Cupcakes fun day!

We had wanted to do this for ages. We did it at last. Just look at what Alya and Umairah had done with the cupcakes. I baked 2 batches of cupcakes. Some went to the cafe. We decorated the rest.

Umairah's

Alya's creations

I just had to join the fun!

Victoria Sandwich Cake

Slightly modified the recipe from Kitchen Guardian. Very simple and nice. Made this today with strawberry jam filling and ganache on top. Will try chocolate version with buttercream filling and ganache topping.

300gm butter

220gm castor sugar

220gm self-raising flour
30gm corn flour

5 large eggs

2 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Strawberry Jam and leftover ganache

Beat butter, sugar and syrup until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one by one. Add vanilla. Fold in sifted flour in 3 batches.

Bake at 180C for 25 minutes. I used 2 8x8" tins.

Moist Chocolate Cake (Angah's)

This is the recipe which Ina And Ijun asked for. I didn't make the topping the first time I tried the recipe. That's why it wasn't so sweet.

The second time I baked this cake, I made the topping. Part of the cake was sold at the cafe, the kids ate the rest. I've received an order for this weekend. Alhamdulillah. I call it

Moist Chocolate Cake with semi sweet topping

2 eggs

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup castor sugar

1 cup brown sugar

A         1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cup chocolate fresh milk

½ cup water + 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder

B         2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ cup cocoa powder

2 cups plain flour

Sift Mix B and premix Mix A.

Beat the eggs with both sugars until fluffy. Add the cooking oil. Add in Mix A and Mix B alternately in 3 batches.

Bake at 160C for 80 minutes.

Topping

½ cup cocoa powder

½ cup condensed milk

1 tablespoon cooking oil

For the topping, place everything in a pan. Stir to slightly heat up. This should be quick. Do not boil.

Once the cake is cooled, pour the topping (while the topping is still warm. It thickens quickly).

Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake

Introduced to me by Kak Maya and fell in love with it.

A    500gm soft cheese

       50gm caster sugar

230gm whipped topping cream

5 egg yolks

120gm plain flour

B        5 egg whites

       120gm caster sugar

50gm chocolate + 1 tablespoon milk.

Beat A until light and fluffy. Then add the cream and beat until smooth.  Add yolks and flour. Leave aside.

Whip B until soft peaks. Mix egg white batter with cheese mix. Leave aside.

Melt chocolate and mix with milk. Add chocolate mix 200gm of cheese mix until smooth.

Grease a 9” round tin. Line bottom only with grease paper. Pour 1/3 plain cheese mix into tin. Then, put dollops of chocolate cheese mix. Finish by topping both layers with remaining cheese mix.

Bake in water bath at 150C for 90 minutes. Enjoy!

Kim's Brownies

Kim is Liyana's friend from Manchester. She came to visit and made this brownie for us. It was so simple and delicious. Although I only got to know Kim for like what, 2 hours, she kindly passed me this recipe. Thank you very much, Kim and Liyana. I call it,

Serious Chocolate Brownie

Mix A
185 gm dark chocolate bar
185 gm butter

Mix B
85 gm plain flour
40 gm cocoa powder

Mix C
3 large eggs
260 gm brown sugar

50 gm white chocolate chunks
50 gm milk chocolate chunks

Melt Mix A. The easiest way is to use the microwave. Leave aside.
Beat Mix C until fluffy. Then add in Mix A and Mix B. Lastly, add the chocolate chunks.
I usually use a 8.5x8.5" tin. If you like thicker bites of brownies, use 8x8" tin. Line the base and two sides (extra length of baking paper on the sides). Grease all over. Bake at 180C for 35 minutes. Don't over bake. Else brownie won't be chewy.

Dila's Moist Chocolate Cake

200 gm caster sugar

250 gm butter

5 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

Mix A

200 gm caster sugar

100 gm cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup water

Mix B

300 gm plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tbsp milk powder

Place Mix A in a pot. Put in on a stove and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool. Can do this the night before. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Put in eggs one by one. Add Mix A a little at a time. Mix well. Add sifted Mix B. Lastly essence of vanilla. Bake at 160C for 80 minutes.

This is with buttercream filling and ganache on top. Yummy!

Muffins!!

Wah! wah! wah! Bibik wants to give it a try. Good luck Bibik!

600 gm self raising flour.
300 gm caster sugar.
30 gm milk powder
240 gm margarine
60 gm ~ 8 tbsp honey
4 large eggs
330 gm ~ 1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla essence
180 gm blueberry


Cream sugar, milk, margarine and honey. Add eggs in stages. Sift in flour alternately with water. Blend in chocolate chip/rice. Put in muffin cases ~ 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180C.

This is the original recipe from a flour box. I usually replace the blueberry with 200gm of chocolate chips.

Chocolate chip cookies

I can't remember where I got this recipe from. It is simple and the kids love it. So Alya, since you asked for it, buat la ya. Buat lebih untuk Hari Raya Haji.

250 gm butter
125 gm soft brown sugar
2 eggs
300 gm self raising flour
375 gm chocolate chip

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift in flour. Mix in chocolate chips. Put teaspoonsfuls of mixture slightly apart on greased baking sheet. Bake for ~20 minutes at 170C. Easy peasy!

tak masak pun..

Dah beberapa hari saya tak makan nasi..... Not just nasi! A proper meal. I have not had a proper meal in days...

springform cake tin

I made this cake several times before. But my latest attempt was futile. The Baked Marble Cheese Cake looked marbled but in a different way. I dare not upload the photo, it was a disaster. It would be easier to bake this cake in a springform cake tin. As there was none around, I used a loose bottom cake tin. Lined the base and greased all over. When baking time was over, I ran the knife round the cake to loosen it before turning the cake over....daboosh.....!

Then only that I remembered a tip from a friend! Instead of using a springform cake tin, line the sides of a round cake tin with double layers of kitchen foil....hmph...

The cake tasted great though. Wasn't 'futile' after all.. :-)

sponge fingers

Dear Angah, this is how the sponge fingers look like. I have yet to look for this stuff in Msia. I was told it can be found in big marts. Try JJ Bandar Perda. Dah jumpa citer kat Along yek...

my Tiramisu

Something I learn here. You can actually make the dessert, Tiramisu, without the alcohol. Made this yesterday. Kids, Umi has never made this for you yet. InsyaAllah when I get back. We'll need to find the sponge fingers first!
Tiramisu
sponge fingers
instant coffee diluted in warm water
instant custard - prepare according to instructions on packet
soft cheese - beat to soften
whipping cream
cocoa powder

You can make this in a casserole dish or individual dessert bowl.

Dip the sponge fingers in the coffee and immediately arrange in the dish (a layer of sponge fingers). Pour a thin layer of custard then cheese. Repeat layering until all sponge fingers, custard and cheese are finished. Top off with a layer of whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder.

Lasagne

The first lasagne dish I made in UK during my sabbatical. Made this dish many times later on with different ingredients thus results every time. This photo was taken while it was still in the oven. Forgot to snap one when it was already browned. Back home, my husband prefers the vegetable version with spinach and aubergine. The kids love extra cheeseeeee. Here is the original recipe by Malina.

For the tomato sauce:
1 small canned mushroom spaghetti sauce
400gm of minced beef
2-3 large onions - diced
5-6 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 can of button mushroom
lasagne sheets
good amount of mozarella cheese
pinch of salt
1-2 cups of water

Saute' the onion and garlic. Add the minced beef, mushroom and sauce. Add some water and stir until cooked. Season well.

For the white sauce:
6 tbsp butter
1/2 cup plain flour
4 cups = 1 liter milk
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a big pan. Add the flour. Stir until well mixed. Pour milk and continuously stir until it thickens. Season to taste.

Grease a casserole dish. Put some of the tomato sauce as the base. On top of this, arrange the lasagne sheets to form a layer of the pasta. Put another batch of tomato sauce. Then a batch of the white sauce. Place a good layer of grated cheese. Repeat the layers of pasta, tomato sauce, white sauce and cheese. Make sure the last (top most) layer is a generous amount of cheese.

Bake in the oven at 160C until golden brown.