"Bucket" Chocolate Cake with Golf Balls Truffles

This cake is perfect for an avid golfer!!! Rich chocolate cake cut & design into a bucket and top with delicious white chocolate truffle that looks JUST like a golf balls!! 

You can make hollow golf balls, or solid white chocolate  golf balls, but since it's a birthday cake why not make it into a boozy dessert, we are going to fill these with white chocolate-rum ganache, spiked with orange zest and cinnamon. They are amazingly complex and flavourful, and the citrus/cinnamon combination compliments the spicy rum and sweet white chocolate perfectly.

Bake any style of chocolate cake that you like a covered it with grey/silver fondant to loo like a bucket. Below are the recipe for the golf ball truffles.

Ingredients:

• 450g white candy coating
• 350g white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate
• 6 tbsp double cream
• 55g unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ cup rum, if not can substitute additional ¼ cup cream and 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Method:

Make sure the golf ball candy molds are clean and completely dry.

Place the white chocolate candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 seconds increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Stir until the coating is melted and smooth.  

Use a spoon or candy scoop to fill each cavity in the mold with white coating, coming up to the top. Let the mold sit for 3-4 minutes, until the coating just starts get a little thicker.

Place a piece of baking paper on your work surface, and turn the mold upside-down, letting the excess coating drip out onto the baking paper. You can re-use this extra coating for another project. Once only a thin layer of white coating remains, set the mold down on the counter and drag a metal spatula or knife across the top to remove any excess coating and give the golf balls smooth edges. Refrigerate the mold while you prepare the filling.

Combine the chopped white chocolate and cream in a microwave- safe bowl, and microwave together in 30 second increments until mostly melted. Whisk until smooth-at first it might seem too thick, but keep whisking  and it will loosen up until it's the texture of a thick liquid. Add the room temperature butter, rum, orange zest, cinnamon and salt and whisk everything together until smooth.

Press a layer of cling fling on top of the ganache and refrigerate for about an hour, until it has thickened slightly and is the texture of peanut butter. Fit a pipping bag with a large round tip or coupler, and scrape the ganache into the pipping bag. Pipe the ganache into each chilled golf ball cavity, until it comes almost to the top of the mold. Leave a small margin at the top. Refrigerate the molds again for about 45 minutes to make the filling firmer. Turn the mold upside down and flex it gently to remove the golf balls halves.

Re-melt some white coating and place it in a paper cone or plastic bag with a hole snipped in the corner. Pipe a circle of coating around the edge of one of the golf ball halves, and press a second half on top. Run your finger around the edge to remove any excess coating. Repeat until you have stuck all of the golf ball halves together.

Once all the golf ball completed, arrange it on top of the ready iced chocolate cake and serve.

Granola Bars

A simple, soft and chewy granola bars recipe that is delicious and can be adapted base on your favourite dried fruits, nuts or chocolate. The possibilities are endless-all you need to know is the base. Oats, butter, honey and brown sugar. After that, add what you like.

Ingredients:

• 230g rolled oats
• 80g whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• 113g honey
• 56g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 50g packed light brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 60g dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

Method:

Heat oven to 175ºC. Line bottom and sides of a 8 inch or 9 inch square pan with aluminium foil. Then lightly oil or spray with cooking spray.

Add oats and almonds to a small baking sheet, then bake for 5 minutes, stir and bake another 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted. Transfer to a large bowl.

Combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and then salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until butter melts and the sugar completely dissolves.

Pour butter mixture into a bowl with toasted oats and almonds. Mix well. Let cool about 5 minutes then add cranberries. Stir to combine.

Transfer oat mixture to lined pan then use a rubber spatula or damp finger tips to firmly press the mixture into the pan. (Press hard here, this way the bars will stay together once cooled and cut-press for about one minute to be extra safe).

Cover then refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove block of granola mixture from pan then peel away aluminium foil. Cut into 12 pieces.

Store bars in an airtight container for up to one week. For the softest bars, keep at room temperature. For slightly harder bars, store in the fridge.

Indian Slow Cooker Lamb Masala

Lamb Masala, also called mutton masala, is a classic Indian meat dish with a distinct flavour and aroma. The process is simple, easy and effortless with exotic Indian spices that make this dish a true success. Whether you eat it with Indian chapati, naan or plain white rice this dish is to die for

Ingredients:

• 1kg lamb
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp mince garlic
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 250ml yoghurt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp pepper powder
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ cup coriander leaves
• 250ml water or stock for gravy

Spice mix:

• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp fennel seed powder
• ½ tsp garam masala

Method:

Clean the lamb removing any silver skin and excess fat. Cut into bite-size cubes and pat dry to remove excess moisture. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

Measure all ingredients now so you won't burn the spices when cooking. Cut onions fairly thin so they cook faster and blend in the sauce. Grate the ginger. Mince the garlic.

Saute:

Add oil to a pan over a medium heat. Saute onions with bay leaves and cinnamon stick for 5-7 minutes until cooked and caramelised but not burned. Then add the lamb pieces-sear the meat for 3-4 minutes.

Next add the spices one at a time along with ¼ cup water. Stir for 3-4 minutes on a medium-low heat, until the spices are cooked with a beautiful aroma in the air. Add the tomato paste and mix well for a minute or so.

Add the yoghurt, mix well for a minute or so. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, add the lemon juice and water.

Cooking in a slow cooler:

Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the meat is fork tender. Or cook on high for 4 hours until fork tender.

Adjust gravy by adding a bit more water if necessary-then bring it to a boil again.

Garnish & Serve:

When done sprinkle chopped fresh coriander and give it one good stir. Sprinkle more chopped coriander for garnish. Serve with any Indian bread or rice. Enjoy!!!

3 Easy Indian Condiments

Three quick and easy Indian condiments to make your curry special: Cucumber Raita, Onion and Tomato Salad, Banana Sambal.

For Cucumber Raita:

• ½ cucumbr-about 12cm
• 100ml natural yoghurt
• 5-10g fresh mint or coriander

Method:

Wash the cucumber and cut into small dice-about ½cm on each side. Finely chop the herbs to give a good tablespoonful. Mix the herbs with the yoghurt. Mix in the cucumber.

For Onion and Tomato Salad:

• 2 tomatoes (about 50g)
• 1 small white onions (about 50g)
• 10g fresh coriander

Method:

Chop the tomatoes-about ½ cm on each side. Finely chop the onion-about half the size of the tomato. Mix the onion and tomato. Finely chop the coriander leaves and scatter over.

For Banana Sambal:

• 1 large banana
• 1 tsp lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp desiccated coconut

Method:

Peel the banana and slice fairly thinly. Transfer to a small bowl. Sprinkle banana slices with lemon juice and coconut flakes. gently shake the bowl to cover the banana slices with coconut flakes.

Vegan Brownie

The BEST Vegan Brownies i have ever had!! They are fudgy , full of chocolate and completely dairy free, egg-free and vegan. Made without any weird ingredient, you'd never believe Vegan Brownies could taste this good !!

Ingredients:

• 140g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 200g caster sugar
• 80ml vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g dairy free (vegan) dark chocolate, melted
• 240ml almond milk
• 75g dairy free (vegan) chocolate chips, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 160ºC/140ºC fan oven. Line an 8inch square baking tin with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa powder and sugar and gently whisk to mix.

Add oil, vanilla, melted chocolate and almond milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Add chocolate  chips and mix gently.

Transfer brownie batter to prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Try not to over bake or brownies will turn cakey.

iPhone Cake

Got to make a cake in an iPhone design with the headphone for a 14 years old boy who can't put down his phone & always on the headphone!

Lemon Icebox Cake

You could say an icebox cake as a cross between a trifle and a cheesecake. This easy to make, no bake recipe uses sponge fingers, lightly dipped in lemon and Limoncello, which helps turn the sponge fingers into pillows of soft zingy sponge. If  you don't have Limoncello in your liquor collection, simply replace with more lemon juice. 

This easy to make Lemon Icebox cake, can be ready in a few hours. Layer upon layer of sponge fingers, with layer upon layer of mascarpone and cream filling.

The sponge fingers will gradually soften as the cream filling starts to set. Which makes it easier to slice. It will keep in the fridge for a few days.

