BUTTERY LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

No festive season is complete without fruit cake.  There were so many different ways to make one. But I always prefer the one with less fruit like this  Light Fruit Cake.  This Buttery Light Fruit Cake will cut down the time you soak the dry fruit.  Soak the fruit in orange juice, microwave for a minute to plump them then leave to cool.

If you mix your own dry fruits, you need to add  candied red and green cherries to the batter.   It would look prettier with those.  I used store bought mixed fruit that include both cherries.

The sweetness was just right,  adding more sugar isn't necessary.   We get natural sugar from the dry fruits.

This Buttery Light Fruit Cake is so simple to make yet tastes awesome.  I used this recipe successfully to get a quick festive treat. If desired, decorate with additional candied fruits and nuts.

BEST EVER EGGLESS COCOA BROWNIES

This Best Ever  Eggless Cocoa Brownies is a quick and easy recipe to satisfy those sweet craving. Made with cocoa powder, vegetable oil, condensed milk and water.

Purposely reduce the sugar since am adding half a cup of condensed milk but you could add more if you want.  Have added the coconut oil but other vegetable oil works too.  For a richer taste, opt for melted butter instead of oil.

The process is about as easy as you can get.  Combine dry ingredients with  oil, condensed milk, water and mix.  Add  in chocolate chips, stir and spoon batter into muffin pan.

Besides baking in muffin pan, a square pan of 8 x 8 in is a great alternative but adjust the baking time accordingly.

These Best Ever Eggless Cocoa Brownies were  fantastic!  They are so good, am planning to bake another batch tomorrow.

EASY DINNER ROLLS

These homemade yeast rolls are well worth the effort.   Easy Dinner Rolls  go perfectly with any meal.  I like to dunk it in a cup of coffee or dip in a bowl of spicy gravy or soup.

I still remember, how my first time making bread,  It turned out miserably.  After years of playing with yeast and successfully baked them, I think everyone can bake a better bread, just  keep practicing!  In fact baking bread isn't that hard if your follow these basic rules.

!.  Yeast
Should be fresh and active..  To check, sprinkle  yeast in lukewarm water with little sugar and wait for 10 minutes until bubbly, if not discard the yeast,

2.  Water
Must be warm to touch and not very hot otherwise you killed the yeast. More water you get in the dough,  the bigger air bubbles you'll get, it makes fluffier bread

3.  Texture
It should be soft like baby's cheek  to get soft and fluffy bread.  Adding too much flour , makes a dense and dry loaf.   Add flour gradually and only the minimum

Today. I will show you how to make these Easy Dinner Rolls that was easy.   Made  by hand but you can use a mixer or bread machine too.  It involves mixing the dry and wet ingredients, knead it then leave to rise until doubled, it may takes shorter or longer time,   don't rush this  final step.  Shape into desired shape then again let sit to rise for  another 60= 90 minutes.

Add variety to your bread by forming the rolls into different shapes or fill these rolls with your favorite filling like chocolate, custard, red bean etc.   Even the plain Easy Dinner Rolls  tasted so good.

Other bread recipes you should check:

Red Bean Swirl Bread

Fruited Pull Apart Bread

Eggless Custard Buns

QUICK BLUEBERRY OATMEAL CUPS

Do you miss your breakfast due to lack of time?  These Quick Blueberry Oatmeal Cups  are the solution. You  make these night before,  pack in your lunch box or eat it while travelling to your work place.

This grab and go meal not only a snap to make but healthy too.   Made with rolled oat, no flour and no butter with endless choice of topping,  choose either  fruits, nuts even chocolate chip.

We  love to have  Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies , Cornflakes Crisp Bars, and Mango Oatmeal Bread   alternately for breakfast.  They are great for tea time treat or in between snack..

Am using a standard muffin cup and filled them  3/4 full, it yields only 10.  But you  will get more if using a smaller ones.

