happy sunday :)

January 15th, 2012.

taking a break from all things gives you some kind of solitude. i should do this more. plus, i have a lot of time making these. happy Sunday, everyone :)

peanut butter muffin.

January 10th, 2012.

It's been raining since new year and i've been longing for a me-time in the kitchen to bake something new. I've been looking for a simple yet delicious muffin recipes and i stumbled upon this one that i decide to make tonight. I forgot the source, will try to trace it. Anyways, here's how to make it. Warning: the batter tastes soooo good, so be aware to prevent yourself from licking the bowl or spatula :D

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggs, beten
• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tbsp butter, at room tempreature
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the peanut butter and mix throroughly
3. Combine the eggs and milk, and then pour into the mixture.
4. Add the butter and stir until the mixture is moistened.
5. Bake at pre-heated oven 200 degrees C (or 400 degrees F) for 25 minutes.
6. Serve them while still warm with a glass of milk or a cup of hot latte.

chocolate chip cookies.

Hello, back in the kitchen again. Got this recipe from my workmate. Easy to make and you won't need a lot of time making them. I'll post the recipe soon :)

banana cupcakes.

Happy New Year 2012! Let's celebrate it with banana cupcakes!

Actually i made this in November or December 2011, but i had no time to post the photos and the recipe. This recipe is also belongs to Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sifted plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 stick (6 ounces) butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 4 very ripe large bananas, mashed (make about 2 cups)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  

Brown Sugar Butter Cream Icing:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add mashed bananas.

2. Reduce speed to low. Mix any remaining wet ingredients in a bowl if needed. Add dry ingredients to butter/ banana mixture in 3 additions, alternating with wet ingredients and ending with dry. Scrape sides of bowl. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full

3. Bake cupcakes until testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 3 days, unless otherwise noted

aaack!

Look at how cute this is!
Photo courtesy of this blog

cheese cake with white chocolate and raspberries.

November 23, 2011.

So, cheese cake has been the new curiosity for me. After succeeded in making Oreo Cheese Cake, i want to make more! This time is a classic cheese cake with white chocolate and raspberries on top. Want to try? It's so easy to make and it's not a time-consuming kind of recipe. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
4 packages cream cheese (908 g or 2 pounds)
4 tbsp butter, melted
4 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1 pack fresh raspberries
1 pack wheat biscuit

Optional:
1/2 cup white chocolate buttons
1 cup heavy or whipping cream



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or 170 degrees C)
2. Mix cream cheese and sugar until soft, add vanilla extract
3. Add eggs one at a time while still mixing the cream cheese mixture
4. To make the crust, crush the biscuits until it forms little crumbs. You can do this with a food processor. Add melted butter. Press this mixture into a spring form tin, press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.
5. Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula
6. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 270 degrees and bake for another 1 hour. It doesn't necessarily have to be bake for 1 hour, but do check the oven every 20 minutes to make sure it has set and not over-baked.
7. Cool the cheese cake for about an hour.
8. Meanwhile in a medium heat in a pan, mix together heavy cream and white chocolate buttons until they mixed perfectly. Pour the chocolate sauce on top of the cheese cake. Let it cool.
9. Decorate with raspberries.
10. Serve.
    

carrot cupcakes with cheese cream frosting (Martha Stewart's)

November 20th, 2011.

I got this birthday present from my soon-to-be sister, mother, and father-in-law. They know that I'm crazy about baking cupcakes, so they bought me Martha Stewart's Cupcake book for my birthday. There are sooo many variations of cupcakes that i would like to try to make, so i started out on carrot cupcakes first. I didn't use some of the ingredients in the recipe due to the short time that i had last week. And i forgot to take the picture of the carrot cupcakes (do'oh!!). Here's the recipe, it's delicious!

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 1 pound carrots (about 450 g), finely grated
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 2 cups sugar (i only use 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (you can use sour cream or plain yogurt to substitute)
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved (simply use vanilla powder)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins (i didn't use this, cos many people don't like raisins)
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (didn't use this)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (also didn't use this)

Ingredients for the frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (additional)
• 1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  

Directions

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together carrots, eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla-bean seeds, and raisins. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir flour mixture into carrot mixture until well combined.

2. Divide batter among liners, filling 3/4 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes, rotating tins halfway through. Transfer tins to racks to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from tins; let cool completely.

3. Make frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter with 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar. Continue to beat while adding remaining sugar 1/4 cup at a time. Add vanilla, and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes.