BANANA CAKE sedap!!

Banana cake is not really our favourite. If I remember correctly, we never bought a banana cake when we we were in Malaysia, let alone to bake. But, somehow I have baked this cake several times since we arrived in Brisbane in the last 6 months....

The first time I tried this recipe, my husband liked it so much....he ate almost all of the cake!

From then on, I always made this simple cake every time we have some bananas leftover at home...since the kids love it too....

 Memang sedap kalau jadi peneman teh o panas untuk minum petang...
Nak cuba? Jom kita intai resepinya....

...

KEK PISANG

Sumber: Mat gebu

BAHAN-BAHANNYA :
150 gram mentega
200 gram tepung kek ( saya guna tepung naik sendiri)* 
1/4 camca teh soda bicarbonat*(*disatukan dan diayak)
100 gram gula perang
3 biji telur
100 ml susu segar
1 cawan pisang, dilecekhalus
Beberapa titikesenpisang (saya tak letak)
50 gram coklat urai (chocolate rice)
1/3 cawan pisang yang didadubesar
1/4 cawan kacang gajus dicincang kasar

CARA MEMBUATNYA :

1. Panaskan oven pada suhu 170C, lenser tin berukuran 8 inci x 3 inci x 3 inci dengan mentega, alas dasar tin dengan baking paper, lenser juga kertas tadi. Ketepikan.
2. Putar mentega dengan gula perang hingga sebati, masukkan telur satu persatu sambil terus memutar hingga kembang dan berkrim. Pada kelajuan perlahan, masukkan tepung berselang-seli dengan susu segar hingga habis, putar rata.
3. Masukkan pisang lecek dan gauldengan spatula. Tambah coklat urai, gaul hingga semua rata. Tuang dalam tin tadi, ratakan dan tabur dengan cincangan kasar kacang gajus
4. Bakar selama 40-50 minit atau hingga kek masak. Sejukkan atas jaringan sepenuhnya sebelum dipotong. Sedia untuk dihidangkan.....  

I have also made banana cupcakes using the same recipe above except that I changed the cashew nuts with chocolate chips...yum!

STRAWBERRY PICKING

One of the 'must-do' winter activities in Australia is strawberry picking. In Queensland, there are a few pick-your-own farms that allow visitors to self-pick the strawberries, including McMartin's Strawberry Farm,  Strawberry Fields - Sunshine Coast & Granite Belt and Rolin Farm.... For more information, you can visit here.....

 

 The closest farm to Brisbane is Rolin Farm. It is located at Rutters Rd, Elimbah, next to the Bruce Highway just north of Caboolture  near the Big Fish / Humble Pie exit. You can visit the farm's website here....

Strawberry picking tip 1: Be at the farm early in the morning!

Our advice is that you be there early in the morning as the earlier you arrive, the more strawberries are waiting for you to be picked! Visitors are only allowed to pick strawberries from the chosen part of the farm everyday. Basically, new section of the farm will be opened for self-picking everyday. Hence, it does not matter which day of the season you go (however prices differ throughout the season), but make sure you are there as early as the farm is open!

Strawberry picking tip 2: The redder the strawberry, the sweeter it is!

When picking the strawberries, choose the reddest ones as the redness tells us how ripe and sweet a strawberry is. So, by all means try to look for the reddest strawberries!

                       Strawberry picking rule: No strawberry eating at the farm!

To pick your own, visitors first have to call into the farm shop, where you will collect your punnets for picking and the shop assistant will direct you where to go.

Ha ha, of course, visitors are not allowed to eat any strawberry at the picking field because you will be charged based on the weight of the strawberries in the punnet. Once you are done, head to the shop and the sales assistant will weigh your strawberries. You will then have to pay for the fruits and enjoy the freshness!!!

The scenery from Brisbane to Rolin Farm is amazing.....

RED VELVET

RED VELVET...atau dalam bahasa Melayu, 'Baldu Merah'....

melihat warnanya sahaja sudah memikat hati... Ini adalah antara kek kegemaran saya.. memang sedap!!

Kek red velvet ni biasanya lebih sedap jika digandingkan bersama cream cheese frosting..

memang wallah!

Saya masih ingat pertama kali diperkenalkan dengan si baldu merah ni oleh rakan baik di UiTM, Nur Adura....dia ternampak kek ni di sebuah kedai kek, 'Whisk', di Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya... sejak itu si baldu merah makin popular di kalangan warga tempatan.... dari mana asal-usul kek ni? Herm saya kurang pasti....

Masa di UiTM, saya dan rakan-rakan rapat selalu membeli cupcake red velvet ni dari bakery di cafetaria menara SAAS untuk minum petang....dengan sedikit cream cheese topping di atasnya, memang yummy lah!

