Rolled Pineapple Tarts

Pineapple tarts is one of my all-time favourite cookies. It's a must for Deepavali and I make it every year. My sis, mum and hubby love it but not my kids. However last Sunday I bought a bottle of jam tarts from a friend. To my surprise my second son started eating the tarts and could not put the bottle down. He was a bit upset that I just bought a bottle. I told him I will make some for him since I always like to cook and bake for my family. So I googled a couple of recipes and made this one up. I like the pastry to be a bit firm, not hard and not the melt-in-your mounth type. The jam should also be a little soft so that both the pastry and the jam complement each other. I will bake this later and let us see if this recipe turns out the way I want the rolled tarts to be.

Ingredients

250g butter, at room temperature
50g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 egg yolks

100g custard powder ( I am planning to use 50g of corn flour and 50g of custard powder)
375g all purpose flour
2 tbps milk powder or condensed milk

egg yolk for glazing (I normally use the whites and add a drop of egg yellow colouring and a drop of vanilla essence- works the same in my opinion) 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2, Sift all pupose flour, corn flour, custard powder and milk powder.
3. In a bowl beat butter and icing sugar together for a 1-2 minutes
4. Beat in the egg yolks, essence and condensed milk (if using this instead of the milk powder)
5. Fold in the flour and mix until you get a soft dough.
6. Pipe the dough out using the jam tarts mould.
7. Place a jam on one edge of the pastry and roll the dough over. Cut the pastry where at the
    point the pastry covers the jam. You can also overlap the pastry a bit.
7. Glaze with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes.
8. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Kerala Pazham Pori a.k.a Kerala Banana Fritters

Another one of my favourite tea time snack. When I was in Kerala on holidays with the family, we stayed at the Greenwoods Resort in Thekkady. They served Pazham Pori for breakfast and it had cumin in the crispy batter. For me eathing Pazham Pori with a cup of tea/coffee is like getting one step closer to heaven. Simple pleasures in life that makes you feel so contented. My comfort snack for life...

Ingredients

10 pisang berangan/pisang emas, skinned

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of rice flour
1/2 tsp of fine salt
1 tsp baking powder (optional, you can add it if you want a crispier skin)
2 tbsps oil
a pinch of turmeric , for colour
2 tsps of cumin
2 tsps of sesame seeds (optional, I did not add this. Might do so the next time I make this)
1 cup water
oil for deep frying
Directions
1. Sift rice flour and all purpose flour and baking soda if using.
2. Add in salt and turmeric powder.
3. Mix in water and the 2 tbsps oil until you get a thick batter.
4. Lastly add in the cumin and sesame seeds if using.
5. Heat until with medium high heat
6. Dip each banana in batter and deep fry until golden and crispy

Enjoy with a hot cup of chaya.........

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Peanut Cookies

Ingredients

200g roasted peanuts - grind until fine
200g red rose flour/ all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g icing sugar
1/4 tsp fine salt (blend with some flour from the 200g of flour)
100g peanut/corn ould

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp of water

Directions

1. Sift flour, salt, baking powder and icing sugar together.
2. Add in the ground peanuts and mix well.
3. pour in the peanut/corn oil and essence and mix until well. If mixture is too crumbly, add a
    little more oil. Dough should be soft enough to form a ball when rolled between your palms
4. Roll cookie dough into small balls and place it on a baking tray.
5. Brush cookies with egg wash and bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is slighlty brown.

Rich Moist Durian Butter Cake

Ingredients

250g butter
200g castor sugar
6 eggs
100ml condensed milk
3 tsps vanilla essence

Sift together:
250g all purpose flour
2 tbsps custard powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Blend/Mash together:
250g durian flesh
4 tbsps milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Cream butter and sugar and light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat well after each addition.
4. Beat in vanilla essence and condensed milk.
5. Fold in flour, alternating with the the blended/mashed durian flesh.
6. Pour cake batter into a greased 8" x 8" cake pan.
7. Bake at 180C for the first 20 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 160C and bake for
    another 40 minutes or until the cake is cooked through.
8. Remove cake from pan and leave it to cool.

Makmur Cookies / Biskut Makmur

This is another great cookie that both my husband and I love. My husband's colleague used to make these cookies and we used to buy these cookies from her. After she left the company, I decided to try making these cookies myself. I put this recipe together after reviewing a couple of recipes on the net and it turned out quite good and quite close to the one my husband's colleage used to make.

