Malaysian Chicken Wing - "Malaysian Monday 82"

This recipe was scribbled in my recipe note pad ancient years ago, hahaha... many many years ago that I can't even recall when and where did I copy from. If you are the creator of the recipe, do let me know so I can give credit to you.

Ingredients :
15 chicken wing (mid part) - washed and pat dry with paper kitchen towels

Ingredients to be pounded or blended :
6 shallots or small onions
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sugar
4 tbsp corn starch

Method :
1. Marinate the chicken wings in the ingredients for at least a few hours, the longer the better. Leaving overnight in the refrigerator is best.
2. Remove from the fridge one hour before cooking.
3. Deep fry until golden brown. (If you want to bake, pre-heat oven at 180 or 200C, bake for 20 mins and turn the wings over to bake another 20 mins or until cook.)

Verdict?
Oh these chicken wings are fingers ticking good, so yummy that I can gulp down 3 wings at one go, if dun need to be more considerated to keep some for others, I will definitely not stopping at 3 lol. Dear daughter also given thumbs up, she ate more than me. A simple and easy recipe, definitely a keeper!

I am submitting this post to Malaysian Monday 82".
 To find out more about the event and on how to enter please click here.

Angry Bird Chocolate Idiot Cake

This cake was baked for dear daughter's birthday which was at last year December, it was the 1st cake that I baked since my pregnancy. Dear daughter requested for angry bird chocolate cake and must be round in shape. Since I have rested for nearly a year of no baking, I did not want to take risk to bake a "complicated" cake. After much surfing and approved by dear daughter, I went ahead for this chocolate idiot cake, a super easy cake that anyone can do a good job.

Dear daughter requested for a red angry bird but I was not able to get the wilton red coloring as it ran out of stock. She was rather disappointed but no choice and changed to yellow bird instead. I didn't do a good job on decorating, the cake dun really look like angry bird but luckily still able to please dear daughter and she was very happy.

Dear husband also DIY an angry bird pinatas for her too.

Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz, Ready for Dessert.

Ingredients : for 7" round cake pan
225g chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Valrhona 66%)
150g butter
4 eggs (medium size)
155g sugar

Method :
1. Preheat the oven at 175C.
2. Grease a 7" round cake pan and dust it with cocoa powder. Wrap the outer layer of cake pan with aluminum foil, the aluminium foil must cover all the way up to the upper rim.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter in double boiler or in microwave.
4. Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, then pour in the melted chocolate and mix well.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan and cover the top of the pan with aluminium foil.
6. Bake in water bath for 1 hr and 15 mins. The cake is done when it feels just set like quivering chocolate pudding. If you gently touch the center, your finger tip wwill show clean.
7. Lift the cake pan from water bath and remove the foil. Let the cake cool completely on a rack.

Verdict?
This is a very rich and silkiest chocolate cake. Simple ingredients, idiot proof steps but yield fantastic and delicious cake. Adults enjoyed the cake so much but too rich for children that they can finished only 1/2 of it. So just cut a thin slice to serve.

Chocolate Buttons Cake

My mood has been quite down since last week, I had accidentally deleted all the photos in my blog :(. I didn't know that the blog photos were sync to my mobile phone, I thought I had a back up copy so just deleted all the photos in my phone and there gone, all my photos that posted in my blog. So now, I need to reload the photos back to the blog, but worst is my hard disk ever crashed before so I do not have some (may be a lot) of my baked photos. Seeing I am so upset, my department gals even bought me some sweet treats to cheer me up, thanks gals for your nice gesture and it helps to brighten a little bit of my bad day. Haiz... I do not know I will need to take how long to do the recovery work since I have very limited leisure time due to my little kicker. I am still feeling so upset now....



Well back to my today post, this was baked during June school holiday when dear daughter requested for it. Whenever she has a lot of free time at home, she will hunt for food. I looked through my baking books to look for chocolate cake recipes as per her requested and found chocolate savarin in one of my baking book. Dear daughter pointed at the picture and said that she want that but the cake must be chocolate cake instead. I had to hunt for easy chocolate cake recipe and I found chocolate buttons which look the same as chocolate savarin so I immediately got my hands to work on it.

Anyway my bakes are not as nice and pretty as Jessie's. The cakes have a lot of holes compared to Jessie's which looks so soft and velvet :(.

I would said this cake require a lot of work cos I have only 1 donut tray that can bake 12 chocolate buttons per time which I need to bake 3 times for 29 buttons. And the thick batter also creating the difficulty of filling the donut tray using spoon, perhaps piping is more easier.

Recipe adaped from Hearty Bakes.

Ingredients: yields 29 buttons

For Cake

150g butter (softened)
135g sugar
3 eggs
200g self-raising flour

6 tbsp milk (the batter still quite dry even with 6 tbsp of milk)
55g cocoa powder

For filling

180g chocolate (melted) -- I still left quite an amount of melted chocolate, 150g should be more than enough

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180C (I used 170C for my oven), grease the donut trays.

2. Whisk butter, sugar, eggs, milk and flour and cocoa until smooth and well-mixed.

3. Transfer batter into piping bag. Pipes batter onto donut trays till full. (I used spoon to scoope the batter into the donut tray instead)

4. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until well risen and springy to the touch. (I baked 18 mins but over baked, so 15 mins for my oven)

5. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

6. Double-boil chocolate. Pipe into the hole in each donut-shaped cakes. (I used spoon to fill)

Verdict?

Perhaps I had over baked the cake, the cakes were a bit hard and dry for outer layer. However the cake still  tasted not bad with the chocolate filling, at least the kids like it.

Apple Carrot and Orange Coleslaw

This was made for my elder SIL's home party which she invited more than 20 guests. I increased the ingredients and prepared 2 big tubs.

After mixed in the stressing.


Recipe adapted from Table for Two or More.

Ingredients :
5 cups thinly julienned carrots
3 red apple, cut into thin matchsticks
3 green apple, cut into thin matchsticks
3 orange, segmented
2 smallish lemon, juiced

Dressing
6 heaped Tbsp mayonnaise (I added more as per requested by dear husband)
3 clove garlic, grated
3 heaped Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill or whichever combination you prefer)
1/2 tsp salt and black pepper to taste

Method :
1. Cut both apples into matchsticks and toss with lemon juice. Chill in fridge.
2. Slice carrots with a fruit peeler or mandolin, then julienne the slices. Cover and keep in fridge.
3. Peel orange with a knife. Cut the skin off until you see the flesh. Then run a small knife between each segment's membrane to retreive the flesh.
4. Combine ingredients for dressing, taste and adjust if needed.
5. Before serving, toss everything together and sprinkle with some extra chopped herbs.


Verdict?
The coleslaw is refreshing and nice, I didnt expect it will finish fast since my SIL had prepared one big bowl of salad. However I felt the garlic taste is over powered so next time I will give garlic a pass.

Mashed Potato with Eggs

We had a Christmas Eve party at home and I had prepared western meal for my guests. So this is one of the side dish went with the main course. I didn't have leisure time to take photo since I was rushing to serve, so just quickly took out camera and gave a few shot but due to the lighting issue, only 1 photo can be used :(.

Recipe adapted from Table for Two or More.

Ingredients :
4 russet potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs
4 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method :
1. Bring a pot of water to boil (won't need to big a pot, 5-6 cups of water will be sufficient)
2. Peel and cut potato into chunks.
3. When water has come to a boil, put in 1 tsp salt into the water.
4. Put in potatoes and boil until soft.
5. Drain potatoes and put into a mixing bowl.
6. Put in peeled hard boiled eggs and butter into the hot potatoes. Put in 1/3 tsp salt and some pepper.
7. With a mixer, whip the potatoes until they look all mashed up.Taste and adjust if not salty.
8. Serve with roast or just eat it on its own.

Verdict?
The eggs that added really give the mashed potato a nice aroma, yummy but I felt the taste a bit bland. I realised only after the dinner that I forgot to add in salt and pepper lol, so if the condiment has been added the taste will be perfect.

Mrs NgSK Vanilla Butter Cake

Butter cake is one of my favourite cake, I love those soft and fluffy butter cake especially. During my maternity leaves, my sis bought me a butter cake when she came and visited me. Wow, I fell in love with this butter cake immediately, so light, fluffy and soft and yet with nice buttery taste.

