Pax's Cooking Adventures

Banana Bread in 10(+40) minutes

2008-08-25T00:24:00.004+08:00

i chanced upon this website while searching for different recipes for banana bread. modified their 10-minute Banana Bread slightly and baked 2 mini loaves. nice.

Sandy's 10-minute Banana Bread
Wet mix
110g butter, softened
1 egg
50g milk
3 ripe bananas, mashed
90g brown sugar

Dry mix
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven at 170oC.
2. Put together the wet mix ingredients into a bowl and blend well.
2. Similarly, put the dry mix ingredients into another bowl and blend well.
3. Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
4. Place batter into regular 8"x4" loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 40min or till a stick inserted in the centre comes out dry.
5. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Simple Butter Cupcakes

2008-08-25T00:09:00.002+08:00

120g sugar
60g butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
90g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
60g milk

1. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. Preheat oven at 175oC.
2. Cream sugar and butter till light and fluffy.
3. Beat in egg.
4. Fold in flour gently in 2 portions, alternating with milk.
5. Place batter in 6 cupcake tins or silicon muffin cups.
6. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 20-25min till golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

2008-08-24T22:59:00.004+08:00

jus realised i haven't posted for 4 months! i have been busy, completely stopped baking for almost 3 months! only started to pick up a little last month. let me start with my latest cook.

i have always wanted to make pizza at home, but never got down to making it. then i also want to make my own tomato sauce for the pizza. i bought this can of whole peeled tomatoes for a few weeks now. Friday night, i finally got down to action, but never take any photos.. Here's the recipe anyway.

Homemade Tomato Sauce
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped onions
1 canned tomatoes
italian seasoning
parlsey

1. heat oil in a pan.
2. add onions to oil and stir fry till transluent.
3. add tomatoes (incl juice), italian seasoning and parlsey.
4. allow to simmer for 30min on low heat. add sugar if too sour. pour into sterlised glass bottles. cap and allow to cool before storing. good in fridge for 1 week.

Note: If using canned whole peeled tomatoes, note that the seeds are not removed and must puree / blend after cooking. Canned puree tomato or crushed tomatoes can also be used, then there's no need to puree. Fresh tomatoes can be used. For this recipe, approximately 5 big red ripe tomatoes. Immerse in hot water to remove the skins easily.

The tomato sauce can be used for pizza, pasta. I made some pizza toast just now for supper. Just spread some sauce on sandwich bread, top with cheese and ham. Toast and serve. Yummy!

Banana Spice Loaf

2008-04-22T01:43:00.008+08:00

i have this Philips HR 2833 food processor for a long long time. it can do a lot of things - chopping, shredding, slicing, whisking, dough kneading etc. i had put it aside for more than 2 years now. i decided to re-explore the usefulness of a food processor, so now it's out of cold storage. i used it to make my loaf tonight.

now that i got my digital kitchen scale, i hate using cup measurements to measure out my ingredients, it took me 30min to measure the ingredients and prepare everything, when usually it would have only taken 15min. aiyo. terrible.

also my oven is small and the heat distribution is uneven, the temperature in the original recipe and the time to bake, i cannot follow at all. in the end, the loaf was blackened on the top. *sigh* but it was yummy, which is more important.

Banana Spice Loaf
170g self raising flour
1 tsp ground allspice
a dash of ground cinnamon
140g brown sugar
125g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
60g plain yogurt
2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed

1. grease and line a 8"x4" loaf pan; grease paper.
2. sift flour, allspice, cinnamon into the bowl of the food processor. Mix sugar into the flour mixture. Add butter cubes. process till the mixutre is fine and crumbly like fine breadcrumbs.
3. add eggs, yogurt and banana and process till just combined. do not overbeat.
4. spoon mixture into the loaf pan; smoothen the surface. bake in preheated 160oC oven for 40min or till cake tester comes out clean when inserted in centre of loaf.
5. leave loaf in pan for 5min before turning over onto wire rack to cool completely for storing.

original recipe from Periplus Mini Cookbooks series - fabulous fast cakes

Banana Madness

2008-04-15T00:19:00.005+08:00

i bought an extra bunch of bananas on Saturday, just so that i can make banana muffins and steamed banana cakes. the batch of banana muffins i made last night got rave feedback from everybody. i had 4 bananas left, so i decided to make steamed banana cakes and banana muffins.

i must say the steamed banana cakes are ok, not sweet enough. i reduced the sugar qty to 90g. does 10g make such a big difference? i haven't tried tonight's banana muffins. hope it turns out as well as last night.

with all these bakings and tasting, it's no surprise that i'm putting on lots of weight. this is bad; Jo is 13mths now and i really need to work hard to lose the spare tyre.... all these baking adventures are not helping.. HELP!

