Christmas Tree Condensed Milk Pound Cake (圣诞树炼乳磅蛋糕)

When I saw Esther from Copycake Kitchen posted this Christmas Tree Condensed Milk Pound Cake, I was attracted by the tiny christmas tree in the middle of the cake and it looked so cute & christmasy too. So I decided to give it a try too since Christmas is around the corner. I remembered when I was still very young, my mum used to buy condensed milk for us to spread on biscuits and drink with Milo. It sounds very fattening but I do like the taste very much. Using Condensed Milk to bake pound cake is my first very attempt and I find the texture is not too bad and my mum quite like it too. Though the christmas tree is not perfectly done but overall I still like the effect.

Christmas Tree Condensed Milk Pound Cake (圣诞树炼乳磅蛋糕)

Recipe Source: Esther @ Copycake Kitchen

Ingredients :

70g low protein plain flour

30g green tea powder

1/4tsp baking powder

100g butter, room temperature

200g condensed milk

100g egg (about 2 eggs), room temperature

Method :

1. Beat butter until fluffy, gradually add condensed milk and continue to beat until well incorporated. 
2. Gradually add eggs, beat until well combined.
3. Add sifted flour, green tea powder, baking powder, mixed well.
4. Pour the batter into paper lined loaf pan.
5. Preheated oven at 160C, bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Remove the cake to wire rack, let it cool down completely.
7. Cut the cake in large slices. Cut Christmas tree shapes from slices.
8. Arrange them down the center of a paper-lined loaf pan.

Original Condensed Milk Pound Cake (Loaf size : 17.5cm x 8cm x 6cm)

Ingredients :

100g low protein plain flour

1/4tsp baking powder

100g butter

200g condensed milk 

100g egg (about 2 eggs)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method :

1. Beat butter until fluffy, gradually add condensed milk, vanilla extract and continue to beat until well incorporated. 
2. Gradually add eggs, beat until well combined.
3. Add sifted flour, baking powder, mixed well.
4. Pour batter over the Christmas tree cutouts in the pan (refer above - method 8)
5. Preheated oven at 160C, bake for 50-60 minutes.
6. Remove the cake to wire rack, let it cool down completely.

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes 北海道牛奶蛋糕

I had wanted to bake this Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes for quite sometime back. So when I saw the supermarket selling strawberry from Korea, immediately I grabbed a bunnet and start baking this wonderful spongy cupcakes. 

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

Recipe Source:  Sonia

Chiffon Cake

3 Egg Yolks

20g sugar

35g Corn Oil

60g Milk

70g Cake Flour

3 Egg Whites

25g Sugar

Filling 

60g  Dairy Whipping Cream

10g Sugar

1tsp Instant Custard Powder ( I did not add this)

Icing Sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 170C.
2. Arrange paper liners on baking tray.
3. Hand whisk egg yolk and sugar till pale in colour.
4. Add in corn oil and milk, mix well.
5. Sift in cake flour, stir to combine.
6. Beat egg white until foamy, gradually add sugar, and continue beat till soft peak form.
7. Take 1/3 of egg white and use a hand whisk to mix into egg yolk batter.
8. Fold in the balance egg white with a spatula till well combine.
9. Scoop batter into pre-arranged paper liners to about ¾ full.
10. Bake for 20-25 mins at middle rack.
11. Beat whipping cream with sugar till firm and stiff (over a bowl of iced water).
12. Add in custard powder, mix well.
13. Pipe custard cream into cupcake and dust with icing sugar. Refrigerated before consume.

Chinese Steamed Cake

This recipe is fairly simple and quick to make even if you are a novice in baking. The wet ingredients are combined with the dry ingredients to form a batter and then is spooned into the cupcake liners and steamed. My mother-in-law is very supersticious when doing this and she always will tell us to keep quiet when she do this or else the cake will not "open mouth". My steam cake is a success and I do hope this month of December will be a smooth sailing month for me.

Recipe Source:  Sonia

Ingredients:

250g Self-raising flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
150g Caster sugar
1 egg (large), lightly beaten
200ml water ( original recipe used pandan water - blend 6 pcs pandan leaves with water)
45g Corn Oil

Method:

1. Mix self-raising flour and baking powder, set aside.
2. Whisk sugar and water till sugar dissolved.
3. Add in egg and corn oil, stir to mix well.
4. Add in flour and stir to combine.
5. Pour into prepared cupcaked liners.
3/ Steam over high heat for 20mins.

