tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31790360544405512842024-03-07T04:03:16.247+08:00Pure Enjoyment!My baking & knitting journeyKWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-83800988269060533702011-04-20T11:24:00.005+08:002011-04-29T12:12:52.519+08:00All good things must come to an endIt's been a pleasant time all these years blogging and interacting with friends who share common interest with me. You've probably noticed that my blog posts are coming in lesser and less timely. I'm still cooking, baking and learning new recipes, but just getting lazy to organise it and pen it down. With me getting active in Facebook, I've been posting all my pictures and comments there. Facebook allows high and sometimes, almost instant interactions, which I very much enjoy. It doesn't make much sense to copy everything from there into here again, just for the sake of blogging. So I've decided to stop my blogging activity for now. <br /><br />If you wish to continue following my baking & cooking journey, here are the Facebook albums you can look at.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.193398977341562.56126.100000143840590&l=7d4c6fcb3b">From My Kitchen 2011</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.195909730423820.57166.100000143840590&l=7210d1240b">Food Fun</a><br /><br />I'll continue my little journey there. Take care and hope to see you soon. :)KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-35647688647695967942011-02-22T06:40:00.007+08:002011-02-22T08:37:26.027+08:00Lost my wayI seem to have lost my way in the world of blogging. I'm still baking, just not blogging. Have been so busy with day-to-day chores since school term starts this year that I hardly had any mood to blog. I was reminded of my dear blog when one of my friends told me she had tried out some recipe from the blog and love it.<br /><br />The last Chinese New Year has been hectic. Endless baking of pineapple tarts as gifts, to the point that I almost dread doing it. As such, I have not even tried a new pineapple tart recipe which I was supposed to after CNY. I guess the mood to bake CNY goodies is just not there once the festive season is over. The remaining pineapple jam is still sitting in a corner in my fridge and will probably sit there for a while longer.<br /><br />Ever since 3 years ago, it has become a habit to do the Poon Choy (盆菜) for my mum every CNY. As age catches up with her, she can no longer rush through the preparation of multiple dishes for our yearly reunion affair. In the recent years, we no longer go back for reunion on the eve, but change it to the second day of the lunar new year instead. I will bring the Poon Choy over to her before the eve so that she can have a mini reunion dinner with my dad and brother on the eve. Hopefully that lightens her burden a little so that she does not need to prepare too much food.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4133.jpg"><br /><br />Besides the CNY goodies and Poon Choy, I have one additional task every CNY, to bake my girl's birthday cake. Her birthday always coincide with the CNY, which explains why I am exceptionally busy during this period.<br /><br />This year, she wanted a Castle cake. Although my girl is already 7, she has not outgrown from her princess dreams. Last year she had a Barbie doll cake and now, another Fairytale request. My first fondant cake was also a castle cake, for her 4th birthday. How time flies!<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4142.jpg"><br /><br />I didn't really do a good job for this one. Tried a new recipe and the cake turned out unsatisfactory. It was dry and flat. I never seem to learn my lesson. I keep forgetting not to use new recipe for big projects like this. I ended up having to bake another cake to have that required height. Sigh......<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4137.jpg"><br /><br />As usual, the decoration took me almost 14 hours to complete. Only managed to sleep for an hour as I needed to wake the kids up for school. Although I had drafted a plan before starting, my end product deviated much from the plan. What's new, right?<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4135.jpg"><br /><br />This year I used some fondant pattern sheets for the wall and towers. But the effect didn't turn out that prominent. I suspect it was because my fondant was rolled too thin. It didn't help to have a cool weather that day. The fondant was sweating and couldn't hold the design well. Part of the design was thinned till the cake could be seen! Next time I must remember to use a thicker layer to cover the cake.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4140.jpg"><br /><br />I wanted to create a garden effect for the castle, but didn't do great for that. It still had that empty look.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4136.jpg"><br /><br />I had fun doing the flowers and leaves though. They were easy to make and add a bit of color to the otherwise, plain castle.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4138.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4139.jpg"><br /><br />My girl was happy with her cake. So I guess it has made all the sleepless night worthwhile. But I was so tired that I practically knocked out at my in law's after reunion dinner.<br /><br />With the festive season over, we're left with lots of Mandarin Oranges. I had to use some for baking. Choose to make a chiffon cake since I haven't done one for ages.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4181.jpg"><br /><br />The cake was moist, but the Mandarin Oranges were not really prominent though you can taste bits of them. Perhaps next round I should use the tangy ones to get a better effect.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4182.jpg"><br /><br /><br /><font color="FF0000"><b>Mandarin Orange Chiffon</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br />5 egg yolks<br />30g sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />50g corn oil<br />130g Mandarin orange pulp (can include a bit of juice)<br /><br /><u>Sift together</u><br />120g cake flour<br />1.5 tsp baking powder<br /><br />5 egg whites<br />50g sugar<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Cream egg yolk and sugar with a hand whisk until sugar dissolve. Add salt and mix well.<br />2. Add corn oil. Mix well.<br />3. Add Mandarin orange pulps. Mix well.<br />4. Fold in sifted flour mixture with a hand whisk.<br />5. In a clean bowl, beat egg white till soft peak. Add in sugar in 2 additions and beat till stiff peak.<br />6. Add 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk mixture to loosen it.<br />7. Fold in the remaining egg white in two rounds until well incorporated.<br />8. Pour into 21cm tube pan. Knock pan on table top to remove trapped bubbles.<br />9. Bake at 170C for 45-55 mins. Tent top if it gets too brown. <br />10. Invert cake to cool once out of the oven.</font>KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-53238348104525002142011-01-26T09:23:00.005+08:002011-01-26T10:13:49.456+08:00I'm Bento-ingI've joined in the community of bento mamas since Olina gets into primary school this year. Because of her long hours in school, I'm afraid she will often be hungry by the time she gets home and develops gastric problem in the long run.<br /><br />I always go "wah..." over others' creations when I read their bento blogs. It's really an art to create a presentable and yet nutritious bento. And you know, I seriously lack that artistic touch.<br /><br /><i>Practising my raw bento skills in yesterday lunch</i><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs048.snc6/167891_197329983615128_100000143840590_840320_8331785_n.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs245.snc6/179346_197329993615127_100000143840590_840321_3969598_n.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs780.ash1/167008_197330003615126_100000143840590_840322_6337104_n.jpg"><br /><br /><br />It was tough (and still is) trying to pack a kawaii bento in the wee hours. Being a person who doesn't plan much in advance (maybe that should be my 2011 resolution), I always run out of ideas what to "create" into the lunchboxes. Decorating the items takes time and I often run into the danger of being late. This morning the school bus driver had to ring me to remind that I'm running late. Oops!<br /><br />This was what I prepared for the kids this morning.<br /><br /><i>Recess for the kids<br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs005.snc6/165524_197544260260367_100000143840590_842431_4918799_n.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs050.snc6/168028_197544273593699_100000143840590_842432_3116972_n.