Baked Pork Tenderloin

There is nothing like baked pork tenderloin. It is so easy to make and I feel like this is the easiest cut of pork to take on whatever flavours you fancy. In the slow cooker, the instant pot, on the grill, there is really no way to mess up a pork tenderloin.

This pork tenderloin recipe it's coated in an easy spice rub, quickly browned in a pan which creates a lovely crust, then baked in a simple pan sauce to keep it incredibly tender, juicy, and delicious. The melt-in-your-mouth tender pork tastes amazing as leftovers, too!

The simple spices use in this recipe means the pork goes well with many different sides.

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloin, about 450g each
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• ½ cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp butter
• minced parsley, for garnishing

Method:

Preheat oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven. Dry pork tenderloins well with kitchen papers.

Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Rub this spice mix over all sides of the pork.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork, working in 2 batches if your pan is not big enough to fit both the tenderloins without them touching. Sear the pork on all sides until it is brown, about 5 minutes total. Take the pan  off the heat.

Move the pork to a baking tray. If the spices left in the pan ate black, wipe them away with a kitchen paper. Return the pan to the heat and add the beef stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck-on-bits then boil for 1 minutes until it reduces to about ¼ cup. Pour this sauce over the pork.

Pour the apple cider vinegar over the pork the dot the top with the butter. Cover the baking dish with a foil.

Bake the pork for 20-25 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperatures of 65ºC. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing into ¼ inch thick rounds. Serve with little minced parsley for colour.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an antipasto from Italy consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Bruschetta is one of the simplest and quickest things in the world to make, yet it can be fantastically delicious if you use high-quality ingredients.

Nothing screams summer quiet like bruschetta. We know it may sound strange, but rubbing the toasted bread with garlic will help impart tons of flavour on the toast. Top it with marinated tomatoes for the ultimate summer snack. The brighter and juicer your tomatoes, the better your bruschetta will be.

Ingredients:

For the tomatoes:

• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 large tomatoes, diced
• 5g thinly sliced basil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of crushed chilli flakes

For the bread:

• 1 large baguette, sliced
• extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• 2 cloves garlic, half

Method:

Make marinated tomatoes: Preheat oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven. In a medium pan over medium-low heat, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2-4 minutes, then remove from the heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt and chilli flakes. Add garlic and oil and toss to combine. Let marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast bread: Brush bread on both sides lightly with oil and place on large baking tray. Toast bread until golden, 10-15 minutes, turning halfway through. 

Let bread cool for 5 minutes, then rub tops of the bread with halved garlic cloves.

Enjoy!!

Irish Whiskey Ginger Cake

Happy St Patrick's Day !!! What better way to celebrate than with a delicious cake! And not just any cake, but an Irish Whiskey Ginger Cake.

This is a dense and moist cake that is really filled with lots of ginger flavours. Almost like a ginger pound cake, it goes really well with any hot tea or coffee. I love ginger of any kind!

This is a farmhouse type of cake, the kind of cake that keeps well in the larder and the kind of cake you will find yourself thinking about it in the middle of the night. Perfect coffee break, tea time...well anytime!

Ingredients:

• 250g crystallised ginger, diced
• 3 tbsp Irish Whiskey
• 150g butter
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 70g ground almond
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 150g plain flour
• 50g self raising flour

Method:

Place the ¾ of the crystallised ginger into a bowl. Reserve the remaining for later. Warm the whiskey and pour over the diced ginger in a bowl. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/150ºC for fan assist oven. Butter and line a 7 inch round baking tin with baking paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir together both flours, ground almonds and the ground ginger. Stir this to the creamed mixture along with the soaked ginger and the juices. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top. Sprinkle the reserved diced ginger over the top of the batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky toffee pudding might just be the most popular dessert of all time, and this classic version, as seen on BBC2 Mary Berry Everyday, is guarantees crowdpleaser.

Ingredients:

For the pudding:

• 100g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
• 175g light muscovado sugar
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 3 tbsp black treacle
• 2 eggs
• 275ml milk

For The Toffee Sauce:

• 100g butter
• 125g light muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 300ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan-assist oven. Grease the dish with butter.

Measure the butter and sugar into a large bowl with the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and treacle and add the eggs. Whisk using an electric hand whisk for about 30 seconds or until combined. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Expected it to have a slightly curdled look.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until well risen and springy in the centre.

Meanwhile make the sauce. Measure all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring for a few minutes until thickened.

