Tea with my cake

Teacakes are great because they're not as heavy as cake. Hence, they makes a fabulous treats for morning teas, afternoon teas, even for supper. I decided to turn the unsually plain and simple teacakes into something more elegant for a church function.
This apple custard teacakes looks complicated, but it's actually very easy to bake, in fact, the hardest thing is to keep me from having one after another. They taste sensational!!


Apple Custard Teacake

Ingrediants:

• 150g butter, softend
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups SR flour
• 1 tsp cinnamons
  
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• Tinned Apple
• Vanilla Custard
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degree celcius. Grease and line a 22cm square cake pan with baking paper.
2. Using electrci mixer, cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.
   
3. Sift flour and cinnamons together. Gently fold flour and milk alternatively into the eggs and butter mixture until just combine. Take care not to over mix or else the teacake will be tough.
4. Spread half the batter into prepared cake pan. Arrange apple on the top, and dallop some custard over the apple. Gently spoon over the remaining cake batter. and top with more custard. Use a skewer to swirl custard into the batter. Scatter deseccated coconut on top of the cake.
5. Bake the cake in preheated oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
   
6. Cool cake in the pan before inverted into the wire rack to cool completely.
   
7. Serve teacake with remaining custard, or ice-cream with a cup of tea in a hot summer afternoon.
   

Chocolate Banana Bread

3 days is all it takes for my bananas to go from firm,bright yellow to sad looking, black and sluggish little fellas when the temperature hit the roof. As we're in the time of recession, I'm not about to throw them away, also, the worst looking over rippen bananas, often makes the most delicious banana bread. So i thought, why not?! After all, banana bread is so loved by all family members, and is super easy to bake! I also throw in some left over dark chocolate chip and walnuts from the pantry, for extra texture.



Chocolate Banana Bread

Ingrediants:

• 1 1/2 cups wholemeal SR flour
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup mashed banana ( about 3-4 over ripen bananas )
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts, break into tiny pieces.

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degree celcius. Grease and line a 10cm x 20cm loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Sift flour into a bowl, add in sugar, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Combine everything and make a well in the centre.
3. In a big jug, whish the eggs, milk and oil together.
4. Pour the eggs mixture into the flour, stir through banana, chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Use a ballon whisk to combine everything, but take care not to over mixed it.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, and bake in the oven for about 50 mins, or until tested with a skewer in the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
7. Remove from the oven, leave it to cool before turning out from tin.
8. Serve warm, or serve left overs toasted with butter.

I always prefer my banana bread lightly toasted, but husband likes it soft and warm, straight from the oven. Whatever way you like, this is a very good bread for breakfast, morning teas or afternoon teas. In our case, supper!

Sweet Cherry Pie

You know the look!

When you serve a homemade pie or a tart to someone, and their first question is almost always "do you make the pastry too? ". And if the answer is NO, oh well, everyone use store bought pastry now a days anyway, but if the answer is YES, they'll give you the look, the almost unbelievable look, as if you did something close to impossible! Actually, I'm quite addicted to that look on my guest's face that I almost never and will not use store bought pastry. After all, it's not difficult at all to make pastry, if you have the time that is, and time is often what i lack ,hence I very seldom make stuff with pastry. But because of the rain, we've cancelled all outings, and time is what i have, so i decided it's time to get my hands dirty and rub some butter and flour. There is a can of cherry sitting in my pantry for quite sometime, my original intention was to make a black forest cake or something, but now, it seems perfect to use it for a lovely cherry pie instead.

Sweet Cherry Pie

For the Pastry:

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 125 g chilled butter, cut in small cube
• 2 egg yolks

Method:

1. Combine the flour and icing sugar in a big bowl.
2. Rub the chilled butter into the flour mixture using fingertips until mixture resemble fine bread crumbs
3. Add the egg yolks, and mix together with the flour until incorporated and the mixture begin to hold together.
   
4. Bring the dough together, shaped into a disc, and wrap with plastic wrap. Keep chilled in the fridge for about 30 mins. ( I speed up the process by putting it in the freezer for about 10 mins).
5. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into 5mm thick.
   
6. Line a 23cm fluted tart tin with removable base with pastry, press pastry into base and sides, trim off excess.
7. Place in the freezer to rest for another 10 mins. *
   
8. Meanwhile, preheat the oven for 200 degree Celsius.
9. Line the chilled pastry with baking paper, and filled it with rice ( or baking beads ).**
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 mins. Remove the rice and baking paper, and bake the pastry for another 5 mins or so until golden. Remove from the oven, and cool on wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the filling of the pie.

For the filling:

• 1 can of cherry
  
• 1/4 cup of cherry syrup
  
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tbsp flaked almond
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degree Celsius.
2. Combine the eggs, sugar, cream almond meal and cherry syrup in a medium bowl. Whisk until everything come together.
   
3. Arrange cherry on the base of pastry, and pour over egg mixture and sprinkle with flaked almond.
   
4. Bake in the oven for about 30 mins, or until set.
   
5. Cool in tin, and dust with icing sugar before serving.
   

This is a very delicous pie, the pastry is crisp, filling soft, and not too sweet. I prefer to eat them warm, with ice-cream.

* The best way to bake pastry is to put very cold pastry into very hot oven.
**This process is called blind baking.

