EASY TIRAMISU

Tiramisu

a favorite dessert

if one can ignore the generous amount of cheese and cream

Of course

with the addition of 

strong coffee and rum

one can very well confirmed that

 it is not that cheesy afterall...

Many recipes come with raw eggs

which help to combine and hold the cheese and cream

giving it a nice and firm cut

I don't like to have raw eggs in my cake

so I was quite reluctant to make Tiramisu Cake

until I found this recipe

no egg, no rum!

200g whipping cream 

250g cream cheese or Mascarpone cheese

75g sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups strong coffee, cold

1 pkt ladyfingers

cocoa powder for dusting

1) Cream cheese and sugar until light, add vanilla extract

2) In another bowl, whip whipping cream until soft peak

3) combine cheese and cream, leave aside

4) dip ladyfingers in cold coffee and arrange on base of 6X9"tin

5) spread a part of the cream onto this first layer of ladyfingers

6) arrange another layer of ladyfingers on top of the cream

7) top with another layer of cream

8) refrigerate at least 2 hours

9) dust with cocoa powder before serving

ANTS ON SWEET POTATO MOONCAKE

These are like

ants climbing up the mooncake

The bright yellow filling 

gives the impression of mashed egg yolk!

many will shy away

because they worry cholesterol

After trying

they realized that the filling is soft and nice

not too sweet!

Mashed Potato
pressed through a sieve
to get a fine texture

Filling:

500g sweet potato (orange type), peeled, cut, steamed & mashed

                                    press through a stainless steel to give the fine texture

2 Tbsp melon seeds, roasted

3 Tbsp icing sugar

2 Tbsp corn oil

2 Tbsp milk, to adjust consistency

Snow Skin:

113g kou flour

130g icing sugar

30g oil

150g water

Method:

1) combine all ingredients for Filling, except oil & melon seeds

2) slowly drizzle in oil & milk until a smooth consistency is achieved

3) add melon seeds & form into 4 balls of about 120g, leave in fridge

4) combine dry ingredients in Skin

5) mix oil in water & slowly add to dry ingredients

6) stop adding when the dough come together

7) knead until smooth, divide into 70g balls

8) roll into a disc & wrap filling

9) chill before serving

SPONGY BUTTER CAKE (Mrs Ng SK)

Butter Cake

is loved by many 

I found this recipe in so many Blogs

and each of them give credit to

Mrs Ng SK

for this buttery, fragrant, soft and moist Butter Cake

I could not help but give it a try

and

Yes, it is good 
confirmed by many who have baked and tasted

One thing they left out:

it is almost 30% more when baked!

Interested?

Hope you will find out for yourself...

230g butter

150g+50g caster sugar

4 eggs  -  separated
1 tsp vanilla extract

200g self raising flour, sifted

60ml fresh milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1) cream butter and 150g sugar until fluffy and white, 

2) beat in egg yolk, one at a time
3) add vanilla & fold in 1/2 the flour
4) mix in milk & fold in the rest of the flour, mix until just incorporated!

5) in another bowl whisk egg white until foamy, add 50g sugar

6) whisk until stiff peak, scoop 1/3 egg white to mix into butter cream 

7) fold in the rest of egg white
8) pour into 2 lined small loaf pan or 8" square pan

9) bake in preheated oven 170'C for 45min until brown

AGAR AGAR CHENDOL

Double layer Chendol Agar agar

10g agar agar powder

200g santan

450g water

100-150g chendol, drained

100g palm sugar, to taste

1) boil agar agar powder in water until dissolve

2) add palm sugar to taste, 

3) pour 2/3 of this mxiture into a mould (rest in cold water to cool faster)

4) in another pot, boil coconut milk

5) add remaining 1/3 sugar mixture to this coconut milk

6) you may add extra sugar to the coconut milk if you prefer

7) stir in chendol

8) when sides of bottom layer is harden but centre is still wobbling, 

    slowly pour chendol layer on top, careful not to mix the 2 layers

9) chill before cutting

CLOUDY AGAR AGAR

If you want to make a double layer agar agar

usually

you need to prepare the mixture separately

but

not for this one

Everything is combined 

and 

you still get a two layer agar agar

A) 200ml santan

     1 egg

     pinch of salt

B) 1/2 pkt (25g pkt agar2 powder)

     1500ml water

     2 pandan leaves, knotted

     palm sugar & sugar to taste

1) measure volume of santan+egg & 

     discard the same amount of water from (B)

2) add salt to (A) and beat until combined, leave aside

3) add agar agar powder & pandan leaves to remaining water

4) boil until agar agar dissolved

5) sweeten with palm sugar & caster sugar if necessary

6) stir in santan mixture

7) remove from heat before it boils again

8) pour onto moulds & leave to cool

9) chill until ready to serve

PURPLE SWEET POTATO BUNS

Flavorful , moist and spongy buns

with tint of purple inside

(if you use orange sweet potato

you will get orangy tint)

I have adapted this recipe from King Arthur Flour's potato bread

115g water or milk

60g butter

1 tsp salt

1 large egg

140g steamed & mashed purple sweet potato

300g plain flour

45g sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

1) put all ingredients in bread machine, bread dough cycle

2) if not making the same day, regrigerate overnight after kneading

3) divide dough into 40g balls

4) let rise until double

5) bake in preheated oven 190'C for 20min until brown

HAMSTER IN GREAT DISCOVERY

A carriage 

for the pet hamster

This is built by my grandson Ethan

in uncle Zhixiang's home

for his pet,

the shy hamster

Not so shy now

runnning up and down

in and out

 investigating its new toy

a colourful double storey Lego carriage

When hamster comes out from the second floor,

"Oh no! Can I fall out?
I think I prefer to be inside,
more cosy 
and I am well tucked in
also, protected by the these little colourful bricks
which Ethan says
they are called LEGO
and
very expensive, you know!"

"I hope next time Ethan will built me a castle."

Transportation

Alligator, alligator, 

where have you been?

"I have been up on a 

colourful LEGO truck built by Ethan"

Alligator, alligator

where are you going?

Do you know you have a hamster inside the truck?

He is peeping out

while holding on tightly to the bricks!

"I am on my way to Changi International Airport

to catch a flight by Singapore Airline"

"Hamster? 

Oh no, I need to go anyhow!

Hold on tight my friend hamster, take care!"

I am in Changi Airport

where are you alligator? I cannot see you!

Everything is so blurr.......

It is so hazy out here!

"I have boarded the wrong plane!

I cannot see clearly

I thought I saw SG50 sign on the plane,

SG should be Singapore, right?

No, it is SCOOT plane!

Help! Help!"

At War

Tanker

Wow! 

Another Lego Sculpture built 

by my grandson, Etham Lim 

Look!

How powerful it is! 

The 2 front wheels guide the way

and the back wheels stabilise

while going up and down the hills!

No worries

It can never topple over!

Beware!

The powerful gun is targeting you

Run for your life if you are stlll able to

avoid it if you can

Bo-o-o-m! (High pitch!)

It is firing!

See how powerful the fire comes out

 shooting so far

and the trail  of dark fumes covering the whole place!

See the white flag!

They surender!

And the tanker moved on.....