I Love. I Cook. I Bake.

This recipe intrigued me. Luckily I was able to find time to bake it this morning
I mean, brownies with ground almonds, no butter, no gluten, no dairy, and it's fudgy? Must try, isn't it?

I must thank Hanaa, the host of Avid Bakers Challenge, for choosing this recipe, a fab one from Scientifically Sweet. Boy, this brownies is good, really good! :)

I laughed when I read how Christina described two little things that scare her. First, sharks. Second, baking without butter LOL I find it's so amusing, the mind of an avid baker :)








I made no change at all, except sung semi sweet chocolate chips instead of bittersweet
For full recipe, please view HERE

This is one light, fluffy, fine textured cake with a hint of lemon taste in every bite, love it!
A bake for Avid Bakers Challenge (ABC) hosted by Hanaa's Kitchen, where we will be baking using recipes taken from Scientifically Sweet, a blog by Christina Marsigliese


Too bad I couldn't get browned crust on top and the sides. Look at how pale my cake is. It's like there's something missing from this cake, so incomplete without the beautiful brown crust :(
I reckoned it's because of the position of the oven rack. I should have placed on the higher rack. By the time I realized it, the cake has been fully baked I didn't want to bake further




The changes I did:

• I replaced 1/3 of the flour used with whole wheat pastry flour
• I used caster sugar instead of granulated sugar

You may view the full recipe HERE




One of the cake I definitely will bake again, and I will make sure I will get the browned crust in the future :)

One of my New Year resolution is trying my best not to miss out any event I have decided to join previously as I didn't do a good job last year - keep my fingers and toes crossed :)
Avid Bakers Challenge (ABC) hosted by Hanaa's Kitchen is one event I have been absent for longest time, hence my participation in the first month of 2015 :)
Furthermore, this month's bake is one of my favourite :P
So, here it is...






You may view the recipe HERE
I made some changes as follow..

• I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour
• I replaced sour cream with low fat plain yoghurt
• I chose brown sugar than granulated sugar
• And lastly, I used rice bran oil instead of canola

This month's Avid Baker's Challenge bake is something that I never think I will bake myself - digestive biscuits!
Til now, I'm satisfied enough with Mcvities and Marks & Spencer
But hey, there's an opportunity here to experiment - why not? At least, I've tried, right? It's good to experience any kind of bake at least once - in my opinion
So, here is my homemade English digestive biscuits :)

• I used 100% whole wheat pastry flour
• I omitted icing sugar and replaced with 1/2 cup brown sugar
• I kneaded the dough by hand

Thanks to Hanaa, I still manage to participate in this month's Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC)

Cinnamon bread. I always love it. Hence my curiosity in trying this recipe from King Arthur Flour (KAF)




It used white whole wheat flour. Adding with some mashed potato flakes. Interesting
But my luck went to the drain. I couldn't find mashed potato anywhere near my place. Now how weird is that. Something so common was nowhere to be found in three supermarkets!
You know what people always says... It's always there, but when you need it, it suddenly vanished. I can't agree more
So I ended up replaced it with bread flour
The recipe used overnight starter and another unique thing - orange juice (I used freshly squeezed orange juice)
The interesting thing is, there's no orange taste in the bread at all
According to KAF, the use of orange juice is to mellow any potential bitterness in the whole wheat

So, I tried. And yes, it's good!
Definitely not the best looking yeasted bread I ever baked. Somehow mine looks like quick bread. It didn't rise high during baking as mentioned. There's no brown crust on top. I wonder whether I would have it if I didn't tent the dough during the 45 minutes baking as instructed. Perhaps I should try next time, not to tent the dough while baking. That will make this bread look much better with the brown crust dome on top :)




You may view the full recipe HERE and step by side instruction HERE

Please do not expect soft fluffy pillowy bread like those Asian sweet bread we usually love
This is another kind. Something more artisan. But don't worry, you are not eating rock here. This is definitely soft. And yummy, too. So it's really worth trying. And in my case, second try :)
This post is for Avid Baker's Challenge April 2014, a baking event hosted by Hanaa from Hanaa's Kitchen

Luckily I could find some time to bake this month's Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC)
This tart - or I should say, quiche - is awesome! It's really yummy, seriously!
Unless you don't like mushroom or cheese, I am very sure you will enjoy every bite!





Recipe is from King Arthur Flour's site - as you know, ABC has been baking from this wonderful site since last year


Please view HERE for the recipe
I made half recipe - which I regretted so much
I had 12 pies using my regular size muffin pan and it finished the next day!





I followed the recipe with some minor changes:

• I substituted Hi-maize Natural Fiber with plain flour
• I used grated Cheddar cheese instead of powder for the crust
• I omitted cayenne pepper
• I mixed the sautéed mushroom and bell pepper with the egg mixture and after scooping it into the crust, I topped it up with grated Cheddar cheese mixed with Monterey Jack cheese

Our first bake of the year for Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC)
This year of 2014 we continue baking great recipes from King Arthur Flour (KAF)
And the first bake chosen was this delicious fudgy chocolaty with yummy cheese topping brownies



I followed the recipe making half recipe with some changes:
For the brownie batter:
* I used 180g sugar (reduced from 224g for half recipe)
* I omitted chocolate chips
For the cheese batter:
* I used 60g caster sugar (reduced from 75g for half recipe)
* I used 1 tbsp plain flour (reduced from 29g for half recipe)
* I used whipping cream instead of heavy cream

For full recipe, it's required to use 9" x 13" pan
I did half recipe and used a rectangle pan which was a little too small. Hence the tall brownies. Luckily it didn't overflow during baking :)

Please view the full recipe HERE

My family loves this indulgence. DH still mentioned that it's a little too sweet to his liking but I found it's just nice. Who can enjoy brownies with no sweetness at all, anyway? LOL

This post is for Avid Baker's Challenge January 2014, a baking event hosted by Hanaa from Hanaa's Kitchen

Baked this yesterday. Despite me on medication, my itch for baking came. So I remember that I haven't done my homework for ABC this month so here it is :)

Pretty simple to bake, and yielded a delicious buttery soft pretzels I usually only enjoy when I visited German eateries. Crisp skin with soft and chewy interior! Love it! :)
I had this for breakfast this morning and after warm it in the microwave for 15 seconds, it tasted just like fresh from the oven :)

All time favourite! Not with the kids nor DH though, they don't fancy cinnamon. It's with me! LOL




I must say this bread was real tasty! Not the softest bread I ever baked but it's considerably soft and fluffy. Best to warm it up first if eaten the next day

This bake is for Avid Baker's Challenge October 2013, a baking event hosted by Hanaa from Hanaa's Kitchen where we bake recipes from King Arthur Flour for this year

Another keeper recipe. I love it!
Not only it's delicious, but it's easy to make, too. It's so me, huh? :)




I make half recipe using 6 inches pie pan
For full recipe, you may view in Hanaa's blog HERE

I omitted buttermilk powder and for the cinnamon sprinkle I used a mixture of cinnamon and packed brown sugar
I used 3  medium organic New Zealand Fuji apples, mixed with a dash of salt and a tsp of lemon juice
Sprinkled the top of the pie with demerara sugar (inspired by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours)
Oh, and I used my ten fingers to do the mixing for the crust :P
Baked in preheated oven of 240degC for 15 minutes and reduce the temperature to 190degC for 35 minutes

I cut the first slice after 1 hour and oh my, it's so good!
The crust was so crusty (explained the name LOL), flaky, buttery and crisp, too
The demerara sugar added a nice crunch in every bite
The apple filling was soft, sweet and mixed with cinnamon, it's just perfect!

I saw the bake for September's Avid Baker's Challenge  is chocolate bread. I saw Bake Along #51 is also chocolate cake
I didn't want to waste time, energy and the amount of dishes to wash, I baked them together, half recipe each LOL

First, Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread for Avid Baker's Challenge hosted by Hanaa

The use of zucchini made me so curious on the texture and taste. The cake was easy to make, too
I had a soft, very moist, fudgy and chocolaty bread, nobody would think there's vegetables in it :)
I, however, could smell it when the bread was just out from the oven, but when it's cooled completely, no smell could be traced anymore
The texture was so moist that I thought I underbaked it. Skewer test came out clean in the middle and sides of the bread, so I didn't think it's underbaked
The grated zucchini was pretty wet when I mixed to the batter though. I wonder if that's the reason...
Anyway, after the bread was completely cooled, the texture was better, not too wet anymore, but yes, it's rich, moist, fudgy and oh so chocolaty - that's the way I like it :)





Recipe is from King Arthur Flour
I followed exactly, halved the recipe, changed espresso powder to instant coffee powder and used Valrhona cocoa
Used 20x10cm loaf pan for half recipe, hence the short bread. Baking time was 60 minutes

This bread is for Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC)
To view other members baking this wonderful bread. We are currently baking from King Arthur Flour website. Want to join? Please contact Hanaa




Okay, now...
While the first chocolate cake in the oven, I prepared the second one - Chocolate Cream Pound Cake
Recipe is from the book Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman for Bake Along #51, chosen by Lena from Frozen Wings

I got a very different cake from the first cake I made
This cake was dense and crumbly even though it's soft. Tasty and pretty light
I added three handfuls of semi sweet chocolate chips but somehow they all sunk to the bottom LOL
Ian chose this cake compared to the first one. He's always into lighter cake :)






What you need:
(half recipe)

3 tbsp unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
30ml heavy cream (I used cream)
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
57g unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cups sugar
2 medium eggs
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170degC. Grease a 20x10cm loaf pan and dust with flour
2. Sift the cocoa powder. Place the cream in a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat until hot (mine was 15seconds, break then another 15 seconds) Pour the hot cream over the cocoa and stir and mash with a spoon to make a thick paste. Set aside to cool
3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl
4. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Beat in the cocoa powder paste until smooth
5. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla
6. On low speed add the flour mixture in 3 additions
7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake the cake until it is firm to the touch and skewer test comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (mine half recipe was 50 minutes). Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, invert it onto a wire rack, and then turn it right side up on a rack to cool completely. Slice and serve
8. Store uneaten cake in a cake keeper or wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to 3 days