My Kitchen's Library

These are my collections of recipe books. Most of my cake-baking recipes are from here. All these recipe books are mainly hand-me-downs from my sister (Phoebe), Aunty Rock and CK.

The books that I use most are from CK’s old collections (oh yes, CK does collect recipe books ever since he was studying overseas. He bakes well too!) The Mc Dougalls’s “Better Baking” and the Australian Women’s Weekly “Cakes and Slices Cookbook” are his favorite recipe books which he refers to when he bakes.

I also use Alex Goh’s “Creative Making of Cakes”. I find his book’s instructions very clear and the steps are easy to follow. The pictures are also very nicely taken.

The internet is also a very good source for retrieving good recipes, except that I prefer to have a hard copy to keep and refer to whenever I need it.

My blog will be my collection of “Home-made, home-cooked, home-baked“recipe records. Hopefully, I am able to share this with everyone who is keen to learn what I’ve written down here. Maybe, in future, my daughters- in-law and my grandchildren can refer to this blog and to learn what their husband/daddy and grandparents have been cooking, and eating all these years.

On a DIET !!!

Well, after the buffet lunch and the heavy weekends meals, I think I better go on a DIET today.... only...

♫♫♫.. Just a cup full of Milo helps the rolled oats roll down… ♫♫♫

Sweet 17th

Yesterday, CK and I celebrated our 17^th Wedding Anniversary. We were at a Buffet Lunch in Sun & Surf Café, Sunway Resort.

17 years of joy and happiness, pain and long suffering, we’ve been through all. God’s grace has seen us through all these years.

I thank God for my husband. He is a very supportive and loving husband. He is also a strict and fun- loving father to our children.

Our two boys are our greatest joy and pride on earth! We hope to be able to celebrate many more anniversaries in the future together with our daughters-in-law and many grandchildren…….not too young to dream yah!

Too busy eating, only manage to capture the first dish.

Apple Streusel Cake

I baked this streusel cake the day when we had " Teo Chew" porridge for dinner. Obviouly, we need a sweet dessert to complement the light dinner, otherwise we'll need another round of supper!

I've written down this recipe which I got from a friend (Djelita). She is a great cake baker! I'll encourage you to try this recipe. It's easy except you'll need to take extra effort to separate the ingredients as both streusel and cakes have flour,sugar of different measurement. Don't get mixed up!

Ingredients:

For cooking apple in a sauce pan:

4 medium green apples (Granny Smith preferred)

1 tab spoon caster sugar

60 ml water

For butter cake:

185 g butter, soften

130 g caster sugar

2 eggs

335 g self-raising flour

180 ml fresh milk

For cinnamon Streusel Topping:

110 g self-raising flour

60 g butter

75 g soft brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons water, approximately

Methods:

1. Grease deep 20cm square cake pan, dust with some flour or line base with baking paper.

2. Peel, core and quarter apples; slice thinly. Combine apple, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer till apple is tender. Drain well before use.

3. Meanwhile, beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in flour and milk alternately until well mixed.

4. Spread two-thirds of the mixture evenly over base of prepared pan, top evenly with apple, then spread with remaining mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon streusel topping.

5. Bake cake in a preheat oven (gas mark 7). First middle rack, 20 min later lower rack at gas mark 6) about 40 minutes. Stand cake 5 minutes then turn over onto wire rack. Turn cake top-side up to cool.

Method to prepare cinnamon streusel topping:

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon; rub in butter with fingertips. Mix in enough water to make mixture come together like a ball, cover with plastic wrap; freeze 30 minutes. Coarsely grate topping mixture and sprinkle on unbaked cake.