Light Fruit Cake for Christmas Celebration

Christmas this year, I baked this light fruit cake for the family as a dessert for their celebration. I baked them one week before and store in the fridge once I want to get them ready I brough them out and stay in the room temperature about 4-5 hours before. I was quite lucky to prepare this cake in advance coz a few days before Christmas i was totally sick by having a flu.

The original recipe have been adapted from Khun Pook (dailydelicious.blogspot) who's always post many good recipes on her blog. If you would like to follow the original recipe, you can go to this link http://dailydelicious.blogspot.com/2008/12/light-fruit-cake-easy-festive-cake.html

For mine, I've modified the ingredients and method as I preferred and It came out great! They were the fruit cake with my family and I love ^_^ Here is my version:

Light Fruit Cake
Yield 2 small loaves

Butter 170 g.
Caster sugar 150 g.
Dark Brown sugar 40 g.
Eggs 3
Self-raising flour 340 g.
(Substitute with cake flour + baking powder 1 1/4 tsp.)
Half & half 150 ml.
Mixed dried fruits & nuts 225 g.
(i used dried cranberries, dried apricots, golden raisins, black raisins & chopped almonds)
Orange liquor 3 Tbsp.
(you can use whatever liguor you like)
Orange marmalade 1/2 cup

1. Mix orange liquor with dried fruits and set aside for overnight.
2. Mesuare 1/2 cup of flour and mix with dried fruit & chopped nuts.
3. Beat butter, caster sugar & brown sugar with medium hight speed till light and fluffy about 5 mins. Slowly add in egg one at time and mix till incorporate.
4. Add in flour alternate with half & half (starting with flour and end with flour)then mix well.
5. Fold in dried fruits and nuts and pour the batter into the loaf pan. Smooth the top and bake in the preheat oven 180C for 40-45 mins or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
6. Cool completely on the rack and unmold.
7. Put the orange marmalade in the sauce pan and heat up till it become watery then bring down. Strain to get only water and brush over the cake before serving.

Special Thanks: Khun Pook for being my inspiration of getting my own favorite type of fruit cake.

Black Magic Chocolate Cake with Sweet Pink Buttercream "Our 3rd Anniversary Cake"

Looked for something to suit my DH's taste and prepared to bake for our 3rd anniversary (December 9), finally I decided to bake this black magic cake recipe with his favorite buttercream frosting. I did use my sugar paste rose for decoration this time since I've been practicing how to make roses with sugar paste.

The recipe is adapted from Hershey's website "Black Magic Cake" but I preferred to use my favorite Valrhona cocoa powder and I baked in 8" round cake pan. After we tried the cake, we agreed with many comments to this cake.... moist, rich & soft as magic cake! It's great in taste either with frosting or without frosting and another magic about this cake.... it's super easy to bake as well.

Black Magic Cake

All purpose flour 1 3/4 cups
Baking soda 2 tsp.
Baking powder 1 tsp.
Salt 2 tsp.
Cocoa powder 3/4 cup (I used Valrhona cocoa powder)
Sugar 2 cups
Eggs 2
Coffee powder 2 tsp.
Boiling water 1 cup
Vanilla extract 1 tsp.
Buttermilk 1 cup
Vegetable oil 1/2 cup (I used canola oil)

1. Grease 8-inch round baking pans. Mix boiling water with coffee powder and stir well, set aside.
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
3. Bake at 175C for 35-40 mins or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost as desired.

Bacon & Spinach Quiche (Pastry recipe from Kitchenaid Mixer Cookbook)

Thinking of baking quiche, I always choose the shortcrust pastry dough recipe from my Le Cordon Bleu Book but this time I just realized that I got "Kitchenaid Mixer Cook Book" which also has the recipe for shortcrust pastry for quiche base. The different from my favorite recipe is it only need to bake the crust one time with the filling that means it will safe a lot of time and trouble especially if you do not have enough time for baking. This recipe is another choice for you to give it a try.

For the result, the crust is crispy and nice but it's not a flaky crust type which I like. Le Cordon Bleu's shortcrust recipe's still the best for me. But if I do not have much time, this recipe will be my choice.

