Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese and Yogurt Frosting

This is my second attempt within a few days as I am keen to make some improvements to my previous attempt. This time round, I added a layer of frosting which turned out to complement the fresh blueberries really well. The frosting was made using cream cheese and blueberry yogurt. The sponge cake was spongy as sponge cakes should be and being mild in taste, it allows the fragrance of the frosting and the blueberries to take the lead in taking over your senses.

Recipe: adapted from  美味糕点新主张

Ingredients: 

For the sponge cake:

35 g fresh milk

45 g unsalted butter

90 g egg yolk

20 g fine sugar

120 g egg white

60 g fine sugar

90 g low protein flour

Method:

1 ) Put fresh milk and unsalted butter in a container.  Use double boil method to melt the butter. Leave for later use.

2)  In another mixing bowl  put sugar and egg yolk together over hot water, using a hand electric  mixer to beat till colour turns pale and thick.

3) In another mixing bowl beat egg white  with sugar in 3 batches till stiff and peak form.

4)  Mix method (2) into method (3) mix well.

5) Add in shifted flour into method (4) in 3 batches till well incorporated.

6) Take a small portion of method (5) add to method (1).

7)  Then pour everything back to method (5) mix well.

8)  Pour or spoon batter into paper cups till 3/4 full.  Bake in preheated oven at 170 deg C for 20 minutes.

   

For the Cream cheese frosting:

80 g cream cheese ( at room temperature)

100 g unsalted butter  (at room temperature)

30 g icing sugar

45 g  plain yogurt  (I used blueberry yogurt)

Method:

1)  Beat soften cream cheese, icing sugar and unsalted till smooth and fluffy. Then gradually add in yogurt and mix well.  Transfer to a pipping bag and pipe on the cupcakes.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake - 蓝莓戚风蛋糕

Never came across blueberry that could be so cheap - 3 pkts  (125 g x3) in total less than S$7!  So I decided to heed heaven's call and went ahead to buy and add to my collection of cakes. however, these blueberries came with a tinge of sourness and didn't have the fragrance of blueberries I expected.


Recipe: 

Ingredients:
(A)
110 g  egg white
55 g caster sugar
1/2 tablespoon corn flour

(B)
40 g egg yolk
36 g corn oil
50 g fresh blueberry puree
60 g fresh blueberry
55 g low protein flour
1 tsp  lemon juice

Method:
Chiffon cake method.
1) Beat ingredients (A) till stiff but not dry.
2)  Mix Ingredients  (B)  all together till a smooth mixture.
3)  Pour cake mixture into a 17 cm clean and  non-greased chiffon cake tin.
4)  Bake in a preheated oven at 160 deg C for 40 minutes or until cooked.
5)  Remove from oven, invert the cake tin immediately.  Let it cool completely. Remove cake from the mould.  Slice into pieces and serve.

Chocolate Molten Lava Bread - 巧克力爆浆面包

There is one bakery shop near my place that sells very good and soft buns with as many different types of fillings you can name.  I personally like their salted egg yoke buns and creamy yam buns. They are really delicious.

Today I boldly tried to replicate their chocolate buns. As you can see from the pics above, the result is a success. The chocolate filling is really like molten lava, oozing from the interior as you peel the soft bun apart. Yummy and chocolatey. Next challenge? I shall try with salted egg... stay tuned.... 

Recipe:

Ingredients:

300 g bread flour

5 g instant yeast (1.1/4 teaspoon )

65 g sugar

30 g cocoa powder

5 g salt

50 ml fresh milk

150 ml cold water

40 g butter (at room temperature)

Method:

1) Combine bread flour, cocoa powder,  sugar, and salt in a mixer. Stir in fresh milk and cold water, beat until forms dough.

2) Add in butter continue to beat until a smooth and elastic dough is formed.

3) Cover dough with a piece of damp cloth or clingwrap, leave them in a warm place  for 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

4) Divide dough into 11 equal portions. Shape each dough into small balls. Place them on a greased baking tray. And let the small dough to rest for 60 minutes or doubled in size.

5) Brush with egg wash and  bake in  preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180 deg C.

6) Cool the buns on a wire rack. Pipe filling into each bun. .

For Molten Larva cream:

45 g egg yolk

50 g fine sugar

15 g Hong Kong flour

190 g fresh milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)

100 g fresh cream

80 semi sweet chocolate (or bitter chocolate)

10 g butter

Method:

1) Double boil chocolate and fresh cream, stir well until the mixture is smooth.  Leave to cool for later use.

2) Beat egg yolk and sugar with an egg whisk. Add in sifted flour, mix well .

3) Add in milk a little in few batches, mix well.. Boil over low heat, stir occasionally to advoid burnt at the bottom, add in vanilla.  Cook the mixture becomes thick and bubbling. Remove from  heat.

4) Add butter into (3), blend well.  Let sit on ice, stir until the mixture is cold and smooth.

5) Add chocolate mixture into (4), mix well.  Transfer to a piping bag ( with a nozzle), insert nozzle into the buns and gently squeeze the cream until ooze. Enjoy.

Sweet Potato Pandan Talam

Is anyone interested to join me for coffee?  Made these small Sweet Potato Talam for my beads making class. These small kuih talam are really very nice and fragrant and easy to prepare. The texture is soft and little springy and sweetness is just right.

Recipe: Click here.

In my older post I made purple sweet potato talam. Today I substituted it with light yellow sweet potato.  I added pandan paste to give it a pandan flavour and green colour.

Chocolate Cake 朱古力蛋糕

Hi! Finally I am back here today.  I wasn't so busy to the extent that I had no time at all to update my blog. The main reasons are I am very LAZY and TIRED.

Do you like chocolate cake?  Maybe this is the cake you are drooling for.

Recipe: (source from SCS-BUTTERCUP recipe book with minor modification)

Ingredients:

250 g salted butter 

300 g fine sugar

275 g self-raising -flour

60 g unsweetened Van Houten  cocoa powder 

1 teaspoon baking powder

8 whole eggs

Pinch of salt

6 tablespoons evaporated milk

Method:

1) Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add in eggs one at the time.  Beat well after each addition.

2)  Sieve flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder twice.

3)  Fold in flour mixture a little at the time alternately with milk. (Always begin and end with flour). Fold  mixture lightly until ingredients are well blended.

4) Grease baking tin and sprinkle lightly with flour (if you are not using non-stick pan).  put cake mixture into baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30 - 40 minutes at 180 deg C.