Healthy Banana Quick Bread - Low in Fat and Sugar, High in Fibre

Whenever there is ripe bananas stocking up at home, my kids know it is banana cake time. This is a new recipe that I tried last week, adapted from here, with some slight variations to produce a healthy and yet delish banana cake, that is low in fat and sugar and high in fibre. We absolutely enjoyed this much healthier bake.

Healthy Banana Cake/Quick Bread

Ingredients:

(Makes one loaf, about 12 slices) 

• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 120 ml low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 40ml canola oil
• 90g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 130g all-purpose flour
• 35g whole wheat flour
• 30g ground almond
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

 

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, sugar, egg and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, ground almond, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
5. Combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and add to the flour mixture. Throw in half of the sliced banana pieces. Stir just until all the ingredients are combined and there is no dry flour. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Top with the remaining banana slices.
6. Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. To prevent the top from over browning, I cover it with a foil after 35 minutes and continue the baking for another 20 minutes before it came out nice and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

 



Soft Cheese Bread

Soft Cheese Bread - A tasty and soft bread that is not complicated to make at home.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft Cheese Bread

Adapted from chubbyhubby

 

 

Ingredients

• 397g bread flour
• 1½ tsp kosher salt (I used 1 tsp)
• 32g brown sugar
• ½ cup of lukewarm water (around 35^oC)
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp lukewarm milk (around 35^oC)
• 7g instant yeast (I used 2 tsp)
• 28g unsalted butter
• 170g grated cheese (I used 200g grated cheddar cheese)
• 3 tbsp dried chives (optional)
• some garlic power, mixed into the grated cheese (not in original recipe)

Method (Kneading by Hand):

1. Whisk the yeast in the lukewarm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
2. Warm the milk and melt the butter in a small saucepan set on low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Pour the milk and yeast  mixtures into the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
4. Knead the dough by hand, sprinkle extra flour if too wet, add more water (bit by  bit) if too dry, until  you get a non-sticky and smooth dough, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add in the chives (if using) and knead to incorporate into the dough.
6. Form the dough into a ball and place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for first proofing, about 60 minutes or until it doubles in size.
7. Once the first proofing is done, transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 6 equal pieces.
8. Roll them into small balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll it  into flat rectangle sheet, around 8 inch in length by 6 inch in width.
9. Sprinkle the garlicky grated cheese on the surface of the rectangle, and roll the dough up like a rug, from the long side, like rolling a swiss roll. Seal up the seam part (tapping it with wet finger) to prevent the melted cheese from leaking out after baking. Coil the roll to form a spiral bun and tuck the other end underneath the bun.
10. Place the spiral buns about 1” apart in a greased round cake pan. Sprinkle the top with some water and cover loosely with plastic wrap for second proofing until 1.5 times it original size. This will take about 1-1.5 hours.
11. Before baking it at preheated oven (180^oC), use a toothpick to poke some holes gently through the top crust to release the air bubbles that may have formed in the cheese buns during the rising process.
12. Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
13. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

 

This is for Yeastspotting.

French Apple Tart

Another bake with apple.

French Apple Tart or Tarte Aux Pommes

Recipe adapted from Sugareverythingnice
(Yields a 10-inch tart)

Ingredients:

For the tart shell

• 200g plan flour
• ½ tsp of salt
• 125g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 – 3 Tbsp iced water

For the apple filling

• 4-5 apples, peeled and cored
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 50g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 – 6 tbsp apricot jam

 

Method:

1. Sift flour and salt in a bowl, throw in 125g butter cubes. Use the pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. Add in egg yolk, mix it in using the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in water bit by bit and mix until the mixture comes together to form a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out. (This will allow the gluten in flour to rest or the pastry will shrink when cooked.)
2. Return the dough to room temperature before rolling out (about 5-10 minutes). Preheat oven to 200 degree C.
3. Roll pastry thinly on a lightly floured work surface and fit it into a 10-inch loose based tart tin. Chill tart shell for about 30 minutes.
4. Slice apples thinly and coarsely chop up the uneven smaller pieces. Arrange the smaller pieces in the base of the tart shell. Arrange the apple slices in your desired pattern. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder all over the sliced apples. Then dot with the remaining cubed butter.
5. Bake the tart for about 45 - 60 minutes until the apples are very well browned and the pastry golden in colour. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tart tin.
6. Brush the top of the tart with warmed apricot jam.

