Vanilla Yoghurt Buttercake

This recipe is a keeper. You know it's a keeper when you've substituted an  ingredient and it still works.  Here I've substituted milk with yoghurt. This was out of necessity really as I've ran out of milk. It turned out beautifully, moist and tender.  The yoghurt also added a bit of a tang and gave it a lift. Really yummy!

My Daughter G couldn't stop eating this cake. Not to toot my own horns, I think this yoghurt version tastes even better than the original one. My dear Hubby on the other hand loves the orginal version. Well, to each his own!


Vanilla Yoghurt Buttercake
(Recipe adapted from Simple Indulgence)

Ingredients:

150g unsalted butter, cut into cubes at room temperature

100g castor sugar
3 egg yolks
1½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
125ml plain yoghurt
175g cake flour
1½ tsp baking powder
3 egg white
40g castor sugar


Notes:
Original recipe uses milk instead of plain yoghurt.

Preparation:
Grease and line a 7” round cake pan with parchment paper.
Pre-heat oven at 200°C.

Method:

1. Sift the cake flour and baking powder together into a bowl.
2. In a mixing bowl,  put in the butter and 100g of sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in the egg yolks, one at a time  and beat until it is incorporated. Add in the vanilla extract.
4. At low speed, add in one third of the flour mixture and one third of the plain yoghurt alternately until done. Stop once mixture is well blended.
5. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg white and 40g castor sugar until stiff. It's ready when the bowl is overturned and the egg white stays put.
6. Fold in the egg white into the yolk and flour mixture until well blended. The batter may look a little curdled.
7. Pour out the batter into the cake pan lined with baking paper.
8. Reduce temperature to180°C - 190°C  and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
9. Remove cake from oven and  place it to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before unmoulding. After unmoulding, remove the baking paper and leave to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cupcakes

Here's another cupcake recipe adapted from the delightfully sweet Primrose Bakery's 'Cupcakes' cookbook. This time I chose Pumpkin Cupcakes. I just love to incorporate veggies in my bakes. It makes me feel less guilty and a little wee bit 'healthier'.

These cupcakes were nicely moist and soft. I left them unfrosted as I didn't want to add in extra calories. I bet they would've been even better with a creamy velvety cream cheese frosting. Ah, if only my ever expanding thighs permit!

So far  the Primrose Bakery 'Cupcakes' cookbook have yet to dissappoint. I've tried 2 recipes, the Malted Cupcakes (Milo Cupcakes) and this Pumpkin Cupcakes. Both turned out satisfactorily moist and tender. But they may be a tad too sweet and you may need to adjust the sugar to suit your tastebud. I've reduced  the sugar for the pumpkin recipe below.


Pumpkin Cupcakes

(Adapted from Primrose Bakery  'Cupcakes' cookbook) 

(makes 12 regular cupcakes)

Ingredients:

• 110g butter  
• 200g soft light brown sugar 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 100g pureed pumpkin 
• 125g self-raising flour
• 120g plain flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 125ml buttermilk (or 120ml water mixed with 2 tbs buttermilk powder)

Method:

1. Cream butter and brown sugar with an electric hand whisk until pale and smooth, which should take 3-5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, add vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.  Then add pumpkin and beat until just combined.
2. Combine and sift  self-raising flour, plain flour and mixed spice in a bowl.  Add 1/3 of the flours to the butter mixture and beat until just combined.  Add 1/2 the buttermilk and beat again, then repeat these steps until all the ingredients have been added.
3. Spoon the mixture into 12  cupcake cases, filling them to about 2/3 full.  Bake at 180 C for about 25 mins until slightly raised and golden brown.  Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave the cupcakes in their tins for about 10 mins before cooling on a wire rack.

 

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Baker's #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog.

Milo Cupcakes

We, especially Malaysians & Singaporeans grew up drinking Milo. It is a staple breakfast drink in most households and is served  in all coffee shops. If you're reading and wondering what Milo is, it is actually a brand name of a chocolate malted drink. Heard of Ovaltine? But Ovaltine somehow is not as popular as Milo. 

Instead of drinking that mug of Milo, how about eating one for a change ... a Milo cupcake? I made these Milo cupcakes the other day just for this month's  Aspiring Baker's cupcake theme. I used a recipe adapted from the Primrose Bakery Cupcakes cookbook and frosted them with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  These Milo cupcakes were soft and moist and very Milo-y. Yummy!  One little issue though, the crumb stuck to my teeth everytime I took a bite! I'm wondering whether this is because I've added too much Milo? The original recipe ask for half the amount I used. Hmmm .... anybody knows why?      