To serve, pour half the sauce over the pudding when it comes out of the oven and serve the rest in a jug on the side. Serve with cream or ice cream. 

 

Christmas Star Brownie Mincemeat Tart

This is the recipe that I found from Jus-Rol. It's quick and easy to make and taste delicious! An excellent vegan dessert to serve for a Merry Christmas dinner dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1x 320g Jus-Rol Ready Rolled Shortcrust Pastry Sheet
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium eggs, beaten
• 75g plain flour
• 200g mincemeat
• 1 tsp icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

Remove the pastry from the fridge 45 minutes before unrolling to make sure it doesn't break and crack when lining the tart tin. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC for fan assist oven. 

Unroll the pastry, keeping it on the paper it was rolled in. Roll the pastry out a little thinner to make a slightly larger rectangular. Cut away a 5cm wide strip from one long side and reserve for the pastry stars. Use the rest of the pastry to line a 32cm x 10cm tart tin, allowing the excess to hang over the edges of the tin. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork. Chill the tart pastry case for 15 minutes. Chill the reserved strip of pastry until required.

Run a rolling pin firmly over the tin edges to trim off the excess pastry. Line with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes then remove the paper and beans and continue to cook for a further 8-10 minutes until crisp and pale golden. Remove from the oven. Reduce the oven heat temperature to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven.

Meanwhile, place the butter and chocolate into a large bowl on top of a pan of gentle simmering water. Leave for 10 minutes, to melt. Stir to combine and remove the bowl from the pan. Beat in the sugar, vanilla extract and most of the beaten eggs, reserving 1 tsp of the beaten eggs to brush the stars. Sift over the flour and add the mincemeat and stir. Spoon into the pastry case and level the surface.

Use a small star cutters to stamp out star shapes from the reserved pastry strip. Brush with the reserved beaten egg and place onto the brownie mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm to touch.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then remove the tart from the tin and serve warm or cold, dusted with icing sugar

"Tiger" Pineapple Tart

Gong Xi Fa Chai, Kiong Hee Huat Chai, Kong Hei Fatt Choy , Selamat Tahun Baru China, 新年快乐 !!! 

This is the first day of the lunar year of the Water Tiger. A Water Tiger year occurs every 60 year. The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac  sign Tiger is a symbol of strength, exorcising evils  and braveness.

Chinese New Year cookies are on another level these days; instead of simple tasting good, many of them are made to look aesthetically-pleasing, and each year brings new surprises with the rotation of the zodiac animals. I decided to try and make the Tiger design pineapple tart after browsing the web looking for ideas. And here you are I am presenting you a tiger-rific twist!

The Tiger Pineapple Tarts are basically your regular enclosed pineapple tart  ball but additional embellishments like ears and whiskers to create adorable feline faces. Though the designs might look simple, they are really time consuming!! Not forgetting the care required to create each tart ball! 

Below is the link for the traditional pineapple tart recipe.

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/pineapple-tart.html

Limoncello

I clearly remembered my first time trying Limoncello-in Sorrento few year ago! The owner of the Airbnb where we stayed welcome us with her homemade limoncello by her family. After that first short I never look back. I bought a bottle of limoncello at the airport and once I finish that bottle I start searching online for homemade recipes. Found and tried several and finally after a few tweaks here and there I am happy with this recipes. I love this and it would make a great hostess gift or a holiday gift as well!

Ingredients:

• 1l Vodka
• 6-7 unwaxed lemons, preferably Amalfi if you get one
• 750g sugar
• 750g boiling water

Method:

Zest all your lemons and pop the zest into a tall jar. Make sure not to go too deep. You want only the zest, not the white portion of the peel.

Add the vodka and seal the jar, adding a layer of cling film for added security.

For the next seven to ten days leave your lemon zest to steep and infuse in the vodka. Every day give your jar a gentle shake to disrupt the mixture slightly.

Add you sugar to the boiling water, stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Leave the syrup cool down before adding the syrup to the zest mixture. If the jar is not big enough, move everything into a bigger jar if needed.

Reseal the mixture once combined and leave to steep and infuse for another seven to ten days. Remember to give the jar a shake every couple of days during this period.

After conducting the very important taste test, strain the mixture into a jug ready to pour into the bottles. Make sure your bottles are clean and sterile and have a good stopper or seal to them. Divide your mixture between bottles. I like to decorate my bottles with ribbons and brown paper tags. 

