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[On 13th October: Its late .. will update soonish.. missing my space here .. night night xoxo]

How do i begin.. where do i start.. each time i start to type in something.. i end up deleting it.. its been awhile.. been too long since i last pinned my thoughts here.. suddenly i feel like a virgin all over again muahahaha

I hv been well.. not been travelling that much this year.. every year come December.. i will sit back and try to think of what i hv done for the year.. i had wanted to do something more fruitful this year and i think i managed to do that.. i wanted to bake more celebration cakes and i got to do that almost every week.. each week i will keep it to two or three orders of bday cakes cos i know that if i were to take in many.. i will not be able to enjoy what i am doing.. i love to try out new designs for my cakes.. even if i hv to keep on using the same technique (customer request) i will still try to make it look a little different..

With that said.. guess what.. hubs signed me into another macaron class in Paris... am super excited to be able to learn more on macs.. there are never ending things u can learn abt these little devilish thingy called Macarons.. its not true that once u mastered it.. ur good to go.. hopefully with all my knowledge on baking .. i will be able to open up classes and teach to those that are interested to learn abt baking.. i know for sure that if u hv the passion for baking.. u will be able to bake just abt anything under the sun..

So ok.. lets get on with this long overdue recipe.. i guess with all the FB and IG spreading viral on anything that uses salted caramel.. there is no harm for me to share another good salted caramel recipe.. i hv a few which i hv shared bef in my previous post.. i personally like this recipe tho.. always remember when it comes to making caramel.. keep a close watch on ur sugar .. dont burnt it or u will not like the taste..

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CRUST
1 1⁄2 cups flour
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons. confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, room temperature
1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. Prepare the Crust: In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Add in dry ingredients. Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Evenly press each portion into the bottoms and sides of 6 3.5-inch tartlet pan with removable bottoms. Refrigerate tartlet shells for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, prick the tart shells all over with a fork. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

FOR THE GANACHE
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, finely chopped - I used Valrhona
Vanilla Fleur de Sel for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the Ganache: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a boil. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth. Spoon ganache evenly over tartlets and refrigerate until set, 3-4 hours. If desired, sprinkle tart with sea salt and slice. Serve cold.

FOR THE SALTED CARAMEL
Makes about 2 cups

400gm sugar
165gm butter
250ml cream
Salt to taste -i used Fleur de Sel

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the sugar in a heavy based pot and as soon as the sugar has all dissolved, remove it from the heat and add the butter in parts whilst continuously whisking . warning it is VERY hot - the butter will splatter quite a bit, just keep whisking and ensure that you do not touch this sauce.
Return the pot to the heat and add the cream immediately, still whisking vigorously.
When the sauce has become smooth and amalgamated (this happens quickly) remove it from the heat and add a good sprinkle of salt which dissolves.
Allow it to completely cool and stir in another good sprinkle of salt which remains in its granular form.

Notes
If you add the cream to the sugar too soon it may split. If this happens return it to the heat and continue heating and stirring vigorously and it should amalgamate to form a sauce.

Crust and ganache recipe is fm My baking addition

16

MIA.. i realised that i hv not been replying to all my comments and questions.. will try to do it slowly.. to those that hv emailed me... i will reply soonish yah..

Eid came and went and i know i owe some ppl my eid pics... yearly without fail i will take lots of eid pics and share it with my readers.. this year i didnt take lots... in fact i was sure i did take a few pics during our typical yearly outing but i cannot find them.. i thought i did save them but i cant find em in any of my folders.. grrr.. anyway i did however find 17 pics of my eid open hse lol.. i was very busy till the night of my open house that on the day itself i was kaput.. i managed to put a smile on my face when my guest started to arrive as early as 11:50am..