Ingredients:

• 4 unwaxed lemons
• 4 tbsp limoncello
• 500g mascarpone
• 100g icing sugar, sieved
• 600ml double cream
• 2 tsp natural Lemon flavouring
• about 50 sponge fingers, depending on their size

Method: 

Line the base and sides of an 8" loose bottomed square sandwich tin with cling film.

Zest the lemons and leave to one side until needed.

In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice and Limoncello.

In a large separate bowl, mix together the mascarpone and icing sugar until well combined.

Add the double cream, half at a time, and mix to a thick spreading consistency. Do not over mix.

Add the lemon zest and lemon flavouring to taste. Mix until well combined.

Assemble the cake:

One by one dip but not soak, approximately 13-15 depending on their size, of the sponge fingers into the lemon juice mix, then place them evenly on the bottom of the cake tin. Cutting the sponge fingers down to size if needed. Any off cuts can be used to fill in any gaps.

Spread a quarter of the mascarpone cream mix, evenly over the top of the sponge fingers. Repeat this process twice more.

Using your favourite pipping nozzle, decorate with the remaining mascarpone mix. Place in the fridge to set for a few hours. Overnight is the best.

To serve:

Remove from the tin and carefully slide the cake onto your favourite serving dish. Will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Mango Coconut Ladoo

Quick & simple Indian sweet to make. If you love mango and coconut, you will love this. You just need 4 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make this sweet!

Ingredients:

• fresh grated coconut, about 2½ cups
• 1 big mango, puree or shop bought ready puree and you need 1½ cup
• 250g condensed milk
• 4 green cardamom

Method:

Keep ½ cup of the grated coconut separately to use it in the end.

Take out the pulp from the mango by discarding the skin and seed. Add in your blender and blitz it to make a puree. If using shop bought, you can skip this.

Now add condensed milk, mango puree and coconut into a heavy bottom pan and  mix well. Heat the mixture  and keep stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and cook on a low flame till the mixture starts thickening. It will takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.

Remove the pods from cardamom, powder it and add in the pan and mix well. 

Take a small portion of the mixture. Roll into a round shape ball. Roll in the reserved coconut.

Enjoy the ladoo.

Sticky Ginger Cake

This sticky ginger cake has a ginger syrup glaze and glaze ginger topping. A very light sponge with a real ginger kick. There is plenty of flavour  in this cake, but you can easily tone down the heat by reducing the amount of ground ginger.

Adding the ginger syrup while the cake is still warm helps it too soak evenly through the sponge, It is that helps give the cake a light sticky texture and moist sponge.

What also make this cake special is the lovely chopped glace ginger topping and water icing. You can make the water icing  with sieved icing sugar and a little pre-boiled water.Mixed until you have a slightly runny consistency.

Ingredients:

• 180g  butter, softened
• 180g soft light brown sugar
• 3 medium eggs
• 180g self raising flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger, level teaspoon
• 2 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, chopped into small pieces
• 3 tbsp golden syrup

Topping:

• 2 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, chopped into small pieces
• 4 tbsp ginger syrup, from the jar of stem ginger
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp water, preboiled

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan oven. Grease and line a 20cm/8" square tin deep sided cake tin with baking paper.

Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Using an electric mixer will speed things up.

Add the eggs, one at at time, beating well after each addition. Add a tablespoon of flour between each one. This will help prevent curdling.

Fold in the remaining flour and ground ginger, until thoroughly combined. Add the golden syrup and the chopped stem ginger. Mix until well combined.

Pour the mixture into the tin, spreading it evenly across the top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until baked. Testing the centre of the cake with a skewer until it comes out clean.

Leave in the tin to cool for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. While the cake is still warm, poke a few holes in the cake with a skewer. Then pour the ginger syrup over the cake. Spread it evenly. Allowing it to soak in. Decorate with the chopped stem ginger.

Make a water icing by mixing the icing sugar and preboiled water together until you have a thick runny consistency. Drizzle over the cake.

Strawberry Lemon Parfaits

Pretty, Simple and Sweet !

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped strawberries
• 2x 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 cup double cream
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• shop bought vanilla cake (pound, madeira or sponge) or biscotti cookies cut into small pieces
• 1 cup lemon curd

Method:

To make the strawberries: Place the strawberries ans 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Let it sit for 15 minutes at room temperature to let the strawberries macerate and release of their juices.

