Steamed Rice Cake

Another one of my “hop back to traditional goodies” post These certainly brings back memories! Yum! Was suppose to purchase Glutinous rice flour to make more Ang Koo Kueh, but by mistake, Mummy bought 2 packets of Rice Flour!

Since i have 2 packets on hand to play with, i started to hunt and for recipes, and spotted this on <Chow Times>

1st thought >> “Must make!”

2nd thought >> “Must eat them with that orange-colored sugar”

LOL, i seriously dunnoe what is the name of this sugar. =X anyone able to help here?

I had mine together with some sweet coconut fillings as well =D

Verdict?
Only regret is that……….

i should have made some in pink! :X

Buttermilk Country Cake

Ran out of cereals this week, and yet to purchase more for breakfast with a 2Litre bottle of fresh milk sitting in the fridge, i decided to make use of it to make something~ *wink*  Ran through the list, and set my heart to bake this cake by Aunty Yochana! the name of this cake makes me hungry~ country-style cake? must be something traditional and yummy!

Supposed to bake this in round cake pan, however with my chiffon pan just within reach, i decide to be lazy for now. Comparing mine and aunty yochana’s, mine seems to have a darker crust. same temperature and time, i guess either my oven temperature is higher than it supposed to be or baking in a chiffon pan caused the cake to brown ahead of time. :X But surprisingly, the cake turned out really soft and moist! love it this way, nice crumbs on the outside, soft and moist on the inside. DELICIOUS!

Made my own buttermilk, by adding 1 tablespoon of freshly squeeze lemon juice to the milk. added the lemon zest to the cake as well gives a refreshing taste in every bite. Interested in getting the recipe? Visit <aunty yochana’s> wonderful blog! or here~

Ingredients:
80g egg yolks (about 4 small sized egg yolks)
160g buttermilk (i used, 160g low fat fresh milk + 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, set it aside for 10mins before use)
5g vanilla (1 tsp) (replaced with 1 tsp of vanilla extract)
200g sifted cake flour
200g sugar (reduced to 100g)
15g baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
120g butter

1 whole lemon zest (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 Degree C.
2. In a bowl, lightly combine the yolks with 40 ml. of the buttermilk.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 secs to blend.
4. Add the butter and remaining buttermilk. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed and beat for 2 mins. to aerate and develop the cake’s structure.
5. Gradually add in the egg yolk mixture and beat for another min.
6. Pour batter into an 8″ round pan and bake for about 50 to 60 mins. or till skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 mins then invert the cake onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

Verdict?
GOooooooood! I am so satisfied after baking this cake~ Thanks Aunty Yochana!  *munch* i am glad i tried this recipe + adding the lemon zest makes this cake so refreshing~ KEEPER!

- .: Baker Lee :.

Paper-Lined Sponge Cake

Typically found in traditional Chinese bakery, paper-Lined sponge cake is a Chinese style sponge cake which have a rich egg taste, baked in a paper cup/ muffin cup lined with baking/greaseproof paper.

Spotted this wonderful Recipe from Baking Mum/HugBear’s Blog and has been on my to-do list for a long time For this period of time, i’m in a “Retro/oldies” mood, been doing alot of traditional bakes, kuehs and all… Therefore i decided to make these…. I’m really AMAZED by the results! such simple ingredients…. simple steps…. and best of all AMAZING results! Check out the texture of the cake!

*float around* i love the texture of this cake! so yummy, taste really good on its own. Lined in paper makes it really easy for consumption as well. U should all try this! Visit <HugBear’s Blog> for the recipe and all her yummy goodies or get it here!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
100g cake flour
100g castor sugar
12g spongecake stabliser
25g milk
90g melted butter (reduced to 50g, As i ran out of butter )

Steps:

1. Put all the ingredients except the melted butter into a mixing bowl.
2. Beat everything on high for at least 7 mins until ribbon stage. This means that if you use your whisk with batter to write an “8″ on the batter won’t sink in but will appear visible for a while. This will be the right constitency for your batter.
3. Add in melted butter at this stage and mix in thoroughly.
4. Line some waxed papercups with baking paper.
5. Pour batter into the lined cups abt 3/4 full and bake it in a preheated oven at 190C for about 20 mins. When done, remove the cake from the cup immediately and leave it on wire rack to cool.

