Daring Bakers' Challenge: Dobos Torta

I am always late in posting challenges..haha..

The first few challenges I've done was easy. Cheesecake, so easy. Cookies, so easy. Strudel, easy. But this challenge is actually quite challenging (pun intended). And thanks to my outstanding procrastinating skills, I only managed to make the cake today. :)

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful
of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos
Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite
Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

This dessert is by far the most difficult baking project for me. I am a simple person and I love simple recipes. But occasionally, I do crave some more action. And this is the one reason why I joined Daring Bakers. I need challenges in order to improve my baking skills.

Prep times: It took me 4 hours to complete this challenge. I halved the recipe to make a cute small 6 inch cake.

You can have a look at the recipe here, courtesy of Angela and Lorraine.

Cakes cooling.

Making the cake was a breeze. The smell when the cake was baking was so divine. I love the eggy vanilla flavour.


But, I had a little bit trouble when making the chocolate buttercream. The buttercream won't firm up and I had to put it in the fridge and the colour was not dark but more like a chocolate milkshake. It tasted good anyways.


Oh boy! the caramel topping was my least favourite part of the recipe. I didn't anticipate that it will harden so fast. My cake was not pretty.

Overall, I like this dessert. I do not love it because it's a tad too sweet for my liking. August challenge done. Woot!

Breaking fast with Chapati

Happy fasting everybody! It's Ramadhan once more. My favourite month of the year. I can improve myself spiritually. I can detox my body. Keep my body healthy. My diet is well on its way. And of course, breaking fast with yummy food.

I had chapati yesterday. I prefer breaking fast with simple food. Only occasionally we go out for buffets. Breaking fast with my family at home easting home cooked meal is what I love in Ramadhan.

Chapati

Preparation time: 40 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Makes 6 large chapatis

Ingredients:

2 cups flour (I usually use 1 cup wholemeal and 1 cup plain flour)
3/4 cup of boiling water
a splash of vegetable oil
pinch of salt

Directions:


1. Place flour in a bowl. Add in the boiling water, oil and salt and stir with as spatula. Once the dough cools a bit (not to hot to handle by hand), knead the dough.


2. Knead until the dough forms a firm ball.


3. Leave the dough to rest for 30 mins. Cover the bowl with a damp towel.


4. Then, divide the dough into 6 same size balls.


5. Sprinkle a little flour on the table and roll the dough a thin as possible.


6. Make sure the pan is hot and NOT oiled. Cook the chapati. You when it's ready when the chapati bubbles up (looks like a fluffy pillow).



7. Place the cooked chapatis under a damp towel to avoid it from drying. Eat it hot with spicy curry dhal.

I ate mine with my mum's special dhal made of chinese mustard green, beans, chilli, garlic and of course dhal cooked with ghee. Yum!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Milan Cookies

Haha..I know I'm a bit behind the schedule in posting the daring bakers challenge. Gahh!! Why am I so lazy?!!! So here I am blogging at 5am in the morning after waking up at 3am just to bake Milan Cookies. I missed last month's challenge and I cannot miss the July challenge too. Next time, I really must bake ahead of time.

Isn't it ironic that I blog more when I don't have internet at home and I blog less when I have already have broadband at home? It should be the other way around. I don't know why I'm so d**n lazy. All these internet technologies feels like homework to me. I have to update facebook..I have to update twitter..and my poor, poor blog..I think she is dying from neglect. And not to mention my friendster account..I think it's dead already..*sigh*

Anyhow, back to the challenge. I decided to bake Milan Cookies only. Nicole did mention I can either do both recipes or just choose one. I'm not in the mood to make my own marshmallows. Too much work..haha..

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

Milan Cookies
Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 30 mins
Serves: about 18 cookies (I halved the recipe)

3 oz unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
egg white from 2 large eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoons lemon extract (I didn't have lemon extract so I used orange extract instead)
1 cup all purpose flour
• Cookie filling, recipe follows

Cookie filling:
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 4oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 orange, zested

Directions:

1. Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl.

In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.

2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.

4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

The first batch was very runny and the result was a disaster. I was cursing to myself thinking..here I am baking in the wee hours of the morning and aarrgghhh!!!

The recipe needs 3/4 cup flour but I added another 1/4 cup to make the batter thicker. Thank God that worked!!

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

6. Grate the orange zest.

7. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate.

add zest and blend well. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

This cookie has a very strong orange flavour. It's not really my favourite but delicious nonetheless.

July challenge done!! Hip Hip Hooray!!

26 July

I had a very low key birthday yesterday. I've decided to cancel my KL trip and celebrate with my parents instead. We went to the gym (I got myself a 6 months gym membership for my birthday..hehe), spent the morning swimming at the newly-found swimming pool (Hurrah!!) and had yummy dimsum brunch at Dynasty. I did mention I didn't want any cake but my dad bought one for me anyway. :)

Oh! I want to share the wordings on the card my sister gave me:-

"Somehow the deepest feelings too seldom find their way from hearts to words. I may not often talk about how much you mean to me, how very proud I am of you, how dear you'll always be - and yet I hope you understand the things I may not say and know how much I wish you joy today and every day! Happy Birthday."

I feel like crying when I read her card. My baby sister is maturing quite well. Love her!

I did enjoy my birthday and I am grateful for all the blessings God gave me and here's to more "happy" birthdays to come..

Black and White Muffins (also a MJ post)

Update:

People must be sick of hearing news about Michael Jackson by now but I couldn't help it..hehe..

This is, in my honest opinion, the best MJ tribute ever. Must see!





It was surreal watching Michael Jackson's memorial on tv. So I thought..Michael Jackson is really dead. It was so sad especially after seeing his daughter's teary goodbye.



The news of his death was shocking. I grew up listening to his music. I remembered during my school outings, we played Thriller on the jukebox in McDonald's and laughed our heads off watching people's shocked expressions after hearing that evil laugh at the end of the song. Set aside his eccentricness and unusual lifestyle, he was, IMHO, the greatest entertainer in the world. The song "Black or White" is my all-time favourite. He made racial unity cool.



I wanted to do something in my own small way as a tribute to the King of Pop. So as an ode to my favourite Michael Jackson song, I made Black and White Muffins, a yummy combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate. My favourite flavours to commemorate the best artist that ever lived.


Black and White Muffins

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Chip Muffin

Preparation Time: 15 min
Baking Time: 20 min
makes 20 muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the chocolate batter, make another batch following the above recipe but make changes as follows:

replace 3 tbps of flour with 3 tbps of cocoa powder
replace 3/4 cup of chopped white chocolate with 3/2 cup of dark chocolate
use only 1 tsp of vanilla essence

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C. Chop the chocolate.

2. Sift the 2 batches of dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into 2 different bowls.

3. Pour all the liquid ingredients into 2 other bowls.

4. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. (Do not over-mix. A lumpy batter makes the best muffins)

5. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. (I used 2 ice cream scoops and spooned both batter together simultaneously side by side)

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are risen and springy.

Good bye the King of Pop. May you rest in peace.

I end this post with a cute MJ video, singing I want you back in 1970.