Traditional Kueh Lapis

It's just less than two weeks to Chinese New Year and I decided I shouldn't procrastinate anymore and get cracking with my Kueh Lapis. Although I felt lazy at the thought of standing for three long hours grilling the cake layer by layer (about 18 layers in total), the thought the end products which is a delicious and melt in the mouth Kueh Lapis gave me the inspiration to do it.  

Among all the Chinese New Year goodies, this moist, delicious and highly addictive cake remains my favourite and nothing comes close! It's definitely not one of the healthier treats around (and I do try to make healthier bakes if I can) but I'm quite happy to put aside my health consciousness to enjoy a few slices of this Kueh Lapis.  

Thousand Layer Cake (Kueh Lapis) – 9 x 9 inch square

Recipe from a Community Centre baking demo by People Associations’s trainer Ms. Tay Tai Song

Ingredients

• 500 g butter (Golden Churn tinned butter spread recommended – freeze the butter overnight then cut into pieces before using)
• 22 pieces of egg yolk
• 8 pieces of egg white
• 300 g of sugar
• 300 g condensed milk
• 220 g cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp lapis spices (Recommended: 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon powder)
• 3 tbsp rum

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 195 to 200 degree Celsius.
• Sift flour and spices together.
• Butter mixture: Beat frozen butter and condensed milk till white, then set aside.
• Egg mixture: Whisk egg whites and baking powder till stiff at medium speed. Add in sugar, then egg yolks one by one.
• Stir in flour into the egg mixture (I used hand folding).
• Mix in butter mixture into egg mixture in 3 rounds using a whisk (I used hand folding).
• Mix in rum till blended in.
• Line a square baking tin with paper, grease the paper well.
• Heat the tin for 2 minutes in the heated oven.
• Weigh out 130 g of batter and spread onto the baking tin. Bake the first layer till well browned.
• Turn the oven to grill mode. Place a second layer of 100g and grill this second layer till brown. Repeat the grilling process for all subsequent layers of 100g each, till all the cake batter is used up.
• Between each layer, press the cake down well using a lapis press.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #27:Through Thick and Thin hosted by Sam of Sweet Sensations. 

Here is the step by step guide on making Kueh Lapis:

Carefully separate your eggs and egg whites. You'll need 22 eggs to extract 22 egg yolks and 8 egg whites. Use the extra egg whites to make macarons or fritattas. 

Sift the cake flour and spices together and set aside. 

You'll need 500 g of butter. I am using 340 g of Golden Churn tinned butter (which comes in a tin) and 160 g of Golden Churn unsalted butter (in a foil wrap). The night before, you'll need to open up the tinned butter on one end and place it in the freezer. 

Cut the butter up all the butter into small pieces using a sharp knife and place it in a mixing bowl. 

Add the condensed milk to the chopped butter and beat it on medium speed till it is stiff, white and creamy. Set aside for later.

Using another clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and baking powder till it is stiff (when you turn the bowl upside down, the egg whites should not drop out). Make sure that your mixing bowl is oil-free or the egg whites may not rise.

With the mixer running, add in the sugar a little at a time into the egg white mixture till it is all gone. Then add the egg yolks one at a time till it each is well incorporated before adding the next one.  

The end result is a thick and creamy mixture. 

Fold the sifted flour and spices into the creamy egg mixture. You can use a whisk. The instructors taught us how to do hand folding (sanitise hands beforehand) as it is the best way not to over-fold but ensure the flour is well mixed in. 

After the flour has been mixed in, add in the thick, white butter/condensed milk mixture in three rounds using a whisk (or hand folding). Make sure it is well mixed in.

Add in 3 tbsp of rum and mix well. 

This is the end result - it looks like a curdled pot of cream.

  

Butter and line the baking tray and heat it in the pre-heated oven for 2 minutes. Get your weighing scale, laddle (or spoon) and lapis press ready. 

The first layer should have 130 to 140 g of cake batter. Spread it evenly at the bottom of the tin and bake in the pre-heated oven (195 to 200 degrees C) till it is golden brown. 

