Monday, July 05, 2010
It's been a loonnngggg time ....
For those who have visited my blog over the past months, I'm deeply sorry for the lack of posts, recipes, activities in my blog.
It had been and still is a very busy period for me ... actually not just busy but also a transition period I'm going through. I have resigned from my really comfy, regular hours, steady pay employment and instead embarked on a journey of starting my own baking biz !!! Yayy !!! Is that Fantastic or what !!!
Though suffering from lack of rest, aching limbs, it's been rewarding so far ... to know that people LIKE my cakes. (^_^)
However, it still far from being on track but I'll strive on .... Ooosh !!!
So, sad to say but likely I'll be stopping my blogging for a while. For those who are interested to find out more about my little baking venture, here's our website and FB page. I'll be most glad if you can stop by our humble shop to try out our sweet treats !
Till then, take care & ciao. (^_^)
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Baking for Housewarming
An ultra moist ultra rich Chocolate Cake ...
Mango Cake in slices & cup-cake cases ... (got these really cute cases from Phoon Huat)
Matcha (Green Tea) Swiss Roll w/ Azuki Red Beans
Dessert of the day
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Yummy Homemade Breakfast #2
This is one of the recipe I got from the online Perfect Italiano website which I thought it's a really simple yet yummy breakfast treat for my family. Not only is the preparation easy, even the ingredients are readily available in our kitchen - just flour, milk, egg, butter & sugar.
But somehow, mine weren't as fluffy as the pic shown online nor was it like the Mac hotcakes. Mine was kinda flat and didn't 'bubbled' as much, maybe something's wrong with my baking powder (-_-!)
Nonetheless, I had this hotcakes with maple syrup & butter, coupled with some strawberries and mango. Top it off with a glass of fresh milk and it's still as satisfying! ;P~~~
For those who are keen to try this out, you can check out the recipe here.
In fact, they have a lot of other recipes involving using cheese & all look super-yummy!!!
Looks tempting, isn't it?!
Our Sunday Breakfast
Funny-looking Hotcake
Friday, October 09, 2009
Hey I'm Back !!!
I started packing my baking tools & barang barang real early & stop baking totally ... then was busy with packing, more packing .... then renovation, moving in ... then unpacking & more unpacking! Aaarrgghhhh ....
BUT finally I've settled down ! Yayy !!! My new house is nice & clean & spacious ... I'm Loving It ! :) Ummm ..... maybe I can do a tour of my new place in the next post (>_<)
Haha ... it must be after-effects of not blogging for soooo long, I'm already thinking of the 2nd, 3rd posts .... ok ok
"Ai Xin Zao Chan"
With Orange segments & Grapes ...
And Salad w/ Egg, Hotdog, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Sunflower seeds & Thousand Island Dressing
And Tuna Sandwich w/ Wholemeal Bread
A simple yet healthy & fulfilling breakfast for both of us! Bon Appetit !!! ;P (munch .. munch ..)
Saturday, May 09, 2009
My Saturday Lunch
First, preparation for the Mini Teriyaki Chicken Burger condiments.
Friday, May 08, 2009
These Buns Rock ...
Almost Rock Buns
Ingredients (Yields 16 pieces for me)
100g flour, sifted (type of flour not stated. I use plain flour)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
60g unsalted butter, diced
50g caster sugar
salt to taste (to omit if using salted butter)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup mixed fruit or chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degC. Grease baking pan.
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt & butter in a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, gently rub butter into flour till it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar, fruits & chips. (I use dried cranberries & mini chocolate chips)
- Stir in the egg & vanilla essence; beat till it becomes a soft dough.
- Using a tablespoon or ice-cream scoop, spoon the dough onto greased baking pan, leaving some space in between each for expanding.
- Bake at 180 degC for approx. 15-20 mins or until golden brown.
It collasped ... & cracked !!!
It's a rather dense chocolate cake as it uses quite a lot of chocolate, cocoa powder. butter with NO flour. Though the end result is supposed to collaspe & crack, it still calls for careful mixing to work the egg white mixture into the batter (rather ironic, don't you think). And while it was baking in the oven, it rises nicely just like any other chocolate cake & I was thinking "oh no ..." but the moment it was done & took out of the oven to cool, IT happened.
It was a success.
Served plain w/ strawberries
Or dusted w/ icing sugar & vanilla ice-cream
Now you see it ... next you don't!
For those who loves chocolate &/or rich, dense cake, I would highly recommend this ... and it's best eaten with vanilla ice cream or berries to complement & balance out the sweet yet bitter chocolate taste. I'm pretty sure your family & friends will be so impressed if you serve this dessert that they'll lick their plates clean.
Hahaha ... I did. Clean, isn't it?
Gateau Au Chocolat (Chocolate Cake)
Ingredients (Yields 1 24-cm or 9" round cake)
123g chocolate converture buttons (I used dark chocolate)
123g butter, cut into cubes
36g cocoa powder, sifted
4 eggs
138g caster sugar
icing powder, ice-cream, berries to serve (optional; own choice)
Method
- Preheat oven to 160degC. Line the baking pan with parchment paper. Separate the egg yolks & the egg white.
- Add the yolks & 1/2 amount of the sugar in a clean, dry mixing bowl. Beat at high speed till the mixture is thick & fluffy and turns pale yellow in colour.
- Place the chocolate converture & butter in a clean, dry metal bowl. Using the double boiler method, melt the chocolate & butter over a pot of simmering water till well combined.
- Add the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk batter from step 2. Mix well.
- Whisk the egg whites in a clean, dry mixing bowl using an electric whisk till it's foamy. Add in the remaining 1/2 amount of sugar slowly bit by bit, beat at medium-high speed till stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg white icing into the batter from step 4, gently in 2 -3 separate additions. Do not overmix as this will cause the air bubbles to burst.
- Lastly, add in the sifted cocoa powder & mix till well blended. Bake at 160degC for approx. 40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave the cake to cool in the pan. If the center collaspe with some cracks, this means the baking is succesful.
- Dust with some icing sugar, served with vanilla ice-cream & strawberries, as desired.
Recipe from: Unknown source
Baking 101 - When melting chocolate converture over a pot of simmering water (double boiler method), make sure the bowl does not touch the water. Do not overheat as this will cause the oil to separate (油水分离) & affect the texture of the chocolate.
Monday, May 04, 2009
A Labour Day Gift to All - Lemon-man Cookies
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sour Cream & Chocolate Cake
I usually prefer cakes with texture that's light (think chiffon) yet moist (think sponge soaked with alcohol, syrup or juice) and rich (but not overwhelming) in aroma/flavor (think coffee, chocolate, citrus). I'm not really a fan for cakes with texture that's too creamy (think mousse) or dense (think cheese) ... even thinking about it makes me feel 'gelat'.
Confusing ?!??! Ya I know ... I'm simply not good at describing. All I wanna say is ... this recipe is simply GOOOOD in my opinion as it fits what I like (^_^) I guess you just have to give it a try to see what I mean. Hope you'll like it as much as I do. You can bake it in cupcake tray, small individual cake moulds or in a 6" or 8" round cake tin.
Ingredients (Enough to yield 15 cupcakes for me)
250g butter
230g sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
4 eggs, lightly beaten
150g sour cream (can also replaced with plain yoghurt)
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons boiling water
100g dark chocolate, chopped
300g flour (can use plain or cake)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Method
- Preheat oven to 180degC. Line cupcake tray with baking cases or baking tin (if baking a whole cake) with baking paper. Grease sides & bottom of the baking tin with melted butter.
- Dissolve the instant coffee granules in the boiling water. Set aside.
- Sieve the flour, baking powder & soda together. Set aside.
- Cream butter, sugar & vanilla essence in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk till light & fluffy. Add in the eggs slowly over 3 -4 separate additions & cream till smooth & light.
- Add in the sour cream, followed by the coffee mixture & chopped dark chocolate. Mix till well blended.
- Add in the sieved flour & mix till well incorporated.
- Pour batter into individual cake moulds or baking tin & sprinkle some flaked almonds on top.
- Bake at 180degC for about 25 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Recipe from: Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh
Baking 101 - Cakes using 'wet' ingredients (e.g. milk, sour cream, yoghurt) in the recipe will usually end up with a moist texture.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Happy Belated Easter to All !!!
This was actually due for posting last Thurs before Easter but I was rushing to KL and delayed posting till now. Though Easter is already over, I would still like to wish all Happy Belated Easter !!! (^.^)
Carrot & Walnut Cupcakes
Ingredients (Yields 18 cupcakes)
for the cupcake
225g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened
225g (8oz) castor sugar
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon mixed spice (I used cinnamon instead)
100g (3 and 1/2oz) walnuts, chopped
150g (5oz) freshly grated carrots
2 tablespoons sultanas
for the icing
200g (7oz) cream cheese, softened
175g (6oz) icing sugar, sieved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
for Easter decoration
some chocolate eggs, bunnies or carrots jelly sweets
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175degC. Place 18 baking cases in muffin tins.
- Combine the butter, sugar, flour & eggs in a large mixing bowl & beat with an electric whisk until smooth, about 2 -3 mins.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients & mix well. Spoon the batter into the cases.
- Bake for approx. 20 mins or until golden brown & a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Remove tins from the oven & cool for 5 mins. Then remove the cupcakes & cool on a rack.
- To make the icing, slowly beat the cream cheese & icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk until creamy & soft.
- Add the lemon juice & vanilla essence & beat briskly until well combined. Spread the icing using a spoon or pipe using a piping bag onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Garnish with chopped walnuts and/or decorate as desired.
Note: Store without icing for up to 3 days in an airtight container, or freeze up to 3 months.
Recipe from: 500 Cupcakes & Muffinsby Fergal Connolly