Lemon Yogurt Cake

I recently bought some cook books from The Book Depository and one of them was Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa at Home".  In it was this absolutely delicious looking lemon cake which I had to try over the weekend.

I am so totally for any desserts which has lemon in it ... all that citrus makes me feel less guilty if I have more than one!  If you have not tried this recipe as yet, I so encourage you to do so.  It cannot be any easier - two bowls and you are done - forgot about even taking out your handmixer.




Lemon Yogurt Cake
Recipe Adapted from "Barefoot Contessa at Home"
Yields One Loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat plain whole-milk yogurt
3/4 cup + 1/3 cups sugar, separated
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease and flour the pan.

2) Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.

3) In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 3/4 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, vegetable oil and vanilla.

4) Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Make sure all ingredients are incorporated - however do not over-mix.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 - 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

6) Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

7) When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

8) For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Lava Chocolate Cake

I love lava chocolate cakes as it makes such an elegant dessert to round off a good meal.  I had always thought it was a difficult dessert to make but after making it once (and dare I say that it was successful), I realized that it is actually very easy.  The first lava cake I had tried a couple of years back came from Martha Stewart's Living recipes.  It was delicious!


This is the second time I am making a lava cake again and this too doesn't have many ingredients to content with and the preparation and baking time is really "singe".  The main thing to remember is to use good quality chocolate and don't over bake it - you want the chocolate to be oozing out!





Lava Chocolate Cake
Recipe Adapted from Delia Smith
Serves 4

Ingredients:

115g good quality dark chocolate (about 65 - 70% cacao)
115g salted butter
1 tsp of coffee extract or Tbsp of instant coffee granules
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
60g caster sugar
30g all purpose flour, sifted

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and butter 4 x 125ml ramekins.

2)  In a heavy based pan over low heat, melt the chocolate, butter and coffee extract until melted. Stir to a glossy batter. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. (You can also use a baine-marine to melt the chocolate and butter)

3) In another mixing bowl, beat eggs, egg yolks and sugar with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes or until pale, thick and leaves ribbons trails.

4) Add chocolate and sprinkle the flour into the egg mixture and gently fold until just combined. (You can also use a whisk.) Be careful not to knock too much air out of the batter.

5) Divide batter amongst ramekins and place on a baking tray. Fondants can be covered with clingwrap and stored in the fridge or freezer at this stage. Bake for 12 minutes or until the tops have risen and have set (but still soft underneath). If baking straight from the fridge, bake for about 13 minutes. If frozen, bake for 14 minutes.

6) Remove fondants from the oven and leave to sit for about a minute.  Run a palette knife around the edges and turn out onto a plate. If baked from frozen, rest for 2 minutes before unmolding.

7) To serve dust with icing/powder sugar.  Serve warm and if you want add a dollop of good vanilla ice-cream.

Noah's Ark .... a Cake or an Ark?

I have not made a fondant cake for a long, long time and decided it was time to put in some practice.  I decided to try out this particular design from "Cake Shaping" by Helen Penman which I had borrowed from the local library.

The fondant is home-made and the cake itself is a chocolate sheet cake.  The original design had a pair of hippos but somehow I could not manage to get the hippo's face.  After several attempts I gave up and went with little piggies instead







Chocolate Sheet Cake
Recipe Adapted from Joy of Baking

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (25 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed), sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (240 ml) warm water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grese a 8 inch (20 cm) square cake pan,

2)  In a bowl stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

3) With a fork, mix all the ingredients together until well blended. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

A Dark Chocolate Birthday Cake!

This cake was made early this month for my boss birthday.  For the last 5 years, I have been baking a cake for her B Day whenever she happens to be in town.  This year I made a 3-layer Dark Chocolate Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting ... absolutely delicious and oh so sinful!  Unfortunately I was unable to cut this to show you the layers - so you will just have to make do with photographs of the whole cake itself.


Dark Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

312g plain flour
420g caster sugar
2 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
120 grams unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
150 ml vegetable oil
280 ml buttermilk (make your own using fresh whole milk plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice)
4 eggs at room temperature
260 ml hot strong coffee
2 tablespoons of vanilla

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180°C and grease/ line three 8-inch cake tins.

2) In large bowl, sift in all the dry ingredients. Into another bowl, add all the wet ingredients and give it a quick whisk.  Then add the wet ingredients with the dry and whisk for about 2 minutes until well combined.  The batter will be quite liquid.  Measure out equally and pour into prepared baking tins.

3) Tap the tins on the counter a few times to get rid of the air bubbles.. Bake each layer for about 20-25 minutes, rotating once (if necessary). Cake is done when toothpick or skewer comes out barely clean. Refrain from overbaking. Cool completely on a wire rack in the pan before over-turning.

Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Recipe Adapted from Tish Boyle's "The Cake Book"

Ingredients:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method:

Put chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and place bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the pot and set the chocolate aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat at medium speed untl light and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Add the cooled chocolate at low speed, mixing until blended and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase the speed to high and beat until slightly aerated, about 2 minutes.

