Banana And Pineapple Easter Cakes

Easter festival arrives during the spring season and is one of the most important religious holidays celebrated among Christians.  Besides going to church on the first Sunday after the full moon night in the spring season, easter bunnies and eggs occupy supreme positions.  Easter rabbits signify fertility and beautifully painted Easter eggs remind us of spring season. Other symbols are the  Easter lilies and Hot Cross Buns.

HAPPY EASTER

Ingredients:
A:
2 cups all-purpose flour (remove 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup fine granulated sugar

B:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large ripe banana- mashed
1/2 cup chopped pineapple

Method:

Preheat oven to 350f.

Grease moulds which signify spring.

Sieve ingredients A into a large bowl.

In another bowl, beaten eggs lightly, then add in all the other ingredients in B, and mix well.

Pour ingredient B mixture to ingredient A and mix in until is combined in about 10 strokes, do not overmix, it is alright if there are still some flour not mixed.  Leave mixture to rest for about 5 - 10 minutes.

Spoon batter into greased moulds and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

Cool before frosting with buttercream



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Blueberry Muffin Tops

Muffin tops are, as everyone knows, truly the upper crust of those jumbo-sized, coffee-shop muffins. Why is the top so much better and how do we go about baking the tops without the bottom? Offer the bottoms to the Culinary God? That's effective but wastefull and the best solution so far has been muffin pans that are extremely shallow—only about 1/2 inch (1.25cm) deep. This recipe turned out some very delicious bottomless enjoyment, Renee ate 3 as soon as they were out of the oven. I had one and now i can understand why these kind of tops are beloved by 'Seinfeld'' partisans.

Ingredients:

For batter

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 whole large egg
1 large yolk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (12 oz)

For topping

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar

Special equipment:

2 muffin-top pans, each with 6 (4- by 1/2-inch)

Muffin-top cups (1/2-cup capacity);

or regular muffin pans

Method:

Make batter:

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 375°F.

Generously grease muffin pans.

Microwave butter in a big microwave-safe bowl on high for 1 minute.

Whisk in milk, then whisk in whole egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined well.

Sieve together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl, then add milk mixture and stir until just combined.

Fold in blueberries gently but thoroughly and do not overmix.

Divide batter among 12 muffin cups, spreading evenly.

Rub topping ingredients together with your fingertips until crumbly, then sprinkle evenly over batter in cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick or skewer inserted diagonally into center of a muffin comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool in pans on a rack 15 minutes, then run a knife around edge of each muffin top and carefully remove from cups.

Serve warm or at room temperature.


Serves

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Microwave Carrot cake

Have you tasted microwave cakes yet? You will see that cakes cooked in the microwave turn out to be very light and delicate with a tender crumb.
It also takes a fraction of the time one would normally allow for traditional baking oven. The recipes are so easy that children enjoy making no bake cakes as well as adults because it's literally as easy as mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and putting them inside a microwavable dish.
All the tortes, gateax, chocolate cakes and family cakes that you can think of, do work with your microwave.

The answer to all microwaved cakes is to camouflage their pale tops with frostings or icing. I personally do not like frosting and do not encourage my grandchildren to have it, that's why i do not frost unless the cakes are for celebrating. I have included the Cream Cheese Frosting which goes very well with this Carrot Cake. If you have a sweet tooth or need to make this cake more appealling, do frost it.



Ingredients:
2 cups finely shredded carrots
½ cup toasted walnut pieces
½ cup chopped dates
1/2 cup brown sugar (3/4 cups for friends who are at sea-level)
2 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cold milk
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda (3/4 tsp for friends who are at sea-level)

1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp mixed (apple- pie) spice

Method:

Butter and flour a 9-inch round and 3-inch deep microwave-safe cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Put the carrots, dates and roasted chopped walnuts into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process for 5 seconds or pass through the sieve. Add this mixture to the carrots mixture and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.

In the bowl of the food processor combine the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla essence and milk. With the processor still running drizzle in the vegetable oil. (no food processor, no problem, mix by hand)

Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake microwave on high for 8 minutes, turning cake pan around three times. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack. (microwave wattage - 900 watts)

Invert on to a plate when cooled completely. Remove the paper.

