Baked Nian Gao

Every Lunar New Year, my mother would slice the block of nian gao (sticky glutinuous rice cake) and fry them with sweet potatoes or yam. Freshly out of the deep-fryer, the golden brown nuggets were a delicious combination of sticky, sweet and crispy. The warm gooey nian gao would ooze out and fill your mouth with its caramelised goodness. Yumm.
This year, I decided to give our favourite party finger food a twist. Instead of coating it in batter and deep frying it, I opted to sandwich the niangao between 2 pre-baked japanese sweet potato slices and rolling them in panko. (japanese breadcrumbs)
After it has been baked to a light golden colour, these 'balls' are absolutely delicious. The coating in panko gives it a delicate crunch. Definitely,not as oily and heavy as the traditional deep fried version.

Baked Nian Gao
Nian Gao, divided into golf-ball sized rounds
Japanese Sweet Potatoes, sliced
1 cup of Panko
1 egg, lightly beaten
Olive Oil, as needed

Using lighty-oil hands, divide the niangao into rounds. If your niangao is firm, cut them into thick pieces. Place the sweet potato slices on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake in a oven preheated to 350F for 15 mins, until cooked & tender.

Sandwich a piece of niangao between 2 sweet potato slices and press firmly. Dip into the egg and then coat with panko. Repeat by dipping into the egg and then dredging in panko. Place the panko-coated niangao on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 min or more until golden.

Lemon-Lime Curd

I've never ever made curd/jam/preserves of any kind before, so this was something new. Taking a cue from the many lemon limes lying around, I went about juicing & zesting them. The end result was a luscious & tangy concoction, perfect for spreading on toasted brioche. I'm just thinking of the many ways I use this curd in: swirled into cheesecake, spooned into tart shells, as a cupcake filling or slathered and rolled into a roulade.
Lemon-Lime Curd
adapted from Pierre Hermé's recipe for Lemon Cream.

100ml fresh lime juice
1 egg
5 T caster sugar or vanilla sugar
lime zest
2 T french unsalted butter

Place sugar and lime zest in a non-reactive saucepan. Rub the lime zest and sugar until the fragrance is thoroughly imbued & sugar crystals become moist. Pour in lime juice and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Whisk the egg and gradually pour in hot syrup to temper. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture reaches 180F. Cool and strain into a large bowl. Once the curd reaches 30C ( or room temperature) , whisk in the butter. Whisk vigorously until the curd is smooth.
Thank goodness for my infra-red thermometer! No need to clean/wash and best of all, it registers the temperature in a matter of seconds. Just point and viola!

Warm Mocha Tart

I had a post-it on this recipe for a really long time, so I thought I would bake this today. It was really really easy-made in less than 30 min? Taste-wise, the tart was rich & chocolaty with a very luxurious mouthfeel. The filling was silky smooth and absolutely delicious.
Warm Mocha Tart
Recipe adapted from Bittersweet by Alice Medrich. The tart dough was a pâte sucré made some time back and kept in the freezer. You will need a 9 inch fluted tart pan.

3 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/4 t instant espresso powder
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten

Place the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and cream in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture is blended and smooth and begins to simmer around the edges. Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder and vanilla. Just before the crust is ready, whisk the egg thoroughly into the hot chocolate mixture. Pour the filling into the hot crust and turn off the oven. Leave the tart in the oven until it quivers like tender Jell-O in the center when the pan is nudged, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Triple-Layer Carrot Cake with Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

I was set on making a carrot cake after trying one that was plain nasty. It was stodgy & dry, and the frosting practically jumped of the cake in layers. Since I'm on a self-imposed ban on chocolaty & calorific stuff, I figured that if carrot cake contain a vegetable, they must be quite healthy for you right? This cake is also for this month's theme challenge (layer cakes) at bakebakebake.
So I whipped out my new mixer and prepared my mise en place. As usual, I fiddled around with my last carrot cake recipe to make things, well, more low-fat.
Triple-Layer Carrot Cake
A lighter/less fattening version of the perennial favourite carrot cake.