Baked Tapioca Cake

I had wanted to bake this for quite sometimes back when I saw it in Lishuan & Mayck-law blog. When I told my mum I wanted to bake this, the next day she bought the Tapioca from the market. That was very efficient of my mum  and she not only buy tapioca, she also buy bananas for me too. So I told her I will bake the Banana cake first then followed by the Tapioca Cake. I liked the texture when applied a layer of honey on top and it smells good too. I did not wait till fully cool when I sliced as I was too eager to try and it was kind of difficult to slice then. So is better to wait till it is cool before slicing.

Baked Tapioca Cake

Recipe Source: Li Shuan  mayck-law

500g刨粹木薯

1 粒蛋

120ml 椰浆

130g 糖

50g 融化牛油

1 小匙vanilla 香精

一片香蕉叶

蜜糖少许

做法：

1. 将香蕉叶垫在一个( 7“ x 2” x 2。5“)寸方形的蒸盘里.

2. 将所有的材料（除了蜜糖外）搅拌均匀， 倒入烘盘里,

3. 放入预热180C的烤箱里， 烘40分钟至熟。 拿出烘好的糕点，在表面涂上一层蜜糖， 再放入烤箱。 烘炉转200C上火（或Grill 功能),烤多5－10分钟，让糕表面呈现深金黄色。

4. 取出， 冷却切片享用。 

Banana Cake

I have wanted to bake this banana cake for quite sometimes back but only get to do it this week. This cake is moist and flavourful with the sweetness of mashed bananas. I had actually make one with the walnuts sprinkled on top and the other one plain, Overall, I still prefer the one with walnuts.

Banana Cake

Recipe Source:  Bakericious

Ingredients:

250g Salted Butter
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups mashed banana ( about 3 Delmonte bananas)
2 cups plain flour (220g sift together with 1 tsp bicarbonate of soad and 1 tsp baking powder)

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Add in eggs, vanilla essence and milk and mix well.
3. Add mashed banana into the mixture and mix well.
4. Finally add in sifted flour and mix well and pour into a cake tin.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the top layer turns brown after 15 minutes, cover it with a piece of aluminium foil.
6. Cool cakes in the pan then remove. Use a sharp knife to slice and serve

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

When I saw this old fashioned butter cake recipe in Sonia blog, they looked simply delicious. This butter cake is very rich and had a very nice buttery fragrant. I was very tempted to give it a try.

Old Fashioned Butter Cake

Recipe Source: Sonia

Ingredients:
250g Butter
100g Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
230g Cake Flour
1 tsp Double action baking powder
4 tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

5 Egg Whites
90g Sugar

Methods
1. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla till light and creamy.
2. Add the eff yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and baking powder and beat well to combine. Fold through the milk and combine well.
3. Beat egg whites till soft foam. Gradually add in sugarm and beat till soft peak.
4. Take one portion of the egg white mixture, and use a hand whisk to stir well with egg yolk mixture till combine and thick paste.
5. Slowly fold in the balance egg white with a spatula till well combine.
6. Spoon the batter in a lightly grease pan.
7. Bake at preheated oven at 180 degrees for 55 mins or till cooked.

Ondeh Ondeh

Ondeh-ondeh is a common Asian snack. This is one of my favourite Nyonya Kuih. I have a block of gula melaka which I bought from Malacca for quite sometimes ago and this come of good use.

Recipe Source: Jessie

Skin Ingredients:
150g Mashed Sweet potato
150g Glutinuous Rice Flour
95g Icey Cold Water
125 Caster Sugar

Filling Ingredient:
100g Palm Sugar ( Gula Melaka)

Coating Ingredients:
100g Shredded Coconut
1/4 tsp salt
2 Pandan leaves

Method:
1. Chop the gula melaka till fine crumbs.
2. Mix coconut with salt and steam with pandan leaf till soft.
3. To make the dough, mix flour with sweet potate until resembles coarse crumbs. Add water starting with 50ml, knead the dough. Add little bit of water at a time and knead until the dough is pliable and not sticky.
4. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean, wet tea towel to prevent dryness.
5. Grab a small piece of dough, about 15g and roll into a ball. Either flatten it or make it into a small bowl-shape, place some gula melaka inside.
6. Carefully seal and roll into balls again. Place on a lined tray and cover with a cling wrap.
7. Cook ondeh-ondeh in boiling water until they float up.
8. Very quickly, remove from hot water and place in the cold water.
9. Remove from cold water, then coat with coconut before serve.

Kuih Kosui

A good Gula Melaka makes a lot of difference to the colour and flavour to this classic Malay steamed dessert. This dessert is chewy and soft topped with lightly salted grated coconut. 

