Garlic Butter Cheese Buns

Recently tried out this new bread dough recipe and received many good feedback and thumbs up. While the garlic butter fillings can the chilled and wrap inside the dough, I preferred to spread the filling on dough buns. Yes, it taste good with any choice of filling like luncheon meat, sausage etc. in any shapes. 

Here’s the recipe sharing

Ingredients:

• 335g bread flour
• 60g caster sugar
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 2/3 tsp salt
• 40g unsalted butter (softened)
• 180ml water (can use milk, cold or room temperature)

   1 egg for egg wash [can add 1 tablespoon of water or milk to dilute it]

To prepare the filling while dough in final proofing:

100g Butter (salted) soften

4 - 5 cloves garlic

40g grated cheddar cheese (to sprinkle)

2 - 3 tablespoons of chopped spring onions or parsley (reserved some for garnishing)

Chop the garlic and some spring onions finely.

In a bowl, mix the softened butter, chopped garlic and spring onions.

Set aside.

Instructions :
1) Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt, caster sugar and yeast (note: do not mix yeast & salt directly together).

2) Mix all the dry ingredients for 30 seconds at low speed. Continue with low speed, pour in the water in 4 additions over 2 - 3 minutes till the dough combined.
Once the ingredients have come together, add the butter and increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue kneading for another 10 - 15 minutes till an elastic dough (window pane).

3) Turn the dough on lightly floured tabletop, knead and shape the dough in big smooth round. Place in a big bowl and cover with cling wrap or cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 to 1.5 hours).

4) Turn the dough on tabletop and give some punches on the whole dough to remove the gas pockets. Punching down helps to even out the dough’s temperature and relaxes the gluten.

5) Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (or 50g each). Make into rounds. Cover and rest it for about 15 mins.

6) Lay the baking tray with parchment paper.

7) Roll out 1 dough in oval shape not too thin, gently stretch the 2 sides of one end outward, gently roll up towards the stretched ends, pinched to seal and place sealed sides down on baking tray. Score or slit the top.

8) 2nd proofing for about 45 minutes (double in size)

9) Towards the last 15 mins of 2nd proofing stage,  preheat oven to 170°C and position the rack in the center of the oven. (Note: The temperature of the oven varies, do adjust accordingly).

10) Brush with egg wash thinly on dough, spread about 1 teaspoon of garlic butter filling and sprinkle with some cheddar cheese and spring onions.

11) Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread has turned golden brown.

12) Remove tray from the oven and transfer the buns onto wire rack to cool before storage. 

I love the warm fragrance buns ... Enjoy!

Here’s some other shapes using the same dough recipe baked with my friends.

Windsor bread

This Windsor bread recipe was very popular shared in FB and I’ve bookmarked it for quite awhile. Finally had a fun bake-together session to bake Windsor bread with my friends a month ago.

Recipe adapted from :Olady Bakes

Windsor Bread

Ingredients:

225g bread flour

25g cake flour

8g milk powder (optional)

1 egg yolk

25g caster sugar

140g – 150g water or milk

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp yeast

25g unsalted butter at room temperature

Instructions 

1. Lay the baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer.  In a mixing bowl, add the flours, egg yolk, sugar, salt and water and knead for a few minutes till the dough combined.

3. Add in yeast and knead for another 5 minutes.

4. Once the ingredients have come together, add the butter and continue to knead till an elastic dough, about 10-15 minutes.

5. Turn the dough on lightly floured tabletop, knead and shape the dough in big round, rest the dough for 10 minutes.  Divide into the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll into balls, then rest another 10 minutes.

6. Lightly dust some all-purpose flour on the surface.  Roll out 1 dough, about 12 cm by 8 cm, not too thin. Pat out air bubbles at the edges.

7. Gently roll up from the longest side, pinched to seal and place on baking tray. Don’t roll too tight. Repeat for all other doughs.

8. Place the tray (cover with damp cloth) in a *warm place to allow the dough to proof for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size (*alternatively, turn on the oven to the lowest temperature (35°C) for 1 minute, turn it off and place the tray in the oven to proof. Do not cover with damp cloth, close the oven door for proofing).

9. Lightly sprinkle some flour or powder sugar on top of the dough or brush egg wash on the bread doughs.

10. Preheat the oven to 170°C and position the rack at the lowest of the oven. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread has turned golden brown. (The temperature of the oven varies, do adjust accordingly).

11. Remove tray from the oven and transfer the breads on to a wire rack to cool.

Here’s some of the variations ... adding some cheese and shaped in round buns. This recipe is really a keeper.

Enjoy!

Macadamia Nutella Brownies

I simply couldn’t find anymore excuses not to bake such easy fuss free 3-ingredient brownies.  Oh! Found a pack of macadamia nuts in my pantry ! To provide a balance to the sweetness and chocolaty of these fudgy crunchy macadamia nuts brownies, I sprinkled a little of flaky sea salt.  Taste really amazing.  

Recipe adapted from here with slight adjustments made.

Macadamia Nutella Brownies

Ingredients:

325g Nutella

2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature (size of my egg is 60g each with shell)

62g all-purpose plain flour

1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

80g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.  Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

Line an 8 x 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Nutella and eggs until smooth and combined.

Add the flour and mixed until combined.  Fold in the macadamia nuts.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle the flaky sea salt.

Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it.  Do not over bake as overbaking will create a dry brownie.

Remove the pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Served warm for brekkie with a glass of cold milk.

Happy baking!

Lychee Martini Cake

This is not the first time that I've added some alcohol in dessert bbq orange parcels or in some cooking.  Have heard about Lychee Martini Cake (source Recipe lychee cake) but have not tasted one.

Baked this cake with some adjustments made to my personal preference.
Lychee Martini Cake (7-inch round cake)
Ingredients (A) : Lychee soak in rum
1 cann of lychee
60 - 80 ml Bacardi white rum (you can use Vodka, Martini)

Drain the cann of lychee and cut into small pieces. You can  reserve the #syrup to make syrup water, cold drinks or make cocktail. Put the cut lychee pieces into a bowl of 80ml of white rum and soak for a few hours. Best if it is overnight.

For the Sponge Cake (adapted from mini mango charlotte cake ) :
Ingredients:
3 Eggs (the size of my egg is 60g each with shell)
85 grams Caster sugar
100 grams Cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
15 grams Vegetable oil
10 grams Unsalted Butter
30 grams Fresh Milk
*1 teaspoon of rum from the soaked lychee

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 170°C. Position the rack in center of oven. Note : The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust accordingly.

2) Lay a 7- inch round pan with parchment paper greased with butter. Set aside.

3) Sift the cake flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. (Note that I prefer using cold eggs)

4) Melt butter and milk in a heatproof dish. Once melted, add the vegetable oil and mix well.

5) In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold egg whites till foamy using the electric mixer. Gradually add in caster sugar in 3 separate additions and beat till stiff peak, formed into a firm meringue.

6) Add the egg yolks to the meringue and whisk on low until evenly combined (about 1 minute).  Add in *1 teaspoon rum.

7) Next, fold in the sifted flour in 3 separate additions, folding gently with a spatula until combined.

8) Mix in the melted butter mixture in 2 separate additions with a spatula.

9) Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top a few times to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

10) Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake surface turns golden brown.  Check for doneness with a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake if it comes out clean.  (I tent it with aluminium foil in the last 10 minutes of baking).

11) When the pan was removed from the oven, I used the suggested technique to drop the pan at a height of 20~30cm onto a table top. This action helps to keep the springy texture of the cake when it is left to cool.

12) Carefully invert cake pan onto wire rack, remove pan and the parchment paper for cake to cool completely on wire rack.

Ingredients B : Lychee icing
350ml whipping cream (note I left with this amount, can use 400 to 500ml)
2 tablespoon icing sugar (add more if you prefer it sweeter)
1 teaspoon Bacardi rum (optional)

Method:
1. Remove the bowl of soaked chopped lychee from fridge, drain and reserve the liquid.