Banana Flognarde

My family loves this Banana Flognarde so much that I made this custard-like french dessert with fruit filling consecutively over two nights last week. But I was more than happy to be obliged and please them as this flognarde is so easy to make.

 

This is not the first flognarde that I had baked (see Mango & Peach Flognarde post and Peach Flognarde post) but this latest one with bananas fillings is sure the most yummy one.  
 

  

 

Banana Flognarde

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas (ripe but not too ripe), skin removed and sliced
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 65g all-purpose flour
• 40g Castor sugar
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 230 ml milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Method:

 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter a loaf pan thoroughly.
2. Mix together the sliced bananas, cinnamon and brown sugar, then spread the bananas evenly over the bottom of the pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract until well combined.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, whisk it into a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter over the bananas in the prepared baking pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes until surface lightly browned or until a small knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan. Slice and serve.

 

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

I like to bake with fruit as they add moist and natural sweetness to the baked breads/cakes. Among the many, apple is my first choice, followed by bananas. Both are relatively cheap and available all year round.

 

This Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread is another of my fruity bakes. Sometimes back, I have made a similar one, using puff pastry (Apple Braided Pastry). This time, it is a yeasted bread with cinnamon apple fillings. They are soft, sweet and flavourful.

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Braided Bread

(Adapted from here; Yield : 2 loaves)

 

Bread Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup warm milk

 

Apple Filling Ingredients:

• 3 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (add 1 more tbsp if preferred)
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Method:

For the bread dough:

1. Combine flour, sugar and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.
2. Combine milk, melted butter and salt, stir until well incorporated.
3. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon to form into a soft dough.
4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand until you get a smooth and non-sticky dough, about 8 minutes.
5.  Place dough in a oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a cool dry place for about 60 to 90 minutes, or until it doubled in size.

 

For the apple filling:

1. Place the apple slices in a mixing bowl, coat them with lemon juice.
2. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together and sprinkle them over the apple. Toss to coat them evenly.
3. Set aside until the dough is ready.

 

To assemble:

1. Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 balls.
2. Working with one ball at a time, roll the ball on a floured surface into rectangle (about 1 cm thick).
3. Visually divide the rectangular dough
4. into 3 rectangular sections. Spread half of the apple filling in the centre section.
5. On the two remaining rectangular sections, use sharp knife to cut 6 diagonal stripes of around 45 degree angle on each section.
6. Cross the stripes over one-another to form criss-cross pattern.
7. Repeat the same for the second dough ball.
8. Rest the assembled loaves for 45 minutes, covered.
9. Bake the loaves in pre-heated oven at 190 degree C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter over the surface of the loaves.

Let cool on the rack before serving.

 

I am linking this to Yeastspotting.

 

 

  

 

Steamed Pumpkin Muffins

My daughters are not fussy eaters. But there are 2 items that they are extremely averse to - pumpkin and red beans. Even though they know very well the nutritional values associated with pumpkin and red beans, both of them still classify these 2 items as "disgusting food". They attributed their "hatred" towards pumpkin and red bean to their ex-student care centre that regularly served them with "yucky" pumpkin soup for lunch and red bean soup for tea snack.  

 

 

I have tried very hard to help them overcome their phobia but to no avail. Hence, even though hubby and I like pumpkin, I hardly cook it at home.

