Pandan Chiffon Cake 2

And so my toddler decided to wake up at 5.30am. To keep sane, I had this urge of baking a pandan cake again seeing that I have bought the ingredients. I wanted to actually make a layered cake but this was a little quicker.

I pretty much used the ingredients and method from my previous post.

Whisking the egg whites to almost peak form makes a huge difference. As well as having a good cake tin.

Found the cake a little sweet and dry, so may ease off the sugar in the next run. I wonder how other cakes turned out moist actually...

(p/s: ingredients to modify next time:
120g flour
200g of sugar
1 tsp of salt)

Broccoli Salad

So xmas there was an invite as well we were asked to bring a dish so I couldn't think of anything (as usual I didn't want to make something 'unhealthy' so salad was on my mind.

of course I didn't just want to buy mix leaves and dressing (that would be embarrassing plus I looked 'lazy'). My favourite looking back was all time broccoli salad which needed to be made the night before and it does take a bit of effort if done from scratch.

I knew a vegetable like this would fair well with sourish and salty condiments plus a dressing similar but on a sweeter end to fuse with the condiments.



This was perfect.

I assembled everything together on the day itself just coz it was Christmas day and we were going to be out the whole day. This salad was for dinner.


Courtesy from food.com

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Pound cake aka Butter cake

For the life of me, I thought I had a post about this cake as I spent a whole of time dribbling egg yolk into the batter avoid the curdle.

But I didn't (argh).

So here it is as I craved for the butter cake my grandmather used to buy for me, I did it again and this time I had to be quick so I experimentally added the floor and the egg into the batter to make sure I don't curdle.

The only part where I got lazy (well a little sustainable that is) is to use the small oven rather than the big one and so the top of the cake cooked a little unevenly.

Nice shade of colour actually

Was eaten up by my family in one shot which was a nice gesture and it wasn't as dry as I made it the other time. Definitely go with the saying 'A pound for each main ingredient'

i.e Same amount (weighing a pound each) of butter, sugar and flour at once.

Took it from joyofbaking (love their website)

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Master Muffin Mix

I briefly made muffins again for my kiddo but found out after time, it become so hard and stoney! It was a little frustrating, so I was googling up tips and tricks to keep muffins soft.

And these are the few fine tips that makes a whole lotta difference. I used to want to know the science behind the theories but I think she's explained in the most simplest ways ever.

So here are the essential tips  (courtesy from Sally's baking addiction - recipes on her page too)

Don’t Skip the Oil 

I use oil as the fat in my master muffin batter. As far as baked goods go, fat is a good thing! Oil is what will give your muffins their tender, melt-in-your-mouth centers. Butter is a fat typically used in muffin recipes, but I use oil in this master batter because it leaves the muffins much more moist. Since there are so many flavors in each bite (banana, berry, chocolate – depending on which variety you make), you won’t really miss the taste of butter. For my banana nut version, I added mashed bananas. Because of this added wet ingredient, I left out a bit of oil. Still keeping the same tender, moist texture but giving the muffins their signature banana flavor. The rest of my master muffin mix varieties use 1/2 cup of oil. Feel free to use melted coconut oil or vegetable oil instead of the canola oil called for. One thing to note: I do not suggest using a lower fat option. See all of my healthier muffin options instead.

The Purpose of Eggs 

Moisture, richness, tenderness, binding the batter, texture. They have heavy lifting power in this recipe; don’t leave them out! Use standard large, room temperature eggs.

Why room temperature? Room temperature eggs incorporate evenly into your batter – guaranteeing a uniform structure among every corner of every muffin.

Playing Around with the Milk 

My master muffin batter requires 1 cup of milk. When I first developed the recipe last year, I used 1% milk. However, I’ve started using buttermilk instead these days. The resulting muffin is so moist! When I use buttermilk in recipes, I find a noticeable difference in texture than when I use other milks. For example, when I make quick bread, I find the crumb is more tender and moist than the same recipe using regular milk. And the loaf even slices better – it’s not crumbly at all. The same goes for my master muffin batter. I prefer it with buttermilk!

