My MIL always have things to give us whenever we visited. This time round, we got some dried cherries, initially not part of her intended gifts.

It started with her sharing on her latest buys from the organic shop she always frequent. Then we saw the dried cherries. My husband took a look at the ingredients, and immediately told her it's a "no-no". She is diabetics, but I tried to speak up for her, "It's ok to eat something sweet once in a while (and in moderation)". He insisted the cherries can't remain in my MIL's house... and you know where it ended up next. *Wink*

I decided to make muffins.  Muffins are easy. Measure out everything, mix them together and it's ready to be popped into the oven. Here's mine - rustic looking with sparks of reds peaking out =)

Recipe - makes approx 12 muffins
modified from here & here

A: 250g flour
     3 tsp baking powder
     1/2 tsp salt
     170g sugar

B: 120ml vegetable oil
     180ml buttermilk (made by adding 3/4 tbsp of vinegar to milk)
     2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup dried cherries (chopped into smaller pieces)  - I used 106g

Method
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients in A together.
In another bowl, mix all ingredients in B together.
Pour B into A. With quick gentle strokes, mix everything together.
Add in the dried cherries. Mix well.
Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 200C for 18-20 mins.

I love the idea of having alcohol in cakes... probably because it gives a "oomph" factor. Maybe makes the cake a bit more high-class too? And I'm curious how it would taste like..

Just when I thought I have everything on hand, I realized there isn't enough Baileys (due to last minute decision to bake 2 cakes). Not even milk when I checked my fridge... Argh! In the end,  I substituted with plain water.

The mixture was a bit thick, before adding in the beaten egg whites. Got a bit worried though..

Atlas, all turned out well... and cake rose high and tall.

This recipe is from Peng, and the flavor is really unique. Here's how my mother described it to my sister: "I think it's coffee. Maybe not.. err I think it's chocolate." I told her she's right. It has both!

The alcohol taste is not very strong (as I had substituted half the intended amount with water). Anyway, I think it's cool to experiment with flavors... Part of the excitement also comes from the anticipation of waiting to taste how the different flavors can come together.

Recipe:

Egg Yolk Mixture
4 egg yolks
30g caster sugar
50ml Baileys
2 tbsp coffee granules
50ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder
100g cake flour

Egg White Mixture
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
70g caster sugar

Methods:

• Warm up the Baileys and stir in coffee granules. Remove from stove and set aside to cool, once the granules are dissolved.
• In another bowl, whisk together the yolks and 30g sugar. Add in the coffee mixture and oil. Add in sifted flour and cocoa powder. Stir till everything is combined.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in 70g of sugar, and beat till stiff peaks form.
• Gently fold in the egg whites mixture into the egg yolks mixture. Pour into a 7" chiffon tin. Bake at 180C for 30-35 mins.  *May have excess for small cupcakes, as the batter is too much for 7' tin

Notes for Self:
To increase amount of liquid used (by 15ml?); To try using 3 eggs for 7" pan

It's amazing how small the world is. We had a common friend who linked us up, as we both love to bake. Interestingly we've been talking on watsapp, discussing about baking courses, KA mixer and ovens.

Then, I realized both of us are working in the same organization... and we both joined not too long ago. What a small world! Or is this some form of affinity? Given our "proximity" at work,  I do look forward to a friendship that might blossom, and perhaps even come together one day to bake.

Strangely, I've been baking on weekday nights more than weekends. And this was something that brightened my day... because it tasted very good! My dear even texted me to let me know how much he enjoyed eating it.

I was trying to use whatever ingredients on hand, and came upon this recipe.

Like what Min mentioned, the batter is thick, and quite difficult to stir. So I modified it a bit by adding more milk, and topped with mayonnaise (inspiration from my ham and cheese bread)

Piping hot from the oven... and my new table provides a lovely backdrop for photos =)

Ingredients
(A) 45g milk
      35g canola oil
      20g sugar

(B) 65g cake flour
      10g corn flour
      2g milk powder
     1g baking powder

(C) 3 egg whites
      1/4 tsp cream of tartar
      55g sugar

Toppings: pork floss, ham, and mayonnaise

Method
Beat (A) lightly till the sugar dissolves
Sieve (B) and add into (A). Stir to combine
Add in the egg yolks, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
Using a mixer, beat egg whites (C) till stiff peaks form.
Mix egg whites into (A+B)
Pour into moulds and bake at 160C for 25 mins.

Spot the cat! Even she couldn't resist walking over haha...

I'm back! Nothing is more soothing to the ears than the sound of my mixer at work.

And this time round, I have a new gadget... *drum roll please"

Here's introducing to you my....

.... Handheld blender!

I've been eye-ing it for the longest time, and my kindest dear actually redeemed this using his credit card points. With this gadget, pureeing food (in small quantity) is a breeze now. Fuss-free and easy to clean, this will motivate me to make more sauce/dip/soup.

The "inside" of the blender

The bread recipe used is my all-time favourite, and I've adapted it into different flavors before. In this recipe, the carrot juice was replaced with spinach juice, which I made by combing 20g of spinach (Western kind) with 40ml of water.

Hmm.. in some ways, this bread reminded me of Popeye who needs to eat Spinach for strength.

To be honest, work has not smooth. Perhaps it's the sign I needed to press on, despite challenges.

I'm a fighter! What does not kill me will only makes me stronger!

Have you heard? Its name is Lao Ban - a famous beancurd stall in Singapore. This shop sells one of the best, and easily has 6 to 10 person in queue at anytime of the day.

Wonder where its appeal lies?

Its texture - soft and silky, some have even called it the 'creme brulee' of beancurd.  Its taste - somewhat creamier too, than traditional types. I would swear there is a light fragrance, just a slight tinge which reminded me of my very Madagascar vanilla extract.

I guess I would never know the special ingredients. Hey it's a top trade secret! But competitiors have sprung up, and Insing.com has come up with their views on the best beancurd. Do check it out - well written and adept description!

My version was adapted from Cuisine Paradise.

As we liked it "wobbly", the gelatine used was reduced. Learnt a few things through my experimentation, and I must emphasize how important it is to use good quality soyabean milk. Thus far, my favourite is Sobe Fresh Soya Milk, original. Don't use reduced sugar though. Not sure if it's the effect of the gelatine, but pudding tasted bland.

I stirred my soyabean mixture gently over the stove. Observed that the more strength I used to stir, the more bubbles I have... and I don't want that. If not, I'll have to scoop it out from the container. So the key is to mix gently.

Lastly, to be on the safe side, I always sieve my pudding. This gets rid of problem with undissolved gelatine, and gives me a smooth mixture.

So where does my pudding stand in comparison to those outside? It is definitely no way near. Do not be mistaken though. Mine is still nice, and great for home consumption. But for Lao Ban, there is some secret ingredient I can't identify, which is also their secret for success.

I do love their pudding, and if I happen to be at the stall, and queue is short, I would not hesitate to get my pudding fix.  For now, I'm contented with my version =)


Recipe from Cuisine Paradise
500ml soyabean milk (I used Sobe Fresh Soya Milk, Original)
1.5 tsp gelatine


Method

• Soak the gelatine in 60g of soyabean milk. Set aside for 15-20 mins, to allow it to bloom.
• Put the remaining soyabean milk in a pot. Heat over low heat. (Do not let it boil!)
• Add in gelatine mixture to pot. Stir gently to mix everything togther. (This only took a few mins. Just make sure the gelatine is fully dissolved in the soyabean milk)
• Off the heat. Let mixture cool slightly before sieving into prepared containers/bowls.