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1369.snc4/164128_197544286927031_100000143840590_842433_6837886_n.jpg"><br /><br />Breakfast for the little one</i><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1375.snc4/164764_197544296927030_100000143840590_842434_241060_n.jpg"><br /><br /><br />After a few rounds of bento-ing, I discovered I need an average of one and a half hours to work comfortably. That means, I would need to wake up before 5am to prepare a non-elaborate bento!<br /><br />I'll probably look for a few bento books in my next trip to the library to pick up some tips and ideas. Hopefully that will speed things up a little.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-40464405198926527182011-01-20T07:41:00.006+08:002011-01-20T22:02:44.091+08:00The search for the perfect Pineapple TartsI've been making pineapple tarts for the last 3 years, each year testing different recipes to see if any is THE ONE I'm looking for. Individual preference can vary much for pineapple tarts. Recently, I found that the phrase "melt in the mouth" can also have different meanings, based on individual expectation. Some use it to refer to cookie crisp, but will disintegrate in your mouth, like Kuih Bangkit. For me, I prefer it to be of a powdery texture such that when you just pop the tart into your mouth, it starts to disintegrate. I hope I have not confused you further...lol...<br /><br />I tried two different recipes this year. The first was from <a href="http://thelittleteochew.blogspot.com/2010/01/pineapple-tarts-buttery-melt-in-your.html" target="new">The Little Teochew</a>. I got attracted by her beautiful pictures and the title of her post, "Buttery Melt-in-your-mouth Pastry". It looks like what I may be looking for, since the recipe contains cornflour. I made a mistake by reducing the amount of icing sugar. As such, the pastry tasted quite bland. The recipe uses unsalted butter, which I later find out, does not yield the kind of pastry I like. Because my pineapple jam is tangy, I prefer my pastry to be on the salty side.<br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs071.snc6/168144_193770437304416_100000143840590_814077_399009_n.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs791.ash1/168134_193770450637748_100000143840590_814078_2187544_n.jpg"><br /><br />Like what Ju mentioned in her post, there are tonnes of recipes out there, what is nice for some may not be others' preference.<br /><br />So I continued searching and reading up more on pineapple tarts. Someone (I can't recall where I read it from) mentioned that milk powder may yield a more powdery effect. I also learnt that the rubbing-in method which I have been using possibly provides a crisp, melt-in-the-mouth kind of texture. To get a powdery texture, the creaming method (i.e. creaming butter with sugar, like our usual cake) should be used.<br /><br /><a href="http://tabetai.blogspot.com/2005/06/shf9-nyonya-pineapple-tarts.html" target="new">Pinkcocoa Tabetai</a> offers a detailed and clear comparison on that. <br />I decided to try her pastry recipe because she seemed to have a good knowledge of pineapple tarts and her recipe has what I was looking for, cornflour and milk powder. I was even happier when I see custard powder as one of the ingredients. I had a big pack of custard powder sitting in my cupboard and was wondering what I can do with it.<br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs065.snc6/167594_194230157258444_100000143840590_816486_3388939_n.jpg"><br /><br />I made a slight change to her recipe though. I replaced the unsalted butter and salt with salted butter. The pastry was super soft and quite difficult to work with. I had to take small portion out of the fridge to work individually. But the result was very encouraging. I tested the tarts straight after they had cooled down. It was powdery and melt-in-the-mouth, as compared to my first attempt. Even hubby said this version was much better. He didn't like the first version of the pastry.<br /><br /><img src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs042.snc6/167263_194230177258442_100000143840590_816487_644228_n.jpg"><br /><br />I am so glad that I have finally found the pastry that suits the taste of my family. I will be using this recipe from now onwards. Hope you'll find yours too.<br /><br />I will be submitting this to the monthly blog event, <a href="http://j3sskitch3n.blogspot.com/2011/01/aspiring-bakers-3-my-favourite-cny.html" target="new">Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011)</a>. Due to some personal reason, I've missed my submission last month. Hope to make it this round.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-37483028711325980212011-01-12T08:57:00.010+08:002011-01-12T10:06:42.126+08:00Happy 2011!Time flies! It's already nearly mid of Jan 2011. I've been super busy since school term started last week. Olina entered P1 this year. She's in the morning session and her school bus reaches our place at 6am! I've got to wake up at 5am now, one and a half hour earlier than last year. So I'm now leading a healthy lifestyle of 早睡早起.<br /><br />I'm still trying to adjust to the new routine. First week was really chaotic. I didn't even have time to watch my favourite K drama. Stepping into the second week, things seems a little better as the momentum picks up. I need to further adjust my routine, as I do not have much time to sit down and supervise the kids on their work. As a result, the two younger ones are still leading a life of school holiday. :) Darren is going to take his PSLE this year. Having a tutor to take care of three of his subjects, no doubt, is a big relief to me. Sometimes we just need to let go and allow others to help.<br /><br />This year, I have to pack lunchboxes for the two primary school kids, especially since Olina will only reach home after 2:30pm. So I reckon I'll probably do baking at least once a week, though I'm not sure if I can find as much time to blog them.<br /><br />I started 2011 with buns. During the Popular 20% member sales, I went to grab a few cookbooks, one of which was "Bread Magic" by Alan Ooi. This has been one of the books I wanted to add on to my collection. I use the basic sweet bun recipe from this book to make these 莲蓉面包.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4060.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4061.jpg"><br /><br /><i>Packed into lunchbox</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4062.jpg"><br /><br />The texture is ok, but not as fluffy when eaten on the second day. The next time, I'll try his dough recipe.<br /><br />I'm now constantly on the lookout for things which can assist me in my lunchbox journey. Unlike my hubby who thinks that it's ok to let the kids bring butter and jam bread, I try to make the lunchbox varies. Recently I found a sandwich maker from Isetan NEX which can be used on the stove. It's a perfect choice for me. I used to have one electrical sandwich maker, but hate to use that as I can't wash it and the melted cheese always ended up stuck in the machine. This new toy addresses my previous concerns and I love it so much! The kids love toasted sandwiches with melted cheese. Hubby complained he's getting fat and asked me to stop making him these though I know he loved them too. ;)<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4063.jpg"><br /><br />I'm ending this long entry with the backlogs of 2010. After my first two log cakes trial, I went on to do a few more. I find Chiffon base to be the best among all the different bases tried. I'll probably stick to that in future.<br /><br /><i>Chocolate logs<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3977a.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4037a.jpg"><br /><br />Mango logs</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_4038-1.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-173196451526310532010-12-09T10:04:00.009+08:002010-12-09T11:38:58.135+08:00Merry Christmas......too early?Is it a bit too early for Christmas bakes? Well, at least this year I'm not late. :)<br /><br />I've always been a fan of log cakes when it comes to Christmas food. Hubby said that log cake is just a cake covered in cream in the shape of log. True, but log cakes always has that magic to attract me to take another look at it.<br /><br />I have never attempted to bake a log cake all these years because I'm really terrible at rolled cakes, especially using the whole egg method. Although egg separation will yield a higher chance of success, I refuse to give in to the idea that rolled cake can only be made by that method. That's some kind of unnecessary stubbornness??