Rainbow Bundt Cake

Top view of the bundt cake...

Bottom view of the bundt cake...

Side view of the bundt cake...where is the rainbow!!?? 

tadah!!! revealing the rainbow! ^0^

My kids also excited when they saw these pretty slices! Each enjoyed a slice of rainbow right after their afternoon meal!

Rainbow Bundt Cake
Ingredient (10" bundt pan)

• 375gm cake flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 250gm butter
• 250gm fine sugar
• 250gm eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250gm greek yogurt
• food colouring : red, orange, yellow, green, blue & purple

Method

1. Grease and flour the bundt pan. Set aside.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together twice. Set aside.
3. Using a electric whisk, cream butter an sugar until fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla.
5. Add in half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed till well combined.
6. Add in yogurt in 2 additions and mix well.
7. Add in balance flour mixture and mix on low speed until smooth.
8. Divide batter into the following proportions : 250gm red, 200gm orange, 150gm yellow, 120gm green, 80gm blue, 50gm purple. Balance plain batter place into a piping bag. After tinted the batter, place them into individual piping bag.
9. Pipe half of the plain batter into the prepare bundt pan. Use the back of a spoon and spread lightly to the edges.
10. Pipe the tinted batter, starting with red, pipe a ring on top of the plain batter. Continue the next colour and pipe on top of the previous colour. 
11. Lastly pipe the remaining plain batter on top of the purple ring.
12. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 50-55mins. Cool cake in pan for 10mins. Invert the cake on the wire rack, remove the mould and let it cool completely before slicing.

Recipe ref : Wendyinkk

Bake-Along's 5th Anniversary and final theme : Bundt Cake by Lena, Zoe & Joyce

Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk

I never get bored baking/eating baked chicken as there are lots of ways to prepare it! I accidentally stumbled upon this recipe by Jamie Oliver and I was hooked! This baked chicken in milk tasted obsulately fantastic! 

Really simple ingredients....sage leaves, lemon zest, garlic, cinnamon(not in pic) and milk.

Lightly browned the whole chicken in hot olive oil before putting in all the ingredients.

Yummy! Prepared some crusty bread and mopped up the tantalising curdled milk infused gravy.

Recipe ref: www.jamieoliver.com
Ingredient

• 1 large chicken, cleaned
• salt
• black pepper
• olive oil
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 1 handful of fresh sage leaves
• 2 lemon, zested
• 10 cloves garlic, skin left on
• 600ml milk

Method

1. Season chicken generously all over with salt & black pepper. Heat some olive oil in a casserole. Fry the chicken until golden all over. Put the chicken on a plate and discard the oil in the pot. 
2. Put the chicken back into the pot together with cinnamon, sage, lemon zests and garlic. Pour in milk. 
3. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 1 1/2 hour, basting with the cooking juice in between baking time.

Bake Along Event #93 with the theme: Bake/Roast Chicken with  Joyce, Zoe and Lena.

Roasted Kumquat Chicken

Oooh such a lovely golden glistening roasted chicken leg! This is a dish I could not make it as frequent as I've run out of kumquat jam! Kumquat season is over and not available in the market now, so not able to make some homemade kumquat jam at the moment. But I've still got plenty of pickled salted kumquats in the fridge.  Maybe I could substitute it with orange marmalade or apricot jam  if I am to bake this again :D

Homemade salted kumquats which I preserved for over 3 months :)

chopped preserved kumquat and other seasoning rubbed over chicken thighs and marinated overnight

Ingredient

• 3 whole chicken leg
• 5 salted kumquats
• 1 tsp kumquat brine
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp kumquat jam

Method

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken leg.
2. Halved salted kumquats and remove the seeds. Chopped finely.
3. Combine chopped salted kumquats, brine, olive oil, sugar, water , black pepper and chilli flakes to form a paste.
4. Coat the chicken with the kumquat paste evenly on all sides. Leave to marinate overnight in fridge.
5. Line fresh basil on a baking sheet (optional). Place marinated chicken leg over and bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 35 mins, turning once half-way through. At the last 5 mins, brush the kumquat jam all over the chicken leg.
6. Remove from oven at serve along with green salad.

Bake Along Event #93 with the theme: Bake/Roast Chicken with  Joyce, Zoe and Lena.