Marble Cake

Alright it is another Marble Cake recipe!  You have probably come across so many by now especially if you are not a novice baker. 

The first time I tried out this recipe I made a big boo-boo.  I missed out on adding the baking powder and thought that the cake would turn out tasting really horrible.  Surprisingly it did not.  I even took it to the office and my colleagues liked it. 


The second time I baked this again, I made sure I read the ingredients properly and ticked each one off as I assembled everything together.  The recipe has a few more steps than most usual marble cakes but I have to say that it taste really good.  I actually prefer it the day after as the oil from the butter seems to make the cake more moist and flavourful. 





Marble Cake
Recipe Adapted from Here

Ingredients:

8 large eggs, separated
200g castor sugar
340g unsalted butter
255g all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp orange zest

Method:

1) Preheat oven at 180C (165C for convection fan) with a wire rack in the middle. Line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment, butter and flour. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

2) Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment till light and fluffy.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar till light. Gradually add this into the butter and beat on medium speed till just incorporated.

4) In a separate bowl, with a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold in the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3-4 batches.

5) Add in the dry ingredients gradually until just incorporated. Divide the batter into two, 3/4 in one batch and the rest in another bowl. Add the orange zest into the larger batch.  Then sieve cocoa powder over the lesser batch and fold to mix well. 

6) Pour batter into tin, alternating between the two mixtures, starting with the yellow batter and ending with the cocoa mixture. Rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.

7) With a long skewer, swirl around the batter to create the marble effect. Bake for 40-55 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake come out clean.

Orange Cranberry Cake

There are times when baking a simple, uncomplicated cake seems so right. 

I never did like cooking or baking when I was young.  But I do remember having to help my mum cream butter and sugar whenever she made her chocolate cake.  We didn't own a cake mixer in those days and cakes were always made by hand ... a good old fashion wooden spoon and a big mixing bowl did the trick! 

The very first oven my mum had was a big round stove top type made of aluminium with a glass window. She would place the oven in the corner of the dining room whenever a cake was being baked.  Many years later we managed to purchase a stove built-in oven and this oven lasted us for years.



Orange Cranberry Cake

Ingredients:

170g unsalted butter, softened
260g caster sugar (reduced from original recipe)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4  tsp salt
1/2 cup light sour cream (or you could use greek style yogurt)
2/3 cup dried cranberries soaked in 2 Tbsp orange juice for 15 minutes

Method:

1) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and orange zest.. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in cranberries.

2) Grease and line an 8" round cake pan with parchment paper.  Bake in preheated oven of 350° for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Most Fabulous Banana Cake

I have always time and time again mentioned that I loved baking with bananas. They make such a great addition to desserts and are so easily available in this part of the world. This particular banana cake comes from one of my favourite cook books and it is a moist, dense cake that keeps well even after one week.

Because of the humid weather here in Singapore, I would usually place my unfinished cakes in the refrigerator after 2 or 3 days.  This cake kept extremely well and I just needed to thaw it slightly before having a slice with my morning or afternoon coffee.  It was that delicious and truly well worth it being called "The Most Fabulous Banana Cake Recipe"





The Most Fabulous Banana Cake Recipe
Adapted from "Mix & Bake" by Belinda Jeffery
Serves 12

Ingredients:

225g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 - 4 very ripe banana (about 1 cup), mashed
340g castor sugar
2 eggs
125g unsalted butter, room temperature cut into small chunks
100ml buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

For topping:

2 ripen bananas, slice thinly for topping (optional)
1 Tbsp castor sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C. Butter and line a deep 26cm ring tin or 2 loaf tins

2) Put the flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate sode into a food processor and whiz for about 15 seconds. Remove and tranfer into a bowl.

3) Add the bananas to the processor together with the eggs and sugar.  Whiz for 1 mintue.  Then add the butter and whiz for another minute until thick and creamy. Now add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and pulse in quick on/off bursts.  The add the flour and again mix it in with quick bursts, scrapping down the sides once or twice.  Do not overmix or cake will be tough.  Add the chopped walnuts and give it a quick stir with a spatula.  Scoop batter into prepared tin and smoothen out.

4) Optional: Place the sliced bananas on top of the batter and sprinkle with sugar.  B

5) Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes.  Do not open the oven during baking time or the center may sink.  Cool cake completely before unmoulding.

Prune Kueh Lapis Spekkoek (Indonesian Prune Layer Cake)

In early January this year I attended a Chinese New Year baking class at Shermay's Cooking School. One of the goodies taught by Valerie Kong was the famous Kueh Lapis Spekkoek (Indonesian Layer Cake). I had tried making this layered cake last year but somehow it did not turn out well at all.

So when this class came up, I decided to sign up for it to see how it was actually made.



