Fresh Blueberry Lemon Cake with a raspberry cream

I wonder where will I be in 10 years time.
Married? Kids? Or just a workaholic? I don’t know.
Am I able to have a long-lasting marriage amidst the high rates of divorce?

I am so glad that Papa and Mama marriage can last for more than 20 years. It is not easy. Despite the fact that Papa has many flaws, Mama still tolerated them. Despite the fact that Mama always say that she has married the wrong man, but they are still together right now.

Honestly, I am  really scared that Mama will divorce Papa when we grow up because Mama always say that the reason to why she is still holding on to this marriage is because of Sis and I. I wonder, can we stop growing up? I don’t want to reach adulthood. Really.

However, despite those drama, Mama has requested me to bake something for her for her anniversary. Mama loves blueberries and strawberries and anything that is Jam-my. She makes her own jam (With chia seed and sweetened with honey) and she was rushing to finish off the bottle of jam which had no presevetives. There is also no extra sugar for long-lasting canning, which is why we have to finish as soon as possible. Therefore, i thought it will be absolutely fabulous to make this cake for Mama.

This cake is very simple. Its a blueberry lemon cake. I have once baked this cake 3 years ago when I first started baking and it kinda failed because the texture was really dry. My second attempt was much better (but honestly, my whole family does not like American Style Sponge-Pound cake texture which was the texture of this cake). My family prefers light and spongy cakes maybe because of our Asian Roots. We are very used to eating extremely spongey cakes (much fluffier than normal American Sponge Cakes). They don’t even like Devil Food Cake.  They like Angel-cakes texture. But….. The taste was fabulous. It was bursting with lemon and it was good. But overall, it is not a cake that I will crave for.

However……

We have the raspberry buttercream which honestly, makes everything so much better. It is to die for buttercream. I always wonder why does American Buttercream has so much icing sugar. I usually use less than half of the icing sugar stated in the recipe to make my buttercream, and I get the same light and fluffy buttercream as well. I understand that the sugar makes everything thicker, so why do we have to add so much sugar to eat? Hmmm. This is a myth and will always be a myth because I am not willing to add so much icing sugar to my buttercream just to see what happens to the buttercream. But anyways, you saw those black spots on the cream? It is chia seed, therefore, you are eating some healthy food haha and makes you feel less guilty. I was literally licking every single bit of the buttercream. I usually scrape off buttercream off my cake but I was eating the buttercream. It is not overly sweet and it was just right.

Both the cake and the frosting recipe was obtained from Sallysbakingaddiction. I love her blog and her recipe. So please drop by her blog to check out more amazing recipes.

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Get ready your beer, its beer-battered prawns

Its finally Saturday. I have been working really hard the past few days at 320 nitrogen and below. Overall, it was a really nice experience. My colleagues are quite fun to be with and Jacky, our manager is quite nice to me except that he always poke me and bully me, but that is what makes work so fun.

I finally realize that it is not easy to work. We always think that being student is very hard, but being an adult is even harder. You have to work long hours and money just flies away pretty easily you know? Working 9 hours on Friday just earns me $63, its not even enough for me to go to Universal Studios Singapore. Oh gosh. $50 may seem little, but it actually means a day of work for me. It taught me how to save money and appreciate whatever I have now.

Today, i took a break from work and decided to whip up a meal for my family. I am not just a baking person, but i am also a person who loves to cook. Yay! Cooking for people you love is enjoyable and seeing them enjoying your food makes you feel happy as well. Maybe this is why I love cooking.

Today, I want to introduce to you a recipe from Billy Law Cookbook ‘Have you Eaten?’ Oh gosh, this man is so inspiring. i have more than 20 bookmarks and I am going to cook every single bookmarked recipe. Its so damn good and I definitely urge all of you to buy or borrow that book. It has some amazing recipes, and this beer-battered prawns is so damn good, and is so damn easy to make.

First of all, you start of with a beer that you like. I just took whatever beer I could find in the refrigerator. Since I halved the recipe, I have half of the beer left so I put it back into the fridge. Dad came back and was shocked. He went, ‘who drank the beer’? and I replied, I did. Coz mum let me. And he was speechless. Sorry dad, your beer went into the batter. Hehe.

The batter is super easy to make and is so versatile. Since I had some leftover batter, Mum helped me to chop some of the pumpkin and oyster mushrooms up and I fried them up as well. Simple. We have beer-battered pumpkin and mushrooms. Its so much more crispier than tempura and we were glad that we didn’t order the expensive tempura at the Japanese restaurant today. We saved quite a bit of money huh and we got delicious fried pumpkin and mushroom as well big juicy prawns. The prawns were given by my neighbour who owns a fishing boat. How cool is that! Therefore, we always have an unlimited supply of prawns, fish and sotong. And chickens as well…… I just love her so much haha!

