Pandan Chiffon Cake

This is my fourth attempt in trying to make this cake and I finally succeed for the first time! I was so happy that I finally made it.

I have always loved pandan cake because of the nice fragrance from the pandan leaves, plus the light and fluffy texture of the cake. Simply delicious.

 

Isn't this a very nice green colour?

 Ingredients 1

7 eggs Yolks

75g fresh coconut milk

Pandan extract (I use about 30 pandan leaves)

150g cake flour

4g baking powder (1 scant tsp)

95g sugar

3g salt

83g canola oil

Ingredients 2

7 egg whites

100g sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 Deg C.

2. Beat egg yolks and sugar till it becomes pale, thick and creamy or mayonise-like.

3. Add coconut milk and pandan extract*. Add canola oil. Whisk till evenly mixed.

4.Sift in cake flour, salt and baking powder and gently whisk the mixture till evenly mixed. Put aside.

5. Add sugar to egg whites and beat till stiff peak.

6. Add the egg whites mixture to the egg yolks mixture in 3 batches and gently mixed.

7. Pour mixture to a 2 piece chiffon tin. Make sure the tin is not non-stick. This recipe is too much for a 21 inch pan, so if you have a bigger pan, you may want to use it. For me, I still have some leftovers after pouring to the pan, and I bake the remaining in cupcake cups instead.

8. Bake for about 45 mins

9. After the cake is removed from the oven, flip the tin upside down and let it cool. When the cake is cooled, you may loosen the cake by sliding the knife along the side.

 * For the pandan extract, I used 30 leaves and cut them into pieces. Blend them with 1/2 cup water and squeeze out the juices. Try to use younger leaves which are soft and moist, and they give better fragrance too. Older leaves tends to be dryer, so you may not get as much juices. If you can get pandan leaves anywhere, you can always find those artificial flavoring from your baking suppliers stores.

Tada! When the cake came out like that, I can't help it but smile immediately. :) Love it. Looks pretty isn't it?

Beef burger with cheese and portobello mushroom

Made some beef burger quite some time back. It was my first time making my own beef patties and quite surprisingly, it was very easy to make! Everyone loves it.. Adults.. Children... It was definitely a hit. :D It is also great for parties as well.


Ingredient for beef patty

1 small onion
500g mince beef
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil / olive oil
4 burger buns
All or any of the following - Tomato slice, beetroot, horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, rockets, watercress


Method


Chop onions into small diced pieces. Tip the beef into a bowl with the onion and egg, then mix. The guide for eggs is about 1 egg to per pound of beef so that the patties will not crumble.

Divide the mixture into four. Lightly wet your hands. Carefully roll the mixture into balls, each about the size of a tennis ball. Set in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze down to flatten into patties about 3cm thick. Make sure all the burgers are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 mins.  

Heat the pan to medium hot. Lightly brush 1 side of each burger with oil. Place the burgers, oil-side down, on the pan. Cook for 5 mins until the meat is lightly charred. Don't move them around or they may stick. Oil the other side, then turn over using tongs. Don't press down on the meat, as that will squeeze out the juices. Cook for 5 mins more for medium. If you like your burgers pink in the middle, cook 1 min less each side. For well done, cook 1 min more.

Take the burgers off the pan. Leave to rest on a plate so that all the juices can settle inside.

Slice each bun in half. You may pop your buns into the microwave or a minute or two for a sligthly crsipy bun.

Depending on your preference, I like my beef burger with cheese and sauteed portobello mushroom. Totally in heaven!

Enjoy!!

Buttermilk Chocolate cupcake with Oreo Creamcheese frosting

So last week is the Valentine's Day and we decided to just have a simple picnic under the stars at Marina Barage. Well, not really stars because it rained before that. But it was a nice cooling evening.

We celebrated the day after and I prepared for him a full dinner. Haha. I made salad, beef burger, and cupcakes and all of them is a success! I am proud of myself. :D

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup water

 

Method

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition

3. Beat in Vanilla

4. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt

5. Combine buttermilk and water

6. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with butter and water

7. Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full

8. Bake at 190 Deg C.

 

CNY Almond Biscuit

Last year, my aunt baked this and I love it a lot. So, I decided to try making this year and it turned out great!

Ingredients

600g Sugar
230g Icing Sugar
375ml Canola Oil
1 Egg
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
100g Almond Chips

Method

1.Pre-heat oven at 180 Dec C.

2. Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda, icing sugar and mix well.

3. Add the almond chips, salt, and oil and mix well.

4. Lay the baking tray with parchment paper. Roll the dough into balls and line them on the baking tray. If the dough is too wet, add more flour, if too dry, add more oil.

5. Beat the egg slightly and brush over the top of the rolled dough before baking.

6. Bake for about 9mins or until the top turned slightly golden brown.

 

Long overdue post : CNY Cornflakes cookies

This is actually a long overdue post. But hey, its still Chinese New Year! This is really a very easy recipe, which is great if you are making a few different cookies for Chinese New Year. I always go for those quick and easy recipes. My beloved Fiance loves it alot and he told me that it taste really nice and crunchy.

Ingredients:

• 250g butter
• 165g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 65g crushed cornflakes
• 3/4 tsp vanilla essence
• 310g plain flour
• 1tbsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 180-200g lightly crushed cornflakes for coating

Method:
1.    Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy

2.    Add in the eggs, vanilla, mix well.
3.    Fold in sifted flour, baking powder and salt and then add in crushed cornflakes.
4.    Scoop the batter into small baking cups
5.    Bake in a preheated oven at 180*C  for about 20-22 mins., or till light golden brown.
6.    Let them cool on the  baking tray for about 30 mins  before storing in air-tight container.
7.    Makes 80-90 cookies.

Very easy right? But do note on the baking time as underbaked dough will result in chewy cornflakes instead of crunchy.

7th Day of Chinese New Year

Today is the 7th day of the Lunar New year, which is also 人日, common man's birthday. This is the day when everyone grows one year older.

Happy Birthday everybody!

Blueberry crumble muffins

Muffins are one of my favourite bakes because they are just so easy to make. I was at the supermarket the other day and saw the blueberries and I just had to buy them. These muffins really still stays yummy after storing for a few days. It is best if you can just pop into the microwave an warm it up a bit and it still taste great!

Recipe from Bake or Break

Ingredients

For the crumb

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

For the muffin

2 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (I substituted with canola oil)
3/4 to 1 cup blueberries (I used fresh blueberries)


Directions

Preheat oven to 400°(200 Deg C).

Using a fork, mix all crumb ingredients together until well-combined. Set aside. 

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Stir in buttermilk. Add both sugars and mix until combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest. Stir in canola oil. 

Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions. Mix until there are still streaks of flour remaining. Stir in blueberries, mixing just until combined. 

Scoop the batter into each cup about 2/3 full. This should fill each cup almost to the top. Sprinkle tops of each muffin with crumb mixture. 

Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Note : For crisper edges, grease a standard muffin pan. For softer edges, use liners in each cup instead. 

 

You can add more blueberries if you like. 

 

Pretty isn't it? 

Have a great weekend ahead everyone!