Kuih Lapis Spekkoek or more popularly called Lapis Legit in Indonesia is a Dutch-Indonesian layered cake. In Indonesian lapis legit literally means (very) rich layer-cake. And you better believe that it is rich! Look at the number of egg yolks, sugar and butter used in the recipe. This cake is made up of very thin layers of cake that are piled on the top of each other. A good lapis legit usually has more than 18 layers. (Mine actually had about 21 layers as I used a slightly smaller baking pan.) This makes the baking of spekkoek a very labour-intensive process. Because of this this cake is rather expensive to buy. Not many people would actually make this at home because of the time required to be set aside in baking one.

The recipe I have posted her does not belong to Valerie Kong as it would not be right to publish it. However I managed to find one that is quite close to hers.





Prune Kueh Lapis Spekkoek (Indonesian Prune Layer Cake)
Recipe from Mad Baker (http://www.madbaker.net/)

Ingredients:

20 egg yolks
4 egg whites
500g salted butter
3 tbsp condensed milk
340g sugar
200g plain flour
2 tsp ground mixed spices
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp rum or brandy
90g pitted prunes, sliced into thin strips (optional)

Method:

1) Butter the base of an 8″ X 8″ X 2.5″ pan and line with baking parchment.

2) Pre-heat your oven, selecting the grill function.

3) Sift the plain flour and mixed spices together.

4) Beat the egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow, thick and creamy.

5) Cream the butter and condensed milk together until soft and fluffy. Add the creamed butter to the egg yolk mixture and mix until combined.

6) Beat the egg whites until medium firm peaks.

7) Fold in the egg whites, followed by the flour mixture into the rest of the batter.

8) Stir in the vanilla essence and rum until well-combined.

9) Spread a thin layer of batter onto the parchment paper.

10) Grill for 7 - 8 mins on the lowest rack in your oven or until lightly golden brown.

11) Remove cake pan from oven and press the baked layer down lightly with a metal fondant smoother. Prick all over the layer of cake with a toothpick.

12) Repeat steps 9 to 11 for each layer. (Optional: Add prunes on every second or third layer).

13) For the last layer, turn the oven down to 180 degrees C and bake on middle rung for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

14) Remove from oven and run a paring knife along the edges of the cake pan.

15) Turn the kueh lapis out of the pan and remove the baking parchment.

16) Flip cake back upright and let cool.

Honey Madeleines

After seeing some of my blogger friends posting up madeleine recipes in their blogs, I was really tempted to try making them and having my very first taste of these cute little cakes. Alright I confess ... I have never had a madeleine before in my life.

For this baking venture, I had to get myself a madeleine mold. Luckily they were on sale at a local baking store and once I got my hands on one, there was no holding back after that!



What exactly are Madeleines? Madeleines are very small sponge cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. A génoise cake batter is used. The flavour of these little cakes are similar to, but somewhat lighter than a traditional sponge cake. So whether you enjoy them plain or dipped in your tea or coffee, these small petit fours make the perfect afternoon treat. There are a number of flavours that could be added to the batter to create different madeleines.

I must say that after having tasted my first Madeleine I will be trying a chocolate variation in the near future.





Honey Madelines
Makes about 24 3" size madeleines
Recipe Adapted from "Joy of Baking"

Ingredients:

113g unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
100g granulated white sugar
1 Tbsp good quality honey
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1) First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter.

2) In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.

3) In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs, honey and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes). Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract and beat to combine.

4) Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it. Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate.

5) Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it. Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm.

6) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans. Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess. (Make sure the pans are well greased or the madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)

7) Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center. (This will result in the classic "humped" appearance of the madeleines.)

8) Bake the madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched. Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

9) Remove the pans from the oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines. Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool. The madeleines are best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

10) When serving dust with confectioners sugar.

Banana Walnut Loaf

I love baking with bananas and am always on the lookout for a good recipe to try out. I baked muffins, cupcakes and cakes with this fruit but have yet to make a banana bread.

I tried out this recipe a few weeks back when my parents were in town paying me a visit. As uaual with all my posted recipes, the amount of sugar has been reduced from the original recipe. I used extremely ripe local bananas called "Pisang Emas" (golden bananas) which very flavourful and sweet. The Banana Bread turned out extremely good, moist and with lots of texture.





Banana Nut Bread
Recipe adapted from "Marthastewart.com"
Print Recipe

Ingredients:

113g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup of white sugar (already reduced from original recipe)
1/3 cup of brown sugar (already reduced from original recipe)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cups chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 cup chocolate chips, preferably dark chocolate

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and then line with parchment paper.

2) Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Leave aside.

3) Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffly, about 4 minutes.

4) Add eggs one at a time and beat until combined. Then add the vanilla extract.

5) Add in the dry ingredients in 2 separate additions and combine. Do not overmix.

6) Then slowly add in the sour cream and bananas and give it a gentle stir. Pour batter into pan and bake for about 45 - 60 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack. You can serve this slightly warm or at room temperature. This loaf keeps extremely well due to the bananas and sour cream.