Saturday, July 31, 2010

I Think.. therefore... I Bake...

Chicken and Mushroom go together perfectly.

Whether you pan fry the chicken and smoother it in a mushroom gravy, or go for baked chicken with mushroom sauce, or go lighter with a chicken with stir-fry mushroom, these recipes are sure to make your family smile and ask for seconds...!


Ingredients (A)
6 pcs Chicken Drumsticks (my daughter's favourite cut)
2 tbspn Qurma spice
White Pepper - ground
Salt

Ingredients (B):
Brussels Sprouts
Russet Potato - cut into wedges
1/2 tbspn Butter
2 tbspn Vegetable Oil for frying the chicken

For the Mushroom Sauce
4 tbspn canned Mushroom soup (Campbell Soup)
1/2 cup water

Method:
Marinate (A) and place in the fridge for 30 mins.
Then pan-fry the chicken 2 mins each side.
Then place in a roasting tray and bake for 30 mins (250 deg oven).
Add water into the mushroom soup and simmer until thicken - for sauce.
Boil the brussel sprouts for 2-3 mins and drain and mix with butter.
Fry the potato wedges until golden brown.

Done...! Thats it...!
Plate it up... and simple dinner is served.
Enjoy...

Friday, July 30, 2010

Claypot Chicken Rice (...without Claypot..!)

I am lazy by nature.... very lazy...


If I were to choose something to describe my laziness, its probably sloath. Yeah, I am kind of like a sloath - dont like to move around too much (especially after I gave birth 15 yrs ago), unless I really have to... except when I have to eat or when nature calls. My perfect way of spending time, if I am not at work or no baking to do..., is just to sit around and do nothing. In my opinion, being idle is one of life's greatest luxury. Sitting around, lying about, curling up in a ball on the couch, in the bed, just do nothing. Well, throw in some day dreaming here and day... you get the drift....you feel me..???


I feel lazier than usual for the past two weeks-lucky not many baking to do..! I think I must have been bitten by a giant lazy bug - I am lethargic, unmotivated, sluggish and blah.. blah.. blah... My laziness has affected my daily rituals... I havent mopped my floor for two weeks (yikes...!), have'nt vacummed since last month (yeah... my house will soon become a natural habitat for Spiderman as cobwebs are popping up everywhere..!).

Perhaps its just the hot hot weather. The heat drains my enegy and vitality. So..., I spend less time in the kitchen and more time outside having fun (... which where I should be...!)


Well....I still cook - thats good.., such as this claypot chicken rice without claypot. I love claypot chicken rice but I am too lazy to cook it from scratch. So, for convenience purposes, I use rice cooker. Hmmm... why not?? Who has time to stand in front of the stove and wait for eternity for the chicken rice to cook in the claypot while there is a "do-it-all-by-itself" rice cooker? Hellooo..... I have better things to do outside of the kitchen.

But.....Be rest assured, eventhough I am lazy, I will never sacrifice the taste or authenticity when it comes to my cooking.

OK... here we go...I got lazy again... will post the recipe in my next entry...

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Potato Skins

There is nothing like a plate full of potato skins, filled with melty cheddar cheese and topped with bits of lean meat, sour cream and green onions.
The first time I had these... I thought I had died and gone to heaven...! *LoL*
Oh, I could eat a whole plate..!

These potato skins are easy to make. Some approaches call for deep frying, but I dont think it is really necessary. You just want to bake the skins at a high enough heat so that they get crispy enough to hold the toppings.


POTATO SKINS

6 small/medium Russet baking Potatoes
Olive oil
Canola or vegetable oil
Salt
Freshly ground Pepper
6 strips of lean meat
(you can use beef sausage & diced them into small pieces if you dont have lean-meat in stock)
Grated Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Spring onions- thinly sliced

Method:
Scrub the potatoes clean, rub with olive oil then bake at 350 deg oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the lean meat strips in a frying pan on medium low heat until crips - drain on paper towel and let cool. Crumble or chopped into small pieces.


