Yuzu Cupcakes with Yuzu Buttercream Frosting

Happy New Year! Oooh, it's 2019 already and I've neglected my blog for such a long time :p


I still wish to blog but just that these days it seemed too much effort to do so :p Posting on IG and FB is much faster than having to edit photos on my laptop or PC, and having to think of the topic to write. Haha, I'm simply lazy.

Anyways, today's topic is on YUZU! Yes, my ultimate obsession. I asked around, people who know Yuzu all love Yuzu to bits lol. And like me, besides Yuzu foodstuff such as yuzu tea, yuzu crackers, yuzu cookies, yuzu cakes, they are also into other Yuzu-related merchandise like yuzu lip balm, yuzu shower gel, Yuzu cleanser etc etc =D

I digress :p

Ok, so my family went to Toyko in December and when I saw these gorgeous babies, I simply have to lug them back. Needless to say these couldn't be found in Thailand and even back in SG, they are rare and super expensive. When I saw them at Tsukiji market, I just went crazy and bought a box of L size ones (9 pcs), half a dozen small ones and half a dozen organic ones.

Have been thinking about what to do with these babies, I mean I have to use them up asap while they still look so fresh and plump. In the past years, I've already created a number of recipes using Yuzu, namely Yuzu Marmalade, Yuzu Chiffon Cake, Yuzu Marmalade Yogurt Cake, Yuzu Curd, Yuzu Curd Meringue Cupcake, Yuzu Curd Tart.  

So far have already made a few bottles of Yuzu Marmalade and since I've not made cupcakes for a long time and yet to try making Yuzu buttercream, I adapted one of my old recipes to create these delectable mini Yuzu cupcakes with Yuzu buttercream frosting. 

I'm so pleased with the results :)

The cupcake itself is moist and tender and good to eat on its own, but even better paired with Yuzu buttercream. The Yuzu buttercream frosting is surprisingly light with the wonderful aroma of yuzu; normally I'm not a fan of buttercream but this buttercream I found myself stealing mouthfuls of it! Sinful I know, but it tastes so yummy!

My recipe yields 20 pieces of mini cupcakes, I ate quite a few myself and gifted the remaining away. And my friends enjoyed the cupcake too, they liked it that they are not too sweet and oh yes the yuzu smelled so heavenly.

So here's sharing the recipes for making the cupcakes as well as the buttercream.

Ingredients for the cupcake include cake flour, baking powder, salt, unsalted butter, caster sugar (rub with yuzu zest), eggs, fresh milk, fresh yuzu juice and yuzu marmalade.

If you don't have fresh yuzu, you can simply use the Korean Citron tea and omit the yuzu zest and yuzu juice. This recipe can also be used for orange or lemon.

For buttercream, I use the Italian meringue method, ingredients are caster sugar, water, egg whites, unsalted butter and yuzu marmalade. Likewise yuzu marmalade can be replaced with Korean Citron tea or orange marmalade. And it's not necessary to use the Italian meringue method, Swiss meringe method works fine too. I have shared several buttercream frosting using Swiss meringue method before, please search for them.

Yuzu Cupcakes

(Makes 20 pcs with 4cm base cases)

* this recipe can be adapted to lemon or orange flavour

Yuzu cupcake

• 150g cake flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 115g unsalted butter
• 120g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 large & 1 small fresh yuzu or 2 medium ones (omit if don't have) 
• 2 eggs (medium size about 60g)
• 60g fresh milk
• 65g Yuzu marmalade (or Korean Citron Tea)
• 25g fresh Yuzu juice (from 1 large & 1 small fresh yuzu or 2 medium ones, replace with yuzu marmalade if don't have)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius, conventional mode.
2. Line the cupcake cases on a baking tray. Set aside.
3. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
4. Zest the fresh yuzu and rub the yuzu zest into the caster sugar until well-mixed. Set aside.
5. Squeeze fresh yuzu juice (reserve the seeds, pulp and peel for making more marmalade). 
6. Mix fresh milk, yuzu marmalade and fresh yuzu juice. Set aside.
7. Add butter and yuzu caster sugar (from 4) into mixing bowl, beat on medium high speed using k-beater until smooth and creamy, about 4 mins. Stop to scrap sides of bowl, beat for another minute.
8. Reduce to medium low speed, add eggs gradually and beat till just mixed.
9. Add the flour mixture (from 3) in 3 additions, alternating with the yuzu milk mixture (from 6) in 2 additions. Beat till just blended, finish off by removing mixing bowl from mixer, scrap sides of bowl and fold gently.
10. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, fill batter into the cupcake cases, about 2/3 full.
11. Bake at 180 degree celsius, conventional mode, for 15-18 mins (toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean).
12. Remove from oven and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Yuzu Buttercream
(makes enough buttercream to frost 2 batches of cupcakes)

• 80g caster sugar
• 20g water
• 75g egg whites (about 2 eggs)
• 200g unsalted butter
• 5-6 tbsp Yuzu marmalade (or Korean Citron tea)

1. Add sugar and water into a heavy bottom pot, bring to boil to 118 degree celsius (measure using a candy thermometer).
2. When the sugar mixture reaches 100 degree celsius, start whipping the egg whites on medium high speed. *if the egg whites already reaches soft peak and sugar mixture has not reached 118 degree celsius, shift the speed to low and let it continue whipping)
3. Once the sugar mixture reaches 118 degree celsius, bring the pot to the mixer, add the sugar syrup very slowly into the egg white. Switch mixer to high speed and whip the mixture till it cools down completely.
4. Place the entire mixing bowl into the fridge for a few hours (till temperature reaches less than 10 degree celsius).
5. Place the mixing bowl back to the electric mixer, add the cold cubed butter piece by piece and beat at medium high speed, till mixture turns into buttercream and no more liquid.
6. Add Yuzu marmalade into the buttercream and whisk till well-incorporated.
7. Buttercream frosting is ready to be used. Fit piping bag with star nozzle (I use Wilton 1M), fill buttercream into bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.

