Pandan Cheese Sponge Slices

Another delicious treat for festive season!
Somehow I always link Christmas with red, green and white, I think everybody does :)

Recipe is from Ricke's site

What you need:

A
4 egg yolks
30g sugar
1 tsp ovalette
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp fresh milk

B
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar / lime juice
50g sugar

C
60g plain flour
15g corn flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
all mix and sieve

D
1 tsp pandan paste
60g butter, melted
mix both

Topping:
buttercream/whipping cream
grated cheddar cheese
maraschino cherries with stem

Preheat oven to 190degC
Grease square pan 24cm, line with parchment paper and grease again on top, set aside
For A:
Beat egg yolks, sugar, ovalette til thick and pale, add in vanilla and milk, mix well, set aside
For B:
Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar til frothy, add in sugar gradually while continuously beating til soft peak
Pour gradually A into B while beating in low speed til well mixed
Add in C, either fold in with spatula or beat with mixer in low speed
Mix 1/3 of the batter into D, mix well, and pour back to the remaining batter, fold in gently til well mixed
Pour into pan, bake approximately 15-20mins, tap the pan slowly before putting into the oven to release some air bubbles
Cool on the cooling rack, after cooled, spread whipping cream and sprinkle grated cheese, cut into squares
Decorate with maraschino cherries

Really delicious, especially if you're into pandan! And the texture of this cake is so pillowy soft!
Definitely can't stop at one! :)))

I'm submitting these slices to  Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

Also I'm posting this for Sweets For A Saturday #50

Christmas Tree Chocolate Buns (Gelatinized Dough)

I saw this at Angel's site and I bookmarked it immediately :)

I used different recipe though, it's basic sweet bread dough recipe from Alex Goh book, Magic Bread

What you need:

Gelatinised dough:
100g bread flour
70g hot boiling water

Place flour in a bowl, pour water, mix with wooden sppon to form rough dough
Cover bowl with clingwrap and leave dough to cool in the fridge for minimum 12 hours

For bread:
300g bread flour
100g plain flour
80g sugar
20g milk powder
1 tbsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
175g cold water
1 cold large egg (grade A)
60g cold butter, cubed
gelatinised dough

Filling:
semi sweet chocolate chips

Tear gelatinised dough into pieces and mix with eggs
Using breadmaker, add in cold water, eggs mixed with gelatinised dough, followed by all dry ingredients
Choose dough function and let start kneading,  after 5 minutes, add in butter, and let the machine does the process, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes

After done, remove dough from the breadpan and put on a floured surface, knead for awhile to release the air bubbles,
Shape 11 dough balls @20g, rest for 10minutes
Flatten each dough, put a teaspoon of chocolate chips and wrap the dough, seal on top
Arrange like a christmas tree on a lightly greased baking pan (seal facing down), leave a little gap in between
Rest til doubled in size, approximately 30minutes
Before baking, put a small cut of dried cranberries in each gap

Bake in preheated oven of 175degC for approximately 10mins
Let cool on cooling rack and sprinkle sifted icing sugar before serving

I had some leftover dough and I made some pork floss buns
Shaped them into balls of 40g each, baked and brushed a little  moyannaise on top and sprinkle pork floss on top, lots of it :)

This sweet bread dough recipe is indeed a keeper, can stay soft til the next day

(I was not sure if it could stay soft til the third day cos all were gone within the second day LOL)

I'm submitting the christmas tree chocolate buns to Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

White Xmas Log Cake

This might not be the first swissroll I made but it's definitely the first log cake I did :)
Inside is a chocolate swiss roll with chocolate ganache filling
Whipping cream were used to frost the whole cake, scratched here and there using chopstick to make it similar to a log and then add a simple decoration on top
Definitely not the best log cake, but I am so glad I could do this year :)

Recipe is from Dida, one of talented cook and baker  from LBT

What you need:
(I only used half the recipe below)

