Chocolate Cake (Rachel Allen)

I was looking for a simple basic chocolate cake recipe for Junior's 7th birthday celebration at home (just the family).  I chose Rachel Allen's Chocolate Cake recipe (from her book "bake") as it looked like a classic chocolate sponge with chocolate buttercream icing.  It was relatively easy to make.

In terms of flavour, it was OK. Jr liked it and said it was sugary (mainly due to the icing, which was more sugar than chocolate).  I thought the chocolate flavour was not as strong as I would've like it to be, and the icing was much too sweet (which I think for some people is really the point of icing).

I have mentioned before that I am wondering if my oven is too hot, thereby drying out my cakes. I did bake this a little shorter than the recommended time.  But the cake was also a teeny weeny little bit drier than I prefer, though I must say I am comparing it with the really moist chocolate cakes I've made before.  Perhaps it was because it was refrigerated before tasting time.  The cake certainly did not look overcooked (not cracks on the surface or mountain effect).

Overall, it was pleasant tasting, but I think I have other much nicer chocolate cake recipes that I'd reach for before this version.   I like my chocolate cakes really moist and chocolatey, almost fudgy.  But this is really just a simple chocolate sponge, which is a different cake altogether.  So I guess I was expecting too much.  Sorry Rachel Allen!

Dense Chocolate Cupcakes (2)

I had made these wonderful cupcakes from Nigella's HTBADG previously, and blogged about it here.  The recipe is soooo soooo soooo good, that I've made it again and again.  Most recently for Teachers' Day in September.

This time round, I used the skills learnt from my Basic Cupcake Decorating Course at Bake It Yourself to do little pretty swirls with the chocolate ganache.  The ganache, as usual, was a pain to make. But I managed to get it (sort of) right after employing the refrigeration trick learnt from my experiment with strawberry shortcakes.

Here are the pretty pictures!

Brownies (Joy of Baking)

I baked this in August but didn't have time to blog about it as things have been quite crazy the last few months!  Anyway, Jr watched an episode of Masterchef Australia which featured brownies and asked to make some.  I thought we should try the brownie recipe from Joy of Baking this time. (I had done Nigella's Flourless Chocolate Brownies previously.)

Based on my previous experience with Joy of Baking's recipes, and the fact that they warn you about the baking time only being a guide, I decided to bake the brownies for 20 min instead of the recommended 25 - 30 min.  Even then, it turned out a little bit dry.  I'm wondering now if my oven is too hot. But the oven thermometer tells me that the temperature is OK.  I'll try out Nigella's recipe again and see if it's an oven thing or a recipe thing.


Or perhaps, they are two different types of brownies. One fudgier and one more cookie-like.  (Which suddenly reminds me of those gorgeous Ben's cookies I used to get at Oxford's covered market during my student days.)

Anyway, it was quite yummy, and not as sweet as Nigella's version.  Still, I prefer Nigella's brownies.

His Peace

This morning, BB had a routine medical appointment.  As we were having our breakfast at the hospital foodcourt, enjoying my time with Baby, BB and Hubby (Junior was at school), I became aware that exactly a year ago, I was at this very same hospital, and not quite so happy.  I was 29 weeks pregnant and on the way to a work meeting, when I discovered that I was bleeding heavily.  I was rushed to the hospital.

The doctor in her usual soothing manner did her best to calm me, while explaining the seriousness of the situation.  She spoke about trying to keep Baby in for as long as possible, but that they might have to take him out if the situation did not improve.  I remember her words very clearly, "If baby has to come out now, he has a very reasonable chance of survival."  While I was relieved that baby was OK at that point, I was suddenly aware that we might lose him.  Which mother wants only a reasonable chance that her baby would survive?  And my tears flowed.

Fast forward a year later.  I thank God everyday that he kept Baby safe.  The weeks that followed my hospitalisation were full of fear and anxiety as we faced many issues with the pregnancy.  But God was always there.  Always showing us that He would lead the way, if we would only trust Him.  It was a faith journey.  With Baby I think God has been challenging me to allow His peace to enter my anxious heart.  I am still journeying.  But today, I just want to give Him thanks and praise for giving me this "Peace" Baby.

Strawberry Shortcakes (Nigella + Joy of Baking)

After reading about my Strawberry Bread, Katong Gal had suggested that I try Nigella's Strawberry Shortcakes (from HTBADG).  I confess that I've read that recipe several times and lingered over the beautiful picture of the strawberry shortcakes, but never felt inclined to try it because it is one of those recipes where Nigella tells you quite vaguely that you "may not need all of the eggy cream to make the dough come together, so go cautiously."

I have a problem with inexact instructions when it comes to baking (see my first attempt at baking Nigella's Essential White Loaf).  Unlike with other types of cooking, one needs precise instructions when baking, especially when it comes to pastry or bread, or the product could turn out poorly.  And, when Nigella writes that the dough must "come together" or she warns you to "go cautiously", and red lights go flashing in my head. I think, "recipe for disaster!"

