Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Don't you just love the smell of cinnamon in your cakes?

One sniff, and I'll be in heaven. Seriously, I used to hate cinnamon. What's with cake and spices? 

Now I rummaged through my notes and recipes book for any cakes, with a hint of cinnamon. Even if its just a teaspoon, it could blew me away. But since there's only me and Mom at home, I often ended up feeling guilty of eating too much. If only our 20 cats have 'cakes' in their diet *sigh*.

Now this recipe is worth to try. I am not saying its the best because I think I've eaten an apple cake even better than this but I love cakes with crumbs or streussel topping. Its just added some texture to your cake. And make your own caramel, instead of just dumping it all in the mixing bowl. Heat some brown sugar  with a couple tbsp of water, bring it to boil, let it cool then add in some apples before folding in to your batter.

Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Adapted from Glorious Treats

For the cake;

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sour cream (I used plain yogurt)

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

For the crumbs topping;

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tbsp butter, melted

*There's caramel drizzle in the original recipe, but I decided not to use it ;)

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. Grease your pan. I used a brownie pan, 7" x 12".
2. Beat the butter until smooth, add in brown sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Then add in eggs, one at a time until incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix well. Add in 1/2 cup of the sour cream (or yogurt) and continue beating until incorporated.  Continue with the rest of the flour and sour cream.
5. Add in vanilla then fold in the apples. Spread it onto your pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Marbled Nutella Banana Bread

Don't worry. I am perfectly well and healthy :) Other than all the wedding preparations going on (not that much actually) and ongoing life as a student, I am safe and sound. Except that I bake less nowadays since I don't have that many mouth to feed here in Sabah :p

With the occasionally orders from acquaintance, nothing beats the feeling of having a freshly baked cake at home kan?

Since I had some banana left from the chocolate banana cake, I decided to bake this. I saved it in my baking book ages ago, not knowing when I would be able to bake it.

I remember buying banana cake as a energy food for my students everytime during training or competition. Banana = energy. Banana cake = energy. Chocolate = craziness. Seriously, they went extremely hyper with chocolates! And I stop feeding them with choc since then, except for big competition.

And this, banana+nutella? *gulp*

This has become my favourite marbled banana cake so far!

Marbled Nutella Banana Bread

Adapted from Vision Plum

2 1/3 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (I used 4)

6tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 large eggs

1/2 cup nutella

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9" loaf pan or 7" cake pan.
2. Sift together all the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat together banana, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla essence on medium speed until creamy about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time and continue beating for another 2 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to low and add in the flour mixture gradually until well combined. Divide half of the batter and stir in Nutella.
5. Alternate spoonful of nutella batter and the normal batter in your pan until finish. Swirl gently with a knife. Bake for 1 hour.

The thing is, I love banana cake! So much!

ps: Its still me. I'm using my main account. Too lazy to sign out each time I wanna post something here :p

I am back!

I am sitting on my bean bag, at the usual corner at where I put my laptop, in my room here in JB. Ahh yes finally I am back in JB! Actually, it was two weeks ago. Mom frantically called me everyday, updating on our cats who were badly sick from a virus. All of our cats got infected and died eventually. But when Mom called and tell me Krystal (the second cat) who just delivered her babies died, I just couldn't stay still. I cried so bad when finally I texted Mom;

"I wanna go home.... So bad! Boleh?"

"Yes I know you're worried. Go and book you flight ticket"

And I was relieved!

It was two 10 days before Eid al-Adha and I already on plane flying back home.

To see one by one died including the babies was really heart wrenching! I barely had time for myself. We had to sanitized their home, fed them medications (twice a day), fed sick cats who lost appetite, fed the babies when the Mom(s) died, countless trip to different vet clinic and prayers (a lot!) along the way.

Phew.

And lost few kg which I think I will gain back in a few days. Oh no!

And, the last kitten died yesterday :(

I didn't realized I was exhausted until I spent a good 6 hours sleep that morning.

Ok. Move on.

Simple cakes I baked (again) for last Raya. OMG I am so backdated! Huhu. Sorry guys!

