I am so sad ... only to realize that all my food photos are gone.  Nope I did not upload photos to picasa therefore its all gone now.  My last update was about 2 months back.  Since I did not update my blog frequently, I did not notice that all the photos are gone until recently ... haiz ... 

So ... from now on I will try to update often ... meaning cook more often heeh ... 

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (with Reese’s PB Cup Center)

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A wet wet Monday. Its been raining since morning ... my laundry is piling up ... sigh .. since I cant do my laundry I decided to bake.  Oyin came over ... nope not to help out but it been awhile since we last have our siblings bonding time.


He came at abt 1pm ... I waited for him cos I asked him to get me butter ... forgetful me forgotten to buy butter for baking.  Hubby was busy revising for his last paper today. So Oyin and me do our baking ... after that we went Chinatown, Lomography Gallery Singapore.  Oyin wanted to pick up a new hobby.  The SM was quite busy so we didnt want to disturb him after that we went Plaza Singapura.  


We went Pastamania for fuel ahahha since I did not cook =D ... After that got our tickets to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks 3 ... it was fun ... 


and after that we call it a day lar ... exhausting abis.


Below is the recipe for the cuppies.  This is my 2nd attempt ... I love this recipe very easy and fast too ...


Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated


Makes approx 12 (I got 15 out of it with plenty of batter left on the sides of the bowl for me to enjoy. What?)Ilah: I got 16 cuppies maybe my cups are slightly smaller.


Ingredients


114g 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
60g (hershey semi-sweet) 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Ghiradelli)
60g (hershey cocoa powder) 1/2 cup (1.5 oz) Dutch processed cocoa (or regular if that’s what you’ve got handy)
85g (All-purpose IS plain flour) 3/4 cup (3.75 oz) All-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
170g 3/4 cup (5.25 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
118ml 1/2 cup (4 oz) sour cream (you could use reduced fat, but really…why bother)
12-15 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Directions


Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line tin with cupcake liners. 

Combine butter, chopped chocolate and cocoa in a small bowl. Microwave 30 seconds then stir. Microwave at 15 second intervals until smooth. (It only took me the first 30 seconds plus 15 more before it was smooth and glossy.) Don’t overheat! Alternately, you can get fancy and use a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water. I use the dbl boiler method.

Cool until barely warm.

In small bowl, combine flour, soda and powder.

In a medium-ish bowl, beat the eggs then whisk in the sugar and salt. Add the cooled chocolate mix, beating until smooth and well combined. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Whisk until fully combined. Add sour cream, mixing well, then add remaining flour mixture, whisking till flour is fully incorporated and batter is thick.

Scoop batter into lined tins using you preferred method—spoon, ice cream scoop, measuring cup. Place a mini Reese’s cup in the center of each cake. Press into the batter until nearly level with the top.

Bake 15-20 minutes (original recipe said 18-20 but mine were most definitely done at 15 minutes). Check doneness with toothpick. If it comes out clean, you’re good. Mine was 20mins.

Cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack to cool thoroughly before frosting.


Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting


Adapted from browneyedbaker.com


Easily covers 18 cupcakes, and that’s if you have a heavy hand.



Ingredients

200g or 3 big spoonful 1 cup creamy peanut butter
75g 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
220g 2 cups powdered sugar
1 small pkt 1/2 - 2/3 cup whipping cream (heavy cream) adjust as necessary - add more if it looks like it needs it. Go wild.

Directions


Beat peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar until thoroughly combined. Add cream and beat until light and fluffy. Give it a few minutes to get nice and pale and lovely. Lick the beaters. No, really. Do it. It’ll make you feel like a kid again. (I did not do this eh ... fasting tao )

Spread onto cooled cupcakes or pipe with your preferred decorating tip.

Caramel Cake

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Its been awhile ... 

I am so exhausted.  Its been 10 days and Oyin still in hospital.  My lil bro (not so little anymore next year he's going to be 18 but still... ) Anyway since I did not visit him last night I decided to bake a cake for him.  Actually ... I just want to try the recipe that I got from my aunt LOL!

The cake turned out ok.  Esa said it needs a little bit more sugar.  Hee Hee ... I actually cut down on the sugar by half ... so in future I will just follow the recipe lah.  All in all ok lah nice try.

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Caramel Cake
Caramelized Sugar 
2 tbsp Sugar

  Using 8 inch cake pan 
  Pour 2tbsp sugar in the cake pan with low heat
  Let the sugar dissolve and turn light brown
  Even the caramelized sugar by tilting the cake pan to the left and right 
  Let it cool. (there will be a cracking sound don't be alarm)
  Put it aside

Caramel
1/2 tin evaporated milk 
70g castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
3 egg yoke

  Stir the milk and sugar til the sugar dissolve
  Add and mix the egg yoke and vanilla essence
  Combine the milk and egg mixture together and mix well
  Use a strainer to pour the mixture on to the caramelized sugar  Put it aside
  

  To get a thicker caramel, add more (pls measure) milk and egg yoke
  (Don't have to bake this mixture first. Will bake the whole cake at one go)

Cake Mixture 170g castor sugar
3 egg yoke
135ml water 
45ml oil

  Beat egg yoke, oil and water til fluffy and whitish colour
  Add in sugar and beat til its double in size

Cake Mixture 2
140 gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

  Off  mixer add sifted plain flour and baking powder
  Add a bit by bit and mix well  Put it aside

Meringue  
6 egg whites (make sure no egg yokes gets into the white)
70g castor sugar
1 tsp cream of tar tar

  Make sure all equipment are dry
  Beat egg white til bubbly
  Add sugar and cream of tar tar.  Increase the mixer to high, beat the meringue until it is stiff. (turn it upside   down over you head it should not drip on to you ... its that kind of stiffness u need ... )
  Add in 1/3 of meringue in the batter mixture
  Mix well
  Add the rest mix well.  Mix slowly so that the air you put into you meringue wont escape hee hee

Divide the batter into 3 bowls.
Add your preferred colours

Pour the batter onto the caramel mixture

Its all up to u how u want to mix the colours. (e.g stripes, polka dots ...)

Preheat oven at 170C.  Once u put in the cake lower the heat to 160C.

Use only heat from below

Steam Bath 
Add hot water to a roast pan (bigger than the cake pan).
Put the cake pan in the roast pan that is filled with hot boiling water
Put the pan on the lower shelf of the oven
Bake the cake for 1hr at 160C or until the cake is bake well.
** Do not open the oven for the first 30mins

Once its baked leave the cake in the oven and off the heat.  The cake will shrink a bit and it sides will loosen
Turn it upside down onto a flat plate.

Cut the cake when its already cool down

Fridge it.
Serve it chill.

Source: Masam Manis 

No Plan Monday

Really?? ... No plans? ... started whatsapping .... ahah ... now we had one ... 10.20am rushed to the toilet ... by 10.45am we were out. We and our buddies went Anchorvale Mcdonald's for brunch ... yeah brunch cos went we reached there it was about 11.35am ... Hotcakes for brunch ... Yummeh!!! ... so whats next ... think ... think ... think ...

We had coffee appreciation session cum Zombie game at Yana & Fad Crib ... while the hubbies shooting zombies ... the wives are stoning ... Yana served use strawberry shortcake with ripple ice-cream... best!!! I love the dense cake yum ... I had abit of the ice-cream oso lah hahaha can't help it.  Never say no to ice-cream.  After magrib prayers we went Downtown.  Kak Aida saw me ... I didn't manage to say hi to her just whatapped... den met Sue in the toilet ... of all places hahaha ... 

Anyway ... we had dinner cum supper at Asli Village @ Downtown East.  Spoil for choice ... there's Thai, Japanese, BBQ, Western, Local, Indian Cuisines.... My horfun was yummy ... the cheese fries was nice too and the sauce they put on it was very generous I like.  I would return again ... the next time I will come with ibu and I know ibu will love the upeh ... and that's all for our no plan Monday ...

ps: You don't need alot of friends, just a few close ones will do.

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Hiatus from Food Blogging ...

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It's been awhile since I update my blog ... been busy I guess or probably just lazy ... hee hee ...

We fasted on Sat (on the day of Arafah).  If mom didn't tell me I wouldn't know hahaha .... so lucky me I still have mom to constantly reminding me =D Since Sat is a Stay-at-Home day, I decided to make myself useful around the house.  I have been cleaning, scrubbing, polishing things around the house.  There's a chance I have OCD too cos I am not satisfied with just a 1 time wipe.  I would sweep, wipe, mop and I still find it not clean ... maybe its just me lah.

After all the cleaning ... I decided to plan for break fast menu ... there about 1/2kg of minced meat and 1/2kg of prawns.  So menu was Meatball masak kicap and 'Togel/Naked' Cereal  Prawn (why naked? ... cos I had to peel the shell for ... *cough*hub*cough*by*).  I baked brownie for my mom.

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Meatballs Kicap 

(I'm just playing around with the ingredients so its all up to you what you want to add in ok)

minced meat

salt pepper

minced garlic and ginger

chopped onion

chopped coriander

egg

corn flour

breadcrumbs

Methods: Mix everything together and make into small balls (all up to you how big or small you want it).  After shaping the meatballs, add about 2 tbsp of oil to pan fry the meatballs.  The choice is yours, you can cook it well or half cook it and take it out drained the excess oil on kitchen paper.

Kicap (Soy Sauce) Gravy

kicap

onion cut into rings

star anise

cinnamon

cardamon

water

tomato sauce

salt 

pepper

black pepper

optional*

chili padi

fried potatoes

Methods: Saute the onions and the booby traps (star anise, cinnamon & cardamon) add in kicap  and water depends on how much you want.  Add in the meatballs. Mix well and let it boil.  Once its boiling seasoned the gravy with salt, pepper and black pepper and last add in maybe 2 or 3 tbsp of tomato sauce to slightly thicken the gravy.  Let it simmer for 5 to 10mins and off the heat.

Cereal Prawn recipe.  The only different is that this time round I peel off the shell.

Here come Sunday ... Eid Adha.

We went to Sultan mosque for prayers.  After that went back to ibu house for breakfast.  Not your ordinary Raya feast hahah ... we did not cook any lontong or rendang this year.  We had shepherd's pie and my brownie.  Simple.  After that nap time.  while the rest were napping, I played with the new member of the family ... this hamster is so lazy ... sleep and sleep only just like the owner.

and thats how we celebrate Hari Raya Haji ... heeh