Chocolate Brownie Cake

This chocolate brownie cake is perfect for both adults and children.

Ingredients:

• 275g good quality dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa solids)
• 225g butter
• 350g castor sugar
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1/2tsp vanilla extract
• 200g plain flour

For the peanut butter frosting:

• 400g full fat philadephia cream cheese
• 4 heaped tbsp icing sugar
• 340g peanut butter (the American brands are best)
• 50g melted dark chocolate and a handful honey-roasted peanuts, chopped to decorate

Method:

Grease and lined the bottom of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins.

Heat the oven to 180C/160C for fan oven.

To make the cake, melt the chocolate and the butter over a low heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, before stirring in the sugar.

Add the eggs and vanilla a little at a time, stirring well. Don't worry if is splits, it will come back together when you add the flour.

Fold in the flour in batches and stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Divide the mixture between the tins and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the skewer inserted into the cakes comes out with only a few crumbs.

Remove the cakes from the oven and cool in the tins for a few minutes. Turn out on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until smooth, then stir in the peanut butter until completely incorporated. Don't over stir as it will split. If it looks like going to split, add a little cold water and stir.

To assemble, place one of the cakes top down on a platter, spread with half the frosting then add the other cake top side up and spread with the remaining frosting. Drizzle over the melted chocolate with a teaspoon then scatter with the honey-roasted nuts.

This cake needs to keep cool before serving, and will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen in-iced.
 

Bee Koh Moy/ Bubur Pulut Hitam (Black Glutinous Rice Pudding)

This dessert brings back my childhood memory when growing up in Penang. Those early days, an old Indian man will walk around the village selling this dessert.
Bee Koh Moy is a thick, creamy nutty dessert made with the simplest ingredients. Sweet Black Glutinous Rice, water and sugar. Jusr before serving, you can opt to add a splash of creamy coconut milk and you'll have a yummy treat!! This is just like the English Rice Pudding.

Ingredients:

• 200g black glutinous rice
• sugar to taste
• 5 cups of water
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted
• 1 cup coconut milk plus 1/2 tsp salt (mix well)

Method:

Soaked the black glutinous rice for 30-60 minutes. Then rinse the rice throughly.

In a pot add water, pandan leaves and the rice and bring it to boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and continue boiling for 40-60 minutes or until the rice becomes soft and breaks up. Keep checking the water level and if it's too dry, add more water & also stir once a while as the rice will stick to the pot. Add the sugar to taste.

Serve the bee koh moy in a small bowls topped with spoonful of coconut milk. If you like it creamier, add more coconut milk.

Chocolate and banana cake

Just one look at this chocolate and banana treat is enough to know it won't stay in the cake tin for long.

Ingredients:

• 100ml sunflower oil plus extra for grease
• 175g caster sugar
• 175g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder
• 100g chocolate chips or chunks
• 175g very ripe bananas
• 3 medium eggs, 2 separated
• 50ml milk

For the topping:

• 100g milk chocolate
• 100ml sour cream or cream fraiche
• handful dried banana chips, roughly chopped

Method:

Heat the oven to 160C or 140C for fan oven. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking parchment (allow it to come 2cm above top of the tin).

Mix sugar, flour, bicarb soda, cocoa and chocolate in a large bowl.

Mash the bananas in a bowl and stir in the whole egg plus 2 yolks, followed by the oil and milk.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Quickly stir the wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients, stir in a quarter of the egg whites to loosen the mixture, then gently fold in the rest. Gently scrape into the tin and bake for 1 hr 10-15 minutes, or until the skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the tin on a wire rack. To make the icing, melt the chocolate and soured cream or cream fraiche together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Chill in the fridge until spreadable.

Remove cake from the tin, roughly swirl icing over and scatter with the banana chips.
 

Watermelon cookies

These watermelon cookies are so cute and easy to make. They are a perfect start for beginners too. They are so yummy....

Ingredients:

• 170g butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups of plain flour, sifted
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• chocolate chips for decoration

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C for fan oven.

Beat butter and sugar until well combined.  Add in the egg and the vanilla extract. Beat until combines.

In a separate bowl add in the sifted flour, baking powder and the salt. Whisk the dry ingredients until they are well combine.

Add in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture a little at a time, continue to whisk until all are combined well.

Divide the dough into half. The first half, add in the red gel colouring and knead well until all the dough is well incorporate with the red colouring which looks like the watermelon colour. Roll the dough into a log of about 6 inches long. Once you finish, cover the dough with a plastic cover of clingfilm & put into the fridge for an hour.

In the mean time, divide the other half of the dough into two. Add one with a green gel colouring and knead well until all the dough is well incorporates. The other  half is in white colour.  Wrap both the green & the white dough separately in a plastic cover & put it in the fridge for an hour.

Lightly floured the surface and flatten the white dough big enough to roll & cover the red dough. Then follow by the green dough. Again floured surface and flatten the green dough large enough to wrap the log. Once completed, cover with plastic or cling cover and put back in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until firm.

Once firmed, slice the dough not thicker than a 1/4" thick. Once completed, cut the round dough into half. Then use the chocolate chips with the pointed end down & push into the dough to look like watermelon seeds.

Put into a baking sheet & bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes. Cool the cookies on the wire rack.

You can also view this on You Tube http://youtu.be/g3mObv2EwT4

Apple, pear and pecan upside down cake

A delicious moist and light fruit and nut cake with sticky golden syrup, which can be served warm as a pudding.

Ingredients:

• 1 conference pear, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1-2 red apples, cored and sliced
• 75g pecan nuts, halves
• 6 tbsp golden syrup
• 175g, butter, softened
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 medium size eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 175g self raising flour, sifted

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c/160c for fan assist. Grease and line the base of a deep 20cm cake tin.

Arrange the pear and apple slices with the pecan nut halves in the base of the tin. Drizzle over 3 tablespoons of golden syrup.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs one at a time. Then add in the vanilla essence and mixing well between each addition.

Fold in the flout and mix well. Then spoon the micture into the cake tin. Spread evenly to cover the fruits and nuts.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50-60 minutes until golden brown and firm to touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes then run a knife around the edge and invert onto a serving plate.

Drizzle over the remaining syrup and serve. For indulgent pudding, serve with vanilla ice cream or some lightly whipped double cream.

 

Choc Chunk Cookies

Is so easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 100g butter, softened
• 100g light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 150g self raising flour
• 75g milk chocolate chunks

Method:

Preheat oven to 180c/160c for fan assist oven.

Beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the golden syrup. Sift over the flour and work into the mixture to form a rough dough.

Divide the dough into 12 evem sized balls and place on greased baking sheet with chocolate chinks, pressong them lightly into the dough.

Bake for 12-14 mins until just set and a pale golden colour. Leave on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool completely (the cookies will firm on cooling)

Lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream

Found this recipe in Woman's Weekly. Tried and tasted, this light lemon cake with lemon curd buttercream is sweet and citrusy and most important only takes 35 minutes to bake. With a sweet syrup glaze and a creamy lemon buttercream topping, this cake is delicious. The sponge is soft and moist, even more so with the syrup and is full of grated lemon zest which gives it a natural lemon flavour throughout. Decorate with drizzles of lemon curd and it's ready to enjoyed.

Ingredients:
For the cake:

• 250g butter , softened
• 250g caster sugar
• 250g self raising flour
• 4 medium eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• finely zested rind of 2 lemons

For the syrup:

• 4 level tbsp caster sugar
• juice of 2 lemon juice

For the filling:

• 2 tbsp lemon curd

For the frosting:

• 125g unsalted butter
• 250g icing sugar
• 4 level tbsp lemon curd

For the decoration:

• 3-4 tbsp lemon curd

Method:

Greased and line 2 x 18cm sandwich tins. Set the oven to 180C/160C for fan assist oven.

To make the cake: Beat the butter, add to the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Divide the mix between the 2 tins and level the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 30-35 minutes, until they are just firm to the touch in the centre then remove them from the oven.

To make the syrup: Pour 4 tbsp water into a small pan and add the caster sugar. Place on a low fire and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to the boil. Allow it to rapidly for 1 minutes, then remove the panfrom the heat and add the lemon juice.

Remove the cakes from the oven and immediately pour over the syrup, half over each cake. Leave in the tins for about 10 minutes, until all the syrup has soaked in, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sandwich the 2 cakes together with the lemon curd filling.

To make the frosting: Beat the butter until very soft, then add remaining ingredients and beat until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Spread the frosting over the top and sides of the cake.

To decorate, spoon lemon curd into a pipping bag, cut off the end to create a small hole and drizzle in a zigzag over the top of the cake