As I have more than enough Yuzu buttercream to frost the cupcakes (only made 1 batch of cupcakes), I decided to make a petite 4.5" size cake to use up the buttercream.

Used half quantity of the cupcake recipe above, and the batter is just nice for a 4.5" round cake pan. Bake at 180 degree celsius for about 40-45 mins. Once the cake cools down, slice the cake sideways to make 2 layers. I fill the layers with Yuzu marmalade, frost the whole cake with the leftover Yuzu buttercream and did some simple rose piping using Wilton 1M tip.

The cake wasn't very nicely frosted as I was rushing for time, but still it turned out really yummy! A 4.5" size cake can serve around 4-5 slices of cake. If using full quantity of the cupcake recipe, I reckon it'll be good for a 6" cake.

I still have some yuzu left, what shall I make next? Chiffon cake is definitely a must as it's my favourite. Not sure if I have time to create new recipes as going to be busy with CNY cookies baking soon!

Follow me on my Instagram : dreamersloft17 as I post regularly there now :) Ciao!

Chai Spice Cupcake with Chai Latte Buttercream Frosting using Gingen Ginger Tea

I'm a big tea lover (I don't drink coffee) and I have a whole shelf full of tea! One of my favourite tea is Chai Latte, I find that it has this calming and soothing effect on the mind and body, especially when I drink it on a rainy cold day.

There are several spices used in Chai Latte, but for me, the key spices are ginger and cinnamon. As for the tea, any black tea like Assam, Darjeeling or Ceylon is fine. Brewing Chai Latte is actually very easy, I just heat up fresh milk, add the spices and tea bags, let it simmer for a few minutes, sweeten with maple syrup, honey or sugar, that's it.

Anyways, I was once again very blessed to participate in a collaboration by Singapore Home Cooks and Gingen Ginger Tea. #GingenGingerTea #singaporehomecooks
While I make Chai Latte occasionally, it's been a long while since I bake any cakes incorporating tea and spices.  The first thing that came to my mind was a Chai Spice Cupcake with Chai Latte Buttercream frosting using Gingen Ginger Tea.

I already have ground cinnamon and ground allspice powder at home. Usually if I want to bake, I would buy ground ginger located at the spice racks of supermarkets, but I hardly buy it as I don't use it often (when I cook, I use fresh ginger).

Gingen Ginger Tea is definitely a more viable and convenient choice, since it's in powder form and I can drink it as tea or use it in my baking! I'm also pleased to learn that Gingen Ginger Tea is made from pure ginger; 10kg of fresh ginger is used to make 1kg of ginger extract! In addition, it contains no preservatives or artificial colourings. That said, Ginger Tea is also a must-drink tea for me during that time of the month. I usually brew red date with fresh ginger and red sugar. Now that there's Gingen Ginger Tea, I don't have to go into the trouble anymore! And I'm definitely gonna use this for my baking as well, no need to grate fresh ginger anymore! I digress :p

When I was mulling over the baking method, I couldn't decide between an infused butter method or infused milk butter to incorporate the tea and spices. In the end, I did both. LOL!

 As for the buttercream, I wanted to practise the Italian-Korean buttercream again since this method uses less sugar, is more stable and easier to pipe and gives a slight glossy finish.

During the baking, the whole house was filled with the soothing aroma of the spices and I find myself in such a calming and happy mood :)

Chai Spice Cupcake (Recipe I - tea & spice infused butter)
(makes 6-8 cupcakes)

Tea & Spice Infused Butter

• 65g unsalted butter
• 1 teabag (I use Ceylon, open up tea bag for the tea powder)
• 1/4 tsp Gingen ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice

Chai spice cupcake

• 60g all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 1 large egg (I use 65-68g egg with shell)
• 75g caster sugar
• 25g whipping cream
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 65g tea & spice infused butter

Steps

1. Tea & Spice Infused Butter: Melt unsalted butter in a pot, add tea powder, ginger powder, ground cinnamon and ground allspice. Stir till well-mixed and let the mixture infused and cool down completely before using.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius, fan mode. Line muffin pan with cupcake cases.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl set in an electric mixer, add egg and caster sugar, beat the mixture till pale and fluffy, about 4-5 mins.
5. Add cream and vanilla, beat till well-mixed.
6. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, each time scrapping sides of bowl and beat till just mixed.
7. Shift the mixing speed to lowest and add the infused butter drip by drip into the batter, make sure to scrap in the residue spice and tea powder as well. After incorporating the butter, shift to medium speed and beat for 1-2 mins.
8. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake cases, filling to slightly less than 2/3 full. Gently tap the pan on the countertop before sending the pan into the oven.
9. Bake at 180 degree celsius, fan mode for about 15-16 mins. To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the centre of the cupcake, the toothpick should emerge clean.
10. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack completely before frosting. 
11. Trim the top of the cupcake (for a flat surface) and frost with buttercream.

