Pumpkin Donut

This is originally not my recipe, I made amendment to the recipe to fit whatever is in my pantry and here it is with the modification. Original recipe from Mandy in FB group.

Ingredients

• 100g Plain flour 
• 150g Bread flour (original asked for 200g bread flour, without plain flour)
• 20g milk powder
• 4g yeast
• 80g pumpkin (microwaved with a tablespoon of water for 5mins high, then mashed. original recipe called for sweet potato without information on how to prep it)
• 30g raw cane sugar 
• 3g salt 
• 95g of egg + water (1 egg + with water till it is 95g)
• 20g butter (add in after mixture is well mix, the recipe indicate 15mins)
• Oil to fry (I used peanut oil)

Steps:

1. I'm using my Kenwood mixer, with the bread attachment. Place in the wet then dry ingredients, set it to medium low speed and mix for about 3-5mins till all ingredients are well mix together
2. Then add in the butter and mix for another roughly 20-25mins on high speed. I did not wait till it reaches window pane stage coz i was running out of time.
3. Leave it to proof for bout 30mins (it was rather cold last night since winter started, so I proof it over a medium low heat water bath).
4. After 1st prove, deflate air, roll flat and divide into 23 pcs (or up to ur preference), shape into round balls. The dough is rather fluffy and soft to handle. So by the time I'm done with the last, the first is sort of proof again.
5. Pour oil in the pot that you using to fry the donuts and heat it up while working on the donuts.
6. Make a hole in the centre of the ball with your finger, then give it a hoola hoop round in your finger so that the hole in the middle is even, big enough and the entire donut looks even. Make sure the table is well floured.  
7. Proof another 15 mins. (U may prove longer to 30 mins)
8. Be carefully when handling doughnuts. I used my long silicon chopstick that's wonderful for this.
9. Drop in the donut one by one on the oil and fry on low heat till you see golden brown colour. If your oil is hot enough, the donut should float up within 5 seconds you put it in.
10. When done, rest & cool the doughnuts, decorate it the way you like once done.

Milo Nutella Cake

Last Friday was my princess no 2's birthday and I decided to bake a cake with all her favourite stuff on it, Milo and chocolate as per her request. And this time, I used the air fryer to bake it. It cuts the baking time a lot lesser and I made a small cake so that we can finish it up within the day or next.

I had also used up the home made nutella.

The decorations are edible and made by my neighbour. I just need to arrange and stuffed it on the cake top.

The inside is so moist still with a little lava.

Ingredients:

• 60g butter (soften)
• 99g plain flour
• 1g baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 60g sugar
• 50g milo
• 50g nutella
• 10g milk

Steps:

1. Line the baking tray with paper.
2. Put all ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed till all well mixed.
3. Pour the ingredients in the baking tray and give it a shake to remove any air bubbles.
4. Preheat the air fryer for 4mins at 180c.
5. Then place the baking tray in the air fryer and bake for 20mins at 160c.
6. Take it out to cool before removing from the tray. The cake will rise with a dome after baking and subside once cool down.
7. Decorate with your favourite topping or cream or chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Had been wanting to bake this chocolate lava cake for quite sometime but just too lazy and then when I'm in the mood, then I realised that the air fryer is in the dishwasher.

Finally, yesterday the MKR contestants bake this for their dessert and ok, I'm making it today.

Do note, I spent less than 20mins for the entire thing (taking out ingredients to the point of popping them into the mouth).

Ingredients

• 100g dark chocolate
• 100g butter
• 50g castor sugar (can reduce if you don't like it that sweet though this is just right I think)
• 19g plain flour
• 1g baking powder
• 2 eggs

Steps:

1. Place the chocolate and butter in microwave safe bowl and melt them in the microwave on medium temp for bout 1.5mins
2. While the butter is melting, whisk the eggs and castor sugar till it is pale and frothy.
3. Stir the chocolate and butter till it is even and add in to the egg mixture. Then sift in the flour and baking powder.
4. Gently mix the mixture with a spatula till mixture is even and the flour is well mix.
5. Preheat the air fryer for 2mins at 180c
6. Grease the ramekin with butter. Pour the mixture to the ramekin till is it 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 180c for 8mins.

* Note: I have not tested it on the oven and hence no idea how long time it is required but I suspect it may need maybe a min more.

Look at the lava that's oozing out

Easy Peasy Chocolate Chip Cookies

By demand of my daughter, I need to churn out some chocolate chips cookies but it is already almost 8pm, so got to do a quick one. Here it is the recipe for a quick easy peasy chocolate chip cookies:

Ingredients:

• 150g butter
• 3/4 cup raw sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• slightly more than 1 cup of chopped chocolate (or you can use chips, I was out of chocolate chips)

Steps:

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract till it is smooth and fluffy at medium speed.
2. Then slow down the mixer speed and add in the egg.
3. Finally add in the plain flour and baking powder and mix till it forms a soft ball dough.
4. Preheat oven to 180c.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use the spatula to fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
6. Scoop the mixture out, roughly one ice cream scoop and place them on a tray lined with either baking paper or silicon mat. Make sure to leave some space in between as the cookies will get slightly bigger.
7. Reduce the heat of the oven to 160c if it is fan forced, otherwise keep it at 180c. Bake the cookies for 18mins, or when u poke a skewer into it and it comes out clean.

Chocolate Fudge (low calories, for diet consumption)

This recipe is from Lose Baby Weight that's kinda yummy, but I find it quite sweet.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of walnut
• 1.25 cups of dried dates
• 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp warm water

Steps:

1. Line a small baking pan with greased proof paper.
2. Blend all the ingredients till well mix and the mixture bind.
3. Pour out on the baking pan and press it down.
4. Chill for bout 2-3hrs before cutting it to small pieces.

Air Fried Fluffy Cupcakes, with sliced banana and melted chocolates

Ingredients:

• 2eggs separated (white and yolk)
• 100g self raising flour
• 80g sugar
• 5g olive oil

Steps:

1. Beat white till stiff peak. 
2. Then beat the yolk and sugar (separate bowl) till creamy white. 
3. Add in self raising flour, oil and mix well. 
4. Fold in the egg whites into the mixture till the batter is well mixed.
5. Scooped in the paper cups. I sliced some banana and push down the middle of the batter and put a piece of cooking chocolate on top, push it down. 
6. Preheat air fryer at 160 for 2 mins. Bake for 7 mins at 170.

Buckwheat Cupcakes

Bought a bag of buckwheat flour to make soba but gave up caused it needs to be fresh otherwise it will break. So, decided to try turn it into cupcakes.

Made two version with the same cake batter, top with dark chocolate chips and the other is shredded cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:

• 155g soften butter (unsalted)
• 3g baking powder
• 100g self raising flour
• 100g buckwheat flour
• 50g yogurt
• 100g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• toppings (mine was dark chocolates and cheddar, choose what u like)

Steps:

1. Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add in egg and mix well.
2. Then mix in the self raising flour and buckwheat flour and baking powder. Mix it well.
3. Finally add in yogurt and stir well.
4. Scoop on the cups and top with the items you like. Bake for 15 to 20mins at 180c. I used air fryer and that requires 12mins at 160c.

Chocolate Muffins with Salted Caramel

Ever since the end of My Kitchen Rule 2013, I havent been watching tv much but recently Sophie got me into watching Master Chef Australia. Few days back, they were having the host and some guests cooking and the one that got me interested is this Chocolate Muffins with Salted Caramel by Matt. But he actually uses a little different ingredients and dusted it with sparkling red food glitter which of course I didnt have it.

Ingredients:

• 185g softened unsalted butter
• 130g caster sugar (he uses 160g raw caster, me out of stock for this)
• 2 eggs (I use XL, not sure what size he uses, cant remember, not stated on the website either)
• 230 plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 60g milo (he uses dutch cocoa powder.. hehehe of course I dont have stock, that's why substituted)
• 85ml low fat cream (he uses thickened)
• 85ml water
• cubes of wonka caramel chocolate (he uses caramel chews which I can't find)

Method:

1. For those using oven, preheat the oven 180C. I use airfryer, which of course I dont bother preheating.
2. Cream butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.
3. Slowly mix in the eggs, one by one.
4. Mix the dry ingredient separately till even (flour, baking powder, soda, salt and milo) before adding in the mixture and stir till even.
5. Slowly add in the cream and water and mix till they combine.
6. Scoop the mixture into the muffin tin lined with papers to 3/4 full. I didnt use the muffin tin coz cant fit in my airfryer, I use the tart single tin.
7. Gently push in the caramel chocolate cubes to the middle of the muffin mixture, not to push all the way to the bottom.
8. Bake for 20mins or till cook. I bake them for 10mins for each batch of 4 at 180c on the air fryer.

Cinnamon Rolls

I have gotten this recipe from Weight Watchers magazine though the second time making it, it is no longer weight conscious :p

First time, I used plain flour only but for the second time, I mixed it with self raising wheat flour, replaced the chocolates and nuts and raisins with shredded cheddar cheese.

This is the Cinnamon Cheese Wheat Rolls

This is the Chocolate Cashew Nuts Cranberries Raisin Rolls

Ingredients:

• 7g of yeast powder
• 125ml warm water (since it is cold now here, 60ml cold water and the rest hot water)
• 1 egg
• 250g plain flour (for the cheese rolls, I replaces 35g of plain flour with self raising wheat flour)
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp raw sugar
• 2 handful of cashew nuts (lightly break it with the pestle and mortar) - for the version 1
• 1 handful of dried cranberries
• 1 handful of raisins
• 4 pieces of dark cooking chocolates (the square on the chocolate pcs) - melt it in a double boiler with the sugar and yogurt, stir till smooth
• 1 tsp of raw sugar
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp of cinnamon powder

Methods:

