Strawberry Cake

I have baked this cake for my son to bring to school today for his class teachers.
Wishing all teachers 'Happy Teachers' Day'. :)

Strawberry Snow Skin Mooncake

This is my first attempt on Snow Skin Mooncake, and I am very happy with the result. Satisfy:) I have adapted 'White Snow Skin Mooncake' recipe from Aunty Yochana blog.

I reduced the liquid to about 160g and added 3/4tsp strawberry essence and a drop of rose pink food colouring into the liquid. The skin is soft and not too sweet. I think the important of making Snow Skin is not to over knead the dough. Once the mixture form a dough then stop kneading, cover and put in the fridge to rest for 15mins. The dough looked rough but has a soft texture. For the lotus paste, I kneaded in some cranberry. I have prepared the lotus paste one day before. As oil oozed out from the paste after kneading and rolling. After I have rolled the paste into individual small balls, I covered it with grease proof paper, put in an airtight container and kept in the fridge. For dusting of mould and hands use steamed and sifted tapioca flour.

Eclair

Recipe

Ingredients
Cream Puff
40g water
40g milk
60g butter
1/8tsp salt
60g plain flour
2 eggs (beaten)

Filling
90g cooking chocolate
30g butter
80g instant custard
220g milk

Step:
Cream Puff:
1. Bring milk, water, butter and salt to a boil.
2. Low fire, use a wooden spoon and stir in the flour in two portions.
3. Stir until it form a smooth paste. (Remove pan from fire every now and then to prevent paste from burning.)
4. Leave aside to cool.
5. Use a wooden spoon and beat in the egg in three portions.
6. Make sure that the egg is well blended after each addition.
7. The batter should be smooth and shinning.
8. Put the batter into a piping bag with star nozzle (Wilton 1E).
9. Pipe a long strip about 6cm long on a greased tray.
10.Bake in a preheated oven 200C for 20-25 mins till golden brown.
11.Leave the puffs to cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
1. Melt the butter and chocolate over a simmering hot water.
2. Pour the milk into the custard powder and stir at once until smooth.
3. Stir in the melted chocolate until smooth.
4. If you find that the custard is too thick, add some milk and stir till smooth.

Assemble the cream puff:
1. Cut a slip at the side of the puff and pipe in the chocolate custard.
2. Drizzle some melted chocolate on the cream puff and serve.

Honey Citron Tea Jelly

Honey Citron Tea has a sweetness of honey with a touch of tangy flavour. This is a light and refreshing beverage, best to enjoy a glass on a hot day. Thanks to my sister-in-law Irene 姐, who bought this for me.


Recipe

Boiled 190g of water with 1tsp of agar-agar powder and 2 1/2 tbsp of Honey Citron Tea syrup. Pour mixture into 6 moulds and drop each with an orange flavour egg yolk jelly. Chill and serve.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake

Recipe adapted from 'Chiffon Cake Is Done' by Kevin Chai.

Milo Agar-agar Mooncake

I prefer to use the 'Rose' brand agar-agar powder as it is easily dissolved and take a shorter time to set.


Recipe

Ingredients
Egg yolk
190g water
40g sugar
1tsp agar-agar powder
1tbsp fresh milk/evaporated milk
few drops of egg yolk yellow food colouring

Filling
200g water
40g sugar
1 1/2tsp agar-agar powder
3tbsp milo powder
50g evaporated milk

Pastry
370g water
50g sugar
2 3/4tsp agar-agar powder
50g evaporated milk
1tsp milo powder

Steps:
Egg yolk:
1. Boil water, sugar and agar-agar powder together until sugar and agar-agar powder dissolved.
2. Remove from fire and stir in the milk and colouring.
3. Pour into the ice-cube mould and leave it to set.

Filling:
1. Boil water, sugar and agar-agar powder together until sugar and agar-agar powder dissolved.
2. Remove from fire and stir in the milk and milo powder.
3. Strain and pour it into the mould.
4. Place an egg yolk into the agar-agar.
5. Leave it to set.
6. Remove agar-agar from mould, use a fork and scratch on it surface. (This allow the filling to stick onto the pastry.)

Pastry:
1. Boil water, sugar and agar-agar powder together until sugar and agar-agar powder dissolved.
2. Remove from fire and stir in the milk and milo powder.
3. Strain.

Assemble the agar-agar:
1. Pour the pastry mixture into the mould about 1/4 full.
2. Let it half set then place the filling onto the agar-agar.
3. Fill up the mould with the agar-agar mixture.
4. Leave it to set and chill in the fridge.
5. Loosen the side of the agar-agar, invert it and gentle press the agar-agar out of the mould.

