The Great Chef

If you asked me which is my favourite cake, I really can't tell you .... I love butter cake, marble cake, sponge cake, pound cake, pandan layer cake, and mixed fruit cake too. They are all my favourites. But there is one cake no matter how many times failure I've encountered, I'm still very adamant trying to succeed and I'm countless how many times I've tried; and that cake is castella cake.  Two years ago I have succeeded baked my first  Castella Cake  eventhough I don't have that wooden mould at that time.  After my success in this cake, I even have modified the cake into a  Coffee Castella   flavour  and I really love it!!  When  Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids posted her Castella Cake recently, the word "Best & Fail Proof" just caught my eyes and I would love to try this out as this recipe has an added ingredient of oil inside.  Im sure with the added oil would moisten the texture of the cake more and sure enough! When I bite my firs...

When you see someone posting their recipe post and indicated "Highly Recommended", would it motivate you to try it out?  Well, I do.      Victoria Bakes has somewhat been so diligently baking her cakes away and it seem that most of her posting she has this "Highly Recommended" recipe post ~ oh dear ... I can't seem to catch up trying out her "HR" recipes if she keeps going with her "HR" post! And if you have been following her post.... all her cakes seems to be so captivating with the print on the cakes...so lovely and cute. Back to my post today, I have bookmarked this Espresso Almond Butter Cake when Gert of Kitchen Snippets posted hers, I thought I could bake it at my soonest, so went seaching for sour cream but can't seem to find any at the supermarket shelves.  Wanted to substitute for yogurt instead but.....aigh....  And so, until Victoria Bakes posted hers last month that really get me going to make mine yesterday. ESPRESSO ALM...

It has been quite awhile I have not bake a chiffon cake already.  If you search in the internet for chiffon cakes, there are tons of flavours to choose from.  We usually would chose those flavours we like to enjoy. I remember the very first time I baked a chiffon cake which is a flopped is the Matcha (Green Tea) flavour and didn't post it up.  And after I have mastered baking this chiffon cake, the flavours so far I have baked are the Orange Poppy Seeds , Passion Fruits , Hazelnut Coffee .  Today I try out this Palm Sugar instead. Palm Sugar Chiffon Cake   Ingredients (A) 6 egg yolks 150g palm sugar or gula Melaka 100ml coconut milk  (do not use the thick coconut cream) 4 tbsp vegetable cooking oil (corn oil/canola/sunflower) 140g plain flour ¼ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt (B) 6 egg whites 40g caster sugar ¼ tsp cream of tartar (I didnt add) Method In a small saucepan, melt the palm sugar together with coconut milk over low heat till the sugar dissolves. ...

When I woke up this morning, cooling air was blowing into the window and dark cloud was blanketing the sky. I was so happy and hoping that it will give a good downpour later.  But it didn't and the sun coming out and the dark cloud slowly disappeared.  OH NOOOOOOO..... another hot day coming!  The temperature for the past weeks already shooting up to 36C-37C! I wasn't really in the mood to bake and cook nowadays when the weather is scorching hot.  But since this morning the cooling breeze blowing in, so thinking of making a small batch of cakes to indulge in. Cherry Friands Recipe adapted from  Cath of Confessions Of A Glutton with changes from raspberry to cherry Original Recipe from  What Katie Ate Ingredients 5 egg-whites (abt 150g or slightly more) 150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled 90g ground almond meal 185g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting (do adjust to your sweetness taste) 50g plain flour, sifted 12 cherries, pitted and sliced ...

When Jessie of Jessie-CookingMoments posted her Raspberries Blueberries Muffins weeks ago, not only the ingredients that captivated me but after reading her opening 1st paragraph, I just had a laugh and I know this muffin must be real good that the Hippomama's grandma keep coming back asking more for this muffins. I always love blueberries and almond meal in my bakes and if I have all the ingredients in my fridge, I will not hesitate to bake this immediately. And guess what, at this post, this is already my 2nd bake for this delicious muffins;  only thing is I only have blueberries in my fridge, so no raspberries in it.  As I have baked  Blueberries Muffin before, and I do not want to confused with the same title of Blueberries Muffin, so I named this as Blueberries Almond Muffin instead. Blueberry Almond Muffins   Recipe Source & text copy from  Jessie-CookingMoments with changes   Ingredients   150g Low Gluten Flour, sifted 140g Unsalted Butt...

While I'm still in obsessed and getting good at it, the guts get bolder now.  I have been thinking should I bake the green tea or the chocolate flavour the next?  Well, since I am a coffee person, so I head on to make this Coffee Castella Cake. COFFEE CASTELLA CAKE  Ingredients 4 egg whites at room temperature 4 egg yolks at room temperature 130g sugar 100g bread flour, sifted   2 tbsp honey 1 1/2 tsp instant coffee, dilute in 2 tbsp water. Method Using two square cake pan measuring 8" and 7"; and cut out some cardboard to fit and slot in between the two pans on all four sides.  Wrapped the cut out cardboards with aluminium foils. Preheat oven to (165°C). In a small bowl, dilute the instant coffee with 2 tbsp water.  Set aside. Place egg whites in mixing bowl and beat at high speed  for 30 sec until slightly foamy. Add sugar in 2 to 3 batches until firm peaks form, about 4 min. Add yolks one at a time at medium low speed until well combined, about 1...

Castella Cake ~ have you bake this cake before?  I have been trying and trying and trying and really, I have even lost count how many times I have tried.  All those failure has really disappoint me.  Was it just because I do not have that special wooden mould?  No, some even have successfully baked it without that wooden mould.  Probably I am really no good at baking this cake and moreover my oven is the "hot tempered" type!   But this castella cake is too delicious for me to give up just like that, this is why I have not given up hope. HONEY CASTELLA CAKE Ingredients 4 egg whites (medium size),  at room temperature 4 egg yolks (medium size),  at room temperature 130g sugar  100g bread flour, sifted    40g honey  20g milk    (You can use 2 tbsp water or mirin & mix dilute with honey) Method Using two square cake pan measuring 8" and 7"; and cut out some cardboards to be slotted and fitted in between the t...

I'm back ...after missing in action for so long.  I have been unwell right after the Chinese New Year.  I know my recuperating period has been quite long.  The medicine that I took has made me lost all appetite and I have been eating very little lately too.  And all these have also make me feel lazy to bake or cook to update to my blog.  I am sure you will agree with me sometimes you just don't have the mood to do anything else. Today, I am posting my favourite fruit cake again.  Other than kumquat, mixed dried fruit is one of my favourite cake.  If you have come to know my blog here, I have done few steamed fruit cake before; my 1st time done is  Steamed Fruit cake  (steamed for 2 hrs 45 minutes), my 2nd recipe also is Steamed Fruit Cake (steamed for 4 hours).  And just last Christmas, I have also made a Christmas Pudding which called to steam for 4 hours 30 minutes.  With the long hours of steaming the cake, the cake will stay m...

I have been MIA for more than a month already; never knew time passed so fast and now it is already mid January 2014.   I know at this time the Chinese is busily baking their cookies for the coming Chinese New Year.  I have yet to bake mine but I'm trying to clear some items in my fridge and hence my first post of 2014 is my Blueberries Muffins. BLUEBERRIES MUFFIN Recipe sourced from  Food.com Ingredients   113g butter , at room temp 1 cup granulated sugar (do adjust accordingly to your taste) (I used 130g) 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk 2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries Directions Heat oven to 180°C. Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins). In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt. With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of m...