Gula Melaka Butter Cake

Ever since using palm sugar, also known as Gula Melaka in baking Ondeh Ondeh Cupcake and the recent Banana Gula Melaka Sponge Cake, somehow, we have fallen in love with this fragrant caramel-like taste in our cakes.

Have bookmarked this recipe for the longest time. As my mother in-law likes butter cake, baked a fragrance butter cake to celebrate Mother's Day together earlier this month.

Recipe adapted from: Victoria Bakes
My slight adjustments made below
Gula Melaka Butter Cake
One 8x8 inch square pan
Ingredients
A
200g chopped gula melaka
100ml coconut milk
2 - 3 pieces of pandan leaves, washed clean and tie a knot

B
250g salted butter, room temperature
40g Light Muscovado sugar

C
5 eggs (the size of my egg is 60g each with shell)

D
200g cake flour
5g baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
20g coconut cream powder

Method :
1) Place ingredients A in a small saucepan, cook on low heat for about 8 - 10 minutes till palm sugar dissolved. Stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Off the heat and discard the pandan leave. Set aside to cool.

2) Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

3) Combine ingredients D in a medium bowl, sift and set aside.

4) Grease and line one 8 × 8 inch square baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.

5) Beat ingredients B until light and fluffy with electric stand mixer (about 2 - 3 mins). Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add ingredients C, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6) With the mixer on low speed, add alternately the ingredients A & D, starting with D (flour mixture in three additions) and gula melaka mixture (in two additions) [starting and ending with the flour mixture]. Mix only until combined.

7) Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, level the top with spatula and bake in preheated oven at 170°C for about 40 - 50 minutes. (Mine was done at 43 mins. and tent with an aluminium foil in the last 10 minutes of baking). Check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center if it comes out clean.

8) Removed cake pan from oven and let rest for a few minutes in the pan before carefully transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.





I have a little leftover whipped cream in the freezer and gula melaka coconut filling from making Odeh Odeh. Cut two mini cakes and frost them with some whipped cream and a few spoonfuls of gula melaka coconut. Indulge myself with one and the other piece for my mother in-law.  Blessed Mother's Day :)
Enjoyed our afternoon coffee break with a big slice of buttery cake that's filled with the richness of palm and coconut fragrance!

Happy Baking!

Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Baked another batch of cookies for the "Mr or Ms Cookie Monster" ! hee.. hee.. ! This time with some salt flakes on the cookies.

The salt flakes complement the crisp oatmeal and sweet white chocolate in these cookies. Love the crisp of the outer rims with chocolate bits in the middle and a hint of salty flavour.



Recipe source:Smitten Kitchen
Below my slight adjustment made as halved the recipe.
Crisp Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 12 big cookies
Ingredients
(A)
65g all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

(B)
100g rolled oats
60g white chocolate bar, break or chop into small pieces.

90g salted butter, slightly softened
60g caster sugar
15g light muscovado sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (for sprinkling cookie top)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C and position the rack in center of oven. (*the oven temperature may vary, do adjust accordingly).  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (do not need to grease).

2. Combine the ingredients (A) in a medium bowl and set aside.

3. In the bowl of your electric stand mixer (or handheld mixer), cream the butter till fluffy and add in the sugars in 3 separate additions. Beat until smooth. Scrape down the bowl occasionally. Add the egg and vanilla extract, beat till incorporated.

4. Add ingredients (A) and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Take bowl off mixer, fold in the ingredients (B) and mixing just enough to evenly combine with a spatula or a big spoon.

5. Drop by rounded 2 tablespoonful  of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Place 2.5 inches apart as the cookies spread as they bake. Press to flatten the dough slightly and sprinkle a little of salt flakes on each cookie.

6. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C about 13 to 16 minutes or until cookies are deep golden brown.

Spreaded big

7. Remove the baking sheet from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on a wire rack before storing them in airtight container.

My  way of of enjoying these cookies ... with cuppa of warm honey lemon tea !

Happy Baking !

Japanese Cheesecake

Oh NO ! .... It has a sexy waistline :(



Although I've baked mini cheese cupcakes here & here, this is the first time I'd tried a souffle Japanese Cheesecake ... in an 7-inch round pan.

Mom: Help ! Boy ! Quick, come and help me!
Boy: Why ?! Are you hurt?
Mom: Nope. I need another pair of hands to help me lift this cake up ... by holding the 2 strips of parchment paper. Ok at the count of 3, let's lift the cake up!
Boy: Aiyoh !

Well, I couldn't lift the 4 strips of parchment paper with one pair of hands. But I liked this brilliant idea .... this way I will not be restricted to use springform pan and worry about water seepage issue during water bath.

Oh ! Gosh ! It has a sexy waistline :( 
And suffered great shrinkage :(

A failed cheesecake that I've baked ! Nonetheless the texture is light, souffle soft and melt in the mouth kind. My big boy (actually a young man who has just turned 21 years old) couldn't stop giving praises to this Japanese Cheesecake! Both my big kids simply loved this not too dense but light & soft cheesecake. As for me ... not a fan of cheesecake though but gobbled up 2 slices ... no, should be 2 big wedges at one go !

