Chocolate Moist Cake II

This rich chocolate cake is definately a heaven for chocoholics! 

Ingredients for 9 inches cake pan

Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

2 teaspoon granulated coffee

Chocolate Frosting

75g cocoa powder 

187ml water 

300ml evaporated milk 

150g sugar 

1/2 + 1/4 tsp salt  

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

3 egg yolks 

90g cornflour 

1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee 

90g butter

For the cake:

Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Whisk through to combine using a hand whisk to stir through flour mixture until combined well. 

Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together until well combined. Mix the granulated coffee with  boiling water then pour into the cake batter and mix well combine. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or one cake pan where you can cut horizontally after the cake is baked and cooled down. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes if using two pans or 1 hour until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan and cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting:

Mix everything in a double boiler except butter and keep on stirring with a hand whisk until the mixture thickens.

Lastly add in the butter until a smooth  and spreadable consistency.

Cut the cake horizontally into two pieces if the cake bake in one pan. Spread some cream frosting  piece of cake then sandwich with another piece. Gently spread the frosting on top and side of the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 

Once the cake set in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before serving. The fridge will make the cake harden but once it back to room temperature, the cake will soft and moist and ready to serve.

Cakes Corner | HT | 1:01 AM No comments Read More

Blueberry Cuppies Cheese Cake

Love the texture of this creamy light and delicate cheesecake. Thank you Nasi Lemak Lover for sharing this beautiful recipe. I used oreo biscuit in the first batch and second batch with digestive biscuit but I didn't manage to take a picture of them before giving away . l prefer the base with digestive biscuit so I share a recipe here with a little changes from the original recipe and also use blueberry instead of of cherry.

Recipe adapted from Nasi Lemak Lover

*makes 12 cupcakes 

250g cream cheese, room temperature

30g caster sugar

2 egg yolks (large or A size)

30g plain flour

100g whipping cream, cold from fridge

1tsp cointreau,  optional

2 egg whites (large or A size)

45g caster sugar 

120g digestive biscuit

60g melted salted butter

80g fresh Blueberry

20g sugar

Method:

Line a 12 holes muffin pan with cupcake liners. Process digestive biscuit in a food processor till finely. Add in melted butter and mix well. Add 2tsp of digestive biscuit into each cupcake liners, press it firmly. 

To prepare blueberry filling, blend the fresh blueberries with sugar in a blender till puree. Cook the bluberries puree in a small saucepan till slight thicken. Set aside to cool.

Remove whipping cream from fridge, immediate beat till soft peak, set aside. Beat cream cheese, cointreau and sugar till smooth (I use electric hand mixer). Add in egg yolks and mix well. Add in flour and combine well. Mix in whipped cream, mix till well combine. 

Beat egg white till foamy (I use electric hand mixer), gradually add in sugar and continue to beat till soft peak formed. Use a hand whisk, mix in 1/3 meringue with cream cheese batter till combine. Use a spatula, fold in the balance meringue, fold gently till combine.

Pour batter into muffin pan, then drop 2 to three bluberries puree on the cheese mixture and  make marble effect with a knife or skewer. Bake at a pre-heated oven at 150C for 40mins at lower rack using steaming bake method (place a roasting tin underneath and add in hot water before putting in the cake tin). Chill in fridge before consume.

Cheesecake | HT | 11:43 PM No comments Read More

爱玉冰 Honey Lemon Iced Jelly

This is one of my favourites refreshing dessert  which was first tasted 10 years ago in Taipei. I miss it crazily and couldn't forget the taste ever since I leave Taiwan.

Few years ago when I was doing groceries shopping in a supermarket and happened to saw this special jelly powder., without thinking too much I bought it to try.

At first I followed the packet instruction to make the jelly. It's tasteless but the jelly consistency is exactly the same that I had before. I make my own honey lemon juice go along with the jelly and finally it is exactly what I have been hunger for long long ago. After the first experiment, this dessert had become one of the dish for serving my guests always because it is so easy to made and could be made in advance. Most importantly it is very refreshing especially after a heavy meal.



I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 Aug 2014 : Taiwan hosted by travelling-foodies.



For the recipe you need a packet of this jelly powder. Boil 1 litre of water until bubbling. Turn of the heat and immediately add a packet of jelly powder into the hot boiling water. Stir until everything dissolve. Pour into a shallow dish wait until it cool.dowm then chill in the fridge to set.