Two Additional Muffin Tips 

1.  Something helpful to remember when making my muffins: mix the wet ingredients as much as you like, mix the dry ingredients as much as you like but when you combine the two together, only mix until they combine. If you overmix the wet with the dry, your muffins will be heavy, tough, and dense. Remember: when it comes to mixing muffin batter together, a little goes a long way. 
2. The trick to baking the muffins so tall? It’s something I do with most of my muffin recipes. Here’s my secret: Fill your muffin pans all the way to the top. This trick only works if you set the initial oven temperature high, then lower it as the muffins bake. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425F degrees, then at 375F degrees for the remaining time. Setting the oven to a “high temperature burst” lifts the muffin top up quickly and creates a tall crust. That is why you fill the muffin pans to the top with the batter prior to baking.

Peanut Butter Choc Protein Balls

Bit of a handful in the title ain't it? But once it's popped into the mouth, it's a lovely mouthful of yummilicious goodness.

I had a weekend to myself and there I was looking up at recipes to make, but alas I didn't have a crowd to share with. Also, I had a lot of time (and was indeed restless) plus I didn't want to buy too many more ingredients. So here I am thinking of something healthy and beneficial instead.

Protein balls! Bit on the higher side of calorie content as it's got oats and peanut butter. These snacks are the current fad apparently and it is really easy to make as there is no need for baking required. You need to finish them up within a week though I cut the ingredients down further from this recipe.

Just get your hand in!

Interested? Head below to find out more on the ingredients and method. (Makes about 10 x 1" balls)

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The best banana cake you'll ever make

Just coz I made it over the weekend and this actually tastes good! Not as moist and light like the commercial ones but more on the buttery side, which I like of course haha.

My bananas sank down the dough though just coz I didn't follow the instructions. Oh well, the ingredients were simple.

Original post here

When you go to the effort of baking a cake, especially if you're not a regular baker, it’s only natural to want to start with the best recipe out there. When it comes to banana cake I think my Best-Ever Banana Cake is it!

It is a recipe I have perfected over time, and used over and over again – and one that I always get great feedback about (just check out the comments at the bottom of the recipe!) Even people who don’t normally like banana cake seem to love it.  

  

One of the tricks for perfect banana cake is to use really ripe bananas – the sugar content increases as they ripen, making them sweeter, and of course they are softer and easier to mash so they break down more easily in the cake batter.

Bananas are one fruit you never need to throw out – even when they are deeply speckled and soft they are great for cakes and muffins, and if you can’t deal with them at the time they freeze fabulously – just throw them in the freezer in their skins. They’ll go a bit black as they freeze, but when you’re ready to use them you can just thaw them, then peel and mash them as usual. You’ll never throw another overripe banana away again!

As with most baking you will want to start with all of your ingredients laid out – and at room temperature. The reason recipes call for butter to be at room temperature is so the sugar can cut through it and aerate it so that it becomes fluffy – which you won’t achieve with either cold or melted butter.

The baking soda in the recipe makes sure your banana cake comes out nice and light, and also breaks down the banana fully (as it does for carrot, pumpkin or zucchini mixtures). But be sure to dissolve it in the hot milk first so it’s evenly distributed – there’s nothing worse than a mouthful of baking soda in your cake!

Do be gentle when you fold in the flour; after getting all of that lovely air in there when you creamed the butter and sugar, you don’t want to beat it back out.

Finally, you can make this cake as one 23cm-diameter cake, four 10cm-diameter cakes (recycled 425g tuna cans are perfect – just make sure they don't have a plastic coating inside), or 12 little cupcakes. Topped with a light lemon icing the cupcakes make the perfect afternoon teatime treat, and even better you can freeze them iced!

  

Best-Ever Banana Cake

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour (less for smaller cakes)
Makes: 1 large cake, 4 small cakes or 12 muffin-sized cakes

• 250g butter, at room temperature
• 1½ cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 2 cups)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup hot milk
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder

Lemon Icing:

• 50g butter, at room temperature
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a medium (23cm-diameter) cake tin with baking paper or prepare four 10cm-diameter tins (recycled 425g tuna cans are perfect – just make sure they don't have a plastic coating inside) or 12 muffin tins.

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and bananas.

Dissolve baking soda in hot milk, add to mixture and stir to combine.

Sift in flour and baking powder and fold gently into mixture using a big spoon and a large scooping action to keep the mixture light. Do not over mix. 

