Pandan Gula Melaka Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Oh my, back to back cake posts!

If you're not a big fan of pandan chiffon cakes, fret not! Pandan Gula Melaka (PGM) cake is NOTHING like the pandan chiffon cakes sold in stores. Like you, I had my initial reservations too. Until I sunk my teeth into my first PGM slice. Ahhhhh, love at first bite! Fluffy and soft, complimented by the satiny buttery taste of Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB). Absolutely heaven in my mouth. I won't blame you, if you take second helpings!

Tips and tricks:

• This recipe is originally for 24 cupcakes. Since I wanted to make a cake out of it, I doubled the recipe for two 8" cake tins.
• If you want a whiter looking SMB, choose a 'white' butter such as SCS. Anchor and Tatura are more yellowish in colour. However for this recipe, since you'll be adding some gula melaka syrup, it won't really matter.
• SMB is really quite forgiving. Mine turned into scrambled eggs but I quickly popped them into the fridge for 15 minutes and then whipped them again with my KitchenAid. After 5 minutes, those scrambled eggs magically turned into SMB. I recommend reading Sweetapolita's tips and tricks for SMB before your first attempt.

Okay, recipe time! So I mixed and matched a few recipes this time. The PGM cake recipe is adapted from BitterSweetSpicy, the SMB recipe is adapted from Azie Kitchen while the Gula Melaka caramel is from Azlita Masam Manis.

The naked cake, before flaked coconut garnish and gula Melaka caramel drizzle.

Pandan Gula Melaka

(makes 12 cupcakes, or double recipe for two 8" cakes)

200 gm superfine flour
1/2 teaspoon double acting baking powder
125 gm unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
160 gm (reduced from 200gm) caster sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
75 gm coconut milk (KARA) + 25 gm water
2 tablespoon pandan juice (blend 5 pieces of pandan leaves with 1 tablespoon of water, press through a fine sieve to extract the green juice, let it settle and the green extract will settle at the bottom)
Green colouring

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liner or, if using cupcake paper cups, place cups onto a baking pan. If making cake, grease and flour generously two 8 inch pans.
• Combine flour & baking power. Sift and set aside. 
• Combine coconut milk, water, pandan juice and green colouring. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, combine butter, vanilla & salt. Cream until smooth. 
• Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
• Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
• Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the coconut milk mixture. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, taking care not to over beat.
• Fill paper cups or muffin pan with batter, 3/4 full. If making cake, divide batter equally into the two pans.
• Place pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.
• Cool cakes completely on a wire rack before icing. 

Check out those layers of SMB.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

(Since I'm using Gula Melaka caramel to flavour the SMB, I've adapted the recipe slightly to reduce the sweetness)

50g gula Melaka, crushed
2 pandan leaves, torn lengthwise & tied a knot
1/8 cup water

4 large egg whites
110g granulated sugar (reduced from 200-220gm)
200g unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature (reduced from 300-350gm)
1 tsp pure vanilla paste
1/4tsp salt

• To prepare Gula Melaka caramel, combine water, gula Melaka & daun pandan in a heavy-based saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until all the sugar has melted. Then continue heating up the syrup & let it reduce slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, strain & leave aside to cool completely to room temperature. The caramel will thicken as it cools. If it becomes too thick, thin out with a little bit of water before using.
• Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk frequently, keeping it over the heat, until the mixture reaches about 70°C and the sugar has dissolved (rub some between your fingers - if it feels grainy, it hasn't dissolved). 
• Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a whisk attached and beat on medium-high for about 5 minutes, until stiff peaks have formed and the mixture has cooled to room temperature. 
• Turn down the speed to medium and start adding small chunks of butter, checking that it has incorporated before adding more. Keep beating until the mixture comes together, this will take about 5 minutes. 
• With the mixer running, add in the gula Melaka caramel, one teaspoon at a time, beating until well combined between each addition. You need not use all the gula Melaka syrup. Just add enough.

A pool of gula Melaka caramel drizzle.

Gula Melaka Caramel

(To drizzle on the frosting)

50g gula Melaka

1 pandan leaf
1 tbsp water
1/2 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until the gula Melaka has melted. If it doesn't thicken, add 1 tsp of cornflour that has been mixed with some water. Cook again until it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool down before using. Garnish the cake with some lightly toasted flaked coconuts, and then drizzle the gula Melaka caramel.

Don't be overwhelmed with the number of steps needed to make this cake. I assure you, it is absolutely worth it. Happy baking!

Whip It!

