No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

These steamed banana cupcakes are very delicious, not only are they soft, but very aromatic.  You can serve them for breakfast or for afternoon tea and they still maintain their soft texture.  If you prefer them a bit warm just steam them for a few minutes and they are ready to go! Banana Steamed Cake ~  蒸香蕉蛋糕  (adapted from 'here' ') Ingredients 225 gm cake flour or plain flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3 'L' eggs 135 gm caster sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 3 very ripe bananas (mashed) 112 ml vegetable oil a pinch of salt Method Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, salt, mix well. Beat eggs til foamy at low speed, then slowly add in sugar to combine.  Increase speed to medium for about 5 mins. until mixture is pale and reaches ribbon stage. Add in the mashed bananas and vanilla. Fold in the the flour mixture OR you can sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture, in 3 batches, till j...

This Citrus and Oil Bundt Cake tastes very much like a sponge cake and a little bit chewy too.  It is delicious, the oil makes it moist and the addition of Cointreau makes the cake all the more flavourful and fragrant. Citrus and Oil Bundt Cake Ingredients 240 gm superfine flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda a pinch of salt 4 large eggs 2 Tbsp fresh zest (orange and lemon) 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup squeezed citrus juice (3 Tbsp juice + 1 Tbsp Cointreau) 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup milk 150 gm caster sugar Method Whisk or sift flour with the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.  Set aside. Combine the eggs, sugar, zest in a bowl and beat till light and  pale. Add in juice and vanilla, mix well. Fold in flour in 3 batches alternating with milk, till fully incorporated.  Batter is runny. Pour batter into a greased and flour dusted 10 cup bundt pan, tap lightly to expel any air. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg....

It's been a while since I've baked a Bundt cake.  As I need to finish up the Rum in the pantry, I surfed the internet for a Rum cake recipe without having to have a cake mix as one of the ingredients.  I managed to locate one, modified it a bit and here's the recipe which I am going to share with you today.  This cake is slightly dense but moist, full of Rum flavour and aromatic, but trust me you  won't get drunk after eating it! Rum & Raisin Bundt Cake  ~  朗姆酒和葡萄干蛋糕 (adapted from 'here' with modification) Ingredients 280 gm butter 250 gm caster sugar 4 'L' eggs 42 gm milk powder 320 gm plain flour (take out 2 Tbsp to mix with the raisins) 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 cup milk 3 Tbsp Rum 1 tsp vanilla 80 gm raisins soaked in 4 Tbsp Rum Rum Glaze 2 Tbsp water boiled with 3 Tbsp sugar till sugar is dissolved 2 Tbsp Rum, mix well Method Prepare a 10 cup Bundt pan.  Grease with butter and dus...

I was pleasantly surprised when these mini Dragon fruit mini bundt cakes didn't change colour upon  baking.  Well, at least there was still a tinge of pink on the top of the mini bundts.  The texture of this cake is more or less like sponge cake, soft and light and they taste wonderful, freshly baked.  If they are not finished on the day they are baked, store them in an airtight container and best eaten, lightly warmed up in the oven toaster. Dragon fruit mini bundt cake  ~  火龍果小蛋糕     (adapted from 'here' )   Ingredients 3 'L' eggs 60 gm caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon juice 20 ml milk 50 gm dragon fruit 30 ml corn oil 120 gm plain flour, sifted twice Method Blend milk, dragon fruit till smooth, add in corn oil and blend well. Sift the plan flour, set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla on high speed till thick and creamy, till the ribbon stage. Sieve the flour onto the egg mixt...