So let’s focus on the batter. Its really simple.

Ingredients:

1. 112g of all purpose flour ( I used 95g All purpose flour and 17g of cornflour)
2. 1 teaspoon of baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
4. Pinch of ground black pepper
5. 1/2 a can of 330ml beer.

 

Directions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. Slowly add in the beer and whisk it till there is no more lumps left.
3. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes
4. Deep fry at 190 degrees celcius till it is golden brown
5. Serve it with Thai Chilli Sauce.

I am so sorry for the bad quality picture and the poor photography skills because I have really bad lightning at night and my phone camera is not really that fabulous like Iphone.

Other highlights today were:

1. Dijon Mustard Honey Salmon with Lemon
2. Barbecued Ribs.
3. Salad (Fruit Salad, Coleslaw and plain greens)

I enjoyed my dinner very very much today and I am looking forward to an opportunity to make Beer-Battered Fish and Chips. I have overcome my fear for deep-frying and eating deep-fried food. They are delicious and I absolutely love them.

Fried food for life (anyways, it’s just my first fried food after 1 week, if you don’t count chips…….)

 

 

 

Chocolate Banana Alternate Layers with so many otherrrrrrr…….

Hello guys,

Drums roll please……
Presenting to you: Chocolate and Banana Alternate Layers with malt chocolate buttercream, white chocolate mousse with banana slices, peanut butter coating and a dark chocolate ganache.

So many layers right? I was amazed by myself as well. Haha and I did it during a school break which was meant to be a studying break. But nevertheless, it is for a cousin that I loved dearly. She is a chocolat-holic and therefore, a death by chocolate cake is the most suitable for her!

I have received rave reviews for this cake, but mostly the chocolate was too intense (oh wells, i purposely make it so intense for the chocolate lover. It is a dream…..

Anatomy of the cake:

The banana cake layer is adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar cookbook. Oh gosh, this lady is a genius. Such an inspiration, if only I can be a pastry chef at Momofuku Milkbar and make cakes everyday. Yum. The banana flavor was even more intense on the second day. Oh gosh, gorgeous.

The chocolate layer is adapted from Sallysbakingaddiction Triple chocolate Recipe. It was so intense. Let me tell you, she is amazing as well. Her recipes never fail and it tasted so good. However, I would still like to explore the many different chocolate recipes before deciding which is the one that I like the most. 🙂 Haha.

The malt chocolate buttercream is adapted from Hummingbirdhigh. You can check out her blog here: http://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/

Then we have the white chocolate mousse, which I forgot where I have gotten the recipe from. But you can always just type white chocolate mousse in the internet 🙂

Finally we have the peanut butter frosting which I added some banana to give it some creaminess and hint of banana flavours. It was created by me because I had some banana leftovers, and I thought, maybe I can incorporate it inside the frosting. Peanut butter and banana is such a classic flavour which will never, ever go wrong. Yum. I simply made a batch of peanut butter frosting and added 1 banana inside. The end result, heaven.

Ganache then covered the whole cake, but I ran out of cream and chocoalte and so the ganache was too thin and everything became a mess. The cake became ugly. But oh wells, it still taste fabulous.

So here are all the recipes:

DEVIL’S FOOD CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

• 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
• 1 and 3/4 cup (350g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (65g) unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or canola oil, or melted coconut oil)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (240ml) freshly brewed strong hot coffe

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Butter & flour two 9 inch round cake pans, or use non-stick spray.
2. Make the cake:Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
3. Using a handheld or stand mixer on high speed, mix the buttermilk, oil, room temperature eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with the mixer on low. Add the coffee. The batter will be VERY thin.
4. Pour the batter into prepared baking pans and bake for 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Banana Cake:(makes one 6-inch, 3-layer cake)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 really ripebananas
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 (F).

2. Combine 6 tablespoons butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachmentand cream together on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add 1 egg, and mix on medium-high again for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
4. Stream in 1/2 cup buttermilk and 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil while the paddle swirls on low speed. Once the buttermilk and grapeseed oil has been added, increase the mixer to medium-high and paddle for 5 to 6 minutes until the mixture is practically white, completely homogenous, and twice the size of your original fluffy butter-and-sugar mixture. You’re basically forcing too much liquid into an already fatty mixture that doesn’t want to make room for it, so if it doesn’t look right after 6 minutes, keep mixing. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. On very low speed, add 2 bananas and mix for 45 to 60 seconds to ensure all the bananas are broken apart.
6. Still on low speed, add 1 1/3 cups flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix for 45 to 60 seconds, or just until your batter comes together and any remnants of dry ingredients have been incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX or your cake will be tough and I will be sad. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
7. Pam-spray te 3 cake pans and line with parchment. Using a rubber spatula, divide the batter into three equal portions and spread the cake batter in even layers across the three pans. Give the bottom of the cake pans a tap on the countertop to even out the layers and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. At 25 minutes, gently poke the edge of the cake with your finger — the cake should bounce back slightly and the center should no longer be jiggly. Leave the cake in the oven for an extra 3 to 5 minutes if the cake doesn’t pass these tests.
8. Take the cake out of the oven and cool on a wire rack.

