[Recipes + Videos] Mother's Day Cake Ideas

Mother's Day is just a few days away and to avoid the festive crowds I am sure many of you have already celebrated it ahead. But if you are still planning to bake something for mum this coming Sunday, perhaps you might like to take a look at 3 of our feature recipes below.

To cater for different preference we have light and spongy Sakura Matcha Chiffon that filled with light floral scent. Or for a good after meal dessert go for 1-Pot Chocolate Cake which is rich and moist to serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Selamat Hari Raya with Chocolate Cornflake Cups vs Oatmeal & Dates Cookies

Today, 28 July 2014 is a public holiday in Singapore where the Muslim celebrates Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Hari Raya literally means ‘celebration day’ whereas Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the day that marks the end of Ramadan in the Islamic holy month of dawn-to-sunset fasting. For us we are fortunate to have Malay neighbour who always share their lovely bakes and dishes with us and every year during Hari Raya we are also blessed with delicious treats too.

[Wordless Wednesday] Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie

Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie with moist and rich texture!

Chocolate Banana Kugelhop vs Wholemeal Apple Tea Cake

Chocolate Banana Kugelhop vs Wholemeal Apple Tea Cake

For the month of May, our baking collaboration with Bake King features two healthy tea cake recipes such as Chocolate Banana Kugelhop and Wholemeal Apple Tea Cake. These cakes are made with less sugar; without butter, oil or eggs which are great for those who are concern with their waistline or carbs intake. And most important these cakes are very easy to prepare and they are naturally sweeten using real fruits which are added into the cake.

[4 Recipes] Overnight Oats (隔夜燕麦) - Part II

Like most people, I always thought that eating oatmeal is something boring and tasteless which often given to us when we are not feeling well. But recently after trying these "overnight oats" for two weeks it totally changed our perceptions about oats plus it definitely has transform our usual daily breakfast into something more appetizing and nutrition. 

And just to warn you these overnight oats are very addictive and you can hardly stop with just a bowl! Moreover they are also very versatile which you could create many different flavour out of it by adding a little bit of this and that. Below are three quick combination which we love and I hope they suits your taste buds too.

Japanese Dark Pearl Chiffon Cake - 日式黑珍珠戚风蛋糕

Japanese Dark Pearl Chiffon

Being a chiffon cake lover, I am always excited to explore new flavour so when I saw Eileen's Japanese Dark Pearl Chiffon photo on my Facebook timeline. I immediately bookmarked the recipe because of its unique name plus the use of "dark chocolate" as one of the key ingredients.

Just to share this recipe was initially from Aunty Yochana website many years ago and bakers who tried all shared good review on it even till now. This recipe is slightly different from the chocolate chiffon cake which I made previously because it had a richer taste and moist texture which similar to those Japanese Souffle Cheesecake.

[Valentine's Bakes] Chocolate Flourless Cake and Chocolate Raspberry Tart

[Valentine's Bake] Chocolate Flourless Cake

One more day to Valentine's Day and I am sure most of you have already prepared or going to get some lovely gift(s) for your dearest. But if you are still looking for quick and easy valentine's day recipes; here we have a ready in 30 minutes (including preparations and baking) Chocolate Flourless Cake recipe for you.

To prepare this cake, you can easily get the "heart-shaped pan" from Daiso like what we did then grab some good quality of Dark Chocolate (I bought the Cadbury 70% dark chocolate) and Strawberries and  you are ready to make one.

[Christmas Bake] Cranberry Almond Shortbread And Christmas Donuts

Christmas is just another 4 days from now and I am sure most of you are busying with the festive bakes such as Christmas Fruit Cake, Fruit Mince Pie, Gingerbread Man, Christmas Stollen and etc to share as gifts for friends or serve them together with the festive feast. Here with our recipe collaboration with Bake King, we have another two Christmas Bake ideas which might comes in handy for your last minutes bake too.

Shortbread is one of my favourite cookies to enjoy with a cup of freshly brewed tea and in order to make some good quality of shortbread it is very important to use quality butter and pure vanilla extract to enhance the taste. Furthermore you can have different flavour and texture by adding cocoa powder, espresso powder or lemon zest plus a small amount of cornflour to the all-purpose flour to achieve that melt-in-your-mouth shortbread.