Milo Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Primrose Bakery Cupcakes cookbook

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
120g soft brown sugar 
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125g self raising flour
60g cake flour
100g Milo powder
125ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs heavy cream


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. 
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and the sugars until pale and smooth. 
3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing into the mixture between additions. 
4. In a separate bowl, sift and combine together the flours and Milo powder.
5. Mix the milk together with vanilla extract and heavy cream.
6.  Add 1/3 of the flour to the creamed butter/sugar mixture.  Beat well until combined. Then, add 1/3 of the milk mixture and beat again.  Repeat this step until the last of the flour and then the last of the milk, beating well between additions. 
7. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.  Fill about 2/3 full. 
8. Bake for about 25 mins until golden brown or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes. 
10. Then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Note:
I bake the cupcakes in small size muffin tins and yielded 28 cupcakes which took 20 minutes to bake.



Swiss Meringue Buttercream
(Recipe adapted from Table for 2 or more)

Ingredients:
2 egg whites
100gm sugar
170gm unsalted butter, lightly softened

Method:

1. Put the sugar and egg whites in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved and temperature has reached 65C. The mixture will look like marshmallow cream. Remove from stove.
2. Pour meringue into a mixing bowl. Beat the meringue on medium speed until it cools and forms a thick shiny meringue, about 5 minutes.
3. Now add in add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, beating until smooth. Mixture will be soupy and maybe curdled. Do not worry. It will come together nicely in the end. Carry on beating on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, approximately  6-10 minutes. 

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Baker's #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog.

Fudgy Wudgy Okara Brownies

If I don't tell, you probably wouldn't have known these fudgy wudgy brownies contain okara. Okara is a by product of soy beans, the pulpy mass leftover from straining soy bean milk. If you make soy bean milk at home, don't throw the okara away. Make these and you'll be glad you've saved it!

Well, my Daughter obviously didn't suspect a thing. She enjoyed the brownies so much and even helped herself to seconds. If only she knew. But she did! I accidentally leaked out the 'secret ingredient' while talking to dear Hubby. This fazed her a little but she soon  forgotten about it and reached out for the leftovers. Really, these brownies don't taste beany at all and it's really quite hard to believe they contain okara! Hehehe! Who would have thought something so good and healthy can be so yummy (in the form of a brownie of course!).

After much browsing and researching, I decided to use a vegan recipe from Vegan Feast Kitchen as it seems to be quite a popular one where okara brownies are concerned. Being a vegan recipe, it calls for egg replacement glop and for non-vegans like me this is really quite unheard of! So I used REAL eggs instead, and REAL butter in place of the Earth Balance which is actually margarine.   

Here it is, the recipe, de-veganised (if there's such a word!).

Okara

FUDGY WUDGY OKARA BROWNIES
Makes 14 cupcake squares 

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
2 cups Brown sugar
3/4 cup, packed well-squeezed Okara (soybean pulp from making soymilk)
4 oz (1/2 cup) melted Butter
1/4 cup Water
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup plain white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or other favorite nuts) 


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Line a 12 hole square muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs together with brown sugar until thick and foamy. Add vanilla, water, melted butter and okara. Combine well.
3. In another bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, salt and baking powder. Sift  into the wet mixture. Fold and stir briefly, just to blend. Do this in batches. Fold in the nuts.
4. Scrape the batter into the prepared muffin pan until almost full and bake for about 40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Notes:

1. Baking time is just a guideline . Your oven may need less or more time. 
2. If you prefer, use a 9 inch square baking pan and line with non-stick parchment paper (with over hang on the sides for easy removal). Bake for about 50 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack. Do not cut until the brownies are cool. You can lift the whole thing out of the pan, using the parchment liner, onto a cutting board.
   

Carrot Cupcakes

Sometimes I can be a little mad, obsessed even. You see, I've been on a quest to find the perfect carrot cake recipe for the longest time and this particular carrot cake recipe, I've made it not once, not twice but three times!

The first time, I made it into cupcakes, I was quite happy with the result but thought they were a little too oily  and the spice were a little much. The second time round, I reduced the oil and adjusted the spice flavouring, the texture came out a little dry. Not wanting to give up, I gave it a go again. This time keeping the original amount of oil and adjusting the spice only, and instead of cupcakes I made a 2 layer 8 inch round cake. Though the flavour was good, it was a little dry. *Sigh* 

Alas this recipe was not meant to be all I'd hope for. Maybe I'm just too fussy. A perfectionist, maybe. Will I ever find that darn perfect carrot cake recipe? All I'm looking for is a carrot cake loaded with carrots which is not too spicy, not too sweet, not too oily, does not reek of bicarb, not too dense and most importantly moist but not overly wet. Am I asking too much? LOL.

