Cream Cheese Pound Cake

i know! the picture is does not quite tally with the title, and technically i did the cupcake version of the original recipe.
no matter what, it all taste great!!!

Ingredients...

- 195g all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 150g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 140g package cream cheese, room temperature
- 200g castor sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Zest of a lemon or orange



How to...

1. Preheat oven to 175°C and place rack in center of oven.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, in three additions, beating well after each addition. Continue beating on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and beat until incorporated.

4. Add the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

5. Bake for about 50 mins. Do check at the 30 min-mark for over-browning.

6. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely. (The cake is cooled in the pan first for about 20 minutes so the cake has time to set. The cake may collapse if you try to remove it from the pan too soon.)

7. This cake will keep several days at room temperature and one week when
refrigerated. Can also be frozen.

If a recipe calls for round tins, and you want to use square ones, always remember to use 1-inch smaller ... for the simple reason that square tins hold more batter than round ones of the same size.

for easier consumption, i made it into cupcakes and a loaf of cream cheese chocolate pound cake; jusr mix 3tbsp of cocoa powder + 3 tbsp hot water and mix into batter.

Chendol Jelly

Chendol Layer...

- 500ml water
- 170gm sugar
- 250ml water
- 1.5 Tbsp agar-agar powder (12.5gm)
- extract from 1 coconut mixed with water totaling 250ml
- small pinch of salt
- 30gm corn starch
- 500gm cendol (2 cups, drained)

1) Mix agar powder with 250ml water, set aside.

2) Mix cornstarch, salt and coconut extract together, set aside.

3) Bring 500ml water and sugar to a boil. When solution has come to a boil, pour in agar mixture.

4) Bring a a boil again, lower heat and pour in cornstarch mixture, stirring all the while.

5) On medium heat , bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and put in drained cendol. Mix well.

6) Pour into a 10 inch square pan.



While the cendol layer is cooling down, do the brown layer.


Brown Layer...
- 200gm gula Melaka
- 500ml water
- 2 blades pandan, shredded and knotted
- 250ml water
- 1.5 Tbsp agar-agar powder (12.5gm)
- extract from 1 coconut mixed with water totaling 250ml + small pinch of salt

1. Bring 500ml water, palm sugar and pandan knot to a boil and simmer until palm sugar has totally dissolved.

2. Mix agar powder with 250ml water and pour into the pot. Bring to a boil again.

3. Lower heat and pour in coconut extract, stirring all the while. When there are small bubbles on the side of the pot, remove pot from heat.

4. Test cendol layer by touching surface. It should have slightly cooled and developed a film on top that does not stick to ur fingers, but should be wobbly. Pour in brown layer slowly, carefully using a sieve(there might be unwanted stuff in the palm sugar) and let it set and cool down.

5. Chill in fridge before cutting.

Hor Fun

Ingredients...
- 300g or usually 1 packet of hor fun (flat noodles)
- 10g chopped garlic
- marinated meat or seafood
- 4 stalks chye sim (cut into 6cm length)

Sauce...
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 500ml stock (or a mixture of stock and water)
- 1 or 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper to tase

Thickening Glaze...
Mix 3 tbsp corn flour with 4 tbsp water. some would use tapioca flour instead.



How to...

1. Heat up a wok and add 1 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Toss in the noodles and do a quick stir. Add 1/2 tablespoon of soy souce and 1/2 tablespoon of kecap manis and continue to stir until the soy sauce and kecap manis are well blended with the vermicelli. Continue to stir until lightly burned or charred.
Dish up and set aside.

2. Add some oil in a wok and stir-fry the minced garlic until fragrant Do a quick stir of the meat or seafood.

3. Pour in stock, add seasoning and bring it to boil. Add in the starch mixture then egg mixture, to thicken the gravy.



YUMMY YUMMY!!

Steamed Chicken with Lup Cheong & Chinese Mushroom

Ingredients:

- 1 lb of chicken, cut into small pieces - I used chicken wings (flat)
- 4 or 5 dried shitake mushrooms
- 1 pair of Chinese sausage

Marinade:

- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp green onions, minced
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tsp of sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp of sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper



How to...

1.Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of boiling water until soft. Cut off the hard stem, slice the mushrooms and set aside.

2. Strain the soaking water into a bowl. Slice the mushrooms and sausage diagonally.

3. Marinate the chicken with the ingredients except the cornstarch for 15 to 30 minutes.

4. Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and pour a bit of the mushroom soaking water to make a thin paste.

5. Mix well with the marinated chicken wings.

6.Put the chicken wings in a glass or ceramic pie plate or similar type of dish.

7. Spread the mushrooms and pieces of sausage on top. Put a steamer rack in the wok, add water to cover the rack and place the dish on the rack. Cover wok and steam on high heat for about 15 minutes. Check the water hasn't boiled dry. Check that the chicken is cooked. If not, steam another 5 minutes.

8. Splash a bit of sesame oil on top of the meat once cooked.


you can reduce the chinese sausage to 1 stick for a slightly "healthier" version.

bring the usual lazy me, i marinated the meat overnight for more flaovur and added in the cornstarch together as well.
i steamed the vegetables in the same plate as it can also absorb the sauce at the same time.
(actually is less pots/pans to wash!)

中秋节: Baked Mooncake with Sesame & Almond Lotus Filling

Today is 中秋节!
Also known as Mid-Autumn Festival, and sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.



Traditionally on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomelos under the moon together.



so what are your plans for tonight?
=)