Supermoist Sour Cream Lemon Cake

I mentioned here before that I have more lemons in the fridge and would like to make something out of it. I was pretty excited as I had borrowed Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito and the sight of their oh so beautiful Lemon Lemon Loaf on page 41 got me hooked. However, the recipe calls for 8 large eggs and I thought "wow! that's a lot of eggs for 2 loaves of cake!" thus I decided not to use this recipe. I usually do not mind using so much eggs but the recent baking I did used quite a lot of eggs and I really should watch the cholesterol levels in this household. I want to give my family pleasure and tickle their tastebuds without compromising their health either. As it is, most of my bakes are discounted on their sugar if at all possible.

Anyway since I could'nt get the thought of fragrant, tangy and moist lemon cakes out of my head, I decided to scour the ever reliable internet for a similar recipe which use lesser eggs and I found this gem. Yippee it uses only 3 eggs and that's very acceptable to me and the end result was a smooth and moist cake which was reminiscent of a cheesecake, only with crumbs. Even my younger sister who is a cake-hater and a cheesecake-lover said she liked it. So this recipe is definitely a keeper!

Sour Cream Lemon Cake (adapted from Southernfood.about.com)

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup sour cream

Lemon Glaze:

(Mine didnt turn out white and pretty cos I was scared of using so much sugar. So it became a clear syrup instead)
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.
Into a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a mixing bowl with hand-held electric mixer, cream 1 cup butter and granulated sugar; beat at high speed until mixture is very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down side of bowl frequently. Blend in lemon zest.

Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, adding each in 3 additions. Scrape sides of bowl frequently. Pour batter into prepared cake pan; bake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden pick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine lemon glaze ingredients in a bowl, blending until smooth. Carefully turn cake out onto a platter; drizzle evenly with glaze.Serves 12 or more, depending on size of servings.

DB Challenge June 2009 - BAKEWELL TART

I was very ecstatic when I realised I've got abit of time on my hands to bake and decided to participate as a Daring Baker. I waited with bated breath for my application to be approved and then immediately found out that the June challenge would be -- Bakewell Tart. *insert cricket sounds here*

Very frankly, I've never heard of the word before. Bakewell Tart? Frangipane? Hmmmm....But reading more on the tart made it easier for me to visualise what I'm in for. I love tarts and thought this would be exciting! The recipe called for jam and coincidentally I had a new jar of strawberry preserves in the fridge and a punnet of fresh strawberries i bought cheap from the nearby supermarket. So I guess I should put them to use. How timely right. After the whole tart is done, did i realised that I've been very selfish with the jam. Note to self, to include more jam if ever I'd be tempted to make this dessert again. =)

I've got to say, making something I've never had or heard of before and seeing the end results similar to many bakers around the www made me give a huge sigh of relief and an overwhelming feeling of fulfillment - I did it!

I initially wanted to try making this with Durian. I wonder if many of you know what durian is? I guess to some its as alien as Bakewell tart was to me. In Singapore, Durian is a popular fruit. Locals love it (some in know abhor it) and foreigners hate it. Me, I'm the kind of local who loves her Durian! Anyway, durian issues aside, I thought I'd be less daring for my inaugural challenge and would just be really satisfied that I didnt burn the frangipane. But you would see from the pictures that the tart was indeed, Baked well. Too well in fact. I think its a tad to tan. hehe.

Sweet Shortcrust pastry (using Food Processor):

125g butter (fridge cold)

60g icing sugar

1 egg

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Rub butter into flour till it resemble breadcrumbs. Add in sugar, vanilla essence and egg and mix into a pliable dough. I usually press dough into tart mould rather than rolling it out if the dough has not rested. If I have more time andnot in a hurry to finish baking, I'd rest the dough for 20mins and roll it out later.

