Apple Cinnamon Muffins

http://apples-almonds.blogspot.com/2010/11/apple-cinnamon-muffins.html

Apples and cinnamon... what a perfect combination.  I am glad to have found this oh-so-simple recipe... it only requires dicing the apples and mixing the ingredients.  These muffins are light and moist, and there is a big chunk of apple that comes with every bite.   

Portuguese Egg Tarts

http://rasamalaysia.com/portuguese-egg-tarts/

OK, so I cheated... I used store bought frozen puff pastry.  I personally think there is just absolutely no reason to make my own puff pastry or phyllo pastry after my one failed attempt.  It was a total disaster, I had butter everywhere in the kitchen.  Store bought ones are good enough, I have said it.

I tend to prefer the custard in the centre somewhat wobbly, so I only baked them for 13 minutes.  I also reduced the sugar by 1/3 and still found them too sweet.  Having said that, I have to say they are quite delicious.  Perhaps next time I shall try making egg custard tarts (Hong Kong style). 

Citrus Madeleines

http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/2010/04/citrus-madeleines.html

I have finally got my act together and cleaned up my disgusting oven. Now I can see what I am baking through the oven window...


I just bought a madeleine pan yesterday from the newly renovated "Toss & Serve" at FCP.   I have never had madeleines before so I don't know what the texture is like.  I did some research online and found that the texture is something between cookie and cake... I do like the shape of it.  The shop owner told me the madeleines always come out nicer if baked from a regular metal pan.  Make sure you brush the indentations of the madeleine pan carefully filling in all the ridges with melted butter, dust with flour and tap off any excess.  


This recipe yields 18 madeleines and if you bake them for 10 minutes, you will get the crisp, golden edges.  I like them without the crisp edges. 


The pictures are taken with my new Olympus E-Pen 1 camera without flash in my poorly lit kitchen.  They turned out to be quite good.  

Palmiers

http://ooh-look.blogspot.com/2010/09/elegant-palmiers.html

Some day I am going to make my own puff pastry but this time just let me use the frozen ready-rolled version.  Just follow the recipe.  This is super easy to make.  

Cinnamon Rolls

It all went very well until...
I had about 3 tablespoons of melted butter left and didn't want to waste it so I decided to mix the butter with the eggwash.  I drenched the cinnamon rolls with this concoction and started baking.  After about 19 minutes, the rolls looked like they're going to burn so I quickly took them out of the oven.  The top was too "golden" (not burned) and the cinnamon rolls were already done.  OMG, they might not look divine but they sure tasted great, even without the icing (I decided not to do the icing because my husband doesn't like it). The rolls were fluffy and moist.  They would definitely become a staple at my house.


Ingredients: Dough
2 packages active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
1 cup warm whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
5.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground mace (I didn't have this ingredient)
2 tsp. salt
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temp

Ingredients: Filling
6 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. freshly grated cinnamon
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted


Method: Dough1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and let stand until foamy.
2. Add the granulated sugar, eggs, 5 cups of flour, orange zest, and butter.
3. Mix until the dough is smooth and elastic (around 6 min). The dough should be soft, but not sticky.
6. Form the dough into a ball, and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let sit for around 2 hours, until it has doubled in bulk.
7. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.
8. Divide the dough in two.
9. Roll out half the dough into a 10 x 16 inch rectangle.
Assembly
1. Butter the sides of two 9-inch cake pans (I lined the pan with parchment paper instead).
2. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon.
3. Spread half the melted butter oven the rolled out dough, and then sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar mixture on top.
4. Starting from the short side away from you, tightly roll the dough towards yourself.
5. Cut the dough into 2 inch rounds.
6. Repeat with the other half of the dough.  Arrange the cut dough in the prepared pans.  Cover the pans with towels and allow to rise at room temp for another 30-40 min. 
7. Preheat the oven to 400F.
8. Bake until a toothpick placed in the center of a bun comes out clean - around 25- 30 mins.
9. Serve immediately!

These can also be warmed up in the microwave for 15seconds the day after, and they still taste amazing.

Taken from Williams -Sonoma Essentials of Baking 

Martina's Birthday Cake

This is my own creation.  It is a layer chiffon cake, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream layer and whipped cream frosting.  I put lots of blueberries on top because berries always look good on cakes.  The wafer is an idea I took from coming cross this recipe:

http://une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com/2010/06/easy-layer-cake-with-custard.html 

However, I probably won't do that again because the wafer can become soggy.  

I'm starting a new job next week, so I won't be there for my old boss' birthday.  I decided to bake a cake for her and for my farewell (for the team to celebrate that I'm finally leaving, of course).  Everyone loved the cake, including the people from the other department on the floor!  I know I will miss this fantastic team and especially my boss.


Special thanks to my wonderful hubby who cut the wafers into equal length for me and for helping out in the kitchen.  This is a once-in-a-blue-moon event so I thought I should document it.  Haha...

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

http://www.humblebeanblog.com/2009/12/matcha-mochi-cupcakes/

These cupcakes are super easy.  All you need is to mix all the wet and dry ingredients up (ensure the batter is mixed well with no lumps) and bake.  I reduced the sugar by 1/3, the taste is just right.  I quite like the cracked surface, making the texture more cake-like on top and chewy in the centre.