Sicilian Orange Cake

Friday
4.05pm
Jan 18,2013

I've been wanting to bake this cake for so long. Well, today is the day that I get to bake it coz I bought this oranges last few days but nobody want it. Rather than wasting it I better do something with those poor oranges......

It's quite simple actually, I think anybody can bake it successfully . The smell of it really make you want to eat it one after another slice. Hehehehe angkat bakul sendiri nampak...... But it's true, got the recipe from Rima who love to share her recipe with us. The original recipe is from Rick Stein Mediterranean Escapes book.

To oredr call/whatsapp 019-219 3124 or email reyna2423@gmail.com


Sicilian orange cake

Serves about 8

250g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

250g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest

250g self-raising flour ( can use all purpose flour and add 1 tsp of baking powder)

85ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125g icing sugar

5 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Grease and line a 22cm clip-sided round cake tin with non-stick baking paper.

Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.

Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set. Serve cut into slices.

Below is the photo I put on picture collage for my cake...... Still a newbie!!!!

My special carrot cake

Last week it was quite a hectic week for me and my family. My brother's wedding reception was held on 12 January 2013 at MDKS Hall in Kampar. We went back to Kampar right after my daughter finished with her agama lesson in Sekolah Agama.

I had prepared few cakes for those coming to the house. Nutella marble cake, carrot cake, pound cake and chocolate cake. I choose carrot cake from Rima's recipe coz it has a banana in it, a bit different from others. I gave it a try and VoILA!!!!!! I love the taste of it, it has a nutty flavor besides the carrot and also banana flavor. I choose not to put cream cheese topping on it coz I don't want to spoil the carrot cake shape as I use my bundt pan to bake it. Thanks Rima, for sharing the recipe . As for my relatives who tried the cake some of them ask me whether it is Kuih Bengkang Pisang or carrot cake , I just smile and said whatever you want to call it I don't mind as long as you like to eat it!!!! Hehehehehe at least I'm happy to see them eating the cakes and enjoy it. To my brotha Iwan and Kila' Selamat Pengantin Baru semoga Bahagia ke Anak Cucu' I love both of you!!!!


Ingredients
2 cups plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (can add nutmeg powder too)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup walnuts - chopped
125 g butter - heated just to melt
3/4 cups dried dates - chopped finely (can use raisins)
3 ripe bananas - mashed (abt 1 1/2 cup)
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (i used plain yogurt)
2 large eggs - whisk lightly


Cream cheese frosting
200 gm cream cheese
125 gm butter
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice

Method
Preheat oven 175C.. grease 2 8x8 cake tin with parchment paper (i used bundt pan)
Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Stir in walnuts...set aside.
Stir dates into melted butter, spreading the dates, add the sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas and carrots.
Stir in the dates mixture
Whisk in yogurt and eggs.
Add flour mixture and stir until everything is well incorporated.
Divide batter into 2 cake tins, bake for about 50 minutes.

Chocolate Madeleine

Saturday
8pm

First time trying this Madeleine I fall in love with it. They have a few types lemon Madeleine or just a plain one.

Well last night after going through a few recipe I've found this one from Martha Stewart, easy and simple actually, no hassle and the most important thing all the ingredient need already there, in my so called pantry.....hehehehe.

Here's the recipe from the Kitchen Diva Ms Martha Stewart!


Ingredients

1/2 cup, plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for buttering madeleine molds
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 cup cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-processed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Brush madeleine pans well with 4 tablespoons softened butter; refrigerate 5 minutes.

In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt remaining 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Continue to cook until butter turns golden brown, being careful not to let the butter burn. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip eggs with granulated and brown sugars until light and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and stir on low speed until combined. Add vanilla and reserved browned butter; mix just until blended.

Insert a 1/2-inch plain tip into a pastry bag and fill with batter. Pipe mounds of batter into prepared pans until each mold is full, mounding batter in the center of the molds but not filling to the edge. Alternatively, you can use a teaspoon to fill the molds with batter. Bake until madeleines are firm and a little mound is puffed up in the middle, 10 to 12 minutes. Madeleines are best eaten the same day they are baked.

Simple butter roll

Jan 1st, 2013
First post
6am

My new resolution for this new year is to prepare breakfast for my kids, a fresh bread if possible for them to bring to school.
Oh lalalalalalaa......how can I possibly do that? The secret is to make 2 or 3 recipe and keep it in a freezer, whenever I want to make the bread, just thaw it and my kids can have a freshly bake bread for them to eat for breakfast and to bring to school. As simple as that!

And this morning I prepared a simple butter roll, hmmmm..... But I rolled it to look like a croissant but it's not croissant, just a plain butter roll. Nice to eat when it's still warm and eat it with olive butter and strawberry jam.
Here is the recipe.And its from Pook

300g ............................... Bread flour
4g .................................... Salt
30g .................................. Sugar
40g .................................. Butter (soft)
30g .................................. Egg (lightly beaten)
6g .................................... Instant yeast
150ml ............................... Water
*Using the rest of the egg for egg wash by mixing with 1tbsp of water.


Sprinkle the yeast over the water, rest for 10 minutes.
Mix the flour, sugar and salt together.

Pour the egg, water and yeast mixture, and butter into the flour bowl.
Mix until combine and turn into a soft dough.
Take out off the bowl and knead until smooth.

Put the dough into a lightly buttered bowl, cover with the plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in size, about 1 hour.

Shaping the butter rolls:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper or silicone baking mat.

Divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll into a ball.
Press the ball into 10cm round.

Flip the lower sides of the round and press to seal the round will turn into a long triangle.
Roll with rolling pin until 20cm long.
Roll the dough, by starting from the wider part into a roll.
Cover the rolls with damp towel and let the rolls rise until almost double in size about 30 minutes.