To make the whipped cream: Using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla on high speed until medium peaks form.

Assembly: Place a few cake/cookies pieces at the bottom of the glasses. Spoon a dollop of the lemon curd on top, then the strawberries (with their juices) and then the whipped cream. Repeat the layering once more. For decoration, you can top each glass with fresh strawberry. If not serving immediately, cover and store in the refrigerator for several hours. 

Pork and Chorizo Stew

This rich and gutsy pork and chorizo stew is packed full of flavour

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 kg pork shoulder cut into chunks
• 225g chorizo sliced
• 2 tsp smoke paprika
• 150ml red wine
•  2 tbsp tomato puree
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 150ml vegetable stock
• few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves remove or  ½ tsp dried thyme
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add onions, cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently until the onions have softened and are beginning to colour. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute, then remove the onions and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pan and brown the pork in batches over a high heat adding more oil as required. Once pork is browned, remove from the cooker and add it to the onions.

Once all the pork has been browned, add chorizo to the pan and cook until beginning to colour, then stir in the paprika and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add red wine to the pan, stirring well to scrape out all the caramelised juices from the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil and allow to bubble for a minute or two.

Return the meat and onions to the pan, add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring it to a boil then lower the heat and continue to simmer until the pork is tender. Season to taste.

Condensed Milk Cheesecake

This cake is extremely light and fluffy. Despite using condensed milk as one of the main ingredients, it is not too sweet at all !

Ingredients:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 50g condensed milk
• 50g plain flour, sieved
• 130g cream cheese
• 35ml sunflower oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3 egg whites
• 45g castor sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Greased and lined the bottom of a 6 inch round tin. Lightly grease the side too. Preheat oven to 150ºC/130º for fan oven.

Melt cream cheese by double boiling over stove. Once melted, whisk lightly to a smooth consistency. Set aside.

Mix yolks, 1 egg and condensed milk until well combined. Set aside.

Heat oil over stove. Once done, drizzle over sieved flour and quickly mix to a smooth paste. Set aside.

Pour yolk mixture into the cream cheese, mix well, then add in flour mixture, whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until foamy, add in lemon juice, then add sugar in 3 batches. Continue beating until attain stiff peak.

Fold in meringue to the yolk mixture by several batches. Be sure to fold till you don't see any streaks of meringue.

Pour in batter to baking tin, tap a few times on table top to release air bubbles.

Send to bake by waterbath method at 150ºC/130ºC for fan oven for 30 minutes, then reduce to 130ºC/110ºC for fan oven for another 75 minutes.

Once done, invert to cool for 5 minutes and remove mould. Then revert back upright to cool completely.

Char Kuih Kak (Steamed Plain Rice Cake)

A popular Penang strert food, this Char Kuih Kak only use 3 ingredients ! It just takes a little time but it is really quiet easy to make.

Usually served  in a small portions, perfect for breakfast or supper. Char Kuih Kak  literally means fried squares of rice cake.

Ingredients:

For the steamed rice cake

• 195g rice flour
• 43g cornflour
• 960ml water

For frying the kuih kak:

• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 30g chai por (pickled raddish), chopped
• 2 tsp chilli paste/boh
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 125g ku chai (chinese chives), cur into 1 inch length
• 200g-300g bean sprouts, depends on personal preference, as some like more

Method:

For the steamed rice cake: Combine rice flour, corn flour and water in a medium non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Stir as it comes to a gentle boil. The mixture will begin to thicken to a paste like consistency. This will take about 5 minutes. Turn off stove.

Prepare a steamer. Transfer rice and corn flour paste to a greased bowl or tray. Place the bowl or tray in the steamer and allow it to steam for 1 hour. Top up water in steamer if necessary.

Remove and allow rice cake to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut rice cake into ¾ inch cubes.

To fry the steamed rice cake: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a non-stick fry pan. Pan fry cubed rice cakes  until lightly brown in colour, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Heat a large wok on the stove. Add remaining 4 tbsp of vegetable oil when wok is heated. Saute garlic, chai poh and chilli paste for 30 seconds.

Add in the pan fried rice cubes, light and dark soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.  Create a well in the center of the wok. Crack in the eggs. Stir and toss rice cubes over eggs to get the coated.