2. Freeze the cleaned mixing bowl for about 15 minutes.  Take it out from the freezer, immediately put all together the cold whipping cream, icing sugar and rum in the cold mixing bowl. Use the electric mixer to whisk till ribbon and a soft peak form.

3. Scoop about 100g of whipping cream and mix with the chopped lychee pieces.

4. Fill some whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.

To make the syrup water:
2 tablespoon rum (from the soaked lychee)
3 tablespoon lychee #syrup
Mix them and pour the syrup water either into a sprayed bottle or small bowl.

To assemble:
1) With one hand firmly on top of the cake, run a serrated knife around the centre of the cake and slice horizontally into 2 even layers.

2) Spread some whipped cream onto the cake board to stick the bottom cake layer. Place the half of one cake on a cake board and place it on a turntable.

3) Brush the cake top or spray the surface with syrup water. Pipe outer ring with whipped cream. Spoon the lychee cream mixture to fill the center. Then use a straight spatula or off set spatula to evenly frost the lychee cream mixture.  Gently stack the other half cake on top of each other, brush a little syrup water and frost the top with some whipped cream.

4) Apply crumb coat - Use spatula to add frosting to the sides / top of the cake. Wipe the excess frosting off with spatula into a bowl.  Chill in the fridge for 30 min.

5) Frost the cake using the remaining whipping cream.  Wipe the excess frosting off with spatula into a bowl.  When the sides are done, smooth out the top edge. Using your spatula, smooth the excess frosting inward toward the center of the cake. Decorate the cake as desires.

Looks like I'm getting back my motivation in baking cream cakes :)
Enjoy & happy baking !

Blueberry Compote Cake

Looks like I got the hang of baking cream cakes for our weekends snacks.  Afterall, my 2 adults enjoy homebaked cakes.

Using the same sponge cake adapted from Strawberry cake, this time I added homemade simple blueberry compote as filling.  Perfect combination ! I just love the tangy compote with natural sweetness sandwich between the sponge layers.

Blueberry Compote Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs (60g with shell each)
110g caster sugar
33g unsalted butter melted
53g milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120g cake flour - sifted

To make simple syrup water :
About 150ml water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan, boil over medium flame over the stove.

Stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Put aside to cool.

For the filling :
Blueberry Compote
300g blueberries
2 tablespoon honey
2 tablesppon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a small pot and cook over low flame for about 8 - 10 mins.
Stirring and meshing the blueberries ocasionally till all softened. Leave cool and the mixture will be slightly thickened.

For whipped cream
200ml Whipping cream
10 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method :
1) Preheat oven to 170°C. Position the rack in center of oven. Note : The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust accordingly.

2) Lay a 7- inch round pan with parchment paper greased with butter. Set aside.

3) Fill 3/4 cooking pot with water and bring to a boil.  Off the fire remove the pot from stove.  In a stainless steel bowl placed over the cooking pot of hot water, whisk together the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract with a whisk. Test batter with thermometer for temperature reached 40 degree celsius.  Remove the bowl from the cooking pot.

4) Combine the milk and butter in a small bowl and put into the pot of hot water to melt the mixture.

5) With electric mixer, beat in low - medium speed the egg batter until smooth, light (about 3 to 4 minutes), switch to high speed and continue to beat for about 5 minutes and ribbon trail forms when whisk lifted up.

6) Add in the sifted cake flour. With a spatula, fold in the flour gently till combined.

7) Remove the butter and milk mixture from the pot. Add a spoonful of batter and mix it with the butter and milk mixture. Pour all into the batter, fold and mix well with a spatula.

8) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the top evenly with a spatula.  Lightly tap the pan  2 - 3 times on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.  Bake in preheated oven for about 35 - 40 minutes.

9) Check for doneness with a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake if it comes out clean.

