Orange & Almond Babycakes

Ingredients:

125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 large orange, rind grated and juiced
2 eggs
1 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup ground almond

Method:

1. Preheat oven 180 degree Celcius. Grease a 12 hole muffin pan.
2. Using a mixer, beat butter, sugar and orange rind for about 5 minutes until creamy Add eggs one by one and mix well after each addition.
3. Sift flour over the butter mixture, add almond meal and 1/4 cup orange juice and mix until evenly combined and no patches of flour visible.
4. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin pan and bake for 15-18 minutes
5. Cool completely on rack

Beef burger and burger bun

Well, we're out of green, so make do with plain cheese burger only :)

Beef burger

Ingredients:

750g minced beef

1 large onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp BBQ sauce - optional

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese - optional

1 egg, lightly whisked

salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp hungarian paprika

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until evenly combined.
2. Divide into 6 equal portions(you will get something like the size of McD's quarter pounder) or if you wanted smaller, divide into 12 portions. You can use your 1/2 or 1/4 measuring cup to get equal portions. Shape each portion with your hand into a patty about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Place patties onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.

Burger Bun

3/4 cup water

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

3 1/2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp dry active yeast

Glaze:

2 tbsp butter , melted

Method:

1. Mix and knead all of the dough ingredients — by hand, mixer, or bread machine(Program 10 on Kenwood)
2. If using hand, cover the dough, and let it rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk.
3.  Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 12 pieces. Shape each piece into a round ball; flatten to about 3 inch in diameter. Place the buns on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, cover, and let rise for about an hour
4. Brush the buns with about half of the melted butter.
5. Bake the buns in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden. Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining melted butter.
6. Cool the buns on a rack.

Wholemeal bun

Before putting the dough into oven, brush the surface with some egg yolk and sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese and granulated sugar

This wholemeal bun uses the same recipe as per Roti Sosej, the only modification needed is:

1. 320gm bread flour - replace with a combination of 120gm wholemeal flour and 200gm bread flour.
2. 4 tbsp castor sugar - replace with 4 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
3. Instead of covering the sausages with the dough rope, just roll the dough into 10-12 balls and placed them in a greased tube pan or square pan side by side 1/2 inch apart. Let them rise for 40 minutes and bake as per instruction.

this one used a 10 cup tubed pan

Will rewrite the recipe in full in this page some other time.

Chocolate Banana Bread

This one book by Nigella Lawson was one of the earliest book that I used heavily as they are very easy and very friendly. A good cook book must be very friendly with its reader, or else you couldn't get yourself to start trying the recipes. I have tried a number of recipes in this book and some have been modified to suit my taste. This banana bread recipe was also adapted by one of her favorite books and now I am doing exactly what Nigella was doing, adapting her book instead.

Chocolate Banana Bread
Adapted from: How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson
Edited through so many improvisations: Khai
Level: Easy

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple or blackcurrant or grape juice (original recipe used bourbon or dark rum)

1/2 cup raisin or mixed dried fruits

2 cups plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 tablespoon 100% cocoa powder (I used Valrhona) - i added

4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter (melted)

3/4 cup brown sugar

4 large eggs (at room temperature)

4 large or 8 small very ripe bananas ( I used Dole's)

1/2 cup walnut

2 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate- i added

Method:

1. Put the dried fruits and juice in a small saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and leave for an hour or until all the dried fruits absorbed most of the liquid. After one hour, drain and discard the leftover liquid.

2. Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Grease a 10 cups tube pan or 2 of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

3. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt into a medium sized bowl.

4. In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the mashed bananas. With your wooden spoon, stir the walnut, dried raisins and vanilla.

5. Add the flour mixture, 1/3 at a time stirring well after each addition. Fold in the chips and mix well.

6. Scrape into the prepared pan and bake in the middle for 60-90 minutes depending on your oven.

7. When it's ready, insert a cake tester and if it came out clean, you can take the bread out and let cool in the pan.

8. Once it is completely cooled, cut a slice and serve with cream cheese or whipping cream with hot tea or coffee....or warm milk perchance, and enjoy!