Almond Frangipane (adapted from BBC Goodfood)

150g unsalted butter, softened

150g sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

150g ground almonds

zest of a lemon

Cream together the butter and caster sugar. Gradually add the beaten eggs and egg yolk. Fold in the ground almonds and lemon zest. Carefully spoon the mixture over the jam and spread level. Bake for 20 minutes. Scatter with the flaked almonds and continue to cook for a further 15-20 minutes until golden and set.

Assembling the tart:

Spread the jam in an even layer over the base of the pastry case. Cream together the butter and caster sugar. Gradually add the beaten eggs and egg yolk. Fold in the ground almonds and lemon zest. Carefully spoon the mixture over the jam and spread level. Bake for 20 minutes. Scatter with the flaked almonds and continue to cook for a further 15-20 minutes until golden and set.
Cool to room temperature, dust with icing sugar and serve with pouring cream or custard.

Enjoy this aromatic dessert. I did. Oh and my husband and kids loved it too. Not too bad for a first time dips on them Bakewell tarts aye.

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

Long Lost friend - Lemon Meringue Pie

I fell very sick in February and have not been doing so well with activities and such. It was the most testing time in my life and I was very down all the time. The doctor said I needed loads of rest as I could be overly exhausted - "juggling too many things at a time", he said. I feel much better now and up and about. I'm just so thankful to DH for his care and for helping to acquire the services of a maid to help with housekeeping and minding the kids as I hover over books and assignments right at the same time as I was ordered to rest in bed. Hmm....what did the doctor said again? hehe.

On a lighter note, exams are over and school's out so I have energy and loads of time right now to bake some. I had really wanted to bake Lemon Meringue Pie for the longest time. The last I made it was back in high school. It didnt go down well with my parents. They are so used to Asian desserts. They couldnt handle the lemon curd well. So that experience dampens the spirit abit. Although I love the dessert, I don't attempt to bake it as I wouldnt be able to finish a whole pie and I wouldnt want the whole thing to go to waste. So any chance I spot it in any bakery, I wouldnt bat an eyelid to swiftly buy a piece to savour. Mmmmm....love it. I did exactly that a few weeks back and shared a huge piece with DH and the girls. To my pleasant surprise, they LOVED it!

I would expect that they would have the same reaction as my parents did but I guess their tastebuds have been westernised abit with my rather adventurous kitchen try-outs. I asked DH if he liked it and "would you like it if I bake this once in awhile? Would you eat it?" He said "of course but maybe not too much meringue. too sweet." and that nailed it. The following Monday, I went out to buy lemons and made my lemon meringue pie!

As you can see, I conceded to the husband's request for a minimal meringue pie. In fact I love the curd with lesser meringue. Usually the sweetness of the meringue would overwhelm the taste of the curd and I would normally sweep a huge dollop aside to get the undisturbed burst of lemony flavor in my mouth. But lesser meringue is a good yin yang to help balance the sweet, tart and sour flavour.

I had leftover pate sucre and decided to make mini-mes of the pie. The kids simply love the tartlets I made them. They're the perfect size for their little hands and mouth!

I still have alot more lemons left in the fridge and I know what I want to use it for next~!

Hi-hat disaster

I've heard quite a number of issues with regards to Martha Stewart's recipe. Though I am a fan of hers, I have to say, I do have a problems or two with her recipe. Could it be that tips were left out of the recipe or the measurements given were just awry? I'm quizzed.

Sometime ago, I tried to make the Hi-hat cupcakes featured on her site and thought it would be a brilliant idea to bring this to a potluck party I'd be going to later. The cake looks fairly easy to do and the instructions on the recipe as well as how they did it on the video looks pretty easy (although the video had alot of short takes so you don't know whether the real product of all those short cuts would actually turn out perfect.)

The cake turned out nice and spongy, soft and nice. And its not too sweet either cos I cut down on the sugar in the recipe in anticipation of the super sweet Swiss Meringue frosting. All in all, I thought the whole thing will look perfect and was very pleased with myself for this small achievement.

