Small Small Baker

Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (Jan 12) - Announcement

2012-01-27T07:50:00.000+08:00

We will be extending the closing date for Aspiring Bakers #15 - Auspicious Dishes for CNY (Jan 12) to 6th February 2012 (which is the last day of CNY), with additional giveaways!! The round up will be posted on the 7th February 2012. Check out the event details 'here'.

I guess everyone is busy so hopefully this will give you more time to submit your entries. Next month's theme will still start on 1st Feb 2012. So look out for the announcement.

Keep your entries coming in!

Salted Egg Yolk Tofu

2012-01-25T08:20:00.003+08:00

My mother got some curry leaves to plant plucked from somewhere in my neighbourhood. It was almost dying.

A day after it was re-planted and watered. It was revived!

Last time we had to pick curry leaves from our neighbour whenever we wanted to cook cereal tofu/prawn (still experimenting). Now we can have curry leaves whenever we want.

Salted Egg Yolk Tofu

Ingredients
2 pieces firm tofu, each cut into 8 pieces
some corn flour, for coating

1 knob butter
1-2 sprigs curry leaves
1 bird’s eye chilli, sliced thinly (optional)
1 cooked salted egg yolk, mashed (you can use 2 if you like more)

Method

1. Cut the tofu and pat dry on paper towel. Lightly coat the tofu with corn flour. Heat some oil in a frying pan and pan-fry the tofu on both side until light golden brown. Dish out and drain well.

2. In the same frying pan, melt butter, and then add in curry leaves and chilli (if any) and stir fry until fragrant.

3. Add in salted egg yolk. Stir rapidly until well mixed.

4. Add in the fried tofu. Stir until the tofu are well-coated. Dish out and serve warm.

You can check more Salted Egg Yolk Tofu recipes from here:
http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/2009/10/salted-egg-yolk-tofu.html
http://ellenaguan.blogspot.com/2011/03/salted-egg-tofu.html
http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2010/06/crispy-tofu-with-salted-eggs.html

I am submitting this Salted Egg Yolk Tofu to Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012), hosted by Wen's Delight.

Happy Dragon Year!

2012-01-21T15:00:00.001+08:00

Here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous Dragon Year!

恭祝大家：龙体安康，龙马精神，龙年大吉，龙众舞！

Cashew Nut Cookies 2012

2012-01-19T08:15:00.002+08:00

These are my Cashew Nut Cookies for the coming Dragon Year. Same recipe, same cookie mould, as usual every year.

每次有人称赞我的腰豆饼时，我就会说：
市面上永远找不到腰豆跟饼干一样大的腰豆饼。只有我家才有。所以一小粒就吃到满口的腰豆香，真材实料。而且得花更多时间制作。一小桶就有上百粒那么多。呵呵，有点自大起来了。:)

I always like to proudly say to people that you can never find anywhere selling Cashew Nut Cookies like mine, which has cashew nut as big as the cookie. I think the size of my cookie cutter does matter. Because it is small, you can put the whole cookie into your mouth and when you bite, you have a whole mouthful of cashew nut fragrance.

This session of photo-taking is exactly the same as the German Cookies. I have absolutely no creativity in food photography.

The two 2 types of hongbao are free from U-weekly magazine. See my mum's hongbao collection here.

These are another batch of German Cookies. The marbled pattern is more obvious and better than the last time.

Although I have a long list of CNY cookies recipes yet to try, I must stop CNY baking already since this weekend will be the reunion dinner and no more messing up the kitchen.

I'll be looking forward to all the posts about your reunion dishes recipes. And do submit to Aspiring Bakers. :)

***

Before I end, just a small note on something I'm not very happy about...

I woke up one day checking the internet, and visiting some of my favourite websites. There is this Singapore Happycall pan group which has a lot of recipes using the Happycall pan. Although I do not own one, I like to check up the recipes there. But I was surprised to find my Cashew Nut Cookies posted by one member. She copied my entire recipe but did not link to my page. As much as I welcome anyone to share and quite happy that people are reading and trying out my recipes, I appreciate if you can link back to me. Trust me, it doesn't feel too good to see that. I usually don't like to confront (or quite afraid to confront), but this I can't stop myself from writing out. I hope the other recipes posted in this group are not similarly copied from other blogs without giving credit.

Melt-in-mouth German Cookies: Chocolate Marble Version

2012-01-11T07:42:00.000+08:00

I started on my CNY cookies baking last weekend. I don't intend to bake a lot this year, although I might be tempted to bake more after seeing all the cookies posted. :) No more pineapple tarts this year after baking for 3 consecutive years, I'm a little sick of wrapping pineapple balls. ;)

So I plan to make 2 of my favourite cookies from past years. One of them is this Melt-in-mouth German Cookies, very well-rated by everyone who tasted.

This year's one comes with a new variation, the Chocolate Marble Version, learnt from Min and Ann.

I prefer this chocolate version since I like anything chocolate. You can also replace cocoa powder with green tea powder if you like green tea flavour.

This cookie is very soft and delicate. I give my little nieces one and they "crush them into powder form" as they hold too tightly. Wasted. Hehe! I make them smaller so that you can just pop the whole cookie into your mouth. It will just melt in your mouth!

I will quickly post this recipe up, so that you can try making it for this CNY. If you still have not make this cookie yet, please move this recipe to the top of your list and don't wait anymore. Do it NOW!

Melt-in-mouth German Cookies: Chocolate Marble Version

Ingredients (makes 60 pieces)

125g butter (I use SCS butter)
40g icing sugar, sifted
125g potato starch
80g superfine flour/plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Beat butter and icing sugar till fluffy and lighter in colour.

2. Sift in potato starch and flour, mix to form a soft dough.

3. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, add 1 tbsp of cocoa powder to 1 portion and knead well.

4. Divide the plain dough into 60 pieces and the chocolate dough into 60 pieces.
(Or you can just pinch a bit of dough from both plain and chocolate dough. But make sure the combined dough are of roughly equal sizes.) Roll into small balls to form marble pattern.

5. Arrange on lined baking pan and press lightly with a fork (dip the fork in water after each press to prevent cookie dough from sticking to the fork).

6. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 15 mins, upper rack (need not bake till cookies turn brown).

Recipe adapted from: Melt-in-mouth German Cookies (last year) and Min's blog

One Bite Crisp 一口酥

2012-01-07T14:10:00.001+08:00

Happy 2012! A late new year greeting to all of you.

There's a lack of motivation to complete my writing in my drafts lately. Looking at the way I start, I guess this year will be a slow blogging year for me.

CNY is so early this year. There is only 2 weeks left and I have not planned baking any cookies yet (except for my cashew nut cookies, which is a must every year).

I have made something last year that is very suitable for cny baking. So shall share it with all of you first. I saw this from Qi Qi in the house, and made this immediately because of the same reason... the leftover lotus paste from mooncake making. It is still stuffed in the freezer and I am ordered to clear the space for CNY. :)

After baking it, it was like discovering another treasure out of the so many recipes in the blogosphere. I describe them on my FB as 小巧可爱，一口一口，停不了口的一口酥, which I loosely translate into English as One Bite Crisp. You can just pop one into your mouth and I guarantee you that you won't stop at one!

It was a little sweet with lotus paste, but I think it will taste great with pineapple paste filling for CNY. :)

One Bite Crisp 一口酥

Ingredients (I made 60 pieces)

Pastry:
100g unsalted butter
55g icing sugar
40g egg
145g cake flour
40g ground almond

Filling:
350g lotus paste (or any paste you like)

Topping:
1 egg yolk, for glazing
some black sesame (I use white sesame)

Method

1. Whisk butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Gradually add in egg, whisk until combined.
3. Mix sifted cake flour with ground almond. Add into egg mixture and combine to form dough.
4. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill for 1 hour.

5. Divide the filling into 5 portions, 70g each. Roll each into a long strip of 20-25cm.
6. Divide the pastry dough (in step 4) into 5 portions, ~70g each. Roll each dough into a long strip of 20-25cm, flatten, put the filling in the centre. Wrap and seal well.
7. Roll the wrapped dough slightly to make sure the long strip is of even thickness.
8. Cut the long strip evenly into 2cm portions. (Mine smaller, I cut each into 12 pieces)
9. Brush egg yolk on top 2 times and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
10. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 10-15 minutes till nice golden brown.

Recipe from: 美味糕点新主张 and Qi Qi in the house

Christmas Chocolate Chiffon Cake

2011-12-24T07:35:00.002+08:00

Wow, here comes Christmas again! I actually intended to organize an online gift-exchange party but it was too late. Maybe another time ok.

So here's a Christmas Chocolate Chiffon Cake in support of this month's Aspiring Bakers. Not sure if this can be considered creative, but hey, it's homemade and taste super soft and fluffy.

The excess batter is made into cupcakes.

The chocolate chiffon cake recipe is from Noms I Must and Sweets and Loves, both taken from Keiko Ishida's Okashi: sweet treats made with love.

Christmas Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Ingredients (makes one 20cm chiffon tin)

5 egg yolks
20g sugar
60g vegetable oil
70g water
50g cake flour
30g cocoa powder

5 egg whites
90g sugar
10g corn flour

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by water.
3. Sift cake flour and cocoa powder twice and add into egg yolk mixture. Mix until just combined. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add in combined sugar and corn flour mixture gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

To decorate
Make Butter Ganache and spread onto the chiffon cake. Add on Christmas decorations.

Recipe from: Okashi: sweet treats made with love

I am submitting this Christmas Chocolate Chiffon Cake to Aspiring Bakers #14: Creative Christmas Bakes (December 2011), hosted by Hankerie.

~~ Thanks to Miss Tam Chiak ~~

I participated in Miss Tam Chiak's recipe-calender giveaway and received this very special calender that features 12 innovative and interesting recipes developed by Chef Eric Teo, using Yit Hong products. Going to place this on my desk. Thanks to Maureen for the lovely Christmas card!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho!

Short note:
Sorry, haven't been leaving comments on everyone's blog lately, hope everyone still remember me. Will be visiting your homes these two days. :)

抱歉，最近很少在各位的家留言，希望大家没忘记我。这两天会到大家的家坐坐。等我来哦！:)

Cranberry Yoghurt Chiffon Cake

2011-12-18T13:39:00.000+08:00

I have a few more posts to clear, hopefully I can finish posting them before the year ends and for a brand new start next year.

I'm a chiffon cake lover, so here's another chiffon cake. This is adapted from HHB, I have to reduce the portion to fit my small chiffon tin.

I really like chiffon recipes that uses extra egg whites. It gives the cake more volume and more fluffy. I have not used self-raising flour or add any baking powder or cream of tartar for my chiffon cakes and the result is still very good. Strongly recommend this recipe to everyone.

Cranberry Yoghurt Chiffon Cake

Ingredients (makes one 16cm chiffon tin)

2 egg yolks (use large eggs)
15g caster sugar
30ml vegetable oil
60g plain yoghurt (I use meiji low-fat with mixed berry)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
60g cake flour

3 egg whites (use large eggs)
40g caster sugar

30g dried cranberries, chopped to small pieces and coat lightly with cake flour

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until well-mixed.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by yoghurt and lemon juice. Whisk till combined.
3. Add in sifted cake flour and whisk until combined, do not overmix.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches.
6. Add in the dried cranberries. Fold in gently.
7. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 35 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
9. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe from: 好吃戚风蛋糕轻松上手 and HHB

2 December 2011 - Universal Studios Singapore

2011-12-10T13:42:00.001+08:00

On the 2nd day of stay at Festive Hotel, we went to Universal Studios Singapore. It was my first time here and also my first time going into a theme park with my parents. I can tell how happy they were.

Universal Studios Singapore is quite a small theme park and very easy to navigate. There are 7 themed zones which loops around a lagoon. After you walk past Hollywood, you can choose to go left or right. I suggest families with children to go left to Madagascar first cos this side starts from rides suitable for young kids. For those who prefer the more exciting rides, you can go right and head for Sci-Fi City.

Remember to get the latest map and list of show times for the day when you enter the theme park, as the show times might differ from day-to-day.

** Hollywood **

Plenty of shops and dining places. There is one attraction called the Monster Rock. I missed it.

** Madagascar **

Here are 2 rides very suitable for young children, King Julien's Beach Party-Go-Round and Madagascar: A Crate Adventure. There is also a street show Madagascar Boogie!. It's kind of disappointing as I expected some entertaining show, but it was only a photo-taking session. Guess it was only for fans of Madagascar movie.

Madagascar: A Crate Adventure is a fun river boat ride. We went in 3 times because my nieces enjoyed it very much. Here's part of the ride which I had recorded down.

** Far Far Away **

Here you must not miss the Shrek 4-D Adventure show. Mother doesn't understand what is 4-D show, but now she does! Besides 3-D visual effect, the seat is movable and you get sprayed by water and feel itchiness too. Stationary seats are also provided for those who can't take the physical movements. We catched another Donkey LIVE show. Entertainment for the kids, but not for me, haha! There's another junior rollercoaster and ferris wheel here. Ah, I did not see where the ferris wheel is.

** The Lost World **

Everything from Jurassic Park. Even the Discovery Food Court has the same setting as Jurassic Park 1 movie with a large dinosaur. Me had chicken rice set $10.50 which is not so nice. It was a bad day raining heavily outside, so we just settled at where-ever place to eat and take shelter.

Another attraction here is WaterWorld. It is a live water show with stunts, water, fire, explosions. Front seats will get wet. Must x3 watch!

** Ancient Egypt **

2 rides here. Treasure Hunters is a casual jeep ride with nice views of the park. I heard the Revenge of the Mummy is highly recommended. It is scary and definitely not for kids and the faint-hearted, that includes me!

** Sci-Fi City **

The ultimate ride in the park - Battlestar Galactica. The latest attraction TRANSFORMERS The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle. It is opened on 3 December, we missed it by 1 day.

** New York **

Rain finally stopped when we reached here. 1 attaction - Lights, Camera. Action!™ Hosted by Steven Spielberg where you experience hurricane in New York City. Row 1 can have the most intense experience. We were in row 3, can't choose. Do try the large pizza at Loui’s NY Pizza Parlor.

We had fun!

Despite the weather was bad, it was raining from morning till around 4pm, overall it was still a very fun day. I didn't manage to take more photos because of the rain. If you intend to go, be there on a weekday (less queueing time) and definitely not on a rainy day. :)

1-3 December 2011 - Festive Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa

2011-12-08T15:18:00.003+08:00

I had a very fun and nice staycation at Festive Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa last week. All thanks to my brother, who booked a 3D2N Tropical Special package which includes 2 nights stay at Festive Hotel Family Room, 2 one-day pass to Universal Studios Singapore and 2 tickets to Voyage de la Vie. We were a big group of 6 adults and 3 young children with my parents, brother and family.

Here are some photos taken in Festive Hotel, RWS and around Sentosa. Sorry for the bad photo quality. I was shocked to find out that my camera was spolit on the 1st day I reached RWS. :(

** Festive Hotel **

Festive Hotel lobby and the Deluxe Family King room, which comes with a king-sized bed, a sofa bed which folds out to become a double bed, and a loft bed for kids (but big enough for 1 adult and 1 kid to sleep in).

This is the outdoor area of Festive Hotel at Level 3. There is a Fiesta (restaurant) with an outdoor section facing the Festive Pool. The little photo at the bottom left-hand corner is another swimming Pool at Hard Rock Hotel. It is a prettier pool with a sandy beach. Too bad I did not have more time to explore and take more photos of the pool.

** Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) **

I first went to RWS during CNY this February. Took quite a lot of photos back then. So I combine some of the photos taken during CNY and during these 3 days.

For the sweet-tooth, don't forget to visit the Candylicious store, Hershey's and Garrett Popcorn.

It was a giant topiary rabbit during cny. Now it is a Giant Christmas tree.

I watched this Crane Dance for 2 consecutive nights. It is a must-watch multimedia show of light and water effects of the world's largest pair of mechanical cranes, standing at 10-storey high. On the first night, there was fireworks together with the cranes. On the second night, there was only fireworks at the end. I wonder if the fireworks is different everyday. It is a free performance at 9pm daily, excluding Tuesdays, except on school and public holidays. Be there early cos it is very crowded and hard to get seats if you are late.

After the Crane Dance, you can hurry to catch the Lake of Dreams, another free performance of fire, water and light at 9.30pm daily. Best viewed from the flight of stairs in front of Lake of Dreams.

** Around Sentosa **

We were at Universal Studios the whole day on 2 December. So actually not much time to explore around Sentosa. Especially, we were together with the kids who need to have naps. So it was a very slow and relaxing trip. Plus, you know the weather in Singapore, always have rain and thunder in the afternoons, haha!

After check-out of hotel on the 3rd day, we got up Sentosa express to Imbiah station and made a slow walk from the Merlion to the beach. The Skyline Luge looks quite fun. We ended our walk at iFly Singapore where we watched people "FLY" in the world's largest themed wind tunnel for indoor skydiving.

Here's a video of a demonstration by the instructor. Everyone went "Woo" and "Wah"!

This ends my first staycation in Singapore. Although we are still physically in Singapore, it feels like a real vacation. I'm away from the internet and the daily schedule. I didn't want to come back. Haha! :)

Bake King Silver Spoon Create Hamper Giveaway

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000+08:00

Since many of you will be baking for Christmas, I thought it will be nice to let you know there is a chance to win a hamper of Silver Spoon Create decorating products worth $40 from Bake King.

All you have to do is create something using Bake King brand product like vanilla essence, flour, flavours etc and email your photo to info@bakeking.com.sg. The photo will be posted to their Facebook page, and the one with the most "LIKEs" wins the hamper. :)

Please send your entries in before 17 December 2011!

For more information and enquiries, check their website and FB page.

Aspiring Bakers Exclusive Class (January 2012)

2011-12-01T06:50:00.001+08:00

I'm pleased to announce our FIRST Aspiring Bakers Exclusive Class, organized by Bake King.

Aspiring Bakers Exclusive Class (January 2012)

Cooking Demo Class:
1) HK Koi Fish Nian Gao
2) Fatt Choy Treasure Chest
3) Tangy Melon with Gingko Nut

Class Size: 15-20 people

Date: 4 January 2012

Time: 6.30-8.30pm

Fee: $40

Students get to bring home any recipes that they have learnt in class. Class fees includes use of aprons, equipment & tools during class, recipes & desserts that have been made in class, and packaging to bring your baked goods home! Demos include recipes & tastings in class only.

You will also be given a 10% discount coupon after the class for Bake King brand products, Tala, Chef Aid, Silluett, Dean Jacob's, Xcell, Billington's, Silver Spoon, GSD.

Instructor: Gina Tan is a well known cooking and baking instructor who has worked with and taught many famous chefs from Pan Pacific Hotel, Shangri La Hotel in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as celebrity chefs like Agnes Chang, Azrah Khan and Florence Tan. She is known for her use of the Magimix food processor in making easy recipes for the Asian kitchen.

To register, please click here.

Important Note:
Bloggers who are attending the classes are not allowed to share the recipes learnt in class in their blogs.
Bloggers also cannot submit the recipes to Aspiring Bakers event. However, you are allowed to take photos and write about your learning experience in class and submit to Aspiring Bakers. They will be added to another section in our roundup.

Homemade Muah Chee

2011-11-28T13:16:00.001+08:00

A really quick post to stop my blog from gathering cobwebs.

I made this Homemade Muah Chee from HHB. There was an instant urge to make this as I have not eaten muah chee for a long long time. I love this recipe as it is very soft and less chewy. Very suitable for children and elderly as it is easier for them to bite. A recipe worth keeping!

A note to self that the peanut mixture is more than enough for coating, so I will make about 1/2-3/4 of the given recipe next time.

Short update:
Before I end, I would like to make a quick update about myself. I am cutting down my time spent online, by more than half than I used to be. I will be spending less time visiting blogs and will not be leaving much comments on your blogs. I may be baking less often than before, but will still try to post up my past bakes. Of course, I will still be here to coordinate with the Aspiring Bakers event. Really sorry about it. One of the reasons is because I can't seem to view the computer screen for too long. So I need to get away from the computer as much as possible. :(

Homemade Muah Chee

Ingredients (serves 4)
200g glutinous rice flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shallot oil
250ml water

1 teaspoon shallot oil for brushing

150g roasted peanut powder (I used ready made ones)
40g toasted sesame
75g granulated sugar

Method

1. To make shallot oil, thinly slice 2 shallots, fry with 4 tablespoons oil (about two parts of oil to 1 part of shallot) till golden brown. Leave to cool.

2. Mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, salt, shallot oil and water in a mixing bowl. Stir to combine, make sure flour mixture is completed dissolved.

3. Pour the mixture into a deep dish (I used a 8" corelle dinner plate). Steam over medium heat for about 25mins. Test the centre to ensure it is cooked through. Brush the surface with shallot oil and leave to cool.

4. Mix peanut powder, toasted sesame and granulated sugar in a plate. (Note: I only used up half the portion of the peanut mixture).

5. When ready to serve, scoop small pieces of muah chee with a spoon and toss them in the peanut powder mixture. Serve immediately.

Recipe from: Happy Home Baking and Sunflower Food Galore

Aspiring Bakers #13: Banana Chiffon Cupcakes 香蕉戚风蛋糕

2011-11-16T13:15:00.000+08:00

I have baked this Banana Chiffon Cake a couple of times. It has become one of my favourite recipes for chiffon cakes. The generous amount of mashed and diced bananas makes it taste natually sweet and full of real banana flavour. After you have made this, you will never want to buy a banana cake from bakery anymore.

My cupcakes version

My chiffon tin version

Which one do you prefer?
I like the cupcake ones. Prettier and I don't have to wash the chiffon tin after that. Lazy!

Banana Chiffon Cake 香蕉戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (makes one 17cm chiffon tin)

40g egg yolks (about 2)
20g water
40g vegetable oil
55g banana, mashed
55g cake flour
85g banana, diced

110g egg whites (about 3)
55g sugar
5g corn flour

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks, water, vegetable oil and mashed bananas until well-mixed.
2. Add in sifted cake flour and whisk until well-mixed.
3. Add in diced bananas, mix well gently. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and add in sifted corn flour last and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 35-40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe from: 戚风蛋糕秘法传授

I am submitting this Banana Chiffon Cupcakes to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011), hosted by Min's Blog.

Apple Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

2011-11-12T08:22:00.001+08:00

Last month, after reading Keropokman's Granny Smith Cranberry Olive Oil Cake, I immediately went into the kitchen to make this. It's a very simple stir-and-mix cake. Usually I prefer cakes using chiffon method, but this stir-and-mix cake turns out surprisingly good. It is moist and soft, not too dense. The apples and cranberries are a perfect match!

I have reduced the recipe by 1/3 to fit my 6 inch round tin.

Apple Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients (makes one 6 inch round tin)

1/3 cup sugar (I use 70g)
1/3 cup olive oil (I use 80ml)
2 small eggs

1 cup granny smith (about 1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced)
1 cup plain flour (I use 130g)
2/3 tsp baking powder (use slightly more than 1/2 tsp)
1/3 tsp baking soda (use slightly more than 1/4 tsp)
1/3 teaspoon of salt (use slightly more than 1/4 tsp)

50g dried cranberries (I soak in water for a few minutes to soften, then pat dry)
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in sugar, olive oil and eggs. Whisk the mixture with a hand whisk until sugar dissolves and well-mixed.
2. Add in apples. Mix well.
3. Add in sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in dried cranberries and cinnamon powder. Mix well with a spatula. Do not overmix.
4. Pour the mixture into a lined and greased 6 inch cake tin.
5. Bake at preheated oven at 175 deg C for 30 minutes or until done. Poke a skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, give it another 5 to 10 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: Keropokman

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake 黑芝麻戚风蛋糕

2011-11-05T17:20:00.001+08:00

Ah, I'm beginning to feel the effects of ageing. Or is it technology that makes our memory getting worse. Remember the times when there was no mobile phone, I remembered all my friends telephone numbers by heart. I remembered everyone's birthdates very well. Now I cannot remember any phone numbers, probably only except my own and my home's number. I need to write notes on my phone to help me remember the to-do things and to-buy lists. :)

As I was typing this chiffon cake which I baked 1 month ago, I suddenly forgotten which recipe I had used. Terrible right. I search and see whether I have scribbled any short notes anywhere. None! I guess I had read the recipe straight from the computer when baking, so no notes found. I know it comes from one of the bloggers and not from a book. After thinking about it, I finally found the one by 茄子, which looks familiar. I'm 99% sure about it. Don't ask me about the other 1%! Haha! I hope this will be the one and only time that happen. Never again. :D

Back to this chiffon. I'm very happy to see the fine texture I got from this cake. It should be one of my best lately. I use grounded black sesame instead of black sesame powder. So it is a little nutty and grainy when you bite. I find it quite dry and not so fragrant compared to the black sesame paste chiffon I made before. Could be because I did not use good quality black sesame powder. But the recipe is still good!

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake 黑芝麻戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (makes one 17cm chiffon tin)

3 egg yolks
30g sugar
30ml vegetable oil
70ml water
80g cake flour
40g black sesame powder
1 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites
30g sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I omitted)

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by water.
3. Fold in black sesame powder, sifted cake flour and baking powder until well-mixed. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe from: 袅袅烘焙香

Baking classes for Aspiring Bakers

2011-11-03T08:18:00.001+08:00

Aspiring Bakers is reaching new heights!

A month ago, I received an email from Gim Hin Lee/Bake King, a leading baking ingredient supplier in Singapore, who love our Aspiring Bakers event and is interested to do a collaboration with us.

We are discussing about organizing baking classes at a special rate for AB bloggers at Bake King and also allowing the participants to have a discount at their store after the class. The class will be planned according to our monthly theme and taught by experienced baking teachers. It is a good chance for us to learn and meet to have fun!

I'm posting this to check the response from all of you.

1) Will you be interested in joining these class?
2) Do you prefer cooking or baking classes?
3) Do you prefer hands-on or demo classes?
4) Do you prefer weekday or weekend, daytime or nighttime classes?

Leave a comment here to tell us your preference. :)

Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) - Roundup

2011-11-01T07:58:00.003+08:00

This is the 12th roundup of Aspiring Bakers... which means Aspiring Bakers is celebrating its 1st Birthday!

I'm taking this chance to thank everyone who has taken your precious time to make all the delicious goodies and post it up to share with everyone.

1715 is the magical number. It stands for the number of entries submitted from the past 12 roundups. We have accumulated such a huge collection of recipes, better than any baking books. Hehe!

I hope Aspiring Bakers will continue as long as we can. There is also a great plan in discussion for Aspiring Bakers, some kind of event. I will talk about it again soon. Please continue to support! :)

Back to our theme.

I admit that I have limited knowledge about kueh. While doing the draft for the roundup, I am really surprised by the variety of kueh submitted, especially the nyonya kuehs. All so bright and colourful. I have been thinking of how to categorize these kuehs. Finally, decided to put all the similar kuehs together. Hope it will be easier for us to search for recipes when we refer back. We have received a total of 241 entries, record broken! Take your time to read and savour.

