in my studio | category

Jul
09
2015

creme caramel | leche flan

I’ve never made a creme caramel before so the perfectionist in me, searched high and low for that what could be the perfect creme caramel! Some use milk, some use cream and some use condensed milk. So I thought I’d try the condensed milk recipe, after all, who doesn’t like condensed milk? :)

After chilling it, I was super anxious to turn it upside down to see if it had worked to be a success, or a disaster. Oh my! The relief I felt as I was cutting through this silky smooth custard pudding (whilst I was fasting) was such a joy! I just had to cut a slice for photos purposes before taking this baby out to an iftar we were invited to last night.

RECIPE FOR CREME CARAMEL/LECHE FLAN
Adapted from Russian Filipino Kitchen, with slight modifications

Prep time: 10 mins
Bake time: 45mins
Chilled time: 2hours (min)

Ingredients

Sugar caramel:
½ cup white sugar
2 tbsp water

Egg Custard:
4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1.5 teaspoon pure vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees, fan forced.

2. Combine sugar and water in a stainless steel sauce pan and dissolve on low heat. Stir until it melts, then increase the heat and stop stirring. Keep an eye as the sugar starts to turn light brown, turn off heat and mix evenly. Transfer quickly to 5 ramekins, or I’ve used a square baking tray 20x20cm.

3. Add sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla extract into a blender. Cover and “pulse” for 10-20 seconds until a uniform mixture is achieved. Do not be alarmed if there are a lot of air bubbles. Strained the mixture 3 times until you get rid of some impurities from the eggs and the bubbles have diminished.

4. Transfer the strained egg mixture into your ramekins/tray and use your fingers to pop up any stray bubbles on the surface. Put the mixture tray into another larger tray and fill the large tray with water, about an inch high . Like a water bath.

5. Bake for 45minutes and then cool for an hour before chilling it in the fridge. Chill for at least 2 hours before turning it over to a serving plate.

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Category: cake, desserts, halal, in my kitchen

Jul
05
2015

chewy fudgy brownies

I kid you not! This the most chewy-fudgy-brownies you will ever taste! My Sister in law came over for iftar last week and she brought over her brownies, ever since then, I am hooked! I got her to give me the recipe so I could make it for tonights iftar at my parents. The smell is simply amazing once it goes in the oven. I was fasting while I was taking these photos, and had to control my nafs to not lick my fingers!

RECIPE FOR CHEWY FUDGY BROWNIES
Adapted from my sister in law

Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 50mins

Ingredients

185g butter, chopped
300g dark chocolate
1.5 cups (330g) caster sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5cups (225g) plain flour
1/4 cups (25g) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
Hazelnuts, chopped roughly (or any nuts of choice)

Method for Cake

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking tray (30x20cm) and line bottom and sides with baking paper.

2. Stir butter and chocolate in a saucepan over ow heat until smooth and combined. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar. Cool for 5 minutes.

3. Stir in eggs. Add sifted flour, cocoa and salt. Stir until combined. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until set and just firm to touch. Cool in pan.

4. Dust with icing sugar is desired.

2 lovely comments
Category: cake, chocolate, desserts, in my kitchen

Jul
01
2015

moist carrot cake with lemon & cream cheese frosting

I have been making this carrot cake for years but ~~sadly I have forgotten where it originated from, (~~No, I remember now! Of course its from Bree- the lovely Pioneer Woman!) and its always a winner, hands down! Let me tell you, its so so soooo soft and moist and I usually would cover the entire cake with chopped walnuts, unfortunately I didn’t have enough at the time of baking it, so I just sprinkled a bit over the top. But if you do, please, please be generous. It just brings it all together, Yum!

Re-bumped post: I made this cake yet again, and just had to put the walnuts on top! I think the lighting made the colour of the cake injustice (above 2 pics) but the actual colour is much like this photo below.

RECIPE FOR MOIST CARROT CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Adapted from Pioneer Woman, with modifications to cream cheese frosting

Serves: 12
Prep time: 20mins
Cook time: 50mins to 1 hour

Ingredients

Cake:
2 cups plain flour
2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cup grated carrots
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs

Icing:
50g butter, melted
180g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup walnuts, chopped
2.5 cup icing sugar
2 tsp lemon juice, sift out pulp

Method for Cake

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees (fan forced) or 180 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking tray (30x20cm) and line bottom and sides with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, oil and eggs using a hand whisk until just combined. Do not overwhisk.

3. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

4. Then add step 3 to the liquid mixture in step 2 and combine well with a spatula.

5. Add carrots and fold mixture.

6. Pour into the pan and bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

7. Cool completely before putting the icing on.

Method for Icing

1. In large bowl, mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.

2. Add sugar and lemon juice. Mix again until creamy.

3. Spread generously onto cake and drizzle the nuts all over.

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Category: cake, desserts, in my kitchen

Apr
06
2015

tiramisu

Tiramisu is an all time favourite in our house. I don’t drink coffee (yes I’m weird), but I can certainly wipe off a whole tray of tiramisu! This recipe was passed from an old friend 5 years ago when I told her I don’t consume anything with coffee! So she gave me a tray of tiramisu and since then, I have made this countless of times and it has always been a crowd pleaser. Her original recipe has eggs, so I had to modify it because when you’re pregnant, you can’t eat raw eggs. And it tastes amazing with or without eggs! Give it a go and let me know!

