Steamed Coconut Blossom Cake

Is been a lazy sunday, not much to do in the morning. Since my husband got to work today, so no shopping or a nice relax breakfast at the cafe we like...:(...Well, seems like baking and cooking will occupied my time..:)
Just a quick and easy cake for me and my daughter later....hmm...how easy was it? Okay, its just beat, spoon and steam! Sounds easy ha!! Here it goes.....



Got this recipe fr my favourite book again, 'Bake with Yen'...
Its kind of a traditional cup cake, like those Chinese used for praying or to celebrate Chinese New Year. You know those "fatt gao", well, its something like that. But this is alitte different in the filling and slightly changes in the texture.
Note that the sugar shouldn't be reduce here, it might cause the fluffy texture you want.
As you can see in my pictures here, it suppose to be more fluffy after steaming, this was because i reduced the sugar and the cake doesn't has enough sweetness.
So don't worry about the sugar amount here, its just nice!

Ingedients for filling:

100g Gula melaka
30g Fine sugar
60ml Water
150g Grated coconut
1/2 tsp Cornflour (diluted in alittle water)
Few pandan leaves

Method:
~ Boil water, gula melaka, sugar and pandan leaves until all sugar melted properly
~ Add in grated coconut and mix well.
~ Add in the cornflour mixture and stir well, off fire. Cool aside.

Ingredients for the cake:

3 Cold eggs (size A)
250g fine granulated sugar
280g Cake flour
2 tsps Baking powder
1 tsp Ovallete
170g Coconut milk
1tsp Pandan paste

** Some half glaced cherries for deco.

Method:
~ Beat all ingredients together for 6-7 minutes on high speed until fluffy.
( Texture should be fluffy and sticky)
~ Line small round aluminium containers (i used egg tarts mould) with paper cups and spoon batter until half full.
~ Place some filling then cover the filling with some batter and top with half glaced cherry.
~ Steam on high heat for 15 minutes.
~ After steamed, transfer to the wire rack immediately to cool. (without the aluminium mould)



See the texture here....its soft and flavourable when bite together with the coconut filling. Do have a try, its really good...:) Cheers!

Lucky me!!

"PHEW" at last!! I'm so depressed and frustrated yesterday......:( Why??....
I've been trying out to make a swiss roll which my dear friend gave me the recipe quite some time ago. And you know what happen??......I threw all the sponge after 4 attempts...'sign'..:(
Well, it seems not difficult when i look into the method, but I don't know what happen. I just cannot get it, all the sponges turned out terrible.
At last, my dear friend came for my rescue...hee hee! Sounds like a prince rescueing his princess..ha ha!
I'm really blessed with good friends around, whenever i need help, they'll sure lend a hand.

Okay, this recipe is from my dear friend, honeybeesweets (mango swiss roll). She even showed me the method of mixing the batter, step by step...lucky me ha!
Thank you so much, BB....:) I'm so happy when i see the sponge rising i my oven....really happy!

See, at last! Anyway i'm not really good at rolling the sponge, but I'll keep trying..:p

Maybe tomorrow will try another flavour of the swiss roll.....pandan or chocolate...hmm....can't wait to go get those ingredients..haha!

Wish me luck!!

Holiday treat...:)

What a holiday! Have been back to home town since last weekend. Staying at my sister's home......actually the kids enjoyed the most..:)
So busy with the daily routine there.....hee hee! ...Yep...chatting....we talk and talk from morning till the sun goes down....just imagine...i almost lost my voice. Ha ha! And of course not to forget....EATING! Thats the most enjoying part. Besides cooking and baking at home, we went buffet dinner the 1st day, then buffet brunch for the following day...hmm, don't dare to weigh myself now...haha!
We have been baking all the old recipes for our parents and friends there. So busy in the kitchen almost everyday. But really enjoy it, especially when you have company.

Today, we are back...."home-sweet-home", quiet and relax....laying down on my lazy chair with a cup of ice cream...yum yum...:p..Ya ya, don't remind me about the calories...just eat larr...haha!

I've made this strawberry ice cream last week before i left home. Kept in my freezer until today, without trying. Well, its the first ice cream i ever make. Its not as smooth as those selling outside, but i'm quite satisfy with it. Even my daughter love it! Kids ha...always tempting for ice creams.

Maybe next time will try some other flavours, such as chocolate or vanilla...That's my favourite..hee hee..:)

Btw, here's the recipe for my reference.....

Ingredients:

400g Evaporated milk

200g Double cream

200g Fresh milk

100g Icing sugar ( May add more if you like sweeter)

3 drops Strawberry flavour

50g Dried strawberries or fresh strawberries (optional)-chunks

Method:

~ Mix well all the ingredients in a big bowl

~ Then keep in the freezer for 2 hours

~ Take out the mixture after 2 hours, and whip with the mixer until its double the volume at high speed. ( This takes about 10 minutes)

~ Pour in an airtight container and freeze at least half a day.

