Not the Kitchen Sink!

Healthy Banana Sponge Cake-Loaf

2012-02-24T09:21:00.001+08:00

Just a quick post this week, mainly because I haven't been feeling well. I'm still feeling a little under the weather now, but hopefully next week I can start afresh without feeling all queasy and ill. Anyhow, work's been pretty slow this week, so I've had time to think of what to bake this coming weekend. If only I had more bananas, I'd make another round of this banana cake/loaf. I've been

[Thursday's Trio] Buckwheat Pancakes

2012-02-16T20:23:00.000+08:00

Today I thought I’d perhaps rewind a bit and talk about how I got started with experimenting with gluten free and other non-wheat flours. (This is partly because I realized I’ve yet to post photos of these buckwheat pancakes and also because I didn’t have my camera this week to take any new photos.) As I was typing out today's post, I also decided that I shall name this new series Thursday's Trio

Valentine's Day Roundup 2012

2012-02-12T21:34:00.003+08:00

Once again, the much-hated or much-awaited (depending on whether you're single or attached) Valentine's Day is here. It's a day for girls to receive free gifts from their admirers or loved ones, and for boys to spend bucketloads of money buying roses and whatnots. For those who are very much single and available, don't despair, because this is a day to celebrate your beautiful friendships with

A Review on Pineapple Tarts - attempting 6 different recipes and many batches

2012-02-07T20:06:00.003+08:00

I had wanted to post this yesterday, on Chap Goh Meh, or the 15th day of Chinese New Year to round up the last of my CNY themed posts, but work came up and I couldn’t finish the post in time. So here it is, one day after the last day of CNY, which is rather apt as well since this is my concluding and round-up post for all the festive baking I’ve been doing. I know many people do their cookie

On the 9th day of Chinese New Year, I had ... Cashewnut Cookies

2012-01-31T22:22:00.002+08:00

If you check in every Singaporean or Malaysian mother’s recipe book for Chinese New Year cookies, I bet you'll find a recipe for cashew nut cookies. These cookies are ubiquitous during Chinese New Year and I’ve never had one go past without seeing and eating these cookies. It is also mainly during this period that my mom fries up kilograms of cashew nut cookies and packs them into glass jars for

Healthy CNY cookies #3: Gluten-free Orange-Poppy Seed Squares

2012-01-25T09:30:00.001+08:00

Oldies are the goodies. Although I've been trying all sorts of newfangled recipes, be it cakes or cookies, sometimes, mom's recipes still are the best. It may be because of the memories that we associate with the tastes, that makes it taste good, or perhaps the sheer number of generations that a single recipe has fed that makes an 'old' recipe good, so let's not question it ;p For Chinese New

Healthy CNY cookies #2: Sugar-free (Xylitol) Chocolate Spritz Cookies

2012-01-17T20:18:00.003+08:00

I’ve to confess that I took a long time to overcome the hurdle that is sugar. I mean, I've seen the evils of sugar (see this super informative video "Sugar: the Bitter Truth") but after an epic no-sugar disaster (I tried to make no-sugar muffins using only the sweetness of fruits which failed more than majorly), I steered clear of anything labelled as no-sugar. Furthermore, I haven't had good

Healthy CNY cookies #1: Pseudo-Pineapple Tarts for Diabetics - Apple Tarts

2012-01-11T09:10:00.000+08:00

As the Chinese New Year (CNY) draws near (it's 23 and 24 January this year for those still in the dark - which means yet another long weekend :D) and my CNY cookie making frenzy heats up, I’ve been thinking about not only the different types of cookies I'm able to experiment with, but also cookies fit for everyone in my extended family to eat. This means that cookies fit for diabetics, celiacs,

Mom's Birthday 4-layered Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Jam

2012-01-02T10:28:00.001+08:00

Before I begin my long spiel, HAPPY 2012 everyone! And hurray for the long weekend ;p This post is actually a timed post, because as I speak, I probably am having the time of my life shopping and eating, whilst taking a well-deserved break overseas. Anyway, Christmas weekend came and went rather quickly, and with work and all, I haven’t been taking nice photographs of what I’ve been baking

One Year On

2011-12-25T15:18:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Although Christmas this year was a subdued affair, we celebrated by having roast chicken instead of roast turkey, coupled with delicious roast vegetables and a homely mushroom soup. All very simple, but delicious all the same. I also made a chocolate log cake, again with my 3-ingredient sponge rolled up with whipped cream and topped with chocolate ganache. My family no

A to Z of Australia: B is also for Black Star Pastry

2011-12-18T21:21:00.001+08:00

Now I truly know the meaning of TGIF. It should really be "thank God it's Friday night so that I can sleep till late on Saturday morning" because never have I been so glad for the weekend. And in a blink of an eye, the weekend is over. For want of a better word, I truly have been continually stimulated at work. Stimulated in the sense that I'm discovering new things every day, learning the ropes

A Simple Japanese Strawberry Shortcake, and My 100th Post Milestone!

2011-12-12T22:14:00.001+08:00

I had intended to post this yesterday, but I was utterly wiped out yesterday. This was what I wrote: Today marks a turning point in my life. In less than 12 hours, I’ll be starting work proper for the first time. No more part-time jobs, holiday attachments, long school holidays or short schooling hours. The real world starts from now on. I’m glad for internships, and I think it’s the main

Wholemeal Pizza with Pepperoni and Basil Pesto

2011-12-06T09:46:00.001+08:00

Ever since I saw Swee San's Christmas Giveaway post, I've been dying to enter because well, you stand a chance of winning Pantry Magic vouchers! How cool is that? Considering that Pantry Magic in Singapore has closed down and I was a sucker for all their stuff, and knowing the one in Bangsar is huge, I really really really wanted to enter so that I could win hope hehe. Anyway, I had many grand

One-bowl Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-11-29T20:50:00.000+08:00

Today's a very special day for me, because it's my mom's 50th birthday =D Happy Birthday Mummy - may you look younger as the days go by and have less worries because I'm going to start work soon and you'll have more pocket money (from me) soon hehe ;p Although reaching the big five-oh is a pretty big deal, we didn't celebrate much, because it was a weekday and with one brother in the army and

Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes (北海道戚風蛋糕), and how to get to JB

2011-11-22T20:21:00.000+08:00

I've had a number of emails asking me about how to go to JB, or specifically, how to get to certain baking shops in JB. As much as I love Malaysia, I must admit that public transport options in JB are pretty sucky, and taking buses to these baking shops I've listed can be quite a feat/hassle - since the bus stops are not exactly near those places (you have to walk across roads, etc) and there are

Low-fat Carrot Cupcakes using Homemade Applesauce

2011-11-18T19:07:00.000+08:00

I'm sorry I haven't been posting this week and last - I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but I'm supposed to be studying for my final exams (really final final exams since I'll be starting work right after these exams) and at the same time, I'm in Sydney. Strange? Well, I'm supposed to be studying in Sydney, and visiting Jon at the same time, so it works out to be a holiday-and-study-and-visit

Arugula, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Fig Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

2011-11-08T20:11:00.000+08:00

You might realize that savory dishes are few and far between on this blog. The reason being that I live with my parents, so my mom cooks for me when I'm at home, and either I'm far too lazy to whip something up for myself, or I'm way too hungry to even take out a camera. So on a rainy day when my mom wasn't home and there was nothing in the house - no pasta or day-old rice for me to fry, and

Naked Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes or Blueberry Lemon Muffins [creaming method]

2011-11-03T09:42:00.001+08:00

This month's Aspiring Bakers could not have come at a better time - this month I've got relatives getting married, cousins celebrating birthdays, my mom's big half-a-century-old birthday - all opportunities for making beautiful cupcakes :] After the success of my blueberry-lemon muffins earlier, I decided to take on another recipe muffin recipe. I thus tried this bookmarked recipe - an extremely

Malaysian Monday #8: Ang Koo Kueh (红龟粿)

2011-10-31T09:11:00.000+08:00

The bad thing about blog surfing, at any time of the day, is the food porn that greets you each time you visit a blog. I'm an extremely visual person, and am definitely susceptible to good food photos, so I try to blog surf after meals, so that I don't get too tempted. Alas, I still do and I sure do salivate when I see my fellow bloggers' posts - and when I mean I salivate, I literally DO

Pink Salted Caramel Macarons for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-26T21:00:00.005+08:00

This post has been long in the making. Like 8 months kinda long. Ever since my first post on macarons more than half a year ago, I've been making macarons on and off, experiencing more failures than successes. I'm experimented with technique, temperature, equipment, ingredients and a whole lot of other variables, and have come to the conclusion that macarons are indeed iffy little creatures and

Janine's Failed Macaron Cake aka a Flourless Chocolate Cake made with Maca-fails

2011-10-21T21:04:00.001+08:00

I swear by the phrase "out of adversity comes creativity", not only because I am usually pushed by circumstances to think out of the box, but also because much of my (best) work is done when I'm facing a time crunch or other adverse situations. Just take today for example, I was craving ang koo kueh, a traditional glutinous rice treat filled with peanuts or mung beans, and since it was raining

Pizzas in Singapore #2: La Nonna

2011-10-18T21:41:00.000+08:00

This is yet another long overdue post. Like I mentioned earlier, I was on a hunt for good pizzas in Singapore, and one of the first places I stumbled upon was this place recommended by Brad, called La Nonna, which according to him, had the best lunch promotion in Singapore. The best thing was, it was located in Holland Village, which is relatively near to where I live. Since then, I've visited La

Price Comparison of [some] Baking Ingredients in Baking Supplies Shops across Singapore

2011-10-16T21:04:00.002+08:00

When I first posted THIS list of baking supplies stores in Singapore, I never imagined that it would be one of the most popular posts on this blog. I'm happy that it is, because it means that my list is of use to other people who may be on the search of certain baking products/goods/ingredients in certain places. Do check out the updated list - I've updated it with some additional places, as well

Spiced Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, with a Crumble Topping

2011-10-12T20:38:00.000+08:00

Although this is the second pumpkin-related recipe here on the blog, I have to admit that before this year, I used to avoid pumpkin like the plague. No joke. I guess I had bad memories of how pumpkin tasted like - my mom used to stir fry it with some soupy substance which till today I have no idea what it is. No thank you. I guess it's also a sign that my tastebuds are maturing somewhat - I used

Rose-shaped Steamed Pumpkin Bun/Mantous (南瓜馒头)

2011-10-07T21:01:00.000+08:00

It seems like just a while ago that it was October last year, and I was struggling really hard to get back into the pace of life back in Singapore. I had been away for a year, enjoying il dolce far niente and it was hard to study again. Then, I still had not discovered the love of baking that I had within me, so attempting things what these mantous below were probably unheard of. It might be