It was a full hse.. we had fun and grateful to those that cud make it.. i had three dessert tables and also one table full of raya dishes.. all desserts were baked by  me of cos hehe..  i cooked most of the food and had mom help me to cook two dishes.. i dont know what i would do without mom.. shes there if i need help.. shes gone if we ask her to look after her grandkids hahaha.. nahhhh we are all used to it.. mom is not that sort that likes to sit and look after her grandkids.. shes an active woman and cant sit still.. nowww nowwww... no wonder her dear daughter cant sit still hahaha

Ok ok.. i cant stay long.. below is another recipe which i had promised my readers.. i need to shower and go for my Spa appt.. geeesshhhh its been far too long and when hubs told me that he had booked me into one today i'm like.. yeeehhhaaaaa... ty dear!! love u deep deep!!! So hv a good weekend y'all.. i will try to share more pics... belated pics... too many... when time permits :o)


Makes about 30 cookies
Ingredients (take note that the ingredients need to be at room temperature)
130g soft butter
160g sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raisins
100g desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon of powder baking
250g plain flour (I used cake)
90g crushed cornflakes

1 Cream the butter with sugar, beat for about 3 minutes mixer set at high throttle.

2 Then add the eggs in two batches after each addition mix while the mixer set on medium speed. Add flavoring and mix.

3 Mix flour with baking powder and baking soda. Add it to the butter, briefly mix.

4 Pour the coconut and raisins and mix thoroughly with a spoon (you can do this with your hands).

5 Place crushed cornflakes into a bowl. The dough is quite sticky, so use a spoon, and transfer it into a bowl of cornflakes and using your hands, push corn flakes onto the dough, mold them into balls.

6 Arrange cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper, keeping the space between them. Bake at 170 ° C on the function of hot air for about 15-18 minutes (the up-down function at 180 ° C).

Recipe is fm here... I baked it for eid and everyone liked it!

4



Has it really been close to 6weeks since i last blogged? geesshhh this is what happens when there are too many things to do.. too little time to play with.. As Salam peeps... hope all is well.. hope u guys still remember me.. i am still pretty much alive.. am still baking away .. i usually will update my fb and IG on daily basis so pls follow me there.. the only diff is that .. i hv been stuck in Singapore.. didnt travel simply bec i had lots of orders to fulfill.. thank you so much for supporting my bakes.. ty for the trust...


So whats new.. err.. where do i begin.. lets starts with Hairi.. hes doing well.. hes been working hard and wants do his degree .. Sonia is growing far too fast and is in K2 since last july.. am glad that we stuck to our belief: to let her see and experience the world first hand is the best way for ur kid to get exposed..  i know there are parents out there who believe in sending their kids to classes.. music lessons, ballet, sports at a young age.. we dont but that doesnt mean that we will not let her do what she wants.. for now shes into arts.. been years and still shows interest in it.. as for me.. am happy where i am right now.. busy baking for orders on wkdays and spending lots of time with my family over the weekend.. hubs wants me to go slow since i hardly hv the time to try out new recipes and to update my blog.. he doesnt want me to burn myself out and wants me to remember that i bake for my passion... :o)


Alrighty.. i am actually blogging fm Jakarta.. this week is officially my off week.. i had planned for this week simply bec its school hols in Singapore and wanted to spend more time with my little girl; and since hubs has to fly to Jakarta.. he thought it might be a good idea for us to tag along.. ya know.. for me to hv a totally ME time is impossible when i am at  home.. his wife simply cant sit still lol


Ok lets talk abt these cuppies.. had baked it to recreate the salted caramel cuppies that we had in one of the cafes near Tiong Bharu.. do check out Plain Vanilla if u are around that vacinity.. check out their cafe.. wud love to set up my own cafe in that style someday.. cough cough hehe

I used moist vanilla cuppies recipe fm Honey and Butter and whipped up a batch of swiss meringue buttercream which u can get fm my previous post.. salted caramel recipe is fm Brown eyed baker or if u dont hv much time.. u can always use store bought.. up to ur preference..

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (room temperature)
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups of sifted self-rising flour
1 cup of whole milk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter flavoring, optional

Method
Preheat oven to 175 degreesC. Prepare cupcake liners. Using a mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream for about 7 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added. Add flour and milk (alternating to creamed mixture), beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and butter flavoring to mix; until just mixed.

Divide batter equally into cupcakes pan. Bake for 12–15 minutes (depending on your oven) until done. Cool for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove and immediately wrap each cuppies in plastic wrap to seal in moisture. Cool completely on wire racks.

