Nutella cupcake

Another bake for our breakfast today! Instead of a 22-25cm chiffon pan, I baked them in cupcakes. It shrunk quite a fair bit after out of the oven, and too moist.

I'm copying the recipe here from Table for 2 for ready reference. I may try out using chiffon tin the next time. I also missed reading the part about reducing the milk. Have to take special note the next time!

Nutella Cupcake 
(yields 18 cupcakes) 

Ingredients

100gm hot milk (to reduce)
180gm Nutella
80gm cake flour, sifted
5 egg yolks (grade B)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

5 egg whites (grade B)
80gm sugar ( I reduce to 70gm) 

Method

1. Melt Nutella with hot milk, stir until smooth. Let it cool down.
2. Preheat oven to 160(fan)/180C. Prepare a 22 or 25cm chiffon pan. Do not grease. ( I use cupcake liners)
3. When the Nutella mixture has cooled down, mix with egg yolks, flour and vanilla extract until it becomes a smooth batter.
4. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks and gradually add in sugar and beat until stiff.
5. Put 1/4 of the egg whites into the Nutella batter, with quick and gentle stroke, fold the batter. Repeat with another 1/4 of the egg whites.
6. Pour the Nutella batter into the egg whites, scrape the Nutella batter bowl clean and fold the final batter until no streaks of egg whites are seen.
7. Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until done. ( I bake the cupcakes for 20-25mins)
8. Remove from oven immediately, and cool it upside down*.
9. When cake has TOTALLY cooled down, remove from mould and slice to serve. Keep cake air covered to prevent drying out.

Mini baked egg cake

I hasn't been baking for my late mum for a while and I'm glad I did it this 清明节.

And I thought I could steam the cake using the same recipe but it didn't turn out as expected. Luckily I was left with 50% batter to bake them. Nice, cute & liked by all the kids!

Ingredients:
(Yield about 35 to 40 mini cupcakes) 
3 egg whites
65g icing sugar
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
50g corn oil
65g self-raising flour
5g cocoa powder + 1 tbsp hot water

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix egg yolks and whole egg together with a hand whisk. Add in corn oil till combined. (I used the mixer)
2. Sieve in self-raising flour and mix well, set aside. 
3. Whisk the egg whites to bubbly at medium speed and add icing sugar into it in 3 batches and whisk to stiff peak. 
4. Add 1/3 of meringue to egg yolk mixture and fold well with a rubber spatula. Then pour all the egg mixture into the meringue at low speed and mix well. 
5. Scoop the batter into the mini cupcake liner about 3/4 full.
6. Bake in pre-heated oven at 175 deg C for 18-20 mins. 

Passionfruit butter cake

I'm trying to getting into the good habit of baking for our daily breakfast.

Passionfruit butter cake 
(yield 9X5" loaf tin)

Ingredients/ Method:
250g self raising flour, sifted
250g good quality unsalted butter, softened
185g castor sugar (I reduced it to 170g)
170g whole eggs, at room temperature (about 3 eggs)
100ml passionfruit juice (Only left with 2 passionfruit and yield 55gm juice, so added 45ml milk) 

1) Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Prepare lined loaf tin and set aside.
2)In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium high speed for about 5 mins until pale and fluffy.
3) Add beaten eggs to butter mixture in 6 additions, ensuring that each addition is well incorporated before adding the next addition.
4) Add 1/3rd of flour to the egg-butter mixture on low speed till well incorporated. Next add in passionfruit juice to batter till well incorporated.
5) Add another 1/3rd of flour to the batter till well incorporated. Add the milk and mix till well incorporated. Lastly add the remaining flour into the batter and mix till well incorporated.
6) Scrape the side and bottom with a spatula for any loose ingredients.
7) Bake for about 50-60 min at 180 deg C.
8) Check doneness when skewer come out clean after inserted into cake.
9) Allow cake to cool completely on wire rack.

Re-visiting (water roux/ 汤面) Pandan chiffon cake

I seems to be hooked to baking chiffon cake these days, and has been looking at too many pandan chiffon cake. I saw the  汤面 method so frequently on fb and had a go at it. 1st try wasn't really a success, there were lumps of 'pandan bits' after baking and the texture was dense. Was going through my earlier pandan chiffon cake bakes and realised I did one similar method before, totally forgotten about it! Revisiting the recipe and yield more satisfactory result! Ingredients are almost the same, just a little difference in the method and it's more manageable for me. Yum yum! 

Milo brownie pound cake

I'm getting the baking vibes again, and just last night, I baked this milo brownie pound cake after my search on "milo cake" turns to foodmadewithlove. The cake turned out like a lava cake, though not meant to be, but adore by the 2 men at home! See the gooey centre :p

I'm copying the recipe here for ready reference. 

Milo Brownie Pound Cake 

(recipe below makes a 9" round cake, but I've halved the recipe to make a 6" round cake)

Ingredients: 

175g butter, room temperature

150g caster sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

200ml milk 

200g milo powder, extra 50g for dusting

40g cocoa powder

a pinch coffee granules 

200g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 pinch salt

1 tbsp salted butter, melted 

Method: 

1) Preheat oven to 175 deg C. Prepare a 9×9 inch springform baking tin by lining the bottom with grease proof paper and lightly coating the interior with olive oil. (I use 6" round tin and lined the bottom & sides)

2) Dissolve 100g of milo powder and coffee granules in milk. Heat it a little to allow it to dissolve quicker. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely.

3) In a large bowl, sift the flour, 100g of milo powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4) In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and beat till just combined. Stir in the vanilla bean paste.

5) Add the flour mixture and milo milk alternately, starting with the flour mixture.

6) Pour the mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread it out to make sure it’s evenly spread. Bake the cake for 30-40 mins (nothing more as it will overcook!) and allow it to cool in the tin for 10 mins. (I baked mine at 170 deg C for 30 mins)

7) Carefully release the spring and invert the cake onto a cooling rack. Brush the top with the melted salted butter and dust with 50g of milo powder.

Baked 'giraffe' egg cake (烤鸡蛋糕)

I've recently joined a new group 手工烘焙♥ 甜品饮料 on Facebook and oh my, it's so active and there are many sharing of recipes. Baked egg egg  (烤鸡蛋糕) seems to be a very popular recipe for quite a while, and I finally managed to try my hand on it. My idea was to make a giraffe-patterned cake, but it seems a failure as my boy asked "where's the giraffe? where's the giraffe head? hahaha...

I've referred to Anncoo blog who has the recipe in English, and copied here for ready reference. Overall the cake is really soft & fluffy, and taste like the old-time 鸡蛋糕, but my boy doesn't fancy it.

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
65g icing sugar
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
50g corn oil
65g self-raising flour
5g cocoa powder + 1 tbsp hot water

      Method:

• In a mixing bowl, mix egg yolks and whole egg together with a hand whisk. Add in corn oil till combined. (I've used the mixer instead.)
• Sieve in self raising flour and mix well, set aside.
• Whisk the egg whites to bubbly at medium speed and add icing sugar into it in 3 batches and whisk to stiff peak.
• Add one third of meringue to egg yolk mixture and fold well with a rubber spatula. Then pour all the egg mixture into the meringue at low speed and mix well. 
• Pour mixture into a 5 x 8 inch lined cake pan (or a 6 inch square cake pan), leaving 2 tablespoon of plain mixture and mix with the cocoa paste. Drop dollops of mixture on the top of cake. (I didn't lined or greased the pan at all.) 
• Bake in preheated oven at 170C for 35 minutes.
• Overturn the cake immediately once cake is out of the oven. Leave to cool before cutting into slices.  

Lavender chiffon cake

During my recent trip to Lavender Cottage in Taiwan in Jan with my sis, niece & dad, I bought a packet of dried lavender thinking of baking something with it. So when I saw Jane posting a Lavender Chiffon Cake in facebook, I was eagerly waiting for her to put up the recipe in her blog. Finally had the chance to bake it today, and well-received by my lil baby & T! 

I'm copying the recipe here for ready reference. 

Recipe for Lavender Chiffon Cake
(Makes a 8" tube pan)

Ingredients:
5 Egg yolks
20g Caster sugar
90g Whole milk
50g Cooking oil
1/4tsp Salt
1 tsp Dried Lavender
Zest from one Lemon
120g Self-raising flour

5 Egg whites
70 Caster sugar
1 tsp Corn flour

Method:

1. In a heatproof bowl, microwave dried lavender with milk for about 20secs at high heat. This is to bring out the fragrance of the lavender. Leave aside. (I boil the milk & lavender in a small pot over low heat.)
2. Mix egg yolks with sugar till light yellow.
3. Add in salt, lavender with milk and cooking oil. Mix well.
4. Sift in self-raising flour and mix well.
5. In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites till foamy.
6. Mix in corn flour into caster sugar. Gradually add in the sugar into the egg whites till soft peaks.
7. Take one-third of the egg whites and fold into the egg yolk batter.
8. Continue to fold in the egg whites into the egg yolk batter in two batches.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared tube pan. Bang it hard onto the table top.
10. Bake at preheated oven of 180C for 45mins.
11. Remove from the oven and invert the cake until completely cooled.
12. Cut and served. Can be served chilled.

Dark chocolate banana swirl muffins

There's 3 left-over bananas after my banana chiffon cake, and I had to put them in the fridge as they had over-ripened. I was thinking of something chocolate with the banana, and chance upon a yummy-looking picture here. And here's my version. 

I'm copying the recipe here for future reference.

Ingredients (makes about 12 muffins)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• chocolate chips for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (I use 185 deg C) 
2. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
3. In a bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and baking soda
4. In a large bowl, mix together bananas, sugars, egg and oil, and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture into the banana mixture just until moistened.
5. Spoon 1/3 of the muffin batter into another bowl. Stir the cocoa powder and boiling water together until smooth, and then stir the cocoa mixture into the batter that you set aside.
6. Spoon a dollop of regular into each muffin well- just enough to cover the bottom. Follow with a dollop of chocolate batter, another small spoon of regular and then a small little spoon of chocolate, filling to a maximum of 3/4 of the way.
7. Use a toothpick or skewer to swirl all the batter together, and sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Banana chiffon cake

I bought a bunch of bananas thinking of baking something for lil baby's breakfast. Not the usual banana muffin, so end up with a soft & fluffy banana chiffon cake.

Small small baker has a variety of chiffon cakes, and that's where I get my recipe from here. I'm copying it here for future reference.

Ingredients (portion reduced to using 2 eggs for 6 inch tin)
2 egg yolks
1/8 tsp salt
20ml oil
60g banana puree (1 medium banana)
15g sugar
35g plain flour
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
30g sugar

Method
1. Combine egg yolks, salt, sugar and beat until pale in colour. Add oil and mix well. Add banana puree and mix well.
2. Fold in plain flour and bicarbonate of soda until batter forms.
3. Whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Add in sugar gradually in 3 portions until stiff peaks form.
4. Gently fold in egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, 1/3 at a time.
5. Pour mixture into ungreased tin and bake at 170C for 25 mins.
6. Remove from oven and quickly turn the chiffon cake upside down on a wire rack.
7. Wait for the cake to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

Superhero vs Pocoyo

This is the 2nd time my baby and my niece has a joint birthday party. My baby is 7, and my niece is turning 2. Both are March babies (and me as well!) We had a BBQ party at my aunty A's place and thankfully the weather was very kind to us!

The theme of cake was chosen by my boy - he's into Superheroes now; and my niece's favourite cartoon is Pocoyo! Very importantly, my boy 'designed' the cake, and he's definitely very proud of it! Me too!

This is how the cake should look like.... 

This is how the cake actually turned out.... 

At the same time, I think I've found THE vanilla sponge cake recipe *yipee* Of course, this goes very well with my trusted Swiss meringue butter cream.

I'm copying the recipe here for easy reference. The original recipe is here. (I've halved the recipe to make a 6" round cake, baking time 25 to 30 mins). I've also found a good reference site for pan shape/ size/ baking time/ etc.

Vanilla Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
(A)
150g cake flour/superfine flour
1/2 tsp (2g) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1g) salt
10g milk powder

(B)
60g cooking oil
50g water
4 (75g) yolks
80g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

(C)
4 (150g) whites
90g castor sugar (original 100g)
1/4 tsp (1g) cream of tartar

Method
1. Sift ingredients (A) and put it aside
2. Whisk yolks and sugar till it turns lemon color
3. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix till well blended
4. Add ingredients (A) and mix it slowly till it forms a smooth batter
5. Whisk (C) till stiff
6. Fold in 1/3 of egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture and gently stir, then fold in the remaining egg white mixture and mix well gently
7. Pour batter into a lined 9" round cake tin
8. Bake in a preheated oven 180C for 35-40 mins or till it springs back when touched
9. Once cooked, removed from oven and invert the cake on the wire rack until completed cooled
10.Removed from mould and decorate it

I'm also submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #40: Rainbow and Ombre Party! (March 2014) hosted by Cynthia of The Baking Biatch, at the following link.