Friday, 22 September 2017

Golden Butter Cake 黄澄澄牛油蛋糕


I prefer butter cake which is surrounded by a ring of golden crust. Without the caramelised crust, the butter cake would not smell as nice.  Therefore, I prefer to bake my butter cake in a long metal loaf pan instead of a square pan.

I adapted the recipe from the popular Mrs Ng SK's butter cake formula. I replaced the milk in the original recipe by whipping cream, and included lemon juice and golden syrup which were absent from the original recipe. 

The cake tasted moist and nice. I halved the original recipe to bake a smaller cake.  Although the cake tasted nice, it was still better to eat in moderation 😁

P.S. subsequent bake
I did a 20cm square cake by doubling the recipe and added some cut dried cranberries to it :)
Details at the end of this recipe.


Pan size: 25x10x6.5 cm loaf pan, narrow base
Baking temperature: 150°C for 40~45 minutes, increase to 170°C for 5 minutes
 (Original recipe suggested to bake at 150°C for 50 to 60 minutes in an 8" square pan)

(Figures in brackets are original recipe quantities)

Ingredients

All ingredients in room temperature.
Using 55g Omega 3&6 eggs

100 (115)g unsalted butter, softened but not glossy
60 (80)g fine sugar
1/8 tsp fine salt

2 egg yolks

100g all purpose flour
2g baking powder, about 1/2 (3/4) tsp

25g whipping cream/milk
5g lemon juice
10g golden syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 egg whites
pinch of salt
20g fine sugar


Directions

1. Coat the interior of the loaf pan with butter. Sprinkle some flour at the base of the pan. Or, line the loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.


2. Cream the softened butter with 60g of fine sugar till pale and fluffy.  




3. Blend in the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. Sieve all purpose flour with baking powder. Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture.

5. Mix in the whipping cream,

lemon juice and golden syrup,

as well as the vanilla extract.

Sieve in the balance flour mixture and mix well. Set aside.



6. In a clean and dry mixing bowl, add pinch of salt to the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites will frothy, and gradually add in the 20g fine sugar.

Beat the meringue till almost stiff peak.

7. Fold in the meringue to the butter batter from Step (5) in a few additions.


8. Pour the batter to the prepared loaf pan and level the top of the batter.


9. Bake at middle rack of a preheated oven at 150°C for 40~45 minutes, then increase to 170°C for 5 minutes or till an inserted cake tester came out clean.

10. Transfer the cake pan to a cooling rack and rest for about 10 minutes before inverting out the cake to cool down further.



11. Cut the cake and enjoy 😋




Baked on 26 Sep 2017

Double the above recipe quantity and added about 2 tbsp of cut dried cranberries.
Baking temperature and duration: Bake at middle rack of a preheated oven at 150°C for 50 minutes, then increase to 170°C for 5 minutes or till an inserted cake tester came out clean.






Friday, 15 September 2017

Light Rye Bread 轻裸麦面包


i'm not familiar with rye flour, so I have to rely on a ready recipe for guidance.  I added extra water to make the dough pliable. As the water was added based on estimation, so the water quantity in this recipe is just a guide. 

I'm happy with the colour and texture of the bread. 

As no photo was taken during the process, it's a regret that you won't be seeing a pictorial recipe here for the time being. I'll try to supplement the recipe with photos after my next bake 😁


Mould: 20x14x8 cm oval banneton
Bread maker: Mayer MMBM12

Ingredients

127 + 23g cold water*
28g raw sugar
5g fine salt

200g unbleached bread flour
40g rye flour
4g instant dry yeast

10g unsalted butter

* The original recipe suggested 127g of water, but I added another 23g of water accordingly to my dough condition.

Directions


1. Prepare dough using the "C-11 Ferment Dough" of the Mayer Bread maker. The process, which takes 1hour 30minutes to complete, includes mixing, kneading and 1st fermentation.

2. Turn out the dough onto a floured work top. Deflate the dough using the palm, and shape into a ball. Cover and let the dough rest for about 15 minutes.

3. Roll flat the dough into a rectangular shape. Roll up the dough starting from the shorter end. Pinch to seal the end. 

4. With the seam side facing up, place the dough into a floured oval banneton. Cover with a tea cloth and let the dough proof for about 30 minutes, or till double in size.

5. When the dough has doubled.in size, preheat the oven to 200°C. Invert the dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Sprinkle some flour over the top, and make a long slit using a razor.

6. When the oven is ready, bake the dough at middle rack of the oven at 200°C for about 30 minutes, or till done.

7. Transfer the hot bread to a cooling rack. Slice the bread after it has completely cool down. Enjoy the healthy bread 🍞😋









Recipe adapted from


Wednesday, 13 September 2017

Vietnamese Lemongrass Roast Chicken 越式香茅烤鸡


A sweetly glazed chicken drumsticks or thighs infused with fish sauce, lemongrass, and lime flavour - a flavour that is distinctive to Vietnamese dishes. The juicy and tender roast chicken went well with sweet and slightlt tangy mango, and coconut flavoured steamed rice 🍛😀

Served 4 persons

Ingredients

500~600g chicken thighs/drumsticks

Marinade
1 stalk lemongrass
2 cloves garlic
1/4 onion
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1.5 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp coconut/vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
Juice from 2 green limes


Garnishing
Cut red chilli
Chopped coriander leaves
Sliced mango, optional



Directions

1. Bruised the lemongrass and cut into about 2 cm in length. Set aside.



2. Mix all the marinades together in a small bowl.





3. Rinse chicken parts and pat dry.


4. Pour both the chicken parts and the marinades into a big plastic bag.

Toss the content to ensure even coating. Toss the content again after 30 minutes. Let them marinate for about 3 hours or more.



5. Arrange the marinated chicken parts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper in a single layer. Collect the leftover marinade in a bowl for bastng later.

Bake in a preheated oven toaster at 180°C for about 15 minutes.

After the first round of heating, take out the tray of chicken and brush with the leftover marinade.

Return the tray of chicken to the oven toaster, and bake for about 10 minutes at 160°C. Repeat this step for about 5 to 6 times to get a shiny and golden glaze.






Baked with drumsticks




6. Sprinkle some cut red chilli and coriander leaves over the roast chicken before serving. Enjoy 🍗with sliced mango and steamed coconut rice 😋🌷