Frost with cream cheese frosting after cake has cooled completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ozs cream cheese

2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup confectioner's sugar
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and butter on medium just until blended.

Add the vanilla, lemon juice and beat until combined. With the speed on low, add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Place the frosting in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes before using.

Serves

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Apam Banana/Steamed Banana Muffin

After the holiday's baking, the oven needed a rest and steaming takes over. I just don't know what to call these steamed beauties, they looked like muffins and if in Malaysia, they will be called Apam. Muffin or Apam, the name does not matter, they are so moist and you eat 5 of them at one go and you will not feel guilty cos they are non-fat.



Ingredients:

4 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp Baking soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

6 Riped Bananas - mashed
A pinch Salt

Chopped walnuts (optional)
.
Method:

Sieve flour together with baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Separate egg white and egg yolks.

Beat egg whites until foamy then gradually add in sugar, whisk until thick.

Add in egg yolks and whisk to combine.
Mix in flour mixture and mashed banana, beat until well combined.

Pour batter into muffin lined tins/cups

Top with chopped walnuts if using.
Steam for 20 - 25 minutes

Serves

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Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins waft the most incredible aroma as they bake. This recipe makes tiny, not-too-sweet, pop-in-the-mouth mini muffins that are somewhere between a muffin and a cake in texture. The final product is a delectable little morsel that is totally luscious.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin spices

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon.

Mix the wet ingredients - sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs, beat lightly.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold in until all the dry ingredients are well blended.

Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop batter into prepared mini muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.

Bake in preheated oven 350 F for 17 - 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when gently pressed with fingertips.

Serves

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Rice Fatt Koh II

What happened??? This time the porcelain tea cup did not smile.

Could it be that it is not hot enough? So i let it sit longer before adding the batter.
Still the same, no smile.

The one in the middle with the blue, the cup is not heated at all and it smiled.


The one in green, the batter was from the first batch and has been sitting for 15 - 20 minutes.


When my dear friend saw Rice Fatt Koh, he so kindly share his tips and i am very grateful for his kind gesture of sharing. He told me to add in 1 tsp of 'ACCORD' and use half of the syrup for the first proof and the result is fantastic. The best part in his recipe is that no "ENO' is used and for the benefit of people like me who are in the United States, where 'ENO' is not readily available, can now make good smiling FATT KOH.

Ingredients:
A:

250 g cold cooked rice
1 tsp of grounded 'ragi/chow paeng'
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp water

B:

300 g sugar
4 cups water

600 g rice flour (divided into 1/2)
1 tsp 'ACCORD'

C:

1 tsp double action baking powder

Food colorings

Method:

Mix all ingredients A in a container with a lid and leave to ferment for 48 hours.

48 hours later.

Dissolve sugar with the 4 cups of water and then leave to cool.

Blend the fermented rice with 1/2 of the syrup and then mix it with 300 gms of the rice flour and 1 tsp "ACCORD". Pass batter through a fine sieve, and leave to ferment further for about 8 - 9 hours (because of altitude, i was able to steam them after 4 hours, i suppose, the batter will only be ready after 8 hours as suggested for sea level)

4 hours or 8 - 9 hours later.

Add in the rest of the syrup and 300 gms of rice flour. Mix thoroughly.

Heat the cups in the steamer for at least 5 minutes before pouring in the batter.

Dilute C in a little water and mix into batter , add coloring and stir well.

Pour into heated cups - 90% full and steam on high heat for 15 - 20 minutes depending on the sizes of cups.

Cool before serving


Serves
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Banana Muffins

I have been going crazy trying to keep up with the overriped bananas. Lately the Lord and Princess decided they did not like bananas that much and the fridge is packed with bananas and they have to go fast and how else than to make muffins. This recipe is so simple and easy and the muffins are simply delicious.



Ingredients:

75g/3oz vegetable oil
250g/9oz self-raising flour or 250 g all-purpose flour + 3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon(optional)
½ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
115g/4oz caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp banana essence
2 large, ripe bananas
2 large eggs
125ml/4fl oz milk
10 walnut kernels (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

2. Mash the bananas well. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.

3.With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, banana essence, oil and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.

4.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, fold in with a biggest spatula (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.

5. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and using an icecream scoop, spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.

6.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

Serves
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