Mango Yoghurt Ice Cream (Eggless)

Solve this problem: Hot weather + Cheap mangoes = ?
The answer is: Mango Ice Cream!

The mangoes are really cheap these days. My mother happened to buy mangoes at a cheap price of $2.40 for 3. So I "steal" some mangoes over to make the Mango Yoghurt Ice Cream adapted from Aunty Yochana's Strawberry Yoghurt Ice Cream.


Few weeks ago, my poor nephew had to stay in the hospital for 3 days because of diarrhoea. His stools were tested and Salmonella bacteria was found. We had no idea how he got contacted with it. But that surely prompt us to take extra care of the food that we gave him, whether at home or outside food. As Salmonella can come from raw eggs, I have decided not to use any ice cream recipes that use eggs. I just want to be safe cos he loves to eat the ice creams that I make.

Come back to this ice cream again. It is EGGLESS! So it's safe for children and anyone who is allergic to eggs. The best thing is, it is SO DELICIOUS! Everyone gives two thumbs up for it. To make sure that I keep this recipe properly and permanently, I make another recipe card for it.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

It's been a long time since I have baked some chocolate cookies. Have been "blog-hopping" around for some recipes until I found this Double Chocolate Mint Cookies from Kitchen Capers. It's interesting to know that the Polo sweets that we eat can be used to make cookies.

I bought 2 tubes of Polo sweets, sort of in a hurry. To my surprise, I got a tube which is flavoured! To those who know me, I'm not a sweets person. I hardly eat any sweets and I can't remember when was the last time I had eaten Polo. I guess I'm too far behind time, Polo mints are actually flavoured now!!


Left with only 1 tube of Polo, I wasn't expecting too much mint flavour this time. Truly, there was hardly any mint flavour in the cookies. As I chopped the Polo sweets coarsely, you can only taste it when there's bits of crushed Polo here and there.


All of a sudden, I was in a very giving mood, and decided to pack one box to give away to my friend and my neighbour with 2 little boys. Just left only a few for myself to test-taste. The kids love it very much!

Vanilla Ice Cream

Almost a year ago, when I signed up for a Premium Service membership at the library which entitles members to borrow 4 additional books/AV items like VCD/DVD/software, etc, I borrowed a VCD called "Ice-Cream Making" by Agnes Chang. The VCD teaches how easy ice creams can be made at home without any ice cream maker. All you need is an electric mixer that will churn out the ice creams in about the same way. I had taken down some useful notes and will share it briefly here.

In that VCD, Agnes Chang introduces 3 ways of making ice cream at home:

1. The simple method (mango ice cream and strawberry ice cream)
This method does not require any eggs and is suitable for people who cannot consume eggs or is worried about consuming semi-cooked eggs. The main ingredients are coffeemate powder, sugar, milk and gelatine powder. However, I do not like the idea of adding gelatine to my ice creams cos it's not suitable for vegetarians so this method is out for me.

2. The quick method (double chocolate ice cream and rum and raisin ice cream)
This method is quick because it does not require the process of freezing until half frozen, whipping, and re-freezing. Just need to freeze one time only. The method involves cooking the custard > adding whipped egg whites > adding whipped cream. The end product is smooth enough and does not require additional whipping. However, I do not like the idea of adding raw egg whites to my ice creams so this method is out for me too.

3. The traditional method (vanilla ice cream and sweet corn ice cream)
This is the traditional way of making ice cream which involves cooking the custard > adding whipping cream and whisk up the mixture when it is half-frozen till smooth and fluffy, then re-freezing. And here I have just tried out her Vanilla Ice Cream using this method.



At last, I have put my Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract to good use. Below is a special recipe card (can I call this a recipe card??) that I have made myself. Hopefully, it will be useful to anyone who wants to make ice creams at home. Oh ya, if you need any recipes for the other methods, I have them too, but I can't tell you how good the result and taste is.

click on picture to enlarge

Coffee Chiffon Cake

I wonder if it's the caffeine or the excitement that keeps me awake at night. Oh, it could be the caffeine cos I can't sleep well if I drink coffee in the day. It could be the excitement too... because I have FINALLY baked a chiffon cake successfully!


Not that I have never succeeded before. I managed to bake Banana Chiffon Cake and Green Tea Chiffon Cake pretty well and standing tall. Then later attempts were disappointment and more disappointment. But I did it again! See, no more sunken top! I'm excited! I keep thinking about what chiffon cakes to make and imagining myself making them successfully again when I can't seem to fall asleep last night.


I love this Kevin Chai's recipe. Simple and great. The texture is just perfect, soft and spongy and not too moist or dry. A must-try for chiffon cake beginners like me!


Coffee Chiffon Cake

Ingredients (6-inch chiffon tin)
2 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee powder
20ml milk
20ml cooking oil
40g self-raising flour

2 egg whites (I use 3 egg whites but it is too much for a 6-inch tin, haha!)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
50g caster sugar (can reduce to 40g)

Method
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar. Stir instant coffee powder with milk until the coffee powder dissolves.
2. Add the coffee mixture and oil into the egg yolk batter. Fold in the flour.
3. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until mixture is foamy. Gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff peak form. (Important!)
4. Gently fold beaten egg white into egg yolk batter (in step 2) until blended in 3 batches.
5. Pour batter into ungreased 6-inch chiffon tin. Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 deg C for 30 mins. (I bake at 180 deg C for the 1st 10 minutes, then reduce to 170 deg C for the next 20 minutes.)
6. Remove from oven and invert cake immediately until it is completely cool.

Recipe modified from: Chiffon Cake is Done by Kevin Chai