Organic Banana Muffin with oat topping

I have made many versions of banana muffins. For this one, i tried without oil - it is slightly dry. But it goes very well when eat with cream cheese. Since i am running out of cinnamon powder, i only use nutmeg powder and the outcome still good.

Ingredients -
2 medium size banana (mashed)
1 kampung egg
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/8cup filtered water + 2tsp organic chia seed (mix for 5 minutes)
3/4 cup organic self raising flour
1tsp nutmeg powder
Some rolled oat for sprinkle

Method -
1. Mash banana. Add in egg.
2. Add in all the rest of the wet ingredients.
3. Add nutmeg powder and flour. Mix well.
4. Transfer the batter into muffin cups. Sprinkle some rolled oats on top. Press the oat slightly to make sure it sticks well to the batter (use a small spoon).
5. Bake in preheated oven at 180c for 30 minutes. Turn on the fan and increase temperature to 190c for the last 5 minutes.
6. Serve with some cream cheese.

Yield 6 medium size muffins.

Grain-free Carrot Cake

For my daughter's 3 years old birthday, i adapted a carrot cupcake recipe from www.texanerin.com titled 'Healthier Carrot Cake Cupcakes (grain-free,gluten-free, paleo and dairy-free options). I actually tried making once before the actual one for her birthday. Im glad that i did that because the first time doing it, the recipe that i followed exactly was a little too sweet and the texture slightly oily and plain too. I then decided to reduce the oil and sugar substitute (honey), as well as adding some raw walnuts and raisins for a more complete taste and texture.

Recipe (I made 2 sets of ingredients below for 2 tiers of cake) :
1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp organic coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp pink himalayan salt
1 1/2tsp organic cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/8 cup raw honey
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
1/2 cup grated organic carrot

Frosting :
2.5 stick 200g Philadelphia Cream Cheese (in grey box)
4 tsp maple syrup / raw honey
1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
dash of salt
plain yogurt for thinning

Red Colouring :
I blend one small organic beetroot and filter over a cheesecloth for the colouring. I then add with portion of frosting, 1 tsp at a time to achieve pink hue that i wanted. For the pulp, i dried it under low temperature in oven for a good few hours (roughly 3-5 hours) and made into beetroot powder.

For the cake :

(1) Mix dry and wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

(2) Bake in preheated oven at 175c with Fan for 17 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let the cake sit in baking pan for another 5-10 minutes before removing.


Steps for setting up the cake :

(1) Spread cream cheese frosting on top of 1 cake and stack another cake on top. Trim off the side or top for smoother look or for easy frosting layering.

(2) Pink frosting done

(3) Design that i piped out. Spot something missing on Hello Kitty 's face !


Verdict : This is now a must keep recipe for us, as it is healthy, delicious and wholesome. I definitely need to improve my skill on doing a better frosting, look at the lettering that i did. Thankfully, no one complained !@

Okay, i kept the cake for a week now in fridge and it still taste good. The only difference is the pink hue slowly varnished or lightened out probably due to the natural colouring.

Sugar free banana coconut muffin

4 bananas
4 kampung eggs
1/2 cup organic coconut flour
2 Tbsp vco
1 tsp bentong ginger powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp organic vanilla extract

(1) Using a large mixing bowl, mash banana.

(2) Beat in eggs and mix well.

(3) Add in coconut flour and mix well.

(4) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

(5) Pour into medium size muffin paper cups carefully.

(6) Bake at preheated oven at 175c for 25 minutes. Once done, remove from oven and let it cools on s/s rack for 5-10 minutes before consuming.

** I only use fork to mix

Butter Walnut Cake

Its been a while and i almost dont recall if i ever baked a mouth-watering butter cake ! As of lately, i hardly able to post recipes of what i have been preparing for the family simply because i started ordering homecooked catered food due to rushing for my design thesis works while juggling the 2 kids.

I have been thinking about butter cake lately and thought of using the simplest recipe due to my other commitments. This is however not gluten-free (as what i tried to do or achieve all along) because i want to make this a successful piece before blend in gluten free ingredients and flour. Other than that, i actually need more time to make gluten-free cake as i am still learning while experimenting it.