RECIPE FOR EGGLESS TIRAMISU
Adapted from an old friend, with modifications
Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 mins
Chill time: min 6 hours (preferably overnight)

Ingredients for Tiramisu

1 large packet of sponge fingers (500 grams)
3 tablespoon of boiled water
5 tablespoon of coffee
1 to 1.5 cup milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
250g tub mascarpone cheese
300ml whipped cream (I use thickened and just whip it)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder for dressing

Method for coffee mixture (to dip sponge fingers in)

In a medium sized bowl, mix 3 tbsp of boiled water with 5 tbsp of coffee until dissolved. This becomes really thick, and then reserve in 2-3 tbsp in a small cup (this is to add to the cream mixture later). With the remainder coffee mixture, add milk, stir and keep aside.

Method for cream mixture

In a mixing bowl, whisk together mascarpone and cream. Slowly add in the coffee mixture that you reserved earlier and incorporate it into the cream mixture. Whisk until becomes a nice smooth, thick cream.

Method for assembling cake

1. You will need a rectangle serving tray 9×13″ (23x33cm), at least 2″ deep (5cm).
2. Dip the sponge fingers in to the coffee mixture, quickly turning both sides and layer them onto the tray.
3. Add the cream mixture on top of the biscuits and then sift the cocoa powder evenly.
4. Repeat step 2 & 3.
5. Chill for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. I like to chill mine 24 hours before I serve.

2 lovely comments
Category: cake, desserts, halal, in my kitchen

Jan
06
2015

chocolate mud cake

Ever since my sister introduced me to this mud cake, o-em-gee!! Like seriously out of this world good. Just look at the ingredients, no wonder it tastes amazing… loaded with real chocolate, sugar and butter! When she first made it for me, I ate without any guilt. Now that I made it and know whats inside, I could only have a bite…hehe But on a serious note, if you want to indulge and make it for an occassion, THIS is the chocolate mud cake to make. TRUST ME on this!

And this cake was what I made for a friends farewell party.

^Please excuse the bad photo quality. I was cutting it during the event and kids were all next to me hassling for a piece lol. This was the best pic I could take. Photo does not reflect how moist the cake actually is.

RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE
Adapted from thrumykitchenwindow

Ingredients for cake

250gm butter
250gm dark cooking chocolate
2tbsp instant espresso coffee powder
150gm self-raising flour
150gm plain flour
60gm cocoa powder
1/2tsp bicarb soda
550gm caster sugar
4 eggs
2tbsp vegetable oil or light olive oil
125ml milk

Ingredients for chocolate ganache
150gm dark cooking chocolate
60gm melted unsalted butter

Method:

1. Grease a deep 23cm round cake tin. Line the base and sides with baking paper, making sure the paper extends well above the top of the tin.

2. Dissolve the coffee in 185mls hot water. Put the melted butter, sugar, melted chocolate and dissolved coffee in a mixing bowl and stir until corporated.

3. Dry ingredients: Sift the flours, cocoa and bicarb of soda into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.

4. Add the combined eggs, oil and milk; using a large spoon or spatula mix well into the dry ingredients. Add half the cooled melted chocolate mixture (from step 2); stir well till there are no lumps. Add the remaining half; make sure the mixture is well combined. It should be of a pourable consistency.

5. Pour the mixture into the carefully lined cake tin. Place into a preheated oven set at 130 – 150degrees celcius. No higher. It should be baked long, slow and low heat. Bake for approx 1 3/4 hours. It is not unusual for the top of the cake to develop a crust or for the centre to be slightly sunken. Place the cake on a rack; leave in tin until completely cold. Once cold; cover securely with a tea towel. Leave overnight.

6. Turn cake out, remove all of the lining. Examine the cake. You want a level cake when it comes to decorating; therefore if it is not even it may be necessary to slice off some of the crusty bits until it is level with the centre of the cake. Sometimes the cake may have a slight rise. In this instance simply cut off the risen bit in the centre. Sometimes you won’t have to do a thing.

7. Once you have achieved a flat, top surface, turn the cake upside down. It is wise to do this on the serving plate with some cutouts of baking paper around the edges and under the cake. This alleviates any messiness and once the icing becomes firm, the baking paper can be removed leaving your cake looking immaculately decorated.

8. In a small glass bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Do not overheat. In another bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Once again, do not overheat or ‘sizzle’ the butter; just till almost melted. Pour this into the melted chocolate and slowly incorporate the two together. Stir until well combined and you have achieved a nice glossy, pouring chocolate.

9. Pour ganache onto the centre of the cake. Using a spatula or a knife, spread the ganache all over the cake. If the weather is hot or humid you can take a little more time to get it right. If the weather is cold you may have to work more quickly as the chocolate ganache may begin to harden.

10. Allow the topping to set at room temperature. If at any time you place it in the fridge you will lose the glossy shine. It won’t affect the taste, it just won’t look as silky smooth.