For the honey lemon juice. Mix 500 ml water  with 2/3 cups of honey and 1 freshly squeeze lemon juice (I don't have the exact amount of quantity, so please mix and balance the sweetness to suit your taste). Mix everything until well combine and taste the sweetness or add more water if needed. Chill in the fridge.

Right before serving, cut the jelly into cube sizes and add into the honey lemon then add two cups of ice cube or more.  Enjoy!

Craving Corner | HT | 12:12 AM No comments Read More

Roasted Vegetables Quiche

Brought this quiche along to the beach for picnic and it's so yummy delicious. The colourful roasted vegetables is sweet and healthy that was purposely made for my dear son. I am so glad that he ate a big piece with good appetite.  The most wonderful feeling is your loves one enjoy the food you have prepared for them.

Ingredients for a pastry fit 28 cm tart pan

(This quiche is only 23cm, I use some leftover pastry for others recipe)

330g plain flour

35g sugar powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

70g whole beaten eggs

160g cold butter (cut into small chunk)

Ingredients for the fillings

Half a red pepper

Half a green pepper

Half a yellow pepper

A big red onion

half a green courgette

half a yellow courgette

a cup of chunky pumpkins

a cup of chunky aubergine

1 tablesppon olive oil

sea salt

60g whole eggs

10g egg yolks

50ml milk

50ml whipping cream

50g mascarpone cheese

Few pieces of cheese kraft

Half cups shredded cheddar cheese

For the pastry, mix the flour, sugar powder and salt in a food processor until combine.  Add the butter and pulse the food processor in few times until everything become fine bread crumbs.  Add in the beaten egg and pulse again for few times until it almost come to a dough. Take out the dough and flatten it to become a round disc. Cling wrap it and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour before use.

Line the chilled pastry onto a 23cm tart pan. Use a folk to poke some holes on the pastry then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line a baking parchment on the tart surface and add the baking beans to blind bake the pastry at 220C preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pastry out and remove the beans and baking parchment. Egg wash the pastry surface and continue to bake for another 10 minutes. 

For the fillings,  put all the chopped chunky  vegetable into a roasting tray with a tablespoon of oil and sea salt.  Rub them so that everything well coated. I roast the vege in the Philips Airfryer at 190C for 10 minutes. I assume oven roast will be slightly longer. 

Place some cheese kraft onto the bottom of tart and add all the roasted vegetables. Mix the eggs, milk and cream together and pour over to the vegetables and tart. Lastly sprinkle over the shredded cheddar cheese on top of everything.  Bake at 220C preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

Craving Corner | HT | 11:29 PM No comments Read More

Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon

There are a to-do list for my baking which I hardly complete them. I listed them down since my baby boy came in 2011. My time is so pack until I could just drooling over my smartphone which appeared many nice bakes from fb and blogs. My hands is so itchy to try out so many new recipes such as hokkaido cupcakes, new method of fermented dough, agura cake, cotton cheesecake, and etc etc...... Since there are new for me, I need time to read properly the steps and description and make sure I am not in a rush when I do the experiment.  

After trying out a few of new recipes which actually not new in the baking world, is just that I left so much behind, here I've chosen one of the recipe Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon by  ellenguan and xucacalife. 

This attempt came out to be very successful as the chiffon is well baked.  The texture is soft and a bit bouncy and could stand firm in a slice. The taste is a bit bitter and less sweet. I serve it with a little whipped cream and berries and semi sweet melted chocolate, it's wonderful!  

This chocolate chiffon is very rich in cocoa flavour unlike my previous chocolate chiffon that is soft and light in texture and hardly stand still with a cut out slice. Both of the recipes are equally good depends on your taste buds on that day. For friends who always like rich texture just go for this one.

Recipe adapted from ellenaguan 

Yield: 20cm Chiffon Tin

Ingredients:

5 Egg Yolks (100g)

130g 70% Dark Cooking Chocolate

25g Valrhona Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder

60ml vegetable oil

100ml milk

55g plain flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Meringue Batter:

5 Egg Whites (210g) 

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice

70g caster sugar

Melt chocolate (break into small pieces) over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cook. 

Beat egg yolks till creamy, stir oil, milk and melt chocolate in order. 

Next add in sieved flour mixtures (cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda & salt) and whisk till no trace of flour found. 

Beat egg whites with lemon juice till frosty then slowly add in sugar and beat till stiff peaks. 

Using a balloon whisk gently fold in egg whites into the prepared yolks batter in 3 batches till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined. 