Sweet Corn Agar-agar Mooncake

Recipe

Ingredients
Pandan layer
150g water
35g sugar
1 1/2tsp agar-agar powder
3blades pandan leaves
100g coconut milk/fresh milk/evaporated milk
few drops of green food colouring

Cream corn layer
150g water
40g sugar
1 1/2tsp agar-agar powder
100g fresh milk
1 1/2tbsp custard powder
100g cream corn

Steps:
Pandan layer:
1. Boil water, sugar, agar-agar powder and pandan leaves together until sugar and agar-agar powder dissolved.
2. Remove pandan leaves.
3. Stir in the milk and boil over low heat.
4. Off the fire and stir in the green colouring.

Cream corn layer:
1. Boil water, sugar and agar-agar powder together until sugar and agar-agar powder dissolved.
2. Mix the milk and custard powder together.
3. Lower fire and stir in the custard mixture.
4. Stir until the mixture smooth and slightly thicken.
5. Off the fire and stir in the cream corn.

Assemble the agar agar:
1. Pour the pandan layer into the mould about half full.
2. Leave it to a semi-set stage (When you touch the surface of the agar-agar, it should be soft and sticky.) then gently fill up the mould with the cream corn layer.
3. Let it set and chill in the fridge.
4. Loosen the side, invert the mould and gently press the agar agar out of the mould.

Wan Goh Kueh (豌 仔 糕）

At last I succeed. :) This is my third tried. First time, the tapai didn't ferment properly and I suspect the problem lie on the wine yeast. :0 Second time, I follow the steps to the drop; fermenting the rice for 2 days then mixing and rising again. But still can't get it right. There were some semi-soft grain of rice flowing in the batter and the steamed kueh is soft on top but wet and heavy inside. :( So I go back to the recipe book, study it again and do some research at 'Do What I Want' blog. This time I make some changes on the ingredients and steps. Wah-lah! Smiling Wan Goh Kueh. Satisfy. :)


Recipe

Ingredients
Tapai
5g wine yeast (milled to powder)
1/2tbsp sugar
200g steamed rice (must be soft)

Batter
300g rice flour
145g fine sugar
400g water
60g tapai
1 1/2tsp double action baking powder
1tbsp 'Eno' fruit salt

Steps:
Tapai:
1. Mix rice, wine yeast and sugar together.
2. Cover and set aside to ferment for 3 days.
( After 3 days the rice grain should be soft and puffy. It should smell and taste like wine.)

Batter:
1. Boiled sugar and water together until sugar dissolved.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix rice flour, syrup, tapai and 1tsp of baking powder together.
4. Stir well until combined.
5. Cover and set aside to rise for 12-15hrs.
6. Add another 1/2tsp of baking powder and fruit salt into the batter.
7. Stir well and set aside for another 10mins for the batter to settle down.
8. Add in any food colouring of your choice.
9. Pour the batter into lined cups until 90% full and steam at high heat for 30mins.
10. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Custard Tart

Blueberry Egg Tart

It take a little more patient to press the dough into this star mould. It need more dough. The edge is thicker while the side is thinner so I need to press more dough to the side. Must be gentle when removing tart from the mould as the side crack easily.
Recipe adapted from 'Tarts my heart' by Kevin Chai.

Orange Egg Tart

Recipe

Ingredients
Tart dough
65g butter
60g margarine
25g fine sugar
1/2 egg (about 30g)
pinch of salt
180g plain flour
10g milk powder
1/4tsp vanilla essence

Filling
2 1/2 eggs
45g sugar
120g orange juice
45g milk
1/2tsp grated orange zest
1/4tsp orange essence
a drop of orange colouring

Steps:
1. Preheat oven at 175C.
2. Cream butter, margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Slowly beat in the egg and vanilla essence until well combined.
4. Shift the flour, milk powder and salt together.
5. Fold in the flour mixture into Step 3 and mix to form a soft dough.
6. At this stage you may add in some milk if dough is too dry or some flour if dough is too wet.
7. Wrap the dough up and let it rest in the fridge for 30mins.
8. Press about 25g of dough (depend on the size of the mould) into the tart mould and trim the edge.
9. Let it rest in the fridge for 30mins.

Filling:
1. Boil the milk and sugar together until sugar dissolved and set aside to cool.
2. Add the eggs, orange juice, essence and colouring into the milk.
3. Stir well and strain.
4. Add in the grated orange zest and set aside.

Assemble the tart:
1. Remove tarts from fridge, pour the filling into the moulds until 80% full.
2. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30mins till cooked.
3. Remove tarts from mould and cool them on a wire rack.

Pandan Egg Tart

A must try recipe. Recipe shared by Aunty Yochana. Thanks.

Smoked Salmon and Mushroom Baked Rice

A simple fried rice cover with smoked salmon and mushroom, spread with spaghetti sauce, sprinkle with a general amount of mozzarella cheese and lastly grill in a 200C oven for 20mins till golden brown and crispy. A plate of baked rice accompany with a bowl of home make cream of mushroom soup and a thump up shown a satisfying meal. :)