Chocolate Bottom Banana Square

This cake is highly addictive !!!! Can't stop at one slice. I have a weakness with chococlate and I love banana, therefore banana and chocolate seem heavenly match. The sweetness and the aroma from the banana blended with distincitve rich cocoa. Moist and full of flavour, mmmmm

Ingredients:

• 115g butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
Pre heat oven at 180C/160C for fan oven. Line a 9" square baking pan with grease proof paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar untl light and fluffy

Add in the egg, vanilla extract and mash bananas, mix until well combine.

Sieve in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the creamed mixture and mix it well.

Divide the batter into half. Add the cocoa powder to one portion of the batter. Spread the cocoa portion in the bottom of the baking pan.

Spread the remaining plain batter on top of the cocoa batter, give is a nice gently swirl with a knife. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.

Bake at 180C/160C for fan oven for about 30 minutes. Test with a skewer to ensure that the cake is cook properly.

Once the cake cool down, cut into square and serve

Marble Cheese Brownies

If you love brownies and cheesecake, why not whip up a fresh batch of cheesecake brownies? The marriage between creaminess and richness is certainly irresistible. These are a great treat to serve at a family dinner or at a kid's birthday party. They're so simple to make.

Ingredients for the brownies:

• 250g butter
• 1 cup of cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 11/2 cup of castor sugar
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 11/2 cup of plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat oven at 175C, grease and line a 10"x10" baking pan.

Sift plain flour with baking powder and bicarbonate soda and set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan and mix in the cocoa powder and stir to blend.

Hand whisk the eggs and sugar until combine, add in the butter cocoa mixture and mix well.

Add in the evaporated milk and then the flour, adding bit by bit and stir until well combined. lastly add in the vanilla extract.

Pour the batten into the baking pan but set aside 2-3 tbsp of the cocoa batter for the marble effect.

Bake for 20-30 minutes

Ingredients for the Cheese Marble Layer:

• 250g cream cheese, at room tempeature
• 1 cup of castor sugar
• 1 egg

Method:

Beat cream cheese until light and creamy.

Add in sugar and beat well.

Add in the egg and mix until well combined.

Pour the cheese batter onto the baked brownies, then pipe the remaining cocoa batter on top the cheese batter in vertical lines, and using toothpick, scale it slightly to create the marble effect.

Bake it foe another 20 minutes, let it cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before taking the cake out and let it cool on the wire rack.

Cut into squares and it's ready to serve.

In another bowl, beat eggs with sugar until

Walnut Crumble Cake

Playing time with flour, sugar, eggs and butter....

Ingredients:

for the crumbles:

• 100g digestive biscuits, crushed
• 50g walnut, lightly toasted and chopped coarsely
• 50g light brown sugar
• 5g instant coffee
• 2.5g cinnamon powder
• 50g cold butter

for the cake layer:

• 150g soft butter
• 100g castor sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• a pinch of salt
• 200g cake flour **
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g plain yoghurt

** for cake flour: 2 cups of plain flour but take away 2 tbsp. Add in 2 tbsp cornflour. Sift both the flour 5x.

Method:

Mix crushed digestive biscuits, light brown sugar, chopped walnut, cinnamon powder, instant coffeeon a mixing bowl. With finger tips, rub in the cold butter until the mixture becomes crumbly. Set aside.

Sift cake flour and baking powder, set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Mix in vanilla essence and salt and mix well.

Add in eggs gradually, mix well each time the eggs is added.

With spatula, stir in the cake flour mixture. Stir until the flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter. The batter at this stage will be quiet thick and firm.

Add in yoghurt in a few separate additions, stir well each time the yoghurt is added. The batter will become smooth and spreadable.

Line a bottom of a 20cm springform pan with 1/3 of the crumble. Spread evenly and press firmly with the back of a spoon.

Add in 1/2 of the cake batter, spread evenly with the spatula. Sprinkle the top of the cake batter evenly with 1/3 of the crumbles. Add  in the remaining cake batter. Spread evenly. Sprinkle with the rest of the remaining crumbles.

Bake the cake in preheated oven at 170C (fan oven) for 30-40 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven, let cool slightly and unmould. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Kuih Kemboja/Kuih Bakar

This is the Malay kuih that we found at pasar malam in Malaysia.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 1/4 cups of coconut milk
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 tsp pandan paste + 1 cup of water (mixed together)
• sesame seeds

Method:
Preheat oven to 170C/C fan oven and greased a baking pan.

Beat eggs and sugar until dissolves but not fluffy.

Mix pandan paste, water into coconut milk and stir until mix well.

Add in the flour and the coconut milk mixture alternately into the egg and sugar mixture. Combine well.

Pour batterv  into the greased baking pan and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

Bake for about  45 minutes until golden brown or skewer comes out clean.

Cool it down before cutting.

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

Maltesers Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 200g soft brown sugar
• 60g cocoa powder
• 150g plain flour
• 180g ground almonds
• 50g butter, melted in microwave until liquid
• 284ml buttermilk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

Frosting ingredients:

• 100g mascarpone
• 100g icing sugar
• 30g cocoa powder

For the top and middle:

• 175g pouch Maltesers

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C/ fan 160C.

Line the base of 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking paper, lightly grease the base and sides with a little vegetable oil.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until they turn pale and treble in size

Add the flour, cocoa powder, almonds, baking powder, salt, buttermilk and melted butter to the bowl and mix to combine.

Divide the mixture between the two prepared tins and place into the middle of a hot oven for 30 minutes.

Once cooked, leave to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes until cold.You could speed up the process by placing the rack in the fridge if you wanted to. The cake must be cold before you ice it or it will simply run off it.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing: place the mascarpone and icing sugar in a bowl and mix together with the help of a rubber spatula. When they are totally blended together and there are no lumps, add the cocoa powder and mix again. Refrigerate until needed.

To assemble the cake, spread a thin layer of icing on the underside of both cakes. Scatter half of the Maltesers on the base layer, then sandwich with the top half. Finally, place the Maltesers all over the top of the cake before serving.

Caribbean Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

• 280g butter, softened
• 175g castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 175g self raising flour
• 11/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 freshly grated nutmeg
• 55g dessicated coconut
• 5 tbsp coconut milk
• 280g icing sugar
• 5 tbsp pineapple jam

To decorate:

• toasted shredded coconut

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C or fan 160C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins.

Place 175g of butter in a bowl with the sugar and eggs and sift in the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Beat together until smooth, then stir in the coconut  and 2 tablespoons of the coconut cream.

Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and smooth the tops. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack, pel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the remaining butter and coconut cream. Beat together until smooth. Spread the pineapple jam on one of the cakes and top with just under half of the buttercream. Place the other cake on top. Spread the remaining buttercream on top of the cake and scatter with toasted shredded coconut.

Christmas Pud Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 140g butter
• 50g dark chocolate, in chunks
• 100ml soured cream
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 140g self raising flour
• 140g castor sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 85g dried soured cherries plus a few extra to decorate

To decorate:

• 250g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp custard powder, sifted
• 12 small bay leaves

Method:

Heat oven to 190C or fan 170C. Place 12 silicone muffin tray on a baking sheet.

Melt the chocolate and butter over a low heat. Cool a little, then stir in the soured cream and eggs. Mix in the flour, sugar, almonds, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl. Pour in the chocolate and stir until smooth, then stir in the cherries.

Spoon into the muffin holes so that they are 3/4 full, then bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the silicon moulds.

To decorate, mix the icing sugar and custard powder with 3 tablespoon water to make a thick icing. Remove the muffins from the mould and cool on a rack. Cut off any rounded tops, stand upside-down on the rack, then spoon the icing over. Leave to set, then top with bay leaves and cherries.

Snowman Cupcake

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 100g self raising flour
• 100g golden castor sugar
• 100g softened butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• icing sugar for dusting
• 150g ready to roll white icing
• 3 tbsp apricot jam
• mashmallows
• red fizzy lances for the scarves
• tubes of coloured writing icing
• chocolate chips for snowman nose
• edible silver baubles

Methods:

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 electric mixer  until the mixture is light in colour and fluffy.

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

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

Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar and roll out the icing sugar to about 5mm thick. Cut out 12 circles using a small pastry cutter that is the same size of the top of your cakes.

Put the apricot jam into a small dish and stir in one tablespoon  of hot water. Brush this  over the surface of the cakes and stick the circles of icing on top.

To decorate the cakes, use marshmallows for the snowmen's head, black writing icing for the eyes, red writing icing for the smiles and chocolate chips for the noses.Stick the heads on the cakes using a little apricot jam, then stick on the edible silber baubles for buttons.

Wrap fizzy lances around the snowmen's neck for scarves

Sticky Date Cake

Ingredients:

• 225g stoned dates, chopped
• 300ml boiling water
• 115g butter, softened
• 175g castor sugar
• 3 eggs
• 225g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Topping:

• 85g light muscovado sugar
• 55g butter
• 3 tbsp double cream

Method:
Place the dates in a bowl and cover them with the boiling water. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan, 160C. Grease a 23cm round cake tin.
Place the butter and sugar together and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at the time till mix well. Then fold in the flour and cinnamon.
Add bicarbonate of soda to the dates, then pour onto the creamed mixture. Stir until well mixed. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until well risen and firm to the touch.
Preheat the grill to medium. To make the topping, place the sugar, butter and cream in a saucepan. Set over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar has melted, then bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Pour over the cake and place the cake under preheated grill until the topping is bubbling. Leave to cool in the tin until the topping has set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Butterfly Cakes

Ingredients:

• 150g butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 150g self-raising flour
• ½tsp baking powder
• 4tbsp raspberry jam
• 150g fresh raspberries, for decoration

Method:

Heat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C. Line a cupcake tray with papers. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and again beat the mixture.

Fold in the flour and baking powder and then spoon into the paper cases. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and set. Remove and cool on a baking wire.

When cool, using a small knife, cut out a circle at the top of each cake and cut these in half. Fill each cupcake with a little spoonful of jam, carefully press the straight sides of the cut pieces into the jam, then top each with a raspberry and dust lightly with some icing sugar

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Ingredients:

• 225g castor sugar
• 225g butter, softened
• lemons, 3 zest and 2 juiced
• 4 medium eggs
• 200g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g ground almond
• icing sugar

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C. Butter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.

Beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy. Add in the lemon zest (reserve some for decoration) and mix well.

Whisk the eggs gradually into the butter mixture, beating well between each addition, don't worry if it curdles

Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold into the cake mixture using a spatula. Add in the ground almonds and 3/4 of the lemon juice and fold until thoroughly combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until the skewer inserted into the middleof the cake comes out without any raw mix on it. Put the cake tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix together the remaining lemon juice and zest and enough icing sugar to make a runny icing and then drizzle over the top of the cake. Cool in the cake tin for a further 30 minutes and then remove from the tin and cool completely before serving.

Orange Drizzle Cake

Ingredients:

• 175g castor sugar
• 175g butter, softened
• 25g ground almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 175 self raising flour
• juice and rind of 2 oranges

for the drizzle:

• 1/2 juice of the above
• 4 tbsp sugar

Method:
Grease and line a standard tea-loaf tin and pre heat oven to 180C

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in the flour and the baking powder until combined.

Finally beat in the ground almonds, orange rind and about half the juice carefully not to let the mixture curdle.

Smooth the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for approx 45 mins to 50 mins until golden brown and the skewer comes out clean.

Dissolve the sugar in the remaining orange juice. Remove the cake from the oven and prick all over with the skewer. Then drizzle the juice mixture all over the cake. Allow to cool slightly before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy Halloween !!!!

Happy Halloween everyone !!!

These spider cookies are easy to make. All you need are some round shape biscuits, fizzy cola lances, Nutella and M&M for the eyes.

Take the biscuits and spread it with Nutella as a glue, then top with 8 cust off fizzt cola lances as legs. Spread the other half the biscuits with more Nutella, glue it together.

Take one M&M , dip with some Nutella and glue it on top of the biscuits as eye, finish the other eye.

Pavlova

Ingredients:

For the meringue:

• 5 egg whites
• pinch salt
• 225g caster sugar
• 1tsp cornflour
• 1tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2tsp red food colouring (optional)

For the filling:

• 290ml pot double cream
• 2tbsp icing sugar
• 1tbsp rosewater
• 450g summer berries
• rose petals to decorate (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 140C.

Draw a 23cm circle on a large sheet of baking parchment and place, pencil side down, on a baking sheet (if you lay it pencil side up, the line will come off on the meringue).

Put the egg whites in a large bowl, add the salt and whisk until stiff. Add a couple of tablespoons of the sugar and whisk thoroughly. Add another couple of tablespoons of sugar and whisk again. Continue until all the sugar has been used and the mixture is stiff and glossy.

Whisk in the cornflour and white wine vinegar. Stir in the food colouring, lightly swirling until the mixture is marbled with colour. Spoon the meringue on to the parchment and spread out to fill the circle. Build up the sides into peaks to hold the filling.

Bake for 1 hr until a pale biscuit colour. Remove from the baking parchment and transfer to a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.

Assemble the Pavlova.

Whisk the cream until lightly thickened. Add the icing sugar and rosewater, and continue to whisk until thickened. Just before serving, spoon the cream mixture into the meringue case and pile the berries on top. Scatter over the rose petals.

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 200g castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 280g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 250ml low fat greek yoghurt
• 120ml oil
• zest from 1 lemon, finely grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• icing sugar for dusting

Method:
Whisk egg and sugar until pale, thick and creamy (5-6 minutes).
Add lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat for a further 1 minute.
In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold into the above mixture. Mix in the yoghurt and then the oil. Pour batter into a lined and greased 8"cake tin.
Bake at 180C in a preheated oven for 35-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Leave cake in tin to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a cake rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar.