Marmalade Cake

Ingredients:

• 225g (8oz) butter or margarine, softened
• 225g (8oz) caster sugar
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp warm water
• Pinch of salt
• 225g (8oz) self-raising flour

Filling and icing:

• 150g (5oz) butter, softened
• 300g (10 ½oz) icing sugar, sieved
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• Orange peel, finely grated
• 4-6 tbsp marmalade

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C. Grease two 20cm cake tins and line with baking paper.

Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add beaten eggs one at a time. Add warm water and salt. Mix in flour and beat well.

Pour half the mixture into each tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and risen.

Take sponges from tins and leave to cool on wire rack. Remove baking paper after cake has cooled.

Cream together butter and icing sugar until mixture is soft. Add two or three drops of vanilla essence and sandwich the sponge halves together with layer of marmalade and thin layer of buttercream.

Spread butter cream thickly on top of cake and sprinkle with orange peel

Giant Cupcake

Ingredients:

• 450g softened butter
• 450g caster sugar
• 8 large eggs
• 450g self-raising flour
• 4 level tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp of vanilla
• 3 tbsp milk
• Giant cupcake mould

For the cake covering:

• 250g white fondant icing
• Pink food colouring
• Strawberry jam

For the buttercream:

• 110g unsalted butter, softened
• 500g icing sugar
• 60ml milk, room temperature
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• Pink food colouring

Method:

Set the oven to 180ºC and grease the tin/siliconemould using cake release spray or cooking oil.

Cream the butter and sugar and add the vanilla. Beat for about 5 minutes. Add one egg at a time with a third of the sieved flour and baking powder until it has gone then add the milk and beat slowly until it is mixed in.

Place half of the mixture in each side of the tin to about ¾ full and bake for 50 mins. Times really depend on your own oven, so start to check the cake at 50 minutes, then every 10 minutes and do not remove from the oven until the cake is springy to the touch.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes before tipping out. If the cake has overflowed or has risen too high don’t worry, you can trim this with a bread knife or a cake leveller. It’s easier to do this while it is still in the tin.

Hold the cooling rack tight over the top of the tin and turn them out to cool. Once the cake is totally cool (probably an hour or 2) you can start decorating it.

Colour and roll out the fondant icing to a ¼ of an inch thick. It has to be 25cm in length and 8cm high. Then use a texture mat to add a flower pattern to the fondant.

Melt some jam in the microwave and leaving the cake in the upside down position brush over the base of the cake. This helps the fondant stick. Place the fondant around the cake and trim the excess. You can fold a little over the top (which is the bottom) so you have a clean edge. Press your finger round the indentations so you get the shape of the base back. Then turn the cake (not gripping too hard or you will squash it) the right way up.

Beat the butter, icing sugar, milk and vanilla together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Put a third of the buttercream in another bowl and add pink food colouring to it. Reserve this for your buttercream roses. Spread jam on the bottom half of the cupcake, then the icing and sandwich the two pieces together.

Ice the top with the rest of the buttercream in a design that suits you. .To create the two-tone effect, fill your piping bag up with the cream icing then add the pink on top. Twist the top of the bag and squeeze into a bowl until you see the pink coming through.

Top your giant cupcake with sugarcraft butterflies, flowers or lady birds

Classic Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

Sponge:

• 175g unsalted butter
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 175g self raising flour

Filling:

• 3 tbsp strawberry jam
• 200ml double cream

Method:

Set the oven to 180C. Lightly butter  and line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins.

Cream together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly add in the beaten eggs.

Fold in the sifted flour and spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tins.

Bake for 20 minutes. Leave it to cool and then remove from the tins.

Whip the cream until thick and use it to fill the sponge with the jam.

Dust liberally with icing sugar to serve.

Nasi Tomato (Tomatoe Rice)

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• cardomom pods
• 2 cinnamon stick  (2-in) length
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2-in ginger knob, peeled and bruised
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• tomatoes 3, chopped
• 150g  tomato puree
• 2 bay leaves
• 500g rice, washed and drained
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 4cups chicken stock
• 170g evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 100g cashew nuts, toasted

Method:

Heat the oil in a pot. Saute onion, cardamon pods, cinnamon, garlic, ginger and chilli powder until fragrant.

Add tomatoes and tomato puree. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Put in bay leaves and rice. Mix thoroughly.
Add tabasco sauce, chicken stock, evaporated milk and sugar. Bring to boil and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.

Cover the pot, cook over low heat for 10 minutes or in the oven for 20 minutes at 180C.
Garnish with toasted cashew nuts and serve with Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce (Ayam Masak Merah)

Kam Heong Chicken (Fragrant Chicken)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast, sliced
• 1/2 egg white
• 1/2 tsp salt
• a dash of pepper
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp cornstarch

For the sauce:

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, cut into quarter
• 15 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp dried shrimps, soak and finely chopped
• 5 birds eye chillies, chop roughly
• 1tbsp curry powder
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp dark sauce
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt to taste

Method:

Marinate  the meat with egg white, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Set it aside for at least an hour. Heat some oil for frying. Stir in cornstarch to the chicken. Mix well

Fry the chicken until golden brown. Remove and drain the oil on paper towels. Remove most of the oil from the frying pan and leave about 2 tbsp for cooking the sauce.

Heat up the oil and stir-fry the garlic and onion until fragrant and lightly brown. Stir in the dried shrimps, chillies and cyrry leaves and continue to stir-fry until fragrant.

Add in the rest of the seasonings and water. Simmer for a few seconds and toss in the chicken. Mix until well combined.

Serve with warm rice