Cranberry Legit Roll / Legit Gulung Kranberi

Lapis Legit originates from Indonesia (also known as Spek koek). It takes many layers of baked batter to make one cake. This recipe is a simplified version of Lapis Legit. It is made into a roll instead of a piece of cake. Nevertheless, it tastes the same. 

Moist Carrot Cake II 红萝卜蛋糕 II

I think I hit all the criteria of a good cake for this Moist Carrot Cake. The cake was moist and soft, tall with raisins evenly distributed, and the correct balance of sweetness and tang. I absolutely loved this moist carrot cake. In fact, the cake tasted better on the next day!

Stable Cream Cheese Frosting 奶油芝士糖霜

Cream cheese frosting is my favourite.  I like my frosting creamy with strong cream cheese flavour and end with a slight tang. 

Living in a hot and humid climate, my cakes have to have a stable frosting. Otherwise, it would turn soft and lose its shape. I have been trying out for a stable cream cheese frosting recipe for quite some time. I finally settled for this cream cheese frosting recipe. 

It is not difficult to make a stable cream cheese frosting. You just have to use more cheese composition to liquid (or other soft ingredients like milk or whipped cream). Also, having a denser cream cheese flavour suits my tastes just fine. 

Boiled Fruitcake -The Easiest Fruitcake Ever 杂果蛋糕

Yes, it is true. This is by far the easiest fruitcake I have ever done. It turned out soft and moist, just as I wanted it. Have you heard of Boiled Fruitcake?

Chocolate Brownies 巧克力布朗尼

I recently have a revelation. I found out that I have this fetish for chocolate brownies. I can't seem to stop thinking about it. So there I am, in my quest for my ideal chocolate brownies.

What is in a chocolate brownie that makes it so captivating? I call it a cross betweeen a cake and cookie. I has a denser texture than cake but a softer texture than a cookie. This makes the taste extremely intense but not too dry to the throat. And when paired with that favourite ice cream that seeps into whatever  nooks and crannies left by the brownie, oh yummy! Nirwana calls.

Minecraft Cake

Each year, I endeavour to make a cake for my son. This is his 6th birthday and my 6th cake for him. As his age progresses, his request for his birthday cake also gets complicated. This year, he requested for a Minecraft cake. In case you are in the dark, Minecraft is actually an online game (which makes no sense to me at all).

When I first googled for information, I was apprehensive. It was complicated. I was not confident I could do it. Worse of all, it involves fondant, which I have not ventured into and have no interest in doing so. But I have to at least try. I initially planned a very simple cake with purchased figurines as topper. Unfortunately, I have forgotten to purchase the figurines and therefore, it didn't come in time. I have to use fondant to make the figurines. Even that, I chose the easiest figurines, ENDERMAN and CREEPER. I had no choice but also make STEVE as he is a trademark in Minecraft afterall.

Pandan Swiss Roll (Cooked Dough Method) 班兰瑞士卷

If you have ever tried an original Pandan Swiss Roll, you will not be contented with just pandan essence. Nothing beats the natural taste and flavour of the pandan (also known as screwpine leaves). Primarily found in the South East Asia, the Pandan Swiss Roll is insanely popular with variations like Ondeh Ondeh Roll, and Pandan Kaya Roll. Today, I'm just introducing a simple Pandan Swiss Roll with fresh cream. Once you have the basic sponge mastered, you can easily adapt your filling.

Traditional Fruitcake 酒香杂果蛋糕

Talk about acquired taste. Just a couple of years ago, I have to give away fruitcakes received as presents because I simply don't like it. This year, however, I have such intense cravings to eat one that I have to purposely make an effort to get the ingredients to make one amidst my busy schedule. I blame it on the booze for my utter addiction cum obsession. Yes, I like my fruitcake all boozy-filled plumped-up with alcohol.

Easy Mini Fritata

Fritata!

