For Mom with Love - Mango Mousse Cake

This Mango Mousse Cake was for my mom who celebrated her 66th birthday in March.

 

Mango Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 15 pieces digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs in a zip-lock bag
• 90g unsalted butter, melted

For the mango mousse:

(Adapted loosely from finebaking blog)

• 300g mango fresh
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 350ml whipping cream

For the top layer mango mirror:

• 200ml fresh mango puree
• 4 tsp gelatin powder
• 100ml hot water

 

Methods:

1. For the base: Mix the biscuit crumb with the melted butter. Press the mixture into the cake mold. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. For the mousse: Puree the mango flesh with the sugar. Strain to remove fiber from mango.
3. Put one third of the mango puree into the pot and stir in the gelatin until dissolved, over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining mango puree. Set aside to cool.
4. Once the mango puree has cooled down, whip the cream to soft peak stage.
5. Gently fold the cream into the mango puree and scoop the mousse into the cake mold, on top of the biscuit crumb base. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for several hours until set.
6. For the top mango mirror layer: Once the mousse is set, dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add gelatin mixture into the mango puree and mix well. Strain and spoon the mixture over the mousse. Leave the cake into the fridge overnight to set.



A Sweet Ending for Chinese New Year

A very belated post for this Tang Yuan dessert that I made with my girl in February.

 

My younger girl loves this sweet dessert very much. I have cooked it at home using store-bought glutinous rice ball. This year, to mark the end of Lunar New Year in February,  I made the rice balls together with her on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. We had great fun making and eating the dessert and she has requested me to make it again soon, before the next Chinese New Year.

 

 

 

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Ball Dessert)

Adapted from noobcook.com

 

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

 

• 1 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/2 cup water (add gradually)
• 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• food colourings (I used a dash of pink food coloring for pink balls and pandan paste for green balls)
• 1 litres of water
• few slices of ginger
• 2 pandan leaves, tied to a knot
• gula melaka sugar, to taste

 

Instructions

1. Combine flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Gradually add water and knead the dough until soft, smooth, and not sticky to the fingers.
2. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Add pink food colouring to portion A, pandan paste to portion B. Knead the dough until the colour is well distributed. For portion C, I did not add any coloring.
3. Working with one portion of the dough at a time (cover the other 2 with cloth to prevent them from drying), pinch a small amount of dough and shape it into a round marble-sized ball. Repeat the same for the other 2 doughs.
4. Bring a pot of water  to boil. Add the tang yuan into the boiling water and cook until they float to the surface. Transfer them immediately to a bowl of room temperature water until cooled or ready to serve.
5. In another pot, bring 1 litres of water, ginger and pandan leave to a boil. Add gula melaka sugar and stir till sugar melted. Off the fire. Add the tang yuan into the sweet soup. The tang yuan is now ready to serve in individual bowls.

Jelly Hearts

 

 

 

Jelly Hearts - A pretty and delicious cheesecake desserts.

 

Recipe adapted from here

 

Ingredients

 

For the base:

• 9 Digestive biscuits, crushed (I used 11 pieces, to ensure the base is thick enough)
• 70g butter, melted

 

For the cheesecake layer:

• 250g cream cheese, room temperature (I used low fat)
• 295g condensed milk (I reduced to 200g)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp gelatin powder (I added 1/2 tsp extra for a firmer cheesecake)
• 50ml hot water
• 6 strawberries

 

For the jelly layer:

• 90g jelly powder (I used 120g for thicker jelly layer, peach flavoured)
• Water, amount as stated in the jelly packaging

 

Methods:

 

1. Crush the biscuits into crumb and mix with the melted butter.
2. Pour the biscuit mixture into a square baking tin lined with aluminum foil for easy lifting up. Press the biscuit mixture evenly and firmly into the base.
3. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
4. Beat the cream cheese until smooth using a fork. Add condensed milk and lemon juice. Continue to mix till well-combined.
5. Dissolve the gelatin in the hot water. Strain it if there are insoluble granules. Add to cream cheese mixture and mix well.
6. Pour cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base and spread evenly.
7. Cut the strawberries into halves and trim each halve into heart shape.
8. Before the cream cheese is set, gently press the heart-shaped strawberries on top of the cream cheeses in a symmetrical pattern.
9. Cover with cling film and leave it to set in the fridge overnight.
10. The next day, make the jelly solution according to the instructions on the package. Let it cool to room temperature.
11. Gently pour jelly solution over the cheesecake and the strawberries. Place the baking tin back to the fridge for a few hours until the jelly set.

To serve, remove the tin from the fridge, carefully lift the cheesecake up using the aluminum foil and place it on a tray. Cut into 12 square pieces, with each piece has a strawberry heart at the centre.

