Can't believe I'm saying this but I am getting sick of chocolate

I went shopping one day and saw that a box of 8 Bulla Crunch ice creams were one for $6 or 3 boxes for $10. My mind said "Gosh, they are cheap" but my body said "They won't be good for you". As you can guess, my mind took over. But because my partner needed the freezer for his diet ingredients, I had to start clearing space so over two weeks, I had 3 boxes.

And as fate had it, I was wanting to make ganache as I haven't done that before so really, I just wanted to play with the icing, rather than make the cake. But ganache is really only good for one thing - Chocolate mud cake. So I had to make that too and had to scrounge around looking for a recipe for ganache and mud cake.

I didn't even taste the cake and ganache until two days later, after quite a number of people commented on the moistness of the cake, and remembering that I haven't taken a photo of the cross section of the cupcake that I brought one home from the class whom I had baked it for. So after the photos, I tasted it and true enough, it was the best thing I've baked ever. But now, I am all chocolate-out but this has become my most beloved recipe so I had promised a friend to bake it for another friend's birthday coming up in Feb.

Chocolate Mud Cake with Ganache

Ingredients:
(makes 24 cupcakes)
190gm milk chocolate
60gm dark chocolate
250gm butter
190ml water
155gm self raising flour
170gm plain flour
30gm cocoa powder
1/2 tsp bicarbinate soda
450gm sugar
4 eggs
40ml oil
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
125ml buttermilk

Method:

1. Place chocolate and butter in a saucepan and allow chocolate to melt slightly before adding in the water.
2. Allow chocolate to fully melt and until the mixture is a smooth consistency.
3. Allow chocolate to cool to room temperature.
4. Sift the self-raising flour, plain flour, cocoa powder, and bicarbinate soda into a large bowl.
5. Add the sugar in with the flour.
6. In another bowl, combine the eggs, oil , essence and buttermilk and whisk until the eggs are thoroughly incorporated into the fluid mixture.
7. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the egg mixture into the centre of the well and fold the mixture through.
8. Pour the chocolate into the combined mixture in three batches, fully mixing the mixture after each addition. (The batter should be pretty runny)
9. Line a 12 cupcake muffin tray with cupcake liners and fill it two-thirds full of batter.
10. Place into a preheated 160 degrees Celcius oven for 30 mins or until skewer comes out clean.
11. Repeat steps 9-10.
12. Take out of oven and allow to cool to room temperature, before placing it into the fridge for an hour prior to coating it with ganache.

The recipe is actually for a cake which is required to be placed in the oven for 1 1/2hours.

Ganache:
300gm milk chocolate
60gm butter
62ml thickend cream

1. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and place it over low-medium heat until the chocolate has just melted.
2. Remove from the stove and stir until the chocolate mixture is glossy and smooth.
3. Pour over the muffins if desired, or wait for the ganache to cool down slightly so that it is a spreadable consistency.

Note: By pouring the ganache over the muffins, the sides of the muffin liners can get pretty sticky and messy so I had dipped the muffins into the ganache and held it down for a few seconds. However, some still dripped onto the sides of the muffin liners. Best way is to probably wait if you have the time and spread it with a palette knife but that may not be as smooth if you had poured it on.

Muffins are just plain, ugly cupcakes.

I read somewhere that muffins are just plain, ugly cupcakes.

I have had frozen blueberries sitting in my freezer for almost 3/4 year now so decided that I'll never get to use them on anything else other than muffins/cheesecakes. Plus since it's been sitting in my freezer for so long, and I have never used these berries in my bakes, I thought that the blueberries must all be used in one hit so it doesn't go back into my freezer. So having remembered the quote "Muffins are just ugly cupcakes, I thought I'd make a cream cheese topping so I don't end up with ugly cupcakes", and remaining blueberries.