Salted Caramel
2 cups granulated sugar
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fleur de sel (or any other flaky sea salt)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a heavy saucepan, with a capacity of at least 2 or 3 quarts. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down.

Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.

2. Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, cook the sugar until it reaches 175 degrees C.

3. As soon as the caramel reaches 175 degreesC, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.

5. Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour into your favorite glass jar and let cool to room temperature. You can refrigerate the sauce for up to 2 weeks. You'll want to warm the sauce up before using.

I love the moist vanilla cuppies so much so that both Sonia and I enjoyed it bare.. as for the buttercream.. it didnt taste the same.. the buttercream that they used is definitely not swiss meringue.. their vanilla cuppies is a lot more denser which i am not a big fan of to be honest.. oh well.. moral of the story.. i did try to recreate what i tasted.. full stop heheheee

10



Similar pic? hehe.. told ya.. ah well.. the most important thing is to share this next recipe so that my readers are able to bake it for Eid.. hows the preparation going? busy busy week ey.. am finishing up a few more orders and i am done.. Alhamdullilah.. unlike last year.. this yr i am much more organised.. i got to bake for my customers and i get to spend time with my family.. a little tired but thats ok.. rezeki.. Alhamdullilah..


This wonderful recipe is fm Justine of Cooking and Beer.. i began searching for a chocolate chip recipe that uses macadamia nut and white chocolate after Aireen whatsapp-ed me asking if i hv a recipe to share using these two ingredients.. well my search stopped after i stumbled upon her blog.. baked 4 batches of it and voila... i saw Sonia coming in and out of my kitchen asking for more which shows that my little Sonia wasnt fasting on that day lol.. ishhhh

Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher fine salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup pure cane granulated sugar
1/4 cup pure cane DARK brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped - i bake it for a couple of mins
1 white chocolate Ghirardelli® bar, coarsely chopped

Instructions
Heat your oven to 175 degrees C and situate a rack in the middle of the oven.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl of your stand mixer, with the paddle attachment fixed, cream together the butter, sugar and dark brown sugar until it is completely combined. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract, and beat again until combined.
In ½ cup increments, begin to integrate the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix each increment until completely incorporated. With a heavy wooden spoon gently fold in the nuts and chocolate.
On an ungreased cookie sheet, begin placing tablespoon-sized dollops of dough.
Bake at 175 degrees C for 8-10 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Some pointers..: i baked it at 165C for 12mins.. got myself a soft cookies.. hubs was happy with it but since this cookie is for Eid.. i decided to go crunchy and baked it a further 5 mins.. my double chocolate white chocolate chunk macadamia nut cookies turned out perfect.. krap krup and super chocolaty with expensive nuts lol.. err do u ever wonder why macadamia nuts are so expensive? huhu


21



Sorryyyy.. i know its been days.. i know i made promises.. but here i am now huhu.. i know i hv been quiet here but that is bec i hv been baking..  i know i hv not talked a lot lately but theres not much to talk except that my hubs has been doing his crazy trips.. u see him on wkends .. he flies off on a Monday and comes home on Wed or Thursday.. add to that SQ having mechanical problems or Chinese carriers canceling/delaying flights and that makes for a very jittery wife... anyway i cant stay long cos i will hv to start baking cookies for mom.. so heres the recipe that i had promised .. i first saw it on Pinterest and thought why not.. i made two batches in one go and decided to bake it 10mins longer using a lower temp.. heres the recipe.. recipe is fm Anncoo.. original recipe is fm Travelling Foodies



Ingredients
1 egg (60g)
200g butter
130g icing sugar
320g flour
2 tbsp of vanilla paste (appro. 30g)

Method
Place everything in a mixing bowl and mix evenly using a paddle attachment on the lowest speed possible.
Pipe wreaths onto greased cookie sheet or baking tray using an open star tip. I used Wilton 1M but I think the lady in the video used a smaller one - i used wilton 195
Bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 7-8 min (i baked mine at 160C for 20mins
Leave to cool slightly before removing from cookie sheet.
Transfer cookies into airtight container after cookies are at room temperature.