I did not mix in the blueberry in the batter but put them in between.  Quick Blueberry Oatmeal Cups are mildly sweeten with brown sugar but this is okay for me,  if necessary  adjust  accordingly to your liking.  more.

MOIST MARBLE BANANA CAKE

Am obsessed with marble cake  or bread.  So far I have baked  Eggless Marble Banana Cake, Banana Chocolate Bread Marbled and   Marble Cake  but that does't stop me from trying another recipe.

Most  of the recipes  call for melted butter but this  Moist Marble Banana Cake uses  vegetable oil.  It has a right amount of sweetness and stay moist even after the next day.

After experiencing and baking with banana.  I must admit that using a right banana is the key to perfect cake.  The banana should be ripe but  firm and not too soft because soft banana contains more water, it tends to make your cake slightly wet.

Another point was about cocoa powder.   Adding more cocoa means you have to add more sugar to sweeten the cake.   Just add a tablespoon or two  of cocoa in the batter is more than sufficient, you still get beautiful marble effect.  So glad Moist Marble Banana Cake turned out incredible!

BLUEBERRY SCONES RECIPE

I can never get tired of quick and  yummy food for breakfast or tea time treat. It has been some time, I baked scones for my family. They are so versatile since you can customize  the add-ins.

Blueberry Scones  prep is similar as making a pie where you cut in butter, using your fingertips  until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  You can make scones using a food processor but made by hand is much lighter. The secret to  good scones are not to handle them too much before baking.

Divided them into 2,  patted one portion onto baking sheet into a round shape and cut into 8 wedges while the balance  I cut  rounds with 2 in cutter. .

These buttery Blueberry Scones are tender, fluffy  and sweet enough to eat on its own, no jam required, but this is entirely up to you..

Other breakfast recipes you should check :

Apple Raisin Scones

Pomegranate Mango Baked Oatmeal

Dry Fruit Scones

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

I have tried various recipes of  chocolate cake and still looking for a perfect ones.  Stumbled upon this recipe on Facebook and decided to try it out one day.

At first glance, it looks complicated with a lot of ingredients, but actually another reason I love this recipe that it  uses a whisk to mix, combine both  wet and dry ingredients then you're ready to bake it.

This Perfect Chocolate Cake can be steamed but I chose to bake it.  Made slight changes by reducing the cocoa powder to 3/4 cup and increase the amount of flour to 1 1/2 cups.  Also reduce baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon.

Despite the changes I  made,  this Perfect Chocolate Cake turns out wonderful!  Perfect chocolate flavor with right amount of sweetness.When completely cool,  glaze as desired.  I don't do this since my family prefer plain good cake without any frosting.

Other cake recipes you should try:

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Eggless Peach Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake Diary Free

KUIH DADAR LABU / PUMPKIN CREPES

Most South East Asian  kuih or bite sized dessert uses natural products such as coconut, banana or tapioca.  One of my favorite kuih is Kuih Dadar or kuih ketayap, a rolled crepe stuffed with sweeten grated coconut.   It was made by 2 parts, outer cover and the filling normally made  with coconut.

Kuih Dadar  uses natural food coloring by blending  pandan leaves with liquid then strain.  Pandan juice is added back to the batter. These leaves not only gives a beautiful color but also a nice fragrance.   You can simply omit pandan leaves if it is not available at your area, just add green food coloring or a tablespoon of pandan paste.

Made a substitution for the filling using mashed pumpkin instead of grated coconut.  Also prepared it using milk and not coconut milk.   This filling will keep well in a refrigerator if you cook it longer. Adjust the sweetness to your liking  by adding more sugar.

Other kuih/dessert you should check out:

Kuih Dadar with coconut filling

Bingka Pisang

Wajik (Palm Sugar Glutinous Rice Pudding)

CORNFLAKES CAKE RECIPE

Having cornflakes with milk  are a regular affair  for morning breakfast.  This time I intend to transform this favorite cereal into a quick and  yummy treat for the whole family.

It's a simple mix and bake recipe.   This Cornflakes Cake uses  cornflakes that can be crushed by hand or use your  rolling pin to do the job, either way you choose is fine.

You probably want to serve this as a grab and go breakfast for your kids.  Simply bake this in a muffin pan for 15-20 minutes and get their favorite cereal  turns into a muffin.

In case you're running out of buttermilk use yogurt instead.

This Cornflakes Cake  is sweet, easy to grab and tasty,  sure to start your day off on a right foot.

Other breakfast recipes you should try:

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies

Cornflakes Crisp Bars

Apple & Raisin Scones

KUIH BINGKA NANGKA RECIPE

A traditional recipe that doesn't use any leavening agent at all and butter free. Traditional kuih  or bite size dessert/snack normally are  baked, steamed or deep fried. These are made from rice flour, glutinous rice four, tapioca flour, mung bean or plain flour.

Another important ingredient was coconut.   Most old school recipes use coconut milk since we grow our own coconut near our house those days.

Kuih Bingka Nangka or Baked Jack Fruit Cake was quick and simple to make.   You can even throw everything in a blender and it is ready to be baked.

Used evaporated milk instead of coconut milk because am running short of coconut milk.  Some recipes require you to dilute the milk with water, but prefer to add undiluted in order to get creamier  taste. .

You must leave Kuih Bingka Nangka to cool for 1-2 hours before slicing to get that perfect finish. My family enjoyed it with a cup of  ginger tea.

Other traditional kuih you should try:

Abok Abok Sago

Kuih Bakar Kentang

Kuih Sago

CRANBERRY YEAST BREAD RECIPE

I always love to bake my own bread, trying out classic recipes and sometimes adding my little twist to the original  creations.

So far I haven't tried cranberry in my baking  and this is going to be my venture this week.  If you have a bread maker, it will cut down all the manual work but I made my bread by hand from start to finish.  This gives a great satisfaction and learning process,  you can tell by mixing the dough whether it has a perfect balance of water, butter and flour.

This Cranberry Yeast Bread makes one big loaf but I  turned mine into 3 strand braided loaf.  The method varies slightly from regular yeast bread  by  spreading  some butter and sprinkle with brown sugar before final shaping.  Am surprise to see the bread still not very sweet, the way I like it.

Everyone in my family  loved this Cranberry Yeast Bread,  It was a complete success!  This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be used often.

BLUEBERRY OATMEAL BREAD

Most of us like to have oatmeal for breakfast but sometimes you feel bored eating the same thing again and again.  So I incorporated rolled oat and adding fresh blueberries for making this Blueberry Oatmeal Bread.

Oatmeal is a healthier choice but tasteless to eat on its own.   The benefits of  rolled oat can be enjoyed in  yeast/quick bread, muffins, breakfast bars, granola, biscuit, pancake, oatmeal burger and crumble.   Include  this natural power food regularly that contains minerals, vitamins, fiber,  lipid and numerous health benefits in your diet.  The fiber in oatmeal makes you feel full through out the day.   Fiber also eases constipation and control blood sugar.

Some packets of instant oatmeal, loaded with sugar  as much as 8 tsp per serving and high in sodium. Always check the label  to see what you are getting.

For healthier choice, replace half of plain flour with wholemeal flour and easily turns it into dairy free by using oil in place of  butter also milk with soy milk, almond or rice milk.

This Blueberry Oatmeal Bread were delicious.  Very filling with the oatmeal in them.  came out super moist too.

Other fabulous recipes made with oatmeal.   Click on the title to view full recipe.

Apple Oatmeal Bars

Pomegranate Mango Baked Oatmeal

Dairy Free Oatmeal Banana Squares

BEST COCOA BROWNIES

My family loves brownies and have make several batches of  Eggless Coffee Brownies  and   Banana Brownies Eggless before. Both of them are cake like type.

