Fruit Cake

Fruit Cake

My dear husband having bad cough. Pity him.

Yesterday, while I was doing the Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix,

he asked "Ain't you are baking fruit cake for friends?"

I replied "No".  I know he is disappointed upon hearing my reply because 

Fruit Cake is his favourite.   I thought this year will give a miss

on baking fruit cake for our friends celebrating Christmas.  At the end,

still has to bake for my dear husband.So this morning, embark my journey

to bake Fruit Cake for him.

This morning, I have goose bump while hearing news that another

plane lost.  This time will be the third tragedy for Malaysia in Year 2014.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved.

This Fruit Cake recipe adapted from Donna Hay, Grandma's Christmas Cake.

Soak 500g of Mixed Fruits with 90ml Brandy (short of Brandy, I used Whisky)

overnight or few hours.

Soaked Mixed Fruits.

110g Brown Sugar.

2 Eggs.

150g Butter.

168g  Flour (shifted) with 1/4 tsp of Bicarbonate Soda.

Note : The above ingredients were halves from the original recipe and

some were not added due to limited ingredients.

Beat Butter and Brown Sugar until light and creamy.

Add the Eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.

While beating, add some Flour if the batter curdle.

Mix the Flour mixture to the soaked Mixed Fruits until

all the Mixed Fruits well coated with Flour.

Add the butter mixture.

And stir until well combined.

Pour into lined round cake tin and baked at 180 Degree Celsius

for 1 1/2 hours.

Allow to cool in the tin.

Dear Husband, this whole cake is not for you only, do remember 

to save some pieces for me and our daughter.  

I better save some also for my mother because she also love Fruit Cake.

Enjoy Eating.

I am submitting this post to

"Cook and Celebrate : Christmas 2014"

organised by

Yen, Eat Your Heart Out,

Diana, Domestic Goddess Wannabe and

Zoe, Bake For Happy Kids.

I am submitting this post to 

"Cook-Your-Book #19"

organised by

Joyce, Kitchen Flavours.

Alcohol Free Fruit Cake

Alcohol Free Fruit Cake

If you serve me Butter Cake or Fruit Cake, I will take the latter

and same goes to my husband.  Both of us will enjoy it with our

cup of green tea/milo (me of course) or coffee/tea (my husband).

This cake is not dry but moist and lastly, it is not crumbly.

My family and my colleagues have enjoyed this Fruit Cake.

I adapted this recipe from Wendy, wendyinkk and did some

slight modification.   Her fruit cake is nicer in colour and texture.

Is it because of the slight modification?  Aiyah! never mind lah,

as long as we all have enjoyed it.  Am I right?

 150g Caster Sugar

250g Butter

4 Eggs

225g Flour

2 tbsp of Orange zest (omitted)

450g Mixed Fruits and macerate with 200ml Orange juice for 1 day

 Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one by one, beating well after each addition.

 Mix in flour until well combined.

 Fold in mixed fruits.

 Mix until well combined.

 Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 180 Degree Celsius for

40 minutes (depends on individual oven).

 Let it cool for 15 minutes before taking it out.

According to Wendy, it is more flavourful if we let the

cake sit inside the fridge wrapped up for 5 days.

The choice is yours.

Hmm, I want to eat it now - again and again (I am such a greedy pig).

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Flour" organised by
Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,

Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and
hosted by Diana, Domestic Gooddess Wannabe.

Bread and Butter Pudding with Cranberries

Bread and Butter Pudding

with Cranberries

The weather is so hot and humid.  

Have no choice but to switch on the air condition while making

this pudding.  My family love this bread pudding and all of them

has their own preferences e.g. raisin, cranberries, chocolate,

nuts, peaches and etc.  Well, today I am putting cranberries

which is my favourite.  I adapted this recipe from The Malaysian

Women's Weekly "Fast & Fabulous Recipes". 

 300 ml Fesh Milk

6 Eggs, beat slightly

300 ml Thickened Cream

50 g Butter

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

80 g Dried Cranberries

165 g Caster Sugar

8 slices of White Bread (used 10 slices)

2 small Bananas, sliced diagonally (omitted)

25 g Sultanas (omitted. replaced with cranberries)

25 g Apricot Jam (omitted)

25 g Flaked Almonds (omitted)

Cream, for serving (optional)

*Red notes will be my modification.

 Combine cream, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

 Beat until all well combined.

 I abandon the idea of cutting off the crusts of bread 

because I find it will be a waste.

Butter up all the white bread.

The bread can be cut into rectangles or triangles, depending on

the shape of your dish.

 Grease an oven proof dish.  

Arrange 1st layer with buttered bread in the dish.

 Arrange with dried cranberries.  Pour in over 1/3 of the egg mixture.

Repeat, then place remaining bread on top.  

Pour remaining egg mixture and stand for 20 minutes.

 Bake for 30 minutes or until set at 180 Degree Celcius.

 Remove pudding from oven.  

Brush the top with heated jam and sprinkle with almonds. (omitted)

Return to oven for 5 minutes and serve warm with cream. (omitted)

The sweetness is yummy and the texture is not hard nor too soft.

This recipe sure a keeper.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Butter" organised by
Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,
Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and
hosted by Jozelyn, Spice Up My Kitchen.

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books #13 hosted by

Joyce, Kitchen Flavours.

Pancake with Strawberry

Pancake with Strawberry

When my husband brought back these home grown delicious

Strawberries from Kota Kinabalu which his business friend planted it, 

I told my family that I wanted to make Pancake.  

Eating this fluffy pancake with strawberry and honey definitely a 

good healthy breakfast and good combination.

For me, I even spread some good butter over it.....yummy!

My family and I love this fluffy pancake, this recipe of mine

does not fail me whenever I make it.

Please click here for the recipe.

Actual fact, today I am up early because earlier I sent
my husband off to Kota Kinabalu for day trip....hope his
friend will give again / more of the Strawberries to us.
Cross my fingers!   :)

Have a good rest over this weekend.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Butter" organised by
Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,
Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and
hosted by Jozelyn, Spice Up My Kitchen.

Orange & Poppy Seed Cupcakes

 Orange & Poppy Seed Cupcakes

I read this recipe from the Malaysian Women's Weekly for quite

some time now and decided to bake it only recently.  This cupcake is dense,

not oily, and the taste is great.  To those who do not like dense cupcakes,

then I suggest you not to follow this recipe.   I think you will like this cupcake

 if you eat it together with your favourite beverage.  I shared it with

my colleagues and the outcome is split.  Some preferred dense 

and some didn't prefer dense cupcakes.  Well, I can't satisfy both sides but

at least I have tried this recipe and at the end, there is no wastage.

 125g butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup caster sugar / 1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs (room temperature)

2 cups self raising flour (sift)

1/4 cup milk / 1/4 cup orange juice

2 tbsp poppy seeds / Grated zest 1 orange

Syrup : 3/4 cup orange juice / 1/2 cups caster sugar / Grated zest 1 orange

(Note  :  I omitted the syrup)

 Preheat oven at 180 Degree Celsius.  

Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper patty cases.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and creamy.

 Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

 Add flour alternating with combined milk and juice,

beginning and ending with flour.

 Add poppy seeds and zest.

Mix well.

Scoop evenly until 3/4 full.   Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Once the cupcakes are done, cool cupcakes before transferring to

rack over a baking tray.

If you opt for the syrup, please find below method :-

Combine juice and sugar. Bring to boil on high fire, stirring.

Reduce heat and cook for 5 minutes.  Add zest and cook for

5 minutes, then remove.  Pierce cupcakes in several places.

Spoon a little syrup over each cupcakes.  Allow to soak in.

Serve with remaining syrup.

Lovely photo?  

If you are brave enough to bake it, you will be the judge for this recipe.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Orange" organised by

Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,

Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and

hosted by Ann, Anncoo Journal.

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books #11 hosted by

Joyce, Kitchen Flavours.

Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake With Cream Cheese Topping

Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake

with Cream Cheese Topping

This recipe never fail me.  I have baked this Orange Butter Cake

so many times until I have lost count of it.

Baked it this afternoon and am so tired because yesterday night

went for midnight movie "Captain America" with my kids and 

reached home around 2.45 am.  Yes, indeed very late but we have enjoyed 

ourselves.  Woke up around 8.00 am to do some errands with my husband.

After that went shopping with him for few hours.  Now already am sleepy!!!

Click here for the Cream Cheese Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake or

click for the Kikuo's Orange Butter Cake.

I am submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up event

with this month theme "Orange" organised by

Zoe, Bake for Happy Kids,

Doreen, My Little Favourite DIY and

hosted by Ann, Anncoo Journal.

Quote for the day :-

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one's weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi