Fruit Tart Recipe

Fruit tarts are easy to put together and one of the healthier desserts. You can use any seasonal fruit available and berries are often used, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Colourful fruits are packed with vitamins and they brighten up the whole tart. Not only is a fruit tart good to look at, it is also delicious - buttery tart crust paired with sweet custard and many pieces of layered fruit.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe

I have to admit that I love my cupcakes plain. However these days, commercial cupcakes come frosted in many types of flavours and colouring and I was tempted to follow suit. Buttercream frostings are basic and a common choice for frosting cupcakes. They are made from butter, sugar and are flavoured with vanilla essence or chocolate, etc. With some experimenting, you can probably come up with flavours which match and complement your cupcakes!

I was on a lookout for buttercreams which can last in our hot humid weather. Afterall, it will be so disappointing to see your lovely piped swirls melt into a messy puddle. Meringue based buttercreams were drawn to my attention for the stability which helps in creating better looking swirls when frosted.

There are 3 types of meringue based buttercreams - Italian, Swiss Meringue and French. You can read more about them at Wikipedia or Sweetapolita. Both articles really helped me understand what these buttercreams are and how to better prepare them.

Dark Chocolate Almond Tart Recipe

A sweet buttery crust coupled with dark chocolate and roasted almonds; you really can't go wrong with this combination.

Chewy Subway Chocolate Chips Cookies Recipe

Cookies. Some people love them crunchy (think Famous Amos), others love them chewy/soft-baked (think Subway). Either ways, they are still a delightful source of comfort food for me.

In my research, I chanced upon Baking Library's Homemade Subway Chocolate Chip Cookies. To me, baking is a form of Science; measurements have to be accurate and the type of ingredients used determine the taste of the baked goods. For instance, butter imparts a fragrance and flavour whereas unflavoured oils give a moist texture. Some of the technicalities of creating a chewy cookie texture have been succinctly and clearly explained by Bakertan.

<update> Refer to Soft baked Chewy Chocolate Chips Cookies Recipe for a variation!

Crispy Almond Cookies Recipe

This post can be dated back to the Chinese lunar new year this year. I have just gotten my oven and was looking for easy-to-bake goodies to give my family and friends.

These almond cookies are super easy to make, cheaper and more yummy than the commercial ones. My recipe is from Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover, with minor adaptations.

Ingredients
*refer to original blog posting

1. Reduced sugar to 60g

2. Instead of almond meal (which is finely crushed/grated almond), I used whole blanched (skin removed) almonds. I toasted them in the oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes, placed them in a big plastic bag and started smashing the almonds up with an heavy object (think hammer). Place some newspaper on your kitchen floor before crushing your almonds. This helps cleaning later in case loose almond bites escape from your bag.

3. Reduced salt to 1/4 tsp

Method

Instead of rolling out dough and using a cutter, I just used a bottle cap from any plastic/PET bottles. Wrap cling wrap around the bottle cap and press cap into dough mixture. Level the bottle cap and drop the dough onto a lined baking tray. It is important to have approximately equal amounts of dough per cookie to ensure even and thorough baking.

To check if the cookies are done, they should be dry to touch and break apart with a jab from the toothpick.  The easiest way is to pop one in your mouth (if it's not too hot of course)

Strawberry Shortcake recipe

I am an avid fan of the Japanese version of Strawberry Shortcake; a combination of soft fluffy sponge cake with fresh cream and sweet juicy strawberries. This cake was made for the birthday celebration of a dear friend and it is rather simple to make and assemble.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake recipe

There are many kinds of cheesecakes but my personal preference veers towards light cheesecakes with just a tinge of cheese-y goodness. Japanese cotton cheesecake is one such example. It resembles a moist sponge cake without an overbearing taste of cheese. You can reach for a couple of slices without feeling "icky" (?) at the end of it.

Cut and eat me!