A Baker's Videoblog

Pineapple Tart Workshop

2011-01-12T21:30:00.003+08:00

Wow, it's Chinese New Year again! I can feel the festivity in the air already.
My staff and I have been busy baking pineapple tarts. I just love the aroma of the tarts wafting out from the oven. And the pineapple tarts are selling like hot cakes!

Many of our customers have been asking us whether we are going to conduct pineapple tart classes. After much deliberation (because we weren't sure whether we'll have time), we decided that we should.
Workshops: This year, instead of making it a Demonstration-only class, we are going to give each participant individual hands-on experience, NO pair work or group work. And we keep the class size small - maximum 4 participants per class. This will ensure that everyone gets as much attention from the trainer as possible during the workshop.
Some readers have wondered whether it's sufficient to get information from my blog and from my cookbook and learn to bake tarts on their own. Of course it's possible! However, the recipes and the tips on my blog and cookbook are from 2007 and through the years, I have refined the recipes because after baking pineapple tarts so many times, there are several things that I have learnt. Mt staff have also learnt a lot from baking so many tarts and we share our knowledge and experiences with one another during work.

Below are the details:
Workshop: Buttery and Melt-in-the-mouth Pineapple Tarts (‘closed’ ball shape)
What you will be taught: how to make good quality pastry and secrets to modifying commercial pineapple filling to suit your taste.
You will also be given AsianBakes’ Fresh Pineapple Filling recipe.
You will have your own set of ingredients to work on. NO group work or pair work.
Available Dates: 13 Jan 2011, Thurs, 6pm to 7.30pm (FULL)
15 Jan 2011, Sat, 1pm to 2.30pm (limited seats)
20 Jan 2011 Thurs, 6pm to 7.30pm (limited seats)
Class size: maximum 4 participants (a small class size allows more individual attention from the chef-trainer)
Venue: AsianBakes Culinary Studio, 6, Eu Tong Sen St, The Central, B1-43, Singapore 059817, (alight Clarke Quay MRT, exit F)
Fee: $60 per person
How to register: Call or SMS 9633 8293 to check latest update of availability of seats.
Mode of payment: Cash/NETS at AsianBakes or ONLINE credit card payment (call 96338293 to find out more)
Guarantee of seat is upon payment only.

My staff and I wish all of you a very joyous and prosperous new year!!

Cheese bread recipe, Workshops and Baking Demos

2010-02-05T09:12:00.024+08:00

This is a very easy cheese bread to make. No need to knead and no need to use a mixer! If you like your bread very cheesy, sprinkle more cheese on top of the buns just before baking.

Here's the recipe (makes 12):
Ingredients:
60ml warm water
3.5 tsp instant yeast
300g bread flour
2 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
125g cheddar cheese (in a block, not the slices)
120ml milk, room temperature
3 eggs
125g butter, melted
Method:
1. Mix water and yeast. Cover till it turns frothy.
2. Melt butter (use the microwave or the stove).
3. Grate the cheese.
4. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add 100g grated cheese (reserve the extra 25g for use later) and mix.
5. Add yeast mixture, milk and eggs. Mix vigorously with a spoon.
6. Add butter. Mix till thoroughly combined.
7. Cover and place in unheated oven for 1.5 hours.
8. Line regular-sized muffin tray with baking cases.
9. Stir dough and spoon it into baking cases. Cover for 30 min.
10. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
11. Sprinkle cheese on dough. (Sprinkle more if you like it more cheesy.)
12. Bake 20 to 25min till golden brown.

Great news for homebakers and professional bakers! The very popular Teddy Red foodgrade cakebox (above) which retails for $4.95 for 3 pieces, is now selling at $0.70 per piece with a minimum bulk purchase of 200 pieces (for a limited period only). Do take advantage of this offer price to stock up. Please email asianbakes@gmail.com or SMS 9633 8293 to order before self-collecting at AsianBakes, 6, Eu Tong Sen St, The Central, B1-43, Singapore 059 817, Clarke Quay MRT. Please note that AsianBakes does not stock these boxes. The stock will only be brought over to AsianBakes upon receiving customers' orders.

Pandan Chiffon, Gula Melaka Chiffon and Rose Syrup Chiffon Baking Workshop.
Conducted by Sugar Inc.
Dates: 27, 28 Feb, 5,6,7 Mar, 12,13,14 Mar. (All classes are full.)
Time: 3.30pm to 6pm.
Fee: $119
Venue: AsianBakes Culinary Studio, 6, Eu Tong Sen St, The Central, B1-43, S 059 817, Clarke Quay MRT Exit F.
Register online at http://www.sugar-inc-cake.com/

I did a series of baking demo workshops for Rowenta Oven over the past 3 weeks and 6th Feb 2010 was the last session. It was so much fun! The participants were such a jolly lot and they were very interested in the art and science of baking.

Here I am with some of the participants. On the leftmost is the brand manager for Rowenta Ovens. They are all very cheerful, interesting and energetic people. Such a joy to be with!

I baked muffins at the workshop. The above shows the batter being baked.

And 20mins later!

Oi Lin's Demo-And-Part-HandsOn Baking Classes

I will be personally teaching a series of demo baking lessons at my culinary studio.

Below are the dates and times:

28 Mar 2010, Sunday: 4.30pm to 6.00pm (FULL)

4 Apr 2010, Sunday: 4.30pm to 6.00pm (limited places left)

Venue: AsianBakes Culinary Studio, 6, Eu Tong Sen St, The Central, B1-43, Singapore 059 817, Clarke Quay MRT Exit F.

I will be demonstrating 3 recipes:

1. Tart: Pineapple Tarts

2. Muffin: Fragrant Lychee Muffins

3. Cookie: Pretty Cherry Blossom Cookies

Fees: $60 per person (20% discount if payment is made before 21 Mar 2010)
Class size: maximum 6 persons

During the class, I will be talking about the ingredients I use and demonstrating the mixing techniques. Wherever possible, I will give every participant some hands-on experience.

My baking classes are great for beginners. The maximum class size is 6, so this allows me to give more attention to every participant and to correct his/her technique. Participants should feel comfortable asking questions or even to share their past baking experiences.

Pineapple ('open') Tarts. I will be showing participants how to prepare this melt-in-the-mouth buttery tart.

Pretty Cherry Blossom Cookie. Another of my favourite cookie to bake! I will share with participants how to create these lovely cookie patterns.

Fragrant Lychee Muffins. These muffins are soft and delicious and they never fail to delight! I will show participants how to bake these muffins without the use of lychee essence.

To register for my demo lessons, please write to asianbakes@gmail.com or SMS 9633 8293 (SMS only, no calls) with the following details:

Your name

Date of class

Contact number

Email address

You will be advised on the payment methods available.

Your place will be confirmed only upon payment.

Due to my tight work schedule, I am able to offer only these 2 classes at the moment. If you are not able to get a place and would like to be informed of upcoming classes, please email me at asianbakes@gmail.com or SMS 9633 8293 (no calls) with the message: 'Update me on Oi Lin's classes'.

Two of my favourite celebration dates are coming up soon - Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day!

This year is especially exciting because it's AsianBakes' very first Chinese New Year. The orders have been coming in since January. My staff and I are busy baking away, but it doesn't overwhelm us (or at least not yet!) because we enjoy it. I love the smell of the butter beaten with sugar, handling the dough and that aroma that wafts out of the oven after the cookies are baked. Nothing smells better than fresh baked cookies and cakes.

Starting AsianBakes has been a huge learning journey for me. I am grateful to my parents who are my best mentors, and to my husband who believes in me and cheers me on. Not only them, my brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and many others gave me their encouragement and support and their kind words meant a lot to me. So thank you and I appreciate everything that all of you have done for me and I wish I knew how to say it better other than I love you all so, so much!

Here I am with Anna. (I'm on the right.) She's the boss of Sugar Inc, a baking school (http://www.sugar-inc-cake.com/). She's also the author of Gorgeous Cupcakes. We're great friends and it's such an honour to know her.

Last Tuesday, we were both interviewed by Life! and we talked about our cookbooks and how we got started in our second careers. We were both school teachers once. The interview and photoshoot were held at AsianBakes Culinary Studio.

Here I am with some of my cakes, cookies, books and boxes.

Go to http://www.asianbakes.com/ to see more!

I'd like to say a big thank you to all my customers and clients. You are a wonderful wonderful lot and I wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.

Thank you to my staff at AsianBakes. You all are the BEST!

And to my parents, no words and action can express how deeply grateful I am for your unconditional love. I love you both with all my heart.

And thank you to Jesus Christ, my Saviour and my Lord, for His grace, mercy and mighty love. How great Thou art!

AsianBakes' Cookies N Pastries

2009-10-01T12:39:00.006+08:00

Our large mooncakes - Low Sugar White Lotus Paste (S$10.00 per piece), White Lotus Paste with Single Yolk (S$8.75), White Lotus Paste with Double Yolks (S$9.00), Traditional Mixed Nuts (S$12.00)
Mini Mooncakes - Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Macadamia Nuts (S$3.50 per piece), Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Kumquat (S$3.20), Low Sugar White Lotus Paste with Citrus Peel (S$3.20), Pandan Lotus Paste with Macadamia Nuts (S$3.20), White Lotus Paste with Yolk (S$3.20)

All our mooncakes are made using high-grade white lotus paste.

Walnut Mooncake- 2 pieces for S$3.90. We use fragrant white lotus paste and a generous portion of salted yolk. One of AsianBakes' bestsellers.

Orange Swiss Roll with Chocolate Filling - S$1.90 per piece. Made using fresh orange juice and orange zest and flavoured with delicious chocolaty filling. A one-of-its-kind swiss roll.

AsianBakes' star product - A must-try for all pineapple-tart lovers! We use only 100% fresh pineapple filling. Every pineapple is hand-picked, cut, ground and cooked to perfection before being wrapped in our signature buttery pastry. Because our pineapple tarts sell out quickly and we really do not want to disappoint you, please call us to place a reservation before coming down to the shop to purchase them. (6 pieces for S$4.80)

Fragrant Macadamia Nut Cookie - You will fall in love with this cookie with one bite. It's not that sweet, so it allows the nutty flavour to shine. (8 pieces for S$3.20)

Double-Chocolate Chip Cookie - Crunchy and Chocolaty! (10 pieces for S$2.30)

Chocolate Chip Cookie - It's a really good cookie. I have not had a customer who does not like this cookie. It's very 'easy' to eat because it's not too sweet. I've had customers who say they can polish off the whole packet in one sitting. (10 pieces for S$2.90)

Chocolate Chip Cookies fresh out of the oven!

Almond Cookies - We do not use artificial almond essence in these. The nutty flavour in this cookie comes from our freshly toasted and ground almonds. (6 pieces for $2.00)

All cookie and pastries are available at:

AsianBakes

The Central, Clarke Quay MRT Exit F

6, Eu Tong Sen St, B1-43, Singapore 059817.

Tel: 6221 9646

AsianBakes' Cupcakes

2009-10-01T12:20:00.004+08:00

Strawberry Jam Cupcake - for those who like some jam in their cakes.

Fruit Cupcake - for that nostalgic taste!

Orange Cupcake - my personal favourite because the tart and slightly sour citrus peel contrasts well with the buttery cupcake.

Blueberry Jam Cupcake - another of my favourites!

Chocolate Chip Cupcake - most kids love this flavour.

Cupcake batter waiting to be baked

Cupcakes baking away in the oven.

These cupcakes are available at:
AsianBakes
The Central, Clarke Quay MRT Exit F
6, Eu Tong Sen St, B1-43, Singapore 059 817.
Tel: 6221 9646
Call for reservations of cupcakes and to check for availability.

Price:
4 cupcakes for S$2.00.

AsianBakes' Chiffon Cakes

2009-10-01T11:57:00.005+08:00

Chocolate Chiffon - soft, moist and very chocolaty, without the heavy cream and butter, so you can indulge without the guilt!

Orange Chocolate Chiffon - We use fresh orange juice and orange zest to make our Orange Chiffon Cakes.

Pandan Chiffon Cake - Described by Tommy (one of our customers) as 'the best pandan chiffon cake in Singapore'. Soft, moist, full of pandan flavour (because we use freshly squeezed pandan juice) and balanced perfectly with coconut milk, this cake is truly a pandan-lover's treat!

Pandan Chocolate Chiffon - this wavy design was an 'accident'. The dividing line is usually a straight one, so when I saw the cake turn out this way one day, I just had to take a picture of it!

Our freshly baked chiffon cakes just out of the oven - For those of you who bake chiffon cakes, you will find this a familiar sight. Chiffon cakes are cooled upside down to prevent them from shrinking.

The above cakes are available at:

AsianBakes

The Central, Clarke Quay MRT Exit F

6, Eu Tong Sen St, B1-43, Singapore 059 817.

Tel: 6221 9646

Call to place reservations for cakes and to check for availability.

Price of one slice: S$1.20

Price of 12 assorted slices: S$13.90

Price of 1 large cake (12 slices): S$13.90

Price of 1 small cake: S$7.90

All our chiffon cakes contain:

no butter

no trans fat / shortening

no added preservatives

no pork / lard

I've set up my own bakery - AsianBakes!

2009-07-28T20:19:00.007+08:00

Hi, so sorry for the long absence!! I've been really busy setting up my bakery AsianBakes. It's very exciting going into a new venture. There is so much to learn and look forward to! I can't wait to go to work every day. My staff are the best - they are hardworking and most of all very creative people. They often give suggestions on how to improve the bakery's products and procedures. They really are a gem!!

Below are a few pictures I took from my bakery.

The chiffon cakes (above) are very well-received by customers. They cost $1.20 per slice, $13.90 for whole large cake and $7.90 for small whole cake. Flavours come in pandan, orange, orange chocolate, pandan chocolate and more. Our chiffon cakes are extremely popular and customers are advised to call to make reservations. There is no minimum quantity for reservation.

Cookies galore, all freshly baked at AsianBakes. Prices start from $2.30. Flavours include chocolate chip (10 pieces for $2.90), macadamia cookies (7 for $2.90), etc. My newest item is the Walnut Mooncake - white lotus filling with a generous portion of salted egg yolk, all encased in thin pastry and decorated with walnuts on all 4 sides (2 for $3.90)

AsianBakes' cupcakes are very popular and delicious. There are 7 flavours - chocolate chip, mixed fruit, citrus, traditional butter, blueberry jam, strawberry jam and multigrain. Any 4 cupcakes for $2.00. Upon ordering, the cakes will be packed neatly in plastic bags (4 cupcakes in 1 bag). Every 12 cupcakes ordered will be packaged in a red box.

AsianBakes sales display

AsianBakes is located at The Central, 6, Eu Tong Sen St, B1-43, Singapore 059 817. Alight at Clarke Quay MRT Exit F.
Tel: 6221 9646. Opening hours: 11am to 8.30pm from Monday to Friday. We close earlier at 6.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Chocolate-coated Party Crackers

2008-12-19T22:10:00.007+08:00

I LOVE Jacob’s plain crackers. In fact, I eat them almost everyday. Today, I jazzed them up a little with some Hershey’s chocolate chips. These are quick and simple to make for a Christmas party. Prepare them early and keep them in the fridge.
Chocolate-coated Party Crackers by Oi Lin
Ingredients:
100g butter
9 Jacob’s crackers
70g (or more) Hershey’s semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Roasted chopped almonds (optional)
Method:
Line baking tray with greaseproof paper. Place 9 crackers such that they form a square, then fold up the sides of the paper (see video).
Preheat oven till 200°C/400°F.
Melt butter over low heat or microwave in the oven for a minute till butter melts. Remove and stir well. Pour over crackers.
Bake for 3 minutes. Remove and sprinkle chocolate chips liberally over the crackers. Use the back of a spoon to spread the melted chocolate chips. Sprinkle nuts.
Cover and refrigerate till firm. Break up into pieces and serve cold.

Video: Making Chocolate-coated Party Crackers by Oi Lin

Recipe Notes:
Sugar: In the video, I used about 2 tbsp but found it too sweet, so it’s best to omit sugar completely – the chocolate chips are sweet enough already.

Jacobs crackers: The above was what I used today. They may be replaced with the wholewheat variety.

Greaseproof paper: Fold up the sides of the paper to prevent the melted butter from spilling over. I had to improvise because I didn’t have the right-sized tray.

Hershey’s chocolate chips: Don’t bother weighing the chocolate chips. Just sprinkle them with your hand straight from the packet. If you like a very thick layer of chocolate coating, just add more!

Melted chocolate: If your chocolate chips are large and chunky and you’ve difficulty spreading them on the crackers, return the crackers (with the chocolate chips on them) to the oven and bake for a minute more. This will melt the chocolate and make them easier to spread.

Mdm Goh's Tarts: Pineapple tarts are really my thing. I just have this fondness for them. I don’t eat a lot of it – I prefer to nibble and taste it and of course, compare them to the ones I make. Well, my parents bought these from Jonker Walk. They’re Baba Nyonya home-made pineapple tarts and they’re good! And they’re really quite, quite different from mine. These are less buttery (probably made with margarine – which I’m not a fan of) and the pastry’s a bit hard. They kept their shape beautifully even after being violently knocked about in their box. The pineapple filling is a little on the dry side too. All these would be huge minus points for me if my pineapple tarts turned out hard and dry. But strangely, somehow they come together quite nicely in these Jonker Walk tarts. Kudos to Mdm Goh! If you go to Malacca, you should get these.

Food Photography workshop: Last Saturday, I attended celebrity blogger Dr Leslie Tay’s workshop (organized by Canon) because I like the photos on his blog ieatishootipost and I wanted to know how he does it. I enjoyed the workshop because it’s part serious and part fun. I came away with many useful photography tips which I’m sure to use in my future cookbooks.

Cupcake boxes: My two new cupcake box designs are out for sale! I designed a pink and a blue version. Each holds 6 cupcakes.

The cupcakes are held in place by flexi-sized inserts. I created these inserts so that they can hold various sizes of baking cups (from 2 inches to 2¾ inches).

The inserts can be turned upside down so that other food items (such as red eggs for baby’s first month celebration) can be placed in these boxes as well.

Best of all are the transparent windows for bakers to show off their gorgeous cupcakes!

Visit http://www.boostprints.com/ for prices and how to buy.

To subscribe: I'll be posting more videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Har Gow Recipe (Steamed Prawn Dumplings)

2008-10-10T17:56:00.009+08:00

The Gorgeous Cupcakes cookbook is now available at Big Bookshops. My cookbooks - Delicious Asian Sweet Treats and Delicious Asian Baked Treats, are now on sale there too.
Here are the addresses of the 3 Big Bookshops:
1. Blk 451, Clementi Ave 3, #03-307, S(120451), Tel:6777 2094
2. Blk 823, Tampines St 81, #02-00, S(520823), Tel:6785 1163
3. 1, Maritime Square, HarbourFront Centre, #03-17/18, S(099253),
Tel:62711091 (only the Sweet Treats and Baked Treats books are available at the Harbourfront branch)
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11am - 9pm, Sat, Sun, Ph: 1030am - 9pm.
Maps: Click http://www.bigbookshop.com.sg/address.htm to see the maps of the above places.

Steamed Prawn (Shrimp) Dumpling
I bought a packet of Soon Kuay (or Soon Kueh) flour (500g for S$1.95, Sunflower brand) a week ago because I wanted to try my hand at making this snack. Instead I ended up using it to make steamed prawn dumplings (har gow). Well, it isn’t exactly ‘restaurant-standard’ har gow with that transparent glassy look, but it tasted GREAT! The skin was springy and delicious.

Soon Kuay flour
Here’s what the Soon Kuay made is made up of: Rice flour, Tapioca flour, Wheat flour, Corn flour and sugar.

Raw grey prawns
Makes 16 har gow (steamed prawn dumplings)
This recipe may be doubled.
Ingredients:
Wrap:
250ml water
130g Soon Kuay flour
2 tsp cooking oil
Filling:
400g raw grey prawns
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
2 dashes white pepper
¼ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp light soya sauce
2 tsp ginger juice
1 tbsp tomato ketchup (optional)
Method:
(How to obtain ginger juice: Peel and wash about a thumb-sized old ginger. Grate till fine, then squeeze the juice out with your hands.)
1. Filling: Shell the prawns and de-vein them (remove the thin black vein running along the length of the prawn). Rinse well and pat dry. Cut each prawn into threes. Add the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge. Then stir-fry in a little cooking oil till semi-cooked. Set aside to cool.
2. Wrap: Heat 250ml of water over the stove. Measure out 130g Soon Kuay flour and 2 tsp cooking oil and set them next to the stove. Prepare a pair of chopsticks too. When the water is boiling briskly, add in the flour and turn off the heat immediately. Add the oil and stir the mixture with the chopsticks till combined. Set aside to cool. Knead till smooth.
3. Divide the dough into 16 pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll one piece till flat. Place filling in the middle and pinch edges to wrap securely. Repeat till ingredients are used up.
4. Grease the steaming tray with cooking oil. Place dumplings on the tray and steam for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Stir-frying the prawns
Preparing the dough
Video: Wrapping the Har Gow (Prawn Dumplings)

The Wrap: You can see from the video that the dough was a little sticky to work with. But it really wasn’t that difficult to handle – just a few practices and I got used to it.
Steamed Prawn Dumpling
Variations in patterns: I tried making the dumpling look like a ‘bao’ (bun) by pinching the pleats so that they become the top of the dumpling rather than its side. It didn’t look too bad!
A Bao-lookalike Dumpling
Tefal: I used the Tefal Vitacuisine Steamer to cook the dumplings. It has a tray that is perfect for steaming these little treats! The rice was cooked at the same time (see video below).
Video: Steaming the Har Gow with the Tefal Vitacuisine Steamer

Yes, I would definitely use this soon kuay flour again to make dumplings and perhaps use other kinds of fillings. By the way, these dumplings may be deep-fried too. But steaming is way easier, not to mention healthier too!

Flaxseed Cookies
Everyone who ate these cookies loved them. So they’re not your typical crunchy cookies, in fact they’ve got zero crunch. But they taste oh-so-good! Bursting with flavour and best of all - not too sweet. They contain flaxseeds (packed with omega-3 goodness) and zero trans fat (which means no unhealthy fats). Also, there is no butter or milk in these cookies (great news for lactose-intolerant people). Each pack costs S$4.90 at Fairprice Finest. This is definitely going to be a staple in my household.

If you’re into cupcakes, you’ll want to take a look at this cookbook which I borrowed from the library. It’s filled with gorgeous pictures that make me want to go bake all these cupcakes and wow everybody! It has several simple and creative decorating ideas too. Just look at the Halloween cupcakes – decorated with melted white and dark chocolate, quick and easy!

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Gorgeous Cupcakes Cookbook

2008-08-15T21:15:00.009+08:00

Gorgeous Cupcakes book at Carrefour: Great news! The above cookbook is now available at Carrefour Suntec, Level 1, Baking Section where the baking ingredients are displayed (opposite Bengawan Solo). It is retailing for S$5.95 and comes with a free cakebox (either the Teddy Red or the Daisy Blue). Carrefour Suntec is located at 3, Temasek Boulevard, 01-199, Suntec City mall, Singapore 038 983. Tel: (65)6211 3133. http://www.carrefour.com.sg/

Betty Saw's Cookies Galore: I just LOVE this cookie book. So far, the recipes I’ve tried all work! And I like the pictures too. They look like they’re taken under natural daylight. Daylight’s the best for taking food pictures because it brings out the natural colour of the food. The recipes are from Betty Saw (also known as Betty Yew) who has over 30 years of experience in cooking and teaching. She has written several other books too such as ‘Tempt – Cupcakes to excite’.

Macadamia Nut Cookies

2008-06-27T22:44:00.010+08:00

The other day I did some major baking – about 10 containers of Macadamia Nut Cookies. To me, these cookies are pretty close to being the ultimate cookie because they are crunchy, buttery and really fragrant!
Recipe notes
macadamia nuts
Macadamias nuts: These nuts go so well with this cookie dough. These nuts are expensive (about 20 Singapore dollars per kilogram) and they contain quite a high amount of fat (which is what makes them so yummy!). Unfortunately that makes them turn rancid easily in warm weather, which is why they should be refrigerated all the time. I like to use macadamia nuts that are as fresh as possible, so whenever I want to make these cookies, I make a trip to the store just to buy them.

Kueh Tu Tu: I tried making Kueh Tu Tu using the Tefal VitaCuisine 3 in 1 Steamer (see picture above). The metal steamer tray came in very handy and the steamer worked up quite a steam quickly. Everything worked well – the kueh tasted yummy but I still needed to experiment on my recipe ingredients because the kueh was too fragile and was not firm enough. But anyway it was fun making my own kueh tu tu. I love this traditional snack (the peanut version) and I’ve always wanted to make my own. The first kueh tu tus I made were a disaster but after a few tries, they got better. They aren’t perfect yet, that’s why I’m still working on my recipe.

Question from a dear reader:
Hi Oi Lin,
I just knew about your blog and find your recipes interesting and easy to prepare and bake. I have just ordered 2 of your books too. Like to know :
Your bread recipe mentioned 'potato flour', is sweet-potato flour' the same? Finally, I just used all bread flour. Instead of adding pumpkin/sunflower seeds, I added chocolate rice in it. I kept it for 3 hrs in a closed unheated microwave oven. The dough did rise but noticed the top surface was not as smooth as yours. Finally when it’s baked, the top layer was very hard n not smooth. When cool, I cut into slices, the texture is on the hard side n smell of yeast. This morning, it's even harder. Any chance you can help to guide me along.
Regarding your chocolate muffin, the cake rose quite well but some had got cracks on top. As I am using a 26L type of small oven, always encountered uneven heat when baking cakes. With your recipe, I can put the batter in 18 muffin paper cups but I had to spread all into 2 trays thus one tray on top of each other. So the result always top tray very nicely baked but the bottom tray with cakes overflow from the paper cakes. So always, I have to interchange the tray position thus causing more time to bake all and messy. When baked, the texture at the sides and bottom of the paper cups were soft. Initially I was worried and thought that despite 35 mins, still not baked. Luckily, this morning the texture harden a bit. The texture is so fine that it drops easily and tend to stick to our teeth when eaten. Hope you can help in answering to all my questions as I love very much to learn and bake but sometimes the results are just disappointing.
Answer:
Dear Reader,
Thank you for your email! Potato flour is not the same as sweet potato flour. I have not used sweet potato flour in my breadmaking before, so I do not know how it will turn out.
May I know how much chocolate rice was added to the bread dough? Too much extra ingredients in the dough will weigh it down and thus make it unable to rise well.
It's OK to let the dough rise in a closed microwave oven. In fact, as long as you keep the dough covered in a slightly warm and 'unwindy' place, it should rise well.
The trick to having a smooth-surfaced bread is in the kneading. If your mixer is unable to do a good job, knead it by hand for about 5 minutes. It's quite tiring but kneading does make the dough smooth and this gives rise to a bread with a smooth surface.
If the baked bread has a strong yeast smell, you can reduce the proofing time from 3 hours to 2 and a half.
For a 26L oven, it is best to bake one tray of muffins at a time. It is not a good idea to open the oven in the middle of baking because the sudden drop in temperature can cause the middle of the cakes to collapse. I have a similar sized oven and I always bake one tray at a time. It will take longer since baking two trays at once saves time, but the extra effort is well worth it. Baking one tray at a time ensures that the muffins have sufficient heat around it. The more items there are in the oven, the less heat each item has for it to be baked.
Finally, for a really well-shaped muffin that has a nice dome at the top, use a muffin tray and line it with paper cases. The muffin tray, being made of aluminium, can help the muffin batter to bake more evenly. Do not use the pleated sturdy paper cases that can stand alone on their own. These are more suited for flat-topped cupcakes.

banana muffin
Don't give up on baking. Initially when I started out baking, it was all a mess and it was disappointing when the cakes and cookies did not turn out right. But after many tries and experiments, I started to understand the roles of the various ingredients, the methods of mixing, etc. My cakes and cookies still turn out horrible from time to time. I try to figure out what went wrong and then I write it all down in my notes, so I can learn from it.
Don't give up, I'm sure you will be a FANTASTIC baker!
Warm regards,
Oi Lin

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com

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Oatmeal Cookies Recipe and Sun Biscuits

2008-05-17T00:17:00.018+08:00

Wow! The Gorgeous Cupcakes book is selling really well! A big thank you to all who bought the book. If you’ve any comments or feedback on the book (or any Boostprints cookbooks), do write to me at mail@boostprints.com. I take all my readers’ feedback seriously.
Oatmeal cookies: My children love Jacob’s Oatmeal Cookies but I can’t seem to find them anywhere in the supermarkets recently. So I decided to make some. I found this oatmeal cookie premix from a Phoon Huat (http://www.phoonhuat.com/) store. It costs S$3.30.

The following ingredients are found in the premix: flour, oatmeal, sugar, milk powder, flavour and baking powder. This was what I did:

1. Allow a block of butter (250g) to soften at room temperature till it’s quite ‘mashy’.

2. Pour contents of cookie premix into a bowl and mix well. I added some sunflower seeds (green in colour) and pumpkin seeds (light greyish-brown) to make the cookies more nutritious.

3. Mix butter and cookie premix till a dough is formed.

4. Scoop 1 tsp level dough, roll between palms to shape it.

5. Arrange on a baking tray. Preheat the oven till 180°C/350°F and bake for about 16 to 18 minutes till light golden brown.

How the oatmeal cookies tasted: Crunchy, light (‘song cui’) and flavourful! I bought the same cookie premix again and made two bottles of cookies for Mothers' Day celebration.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies: My kids made these chocolate chip versions and they are really delicious! The baking time is the same as above.
(I did not do a video presentation on the making of these oatmeal cookies because I thought the instructions were simple enough to understand.)

Taiwan Sun Biscuits: Sun biscuits (also known as ‘tai yang bing’) are very famous in Taiwan and the above box was brought back from there. (I’m not sure if they are available in Singapore.)

I cut a piece in half so you can see how it looks inside. It’s made from flour, sugar, shortening and maltose and it is YUMMY! The filling is made from maltose. It’s not overly sweet nor is it too sticky. But what I really like is the ‘skin’ of the biscuit. It’s flaky with a hint of sweetness. Actually, I can just eat the ‘skin’ alone! Shortening is present in Sun biscuits though. I’m not a big fan of this ingredient because it contains trans fat. So if I want to eat a trans-fat free version, I will have to experiment in my kitchen and make some myself!

Question from readers:
Hi Oi Lin,
Thank you for sharing your recipes in the hard and soft copies. After reading your recipes on the internet I decided to buy 2 of your books as those are the things that interest me.
So far, I've baked the kueh baulu, pineapple tarts and kueh bangket. The pineapple tarts are quite good. I think I still need to improve on them. The kueh bangket are edible. My first batch is ok, but I thought the dough is dry as they crack up when I rolled it. So for the 2nd batch I added water and of course it was a disaster. It turned out hard. I will try again tomorrow.
The kueh baulu was very chewy. What do you mean not to over mix? I think that was what I did. But when do I stop mixing the flour and egg mixture?
However, the most disastrous one is the Kok Zai. I'm in the midst, now trying to make it. My first batch of dough, was too soft. It keep getting stuck to the board. I added flour but still not ok. So I make another batch slowly following the recipe step by step for maybe I had made a mistake.
I added 8 tbspn of oil to the flour. I mixed them into a dough then I add water to it 1 tbspn at a time. The dough gets stuck to the board so I tried rolling a small portion at a time. I managed to cut one round shape and gently lifted it up, but when I folded it, cracks appeared. Now I understand why people say that it is very hard to make Kok Zai. But i'm not going to give up. Please advise. Thank you.

Answer from Oi Lin:
Thank you for your interest in my books.
For dry kueh bangkit dough, the remedy is to add more coconut milk, rather than water. Water is considered a 'strengthener' in cookie baking and thus it makes cookies tough and crunchy. Adding coconut milk to a dry bangkit dough will definitely solve the problem of 'cracks'.
Overmixing a cake mixture will cause the cake to turn out tough and rubbery-tasting. This is because the more times flour is mixed in liquids, the stronger and more elastic the gluten in the flour becomes. The cake mixture should be mixed till JUST combined. Do not mix till very smooth. A few little lumps here and there is fine. When I first started baking, I was overzealous and overmixed everything because I thought that was the way to do it. But I learnt quickly that overmixing is an absolute no in baking.
Kok zai is actually quite easy to make once you get the hang of it. If your dough keeps getting stuck to the board, dust some flour on it. If the dough is too dry, add a little oil or water to it. If it is too wet, add some flour. Adjust the ingredients till the dough is 'nice' to roll and easy to cut. If the dough cracks when you fold it, knead it a bit longer to make it a little more 'elastic'.
Don't give up on making kok zai. You will definitely succeed one day. Trust me, it really isn't difficult to make. My family loves kok zai and I make it for them because I don't want to buy the commercially made ones. Because kok zai tastes best when just fried or when eaten within a few days. Do take a look at the videoclip I made on making kok zai at this blog.
Regards,
Oi Lin

Easy Homemade Bread Recipe

2008-05-02T22:42:00.011+08:00

I love bread and have it every morning. I’ve baked bread countless times and I keep the ingredients and equipment used to a minimum, so there is less washing up to do. I also like the method as fuss-free as possible. After experimenting many many times, I’ve come up with a recipe that is fool-proof and super easy.
The ingredients I use today are all necessary, even the salt. If any of the ingredients are missing, the bread won’t turn out well.
Bread flour: This contains more protein than the usual plain flour or cake flour. Thus it gives the bread more ‘elasticity’ and chewiness. I have tried substituting it with other flour, but I still like the taste of bread made with bread flour.
Potato flour/starch: This flour, when added to bread dough, makes the bread soft. This is because potato flour absorbs moisture from the air.
Yeast
Dried instant yeast: This makes the dough rise. Absolutely essential. Try to use yeast that is freshly bought because yeast can lose its effectiveness after being stored unused for a very long time.
Sugar: This ‘feeds’ the yeast and makes it ‘grow’. It’s food for the yeast. Very essential, so do not omit.
Salt: Gives the bread flavour. Without it, bread can taste rather unpleasant.
Water: Binds all the ingredients.
Cooking oil: Gives the bread much-needed moisture.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds: These are optional ingredients, but they really give the bread a delicious nutty flavour!

Oi Lin’s Fuss-free Bread
Ingredients:
400g bread flour (sift)
2 tbsp potato flour/starch (optional)
1 tsp dried instant yeast (I used Bake King brand today)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
A few tbsp pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds (optional)
240ml lukewarm water
3 tsp cooking oil
Method:
Mix all ingredients using a mixer (use the spiral dough hooks) and knead it for 5 minutes (using the mixer or by hand). If the dough doesn't come together, add a little more water.
Line a 4 x 9 x 3 inch tin with greaseproof paper and grease it with oil. Place dough in it and let it rise for 3 hours in an unheated closed oven.
Remove dough from oven before preheating the oven till 220°C/425°F. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut bread with a serrated bread knife.

Video: Making bread (by Oi Lin)

Un-risen dough
Risen dough (after 3 hours)
Kneading: The dough must be kneaded well before leaving it to rise. The kneading action makes the dough more elastic and this will make the bread rise well. Without this kneading action, the bread will turn out short and ‘squatty’. My standing mixer was not working too well today, so I had to knead the dough by hand. But I usually let the standing mixer do all the work, because the dough should be kneaded for about 5 minutes. Kneading it by hand can be a little tiring, but it was good arm exercise for me today!
Baked bread

Serrated knife
Serrated knife: Use a serrated bread knife (it has a row of v-shaped points along its edge, making the knife resemble a saw) and use a sawing action to slice the bread. You can use a normal knife to slice bread but a bread knife slices the loaf neatly and beautifully.
Peanut Butter
Kraft Crunchy Peanut Butter: My FAVOURITE peanut butter because it contains no trans fat and it’s not sweet. So far, I’ve only seen it at Fairprice Finest at Bukit Timah Plaza. Great with a slice of homemade bread. Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds for added crunch!
Gorgeous Cupcakes book
Back cover
Anna’s long-awaited book is finally out!! Click on http://www.boostprints.com/ to look at the delicious-looking pictures from her ‘Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Homebaker’ cookbook. Its retail price is S$5.95 and its comes with a free Boostprints cupcake box (while stocks last).

Question from readers:
Dear Oi Lin, I bought your recipe book and tried the sugee cookie. It turned out chewy in the centre. Do you know why? Actually I prefer soft texture but I added a little bit ofbaking soda. I baked for about 10 mins at 160 degree C in my baby belling centre shelf. The size is about 20 cents coin. Some the the egg wash flowed down and it got stuck on the tray. The egg wash also looks thick after baking, is it not enough water added to the yolk? Please advise on the above. Thank you very much.
Answer:
Dear Reader,
If the sugee cookies are chewy in the centre, it can be due to insufficient baking. Baking the cookies longer will solve this problem. The other reason could be that the oven was not preheated to the stated temperature in the cookbook. The oven needs to be at the stated temperature the moment the cookies are put in to bake.
Baking soda helps give the cookies a crunchy texture. If you prefer soft sugee cookies, you can totally omit this ingredient.
If the egg wash looks too thick after baking, you can add more water to the yolk before brushing. If the egg wash flows to the tray and gets stuck there, perhaps you can try 'stroking' away excess egg wash against the side of a bowl, then brush on the cookies. So that there is only a very thin layer of egg wash on the cookies.
Warm regards,Oi Lin

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe & Tefal Vitacuisine Steamer

2008-04-04T11:07:00.008+08:00

The Daisy Blue Cupcake Box
Cupcake insert (comes with the Daisy Blue box)
The Teddy Red Cupcake Box
Cupcake/Muffin Boxes: I’m really excited about my cakeboxes!! I’ve spent weeks working on the ‘Daisy Blue’ box and the ‘Teddy Red’ box. These boxes are designed specially for cupcakes and muffins. I decided to do these boxes because I was unable to find good-looking cupcake boxes to store the cupcakes I bake for gifts. So I decided to design some myself! These boxes are now on sale at Carrefour Suntec Level 2 (where the ovens and baking trays are), Bake-It-Yourself, Sun Lik Trading and Pantry Magic (Holland Village). Visit http://www.boostprints.com/ for the addresses of the above stores. The boxes are also on sale at the Boostprints website http://www.boostprints.com/

Carrefour Suntec City: All my books and cakeboxes are now on sale at Carrefour Suntec! Here’s where they can be found –
Carrefour level 1: Baking Needs section (opposite Bengawan Solo)
Carrefour level 2: Household appliances (where the ovens and baking trays are)

Busy, busy, busy:I must apologise for my long absence. It’s been a very busy March for me! I’ve got box design assignments, book publishing matters, sales of my new cupcake boxes to look into, etc. Now that I can take a little breather, the first thing that I jump into is my blog.
Eating healthily:One of my resolutions for 2008 is to take better care of myself, which means to eat healthily and exercise regularly. I've started Pilates and I’ve switched to eating more steamed meals too. Steamed meals are healthier because they do not need oil to cook and also, more vitamins are preserved in the food (especially the vegetables). And for this, I must thank Tefal for the kind use of their new Vitacuisine Steamer. According to a study done, the Vitacuisine preserves 86% of Vitamin C in broccoli, as compared to 58% in saucepan cooking, 61% in microwave and 70% in some steamers. The look of the Vitacuisine steamer is unique, unlike the usual 3-tier steamer that you see in the market. It is made up of individual baskets and tray so that the flavours of the food are kept separate. The video below shows my family's lunch being prepared - a delicious healthy meal of rice, chicken with ginger and soya sauce, and spinach.
Video: Tefal Vitacuisine 3 in 1 Steamer

Tefal Vitacuisine: S$159 at Carrefour Suntec City. Also available at most leading electrical and departmental stores.

