Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Walk 25th May

 

We had a short but tiring walk up Bukit Timah hill at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on Sat, 25th May 2013.

 

 

We got up very early and reached there slightly after 7am.  There are already many people at the nature reserve.

This time I tried to concentrate on the walk and took less photos than usual.  Also I was afraid of slipping along the muddy tracks.

 

Joie drinking at our first rest point, 1/3 journey covered.

Thanks to Yan Lian, our church friend, she brought us really juicy and crunchy apples to eat.

 

See my hair wet from perspiration!

 

 

We spotted this huge fungi along the way

 

 

This black snake has an orange line and has about the thickness of a shoelace.

 

 

Some of the trees are really huge and Joies says they are grandpa trees, ha ha!

The air smelt sweet and fresh in the middle of the walk so unlike air on the roads and at our homes.

 

A shelter

 

There is also a quarry here.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 Before the quarry, Joie tried a swing there like a flying fox.

 

 

While Joie played, Joel posed with the monkeys...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joie also posed with the monkey

 

Another monkey on the road

 

After the trip, we went on to Bukit Timah Food Centre to have an early lunch.

 

Lovely char kway teow

 

Fried Ngor Hiang with bee hoon

 

Happy end to the nature walk. 

Hope you can visit the nature reserve too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiffon Cake - pandan flavoured

 

 

Finally I made the Chiffon cake.  I bought the chiffon mould about 6 months ago but didn't have the courage to try to make the chiffon cake until today.  I was troubled about making pandan juice and finally decided to use the pandan paste instead. 

My family loves to eat the chiffon cake from Bengawan Solo and today I tried out the recipe from Alex Goh's cake book.   This book I bought from Popular bookshop many years ago so the cover of the book could have been replaced if you are planning to buy this book too.

 

In order to make this cake, you will need to use a Chiffon cake mould or a tube pan. item C in the photo below taken from his cookbook.

 

Today I used a 23cm one bought from Phoon Huat.


Ingredients

A.
4 Egg Yolks. ( I used 2 XL eggs 65 gm and 2 eggs 55gm all from Chew's)
70 ml coconut milk - I used packet coconut cream
45  ml water
70ml vegetable oil
1/8 tsp salt
100 g sugar ( I used castor sugar)
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of pandan paste

B
4 egg whites
90 g sugar (castor sugar)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Need a stand mixer, additional bowl and whisk.


1.  Pour the egg yolks, sugar and vegetable oil into the mixing bowl.

2. Add the remaing ingredients of A into the bowl.

3. Mix A evenly till smooth and set aside.

 

 

4. Whisk the egg whites in B till soft peaks appear.  Add sugar and cream of tartar and continue to whip till stiff.

My egg whites, cream of tartar and sugar

 

In the beginning - very bubbly and foamy

 

Gathering volume

 

 

Not sure if this is the right stage - after adding sugar and tartar.

 

This should be stiff peaks

 

 

5. Add 1/3 of B into A and fold in. 

 

 



 

 

1/3 mixed in.

 

Mix the remainder egg whites into the A.

 

Note : You can line the base of your tube pan with greaseproof paper which I didn't next time I will try to do it.

Pour the mixture into your tube pan.

 

Bake at the lower rack. Mine is old oven. I baked at 180 degree celcius for 35 mins.

The cook book says 175 degree celcius for 40 mins.

This is at 30 mins.

 

After 35 mins, I took out and immediately inverted onto the cooling rack. 

 

Remove the cake after it has cooled down.

 

 

Nicely risen, not bad for my first attempt!!

 

Yes, it is yummy and fluffy and soft!

 

Happy Baking!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apple Loaf

Apple Loaf  Recipe is from Martha Day cookbook.  It is a marvellous cookbook with so many recipes yet to try them all!

 

 

Ingredients :

1 egg, 250ml bottled or homemade apple sauce, 55 g melted butter or margarine, 110 g dark brown sugar, 50 g caster sugar, 285 g plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 n 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (i replace with 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg), 70 g currants or raisins, 55 g pecans or walnut chopped

 

 

1. Preheat 180 degree celcius oven. Line and grease your loaf tin.

2.Break the egg into the bowl and beat lightly. Stir in the apple sauce, melted butter and brown and caster sugar. Set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

3. In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold the dry ingredients into the apple sauce mixture in 3 batches.

 

 

4. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.

 

 

 

5. Pour into prepared tin and bake until skewer comes out clean. About 1 hr. Let stand 10 mins. Turn out onto a rack and cool completely. The top of loaf will be slightly hard. It smells really wonderful and the inside is very soft.

 

 

 

Enjoy cooking!