Monday, December 24, 2018

Christmas Fruit Cake


Merry Christmas to all the bloggers in every parts of the world. I wish us peace and good health so we can continue our passion for sharing, writing and eating. May this season find us love and contentment. In honor of my fellow bloggers, this post is especially for all of you. The past months I have been attending linky parties and there are those who really take time to drop by with lovely comments. Thank you all for the kind words and I appreciate the warmth and sunshine that my blog has been receiving since. Together lets make a toast and enjoy this drunken Fruit Cake. Let's eat. Let's giggle. Let's be merry.

My love affair with fruit cake started during my yuppie days. For some years I am just a buyer and a receiver of this cake. The truth is Christmas means Fruit Cake to me, ha ha ha! It was year 2010 when I baked my first Fruit Cake and I have had a journey of trial and error too. I didn't give up until I got what I wanted. If you hate Fruit Cake, no! please don't.. you are missing the fruity, nutty, drunken spirit of Christmas. Please take note that the process of preparation starts early. In my case, as early as Dec 1, the mixture of mixed fruits, nuts and brandy should be done and come Dec 15, I am baking.
Ingredients 
 2 sticks butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup of treacle or honey
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon mixed spices
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 tsp baking soda
7 cups mixed fruits (raisins,sultanas,currants,dried cranberries,apricot,dates,mixed peel,cherries)
1 cup of nuts ( hazelnut,pecan,pistachio )
1 1/2 cup brandy
1 bottle of brandy for curing
Direction:
In an airtight container mix together the ff: brandy, mixed fruits,  mixed peel and nuts.
Cover it tightly and wait for your schedule of baking
Grease and line 4 mini loaf pans. Preheat the oven to 300 F or 150 C.
Sift the flour, milk powder and spices together.
Combine dried fruits, butter, sugar, honey and orange juice in a large saucepan.
Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. 
Bring the mixture to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat.
Stir consistently. Remove the saucepan and leave to cool.
Make sure that the mixture is room temperature.
Combine the eggs and baking soda, gently beat it using a fork. 
Gently stir it into the cooled fruit mixture. Fold in the sifted ingredients. 
Spread evenly into prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour or until cooked.
Remove the cake and brush the top with brandy. 
Cover it with aluminium foil. Arrange in a container and set aside in the fridge.
The most important thing, every night before going to bed, brush the fruit cakes with rum.
Continue this process every day until the great big night of Noche Buena.
The cake is best eaten after a few days and weeks of aging.
Seriously, this Christmas Fruit Cake is moist, strong and fruity. Its the epitome of holiday dishes in my kitchen. From my family to yours... Merry Christmas!!! 

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Sunday, December 16, 2018

Brown Sugar Praline Squares



I love Caramel Bars from  Goldilocks. I remember when my children were little and we were still living in the Philippines, I would always buy a box or two and like a child at heart I will dig in and enjoy together with my kids.. ha ha ha! Yes, I am that type of a Mom.. whatever is delicious with my children, then its a high five with me. The first few years, I missed these bars terribly and in cases we go home, I hoard a lot.. but those were the days. I learned to let go because my little children have grown up and they forgot it. Well, I learned to let go but I never forget. Then two years ago, I desperately wanted it again. I tried my best to make these bars but as always something was not right. I googled a lot but that didn't help me. 

Until, I found this book circa  1970's , inside has  this recipe and I just felt right about it. I thought it might be like that and I've made my mental calculations. Of course, I made some changes..the caramel bars from Goldilocks has no caramel actually, I realized the contents are mostly sugar, flour and chemical terms. I now have the understanding how awful was that. I never crave of Caramel Bars from Goldilocks anymore, instead I ran away from it. I will touch, take a look and smell and put it down right away..ohh seriously.....Here is the recipe. Since its Christmas time, I added a kick, yes.. a kinda kick of a rum

Ingredients
For the Praline Mixture:
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp rum flavor or 2 tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup sliced almonds with/out skin
Directions:
Prepare a tray or baking pan. Line with parchment paper.
Combine sugar, butter and light corn syrup in a sauce pan. Stir over low heat until properly melted.
Add the rum flavor or dark rum. Mix gently
Pour the mixture on to the prepared pan, sprinkle all the nuts. Set aside.
For the squares:
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp rum flavor or 2 tbsp dark rum 
1 tsp vanilla
Direction:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using your mixer, cream sugar and butter, add in the eggs one at a time.
Then add the flour mixture, mix in a low pressure until well combined.
Add the rum flavor or dark rum, mix well.
Spread the mixture over the tray. Bake at 180 ( 350 ) for 22 minutes.
Let it rest for 10 minutes,then place in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight before slicing.
When slicing, turn it upside down, take out the parchment paper slowly then slice.
Next, begin to get some slices, 5 slices at once or if you're like me, get one at a time for like 5 times or until everything is gone. But make sure to count first..so that you know what is equal sharing. Don't cheat, no excuses.. I know its delicious..but please equal sharing means pure love.. ha ha ha!

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10 comments :
Monday, December 10, 2018

Japanese Christmas Cheesecake


I have a strong attachment with cheesecake for as long as I can remember. For some years it has been a favorite and whenever I get the chance to eat a slice or two with coffee, I am at my best. But recently due to aging, I find it heavy, creamy and sweet too much. I don't know, blame it to my aging hormones. These days I love peace and quite and likewise I like my cheesecake to be soft and subtle. Japanese Cheesecake is a fad here in Singapore and I'm quite intrigue by it. What is the difference between a cheesecake and a Japanese Cheesecake? Oh yes.. now I know the answer. If like me, you find the normal cheesecake too heavy for you, then Japanese Cheesecake is perfect for us. Please note: Recipe is inspired by Rasa Malaysia. I made some changes though. Thank you Bee.

Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
250 gms cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup cake flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
7 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup caster sugar
Direction
Melt cream cheese, butter and milk. Make sure there’s no lump. Strain if necessary. Let it cool. 
Then using the mixer, put the mixture into the bowl, add in the egg yolks. 
Using the paddle, beat for about 5 minutes in a medium strength. 
Combine cake flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt. 
Add in to the mixture together with the lemon juice. 
Mix well until well incorporated.
Make the meringue by whisking egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy.
Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
Take 1/3 meringue and fold into the cheese mixture, then fold in another 1/3 of the meringue. 
After incorporated, pour the batter back to the remaining 1/3 meringue and fold. FOLD GENTLY. Pour the mixture into a 8-inch round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with grease-proof baking paper or parchment paper).
Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 325F (160C). 
Points to Ponder: I baked the cake in a 9" round tin, it is very important to line the sides with parchment paper, make sure the parchment paper extends higher than the cake tin by about 1.5". I baked the cake on the lowest shelf in the oven (to prevent cracks on top and over browning).For the water bath, I used room temperature water. I left the cake to cool down in the oven with the oven door open, about an hour. This is to prevent sudden change of temperature that may cause the cake to shrink drastically. It's normal that the cake will shrink about 1/2 inch to 1 inch after cooling.If the cake shrinks a lot, the main reason is over mixing the egg white mixture with the cream cheese mixture. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, FOLD VERY GENTLY, do not stir or blend. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours or overnight.

If you have sausage fingers like me.. please, you need to be gentle on this cake. From the very beginning of baking process up to the moment when you're about to eat, you need to be gentle. I am so surprised with this cake because it is so soft, like a cotton and I imagine it somehow like a pillow.. or a  heart shaped throw pillow to be precised. The way it looks here, I really wanted to give it a try..  and so from this..
To this.... yes, because its gonna be Christmas and so I thought it would also be great to turn into a Christmas Cake. But you know after this... it seems that Christmas dropped by so fast, the next morning it was all gone... There's no words to describe how lovely and delicious is this one.. precious actually that I have to be fast.. I'm such a horrible mother..I ate more than my children did.. ha ha ha!

Where's The Party?





21 comments :
Saturday, December 1, 2018

Christmas Rum Cake


Thank you Miz Helen of Full Plate Thursday for the feature of my Caramel Chocolate Oat Squares. Since I started blogging years ago, your place is one of my favorites.

 This cake is perfect for Christmas but I suggest make another cake for children cause this one has rum content.It looks awesome and seeing it on the table got me so excited. I ate 2 slices and I got really drowsy...was wondering how I went to bed the next morning... ha ha ha! My son enjoyed it although he told me got a little headache after. Well, my daughter wont tell me the truth but I knew it..she also disliked the rum taste. But for adults like me, this cake is really great. 

Ingredients
1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1 package INSTANT Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 whole Eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup canola Oil
1/2 cup dark Rum 
1 cup chopped pecans
Brown Sugar (optional)
GLAZE
1 1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup  brown sugar
3/4 cup Rum
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.
Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!
Glaze:
While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze. Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.
Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in. Eat. Enjoy. And don’t feel guilty. It’s Christmastime!
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