Even though this carrot cake may not be the holy grail of carrot cakes in my book, but you know what I'd still give this recipe a go, but in cupcake form only. It seems to have the best texture this way. 

P/S - The cream cheese frosting from Martha Stewart was perfect. Creamy and just the right level of sweetness.



Carrot Cake
(adapted from Cake Mistress here)

Ingredient
1 cup Brown Sugar (about 150g)
1 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Large Eggs
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Bicarb of Soda
2 cups Self Raising Flour (240g)
2 cups finely grated Carrot (200g)
1/2 cup Walnuts, finely chopped (about 50g)
3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Cream Cheese Frosting
(adapted from Martha Stewart here)

Ingredient

250g cream cheese, room temperature

115g unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
125g confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange, finely grated

Method

To make cake:

1) Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2) Beat sugar and oil until thick, then add 1 egg at a time and keep beating for a few more minutes.
3) Add salt, bicarb soda, carrots, flour, walnuts and spices. Mix with wooden spoon until all combined.
4) Pour batter evenly between cupcake pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden and cake springs back when touched in the middle. Baking time might vary depending on your personal oven.

To make frosting: 

Place butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners' sugar, and gradually beat until smooth. Add vanilla and orange zest, stir to combine.

Spongy Banana Cake

I have been captivated by this Spongy Banana Cake (from Wen's Delight here ) the first time I saw it.  It seems this cake is  very popular among asian bloggers and has received many prasies. So, does it live up to it's name?

Here it is, fresh out from my oven.

Spongy, yes!

It turned out beautifully. As it cooled, it didn't shrink or sink in the middle as I thought it would - as what happened to most of my sponge cakes. Really beyond my expectation. Spongy, moist and airy. Good to eat with a cup of tea.


Spongy Banana Cake
(Recipe adapted from Wen's Delight here )

Ingredients:
150g  Eggs (Room temp - About 4 large eggs)
130g Sugar
200g Banana (mashed)
150g  Cake flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
100g  Vegetable oil
1/4 tsp Rum
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 160 degree C.
2) Grease & line a 8" round tin with baking paper.
3) Sieve flour, baking powder & baking soda together. Sieve twice & set aside.
4) Whisk eggs, sugar & banana at max speed till stiff/ribbon stage.
5) Gently fold in flour gradually.
6) Take 1/3 of the batter, mix with the veg oil. Then, pour back into the remaining batter and combine well till batter is shiny & flowing.
7) Bake for 40 - 45mins.
8) Remove from oven. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then turn out, remove baking paper and cool completely on wire rack.

Pavlova

This is my first ever pavlova. It turned out beautifully... except for the cracks. I didn't know the shell would be so delicate. It cracked easily when I tried to remove the baking paper. In the end, I got scared and  gave up, and left the baking paper paper still intact. I just trimmed off the excess baking paper around edges.  Anyway, this made a showstopping dessert on a recent family gathering. Dressed up with billowy whipped cream and piled high with strawberries, kiwis and white peaches, the otherwise unassuming  plain pavlova shell looked mighty grand. The shell was crisp and the inside soft, light and marsmallowy. I only wish it hadn't been so sweet. Thankfully generously toppings of whipped cream and fresh fruits counteracted the sweetness somewhat. I imagine a tart passion fruit sauce drizzled all over would be fantastic. Or maybe a zippy lime curd, it would go so well with the oh-so-sweet pavlova.

For anyone who's looking to make a pavlova, this is a good recipe to try. Very simple. I guess I also  owe it to this helpful tip that my pavlova didn't end up a weeping mess - which is to  make sure the sugar is dissolved completely when beating the egg whites. Now I just wonder, how do you remove the pavlova from the baking paper without cracking it. Tips, anyone?

The beaten meringue all thick & glossy and ready to be bake.

Pavlova
(Recipe adapted from Best Recipes here )


Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 cup (250ml) sugar
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar ( I used apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp cornflour


Method:

1) Whisk egg whites until frothy. Add all the rest of the ingredients and continue whisking until very glossy and thick and stiff. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved - feel by rubbing between fingers. It should feel smooth and not grainy.
2) On a baking paper lined tray, pile on the meringue, shape the meringue into a large centre with a slight hollow in the centre.
3) Bake in a preheated oven at 130 C for 1 1/2 hours or until crisp on the outside. Turn off oven and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar.
4) Generously pile on whipped cream and fresh fruits just before serving. Done!