Indeed, Mrs' Ng's butter cake recipe is very versatile, one can tweak it and the result is  still a very moist, soft and fine textured cake.  What I am sharing with you today is a Kaffir lime and orange butter cake, baked in a 4 cup Bundt pan.   I substituted milk with juice from home grown Kaffir lime and orange juice and added in zest as well. Kaffir lime and orange Bundt cake ~  酸橙和橙子蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 230 gm unsalted butter 4 egg yolks 150 gm caster sugar 200 gm self-raising flour 60 ml orange and lime juice a pinch of salt  (B) 4 egg whites 50 gm caster sugar Method Sift the self-raising flour with salt, set aside. Using a hand-held beater, cream butter and sugar till thick, pale and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks, beat on low speed till well combined. Sift in the sifted flour in 3 batches, beat on low speed, alternating with the orange and lime juice, till well incorporated, set aside. In a clean bowl, beat ...

This is a buttery lemon flavoured pound cake, dense but moist with Rum flavoured dried cranberries. The texture is kept moist due to the cranberry liquid that was used to brush all over the cake.   Instead of frosting, I took the easy way out, just dusted with some snow powder before serving. Recipe for Lemony Cranberry Pound Cake    (adapted from  'here'  with modification)    柠檬 蔓越莓 蛋糕   Ingredients                                             455 gm plain flour 6 eggs 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 227 gm butter 400 gm sugar  (reduced from 600 gm) 2 Tbsp lemon zest 1/2 Tbsp vanilla 240 ml yoghurt/sour cream (I used yoghurt) Cranberries 80 ml lemon juice from 2 to 3 large lemons 2 Tbsp Brandy (I used Rum) 100 gm cranberries, chopped (Soak the cranberries, lemon juice and...

This Black Russian Cake gets its name from the famous cocktail made with Vodka and Kahlua, a coffee flavoured liqueur.   As with most liqueur soaked cakes, this cake is very moist and delicious. Although I modified the recipe a  bit, as in cutting down the sugar and the cocoa, the cake was incredibly good and the coffee liqueur gave it a rich and unique flavour.  The cake tasted much better upon 'maturity', the next day.  A keeper recipe for sure! Dig in! Recipe for Black Russian Bundt Cake ~   尔罗斯黑蛋 糕    (adapted from 'here' with modification) Ingredients 7 oz plain flour 2.1/2 oz cornflour 1.1/2 oz milk powder 4 Tbsp cocoa powder  (reduced from 6 Tbsp) 1 Tbsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 9.1/2 oz caster sugar (reduced from 14 oz) 2 oz butter 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 3/4 cup milk 1 Tbsp vanilla 4 large eggs 1/4 ...

I've baked cakes with alcohol such as Brandy, Beer, Cointreau, Kahlua and Stout but have never tried one with Whiskey until my trip to Scotland and tasted the Whiskey cake at the Glenfiddich distillery cafetaria.   Upon my return I googled for various recipes using Whiskey and stumbled upon  a recipe from  simplyrecipes.com and was convinced that I must try out their Chocolate Bourbon Cake.   True to the comments from their readers this is indeed a moist and chocolately cake ...... absolutely delicious with a mild hint of  Whiskey! Recipe for Whiskey Chocolate Cake   (adapted from 'here' with slight modifications) Ingredients 8 oz butter 8 oz plain flour 5 oz dark chocolate 3 Tbsp coffee powde 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 cup Whiskey  (I used Black Label) 1/8 tsp salt  (reduced from 1/2 tsp) 9 oz caster sugar (reduced from 2 cups) 3 eggs 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 tsp b...

Upon going through my cake pans and trays I realised that I had neglected this mini Bundt pan for quite a while.  Hmmm, time to take it out and make use of it.  These mini Bundts were soft and moist with a nutty texture and weren't overly sweet, just right for breakfast or to serve for tea.  The ingredients are a slight resemblance to that for Friands. Recipe for Hazelnut orange mixed fruit mini Bundt Ingredients 180 gm melted butter 75 gm plain flour 150 gm icing sugar 150 gm hazelnut meal 2 tsp finely grated orange rind 5 egg whites 80 gm dried cranberries (chopped) Icing sugar for dusting Method Sift flour and icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add hazelnut,orange rind, stir to combine. Place the egg whites into a bowl and whisk with a ball whisk till lightly frothy. Add in the hazelnut mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the melted butter and chopped cranberries, stir well to combine. Spoon mix...