>> Steamed Banana Cake >> JoJo's Banana Muffins

Steamed Banana Cake
150g self raising flour
1/4g baking soda (1g)
2 Eggs
100g sugar
2 ripe bananas, mashed
75g oil (any flavorless oil)

1. Sift the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. Line muffin tins with paper cups.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas and mix well.
3. Gently fold in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with oil.
4. Spoon batter into muffin tins, 2/3 full. Steam for 10min or till a cake tester comes up clean when poked into the muffins.
5. Remove from tin and allow muffins to cool on rack before serving.

original recipe - Amanda: Held by Love, Baked from scratch > Steam Banana Cake

JoJo's Banana Muffins

2008-04-14T12:30:00.005+08:00

bare with me.. i'm going through a muffin craze and baked banana muffins last night. decided to name my version of banana muffins after my baby daughter who loves banana. hopefully she loves the banana muffins i baked.

again, i'm been lazy with the camera, so no pictures :p

Banana muffins
120g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
55g sugar
60g oil
10g milk
1 egg, beaten
2 medium sized bananas, mashed

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, blend all the wet ingredients and mashed bananas together. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture, till just combine.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in pre-heated 160oC oven for 15min. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Orange Muffins with mixed berries

2008-04-12T15:47:00.006+08:00

i love to make muffins. it's so simple. just need to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and blend to combine. i can put the muffins into the oven and clean up within 30min. one bowl. no mess no fuss. the easiest bake to do for any 1st timers.

i've made different types of muffins and found my own perfect proportion for the muffin mixture. 120g plain flour : 60g oil : 80g milk+other liquids : 1 egg. this ratio is meant for plain muffins with dry additions, like chocolate chips, raisins, blueberries, cheese etc. it won't work for wetter additions like bananas. it's important to keep the flour to oil ratio, as the oil is the component that gives the muffins moisture. :)

Orange Muffins with mixed berries
120g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
60g sugar
60g oil
60g orange juice (juice from half orange)
20g milk
1 egg, beaten
zest from one orange
1/2 cup mixed berries

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, blend all the wet ingredients and orange zest together. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture, till just combine. Add mixed berries and mix well.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in pre-heated 160oC oven for 15min. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Muffins galore!

2008-04-10T01:26:00.002+08:00

i made 2 batches of muffins tonite. mixed berries muffins for the kids, double choco chip muffins for me and hubby!

i used my trusty raisin muffin recipe, instead of adding raisins, i added mixed berries which i bought at a health store in Parkway Parade. i modified the same recipe for the chocolate one.

>> mixed berries muffins

>> double chocolate chip muffins

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
50g brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
60g olive oil
90g milk

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, set aside.
2. Add egg, oil and milk into the bowl, mix till just combined. Add chocolate chips.
3. Spoon into muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in preheated 160oC oven for 15min (depending on cup size) or till cake tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Chocolate Pudding

2008-04-10T01:06:00.004+08:00

i managed to borrow The Cake Book from the library. i wanted to make something chocolaty for hubby while the dough was proofing, decided on this one called Saucy Chocolate Pudding Cake. it's so simple. i made a small portion, half the original recipe, as it's meant for hubby and myself only.

Saucy Chocolate Pudding Cake
for pudding:
60g cake flour
75g caster sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
60ml milk
14g unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanila essence

for chocolate sauce:
50g brown sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
180ml boiling water

1. Mix the dry ingredients for the pudding together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add the mixture to the flour mixture. Stir till blended. Pour into a greased 5" ceramic square dish.
3. In another small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cocoa powder for the chocolate sauce. Sprinkly the mixture evenly on top of the batter. Slowly pour the boiling water over the top (don't stir, just let stand).
4. Bake the cake for 20min, until the top is set. Cool the cake in pan on a wire rack for 15min.
5. Serve warm into cups / bowls, drizzling a generous amount of the sauce over the cake. Enjoy!

Milk Loaf 2

2008-04-10T00:37:00.003+08:00

my first attempt on the milk loaf, i added fillings in the loaf. this time i decided to bake a plain milk loaf for breakfast. i used my usual method of proofing by placing my dough in a mixing bowl, covered with cling wrap, in the microwave oven with a bowl of hot water. did this for both 1st and 2nd proofing. i was so pleased that the loaf came out square and it was soft!

