Butter Cookies

My kids fell in love with Winnie the Pooh after visiting Hong Kong Disneyland.  After looking high and low, I have also managed to find the Pooh & Piglet cookie cutters so here are the Pooh and Piglet cookies!!! 

Ingredient:
100g butter, softened at room temperature
80g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
180g cake flour
20g corn flour


Method:
1. Sift cake flour and corn flour together and set aside.
2. mix sugar to the butter and cream till the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
3. Add in egg yolk and mix well.
4. Add sifted flour mixture in 2 ~ 3 additions, stir w/ spatula to form a soft dough.
5. Place dough in a plastic bag and flatten with rolling pin.
6. Refrigerate the dough for about half an hour.
7. Remove dough from fridge. Roll out dough on slightly floured work surface (at this moment the dough may crack) If the dough appears to be a little to hard and breaks into pieces while rolling, leave it at room temperature for a few minutes. The dough will soften up and can be rolled easily.
8. cut out with slightly floured cookie cutters.
9. Bake at pre-heated oven at 175 degC for 15 ~ 20mins.
10. Let cool and store in air-tight container.

Japanese Cheesecake

I have made japanese cheesecake many times. The main differences between this cheesecake and a standard baked cheesecake is that the Japanese version is crustless, it uses less cream cheese, and that it has a whole lotta whipped egg whites for lightness. It is super, super fluffy!   Below are some I have baked. :-) 

Ingredients:
250g cream cheese
50g butter
100ml fresh milk
60g plain flour
20g corn flour
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
6 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
140g fine granulated / caster sugar

Method:

1. Whisk cream cheese, butter and milk in a bowl over a pot of water.
2. Cool the mixture.
3. Beat in egg yolks and lemon juice. Fold in flour and mix well.
4. Whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Whisk in cream of tartar and sugar.
5. Fold in egg white into cheese mixture
6. Pour into cake pan (do not grease pan) and bake in pre-heated oven (180 degrees) for five minutes and lower heat to 160 degrees.
7. Bake for an hour. Remove from oven and invert cake pans onto a cooling rack.
8. Leave to cool for 30 minutes before releasing cake from pan.

Egg Tarts

I love Egg Tart since young.  It's a must when I go "Yum Cha".  Below are Hong Kong style egg tarts with the shortcrust pastry.  I must find some time to try out Portuguese egg tarts with the puff pastry. I love the crust to be crispy & the egg custard to be soft.

(Make about 10-12 egg tarts)

Ingredients for the crust: 

225 gm plain flour

125 gm butter (soften)

55 gm sugar

1 egg (whisked)

1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar till is smooth, fluffy and light in color.
2. Add in whisked egg, half at a time and vanilla extract, mix well.
3. Sift in flour and make sure all ingredients combine well. Knead into dough.
4. Roll out the dough to a 1/2 cm thickness.
5. Cut and Line dough in the middle of tart tins, one by one.
6. Lightly press the dough with your thumbs, starting from the bottom then up to the sides.

Ingredients of custard:

3 eggs

110 gm caster sugar

225 gm hot water

85 gm evaporated milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Add sugar into hot water, mix until completely dissolved.
2. Whisk egg with evaporated milk. Pour in sugar water. Mix well.
3. Sift egg mixture to get rid of any foam.
4. Carefully pour egg mixture into the tart shell.

Baking: 

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Bake tarts for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges are lightly brown.
3. Once you see the custard puffing up, pull the oven door open about 2 to 3 inches.
4. Then bake for another 10 -12 minutes until the custard is cooked through.

Fruits Tart

Tart pastry
Ingredient:
500g plain flour
250g butter
100g sugar
1 egg

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 170 degress C
2. Cream butter and sugar and add in the egg
3. Add in flour slowly and knead well.
4. Place into tart moulds and bake until golden brown

Custard
Ingredient:
500g water
150g sugar (I usually reduced the sugar)
50g butter
50g fresh milk
100g custard powder
1 egg

Method:
1. Boil water, sugar and butter together
2. Mix milk, egg and custard powder together and pour into above.
3. Cook over gentle fire until mixture thickens and pipe into baked tart shells.

For glazing :Boil together 1/2 tbsp agar agar powder, 130 ml water and 30g sugar until dissolved. Brush onto fruits. (note: Do not brush onto the tart shell)

Tarte au Chocolate

The wonderful thing about treating yourself with this chocolate tart recipe is that just a little bit will satisfy my chocolate craving. A tart shell filled with a creamy, rich chocolate ganache makes a fantastic but sinful dessert.  :D

Chocolate Sablée

135g Cake flour, sifted                        
11 g Cocoa powder, sifted                 

65 g Butter, unsalted                          
50g Icing sugar, sifted                       
20 g Almond powder                          
30g Egg (abt 2 tbsp)                                              

Method

1.    Preheat oven to 170^oC.

2.    Mix flour and cocoa powder together in mixing bowl, rub in butter until looking like Brown) bread crumbs.

3.    Add icing sugar and almond powder, mix well.

4.    Create a well in the middle, add egg.

5.    Knead out well to form a dough, which should come together nicely and not crumbly (too dry) or sticky (too wet). Add a little egg if necessary.

6.    Roll-out dough to a 5mm thickness or big enough to cover a 7inch tart ring, cling wrap and let chill for about 15mins. Then gently press dough to line tart ring. Chill for about 15mins.

7.    Prick holes into dough with a fork.

8.    Bake at 170^oC for about 15-20mins, till the edge is crisp.

9.    Let cool to room temperature.

Ganache

65 g Milk, full-cream                          

140g Chocolate, finely chopped          

Method

1.   Warm up milk.

2.   Turn off heat then add milk into finely chopped chocolate, let it dissolve completely and sit in room temp, stir occasionally. Mixture will thicken.

3.   Let cool to room temperature, add a little warm milk if ganache is too thick, pour into cooled chocolate tart shell. Let it set in room temperature, or in the chiller if you’re in a rush.

 

Chocolate decorations

200g Chocolate                    

Method

1. Dissolve chocolate over a double-boiler.

2. Let chocolate cool to body temperature, fill paper cone (baking paper or parchment) or  piping bag, cut a small opening hole, design as desired on baking paper.

3. Let chocolate decorations chill for about 5mins.

OVEN BAKED DONUTS

I have been eyeing baked donut recipe for awhile after seeing many baking mommies I know baking it.  Im so glad that I finally got to make it.  :)

Ingredients :
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
150 gm UHT milk
1 tablespoon canola oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method :

1. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients.

2. Combine the egg, milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla and mix well.

3. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

4. Coat the tube pans with nonstick cooking spray and dust with 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar. Divide batter among pans.

5. Bake at 180C for 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Snow Skin & Baked Mooncakes

Mid Autumn or Mooncake Festival
The Mid-Autumn or Mooncake Festival falls on the 15th day of the Chinese eighth lunar month. It is celebrated to signify the end of the harvest season. As it is associated with paper lanterns, it is also called the Lantern Festival.

Baked Mooncake

 ~ Ms Piggy ~

 ~ traditional mooncake ~

~ Chip & Dale ~

Snow Skin Mooncake

 ~ Green Tea with Chestnut  ~

Hello Kitty
 ~ Lotus Paste ~

Chip & Dale
~ Green Tea with Chestnut & White Wine Paste ~ 

Winnie the Pooh
~ Lotus Paste ~

莲蓉包 (steamed bao)

Still have more than half a pack of Hong Kong Flour and some leftover 蓉包 in the fridge after making mooncakes.  Decided to try out a steamed bao recipe which I found online. "包" is a popular snack that we would usually find at any coffee shops or Dim Sum outlets and the fact is that it is not an easy task to get the soft texture.  Lucky me....I manage to achieve the unique, soft, spongy texture!  :D

Part A (skin):
200g Hong Kong Flour (plus extra flour for dusting)
1/2 tsp dried yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
100ml of warm water

 

Part B1 tbsp cooking oil

Part C (filling - up to what you want to put) (^.^)

Method

1. Sift Hong Kong flour twice.  Add yeast and caster sugar and mix well.
2. Make a well in the centre and add water, mix well to form a dough.
3. Knead the dough till smooth, this should take about 10 mins.
4. Add the vegetable oil and knead till the dough is smooth, this should take abt 10-15 mins.
5. Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a wet kitchen towel and proof for 45 mins.

6. After proofing, take the dough out and pressed it down to release the air bubbles.
7. Cut the dough into 8-10 parts and wrap the (C) filling.
8. Let it proofing for another 20 mins- 30 mins. (due to time constraints, I only proof for 15 mins)
9. Place the bun on paper square and steam for 15 mins.

Cinnamon Rolls & Japanese curry Bun

I love delicious Cinnamon Rolls ! Each roll are full of ground cinnamon, sugar and butter! Yummy...drooling just thinking about it.  Since Im going to bake some Japanese Curry Bun for the kids, might as well make some cinnamon rolls too. 

 Use Japanese Curry becos its not too spicy so kids can still enjoy curry bun.

Hammy & Cheesy Buns

今天想烘些面包给孩子们吃，Hammy & Cheesy buns!

~ before baking ~

Basic Sweet Dough

Ingredients:

• Instant Yeast - 11gm
• Water - 120gm
• Bread Flour - 350gm(sifted)
• Milk Powder - 3 tbsp.
• Castor Sugar - 60gm
• Fine Salt - 1/2 tsp.
• Large Egg - 1 no.
• Soften Butter - 40gm

Method:

1. Soften the Instant Yeast with warm water. Leave aside.
2. In a bowl, Mix well Bread Flour, Milk Powder, Castor Sugar & Fine Salt, make a well in the middle, pour in Yeast Mixture & Egg, then mix them together to form a soft dough.
3. Place Butter on the dough, knead butter into the dough & knead until butter has totally disappear, knead & spank the dough on the work surface until the dough has become soft & elastic, this process should take at least 20-30 minutes.
4. Before proofing, pinch a small piece of dough for a stretch test, pull & stretch it into a thin membrane, if it doesn't tear easily, that shows that the dough is well developed, and now you can leave the dough for proofing.
5. Place the dough into a mixing bowl or a big bowl, cover the bowl with a damp towel & let it proof in a warm place for 45 minutes.
6. Remove the dough from the bowl, press out the air from the dough & knead into a long dough, divide your desired portion & shape them into small dough before wrapping.