For the Malted Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

(enough for one 6-inch, 3-layer cake)

• 3/4 cup (or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• scant 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• 1/3 cup Milo powder

1. In a bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 3/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, and 1/2 salt. Mixture will be very thick, but cream for about 3 minutes on medium speed.
2. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on low to incorporate the sugar while adding 2 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla vanilla. As the sugar incorporates, gradually increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Stop the mixer and scape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until smooth.
3. In a 1-cup measure, stir together 1/2 cup cream and 1/3 cup Ovaltine. Turn the mixer to medium, and pour the cream in a slow and steady stream until the frosting reaches your desired consistency: smooth, creamy, and spreadable. Add more powdered sugar to adjust consistency.

PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

• 3/4 cup (185g) creamy peanut butter
• 4 Tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons (45ml) heavy cream
• 1 Banana

With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the peanut butter and butter on medium speed until creamy and completely smooth – about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Mix on medium until combined. Add the cream and mix on high until creamy, at least 2 minutes. And finally add the banana till everything is incorporated.   Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.

Chocolate Mousse:

• 300ml Bulla whipping cream( or any whipping cream)
• 140g Cadbury baking dark chocolate ( or any baking dark chocolate)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of sugar

• Melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water(do not allow water to touch the bowl of chocolate)
• Beat eggs and sugar in a pot of simmering water(do not allow the water touches the bowl of egg mixture). Keep beating the egg and sugar until fluffy and pale orribbon stage
• In a clean bowl: beat whipping cream until soft peak formed.
• Fold whipped cream into egg-chocolate mixture at step (3) in 2 additions until a velvety chocolate mousse achieved. Pour into a piping bag.

Assembly

1. Place the banana layer at the bottom.
2. Pour the mousse over and place banana slices on top of the fridge.
3. Refrigerate till the mousse is set. Approximately 1-2hr.
4. Place the chocolate layer on top of the mousse.
5. Spread some malt chocolate buttercream.
6. Place the banana layer.
7. Repeat step 4-7 till u left with chocolate layer as the top layer.
8. Crumb coat with the malt chocolate buttercream.
9. Let it set in the fridge till the buttercream is firm.
10. Cover it with the peanut butter buttercream.

Pour the ganache over and decorat

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Hello guys,

I think my life is screwed. It turned upside down… How sad can that be?
Therefore, I made pineapple upside down cake.

Anatomy of the cake: It is sweet and the vanilla cupcakes base is simply delicious. Yum! I love it so much! 🙂
So I have adapted the recipe from Sallysbakingaddiction and you can simply just type pineapple upside down cake.

Hope you guys enjoy it 🙂

It does look gorgeous right? I ran out of cherries so i replaced it with raspberries instead. Still looks pretty. Hehehehe

Raisin Bread, The Third Braid

Bread Bread Bread.

Are you tired of bread? Oh wells, Im not. That is why I am called panivorous right? Hehehe.
Update on school life: Results flunked and I only got 1A which was supposed to be an A*. Only got B for the rest of my subjects in general and I can’t express my disappointment.

Everybody has their ups and downs. When I see my friends around me scoring much better even though I worked harder, it makes me wonder, if geniuses really exist. They always say hardwork will pay off. As long as you put in your heart and soul, you can achieve it, but I doubt so. Everything seems so bleak again… But I am not going to give up on myself.

Year 4 means a transit year. Its time to decide on the subject combination which will otherwise determine the rest of my life. Ironically, physics helped with my GPA this year. Well, at least it is better than the pathetic C that I have gotten from Chemistry. Wells, both are bad. 😦

I’m scared because I have no idea what lies before me, but all I can do is to work even harder and stil keep the faith that I can do well and I will do well.

Baking is therapeutic and I wish and pray that I can bake everyday, but I know it is not possible right? My friend asked me why don’t you choose business as your course in university, wells, I still need to have a safety net don’t I? I am not the best at baking and neither and am I super good at it. I don’t think I have a talent for it actually, I just love doing it.

Everybody has their ups and downs but let’s be hopeful okay? I hope so.
Oh no, all that digression. Let me share with you my raisin bread which was made with All-purpose flour rather than bread flour. Its an American Recipe I called that. Haha.

It is soft but not the Asian type of soft which I know Mum likes it (okay Ma, I will try it this weekend, haha) But it’s still kinda nice but maybe not the texture that I am looking for? hmmm

Hope you guys like it 🙂