Bake it ok.. cos i know my kids including us.. cant stop munching on it.. super taste.. buttery and ohhhh soo good! - will share the next cookie recipe ... u will see some similarity in my pic simply bec i was too lazy to change it to diff style muahaha

12



I am sorry for not posting this recipe sooner.. i wanted to but unfortunately hubs misplaced my USB SD card reader somewhere and i cant upload my pic on my new lappy.. bought a new reader yesterday and here i am updating my blog..

This was the pavlova that hubs been wanting me to bake... i didnt get to it till a few days ago and oh boy someone was a happy puppy the moment he took a spoonful of it.. the meringue was crisppy on the outside and chewy on the inside.. i even made meringue kisses for little Sonia using this recipe .. ish talking abt little Sonia.. i hv started training her to fast during Ramadhan.. not as easy as Hairi but shes getting there.. first day she had her brekkie and by lunch she was already asking for her milk.. the second day she had brekkie and didnt eat anything till iftar.. this went on for a couple of days.. yesterday was a little challenging lol.. she didnt hv breakfast but at around 2pm she was walking in and out of our kitchen and asked me if it has Azan .. i decided to let her eat something and that quietened her down a little.. anyway today i hope when shes done with school she will not ask for her milk :op


So ok lets get on with this wonderful recipe.. ty Yvonne for sharing it.. i wud suggest u prepare ur vanilla sugar in advance bef whipping it with ur double cream.. i got mine fm Dr Oetker hehe

Black Forest meringues:
{Enough for about 10 servings}

Meringues:
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
130 grams of sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
50 gr icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa

Directions
Cut a piece of parchment to fit a rimmed baking sheet. Using a small bowl and a pencil, trace four 5-inch circles, 2 to 3 inches apart, on the parchment; bear down so that the circles will be visible from the other side. Place parchment, marked side down, on baking sheet. Set aside. - i used my mastrad mac sheets
Preheat oven to 80C. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Increase speed to high and sprinkle in ur confectioners' sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and cornstarch; beat until meringue is thick and shiny and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add in ur icing sugar and cocoa powder
Using a spatula, gently spread one-fourth of the meringue inside each parchment circle. Using the back of a spoon, create a 1-inch-deep well in the center of each meringue (U can also use a piping bag to pipe a circle with a star tip.. u can check out bravegirlsclub on you tube on how to pipe ur meringue disc) Bake until meringues are a very pale golden color, about 2 and half hours. Turn heat off and prop oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Let meringues cool in oven until crisp.


Filling:
250 gr double cream
(Alternatively 100 gr 150 gr whipped cream and mascarpone)
2 packets of Bourbon vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon kirsch (simply omit)
1 jar of Amarena cherries (250gr. fill weight) -  i used dark cherry in a can
Cinnamon
Dark Chocolate shavings

Meanwhile, place beaters from an electric mixer and a medium-size metal or glass bowl in the freezer and chill until very cold, about 10 minutes. In chilled bowl, combine cream and vanilla sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Once done spoon vanilla cream into wells of meringues. Top with reserved Amerena cherries, and garnish with chocolate shavings


6



2nd day of ramadhan.. Alhamdullilah.. yesterday went by quicker than i anticipated.. i was a little busy and didnt realise the time till hubs came home fm work.. quickly packed all the food and desserts that i had prepared and off we went to my parents place for iftar... a typical thingy in the Kassims family.. first and last day of iftar has to be at moms - where even the grandkids will automatically come without being told.. where even the only white horse in the Kassims family will ask: is mom going to cook nasi rawon, rendang and sambal goreng for us? hehehe


Today I am not planning anything big.. house is cleaned.. no laundry to do.. i hv one more layer cake to bake today for this week's order and thats it... still hv no idea on what kind of dessert to prepare for iftar.. maybe the pavlova that hubs has been craving for .. will see..

So ok.. my main intention of updating my blog today is to share this recipe.. a recipe fm Pak Yongki Gunawan.. the first time i bought his book.. i knew this would be one of the recipe that i'd try to bake.. first its a steamed type of layer cake.. second by looking at his cake pic.. i cant help but wonder: how on earth did he get a baking effect/ brown layer in a steamed layer cake.. well i will first share with u the recipe..