Remove potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally and use spoon to carefully scoop out the inside, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use. Leave about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Brush and rub canola oil or vegetable oil all over the potato skins - outside and in. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan. Cook for 10 mins on one side then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 mins. Remove from oven and let cool.


Arrange potato skins side down on the roasting rack. Sprinkle the inside with freshly ground pepper, cheddar cheese and chopped lean meat. Return to oven, bake for another 2 mins or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, use thongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with spring onions.


Serve immediately - while still hot

Enjoy...

Mushroom Quiche


Now I see why people use frozen pie-crust to make quiche.
Its a lot of work to make the crust from scratch, especially when you "blind bake" (pre-bake) the crust. But there is nothing better than a real butter crust, and for that reason alone I do the extra work. I have had an inkling for mushroom quiche for quite some time, and this one turn out wonderfully.


MUSHROOM QUICHE

1 recipe pie dough
(or you can get ready-made from the Bakery shop)
2 tbspn Olive Oil
2 medium shallots - thinly sliced
Assorted mushroom - Portabello, Button, Oyster
(or any kind of mushrooms of your choice)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/c cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
Pinch of Nutmeg
1 1/2 cup Gruyere cheese - grated
Methods:
Make pie dough and roll into 12 inc circle that fit into a 10x 1 1/2 inc round tart pan, pressing dough into corners. Transfer to freezer to chill for 30 mins.

Pre-heat oven to 350deg. Line pastry with parchment paper or alluminium foil, pressing into the corners and edges. Fill at least tw0-thirds with dried beans, or rice. Bake for 15 mis, remove from oven and let cool for few minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and weights. Poke the bottom of the pie pan with a fork and return to oven and bake for another 5-10 mins or until lightly golden. Transfer to wire rack to cool while making filling.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent but not brown. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates and mushrooms are dark golden brown.

Place tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be (especially if you are using a pan with a removal bottom) Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread the mushrooms over the cheese and top with remaining cheese. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, cream and eggs. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven and bake until just set in the centre - 30 mins. Cool on wire rack before slicing

Enjoy..

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Barney & Friends... and Alya...

Hmm.... one new thing that I have to improve after venturing into this business is to watch more Cartoon Network and the Disney Channel...
Wanna know why....?

I am really hopeless when discussing about cartoon characters especially those new ones...when I received an order to do up "Barney & Friends" birthday cake, I am totally blurr!!!. (I thought my customer meant was '"Bunny - Peter Rabbit..")

Ok, I know Barney the purple looking Dino but 'the Friends"??.. beats me man!!..
Anyways, the Barney & Friends are specially done up for the sweet girl -Alya Airiesya.. I am again happy that I have managed to brighten up another kid's day with this Cake.


Happy Birthday Alya...

Thanks Azleen for the order.

Friday, July 23, 2010

'Coke-Can' Roasted Chicken


It is just me, or is Coke Can chicken a boy thing?

Look, I grew up with two older brothers, a sister and three younger brothers, and if you told them you were going to insert a 'half-drunk' Coke into the butt of a chicken and roast it, I think they actually get interested in cooking..! *laugh*


I found out a brilliant way to roast a chicken, in the oven.

Yes, the chicken looks rather ridiculous on its Coke can perch, covered with a herb rub and half-ready to salute you!

But hear me out. While the chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy Coke, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist. The result is tender, falling of the bone meat, encased in salty, herby, crispy skin.
(the preparation)

I follow a basic method of roasting a chicken. I am using just some olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh thyme and rosemary (yes, fresh from my garden..!) on the chicken, which I believe brings out the best in the chicken's flavour.

You can easily experiment with your favourite spice rub, or even use chicken broth instead of a Coke. Just use an empty coke can and half filled with chicken broth.
I do have grill.... but so 'leceh' to start up the fire; therefore I decided to roast the chicken this way in the oven.

Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of Coke, sitting up, in a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350deg F until done (about an hour fifteen to an hour and a half for a 1.5kg chicken) .

You can also use an open can of baked beans (don't forget to remove the paper label wrapper) instead of the Coke. The chicken juices will run into and flavour the baked beans, which you can then use as a side dish for the chicken.

Jacket Potatoes to accompany the Chicken.

