Lemon Butter Cake + Home made Fondant

I went for Cake Decoration class last Saturday...and below is the art piece result from the class, also the recipe given by the instructor.
Let me know if you have anything to ask, or any recipe to share :)


Lemon Butter Cake
Ingredients:-
220g butter
120g castor sugar
3 eggs (grade A)
170g self raising flour
30g low protein flour
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (~ 90grams)

Method:-
1. Sift all dry ingredients together.
2. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs one at a time and mix until well combined.
4. Add in flour and juice alternately.
5. Add in lemon zest and mix well.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg C for 50-55 mins or until cooked.
7. Leave cake in tin for 10 mins before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

Home Made Fondant
Ingredients:-
A - 155 g water
- 40g (4tbsp) gelatine
B - 155 g water
- 400 g granulater sugar
- 110g liquid glucose
- 1 tsp glycerine
- 1 tsp cream of tartar

110g shortening
1.5kg icing sugar (sifted(
cornflour ( for dusting/kneading fondant)

Method:-
1. Dissolve gelatine in water (A) over hot water.
2. Grease sides of saucepan lightly with shortening.
3. Place sugar, liquid glucose, glycerine, cream of tartar and water into saucepan.
4. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and boils. Boil on high heat until 116 deg C (240 deg F) or until soft ball stage is reached (about 4-5 mins of high heat).
5. Remove from heat and cool for 5 mins. Add shortening and gelatine.
6. Add icing sugar 1 cup at a time and stir after each addition. It will be a thick paste when all the sugar is added.
7. Whisk til paste is light and white.
8. Allow to cool before storing in airtight container. Leave overnight before use.
9. Knead in cornflour to get the right consistency.

Good luck in trying :)

Cupcakes with Icing

Size - handy, easy to hold, easy to eat. Preparation - easy, Decoration - fun, Taste - Delicious~!

Makes 24 cupcakes
225 gram butter, softened
225 gram caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
225 gram self-raising white flour
5 tbsp milk

Topping
175 gram unsalted butter
350 gram icing sugar
25gram sweet cake decoration mini balls


Method:-
1. Preheat the oven to 180 'c.
2. Ingredients - butter, sugar, vanilla extract in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and, using a large metal spoon, fold into the mixture of the milk. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
3. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15-30 minutes - firm to touch and well risen. Transfer to wire rack for cooling.
4. Icing :- put the butter in a large bowl and beat until fluffy. Sift in the icing sugar, beat togetehr until well mixed. Put topping in a piping bag, then choose the nozzle.
5. Pipe circle of icing on top of the cupcakes when the cupcakes cool. Sprinkle the mini sweet balls ( cake decoration ) before serving.

Wholemeal Chocolate Apple Cake

A baking class at Best Baking Solutions (USJ 8) , cost me MYR 40 to learn two types of cake.
One of them is this Wholemeal Chocolate Apple Cake, and today, on my own practise, here it goes.

Ingredients:
A
125 g butter
70 g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

B
2 eggs

C
100 g cake flour
8 g baking powder
70 g wholemeal flour

D
110 g milk

E
1-2 green apples (chopped into small cubes)
50 g grated chocolate

Method:
1. Cream A until light and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
3. Sift cake flour with baking powder and mix well with wholemeal flour.
4. Fold flour into the creamed butter alternating with milk.
5. Add in the chopped apple and grated chocolate and pour into 8 inch baking pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C for about 30-40 minutes.

Taste good! Plus, it is very healthy ~

Terung Lemak ( Aubergines in Coconut Gravy)

This recipe, courtesy from Recipe book: Nyonya Favourites.

Spice Paste:
50g (1/2 cup) chopped shallots
2 tablespoons dried shrimps
5 medium fresh red chillies, deseeded
1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste (belacan)

Ingredients:
600g (1lb 6 oz) aubergine (eggplant)
2 tablespoons oil
250 ml (1 cup) thick coconut milk
250 ml (1 cup) water
1/2 teaspoon salt



Method:
1. Slice aubergine about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick.
2. Lightly brush slices with oil and dry fry in a pan over low heat; alternatively grill or bake in a moderate oven for 10 minutes. The aubergine does not need to be cooked through.
3. To prepare the Spice Paste, blend all ingredients to a smooth paste.
4. Saute Spice Paste in 1 tablespoon oil until fragrant.
5. Add the water, coconut cream, salt and aubergine and simmer until the vegetable is soft.


6. Serve with steamed rice.


Serves 4. The coconut milk made this dish feel so rich.

Yum Yum - Roasted Spiced Chicken

Spices (grounded):
8 shallots, removed skin
5 pips garlic, removed skin
4 red chillies
4 dried chillies
2cm tumeric, 2 cm ginger
2 cm galangal
2 stalks lemongrass
1/2 tsp peppercorn
5 candlenuts

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil, 2 pandan leaves
1 onion, removed skin, cut into pieces
1 tomato, cut into pieces
1/2 tbsp dried prawns
2 chicken whole legs

Seasoning:
1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar


Method:
1. Heat up oil and saute spices until fragrant. Add seasoning and stir well. Remove from heat.


2. Put all the ingredients onto a aluminium foil and pour (1) mixture on top. Wrap up nicely.


3. Bake in a preheated oven at 180'C for 30 minutes or until cooked. Remove and serve.


There you go... it taste nice but you need to cook it for longer period of time, the meat will be more tender by then . Happy trying :)

Oven-Fried Drumsticks

This recipe is courtesy from Yum Yum Recipe Book.

Ingredients A:-
5 chicken drumsticks, 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp garlic powder / mashed garlic

Ingredients B:-
1 tsp chopped dried chilli
1 tbsp chopped spring onion
5 slices soda cracker, crushed

Method:-
1. Rub chicken drumsticks with salt and garlic powder and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Coat marinated chicken drumsticks with B and bake in a preheated oven at 180'c for 35 minutes. Remove and serve.
Taste superb! A bit spicy because of the chillies grounded in with the soda crackers before coating the drumsticks.
Do not fry the drumsticks, this was named oven-fried because it was suppose to look like fried after baking, but mine is a bit failure on the outlook.

Have a good try, is easy to prepare and nice to eat! :D

Nyonya - Lady's FIngers Fried with Sambal

After watching this Little Nyonya, I am so motivated to try and cook some of the nyonya food myself. Not so nice thou, but it is pretty ok to eat :)

Ingredients:-
300 g lady's fingers (okra)
125 ml (5 tsbp) oil

Spice Paste (ground):-
40 g (4-5) fresh red chillies
5 g ( 5 large) dried red chillies
10 g (1 clove) garlic
120 g (12) shallots
10 g (4) candlenuts
5 g (1 tsp) belacan, toasted
2 tbsp water, sugar
1 tsp salt
20 g dried prawns - soaked, cleaned & pounded


1. Bring water to boil in a wok & add in the whole lady's fingers. Simmer until cooked - a fork will pierce it easily.
2. Remove from the work & cut away the stalks. Leave whole or slice diagonally. Arrange on a serving plate.
3. Heat the oil in a wok to saute the spice paste until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add the dried prawns and saute until aromatic. Dish onto the cut lady's fingers or return the lady's fingers to the work & toss together.



You are done! It was pretty good dish, and you can replace lady's fingers with others vegetables like long bean etc. They really taste good. :)