Orange Chiffon Cake

I have given up making chiffon cake years ago as I never be able to make a good one.  It is such a simple looking cake without icing and what you only need to succeed making it is to get the airy texture and stay in shape.  Overlooking my failure is due to not having the right baking tin and good recipe.  My luck finally comes after searching through the internet and get a few tips, then combined two recipes to make this first ever so called a "passed" chiffon cake! (Well, it has been few hours after making the cake and it is still in good shape)  The tip to achieve a good result is to invert the pan on the cake rack and leave it cooled before release the cake from tin.  The gravity helps to keep the cake in shape.

Many people said that chiffon cake was liked angel food cake (one of the cake I've never made either).  The cooking steps are very much the same except that angel food cake is cooked without oil and egg yolk.  Chiffon cake is very poplar in Asia as many Asian prefer vegetable oil than butter as used in most western cake.  When I went to Malaysia the first time, I found out that many of their cakes are green in colour.  My husband told me that they were pandan cake which use pandan leaves to make the juice to give the fragrant and colour as what they called Asian vanilla.  As pandan leaf is not easy to get here and my husband is never happy with the taste of pandan essence, I choose to use orange flavour this time.

Although Asian has created many flavours in chiffon cake, it is actually created by an American Insurance Agent, Harry Baker in 1927 and he kept the recipe as a secret until he sold it to General Mills in 1947.  He must be very determined to keep a secret for 20 years and make a profit from it.  If you're interested in the history of chiffon cake, please click here.

Orange Chiffon Cake

Egg yolk mix:
5 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
100g cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
60g orange juice
1 tablespoon orange rind
3 tablespoon vegetable oil

Egg white mix:
5 egg whites
80g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 170c.  Beat egg yolks with sugar, add oil and mix well.  Stir in orange juice, rind and sifted flour and baking powder.
2. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until frothy, gradually add in sugar and cream of tarter in 2 batches. Beat until stiff.
3. Fold egg white into flour mixture in 2 batches.  Pour mixture in a lightly greased tube pan (some say don't grease the pan but I still grease a little, just in case the cake got stuck) Tap the pan at the kitchen bench a few time to release bubbles.
4. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes.  Gently invert pan on cake wire and leave cool.  Run a spatula around side of pan to release cake. 

  

Beetroot Chutney

After making several bottles of jam a few months ago, I want to try making chutney and preserve.  Beetroot is one of my favourite purple vegetable, however it does stain your hand after handling.  So if I only get my hands dirty for once and enjoy the chutney for a few months in a bottle, that's not a bad idea! It's also a nice gift for Christmas.

I serve it with turkey minced burger and it is tasty enough that you can skip the tomato sauce!

Beetroot Chutney
(make 2 bottles, about 3 cups)

3 beetroot (500g)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 cardamon pods, bruised
2 green apples (400g), chopped
1/2 red onion (85g), finely chopped
1 cm ginger, chopped
1 garlic glove, finely chopped
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Keep the skin on the beetroot and cook with boiling water in pan or microwave till cook.  Use a fork to poke into the beetroot, if it gets in then it's ready.  Drain.
2. Cool then peel the skin off.  You can wear gloves to prevent the juice stain on you hands.
3. Chop half the beetroot into fine dice, blend the remaining beetroot till smooth.
4. Put the beetroot puree, apple, onion, ginger, garlic, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and salt in a saucepan.  Add in spices (you can tie spices in muslin bag), make it to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.  Add chopped beetroot and simmer for 10 minutes more.
5. Store chutney in sterilised jar and it can keep in the fridge for 3 months.

Source: modified and adopted from the cookbook, "The Australian Women's Weekly: Classic Preserves Jams Chutneys Relishes"

  

Almost a Vegan Chocolate Cupcake and Pink October

A little while ago I went to a friend's birthday party and tried her daughter's vegan cupcakes and vegan birthday cakes.  It looks not much difference to the other non-vegan cakes and it tastes moist and nice.  I like the glossy shine of her icing using extra virgin coconut oil which you won't get from any other kinds of oil.  I always think that vegetarian are good cook as normal restaurant may not meet their needs, and they have made their life healthy and be kind to the animals.

I search the recipes for the vegan cupcake and frosting from the internet.  I decide to use butter and milk for my frosting as I know the name of vegan cupcake may scare my family away.  The rich ganache goes well with the light moist cake, so next time when you want to make a cake but there are no eggs in the fridge, try this vegan chocolate cake.  It won't make you disappointed!

October is dedicated to bring the awareness for breast cancer, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to do a simple thing.  Do a self breast examination and keep it as a monthly routine.  If you're over 40, take a mammogram and ultra-sound for your breasts.  If there is any suspicious lump or discharge from your nipples, seek for medical advice without hesitation.  Don't ask your husband as they just don't know!  I have been through that and it's only early detection can saved your life.  Breast cancer don't only happen to old people or a particular race!  Let us all beat the cancer and support those that are having treatment be well and healthy soon!

Please share this message with your girlfriends to bring out more awareness of breast cancer!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcake

1 1/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup castor sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon apple cider

For the ganache:
1 cup dark choc chips
1/4 cup evaporated milk or more if needed
2 teaspoon butter or margarine
1/2 cup icing sugar

Method:

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Then mix the wet ingredients in another bowl.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Spoon the batter into cupcake cases and baked about 30 minutes in a preheat oven at 180c.
2. For the ganache: Microwave the choc chips and butter in a bowl, add the evaporated milk and icing sugar.  Stir until the frosting is well mixed, add a little bit more milk if needed to get the right consistency.  Garnish the cake with some coloured choc chips.

Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/
             http://www.theyummylife.com/Chocolate_Frosting

Blueberry Muffins and Pink October

If you have tried to bake with fresh blueberries then you'll know the difference between the fresh and the frozen one.  You won't get the cloudy blue in the batter with the fresh one.  Blueberry is high in anti-oxidiant with many health benefits and my favourite recipes for blueberry include blueberry pancake with maple syrup and blueberry with yoghurt and muesli.

My blueberry trees are blooming and when fresh blueberry is available, I alway make blueberry muffin as you know the fresh one always taste the best!  I make this muffin using the recipe of my first post apple and cinnamon muffins, please click for recipe.  I use it as a base recipe for various muffins, simply substitute the apple for blueberries.  The other good combination is mixed berries with white chocolate.  One of the blogger mentioned that muffin was liked a country girl (true and honest) and cupcake was liked a city girl. (dressing up)  Which one do you prefer?

October is dedicated to bring the awareness for breast cancer, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to do a simple thing.  Do a self breast examination and keep it as a monthly routine.  If you're over 40, take a mammogram and ultra-sound for your breasts.  If there is any suspicious lump or discharge from your nipples, seek for medical advice without hesitation.  Don't ask your husband as they just don't know!  I have been through that and it's only early detection can saved your life.  Breast cancer don't only happen to old people or a particular race!  Let us all beat the cancer and support those that are having treatment be well and healthy soon!

Please share this message with your girlfriends to bring out more awareness of breast cancer!

Red Bean Moon Cake with Flaky Pastry (紅豆螺絲酥皮月餅)

Last week I went to school to help out the hospitality students to understand cultural diversity.  Six of the parents participate all came from different background including Thai, Indian, German, South African, Italian and Chinese.  One of the thing we were taking about was the festival celebration, and I mentioned that lots of Chinese dessert for celebration was round as the roundness mean smooth and harmony.  The Chinese Moon Festival is coming up on 30 September and I got the idea making this flaky pastry mooncake from my mother-in-law when she posted her taro mooncake on FB.

I always have difficulty in making the swirl looking flaky pastry and I got the step-by-step instruction from Cherri, ch3rri blossoms.  I use canola oil instead of shortening as it is a healthier oil and I baked it instead of deep fry.  The other popular flavour for the mooncake include taro, green tea and lotus.  Moon cake usually has an salted duck egg yolk inside the filling, I have opted that out as I prefer it eggless.

