Carrot Cake II

Made this for my sister's birthday.

This time I tried the Carrot Cake recipe from JoyOfBaking. But I did change some of the ingredient and quantity, such as sugar(I prefer brown sugar for my carrot cake). This prepare method is slightly different compare to my previous Carrot Cake recipe.

p/s: This cream cheese frosting is way too sweet for most of my family, but some say it's nice. So I would suggest you to taste the sweetness while adding the icing sugar bit by bit.

Ingredient:

350gm Carrot, finely grated

260gm All purpose flour

2 tsp Baking powder

2 tsp Soda Bicarbonate

1/2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Cinnamon powder

4 eggs

250gm Brown sugar

250ml Cooking Oil (sunflower oil or canola oil)

100gm Walnut, toasted and chopped

100gm Raisin, chopped

Cream Cheese Frosting:

50gm Butter, room temperature

230gm Cream Cheese, room temperature

230gm Icing sugar, sifted (Put according to your preference)

1 tsp Vanilla essence (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180c, greased the cake tin and line the bottom of the tin with a circle of parchment paper.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda bicarbonate, salt and ground cinnamon.

3. Beat the eggs until frothy (about 1 min).

4. Gradually add the sugar and beat until batter is thick and light in color (about 3-4 mins).

5. Add the oil in and continue to beat.

6. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

7. Add grated carrots, chopped walnut and raisin. Mix it well and let the batter to rest for 5 minutes.

8. Pour the batter into a baking tin and bake for 35-45 minutes or simply use a dry bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the cake, when the stick comes out clean - its cook.

9. Remove the cake from oven and let it cool on a wire rack. After 10 minutes, take out the cake from the tin and remove the parchment paper. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before frosting it.

10. Cream the butter in a mixing bowl, then add the cream cheese. Beat until smooth.

11. Gradually add the sifted icing sugar in a few batch. Mix until smooth.

12. Spread on cooled cake and decorate it.

13. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours and ready to serve.

Beginner Cup Cake

My first attempt to bake and dress the cup cake in butter cream frosting.

Ingredients to make 12 cup cake:

125gm butter

125gm sugar

2 eggs

125gm flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp milk

Method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar till light in colour.

2. Add one egg at the time and mix well.

3. Shift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda. Mix will.

4. Add vanilla essence, milk and mix well.

5. Fill up to half cup cake mould.

6. Bake in a 180c preheat oven for 15mins.

7. Put the cup cake on a rack to cool.

Butter cream frosting:

70gm butter

1 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp milk

Method:

Mix all ingredient with a whisk.

Spread it over the cup cake and decorate it with colourful sugar rice.

Enjoy!

Baked Sweet Bun

Sardine bun and Chicken curry bun(topped with sesame seeds)

Dough Ingredient:

500 gm high protein flour

15 gm instant dry yeast

1/8 tsp salt

50 gm sugar

1 nos egg

1 nos egg yolk

180 gm milk

80 gm softened butter

Filling of your choice. I used some left over chicken curry and chilly sardine.

Egg wash:

Egg and milk

Method:

1. Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix it well. Then add in butter.

2. Knead the dough until you get a smooth dough.

3. Shape the dough into a ball, place into a big bowl and cover with a piece of damp cloth.

4. Leave it to proof until it doubles in size. Approximately 3-4 hours.

5. Knock the dough down and knead well.

6. Divide into 40 gm each portion and shape into round.

7. Flatted the dough, wrap in the filling and shape into a ball.

8. Place onto a paper cup.

9. Leave it to rise until double in bulk.

10. Glaze with egg wash, bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Remove and cool on wire rack.

12. Once it's cool, ready to serve.

p/s: I have two different filling in my bun, so I have sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the bun in order to identify the filling. After glazed the bun with egg wash, simply sprinkle some sesame on top of the bun and lightly press it to stick on the bun.

Carrot cake with Frosting

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake


Frosting:
300gm Cream Cheese, soften
120gm Butter, soften
300gm Icing Sugar


Method:
1. Combine icing sugar, butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat until smooth.
3. Spread on cooled cake.
4. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour and ready to serve.

Chicken Pie

It has been awhile I didn't update my cooking blog. With the wonderful ramadan timing now, I should be able to do some catch up :-)


Yesterday, I decided to make chicken pie for dinner. It has been awhile I didn't make this dish. I was delighted that it came out well... :D


Ingredients:
Chicken (skinless and boneless), diced into 2cm size
Button Mushroom, diced into 2cm size
Carrot, diced into 2 cm size
Potato, diced into 2cm size
Peas
Onion, roughly chopped
Garlic, chopped
Dried Tarragon
Cream
Salt & pepper
Ready made Puff Pastry
Egg

Method:
1. Marinate the chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Saute onion with oil in a pot until soft.
3. Add in garlic continue to saute till golden brown.
4. Add in chicken and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tarragon, carrot and potato and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add the peas and mushroom and cook for 1 minute.
7. Pour in cream. Mix well and put the lid on, simmer in slow fire for 5 minutes.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste, continue to cook for 2 minutes.

9. Portion into ramekins/pie dish, seal the top with puff pastry and brush with egg wash.

10. Bake in a preheat oven 180c for 15 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown.
11. Ready to serve with some salad and bread.

Carrot Cake

Thanks to Biba for sharing her recipe with me.

This is my first time baking a carrot cake, surprisingly it's so easy. Just a piece of advise - prepare your mise en place first then you may start mixing, that's all.

Ingredients:
2 cups Self-raising flour (or 2 cups Plain flour + 2 tsp Baking powder)
2 tsp Bicarbonate soda
2 tsp Cinnamon powder
2 cups Brown sugar
3 cups Grated carrot (fine)
1 cup Chopped walnut
1 cup Chopped raisin
1 1/2 cup Melted butter
4 Eggs (Lightly beaten)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 170 c. Grease the baking tin with butter.
2. Sift flour, bicarbonate soda and cinnamon powder into a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in sugar, carrot, walnut, raisin. Make sure all the ingredient are mix well.
4. Stir in the eggs and melted butter. Mix well and let the batter rest for 5minutes.
5. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 40-45minutes or simply use a dry long satay stick/toothpick inserted into the center of the cake, when the stick comes out clean its cook.

It's so moist and light. Yumm....

Cashew & Almond Cookies

Ingredients:
120gm Butter
120gm Caster sugar
1 nos Egg yolk
70gm Ground almonds
150gm Plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Cashew nut, halved

Egg wash:
1 nos Egg yolk
Some Milk

Method:
1. Beat butter and caster sugar till creamy
2. Add egg yolk and ground almonds and mix well.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Mix into a dough.
5. Scoop dough with a teaspoon, shape it with hands into ball shape.
6. Arrange on lines tray. Place a halved cashew nut on top on each cookie.
7. Brush with egg wash mixture.
8. Bake in preheated 180c oven for 10 to 12 minutes till cookies are lightly golden brown.
(You need to check the cookies from time to time, in order not to over-bake or under-bake.)
9. Allow cookies to cool completely on a rack then store in container.

Pineapple Tarts

My pineapple tart

I was inspired and motivated by Wokkingmum's pineapple tart. Have to thank Elaine for her wonderful recipe and tempting pineapple tart photo. So I tried her recipes, which turn out very nice.

I also tried other recipes like the Amy Beh's Pineapple tart. Here I've learned how to make pineapple jam from scratch. After all it's not so difficult and it taste better then those commercial stuff.

Both recipes are quit similar, except one with corn flour and icing sugar.
Both taste are great!

Here are the recipe:
Ingredients for Pastry
250gm Butter
50gm Icing sugar
2 nos Egg yolk

350gm Flour
50gm Corn flour
1/4 tsp Salt

Pineapple jam:
900gm-1kg grated fresh pineapple
200-300gm sugar (personal preference of sweetness)

1 cinnamon stick & 6 clove

Egg wash:
1 Egg yolk
Some Milk

Method to make the pineapple jam:
1. Place grated pineapple and sugar in a saucepan and cook over moderate heat to boil.
2. Cook the mixture until it's almost dry and thick. Keep stirring all the time.
3. Remove the cinnamon stick and clove. Leave the jam aside to cool.
4. Wet your hand, scoop the jam with a teaspoon, shape it with hands into small ball shape.

Method to make the pastry:
1. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk one at a time.
2. Fold in sifted dry ingredients and mix to a firm dough.

3. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and let the dough to rest for 15mins.
4. Roll pastry into 0.5cm thickness and stamp out with Jam-tart mould.
5. Add the pineapple filling.
5. Brush with egg wash.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180c for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
7. Cool on wire rack before store in container.

Tips:
1. When you buy fresh whole pineapple, expect only to get half or a bit lesser from the actual weight. This is because after you peel,grate it. For example: buy 1.2kg pineapple, you might get only about 400gm of grated and drained pineapple.

2. You can choose to drain the juice or not. I did not drain the juice, so it take a bit longer time to cook.

3. Make sure you wet your hand while shaping the jam, and have a bowl of water to wet your hand whenever is needed.

Jam-tart mould

Creme Caramel

Ingredients:
Egg
Milk
Sugar
Vanilla pod

Caramel:
Sugar
Water

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c and half fill the roasting tray with water.

To prepare Caramel:
2. Put sugar in a saucepan pour in a 4tbsp water and heat gently, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Continue to boil until you get a slightly golden brown colour.
4. Immediately pour the caramel into an oven proof souffle dish.
5. Set aside.

To prepare Egg Custard:
6. Heat the milk in a pan until almost boiling and remove from fire.
7. Add in the sugar and dissolved it.
8. Slowly add beaten egg, and whisk in the milk mixture.
9. Strain the liquid through a sieve into the souffle dish on top of the cooled caramel base.

Baking:
10. Transfer the souffle dish onto the roasting tray filled with water.
11. Bake for 40 minutes
12. Remove the dish carefully out of the water and leave to cool.

Ready to Serve:
13. Loosen the sides of the custard with a paring knife and then place an inverted plate (large enough to hold the caramel sauce that will flow out as well) on top of the dish.
14. Holding the dish and plate together, turn upside down an give the whole thing a quick shake to release the creme caramel.
15. Ready to serve.

Pizza

Ingredients:
Ready made Pizza dough
Cooked ham, Cube
Button Mushroom, Sliced
Onion, Sliced
Home-made tomato sauce
Salt & Pepper
Mozzarella cheese, Shaved

Method:
1. Pre heat the oven at 180c for 15 minutes.
2. Spread a layer of Home-made tomato sauce, sprinkle some salt and pepper.
3. Put the ham, button mushroom and onion as topping.
4. Sprinkle lots of mozzarella cheese to cover the pizza.
5. Bake in the oven at 180c for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese are melted and turning nice brown colour.
6. Ready to serve. Caution: It's Hot!!!

Kuih Bingka Ubi

Ingredients:
1 kg Tapioca [木薯], grated
600 ml Thin coconut milk (300 ml thick coconut milk mixed with 300 ml water
250 gm Caster sugar
Some Butter or margarine

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients and pour onto a greased tray
2. Bake into a preheated oven at 200c for about 1 hour until golden brown.
3. Remove, brush the surface with butter or margarine
4. Leave to cool completely before cutting into pieces