 

Cotton Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes

These Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes are soft and light as cloud.

 



 

 

 

 

Cotton Cheese Soufflé Cupcakes

[Adapted from CornerCafe, makes about 12-15 cupcakes]

 

Ingredients:

• 125g cream cheese, soften
• 60ml milk
• 40ml canola oil
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g caster sugar
• 20ml lemon juice
• 30g cornflour, sifted
• 3 egg whites
• 70g caster sugar

 

 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Line the holes of muffin pan with paper cups.
2. Place a large tray of hot water at the bottom rack of the oven.
3. Mix cream cheese with milk and oil in a bowl over simmering water. Whisk until smooth, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
4. Beat egg yolks with 40g sugar until combined, Add in lemon juice. Gradually add in lukewarm cheese mixture and whisk to combine. Add in the sifted corn flour, whisk lightly to combine. Set aside.
5. Beat egg whites in a clean bowl until foamy. Add in 70g sugar over several batches, beat well after each addition until the egg white become firm but not stiff.
6. Spoon 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the cheese mixture. Mix to combine thoroughly. 
7. Fold in the remaining egg white and fold carefully to combine.
8. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly to the rim.
9. Place the muffin tray on the oven rack just above the tray of hot water.
10. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the tops of the cheesecakes are lightly browned.

 

Egg Muffins with Ham and Cheese

A simple and yummy-licious breakfast options for weekend! These are basically egg omelette baked in oven.

 

Egg Muffins with Ham And Cheese

Makes 6

Ingredients:

• 4 Eggs
• 2 pieces of breakfast ham
• Some chopped button mushroom
• About 1/4 cup of grated cheese of your choice (may use up to 1/2 cup for more cheesy muffins)
• Ground black pepper and salt seasoning, to taste
• *More grated/shredded cheese for topping

 

Steps:

1. Preheat oven at 190 degree C. Grease a 6-hole muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients (except *) together with a hand whisk.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the muffin holes till 3/4 full.
4. Sprinkle more grated / shredded cheese on top of each muffin
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.
6. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

This Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread has a soft texture with full of Cinnamon favour and sweet juicy apple cubes in the centre.

 

I adapted the bread recipe from Mummyposhpearl and filled it with cinnamon apples. I am very happy with how well it turned out.
 

 

 

Cinnamon Apple Ring Bread

 Ingredients:

• 180g bread flour
• 120g cake flour
• 30g caster sugar
• 4g salt
• 4g instant yeast
• 210g of 1 egg + fresh milk mixture
• 20g unsalted butter, soften
• Cinnamon Apple Fillings (See recipe below)

 

Method:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
2. Warm up the milk and egg mixture in a small pot over low fire. Do not let it boil.
3. Add the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture. Knead till well combined.
4. Add in the soften butter and knead the dough until it become smooth and non-sticky. Sprinkle additional flour sparingly if necessary as the dough is sticky to knead at the beginning.
5. Transfer the dough to a oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let it rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
6. Punch out the air and transfer to a flat work surface.
7. Roll it out into a flat rectangular shape and spread the cinnamon apple filling evenly over the surface.
8. Roll up firmly like a log, and joined the 2 ends together to form a round ring. Carefully transfer it into a buttered spring form ring cake pan, seamed side down.
9. Proof for a second time until double in size, about 30 minutes.
10. Use a kitchen scissor to make a few diagonal cuts around the ring. Brush some melted butter over the top and bake in pre-heated oven at 175 degree C for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.
11. Brush the top with more melted butter for a glossy look. Let cool before storage.

 

Cinnamon Apple Fillings:

Peel and cut 4 medium apples into small cubes. Mix with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Cook in a a small pot over low fire until soft. Set aside to cool down for later use.


This is for Yeastspotting.

Yomeishu Baked Chicken

This east-meet-west baked chicken with herbal wine is a regular dish on my family's dinning table.Not only  it is good for health and flavourful, it is frill-free to prepare too.

 



 

Yomeishu Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

 

• 1 spring chicken
• 5 tbsp Yomeishu (养命酒)
• dash of freshly grounded black pepper
• 1 tsp of Chinese five-spice powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

 

 

Methods:

1. Clean the whole chicken, butterfly it. Discard the feet and head.
2. Mix together the seasoning ingredients.
3. Rub the inside and outside of the chick with the seasoning mixture.
4. Pour the remaining mixture over the chicken.  Leave chicken in the fridge to absorb the seasoning, at least 2 hour.
5. Place the chicken and seasoning mixture in a baking pan lay with aluminium foil.
6. Fold the foil to seal the chicken.
7. Baked in pre-heated oven at 200 degree C for 50 min.

 

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #28: Chicken Feast (February 2013) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker