RV for Mas' parents.

Red Velvet cake made for Mas' parents' birthday celebration. 

Happy Birthday, Mak Su...

Chocolate Moist Cake

Plum Cake... An Irresistable Temptation

My family love plums.  Each one of us can have three to four plums (small ones) at one sitting.  I used to get my supply of fresh juicy plums from this petit chinese lady whose fruit stall is at the Sg. Besi R&R. Hers will never be a disappointment. She would never recommend to me decaying fruit. 

Last weekend, I went to the night market new my home and saw this stall vendor selling ripe American red plums... at a very cheap and insensible price. Yahoo! One plate of 8 plums for RM5 and the size is big, similar to the ones sold by the petit chinese lady. Greedy me, I ended buying four plates. We had plums for dessert and snacks before and in between breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. My goodness! A weekend full of plums. 

Since I stil have about twelve left on the kitchen counter, I decided to give this Plum Coffee Cake recipe from Stephanie a try. Actually, the recipe doesn't use coffee flavour at all but the taste comes from the caramalized brown sugar sprinkled on top of the cake before baking (I guess..). The cake is moist and full of almod flavour. The wonderful thing is, you don't need an electric mixer to make it.

The cake is fabulous. In the beginning, I just wanted a bite... but the one bite ended with one piece. (Guilty!) I'm telling you that it is super duper-licious that I keep on going for a bite. So, I gave half to my next door neighbour and the rest was my hubby's and girl's treat.

This is my adaptation of Stephanie's, JoyofBaking.com, Plum Coffee Cake. Thanks Stephanie for sharing the recipe.

Plum Coffee Cake:

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (30 grams) ground almonds

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) corn oil 

1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk plain yogurt

1/4 cup (60 ml) orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest (the outer orange skin (rind) of the orange)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

7 - 8 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted (can also use 4 - 5 red plums)

Garnish:

2 tablespoons (30 grams) coarse brown sugar 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place rack in the centre of oven.
2. Butter and flour one - 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan or spray pan with non-stick vegetable spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
3. A. In a large bowl, stir or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds.
4. B. In another large bowl, stir or whisk together the oil, yogurt, orange juice and zest, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir in the sugar.
5. Add B to A (the wet ingredients to the flour mixture). Stir until just combined.
6. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and evenly arrange the halved plums on top of the batter, flesh side facing up.
7. Sprinkle with the 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar.
8. Bake in preheated oven for about 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

The recipe makes one - 8 inch (20 cm) cake.

Remembering 16 of May..

Dedicating to all teachers who are working day and night trying to make one life worth living....

Courtesy of Google



Remembering May...

Before May ends, wishing all mothers out there


Courtesy of Google

Experience...

Courtesy of Google

Love vs. Apology...

 Love means always being willing to say you're sorry.

                                                  -Martha Beck, The Oprah Magazine-



Courtesy of Google


I read about an interesting article that can help spark your relationships with someone, be the person your other half, friends, relatives et cetera, entitled "Always Apologize, Always Explain" by Martha Beck here. The article is a good one. It tells us why we need to apologize and when is the best time to apologize which is "...the moment you realize you've done something wrong" (p2).

There are 4 ways of apologizing:
"1. Full acknowledgment of the offense.
 2. An explanation
 3. Genuine expression of remorse.
 4. Reparations for damage." (p3).

When we have asked for an apology (really mean it), we should feel good about ourselves because Lazare describes an apology as, "an act of honesty, an act of humility, an act of commitment, an act of generosity, and an act of courage."  and Anne Lamott refers to it as "giving up all hope of having had a different past." (p4).

If you want to know more, read this. I remember the old English adage: Let bygones be bygones which means to forget something bad that someone has done to you and forgive him/her.

But what if you can forgive and can never forget, or you can forgive but when the matter is mentioned again, you keep on remembering...?
    


Courtesy of Google

 

Wow! Katharine Hepburn's Brownies....

When I read the name of the recipe, I was thrilled. I told myself that I have to taste this... to discover whether the taste would be as delightful as Katharine Hepburn's brilliant act.

Well, it's not a disappointment! The taste is... how should I describe it... divine. The top is dry, flaky and crusty but below is sweet, moist, chewy, and very chocolaty. The best part is, you only use one bowl to whip  up the ingredients. Therefore, you won't have to clean up a lot.

Thanks Stephanie for the recipe.

Ingredients:

60 grams unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

113 grams unsalted butter, cubed 

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar (I used brown sugar) 

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

30 grams all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

100 grams chopped walnuts or pecans (optional : [**I've tried without nuts, and with almonds too. My verdict: Nuts free brownies is divine but if you love nuts, pecans is the best.])

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). 

2. Line an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan. 

3. Melt the chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl using double boiling method (the bowl is placed over a saucepan of simmering water). Remove from heat.

4. Using a hand whisk, stir in the sugar.

5. Add in the vanilla extract and eggs.

6. Lastly, fold in the flour, salt and chopped nuts (if using).

7. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. 

8. Cut into16 brownies. 

Adapted from: Stephanie Jaworski

Basket Weave Cake with Royal Icing Flowers and Birds

A very speacial occasion cake..

Fondant Gift Cake

A gift cake wrapped in fondant for someone special..

Two Tier Fondant Cake

The pictures with a thousand smiles...