Nutella Swirled Banana Muffin/ Muffin Pisang Nutella

This recipe had me at Nutella. Enough said.  Nutella just makes everyhting good. The chocolate-y crunchy muffin top is to-die-for!

Nutella Swirled Banana Muffins
Source: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Ingredients: 
2 cups (250g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar *I used 100g granulated sugar and 50g light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3 very ripe large bananas, soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups) *I used 5 medium bananas
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped *I used chopped dark chocolate
1/4 cup Nutella *I zapped it in microwave for a few seconds for easier swirling

Method: 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees (175C). Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Fold in hazelnuts (or chopped chocolate).
4. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Place 1 teaspoon of Nutella on top of each muffin. Swirl with a toothpick. 
5. Bake until golden and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and serve.

drop 'n swirl...

...and bake!

Muffin Pisang Nutella
Sumber: Sweet Pea's Kitchen

Bahan-bahan: 
2 cawan (250g) tepung gandum
3/4 cawan (150g) gula kaster *saya guna 100g gula kaster & 50g gula perang
3/4 sudu kecil baking soda
1/2 sudu kecil garam *guna secubit kalau guna mentega bergaram
3 biji pisang masak ranum, dilecek halus (anggaran 1 1/2 cawan) *saya guna 5 biji pisang
1/4 cawan yogurt asli
2 biji telur, dikocok
6 sudu besar (85g) mentega tanpa garam, dicairkan dan disejukkan
1 sudu kecil esen vanilla
1/4 cawan kacang hazelnut disangai dan dicincang kasar *saya guna dark chocolate dicincang kasar
1/4 cawan Nutella *microvawe untuk beberapa saat

Cara-cara: 

1. Panaskan oven pada suhu 175C. Alas loyang muffin dengan kertas cupcake atau oleskan dengan mentega.
2. Dalam satu bekas yang besar, satukan tepung gandum, gula (kaster & perang), baking soda dan garam. Ketepikan.
3. Dalam bekas yang lain, gaul sebati pisang lecek, yogurt, telur, mentega cair dan esen vanilla. Selepas itu, tuang adunan pisang ke dalam campuran tepung (dry ingredients) dan kacau hingga semua adunan bersatu (jangan terlebih kacau!). Masukkan kacang hazel (atau coklat cincang) dan gaul rata.
4. Sudukan adunan ke dalam loyang muffin. Masukkan 1 sudu kecil Nutella ke dalam setiap muffin dan lorekkan dengan pencungkil gigi.
5. Bakar hingga masak sempurna dan garing, dalam 20-24 minit.

Apple Soft Pound Cake/ Kek Paun Epal

So I have a few apples in the fridge the other day and I started to imagine what I could do with them. I decided on muffins because I saw some fabulous recipes of apple pie muffins on Pinterest and a streusel topping on a muffin could do no wrong in my eyes. And then I started to get a little bit imaginative and try to be adventurous with those recipes. I was thinking maybe I could use brown butter for the muffin and streusel topping or swirl in some caramel sauce into the batter before baking...or maybe not. I don't think my family could tolerate something that sweet and fancy. They are more butter and pound cakes kinda people. So I decided on this recipe instead. Studded with apples and oh-so-moist and soft, this recipe is a keeper!

Apple Soft Pound Cake
Source: Ancoo Journal

Ingredients:
220g butter (room temperature)
170g sugar
3 large eggs (about 210g) - separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180g plain flour
30g corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
250g green apple, peeled and cubed and mix with 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice *I used red and green apples
Lemon zest from 1 large lemon

My lovely mum helped to prep the ingredients for me and she did so like in a cooking show, so I just had to take a photo. A lazy me would probably just use one container for all the ingredients. 

Method:

1. Spray Non-stick spray evenly in  9 inch bundt pan or line two loaf pans and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar till fluffy and pale then add vanilla extract, mix well.
3. Add egg yolks into the batter one at a time and mix well before adding in another then slowly add in egg whites and mix well, stop machine.
4. Sift plain flour, corn flour and baking powder together and fold into butter mixture with a rubber spatula.
5. Lastly pour in lemon zest and apple cubes, mix well.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the preheated oven at 180C and bake for 35-40 mins* or skewer comes out clean. 
7. Leave pound cake to cool in pan for 30 mins and remove cake then place on to rack to cool completely. Chill the cake before slicing it.
*I used a silicone mould to bake my cake and after 40 mins, the centre of my cake is still jiggly. I had to continue baking for another 25 mins at a lowered temperature of 170C.

Kek Paun Epal
Sumber: Ancoo Journal 

Bahan-bahan:
220g mentega (suhu bilik)
170g gula
3 biji telur saiz A (anggaran 210g) - asingkan putih dan kuning telur
1 sudu kecil esen vanilla
180g tepung gandum
30g tepung jagung
1 sudu kecil baking powder
250g epal hijau atau merah - kupas, potong kiub dan gaul dengan 1 1/2 sudu besar jus lemon
Parutan kulit lemon dari sebiji lemon 

Cara-cara:

1. Gris loyang bundt berukuran 9 inci dengan mentega. Ketepikan.
2. Pukul mentega dan gula hingga berkrim, ringan dan gebu. Masukkan esen vanilla dan kacau sebati.
3. Masukkan kuning telur satu persatu dan pukul hingga sebati. Selepas itu, masukkan putih telur sedikit demi sedikit dan pukul lagi hingga adunan ringan dan gebu.
4. Satukan tepung gandum, tepung jagung dan baking powder dan ayak ke dalam adunan. Kacau dengan kaedah kaup balik menggunakan spatula.
5. Akhir sekali, masukkan epal yang dipotong kiub tadi dan parutan kulit lemon. Kacau sebati.
6. Tuang adunan ke dalam loyang dan bakar dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan pada suhu 180C selama 35-40 minit* atau sehingga masak sempurna. 
7. Sejukkan kek di dalam loyang selama30 minit sebelum dikeluarkan dan dipotong.  
*Saya guna bekas silikon untuk bakar kek. Selepas 40 minit, bahagian tengah kek masih tak masak. Saya sambung bakar selama 25 minit lagi pada suhu 170C sampai kek betul-betul masak.

Strawberry Custard Teacake/ Kek Strawberry Kastard

 

Moist crumb scented with citrus goodness (of orange zest and juice) and nutty almond, layered with creamy, velvety vanilla custard and topped with tart strawberries plus more almond - what more could you ask for in a cake? Go make this now!

Strawberry and Custard Teacake
Source: The Austalian Women's Weekly

Ingredients: 
250g butter, softened

2 tablespoons finely grated orange rind
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar *I used 270g
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour, sifted
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice *I used 3 1/2 tbsp
1/2 cup (60g) ground almonds (almond meal)
150g fresh or frozen raspberries *I used strawberry
1/4 cup (20g) flaked almonds *I used nibbed almond
icing sugar, thickened cream for serving

CUSTARD
2 tablespoons custard powder
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 cup (250ml) milk
20g butter, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method: 

1. CUSTARD: Combine the custard powder and sugar in a small saucepan; gradually stir in the milk. Cook, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming; Refrigerate until cold.
2. Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a deep 22cm springform cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
3. Beat butter, rind and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually fold in combined sifted flours, orange juice, then almond meal.
4. Spread two-thirds of the cake mixture into the prepared pan. Dollop small spoonfuls of custard over cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture over custard: carefully spread with spatula to completely cover the custard. Sprinkle over raspberries, then flaked almonds.
5. Bake for about 1 hour 25 minutes or until cooked when tested. Cool cake in pan. Transfer cake to cake stand and dust with sifted icing sugar. Serve with thickened cream, if desired.

*Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.

 

Kek Kastard Strawberry 
Sumber: The Austalian Women's Weekly

Bahan-bahan: 
250g mentega, suhu bilik

2 sudu besar parutan kulit oren (orange zest)
1 1/2 cawan (330g) gula kaster *saya guna 270g
4 biji telur
1 1/2 cawan (225g) tepung naik sendiri, diayak
1/2 cawan (75g) tepung gandum, diayak
2 sudu besar jus oren segar *saya guna 3 1/2 sb
1/2 cawan (60g) serbuk badam (badam dikisar halus)
150g strawberry segar
1/4 cawan (20g) kepingan badam

KASTARD
2 sudu besar serbuk kastard
1/4 cawan (55g) gula kaster
1 cawan (250ml) susu segar
20g mentega, didadu
1 sudu kecil esen vanilla