Chocolate Chip Muffin made with chocolate milk
I’ve always liked making muffins. They’re quick and fuss-free. I usually use plain fresh milk as one of the ingredients in my muffins. Just the other day, when I was getting the ingredients ready, I wondered how a chocolate chip muffin would turn out if I used chocolate milk. So I did just that – made a substitution just to see whether it would make the muffin more chocolaty.

Milk: For the muffins, I used the Meiji chocolate flavoured milk. My kids absolutely LOVE this brand.
Flour: I used self-raising flour because since it already contains baking powder, it’s more convenient. Plus I had some leftover in my pantry and I really wanted to finish it up since it’s opened already.
Chocolate chips: I used my last packet of Ghirardelli. (Tried to look for it at Fairprice Finest lately but it was out of stock.)

So my experiment for today is to answer this question: Which gives a better flavor to chocolate chip muffins – plain milk or chocolate-flavoured milk?
Below is my muffin recipe:
Ingredients:
350g self-raising flour
140g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
170g caster sugar or fine-grained sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
180ml Meiji chocolate milk
About 1 cup (about 180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
1. Sift flour. Preheat oven till 190°C/375°F. Line a regular-sized muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Cream butter and sugar on medium speed. Add one egg. Mix till incorporated. Add other egg and vanilla essence. Mix till incorporated.
3. Switch mixer to lowest speed. Add 1/3 of flour, then ½ of milk. Repeat this alternating procedure till all the flour and milk are added. Mix till just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Add chocolate chips. Fold gently. Fill the paper cases till about 80% full.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes till golden brown.
Video: Chocolate Chip Muffins

Sturdy baking cases: From the video, you can see that I used a muffin tray as well as the white stand-alone sturdy paper cases. If you are using those (that is, the paper cases that do not need muffin trays), fill them to about half-full with the muffin mixture. If you fill them up with too much mixture, it will overflow out of the cases. If you are using a muffin tray, you can fill each one with more muffin mixture and it probably won’t overflow during baking. This is because a muffin tray ‘cooks’ the mixture more evenly and quickly, thereby solidifying it before it can overflow.
Mixing: After adding in the flour to the cake mixture, do not overmix! Mix till everything’s just combined. If you overdo it, the gluten in the flour starts to strengthen and elasticize, and this will result in tough-tasting and rubbery-textured muffins.
Results: The muffins were soft and delicious. They tasted just as good as when I used plain fresh milk. The crumb had a very slight chocolaty taste but it was overshadowed by the more intense flavor of the chocolate chips. There was, however, a difference in the look of the muffins. Due to the colour of chocolate milk, the muffins had a light brown crumb, instead of a yellow one.
Best eaten today: How long can a muffin keep? Well, muffins REALLY do taste best on the day they are baked. If you plan to eat them the next day, they must be reheated in the microwave for a few seconds so that they regain their soft texture. I baked these muffins on a Sunday afternoon and took them along for a family gathering that very evening.

Question from readers:
Dear Oilin,
So sorry to trouble u again with endless qns on baking. I made the pineapple jam just like yrs and kept it in the fridge for 3 days and took it out to make pineapple tarts. My jam was too soft n too watery(juice) and i can’t even roll it properly. I decided to get the commercial ready-made pineapple jam this year. I would like to check with u whether
( 1) Can I cook this ready-made jam with my own grated pineapples?
(2) Is ready-made jam recommended for only closed kind of pineapple tarts because for open tarts, the jam will be too dry for that.
Hope to hear from u soon. Have a nice day ahead!!
Answer: Yes, you can cook your own homemade pineapple filling with the commercial ones. If you find the commercial one too dry for open tart, you can stir-fry it with a little pineapple juice (eg the 'Lee' brand - available at most local supermarkets at the section where the canned drinks eg. Yeo's drinks are found.) The 'Lee' brand of pineapple juice comes in a red-coloured can. Or you can simply mix in your own homemade pineapple filling with the commercial one to make a less dry filling.

Fabulous Cupcake Pictures: Click on the following links below to see pictures of absolutely fabulous-looking cupcakes. They really are some of the prettiest I've seen. Hope they inspire you to make some too!
http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/celebrationscupcakes
http://www.cupcakedlights.blogspot.com/
www.flickr.com/photos/65668398@N00/

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Piped Butter Cookies Recipe

2008-02-20T22:11:00.006+08:00

Piped Butter Cookies
One of my favourite cookie books is ‘Cookies Galore’ by Betty Saw. This book was a gift from my neighbour. Today, I’m going to try one of Ms Betty’s recipes – Butter Cookies. These are piped cookies. I tried making piped cookies a long time ago, but they didn’t turn out well because they lost their piped shapes during baking.
Icing sugar: A particular ingredient that is almost always used in piped cookies is icing sugar (instead of caster sugar). This is because icing sugar helps to prevent the cookies from losing their shape during baking. Icing sugar is also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar. It is almost pure white in colour and has a soft texture like flour.
Baking powder: Ms Betty uses baking powder in her Butter cookie recipe. However, I am going to omit this ingredient because whenever possible, I try to avoid using chemicals. The purpose of using baking powder is to help the cookies rise during baking. But I don’t want the cookies to rise here. I want them to keep their original shapes as much as possible.

Butter: I am using Anchor unsalted butter today. This butter contains 82.9% fat, so it’s very buttery – perfect for these butter cookies!

Ghirardelli chocolate chips
Filling: I’m going to use my leftover pineapple filling (from making pineapple tarts). Ms Betty’s recipe says to fill the centres of the raw cookies with strawberry jam or any flavoured jam, then send them to be baked in the oven. I’m just wondering, wouldn’t the heat boil the jam and cause it to expand, liquefy and possibly overflow? I don’t have any jam in my fridge at the moment, so I can’t test that out. But I’ve some Ghirardelli chocolate chips around, so I’m going to melt them and pipe into the hollows of the baked cookies. This chocolate will solidify after about an hour at room temperature, so that means I won’t have problems stacking them one on top of the other in containers. These Ghirardelli chocolate chips are 60% cocoa, so they have an intense chocolate flavour – great for chocolate lovers!

Blue clip from Ikea
I must mention these clips that I bought from Ikea. They are so handy - no need for rubber bands anymore!

How to pipe cookies: If you own a cookie press, go ahead and use it. A cookie press is a small cylindrical device that allows you to put some dough in it, then press the attached lever to create cookie shapes. It’s quite a neat device and you’ll be impressed with the results! I have a cookie press but it’s spoilt and I don’t know how to repair it. Anyway, I’m going to use my trusty plastic piping bag and piping tube. The piping bag that I use is the disposable type and it’s triangular in shape. Just slide the piping tube into the bag, push it to the corner and snip off that end to allow the tube to push through. Then fill with dough till half-full and twist the top of the bag to prevent the dough from spilling out while piping. Do not fill the bag all the way to the top with dough, for the dough will surely spill all over the place when piping!

Piped Butter Cookies (adapted from Betty Saw’s Cookies Galore cookbook)
Ingredients:
240g butter, cut into cubes
90g icing sugar
270g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tsp vanilla essence
Optional: pineapple filling, chocolate chips
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Cream butter in mixer till fluffy. Sift icing sugar over butter, followed by flour. Mix. Add vanilla essence and mix till combined.
3. Pipe circular shapes onto baking trays. Optional: Place pineapple filling in the middle of the shapes.
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes till cookies are light golden brown. Allow cookies to cool.
5. Optional: Pipe melted chocolate into the middle of the baked cookies.
Recipe Notes:
Upon preparation, the dough must be piped immediately and then baked without delay. I noticed that my first lot of cookies retained their shapes better than subsequent batches. I think it’s because the dough was starting to ‘melt’ due to our warm climate. So if you are making a lot of dough, keep half of it in the fridge while you are working with the other half. This ensures that the dough is still firm when piped and baked. If you intend to put filling in the middle of these cookie shapes, pipe the cookies in such a way that the hole in the middle is very small. If not, the filling will fall through and out of the cookies!

Video: Piping Cookies (by Oi Lin)

Piped raw cookie dough

Piped raw cookie dough with pineapple filling

Baked Piped Cookies with Pineapple Filling

Baked Piped Cookie with Chocolate Centre

Plain Piped Cookies

Verdict: Although the cookies expanded during baking, they managed to keep their piped shapes. They tasted quite ‘crunchy’ and yet melted in the mouth. They’re buttery and not too sweet. I’ll definitely make these again because they’re so quick and easy to prepare. I never did much piping in the past, but I’m starting to like it very much. It’s fun!

For information on where to buy the book ‘Cookies Galore’, email genrefsales@sg.marshallcavendish.com or visit www.marshallcavendish.com.sg

Question and answer segment:
Question: Bought your book and tried your kueh bangkit. Pretty successful I must say. Some recipes do not require the coconut milk to be cooked. What is the purpose of cooking it? Is it ok not to? Also, does kneading the dough more or less times make any difference to the cookies? I like the cookies really crisp and melt in the mouth. Thanks for your help.
Cheers
Answer: The purpose of cooking fresh coconut milk (the kind that is obtained from squeezing freshly grated coconut) is to remove its slightly 'sourish' taste. Freshly squeezed coconut milk is superior in taste to the commercially packaged ones. However, there are ways to intensify the coconut flavour in commercially packaged ones. I understand that most bakers today may not have the time to go to the wet market to buy freshly grated coconut, then go home and squeeze the milk out. Commercially prepared ones are so much more convenient. However, they do lack the intensity of coconut flavour. That is why in my kueh bangkit recipe, I cooked the commercially packaged coconut cream so as to thicken it and intensify its coconut flavour.
Kneading the dough more or less times probably does not make the cookies more crisp and melt in the mouth. As with any dough, it is best not to overknead it. Knead it till just enough. To make crisp and melt-in-the- mouth kueh bangkit, it is important to roll the dough as thinly as you can. If the dough is thick, after baking you will find that the outside is crisp while the inside is still 'doughy'.
Also, it is important to bake them long enough so that the moisture is gone from the cookies. However, do not overbake them or they will become so brittle that they break apart in your hand before reaching the mouth!
Regards,Oi Lin

Egg Sponge Cakes Recipe

2008-02-15T19:15:00.011+08:00

The tag which I tied to all the containers of pineapple tarts I made this year.

Pineapple tarts being cooled on a wire rack.

Each tart placed in a brown paper case, then packed in containers.

A folded white paper dollie

Containers of pineapple tarts with festive tags.

I haven’t updated my blog in quite a while because I’d been doing a lot of baking for the New Year as well as finishing up the final touches to the Gorgeous Cupcakes book. Wow!! Chinese New Year is finally here! It REALLY is the season to bake and bake. I made several containers of pineapple tarts to give away to family and friends. I did not make any to sell this year partly because I did not have time. The other reason is that I wanted to ‘reclaim’ the joy of baking. Baking to sell is somehow different from baking to give away. To bake so many containers of pineapple tarts is really hard work. And I enjoy it so much more when I bake to give away. I even made little new year tags to go with the containers. Makes them look more festive!

paper cases for storing pineapple tarts

I still have some pineapple filling left in the freezer and it’s beckoning me to bake more!
I took a video of my pineapple filling cooking. Here, I’m cooking 12 pineapples.

Today, I’m doing an experiment to find out which baking pans are best to bake sponge cakes in. The four pans I’m using today are: the traditional kueh baulu mould, the dark-coloured pan, light-coloured pan and a dome-shaped pan. All the pans were greased with sunflower cooking oil.

Traditional kueh baulu mould
You can buy this traditional mould from baking ingredient stores like Gim Hin Lee and Sun Lik. This mould is a little on the heavy side. It’s not your average lightweight baking pan. It takes some time to be heated up. That is why it has to be placed in the oven to be preheated before the cake mixture is poured in.

heart-shaped dark non-stick baking pan

teddy-shaped light-coloured non-stick baking pan

Baking pan with dome-shaped moulds. Picture taken from 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats' cookbook. All rights reserved.

The heart-shaped, teddy-shaped and dome-shaped pans do not need preheating since hey are the lightweight type.

Let’s talk about the ingredients first.
Eggs: This is the main ingredient. If you are worried about your cholesterol level, it’s best to use lower cholesterol eggs. The eggs I use are the medium sized ones – widely available in all supermarkets. Each egg weighs about 50 to 60g. When beating the eggs with the other ingredients, it’s really important that you beat the mixture till it’s super thick and creamy (3 minutes or more). I do not use baking powder here because I try not to add chemicals to my baked food wherever possible. Since this ingredient is omitted, the sponge cakes depend on trapped air (in the beaten eggs) to rise. So if the eggs are not well beaten, the cakes will turn out flat and squatty. To make things easier, use a standing mixer to beat the eggs. In the video, you see me beating the eggs without the ‘standing’ part because it has broken down. But my mixer still works fine and that’s why I’m keeping it around.
Vanilla Essence: I use vanilla essence here to flavour up the eggs and give the cakes a less eggy taste.
Flour: I use only 80g of flour here because I want the cakes to remain soft and less chewy. But if you prefer your cakes to have more ‘bite’, add 20g more.

Sponge Cakes
Ingredients:
80g plain flour (all-purpose flour)
3 eggs (room temperature)
100g caster sugar (superfine sugar)
2 pinches salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
Method:
1. Preheat oven till 200 degrees Celsius. Grease kueh baulu mould with cooking oil and ‘bake’ it for 10 minutes till hot.
2. Sift flour. Beat the first 4 ingredients in a mixer for 3 minutes at high speed. Switch to low speed and add flour. Beat till just combined. Do not overmix.
3. Take kueh mould out from the oven and pour cake mixture into the moulds till full. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Verdict: Of all the 4 baking pans, the easiest one to use is the dome-shaped one. I think the reason is its shape. I used a spoon to remove the cakes and they came off quite easily, and the look of the cakes were much neater than the others. As for the colour of the pans, it didn’t matter. The cakes from the heart-shaped pan and teddy-shaped pan weren’t easy to remove, as seen from the pictures below. The shapes of the heart and teddy bear were ‘lost’ too. For the kueh baulu mould, the first cake came out easily but subsequent ones were a nightmare to remove. I think I overbaked them. Perhaps 200 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes instead of 10.
Coconut Oil: I read somewhere that using coconut oil to grease pans will help in making the cakes easier to unmould. Perhaps I will try that the next time.

Video: Making Sponge Cakes by Oi Lin

tough to remove cakes from this pan!

clockwise from top left: heart-shaped, teddy-shaped, good baulu shape, not-so-good baulu shape!

baking pan with dome-shaped moulds yielded these lovely sponge cakes.

Questions from readers regarding baking:
Question 1 :
Hi Oilin,
I have try to bake the almond sugee cookies, i have prepare the dough first then bake them at different timing because my oven is not big enough to bake all the dough. some turn out to be quite dry.. may i know what the reason? can i bake at different timing after preparing the dough?
Lastly May i know if i want to have a melt in the mouth texture, what kind of flour should i use? i use the plain flour this time but find the texture too crunchy.
hope to hear from you soon!

Answer:
Yes, you can bake the cookies at different timing. That's what I do. I have a small oven and not all the cookies can squeeze in that small space to be baked all at once.
It is true that the dough may have dried up while 'waiting' to be shaped and baked. What you can do in future is to cover the dough with a damp cloth so that it does not dry up. If the dough still dries up, you can add a little ghee or egg yolk to 'save' it. What I do is I buy extra baking trays (I have 3), then shape all the dough into small balls and arrange on all the baking trays. It is easier to shape the dough when it is just prepared.
To have a melt in the mouth texture in cookies, you can try flour such as cake flour, Top flour or Hong Kong flour.

Regards,
Oi Lin

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
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Kok Zai (Peanut Puffs) Recipe

2008-01-09T00:37:00.002+08:00

Kok Zai (Peanut Puffs)
Chinese New Year is round the corner! Besides the ever-popular pineapple tart, there is one other New Year snack that’s been around for a long time and is a favourite among the young and old. And that is the humble peanut puff also known as kok zai.
Kok Zai is a simple mini fried puff with an outer wrap made from flour, water and oil. Some recipes use egg in place of water. Both serve the same purpose – to bind the rest of the ingredients together. As for the filling, it is usually a mixture of ground roasted peanuts and sugar. I really enjoy eating kok zai, because it is one of the few snacks made without any dairy products (since I’m lactose-intolerant!)

Nut Filling
Ingredients:
150g nuts (peanuts and almonds)
50g caster sugar
Method:
Toast nuts for 10 to 13 minutes in a preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) till light golden brown. Allow to cool. Grind and mix with sugar.

Sanyo EMO-SRT1: I bought this Sanyo oven in 2001 and it has been serving me well all these years, never once breaking down. It's used several times a day, because in my household, we bake our own bread, and we use this oven to heat up our food too (it also has a microwave function).

Braun 300 Watt grinder: This grinder was passed to me by my aunt. I use it to grind nuts and mash fruit. There were times when midway through baking, I found that I'd run out of caster sugar. Out of desperation, I took some coarse granulated sugar (the cheaper type that is used for cooking) and ground it using my Braun. Worked like a charm; the sugar turned out superfine and soft!

Video: Preparing Nut filling (by Oi Lin)

Outer Wrap:
Ingredients
280g Hong Kong flour or cake flour
8 tbsp peanut oil
4 tbsp water
Method
Mix flour and oil. Add water gradually. Knead till smooth. Roll thinly and cut out round shapes. Wet edges and put filling. Pinch and shape.
Fry in 180 degrees Celsius peanut oil for 8 to 9 minutes till golden brown.