Chai Spice cupcake (Recipe II - tea & spice infused milk)
(makes about 10-11 cupcakes)


Tea & Spice Infused Milk

• 250g fresh milk
• 2 tea bags (I use Ceylon)
• 2 tsp Gingen ginger powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

 Chai spice cupcake

• 75g cake flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 80g caster sugar
• 60g unsalted butter
• 1 large egg (I use 65-68g egg with shell)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 65g tea & spice infused milk

Steps

1. Tea & Spice Infused Milk: In a pot, add fresh milk, tea bags, ginger powder, ground cinnamon and ground allspice, bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir till well-mixed and let the mixture infused and cool down completely before using. Measure 65g of infused milk and set aside. Keep the remaining for Chai Latte Buttercream Frosting.
2. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius, fan mode. Line muffin pan with cupcake cases.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, set aside.
4. In a mixing bowl set in an electric mixer, add caster sugar and unsalted butter, beat the mixture till pale and fluffy, about 4-5 mins.
5. Add egg and vanilla, beat till well-mixed.
6. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the infused milk in 2 additions, each time scrapping sides of bowl and beat till just mixed.
7. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake cases, filling to slightly less than 2/3 full. Gently tap the pan on the countertop before sending the pan into the oven.
8. Bake at 180 degree celsius, fan mode for about 15-16 mins. To test doneness, insert a toothpick into the centre of the cupcake, the toothpick should emerge clean.
9. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack completely before frosting.
10. Trim the top of the cupcake (for a flat surface) and frost with buttercream.

Chai Latte Buttercream Frosting
(makes slightly more than enough buttercream to frost all the cupcakes)

• 80g caster sugar
• 20g water
• 75g egg whites (about 2 egg whites)
• 200g unsalted butter, cubed and store in fridge
• 3 tbsp tea & spice infused milk (see recipe above)

1. Add sugar and water into a heavy bottom pot, bring to boil to 118 degree celsius (measure using a candy thermometer).
2. When the sugar mixture reaches 100 degree celsius, start whipping the egg whites on medium high speed. *if the egg whites already reaches soft peak and sugar mixture has not reached 118 degree celsius, shift the speed to low and let it continue whipping)
3. Once the sugar mixture reaches 118 degree celsius, bring the pot to the mixer, add the sugar syrup very slowly into the egg white. Switch mixer to high speed and whip the mixture till it cools down completely.
4. Place the entire mixing bowl into the fridge for a few hours (till temperature reaches less than 10 degree celsius).
5. Place the mixing bowl back to the electric mixer, add the cold cubed butter piece by piece and beat at medium high speed, till mixture turns into buttercream and no more liquid.
6. Add infused milk into the buttercream and whisk till well-incorporated.
7. Buttercream frosting is ready to be used. Fit piping bag with star nozzle (I use Wilton 1M), fill buttercream into bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.

Love love love how the cupcakes turned out!! They were soooooo scrumptious, the aroma was so alluring and I find myself eating one after another. Overall, the cupcakes were not too sweet with just the right balance of spices.

So what's the difference between infused butter and infused milk methods? I find the cupcakes with infused butter slightly denser with tighter crumbs, with more buttery undertone. For the infused milk method, the cupcakes turned out slightly more tender, a tad sweeter and creamier undertone. Well actually both are very very similar to one another.

Most surprisingly, my kiddo actually liked the cupcake! He's a picky one who claims that he hates spices like ginger and cinnamon but surprise surprise he says this cupcake is very yummy and he ate one immediately after lunch and another for tea break!

These recipes are certainly a keeper for me and I'll indulge in them whenever I need something uplifting!

Banana/Blueberry/Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins

I haven't baked anything new or test any new recipes recently. Seemed to be in a rut with no mojo at all. My mind is constantly brimming over with ideas and sometimes I even picture how the final product could be like, yet the body simply refuses to get going, and so my to-bake list just gets longer and longer...

Times like this, I guess I have to go back to basics, perhaps kick-start with something small, something easy, something that doesn't require much effort.

Fruit and chocolate chip muffin. Yep, this is as basic as it can get (aside from baking from a premix). Dry ingredients, wet ingredients, combine, add in the chopped fruits and chocolate chip, bake and that's it, no complicated methods, no mixer.

The truth is, I have a large bag of chocolate chips to use up, as well as lots of blueberries, bananas and cherries leftover in the fridge. So I thought to combine them into a simple muffin. Besides, these yummy treats make good breakfast and recess time snacks for the kiddo. I can bake a whole batch, freeze and reheat as and when I need it.

Banana/Blueberry/Cherry Chocolate Chip Muffins
(makes 20 muffins)

• 250g cake flour
• 120g light muscovado sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp sea salt
• 250g fresh milk
• 1 large egg (65g egg with shell)
• 60g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120g chocolate chip
• 50g banana, cubed
• 50g blueberry
• 50g cherry, cubed

1. Preheat oven 175 degree celsius, fan mode. Line muffin pans with paper cases.
2. Sift cake flour, sugar, baking powder and sea salt together. Set aside.
3. Mix fresh milk, egg, unsalted butter and vanilla until well-blended.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold till just mixed.
5. Add chocolate chip and fold gently till just mixed.
6. Divide batter into 3 portions (about 280g per portion).
7. Add the fruits into each portion of batter, fold gently till just mixed.
8. Scoop the batter into prepared muffin cases till about 3/4 filled.
9. Bake at 175 degree celsius, fan mode for 20-25 mins.
10. Cool on wire rack before storing in airtight container or freezer bag (for storage in freezer).
11. To re-heat, steam the muffins for 5 mins.