Kuih Kosui

Recipe Source: Anncoo Journal

Ingredients:

130g Gula Malaka
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
100ml Water
2-3 Pandan Leaves, knotted
75g Rice Flour
35g Tapioca Flour
1/2 tsp Alkaline Water
50g Grated White Coconut
3-4 Pandan Leaves, a pinch of salt

Method:

1. Add Gula Melaka, granulated sugar, knotted pandan leaves and 100ml water in a pot and heat until the gula melaka has melted. Turn off heat and  set aside.
2. Sieve through the gula melaka syrub in a clean container and top up with more water to yiel a final volume to 500ml of diluted syrub.
3. Add in rice flour, tapioca flour and alkaline water. Mix evenly and strain the mixture over a pot to remove any flour lumps.
4. Return the pot to stove and over low flame, heat the mixture until it begins to thicken slightly. Use a wooden spoon to mix the batte at all times, especially taking care to scrape the bottom, sides and corners of the saucepan to make sure that the batter doesn't start to cook and harden there. off fire.
5. Pour mixture over small tea cups until three quarters full.
6. Steam for about 12 mins under very low heat or until batter turnes a darker brown and has completely set. Remove from steamer and set aside to cool.
7. While waiting for the teacups to cool down, steam the grated coconut and pandan leaves with a pinch of saltd for 8 mins.
8. When the kuih koshui has cooled down, remove teacups moulds by running the sides carefully with a small knife. Roll over grated coconut and served.

My Anniversary Dinner - Mushroom Soup / Salad / Bake Chicken / Enoki Mushroom wrapped with Streaky Bacon

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup with Garlic Bread

Salad

Bake Chicken with Potatoes & Carrots

Enoki Mushroom wrapped with Streaky Bacon

Chawanmushi / Soba / Grilled Enryii Mushroom

I am a big fan of Japanese food and whenever I dine in a Japanese restaurant, most of the time I will order my favourite side dish, Chawanmushi. Is better to get a good cup with lid so that air will not get into the cup during steaming and to use low heat for steaming too. Another favourite of my dish is the Zaru Soba. This is the first time I am making my own sauce from scratch.

Chawanmushi - Japanese Steamed Egg

Ingredients
3 eggs
1tsp instant dashi powder
540ml water
1 tsp sake
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
some shitake mushroom
some chicken and crab stick

Method
1. Beat egg gently and set aside.
2. Mix dashi powder with water. Add sake, soy sauce and salte.
   Toss well and set aside.
3 Sift egg mixture and dashi broth mixture together.
   Set aside.
4. Place mushroom and chicken and crab stick in cup. Pour in egg mixture.
5. Steam for about 15 or 20 mins over low heat.

Soba

Ingredients

- a packet of dried soba

- dipping sauce

- chopped green onion and seaweed

Dipping Sauce

- 1 1/2 cup dashi 

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 cup mirin

Method

1. Put mirin is a sauce pan and heat.

2. Ass soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan and bring it to a boil.

3. Stop the heat and cool the sauce.

4. Boil water in a large pot and add the dried soba noodles.

5. Cook for a few minustes.

6. Drain and cool the noodles in cold water.

7. Gently wash noodles with hands and drain well.

8. Arrange the soba on serving plates with dipping sauce in small bowls.

Japanese Salt Grilled Eryngii Mushrooms

Recipe Source: Sonia

3 pcs of Eryngii Mushrooms, sliced.
3 small cubes of salted butter
Sea Salt
Crushed Black Pepper
1/2 tbsp Sake or Mirin - optional

Method:

1. Heat a non-stick pan over high medium heat. Add th butter and place the mushrooms, cut side down, in the pan, for 1-2 mins for both sides.
2. This will sear the bottom of the mushrooms to a nice golden brown, partially caramelizing them.
3. Sprinkle with salt and crushed black pepper to taste and covering the pan for 1-2 mins. This will steam and cook the mushroom further.
4. Sprinkle with sake or mirin, dish out and serve with rice.

Coconut Jelly

This is a very simple and easy dessert to make. During the hot weather, I love to drink coconut juice. It is so refreshing. And I love this dessert especially after a hot spicy meal as it cools off quite well and taste so yummy too. This dessert is very popular in Thailand and I have bookmarked this for quite sometime back when I saw it in Auntyyoung blog. 

Recipe Source: Auntyyoung

Ingredients:

2 young thai coconuts and coconut flesh
lime zests
coconut jelly powder

Method:

1. Add coconut juice from 2 young coconuts to plain water till 3000ml.
2. Bring it to boil.
3. Add in 200g of sugar, coconut flesh and coconut jelly powder and mix well.
4. Bring it to boil and turn off the flame.
5. Pour the mixture into moulds and sprinkle some lime zest.
6. Once cooled, set it in the refrigerator.
7. Best served when chilled.