** Cooked/Steamed **

Sweet Potato Ondeh Ondeh by Happy Home Baker of Happy Home Baking

金瓜小丸子 (Ondeh-ondeh) by joceline of My Life ~ ‘爱’生活

Ondeh Ondeh by Ann of Anncoo Journal

Yam/Taro Ondeh Ondeh by sotong of Sotong Cooks

Onde-onde keledek by Bernice of Berniceの小天地

Pandan Ondeh-Ondeh by joceline of My Life ~ ‘爱’生活

Pandan Ondeh-Ondeh by Siew Hwei of 简单生活，随心所欲，快乐充实

Ondeh-Ondeh (glutinous rice ball with palm sugar) by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

ONDE ONDE KELEDEK by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Onde-Onde 班兰糯米球 (Glutinous Rice Balls) by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Ondeh Ondeh by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Ondeh Ondeh by ChWin of HomeMade by ChWin

Onde onde Kosong Pulut Hitam by Wendyywy of Table for 2..... or more

Onde Onde by Shirley of Kokken69

Sweet Potato Ondeh Ondeh by Eileen of Hundred Eighty Degrees

Kuih Seri Muka/Kuih Salat by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Kuih Seri Muka by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Talam Gula Melaka & Seri Muka by Jane of Jane's Corner

Kuih Seri Muka by Mylene of herbakes.wordpress.com

Seri Muka Kuih by Experimental Cook of Cook With No Books

Hideous Kueh Serimuka by Friday's Special

KUIH SERI MUKA by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

KUIH SERIMUKA PULUT HITAM by Chah of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Kuih Seri Muka by Angel of Cook.Bake.Love

SERIMUKA LABU ADIWARNA by CHAH of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Kueh Talam Cendol by BeeBee of HoneyBeeSweets

kue talam ubi ungu by Novia of ulangtahun anakku

Talam Sugee by Jane of Jane's Corner

Talam Cha cha by Jane of Jane's Corner

Kuih Talam by Cindy of yummylittlecooks

Kueh Talam Pandan 打南班兰糕点 by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Kuih Talam Pisang by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Kuih Talam by Experimental Cook of Cook With No Books

Talam Ubi by Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy Tales

Kueh Talam by Ah Tze of Awayofmind

TALAM LAPIS CHA CHA by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

KUIH TALAM CENDOL by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

KUIH TALAM SUJI by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Talam Suji by Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy Tales

Banana & Coconut Kueh by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Hunkwe Banana (Nagasari Hunkwe) by Jane of Jane's Corner

Pandan Nagasari by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Peanut Santan Layer Kueh by Reese of ReeseKitchen

Kueh Genggang 三层糕 (3 Layer Cake) by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Kuih Lapis 九层糕 v2.0 by Yvonne of iceamericanos

九层糕 by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Kueh Lapis Kukos 九层糕 (9-Layer Cake) by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Kuih Lapis by Jennifer of Jen's Kitchen Diary

KUIH LAPIS COKLAT by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Lapis Sagu by Alan of travellingfoodies

Rice Flour Layered Kueh (Lapis Beras) by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Sago & Sweet Potato Kueh by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

Kuih Sago (Twin Colour Pearl Cake) by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

Steamed Cassava and Sago Kuih by Wendyywy of Table for 2..... or more

Abuk-abuk Sago by Li Ying of Happy Flour

Abok Abok Sago by Ann of Anncoo Journal

Abok Abok Sago by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Kuih Kosui by Blessed Homemaker

Kueh Ko-Swee by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Kueh Kosui by Ah Tze of Awayofmind

Kuih Kosui by Cindy of yummylittlecooks

Kuih Kosui Pandan by Hanushi of Simply Hanushi

Steamed Tapioca Kueh by Lena of Frozen Wings

Ketuk Ubi 揶丝木薯 (Tapioca with Grated Coconut) by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Pumpkin Kueh by Quay Po of Quay Po Cooks

Steamed Pumpkin Kueh by lena of frozen wings

Marble Pumpkin Kuih by Kristy of My Little Space

番薯椰丝糕 by sean of 阿娴当家

Tapioca Layered Kueh (Lapis Singkong) by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

咖啡木薯糕 - Coffee Tapioca Layer Kueh by Yee Er of 就是爱烘焙

Kasui Lapis Serikaya by Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy Tales

香兰缽仔糕 by Eileen of eileenの记事本

香兰缽仔糕 by 鲸鱼 of 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝

紅豆砵仔糕 Hong Kong Style Red Bean Pudding by MEL of Through The Kitchen Door

Kueh Jagung by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

粟米糕(Jagung Kuih) by Li Shuan of Helena's Kitchen

Kuih Koci Labu by Chah of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Kuih Koci by MnYfoodtalk

KUIH KOCI(椰汁糕粿) by 鲸鱼 of 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝

Kuih Tepung Bungkus by Chah of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Kuih Ketayap/ Kuih Dadar by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Kuih Dadar by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Kuih Dadar by Jessie of Hearty Bakes

椰丝班兰卷 (Kuih Ketayap) by MF of cherry potato

KUIH KETAYAP by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Kuih Dadar by Esther of 爱丝特の烘焙记录

Pulut Panggang 烤香肉松米饭 by Theresa of My Baking Journals

Pulut Panggang by Ah Tze of Awayofmind

Pulut Panggang Roll by lena of frozen wings

Pulut Panggang by Jane of Jane's Corner

Pandan Pulot Panggang by Li Ying of Happy Flour

Pulut Panggang (Glutinous Rice with Dried Shrimps) by Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

Pulut Inti by Jane of Jane's Corner

Pulut Inti (Glutinous rice with coconut sweet filling) by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Pulut Tai Tai by Ah Tze of Awayofmind

Pulut Serikaya by Joyce of kitchen flavours

Chicken Lemper by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Putu Piring (Kueh Tutu) by Li Shuan of Helena's Kitchen

Kuih Tutu by Experimental Cook of Cook With No Books

Puteri Ayu 蒸迷你海绵蛋糕 by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

Putu Ayu by Honey Boy of Cosy Bake

KUIH PUTERI AYU by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Self Made Apam Sari Ayu Kueh by Han Ker of Hankerie

Steamed Baby Chiffon Cake by Wendy Han of Wen's Delight

眉豆糯米糕 (Ketupat Kacang) by Li Shuan of Helena's Kitchen

KUIH TAKO by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Kuih Tako by Wendyywy of Table for 2..... or more

Kuih Tako by DG of Tested & Tasted

TEPUNG PELITA by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Traditional Hainanese Buah by Esther of Paisleypink

KUEH TELIPOK by CHAH of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Ang Ku Kueh by Lvna of Faith Hope Love

Yam Angkoo Kuih by Vivian Pang of Vivian Pang Kitchen

Black Glutinous Ang Ku Kueh by Cathy of Cathy's Joy

Black Glutinous Ang Ku Kueh by Hanushi of Simply Hanushi

Pumpkin and Purple Sweet Potato Ang Gu Kuehs by BeeBee of HoneyBeeSweets

Ang Koo Kueh by Edith of Precious Moments

Cutie Angku Kueh by Reese of ReeseKitchen

班兰椰丝 Ang Gu Kuih by Esther of 爱丝特の烘焙记录

ANG KU KUEH by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Ang Ku Kueh Sio Sio, Jiak Liao Tio Beh Pio by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

红曲芋头angkoo糕 by Yee Er of 就是爱烘焙

Green Tea Ang Ku Kueh by Hanushi of Simply Hanushi

Ang Ku Kueh by Jessie of Hearty Bakes

Purple sweet potate ang ku kueh (红龟粿) by quizzine of bakingoncloud9

Ang Koo Kueh (红龟粿) by Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!

Oh Ku Kuih (Ramie leaf glutinous rice steamed cake with savory filling) by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

粗叶Kueh by Smiley

粗叶Kueh, 俗称”黑药膏” (以下是家婆口述，自己大概的份量)
材料：
20pcs-30pcs新鲜粗叶（大人手掌size）
180ml-200ml水
300g糯米粉
120g糖
30g玉蜀黍油
香蕉叶／菠萝蜜叶
少许玉蜀黍油涂在Kueh表面
做法：
1)先将新鲜粗叶洗净，水和粗叶一起煲至20mins，同时将糯米粉筛过后，放在一旁。
2)煲好后待凉10mins, 再blended成糊状，直接加入糖搅拌均匀。
3)然后将粗叶糊加糯米粉和油搓揉成面团，可依自己喜好的模形印出来（也可直接压成扁的形状），放在香蕉叶上，表面涂少许油，拿去蒸5mins-10mins, 就可享用。
★如觉得面团太干或太湿，可自行加水或加糯米粉。

Steamed Mini Pumpkin Kuehs with Red Bean Paste Fillings (迷你金瓜红豆糕) by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Yam Cake (Or Kuih) by MnYfoodtalk

Yam (aka Taro) Kueh 竽頭糕 by Lala of Lala Land

Steamed Yam Cake by Helen of The Dessert Fanatic

芋头糕 Savoury Yam Kuih by Bernice of Berniceの小天地

菜脯芋头糕 by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

古早味的芋粿 Orh Kueh by Alan of travellingfoodies

Hakka Suan pan zi 算盘子 by moon of Food playground

算盘子 by 鲸鱼 of 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝

金瓜糕 Savoury Pumpkin Kuih by Bernice of Berniceの小天地

Savoury Pumpkin Kuih by Ann of Anncoo Journal

自家传统金瓜糕 by 妮可斯 of 妮可斯的爽闹厨房与生活点滴

Steamed savoury pumpkin cake by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

金瓜糕 by Lirong of .L.I.R.O.N.G.

Steamed Radish Cake by Lena of frozen wings

炒罗卜糕(菜头粿) by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

港式萝卜糕 by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

韭菜糕 by Jane of Jane's Corner

潮州饭桃 by Li Shuan of Helena's Kitchen

Glutinous Rice Kueh (饭馃) by Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

饭粿 by myme of mymeloves

潮州饭桃 by Jane of Jane's Corner

Teochew Png Kueh 潮州饭桃 by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

芋泥桃粿 by Sally of 厨房角落

水粿 Chwee Kueh (Steamed Rice Pudding) by Bernice of Bernice の小天地

Chwee Kueh by Lvna of Faith Hope Love

Chwee Kueh 水粿 by Ann of Anncoo Journal

Chwee Kueh by Jessie of Hearty Bakes

Soon Kueh (笋糕) by Li Ying of Happy Flour

筍粿 by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Soon Kueh (笋馃) by Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

菜糕(mengkuang 馅) by joceline of My Life ~ ‘爱’生活

客家菜板 Hakka Vegetable Kuih by Bernice of Bernice の小天地

客家菜板 by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

Hokkien Steamed Rice Cake by Agnes of Agnes Bakes

Honeycomb Cake (Kuih Sarang Semut) by Agnes of Agnes Bakes

Bai Tang Gao by April Lim of Purplerine Legend

白糖糕 by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

白糖糕 by Lirong of .L.I.R.O.N.G.

Taiwan Black Sugar Steamed Cake 澎湖黑糖糕 by Angel of Cook.Bake.Love

Ma Lai Gao 马来糕 by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

简易马来糕 by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

Palm Sugar Malay Cake (椰糖马来糕) by Li Ying of Happy Flour

杯仔马拉糕(Steamed Mini Malay Cakes) by Sally of 厨房角落

Pumpkin Huat Kueh/Fa Gao/Fatt Koh (金瓜发糕) by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Pumpkin Huat Kueh by sotong of Sotong Cooks

Steam Pandan Huat Ge by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Steamed Rice Cake/Rice Fatt Koh by Nitya of Life Is An Illusion

Huat Kuih by Agnes of Agnes Bakes

Hakka Xi Ban by Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen

Pumpkin and Pandan Xi Pan (南瓜和班兰喜粄) by BeeBee of HoneyBeeSweets

Hakka Xi Ban by Wendyywy of Table for 2..... or more

Steamed rice cake by quizzine of bakingoncloud9

Steamed Egg Cake (Ji Dan Gao) 鸡蛋糕 by SSB of Small Small Baker

Steamed Cake 蒸鸡蛋糕 by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Steamed Cake 蒸鸡蛋糕 2 by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Traditional Steamed Cake (with soft drink) 汽水鸡蛋糕 by Angel of Cook.Bake.Love

Chinese Steam Cake / Ji Dan Gao by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Ah Mah's traditional steamed sponge cake by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Steam Chocolate Egg Cake by Han Ker of Hankerie

Harum Manis by Alan of travellingfoodies

Kuih Cara Manis by Sammie of SWEET SAMSATIONS

蕃薯杯子糕 by Smiley

蕃薯杯子糕 (我稍改以下食谱) 食谱来自Chef Agnes Chang
材料：
300g橙色蕃薯－我用紫色蕃薯加少许蕃薯丁
150g薯粉－130g薯粉＋20g粘米粉
100g幼糖－80g糖
300ml浓椰浆-包装Ayam Brand
1/2小匙盐
适量中国式小茶杯
沾料:
1/2粒白椰丝－没用
1/2小匙盐－没用
做法:
1.将蕃薯去皮，洗净切成大快状，用大火蒸30分钟至软。
2.将热蕃薯倒入搅拌机中，加入薯粉和幼糖，拌打至非常幼滑，慢慢倒入椰浆和盐，搅拌成光滑的浓面糊，沥过。
3.将面糊倒入小茶杯中，用大火蒸15分钟。
4.待冷后再取出蕃薯糕。
5.沾料：将椰丝和盐混匀，蒸分钟，取出待冷。
6.将蕃薯糕沾上白椰丝便可享用。

Muah Chee by Crustabakes

Purple Muah Chee by Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen

All Time Favourite Muah Chee by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

Loh Mai Chi (糯米糍) by BeeBee of HoneyBeeSweets

糯米糍 by 鲸鱼 of 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝

Mendut by Edith of Precious Moments

mizu manjzu by Edith of Precious Moments

Min Jian Kueh by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

曼煎糕 Home Made Apam Balik by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

Min Jian Kuih by Jennifer of Jen's Kitchen Diary

Min Jiang Kueh by Lirong of .L.I.R.O.N.G.

Min Jiang Kueh by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House

曼煎糕 by 鲸鱼 of 鲸鱼蓝蓝蓝

Pan-fried Tapioca Cake by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

Hakka pumpkin kueh by quizzine of bakingoncloud9

紫心蕃薯煎饼 by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

网煎饼 Roti Jala by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

** Deep-fried/Baked **

Kueh Keria by Xandra of Xandra's cooking & baking journal

Kuih Keria 甜蕃薯圈 by Theresa of My Baking Journals

KUIH KERIA KELEDEK by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

螺旋咖喱角 Spiral Curry Puff by Bernice of Bernice の小天地

Spiral Curry Puffs by Jessie of Hearty Bakes

KARIPAP SARDIN by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

KARIPAP PUSING by 茄子 of 袅袅烘焙香

螺旋沙丁鱼角 Spiral Sardine Puff by Bernice of Bernice の小天地

Deep Fried Purple Sweet Potato Balls by Kristy of My Little Space

Edith's Fried Sweet Potato Balls by Edith of Precious Moments

香炸黄金球 by joceline of My Life ~ ‘爱’生活

花生芝麻团 by joceline of My Life ~ ‘爱’生活

Jemput-jemput Pisang by Faeez of BitterSweetSpicy Tales

Ham Chim Peng (Chinese Doughnut) with glutinous rice & Nam Yue 咸煎饼 by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Kuih Kasturi (mung bean fritters) by Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover

Cucur Badak by Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

Shanghai Red Bean Crêpe by Abbygail Tan of Abbygail's Kitchen

Kuih Bingka by Li Ying of Happy Flour

Bingka Ubi (烤木薯糕) by Sherlyn of Sherlyn's hobbies blog

Kueh Potato Bingka by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

Matcha Flavoured Kuih Bingka Gandum by Agnes of Agnes Bakes

Bingka Keladi (Baked Yam Kuih) by sotong of Sotong Cooks

Tapioca Kuih (Kuih Bingka) by lena of frozen wings

Kuih Bingka Ubi by DG of Tested & Tasted

烤糯米椰香双层糕 by abbymonster of Abbymonsterの歇息站

BINGKA KELAPA by CHAH of BILA CHAH KE DAPUR

Kueh Ambon by Peng of Peng's Kitchen

Bika Ambon by Eileen of Hundred Eighty Degrees

Kueh Bakar by Eileen of Hundred Eighty Degrees

Kue Lapis Legit by Sammie of Sweet Samsations

Kue Lapis Legit Tikar / Checkered Lapis by Sammie of SWEET SAMSATIONS

Indonesian Kueh Lapis Legit~Kek Lapis~Spekkoek ~千层糕 by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders

Kuih Bahulu by Sammie of SWEET SAMSATIONS

***
If I have accidentally missed out any entries that you had submitted, please email me, I will update them asap.

Do let me know if there is any mistake in the names or links too. :)

Thank you everyone for making this month's event a success. The theme for next month is: Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011), hosted by Min of Min's Blog. The closing date is: 30 November 2011. All entries will be complied and posted by 1 December 2011.