 

 

As Halloween is coming, the supermarkets are stocking up with many varieties of pumpkin. They are so attractive that tempted me to google for a steam pumpkin muffin, hopefully to make my girls  consume the delicious pumpkin unknowingly. This "evil" mummy was grinning like a Cheshire cat while googling for the recipe. :)

 

 

I picked this simple recipe that produced pretty looking muffins from food-4tots but make a few variations as indicated in the recipe below.

 

 

Without any artificial coloring added, the steamed muffins came out to be so brightly colored, like little smiley sunflowers. Texture wise, they are light and moist. My girls could taste that I am feeding them with pumpkin but they did not resist the muffins. I personally enjoyed it very much. Too bad, hubby was away and did not get the chance to taste it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steamed Pumpkin Muffins

(Yield 6 large muffins)

 

 

Ingredients:

 

• 125g pumpkin (I used Korean Pumpkin)
• 200g cake flour
• 1.5 tsp double acting baking powder
•  1 large egg
• 75g Castor sugar (I reduced from 85g)
• ½ tsp salt
• 100g full cream milk (I did not use thick coconut milk as I prefer a lighter cake)
• 30g canola oil

 

 

Methods:

1. Remove the skin of the pumpkin, cut into thin slices and steam over high heat for about 20 minutes, until soft.
2. Mash the pumpkin into puree with a fork. Set aside.
3. Mix flour and baking powder until well combined. Set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl, beat egg until foamy with a hand whisk.
5. Add in sugar and salt. Continue beating until well combined and the sugar and salt are dissolved.
6. Add in the milk, oil and pumpkin puree in sequence. Mix well with a spatula after each addition.
7. Add the wet mixture from step (6) into the flour mixture over 3 batches. Use a spatula combine them  until no traces of flour can be seen. Take care not to over mix them though else the muffin will be hard.
8. Spoon the batter into muffin cups until 80% full.
9. Place them into the steamer and steam over high heat for about 15 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and cool the muffins slightly before serving them warm.

 

They are still moist in the next morning when I had it for breakfast.



Samgyetang (삼계탕)

I have been long wanting to make this soup and finally, this wholesome and nourishing Korean-style ginseng chicken soup with glutinous rice is served on my dinning table on Saturday evening.

 

 

 

The authentic Samgyetang uses fresh Korean ginseng but this is not available in supermarkets here. So I followed this version from Cuisine Paradise and used the dried ginseng we Chinese used to broil our traditional ginseng chicken soup as a substitute and it worked well. The addition of glutinous rice in the soup make the soup slightly creamy, gluey and so delighting. I used a kampong chicken to make this soup. When it comes to buying whole fresh chicken, I always go for kampong chicken as I find that it is not as fatty and the meat is more tender as compared to the ordinary big whole chicken. 

 

This is a tasty and nourishing soup for the family. It does not involve complicated steps and long list of ingredients. The hardest step, to me, is cleaning the chicken. :)

Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup With Glutinous Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (I used Kampong Chicken), cleaned and skin removed
• 2 dried ginseng
• few slices of ginger
• 5 red dates, de-seeded
• 2 tablespoons of Chinese wine (I used 养命酒）
• Half-rice bowl full of glutinous rice (wash and pre-soaked for few hours before use)
• Enough water to cover the whole chicken

Methods:

1. Stuff the glutinous rice, red dates and ginger slices into the chicken and place the whole chicken into the soup pot.
2. Pour the Chinese wine all over the chicken.
3. Add in the 2 whole ginsengs into the pot.
4. Add in the water.
5. On the heat to high to bring the soup to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and continue to simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.
7. Season with salt to taste before serving.

 

 

Birthday Cake #1 - Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This Mille Cake was a birthday cake I made for my nephew who turned 11-year old on 20th September. It is a cake formed with layers of thin crepes, filled with milo-buttercream and covered with chocolate ganache.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell from the photo below, cake decoration is clearly not my forte. I was so embarrassed to bring out the cake from the box that evening and actually blaming myself inside me for  volunteering to bake him the birthday cake.

