A Loaf of Bread

  If you were to ask me about my bread-baking experiences, I'd tell you they are limited and half of them gone wrong. With the exception of my cinnamon rolls that always turned out well and quick breads that I did for breafast, such as scones and biscuits, my attempts and making dinner rolls were never good. The first time I tried making bread, I made French bread rolls that were as hard as rocks. Eugh! Let's not even mention it. The second time, I tried to make dinner rolls, but then they were a tad undercooked. As a result, the bottom half of the rolls were all doughy.

  But today, I can finally say, SUCCESS!!!!!!!!! *punches fist in the air and does a celebratory dance* Oops, pretend you never saw that happen. I can finally say that I can bake bread, one entire loaf at that! I was(and still am) pretty proud of myself. I substituted a part of the bread flour for wholemeal flour(my attempt at healthy eating) and I think it's alright. My sister & mum said it was nice and I guess its alright. Oh, I also brushed the top of the bread with honey. That is one cool idea I picked up from Bakingdom. Do try it out!
  Now, I think I'm on roll. A breadmaking one, so you should know what my next post will be about. UNICORNS! just kidding!!!!

Amish White Bread recipe, adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup water
20g sugar
6.5g instant yeast
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
100g wholemeal flour
310g bread flour

Method: 
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam. 
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. 
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans. 
5. Brush the top with honey. (optional)
4. Bake at 350F/175C for 30 minutes. 

Chocolate Cake

Exhausted. Yes, I really am. It's only been half a term and I'm as busy as a bee. Make that two bees. I guess you could say I'm getting used to the crazy schedule now and trying to manage my time well. I mean, after a long crazy week of mugging, I want some me-time! Which means reading a good book, or baking chocolate cake. The latter is equivalent to eating it as well.

I love chocolate! Especially dark chocolate and milk chocolate. I really love the rich, dark, bittersweet chocolatey taste in dark chocolate. And when I want something not too adulterated, I have milk chocolate! I'm not a huge fan of white chocolate though. I have a sweet tooth, but it's not THAT sweet.
Did you know that eating chocolate has health benefits as well? That's right, research has shown that dark chocolate is really good for you! Dark chocolate helps to lower your blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. On top of that, it stimulates endorphin production & contains serotonin.. In other words, it makes you happy(ier)! Of course, if you're eating it for health reasons, do note that "moderation" is the operative word here. One more thing you might not know! Washing down dark chocolate with milk will interfere with the absorption of antioxidants in the chocolate!

Sandy's Chocolate Cake, adapted from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
495 g packed brown sugar
170 g butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250 g all-purpose flour
50 g baking cocoa
10 g baking soda1/4tsp salt
1 cup yoghurt(I used in place of sour cream)
1 cup boiling water

Method:
1. In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. 
3. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add alternately with sour cream to creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined. 
4. Stir in water until blended. 
5. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350/ 175C degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

NOTES: I used a 6-inch cake tin, then I used to rest of the batter to bake cupcakes.
1. Cupcakes bake for about 15-20 minutes at 175C.

Chocolate Frosting Recipe, Recipe by Danelle
Ingredients:
125g chocolate, chopped (sweet or bittersweet chocolate can be used)
1 can Nestle cream
50-80ml of yoghurt(depending on consistency)
Icing sugar(depending on consistency and personal preference for sweetness)


Method:
 1. Heat the cream over a medium-low fire until it starts bubbling. Take it off the heat.
2. Add in chocolate. Mix it until well incoporated.
3. When the chocolate has cooled slightly, add in yoghurt. Then add in icing sugar. 
4. Leave the frosting in the fridge to settle. This makes it easier to handle for frosting.
5. Frost your cake!

CNY Preparations: Pineapple Tarts

It's that time of the year again, when you meet your relatives you are usually not in contact with. You receive lots of money if you're single(Applies to me! Hehe! Ka-CHING!), you eat lots of snacks and good food. That's right, It's Chinese New Year!

I absolutely LOVE the festival! It's amazing that even though I don't really meet my cousins(due to distance and how we're quite busy) I'll meet them at least once and catch up. And of course, there's the food! Reunion dinners, Bakwa(a sort of meat jerky) and lots more!

This year, in my sweet 16th year, I decided to bake for CNY. What should I start with? Pineapple tarts. It is a seemingly simple treat to bake. However, don't judge a book by it's cover. It's quite tedious, especially since it's made in big batches. That's why I roped in my sister and mum to help me with the wrapping of tarts.

