Mango Muffins with chocolate chips

This recipe is taken form Best Recipes recipe #13683. I made a variation by adding in Hershey chocolate chips.

 

Ingredients

 

1 large Mango ( I used Indian Mango - I used to use Thai mangos, but Indian Mango is bigger)

1 & 1/4 cup self raising flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup caster sugar

100 g butter (I used unsalted SCS brand)

1/4 cup milk or mango juice (I used the juice and some milk)

1 tablespoon corn oil

 

Method

 

1. Mix flour, baking powder and sugar
2. Scoop out the flesh of one half of mango and add to the dry mixture. I also added in the chips here. Mix by spoon.
3. Extract juice from the large pip or stone by hand.
4. Add eggs, oil and softened butter.  Mix  by hand. Add mango juice and/or milk.
5. Blend by hand or electric mixer till batter is smooth.
6. Cube the remaning mango and add to the mixture until evenly distributed.
7. Pour batter into muffin cases.
8. Bake at 220 degree celcius.
9. Original recipe says bake for 20 minutes. I used about 17 mins.  The top browns a bit so maybe you can rotate the tray in the last 5 minutes.
10. I think they taste better served warm.

The bowl contains the juice squeezed from the pip and the mango cubed.
 
 

 
Mixing in the mango at step 6.
 
 

I managed to make 7 muffins.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

 
 

 

 

Cupcakes

I am recently going into the cupcake phase n researching n trying out making different cupcakes n frostings. Made the following for church sales.

 

Vanilla cupcakes with strawberry jam frosting

 

Vanilla cupcakes with lemon frosting and shaved chocolate

 

 

Chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting

 

 

Ready for sales! included banana chocolate chip muffins too

 

Playing with coloured frostings....

 

 

Made my first batch of marshmellow fondant covered cupcakes!

 

Candy Crush cupcake!

 

 

 

 

Decorated with jelly beans and marshmellow

 

 

Decorated with Cadbury chocolate teardrops

 

 

 

 

 

Cooking Class At AFC studio, Singapore

I got myself a Mother's Day treat by attending a baking class at AFC Studio, Singapore.  Chef Wendy taught the class.  There were only 6 participants.  We worked in pairs.  It was worth going to the class because I would never have been able to create this cake without professional help. Hope I can repeat what I learnt.

 

I am wearing an AFC apron. Ready to bake!



AFC kitchen utensils for sale

 

 

 

 

We learnt to make this wonderful Strawberry Mousse Cake.

 

Firstly, we had to beat the egg yolks  and mix in the flour to make the sponge cake.   I learnt to fold in the flour into the eggs the right way but still need to practice more.  My right shoulder hurts a little because of an old injury and feels rather stiff.

 

After the sponge cake is done, we had to let it cool before we cut into small circles.

 

We then beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks and kept in the fridge for later use.

 

 

Then we prepared the strawberry puree and soaked gelatine sheets.

 

 

This is how the strawberry puree looks like after adding the whipped cream.  Now it becomes a strawberry mousse.

 

We then layered sponge cake and mousse with diced up strawberries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Satisfied with the lovely cake!!!

 

 

 

Donuts

This recipe is taken from Alex Goh's cookbook "The World of Bread". When I finally made these, I felt really contented.  They taste great!

They are not the regular large donuts because I don't own any donut cutter.

Ingredients are as follows:

A. 300g Bread Flour, 200 g Plain Flour, 10g salt, 60g sugar, 20g milk powder, 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 3 1/2 tsps instant yeast.

B. 2 Egg yolks, 280 ml cold water

C. 50g shortening

1. Mix A till well blended. Then add B and knead to form a dough.

2. Add C, knead to form a smooth dough.

 

3.  Cover this dough with a wet cloth and leave it to prove for 45 mins or till it doubles in size.

 

4.  Mould it into a ball and rest for 15 minutes.

 

5. Roll it out into a thin sheet about 10 mm thick, then cut it with a donut cutter.

 

for this step, I floured my table a little before I used my floured rolling pin. 