360g unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ground cloves or allspice
1/2 t sea salt
250g brown sugar
3 eggs
3 T honey
125 ml olive oil
450g grated carrots
1 C walnuts, rum-soaked raisins

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together dry ingredients. On medium speed, beat eggs and sugar until thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually pour in the olive oil and beat until thoroughly emulsified. Add the honey and mix well. Toss the grated carrots, raisins and nuts into the dry ingredients to coat the carrots with flour. Using a large spatula, fold that into egg mixture. Divide the batter into cake pans and bake for 35 min until golden.

Cinnamon-Rum Syrup
Combine 1 t ground cinnamon and 3 T sugar and 3 T water. Cook until dissolved & syrupy.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting
350g cream cheese
70g unsalted butter
200g confectioner's sugar
60 ml lime juice
vanilla extract to taste

Beat everything together until smooth. Chill for 1/2 hour.

To assemble:
Slice cakes horizontally into layers. Brush the layers with cinnamon-rum syrup. Fill & frost the cake with cream cheese frosting. Chill 1 hour until cake is set. I also sliced some fresh nectarines to decorate the top.

Dog Treats

After our vacation when we got Milo back, I realised he sort of shrank. Well, he is already a miniature jrt, weighing in at only a mere 3.5kg. Furthermore, while we were away, he accidentally got his right paw caught between the elevator door. So, I made some oatmeal treats as little 'pick-me-ups'.
Milo was a mild allergy to wheat, so I whizzed some organic rolled oats in a foodmill to make oat flour. I usually have potatoes on hand, but you can use carrots instead.

Dog Treats
1 C organic rolled oats
1 medium potato
1/2 to 3/4 C milk or water
2 T olive oil
flaxseeds

Whizz the rolled oats until finely ground to make oat flour. Boil the potato in water (no salt!) until tender. Cool briefy before peeling and mashing. Add the mashed potato to the oat flour and knead until a crumbly dough forms. Add oilve oil and enough milk/water until a pilable to work. (the amount of milk needed will vary). Let the dough rest for 10 mins. Roll the dough out to desired thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut out as many cookies possible. Use flaxseeds to make eyes/nose. Brush the treats with additional milk and bake in a oven, preheated to 350F. Bake it until dry and crunchy, about 20 min.

These keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or you could share them like we did!

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

These Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes were made some time back when my sister asked me to bake cupcakes for a friend's birthday. These cupcakes always come out perfect & the buttermilk gives it a delicious tang. I mixed up some chocolate ganache frosting & added some colourful sprinkles on top.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes
this is my no-fail recipe for vanilla cupcakes. moist, buttery & golden cupcakes everytime!

245g (1 3/4 cups) cake flour
1/2 t salt ( I used Pink Himalayan Salt)
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
110g (1 cup) sugar
2 large eggs
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk (alternatively, use half sour cream & half milk)

Preheat oven to 350F. Sift together cake flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder. Set aside. Beat softened butter until creamy, then add sugar. With the mixer on medium speed, cream the mixture until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. On low speed, add 1/3 of the dry mixture followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat, ending with adding in the last 1/3 of dry mixture. Beat just to incorporate.
Portion batter into 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 min, until golden. A tester inserted should come out clean. Cool for 5 min before turning out onto a wire rack.

Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting
a really simple ganache. rich, dark & delicious.

220g good-quality dark chocolate (I used one with 72% cocoa)
1 C heavy cream
1-3 T sugar (add according to preference)
1 T unsalted butter
optional: 1 T liqueur (rum, brandy, bailey's, kalua)

Chop the chocolate into evenly sized small pieces. Heat the cream in a saucepan and bring just to a boil. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate. Let it sit for about 3 min before whisking until smooth. Add butter and liqueur (if using) and sugar to taste. Allow the ganache to cool, it will thicken up.

Once cooled, frost the cupcakes with a generous dollop of ganache.