6 eggs
100g sugar
75g plain flour
15g cornflour
10g milk powder
125g butter - melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20ml fresh milk
1 tbsp ovalette (optional)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp chocolate paste

Grease swiss roll pan with butter, line with baking paper and grease again, set aside
Preheat oven 200degC
Beat eggs and sugar til frothy on high speed, add in ovalette, continue to beat
Lower speed to low, add in sifted plain flour, cocoa powder, cornflour, milk powder
Followed by adding vanilla and chocolate paste, beat a while more
Add in fresh milk, mix well then change back to high speed and beat til ribbon stage, thick and creamy
Off mixer
Add in 1/4 of the batter into the melted butter and stir til evenly mixed and pour back into the remaining batter, fold in til mixed
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for approximately 12-15minutes
After  cooked, leave to cool and then spread with the desired filling, roll using baking paper and decorate

I'm submitting this log cake to  Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

Also, once again I'd like to participate in White Christmas Challenge organised by Very Good Recipes via Quay Po Cooks

White Christmas Challenge

on Very Good Recipes

Once again, Merry Christmas everybody...enjoy your holiday :)

Noel Nutballs

These cookies were baked by my sis, with some help from me
It's surprising that holiday season can tickle her baking mood, in fact as far as I know, this was the first time she baked cookies :)

This is actually such a delicious cookies if not for the pecan nuts used

This was the first time for me, in fact for my family eating pecan, and apparently we didn't enjoy so much

Those who love pecan, this is a must try :)

I will definitely bake these cookies again next time but using different kind of nuts, perhaps cashew or walnuts

Recipe is from Martha Stewart

What you need:

2 1/4 cups plain flour - sifted

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup icing sugar - sifted

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp bourbon / rum / for non alcoholic version : orange juice

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 cup soft unsalted butter

Beat butter and honey til fluffy, in high speed

Change to low speed and add in bourbon, followed by salt, sugar and flour, mix well

Add in pecan, mix well

Shape dough into ball and lightly flatten, wrap in clingwrap

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours (we did overnight)

Cut the dough into small squares, roll each square into ball shape, bake for 10-12minutes in preheated oven of 175degC

Keep cookies in airtight container

I'm submitting these snowy look cookies to  Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

Also, I'd like to participate in  White Christmas Challenge organised by Very Good Recipes via Quay Po Cooks

White Christmas Challenge

on Very Good Recipes

And lastly, I'm submitting these Xmas cookies to Sweets For A Saturday #49 

Last but not least, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas

May God bless you abundantly



Cream Corn Soup

A nice and hearty soup, great for a delicious starter
I still find it weird though, everytime I see DH and the kids eat this soup with rice :)

What you need:

250g chicken breast - diced

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium onion, chopped

100g shredded cooked crab meat

2 cans corn kernel

2 cans cream of corn

5 eggs, beaten

a big pot of water

salt, pepper, sugar, ground nutmeg

cornflour mixed with water as thickening

Bring a pot of water to boil on medium fire

Meanwhile, sautee garlic and onion with margarine til fragrant and soft

Add in diced chicken, and crab, stir well

Pour the chicken mixture into the boiling water, stir well

Add in corn kernel, cream of corn, season with salt, pepper, sugar and ground nutmeg

Stir well and let it boil again

On low fire, slowly pour beaten eggs through sieve slowly and at the same time keep stirring the soup

Adjust the taste

Add thickener to desired consistency

To me, the perfect companion for this soup is fried noodle :)

Mixed Fruits Slices

When I saw Ann posted Apricot Slice, I was literally salivating looking at the pictures
It's really my kind of Christmas fruit cake, I just do not fancy the usual fruit cakes people usually bake and many bakeries sell during Christmas season

So, here it is, with a little modification
I used cake flour instead, and besides chopped dried apricots, I used dried mixed fruits too

Pretty isn't it? And it's yummy too :) Perfect treat for Christmas gathering :)

I am submitting these slices to  Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

Baked French Toast With Banana & Chocolate

Saw this at Min's blog and I knew I had to make this! So I did finally...