 

To form the donut shapes, I used my biscuit cutter and the back end of a frosting tip.

 

 

 

Lift up the donuts and put on a floured tray.  The center pc can be used also.

 

 

 

When all the dough has been cut up, please cover with a wet cloth or put in a cupboard and leave to prove for 35 minutes.

 

 

This is a picture of my donuts after proving, I also cut squares and made 2 twisted donuts.

 

Fry them in small batches.  When brown on one side, flip and cook the other side.  2-3 mins on each side.

 

When still hot, dip the donuts into the caster sugar, or make cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon powder)

 

Yummy donuts!

 

 

 



 

 

Chinese New Year dishes

Reunion dinner is very important to all Chinese families, mine without exception.  We can choose to eat out or at the comfort of our own home. This year, we ate at my home.  We celebrated with both sides of the family. I am married, and my brothers came over. My mother in law, and my sister in law with her family too.  There was more than enough food for all, in Chinese tradition, having excess is good.

I cooked a few dishes and we also had steamboat plus grill.  Steamboat means cooking the prepared food usually frozen food like fishballs, sotong (squid) balls, crab balls, crabsticks, frozen shrimp and pork wontons into prepared chicken or pork stock, and also some marinated foods like shabu shabu pork or beef  and taiwanese sausages for the grill.

 

This is Nian Gao (New Year Cake) - made from sugar, glutinous flour, water and citric acid. Bought from stores. You can keep it in the fridge till it hardens after about a week. Slice into pcs and dip in batter made from egg, flour, baking powder, water, and oil and fry over medium heat.  Remove when golden brown.

 

 

Ingredients :

For every  100g nian gao -

50g flour

1 egg

a pinch baking powder

50 ml water

1 tsp oil

 

Mix the above into a smooth batter.  Cover the nian gao with batter and fry over medium heat for 1-2 minutes till golden brown. Drain on paper towels. 

 

Note: if the nian gao melts and leaks, do not drain on paper towels or they will stick to the paper.

This is Braised Log Mushrooms with canned baby abalones. 

I stewed the mushrooms overnight and before serving, added in the abalones to stew for about 10-15 minutes.

 

Everyone gave good reviews about this dish. 

 

Recipe (Taken from Christine's Recipes) with additional baby abalone and slow cooker to braise overnight.

 

Ingredients

8 - 10 dried Chinese mushrooms (I used about 16 for my dish)

1 pc of rock sugar about 10-15 gm

a few drops of oil

lettuce for garnish - i used Sheng Cai - Chinese lettuce

cornflour for rinsing mushrooms

some carrots slices

 

Seasonings

2 tsp light soy sauce (I used Kikkoman Soy Sauce)

3 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp cornflour

sesame oil to taste

some water if sauce stew dries up in slowcooker

 

1. Soak mushtooms about 30 minutes or soft enough to trim the stems. Rinse away any dirt or impurities.  Change clean water and and continue to soak until mushrooms are completely softened.  drain out the mushrooms.  Save the soaking water for later. 

 

 

Use a handful of cornflour to mix with the mushrooms and rub with your hand.  Set aside for 15 minutes, then rinse.

 

 

 

2. Use a deep pot, add the mushrooms, carrots, soaking water, rock sugar and a few drops of oil.  Cook over medium heat.  Bring it to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until water lowers.

 

This point onwards, I poured the mushrooms into the slowcooker and put on auto.  I added in the seasoning ingredients.

 

After 2 hours, I stirred the mushrooms.  Then overnight, I stirred again. Taste the stew. Can adjust the taste by adding more sugar or soy sauce.

 

 

3. Before serving, blanch the Chinese lettuce in hot water with oil for 1-2 minutes.  Do not overcook. Spread out nicely on a serving plate. 

 

 

 

Place the mushtooms in a round circle on the plate.  Put the baby abalones into the slowcooker and cook for about 10 -   15 minutes.  Remove the abalones and place in the centre.

 

4. Spoon the stewed sauce and pour over the mushrooms and abalones.  Place some fried shallots over the abalones and serve.