Papa's birthday cake

2008-04-10T00:20:00.004+08:00

i decided to bake a carrot-apple cake for hubby's birthday. i was physically and mentally drained that night, couldn't do proper frosting. luckily the cake tasted good.

Carrot-Apple Cake
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vege oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
2.5 cup plain flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups finely grated carrots
1 cup finely grated green apples
1.5 cup raisins

1. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine oil, sugar and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition.
3. Add flour to the oil mixture. Mix well.
4. Stir in apple, carrots and raisins.
5. Pour batter into a greased 8" springform pan. Bake at 170oC for 1hour.
6. Cool in pain for 10min before removing from pan and cool on wire rack.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

More Raisin Muffins

2008-03-28T02:50:00.002+08:00

Wanted to make bread last night, but slept with Jo and did not wake up till early this morning. Then discovered that we did not have bread at home. I made the easiest thing I could think of. Raisin muffins. This time I used 60g unsalted butter, melted, instead of olive oil. The taste is better and more moist. hmmm... :) I used mini cupcake cases. Smaller muffins need less baking time. I did mine at 160oC in 12min. Also added some chocolate chips in the last 7 minis for hubby, he loves chocolate.

Milk Loaf with Fillings

2008-03-28T02:11:00.006+08:00

Twice, the Happy Home Baker left comments on my blog, urging me to try the milk loaf recipe. I finally did. 2 nights ago. I took note of HHB's comments that her dough took 2 hours to rise during the 2nd proofing. As I usually make bread at night, I found a good way to proof my dough. I placed the dough into a stainless steel mixing bowl, greased and covered with cling wrap. I would then place a cup of boiling water into the microwave oven, together with the dough in the bowl. It cut the proofing time. For the 2nd proofing, I did the same and the dough almost touched the cover of the pullman tin after 40min.

For milk, I hardly have fresh milk at home these days. For my breads so far, I've used a mixture of UHT milk and whipping cream. The whipping cream was balance from decorating Jo's birthday cake. I finally finished using the whipping cream in this bread.

> The best looking corner

> L- Cheese slice, R- Raisin slice

> Tau sar slice

Milk Loaf
130g milk (I used a mixture of whipping cream and UHT)
50g egg
25g caster sugar
5g salt
250g bread flour
4g instant yeast
38g butter (unsalted, cubed)

Assorted fillings - red bean paste, grated cheddar cheese, raisins (soaked in hot water and drained)

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl (be careful not to put yeast with salt). Mix well. Add all the wet ingredients and make a dough.
2. Turn the dough out on a clean smooth work-table. Add the butter and knead the butter into the dough. The dough would be sticky at first, but don't worry, continue kneading till you get a smooth elastic dough.
3. Place the dough in a greased mixing bowl. Cover the dough with cling wrap and allow the dough to rise (approximately 1 hour).
4. The dough should rise 2x the original size. Give the dough a light punch to deflate. Turn the dough out onto the table and lightly knead the dough. Divide the dough into 3 portions and allow the dough to rest 10minutes.
5. Flatten 1 potion and spread filling on the flattened dough. Roll up the dough with the filling like a swiss roll, making as many rounds as possible. Tuck the ends under and place in the pullman tin. Do the same for the other 2 portions.
6. Allow the dough in the pullman tin to rise till almost 2x its original size.
7. Bake in a preheated 160oC oven for 30min. De-mould immediately and allow to cool before slicing.

YUMMY! The bread was so soft that I had problems slicing. We loved the texture. The kids simply loved the cheese slices.

Original recipe - Happy Home Baker > Almost a Square

Sweet sweet buns

2008-03-18T02:06:00.005+08:00

I'm getting good at making bread. Since I got the hang of kneading dough, feeling it and knowing when it is kneaded just right, elastic and smooth, I have fallen in love with making bread! Happy Homebaker mentioned somewhere in her blog that she got a can of red bean paste from Daiso, so I kept a lookout for it when we were there last Saturday. I bought a can and couldn't wait to try it. Tonight I made some sweet buns.

Using the same sweet bun recipe, after the 1st proofing, I divided the dough into 16 equal portions by weight. The crucial part to shaping the dough is to rest the divided portions for 10min. This is something I learned from Alex Goh's book on bread making. True enough, I was able to shape the dough more properly and not worry abt the 1st few doughs which I shaped would rise faster than the later batch, if you get what I mean.

To wrap the red-bean paste, flatten the dough using a lightly-floured rolling pin (I skipped this and used my palm, resulting in the fillings not in the centre), put the filling, gather the sides and pinching to seal. Round the dough.