Chocolate Banana Cake

And American Chocolate Cake. Been trying to baked one since ever. Copied the recipe a year ago only managed to baked it last Raya :p

Wait, I still have some recipes to try! Hopefully manage to try all during my not-so-holiday!

American Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Kak Ummi

2 cups flour*

3/4 cups sugar*

2 tsp baking powder*

2tsp baking soda*

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp nescafe added to 1 cup of hot water

1. Sift together all * ingredients.
2. Mix all ingredients except the sifted flour, milk and water in a large bowl using a wooden spoon. Beat well until incorporated.
3. Add in the sifted flour, milk and water and continue beating.
4. Pour into your pan and bake at 170 degrees for 45 minutes.

1 can condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup corn oil

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1. Mix all together in a deep saucepan and heat on low heat until it thicken. Continue stirring with a whisker for 10 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and let it cool before spreading.

ps: Just so you know, this post was in my draft since 4th November!

Chocolate Banana Cake

I know I have a very bad memory. I couldn't remember most of the things happened in my life. I don't know because of the fact that I hate raisins as much as I hate cockroaches or because my brain processor is very small I tend to omit details that won't be beneficial for me for the next 10 years.

But apart from this short term memory I do remember one thing clearly. I'd never had any homemade birthday cake made for me. I'd never fancied a birthday celebration. I thought I looked like an idiot celebrating, singing and cheering my birthday. I do prefer a quite celebration, with the family.

And I do prefer a homemade cake.

So, when a birthday is approaching, I will immediately scuffled with tons of recipes, scrutinizing everything, each of the ingredients to make a perfect birthday cake.

And when it was time for the boyfriend, I know one thing: he loves Secret Recipe's Banana Chocolate Cake. Although I was contemplating to bake one at first (because I just gave him a chocolate cake) but in the end it was his day, and I should get over it.

I was having problem with the ganache as always. I just have to find a good ratio of the whipping cream and chocolate and a proper temperature to pour.

I opted for a simple design. I don't want anything fancy. I don't want any wordings on the cake (now whose cake was it for? hehe).

The verdict? The bf loved it! My principle of making a layered cake: be generous! You really don't want a layered cake to be stack with just a few mm of filling. No, not good.

And the bananas? To prevent browning you can mix few drops of lemon/lime after slicing it.

Chocolate Banana Cake

Adapted from Citarasawan

Chocolate Chiffon:

(A)

30 g cocoa powder

4 egg yolks

100g sugar

130g self rising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

60ml oil

1 tsp vanilla

(B)

4 egg whites

60g sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I omit)

Filling:

400ml sweetened whipping cream

100g melted cooking chocolate (I used Hershey's chocolate syrup)

1 1/2 tsp nescafe (dissolve in 1 tbsp hot water)

1 tbsp gelatine (I soaked it in 40ml warm water for 15 minutes)

Banana slices

Chocolate Ganache:

140ml whipping cream

350g cooking chocolate

1 tbsp butter

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Mix all ingredients in A and beat using high speed until fluffy.
3. In another bowl, beat B until stiff peaks form.
4. Fold in A into B mixture gently and pour into a 8" pan. Bake for 40 minutes.
5. When the cake has cooled down, slice it into three or four even layers.
6. Beat the whipping cream until it doubles in volume and add in vanilla essence, melted chocolate, coffee and gelatine. Mix well.
7. Spread the filling on top of the first layer of the cake as a base. Make sure it is about 1/2 inch thick. Arrange banana slices on it before topping it off with another layer of cake. Repeat until finish.
8. Spread a thin coat of the filling around the whole cake as a crumbcoat. Cool it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, heat the whipping cream using a double boiler until its boil. Take it off from the heat and add in cooking chocolate and butter. Stir until it melts. When it has cooled down and reach to your desire consistency, pour it over the cake.

Carrot Cake (The Best!)

Ok now this is an improvement :p One post a day hehe.

Back to the carrot cake hunting.

There were only few days left before I had to deliver the cake to my friend. And then she texted me again. She needed it a day earlier. I was dumbfounded. Obviously because I had no recipe to bake and I don't think I can make it.

