Steamed pandan milk cupcakes

Happy New Year peeps! 

I haven't blogged for so long. Been busy. Vacation. Work trip. Busy in shop. Little one started going to playschool. Etc etc. Anyways, despite all these, I managed to kick my own butt to make some nice treats for the little fella. The hubby has been away for a few days so it was just the lil' fella and I during the weekend. He has been behaving so well, I got surprised. I realized that he's especially well-behaved when there's not many of us around. When the grandparent, the aunties and uncles are around, his mischievous side reveals. 

I made these steamed pandan milk cupcakes for our Sunday treats. It smells so good. I plucked those pandan leaves from my garden and blitzed them with milk, was intending to make pandan chiffon cake w/ them, but was disappointed to realize I haven't got cornflour at home to make the cake flour required to make chiffon cakes. Oh, by the way, if you have not known, to make cake flour from all purpose flour, here's how you can do it - to make 1 cup of cake flour, just take 1 cup of all purpose flour, take away 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour, replace with 2 tablespoon of corn flour. Cake flour renders a soft and cotton-y texture to the chiffon cake. I have tried making chiffon with all purpose flour. Failed terribly. The cake rose nicely, but it collapsed when I sliced them, and wasnt as soft as the ones baked with cake flour. So I randomly picked a recipe for pandan steamed cakes from google and found this, which to my surprise, it tastes good! It was a surprise to me, cos when preparing it, I felt that the batter was a little on the thick side, almost like the texture of creamy peanut butter, yet it turn out quite soft and crumbly. I had some extra left over, so I kept them in the fridge. The next day, I steamed them for another 5 min and had them for breakfast. Tastes as good! 

Recipe adapted from Peng's Kitchen

This recipe yields 8-9 cupcakes 

• 2 eggs, medium size 
• 100g sugar (I used 80g brown sugar) 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 60g corn oil (I used virgin coconut oil) 
• 100g pandan milk (taken from the pandan milk I have made from blending together 8 pandan leaves and 200g fresh milk)
• 200g all purpose flour, sifted 
• 2tsp double action baking powder (I omitted the baking soda, and used 2.5tsp baking powder) 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda  

Method 

1. Using an electric whisk, beat eggs, sugar, salt and oil until thick and frothy. 
2. Beat in pandan milk till combine. 
3. Sift in flour, baking powder and fold till smooth batter is formed. 
4. Fill up cupcake liner till 3/4 full. 
5. Steam for about 12min. 

I was supposed to blog about my trips. But there was so many backlog on the trips to update, I get lazy when I think about it. Anyways, here's one of my favorite photo from my trip to Taiwan with the little one. Here's my babywearing little J with my I-angel hipseat carrier (model name: Josh). 

  

Steamed cheese cupcake

 

 

This is a simple steamed cheese cupcake for a kiddo's breakfast or snack. I learnt of this recipe from the fellow mommies from the Healthy Food For My Baby facebook group.

Ingredients (makes about 8-9 cupcakes)

• 100g cream cheese, soften in a bowl over a pot of boiling water
• 60g sugar (cut down to 50g)
• 2 large eggs
• 2tbsp fresh milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
• 90g self-raising flour (I used cake flour)
• 1tsp baking powder

1. Soften cream cheese in a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
2. Whisk with sugar until it turns fluffy. Add in egg and beat, one after another.
3. Add in oil and milk.
4. Sift in flour and baking powder and evenly combine.
5. Pour batter into paper cupcake liner and steam for 12min.

Moist chocolate cake (steamed)

 

 

 

 

Arghhh... I've been MIA from my blog for sooo long. And I don't know what I've been occupied with. Geee.. But I've been steaming cakes lately, a lot. This recipe alone, I have done at last three times before I finally decided to blog about it. This is a great recipe, the cake or cupcake (I've decided to steam them in cupcake liner after my first one in a loaf tin, cos it takes shorter time in cupcake liner) turns out to be very very moist, just like the moist chocolate cakes sold in café out there. It's very easy to prepare, the ingredients are quite basic, and you don't even need an electric mixer to mix in all the ingredients.

 

I'm not sure who's the owner of this recipe. I have seen this recipe being shared a lot everywhere. The ones I have is posted by a mom in FB group Healthy Food For My Baby. Before looking clearly, the long list of ingredients kinda put me off, but after going through it properly, I realized it's actually very simple. It also has a recipe for a fudge topping, if you're making this as a birthday cake or gift as friend, but for me, I bake this as tea time or breakkie, so there's no need for the topping. It already taste perfect without the topping.

 

Ingredients:

*one full recipe makes one cake in an 8-inch round cake pan or 12 cupcakes

• 180g butter
• 150g brown sugar (this is a reduced amount, its original sugar content is 200g)
• 200g fresh milk (original ingredient is evaporated milk)
• 2 eggs, beaten with fork
• 100g plain flour or cake flour, either is fine
• 50g cocoa powder
• 1tsp baking powder (I omitted the baking soda in the ori recipe and topped up the b.powder)

 

Choc fudge topping (optional)

• 200g condensed milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2tbsp veg oil
• 20g cocoa powder, sifted
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine sugar, milk and butter in a bowl over another pan of boiling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add beaten eggs into the butter-milk mixture and stir to mix evenly.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder into another mixing bowl, then pour in the egg batter and combine until evenly mixed (cake batter is runny).
4. Prep up the steamer and heat up the water till boiling.
5. Line and grease a round cake pan (I didn't have a round cake pan, I baked mine in a loaf tin). Pour the batter into the greased pan and cover the top of pan loosely with aluminum foil.
6. Steam over medium heat for 45min (or 15min in cupcake liner).
7. Cool the cake in pan before inverting out to serve.

To make the choc fudge topping:

1. Combine the sieved cocoa powder, condensed milk and oil in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until thicken.
2. Add in salt and vanilla essence.
3. Cool the choc fudge topping slightly before spreading on the cake. Refrigerate before serving.

Note:

• I have also added some chopped toasted almond and walnuts topping right before steaming.
• If you have extra that can't be finished, you can keep them in the fridge and steam them for another 2-5min before serving, they are as good as fresh.

I'm linking this post to Little Thumbs Up organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Tze from Awayofmind Bakery House at this post.

Steamed malay cake 黑糖马来糕

When I was over in PJ few days ago, we ate a lot of good food. We went for our routine breakfast dim sum at 锦选。The dim sum were okay, but the dish that caught my attention the most was their malay cake, or ma lai kou 马来糕 which was light yellow in color. Before trying it out, I was curious as to why it was in that yellow shade, I thought it should be darker brown in color? The few times we had them in Hong Kong, they are always in darker shade. Anyways, I came back and did some surfing about it. All this while, my understanding is that it's not a dish that originates from Malaysia, it's called so because its color resembles the Malaysian skin color? Hahahaaa.. sound a little racism (or skin colorism) thinking about it, but no fret, this is just my personal thought. My hubby didn't actually agree with my thoughts. I tried it and it definitely tastes much better than my expectation. It was very very cottony soft and not too sweet. I told myself I'm gonna go home and try making something similar.

 

The ones I tried at 锦选 definitely didn't have muscovado sugar 黑糖 in it. Dark muscovado sugar would impart a very distinct taste and color to the cake. But I used it in mine. I tasted a little custard flavor in the ones I tried there. Initially, I wanted to add in custard powder, but when I was at the shop and browsing through the aisle, picked up a packet of custard powder, looked at the ingredient list, it says, 'corn flour, permitted flavoring and fragrance'... I was like, What!?  Finally, I decided I wasn't gonna use it. I'll try other means of making my ma lai kou tastes good, instead of loading it with permitted flavoring and fragrance.

 

 

 

Here's my recipe, adapted from Sally's kitchen

This recipe makes 8 malay cupcakes

 

*If you're using this exact recipe of mine, do not need to cut down the amount of sugar, cos the sugar and cheese counter-balance each other, they are not that sweet. Unless you want to omit the cheese, then you may cut it down.  

 

A

75g dark muscovado sugar/ molasses powder

2 eggs

 

B

60g rice bran oil

65g fresh milk

 

C

140g superfine flour, sifted

1.5tsp baking powder *original recipe called for baking powder and baking soda, I omitted the baking soda

3tbsp grated Cheddar

 

Instructions 

1. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Combine ingredients B with the beaten egg mixture.
2. Add into ingredients C and combine evenly. Let the batter rest for 20min at room temperature (to allow time for baking powder to activate).
3. Divide the batter among the cupcake liner. In a wok with boiling water, steam for 12min.

 



 

Eggless steamed banana cupcake

昨天是我发现新大陆的日子。 Yesterday I made a real ecstatic discovery! I was soooo overjoyed I was shouting when I saw my soft and springy steamed cupcakes. I have always known that egg can be replaced by ground flaxseed, but I have never wanted to try it, cos flaxseed when ground has a fishy taste which I don't think I want in my banana cupcake. A couple of days ago, a mommy from the FB group Healthy Food For My Baby was sharing on a cupcake she made using chia seeds, and no egg was used! I was quite surprised, that would mean chia seeds, too, can replace egg, just like flaxseeds, and it totally make sense!! I have made chia seeds pudding without using any agar-agar or gelatin powder, knowing the gelling ability of chia seeds, they would be able to act as egg in cupcakes. Having this in mind, I rushed home from work after fetching the lil' fella and started trying it out using my favorite steamed cupcakes recipe. It works!! Actually, the texture is even more springier and fluffier than the recipe with egg. I have yet to understand why. But I'll find out more. But again, this is a really superb discovery. This means those babies (under one) or kids with egg allergy too can enjoy soft and fluffy cupcakes. To benefit those with dairy intolerance, I have also tried the same recipe out without milk, the milk was replaced by fresh orange juice, which I believe can be replaced by other sweet juice (like apple, carrot or pear juice).

 

 

 

 

Here's the recipe, adapted from here.

 

1/2 cup (75g) all purpose flour* (or self raising flour)

1 tsp. baking powder (if you're using self raising flour, just add 1/2 tsp baking powder)

1 egg (replaced by 1tbsp chia seeds soaked in 4tbsp water, for at least 10min)

2 Tbsp. milk or cream  (replaced by 3tbsp fresh orange juice)

2 Tbsp. sugar (I used 1tbsp dark muscovado sugar)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I used rice bran oil)

1 medium banana

 

You will also need

4 cupcake liners

4 ramekins / ceramic bowl or I used silicone cupcake liner and had paper liner inside it

 

*This recipe yielded 4 cupcakes.  

 

Instructions:

1. Sieve flour and baking powder.
2. In a blender, blend together chia seeds gel (after soaked in water), banana, fresh orange juice and oil until creamy.
3. Combine the blended liquid mix with the sifted flour and baking powder.
4. Place about 2tbsp of batter into paper cupcake liner and place in a silicone cupcake holder.
5. Place water in a wok and set up a steaming rack. Bring water to boil. Steam the cupcakes for 9-10min.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Bake For Happy Kids, and My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Ann of Anncoo Journal at this post. 

 

 

 

Pandan kikaku (hee pan) (sponge dough)

Pardon me for the poor photo taken, was trying to show how fluffy this was.

I've been making kikaku (or known as hakka hee pan) a lot lately, but it just seems that the recipes I tried (I tried two similar recipes) aren't soft enough. They are chewy but not exactly fluffily soft. Then I come across one that Wendy (from Wendy's Small Small World) made and she claimed that the recipe was a keeper and the hee pan came out seriously soft and fluffy. I had a look through the instructions, the sponge dough (or starter dough) needs to be kept overnight at room temperature, then another four-hour proof when mixed with the rest of the ingredients.. hm.. reading this, I somehow, had a feeling it is gonna be soft. I decided that I wanted to do it, and I got some pandan (screwpine) leaves cos I wanted to make a soft and fragrant one.