For the cheese fillings, similarly, flatten the dough and spread grated cheddar cheese and roll up like a swiss roll and tugging the ends under, pinching the opened sides and round the dough.

Here's the final product!

> Fresh and hot from the oven, hubby couldn't wait and took one even before I could take a photo!

> Cheese bun

>> Tau Sar bun, see what I mean when I used my palms to flatten the dough. The tau sar is not in the centre... the bread was soft and fluffy.. yummmm....

Cheese Buns

2008-03-16T21:16:00.007+08:00

Friday night, I decided to make sweet buns, using the recipe from Happy Home Baker. Since my kids love cheese, I decided to add cheddar cheese to the dough to make cheese buns. It was yummy, fluffy and the kids loved it. We finished it on Saturday!

Today, we had a farm tour with the SMH Feb/Mar05 gang. I made sponge cups and cheese buns! Everybody loved the cheese buns, even the picky YiXuan.

I need to work on the shaping of the dough, all different shapes and sizes. If I'm baking buns, I have to put the tray in the lower top rack level.

Cheese Buns
150g bread flour
150g cake flour
60g caster sugar
5g instant yeast
3g salt
50g butter, cut into small cubes
125g milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
100g cheddar cheese, grated.

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk, butter and egg. Using a fork, mix the ingredients together (mashing the butter) to make a dough.
2. Place dough on a lightly-floured smooth work table. Using a plastic scrapper, scrap the sticky dough together. Knead the dough - fold, press heals of palms into the dough, then give the dough a 1/4 turn - till a smooth elastic dough is achieved (approx 10min).
4. Grease the dough and place in a large greased mixing bowl. Cover. Takes approximately 60min for the dough to double in size.
5. Remove from bowl and give the dough a few quick kneads.
6. Cut into equal portions. Flatten the dough into a rectangle and spread grated cheese on the dough. Roll up like a swiss roll, tucking the ends under. Place on baking tray and cover, while working on the other dough portions. Once all the dough have been shaped, let the dough rest for 20min.
7. Brush dough with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated 160oC oven for 15min. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack before slicing. Yummy Bread!

Original recipe - Happy Home Baker > Sweet Buns

Hokkaido Milky Loaf - Success

2008-03-13T02:04:00.002+08:00

I did it! Sick, but still had some energy tonight. Maybe because I took a 2-hr nap this afternoon. I decided to try my hand on the Hokkaido Milky Loaf recipe again. This time, I decided to mix the dough on my work table. Prepared the dry ingredients and made a well in the centre. Then I attempted to pour the egg and milk and the liquids started to go everywhere and onto the floor. I "dumped" flour onto the liquids on the table and scraped it up, managed to salvage.

The ambient room temperature has been lower than usual for the past one week due to the prolonged wet weather, so I left the dough to proof for longer time, about 1.5hr. After the 1st proof, I gave the dough some quick kneads, flattened the dough into a rectangle and rolled the dough up like a swiss roll, tucking the ends under. 2nd proof was twice longer, abt 40min. Baked 40min in 170oC, turned my bread a little too brown on all sides. Hubby said that was because my oven's too small. Next time I should turn the temperature down to 160oC. Verdict: Soft, Fluffy and Yummy!

Hokkaido Milky Loaf
270g bread flour
30g cake flour
5g instant yeast
15g milk powder
40g sugar
5g salt
30ml beaten egg
120g fresh milk
80g whipping cream

1. Place all the dry ingredients on a clean smooth work table, be careful not to place the salt with the yeast. Mix well.
2. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Mix well to get a sticky dough.
3. Using a plastic scrapper, scrap the sticky dough together. Knead the dough - fold, press heals of palms into the dough, then give the dough a 1/4 turn - till a smooth elastic dough is achieved.
4. Grease the dough and place in a large greased mixing bowl. Cover. Takes approximately 60min for the dough to double in size.
5. Remove from bowl and give the dough a few quick kneads. Shape and place in a 4"x8" loaf pan. Rest for 20min.
6. Brush dough with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated 160oC oven for 30min. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack before slicing. Yummy Bread!

Notes
** I think I over-kneaded on my 1st attempt on this recipe. This time I kept checking the dough, by stretching a small piece of dough. Took 10min to knead the dough.
** 1 egg is approximately 1/4 cup or 60ml.
** The bread is still a little yellowish. Perhaps the next time I should replace the 30ml beaten egg with 30ml milk.

Raisin Muffins

2008-03-13T01:31:00.002+08:00

It's the 1 week March holidays. So unfortunately that both kids and I are sick, so is my mom who takes care of my kids. I took urgent leave today, so that I could rest and help my mom take care of them. Matthew has always helped his godmother (who's my younger sis) to make muffins and has been pestering me to do the same.

I didn't have my own trusty muffin recipe with me, I had to surf the net to come up with something. I did find something, but I kind of abandoned it while I was measuring the ingredients, because I was all mixed up. Furthermore, I wasn't on home ground, so I screwed up... BUT I used my baking instincts and managed to come up with something. Matthew helped to prepare the muffin cups, sift the flour and mix the batter. The result was fantastic! I quickly wrote down the modified recipe. It's definitely for keeps.

No photos, they were all gone before dinner time!

Matthew's Raisin Muffins - makes 9 std size
120g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
60g olive oil
80g milk
1/2 cup raisins

1. Sift flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add sugar to the flour and mix well.
2. Add egg, oil and milk into the large bowl. Stir till just combine. Add raisins and mix well.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full and bake in pre-heated 170oC oven for 20min. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Notes
** If using plain flour, add additional 1 tsp baking powder.

Layered cakes

2008-03-07T01:26:00.003+08:00

The ambient temperature at night for the past few days has been lower than usual, making it so comfortable to sleep. I have itching to bake again. It has been cold, so I had to shelf my plans to make bread. Today I baked sponge cake in a 8" square pan. I used the same basic recipe, but replaced milk with yogurt and added a tbsp orange juice because I ran out of vanilla essence!

I cut the cake into half and layered the two halves differently. One half is a jam and cream sponge, completely frosted all round; the other has just a simple peach and cream sandwiched.

Hubby's comments: The peach is not very sweet, doesn't seem to go well with the cake sponge.. hmmm... The jam and cream sponge is YUMMY!

My comments: The perfect texture for a sponge cake.. I'm so proud of myself! But the sponge is just a little too sweet. I need to learn how to frost with the whipped cream. It's so damn difficult! In the end I just mix the cream with grape jelly jam and pour over the cake!

Jam and cream sponge

A simple peach and cream sponge

Sponge Cups

2008-03-04T01:04:00.003+08:00

Last night, I made Sponge Tarts. We were at Vivocity for lunch this afternoon and were having coffee at Toast Box when I saw those sponge cakes wrapped with paper. I was just wondering aloud to hubby whether I could bake something similar.

I made a batch just now and wow, I did it.

Sponge Cups - makes 10 muffin cups
4 eggs
90g caster sugar
100g cake flour
25g plain yogurt
90g butter, melted

1. Sift cake flour and set aside. Line muffin tins or paper cups with baking paper.
2. Whisk eggs and sugar at high speed till light and fluffy, ribbon state (approx 5min). Reduce to low speed and continue to whisk at low speed for 1-2min.
3. Gently fold in cake flour in batches.
4. Fold in yogurt, followed by melted butter.
5. Spoon into cups and bake in preheated 160oC oven for 20min.
6. Cool completely on rack, before storing.

Notes
** changes to original recipe: omit sponge gel/stabiliser and replace milk with yogurt
** variation: add some raisins.

Original recipe > Baking Mum: Sponge Cake

Sponge tarts

2008-03-03T00:29:00.006+08:00

I don't know why I bought those aluminium foil cups that are meant for tarts. They were sitting there, an eyesore. I came across this Spongecake recipe and thought I should just bake a very small batch to get rid of the foil cups. I shall call them sponge tarts.

** no photos, because I'm lazy to compose the picture.. hahahaah **

Sponge Tarts - makes 8
2 eggs
50g caster sugar
50g cake flour
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
12.5g milk
45g melted butter

1. Sift cake flour and set aside. Grease foil cups.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla essence together at high speed till light and fluffy, ribbon state (about 3min). Continue to whisk for 1min at low speed to stabilise the batter.
3. Gently fold in flour into batter.
4. Add milk into the batter by the side. Blend well. Similarly, add melted butter.
5. Pour batter into cups. Bake in preheated 150oC oven for 20min, till a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool on rack before storing.

Notes
** Too sweet, can reduce the sugar content.
** Reduce or omit milk. Batter too runny.

Taste notes
** The sponge tarts remained soft when we took it for breakfast. I have slightly overbeaten the eggs again, but this time, the effect was great. It tasted like the baked brown 鸡蛋糕 my mom used to buy from the market. Yummy! All gone! I couldn't resist! Looks like I got to bake more tonight, if I have the energy!