A day before the delivery, I rolled up my sleeves and wished that I made a good decision by picking this one recipe. A recipe that I'd never bake before, a recipe that required all the basic ingredients only.

And there were only 3 carrots left. So it must be perfect.

Since I really had to test it, I took few scoops of the batter, arranged some cupcake liners and baked it.

And I glad I did. Because it was the best carrot cake I had ever tested!

I woke up early in the morning and started to assembled everything and frosted it. Delivered it to my friend and she told me it was delicious! Everyone loved it and it wasn't enough for everyone!

Of course I was overwhelmed. This is my journey to a perfect carrot cake.

And I glad it ended like how I wished for.

Best Carrot Cake

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground all spice

2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups canola oil

4 large eggs

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius.
2. Sieve together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and all spice in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk the sugar and oil in your mixing bowl (I did not used an electric mixer) until well blended. Add in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Add flour gradually into the wet mixture and stir until well blended.
4. Fold in all the dried chunky ingredients: carrots, walnuts and raisins.
5. Bake for 45 minutes.

ps: sloth it generously with any cream cheese frosting that you love :)

Big Bill's Carrot Cake

A few weeks ago, my bestfriend texted me. She needed a cake, for her former working place colleagues, which she did her practical. We discussed about that few days before that and settled for a carrot cake since most of them were quite veteran and they did not fancy any schmancy cake.

And the journey to find a perfect carrot cake began...

A perfect carrot cake should be moist but not spongy. Dense but not soggy. Full with flavour but not overpowering.

The was this one time when Big Bill's carrot cake became a phenomenal in blogosphere. And so i decided to try, a pre-testing recipe to make sure I could deliver the most perfect carrot cake.

But it was nothing like what I like about carrot cake. It was dense but too dry. It was full with flavour but too many flavour until you won't know if its a carrot cake or a coconut cake. Definitely not the traditional carrot cake that I loved.

Big Bill's Carrot Cake

Adapted from: Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all purpose flour

2tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground all spice

3/4 tsp salt

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dessicated coconut

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

For frosting:

8 ounces

1/2 cup butter

3 3/4 cups icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Heat the oven to 170 degrees celcius.
2. Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, all spice and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, mix together carrots, chopped nuts, coconut and raisins.
3. With the wire whisk attachment, beat together sugar and oil until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and gently add the flour mixture gradually.
4. Fold in the carrots mixture and mix well.
5. Divide the batter onto your desired pans (either one, two or three) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.
6. For the frosting, beat cream cheese with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy. Add in the butter and continue beating. Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla essence.

Chocolate Bottom Banana Square

Did you know for every recipes/cakes that I post here was something that I baked at least a couple of months back? Hehe. Sorry for the almost a month silence. I just hope I won't stop posting here :)

Lately, I always have over-rippen bananas on my kitchen counter (which reminds me I still have few in the fridge) so one day I decided to bake this, just to avoid the guilt of throwing actively grown molded-bananas. And I know this was a wise decision (because it has to be).

A lot of friends did asked me, "Why do you like baking so much?", "Where did you learned?". The truth? I bake because I love eating all the sweet stuff. And I couldn't stop eating it. It has become an addiction, at least once a week, I will treat myself, almost slathering my body with the fattening creams.

And then one day I've decided to start baking. Which was a good thing at first, because I could try as many recipes that I was craving for. But the downside of it was you'd know the exact amount of fat & sugar that accumulated in your blood vessels and underneath your skin.

And then it was not that fun anymore.

But I won't stop. Because this is where my passion is (besides dancing).

Chocolate Bottom Banana Square

Adapted from Bisousatoi.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 1/2 cup mashed bananas (I used around 6 medium size bananas)

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup chocolate chip

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla essence and mashed banana and beat well until incorporated.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in another bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix well using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
3. Divide the batter equally into two bowl. Add cocoa powder in one of the bowl and mix well. Spread the cocoa batter on a 9x9 greased pan. Then spread the original batter on top of the cocoa batter and swirl it using a butter knife. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake at 170 degrees for 30 minutes. Let it cool before cutting it.

And yes, it was moist and sweet and delish!

