This is another Butter Cake I baked for Mom’s birthday two months back. I am a butter cake fan and still constantly looking for a good butter cake recipe but yet to find one at the moment. I wonder why the butter cake sold at the cake shop is so delish and love the aroma of the butter. Hmmmm… could it be they added butter essence on it?

I haven’t been baking for quite sometime. Life has been getting pretty busy lately. Busy with kids especially taking care of their homework. Try to find some time to bake and finally did one Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.  The recipe are from CK, the home economist which I have been working with her for the past few years. She is a great cook and a great baker too. I wonder whether I still have the chance to work with her or not when I join the new company next week.

Anyone have any idea where to get Poppy seed in Malaysia? I don’t think I have seen any of it in the baking supply shop. This McCormick Organic Poppy Seed are given by my ex-colleague, TCH. I love McCormick products but too bad this particular range is not selling here. The recipe shared by CK is definately a recipe keeper. I am going to bake one again when I can find the time again.

Ingredients:
200g butter, at room temperature
140g caster sugar
280g self-raising flour, sifted 
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp lemon essence

Buttermilk Mixture: ( combine together )
Juice of 1 lemon & rind
100ml milk or evaporated milk
30g poppy seeds

Method:
1. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.Add in vanilla and lemon essence.
2. Separately, whisk egg till light and fluffy.
3. Then alternately add in sifted flour and eggs into the butter mixture .
4. Pre-heat oven at 180 DC and grease and line a 20 cm square pan.
5. Bake for 50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

A request from the aunties at home. They asked me to bake a Carrot & Walnuts cake for Mother’s Day celebration at home. I really got no idea how to bake this cake. Googled for the recipe and also searched thru all my recipe books at home and finally found it in Alex Goh’s fruity cakes recipe book. I personally don’t quite like this cake because I hate Cinnamon. I just can’t take it the smell of Cinnamon. Hence, I never appreciate carrot cake but surprisingly the aunties at home love it. Though we are very full that day after eating the porridge steamboat, the whole cake we only ate 1/4 of it. The left over the aunties and cousins tapau back. Aunty SH told me if want to eat just put the cake in the microwave and warm it for a minute, then it will taste like the one sell at Secret Receipe. Hahaha… si bor, so hor chiak meh! Anyway they enjoyed it.

Ingredients :
(A)
3 eggs
150gm milk
300gm sugar ( I only used 250gm )
1/2 tsp salt

(B)
180gm vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence

(C)
280gm plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

(D)
200gm carrot, shredded
12-gm walnuts, chopped

Topping :
250gm cream cheese
60gm butter
120gm icing sugar
1/2 lemon zest, grated
2 tbsps lemon juice

Method :
Cake :
1. Whip (A) until creamy. Add (B) and whip until well blended.
2. Sieve in (C) and mix until well blended.
3. Add (D) and mix well.
4. Pour the batter into greased and lined baking tray. Bake at 180 DC for 35 - 40 minutes.

Topping:
1. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add butter and beat until well blended. Add sugar and beat until well combined.
2. Add lemon zest and juice. Mix well.

To Assemble : Spread the topping over the carrot cake and decorate with extra walnuts and carrot make from fondant.

At times I think I am quite stupid. I am actually to do the Zebra Butter Cake but then I really couldn’t visualize how to do that zebra thing even though I read the instruction few times. So you see how stupid am I till I saw in one of the blog on step by step how to do it.

The cake I am supposed to do end up to be a Butter Choco Cake with a layer of Choco layered in between the butter cake batter. So you see how dungu am I. Even Dearie Suki laugh at me and said what sort of Zebra Cake is that. Hahaha… I am trying a few recipes for Butter Cake and so far I am keeping this recipe because it turned out well all the time I do it. The kids love Butter Cake and so does Dearie Suki.

Ingredients:
250gm butter
200gm castor sugar
200gm self raising flour,sifted
6 eggs
4 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method :
1. Cream butter and castor sugar till creamy and fluffy. Add in vanilla essence and beat again.
2. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat till it well blended.
3. Fold in the flour and alternate it with milk.
4. Scoop one bowl of the batter and mix it with cocoa powder.
5. Pour on layer of batter on a greased baking pan and alternate it with the cocoa batter and the top layer will be the butter batter.
6. Bake at 180 DC for 50 minutes or till the cake is done.

Dad and Ee-Thern’s Birthday fall on the same month. We had a small celebration for Dad at Ah Mah’s place. As usual, my Dad favourite is Steamboat party! I was supposed to bake 2 cakes for Dad and Ee-Thern but I am too tired to bake two at one go. So instead of 2 cakes it ended up 1 cake share by 2 birthday man and boy. Oh gosh a 65 years Dad have a Tom and Jerry cake for his birthday? Hahaha.. LOL….

A surprised to all the Ah Kor’s at home and I bake a Durian Cake back home. Bought a  Tom and Jerry image  printed on an edible icing sheet from Bake With Yen. Frost the cake with whipping cream and just put the icing sheet on top. Then cover the ugly side over with more whipping cream piped out in a star nozzle. Ee-Thern is happy with the cake and I am happy with the results too. But one thing for sure, little Le-Ann is complaining where is her Barbie cake. Hahaha… Check out the cake cutting session … Ee-Thern and Kong Kong HERE.

“Happy 4th Birthday, Sweetheart”

4 years has passed and in just a wink of eyes she is 4 years old now. She even can quarrel with me now. Why time flies so fast. Yes, my little girl is 4 years old. She wanted a Barbie Birthday Cake but I did that for her when she was celebrating her 3 years old birthday. So instead of Barbie I turned it out to be Little Mermaid. Hmmm…. so what do you think? Le-Ann is happy when she see this cake. Click here to see how she took her birthday picture with her Little Mermaid Cake.  

The small girl at home, Faye, smsed me asking me whether can help her to come out with a cake for her brother good results in SPM. I was asking her what design she want and she told me to do a LV handbag cake for her ‘Kor Kor’. Aduii…. I think she is testing my skills. I couldn’t imagine how to do it but finally came out with the crooked LV Handbag cake. Read more from here… Finally The Handbag Cake Is Delivered.

It seems like every month I have to bake either a cake or cupcakes for my cousins or relatives birthday. Not too bad ya, atleast can get me to practise to deco a cake. Its Vonne’s Birthday in March’08 and get his brother Phatboy  Joe to give me an idea what to decorate for her. He told me she likes Chibi, one of the Japanese anime character. Wah… hard to do such figurine and end up the cake look like the above. But it doesn’t seems to dissapoint them as the birthday girl, Vonne, was telling me ‘ Eh, Khoon Cheh, the cake damn cute la” . Hahaha… yes ah?

Make this Tiramisu Cake for Dad Birthday. First time trying a Tiramisu cake and also the first time present Dad with a Birthday Cake. Vonne saw the cake and asked me, ” Eh you are serious ah you make one ah? “. Off course I make one ler. Even Dad also asked me the same question and end up I  post a step-by-step pictures to prove to them that I make this. Click here to see how happy is my Dad.  

I love visiting the M&M’s website. There are so many creative ideas you can learn from there.  The themed cake ” Under The Sea “  is just so lovely and wonderful. I did this for my son 2nd Birthday last year. He celebrated his birthday together with Mom last year. The children at home are just amazed with this cake. Guess what they attack first? Off course the M&M chocolates lor. Hahaha… click here to see what is my son reaction when he see his Under The Sea Birthday Cake.

” To my dear son, hopefully this year Mommy can come out with a Thomas Train Birthday Cake ”