Almond and Orange Cake

I notice that of late I have been baking using almonds more than my norm. I don't know why but I am hooked to almond at the moment. While in the office working and one of those days that hit me, I decided to destress myself by browsing the web on my lunch break and came across this recipes by Michel Roux Jr. Honest, I never heard of him and this is the first time I heard his name.

However after going through the ingrdients and the cooking method, I notice that this is an easy cake to bake and sound fail proof. Also I have most of the ingredients in my cupboard, therefore decided to have a go.

My verdict: easy to bake even for beginner and most important it is a moist and  delicious cake. Here are the ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 50g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g castor sugar
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp grated zest of orange
• 4 medium eggs
• 80 ml freshly squeeze orange juice
• 60g brown sugar
• 1 tbsp marmalade
• handful of almond flakes, toasted

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c/160c for fan oven. Butter a 20cm rounds cake tin.

Sift flour, baking powder and sugar and then add in the ground almonds.

Whisk the butter with the orange zest until pale, then add the eggs one at a time. Fold in the dry ingredients with a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the preheat oven for 45 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile make a syrup by boiling the orange juice with the brown sugar. Leave to cool. Once the cake is cooked, prick several times with a skewer to the base and pour on the cooled syrup. Leave the cake to cool completely before brushing on a little warmed marmalade and sprinkling it with a few toasted, almond flakes.

Lovely served with orange segments marinated in a generous splash of whisky and a little demerara sugar.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Ahhhh chiffon.....light and soft and fluffy. Guess this is where the cake gets its name. This chiffon cake is so soft, light and fluff and I can eat the whole cake by myself...hehehe
The fail factor for this cake is very high and every chiffon gurus out there will thell you their recipes are better than the other. So how does one choose the right recipe to use. For me the recipe with a some Idiot proof Orange Chiffon cake does it :)

Ingredients:

• 4 large egg yolks
• 70g sugar
• 50g corn oil
• 50g fresh squeeze orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 70g plain flour, sifted
• zest of 2 oranges

Meringue:

• 30g sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 8g corn starch

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180c/160c for fan oven

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the oil, orange juice and vanilla extract and mix until well combine. Fold in flour and orange zest, mix well until the batter become sticky.

To make the meringue: Combine sugar and corn flout and set aside.
Beat the egg whites and cream tartar until foamy. Add half of the sugar and corn flour mixture and continue to beat for a few minutes. Add the remaining sugar and corn flour mixture and continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.

Add one third of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture and fold in lightly. Add again another one third and fold in and continue with the remaining meringue and fold to incorporate completely. Do not over fold as you do not want to loose the air in the meringue.

Pour batter into an ungreased chiffon/angel tube pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes. When the cake is domne, remove from the oven and turn it over, leaving it to cool completely. Once the cake is cool, carefully run a knife around the side of the cake to loosen it before serving.

Raspberry And Almond Cake

How I love this simple cake!!!!!. They go so beautifully with coffee or tea and the would be on a rainy day.
Raspberries and almond are meant to be together. Just like marriage in heaven. Either eaten as it is, or warm in the microwave and serve with greek yogurt or creme fraiche as dessert.
I am using a 26x16cm oblong tin, lined with baking paper. Here are the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 175g butter, softened
• 175g self raising flour, sifted
• 175g sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 125g ground almond
• 175g raspberries, may use the frozen too
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp flaked almond
• icing sugar for dusting

Method:
Heat oven to 180c/160c for fan.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time. and mix well. Fold in the sifted flour, ground almonds and milk. Mix until well combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.

Scatter the raspberries over the surface and press down lightly into the cake mixture. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 40-45 minutes. Check with a skewer to make sure the middle of the cake is cooked. If not return to the oven coveted with foil for another 5-10 minutes.

Leave to cool in the tin before cutting. Cut into 15-18 squares and dust with icing sugar before serving.

More cupcakes!!!!!

After a much waiting and busy preparing my colleague daughter finally celebrate her 21st birthday. Been asking me to bake her some cupcakes for her birthday. I can't decide until the last minutes after hinting after hinting I finally agree to bake the cakes.

I have not get her any present nor card so I decided to make her a bouquet of cupcakes, my usual special :) and decide to change the icing colour to pink as it is her favourite colour beside lilac.

Banana crepe cake with walnut butterscotch

A friend recently updated her facebook with a picture of a cake called crepe cake. I never heard about such cake. In fact she also posted a picture of the cake and it just fascinated me as it has layers and layers of this thin look a like pancake. This cake also reminded me of  the Indonesian Layer Cake or Kek Spekok as it's called. Because of  this my curiosity makes me went onlike and google about this cake. I found a few recipes but after reading the recipes I find that this one is the best among all (source from smittenkitchen.com but I have modified some of the measurement). You  have your 5 a day and still able to enjoy the cake. Deeeee-lish!!!!
Oh by the way, it will be easier if you use nonstick pan. And always remember the first or second piece will always go in the trash.

Ingredients:

Banana crepes

• 60g butter, melted and cool slightly, add extra for greasing pan
• 1 large ripe banana, about 180g
• 1 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 30g light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Cream cheese yoghurt filling

• 225g cream cheese, well softened
• 11/2 cups plain Greek yoghurt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Walnut butterscotch topping

• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 25g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup chopped walnut, toasted
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Method:
Make the crepe batter: Blend the banana in a food processor until totally smooth. Add in the melted butter and blend again. Add in the remaining ingredients and blend until they are combined. Transfer batter, which will look pretty thin, to a bowl or a large measuring jug ( will be easier later as it has a spout), cover with clingfilm and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight. This batter can keep up to two days. When you remove the batter, it will seem surprisingly thick. Stir it before using to mix up all the ingredients again.

Cook the crepe: Heat a medium nonstick pan or a crepe pan over a medium-high heat. Once heated, brush the pan lightly with melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup  batter into the pan, swirling it until it evenly coats the bottom and cook, undisturbed, till the bottom is golden abd the top is set. This takes about 2-3 minutes. Flip the crepe and cook it for 30 seconds on the other side before transferring it to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining batter. You can stack your crepes and they will not stick together.  Let the crepes cool completely.

Making filling: Whip the cream cheese until fluffy, then beat in yoghurt, 1/2 cup at a time. When well combine, add sugar and vanilla extract and continue to blend until rich and fluffy, just another minutes.

Assemble crepes: Lay the first crepe on a cake plate or serving platter. Spread with 2 tbsp of the yoghurt-cream cheese filling. Repeat with all but the last remaining crepe, which should be stached but has no filling on top as it is the lid.

Make walnut butterscotch: Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring to boil ( as above 1st picture), then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally inh the begining and more frequently as it reduce and thickens. You will know when it's done when it becomes thick and smells toasty. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then walnuts. Immediately pour over stack of filled crepes, nudging the butterscotch to the edges with a spoon- if it goes over the edge so be it.

Serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Crepe cake keeps for up to 3 days.

Cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes!!!

Oh la la cupcakes!!!!!

Call it how you want, cupcakes, fairy cakes or patty cakes. Basically they are a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminium cup.

Why did I choose cupcakes???

• Coz cupcakes are stylish
• Coz cupcakes are friendly
• Coz cupcakes are fun to decorate
• Coz cupcakes are versatile
• And most important cupcakes are portable

The sky is the limit when decorating cupcakes. With just some imagination, you can create a whole world of cupcakes wonders.

On the photo above, I have create a bouquet of cupcakes !!!!!

Oreo Cream Cheese Blondies

9x

Oreo biscuits.....they are my favourite cookies. No matter how we indulge with it, I like mine best with TLD ( Twist, Lick, Dunk)

Ingredients:

• 225g butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 11/2 cup chocolate chips
• 225g cream cheese
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsbp milk
• 24 Oreo cookies

Method:

Pre heat oven to 200c/180c for fan oven.

Cream butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue to beat until all are well combined.

Add flour, salt, baking soda and chocolate chips, mix until just combined.

Press half the dough into a bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for about 8 minutes, until slightly browned.

While bars are baking, beat cream cheese with sugar. Add the milk to make a spreadable consistency.

Remove bars from oven, top with the 24 Oreo cookies. Spread the cream cheese mixtures over the Oreos. Top with the remaining half of the dough.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bars are set.

Cool before cutting into 24 bars.

Moist Ginger Cake

Just one word to describe this cake ....."divine"

If you are looking for a slice of spice, try this deliciously moist ginger cake!!!
It has a gingery glaze that part sank into the cake and the top part will set as a thin crust.

Ingredients:

for the cake

• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g self raising flour
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g golden syrup
• 100g black treacle
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 large eggs
• 200ml milk
• 50g stem ginger, finely chopped

for the glaze:

• 4 tbsp boiling water
• 4 tbsp ginger syrup from the jar of stem ginger
• 200g icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C/160C for fan oven.

Line a 20cm square/9" round cake tin with baking paper.

Blitz together in the food processor the flour, ground ginger, bicarbonate of soda, butter and ground cinnamon until it looks like bread crumbs. Put it aside.

In a large sauce pan, put in together the black tracle, golden syrup, finelly chopped stem ginger and brown sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat and cook for a further couple of minutes, then remove from heat.

Beat the eggs and milk into the hot syrup mixture.

Add in the flour and butter crumbs. Stir throughly until the mixture are well combined.

Pour into the prepared cake tin. The mixture at this stage is a bit runny.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

When the cake nearly finish the baking time, make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients together until its smoothand well combined.

When the cake is cooked, let it stand in the tin for about 10 minutes.

Pierce the cake all over with the skewerand then pour over the glaze. Some will soak into the cake while the rest will harden and create a fine glaze on top of the cake.

Leave to cool and set completely before removing from the tin.

Raspberry Bakewell Cake

LOVED IT !!! TOTALLY SCRUMPTIOUS

...... AND SURPRISING LIGHT.

This is a simple and no fuss cake to make and really quick to prepare. Or should I call it idiot proof cake...lol.

I am using raspberries for this recipe but can be replace with any type of berries. If you like almondy tasten just replace the vanilla extract with almond extract.

Ingredients:

• 145g butter, softened
• 145g sugar
• 145g self raising flour
• 145g ground almonds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/almond extract
• 2 large eggs
• 250g raspberries
• 2 tbsp flaked almond
• icing sugar, to serve

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c/160c for fan oven. Grease and line a 20cm loose bottom cake tin.

Blitz all the ingredients into a food processor until well combined.

Spread half the mixture over the cake tin and smooth the top. Scatter the raspberries over and then spread the remaining mixture on top and spread evenly. You might want to use your fingers to do this as it is easier to spread.

Scatter the flaked almonds over the top and bake for 50 minutes until golden.

Cool, remove from the cake tin and dust with icing sugar before serving. It is also lovely to warmed up and served with ice cream.....yum

Easter Cupcakes

                   

            HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE !!!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 100g self raising flour
• 100g golden castor sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Preheat oven at 180c or 160c for fan assist oven.

Place softened butter, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder and vanilla essence into a mixing bowl. Beat for a few minutes with eletric mixer until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy.

Line the muffin tin with 12 cases and divide the mixture between them. filling up the cases to about two-thirds of the way up.

Bake for about 20m minutes until the cakes have risen and are lightly golden. Lift the cakes (still in the paper case) out of the tin and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

For the buttercream:

• 55g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g icing sugar
• 30ml milk, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• green and black food colouring

Method:

Beat the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla xtract together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Put half of the buttercream in another bowl and add green food colouring to it. Reserve this for the grass. Add black colouring to the other half and mix well. This will be use for the nest.

Put the green buttercream into a icing bag using the grass/hair nozzle. Pipe it on the side of the cupcakes. Once completed, wash the nozzle and use it to make the nest. Place the black buttercream into a clean piping bag and press out the buttercream in a long pipping to make the nest along the grass.

Decorate the cupcakes with mini easter eggs and also little chick.