Rustic Free Form Pear Tart

If you're like me who thinks all things pastry in general are a pain to make, this free form rustic tart may just change your mind!  This is one easy and delicious tart to make at home. I especially like the fact that I don't need to line a tart tin let alone needing one, but just roll the pastry into a rough circle and fold up the edges. And it's okay if it's uneven and knobbly, because rustic and homey is what we want.  I've got to say, I'm pretty pleased with this pear tart. It didn't get soggy like what I expected -  the filling was oozing pear juices and was bubbling away during baking. Instead,  the crust was deliciously buttery and crisp. The pears all soft and fragrant and  the juices thicken up nicely upon cooling. A delight to eat and eat..... and eat.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink! If you would like to join, please see details here.

Rustic Pear Tart
Recipe adapted from here for the pastry and here for the filling.

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry:
250g plain flour
125g salted butter, chilled, finely chopped
80g icing sugar
2 egg yolks, chilled
1 tbs water, chilled


Filling:
3 medium pears

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cornflour

3 tbsps light brown sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

For the pastry:

1) Process flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Then, pour into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the icing sugar.

2)Whisk egg yolks and 1 tbs chilled water in a bowl until combined, add to flour mixture. Mix until mixture begins to form large clumps. 

3) Turn pastry out on to a work surface and knead gently to bring together into a ball. Form into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

For the pear tart:

1) In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220°C.

2) Peel the pears, core them and cut into 0.5cm slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the cornflour, brown sugar and cinnamon and toss until the pears are evenly coated. Set aside.

3) On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a large circle about 23cm in diameter. Line a baking tray with baking paper, and draping the dough over the rolling pin, transfer to the prepared baking tray. If the dough breaks at all patch it up with your fingers.

4) Arrange the pears in a mound in the center of the dough (discard leftover juices), leaving a 5cm border. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even. Brush pastry with egg wash.

5) Bake the tart for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown. Glaze with thick sugar syrup or honey mixed with a little water.

Basic Chiffon Cake

Great for making layered cakes.

To my dear cousin Feli,

Here's the basic chiffon cake recipe you asked for.

This cake is soft, moist, fine textured and fluffier than other chiffon recipes I've tried. It freezes well too. The trick is to whip the egg whites until glossy and almost stiff. It's ready when the bowl is overturned the whites will not fall off. Bake at the lower rack of your oven and if you find your cake cracking, try baking at a lower temperature.

Have fun trying!

P/S Now, where's that scrummy cornflakes cookie recipe you promised? LOL 


Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 80 ml water
• 70g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt (reduce to 1/4 tsp if u like)
• 120g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) corn oil
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 70g caster sugar

Method:

• Preheat oven at 160C.

• Beat egg yolks, sugar and salt until sugar dissolves completely. Then, add water, vanilla, oil and self raising flour. Mix well.

• In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Add in the cream of tartar and 1/3 of the 70g caster sugar. Whisk until sugar dissolves before gradually adding in the rest of the sugar. Continue whisking until egg whites form stiff peaks and shiny and would not fall off the bowl when overturned.

• Take a 1/4 of the beaten egg whites and fold in to the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the rest of  the egg whites until well combined (until you see no streaks).

• Pour batter into an 8 inch round deep cake tin with removable base or springform tin (no need to grease or line). 

• Bake at lower rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes or until skewer comes out clean when plunged in the middle of the cake.

• Cool inverted on a wire rack. Remove cake from tin when cake is cooled completely.

Mazarin Tarts

Mazarin tarts are small Swedish almond tarts, oval shaped with a tender buttery crust and an even more buttery and moist cake-like almond filling, topped with sweet icing sugar glaze. Very fattening & rich but I absolutely love these delectable tarts and eating just one is never enough for me - I don't care even if they add extra inches to my thighs!  Unless I fly to Sweden, the only place I could get them is from Ikea Stores in Singapore and KL, both of which are sadly thousands of  miles away across the South China Sea from my place. Fortunately, I have a kind aunt who brings these tarts over whenever she comes to visit, but unfortunately, she does not visit often enough.  Thus, savouring these tarts is just a once-a-year indulgence for me. Not enough I say.   

I have bookmarked this Mazarin recipe for the longest time and had told myself to make many times over, but I just never did. Honestly, to me pastry in general is such tedious work - a real challenge to my lazy bones, not to mention the most unconducive hot weather we're experiencing these days! However much I dread pastry making,  I do not want to miss out this month's  Aspiring Bakers   (everyone is challenged to make pies and tarts and all things pastry), and for my entry I'd like to finally give this Mazarin recipe a try.  And boy did all that 'hard' work paid off!  My homemade tarts were deliciously buttery and utterly moist with a bright hint of refreshing orange zest. Totally yum! What's more, my opinionated Mom raved about them and said they were better than those from Ikea! 