Recipe adapted from:Just One Cookbook
Ingredients :
4 egg yolks
200g cream cheese, cut into cubes
40g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
132g whipping cream
40g caster sugar

50g cake flour, sifted
1 tablespoon lemon juice + 1 teaspoon zest

For the meringue
4 egg whites
60g caster sugar

Method :
1) One 7-inch round baking pan (fixed base)

2) Grease the bottom and the side of the cake pan with some butter.  Cut 2 long strips of parchment paper to act as "straps" (roughly size 4 x 70 cm or enough overhang for easy lifting and "transporting" the cake). Grease with some butter and place the 2 "straps" criss-cross on the bottom of the pan. Grease and line a round parchment paper for the base, and sides of the pan. Set aside.

3) Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. (the size of my egg is 60g each with shell)

4) On the stove, half-fill a cooking pot with water and bring to a simmer. Melt the butter, cream cheese with whipping cream and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture occasionally with spatula till melted and smooth. Once they are melted, use a ballon whisk to blend everything together. Remove from flame and leave to cool slightly.

5) Preheat the oven to 170°C, position the rack on the lowest.  Fill a larger baking pan with hot water, about half-way or 1-inch water level.

6) Add the egg yolk one at a time to the warm cream cheese mixture with a ballon whisk. Mix well before adding the next one.

7) Add and whisk in the cake flour into the cream cheese mixture. Strain the mixture through mesh strainer. Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk well to blend and set aside.



8) In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold egg whites till foamy using the handheld electric mixer. Gradually add in caster sugar in 3 separate additions and beat till soft/medium peak.

9) Using a balloon whisk, gently fold 1/3 of the meringue to the cream cheese mixture until incorporated. Fold in another 1/3 into the mixture. Finally, pour cream cheese mixture into the bowl of remaining meringue and fold in gently until incorporated.

10) Pour the mixture all at once but slowly into the prepared cake pan. This is to let the big air bubbles burst as batter flows out of mixing bowl. Lightly tap the pan 3- 4 times on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

11) Put the pan into the larger baking pan which is filled with hot water. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C and bake for 55 minutes. {I tent the top with foil in the last 10 minutes of baking}

Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and skewer inserted comes out clean.

12) Turn off the oven and open the door of the oven slightly for 15 - 20 minutes for cake to cool inside.



13) Remove the cake pan from the oven. Gently pull out the cake using the 2 parchment paper straps (with another set of hands).  Let cool to room temperature. Chill the cake for 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy & Happy Baking !

White & Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

My big kids are definitely "Mr or Ms Cookie Monster" ! hee.. hee.. !
They love all kinds of cookies ... from the copycat Famous Amos double chocolate chips cookies, Earl Grey shortbread stamped cookies, Cranberry Pecan Oatmeal cookies to Chocolate chunk cookies (just to name a few) ... they will never say NO to cookies . Especially the ones with lightly browned crispy edge with soft and chewy center. Yes, they love chewy soft nutty chocolate chips cookies.

A pack of semi-sweet chocolate chips has been idling in the refrigerator for some time. My big boy has been asking what am I gonna do with the chocolate chips. He even hinted that I have not baked him his favourite chocolate chips cookies for quite some time.

So ! here you go ... have some freshly baked White & Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies !

Recipe adapted from: Simply Recipes
My slight adjustments made below:
White & Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Makes about 1 dozen cookies
Ingredients
(A)
160g all-purpose plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

(B)
112g unsalted butter, at room temperature
70g caster sugar
60g Muscovado sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder

(C)
100g Macadamia nuts, chopped.
75g white + dark chocolate chips (a combination of dark semi-sweet chocolate chips & white mini chocolate chips)

Method :
1) Preheat oven to 180°C and position the rack in center of oven. (*the oven temperature may vary, do adjust accordingly).  Line baking sheets with parchment paper. (do not need to grease).

2) Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

3) In the bowl of your electric stand mixer (or handheld mixer), cream the butter till fluffy and add in the sugars in 3 separate additions. Beat until smooth. Scrape down the bowl occasionally. Add the egg, vanilla extract and coffee powder.

4) Gradually add flour mixture (A) in 3 separate additions and cream till combine. Take bowl off mixer, fold in the ingredients (C) and mixing just enough to evenly combine with a spatula or a big spoon.

5) Drop spoonful of mixture on the baking sheets. Place 2 inches apart as the cookies spread as they bake. (*to minimise the cookies from spreading & flattened too much when baking, I freeze the tray of cookie dough for about 2 - 3 mins before sending it to oven)

6) Bake for 9 - 11 minutes in preheated oven at 180°C or until the edges are nicely browned and the center is just barely cooked.
(Don't bake the cookies to a crisp as they are meant to be soft and chewy )

7) Remove the baking sheet from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on a wire rack before storing them in airtight container.