<br /><br />This year I finally decide to attempt it, partly because I saw this <a href="http://passionbaker.blogspot.com/2010/11/aspiring-bakers-2-christmas-dec-2010.html" target="new">baking event - Aspiring Bakers #2: Christmas! (Dec 2010)</a> from Small Small Baker's blog. Seems like a different blogger is taking turn to hold the event each month. This month's event will be held by Passion About Baking. It just gives me some good excuse to bake. *grin*<br /><br />I did a bit of research on the net regarding log cake. It seems to be commonly named as Bûche de Noël (pardon this mountain tortoise here, but this is the first time I've heard of this term). I'm not sure if there's any difference between this and the conventional swiss roll I'm familiar with. Bûche de Noël does not seem to have any oil in it. The swiss roll recipes that I've been trying contain melted butter. If you know the difference, please let me know.<br /><br />I've attempted 2 logs so far, both using the cake recipe from <i>Elegant Swiss Roll - Christmas Log</i> by Kevin Chai. It uses only 4 eggs, as compared to some which use as many as 7 eggs! The recipe calls for the whole egg method. I learnt from <a href="http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/buche_de_noel_yule_log_part_1_of_2" target="new">this video</a> to warm the egg mixture before beating to achieve a greater volume, a good tip indeed. However, I've yet to achieve a good cake texture. I could very well have over mixed when adding the flour and butter.<br /><br />Presenting to you my 2 Chocolate ganache logs.<br /><br />The first log...<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3918.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3920-1-1.jpg"><br /><br />The inside of the log<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3924.jpg"><br /><br />The second log...it's starting to snow :)<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3930-1-1.jpg"><br /><br />Oh yes, if you have any tip on how to achieve a smooth edge when carving the lines, please share with me too. I suspect it has got to do with the consistency of the ganache. I always get a rough edge. :(KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-68568234974847971792010-12-01T10:20:00.004+08:002010-12-01T13:00:48.017+08:00Hello, Hello Kitty!This is a long overdue post. This cake was done in late Oct for my little girl's 5th birthday. Time flies, she's already 5 this year! She kept changing her mind on the cake she wanted. It started with a Barbie 3D cake, followed by a Minnie Mouse cake, then a Strawberry Shortcake when she saw one in a store. Finally she decided on a Hello Kitty cake.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3755.jpg"><br /><br />The decoration wasn't difficult to do, just need lots of patience and time. I first printed the picture, then trace the outline onto a piece of parchment paper. Place the parchment outline onto chocolate fondant and cut it out. This will serve as the base. Do the same for each individual part and stick them onto the base. Works a little like stenciling.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3757.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3756.jpg"><br /><br />Complete with a candle and Happy Birthday tag.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3761.jpg"><br /><br />happy birthday, dear!<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3765.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-47183740573988657772010-10-08T14:46:00.005+08:002010-10-08T15:52:57.001+08:00Orange and Passionfruit ChiffonEver since my last successful chiffon, I've been thinking of baking an Orange and Passionfruit chiffon. I don't know why I chose this combination, perhaps it's due to inspiration from <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2010/05/mango-passion-fruit-chiffon.html" target="new"> Happy Homebaker's Mango and Passionfruit chiffon</a>. I have always wanted to try an orange chiffon. I thought adding passionfruit is not a bad idea since passionfruit seems to blend in well with orange. I bought a bottle of passionfruit pulps last time when I bought some 爱玉 jelly, so I used it this round.<br /><br />I recently read from Happy Homebaker that the egg white used in chiffon does not require to be stiff peak, soft peak can do the job too. This is really something very interesting to me. I have always thought that if we cannot achieve stiff peak, the chiffon is bound to fail, or at least that was what most people have been telling me. As a result, I always make sure my whites are beaten to very stiff stage, so much so that you'll have a little difficulty moving the whisk around. The disadvantage is, you'll have a harder time getting the white into the yolk batter evenly (which explains why my chiffons always ended up with white spots in them). This time round, I no longer whisk the whites till super stiff stage. I still achieve stiff peak. I guess I'll need a bit more courage to try baking one with soft peak. LOL......<br /><br />The chiffon turns out well this time too, thankfully. There wasn't any cracks or volcano eruptions on top. Guess I'm finally beginning to understand my 20L oven a little.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3737.jpg"><br /><br />However, my skills for removing the cake still need improvement. Tore the cake a little in the process of getting it off the pan. Too impatient, perhaps.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3739.jpg"><br /><br />The texture is springy and moist, just like a sponge. The orange and passionfuit instill a nice fragrance into the cake. The kids, especially the girls, love the cake.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3740.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3741a.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="FF0000"><b>Orange and Passionfruit Chiffon</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br />5 egg yolks<br />30g sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />40g corn oil<br />70g passionfruit pulp<br />60g orange juice (from 1 orange)<br />Rinds from 1 orange<br /><br /><u>Sift together</u><br />130g cake flour<br />1.5 tsp baking powder<br /><br />5 egg whites<br />50g sugar<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Cream egg yolk and sugar with a hand whisk until sugar dissolve. Add salt and mix well.<br />2. Add corn oil. Mix well.<br />3. Mix the passionfruit pulp with the orange juice and add it to the yolk batter. Mix well.<br />4. Add orange rinds and mix well.<br />5. Fold in sifted flour mixture with a hand whisk.<br />6. In a clean bowl, beat egg white till soft peak. Add in sugar in 2 additions and beat till stiff peak.<br />7. Add 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk mixture to soften it.<br />8. Fold in the remaining egg white in two rounds until well incorporated.<br />9. Pour into 21cm tube pan. Knock pan on table top to remove trapped bubbles.<br />10. Bake at 170C for 45-55 mins. Tent top if it gets too brown. (I bake for 55 mins. Adjust the timing according to your oven.)<br />11. Invert cake to cool once out of the oven.</font>KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-62753654097871950642010-10-04T10:07:00.004+08:002010-10-08T15:53:15.410+08:00Chiffon, I think I'm getting itIf you're a regular reader of my blog, you would know that I sucks at Chiffon cakes. I have never baked one that can be considered successful. All my earlier attempts either looked like volcano eruptions, or they would end up dropping out of the pan when inverted. On that few occasions where they are "eatable", they never achieve the classic brown look.<br /><br />Mom has been requesting for a mango chiffon ever since I last made her a Yuzu chiffon. I felt bad having delay it for quite some time. So I decided to make her one last weekend. I adapted the recipe from one of my trusted chiffon recipe from Rei. This time round, I let the cake sit in the oven for a longer time, knowing that my oven always required longer time that what is specified in a recipe. I had to tent the cake towards the end to prevent the top from burning. I was very happy that the cake managed to stay in the pan throughout the whole cooling period.<br /><br />There you go, my first ever browned Chiffon. :)<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3734.jpg"><br /><br />The texture was right, springy and moist.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3735.jpg"><br /><br />One minus point though, the cake didn't smell or taste of mangoes. :( Next time I'll try adding some Jupe all natural Mango paste, as suggested by Gina.