Enjoy!!

Pandan Kaya Roll

Hey there, i have been very active baking, cooking and eating lately...haha! Maybe after a week break, i miss my kitchen and the oven so much...;p
Anyway my daughter has been asking for breads, cookies...etc. etc....:) It was since after she recovered from her sickness. I think its a good sign, since she can eats! Well, she has been giving me her menu everyday....for her breakfast and dinner. No lunch....cause she used to have her lunch in school. Or else, i'll be in the kitchen the whole day...haha!

Today, she said she wants some bread to school tomorrow. Well, since all the while she had brought redbean buns to school, this time will have something different..:) Pandan Kaya Roll!
Hmm...she loves kaya, as same as my husband....except me..hee hee!
Last week i tried one of the recipe from my dear friend, honeybeesweet's Pandan Kaya loaf with crumble topping. It was great, her recipe was wonderful. The loaf was gone in 3 hours...haha! If any of you haven't try that yet, you should give it a try. Really delicious.
So today i want to try another recipe, its also pandan kaya bread, but its in small roll. This was from a book i have, "DIY Home Bread". It looks nice and simple, so decided to give it a try....


Here's the recipe..........
350g Bread flour
5g Milk powder
48g Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
30g Egg
200g Cold Water
6g Instant yeast
3 drops Pandan flavour
20g Santan powder
30g Unsalted butter

* Some Pandan kaya
* Alittle melted butter, for coating at the end.
* Alittle dessicated coconut (optional)

Method:
~ Mix all ingredients together except butter and kaya.
~ When it forms almost a dough, add in butter
~ Knead until it forms a fine dough (if using a mixer, need about 10 minutes on high speed)
~ Cover and prove for 1 hour in a greased bowl.
~ Divide dough into 30g each, flatten the dough to allow air bubbles escape.
~ Spread alittle pandan kaya on the flatten dough, then roll up like a swiss roll
~ Arrange closely onto the greased tray and let prove another 30 minutes, until its well prove.
~ All the bun stripes should be stick to each other after proved, then spray some water on top of the buns
~ Pipe some kaya on top and spread some dessicated coconut on top if desire.
~ Bake at 180'C for 20-25 minutes.
~ Once baked, apply melted butter on the buns.
~ Place on wire rack to cool completely.



See the texture here...its really soft. the whole kitchen was filled with pandan kaya aroma....:)
My daughter once smell it....said 'YUMMY'! haha!



Of course i've brought some for my friends to test it out. Yup, they said nice....heehee!
Guess i have to make this again this weekend for my in-laws..;p Good-day...:)

Classic Mousse with Chocolate sponge

Hmm.....have been craving for chocolate lately. My dear friend has passed me some rich and nice chocolate from Singapore. I don't know why they don't sell it here....???
I don't want to waste it on something i'm not confident with, so i came up with this Classic Chocolate Mousse....Actually it was a recipe i searched online long time ago, but can't really remember the add of it. I remembered it was with a video, which i can see exactly how to make the mousse. I did jot down the details of it, keep it until now without trying...haha!



Here's the recipe...

120g Good quality Chocolate
30g Unsalted butter
6 Egg yolks
6 Egg whites
1tbsp Sugar
1 cup Whipped Cream

Method:
~ Double boil (melted) the chocolate, add in butter and stir well
~ Cool the chocolate slightly then add in egg yolks one at a time, mix well
~ Whisk egg white until they are foamy and begining to hold a shape
~ Add in sugar and beat until soft peak formed
~ Add into the chocolate mixture (separate the egg whites into 3 portion, so that its easier to mix)
~ Fold gently in one direction
~ Whipped cream until soft peak form, add into mixture ( same as mixing the egg whites)
~ Fold gently until well combine
~ Spoons into cups or cake tin then chill till harden

** I spoons into cups then placed a thin slice of chocolate sponge cakein the middle and topped with the mousse again.
** For the cake, i used a 4.5" round tin, add a thin layer at the base then layered with mousse. Then add another layer of cake and topped with the mousse again

For the sponge...........
125g Eggs
63g Sugar
55g Cake flour
25ml Water
8g cocoa powder
30g Melted butter

Method:
~ Whisk at high speed the eggs, sugar, flour and water until light and fluffy
~ Lastly fold in the melted butter which is already mixed with cocoa powder
~ Pour mixture into a flat square or round 9" pan lined with cake paper.
~ Bake at 180'C for 25-30 minutes
** May cut the cake into 2 layers if its too thick



