Easter Nest cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:

• 170g flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• 150g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 110g butter, softened
• 225ml milk
• 1tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt

Ingredients for milk chocolate topping icing

• 350g milk chocolate (broke into pieces)
• 6 tbsp butter, softened
• 285g icing sugar
• 55ml milk
• 1tsp vanilla
• 6 chocolate flake bars
• mini eggs for deco

Method for cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 180c. Line a cupcake baking tray with paper liners

Place the cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Sift all the dry ingredients together.

Beat sugar, butter and vanilla until creamy. Add egg one at a time beating well each time. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the cupcakes liners up to about 1/2 full. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer onto a wiring cooling rack to cool completely.

Method for icing:

Place the milk chocolate in a small bowl together with the butter. Place in a pan of hot water and heat over a medium heat, stirring the chocolate until it melts.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar, alternating it with milk. Finally stir in the vanilla. Spread generously on each of the cooled cupcake.

Cut each of the chocolate flakes in half and the cut them in half, length ways. Arrange the pieces of flake around the top of each egg, giving a nest-like appearance.

Place 3 mini eggs in the centre of each arrangement. To make it a really special effort, buy some fluffy decorative chicks and place one on each cake.

Banoffee Pie

Ingredient:

• 175g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter, melted

Filling:

• 100g butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 397g Carnation condensed milk

Topping:

• 3 bananas
• 300ml double cream, lightly whipped
• grated chocolate for decoration or 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin

To make the base, process the biscuits until crushed. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the base of the cake tin. Chill the base while making the filling.

To make the filling, place the butter and sugar into a non-stick pan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolve. Add the condensed milk and bring gently to a boil, stirring continuosly. When the caramel started to boil, remove from the heat and pour over the biscuit base. Cool, and then leave to chill for about 2 hour or until firm.

To serve, remove the pie from the tin and place the cake on a serving plate. Sliced the bananas, fold half of them into the softly whipped cream and spoon over the caramel base. Decorate the remaining bananas and finish with the grated chocolate or the cocoa powder.

Mee Jawa

Ingredients: To grind into paste:

• 1 stalk lemongrass
• 4 cm ginger
• 3 pips garlic
• 7 shallots
• 7 dried chilies, soak to soft
• 6 slices of galangal

• 1 packet of egg noodles
• 100g beans sprout
• 150g sweet potatoes,mashed
• 50g gula melaka
• 3 tsp corn flour
• 1/4 cup tomate ketchup
• salt to taste
• 3-4 tbsp oil
• 1.5 liter of chicken stock

For decoration:

• some sliced hard boiled eggs
• boiled potatoes, sliced
• prawns for decoration
• fried shallots
• deep fried tau kwa

Method:
Heat oil and fry the paste until fragrant. Add in the stock, simmer and bring to a boil. Stir in the mashed potatoes and tomatoe ketchup. Thicken with the corn flour and season with sugar and salt.
Blanch the egg noodles with hot water, drain and set aside. Also blanch the beans sprout and set aside.
In a bowl, add the noodles to the quantity needed with the beans sprout. Serve with fried tau kwa, sliced hard boiled egg and potatoes.

Layer Cake Indonesia (Kek Lapis Indonesia or Kek Spekkeok)

Finally have the chance to bake this lovely cake. This cake originally comes from Indonesia but it is also very popular in Malaysia and Singapore. Take a while to bake this cake as layer by layer is cooked over a top grill. It's time consuming to make but well-worth it. Very rich in texture and heavy, if you were compare it to ordinary sponge cake. Ingredients:

• 360g unsalted butter
• 10 large egg yolks
• 5 large egg whites
• 180g sugar divide into two equally (90g each)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 4 tbsp fresh milk
• 60g plain flour
• 3 tsp mixed spice

Method:

Beat butter until creamy and light, set aside

Beat egg yolks with 90g sugar until fluffy, set aside

Beat egg whites with the remaining sugar and cream of tartar until stiff peaks.

Add egg yolks mixture to the butter. Add in milk and flour, stir to mix well.

Next fold in the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Add in the mixed spice and mix well.

Heat grill to a moderate hot. Line a cake tin and grease well.

To start the first layer, put in 3 tablespoon of cake mixture into the cake tin and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.

Grill for about 4-5 minutes. Remove cake tin from grill. Gently prick the cake surface with a tooth-pick and press lightly with the back of a spoon so the cake remain flat.

Repeat the layer making again, and again, and again until you run out of batter.

Remove the Kek Lapis from the cake tin and allow the cake to cool in a wire mesh.

Steamed Egg Cake (Kueh Nee Ko)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 120g castor sugar
• 170g plain flour
• 50g 7-Up
• 1 tsp vanila essence

Method:

Line a steaming tray with baking paper and set aside.