Love these fruity and chocolatey muffins, light on the palate and not too sweet with each bite bursting with juicy fruit and addictive chocolate. The kiddo's favourite is blueberry follow by banana. As for me, I like all of them. I guess it's kind of a healthy treat, with fruit and chocolate combined into one :d

Will be baking these whenever I have lots of leftover fruits, meanwhile I guess this current batch can last a few weeks.

Marmite Chocolate Cupcake with Marmite buttercream & Marmite Caramel Drizzle

Growing up, I only know Marmite as a condiment that my mum added to porridge to boast our appetite as well as vitamin B intake. Other than its very potent salty taste and smell, I couldn't remember my mum using it for other dishes in cooking. That said, I know many zi char stalls used Marmite as a sauce or condiment to cook Marmite Pork Ribs or Chicken.

Recently I was offered by Singapore Home Cooks and marketers of Marmite to create recipes using Marmite. So I started researching and surprised to learn that Marmite is invented in 1902 and it's more widely used in cooking and even baking than we know.


Out of curiosity, I asked friends around me about their impression of Marmite and the answers seemed to be divided between love or hate. I began pondering over how I would like to present Marmite, using it such that people would definitely enjoy it. And since I'm an avid baker, probably I could introduce it in some desserts?

Initially I created a Baked Marmite Cheese Tart but the reviews were mixed, so I decided to try chocolate cake instead as I believe chocolate and Marmite could very well compliment each other. As for frosting, I went for Marmite Swiss Meringue Buttercream because the salty Marmite should work well with buttercream akin to salted caramel buttercream. And finally to enhance the overall flavour, I made a Marmite Caramel Drizzle Sauce would turned out to be a winner!

It took me three attempts to get the overall taste correct but the efforts were totally worth it. All three components, chocolate cake, buttercream and caramel sauce played their individual roles in making this dessert so unique and delectable!

First of all, the aroma of marmite is distinct in the cupcake, yet the taste is not overwhelming. The chocolate cake itself is very tender, fluffy and chocolatey with just a tinge of marmite taste. Same goes for the buttercream which is slightly salted due to the addition of marmite.

And the best of it all is the marmite caramel sauce which tasted so good that I couldn't stop licking it neat. It has this deep and rich flavour that's even better than regular salted caramel sauce. Seriously, please try it! This is the only way I'm going to make caramel sauce from now onwards. The sauce can be used in cupcakes, ice-cream or even as a spread for crackers!

Marmite Chocolate Cupcakes with Marmite Buttercream & Marmite Caramel Drizzle

(makes 10 cupcakes, using 4cm cupcake case)

Marmite Chocolate Cupcakes

• 50g plain flour
• 15g cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 80g caster sugar
• 50g fresh milk
• 20g neutral tasting oil
• 25g egg
• 50g hot water + 2 ½ tsp marmite

1. Preheat oven to 180C, fan-assisted mode. Line muffin pans with cupcake cases. Set aside.
2. Dry ingredients: Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a big mixing bowl together. Add caster sugar and whisk to mix well. Set aside.
3. Wet ingredients: Add milk, oil and egg to another mixing bowl. Stir to mix well.
4. Add the wet ingredients (3) gradually into the dry ingredients (2), whisk till well blended.
5. Make marmite drink by dissolving marmite into hot water. Add the marmite drink to the batter, whisk till well blended.
6. Scoop batter into the cupcake cases about 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 180C, fan assisted mode, for 18-20 mins (toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean).
8. Remove from oven and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Marmite Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 1 egg white
• 60g caster sugar
• 80g unsalted butter
• ½ - ¾ tsp marmite (to taste)

1. Place egg white and sugar in a mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
2. Whisk continuously until the mixture is hot to touch and sugar is dissolved.
3. Transfer to mixing bowl to electric mixer, beat the mixture using whisk attachment on medium high speed for about 4-5 mins, until stiff peaks and mixture has cooled to room temperature (touch the bottom of bowl).
4. Turn speed to medium and add the butter, piece by piece. Keep beating till mixture gradually turns creamy and velvety, about 4-5 mins.
5. Add marmite, ¼ tsp at a time (to taste) till incorporated.
6. Transfer buttercream to piping bag fitted with 1M nozzle and frost the cupcakes.

Marmite Caramel Drizzle (with extra)

• 25g light brown sugar
• 25g golden syrup
• 25g unsalted butter
• 40g whipping cream
• 1 tsp marmite (to taste)

1. In a sauce pot, add sugar, syrup and butter, heat till melted (low heat).
2. Add whipping cream and marmite (to taste), continue heating till sauce boils and thickens. Let the caramel cool down completely.
3. Transfer caramel to piping bag, snip a small hole and drizzle over the buttercream.

I totally adored the cupcake, same as my kiddo who had it for tea, as well as breakfast the next day. The HB who's not a fan of cupcakes gave positive review (unlike the cheese tart version). I offered a few to my friend, G and her family also enjoyed it :)

This recipe is a keeper for me!

Thai Tea series - Part IV Thai Milk Tea Donuts with Thai Milk Tea Glaze

Thai Tea series - Part I Thai Milk Tea Chiffon Cake
Thai Tea series - Part II Thai Tea Cookies
Thai Tea series - Part III Bake Thai Milk Tea Cheese Tart

I still have a few Thai tea bakes in my list like egg tarts, butter cake, roll cake and cupcake but didn't feel like baking any of them just yet. Rather, had an urge to bake some donuts.

So yep, here's my quick and easy, very hastily put-together Baked Thai Milk Tea Donuts with Thai Milk Tea Glaze. This baked donut is essentially a "cake" version which is much easier to make than dough ones which require proofing and save the mess of deep-frying as well.