The name does sound fancy but it is nothing more than a baked thick omelette, or, as Jamie Oliver aptly put it, an omelette cake. Making a fritata is very simple as it is like how you would cook an omelette with your choiced vegetables, some herbs and cheese. My not-too-authentic version is a much simpler version as I made it into smaller pieces, eliminating the whole process of having to cook the vegetables, and at the same time shortening the cooking time. Yes, I cooked it in mini muffins tin (well, more to a tart tin for mine). The result is a quick 5 minutes prep and 15 minutes of baking time that totally frees you to attend to other chores while cooking a fun and nutritious dish. I love the freedom in cooking this dish and I believe you do too!

Lapis Legit / Spek koek 印尼千层蛋糕 (less rich version)

This is one of my favourite cakes but I have been putting off making this cake for the longest time. It is not a cake for the faint-hearted, literally saying. An original lapis legit uses about 30 egg yolks to make, not to mention about half pounds of butter. If the richness of the cake doesn't give you a heart attack, the process of making it will. Also known as a thousand layer cake (of course there is no thousand layer), it is very much a labour intensive endavour. You have to be at the oven most of the time watching the cake gets browned, levelling and then adding another thin layer. The process repeats itself at least 20 times to be considered a good bake. You need a lot of care and attention to produce even layers of straight-lined cake. After making this, I actually appreciate this cake more. It is a labour of love, a patience-endurance cake. This rookie here took 2 hours to finish my 20 layers. If you are making this for your loved ones, make sure you receive a well deserved recognition. Otherwise, just buy the lapis legit (better yet, at his/hers expense).

Lapis legit, also known as spek koek has its origins from the Nederlands whereby spek koek basically means bacon cake or cookie. Even the preferred butter is a Dutch butter called Wjisman. Having said that, the cake has evolved, since its colonial days, into what is uniquely Indonesian. If you haven't tasted this cake, it is rich and dense with a hint of spice to bring out the flavour of the cake. It can also be made into various variations, the popular one being added with prunes. The Chinese in Indonesia has adopted this cake as a celebration cake as well, a must-have luxury during Chinese New Year celebration.

Butter Cake II 奶油蛋糕 II

This is a refined version of my first butter cake recipe. After seeing so many smooth top butter cakes, I am inspired to make a flawless butter cake. A normal smooth top butter cake calls for a higher ratio of butter to flour (butter more than flour). As I do not like my cake to be too oily, my go-to recipe uses only an equal amount of butter and flour. This makes it harder to maintain that smooth top. The method and technique used here were the same as the old recipe save for the following changes:

1. Bake in a larger surface 7" x 7" pan;
2. Use low heat and steambake.
3. I drastically reduced the sugar content.

Christmas Tree Croquembouche/ Croquembouche de Noel 圣诞泡芙塔

The Informal Chef would like to wish everybody a blessed and fruitful Christmas!

Yes! I have finally done this. Croquembouche de noel. I have always been fascinated with this profiterole cone ever since I saw it on Kim Sam Soon (Korean drama). Traditionally, this is a French wedding cake but the shape of the cone makes it perfect for a Christmas tree, hence, Croquembouche de Noel. Nowadays, with my on-going home business, I hardly have time to update this blog. Today is different. It is Christmas and I am dying to do something different. With whatever free time that I had, I summoned my courage to try out this intriguing dessert.

Almond Nestum Cookies/Nestum杏仁曲奇饼

Making cookies is one of the easiest in baking. And making these Almond Nestum Cookies is even easier. You don't even need a mixer or a food processor. The whole process is forgiving whereby you could shape the cookies into any shapes that you fancy and it does not burn easily. When I was making this cookie, immediately I thought of my Muslim counterparts who are fasting in this Ramadhan month. This is an ideal snack since it is so effortless to make. It also makes perfect gift.

Nestum Crumble Bread Pudding /Nestum 面包布丁

Making bread pudding is pretty easy to do. It was one of my earlier conquest when I started blogging. If you ever have trouble following a bread pudding recipe, just forget the recipe. You don't have to memorise. All you have to do is understand the dish. There are two main components in a bread pudding: the bread itself and the custard. Use any breads and cut it into decent sizes so that it could be soaked easily. As for the custard, use one large egg for every cup of milk (240 ml) and I guarantee you you won't go wrong. Cook for how long? This isn't an issue either. Use the old reliable skewer. If it comes out clean, it is cooked. Generally, it would take 15-20 minutes in ramekins at 170C.

Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun 金瓜加椰全麦面包

Guess what I did to my yummy pumpkin kaya that I made yesterday? Yes, I paired it together with my Japanese milk bread recipe to make this Pumpkin Kaya Wholemeal Milk Bun. In line with the healthy nature of the pumpkin kaya, I braved myself to adapt my Japanese milk bread recipe to include wholemeal flour for a wholesome recipe. The experiment paid off handsomely. It was super delicious! A perfect combination. The bread remains soft and fluffy for two days because of the use of tangzhong method. Don't know about Day 3 though because we have already finished all the bread!

Curry Chicken Tart 咖喱鸡挞

I was flipping some old recipe books for inspiration when I came across this recipe on curry chicken tart. What I really liked about the recipe was the flaky pastry that involves combining a water dough and oil dough. Unlike western pastries, that is short and crumbly, this type of crust is flaky with many layers. This type of crust is used in many Chinese pastries like egg tarts and ham tan sou.

To make this flaky tart, an oil dough is first wrapped with the water dough. It is then worked like a puff pastry to get the nice layers. I didn't really get very distinct layers. Maybe I worked the dough too thin. I was, however, very satisfied with the taste and crunch.

Quick and Easy Apple Crumble Tart 苹果挞

Just yesterday, I was having a conversation with my old school mate. I was thrilled to know that she was following my blog ardently. Unfortunately, she did not try out any of the recipes. I asked her why and she told me the recipes were too complicated for her. On a hindsight, I might have overlooked readers who favours the simplest of methods. A lot of my recipes previously emphasized on authenticity. Therefore, for this week alone, I am going to introduce some shortcuts to make popular recipes quickly and easily.

This friend of mine adores apple crumble. This quick and easy apple crumble tart is a shortcut without having to make pie crusts. I hope that she will find this recipe useful. Either way, this is one worthy recipe as it uses a healthy, fatless ingredient to replace the rich pie crust. Leftover bread slices were used here. Not only did I managed to use up those extra stale slices that I kept frozen, I also used wholemeal for a healthier alternative. The result was a crunchy toasted crust that was absolutely wonderful to bite on.

Breakfast Bread Bowl 面包碗早餐

Whenever I see postings of those perfectly cooked eggs with runny yolks, I am grossly tempted to take a bite. There is something about half-cooked eggs with sinful runny yolks, all bright and inviting. The yolk that graciously flows out when you cut into it, glorious indeed. And, mind you, my flesh is weak. I have no resistance to this. None what so ever.

After seeing these breakfast bread bowl recipes on social medias, it took me no time to make my own. There is not a need for recipe really. It is just a matter of assembling your typical breakfast ingredients, and nicely arranging it into a bread so that it looks more intriguing and inviting.

Braided Japanese Milk Bread 编织牛奶麵包

It has been a while since I last baked soft breads. Normally, the lazy me would just roll out the proofed dough and slather something in between before rolling it into a log and cut it into pieces. Today, I attempted something different. I have always been intrigued by the patterns on a Challah, a braided bread that the Jewish eat on Sabbath.

The Challah has many meanings related to the braids and shape of the bread. The strands that intertwine signifies love, whilst the round shape (which I am attempting today), signifies continuity. Instead of using an original Challah recipe, I am just using my prized Japanese milk bread recipe. I can't seem to divorce myself from this Japanese milk bread recipe ever since that faithful day I tasted it. Weird? Definitely! I use it on every recipe that requires soft bread. This recipe for Japanese milk bread yields some really soft fluffy bread. The tangzhong method used enables moisture to be retained, keeping the bread soft for days. You could read more about it from my older post here.

Strawberry Birthday Cake 草莓生日蛋糕

You don't think I am going to leave you in the lurch with just a sponge cake recipe, do you? Well, here's the final product - A Strawberry Birthday Cake. As I have mentioned earlier, this cake was intended for my niece. She adores strawberries. So this is what I came out with - loads of strawberries and cream. If you like strawberry cakes as much as she does, this one is for you!