Ingredients
(A)
12 egg yolks
7 egg whites
375g sugar
20g starkies - use ovallete if u cant find any
180g flour
40g milk powder
1 tsp baking powder
a few drops of yellow food colouring
1 tsp salt

(B)
50g Hollman butter - use any brand that u like
200g Wisjman butter
40g condense milk
1 tbsp Toffieco Bakar - use vanilla paste if u dont hv it

(C)
75g mix fruits
75g almond slices
75g red and green cherries - sliced or cubes

(D)
Cocoa powder

Method
Prepare ur steamer.. grease ur 8x8 baking pan
On a stand mixer.. whisk (A) till thick and fluffy - set aside
In a seperate bowl.. whisk (B) till batter turns pale in colour. once done.. fold in (A) into (B) a little at a time and continue to stir slowly with a rubber spatula till its well balanced.
Weigh ur batter and divide it with the number of layers that u intended to hv in ur cake.. he uses 100g of batter for each layer..
Pour the first layer of batter and steam it for 5 mins.. take it out of ur steamer.. add a little of (C) and sieve in (D).. pour another 100g of batter and continue to steam for another 5 mins..
You do that till u use up all the batter.

My cake ended up not having the brown lines that pak yongki gunawan got on his cake.. i think the pic that he got in his book was of a baked one or maybe he used a brown type of cocoa powder cos after i sliced my cake.. the lines that i got were almost black lol (bec i use cocoa berry maybe?) 

At that instant i had that "duh" moment lol.. I suddenly realised the purpose of cocoa powder in his recipe.. to create the "lines" on every layer.. duhhh.. i shud hv added a lot more cocoa to make the layers much more visible - next time when i do this layer cake.. i will divide my batter into two colours to create the layers and leave out the cocoa powder :)

Long story short.. cake turned out fab.. love the taste of this cake.. rich in flavours.. u get the moistness fm steaming, u get the sweet and sour taste fm the fruits and u get the creamy taste fm the batter :o)
3



I am finally back in Singapore... my busy travel schedule has kept me on my feet these past two months.. fm Shanghai to KL to HK to Shanghai and lastly to Jakarta.. all that within a couple of weeks.. i am still struggling to load my latest Shanghai trip pics.. after being there for the 3rd time... i know now what can trigger me of not liking Shanghai in the first place.. my thoughts on Shanghai has changed and i now can proudly say that i can survive in Shanghai lol


Hi peeps! hope all is well .. hope that the Ramadhan month that we will celebrate is gonna be a berakah one... so so looking forward to the quiet two weeks bef i start baking for my Eid orders.. am sorry dearies... my Eid orders are fully booked and if only i had more than 2 hands i wud love to take in more but i dont want this year to be like last year where my orders were are out of control...

So ok.. i cant stay long... i hv to get organised.. need to unpack all my stuff fm my luggage as we only got into sg late last night.. i bought quite a number of baking things fm Titan and i wud say that my baking ingredients for Eid are well stocked up lol.. i also bought a couple of new recipe books and i cant wait to get my hands dirty.. oh and also i still owe my readers or shud i say my fb friends another layer cake recipe which i managed to try bef we flew to Jakarta last sat.. so stay tuned!


S'more blondies.. the first time i had s'mores brownies was when Yani gave me a box of it.. she didnt bake them hmmm in fact i hv never tasted any of her bakes lol.. she gave me a box which Sonia gladly finished.. Sonia is a marshmallow addict.. i usually hv stock of it at home as i dont want her to hv a craving when we are outside.. its not easy to find any halal marshmallow in our local supermarket.. i usually will get it fm our local baking supply store here.. anyway that day even tho i had promised hubs that i will bake him pavlova.. i decided to gv this recipe a try after i saw this pic fm mother thyme....  dont u just feel like having a bite after looking at her pics?


Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 sticks (1 cup) of butter melted and cooled
1 1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
8oz milk chocolate squares - i used more
2 cups of tiny marshmallows
graham crackers 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper; greased it.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, graham cracker crumbs and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk butter and brown sugar. Stir in vanilla and eggs one at a time.
Gradually stir in flour mixture until combined.
Spread batter in the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 minutes on the center rack.
Sprinkle with the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate squares and bake until the marshmallows are pale golden, abt 10 to 15mins. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool completely. Lift the blondies out of the pan, using the parchment to help, and cut into 24 bars.
Storage suggestion: Keep the blondies at room temperature, between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.