I look forward to your continuous support to the Aspiring Bakers!

If you want to host for Aspiring Bakers, please email me at smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg.
We need as many hosts as we can. Welcome everyone including those who have hosted before.

Aspiring Bakers #12: Steamed Egg Cake (Ji Dan Gao) 鸡蛋糕

2011-10-19T07:27:00.002+08:00

After seeing so many entries posted for our traditional kueh theme, which are all very pretty and colourful, I feel a bit embarrassed about posting my plain plain kueh.

Bloggers here have again set another difficult theme for me, who hardly know how to make kueh. Few years ago, I did tried Ang Koo Kueh and Min Jiang Kueh before.

This time I was trying to find something easy to start with. So I tried Ellena's Ji Dan Gao. It uses the tradtional way of making using fizzy drinks like cream soda, 7-Up or Sprite. While it is very soft and spongy, I feel like it is the same as any sponge cake. I wonder if I got it correct.

With only less than 2 weeks left, I hope I have the time to make nicer kuehs.

I am submitting this Ji Dao Gao to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011), hosted by Small Small Baker.

Prawn Golden Fried Rice [午餐速递] 虾仁金包银蛋炒饭

2011-10-16T14:04:00.000+08:00

各位，这是我刚炒好，还热腾腾的炒饭。是我今天的午餐，也是有史以来最快上帖子的作品。

一个人的午餐，刚好有剩饭，所以炒饭是最简单解决一餐的办法。

这个炒饭我给它取个很好听的名字，叫“虾仁金包银蛋炒饭”。所谓“金包银”，就是每粒饭都被鸡蛋裹住。有些做法是先把鸡蛋打散，倒入米饭，把米饭浸泡在蛋液里，才下锅炒。因为我喜欢吃到有鸡蛋块，所以先炒一半的鸡蛋，剩下的蛋液才用来裹饭。如果要饭粒炒得更美更金黄色，可以只用蛋黄。

我很少下厨的。以下是我没根据食谱，乱乱做的做法，不怕你就试试看。:)

虾仁金包银蛋炒饭

1碗隔夜饭
1个鸡蛋，打散
3个虾仁，切丁，加点盐
少许盐，酱青，胡椒粉

1。锅中倒少许油，下虾仁，翻炒至变色。
2。倒入一半的蛋液，蛋稍微凝固后，倒入米饭，快速翻炒，把米饭炒散成一粒粒。
3。把剩下的蛋液均匀的倒入，让米饭都沾上蛋液。翻炒至干。
4。加入调味即可。

吃饱后，是时候。。。洗碗啦。我最讨厌的就是洗碗了。

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

2011-10-11T15:13:00.003+08:00

I visited the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden sometime in August. It is part of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, only open to children up to 12 years old. And adults who do not bring any kids along cannot enter the garden. So when my brother wanted to bring his girls there, I decided to tag along. Or else I have no chance to go in. :)

A few shots out of the many trees and plants in the gardens.

Some nice areas, including a small suspension bridge. Even the toilet is so green with the plants

The cave with small waterfall. Nice photo area.

And a small pond with floating platform.

Caught sight of a squirrel (lower right photo).

Fun areas for the children.

A playground, a mini maze, sand area and waterplay area.

A small cafe at the entrance for light refreshments.

JBCG is at the Bukit Timah side of the Botanic Gardens. With the opening of the SMRT circle line, it is now easily accessible with public transport. Just alight at the Botanic Gardens station.

Butter Sugar Buns - cooked dough method (烫面)

2011-10-09T10:41:00.000+08:00

哈哈！今天突然很想用中文写部落格，不知道大家会喜欢吗？

其中原因是看到Min很可爱的形容这是“一起来笃洞”的洞洞牛油面包。

这款面包我在八月的时候就做了，放上来的速度真的是越来越慢。我照原食谱做，只是放牛油进洞洞里，撒上糖。刚出炉时还很漂亮。不过因为时间太迟了，所以到隔天早上才拍照。没想到糖都融化了。就随便只拍一张照交差。

烫面面包是第一次做。面包是松软的，但觉得跟其他方法差别不大。可能得多做几次比比看。

Butter Sugar Buns - cooked dough method (烫面)

Ingredients

(A)
100g bread flour
70g boiling water

(B)
300g bread flour
100g plain flour
80g sugar
6g salt
20g milk powder
9g instant yeast

(C)
175g cold water
60g cold eggs

(D)
60g butter

(Topping)
beaten egg
butter
sugar

Method

1. Add the boiling water into flour for ingredients (A). Mix well to form dough. Cover and set aside to cool. Keep it into refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
2. Mix (B) until well-blended. Add in (C) and knead to form rough dough. Add in (A) from step 1 and knead until well-blended.
3. Add in (D) and knead to form elastic dough.
4. Let it proof for 40 minutes.
5. Divide the dough into 80g each and mould it round. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
6. Roll the dough flat into 1cm thick. Place it on a greased pan. Let it proof for 45 minutes.
7. Egg wash the surface and use fingertip to make small indentation over the dough. Pipe some soft butter into the indentations and sprinkle the top with sugar.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 12 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: Magic Bread 烫出面包香 by Alex Goh

Purple Sweet Potato Chiffon Cake

2011-10-03T14:45:00.001+08:00

Chiffon cake again! I'm getting better and better at chiffon cakes. :)

Have been wanting to try the purple sweet potato chiffon for a long time. :)

More chiffons baked to be given away... purple sweet potato (left) orange (right)

Some of you may find it hard to find purple sweet potatoes. For those living in the west side of Singapore, I bought it from the wet market at Blk 505 Jurong West. Ask the vegetable stall owner for purple ones cos I also cannot tell which one is purple inside. This is one of the variety (below).

Purple Sweet Potato Chiffon Cake 紫薯戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (makes one 22cm chiffon tin, half the recipe for 16cm chiffon tin)

4 egg yolks
30g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
60g vegetable oil
70g coconut milk (I use fresh milk)
70g purple sweet potato, steamed and mashed
100g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

4 egg whites
100g sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I omitted)

120g purple sweet potato, steamed and diced

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by coconut milk. Add in mashed purple sweet potato, mix well.
3. Fold in sifted cake flour and baking powder until well-mixed. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches. Lastly, add in diced purple sweet potato.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: Fruity Cakes 鲜果蛋糕香 by Alex Goh

Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011)

2011-10-01T07:30:00.004+08:00

Hello to all Aspiring Bakers Family members and members-to-be!
I'm back hosting Aspiring Bakers #12!

I have asked everyone to decide the theme for this month and received many good suggestions. They will all be taken into consideration. Another good news is the future themes will not be restricted to baking only as we will also have cooking-related themes. :)

Back here. The theme for this month is "Traditional Kueh"!

I understand why it is so popular. For most of us, they are our favourite local delights for breakfast and snack times. From steamed carrot cake, pumpkin kueh, yam kueh to png kueh, soon kueh, chwee kueh and ang ku kueh. I also like to include chee cheong fun, fatt kueh, mian jian kueh and many others too.

Besides Chinese kueh, I'm sure you also like all the malay and nyonya kueh which most of the time uses coconut, coconut milk, pandan leaves or gula melaka. I'm not too familiar with nyonya kueh, I only remembered I always eat steamed kueh lapis peeling layer by layer. Kueh tutu is one of my favourite too!

Do make some and share your recipes with us. I look forward to your active participation and support for this event!

Who can join?
Everyone! (if you do not have a blog, just send me a photo and recipe of your bake/dish)

How to join?

Step 1 :
Make traditional kueh (kuih), can be any chinese or malay/nyonya kueh, in the month of October 2011.

Step 2 :
Post it on your blog between 01 October 2011 and 31 October 2011.
Your post must include the recipe or link to the original recipe. If you are using a recipe from a book, please include the title of the book too.
Any entries that are posted outside the date range will not be accepted.
Any entries that do not include a recipe or link to the original recipe will not be accepted too.

Step 3 :
Please mention that you are submitting your post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker and provide a link back to this post HERE.
Entries will not be accepted if the above is not included.

Step 4 :
Email to smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg in the following format:

Your name or nickname:
Your blog name: (omit this if you do not have a blog)
Name of your bake/dish:
URL of your post:
URL of your photo (one photo for each entry):
(alternatively, you can attach your photo in your email, preferably less than 500kb).

Please use "Aspiring Bakers #12" as your email subject. You may submit more than 1 entry.

The roundup will be posted on 01 November 2011.

***
If you are interested to find out what's on the previous Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) entries, hosted by HHB of Happy Home Baking, see the roundup HERE.

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake 南瓜戚风蛋糕

2011-09-16T07:18:00.000+08:00

好久没做到这么漂亮的戚风蛋糕了！

For quite some time, I had been producing failed chiffon cakes. Half of the time, they dropped out of the inverted chiffon tin during cooling. Half of the time, they didn't dropped out, but had sunken top after removed. I knew I had problem with the oven temperature. It was until I got my oven thermometer, the mystery was solved.

I think my oven is getting old. When I set the temperature at 170 deg C, it was lower than that. So now I bake my chiffon cakes at 180 deg C and extend the baking time 5 minutes longer to get the crust thicker. It works!

The rare occasion when I bake my cake and shoot my photo so early in the morning. The morning sun makes the cake so pretty! Look at the fluffy texture!

Pumpkin Chiffon Cake 南瓜戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (makes one 22cm chiffon tin, half the recipe for 16cm chiffon tin)

4 egg yolks
30g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
60g vegetable oil
60g coconut milk * (I use fresh milk)
80g pumpkin, diced, steamed and mashed
120g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
some pumpkin seeds

4 egg whites
100g sugar
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (I omitted)

* You can replace coconut milk with milk + 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon or ground nutmeg

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and salt until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by coconut milk. Add in mashed pumpkins, mix well.
3. Fold in sifted cake flour and baking powder until well-mixed. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches. Lastly, add in pumpkin seeds.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: Fruity Cakes 鲜果蛋糕香 by Alex Goh

Aspiring Bakers #11: Mocha Oreo Snowskin Mooncake

2011-09-12T07:25:00.000+08:00

My third snowskin mooncake. I immediately bookmark it when I saw this recipe from the book I borrowed. There are 2 types of lotus paste wrapped within the snowskin. The inner filling is lotus paste mixed with oreo cookies and chocolate. The outer filling is lotus paste. The snowskin is coffee flavoured. Quite a nice combination. :)

From the mooncakes posts during the last 2 weeks, I notice that most of the snowskin mooncakes are made using the rub-in method. I use this method for this Mocha Oreo and Mango snowskin mooncakes. My Banana snowskin mooncakes uses another method by mixing icing sugar, shortening and water first, adding flour last. I get a better texture using the mixing method. I wonder if I overhandle the dough when using the rub-in method. So I'm not concluding anything here. I need more practice. :)

I still have some kao fen and lotus paste left, so I will be doing more mooncakes after mid-autumn. I still want to try Shanghai mooncakes. But not too soon cos our house is overloaded with other store-bought mooncakes too. My new jelly mooncakes moulds are also not used yet. Too short time this year!

Mocha Oreo Snowskin Mooncake
(original recipe, please adjust the recipe according to your mould size and batch size)
skin : filling = 1:2,
if you are using 63g mould, skin = 21g, filling = 42g
if you are making 10 mooncakes, skin = 210g, filling = 420g
adjust the recipe proportionately)

Ingredients

Snowskin:
100g kao fen (cooked glutinous rice flour) 糕粉
60g icing sugar
30g shortening
50g fresh cream
1 tsp instant coffee powder
120g water
1/2 tsp coffee emulco

Filling:
(A) 30g x 5
120g lotus paste
4 pcs Oreo cookies, cream removed and crushed cookies into powder form
20g cooking chocolate

(B) 70g x 5
350g lotus paste

Method

1. Snowskin: Sift kao fen and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Rub in shortening. Dissolve coffee powder in water. Gradually add this coffee mixture, cream, and coffee emulco into the flour mixture. Knead lightly till a soft dough forms. Set aside for 30 minutes. Divide the dough skin equally, roll round.

2. Filling (A): Double-boil cooking chocolate until melted, mix in cookies, then add in lotus paste and mix evenly. Divide filling (A) equally. Divide filling (B) equally. Wrap (A) with (B) - chocolate oreo inside. Roll round.

3. Flatten a piece of snowskin, wrap in filling, roll round, then pat some cooked glutinous rice flour.

4. Press it into mould, unmould and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from: Mooncake Selections 52 月饼精选 52

Wishing everyone Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

祝大家中秋节快乐！

I am submitting this Mocha Oreo Snowskin Mooncake to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011), hosted by Happy Home Baking.

***
Decide the theme for Aspiring Bakers #12 here.

Aspiring Bakers #11: Mango Snowskin Mooncake

2011-09-10T19:45:00.000+08:00

My second snowskin mooncake. Used this recipe and trying to make a mango version using just mango juice, and without adding mango essence and colouring. In the end, it turned out quite tasteless and the colour was very faint. There goes the saying 厉害就好，不要假厉害. :)

Recipe adapted from: Amanda's Blog

I am submitting this Mango Snowskin Mooncake to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011), hosted by Happy Home Baking.

