Our Christmas Cakes

All are chocolate cakes with difference decoration.

Sun Flower Cupcakes

Made these cupcakes for my friend mba Trini :-) Thank you so much for trusting me to make you these cupcakes for your birthday. Love you sooo much :-)

Birthday Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes ( total 30cupcakes) as Ima's order for her lovely nephew-Denzel's 8th birthday. Hope you guys love it. Exactly, I have birthday candles for each cupcake, just I didn't use them on these pictures.

The recipe for the cupcakes is using Blueberry Cup Creamy Brownie.

Kenari (Java Almond)-Cheese Cookies

Canarium strictum known as Java Almond or Kenari

Perhaps some of you do not know what Java almond is. Well...this is a kind of nut which is very famous in Indonesia, especially in east-Indonesia -Sulawesi utara (North Celebes) and Maluku (Moluccas), where you can find the best quality of these nuts. In Indonesian language, they are called as "Kenari". Indonesians use this kind of nuts for cakes and cookies. And as Indonesian, I wanna share one of our recipes using "kenari".

Ingredients:
350 gr butter/ margarine
04 egg yolks
125 gr Java Almond, minced - keep aside
450 gr multi-purpose flour
01 tbsp baking powder
230-250 gr cheddar/edam cheese, grated - keep aside
01 tbsp salt


How To Make:
- Mix butter/margarine until smooth with an electronic mixer.
- Add the egg yolk one by one while keep mixing.
- Add flour+baking powder+salt, then mix it with spatula.
- Add Java almond - Add grated-cheese and mix well. - Place the dough on a greased baking-pan, shape it round with teaspoons
- Bake for about 20 minutes with 160degrees celcius until golden brown.

Basic Pancakes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)
• Fresh fruit, butter, and maple syrup, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl until evenly combined; set aside.
2. Whisk together milk, 1/2 cup of the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla (if using) in a separate large bowl until eggs are foamy and sugar is dissolved.
3. Add flour mixture to liquid mixture and stir until just mixed and moistened (the batter will be lumpy), about 50 strokes. Set batter aside to rest while the griddle heats or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. If the batter has been refrigerated, stir before using.
4. Heat a large, seasoned cast iron skillet, frying pan, or griddle over medium heat. Test to see if the pan is hot enough by sprinkling a couple of drops of cold water in it: If the water bounces and sputters, the pan is ready to use; if it evaporates instantly, the pan is too hot. Once the pan is ready, use a paper towel to rub it with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil.
5. Ladle pancake batter into the pan: 1/2 cup for large (6-inch) pancakes or 1/4 cup for smaller (4-inch) pancakes. Cook until bubbles completely cover the top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with fresh fruit, butter, and maple syrup.

My Birthday Cake :-)

Its...chocolate classic tart...filling with chocolate paste...I will show the slice once the cake is cut...but not now...not yet :-))
hmmmmm...here is the slice.....

Choco Chips Cookies

Brownie Bottom Cheese Cake

what you need

4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate(around 113 grams)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine(115grams)

2-1/4 cups sugar, divided

5 eggs, divided

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp. vanilla, divided

1 cup flour(110grams)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 pkg. (8 oz. each=225grams) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream(55grams)

Make It

PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add 1-1/2 cups of the sugar; mix well.

ADD 2 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Add milk and 1 tsp. of the vanilla; mix well. Combine flour and salt. Gradually add to chocolate mixture, mixing after each addition just until blended. Spread evenly into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan. Bake 25 min.

BEAT cream cheese, remaining 3/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add remaining 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over brownie layer in pan (Filling will come almost to top of pan.)

BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature 30 min. before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Recipe source by Kraft
Photo by Kraft

Simple Secrets to Perfect Cheesecake

Use these 10 easy tips to make sure your cheesecake comes out uncracked and perfectly baked.

1. The cream cheese should be at room temperature (and soft) before you begin mixing, or you'll end up with lumps in your cheesecake
2. Do not overbeat your cheesecake batter
3. Cheesecake should be removed from the oven before it looks done, the center will appear jiggly. Cheesecakes become firm only after they’ve cooled and have chilled for several hours.
4. When you remove your cheesecake from the oven, immediately run a thin knife along the edges, pressing the knife against the wall of the pan to loosen the top. This prevents cracking as the cheesecake cools and contracts.
5. If your cheesecake batter has starch in the recipe (flour or cornstarch), you do not need a water bath.
6. If you use a water bath, use this foolproof method:
* Wrap aluminum foil around the sides and bottom of the springform pan.
* Place the springform pan which has all the cheesecake ingredients in it, into a larger deep baking pan (approximately 3 inches deep) that it will fit into with room to spare.
* Place the pans in a preheated oven. Using a teakettle filled with very hot water, pour water into the larger pan about halfway up the sides of the pan.
* Bake cheesecake as directed. When the cheesecake is done baking, remove the springform pan from the water bath pan and set aside so you can remove the larger pan with the water in it from oven. Be very careful, as it will be extremely hot.
* Remove the aluminim foil from the sides and bottom of the springform pan after the cheescake has chilled completely in the refrigerator.
7. Do not cool your cheesecake in the oven. If the recipe calls for the cheescake to finish baking in a turned-off oven, do so. However, if you are to remove it from the oven, do not leave it in to cool.
8. Do not attempt to remove your cheesecake from the pan until it has chilled overnight, at least 12 hours. This will ensure that it is firm enough to avoid breakage.
9. To remove the cheesecake from the springform pan bottom, make sure the cake has been chilled in the refrigerator overnight. Place the cheesecake in its pan (with sides) over a burner set at low heat and turn it every 10 seconds until the entire bottom is warmed. This softens the butter in the crust, which will help release the cake from the pan.
10. To remove the cheesecake from the springform pan sides, use a very thin knife that has been warmed by dipping in hot water and dried. Go around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it using a slow up and down motion. Open the springform pan's ring. The cheesecake will slide easily on to a plate.

Cheese Cake Brownie

Ingredients
1 pkg. (19 to 21 oz.) brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
1/2 cup applesauce
3 egg whites, divided
1/4 cup water
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour

Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F (176°C)
Mix brownie mix, applesauce, 2 egg whites and water until well blended. Pour into 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Beat Neufchatel, sugar, flour and remaining egg white with mixer until well blended; spoon over brownie batter. Swirl gently with knife.

Bake 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not over bake.) Cool completely.

Holiday Cookies, here in Indonesia

kaastengels (recipe)

Nastar
recipe

Kenari Keju

Semprit Coklat/ Kenari Choco Cookies

Putri Salju/ Snow-White

These are some cookies which are best sellers during holiday season in Indonesia. I made them for the last Eid 2010, and plan to make them again for this Christmas as these are kind of cookies that you got-to-have during festive holidays :-)

Raisin Butter Cake

Today I bumped into one blog for butter cake. Since I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, spontaneous I made the cake. The result ..the cake was extremely buttery and lil bit sweet, but taste yummy especially if there is a cup of coffee/ warm tea then you will enjoy it more and more :-). So I modified the recipe for my blogger reader(s) . Give the recipe a try! :-)

Ingredients:

250g unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g plain flour/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
170g-180g castor sugar
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
3 tablespoons fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 cup raisin

How To Make:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease the pan with some butter.
3. Mix the flour and the baking powder together and sieve. Add in salt and mix well. Set aside.
4. Use an electronic cake-mixer to mix butter and sugar until well combined, about 3-5minutes. (Note: Sugar has not dissolved yet).
5. Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy. (about 3-4minutes).
6. Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
7. Fold in the flour into the mixture and mix well.
8. Finally, add in the milk and fold in the raisins. Mix well.
9. Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan.
10. Bake about 40-45 minutes until golden brown.
11. Remove it from the oven and let cool on the wire rack for another 5 minutes. Enjoy the cake now!

Donuts

Here are some donuts which Nadia asked me to make last Friday. She loves donuts with icing-sugar topping only :-) This recipe used 1 egg only for making 36 donuts. The texture was so soft and yummy. You may see the recipe on label "donuts". I am sure the recipe will have no fail even for first time cook. Enjoy!

Tortilla Chips

Ingredient:

• 8-10 corn tortillas
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt, or to taste
• 1 cup salsa (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the vegetable oil in a small bowl, and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and bottom of one corn tortilla with the oil. Put the tortilla on a cutting board, and brush the top of the next tortilla with oil, putting the non-oiled side on top of the first tortilla so they share any extra oil. Continue with the remaining tortillas, brushing only the top side and stacking them.

Cut the tortillas into eighths (a pizza cutter or kitchen shears work great for this), cutting across the middle so they are triangle shaped, and spread them on one or two large baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle them evenly with the salt.

Bake them for about 15 minutes until they are lightly browned and crisp, but remove them from the oven before they get dark brown. Serve them with salsa, if desired.

Blueberry Cup Creamy Brownies

Ingredient:
100 gram Margarine
100 ml thick cream/creme liquide
400 gram dark cooking chocolate, chopped
1 tsp chocolate pasta
4 eggs
200 gram castor sugar (you may reduce it into 150gram)
100 gram multipurpose flour*
40 gram cocoa powder*
1/2 tsp baking powder*
* mix together in one bowl, put aside

Filling: Blueberry jam

How to make:

1. Melt margarine + thick cream, add chopped dark-cooking chocolate and chocolate pasta. Mix together.
2. Mix eggs+sugar with low speed or whisk for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the margarine mixture (no.1) little by little while keep mixing it.
4. Add flour+cocoa powder+baking powder, mix together.
5. Pour half of the dough into muffin's mold then add blueberry jam, and cover it with the remaining dough.
6. Bake for about 25minutes in 180 degree Celsius.
7. You may serve with topping also, like whipping cream on top of the brownie.

These brownies are bit moist and so tasty

Chana Masala

Chick Peas

Chana Masala without tomato

Winter Strawberry Cake

Divide the cake into 3parts

The cake base

Covering the cake with whipped-cream

Making this cake was a challenge since I've never made this kind of cake. Still need some improvement especially in decorating it. But I am satisfied coz it turned out pretty, not so bad for a home-baker :-) This cake was ordered from a friend for her boyfriend. So sweet. Thanks for Aulia :-)

Nutella Fudge Brownies

This recipe comes from pasty chef, cookbook author, and Fine Cooking Magazine’s contributing editor, Abby Dodge. Photos and layout by Savory Sweet Life Blog. Feel wanna share with you all who bumped into my blog as this recipe is so good and easy.

Nutella Fudge Brownies

Makes 12 Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Nutella spread

1 large egg

5 tablespoons all=purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Put the Nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts.

4. Bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Switch-Ins: In place of the hazelnuts, switch in one of the following:

• ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon (add with the flour)
• peanuts, chopped, 1/4 cup