Sponge Cake for a Friend

Last night, we had a wonderful BBQ dinner at Angeline & Simon's to celebarate Cassandra's birthday. Angeline is the first girl I know who loves to cook on a barbie and she single handedly cooked up a whole meal for 6. She made some beef skewers, chicken drumletts, corn on cob and garlic bread. I brought some squid marinated in curry powder to throw on the BBQ and Cassandra brought a nice salad. Oh how I wish I brought my camera! The kids also had their own meal, penne bolognaise which Angeline specially made for them.


For the occassion, I made an orange sponge with strawberries and cream. This is my 2nd attempt on a sponge cake and I must say it turned out so much better than my first. It was soft and moist. It was definitely a good sign when people helped themselves to a second helping. :)

This recipe is adapted from Good Food magazine (Apr 2010 issue) by Sophie Hansen.

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
190g caster sugar
5 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (225g) self raising flour
1/4 teaspoon of bicarb soda
finely grated rind of 1 orange
300ml thickened cream
1/3 cup (110g) raspberry jam
150g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

Pink Icing
1 cup (160g) pure icing sugar, sifted
2 tbsp hot water
2-3 drops pink food colouring


Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan. Grease and line two 20cm round cake tins.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold through the flour and orange rind until just combined.

Divide batter between prepared tins. Bake for 20 minutes, until cakes spring back when lightly touched and have shrunk slightly from the sides of tins. Cool in pans for 5 minutes, and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks forms. Spread top of each cake with jam. Arrange sliced strawberries over one cake, then spread over whipped cream. Top with remaining cake, jam side down.

To make icing, mix icing sugar and water until a thick paste forms. Stir in food colouring, one drop at a time, until icing reaches desired colour and consistency. Pour icing over top of cake. Serve as it is or decorate with anything you desire.

Adversities of life

In the past year, there were a couple of moments where reality hits that life on earth is only temporary. These were sad moments. I remember the day when I got a message from an old friend with news that a university mate of ours whom I was close to during those days lost the battle with breast cancer, leaving behind her 3 year old daughter and husband. I was shocked and dumbfounded to say the least. How can that be?! She was only 30 years old. A few months later I received an email requesting prayer for another friend whose dad was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after that he passed away.

Recently, a very good friend of mine had her baby very much prematurely. Her baby didn't make it. I was so deeply affected by the news that my heart ached and I sobed for her and her baby. I didn't know what to say. How do you console someone who have loved and lost so much? If only I can take away her pain but I can't. So I prayed. I prayed for her, her husband and her little one who has gone to be with the Lord. To my dear friend, this song is for you:

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Saviour,
And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

- Helen H. Lemmel

New Title

It's been too long since my last post. Being the new year, I've decided to give my blog a new life. I will be sharing more than just food stuff, hence my new title - Life. Food. Coffee.

Coffee is my new found hobby. Actually, it is one of my hubby's passionate hobbies which has rubbed off on me. I hardly, if ever, drank coffee before. That all changed when I worked in the city a few years ago. As I walk from the train station to my office, I will pass cafes after cafes brewing cuppucino and lattes and watched city workers sipping them. When I arrive at the office, my fellow colleagues will be queuing up at the automatic coffee machine (there is one in every kitchenette) making a fresh cup of coffee. There is no escape from coffee. There is no way one can breath all that aromatic smell and not be sucked in. So there, I'm now a latte drinker.

My 2 year old son, Dylan also has a cup. No, of course, not coffee! I make him what I call a Milo Cino. A fancy name for steamed milk dusted with Milo. You see, Dylan is a very fussy eater. He wouldn't drink milk but he would gulp down a Milo Cino. That makes me a happy mommy.

Chocolate Brownie

I was not into cooking or baking when I was living in Malaysia until I came to study in Australia about 11 years ago. It was either cook or go broke eating out every day. So I started to learn how to cook and bake from people around me. I didn't have a clue about baking - well, what does it mean when the recipe says fold in the flour? How do you FOLD flour?! Then one day, a housemate of mine was making chocolate brownie. I hung around to watch her (that is when I understood the term fold the flour). When she was done, the brownie smelled fantastic and tasted great. So I asked her for the recipe and the rest is history.

Chocolate Brownie

125g butter

125g dark chocolate

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup plain flour

2 tbsp self-raising flour
3/4 cup chopped pecan/macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place butter and chocolate in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir until mixture is smooth. Place eggs and sugar in a bowl. Beat until pale and thick. Sift in the flour and pour in the chocolate mixture and nuts. Grease a 20cm square cake tin. Pour in the mixture into the tin and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the brownies are set. Allow to cool and cut them into square pieces and serve.

I like the brownies with coffee but you can also serve it with cream or ice-cream.

Go on give it a try, it is very simple.

Debut

Here it is… my first entry in the blog world. Frankly, the thought never crossed my mind to be a blogger. I mean what would I write about? The idea came after watching Julie & Julia. The movie inspired me to cook and bake more so I thought “Hey I can write about food!” My hubby also gave me a SLR camera for Christmas (thank you hubby!) so I better put it to good use. Love for food and SLR camera - the perfect recipe for a food blog.

I’m not the kind to come up with recipes but I like trying recipes from cookbooks. I also have many family and friends who likes to cook and are generous enough to share their recipes with me. In turn, I will share my favourite recipes (with permission of course) as well as tips and tricks I learn along the way. So stick around and see if I can tempt you to start cooking too!