Result?!.....Its great! Everybody loves it!...:)
Especially the kids...my daughter said its an ice cream cake...;p. My husband likes it too....YES! That's the most important comment..huh!...hee hee!
Anyway, i'm quite happy with it too....:)


Its simple and delicious! This is not sweet at all, and its worth a try! Enjoy!!....:)

Cornflakes Cookies

Have beed craving for snacks lately. I used to have lots of snacks in my cupboard...heehee! You can imagine how fat i am...haha! Well, my mouth just tend to be very itchy whenever i'm free, especially when watching the tv or writing my blogs..:)
I always baked a few batches of cookies to store in the cupboard, yea...i'll never get hungry even though i din go out for a week...;p
This cookie is one of my favourite. I always bake this for friends and family especially during Chinese New Year. But it seems like Chinese New Year still has a long way to go...Oh did you know that next year's Chinese New Year falls on the Valentines Day?!...Hmm...wonder how are we going to celebrate ha....:)

This recipe is from my mother's friend, whom she baked this for sale. We are so lucky that she willing to share her recipe with us. Well, you know, those who bakes for bussiness don't usually share their secret recipes. And i'm so happy that my dear friend told me that her kids love this cookies so much ....YIPPIE!!!
Okay, here the recipe goes....

Ingredients:
180g Sugar
250g Butter
3 Egg yolks
200g Plain cornflakes (crushed)
200g Cookie flour
60g Cornflour
60g Tapioca flour
1 tsp Baking soda
2tsps Vanilla essence
** Sugar has been reduced here

Method:
~ Cream butter and sugar till creamy
~ Add in egg yolks and cornflakes, continue to mix at low speed until well mixed.
~ Fold in slowly all flour ingredients
~ Then add in vanilla essence and mix well until form a soft dough.
**Texture should be creamy and sticky
~ Spoon into cookie paper cups or just spoon it on the tray lined with parchment paper.
~ Top with cherries if desire
~ Bake at 170'C for 20-25 mins or until golden brown

** Note that when spooning into the paper cups or tray, do not press the cookies, or else the texture will be hard.

** And also note that, do not crushed the cornflakes too fine, or else it'll melt into the cookies

So far all my friends love it, with the creamy and buttery texture and the crunch of the cornflakes. Try it and you'll know...:) Enjoy!

Carrot "CUP" Cake

My husband was bored of my bread baking lately, heehee! He has suggested few recipes, but not bread...haha! I just happy with my bread making lately, you know...with the soft texture...;p
That is why i keep making bread, and my daughter loves it!
Without really having planned it, I realise i have all the ingredients in my cupboard and those carrots in my fridge, just nice for this carrot cake...:) Hopefully this will satisfy him...;)




Instead of baking it in a round or square tin, I was wondering how it looks like when bake them in paper cups. So here it goes.....
This recipe is from my favourite book "Bake with Yen".....Anyway, my friends out there, this the recipe for you....

Ingredients:
4 Eggs (separated)
1.5 cups Corn oil
88g Castor sugar
80g Brown sugar
1.5 cups grated carrots

(Sift together)
250g Cake flour
2 tsps Mixed spice
1.5 tsps Baking soda
1 tsp Salt

100g Chopped walnuts

Method:
~ Beat egg yolks for about 5 minutes, add in corn oil, sugar, carrots and mix well.
~ Stir in dry ingredients together with the chopped walnuts and mix well.
~ Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into cake mixture
~ Pour into a lined and greased 9" round baking tin and bake at 180'C for 45 minutes.
**I'm using paper cupcakes here, which i only bake for 30 minutes at 180'C
~ When baked, allow to cool completely before top with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese frosting
Ingredients:
120g Butter
250g Cream cheese
120g Icing sugar

Method:
~ Cream butter and cheese until light and fluffy
~ Add in icing sugar and continue to cream till smooth


Don't they look nice?! Ya...i like it. And the little carrot?? Hee hee, i've played with some fondant, which was my first time. I was rather nervous at first, and was thinking whether to call my friend to come over for help...:p Well, my daughter was beside me when i was making the fondant, and she said "Mummy, you playing play-dough arr..." haha! It really looks like her play-dough set...So without disturbing mt friend, i just moved on...
Result??...okay lorr, satisfied larr....:)

This cake is really light and tasty...and its just nice to have a piece for dessert, which i'm going to now...:) Enjoy!!

What a relieve.................

