Sicilian Orange Cake

The cake is very soft, moist and delicious with orange flavour. My family members comment  is too sweet and I think I should not add the icing. I am going to try again without icing next time.

Ingredients :~


250 g lightly salted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

250 g caster sugar

4 medium eggs

1.5 tsp finely grated orange zest ( I add 2 tsp)

250 g self raising flour

85 ml freshly squeezed orange juice

For the icing:

125 g icing sugar

5 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice ( I add only 4 tbsp)

Method :~



Preheat oven to 170 C. Grease and line a 22-cm clip-sided round cake with non-stick baking paper.

Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes until very pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating very well between each one, if necessary adding a spoonful of flour with the last egg to prevent the mixture from curdling. Beat in the orange zest. Add the flour all at once and mix in well, then slowly mix in the orange juice.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean. If it starts to brown too quickly, cover loosely with a sheet of lightly buttered foil.

Leave the cake, in its tin, to cool on a wire rack, then carefully remove the sides and base of the tin and peel off the paper. Put it onto a serving plate.

For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in the orange juice until you have a spreadable consistency. Spread it over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, and leave to set.

Cotton Cheese Cake

This cheese cake is light and creamy..................... I find the cake taste is not too flat but ok.............I am trying it for the first time.

Ingredients:

(A)

180g Cream Cheese

50 g Butter

120 g Whipping Cream/Milk ( I used Whipping Cream)

(B)

2 tbsp Flour

3 tbsp Corn flour


(C)

4 Yolks
1 tbsp Lemon Juice


(D)

4 Whites

1/4 tsp Cream of tartar

90g Sugar
pinch of salt


Method:

1. Preheat oven 160deg

2. Grease and lined bottom of two 20cm oval pans (*i used 8" round).Wrap outside of the pans in foil

3. Place (A) in mixing bowl and stir over double-boiler until thick. Remove it from double-boiler

4. Add (B) and mix until well combined. Add (C) and mix until well blended. Sieve the lumpy cream cheese batter into a smooth batter.

5. Whip the egg whites in (D) ingredients. Continue whipping until soft peaks. Add it into the cheese mixture from step (4). Mix until well incorporated.

6. Pour the cheese filling onto the prepared pans. Bake in water bath for about 50 mins or until firm and golden brown.

7. When the cake is done, unplug the current, & let the cake cool down inside the oven with the oven door slightly open.

8. When the cake has cool down, chill the cake inside the fridge for a few hours. Make sure the cake has become firm before removing out from the cake pan

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS


Ingredients:


(A)


290g Plain flour
1 tbsp Baking powder


(B)


230g Caster sugar

(C)


3 Eggs
120ml Fresh milk
200g Melted butter
1tsp Vanilla essence


(D)


200g Blueberry pie filling


Method:


1. Preheat oven to 180 deg.


2. Sieve ingredient (A) into a big mixing bowl. Add in ingred (B), mix well.


3. Add in ingred (C) slowly, beat with a ballon whisk to combine ingred.


4. Spoon no. (3) into a piping bag. Pipe mixture into paper-lined tart moulds till three-quarters full. Arrange on a baking tray.


5. Spoon Ingredient (D) into another piping bag. Pipe some filling into no. (4). Use a toothpick to create a swirling effect.


6. Bake no.(5) in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins or until Cool on wire racks.


You can also add peach and strawberry slices as fillings or other fillings as u like.
Give it a try! I believe you can bake them well too.

Chocolate Mocha Cake with Choc Fudge Topping

The cake is so tasty, soft and my daughter really loves it. First time I am doing with topping  and turn out quiet well since .............

Ingredient:

A:
180 g butter
400 g castor sugar
1 packet nescafe 3 in 1 (rich)

B:
4 Egg

C:
1.5 tsp chocolate paste
1 tsp vanilla essence

D:
240 g superfine flour
70 g cocoa
0.5 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
0.5 tsp soda bicarbonate
(Note: Sift all the ingredient D 3 times)

E:
220 g water

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add sugar and butter mix well or until light and fluffy.
4. Add in eggs, one at a time and cream well.

5. Add in water and flour alternatively slowly until all the flour and water finish.
Note: Add water first (one time 50 to 60 ml) and mix well then flour then water again fold by flour.
5. Pour into a greased and lined 9" x 9" cake tin.
6. Bake at 180 deg C for 50 min then cover the tin with aluminium foil paper to avoid burning and bake for another 10 minutes.
7. Cool cake in pans a few minutes before turning out on a wire rack. When thoroughly cooled then top with topping.

Chocolate Fudge topping:

150 g whipping cream
170 g cooking chocolate
40 g  liquid glucose
40 g butter
1 tbsp chocolate paste

1. Heat the whipping cream (slightly hot) then off the fire or double boil.
2. Add in chocolate then fold by butter, liquid glucose and chocolate paste until smooth.
3. Cool until chocolate has slightly thickened before use.
4. Pour the chocolate topping on the cake and decorate can use fork.

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Topping



 

By............... Good To Know Recipes

Ingredient:

For the cake:

• 175g (6oz) butter, softened
• 175g (6oz) soft light brown sugar
• 250g (8oz) self-raising flour
• 1 level tsp ground cinnamon

• 3 medium eggs
• 100g packet walnuts, chopped
• 350g (12oz) carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (Dry the juice by putting the grated carrot into the oven for 5 to 7 minute. Do not  squeeze the grated carrot to discard the juice.)

For the topping:

• 250 g carton cream cheese
• 11/2 tbsp icing sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 15 marzipan carrots
• 26 x 16.5cm (10¼ in x 6½ in) tray-bake tin, lined with baking parchment





Method:

1. To make the cake, place all the ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth. Spoon into the lined cake tin and level the surface.
2. Bake in centre of a preheated oven at 170°C (320°F, gas mark 3) for 45 mins to 1 hour, or until risen and a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into cake. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 mins, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the topping, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon zest. Spread over the top of the cake.
4. Cut the cake into 15 squares and decorate each with a marzipan carrot. The cake will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to three days.

Blueberry Cheese Tart

This recipe is taken from christine .....................is so tasty and my daughter realy loves the tart. She told me she will buy for me  a present for doing a such tasty tart. 

Tips for the pastry:

• If you are using icing sugar, the pastry will be softer. But if you are using caster sugar, the texture of the pastry will be more crunchy.
• For myself I prefer to use caster sugar instead of icing sugar, as I prefer it to be more crunchy & so do my hubby. Usually, I won't finish eating the cheese tarts in a day, I'll keep them in the fridge & enjoy them slowly whenever I feel like it.
• So what I'm trying to tell you in point no.2 is, if you're using caster sugar, the pastry will be gradually become softer on the next day, don't you think it's a good idea if you're preparing the cheese tarts for tomorrow's party?.
• If you're using UHT whipping cream, you will need to increase the sugar, as non-dairy whipping cream that I used was a sweetened whipping cream.
• The reason I use cold butter is because the dough won't be too sticky when I shape the tarts.

Ingredients for Pastry:

• Cold Butter - 150gm (cut into cubes)
• Caster sugar- 50gm
• Egg Yolk - 2 nos.
• Vanilla Essence - 1/4 teaspoon
• Plain Flour - 250gm

Ingredients for Cheese Filling:

• Cream Cheese - 250gm (at room temperature)
• Butter - 50gm (at room temperature)
• Icing Sugar - 60gm
• 'A' Egg - 1 no
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp.
• Non-Dairy Whipping Cream - 100gm (cold)
• Blueberry fiiling

Method for Pastry:

1. Beat cold butter cubes & caster sugar to become pale in colour. Add in egg yolk & beat thoroughly.
2. Lastly, fold in sieved flour & mix into a soft dough. If you find your dough is too sticky, you may keep the dough into the refrigerator for 20 minutes before making the tart shells.
3. Place the tart shells into the pre-heated oven & bake at 170c for 25 minutes.

