Mocha Butter Cupcakes

Hi my fellow readers...I'm back! There were quite a lot things happened the past few weeks! My mother-in-law has passed away peacefully 2 weeks ago and we were all back in hometown for almost a week for her funeral. And finally when everything was settled and what's more....I have to start doing revisions with my daughter's coming school term exams. 

Well, no matter how busy I am, I will not forget to bake or cook for my family. And here is a simple and quick mocha marble butter cupcakes for our afternoon tea yesterday.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
200g butter
180g castor sugar
250g self raising flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup full cream milk
2 tbsps mocha paste
2 tbsps melted chocolate

How to make mocha paste:
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tbsp espresso
1 tbsp instant coffee powder (i used nescafe)
~ Mix together to make a smooth paste

Method:
~ Preheat oven at 170'C
~ Melt the chocolate in a double boiler then remove from heat and add in mocha paste. Mix well and set aside.
~ Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy then add in eggs one at a time.
~ At low speed add in flour and milk alternately, always starts and ends with dry ingredients: (this is to get a smooth texture of the cake)
~ Take out 1/4 portion or less of the batter and mix well the mocha mixture. Mix well.
~ Spoon a tablespoonful butter batter into prepared paper cups then another tablespoonful of mocha batter then cover the top with alittle more butter batter. (remember only filled up 3/4 full of the paper cups) 
~ Use a fork and make a swirl from the bottom of the cupcake.
~ Bake at 170'C for 25 minutes.

I enjoyed this with a cup of my favourite Long Black!

Cheers!

Sticky Rice （糯米饭）

On the fifteen day of the Chines New Year, Chap Goh Mei and also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, attracts singletons who throw oranges into the sea in hopes of finding their true soul mates. Anyway, I have never done it...haha! What about you??...^^"

We just used to cooked our favourite food and celebrate!!

What are you cooking today for the celebration? In our Chinese tradition, we used to eat the sticky rice ball (tang yuan) on this day but I've forgotten bout that and replaced it with this Sticky Rice instead.

One of my mom's recipe which I love so much!

Ingredients:

300g Glutinious rice (soaked for 1-2 hours and drained)

10 shallots (diced)

2 stalks chinese sausages (lap-cheong) (cut into small pieces)

6 chinese mushrooms (soaked, diced)

50g dried shrimps (soaked)

3 pieces dried beancurd (diced)

100ml water (may need more or less to just enough to cover the rice)

** rosted peanuts (garnished)

Seasoning:

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsps chicken stalk powder

little sugar and salt to taste

2 tsps light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

***Ingredients & seasoning are up to individual whether you prefer a stronger taste of mushrooms or chinese sausages.

Method:
~ Saute the shallots until fragnant then add in all the other ingredients (except the rice) and stir fry for awhile.
~ Add in the rice and seasoning and mix well under medium heat.
~ Add in 100ml water and mix well.
~ Transfer the rice into a round pan and steam at medium heat for 30 minutes.
** check if the rice are not well cook, may add alittle more water into the rice and continue to steam
~ Dish up and add some roasted peanuts and serve!!

What's more?! It's more than to serve my whole family as they love this dish so much!
This will only takes you 30 miutes to prepare and another 30 minutes to steam...easy and delicious.

Happy Chap Goh Mei!!