*Smug smile*     

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink! If you would like to join, see details here.

 

Mazarin Tarts

(Recipe adapted from here)

Wish I have oval shaped tins!

Makes about 15 tarts
 

Crust: 
150g flour
80g sugar
110 g butter
1 egg yolk

1 tsp rum

Filling:  

100g butter 

100g sugar 

2 eggs 

150g ground almonds
finely grated zest of 1 orange 

Glaze:

150g icing sugar

about 3 Tbs water 

Method:

Make tart crust: 

Using a food processor, blitz the flour, sugar and butter together until crumbly. Add the lightly beaten egg yolk and rum and blitz again, just until dough forms. Tip the dough out, gather into a ball then flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough/disk in cling wrap and place in refrigerator to rest & firm up for at least half an hour. Pinch a small ball of dough and press evenly into each tart tins.

Make Filling:
Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Mix in grated orange zest and then gently fold in the ground almonds. Fill the tart shells with the  almond batter, smooth surface and then bake in the oven at 175 °C for about 20 minutes or till the tops turn a crisp golden brown and skewer comes out clean when tested. Wait till the tarts cool before glazing - the filling is likely to sink slightly during cooling.  

Make Glaze:
For the glaze, mix 3 tablespoons water with  the icing sugar to a spreadable consistency.  With the back of a spoon thinly cover the the tops of the cooled tarts with glaze. Let the glaze set and harden.

Black Sesame Chiffon Roll

 

I love anything with black sesame seeds. Not only are they a good source of  minerals and dietary fiber, they also make your hair thick & black as believed by the Chinese. I personally like the rich earthy nutty taste they impart when incorporated in desserts & confections.  Although black sesame seeds are relatively cheap and can be found in every supermarkets & grocers, it is not so with black sesame paste, I noticed- at least in my town. And the black sesame paste does not come cheap either. Anybody has a good homemade black sesame paste recipe to share? 

 

This black sesame roll cake was made from a chiffon cake recipe adapted  from Keiko Ishida's 'Okashi-Sweet Treats Made with Love'.  I have substituted ground black sesame for the whole black sesame seeds called  for, and I used a swiss roll pan instead of a chiffon tin, and adusted the baking temperature and time. 
I must say I really love this cake and enjoyed savoring every bite (but of course I'm biased - like I've mentioned earlier, I love anything with black sesame). My Daughter G exclaimed 'Yuck!' at  the mention of black sesame but funnily helped herself to not one but two slices!  Ah, this daughter of mine!  


Black Sesame Chiffon Roll

Ingredients:
70g Cake flour
5 Egg yolks
20g Brown Sugar
20g Black sesame paste
20g Ground black sesame seeds
60g Water
40g Canola oil
90g Castor Sugar
10g Rice Flour
180g  Egg whites (from about 5 eggs)



Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180°C.
2) Combine egg yolks, brown sugar and black sesame paste in a bowl and mix well. Add water and canola oil and blend together. Add sited flour and mix until batter becomes sticky. Set aside.
3) Combine sugar and rice flour. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add half of sugar and  rice flour mixture and continue beating for a few minutes, then add remainder and beat until egg whites are glossy with stiff peaks (the whites will not fall out when the bowl is overturned).
4) Add one third of  beaten egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture and fold in lightly. Then add in the remaining egg white mixture. Fold gently until incorporated completely.
5) Pour batter into a baking paper lined 12x14 inch swiss roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cake is done (test with a skewer). Remove cake from pan and cool on wire rack.
6) Spread cake with whipped cream and carefully but firmly roll  it up. Leave to rest in a refrigerator to firm up before slicing to serve. Enjoy!

I am submitting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #9 - Swiss Rolling Good Times (July 2011) hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food.

Lime Curd & Cream Cheese Swiss Roll

I had some leftover lime curd and cream cheese frosting from the courgette cake I had made earlier. What better way to use them all up by making yet another cake! But this time I made a simple swiss roll (recipe here). The tart taste of the lime curd intermingled beautifully with the voluptuous richness of the cream cheese frosting. This is one scrummy swiss roll if  I may say so myself!

I'm submitting this entry to this month's Aspiring Bakers themed 'Swiss Rolling Good Times' hosted by 'Obsessedly Involved With Food' (Details here).

