❤ Fun Baking ❤

Root Beer Brownie

2014-11-25T17:13:00.001-08:00

Been seeing post in pinterest about this root beer brownie..there are soo many recipes on this but i decide to stick to stick to my usual brownie recipe and I went to goggle more information on how to make adjustments to my ingredients. Apparently, I used 1 1/2 cup of oil, for this recipe, I only use 1 cup of oil and 1/2 cup of root beer. The rest of the ingredients remain the same.. ( you can find the recipe in my older post) . Root beer makes my brownie fluffy and light....Turns out a success ..yahoo!

Butter Cookies

2014-01-16T05:26:00.004-08:00

Ingredients

125 g butter

½ cup sugar

3 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 ½ cup self raising flour

½ cup custard powder

Method

Beat butter and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add milk and vanilla essence, beat well

Fold in the sifted flour and custard powder until well combines.

Place some of the mixture into a biscuit press with desired nozzle

Form biscuits by pressing onto greased baking trays

Bake for 12-15 mins @ 200 oc or until golden brown.

Cool tray for 2 -3 mins .

You can decorations to the desired cookies eg cherries, coloured rainbows, chocolate chips or even nuts.

This is a basic biscuit dough which anyone can do up different variations ..like coffee, coconut, cinnamon or even chocolate .

Try to experiment with different flavours that you like.

Happy Baking!!!

Chocolate M&M Chip Cookies

2013-10-20T02:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

185g Butter

½ brown sugar

½ cup caster sugar

1 egg

13/4 self-raising flour (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup chocolate chip

1 cup peacan or any other nuts

Method

· Beat butter, sugar, egg and vanilla essence in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft and creamy

· Stir in the sifted flour, nuts and chocolate chip

· Drop tablespoonfuls onto greased baking trays, allow room for spreading

· Bake 180oc for 10-12 mins

· Transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely, Store in an air tight container

Additional

You can drizzle chocolate over the biscuits.

Chocolate Glazing or Icing

Cocoa Powder

Butter, melted

Powdered sugar

Warm Water

Vanilla essence

Directions

Melt your butter

Add all ingredients

Stir until well mixed and smooth

Add more water if you want it thinner

If using as icing and you think it’s too thick just let it sit for a few mintues

For this recipe, I did not follow the exact recipe from the book, I omit the caster sugar and just added in the brown sugar and for the additional taste and colour, I’ve added a tablespoon of cocoa powder (therefore you need to mins 1 tablespoon of self-raising flour) to the ingredients.

Iced Cupcakes

2013-10-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

115 g butter

120g superfine sugar ( i used 50g)

2 eggs, beaten

120 g of self raising flour

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

For Frosting

170g icing sugar

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tsp of hot water

Few drops of food colouring

Method

· Preheat oven to 180c

· Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and use electric whisk, beat together until light and fluffy

· Add eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.

· Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract

· Spoon the mixture equally into the paper cups

· Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins until springy to touch.

· Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Frosting

· Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and gradually stir in the lemon juice and water until smooth.

· Put half the frosting in another bowl and add in the food coloring (exceptional unless u want to create different colour frosting).

· Spoon a little frosting on each cupcake and smooth the surface with a palette knife. Decorate with what you like ..

Sifting Flour

Sifting is the process of sending flour through tiny grates, whether using a flour sifter or a sieve. Often times flour that has been sitting in a container or bag will lump over time. The sifting process aerates the flour, making it much finer, softer and able to absorb liquids more evenly. The softer flour creates lighter, evenly cooked pastries, cakes and pancakes.

Quick and Simple Donuts recipe

2013-09-14T22:15:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

500g plain flour
250ml milk
75g sugar
75g butter
1 egg
1 tsp. baking powder
Vegetable oil to fry

Directions

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl.

2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.

3. Beat the egg into the milk, then make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk mixture into it.

4. Mix together to form a soft dough, then put into the fridge until ready to use.

5. Roll the dough out to 1cm thick before cutting into the shapes of your choice.

6. Fry the donuts in 180C oil for around 30 seconds, then turn them over and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the fryer and drain on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

7. You can add any toppings you like,,,,,,,,

Non Bake Oreo Cheese Pie

2013-07-30T06:10:00.001-07:00

Filling

250g block PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
¼ cup caster sugar (depends on the sweetness u want)
1/4 teaspoon (x2) gelatine dissolved in small amount of boiling water (need to be dissolved)

Whipped Cream

Oreo cookies

Decorations

Fresh berries

Peaches
Chocolate curls or any other options u desire

Method

For the biscuit crumb base, I got the ready made pie crust from cold storage .

BEAT the PHILLY and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the gelatine mix until smooth, then fold through the whipped cream. Once done you pour in the oreo crumbs.

Pour the mixture over the prepared base. Chill for 2 hours or until set. Decorate with with whatever you desire . I prefer to use slice peaches and top it with a oreo biscuit

Pie Crust

This non-bake cookie pie crust recipe can be made with any type of crunchy cookies/biscuits eg. oreos, graham crackers, shortbread, gingersnaps, chocolate chip cookies etc.

14 graham cracker (crackers) equal one cup of crumbs. To make graham cracker crumbs, place crackers in a closed plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.

Combine the biscuit crumbs together with the butter then press into the base. Chill until firm.

This pie crust is easy to make. Once you have tried it, you will probably never forget how it is being done.

(comes in a standard of 6 pies) you can purchase them in cold storage outlets

Tiramisu

2013-06-30T06:59:00.002-07:00

Instead of the usual size of a Tiramisu that you see at the cake shop or some coffee outlet. I decided to make my own version of mini cup tiramisu..

Instead of adding the usual rum to my coffee brewed, I added baileys instead.

This mini size is easy to consume within minutes... Basically, kids and friends just love it

As you know there are many ways of doing the Tiramisu Here is my favorite one. This recipe is easy to made...You don't even need to bake a sponge cake which can be a hazzle All you need is ladyfingers.

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

50 g white sugar

10 ml vanilla extract

250 g mascarpone cheese

24 ladyfingers

355 ml brewed coffee (You can add Rum, Baileys or Kahlúa)

5 g unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

In a medium bowl, beat yolks with sugar and vanilla until smooth and light yellow. Fold mascarpone into yolk mixture. Set aside.
Dip ladyfingers briefly in coffee and arrange 12 of them in the bottom of an 8x8 inch dish. Spread half the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Repeat with remaining cookies and mascarpone. Cover and chill 1 hour. Sprinkle with cocoa just before serving.

Facts About Tiramisu

Tirami su’ is a dialectal expression from the Veneto region meaning “pick me up,” in the sense of re-energize, regain strength, or wake-up. The meaning becomes apparent when you analyze what goes into this dessert. The main ingredients of Tiramisu are Mascarpone cheese, Zabaglione cream, Espresso coffee, Savoiardi cookies (also known as Ladyfingers), and a topping of chocolate.

Mascarpone has very old origins. It appears to have already been produced in the 13th century in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, where it took its name from mascherpa, the local term for a sort of ricotta cheese. Mascarpone is more than a cheese: it’s a concentrate of milk cream with a fat content up to 75%, with a smooth, creamy, and sweet texture

Mascarpone was considered a winter product for its caloric content and also because it is very delicate and didn’t keep for long in the hot temperatures before the advent of the refrigerator. There are many American makers of this cheese, but none of the American versions have the same delicate taste, smoothness, and refinement of a freshly made Italian one. Still, even if American Mascarpone is not the best, do not even think about substituting it with cream cheese: the result would be disastrous.

Zabaglione cream is a classic Italian dessert originally from Venice. The famous Italian gastronome Giuseppe Maffioli wrote that the name of this cream originates from zabaja, a sweet dessert popular in the Illiria region, a coastal area across the Adriatic Sea that was Venetian territory for a long time during the golden age of the “Repubblica Serenissima” (The Most Serene Republic) of Venice. Zabaglione was prepared in those times with yolks, honey, and sweet Cyprus wine. Today, sugar and Marsala wine, giving it a distinctive flavor, are used instead. It is a simple and easy recipe, even though many food writers have described it as a complicated and laborious thing. The original Tiramisu’ recipe from the Restaurant Le Beccherie doesn’t include the use of wine.

Espresso coffee is obtained by forcing pressurized water through coffee powder. It is made from a blend of roasted grains of different origin, often ground on the spot to maximize the flavor. Espresso is naturally much stronger that regular American coffee. It is a true shot of caffeine.

Savoiardi: These delicate cookies, also known as Ladyfingers, were originated at the court of the Savoia Dukes around the 1500s in the northern Italian region of Piemonte, near the French border. They were supposedly created for a lavish reception organized in honor of a visit by the French king. Later, thanks to their extraordinary success at this memorable banquet, these cookies were offically “adopted” by the Royal House of Piemonte. They were renamed “Savoiardi” after the Savoia dynasty, and they became the most appreciated dessert of the house. Savoiardi are very light because they are prepared with a dough rich with whipped egg white. Very popular for the preparation of layer cakes, they are also served as a complement to custards, ice cream, or fruit salad.

A summary of the dessert: a very rich cheese, the eggs yolks, sugar, and sweet wine in the zabaglione, the caffeine of the espresso coffee, and the chocolate make this cake an ultra-nutritious combination, guaranteed to “pick you up.”

Facts about Tiramisu was taken from http://www.annamariavolpi.com/tiramisu.html

Happy Baking Peeps!

How to Use Cocoa Powder in Place of Some Flour

2013-06-29T07:45:00.001-07:00

The primary issue in substituting between any two dry ingredients in baked goods is the "softness" or fineness to which the material is ground. Cocoa powder is generally about as finely ground as cake flour, so it substitutes most directly in recipes that call for that fine flour. Adding just a little cocoa to a recipe shouldn't require other changes, but more cocoa will need more sugar.

If you try to replace as much as half of the flour with cocoa, you will need to add sugar, too, and that may change the moisture and texture of your product.

Use cocoa powder in baked goods in combination with other types of chocolate. This can reduce the overall cost and frequently results in an end product with a deeper and more complex chocolate flavor. To do this, simply reduce the overall chocolate by 1 oz. and sift 1/3 cup of cocoa powder in with the flour. Alternatively, you can dissolve the cocoa in boiling water to create a thick paste, which can then be added to your recipe

Nutella Cupcakes

2013-06-25T05:19:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 cup (280g) Nutella
2 eggs
10 tbsp (62g) flour

Directions:

Put it in a bowl. Mash it up. Pour into a pan or muffin tin. Top with hazelnuts if you're feeling extra fancy. Bake at 350F (180C) for around 30 minutes (less time for cupcake form, more time if the centers aren't baked through).

Additional to the above recipe i added butter and milk for the moist texture and finish with some nuts (you can add any kind of your favourite nuts).

I used a small bottle of Nutella and practically used almost all of it ....sinful.....

This is one of the simplest cupcake recipe that one can find...

Have Fun Baking!

Crazymama Rainbow Cakes

2013-06-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

My colourful rainbow cupcakes....

For that craze moments, I was into the rainbow cupcakes..Thats why I decided to call them Crazymama Rainbow Cakes..

Deciding the colours were hard as there were soo many colour selection that I had in a box. Grateful for my colleague, Tissie whom I could borrow.

So i decided to try out the darker and the ligther color tones. Aynway, it does not change the texture of my cake mix. Had to line up many bowls to accommodate different colors..

Watching the colour sets in as you stir is soo exciting..sounds like a kid playing her playdoh.. lol...You don't even need to add much color gel as it is very concentrated..

Such colourful cakes can really brighten up one's day especially on a Mon..you know the Mon Blues..

Therefore i decided to chase away the blues with my rainbow cake..

No doubt, the hours spend in the kitchen is long and tiring but seeing my family, colleagues and friends enjoying is worth the journey.

I used Wilton Icing Colors to make my rainbowcakes..

Wilton color is made to produce deeper, richer color by adding just a small amount. Our concentrated gel formula helps you achieve the exact shade you want without watering down your icing. You'll find a rainbow of colors, ready to blend together for creating your own custom shades.

The colours are vibrant and was told that the gels do not really change the texture of my cake mixes, frostings, etc. if you add too much like liquid food coloring often does. I also have not noticed any after taste of the color.

Verdict....One should try out Wilton Icing Colours, no doubt is expensive but hey if u r a frequent baker I dont see why not invest a good one.Overall I am loving it..

Assorted Cupcakes

2012-09-08T03:12:00.001-07:00

Pandan Cupcakes

Vanilla Chocolate Cupcakes

Match Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

250g soft butter

250g sugar ( depends on your level of sweetness)

310g Self Raising Flour

5 eggs

8ml vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper baking cups.

In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each one. Stir in the vanilla and flour just until mixed. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, dividing evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan set over a wire rack. When cool, arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter.

Home Made Popsicles

2012-07-22T00:38:00.000-07:00

Mojito Popsicle

Milo Pop

Fruity Soda Pop

Ingredients for fruity Popsicle

1 can of fruit cocktail

A packet of Nana De Coco

1 little of any frizzy drink - (your desired flavour)

Making Popsicle is easy as 123. With a home freezer and a purchasing a couple of inexpensive ingredients, homemade popsicles are just a few steps away. It's easy and fun to create those frosty treats with your family. The popsicles compliement a hot day

Facts on popsicle

In 1905, the Popsicle was invented by an eleven-year-old Frank Epperson. Frank Epperson was only 11 years old when he invented the originally named Epsicle. He had left his fruit flavored soda outside on the porch with a stir stick in it. The drink froze to the stick and tasted good. It took 18 more years in 1923 for Epperson to apply for a patent for a "frozen ice on a stick" called the Epsicle ice pop, which his children re-named the Popsicle.

In 1925, Frank Epperson sold his famous Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. Good Humor now owns the rights to the Popsicle.

Twin Popsicles (two popsicles sticks together) were invented during the Great Depression.

Popsicle sticks were first made from Birch wood.

2012-06-30T23:39:00.000-07:00

Did my usual Brownies with Chocolate Fudge with Peanut Toppings. If you missed my recipe in my older post, here is it again..

Below is the recipe for quick and easy brownie.

Ingredients

4 eggs 1,

1/2 cups vegetable oil,

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar,

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,

1 teaspoon baking powder,

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Method

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and vegetable oil together until well blended. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Fold in walnuts if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

Happy Baking!

Hong Kong Egg Tarts

2012-06-09T05:24:00.001-07:00

This is the second attempt to bake my egg tarts.

I tried out the recipe below, turned out alright. the only issue i had was using too much eggs because you can make more then 12 egg tarts. My mum was like 'WA". She goes on saying eggs not cheap la blah blah haha. I had excess of the custard to instead of wasting it I used it to make bread and butter pudding... Turns out nice :) So end of the day you dont need 9 eggs u need only 5 eggs. But it was good fun.

My family, friends and colleagues enjoyed it ..

Ingredients ( for 12 egg tarts)

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1 dash vanilla extract
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
9 eggs, beaten
1 dash vanilla extract
1 cup evaporated milk

Method

In a medium bowl, mix together the confectioners' sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork until it is in small crumbs. Stir in the egg and vanilla until the mixture forms a dough. The texture should be slightly moist. Add more butter if it is too dry, or more flour, if the dough seems greasy. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, and press the balls into tart molds so that it covers the bottom, and goes up higher than the sides. Use 2 fingers to shape the edge into an A shape.

Preheat the oven to (160 degrees C). Combine the white sugar and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Strain the eggs through a sieve, and whisk into the sugar mixture. Stir in the evaporated milk and vanilla. Strain the filling through a sieve, and fill the tart shells.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown, and the filling is puffed up a little bit.

All About Flour

2012-06-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

All-Purpose Flour

All-purpose flour is made from the endosperm of wheat. This flour is often bleached to give it a clean, white appearance and enriched to include nutrients that are lost due to the removal of the germ and bran. All-purpose flour has a medium balance of starch and protein so that it can be used in a wide variety of products without being too heavy or too delicate.

Self-rising flour is mainly used to make biscuits and other quick bread. It is comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder. Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads.

Bread Flour

But with flour, one size doesn't always fit all. One type of flour is best for baking bread, another type for pastries. Bread, for example, benefits from a high-protein flour.

When combined with water and developed by mixing and kneading, the gluten becomes elastic and stretches around gas bubbles produced by the yeast. When gas bubbles expand in the oven, the gluten goes along for the ride. The result is a nice fat loaf of bread.
Interestingly, of all the grains, wheat is the only one that packs gluten-producing proteins. To rise properly, breads made with other grains (like rye, corn, or oats) must be fortified with wheat flour or gluten.

Pastry Flour

Pastry flour is a medium-protein flour that produces tender pie crusts. If you use a flour with too much protein, your pastry can become tough; too little, and the pastry can be brittle and hard to work with. Medium is just right.
In a pinch, you can make your own version of pastry flour by combining one part cornstarch to two parts all-purpose flour.

Cake Flour

Cake flour is a lower-protein flour that's also bleached with chorine, which alters the structure of the starches and fats and makes the flour slightly acidic. Unfortunately, substituting all-purpose flour in recipes that have been specifically formulated for cake flour will not produce happy results. Always sift cake flour before using it in a recipe.

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole wheat flour contains all of the nutrients found in the wheat kernel and results in dense, hearty baked goods. If 100% whole wheat bread tastes a little bit too healthy for you, try a ratio of half whole wheat, half bread flour.

Note: You might need to adjust your liquids to hydrate the flour fully (use more water if you're adding whole wheat flour to a recipe, less if you're substituting bread flour for whole wheat).

Self-Rising Flour

Self-rising flour is mainly used to make biscuits and other . It is comprised of all-purpose flour, salt and a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder. Self-rising flour should never be used to make yeast breads.

To make your own self-rising flour, add 1½ tsp baking powder per cup of flour (or 5-7 g of baking powder per 100 g of flour).

Butter Cake with Butter Cream

2012-06-04T19:32:00.003-07:00

One of my guy friend was saying Butter Cake is not easy to bake. Once u master butter cake the rest is easy. I guess you need to have the passion to bake. The icing on the cake is to some people as important as the cake itself. The plain jane cake can transformed into a work of art by a drift of icing sugar or an imaginative decoration.

Recipe for Rich Chocolate Buttercream

60g of unsalted butter

1/2 cup icing sugar

60g dark chocolate melted ( I use coco powder instead of cooking chocolates)

Method

Using electric beater, beat butter, and sifted icing sugar till creamy.

Add the flavouring beat for 2 mins till smooth and fluffy.

Have Fun!

Easy Bake Brownie

2012-06-04T19:31:00.002-07:00

Below is the recipe for quick and easy brownie.

Ingredients

4 eggs 1,

1/2 cups vegetable oil,

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar,

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,

1 teaspoon baking powder,

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Method

Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and vegetable oil together until well blended. Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture. Fold in walnuts if desired. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.