Method for Cheese Filling:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter & icing sugar until fluffy. Squeeze in lemon juice & beat until smooth. Add in 1 egg & beat thoroughly, now the mixture will become watery, don't be panic, just leave the mixture aside.
2. In another clean mixing bowl, whip cold non-dairy whipping cream until stiff . Mix the whipped whipping cream into the cheese mixture. After mixing in the whipping cream, the cheese mixture will become thicken & fluffy.
3. Use a plastic piping bag and fill the bag with blueberry filling. Cut the tip of the bag and pipe the blueberry filling alittle in the middle
4. Use a piping bag with a nozzle to pipe the cream cheese batter into the baked tart shell.
5. Decorate the top of the tart with  alittle blueberry filling or colouring.
6. Place the cheese tarts into the pre-heated oven & bake at 160c for 15 minutes. Leave the cheese tarts to cool before keeping them into the fridge.
7. After a few hours chilling, use a piping bag to pipe some melted chocolate onto the surface of the cheese tarts.

Place butter & sugar into a mixing bowl.

Beat them to become pale in colour.

Add in egg yolks & beat thorough.

Lastly, fold in sifted flour & mix into a soft dough.

You may chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before making the tart shell. This is one of the method of making tart shell, place the soft dough onto a plastic sheet.

Cover with another sheet of plastic sheet & roll into a 5mm thickness flat dough.

Remove the plastic sheet on the dough & place the tart moulds upside down on the dough sheet. Press the tart mould, as you need to use the tart mould as a cutter to cut the dough.

Cover back the plastic sheet, as you'll need the help of the plastic sheet to invert the whole sheet of dough.

Both hands hold the plastic sheets & invert swiftly.

Remove the plastic bag. As you can see from the picture, the tart shells are clearly been cut out from the dough sheet.

Remove tart moulds from the dough sheet. Repeat the same process for the leftover dough.

The tart shell has been nicely cut out from the dough sheet

Prick a few holes on the dough, reason being to release some air from the mould, as the mould has been filled with dough until the brim.

Now you can start making the tart shell by pressing the dough onto the tart mould.

This is how my tart shell looks like

This is the second method, divide the dough into 10gm each.

Slowly press onto the tart mould

This is how I shaped the tart shell

Place all the tart shell into the baking tray

Wait! before sending into the oven, prick some holes on the tart shell.

This process will prevent the air being trapped in the bottom of the tart mould.

After baking at 170c for 25 minutes, the tart shell should be golden brown in colour. Now you can start preparing the cheese filling.

Place Cream Cheese, Butter & Icing Sugar into a mixing bowl.

Beat at high speed until fluffy.

Squeeze in Lemon Juice.

Beat into a smooth & creamy batter

Add in 1 whole egg

Beat them thoroughly, don't be panic if you feel that the batter is too watery.

In another clean mixing bowl, whisk the non-dairy whipping cream until stiff.

Transfer the whipping cream into the cream cheese batter.

Use a spatula to mix them up thoroughly, now the watery cream cheese batter will become creamy again.

Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a nozzle. Pipe the cream cheese batter into the baked tart shells.

Place the cheese tarts into the pre-heated oven & bake at 160c for 15 minutes.

When the cheese tart filling is baked, the filling will be raise up. But after the tart has cool down, the filling will sink back again.

Mini Cheese Tart

Mini Cheese Tart

Tips for the pastry:

• If you are using icing sugar, the pastry will be softer. But if you are using caster sugar, the texture of the pastry will be more crunchy.
• For myself I prefer to use caster sugar instead of icing sugar, as I prefer it to be more crunchy & so do my hubby. Usually, I won't finish eating the cheese tarts in a day, I'll keep them in the fridge & enjoy them slowly whenever I feel like it.
• So what I'm trying to tell you in point no.2 is, if you're using caster sugar, the pastry will be gradually become softer on the next day, don't you think it's a good idea if you're preparing the cheese tarts for tomorrow's party?.
• If you're using UHT whipping cream, you will need to increase the sugar, as non-dairy whipping cream that I used was a sweetened whipping cream.
• The reason I use cold butter is because the dough won't be too sticky when I shape the tarts.

