Yogurt Cake

Two weeks ago, I made an arrangement with Yuan for our boys to have a playdate before school starts. Yuan is a very nice lady. Every time she sent her son over for playdates, she will drop off bags of fruits or pastries or treats. So, I planned to bake something for BB to bring over to her on Tuesday. BB told me Shine does not like cheese. What else can I do if not my go-to dessert --- cheesecake? I was browsing online looking for ideas.

How about Yogurt Cake? The recipe seem fairly simple, in fact, the steps are similar to my go-to cheesecake. And I felt comfortable to give this new recipe a shot. It turns out better than I'd expected :D

I know the name may sound a little vague but I don't know what would be the best name for this cake. The recipe was adapted from here and here 

ENJOY!

  

Ingredients:

200g    plain yogurt

48g      vegetable oil

4          eggs

80g      sugar

40g      cake and pastry flour (low protein flour)

24        corn starch

optional

1/8       cream of tartar or lemon juice

Steps:

1.   Preheat the oven at 170 C.

2.   Line the bottom of a 7" cake pan with parchment paper.

3.   Separate the eggs and place the whites in a clean bowl. 

4.   In another bowl, combine the oil and yogurt. Whisk in the yolks, add the pre-sifted flour. Whisk until combine.

5.   In the stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy, add in the cream of tartar and 1/3 of the sugar. Beat the egg whites until it starts to form soft peaks . Gradually add in the remaining sugar. Continue whipping until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
6.   Fold in a third of the egg white into the batter, mix until combine. Then pour the batter back to the egg white bowl, continue to fold until the batter incorporate with the egg white. DO NOT OVER MIX. You may still see some thin stripes of egg white. This is okay.

  

7.   Pour the mixture into the cake pan. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles.
8.   Bake the cake in an inch water bath for 60 minutes until the top turn golden brown.
9.   Remove from heat. Leave the cake to cool on wire rack. Refrigerate the cake before serve.

HAPPY BAKING!

Note: I used the 2% plain yogurt.

Nyonya Kuih - Kuih Talam

Kuih Talam is one popular nyonya kuih in Malaysia and Singapore.

When something is rare, it becomes precious (物以稀為貴). I am totally agree! Before moving to Canada, I never appreciate nyonya desserts. Now, I started to miss those colorful desserts, not only you can't find it here, even if you find it, it's so expensive.

One way to ease my craving is DIY!

This recipe is modified from Patricia Lee - Delicious Nyonya Kueh & Desserts

Ingredients:

(A)  Green Bottom Layer

50g      rice flour

120g    cornflour

150g    sugar

400ml  coconut milk

350ml  water

350ml  pandan water

(B)  White Top Layer

30g     mung bean flour

120g   cornflour

150g   sugar 

400ml coconut milk

900ml water

a pinch of salt

You will need:

8" square tray and steamer

Steps:

Bottom layer:

1.  Heat sugar and water in a saucepan until sugar dissolves completely. 

2.  Mix coconut milk with cornflour and rice flour. Add pandan water and stir well. Pour this coconut mixture into the sugar syrup (1). Cook over low heat until batter thickens slightly.

3.  Pour into the square tray and steam for 15 minutes. Open steamer lid half way through.

Top layer:

1.  Heat sugar, salt and water in a saucepan until sugar dissolves completely. 

2.  Mix coconut milk, cornflour, mung bean flour together and stir well. Pour this coconut mixture into the sugar syrup (1). Cook over low heat until batter starts to thicken. Stir continously while heating. 

3.  Pour the batter over to the green layer. Steam with the lid covered for 20 minutes. Open the steamer lid half way through.

4.  Set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge for 4-5 hours. 

Happy Baking!

Note:  I try to avoid using artificial food colouring as much as possible. If I can get natural color from plants or fruits, I would stay away from food colouring. The green layer is pandan leaves juice, no color enhancement added. 

Silver Needle Noodles (老鼠粉/銀針粉/米苔目)

After church, we went to our favourite HK style cafe for lunch. Mom ordered a stir fry silver needle noodles, she gave me a small bowl to tried. As I was eating the noodle, I know what we're going to have for dinner *hehe*

Tonight dinner is one of my favourite comfort food - homemade lao shu fen (Silver Needle Noodles).

Recipe adapted from ShoonYin Home Cooking 

Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup Potato starch
200 ml boiling water
175 ml water (room temperature)
2 tbsp oil

You will need a potato ricer:

Steps:

1. Mix rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch together into a big bowl.
2. Add in boiling water. Mix well. Keep on stirring till it becomes a paste.
3. Add in normal water to cool down the paste.
4. Add in oil and knead to a smooth paste.

5. Boil water in a pot. Place a grater or an improvised coconut strainer or potato ricer as above picture on top.
6. Pour the rice paste on to the strainer and press . When the paste falls through the holes, it becomes rice noodles. 
7. Scope up immediately when the rice noodles float. Set aside to cool.

Happy Cooking!

let's jump for... mango ice cream!

My bb loves everything mango...from mango juice to mango pudding to mango cake and of cos mango ice cream!

The other day at the pool, instructor Derek was playing games with them, jump-in-the-water-when-you-hear-your favourite ice cream. Chocolate ice cream, everyone jumped except my bb. Vanilla ice cream, all the kids jumped but my bb. Strawberry ice cream, he is still not in the water. I whispered to the instructor, you gotta do mango ice cream...

M-A-N-G-O ice-cream, S.P.L.A.S.H!

This recipe is adapted from Michelle

Ingredients:

50g Sugar
400g Mango puree
90g Coffee mate
1 can of Evaporated milk


Steps:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl. Mix well.

2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap, freeze for 5 hours.

3. Remove from freezer, whisk the mixture until fluffy and double in size.

4. Pour the mixture in a container, keep it in the freezer overnight.

Enjoy!

summerlicious - chocolate ice cream make easy!

No ice cream maker, don't worry, I don't have one either. If you google, you will find many no machine needed ice cream recipes. I have been making ice cream without ice cream maker, every time it turned out very good - creamy and smooth, no one can tell the different :-> You would be surprise how easy it is to DIY ice cream. I love making my own ice cream, homemade ice cream is absolutely preservative and addictive free.

I saw this recipe from Carol. Recipe calls for very few ingredients - I love recipe make simple. You probably have all the ingredients sitting in your refrigerator right now. Let's give it a try before summer is over!

Enjoy!

Ingredients :
a.

150g whipping cream

15g caster sugar

b.

120g milk

30g caster sugar

7g corn starch

10g unsweetened cocoa powder


Steps:

1. Beat ingredient (a) until soft peaks form. Keep in refrigerator.
2. Combine milk, corn starch, sugar and sifted cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. Sit the bowl in hot water, whisk until the mixture become thicken. Set aside to cool.

4. When the chocolate mixture cool down, gently whisk again.

5. Combine the chilled cream with the chocolate mixture.

6. Keep in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.

QQ 軟糕

記得小時候老爸最喜歡買軟糕回家。小時候不怎麼喜歡, 嫌它太甜。已經n年沒有再看到這種甜點，卻在一次網上閒逛的時候看到，第一個反應是--老爸的最愛！

其實一點難度都沒有，超簡單的，超開心。自己做的，軟軟黏黏，又不太甜，又美。老爸看到也很驚訝 :)


食谱来自吉米丽の快乐厨房小天地或all mum recipe

米漿材料： 

150g   糯米粉 (glutenous flour)

40g     澄面粉/小麥澄粉 (gluten free flour)

15g     木薯粉 (tapioca flour/starch)

115g   细砂糖 (superfine sugar)

180g   水 (water)

材料:

1tsp    玉米油/植物油 (oil)

10g    熟糯米粉

数滴色素加少许水备用

做法： 

         1.        把粉料过筛入一个干净的搅拌盆里，加入所有的材料，搅拌至糖溶解。

         2.        將蒸鍋先預熱。

         3.        烤盘涂抹油 (2個7"x 7" 或者蒸發兩次)，倒入适量的米浆；放进蒸锅里蒸约15 - 25 分钟（不粘手），即可取出。

4.        在工作台上撒上适量的熟糯米粉, 面皮摊放，涂抹上适量的色素, 由上往下卷起。用刀切成片状即可。 

          Note:

          熟糯米粉: 干锅小火炒糯米粉 5分钟备用

Happy Baking!