Pecan Torte

I have make this for many many times, but I always don't get a chance to take photos with it and it's always being gallop down very quickly. So, when I was ask to make a dessert for a chruch fuction on Saturday,I make sure I took a photo this time. I love making this Pecan Torte for special function because firstly, they're best eaten one day after baking, hence, I can start my baking one day earlier and be organised for the function. Secondly, they're light and nutty on the mouth, perfect for dessert after a big dinner. ( Cake can be too much after a big meal! )
The best thing is that, it's low fat and doesn't involve any butter, egg yolks and flour, though it is not suitable for people with gluten intolerance because it does contain 22 Jatz Biscuits. It's an unsual ingrediant, but trust me, this torte is so delicious, everytime I make it, people were asking for recipe!!



Pecan Torte

Ingrediants for torte:

• 22 Jatz Biscuits
• 1 cup Pecan Nuts
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Grease and line a 20cm springfoam tin with baking paper.
2. Crushed the biscuits and pecan nuts in a food processor until just finely crushed. ( You might want to crush the pecan nuts saperately because if it's too finely crushed, it can foam a paste and result in a very dense texture ). Transfer the crushed biscuits and pecans into a bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk egg whites with electric beater until soft peak, add sugar gradually, and continue beating until the mixture is thick and glossy.
4. Carefully fold in the crushed bisuits and pecan into the egg whites until just combine. Add in vanilla essence and dark chocolate chips at this stage too.
5. Pour and mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 30mins.
6. Cool the torte completely to room temperature.

1. 

Ingrediants for topping:

• 300ml Light Thicken Cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• about 50g dark chocolate

Method:

1. Grate the dark chocolate.
2. Whip the cream with icing sugar until thik.
3. Spread the cream on top of the cooled pecan pie, and sprinkle it with grated chocolate.
4. Store the torte in an airtight container, and leave it overnight in the fridge. The cream will soften the torte a little,and the result is a very moist yet nutty texture.

Decorate the torte with strawberry, quickly grab a piece, and watch it dissapear quickly before your eyes!!



Yummy!

Impossible Quiche

This is what I called a lazy quiche, it's so simple, so easy, and basically, you can replace the recipe with any left over in the fridge, such as ham, peas, pumpkin....
The original recipe called for chorizo, a kind of Spanish sausage, since I don't have any on hand, and I do have a lot of canned tuna sitting in the pantry, i decided to make a tuna quiche instead.
It's not a traditional quiche, which is packed with creams, butter, and pastry, this is a rather light, more like a fritatta. I also use wholemeal flour to make it even more nutritious!!




Ingrediants:

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 small can Mexican flavoured tuna ( or 1 big can tuna chunk in brine )
• 1 small green capsicum, finely diced
• 1 small ( 300g) sweet potato, finely sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup wholemeal SR flour
• 1 cup grated cheddar
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius. Grease a 5 cups ceramic pie dish with olive oil/butter.
2. In a large bowl, combine onion, tuna and capsicum together.
   
3. Microwave the sweet potato on high for about 2 mins. They should be just cooked.
   Lay the sweet potato slices on the base of the ceramic pie dish.
   
4. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and SR flour until combine. Stir in the vegetables, tuna and cheese.
5. Pour the mixture into the ceramic dish, lightly season with salt and pepper.
   You can sprinkle more cheese on top if you prefer.
6. Bake for about 50-55 mins, or until set in the centre. Allow to cool for at least 15 mins before serving.
   

I find that by using the flavoured canned tuna ( such as the Mexican ), gives this pie extra flavour. We especially like the Mexican tuna as it contain red kidney beans!!


Left overs ( if there are any ) can also be store in the fridge, and reheated the next day in the microwave.

scent of summer

Today is the last day of summer, I decided to celebrate the end of this glorious season with lemon because lemon always remind me of summer. Their bright yellow colour, their scent, a whiff of lemon always chase my sorrow away, just like a ray of sunshine, always brought happiness.

Because lemon is such a volatile fruit, there were thousand of recipe with lemon being the main ingredient. From lemon tart, to lemon pie, to lemon biscuits to lemon cake... and many more, but with my guests arriving in less than 1 hour time, I decided to bake this easiest 1 bowl lemon cake.
As the name suggest, it only involved 1 bowl, 1 balloon whisk, 1 sieve and 1 spatula. Minimal clean up, my kind of cake!

1 Bowl Lemon Cake

Ingredients:

• 11/2 cups caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup oil ( any light flavoured oil )
• 1 cup yoghurt ( I use vanilla yoghurt )
• 2 lemons rind, grated
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Pinch of salt
  
• 2 cups SR flour, sifted
• Icing sugar for dusting
  
• Vanilla yoghurt, to serve
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius, grease and line a 20 cm round cake pan with baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, yoghurt, lemon rinds and lemon juice.
3. Fold in the flour and pinch of salt. Lightly fold until just combine.
4. Pour into the cake pan and bake in the oven for 50 mins, or until cooked.
5. Cool in pan for about 5 mins, turn out into wire rack to cool.
6. Dust the cake with icing sugar before serving, and serve either warm or cold, with yoghurt and a cup of lemon tea!
   

I serve this cake after 1 hour of cooling, and it's still warm, and very moist.
The next day, we celebrate the first day of Autumn with the left over cake, it's still moist, less crumbly and more flavoursome. Yum!