Getting ready to go into the oven.

So why did I finally decide to attempt this recipe? Because the Joy of Baking (JOB) website has a video on how to make strawberry shortcakes. So, I could observe how my dough was supposed to look like.  YouTube is a God-send.  I think we can learn quite a lot from recipe books.  However, nothing beats having a personal demonstration.  YouTube isn't exactly a personal demonstration class, but it helps you see what you're supposed to be making, in the comfort of your home.  This cuts down on some of the uncertainty when you base your cooking purely on recipes.

While the recipe I used is largely Nigella's, I followed the method demonstrated in the JOB video.  Strawberry Shortcakes, for those of you who have never had one before (and this included me), are essentially strawberry and cream scone sandwiches.  So first you have to make the scone, then prepare the strawberry filling, then assemble it with cream.

I wasn't expecting them to rise so much.

I started with the strawberry filling first, as JOB recommends allowing the strawberries to mascerate for about 30 - 60 minutes.  The scone was next.  Nigella recommends grating the frozen butter in the flour, which I thought was a neat trick.  However, the problem in this hot climate is that the butter gets all soft and gooey when it sits in the flour anyway.  So I ended up cutting the grated butter into the flour with two knives (as suggested by JOB).

Overall, it was not as hard as I had thought it would be, though at points I did feel a bit tense, wondering if I had overworked the dough.  I didn't have to worry as the scones turned out beautifully light and fluffy.

Strawberries and cream.

I did have a problem with the cream filling, though.  All I had to do was to whip the cream to soft peaks. But I think the heat and humidity made it incredibly hard to achieve the right balance.  In my first attempt, the cream split.  In my second attempt, the cream was too liquid.  In my third attempt, the cream stayed in peaks for a couple of minutes, but slowly dissolved into a soggy mess.

Scone split, ready to be assembled.

Finally, I decided to whip my cream in parts (which is what JOB recommended): whipping it till it thickened, but not yet forming peaks, then refrigerating it (and the whisk), allowing it to harden somewhat, before whipping it to soft peaks.  But if you leave the strawberry shortcakes out for too long in this weather, the cream will liquefy again.  So I assembled my shortcakes to order, and ignored the advice to eat them warm.

Prepped and ready to be enjoyed!

I am glad I made this.  They are really gorgeous.  I had some problems figuring out how to eat them though.  Do you take the two halves apart?  Or do you eat it like a sandwich, which is not quite possible unless you have a huge mouth?  My sons licked the filling off, then started on the scones (oreo-style).  The mascerated strawberries are lovely and sweet, making it a perfect filling for the scones.  I would make this again, just for the scones.  My sons loved the scones so much, they were quite happy to eat them without the strawberries and cream.  In the end, I was left with quite a bit of strawberry filling and cream to be used with pancakes.

Mad at Medela

I hate pumping. But it's a necessary evil for mums who are working, or who are unable to breastfeed their babies directly at every feed. I have never used a Medela breast pump. I tried it once and didn't like it, so didn't buy it. In the end, I bought an Ameda Lactaline, which cost a fraction of the price, but was lighter, and worked better.

After more than 6 years of breastfeeding, I am on to my second Ameda pump. When my first broke down a few years ago because I had dropped it on the floor one too many times, I was almost seduced by the Medela Pump in Style. I had heard and read great reviews about it. And the bag was cute too. But the price-tag was off-putting. And it was as heavy as a brick. I decided to stick with the devil I knew.

After reading this article on the problems with Medela, I am so glad I stuck with Ameda. Ignoring all of Medela's WHO Code violations (which I already find offensive), the idea that theirs is an open system with no way of ensuring that the milk is isolated and kept clean and uncontaminated, is sick-inducing. Based on this fact alone, I would encourage nursing mums to stay away from Medela pumps. (This does not apply to the Medela Symphony, which is a hospital grade pump, and since it is to be shared, has to be a closed system.)

I am not necessarily recommending Ameda, which has served me faithfully. My favorite method of expression are my hands. They are free, and you don't need to wash pump parts. More on hand expression another time.

Cracker Barrel Buttermilk Pancakes (with homemade strawberry syrup - inspired by Nigella)

I love Cracker Barrel's Buttermilk Pancakes.  They have to be the best pancakes in the world.  No other pancake comes close.

The love affair started in Aug 2006, when our family relocated to Montgomery, Alabama in the US for a year.  My first meal in Montgomery, was breakfast at the Cracker Barrel restaurant at Exit 11 of the I-85.  Junior and I had just arrived after an exhausting 30 hour journey from Singapore, to join my husband who had already been in Montgomery for two months.  The husband brought our tired and hungry bodies to this wonder of a restaurant and I remember feeling terribly happy.  I don't think we had the pancakes that day.  I recall eating some grits and biscuits and not taking to them quite so well.  But I loved the atmosphere and everything else I was eating.  After spending many lazy Saturday mornings brunching here, I grew to enjoy the grits and biscuits, but not quite as much as their pancakes!