***
Decide the theme for Aspiring Bakers #12 here.

Aspiring Bakers #11: Banana Snowskin Mooncake

2011-09-05T12:20:00.001+08:00

Here's my first snowskin mooncake. I have long wanted to make mooncakes, not just for Aspiring Bakers. I bought the moulds 2 years ago. This time I'm not going to procrastinate anymore.

As baked mooncakes are proved to be too challenging for me. I start with snowskin mooncakes first - Banana Snowskin Mooncake wrap with Lotus Paste.

I particularly like these 2 moulds with the words “莲蓉” and “中秋”. So I will be using them for the rest of my mooncakes. :)

I read from books that the golden ratio of skin is to filling is 1:2. Which means the weight of the skin is 1/3 of the weight of the mould size you are using.

I'm quite satisfied with this snowskin recipe. The skin is very soft even when straight out of the fridge. I tried one piece every day. It stays soft for 3 days, but starts to turn a little bit hard on 4th day onwards, storing in an airtight container.

Banana Snowskin Mooncake
(original recipe, please adjust the recipe according to your mould size and batch size)
skin : filling = 1:2,
if you are using 63g mould, skin = 21g, filling = 42g
if you are making 10 mooncakes, skin = 210g, filling = 420g
adjust the recipe proportionately)

Ingredients

Snowskin:
300g icing sugar
20g shortening
1/4 tsp banana essence
150g boiled cool water *
110g kao fen (cooked glutinous rice flour) 糕粉

* Boil 2 pieces of pandan leaf with 200g water until fragrant.
Leave to cool, take 150g for use)

Filling:
1400g lotus paste

Method

1. Snowskin: Knead icing sugar, shortening, banana essence and some water until shortening melts, then add in remaining water, knead evenly. Lastly add in all cooked glutinous rice flour and knead evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes. Divide the dough skin equally, roll round.

2. Filling: Divide the lotus paste equally, roll round.

3. Flatten a piece of snowskin, wrap in filling, roll round, then pat some cooked glutinous rice flour.

4. Press it into mould, unmould and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from: Moonlit Mid-Autumn Festival 月盈中秋 by Choong Su Yin

I am submitting this Banana Snowskin Mooncake to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011), hosted by Happy Home Baking.

***
Decide the theme for Aspiring Bakers #12 here.

You decide the theme for Aspiring Bakers #12

2011-09-01T15:45:00.003+08:00

You have seen the 11 themes for Aspiring Bakers. We have so far covered a variety of bakes and received great response. Thanks to everyone who have submitted your entries! I know a lot of you have bookmarked the roundups because they are like a mini baking encyclopedia. :)

Is there any topic that you are hoping to see? As I will be the host for Aspiring Bakers #12 (October 2011), I sincerely invite all of you to suggest a theme for next month. I'm sure there is something you really like to learn and get more recipes and ideas.

Leave a comment below, suggesting 2 themes for Aspiring Bakers #12.
I will pick the most popular one and make it true!

Whether you are great supporter of Aspiring Bakers or have not joined us yet, or just a silent reader, it's time to voice up! All suggestions are welcome! :)

中文的博主和读者，希望大家踊跃的提出下个月的主题。请多多支持！

* You can leave your suggestions until the end of this month.

Aspiring Bakers #10: Chicken Pie

2011-08-29T08:00:00.003+08:00

Thanks to Aspiring Bakers! For I have challenged myself making pies and tarts the second time in a month. Yes, I mention "first time" every now and then in my blog. And there is neverending "first times". Because the more you bake, the more things you find you don't know how to bake. Learning never ends!

This Chicken Pie was posted by Lena of Frozen Wings few days after this month's theme starts. She was fast! She calls this Easy Chicken Pie. I read through the recipe and find it indeed easy to follow, so I immediately bookmark it. Luckily, I manage to make it on the last weekend.

Is it easy? Yes, I make the pastry and filling on separate days.
Is it nice? Very nice! I almost cannot believe myself I can make savoury pastry like this!
The pastry uses rub-in method. It is a more flaky crust than the egg tarts I make earlier.

I make vegetarian version for my mum using vegetarian ham instead of chicken. To differentiate between the 2 types, I make "C" for Chicken Pie and "V" for Vegetarian Pie using the excess dough.

Lena suggested adding cheddar cheese and cream for creamier fillings or oyster sauce + hoisin sauce + char siew sauce for an oriental style. Sounds good!

Check hers for the original recipe. Here's my slightly modified version to make more tarts.

Easy Chicken Pie

Ingredients (makes eight 6.5cm tarts)

Pastry:
165g plain flour, sifted
100g cold butter
1/2 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
25g egg, beaten
1-2 tbsp cold water

Filling:
1 tbsp oil
100g chicken breast meat, diced
1 potato (about 130g), diced
1/2 carrot, diced
some water
1 hard-boiled egg, divide into 8 portions
(* I omitted onions, you can add if you like. You can also add mushrooms, mixed vegetables, or anything you like)

Seasoning:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
some black pepper

Glazing:
1/2 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Pastry: Put all ingredients (except egg and water) into a mixing bowl and mix to a crumble. Add in egg, and slowly drizzle in water, just enough to form a soft dough. Keep dough in the fridge and rest for 30 minutes.

2. Filling: Steam diced potato and carrot for 10 minutes, set aside. Heat up oil in wok, fry chicken meat until nearly cooked, add in steamed potato and carrot and some water. Add in seasoning and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Adjust the filling to taste and leave to cool for later use.

3. Take some dough and press into pie or tart cases. Poke holes on the base using a fork, place filling and 1 piece of hard-boiled egg each on top and press firmly. Cut another piece of dough to cover the top. Using fork, poke a few more times on the cover of the pie and glaze with beaten egg.
(* for my own reference, 25g for base and 15g for top)

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 30 minutes.

Recipe from: Frozen Wings.

I am submitting this Chicken Pie to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Not the Kitchen Sink!.

Aspiring Bakers #10: Egg Tarts 蛋塔

2011-08-26T09:20:00.000+08:00

Tarts and pies rarely appear in my blog as it is more time-consuming to make and I'm not very good with anything that needs shaping and wrapping. The last time and the only time I made egg tarts was 4 years ago (that's why it is good to keep a blog so that I can remember everything I made in the past), and they turned out really ugly (you can try to search it ;p).

It is good that Janine suggested pies and tarts for this month's Aspiring Bakers event. I'm sure a lot of us avoided making these and it motivates us to challenge something new, something we are not good at, or something we have not done for a long time.

Egg tarts is one of my favourite, that's why I choose to make this as my first challenge. I actually had fun making the tarts this time. It is not as hard or time-consuming as I thought as I divide the process into 2 days. I make the crust in advance and freeze them. On the day when I'm ready to bake, I only need to prepare the fillings.

The tarts can be easily removed from the tart cases which I'm using (I did not grease the cases). Just push the tart case from the bottom and the tarts will be out. I think it should be able to remove easily from tart moulds too. I like the crust as it is firm enough to hold and crumbles in your mouth. The egg custard is very smooth too. The only problem I had was the crust was not evenly pressed and the base is thicker than the sides. I just need more practice to perfect it. I'm hoping to do more egg tarts as I know there are so many different recipes for the crust and the egg custard. For now, I'm happily eating these egg tarts. Have a piece!

Egg Tarts 蛋塔

Ingredients (makes nine 8cm diameter tarts) (I make ten 6.5cm diameter)

Crust:
80g unsalted butter, soften at room temp
30g icing sugar
pinch of salt
10g milk powder
30g egg, lightly beaten
115g cake flour
15g bread flour

Filling:
2 large eggs, beaten
125ml fresh milk
40g sugar
1 tsp rum (I omitted)

Method

Crust:
1. Whisk butter, icing sugar and salt until pale and creamy.
2. Add milk powder, mix well.
3. Add in egg gradually, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add sifted cake flour and bread flour in 2 separate additions. Press to combine. Do not knead.
5. Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 9 portions (~30g each).
7. Roll each small dough round, press flat slightly, coat lightly with flour and press into tart moulds/cases. Try to make the thickness as even as possible. Set aside.
(Can be frozen at this stage)

Filling:
1. Heat up milk and sugar until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and leave until slightly warm. Add in rum and mix well.
2. Add in beaten eggs gradually, keep stirring while adding.
3. Sieve the egg mixture. Fill into the tarts until 90% full.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 20-22 minutes.
(Tips:
* Place in a lower rack so that the crust can be cooked before the egg custard being heated up too quickly.
* When the custard starts to puff up (about 15 minutes after baking starts), pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches (you can put a spoon or anything to keep the door ajar, I clip a metal clothes peg). Continue to bake until the custard is set. This will prevent custard from being puffed up too high and collapse once they are cooled down.)

Recipe from: Carol自在生活 and tips from Christine's Recipes.

I am submitting this Egg Tarts to Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011), hosted by Not the Kitchen Sink!.

Muffins Overload

2011-08-21T07:55:00.000+08:00

Brother was back to stay with us for the past 2 weeks, so I was not able to make anything complicated with the 2 active twins. Muffins are the easiest to make and mimimal washing required. So I made muffins for them to eat.

The popular Nigella's Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins.

These Peanut Butter Muffins comes from 《孟老师的100道小蛋糕》. I also make the nutella version, substituting peanut butter with nutella.

Special edition muffins! Made by combining the remaining batters of peanut butter and nutella so that I can make them into another 2 cups without wasting. One of them looked as if it had erupted, I think the consistency of the 2 batters are different, that's why it turned out like this!

I'm not a fan of dry-mix-wet method type of muffins. But they are really quick and easy to make to fill up stomach when you feel hungry in-between meals.

Peanut Butter Muffins 花生酱马芬

Ingredients (makes 12 mini muffins)

2 eggs
60g sugar
50g oil
100g peanut butter
60g fresh milk
100g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder

Method

1. Whisk eggs and sugar until sugar dissolved. Add oil and whisk until well-mixed.
2. Add in peanut butter, followed by fresh milk, mix well.
3. Sift together cake flour and baking powder. Add into the liquid mixture in step 2. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together well. Stop stirring once the last traces of flour disappear. Do not overmix.
4. Spoon the batter into paper muffin cases until 80% full.
5. Bake at 180-190 deg C for 20-25 minutes (I bake 15 minutes for mini muffins).

Recipe from: 孟老师的100道小蛋糕

NDP 2011 @ The Padang

2011-08-12T14:40:00.000+08:00

I was at the Padang on National Day as we were given 5 free tickets. Organized by Young NTUC, we were supposed to form the largest human Singapore flag using the red and white umbrellas.

We were there after 5.30pm and seated at the back, holding the white umbrellas. We were taught the right timing to open and close the umbrellas and forming waves and moving our umbrellas to form patterns. So that when the President arrives and starts to sing the National Anthem, we will open our umbrellas to form the flag and the helicopter (below, top-right) will capture us on the screen/tv. I have to watch the repeat telecast to see how we performed that night. :)

The kids having fun with the toys in the fun packs and busy eating our tabao food.

I didn't take a lot of photos as I was recording videos instead. Here are some of them.

The Singapore flag flying past.

Working out with the umbrellas.

The spectacular fireworks!

And the ending part of the fireworks before the National Day Parade ends.

We had a great time!

Orange Chiffon Cake 香橙米粉戚风蛋糕

2011-08-07T09:35:00.000+08:00

Saw this Orange Chiffon Cake 香橙米粉戚风蛋糕 from 袅袅烘焙香 that uses 再来米粉/在来米粉. This is the first time I heard of this kind of flour. Not sure if it is available, I did a quick google and found that 再来米粉/在来米粉 is the same as 粘米粉 which is rice flour (correct me if I'm wrong).

The texture of the chiffon is very soft and moist. I nearly "disfigured" the cake while trying to remove it from the tin. (Ok, I admit I'm still not very good at it.) It is due to the rice flour that helps to keep the moisture in the cake. Strongly recommend this recipe that is taken from another popular Chinese book by Carol.

Orange Chiffon Cake (using rice flour) 香橙米粉戚风蛋糕

Ingredients

5 egg yolks
20g sugar
40g vegetable oil
50g orange juice
some orange zest
60g cake flour
30g rice flour (再来米粉/在来米粉/粘米粉)

5 egg whites
50g sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
2. Gradually add in vegetable oil, followed by orange juice, and stir until well-mixed.
3. Fold in sifted cake flour and rice flour until well-mixed. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. Add in sugar gradually and continue whisking until stiff peak form.
5. Gently fold in the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3) in 3 batches. Lastly, add in orange zest.
6. Pour the batter into an ungreased chiffon tin. Give the tin a few slight knocks on the tabletop to remove air bubbles. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 40 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
8. Unmould the cake only when it is completely cool.

Recipe adapted from: 袅袅烘焙香

Singapore Flyer

2011-07-31T14:55:00.000+08:00

Ok, writing this to remember to my first experience on Singapore Flyer.

We were there during Chinese New Year on February this year. Remember last year's McDonald's monopoly game? One of the prize was 1-for-1 ticket on Singapore Flyer. As the ticket price is quite expensive (S$29.50/adult, S$20.65/child), this was a great opportunity to sit on Singapore Flyer at half-price. We collected five 1-for-1 tickets for our whole family of 12 (including 2 toddlers, free) to get up there.

The whole flight lasted about 30 minutes. Great views isn't it? I hope there will be a chance for me to ride this again at night.

Here's a few family photos.
(Top, left) My nephew and niece
(Top, right) Everyone in the capsule
(Bottom, left) My twin nieces
(Bottom, right) My mother

Aspiring Bakers #9: Chocolate Swiss Roll 可可蛋糕卷

2011-07-25T12:35:00.000+08:00

I still remember the mess that I created when I made my first swiss roll few years ago. The swiss roll cracked very badly and the cream was in a mess after rolling. I dare not make any swiss rolls anymore. Yes, I'm that afraid of failures.

But hidden in me, I still want to do it again. I enjoy flipping through 孟老师的美味蛋糕卷. I know there is another wonderful book 彩绘蛋糕卷 on creating patterns and painting on swiss rolls, which I still don't know where to get the book. Then comes this month's Aspiring Bakers event on swiss rolls. The swiss rolls posted during the last few weeks are all highly creative. That ~~forces~~ motivates me to try making one.