Dear husband know that I love this butter cake so he drove all the way to this bakery shop to buy it for me, at least twice a week and each time, he bought 2 boxes of 6" cake. I can finished one cake by myself, in one day! Hahaha... horrible right. That is why my weight keep going up, I am even fatter than during my pregnancy :P.

When I saw this butter cake in Table for Two or More, I immediately bookmarked and swear to myself that I need to squeeze time to bake it soon. As usual, I didn't read the recipe properly. For step 5, it should be FOLD the balance eggwhites into the batter but I thought still using mixer to whisk. So I whisked the batter then realised should be FOLD, I stopped the mixer immediately and folded the batter. In my heart was thinking this cake is going to be ruined by me again since I done double work on the batter, I never good at egg seperated method :(. Luckily the cake still turned out good YAY!

I remember Wendy mentioned that her cake turned dark during her last 15 mins of baking so I told myself I must go to check the cake after 30 mins of baking. I checked the cake after 25 mins, the cake top already turned dark, very dark :(. I quickly covered the top with aluminium foil.

Recipe from Table for Two or More and originated from Mrs NgSK, a church friend of Wendy

Ingredient : (for 8" square cake pan)
230gm salted butter (soften, cool at 18-20C, not glossy)
200gm eggs, no shell (4 large eggs)
50gm + 150gm sugar
200gm self raising flour, sifted
60ml milk
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method :
1. Preheat oven at 180C. Prepare a 8 inch square pan. Line the base and grease the sides (greasing helps the cake’s sides to rise)
2. Separate the eggs, and place the whites into a medium sized bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add 50gm sugar and and beat until stiff. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and 150gm sugar until pale and fluffy. Scrape the vanilla seeds and and beat for a while. Put in egg yolks one by one and beat well after each addition.
4. Put in half the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Put in milk in 2 additions and mix until well incorporated. Mix in balance of flour.
5. Put half the egg whites in and mix on low speed. Pour the balance of egg whites in and FOLD.
6. Pour batter into pan and level. Bake for 45 minutes (I baked fo 40 mins) or until skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven and invert to cool completely before unmoulding

Verdict?
The cake is so soft, fluffy and moist, the vanilla seeds actually created some crunchiness bites for the cake. However only I can feel the crunchiness, no one actually realised it. I let dear husband tried and he asked "How come the cake so soft!" :) My colleagues given a thumb up for the cake too. The cake is a bit too sweet for me, I will need to reduce a little may be 10g sugar next time. This cake is delicious, definitely a keeper.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This is not a cookie, this is a cookie cake, look like cookie, taste like underbake cookie with cakey texture.

When I saw this cookie cake at Almost Bourdain, I know I am going to bake this as the look and description of the cookie cake has hooked me into it. I baked this especially for dear brother, knowing 100% he will like this cookie cake since he is a cookie monster so how can I let him miss out this special treats!

The interior of my cookie cake is not as tempting and attractive as Ellie's, I was not able to slice the cookie cake neat and nice. Too bad that Ellie's blog is not opened to public now, if not I am sure you will be drooling over her cookie cake and get hook by it like I do :). Ellie, if you happen to see this post, I just want to let you know I miss your blog!

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients : for 9" to 10" cake pan
85g butter
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (I used 60g)
1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips (I used bittersweet chocolate chips)
1 cup plain flour (I used 150g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup light brown sugar (I used 160g)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, light brown sugar, and vanilla extracts on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
4. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat for 15 seconds. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg.
5. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds.
6. Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until just a few dry streaks remain.
7. Add the chocolate chips and mix for a few seconds until combined.
8. Scrape the batter into a greased and lined 10" round cake tin (I used 9" round cake pan cos I thought the batter seem to little for 10").
9. Press the batter into a smooth and even layer in the pan. Bake until lightly golden and puffy around the edges (the center should still feel quite soft), 18 – 22 minutes.
10. Cool for 10 minutes and then run a paring knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake.
11. Cool for at least 4 hours before turning the cake out of the pan and onto a large plate.

Verdict?
Oh this cake is real addictive, and Ellie is right, we just can't stop at one slice. Everyone given double thumbs up, even dear daughter kept asking for more. Definitely a keeper!