10) Remove cake from pan, remove the parchment paper and place cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the whipped cream:
Freeze the cleaned mixing bowl for about 5 minutes.  Take it out from the freezer, immediately put all together the cold whipping cream,  vanilla extract and caster sugar in the cold mixing bowl. Use the electric mixer to whisk from low speed (about 1 min) then change to high speed until medium to stiff peaks form.  Do not over beat.

Add 1 tablespoon of blueberry compote to the whipped cream, mix well.

Fill some whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.

To assemble:
1) With one hand firmly on top of the cake, run a serrated knife around the centre of the cake and slice in half horizontally for 2 layers.

2) Spread some whipped cream onto the cake board to stick the bottom cake layer. Place the half of one cake on a cake board and place it on a turntable.

3) Brush the top with a little syrup water. Pipe outer ring with whipped cream. Spoon the blueberry compote to fill the center. Gently stack the other half cake on top of each other, brush a little syrup water and frost the top with some whipped cream.

4) Use spatula to add frosting to the sides of the cake. Wipe the excess frosting off with spatula into a bowl.  When the sides are done, smooth out the top edge. Using your spatula, smooth the excess frosting inward toward the center of the cake.

5) Decorate the top as desires. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours for the frosting to set before slicing and eating.

Baked a cream cheese frosting blueberry compote birthday cake to a dear frend.
Looked lovely and so glad she had given good compliments to the cake.

Cream Cheese Icing
Enough to frost a 7 inch cake
200g cream cheese, softened
100g unsalted butter, softened
80g sifted icing sugar
1 - 2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 - 2 tablespoon fresh milk (adjust the texture to your preference)

To make cream cheese icing:
1) Allow cream cheese and butter to stand at room temperature. In large mixing bowl beat cream cheese and butter with mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add in fresh milk and lemon juice and whisk to combine.

2) Gradually add in the powdered sugar in 3 additions, beating well. Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.  Beat until it reach spreading consistency.

Enjoy & happy baking !

Strawberry Cake (mini semi-naked cake)

It's been quite a long while that I've baked a decent layered cake with cream frosting.  Occasionally I would make simple creamy cakes for brithday or tea-time treats.  Had been craving for whipped cream cake but don't wish to indulge in 'too much sweet creamy' cake so a semi-naked cake would be just right to satisfy my craving :)

Strawberry cake (mini semi-naked cake)
Recipe adapted from : https://youtu.be/bqXSNXMf760
I've omitted the corn syrup and reduced caster sugar slightly, below my slight modification adjusted to my preference.

Ingredients:
3 eggs (60g with shell each)
110g caster sugar
33g unsalted butter melted
53g milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120g cake flour - sifted

To make simple syrup water :
About 150ml water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan, boil over medium flame over the stove.
Stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Put aside to cool.

For the filling :
200ml Whipping cream
10 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g Strawberry - washed and pat dry, hulled and chopped into small pieces. *I reserved about 8 - 10 whole pieces to decorate the cake.

Method :
1) Preheat oven to 170°C. Position the rack in center of oven. Note : The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust accordingly.

2) Lay a 7- inch round pan with parchment paper greased with butter. Set aside.

3) Fill 3/4 cooking pot with water and bring to a boil.  Off the fire remove the pot from stove.  In a stainless steel bowl placed over the cooking pot of hot water, whisk together the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract with a whisk. Test batter with thermometer for temperature reached 40 degree celsius.  Remove the bowl from the cooking pot.

4) Combine the milk and butter in a small bowl and put into the pot of hot water to melt the mixture.

5) With electric mixer, beat in low - medium speed the egg batter until smooth, light (about 3 to 4 minutes), switch to high speed and continue to beat for about 5 minutes and ribbon trail forms when whisk lifted up.

6) Add in the sifted cake flour. With a spatula, fold in the flour gently till combined.

7) Remove the butter and milk mixture from the pot. Add a spoonful of batter and mix it with the butter and milk mixture. Pour all into the batter, fold and mix well with a spatula.

8) Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Smooth the top evenly with a spatula.  Lightly tap the pan  2 - 3 times on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.  Bake in preheated oven for about 35 - 40 minutes.

9) Check for doneness with a skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake if it comes out clean.

10) Remove cake from pan, remove the parchment paper and place cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the whipped cream:
Freeze the cleaned mixing bowl for about 5 minutes.  Take it out from the freezer, immediately put all together the cold whipping cream,  vanilla extract and caster sugar in the cold mixing bowl. Use the electric mixer to whisk from low speed about 1 min) then change to high speed until medium to stiff peaks form.  Do not over beat.

Stir and mix in the chopped strawberries.

To assemble:
1) With one hand firmly on top of the cake, run a serrated knife around the centre of the cake and slice in half horizontally for even layers. (I made 2 layers instead of 3).

2) Spread some whipped cream onto the cake board to stick the bottom cake layer. Place the half of one cake on a cake board and place it on a turntable.

3) Brush the top with a little syrup water. Then use a straight spatula or an off-set spatula to evenly frost the top. Gently stack the other half cake on top of each other, brush a little syrup water and frost the top with some whipped cream. 

4) Use spatula to add frosting to the sides of the cake. Smooth out the sides and allow the cake to peek through.  Wipe the excess frosting off with spatula into a bowl.  When the sides are done, smooth out the top edge. Using your spatula, smooth the excess frosting inward toward the center of the cake.

5) Decorate the top with some strawberries, as desires. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours for the frosting to set before slicing and eating.

Ta-da! Glad that we enjoyed this fruity whipped cream cake for our afternoon break!

Happy baking!

Fruit Pastry Cake

I remembered I learned to bake this fruit pastry cake about 6 years ago as it was very popularly shared by recipe bloggers then.  A butter cake of light texture with a combination of fruity bites. 

My girl invited 2 friends over for lunch.  Since I have some strawberries and a can of peaches, decided to bake a tray of fruit pastry cake for their afternoon snack.  And it was very well received.

Adapted from recipe source: Happy Homebaking, Anncoo Journal

Pan size : 9-inch round pan or 8-inch square pan
Ingredients:
100g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
200g caster sugar (I cut down to160g)
50g yogurt
3 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
210g plain flour (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking powder
400-500g fruits and tossed with 2 tablespoon sugar* (I omitted tossing with sugar)
You can use strawberries, peaches, blueberries, peaches, bananas, oranges, pears, apples, pineapple, or any other fruits that are not too juicy.

Method:
1) Grease the sides of an 8-inch square pan with butter or spray. Lightly coat with flour.  Line the base of the pan with lightly greased parchment paper.

2) Combine plain flour and baking powder in a dry clean bowl. Sieve and set aside.

3) Wash and drain the fruits. Cut in slices or chunks and toss with sugar (if desired) and set aside. If using canned fruits, wash the fruits to remove the syrup, drain and pat dry with kitchen towel. Set aside.

4) Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

5) In a clean mixing bowl, cream together the butter, castor sugar, and yogurt until light and fluffy using an electric mixer on medium speed. Dribble in the eggs gradually and beat till incorporated in the batter. (The mixture may appear slightly curdled.)

6) Add vanilla extract and zest. Mix to combine.

7) Add in the flour in 3 additions, mix till combined and smooth.

8) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with spatula. Tap the pan lightly on a table top a few times to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

9) Arrange fruits on top, don’t press the fruits down into the batter. Decorate the fruits as desired.

10) Bake in pre-heat oven for 60-70 minutes or until golden brown.
*note: tent it with aluminium foil in the last 15-20 minutes of baking.

11) To check for doneness, insert a skewer or toothpick in the center of the cake if it comes out clean

12) Leave the cake to cool in the pan for about 5~10 mins. Unmould and transfer to wire rack to let cool completely.

To serve, dust the cake with some snow powder sugar if you like.

While cooling on rack, the fruity tangy fragrance filled the dining place. Finally! Served the cake and glad that they enjoyed it.

Happy baking!