孟老师的美味蛋糕卷 is one of the best Chinese baking books. There are 5 different methods of making swiss roll cakes, 5 methods of making fillings for the swiss rolls, 3 methods of rolling, step-by-step illustrations, and comes with 2 DVDs. I pick the easiest swiss roll from this book - chiffon cake method for the cake base which I am more familiar with + fresh cream filling.

Here's my very first swiss roll. Though not perfectly round, with slight cracks and still some mess after rolling, I am quite satisfied and happy with myself for doing something I am initially reluctant to try. If something is holding back you from doing it, I hope this will inspire you to try making swiss rolls. Still one more week left before the swiss roll month ends. :)

Chocolate Swiss Roll 可可蛋糕卷

Ingredients (36cm x 26cm baking tin)

Chiffon cake:
20g cocoa powder
40g hot water
60g egg yolks (~3 eggs)
50g sugar
50g vegetable oil
30g milk
75g cake flour

120g egg whites (~3 eggs)
65g sugar

Filling:
180g dairy whipping cream
20g sugar

Method

Filling:
1. Put fresh cream in a bowl and place over another big bowl filled with ice cubes. Whisk fresh cream until thick.
2. Add in sugar and whisk until stiff.

Chiffon cake:
1. Dissolve cocoa powder in hot water and set aside.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
3. Slowly whisk in oil and milk.
4. Add in chocolate mixture in step (1).
5. Sift in cake flour and whisk until batter is smooth. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, gradually add in sugar in 3 batches. Continue whisking until stiff peak form.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 5), then fold in the remaining 2/3 egg white gently until well-mixed.
8. Pour the batter into a lined and greased baking tin. Level the batter, give the tin a few slight bangs on the table to knock out air in the batter. Bake in preheated oven at 175 deg C for 12 minutes (I use top rack).
9. Remove cake from pan. When one side is cooled, flip the cake over, tear away the baking paper and leave to cool the other side.
10. Spread filling on the cake and roll up. Chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from: 孟老师的美味蛋糕卷

I am submitting this Chocolate Swiss Roll to Aspiring Bakers #9: Swiss Rolling Good Times (July 2011), hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food.

Aspiring Bakers Announcement
I hardly realize, time really flies. Aspiring Bakers is almost 1 year old and I have not planned for who are going to be our hosts for the next few months.

Looking for host for Aspiring Bakers from November 2011 onwards. If you have participated in Aspiring Bakers before, you are welcome to pick a theme and be our host. I know it is hard work checking the emails and compiling the long list of entries. But we really need some volunteers for this wonderful event to continue.

Please email me if you are interested.
smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg

Soft & Spongy Banana Cake

2011-07-20T12:40:00.000+08:00

I'm becoming very slow in updating my bakes. Better write this post before I forget about it.
This Soft & Spongy Banana Cake was baked last month, recipe from Wen's Delight and very well-rated by many bloggers.

The 2 important steps to making this cake well is:

1. Whisking the eggs and sugar to the right ribbon stage, till thick and stiff.

2. Folding the oil into the batter well. As the oil content is high, have to be careful not to underfold or overfold as it will result in a dense cake.

I'm glad I had done it without many mistakes. The cake was light and spongy. I prefer not to add any essence to my cakes, makes my cakes taste better and natural. Keeping this good recipe!

Soft & Spongy Banana Cake

Ingredients (makes one 8 inch round tin)

150g eggs
130g sugar
200g banana (very ripe, cut into small pieces)
150g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
100g corn oil (or any vegetable oil except olive oil)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degree C.
2. Grease and line tin with baking paper.
3. Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Sieve twice and set aside.
4. Whisk eggs, sugar and sliced bananas at max. speed till stiff/ribbon stage. (For Kenwood Chef - approx 10-13mins)
5. Fold in sifted flour and mix well. (Can use spatular or hand to mix)
6. Add in oil and mix well till batter is shiny and flowing.
7. Pour into baking tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: Wen's Delight - full recipe or half recipe, and a step-by-step slideshow.

KTM Bukit Timah Railway Station and Railway Tracks

2011-07-11T14:30:00.004+08:00

Yesterday I went to take a short walk along the KTM railway tracks, which will only be opened until this Sunday (the stretch between Rifle Range Road and the Rail Mall until end of the month). Not going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Yes, we can always see railway tracks elsewhere but walking on the tracks safely without worrying about oncoming trains, this will be the only chance.

I started from the Railway Bridge at Bukit Timah Road (near King Albert Park McDonald's). It was so crowded on a Sunday morning. I was taking photos of people instead of the bridge! Guess it is one of the most popular photo-taking spot. I have to admit, I never knew it was a railway bridge when passing by that area!

This is the Bukit Timah Railway Station. It will be conserved.

The KTM railway tracks and scenery. Look at the crowd. There were families, children, elderly, people coming from all parts of Singapore, it was like a big Singapore gathering. Very fun! I just took photos around that area and not trekking along the tracks. It was not easy to walk on the tracks filled with stones and pebbles. Did anyone ask why train tracks are filled with so many stones? I think it is for supporting and stabilizing the tracks and provide drainage.

If you want to walk along the railway tracks, here's a good map guide and suggested walking routes.
http://www.thegreencorridor.org/2011/07/07/overview-map-of-railway/

Hakka Yong Tau Foo 客家酿豆腐

2011-07-04T13:50:00.000+08:00

我不常光顾食阁或小贩中心的酿豆腐摊位，因为酿的馅料大多数都只是鱼肉，跟我妈妈以前做的酿豆腐有差。

我小时候吃的酿豆腐都是酿猪肉加鱼肉，有时也会加入咸鱼。比外面卖的好吃多了。不过自从妈妈吃素以后，这道菜也在餐桌上消失了。对酿豆腐的味道总是念念不忘，前天决定亲自动手试试。

这是简化了的酿豆腐，少了不健康的咸鱼。妈妈从头到尾都在一旁指导，从怎么酿馅料到怎么煎豆腐。还好有她帮忙，我第一次做酿豆腐，看起来还挺不错的！不过还是有待进步。

以前我们酿豆腐是做一大锅的，然后吃上好几天。以下是小份量的酿豆腐。如果喜欢，还可以酿豆卜、辣椒、羊角豆、苦瓜、香菇、茄子等。

客家酿豆腐

材料：
3个豆干
75克猪肉碎
75克鱼浆
2粒马蹄
少许青葱粒
1/2个鸡蛋

调味：
1/2茶匙盐
1茶匙胡椒粉
1茶匙玉米粉
1茶匙麻油
1茶匙蚝油
1茶匙蒜油

做法：
1。马蹄洗净，去皮切碎。
2。猪肉碎，鱼浆，马蹄碎，青葱粒和鸡蛋搅拌均匀，加入调味腌10分钟。
3。豆干洗净拍干，切开成三角形，中间挖去一小块豆干，撒上玉米粉，把肉馅酿入。
4。油烧热，先把酿豆腐酿肉的一面煎至金黄，再把豆腐的两面煎至金黄。
5。加水焖10-15分钟，加少许盐，酱青，蚝油调味即可。

取自：优1周289期

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

2011-06-28T07:50:00.001+08:00

This is my first time posting something unrelated to food and baking.

Don't laugh at me. I have never been on a train before, never in Singapore, never in other countries too. I have also never been to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. Living in the West part of Singapore, by the time I reach the train station, I would have reached the causeway already. So it doesn't make sense to take a train to Malaysia. So when it is going to cease operation on 1 July, everyone suddenly got interested in visiting Malaysia by train.

I was there two weeks ago trying to get tickets to JB. The tickets were hot since it was the school holidays. I was not lucky enough, the tickets for the next day were all sold out (can only buy the tickets 24 hours in advance for short distance trains, not further than Segamat). Too bad, I could only take some photographs of the train station.

I won't be trying for tickets already. We can always take trains in future. But the scenery along the railway within Singapore will be missed. I hope the railway tracks will not be demolished. Maybe they can develop it into some tourist attractions, add sightseeing trains 观光火车, and make some green and recreational facilities along the railways.

If you feel the same way, support The Green Corridor!

Aspiring Bakers #8: Potato Hotdog Buns 马铃薯热狗面包

2011-06-21T09:30:00.002+08:00

I'm becoming very slow in updating my bakes. This was baked almost 1 month ago and I lost what I was ready to write about.

Anyway, to keep this short, this is another recipe from 孟老师的100道面包. It uses some mashed potato in the dough. It makes the dough very sticky and difficult to handle. Everytime when you try to push with your palms, the dough sticks to your whole palm. To avoid the mess, I simply throw the dough on the table, fold, and throw, and fold and continue until the dough become elastic and easier to manage. See the video from Carol below.

Instead of making 5 hotdog buns, I made 3 and the other 2 into Vegetarian Otah Buns for my mum. It was a great idea! Someday I must buy some otah and make otah buns for myself.

Dough: Very sticky
Same day softness: 8/10
Next day softness: 7.5/10

Potato Hotdog Buns 马铃薯热狗面包

Ingredients (makes 5)

(A)
110g bread flour
40g cake flour
15g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
70g cold water
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 egg yolk (18-20g)
30g mashed potato (remove skin, steam and mash)
(B)
15g unsalted butter
(C)
5 hotdogs
tomato sauce

Method

1. Mix all ingredients in (A) and knead until the dough is smooth.
2. Add in butter and continue to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic and able to stretch into a thin film without breaking.
3. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let proof for about 60 minutes.
4. Lightly knead the dough to punch out the gas. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Roll round, cover with cling wrap and rest for 10 minutes.
5. Slightly flatten the dough, roll flat into rectangle shape with width approximately the same as the length of a hotdog. Put the hotdog in the centre, fold the dough from 2 sides to wrap and pinch to seal well.
6. Use a scissors, make 5 equal cuts along the length of the dough. Make sure you cut through the hotdog but do not cut through the dough. Shape the bread, cover with cling wrap and proof for another 25 minutes.
7. Brush the top with egg mixture and drizzle some tomato sauce on top.
8. Bake in preheated oven at 175 deg C for about 19 minutes (upper rack).

Recipe adapted from: 孟老师的100道面包

I am submitting this Potato Hotdog Buns to Aspiring Bakers #8: Bread Seduction (June 2011), hosted by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious.

Aspiring Bakers #8: Mini Butter Buns 牛油小面包

2011-06-11T16:05:00.002+08:00

After my bread machine died in September last year while making the Super Soft Custard Bread, I finally muster enough courage to make bread again, by hand.

I first saw these mini butter buns from Min's blog and find them really cute. The recipe is also simple enough for me who is starting breadmaking all over again. The dough is easy for me to manage, it turn non-sticky after kneading for sometime. Wrapping the buns with butter needs a bit of time and effort, other than that I'm quite enjoying the whole process. :)

I like the smell of breads fresh from the oven, you know when you walk pass the bakeries? This time the smell comes from my kitchen. It makes you forget how your wrestle with the dough earlier and the few hours spent just to make these buns. Although the ingredients are simple (no eggs and milk/cream used), the softness of the bread is still good. Surprisingly, on the next day, it still remain as good as yesterday.

Dough: Not sticky
Same day softness: 7/10
Next day softness: 7/10

Mini Butter Buns 牛油小面包 (from 孟老师的三色土司)

Ingredients (makes 25 mini buns)

Dough:
150g bread flour
15g sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2+1/8 tsp instant yeast (sorry for the funny measurements because I halved the recipe)
90ml water
10g unsalted butter

Filling:
50g butter
10g icing sugar
pinch of salt (I added because I like it a bit salty)

Method

1. Mix the ingredients in the filling. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour so that it is easier to wrap later.
2. Mix all ingredients in the dough except butter and knead until the dough is smooth.
3. Add in butter and continue to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic and able to stretch into a thin film without breaking.
4. Place the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover with cling wrap and let proof for about 60 minutes.
5. Lightly knead the dough to punch out the gas. Divide the dough into small balls of 10g each.
6. Slightly flatten the small dough, wrap in the butter fillings and pinch to seal well. Roll the balls round and place them in a greased baking tray 1cm apart (I use 8x8in tray which is a little too big).
7. Cover with cling wrap and proof for another 40 minutes.
8. Brush the top with egg mixture and sprinkle sugar on top.
9. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 20 minutes.

Recipe adapted from: 孟老师的100道面包 and Min's Blog

I am submitting this Mini Butter Buns to Aspiring Bakers #8: Bread Seduction (June 2011), hosted by Jasmine of The Sweetylicious.

Aspiring Bakers #7: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-26T08:00:00.001+08:00

A brand new start for my baking journey. I'm slowly picking up speed and baking more often than before.

I have not baked any cookies (except for cny) for a long time. As my packet of chocolate chips is dangerously near the expiry date, the chocolate theme for Aspiring Bakers come at the right time.

As I'm quite a fan of Chinese baking books, one of them is 孟老师, I almost feel like baking every single recipe in her book. No, I'm not aspiring to be another Julie (from Julie and Julia). So this is the chocolate chips cookies from her book 孟老师的100道手工饼干. Taste good for home-bake cookies. Crunchiness 7/10. Still looking for the Famous Amos cookies. I remember I bookmark a chinese website for FA cookies recipe before but can't seem to find it. I have too many bookmarked recipes. ;p

Chocolate Chip Cookies 巧克力豆饼干

Ingredients (makes 28 pieces)

100g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
50g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
45g egg, lightly beaten
150g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
80g chocolate chips

Method

1. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract until well-mixed.
2. Slowly drizzle in the egg, beat till fluffy.
3. Sift in cake flour and baking powder and fold in till well-mixed.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Drop small teaspoons of dough (about 15g each, 2cm diameter) on baking tray.
6. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 deg C (top rack) for 20-25 minutes.
(Off the oven, leave the cookies in the oven for another 10 minutes for crispier cookies.)

Recipe adapted from: 孟老师的100道手工饼干

I am submitting this Chocolate Chip Cookies to Aspiring Bakers #7: Chocolate Delight (May 2011), hosted by Doris of Tested & Tasted.

Non-Bake Oreo Cheesecake

2011-05-20T07:40:00.000+08:00

Since my brother shifted new home and bringing his 3 kids back home every weekend, I finally have more space and time to spend in the kitchen. I have made steamed cakes, cheesecakes, layered cakes and even chinese dumplings.

