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

I used the Marble Butter Cake recipe to make these cupcakes and added in some Kahlua liqueur.  There's no distinctive colour of the Kahlua liqueur in these cupcakes but it lends added flavour to the cake while the almond paste keeps the cake moist.  The coffee taste of the liqueur does blend well with the almond paste filling. Kahlua Almond Cupcakes  ~   咖啡力娇酒杏仁蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 230 gm butter 200 gm self-raising flour 150 gm vanilla sugar 4 egg yolks 60 ml milk 3 Tsp Kahlua liqueur Almond paste for filling Pinch of salt Icing sugar to decorate (B) 4 egg whites 30 gm caster sugar Method Separate the eggs. Beat butter and sugar till light and creamy, add in the egg yolks.  Beat till incorporated. Beat till well incorporated and mix in the Kahlua. Sift in the self-raising flour and salt, alternating with milk.   In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites till foamy, then gradually add in the sugar and continue ...

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 ...

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....

The Dragon fruit, also known as Pitaya, a cactus specie is a low-calorie fruit that can be enjoyed on its own or part of a salad, a smoothie or used as an ingredient in cake making.  I was very pleased when I saw that there was still a tinge of pink in the cake and it tasted  just wonderful, topped with a spoonful of the fresh fruit. Dragon fruit chiffon cupcakes  ~    火龙果戚风蛋糕 (A)  Ingredients        3 egg yolks        25 gm caster sugar        70 gm Dragon fruit puree        40 gm canola oil        1/4 tsp vanilla        55 gm self-raising flour  (sifted)        2 Tbsp cornflour (B)   3 egg whites        1/8 tsp cream of tartar        60 gm caster sugar Method Whisk egg yolks with sugar till well blended, add in oil, vanilla and dragon fruit...

I used oil instead of butter in this recipe and I notice that the texture is a wee bit spongy.  These cupcakes are soft and moist and utterly delicious.   I kept some in the fridge and they tasted just as good the next day, consumed at room temperature.   Certainly a keeper recipe.    Vanilla choc mint cupcakes  ~  香草巧克力蛋糕  Ingredients 140 gm plain flour 1.1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 3/4 tsp baking powder 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 150 gm caster sugar 80 ml canola oil 1/2 cup buttermilk (milk + 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar to make 1/2 cup) 2 tsp vanilla 90 gm choc mint, broken into pieces 40 gm choc mint to put on top Method Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, set aside. Whisk eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla till smooth and well combined. Add in sifted flour alternating with the buttermilk.  Mix in the choc mint pieces.  Batter is quite runny. Scoop the batter into paper line...

Ondeh Ondeh are green coloured and pandan flavoured glutinous rice balls with gula melaka or palm sugar filling, coated with freshly grated coconut.  We call it 'Kuih'.  Ondeh Ondeh cake is entirely different from this 'Kuih'. I don't know how the name 'Ondeh Ondeh cake' came about but I guess it's because of the colour and the ingredients which are somewhat similar to that of the 'kuih'. This pandan flavoured Ondeh Ondeh cupcake is moist, soft and slightly spongy and the gula melaka filling blends awfully well with the pandan and 'santan'/coconut milk.  A wonderful tea-time snack or a delectable dessert, any time! Ondeh Ondeh Pandan Cupcakes ~  香兰小蛋糕 Ingredients 140 gm plain flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp sodium bicarbonate 2 Large eggs 120 gm caster sugar 80 ml canola oil 80 ml coconut milk 30 ml pandan juice 1/4 tsp pandan paste 100 gm gula melaka/palm sugar 1.1/2 Tbsp water a pinch of salt Method...