Blueberry muffins with blueberry cream cheese topping

Ingredients:

(makes 24 muffins)

3 eggs (small, or 2 large eggs)

2 tsp vanilla essence

125ml oil

420ml buttermilk

600gm self raising flour

335gm sugar

400gm blueberries (frozen or fresh)

Method:

1. Combine vanilla essence, oil, buttermilk and eggs in a bowl and whisk until eggs are incorporated into the fluid mixture.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl.
3. Mix the sugar and blueberries into the flour.
4. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in one third of the liquid mixture.
5. Fold until it is half incorporated before adding another one-third of the liquid mixture.
6. Repeat step 5 with the remaining liquid until mixture is well mixed. DO NOT overmix the mixture as this increases the gluten from the flour and makes the muffins tough after baking. Just fold until just combined.
7. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners and fill it two-thirds full with the batter.
8. Place in a preheated 190 degrees Celcius oven.
9. Bake for 25 mins or until skewer comes out clean.
10. Repeat steps 7-9.
11. Allow the cupcakes/muffins to cool to room temperature, before placing it into the fridge for 1 hour.

Icing:
250gm philadelphia cream cheese
200gm whipping cream
80gm blueberries (fresh or frozen)
icing sugar

Method:

1. Whip softened cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
3. Puree the blueberries and add into the softened cream cheese.
4. Gradually add the whipped cream and sift enough icing sugar to taste (sorry, I didn't measure)
5. Pour on top of cupcake. To make my decoration, after each layer, place into fridge for 10 mins before adding another dollop of cream on top. Repeat 4-5 times.

Note: I made the topping too runny and cannot therefore place into piping bags to pipe onto the muffins and resorted to step 5 above. To reduce the runny-ness, reduce the whipped cream.

Curry Puffs

Ingredients:
Filling:
2 tbsp oil
4 large potatoes (diced into 1cm cubes)
4 large onions (diced)
500gm chicken mince
125ml coconut milk
3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour (may not be required)
2 cups oil for frying

Water dough(A)
2 cups plain flour
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
150 ml cold water (mix and knead together)

Oil Dough(B)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
6 oz butter
(mix and knead together)

Method:

1. Boil diced potatoes until tender, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
2. Saute diced onions in a skillet with the oil until soft and fragrant.
3. Add chicken mince to the onions and stir fry until chicken mince is cooked, then add in potatoes.
4. Add coconut milk into the chicken mixture.
5. Sprinkle the curry powder, tumeric powder, and sugar into the skillet.
6. Depending on the moisture content of the mixture, if it is too watery, sprinkle a bit of plain flour to absorb the water. Otherwise, this can be omitted.
7. Set aside filling to cool to room temperature.

1. Mix Dough A and Dough B separately and store in the fridge for about 1 hour.
2. Divide Dough A into 28 portions, and Dough B into 25 portions.
3. Take one portion each of Dough A and Dough B and roll it into a ball.
4. Slightly flatten Dough A with the palm of your hands and wrap up Dough B.
5. Roll the combined dough into a long rectangle, ensuring that Dough B does not leak out of Dough A.
6. Starting from one end of the rectangle where the width is narrowest, roll it to the other end like a swiss roll.
7. Turn the rolled up dough 90 degrees clockwise and roll out into a long rectangle again. If you find that the oil dough is going to leak out, place it back into the fridge.
8. Repeat steps 13 and 14 another 2 more times, before rolling it into a ball and returning it to the fridge while completing the rest of Dough A and Dough B.
9. Place ball of combined dough onto work surface and roll out onto the tabletop, place filling in the middle and crimp the sides of the curry puff. Place it aside (in the fridge if you willl be deep frying it soon, or in the freezer if you plan to store it for a later date).
10. Deep fry curry puffs in batches of three - five until golden brown. Drain off excess oil and serve hot or warm.
    
    

    
    

Note: If the made-up curry puffs are stored in the freezer, defrost it for about 8hrs (overnight) in the fridge before frying. The frozen curry puffs can stay in the freezer for about 2-3 months.

What's Christmas Without Trifle

Trifle - Sweet and refreshing on a hot, Darwin Christmas. This recipe is ideal for those who want to say that they made it but the truth is, they only assembled it all together.