Thai Milk Tea Donuts with Thai Milk Tea Glaze
(makes 18 mini donuts)

Ingredients
(A) Thai milk tea

• 300g fresh milk
• 6 teabags thai tea

1. Heat fresh milk in small pot till hot, add the teabags and let them infuse for an hour or more.
2. Drain and squeeze as much liquid out of the bags as possible. Set the thai milk tea aside.

*There is more than enough milk tea left, extra can be made into Iced Milk Tea aka Cha Yen.

(B) Donuts

•  100g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 80g light brown sugar
• 60g thai milk tea (from A)
• 60g buttermilk
• 30g unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 175C, conventional mode. Grease donut pan and set aside. *I'm using 8-hole silicone donut mould which doesn't require greasing. Place the silicone mould onto a baking tray.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and soda together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk sugar, tea, buttermilk together till blended. Add melted butter and whisk till blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk till blended.
5. Pour the batter into donut pan till the batter is same level as the donut centre.
6. Bake at 175C for 13-15 mins. 
7. Let the donut cool completely before glazing.

(C) Glaze

• 3 tbsp thai milk tea (from A)
• 15 tbsp icing sugar

1. Mix tea with sugar till a thick glaze is formed.
2. Dip donut into the glaze, flip it over and place on wire rack for glaze to set.
3. Once glaze is set, donut is ready to be served.

The baked donut itself is not very sweet with just a tinge of Thai Milk Tea taste, it's the glaze that does the job. Initially I only dunk the donut into the glaze once, but after letting it sit for a while, the glaze sort of "sunk" and disappeared into the donut.

To achieve this thick and luscious glossy look, I had to dip the donut into the glaze two to three times. So yes, the glaze is the calorie-bomb here! I guess the sugar-adversed would probably cringe at the amount of sugar that goes into making the glaze! I only ate the ones with single layer of glaze :p

Anyways, the donut is a hit with my kiddo. He ate two before dinner (I refused to let him have more) and another after dinner! Luckily they are mini ones and not the regular size. I think I'm gonna explore more flavours next time. Till then :)

Bandung Cupcakes & Rose-syrup Buttercream

 All you need is Love... and cupcakes to get rid of Monday Blues!

I thought of making these sweet-looking Bandung Cupcakes with Rose-Syrup Buttercream because hb and the kiddo love rose-syrup drink and we always have a bottle at home. Kiddo calls it "delicious drink". Personally I like bandung drink, but don't drink it often since it's so sweet and fattening :p

Anyways, I thought these adorable petite-size cupcakes are quite apt for Valentine's Day as well, which is tomorrow!

The cupcakes are baked using a basic vanilla cupcake recipe, just that instead of milk and vanilla extract, bandung drink is added. As for the frosting, initially I thought of my favourite chantilly cream with some rose syrup, but because I'm packing the cupcakes as a snack for the kiddo's recess, I reckon buttercream would last longer at room temperature than chantilly cream. And to make the cupcakes look even sweeter, I stamped cutesy little hearts out of strawberries and topped them onto the frosting.

 

For buttercream, I was considering between Swiss or Italian and in the end went for the Italian Meringue Buttercream that's used by the Koreans for their glossy buttercream flowers. I reckon I could make a bigger batch, freeze and practise on some Korean buttercream flower piping when I have more time.

Bandung Cupcakes and Rose-Syrup Buttercream
(makes 12 petite size cupcakes)

Ingredients

Bandung Cupcakes

• 90g cake flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 60g unsalted butter
• 80g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bandung drink (100g fresh milk + 2 tbsp rose syrup)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius, top and bottom heat. Prepare a 12-hole muffin tray and line with cupcake cases. Set aside.
2. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed for about 5 mins, stopping to scrap the bowl as necessary, until creamy and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and beat till well-mixed.
5. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the bandung drink. Mix till just blended.
6. Using an ice-cream scoop, add the batter to the cupcake cases, to about 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 15 mins.
8. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Rose-syrup Italian Meringue Buttercream
(reference from Korean Decorating Art recipe book, makes more than enough to frost the cupcakes)

• 2 egg whites (about 72g)
• 30g caster sugar
• 60g caster sugar
• 25g water
• 225g unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Steps

1. Beat egg whites with 30g caster sugar using electric mixer, till peak stage.
2. Meanwhile, add 60g caster sugar and 25g water to a heavy saucepan, bring to boil till 120 degree celsius.
3. Turn the electric mixer to lowest speed and add the syrup to the meringue in a steady stream.
4. Whisk the meringue at high speed till the meringue cool down to room temperature.
5. Place the whole bowl of meringue into the fridge to chill until temperature reaches 10 degree celsius or lower.*
6. Place the bowl back to the electric mixer at medium speed, add butter piece by piece and then beat on high speed till well-blended and buttercream is formed.
7. For frosting of the cupcakes, mix 100g of buttercream with 2 tsp of rose syrup, stir till well-mixed.
8. For remaining buttercream, store in fridge for 1 week or freezer up to 3 months.

* The lower the temperature of meringue, the buttercream will turn more glossy.

It's all pinkish cuteness overload and lovey-dovey looking, isn't it?

The cupcakes smell really good, just like rose syrup. Taste-wise it's not as strong as bandung drink but the rose scent is rather distinct. I must say not bad at all!

