Vegan Chocolate Cake

I got the urge to bake but realized that there were no more eggs in fridge. So glad to chance upon this vegan cake recipe by Carol & attempted it. I am not a sweet tooth person & thus I reduce the amount of sugar greatly. The chocolates used were already sweet & since I am doing a chocolate sauce to go along with the cake, I supposed it is alright to reduce the sugar. Yes, the cake turn out well & the sweetness is just nice to my liking. In fact, I feel that the cake is sweet enough on its own even without the chocolate sauce! 

Vegan Chocolate Cake
(recipe adapted & modify slightly from Carol Hu)

Ingredients:
80g Ghana dark chocolates
30g fine sugar
60g coconut oil
130g Blue Jacket Cake Flour
16g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
120g unsweetened soya milk

Chocolate sauce  
(recipe from here)

Ingredients:
63ml water
25g sugar
40g light corn syrup
20g unsweetened cocoa powder 
14g bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
*In a medium saucepan, whisk together all ingredients (except chocolates). Once it starts to boil, remove from heat & stir in chopped chocolates till melted. Cling wrap & store in fridge for few hours before use.

Method:
1. Put chocolates in a bowl & microwave till melted. Add in sugar & coconut oil. Mix till combined.
2. Sift in flour, cocoa powder & baking powder & soya milk. Mix till combined.
3. Pour batter into a prepared 6" tin lined with baking paper.
4. Bake in a preheated oven @ 160C for 18mins.

 

This cake is very delicate & chocolaty. 

It will be nice to have with a cup of tea to go along with the cake =)

Matcha Kinako Bread

This is currently my favourite way of eating bread. 

Cut the bread into a thick slice, spread some soften salted butter, 

sprinkle generous amount of kinako & drizzle with some kuromitsu. 

bread getting ready for photoshoot :P

Matcha Kinako Bread 

Ingredients:
Matcha dough
110g Blue Jacket Bread Flour
10g Blue Jacket Cake Flour
10g matcha powder
20g fine sugar
1.5 tsp instant yeast
90g water
15g Cowhead salted butter 

Kinako dough
110g Blue Jacket Bread Flour
10g Blue Jacket Cake Flour
10g kinako powder
20g fine sugar
1.5 tsp instant yeast
90g water
15g Cowhead salted butter

Method:
1. Matcha & Kinako dough: Mix all ingredients (except butter) in a mixer fitted with dough hook till a dough is formed. Add in butter & knead till the dough is smooth & elastic. Proof for 1hr.

2. De-gas & roll out both doughs into a rectangle. Placed kinako dough on top of matcha dough & roll both ends towards the centre. Placed in a pull man tin greased with butter. Proof for 1hr.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 170C for 35mins.

I always slice my bread when the loaf is hot.... thus, resulting in not so pretty slices :P

Rock Cakes

Rock Cakes
(recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients: 
200g Blue Jacket Plain Flour 
100g Cowhead salted butter, cold
50 g fine sugar
150g dried mixed fruits (I soaked with Cointreau for 2days)
1 egg 
2 Tbsp lemon juice 
1 tsp baking powder

Method:

1. In a bowl, add the butter & flour. Use fingertips to rub the butter & flour till they resembles bread crumbs. Add in the mixed fruits & sugar. Use a fork to stir till well mixed. Add in egg follow by lemon juice.

2. Use a fork to lightly & swiftly mixed it until it form a sticky dough. Using a cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough onto the silpat mat.  

3. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 200C for 20mins.

  

Verdict: Simply addictive. This little rock cakes brought back many old memories. This is the first bake that were taught in Home Economics class years ago. I could still remember that I was afraid of the oven/stove heat in the past & during my Home Economics baking/cooking classes, I would ask my partner for help. Times flies, I'm sure my Home Economics teacher will be proud of me knowing that I could bake/cook all by myself now. Hehehe :P

Happy Valentine's Day

 Do you BEAR to eat them? *^_^*

Chocolate Macarons
(Recipe adapted from Carol)    

Ingredients:
45g egg whites
50g fine sugar 60g icing sugar
65g almond meal
1 Tbsp cocoa powder *I blend whole almonds with skin.    