Roast Buttermilk Chicken with Bacon

This is another baked buttermilk chicken dish. Sound similar to my previous post  but actually they are completely different. This chicken drumstick is moist and tender, infused with smoky bacon flavours. The original recipe did not include the bacon. I just wanted to clear the bacon therefore tried this wrapping method and it turned out really well!

before baking

Ingredient

• 12 chicken drumsticks
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp crushed black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp honey
• 12 slices bacon

Method

1. Place the chicken drumsticks in a large ziplog bag and add in buttermilk and oil.
2. Add the crushed garlic, crushed pepper, salt, cumin and honey.
3. Seal the bag and squish everything in the bag to mix the marinade and coat the chicken. Best marinate overnight in fridge.
4. Preheat oven to 200 deg cel. Take the chicken pieces out of the bag, shaking off the excess marinade. Wrap each drumstick with a slice of bacon. Place drumstick on a lined baking sheet, bake for 30-35 mins or until the bacon is golden brown and drumsticks are cooked through.

Recipe ref : 'Nigella Express' by Nigella Lawson

Bake Along Event #93 with the theme: Bake/Roast Chicken with  Joyce, Zoe and Lena.

BLT Salad with Baked Buttermilk Chicken Fillet

Finally I'm back to join this Bake Along event after resting for a long time! I've several delicious baked chicken recipes in my blog draft box, hopefully I've enough energy and time to share with you all :) 

BLT salad...with homemade croutons! yummy!

Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Salad
Ingredient

• 8 slices bacon
• 250gm baguette, sliced into 3/4" cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• 500gm romaine-lettuce, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Salad dressing (mix well)

• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg cel. Arrange bacon on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 mins till browned & crisp. Transfer onto a kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Cool and crumble into large pieces.
2. Toss cubed bread with olive oil. Season with salt & black pepper. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake till golden brown, for about 20 mins, tossing halfway through.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes and croutons. Drizzle in salad dressing and toss evenly to mix. Serve immediately.

Recipe ref : Martha Stewart

First time using cornflakes to coat the chicken pieces, it does give some crunch but loses its crisp after cool down. So they are best serve immediately after baking!

Baked Crunchy Buttermilk Chicken Fillet

Ingredient

• 500gm chicken fillet
• 2 cups buttermilk

For coating

• 3 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
• 3/4 tsp old bay seasoning
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 tsp paprika

Method

1. Combine buttermilk & chicken fillet in a mixing bowl. Cover and marinate for at least 1 hour in fridge.
2. Toss cornflakes, old bay, thyme, rosemary and paprika in a large mixing bowl. Remove 1 slice of fillet at a time from buttermilk, letting excess drip back into the bowl. Dredge in cornflake mixture.
3. Transfer coated pieces onto a greased baking sheet, lightly coat each pieces with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel, turning pieces halfway through, until crisp and cooked through, about 30 mins. 
4. Cool down slightly and serve immediately with salad on the sides.

Recipe ref : Martha Stewart

Bake Along Event #93 with the theme: Bake/Roast Chicken with  Joyce, Zoe and Lena.

Lemon Bars

Revisiting this lemon bars recipe which my last attempt was 5 years ago! As I know that the fresh lemon juice will be sourish, I did not attempt to reduce the sugar at all. Rich buttery shortcrust base with tart and tangy lemon topping,  it is so addictive that you will not be able to stop at one slice! 

Recipe adapted from Evan's Kitchen
Ingredient

for the crust :

• 110gm unsalted butter
• 50gm sugar
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 110gm plain flour

for the lemon topping :

• 200gm sugar
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup strained fresh lemon juice
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. For the crust: Melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and mix just until incorporated. Press the dough evenly over the bottom of a lined 8-inch square pan. Bake in a preheated oven of 180 deg cel for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crust is well browned at the edges and lightly browned in center.
2. For the lemon topping: Stir together the sugar and flour in a medium bowl until well mixed. Whisk in the eggs. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. 
3. When crust is ready, turn the oven down to 160 deg cel and pour in the filling. Bake for 20-25 mins until topping is puffed at the edges and no longer jiggles in the center. Cool completely in pan.
4. When cool, transfer to cutting board and cut into 16 bars or desired size. Sieve icing sugar over bars just before serving.

Bake Along #82 Theme : Lemon Bars

Croissant (Cheat Method)

Take a closer look, you must be wondering which cheat method I'm using? ^0^

They are flaky and crisp, most importantly they are real simple to make...hmm think within 30mins? 

hehehe they are made by Paratha! I've obtained this cheat method of making croissant from Facebook :D Just need to prepare 3 pieces frozen paratha, thaw slightly but not too soft. Spread some butter over 2 pieces and stack up. the pieces. Place it between a plastic sheet dust with some flour to prevent sticking.