Pertama kali saya mencuba resepi si baldu merah ni semasa di Brisbane... untuk dibawa ke majlis santai pelajar-palajar Malaysia di sini pada 21 Disember 2013...majlis Sembang Mesra yang dianjurkan oleh Persatuan Pelajar Malaysia Queensland (PPMQ)... saya buat saiz sederhana...satu lapis cream cheese filling dan disaluti cream cheese rosette...Alhamdulillah...ramai yang sukakan rasanya....walaupun baru pertama kali mencuba...

Seorang sahabat, Siti Nor Amalina minta dibuat sabiji kek red velvet lagi untuk family sebab tak puas makan masa di Guyatt Park. Saya pun buatkanlah sempena memenuhi permintaan beliau....Alhamdulillah, saya kongsikan testimoni dari beliau di sini...

"Alhamdulillah..red velvet bersalut cheese mmg marvelous..nyum2..kek pun moist..frosting cheese tak terlalu manis..sedap2..thumbs up.. next time blela nk order kek lain plak nuu.."

Di sini, saya kongsikan resepi kek red velvet ni yang berasal dari Rima yang saya ambil dari blog kak Azlita....tapi saya ada derhaka sedikit dari resepi asal dengan menambahkan air nescafe untuk mendapatkan kek yang lembap....Ada juga resepi yang menggunakan minyak jagung untuk menggantikan butter....

RED VELVET CAKE

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup sifted flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp red colouring

1/4 cup soft unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 nescafe

1/4 water

Cream cheese frosting

125g cream cheese

50g unsalted butter

80g powdered sugar

1 cup fresh cream, whipped until stiff - i used thickened cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

2. In one container, sieve flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

3. In a small container, combine cocoa powder, red coloring, Nescafe, water and stir well until form a paste.

3. Using a stand mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beat until blended. Add the vanilla extract and cocoa powder mixture, beat until well blended.

4. Add in sifted flour and buttermilk alternately. Beginning and ending with flour. (F-M-F-M-F)

5. Add vinegar to our batter. Stir well with a spatula. Pour into a 7" baking pan and bake it for 50mins or until cooked.

6. Let cool on wire rack.

7. Once cool, slice cake into two and spread cream cheese filling. Top it with the rest of your cream cheese and chill for a few hours.

Finally, use cream cheese frosting to decorate your cake.

Cream Cheese frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese with butter until soft.

2. Turn mixer to low speed, add powdered sugar a little at a time. Whisk until well blended.

3. Add whipped cream, stir through with a spatula (you can opt not to use any cream if you do not wish to)

Kek ni memang sebiji rasanya macam cupcake yang saya selalu beli di cafe UiTM tu...

Saya suka! Saya suka!

Jadi, bagi kawan-kawan yang suka makan kek red velvet ni, tak payah susah-susah pergi beli dah lepas ni...boleh buat sendiri je la yer... Selamat mencuba!

PAVLOVA

Yummylicious!!

On 22 Nov 2013, I made this pavlova for my family from Malaysia, especially for my brother-in-law, Azam Hakimi Tahir, who celebrated his 16th birthday on 24 Nov 2013....
 

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside. The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer either during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The nationality of its creator has been a source of argument between the two nations for many years,
but formal research indicates New Zealand as the source. The dessert is a popular dish and an important part of the national cuisine of both countries, and with its simple recipe, is frequently served during celebratory and holiday meals. It is a dessert most identified with the summer time, but is eaten all year round in many Australian and New Zealand homes.

Pavlova is best served with fresh berries and kiwi

Pavlova is made by beating egg whites to a very stiff consistency before folding in caster sugar, white vinegar, cornflour, and sometimes vanilla essence, and slow-baking the mixture, similarly to meringue.The major difference between the pavlova and a large meringue is the addition of cornflour, which results in the pavlova having a crisp and crunchy outer shell, and a soft, moist marshmallow-like centre, unlike meringue which is usually solid throughout. 

The consistency also makes the pavlova significantly more fragile than meringue. Because the Pavlova is notorious for deflating if exposed to cold air, when cooking is complete it is left in the oven to fully cool down before the oven door is opened. Pavlova is traditionally decorated with a topping of whipped cream and fresh soft fruit such as kiwifruit, passionfruit, and strawberries. Factory-made pavlovas can be purchased at supermarkets and decorated as desired. A commercial product is available that includes pre-mixed ingredients for baking the meringue shell, requiring only the addition of water and sugar. Leftover decorated pavlova can be refrigerated overnight, but the dessert will absorb moisture and lose its crispness. Undecorated pavlova can be left overnight in the oven, or for several days in an airtight container, to be decorated when ready.