Recipe Notes:
I mixed peanuts and almonds for a more interesting filling. You can use all peanuts if you wish.
Add water to the dough if it is too dry. Add flour if it is too sticky.
Keep dough covered with a damp cloth because it tends to dry out fast. If it gets too dry, sprinkle a little water over the dough and knead.

Video: Shaping the Kok Zai

Philips Cucina Deep-fryer
Philips Cucina: I usually do my deep-frying over the stove with a small pot and would end up smelling like a fried snack myself, especially my hair and clothes! And the kitchen and living room would end up smelling as well.

Today’s the first time I’m using this Philips Cucina Deep Fryer HD6151.

1. First I poured in oil till the minimum level (the minimum ‘line’ is etched in the pot). Then I switched it on and set the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius. To test if the oil is hot enough, I dipped in a piece of dough. If bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.
2. I fried about 8 pieces of kok zai at a time. I set the timer to 5 minutes and simply let the kok zai fry away. Meanwhile, I busied myself with other things. When the timer sounded at the end of 5 minutes, I used a pair of long chopsticks to turn the kok zai over so that both sides would be fried equally. Then I set the timer and let them fry for another 4 minutes. At the end of the 4 minutes, I removed the kok zai. They were PERFECTLY done. Crisp and yummy! And the best thing was - after all that frying, I did not smell like a kok zai myself!

There was a lot of leftover oil. I’m quite particular about NOT using oil that’s been fried so many times that it looks dark brown. It is very unhealthy to consume it. But the deep-fryer came with a container made of very thick plastic specially for holding cooking oil. At the top of this container was a fine mesh for filtering used cooking oil. This makes the oil clear and free of burnt bits. The oil was really quite clear after being filtered and can be used again, so it doesn’t go to waste.

Video: Philips Cucina Deep-fryer

Egg Tart (Dan Tart)

Char Siew Soh

Char Siew Soh
Crystal Jade Snacks: These egg tarts and char siew soh (pork puffs) were a gift from a relative. They were bought from Crystal Jade and they sure look yummy! The egg tart was flaky and the custard filling was smooth, silky and not too sweet. The char siew soh was yummy too – sweet and meaty. And the pastry was just heavenly! I wonder how they do it. The pastry is flaky and tender and yet it holds everything together. Good stuff!

Making Ganache

2007-12-29T13:31:00.000+08:00

Cupcakes with Ganache and Strawberries

More on decorating cupcakes: You can make a simple ganache (pronounced ger-nash) to spread and cover your cupcakes. If you love chocolate, you will love ganache. Ganache is essentially made up of good quality (semi-sweet or unsweetened) chocolate and heavy cream. To make ganache that is shiny and gorgeous-looking, it has to have enough fat in it, which explains why heavy or whipping cream is used. To give it that intense chocolaty flavor, use chocolate that has a high cocoa content.

Chocolate

In the video below, Anna starts by heating the heavy cream over a stove till it bubbles. Then she pours it over the chocolate. The mixture is allowed to stand for a minute so that the chocolate melts. It is then stirred before a little honey is added. The honey sweetens the ganache and gives it shine as well. Some bakers even add a little cognac to their chocolate ganache to give it that extra oomph.

Watch the video below and turn up the volume on your computer speakers to hear the conversation between Anna and me.
Video: Making Ganache (by Anna Chan)

The good thing about Anna’s ganache is that it is very spreadable, so a spoon is all that’s needed to scoop it onto the chocolate cupcakes. The ganache flows and covers the cupcakes without her having to do much! The ganache is allowed to set and harden a little in the fridge before decorating with sliced strawberries or whole strawberries cut in halves. This prevents the strawberries from sicking into the ganache. Anna used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the strawberries.

Wife Pastry (Lao Por Bing): These lao por bing were a gift. They were bought from the airport in Hong Kong. My husband and children loved eating these! These were manufactured by Wing Wah (http://www.wingwah.com/).

Lao Por Bing from Wing Wah

Here is the ingredient list: wheat flour, glutinous rice flour, sugar, vegetable shortening, winter melon paste (contains maltose, water, winter melon, sugar, vegetable shortening, gelling agent E406, colour E100, preservative E202), modified starch, egg, honey, emulsifier E322, humectant E420, flavouring (vanilla, coconut).
I make it a point to read the ingredient list in everything I eat. It’s become a habit due to my food allergies and intolerances. But the other reason is that I want to know what goes into it. I love making lao por bing and the first thing I did when I received these Wing Wah lao por bing was to take a look at the ingredient list and compare it to what I use in my lao por bing. Besides preservatives and trans-fat shortening, the other ingredient which I do not use in is maltose. Maltose is a sweetener, also known as mai ya tang. It’s brownish in colour and is super sticky and thick. Perhaps the next time I make lao por bing, I should try adding some maltose.
Here’s an interesting tale of how Lao Por Bing originated. The following passage was taken from the Wing Wah package box. “Legend has it that back in feudal China, a daughter-in-law offered herself for sale in return for money to cure her ill-health father-in-law. In a desperate attempt to redeem his spouse, the husband created a gourmet cake for sale in the bazaar. His product did pay off with the proceeds saved. The couple was able to get together again and lived happily ever after. His recipe then spread from place to place, winning the name “Wife Cake”.”

Making Pineapple Tarts: Now that Christmas is over, the next celebration to look forward to is Chinese New Year! A dear reader has written in to ask about pineapple tart making.
Question: Can unbaked pineapple tarts be prepared and frozen till they are ready to be baked?
Answer: Yes, you can mould and freeze the tarts in advance. There is no need to defrost them before baking. Simply pop them into the oven after taking them out of the freezer. But you might have to bake them a little longer than usual.
Question: How long can cooked pineapple filling be stored in the fridge?
Answer: You can keep the filling in the fridge for about a week. However, if you want the filling to last longer, keep it in the freezer. It should keep well for about one month. To ensure that the filling is as fresh as the day you made it, make sure the plastic bag or container used is very clean and dry and that you minimise handling the filling with bare hands - use a clean spoon to scoop the filling into the plastic bag/container. This ensures that no bacteria contaminates the filling before it is stored in the freezer. Note: Pineapple filling that contains more sugar lasts longer than low-sugar filling, because sugar is a natural preservative.

Wishing everyone a truly blessed and joyous 2008!

Ribbon Fondant Cupcake

2007-12-18T17:06:00.000+08:00

If you are into baking, you must make a trip to these 3 stores. They specialize in selling baking ingredients and equipment. The variety and assortment of items they sell are simply AMAZING! If you haven’t been to any of these stores, you MUST make a trip down. I did these video presentations for readers who often ask me where to buy certain baking ingredients. So for those of you who have not been to the stores below, watch the videos to get a rough idea of the items they stock.

Here are the locations of these stores:
Watch video on the right. Gim Hin Lee Pte Ltd: Blk 10, Haig Rd, 01-363/365, Singapore 430010. Tel: 67428388. Email: gimhin@singnet.com.sg

Watch video on the right. The Bake It Yourself Store: 182, Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 229853. Tel: 61002253, Email: sales@B-I-Y.com,
website: http://www.b-i-y.com/

Watch video on the right. Sun Lik Trading: 33, Seah St, Singapore 188389. Tel: 63380980.

You can get your baking ingredients for your Christmas baking as well as Chinese New Year which is coming soon. Never too early to start practising baking those yummy pineapple tarts!

Ribbon fondant cupcake
This week, more on cupcake decorating. Making these fondant decorations is really easy, as demonstrated by Anna Chan (author of upcoming book ‘Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Homebaker’). You can buy ready-made fondant in baking stores or make your own. Simply colour the fondant with edible paste gel, knead till the colour is even, and decorate away! In today’s demonstration, Anna shows how to decorate a ribbon fondant cupcake.

Step 1: In the video below, Anna shows how to make a covering for the cupcakes. She uses a round cookie cutter to cut out the rolled-out pink fondant. Then a tracing tool (used in sewing) is used to make patterns on it. Lastly, a dab of water on the back of the round shape helps it adhere to the cupcake. You can use any cupcake recipe but be sure to level the top so that the top of the cupcake is flat.

Video: Pink cover for the cupcakes (by Anna Chan)

Step 2: Make the ribbons. After kneading brown fondant to make it soft and pliable, dust your work surface with icing sugar. This prevents the fondant from sticking to your fingers. Don’t use flour – it’ll change the taste of the fondant. After rolling out the fondant, Anna uses a pizza cutter to cut out strips. A pizza cutter is preferred to a knife because it cuts neater. Then fold the strips to make them resemble ribbons, as shown in the video below. Dab a little water on the underside of the ribbons so that they adhere to the pink covered cupcake.

Video: Simple fondant ribbons (by Anna Chan)

And there you have it! Very simple to make, very do-able. Make these gorgeous ribbon cupcakes and use any leftover pink and brown fondant to create your own designs. It’s really fun and easy. Children will enjoy decorating their own cupcakes too! Send me pictures of your decorated cupcakes and I’ll put them up on my blog for all to enjoy. Send pictures to mail@boostprints.com. Do include your name (or nickname if you prefer to remain anonymous).
Besides working on Anna’s book, I am currently designing cupcake/muffin boxes. And I’m planning to include a recipe on the back of the boxes too. That idea came to me very suddenly last week. My designs were all ready and were at the printer’s, when I thought of including a recipe and picture on the back of the boxes. After all, the printing costs are the same, so why not add in a recipe as well.

I just caught the last episode of American Inventor and I was inspired by the participants’ never-say-die attitude. I enjoyed that show and found it more interesting and funnier to watch than American Idol. (By the way, the executive producer of American Inventor is Simon Cowell. I’m not sure if it’s THAT Simon Cowell, but I’m pretty sure it is.) Some of the participants are full of zest and pride for their inventions. And some of the inventions featured were very creative too. This spirit of creativity and zest can be applied to baking - how to perfect the recipe and make the cookie/cake exactly the way you want it.

So bake away and experiment!

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
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Piping Chocolate Decorations

2007-12-10T23:19:00.000+08:00

Tis the season to bake and decorate!!

Chocolate Christmas Tree Decoration (recipe by Anna Chan)
Ingredients:
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Colourful dragees (edible tiny sweet balls)
Cupcakes (homemade or store-bought)
Equipment:
Greaseproof paper
Piping plastic bag
Piping tube

Method:
1. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time till melted. Remove and stir after each 20 seconds. Do not overheat it.
2. Put the piping tube in the piping bag. Then pour the chocolate in.
3. View the video below on how to pipe a Christmas tree design onto a piece of greaseproof paper.
Video: Chocolate Christmas Tree by Anna Chan

In this video, Anna is ‘drawing’ a chocolate Christmas tree for use to decorate her cheese cupcakes (recipe will be featured in her ‘Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Homebaker’ cookbook (bilingual edition). But this Christmas tree decoration can be used on any cupcakes that you make. Simply take a cupcake, level the surface with a knife so that the top is flat.
4. Place the greaseproof paper in the fridge to set the chocolate.
5. When the chocolate tree has hardened, lift it with a spatula and place on a flat cupcake.

Recipe Notes:
1. Do not let chocolate come into contact with water as the chocolate will become grainy and impossible to use.
2. Create many Christmas trees and use them to decorate a large cake.
3. Use your imagination and come up with various designs with a Christmas theme.
4. You can melt white chocolate and pipe designs on brownies. Actually you can use this form of decorating on flat baked food such as bread, bars, slices and pies.
5. If you are very confident of your artistic skills, pipe the design directly onto the cake itself. See video below:
Video: Using chocolate to do a border and to write ‘Fu’ by Anna Chan.

Bake a sweetheart cheese cupcake for that special someone (perfect as a Valentine's Day gift)!

No prizes for guessing what occasion this cupcake is best for!

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
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Steamed Kaya Buns Recipe 2

2007-11-23T14:58:00.001+08:00

This is my second experiment:
Ingredients:
the skin:
200g Hong Kong Flour
1/2 tsp dried yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
90ml water at room temperature
1/2 tbsp cooking oil
the filling:
Kaya
Hershey’s mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Raisins

This time, I used room temperature water instead of warm water – to test if room temperature water will activate dried yeast. I also lessened the amount of yeast and sugar, and doubled the flour.

Method: I used the same steps as stated in my previous post. I mixed all the ingredients for the ‘skin’ and kneaded the mixture till smooth. After kneading the dough, I covered it and let it rise for an hour. After the dough had risen, I re-kneaded it and divided it into 8 parts.

Shaping the buns: In order to make the bottom part of the buns less thick, this time I used a rolling pin to roll out the dough. I tried using one end of the rolling pin to lightly flatten the outer edges of the dough but it just didn’t seem to work!! Perhaps my rolling pin was not of the right shape. I’ve seen rolling pins that are shorter and tapered at the ends. Those will be more suitable. So in the end, I used my fingers to pinch the edges flat. Then I wrapped filling in it. If the above sounds confusing to you, watch the video (A) below.

Video (A): Shaping the buns

Filling: I used kaya again. To make various flavours, I raided my fridge to see what else I could use. Found some raisins and Hershey’s chocolate chips. To make a chocolate chip steamed bun, I rolled out a piece of dough into a longish shape, then sprinkled the chocolate chips on it. Then I rolled it up like a swiss roll. Did the same for the raisin buns. Watch the video (B) below.

Video (B): Chocolate chips and raisins

By the way, the little hand that you see at the top right corner in the video belongs to my little girl (in case you were wondering), who was watching me do the rolling and shaping.

Steaming the buns: I placed the buns much further apart this time round, to give them space to rise and expand during steaming. Used up all three layers of my steamer. The buns were steamed for 10 minutes. When the 10 minutes were up, I left the buns covered in the steamer for another minute before opening the cover halfway to let some of the steam out. This made the buns cool gradually. Cooling gradually helped the buns retain their smooth surfaces. If the buns were subjected to sudden cooling, they would develop crinkly surfaces.

Steamed Bun
Chocolate Chip Bun
Kaya Bun
Results: The buns tasted soft and yummy, just like yesterday’s batch. But I think I should have put in more kaya. Or perhaps I should have made the buns smaller (divide them into 16 pieces instead of 8). As for the chocolate chips, they went well with the buns. Then again, chocolate does go well with lots of things. Once again, I should have been more generous with the filling. Because the dough rose till almost triple its size after steaming, there was so much bun as compared to the amount of chocolate. As for the raisins, somehow they didn’t seem to go with the buns. Perhaps if I had mixed them with the chocolate, that would have worked a lot better!
What about the yeast? Well, it certainly worked with water at room temperature. The dough rose well and the texture of the steamed buns was soft.

Steamed Kaya Buns Recipe 1

2007-11-22T12:13:00.001+08:00

Kaya Steamed Buns Experiment 1:

Ingredients:
Part A (skin):
100g Hong Kong Flour (plus extra flour for dusting)
¾ tsp dried yeast
1 and ½ tbsp caster sugar
60ml water (heated to about 45 degrees Celsius)
½ tbsp cooking oil
Part B (filling):
Kaya (coconut egg jam)

Greaseproof paper cut into squares

Here are some of the ingredients I used for today’s buns.

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients in Part A. Knead till smooth. Add a little more flour if the dough is sticky. Cover dough and leave to rise for an hour.

Video (A): Cutting Bao Dough

2. Cut the dough into 8 pieces as shown in Video (A).

Video (B): Wrapping kaya in dough

3. Wrap the kaya filling in the dough and place on paper squares as shown in Video (B). Cover and leave to rise for an hour.

Video (C): Steaming the buns

4. Steam for 10 minutes as shown in Video (C). This is my trusty Tefal Steam Cuisine Steamer which I use quite often. It converts water to steam in a matter of seconds! I bought it some years back (2004) and it still works well today.

Result: The buns were soft and yummy – a hit with my children who loved them! They were soft even after a few hours at room temperature.

For my next attempt: I wanted the buns to have less ‘holes’ within, so tomorrow I’m going to double the amount of flour. I’ll also try using room temperature water instead of water heated to 45 degrees Celsius. Using room temp water helps cut down on the preparation time because I don't have to heat it up first (I’m always looking for simpler ways!!). Yeast gets activated when it is mixed with water at 45 degrees Celsius. Water that is too cool will not activate it while water that is too hot will 'kill' it. As for room temp water, I'm not sure whether it can activate yeast but I'm going to find out tomorrow.

Flour: I used Bake King's Hong Kong Flour (available in many local supermarkets) today. It's very soft wheat flour that is great for steamed buns. Makes them extra soft!

Yeast: It’s important to use dried yeast that is freshly bought. If you have yeast that has been opened before and is left sitting on your shelves, it will have lost its effectiveness after several months. If you use yeast only once in a while, it’s advisable to store it in the fridge once you open it.

Rolling the dough: I’ve seen how the master dim sum chefs roll the bao dough. They usually use a rolling pin and they roll out the dough in such a way that the outer edges are thinner than the inner part, so that when they gather the edges to wrap the filling, the bottom part of the bao is not too thick. I should try that for my next experiment.

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
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Fondant Roses

2007-11-15T13:52:00.000+08:00

My video camcorder is OK now. So I’ve edited the video on Anna’s fondant roses. I muted the sound in the second video and added some music to it because during the day of filming, there was loud music played outside Anna’s apartment and my camcorder picked that up.

Vegetable Oil in Fondant: Anna has managed to replace shortening with vegetable oil in her fondant recipe. This is really wonderful because I was hoping that one of the selling points in Anna’s cookbook would be that the recipes use ingredients that are transfat free. Traditionally, fondant is made with shortening as one of its ingredients. Anna even said that the baking cookbooks she has read stated never to use other fats such as butter, cooking oil, etc when making fondant. Only shortening will give fondant a good texture. So it’s really amazing that she managed to make the switch to cooking oil and still be able to make fondant that is as good as the ones made from shortening. There is such a thing as transfat free shortening. I’ve also come across transfat free Crisco shortening. However, these are not easily available at most supermarkets.

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
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Rose Fondant: Step by step pictures

2007-11-13T09:36:00.000+08:00

Roll about 8 small balls of pink-coloured fondant, then press each ball between plastic bags to flatten them. Using plastic bags help prevent your fingers from getting all sticky.

step 1: roll up a piece of flattened fondant

step 2: this is the inner piece.

step 3: stick a flattened piece of fondant over the inner piece

step 4: stick another piece
step 5: use your thumb to bend the petal outwards a little

step 6: keep adding pieces of flattened fondant till you get a completed rose

step 7

step 8
step 9

completed rose
Rose Fondant: I’ve taken pictures of rose fondant making (done by Anna). It does take some practice to shape the rose the way you want it. But don’t worry about getting every petal shape right. Sometimes a little irregularity is fine. The recipe for the fondant will be in Anna’s upcoming recipe book titled ‘Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Homebaker’. You can buy ready made fondant in baking specialty stores too, if you do not want to go through too much trouble to make fondant.