Ingredients

Sift together:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour / rose flour
1/2 cup custard powder
1/2 tsp fine salt (take a little flour and blend it together so that the salt gets powdered)

100g butter, at room temperature
100g ghee
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup icing sugar

1 cup roasted peanuts - ground roughly
1/2 cup castor sugar
some corn oil or condensed milk to bind the peanuts and sugar together

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 180 C.
2.   Mix butter and ghee together. Just mix for under a minute.
3.   Mix in the egg yolk followed by the icing sugar.
4.   Slowly add in sifted dry ingredients (flour, custard powder, salt)
5.   Mix until everything is well combined. You can add a bit more ghee or butter until you get a  
      soft dough.
6.   In a separate bowl, mix together the ground peanuts, sugar and oil/condensed milk. take
      about 1 tsp of peanut and form into an oval shape.
7.   Take a little dough (1/2 tbsp) and form a ball. Flatten the ball and add in the peanut that was
      formed into oval shapes. Close the dough around the peanut to conceal the peanut.
8.   Shape the cookie into ovals and pinch the top of the cookie to make it look like a leaf.
9.   Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bottom is slightly brown.
10. Once the cookies are cool. Dust with icing sugar and store it.

Enjoy!!!

Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

250g butter, at room temperature
500gms icing sugar - sifted
1-2 tablespoons of milk depending on consistency

Directions

1. Beat butter until it is light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add in icing sugar and mix
3. Start adding 1 tablespoon of milk and beat.
4. Add more milk for a softer buttercream icing and less for a stiffer icing.

Normally I use stiffer icing for piping out shells and the smoother icing to cover cake.

Magnolia Bakery's Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/creamy-vanilla-frosting/3-r-65579#ixzz1yt78A4Fa

Ingredients

6 tbsp all-purpose flour		2 cups sugar
2 cups milk		2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted butter, softened

Directions

Prep: 5 min Total:

1.  In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 mins. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 mins.

2.   In a large bowl, on the medium high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 mins, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 mins until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well.

3.   Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat on the medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 mins (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately.

Magnolia Bakery's Red Velvet Cake

Recipe courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

I have tried out several recipes for Red Velvet Cake and this is my favorite. Cake is really delicious and moist.

Ingredients

3 ½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)		1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened		1 ½ tsp salt
2 ½ cups sugar		1 ½ cups buttermilk
3 large eggs, at room temperature		1 ½ tsp cider vinegar
6 tbsp red food coloring		1 ½ tsp baking soda
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa		1 batch Creamy Vanilla Frosting (see link below)

Directions

Prep: 20 min Total:

1.       Preheat oven to 350°F(180C). Grease and lightly flour a cake pan .

2.       To make the batter: In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 mins. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.

3.       In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overbeat. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

4.      Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and bake the cupcakes, switching positions of the pans halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan 10 mins, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack before icing. To ice, mound about 1/4 cup of frosting on top of each cupcake and use an icing spatula to make a swirl on top. Decorate with red sanding sugar.

Creamy Vanilla Frosting

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/creamy-vanilla-frosting/3-r-65579#ixzz1yt78A4Fa

Ingredients

6 tbsp all-purpose flour		2 cups sugar
2 cups milk		2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted butter, softened

Yield: 24 Servings

Directions

Prep: 5 min Total:

1.       In a medium-size saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 mins. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temperature, about 30 mins.

2.       In a large bowl, on the medium high speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter for 3 mins, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating continuously for 3 mins until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well.

3.       Add the cooled milk mixture, and continue to beat on the medium high speed for 5 minutes, until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 mins (no less and no longer—set a timer!). Use immediately.

Kerala Unniappams



Kerala Unniappams

 After my trip to Kerala, I was so inspired to try out this recipe. I must say that this recipe turned out better than the unniappams I had in Kerala. It is so great with a cup of "chaya" for our favourite family  "Chaya Time" or "4 mani palagarams".