It's really good indeed! I mean it, it's really really good!

You have to try this, eay to make too :)

I followed the recipe to the dot except that I used semi sweet chocolate chips instead since that's what's available in my fridge and brown sugar instead of demerara sugar

Another superb way to make full use of leftover bread... Yummilicious!

Also submitting this delicious treat to Sweets For A Saturday #48

  

Tuti Frutti Orange Tres Leches Cupcakes With Orange Choco Ganache

The cake is the same as fruity orange cupcakes from my previous posting, but for this cake, just see the name...Tres Leches Cake... yes, it's three milk cake... something new to me

Pouring each cupcake with mixture of three types of milk: sweet condensed milk, evaporated milk and thickened cream, leave it overnight in the fridge, and the next day you'll get an intensely super rich and moist cupcakes
Best to partner this kind of cake with something refreshing...what else if not fruits to balance the richness from the milk absorbed by the cake

What I used for the milk mixture: (stir well)

(this is half from the original recipe and I find it's sufficient)

You may change the type of milk as desired, example: low fat milk, soya milk, coconut milk, etc.

350ml evaporated milk

350ml sweet condensed milk

60ml thickened cream

I''ve submitted this cake to LBT event this month with the theme of Tres Leches Cake

Warning!

It's not suitable for those in diet, this cake is seriously high in calorie, you can feel it in every bite! :)

Fruity Orange Cupcakes With Orange Choco Ganache

I feel that this refreshing spongy cupcakes can be a great treat with a cup of tea on a Christmas afternoon with friends and family :)

Chocolates and oranges work really well together, Abby loves it, we all do :)
Especially when it's an oh so rich orange with dark chocolate ganache on soft pillowy orange cupcake, not to mention the mouthwatering fresh fruits on top

What you need:

140g cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs, separate the yolks from the whites
180g caster sugar (divide 140g and 40g)
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp orange zest
40ml orange juice
40ml fresh milk

Orange choco ganache:
450ml orange juice
160g dark chocolate

For deco:
canned oranges
fresh cranberries
fresh kiwis

Preheat oven to 180deg, line cupcake pans with muffin liners, set aside
Sieve flour, baking powder and salt, set aside
Beat egg yolks and 140g sugar on high speed til thick and pale
Add in fresh milk, orange juice and vanilla essence, beat on low speed til evenly mixed
Fold in the mixture into the sifted flour mixture with spatula til well mixed
On separate bowl, beat on high speed egg whites til frothy
Gradually add in 40g sugar and continue beating til soft peak
Put in 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg whites mixture and stir with spatula til well mixed and then pour back into the remaining flour mixture
Fold in til evenly mixed
Pour the batter onto the muffin liners til 3/4 full, bake 12 minutes approximately or til cooked

How to make ganache:
Chop dark chocolate and put in mixing bowl
Boil orange juice til left only 170ml pass through sieve, pour on the chopped dark chocolate
Stir til smooth and leave overnight in the fridge to firm

Make a dent at the centre top of cupcakes, brush with syrup from canned oranges and fill in with ganache
Top up with fresh fruits (I used fresh cranberries, fresh kiwis and canned oranges)

See, even Santa also can't wait to eat them hohoho....

I'm submitting this cuppies to Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011) hosted by Hankerie

Bake Along #14 - Dorayaki - Japanese Pancakes

This time round I'm so very late for Bake Along event, lucky I managed to squeeze time to make some for breakfast this morning phew...