Anna’s number one concern about her book is that the cupcakes must be ‘do-able’ for the beginner baker or someone who bakes occasionally at home. I get what she means. Whenever I visit a bookstore, I usually zero in on the cookery books. I love to flip through books that teach cake decorating because the pictures just look so good. And I would love to be able to decorate cakes like a professional. But if I buy the book, buy the ingredients and faithfully follow every recipe step, will my cake turn out that way and will it taste good? Because honestly, if it does not, I will be disappointed. What shall I do with the cake? I can’t give it away as a gift, that’s for sure. Throw it away? Seems like such a waste. Who’s going to finish it then? Then I’ll wonder: where did I go wrong during the baking process? Or was it the recipe’s fault? Perhaps the recipe was never tried and tested, that’s why it didn’t work. Or perhaps there was a printing mistake in the ingredient list? Or could it be the ingredients that I had used weren’t suitable or was it my baking and decorating skills? If I feel that the recipe is salvageable, I will try it again, after making some changes to the ingredients, proportions and methods. I’d record everything in my notebook, every detail. Because that’s how I learn from my baking mistakes. But if the recipe seems like a lost cause, I’ll just forget about it and move on.

My ailing camcorder: It’s been super frustrating. My video camcorder has been failing me! Every tape I put in comes out with some tape hanging out. It has happened before. I guess I’ll have to take the camcorder to the service centre again. So sorry, readers, I won’t be able to post videos till my camcorder is repaired. Hopefully by the end of the week, I can collect it back from the service centre. But do enjoy the above video on making cream roses which I had found on YouTube.
By the way, the screen of my laptop is a goner too. It’s displaying vertical colourful lines all the time. I reckon I might have to get a new one since repairing the screen will cost quite a bit. I was told that the most expensive part of a laptop is its screen.

Frosted Duck Cupcake and Butter Cupcake Recipe

2007-10-23T23:00:00.000+08:00

Click on the arrow twice to view video.

You can also watch this video on YouTube. Simply click on the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQ8dntgE_E

Went to Anna’s place and filmed her icing a cupcake with her homemade meringue (‘mer-rang’) buttercream. I speeded up the video so that viewers will take less time to download and view. (The buttercream recipe and vanilla pound cupcake recipes mentioned in today’s post will be in Anna’s upcoming cupcake cookbook.)

This is the concentrated paste used to colour the buttercream. Liquid food colouring may not work here as it may change the consistency of the buttercream.

Dip a toothpick into the concentrated paste and use it to colour the buttercream.
Use a spatula to fold the paste till the buttercream is uniformly coloured.

These vanilla pound cupcakes were made by Anna. They are very versatile. Just by adding different ingredients, you can get various flavoured cupcakes. Chocolate chips, dried cranberries and sliced almonds all go well with these cupcakes.

Frost the cupcake (as shown in the video above), then decorate with a mini duck fashioned from fondant.
Pink meringue buttercream.

Teddy bear cupcake. The teddy bear is made from fondant. All done by Anna!

Here is my version of butter cupcakes. These are so quick and easy to make. It requires minimum effort but produces a variety of professional looking cakes. Make chocolate chip, raisin, banana, blueberry, cranberry and apricot cupcakes in 40 minutes! This recipe makes 12 regular sized cupcakes.

120g unsalted butter
120g caster sugar
120g self-raising flour
2 beaten eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Chocolate chips, blueberries, raisins, cranberries, etc.

Medium sized paper cases

Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
Cut butter into cubes and cream it in an electric mixer. Add sugar and cream till sugar dissolves and mixture is light and creamy.
Sift flour into a bowl.
Keep the mixer on and add eggs and vanilla essence. Beat till well combined.
Add flour gradually into the electric mixer.
Arrange paper cases into muffin tray. Use 2 spoons to scoop the butter mixture into the paper cases.
Sprinkle chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, dried cranberries, etc, onto the mixture.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes till golden brown.

Recipe Notes:
If self-raising flour is unavailable, replace it with 120g plain flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
When filling the paper cases with the cake mixture, fill them till about 3/4 full. The mixture will rise during baking and fill up the paper cases nicely without overflowing.
Ingredients such as chocolate chips and fresh blueberries taste great with these cupcakes. Do not mix these ingredients into the cake mixture and stir, as they will sink to the bottom during baking. Instead, sprinkle them on top of the cake mixture before placing in the oven. During baking, the mixture will rise and cover these ingredients beautifully.
Dried cranberries and raisins go well with these cupcakes too. So do other fruits like bananas and dried apricots. If using bananas, be sure to chop them finely. Do not mash or puree the bananas as this will cause them to sink to the bottom of the cakes. Ingredients such as kaya and peanut butter do not work well in these cakes due to their density. They will sink to the bottom during baking even if they are spread on top of the mixture before baking. It is better to pipe these ingredients over baked cupcakes.

Notice: Copies of the Delicious Asian Sweet Treats and Delicious Asian Baked Treats cookbooks were sold out at the magazine stores at Takashimaya and Paragon. Stocks have just been replenished today. Readers who were previously unable to get copies of both titles at those stores can do so now.

1. ADpost at Takashimaya (magazine store cum money changer) - the store is located within the Takashimaya Food Court, near the Gents/Ladies) 391, Orchard Rd, Ngee Ann City Tower A, Takashimaya (Food Dept) Basement 2, Singapore 238 873. Tel: 6836 3997, 6836 2663

2. ADpost at Paragon (magazine store cum money changer) - the store is located at Basement 1, opposite Guardian Pharmacy and next to GNC store) 290 , Orchard Rd, Paragon Shopping Centre, B1-19, Singapore 238 859. Tel: 6836 2996, 6836 6550.

Click on www.boostprints.com/stores to find out the locations of the other 13 stores.
(Do call the store before making a trip down because the stocks run out quite fast.)

Winter Melon Filling for Lao Por Bing

2007-10-17T18:21:00.000+08:00

Here, I’m preparing winter melon filling, or known locally as dong gua. First I cut 200g dried candied winter melon strips into small pieces, then I grind/blend with 1 tablespoon water and 2 tablespoons cooking oil. Then I cook the mixture for a minute, before adding ½ cup glutinous rice flour. (Glutinous rice flour adds texture and it blends well with the winter melon mixture. Plain flour will not work here; it’ll make the filling taste floury and unappetizing.) Cook for a minute till the mixture becomes a paste, then chill it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) to firm it up.

Taste test: I didn’t add sugar to the winter melon filling because it tasted sweet enough on its own. It’s important to do a taste test because not all batches of winter melon taste the same. Some batches aren’t sweet enough. If you happen to buy one that’s a little bland-tasting, sweeten it up by adding some sugar to the filling while cooking it.

Water: A little water is added to the filling to bind the ingredients together.

Cooking oil: This ingredient is not absolutely essential. If you are trying to cut down on the amount of fats in your food, omit it. However, most of the time, I do add a little oil to my winter melon filling to give it a 'smooth' feel and texture.

Non-stick pot: Use a non-stick pot to cook the filling; it helps make cleaning up easier.

wife biscuit (lao por bing)

Wife Biscuit: I enjoy making lao por bing (translated ‘wife’ biscuit). It’s a flaky pastry with winter melon (dong gua) filling. The ones sold commercially are usually very chewy and can sometimes taste a little bland. I prefer them a little sweeter and less chewy.

dried candied winter melon strips

Above is the Sunflower brand candied winter melon strips (dong gua). It's sold at Phoon Huat stores. These taste so good they can be eaten on their own. And that’s one way I can tell if a brand of winter melon strips will make a good filling for lao por bing. If you eat it straight from the pack and it tastes sweet and soft, you know that they will make a great winter melon filling. Another way to tell if the winter melon strips are sweet and tasty is their colour. If the strips are slightly greenish, it means they aren’t as sweet. The delicious tasting ones are usually white in colour.

Transfat-free Nutella: My children love this chocolaty spread, but I’ve always spread it sparingly on bread for them. That’s because it used to contain transfat. So I was pleasantly surprised when the recent bottle I bought was transfat free! The fat in this delicious spread is now made from vegetable oil, not hydrogenated oil. Transfat is the unhealthy stuff found in hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil/margarine. Not only does it increase your bad cholesterol, it REDUCES your good cholesterol too.

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com
If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Flower Fondant Cupcakes

2007-10-13T13:28:00.000+08:00

Click arrow twice. You'll see the word 'Buffering'. It will disappear after a few seconds, and the video will play automatically. If it does not play, click arrow again. The video may be a little jerky, but let it play till the end (about 30 seconds long), then play again. It'll be smoother.

Kneading fondant: Above shows my friend Anna kneading her homemade transfat-free fondant (the recipe will be out in her upcoming cupcake cookbook to be published by Boostprints Educational). When kneading fondant, dust your work surface with icing sugar (do not dust with flour as this will change the taste and texture of the fondant). If your hands get sticky, grease them with cooking oil. Next, Anna colours a little fondant with edible colour paste (do not use liquid food colouring as this alters the consistency of the fondant making it sticky and hard to handle) and kneads it till the colour is uniform.

Transfat-free fondant is great for those who avoid eating transfat. Normally, fondant is made with shortening, which contains transfat. (There is such a product as transfat-free shortening but very few stores carry them.)

Rolling and cutting: This video shows her rolling and cutting out flower shapes, then drying them in a plastic tray. This helps the flowers to curl up a little, giving them a beautiful shape. If you do not have such a tray, use a clean dry sponge (as shown in the video) and chopstick. Roll a little white fondant and place in the middle of the flowers.

Assembling: Make green fondant and shape them like leaves. Flatten them slightly and create ‘veins’ with a knife. Lastly, assemble them on a frosted cupcake.

Bun Recipe

2007-09-29T22:13:00.001+08:00

Making buns can be quite a chore, what with all that kneading of the dough and waiting for dough to rise. The whole process can take a few hours. So I've been experimenting on how to simplify and shorten the process. Below is my basic bun recipe.

Makes 16 medium-sized buns or 32 small buns
You can fill these buns with any of the following: red bean paste, kaya (coconut egg jam), baking chocolate chips, raisins, etc.

Part A:
120ml warm water, heated to 45°C (see recipe notes below)
1 tsp dried instant yeast
2 tsp sugar

Part B:
120ml milk
60g unsalted butter
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt

Part C:
2 eggs, lightly beaten

550g plain flour (all-purpose flour) plus extra for dusting.

Glaze: 1 egg, beaten

1. Mix Part A and leave in a closed oven for 10 minutes till frothy.
Mix and heat Part B on the stove or in a microwave oven till butter melts. Set aside to cool till lukewarm.

2. Sift flour. Mix Parts A, B and C. Stir well and add to flour. Use an electric mixer and dough hooks to knead the mixture for 10 minutes. Cover dough and leave in a closed oven for 45 minutes till double its size.

3. Grease 2 baking tins with butter or cooking oil. Alternatively, use a large shallow baking tray if you want to make small buns.

4. Knead dough again for 10 minutes using the mixer. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and dust generously with flour till it is not sticky. Use a scraper or knife to cut dough into halves, then quarters, and so on, till you get 16 parts or 32 parts (depending on what size of buns you want to make).

5. Place filling in a piece of dough and wrap. Arrange in the baking tin or on the baking tray. Leave to rise in a closed (unheated) oven for 45 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush tops of buns with beaten egg. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes till brown.

My braided bread - using the bun recipe above. It's a little less complicated than the one shown in the video. I started with 3 dough lengths, then crossed one over the other.

How the inside looks.

These buns taste really good when hot (straight out from the oven). Soft and yummy!

recipe notes
• To heat water to 45°C, use the microwave oven (or the stove) and measure the temperature of the water with a food thermometer. Or test with your finger. The water should feel very warm but not too hot. Note that very hot water will kill the yeast while cool water will not activate it. (Water at 45°C is ideal.)
• If the yeast mixture does not froth after 15 minutes, discard and try again. The water used may have been too hot or too cool. If the mixture does not froth after repeated tries, buy new yeast. The yeast may have lost its effectiveness if left unused for too long.
• The yeast mixture should be allowed to stand for a maximum of 15 minutes. The dough should also not be left to rise for too long or the buns will end up with a nasty ‘yeasty’ smell!
These buns taste best on the day it is baked. To restore their soft texture the next day, reheat them in a toaster, microwave or oven.

Cake Decorating

2007-09-21T23:20:00.000+08:00

Wow! When I saw that video on YouTube, I saved it to my playlist straightaway. I love watching creative cake decorating. It's just fascinating!

Whipping cream: I enjoy doing cake decorating - simple stuff, nothing too complicated. Chiffon cakes can be a little challenging to decorate because of the hole in the middle. But it can be filled easily with whipping cream or even fruits. I buy my whipping cream from Phoon Huat because I can't find it at any local supermarkets. The only gripe I have is that the cream comes in 1 litre packs. And I don't need that much! Usually a cake requires about 250ml of whipping cream. And since whipping cream does not keep well, I've had to throw the rest of it after a few days. What a waste. If only whipping cream comes in smaller packs.

Chiffon cakes: I have this thing for chiffon cakes - I've been trying to master it for the longest, longest time. Chiffon cake recipes usually ask for the baked cake to be overturned immediately upon removal from the oven. The reason is so the cake retains its height and not sink due to gravity. And when the cake has completely cooled after a few hours, the cake is turned right side up and then removed from its tin. Now, the problem with the chiffon cakes I make is this: after overturning the cake, within minutes, I hear this 'plop' sound - the cake (or part of it) drops out from the tin!! How in the world did other bakers get their cakes to stay in the tin for a few hours??

An overturned chiffon cake tin (also known as a tube pan)

I've tried various methods, changed the proportions of ingredients, used different cake tins, experimented with baking temperatures and times, even whipped the egg whites by hand (very tiring, but it really tones up the arm muscles). But NOTHING works. I still hear that 'plop' sound every time I make a chiffon cake. But I'm not giving up. I'm going to keep working on it. One day, my chiffon cakes will stay overturned for many hours till they completely cool. And when I succeed, I'm going to publish it in my next book.

Why I prefer homemade peanut butter: Ever since traces of salmonella were found in a certain brand of peanut butter, I've stopped buying peanut butter altogether and tried making it myself. And it's actually very easy and incredibly tasty too! And of course, since it's homemade, I know it'll be salmonella-free. Homemade peanut butter is also transfat free. I use cooking oil instead of shortening (a very unhealthy fat). What's more, I can control the amount of sugar I add to the peanut butter.

Raw peanuts: I bought the above raw peanuts from Cold Storage at the Dried Foods section. Sometimes, I get them from Fairprice or Carrefour. They all taste the same and do not differ in quality. I usually grab about 4 to 5 packs at one go, because sometimes, they run out of stock. When I reach home, I store them in the freezer. Peanuts have a high fat content and they become rancid quickly in our warm climate. But when frozen, they last several months.

Homemade crunchy peanut butter

How to make peanut butter: Simply bake the peanuts in a preheated 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 15 minutes till brown. Remove the skin of the peanuts. If using blanched peanuts, skip this step since the skin has already been removed for you. Grind the nuts in a blender/grinder. Then stir in a few spoonfuls of icing sugar. (You can use granulated sugar but you'll end up with a gritty texture. Which is why I prefer icing sugar because of its smooth powdered texture.) The next ingredient to add is a few spoonfuls of mild-flavoured cooking oil such as canola or sunflower oil. (I don't use peanut oil here because somehow it doesn't go well. I know it's kind of strange - I mean, peanuts should go well with peanut oil, right?) Then mix everything till well combined. Taste the peanut mixture. Then add more sugar or oil according to your taste. Store the peanut butter in a clean, airtight jar in the fridge. It will keep for about 10 days.

Peanut butter on toasted bread

Enjoy: You can spread it on bread and have it for breakfast. When spreading the peanut butter, press it down hard on the bread so that the peanut butter stays on the bread and not fall all over the plate. This homemade peanut butter also goes well with pancakes, waffles, Gardenia hot dog buns and mian jian kueh. It's so yummy you can even eat it on its own.

Lose weight: I've read somewhere that eating a small amount of nuts every day can help a person maintain or even lose weight! Because of its fat (the good kind of fat) and protein content, it helps one to feel full and so the hunger pangs do not strike that often.

To subscribe: I'll be posting more demo videos of my baking adventures. If you'd like me to inform you by email whenever I update my blog, simply click on 'comments' (below) and type your email address. (Your email address will be kept private and will NOT be published on this blog.) Or you can write to mail@boostprints.com

If you know someone who'd love to learn more about baking through videos, email this blog to him/her by clicking on the 'envelope' symbol below.

Mooncakes and Teochew Pastries

2007-09-18T22:05:00.001+08:00

Speaking of mooncakes, the variety these days is astounding!! There are all kinds of exotic flavours and east-west fusion styles. But I think the traditional lotus paste flavour is still the best.

Lotus paste for mooncakes: I tried looking for ready-made lotus filling at Phoon Huat but they're all sold out!!

Lotus paste can be made at home. Buy lotus seeds from the chilled local vegetable section at supermarkets (Fairprice, Cold Storage). They are usually sold vacuum packed. Steam the lotus seeds till cooked, then grind them using a blender/grinder. Stir-fry with sugar and peanut oil over low heat till the mixture becomes thick and brown.

Teochew Pastries
Peanut candy

peanut brittle candy

tau sar piah

I'm not quite sure what these are!

My husband was given a box of these Teochew pastries from a relative who was getting married. These pastries were made by Thye Lee Confectionery, Blk 108, Hougang Ave 1, 01-1283. They are for guo da li (gor dai lai). This bakery is up there with Gin Thye Cake Maker, Tong Heng and Pine Garden.

I took pictures of each pastry and tried them too. The tau sar piah was good - light and not too salty. But my favourite was the peanut brittle candy. Crunchy and simply bursting with peanut flavour!

Pineapple Tarts (Tangerine Style) Method

2007-09-14T18:58:00.001+08:00

Play this video if you have broadband connection. If you click the arrow and nothing happens, click again. You'll see the word 'Buffering'. It will disappear after a few seconds, and the video will play automatically. It may be a little jerky, but let it play till the end (about 30 seconds long), then play again. It'll be smoother.

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The above video shows me making pineapple tarts – the ‘wrapped’ or ‘closed’ version. I’ve been asked how I make each tart evenly sized and whether I use a machine to do so. Well, I don’t have such a machine. If there is one out there suitable for home bakers (meaning affordably priced!), I would love to get my hands on it! What I do is this: I measure each piece of dough and filling using measuring spoons. For the dough, I use a half tablespoon and a teaspoon for the filling. It’s quite a tedious procedure (as seen in the video) but it does ensure that each tart turns out evenly sized.

A tray of baked pineapple tarts

Cloves

Cloves: The sticking in of the clove (the small black stem-like spice) is done after I glaze the tarts with egg yolk.

Apple-shaped pineapple tarts

Tangerine-shaped pineapple tarts in paper cases

There are two ways of sticking the clove in. One is with the star shape sticking out, so the pineapple tart resembles a tangerine (mandarin orange). The other way is to stick in the clove such that the pineapple tart looks like an apple with a stem. Both patterns are just as pretty (see pictures above). But the ‘apple’-shaped tart is more difficult to pack/stack in cookie jars because the ‘stems’ tend to come off when the jars are moved around a lot.

I love the fragrance of cloves! What’s more, it marries very well with the flavour of pineapple. I usually remove the round ‘bud’ of the clove, give it a light rinse and dry before use in the tarts. To intensify the clove flavour, throw in cloves when cooking pineapple filling. The ratio is one clove to a pineapple.

Small paper cases
Using small paper cases: These small paper cases are great for helping the pineapple tarts preserve their round shape after baking. They also enhance the appearance of the tarts, making them look ‘neat’. Putting the tarts in these cases also make it easier to pack/stack them in containers/jars after baking.

Pineapple Tarts with Criss Cross Patterns

2007-09-08T23:17:00.001+08:00

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What type of bag to use: To pipe patterns onto pineapple tarts more efficiently, use a thick plastic bag. These triangular shaped bags are specially made for piping. If unavailable, you can use any thick plastic or Ziploc bag.

How to use a piping bag: Put in a little dough, use scissors to snip off and create a hole at a corner, then twist to close the top of the bag. Then proceed to pipe. (see video)

Piping patterns onto tarts: A quick and time-saving way to pipe criss-cross patterns onto tarts is to pipe all the tarts in one direction, then turn the tray and pipe in the other direction (seen in the video).

Be creative! Try piping other patterns, letters, logos, etc.

(Pineapple tarts don't always have to be round; you can make them oval shaped. Just use an oval-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the dough.)

Glazing: To make your tarts / cookies more attractive, brush the piped patterns with egg glaze or egg yolk glaze. This will give the patterns a lovely yellow and shiny appearance.

Pineapple Open Tarts Method

2007-09-02T23:07:00.002+08:00

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The above video shows me making pineapple tarts – the ‘open' version.

When putting the pineapple filling on top of the cut-out dough, be sure to roll it between the palms to give it a neat spherical shape. Then, gently pat it to flatten it slightly before placing it on the cut-out dough. This will give the final baked tart a more pleasing appearance.

Glazing the rim of the cut-out dough is sufficient - no need to glaze the entire tart because the part covered by the pineapple filling will not be seen. Also, there is no need to glaze the pineapple filling with egg glaze. (I've come across a recipe that said doing so will improve the taste of the pineapple filling. Well, I've tried that and found no improvement. What's worse was that the pineapple filling ended up looking dry after baking!!)

Right: Brush with stiff bristles, Left: Soft-bristled brush
Brushes for glazing: It’s important to use a brush with soft bristles because stiff bristles will ‘destroy’ the smooth surface of the tart.

Right: An unglazed cookie, Left: A glazed cookie
Glazing: Glazing makes any cookie look instantly more attractive and appetizing. Glazing is especially important if you wish to sprinkle sesame seeds or nuts on top of the cookies. The glaze helps the topping to adhere to the cookies.

egg yolk for glazing

Egg yolk glaze: I like using just the egg yolk to glaze cookies because the intensity of the yellow colour makes the cookies really gorgeous. If the yolk is too thick, mix it with a few drops of water to thin it. This makes it easier to glaze. However, note that not all cookies need an egg yolk glaze. Some do better with a whole egg glaze (egg yolk + egg white). This is especially so if the cookies require a longer baking time. A cookie glazed with egg yolk take on a burnt appearance if baked for too long.
Although it may seem like a waste to crack an egg just to glaze cookies, the effort is absolutely all worth it. When a cookie looks good, it just tastes better! The remaining egg can be used to make fried eggs, omelettes or simply add to the wok when stir-frying dishes for dinner.

Rolling and Cutting Dough

2007-08-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

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Dough for use in pineapple tarts is usually high in butter content. That’s why pineapple tarts are so wonderfully delicious! (Which unfortunately, is also why we should indulge in them only once in a while.) The buttery dough and pineapple filling simply melt in the mouth. However, this high butter content is also the reason why most beginner bakers have trouble rolling and cutting the dough.

How to handle ‘sticky’ dough:

1. Increase the amount of flour used:- If you are wondering how much to increase by, here's a tip. After you have made the dough, feel it. If the dough is very soft, sift some flour over it and then knead the dough again. Stop adding flour when the dough feels right and can be rolled and cut without being too soft. Do not add too much flour because this will change the texture of the dough. You don’t want to end up with dry and unpleasant-tasting dough.

2. Dust liberally with flour: - Dust the work surface, rolling pin and cookie cutter with flour to prevent dough from sticking to them. Dust the cookie cutter after every use (as seen in the video).

3. Flat scraper:- Use a flat scraper to scrape up the cut-out dough (see what I did in the video). Invest in a good flat scraper (metallic or plastic).

Ghee (clarified butter)

Ghee: Somebody asked me if ghee is considered a healthy fat. As with all fats, it's best to consume it in moderation. Ghee is actually clarified butter, meaning the milk content in the butter has been removed. When butter is heated, the milk solids start to separate from the butter. If you heat butter over the stove, after a few minutes, you will notice a layer of whitish spots floating on top. That is the milk component. If you skim it off, what remains is ghee.
Trans fat: Ghee is a healthier option than trans fat, which I do not use in any of my recipes. Trans fat is found in hydrogenated oil and partially hydrogenated oil. Before I purchase any biscuits or cookies from the supermarket, I will read the list of ingredients used. If I see the word 'hydrogenated', I will put the pack of cookies back on the shelf and not buy it. Trans fat is a very unhealthy fat; it not only increases the bad cholesterol in our bodies, it DECREASES the good cholesterol too! Definitely something to stay away from.

Rubbing Butter in Flour

2007-08-27T00:01:00.001+08:00

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One of the techniques in baking that every baker must know is the rubbing-in method. Cubes of cold butter is rubbed into the flour using the fingertips (which are the coolest parts of the hand). Rubbing is done quickly and deftly so that the butter does not melt. Sometimes, this is easier said than done. As you can see in the video, I had started off by rubbing-in using my fingertips. But halfway, I got tired and decided to pour everything into a mixing bowl and let the electric mixer do the work for me. And it worked beautifully!! There was no change to the texture or taste of the pineapple tart dough. Note: don’t use the beater attachment (see picture below) because it will cause the flour to fly all over the kitchen!

Creaming vs rubbing-in: Creaming means using a mixer to beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy, then add egg, vanilla essence, etc. Fold in the flour then knead lightly to form a dough. Rubbing-in, on the other hand, does not require a mixer. Instead, add cold butter cubes into flour, rub till ‘breadcrumbs’ are formed, then add egg, etc. Then knead lightly to form a dough.

'Breadcrumbs': Well, the problem with using the rubbing-in method in a pineapple tart recipe, is that no ‘breadcrumbs’ are formed!! The recipe requires so much butter to be used, that halfway through rubbing-in, a sticky mass of dough starts to form. And my fingers start to get all messy and sticky. That is why chilling the dough in the fridge is a necessary step because it helps to firm up the dough and make it easy to handle.

In the picture above, the beater attachment on the left is used in the creaming method while the dough hooks (on the right) are the ones I used in place of the rubbing-in method. (Actually, these dough hooks are used for kneading bread dough.)

For the pineapple tart dough in the video, I used the recipe taken from my book 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats' www.boostprints.com/Delicious_Asian_Sweet_Treats

Cooking Pineapple Filling for use in Pineapple Tarts

2007-08-24T00:06:00.002+08:00

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Cooking the pineapple filling: Here, I am cooking pineapple filling for my pineapple tarts. The pineapple pulp has to be cooked till semi-dry so that it can be rolled into small balls later. To speed up the cooking process, sometimes I use a wide and shallow cooking pan and cook at high heat (keep stirring). When the pineapple pulp is almost dry, I lower the heat to prevent it from burning.

If I don't have the time to stand next to the stove and stir the pulp, I'd leave the pulp to cook on low to medium heat in a non-stick pot and stir it occasionally till it is semi-dry.

Adding the sugar: I add in the sugar towards the end of the cooking process, when the pulp is almost done (as seen in the video). Adding the sugar too early in the process causes the sugar to caramelize and be burnt.

After the sugar is added, this is the stage where the filling has to be stirred constantly because it burns easily. It takes experience to know when to stop cooking the filling. If the filling is not cooked long enough, it will be wet and difficult to roll into small balls later. If overcooked, it will be hard and dry. It will be even harder and drier later when exposed to high heat in the oven (to be baked with the cookie dough). It's hard to describe in words what the consistency of a good pineapple filling should be. That's why I posted the above video.

Chill: To further firm up the pineapple filling, cover and chill it overnight.

The above shows cooked pineapple filling - a lovely golden colour.

Rock sugar: A reader told me that using rock sugar (instead of granulated) helps prolong the shelf life of the pineapple filling. I have never used rock sugar to cook pineapple filling but this is an ingredient worth exploring as I've heard that rock sugar tastes better than granulated sugar.

Commercially bought pineapple filling: To make truly delicious pineapple tarts, it is very important to use homemade pineapple filling. But if you do not have time to do so, you can use commercially produced ones. Commercially produced pineapple filling is usually a little harder in texture, as compared to homemade ones. And after baking it, the heat dries it up and hardens it further. To remedy this, here's what you can do:
Cook the commercially bought pineapple filling with some canned pineapple juice (the 'Lee' brand which is available at supermarkets, go to the section where all the Yeo's canned drinks are) till the filling becomes a little softer. You can also add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice so that the filling is not so sweet. It's not possible for me to say exactly how much to add in, because much depends on your taste. So taste the pineapple filling as you cook, and adjust according to your tastebuds! After you've cooked the filling with the canned juice, the filling will be softer and more moist.

These are some of the pineapple tarts I baked.

Cashew Halves on Cookies

2007-08-14T22:16:00.002+08:00

To obtain cashew halves, use the back of a small metal spoon to split raw cashews. Cashew halves are often used to decorate the tops of round cashew cookies or the crescent-shaped ones.

Raw cashews (above) are easier to split than roasted ones. However, it takes a little practice to split cashews neatly into halves. Also, after several tries, you will quickly learn that cashews that have a neat 'C' shape are easier to split than the odd-shaped ones.

If the ingredients in your cashew cookie recipe asks for eg. 50g cashew halves and 100g ground cashews, this is what you should do. Split the cashews till you get 50g of cashew halves. Then set them aside. You will find that you have several 'unsuccessfully' split cashews. Gather these to make up the 100g ground cashews.

Baked Cashew Cookies

To make delicious cashew cookies, make sure you roast the cashews well before use, but not to the point where they burn (burnt cashews really don't taste good in cookies). Toast raw cashews at 180 degrees Celsius for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch the oven towards the end of the roasting session and take the cashews out before they burn. On the other hand, cashews should not be undertoasted. Undertoasted cashews make bland-tasting cookies. The cashews should be baked till a beautiful golden brown colour and should smell nutty and aromatic.

To obtain ground cashews, I usually grind them AFTER roasting. Has anyone tried grinding them before roasting? I wonder if that would make any difference to the final cookies' taste and texture.

Crimper

The above instrument on the right is the crimper which I used to create patterns on the kueh bangkit cookie dough (see video on kueh bangkit in this blog). Here is a close-up view of the crimper, since it wasn't featured clearly on the video.

Ang Ku Kueh

2007-08-09T01:12:00.000+08:00

Play the above video if you have broadband connection.

Play this video if you are connecting through dial-up.

Here, I'm preparing Ang Ku Kueh with peanut filling. I'm using a wooden mould which needs to be greased often with cooking oil during use. This makes it easier to knock out the kueh. If you do not wish to knock the mould against the edge of a bowl (like I did in the video), you can hit it against a sturdy table or kitchen countertop instead.

Here's the finished product. I'm still working on the recipe, because I want the 'skin' to be thinner. The peanut filling was rather difficult to wrap; it caused the skin to fall apart! So I had to use more skin dough to wrap the filling. I'll have to keep experimenting till I get it right.

Here are the wooden moulds I have. The one on the right was bought from a Phoon Huat store; the one on the left belongs to my aunt. I love using moulds made of wood because they have a more 'authentic' and 'rustic' feel. The downside is that I have to brush it with cooking oil often during use, so that it is easy to knock the kueh out.

An alternative are these plastic moulds (from Phoon Huat). There are two sizes. I like using the smaller one. It makes smaller kueh that is easier to pop into the mouth, but small kueh is harder to wrap. The good thing about using a plastic mould is that the kueh doesn't stick much to it (so no need to keep greasing it). That makes it easier to knock the kueh out. The not-so-good-thing about it is that the pattern grooves are not 'deep', so after the kueh is steamed, the pattern is not very clear.

The above article appeared in The Sunday Times lifestyle section on 5 Aug 07. It featured Singaporeans who have published their own books or produced their own CDs. And I am so grateful and honoured to be included in the article. The responses have been overwhelming! Thank you to all who bought my books and wrote to me.

Thank you for your encouraging and uplifting words.

Kueh Bangkit

2007-08-02T23:50:00.001+08:00

Here's a video of me making Kueh Bangkit. It was shortened to make it suitable for posting on this blog. Enjoy!!

I must add that Kueh Bangkit is a rather 'temperamental' cookie to make. Because much depends on the type of coconut milk you use - fresh or packaged. And different brands of coconut milk give varying results too. You should also buy tapioca flour from stores that have a high turnover, so that you know the flour is fresh. Don't depend on the expiry date. Sniff the flour before using it. If it smells 'off', it will certainly affect the taste of the cookies.

A note to all Kueh Bangkit bakers: If you add tapioca flour too quickly or all at once to your egg mixture, the dough may turn out dry and hard. If that is the case, add a little extra coconut milk to it. But if you add the flour in too slowly or gradually, the dough may turn out wet and difficult to handle. If so, then add more tapioca flour.

To conclude, use your judgement when making Kueh Bangkit. Always have extra coconut milk and tapioca flour when preparing the dough so that you can adjust its texture by adding more of either ingredient. Happy Baking!!

Pineapple Cake Recipe

2007-08-02T18:21:00.001+08:00

Simple Pineapple Cake

This is a light and delicious cake that has less butter than usual. Moist, slightly dense and packed with lots of flavour. Yummy!!

90g unsalted butter
4 pineapple rings (from canned pineapples)
200g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
150g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
80ml pineapple juice (taken from the can of pineapples)

- Let butter soften a little at room temperature. Cut into cubes.
- Line the bottom of a round cake tin (7 inches in diameter and 3 inches deep) with greaseproof paper.
- Preheat the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
- Cut the pineapple rings into cubes. Set aside.
- Sift flour and baking powder. Mix well and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar for a few minutes till light and fluffy.
- Beat the eggs lightly with the vanilla essence and add gradually to the butter mixture (with the mixer still on). Beat till well combined.
- Use a spatula or large spoon to fold in half the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Fold gently. Then add half the amount of pineapple juice and fold. Repeat the above step with the remaining flour and juice. Mix till just combined. Do not overmix.
- Toss the pineapple cubes in a little flour, then add half of them to the batter. Mix gently. Pour batter into the cake tin. Arrange the remaining pineapple cubes on the surface of the cake batter.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes till golden brown. Insert a skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes. Run a knife round the sides of the cake, then overturn the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

Recipe Notes
- Coating the pineapple cubes in a little flour helps to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake during baking.
- Do not overmix the cake batter as this will result in a heavy and dense cake. It is OK to leave the mixture slightly lumpy.

Questions from readers regarding the recipes in my book

2007-07-26T12:24:00.000+08:00

Hi Oi Lin

I recently bought your books. I've tried the Sugee Cake (www.boostprints.com) baked treats twice and both times the side and base turned very brown and crusty (not burnt though). What I had done is I multiply the receipe by 1 and a half times to fit into a 9" tin. I used 53 g eggs as I could not find those that weight 56g. I also found that the center of the cake took a along time to cook and was still sticky at the end of baking time.I had baked the cakes at 170 deg for 1 and a quarter hours. Please advise what I had done wrong. Thank you.

Hi,
It is best to stick to 180 degrees Celsius because there needs to be enough heat to cook the centre of the cake.
To solve the 'sticky middle' situation, this is what you can do:
- bake the cake in a tube pan (the kind with a hole in the middle, usually used to bake chiffon cakes. The hole in the middle helps bake the middle portion of the cake evenly,
- Use a smaller or shallower cake pan.
- increase the amount of plain flour used so that the cake has more structure and less moisture,
- Don't overmix the ingredients of the cake batter. Leave it slightly lumpy. When cake batter is overmixed till smooth and lump-free, it tends to get heavy and sink when baked (because there is no 'solids' to hold up the batter).

Regards,
Oi Lin

Hi Oilin,
I had tried the kueh bangkit this morning and it was unsuccessful!! The kueh bangkit was very hard (can bounce back if thrown against the wall ah! Ah!). What is wrong with the cookies? During the mixture, the dough was very dried. So I added another egg yolk and a little bit of water. The dough is still dry so I just cont’d making. Could it be because of additional egg yolk N water that made the kueh bangkit so hard? How should the dough be ? And the color of the kueh bangkit is bit brown not white. Is it during the frying of tapioca flour with pandan leaves is too long (30 mins) which made the cookies brown even before baking? Can you please advise? Thanks and regards!

Hi,

Wow, you've been baking!! Yes, I agree that kueh bangkit can be quite tricky to make. It took me several tries to get it right. But it is still a very 'temperamental' cookie to make.
If the cookie dough is very hard, add more coconut milk. If it is too wet, add more tapioca flour. Keep doing this till you get the texture that you want. The dough should not be too wet or too dry. It should be moist enough to roll yet firm enough to keep its shape after you cut it with a cookie cutter.
Don't add water to the dough. Water is considered a 'strengthener' and will toughen up any cookie dough.
Slightly brown bangkit usually tastes better than the white ones. When baked to slightly brown, the coconut fragrance becomes more intense, which makes the cookies really delicious! The browning of the cookies is due to the baking process.
However, if the flour was fried at a very high heat or fried for too long, it will have a burnt taste and turn brown too. The cookies should look brown AFTER baking. If it is brown before baking, that means the tapioca flour is burnt. Use low heat to fry the flour or use the oven to bake at low heat. Take care not to burn the tapioca flour. The flour should still look white after stir-frying. Tapioca flour MUST be baked or fried long enough before using in kueh bangkit so that the cookie will smell nice and have a light, melt-in-the-mouth sensation.

Don't give up. It takes experience to make great kueh bangkit and you are definitely on the way there.

Regards,
Oi Lin

Hi Oilin,
I would like to know the pineapple tarts (tangerine type) and the vegetarian pineapple tarts in your recipe, why is it that the ingredients used are different? Eg. Qty of plain flour,butter n sugar are different for both type of pineapple tarts. Can the ingredients (incl the qty) for the tangerine type be used for the vegetarian tarts and vice verse. Will the end result ( taste n aroma) be the same? In your pineappletarts website, there is another version of recipe pineapple tarts with crunch. What is the difference? Does it taste the same?

Hi,
The recipes are different because in the tangerine style tart, the dough must be firm enough to wrap the filling and it must also keep its shape after baking. If both recipes are interchanged, for example if you use the open-style tart dough to make the closed-style type, the dough will not keep its round shape after baking, so the tarts will look quite 'ugly'. But it'll still taste the same.
The pineapple tarts with crunch taste about the same as the open-style tart in my book but this one has a bit of crunch. Because not all people like the melt-in-the-mouth type, so I decided to make a crunch version.

Regards,
Oi Lin

Hi Oi Lin
I tried your mini egg sponge cakes with my Kueh Baulu Maker instead of the conventional oven today. I wonder why the 1st few batches turned out to be soft and spongy but with lots of holes underneath and the last batch turned out to be heavy and dense. I was very careful when mixing in the flour as stated in your notes. Is it because of the sugar which sank below therefore the last batch was harder. Would appreciate if you could advise me as I wish to try baking it again
Thank you.

Hi,
Thank you for your mail.
When I was experimenting with the kueh baulu recipe, I used the convectional oven to bake because I had a feeling that most readers may not own a kueh baulu maker or mould (the traditional one made from heavy aluminium. Hence I did not try out the recipe on a kueh baulu maker. But it's very interesting that you did, and I'm so glad to hear from you!

I think the reason why the first few batches had lots of holes was because during the beating of the eggs (with sugar), lots of air bubbles were introduced into the mixture. But by the time the last few batches were cooked, the bubbles had 'deflated', which resulted in dense and heavy cakes.

To solve this problem,
1. Cut down the beating of the eggs to one and a half minutes (instead of three) - this introduces less air into the mixture which will result in less holes in the cakes.
2. Divide the egg mixture into 2 equal portions. Divide the flour into 2 equal portions as well. Mix one portion of egg mixture with one portion of flour, then cook in the baulu maker. When that first batch is done, beat the remaining portion of egg mixture AGAIN. Then add the remaining portion of flour. Mix, and cook in baulu maker.

I think the trick is, after adding in the flour, the mixture should be cooked quickly, because the longer the mixture is allowed to rest, the more bubbles deflate, which leads to poor rising and there heavy and dense cakes.

If the cakes still contain too many holes, you can add a bit more flour.

To help the cakes rise, you can add a little baking powder (about half teaspoon will do) but the cakes may have a very slight metallic taste. Adding more sugar or more vanilla essence should help to mask that taste.

I am in the midst of producing my series of instructional DVDs, which are based on the recipes in both my books. When they are out, emails will be sent out to inform readers. Do look out for them!

Do tell me how your kueh baulu turns out. I always feel very inspired by readers who enjoy baking because baking is often done with family and friends in mind. When we bake, we do so to let them savour and enjoy the cakes and cookies we've baked. In a way, it's an act of love and giving.

I am also in the midst of collecting feedback on my books to be put on the http://www.boostprints.com/ website. If you like my books (or don't like them), do tell me about it. Thank you and happy baking!!

Best wishes,
Oi Lin
mail@boostprints.com

Hi Oilin,
I have tried cooking the pineapple filling but it is too soft. Is it not dried enough. I cooked for about an hour plus and I used 1 sarawak pineapple to cook. Is there any diff.?
And for your Kueh Bangkit recipe, what is the coconut cream (packaged or canned)? Can coconut milk be used? Pls reply?
Thanks and have a nice day!

Hi,

Thank you for your mail.

I used coconut cream in the Kueh Bangkit recipe because it is thicker. And after heating it, it thickens further and thus can hold the bangkit dough together, making the dough easier to handle. It also makes the coconut taste more concentrated.

There is probably no difference if you were to use the Sarawak pineapple. If the pineapple filling is too soft, cooking it longer will definitely firm it up. If you want to shorten the cooking time, drain the pineapple juice away before cooking. But you will need to add more sugar to the filling. This is because the juice contains natural sugar. If it is drained away, you need to make up for the sweetness.

Another way is to use medium heat to cook the filling at the start of the cooking process. Then when the filling is nearly ready (that is, starting to look like a paste and is no longer liquid), turn the heat to low, so that it doesn't burn. Stir it occasionally. Stop cooking when the filling is thick and its texture is such that it can be rolled into balls. Chill the filling to furthen firm it up.

Hope the above helps. Making great-tasting pineapple tarts is not difficult at all, but experience is needed to make them well. Keep working at it and you will DEFINITELY succeed. I'm sure your family and friends will love eating the pineapple tarts you bake!

Email me again if you have any more problems.
I'm coming up with a set of instructional DVDs based on the recipes in the books. Do look out for them!

Warm regards,
Oi Lin

Questions regarding sponge cakes and almond cookies

2007-06-26T11:03:00.000+08:00

5 July 2007 Thursday

Hi Oi Lin
May I omit the pandan extract for the pandan cake? as I dun have a blender at home

Rgds
Saori
9:24 AM

Oi Lin said...
Dear Saori,
I gather you are referring to my recipe 'Moist Pandan Cake' from 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats' ?
I have tried making pandan cakes without pandan leaves; I just use bottled pandan essence, which is so much more convenient. But I found that using the real thing does WONDERS for the cake! It is more troublesome because you have to buy the pandan leaves from the supermarket, wash them, cut and mince them in a blender. Then put them in a cloth and squeeze with all your might to get the green pandan juice out!
But you have to use about 10 to 20 pandan leaves to get sufficient pandan flavour in the cake. To cut down the work, what I usually do is blend a few pandan leaves with water and pandan essence (as written in my cookbook). That way, I get the best of both methods - less work (less leaves to handle) and great flavour (the pandan essence helps enhance the flavour of the pandan leaves).
Since you do not have a blender, you can omit the leaves. But make sure you use good quality pandan essence as a substitute. The one from Phoon Huat stores is not bad - thick and fragrant.

Regards,
Oi Lin

2 July 2007, Monday

Hi Oilin

One last qn...Was told to Fold the mixture with a metal spoon..can I subsititue it with a balloon whisk?

CHeerSPhilia
3:47 PM

Oi Lin said...
Dear Philia,
The functions of a spoon and balloon whisk are very different. If the recipe's instruction says to fold the mixture with a spoon (doesn't matter metal or plastic), it means to fold and mix gently, without overmixing. Overmixing can result in dense and heavy-textured cakes or cookies. A balloon whisk, due to its design and structure, is not suitable for folding mixtures.
Hope the above answers your question. Happy baking!!!
Regards,
Oi Lin

Hi Oilin

Finally your second book is out!! Have been waiting for this book...I received your" Delicious Asian Baked Treats " yesterday...am soo happy but I have some queries for you, hope you can clear my doubts =D

(1) Pg 7 " Soft Sponge Cake"I can use pandan essence to make pandan sponge cake, but will the essence cause a bitter aftertaste? or do u tink i can omit it?

(2) Pg 19 "almond cookies"Can I omit the Ghee? and replace with butter??

Huggss
Philia
10:32 PM

O.L. said...
Dear Philia,

Thank you for purchasing the book.

Soft Sponge Cake: If used in small amounts (according to the recipe), pandan essence will not leave a bitter aftertaste. In fact, it will enhance the coconut flavour in the cake. This is because the flavours of coconut and pandan marry very well!

I recommend the pandan essence from Phoon Huat stores (go to www.phoonhuat.com to check for locations of their stores in Singapore). Their pandan essence is the thick variety - it is superbly fragrant! (Their vanilla essence is also fantastic - thick and sweet.)

Almond cookies: I use ghee (instead of butter) in quite a lot of my nut cookies because I want them to have an Asian flavour. The taste of ghee is rather different from that of butter. Because ghee does not contain milk (unlike butter), it allows the nutty flavour to shine through. The ghee in this recipe can be replaced by butter, but the cookies probably will not taste the same. To bring out the almond flavour, I still recommend using ghee in these cookies.

I usually buy the ghee sold in green cans (available at Fairprice supermarkets in Singapore; at the baking needs section).

Do write again if you have more questions. I'll be glad to answer them.

Take care and happy baking, Philia!

Warm regards,
Oi Lin

My first cookbook - Delicious Asian Sweet Treats

2007-06-22T15:58:00.000+08:00

This is the first cookbook written by me. The first in the 'Delicious Asian Treats' series! It's got all my favourite recipes eg. pineapple tarts, walnut cookies, suji cookies, etc.

All the photographs in the book were taken using mostly daylight and minimal artificial light.

This is the back cover. Each book is individually wrapped to keep it clean.

To view a sample recipe (Pineapple tarts and pineapple filling) and all photographs from the book, go to http://www.boostprints.com/ and click on the picture of the front cover.

This book is selling at S$4.95 per copy (for delivery within Singapore) and US$5.95 per copy (for worldwide delivery). This book can be purchased from http://www.boostprints.com/

My second book - Delicious Asian Baked Treats

2007-06-22T14:44:00.000+08:00

My latest cookbook has just been launched !! It's out on sale at retail stores in Singapore and is sold on the publisher's website http://www.boostprints.com/

The ingredients used in the recipes to contain NO lard/pork and NO trans fat. These recipes can be used by readers who do not eat pork, and also for those who are trying to avoid trans fat (what with all the bad press it's been getting). Trans fat is the unhealthy stuff that's in hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats eg. margarine. It reduces the good cholesterol in our bodies.

So the only fats I use in my recipes are butter and cooking oil.

A sample recipe (rich sugee cake) is posted on http://www.boostprints.com/ Go to the website and click on the picture of my book to view the recipe. It's a really yummy cake which I had spent several hours experimenting in the kitchen.

Here's the back cover. I tried to squeeze in as many pictures as I could. Pictures speak volumes. And they make the back cover so much prettier than just words.

The books are individually wrapped and cost S$4.95 each (inclusive of postage delivery in Singapore) At $4.95, it's actually the same price as the retail store's. In other words, it's free delivery if bought online!! Visit http://www.boostprints.com/ to buy the book. But for overseas orders, there will be a postage charge. It comes up to US$5.95 per copy (inclusive of postage).

I really love this whole publishing book business and plan to come up with more titles to add to my 'Delicious Asian Treats' series. I get to decide on the title, recipes, photographs and the general look of the book. It's really exciting especially when I get my hands on the first printed copy.

If you have any ideas for my future publications, do drop me a mail at this blog or at mail@boostprints.com.

Questions and Answers Regarding Pineapple Tarts

2007-01-06T17:07:00.000+08:00

2 June 2007

Hi,

With regards to the pineapple tarts recipes appeared in 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats', is it strictly using rubbing-in method for this particular recipes, or can I use creaming method, meaning cream hard butter and icing sugar till well-mixed, then add egg yolk, followed by plain flour? Any differ in texture?Another question is which brands of plain flour did you use, beside plain flour, which are the types of flour best for pineapple tarts or tarts recipes? Please advise, thanks. Adeline.

Dear Adeline,

You have posed very good and relevant questions. Quite a number of pineapple tart recipes out there use the creaming method. In the “Delicious Asian Sweet Treats” cookbook, the rubbing-in method is preferred. The rubbing-in method refers to cold butter being rubbed into flour using the tips of our fingers (the coolest parts of our hands). This ensures that the butter remain as cool as possible. The creaming method, on the other hand, is usually done in a mixer, where the butter is beaten with the sugar using the whipping attachments. This causes the butter to melt and become mushy and fluffy. If the dough is prepared using the creaming method, the dough will spread during baking, causing the tarts to lose their pretty patterns and round shape. That is why the rubbing-in method is preferred. If you find the rubbing-in method too tedious, you can make use of the spiral-shaped dough mixing attachments (usually used for kneading bread dough) that come with the electric mixer. Put the cubed butter, icing sugar and flour into the mixing bowl and mix the ingredients using the spiral attachments.
You may still use the standard creaming method. The tarts will turn out tasting delicious, (the texture will be similar) but the pretty patterns and round shape will be distorted.
Most brands of plain flour sold in Singapore are of good quality. I have tried several brands and have found no discernible differences among them. So I usually end up buying the ones that happen to be on sale!
I hope the above is helpful to you. Do write again if you have any questions.
Happy baking and take care!

Warmest regards,
Oi Lin

2 March 2007

Anonymous said...

Hi Oilin,
i bought your recipe book and it filled wif great menu!! But I have a problem here..for all the receipes in the book..I was told to mix the flour etc together with the mixture but Thats no indications of specific methods eg folding? mixing in clockwise method or?? hope you can revert to me asap..Thanx!!!
11:25 PM

O.L. said...

Hi, thank you for your support! I'm glad you like the recipes.
To answer your question, if there are no specific instructions for mixing the ingredients, it means that it does not really matter how you mix. You can do it with a spoon or by hand, clockwise or anti-clockwise.
If the instruction says to 'fold', then here a quick and light hand is required. Fold gently and avoid overmixing. I hope this helps clear up any doubts. Thank you for your feedback.
I enjoy receiving feedback and comments from readers because I get ideas and suggestions on how to improve my future publications. My next book is titled 'Delicious Asian Baked Treats'. If you would like to be informed as to when my next book will be out, just leave a mail at mail@boostprints.com with your name and email address.
Thank you and happy baking!Do write to me again if you have any questions regarding the recipes in the book.

Warm regards,
Oilin

15 February 2007

Anonymous said...
oilin,thanks for your reply. i baked some tarts on last sat based on your recipe. the tips you gave were really useful. i made sure i don't repeat the mistakes you highligted. the tarts i made turned out good. it was my first time baking pineapple tarts. i was really excited to bake more cos i only made about 50tarts. my tarts look huge. i call them jumbo pineapple tarts. i've some questions.
1) what's the proportion of tarts and jam that you used to make the enclosed type? i'm thinking of making it this time round. is it easier and less time counsuming compared to the open type?
2) the jam i made tend to be quite soft and wet (there's juice when i left the jam in a container to cool.)am i making the jam at the right consistency?hope to hear from you.

-mei-
1:20 AM

O.L. said...
Hi Mei,
Congratulations on your baking success!
Here are the answers to your questions:
1. I usually enclose 1 level tsp pineapple jam in 1/2 level tablespoon of dough. I find this to be the best ratio. At the beginning, you may find it a little difficult to wrap because of the small amount of dough. But after some practice, it gets easier. However, feel free to use a little more dough for each ball of pineapple jam at the start. Then as you get better at wrapping, decrease the amount of dough till you reach the proportions mentioned above.
Making the closed type of pineapple tarts isn't easier or less time consuming. It all depends on what you prefer. As for me, I like making both and I find that both take up about the same amount of time and effort.
2. Oops! I think the jam that you made was a little too wet. There should not be any juice left at the bottom of the container. What you can do is, when the jam is almost stir-fried dry in the pot, leave it there using the lowest heat to further dry up any remaining juice. Do remember to stir it occasionally to prevent the jam from burning. But if you are in a hurry, then turn up the heat to medium, and stir-fry constantly till dry (but not too dry though).
However, if you like the taste of very moist pineapple jam, and if it is easy to handle and wrap with the dough, then it's ok to have your jam a little on the wet side.
Make your pineapple tarts the way you like them; there is no absolute right or wrong way!

Regards,Oilin

8 February 2007
Hi Oilin,
I baked some tarts according to your melt-in-your mouth recipe yesterday. Some questions:
1. I put the base of the tarts to bake in the oven for 6 mins, remove it, put on egg glaze, pineapple filling, criss cross design and brush egg glaze again, and finally into the oven for another 12 mins. Is this the correct method? Because you mentioned not to put the egg glaze before baking.
2. Chilling means putting in the dough in the freezer or just the fridge?
3.When I put the done tarts in my mouth, the tarts turn out kind of powdery and flour-ry instead of the melty feeling. How can I resolve this?
4. Why do we need to put the dough in the fridge for 1 hour before we roll it? Besides the reason of hardening it, Is it for the melt in your mouth texture?Thank you!Looking forward to your reply!

Redards, Yen

1:25 PM
O.L. said...

Hi Yen,
Thanks for organising and numbering your questions!
Here are the answers:
1. Yes, that is the correct method. When the tarts are baked during the first 6 minutes, they spread and expand a little. It is better to apply egg glaze AFTER the tarts have expanded, so that the entire rim of the tart is glazed. If the egg glaze was applied BEFORE baking, then the part of the tart that expanded will not have egg glaze. And the tarts won't look as attractive.
2. Chilling the dough means putting it in the fridge. Actually, you can start rolling the dough and cutting out the tarts without chilling the dough first. Sometimes that's what I do if I don't have time. However, I usually recommend first-time bakers to chill the dough, because it makes the dough so much easier to handle and roll. However, if you are an experienced baker, you would have no problem rolling and handling non-chilled dough. It does take practice though.
3. If the tarts taste powdery and flour-ry, you can try changing the brand of flour. Or use freshly bought flour from a store that has a high turnover rate; meaning their stocks are regularly replaced. Flour that has been sitting around on the shelf for a long time can taste 'funny' if not stored properly or if not used for a long time after the packet is opened.
Another way to make your tarts less 'flour-ry' is to increase the amount of sugar in the dough, perhaps add 2 more tablespoons.
Lastly, you can increase the baking time. This helps bring out the flavour of the butter and sugar, which will then 'overpower' the taste of the flour.
4. The reason for chilling the dough is not so much as to harden it. Hardened dough is difficult to roll! Chilling is more for firming the dough up, so it's not so soft. When it's soft, beginner bakers find it frustrating to roll and handle. By the way, chilling the dough does not help make the tarts melt-in-the-mouth.

It's great that you make your own pineapple tarts! Not many people bake nowadays; I suppose everyone's really busy. But baking is also a form of relaxation. And when you get really good at it, you can even start a business!

Best wishes,
Oilin

Anonymous said...
Hi Oilin
Is me again! thanks for your great advice.. I have tried your another recipe on the 'crunchy' pastry for pineapple tarts.. the outcome is okay.. is really tasty! and more crunchy too as compared to the 'melt in the mouth' recipe..
but i have some problem here.. firstly, the pineapple balls don't stick to the pastry after i brought out 6mins from the oven for glazing. and when i try to glaze the egg yolks, the pastry was still kinda soft and the brush somehow affect the surface of the pastry.. what should i do?
also, the same problem, i do not get a nice yellow hue on my pastry even i brush only egg yolks.. and instead, it get burnt easily if i apply more.. why is tat so?? pls advice.. =(my oven have three layer.. i normally placed in the middle layer.. and normally few of the tarts get burnt on the bottom even i placed it in the middle rack.. any remedy?? (i suppose it get worst if i placed it at the bottom rack, and more tarts get burnt.)
i realise that the 15mins baking time after glazing the egg tarts seems too long for my tarts and it get burnt.. so i reduced the time to 10mins instead.. (though it still get burnt on certain parts of the tarts).. *sad* wat can i do to get a nice yellow hue as shown in your pics? (fyi, i'm using Moulinex Oven which i bought from Courts for 78 bucks)
lastly, i did not add any egg yolks to the flour mixture for this round.. the pastry is still manageable to me.. i simply apply some flour to the rolling pin..anyway thanks so much that I found your blog for more suggestion to improve my tarts.. u r simply great! and hope to hear from u soon on my problem I faced as new year is approaching and i really hope to succeed in making delicious and pretty tarts as shown in your pics ..

Kind Regards
Diana Ng

4:50 PM
O.L. said...
Dear Diana,
If the pineapple filling does not stick to the tart, simply press and flatten the filling lightly onto the tart - just a little pressure will do. The pineapple filling should not be too dry. If it's damp and moist, it sticks better. Or you can apply egg glaze over the middle of the tart, then place the filling over it.
Sometimes when I use a nylon bristled brush to glaze the egg yolk over the tarts, the brush picks up some dough and this causes the surface of the tart to become 'rough', instead of smooth. So I switched to using a brush with softer bristles. I bought mine from Phoon Huat baking store. I've heard of some bakers who use the kind of brush available at bookstores; the kind used for doing watercolour painting - the super soft bristled ones. But I've not personally used that.
If the top of the tarts burns easily, use the lowest shelf of your Moulinex oven, instead of the middle one. This is because the hottest parts of the oven are usually the top parts (since hot air rises!) And if the bottom of your tarts get burnt easily, you can use double trays. This means place a tray over a slightly larger one. If this still doesn't work, overturn the smaller tray and place on top of the bigger tray. This creates a layer of air within the two trays and this slows down the baking of the bottom of the tarts.
You can also lower the baking temperature by 10 degrees Celsius. That will definitely help. Or reduce the baking time by 5 minutes. Or do both!
Yes, Chinese New Year is coming and it's wonderful that you want to perfect the baking of pineapple tarts. There's such a sense of achievement when you present your loved ones with the treats that you've baked from scratch. No matter how they look, they ALWAYS taste better than the store-bought ones, simply because they were made with such love and care!
A very happy lunar new year (in advance) to you and your loved ones!

Sincerely,
Oilin

Hi Oilin
I have read your blog on the pineapple tart pastry. I will try it this Saturday. *excited*However, could you kindly share with me the recipe for the filling?? I actually went to the link www.boostprints.com, realised the filling is made by Ripe pineapples. But i do understand that normally ‘not so ripe’ pineapples is used instead..therefore, i would appreciate if you could share the recipes of the ‘not so ripe’ pineapples filling to me..thank you so much.. I have tried preparing the filling before..but it was very hard that you can use as ‘gor li’ (marbles)..haha! therefore, i m determine to learnt the filling again this year to surprise my family..hee..oo…btw, could you kindly advise me what you guys meant by ‘1 portion’..as in the number of portions of filling refer to??For the recipes on the pastry and filling, how many tarts can it yield???I also realise that you did not include baking powder as part of your pastry recipes..any reason why?and for the unsalted butter, the quantity stated was 280g.. but u also stated ‘2 sticks and 1 tbsp’..wat does tat meant?lastly, can i exclude the sugar for the pastry?? cos i believe that the filling is sweet enough to fill in the sweetness of the tarts..

Rgds Diana

Hi Diana,
Thank you for your message.
With regards to the not-so-ripe pineapple filling recipe, it’s the same method and ingredients as the one you saw on www.boostprints.com. That recipe was taken from my cookbook 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats'.
When cooking unripe pineapples, simply add more sugar till the taste of the filling is sweet enough for you.
I tried using unripe pineapples to cook the filling because I read somewhere that unripe pineapples are good for use in pineapple tarts. But after some experimenting, I went back to using sweet honey pineapples because I find that I do not need to add much sugar if the pineapple is sweet by itself.
If the pineapples you buy are too ripe and sweet for your liking, simply add a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the filling towards the end (when the filling is almost ready to be dished out). Always taste-test before you add more lemon juice. The lemon juice adds a little tangy zing to the pineapple filling!
I like to use honey pineapples because they taste fabulous! I usually buy them from this wholesaler shop located opposite Tiong Bahru MRT. They cost $3.50 for 4 pineapples! What a great bargain! (These honey pineapples cost $1.30 each at supermarkets) But you have to go during the day, because by evening, most of it would have been sold, and what’s left are the not-so-nice looking ones.

Guess what? I have made pineapple filling that is hard, chewy and tough-tasting too. That was because the filling was left cooking on the stove for too long. It became dry and hard. And after I used them in my pineapple tarts and baked them in the oven, they became harder still! So they didn’t taste that great. The solution to that is not to stirfry the filling for too long. Dish up the filling from the pot when it is semi-dry (but not too wet that it cannot be rolled into balls), bearing in mind that when it is baked in the oven later, it will dry up further.
Another way to prevent the pineapple filling from becoming too hard, is to add the sugar only at the end when the filling is almost ready, NOT when it is still watery. If sugar is cooked for too long, it caramelizes and hardens. After you add the sugar, the filling will become slightly watery. Simply leave it to be cooked till semi-dry before dishing it up.

1 portion of pineapple filling refers to the amount you get when you cook 1 pineapple. For example if you cook 2 pineapples, then you get 2 portions of pineapple filling.

For the pineapple tart recipe posted on this blog, it makes about 50 tarts (I think). I know it doesn’t sound a lot, but it really depends on how big your pineapple tart cutter is, how much pineapple filling you use and how thick you roll the dough.

I did not include baking powder because I like to keep my recipes as simple as possible for readers. Not everyone buys things such as baking powder cos they think that they’ll only use a little of it, before storing it in their pantry for a long time. I only use baking powder in my recipes if it is absolutely necessary. After all, it is a chemical, and I try to keep my recipes as chemical-free as possible. In the case of pineapple tarts, I find no difference in taste, whether I use baking powder or not (I’ve done experiments!). The only difference is that the dough expands a little more during baking and my tarts lose a little of their fluted edge patterns (which wasn’t what I wanted).

I wrote ‘2 sticks and 1 tbsp’ for the amount of butter. This is for the benefit of readers who don’t own a weighing scale and also for readers who are more used to the American way of measuring ingredients. 2 sticks is equivalent to 227g. (The brand Anchor butter comes in blocks of 227g each.) If you have a weighing scale, simply use the 280g measurement.

You can definitely omit the use of sugar in the pastry. For me, I included sugar in the dough because it helps to enhance the flavour of the flour and butter. But if the pineapple filling is sweet enough, then it is ok to omit sugar in the dough.

Do give the recipe a try. The difficult part may be in the rolling of the dough. Take a look at the tips I’ve written in the blog on how to make rolling the dough easier. And I’m sure everything will turn out fine!
I hope the above has been useful to you. Keep me posted. I would love to know how the tarts turned out!

Warm regards,
Oilin

Hi Oilin
i have done my first trial of mine pineapple tarts... well..outcome...still quite okay...but there is still a few question i would like enquire from you..I have followed exactly of what you have stated in the recipes...the same brand ingredients (butter & vanilla essence)... but the pastry turns out to be very soft.. well, indeed i have achieved the 'melt-in-the mouth' texture..however, the pastry seems to be very 'fragile' on the outside..if our finger press slightly..crumbs will fall out...why is that so? and any 'remedy' to it??
if i increase the temperature, i'm afraid that it will get burnt...In my 1st batch,
i did not add any sugar..cos i thght tat the pineapple can some how add on the sweetness to the tart..but after it is done, i realise that it is too bland for my liking...So for my 2nd batch, i add sugar to it..in fact i add more than 2 tablespoon to enhance the sweetness..but the outcome turns out to be my tart become burnt! so i decided to reduce the temperature to 170 degrees celcius...outcome is still okay, but the sweetness is still not there...what should i do then?? cos i understand that sugar will affect the pastry texture rite??
And another problem i have is the temperature..do we need to adjust the temperature of the oven after the 1st batch of cookies? cos i realise the temperature seems to be too hot for the cookies...
lastly, my tarts dun turn out to be golden brown rather, it was kinda pale white..so i actually add some yellow food colouring...but it do not seems to help.. and i try to brush more egg yolk on the pastry, but the outcome is that it will get burnt easily den surface without much egg yolk glaze...what should i do den??

kind rgds
diana

Hi Diana,
Thanks for sharing with me the results of your baking session!

Here is why the pineapple tarts turn out too soft and crumbly:
It could be that the butter used is not cold enough. If softened butter is rubbed into flour, the pastry may turn out soft after baking. To remedy this, take the butter straight out from the fridge just before cutting and rubbing it into the flour. Do not let the butter soften at room temperature before using it.
Also, do use only the fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. Our fingertips are the coolest parts of our hands, and this helps to prevent the butter from warming up too quickly while being rubbed into the flour. Using the palms would cause the butter to melt faster because our palms are warmer than our fingertips.

Another remedy is to add icing sugar (instead of caster sugar) to the dough. Icing sugar helps prevent the dough from spreading too much in the oven.
If all else fails, simply reduce the amount of butter to about 250g.

Oven Temperature:
If your oven has two levels, use the lower one. Baking the pineapple tarts using the upper level in the oven causes the tops of the tarts to burn quickly.By the way, which parts of your pineapple tarts get burnt first? Is it the top part or the bottom? Let me know; I’ve got ways to remedy those problems.

Some ovens (over time) may have faulty thermostats, so the temperature you select may not accurately reflect the true internal temperature of the oven. If you have an oven thermometer, you can use it to measure the oven’s temperature. But it’s OK if you don’t have one. If 190 degrees Celsius seems too hot in your oven, lower it by 10 degrees Celsius and see how it goes.

Here’s another way to prevent the tarts from getting too crumbly and soft:
You don’t have to increase the temperature; you can bake the tarts longer instead. After baking, let the tarts rest for a few minutes on the baking tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. If the tarts are placed on a dish to be cooled, the bottoms may turn a little soggy (from the trapped heat) and this contributes to their ‘crumbliness’.

I do not usually adjust the temperature of the oven after the first baked batch. To bake the tarts at a constant temperature, I prepare three trays of unbaked pineapple tarts. Once the oven is preheated, I put in one tray. When that tray is baked, I remove it and immediately put in the second tray. And so on. (My oven is the medium sized type – placed on top of the kitchen counter top. It’s not the huge built-in kind of oven.)
If your oven is too hot after the first batch, you can either reduce the temperature or switch it off for a few minutes before turning it back on again.

Sugar:
Yes, I do agree that adding some sugar to the dough gives it flavour. To add sweetness to the dough and prevent the tarts from getting burnt, use icing sugar instead. Or how about this, use your dough to make the closed type of pineapple tarts – the bengawn solo kind. Closed tarts don’t burn that easily. And they taste fantastic too!

Colour of pineapple tarts:
To make the pastry part more yellow in colour, you can add one more egg yolk to your dough. If you do not wish to do that, you can take out the tarts halfway through the baking, and brush them with egg yolk glaze, then put them back in the oven to continue the baking process. In this way, the yolk glaze will not be burnt and yet give you that lovely yellow hue.

When it comes to baking, it all boils down to the details – the type of ingredients used, the mixing method, the assembling part, the baking, the cooling of the baked products and even the storage too. All these may seem quite tedious but it’s very satisfying when you bake a batch of pineapple tarts that you really like. Better still, if the success can be repeated every time!

Regards,

Oilin

Hi Oilin,

I tried the recipe in this post... And for some reason, my "tart" is really crumbly! I can hardly pick the tart up! Do you know what happened? The tart is slightly better if I refrigerate it for a little while just before baking. But it's still really crumbly. It crumbles immediately upon biting. And I've got to pick it up REALLY slowly and lightly.Thanks a lot!

Regards,

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

If the tarts are too crumbly, here's what you can do:

- reduce the amount of butter used by 30g, or

- increase the amount of flour by 40g, or

- bake the tarts longer.

Hope the above is useful. I do appreciate your comments and feedback. Keep them coming!

Regards,
Oilin

Cookie Jars

2007-01-04T18:09:00.002+08:00

I bought the above glass jar from Ikea and it costs only $2.00! It's durable and airtight and it's wonderful for storing cookies and pineapple tarts. It's quite heavy though and you need to exert some effort to open it. Otherwise, it's a very good jar - looks good too.

The above glass jar (foreground) was bought at Tangs (Orchard Rd) basement level, but it isn't always in stock. I think it costs slightly more than $2.00. It's not as heavy as the Ikea jar. However, it's not very airtight so I do not store crunchy cookies in them. But they are fine for pineapple tarts and any other non-crunchy snacks. Plus this glass jar will look great with a festive-looking ribbon tied round it!

The above containers are great for storing pineapple tarts or other cookies. The one on the left (with red lid) is from Phoon Huat stores. It is festive-looking and is usually the type of container used for storing Chinese New Year snacks - great for storing pineapple tarts too.

Baking Equipment

2007-01-04T17:46:00.000+08:00

This is a pineapple cookie cutter. There is a 'button' at the top end of this device, where you push. The grooves then stamp out a pattern on the cut out dough. I prefer the other type that consists of two parts - one that cuts out the dough and the other creates a dent in the middle of the dough. Because it is easier to control the thickness of the cut-out shape and how deep a dent and pattern I want to create. (Go to www.boostprints.com/recipe to see a picture of a two-part pineapple cookie cutter.)

I've had both types of rolling pins for a long time, but I tend to favour the one without the handles (the one on the left). That's because it gives me a better 'feel' of the thickness of the dough. And it's easier to wash too!

The above is a flat plastic scraper, which can be used to scrape off cut out shapes from rolled dough. It's also great for scraping cake batter from a mixing bowl, so there is no wastage.

The flat metallic scraper (above) is also perfect for scraping and lifting cut-out cookie shapes. It was given to me by my mum and it's absolutely indispensable when I bake rolled-out cookies! I also use it to cut and divide dough (especially when I make steamed dim sum 'bao').

Both types of scrapers are available at most supermarkets and baking needs stores.

I use quite a lot of greaseproof paper to line my baking trays. The paper prevents the baked tarts/cookies from sticking to the tray. It also slows the spreading and thinning of the cookies in the oven, thus helping them to retain their shapes. And greaseproof paper helps make washing the trays easier too!

I found the above Waitrose brand greaseproof paper at Cold Storage Jelita(kitchenware aisle). Just look at the thickness of the roll! And it costs only a few dollars. The best greaseproof paper bargain I've ever found! And it's good quality too.

I bought my disposable plastic piping bags from a Phoon Huat store. It's thicker than the usual plastic bag - that makes piping easy. An alternative to piping bags is the ziploc bag (above right) because it's thicker too. HDPE plastic bags (above left) can be used as a piping bag too, but since it's thinner, it's a little harder to control. However, with a little practice, it can function well as a piping bag. Simply push some dough to a bottom corner, and snip off a small bit of plastic (at that same corner). Twist the top of the bag and you're all ready to pipe!

Pineapple Tarts Recipe (with preparation photographs)

2007-01-04T16:16:00.004+08:00

Ahh..Pineapple tarts - buttery and sweet. To me, the number one sweet treat that I associate most with Chinese New Year is pineapple tarts.
I've baked pineapple tarts so many times, I've lost count. And each time I bake these tarts, I'd experiment with different types of pineapples, various baking ingredients and their proportions, methods of mixing, assembling, baking temperature and time, even which side of the baking tray to use! After many, many baking sessions in my little kitchen, my recipe is finally printed in my first cookbook 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats'!

The ingredients used here in the recipe below are a bit different from the ones I used in my recipe in the 'Delicious Asian Sweet Treats' cookbook. This recipe contains egg yolks (the one in my cookbook does not contain egg yolks, so it's great for vegetarians), and I used caster sugar instead of icing sugar (for those of you who do not usually buy icing sugar).

450g of pineapple filling (commercially-bought or homemade)
360g plain flour plus extra for dusting (3 cups minus 2 tbsp)
2 tablespoons caster sugar
280g cold unsalted butter (2 sticks plus 1 tbsp)
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Egg glaze: 1 egg yolk mixed with a few drops of water (to thin it)

• Sift flour and sugar. Mix well.
• Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour mixture. (See 'Brands of ingredients I use'.)

• Use fingertips to rub the butter into the flour.

• Lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla essence and add to butter mixture. Combine and knead lightly to form a dough. Wrap the dough in clingwrap and chill it for an hour to firm it up. Chilling the dough makes it easy to handle.

• Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Divide dough into two portions. Keep one portion chilled. Roll the other portion (on a floured surface) to a thickness of about 7mm. Dip cookie cutter in flour and cut out shapes.

• Use a scraper (or knife) to lift the shapes and place on the tray. (See 'Baking equipment' for a photograph of a scraper.)
• Create a dent in the middle of the cookie shape.
• Brush egg glaze over the edges of the shapes.
• Pinch about 1/2 tablespoon of pineapple filling and neaten it to form a ball. Compress it lightly, then place on a cookie shape.
• Preheat the oven at 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes.

• Place some dough in a disposable piping bag and snip off a little at the corner to create a small hole. Twist the top of the bag and pipe patterns on the pineapple filling.
(See 'Baking equipment' for alternatives to piping bags.)

• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Using a flat spatula, transfer the tarts to a wire rack. Allow tarts to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. (See 'Types of containers'.)

Note: Compressing the pineapple ball filling gives it a lovely slight 'flattish' shape when baked (see picture above)

I used the above dough to make these 'closed' pineapple tarts. They taste great too! The one on the right has a clove stuck in it. It is to be removed before eating. Cloves add a wonderful fragrance to pineapple tarts.
But here, I made the mistake of brushing the egg yolk glaze before baking, which explains for the 'dry-looking' appearance. What I should have done is bake them for 6 minutes, then remove them from the oven, brush the egg glaze, then pop them back to be baked for a further 6 minutes.

recipe notes
• During baking, the dough will flatten slightly and spread a little. Therefore, when shaping the dough, do not roll it too thinly or the tarts will turn out flat and unattractive.
• Due to its high butter content, the dough may be sticky and hard to handle. Lightly flour the work surface, rolling pin and cookie cutter often. Also, leave half of the dough chilled in the fridge while you work with the other half.
• Pineapple tart cookie cutters are available at some supermarkets and baking supply stores. Look for them at the kitchenware or baking equipment section. They come in two parts – one cuts out the dough and the other creates a dent in the centre. See picture above. If unavailable, use any round cookie cutter to cut out dough, then use your thumb to create a dent in the centre.
• Due to the absence of egg, yellow food colouring is added to the dough to give it some colour.
• If the tarts spread too much during baking, increase the baking temperature slightly (200°C) for a few minutes at the start (this slows down the spreading), then lower the temperature to 190°C and bake till the tarts are done. Bake longer if you prefer crisper tarts.
• To store, use greaseproof paper to separate layers of tarts in an airtight container.

Rub-in method versus creaming method:
The rub-in method is one where you use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. I use this method in this recipe because I want the pineapple tarts to retain its fluted edges as much as possible. If I had used the creaming method (where the butter and sugar are whisked and mixed, and the flour added after that) instead, the tarts would lose its defined fluted edges.

Difficulty in handling buttery dough:
When the weather is warm and humid, the dough is hard to handle and often sticks to the rolling pin. This is what I do to remedy the situation:
- sprinkle flour on my work surface and rolling pin
- leave half of the dough chilled to keep it firm, while I work with the other half
- dip the cookie cutter in flour often
- do away with the rolling pin; take a fist-sized amount of dough and use my palm to press and flatten it.
- turn on the air-conditioning!

It's vital to use a scraper:
A scraper is simply a small, smooth, hard and very flat plastic or metallic object. I use it to scrape and lift up cut-out dough shapes. It is impossible to lift the shapes up without one, due to the tenderness of the dough. If you don't have a scraper, use a knife. But do be careful that you do not accidentally hurt yourself!

One more recipe note: Icing sugar and caster sugar can be used interchangebly in this recipe. Both serve to sweeten the buttery dough a little. But caster sugar is used in lesser amount (2 tbsp as opposed to 60g icing sugar) because it may cause the tart to lose its melt-in-the-mouth texture.

I hope the above inspires you to bake your own pineapple tarts. It's really not that difficult. Make the pineapple filling first, then freeze it. It will keep for a month this way. Then gather a bunch of friends or relatives on a Saturday afternoon and have fun making pineapple tarts together!