Verdict?
Even with the fats reduction, the cake still turns out really soft and YUMMILICIOUS! KEEEEEEEPER! Thanks HugBear! Loved it!

- .: Baker Lee :.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Time flies indeed… so quickly… that it seems impossible… okie~ This is my 100th post! and yes, i have not been posting… cant seem to find enough time for myself, let alone bake or cook! =/ somehow i’m enjoying this buzzing around and unknowingly…. it has been 5 weeks since i started work! yea… no longer the University Undergrad with the privilege to skip or be late for lectures *cover mouth* But a responsible young working adult, that reports to work On time (i try to!) and leave NOT on time. >.<

Decided on making a chiffon cake for my 100th post, they might seem plain and simple…. and may seem boring and standard, but inside, it can be flavorful. To make a successful chiffon cake it is not that easy as well! This orange chiffon cake is a recipe shared by Florence of <Do What I Like> and Florence claims that this recipe tasted better than the ones Bengawan Solo sells!

Ingredients:
(21cm Tube pan)
115g Cake Flour
3/4 tsp Baking powder

85ml Warm orange juice
Finely grated zest of 1.5 large orange

5 egg yolks + 30g castor sugar + Salt 1/4 tsp
5 egg whites + 50g castor sugar + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

60ml Corn oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence or 2 tsp Rum

Steps:

1. Sieve flour and baking powder.
2. Whisk egg yolk, sugar and salt until creamy and light in colour.
3. Add in corn oil, warm orange juice and rum. Mixed well.
4. Fold in Flour mixture, followed by Orange zest.
5. In another mixing bowl, Beat egg white with electric beater until big bubbles formed.
6. Add in Sugar gradually and beat till soft peak.
7. Add in cream of tartar and beat till stiff peak.
8. Fold 1/2 of the egg white mixture into egg yolk and flour mixture. Gently fold till combined.
9. Fold in the remaining egg white mixture and gently combine.
10. Bake at 175C for 45 minutes or until cooked.
11. Invert the cooked cake during cooling process.

Verdict?

Never tasted Bengawan Solo Orange chiffon cake, therefore i’m in no position to judge! but… it is indeed soft, fluffy and delicious! My mum loves it! I personally felt that is something healthier compared to pandan chiffon cake :p and yes… the whole cake was consumed in 3hrs! =X

- .: Baker Lee :.

Coconut Orange Cake

15/06/2008

Happy Fathers’ Day
*clap* to all the fathers out there!

woke up at 6am to make this cake, managed to complete the baking and assembling process just in time for breakfast. (^^,) Spotted this <<recipe>> sometime back on Pamela‘s Blog, love the idea of coconut and orange~ *drool* i’m sure it will be a hit with my parents. I immediately decided to make this on Father’s day, bookmarked the recipe and waited for the day to arrive!

Pamela shared 2 method to make this cake, i opt for the 1st method, which produced, light, moist and fluffy cake. Instead of the frosting, i replace it with coconut ganache recipe taken from The Australian woman’s weekly which i have been wanting to try. Sliced the cake into 2 layers, ganache was spread on the cake, in between the layers and top off with some fresh grated coconut.

Ingredients:

Cake:
2 eggs
125g butter (softened)
50g dried schredded coconut
250g sugar
180g self raising flour
1 tbsp orange zest
250ml milk

Coconut Ganache:
70ml Coconut Cream
180g white chocolate
1 tsp Orange zest

Grated Coconut (toppings)
Blackcurrent Preserve (optional)
Steps:

1. Separate the egg white and egg yolk.
2. Beat the egg yolk, softened butter and sugar together in a big bowl till it is creamy and fluffy.
3. Stir in the grated orange peel and the shredded coconut and then add in the flour.
4. Pour in the milk and stir till combined.
5. Beat the egg white until stiff peaks formed. Fold it into the mixture till combined.
6. Bake it for about 60 minutes until the wooden stick comes out clean.
7. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out on the wire rack.
8. Coconut ganache: Over a double boiler, melt and combine all the ingredients, till smooth consistency reached.
9. Once the cake is of room temperature, Spread coconut ganache and decorate as desired.

Verdict?
I reduced the sugar called for in the cake by 1/2, as i’m using the ganache which i’m sure will be pretty sweet and also replaced the dried shredded coconut called for with fresh grated coconut. My family loved the cake! But i find the ganache itself too sweet for my liking~ =X the cake was delicious~ before the spreading of the ganache, the cake itself was light and soft, after the ganache sandwich in between the layers, it kind of makes the cake wet. =( bad choice of frosting by me! But i’m sure plain undecorated version makes really good tea cake. Thanks Pamela! wonderful recipe! Kept a quarter of the cake in the fridge, due to the ganache the cake hardens quite abit in the fridge, therefore, it will be better to consume it, within the same day it is being assembled.

- .: Baker Lee :.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

One of the recipes i bookmarked sometime back, shared by Happy Home Baker. Chocolate and cheese! the thought of it makes me drool! *wipe of saliva* Made these into muffin size, so that i can easily share them (^.^v) One of the easiest cheesecake recipes i tried so far, other than those non-bake cheesecakes.

Love the fact that each of these are unique, it is rather impossible to have exactly 2 with the same swirl style which makes these pretty exciting and enjoyable to look at. The urge to slice them just to check out the swirls inside is sooooooooo strong! *smack forehead*

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Mixture
250g cream cheese (soften at room temperature)
60g castor sugar
1 egg

Chocolate Mixture
180g butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoon cocoa powder
120g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Steps:

1. Preheat oven at 150°C.
2. Grease and line a 20cm round cake pan.
3. Cream Cheese Mixture – beat cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg gradually and beat until well incorporated. Set mixture aside.
4. Chocolate Mixture - Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated into mixture. Sieve all the dried ingredients together. Fold into the egg mixture.
5. Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the cake pan.
6. Pour all the cream cheese mixture and then the remaining chocolate mixture. Gently spread the chocolate mixture to cover all the cream cheese mixture. Using a skewer or toothpick, make a few swirls.
   
7. Bake for 45-50 min or until skewer comes out clean. Cool completely and chill in the fridge before serving.

Verdict?

I personally felt that these are pretty easy to whip up! and the swirls are fun to make~ *wink* Worth to make again! With the chocolate batter, the taste of the cheese ain’t that overpowering. Mum who doesn’t really cheesecake, help herself to 2 of these! Thanks Happy Home Baker for sharing this recipe! *curtsy*

- .: Baker Lee :.

Brownies IV

Bro having his PS3-gaming-throughout-the-night Session with some of his friends tonight, he actually requested for cookies. YES! Dorie’s chocolate chip cookies =/ it will be like my 4^th time in 2 weeks if I’m making them again. Rejected that request, 1stly, I’m behind time on my thesis! >.< and 2ndly, I love that cookie, enjoy the process of making them, but if I make them too often, I might turn myself into a cookie making robot that only produces 1 kind of cookie.

This is actually the same recipe as cakey brownies I’m always using. But instead of creaming the butter this time, I just simply melted it, throw in all the other ingredients, mix with a spoon. =X me being lazy here~ greatly shorten preparation time, simplified the whole process and it is a now a 1 bowl recipe. Added in 50g of chocolate chips as well and *drum roll* fudgey brownies!

Ingredients:

(A)
80g Butter (melted)
100g Sugar (I like it bittersweet, do feel free to increase it to your liking)
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

(B)
60g Plain Flour
30g Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Powder

50g chocolate chips
60g Chopped Walnuts

Some nuts for Toppings (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat Oven to 175 Degree C. Grease baking pan.
2. Mix all the ingredients in (A) till combined.
3. Sift ingredients in (A) into the mixture. Mix with a fork/spoon
4. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts, mix.
5. Pour the mixture into greased pan.
6. Bake for 20-25mins.

Verdict?
I’m lazy today anything simple + easy + less clean-up = GOOD… but I seriously feel fudgey taste better than cakey! =X moist, dense and chocolatey…

- .: Lazy Baker Lee :.

Banana Cupcakes

Banana craze? O.o it seems like everyone is either baking banana cakes/loafs or in the massive bread baking mood. *ponder* by coincidence I have 2 huge bunch of bananas sitting in the fruit basket and our dear always happy- nonsensical-crappy-friendly-yet we love classmate, Zheyan, will be celebrating the day he aged tml(10^th April) GOSH!! God thanks for this crappy chap in my life!

Always-nice-and-kind Amanda, plans to make him something… and being aware that he fancy bananas(maybe that’s the reason why he is at times nonsensical like a monkey?), I decided to make him banana cupcakes! no frosting and fancy deco, as we have class till 10pm today! *sulk* i wouldnt want him to bring home melted and messy looking cupcakes! So here’s my undecorated, simple, light soft, banana cupcake! take a look~

well, it’s actually a banana cake recipe! =X As I’m currently in the use-the-muffin-tray-for-everything mood, i made them into cupcakes! LOL, been making full use of the muffin tray! it’s easy work! easy clean up, shorter baking/steaming time, easy to consume, grab and go! In fact, I made <this> and <also this> recently again! As they are soooooo much loved by my family and friends. *wink*

This is shared kindly by aunt, yields light, soft banana cake. Checkout the texture! *drool* i love soft and fluffy cakes! erm… cupcakes! (^.^ V) keeping this recipe!

Ingredients:

225g Cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
150g butter
150g castor sugar
2 eggs, large
50ml milk
3 large bananas (mashed)

½ tsp banana essence (optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 175 Degree C and line muffin pan with paper cups.
2. Sift cake flour, baking soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream butter until light and creamy for about 5-8 minutes.
4. Add sugar and continue to mix until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
6. Stir in banana essence if you are using.
7. Beat in mashed bananas and milk.
8. Finally, fold in sifted flour into mixture.
9. Divide batter evenly into paper cups. Bake for 20 – 25mins or till an inserted skewer comes out clean.
10. Remove the pan from the oven. Rest for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes from the pan. Cool on wire rack.

**NOTE** if baking in loaf, increase baking time to 50-60mins.

Verdict?
Yum Yum! Amanda feels that they are delicious! light and soft indeed! but however, <steam banana cake> still wins hands down among all banana cakes! If you have a sweet tooth, do increase the sugar content. For me, this amount is sweet enough though. Btw, i did some “limited edition” version and Dorie’s Chocolate chip cookies <once> <again>. :X ohh side-track before i forget!

Happy B.day ZY!! May u be Blessed with everything and anything! *wink*

Back to the “limited edition”, it is centered with chocolate chips. The following image, may be disturbing! i apologize~ >.< it looks messy with the chocolate all over… =X but one can never go wrong with chocolate yea?

- .: Baker Lee :.

Steam Banana Cake

My all time fav. steam cake! <3 Recently pulled out this old recipe =X “magnet-ed” under the collection of display magnets on the fridge door. Always wanted to make this myself, that’s the main reason y the recipe was on the fridge door. Time flies and it has been there on the fridge door for close to 3 years. >.< This beautiful recipe was generously shared by a friend’s mother… every time she made this, she will always be sharing it with me! it has been a long time, therefore i decided to pull out the recipe and make some for myself! Handed down traditional recipes are wonderful recipes! *nod* I love the soft fluffiness and simplicity of this cake. + the nice aroma of bananas~ *inhale*

YUM YUM! instead of steaming 1 huge cake, and slicing them up for serving, i steam them in my muffin pan lined with muffins cups. In 2 days, i made these 4 times! :X they are really easy and great! mummy’s friends love them so much that they requested to pack some home for their family! LOL! I felt good… *float around* though it was not my own recipe, but i was given a really good one!