Happy baking and have a wonderful weekend !

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Craving for a dessert that's moist and chocolatey but not too dense and cakey kind.

A flourless cake ... hmm.. I've baked a flourless Lemon Almond Cake
But I wanted something chocolatey ...
A flourless chocolate cake ! Yup!

Recipe source: Daily Doses of Sugar

My slight adjustments made in sugar quantity and cooking method below as I'm not confident to heat up the egg white or egg yolk for whisking, afraid that I may make scramble eggs.. lol >~<

Flourless Chocolate Cake
One 6-inch springform pan or pan with removable base
Ingredients
90g dark chocolate (I used Cadbury Gold Dark Chocolate)
45g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
20g caster sugar
Pinch of salt

Meringue
2 egg white
25g caster sugar

Method:
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces.

2. On the stove, half-fill a cooking pot with water and bring to a simmer. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the mixture occasionally till melted and smooth. Remove from flame and set aside to cool slightly (about 5 minutes).

3. Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

4. Lightly grease the sides and bottom of the 6-inch springform pan with butter or spray.

5. In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the cold egg whites using the handheld electric mixer. Add in the caster sugar in 3 additions.  Beat till soft peak.

6. In another medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks, caster sugar and a pinch of salt with the handheld electric mixer till pale and creamy. (about 2 - 3 mins in low speed)

7. Mix the chocolate to the yolk mixture. Whisk gently in low speed till combined.

8. Using a hand whisk or a spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the chocolate/yolk mixture. Fold the rest of the meringue until it looks evenly mixed.

9. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 170°C for 30 minutes. Or until the cake has risen slightly in the center and is set enough in the center that it will not jiggle when the pan moves. The cake will pull away from the side of the pan while it cools. (I baked mine at 27 mins).

10. Remove the pan from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 1/2 hour.


The rim and top has a very thin crisp crust but the center remains moist and fudgy. It looks "caved in" too ... hee..hee !

To serve, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, release the pan sides, and gently move the cake onto a serving plate.  Dust with some icing sugar if you like and enjoy a big slice.  Or pair it with a scoop of ice cream, yogurt etc. Perfect indulgence to be served as after meal dessert or teatime snack !

Enjoy ! Happy Baking!

Japanese Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake

It has been quite awhile since my last bake of a cake with frosting be it with whipped cream (also known as Chantilly cream), buttercream or cream cheese frosting .... Have not made swiss rolls for quite sometime too.

I've bookmarked this easy strawberry shortcake recipe for the longest time. Hee .. hee... somehow, I've lost touch in making a nice even layer of whipped cream >~< ... Resulted an uneven thickness of the 'sandwiched' cream.
But we gladly enjoyed these creamy fluffy soft Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake on a quiet and cooling afternoon.

Recipe adapted from : Cookpad
Japanese Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake
Ingredients :
Meringue
4 Egg white
50 grams caster sugar

Yolk batter
4 Egg yolks
20 grams caster sugar
40 ml vegetable oil
70 ml fresh milk (I used skimmed milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
75 grams cake flour (sifted)

For the filling :
200ml Whipping cream
10 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g Strawberry - washed and pat dry, hulled and sliced into halves.

Method:
1) Sift the cake flour and set aside.

2) Line one 25cm x 25cm baking tray with parchment paper. Do not need to grease. Set aside.

3) Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Position the rack in the middle. The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

4) Separate the eggs into yolks and whites. (the size of my egg is 60g each with shell)

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

6) In another mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with whisk attached, cream together the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and slightly thickened (about 3 - 4 minutes). Add oil, milk and vanilla extract into the egg yolk mixture and whisk till combined. Add the sifted cake flour into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined.

7) Using a hand whisk or a spatula, gently fold in the meringue to the egg yolks mixture in 3 batches until it looks evenly mixed (no streaks of meringue).

8) Pour batter into the prepared baking tray. Smooth the top evenly with a scraper or spatula. Lightly tap the pan  2 - 3 times on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

9) Bake in preheated oven for 15 mins or the top is evenly light browned, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. (Note: do not over-baked)


10) Remove the baking tray from the oven, immediately drop the baking tray at a height of 20 - 30cm onto a table top. This action helps to keep the springy texture of the sponge when it is left to cool. Remove cake (with its baking paper) from the tray onto a wire rack to cool.

Flip the cake (skin side) onto a clean sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the lining paper. Trim the sides of the cake and cut it into half.

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 till stiff peaks form.

To assemble, place the half of one cake in a container. Thinly spread some whipped cream onto the sponge cake. Top with strawberries and cover with more whipped cream. (# reserve about 2 - 3 tablespoonful of whipped cream for cake top decor). Cover with the other half sponge cake. Cover the container and chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours to a full day.
*Note: I placed the cake in a container that could just fit the size.

To serve, cut into any shape of your choice, spread a little of the reserved #whipped cream on the cake and top with strawberries.

Enjoy and happy baking !