Chocolate mooncake with creamcheese filling

 I have tried my hands on this recipe. It turns out better than i expected , the chocolate skin goes so well with the creamcheese. Another great recipe to keep for every Mid-autumn season.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
* Skin : ( adapted from Fly me to the moon )
- 200g golden syrup
- 1 tsp alkaline water
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 50g peanut oil
- 280g plain flour
- 40g cocoa powder
* Filling : ( adapted from Mooncake sonata )
- 300g creamcheese
- 450g coffee greenbean  paste
* Glazing :
- 1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 tsp water, sieved well.
Method:
* Skin : Put golden syrup, alkaline water, baking soda and peanut oil into a bowl, mix well, leave overnight. Mix plain flour with cocoa powder, make a well in the center, pour in the syrup mixture, knead well until can get a smooth dough ( i used mixer to do this step) . Let dough rest for about 15'. Divide into 10 portions, 50g each.
* Filling: Divide creamcheese and coffee greenbean paste into 10 portions . Flatten 1 portion of greenbean paste, place in the creamcheese, shape round. Continue the process until finish up.
* Flatten 1 portion of skin, place in the filling ball, wrap it well and shape round. Put it into the dusted mould, press tight . Unmould it into baking tray, lined with baking paper. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 10', bring the tray out, spray water on the mooncakes immediately, let cool for about 10' . Glaze the mooncakes with eggyolk mixture, put back into the oven, bake for further 10' more. Bring it out, let cool completely.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid- Autumn Treats hosted by Happy Home Baking

Custard Shanghai mooncake

Recipes: ( adapted  from Mooncakes by Alan Ooi )
Ingredients : (makes 14 mooncakes)
* Skin:
- 280g plain flour
- 50g milk powder
- 25g custard powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 100g icing sugar
- 100g shortening
- 50g margarine
- 2 eggs
* Filling :
- 840g pandan lotus paste
- 14 salted egg yolks
* For glazing :
- 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1tsp water
* For topping:
- some melon seeds
Method :
  Divide pandan lotus paste into portions of 60g each. Steam salted egg yolks in a steamer for 10'. Remove, let cool. Flatten lotus paste, place in egg yolk. Shape round, repeat process. Combine ingredients for skin. Use rubbing-in method to mix into breadcrumbs looking mixture with fingertips. Knead lightly into a dough, scale at 50g each portion. Flatten the skin, place in the filling. Shape round. Arrange on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Glaze surfaces and top with melon seeds. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree C for 20-25' till golden. Cool well.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Swiss roll with caramel cream filling

Recipe :
Ingredients :
* Eggyolk mixture :
- 3 eggyolks
-70g cakeflour + 5g corn flour , sift together
-40g corn oil
- 50g fresh milk
* Eggwhite mixture :
- 3 eggwhites
- 75g caster suger
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
* Filling :
- 250ml whipping cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp caramel powder
Method :
 * Prepare a swiss roll tray lined with baking paper . Preheat the oven at 210 degree C ( 190 degree C - fan forced ). Prepare another sheet of baking paper that is bigger than the tray .
 * Eggyolk mixture : Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl . Use a baloon whisk , mix all together till smooth and creamy . Leave aside .
 * Eggwhite mixture : Put eggwhites in another dry and clean mixing bowl . Beat with a mixer till foamy , slowly add in sugar and cream of tartar . Beat until eggwhite become soft peak .
 * Add 1/2 the yolk mixture into the whites , fold gently with a spatula to combine , fold in the rest of the yolk mixture until well mixed . Pour the batter into prepared tray. Bake for 12 mins in the preheated oven.
 * When the cake is cooked , take out from the oven . Turn the cake upside down onto prepared baking paper immediately , roll the cake while it still hot to get in shape . Let cook on rack .
 * Filling : pour everything into a mixing bowl , stir to mix . Let cold in the fridge for 1 hour . Use mixer to beat until thick .
 * When the cake is cooled , unfold it gently , spread caramel cream on it , roll it back without the baking paper . Slide to serve.
 I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #9 : Swiss rolling good time , hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food .

Blueberry muffin

Recipe :
* Ingredients : ( for about 8 medium muffins )
- 130g caster sugar
- 50g margarine ( at room temperature )
- 1 egg
- 150g self raising flour
- 80ml fresh milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 80g fresh blueberries
- 50g white chocolate chips
Method :
Line a muffin tin with muffin paper . Place the sugar and butter in a mixing bowl and beat them together with a wooden spoon . Add the egg into it . Sift in the flour and stir it . Add the milk , vanilla extract , blueberries and white chocolate chips . stir them in quickly . Spoon the batter into muffin tin till 2/3 full . Bake in preheated oven at 190 degree C for 20-25 mins or until cooked . Let muffins cool in tin

Baileys chiffon cake

Here I am coming back to blogging after moving to a new place . And to try out my new oven , I made this



Actually , I wanted to make someting else , but when I opened the fridge , I saw the leftover Baileys standing there and I decided to do something with it .

Recipe :
Ingredients :
* Egg yolk mixture ;
- 4 egg yolks
- 80g cake flour
- 50g corn oil
- 70g Baileys
* Eggwhite mixture :
- 4 eggwhites
- 100g caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Method :
* Eggyolk mixture : Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl with a balloon whisk until the mixture smooth . Set aside .
* Eggwhite : Put the eggwhite into mixer's bowl . Add in sugar slowly .When the eggwhite turns foamy , add cream of tartar and beat till stiff peak forms .
* Mix eggyolk into eggwhite mixture in 2 batches until blended well . Pour batter into chiffon pan . Put in the preheated oven at 170 degree C and bake for 45 mins or until cooked . Take out from the oven , turn the pan upside down to let cool before remove the cake .

Vietnamese style glutinous rice with green bean filling

These days , I missed my hometown so much , keep thinking of all the food that my mum made for us during festive seasons . This dish for example . Normally we make this for Chinese new year , because of it's bright colour . It brighten the atmosphere when all the food were arranged on the table . The red colour comes from one kind of fruit , we call it " gấc " in Vietnames but I m not sure if it has English name . That fruit is a very good source of Vitamin E . Nowadays , when I live so far away from home , everytime " gấc " is in season , my dear mum will buy , prepare , frozen and send it to me . My mum always know best what we like , what we would want to have whenever we miss home . Love you , mum !

Vanilla Cheesecake

Recipe : ( from The ultimate indulgence cheesecake by chef Alan Kok )
Ingredients :
* A : - 150ml fresh milk
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 250g creamcheese
- 3 egg yolks
* B : - 3 egg whites
- 80g caster sugar
Method :
Preheat oven to 200 degree C . Line a 7" round cake tin with greaseproof paper . Mix creamcheese and egg yolks and vanilla essence until smooth . Slowly mix in fresh milk . In another clean mixing bowl , whisk egg whites and caster sugar at high speed until soft peak is formed . Mix into creamcheese mixture in 3 batches . Pour creamcheese mixture onto the lined cake tin and level the surface . Steam bake the cheesecake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 15' or until the surface is slightly brown . Reduce the heat to 150 degree C and bake for another 50 mins or until cooked . Turn off oven . Let cake cool in oven with door ajar for 1 hour . Chill cheesecake in the fridge for 4 hours . Remove cake from tin . Cut into pieces and serve .

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must

Cream puff

This small puffs are our all along favourite . Everytime I tell myself to make more so that we can have some leftover for the next day , but without fail , it would be be finished before i have a chance to keep it :) .
The puffs I use my friends recipe from BẾP RÙA  ,  and the cream is from the lovely book : Okashi - sweet treat made with love .

 Recipe :
Ingredients :
* The puff :
- 240ml water
- 100g butter
- dash of salt
- 125g plain flour
- 4 eggs
* Cream :
- 400g fresh milk
- 6 egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 40g top flour , sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method :
 * The puffs : Bring water , butter and salt to a boil . When it boiled , put in the flour . Stir quickly , about 1 -2 mins until the mixture does't stick to the pan . Bring it away from heat , let cool for about 5 mins . Break in egg , one at a time , stir well after each addition to have a smooth , shiny mixture . Put it into piping bag , pipe the puffs onto greased tray . Bake in the preheated oven for 25- 30 mins at 220 degree C . Put on the racks to let cool .
* The cream : Add milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil . In a mixing bowl , beat egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is pale yellow in colour . Add in vanilla extract and flour , mix well . Add hot milk to the egg mixture and fold through . Return egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat , stirring constantly . Continue mixing until mixture becomes smooth and glossy , then remove the saucepan from the heat . Transfer pastry cream to a tray , cover with cling film and place in the freezer to cool , but do not freeze it . Before use , gently beat cream with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy .

White chocolate chips cupcakes with buttercream frosting

Pasta salad

This is 1 of my son's favourite dish . It's really simple to make , so normally i make it for lunch when i don't have enough time to whip up a proper meal .

Recipe :
Ingredients :
- 250g pasta ( choice of macaroni , penne ...)
- 1 cup of frozen mixed vegetable
- 3 slices of honey bake ham , grilled in the oven , diced
- 2 slices of cheddar cheese , diced
- Mayonnaise
Method :
Cook pasta in boiling water and a pinch of salt until cooked . Drain well and drizzle some olive oil on it to prevent pasta from sticking together . Boil mix vegetable as well, drained . Mix everything in a mixing bowl and keep refrigerate for about 1 hour . Mix in mayonnaise before serving .

Green tea pudding

Get a closer look




Recipe :( adapted from Tropical Dessert - a Periplus mini cookbook by Devagi Sanmugam )
Ingredients :
- 1 1/2 tsp green tea powder
- 60ml warm water
- 500ml low fat milk
- 3 egg yolks
- 200g sugar ( i used only 120g as I prefer it not too sweet )
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 1/2 tbsp gelatine mixed with 4 tbsp hot water until dissolved
- 375ml heavy whipping cream
Method :
Mix the green tea powder with the warm water until the green liquid is lump free .
Slowly bring the milk to a boil over low heat in a pan . Immediately remove from heat and combine with the green tea liquid . Stir well and set aside .
Cream the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with a wooden spoon . Add the cornflour and mix well . Add the green tea and whisk well . Add the gelatine mixture & whisk thoroughly to form a smooth mixture .
Return the mixture to the pan and heat gently over low heat , stirring constantly until the custard thickens . Strain the mixture through a fine strainer to remove any lumps , into a clean dry bowl . Set aside to cool . Then add the whipping cream and mix well .
Portion the mixture into individual serving bowl . Chill in the refrigerator until it sets .

American sour cream cheesecake

Wish everyone a very happy Women's day !



I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March , hosted by Jess from Bakericious .

Noted : I am all along not a fan of cheese , specially cheesecake. I have never finished a small piece of cheesecake in my life so far  , but this recipe changed the whole idea  . It's so yummy ! If you are fan of cheesecake , don't wait , grab whatever is needed and pamper yourself with this wonderful recipe .
 Recipe : ( from Crave- Cheese Desserts to die for by MAC WOO & JUNE LEE )
Ingredients :
* Base :
- 165g digestive biscuits , finely ground
- 1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp butter , melted and still warm
*Fillng :
- 540g creamcheese , soften
- 120g caster sugar
- 1 3/4 tbsp plain flour , sifted
- 2/3 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 1/4tsp  lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
- 50ml whipping cream
* Sour cream topping :
- 250g sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
- 2/3 tsp vanilla essence
* Strawberry or blueberry pie filling ( optional )
Method :
   Prepare base : Mix together digestives , light brown sugar & warm melted butter . Press firmly onto the bottom and 2,5cm up the sides of an 18cm round springform pan , Refrigerate for 1 hour .
   Preheat oven to 150 degree C .
   Prepare filling : With an electric mixer , beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until creamy .Beat in sifted flour , vanilla essence and lemon zest until smooth . Lower speed & add eggs , 1 at a time , mixing until just incorporated . Gradually add whipping cream until well mixed .
  Pour filling onto prepared base . Bake in a water bath for 1 hour 20 mins to 1 hour 40 mins , or until edge of filling is almost set & centre is slightly wobbly .
   For topping , stir together sour cream , sugar and vanilla essence until smooth . Remove cheesecake from oven , spread sour cream mixture  evenly on top and return to the oven .
   Lower temperature to 130 degree C and bake for another 20-25 mins . Turn oven off & leave the cheesecake inside for 30 mins with oven door closed . Open oven door and leave cheesecake for another 30 mins . Remove cheesecake from oven and cool on a wire rack .
  Refrigerat for at least 6 hours before unmoulding and serving . Top with strawberry or blueberry pie filling , if used .

Banana muffins

I had some bananas that is going to be wasted if i wasn't going to do anything with it . So decision came fast : nothing else other than banana muffin . And it's good timing for AB also because this month's theme is fruits , oh yeah !



I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March , hosted by Jess from Bakericious

These muffins I followed the recipe from Bếp Rùa ,  my good friend's blog . You can find the original recipe here in Vietnames .

