Earl Grey Pound Cake

 

Beside green tea (matcha) is commonly used in baking, I’ve been noticed Earl Grey is another popular tea is being used. This is my first time using it for baking, and very happy with this pound cake recipe. It yields not only soft but also moist cake with strong flavour of earl grey on it.

 

Source : はじめてさんのお菓子作り via Through theKitchen Door and Piggy’s Cooking Journal

 

Ingredients

130 gr Cake flour

1/3 tsp Baking powder

7 gr Earl grey tea leaves, crushed ( approx. 3 sachets )
120 gr Unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 gr Caster sugar
2 Eggs, separated
2 tbsp Milk ( I substituted with 1 tbsp milk + 1 tbsp lime juice )

Method:

- Preheat oven to 170C. Lightly grease and line a 18cm x 8cm loaf pan with baking paper.

- Sift flour and tea leaves into a bowl. Set aside.

-Cream the butter with 50g of sugar until light and fluffy. add in the egg yolks one at a time, follow by milk. Beat well with each addition.

- Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture till all combined. Set aside.

- In a separate bowl, beat egg white until soft peak forms, add the remaining 50g of sugar gradually and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

- With a spatula, fold 1/3 of egg white into butter mixture until just combined; and fold in with the remaining egg white.

- Scrape the batter into cake pan. Make a dent lengthwise in the centre.

- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake turns out clean. Let the cake cool on the wire rack.



I’m submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #30: It's Teatime! (April 2013) hosted by Food Playground.

If you noticed my loaf cake, I still cannot successfully have the split blooming on the top part cake, can anybody sharing the technique with me? Thanks.

 

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake - Revisited

I baked this 6" cheesecake to celebrate my colleague V’s birthday. I’m glad they like it and gave good reviews on it :)

If you are interested in giving this cake a try, please see the below recipe. However, if you prefer 8" size, please refer here.

Source : Diana’s Dessert

Ingredients

125 gr Cream Cheese, softened
25 gr Salted Butter, softened
50 ml Fresh Milk
½ tbsp Lemon Juice

3 Egg Yolks
30 gr Cake flour
10 gr Corn flour
pinch of salt

3 Egg Whites
1/8 tsp Cream of tartar
70 gr Caster Sugar

Method:
- Preheat oven 160C **.
- Place the softened cream cheese, butter and fresh milk in a mixing bowl and stir over double-boiler until melt and mixture is thick and creamy. Remove it from double-boiler to cool.
- Upon slightly cool, add in the egg yolks, cake flour, corn flour and lemon juice. Mix until well combined.
- Sieve the egg yolk and flour mixture into another clean bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whip the egg whites in till foamy, add in cream of tartar, continue to whisk. Gradually add in the caster sugar, whisk till soft/medium peaks form.
- Add one-third of egg whites mixture into the cheese mixture and use whisk to stir well. Continue to fold gently with the balance egg white mixture until incorporated.
- Pour into the pan with grease paper and bake in water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown.
- Leave to cool in oven for at least 10 mins with open door ajar. Unmold the cake, leave it cool before refrigerating it for at least 4 hours.

NOTE:

** For my oven, I first baked for 20 mins at 180C and changed to 160C for another 45 mins.

Chocolate Lapis Legit

When you see any lapis cake, I guess everyone will straight forward say
wow nice cake but fattening, time consuming to bake blah blah blah ….
so do I.

I felt lazy whenever the thought of long hours of preparing & baking it, however, for every Chinese New Year, at least I will try to bake one lapis cake (provided time is allowed). I just love the taste of rich, aromatic, moist and not to forget it is highly addictive cake…. just can’t stop at only one slice. :)

Here are “Some good tip and tricks for baking lapis cake shared by Sweet Samsations” that you may check it out before you bake.

Source : Ny Liem's Lapis Legit Coklat with modification

Ingredients:

A:
35 Egg yolks
4 Egg white
10 gr Cake Emulsifier/Ovallete
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
350 gr Icing Sugar

B:
600 gr Chilled Salted Butter
2 tbsp Condense milk

C:
50 gr Cake flour
20 gr Corn flour
20 gr Milk powder

D:
30 gr Chocolate powder
1 tbsp Chocolate paste
50 gr butter cream

Method:
- Cream butter (600+50 gr) until pale and fluffy. Put aside 50 gr of butter and will be used for Ingredients (D). Add condensed milk to the remaining 600 gr butter, cream or mix well and set aside.
- Beat Ingredients (A) until thick & fluffy. Fold in the creamy 600 gr butter – Ingredients (B) and evenly mix.
- Fold in Ingredients (C) with spatula until the mixture is well incorporated.
- Take 1/3 of the batter (around 750 gr), mix it with Ingredients (D) until incorporated, set aside.
- Place the baking paper on the preheated 9x9 inch tin. Spread thinly approx. 110 gr of yellow batter to the tin and bake the first layer at the centre rack with top-bottom heat at 200C. It should take 5-10 mins until brown.
- Then bake the next layer until the last layer using top heat. Try to bake it each layer not more than 5 mins or else, the cake will turn hard.
- Use back spoon to press lightly to flatten each layer while you mixed the batter in the tray.
- For chocolate layer, I weigh 115 gr each.
- Every three layers of yellow, I add 2 chocolate layers. Continue baking the cake by the layers until the batter uses up.
-When the last layer is finish, cover with aluminium foil, using top bottom heat …. bake the cake again at 180C for about 10 mins.
- Remove from oven and leave to cool before slicing.