Method of rolling out the stacked paratha, folding and rolling into croissant shape

Plain and Nutella Croissant before baking

Ingredient (5 mini croissants)

• 3 pieces plain frozen paratha
• butter for spreading
• beaten egg for glazing
• some flour for dusting
• a large piece plastic sheet

Method

1. Thaw frozen paratha slightly for about 5 mins. Do not leave it till soft as it will become too sticky to handle.
2. Spread 2 pieces of the paratha with some butter. Stack up the 3 pieces and dust the top piece with some flour.
3. Place the stacked paratha between a plastic sheet. Roll out into a rectangle shape. 
4. Make 1/3 fold on the long side. Make another fold on the shorter side. By this time the dough will be on the softer side. Freeze for 5 mins to firm it up.
5. Place the firm dough between a plastic sheet. Press down firmly to flatten the dough. Roll out into a large rectangle, try to keep the edges as neat as possible. Cut the rolled out dough into 5 triangles and roll into croissant shape. (refer to pic above). Spread some nutella over before rolling up if desired.
6. Lightly brush the surface with some beaten eggs. Bake in preheated oven at 230 deg for 12 mins. Turn on grill mode and bake for another 5 mins till golden and crisp

Bake Along #80 Theme : Croissant

Non-Baked Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a simple and quick non-bake chocolate cheesecake. I bought 2 packages of Chocolate cream cheese while its on offer ...yes Chocolate flavoured not the usual plain one. That's why I said simple, not required to add of melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture. Just beat up the chocolate cream cheese with some sugar and gelatine mixture, fold in whipped thickened cream and poured onto prepared cookie crust, chilled till set and served! Fast enough? Tasted good too, chocolatey enough for me :D 

I've also prepared some cheesecake in cups for my kids, easier for them, just scoop up and eat! ^0^

Ingredient

• 1 1/4 cup crushed Oreo cookies crumbs, without cream
• 80gm melted butter
• 500gm Philadelphia Chocolate Cream Cheese, softened
• 120gm sugar
• 3 tsp gelatine, dissolved in 1/4 warm water
• 300ml thickened cream, lightly whipped
• fresh berries for garnishing

Method

1. Combine the cookie crumbs with melted butter then press into the base of a 8" loosebased cake pan. Chilled in fridge.
2. Using a electric whisk, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light. 
3. Beat in gelatine mixture until well incorporated.
4. Fold in whipped cream evenly.
5. Pour the mixture over the cookie base. Chill for at least 4 hours until set before serving.

Happy 4th Anniversary!

Best Recipes for Everyone May 2015 Event Theme: My Favourite Desserts Organized by Fion of XuanHom's Mom and co-host by  Aunty Young

Fruity Christmas Biscotti

This is my first biscotti attempt and definitely won't be the last! From Wiki : "Biscotti... also called cantuccini (English: coffee bread), are twice-baked cookies (or biscuits) originating in the Italian city of Prato. The biscuits are oblong-shaped almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy through cutting the loaf of dough while still hot and fresh from baking in the oven."

Though they are usually served by dunking into coffee or milk, it is rather addictive too by munching it alone ^0^ There are raisins, cranberries, pecans and pistachios with some orange zest and mixed spices in this batch of biscotti....hmmm can you sense the Christmas aromas in the air??

raw dough rolled into a log

using a serrated knife and sliced diagonally after 1st bake

return the slices into oven and bake for the 2nd time until dry and golden

Dunk it in a cuppa of Kopi-O (black coffee)!

Recipe ref : Good Food Magazine Dec 2011

Ingredient (approx. 25 cookies)

• 230gm plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150gm fine sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• grated zest from 1 orange
• 40gm raisins
• 40gm dried cranberries
• 30gm pecans, roughly chopped
• 30gm shelled pistachio, roughly chopped

Method

1. Put flour, baking powder, spice, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Stir in eggs and zest until the mixture starts forming clumps. Using your hands, bring the dough together and knead until no floury patches remain.
3. Add in dried fruits and nuts and knead in until evenly distributed.
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, rolled the dough into a log about 30cm long and 8cm in width.
5. Transfer the log onto a lined baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 35 mins until the dough has risen and feels firm.
6. Remove from oven and cool on rack for about 10mins until cool enough to handle. Using a serrated knife, cut into slices about about 1cm thick on the diagonal. Lay the slices, cut side down, on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 130 deg for another 10mins, turn over, then bake again for another 12-15 mins until dry and golden.
7. Cool completely before storing in air-tight container for up to one month.

Bake-Along #72 : Christmas Theme - Biscotti

Cook Your Books #19 @ kitchen flavours

This post is linked to "Cook and Celebrate: Christmas 2014" organised by Cook & Celebrate Christmas 2014 hosted by Bake For Happy Kids, Eat Your Heart Out and Domestic Goddess Wannabe

This post is linked to "My Treasured Recipes #4 - Ho Ho Ho It's Christmas (Dec 2014)" hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House.