Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

One of the many recipes in my to do list, been so long there, so gotta put it into action :)

Red velvet cupcakes, do you believe it, I have never even once tried the taste of this pretty cake
So, one of the reason, or I can say, the first reason, is my curiousity about the taste... from the 'red', and the texture... from the 'velvet'
And my other question mark need an urgent answer, why this cake is always topped with cream cheese frosting

I really had no regret picking up this recipe to jump the queue :)
It's indeed such a beauty with quality!
There's no 'red' taste, it's just like when you eat chocolate cupcakes, not the dark deep rich type though
And the 'velvet' texture, I really can't agree more! It's pillowy soft, indeed reminds me of velvet :)

A truly keeper, in overall

Recipe is from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

The only thing I omitted was the cinnamon for the frosting

I'm submitting these cupcakes to   Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes (November 2011) hosted by Min

Apple Crumble Cup Bread

I hope everybody had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving today :)

Just to share bread I baked more than two weeks ago, something that I enjoyed so much, but just slipped away from my mind and never blogged it, til today when browsed through my document and I saw the picture, and I was like, oh! LOL

So, here it is...

Recipe is from various sources combined into one

The bread and apple filling was from HERE, with an addition of 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon for the apple filling

The crumble topping was from HERE 

And the guide on how to shape was from HERE

What you need:

For the bread:

160g bread flour

40g cake flour

6g instant yeast

40g sugar

2g salt

10g milk powder

10g unsalted butter

1 egg

80g water

Using breadmaker, put in egg and water, followed by the dry ingredients excluding butter

Set to dough and let knead for 5mins, add in butter and let the machine works (1 and 1/2 hour)

For the apple filling:

230g apples (I used 5 medium granny smith, peeled, cored and diced)

50g sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

100ml water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Boil everything then simmer on low heat til all water almost evaporated, let cool

For the crumble topping:

110g plain flour

55g butter - room temperature

25g caster sugar

Rub butter into flour, stir in sugar, mix well til forms crumbs

How to shape....

From the breadmaker, punch the dough and knead for 1minute to release the air, and cut into twelve

Shape each into ball, flatten with rolling dough and then shape in muffin pan, press the bottom and the sides just like when shaping pie crust, leave it to doubled in size

After that, spoon 2 tsp of filling onto each cup and sprinkle crumble on top

Bake in preheated oven of 180degC for approximately 12minutes (til the bread is golden brown)

Take out from the pan and brush the sides of the top part with butter

This bread is best eaten when warm, you may microwave for 15 seconds if you keep in the fridge

Yum!

I've sumbitted this bread to LBT November event with theme 'bread'

Soccer Black Forest Cake 4 Hubby's Bday

Yesterday was DH's bday
He requested for chocolate cake but this time I wanted to give a little twist instead of normal chocolate cake
So I baked this black forest, in fact it's my first time baking black forest
And also, he asked for soccer cake wew.... his fave sport among many others :)

At first I planned to bake 3D soccer ball cake, but I changed my mind and decided to bake soccer field cake instead with players on top

The problem was...it's so difficult to get the cake topper
Well, I did search pretty last minute, but I have seen it many times before and right on time when I needed one, it's out of stock everywhere wew....
So, I was contacting one online seller back in Indonesia who sells baking stuff, so fortunate she had one, so I arranged shipment to Singapore, bought a few small stuff to make full use of 1 kilogram shipping fee I gotta bear

One day before the day, I went to Poon Huat in the afternoon and saw many sets available! Aaarrrgghhh!!!
Worried that the shipment would come late, I bought a set
And in the evening, the parcel arrived...great!
So in the end, I now have 2 sets on hand LOL
The one used on the cake was the one I bought from Poon Huat

Well, having more than enough is still better than not getting what I need, so no complain.. I can give a set for my kids to play hihi...

Now the cake...the sponge cake recipe is from Sonia's site
Believe me, this cake is a keeper, I will definitely use the recipe for cake base again and again in the future! :)
Yummy in taste, seriously soft and fluffy in texture, and it's strong enough to hold thick layer of buttercream and toppers
I baked using 10inch rectangle pan to fit the theme

I cut the cake into two parts, brushed each top with heavy syrup from the canned dark cherries mixed with a little of kirsch, filling was whipped cream and dark cherries

Buttercream recipe was from HERE with slight adjustment, I made 1 1/2 recipe with sugar amount for 1 recipe, added 3/4 part with green coloring and mixed well (the remaining was for the lines)
Frosted the whole cake with green buttercream and I covered the sides with oreo crumbs
The lines were made using wrong tip, I should have used thinner one, mine was all fat lines LOL

