Orange Butter Cupcakes

Ingredients:  (Makes 15 cupcakes)

150g butter - softened
120g caster sugar
150g self-raising flour 
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs, at room temperature - separated
50ml orange juice
zest of 1 orange



Method:

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. 
• With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg yolks, one at a time and make sure that each egg is completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding the next one.
• Fold in flour alternately with the orange juice, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir until just combined and the batter is smooth.
• Beat egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form.
• With a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter to lighten it; then fold in the remaining whites until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Pour batter into paper cases.
  
• Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.

Please refer to Wendy's beautiful and smooth Swiss Meringue Buttercream 
 

Golden Tortoise Kuih

Makes 27 mini angku kuihs

Fillings:

90g split yellow mung beans, washed and drained
50g sugar

1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp Rice Bran oil
2 pandan leaves

• Steam mung beans with pandan leaves  over high heat for about 20 minutes or until beans are soft.
• Immediately place the cooked mung beans  into a food processor together with sugar and oil.  Blitz until fine.
• Press the mashed mung beans through a sieve with a spatula to get a smooth texture.
• Set aside to cool.  
• When filling is cool enough to handle, divide and roll into balls of 9g each. (Adjust the weight to suit the size of your mould).

Dough:

150g golden sweet potatoes
120g glutinous rice flour
1/2 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp Rice Bran oil
35g hot water, or adjust accordingly

• Steam the sweet potatoes until soft and press through a sieve.  Set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, combined mashed sweet potatoes, glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar and oil.  Gradually add in hot water and knead into a soft dough.  Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide and shape the dough into balls of  12g each.

To shape Ang Ku Kuih:

• Dust the mould with glutinous rice flour and knock out excess flour.
• Flatten a ball of dough and place a ball of filling in the middle and seal the dough.  Roll gently into a round ball.  Place into the mould and press gently to flatten.  Knock out the kuih from the mould and place on square of baking paper.
• Steam kuih over medium-low fire for 5 minutes.
• Remove from the steamer and immediately brush  oil over the kuih.

I'm submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone March 2015 Event Theme: My Favourite Traditional Kueh organized by Fion of  XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Joceline - Butter, Flour & Me. 

Nestum Cookies (Recipe Revisit)

I decided to revisit this Nestum Cookies I made last year and this time I doubled the recipe.  These cookies are so delicious  and crunchy with the aroma of the Nestum cereal that you can't stop with just one!

Ingredients:  [Makes 111 cookies]

300g butter, softened

180g icing sugar mixture (or pure icing sugar)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

360g plain flour

40g cornflour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

150g Nestum cereal - lightly toasted

80g Nestum cereal - extra for coating

40g g glace cherries - cut into tiny pieces 

1 egg white, beaten 

Egg wash:  1 egg beaten with 1/4 tsp salt

• Spread Nestum cereal on a baking tray and lightly toast in a preheated oven of 150 deg C for about 8 minutes or until fragrant.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Set aside.
• Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in eggs, one at a time.  Then add in vanilla extract.
• Mix in flour mixture and Nestum cereal and combine to form into a dough.
• Divide dough into balls of 10g each.  Place the ball of dough onto a flat plastic spatula and brush with egg wash and drop it onto the cereal.  Coat the dough completely with Nestum and flatten slightly. Brush a dot of egg white on the centre of the cookie and press a piece of glace cherry onto it.
• Place the cookie onto a lined baking tray.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.
• Bake cookies in a preheated oven of 160 deg C (fan-forced) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  (Monitor closely as the baking time depends largely on the shape of your cookies and also your oven temperature)
• Transfer cookies onto a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

I am submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone Jan & Feb 2015 Event Theme: My Homemade Cookies organized by Fion of XuanHom’s Mom and co-hosted by Victoria Bakes



I am also linking this to Cook & Celebrate: CNY organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Yen from Eat Your Heart Out and Diana from the Domestic Goddess Wannabe