Charcoal Roasted Fish

Everytime when I go to Bangkok, I would not miss this Charcoal Roasted Fish. It's usually cooked stuffed with crushed lemongrass, rolled in a thick outer layer of salt, and roasted on charcoal. 

Last week when I send my car for servicing, my mechanic maid was grilling this and I was drooling as she was grilling. This is a very simple dish to prepare and if you don't use charcoal, you can even use the oven and grill. Of course if you use charcoal, the taste is better. Most important is you need a generous amount of salt.

The lemongrass adds an extra flavour and also reduces fishiness while the salt keeps the interior flesh moist and flanky. Simply peel back the salted crusted skin, pull the fillets off the bones and dip in Thai chilli sauce. Taste awesome.

Rachel's Birthday Cake

It has been a long time I have not been baking as home kitchen is still under renovation and I have been busy in office packing too as we are moving to a new premises. 

As it was my niece birthday, so I have decided to make a simple cake for her. Recently seen blogger  Eileen  using Kitkak to decorate cakes, so I decided to use this idea too. This is indeed a good idea as it is simple and kids and adults like me also love kitkak. 

Sydney 27th July to 4th Aug 2013

This trip photos took me a long time to sort out and post as I have been very busy. Eversince I came back from Sydney, I hardly have time for myself. Every day is very routine - work,home and hospital. This past 2 weeks is even worst. Mum's house reno, work and hospital is taking up most of my time.My dad has been very sick, unfortunately he passed away last week when he did the Talc Pleurodesis. It was all so sudden and we did not expect this to happen as he was feeling perfectly alright after the procedure but things changed and he was sent to Intensive Care Unit. He had been very brave and had suffered alot during his 6 weeks stay at the hospital. He had wanted to come home but his condition do not allow him to do so. He was looking forward to see the newly renovated home too.This has been a very difficult time for all of us, and we are so sad by the passing. I am greatful to some of my good friends who have been giving me support and encouragement. At times, the company of friends is incredibly comforting. Papa, I will always love you and I miss you alot. May you rest in peace.

Life still goes on, I want to live my life without stress and worries, I don't need to be rich and famous, I just want to be happy.

The best ribs I ever had at RanoR. 

Awesom get together.

Party cum BBQ specially organised by my friend. I was very suprised that he got all his family members to have this get together with us.

Night view of the Sydney Bridge and Opera House.

The Olympic Park

Great dinner at Sunny Harbour Seafood Restaurant @ Hurtsville.

Bondi Beach, Australia's most famous beach, is located in the suburb of Bondi, in the Municipality of Waverley, seven kilometres from the centre of Sydney.

Bondi Beach

The best dinner at Nick's @ Darling Harbour. 

Finally I get to see The Three Sisters. The last time when I was there, I couldn't see a single thing as it was very foggy.

Nice view of The Three Sisters. It was so freezing cold.

Woolongong meaning "Sound of the Sea" is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Whales.

Woolongong

It's freezing cold and this guy is going for a dip in the pool.

Paddy's Market has over 1,000 stalls, onc section sells fresh groceries like fruits/vegetables/spices while the other section sell..everything from souvenirs/phone cases/cloths/bags/toys/cosmetics etc.

Coles Supermarket is an Australian Supermarket chain owned by Westfarmers.

Nice Chinese Lunch at Blue River Chinese Restaurant @ Woolongong.

Emery's Seafood - the best place for fresh and affordable seafood.

Lunch at Jenolan Caves.

Jenolan Caves are caves in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales. This place is worth the drive and the caves are so beautiful and mostly left unaltered.

The ferry ride is a very enjoyable way to reach Watson's Bay. 

Watson's Bay

Yummy lunch at Dolyes @ Watson's Bay. The oysters taste so good. The Doyle's Fisherman's Paella taste awesome - their own version of this famous dish. local Fish Crabs, Prawns, Scallops, Calamari & Mussels, with Saffron rice served separately.

Dinner @ City Extra - love the Pumpkin Soup

My favourite T2 store selling all kinds of tea and Tea Sets.

Love this Bunnings Warehouse.

Lunch at Alia Fountain Cafe @ King Cross

Cooking a feast for my friend using the least ingredients that I can find in the supermarket. Fried Rice, Chilli Crabs, Tom Yum Goong, Stir Fried Vegetable and Tom Yum Mee Hoon Kueh. Home cooked food is still the best.

Hunter  Valley Chocolate Factory

Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney.