pot making sure the bottom does not touch the water.
In a large mixing bowl (or stainless steel mixing bowl), mix together the egg yolks, sugar, the Marsala (or espresso/ coffee), vanilla extract and lemon zest. Whisk together until the yolks are fully blended and the mixture looks smooth.
Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler or place your bowl over the pan/ pot with simmering water. Cook the egg mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes or until it resembles thick custard.
It may bubble a bit as it reaches that consistency.
Let cool to room temperature and transfer the zabaglione to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the pastry cream:
Mix together the sugar, flour, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. To this add the egg yolk and half the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Now place the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent the mixture from curdling.
Add the remaining milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. After about 12 minutes the mixture will be thick, free of lumps and beginning to bubble. (If you have a few lumps, don’t worry. You can push the cream through a fine-mesh strainer.)
Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
For the whipped cream:
Combine the cream, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer or immersion blender until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Set aside.
To assemble the tiramisu:
Have ready a rectangular serving dish (about 8" by 8" should do) or one of your choice.
Mix together the warm espresso, rum extract and sugar in a shallow dish, whisking to mix well. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone cheese with a spoon to break down the lumps and make it smooth. This will make it easier to fold. Add the prepared and chilled zabaglione and pastry cream, blending until just combined. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Set this cream mixture aside.
Now to start assembling the tiramisu.
Workings quickly, dip 12 of the ladyfingers in the sweetened espresso, about 1 second per side. They should be moist but not soggy. Immediately transfer each ladyfinger to the platter, placing them side by side in a single row. You may break a lady finger into two, if necessary, to ensure the base of your dish is completely covered.
Spoon one-third of the cream mixture on top of the ladyfingers, then use a rubber spatula or spreading knife to cover the top evenly, all the way to the edges.
Repeat to create 2 more layers, using 12 ladyfingers and the cream mixture for each layer. Clean any spilled cream mixture; cover carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight.
To serve, carefully remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the tiramisu with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer or decorate as you please. Cut into individual portions and serve.

  
 MASCARPONE CHEESE
(Source: Vera’s Recipe for Homemade Mascarpone Cheese)
This recipe makes 12oz/ 340gm of mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:
500 ml whipping (36 %) pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), preferably organic cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a wide skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the water is barely simmering. Pour the cream into a medium heat-resistant bowl, then place the bowl into the skillet. Heat the cream, stirring often, to 190 F. If you do not have a thermometer, wait until small bubbles keep trying to push up to the surface.
It will take about 15 minutes of delicate heating. Add the lemon juice and continue heating the mixture, stirring gently, until the cream curdles. Do not expect the same action as you see during ricotta cheese making. All that the whipping cream will do is become thicker, like a well-done crème anglaise. It will cover a back of your wooden spoon thickly. You will see just a few clear whey streaks when you stir. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, line a sieve with four layers of dampened cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Transfer the mixture into the lined sieve. Do not squeeze the cheese in the cheesecloth or press on its surface (be patient, it will firm up after refrigeration time). Once cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (in the sieve) overnight or up to 24 hours.
Vera’s notes: The first time I made mascarpone I had all doubts if it’d been cooked enough, because of its custard-like texture. Have no fear, it will firm up beautifully in the fridge, and will yet remain lusciously creamy.
Keep refrigerated and use within 3 to 4 days.             

LADYFINGERS/ SAVOIARDI BISCUITS
(Source: Recipe from Cordon Bleu At Home)
This recipe makes approximately 24 big ladyfingers or 45 small (2 1/2" to 3" long) ladyfingers.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons /75gms granulated sugar
3/4 cup/95gms cake flour, sifted (or 3/4 cup all purpose flour + 2 tbsp corn starch)
6 tablespoons /50gms confectioner's sugar,
Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees, then lightly brush 2 baking sheets with oil or softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites using a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gradually add granulate sugar and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff again, glossy and smooth.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly with a fork and fold them into the meringue, using a wooden spoon. Sift the flour over this mixture and fold gently until just mixed. It is important to fold very gently and not overdo the folding. Otherwise the batter would deflate and lose volume resulting in ladyfingers which are flat and not spongy.
Fit a pastry bag with a plain tip (or just snip the end off; you could also use a Ziploc bag) and fill with the batter. Pipe the batter into 5" long and 3/4" wide strips leaving about 1" space in between the strips.
Sprinkle half the confectioner's sugar over the ladyfingers and wait for 5 minutes. The sugar will pearl or look wet and glisten. Now sprinkle the remaining sugar. This helps to give the ladyfingers their characteristic crispness.
Hold the parchment paper in place with your thumb and lift one side of the baking sheet and gently tap it on the work surface to remove excess sprinkled sugar.
Bake the ladyfingers for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake for another 5 minutes or so until the puff up, turn lightly golden brown and are still soft.
Allow them to cool slightly on the sheets for about 5 minutes and then remove the ladyfingers from the baking sheet with a metal spatula while still hot, and cool on a rack.
Store them in an airtight container till required. They should keep for 2 to 3 weeks.

The Daring Bakers' Challenge for January - the world comes to Canada, where 'Nanaimo Bars' are the all time favourites

I must say, I am very excited the moment I logged into The Daring Bakers Challenge Forum early January to see what is the challenge being posted up. As you can see, this is my first challenge after my membership was being approved in December 2009. Some of you may think that I am crazy to join something like this, but as one of my the blogger told me, joining the Daring Bakers or the Daring Cooks is not something to show off, but to brush up on our baking and cooking skills and knowledge. You don't have to be an expert in baking or cooking to join the Daring team, as all of us are still learning .....from each other and also from the challenge posted up every month. The January 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. Lauren chose Gluten-Free Graham Wafers and Nanaimo Bars as the challenge for the month. The sources she based her recipe on are 101 Cookbooks and www.nanaimo.ca.

I must say I did already learned some great things in this first challenge. I never bake any 'gluten-free' recipe before, and never did I know that Canada's very famous all-time dessert is one that called "Nanaimo Bars'. I took the initiative to search the  internet to see what is Nanaimo Bars really is, and this is what is says about this unique sweet-tooth yummy dessert. "The Nanaimo bar is a dessert of Canadian origin popular across North America. A type of chocolate no-bake square, it is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer, topped by a layer of light vanilla or custard flavoured butter icing, which is covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares. Many varieties are possible by using different types of crumb, flavours of icing (e.g. mint, peanut butter), and types of chocolate. Two popular variations on the traditional Nanaimo bar involve mint flavoured icing or mocha flavoured icing."

So , this gives me some knowledge and idea of what this dessert is all about and how it looks like. I followed exactly the recipe given by the Lauren.

 
For Gluten-Free Graham Wafers
Ingredients
1 cup (138 g) (4.9 ounces) Sweet rice flour (also known as glutinous rice flour)
3/4 cup (100 g) (3.5 ounces) Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup (65 g) (2.3 ounces) Sorghum Flour (also known as Wheat Flour)
1 cup (200 g) (7.1 ounces) Dark Brown Sugar, Lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Baking soda
3/4 teaspoon (4 mL ) Kosher Salt
7 tablespoons (100 g) (3 ½ ounces) Unsalted Butter (Cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen)
1/3 cup (80 mL) Honey, Mild-flavoured such as clover.
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Whole Milk
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Pulse on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. If making by hand, combine aforementioned dry ingredients with a whisk, then cut in butter until you have a coarse meal. No chunks of butter should be visible.
2. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky.
3. Turn the dough onto a surface well-floured with sweet rice flour and pat the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours, or overnight.
4. Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of sweet rice flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be quite sticky, so flour as necessary. Cut into 4 by 4 inch squares. Gather the scraps together and set aside. Place wafers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes. Repeat with the second batch of dough.
5. Adjust the rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
6. Gather the scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and reroll. Dust the surface with more sweet rice flour and roll out the dough to get a couple more wafers.
7. Prick the wafers with toothpick or fork, not all the way through, in two or more rows.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. Might take less, and the starting location of each sheet may determine its required time. The ones that started on the bottom browned faster.
9. When cooled completely, place enough wafers in food processor to make 1 ¼ cups (300 mL) of crumbs. Another way to do this is to place in a large ziplock bag, force all air out and smash with a rolling pin until wafers are crumbs.



Nanaimo Bars
Ingredients:
For Nanaimo Bars — Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup (50 g) (1.8 ounces) Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons (75 mL) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 Large Egg, Beaten
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) (160 g) (5.6 ounces) Gluten Free Graham Wafer Crumbs (See previous recipe)
1/2 cup (55 g) (1.9 ounces) Almonds (Any type, Finely chopped)
1 cup (130 g) (4.5 ounces) Coconut (Shredded, sweetened or unsweetened) (I substituted this with rice bubbles instead as i don't really fancy coconuts)

For Nanaimo Bars — Middle Layer
1/2 cup (115 g) (4 ounces) Unsalted Butter
2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons (40 mL) Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Vanilla Custard Powder (Such as Bird’s. Vanilla pudding mix may be substituted.)
2 cups (254 g) (8.9 ounces) Icing Sugar

For Nanaimo Bars — Top Layer
4 ounces (115 g) Semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons (28 g) (1 ounce) Unsalted Butter

Directions:

1. For bottom Layer: Melt unsalted butter, sugar and cocoa in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch pan.

2. For Middle Layer: Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light in colour. Spread over bottom layer.

3. For Top Layer: Melt chocolate and unsalted butter over low heat. Cool. Once cool, pour over middle layer and chill.