The subsequent layers should be around 100 g each. I usually weigh about 102 to 103 g as some batter will stick to the bowl. 

After the first layer, turn the oven into a grill mode. Place 100 g of cake batter on top of the cake and spread it out well using a laddle/spoon. 

The heat from the cake will melt the butter in the batter and you will get a smooth batter. Send it back to the oven to grill. Keep a close watch as the layers brown very easily. Do this until all the cake batter is used up. 

Between each layer, press down gently using a lapis press.

Chocolate Streusel-Ribboned Cake

The Chocolate Streusel-Ribboned Cake from the book Coffee Cakes: Simple, Sweet and Savory by Lou Seibert Pappas is the next bake for the members of The Home Bakers. The Home Bakers  is hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours. If you are keen to join us, please contact Joyce. 

This is a beautiful fine butter cake and layered (on top and inside) with a delicious cinnamon-chocolate streusel. The streusel is supposed to appear like ribbons weaving through the cake. Mine didn't look that much like ribbons which didn't matter because it was such a delicious cake. The cake texture was moist and fine while the chocolate walnut streusel was crunchy and fragrant/ The contrasting textures went well together. The streusel wasn't exactly very chocolate-y but my whole family enjoyed the cake very much. It  also stayed moist for a few days. According to Pappas, this cake was popular several decades ago and I can certainly understand why - it's definitely a perfect tea time treat!

I baked half the recipe in a six inch tin and regretted that I did not make the full recipe after the first bite. Here is my list of scaled down ingredients. Please go to Louanne's Kitchen for the full recipe.

Chocolate Streusel-Ribboned Cake (6 inch)

Chocolate Streusel

• 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 1/2 tbs unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/6 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 plus 2 tbsp chopped pecans or walnuts

Cake

• 62 g of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 large eggs (I weighed one beaten egg and took out half to get 1/2 an egg)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/8 tsp almond extract (omitted)
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp (a pinch) of salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream (replace with low fat yoghurt)

Black Sesame Cookies

I've a big fan of sesame, especially black sesame and any form it takes - be it ice-cream, bread (here's my Black Sesame Bread), cake or cookies. When I saw Just One Cookbook's Black Sesame cookies, I immediately put it on my to-do list. There's no better time to make these now because Chinese New Year is round the corner and these are just the kind of cookies I would love to serve because they are different from the norm.

I really adore these cookies - they are nutty, not overly-sweet with a  slight hint salty (from the black sesame seeds). The sweet and salty goes well together forming a very unique aftertaste. Fortunately, my kids have the same kind of taste as I do. My three-year-old, who is the most picky of my three when it comes to baked goods, said that these cookies are absolutely delicious. 

These cookies are very easy to make. Nami from Just One Cookbook used her food processor to mix the ingredients. I didn't have one of those so I used my fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients till the mixture resembled fine grains of wet sand. I mixed the egg and black sesame seeds in using a spatula. You can either grind the sesame seeds or keep them whole. I kept them whole for added texture and added two teaspoons of black sesame paste into the dough.

The only bit of trouble I had was forming it into a log and keeping it round. No matter what I did the bottom was still a little flat. As it was a little out of shape, I used my hands to re-shape it before baking. The hot and humid weather in Singapore also caused the cookie dough to soften very quickly once its removed from the refrigerator so you'll need to cut it up fast. Place it back in the refrigerator if you find that its not holding its shape well after cutting.  

Black Sesame Cookies (40 cookies)

Recipe from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbsp, 1/2 cup, 4 oz, 117.4 g)
• 5.6 oz (160 g) all purpose flour
• 1.4 oz (40 g) almond meal
• 2.8 oz (80 g) sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1.4 oz (40 g) roasted sesame seeds (black, white or mixed)
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp black sesame paste (optional)

Method

• Cut the butter into small cubes and keep them refrigerated until ready to use.
• In the food processor, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, and salt. If you don’t have a food processor, you can simply use a bowl to mix all the ingredients. 
• If you want your sesame seeds to be fine texture, add them now. If you prefer to keep the original shape of sesame seeds, add them with egg yolk later on.
• Take out the butter from the refrigerator and mix together. If you use a regular bowl to mix, use a dough/pastry blender to combine the butter into the dry ingredients. (I rubbed the butter into the other ingredients using my hands till the mixture resembled wet sand).
• Lastly add egg yolk. (I stirred the egg yolk and black sesame seeds into the mixture with a spoon)
• If the food processor is small and it doesn’t look like it’s mixed completely, take it out and mix well with a silicone spatula.
• Form the dough into a ball and cut in half.
• Roll it to a log approximately 2” across. For me it’s easier to work when the dough is wrapped in plastic wrap. While rolling, unwrap some parts of plastic wrap then roll again. Form a nice shape. 
• Wrap the logs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C). Remove the dough from plastic wrap and cut into discs about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick depending on your preference.
• Place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container. Cookies will last for a day or two.

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I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

And Made with Love Mondays by Javelin Warrior.

Orange Walnut Loaf

I made this Orange Walnut Loaf by Martha Stewart for December's Cook Like A Star event but didn't manage to post it till now. I really like this loaf because its quick to make and perfect for days when I am rushed for time but need to make something for tomorrow’s breakfast. All I needed to do was to prepare the ingredients and stir them together, just like how muffins are made. These stir-and-bake recipes (no need for mixer) are great for busy mummies!

The first time I made this loaf, I forgot to add in the half cup of oil specified in the recipe. I did not even know till I looked at my newly opened bottle of olive oil sitting on the kitchen counter and it struck me that it had not gone down in volume! I was dreaming while baking :p It was a tad dry but was still very delicious because of the strong orange flavour and crunchy walnuts.

I made this loaf a couple more times after that because my hubby and kid love the orange-y walnut combination.  I substituted the olive oil with low fat yoghurt to reduce calories and because yoghurt would add moisture to the loaf in the same way as oil. 

Orange Walnut Loaf (Serves 6-8)
Recipe adapted from Martha Steward’s Whole Living

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for pan (I substituted with 1/4 cup low fat yoghurt, use up to 1/2 cup yoghurt if you prefer a denser loaf)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest, plus more for garnish
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Brush cake pan with oil, line bottom with parchment; oil and flour parchment and pan. Place walnuts in food processor and pulse until finely ground (be careful not to over process); set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together orange zest, flour, baking powder, salt, and ground walnuts. Make a well in the center of flour mixture and stir in eggs, brown sugar, orange juice, and oil until just moistened; do not overmix.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
4. Serve with sweet yogurt garnished with orange zest, if desired.

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This is for Tea Time Treats hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked

This is for Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays

DBS Masterclass with Chef Mario Caramella

Thank you to Asian Food Channel for extending me an invitation to attend the DBS Masterclass with veteran Italian Chef Mario Caramella. As much as I love Italian food, I've never cooked anything traditionally Italian except for the occasional pasta which probably isn't authentic. 

Originally from Milan, veteran Italian Chef Mario Caramella (pictured below) has cooked in many prestigious kitchens around the world before setting up his casual, fine-dining restaurant inITALY Bar Ristorante along Singapore's Craig Road. 

It was an enjoyable evening filled with laughter as Chef Mario shared his culinary experiences and offered cooking tips stemming from his wealth of experience. What I took away from the evening is that the best cooking is not about following a recipe strictly but done from the heart based on your instinct. 

Chef Mario demonstrated three dishes which were all wonderful. The one I liked best was the Risotto Al Dente with Lobster, Tomatoes and Marjoram (recipe below). You'll notice from the recipe that Chef Mario did not give exact amount of ingredients. That's because he would instinctively adjust the amount while cooking through observing and tasting the food. 

Coming up close to an Italian chef has led me to understand why so Italian chefs are among the finest cooks in the culinary world - not only do they only use the very best ingredients, they are truly passionate in their pursuit of culinary excellence and proud of their traditions. For more information on DBS Masterclasses, please go to AFC's website.

Here's a run down of the evening:

We started off with the Crudo di pesce - a platter which combines several types of fresh raw seafood such as red prawns, Mediterranean sea bass, oysters, Sicilian tuna and scallops. The seafood is marinated in extra virgin olive oil, oregano and passion fruit coulis and served with toast.

I don't eat raw food normally but the sauce made of passionfruit juice, dry oregano, fresh coriander, lemon juice and cayenne pepper provided such a refreshing and aromatic touch to the seafood that I cleaned up the plate. 

The second course of the evening was the Risotto Al Dente with Lobster, Tomatoes and Marjoram. Here is a perfectly cooked risotto where you can taste the delightful fragrance of marjoram, tangy tomatoes and spicy chilli in every bite. The risotto derives it creaminess from the rice starch that is broken down during the cooking process which explains why its important to choose a good quality rice with a high start content. The chef's advice: risotto is meant to be eaten with a fork from the outside in so that the heat is retained even at the last bite. I saved the succulent pieces of lobster for my very last bite. 

Chef Mario and his assistant chef Felix in action at the AFC Studio.

The evening's dessert was Zabaglione with Moscato - a feather light custard made of whisked egg yolks and Moscato mixture is served over a scoop of Peach Sorbet along with a cherry compote and orange zest. 

In celebration of International Day of Italian Cuisine, Italian chefs around the world were serving Tiramisu to their guests and Chef Mario surprised us with his version of the dessert. I've had too many Tiramisus which were either too heavily laden with alcohol and coffee or too soggy. This Tiramisu was perfect - the cream was light and it had just the right amount of everything without being overpowering. Chef Mario's advise is that Tiramisu is meant to taste good and not look good, so we shouldn't worry too much about how its plated when we serve it at home.

We rounded up the meal with a lovely glass of Moscato wine specially selected by and bottled for Chef Mario and only available at his restaurant.

Thank you Asian Food Channel for a lovely evening!

Risotto Al Dente with Lobster, Tomatoes and Marjoram (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 piece of Live Lobster*
• 160 g of Carnaroli Rice
• Chopped Onion (A handful)
• 1 Garlic Clove
• White Wine (Use good quality Chardonnay)
• Tomato Concasse, chopped (Or best quality tomatoes you can find)
• Tomato Sauce, a couple of laddles 
• Majoram (A handful)
• Chicken Stock (Good quality, low sodium)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Italian)
• Fresh chilli, chopped

Method

• Pan sear the lobster meat till it can be removed from the shell easily. Remove from the shell, and cut into small pieces. 
• Place onion and garlic with some olive oil in a thick base casserole.
• Slowly cook until translucent and add in the rice.
• Toast the rice at low flame and pour in some wine and cook till its dry.
• Add in a laddle of hot, boiling chicken stock and stir continuously with a wooden spoon. When the stock is almost gone, add in another laddle of chicken stock. Add in more stock till the risotto is creamy and Al Dente (firm to the bite but not hard - you'll need to keep testing it).
• Add 2 laddles of tomato sauce, a handful of chopped tomatoes and some chopped chilli in between the laddles of chicken stock.
• When the risotto is Al Dente, add the lobster pieces and remove from the fire.
• Add the majoram and season to taste.
• Finish with a sprinkle of olive oil.
• Place on hot plates and serve.

* You can substitute with prawns. There is no need to sear the prawns. Prawns should be cleaned and put into pot when the Risotto is almost Al Dente. 

Corn Flakes Cookies

I've barely packed away my Christmas tree and Chinese New Year is already round the corner. I love this time of the year because we're in a celebratory mood for a few months at a stretch. The Chinese New Year baking frenzy is gaining momentum and these Corn Flakes Cookies are the rage on the Munch Ministry Facebook group. Those who have tried it say it's delicious and highly addictive. With a huge bag of corn flakes calling out to be used, I made these cookies one evening. 

I'm quite a lazy baker and dislike using too many utensils. This cookie recipe is right up my alley because it is very easy and fuss free. I mixed the butter, sugar, egg and flour in one bowl using a spoon and coated the cornflakes in another. 