Fillings:
Reese's peanut chocolate spread
Reese's peanut butter chips

Method: 

1. Sift almond meal, cocoa powder & icing sugar together. Set aside for later use.

2. Whisk egg whites until foamy, add in sugar gradually & whisk until the egg white mixture becomes shiny & stiff peaks.

3. Fold in all the dry ingredients into the egg whites batter until just combined.

4. Pipe the plain batter onto silpat mat. Rap the baking tray on table top a few times to spread the batter slightly.

5. Set it aside for the shells' surface to dry up.

6. Preheat oven to 200C, slide the tray of dried macarons into the oven, off the heat immediately & keep the oven door ajar with a thick glove placed in between, for 6mins.

7. Once the 6mins is up, close the oven door . Bake the macarons at 170C for 1min & lower the heat to 150C  for 3mins, 140C for 5mins. Then off oven heat & keep oven door ajar with glove placed in between for another 6mins.

8. Remove from oven & let it cool completely before removing from the silpat mat. Decorate as desired & pipe fillings.

 

Aww... that innocent look... I can't BEAR to eat them & so.... I gave my friend =P

 

 This photo is taken by my friend, Maya when she wanna eats the cute bearies... *^_^*

Coconut Cupcakes

Coconut Cupcakes 
yields 6 cupcakes
(recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp  baking soda
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp honey

Fillings
lemon curd 

toppingslemon curd
sweetened coconut flakes 

Method:

1. In a food processor, pulse all ingredients together till thoroughly combined.

2. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into cupcake pan 1/2 filled, put some lemon curd in the centre & topped with more batter.

3. Bake at preheated oven at 180C for 15mins.
4. After cupcakes are cooled, add a tsp of lemon curd on top of cupcake & sprinkled with coconut flakes.

Rum & Raisin Cheesecake

Rum & Raisin Cheesecake
(recipe adapted & modify from Carol)

Ingredients:
80g Oreo cookie crumbs
20g Cowhead salted butter, melted
300g Cream cheese, room temperature
50g fine sugar
50g non dairy whip cream
2 eggs
100g raisins soaked in 20mls rum overnight

Method:
1. Mix Oreo cookie crumbs & melted butter in a mixing bowl. Pour into a 6" cake tin & level it. Put in fridge for later use.

2. Beat cream cheese & sugar till light & fluffy. Add in eggs gradually & beat till smooth.

3. Add in cream & raisins & mix till combined. Pour batter into the cake tin.

4. Bake in a preheated oven @ 160C for 1hr 20mins.

 

这个起司蛋糕真的好好吃。每一口都可以尝到蓝姆酒的香味和奥利奥饼干的甜。

由其是咬到那已浸泡一晚的肥美多汁的葡萄干后，蓝姆酒浓郁的香味更是一瞬间溢出来。
因为迫不急待想试吃，所以很快切了一片出来。蛋糕还有一点软，切下去外观不佳。。。。我就是急性子嘛！

隔天的起司蛋糕味道更明确，喉感更佳

Squid Ink Quinoa Bread

藜麥鄉村麵包

(basic recipe adapted & modify slightly from Carol)

Ingredients:
270g Blue Jacket Bread Flour
30g Blue Jacket Wholemeal Flour
80g cooked quinoa
4g squid ink paste
2 Tbsp chia seeds
15g fine sugar
3/4 tsp salt
15g coconut oil
1/2 tsp instant yeast
220g water

Method：

1. Put all ingredients & cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl. Mix till combined. Cover with a cloth & proof for 30mins.

2. After 30mins, wet hands slightly & fold the dough corners towards the center of the dough. Proof for another 30mins. Repeat this process for another 2 times (there will be a total of 3 times folding in 2 hrs).
3. Remove the dough onto a slightly floured table top. Roughly shape the dough & let it rest for 15mins. After that, shaped dough into desired size & proof for 1hr.
4. Bake in a preheated oven @ 240C for 20mins, then 220C for another 20mins.