I was very sad to leave Montgomery and my favourite pancakes.  Fortunately for me, Cracker Barrel sells their pancake mix in their stores and online.  Wonderful friends in the US would bring them to me by the boxes, and I would be very happy.  I don't know what I would do without my pancake mix!

Why do I love them so?  First, they taste awesome!  No styrofoam tasting blandness for you.  These pancakes pack a powerful punch in flavour.  Slightly sweet and salty, and terrific drenched in maple syrup, or on its own.  Second, they have a fantastic texture.  The pancakes are nice and thick, yet light and fluffy on the inside, with a crispiness all around.  I can't replicate all this in my own kitchen, but what I produce is good enough for me!

My children love the pancakes as well.  I normally have the pancakes with maple syrup (real maple syrup, not some corn syrup imitation).  Since I had some slightlty sour strawberries left from my strawberry baking exploits, I decided to do a modification of Nigella Lawson's blueberry syrup recipe for pancakes from her book Nigella Express, using strawberries instead of blueberries.

It's an easy peasy recipe - just boil maple syrup and strawberries in a pan until the berries soften.  Then pour over the pancakes and enjoy!

Strawberry Bread (Joy of Baking Recipe)

Since we have loads of strawberries right now, I thought I would try another strawberry recipe.  This time, it is Strawberry Bread, from joyofbaking.com.

Unlike Banana bread, where the ingredients are pretty much stirred together (great for lazy cooks like me), Strawberry bread is made quite like a cake, i.e., the butter and sugar are creamed before the flour is mixed in. This meant that my Kenwood Major would get its first use!

The ingredients are pretty much the same as a standard banana bread, except of course one uses strawberries instead of bananas.  It also uses sour cream or yoghurt  (I used yoghurt).  I received a little help from my boys, but they spent most of their time watching the Majoy whirr away...

My strawberry bread came out a little too brown.  In fact, the crust was ever so slightly burnt at some spots.  My oven might have been a bit too hot, though I don't know why since my oven thermometer showed the right temperature. I had even turned it down slightly when I thought it was getting burnt.

The crust was thick (which I suppose was the result of the hot oven).  But, the insides were nice and soft! It was not as sweet as a banana cake, which is fine by me. The softness of the cooked strawberries contrasted beautifully with the crunchy walnuts (which were toasted before chopped roughly and added to the batter).  This was very nice!

This recipe received positive reviews from my tasters.  One neighbour also asked me for the recipe, after declaring its deliciousness.

Between this and the Strawberry-Banana Muffins, however, I think I prefer the muffins.  The strawberries in the muffins were not as cooked as those in the bread, and so were still nice and jammy.  Those in the bread had been cooked much longer, and had given up most of their flavour and colour to the bread.  I'm not saying that I don't like the Strawberry Bread though, coz it is certainly very yummy!

My Kenwood Major

A very handsome Major.

Introducing the latest addition to my kitchen! The Kenwood Major Titanium KM0040. All gorgeous in silver and stainless steel.

My Major working hard!

I had previously been using my mum's Kenwood mixer from more than 20 years ago.  It is still working fabulously.  So I finally decided to get my own.  Hopefully it will last me a good 20 - 30 years too!

Strawberry-Banana Muffins (Joy of Baking Recipe)

Fresh out of the Oven

It's the school holidays and I finally found some time to bake!

I had a couple of very ripe bananas sitting in my kitchen and the Joy of Baking website (one of my go-to sites) was featuring a Strawberry-Banana Muffin recipe.  I thought it sounded much more interesting than the usual banana or blueberry muffin recipes that I do (although I think plain ol' banana or blueberry muffins are quite yummy).


It was a simple recipe, using regular ingredients.  Of course, it's a bit more work than a regular banana muffin as the strawberries need to be cut up. But I had help from the boys with the mixing and mashing and spooning out.

Strawberry goodness oozing out...

There is quite a lot of batter to make 12, so each muffin cup was filled quite well.

The boys couldn't wait to try it, even though Jr really dislikes strawberries.

Once done, I noticed that the muffins had risen beautifully, and the strawberries had cooked into a juicy and jammy goodness which oozed enticingly out of the muffins.

A very soft and tender crumb.

The muffins were beautifully moist, soft with a nice tender crumb.   There was a slight tartness of the strawberries which made it quite lip-smackingly moreish...yummy.

What a brilliant way to use strawberries which are just a bit too sour to eat in large quantities.  The supermarkets have berries on promotion right now.  I'll probably be making this recipe again soon. I might also explore other recipes that use strawberries.