<br /><br />Mom tested the cake. She actually preferred the last cake which was firmer (I think that cake dropped out of the pan during cooling, if I didn't remember wrongly). So next time I must underbake the chiffon if it is for her. ;)<br /><br />Here's the recipe, for Pearlyn who's requested for it. Hope you have fun baking Chiffon over at England. :)<br /><br /><font color="FF0000"><b>Mango Chiffon</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br />5 egg yolks<br />30g sugar<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />50g corn oil<br />130g mango puree<br /><br /><u>Sift together</u><br />130g cake flour<br />1.5 tsp baking powder<br /><br />5 egg whites<br />50g sugar<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Cream egg yolk and sugar with a hand whisk until sugar dissolve. Add salt and mix well.<br />2. Add corn oil. Mix well.<br />3. Add mango puree. Mix well.<br />4. Fold in sifted flour mixture with a hand whisk.<br />5. In a clean bowl, beat egg white till soft peak. Add in sugar in 2 additions and beat till stiff peak.<br />6. Add 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk mixture to soften it.<br />7. Fold in the remaining egg white in two rounds until well incorporated. I use a hand whisk initially and change to spatula in the last round to give the bottom a final fold.<br />8. Pour into 21cm tube pan. Knock pan on table top to remove trapped bubbles.<br />9. Bake at 170C for 45-55 mins. Tent top if it gets too brown. (I bake for about an hour. Adjust the timing according to your oven.)<br />10. Invert cake to cool once out of the oven.</font>KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-46276325610698823932010-10-04T09:34:00.002+08:002010-10-04T10:04:43.447+08:00A last minute bakeOne of my cyber friends saw the birthday cake I did for DS and asked me to help her bake a cake for her 17 year old, whose birthday was just a few days after DS. I was hesitant in the beginning for a few reasons. There were only two days left. I wasn't confident of my skills to accept a request, which is why I have not been taking orders despite having a few requests. Baking for family is totally different from taking orders.<br /><br />However, I was touched by this mother's love and sensitivity towards her daughter. So I agreed to help her in the end. I did an Oreo Cheesecake for her as that was her girl's favourite.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3729.jpg"><br /><br />It was a rich and sinful version, the same one I did recently for my hubby's birthday.<br /><br />Next comes the design, which was the challenging part. I'm one who work very much based on impromptu ideas without prior planning. I had a long time thinking of how I should dress up the cake. I have never bake for a teenager and was worried the design would be too childish. It took me a few rounds of change (yes, literally changing the design on the cake!) before I finally settled on this. Even the surrounding greens and flowers were decided in the last hour before collection. I still feel birthday cakes should have a bit more colors, rather than just plain old black.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3730.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3731.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3732.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3733.jpg"><br /><br />I was relieved that the birthday girl love the cake. Hopefully she can feel the love from her mom through this cake.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-52442203899576420332010-09-29T23:07:00.004+08:002010-10-02T12:24:18.460+08:00It's one year again!Time flies. DS turns 11 a few days ago. I planned a small surprise party for him this year as next year he'll probably be having his PSLE during his birthday.<br /><br />He is obsessed with the Animal Kaiser cards and game recently. His company of friends are all playing the game. For his birthday, he has requested to play the game in the arcade with his friends. We seldom bring him to the arcade, so he was thrilled when he got his wish this year.<br /><br />Needless to say, he requested for the same theme for his birthday cake as well. I have only watched him play the game once. I could not recall how the game screen looked like. With the help of modern technology, I was able to search the required information from the net.<br /><br />I didn't want to spend too much time doing the figurines, so I just got some toys, clean them up and use them as toppers for the cake. Luckily the birthday boy didn't complain. He liked the cake and was even surprised that I know the exact shape for the scores.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3713.jpg"><br /><br /><br />This was the first time I piped grass and I just loved it! It allowed me to be "messy". If you have been following my previous works, you would know that my piping sucks.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3717.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3715.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3714.jpg"><br /><br /><i>The birthday boy with his cake<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3721.jpg"><br /><br />The sisters and cousins</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3727.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-84189922966057278492010-08-12T23:37:00.006+08:002010-08-13T21:51:15.985+08:00Time to do some bloggingMy pictures have been piling up. If I do not clear them, very soon, they will go into the Recycle Bin.<br /><br />After my last attempt of moist brownie, I wasn't really satisfied. So I went on to search for more brownie recipes to try.<br /><br /><i>Attempt 2 - Jamie Oliver's brownie</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3649.jpg"><br /><br />Great taste, but my pan size is obviously wrong to be able to yield this super thin brownie.<br /><br /><i>Attempt 3 - White brownie</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3651.jpg"><br /><br />A self-experiment which turned out to be a disaster! I wanted to make a white brownie using white chocolate. So I tried to modify the moist brownie recipe to use white chocolate. I ended up with a super sweet dense cake instead. Yucks!<br /><br /><i>Attempt 4 - Back to Jamie</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3661.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3662.jpg"><br /><br />I decided Jamie's recipe is worth trying again. This time I adjusted the ingredient and amount and got my own version of perfect brownie. Don't you think so? LOL... This will hence be the recipe to use whenever I feel like baking brownie.<br /><br /><br />Besides brownie, I also tried Jamie's Banana and Honey bread.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3648.jpg"><br /><br />Although I really love his brownie, can't say the same with the bread. It's best eaten fresh from the oven. Once overnight, the texture is compromised.<br /><br /><br />Did some Naan for dinner one night after seeing the easy-to-follow recipe on Gina's FB. I did two versions, onion and cheese. Both were good, the kids love the cheese ones.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3666.jpg"><br /><br /><br />It's 11:55pm now. My eyes are threatening to shut down any minute. Must be the effect of the medication starting to kick in. I shall let the pictures of my bake today end this session.<br /><br /><i>Waiting to be transformed...<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3675.jpg"><br /><br />...into this!<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3677.jpg"><br /><br />My forever lousy deco skill...</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3678.jpg"><br /><br />我很丑,但是我很好吃<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3680.jpg"><br /><br /><br />Trivial... I sliced off the top of the cake for deco reason and had a big piece left (almost 9"). My girls who were eyeing the cake were happy that they can finally lay their hands on something. I told them not to finish the whole piece of cake as it was nearly lunch time. They really listen to what I said and left this.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3676.jpg"><br /><br />When I questioned them, one of my girls answered, "we didn't finished the cake what". *fainted!*KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-4482895994195243272010-06-10T20:59:00.005+08:002010-06-10T21:38:40.833+08:00A "not so brownie" brownie?I mentioned in my earlier post that I was looking for a brownie recipe. I sourced through a few fellow bloggers' recommendations and decided to give <a href="http://preciousmoments66.blogspot.com/2009/01/annual-affairs.html" target="new">Edith's Moist Brownies</a> a try.<br /><br />Frankly speaking, I was never a brownie person. Brownie, to me, is something dry and not so interesting, even when goes with ice-cream. I do not know what prompted me to try to bake one. Maybe it's the need to try something new, rather than some same old cakes and breads.