Eggnog Trifle

Make this Christmas extra-special with this wonderful Eggnog Trifles!. This Christmas-themed dessert is a crowd-pleaser if there ever was one. It is a simple yet delightfully flavourful recipe that requires little prep time but delivers tremendous holiday flavours. 

When it comes to the holidays, having festive desserts that are perfect for feeding a crowd is a must! Trifles are always my go-to because they are so gorgeous and elegant with lovely layers of delicious dessert perfection. I knew that for Christmas this year, I just had to make an eggnog trifle. After a long search I found this recipe on bbcgoodfood.

Ingredients:

• 375g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 800ml double cream
• 250ml full-fat milk
• 165ml brandy, marsala or sherry
• 1 vanilla pod
• 35-40 cream-filled profiteroles (without chocolate), shop bought are fine
• 1 large orange, zested plus 1 tbsp juice
• 50g crunchy amaretti biscuits
• 4 medium clementines, peeled and sliced into thick rounds

Method:

For the custard: Whisk 150g sugar, the egg yolks and cornflour in a bowl until pale and smooth. Pour 300ml cream, the milk and 65ml of the alcohol into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and add to the cream with the pod. Heat until steaming but not boiling, then pour the hot liquid onto the yolks, whisking as you go. Strain the liquid through a sieve into a clean saucepan and discard the vanilla pod. Return to a low-medium heat and whisk for about 10 minutes until very thick. If you get lumps, simply whisk them out. Pour the custard into a jug and cover with clingfilm directly on the surface. Chill for 1½ hours.

Arrange half the profiteroles in the base of a 2 litre trifle bowl. Spoon 2 tbsp of the remaining alcohol over the profiteroles along with the orange juice, then crumble over the biscuits. Trickle the custard over the profiteroles base. Arrange the remaining profiteroles on top of the custard, working around the edges first, then filling the centre. Arrange the clementine slices around the edge of the bowl, tucking them around the profiteroles.

Whisk the remaining alcohol, 500ml cream, 50g sugar and the orange zest until holding soft peaks. Spread the mixture over the profiteroles, right to the edge of the bowl, then return to the fridge until you are ready to serve. Can be made a day ahead up to this point.

For the meringue, put the egg whites, the remaining 175g sugar, 1 tbsp water and a good pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk until thick and leaving a prominent trail from the beaters-this will take about 4 minutes. Take the bowl off the heat and continue whisking for another 3 minutes until cooled slightly and very stiff.

Spoon the meringue onto the trifle, creating peaks and troughs with the back of a spoon. Use a blowtorch to scorch the meringue if you have one. Do not hold too close to the bowl if it's made of a delicate glass!!

Best served straight away, but will keep for a day in the fridge.

Parsnip, Chickpea and Apricot Nut Roast

A modern take on the nut roast, this makes a great vegan/vegetarian centrepiece for Christmas Day or a special dinner. Found this recipe on Tesco magazine and decided to give this recipe a try. To my surprise, it's amazing and truly delicious!

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 900g parsnip, peeled and trimmed
• 1 large onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 10g fresh thyme, leaves picked, plus extra springs for garnish
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp milled flax seeds
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained
• 100g ground almond
• 200g ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
• 75g walnut or pecan halves, chopped
• 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 190ºC/170ºC for fan assist oven. Generously grease a 900g/2lb nonstick loaf tin with 1 tbsp oil. Peel 2 parsnips (about 200g) into wide ribbons with a peeler, then overlap the ribbons across the base and long sides of the tin to line it, leaving any excess hanging over the sides of the tin. Set aside.

Cut the remaining parsnips into 4cm pieces and toss with 2 tbsp oil on a baking tray. Spread out in a single layer, season and roast for 25-30 minutes until soft to the point of  knife.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 7-8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, thyme and paprika and cook for 2 minutes more.

In a large bowl, mix the flax seeds with the tahini, lemon zest and juice, and 3 tbsp warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to plump up.

Tip the onion mixture into the bowl of a food processor with the chickpeas, ground almond and half of the roasted parsnips. Pulse to a coarse puree, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add to the flax mixture, along with the remaining roasted parsnips, the apricots, nuts and parsley. Season and stir well to combine.

Spoon into the prepared tin, pressing down firmly and evenly. Bring any overhanging parsnip ribbons over to cover the top. Cover the entire loaf with foil and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 15-20 minutes more until golden and firm. Rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn out onto a serving dish. Top  with thyme sprigs to serve.