Recipe :
Ingredients :
* Dry ingredients :
 - 190g all purpose flour
- 5g baking powder
- 5g bicarbonate of soda
- 3g cinnamon powder
- 2g nutmeg powder
- A pinch of vanilla powder
- 2g salt
* Wet ingredients :
- 450g ripe bananas , mashed
- 110g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 75ml oil or melted butter ( I used corn oil )
Method :
 Preheat the oven to 185 degree C .
Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl .
Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl .
Pour 1/3 of the wet mixture into the dry mixture , mix well ( can use balloon whisk or just simply a fork or spoon ) . Pour in the rest , mix till combined .
 Scoop the mixture into the paper muffin cases until they are  2/3 full . Bake in preheated oven for 20 mins or until cooked , depends on the cases size .

Car cake

This cake I made for my friend's son for his birthday in his kindergarten . I had only 1 morning to prepare so the result was not so good ( such a lame excuse , ha ha ...) .
Btw , the cake was Hongkong sponge cake and the cream was buttercream .

Chocolate Sponge cake with caramel cream for Valentine's Day

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #4 for February 2011 : Love in the air  hosted by  Ellena from Cuisine Paradise .

( Hic , my decoration skill is really sulk ...)

Recipe :
* For the sponge :
- 3 eggs , separate white & yolks
- 75g cake flour , sifted
- 5g Valhora cocoa powder
- 75g caster sugar
- 35g fresh milk
- 35g corn oil
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
* For the caramel cream :
- 200g whipping cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp caramel powder
Method :
* For the sponge : Mix egg yolks , sifted flour , cocoa powder , fresh milk and corn oil together in a mixing bowl . Mix well with a whisk until the mixture become thich and smooth . Beat egg whites in another bowl in high speed till foamy , add in cream of tartar , beat for 1 more min . Slowly add in sugar and continue beating till become soft peak . Carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into eggwhite until well combined . Pour into an ungreased heartshape pan , lined with baking paper at the bottom . Bake in preheated oven at 170 degree C for 40 mins until the cake is done . Take it out from the oven , put the pan up side down on the rack to let cool before unmould it .
* For the caramel cream : Put the icing sugar & caramel powder into the whipping cream , mix well . Pour everything into a mixing bowl , keep refrigered for at least 1 hour . When it's cold , whip it until just thick , becareful , do not over whip .
* When the cake is completely cool , decorate with the whipped cream . Keep cold until served .

My whole family enjoyed it so much that we finish half of it in a blink . This sponge cake have never failed me .

Happy Valentine !

Melt in the mouth - peanut cookies

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by j3ss from j3ss kitchen



Recipe : ( adapted from Delicious Asian baked treats by Oi Lin )
Ingredients :
- 50g all purpose flour
- 2 large pinch of salt
- 60g caster sugar
- 120g ground peanuts ( I used packed one from Phoon huat )
- 30g Ghee
- 3 tbsp groudnut oil
* Glaze : 1 egg , lightly beaten
Method :
Preheat oven to 180 degree C & line a baking tray with baking parchment . Sift flour & salt . Add sugar & ground peanuts and mix well . Mix Ghee & peanut oil . Add to flour mixture . Mix & bring the ingredients together to form a dough . If the dough is dry , add a little more oil . Scoop 1 level spoon of dough & shape it into a ball . Arrange on the tray . Bake for 10 mins , remove the tray from the oven and brush egg glaze on the tops of cookies . Bake for another 5 mins . Allow cookies to cool on tray for awhile before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely

* Result : I am quite satisfied with the outcome eventhough i am not a peanut fan . It has strong peanut flavour and really melt in your mouth .

Chocolate marbled cookies

I saw this beautiful biscuits from Anncoo's blog . It's so temptating that I can't help but to stand up and make some . Thank you so much for sharing the recipe , it's so yummy , my kids just love it

Almond cookies

I am submitting this post to  Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by j3ss kitch3n

Recipe : (  adapted from Delicious Asian Baked Treats by Oi Lin ) :
 Ingredients :
-100g ground almonds
- 180g unsalted Ghee
- 130g caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 250g plain flour or all-purpose flour
* Glaze : 1 egg yolk mix with 1 tsp of water
- Small paper case
Method :
 1 . Preheat oven to 180 degree C . Toast ground almonds for 5 mins . Set aside to cool .
 2. Mix Ghee , sugar , salt and vanilla essence . Add cooled ground almonds and mix well . Sift flour over the Ghee mixture . Fold the flour into the mixture . Bring the ingredients together to form a dough .
3. Preheat oven to 180 degree C .
4. Scoop 1 level tsp of dough , shape it into a ball and place in paper case . Arrange on a baking tray .
5. Bake for 10 mins . Remove tray from the oven and glaze the cookies with egg yolk . Put the tray back into the oven , bake for another 10 mins .
6. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container .