Mother's Day Cakes

Initially planned to make a 5 layers coloured cake but unfortunately the cake could not fit the cake box, so I had to make 2 cakes instead. Since I had a lot of whipping cream, a great chance for me to practice my rose piping skill. Still have a far bit of improvement needed but satisfied that I can make decent looking cakes for Mother's Day celebration. 

Coffee Muffins

Attempted to make Coffee Muffins but I used 3 in 1 white coffee powder, the muffins did not turn out well with the coffee flavour.  Perhaps I should use better coffee powder in order to bring out the strong aroma coffee flavour. I will try it again next time

Ingredients

125g butter (melted)
2 eggs
125g of brown or castor sugar
75g fresh milk
150g of self raising flour
2tbsp of coffee powder
1/8 tsp of baking soda 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175C.
2. In a big mixing bowl, put in melted butter, eggs, sugar and milk, use a hand whisk to whisk until well combined. Sift in the self raising flour, baking soda and coffee powder. Use a spatula to mix the flour as quickly and as lightly as possible (a bit of lumpy batter is acceptable). 
3. Scoop into the muffin cups (75% full) and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Beary Hugging Cookies

I saw these cute cookies in Facebook and thought of trying out. I used my Winnie Pooh Cookies recipe and with the bear cutter I bought. It was really cute seeing the bears hugging the Almond Nuts but somehow the nuts turned hard after baking.  Guess have to think of a way to have the cute look and perfect taste with the nuts too.

Ingredients

100g butter (softened at room temperature)
80g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
180g cake flour
20g corn flour

Almond Nuts (Whole)

Directions

1. Sift cake flour and corn flour together and set aside. Line baking tray with baking paper.

2. With electric mixer, add sugar to the butter in 2-3 additions and cream till the mixture turns pale and fluffy.

3. Add in egg yolk and mix well.

4. Add sifted flour mixture in 2-3 additions, stir with a spatula to form a soft dough.

5. Place dough in a plastic bag and flatten with rolling pin.

6. Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.

7. Remove dough from fridge. Roll out dough on slightly floured work surface and cut out with slightly floured cookies cutters.

8. Bake at pre-heated oven at 175 deg C for 15-20 mins. (cookies should not turn brown).

9. Let cool and store in air-tight container.

Milo Cupcakes

I wanted to whip something quick and easy for the kids breakfast tomorrow and so I attempted to try out my usual chocolate cupcakes recipe and replaced cocoa powder with Milo powder. Interestingly, the cupcakes tasted so yummy with the Milo flavour. I will definitely make this again.

Ingredients

125g butter (melted)
2 eggs
125g of brown or castor sugar
75g fresh milk
150g of self raising flour
2tbsp of Milo powder
1/8 tsp of baking soda 

Colorful chocolate decorative (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175 Deg C.
2. In a big mixing bowl, put in melted butter, eggs, sugar and milk, use a hand whisk to whisk until well combined. Sift in the self raising flour, baking soda and milo powder. Use a spatula to mix the flour as quickly and as lightly as possible (a bit of lumpy batter is acceptable). 
3. Scoop into the muffin cups (75% full) and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Marshmallow Rice Krispies

I have made this Marshmallow Rice Krispies long time ago and have craving for it, so I made it again since it is quick and easy. The kids love it!

Ingredients

100g Butter 
Marshmallows

1 box Rice Krispies

Directions

1. In a pot, melt butter and add marshmallows. Stir till marshmallow melted.

2. Add in rice krispies and mixed well.

3. Lay in glass pyrex tray and smoothen the top.

4. Put into fridge to harden and cut into cubes.

Moist Banana Cake

Another of my favourite cake - Moist Banana Cake. The difference for this bake was I replaced milk with yoghurt and I used organic butter and sugar. I felt the cake was not as moist from my usual bakes, perhaps due to the use of 3 large bananas instead of 5. There was not much butter flavor too as compared to using SCS butter. A good attempt with using organic ingredients.

Orange Pound Cake

My son loves heavy type of cakes and when I saw this Orange Pound cake recipe from My Mind Patch, I decided to give it a try. This cake indeed has a tight texture just like those Sara Lee Cake sold in supermarket. This was really a yummy cake and definitely a great recipe to keep.  

* Note: I  double the quantity to make a square pan size.

Ingredients

220g cake flour
30g milk powder
1 tsp baking powder

220g butter (softened)
220 sugar

3 eggs

2 tbsp syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g orange juice
Orange zest from 1 orange

Directions

1. Mix cake flour, milk powder and baking powder and sieve into a bowl.
2. Beat eggs together.
3. Whisk butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
4. Gradually add beaten eggs to the batter. Mix well after each addition.
5. Add flour mixture and mix briefly.
6. Mix in syrup, vanilla extract and orange juice.Use spatula to mix well.
7. Pour batter into (greased and line with parchment) square baking pan.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 170 Deg C at lowest rack for 40 mins, turning on only the upper heating coil.After 40 mins, turn on both the top and bottom heating coils and continue to bake for 30 mins or till skewer comes out clean. Slice the cake when cooled.