It was a fun process and my family loved it. So much so that they were not very happy in sharing it with my relatives who visited us for dinner. We planned to hide the tarts before my relatives arrived, but well, they arrived earlier than expected. This was a conversation I had with my sis when I told her our relatives had arrived(a little too soon).

Me: Our aunt and uncle and their kids have seen our pineapple tarts!!!!!

Youngest sis: So?
Me: They'll eat it, and less tarts for you! (Like duh!)

Youngest Sis: HUH! *jaw drops in horror*

I used Red Man brand of pineapple jam from Phoon Huat because I am seriously not ready to make pineapple jam from scratch.*shudders* Maybe another CNY. Do pre-roll the jam before making the pastry. And chill the jam. It's much easier to handle it when cold.

 Well anyway, in order to make it up to them, I promised to make another batch of pineapple tarts. Just as well. I've got leftover pineapple jam and I have other recipes that I'm keen to try.

On a side note, the pastry can be used for open-faced tarts. As for how to wrap the tarts and how to make the rose design... That'll be for another post. I'm tired...

Hope you enjoy this recipe, 新年快乐（Chinese for Happy New Year!)

Pineapple Tart Pastry Recipe

(adapted from The Little Teochew)

- 200g plain flour

- 25g corn flour

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 140g cold, unsalted butter

- 1.5 egg yolks, beaten

- 1.5 tbsp cold water (or iced water)

- 3 tbsp icing sugar**
- 1/4 tsp cognac or pure vanilla extract
- For glaze, mix 0.5 egg yolk + 0.5 tbsp water(optional)

1. Sift the flours, icing sugar and salt. Mix well to combine.

2. Using the pointed ends of a fork, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine bread crumbs. If necessary, use fingertips to continue rubbing lightly the bigger pieces into finer pieces.

3. Beat together egg yolks, cold water and vanilla extract. Add it into the butter-flour mixture. Using your finger tips, gently coax all the crumbs into one large dough ball. Do not knead. As long as all the crumbs come together, stop. 

4. Chill in the fridge for about 10mins, covered. Then, wrap the dough with jam. Glaze the tarts(optional. I skipped this step because the pastry brush was ruining the rose design).

5. Bake at 160°C for 20 minutes, turning the tray halfway through baking. According to the original recipe, when placing jam onto the pastry, take caution not to smear jam onto the sides as this will easily “burn” and render the sides of the pastry (the flowery design) darker.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

"Can you bake lemon drizzle cake plssssss?" was what my sis texted me right after I told I was going to bake today. Considering the fact that she did not have a chance to eat my gingerbread cookies and that I had a few lemons in the refrigerator, I said "yes".
I love lemon cakes, I love it's tangy, lemony flavour. The lemon sugar topping in this recipe is amazing! It's crunchy and gives the cake an extra boost with the lemon flavour.

Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe, adapted from The Godess' Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 small unwaxed lemons, scrubbed
275g granulated sugar
175g unsalted butter, softened(plus extra for greasing)
200g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder(which I omitted)
3 large free-range eggs

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a 2lb loaf tin.
2. Finely grate the zest of the lemons.
2. Cream butter and 175g of sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs, one by one, then add in lemon zest and mix until well combined.
4. Sift in flour and baking powder and mix until well incorporated.
5. Spoon cake batter into prepared tin and level the surface.
6. Bake for 35 minutes(I had to bake mine for 40 minutes) or until well-risen and golden brown. Remove from oven and leave to cool in tin for 5 minutes.
7. Squeeze one of the lemons to get about 3tbsp of lemon juice and mix it with the remaining 100g of sugar.
8. Turn the cake out of the tin the right side up. Poke about 50 holes in the cake with a skewer and gradually pour the lemon sugar around the top and sides of the cake. Enjoy.

Oreo Cheesecake

I LOVE cheesecake. It's one of the best desserts ever invented! I love the sweetness, creaminess and richness of cheesecakes. One thing I don't like about my cheesecakes, though, is it being too heavy. I have an aversion to overly-rich, heavy cheesecakes. Don't ask me why, I just find the creaminess to be overpowering an it leaves me with no appetite for more.
Since it was Oreo cheesecake, I decided to use an Oreo biscuit crust instead of the graham cracker crust stated in the recipe. I mean, it's Oreo cheesecake for a reason right? So I decided, load it up with tons of Oreos! Also, I had my doubts with this recipe.  I was worried it was going to be overly dense with the amount of heavy cream needed. But these doubts were instantly cleared once I tasted the cake. This recipe's a keeper.

Oreo Cookies and Cream No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe, adapted from Bakers Royale
Crust
1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers(I used Oreo biscuits, and I added more cookies than stated as the crust mixture was still wet after mixing all the ingredients)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
7 tablespoon unsalted butter(melted)
1. Combine Oreo biscuits with sugar.
2. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
3. Press into 8inch springform tin. Set aside.
Cheesecake
2 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 pound(450g) cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2  teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cups Oreo Cookies, crushed
Method:
1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.
2. Add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla essence, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with a paddle attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a paddle attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency.
3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.
4. Gently fold in crushed Oreo cookies.
5. Fill the pan with a slight mound at the center, as the cheesecake will become slightly sunken at the center.
6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.
7. Remove from refrigerator and garnish with Oreo cookies if you wish.
NOTE: Do not leave this cake out of the fridge too long as it does not hold its shape for too long.

Butter Cookies

I remember as a kid, I loved to eat. Well technically, I'm a teen now, and I still love eating. Ok, where was I? Ah yes, back to the days of my childhood. I had a sweet tooth and I couldn't stop helping myself to whatever delicious snack that was in the fridge or on the dining table. I can still remember how I would sneak a bite at the crackers or biscuits my grandmother would store in the biscuit tin. I also remember how I got scolded for snacking before dinner after that. Hehe!

Anyways, back to my point. These cookies were one of the first few recipes I used when I first started baking. My mum got it from her colleague who was good at baking. I remember how I eagerly put my first batch into the oven to bake, how I was nervous about how they would turn out. But within minutes, my kitchen was filled with the smell of butter goodness. Oohlala!When they were done, I was so excited! my first batch of cookies were done! After taking one bite (or maybe more) of these cookies, I had found my perfect cookie!(or one of my many perfect cookies)

Ever since then, this has been a recipe that I fall back on when I need a quick snack.

Butter Cookies Recipe, from my mum's colleague

Ingredients:

250g butter

230g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

500g self-raising flour

70g almonds (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees Celsius
2. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Sift in self-raising flour. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Add almonds, if using. Mix well.
6. Roll out dough and use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies or roll them into small balls.
7. Use a fork to flatten them.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

NOTE: I made other shapes with the same cookie dough, and you can to. It's so flexible, you can make heart-shapes, sprinkle sugar over the top or even add chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

This post is WAY overdue and I know it. I've been taking a break from blogging and baking due to exams, but this was something I did before my break, I was just too lazy to post it.
As I'd mentioned in my previous post  (see here), I had peanut butter that was expiring. I still had some left to spare, I decided to look for ideas on how to use it. You would not believe the things people do with peanut butter! There were just so many different kinds things you can bake peanut butter with! Anyway, I finally decided on peanut butter cupcakes and did a little tweaking of the recipe as suggested by some other users.

The result? A soft and moist peanut butter muffin. Although some might find the taste of applesauce a little different, nevertheless, it was a nice little muffin. Word of caution though, some of my family members experienced a little sore throat after all that peanut butter muffins. So do eat in moderation! So here's the recipe.

Peanut Butter Muffins (adapted from Allrecipes)
Ingredients:
250g brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
260g peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk
310g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar 
a pinch of salt

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, or grease and flour cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, peanut butter, applesauce and oil until well combined. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
3. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar in another bowl.
4. Stir the flour mixture into the peanut butter mixture alternately with milk. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: You can replace the oil and applesauce with 100g of shortening, or replace applesauce with another 1/4 cup of oil.                             

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Teachers' Day celebrations are just round the corner! In fact, it's tomorrow! What better way to express your gratitude to your teacher by presenting them delicious, mouth-watering, home made cookies? Hence, my sister and I decided to bake peanut butter cookies AND chocolate chip cookies!

Since I had peanut butter that was expiring in two months, I decided to put it to good use by baking them. If I were to just eat it with bread, it would have a disastrous effect on my waistline. My family and friends would be more likely to do me a favour by eating them in cookie form. So here goes!

I must admit though, it was a gamble to bake both chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies with recipes I have never tried before! But it was a risk that I wouldn't mind taking over and over again. The peanut butter cookies had the right amount of peanut butter flavour and it practically crumbled in my mouth. The chocolate chip cookies were large, chewy, and practically mouthwatering. It's like I died and went to food heaven.

So here's the delicious recipes, both from http://www.joyofbaking.com/.

Peanut Butter Cookies adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:

170g unsalted butter, room temperature 105g light brown sugar 100g granulated white sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 185g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) 260g all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 130g chocolate chips   1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Beat in the peanut butter. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Fold in the chopped peanuts, if using. (If the batter is too soft to form into balls, place in the refrigerator for about an hour or until firm.) 4. Roll the batter into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern.  5. Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about a week. Freeze for longer storage. Makes about 40 cookies.

Now, for the chocolate chip cookies! They were soft, chewy and just delectable. Loved it!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe, adapted from Joy of Baking

Ingredients:
226g unsalted butter, softened
150g granulated white sugar
160g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
295g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
270g chocolate chips
100g walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped(optional, I didn't use them)

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) with rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the white and brown sugars and beat until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, adding the chocolate chips and nuts (if using) about half way through mixing. If you find the dough very soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (from 30 minutes to two hours).  

4. For large cookies, use about a 2 tablespoon ice cream scoop or with two spoons, drop about 2 tablespoons of dough (35 grams) onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake about 10 - 14 minutes , or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen - 3 inch round cookies.

Now then, after baking and cooling them, time to wrap them!

Happy Teachers Day! :)

Manhattan Cheesecake

I'd promised my good friend to make her Manhatten Cheesecake for her birthday, which I will be presenting to her tomorrow. I love cheesecake, and Manhatten Cheesecake is a twist on the New York cheesecake, and this recipe is much simpler and convenient to bake, yet, it is just as delicious.

The recipe came with a blueberry topping, but as I'm not a fan of blueberry, I decided to do away with it. It tastes quite well on it's own, but you can try the topping if you would like to.

Ingredients:

For the cheesecake:

100g butter, plus extra for greasing

200g digestives, crushed

400g cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

140g of caster sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla essence
450ml yoghurt(can be substituted with sour cream)

For the blueberry topping:
55g caster sugar

4 tbsp water

250g blueberries

1 tsp arrowroot

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Brush an 8-inch springform pan with butter.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave. (I did the latter) Stir in the biscuits, then spread over the base of the tin. Leave it aside.

3. Place the cream cheese, eggs, 100g of sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence in a food processor. Process until smooth. Pour over biscuit base and smooth the top. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven switched on.

*(NOTE: I blended the cream cheese mixture using a handheld blender, mixing the cream cheese and eggs first, followed by the vanilla essence, ending off with sugar)

4. Mix the yoghurt with the remaining sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl. Spoon over cheesecake. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, leave to cool, then cover with cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.

5.(optional) To make the blueberry topping, place the sugar in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat, add in the blueberries, cover and cook for a few minutes, or until they begin to soften. Remove from heat. Mix the arrowroot and remaining water in a bowl, add to the blueberries and stir until smooth. Return to a low heat. Cook until the juice thickens and turns translucent. Leave to cool.

Serving suggestions:

Remove the cheesecake from tin 1 hour before serving. Spoon over the blueberry topping and chill until ready to serve.

 Happy Birthday Weiqi! :)

Recipe Index

Asian
Gula Melaka Sago Pudding

Bars 
Blondies
Oatmeal Snack Bars

Bread
Amish Bread 
Bagels
Bread Pudding
Butter Twists

Breakfast
Bagels
Croque Madame
Oatmeal Snack Bars
Chocolate Oatmeal
Whole Wheat Pancakes

Cakes
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Chocolate Cake
Healthy Lemon Cake

Cheesecake
Manhattan Cheesecake
Oreo Cheesecake

Chocolate
Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Fudge Balls
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Citrus
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Healthy Lemon Cake

Cookies
Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies
Butter Cookies
Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Au Naturel Red Velvet Cake

Ices
Cookies and Cream Ice-cream

Lunch
Cabbage Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Couscous
Creamy Avocado and Prawn Spaghetti

Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Pies & Pastry
Pineapple Tarts #1
Pineapple Tarts #2

Salads
Apple Chickpea and Corn Salad

Snacks
Oatmeal Snack Bars
Rice Krispy Treats