Will add this cupcake flavour to my order list; if anyone's looking for pink cupcakes, this is the one to go for :)

Korean Egg Bread Gyeran Ppang 계란빵

I can't believe it, after watching so many K-dramas that made me laugh and cry so much (basically obsession mode each time a drama attracted me), I've not been to Korea yet -_- Well, it's on my must-visit country list for the past few years, but somehow didn't manage to materialise the plans?!! Next year, I promise myself.

I digress.

Even though I've not been to Korea, have heard a lot about Korea street snacks such as Ddeokbokki (spicy rice cakes), Hotteok (sweet pancake), Odeng (fish cake), Boong-uh-ppang (Goldfish bread), Kimbap (rice rolls) and many more through the K-dramas, friends, YouTube, blogs etc. In fact, I've made hotteok two years back and love it!

Recently I watched a YouTube video about Gyeran Ppang and very intrigued by it. It's described as similar to muffin with a whole egg inside, and tasted both sweet and savoury. It's sold by street vendors all over Korea and apparently very popular during winter as people are attracted by the sweet aroma and steaming hot egg bread to warm the tummies.

Coincidentally I was looking for some quick and easy breakfast/snack recipes which are wholesome and healthy, suitable for the kiddo. And when I researched on the internet and read through the ingredient list and method, I knew that I must give it a try!

I think traditionally, those egg bread sold by the street vendors consist mainly one full egg, but the Korean homebakers added more variations such as bacon and cheese. As I had some leftover ingredients in the fridge to be cleared like corn kernels, bacon and cheese, decided to follow suit with the additional ingredients. For some of the recipes and probably traditionally, the egg is inside the bread (instead of top), but I prefer to use the ingredients as toppings, looks more appetising and easier to identify :p

The first time I baked the egg bread, I used regular-size silicone muffin cups and mid-size eggs. But both hb and I felt that adding one whole regular-size egg seemed to be quite "jiak-lat" (overwhelming), making the egg bread very filling. After eating one, we couldn't possible try another flavour immediately. Instead of using regular eggs, I thought of quail egg because it would make the egg bread "smaller" (although cholesterol level is higher). But if I were to use the same muffin cups, the proportion of quail egg to batter would be imbalanced. Hmmmm....

After pondering for a day, I recalled I have a 9-hole silicone mold hidden somewhere in the darkest corner of my cabinet :p and the holes are oval shaped which is a little similar to the egg bread sold in Korea. Well not exactly the same but I guess it should work well for me! I used that mold to make financiers before and forgot all about it :p

And so with the smaller and shallower mold, the quail egg fits perfectly and the egg bread is now a more petite and manageable size for my family :)

Ingredients are really simple. Sugar, all purpose flour, baking powder, milk, melted salted butter, eggs and vanilla extract. Toppings are up to individual. I made three variations, quail egg with cheese, bacon with onion and corn with butter and mayo. Added a sprinkle of parsley flakes too, since I have it.

Before and after. The batter and toppings were filled to the brim of the molds but they won't overflow during baking. Good thing about using silicone molds, the egg bread could be lifted easily.

Korean Egg Bread Gyeran Ppang 계란빵
(Makes 9 pieces, using 7cm x 5cm x 2cm oval shape silicone mold)
(reference: Messy Witchen, Seonkyoung Longest, My Korean Kitchen, Maangchi)

Ingredients

• 70g all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 75g egg (about 2 small kampung ones)
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/8 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings (optional)

1. Quail egg & shredded cheese
2. Corn with butter & mayo - thaw frozen corn kernels with hot water, drain and mix well with salted butter and Japanese mayonnaise
3. Onion & bacon - dice onion and bacon, fry in pan till onion is softened and bacon slightly browned
4. Parsley flakes/black pepper/fresh coriander

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree celsius, top and bottom heat.
2. Sift flour and baking powder into bowl, set aside.
3. Mix egg and sugar using whisk till well combined.
4. Add the egg/sugar mixture, milk and vanilla extract to the flour mixture. Whisk till well-blended.
5. Scoop the batter into the silicone mould, slightly more than half-filled (I use a 4-cm ice-cream scoop).
6. Add desired toppings on top of the batter. Crack quail egg in the centre of the batter, sprinkle shredded cheese around the rim of the mold. Add about 1 to 1.5 tbsp of corn/bacon spreading around the top of the batter. Finish by sprinkling some parsley flakes/black pepper (if desired).
7. Bake at 200 degree celsius for 20-22 mins, till top of bread is slightly browned.
8. Let the egg bread cool slightly before removing from silicone mould.
9. Best eaten hot.

 *The egg bread doesn't taste as good after cool down or stored in fridge. To re-heat, steam for 5-6 mins.

I totally love the corn topping one, the sweet juicy bits of corn kernels burst into the mouth with each bite of the bread. The bacon and onion is not bad as well, some may not like it due to the smoky saltiness in contrast to the sweetness but I like the combination. I also love the egg bread now, the quail egg is just the right size and the added cheese enhanced the overall taste (once again a sweet and savoury combi which I like). Best part, I can eat all three flavours at one go :d

The kiddo loves the egg one so much, he ate two immediately after dinner!

This recipe is certainly a keeper. Toppings (if desired) can be prepared in advance and the batter and baking itself can be ready in less than 30 mins. I think it makes a great breakfast or snack for kids since it's quite wholesome. Will explore more variations next time :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin

Recently I have this cravings for chocolate. Must be the lack of endorphins from the lack of exercise! Arghhhh! So I thought about baking something with chocolate, something quick, easy and no frills because I was super busy with some family matters.

Initially it was just chocolate chip muffins as I have an opened pack of Valrhona solid baking pearls sitting in the fridge. Then I saw a bunch of over-ripened bananas staring at me from the kitchen counter. Oops, I bought this huge bunch of bananas (small finger variety type) from Malaysia and managed to eat only a few.

So Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins it is! Referred to a few recipes online and found one hosted on Martha Stewart's website to my liking as I have all the ingredients on hand.

Muffins are easy to make, in the sense that it's usually a bunch of dry ingredients, a bunch of wet ingredients, then mix both together. The only tricky bit is not to over-mix the batter, which results in a tough and dry muffin texture.

I think some commercial bakeries add chemicals/cake emulsifiers like Ovalette or Emulco to make muffins/cakes softer and smoother, but this is certainly a no-no for me. Hence the folding technique is important; use a spatula, bring to bottom of mixing bowl, scoop the ingredients and fold gently. Repeat a few times till ingredients are just mixed. It's okay to have specks of flour mixture remaining.

I love how the muffins turned out. It's wholesome comfort food, moist and tender, with intense flavour of dark chocolate and lovely notes of banana. I love baking using Valrhona solid baking pearls because the spherical shapes are mostly retained :) Used to buy them from Shermay's Cooking School, unfortunately it's closed down already. If anyone knows where to get it, please let me know!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
(makes 15 muffins)

Ingredients

• 125g all purpose flour
• 125g wholemeal flour
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 260g over-ripen bananas (small variety, 11 pcs)
• 150g light brown sugar
• 115g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 65g fresh milk
• 156g chocolate chips (I use Valrhona solid baking pearls)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 175C on fan mode. Prepare 15 silicone cupcake cases, or sturdy paper baking cases or well-greased/lined muffin pans.
2. Sift AP flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. Mashed the bananas in another large mixing bowl, add light brown sugar, melted butter, egg and fresh milk. Stir till well-blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients (3) into dry ingredients (2), FOLD gently till half incorporated. It's ok to see some flour mixture remaining.
5. Add chocolate baking pearls into batter, FOLD gently till just incorporated. It's ok to see specks flour mixture remaining.
6. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, fill batter into prepared cases, about 3/4 full.
7. Bake at 175C on fan mode for 20 mins.
8. Remove from oven and cool the muffins on cooling rack. Best eaten warm.
9. The muffins can be kept in ziplock bags and store in freezer for up to 1 month. To serve, thaw at room temperature for 10-15 mins, then heat in air-fryer or oven at 120C for 5-8 mins.

While I liked the muffins, the kiddo detected the ground cinnamon added and didn't want more after eating only one piece. He hates cinnamon! Personally I enjoy the tinge of cinnamon, I thought it goes really well with bananas and chocolate. Oh well. I guess next time to omit the cinnamon. So I ate some and froze the remaining. Whenever I have cravings, I can have one or two without the hassle of baking from scratch (that is until my supply runs out!).

Ham, Mushroom, Corn & Edamame Muffin

When I saw Peng's Kitchen as well as Domestic Goddess Wannabe series of postings on Impossibly Easy Savoury Mini-Pies, I knew immediately that I wanted to try baking too!

They require very little effort to put together and yet so versatile; many ingredients could be mix-and-match, and they could serve as breakfast, snack or even a quick lunch. I'm already thinking of making these savoury muffins for the little rascal's recess bento box (when he goes to Primary School next year) from time to time.

I call them muffins, rather than mini-pies because I'm more used to the notion that pies are those made using sweet tart pastry or puff pastry. Anyways, it doesn't matter, so long as they are nice to look at, good to eat :)

Instead of making Bisquick mix from scratch (Domestic Goddess Diana Gale shared recipe in the posts as well, which is actually very easy), the lazy mama in me decided to buy ready-mix, the most common brand being Betty Crocker.

As for ingredients, I was doing my monthly fridge-clearance, so just used whatever ingredients that needed to be cleared, and topped up the rest. Which is why the amount used in the ingredients seemed odd.

Ham, Mushroom, Corn and Edamame Muffin
(makes 18 muffins)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pc white onion, finely chopped
• 90g assorted mushroom (white, swiss brown, portobello), diced
• 115g chicken ham cubes
• 100g sweet corn
• 45g edamame
• 1 cup Bisquick (I use Betty Crockers)
• 1 cup fresh milk
• 4 eggs
• 200g shredded cheddar cheese (1 packet)
• Dried parsley, fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180C, fan mode.
2. Prepare 18 pieces of silicone muffin/cupcake casing (or well-greased muffin/cupcake baking pans). Set aside.
3. In a frying pan, heat about 1 tbsp of cooking oil, add finely chopped onion and saute till translucent.
4. Next, add diced mushroom and saute till soft, follow by chicken ham cubes, sweet corn and edamame. Add some sea salt and pepper to taste (I didn't add since chicken ham and cheese to be added later are both salty already). Saute for 3-4 mins, transfer to bowl and set aside.
5. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk Bisquick with milk and eggs till well-blended.
6. Add 1 tbsp of Bisquick mixture into each casing, follow by 1-2 tsp of sauteed ingredients. Next add 1-2 tbsp of shredded cheddar cheese and finally add 1-2 tbsp of Bisquick mixture (till almost to brim of the casings). Sprinkle some dried parsley or herbs if desired.
7. Bake the muffins at 180C, fan mode for about 20-25 mins, until the top of muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Best served warm.
9. The muffins can be stored in airtight box or ziplock freezer bags and store in freezer. To re-heat, thaw the frozen muffins at room temperature for 15 mins, then heat in air-fryer or oven at 120C for about 10-12 mins.

I love how the muffins turned out, so yummy, satisfying and wholesome! The crust was crispy, while the filling was so full of flavour from the different ingredients used, especially cheese! What's not to like when cheese is added right?

And it so happened, the ingredients I used were a myriad of colours, making them look more appetising :D

I chomped two immediately, saved two for the hubby and rascal to try and freeze the rest. They love it too!

During those days when I'm lazy/tired and don't feel like cooking lunch, or just wanted a light and quick bite, I simply pop a couple into the air-fryer, heat up and viola. To make it even more flavourful, some mayonnaise or cheesy sauce could be added to the top of the muffin.

This recipe is certainly a keeper and next time I will explore more flavours and different ingredients.

Yuzu Curd Meringue Cupcake

After making the Yuzu Curd Tart with my homemade Yuzu Curd, I was left with 2 small bottles of curd, had to use them up quickly since shelf life of curd is short even though it was chilled.

I knew I wanted to bake a cupcake filled with yuzu curd, but for the cupcake base, what should I do? Should I go for a richer yuzu marmalade butter cake, or just a plain simple one with some zest and extract? And then what about the topping, yuzu curd, yuzu marmalade or yuzu buttercream frosting or something else? Decisions decisions.

After browsing many instagram photos, food blogs etc, finally decided on a simple yuzu cupcake filled with yuzu curd in the centre, and topped with golden meringue frosting! In fact, it's the same combination for lemon curd or orange curd meringue cupcake.

I reckon since the highlight is yuzu curd, the cake and topping should be more subtle in taste and not overwhelm the luscious curd.

Basically,  there are 3 components to the cupcake, the cupcake itself, the curd and meringue. Since my curd is already prepared, the other 2 parts were completed fairly quickly. The only problem encountered was the browning of the meringue!

As the photo shown, browning of the meringue turned out uneven :( I've not used my blowtorch for a long time, it's not easy to control the flame! Alas.

Preparing the cupcake was straightforward, cream butter and sugar, add egg, zest, extract, then add in flour mixture alternating with milk.

I've already used up all my yuzu, no more zest, so I added yuzu powder that I bought from Japan previously. Besides vanilla extract, I also added a bit of yuzu oil also bought from Japan. These can be replaced with lemon or orange. As I wanted a very tender crumb, I used buttermilk instead of fresh milk.

After the cupcakes were baked, let them cool down completely first. Then using a small paring knife, carve out the centre of the cupcake, then fill with the yuzu curd.

After yuzu curd has been filled into all the cupcakes, pipe the meringue on top of the cupcake. Lastly, use a blowtorch to brown the surface of the meringue. Done!

Yuzu Curd Meringue Cupcakes

(Makes 17-18 pcs with 4cm base cases)

* this recipe can be adapted to lemon or orange flavour

Yuzu cupcake

• 150g cake flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 115g unsalted butter
• 120g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp yuzu oil (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 130g buttermilk
• 1 tsp yuzu zest/powder
• Yuzu curd - see recipe here

1. Preheat oven to 180C, fan-assisted mode.
2. Line muffin pans with cupcake cases. Set aside.
3. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
4. Add butter and caster sugar into mixing bowl, beat on medium high speed using k-beater until smooth and creamy, about 4 mins. Stop to scrap sides of bowl, beat for another minute.
5. Reduce to medium low speed, add eggs gradually and beat till just mixed.
6. Add vanilla extract and yuzu oil.
7. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Beat till just blended, finish off by removing mixing bowl from mixer, scrap sides of bowl and fold gently.
8. Using an ice-cream scoop or spoon, fill batter into the cupcake cases, about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
9. Bake at 180C, fan assisted mode, for 15 mins (toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean).
10. Remove from oven and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Meringue

• 2 egg whites (about 80g)
• 80g caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Add egg whites, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl, whisk to combine.
2. Place bowl into a pot of simmering water, and whisk till the sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot to touch.
3. Attach mixing bowl to mixer, whip the mixture on medium high speed using whisk attachment, till it is cooled to room temperature and texture resembles fluffy whipped cream.

 Combine

1. Using small paring knife, carve and remove the centre of the cupcake.
2. Fill the yuzu curd into a piping bag and pipe the curd into the centre of the cupcake.
3. Fill the meringue into a piping bag fitted with tip of choice, pipe the meringue atop the cupcake covering the curd.
4. Use a blowtorch to brown the meringue topping (optional).
5. The cupcakes are ready to be served. Best eaten at room temperature. The cupcakes can be stored in airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days. Before eating, bring the cupcakes to room temperature.

I LOVE the cupcake! Actually the cake itself was already very yummy. Tender and moist, not too sweet, with a whiff of yuzu aroma and taste, just the way it should be in order to let the yuzu curd shine. As I bite into the cupcake, the luscious yuzu curd burst into the mouth, slightly tangy, sweet and very fragrant, making me crave for another bite, and another, and gone. The golden meringue was light as cloud, adding a different texture and lending a visual appeal to the cupcake.

I had 17 cupcakes in all, although I already ate like 2 at one go, there were still dozen left. I couldn't be eating all of them #fatdieme! So the hb brought six to his office and the remaining 6, gifted to my secondary school friend who's keen in my bakes.

Really happy with this bake and glad that the yuzu curd was put into good use. Guess I could try with the lemon or orange flavour next time, but I know they can't compare to my beloved yuzu. Gonna wait till I get hold of yuzu the next season...