Mixed Fruit Cake

Follow from the previous Double Chocolate Banana Cake post, here is the related post on a simple Mixed Fruit Cake which I made especially for Uncle James as he is a big fan of mixed fruit cake. And since I am baking two cakes on the same day using Happy Call Double-sided Pressure Pan (HCP) for demonstration to my aunties; who are all keen in learning how to bake using this new gadget, I have modify the usual traditional fruit cakes recipes to a simplify one.

Compared to the traditional Christmas Mixed Fruit Cake, this one is much easier in term of ingredients preparation and shorter baking time.You can prepared ahead by soaking the mixed fruit with RUM and orange juice the night before to achieve a better flavour or if you are running out of time like me, just make sure you have soaked them at least 10 - 15 minutes.

MIXED FRUIT CAKE

Here I have adapted a similar recipe from the previous Banana Chocolate Cake with Cranberry which I have shared. And instead of using caster sugar, I have replaced it with brown sugar for its natural brown and taste that enhance the appearance and taste of the mixed fruit cake. As for the type of dried fruit you can either purchase those ready-mixed packed available from baking section or you can DIY your own by mixing a few of your favourite fruits such as tangerine peel, apricot, raisin, cherry, ginger and etc together.

(Serves: 30 x 25cm | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
225g All-Purpose Flour(plain flour)
170g Brown Sugar
170g Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
3 Eggs(55g each)
60ml Orange Juice
Rind of 1 Orange
200g Dried Mixed Fruit
2 Tablespoons of RUM/Grand Marnier

Method:-

1. Soak dried mixed fruit with RUM, Orange Juice and Rind for about 10 minutes. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

2. Cream soft butter and brown sugar using a electric beater or hand whisk till pale and creamy.

3. Add one egg at a time, beat till combined before adding in the flour mixture.

4. Using a spatula, fold in sifted flours in 3 batches alternatively with the mixed fruit mixture(add in the liquid as well) till well combined.

5. Slowly scrap mixture into the lightly greased Happy Call Pan(grease 1 teaspoon of oil on both side of the pan using hand or paper towel).

6. Bake on low heat for 12 minutes, slowly shift the pan towards right side so that left side (1/2 of the HCP) of the pan is on the heat, bake for another 6 minutes. Next shift the pan back towards the left side so that right side(1/2 of the HCP) of the pan is on the heat. (the purpose of doing this is to even out the baking as well as give the cake a nice brown colour on the surface when flip over)

7. Lastly, flip the HCP over and bake for another 6 minutes(3 minutes left, 3 minutes right) to have a nice brown top.

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FOR OVEN METHOD:-

1. Follow steps 1 - 4, pour cake batter into a greased 7" square or round tin.

2. Bake in preheated 180° Celsius oven for about 40 - 50 minutes or when a skewer inserted in the center and comes out clean.

BLUEBERRY LEMON BUTTER CAKE

(Preview)

This is another snack preview of my HCP bake cake; Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake made using fresh blueberry. Simply love this light and fluffy lemon taste cake with my favourite blueberry in it. Will update more on the related recipe soon. Stay tune.

CP Ready Meals In 5 Minutes

Even though I might appear to be cooking often over at my recipe blog, I do have time where I just wanted to have some quick and easy meal while enjoying ME TIME watching my favourite TV programs or etc. Hence in order to have some ready meals that resemble home-style cooking, often I would pick up a few varieties of CP Ready Meal from the supermarkets.

As we know, CP ready Meal is with no preservatives added and they are ready for consumption just by simply popping the package into the microwave and cook for about 4 - 5 minutes. So for a chance from the usual hawker food, sometime we do enjoy having this quick dish especially during raining day or supper time.

CP READY MEALS

This is the new CP Chicken Green Curry With Rice which Thai food lover can now enjoy their favourite green curry anytime of the day with minimal fuss. This dish is prepared in an authentic home-cooked style with generous chunks of tender chicken meat, eggplants and fragrant Jasmine rice.

Although this "ready meal" cannot be compared with served in Thai restaurant but for the retail price at S$4.50, this could be something that you would like to stock-up in freezer for a hearty quick lunch/supper.

(Serves: 1 | Preparation: 30 seconds | Cooking: 4-5 minutes)

Cooking Instructions:
1. Remove the outer wrapper before reheating.

2. Using a fork, pierce the clear film on the food container for 3 - 4 times.

3. Cook in microwave for 3.5 minutes at 1,300 watt or 5 minutes at 800 watt.

Note:-

~ You do not need to defrost item before cooking.

If you prefer noodles than rice, perhaps you can try their hearty spaghetti. CP Spaghetti with Chicken Sauce will satisfy your palate with delicious al dente spaghetti enriched with flavorsome tomato-based sauce which includes lean minced chicken. I love the way it separate the sauce and noodles so as the texture of the noodles would not be affected by the sauce and we also can mix in the sauce base on our preference.

Other than this two new products mentioned above, there is also "Teriyaki Chicken with Rice" and "Stir-fried Chicken and Basil with Rice" all available at major supermarkets, Cheers or 7-11 outlets.

{Lunchbox} Aglio e Olio and Homemade Teriyaki Chicken

Since this week is the March School Holiday break, I have more control over the timing and presentation while preparing our lunch menu. Here we have something different from our usual school day lunch where I spent an extra 15 minutes plating up the dish in cute lunchbox with appealing decorations.

I think most of the kids might not like green vegetables, sweetcorn or even root vegetables such as carrot or onion. So in order to get kid's enjoy their meal, as a parent we can make something appealing for their eyes using simple tools and decorations. With a flower food cutter and cute food picks I managed to come out with this quick and simple lunchbox which I am sure even the adults can't resists having some for themselves too.