Dorayaki has been one of requests by Abby, my girl, since the first time she ate one at NEX, luckily I could find one tested recipe
Over there one counter sells a nice quality dorayaki with various toppings
I particularly love chocolate, greentea, cream cheese and of course the original red bean paste fillings
Abby loves chocolate - only, so I made chocolate filling, only :)

 

 

Recipe is from Daily Delicious with chocolate custard filling

Here's the recipe for the filling:

20g cornflour

20g plain flour
70g sugar
2 egg yolks
300ml fresh milk
unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with a little hot water (quantity as desired, I used 2 heaped tbsp of cocoa)

1 tsp chocolate emulco

Mix egg yolks and sugar also milk, put in a pot on low heat, stir til mixed well

When already hot, add in cornflour and plain flour, stir til incorporated, followed by cocoa mixture and chocolate emulco, stir well and let it cooked - keep on stirring til smooth

Personally, I found this recipe did give a delicious dorayaki but it didn't really yield as soft and fluffy texture as I expected to be. Some experiments with adjustment in the ingredients should be done

Please hop on Lena, Joyce and Zoe's sites who host this event for their delicious treats too :)

Sugar Cookies

Made this particularly for the kids to play with cookies cutters
This cookies taste delicious, and the dough is pretty easy to handle, which is important since I'm playing with the kids :)
The cookies is a little crunchy at the edges and soft at the centre
If you want to make it crunchy all over, you can roll the dough thinner and adjust the baking time

These are my favorite cutters...eeerrrr...is it really that Minnie is bigger than Mickey? :P

Recipe is from Rima's site

At first, I didn't want to do the icing, playing with the cutters was fun enough, but they asked to decorate the cookies, so I said okay, allright....

Unfortunately, I didn't do it correctly, I didn't beat the egg whites stiff enough, resulting in runny icing wew....

Couldn't manage to reverse the situation, I said to the kids to do the decoration next time somewhere nearer to Christmas day, but they insisted to do just a few pieces

Feeling guilty cos the mistake was on my side, I said ok

So, here are the few pieces, my kids' first cookies masterpiece - with runny icing, with a little help from me LOL

Those cookies can be named disastrous cookies haha... but my kids love them, kept on staring at them, and of course munched on them nonstop :)

I saw them admiring them and it's like a reminder to me how we adults at times have to follow kids attitude, in certain things, to be easily contented :)

I told them, let's find nice Christmas cookies cutters first and we can make more cookies with decorations for Christmas day

And they said, "Yyyeeeaaahhhhh!!!!!"

Thai Chicken Green Curry

It's a convenient way of cooking with premix, still wins everytime :)

Asian Home Gourmet is one of the brand I like, I have used some and all have been satisfying in terms of taste :)

For this particular cooking, I always have a packet standby and use it everytime I manage to get Thai round green aubergines

I did recently, so I went straight to the kitchen opened my drawer, took out the premix and cooked this delicious Thai dish which I almost never miss out everytime dining out at Thai food eateries

It's so easy peasy, just adding diced chicken, cut aubergines, coconut milk, water...cook as directed in the package you won't go wrong

I learnt from my previous trips to Thailand, this dish is always accompanied by cut salted vegetables and cut shallots, also fish sauce to sprinkle as desired

It's really a great combination, especially eaten with hot fluffy rice - heaven! :)

Yeah, I know....I will cook this dish from the scratch next time okie....promise! :)

Bread Pudding

Another version of my one favorite dessert (or breakfast, or snack LOL)
Yummy bread pudding with cheese, chocolate and raisins

Recipe is from Ricke's site

What you need:

6 stale bread, each cut into four

enough raisins

enough cheddar cheese, diced

enough chocolate rice / grated dark chocolate

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

Mix and lightly beaten

400ml fresh milk

100ml fresh cream / whipped cream / fresh milk

80g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g butter, melted

For sprinkle:

grated cheddar cheese and raisins

Grease baking dish with butter, set aside

Mix eggs, milk, fresh cream/whipped cream, sugar, vanilla - whisk til well mixed

Add in melted butter, set aside

Arrange 3 bread at the bottom, pour 1/3 of the milk mixture, let it absorbed, sprinkle with diced cheese, chocolate and raisins, cover with another 3 bread, pour another 1/3 of the milk mixture, let absorb, sprinkle with diced cheese, chocolate and raisins

Bake au bain marie in preheated oven of 160degC for 45minutes to 1 hour, til golden brown

Remove from oven, leave to warm, cut and serve