And then he time came to dip the frosting in chocolate. Now this is not as easy as dipping your regular nachos into a cheese dip. My first attempt at dipping ended up with a huge dollop of what used to be a perfectly piped frosting drowning in a bowl of melted chocolate. At that point I scoured the internet trying to save the rest of the hi-hats from the same predicament. I tried to cool the chocolate slightly longer and found that it became too stiff for a dipping consistency. By then, the baby has gotten restless and wanted attention, the kids were running around wild and I just dont have that much patience left in me to experiment. I reheated the chocolate, cooled it abit and then decided I would pour the chocolate on the frosting.

As the frosting began to set, I told myself that it doesnt look too bad. well, okay, some did look awful but hey, wat could get worse? As you may have guessed, yes, i spoke to soon. Cos one bite into the frosting would send a diabetic nuts. The frosting was to sweet and there were bits of undissolved sugar in it. It was grainy and too sweet. I guess there should be a technique to completely dissolve the grains of sugar but I dont know how. Even my kids with sweet tooth did not like the frosting. we ended up scraping off the frosting and eating the cake on its own instead. Ironically, the frosting was the most time consuming part of the whole batch. Arghh..

I'm not entirely blaming the recipe as much as I am blaming myself for attempting a recipe i've never tried before right before a party (which, as a blessing or so it may seem, i didnt get to go to.) It is most likely that I made a mistake or two in making my icing stay firm enough for dipping or probably did not wait for the chocolate ganache to cool enough before dipping the frosting in. I wonder how they got it soo perfectly nice and coated in the picture. I dont dare say I would like to try this recipe again to learn from my mistakes. Just as good because I dont think its worth to make again as the family will not be able to digest anyting this sweet.

A good rest and something German, you think?

Phew, after that last burst of studying for this year, I'm ready to enter the kitchen again. It was a very hectic month, November. I found it difficult to manage the domestic chores, assignments and also cracking my brains for the examinations. If you are able to notice, the post date of this post is somewhat later than I've typed this down, all because I've taken the habit of typing down my post and then saving them to drafts for when I'm more free to view what I've typed..you know, to make myself sound more ummm...sane or intelligent. hahah...yah, im laffing too.

Anyway, speaking of examinations and stuff, I'm just glad my burden is over and once I was done with my last paper, I flew right to the library. The first section I zoomed to was, u guessed it - the baking section...no prizes there huh. I was wondering what would be the best recipe to try out but not too tiring or too messy to clean up cos I was still exhausted from lack of sleep.. and brain cells, for that matter.

I decided cookies would be great. Something to last me for a week or two just in case I crash into the sofa with a good book and the tv remote and never get up. I borrowed Cookies by Sally Sampson and already decided to make the gorgeous recipe on its cover - German Chocolate Cookies. Now, when I say gorgeous, its by no way that I mean mine would turn out gorgeous too. Taste-wise, they were great....u can say gorgeous. But in terms of looks, well, you be the judge.

Call these the ugliest cookies you've ever seen. haha..i would too. In fact, my mother-in-law's blunt description of it summarised it perfectly - "what are these? they look like coals!" and i have to agree with her but I could'nt make her a convert as she refused to taste them. haha...well, can't say i did'nt try. These cookies are reminiscent of Famous Amos' Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies. Those are my favourites and yes, they too look like coals but tastes like heaven. You may want to try these too, though I think yours would be much better looking than mine. And if they don't, well, just keep them in the farther region of your pantry when your in-laws come to visit. Hahah.

German Chocolate Cookies (adapted from Cookies by Sally Sampson)

You need:

3/4 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 cup dessicated coconut or coconut flakes

1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted, cooled and roughly chopped (the book used pecans, though)

4 oz sweet chocolate (i used abt 5oz...i know, my bad)

Preparation

Preheat over to 165 degrees c or 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix butter and sugar in a mixer and mix till smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla. You should add the egg one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Add flour,cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix well.

Finally, add in the coconut, walnuts and chocolate and mix again.

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons on the cookie sheet. This cookie spreads abit so leave abt 2 inches of space in between each cookie. Bake in the over for 10 to 12 minutes.

