Marble Cake

Yes, yes I know this is a very 'normal' cake and seems to be easy for some but it took me quite a while to find a recipe that was actually good.
I've got one from my mum that is quite big and uses lots of eggs. I liked it but I wanted to find one that has less eggs and smaller in size too.
Finally found a good one in one of my mum's cook books. Thanks a lot mum!
This recipe calls for a bundt pan but any cake pan will do.
I omitted the orange part as my mum hates orange flavored cakes!

This is the bundt pan

Chocolate Orange Marble Cake
source: The Australian Women's Weekly - Cakes and Slices Cookbook.

60g dark chocolate, chopped (I used 3 Tbsp cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp water mixed into a paste)
125g butter
1 1/2 cups sugar ( a bit sweet, next time I'll put less)
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp orange rind

Chocolate Fudge Frosting (I didn't do this)
125g dark chocolate
125g butter
3 1/2 cups icing sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Method
Melt the chocolate using a double boiler and put aside to cool.
For the chocolate/cocoa paste, add the water little by little to the cocoa powder.
Make sure the paste is not too dry or too wet.
It must be free of lumps or the batter will not come out nicely.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add in eggs one at a time, beating well.
Add in the flour and milk. Beat well until batter is smooth.
Divide the mixture into two bowls.
In one bowl add in the orange rind. In the other add in the cooled chocolate or the cocoa paste.
Mix each batter well.
In a grease cake tin, drop spoonfuls of the chocolate and orange batter into the
corners and middle. Keep going until all the batter is finished.
You can either use a skewer and gently run through the batter or just leave it as it is.
Gently tap the sides of the tin to release air pockets in the cake.
Bake at 170C for 40 min or until cook.

Once cake is cooled, iced the cake as you like.

Happy Baking.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

One of my favourite pasta dishes to eat. It is easy and fast to make.

There are many version of this Italian dish, mine is one I tweaked to my taste and after several

experiments!

As the name suggests, garlic and oil. Our family loves garlic so my recipe is very garlicky.

All sorts of things can be added or omitted from this pasta, add seafood or chicken if you like.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

1/2 a packet of spaghetti (this feeds about 2-4 adults)

Boil as per instructions and drain.

6 cloves of garlic 

2 tsp of dried thyme

1 red pepper, sliced (you can add different peppers)

2-3 pieces of sun dried tomatoes (fresh ones also can)

4-6 pieces of mushroom (canned or fresh ones)

salt and pepper to taste

4 tsp chili flakes

chopped parsley for garnish

2-4 Tbsp Olive Oil

Method

In a pan saute the pounded garlic. Over medium heat fry until garlic is slightly brown.

(If adding chicken and seafood, add them now)

Add the mushrooms, peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Turn the heat up and fry until

fragrant then add the spaghetti.

Mix well and cook until warm through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle the thyme, parsley and chili flakes.

Dish up and serve immediately.

Millie Crepe

To err is human. The first time I heard this was when Capt. Jean-Luc Picard mentioned it on an episode of Star Trek-The Next Generation. (I loved that series and miss it.)
And indeed as a human being I made a terrible mistake copying a recipe and as a result my Millie Crepe ... Tak jadi.

But the masses all agreed that it tasted good, despite its appearance T..T
My fault really, I should have double checked before starting. It's like this, I normally chose which recipes I want to try out and then I copy it by hand from the blog. Sometimes I copy several at once, and only try it out days later, after all lecehlah to switch on the lap top just to find a recipe before I start baking.

What on earth am I rambling about, you might wonder. Well first let me 'show off' my millie crepe.
Unfortunately it isn't a thousand layers like the namesake but let it be a lesson to me to always double check the ingredients, especially the measurements!!

I found this wonderful recipe from ABM's blog. Terima kasih banyak-banyak, ya!! Compare his lovely looking crepe to mine and slowly pass out from laughing. Mine is awful where else he's looks fantastic....when will I get to that level?
But overall it is rather easy, you don't need an oven but a whole lotta patience. The prep for this recipe is quite a lot but it is worth it. Practice makes perfect, so they say ^ ^ Trylah :DD

bolehlah kan?

pretty still ne?

by the time this one was snapped you can see the filling melting!

Millie Crepe with Vanilla Cream Custard.
source: ABM

For the crepe
140g self raising flour
a pinch of salt
20g corn flour (about 1 Tbsp)
80g castor sugar
500ml milk
30g butter (melted)
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling
This custard is what ABM calls the eggless one.
I did this one.