<br /><br />The recipe wasn't too difficult to follow, thankfully. However, I made a mistake of trying to bake the same amount of ingredients intended for a 8" pan, into a 6" pan. Needless to say, my brownie took forever to cook. Since it was my first time making brownie, I wasn't even sure when it should be considered done. In the end, it took about an hour before the stick inserted was no longer wet. The top of the brownie was already turning dry and I had to tent it for the second half of baking for fear that it might burn.<br /><br />My brownie was quite tall, when out of the oven. To my dismay, it started to collapse quite a bit upon cooling. So much so that the top cracked and tore off from the brownie! I wasn't confident at all whether it was even eatable.<br /><br />Once cooled, I couldn't wait to test it. Surprisingly, the result turned out really good! Although I'm not sure whether mine was the correct texture, it probably was a good mistake, if it was one to start with.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3634.jpg"><br /><br />It was moist and dense, yet not heavy. I can't find the perfect word for it, but the kids adore it. DS said this was probably one of the best cakes I've made (initially he thought it was a cake). I may try it again. But this time I'll make sure I use the right amount of ingredients for my pan size.<br /><br /><br />The kids requested to have pizza for dinner. I was quite reluctant as it was already 6pm then and I knew I would not be able to make the pizzas in time for dinner. They insisted they were not hungry and can have a late dinner. I had no choice but to quickly set to work. I used <a href="http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2009/07/build-your-own-lunch.html" target="new">Happy Home Baking's pizza dough with mixed herbs</a>. I added 1 tsp of mixed herbs instead of 1/2. It was a good choice. I love the aromatic base and the kids had no complains too. This dough recipe is a keeper.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3636.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3640.jpg"> <img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3637.jpg"> <img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3645.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-36895364702546241532010-06-09T10:18:00.003+08:002010-06-09T10:37:27.978+08:00A slow deathI'm slowly killing my blog. Haven't been posting for months and I wonder if anyone still bothers to read. My passion for blogging has been reduced to almost nothing. At times I just don't feel like posting something for the sake of posting. Moreover, I haven't been baking new things. It would have been boring for you guys to read the same thing over and over again. I guess I'm one of those whose passion in something always cool off after a while, 三分钟热度, which can be quite bad.<br /><br />Some of what I've done recently, nothing spectacular though.<br /><br />Green tea Azuki buns - not a favourite with the kids<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3578.jpg"><br /><br />Blueberry Chiffon - can't say it's totally successful with the blueberries sticking together<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3584.jpg"><br /><br />Plain swiss roll - something I'm still trying to master. Yet to get the right texture. I'm really bad at swiss rolls!<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3585.jpg"><br /><br /><br />One of the nights, I decided to cook something different for dinner. It was well received by hubby and kids. Effort worthwhile. :)<br /><br />Grill fish for the kids. Sides are creamy mashed potatoes (too creamy though) and mango prawn salad.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3586.jpg"><br /><br />Steak for the adult<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3587.jpg"><br /><br />Ever since I learn the tips from KC members, I was able to get the perfect medium rare which hubby and I like.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3588.jpg"><br /><br /><br />Lastly, luncheon buns for today's breakfast, kids' favourite.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3630.jpg"><br /><br /><br />I'm looking for a not so sweet brownie recipe to try. If you have one to share, do let me know. TIA.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-21645748476183011952010-02-07T14:41:00.005+08:002010-02-07T15:06:41.730+08:00Flower PowerMy little girl turned 6 this year. How time flies! I still remember making her a <a href="http://pureenjoyment.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-first-barbie-doll-cake.html" target="new">Barbie doll cake</a> last year to celebrate her birthday.<br /><br />This year we had a little party at home before she enters formal schooling next year. She'll probably be too busy to have parties next time. She invited just a few close friends over. And guess what? She requested for a Barbie doll cake again. Girls are girls, they never seem to get tired of Barbie and princesses, do they? My youngest girl also requested for a princess cake for her birthday this year (again?).<br /><br />This is the what my little princess got this year. Little princess requested for flowers, so she got lots of them. I didn't do much planning for this Barbie, as compared to the last one. Just not my style to plan, as usual...lol...<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3523copy.jpg"><br /><br />This year I decided to have something different for the top of the dress. Made a sleeveless one last year and wanted to challenge myself to do something different this year.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3525copy.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3526copy.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3527copy.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3528copy.jpg"><br /><br />So which Barbie doll do you like? :)KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-6271525489765559682010-01-14T09:39:00.006+08:002010-01-15T06:51:39.240+08:00A new year, a new beginningIn case you're wondering where I've been, well, still alive and kicking. :) Just that the December school holiday has totally set me into a holiday mood. Not just me, rather, the whole family, was in a super laid back and lazy mode. I'm glad that school has finally started and everything is slowly getting back into the norm. It gets kind of scary when you've lazed around for too long. Sometimes you'll wonder if you're still living.<br /><br />I haven't been baking much in December. Hopefully I will find the energy to slowly pick up baking again. Age must be catching up with me. I get tired easily nowadays (maybe just an excuse not to do anything).<br /><br />I started Jan with some breads (made pizza once, but didn't take any pictures). My pack of wholemeal flour has been ignored for long and is threatening to expire. So I better start giving it some due attention.<br /><br /><i>Mixed Herbs Wholemeal Bread</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3482.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3484.jpg"><br /><br />A new wholemeal bread recipe I tried. Not bad, but need some adjustment the next round to fill up the bread tin. Got a nicely browned bread this round.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3509.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_3511.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-50077673102595419562009-11-15T20:17:00.003+08:002009-11-15T20:31:26.808+08:00Long, long agoThe title says it all. These were done really long ago. I'm too lazy to put down too many words. Let the pictures do the talking. :)<br /><br /><i>Moonies<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2427.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2428.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2432.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2429.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2431.jpg"><br /><br />Darren's birthday (super shaky hands, not a good job done)<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2433.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2434.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2436.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2437.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2439.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2444.jpg"><br /><br />Karina's birthday (the agar agar cake doesn't turn out as nice the one in the book)</i><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2452.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2454.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2455.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2459.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-28715679734432041962009-09-23T18:25:00.004+08:002009-09-23T18:52:25.250+08:00Mini projectIt's been a while since I last did some serious cake decoration. The last was the Barbie doll cake for DD's 5th birthday.<br /><br />This year I had the honour to be in charge of the cakes for my little niece, Charis' birthday party. She will be turning 4 in a few days time. The party was held earlier this Monday since it was a public holiday. My dear cousin (her mum), K, has chosen princess theme for the cakes. She wanted cupcakes instead of a whole cake (save the trouble of cutting). After discussion, we decided to use pink and purple as the main colour scheme. Charis especially requested for rainbows in her cakes. She's a little princess who adores rainbows. She'll include them in all her drawings.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2424.jpg"><br /><br />I didn't have much proper planning this round (what's new, right?). I was glad I manage to deliver my promise in time for the party as I had only started on the decoration after 11pm the night before the party!<br /><br />I hope the little princess was happy with the cuppies. Every little girl at the party was eyeing for these limited edition "click clock high shoes". LOL...There were only two of them.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2404.jpg"><br /><br />Picture speaks louder than words. You'll see from them that my piping skill has lots of room for improvement.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2403.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2410.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2405.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2406.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2408.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2409.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2407.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2411.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2413.jpg"><br /><br /><br />And these were what I did earlier on but never find a chance to post them up.<br /><br /><i>Chocolate pancakes</i> (yes, I've finally tried to make them from scratch)<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2401.jpg"><br /><br /><i>Vanilla cupcakes</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2402.jpg"><br /><br /><br />I have at least 2 more projects down the road this year. Time to get some serious planning done.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-35154663053177556502009-08-19T23:17:00.003+08:002009-09-02T17:22:52.722+08:00I am badI've been neglecting my blog (and almost everything else) ever since I got hooked on Facebook games some 3 weeks ago. I'm still playing them now, but have learnt to slow down a little (or have I?). It's very addictive. I used to set timer for baking, now I set it to remind myself to login the game when time is up to collect the game money. Yes, that was how bad I have been.<br /><br />As such I haven't been baking much these few weeks, except for the recent Chocolate cupcakes for the kids to bring to their teachers for Teacher's Day. I still had two outstanding "old" bakes done in early August which I have not put up in my blog. I reckon I had better put them up now before I really forget about them.<br /><br />I tried my hands on bread roll.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2379.jpg"><br /><br />It wasn't too difficult except that I probably should have underbaked the bread a little so that it doesn't crack during rolling.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2380.jpg"><br /><br />I rolled in some cheese and ham slices with a mixture of tartar sauce and mayonnaise. Simple and yummlicious.<br /><br />I bake this during the National Day period, for hubby's birthday. Can you guess what it is?<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2382.jpg"><br /><br />It was actually an Oreo Durian Cheesecake. Hubby has been mentioning the Oreo Durian cake from some hotel quite some time back. Maybe he was hoping I would do one for him. I didn't want to do a sponge cake (I still have inconsistent result with sponge), so I twisted it into a sinful cheesecake instead, with chunks of Oreo in it.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2392.jpg"><br /><br />And one final happy news to share with all of you. I've finally bought my KitchenAid! Yes! A bright Orange fellow that sits on my kitchen top everyday. Had it for $599 at the recent Robinson sale, a good deal.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2395.jpg"><br /><br />Am going to churn out some goodies with this fellow now so that it justifies the cost.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-18828115574331506462009-08-08T16:08:00.002+08:002009-08-08T17:07:42.396+08:00All things yogurtI always have problem catching up with my blog. The bakes to be blogged are always accumulating. I wonder how many food bloggers out there are facing the same problem as me. I bake before I could blog the earlier items.<br /><br />I did three different items with yogurt last week. The first was another Yogurt Chiffon cake. This time I've paired it with Chempedak. This was a total failure, possibly one of the worst Chiffons I've baked this year. The cake didn't drop off the pan during cooling, but this was what I got.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2360.jpg"><br /><br />And the result was a dense cake, of course. More of a "Chempedak cheesecake" kind of texture.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2361.jpg"><br /><br />I realised yogurt tends to make my cakes dense. Or maybe I'm just bad at the Yogurt-Chiffon combination. All my past yogurt Chiffons didn't turn out well. I don't think I'll be trying this combination anymore, don't want to waste more ingredients.<br /><br />It's been quite a while since I last made bread. Since I've got quite a fair bit of plain yogurt in my fridge and I didn't feel like making any more yogurt Chiffon, I turned to my tested <a href="http://pureenjoyment.blogspot.com/2008/02/yogurt-bread.html">Yogurt Bread recipe</a>. I added in some Yuzu paste (I got mine from <a href="http://www.kitchencapers.net" target="new">Kitchen Capers</a> retail store at Geylang Bahru) to form a Yuzu Yogurt Bread. It was refreshing. The bread smelled great while baking in the oven. I knead this bread using my normal stand mixer at medium speed. Since it's not meant for heavy duty task, you'll have to make sure you stop the machine frequently to give the dough some turns and to prevent overheating the poor machine.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2364.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="FF0000"><b>Yuzu Yogurt Bread</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br />260g bread flour<br />15g sugar<br />3g salt<br />3g yeast<br />90g plain yogurt<br />60g fresh milk<br />15g egg<br />30g butter<br />2 tbsp Yuzu paste (about 40g)<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Mix all dry ingredients together.<br />2. Add in all wet ingredients except butter and knead to form a dough. Knead for a few minutes till you can stretch the dough a little.<br />3. Add in butter and knead till smooth and elastic. <br />4. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or cling-wrap and leave it to proof in a warm place till double its size (about 45 mins). <br />5. When proofing is completed, punch down the bread dough to release the air.<br />6. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Relax the dough for 10 mins. Roll and shape each portion into an oval log and placed them into a loaf pan.<br />7. Cover the loaf pan with a cling wrap and allow the dough to go for second proofing until it has reached 80% of the pan.<br />8. Cover the pan and bake in preheated oven at 170-180C for 50 minutes. My oven loses heat easily. So you may need to adjust the time according to your oven.<br />9. Remove bread from loaf pan immediately to cool completely.</font><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2367.jpg"><br /><br />The bread is soft and fragrant. Do give it a try. I think I'm still better at bread than cakes...lol...<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2363.jpg"><br /><br />The last yogurt item was some Yogurt Raisin mini cupcakes.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2370.