Black Cherry Jam Cupcakes

Basil Garlic Bread

Zebra Cheesecake

Ham & Cheese Rolls

Marbled Milk Cupcakes

I'm looking forward to dinner with friends tomorrow evening.

And why? Cos I just found a good excuse reason to bake :)  And, of course, because I'll have lovely company to share dinner with tomorrow.

Here's how the Marbled Milk Cupcakes were made:

140g cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

120g sugar (up to 150g if you like it sweet)

50g butter

120ml milk

Optional for marbling:
2 tbs chocolate chips
2 tbs of milk

Step 1:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt two times.
Set aside.

Step 2:
Whisk eggs and cream of tartar till light and fluffy.







Step 3:
Gradually add vanilla extract and sugar and continue beating till batter is glossy.

Step 4:
Combine butter and milk, and heat till just before it boils.







Step 5:
With a balloon whisk, gently fold in flour, alternating with milk mixture.

Step 6:
For marbled cupcakes, melt choc chips with milk and blend well. Scoop out half the batter and combine with choc mixture.







Step 7:
Fill paper cups, alternating spoonfuls of each batter. Then run the end of a chopstick through the batter to create swirls.

Step 8:
Bake at 170 degC for 18-20 min or until done.



This recipe can be used as a sponge cake recipe too. Just bake for about 5 or more minutes till done.

Peach Yoghurt Cake

What a wonderful way to start the week!
With sweet peaches and tangy yoghurt, all Monday blues are forgotten with a bite of this butter cake.

115g butter, room temperature

100g sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

5 tbs oatmeal or ground almonds

150g plain flour + 1.5 tsp baking powder

150g yoghurt (plain or fruit)
sliced peaches (optional)

1 - Cream butter, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract till light and fluffy.

2 - Add eggs one at a time and blend well.

3 - Add remaining ingredients, alternating between wet and dry. Mix till well combined.

4 - Grease and line a baking tin (I used a 8.5x4" loaf pan). Pour in half the batter and spread evenly.

5 - Arrange peach slices on the batter, then top with remaining batter.

6 - Bake at 170 degC for about 40 min or till done. (Cake will start to shrink away from sides of pan.) If your cake starts to brown before it's done, tent with foil.

7 - Remove and cool in pan for 5-10 min before unmoulding.

 

Schiacciata Con L'Uva

Sounds sophiscated ... It is in fact a focaccia with grapes, where the fillings are traditionally made from raisins, or the last season's grapes while the new season's grapes are used to adorn the top. Tasty and flavourful, and it is a great conversational piece for home parties or gatherings.

Making this bread needs advance planning and an awful lot of time. The recipe uses a starter, which takes a portion of the yeast and flour to ferment between a few hours up to a few days. Using a starter usually results in a bread with an open, airy texture and is richer in flavour. I did an experiment once to test the effect of a starter and there is a huge difference in the flavour!


Ingredients:
For the starter
0.5 tsp dried yeast (I used instant yeast)
150ml water
125g strong white flour

For the dough
1.5 tsp dried yeast
200ml water
375g strong white flour
1.5 tsp salt
3 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp olive oil

For the filling and topping
200g raisins
A glass of Vin Santo (or another sweet dessert wine)
500g seedless black grapes
3 tbsp demerara sugar (natural brown sugar)


To make the starter: Sprinkle the yeast into water. Leave for 5 min. Add flour and mix to form a thick batter. Cover with tea towel and let it ferment for at least 12 hours and up to 36 hours, until it forms a loose bubbling batter.

To make the dough: Sprinkle the yeast into 100ml of water. Leave for 5 min. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Pour in the yeasted water, caster sugar, olive oil and the starter. Stir in remaining water to form a soft sticky dough. Knead by hand or a heavy duty mixer until smooth, silky and elastic. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise until double in size, about 2 hours. Knock back and chafe for 5 minutes, then leave to rest, about 10 minutes. Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces. Roll out both pieces.

To make the filling and finally the completed bread: Marinate the raisins in the wine for at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain them thoroughly. Spread the raisins evenly over one piece of dough. Put the second piece on top and pinch the edges together. Cover with a tea towel and prove until double in size. Cover the top dough evenly with the grapes, lightly pressing them into the dough, and sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake in pre heat oven for 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the grapes slightly brown.

(Recipe from Bread, baking by hand or bread machine, by Eric Treuille & Ursula Ferrigno.)