Orange Cranberry Cupcakes

Made these Orange Cranberry Cupcakes for a 3 years old girl, Caitie who is very brave fighting against Leukemia. Also got a hamper of gift and together with the contributions from some friends, delivered to this courageous girl. Hope that she will recover and be as happy as other kids.

Oreo Cupcakes

Cannot think of anything else for breakfast the next day and since there were Oreo in the cupboard, so I made these Oreo Cupcakes. Glad that the kids were so happy to have these for their break in school. 

Steamed Pork Floss Cake

I am a lover of Pork Floss and to blend Pork Floss with cake was just amazing. I have been craving these Steamed Pork Floss Cake for quite some time, so I decided to make these for teatime. They looked so nice with the fillers I bought from Hong Kong. Great satisfaction!

                    

Brownies

 

I baked these Brownies for my Company BBQ session yesterday. Topped with Chocolate Ganache* to give it a shiny and tempting finish.

* Add a little butter to Converture Chocolate and microwave it. Spread evenly on top and chill it before cutting into desired shape.

Almond Pineapple Tarts

1st Attempt - 14 Feb 16

2nd Attempt - 20 Feb 16

I love the Almond Pineapple Tarts from Polar Cake Shop and I wanted to try baking it myself. As I still have some pineapple fillings left from making CNY Pineapple Tarts, I explored a few recipes and managed to come up with this best combination recipe. My 1st attempt was not quite perfect as I used Manuka Honey to glaze the top and I can taste the strong flavour from the honey. I am satisfied with the 2nd attempt which I used normal honey and this time, my tarts were very close to those I bought from Polar. Frankly speaking, I love my tarts more as the tart shells had more crunch and the overall taste superb! My kids and maid love these tarts too and they have requested for more.                

Ingredients 

Pastry
225g plain flour
100g icing sugar
100g butter
1 egg

Filling
Pineapple fillings
120g butter
100g brown sugar
2 eggs
160g ground almond
20g plain flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
Almond Flakes (lightly toasted) - for toppings
Honey + little water (for top glaze)

Directions

Pastry:
1.Using a electric mixer, combine flour, butter, sugar and egg until a smooth dough is formed. Put in a plastic bag and chill in refrigerator for 30 mins.
2. When chilled, take a ball of dough and place into a floured tart mould. Press the dough up to the side of the mould and  trim off the edges. Prick the base with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 190 Deg C for 10 mins. Allow to cool.
Fillings:
3. Cream butter and brown sugar till fluffy. Add in egg gradually and mix well after each addition.
4. Add in ground almond and fold with spatula until well incorporated. Add in Vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Scoop a spoonful of pineapple fillings and spread on the base of tart shell, followed by almond mixture and top with almond flakes.
6. Bake at 170 Deg C for 30 mins or until top turn golden brown.

Cream Cheese Tarts

In order to clear my cream cheese in the fridge (which I bought quite sometime back), I decided to make these Cream Cheese Tarts. This time I am giving them a variety of colours to complement with Valentine's Day. A great snack indeed!

German Cookies (2016)

I have been baking these German Cookies for years and definitely no excuse for Chinese Lunar New Year. Tried adding green tea powder and amazingly it tasted yummy! Will bake more next year. Thanks to my friends who supported my bakes this year. 

Almond Crisps

2nd Attempt

1st Attempt

I am so glad that I found this recipe (I named it Almond Crisps as it is very crispy). After all the making of pineapple tarts, I was left with so much egg whites. With this recipe, I managed to clear all the egg whites. These snacks are not only crispy but very addictive too. Though the mixing of the ingredients is quite straight forward, however the spreading of the mixture on the baking tray needs a little patience as you will have to spread evenly and thinly to ensure even browning of the whole crisp. My first attempt was a failure and the centre part of the crisps turned out chewy while the sides were already very brown.  My 2nd attempt was a success, turning out perfect with even browning throughout. 1 lot can make 4 trays and into a large container. I am going to make this next year again.

Ingredients

150g sugar
80g cake flour
250g egg white
50g melted butter
250g Almond Flakes

Directions

1. Mix sugar and flour.
2. Add in egg white and mix lightly until sugar dissovles.
3. Add melted butter and mix well.and add in Almond flakes. Mix well and keep in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
4. Line the tray with parchment paper. Spread the mixture thinly on the tray. Bake at 150 Deg C for 15 mins till brown.
5. Crack the large piece of crisp into smaller pieces. Store in airtight container when cooled.

