Perfect Orange Cupcakes ( Low sugar)

It is the first time for me to make cupcakes. 

But this is the second attempt to bake them without cracking on top.

( The cupcake cracked like a muffin for my first baking )

These cupcakes were very soft but I was just too lazy to give them some buttercream topping or any frosting.

I think a cupcake will look like a cupcake if it comes with frosting.

The recipe was origin from Glorious Treats and the one that I first came across was from Natasha's Kitchen , the Perfect Vanilla Cupcake Recipe.

Grated orange zest was cut tiny later.

 Perfect Orange Cupcakes ( low sugar , make 10 )

（ paper cup size : diametre on top 7cm , base 4.5 cm and height  3.7 cm)

Ingredients: 

160 g self-raising flour ( I omitted baking powder and bicarbonate of soda) + 1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs ( about 70g each)

1 tbsp orange zest ( from 1 orange, grated and cut tiny) ( I will put 1 more tbsp in future as I found that it will taste even better)

50 g sugar  ( you can increase it to 100 g if you like it sweeter)

100 ml corn oil

70 ml whipping cream + 30 ml orange juice (Let stand for 5 mins , to substitute buttermilk)

Method:

1. Beat eggs with high speed for 30 seconds and set aside.

2. + sugar , beat 30 seconds.

3. + corn oil, mixed well in low speed + whipping cream and orange mixture + orange zest.

4. + flour, mixed with a stainless steel balloon whisk to beat up all flour lumps.

5.  Pour batter into a lined muffin pan.

6.  Bake in a preheated oven : 170 C. ( I usually bake cake at 180 C with my oven. Lower temperature is used to avoid cracking.)

     Baking time : 35 mins ( or until golden in colour)

Chicken Curry with Carrot and Lady Fingers

Curry cooking always becomes an active activity for preparing my meal.

I always keep some frozen curry paste in my freezer in order to overcome the thirst of craving for curry.

Using different types of leaves for cooking curry will produce different types of aroma in the curry.

This time I use turmeric leaves and kaffir lime leaves in cooking chicken curry. The taste of this chicken curry as if the rendang ayam due to the turmeric leaves.

Chicken Curry with Carrot and Lady Fingers : ( for one person)

1 chicken drumstick( cut into pieces , skinned and removed visible fat)

5 lady fingers

1 tomato, wedges

1/2 onion

1/2 carrot, slices

3 lemongrass, smashed and cut into pieces
some chopped garlic

2 pcs turmeric leaves, sliver
3 pcs kaffir lime leaves, sliver
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup of ready-made curry paste


Method :
1. Marinated chicken with  salt, curry powder + kaffir lime leaves.
2. Heat oil + garlic + onion + chicken + carrot + lemongrass + curry paste ---- stir fried + 1/2 cup water. Simmer for 10 mins.
3. + lady finger + tomato + turmeric leaves , cook until  the vegetables become soft.
4. Seasoning :  salt and sugar.

Ingredients for making curry paste:

         Onion, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, dried chilli, lemongrass.

 Coriander, fennel, cumin, black peppercorns, cardamons.

Cinnamon sticks, cloves, five star anise.

Caramel Cheese Cube Banana Cake

This is my second time baking the Banana-Caramel Cake.
I followed  exactly the recipe from Piggy's Cooking Journal for the first time. The taste of the banana cake has changed after adding caramel sauce and  beating some cream cheese into the cake.

My friends who tried the cake told me that it is better to make it a “ Banana Cake ” ,  otherwise, the cake would lose its originality as a banana cake.

So,  this gave me an idea of  making a banana cake but with  more cream cheese cube to be added in the cake, then caramel sauce as topping to the cake. Hence, I have changed the name of the cake to " Caramel Cheese Cube Banana Cake"  Voila ！

The caramel  sauce has the "burnt effect" and seemed a bit bitter . 2 Tablespoons of condense milk was added to the caramel sauce. They were perfectly matched and the bitterness has gone.






Caramel Cheese Cube Banana Cake : ( using 3 eggs , 8"x 8" square pan )

1) To prepare caramel sauce:
1. 50 g castor sugar - cook in a sauce pan.
2. + 1 tbsp water + 2 tbsp liquid whipping cream after the caramel is done.
3. + 2 tbsp condense milk when the caramel completely gets cool.


Ingredients :
3  large eggs  ( about 70 g each )
70 g castor sugar  ( * I take less sugar)  or you can increase sugar to 100 g or more for a sweeter banana cake )
150 g butter
170 g flour + 1 tsp baking powder  + 1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda - sieve together
120 g banana , mash it with a fork

100 g cream cheese , cut into cubes :  about 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 inch


2.) To prepare egg white foam:
  1. Beat  3 egg whites +  1/8 tsp cream of tartar. Beat 5 mins , speed 3 until a stiff peak is formed)

3.) Cake:
1. Beat butter + sugar  until fluffy + 3 egg yolk , one at a time. Speed 3, mix well.
2. Sieve in  flour (+ 1 tsp baking powder + 1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda) . Mix well with a spoon.
3. + 1 tbsp water + 1 drop of banana essence. （ mix well before adding into the flour mixture)
4. + banana + cream cheese cubes
5. + egg white foam. Mix lightly and thoroughly.( with a spoon).Pour the mixture into a greased-paper pan.
6. Arrange slices of banana on the cake before baking.
7. Preheated Oven:  temperature - 180 C
     Baking time : 45 to 50 mins.

Sonia - The Nasi Lemak Lover also made this banana cake on the same day. You may take a look of how she presented her banana cake.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

I stumbled upon The English Kitchen and know that Marie makes a lot of good muffins. You may visit her blog to know what she bakes recently.