Some brownies used dark chocolate  but I have no chocolate at the moment.   In this case, I  opt for cocoa powder instead.   The recipe below is super easy to put together and with the option to add nuts or chocolate chip for more intensified chocolate flavor.   Also added only 3/4 cup of sugar.

Best Cocoa Brownies only need a whisk to mix melted butter together with sugar and cocoa powder. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir until smooth.   It is now ready to be baked.

Baked in my 8 in round pan instead of 8 x 8 and it took 20 minutes flat to bake but this depends on individual  oven.  When completely cool, slice into 12 or 16 squares if you're using 8 x 8 in pan.

This Best Cocoa Brownies is  a soft and chewy on the inside and chocolatey.  It is also the easiest one bowl brownies you could ever hope for.   As requested,  I have planned to bake this again tomorrow.

BROCCOLI & TOMATO PASTA RECIPE

We love pasta but I seldom cook it.   My son requested  to have pasta this week,   first thing I  check what I have in my pantry and fridge.

Since we have broccoli, macaroni and fresh tomato, decided to whip up my Broccoli & Tomato Pasta for our meal today.

Wonder why I don't make this often since this is the easiest and importantly tasty.   When boiling the pasta, cook until aldente as stated on the package.   Use the water from boiling pasta to cook broccoli and retain some of the water to be added to the pasta if it is too dry.

Prefer spicier pasta, added more chili paste than stated.   In case you don't have chili paste, opt for chili powder.  I know some of you may not have  chili powder so add black pepper instead.

This Broccoli & Tomato Pasta is so versatile, you can add other vegetables, meat or cheese to your liking  Even without any add on, it tastes awesome!

My family also love the following pasta.  Check the recipe by clicking on the title.

Stir Fried Pasta

Penne Arrabiata

Spaghetti In Ccurry Sauce

HEALTHY OATMEAL BANANA COOKIES

Quiet some time, I have baked cookies for my family.   I love easy and delicious recipes and this Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies fall into this category. These are egg free and use a minimal amount of melted butter.

In fact, it uses one bowl so you save time washing up and the best part, just throw in all ingredients in a mixing bowl then mix until well incorporated.

Easily shape the mixture into 1 in ball then flatten slightly.  Besides raisin, opt for cranberries, apricot or mix in sesame / sunflower seeds or almond/walnut.   The possibilities are endless.  If you're not keen to roll the cookies, you can spoon the dough into a greased baking sheet.  Press with a metal spoon to smooth top.  After baking, cut it into bars.

Healthy Oatmeal Banana Cookies turned  fantastic, soft center and not so sweet which I love. If you need it sweeter, add more sugar.  Bake them longer  for crunchier cookies.

Other cookies recipe you should check out:

Milk Cookies
Crunchy Sesame Cookies
Fruity Cookies

MINI SUGAR BUNS RECIPE

This week trying my hand making Mini Sugar Buns that I have eaten during my school days.  This is a typical bread recipe that requires kneading, shaping and proofing the dough.

I usually make my bread by hand and in small quantity, just enough to feed a small family.  Double or triple the recipe  to feed a crowd.

Used instant yeast that can be added straight to the flour.  If using active dry yeast, activate it by adding sugar and warm water, let the mixture  sits until it becomes frothy.

You need to melt the butter then add in the milk.  Make sure this mixture should be warm to touch before adding to dry ingredients.

Divide the dough into 9 equal balls but easily turns it into one big loaf if your like.  You'll be glad to put in your time making these delicious rolls.  There's something about freshly baked Mini Sugar Buns that are perfect for any time.

BLUEBERRY MILK CAKE RECIPE

My husband recently purchased some fresh blueberries along with his favorites fruits during his visit to supermarket.  Frankly am not familiar using this fruit in baking,  it tastes slightly tart but that was fine with me.

Being a adventurous person, I decided to use this blueberries in baking this time. This  Blueberry Milk  Cake is quick and the simplest to make.  I believe you need to try  and learn new  things regardless whether you would succeed or not.