Cool on cookie shee and then transfer to a wire rack before nibbling on some with a cup of vienna coffee. SUPER SHIOKING!

NOTE: I find that if you leave some of the nuts and chocolate bits to decorate on the unbaked cookie dollops would make it more prettier - just for aesthetics value. This, of course, i didnt do at the time, silly me.

Floating through the day

On rainy days like today, I love to sit back and read a book if and only when the kids are asleep or taking their nap. And more often than not, everyday is a rush day and before I realised it, its dinner time.

Egg dishes are kind of a must in our household. I think everyone agrees that the simple omelette or scrambled egg is most forgiving and can adapt to any food like sandwiches or rice dishes. On lazy days, a simple dish of rice omelette and vegetable stir fry balances off the nutrition needed for the day nicely. My girl, N, came to me earlier today and asked for food cos she's "sooooo hungry and felt soooo weak". This 5yr old amazes me at times. She can eat 5 slices of bread every 10 minutes and have lunch and still be hungry for dinner. What's there to be amazed, you ask. Well its because once she's seated on the dinner table, she'd be the very one to pick on her food and will be the last to finish her meal upon much nagging from yours truly.

I was half expecting to see her disappointed face when I set the dinner on the table but she surprised me with a huge whoop and grin as she wolfed down this simple meal. After dinner she proclaimed her love for Asparagus and asked if I'd be cooking more tomorrow. Haha, I think, at times the most simplest of dishes are the most satisfying.

Asparagus Stir Fry

You need:

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, sliced thick

5 Fishballs, cut in wedges

A pack of Thai Asparagus, sliced

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 dsp light soya sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil
2 tbsp water (to dilute dish as needed)

Preparation:

• Heat the oil and fry the garlic, onion and red pepper till fragrant
• Stir in the fishballs and cook for abit
• Add asparagus and be sure not to overcook. Add the oyster sauce and soya sauce
• Season the dish with salt and pepper to fit your preference. Serve with white rice and omelette. Enjoy.

First and foremost..

Hi, I'm Rahyan. I've been yearning to have my own food blog where I can share my kitchen haps (and mishaps actually) but never really have gotten the time or probably just felt something missing to name a few. I have to admit that its the procrastinator in me which has been pulling me away from the blogosphere of culinary divinities and also, not forgetting, my very own oven and stove.



And what brought about this yearning, you ask. I'm wondering so myself. I mean I KNOW the perfect reason to have a food blog was mostly as a result of inspiration wafting from the foodies all over the world. I have spent days procrastinating about nothing and sitting in front of the notebook just gawking at food porn and the likes. The amount of experience, patience and ingredients which goes into some dishes should just be outlawed! Simply because, I can never contend with them. =D And these blogs have such amazing pictures and composition, i get hungry, full and then hungry all over again just by staring at the pictures. I dont think i have the skills neither the apparatus to give such quality of pictures, which of course surprises me as to why I bother to have a food blog in the first place. haha. But I guess the naked truth is my love to spontaneous cook and bake. Key word: Spontaneous.

I am just a simple home baker trying out the simplest and most hassle free recipes having to concede defeat before I crazily attempt a complicated, say, french pastry. For example, I love eating macarons but am very intimidated by the truth or myth (depending on how you look at it) of how difficult or cumbersome these morsels are. Just the thought of grinding almonds into perfect almond powder intimidates me so. Or as simple as saying that I'm no daring baker. I should declare myself a wuss or I can blame it on my senseless time management skills or probably just to give myself credit, I AM a stay-at-home-mom to 2 preschoolers and a toddler boy who's making me "exercise" even when i dont see it fit. hur hur.


As 2009 draws near, I am gonna make a pre-resolution resolution (if there ever is such a thing) and start to bake and cook and actually post it on my blog. I really hope I can follow this through. I AM getting pretty good at juggling the whisk, stove and diapers at a go - okay, not a good picture. haha. But you know what i mean. So I hope you'd cheer me on!