I have chosen this Chocolate Chip Muffins as my nieces like chocolate chips very much.

Some changes were made to the recipe :

1. Less sugar was used because the chocolate chips that I bought are quite sweet. 

2. Evaporated creamer was added instead of milk

3. No walnut in the muffins.

Chocolate Chip Muffins ( 10 muffins)

A . Dry ingredients: ( Stir until all well blended in a bowl )
200 g flour
50 g sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
180 g chocolate chips

B. Wet Ingredients: ( Stir well in another  bowl )

2  large beaten eggs ( about 70 g each)
150 ml evaporated creamer / milk
100 ml melt butter or 1/2 cup melt butter
1 tsp vanilla essence


Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 C .
2..Pour B into A  -----> stir together until combine and look lumpy.
3. Spoon batter into the paper cups.
4. Baking temperature - 200 C.
     Baking time : 20 mins

Bran Bread with Apricot, Orange Peel and Walnut

Bran Bread with Apricot, Orange Peel and Walnut:

A. Starter dough: ( Mix well and leave for 10 mins)

100 g high protein flour

20 g sugar 

2 tsp instant yeast

140 ml water

B. Bread dough:

310 g high protein flour

40 g bran

2 tbsp milk powder

100 ml water ( +   extra 50 ml water if needed when kneading , those bran will absorb some water )

50 g butter

40 g sugar

C. Fruit and nut

100 g apricot , cut

80 g  candiced orange peel 

50 g walnut , chopped and  pre-baked in the oven for 10 mins, 180 C

Method:

1. Ready starter dough.

2. A  +  B. Knead dough for 20 mins.

3. Cover dough with wet towel and proof dough for 75 mins.

4. Roll out the air with a wooden roller at least twice.

5. + C. Knead well.

6. Cover dough with wet towel and proof dough for 45 mins.
7. Brush with water before baking.

7. ( Preheat oven ) Oven temperature : 180 C ; Baking time : 45- 50 mins.

Breakfast : Bran bread and tea.

Almond Cranberry Loaf

You don't need a mixer to this Almond Cranberry Loaf.
It is an easy, quick and simple recipe.

Almond Cranberry Loaf :

Ingredient A: (  Mixed well with a spoon)

250 g flour

130 g brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/8 tsp salt

Ingredient B ( mixed well with a fork ):

2 beaten eggs （ 70 g each)

50 g melted butter

80 ml milk / yogurt

1 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredient C:

80 g dried cranberry 

50 g almond , toasted and chopped

Method:

1. A + B + C. Pour into a greased paper loaf mould( 9 " X  5" )

2. Oven temperature : 180 C 

    Baking time : 75 mins

Apricot Muesli Bread

This is the second muesli bread that I made.
The bread was too hard for the first trial.

The muesli I used  was kept in the fridge and those dried fruit become drier and hard. So, I needed to add some more liquid in the dough in order to let those dried fruit to absorb some liquid so that they could be softer after baking.
If you use muesli in room temperature, less liquid ( be it milk , juice or water) is used, I guess.

I used Dorset Cereal Muesli to bake this muesli bread.

Muesli Bread:

A) Yeast dough : ( Mix well , leave for 15 mins)

100 g high protein flour

20 g brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp bread machine yeast ( although I didn't use bread machine)

100 ml water

B) Flour dough :

200 g high protein flour

100 g muesli ( it is drier, from the fridge)

2 tbsp (=30 g) milk powder

30 g brown sugar

60 g butter ( room temperature)

80 ml water ( 50 ml water is added for the first time, 10 ml was added each time. Control the liquid used if muesli is in room temperature)
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder

100 g chopped dried apricot 

Method:

1. Dough  A + dough B---- knead for 20 mins. 

2. Proof  ( mixture 1) for one and a half hour (1 1/2 hour).

3. Roll flat the dough at least 2 times after 1 1/2 hour of proofing.

4. + chopped dried apricot. Knead for 10 mins.

5. Shape it in the bread pan. Proof for 1 hour again.

6. Brush water on top of the dough before baking.

7. Oven temperature : 180 C. 

     Baking time : 45 -50 mins.

After the second proofing ........before going into the oven.


I didn't get the photo shoot after the bread was done because it was late night.
Breakfast : Apricot muesli bread with butter -  the next day

Vegetarian Meal

  

I would like to be a vegetarian, sometimes.
I feel "lighter" through the "purification" of body by eating vegetable only.
It takes simple cooking method to complete the whole process : saute the vegetables.

Vegetarian Recipe:

A segment of aubergine

A segment of cucumber (without the seeds)

Some four-angled beans

Chinese parsley

2 small green chilli ( if you like it hot)

A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Saute aubergine and cucumber since they needs long time to be soft. Add 1/4 cup of water to simmer until the aubergine becomes soft.

2. + four-angled beans and chilli + salt +  Chinese parsley.

Chilli Tuna Spaghetti

It is an easy and simple meal : Chilli Tuna Spaghetti.

Chilli Tuna is canned food.

What I need to do it to cut a spoonful of carrot, onions and some chilli.

Chilli Tuna Spaghetti :

A canned of chilli tuna.

Chopped and Cut:

a spoonful of carrot

half an onion

half a chilli 

some garlic

Method:

1. Heat oil in frying pan.

2. Fry onion + garlic + chilli.

3. Pour the chilli tuna into the frying pan. Stir fry the mixture. 

4. + 30 ml water. Cover the chilli tuna mixture for 2 mins.

5. *  No seaoning is added as the chilli tuna is tasty enough.

What I have found in the canned.