500ml milk
3 1/2 Tbsp custard powder
85g castor sugar (ABM used 100g but I used 85g)
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
200-250ml non dairy whipping cream


or if you like you can also try what ABM calls the eggy one

450ml milk
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp corn flour
85g castor sugar
4 egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt
200 ml non dairy whipping cream


Method
Crepe
In  bowl combine flour, cornflour and salt with 250ml milk. Add milk gradually to avoid lumps.
In another bowl whisk the egg yolks, sugar and 250ml milk.
Pour the egg mixture into the flour batter.
At this point ABM added a little bit more flour to his batter, so I did too.
Add the melted butter and vanilla. Mix well.
Sieve the batter, leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins. (any longer thickens the batter)

**Before you begin, make sure you get all your stuff ready. You'll need a non stick pan, a plate, some butter or oil, a spatula, a small ladle, sheets of plastic or a roll of cling wrap and don't forget your patience.

I used a 20 in non stick pan to make the crepes. They say non stick, but it does stick so use a little bit of oil or butter each time you make a new crepe.

Heat the pan first then turn the heat to low. Ladle the batter onto the pan and slowly rotate the pan so that the batter covers entire surface evenly. Believe me at first it is hard but not for long.
After a few minutes, the surface of the crepe will look 'dry' and small air pockets will appear now slowly flipped one corner to check if the crepe is slightly brown underneath. If it is, time to remove it from the pan. No need to cook both sides of the crepe.

Using a spatula gently put it on a plate and cover immediately with cling wrap or a plastic sheet.
This is to avoid the crepe drying and sticking to its friends later.
Keep going until all the batter is finish. Leave the crepes covered to cool.


Filling
And now off to cook the filling. I used the eggless custard recipe. For the eggy custard please refer here.

This is where I went wrong. Instead of 3 1/2 Tbsp of custard powder, silly me only used 3 1/2 tsp (!!), so that is why my filling is running.

Okay, in a pot combine milk, custard powder, sugar and salt. Mix well and cook over low heat.
Add in the butter and continue cooking and stirring until it thickens. Beware this burns easily. Add in vanilla.
Take off the heat and leave to cool.

In a chilled bowl, whipped the cream until soft peaks. Gently stir in the cooled custard into the cream.
And now it is ready.

To assemble
I didn't use a sponge cake as a base, instead did mine all with just crepes.
I lay one crepe on the board and covered it with the filling before topping it with another piece of crepe.
Keep repeating the process until the last piece. Leave the top free of filling leaving it as it is or decorate with some fresh fruits.
Once done, carefully cover your crepes with cling wrap and put it in the fridge for the cream filling to hardened.
Leave it for a couple of hours or better still overnight.

I didn't count how many layers I made but I think it was more than 10.
Will do better next crepes.


Happy Baking.

Oreo Cake

The need to try a new recipe, or the need for a new post for the blog or just the need to eat cake. Which one is it? Hmm...
Which ever the need or the excuse I ventured to the kitchen yesterday afternoon to try a recipe I have been eyeing for quite a while.

Thanks to Mat Gebu for sharing this delicious recipe. He made his into cupcakes but I plonked mine into a baking tin and made it into a cake instead. I believe the taste is the same just the shape and size yang different.

Today I was in a lazy mood. Didn't bother or feel like using the hand mixer. Instead I baked this cake literally using my hands, er... a wooden spoon and  hand whisk that is!

The cake is easy and quick to make, provided you have all the ingredients, crushing the cookies took the longest... The masses loved it, even my mum who does NOT like oreos. Another addition to my collection of cakes that's easy and yummy. In the end my cake looks a bit messy but nak cepat makan!

And here is the recipe, and just like Mat Gebu said "paling senang" and it is!

Oreo Cupcakes.
source: Mat Gebu

125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 pieces of oreo biscuits (I used 6 pieces - 1 piece is two halves sandwiched with cream)

Method
In a bowl beat butter, eggs, brown sugar, flour, baking powder and vanilla.
Beat at medium speed for about 2 minutes. Do not over beat.
Crush the biscuits with the cream using a food processor ( I bashed them with the end of my rolling pin)
Add the crushed biscuits to the batter and mix well.
Pour the batter into paper cups (If you are making cupcakes) or a lined greased tin.
I used a 6 in x 2.5 in round cake tin.
Bake at 160C for about 30 min or until the cake is cook.