Hokkaido Milky Loaf

2008-03-02T22:27:00.010+08:00

I made bread last night. From scratch, it took me 30 min to knead a proper bread dough, stretching it to a thin film without tearing it. Even before I placed in the mixing bowl, grease and cover it to proof, it was getting bigger by the second. 60min, I poked my finger into the expanded dough and the hole stayed there and the dough was not deflated. Took it out, gave it a few quick kneads, shaped it and let it to rest in the loaf pan for 20min. Forgot to brush with water. The pan was placed too high, I had to cover it with aluminium foil. After 30min, it was done! We took it out and hubby couldn't wait to try. Cut a small slice and spread some butter on it. Yummy! The crust was crisp and the interior was soft but a little too dense. We finished the whole loaf today.

Actually I'm not quite pleased with my bread. It doesn't have the same kind of texture as what Happy Home Baker has photographed in her food blog. I realised why - I "accidentally added" too much flour, by dusting too much flour on my working table while kneading. after note: I also suspect that I overkneaded?.. never mind, will do a better job next time.

original recipe > Angie's Recipes: Hokkaido Milky Loaf
My inspiration - Happy Home Baker > Hokkaido Milky Loaf

More steamed sponge

2008-02-29T02:18:00.003+08:00

Inspired by my "success" 2 nights ago, I decided to bake something tonight. Matthew came home with 4 muffins he helped his godma to bake, I was deciding not to bake, but hubby said go ahead. I decided to do steamed sponge again, but with some variations. This time I baked the full quantity, but left out the ovalette (or sponge gel) and used yogurt instead of fresh milk or coconut milk.

Yummy! Hubby said, "Not bad!"

Joanne's 1st Birthday

2008-02-29T00:58:00.007+08:00

I decided to take up hubby's challenge to bake a birthday cake for Joanne's 1st birthday. 2 things to note: I have never baked a sponge cake successfully and I have never decorated a cake before.

I researched on the internet and picked up tips on decorating. I finally came across this food blog: Happy Home Baking. This mommy has so many recipes and ideas. I was totally inspired!

Creamy Peachy Sponge
4 eggs
150g caster sugar
140g cake flour
30g olive oil
30g fresh milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Canned peach slices
Whipping cream

Cake
1. Line a deep 8" cake pan with greaseproof paper. Preheat oven at 180oC. Sift flour and set aside.
2. Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla essence in a big mixing bowl, at high speed for 5-7min, till light and fluffy, pale colour (ribbon state), do not overbeat. Then continue to whisk at low speed for 1-2min to stabilise the air bubbles in the batter.
3. Gently fold in sifted flour in batches. The batter will be slighty lumpy.
4. Spoon some batter in a small bowl and gently stir in milk and oil. This will help to blend in the denser liquids into the sponge batter. Fold in this mix into the batter. The batter should be smooth now.
5. Pour the batter into the pan. Give the pan a few bangs to release any big bubbles in the batter. Bake for 30min or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. *while baking, place a dry mixing bowl into the fridge.*
6. Remove the cake and let it cool upside down.

Frosting the cake
7. While the cake cools, prepare to frost the cake. Drain and cut up the peach slices, set aside. Whisk 1 cup of whipping cream into the cold mixing bowl till it peaks.
8. After the cake has cooled completely, using a long serrated knife, slice the cake into 2.
9. For the bottom layer, place the bottom side up for a smooth surface.
10. Place 2 spoons of whipped cream on the bottom layer. Spread it. Arrange the peaches. Spread more cream to cover the peach.
11. Place the top cake layer. Spread whipped cream over the top, then followed by the sides.
12. Decorate. :)

Here's mommy's effort.

Hubby loved the cake and had 2 slices for breakfast after we sang Happy Birthday to Joanne Wednesday morning. My mom gave me the best compliment: 像蛋糕店的一样. My mom even teased me about my cake because I really couldn't bake previously and always fail in home econs.

Now hubby encourages me to bake, because he could see that I really love to do it. It was such a joy to see the kids' delighted faces when they saw the cake. :)

original recipe from Happy Home Baking > Strawberry Sponge Cake

Steamed Mini Sponge Cakes

2008-02-20T04:00:00.012+08:00

I chanced upon this book Steamed Cake & Kuih Muih at Popular Bookstore. It contained recipes for traditional Nonya/Malaysian/Singaporean cakes and kuehs which I used to eat when I was young. Here's one which I adapted from Steamed Mini Pandan Cakes recipe in the book and it's definitely for keeps! I made these cute mini cakes 2 nights ago, Hubby had 3-4 with coffee for supper (so did I) and we had them for breakfast too. Yummy!

