Christmas Fruit Cake

Recipe from Jeannie Tay.

Ingredients
300g mixed fruits of your choice – soaked these overnight in 3 tablespoons of rum/other alcohol (I used barcadi)
230g plain flour
60g self raising flour
230g salted butter
100g light brown sugar
70g castor sugar
1 tbsp fruit jam (i used blueberries jam)
4 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extract

Zest from one orange/lemon

Method
*Preheat oven at 160C

• Prepare a 7″ square tin by lining the bottom. Prepare an 8″ square tin and insert in aluminum foils in between the 2 tins.  This is to minimize the crack on the cake.
  
• Cream butter and sugars till light and creamy, add in jam and vanilla extract.
  
• Add in the eggs gradually.
  
• Add in flour and fruit mixture alternatively.
  
• Transfer the mixture into the prepared 7″inch square tin. Put the baking tin into the 8″ square and insert aluminium foil between the two tin.
  
• Bake the cake at 160C for 1 hour or more depending on your oven until cooked. Removed and allow to cool on rack.

Easy Muah Chee

Recipe adapted from Fun at Sassy's Kitchen.

Ingredients
1 cup glutinous rice flour
1 cup of water
1 tsp sugar
Premix sugared peanut powder


Instructions

1. Mix flour, water & sugar until mixture is smooth.
2. Put into microwave for 3mins.
3. Cut pieces of muah chee and mix into sugared peanut powder.

Traditional Baked Mooncake

Recipe adapted from The Fatty Rie.

Ingredients:
*6 x 125g baked mooncakes

Crust
150g hong kong flour
90g golden syrup
30g canola oil
1/2 tbsp alkaline water

Filling
Lotus paste or any paste of your choice
20g to 30g melon seeds
6 Salted eggs

Egg Wash
1 chicken egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk, beaten and sift


Method:
1. Salted egg yolks preparation - Crack the eggs and remove the yolks, then soak the yolks in canola oil for about 15-20 mins, to remove the fishy smell.  After removing the yolks from the oil, use kitchen paper towel to dab dry the yolks.

2.   Place the melon seeds and egg yolks on lined baking tray.   Bake in preheated oven at 140C for about 8-12 mins. Once the yolks turn slightly lighter in color, and the melon seeds toasted, you can remove from oven and cool completely.   Set aside.

3.   Mooncake dough preparation - Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl, and create a well in the middle.  Add in golden syrup, oil and alkaline water.  Mix the ingredients into a dough and let the dough rest for about 30-35 mins.

4.   Lotus paste preparation -  Mix the toasted melon seeds into the lotus paste, and roll the paste into ball shape, then make a hole in the centre and place 1 yolk in it.  Gently roll the lotus paste back into a ball shape.  Set aside.
*Note:
a)  use plastic gloves as the paste can get very sticky
b)  lotus paste + yolk filling = 75g

5.    Divide the mooncake dough into 50g portions.

6.   Take 1 ball of the mooncake dough, flatten it and wrap the lotus paste in it, sealed the ends and roll it into a ball shape.

7.   Flour the mooncake mold generously and knock out excess flour, then imprint the prepared dough (from #6), and transfer it to lined baking tray.

8.   Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 5 mins.  Remove from oven and cool it for about 2-3 mins. Brush gently with egg wash, then return the mooncakes back into oven to continue baking for another 10-15 mins, or golden brown coloured.

9.   Once done, remove from oven and cool completely before storing them for about 3-4 days to to 回油 (crust soften).

Baked rosemary chicken & potatoes

Recipe adapted from Delishar.

Ingredients
4 Skin on, bone-in chicken legs, pat dry
6 small potatoes (Granola Potatoes), washed & quartered
1 yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 german sausages
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

Salt and black pepper to taste
Some lemon wedges
Some cherry tomatoes
Chopped cilantro

Method

Preheat oven to 190C.

Mix rosemary, oregano, garlic, worcestershire sauce, and oil together in a large mixing bowl.

Add chicken, onion, and potatoes into bowl.  Toss to coat.

Lay everything out onto a large baking dish.

Rest the chicken on top of the potatoes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bake on middle rack for an hour, uncovered.

Serve with lemon wedges, cherry tomatoes and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Butter Souffle Sponge Cake

Recipe adapted from Jeannie Tay.

Ingredients
*9" round cake

2 eggs
6 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
70g butter
pinch of salt
120g cake flour
100g full cream milk

6 egg whites
140g fine castor sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar


Method

Greased and line the base of the baking tin.

Preheat oven to 160C.

Combine egg, egg yolks, vanilla extract and beat lightly.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, then add the sieved flour + salt, and mix well. 

Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and add in the milk and mix until blended. 

Add the egg yolk mixture in gradually,  mix well until batter is smooth.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add in cream of tartar.  

Gradually add in sugar and continue beating until achieving firm peaks.

Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture until well combined.

Transfer batter into baking tin and bake in a water bath for 160C for 30mins, then 140C for 60mins.

Once done, remove baked cake from pan as soon as the cake starts to pull away from the pan and allow to cool on rack completely.

Rainbow cake

Recipe adapted from HowToCookThat.

Ingredients

*8" round cake

320g plain flour

180g castor sugar

1 bbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1½ tsp gelatine 

125ml canola oil

250ml cold water

7 egg yolks

7 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Colorings


Method

Grease and line the base of the baking tin.

Preheat the oven to 160C, with a tin of hot water at the bottom tier of the oven.

Add sugar, baking powder, salt and gelatin into the flour and mix it with a whisk.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the oil, egg yolks and water but don’t mix it.  Set aside.

Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and whisk to soft peaks.

Now mix the flour mixture until it is just combined.

Fold meringue into the flour mixture until well combined.

Split the mixture evenly between 6 bowls.  Add a little colour to each bowl and gently fold through.

Pour in the first colored batter, send to bake for 10-12mins.  Remove and add the next colored and sent it back into the oven to bake for the same duration.  Repeat until you used up all batter.  And bake the last layer for around 15mins. 

Once done, remove baking tin and cool cake upright.

Decorate with chocolate ganache & chocolate of your preferred choice!

Cheese Chiffon Cake

Recipe adapted and modified from Anncoo Journal.

Ingredients:
*I used a 21cm tube tin

(A)
90g milk
60g cream cheese or cheddar cheese (I used a mixture of both)
38g butter
6 egg yolks
90g cake flour
15g corn flour

(B)
6 egg whites
110g sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 150C.
   
2. Sieve both types of flours together.  Set aside.
   
3. Boil milk, then lower heat and add in cheese and butter stir till melt.  Set aside to cool.
   
4. Once the cheese mixture has cooled, whisk in egg yolks, then flour till well incorporated.  Set aside.
   
5. Beat egg whites until foamy, then add cream of tartar. Gradually add in castor sugar and continue beating until firm peaks formed.
   
6. Add the meringue into yolk batter, by 3 or 4 portions.  Fold in each portion with hand whisk, and fold the last portion with a spatula.  Fold until you do not see any meringue in the batter.
   
7. Transfer batter to the tube tin, bang on the table top few times to remove air bubbles.
   
8. Send it to bake at 150C for 1hour.
   
9. Once it is done, remove the cake from the oven immediately and invert to cool completely before un-moulding.