Butter Cream
125g butter
70g creamwell or shortening (I used shortening)
80g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp condensed milk.


Method
Cream butter and creamwell until fluffy, Add in icing sugar, vanilla and milk.
Continue beating until it turns pale and creamy.



Assembling the cake.
Once the cake is cooled, slice the cake into two.
Spread the butter cream on one half before topping it with the other.
Cover the rest of the cake with the remaining cream.
Sprinkle the crushed biscuits over the cake or use fresh fruits and edible glitter if you like.


Happy Baking.

The Heart

Is it too late to wish a Happy New Year to everyone?
Alright then, Happy Chinese New Year, it is the year of the horse...neigh!!

Just before the old year ended, my mum did her annual clean up. A boring and tiring job but it has to be done. We were tidying up the cupboards in the kitchen and we came across many things, some haven't seen the light of day of a while! One of the more interesting finds was a heart shaped baking tin.
Corny huh? It belongs to my mum. She bought it way back when I wasn't even interested being in the kitchen, least of all baking. Yep, that loong ago.
Anyway, it's big, about 10 in and still in good shape. Not only ingredients but especially good baking tins are expensive so I gladly welcome it. Mum said suggested I bake a cake using it. I nodded and put it aside totally forgetting about it.
About a week ago, an old friend of the family called to say that he was finally getting married. A joyous occasion deserves a cake right? I immediately volunteered to bake his wedding cake. Hmm... everyone knows what happens to decisions made in haste, kan?
For a trial run of sorts, I first baked, using the heart shaped baking tin, a simple moist chocolate cake.

Sometimes it is difficult to remove the cake when a baking tin is new or rarely used. But thank goodness it came out nicely, I was a bit worried about the part where the heart slopes and meet in the middle.

Macam mana entah, not quite sure what or who but there was a little mixed up about the actual wedding date! So I found myself rushing out to buy some of the ingredients, papan cake and box on the afternoon of the wedding day itself!!
Thank God I managed, barely, to bake and decorate the cake by 8.30 pm and my brother rushed to send it to the groom's house. I wished I had more time but its over and done. It was my very first attempt at a wedding cake and I had all sort of glorious deco planned in my muddled head and I must admit I only accomplished half of it. I wished I had done a better job, but I did my very best. I hope to do another wedding cake.

I apologize to Joe and Maythu but I also wish them all the best. Congratulations on your wedding!!

The bride and groom is merely a prop. Can't be eaten, made of plastic!

As requested the wedding cake is chocolate. I used butter cream for the icing.

Plain white with just a hint of pink roses covered the cake.

For contrast and a better effect the bride and groom are perched on a stage, a thickly cut ready made swiss roll bought from Kings.


Moist Chocolate Cake
source: Mama Fami - thank you Mama!

2 cups flour (I used Tepung Gandum Blue Key)
2 cups castor sugar (I used 1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (I cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar, let it stand for about 5 min before using)
1 cup oil (cooking oil or corn oil can be used)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling hot water (optional : add 1 Tbsp of coffee for more flavour)


Method
Mix everything except hot water in a bowl and beat at medium speed until well mixed.
Then add hot water and beat until smooth and glossy.
Pour batter into desired tin.
Bake for 45 min to 1 hour, depending on your oven at 150 C.

* you can also make cupcakes with this batter. Use paper cups instead and bake for only 25 min.

Fudge topping
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup of condensed milk
1-2 Tbsp melted butter or oil

Method
Mix everything in a bowl to form a smooth paste. Sift the cocoa powder to avoid lumps.
Pour onto cake.
Use less milk if you want the fudge to be thicker.


For the butter cream on the wedding cake, I improvised a few recipes.

Butter cream
250g shortening
250g butter or margarine
250g icing sugar (sifted)
2 tsp strawberry or vanilla essence
a few drops of red coloring.

Beat the shortening and butter first until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the sugar until it turns pale and light.
Dribble in the essence, mix well.
I put aside about 5 Tbsp of the icing and colored it pink, the rest I left as it is.

In a pipping bag I put in the white then just a little bit of pink then topped up with white again.
When piping the flowers, hues of pink would appear here and there. I preferred this to all white or all pink roses. But you can do as you like. I used a star tipped nozzle no 84.

Happy Baking.