A new combination of flavours. I've recently discovered Lady Earl Grey Tea. It has the most heady floral scent, a great pairing I thought with chocolate. I also wanted to add another dimension to the mix and decided Hazelnut would be interesting. You can definitely taste the earl grey through the chocolate in subtle tones which I prefer and the hazelnut ganache, a surprisingly lovely accompaniment. I don't think it's one for the kiddies as rich on all levels , but a winner for any dinner party.
Bao, Bapao or Bakpao depending where you're from is essentially steamed buns filled with roast pork. I have made this once before back in Oz but had totally forgotten the recipe and "how to". So with Mum with me, I set out to try the recipe again.
They turned out better than I thought and really delicious. I remember as a child Mum making these with such strength as she literally had to bang the dough down onto the bench. We still had to do some serious kneading but all in all not as difficult as once thought. Hubs also tried his hand at a few and although not quite the traditional pork bun, this one which he did turned out quite lovely indeed...
Apologies for the absent posts. I've been working on my website which I hope to have up and running soon. Have also been spending some quality time with my parents who are over here for a visit. With that, my food guru and hero, Mum, has been showing me loads of family recipes. This one is an Indonesian rice snack made of glutinous or sticky rice stuffed with a rich coconuty spicy chicken filling. We did several variations. Some wrapped in pandan leaf and others in a very thin egg pancake.
They are delish also on their own and can be eaten anytime of the day....yummo!
An old fashioned favourite. Rich chocolate cakes with a cream cheese frosting gloriously adorned with sprinkles of coconut.
Being a lover of coffee and now having to only drink decaf, a coffee cupcake was just what I needed. There are many coffee cupcake recipes around, but I've noticed most contain chocolate as well, delivering a more mocha taste than just coffee. So after more than a few trials I've settled for a "blonde coffee" cupcake and decided to pop a coffee mousse and pecan topping. The flavours were distinct but not over-powering, more creamy coffee which is what I like. I think for better storage, I would use a coffee ganache instead which is equally delish.
Another wonderful combination. Blueberry and Lavender Chocolate cakes. I have not used lavender before in any of my sweets so was interested in the results. You definitely get an unexpected burst of lavender flavour running through the chocolate cake. Not too sure if little ones would appreciate it, but hubs definitely thought it was worth it.
Now that I have a favourite chocolate cupcake recipe under my belt, I'm trying it in combination with the lovely fruits of the season. Today was Strawberry day. In this cupcake lies fruity sweet Strawberry with rose-petals and a hint of Lychee Tea. I topped it with some quick strawberry jelly. They looked so pretty, almost a shame to eat, but they were delish nevertheless....
I just love the subtle but distinct nutty flavour of Green Tea and definitely wanted to try it in a cupcake. But what to pair it with. It needed to be refreshing and at the same time very moorish. Citrus came to mind and Chocolate. So here it is. Citrus Green Tea with a dark chocolate ganache frosting. Yum!
Hello all. In the last month I've been trying to "tweak" some of my cupcake recipes. First on the list was Strawberry. How does one create the perfect Strawberry cupcake using real strawberries and with no artificial colourings or additives. After what seemed like an endless battle, I think I've come close with the right balance of taste, texture and of course colour. One must understand that because they only contain natural ingredients, after the first day, the lovely pink hue does fade somewhat. However, I simply jumped up and down when these lovely pink cakes came out of the oven. And they actually tasted like strawberries and cream. What I found out was a combination of puree and powder seemed to do the trick. I'm still deciding on what topping should dawn these little lovelies, something not too overly sweet. But for now, they are just as yummy as there are...