Shortcrust Pastry
for 9 inches quiche pan or pie dish

All purpose flour 225 g.
Pinch of salt
Unsalted butter 50 g.
Lard 20 g. (I substituted this with butter)
Iced water 120 ml.

1. Sift flour and salt into the mixer bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the flour.
2. Using the flat beater on Speed 2 until well blended. And add enough iced water to make a smooth dough.
3. Shape into the ball and wrap in cling film. Chill in the refridgerator for 30 mins.
4. Roll out the dough thinly and line on quiche pan or pie dish. Add in cooked bacon & spinach then pour the filling* over. Sprinkle with cheese as you prefer.
5. Bake in preheat oven 190C for 40-45 mins

*Quiche filling, please see my previous post http://thesweetmaison.blogspot.com/2011/11/smoked-sausage-champignon-mushrooms.html

Super Soft Potato Bread

I'm a fan of "YAMAZAKI POTATO BREAD- Yamazaki is a Japanese Bakery Shop" since I was staying in Thailand and will always buy back every time I visit the shop. Once I heard there is someone who did the experiment of making potato bread as close as Yamazaki potato bread, I told myself that I could not miss to try her recipe.

Her recipe is very famous for Thai bloggers and everybody thumb up this is the best potato bread recipe ever! I would like to agree with them also after I tried baking.... Super soft and easy making bread recipe which bread lover can't miss!

Super Soft Potato Bread

Bread flour 250 g.
Milk powder 20 g.
Yeast 1 1/2 tsp.
Sugar 4 Tbsp.
Salt 1/4 tsp.
Mashed potatoes 150 g.
Egg (medium size) 1
Unsalted butter 40 g.

1. Put butter and sugar into the bowl and place in the microwave till the butter is melted with the sugar. Add in mashed potatoes and stir till incorporate.
2. Mix flour, milk powder, yeast, sugar, salt in the mixing bowl and start with low speed to make all the dry ingredients well mixed then pour in potato mixture and slowly add in egg. Continue kneading the dough with medium speed (The dough will look crumbly at first but it will be incorporated likes a dough after 3-5 mins).
3. Continue kneading the dough till it's smooth and elastic then shape likes a ball and place into the greased bowl. Wrap with the cling film and rest for 1 hour.
4. Punch down to release the air and roll out the dough in rectangle then roll up likes swiss roll to form a loaf. Place the dough into greased loaf tin and wrap with cling film. Rest the dough for 40-50 mins.
5. Brush the top with egg wash (I skipped this state) and baked in the preheat oven 175C for 25-30 mins.

Remarks: The original recipe did the dough shaping like a big round ball which looks same as Yamazaki potato bread but I preferred to make as a loaf and I added some black sesames into the dough as well.

Special Thanks: Khun Nong (weenong from bloggang.com) who created this copycat Yamazaki potato bread recipe.

Cranberries & Almond Banana Quick Bread

Every time when I'm in a rush and not much time to bake something more complicated, I will always think of "Banana Quick Bread". This quick bread had been created yesterday with additional of dried cranberries and almonds. I chose one of my favorite banana quick bread recipe which had been posted previously and made it's even more special not just a plain banana quick bread. The recipe is very easy and fast to bake and not require more equipments as well.

Cranberries & Almond Banana Quick Bread

All purpose flour 2 cups
Baking powder 1 tsp.
Baking soda 1/8 tsp.
Salt 1/4 tsp.
Sugar 1/2 cup
Brown sugar 1/4 cup
Buttermilk 1/2 cup
Canola oil 1/4 cup
Egg (large) 1
Vanilla 1 tsp.
Mashed bananas 2
Chopped dried cranberries 30-40 g. (Divide some for topping)
Chopped almonds 30-40 g. (Divide some for topping)

1. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt together. Add in two sugars, dried cranberries & chopped almonds then stir well.
2. Mix buttermilk, oil, vanilla, egg till incorporate and add mashed bananas then mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of dry ingredient and pour wet ingredient to mix quickly. (Do not over mix)
4. Put the batter into greased loaf pan and smooth the top evenly. Sprinkle some dried cranberries and chopped almonds.
5. Bake in preheat oven 180C for 40-60 mins.