Pear and Walnut Cake

I have few entries/recipes to post today actually. Before I go for a holiday with the family, I better post all or I won't post it when I get back :p

Found this recipe few months ago. Actually I google-ed for an upside-down pear cake then I stumbled upon this recipe. It was from Su from Delectable. I love love love her artwork (as in the cakes. Hey, baking is an art okeh!).

Anyway, Pear and Walnut cake tasted a lot like a carrot cake. Maybe because of the spice in it. I love it! But maybe I could make few adjustment from the recipe, and hey, I think this is a great recipe for orang tua ;) But of course, reduce the amount of sugar ay.

This is not a doughnut!

Pear and Walnut Cake
Adapted from Su Delectable

150g butter at room temperature
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 pear juice (I used Orang juice :p )
2 large peckham pear diced roughly (I used 3 small ones)
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/3 cup raisins/sultanas
2 tsp ground mixed spice (or all spices)
2 tbsp honey (I omit)

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
2. Sieve together all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and mixed spice). Mix into the butter mixture alternately with the pear juice. Stir in walnuts, raisins/sultanas and pear.
3. Spoon the mixture onto a 9 inch pan (I used a bundt pan which I think you can use less than 9 inch to get a higher cake). Spread evenly and bake for one hour at 170 degrees.
4. For the frosting, beat 100g cream cheese with 1tbsp honey and chopped walnuts until smooth. Spread on top of the cake when its cooled.

Note:

• Reduce the amount of the sugar. I think this cake was a tad too sweet for my liking. I don't like a spiced cake to be sweet. Maybe you can use around 1 cup.
• Use brown sugar instead of the white sugar. It will enhance the flavour of the pear. Even much better, beat 3/4 sugar with the butter. Use the remaining sugar (1/4) saute it with the pear for a while until it turns brown. Remove from the heat. You'll get a crunchier pear afterward.
  

Banana Chocolate Cake

My boyfriend loves buying banana. But nobody eat that too many banana in the house, only me and my brother what do you expect? So most of the time I would let it ripen for few days and bake it rightaway.

Remember when I made the blueberry chilled cheesecake for my brother? On the same day also I baked another cake: Banana Chocolate Cake.

We drove back to Jb right after its done, and it still warm when we arrived 3 hours later. Its a habit of me, I just thought that I should brought home a homemade cake everytime balik kampung.

And I love this cake! Seriously! The 2tbsp milk powder, although small quantity, you can tasted it. Milky but not overpowering. It is moist, milky, not that chocolatey and the banana flavour is just right for the cake. This is so far my best banana cake :)

I always scared of any recipe that uses egg whites that beaten until fluffy. Wrong technique of folding or if you don't beat it until it stiff, your cake will sink. And I have a phobia of sinking cakes. But to my surprise, though I had to hand-whisked my egg whites, the cake turn out really really well!

Sorry for the low quality pictures though.

Banana Chocolate Cake
Adapted from Bisousatoi

200g butter
200g brown sugar
6 eggs yolk
2 eggs white (whisk until stiff)
200g flour sifted with
1/4tsp baking powder and
2tbsp full cream milk powder
1 cup chocolate chips
4 medium sized bananas - mashed
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Grease and line your pan, I used an 8inch round pan. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in yolk, one at a time, beat well until incorporated.
3. Fold in the flour, milk and baking powder using a spatula.
4. Gently, fold in eggs white.
5. Add in mashed bananas and the chocolate chips. Pour the batter onto your pan.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or more until it is done.

Chilled Blueberry Cheesecake

My brother loves cheesecake. There's just something between him and cheesecake. Especially raspberries.

One day, I was going to leave him for the weekend. Him and exam week. Grrrrrr I know! And that was when I decided to bake make him a cheesecake. Chilled cheesecake! But since I was left with a can of opened blueberries from pancake sauce leftover few days before, I said sorry to him and pour the whole 3/4 of the sauce on top of my beautiful chilled cheesecake.

I don't know if its a good idea or not but at first I thought it would be awesome.

Even my boyfriend couldn't resist the temptation right after he got home from work.

But the sauce just couldn't stop dripping all over the cake. Now, I know it wasn't a good idea. Too much blueberries.

