Chocolate brownies

We were invited by a couple friend to their place for lunch on Christmas day. I was in charge for dessert and once again, I had been cracking my head what to bring (I am pretty bad when it comes to ideas for dessert). A friend has suggested a few ideas to me and I  finally went with the idea of brownies served with vanilla ice cream. Did some random search on Google for the easiest recipe as usual and found Chocablog's recipe.

Ingredients:
140g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate
200g light muscovado sugar or brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
85g plain flour
75g walnuts, lightly toasted, chopped  (Omitted this)
Sifted cocoa powder or icing sugar, to dust  (Omitted this)

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and line the base of an 18cm square cake pan (I used a round cake pan instead). Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch water). When butter and chocolate have melted (making a gorgeously shiny smooth mix), remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

2) Beat with a wooden spoon the sugar, vanilla and a good pinch of salt into the chocolate/butter mixture. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and then add flour, beating until smooth.

3) Fold in the walnuts and pour the thick, rich mixture into the pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not sticky batter). Allow to cool, then turn onto a wire rack and peel off lining paper.

Before baking in the oven

40 - 45 minutes later

 4) Serve with ice cream or whipped cream or anything that you fancy while it is hot/warm.

I am glad the brownies turned out well given that it was my first time baking it. Glad the host enjoyed it too. The only thing that I may do differently is to reduce the amount of sugar slightly and add in walnuts for the taste of crunchiness.

Eat it hot/warm with ice cream or whipped cream just like Mudslide/Brownie Sundae  =)

Orange scented pound cake

2 weeks before Matthias' first birthday, I've been cracking my head what type of cake to bake for him. It's not that cheap to buy a cake in London and too much frosting to my liking. I've been searching for an easy to bake recipe as usual and saw this at My Kitchen Snippets. Thought it is a lovely recipe and hey..I love orange cake.

Here's the recipe again.

Ingredients:
2 stick/226 gram softened unsalted butter  (I used normal butter)
4 tbsp milk
3 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt  (Omitted this as normal butter was used)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp grated orange zest
1 freshly squeezed orange juice  (I added this from the original recipe)

For the glaze:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Method:
1) For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 5” loaf pan or two small loaves pan with some butter.

2) Sift flour, baking powder and salt and set it aside. Beat soft butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add in eggs one at a time until well incorporated into the butter. Add in the orange zest and vanilla.

3) Slowly fold in the flour and milk into the mixture. Mix well. Pour into the loaf pan and bake until skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on pan for 10 minute before turning it into the cooling rack.

4) For the glaze: Combine sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Reduce glaze by half. Brush some of the warm glaze over top of the cake.


Instead of doing the orange glaze as per the original recipe, I did a chocolote frosting using Silver Spoon dark chocolate flavour cake covering. Easy..just melt the chocolate and spread it on the cake.

For a simple decoration on the cake, I sprinkled some choco curls on it.

And voila..here's my birthday cake for Matthias!! Nice?



I think the cake taste good actually but it was a little hard. I wonder if it is because of the chocolate frosting. Nevertheless, will definitely try this recipe again but with the orange glaze the next time.

Moist chocolate cake

I am slowly venturing into baking. I've always love chocolate cake and was craving to eat it one day. I found this simple recipe at Cooking Crave and gave it a try.

Ingredients:

(5"x8" loaf pan)

Chocolate Paste:

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp instant coffee (optional)

1/4 cup castor sugar (reduce 1-2 tbsp if you prefer it less sweet)

1/2 cup hot water

1/4 cup evaporated/fresh milk (I used semi skimmed milk)

Pinch of salt

125g butter, softened

1 cup castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla essense

2 large eggs

1 cup cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

Method:
1) Grease and line bottom of cake pan with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180c.

2) Combined all ingredients for chocolate paste except MILK in a mixing bowl. Hand whisk mixture till sugar are fully dissolved.

3) Add in milk, stir to mix well. Set aside.

4) Sift cake flour and baking powder together for later use.

5) In another bowl, cream butter and sugar till it is light and fluffy. Add vanilla essense and continue with eggs one at a time. Beat till well combined.

6) Gently fold in flour mixture, alternate with the chocolate paste. *Start with flour and end with flour.

7) Pour batter into cake pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or till it is cooked.

8) Leave it to cool before unmould the cake.
 

This cake actually taste good. Not too rich in chocolate but chocolatey enough and pretty moist. A definite to try again.

Easy banana cake

My second attempt in baking..easy banana cake. Recipe was from a random Google site. As usual, I will always look for easy recipes. I am the type who is lazy but want to eat..haha!

Very very simple and preparation time was left than half an hour.

Ingredients:
125g butter
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
190g self raising flour
60ml milk
 
Method:
1) Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Melt butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat.

2) Remove from heat and add the mashed bananas, mix well.

3) Add the egg, mix well.

4) Stir in the flour and the milk.

5) Pour into the prepared tin, sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara sugar to give a crunch topping if liked.

6) Bake at 150 C fan oven (or 170 C regular, Gas mark 3) for 35 mins, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and enjoy!

The cake was sweeet enough to my hubby's taste this time. Hooray! Not the greatest as my mum's one but at least it is a banana cake..hehe!

Banana and walnut tea loaf

This is my very first attempt in baking. After buying a mixer and kitchen scales which remain kept in the cupboard for some time, it was time for a little action (hubby has been saying no action from me after so long)  =p

So, here is my first cake..

Ingredients:
100g butter (softened)

140g light muscovado sugar (I used caster sugar instead)

2 eggs lightly beaten

100g walnuts chopped

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 tbsp milk
225 self raising flour

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and line a 1kg loaf tin.
2) Mix the butter and sugar with a mixer, then add the eggs.
3) Set aside 25g walnuts, then fold the rest into the beater mixture with the bananas and milk. Fold in the flour.
4) Spoon into the tin and sprinkle over the reserved walnuts.
5) Bake for 55-60 mins until risen. Stand for 10 mins, then turn out, remove the lining paper and cool.

Serves 12

My cake turned out all right but it wasn't sweet enough for my hubby's liking. What I like about this cake was the crunchiness of the walnuts. I like to munch on it.. =)

I didn't have high expectation though..so I would say I pass myself on this first attempt. HAHA!