Recipes Using Samsung Smart Oven (MC32F606) - Part II

I have shared Part I of my Samsung Smart Oven MC32F606 recipes last week, featuring some of its cooking features to prepare quick meals such as "slim fry" chicken mid-joints, baked pumpkin rice, grilled salmon, etc. And in this Part II recipes post, I will be featuring some sweet treats such as chocolate chips muffins, apple chips and homemade yogurt which utilises the Convection and Auto Fermentation features of the oven.

Fall Recipes Using Pumpkin For Halloween

Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries which falls on October 31. Although we don't really celebrate Halloween through the traditional trick-or-treat party but for the past three years I have being sharing some Halloween Themed Recipes during this time of the year. For this year instead of the usual savory dishes I decided to bake some sweet treats (cakes) for our afternoon tea.

And since Pumpkin is one of the most common ingredients for Fall recipes, I decided to use it to make my favourite Pumpkin Cheesecake (mini version) and Pumpkin Chia Seeds Chiffon Cake.

Baked Mini Matcha Donuts

Two weeks ago, I saw one of my blogging friend Nami (JustOneCookBook) she made some really  mouthwatering Green Tea Donuts that triggers my craving for baked donuts. So last week after getting a new bottle of Matcha (green tea) powder and digging out my mini donut tray which hidden somewhere in the storeroom. I made some matcha donuts too!

Assorted Mini Donuts (recipe) that I made 2 years ago using Blueberry Yogurt.

I still remembered a few years back when there was a donut craze in Singapore where you can find queues everywhere outside donut outlets like Donut Factory. And during that time I even followed the craze and baked donuts with assorted toppings like what shown above.

[4 Recipes] Quick and Easy Meal With Bosch MSM6 ErgoMixx Hand Blender

With the new gadget Bosch ErgoMixx Hand Blender added into my kitchen pantry, I decided to work on a lunch menu to test out its features and functions to blend, process and whisk. In this post, I will be sharing four recipes using those functions which I am quite happy with the end results.

Actually before using the hand blender I did a Google search on it's review; and I am pretty distracted with some of the negative reviews on it's universal cutter and blender. But all those worries were put in vain after I tested out the blender with the recipes shown below. Now I am glad that I can easily handle small amount of ingredients using this reliable blender.

[Wordless Wednesday] Chocolate And Mint Chiffon Cake Recipe

[Wordless Wednesday] Double Chocolate Loaf Cake Recipe

*For Double Chocolate Loaf Cake:-
- 100g 70% Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
Add half add into the batter and use the remaining for toppings.

[Wordless Wednesday] Banana Chocolate Loaf With Nuts

The Cocoa Trees Members’ Night

Last Thursday evening, we were invited to attend The Cocoa Trees Members’ Night at it's Raffles City Boutique together with some bloggers and Cocoa Trees club card members. It was indeed a fun night with Chocolate Demo and Samplings plus our first experience with Chocolate Hand Scrub too.

{Chocolate Sampling} At the Chocolate Sampling table there are many assorted chocolate and candies from Kagi, Milka, Bassett's, Valrhona and etc.

{Chocolate Dipping Demo} Look at the strawberries, they look so gorgeous after being transformed from the chocolate dipping demo. It is so fun and creative to decorate your own chocolate coated strawberries, marshmallows or biscuits which makes them not only taste good but look presentable too.

Moreover I find this is a great idea to let kids have fun creating their own chocolate dipping with  fruits/marshmallows using those colourful decor shown above during Birthday party or Christmas event.

{Chef Demo} During the Chef Demo event there are array of Chocolate Desserts such as KägiMisu, The Belgian Gavottes Truffles, Ritter Sport Cocoa Mousse and Droste Trifle Chocolate made by Chef John Sawarto to whet the appetite of all chocolate lovers.

Chef Sawarto demonstrating on how to make the Ritter Spot Cocoa Mousse.

Recipe for Kagi Misu

Recipe for The Belgian Gavottes Truffles

Apart from the "chocolate treats" there is also a mini Chocolate Hand Scrub counter which allows members and guests to enjoy the luxuriating treat of chocolate scrub which is done by professional therapists. From the photo above, you could see even my 8 years old is enjoying himself with the special chocolate treat.

If you are interested to find out more details on Chocolate Hand Scrub or doing manicure/pedicure at the comfort of your own home, you could contact Ms Yani from "Three-N Nails" at nuryanirasid@ymail.com. 

Light refreshment for the night with Bee Hoon Goreng , Honey Chicken Wings, Steamed Chicken Siew Mai, Steamed Mini Soon Kueh and etc from Deli Hub (by Neo Garden Catering Group).

SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE TREATS

Have a break... Have a Kit Ka! I am sure most of us would have a pack or two in the fridge or office drawer to snack on.

Ritter Sport is one of my boy's favourite chocolate brand and he always go for the "Assorted Minis Gift Pack" or Milk Chocolate.

Kagi Wafer Bar which I always stock-up in the fridge. Love the Dark Chocolate and RUM flavour. Now I could even use them to make Kagi Misu (recipe shown above) for coming festive gathering.

To our surprise, we even found Angry Birds and Green Pig Fruit Gummy which is a good news for Angry Birds fans. While eating these gummy you could also play real-life Angry Birds Game with those shaped-alike Angry Birds, Green Pig, blocks, eggs and etc items that looks similar in the game.

Gavottes is a range of superior French biscuits and cookies and our family love their Dark Chocolate coated Crepes and Earl Grey Tea Butter Cookies.

With the wide varieties of over 40 international renowned brands including Belgian, Hershey's, M And M's, Ritter Sport, Swiss Delice, Toblerone and etc I am sure you would definitely find something that suits your or as a gift for coming Christmas season.

A chocolate party will not be complete without chocolates and goodie bags! So for those who attends the party, a goodie bag filled with International brands chocolates from The Cocoa Trees was given as appreciation gift.

Lastly I would like to thank Cassandra from FOCUS Network Agencies (S) Pte Ltd and The Cocoa Trees for the media invite.

THE COCOA TREES
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-43
Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 171903
Telephone: (65)6337 2377

Operating Hours:
10.00am to 10.00pm (daily)

Culinary Master Class At Waterfall Cafe, Shangri-La Hotel

A few week ago, I was invited to attend a Culinary Master Class by Chef de Cuisine Stephane Cocu at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore’s new Waterfall Café. This homely and relaxing cafe was officially opened on 19 July 2012 serving savour healthy yet creative dishes inspired by Mediterranean flavours.

Over the years, Chef Stephane's talents have been recognised by many Michelin-starred establishments, such as Le Crayeres in Reims, Restaurant Comme Chez Soi in Brussels and Restaurant Daniel in New York.

Being inspired by Mediterranean culinary philosophy, Chef Stephane crafted a simple menu that embraces the quality of eating well. Immensely passionate about the use of herbs, smoked salts, vinegars and exotic spices, Chef Stephane’s dishes are refreshing and light on the palate.

Above shows the 3 course menu which Chef Stephane had prepared for the Master Class workshop and these dishes are also available at Waterfall Cafe together with other dishes on their menu.

This is their cosy private dining room at Waterfall Cafe, featuring a fully functional show kitchen which is ideal for cooking workshops, small gatherings or corporate retreats.

Being a true advocate of healthy dining, Chef Stephane ensures that all products are sourced from sustainable origins and are free from hormones, pesticides and antibiotics. Here I am sharing 3 recipes of the dishes that we had during the Culinary Master Class workshop which I sure you could also try it out at home using similar ingredients.

WATERMELON AND TOMATO SALAD

A very refreshing starter with using Watermelon, mint leaves and some spices and seasoning that is prepared by Chef Stephane. 

(Serves: 1  | Preparation: 10 minutes )

Ingredients:

• 100g Fresh Tomato
• 100g Fresh Watermelon
• 20g Aragula Salad
• 15g Black Olive(pitted)
• 10g While Grain Mustard
• 40g Parmesan Cheese
• 25g Olive Oil
• 30g Red Onion(sliced) 5g Fresh Mint
• 2g Fresh Basil
• 15g Honey Vinegar

Method:-
1. Cut watermelon into cubes of 1 cm each. Slice sherry vine tomatoes into quarters. Chop fresh mint. Sliced pitted black olives and red onions.

2. To make the crispy parmesan cheese cracker, begin by preheating oven to 150 degree Celsius. Spread parmesan cheese in a non-stick pan and place it in the oven. Bake parmesan cheese until it becomes a nice, blond colour. Remove it and let it cool so that it will get crispy.

3. In a mixing bowl, throw in watermelon cubes, tomatoes, chopped fresh mint, olives and onions. Season with 10g of honey vinegar, 15g of olive oil, whole grain mustard. Add in salt and pepper as preferred. Set aside for later use.

4. In a soup plate, season arugula salad with the remaining oil and honey vinegar. Line the plate with arugula salad before placing the mixture from step 3 on the salad.

5. Garnish salad with crispy parmesan cheese cracker.

Chef's Tip:
~ If the watermelon is not sweet, you may add hone as preferred.

~ Mint leaves can be replaced by basil according to your preference.

ALT ANTIC COD IN BARLEY RISOTTO

Fresh, succulent Atlantic cod with barley risotto, pequillo peppers, Vadoucan emulsion. This is a unique risotto where Chef Stephane replaced rice with organic barley. 

(Serves: 1   | Preparation: 30 minutes   | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 150g Fresh Cod Fish
• 50g Organic Barley
• 30g Pequillo Pepper
• 30cl White Wine
• 30g White Onion
• 100g Heavy Cream
• 100g Milk
• 5g "Vadouvan" spice blend
• 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/2 Lime
• A Zest Orange
• A Zest Lemon
• Salt and Pepper

Method:-
1. Dice white onion into 3mm thick.

2. In a large pot, suet diced onions with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and fresh butter until the onions are tender and colourless.

3. Add barley to pot and suet for 2 minutes. While stirring the mixture, pour in white wine and let it boil until the wine has evaporated completely. Next, cover the mixture with water.

4.Season barley with salt and pepper as preferred. Add a zest of orange and lemon and continue to stir the risotto as it cooks. When the liquid has almost evaporated and risotto is still too "al dente". you can add a bit of water and let it cook again until the barley becomes tender.

5. Boil milk and heavy cream. Add "Vadouvan" spice blend (consists of fenugreek, cumin, onion and garlic), salt and pepper and let it infuse for 30 minutes. The sauce should turn to a strong yellow colour. Add lime juice.

6. Split pequillo pepper into half and remove the seeds. Cut them into triangles and set aside for later use.

7. In a non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Using low heat, sear cod fish on one side until it turns dark blond with a crispy exterior. Flip fish over an turn off the flame. Leave fish to cook in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before removing it.

8. In a pasta bowl, put barley risotto and place fish on top. Spread warm triangular pequillo peppers on fish. Drizzle sauce over the dish ad serve.

Chef's Tip:
~ For a big piece of cod fish, you may slice it into 1cm thick so it cooks better.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

As a chocolate lover, I dote this cake flourless cake a lot. I love it's semi-moist texture with a rich chocolate after taste which I would definitely try making some with this recipe soon.

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
90g Dark Chocolate
33g Water
50t Sugar
60g Butter
2 Egg

Method:-
1. Prepare a pot to boil water and sugar.

2. Add chocolate to a mixing bowl and set aside for later use. Dice butter to soften it.

3. When the water and sugar has boiled, pour them into the mixing bowl with chocolate. Stir well until chocolate melts completely. Next, add in butter, bit by bit.

4.Crack an egg into the mixture and stir well. Repeat this step for the other egg.

5. Set the mixture aside so that it gets thick. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven at 160 degree Celsius. Using a brush, oil your pastry ring (or a ramequin, if preferred).

6. Pour the mixture into the pastry ring until it is 2/3 filled and bake it for 15 minutes.

7. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes before you serve it warm with a scoop of bourbon vanilla ice-cream.

Some of the snacks, bread and beverages that are available in the cafe. Love their organic juice and soda too!

A cosy corner which is good choice for an afternoon tea gathering

With a seating capacity of 92, including 24 seats in the al fresco area, Waterfall cafe is open from 6:30 am to 10:30pm daily, except dinner on Sundays. It also serve as an all-day dining cafe starting from breakfast, light snacks, lunch and dinner.

WATERFALL CAFE
Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore
22 Orange Grove Road
Singapore 258350
Reservation: (65) 6213 4138
Website: http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall-cafe/

Opening Hours: Daily (except Sundays)

~ Breakfast; 6.30am - 11am

~ Light Snacks; 11am - 12pm, 3pm - 6pm

~ Lunch; 12pm - 3pm

~ Dinner; 6pm - 10.30pm