Brush with egg wash and bake for 13 -15 minutes or until golden brown.
Take out off the oven and let the rolls cool on a wire rack.
When serving, warm the rolls and serve with your meal or with jam and butter.


Still not to late to wish Happy New Year everyone!!!!!

Cheese and Salami Twist

Monday
3.30pm
Jobless :((((

First Monday without a job..... How do i feel? It's AWESOMEEEE!!!!!!!

First thing in the morning is to make mr hubby his breakfast, well just a strawberry shake and milk since he don't eat breakfast.

Waking up both kids and make their breakfast is next on the list. Drive them to the Lake Garden as promised last week. They like the playground over there coz its huge and there's quite a number of families taking their kids out.

We had lunch at home. While waiting for them to finish their lunch, I take a look at one of my favorite blog, this lady is good in making bread!!!! All her bread recipe that I've tried really works!!!!

While the kids are having their afternoon nap, I'm preparing this cheese and salami twist , wowwww!!!! Really a twist....yeah!!!!

This is the recipe from Daily delicious, thanks for sharing the recipe! My kids enjoy eating this bread and all the bread recipe from your blog! Glad that I've 'found you'😀😀😀😀😀

Ingredient

200g Bread Flour
3 g Instant dried yeast
20 g Sugar
3 g Salt
20 g Unsalted butter (soft)
140 g whole milk
40 g Salami cut into small pieces
40 g Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Mayonnaise

Method

Put the flour, the sugar and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add and salt whisk again. Pour the milk into the bowl.

Use large spoon (or pastry scraper) to mix everything together, and knead briefly to bring all the ingredients together.

Take the dough out of the bowl and knead, you will see the dough will be elastic after about 2 minutes.

Add the butter and knead by using the heel of your hands to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself. Give the dough a little turn and repeat. Put the weight of your body into the motion and get into a rhythm. Keep folding over and compressing the dough. Knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is soft, pliable, smooth and slightly shiny, almost satiny.


Or you can also try stretching part of the dough, if it can stretch into a thin sheet without breaking, you've kneaded enough.

Put the dough into a light buttered bowl. Let the dough rise in a warm place until double in size (can be 1 hour or 1 hour and a half check often depend on the temperature).
Take the dough out of the bowl, deflate by touch it lightly.

Roll the dough into rectangular, 30 cmx25 cm. Sprinkle the salami and cheese on top of the half part of it, and fold the other part over the salami and cheese.
Seal the side of the dough and push the rolling pin over (not to roll but the make the salami and cheese stick to the dough).

Cut the dough into 6 pieces (using ruler to guide you ).

Cut the piece in the middle and fold one of the end into the middle of the cut, do it 2 times to form a twist.

Place the dough on the oven sheet, lined with non stick baking paper (the cheese will melt while baking and some will leak).

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Let the dough rise until almost double in size, (about 30 minutes).
Before put them in the oven, squeezes the mayonnaise over the bread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the breads are golden brown.

Sweet Potato Donut

Sunday
3.30 pm
Fine day with a little sunshine


I bought sweet potato last few days coz I thought that I will be on diet, no carbo but a bit is fine, but I've failed my test ......hehehehehe ........in my dreammmmm!!!!!
I can't figure out what to do with this potato but after browsing and visiting other blogs, I've found one quite easy and I'm sure my kids love it.

Thanks Rima for sharing the recipe, very easy and taste like 'Kuih Gelang' they called it in Perak :D

Here's the recipe

Ingredients
320g flour
2 tsp instant yeast
60g sugar
180g sweet potato - boiled and mashed
1 egg
90ml water
1 tbsp condense milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter

Method
You can use breadmaker to do the job or do it manually, i do it using my helper 'kitchenaid' mixer :) once done, leave it to prove till double the size. give it a light punch and start to divide your dough into balls.. each ball at 40g.. roll your ball.. press it a little and take your round cutter to cut a hole in the middle.. place your donut on your tray.. cover it with a cloth and let it rise for the second time.. once it has doubled in size.. prepare your oil.. heat it up and start to fry.. If you want, can coat it with castor sugar once it's cooled
I prefer mine without sugar..... so called diet!!!! Yeah .....right!!!!! Hehehehehe .......

Coconut Macaroon

Wowwwww.....it's been such a long time since the last time I visit my blog, been busy lately plus my daughter will start her primary school next year.

Tonight I prepared Olive Oil chocolate cake and coconut macaroon for me to bring to office tomorrow. Annnnnddddd tomorrow is my last day working at Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Kinda sad but happy that I can spend time taking care of my two kids myself.

Cake in a plastic container and also my coconut macaroon , hope they will like it. Mr hubby loves it, my kids loves it and I love it tooooooooo!!!!! Recipes can copy down here

Coconut Macaroons

You will need:

250g dessicated coconut
75g ground almonds
2 egg whites
100g sugar
1 tsp pandan extract/vanilla

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Mix the almonds and coconut in a large bowl.
Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until they reach the soft peak stage, then slowly and gradually, still beating, add the sugar until you have a glossy, white meringue with stuff peaks.
Fold the nut mixture and extract into the meringue using a metal spoon.
When the two mixtures are combined, use your hands to make 8 small coconut mounds on the baking sheet. They won't spread much, so you can space them fairly close together.
Bake for 15 minutes, though they may need 20; when done, they will be golden coloured and dry on the outside.
Cool on a wire rack. Top with cherries if you must. Melted chocolate would be fabulous too.

I use my small ice cream scoop and can't be bothered to put melted chocolate...... My eyes said come on.... Can we sleep now!!!!!! Hehehehe .....


Well well that's it for now. Time for a good sleep, last but not least......Happy New Year 2013!!!!! Cheers!!!!!!!