Trifle
1 jam roll
2 packets portwine/raspberry jelly (follow manufacturer's direction and allow to set)
1 litre custard (I made mine with 2/3 cup of custard powder and 1 litre of milk, boiled until it thickens and let to cool)
500gm fruit salad in syrup (drained, and reserve the syrup)
600ml cream

Method:

1. Cut jam roll into 1cm slices.
2. Line half the jam rolls into glass bowl,
3. Drizzle 1/3 of the fruit salad syrup over the jam roll slices.
4. Cut jelly into cubes and fill the glass bowl with half the amount of jelly made.
5. Pour the custard over the jelly.
6. Top with half the drained fruit salad.
7. Place the remaining jam rolls on top of the fruit salad layer.
8. Repeat steps 4 - 6.
9. Whip cream until cream almost triple in volume (but before it turns into butter)
10. Using the spatula, layer the cream on top of the trifle.

Note: No cream layer in my pic as it was nearly overflowing, and my partner has to take it into work so I didn't want cream all over the car.

Christmas - A Time to Get Drunk

Christmas - drinking with family and friends which kinda inspired me to make these rum balls. However as I don't take alcohol and neither should I compromise my partner's and his workmates' work ethics as paramedics, I thought I had better substitute it with rum essence

Rum balls

250gm plain biscuits (Arnott's Arrowroot, Marie and Nice biscuits would do fine)
3 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp rum essence (or the real stuff)
395ml condensed milk (1 tin)
1 cup desicated coconut
Extra desicated coconut, cocoa, or chopped nuts, for decoration

Method:

1. Process the biscuits in a blender until they resemble bread crumbs.
2. Add in the desicated coconut.
3. Sift in the cocoa.
4. Add the rum and condensed milk into the mixture and stir until the mixture sticks together.
5. Roll into balls and roll over the extra desicated coconut (or cocoa or chopped nuts) for decoration.

Colour of Christmas

Been deprived of my decorating set for so long that I decided to make cupcakes - only so that I can decorate them. I went through some websites and found ideas on what to decorate on my cupcakes, and because I couldn't decide which ones I wanted, I ended up with all of them.

Cupcakes
250 gm butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 egges
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup self raising flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
370ml milk

Method:

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add in vanilla essence and beat well.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together.
5. Add the flour in 3 portions along with the milk, and mix well, starting and finishing off with the flour.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 20-25 mins.

Glace:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp milk
20gm butter (softened)

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre of the icing sugar and add in butter, and 1 tbsp boiling water.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Add milk and stir until well combined.
5. If more water is required to acquire the right consistency, then add in some more boiling water and stir.
6. Colour icing as desired and coat the cupcake tops.

Note: Making the glazing is optional. I only did it because I wanted a coloured surface to place my buttercream decorations. If using this step, place the iced cupcakes into the fridge for 10 mins so the icing glace can harden.

Buttercream:
120gm icing sugar
240gm butter
colouring

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Add the butter and beat until the butter achieve a pale ivory colour.
3. Colour as required and decorate (the fun bit)

Christmas once again

It's been a long time but with Christmas holidays here, and having just resigned from my job (as I got a new position), I finally found my baking & decorating hobby once again.

Oreo Truffles

250gm Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)

3 packets of Oreo cookies (39 pieces of oreos)

Method:

1. Place the Oreo's (including the sandwiched cream) into a blender and blend until finely processed.
2. Place Oreo's into large mixing bowl.
3. Combine the softened Cream cheese with the Oreo's until thoroughly combined.
4. Roll into balls, or shape them into the desired shape. Place into fridge for 10mins or freezer for 5 mins before decorating with icing.

*DO NOT place the cream cheese along with the Oreo's into the blender otherwise when oil starts weeping out in big droplets, don't say that you haven't been warned.

Icing:
Heat white chocolate as per directions on the packet. Add in peppermint oil once the chocolate is melted. Colour and decorate truffles as desired.