Nutty Pumpkin Cake

Trust me when I say that I made this to get rid of the pumpkin sitting in the fridge. Best sure-fire way?...turn it into a teatime centrepiece!..or in my case,...with hot coffee for a lazy evening delight....I repeat, best consumed with yr favourite hot beverage...sweet pumpkin, meet yr doom!..hehe

Ingredients

150g butter
150g castor sugar
50g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
250g pumpkin, steamed and mashed

Sieve together the following :-

250g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon powder (I used a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)

100g walnuts or any nuts of yr choice, toasted and chopped


Beat butter,castor sugar,icing sugar and vanilla till light n creamy. Gradually add beaten egg and mix well. Add in the mashed pumpkin.
Fold in the sieved ingredients,plus the nuts and pour the mixture into a greased and lined 9-inch round cake tin. Bake in a preheated 170 degrees oven for abt 45 to 50 mins or till a caketester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the Topping

2 tbsp butter
50g light brown sugar
3 tbsp fresh milk
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
100g sifted icing sugar

some toasted nuts or strawberries for decoration

Combine all the topping ingredients (excluding the nuts/strawberries) in a saucepan and stir over low heat. Stir till butter has melted and sugar has dissolved. Spread over the warm cake and sprinkle sides with the nuts and decorate as u wish..

Get ready to tip the scale!

Browniana Brownies

Made these sometime back...forgotten when...but not too long ago..one is frosted with dark chocolate n hearts and the other one is white chocolate with dark chocolate stripes...the brownies are packed with chopped walnuts and chocolate chips...sinfully wicked...

oh..by the way...i sell them...

thankfully, NorShirin loved them...(thanks dear!)

Pink Birthday Cake

Lela's mum-in-law's Bday is on 19th Nov and it's one day after mine..*hint hint*
They ordered for a cake big enough for a few 'aunts' to 'help' during the 'cake cutting ceremony'..there wasn't any theme/colour preference except that it should be subtle enough for an elderly...nothing too fancy or funky...something to remind them of the time when we ordered our cakes from a heartland confectionery back in the early 80s....so I made this 12-inch square magnolia vanilla cake with buttercream icing..just added some white fondant flowers on the sides and my fave choc hearts on top..sweet memories..

Pineapple UpsideDown Cake

mmm...suddenly felt like eating this..I have this bad habit of craving for food after a fever or something like that...very negative?..well I thought that the POSITIVE part is when I DO make a comeback to the kitchen...time and again...so...it's a win-win situation...(at least for me *smile*)..

I know they have lots of version for this teatime treat..but I guess I just made a simple one, very small, which I think is enuff for my little family....

(but u know what?...it's not!...hehe)

Ingredients

1 can of pineapple rings - cut a few into wedges, to decorate accordingly to your pan.
some glace red and green cherries.

for the caramel crust:

50g softened butter
50g light brown sugar
Beat the above until creamy, then spread onto the base and sides of an 8-inch round pan.(I used a flower pan)

Arrange the pineapple creatively in the pan which has been spread with the caramel crust. Insert a cherry in between the pineapples.

for the CAKE:

100g softened butter
100g of castor sugar (if u don't have a sweet tooth,80g should be enuff)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence OR pineapple essence
120g of cake flour - sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder - sifted
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda - sifted
pinch of salt (if your butter is unsalted)
2 tbsp of pineapple syrup from the can (this is optional)

Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs and essence. Mix until well incorporated. Add in the sifted flour,baking powder and soda. Fold in till u have a nice batter. Drop the batter by the spoonful, slowly over the arranged pineapple and cherry slices. U don't want to move their positions. When all the batter has been poured, level the top nicely with the back of a spoon or spatula.

Bake in a preheated 175 - 180 degrees oven (switch off the fan)for abt 35 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake in the pan for 5 mins on a wire rack before inverting over on a plate. Best served warm,with a dollop of ice cream. Enjoy!

Puteri Ayu

I loved this way back when I was a child because it looked pretty but wasn't sure of how it tasted as I've never tried it before. Embarrassing but true. Then again, when we got err,..older..ehem...I just HAVE to taste it. Got this from Cik Mat and decided to give it a try as well. Verdict?..very nice..it was snapped up in no time the minute I made this,complementing well with a nice cup of hot tea. Your shape depends on the mould that u can get.

ChocoMousse Brownie

first things first...salam frenz!..and I'm back right up...thanks for yr concern and empathy..let's just say,..I'm back, although not 100%,..but the spirit is still there..



I have been having this nagging feeling to try this ChocoMousse Brownie, from Mat Gebu, (originally from Kak Yani) before I got sick. So, it's the first thing that came to my mind when I asked myself what to make upon my return. So here goes my version.



It may look very fattening, but surprisingly, it's quite light. Somebody commented on the brownie base to be a bit hard after chilling so, I modified the method and instead of creaming the sugar and butter for the base, I just melted the butter and just whisk in the sugar.The result? A softer, cakey texture.

Thank u Mat Gebu and Kak Yani.

ChocoCheese Orange Moo Cake

Made this yesterday for my loved one.Please refer here for recipe. A million thanks to Cik Mat Gebu. I just added 1 and 1/2 cup of icing sugar to the cream cheese frosting to please my sweet tooth.....(or maybe my whole teeth)...hehe..
I called it Moo as a tribute to the cheese and the cow-like pattern on the chocolate pieces surrounding the sides of the cake. I really loved the multi-taste of creamy cheese, dreamy chocolate and zesty orange all in one. My personal verdict?
MMmmmmmmmmmaaarvellouss..!!!

Browniana

Just to share with u the brownie that I make for orders..
The name?..hehe..again, just the addition of the last 3 letters of my name. Packed with chocolate chips and mixed nuts topped with chocolate ganache. Browniana, anyone?

Simple Vanilla Cupcakes

This is just a basic cupcake recipe. Love to get my kids to bake these. Of course u can frost/ice/buttercream for a more delectable finish.

Ingredients

125g butter
125g sugar
125g flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp milk

Combine the above in a food processor. (I told u it's THAT basic)Spoon into cupcake cases in a muffin pan about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated 180 degrees oven for abt 15-20 mins, depending on yr oven. Cool completely on a wire rack. It might yeald u abt 12 cupcakes.

Blues Cake

Made this for somebody's engagement.The order was only for a simple single tier buttercream frosting with a white and blue theme.Inside? 3 layers of vanilla sponge with blueberry and white cream filling.
Mmmmm.....