Here you go, i would say it is quite a successful butter cake with its much reduced quantity of sugar. I started using minimal amount of sugar after my toddler turns 2.5years old but usually only for baking cake or bread. As for butter cake, note that the more sugar reduction, the less fluffy it becomes. Sugar basically needs to tenderise the texture as well as to volumise the cake nicely. I try to use 'CUP' to measure whenever i bake because it is the fastest and simplest for me ! You find leisure in following my recipes if you think the same like me in this case ;)

Recipe (in order):
1 whole Grass fed butter (melted)
1/3 cup Organic raw cane sugar
2 cup Organic self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 kampung egg
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 Tbsp natural greek yoghurt
10 organic raw walnut (roughly chopped)

(1) Using a mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar till it looks pale or dissolve.
(2) Add in flour and baking powder mixture, 1 cup at a time, mix in and fold well.
(3) Beat in egg, 1 at a time and fold well.
(4) Add in vanilla extract.
(5) Add in yoghurt and fold till all mix well.
(6) Transfer into a round lined with greased paper, baking pan. Add walnut all round on top.
(7) Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 30minutes.
(8) Leave on cooling rack for 20 minutes before serve.

The 2yr 8mths wanted to enjoy the cake with her strider bike's helmet ! :D 

Organic carrot cake

I customized this organic carrot cake for my 2yrs old toddler as she has been flipping my baking recipe book and requested for it.

Recipe (ingredients in sequence):

5oz vco
3 kampung egg
1 Tbsp organic molasses sugar
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 medium size organic carrot (shredded)
1 whole mandarin orange skin (diced)
2oz walnut / cashewnut (chopped)
2oz sultanas / dates (cut small)
6oz organic self raising flour
2 Tbsp organic coconut flour
1 tsp organic cinnamon powder
1 tsp natural baking soda

Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl and fold till well mixed. Transfer into baking pan and bake in preheated oven at 170c for 40 minutes.

For the frosting, i mix cream cheese with some orange juice.

Verdict: A less sweet version, kids friendly recipe. For adult, quantity of sugar could be more. I kept the cake in fridge after 2 days in room temperature and it could last for another week.

Watermelon cake for Bella Grace's Birthday

Basically, we were just trying to create something simple and healthy for the 2 years old's birthday. This is an idea inspired by mummy Ying Ser Chu and Vivian Low, after both of them did it for their sons. Absolutely no flour and purely fruits.

After going back and forth from cheese cake to carrot cake and other options, i decided to settle down with this, partially because it was a last minute decision and i was absolutely tired due to my pregnancy, mind that i am going to due next month !

My youngest sister was here in KL, and we went to Mid Valley together with my eldest sister and her two daughters. These are fruits i purchased from Aeon supermarket to prepare for the 3-tier watermelon cake.

2 large watermelons, Local (cost RM20+ and RM19+ respectively)
3 in 1 pack starfruits, Local (RM2+)
6 in 1 pack green kiwis, from Australia (RM12.90)
1 pack blueberries, from Poland (RM11.90)
1 pack strawberries, from Australia (RM12.90)

In addition i bought a medium size polystyrene box to keep the cake cold and intact as we were going to transport it to an organic restaurant where we decided to celebrate for the 2 years old.

To make the cake i used -
1 longitudinal section for the base (from 1 watermelon)
2 cross sections for top tier and second tier (from 1 watermelon)
3 green kiwis (sliced and halved)
1 starfruit (sliced)
4 small strawberries (halved)
1/2 cup blueberries

Note: The watermelons that i bought were not round, they were large but elongated. Thus the term
Longitudinal section means i cut through the long section part / horizontally to create a larger base.
Cross section is the short section across the watermelon, to create 2 small tiers.

If you are able to buy a round, big, nice watermelon, it shouldn't make any difference which section you are cutting through. 

Ours, chosen by my niece - the ripeness was just right for immediate usage. Besides choosing the shape, it is important to make sure the ripeness is right. Under ripe will create whitish / pinkish looking watermelon cake rather than bright red colour, hard texture or less sweet, whereas over ripe will make the cake formation a little difficult as it is too watery and less firm.

Basically, hubby helped to chop and trim into a cake shape according to different sizes and tiers and to try to make it as round possible. That was the most difficult part. I was wiping through the area when he worked on it as there was watermelon juice all over the kitchen during the ordeal.

The picture above was the end result after the shape is formed by hubby. Is not easy ! There was a lot of cleaning job too. We had time to freeze it, roughly 1-2 hours before started decorating. The base was slightly crack while we assembling the fruits but i managed to touch up using toothpick. I used toothpick to keep the starfruits in place as well. After all the fruits were put up, we wrapped it using cling wrap and keep in polystrene box to bring over to the celebration venue.