Aunt Flora's Famous Courgette Cake

Honestly, I've never heard of courgette cake let alone tasted one until I came across this recipe in my favorite cookbook, Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess. The only veggie cakes I've ever tried are the classic carrot cake and the sweet pumpkin cake. I was really curious and at the same time a little apprehensive how this courgette cake would turn out. In my mind I was thinking of a very 'green' tasting cake if you get what I mean. But really it was not so. It had  a hint of pleasant cucumber-esque taste and was quite delicious really. Like a carrot cake it was moist and refreshing.  I would make this again as it was so easy to make. However, next time I'll  keep the ingredients secret as my veggie hating Daughter G refused even a teeny bite.  Though the lime curd filling was delicious, I think the zippy citrusy tang overpowered the already subtle and light courgette taste - I'll leave this out next time and just make the cake with the luscious cream cheese icing.

For the cake

60g sultanas, optional

250g courgettes, weighed before grating

2 large eggs

125ml vegetable oil

150g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 x 21cm sandwich tins, greased and lined

Method:

If you're using sultanas, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water to plump them up.

Wash and wipe the courgettes with kitchen towel (don't peel them), then grate using the coarse side of an ordinary grater - anything finer or smaller can make them mushy.  When they're grated turn them into a sieve over the sink to drain off excess water.

Put the eggs, oil and sugar in a bowl and beat until creamy.  Sieve in the flour, bicarb and baking powder and continue to beat until well combined.  Now stir in the grated courgette and add the drained sultanas if using.  Pour the mixture into the tins and bake for 30 mins until slightly browned and firm to the touch.  Leave in the tins on a rack for 5-10 mins then turn out and let cool until you're ready to fill and ice.

For the Lime Curd filling

(Makes 350ml)

75g unsalted butter
3 large eggs
75g caster sugar
125ml lime juice (of approx 4 limes)
zest of 1 lime

Method:

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add all the other ingredients and whisk to a custard over a gentle heat.  Let cool before filling a jar - or a cake - with it.  Keep in the fridge.

For the Cream Cheese Icing

200g cream cheese
100g icing sugar, sieved
juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
2-3 tablespoons chopped pistachio nuts (I used almond nibs)

Method:

Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, add the icing sugar, beating well to combine, then stir in the lime juice to taste. Spread on cake and sprinkle chopped pistachio uts on top.

Brioche Breakfast Plait (Dean Brettschneider)

Here's a recipe for a buttery brioche shaped into a plait from Dean Brettschneider's Global Baker cookbook. I have substituted cranberries for the dried apricots originally called for, and instead of kneading by hand following Dean's instructions, I've turned to my trusty Kenwood to do all the kneading. The texture of  the bread was amazingly soft & tender but somehow felt a tad dry on the palate - this baffled me considering a lot of butter went into this bread. I may have overbaked my bread a little, I'm not too sure. Anyway, I like to eat this bread toasted with a spread of jam ... and cream cheese!  The leftovers were just perfect made into french toasts and I think would be good for bread & butter pudding as well.  If you intend to make this bread, you need to have patience and start preparing the dough a day earlier as this recipe requires overnight refrigeration of the bread dough before baking.


Cranberry Brioche Breakfast Plait

(Recipe adapted from Global Baker by Dean Brettsneider)

Makes 1 plait.

Ingredients:

250 grams strong bread flour

5 grams salt

25 grams sugar

5 grams/1 teaspoon dried yeast

4 small eggs, lightly beaten

125 grams softened butter, cut into small dice

150 grams dried cranberries

50 grams flaked almonds, for topping

Egg wash

1 egg

2 tablespoons water

  

Method:



Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a large bowl - make a well in the centre and stir in three-quarters of the egg to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes resting for 30 seconds every 2 - 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. This is to develop the protein structure of the flour.

Next, knead in the remaining egg slowly. The dough will move from being sticky & slimy to smooth, elastic and shiny over time.

Once this is done, slowly add in the butter bit by bit while kneading until the dough is elastic and silky.

Finally, knead cranberries into the dough.

Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size (may take about 1 hour).



Lightly flour your worktop, tip the risen dough onto it  and very gently fold the dough back onto itself  3 to 4 times. Return it to the lightly oiled bowl to rest, covered, overnight in the fridge (for 12 - 15 hours).

 

The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, cut it into three equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope. Then plait these ropes to form your loaf.

Place it onto a baking paper lined tray, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size (may take 2-3 hours).

Once risen, brush with the eggwash and sprinkle with flaked almonds.



Look how much it grew!



Bake in a preheated 200°C/350°F oven for about 20-25 minute or until golden and cooked through. (Cover the top of the plait with foil if it gets too brown).