Dessert - strawberry with whipped cream.. my daughter's favourite..!
...enjoying her dinner... forget about fork & spoon - use hand!.... burppp...!


COKE-CAN ROASTED CHICKEN
Sharing the recipe:
1 whole Chicken (about 1.5kg)
2 tbspn Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
1 opened, half-full can of Coke - room temperature
1 tbspn salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh Thyme
2 tbspn chopped fresh Rosemary
1 tbspn freshly grounded Black Pepper

Method:
Heat up oven to 350deg F
Remove neck and gibles from cavity of chicken. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil.
Mix the salt, pepper, thyme in a little bowl, then sprinkle it all over the chicken.
Make sure Coke can is open, and only half-filled (drink the other half...*laugh*..!)
If you want, you can put a sprig of thyme or another herb like rosemary or sage in the Coke can.

Lower the chicken on to the open can, so that the chicken is sitting upright, with the can in its cavity (meaning: stick the coke can into the chicken butt..!). Place the chicken in the oven, using the legs and Coke can as a tripod to support the chicken on the rack to keep it stable.

Close the oven door... and walk away (don't go shoppping pulak..!)
DO NOT even check the chicken for at least an hour.

After an hour passed, keep checking the chicken every 15 mins or so, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160degF. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken and the internal temperature of your oven. A 1.5kg chicken will usually take around 1 1/2 hours. If you dont have a meat thermometer, a way to tell if the chicken is done is to poke it deeply with a knife (the thigh is a good place to do this), if the juices run clear, not pink, the chicken is done.

Carefully transfer the chicken to a tray or pan.
I say "carefully" because the Coke can, and the coke inside of it, is quite hot.

One way to do this is to slide a metal spatula under the bottom of the Coke can. Use thongs to hold the top of the chicken. Lift the chicken, coke can still inside, and move it to a tray. Let the chicken rest for 10 mins. Carefully lift the chicken off the can. If it get s stuck, lay the chiken onits side, and pull our the can with thongs.

For this dish, I prepared jacket potatoes topped with sour cream and steamed veges, to accompany the chicken...Enjoy...!

Hmmm....Come to think of it... maybe next time I will try with a Kickapoo drink.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Blue Champions..!

World Cup 2010 over weeks ago...
...but, Football fever will forever hits the cupcakes...

This time it's another London EPL team...Chelsea FC.

What I like about this team is its jersey - Blue (my favourite colour), but on the otherhand it's one of the teams that I'm not quite familiar with, well I know Gael Kakuta - a name that is stuck on the tongue of almost every Blues supporter and often the first that comes to mind when the youth policy is concerned..

He's got pace, he's got power, he can pass and shoot brilliantly and sometimes does things with the ball reminiscent of a young Ronaldinho, and Cole... so to complete the first team list, I had help from a non Chelsea Fan (... my daughter..!) as a matter of fact (*sigh*)... LOL

I have thought of a few new or improvement ideas, if you like, but this cupcake design or format is very popular with my customers and one way or the other it's general knowledge for everyone including myself too.

The Blue Champions....Chelsea..!

Thanks El Zaffri for the order.

P/s: Hope the Tender was completed in time last night..!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Liverpool or Man-U..?...both please..


Two days ago, just before I am about to go to bed, my sis-in-law contacted me to ask me to make some Liverpool & Manchester United Football Club cupcakes for her son, Danial...!

She thought that it would be a lovely surprise for his son to have some LFC & MUFC cupcakes as he is such a big fan!

For the cake, I used my very favorite chocolate cake recipe. Its simple, uses ingredients that are in my cupboard, is SUPER fast to make, and tastes fantastic. Dense, moist and chocolatey. I iced these cuppies with vanilla-butter frosting and topped with couple of fondant ball s& Fan Club's logos...

... and yes.... not forgetting ... photo of the Birthday Boy...

My darling little niece, Danial, is growing up - 10 years old...

Some 1oth birthday cupcakes for a boy who supports Liverpool and Manchester United.!
I hope that Danial enjoyed his cupcakes and had a lovely party at school.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIAL

Thanks Ina for the orders.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Congrats Graduates..!


