Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Christmas Sweets - Citrus and Coconut Sponge Finger Balls

Made these as Christmas gifts last year... gave them all away at church happily, just to go home and realise that I never got to taste any of my finished products! (I only taste-tested the sponge finger mix) So I decided to make them again for Christmas this year. As I was making them, I couldn't help wondering why I have only minimal memory of myself making or tasting these last year... I wonder what was preoccupying my mind at the time o.o?

Anyhow, this recipe is adapted from one in the Woolies' "Fresh" magazine, advertising "Unibic Sponge Fingers". Same recipe can be found here... I didn't use orange zest, dried apricots or Cointreau, so I named it according to its taste ;P


What you need:
250g sponge fingers, finely crumbed
1 cup mixed citrus peels
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 tbs apricot conserve/jam
200ml condensed milk
50g butter, melted
250g cooking chocolate (semi-sweet or white)
sprinkles/almond flakes to decorate

How to make it:
  1. Blend all the ingredients together in the mixing bowl to form a soft mixture.
  2. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and leave to set firm (refrigerating helps).
  3. When set, dip each ball into melted chocolate and leave to set.


Christmas Sweets - Croquembouche

Never thought I'd attempt this, but I was thinking since profiteroles turned out good last time, no harm trying the next level up ^^

So after much researching on other blogs and videos, I decided to try a recipe from www.citrusandcandy.com, and use my own variation to make it Christmas themed...

Last time I made profiteroles (a.k.a. choux pastry), I cheated and used ice-cream as filling. Couldn't do that for croquembouche, so I had to make a batch of creme patissiere (pastry cream) the day before. I can't really describe what it is, but it does taste different to normal store-bought custard... and it really goes well with choux pastry!

Only bad thing was the toffee didn't turn out too well... it hardened too quickly and I had to reheat it multiple times... must've been a bad idea because it turned bitter =s Not sure how this can be improved, but it'll probably be a while until I attempt another croquembouche... Maybe if I get requests!? =p

Christmas Sweets - Peppermint Bark

Something sweet, something Christmas-y, wrapped individually or placed in a nice jar; this is the perfect Christmas gift for friends! Made so many of these this Christmas =)

What you need is simple:

Christmas themed cookie cutters
Dark and White cooking chocolate (I used >500g)
Peppermint candy canes, crushed (I used 12 regular sized ones)

How to make it:
  1. Crush candy canes
  2. Melt chocolate, pour into piping bag
  3. Place cookie cutters on a sheet of baking paper
  4. Pipe melted chocolate into the cookie cutters, tap lightly for chocolate to spread into corners
  5. Place crushed candy canes in a sieve and dust over chocolates, then sprinkle in larger pieces of candy
  6. Let chocolates set for about 5-10mins, gently push them out of the mould.

... and for a non-peppermint version

Mini Baked Cheesecakes


Finally, a "baked cheesecake" recipe that works in my oven! I always complain about my oven... Any full size cheesecake cake I've tried either burns or doesn't cook in the centre... so I wasn't very confident with this recipe, but I decided to try anyway (cos I love cheesecake =D). Found the recipe on www.joyofbaking.com again. I used a muffin pan to make these, which probably made it easier for the heat to be more evenly distributed. Just like how mini cupcakes bake perfectly in my oven, these mini cheesecakes came out surprisingly good. And so simple to make too =)



They were a bit too sweet for my taste, so will need to reduce the amount of sugar... but I'll definitely make these again!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Musical Mini Cupcakes

My first attempt using white Royal Orchard icing.. it was a bit tricky at the beginning but I think I mastered it at the end. Next time, remember not to over-fill the paper cups so I get an even surface on the cupcakes!
And a bonus shot from Mr. Photographer: the Mini-Cupcakes wishing all a merry white Christmas =D

What you need:
Plain vanilla mini cupcakes (recipe here)
500g Orchard White Icing
Writing icing in various colours
A bit of musical creativity! (If you don't have any, just find some sheet music and copy the funny symbols you can find =p)

Profiteroles!




... with vanilla ice-cream and warm chocolate ganache

... is quickly becoming my new favourite comfort food =)
If only it didn't take that long to make...


Recipe from www.joyofbaking.com

Monday, October 4, 2010

Fruit Tart


Made this for a friend's birthday =)

Ingredients
  • pre-made tart shell
  • cooking chocolate
  • thick custard
  • Fruits: blueberry, strawberry, kiwi, canned apricot

Grilled Baby Octopus with Pasta-bake

Mid-sem break came and went... and this is what I got up to =)

Grilled Baby Octopus
  1. Marinate with salt, pepper (wine?)
  2. Add to boiling water and simmer until tender (20mins?)
  3. Place on hot grill, turning every 3 minutes
Note to self: always simmer octopus until tender before grilling!! (I think I ate a semi raw tentacle before realising they weren't cooked thoroughly...)

Pasta Bake
  1. Cook 250g short pasta, drain.
  2. Steam broccoli, season with salt and crushed garlic
  3. Pour hot pasta into baking dish, pour in one jar (500g) of pasta bake sauce (Leggo's Creamy Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Bake) and toss well
  4. Place cooked broccoli on top, sprinkle with shredded cheese
  5. Put into oven, 200'C, for 20 mins

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

American-Australian Food conversion chart

Found something interesting today... I always get confused when I see terms like "all-purpose flour" and "granulated sugar" on a recipe but not find them at the supermarket. I even thought "vanilla essence" and "vanilla extract" were two different things! Until I found this handy American-Australian Food Conversion chart on http://alldownunder.com/oz-k/convert/food-chart.htm.

"The cultural differences in food can be quite entertaining. However, when you're trying to use a recipe from another country, it's nice to know what they're talking about. You'll find below some of the most common cooking conversions used."
Australian
bicarbonate of soda
biscuits
scones
chillies
chocolate, cooking
cocoa
copha
conserve
corn flour
cream, whipping
cream, single
desiccated coconut
essence
vanilla essence
flour, plain
flour, self raising
flour, whole meal
gelatine or Airplane jelly
stock cubes
hundreds and thousands
sugar, caster
sugar, icing
syrup, golden
tomato sauce
treacle
zest, lemon, etc
Rice Bubbles

beetroot
capsicum
chickpeas
onion, Spanish
onion, spring
rock melon
shallots
sultanas
paw paw

Balmain bug
banger
minced beef
minced meat
prawns
skirt steak
king prawns

baking tray
oven slide
cake cooler
cake tin
ring tin
Swiss roll tin
Lamington tin
greaseproof paper
patty cups
tea towel
griller (separate from oven)
American
baking soda
cookies
biscuits
chilli pepper
chocolate, baking
cocoa powder
vegetable shortening
jelly
cornstarch
cream, heavy
cream, half and half
shredded coconut
extract
vanilla extract
flour, all-purpose
flour, self-rising
flour, whole wheat
gelatine or Jello
bullion cubes
sprinkles (nearest equivalent)
sugar, granulated (but finer)
sugar, confectioners
syrup, corn
ketchup or catsup
molasses
zest or rind, lemon, etc
Rice Crispies

round beets
bell pepper
garbanzos
onion, purple / red
scallions
cantaloupe
scallions, green onions
raisins, golden
papaya

small, sweet crayfish
link sausage
ground beef
ground meat
shrimp
flank steak
jumbo shrimp

cookie sheet
cookie sheet
wire rack
baking pan
tube pan
jelly roll pan
13" x 9" x 2" pan
wax paper
paper cupcake holders
dish towel
broiler (inside oven)

Friday, July 16, 2010

Tiramisu Mini Cupcakes

I am yet to make a proper Tiramisu, but this comes close to my favourite recipe. For now anyway =) This takes a bit more effort than normal cupcakes because of all the layering and decorating - but if you love cheese and coffee like me, it's worth every minute perfecting it! What's best about it? It's bite-sized, and tastes oh so good!



There are three parts to this recipe: the basic vanilla cupcake, the cream cheese filling, and the coffee syrup.

Basic Vanilla Mini Cupcakes

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

  1. Preheat oven to 160'C. Line a 24 mini-cupcake pan.
  2. Use electric beater to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  3. Add flour, milk, egg and vanilla, and beat with electric mixer on medium until well combined.
  4. Divide mixture evenly into the pan, bake for 10-15mins until firm to touch. Allow to cool fully before putting it together.

Coffee Syrup

Mix together:
1Tbs coffee powder
1/2 cup hot water
3 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs brandy/Kahlua (optional)

*Allow to cool before use.

Cream Cheese filling

Whip together:
170g cream cheese @ room temp.
3 tbs thickened cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1-1/2 cup icing powder (depending on how sweet you like it)

Now the fun part!
  1. Cut a neat round cone off the top of cupcake.
  2. Pour 1 tsp of coffee syrup into the pit, then fill pit with cream cheese.
  3. Soak the tip of the cone cut-out with coffee syrup and put it back in place on top of the cream cheese.
  4. Spoon or pipe more cream cheese on top, sprinkle cocoa and/or coffee powder to finish off.
  5. Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes!

Practise makes perfect! Enjoy!

Chocolate Ice-cream

Had some thickened cream sitting in the fridge and didn't want it to expire... so looked through my collection of recipes and found something that I've made once a while ago... Chocolate ice-cream, without all the fuss =D This recipe is awesome, because it tastes great, and is compatible with my laziness ^^ I think I got it from either the Nestle or Carnation website (the wonders of condensed milk!) The result is creamy, but leaning towards a bit too sweet for my liking. Has that sweet condensed milk after-taste. But what can I say, it's ice-cream, and I'm not a big ice-cream fan =P



What you need:

1/2 tbs Vanilla essence
225 ml double cream
198g condensed milk (~1/2can)
75 ml milk
2tsp cocoa powder (or Milo)

How to make it:

1. Add vanilla essence and cream into a mixing bowl and beat/whip until very thick.
2. Pour in condensed milk and fresh milk.
3. Mix cocoa/milo powder with 1 Tbs boiling water and add to bowl. Whip until even consistency and mixture thickens a bit.
4. Pour mixture into large bowl/tray so that it forms a shallow/thin layer (freezes quicker). Freeze for 2 hours, then remove and beat more if not thick. Return to freezer for another hour (alternately, leave tray in freezer overnight like I did =D)

*Optional: stir in choc chip, nuts or dried fruit after step 3.(I put Malteasers in once)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Butterfly cupcakes

I saw two butterflies dancing in the air today, twirling and fluttering ever so gracefully - it was absolutely beautiful! Watching them was as if everything around me paused and music was playing in the background! =)

Well, it reminded me of the butterfly cupcakes I made not long ago for Easter. Easter is all about how Jesus Christ died and rose back to life, and by believing that this is true, we too can have new life! Just like how the humble caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly, Christ can give us abundant new life; one of freedom, joy, and meaning!

So in light of this I decided to transform the humble vanilla cupcake into a (slightly) more exciting butterfly cupcake... Of course, the inspiration came from seeing other people do the same - but for the sake of keeping a record, I'll jot down the recipe I used...


What you need:

For the cupcakes
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup SR flour
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
For the flair:
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • strawberry jam (not sure how much I used...)
  • about 1 tbs icing sugar (just to give the cream some taste, I don't like plain cream)
How to make it:
  1. Preheat the oven to 160 'C. Line a 24-mini-cupcake pan.
  2. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, mix well.
  3. Add the flour, milk and vanilla, beat with electric mixer until well combined.
  4. Spoon mixture into mini-cupcake tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes until well risen and firm to touch. Allow them to cool before the next step.
  5. Cream: add the icing sugar to the whipping cream and use an electric mixer to beat until firm and fluffy.
  6. When the cupcakes are cool, use a sharp knife to cut away the top of the cupcake. Cut the top bit in half to make the wings of the butterfly.
  7. Spread whipped cream on the cut surface of the cupcake, then place a spot of jam in the middle. Position the wings in the cream, on both sides of the spot if jam to resemble a butterfly (I had to experiment with the positioning).
  8. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar. (something I forgot to do ><)

And you should have 24 deli-ful butterflies, ready to be devoured =P

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Lemon cupcakes with sourcream

So here we go... an attempt to start properly collecting recipes I've used, modifications I've made, and photo-evidence of these adventures. And since the photos have been so popular, I thought I'd share the recipes with my friends as well =] Of course, credit goes to Mr. Photographer, who loves his job, 'cause he gets to taste them too =P

Today's adventure is the result of too much sour cream sitting in my fridge, which called for a twist of my usual recipe for lemony cupcakes (found in the book "Mini cupcake creations"). The outcome - moist, and a bit more tangy than usual. Not as fluffy as I like them though. But loved the consistency of the icing =) Oh and it totally worked as post-exam-stress relief!

What you need:
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cup SR flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Frosting: 1 1/2 cup icing sugar and juice from the lemon
How to make it:
  1. Preheat the oven to 160 'C. Line a 24-mini-cupcake pan.
  2. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, lemon zest and vanilla essence, mix well.
  3. Add flour and sour cream and beat with electric mixer on medium until well combined.
  4. Spoon mixture into mini-cupcake tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes until well risen and firm to touch. Allow to cool for a few minutes, transfer to a wire rack and let it cool fully before icing.
  5. Frosting: mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to form a smooth paste (I used half a lemon and added water). Spread evenly over each cupcake.

Stay tuned for more sour cream adventures... I still have 3 tubs sitting in my fridge!!