Once baked, remove the plait from oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.

Done!

I am submitting this entry to 'Aspiring Bakers #8 - Bread Seduction' hosted by Jasmine of  'The Sweetylicious' (Details here).  Have any bread recipe you'd like to share? Do join in the fun too!

Baked Doughnuts

You'd be surprised how soft & moist these are! 



Baked doughnuts, anyone? Personally I prefer the deep fried ones, heck anything deep fried is yummy in my books, but if you're looking to save on cooking oil and you loathe cleaning up greasy mess, these baked doughnuts are for you! One thing though, if  you're watching your calories, these may not be as low fat as you may think and in my opinion certainly not that much healthier. For sure you'll feel less guilty but don't be fooled just because these doughnuts are baked instead of fried. They are really in fact not much lower in fat if you look at the butter content in the recipe and  furthermore, these doughnuts need to be brushed with additional melted butter once baked to keep the crust tender. If you're watching your weight and every little calorie counts, you shouldn't be eating a doughnut in the first place anyway! But who's counting? Certainly not me, not now ... later maybe. Haha!


I am submitting this entry to 'Aspiring Bakers #8 - Bread Seduction' hosted by sweet Jasmine of  'The Sweetylicious' (Details here).
Baked any bread this month? Do join in the fun too!


Baked Doughnuts
(Recipe adapted from Doughnuts by Lara Ferroni)



Makes  10 to 14 doughnuts

Ingredients:

1 egg
¼ cup (60gm) granulated sugar
1 cup milk, heated to 115 °F (46 °C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ to 3½ cups (300gm to 420gm) all purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 stick butter (4 ounces or 115gm), cut into 1″ cubes

Method:

In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the egg and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add in the milk, yeast, salt, and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low, and then add in 2 cups of the flour. Attach the dough hook and then on medium speed, add the butter one piece at a time until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, and then add the rest of the flour until the dough sticks to the hook and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It should be soft and moist, but not sticky.
Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a mixing bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with a damp towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Punch down the dough and roll it out to about ½” thickness. With doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3″ circles with 1″ holes.
Preheat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the doughnuts 1″ apart. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Bake until light golden in color, 5-8 minutes. Brush with melted butter and then coat with icing sugar or glaze of your choice. Serve immediately. Doughnuts are best eaten while still warm.

Note:
I let my stand mixer do the kneading using  the dough hook on medium speed. I used  a mixture of bread flour and all purpose flour just because I didn't have enough of all purpose flour on hand. I used a total  of 3 1/2  cups flour. I also needed a longer baking time for my doughnuts to turn light golden brown about 12 minutes (but that's just my oven).

Rich Shortbread Apple Crumble Pie

Rich & buttery, not your traditional kind of apple pie!

Last week, I made an apple pie using homemade apple pie filling from my Mom. If you ever get apples which turn out bland tasting, don't waste and throw them away. Do what my Mom did, make apple pie filling. Unless of course, you have rotten apples!

I don't have a proper recipe for the apple pie filling but here's a rough idea on how my Mom made it. Cut the apples into even chunks. Big or small chunks, it's up to you. In a saucepan, put in the diced apples, add water just enough to cover the apples. Add sugar and spices (cinnamon & nutmeg) to your taste. Simmer until the apples are cooked to your desired firmness and the juices are reduced. Add cornflour and cook a while more to thicken (It should not be watery!) That's it, there's your apple pie filling.

Now on to the crust. I'd like to share a very easy recipe (adapted from Allrecipes here) which makes a rich shortbread crust and the most scrummy crumble topping for an apple pie ...or any fruit pie really. My Daughter G couldn't stop telling me how much she loved the pie and everyone I served the pie to raved about the cumble topping. This recipe makes enough crust mixture to cover the base & sides of an 8 inch pie pan and for the crumble topping. But if I were to make this again next time, I'd most probably omit making the crust for the base & sides and use all the crust mixture for the crumble topping! We just can't have enough of the delicious crumble topping!

Rich Shortbread Apple Crumble Pie
(recipe adapted from Allrecipes here)

Ingredients:

about 600g apple pie filling - more if you prefer! (either homemade or store bought canned filling)
250g all-purpose flour

100g  white caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

170g chilled butter, diced

2 egg yolks, beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C.
2. Sift four, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in egg yolks (mixture will be crumbly). Remove 1/4 of mixture, and set aside. Press remainder onto bottom and sides of an 8 inch tart shell or pie pan. Using the tines of a fork, poke holes all over the  crust base. Then bake for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the half baked crust from the oven. Reduce heat to 175 °C.
4. Place apples onto crust, and sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over the top.
5. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream or custard sauce. Enjoy!