Alrighty.. will update again when time permits.. for now hv a blessed Ramadhan .. maaf zahir batin and ty to all readers who keep on coming to my humble blog.. keeping in touch in fb and instagram.. thank you :)

9



Do us a favour and use the best ingredients there are if u want to get that deep chocolaty cake that u dream of cos this recipe is surely a keeper in my little heart... i heart this recipe to bits!! theres no words that i can describe how delish this cake is.. the moistness... the richness.. the darkness... the ohhhs and ahhhs that i got fm my family especially fm little Sonia was just superb.. Sonia ate two slices in one sitting.. i added a small dollop of chocolate glaze on the side and it tastes even better! chocolate overload lol


Recipe I got fm none other than The Cake Book fm Tish Boyle... her recipes have never failed me! Bake it lovelies.. bake it for ur friends... for ur loved ones ok.. better still.. go to ur nearest bookstore and get her book.. Go to the nearest bakery supply shop to get ur Valrhona or Cocoa Berry cocoa powder and welcome urself to the dark side of my life hahaha

I had a slice of this cake this morning! - I always believe that having a slice of cake for brekkie is much better than having a bowl of Lontong.. right? pls say yes hahaha


Deep Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake
from Tish Boyle’s The Cake Book

1.5 cups (181g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (57g) cake flour
1 cup (92g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2.25 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened
2.5 cups (500g) granulated sugar - i used 430g
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (242g) sour cream

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan. Dust with flour. - I baked it on the lowest rack for 150C

Sift the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until very creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is well-blended and light, about 4 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the sour cream. If your mixer has a splatter shield attachment, attach it now. At the low speed, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture in 2 additions and mixing just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for 65 to 75 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake onto the rack and let it cool completely.
15


Lets go for a lil' walk... as u already know... almost 80% of my travel consists of me on hols and hubs working.. i dont consider that as a proper holiday but am thankful that at least i get to see the world this way.. so when hubs told me that he will take a week off so that he can take us  somewhere... i was super excited.. lets face it... going somewhere without him checking on his blackberry 24/7 can be a blessing lol..

So mom and dad came along... its been awhile since my parents flew somewhere with us... i think the last time we flew together was to Jakarta.. back then dad was still strong... he could walk fast and didnt fall tired easily.. when i was a teenager .. cheeehhh hahaha.. i remember what dad used to say to his three daughters whenever we went on trips... "If u girls want to sleep.. u are better off staying in Singapore".


.... errrr look whos talking hahaha


Alrighty lets get back to our HK trip.. We were greated by a cloudy HK the moment our plane landed.. took a cab fm the airport to Kowloon .. hubs had booked us into one of the Accor hotels and since theres no Pullman or Sofitel there... we decided to stay at the Novotel Nathan Rd.. Hotel was situated in the middle of everything... u can find Halal restaurants everywhere.. night markets and also cafes.. the shopping streets have lots of smaller lanes which lead u to diff alleys..


We bumped into this orange building while walking towards Shanghai street.. we decided to explore a lil' while waiting for our room to be ready.


Shanghai street is where u can find all things related to kitchen ware... its one of Hong Kong’s oldest thoroughfares and still has a number of preserved old Chinese shop-house buildings.. u can find inexpensive kitchenware on sale here,  such as traditional thick chopping boards and bamboo steaming baskets used for dim sum... if u hv lots of excess luggage like ahem me.. u can even take home a couple of stand mixers or even an industrial oven for a fraction of a price!