I prepared pandan soymilk by pureeing about 5 pieces of pandan leaves with 1 cup of fresh unsweetened soymilk. My blender can blend the leaves till really smooth fiber-free, so I didn't even sieve the mixture. Even though pandan leaves are mostly used for fragrance where we are, they are actually quite a nutritious and antioxidant-rich plant. Screwpine foliage is rich in antioxidant  flavonoids and, as a result, is thought to have anti-cancer properties. This benefit is attained by consuming the leaves in rice, soup, as a wrap, or in desserts. The foliage is used as an arthritic pain reliever and an antiseptic for healing wounds and skin disorders, including leprosy and acne. Diabetics and those that suffer from ulcers may also find it to be beneficial. Read more about this here.

The pandan soymilk blend that I prepared was partly used for this recipe and the leftover portion was used for my soft and fragrant pandan raisin bun.

Here's the recipe for my pandan kikaku (hee pan) using the sponge dough method

Recipe adapted from Wendy's Small Small World

Sponge dough:

1tsp dry instant active yeast
200 g all purpose flour
150g pandan soymil

Mix the above. Cover and proof overnight at room temperature. (I didn't do this overnight, I did it for about 4hrs during the day, at room temperature).

Main dough:

100g all purpose flour
150g glutinous rice flour
125g water
125g sugar (I cut this down to 5tbsp ie 75g)

*I also added 1tbsp grapeseed oil when kneading this dough

a bit of red coloring (I omitted this)
some oil for rubbing on palms while moulding the hee pan.

Mix the sponge dough and the main dough together, knead till soft.
Cover and prove for another 4hours. (I did this for about 2.5hrs)
Then shaped 50g each and place on a banana leaf.
Let proved for another 15mins, steamed at medium heat for 10mins.

Verdict: Like what Wendy mentioned, this recipe is definitely a keeper, thumbs up! The hee pan were softer and fluffier than the previous recipes I tried. But it's not for those who are short of time, cos it requires preparation in advanced.

Purple sweet potato kikaku (hee pan)

This morning I steamed some nice purple sweet potato and turned them into puree, which I then used in bread, sauce for my son's cheese-baked-rice and lastly, reserved some for this. As I got home all ready to make my purple color kikaku (or hee pan), I just realized I only have 30g of sugar left and only 50g of this sweet potato puree. Arghhhh!! And I really wanted to make them, so I made do with whatever I had and they still come out lovely. This is the recipe that I innovated with whatever I had left in my kitchen, adapted from this original recipe:

 

• 125g all purpose flour, sifted
• 125g glutinous rice flour, sifted 
•  30g brown sugar, sifted
• 1tsp instant active dry yeast
• 50g purple sweet potato puree
• 170g sweetened soymilk 
• 1.5 tbsp. virgin coconut oil  

1. Mix all ingredients, except for oil, until texture turns into a dough. Slowly drizzle in veg oil and knead till smooth.
2. Grab about 60g of the dough and knead into small ball.   
3. Place on baking paper (or banana leaves, in my case, I used cupcake liner).
4. Cover up and let it proof for 30min. (In my case, I let it proof in an enclosed oven, not on)  
5. Steam on medium low heat for 10min.

*Note

• Do not poof for too long, over-proved dough will turn wrinkly. Some sources from the other bloggers proof for 30min. But the problem is they never mention how to know when the kikaku is ready to be steamed.  
• Once the kikaku has been steamed for 10min, lift the lid to a little gap to allow the steam to release, this is to avoid sudden drop in temperature which will turn the kikaku wrinkly.

I don't even have photos taken of these lovely purple color sweet potato. All I have is this, photo of my little fella munching on them, or more like playing with it.

 

 

Pumpkin kikaku with homemade mung bean paste

Yes, it's kikaku again. Second time in a week.