Spoon mixture into prepared tin(s) and smooth top(s). Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top is springy to the touch. One large cake will take 50-60 minutes, allow 45-55 minutes for medium cakes and about 20 minutes for muffin-sized cakes. Allow to cool in tin(s) and then turn out. Ice when cool. Store in a sealed container in a cool place for 2-3 days or freeze.

Lemon Icing:
Beat together butter, lemon juice, icing sugar and ½ tbsp hot water until creamy. Spread over cake. 

Salmon & Coriander Fish Cakes

Mmmmm...

I wana try this next!

Ingredients

• 250 g salmon fillets, cooked, cooled and flaked
• 250 g potato, peeled, cooked and grated
• 2 spring onions, choppes
• 1/2 cup coriander, chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 red chilli, chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup Homebrand flour
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs or panko crumbs
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup natural yoghurt
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp oil, for cooking
• egg plus 1 Tbsp water
• zest of half a lemon

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 10 minutes

Serves 18

Method

In a large bowl add the flaked cooked salmon, grated potato, spring onions, ½ cup of coriander, lemon zest, ginger, chilli, salt and pepper. Combine well.

With wet hands, form the mixture into small balls, flattening slightly with the palm of your hand.

Whisk the egg with the water.

Combine the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.

Roll the fish cakes into the flour, then dip in the egg and water mixture, then finally into the bread crumb and sesame seed mixture. Cover the formed and coated fish cakes and place in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Cook in batches for 3-4 minutes on each side. Alternatively, cook on the BBQ for 3-4 minutes each side.

To make the dipping sauce, combine yoghurt, juice of ½ a lemon and ¼ cup coriander, stir to combine, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Tip: These could also be made larger and served with a salad as a light meal.

Chia date cookies

With oats~!

First time ever, I've baked without butter, sugar, flour and eggs........

They do taste a little on the drier end just coz I didn't have peanut butter paste but they are great energy source. Really felt weird without those ingredients at the top.

Oh and I wanted to use up the 'food' again in the kitchen. Enjoy!




Courtesy from Ceres's interesting 3 ingredient recipe for Banana cake cookies

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Healthy Holiday Baking Recipes

Weeeeeeeelll.... this isn't just for the holidays, it's to those who love baking like me! Check out the article below for ingredients alternatives! I'm so gona save this page on my top list.

One of the top requests we get during this time of year is for lightened-up, healthier holiday recipes. After all, who doesn’t want to indulge in the holiday treats and prevent weight gain at the same time? Here are some baking pointers and recipes we share with our clients so that they can have their cake and keep their healthy waistlines, too:

Swap fatty, calorie-dense baking ingredients for Greek yogurt.

You’ll save hundreds of calories, boost protein and calcium, add creaminess and keep the delicious flavor.

• Replace 1 cup oil with ¾ cup 2% Greek yogurt (and save approximately 1,300+ calories)
• Replace 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup cream cheese or 1 cup crème fraiche with 1 cup Greek yogurt (and save 300 to 650 calories)
• Replace 1 cup heavy cream with ½ cup Greek yogurt and ½ cup heavy cream (and save about 320 calories)
• Replace 1 cup butter with ½ cup butter and ¼ cup Greek yogurt (and save nearly 800 calories).

Looking for some recipes that make the most of yogurt? Check out the holiday recipes below listed under the yogurt category. 

Sugar replacements: Boost vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, and slash calories by using applesauce and other fruit to replace sugar.

One cup of unsweetened applesauce contains only about 100 calories, while a cup of sugar has more than 770 calories. You can sub sugar for applesauce in a 1:1 ratio, but for every cup of applesauce you use, reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe (milk, water, etc.) by 1/4 cup.

Fruit can also be used to replace other typical baking ingredients add-ins like candies and chocolate chips. Boosting the amount of fruit in a recipe or using it to replace other calorie-dense ingredients can be a real winner for your waistline. For example, in the cookies below, the mashed banana eliminates the need for added sugars. The apple and pineapple in each of the recipes also reduces the amount of peanut butter and other higher calories ingredients.

• Microwave Pineapple and White Chocolate Chip Cookie (83 Calories)
• Pumpkin Spiced Apple Oatmeal Cookie (154 Calories/ 2 cookies)

Replace butter and oil with applesauce, banana, pureed avocado and pumpkin puree. While applesauce and banana make fabulous swaps for both sugar and fat, you also cut calories and artery clogging saturated fat when replacing the butter.

