Chocolate Muffin

This blog entry is specially dedicated to my recipe illiterate sister in singapore, joelyn, who attempts to impress her little princess (or husband?) by serving her some fresh from oven muffins for her tea time. I can't be more agree that homemake baking goodies do make people feel loved and warm.

After browsing through many muffin recipes, i decided she should try this recipe, a very easy recipe with some basic ingredients. The reliability of this recipe can also be assured as i make it a few times before and it is indeed my first muffin recipe too :)

Joelyn get confused with the basic ingredients and the steps of making a muffin, so here the photo plus some explaination.

Butter

Margarine, commonly used for spreading on bread can also be used but butter yield softer texture and superior in fragrance. In contrast, margarine yield a healthier cake as they contain less animal fat compare to butter.

Self raising flour It can be substituted by adding baking powder to all-purpose flour (the ratio is about 250mg all purpose flour to 1 tablespoon/15g baking powder ).

Cocoa powder

Fresh Milk
Any brand, be it the pasteurised type or UHT fresh milk (but not the formula milk of your little princess, haha). I usually use Dutch Lady Full Cream Fresh Milk.

Sugar
Usually fine sugar is used for baking purpose as it can dissolve and mix better with other ingredients.

Eggs
Usually grade A egg is used, but so far the size of egg do not appear a problem to me. But it need to be brought to room temperature before beating.

Recipe for Chocolate Muffin
Butter 50g
Sugar 40g
Self raising flour 60g
Cocoa powder 10g
Fresh Milk 25ml
Egg 1
Chocolate Rice (about 1 tablespoon, optional)
Chocolate Chips (Optional)

Preparation
Soften the butter in room temperature
Sieve together the self raising flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.
Pre-heat the oven at the baking temperature for 15mins before baking.

1. Beat butter and sugar, until the sugar dissolve and butter turn pale yellow (can be whisk with folk or chopstick)
2. Add half of the egg into butter mixture, beat and then add another half and beat again (with folk or chopstick).
3. Add half of the sifted flour into 2 and mix till well combine (with spatula)
4. Add in fresh milk then the remaining flour and mix till everything well incorporated (with spatula)
5. Add in chocolate rice and slighty mix (with spatula).
6. Pour the battle into paper cup to 80% full then top with some chocolate chips.
7. Bake at 150c for 20-25 minutes or until the skewer inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean (nothing stick to the skewer means the muffin are done, if don't have skewer u can use satay stick or tooth pick).

Mini French Cake (Oilless)

This cake is really an easy and quick to make cake, even the most daunting part - washing was made easy with this oilless recipe. Everything, include washing can be settled within 15minutes while you are pre-heating the oven. If you are as efficient as me, you may still have the time to sit back and relax before sending the batter into the oven :)

The beautiful part of the cake

• The ingredients in this cake are also so easily available (don't call your kitchen a kitchen if you can't find them in your kitchen).
• There are no chemicals (baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, vanilla essense etc)involved, so a healthy cake from a pharmacist perspective.
• This oilless formula can fit the bill of those with hypercholestrolemia (but not those with diabetes, haha).
• The batter was easy and quick to be prepared.
• Save money on dishwashing liquid (no dishwashing liquid is required, all you have to do is just rinse all the utensils as no oil is used).
• Everything was snapped up within matter of minutes, so you know how good it tastes :0)

Recipe for mini french cake

1. Sieve the mixture of 30g all purpose flour and 15g corn flour.
2. Whisk 2 egg yolks with 20g sugar until the sugar dissolved.
3. With electric mixer, whisk 2 egg whites with 20g of sugar until peak.
4. Fold in the egg white mixture to egg yolk mixture in 3 addition, mix well after each addition.
5. Add flour mixture into the batter and fold gently until well incorporated.
6. Pour in muffin cup, cover top with desiccated coconut (optional).
7. Bake at 180c for 20 minutes.

Orange Chiffon Cake

I like orange and I like cake, but i don't fancy orange cake. However, i baked this for my mum as she always ask for orange chiffon cake.

The resulting cake was very satisfying, soft, moist and aromatic. It will be perfect if not for the identity crisis that it faces, haha. If I were to bake this again, I will add some orange cordial (sunquick) to enhance it's orange coloration and thus the appearance of this cake.

Orange chiffon for a friend

Orange chiffon cake recipe:

1. Grate 1 tsp of range rind and sqeeze 5 tbsp of orange juice to make up orange mixture.
2. Add 5 egg yolks, 150g self-raising floor, 75g sugar, 5 tbsp corn oil and orange mixture in a bowl. Whisk in one direction until smooth and well combined.
3. Whisk 5 egg whites and 1/2tsp cream of tartar until frothy, than add in 75g sugar in 2 batches and continue whisk until a peak.
4. Pour yolks mixture into egg whites mixture in 3 batches, after each addition, stir the mixture in one direction until well combined.
5. Pour in chiffon cake mold and bake at 150c for 35 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, invert and leave to cool completely before removing from cake tin.