Marble Cake

I was supposed to make Marble Cake instead of the cookies last Monday. So yesterday, since my DH's frens were coming over, I decided why not bake it. And I did.

I got back from work, wash up and stuff and then started to make the cake. I found this recipe from my mum's cook jotterbook. Apparently she got it from somewhere else but do not really know who the originator was.

After the cake has been sliced ..

This cake is rather simple to make. The ingredients for the Marble Cake are not that many and it is as follows:-

Ingredients

250g butter
250g castor sugar
250g flours
8 eggs
1 tbsp ovalette
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp chocolate emulco
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.
Grease a tin with softened butter.
Melt butter and leave to cool.
Sift flour into a bowl.
Combine sugar, eggs and ovalette and flour and beat for about 10 mins.
Put in vanilla essence and gradually pour in the melted butter whilst continue beating the mixture.
Put half the mixture into another bowl. Mix in the chocolate emulco and cocoa powder.
To assemble put 3 tablespoons of the white mixture then 3 tablespoons of choc mixture over the white one.
When you have used half of the mixture reduce to 2 tablespoons then reduce to 1 tablespoon.
Bake for 40 mins or until cooked.
Allow cake to cool in the tin for abt 10 mins before turning it out to cool on a wire tray.

My Yummy ABC - Almond Brownie Cookies

I have to admit this is the best choc cookies dat I have ever made and I will stick by this recipe.

I made ABC - Almond Brownie Cookies yesterday. Actually my initial plan was to bake either a Marble Cake or Zebra Cake. I took the butter out from the fridge to put to room temperature but when the time comes to start baking, I ended up making ABCs.

Personally, I really found em cookie-licious .. totally different from the choc cookies I've ever made and this is the first time that I enjoyed eating my cookies.

I simply love baking this kinda cookies .. u put teaspoonfuls of the mixture and the cookies will spread when you bake em. Ironically, I felt making these are as easy as ABC too .. as the name suggests .. hehehe

Oh ya .. I did earn some brownie points from colleagues who tasted my ABCs. One wanted to order for Hari Raya. ORDER?!?!? Whoa .. is she for real or wat?!?!? Well, I would be most glad to take orders .. ;-)

This is how it looks before I put the ABCs in the oven ..

Here are the ABCs cooling off on a wire rack ..

And now, we move on to the recipe:-

Ingredients

1/2 cup almond nibs, roasted
125 gm butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg lightly beaten
11/2 cups self raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup semi sweet choc chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.
Beat butter and sugar till creamy.
Gradually add eggs, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Fold in sifted self raising flour and cocoa powder gradually. (I used my hands to fold)
Then fold in the almonds and choc chips.
Place teaspoonsfuls of mixture on a non stick pan. Dun forget to space out for spreading.
Bake for 15 mins until cook.
Leave in pan for a couple of minutes then turn out into a wire rack to cool.

Cupcakes (Part II)

So this is Part 2 to this cupcakes craze o mine.

Last Thursday, I managed to make about 30 cupcakes for my daughter’s 4th birthday - Choc Chip Cupcakes with Royal Icing. I used the same premix as before but added semi sweet choc chips and made royal icing with orange flavouring.

I am still an amateur so I had to be contented with the outcome. I am proud to say I tried my level best to make some homemade stuff for my lil angel.

There will be more cupcakes making in times to come. Next time, perhaps, I’ll frost em with Chocolate Ganache instead .. mmm .. SINFUL .. ;-)

Anyway, here are some pictures to share:-

Tihani, the bday gal, in her Punjabi suit, on the way to kindy for Racial Harmony Day as well as cake cutting.

The un-iced cupcakes.

The iced cupcakes.

And here is the Royal Icing recipe :-

Ingredients

2 egg whites
4 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
orange flavouring
pink and blue colouring

Method

Beat egg whites and gradually add confectioners sugar till stiff.
Add orange flavouring.
Divide the mixture into two bowls.
Tint one with pink and the other with blue coloring.
Pipe onto the cupcakes and decorate with extra choc chips and sugar pearls.

Try em ..

Cupcakes

I know there's this cupcakes craze going on. I look at websites, blogs, magazines - and I read about cupcakes. There are surely a yummy little treat.

I have been telling myself to try out and I finally found time to do Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing yesterday. This is kinda good timing as I thot of bringin them to my daughter's school for her bday. This is a trial one so I only made a small batch. I used a premix for the cakes, basically, I just had to add water and eggs. As for the Chocolate Icing, I used a recipe which I got from my Rnet fren. Here it goes:-

Ingredients (small quantity)

1 square chocolate, melt using double boiler method
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cup icing sugar

Method

Mix em together using a hand whish till they are smooth.
Then pipe em on top of the cupcakes.

Overall I am happy with the end result .. ;-)

Yorshire Pudding - Gracias sis!

My sis went to London for a 3 week holiday and came back two days ago, Tuesday afternoon. As usual, I love to receive "pasalubung" - dats souvenir in Tagalog .. hehe ..

This "angkapal mukha kho" aka "muka tak tahu malu" actually called her up and asked her to get me Instant Yorkshire Pudding for souvenir. Actually I saw a cook show and they were cooking something English, ie. Yorkshire Pudding with roasts and good ole sauce to go along .. slurp! As any good lil sis would, she bought me 2 packs.

Thank you lil sis! Will invite you over when I make Roast and Yorkshire Pudding yah!

Berry Jam Cake

Last May, 18 May 06, to be exact, I made Berry Jam Cake. It is actually called Chocolate Jam Cake but since I omitted the chocolate and just used berry jam for this recipe, I call it Berry Jam Cake instead. This is how it looks like.

Ingredients

100 g butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup jam (i used mixed berry jam)
1/3 cup hot water
2 medium eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup self raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.
Grease a 20 cm tin tin with softened butter.
Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda into a blow.
Combine butter, sugar, jam and water in a small pan over low heat till dissolved.
Add butter mixture and eggs to the flour and mix but do not overbeat.
Turn the mixture into the greased tin and bake for 40 mins or until cooked.
Allow cake to cool in the tin for abt 10 mins before turning it out to cool on a wire tray.

Sowee .. & 5 Takes!

Gosh .. its been a long long while since I last updated my blog. I tried to but when it is time for me to upload pix .. i face some difficulties .. danget.

Well, I will try to update more often from now on.

As for today, I'll talk about 5 Takes. It is about 5 travel journalists (TJs) who travel across Australia and the Pacific Rim, which includes Singapore, as part of their itenerary. They had to survive on a US$50 a day budget and took suggestions from the website's forum on where to go, wat to eat, wat to do, etc.

I was a follower of 5 Takes which is aired on Discovery Travel and Living. When they were in town from 22 - 27 May, I got my hubby to just try my luck at looking up for them at the backpacker inn that they were staying in. Bam! there they were just outside the inn. I then approached the guys and got to take pictures with them.

Well, I was featured in Renee's vlog .. interested to see em .. u can find Renee's Singapore vlog here .. http://www.travelandlivingasia.com/5takes/season2/renee/vlogs/2/index.shtml

Here is a pic of me and Renee .. i call her the bubby gal ..

This season 5 Takes is over and I would like to wish all TJs all the best in whatever they do!