Steamed Mini Sponge Cakes
Ingredients A
2 eggs
2/3 tsp ovalette or sponge gel (optional)
100g caster sugar (which I had reduced to 75g in my version)
1 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients B
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50ml milk
1/4 cup rasins

1. Prepare the equipment and water for steaming. Sift plain flour and baking powder, set aside.
2. Whisk ingredients A in a clean bowl, till light and fluffy, reaching the ribbon state.
3. Gently fold in sifted flour into the egg-sugar batter, alternating with milk, in 3 batches. Complete the folding-in with rasins.
4. Spoon batter into plastic molds, filling up to 80%.
5. Steam for 5-7 minutes or till done. Remove, allow to cool before serving.

Changes to original recipe
* This recipe is 2/3 the original.
* 100ml thick coconut milk replaced with 50ml UHT milk
* 1 tbsp pandan juice replaced with 1 tsp vanilla essence
* Self raising flour replaced with plain flour with baking powder
* Added 1/4 cup rasins

Notes
* For steaming, the water must be boiling vigorously.
* Plastic molds can be found at baking supplies stores, such as Phoon Huat.

I found the green oval molds in a houseware store at the market. The other smaller bundt-like molds were bought from Phoon Huat.

Creamy Macaroni Cheese

2008-01-30T01:41:00.001+08:00

we went to the Alexandra Fire Station two Saturdays ago with some friends and their kids. lunch was nearby at the Disney Cafe in Anchorpoint. everything there is Disney theme. the pizza came in mickey shape. Matthew had macaroni cheese and we gave Jo some. Both of them loved it, so i decided to try and make it last weekend. Not bad, but a little too creamy. M even ate all the vege i added.

Creamy Macaroni Cheese
1/2 cup macaroni
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp flour
broccoli
cauliflower
button mushroom
1 cup milk
60g cheddar cheese, grated

1. Cook macaroni, following directions on packaging. Add broccoli and cauliflower to cook in the same pot. Drain and put aside.
2. Melt butter in a oven-proof pot on a stove. Quick-fry the mushroom.
3. Add flour, stirring, creating a roux. Stir in milk to create a creamy base.
4. Add macaroni and vege, stirring well.
5. Add 2/3 of the grated cheese. Mix well.
6. Place in 180oC oven for 20min. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Serve hot.

Yummy Nonya Kaya

2008-01-30T00:59:00.002+08:00

i found this Nonya Kaya receipe from a food blog by a NTU undergraduate. simple enough, so i decided to make Kaya tonight. i don't have a breadmaker, so i used the traditional over-the-stove method. because i'm a very careless and impatient person, it has to be double boil method, so that i won't burn the bottom! wahahahaa...

conclusion, it tasted just like how my 外婆 used to make it when we visited her in JB many many years ago. as i was stirring my kaya, i was reminiscing those times. i'm going to ask my uncle to bring home a bottle for her, with a big ang pow for CNY.

Yummy Nonya Kaya
1 cup or 250ml coconut milk
1 cup or 250ml egg, beaten (approx 4 eggs)
3/4 cup sugar
10-15 pandan leaves

1. Wash, dry and tie the pandan leaves in bundles (or alternatively use Pandan juice, see below).
2. Put all ingredients into a stainless steel pot placed over a bigger pot with tap water (double boil method).
3. Heat up till water is boiling. Allow the water to continue boiling over a small flame. Top up water if necessary. Stir the kaya mixture continuously. This will take up to almost an hour.
4. Kaya will be curdy and watery. Allow to cool before blending. Store in glass jars.
5. Enjoy Kaya on a slice of toasted bread with butter. Yummy!

i used my stick blender (Braun MR4050), so i could actually blend the kaya right in the pot while it's still hot.

pandan juice - blend 10-15 pandan leaves (cut into small pieces) with just enough water to cover the leaves in the blender. strain using a sieve.

Cupcakes

2008-01-13T00:00:00.002+08:00

I bought a TupperChef fryer on offer recently. This fryer is good as you can actually bake over the gas stove (which would be cheaper than electricity). It has been a long time since I baked cakes. Reason being I'm not a very patient person and making cakes need patience and time, so for most times, my cakes failed. I prefer to make muffins, as it's such a simple method of mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ones.