I’m submitting this post to:

- Aspiring Bakers #27:Through Thick and Thin – Kue Lapis Classics hosted by Sweet Samsations
- Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

Source : Baking: From My Home to Yours via The PurpleFoodie

Ingredients:

225 Salted butter, at room temperature

130 gr Caster Sugar ( I used only 105 gr )

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

250 gr All purpose Flour

120 gr Mini Chocolate Chips

Method:

- Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 mins, until pale and smooth.

- Add in vanilla, then reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour, don’t overmix, stop once the flour is incorporated.

- Fold in the chocolate chips with spatula.

- Transfer the soft, sticky dough to a zipper or plastic bag (see below picture). Put the bag on a flat surface, roll on the thickness you prefer. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days ( I did it one day in advance ).

- Preheat oven to 160C

- Put the hardened dough on the flat surface and slit it open. Cut the dough into 1 - 1.5 inch squares (see above picture) and transfer it to the baking sheets on the tray and carefully prick each one twice with a fork.

- Bake for 15-17mins, the shortbreads will be very pale and well baked, they shouldn’t take on much colour.

- Leave to cool thoroughly before storing in container.

Yields : One small bottle container

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover. And also I would like to wish all have a prosperous and fruitful water snake year :)

Pandan Flavour Cookies

Source : Y3K Cookies by Alan Ooi via Happy Flour

Ingredients:

130 gr Butter
70 gr Shortening  ( I used margarine )
130 gr Icing sugar

2 Eggs
1 tsp Pandan paste

260g Cake flour
¼ tsp Baking powder
40g Hoen kwee flour or Green pea flour
20g Custard powder
20g Coconut powder

Some red dried cherries (diced) for topping (optional)

Method:

- Preheat oven to 165C.
- Sift all the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
- Cream butter, shortening and icing sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Lightly beat in the eggs and pandan paste, then add to butter batter.
- Fold in all the shifted flour to form a soft dough.
- Spoon dough into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe onto baking tray and places the diced cherry on top.

-  Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20mins. The cookies must be well-baked but not brown.
- Leave to cool thoroughly before storing in container.

Yields : approx. one and half small container 

Not to forget J I am submitting this post to Chinese New YearDelights 2013, hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Cheese Pineapple Tarts

Ingredients:
Dough:
150 gr Hard Butter
45 gr Icing sugar 
1 Egg Yolk
½ tsp Vanila extract
200 gr Plain Flour
40 gr Corn Flour
10 gr Parmesan cheese

1 Egg Yolk + 1 tsp water for egg wash
Shredded Cheddar Cheese for toping

Pineapple Filling

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 160C.
- Cream Butter and icing sugar until creamy & fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla, whisk until mixed well.
- Add cheese and combined flour (divide into 2-3 times), mix well to form a dough.

- Cover and rest dough in the fridge for 15-30 mins.
- Scale pineapple filling at 6 gr and roll into a ball.
- Pinch some dough and scale it at 7 gr each.
- Flatten the dough, place in the filling and seal into a ball.
- Brush tarts with egg wash and sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until slightly brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Yields : approx. 40-50 cookies depend on the size ( about 1 small container plus )

Here, I'm submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013, hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Beside this, I would also like to link this post to "Pineapple Events" - Little Thumbs Up hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, organised by Bake for Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

 

 

Sorry Alan, here is my last minute submission to AspiringBakers #26 – Creative Christmas Motif Bakes hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies. Hope that is not too late J

 

Here I also would like to wish my readers and fellow bloggers a

Happy New Year 2013.

 



 

 

Source : The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook via Noms IMust

 

Ingredients:

60 gr Unsalted butter, at room temperature
150 gr Caster sugar
1 Egg

1 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tbsp Red food colouring (I only use 1 tbsp Wilton “Red Red”)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp White vinegar

120 ml Buttermilk

150 gr Plain flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda (I add 1/2 tsp Baking powder)

Method:

- Preheat the oven 180oC.

- Mix together the cocoa powder, red food colouring, vanilla, vinegar and buttermilk until evenly combined.

- In a separate bowl, whisk butter and sugar in high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly add the egg and beat until incorporated.

- Turn the mixer to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk mixture, beat a while then add half of the flour which has mixed with Bicarbonate of Soda and Baking Powder until everything well mixed. Repeat the process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until the batter smooth.

- Spoon the mixture into the cupcakes paper and bake for 15-25 mins (depend on the size of cupcakes) or cooked. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray,

- When cupcakes are cold, decorate with cream cheese frosting on top and dust with red velvet cake crumb.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Ingredients:

150 gr Cream cheese, room temperature

75 gr Butter, room temperature

70-100 gr Icing sugar (slowly adjust depend on desired sweetness)

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp Lemon juice (optional)

 

Method:

- Whisk cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

- While continue whisk, add the vanilla extract. Turn in low speed, slowly add the icing sugar. - Keep adding until you get the desired sweetness.

- Ready to spread.