But it was a perfect chilled cheesecake. Perfect perfect perrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....!

I used the leftover brownies from previous baking (I skipped I know! I couldn't find the pictures!), pulse it in a food processor until it becomes crumbs. Pack it at the base of your tin and refrigerate it while you make the filling.

As for the filling, I just used the exact method and ingredients from the box: beat 2 cream cheese together with 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk, 2tbsp sugar, and 2tbsp gelatine dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water for at least 15 minutes before using. Pour on your base then continue refrigerate it for overnight.

There. I made two of my lovely boys smiled that day.

Orange and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I always envied those pretty and cute marshmallow pops. I always adore those breathtaking dessert table. And I tried to make one, for my sister's engagement. It wasn't that disastrous but it wasn't that special either. I was working on that day so I had so little time to prepare everything on time.


Baked 100 cupcakes for the door gift too. I used this recipe. It never fails me for a vanilla cupcakes.

I need to be adventurous. I know I can't do bungee jumping (although I am dying to do that) because I am afraid of height so I need to be adventurous in food. In baking specifically.

I had some oranges in the fridge and thought of trying a new recipe for cupcakes. I woke up later, start my gear and two hours later I'd baked these:

Orange and Chocolate Chips Cupcake.

I know it weren't the prettiest naked cupcakes you had ever seen. I just had this problem with estimating the batter content in a cup. I had to spoon and bake one cupcake before I bake the rest to test.

I did that on all cupcakes.

But the cupcakes were delicious! Moist, juicy with the perfect sweetness!

Now, if you have some oranges, try and bake this. You'll be amaze with the cupcakes. Just make sure you cut off at least 1/4 of the sugar if you intend to sloshing it with any frosting.

Orange and Chocolate Chips Cupcake

3 eggs
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour sifted with 2tsp baking powder
juice of 1 orange
zest of 1/2 orange
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees. In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
2. Add flour and milk, alternating , begin and ending with the flour. Mix well. Add juice and the zest and continue beating.
3. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips.
4. Divide the batter evenly and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

Sicilian's Orange Cake

Sorry sorry sorry foe the lack of updates. I'd been very busy but my baking obsession continues as usual every weekend :) I left my memory card in the office (lets just hope I don't accidentally lost it cause I have tons of my baking pictures in it, hurm) so hopefully I have some time tomorrow to go and get it. Not that my office is that far, so no excuse for me I guess?

Here, some of what I found in my another memory card (everyone needs two, I know). Sicilian's Orange Cake. I baked an orange cake once before. Other than the almond, I do think both of the cake were amazing. They tasted alike, but Sicilian's was a bit buttery and moist whilst the other one was almond-y yet so moist and soft. So try it and tell me which one you prefer.

Sicilian's Orange Cake
(You can find the recipe almost everywhere)

Ingredients:

250g butter at room temperature
250g sugar (1 1/2 cup or less)
4 medium eggs
250g flour (1 1/2 cup or less)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until white anf fluffy around 4-5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
   
3. Add orange zest. Add all the flour at once and mix slowly. Pour in the orange juice and mix.
4. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes depending on your oven

ps: I noticed that this cake brown to quickly even when it is halfway done. Cover it with an aluminium foil. It might helps. I don't use icing for this recipe. I can't resist the temptation to try it rightaway. Hehe.

Cheesecake Galore!

One of the cheesecake I baked during my open house last two weeks. This is what happened when you keep it for so long, I forgot which recipe did I used!! Hahahaha. Oh kejap, I think I remember something (yes I should try shouting next time if I forgot something). Ah yesss. That's the one.

This cake was loved by everyone! Ceh semua I baked was loved by everyone (this is not a statement). Hehehe. Ok now seriously, everyone's loved it!

Baked White Chocolate Cheesecake

Adapted from Homesweethome

150 gm digestive biscuit/crushed

80gm butter/melted

180gm white chocolate

500gm cream cheese (at room temperature)

300gm sour cream (I don't have this)

3/4 cup caster sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

3 eggs

Chocolate ganache/whipping cream

1. Heat the oven at 160 Degrees Celcius. Prepare your baking pan.
2. Grate coarsely 3/4 of your white chocolate (leave some for hiasan)
3. Mix together the biscuit crumbs and melted butter. Press evenly on your baking pan and chill for 30 minutes.
4. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla essence until well incorporated. Then add eggs, one at a time.
5. Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the biscuit pastry and mix in the grated white chocolate. Stir gently with a fork.
6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
7. When it is done, turn off the oven and open the door a bit but do not take your cake out. Let it be in the oven for the next 2-3 hours.
8. Chill the cake in the fridge for 4 hours.
9. (Since I ran out of whipping cream) Pour chocolate ganache on top of the cake. Sprinkle the leftover white chocolate. Ready to be serve when it has cool completely.

And this is another chessecake I baked last week. I have another box of cream cheese and some raspberries so Afi requested me to bake some. I halves the ingredients since they were only two of us at home (which took 3 days to finish!).

Strawberry-Raspberries Cheesecake Slice

Adapted from My Kitchen Snippets

3/4 cup crushed digestive biscuit

6 tbsp melted butter

250gm cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

1 egg

3 tbsp strawberry jam

Fresh raspberries for decoration

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and line a 6"x6" square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Mix crumbs and butter together and press firmly on the bottom of the pan.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour in a bowl on medium speed until well blended. Add egg at low speed. Mix well. Pour over crust.
4. Drop the strawberry jam on different sites on the batter. Use a knife and make a marble effect on it.
5. Bake for 40 mins or until it is done. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
6. Arrange raspberries on top of the cake.

Carrot cake and Dates bar

So my sister in law (erk I must get used to it) asked me to bake a carrot cake for her for raya. But I already preparing for a cheesecake so I told her I nanti. Nanti Shaleen bake.

This was the second time I bake using this recipe. The first one wasn't what I expected for. And that was 3 months ago. But I won't give up. I just though maybe I'd missed out somewhere so baked it again for the second time.

And it fails. Big time.

It was too spongy!! I don't know if that was what it should tasted like but I don't think carrot cake was supposed to be spongy macam sepan. There, sepan tau! So sila. I drew my line, just here.

And this on the other hand was my favourites. It was dense and full with nuts and dates. I know my Mom would love it and she did :)

The Bar

Adapted from Thepioneerwoman

1-½ cup Butter, Melted And Then Cooled

8 ounces, weight Pitted Dates, Chopped Coarsely (around 1 1/2 Cups

1-½ cup Walnuts, Chopped

1 cup Pecans, Chopped (optional)

2 cups All-purpose Flour

½ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Baking Powder

¾ cups Packed Brown Sugar

¾ cups White Sugar

4 whole Eggs At Room Temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Take 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and brush your pan (one 9×13 pan or two 8×8 pans), making sure to grease the sides as well.

3. Set the coarsely chopped dates, walnuts and pecans (if using) aside in a bowl. (If the dates you are using are too dry, you can soak them in a little bit of liquid. Make sure you drain them before mixing them in with the nuts.)

4. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Set aside.

5. Mix the remaining 1 1/4 cup melted butter and sugars until well incorporated.

6. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

7. Add in the vanilla.

8. Reserve ¼ cup of the flour mixture. Dredge the date and nut mixture with the reserved flour. Use more of the flour mixture if needed.

9. Mix in the rest of the flour mixture with the wet ingredients. Do this gently, by hand, until just incorporated.

10. Fold in dredged dates and nuts with the batter.

10. Pour the batter (it will be very thick) onto the buttered pan(s).

11. Bake for 30 or more minutes, until light golden brown. It can take up to 40 or so minutes to cook, so keep checking. The bars are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

Baked Peach Cheesecake

On the first day of raya, I only managed to bake one cake. One. A total disapoinment. I know I could have baked more if I can managed my time efficiently. But I had a lot of cleaning ups to do. I was working half-day that day. And I really wanted to go home before iftar. Even if its mean I had to breakfasting in the car. Which I did. And Mom was the one who called me all the way from JB to tell me 'dalam TV dah azan so you can buka puasa now'.

I had few blocks of cream cheese so I thought of making a cheesecake (and left few blocks in the fridge which in a real bad condition when I get back after raya due to fridge rosak :( ). I think this recipe I copied from Kuali or something. I forgot. You can google it if you want.

Yes I know my cheesecake turned out not as beautiful as they should be. I brought back to JB rightaway, still hot and warm when I arrived. So I had to left the inner lining of baking paper on the side of the cake. Takut deformity berlaku. Hehe.

And the cake? Biasa-biasa je lah. Its either me or the recipe. I think it was me haha.

Shortcrust pastry:

200g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

125g very cold butter

3 tbsp ice-cold water

Filling:

300g cream cheese(leave at room temperature)

2 eggs, separated

75g castor sugar

1 tbsp grated orange rind

2 tbsp orange juice

1 1/2 tbsp corn flour

175g canned peaches

Method
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Dip the whole piece of butter into the flour. Place a grater above the flour, take the butter out and grate it into the flour. Mix grated butter into the flour. Rub in using your fingertips until butter is well distributed and the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Do not overwork the mixture.

Add ice-cold water gradually, stirring the flour and butter mixture with a palette knife. When mixture starts to bind well, stop adding water.

Knead the pastry lightly for a short while until smooth. Wrap pastry with plastic food wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Roll out pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap. Peel top layer of plastic from pastry. Roll pastry round a rolling pin. Bring rolling pin over a 21 cm flan tin.ease pastry carefully into the tin. Trim edges.

Prick the base with a fork and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake blind in preheated oven at 190°C for 10 minutes then remove beans and paper and bake for a further 20 minutes or until lightly browned. *cough* FYI saya pakai green beans :p

To make filling: Preheat oven to 180°C. Drain peaches well then slice thinly. Arrange slices evenly over the base of baked pastry case.

Beat cheese until light then add in sugar and continue to beat until creamy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each one is added. Stir in orange juice and rind. Sift in corn flour and blend well.

In a medium bowl, beat egg white and add a pinch of salt. Sprinkle 1 tbsp castor sugar gradually when egg white is almost firm. Go on beating until egg white turns stiff. Fold egg white mixture into creamed cheese mixture.

Carefully pour filling over the peaches. Bake in preheated oven for one to one and a quarter hours or until cake is firm. Leave cake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes with oven door ajar. Remove the pie and cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate cake overnight then turn out. Sift icing sugar over and slice into eight pieces and serve.

For the topping, I arranged the sliced peaches on top of the cake the next day, and strawberry then I pour instant jelly on top of it ;)

Banana Cake

Again, bananas left ripen on the counter so I baked banana cake! I left the bare cake for a day before I made the filling and ganache. When I sent Lana to the airport, I managed to grab one bag of Daim from the store so I decided to chop it and toss(?) it on my ganache. The filling was a different story. I had all the ingredients on hand but I had no idea which recipe to be followed. I stood there then I sat. Then I decided to make something different. Rather than using all the creams I used, CUSTARD! Yes damn freaking custard powder! I didn't know where did the idea came from but I was pretty sure I had to make it fast.

Obe loved it. So much. He said that was the best cake I ever made. Which was a lie. I know I baked some pretty good stuff before. And it were all good! Hahaha. But seriously, I think if you have all the patience and rajin, spare some time and prepare a good filling. Seriously.

And I don't know why did I choose this recipe although the original recipe was called for an upside down walnut cake. But yes, the cake was dense, moist and the best for a banana cake. Be experimental and try adding some fun to it ;)

Banana Cake

Adapted from SmittenKitchen

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 large)
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then mashed bananas, sour cream, rum, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 2 additions just until combined. Spoon batter into pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

For the filling, I don't exactly remember the measurement of all the ingredients. Its in my head naturally, abundance and engraved on one of my lobes I guess. But I won't let you down. Saya cuba.

1/2 tin susu cair IDEAL
3 full tbsp custard powder

Boil the milk together with the custard powder until dissolve on a low heat. When it starts to boil, continue stir until it thickens. Turn off the heat and spread on the cooled cake (after you cut it to layers of course ;) ).

For the ganache, erm ini memang aku tak ingat. My own recipe and techniques differ from time to time :p