Yummylicious Experiments

Rock Drops
Ingredients

1. Lightly grease or line baking tray with greaseproof paper. Preheat oven at 190 degC.
2. Sift cake flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Rub butter with your fingers or K-beater until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in sugars and sultanas.
4. Add eggs and milk to the mixture and mix to form a dough.
5. Spoon mixture on to the prepared baking tray, spacing them well apart to prevent them from sticking together while baking.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
7. Remove rock drops from baking tray. Serve hot or let cool completely on a wire rack. Store in air tight container.

Cheese Crisps
Ingredients
150g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
50g butter
80g cheddar cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp water

1. Preheat oven 190 degree celsius.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together.
3. Rub butter into flour.
4. Add 3/4 of the grated cheese and mix well.
5. Add 1 beaten egg and water and make to a pliable dough.
6. Knead on floured board till smooth.
7. Roll out dough to 1/3 cm thick, cut into neat squares.
8. Brush with remaining egg, prick and sprinkle with cheese.
9. Transfer squares onto baking sheet, put to bake for about 15 mins or until golden brown.
10. When baked, remove and leave to cool.

• Preheat oven 190 degree celsius.
• Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence till light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift flour, baking powder, salt.
• Fold flour into butter mixture, alternating with milk.
• Fill the cups half-full and bake for 20 min.

1. Preheat oven 190 degree celsius.
2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence till light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, salt.
5. Fold flour into butter mixture, alternating with milk.
6. Fill the cups half-full and bake for 20 min.

Buttercream Icing (to be prepared the day before)
Ingredients
35g solid vegetable shortening
30g butter
150g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 - 3 tsp milk

Flavourings
Chocolate - Blend 1 tbsp cocoa powder with 1 tsp hot water
Coffee - Blend 2 tsp coffee powder with 1 tbsp hot water

1. Put shorteningg, icing sugar, vanilla essence and 1 tsp milk in a bowl.
2. Beat and add sufficient extra milk to give a light, smooth and fluffy consistency.
3. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.
4. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Re-whip before using.

An old recipe since my Home Econ days. Love the smell of the fresh lemon... A tat bit too sweet and sour I find, so you might want to add in more water to fine-tune the taste.

I'm attempting cupcakes and swiss roll this weekend. Stay tuned! =)

Lemon Meringue Pie (makes about an 8" pie)

Ingredients

Crust:
400g digestive biscuit
200g butter, melted

Lemon Cream:
200g caster sugar
Zest of 1 large lemon ( approx. 14 g)
60 g cornstarch
Pinch of salt
320 ml cold water
125 ml fresh lemon juice, strained
3 egg yolks

Meringue:
3 egg whites
Cream of Tartar
150g caster sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Mix the melted butter and digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl till bonded.
3. Lay the mixture firmly onto the pan and freeze the batter for at least 15 minutes.

To make lemon cream

1. Place sugar, zest, cornstarch and salt into a stainless steel pot, mix ingredients well.
2. Add egg yolks and mix until well blended.
3. Add the lemon juice and mix to make a thick cream.
4. Add the water and place on the stove to bring to a boil mixing all the time.
5. When the mixture starts to boil, keep on the burner for 1 minute and mix well. Pull aside and let cool it for a while.

To make meringue

1. In a bowl, using a mixer, at high speed mix the 3 egg whites with a touch of cream of tartar, bring to a medium froth.
2. Add 150g sugar, one tbsp at a time making sure to dissolve. Sugar grains will turn liquid and you get this syrup between the cream and the meringue while baking.
3. Take the pie shell, add the lemon cream, level nice.
4. Add the meringue and spread all over the cream. With the back of a spoon make peaks, touching the meringue and pulling up really fast.
5. Place pie in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until meringue should look light brown to the tip of the peaks. If the meringue is getting dark really fast, it means that the temperature is too high. Lower the temp.

Pei 心血来潮... wanted to make Baileys cheesecake on National Day. And we also made Tiramisu too! Not an easy feat for this. 'Cause we made them at CL's place, and he doesn't have a single baking equipment at his place, not even large bowls for us to whisk the cheese in. So I have to bring my cake whisker from Sengkang, and Pei had to bring a huge place bowl and container from Jurong. >.<"

Sorry, no pictures this time round, 'cause we had to rush out to meet friends for dinner. Heeeee...

Tiramisu

Ingredients
3 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
500g mascarpone cheese
85ml Kahlua or coffee liqueur
200ml strong coffee or espresso, cold
14 boudoir or sponge finger biscuits
25g plain chocolate, finely grated
cocoa powder, for dusting

1. Place the egg yolks in a bowl with the caster sugar and beat together until pale and thickened, using an electric whisk.
2. Add the mascarpone and whisk slowly until the mixture is pale and smooth.
3. Pour in one tablespoon of the Kahlua or coffee liqueur and whisk gently to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the coffee and remaining coffee liqueur.
5. Dip half of the boudoir or sponge finger biscuits into the coffee liqueur mixture and arrange in the bottom of four glass coffee cups, breaking them up as necessary.
6. Spoon over half the mascarpone mixture and sprinkle half the chocolate on top.
7. Repeat the layers until the cups are full and then cover each cup with cling film.
8. Chill for at least two hours (up to 24 hours is fine).8. Set cups on saucers and dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Ingredients
200g digestive biscuits, crushed
100g butter, melted
160g sugar
5 tsp gelatin powder
240ml boiling water
500g cream cheese
100ml Baileys Irish Cream
50g melted dark chocolate, optional

1. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan.
2. Mix the melted butter and digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl till bonded.
3. Lay the mixture firmly onto the pan and freeze the batter for at least 15 minutes.
4. Pour boiling water over the sugar and gelatin powder in a small bowl and stir until dissolved.
5. Place bowl over hot water until the gelatin mixture turns clear.
6. In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and bailey’s until light and fluffy.
7. Gradually add in the dissolved gelatin mixture until smooth.
8. Poke some holes on the prepared crust layer with a skewer before pouring the cream cheese batter onto it.
9. Drop dollops of melted dark chocolate onto the cream cheese batter and swirl with a skewer.
10. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight until firm before serving.