After a series of cakes for my in-laws' kenduri last weekend, I had plenty of leftover dairy and non-dairy whipped cream in the fridge. I hated the idea of it going to waste, so I decided to make two of Hubby's favourite desserts - Pavlova and Cheesecake! Both needed some amount of whipped cream in them, but I guess it still wasn't enough because there's at least half a box of each variant still in the fridge. Must find more recipes with whipped cream... Perhaps a batch of creme brûlée or some cream puffs are in order!

I apologize for the series of baking posts. This is turning into a baking blog pulak instead of a parenting one. Well mummies need to feed their husbands and kids with yummy cakes and such kan kan kan? And it's so close to Ramadhan so bagi chan lah with the calorie count.

I digress. Back to the cakes. First up, pavlova! I've always used Joy of Baking's recipe for my pavlovas and they've always turned out beautifully. But this time around I decided to make a chocolate pavlova instead, using Joy of Baking's tried and tested recipe. The only difference between the chocolate pavlova and the conventional pavlova, is the used of cocoa powder and chopped chocolates.

No chopped chocolates, please. Just stick to cocoa powder.

If you're not a big fan of sweets, I strongly urge you not to add the chopped chocolates in the batter. If you're like me, then add more chocolates!! *giggles* No, seriously, I have a high tolerance for sugar. Being half Kelantanese, I chugged the air gula to check for diabetes during pregnancy macam takde hal lah. But I really hate the thought of anyone having to amputate their legs because of my pavlova, so yes seriously, leave out the chopped chocolates.

Tips and tricks:

• When beating sugar and egg whites, test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your fingers. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth.
• Do not take the pavlova out immediately after the timer rings. Crack your oven open just slightly, and let it cool down completely for a few hours.
• If you're looking for a soft center in your meringue, bake it for 60 mins. If you prefer a slight crunch, do 75 mins. The longer you cook it and let it dry out (in the oven), the firmer it will be.
• When constructing your pavlova, dip the center and keep the sides slightly higher so you can a slight well in the middle. This helps greatly when you're trying to fit the cream.
• I tried using non-dairy whipped cream instead of the normal dairy one. Loveeee it! As the cream held well, it didn't make my pavlova 'wet'. Usually pavlovas break down pretty quickly due to the moisture of the cream and fruit. Definitely doing this again next time.
• If you're looking for a cake to present to your future mother-in-law, this is NOT the cake to make. Takut nanti tak jadi kawin! This cake does not cut well, and is very messy to eat. You might as well spoon it into a bowl when serving.

Chocolate Pavlova

(recipe adapted from Joy of Baking)

120 grams egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar or lemon juice (I did not use this cos I didn't have any)
200 grams castor sugar
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon corn flour
15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
30 grams semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (please omit this!)
240 ml cold whipping cream (I used non-dairy)
Fresh fruit  of your choice - I usually use, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and kiwi fruit

• Preheat your oven to 150 degC. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the parchment paper. 
• In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar on medium speed until you have soft peaks. Then add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue is shiny and holds stiff peaks. 
• Add the vanilla extract and vinegar and beat until combined. Using a small strainer, sift the cocoa powder and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in. If you like you can then fold in the chopped chocolate.
• Gently pile the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges.
• Place the baking sheet into the oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 120 degC. Bake the Pavlova for about 60 - 75 minute.
• Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven (about two hours).
• Shortly before serving gently place the meringue on your serving plate. Whip the cold cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Mound the whipped cream into the center of the meringue and arrange the fruit on top of the cream. 
• Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold well.

So messy... but so good!

Ok, next up! Mango Cheesecake. This is a simple, no-bake cake. All you need is a fridge! I usually stay away from cakes that do not need to go into the oven, but surprisingly this one was quite good. It is really easy to do too; the most difficult part of making it is waiting while it sets in the fridge! *chuckles*

Tips and tricks:

• Do not make your mango purée nor cut your mangoes into cubes before the base crumb is done. The mangoes will sadly turn brown. If you really must, cover the puréed/cut mangoes with plastic wrap and store in fridge. Similarly, try to finish the cake in a day, or your cubed mangoes decorating the top of the cake will turn brown too.
• You can substitute Marie biscuits with Digestive or even Oreos!
• If you want to impress your future mother-in-law, try making this in small individual clear glasses or mousse jars, instead of a cake pan. Bonus points for presentation!

No Bake Chilled Mango Cheesecake

(recipe adapted from Dapur Tanpa Sempadan)

200 grams Marie biscuits

100 grams melted butter
250 grams cream cheese
60 grams castor sugar
2 mangoes, one puréed , the other diced
1 1/2 table spoon halal gelatine
125 ml warm water
200 ml cold heavy whipping cream

• Pulse biscuits in a food processor or put biscuits into a ziplock bag and crush until it resembles coarse crumbs. In a bowl, combine crushed cookies and melted butter. 
• Pour biscuit crumbs into a springform cake pan and press down with the bottom of a cup/glass to create the crust. Put in the freezer to let the crust set.
• Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Fold in mango purée and beat until well combined. 
• In a different bowl, whip the cream until thick and fold into the cream cheese mixture.. 
• Whisk the gelatine and hot water in a small bowl until the gelatine dissolves. Stir into the cream cheese mixture then add half of the cubed mangoes. Mix well.
• Pour the mixture on top of the refrigerated crust and flatten the top using a spatula. Keep in the refrigerator until set (about 3-4 hours).
• Remove pan sides and transfer cake to platter. Just before serving, decorate with the remaining mango cubes.

As always, happy baking!

Aiden's 7th Birthday at School

Heh... I had a whole long entry drafted in my phone for this, but of course that went down the drain together with the wiped out iPhone. *sigh*

Anyway, here's my attempt at rewriting it. So Aiden's actual birthday fell on a school day, Friday to be exact; two days before the big party at Kizsport. I was nervous about having his party at school, as all my previous experiences were at the kindy where class timing was flexible and teachers were more than happy to accommodate to your request for a party.

Big boy school was a whole different ball game. Not only were we not allowed to have the party in class, but we were confined to having it during recess time, with simple food that could easily be cleaned up afterwards.

Simple food? It was a toss up between a KFC single drumstick set or a McDonalds Happy Meal. In the end we decided on the latter as it also came with an additional toy to complement the party pack. We pre-ordered the meals two days before the party at our local McDonalds.

On the day of the party, I was running late from a prior facial. McDonalds had already called me twice to remind me that the food was ready for pickup. By the time I arrived, loaded the boxes and boxes of Happy Meals into my tiny Mini, and ordered additional Big Macs for Aiden's teachers, it was past the school start time. Problem was, Aiden was still at home waiting for me to send him to school! *pullshairout*

I drove home and texted the teacher to inform her that Aiden would only be joining his class post recess (which explains why his hair is still neatly combed in the below pictures) and that the party was still on! Thankfully she was quite accommodating, she even offered to ferry the kids to the canteen ten minutes before the stipulated recess time so the kids could enjoy more time at the 'party'.

As we pulled up into Aiden's school, the kids were already at the canteen, eagerly waiting for our arrival. They got super excited when they saw the Happy Meal boxes, but I refrained from giving them their toys and goody bags until the end of the party. With the help of Aiden's ketua darjah (a very responsible sweet girl, memang boleh buat calon menantu type!) the class formed a line and the teacher started distributing the food.

Aiden posing with his class teacher. Check out that hand trying to grab Aiden's Happy Meal ;)

Best friends.

Best 'girl' friends.

Boxes of Happy Meals left unattended as the kids were busy playing together.

Ian not impressed. *giggles*

The happy birthday boy posing with his best friends.

As everyone was busy gobbling down their food, I took the time to setup the cake cutting table. To my dismay, I realized that I forgot my cake stand! #DIYmummyproblems

Aiden wanted a Star Wars themed cake for both school and his official party. Realizing that I wouldn't have time to make two Millennium Falcons (even making one gave me a huge headache), I decided to embark on a simple two dimensional BB8 cake. I baked a full nine inch cake for the body, then a six inch cake (cut in half) for the head. Covered the entire thing with white fondant and then I used orange and grey fondant for the detailing. The best part? In all my rush I forgot to take pictures of the finished cake!!!

Best picture I got of the cake, before the kids ate the whole thing!

Fireworks candle - total havoc in the canteen! Sorry teachers!

Happy 7th birthday, Aiden! (Ian still not impressed!)

The fireworks candle sure caused quite some havoc in the canteen. Since Aiden couldn't blow out the fireworks, we allowed him to do extra cuts of the cake. After the cake cutting session, we distributed the sliced cakes. But I guess the kids were full from the food (or they were just excited about getting their goody bags), that they only ate BB8's head. In the end we told Aiden's teacher to bring the uncut BB8 body into the Bilik Guru for the teachers.

Distributing goody bags.