 

 

 

 

But fortunately, appearence aside, the cake was delicious. All the children and adults at home enjoyed the un-usual cake very much. This is the first time they have seen and eaten a mille crepe cake. Mum said it is like eating the layered nonya kuih (九层糕) and my girl said it is like kuih lapis. My little 4-year old nephew gave me 300% for it. LOL. Most importantly, the Birthday Boy enjoyed the cake very much and even asked for second helping which is unusual for him to do so as he was never a cake lover. I felt comforted from their comments as well as their requests for second serving. They had made my hours spent flipping and turning the pan to  make the individual thin tissue-like crepes late into the night all worthwhile.

 

 

Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

 

A) The Crepes

(adapted from this crepes cake recipe):

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cake flour (75g)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (about 85g)
• 2 cups warm milk

 

Methods:

1. Sift flour and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk eggs together. Gently stir in flour mixture until smooth. Stir in butter. Slowly stir in milk until just blended with the consistency of light cream – do not over mix.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 1 hour.
4. Rub bottom of an 8-inch nonstick pan with canola oil and wipe out excess with a paper towel.
5. Place over medium heat. Ladle in about 4 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan.
6. Gently swirl the pan immediately to let the batter spread out evenly to cover the surface of the pan.
7. Cook until browned, about 20 seconds.  Flip the crepe over to cook the other side (either lift the crepe with a spatula or throw the crepe into the air to turn it over - this is fun but be prepared for mishap!)
8. Cook the other side for about 10 seconds and slide the cooked crepe onto a plate.
9. Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.
10. I used paper towels to absorb the excess oil from each pieces of the crepe and stack them up together neatly. Wrapped up in plastic film and refrigerated until ready to assemble (I kept them over night).

 

Makes about 20 - 25 crepes.

 
 

B) Milo-Buttermilk

(Adapted from a cake recipe that I chanced upon, author unknown)

 

Ingredients:

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g sweet condensed milk
• 1 packet 3-in-1 instant milo powder

 

Methods:

Cream butter until pale and fluffy. Add in condensed and milo, mixed well. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

  

 

C) Chocolate Ganache, adapted from joyofbaking

 

Ingredients:

• 113g semisweet chocolate chips
• 90 ml whipping cream
• 14g unsalted butter

 

Methods:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
3. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk gently until chocolate melted and turned into a smooth ganache.
5. Leave it to cool down slightly before pouring over the cake.

 

Finally, assembling the cake:

1. Place first crepe on a plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly over the top.
2. Lay second crepe on top. Repeat the spreading and stacking steps until all crepes are used up.
3. Wrap the crepecake with plastic film and place it in the fridge to let the frosting set. About 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache.
4. Put a iron rack in a shallow baking tray lined with aluminium foil (to catch the dripping ganache). Place the crepe cake on the iron rack.
5. Pour the cooled ganache onto the center of the cake. Spread the ganache with a large metal spatula to push the ganache over the sides of the cake for a smooth and even coating.
6. Serve the cake immediately. If you are not serving it immediately, chill it in the fridge. Let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Birthday Cake #2 - Moist Chocolate Cake

This is Birthday Cake #2 that I made last month. It is a no frills chocolate cake for a simple advance birthday celebration at my mum's place for my elder girl.

 

 

  

This is a really simple to bake cake that yield great flavour and super moist texture. A definite keeper. The recipe is adapted from

mariasmenu.com. I made some adjustment and also cut down the ingredient quantity to 2/3 portion for a 8-inch round cake.

Recipe for Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

(For one 8-inch round cake)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 80g unsalted butter + 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 150g sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degree C. Line and grease a 8-inch round baking pan.
2. Heat milk, butter, oil, coffee granules and cocoa powder till the butter melts. Let it cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Add this and the beaten egg into the cooled wet ingredients. Use a hand whisk to beat till the batter is smooth and well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a knife insert into the middle come out clear. Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Un-mold and let it cool on the iron rack.
5. Decorate as desire. As can see from the photos here, I only did some simple dressing up to keep the cake simple.