Lastly lift up the bowl to height, pour batter into the tube pan and tap the pan once or twice on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter. 

Bake cake in preheated 170°Cdegree Celsius (320°F) oven (2nd lower rack) for about 45 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean). 

Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould. 

To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife (i use a small plastic spatula) around the inside of the pan and the center core. 

Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake completely. 

Chiffon Corner | HT | 8:42 PM No comments Read More

Cream Cheese Flowered Bread

If not mistaken, this recipe was baked in 2009 that was long long time ago. I miss the flower shape which I learned from 孟老师的100道面包. I named this recipe as Twisted cheese bread on my previous post.

This time I use my most fuss free dough recipe 65度汤种面包 but still follow the flower shaping of 孟老师. Beside the ugly shaping, the bread texture is cottony soft and fluffy. The cream cheese fillings has light sweetness that goes so well with the fluffy texture.

For the dough:

210g bread flour / 56g plain flour / 20g milk powder / 42g caster sugar / half teaspoon of salt / 6g yeast / 30g beaten eggs / 85g water / 84g water dough / 22g unsalted butter

For the cream cheese fillings:

150g cream cheese / 2 tablespoon caster sugar / 1/2 tsp lemon juice / 10g biscuit crumbs / 10g almond flakes

Recipe for the water dough "water roux": Cook 125g water with 25g bread flour at medium low heat, keep stirring until it become thicken and no lumps left like a smooth baby porridge. Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with a cling wrap to avoid skin forming.

Put all the dough ingredients for kneading until smooth and elastic and the dough no more sticking at the side of the mixing bowl. Let it proof for 40 minutes in a clean bowl cover with cling wrap.

While waiting for the dough, mix all theq cream cheese fillings until it become a smooth paste.

Divide the dough into 2 portions and round them into small balls. Let them rest for 10 minutes.

Flatten the dough to a round disc and spread the filling at the center. Roll the doughs into round shape.

Use a rolling pin and gentle roll the dough out to a flat disc. Use a scissor to cut 2 inches at the edges for 12 petals. Twist in two petals face to face and you will get six pairs of petals. Let it proof for 40 minutes.

Egg wash the doughs and sprinkle over the almond flakes on the center of the flower shape doughs. Bake at 180'C preheated oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Bread Corner | HT | 10:37 PM No comments Read More

Cotton Cheesecake

Looking through the list of my baking history, e wasn't any Japanese cotton cheesecake in the list. I forgot whether I baked but didn't post it up or I've never did it before. Reading some of the bloggers cotton cheesecake really tempting me to make one and jot it down to my baking memory land.  

So I tried a recipe introduced by Happy Home Baking. 

I am very satisfied with this recipe as it's quite  simple like chiffon recipe and required less cream cheese.  Most importantly it will not sink or shrink much and hold it shape nicely after out from the oven until cool down. It is very light, cottony soft and giving a bit bouncy texture that I believe could win over most of the people who don't like dense and rich cheesecake. It's like eating without adding any calories to your body, which is not true! But it's definately a lot lighter than a new york cheesecake.  But sadly for this cheesecake not suitable for refrigerate as it lose its texture  to harden if keeping in the fridge. That mean I can't have cold cheesecake. May be I need to try out another recipe.

Overall, I am satisfy with this new attempt and sure this cake will be one of the good present to be given away.

Recipe for 8 inches round cake pan

cream cheese 125g

unsalted butter 68g

caster sugar 50g

egg yolks 5 pcs

fresh milk 138g

lemon juice 7ml

plain flour 83g

corn flour 41g

egg whites 5 pcs

caster sugar 80g

lemon juice 5ml

1. Double boil the cream cheese,  butter and sugar until everything come to a smooth consistency. 


2. Add egg yolk one at a time and keep stirring until well combine.


3. Mix in the milk and lemon juice follow by the shifted flour and corn flour until no any lumps left.


4. In another bowl, add the egg white with lemon juice and beat until frothy. Add in the sugar in three batches beat on medium speed until soft peak foam. 


5. Fold the egg white mixture into cream cheese mixture in fee batches until everything well combine. 


6. Pour into a greased and lined baking parchment  of baking tin. Steam bake for 50 to 60 minutes. I place a tray of water at the lowest rack of the oven and place another rack on the second lower rack for the cake. 


7. After bake, let it cool at room temperature and serve. It is not suitable to refrigerate from my first attempt of this recipe.

Cheesecake | HT | 11:34 PM No comments Read More