Chocolate Chips Cookies (2016)

As usual without fail, Chocolate Chips Cookies are a must for Chinese Lunar New Year. This photo was well taken by my younger daughter, and I love it! 

Pineapple Tarts (2016)

Last year, I was not able to bake my favourite Pineapple Tarts as my oven broke down and this year was extremely busy as I was trying out different patterns. It was indeed great satisfaction from making modifications to the recipe and concluded with the perfect recipe for my pineapple tarts. Not forgetting the compliments from friends, relatives and colleagues. Thank you everyone :)

A few pointers to take note. 

1) I have tested with full SCS butter and I did not like the dough texture as they were too crumbly. The result with mixing Buttercup made it a little crunch and easy to mould as well as handle after bakes.

2) An expert asked me to add 1 tsp of Glucose so that the dough will have more crunch. I felt it did not make much different as I missed out in some lots and still have the same crunch I wanted.

3) I tried several egg wash and concluded with this best combination.

4) Thanks to my friend, Rachel who asked me to try using 3D fan mode (for Bosch oven) so I can bake 2 layers at the same time, saving electricity and time baking 1 tray at a time. 

5) I tried using the Premium Pineapple fillings from Phoon Huat but I found it was sour this round, so I switched to the grade 1X (as shown below) and cheaper too.

6) In order to speed up the process, I must remember to weigh and roll the pineapple fillings a few days in advance from the day of baking.

Ingredients

300g Buttercup
50g SCS
100g condensed milk
1 tsp glucose (optional)
510g plain flour
2 egg yolks


1 pkt pineapple fillings
150g Organic pineapple juice

Egg wash - 2 eggs with 1 egg yolk and few drops of oil.

Directions

1. Cream butter and condensed milk till light.
2. Add in egg yolk 1 at a time, and beat until well combined.
3. Mix in flour till soft and not sticky dough.
4. Roll pineapple fillings into balls of 5g.
5. For Flower pattern : Flatten the dough and cut out the flower shape with mould. For close up pattern : roll dough into balls of 7g, wrap fillings and roll into a smooth ball.
2. Apply egg wash with a brush and bake at 160 Deg C for 20 mins or till golden brown. 

*Note for my own ref : I used 3D fan mode to bake 2 layers at 1 go (rotating the trays in between bakes)

Sesame Balls aka Jian Dui (煎堆)

I tried making these Sesame Balls aka "Jian Dui" Thanks to Food Ink for the recipe with video. Jian Dui is a type of fried Chinese pastry, coated with sesame seeds on the outside and with fillings wrapped inside. This pastry is crisp and chewy, with a large hollow that expand after frying. You can use any filling of your preference, I used gula melaka grated coconut (which is not the usual filling) and surprisingly it tasted as delicious. The only thing to take note is the oil must not be too hot or it will turn brown faster while the dough will not be cooked. 

Ingredients

50g Rice flour
1tbsp sugar
30g water
White sesame seeds
Red bean paste/crushed peanuts/gula melaka  grated coconut

Directions

1. Add sugar and water, mix well into a dough.
2. Roll dough into balls. Flatten dough and add fillings int the centre of balls. Seal it tightly and roll into a smooth balls..
3. Coat with white sesame seeds and fry the balls till golden brown.

Pandan Ondeh Ondeh

Making my favourite traditional and Peranakan kueh, Ondeh Ondeh to start a New Year 2016. Thanks to Food For Life TV by FairPrice that comes with a easy steps video so that I can record in my blog for future reference. I love the melted gula melaka that are wrapped inside the balls, the fragrant and sweetness just makes this dessert irresistible. 

Recipe with modifications 

Ingredients

250g glutinous rice flour
150g gula melaka (crushed into small pieces)
200g of pandan juice
A pinch of salt
100g grated coconut
Few drop of green colouring (optional)

Directions

1. Mixed grated coconut with a pinch of salt and steam for 2-3 mins and let it cool completely.
2. Combine glutinous rice flour with pandan juice and knead lightly.
3. Take 15g of dough and flatten it and fill the center with some gula melaka. Roll them into a ball.
4. Cook the balls in boiling water and remove them once they float to the surface.
5. Coat the rice balls with grated coconut and serve immediately..

Butter Cupcakes

Butter Cupcakes to have a good closure for 2015!

It has been a fruitful year for 2015 with so many challenges and exposure to life changes. As I moved into 2016 with a stronger determination, to love life more and to enjoy every moment of my time with my loved ones.  I will continue to spend most of my time to bake and cook for my family members, who are always my great supporters and letting me have the great satisfaction with every dishes and bakes I have done. Thanks God for blessing me and my family.