Good thing I had Aiden's ketua darjah beside me, cos some kids from neighbouring classes decided to queue up as well! And she would confidently 'shoo' them away, "Eh, awak bukan dari kelas saya, awak tak boleh amik!" Hah, I love this girl already! *chuckles*

Love this photo of the boys posing as super heroes.

Happy 7th birthday Aiden. We hope you enjoyed your birthday at school!

Millennium Falcon - The Epic Cake!

Happy Tuesday peeps!

My oh my, the past three weekends of April certainly went by in a blur. I was so busy preparing for Aiden and Ian's Star Wars party that I didn't have much time for anything else (what more, blogging)!

But the party is now done and dusted. And I spent much of yesterday, enjoying the peace after the storm. I did absolutely NOTHING. Such bliss!

Craziest cake we've done!

To kick off my recap of the said Star Wars party, here is a post dedicated to the birthday cake - the Millennium Falcon. This takes the cake (pun intended) for birthday cake paling gila we've done for our two boys. We slept past 5am, three nights in a row working on the cake; the first night for baking, sculpting the cake and crumb coat, second night covering it with a second layer of buttercream and then fondant, and the third night working the small fondant pieces. That final night, I think we clocked over 10 hours just for decorating to detail!

I downloaded a blue print of the Millennium Falcon here, and enlarged it so that the circular part is nine inch wide (to fit my nine inch pan). I printed a couple of copies for use. With the print out, I traced the template onto a cake board, and using an electric saw, Hubby cut the board to size. Also worth to note, the largest cake board I could fit into my fridge was a 13x17, so I was limited to only that amount of board space.

Moist chocolate cake. We sculpted the cake from one 9 inch cake and another 6 inch cake. Not too flattering, right? Someone thought I burnt the cake *chuckles* while another thought it was kek gula hangus! *giggles*

The cake was Aiden and Ian's favourite moist chocolate cake, layered with dark chocolate ganache. Everything was completely edible; no boards, wires or plastic supports were used inside the cake. Since the Millennium Falcon has a lot of slopes and ridges, lathering on buttercream on the very moist chocolate cake was no easy feat. By the time we were done, we had so many cake crumbs littered on the table. In the end we had to give it another layer of buttercream (on the second night) just to give it a smoother finish.

Ready for fondant!

Also on the second night, we placed the first layer of fondant over the cake. Initially, we tried covering it part by part, but I wasn't happy with the end result. So at 3am I made the executive decision (tear drops included) to rip the whole thing off and start from scratch again. It was only at 5am that I was finally happy with the end result.

The night before the party, we started on the decorations from 5pm till 5am the next morning; with only brief stops for solat, shower and a quick bite to eat.

Close to midnight, and only halfway done.

5 am - finally done!

Cutting those small fondant pieces took a lot (and I mean, a whole lot) of patience. On some instances, we had to use a toothpick just to push the minuscule fondant into place. We made sure we incorporated all the nerdy details, such as the panels, escape hatches, floodlights and such. We tried as much as possible to follow the blueprint to the last detail, but by 430am we were just 'winging' the final details, mengantuk punya pasal.

Once the cake was ready, we gave it a good spray with edible colouring (I used Wilton silver colour mist) to give it that shimmery look. Unfortunately, it also covered the red coloured fondant with silver shine, so using cotton buds, we had to 'clean' those parts. We weren't able to completely remove the shimmer, but thankfully for us, the slight gleam gave the reddish parts a rustic look which worked well!

The cake after shimmer spray.

Back of the cake.

Complete with a satellite dish!

The attention to detail - sharp and clean, just the way I like it.

The cake was certainly the center of attention during the party. Many thought that it was a toy, not many expected it to be made fully from cake. We actually had to cut out a slice to show them the cake layers inside! And the excitement on Aiden's face the first time he saw the cake, was simply priceless. Made all our effort so worthwhile!

But, will we do this cake ever again? Naaahhhhhh... Taubat tak nak buat dah! *giggles*

Three Ingredient Scones

Waking up to a plate of freshly baked scones, is my idea of a perfect breakfast. Unfortunately, I have never been able to wake up to such a treat, until now! With just three ingredients, even dear Hubby can whip up a scrumptious plate of scones without any supervision. (Getting him to agree to bake them while I sleep in, is a completely separate challenge, though!)

Three ingredients are all you need to make these beautiful scones: self raising flour, cream anddddd the secret ingredient; a can of lemonade (7-Up or Sprite). If you won't believe me, I swear I won't take offense. But please believe Monique Bowley, a former contestant of The Great Australian Bake Off. I think it is quite safe to say that she knows what it takes to bake a good scone. Here's her video which shows how simple it is to make this decadent afternoon (or perhaps morning?) treat.