The Moon Festival is the second biggest festival besides the Chinese New Year.  People give mooncake as a gift and everyone gather together for a family dinner on a full moon night.  A true happiness for me is to enjoy the time with my family, just as simple as that.



Red Bean Moon Cake with Flaky Pastry
(make 16)

Ingredients:

Filling:
red bean paste (store brought)

Water dough:
200g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
50g canola oil
30g sugar
100g water

Oil dough:
180ml plain flour
100g canola oil

Method:

1. Roll the red bean paste into 16 golf ball sized balls.
2. For the water dough; mix all together to form a dough, rest 20 minutes.  Then divide into 4 equal portions.
3. For the oil dough; mix all together to form a soft dough, divide into 4 equal portions.
4. Flatten the water dough and place the oil dough into the middle and wrap around it.  Do not flour the bench as the dough is oily enough and will not stick to the table.
5. Roll out the dough into a long shape, fold half from the short side, then fold over to the right.  Roll out one more time.
6. Then roll into a swiss roll from the long side, cut into 4 pieces.
7. Roll each piece flat into a round shape, about the size of the dumping pastry.  Place a piece of red bean paste into the middle, wrap around to form a ball and seal the bottom.  Repeat for the rest of the dough.
8. Preheat oven at 170c. Place the mooncake sealed size down onto the paper lined baking tray(s), bake 25 mins or until brown.

Source: http://ch3rri-blossoms.blogspot.com.au/2009/12/flaky-taro-pastry.html

water dough and oil dough

Flatten water dough and oil dough on top

Oil dough wrapped inide of the water dough

1st time roll out 

roll half from long side

roll half to the right

2nd time roll out

cut into 4 pieces

Roll flat and fill with filling

ready to bake! 

Honey, Peanut Butter & Tomato Drumsticks

This Sunday is Father's Day for the Australian.  Chicken is the most popular meat and my husband will not sick of having chicken everyday.  This chicken drumstick would be a great dish to give the male a treat!  The original recipe use tahini (sesame paste) but I replace that with peanut butter and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the roasted chicken instead of baked with it coated.  After all these modification, I could't think of a name to it but I love this Asian kind of twisted dish!

Have a happy Father's Day!

Honey, Peanut Butter & Tomato Drumsticks

6 Chicken Drumsticks
1 heap tablespoon peanut butter
1 heap tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
salt and pepper
few drops of sesame oil
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with peanut butter, tomato paste, honey, chilli powder, salt, pepper and sesame oil.  Let stand for 10-15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven at 200c.  Place the baking tray with baking paper, arrange the drumsticks onto the tray and spoon all the sauce over the chicken.
3. Bake for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.  Turn over once or twice.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.

Source: adopted and modified from the cookbook, "I Love to bake!" by Tana Ramsay

Easy Banoffee Pie

Last time when I went to a morning tea gathering at school, one of the mum brought along a Banoffee pie.  They were saying that this was an American type of pie so I took a piece of it and it tasted pretty good.  It is basically a caramel tart topped with whipped cream and banana.  With the search of the internet, it is found that the birthplace of this pie actually come from The Hungry Monk restaurant from the UK.  The word banoffee means any food product that has the taste of banana and toffee.  It was created in the 1972 and it became popular in the America, Australia and India as well.  For more information please click here.  In Australia, caramel tart is very popular and it sometimes served with whipped cream.  When I went to boarding school, it would be everyone's heavenly day to have caramel tart for dessert.  To simplify the recipe, I use Top'n Fill caramel instead of the condensed milk.  If you wish, you can follow the traditional method to boil the tin for 1 1/2 hours to make the caramel.  Can you believe that such a yummy dessert only take 4 ingredients?

Banoffee Pie

1 tin of Nestle Top'n Fill Caramel
1 frozen pie crust
whipped cream
banana, sliced

Method:

1. Bake the pie crust follow the direction of the package.  Just when the crust starting to turn brown, spread the caramel into the pie shell and baked for a further 5-8 minutes.  
2. Cool pie to room temperature, spread with whipped cream and top with some sliced banana.  Chill before serving.