Did little tweaking by reducing the sugar a bit.   Didn't bother with icing,  as I didn't think it needed it.

You need to toss the fresh blueberries with flour so it doesn't sink at the bottom of the cake.  I was short on lemon zest so did not add it but still this Blueberry Milk Cake comes out really good. I wanted to devour the whole cake even my hubby who hate sweets could't resist to have a bite.

It was very tasty, moist  and dangerously moreish!

HOKKAIDO MILK ROLLS RECIPE

Had been eyeing this tangzhong bread for quite some time.  Today I have a chance to bake them in my kitchen.

Hokkaido Milk Rolls use a "roux" starter  known as tangzhong  in the dough.  You have to prepare it before proceeding to mix the dough. This tangzhong is made by whisking  water, whole milk and flour until no lumps  then cook over  low heat, stirring constantly until it thicken. The cooled roux is added to the rest of the ingredients to combine and kneaded,  forms into a soft pliable dough.

After the dough has doubled in size. you can easily shape this  into a big loaf but I shaped them into rolls.  I get 12 rolls out of this recipe.

From this basic recipe, it can be used to make cinnamon rolls, monkey bread, pull apart or stuffed bread either sweet or savory.  The options are endless.  When you have a base, you can add all type of variations.  So glad the dough  turned out perfect and  I don't even need to flour my work space.

Hokkaido Milk Rolls  stay soft  and fluffy even after a few days.  We really enjoy the roll as it is, feel free to slather it with you favorite spreads.

Other bread recipes you might want to try:

Back of the Bag Oatmeal Rolls

Monkey Bread From Scratch

Butterhorn Rolls

NO SUGAR BANANA CAKE RECIPE

Am curious to know how a cake without refined sugar taste like.  Some cake with sugar free recipe may contain alternative sweeteners, maple syrup or agave.  But this No Sugar Banana Cake is completely free from those.   Don't believe? .

So this week I tried my hand at sugar free cake for the very first time. Baked this in a small quantity since not sure whether my family would like the cake..

No Sugar Banana Cake uses only 7 ingredients like banana, oil and egg.  You can even omit the egg if you have allergies by replacing it with yogurt.

Surprisingly, this turned out moist and tasted  really  nice. . All that due to ripened banana that makes the cake super moist and pleasantly sweet to bite into.

Why not give it a go yourselves with this recipe that is from from refined sugar? Just because it is healthier than the average butter cake doesn't mean they are less tasty. If you like sugar free dessert, you can try this How to bake NO SUGAR Date Oatmeal Bars  or  Date Tart  as well.

HONEY CORNFLAKES CUPS RECIPE

Had never baked Honey Cornflakes  Cups in ages.  Used to bake them during special occasions, this recipe evokes a fond memories I had when my kids were small.

Only 4 ingredients needed to whip up this sweet treats and super easy to make.  Melt the butter together with honey and sugar (adjust the amount to your liking) until sugar dissolved and bubbly. Add the mixture to the cornflakes and coat them well.

Spoon the cornflakes into cake cases (I used mini and regular one) or small patty tin.  Honey Cornflakes Cups would clump together and harden after cooling these are where the crunchiness come.

Baking Honey Cornflakes Cups is a chance for children to get involved in the kitchen  so have fun and share special moments that will be treasured forever.

Other most requested cookies  during festivals  are:

Black Sesame Seeds Cornflakes Cookies

Suji Cookies

Milk Cookies

PRATA TUNA ROLLS RECIPE

My boy used to like frozen prata for a quick meal but now that has changed.   He doesn't like it anymore.    Other  snack of his favorites  are  Roti John (Asian French Toast),  Peas Kachori and Potato Cups

Since I have bought a pack of frozen prata from our nearby supermarket so need to clear them for good use before it passes its expiry date.

The best choice is turn the prata into baked Tuna Rolls and serve it during breakfast or tea time snack.

Prata Tuna Rolls  are pretty simple  to put together,  you just combined the  drained tuna with mayonnaise, onion, black pepper or chili flakes before stuffing. Added extra chili powder  since my boy like them extra spicy.

If you don't like savory ones, you can turn the prata  as dessert by filling it with fruit then drizzle with chocolate sauce.   In fact there are endless option, just use your imagination.

Most importantly, do not leave the prata too long at room temperature, it becomes sticky and hard to handle.  You can start cutting and  shaping  immediately after you've removed them from a freezer.

Before baking you can brush these Prata Tuna Rolls with egg wash but  done without it.  Frozen prata is a great substitute for puff pastry too.

RITZ BANANA CAKE RECIPE

Recently, a supplier of milk products launched a special offer drive for their brand of fresh milk  that provides a customer with a pack of Ritz cracker for purchase of their product.  Because of this exercise, I had few packs of Ritz lying on my cupboard.

To make use of those. I incorporated the crackers for making Ritz Banana Cake that was a favorite for everyone at home.

First crushed the crackers with rolling pin (this is what I use)  or use your food processor to do the job.  These  crushed cookies replace the flour for making the cake.

Intentionally reduce the sugar to half a cup instead of 1 cup because those bananas are enough to sweeten this Ritz Banana Cake.

This is perfect for someone who wants to  venture into baking with a little twist from a classic recipe that you would never dreamed to have put together.

Easiest recipe and most delicious cake!  So moist and everyone who has tried it, loves it. My aunt was amazed how easy and quick the recipe is.

EASY APPLE COBBLER RECIPE

After making Cake Fruit Yogurt Parfait,  Mini Pumpkin Tarts and Fruity Jello , am looking for a new dessert to try.  I stumbled upon a fruit cobbler recipe that is much easier to put together  since you don't need any rolling pin to shape the dough.  The dough can be flatten by hand about the size of your palm to cover the fruit.

Fruit cobbler is a very versatile dessert,  as you can vary the fruit used,  based on the availability of seasonal fruits or any fruit you have in hand.  You can use frozen fruits  as well. That's the beauty thing about cobbler.

I have never made an apple cobbler before, this was a simplest recipe to make.  Easy Apple Cobbler consists of 2 parts, the fruit and the topping.  Peel, core and slice the apple before adding lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch.

Prepare the topping by adding the flour, sugar with melted butter.  In no time, your buttery ball of dough is ready to use.

Made a mistake by closing the gaps after overlapping the dough so my  Easy Apple Cobbler turns out almost smooth  anyway the end result was divine!

SPICY CHICKEN PIZZA RECIPE

Pizza is the most popular food in the world, wherever you go you can find it.  You can even order them from your home. It  was a favorite for everyone since the topping it is easily adaptable to suit your personal preference but it vegetarian or non vegetarian type.

Last weekend, we have a guest visiting my place so  I thought why not making this SPICY CHICKEN PIZZA for them.  Play around with this basic pizza recipe and make your own selection of toppings. In case you don't  eat  chicken, you can check my Homemade Tuna Pizza, Potato Pizza or Sour Cream Pizza. 

The first step in the process is making the dough since it requires time to rise. Add some additional flavor to the crust like oregano, basil. garlic, black pepper if you like before mixing  the dough. While waiting for pizza, you can prepare the chicken by sauteing the garlic,  add in chicken, chili powder and cilantro.  You can omit the chili powder altogether if cooking for young children or adjust to suit your heat tolerance.

I used ready made tomato sauce but if you have time, you can make an awesome sauce at home. You can even use leftover spaghetti sauce , add little basil and garlic to spice it up or bbq  sauce as well.

This  SPICY CHICKEN PIZZA  recipe  is what  my family uses  and frequently modifies.   They easily fit 2  pan of 15 x 10 in. You can bake  it using a round  pizza pan if you have one.