Birthday Cake #3 - Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

This Double Chocolate Mousse Cake was the third birthday cake that I made in September. It was the second birthday cake that I made to celebrate my elder girl's 13th birthday. She loves chocolate and green tea. So, the best birthday cake for her would naturally be a chocolate-matcha cake.

 

 

 

  

I have not tried my hand on making mousse cake. When I chanced upon this triple chocolate mousse cake, I bookmarked it immediately as the steps sounded manageable for me and it will be a perfect birthday cake for my girl if I replace the bottom chocolate cake with a matcha cake!
 

 

 

I am very pleased with the end result. In fact, quite proud of it. This is the beauty of baking, when you created something that you are satisfy with and  your family/friends also enjoyed eating it, you will be at cloud nine!

 

 

 

For the Matcha Cake Base

(Adapted from this green tea swiss roll recipe. I halved the portion as below for a 8-inch round cake)

 

Ingredients:

• 13g unsalted butter, melted
• 42g egg yolk (about 3 small-medium egg yolks)
• 12g caster sugar
• 4g green tea powder
• 60g egg white (about 2 small-medium egg whites)
• 40g caster sugar
• 24g cake flour, sifted

 

Steps: 

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar over a pot of hot water till thicken and pale in color.
2. Add in the matcha powder and stir well to combine. Set aside.
3. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy, gradually add in sugar and beat till glossy and soft peaks form.
4. Spoon 1/3 portion of egg whites mixture and mix with the egg yolk mixture using a hand whisk. Then gently fold in the remaining egg white using a spatula until well combined.
5. Gently fold the sifted flour into the batter. Add the melted butter into the batter and mix well.
6. Pour the batter into 8-inch round baking pan lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a scraper. Gently knock the tray on tabletop to remove air bubbles trapped in the batter.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 175 degree C for around 10 minutes.
8. When cake is done, remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the Chocolate Mousse

(Adapted from this Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe, also halved the portion, as listed below)
 

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

• 3/4 tsp powdered gelatin
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 oz good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 150ml whipping cream

White chocolate mousse:

• 3/4 tsp gelatin powder
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 oz good quality white chocolate
• 100 ml whipping cream

Steps:

1. Place 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin power evenly over the water to let it bloom.
2. Heat the milk to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
3. Pour the hot milk gently oven the gelatin. Stir gently until it’s completely dissolved.
4. Pour this milk mixture over the finely chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Then whisk to dissolve the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit over a pot of simmering water and stir if necessary to melt the chocolate completely.
5. Whip the cream to soft peak stage. Keep chill until ready to use.
6. Scoop 1/3 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate and stir to combine so as to lighten up the chocolate. Gently fold in the other 2/3 of the cream.

Repeat the same steps to make the white chocolate mousse.

 

The above yielded 1 cup (about 250ml) of dark chocolate mousse and the same quantity of white chocolate mousse.

 

To assemble:

1. Place the matcha cake into a mold. I used a heart-shape cake ring to cut the cake. Leave the cake in the cake ring.
2. Pour the first layer of dark chocolate mousse slowly over the top of the cake base. 
3. Leave it in the freezer for 10-30 minutes to set.
4. Remove from freezer and gently cover the dark chocolate mousse with the white chocolate mousse. I used a spoon to do this so as not to "disturb" the nicely set dark chocolate layer.
5. Freeze the mousse cake in the freezer for a few hours before serving. (I left it in the freezer over night)
6. 2 hours before serving, remove the cake from the freezer and gently remove the cake ring (I used a hot towel to wrap around the ring to loosen the cake and carefully lift up the ring). Once ring is removed, leave it in the fridge to thaw.

Decorate as desire before serving.