Beat the eggs and castor sugar under high speed until fluffy. Add in the vanila essence and continue whisking until the eggs is increased in volumn and the colour turned light.

Add the sifted flour and fold with spatula very gently.

Pour in the 7-Up and mix well with spatula. Transfer the batter into line steaming tray.

Steamed over rapid boiling water for about 20 minutes. Cool down completely before cutting.

Steamed Cream Cracker Cake

Heard about this cake that uses cream cracker biscuits instead of flour. Decided to google for the recipes. Found in eatingpleasure.blogspot.com which I like as the cake is steamed and not baked. Therefore anyone who has a wok and cover can make this cake. Most surprised is .....the cake is delicious Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 200g cream crackers, blended until fine
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 180g sugar
• 2 tbsp chocolate powder, sifted

Method:

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the beaten eggs one at a time and mix well.

Pour in cream crackers powder in batches and mix well.

Divide the mixture into two portion. Add chocolate powder to one portion.

Greased a 7"x7" square baking try or you may use a round pan. Spread a layer of batter. Steamed for about 5 minutes. Continue with a chocolate flavoured batter and steam for 5 minutes. Continue to alternate the layers

Orange Carrot Fruit Cake

This cake is so refreshing due to the orange juice and also the grated rind of the orange. 

  Ingredients:

• grated rind of 1 orange
• 50ml fresh squeezed orange juice
• 100g sunflower oil
• 2 eggs
• 100g castor sugar
• 30 g dried cranberries
• 125g grated carrot
• 30g dried apricots, chopped
• 25g walnuts, chopped
• 120g self raising flour
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method: 

 Grease and line a 20 x 7.5cm loaf pan and preheat oven to 175ºc/160ºC for fan assist .

 Sift the self raising flour and the bicarbonate of soda to a mixing bowl. Combine oil, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Pour in the orange juice and mix well. Add in the flour, carrots, cranberries, apricots and walnuts. Mix well.

 Transfer batter into a prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Steamed Spareribs

Ingredients:

• 350g-400g spareribs
• 2 pickled sour plums, seeded
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped red chillie
• 1 tbsp young ginger, shreds

Seasoning B:

• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp shallot oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp tau cheong (preserved bean paste)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Shao Hsing wine
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 tsp cornflour

Method:

Chop spareribs into bite-sized pieces. Mash pickled sour plums and chop coarsely. Combine spareribs with sour plums, ginger shreds, red chilli and garlic.

Add seasoning B to mix. Arrange marinated spareribs in a heatproof deep dish. Steam over high heat for 20-25 minutes or until meat is tender. Serve hot.

Siew Mai

Ingredients A:

• 225g ground pork
• 9 large shrimps, minced
• 1tsp ginger juice
• 1 spring onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• dash of white pepper

Ingredients B:

• 1/4 cup carrots, chopped
• some frozen green peas
• wontan wrappers as needed

Method:

Mix A in a bowl and stir in one direction until blended.

Take a piece of wontan skin and place a sizeable amount of filling in the middle, hold up to cover the filling.

Decorate the top with minced carrots and place a grren pea in the middle (optional). Finish with the rest of the siew mai.

Steam in boiling water for 15 minutes. Using bamboo steamer that you have. Serve with chilli oil

Crispy Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

• 8 drumsticks
• 2 tbsp custard powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt or to taste
• extra plain flour for coating

Method:

Clean the drumsticks and set aside.

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except the extra plain flour. Mix into a smooth consistency. If batters is too thick, add 1 tbsp water.

Coat the drumsticks with the batter. Keep in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.

Heat enough oil for deep fry. When the oil is hot, coat a drumstick into the extra flour & then deep fry until golden brown. Drain the drumsticks on absorbent paper

Bak Kwa/Loong Yoke

Since Chinese New Year is around the corner decide to make this Chinese dried meat a popular delicacy for Chinese New Year.

Ingredients:

• 500g minced pork
• 1 tbsp of thick dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shoaxing wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 11/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp oil

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix with a fork vigorously in one direction until a gluey paste is formed.

Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

Place meat on a large parchment paper. Roll out on a plastic sheet thinly. You may use clingfilm so the meat won't stick on the rolling pin.

Sun until the meat is easily lifted. Cut into pieces and BBQ on a low heat on each side until brown. If prefer, you may also use your oven. Heat the oven on 125c and bake for about 20 minutes. Increase temperature to 180c and bake for about 20-30 minutes until the meat is golden brown.

Cool and cut into pieces.

Curry Puff 2

This version of curry puff reminds me of my school days where I use to buy them from the Malay stall in the school canteen for only 10sen. This curry puff pastry is different from the spiral curry puff Ingredients for the pastry:

• 11/2 cup of plain flour
• 5o g shortening
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tsbp water

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked and pounded finely
• 2 tbsp meat curry powder
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 springs onion, sliced finely
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 5 tbsp oil

To make the filling:

Heat oil and fry chopped onion until sweat through. Add in the dried prawns, curry powder and 3 tbsp water and saute until fragrant. Add potaties and 1 cup water and cooked until potatoes are tender. Add salt and sugar to taste. Cook until the filling is dry. Leave to cool before use.

To make the pastry:

Using food processor, add in the flour, baking powder and salt, pulse to mix. Add in the shortening and pulse until it looked like breadcrumbs. Add in water and pulse until the dough is combined into a ball. Let the dough rest for 1/2 hour.

Roll dough out into a long sausage and cut into small portions size of a ping pong ball. Roll each portion into a thin circle and put the filling in the centre. Fold the pastry over to make a 1/2 circle and crimp the edge.

Deep fry until golden brown.

Rose cupcakes with white chocolate icing

Ingredients:

• oil or melted butter for greasing
• 280g/10 oz plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 110g/4oz caster sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 250ml/9fl oz milk
• 6tsbp sunflower oil or 85g/3 oz butter, melted and cooled

For the white chocolate icing:

• 100g/3.5 oz white chocolate
• 140g/5 oz unsalted butter
• 140g/5 oz icing sugar

Method:

Preheat oven at 200C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin oe line 12 paper cases.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar.

Lightly beat the eggs in a large jug or bowl then beat in the milk and oil. Make the well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined; do not over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until well risen, golden brown and firm to touch.

Leave the muffin in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

To make the white chocolate icing: Melt the white chocolate in microwave on high for 1.5 minutes' stirring half way. Leave to cool. Put the butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Stir in the icing sugar and beat together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the chocolate and mix well.

To make the sugar roses: Knead a little of the colouring paste into a 150g ready roll icing sugar until pale and even. Break into 3 balls. Then add a little more colouring to two giving three varying depths of colour. Keep until cling film. Rub a very thin layer of fat over a smooth work surface. Roll out one of the balls of icing thinly, about 1-2mm, then trim into a rectangle about 8x20cm. Cut off a 1cm strip of icing widthways, keeping the rest covered.

Carefully roll the icing up and around itself. For more realistic rose look, start rolling slightly skew-whiff so that the outside edge of the finished rose sticks out further than the middle. With about 2cm to go, start to guide the end of the icing down and under to make a neat rosebud. Pinch to shape, then cut or pinch off the bottom. Set a side at least 1 hour. Repeat with the rest of the icing.

For the leaves, colour the remaining icing green. Pinch off small pea-sized pieces, roll into balls, then flatten a little bit. Pinch one end to make a leaf shape. Use a knife and make lines to the leaf to make the leaf look like real leaf. Leave to dry.

Once the roses are dry and firm, dust a little lustre onto each rose using paintbrush or fingertip. Sprinkle with sparkles, if using. Position the roses onto the cupcakes in cluster of three, following with three leaves.

Stir fry brussel sprout

Decided to make this brussel sprout with a twist in chinese stir fry style.

Ingredients:

• brussel sprouts, open the leaf into pieces
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• ** if u wish, can add in some chopped bacon

Method:

In a wok heat the oil until hot. Add in the garlic and fry until fragrance. Add the brussel sprout and salt. Fry until the vege is cook. Serve immediately.

** if you add in the bacon, when the garlic is fragrance, add the bacon & fry for 2 minutes. Then add in the sprouts ansd salt.

Pork ball in sweet and sour sauce

This dish remind me of my childhood days in Penang.

Ingredients:

• 180g of minced pork
• 1.5 tsp five spice powder
• 1 egg
• 2tbsp corn flour
• 1 tsp salt

Mixed the following for the sauce:

• 3/4 cup of tomatoes ketchup
• a dash of tabasco sauce
• 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup of water

• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, quartered and open to pieces
• 2 large potatoes, sliced to abt 5mm thickness

Method:

In a large bowl, put in the minced pork. Add in the five spice powder, egg, salt and corn flour. Use your hand to mix well and set a side.

In a wok hot enough oil to deep fry the pork balls. When the oil is hot, spoon the minced pork and round into a ball. Put into the hot oil and fry until brown. Continue until all the pork is cook.