Has been a week worrying about my daughter. She was sick...flu, cough and fewer. Gosh...when you heard of those symtoms, you'll say..."OMG is she with H1N1??" Okay we did the test, waited for so long that day in hospital....luckily she was fine. According to her doctor, when someone has the normal (human) flu will also will get the same result..."Influenza A+".
But since my daughter's fewer was just 38'C., and she recovered after the 1st medication. Thank God!
To be safe, i have to quarantine her for a week...yea, she missed her school and all the activities..:( Nowadays, we have to be very careful and drinks lots of water, take more vitamin C. The virus is everywhere and it spread too fast that we can't imagine.

Back to my kitchen...i miss my oven...heehee! Have been thinking whether to bake or not to bake. I wonder if i share my baking with my friends, will they consider to eat or not to eat...haha!
Okay, to my very dear friends out there, just want to let you know that we are safe and healthy. Don't worry!!

Anyway i can't wait to bake something i long for....Cinnnamon Roll...yummy! Actually i wanted to bake this the week before....but due to my daughter's sickness....hmm, all the ingredients have been in the cupboard, waiting for me...;p
Guess today is the time.....




Waiting to double the sizes before baking....don't they look nice?!...:)

Got this recipe from the book, "Home Bread DIY", with some changes i've made......

Ingredients:
280g Bread Flour
15g Milk powder
56g Castor Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
68g Water (Room temperature)
6g Instant yeast
100g Fresh milk
50g Unsalted butter

Spreading: (mix well)...the portion for this mixture can be more if you like
* 3 tbsps cinnamon powder
* 3 tbsps Brown sugar
* 20g Black raisins

**Alittle melted butter (for spreading the flat dough before sprinkle the cinnamon powder)

Method:
~ Combine all the ingredients except butter to forms almost a dough.
~ Add in butter and knead until it form a fine and elastic dough.
~ Leave to proof for 1 hour.
~ Transform the dough to freezer for 15 minutes
~ Roll in flat sheet, spread with melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon mixture and raisins
~ Roll up like a swiss roll
~ Cut into sections according to the cups or aluminium foil cups that you are using.
( I used the medium size muffin tray here)
~ Let it prove double in size, about 30 minutes.
~ Bake at 190'C for 15 minutes.

** May rub the top with melted butter before baking if desire.

Ready to eat....yum yum! I didn't rub the top with melted butter here, so it looks alittle dry. But i can say the texture is good. Do have a try, cause this is really simple and really deilicious....;) Cheers!

Mini Paus

My daughter has been asking for paus lately. Nowadays she'll give me her menu, almost everyday, saying what to cook for her....;p Yea, she loves to eat! haha!
Instead of the normal sizes i've been making, today i'll just make it into mini sizes (but its still too big, i should have make it smaller)..;p
Then, i just play the dough with some colours, pink and green, my daughter's favourite...:)
A little of the strawberry flavour was added to a portion of the dough, also some pandan paste for another portion, and keep some for the normal plain ones. Wonder how it taste like for the strawberry ones, looks nice....heehee!



Well, after steaming i tried each of the paus immediately, i still prefer the plain ones though.
But my daughter said the pink ones were her favourite....."it taste so nice, mummy!" That was her first comment to me...:) I was so happy that she loves it so much.
Guess all mothers always hope their love ones like her cooking and baking....;) I did, and it makes me want to cook more for them. Am wondering what to make tomorrow....haha!



With the pandan flavour of pastry, i find it taste nicer with some lotus filling, don't you?! But the colour here is alittle too light, i should have add more to it. The strawberries ones, are lovely here. The colour and the taste just goes well with the red-bean paste. Not to mention about the plain ones larr.....its definetely GOOD!!
Maybe next time i'll try some peanuts filling for the pandan pastry....hmm..;)


All the pastries and ingredients here are from my previous post..."Paus". Except the flavouring added....:) Have you try any paus recipe yet?? Go ahead, try it out....you'll definitely satisfy with this...;)

An Opportunity

Today i've been given an opportunity to make a cake for my father-in-law's birthday. Since last 2 days i've been looking for a suitable birthday cake recipe from my collection books. I have to make something not too sweet, not too creamy and a cake that doesn't melt....;p Hahaha! You must be wondering why?! It was because i have to bring the cake back for him in Seremban, which will be 1 hour drive from my place. Well, its not too far, but those simple chill cakes will not be in the list, and futher more my father-in-law doesn't like cheese.
Okay, so this came to my mind then... a simple non-dairy whipping cream + some melted white chococlate cream and some strawberry decorations....;)



Well, i admit that this cake looks ugly...haha! See my finished work was terrible here...heehee!
But the taste was good....guess we can't judge by looking at the outside..:p
With some strawberry chunks and jam + some mashmellows for the filling....yes, it does taste good..;) Everybody loves it..."PHEW"....!!
I have to post this here, for my own reference. At least i can see my improvement in the future.