I was inspired by some blogs I read last night, so in the wee hours of 1-2am, I was in the kitchen baking cupcakes! I had to close all the doors so that my cake mixer won't wake the kids up. The quantity was not a lot and it was much easier to control the consistency of the mix. I guess with my experience in muffins, I was able to know if I added too little flour or if I needed more liquid.

Easy Cupcakes (adapted from DianasDesserts.com)
makes 6 jumbo or 9 std

1/2 cup plain flour, sift with baking powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 cup or 30g butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1/4 (8oz) carton plain yogurt or sour cream
1/4 cup rasins

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Line muffin cups with paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter on high speed for 30sec. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well mixed. Add beaten egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour mixture and yogurt alternately and finally fold in the rasins.
3. Spoon batter to fill up to 1/4 cup. Bake in preheated oven about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Remove from oven and cups and allow to cool completely.

Sandy's Baked Rice

2008-01-11T01:30:00.001+08:00

This is one-dish meal which I cook / bake very often. It's nutritious and tasty and the whole family can eat. The method of cooking is standard and you can throw all sorts of ingredients into the dish. Here's my 1st version...

SANDY'S BAKED RICE I - enough for Matthew and Jo
Carrot, chopped
Shimeiji Mushroom, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Cauliflower, chopped
Minced chicken or small pieces cod-fish
1/2 cup rice
1-1/2 cup stock or water
Shredded cheddar cheese, if desired
Olive Oil

1. Add olive oil to a heated saucepan.
2. When the oil is hot, add carrot and mushroom. Stir fry till moist (the moisture comes from the mushroom).
3. Add some stock to the saucepan. Allow the stock to boil.
4. Add meat and allow the meat to cook before adding rice.
5. Stir fry rice and add remaining stock and veggie to the saucepan.
6. Turn down the flame to small and allow the rice mixture to simmer till almost dry. Stir occassionally, taking care that the base does not burn.
7. Transfer the rice mixture to a ceramic baking dish or a corningware. Cover with foil and bake at 200oC for 20-30min, till almost dry.
8. Remove from oven and spread shredded cheddar chesse on the rice, if desired.
9. Serve warm.

Notes
* Qty of ingredients as desired.
* Minced garlic and/or shallots may be included.
* I prefer to use shimeji mushroom as they are small and I just use scissors to cut them into small pieces.
* Based on my experience, for 2 adults and 2 kids, rice quantity would be 1-1/2 cup and water/stock quantity would be 4-1/2 cup. For baked rice, liquid qty would be 3x rice quantity.

Cheddar Cheese Muffins

2008-01-11T00:39:00.002+08:00

This was my 1st attempt baking savoury muffins. We've bought some before from the shops and thought it was quite nice. My go at it turned out quite well. I modified from this original recipe i found online and halved the quantity. Here goes...

CHEDDAR CHEESE MUFFINS - makes 6 jumbo or 9 std
7/8 cup or 100g plain flour (preferably sifted)
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 small egg
1/2 cup milk
1/8 cup or 30g butter, melted (can also use olive oil)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 or 9 small cubes cheddar cheese (quantity depends on how many muffins you are making)

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and shredded cheese ; mix well. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
2. In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and melted butter; add to the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tins 1/3 full, place a small cube cheddar cheese, then spoon to two-thirds full.
3. Bake at preheated 180°C for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack, before removing muffins from tins.

Notes
* you may need a higher temperature and longer time for bigger ovens, do watch the muffins during 1st attempt, this is my ideal temperature and duration for most of my muffin recipes.
* You may "sprinkle" some shredded cheese on the muffins after removing from the oven.

Love for cooking... cooking for love

2008-01-11T00:13:00.000+08:00

One of the greatest joys is to cook for my loved ones, namely my hubby Mike, my son Matthew and my little gal Joanne.

Mike's not particular about what he eats, but I do enjoy putting food on the table for him.

Matthew hates veggie, like most kids, so each weekend I would try to come up with new ideas to add veggie to his food. He has a very sharp tongue and we can't "hide" veggie in his food, he knows!

Joanne is not quite 1 year old, so for her I can't add seasonings into her food. She has yet to reject the food I put in her mouth, but she doesn't like food that she can't chew. The best is to be able to cook something which I can feed both Matthew and Joanne.

So what about me? I'm not really particular about what I eat, but I love fishballs and Japanese food.

Why this blog? Many mommy friends from Mar07 thread on the Singaporemotherhood.com forum asked me for recipes, especially those for babies. I would be very happy to share, but not just those recipes for babies, but also for toddlers and adults.

HAPPY COOKING! :)