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

This is a simple recipe for flavourful Honey Lemon Cupcakes which serve well as a dessert after a hearty meal.  The cakes are soft, with a balance of sweet and tart and taste fresh with the whipped cream frosting and berries. Honey Lemon Cupcake  ~ 蜂蜜柠檬蛋糕                   Ingredients (A) 5 large egg yolks 160 gm superfine flour (sifted) 100 gm caster sugar 70 ml lemon juice + water to make up 128 ml juice 96 ml vegetable oil zest from 1 orange 1 Tbsp honey 1 tsp vanilla (B) 5 large egg whites 50 gm caster sugar 1/4 tsp cream of tartar OR 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar Frosting 300 ml thickened or whippig cream 50 gm icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla Method for whipped cream Chill a metal bowl in the freezer for about 10 mins. Pour thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla into the chilled bowl and beat on low speed.  Then increase to high speed till stiff peaks form.  Keep ...

This is a simple recipe which calls for hazelnut meal, which is the star ingredient alongside eggs and sugar.  Easy to make and full of hazelnut flavour, it's an awesome cake especially for those who are allergic to wheat flour and dairy.  You can also look 'here' at another Flourless Orange Almond cake which I posted not too long ago.  Perhaps you can bake this and serve your friends and relatives, this Christmas! Gluten-free hazelnut orange cake  ~   无麸榛子香橙蛋糕 Ingredients 6 large egg yolks  200 gm hazel nut meal 140 gm caster sugar 60 ml orange juice Zest from 1 orange 6 egg whites Method Prepare a 9 inch round nonstick springform pan, line the base, grease and dust the sides with flour. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar till creamy and the colour much lighter, until the ribbon stage. Add in orange juice. Sieve or mix the hazel nut meal into the egg yolk mixture and mix till fully inc...

What can be most satisfying on a Monday morning when there are warm muffins being served on the breakfast table?  They are quick and easy to whip up as only light mixing is required.  These muffins are full of lemony flavour and fragrance, a big boost for your Monday blues! Lemon Muffins  ~   柠檬玛芬 Ingredients 250 gm plain flour 150 gm caster sugar 1 'L' egg 1.1/2 Tbsp lemon zest 3 tsp baking powder a pinch of salt 3/4 cup milk 1/3 cup oil More lemon zest to sprinkle Method Sift flour, baking powder, salt into a mixing bowl, mix in the sugar and lemon zest.  Whisk till well combined. In another bowl, whisk the egg, add in the milk, followed by the oil and whisk till well incorporated. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mix till just to dampen the flour.  Do not overmix.  Batter should be lumpy. Using an icecream scoop, scoop the batter into a lined muffin pan, 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated oven @...

Delight your afternoon with these tropical flavoured tasty cupcakes....... Lemon Coconut Cupcakes.  The cake is moist, topped with a spread of tart lemon curd and rounded up with a sprinkling of shredded coconut.  They are yummy too without the 'add-ons'!  Lemon Coconut Cupcakes ~  柠檬椰子蛋糕 Ingredients 200 gm butter 150 gm caster sugar 4 eggs 200 gm self-raising flour (sifted) 25 gm dessicated coconut Juice and zest from 1 large lemon Lemon curd Shredded coconut Method Cream butter, zest and sugar till light and creamy.  Add in the eggs one at a time.  Mix well. Fold in the sifted flour with the juice. Add in the dessicated coconut, mix till well incorporated. Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into paper lined muffin pan.   Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for about 20 to 25 mins. till golden brown.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 mins....

Fruit pastry cakes have been on the blogosphere some time back and it was then the trend to bake fruit pastry cakes.  One can bake a fruit pastry cake with whatever fruits you fancy, they can be canned fruits, fresh or stone fruits.  As for the post that I'm sharing today, I only used one type of fruit and here I've decorated the cake with just segments of Mandarin orange. Mandarin Orange Fruit Pastry Cake ~   橘子蛋糕    Ingredients  100 gm butter 150 gm caster sugar 2 Tbsp yoghurt or sour cream (I used yoghurt) 3 eggs lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla 1.1/2 Tbsp lemon juice Zest from 1 lemon 210 gm plain flour, sifted 1 tsp  baking powder pinch of salt Mandarin oranges, segments Snow powder or icing sugar for dusting Method Grease the sides and line the base of an 8 inch spring form pan. Sift flour with baking powder and salt, set aside. Beat butter and sugar till well incorporated, add in yoghurt and beat till light a...

I made this soft and moist orange roll cake, stuffed with marmalade  to serve as a mid-morning snack, afternoon tea or a guilt-free dessert after dinner.  Also one can indulge with a steamy hot cup of tea, next to a slice of this yummy dessert.  Enjoy! Orange Swiss Roll with marmalade  ~   香橙瑞士卷蛋糕 INGREDIENTS   (A) 4 egg yolks 30 gm caster sugar 30 ml orange juice 30 ml canola oil 50 gm plain flour 20 gm rice flour a pinch of salt (B) 4 egg whites 40 gm caster sugar 1 tsp vinegar or 1/2 tsp cream of tartar Method  Sift plain flour with rice flour and salt.  Set aside.  Whisk egg yolks with sugar, add in oil and juice.  Fold in sifted flour, mix well.  Beat egg whites till bubbles appear, add in vinegar, beat till frothy and gradually add in   sugar and beat till stiff peaks form.  Fold egg whites into the flour mixture and mix till well incorporated.  Pour the  batt...

These delightful light-as-air cakes are based on French Financiers and are super easy to make.  I used the basic recipe but adjusted the ingredients for variations.   These dainty cakes can be served as afternoon tea or just with a cup of hot tea or an after-dinner dessert. Lemony Choc Chip Friands  ~  柠檬巧克力费南雪 Ingredients 80 gm melted butter 120 gm icing sugar 60 gm almond meal (ground almond) 50 gm plain flour, sifted 4 egg whites 45 gm choc chips 2 tsp lemon juice (optional) 1/2 tsp baking powder icing sugar to dust Method Sift flour, icing sugar into a mixing bowl.  Add in almond meal, mix well and make a well in the centre of the mixture. Lightly whisk the egg whites till frothy.  Pour the egg whites, lemon juice into the mixture, followed by the melted butter.  Lightly stir to form a soft batter. Scoop the mixture into the greased and flour dusted Friand pan. Bake in a preheated oven @  180 deg.C for ...

I came across this recipe in a Coles magazine and just couldn't wait to give it a try.  Instead of blueberry sauce I used dragon fruit to make the sauce as I was confident that the purplish colour of the dragon fruit would also stand out in this cake.  And I was not wrong! Lemon Dragon Fruit Poke Cake  ~  柠檬火龙果蛋糕 Ingredients 150 gm butter 170 gm caster sugar (reduced from 220 gm) 2 large eggs 300 gm yoghurt 225 gm self-raising flour (sifted) 40 gm almond meal 1 Tbsp lemon zest 1/4 cup lemon juice Icing sugar to dust Dragon fruit sauce 150 gm dragon fruit 2 Tbsp caster sugar 1.1.2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water Method for dragon fruit sauce Mash up the dragon fruit in a small sauce pan, add in the sugar and cook on medium heat till sugar has dissolved. Add in cornflour mixture and cook till thicken.  Cool slightly. While still warm, pour mixture into each of the hole in the cake. Method for cake Line the ba...

I  have not baked this Ogura cake for quite a while.  There was so much buzz about this cake amongst the fellow bloggers at one time but looks like the craze has sobered somewhat.  Nonetheless I like the texture of this cake and it's not oily and wholesome.  The texture is more or less like the chiffon  cake but it's more moist.  My cake is a bit short because I used an 8 inch pan as opposed to an 7 inch pan which I do not have. O range Ogura Cake ~  香橙相思蛋糕 (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 4 egg yolks + 1 whole egg 70 ml orange juice 40 ml vegetable oil 1/4 tsp salt 55 gm plain flour zest from 2 oranges 4 egg whites 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 60 gm caster sugar Method Line the bottom of an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper, set aside.  Do not grease the sides. With a hand whisk, whisk the egg yolks and oil till  frothy, add in the orange juice and mix well. Add in sifted flour and zest,...

These chocolate orange muffins are fragrant and yummy.... just what you need to boost up your day at breakfast! Dark Chocolate Orange Muffins ~  巧克力碎片橙玛芬 Ingredients 125 gm plain flour 70 gm caster sugar 1.1/4 tsp baking powder 1 large egg 38 ml canola oil 1/4 cup milk 60 ml orange juice 1/2 Tbsp zest 50 gm dark chocolate chips 1/2 tsp vanilla pinch of salt icing sugar to dust (optional) Method Sift flour, baking powder, salt, mix well.  Mix in the chocolate chips and zest.  Set aside. Whisk egg with oil, milk, sugar and vanilla.  Mix in the orange juice. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, pour in the wet ingredients, mix till just combined.  Do not overmix. Use an icecream scoop and spoon batter into a lined muffin pan. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 20 to 25 mins.  Teste with a skewer till it comes out clean.  Let cool and serve warm. Yield :  6 muffins.