My Unniappam pan that I bought in Jogjakarta 

The batter 

Batter consistency

Frying the unniappams

 Unniappams after being turned over 

Ingredients    

2 cups rice flour lightly roasted (I used Easwari Mill Rice flour which is already lightly roasted. I did not have to roast the flour any further)

2 tbsp all purpose flour

½ cup or less brown sugar (I used brown castor sugar and added some gula Melaka syrup for additional flavour and colour)

½ - ¾  tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

3 pisang berangan (mashed with hands)

5-4 cardamom pods (take a bit of rice flour from the 2 cups of rice flour and grind this with the cardamom pods and add it back to the flour)

50 gms coconut flesh (cut into pieces and roasted in oven until brown)
2 tsps black sesame seeds
1 tsp white sesame seed - roasted slightly

Directions

1. Mix everything together and add water a little at a time until the batter comes to a a dropping consistency. Around 1-1 ½ cups of water
2. Leave batter aside for around ½ hour to 1 hour
3. After about 1 hour or so, heat a unniyappam pan and pour in some oil, at least half full.
4. Drop spoonfuls of batter into the unniyappam mould.
5. Make a 180 deg turn  once the bottom of the  unniyappam is firm enough to be flipped over.
6. Pick unniyappams with a toothpick when they are evenly browned.
7. Leave the appams on a paper towel to aborb the oil.
8. Let the unniyappms cool down and enjoy with a hot cup of masala tea.

Note: Unniappams turned out very well. Was not too sweet, was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfect…. :)))

I actually got my bronze unniappam pan in Jogjakarta. Of course it is not called a unniappam pan there but something else....

Moist Butter Cake

This is one of the moist butter cake recipes that I love. Cake turns out super moist and delicious. Goes well with buttercream icing.

Ingredients

• 1 cup / 225gm butter
• 1/2 cup / 100gm castor sugar (I only used about 50gms only)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup / 250ml condensed milk
• 1/2 cup / 125ml fresh milk
• 2 cups / 200gm Self Raising Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder (omit if using SRF, include if using plain flour)
• 3 ½ tsps vanilla essence, 1 ½ tsps rose essence

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy (almost white )
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Mix vanilla & rose essence with milk.
5. Add in condensed milk and fresh milk to the butter mixture and lastly fold in flour
6. Pour into an 8” or 10” cake tin and bake in a preheated oven at 180oC for about 45- 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Turn out on a cake rack and cool before frosting the cake

Moist Blackcurrant Butter Cake

Ingredients

250g Butter at room temperature (I used Butter Lite – gives a good aroma)

200g castor sugar

2 tbsps condensed milk (optional but I added it)

250 gms eggs at room temperature( ~ 5 eggs without shell)

150gms dried blackcurrants

240gms all purpose flour }

5 gms baking powder       }  sifted together

50gms milk (I used ½ & ½ with evaporated milk and low fat milk)

Directions

1.                  Preheat oven to 180oC,

2.                  Beat butter and sugar until light and pale

3.                  Add in eggs one at a time at the highest speed on the mixer, beating well after each.

4.                  Mix blackcurrants into the sifted flour with baking powder and mix thoroughly.

5.                  Add 1/3 of the flour and currant mixture into the egg and butter mixture and mix on low speed. Alternate this with milk and ensure to end with flour

6.                  Pour batter into a greased baking tin and bake in the middle or lower rack until done.

Easy Chocolate Topping

Ingredients

1 can condensed milk (484gms can)
3/4 cocoa powder
1 tsbp butter

Directions

Mix everything together and double boil until topping becomes glossy and well mixed. Cool and pour over cake.

Moist Chocolate Cake

This is one of the moist chocolate cake recipes that I love and so does my family. The cake is extremely simple to make and simply delicious. I have made this cake quite a number of times. I took this recipe from Mamafami's blog (thanks Mamafami for sharing this recipe) and tweaked it a litttle to my liking.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cups castor sugar (Original recipe called for 2 cups but I used only one cup of sugar )
¾ cup cocoa powder (I used VanHouten Cocoa powder)
1 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk (1 used 1 tbsp of vinegar + 1 cup of low fat milk)
1 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1 cup boiling water + 1 tablespoons nescafe granules

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Grease and line a 8" cake pan.

3. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder together. Mix castor sugar into the sifted ingredients.This makes the dry ingredients.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla essence and  oil until it is well mixed. This makes the wet ingredients.

5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well(I just used a whisk) .

6. Dissolve coffee in boiling water and add it to cake mixture. Mix well.

7. Pour cake mixture into the greased cake pan and bake for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until done. (Since this is a slow bake cake, it took about 1 1/2 hours to bake in my oven).

8. Invert the cake onto a plate to cool.

9. Once cake has cooled complety, pour chocolate topping and decorate with chocolate rice.