Lapis Hazelnut Ice-Cream

This entry has been in my folder for more than a month. I made it for Hari Raya using one of my favourite lapis recipes. I've used & adapted this recipe many times as I've found it very reliable. It not only produces a delicious cake, but also one with  a soft & moist texture. Besides, for a lapis cake, it uses relatively few eggs. 

Some notes:

1. The original recipe only uses one flavour, just vanilla. This time, I made 2 variations; one with vanilla, strawberry & chocolate flavours & another with vanilla & chocolate flavours.
2. I've ever replaced the  ice-cream powder with milk powder. There's not much difference in the taste. I'm not surprised as ice-cream powder is actually made up of sugar, milk powder & vanilla flavour.
3. This was the first time I weighed the batter for every layer. I weighed about 130g for each layer. I personally find the layer slightly thick. I prefer to use just 100g, like what I did for my Lapis Strawberry Ice-cream.
4. For more tips on baking lapis cake, please refer to my Lapis Strawberry Ice-cream post.

Vanilla & Chocolate version ...

Lapis Hazelnut Ice-Cream 
Adapted from recipe by Juriah Abdullah.
Source: Berita Harian (Singapore) - undated.

Ingredients:
452g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
15 cold egg yolk
5 cold egg white
280g castor sugar
1 tsp ovalette
*170g self-raising flour
*100g vanilla ice-cream powder
*50g milk powder
* (combine & sift)
strawberry emulco/paste
chocolate emulco/paste
50g hazelnut (toasted & chopped into small pieces)

Method:

1. Preheat oven  (top heat only) at temperature of about 200 deg C.
2. Grease & line the bottom of a 7x10 or 8x8 inch baking pan.
3. Cream butter & vanilla until white & fluffy.
4. Combine eggs & sugar in a mixing bowl & beat on high speed for about 30 seconds. Add ovelette & continue beating until thick & fluffy.
5. Fold in flour, ice-cream & milk powder.
6. Add in butter & mix until well blended.
7. Divide batter into 3 equal parts. Add strawberry emulco into 1 part & chocolate emulco into another & mix well. Leave the third part plain.
8. Pour 2 ladles  (I weighed each layer 130g.) of chocolate mixture into the baking pan & spread mixture evenly. Bake for about 2-3 minutes or until cooked. Once cooked, remove pan from oven & press top of cake gently using a lapis presser or bottom flat  surface of glass. 
9. Repeat with the second layer of chocolate batter & sprinkle hazelnut before baking. Repeat with the rest of the chocolate batter until finish.
10. Then continue with strawberry layers until finish & then the plain layers, sprinkling the hazelnut on alternate layers. 

** For the vanilla & chocolate version, I divided the cake batter into 2 parts & added chocolate emulco into 1 part & left the other plain. I baked  2 layers of cocoa mixture followed by 2 layers of plain mixture, sprinkling hazelnut on alternate layers.

Kuih Bakar Pandan

It's the time of the year again..... it's the last school term & as the end-of-year assessment is drawing near, we are scrambling to complete the syllabus & do some revision with the kids. It doesn't help that there are so many holidays... Teachers' Day, PSLE LC exam, Children's Day &, in two weeks time, the kids will be out of school for the whole week because of PSLE marking & Hari Raya Haji! To top it all off, there are only 9 weeks in this term, instead of the usual 10 weeks in a term... sigh..... It has only been two weeks since the start of the term, but it feels like forever!

Since I've been really busy with school work, in school & at home, there's not much time to bake or update my blog. But I wanted to support the Little Thumbs Up event (although I know it has already received an overwhelming response), so I've chosen something really simple to bake, Kuih Bakar Pandan which I baked yesterday morning. I just had to dump all the ingredients in the blender, pour the batter into the baking pan & bake it! 

I would give this kuih a big thumbs up! Its moderately rich, sweet taste &  custard-like texture is nicely covered by a golden  & partly crunchy crust. And the fragrant pandan leaves & sesame seeds give a sweet aroma to the kuih. The only problem with my kuih was, it became very oily & oil was oozing out of the kuih when I touched it. This is caused by the butter which I added into the batter instead of using it for greasing the pan. I made only 1/2 the original recipe with some minor modifications to the recipe. Please read on for the details.

Modifications & notes:

1. I only made half the original recipe. It made about 3 cups of batter. 
2. I added 3/8 cup more water to the coconut milk.
3. Based on the original recipe, 1/2 the recipe requires only 1 & 1/2 eggs. I used 2.
4. I made the mistake of adding the the butter to the mixture instead of using it for greasing the pan. In fact, I added about 3 tbsp. As a result, my kuih turned out quite oily.
5. I used the Nordic Ware mini bundt pan to bake the kuih. The recipe made 4 minis.

Kuih Bakar Pandan
Adapted from recipe by Joayee.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

5 pandan leaves

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup plain flour

1 and 1/2 cups coconut milk (I used freshly-squeezed coconut milk from 1/2 coconut.) - the original recipe uses 1 and 1/8 cups.

2 eggs

1/2 salt

a few drops of green colouring

sesame seeds for topping

1 tbsp butter for greasing the baking pan

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 180 deg C.
2. Tear pandan leaves into small pieces & blend with the water. Strain & squeeze the leaves. Set aside the pandan juice.
3. Combine sugar, flour, coconut milk, pandan juice, eggs, salt & green colouring in a blender jug & blend until well mixed. Strain mixture.
4. Grease baking pan & heat it up in the oven.
5. Pour mixture into the hot baking pan & sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake until the top turns golden brown. I baked mine for 1 hour 15 minutes, & for the last 15 minutes, I raised the oven rack so that the top would turn golden brown.

I am submitting this post to  Little Thumbs Up (September) - Pandan, hosted by Joceline @ Butter, Flour & Me & organised by Zoe@ Bake For Happy Kids and Mui Mui @ My Little Favourites DIY.

Oreo Milo Jelly

I actually prepared two types of finger foods for the barbecue. The Mini Pizza Tart was the savoury type & for the sweet dessert, I made Oreo Milo Jelly using the recipe created by  Roz of HomeKreation.  Roz called this jelly Heavenly Milo Oreo Jelly but I've modified it to Oreo Milo Jelly. The jelly sure is heavenly; it's hard not to be when the ingredients include Milo, a beverage many of us grow up with, & Oreo cookies!  

Oreo Milo Jelly
Recipe by Roz@HomeKreation.

Makes: 8" square

INGREDIENTS:
1 packet (10g) Jelly Powder (Agar-Agar Powder)
750ml Water
160g Sugar
1 can (400g) Evaporated Milk
1 tsp pure vanilla paste (I added.)
3/4 cup Milo Powder
1 pack (137g) Oreo Cookies - break into small pieces but keep the sandwich together

METHOD:

1. Place jelly powder and water in a pot & cook until jelly is dissolved.
2. Add in sugar & cook until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add in milk, stir well. Tturn off fire once mixture is boiling.
4. Separate 2 cups of the mixture into another pot & add in Milo powder. Stir well until milo is dissolved. Strain the mixture.
5. Pour 1cup of Milo mixture into a square container and let the surface set slightly. Leave the other cup of Milo mixture in the pot & warm it up on smallest fire possible.
6. Pour the plain mixture gently on top of the Milo layer. (I poured onto a spoon which I held just above the the Milo layer.) Sprinkle oreo cookies & let is set on the surface.
7. Pour the remaining Milo mixture onto the plain layer.
8. Let the jelly set completely at room temperature before chilling it in the fridge. Serve cold.

TIPS FOR LAYERING:

1. Do not wait until the layer is completely set before pouring the next layer, or else the two layers will not stick. If the jelly is already hard before pouring the next layer, scratch surface with fork before pouring the next layer.
2. Make sure the mixture is still hot when pouring onto the earlier layer so that it will stick well.

Mini Pizza Tarts

My sister-in-law organised a barbecue a few days ago. So I had to think of what to bring along to the chalet. As usual, I took quite some time to decide what to make or bake. Every time I had to make the decision, I would have a list of questions in mind & weigh the pros & cons of bringing the thing that I had in mind... it just slowed down the whole process but I just could't help it... maybe it's the practice I had in school. The funny thing is, very often, I'd end up making the same thing. Haiz...

This time, I decided to make some mini pizzas, again....(except, this time, I used a different recipe for the crust.) Almost two years ago, I made Mini Pizza Pies as my contribution to a barbecue organised by the same SIL. Back then, the pies were quite a hit with the guests, especially with the kids. Come to think of it, who doesn't like pizza....? They were still a big hit this time around... they disappeared within an hour of the gathering!

I also spent some time deciding which mould I should use. At first I wanted to use the medium disposable aluminium tart moulds but I found them too big for finger food. Then I thought of using the small ones but they were too small & shallow. In the end, I used my Chicago Metallic Bakeware Lift & Serve Single Squares, the same ones I had used before. I just love the pan. When I first saw it online, I thought it would be great for mini cheesecakes since the base is removable.  But so far, I've never used it for baking cheesecakes, just tarts. Nevertheless, it was a very good buy... I ordered 4 pans, all the way from the US & waited for more than a month for them to arrive since I opted for the lower shipping cost.  So,  I can make 48 minis in one go! 

Mini Pizza Tarts

SAVOURY SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Adapted from recipe by Paul Allam & David Mcguinness from Bourke Street Bakery, The Ultimate Baking Companion.

300g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1.5cm cubes
600g plain flour, chilled
5g (1 tsp) salt
15ml (3 tsp) vinegar, chilled
170ml (2/3 cup) water, chilled

Method:

1. Mix together the flour & salt in a large bowl & toss through the butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to partly combine.  You should now have a floury mix through which you can see squashed pieces of butter.
2. Combine the vinegar with the chilled water & sprinkle it over the flour mixture & mix until the dough binds together. You should still be able to see streaks of butter marbled through the pastry; this gives a slightly flaky texture to the final product.
3. Divide into two even-sized portions & shape into two round, flat  discs about 2 cm thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you wish to roll it. Place it between 2 pieces of plastic &, working from the center of the pastry, roll the pastry away from you, then turn the pastry about 30 degrees & roll out again. Continue to repeat this process until you have a flat round disc, about 3 mm thick.
5. Cut the pastry using a round pastry cutter & place on top of the mould (ensuring it is in the center & use your fingers to gently push the pastry into the mould, moving around the rim until all of the pastry has been inserted. Leave to rest for at least 30 minutes. (I left mine in the fridge.)
6. Preheat oven at 220 deg C. Slide the pan onto the middle shelf of the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 170 deg C & bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the pastry cases turn golden brown.
7. Spoon filling into the baked pastry cases & then sprinkle grated cheese.
8. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or just until the cheese has melted.

FILLING:

500g ground beef

black pepper

Italian herb mix

salt

1 can (300g) Prego tomato spaghetti sauce

mozzarella cheese (grated)

Method:

1. Fry ground beef in a frying pan until it's cooked & the water (if any) is almost dried up.
2. Add in black pepper, Italian herb mix & salt. Mix well. Remove from fire.
3. Combine spaghetti sauce & ground beef & mix well.

(Made 42 tarts.)

I'm  submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers No 35: A Palate For Pizza (September 2013) hosted by Joey of Little Accidents in the Kitchen. 

I'm also linking this post to Cook-Your-Books No 4 hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

Oreo Cheesecake

My youngest son, Maisur, requested a home-baked Oreo Cheesecake for his 10th birthday. Although his birthday was last Wednesday, I told him I could only bake it on Friday, a  holiday to commemorate Teachers' Day. He didn't mind, as long as I bake one. 

This time, I chose a recipe by George Geary, a professional cheesecake teacher & baker. From the scribble I made on the recipe page, I realised this was my second time using this recipe. The whole family loves this luscious cheesecake, especially the birthday boy! He can't stop eating it!

Chocolate Cookie (Oreo) Cheesecake
Recipe by George Geary from 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes.

Crust:
1&1/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (I used 21 Oreo cookies & removed the filling.)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
10 chocolate sandwich cookies (These are for decorating the side of pan, but I didn't do this.)

1. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs & butter. Press into cheesecake pan. 
2. Cut sandwich cookies in half at the cream filling. Place each half, cookie side, against side of pan, one after another, creating a wall of chocolate sandwich cookies. 
3. Set aside in the freezer to firm.

Filling:
3 packages (each 8oz/250g) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream (I used Marigold low-fat yogurt.)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (I used 3 tsp pure vanilla paste.)
4 chocolate sandwich cookies, quartered - I used 6.

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C). 
2. Prepare a 9-inch (23cm) cheesecake pan, ungreased, or springform pan with 3-inch (7.5cm) sides, greased. (I used a 9-inch square cheesecake pan, i.e, a pan with removable base, just like a tart pan.)
3. In a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream & sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes. (I beat until the cream cheese is smooth.)
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
5. Stir in vanilla. 
6. Fold in quartered cookies. 
7. Pour batter over frozen crust. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown & the center has a slight jiggle to it. (I baked using water-bath method.)
8. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

Decoration - Classic Whipped Cream: ( I didn't decorate my cake.)
1/2 cup whipping (35%) cream
2 tbsp granulated sugar

1. In a well-chilled bowl, whip cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. 
2. With the mixer still running, sprinkle sugar into cream & continue whipping until firm peaks form. 
3. Ice top of cheesecake with whipped cream & top with chocolate sandwich cookies.

I'm linking this post to Cook-Your-Books No 4 hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours.

Almond London Cookies

Almond London Cookies have been around for many years & my guess is, they are still in the list of top ten cookies for Hari Raya! There are several versions of the dough recipe, so even if they may look the same, their tastes do differ.

I made mine using a recipe that has nestum in it. Based on my experience, any cookies made with nestum always tasted wonderful. Same goes with this recipe. Just a word of caution, the dough expands quite a bit after baking, so you may want to use very little dough for each cookie if you want small to medium small cookies. Mind were oversized, although they look ok in the pictures. And the sliced almond..... they made my cookies looked like creatures with two bulging eyes! Served me right for being lazy!

Crunchy Almond London
Recipe by Sh Rodziah.
Source: Noor Masri @ Coretan Dari Dapur.

Ingredients:
250g butter
100g castor sugar
1tsp vanilla paste
50g nestum

100g cornflour
200g plain flour
whole almond (toasted)
chocolate for coating
almond nib for topping (I used sliced almonds.)
papercups

Method: 

1. Beat butter, sugar & vanilla paste until well blended. 
2. Add nestum & beat just until blended. 
3. Add plain & corn flour. Mix well. Cover dough with plastic & leave to rest for 15 minutes. 
4. Flatten a small piece of dough, place an almond & shape dough into an oval or round shape. 
5. Bake at 170 deg C for about 20 minutes. 
6. Transfer cookies from baking pan onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely. 
7. In the meantime, melt chocolate using double-boiler. 
8. Deep cookie into chocolate using a tong & place onto a paper cup. Top with almond nib. 
9. After chocolate has hardened, store in an air-tight container.