More pictures during the celebration -

while we were preparing the cake

The 2 years old looking at the cake obediently

The 2 years old posing for the camera

It seems like the princess knows is her birthday

Another cheeky her :D

Lighted up candles, i bought it from Aeon too

Blowing out the birthday candles

Small yi helping to cut and distribute the cake

It wasnt difficult to cut, my dad enjoyed it very much.
We finished 2 tiers before bringing the remaining back home.

Tips to maintain freshness :

(1) Buy the fruits fresh, or prior to using.

(2) Lightly freeze the watermelon and other fruits before decorating.

(3) In our case, we were transporting the cake to another venue. Upon arrival, we requested the cake to be kept in chiller.

Brownie Cake for Hubby's Birthday

It was hubby's birthday, and knowing that he doesnt really eat cake or bread, i need to think of something that he really likes without compromising the ingredients part, since is going to be homemade. I thought of 'BROWNIE' as i remember he likes it! I tried making it all natural and organic. Topping up of vanilla ice cream, i'll consider that as once a while indulgence, meant only for me and hubby, not the kid.

I didnt get to take a picture of the cake as all i was doing was busy preparing. A few pictures that i am sharing here were during cake cutting time, which the limelight was obviously took over by the big sister-to-be instead.

Recipe (using 8" round baking pan):

A:
1/3 cup organic carob powder
1/2 cup blossom honey (I used 1/3 cup and top with filtered water)

(1) Steam honey till melted.
(2) Mix in carob powder and stir till smooth.
(3) Let it cool in room temperature and set aside.

B:
1/2 cup organic unbleached plain flour
1/4 tsp organic baking powder
1/4 tsp natural baking soda
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt

Mix all ingredients B in a bowl and set aside.

C:
2/3 cup apple sauce (I steamed 2 new zealand small apple and mashed it)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 kampung egg
3/4 tsp organic vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients using a food processor till smooth (do not transfer mixture yet)

To combine the batter -
(1) Add A to C and continue to blend till smooth.

(2) Transfer the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add in B. Fold till mix well.

(3) Rub olive oil around the baking pan, and line parchment paper all round the pan.

(4) Bake in preheated oven at 175c for 20 minutes.

(5) Once done, remove the brownie cake from oven immediately and let it cool.

For the frosting / topping -
2 Tbsp cream cheese
2 Tbsp whipping cream

Blend all ingredients and transfer into a piping bag. Chill it for few hours or till it stays in shape or no longer runny.

I used the frosting as wishes wording on the cake, though i done it awfully !

Comments from hubby were : Tastes really good ! Is nice im serious ! Can sell !
(I was all over the moon). On the other hand, the toddler busy eating her way through and keep asking for more. It was her first time trying brownie, as i convinced myself to allow her to try - which probably the only thing in my mind that trying to control would be due to 'carob powder'. I gave that a pass.


Update -

I actually got some orders, after hubby shared with some of his friends. Thus, i decided to write down all the ingredients and measurements properly just to share with everyone here. I am not able to take in order due to some commitments but would not rule out the possibility in near future should i able to dedicate more time to create healthier baking recipes.

Gluten free butternut squash cheesecake

Recipe:

Crust -
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup finely chopped almond
1/4 tsp organic ground cinnamon
3-4 Tbsp melted grass-fed butter

Cheesecake -
200-250g cream cheese (softened)
1 1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 big piece butter nut squash (made about 1 cup puree)
2 Tbsp organic sugar cane
4 eggs
1 knob fresh ginger (minced)
1 tsp vanilla extract


(1) For the crust, mix all ingredients in a bowl and pour the almond crust mixture into a baking casserole. Press firmly till it is properly flatten.

(2) Bake in preheated oven at 175c for 10 minutes or till the crust is set and look brown.

(3) For the cheese cake, using a stand mixer -beat cream cheese, yogurt and puree till smooth. Add in eggs, minced ginger and vanilla extract and continue to beat till it forms a smooth batter.

(4) Place a pan of hot water onto the bottom rack of the oven to reduce cracking of the cheesecake.

(5) Pour the batter over hot crust baked earlier and bake at 165c for 1 hour.

(6) Once done, let the cake cool at room temperature and chill slightly before serve.


Recipe adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gluten-free-pumpkin-cheesecake/