Unlike in the past when I posted every single food that I had made, even if they failed and turned out ugly, I'm becoming more and more perfectionist nowadays. So many of them might not appear in my blog because either they fail due to my inexperience in making them or fail in taste and needs some more trials to fine-tune my recipes.

This Non-Bake Oreo Cheesecake is one of the better ones. Believe it or not. This is my first time making non-bake cheesecakes. The one and only fear I have for making non-bake cheesecakes is how to take the cake out after chilling without destroying the cake.

According to this book "The Ultimate Indulgence Cheesecake" by Alan Kok （芝味十足）, that I have just borrowed.

1. The cookies used to make the base must be crushed until very fine so that it is not crumbly after making them.

2. Use a piece of hot towel to rub the sides of baking tin for easy removal of cake from the tin.

As I'm using a loose-bake cake tin instead of a cake ring, I also have the challenge of how to transfer the cheesecake from the tin to a plate or cake board safely. From our cheesecake expert Jess@Bakericious,

1) The biscuit crumbs must be pressed firmly to the cake tin base, so that the biscuit base will be tight enough and not crack when you try to unmould it from the cake tin base.

2) Chill it at least 2 hrs before you remove from fridge to pour the cheese batter on it.

3) Use a big spactula to loosen 1 corner of the biscuit base and insert in through the bottom of the base. Slowly lift up the cake a bit and insert another spactula. Cross both spactula to support, lift up the whole cake slowly and transfer to the cake board.

I follow all the tips and manage to transfer my Oreo Cheesecake successfully!
(Not the case for my mango cheesecake, the digestive biscuit base crumble and I fail.)

I like this cheesecake very much and I receive very good response from everyone who eat it. Although I'm using non-dairy cream, the result is still very creamy and does not make you feel greasy after eating too much. Keeping this to my favourite list and it will be perfect for any birthday cakes in future. :)

Non-Bake Oreo Cheesecake (I use half of Jess's recipe, refer to hers for 8 inch tin)

Ingredients (makes one 6 inch loose-base round tin)

Biscuit Base:
50g Oreo cookies
25g melted butter

Cream Cheese Filling:
125g cream cheese
15g icing sugar
30ml milk
1/2 tbsp gelatin powder + 35g water
130ml whipping cream - whipped till medium peak (dairy or non-dairy)

1/2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5 Oreo cookies, blend finely or crush to small pieces (own preference)

Oreo topping:
3 Oreo cookies, blend or crush till as fine as possible

Method

Biscuit Base:
1. Remove the cream from the Oreo cookies. Blend or crush the cookies as fine as possible.
2. Combine with the melted butter. Press firmly onto the base of the cake tin.
3. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Cream Cheese Filling:
1. Measure water into a bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin (without stirring with a spoon). Set aside to allow the gelatin grains to swell (10 mins) before setting the bowl over a pot of simmering hot water. Stir with a spoon and once the gelatin melts, remove the bowl from the pot and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2. Beat cream cheese with icing sugar till well combined.
3. Add in fresh milk and mix till well combined. Add in gelatin mixture and mix well.
4. Fold in whipped cream and divide mixture into 2 portions.
5. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies into 1 portion and maple syrup (or honey) and vanilla extract into the other portion.
6. Pour in the white portion into the chilled biscuit base. Level the cream cheese filling and put it into the fridge to let it set.
7. Pour the Oreo cream cheese filling onto the set white cream cheese and level it.
8. Put into the fridge to let it set for 2 to 3 hours. (I put in freezer to have ice cream alike texture)
9. Remove from freezer, sprinkle Oreo cookies on top (or decorate as desire) and put back to freeze it.
10. Slice and serve chilled. (refer to tips above)

Recipe adapted from: Bakericious

Do your backup: Part 2

2011-05-16T14:56:00.001+08:00

This is Part 2 of Do your backup: A day after Blogger is down.

I feel a need to post more information about backing up our blog. The first part of Do your backup can only save your posts, pages and comments.

Backing up your blog template

The design of your blog (that is, the layout) is not saved. So you need to backup your blog template as well, especially if you are using some templates not from Blogger or have made changes to the default template.

This is the way you save your blog template. It takes less than a minute to do.

1) From your Dashboard, click "Design".

2) Click "Edit HMTL".

3) You will see a page like this (see below). Click "Download Full Template". Your blog template will be saved as a .xml file in your hard drive. And you are done!

3) To load back your saved template, just click "Choose File", select the .xml file from your hard drive (please don't mix this up with the .xml file for blog posts backup), click "Upload", everything will be back to the point of time you have saved it. (Please don't anyhow play with uploading templates, cos it will cause your gadgets to be gone and cannot be restored.)

If you are happy with everything that you have done, thinking that the backing up process is completed. WRONG!

There are still the GADGETS, which appear on your top/side/bottom bars, which I guess all of you have added to your blog. These gadgets are not saved after saving your posts and template. Sadly, the gadgets cannot be restored automatically.

I will share with you my way of saving them in my next post. Need some time to write.

Lastly, I'm not an expert in computer. I actually quite bad at this. All these are based on reading the Help section of Blogger.

If you have better ways of backing up a blog, please share with us, cos I'm not very good at this.

Do your backup: A day after Blogger is down

2011-05-15T08:10:00.004+08:00

I'm writing this post to remind everyone using Blogger to do a backup of all your posts.

2 days ago, Blogger was down and I was unable to login. Yesterday when it was back again, I login to find out that some of my most recent comments were gone and some of the recent edits to my posts were also missing. I was lucky that the damage was not too much. I read through my blog lists and find that everyone using Blogger was affected. I hope no one suffer huge damage.

The first thing I did is to do a backup of all my posts. I did this once in a while, but sometimes I didn't because I either forget, ignore it, or thinking that "nothing will happen, no need to do backup". Before you regret, please do your backup NOW.

This is the way I usually do backup. It takes only a minute to do.

1) From your Dashboard, click "Settings". You will see a page like this (see below).

2) Under Blog Tools, click "Export blog". You will be asked to save your blog as a .xml file in your hard drive. Click "Download blog" to save. And you are done!

3) If let's say you want to load your saved blog, under Blog Tools, click "Import blog", select the .xml file, everything will be back to the point of time you have saved it.

4) If you want to try the above (import blog), I suggest you create a dummy blog to do it, just in case you do damage to your blog. Just create a new blog, import blog and see if everything is back. You can delete this dummy blog after "experimenting". If you want to keep your dummy blog, remember to set "Permissions" to "Only Blog authors" can view, so that we will see not duplicate blogs. :)

Note: Please note that you can only backup all your posts, pages and comments using the above method. It cannot save the design and layout of your blog. The contents of your side bars will not be saved. Let me know if you know how to do it.

If you have better ways of backing up a blog, please share with us, cos I'm not very good at this.

Aspiring Bakers #7: Chocolate-Bottom Banana Squares

2011-05-10T07:30:00.001+08:00

If you have been seeing this cake posted by bloggers almost every other days, it means MUST BAKE! There are 2 popular versions of this cake. One is from Hearty Bakes, conveniently converted from cups to grams by Min. The other is a healthier version using oil instead of butter by Cook.Bake.Love.

I choose the butter cake version by Hearty Bakes. Texture of the cake is very good, very soft and light butter cake. Unfortunately, the banana taste is not very obvious. Perhaps the bananas are not overriped enough. I wonder which type of bananas are most suitable for baking. I always use the small types which I prefer to eat. The other thing is my butter cakes are always not fragrant enough. Which brand of butter do you use for butter cakes? Do you use margarine? Maybe you can give me some advice.

This is my version topped with both white and milk chocolate chips. :)

Chocolate-Bottom Banana Squares

Ingredients (makes 1 8x8 inch square tin)

113g butter
60g sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium-sized bananas, slightly mashed (about 200g)
180g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cocoa mixture:
25g cocoa powder + 2 tbsp milk
(Original is 30g cocoa powder. I added milk because it is too dry to mix.)

Toppings:
White and milk chocolate chips

Method

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly drizzle in the egg, then add in vanilla extract and mashed bananas. Beat till creamy.
3. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and baking soda together and fold in 3 separate batches. Mix well with a spatula.
4. Divide the batter into 2 equal portions. Mix 1 portion with cocoa powder and milk.
5. Pour the chocolate batter first, spread evenly (this mixture is quite thick).
6. Pour the plain batter on top of the chocolate batter, spread evenly.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 25-30mins.

Recipe adapted from: Hearty Bakes and Min's Blog

I am submitting this Chocolate-Bottom Banana Squares to Aspiring Bakers #7: Chocolate Delight (May 2011), hosted by Doris of Tested & Tasted.

Some thoughts about Aspiring Bakers and a Durian Layered Cake

2011-05-02T08:48:00.000+08:00

Some thoughts about Aspiring Bakers

So fast, we have already hosted Aspiring Bakers 6 times! Check out the wonderful roundups here.

From our favourite chiffon cakes and fruit and cheese themes to special occasions like Christmas, CNY and Valentine's, we have received so many wonderful entries from all the food bloggers. The Fruity March theme was the most popular with 185 entries! Thanks to all the hosts for the hard work. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, I have discovered many new blogs through this event. Those who have not participated yet, please join us from now on!

As the creator of this event, my job is to liaise with the hosts each month, such as coming up with new themes, giving them some reminders of our rules and clarifying any doubts. Although I know the new themes firsthand, I never know how many entries are submitted. So on the first day of each month, I'm always anxious to see the roundups. :)

I'm very serious about this Aspiring Bakers event and very strict too, some hosts might know. :) After every roundup, I check through each and every entry submitted. Make sure that they abide by the rules (must state submitted to Aspiring Bakers) and the links are correct. I count the total number entries, many times. I key them into an Excel spreadsheet to count the number of entries submitted by everyone. And then update them on Aspiring Bakers Family page. This usually takes a few days. The reason is I want to see who is actively participating and who participate continuously without breaks in between. I'm thinking of some rewards to them in future. :)

As for the future themes, they will be decided by our hosts. But I have a whole list of themes that I wish we can do. Do visit my Facebook page to vote and suggest new themes. Those who want to host the event, you can email to: smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg. It will be from November 2011 onwards.

A Durian Layered Cake

This I don't really feel like posting. But for the record of my baking experience. Here it is. I really wanted to practise making layered cakes, so this is my second after my birthday cake. A vanilla sponge cake that uses whole egg method. I always have problem folding the flour in. Texture-wise, I still prefer separated egg method.

Cake is poorly frosted. Should have whipped the cream a little longer and chill it longer before cutting. But I just can't wait to cut, take photos, and eat! I will surely make it again. When the durians get cheaper. :)

My Birthday Cake: Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Butter Ganache

2011-04-21T07:46:00.000+08:00

有时候，做蛋糕的过程跟人生都一样，人算不如天算。不管你计划的有多周详，都会有达不到自己的要求或意想不到的结果。

I'm talking about the birthday cake that I first time make for myself this year. I'm supposed to do the following: Bake a chocolate chiffon cake, cut into 3 layers, sandwich the layers and cover the whole cake with butter ganache, coat the sides with chocolate rice. And so far so good. I'm glad I have taken a photo of it while waiting for the ganache to set.

Then I tried to act smart and wanted to pipe some decorations on top ~~inspired~~ copied from a book. But my pipings turned out so horrible that I scraped away all of them and turning the glossy ganache on top into a little mess. I decided that plain and simple is good and left it as it is. It's my birthday cake! As long as I like it, it doesn't matter how it looks.

Indeed, this cake reflects a true part of me, my looks, my character and my thoughts. I'm just so plain that I prefer to be sitting at one corner and no one will notice. I don't look for any excitement in life. I just want to be safe and healthy and being happy in my life. And these will remain as my birthday wishes every year.

See the 3 layers of cake, sandwiched with ganache, not too obvious.

A side story. IhopeyoucanreadwhatIamwritingwithoutusingspacebarbecausemyspacebarisspoilt. I'm typing extremely slow with this post cos my spacebar key is spoilt. I think my nieces did something to it when I'm away from keyboard. Now I can only press the round part (see arrow) when I need a spacebar!

Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Butter Ganache

Ingredients (makes one 6 inch round tin)

Chocolate Chiffon Cake (Carol 自在生活)
3 egg yolks
15g sugar
20g vegetable oil
30ml milk
35g cake flour
20g cocoa powder

3 egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice (omitted)
35g sugar

Butter Ganache (Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh)
200g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

* I have some leftover, maybe can reduce to 150g dark chocolate and 75g unsalted butter.

Method

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add in vegetable oil and whisk until well-mixed.

3. Sift cake flour and cocoa powder together. Add in, alternating with milk, in 2 batches. Whisk until batter is smooth and set aside.

4. In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy, then add in lemon juice and sugar (in 2 batches) and continue whisking until stiff peak form.

5. Fold in 1/3 of the egg white into the egg yolk batter (in step 3), then pour the batter into the remaining 2/3 egg white. Fold gently until well-mixed.

6. Pour the batter into a baking tin lined and greased at the base. Give the tin a few slight bangs on the table to knock out air in the batter. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for 32-35 minutes (I bake at 170 deg C for 30 minutes).

7. Remove from oven and invert the tin immediately onto a cooling rack.
(Not sure if I should unmould the cake to cool or unmould after the cake has completely cooled just like chiffon cakes, any advice here?)

Butter Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place them in a bowl.
2. Put the bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is melted.
3. Add in the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Use when it is slightly cooled and still in pouring consistency.

Assembling the cake

1. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers.
2. Sandwich the butter ganache in between cake layers.
3. Cover the whole cake with butter ganache.
4. Coat the side of the cake with chocolate rice.
5. Put any desired decorations on top.
6. Chill before serving.

Recipe adapted from: Carol 自在生活 and Temptation of Chocolate by Alex Goh 浓情巧克力.

One Lovely Blog Award

2011-04-02T09:40:00.006+08:00

Thank you Edith of pReCiouS MoMentS, Honey Boy of Cosy Bake, Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake, Yummy Koh and Cherry Potato for this "One Lovely Blog" award.

Here are the rules to abide in order to accept this award and they are:

1. Post linking back to the person that gave you the award
2. Share 7 random things about yourself
3. Award 15 recently discovered blogs
4. Drop them a note and tell them about it.

I'm skipping the part about 7 random things about me.

I guess many of you have already received this award, so I try not to pass to the same people. I'm dedicating this award to these wonderful new blogs (created in 2010 or later), some of which I have discovered through Aspiring Bakers.

