Category Archives: Baking: Cakes
Turning 13 with Cookies N Cream
So the little boy turned 13 today. First day of being a teen and he specially requested that I bake him a birthday cake. Ironic thing is that he does not even like cake. So I had to rack my brains and come up with something that he would like. What’s the point of baking a birthday cake for someone if he isnt going to eat it right?
I knew he loved cheese and oreos so the initial plan was to make a cookies n cream cheesecake. But we all know how heavy cheesecakes are and if only the 4 of us were going to eat it, I wanted to make something lighter and less ‘jer lak’ for everyone. So I chose a chocolate buttermilk cake as the base with a whipped cookies n cream filling in between.
I used two separate baking pans and so it was going to be a 2 layered cake but seeing that the layers turned out quite thick, I sliced each cake into half and so it became a 4 layered cake instead!
Good Ol’ Carrot Cake and Happy Easter!
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!
Today is the most important day in the church calendar for all Catholics because Jesus is risen from the dead! This also signals the end of the Easter Triduum which marked the days of Jesus’ passion and resurrection which began on Maundy (Holy Thursday). Easter Sunday is therefore a celebration of the very essence of our Christian faith because we have a God who willingly became a man on earth to die for our sins and rose again 3 days later.
And this brings me to my bake of the week- Good ol’ healthy carrot cake filled with fruit, made sinful by the large dollop of cream cheese frosting and topped off with a Cookies N Creme Easter egg for the occasion.
I never quite understood the tradition of Easter eggs. I only knew that I used to look forward to Easter egg hunts that IJ would plan for us on Easter Mondays back in primary school. We would head downstairs to the canteen and common areas at our stipulated timings cohort by cohort to search for the Easter eggs the teachers had hidden for us. The winners would then be rewarded with chocolate Easter eggs. Unfortunately I was never one of the lucky few :(
And now that I am all grown up, I can buy my own chocolate Easter eggs but alas, it’s never quite the same. I think next time if I ever do have my own kids, I’ll plan Easter egg hunts for them every Easter Sunday and that will be our own special way of celebrating Easter- that is of course after attending mass!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
I love Sara Lee pound cakes- especially the chocolate and marble flavours. I remember mum used to buy them for us for breakfast and that was her method of making us wake up in the morning- by tempting us with the slices of pound cake waiting for us on the table!
I found a few recipes on my usual baking websites but eventually decided on this one because it sounded the healthiest and I did cut 1/2 cup of sugar from the actual recipe which Im glad I did because the end result was perfect. Was very happy with how this pound cake turned out- moist in the middle and not dry at all! Tasted even better after chilling it in the fridge. Best part is that it can be frozen for a few weeks and will still stay fresh!
Oh and I had no idea that baking powder could be ‘old’! Was wondering why my cupcakes were so dense and heavy the last few times so I did some reading up on the internet when I stumbled upon some information that stated that baking powder if kept for too long was useless and is no longer an effective rising agent. So I threw away my bottle and went out to buy a new one but got over paranoid while baking this time and ended up putting a tad too much. However, watching it rise so beautifully was oh so satisfying :)
BANANA ATTACK- Upside Down Wholemeal Cake
This recipe was named by my little brother who had a fun time arranging the banana slices on the caramel..
So Ive been dying to make this for a really long time but bananas are really expensive in Australia! But since they are only $1 plus for a huge bunch back in Singapore…I jumped at the opportunity of making it! :) Anyway I made this cake with solely wholemeal flour but I found it a tad too grainy..I think for a smoother texture, it would be better to mix wholemeal with regular white flour. Apart from that, I got a pretty cake :) And according to my little food critic ‘the blend of everything is just yummy!!‘ and proceeds to put another forkful in his mouth ;)
Mixed Berries Apple Spelt Cake
So mum had 2 apples and a packet of frozen berries that she needed to finish. But there were no eggs, all purpose flour or sugar left! Hence it was off to adapting a few recipes and coming up with one of my own! :D
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen berries (If frozen, defrost before using.)
- 2 small apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tbl + 1 tsp sugar
- 113g unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup pure maple syrup)
- 2 eggs (I used an egg replacement- 2 tbsp water mixed with 1 tbsp of oil + 2 tspn of baking powder per egg)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
- Combine the berries, the wine and 1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl. Mix to coat. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a larger mixing bowl, beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure that each one is completely combined before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat at a low speed until just combined.
- Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan and cover the bottom with parchment paper. Spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spoon the berries over the batter. Place the apple slices in a decorative pattern around the cake. Sprinkle with some brown sugar.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then run a thin knife around the edge. Carefully remove the ring around the pan and serve!