Black & White Mousse Cake

Have you ever wondered how the oreo cookies got their deep dark black colour? Well, the secret lies in the use of  black cocoa powder. It is essentially  a super alkalized cocoa powder. Normal alkalized cocoa powder which is known as Dutch process cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been treated with alkali solution to neutralize their acidity, and thus, creates cocoa powder that is darker in colour and milder and less bitter in flavour as compared to natural cocoa powder which is simply made from ground roasted cocoa beans. The more alkaline it is the darker the cocoa becomes. Hence, from super alkalizing  or extreme Dutch processing you get black cocoa powder. The black cocoa powder is used mostly for its color and not for its flavor. On its own the black cocoa powder has very little cocoa flavor and it leaves a soapy aftertaste - and in my opinion it also tastes like charcoal. Therefore it is recommended that the black cocoa powder  is used mixed with another cocoa powder either natural or regular Dutch process  in your bakings.




Sometime back, on a regular haunt at my local baking supply store I had come across this black cocoa powder for the very first time. It's the darkest blackest cocoa powder I've seen. Coming from a small town some baking ingredients can be really hard to come by. Fearing that it may not  be restocked,  I grabbed a packet eventhough I had no idea what to do with it. Needless to say  it remained stashed away in my kitchen pantry with no purpose until now. Blame it on impulsive (kiasu) buying! Heh. Thanks to Aspiring Bakers I've finally used the black cocoa powder - though I barely made a dent. I made a black chocolate sponge cake, split then layered with white chocolate mousse before finishing off with a covering of shiny black chocolate glaze. I really love the how the cake looked. The visual contrast of the black and white was so striking and mesmerizing. Love it!

This will be my entry for this month's Aspiring Bakers#7 - Chocolate Delight (May 2011) hosted by DG from Tested & Tasted. Do join in the fun and show off your gorgeous bakes!


Black Chocolate Sponge Cake (Adapted from here)
2 large eggs
67g caster sugar

1/2 tbs liquid glucose

1/8 tsp salt 

2 tbs vegetable oil
5g cocoa powder
5g black cocoa powder
53 g cake flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbs milk

White Chocolate Mousse (Adapted from the cookbook Baking Code by Alex Goh)

50g milk

20g sugar

1 egg yolk

60g white couverture chocolate (melted)
2 tsp gelatine
30g water
140g whipped cream


Chocolate Glaze
1/2 tbs gelatin powder
60g heavy cream
60g granulated sugar
50g water
20g unsweetened cocoa powder
10g black cocoa powder


Method:

Black Chocolate Sponge Cake: Preheat oven to 170°C. Prepare a 6 inch  round baking tin with removable base.Gently warm up vegetable oil, mix in the cocoa powder and the black chocoa powder. Set aside. Whip eggs,caster sugar and salt at high speed until sugar dissolved. Add in the liquid glucose and continue whipping till ribbon stage- (Very important! The mixture must be well beaten till very fluffy and thick. When the beater is lifted, it leaves a riboon like trail that will dissipate into the batter after a count of ten). Sift in  flour and baking soda, mix at medium speed for 20 seconds until just combined.
In another  bowl, take some batter and mix with the cocoa mixture together with the milk until well blended. Pour back into the batter and fold in until well combined. Pour batter into tin and bake for about 25 minutes  or when skewer comes out clean when tested. Remove from oven and cool upside down on a wire rack. Once cooled, remove cake from tin.

White Chocolate Mousse: Bring milk to boil. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolk and sugar. Gradually pour in the boiling milk, mix well. Then pour back into the pan and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Mix in the melted white chocolate and set aside. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over the water and set aside for the gelatine to soften. Then place over double boiler and cook until gelatine has completely melted. Now combine the dissolved gelatine with the white chocolate mixture.Cool over ice water to 30°C. Fold in the whipped ceam.

Chocolate Glaze: In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1 & 1/2 tablespoon water. Set aside to soften. In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, sugar, water and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add in the softened gelatin. Mix well then sieve. Let cool a while. Once the mixture has thicken, use immediately.

Assembly: Line a 6" removable base cake tin or cake ring with a piece of sponge cake. Pour in half the mousse then lay another piece of sponge cake before topping with the remainder of mousse. Cover and chill in the fridge until the mousse set. Once set, remove the cake tin/cake ring. Make the chocolate glaze then pour over the whole cake to cover. Leave a while for the glaze to set then keep in the fridge to chill before serving. Decorate as desired.