Ingredients: (6 big muffins)
2 Eggs
100g sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed (200g)
150g Self-raising Flour
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
75g oil (any flavorless oil)

Steps:

1. Sift together self-raising flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together Eggs and sugar till ribbon stage.
3. Mix in mashed bananas, beat till combine.
4. Gently fold in flour mixture and Oil, taking care not to deflate the eggs and sugar mixture.
   
5. Pour Batter into muffin pan, lined with muffin cups.
6. Steam over high heat for 15mins or till an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Verdict?
it is sooooooo good! u MUST try it! + it is easy to make healthier and they store very well. As u can just throw them into the fridge, before consumption, heat them in the steamer for a couple of mins, and u get hot, soft and fluffy cake!

-.: Baker Lee :.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Deeba’s beautiful pound cake tempted me~ YES! Seriously tempted me to make some moist buttery and yummy pound cake! But i’m out of lemons at home, therefore i’m unable to try her recipe. According to most pound cake lovers, Pound cakes are easy and simple to bake, in terms of technique and ingredients, smell out of this world and tastes better as the days go by… Indeed! I totally agree with all stated above! the aroma in the kitchen *deep breath* was sooooooo wonderfully buttery!

But sadly, *sigh* it seems like I’m jinx!! with pound cake! >.< i can’t seem to conquer pound cakes >.< *depressed* this is like the… *count fingers* 4^th time I attempted on pound cakes? Achieved the dense texture, but it always ended up dry instead of moist. =( anyone knows y?

Attempted on this cream cheese pound cake from allrecipes, highly rated with 5 stars! And over 200 comments… I was full of hope! Hoping that it will turn out wonderful this time~ Followed the instructions clearly, the steps and temperature control, but like before, it did not! T.T it ended up dry… It got to be something wrong with me! *pull hair* sponge cake, chiffon cake I don’t seem to face any problems~ it’s just always pound cakes! >.< I’m depressed! =(

Ingredients:
170 g butter
110 g cream cheese
300 g white sugar (Reduced to 150g)
1½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
3 eggs
215 g cake flour

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. Grease baking pan.
2. Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together till light and fluffy.
3. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
4. Add in flour and eggs alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.
5. Pour batter into the baking pan. Bake for 60-45mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

.: Baker Lee :.

Awfully Chocolate Cake

Hee~ learn the concept of improvisation today! *clean off sweat* wanted to make awfully chocolate BANANA cake! But can’t get any bananas in the supermarket =/ and fruit stalls~ they are all either too squashy or too green >.< *sigh* Improvisation part 1: banana-less cake. The recipe calls for both non-dairy and dairy whip cream to make the mousse layer… according to information found online with the help of Mr google, dairy whip cream taste more yummy but however will not give as much volume as non-dairy whip cream, and it is harder to managed as well. *pull hair* check out supermarket, they only have dairy whip cream! Went to bakery needs shop (phoon huat) and they are all out of non-dairy whip cream =/ will only be in 3days later! *boo* Improvisation part 2: 100% dairy whip cream.