Its graduation seasons.

Graduation is a huge occasion.
Its a time for family and closed friends to celebrate, have fun and look to the future....
Its just like a wedding..!

I think this cake is really special.

This cake was made for a lovely lady for her daughter who....
...just graduated;
...starting her new job as a Doctor;
... and... to celebrate her Birthday...
...its a 3-in-1 celebration..!

Butter cake filled and iced with buttercream and covered in a thin layer of vanilla fondant and decorated with edible cap and scroll and fondant roses. Everything is edible - even the tassle..!

Congratulations Dr. Azlin.

Thank you Puan Rubiah for the order.

And to June 'the Marathon Mom' http://www.june-anakmami.blogspot.com-thank you for the recommedations.

...and to all Graduates out there... CONGRATULATIONS..!


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Daughter's Week...

This week is 'Daughter's Week'...

Is there nothing better than French toast on Sunday breakfast?

Thick slices of bread, soaked in a mixture of beaten eggs with milk and cinnamon, toasted in a frying pan, and served with butter and maple syrup, this has to be one of my daughter's favourite breakfast dishes.

It works best with several day old loaf bread (French or Italian - but I prefer Rye Bread), thickly sliced. I usually get my bread from SunMouLin @ Isetan KLCC - get the baker to slice the bread thickly for you. Fresh bread or bread thas has been sliced too thin tends to get mushy and fall apart when soaked in egg milk mixture.
Many people serve with powdered sugar; I believe there is enough sugar in the maple syrup, so I don't add more.

One of my favourite variations, is to add some orange zest and a tablespoon or two freshly squeezed orange juice to the egg milk mixture for extra zing..!


Well...what did I tell you...!!
(from background: thanks Mummy...I wish every week is Daughter's Week..!)

Sharing the recipe.:
FRENCH TOAST with Orange Zest
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
2/3 cups Milk
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon
Thick slices of day-old bread - better if slighly stale
Butter
Maple Syrup
Pinch of Salt

Optional:
2 teaspoon freshly grated Orange Zest
1 or 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed f Orange Juice

Method:
Beat egg, milk, cinnamon together.
If using - add orange zest and orange juice.
Whisk until well blended. Pour into a shallow bowl.
Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter (or use vegetable oil) over a large skillet on medium high heat.
Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time.
Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and if available - fresh fruits.

Enjoy..!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Scones?..Buttermilk Biscuits?.. Whatever..!


Whether they're scoffed as everyday comfort food or savoured as upper-crust afternoon delights, scones as the Brits called it or buttermilk biscuits by the Americans, seem to hit the spot for just about everyone in my household tonight (everyone..?...well, theres only two of us..!).

I have never made scones before (or at least never remember making scones before), and I've never been a big fan of eating them either..! I always found them so dry and crumbly that I just assumed some devious Scottish cafe owner somewhere in England invented them to increase sales, since most of the scones that I've tried in Europe, take about five cups of coffee to wash down.

Then I thought, maybe I've just never had a really good one.
And since I'd never made them before I decided to just make a plain, very traditional version to start of with, I figured I'd get the basic recipe down before trying anything crazy...!

(aaahh...fresh from the oven...)

Buttermilk biscuits or scones are not so much a recipe, as they are mythology. Secret knowledge passed down from generation to generation, mother to child, blogger to people like you.

(... all piled up...)

This deceptively simple recipe can come out a million different ways with some very minor variation on the ingredients and amounts.

I think this is a recipe where you need to practice to really get a feel.
Once you do, you can refine the formula to achieve your ultimate buttermilk biscuits/scones. (well, well... look who's talking..!)
Viola...! My very own homemade scones..or..buttermilk biscuits..or..whatever!

Anyone who makes the recipe below is encouraged to chime in...

Enjoy...!