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2369.jpg"><br /><br />These were more for the kids as the two girls had excursions with the school last week. So I decided to bake these for them to bring as snacks and to finish up my tub of raisins. I had used berry yogurt for these little cuppies. It goes quite well with raisins.KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-54505737714577772532009-08-03T18:32:00.003+08:002009-08-03T22:21:01.090+08:00Japanese Sweet Potato Chiffon CupcakesI first encountered Japanese Sweet Potato Cake from <a href="http://allthatmatters2rei.blogspot.com/2009/04/japanese-sweet-potato-cake.html" target="new">Rei's blog</a>. I had the honour to try out the cake when Rei brought them to a gathering. It was yummy!<br /><br />Recently I saw a Japanese lady making it in a YouTube video. At the recent Hokkaido fair, I bought a similar sweet potato custard dessert. That was yummy too, but the sweet potato layer was far too sweet for me.<br /><br />I decided to try to pair this Japanese Sweet Potato Cake with Chiffon cake in one of my recent Chiffon cake practice. The kids were getting bored with the conventional tube shaped Chiffon, so I thought changing it into cuppies may spice things up a little. The little trick worked. They were happily eating the cuppies without associating them with Chiffon cakes.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2354.jpg"><br /><br />I've made the sweet potato cake to be sweeter to go well with my not-so-sweet Chiffon cake. If you like it to be not as sweet, use <a href="http://allthatmatters2rei.blogspot.com/2009/04/japanese-sweet-potato-cake.html" target="new">Rei's recipe</a>.<br /><br /><font color="ff0000"><b>Japanese Sweet Potato Chiffon Cupcakes</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients<br /><br />Sweet Potato mixture</i><br />550g Japanese Sweet Potatoes<br />30g butter, soften (suggest to reduce it to 20g)<br />50ml whipping cream (suggest to reduce it to 40ml)<br />20g sugar<br />1 egg yolk<br /><br /><i>Chiffon Cake layer</i><br />(A)<br />2 egg yolks<br />15g sugar<br />20g corn oil<br />30g milk<br />40g sweet potato mixture (see below)<br /><br />(B)<br />2 egg whites<br />1/4 tsp cream of tartar<br />25g sugar<br /><br />(C)<br />60g cake flour<br />3/4 tsp baking powder<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />For the sweet potato mixture,<br />1. Steam the sweet potato over medium high heat for about 25-30 mins till cooked. Peel off the skin and mash them up. Net weight of mashed sweet potato is about 470g.<br />2. Add the remaining ingredients for the sweet potato mixture into the mashed sweet potatoes. I run the mixture in a blender for a smoother finishing. Reserve 40g of the mixture for the Chiffon cake.<br /><br />For the Chiffon cake,<br />1. Sift cake flour together with baking powder.<br />2. Whisk the egg yolk with sugar till sugar dissolves.<br />3. Add the corn oil, milk and sweet potato mixture to the yolk mixture and mix well.<br />4. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg white with cream of tartar till soft peak.<br />5. Add sugar in 2 separate additions and beat till just initial stage of stiff peak.<br />6. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk batter. Mix well. Fold in the remaining egg white in 2 additions. Mix well each time.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2358.jpg"><br /><br />To assemble,<br />1. Fill 1/3 of small paper cup with the sweet potato mixture. Smoothen the mixture with a teaspoon.<br />2. Fill the remaining paper cup with the Chiffon batter till 80% full. Gently bang the paper cups on the table top to get rid of any trapped bubbles.<br />3. Bake the cupcakes in preheated oven at 170°C for about 25 mins.<br />Note: My oven usually takes longer to bake the cake. So you may need to reduce your baking time according to your oven.</font><br /><br />This cupcake is ideally served with a spoon so that you can scoop the Chiffon and sweet potato layers together. Enjoy! :)KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-65787745917364225222009-07-29T21:31:00.004+08:002009-12-02T22:51:45.875+08:00Too many backlogs is a nightmare!Due to my fantastic PC monitor, I now have so many backlogs to update before the next intermittent "crash". I had initially wanted to create separate posts for the different items, but after going through my earlier 2 posts, I decided to place all the remaining into this single post. So this will probably end up to be a super long post, please bear with me.<br /><br />Ever since the Hokkaido fair, I had been wanting to try my hands on some of the Japanese sweet treats. Last Friday, I finally could find some time to make these.<br /><br /><i>Hanami Dango</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2346.jpg"><br /><br />Hanami (means <i>flower viewing</i>) dango is traditionally made during Sakura-viewing season (source: Wikipedia). Dango is similar to our 汤圆 in texture. This experiment wasn't too fascinating as I've made them too bland. I must remember to increase the amount of sugar the next round.<br /><br />On that same day, I made Radish/Carrot cake too, so that we can have them for breakfast on Saturday. I ended up with one big chunk of carrot cake and our family could only finish half of it, including a portion which was given to our neighbor. That was how much I had made!<br /><br /><i>Black Carrot Cake<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2349.jpg"><br /><br />White Carrot Cake</i><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2350.jpg"><br /><br />I like the texture of this carrot cake as it yields a very soft cake. Reminds me of a previous Chai Tow Kuay store I used to frequent. The store has since moved away when the area was called for redevelopment.<br /><br />I have halved the recipe here. It should serve 4-5 person.<br /><br /><font color="ff0000"><b>Radish/Carrot Cake</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients </i><br /><br />100g radish, shredded<br />60g carrot, shredded<br />1 tsp sugar<br />1.5 tsp salt<br />250g rice flour mix well with 850ml water<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br /><br />1. Fry radish and carrot for a few minutes. Simmer with a little water (approximately 100ml) till soft and water is about to dry up.<br />2. Turn down the heat. Pour the flour mixture through a sieve into the wok slowly.<br />3. Add in sugar and salt.<br />4. Change to medium heat and cook till mixture starts to dry up like the texture of mashed potatoes. Turn off heat.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2347.jpg"><br />5. Line baking tin with aluminum foil. Scoop the mixture into the tin and smoothen.<br />Note: I use a 9" round cake pan for double the recipe.<br />6. Steam over high heat for 45 mins. Cool completely before use. (I cool it overnight in the fridge.)<br />Note: the steamed carrot cake may taste a little bland on its own. It should be just nice after frying.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2348.jpg"><br /><br /><b>Frying</b><br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br /><br />1.5 tbsp chopped seasoned turnip (Chai Por)<br />2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />Salt<br />Light Soy Sauce<br />Sweet Sauce<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Rinse and soak the turnip for about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water.<br />2. Fry the turnip for 1-2 mins. Add carrot cake (cut into strips of 1cm x 3cm) and fry together. Break them up into smaller chunks with your wok spatula.<br />3. For white carrot cake, add salt and/or light soy sauce to season. For black carrot cake, add soy sauce and sweet sauce to season.<br />4. Spread out the carrot cake to a single layer. Pour the beaten eggs over it. Let the eggs set a little before turning over.</font><br /><br />I have one more item to blog on. But I'm really too tired and hungry now. Will continue tomorrow if the monitor is still with me. Going to tuck in some cold cold ice cream next!KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-7416165207436118682009-07-29T19:14:00.002+08:002009-07-29T21:27:56.042+08:00Fried Potato BallsIt is not my usual style to deep fry things in my kitchen as I hate the use of large amount of oil in cooking. But once in a blue moon, I'll try out some deep fried dishes just to satisfy the craving of those at home. I have a very understanding hubby, he always tell me to buy whatever deep fried stuff I feel like eating, no need to spend so much effort to go through the process.<br /><br />Last week, I made these deep fried potato balls for dinner. They go very well with tartar sauce and the kids love them. Yummy!<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2340.jpg"><br /><br />My apologies for not having a proper recipe as I didn't really measure the individual ingredients. Hopefully this estimated recipe will give you an idea of how to make these. You can always alter yours according to your liking.