Add bean sprouts and chives. Stir for another 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from heat and serve immediately

Runner Bean Chutney

This is one of my favourites and good for the late season glut of large runners, kindly given to me.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium onions
• 250ml malt vinegar
• 1kg runner beans
• 1 heaped tablespoon English mustard powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground turmeric
• 25g cornflour
• 250ml white wine vinegar
• 250g granulated sugar
• 2 heaped tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt

Method:

Peel and chop onions into small dice. Tip into a large, heavy-based saucepan and pour over the malt vinegar. Bring to a gentle simmer cover loosely and cook for 15 minutes until softened, stirring once or twice.

While the onions are cooking, you can prepare the beans. Trim the ends, then cut down each side to remove any strings. Place each beans flat on the board and slice thinly lengthways on a long diagonal into 7 or 8 strips. How many slices you end up with will depend on the size of each bean. 

Plunge the beans into a large pan of boiling water and return to the boil. Cook for 3 minutes, then drain in a colander and refresh under cold water. Drain.

Mix the mustard powder, turmeric, cornflour and 4 tablespoons of the white wine vinegar until smooth.

When the onions are ready, stir in the sugar and remaining white wine vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir the cornflour mixture until smooth once more and then pour slowly into the onions and beans, stirring vigorously to dispel any lumps, followed by the wholegrain mustard and salt.

Gently simmer the vegetables, mustard and spices for 20 minutes, stirring regularly so that chutney does not stick to the bottom of the pan. leave to cool. Cover, seal and store in cool dark place for at least 1 month

Biscoff Cheesecake

A cheesecake with a biscoff twist !

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 200g chocolate covered biscoff biscuits
• 30g butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

• 225ml double cream
• 125g castor sugar
• 675g cream cheesecake
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g biscoff spread
• 50g dark chocolate

To decorate:

• 100ml double cream
• 6 chocolate covered biscoff biscuits

Method:

Make the base: Line the base of the spring-form tin with grease-proof paper. Whizz the biscuits to a fine crumb in a food processor, then add the melted butter and mix well. Pour into the bottom of the spring-form tin, pressing well and evenly. Set aside.

Make the cheesecake layers: In a large bowl, whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Set to one side. In a separate large bowl, with an electric hand whisk, beat together the caster sugar, cream cheese and vanilla extract. Mix until the sugar has dissolved and it is nice and smooth. Add the whipped cream and gently fold it through using a spatula.

Separate the mixture into 3 bowls-2 with approximately 275g of cheesecake mix and one with approximately 350g. Tp the one of the 275g bowls, add the melted chocolate and to the other add 100g of the biscoff spread.  Leave the third plain. Pour the chocolate mixture on top of the biscuite base and smooth out. Next, pour the biscoff layer on top of the chocolate layer and smooth out. Finally, pour over the plain vanilla layer and smooth the surface. Gently heat the remaining 200g biscoff spread and pour this over the cheesecake. Leave to set for a minimum of 4 hours, ideally overnight.

To decorate, pipe 8 dots of whipped cream around the edge and place half a biscuit in the centre of each dot. Crush the remaining biscuits and crumble them over the top.

No-bake Blackberry Cheesecake

This very berry no-bake blackberry cheesecake is made using Skyr yoghurt, for a subtly tangy flavour and a lovely rich texture.

It is a refreshing dessert that is easy to make too.

For the biscuit base:

• 150g hobnob biscuits
• 30g toasted hazelnuts
• 50g melted butter

For the cheesecake filling:

• 2x 12g sachets gelatine powder
• 300g blackberries
• 4x 150g tubes Skyr mixed berry
• 340g cream cheee
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Method:

Line a 20cm springform tin with non-stick baking paper

Add the biscuits and hazelnuts to the bowl of a food processor, whizz into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, and pulse briefly to combine (or bash biscuits and nuts in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, then add to a bowl and mix in the butter) Pack the crumb mix firmly onto the bottom of the prepared tin in an even layer, chill until firm for at least 1 hour.

Put 3 tablespoons of cold water in a heatproof bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine powder, stir with a fork, then let it stand until spongy (5-10 minutes).