Ingredients for Pastry:

• Cold Butter - 150gm (cut into cubes)
• Caster sugar- 50gm
• Egg Yolk - 2 nos.
• Vanilla Essence - 1/4 teaspoon
• Plain Flour - 250gm

Ingredients for Cheese Filling:

• Cream Cheese - 250gm (at room temperature)
• Butter - 50gm (at room temperature)
• Icing Sugar - 60gm
• 'A' Egg - 1 no
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp. (but I used half of a Lemon)
• Non-Dairy Whipping Cream - 100gm (cold)
• Melted Cooking Chocolate - 4ogm

Method for Pastry:

1. Beat cold butter cubes & caster sugar to become pale in colour. Add in egg yolk & beat thoroughly.
2. Lastly, fold in sieved flour & mix into a soft dough. If you find your dough is too sticky, you may keep the dough into the refrigerator for 20 minutes before making the tart shells.
3. Place the tart shells into the pre-heated oven & bake at 170c for 25 minutes.

Method for Cheese Filling:

1. Beat cream cheese, butter & icing sugar until fluffy. Squeeze in lemon juice & beat until smooth. Add in 1 egg & beat thoroughly, now the mixture will become watery, don't be panic, just leave the mixture aside.
2. In another clean mixing bowl, whip cold non-dairy whipping cream until stiff . Mix the whipped whipping cream into the cheese mixture. After mixing in the whipping cream, the cheese mixture will become thicken & fluffy.
3. Use a piping bag with a nozzle to pipe the cream cheese batter into the baked tart shell.
4. Place the cheese tarts into the pre-heated oven & bake at 160c for 15 minutes. Leave the cheese tarts to cool before keeping them into the fridge.
5. After a few hours chilling, use a piping bag to pipe some melted chocolate onto the surface of the cheese tarts.

Place butter & sugar into a mixing bowl.

Beat them to become pale in colour.

Add in egg yolks & beat thorough.

Lastly, fold in sifted flour & mix into a soft dough.

You may chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes before making the tart shell. This is one of the method of making tart shell, place the soft dough onto a plastic sheet.

Cover with another sheet of plastic sheet & roll into a 5mm thickness flat dough.

Remove the plastic sheet on the dough & place the tart moulds upside down on the dough sheet. Press the tart mould, as you need to use the tart mould as a cutter to cut the dough.

Cover back the plastic sheet, as you'll need the help of the plastic sheet to invert the whole sheet of dough.

Both hands hold the plastic sheets & invert swiftly.

Remove the plastic bag. As you can see from the picture, the tart shells are clearly been cut out from the dough sheet.

Remove tart moulds from the dough sheet. Repeat the same process for the leftover dough.

The tart shell has been nicely cut out from the dough sheet

Prick a few holes on the dough, reason being to release some air from the mould, as the mould has been filled with dough until the brim.

Now you can start making the tart shell by pressing the dough onto the tart mould.

This is how my tart shell looks like

This is the second method, divide the dough into 10gm each.

Slowly press onto the tart mould

This is how I shaped the tart shell

Place all the tart shell into the baking tray

Wait! before sending into the oven, prick some holes on the tart shell.

This process will prevent the air being trapped in the bottom of the tart mould.

After baking at 170c for 25 minutes, the tart shell should be golden brown in colour. Now you can start preparing the cheese filling.

Place Cream Cheese, Butter & Icing Sugar into a mixing bowl.

Beat at high speed until fluffy.

Squeeze in Lemon Juice.

Beat into a smooth & creamy batter

Add in 1 whole egg

Beat them thoroughly, don't be panic if you feel that the batter is too watery.

In another clean mixing bowl, whisk the non-dairy whipping cream until stiff.

Transfer the whipping cream into the cream cheese batter.

Use a spatula to mix them up thoroughly, now the watery cream cheese batter will become creamy again.

Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a nozzle. Pipe the cream cheese batter into the baked tart shells.

Place the cheese tarts into the pre-heated oven & bake at 160c for 15 minutes.

When the cheese tart filling is baked, the filling will be raising up. But after the tart has cool down, the filling will sink back again.

After a few hours chilling in the fridge, I can start ice them with a piping bag of melted chocolate.

Now you can start icing the surface with some melted chocolate.

When I iced the melted chocolate onto the cold cheese tart surface, the chocolate become harden immiediately, that's the reason I chilled them before the chocolate icing.