For a change I made these Mixed Fruit Cupcakes as a substitute for X'mas fruit cake.   These cuppies will be appropriate especially for a family get together or pot-luck and I believe they will be a hit with the kids. Mixed fruit cupcake  ~   杂果纸杯蛋糕 Ingredients 125 gm butter 80 gm caster sugar 2 eggs 250 gm self-raising flour 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup milk 150 gm dried fruits (sultanas, figs, cranberries) 1.1/2 to 2 Tbsp Rum a pinch of salt Icing sugar for dusting (optional) Method Soak the dried fruits with Rum for a few hours or overnight. Sift the self-raising flour with salt, set aside. Sprinkle some flour from the above onto the mixed dried fruits.  Mix well. Beat the butter with sugar till light, creamy and pale.  Add in eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly.  Add in vanilla. Fold in sifted flour alternating with the milk.  Add in the mixed fruits, mix well. Spoon the batter onto the cupcake...

I tweaked the Marble Butter Cake recipe to make these delicious cupcakes for breakfast and there were some leftovers for tea as well.  I managed to get 17 cupcakes from the recipe and was very pleased that there were no cracks on them after being baked.   My family members were equally pleased as the cupcakes weren't overly sweet as I had reduced the amount of sugar from the recipe. Chocolate chip and raisin butter cupcake  ~  巧克力葡萄干牛油蛋糕   Ingredients 230 gm unsalted butter 160 gm caster sugar (reduced from 200 gm) 4 eggs 200 gm self-raising flour 60 ml milk 50 gm choc chips 50 gm raisins Zest from 1 orange 1 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt Method Sift the self-raising flour and salt, set aside. Beat the butter, sugar and orange zest till light and creamy. Add in the eggs one @ a time, mix well.  Add in vanilla. On low speed, fold in the flour, alternating with the milk.  Mix till well incorporated. Add in...

Instead of a normal sized cake, I chose to bake these cupcakes for a close family member's birthday.   Not good into frosting, I only drizzled orange glaze icing onto the cuppies to give them a facelift.   The icing was a bit translucent but nonetheless the birthday boy was very happy with the 'small' surprise! Cranberry Orange Cupcake  ~   蔓越莓香橙杯子蛋糕 Ingredients 180 gm plain flour 100 gm caster sugar 2 large eggs 113 gm butter 1.1/2 tsp  baking powder 3/4 cup milk zest from 1 orange 60 gm dried cranberries 1 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt Orange glaze   -  50 gm icing sugar + 1 Tbsp orange juice.  Mix well to a dripping consistency. Method Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, set aside. Beat the butter with sugar till light and creamy. On low speed, add in the eggs one at a time.  Mix well.  Add in vanilla. Gently fold in the sifted flour alternating with the milk.  (C...

I spotted these cute Bageforme baking cups on my recent holiday and bought them without much hesitation.  Bageforme is Danish for bakeware.  A box of 12 costs two Euro.  Coming back to the cupcakes.  These orange zesty cupcakes are  soft and moist and to me they taste a bit like sponge cake.   I dressed some up with  butter icing and if you are not a fan of buttery icing, they are also delicious, even eaten on its own. Orange Cupcake ~ 香橙纸杯蛋糕 Ingredients 90 gm plain flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 1 'L' egg 55 gm caster sugar 85 gm butter, melted 1 tsp orange zest 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup milk   Frosting 80 gm butter  123 gm icing sugar, sifted Method Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Set aside. With a handheld whisk, on medium speed, beat egg with sugar till fluffy, pale and thick. Reduce speed, add in melted butter, zest and vanilla. Sift in the flour again alternatin...

Chocolate and vanilla are the best of friends and they complement extremely well with each other. This is a very easy recipe and these cuppies can be done in a pretty short time.  They are soft, moist and  with the two-tone butter frosting, they are seriously yummy! Marble Cupcakes  ~  大理石纸杯蛋糕 Ingredients 150 gm butter 150 gm caster sugar 174 gm self-raising flour 3 eggs 50 ml milk 1 tsp vanilla 2.1/2 tsp cocoa/chocolate powder Frosting 80 gm butter 123 gm icing sugar Method Sift self-raising flour, set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs and milk till well combined. Fold in sifted flour and beat till smooth. Divide the batter into two portions.  In one portion add vanilla and in the other sift in the cocoa powder and mix till well incorporated. Spoon 1 Tbsp of vanilla batter into each cupcake liner.  Top with a spoonful of chocolate batter, alternating with vanilla batter until all batters have been...