The Baking Clubby

[worldangel 0]

So how did it turn out? Share share the verdict!

Haha turn out not bad...actually the taste just nice, not too rich and not too bland But I should have cooked 2 cups of rice instead of 1 1/2 cos not really enough for 2 people haha...

The only thing that I am trying to solve is there were this layer of whitish 'flake' on top of the rice after it was cooked...maybe cos I didn't sieve the coconut milk before I poured it in....shall try sieving next time and see how it goes...

I cooked fried anchovies, fried egg and steamed vegetables together with the rice...then bought some instant anchovies sambal to go together with the meal...turned out quite well

[BunBun 5]

I'm going to bake cheesecake & some brownie cupcakes for an xmas party for my department but yet to see any christmas decorated cheesecake(the baked version) so any suggestion on how to decorate a cheesecake? The brownie cupcakes part is the easiest.

[worldangel 0]

Hmm tried to make fruitcake just now (those with raisins, dried fruits inside) and faced some problems...the cake seems to be not "grainy" enough...it's too compact. Followed the recipe I got over here...any idea how to solve this problem?

fruitcake

[BunBun 5]

Any picture of your cake? Can't see what is the problem also based on your description too.

Just curious, how did you fold in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits? If its not grainy enough, it should be the problem how you fold the method? Fruit cake is the heavy and moist type so it will be a little dry and appear a bit crumbly cos of the dryness.

Hmm tried to make fruitcake just now (those with raisins, dried fruits inside) and faced some problems...the cake seems to be not "grainy" enough...it's too compact. Followed the recipe I got over here...any idea how to solve this problem?

fruitcake

Edited December 13, 2009 by BunBun

[worldangel 0]

Any picture of your cake? Can't see what is the problem also based on your description too.

Just curious, how did you fold in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits? If its not grainy enough, it should be the problem how you fold the method? Fruit cake is the heavy and moist type so it will be a little dry and appear a bit crumbly cos of the dryness.

OKie I see if I can take any pic and post up here...but have to wait a bit cos I can't find the wire to upload the picture to my comp >.< For now maybe just imagine that the texture of the cake is a bit like the "fa gao", those steamed brown cakes usually used for praying...

Pic of fa gao

Basically it just feels too dense and dry at the same time...

There were a few things which we did differently...we omitted the nuts and just put in dried fruits such as raisins and chopped cherries...then my sis in law mixed the dried fruits (which have already been soaked in brandy for ard a week) with some of the flour, baking soda and salt mixture in a separate bowl instead of putting them in straight with the mixture of butter, sugar and eggs. So I mixed the butter, sugar and eggs first then pour in the flour, baking powder and salt mixture...only after that have been mixed she put in the dried fruits mixed with flour...

And does it matter if we use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour? We also never use an electric mixer, just use the hand mixer to fold all the ingredients in...I want to use spatula to fold in the ingredients (that's what I always do with muffins I never baked cakes before) but she said it's easier if we use the hand mixer so ...

[BunBun 5]

Okay, first the texture of the cake should be something like Sara Lee pound cake, the ones you see in supermarket, except that fruit cake is slightly a bit more dry than Sara Lee pound cake since it is a moist cake plus it last longer than any cake in the fridge due to the preservation agent, I think is brandy itself.

Secondly, cake flour has the least amount of gluten of all wheat flours, making it best for light, delicate products such as sponge cakes, genoise, and some cookie batters. So this type of flour shouldn't be used for heavy/rich cakes.. you can try either self-raising flour or all purpose flour.

thirdly, your method of folding using spatula is the correct one because the method is used to help incorporate more air into the mixture and for gently mixing ingredients as well.

So if you choose to omit some steps in making fruit cake, the omitted nuts and the use of dried fruits are fine, its just that the steps you choose to follow in your way is one reason.

For eg; "Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the brandy, juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon." -> the flavour is enhanced first with the brandy, juice and zest of orange, lemon. so it is more obvious. The flour with salt mixture is folded in later, its not supposed to be blended in with a mixer, just lightly mix it in.