• For baking, use applesauce (this is especially good in quick breads, muffins and cakes) or banana in a 1:1 ratio instead of butter. You’ll get only a quarter of the calories and virtually no fat. If the sacrifice in flavor is too much, start by using half butter and half the swap.
• Use pureed avocado in in place of an equal amount of butter in any recipe. You’ll cut calories and fat in half, and add 2 grams of fiber per ounce as well as some potassium.
• When using pumpkin puree instead of oil, the ratio is 1:1. When using it instead of butter, multiply the amount of butter by 0.75. If a recipe calls for one cup, use 3/4 cup puree in its place. If you're not ready to give up all of the butter, for every one cup of butter, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree. 

Boost nutrients by choosing fortified ingredients.

• Whether your recipe calls for almond milk or orange juice, you can increase vitamins and minerals when you choose calcium-fortified varieties.
• Choose whole-wheat flour and whole-wheat pastry flour instead of white flour and regular pastry flour for extra nutrients and fiber. For every cup of white flour, use 7/8 cup whole-wheat flour.
• Choose eggs that are higher in nutrients. Many eggs are now fortified with omega-3s and vitamin D.
• While these substitutions may not directly affect your waistline, they can help improve your overall health and well-being.

Try coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar.

Coconut sugar is the boiled and dehydrated sap of the coconut palm tree, so it’s less chemically processed than other sugars. It contains a bit less fructose than other sugars, which is beneficial because fructose appears to be associated with diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer and only your liver can break it down. Coconut palm sugar also has a slightly lower glycemic index (a measure of how food impacts blood sugar), compared to table sugar. If you are looking for an alternative to sugar, you may want to give this a go. Just be aware that it contains the same number of calories as cane or beet sugar so you still want to limit your consumption. You can substitute coconut palm sugar for typical white sugar in baking and normal cooking at a 1:1 ratio. See recipes noted below that use palm coconut sugar.

Yogurt-containing holiday recipes:

• Granola Pumpkin Bars (also uses Eggland’s Best eggs to boost nutrients) (73 calories per bar)
• Yogurt Banana Oat Muffins
• Yogurt Berry Trifle
• Matcha Oatmeal Craisin Muffins (also boosts nutrients with Eggland’s Best eggs) (143 Calories)
• Cocoa Banana Burst Breakfast Smoothie (273 Calories)
• Skinny Oreo Balls(50 Calories each)
• Skinny Ginger Cookies (uses coconut palm sugar and Eggland’s Best eggs) (40 Calories)

Fruit-, pumpkin- or avocado-containing holiday recipes:

• Minute Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (banana is one of main ingredients) (87 Calories)
• Skinny Apple Pie Crumble (150 Calories)
• Skinny Pumpkin Muffins (165 Calories)
• Healthy Apple Squares (86 Calories)
• Almond Butter & Banana Breakfast Loaf (150 Calories)
• Matcha Oatmeal Craisin Muffins (143 Calories)
• Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Spiced Apple Oatmeal Cookie
• Skinny Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Frosting (uses Eggland’s Best eggs) (82 Calories)

Recipes featuring coconut palm sugar:

• Skinny Gingersnaps (88 Calories)
• Apple Bran Muffin Recipe (168 calories)
• Skinny Ginger Cookies (40 calories)
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (110 Calories)
• Zucchini-licious Banana Bread (138 calories)
• Pumpkin Spice Latte (132 Calories)
• Fruit Tarts (115 calories)

THE NUTRITION TWINSContributor

Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse (“Lyssie”) Lakatos, The Nutrition Twins®, share a passion to teach people how to eat healthfully and exercise so they'll have energy to live happy lives. The twins have been featured as nutrition experts on Good Morning America, Discovery Health, Fox News, NBC, Bravo, CBS, The Learning Channel, FitTV, Oxygen Network, and Fox & Friends. They co-wrote The Nutrition Twins Veggie Cure: Expert Advice and Tantalizing Recipes for Health, Energy and Beauty, The Secret to Skinny: How Salt Makes You Fat and the 4-Week Plan to Drop A Size & Get Healthier with Simple Low Sodium Swaps. The twins are both ACE Certified Personal Trainers, and members of the American Dietetic Association and several Dietetic Practice Groups.