Gingerbread Tiramisu

Turn a beloved, creamy Italian dessert into a festive treat with pumpkin spice and gingerbread.

A delicious dessert with the spices which every one craves for at holiday season: gingerbread spices. The end result: a creamy, sweet tiramisu full of flavours.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 loaves shop bought gingerbread *
• 230g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 230g mascarpone, softened at room temperature
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup eggnog, divided *
• ½ cup double cream, whipped to a stiff peak
• 1 cup espresso or strong coffee
• finely crushed ginger biscuits for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 150ºC/130ºC for fan assist oven.

Cut the gingerbread in 1x3-inch finger sized pieces.

Place on a greaseproof paper and bake for 20-30 minutes until crisped and dried out.

In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and mascarpone until fluffy.

Whisk in brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice and ½ cup eggnog.

Fold in whipped cream and set aside.

Place remaining ½ cup eggnog and espresso in a shallow dish, and dip crisped gingerbread into mixture.

In a 9x9 banking dish, drizzle a tablespoon or two of espresso mixture on the bottom, top with gingerbread ladyfingers, followed by ½ the whipped cream, remaining ladyfingers, and top with remaining whipped cream and crushed ginger biscuits.

Refrigerate a few hours to overnight before serving.

Notes: for gingerbread I used shop bought McVitie's Jamaican Ginger Cake 

for eggnog recipe, please refer to the link below:

https://yummymummyrecipes.blogspot.com/2022/01/traditional-eggnog.html

Traditional Eggnog

 

Eggnog is a traditional drink dating back hundreds of years. Eggnog historically also known as milk punch or an egg milk punch  when alcoholic beverages are added, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and whipped egg white. Spirits including rum, whisky, brandy and bourbon are commonly added. It may also be served with sprinkling of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Eggnog is hugely popular in the US and Canada - and in recent years, it's become more popular in the UK as well.

Ingredients:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 75g sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 whole clove
• pinch cinnamon
• ½ cup double cream
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp whiskey/bourbon, or to taste
• 1 tbsp rum, or to taste
• 2 egg whites, optional

Method:

In a large bowl, use a whisk or an electric mixer to beat egg yolks until they become somewhat lighter in colour. Slowly add the sugar, beating after each addition. Beat at high speed or whisk until fluffy.

Combine milk, clove and cinnamon in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Slowly heat on medium heat until the milk mixture is steamy hot, but not boiling.

Add the eggs by slowly adding half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly while you add the hot mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook the eggnog on medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, and coats the back of the spoon. It helps to have a candy thermometer, but not necessary; if you have one, cook until the mixture reaches 70ºC. Do not allow the mixture to boil, or it will curdle (if the mixture does curdle you may be able to save it by running it through a blender).

Remove from heat and stir in the cream.

Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove the clove and and curdle bits that may have formed. Let cool for one hour.

Stir in vanilla extract, nutmeg, whiskey/bourbon and rum. Feel free to omit for kid-friendly eggnog and proceed to chill.

Optional: If you want to include egg white, beat with electric mixer until they reach soft peaks. Add a teaspoon of sugar and continue to beat until they reach stiff peaks. Gently fold into eggnog.

You can also reheat the combined eggnog and egg white mixture until it reaches 70ºC, then remove from heat and let cool, then chill. The mixture will lose some of its fluffiness from the beaten egg whites, but not all, and the eggnog will be much airier than without the egg whites.

Chocolate Celebration Cake

Decorate this simple chocolate cake with fresh flowers for a showstopping celebration cake. It is perfect for birthday or wedding! It will not be a celebration with a cake, right???

Gone for the pink theme as it's Janet favourite colour !

Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

If you like gingerbread, ice cream and cakes....then you are in a treat!!! Something light as dessert after the heavy xmas dinner. 

There are a few elements in making this cake but they are not difficult elements, just need some time to complete them all. You don't have to make all the elements and can use store bought alternatives.

Ingredients:

Gingerbread cake:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• zest of ½ lemon
• 115g butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup treacle
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

No-Churn Lemon Cream Cheese Ice Cream:

• 2 cups double cream
• 1x395g tin sweetened condensed milk
• 1x250g cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Gingerbread Snowflakes:

• 50g butter
• ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ½ cup treacle syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2½ cup plain flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ¾ tsp ground cloves
• ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• royal icing sugar mixture, to decorate

Salted Butterscotch Sauce:

• 60g butter
• 100g dark brown sugar
• 125ml double cream

Method:

Start by making the gingerbread cake as it needs time to cooled completely before you make the no-churn ice cream.