You see... I guess I cut the cake unevenly :(

From this pic below that I have taken with my zero photography skill under the worst timing of the day - night time!, I hope you can see how soft this cake is :)

The bday boy and the kids, all of us really enjoyed the cake! So glad and thrilled to know that DH was delighted to see the cake he requested for was right in front of him :)

To my DH, happy bday...Love u always XOXO :)

Bake Along #13 - Key Lime Cupcakes

Never heard nor ate this kind of cupcakes, curiousity won me over and there I was in the kitchen yesterday trying out the recipe

Yummy, sweet, tangy, soft, moist cupcakes, topped with all time favorite cream cheese frosting...that's what I like! :)

Recipe is from HERE

I followed exactly except that I reduced the amount of sugar for the cupcakes to 1 cup and added the lime juice to 3 tablespoons, also I reduced the green coloring to only 2 tiny drops

As for the frosting, I reduced the sugar to only 60g, omitted vanilla extract and the grated lime peel, replaced them with 1 tsp lime juice

I indeed enjoyed sinking my teeth into these delicious treat...see my teeth mark? LOL

I'm submitting these cupcakes to  Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes (November 2011) hosted by Min

And also for the third time, Í'm joining in the Bake Along event hosted by Lena, Zoe and Joyce...do hop to their blogs to view their pretty cupcakes too! :)

Easy Chocolate Mini Cupcakes

This is not only easy to make, no mixer needed, but it's really yummy, soft and moist - my kind of cupcakes
I made this batch for my kids' year end party today...yes, today is the last day of schooling, for the next one and a half month gotta scratch my head to entertain my too free kids LOL

Aren't they cute? I was not really in the mood of doing decorations so I just spread a little nutella at the centre of each cupcake and put marshmallow on top :)

Recipe is from HERE

What you need:

(I modified the amount of instant coffee powder used)

(A):120g butter, thaw to room temperature

75g chocolate chips

120g brown sugar
100g hot water
1 tsp instant coffee powder (or 1 packet of 3-in-1 coffee)
1 tsp coffee emulco

(B):
110g plain flour
1 and 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
25g cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten

Combine ingredients (A) in a bowl and double boil till smooth.  Leave it aside to cool.  Add in the beaten egg and mix well

Mix plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder together.  Sift the flour mixture and mix well into the melted chocolate mixture

Pour the batter into cupcake paper liners, about 70% full (the batter rise very well during baking).  Bake the cupcakes in a preheated oven of 160C for about 15 minutes(standard size cupcakes = 35 minutes) or till a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cupcake

Cool the cupcakes completely before decorating them (Note: These chocolate cupcakes are very soft, you may want to put the cooled cupcakes in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden them slightly before decorating)

When I fetched my kids this afternoon, they said the cupcakes were all gone so fast...so glad to hear that :)

I'm submitting these cute little cuppies to  Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes (November 2011) hosted by Min

Country Style Steamed Chicken

Very easy to make and yummy dish, not forgetting it's a healthier choice :)

Recipe is from here

I doubled up the amount due to the size of the chicken (mine was 800g)

What you need:

400 gm free range chicken chopped to bite size
8 dried Chinese mushrooms (soaked, stemmed and sliced)
10 gm cloud ears/wan yee (soaked, stemmed and cut) -> I didn't use
1 knob ginger, pressed for juice
2 tsp wolfberries
8 red dates (seeded and sliced)

Seasoning:
2  tsp oyster sauce
1  Tbsp Shaoxing wine -> I forgot to use :(
1 tsp each of :  salt and sesame oil
1/4  tsp sugar
1/2  tsp light soya sauce
Chopped spring onions for garnishing -> Another thing I forgot to add :'(
A dash of pepper

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the seasoning except  the wine  
Mix in the red dates, wolfberries,mushrooms, ginger juice and cloud ears.  Set aside for 2 hours
Steam under rapidly boiling water for 20 mins. or till chicken is tender and cooked through
Test for taste, turn off heat and drizzle in the wine
Garnish with chopped spring onions and a dash of pepper
Serve immediately with white rice

Submitting this post to NCC Chinese Food Week

Shanghainese Meatballs Soup

A very hearty dish loved by my family, a recipe from my beloved mum, loved by her kids all along :)

What you need:

For the meatballs:

500g minced pork / chicken (you may mix both)

3 shallots

2 cloves of garlic

a small bundle of bean vermicelli, softened and finely chopped

1/2 carrot, finely chopped

2 black fungus, softened and finely chopped

4 tsp sago flour

salt, pepper

1 egg white

For the soup:

1 pot of water

1 chicken bone

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 carrots, cut thinly

1 medium size cauliflower, cut

a little oil

For garnishing:

chopped spring onion

fried garlic

How to make the meatballs:

Blend shallots and garlic

Mix into the meat together with the rest of the ingredients, shape into balls

If still soft, you may add sago flour

Heat a pot of water together with the chicken bone til boiling, discard all the floating residues

Sautee garlic with oil and throw in the boiling stock

Add in the meatballs one by one, simmer til all floating

Add in carrots and let boiled

Once boiled, throw in cauliflowers, stir for awhile and off heat

To serve, garnish with chopped spring onion and fried garlic

I'm also submitting this post to NCC Chinese Food Week

Eggplant With Petai In Chilli Sauce

Yummy dish that doesn't need any companion and really, it makes you say "more rice, please!" *grin*

Recipe is from Hesti's site with slight modification

What you need:

2 large eggplants (cut each into four and fry til cooked)
15 petai, halved
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt, palm sugar
3 tbsp oil to sautee the sauce

For the sauce:
Blend together:
6 big red chillies
1 red bird's eye chilli
5 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
1 tomato

Heat oil, sautee the blended ingredients, add in petai
Add a little water, mix well, add in salt and sugar
Add in beaten egg while stirring continuously til fibrous, followed by light soya sauce and sesame oil
Adjust taste
Add in cooked eggplant, gently stir til well mixed
Let it simmer for a few minutes, off heat

Nutella Cupcakes

All time favorite!
Easy to make, easy to finish too LOL

Recipe is from She Bakes & She Cooks

What you need:

10tbsp butter - softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 eggs

1/2tsp vanilla essence

1 3/4 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/4tsp salt

2tsp baking powder

Nutella approx. 1/3 cup

Preheat oven to 165degC

Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners

Cream together butter and sugar til light

Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated

Dun worry if the batter dun look smooth

Add vanilla

Stir in flour, salt and baking powder til batter is uniform and no flour remains

Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner with batter

They shuld b 3/4 full – if u’re not using a scoop

Top each cake with 1 1/2tsp nutella

Swirl nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold abit batter up over the nutella

Bake for 20’

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely

Makes 12 large cupcakes

 

I'm submitting these cupcakes to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes (November 2011) hosted by Min

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Very nice indeed, just like many reviews I read...

Recipe is from Joy Of Baking

I wish I put more cheese mixture on top with indentation at the centre like shown in the pic in the link above :)

I'm submitting these cupcakes to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes (November 2011) hosted by Min

My First Barbie Cake... Happy Birthday My Girl, Abigail :)

This is a special request from Abby since last July ever since she saw me making car cake for Ian's birthday :)

I don't have the pan designed to bake Barbie dress, so what I did was... I baked two recipes of cocoa butter cake (I didn't give marble effect this time, instead I poured the vanilla butter first and the cocoa batter on top) 

I used three round pans in different sizes - 6", 5" and 3" (in fact I still had some leftovers so I baked another one in 5" pan)

To make the dress...

After cooled,  I made a hole at the centre of each cake (approximately 7cm diameter), stacked the three cakes, 6" at the bottom, topped with the 5" and the last one was the 3" cake, with buttercream frost in between

Using serrated knife, I carved the cake to shape a long dress (just using my imagination)

After done, I frosted the whole cake with buttercream, smoothen it up and kept it in the fridge for around one hour

After that, I frosted the whole cake again, this time a thick one, and I decided to give swirl effect all over the cake (this is much easier to be done on a thick buttercream)

I then inserted the doll which has been wrapped tightly with clingwrap from chest down

I added some frosting to cover the hole around the waist area and do the swirls also

I piped the edge of the dress with star nozzle and put sugar pearls on each star

Also I decorated the dress with sugar stars all over so that it wouldn't look too plain

Now, for the bodice....I initially planned to pipe all over with small star nozzle, then I realized I don't have any wew...

So I decided on fondant, I cut a rectangle shape and wrap all around the top part of the doll

Press here and there to adjust the bodice to get the perfect shape

I added some sugar pearls and hearts to beautify the bodice

That's all, sounds easy but for first timer like me, especially when you know my decorating ability, it's quite a challenge :)

So glad and satisfied to see how thrilled Abby was but couldn't bear to see when it's time to cut the cake hehe...

The happy bday girl in Cinderella costume :P

As usual, I made another cake to bring to school... Also her request, Cinderella cake, since she wore the costume to school :)

With the same cake as Barbie cake, used edible image and simple deco using buttercream

So glad to hear when Abby told me that her classmates said the cake's so yummy :)

Again, happy birthday to you my beloved Abby :) Stay pretty and good girl as always, mummy and daddy are so proud of you and will always love you, as well as you little brother, Ian.. God bless u!

XOXO