Air fryer chocolate chip muffins

Ever since I brought my iPhone swimming and it didn't recover, I have lost interest in using my phone. Emotionally my iPhone is related to my baking, so no iphone made me less interested in baking.
But I was craving for something sweet, so I baked these on a Saturday afternoon with 1 hour before the boys' Heguru class.
Yummy! The chocolate rice on top makes it even better because it adds some crunch, but does not look so nice. Perhaps next time scoop the batter in a more rounded form before adding.

 

 

 

 

Recipe adapted from:http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/6865/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins

 

Makes 8-9 silicon cup small muffins

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Top up with yoghurt to 1 cup

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Sprinkle of chocolate rice (optional, if you do this you can reduce the mini chocolate chips)

HOW:

1) Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder in one large bowl. Whisk well to ensure even spreading of salt and baking powder. 

2) In a separate cup, pour oil in. Then add egg. Add yoghurt till full cup. Then add vanilla extract. Whisk till combined. 

3) Add (2) to (3). Mix just till combined. Aim for less than 15 strokes, it's ok to have some flour visible.

4) Preheat air fryer at 180 degree Celsius. 

5) Fold in chocolate chips.

 

6) Fill silicon cups 3/4 full (the muffin expands only ever so slightly). If you are sprinkling chocolate rice, make top smooth first before sprinkling.

 

7) Bake at 180 degree Celsius for 10 min. If not done, add another 2 min at 160 degree Celsius.
 

 

  

Gula Melaka steamed cupcake

My friend Jesline generously shared this recipe with me about a year ago but I never got down to making it. After I wet and spoilt my handphone I had a sudden craving for it and had to ask for the recipe again. How ironic. Anyhow her recipe is really fantastic, so easy and delicious!
Texture is really like huat kueh, so don't expect cupcake texture.

  

 

Makes 7 silicon cups.

 

INGREDIENTS, so wonderfully little!:
Self-raising flour 2.5 cups
Gula Melaka 230g (can reduce to be less sweet)
Water 370ml

 

HOW:
1) Melt the gula melaka in the water over the stove. Use low heat. Remove from stove and cool.
If you have the time, let it cool completely. If not then the flour will be lumpy and not fully mixed, but seems to be no biggy from my first try...
 

2) Add (1) to flour and mix till combined. Do not overmix.
 

3) Steam over high heat (cos' you want them to huat!) for 20min.

Note: in case this thought ever crossed your mind, you CANNOT freeze huat kueh batter. It doesn't huat and you get some hard flat kueh that you don't want to eat. So if you are in a hurry and don't have time to steam your second batch, just make super big sizes in your first batch to finish up all the batter! 

 

Air fryer eggless chocolate banana bread pudding

This is rather similar to the apple raisin bread pudding recipe, except this time I was lazy and didn't put the crumble on top. I woke up at 6am to make it. The preparation cum cooking was so fast, so while it was cooking I got ready for work. And then I even got a chance to sit down with Lucas to eat it before leaving for work. 

Yummy!

Recipe adapted from http://www.vegan.com/recipes/vegancom-top-10-recipes-of-2008/banana-chocolate-chip-bread-pudding-vegancom-top-10-recipe-2008/

Makes 4 soufflé cup and 1 6-inch round cake pan

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups 1″ cubed bread
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 ripe bananas, sliced ½” thick
1.5 cups unsweeten soy milk (can add more if bread pudding looks too dry)
2 teaspoons corn starch 
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1) Grease a 6-inch round pan or your soufflé cups with oil or butter. 

2) Place cubed bread in a large bowl.

3) In a small bowl whisk together ½ cup soy milk and the corn flourtill no lumps remain.

4) Add remaining soy milk, honey, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk to combine. 

5) Pour over cubed bread and stir to coat every piece. 

6) Now, preheat Airfryer to 170 degree Celsius.

7) Allow bread mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes for liquid to soak into bread. Depending on what kind of bread you use and how stale it is, add more soy milk (¼ cup at a time) and allow more soaking time till every piece of bread is saturated and there’s a little bit of extra liquid. Mixture should look mushy and wet. 

8) Fold in chocolate chips and bananas 

9) Pour mixture into pan or soufflé cups, patting down to make an even top.

10) Bake 18 minutes till top is puffed, slightly browned and feels firm. 

Taste is good! But some of it stuck to the sides and some top parts were hard. Perhaps try a shorter timing or lower temp next time. 

Bad recipes

Bad recipes keep you awake for a long time with no satisfaction. 

Like now. 

The muffins looked so great on this person's blog. So I tried it and it was a disaster. Takes forever to cook. And then it's hard as rock. And too sweet. 

The batch is not small and so I spent 3 rounds of experiments on the temperature and timing but all seems to no avail. 

And now I have 11 hard uncooked overly sweet muffins that I need to think of how to get rid of. 

And it's 12.05am! What a disastrous thereupeutic baking session! 

Well at least I snapped some pictures and learned how to make them look delicious when they are not. Don't say you have not been warned. 

Sunday with Lucas

Last Sunday my husband had to work at the last minute. It was our helper's off day so I needed my mil's help. In the end the arrangement was that I leave Luis at her house while I bring Lucas home for swimming and nap. 

So for the first time since Luis was born, Lucas and I had time alone together. This was different from the times I brought him to Heguru classes or went to fetch my husband together. There was no rush element. 

I brought him swimming and then we went home for a nap. It was just us. And when he woke up we lazed on the bed for a while. 

I miss enjoying alone time with Lucas. It brought back memories and feelings of the times before Luis was born. Many times during Sundays it was only Lucas and me, and we spent a lot of time together. All my attention was on him and there was nothing else to rush to. 

So unexpectedly, my husband being called back to work at the last minute turned into a rather nostalgic Sunday for me. Mummy love you baby... Always remember that. 

Air fryer healthy carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

By now it should be quite clear that I like recipes that are as healthy as possible while still being tasty. When I first found out there is such a thing as carrot cake, not the Singapore hawker stir-fried savoury type, I was skeptical. How good can it be... it's a vegetable cake!
However during my second pregnancy, I began to like this cake very much and even until now. I like that it's healthy and the cream cheese is literally the 'icing on the cake'. No carrot cake can do without the cream cheese!
I searched online and to my disappointment, many of the carrot cake recipes were not healthy at all. The cake can contain 2 cups of sugar! And the cream cheese another 2 cups!
But there were also many others who really wanted healthy versions and so I combined 3 recipes that I found, with some adaptations of my own, and here goes.
The end result: the cake's taste has too much cinammon (so I reduced it in the recipe below) but still overall it's tasty and moist. The sugar still can be reduced (so I did in the recipe below). The cream cheese has a nice light tangy taste.
According to my husband, it's good but not sweet enough commercially. So I shall take that as a compliment!

Seriously, if you like carrot cake you have got to try this!

Makes two 6-inch cakes.

Adapted from http://www.littlespicejar.com/super-moist-healthy-carrot-cake-muffins/

& http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/09/10/the-healthier-carrot-cake-recipe/

& http://fooddoodles.com/2013/06/27/whole-wheat-carrot-cake-with-honey-cream-cheese-frosting/

 

INGREDIENTS

Carrot cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs at room temp
• 1/3 cup sugar (can convert this to honey for a healthier alternative)
• 1/4 cup honey
• Less than 3/4 cup sunflower oil (I used 3/4 cup and found it too oily)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
• 2.5 cups shredded carrots (~2 sticks)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Cream cheese frosting:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup icing sugar (can try honey instead too)
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp lemon juice for a tangy taste (optional)

HOW

Before starting take cream cheese out from fridge.

Carrot cake:

1) Grease baking tray and line bottom with paper.

 

2) In a medium bowl, sift together all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside.

 

3) In a large bowl with a handheld mixer on medium speed, combine the sugar/honey and oil. Beat in the yogurt and apple sauce until fully combined - about 1 minute. Mixture will be gritty and thin.

(I used a hand whisk so just beat slightly longer)

 

4) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

 

5) Preheat Airfryer at 175 deg C for 10 min.

 

6) With a spatula, manually stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined and all flour pockets are gone - do not overmix.

 

6) Fold in the finely shredded carrots,  raisins, and walnuts.

7) Pour into prepared pan and in the Airfryer. Cover loosely with aluminium foil. 

Bake at 175 deg C for 30 minutes. (I tried 175 deg C for 25 min with no foil and it was burnt on top and not cooked inside. Then I added 5 more min at 160 deg C and it was ok).
 

8) Remove and cool. If the top part is burnt, cut it off. Unfortunately mine was burnt :(

 

Cream cheese frosting:

1) In a food processor(or with hand beaters) beat the cream cheese until soft.

note: this step is very important to do before adding anything else if not you will get lumpy frosting.

2) Add the icing sugar a little at a time and cream till it's not visible, then repeat. Do the same with the yogurt.

3) Then add vanilla and lemon juice and beat until completely smooth.

3) Pour into a container, cover and chill until ready to frost (frosting will thicken in the fridge after a couple hours).