Crush 100g of the blackberries in a small bowl with the back of a fork an d set aside. Add Skyr mixed berries, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt into a large mixing bowl, and beat until smooth using an electric hand mixer.

Put the bowl of gelatine over a pan of gently simmering water, stir until completely dissolved. Remove the bowl from the heat and leave to cool for 1 minute. Pour the gelatine mixture into the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine. Fold through the crushed blackberries, then pour the mixture onto the prepared biscuit base and smooth the top, cover the tin tightly with cling film, then chill for at least 6 hours.

When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge of the tin before releasing the cheesecake. Transfer to a serving plate and top with the remaining 200g blackberries.

Lemon Lava Cakes

With an exploding centre, these lemon lava cakes really are spectacle! Found this recipe by Rachel Khoo. With lightly crisped edges and oh-so oozy delicious lemony centre, you can make your own lemon curd. I am too lazy to make and opt for the shop bought lemon curd ! 

Ingredients:

• 4 ramekins, buttered and dust with caster sugar
• 100g butter, softened
• 80g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp to dust the ramekins
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• zest of 3 unwaxed lemons
• 100g plain flour
• 6 tbsp of lemon curd

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs and gradually add them to the mix, beating all the time, followed by the milk and lemon zest. Sift the flour into the mix and incorporate well.

Divide the cake batter between the ramekins until just over half full. 

Take the pipping or food bag and snip off the corner. Insert the tip into the centre of each batter-filled ramekin. pipe the curd into each one until the ramekins are two-thirds full. Place on a baking tray .

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when touched.

Immediately run a knife around the edges of the cakes before turning out from the ramekins on to a serving plates. Serve straight away. 

Fu Pei Guen (Beancurd Skin Rolls)

Another must order dish when visiting a dim sum restaurant. I used the left over filling from my siew mai making.

Ingredients:
For the filling:

• 250g minced pork/chicken
• 125g prawns, chopped
• 8 water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 spring onions, sliced thinly
• 2cm ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• a dash of shaoxing wine or sherry
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 5 pieces 8"x 8" beancurd skin

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• ½ cup chicken stock
• a dash of shaoxing wine/sherry
• a pinch of white pepper
• corn flour for thickening

Method:

Place all the ingredients for filling a large bowl and mix well.

To wrap the roll-Place a piece of the beancurd skin on a flat surface, use a damp cloth to wipe  the beancurd skin to remove the excess salt and to soften the wrapper a little. Place about 3 heaped tablespoon of the filling in the middle of the beancurd skin.

Roll the beancurd skin over and fold the sides to form an envelope.

Roll tightly into a cylinder about 4" long. Brush a little egg white on the edge to secure the roll. Shallow fry beancurd skin rolls in batches until golden. Remove and drain well.

To prepare the sauce: Saute garlic and ginger with cooking oil for a few seconds then add in the stock, shaoxing wine and white pepper. Allow it to come to a boil and thicken with a little corn flour solution.

Arrange the beancurd skin rolls in a shallow bowl, pour half of the sauce over, cover and steam over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Sprinkles with spring onion julienne and serve immediately.

Dry Beef Noodles (Dry Beef Hor Fun)

Ingredients:

• 300g flat noodles
• 250g steak, slice thinly 
• 2 handful bean sprouts 
• 5-6 slices of ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1/2 onion, sliced thinly 
• 2 stalks spring onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
• Cooking oil 

Marinate for beef:

• 1 tsp corn flour 
• Splash of water
• 1/2 tsp sugar 
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine or sherry
• Dash of white pepper

Seasoning for noodles:

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• Splash of water
• white pepper to taste 

Method:

In a bowl mix marinate for beef together, then marinate beef for at least 20-30 minutes.

In a small bowl, add all the ingredients listed for seasoning for noodles, stir to combine.

Heat wok on high heat until smoking point. Add 2 tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the wok. Add the beef to sear, toss to sear the other side for about a minute or so, do not over-cook. Remove beef slices and set aside.

Add another 2 tbsp oil, toss in the onion, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 30 second and add in the noodles . Give it a quick toss. Add in noodles seasoning and toss to coat. 

Add beans sprouts and give it a good stir to mix well with the noodles. Add in the beef, spring onions and give it a quick toss, and remove from heat.

Serve immediately.