1. Mix the yeast with the warm water and leave it to rise. It should bubble to shows that the yeast is active and not dead.
2. Crack the egg into the yeast once it bubble and lightly whisk it.
3. Pour the liquid into the flour (mixed it well with the ground cinnamon and raw sugar in advance).
4. Use your hand to knead the mixture till it becomes a nice smooth dough. That should take about 15mins.
5. Leave it to rise for 30mins (covered in hot warm towel). If the weather is too dry and cold, leave it on top of a pot of hot water.
6. Punch and knead the dough. Cut it to half.
7. Use the rolling pin, roll it to a long flat pieces.
8. For version 1, spread a layer of the chocolate paste and sprinkle it with the nuts, raisins and cranberries. Then roll it up, cut it into 1.5inch slice. Leave it on top of the baking sheets to rise for another 20-30mins.
9. For version 2, sprinkle it with the cinnamon powder and cheddar cheese, roll it up and cut it into 1.5 inch slice too. Similarly, leave it to rise for 20-30mins. * I had also sprinkle some parmesan cheese powder.
10. I uses the airfryer to bake it at first 2 mins 140C and another 4 mins on 180C (for second batch onwards, only need 3mins). If you uses the normal oven, dont bother pre-heating it. Leave the bread in there and bake for 30mins (reduce the rising time to 10mins will do) at 180C.

Nutella Cupcakes

When you have a party to attend the next day with BYOF, last minute notification and not sure what to cook, fridge that is almost empty coz you gonna travel the day after that and even the sugar level is running down, there you go, whatever is in the kitchen... nutella cupcakes.

Why nutella? It is sweet enough to compensate for the lack of sweetness in the cake due to my shortage of sugar supply.

Ingredients:

• 125ml milk
• 73g sugar (this is all I have in the kitchen at that time)
• 2 eggs
• 250g self raising flour
• 125g butter
• 12 teaspoon nutella

Methods:

1. Preheat oven at 180C.
2. Cream sugar and butter till fluffy and creamy.
3. Add in the egg one by one and mix slowly.
4. Add in the milk and give a light stir.
5. Slowly fold in the self raising flour till well mixed.
6. Scooped in 1.5 teaspoon of batter into the paper cups. 
7. Drop a teaspoon of nutella on each and top up with another 0.5 teaspoon of batter.
8. Bake for 20mins.

*The batter should be enough for 12 cupcakes of medium size.

Moist Chocolate Cake without Egg and Butter

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups (200 gms)
• Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Baking powder - 1/8 tsp (optional)
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Granulated Sugar - 3/4 cup (165 gms) [Increase it to 1 cup if you dont use choco chips]
• Chocolate Chips - 2 tbsp

Wet Ingredients

• Water - 1 cup (250 ml)
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tbsp
• Lemon juice / White Vinegar - 1 tbsp (I used lemon juice)
• Oil - 1/4 cup (60 ml)

Steps:

1. Take water in a mixing bowl, add vanilla essence, sugar, lemon juice and oil. Mix well till sugar completely dissolves . Keep aside.Now take flour, baking soda, baking powder and coco powder and sift together twice atleast to make sure the flour, soda and baking powder and coco powder is evenly spread out.Then slowly add the the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixture may be in 2 parts.
2. Gently mix in one direction, break the lumps forming...gently mix it.The batter is runny like you see in the pic.Fold in choco chips and give a quick stir. Preheat oven to 180 deg C for 10mins.Grease the pan with butter, sprinkle maida tap it so that it spreads on all sides.
3. Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake it at 180 deg C for 35-40mins check with a fork if a fork inserted comes out clean

Butter Cheese Cake

Just bought a new mould yesterday, hoping to bake some bear shaped cake for Sophie as she likes bear a lot. But I dont want those pure butter cake coz she dont like it. Took the recipe online and modified to my own liking.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 220 gm butter (original recipe asked for 250g, but without cheese and chocolate)
• 40g cream cheese
• 10g of chopped cooking chocolate
• 180 gm castor sugar (original recipe asked for 230g)
• 4 eggs
• 250 self-raising flour (no self raising flour, so got to make on my own with baking powder & salt)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• about 6 tbsp UHT milk

Heat oven to 180 deg C. Line cake tin, size about 8 inches in diameter. In a mixer, beat butter, cheese, chocolate and sugar till white and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, alternating with flour. Add vanilla essence to milk and mix in. Check the consistency of the batter. It should be of dropping consistency. If it stands peaking and hard, add more milk. Pour into baking tin and bake for about 50 mins.

Here is the outcome (of course some are in cup cakes form and those cupcakes come out flat.. so that will be good for edible image on top.. hehehehe..)

Chocolate Truffles

Dont ask for recipe coz I dun have it... just agak agak mari punya... hehehe....

Chocolate, cream cheese, butter, sugar and milk...

Cup Cakes

Finally got back my blender today, so get to make cupcake that I had wanted to make a while back... chocolate chip cup cakes.... only tested the small one, crispy at the top...

Our Bread Making Experience