Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you are having problems getting your kids eat their vegetables, why not introduce the veggies into their desserts. Example whip up some carrot cupcakes! That way you'll know your kids will be getting their share of beta-carotine and vitamins. Definitely a yummy way to disguise those "yucky" stuff as most kids would call them

The other best thing about this carrot cupcake recipe is that you only need two bowls, one for the cupcake batter and the other bowl for the frosting. For sure you won't need to take out your huge kitchenaid mixer and after that have to spend so much time having to clean it up.

As with most carrot cake recipes that I've come across and made, the cake texture turned out moist and yummy! This one uses vegetable oil instead of butter. What more if you add a dollop of cream cheese as topping it'll taste even better!

I made this batch of cupcakes on a mid-week evening for an office meeting tea-break. This is my second attempt at catering, the first being my orange lemon cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups grated carrots, around 4 medium carrots
1/4 cup walnuts (you can also use pecans) chopped
1/4 cup raisins

For the Frosting:

100g cream cheese, softened
130g icing sugar, sieved
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Slowly beat the cream cheese and icing sugar in a large bowl with an electric whisk until creamy and soft. Add the lemon juice and vanilla and beat briskly until combined.

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease or line with papers a 12-hole muffin tin.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs one by one and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla extract.

3) Sift all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix.

4) Add the dry ingredients in two batches to the oil mixture. Stir well to combine, ensuring that there are no lumps.

5) Add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and raisins into the cake batter.

6) Divide the batter between the muffin pans and bake for around 18 minutes or until golden brown and springy to touch. Allow to cool.

8) Frost the cooled cupcakes and top with the halfed walnuts.

Orange Lemon Cupcakes

It came a bit of a surprise when my colleague asked if I had wanted to cater for two separate morning tea breaks for my office. We had a number of regional executives visiting Singapore last week and they were expected to be in town over a few days. Meetings had been scheduled for the whole week with separate groups and my colleague was in charge of organizing the menu for morning and afternoon tea breaks, as well as lunch.

I was initially unsure as I'd never done catering as a business venture before. It's one thing to bake for fun and another to actually bake for "customers". I gave it some thought that evening and decided that I would give this a try. I told my hubby about my first "business" venture and he said, good for you! I could not decide on what cupcake flavour I should make, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry .... and finally decided to bake a batch of orange lemon cupcakes with orange frosting.

As my hubby and I were out most of the morning and early part of Sunday, I could only bake the cupcakes later in the day. Luckily I had made orange cupcakes before and the recipe was the same for these cupcakes! However for an additional flavour I decided to add in some sliced candied lemon peel into the cake batter and also some lemon extract into the buttercream. I also used the candied peel as decoration on top of the buttercream.

Orange Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange juice
1 stick of butter, softened
1 Tsp orange zest and lemon zest
1 Tsp chopped candied lemon peel

Method:

1) Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Cream ingredients together thoroughly.

2) Mix flour, salt and baking powder together in a separate mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients 1/3 at a time alternating with adding portions of the orange juice to the creamed mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites.

3) Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 1/2 full.

4) Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Orange Buttercream

Ingredients:

50g/2oz Softened Butter
100g/4oz Icing Sugar
1 Tsp orange juice
1 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp orange extract

Method:

1) Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar over the top.

2) Add orange juice and zest and cream all the ingredients together until well blended.

Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse

I purposely made a trip to the National Library during my lunch break to look for a cookbook - a cookbook with cheesecake recipes to be precise. And I was in luck as I found a delicious looking book by Catherine Lau called "Cheesecake Seduction". The recipes in the book looked really interesting and the pictures were amazing as well.

I'm a sucker for cookbooks with beautifully taken photos. If it didn't have colourful pictures in it, I'd not buy the book or even pick it up from the shelf. I was pleased that I had completed my mission in a short time and happily walked back to my office with the book under my arm.

My intent and purpose was I'd promised my husband that I'd bake him something that he'll enjoy, which obviously is a cheesecake. The funny man doesn't eat any of my cakes so I thought I'd better indulge him for once! I took the book home that evening and asked him to pick a recipe. I told him I'd bake it for him over the weekend. He ended up picking a strawberry cheesecake mousse which looked easy enough for me to prepare on Saturday evening. As the cheesecake will take overnight to set we'll only be able to taste it the next day.

The assembling took a while and I even got him to be my "assistant" by spreading the chocolate over the biscuit crust whilst I prepared the filing. The whipped cream topping could only be added on Sunday morning as the filing needed to set first. We had our first slice during tea time and may I say that it was delicious.


Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse
(makes one 23 cm cake)

Ingredients for the base:

110g unsalted butter, cubed
200g finely crushed digestive biscuit
2 Tsp firmly packed brown sugar
50g crushed cornflakes
60g dark chocolate melted with 2 Tsp milk
One layer of thin plain sponge cake

Ingredients for the filing:

500g cubed cream cheese
140g castor sugar
2 Tsp strained lemon juice
1 1/2 Tsp + 1 tsp powdered gelatine, dissolved in 100ml water
300g strawberry puree
400ml thickened cream
8 strawberries, halved

Ingredients for the whipped cream topping:

200ml whipped cream + 1 Tsp sugar
6 strawberries sliced

For the base:

1) Melt butter and sugar in pan over low heat. Pour melted butter over crushed biscuit crumbs and cornflakes. Mix well until combined.

2) Press mixture into a greased 23 cm springform cake pan with the back of a metal spoon.

3) Spread melted chocolate over the biscuit base.

4) Cover cake pan and refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

5) Remove from fridge and place on top of the chocolate a thin layer of sponge cake.

For the filing:

1) Beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Pour in combined gelatine and strawberry puree and mix well. Blend in the cream.

2) Press strawberry halves around side of cake pan. Carefully sppon filing into pan.

3) Cover cake pan and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

For the topping:

1) Top cake with a layer of whipped cream

2) Transfer cake to a serving plate. Arrange strawberry slices on cake. Chill before serving.

Apple and Cranberry Muffins

I had a mid-week baking itch! Maybe because I now love baking so much that I will need to indulge my passion even after putting in 10 hours in the office. I know this may sound mad to some but it's actually quite soothing sifting flour and stirring butter. It makes it all the more worthwhile when my end results looks great and taste even more so ....

I was not sure what I'll make this evening but I'm sure I will have enough ingredients in my kitchen to put together something. My kitchen cupboards are now stocked full with flour, sugar, nuts, dried fruits, etc.

During lunch time whilst my colleagues will go shopping for clothes, I'll go to the nearest baking store and shop for flour. Is this taking my passion over the edge .. I do wonder at times!

When I reached home I browsed through my many cook books .. yes, I'm now starting to accumulate quite a few of these as well .. and came across an apple and cranberry muffin. I had all the ingredients called for in the recipe including an apple looking very sorrowful in the fridge (the rest of it's companions had already been eaten earlier in the week).

This recipe didn't even require a cake mixer, it was this simple! End result was a yummy treat .. and the smell of the muffins was heavenly especially with the variety of spices that had been included in the muffin batter.


Apple and Cranberry Muffins
(makes 12)

Ingredients

55g unsalted butter
1 egg
100g sugar
zest of 1 large orange
125ml freshly squeezed orange juice
140g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 - 2 apples (fuji or washington)
170g dried cranberries
55g walnuts, chopped
icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or use paper cases.

2) Melt the butter over gentle heat and set aside to cool.

3) Place the egg in a mixing bowl and whisk lightly. Add the melted butter and whisk to combine.

4) Add the sugar, orange zest and juice. Whisk to blend, then set aside.

5) In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and salt. Set aside.

6) Quarter, core and peel the apples. With a sharp knife, chop coarsely.

7) Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. With a spoon, stir until just blended.

8) Add the apples, cranberries and walnuts and stir to blend.

9) Fill the cups three-quarters full and bake until the tops spring back when touched lightly, 25 - 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar, if desired.

Potato Au Gratin

Don't you have one of those days when you really don't know what to cook for dinner. Well I certainly do have days like this! But having a well stocked freezer means that I can just pull a frozen pack of pizza, naan, dhall, prata or swedish meat balls without having to run to the supermarket. Furthermore it's good to have a husband who has a "anything goes" attitude and not fussy about food that's put on the table ... well as long as it's not liver!

So we decided to have swedish meat balls (from Ikea to be precise) with lingon berry sauce and boiled potatoes. However my husband asked if I could do a potato au gratin instead. He really likes this dish with it's creamy cheese sauce. Of course I said yes! This is an excellent side dish with a roast chicken, steak or fish.



Potato Au Gratin

Ingredients

6 small to medium potatoes (red or yellow)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup combination of grated mozarella, gruyer, romano and cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
more grated cheese for sprinkling
1-2 Tbsp butter
chopped parsley for garnish

Method

1) Prepare the cream mixture, combine together the garlic, heavy cream, chopped parsely, green onions, half the grated cheese, salt and pepper.

2) In a bowl, combine the thinly sliced and peeled potatoes with 1/4 of the cream mixture. toss well.

3) Arrange the potatoes in a buttered baking dish in layers. sprinkle the top of each layer with more cheese if desired.

4) Pour over the rest of the cream mixture over the potato layers. top with a good amount of cheese and pats of butter & sprinkle with chopped parsley.

5) Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350F for 45 mins. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes until golden and gooey.

6) Serve as a side dish.

Chicken & Vegetable Pie

I'm not sure what it is about a freshly baked chicken pie that'll stir up comfy and snug feelings. All the more so if served on a cold, wet Sunday morning. It was exactly like this on one Sunday morning which gave me the inspiration to bake some chicken pies.

For sure this is definitely something which my husband will eat. If you've been reading some of my previous posts, you'll know that he's not one who likes cakes - with the exception of anything that has cheese in or on it.

I decided straight away that I'll make individual pies instead of a large one - makes serving so much easier. If you're rush for time, you can always purchase frozen puff pastry sheets from the supermarket instead of making the pastry from scratch.



Chicken & Vegetable Pie
(Recipe source: Delicious)

serves 6

Ingredients for the filing:

1 large (about 1.5 kg) chicken
200 g diced streaky bacon
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 carrots
Bouquet garni*
2 potatoes, diced
1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
125g mixed frozen vegetables
85g unsalted butter
225g button mushrooms, sliced
25g plain flour
150ml thick cream
2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbs milk, to brush

Ingredients for the pastry:

1 1/3 cups (200g) plain flour, sifted
55g unsalted butter
55g lard

Method:

1) To make pastry, process all ingredients in a food processor until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons iced water and process until pastry forms a smooth ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2) Place chicken in a saucepan with onion, 1 roughly chopped carrot and bouquet garni. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken, cool slightly, then cut meat into chunks.

3) Strain stock into a clean saucepan. Chop remaining carrots and add to pan with potatoes and leek. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add celery and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove vegetables, reserving 350ml of the stock (freeze remainder for soups), and place in a large bowl with the chicken chunks.

4) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

5) Melt 50g butter in a frypan over medium heat, fry the bacon until brown. Using the same plan with the oil, add in the mushrooms and mixed frozen vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Dish out into a bowl. Melt remaining butter in a pan over medium-low heat, add flour, then cook for 1 minute.

6) Add reserved stock and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add cream, stir in parsley and season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

7) Pour sauce into bowl with chicken and all the vegetables, stir and place in a bowl to cool.

8) Bring pastry to room temperature and roll out on a well floured board. Use a 1.5 litre pie dish or small individual pie cases. Cover the entire bottom and side of your pie dish or cases with pastry. Then add the chicken and vegetable filing into the pie dish or cases. Brush the edges of the pastry and cover the pie(s) with a pastry top.

9) Firmly press edges of the pastry together by using the fork (it'll also form a nice pattern around the edges of your pie). Using a sharp knife cut a small cross on the top of each pie. This will allow the steam escape whilst your pie is being baked. Place pies onto a baking tray (the tray makes it easier to remove the pies from the oven and also to catch any sauce which may overflow during the baking process)

10) Brush with milk and bake in preheated oven of 190C for 25 minutes or until golden.

Notes & tips

* To make a bouquet garni, tie a few sprigs of parsley, thyme and bay leaves together with string.

Blueberry, Coconut and Lime Ice-Cream

I came across this interesting recipe from a dessert cookbook which I had borrowed from the library. And as blueberries are now being sold so much cheaper, I thought I'd try it out over a week-day night. Furthermore as I don't have an ice-cream maker, this recipe falls right up my alley.


Interestingly the prices of blueberries seem to have gone cheaper as well. Just the other day, I spotted organic blueberries being sold at $3.50 per 125g. This is the cheapest I've seen todate.

I've actually reduced the sugar in this recipe (from 140g to 120g) as I found it a bit too sweet. In addition, I also added an additional lime as I do like the tartness of lime in desserts.

Blueberry, Coconut and Lime Ice-Cream
(serves 4 - 6)

Ingredients:

3 limes
120g caster sugar
125g punnet blueberries
200ml carton coconut cream
285ml carton double cream
extra blueberries and lime wedges for serving

Method:

1) Finely grate the zest from 2 limes. Squeeze the juice from all 3 limes. Put in a small pan with the sugar. Heat gently, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the blueberries and simmer for 2 minutes, until the skins start to split.

2) Pour the blueberry mixture into a bowl and cool slightly. Stir in the coconut cream and mix. Cool in the refrigerator. Whip the double cream until it just holds its shape. Remove berry mixture from refrigerator. Gradually stire in the cream into the berry mixture. Put the bowl in the freezer for about 1 hour, until the mixture is set about 3 cm or 1/4" from the edges.

3) Remove from the freezer and whisk it all together (you can also use a fork to whisk). When it's fairly smooth, return to the freezer for 1 hour. Repeat the whisking process at least two more times. Transfer the ice cream to a rigid container, cover and freeze until firm.

4) Before serving, move the container to the fridge to soften slightly. Serve with extra blueberries and lime wedges.