Year: 2017

Salted caramel chocolate slice

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Tray bakes are one of my favourite desserts to make. These bite sized slices are perfect for any occasion. I made this salted caramel chocolate slice specially for ANZAC day. It’s my own twist to spice up the traditional ANZAC day cookie. For the base, I used my ANZAC day cookie recipe and spread it across a square pan. The good thing about making the base is that it requires no baking equipment except for a mixing bowl, measuring cup and a weighing scale – saves me from loads of washing.  Nutrition per slice (serves 30) Ingredients for the base 150g plain flour 60g desiccated coconut 90g rolled oats 80g brown sugar 2 tbs maple syrup 0.5 tsp bicarbonate soda mixed with 1.5 tbs boiling water 150ml grapeseed oil Ingredients for the salted caramel 80ml water 250g caster sugar 120g double cream 15g unsalted butter 1 tsp salt 0.5 tsp vanilla essence Ingredients for the chocolate ganche 400g dark chocolate – I used Lindt 70% dark 150ml full cream milk 15g unsalted butter Directions Preparation …

Coconut crusted lime cake

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Limes are in season! I love it when people hand me a bunch of limes from their gardens for my baking. So today I decided to bake a blueberry lime and coconut crusted cake for afternoon tea! Lime and coconut crusted cake Preparation time: 20 min Baking time: 50min or when skewer comes out clean Nutrition per slice (8 servings) Ingredients 190g self raising flour 120g unsalted butter 120g caster sugar 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla essence 120g plain yoghurt Zest 2 large limes 60ml freshly squeezed lime juice 110g frozen blueberries 2 tbs desiccated coconut Directions Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Grease an 8 inch cake tin Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy Add in the 2 eggs gradually, beating throughly after each addition Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the yoghurt and lime juice and zest and vanilla essence. Mix it well Sift the self-raising flour in and fold it evenly Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle the desiccated coconut evenly on the …

Barcelona

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Barcelona! One of my favourite European cities. Six years ago, I visited Barcelona for the first time and I went crazy. Every corner I turned, there was a Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear. I couldn’t stop shopping (FYI: There is a different price tag for the clothes sold in Spain, Portugal and Greece – it is about 30% cheaper than the other European cities). The same thing happened this trip but fortunately I managed to exercise some self control. Other than shopping, Barcelona has a couple of attractions that are worth visiting. The must-see attractions in Barcelona are: Sagrada Familia The beautiful but still under construction Basilica by Antoni Gaudi. Better to pre-book your tickets online to save time on queuing. There are a few different types of tickets but the basic ticket does not include the tower visit so if you would like to experience panoramic views, you have to purchase the top views tickets. Click here to book. Sant Pau Recinte Modernista Barcelona This UNESCO world heritage site was the home of the Hospital de la …

Roasted black sesame cookies

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I was doing my grocery shopping in Singapore when I came across roasted black sesame powder and I grabbed it instantly. I love anything that has black sesame in it – black sesame dumplings, buns etc. This time, I decided to adapt my almond cookie recipe and use black sesame instead. Like my almond cookie recipe, this does not require butter or eggs. It uses peanut oil and icing sugar instead. The good thing about this recipe is that it uses the mixing method and the dough does not need to be rested overnight. Nutrition per cookie (one batch makes 50)  Ingredients for the cookies 250g plain flour 120g roasted black sesame powder 90g icing sugar 200ml peanut oil 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 tsp bicarbonate soda 1 tsp baking powder 0.25 tsp salt 2 tbsp of sesame seeds Directions Preparation time: 15 min Baking time: 10-15 min Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (convectional oven) Sieve flour, icing sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate soda into a mixing bowl Add roasted black sesame powder, salt and vanilla essence. …