Monique Bowley was a former contestant on The Great Australian Bake Off. So it's safe to say that she knows what it takes to bake a good scone.
Posted by Debrief Daily on Sunday, October 18, 2015

To try this super simple recipe, you will need the below ingredients:

• 4 cups of self-raising flour
• 300ml of whipping/thickened cream
• 1 can of lemonade (~370ml)
• (1/2 teaspoon of salt, completely optional)

Simply pour the trio of ingredients into a bowl - flour, cream followed by the can of lemonade.

Instead of using a wooden spoon, use a knife to mix everything together.

A thing to note when handling the batter, is to use a light touch when mixing the ingredients together. Use a knife, just until the ingredients are combined, then use the tips of your fingers to mix them into a dough-like consistency, making sure not to over knead.

Using a scone cutter or a cup, cut the dough into small pieces. Place them onto a lined baking tray, making sure they are lined close together. Don't worry, it will only go upwards; it will not expand sideways. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes at 200degC.

As soon as you take them out of the oven, I guarantee that you won't be able to resist picking one up, splitting it open while still warm, filling it with butter, strawberry jam and a large dollop of cream, and popping it into your mouth. *drool* Definitely my comfort food!

A perfect scone!

Sugar Lace

I've been baking relentlessly these past few days. My sister in law is getting engaged tomorrow hence an engagement cake and a dessert table is in the works. (It's tough being the designated baker of the family!)

Engagement and wedding cakes are typically white in colour. This one is no different. However, instead of the usual flowers on the top kinda deal, I toyed around with the idea of making sugar laces. Those intricate edible laces can dress up a cake so beautifully, but I bet they won't be so easy to make.

After mulling over it for a while, I decided to take the plunge. Since I'm not done with all my baking just yet (!!!) I'll save the recipe and instructions for a separate post. I'll keep this one short and sweet, with pictures of the end result:

And some photos of the tedious yet so satisfying process:

Peeling the lace out from the mould. It was quite gratifying!

The intricate laces. Have a good (long!!!) weekend everyone!

M&M Cookies

M&M cookies!

This is an extremely easy cookie recipe that you can make with your kids in the kitchen! I made two batches of this with Aiden last month, and he had so much fun pushing the M&Ms into the cookie batter. He has even started a mini business selling these cookies to my sister in laws... it's currently going at RM1 per piece and he's making quite good money from the looks of it. Must be the sales pitch; how can one resist saying yes to such an enthusiastic boy selling cookies to raise money to buy a new iPad?? *chuckles in amusement*

Note that this is the soft, buttery chewy type of cookie, not the crunchy type. If you prefer the crunchy type, you're better off doing chocolate chip cookies. Recipe is from my favourite baking site - Joy of Baking. Depending on the size of your cookies, this recipe may yield about 15 large cookies.

M&M Cookies:

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar
2/3 cup (140 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup (200 grams) M&M's or Smarties candies

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 177 degrees C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until well combined. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. (If batter is soft, cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.)
5. Using a 1/4 cup (60 ml), an ice cream scoop, or two spoons, form batter into large balls. Place six balls of dough on each baking sheet. Gently flatten each ball of dough into a 2 1/2 inch (6.5 cm) round. Completely cover the tops of the cookies with the M&M's or Smarties. Gently press the candies into the dough. Bake the cookies for about 14 -17 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are light golden brown in color and just set around the edges. They will still seem a little soft in the center but they will firm up as they cool. 
6. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

Look at that! Don't worry - even if they look lumpy and out of shape on the baking sheet, when they go in the oven it will spread out beautifully into large circular cookies.

Note to self - next time buy more M&Ms! Since the batter spreads out quite massively, you need to put lots of M&Ms so you get an M&M in every bite.

Aiden munching on an M&M deprived cookie.

As I mentioned before, the batter spreads quite a bit; so make sure you space your cookies out adequately. Otherwise, your cookie will expand to the neighbouring cookie, and you will have to split them by cutting them into two - hence the very weird looking cookies shown here!

Estimate about 8-10 M&M per cookie.

Here's Aiden posing with one of his customers. (Hi, sister in law!) Unfortunately, Ian stole a bite before Aiden got paid! 

P.S: I was such an OCD, I actually made sure each cookie didn't have two of the same colour M&M. (Probably sounds quite silly to you!) Of course I missed a few... especially the last ones, but the effort was so worth it. Every cookie looked like they had a burst of rainbow on top!