Apricot Banana Bread

The inspiration of making this bread was adapted from Taste of Home. I substitute bran cereal with wheat germ  since I didn't have bran cereal.

Some changes were made from the original recipe.

Also , this is my first time using this savarin cake tin so I couldn't figure out how long does it take to get the cake "burn". 

Apricot Banana Bread:
Ingredient :
100 g butter
80 g castor sugar

2 eggs ( about 70 g each)

100 g mashed banana (suggested using pisang emas (wiki )

50 ml buttermilk ( I substituted it with milk + few drops of lemon)

1/8 salt 

120 g flour  +  1 tsp baking powder + 1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda

30 g wheat germ

100 g chopped dry apricot (soak in hot water if it is too hard to cut)
50 chopped walnuts ( baked for 10 minutes before chopping)

Method:
1. Cream butter and castor sugar until light and fluffy.
2. + egg +  mashed banana + buttermilk + salt.  Stir the mixture with spoon.
3. + flour + wheat germ + apricot and walnuts.
4. Pour into a greased 9" savarin cake tin.
5. Temperature : 180 C
6. Baking time : 45 mins. ( I baked 30 mins over lower heat and 15 mins upper heat）
（* But the bread seemed not "burnt"enough after baking for half an hour's time over lower heat. )

Verdict : The banana bread was moist enough with a mild flavor of apricot and yet you still could feel the crunchiness of walnuts.

Lemon Poppy Seeds Cream Cheese Cookies

I have lemons.
I have poppy seeds.
I have cream cheese.
What am I waiting for ?

So, I decided to make this Lemon Poppy Seeds Cream Cheese Cookies ！
And I started to write this recipe based on how I wanted my cookies taste like last night.


Lemon Poppy Seeds Cream Cheese Cookies:
Ingredients:
A. 140 g cream cheese ( room temperature)
      70 g butter
      100 sugar

B. 1/8 tsp salt
      20 ml lemon juice
      1 tbsp lemon zest

C.( sieved). 215 g all purpose flour
     20 g poppy seeds
     1 tsp baking powder
     1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda


Method ：
1. Cream Ingredient A for 10 mins ( until fluffy).
2.  + B + C . Mixed well.
3. Shape into a ball and use a fork to press the dough before baking.
4. Temperature : 180 C.
    Baking  Time ：25 - 30 mins （ Middle  rack)

Luffa with Omelette

Luffa is always my favorite dish due to its softness after cooking.

Chinese always fried luffa with omelette and char siew  ( 叉烧) .

Lunch Menu:

1. Fried Luffa with Omelette and Char Siew.

2. Mustard Green in Water - No oil , no salt.

Apple, Carrot and Coconut Muffins

I always think that it is much easier to make muffins than making cakes although their texture is different.

It is my first time to make this apple, carrot and coconut muffins. The recipe is adapted from the book " Muffin Galore" ( Catherine Atkinson ). 

The combination of these ingredients makes very moist muffins. The actual recipe makes 12 muffins but I only make half of these.

( All dry ingredients - mixed well)

Apple, Carrot and Coconut Muffins :
Dry ingredients:
75 g plain wholemeal flour
75 g white flour
50 g brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder
100 g carrot ,finely grated
100 g dried apple, chopped (  I used fresh apple)
30 g raisin, chopped
25 g walnut , chopped
50 g flake coconut

Wet ingredients: ( I have made some changes here as I didn't have buttermilk )
The actual recipe needs 63 ml buttermilk , 63 ml milk  1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract)

I substitued the above ingredients as below :
50 g melted butter
70 ml milk
1 slightly beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla extra

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 C  Gas mark 4. ( I used 190 C as I thought that this muffin is quite moist and it needs higher temperature ) . Grease a 6-cup muffin tin with paper muffin case.
2. Mix dry ingredients + wet ingredients , mix briefly until just combine.
3. Baking time : 25- 30 mins .

Voila ! My tea time : A cup of tea and an apple, carrot and coconut muffin, yummy !

Coconut Tarts

Those coconut tarts selling in the bakery shop are too sweet for me .
So , I have decided to make them myself according to the sweetness that suit me well.

These bloggers made beautiful coconut tarts :
1. My Kitchen Snippets (English )
2. Citarasawan ( Malay )
3. Eupho Cafe 爱在厨房（ Chinese ）
4. The Best Food - vegetarian 甜嫩的椰子塔  （ Chinese ）
5. Eileen 之记事本 ( Chinese)
6. 小小米桶 - 香酥椰子塔 ( Chinese )
7. Food Cooking and Capturing - Vietnamese Coconut Tarts ( English )

My version of coconut tarts were referred to My Kitchen Snippets 's pastry and filling quantity . But I changed the making method to creaming method for the filling and modify some of the quantity of ingredients as well.

Coconut Tarts: ( I used patty pan baking tray instead of single tart moulds, makes about 16 psc ) 

Ingredient of pastry :

300 g flour

160 g butter

70 ml iced cold water

20 g castor sugar

1/4 tsp of salt

To make the pastry:

1. Cut cold butter + flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. + sugar + salt + iced cold water. 

3. Make them a dough and refrigerate for 20 mins . 

4. Press dough into the tart mould with equal part of dough and fill with coconut tart filling.

5. Bake in the oven.

Ingredients of Filling :

200 g grated coconut ( need only the white one).

70 g butter

80 g castor sugar

2 eggs ( 70 g each )

70 g flour  

10 ml water

Method :

1. Beat butter + castor sugar until creamy and fluffy ( electric mixer)

2. + eggs, mixed well ( electric mixer)

3. + flour stir well (with spatula).

4. + grated coconut ( with spatula ).

5. + water.

Baking time : 30 mins ( upper and lower heat ,  middle rack ).

                      Extra 10 mins if neccessary ( only lower heat to make the base of the coconut tart crispy).