SCONES @ BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour (extra for dusting)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate soda)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon caster sugar
7 tablespoons unsalted cold butter
3/4 cup cold buttermilk
(if you don't have buttermilk, substitute with:
3/4 cup milk add 1 tablespoon apple cider or vinegar. Leave for 5 mins to culdle)

Method:
Sieve flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar.
Rub in cold butter until dry ingredients become crumbly.
Add buttermilk. Using end of fork mix the dough.
Work quickly into a dough on a floured surface - do not knead
Flatten dough out to 3/4 incs thick
Cut dough using round biscuit cutter and brush top with buttermilk.
Bake 250 deg oven, for about 15 mins or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack

Serve with butter or jam and whipped cream.

Makes about 12 biscuits

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Beauty of the flowers...

This, my readers, is pure, unbridled lady-cupcakes.
The overwhelming girliness makes me want to braid my hair like Whoopie Goldberg and read Shakespeare in the park to the squirrels.


Vanila cupcakes layered with buttercream & hand made florals and butterflies from fondant icing adorn these cuppies.

A cupcake to take your breath away!

Thanks Dali for the order.
Hope your Mom & Sister like the cuppies.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Under The Sea...

This was for my sis-in-law's daughter - Dania's - 7th birthday.
She loves water (like a fish..!). The party was an "Under the Sea" theme.
So, I thought it would be nice to have an under the ocean cupcakes to go with the theme....
Flavour was moist chocolate cupcakes topped and decorated with butter cream icing and fondant toppers.

A sparkling blue sea topped with a medley of sea adorable creatures including puffer fish, jellyfish, starfish, clown fish (Nemo) and Dory fish...All edible..!.
The birthday celebration was held at Tenggol Island, Terengganu....
...with lots of friends and family members!
Hope Dania and her friends enjoyed the cupcakes.
Thanks for the order Irda.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Carrot Cake

Another Carrot Cake this week...!
What do I love about this cake?
The carrot (I must admit that I hate raw carrots!) and the nuts it it.
And the cake....the cake part is moist and a tad on the heavy side, as it should be with all that butter and cream cheese. Right after you turn it out of the pan to cool, it has this kind of nutty and sugary crust.
I had a slice of cake before dinner.
I had a slice of cake after dinner.
I also had a slice of cake for lunch.

Being a grown-up doesn’t always suck..!






Everybody Loves Chicken



Roasting an entire chicken for two people seems a little wasteful for a small household like mine, therefore, I decided to just do two big pieces...

It has to be done... Dinner needs to be served..

Nothing beat the fresh rosemary from my own garden..!
The chicken is sitting on a bed of apples, carrots, onions, cauliflower and an entire head of garlic and basted with lemon and orange juices and fresh rosemary.

The Recipe:

2 pcs Chicken Thighs
3 Peeled Carrots (cut in chunks)
2 bulbs Onions (halves)
1 Green Apple (quartered)
1 head Garlic (halved crosswise)
2 tbspn Olive Oil
1 or 2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary
Lemon and Orange juice
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the carrots, onion, apple, garlic, cauliflower around and underneath the chicken. Place the chicken thigh skin side up. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally to prevent the chicken from burning/drying.


Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan). Place the same roasing pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced, stirring often. Strain.

and.... Dinner is served...!

Our simple dinner last night....





Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

I loved rainbows as a kid and always dreamed of reaching its end. I like to talk about that pot of gold which I lovingly refer to as my life. Sometimes even when the scenery looks calm and the rainbow beautiful, somewhere out of sight, all is breaking loose.
Rainbows take many forms - Multiple bows, bows that cross, red bows, twinned bows, coloured fringes, dark bands, spokes and more.
These pictures of 'Primary & Secondary rainbows' were taken at my mom's house last Sunday..
The secondary at left is nearly always fainter than the primary.
Its colours are reversed and more widely separated. Light can be reflected more than once inside a raindrop. Rays escaping after two reflections make a secondary bow.
... fading... ...fading... ...the secondary rainbow...gone....

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW...
[The Wizard of Oz (1939) ]
Somewhere over the rainbow...Way up high...
There's a land that I heard of.. Once in a lullaby...

Somewhere over the rainbow...Skies are blue...
And the dreams that you dare to dream...Really do come true...

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far...Behind me...

Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops...That's where you'll find me...

