Mud Cake with Salted Butterscotch

Hello everyone!

Since it is the weekend I thought that it would be great to share a dessert recipe with you. I made this mud cake with salted butterscotch yesterday and it was so good it blew my mind. Can I say that about my own cake? Well, I just did, only because it is. That is a fact.

Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! It’s so nice to have Valentine’s Day fall on a Friday isn’t it? I had great intentions to cook a nice gourmet meal for my husband but then I realized we had to hit the gym tonight as part of our marathon training plan. Plus, it is interval training tonight. Perhaps it is an excuse for me not to cook a lavish meal. So, the plan is to go to the gym and grab a take away meal after. I like it.

A few days back I found that I had a lot of blueberries to use up. I got a bit carried away when Aldi sold blueberries for 69p a punnet. I was asking my followers on Facebook what I should use the blueberries for. One of the responses I got was to make a blueberry pie. That coupled with seeing skinny blueberry crumble bars on another site inspired me to come up with my own version. These bars may not be a skinny version however it is still less fattening than a pie and tastes much better than dry Weetabix.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Praline Tarts

Chocolate and Hazelnut Praline Tart

Hello and Happy Thursday!

I am very excited because I have an amazing Chocolate and Hazelnut Praline Tart recipe for you. Needless to say it was absolutely delicious! 

Just imagine, a crumbly shortcrust pastry topped with smooth chocolate ganache and finally topped off with a crunchy hazelnut praline. Yes, it is rich and indulgent but sometimes we just need some treats.

Sugar Raised Muffins

Sugar Raised Muffins

Hello! 

Can you believe it's Friday already? Time to celebrate with some sugar I say!

I was absolutely craving for sugar raised donuts and had to stop myself from buying some. You know the kind of craving when you buy 5 donuts and have to eat them all in one sitting? Does that happen to you or am I the only one? I do have an incredible weakness for sugar raised donuts, I prefer them over the glazed ones and no, I haven't had a Cronut yet.

I thought it would make me feel less guilty if I at least make some myself. Even better if I didn't have to fry them. Which lead me to make these muffins - essentially simple muffins that taste like a sugared donut. Perfect! 

Kaya (Malaysian Coconut Egg Jam) Recipe

Kaya (Malaysian Coconut Egg Jam) on home made Milk Toast

Happy Friday everyone! 

Since I like Friday to be sweet, I am going to share my take on this ever popular Malaysian jam called Kaya. It is a very fragrant and sweet jam made from coconut milk, sugar, eggs and pandanus leaves. Usually eaten on buttered toast, it can also commonly used as a filling in pastries and buns. You can also slather it on top of waffles, pancakes, crumpets, the list goes on! 

The ingredients I use for Kaya

Most families will have their own recipe for Kaya, passed down through the generations. However, the trick about making this jam is that it has to be constantly (I greatly emphasise the word "constant" here) stirred over a double boiler for at least an hour. Because of this time consuming method, most people nowadays have opted for commercially produced Kaya. I think that if you could spare the time, nothing beats a homemade Kaya. The fragrance will knock you over and you will smile when you eat it simply because you know it is a labour of love.

Kaya and warm melted butter sandwiched between homemade Milk Toast

The recipe I am sharing today uses brown sugar. It produces a rougher more granular texture in the Kaya as compared to using castor sugar. I do find that I prefer the richer more caramelised taste and texture of brown sugar. Maybe it is because it is the way my mama makes it. Funny how a jam can trigger memories of an 8 year old you standing over the stove helping to stir the Kaya! 

Gluten Free Orange Poppyseed Cake Recipe

Happy Foodie Friday everyone!

Where did this week go, I can't believe it's the weekend already.

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a Gluten Free Orange Poppyseed Cake for awhile now. I should add that it is also Butter Free. It does have eggs so I don't think it can qualify as being Vegan.

Nutty Cinnamon Buns

I first fell in love with cinnamon buns half a lifetime ago when Saint Cinnamon came to Kuala Lumpur. The queues were infamously long. I myself had not the patience to queue for them but I would always cling on to the hope that one of my family members had more patience than I.

Since moving to the UK, I have been smitten by the silver fox that is Paul Hollywood (is it those blue eyes mixed with that sexy bit of grey hair?) and have been influenced to bake bread. Paul, oh Paul made me fall in love with baking bread.  

That being said, I was not one for trying my hand at sweet breads as I found them intimidating. For that, I have my fellow Malaysian friend Sharon to thank. She first suggested we bake some cinnamon buns when I visited her in Leeds. Yes, us Malaysians, it is a continuous cycle of cooking and eating all the time! 

Needless to say, these buns have become a staple in my kitchen. 

These buns are delicious and soft with a delicious crunchy candied nut topping. They are a fantastic tea time treat and are best consumed when warm with a hot cup of black coffee. 

A word of caution, please make them when you have the time to fit in a 10km run or at least 2 spinning classes after. Don't blame me for the state of your behind.