1. Agnes of Agnes Bakes
2. Nancy of Bake for a Queen
3.. Lina of CrustaBakes
4. Loh Wai Fong of Fong's Kitchen Journal
5. Jessie of Hearty Bakes
6. Janice of home cook baker
7. Jessica of Jes's Deli Corner
8. SCP of Love to Cook and Cook to Be Loved
9. Yvonne of Muimui25
10. Janine of Not the Kitchen Sink!
11. Sotong of Sotong Cooks
12. NEL of The Batter Baker
13. Alan of Travellingfoodies
14. myme of 最爱的
15. Joceline of ‘爱’生活 My Life

Aspiring Bakers #5: Orange Butter Cake

2011-03-26T08:30:00.003+08:00

Blogging is a secret hobby of mine.

Although my family and friends do know that I bake. Only my mum and a few friends know that I actually write a baking blog. They don't know that I am also called Small Small Baker or SSB in the blogging world. So friends who have added me (as in my real name, not my Small Small Baker's page) in Facebook, please do not call me SSB. I will like to keep this blog a secret so that I can talk nonsense here without worrying that they might read it. :)

I do not want to miss another month of Aspiring Bakers again. We got plenty of mangoes at home because they are so cheap now. I made a mango chiffon cake and it turns out to be the worst chiffon cake. So in order to put out something for this month, I have to bake something that is easy and failproof.

This Orange Butter Cake is adapted from Lemon Butter Cake from Nasi Lemak Lover. It has been in my bookmark list quite a while. Nice time to pull it out to try. The result is great! I always prefer lighter cakes and seldom like butter cakes. But this is a light butter cake, not too heavy and greasy. The glaze topping is a must, never never omit it!

Orange Butter Cake

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf tin, I use 6 inch round tin)

125g butter (I use 100g butter and 25g margarine)
100g sugar (I use 80g)
2 large eggs (about 150g)
1/2 orange, finely grate the rind
175g self-raising flour (I use 175g cake flour + 1 tsp baking powder)
4 tbsp milk

Orange glaze
3 tbsp sugar (I use 2 tbsp)
1 orange, extract juice (about 4 tbsp)
1/2 orange, finely grate the rind

Method

1. Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy.
2. Add in the eggs one by one, then add in orange rind, mixing well.
3. Fold in the flour, baking powder and milk, combine well.
4. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper.
5. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170C for 35-40mins.
6. Mix sugar and orange juice and cook over low heat till sugar dissolved, add in orange rind, set aside.
7. When cake done, remove cake from the oven and prick all over with a skewer.
8. Pour over the orange glaze over the hot cake.
9. Ideally to leave cake to set overnight, to have better flavour.

Recipe adapted from: Lemon Butter Cake from Nasi Lemak Lover and Jane's Corner

I am submitting this Orange Butter Cake to Aspiring Bakers #5: Fruity March (Mar 2011), hosted by Jess of Bakericious.

Golden Pineapple Balls and Winner of Giveaway

2011-02-08T08:30:00.002+08:00

恭喜发财！万事如意！

How did you spend the 1st week of CNY celebrating? Visiting relatives and friends? Feasting and tossing yusheng? Going to River Hongbao or Sentosa Flowers?

I watch "It's A Great Great World《大世界》" with my parents who have not stepped into a cinema for the past 20 years! Our whole family also went up on the Singapore Flyer for the first time too!

Here's the Golden Pineapple Balls which I bake before CNY using the recipe from The Little Teochew. For the past few years, I have been using the creaming method for the pastry. This recipe uses the rub-in method. The result is a crispier crust. Personally, I still prefer the creaming method used in my previous recipe which gives a more melt-in-the-mouth texture.

Finally, here's what you are waiting for. The result of my first giveaway.
The winner is Edith of pReCiouS MoMentS.
Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address to smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg.

Thanks to everyone who have participated!

Aspiring Bakers announcement
I have done some updates to our Aspiring Bakers Family page after the overwhelming response in Aspiring Bakers #3. We have 38 new members added and the top member (with the most entries submitted) is currently Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen with 11 entries. Perhaps I will do a giveaway related to Aspiring Bakers in future. So do join in for more fun! :)

Happy Rabbit Year!

2011-02-02T08:20:00.001+08:00

Red packet. Hong Bao. Ang Pao. 红包.
In Singapore, red packets are given to children and the unmarried by the married. I have reached the age when it is awkward to receive hongbaos. But I still gladly receive them from my parents and siblings every year. What do you do with your hongbaos? I used to take out the money after the 15th day and return the empty red packets to my mother for collection (see below). These few years, I keep the hongbaos with the money intact for at least a year. For good luck and wealth, I hope. :)

These are my mother's hongbao collection. She did not buy a single one. All are given from promotions and those empty red packets which we return to her.

These are from Hay Dairies. We drink this goat milk for many years already.

From the banks.

See the very old POSB hongbao?

From the shops.

All the 福.

And more.

The old ones. See the smallest red packet on the bottom?

Here's wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Rabbit Year!

恭祝大家：兔飞猛进，兔气扬眉，兔然好运，兔然发财，兔年吉祥！

Aspiring Bakers #3: Bunny Pineapple Tarts and my 1st Giveaway

2011-01-29T07:40:00.002+08:00

It's going to be Rabbit year! After seeing Peng's Kitchen cute bunny pineapple tarts, I made a whole batch of them. However, they look more like hamsters than rabbits. Anyway, rabbits do like a bit like hamsters right? :)

I'm using the same recipe as last year's Golden Pillow Pineapple Tarts. The shaping method is the same too. Just remember to snip the ears and poke the eyes with a skewer.

These are the bunnies before baking. I learn from Cook.Bake.Love's method of glazing pineapple tarts. Add a few drops of water to 1 egg yolk. Bake in the oven for about 6 minutes first, remove from oven to apply egg wash, then put back to oven and continue to bake until done.

I am submitting this cookie to Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favourite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011), hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Announcement!

Today, my page counter finally hits the 500,000 mark. That's half a million and I take more than 3 years to reach this. My first post was written on 21 June 2007. To me, it's a very hard-to-remember date and I have never celebrated any blog anniversary because I never remember this date.

I think it is time to shown some appreciation to all my readers who have been following me all the while, leaving wonderful comments and encouragement. I know some readers have been with me, reading silently. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Although it's a virtual world and we have never met before, blogging gives me the satisfaction that real life doesn't and makes baking more fun.

To thank everyone, here's my first blog giveaway.

Yummy Cheesecake 美味芝士蛋糕 which contains 38 baked cheesecakes recipes, written in both English and Chinese.

1. Baked Strawberry Cheesecake
2. Bananarama Cheesecake
3. Blueberry Cheesecake
4. Apple Pie Cheesecake
5. Mango Macadamia Cheesecake
6. Jackfruit Cheesecake
7. Pineapple Cheesecake
8. Apricot Cheesecake
9. Orange Sour Cream Topped Cheesecake
10. Orange and Chocolate Chips Cheesecake
11. Baked Lime Cheesecake
12. Citrus Cheesecake
13. Lemon Curd Cheesecake
14. Double Cheesy Cheesecake
15. Cookie and Cream Cheesecake
16. Chocolate Feather-Patterned Cheesecake
17. Black and White Cheesecake
18. Almond Crumble Cheesecake
19. Creamy Sweet Corn Cheesecake
20. Yam Cheesecake
21. Velvety Honey Cheesecake
22. Rum and Raisin Cheesecake
23. Bailey Coffee Cheesecake
24. Caramel Cheesecake
25. Creamy Coconut Cheesecake
26. Orange Cheese Dome
27. Cream Cheese and Mixed Fruit Butter Cake
28. Prune Cheese Pound Cake
29. Carrot Cheesecake
30. Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
31. Tiramisu Torte
32. Cream Cheese Chiffon Cake
33. Pandan Cheese Chiffon Cake
34. Honey Cheese Swiss Roll
35. Mocha Light Cheesecake
36. Cotton Cheesecake
37. Poppy Seeds Cheese Cup Cakes
38. Chocolate Chips Cheesecake Muffins

I do not own this book. I bought this book specially for the giveaway and there is only 1 copy. After flipping it through, I found that I have actually tried Mocha Light Cheesecake from this book before. I must have copied it down when browsing at the bookstore. So the lucky winner of this book, remember to share the recipes with me. :)

To take part in this giveaway, just leave a comment telling me which cheesecake(s) you will like to try baking from this book if you win and why. Winner will be picked using a random number generator.

The closing date is: 4 Feb 2011 before 12 midnight.

This is open to everyone who has a Singapore or Malaysia mailing address.

Aspiring Bakers #3: Cashew Nut Cookies 2011 腰豆饼

2011-01-22T15:25:00.004+08:00

Cashew Nut Cookies 2008
Cashew Nut Cookies 2009
Cashew Nut Cookies 2010
Cashew Nut Cookies 2011

I'm a boring and unadventurous person. This is my 4th year making this Cashew Nut Cookies and I'm still using the same old recipe. I shall not repeat and talk the same old stories about how I missed the days I used to bake these cookies with my mum. In fact, this year I did a mini experiment with my old recipe.

I've heard about how adding cornflour can make cookies more melt-in-the-mouth. I've also heard about how adding cornflour can make cookies more crunchy. Don't they contradict themselves? I have also received enquiries about omitting the baking powder.

So I did some experiment in 3 different batches:
Batch 1 - the original recipe with plain flour + cornflour + baking powder
Batch 2 - all plain flour + baking powder (replace cornflour with plain flour)
Batch 3 - plain flour + cornflour (omit baking powder)

The results of the experiment is unbelievable. After trying it for 3 days, 3 at a time. After letting my family try. I still don't find much difference between the 3! If you really want me to choose, I'll pick the one using the original recipe, it is slightly lighter and crunchier then the rest. But mix them all up in the same container and serve, I doubt anyone can tell the difference! Maybe I don't have a digital scale, so my experiment isn't so accurate. ;)

Click here for the original recipe.

I am submitting this cookie to Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favourite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011), hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Announcement
Small Small Baker is now on Facebook! Click 'like' to join as Fans. You will see my bakes before I blog about it and some photos which will not be published in my blog.

I have a giveaway coming very very soon. Check my page for the latest news! :)

Aspiring Bakers #3: Melt-in-mouth German Cookies 德式酥饼

2011-01-16T08:00:00.001+08:00

Besides the usual pineapple tarts and cashew nuts cookies, which I will be baking in the next 2 weeks, I decide to try out this German Cookies which is very popular in the Chinese baking blogs.

Before I start praising about how good these cookies are, let me ask you:

How many blogs are you following?

I think I'm following at least 100 blogs, which I do read regularly and leave comments.
Not counting those blogs which I glimpse through, without commenting and do not read each and every post. I will try to finish my daily blog reading in an hour, so I hardly leave comments. Sorry to my friends out there.

Another reason is I'm pretty bad at words and sometimes, even though I feel like commenting, I don't really know what to type. I will most probably be very repetitive. "Looks great!" "Very pretty!" "Must be very delicious!" That's all I can come up with. ;) But I really mean it. I'm just bad at words.

I also have another habit when I read through baking blogs. Sometimes I can get very interested in a particular blog, usually those which I have followed for some time but not from the beginning. I will take a few weeks to read the blog starting right from the very first post and all the comments. It takes up a lot of time but I enjoy it. It's a good way to know about the person behind the blog. And you can also see the improvement in baking, photo-taking and sometimes a change in writing style. I don't know how many of you actually do this!

I'm going to do something special here. I'm introducing you a blog which I have been recently reading through.

Min's Blog
A Chinese baking blog from Malaysia. Sometimes, you can find her recipes in English.
Her blog was initially a very personal one. Later, she starts to write about her passion like baking, cooking, gardening and travelling. I like her writing style, her photos and the food she has made. Remember to drop by her blog. I will introduce more blogs if I do find one that is worth recommending. :)

Min, 如果你有读到这一段，我是花了几个星期的时间，从头到尾把你的部落格读了一遍。虽然很少留言，你可能没留意到我。但是我觉得应该介绍你给大家。希望你有越来越多读者和支持者!

Coming back to my new year bake. This 德式酥饼 was first read from Min's blog. When I read it again from Cook.Bake.Love, I decided to get a pack of potato starch to give it a try. I did an experiment using different amount of flour. The recipe from Min's blog uses less flour and the dough is very sticky and difficult to roll. The recipe from Cook.Bake.Love uses more flour and easy to handle. After baking, there is not much difference in taste. Both are melt-in-mouth kind and very buttery fragrant using SCS butter. If you have the time, try this out!

Potato starch

Melt-in-mouth German Cookies 德式酥饼

Ingredients (makes 60 pieces)

125g butter
40g icing sugar, sifted
125g potato starch
80g superfine flour (I use plain flour, tried out both 50g and 80g, both good)

Method

1. Beat butter and icing sugar till fluffy and lighter in colour.

2. Sift in potato starch and flour, mix to form a soft dough.

3. Roll into small balls (about 2cm in diameter), arrange on lined baking pan and press lightly with a fork (dip the fork in water after each press to prevent cookie dough from sticking to the fork).

4. Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 15 mins, upper rack (need not bake till cookies turn brown).

Recipe adapted from: Min's blog and Cook.Bake.Love

I am submitting this cookie to Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favourite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011), hosted by j3ss kitch3n.

Happy New Year to Aspiring Bakers family members and all my readers!

2011-01-02T14:10:00.001+08:00

Many bloggers have done a roundup of their favourite recipes in 2010.

For me, not being able to bake that much, the greatest achievement is definitely coming up with the Aspiring Bakers event.

We have finished with 2 themes - Chiffon cakes and Christmas!
This month's theme is also out. Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favourite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011), hosted by Jess of j3ss kitch3n.

Check out the rules of joining this event and the past roundups from my Aspiring Bakers page.

I have also included our Aspiring Bakers family list. ~~Scroll down my blog, it's somewhere below my favourite blog lists.~~ It will be updated regularly in the Aspiring Bakers Family page. Every blogger who has participated in this event will be added to our family. It has now 52 54 members and growing fast!

Anyone who has participated in this event are welcome to be a host for our upcoming events. I have a few in the list for the next few months. If you wish to be a host, email me at smallsmallbaker@yahoo.com.sg. As a host, you can decide the theme too.

Happy New Year to Aspiring Bakers family members and all my readers!