Somewhere over the rainbow...Bluebirds fly...
Birds fly over the rainbow...Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly...Beyond the rainbow...
Why, oh why can't I?




.. but it's good for your eyes...!

I've developed a love-hate relationship with Martha Stewart over the last 10 years. It only makes sense that a woman who churns out so many recipes would produce a few duds and an occasional doozie. For the moment, she's in my good graces. Martha might have to come to my home and probably throw out my Hari Raya Rendang or Roasted Chicken 15 minutes before the 'family get-together-makan' starts to undo all the good she has done with this carrot cake recipe.

Carrot cake isn't really something that's ever made me sit up in the middle of the night. The cream cream cheese frosting that typically adorns such a cake...yes. The cake itself... hmm...not so much.

Veggies for dessert - it's an oxymoron. And blasphemy..!


Anyway, this cake is simpe the best carrot cake I've ever baked AND eaten (clap..clap..).
The cake is moist. It isn't overly spiced - I thinks that the cinnamon and fresh ginger is perfect enough. The cream cheese frosting? ... Well, that just goes without saying.

Sharing the recipe:

CARROT GINGER LAYER CAKE
with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Unsalted butter - to grease baking pan
3 cups - All Purpose Four (plus more for baking pan)
1 cup - Peacan / Walnut / Hazel (chopped)
2 1/2 cups - Carrot (peel & shredded)
3 large Eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
(if you dont have buttermilk, you can substitute with:
1/3 cup milk+1 tbspn vinegar/apple cider - stir & let it rest for about 3 minutes)
1 tspn - Vanilla Extract
2 cups - Castor Sugar (I prefer less sweet, so I used Brown Sugar)
1 1/2 cups - Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 tbspn - Freshly grated Ginger
2 tsp - Baking Powder
1 tsp - Bicarbonate Soda
1tsp - Salt
1 1/2 tspn - Ground Cinnamon
Heat oven 375 deg. Butter a 8x2 inc round cake pan.
Dust pan with flour and tap out the excess. Set pan aside.
Roast all the nuts in the oven until lightly golden, and let it cool completely-chopped-set aside.
Place carrot, eggs, buttermilk, vanila, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger - whisk until combined.
In another bowl, fold the flour mixture into carrot mixture until combined and add toasted nuts.
Pour batter in cake pan, and bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.
Transfer to wire rack to cool (about 15 mins).
Then turn cake out onto rack - let stand until completely cool.

If desired, using a serated knife, trim tops of the cakes so surfaces are level (I'm not bothered 'coz it will be wasted).
Slice cake in half horizontally. Place a layer on a cake stand or board and spread 3/4 frosting.
Sandwich and assemble the cake. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and the side of the assembled cake. Transfer to refrigerator, and chill 3-4 hours.
ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
500 gm - Cream Cheese (room temperature)
3 cups - Icing Sugar
1 tbspn - freshly grated Orange Zest
2 tbspn - freshly grated Ginger
Pinch of Salt
Splash of Orange Juice
Place butter in a bowl, beat with electric mixer until fluffy. Add cream cheese, beat until well combined and fully. Add the remaining ingredients and beat for another 5 mins more.
Use immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Cupcakes for 'School Carnival Fundraiser'

Does your child's school need money for fieldtrips or supplies?
Perhaps you have a team or organization that needs to raise money for a particular activity or goal.... and a great way to raise these funds is by ...
organising 'Carnival Fundraiser'!

Last week, I received calls after calls from my niece asking for 'help' in baking cupcakes to sell at their school carnival fundraiser @ Hulu Kelang.
With a strong reminder: 'Mak Lang.... FOC ye..!
So, after giving it a thought... why not... it is for a good cause.
I don't want to make too many and the girls get stuck with them but I don't want the girls to run out of cuppies, if people want to buy!
So, I made couple of dozens of these cupcakes, mixture of....

... chocolate moist cuppies topped with chocolate ganache sprinkled with white chocolate rice..


... and vanila cuppies topped with buttercream and decorated with petite fondant roses..

...the girls had a great time selling them...!
To my niece... Nur 'Adilah & team... WELL DONE....!