 

I loved the texture, it's somewhere in between of mochi and steamed cupcakes. But I wasn't very pleased with my first try, whereby the kikaku turned out to be wrinkly. I suspected that I have either over-proved it*, or I have steamed it for too long.

 

I also did a little adjustment to the recipe after reading up a little about it. Tada!! Check out the photos! Texture wise, I love this even more. It still has that chewiness, which I love, and it's softer this time.

 

 

Here's the adjusted recipe (this recipe makes about 9 kikaku, weighing 55-60g each, without the filling)

 

• 125g all purpose flour, sifted
• 125g glutinous rice flour, sifted 
• 60g brown sugar, sifted
• 1tsp instant active dry yeast
• 100g pumpkin puree
• 120g water
• 1.5 tbsp. oil  

1. Mix all ingredients, except for veg oil, until texture turns into a dough. Slowly drizzle in veg oil and knead till smooth.
2. Grab about 55-60g of the dough and knead into small ball. Roll it into a flat round disk using a rolling pin, wrap about 1-2tbsp of mung bean filling in it, seal and form a round shape.  
3. Place on baking paper (or banana leaves, in my case, I used cupcake liner).
4. Cover up and let it proof for 30min. (In my case, I let it proof in an enclosed oven, not on)  
5. Steam on medium low heat for 10min.

*Note

• Do not poof for too long, over-proved dough will turn wrinkly. Some sources from the other bloggers proof for 30min. But the problem is they never mention how to know when the kikaku is ready to be steamed.  
• Once the kikaku has been steamed for 10min, lift the lid to a little gap to allow the steam to release, this is to avoid sudden drop in temperature which will turn the kikaku wrinkly.

Homemade mung bean paste filling

• 1cups of mung bean
• 100g pumpkin
• 2-3tbsp molasses sugar (adjust this to your own preference)

1. Soak mung beans for 2-4hours prior to cooking.
2. Cook pumpkin and mung bean until soft and mushy. In a blender, puree both pumpkin and mung bean. Sweeten with molasses sugar.
3. Keep in refrigerator.

On the way to nanny's, this is what he does when I asked him to smile for the camera :)

Pumpkin kikaku 南瓜喜板

Even though my mom is Hakka and she cooks lots of great Hakka delicacies, and my husband's family is Hakka, and they too cooks superb Hakka dishes, I have never tried kikaku before (they call this a Hakka dish)..hmmm... I wonder.

 

But both my son and I fall in love with it the first time we tried it. It's not exactly fluffy like pao, it's more to chewy and soft. I cut down the sugar content from the original recipe, and I made this in the morning for our breakfast. I must have been rushing, that's why my kikaku didn't come out smooth, arghh.. but it tasted good still nonetheless. One recipe yielded about 15-16 kikaku, so we had them for breakfast, left some for hubby and maid and brought the rest to the nanny's. Must thank my friend Yunicko for introducing me the recipe.

 

 

 

Here's the recipe, this recipe yields about 15-16 kikaku

• 150g all purpose flour
• 125g glutinous rice flour
• 80g sugar (I only used 60g brown sugar)
• 1tsp instant active dry yeast
• 120g pumpkin puree (pumpkin, steam-cooked and pureed) 
• 100g water
• 1tbsp vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)

1. Mix all ingredients, except for veg oil, until texture turns into a dough. Slowly drizzle in veg oil and knead till smooth.
2. Grab about 50g of the dough and knead into small ball and place on baking paper (or banana leaves, in my case, I used cupcake liner).
3. Cover up and let it proof for about an hour*. (I let mine proof in an enclosed oven, not on)
4. Steam for 10min.

*Note:

I did a little research after seeing that my kikaku didn't turn out to be smooth like how it should be, here's what you should take note on:

• Do not poof for too long, over-proved dough will turn wrinkly. Some sources from the other bloggers proof for 30min. But the problem is they never mention how to know when the kikaku is ready to be steamed.  
• Once the kikaku has been steamed for 10min, lift the lid to a little gap to allow the steam to release, this is to avoid sudden drop in temperature which will turn the kikaku wrinkly.