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2341.jpg"><br /><br /><font color="ff0000"><b>Fried Potato Balls</b><br /><br />Makes about 36 potato balls<br /><br /><i>Ingredients (estimated)</i><br /><br />550g minced pork<br />10 Chinese mushrooms<br />3 tbsp light soy sauce<br />Coriander powder (I use quite a generous amount)<br />Dashes of sesame oil<br />1 egg yolk<br />5 medium potatoes<br />Garlic Salt<br />1-2 tbsp Margarine<br />Bread crumbs<br />1 egg white<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2339.jpg"><br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Soak and wash the Chinese mushrooms. Cut them into small dices.<br />2. Season the minced meat and mushrooms with the light soy sauce, coriander powder, sesame oil and egg yolk. I marinate it for at least 2 hrs.<br />3. Boil the potatoes till cooked. Remove the skin and mash them when hot. Season with margarine and garlic salt (use normal salt if you do not have garlic salt).<br />4. Mix the mashed potatoes with the seasoned meat. Make into balls of about 1.5 inches. (I use two spoons to make into balls so that I don't have to mess up my hands.)<br />5. Coat each ball with egg white followed by bread crumbs. Freeze the balls for 15 mins to prevent too much crumbs from dropping off during frying.<br />6. Fry the balls in hot oil until golden brown. Drain and serve with tartar sauce.</font>KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-34191422213187859412009-07-29T17:01:00.002+08:002009-07-29T19:10:33.268+08:00Crazy over ChiffonFinally I can access my PC! My monitor has been taking non-approved time off as and when it likes to. For the past 1 week or so, I have no access to my PC as the monitor just show me a blank white screen whenever I tried to turn it on. This is not the first time it happens and I anticipate it will not be the last. So here I am, with tonnes of backlogs to update since I've been churning out things from my kitchen for the past week. I hope I can complete my updates before the monitor takes its next long break again.<br /><br />I finally understand why some of the bakers out there couldn't stop baking Chiffon cakes, especially if they've succeeded after many tries. Chiffon is very addictive to bake (and eat) indeed. It is light and not as oily and hence a "healthier" version of cake to feed into my ever expanding tummy.<br /><br />Since I wasn't completely successful in Chiffon yet (it really very much depends on my luck), I continued to bake Chiffon in different flavours. The kids are obviously getting a bit tired of Chiffon. They used to be able to finish a 21cm Chiffon in 2 days, now it usually takes a few days. They didn't complain, just not as interested to eat mummy's cake. Sorry kids, practice makes perfect. So until your mummy gets it right confidently, you'll probably be seeing more versions of Chiffon on your dining table.<br /><br />After my last failed Mango Yogurt Chiffon, I decided to try on a "normal" Chiffon. I chose to bake a Chocolate flavoured one this time. I did the cake twice, as I find the Chocolate flavour to be too mild in the first trial. I was hoping to achieve a real Chocolatey Chiffon.<br /><br />I tried not to overbeat the egg whites. Not too sure if I've succeeded but this is how my egg white looks like.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2326.jpg"><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2327.jpg"><br /><br />I did a mistake for the first cake. I popped it into the oven and went to shower (bad move!), thinking it'll take at least 30 minutes to be baked. My oven ended up too hot. There was a hole in the cake near the tube of the pan.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2328.jpg"><br /><br />Other than that, the cake looked better than my Mango Yogurt Chiffon. The holes were not as big and it was taller.<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2331.jpg"><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2332.jpg"><br /><br />For my second attempt, I had used melted dark chocolate instead of cocoa powder. It tasted better, but still not what I deem as real chocolatey. Will continue to experiment more in future. Do you think the second cake looks better compared to my first?<br /><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2337.jpg"><br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2338.jpg">KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3179036054440551284.post-41654230820863484852009-07-16T16:26:00.006+08:002009-07-29T17:03:52.220+08:00Maybe that's the way it should be?As mentioned in my last post, I suspect I could have over beaten my egg whites whenever I did my Chiffon cakes. I watched these videos from 周老師 yesterday. They are of great help.<br /><br /><a href="http://mymedia.yam.com/m/1878110" target="new">Chiffon Cake Part 1</a><br /><a href="http://mymedia.yam.com/m/1878566" target="new">Chiffon Cake Part 2</a><br /><a href="http://mymedia.yam.com/m/1882179" target="new">Chiffon Cake Part 3</a><br /><br />Last night I couldn't contain my excitement after watching the videos, so I had to bake the same Chiffon cake again early this morning. This time round, I used speed 3 (instead of 4) of my mixer. After I had achieved the curved tip (which is supposedly soft peak), I took care to check every 1-2 minutes. Once the tip could stand without falling when the beaters were turned upwards, I went on for another few seconds, then stopped. The resulting egg white was softer than what I usually had. With the softer egg white, mixing it into the yolk batter was easier. I did not see as many specks of white in the batter as I mixed. HHB, if you're reading this, maybe that could be the reason too for your specks of white.<br /><br />The cake rose higher in the oven even though the amount of batter looked the same as my previous rounds.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2321.jpg"><br /><br />It looked ok too straight out of the oven.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2322.jpg"><br /><br />But after it had cooled completely, it looked very much the same as my previous trial,<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2323.jpg"><br /><br />although when released from the pan, it looked so deceivingly perfect. I wonder if it's due to my oven being too hot.<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2324.jpg"><br /><br />The big holes are still there. I reckon they could be due to the mango pieces added?<br /><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii214/kokwaifun/IMG_2325.jpg"><br /><br />So, you be my judge. Can this be considered a successful Chiffon? Or am I just being too picky? I don't know, but I have this bad habit of wanting things to be as perfect as possible.<br /><br />For those who wish to try, here's the recipe. It's an almost fat-free cake as there is no oil/butter in the recipe. Maybe that's why it's not behaving as it should? Should you have a chance to try, please let me know whether you can get a nice cake.<br /><br /><font color="ff0000"><b>Mango Yogurt Chiffon Cake</b> (Adapted from <a href="http://allthatmatters2rei.blogspot.com/2008/07/blueberries-yoghurt-chiffon-cake.html" target="new">Rei's Blueberry Yogurt Chiffon Cake</a>)<br /><br /><i>Ingredients</i><br />(A)<br />40g Castor sugar<br />4 egg yolks<br />100g mango yogurt<br />80g fresh mango, diced into small pieces<br /><br />(B) Mix together and sieved 2 times<br />120g cake flour<br />1.5 tsp baking powder<br /><br />(C)<br />5 egg whites<br />1/2 tsp cream of tartar<br />40g sugar<br /><br /><i>Method</i><br />1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar till the sugar dissolves.<br />2. Add the mango yogurt and mango. Stir to mix well.<br />3. Stir in sifted flour mixture and mix well.<br />4. Using electric mixer, beat egg white and cream of tartar in another clean bowl till soft peak.<br />5. Add sugar in 3 separate additions and beat till just initial stage of stiff peak.<br />6. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg white into the yolk batter. Mix well.<br />7. Pour the yolk batter into the remaining egg white and fold in/mix till blended.<br />8. Pour the batter into a 21cm tube pan and smooth the batter evenly with a spatula. Bang the pan once to get rid of any trapped bubbles.<br />9. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 45-50 mins till the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.<br />Note: The temperature and time is for my oven. Other ovens may need only 35-40 mins.<br />10. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Cool the cake completely before unmoulding.</font>KWFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03990908601723909315noreply@blogger.com14