Orange butter cake

She likes plain cakes.
That was what my sister told me when I volunteered to bake a cake for my little niece's birthday. What a tall order. I was thinking of a repeat performance of my carrot cake, a cheesecake or maybe even a red velvet cake. But no ... a plain cake.

What was I do to but to crack my head and think. Chocolate cake, butter cake, vanilla cake?
Butter cake won hands down even though I'm not much of a butter fan. I never crave butter ever. But hmm ... butter cake with orange zest? Even my heart sighed with contentment because it sounded so perfect. I could already smell the tangy fragrance in my head even before I started baking.

Here's my adaptation of orange butter cake that I got from the Little Teochew's recipe. I love tested-and-working recipes. 

Ingredients: 
For the cake:
7 oz all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz butter, softened
8 oz sugar
1 large egg, plus one large egg yolk
1 1/2 tbsp orange zest
12 tbsp whole milk

For the frosting:
6 Tbsp butter, softened
250g icing sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp grated orange zest

Directions:

Baking the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius. Butter and line a 9-inch* cake pan.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Using a mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until fluffy for about about 2 minutes.
4. Beat in orange zest, then egg and egg yolk. If the mixture curdles, just add 1 tbsp of flour and continue mixing.
5. On low speed, add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk.
6. Switch mixer to medium and beat for 10 to 15 seconds, just until batter appears uniform. The batter should look thick and creamy.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula or knife.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until it reaches a dark-gold color and an inserted cake tester comes out clean.
9. Let to rest in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a cake stand or platter. Allow cake to completely cool before slicing.

Preparing the frosting:
1. Cream butter until smooth.
2. Gradually beat in icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in 2 tablespoons orange juice to bring to spreading consistency.
4. Stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Spread over cooled cakes.

In the spirit of all things birthdays, here's my attempt on a birthday cake which for some reason turned out to be more wedding-like instead. I frosted my three tiers with frosting and then proceeded to cover the frosting with fondant. I spent my entire Saturday afternoon just getting this cake ready and it wasn't quite my best work unfortunately, but still quite alright for my first attempt of decorating a cake this big. The birthday girlie was happy though, and that's the important part. :)

Carrot cake

Somehow carrot cakes don't seem as naughty as other cakes.
I love carrot cakes because of the crunchy nuts and the sultanas. Some recipes add pineapple bits but I prefer not to. This is one of my easiest fail-proof recipes and it never fails to disappoint me.

And since the brother was back in town, I had a perfect reason to bake. I try not to bake so often for the sake of my diet :p
Baking today was literally the epitome of baking with love. It's hard to understand why some people slave in the kitchen just for the sake of a good meal for their family to enjoy, until you go through it yourself. I started baking at 11pm last night and by the time I finished frosting my cakes and packing them up in takeaway boxes, it was almost 2am. All for the sake of my family to enjoy.

Ingredients: 
For the cake:
8 oz unsalted butter
8 oz caster sugar
8 oz self-raising flour
4 eggs
1 tsp mixed spice
4 oz chopped walnuts
5 oz freshly grated carrots
2 Tbsp sultanas

For the frosting:
7 oz cream cheese
6 oz icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Directions:

Baking the cake:

1. Mix the butter, sugar and flour together and cream until the mixture is creamy.
2. Add in the eggs, one by one. Continue creaming for a few more minutes.

3. Fold in the mixed spice, walnuts and sultanas until well mixed. 

4. Pour mixture into cake tins lined with parchment paper. Don't forget to rub a thin film of butter over the parchment paper. 

5. Preheat oven to 175 C and bake for 45 mins or so. Test with a toothpick.

Preparing the frosting:

1. Cream the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice until there are no lumpy bits.

2. Lather a thin layer over a cooled cake. 

3. Top with chopped walnuts.

And as usual, my carrot cake was a hit! I'm so glad. :)

Kailan with Oyster Sauce

I rarely have to cook dinner for myself so I consider myself to be a quite lucky girl. Cooking for one can sometimes be very troublesome and because I'm lazy, I like to cook simple dishes that don't require much effort in terms of preparation.

Tonight's dinner was kailan cooked with oyster sauce. I've recently developed a liking for kailan (or Chinese kale) after a recent trip to China. It's rather ironic because until a few years ago, I never liked leafy vegetables much less eat them on purpose. I've slowly learnt to appreciate the leafy stuff and this particular veg is one of my current favourites. I like it even more because preparing it is so effortless but the result still tastes so good. You'll see why.

Ingredients:
200 grams of medium-sized kailan
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Small pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Wash and soak the vegetables in lightly salted water for about 15 minutes.
2. Boil a pot of water over high flame, then blanch the kailan for about 1-2 minutes. Drain and arrange on a serving dish.
3. Heat wok with vegetable oil, saute the shallot and garlic until fragrant and lightly golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then add the light soy sauce.
4. In a little bowl, add 1 Tbsp water to the oyster sauce and stir until liquid thickens. Pour into the shallot and garlic mixture, top off with sesame oil. Pour immediately onto the vegetables and serve.