Unlike on all my other trips.. this was one trip where u could see me eating rice practically every single day lol.. with mom and dad around... there was no way we cud go to some restaurant and order salad or hv sushi for dinner lol - Jordon Curry House



As the night gets darker... u see more and more seafood places open for business... almost like as tho u are walking thru the old bugis street except its a zillion times bigger :op


There are several night markets that we managed to go to on this trip.. Temple street night market was the nearest to our hotel... hubs said Hong Kong is well known for its night markets... Petaling Street on steroids hahaha


On the second day.. hubs decided to take us to Hong Kong island.. took a bus to the other side of the island where we then too a 'ding-ding' tram fm one end to another lol... i think if it was not bec of dad... hubs wud hv forced me to walk lol


I think we must hv taken 4 trams in total... the fastest way to see the city.. not seen so many trams in my life.. not even in Melbourne hehe


The one person that was super excited abt this ride was Sonia hehehe.. theres no way she cud remember the first time she took a tram in Melbourne!


The many lanes and wide roads in Hong Kong... most of their buses are double decker and they are brand new... each time a double decker passed by.. my heart jumped cos they were driving soo fast! grrr


Sending tong gas to his customer perhaps? :op


Hubs and his fascination of trams... i think he took like 20 odd pics of trams!


Lugging an industrial aircon under the hot sun across the street?


I swear the next time i catch him taking pics of trams with my camera... i will take it away fm him hahaha - another shot of trams


By the time we got to Masjid Ammar... it was lunch time.. hubs took us to the Islamic centre canteen to try their famous dim sum bef performing Zohor prayer..


You can read more abt it here...


By the time we were done with our lunch it was almost 3pm... we knew we couldnt stay out any longer... dad was beginning to feel tired and since we dont think they wud wanna go again on this side of the island.. hubs decided to take the ferry back to Kowloon.. - ya know.. for the sake of experience :o)


... ahhh... just like when we took a ferry to Penang :o)


The very same night... we went to Ladies market.. was there for only an hr cos it was too crowded plus we had to get up early for Hong Kong Disney which was waiting for our arrival hehehe - we took our first MTR to Disney!


Sorry peeps... most of the pics of disney was taken using my phone... the day we were in Disney was the only day it rained heavily :o(


Honeymoon couple? hehehe - their first time in Disneyland .. Alhamdullilah


Wet... wet... wet... the wet weather didnt stop us fm having fun...


Unlike in Euro Disney... we only bumped into Alice in Wonderland and also Mickey and Minnie mouse..


Mom couldnt take it when Sonia started to spin the wheel hahaha


Jungle Safari ride was among the only two rides that my parents took... they took "its a small world" too


Raining non stop...


 ... 15 mins wet parade huhu


... sea of umbrellas 


Sonia with her mickey waffle - yums!


On the 4th day of our stay... hubs decided to visit  Citygate factory outlet... knew that my parents werent keen on it so we decided to go there ourselves... hubs is so into factory outlets that it has become like a must see whenever we travel lol... we took MTR there and within 45mins we were already trying out on shoes 


We got back pretty late that day and since we were to fly back to sg the next day.. we decided to hv an early night so that we cud take my parents to their morning market aka our Pasar Tani :o)


With a couple of hrs left on our last day in Kowloon... i decided to adopt another baby hehe... been wanting to buy the father of Mr Aid but didnt wanna pay so much and since the price is a lot more cheaper in HK... hubs gave me the green light to adopt it.. yahoooo


Oh bef i go... while in HK... I met up with another  baker.. the lovely Anita Shaik... the first time we met was in KL and ever since then we have been keeping in touch thru fb and also whatsapp.. ty for taking the time to meet us babe... the next time we meet.. dinner will be on me ok 

So thats it peeps... my eyes are abt to shut right now... this wkend we will be taking Sonia to the Aquarium on Sentosa and come Monday we will be flying off again.. running away fm the bad haze lol

Woot bef i forget... we are proud parents this week... Hairi received his long awaited diploma in Engineering and Sonia had two of her baby tooth pulled out last Thursday.. she didnt cry... she wasnt afraid... one brave girl .. come July she will be in big girls class - the K2s :o)
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About Me

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Hi.. I am a SAHM to 2 kiddoes..19yr old boy n 2 year old girl.. met my Austrian hubby here in Singapore and hv been living here all my life... my love for baking started when i was 6mths preggie to my daughter, Sonia... my addiction to baking has not stop eversince.. I hope to learn as much as i can abt baking and decorating and then share it with u along the way..