Cara-cara: 
1. KASTARD: Satukan serbuk kastard, gula dan susu dalam kuali. Kacau atas api sederhana hingga pekat. Alihkan dari dapur dan masukkan mentega dan esen vanilla. Sejukkan.
2. Panaskan oven kepada suhu 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Griskan springform pan berukuran 22cm dan alas dengan baking paper.
3. Dalam mangkuk besar, pukul mentega, parutan kulit oren dan gula hingga ringan dan gebu. Selepas itu, masukkan kedua-dua tepung yang diayak, jus oren segar dan serbuk badam. Kacau sebati dengan kaedah kaup balik. Gradually fold in combined sifted flours, orange juice, then almond meal.
4. Tuang 2/3 daripada adunan kek ke dalam springform pan tadi dan ratakan. Tuang kastard yang telah sejuk, ratakan. Selepas itu, masukkan adunan kek selebihnya dan akhir sekali tabur strawberry dan kepingan badam. 
5. Bakar selama 1 jam 25 minit atau sehingga masak sepenuhnya. Sejukkan kek di dalam loyang. 

Pistachio Butter Cookies and Happy Birthday to Me!

I am a year older now starting from Tuesday, 19th February 2013. Yes, it was my birthday. I celebrated at home, with my wonderful family. They cooked these Thai fare (deep fried squid in crispy batter, sweet and sour snapper and spicy vegetable tomyum):

...and bought this decadent bad boy:

Everbody, meet my birthday brownies! Simply named American Brownies from Secret Recipe. A rich, decadent, fudgy dark chocolate pistachio brownies. I loved it so much because it is how I like my brownies - FUDGY! So fudgy and chocolate-y it's not for the faint-hearted. Describing this brownies makes me wanna go to the fridge and grab a slice...and it's 11.13pm now...Ok, enough with this brownies. Let me introduce you to these wonderful cookies I found on Patricia Scarpin's Technicolor Kitchen (love her blog so much!). These cookies were fabulous! Buttery like shortbread, they are so crispy and full with nuts that you find yourself munching on them non-stop. They are really that good. And oh, I did not have enough pistachios when making these cookies so I added chopped cashew nuts too and they work wonders with pistachios. No kidding. 

    
Pistachio butter cookies 
Original recipe: Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
Source: Technicolor Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons (370g total) all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
112g (4oz) unsalted pistachios, lightly toasted, cooled, finely chopped, fine dust sifted out *I used 70g pistachios and 60g cashews
about ¼ cup granulated, extra, for rolling the dough log 

Method:
1.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat to combine. Add the flour and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Stir in the pistachios.
2.  Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each on a piece of parchment paper; shape dough into logs. Fold parchment over dough; using a ruler, roll and press into a 3.5 cm (1.4in) log – like Martha does here. Wrap in parchment (I wrap in foil). Chill in freezer until very firm (I chill overnight).

This is how my cookie log looks like.

3.  Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Unwrap one log at a time (keep the other in the freezer). Roll dough log in the extra sugar, coating them evenly, then cut into 6mm (¼in) thick rounds; space 2.5cm (1in) apart onto prepared sheets. Do the same with the other log.

Roll in sugar then slice.

4.  Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 15-20 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note:
*I find 180C to be perfect for cookies with such thickness as the photo above. But I find it to be too thick so I slice it thinner and bake those thinner slices at 160C.
*To get thinner slices, it's important that the log is cold. If you find the dough to have softened a bit to room temperature as you roll with in sugar, pop it back in the freezer for about a minute or so to firm it back. 
 

Pistachio Butter Cookies 
Sumber: Technicolor Kitchen

Bahan-bahan:
1 cawan (226g) mentega tanpa garam, suhu bilik
¾ cawan (150g) gula kaster
1 biji telur saiz A
1 sudu kecil esen vanilla
2 ½ cawan + 2 sb (370g) tepung gandum, diayak
½ sudu kecil garam *kalau guna butter biasa, letak secubit je garam
112g (4oz) unsalted pistachio yang disangai, cincang halus dan serbuk halus diayak keluar *saya guna 70g pistachio dan 60g kacang gajus
anggaran ¼ cawan gula, ekstra, untuk salut doh.

Cara-cara:
1.  Pukul mentega dan gula hingga ringan dan berkrim. Masukkan telur dan vanilla, pukul sebati. Tambah tepung dan secubit garam, gaul sebati. Akhir sekali masukkan pistachio.
2.  Bahagi doh kepada dua bahagian dan bentukkan seperti log (kayu) panjang anggaran ketebalan 3.5 cm (1.4inci). Balut dengan parchment paper (saya guna foil) dan sejukkan dalam freezer sampai keras (saya sejukkan semalaman).

3.  Panaskan oven kepada 180°C/350°F; gris dan alas dua loyang dengan baking paper. Ambil satu doh dari freezer (satu lagi simpan dulu) dan salut dengan gula ekstra. Selepas itu, potong doh kepada kepingan-kepingan setebal lebih kurang 6mm (¼inci) dan susun atas loyang tadi. Selepas habis, keluarkan doh yang satu lagi dan buat langkah-langkah yang sama. 

Salut dengan gula dan potong.

4.  Bakar selama 15-20 minit atau sehingga garing. Pusing loyang semasa separuh masa membakar jika perlu. Sejukkan biskut sepenuhnya dan simpan dalam bekas kedap udara.

Nota:
*Suhu 180C sesuai kalau potong biskut tebal-tebal macam dalam gambar. Kalau potong nipis-nipis, kena turunkan suhu sikit kepada 160C, kalau tak nanti cepat hangit. 

...By the way...there are still some of those brownies left in the fridge. Don't be shy. Help yourself :)

A slice for you :)

Basic Bread Recipe 2/ Doh Roti Asas 2 (Step-by-Step Instruction)

This is a follow up to my previous post of Basic Bread recipe here. I love the recipe as it is, but being quite a perfectionist myself, I find the bread to be lacking in 'body', that it is too soft and airy to my liking.  Therefore, I tweaked the recipe a bit by reducing the amount of water roux and increasing the amount of liquid. Note that I knead my dough by hand. The amount of water might be a little bit different if you use a Bread Machine. 

Now, are you ready to bake some bread? Let's get started. 

First,  we need to activate the yeast. In a small bowl, combine the yeast with a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of flour and 150ml of lukewarm water or milk. Make sure the liquid is warm and not too hot, otherwise, it will kill the yeast. Let the yeast mixture sit while you prepare the other ingredients.   

Then, we make the water roux. Water roux is basically a mixture of water and flour that would help make your bread springy. For more information on water roux, check my post here.Water roux is one part flour and 5 parts water. So, mix together 25g flour and 125ml water:

 Stir the water roux mixture on medium heat until thicken, like this:

Set the water roux aside too cool a bit. Now, in a large bowl, combine and whisk together the flour (I used half all-purpose flour and half wholemeal flour), sugar and salt:

Then, it's time to put in all the wet ingredients - the yeast mixture (should be frothy by now), the water roux and a beaten egg:

Ok, from now on, it's work out time! Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula or by hand:

Knead the ingredients together for about 5-7 minutes until a rather dry dough is formed. It may not be smooth or elastic at this stage because we are yet to add in the margarine/shortening. You might feel that you need to add more water to the dough, but trust me, you don't. The moisture will be added once the margarine is added in. But if you will, just add a little water tablespoon by tablespoon, not more than 50ml or 3 tablespoons:

Now, it's time to add in the margarine. Work the margarine into the dough and continue kneading with the heel of your palm until a smooth and elastic dough is formed, about 8-10 minutes. As you knead, scrape the bowl clean with dough. The dough might become greasy at first, but as you continue kneading, the margarine will be incorporated into the dough and it helps to create elasticity: 

 

After some serious hand workout, this is what you will get, a smooth and elastic dough. Note that the bowl now is clean:

Next, the dough need to be rested until it doubles in size (about 45 minutes to an hour), like this:

Then, punch the dough to deflate and now is your chance to shape the dough in whatever shapes you fancy:

Then, rest the shaped dough for another 30-45 minutes until they rise again. Glaze them with eggwash before baking. Bake at 350F/175C for about 15 minutes (depending on the size of your bread, the buns above took about 15 minutes to cook). 

Basic Bread Dough
Adapted from My Resipi

Ingredients:
To activate yeast:

5 tsp instant yeast
150ml warm water or milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon flour 

To make water roux:

25g flour

125ml water

For the dough:

600 g (5 cups, leveled) all-purpose or bread flour
100g caster sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk powder (optional)
1 egg, beaten
Water roux  
60 g softened butter/ margarine

1 egg, beaten + 2 tbsp milk (for egg wash)
Melted butter/ margarine (for brushing on cooked bread)

 

Method:

To activate yeast: In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, flour and warm water/milk. Set aside and let the yeast do its thing.

To make water roux: Mix the flour and water in a saucepan and stir on medium heat for about a minute until thicken. Set aside to cool. 

To make the dough (by hand):

1. In a large bowl, combine and whisk the flour, milk powder (if using), sugar and salt together. 

2. Then, add in the activated yeast (should be frothy by now), cooled water roux and and an egg. Mix well. 

3. Using your hand, knead the mixture for about 5 minutes until a rough dough is formed. The dough might be rather dry and not elastic at this stage and there might still be bits and pieces of flour in the bowl.

4. Next, add in the butter or margarine into the dough. The dough might become greasy at first. Continue kneading using the heel of your palm until all the butter is incorporated in and the dough is no longer greasy and becomes smooth and elastic. 

5. Set the dough to proof for about an hour until it doubles in size.

6. After that, punch the the dough to release the air out. Now, you may shape the dough in any shape you like. Then, rest the shaped dough for at least 30 minutes to an hour to allow them to rise again.  

7. Preheat the oven to 350F or 175C. Brush the bread with the egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes (depending on the size of your bread) or until cooked. 

8. Lightly brush the tops of bread with the margarine or melted butter when done to prevent crust from getting hard. 

  
Note:
- For variation, you may substitute half of the flour with wholemeal flour for a wholemeal sandwich, like this:

 -  You can use this dough to make pizza too.

Look at its texture:

Resipi Doh Roti Asas
Diolah daripada: My Resipi

Bahan-bahan:
Untuk aktifkan yis:

5 sudu kecil yis *saya guna Mauripan
150ml air/susu suam

1 sudu besar gula

1 sudu besar tepung

Untuk membuat water roux:

25g tepung

125ml air

Untuk doh:

600 g (5 cawan rata) tepung roti atau tepung gandum
100g gula kaster
1 sudu kecil garam
2 sudu besar susu tepung (optional)
1 biji telur, dikocok
Water roux  
60 g marjerin

1 biji telur dikocok + 2 sudu besar  (untuk glaze)
Marjerin (untuk sapu roti selepas masak)

 

Cara-cara:

Untuk aktifkan yis: Dalam bekas kecil, satukan yis, gula, tepung dan susu/air suam. Ketepikan.

Untuk water roux: Kacau tepung dan air di atas api sederhana hingga memekat (dalam 1 minit). Sejukkan.  

Untuk membuat doh:

1. Dalam mangkuk yang besar, satukan tepung, susu tepung (jika guna), gula dan garam.

2. Selepas itu, masukkan yis yang telah diaktifkan tadi (yis akan berbuih), water roux dan telur yang dikocok. Gaul sebati. 

3. Dengan menggunakan tangan, uli bahan-bahan tadi sehingga menjadi doh yang kasar, dalam 5 minit. 

4. Selepas itu, masukkan marjerin/butter dan uli lagi doh sehingga menjadi licin dan elastik. 

5. Rehatkan doh selama 1 jam atau sehingga naik dua kali ganda.

6. Selepas itu, tumbuk doh untuk membuang angin dan bentukkan doh mengikut citarasa anda. Selepas itu, doh perlu direhatkan semula selama 45 minit atau sehingga berganda saiznya.  

7. Panaskan oven pada suhu 350F/175C. Sapu permukaan roti dengan campuran telur dan susu dan bakar selama 12-15 minit (bergantung kepada saiz roti) atau sehingga masak. 

8. Selepas dikeluarkan dari oven, sapu permukaan roti dengan sedikit marjerin/butter supaya roti kekal lembut. 

  
Nota:
- Untuk variasi, boleh juga gantikan separuh daripada kuantiti tepung gandum dengan tepung wholemeal untuk buat roti sandwich wholemeal.
- Doh ini juga boleh digunakan untuk roti pizza.