Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Came across this recipe online and decided to tried it with my daughter (I reduced the sugar quantity).  And it really works! Super easy to make and gluten-free!  Works great as small little gifts!

Ingredients

*I got 29 cookies from the recipe

*On a measuring cup, 200ml=1 cup

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Line baking tray and preheat oven to 190C.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until well combine,
3. Spoon a teaspoon of the mixture, roll into a ball and press it down with a fork.
4. Send to bake for 12-15min.
   *Note: the cookies will feel soft when just out from oven.  It will firm up as it cools.

This is the peanut butter I used.

Have all ingredients in a bowl.

Mix it up.

Roll into balls.

 

Flatten with a fork.

They are great as gifts!

Chocolate Cotton Cake

I have a birthday cake order for a 4-year-old little girl to fulfilled.   The cake would be dressed in pink, so I made this cake as the base as I thought the colour would be outstanding in the cross section, and she loves chocolate too :)  I think the cake also look very cute in it's naked form!

Original recipe adapted & modified from BC, but I cannot remembered who exactly...but looking at the ingredients, should be Kat Kat :P

Ingredients

*Makes a 6" cake

3 egg yoks

1 whole egg

50g condensed milk

35g plain flour

15g cocoa powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

35g canola oil

Pinch of salt

3 egg whotes

45g castor sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Preheat oven at 140C with a tray of hot water.
2. Grease the side and line bottom of 6" tin.
3. Sieve, flour, cocoa powder & soda together.  Set aside.
4. Heat up oil and drizzle over the flour mixture, quickly mixing it to a smooth consistency.  Set aside,
5. Beat egg yolks, 1 whole egg & condensed milk until well combined.  Then pour the flour mixture into it, and mix until well combined.
6. Beat egg white until foamy, add in cream of tar tar.  Continue beating, and add in sugar in 3 batches.  Stop when you attain soft peak.
7. Fold in the meringue to the egg yolk batter in 3 batches.  Fold until you do not see any streaks of the egg whites.
8. Pour batter into baking tin, bang on table top few times to release air bubbles.
9. Send to bake by waterbath method.  Baked at 140C for 15min, then 130C for 75min.
10. Once baked, remove from oven immediately and invert to cool for 5min, then remove the baking tin and baking paper, and revert back upright to cool completely.

Original recipe

Fresh out from the oven!

Sliced into half, ready for frosting!

 

My end product!  I named this, Bed of Roses!

The Mommy hand-made a bunting and separately bought a topper.

It looks like Cinderella is dancing in a rose garden! 

Another separate one that I made in a tube tine and frosted with chocolate ganache :)

Wilton Decorator's Cream

There are many types of buttercream recipes around, and this is one of my favourite to use, because it is make up of shortening instead of butter, hence it doesn't have a very strong buttery taste, and it doesn't melt easily.  Best of all, it also does not harden hard in the fridge :)

Ingredients
*Yield 3 cups
207g white vegetable shortening (I used crisco.  You may also substitute with butter or margarine)
1tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp milk
500g icing sugar
1/2 egg white
Pinch of salt

Method

1. Cream shortening, vanilla and milk. Then add in egg white, continue to cream until well combined.
2. Add in dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
   * For softer consistency, add 1 tsp of water at a time and mix well, until you reach the desired consistency. 

These are some of the decorations that I piped with this recipe :)

Strawberry Muffins

A friend ordered some muffins to celebrate her little girl's 4th birthday in school :)  Since these would be distributed among the young kiddos, I specially selected from this recipe to modify the flavour because it's really easy to make,  and the produced muffins has a crunchy top and moist crumbs, which kids should love :)

Ingredients

*I used my measuring cup to weight out the ingredients.  200ml/cc is equivalent to 1 cup.

1 1/2 cup plain flour - sieved

3/4 cup castor sugar

1 tbsp castor sugar - for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/3 to 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

6-7 strawberries - cut into smaller pieces

Method

1.  Prep muffins tray with 12 cases.

2.  Preheat oven to 180C.

3.  After cutting the strawberries into smaller pieces, tap them dry with kitchen towel and coat them with 1 tbsp flour.  Sieve it with a siever to remove access flour.  Set aside.

4.  In a mixing bowl, add in flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix well.

5.  In the measuring cup, add in oil, then the egg.  Top up with milk to the 1 cup line.  Add in vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

6.  Pour in the wet mixture to the flour mixture, mix with a fork until well combined.  *Note: batter will be thick.

7.  Add in strawberries and mix well.

8.  Fill up the muffin cases till 80% full, sprinkle each muffin with some sugar (for that extra sweet crunchy top!).

9.  Send to bake for 20min.  And viola!

Cut the strawberries into smaller pieces.

Tap dry with kitchen towel.

 Coat them with 1tbsp flour.

Sieve away the access flour.

Final consistency of the batter.

Fill about 80% full in muffin cases.

Freshly out from oven!

Topped with some cute toppers :)

All packed for pick-up :)

I have some extra batter, so made 2 blueberries ones for my daughter :)

For my girl to share with her friend :)

Gula Melaka Ogura Cake

Been a while since I made an Ogura cake, and I wanted to clear off some gula melaka (palm sugar), so here it is!  This cake is super aromatic, has an awesome texture and is super super soft & fluffy!  I made it last night and I'm now left with 2 slices only :P

Adapted and modified from Jeannie's recipe.

Ingredients

*6" square tin

(A)

5 egg yolk 

1 whole egg 

1/4 tsp salt 

60g canola oil 

70g gula melaka - chopped into smaller pieces

20g milk

75g plain flour

(B)

5 egg whites

40g castor sugar 

1/4tsp cream of tartar

Method

1. Grease and lined the base of the baking tin.  Prepare a larger baking tin for waterbath.
2. Preheat oven to 150C.
3. Heat up milk in microwave and pour over the chopped gula melaka.  Stir until the gula melaka dissolved.
4. In a mixing bowl, exceptional for plain flour, using a balloon whisk, beat all (A) ingredients until light and fluffy.  Then fold in the sifted flour.  Set aside.
   *Note: I poured the gula melaka mixture through the sieve when adding it to the batter.  This would ensure that the mixture is smooth with no undissolved lumps.
5. Using a mixer, beat egg whites until foamy, add in cream of tartar, continue beating and add in sugar in 3 separate batches.  Beat until you attain firm peaks.
6. Using a balloon whisk, fold the meringue into the yolk mixture in 3 batches.  Change to a spatula for the last fold, and scrap off all the meringue by the side of the mixing bowl.  Be sure there are no more streaks of meringue in the mixture.
7. Bang the mixture few times on the table top to release air bubbles.
8. Send the cake to bake at 150C for 70mins, by waterbath method.
9. Once done, invert on cooling rack to cool.  If you prefer a smooth surface, invert on a non-stick frying pan or cookie tray for 5-10min, unmould and remove baking paper then revert back to cool upright.

Chopped gula melaka into smaller pieces.

Stir and dissolved them with the heat-up milk.

Beat egg white until attain firm peaks.

Egg yolk mixture.

I'm in a little artistic mood, so played a bit with the batter on the cake top :)

Fresh from oven, puffed like a pillow! :P

Smooth top!  And I think the hearts looked really cute!

Superb texture!

So so soft! 

Sliced nicely to served! :)