Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Memorable Cream Cheese Brownies


It was Friday, July 10 2020, the day of Election here in Singapore. This date is so memorable to me not because of election. On this day, I tripped on the stairs while going to work, it was about 4 steps,yeah..We are all scared of covid right ? in my case I prefer the stairs rather than lift or escalator. I thought that these two are safer and you wont get exposed to lots of people going to and getting out from work. I tripped so for the rest of the days, I was in total pain and it was horrible. I experienced how it was to live using wheelchair and oh my goodness...need I say more? 😨 But I am getting better now and my foot is on the road to recovery, thank you Oh God and to my family who really took care of me.🙏

Talking of memorable event, well I have one memorable brownies. I think you can guess why, I made them the day before the accident and on that morning of July 10, I brought some for my co-workers and I was so excited for them to taste ...until...ouch....😂 Anyway the recipe was taken again form the old Reader's Digest collection of baked goodies circa 2000. I will say it again, I am so lucky to have found this book for 10 dollars only..

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup soft brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 cup butter softened
2/3 cup hot coffee
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup chopped pecans or any nuts

Direction:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and milk until fluffy. Set Aside. 
In a large bowl, cream butter, hot coffee and remaining sugar until light and fluffy. 
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and 1/2 cup of nuts.
Pour half of the batter into a greased pan. Spread with cream cheese mixture. 
Top with the remaining batter. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts and lightly press. 
Cut through butter with a knife to swirl cream cheese.
Bake at 180 for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean. 
Cool in baking pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. 
Then put inside the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. 
Cut, serve and enjoy!

These cream cheese brownies are the best. Although it gives me a painful memory because of my minor injury, in the end I will cherish the delight of making them. I nearly don't have photos 😛. good thing I asked my children to save some for me..actually these brownies were reserved already..LOL!

Where's the party?


2 comments :
Monday, June 29, 2020

Simply Banana Chocolate Cake


When I started baking, Banana Cake was my first battle. I thought that once I learned to make it, then its the gauge that I can bake.True enough, it was my first masterpiece, be it in a cake, a bread, or muffin but of course I needed to level up. My banana cake should not be plain nor with white chocolate icing only. I will make a chocolate version and very soon.. I made it. What I like about this cake: the preparation and the ingredients are simple, the process is easy to do and yet, the taste is so addictive because its soft, moist and not so sweet. 

Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
For the cake:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
3 large eggs
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
250 grams self-raising flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
2 bananas, not very ripe, sliced
juice of 1 lemon
150 ml whipped cream
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
For the icing:
200 grams good quality white chocolate
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. 
Brush the baking pans with butter or oil then dust with flour. 
Combine self-raising flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time then slowly add the flour/salt mixture. Mix well.
Divide the cake batter between two tins and bake for about 40 minutes.
Leave the cakes in the tin for about 10 minutes and then turn out on a wire rack to cool.
To make the filling: 
Toss the sliced bananas in the lemon juice. 
Mix 2 tbsp cocoa powder into the whipped cream and spread this on top of one of the cake followed by banana slices and sandwich the two cakes together.
For the icing: 
Melt butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl suspended over a sauce pan of barely simmering water. Spread the melted chocolate and butter on top and side of the cake and that's it..

The last piece and had not I asked my kids to spare a slice for me...then I have nothing but a memory of this picture perfect slice of a cake. I cant count anymore the times I made this cake.. and every time, its gone with the wind..😝you know what I mean..😍

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4 comments :
Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Coffee Cake With Coffee Caramel Sauce

Thank you Encouraging Hearts and Home for the feature of my Simply Cocoa Brownies. I love your kind words as always. Kathi of Simple Homestead, thank you for the warm welcome on your blog by featuring my brownies. Thank you also Andrea of A Morning Cup of Joe for the inclusion of my brownies on your list of features. Your thoughts are lovely.

I love coffee and I wont survived a day without my brewed black coffee. I normally  drink my coffee when I wake up in the morning, a mug of it as I sat on the sofa while staring out of the window for like 15 minutes.. yes, this is how I start my day. No, I am not depressed..nothing serious is going on in my brain..its just me in the morning..😍  

I have made cupcakes with coffee, muffins with coffee, cookies with coffee and cakes with coffee. Today I am sharing with you the coffee cake of my life, it smells so much of coffee and when you bite, theres a subtle taste of bitterness.. and for a change..this cake is in a bundt pan .The  glorious thing is that I decided to pour some caramel sauce..with coffee of course. Then I saw some leftover baked pecans...and into it right away. Wow! I have mentioned coffee so many times..sorry, I have deep love for coffee 😘


For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼  cup fine brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3 tbsp Instant coffee powder or crystal
1/2 cup sour cream
3  large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup hot water
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice, divided ( optional)
Note: you can add ½ cup in the cake batter and the other half for garnish

Instruction: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a bundt pan or any moulder of your preference.
In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Mix well. Set aside
Add 3 tablespoons instant coffee to 1 cup hot water. Set aside
In a sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat, add coffee mixture to the butter in the pot.
Let it boil for about ten seconds, then turn off the heat.
Pour the butter coffee mixture into the flour mixture. Stir the mixture together gently.
Add in the egg mixture and stir gently until well combined. Then pour into the pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Allow to cool completely.

For the caramel sauce:
3/4 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp coffee, powdered or crystal
In a saucepan, melt butter over low heat. 
Whisk in brown sugar and milk
Bring to a boil and gently reduce to a simmer. 
Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes.
Then remove from heat. Add coffee. Stir in vanilla. 
Allow the caramel to cool for 5 minutes.
Then pour over cake. Slice and serve. Enjoy!


Here is one cake that is so close to my heart. You know why? because its coffee.. Oh I love coffee! I seldom bake these days but I still go out of my way to bake for people that I care. Together lets pray for the virus to end. Lets eat, lets giggle and lets be merry.





26 comments :
Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Simply Cocoa Brownies With Chocolate Ganache


Another week has passed again and Singapore starts Phase 2 of re-opening. Most activities can resume with safe distancing rules in place of course. I am thankful despite Covid, I am still working and earning but the regulations is getting stricter as days and months go by. Below is a photo which I'm gonna be asking for an apology to. I simply include it in my post for a better reminiscence of the past. I presumed my future grandchildren will be able to read my blog someday.

And so for the recipe: 

Simply Brownies, yes that's what I call these dark squares. I don't make it often because they're so rich and so delicious and...and I only bake this brownies for people I care about. I made a batch the other day and I left some in the fridge and someone is complaining, none other than my dear esposo, he has never eaten a slice yet according to him .. so I made another batch today.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups super fine brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened  dark cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream 
1/2 cup semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)

For the Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it simmers a little.
Then remove from the heat, add in the chocolate chips.
Whisk or mix until well combined.
Pour onto the baked cooled brownie
Note: I suggest you do this once the brownie cools down

Direction:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165-170 C)
Place the oven rack in the center of the oven.
Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan with aluminum foil.
The aluminum foil should hang about two inches (5 cm) over the sides of the pan 
In a small saucepan melt the butter.
Remove from heat and pour into a large heatproof bowl.
Stir (or whisk) in the sugar and cocoa powder.
Whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, mixing until the batter is nice and shiny.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Fold this flour mixture into the batter.
Finally, fold in the sour cream and chocolate chips in case you want to add
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 28-30 minutes.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Proceed on making Chocolate Ganache and slowly pour it over.
Then, to make the brownies easier to cut, cover and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to cut the brownies, lift the aluminum foil out of the pan and, with a sharp knife, cut the brownies.



The simplest, yet the most addictive I've ever made and will be making. You don't even need a mixer..I simly adore these brownies, deliciously comforting. Lets eat, lets giggle and lets be merry.

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Oh My Heartsie Wonderful Wenesday

Artsy Fartsy   Full Plate Thursday   Thursday Favorite Things   Encouraging Hearts   Grace at Home  Creatively Crafty  Simple Homestead  Friendship Friday   Friday@Fire Station  Create Bake Grow and Gather  Weekend Potluck  Fiesta Friday    Friday Favourites  A Morning Cup of Joe   






24 comments :
Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Braised Pork With Hard Boiled Eggs


Thank you Ladies from Weekend Potluck for the feature of my Tres Leches Filipino Egg Pie. I love this pie in two ways, because its a favorite and it reminds me of my wonderful days back home.

Covid19  has made me think of dishes that are simple and easy to cook. Those dishes that I can cook in big batches and later on I will store in the fridge for future consumption. Nowadays we have to go back and embrace again the simple ways of living. This pandemic has taught us a lot, many people started to plant again and even me despite the lack of space, I am thinking of planting my herbs and veggies in small pots. The life lessons we are learning nowadays because of the virus is truly worth of our time. Those things that I normally take for granted, I have realizations for them. 

Anyway here is a dish that requires simple preparation and likewise cooking too. Just leave it simmering for an hour or more and you will have the most interesting dish in your life. Oh, its not a Filipino dish - Pork Braised With Boiled Eggs is a Chinese dish. I learned to cook it 10 years ago and even after a few days, the taste is getting better and better. I suppose just like Filipino Adobo we can consider this as one great comfort food. Almost everyone in the family will love it, even little children will refer to it as their favorite. When you're all alone in the evening... eat this, and when the weather is cold... enjoy this.When you are tired and there are more things to be done, you don't have time to cook, open your fridge and eat this... with rice, with veggies, with bread... 

Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 kg pork belly ( chunks)
1/2 kg pork soft bone ribs (chunks)
6 hard boiled eggs
 Seasoning:
4 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
 4 tbsp cooking oil
Ingredients for braising:
4 cups of water
5 pcs star anise
6 pcs dried cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves garlic
4 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp rice wine or mirin
3 tbsp sugar
3 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper ground
1 tsp salt
Direction:
Marinate the meat using the seasoning listed above overnight 
Heat the oil and saute the meat till slightly brown. Drain the excess oil.
Then transfer the meat to a pot or sauce pan and put the ingredients for braising. 
Cook it first in high fire, once it boils, turn the fire to low heat 
Cook the mixture for at least 1 1/2 hour or until the meat is very tender.
Add the boiled eggs in the middle of cooking time.
Cook the mixture with cover.
Note:
If you prefer thick sauce then just add 2 tbsp corn starch with 2 tbsp water to the mixture.
But do it  at the end of cooking time.


What a glorious dish, especially if you are tired and you have no time to cook..and you have no one to cook for you. I bet you will appreciate your me time..its a totally satisfying dish right now..

 Where's the party?






8 comments :
Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Tres Leches Filipino Egg Pie


Here comes June and we are still in battle with Covid. I am wishing safety for everyone and the only consolation that I can do is to pray, think of happy thoughts and then bake. Today I am sharing one of my favorite dessert. Back home, when I was young I love the bakery style, they're sweet, soft, warm and packed with eggy goodness that no matter how I remind myself not to indulge too much..in the end I would eat 3 or 4 slices..imagine that..
Normally our Filipino bakery version consist of sugar, cornstarch, eggs and evaporated milk. But I wanted more, I wanted to get out of overly sweet egg pie so I just use a can of condensed milk, no more and no less. It should be that exact amount. Then I have a left over whipping cream and some fresh milk in the fridge... and so the journey to make my favorite egg pie begins.. 

Ingredients:

For the pastry:
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp  unsalted butter, cold and cubed 
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 3/4 cup plain flour
1 egg yolk
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp cold water and more

To make the pastry:
Combine flour, salt and sugar in the bowl. 
Create a well in the center then dump in butter and egg yolk. 
Cut in with two butter knives, or fork or a pastry cutter. 
Then rub in the mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. 
Add 2 tbsp cold water. Knead the dough until it just about comes together. 
If the dough seems dry, you may add cold water. Form into a ball. 
Remember not to over knead because it will gonna be difficult to roll out. 
Wrap it in cling wrap and set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Then roll out thinly on a floured tabletop to a circle about 12 inches in diameter. 
Line a 9 cm pie pan making sure to press the pastry well into sides 
Trim the excess pastry from the edge. Set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the filling:
3 eggs 
1 egg yolk ( reserve the egg white for future use )
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup evaporated or fresh milk
1 can condensed milk 
2 tbsp cornstarch

To make the filling:
In a bowl, combine the eggs and egg yolk, handwhisk until combined.
Add in the cornstarch, cream, fresh milk and condensed milk.
Combine/handwhisk all together. Mix well. Set aside.
Now using your mixer, whip the egg white to soft peaks. 
Fold gently into the milk/egg yolk mixture with a spoon. 
Pour the filling on the prepared pastry. Place pie in the center of the oven with the water bath.
Bake at 350/180 for 30 minutes or until the top is brown. 
Then cover the top of the pie with foil and continue baking for 40 minutes. 
The center should wobble a little. Remove from oven and let it cool.
Chill in the fridge before serving.
Enjoy!
Oh goodness, I think its good..You see I made it last night and when I wake up, its almost gone.It brought a lot of memories..now I miss everything about home....

Here's a slice of joy and there will be more slices of joy in my kitchen as long as I have the power to make it. The egg pie that is a part of my growing up is just right here and I couldn't help myself..my thoughts went back down the memory lane. I can only smile and enjoy... Have a great week to all. Lets eat. Lets giggle and let's be merry.

Where's the party?
Saturday Sparks Best of the Month Scraptastic Saturday   Dare To Share  Saturday Mini Party  Happiness is Homemade Create Make Bake  Silver Pennies Sunday   Whats For Dinner Sunday  Love Your Creativity

Busy Monday  Inspire Me Monday  Over The Moon   Youre The Star  Menu Plan Monday Craftastic  Monday  The Hearth And Soul  Fabulous Party  Make It Pretty Monday  Handmade Monday  Little Cottage Link Party  Meal Plan Monday

Celebrate Your Story  Happy Now  Making A Home  Tuesdays At Our home  Tasty Tuesday  Farm Fresh Tuesday  Fluster Buster  Inspire Me Tuesday    Party in your PJ's  All About Home

Wined Down Wednesday   Wonderful Wednesday   To Grandmas House   Your Whims Wednesday    Waste Not Wednesday  A Little bit Of Everything  Wow Me Wednesday  Penny Pinching Wednesday
Oh My Heartsie Wonderful Wenesday






24 comments :

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