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UPDATE: The Enactus Christmas Bake Sale has been moved to December 12th
Just in time for the holiday season, we had the incredible opportunity to interview Marketing student and confectioner extraordinaire, Chef Max Huang of Sweets and Confections, for our December issue. He shared with us a little insight into life as an entrepreneur/student, but he also let us in on his recipe for eggnog cheesecake macarons! Try this one out over the holidays and be sure to tag @chefmaxhuang on Instagram when you’re showing off your lovely creations!
Eggnog Cheesecake Macaron Recipe
280 g almond flour/meal
280 g powdered sugar
90 g egg whites
115 g egg whites
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
275 g granulated sugar
150 g water
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and whisk together. Make a well in the center, leaving a layer of flour at the bottom. Pour in the 90 grams egg whites and combine with a spatula. Add grated nutmeg and ground cinnamon to the mixture, stirring until evenly distributed. Set aside.
- Place the remaining 115 grams egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Combine the 275 grams sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the syrup reaches 221 F/105 C. Letting the syrup continue to cook, turn the mixer to medium speed, and whip to soft peaks.
- When the syrup reaches 244 F/118 C, remove the pan from the heat. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and slowly add the syrup, pouring it between the side of the bowl and the whisk. The meringue will deflate. Increase the speed to medium and whip for 5 minutes, or until the whites hold stiff, glossy peaks and is cooled.
- Fold one-third of the meringue into the almond mixture, then continue adding the whites a little at a time until when you fold a portion of the batter over on itself, the “ribbon” slowly moves. The mixture should be just loose enough that it falls flat when left alone for a minute.
- Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag with a ½ inch tip. Hold the bag upright ½ inch above the center of one of the traced circles and pipe out enough to fill in the circle. Lift away the pastry bag and fill the remaining circles on the first pan. Lift up the sheet pan and tap the bottom of the pan to spread the batter evenly and smooth any peaks left by the bag.
- Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes, turning halfway, until the tops are shiny and crisp. Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely before filling.
Eggnog cheesecake filling
100 grams cream cheese, softened
½ a stick of butter (56.7g) salted butter, softened
250 grams powdered sugar
75g eggnog
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, eggnog, nutmeg, cinnamon and beat until well combined. Transfer the filling into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
- Macarons are best when filled a day before serving and left for the shell to absorb the filling’s flavours.
- Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze in airtight container for up to 6 months.
Make sure to stop by SE2 on December 12th to grab a few of Max’s macarons. Trust us, they’re absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious.
Don’t forget to catch our full interview with Chef Max in our December issue! Pick one up from our LINK stands today, or read it online here!