 

My 1^st attempt making a mousse cake! *cover mouth* seriously, I’m not even sure myself how the mousse should be! Did I have the correct texture and consistency for the mousse? Geez… >.< I pray it’s edible!! And if possible delicious! *giggle* This is by far the most challenging cake i made! check out the amount of ingredients required and steps. >.< accomplishing this cake makes me feel good!! *ponder* at least it looks whole n complete in the end. Totally messed up the kitchen this morning trying to get things right~ cocoa powder, gelatine powder, cream all over the kitchen top and floor~ =X *whisper* luckily no1 at home this morning! AMEN! Else I’m bound to get it from mummy! *tired* it’s tiring to clean up the “murder” scene! Especially when u are handling chocolate and cocoa powder~ it stains the kitchen towels =/ *boo*

 

Sandwiched the sponge cake with a layer of mousse, top with a chocolate ganche (^^,) I’m bad at decorating! XD which I’m sure u can tell! And Praise God! i have a pack of sponge fingers! Which I initially bought while shopping with aishi and was planning to make tiramisu with~ :X but reinforcement is required! So tiramisu can wait! *flex* line the sponge fingers around the sides of the cake to “cover up” the uneven spreading of the ganche. *grin* now it looks better yea? I sure hope so! *cross fingers*

Sooooooooo much talking of the cake, and who is it for? for some1 special of cos! Master san! *pom pom* *cheer*

Happy B.day Weicyan! Thanks for all the Joy you bring me! ^^
May u be blessed with Happiness, Joy, Wealth, Health and lots more…
Most importantly, everything you wished for be offered to you!

Interested in the awfully chocolate banana cake recipe? You can get it from Aunty Yochana’s site! Follow me!

Brownies III – Bloomin’ brilliant brownies

Bloomin’ Brilliant Brownies for Bloomin’ Brilliant Beauty!! *grin* Yup~ so who is this beauty? None other than… *drum roll* Jamie!! Another January babe!! <3 all the January babies!! Okie, pure biasness *cover mouth* Been cracking my lil head on what to make for her, made cookies for her the 1^st time I met her, so X-ing cookies out! Need to be sometime different! Chocolate cake? All the cream and stuffs, I doubt it will last till my greedy master meets her! =/ He will most prolly make up a reason like, “the cake is going out of shape!” and start gobbling it up. XD

Need something that will last and able to store up to a few days!! I’m sure she will be dining out for a couple of days in a row. Something she can munch on and not too heavy. After some hunting, my virtual best fren (Mr. Google) pops up this brownies recipe by Jamie Oliver! *giggle* Jamie for Jamie! What is this!! Signs for above!! okie dokie then~ i choose u, Bloomin’ brilliant brownies! *throw pokemon ball* Simple things can be great too yea? XD Made some Fudge to go along with the brownies as well, Just for Jamie! More Js. *grin* Made some for Master San to share with his colleagues as well~ XD San, i’m afraid u will chomp out my special gift for her! therefore…. prevention is better than cure! *giggle*

Jamie: 100% Dark chocolate! from brownies to fudge! less sugar = less fattening, plus it’s your b.day everything u eat = 0 calories! Sorry babe, Ice-cream not inclusive~ =X Was so close to making you so homemade ice-cream, but melted ice-cream won’t taste yummy!

Happy B.day girl! (^^,) U WILL be blessed with everything! *nod* More than anything imaginable!

Recipe taken from Jamie Oliver’s Little Book Of Big Treats.

Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter (reduced to 150g)
200g dark chocolate
50g chopped walnuts
80g cocoa powder, sifted
65g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
360g caster sugar (Reduced to 160g)
4 eggs

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees C. Grease Baking pan.
2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate over a double boiler and mix until smooth.
3. Add chopped walnuts and stir together.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, and then add this to the chocolate mixture.
5. Beat in the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.
6. Pour your brownie mixture into the baking tray, bake for around 25 minutes.

*NOTE*
You don’t want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.

Verdict?
Smells great! From the looks and chocolate-y scent i sense that it’ll definitely be a lot richer in taste compared to the 1^st brownies recipe. But lacks the crispy crust of the 2nd brownies. 3 brownies recipes so far… more to come! Didn’t get to taste it as it’s a gift! It seems like, i am sending out food without ever trying them myself nowadays =/ brave yea! *fingers crossed* Let’s wait for comments from Jamie, San and his colleagues. XD

- .: Baker Lee :.