Banana Cake in 5-Cup Rice Cooker

I was intrigued when my mother in law told me that the salesperson at the store she usually buys cookware gave her a little recipe handout for our Panasonic rice cooker. It wasn’t long before I put a quick cake together to try this method of baking. I think the major benefit of baking with a rice cooker is the cake will definitely be moist since there’s the whole steaming aspect of it. This also means that not much fat needs to be put into the recipe which is great. I actually felt pretty good about giving baby a little of this cake even! The only disadvantage would be that the top of the cake usually doesn’t have the golden colour that is so pretty on cakes baked in the oven. However, this is remedied easily since the cake is flipped over onto a plate/platter anyways, and the parts touching the pot are the golden brown colour.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup Flour
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 Eggs
3 tbsp. Oil
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/4 Cup Bananas (mashed)
3 tbsp. Milk
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar

DIRECTIONS:

Separate egg yolks (into a large bowl) from egg whites (into a small bowl), setting the egg whites aside.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar together at high speed. Add oil and continue to beat.

Add in mashed bananas and milk.

Lower speed of the electric mixer and add in the flour mixture slowly until combined.

Beat egg whites, gradually adding the cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.

Slowly fold egg whites into the flour mixture. Do not over-mix.

Brush a thin layer of oil evenly onto the rice cooker inner pot, then pour in the batter.

Choose the cake menu option on the rice cooker and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove inner pot and allow to cool slightly before turning over to remove from the pot.

Lemon Yogurt Cupcakes

Prior to going back to work, I found myself baking regularly which was quite weird since I never thought of myself as much of a baker. I guess I really liked the idea of having something baking when I had visitors or bringing baked goods to a get together. In any event, I have to say that I got more of the hang of it in the recent past and am enjoying baking at this point. I did however have quite an epic baking fiasco when I was making baby’s birthday cake. I am happy to report that it ended well though and everyone was quite impressed with the finished product. I will have to see when I have a little time to blog about baby’s tiger cake since it was quite a production.

In terms of these cupcakes, these are definitely something you can make in a time crunch. I have been loving baking with yogurt and buttermilk in general since I find that the results are usually very moist and everything I’ve been baking with which includes either ingredient has been turning out almost perfect.

(makes approximately 12 cupcakes)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Greek Yogurt
1 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
2 tsp. Lemon Zest
1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/3 cup Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the cupcake pan with cupcake liners or grease pan.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, oil and lemon juice.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients, whisking until combined. (If you like, you can also add fruit at this point)

Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop batter into cupcake liners or greased pan.

Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until pale golden. Allow to cool, then enjoy!

Strawberry Summer Cake

Since today is the first day of summer, I thought it would only be fitting to blog about a strawberry summer cake that I made a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, now that I am back at work, I think that baking will be put on the back burner. I have however been surprised by how much I have been baking recently so I still have a few other recipes that I plan to share in the near future.

I thought this cake was super easy to make and was a great way to make use of some strawberries. The whole family seemed to enjoy it, particularly with a scoop of ice cream!

from Smitten Kitchen
INGREDIENTS:

6 tbsp. unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup + 2 tbsp. Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 lb. Strawberries (hulled and halved)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10-inch pan.

In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy with an electric mixer, about 3 minutes.

Mix in egg, milk and vanilla until just combined.

Add dry mixture gradually, mixing until just smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter, as closely as possible in a single layer. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown and a tester comes out free of wet batter, about 50 minutes to 60 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

This is another recipe that I received from my friend C, who is the author of the blog "Kitchen Slave". Unfortunately, her site was recently hacked so it is unavailable at the moment. I remember reading this recipe a long time ago, and I never considered making these cookies until she brought some of these cookies over as dessert and I absolutely loved them. It was not long that I decided to make them, particularly since the prep and cook time is pretty short.

INGREDIENTS:

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups Sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. (1 1/4 sticks) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 egg

For the filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 - 2 cups Confectioners’ Sugar (sifted)
2 tsp. Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. On low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue mixing until dough comes together and can be formed into a ball.

Using two spoons, spoon batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, flatten the dough to 1/2" thickness.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on how crispy you would like your cookies to be. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat butter at low speed, then add in the sugar and vanilla, adding 1/2 cup of icing sugar at a time, periodically tasting the cream until you reach the desired sweetness. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies: In a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. You can also use a teaspoon or an offset spatula to cover one cookie with cream and then cover with the second cookie. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Over the weekend, I hosted a baby shower. While I was struck with the flu earlier in the week, I still forced myself to go ahead with making the cupcakes that I had planned on making from the start. Hopefully, they turned out okay. I found the recipe to be on the sweet side, and perhaps not as red as I would have liked a red velvet cupcake to be. I will definitely cut down on the sugar and increase the amount of red food coloring the next time!

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:
2 1/2 cups Cake Flour (sifted)
2 tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
2 large Eggs (room temperature)
5-6 drops Red Food Color
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 cup Buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. White Vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups Cream Cheese (room temperature)
4 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
3/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, pipe frosting on each cupcake in a circular pattern, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak in the center.

Banana Pancakes

Since being pregnant and not been able to eat bananas for approximately 38 weeks, I have found that recipes with bananas have been very appealing to me. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to give it a shot the next time I got the chance to cook brunch for the family. They were very yummy! I would definitely make these again. I think I might try it as a dessert next time with ice cream! YUM!

adapted from Rasa Malaysia
INGREDIENTS (for approximately 7 pancakes):

1 egg
1/8 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
2 Ripe Bananas
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, then set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

In another medium bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. Fold dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then fold in the coconut milk. Add the mashed bananas and mix until combined well.

Heat a small frying pan and add oil. Spoon batter into the pan (use your discretion in terms of how big you want your pancakes to be). Tilt the pan so that the batter forms a thin layer as the mixture is quite thick. Flip when lightly browned.

Serve pancakes warm with butter and syrup. Pancakes can also be served with ice cream as a dessert.

Banana Bread

I have always loved bananas, which is probably why it was pretty hard to keep away from bananas for the entire time I was pregnant (according to Chinese superstitions, pregnant women should not eat bananas). This has consequently led me to endulge in basically anything with bananas since Jory's birth.

I adapted this recipe from a chinese cookbook that my mom has had for as long as I can remember. The ironic thing is that when rifling through my mother in law's cookbooks, I found that she had the exact same set as my mom. Apparently, this woman's (Maria Lee) cookbooks were very popular at that time. Her recipe is different in that she includes walnuts (1/2 cup walnuts added at the same time as the vanilla essence, in case you would like to include this ingredient). I also added the banana decoration on top.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
2 1/2 Bananas
3/4 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla Essence

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until milky white. Separate egg yolks from egg whites, adding egg yolks to butter mixture and separating egg whites into a separate bowl.

Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder.

In a small bowl, mash 2 bananas with a fork. Add to butter mixture alternately with flour mixture, then add vanilla essence and blend well.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into the batter delicately until combined.

Line bread pan with wax paper (or grease pan), then pour batter into the pan. Slice the 1/2 of the banana and decorate the top of the loaf.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Mango Pudding

This has been my "secret" recipe for many years now, and I can honestly pretty much guarantee that you will agree that this will be the best mango pudding that you will find out there. It does however take some patience, so hopefully you don't mind stirring for a while...because that's really the major component of this recipe. I think it's worth the effort though.

My baby shower was today and I was so overwhelmed by everything going on that I basically forgot to bring out this dessert that I made..must be the pregnancy brain! Only a few guests who stayed until the very end, ended up taking their cups to go. On another note, I want to again thank everyone who made it out today and for all of their love and support. Me and hubby are truly blessed to have such good friends!

INGREDIENTS

1 can Mango Pulp
500 ml. Whipping Cream
1 cup Sugar
6 cups Water
4 packs Gelatin

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine mango pulp and whipping cream. Set aside.

In a small pot, mix gelatin and 1 cup of hot water. Depending on how the gelatin melts, you may want to heat up on the stove briefly so all of the gelatin is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar and 5 cups of water. I generally first combine 1 cup of hot water with the sugar, melt the sugar, and then add water at room temperature for the remaining 4 cups so you don't have to wait until the water cools.

You will now have three different containers of liquid. Slowly, stirring constantly, alternate adding spoons of the sugar water mixture and the gelatin water into the mango pulp/whipping cream mixture.

One everything is combined, pour into a container of your choice for chilling in the refrigerator. I like using little plastic champagne cups but it is totally up to your own discretion. Chill overnight.

Serve with a little additional cream poured on top.

Toasted Coconut Cake

I made this dessert in another attempt to find a dessert that hubby likes. I was pretty disappointed after he informed me last time that he didn't like cookies...I mean...how can anyone not like cookies? Anyways...I digress...I married him after all.

In the coming weeks, I will have to warn my readers (hopefully, there are a few readers) that there may be some gaps in entries. My lovely family actually took me out to eat a couple nights in a row anticipating that I will probably be cooped up in the house for a while after the birth of the baby. Also, the fact that cooking in general is pretty tiring right now makes it a welcome change to me. I honestly don't anticipate I could put together a theme night in the near future in any case. There is also the possibility of me going into labour at any time, in which case, I think it would be a reasonable excuse to have gaps in entries as well.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/3 cups unsweetened Flaked Coconut
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup + 3 tbsp. Coconut Milk
2 large Eggs, separated
2 1/4 cups Flour
1 cup + 1/2 cup Sugar
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease or line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.

Spread the coconut onto a baking sheet and toast until outside edges of pan have browned. Remove from the oven. Mix the coconut around on the baking sheet to mix in the browned coconut and set it aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk vegetable oil, 1 cup of coconut milk and egg yolks until evenly blended.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add flour to coconut milk mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in 1 1/3 cups toasted coconut. Reserve the rest of the coconut for topping the cake (after it has baked).

In a third bowl, whip egg whites with remaining 1/2 cup of sugar until they hold a soft peak. Fold in whipped egg whites.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top turns light brown and springs back when touched.

While still warm, brush top of cake with remaining 3 tbsp. coconut milk and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of toasted coconut. Let cool completely before slicing.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Originally, I actually made these cookies thinking that hubby would like them because they were peanut butter. However, afterwards to my chagrin, he told me that he doesn't really like cookies. I don't know if this is a recent development but I guess the search to find a dessert that he loves will continue. I myself, actually quite liked these cookies though...and making them was simple yet fun with the little bit of creativity needed for the design on top of the cookies. Being SO pregnant though...I was still winded by the end of the process and had to lean over the sink to relief a bit of the pressure in my hips while washing up...I guess there's not much I can do...and I am determined to stay mobile!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1 1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg and vanilla extract and combine. Add peanut butter and continue to beat.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

Pour flour mixture into wet ingredients and combine with a spatula until everything comes together.

Spoon onto cookie sheet using a fork to create a criss cross design.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Chinese Egg Tarts

I guess by now, it is pretty obvious that I love eggs. There are endless possibilities, both savory and sweet. The recipes are also usually pretty simple as well, which makes it even better - minimal effort with still great taste and results. I did however take a short cut by using tart shells instead of making my own. I will definitely invest the time at some point, but this was a last minute little dessert craving I had...I am pregnant after all!

INGREDIENTS

2 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
1/3 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
8 Tart Shells

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven for 350 C.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat vigorously. You may want to use an electric mixer, but that's up to your discretion.

When all the bubbles have disappeared, pour into tart shells.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Ma Lai Goh (Steamed Cake)

I've always loved Ma Lai Goh. As a kid, as soon as I would see it being wheeled around at dim sum, I would force my parents to order a piece. As I have been experimenting (and desserts are a must when pregnant), I thought I would give this classic chinese dessert recipe a shot. In terms of the result, I thought it could actually be a little sweeter, and I would probably add a little more vanilla as well, but the texture was actually quite good and it definitely still hit the spot and curbed my craving.

INGREDIENTS

5 eggs
1 and a 1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. of vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups All Purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Using a steamer pot, fill the bottom with water and boil water. Line a 10" pan with plastic wrap.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar and evaporated milk until ingredients are combined and mixture is thick. In another container, combine vanilla, melted butter and baking soda. Combine these ingredients with egg mixture.

Sift in flour and baking powder and fold into mixture until everything is combined and smooth.

Pour batter into lined pan and steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Allow to cool, slice and serve!

Apple Coffee Cake

I have always loved dessert with warm fruit. It is definitely a weakness of mine. Particularly being pregnant, desserts have been even more of a friend to me. I've found that I could have dessert with every meal it seems! When I came across this recipe, I couldn't wait to try it because it seemed like a cake variation of apple pie which is one of my favorite desserts. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint! Even hubby who doesn't really like eating sweets said it was good. He did however have to point out that it would've been much better with some ice cream though...

INGREDIENTS

5 Granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 tbl of cinnamon

3 cups All Purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. of vanilla
4 eggs
1/4 tsp. of salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven at 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss sliced apples, 1/3 cup of sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, 2 cups sugar, baking powder,vanilla, eggs, salt, orange juice, apple sauce, and vegetable oil. Using an electric mixer, blend together until mostly smooth 5 minutes. Pour half the batter into baking dish and arrange apple slices on top.

Pour and spread the rest of the batter on top of the apples. Bake for 60 minutes or until done. Cut coffee cake into squares and serve warm (preferably with ice cream). Enjoy!