 

Finally:

1) Cut cooled cake into 2 layers, add frosting to 1 layer and add frosting on top and side. Top with walnut.

2) Chill in fridge before serving.

Rich and healthy steamed chocolate banana cake

Usually when I tell people that this cake is steamed they find it hard to believe because the taste is rich. I also don't like it to be too sweet so perhaps that's why you can taste the chocolate and banana more. Overall it's rather good! You know how some people say, "I'll just try a little, I'm full". This cake is tastes good yet healthy enough to get them to take a second helping.

I find that it tastes almost professional - but less sweet and less pretty, but that you can improve, or at least I can improve! You can also camouflage bad forsting skills with toppings.

Try it!

 

Adapted from Bakericious http://bakericious.blogspot.sg/2012/08/steamed-moist-chocolate-cake.html?m=1

&

The Baking Biatch

http://www.thebakingbiatch.com/2013/09/cynthias-easy-secret-recipe-chocolate.html?m=1

Makes one 7.5 inches (19cm) cake.

FOR CAKE:

180ml sunflower oil (or butter)

150g brown sugar

200 low fat milk (or evaporated milk)

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 eggs, slightly beaten with fork

100g plain flour

50g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Method :

1. Combine sugar, milk, vanilla essence and oil in a saucepan.Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved (and butter is melted), turn off the fire and keep warm. 

2. Add the beaten eggs into the slightly cooled milk mixture and stir till well mix.

3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl, then pour the egg mixture over the flour and stir till well mix. Cake batter should be runny. Be careful not to over mix else it may be dense later. 

4. Heat up a wok with water at med heat. 

5. Pour the batter into the pan and place the pan into the steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil (to prevent condensation from steam to fall onto cake)

7. Steam over med heat for 40 mins. (until skewer came out clean). 

Note: Don't steam too long else it becomes dense. Don't use high heat else top will 'huat'. 

8. Cool the cake in pan before turning it out for cutting. 

FOR FROSTING:

250g whipping cream (both dairy and non-dairy works well)

250g dark couverture chocolate

3-4 bananas

Method:

1) Melt the 250g of couverture chocolate in the microwave (on 1 minute intervals, medium setting) or double boiler till it is shiny. Stir well and allow it to cool down for 5 minutes.

2) Whisk up the whipping cream (250g) to stiff peaks. 

Note: stiff peaks won't fall when you overturn the bowl. It's possible! And if you draw across it you should be able to see the tracks. 

3) Add the chocolate into the whipping cream and stir well with a spatula.

If frosting seems too runny, let it cool before application. 

COMBINE cake and frosting:

1) Cut cooled cake into 3 even layers

2) Spread frosting on one layer, add bananas and spread frosting again

3) Top with one layer of cake

4) Repeat till 3 layers are stacked

5) Then frost whole cake - i.e. the top and side

Chill cake in fridge while preparing ganache. 

FOR GANACHE:

200g dark couverture chocolate

80ml whipping cream (both dairy and non-dairy works well)

3/5 tbsp unsalted butter

Method:

1) Melt the 200g of couverture chocolate in the microwave (on 1 minute intervals, medium setting) or double boiler till it is shiny. 

2) Add the whipping cream and heat it up for another 2 minutes.

3) Add the butter. Stir well. If your mixture is still chunky, pop it back into the microwave oven (medium setting) on 1 minute intervals to have it all melted. 

Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before applying on the cake. Cool until it is not runny so it's easy to apply). 

Notes:

Batter made with butter was less runny and also cake was a little dense, in fact hard after refrigeration. Suggest to stick to oil. But be careful not to break cake when cutting for layering else cake will overflow to side when bananas and frosting are added. 

To prevent dense cake, do not over mix to prevent dense cake and water should be boiling on med heat during steaming. 

If there are too many air bubbles, tap the tin to break the bubbles or drop it a few times on tabletop before steaming.

Hershey's choc chips are not the same as couverture. Hershey's gives much air bubbles which you don't see with couvertures. And Hershey's takes much longer to melt than couverture. Taste will be ok but a lot of air bubbles in the ganache and ugly when applied. 

Frosting too runny is due to whipped cream not achieving stiff peaks. Really overturn the bowl to check that cream will not drop.

If you accidentally broke your cake during layering, don't fret! Do not try to stuff the cake and filling back, they will just flow out. Finish your layering and frosting, put the cake in the fridge for at least 30min then take it out and cut out the excess to achieve a round shape.

Cut cake (before frosting and before eating) with bread knife. You can get very clean cuts.

This amount of frosting and ganache will give you a little leftover. If don't want leftovers, try to cut by 20ml/g.