In another wok, fry the potatoes until cook. Set aside. Scoop up the oil and left about 1 tablespoon in the work. Add in the minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Add in the sauce. Once boiled, add in the brown pork balls and also the onions. Simmer in a low fire for about 10 minutes. Add in the pepper and the potatoes. Mix well and serve immediately

Dry noodles with minced pork and mushroom

Ingredients:

• 200g minced pork
• 5 chinese mushrooms, soaked until soft and slice thinly
• 3 tbsp of oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp of dark sauce
• a dash of white pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt to taste
• 1 clove garlic, chop fine

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic. Fry until fragrant then add in the pork. Mix well. Add in the oyster sauce, dark sauce, sesame oil, salt and the white pepper. Also add in the sliced mushroom. Cook until the pork is nearly dry up. Set aside while preparing the noodles.
While the pork is drying up in the wok, soft the noodles according to the instruction in the packet. In a separate bowl, add 1/2 tbsp of dark sauce and also oyster sauce, a dash of pepper, 1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce with 3 tbsp hot water. Add the cooked noodles and mix well with the sauce.
Transfer the noodles into a plate and scoop the minced pork on top. Sprinkle with some slice spring onions and eat hot immediately with sambal belacan or other chillies.

Fresh Strawberry Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

• 180g unsalted butter
• 150g castor sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 large eggs
• 180g self raising flour
• 150ml double cream
• 2-3 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
• 225g fresh strawberries chopped
• few extra strawberries, to decorate

Method:

Pre heated oven to 190 degrees Celcius (170 for fan assist oven). Lightly oil the bases of 2x8" round cake tins with greaseproof paper.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift half the flour over the mixture and using a spatula, gently fold into the mixture. Sift over the remaining flour and fold in until just blended.

Divide the mixture betweens the tins, spreading evenly. Gently smooth the surfaces with the back of a spoon. Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until well risen and golden.

Remove and leave to cool before turning out on to a wire rack. Whip the cream with 1 tablespoon of the icing sugar until forms soft peaks. Fold in chopped strawberries

Spread one cake layer evenly with the mixture and top with the second cake layer, rounded side up. Thickly dust the cake with icing sugar and decorate with the reserved strawberries. carefully slide on to a serving plate and serve.

Marble Chocolate Cheesecake

This cake is yummy. The cheesecake blends very well with the chocolate sponge. Found this recipes on a blog sometime ago but been busy. Decided to bake this cake as I am on a holiday mood....this cake is lush.... Ingredients A:

• 180g unsalted butter
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 120g self raising flour
• 150g castor sugar
• 3 eggs

Method:

Preheated the oven to 165 degrees Celcius. Sift the cocoa powder, baking powder and self raising flour and set aside. Lightly oil and line the base of an 20cm squarecakr tin with greaseproof or baking paper

Beat the sugar and the butter until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Fold in the sifted flours with a spatula and mix well. Set a side while preparing the cheesecake.

Ingredients B:

• 250g cream cheese
• 50g castor sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the egg, sugar and the vanilla essence. Beat until all the ingredients are well mix.

To assemble the cake, spoon 1/2 of the ingredients A into the cake tin. Level the surface and then add in the ingredients B. Level again then add in the remaining ingredients A.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Leave the cake to cool before cutting.

Butter Cake

I haven't had a butter cake for ages. Therefore decided to make one. This cake reminds me of the birthday cake that I had during my young days where the bakery will cover the cake with colourful butter icing.

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 200g castor sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 200g self raising flour
• 4 tbsp fresh milk
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat oven at 170 degree Celcius.

Sift the flour and salt together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla essence.

Fold in the sifted flour gradually into the mixture. Add in the milk and mix until well combined.

Turn out mixture into the prepare tin. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Ayam Masak Merah ( Malay style Red Curry Chicken)

This is a lovely dish that goes very well with coconut rice, tomatoe rice or even plain white rice. Ingredients: To grind together:

• 6 shallots
• 4cm ginger
• 6 dried chillies
• 5 fresh chillies
• 3 cloves garlic

• 10 chicken thights/drumstick
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• red onions, cut into rings, keep some for decorations
• 3 tomatoes, quartered
• 4 tbsp tomatoes purees
• 2 tbsp tomatoes ketchup
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 350ml water
• salt & sugar to taste

Method:

Coat the chicken with the turmeric and marinate for about 3 hours.

In a wok, fill enough oil to pan fry the chicken until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

In a pot put about 4 tbsp cooking oil. When the oil is hot add in the grind ingredients. On a low heat cook until the oil surface the paste. Then add in the onions and tomatoes. Cook until soft.

Add in the tomatoes purees, tomatoes ketchup and dark soya sauce. Also add in the sugar & salt to taste. Mix well and add in the water. Bring to boil then reduce the heat and cover for about 10 minutes.

Add in the chicken, mix well to coat the chicken with the sauce. Bring to boil and put on the lid and cook for another 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickens.

Serve immediately.