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease and line 2x8 inch round cake tins with greaseproof paper.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, spice mix and lemon zest and then set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the treacle and beat to combine. Scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the dry ingredients (in three additions) and the milk (in two additions), alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat on low until just incorporated.

Divide the batter between the two prepared tins and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or spatula. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake coms out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

No-Churn Lemon Cream Cheese Ice Cream: Combine the condensed milk and cream cheese together and beat until combined then set aside. Whip double cream in a mixing bowl until firm peaks form then stir in 3 tablespoons of the condensed milk mixture and stir until combined. Add the remaining condensed milk mixture and fold until just combined.

Place one gingerbread cake into a high sided 20cm cake tins and top with ½ of the ice cream mixture. Top with the second cake and pour the remaining ice cream mixture over the top. Cover with clingfilm  and place the cake in the freezer to set completely (preferably overnight). You can make the recipe up to this point a week before serving.

Gingerbread Snowflakes: In a small pan, place butter, sugar and treacle syrup over a low heat stirring until butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Pour into a large bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Add egg and vanilla extract to butter mixture, stirring to combine. Sift flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, bicarbonate soda and salt over the butter mixture and mix to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap with clingfilm and allow to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 160ºC for fan assist oven. Line baking tray with baking paper. Divide the dough into two and cover one with cling film. Roll first batch of the dough between two sheets of baking paper to about 5mm thickness. Cut various snowflake shaped cookies using cookies cutters. Bake for 5-6 minutes for smaller cookies and 8-10 minutes for larger cookies. Allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes or longer for larger cookies to harden before transferring to  a wire rack to cool completely. 

Once cooled, prepare royal icing as instructions on the package. Then transfer to a piping bag with a vert fine writing nozzle and decorate the cookies. Set aside to set and harden completely then store in an airtight container.

Salted Butterscotch Sauce: To make the sauce, heat a medium heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add sugar and cream, whisking until well combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes, whisking regularly. After 5 minutes remove from the heat and set aside at room temperature to cool completely. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days and simply warm in the microwave on low heat for 20 seconds to return to a drizzle state before using on the cake. 

Assembly: When ready to serve, transfer the cake from the tin to a cake stand and drizzle the butterscotch sauce over the top. Push decorated gingerbread snowflakes into the top of the ice cream cake and serve. The no-churn ice cream will come out clean of the fridge rock hard so you will have enough time to dress the cake and have the ice cream and gingerbread cake soften to perfect consistency for eating.

 

Pak Tong Gou (White Sugar Cake)

Making this like renewing childhood memories as it is a favourite childhood cake for many people. It is a traditional Chinese snack that is white in colour, sweet and light as it is steamed. The cake is not too sweet, slightly chewy and it wonderfully spongy from the honeycomb-like appearance on the inside of the cake.

It's easy to recreate this traditional kuih at home. This kuih is only using just a few ingredients. 

 

 Ingredients:

• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp lukewarm water
• 300g rice flour, sifted
• 280g water
• ½ tsp cooking oil

ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• 200g sugar
• 340g water
• 3 pieces pandan leaves, knotted

Method:

Start by dissolving 1 tsp instant yeast with 1 tbsp lukewarm water. Set aside the mixture for 10 minutes or until the mixture turns foamy.

Place the rice flour in a medium size bowl and add in the water. Whisk and combine until you get a smooth and thick batter. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat up the sugar with water and pandan leaves until sugar dissolves. Then slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the tice flour mixture, stirring it constantly to prevent limps forming.

Leave aside the rice flour batter to cool until warm. When cooled, add in the foamy instant yeast mixture and stir well to combine everything together.

Then cover with cling film and leave the mixture to proof in a warm area for 2 hours or until large bubbles form on the surface.

When ready, add in ½ tsp of cooking oil. Stir the batter again, mixing well. 

Prepare the steamer by bringing the water in the steamer to a rapid boil. Brush a 10 inch round cake pan with cooking oil. Pour the batter into the oiled cake pan. Rest 20 minutes until small bubbles appear.

Place in steamer and steam for 30 minutes on high heat. Remove the cake pan from the steamer and let the kuih cool on the counter before cutting the kuih.

Once it is cool enough to handle, gently run a spatula along the edges to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Then remove the rice cake from pan.

Simply cut the kuih into slices and served as snacks.

 Enjoy!!!