These cookies turned out really delicious - they are crispy on the outside with loose, buttery crumbs inside. Reviews say that these cookies keep well for a long time inside an air tight container, but they were gobbled up by my three kids before I had a chance to find out if that's true. With its lovely golden hue, I think these cookies are perfect for Chinese New Year.

Corn Flakes Cookies (About 20-25 cookies depending on size)
Adapted from recipe by Molly Tay of Munch Ministry

Ingredients

• 100 g unsalted butter*, softened
• 100 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 175 g self raising flour
• Corn flake, crushed (I used about 3/4 cup)

Method

• Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees C.
• Cream butter and sugar till well mixed using a wooden spoon.
• Add in egg and mix well.
• Add in flour and mix well.
• Use a teaspoon, scoop out a small amount of mixture. Roll it gently into a ball the size of a small fishball (Mine was about 16 g each).
• Coat the ball with corn flakes all over.
• Place on a lined baking tray and gently press down with a fork to flatten it slightly.
• Bake for 15-20 mins till golden brown.
• Cool before removing from baking tray.

* Make sure the butter is soft enough to stir, I left mine outside for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

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I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Have you ever baked a cake without pre-heating the oven? The first time I did that was with the World's Quickest Yeasted Cake - but that is a very different type of cake from this. The Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake calls for the cold oven method which will help the cake rise higher, making it less dense than typical pound cakes. This method also produces a cake with a crispier crust.

I was not disappointed by this recipe. The cake rose high in my loaf pan, had moist, tender crumbs and was light to the bite. The lemon and ginger zest added a tangy yet refreshing aftertaste. I also made a lemon glaze for the cake so that I can use up the juice from the lemon which I zested. I served mine with a dollop of yoghurt and blueberries. My kids enjoyed this cake very much and asked for it again.

One of the problems I've always faced with some types of butter cake is that there are some parts that is a little dense. A couple of methods which has helped me get rid of that problem is ensuring that the butter is really softened and at room temperature (I leave it outside for at least 2 hours) and that I cream the butter and sugar mixture sufficiently till it is pale (white) and creamy.  

During December, the folks at NuNaturals sent me a box of their products to try out in my kitchen. NuNaturals makes diabetic-safe, low glycemic and tooth-friendly sweeteners from Stevia, which is a South American herb that has been used as a natural sweetener for centuries. I reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe and used NuNatural's Liquid Vanilla and Lemon drops to sweeten and flavour the cake further. To make the glaze, I used NuNatural's Presweet Tagatose (which has a fine texture almost like icing sugar) mixed with lemon juice. The liquid sweeteners really enhanced the flavour of the cake the healthier way while the Tagatose made a wonderful glaze - no one could tell it wasn't made of icing sugar. NuNatural products can be purchased directly from their website and they ship worldwide. Use this discount code: BLG0613 (effective until June 30, 2013) for a 15 percent discount.  

Cold Oven Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Half recipe for 1 loaf pan 5 x 9 inch)
From Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman

Ingredients

• 115 g of cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 113 g softened unsalted butter
• 113 g softened cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cup sugar (reduced to 1 cup sugar)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla essence (replaced with 1/4 tbsp Liquid Vanilla Stevia and 1/4 tbsp Liquid Lemon NuStevia)
• 3/4 tbsp freshly grated ginger 
• 1/2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest 

Method

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position.  Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.  
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.  Beat in vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest. 
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour.  When all of the flour has been added, mix for 30 seconds on medium.  
• Pour batter into prepared pan and place in cold oven.  Turn oven to 325 and bake until cake is golden, 65 to 80 minutes (I baked my loaf for about 60 mins). Check for doneness with long wooden skewer.  Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup icing sugar (I used NuNaturals Presweet Tagatose)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method

• Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together till you achieve desired consistency and drizzle over cake. Add more icing sugar if it isn't thick enough. 

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I am submitting this to Bake-Along hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Lena of Her Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids

This is for Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays

This is for Tea Time Treats hosted by Lavender and Lovage and What Kate Baked