OKie I see if I can take any pic and post up here...but have to wait a bit cos I can't find the wire to upload the picture to my comp >.< For now maybe just imagine that the texture of the cake is a bit like the "fa gao", those steamed brown cakes usually used for praying...

Pic of fa gao

Basically it just feels too dense and dry at the same time...

There were a few things which we did differently...we omitted the nuts and just put in dried fruits such as raisins and chopped cherries...then my sis in law mixed the dried fruits (which have already been soaked in brandy for ard a week) with some of the flour, baking soda and salt mixture in a separate bowl instead of putting them in straight with the mixture of butter, sugar and eggs. So I mixed the butter, sugar and eggs first then pour in the flour, baking powder and salt mixture...only after that have been mixed she put in the dried fruits mixed with flour...

And does it matter if we use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour? We also never use an electric mixer, just use the hand mixer to fold all the ingredients in...I want to use spatula to fold in the ingredients (that's what I always do with muffins I never baked cakes before) but she said it's easier if we use the hand mixer so ...

[Angel81 1]

Haha turn out not bad...actually the taste just nice, not too rich and not too bland But I should have cooked 2 cups of rice instead of 1 1/2 cos not really enough for 2 people haha...

The only thing that I am trying to solve is there were this layer of whitish 'flake' on top of the rice after it was cooked...maybe cos I didn't sieve the coconut milk before I poured it in....shall try sieving next time and see how it goes...

I cooked fried anchovies, fried egg and steamed vegetables together with the rice...then bought some instant anchovies sambal to go together with the meal...turned out quite well

Hehe, sounds great. Think I'll try it some time too. Thanks for the feedback!

[worldangel 0]

Okay, first the texture of the cake should be something like Sara Lee pound cake, the ones you see in supermarket, except that fruit cake is slightly a bit more dry than Sara Lee pound cake since it is a moist cake plus it last longer than any cake in the fridge due to the preservation agent, I think is brandy itself.

Secondly, cake flour has the least amount of gluten of all wheat flours, making it best for light, delicate products such as sponge cakes, genoise, and some cookie batters. So this type of flour shouldn't be used for heavy/rich cakes.. you can try either self-raising flour or all purpose flour.

thirdly, your method of folding using spatula is the correct one because the method is used to help incorporate more air into the mixture and for gently mixing ingredients as well.

So if you choose to omit some steps in making fruit cake, the omitted nuts and the use of dried fruits are fine, its just that the steps you choose to follow in your way is one reason.

For eg; "Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the brandy, juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon." -> the flavour is enhanced first with the brandy, juice and zest of orange, lemon. so it is more obvious. The flour with salt mixture is folded in later, its not supposed to be blended in with a mixer, just lightly mix it in.

I think the reason why we switched to using the hand mixer is because there are a lot of lumps left over when we folded using the spatula. Are the lumps supposed to be there? We tried to get rid of the little lumps hence my sis in law suggested using the hand mixer so that it is faster and more efficient...

And yea, I did suspect the flour used was not the correct one...

[worldangel 0]

Hehe, sounds great. Think I'll try it some time too. Thanks for the feedback!

No prob, do share your outcome here too!

[BunBun 5]

There will be a few lumps when folding, but it is normal. If there's alot of lumps, did you add all the flour straightaway? If so, it should be added slowly in small amounts during the fold method.. This way, the mixture is not so lumpy this way.

I think the reason why we switched to using the hand mixer is because there are a lot of lumps left over when we folded using the spatula. Are the lumps supposed to be there? We tried to get rid of the little lumps hence my sis in law suggested using the hand mixer so that it is faster and more efficient...

And yea, I did suspect the flour used was not the correct one...

Edited December 14, 2009 by BunBun

[worldangel 0]

There will be a few lumps when folding, but it is normal. If there's alot of lumps, did you add all the flour straightaway? If so, it should be added slowly in small amounts during the fold method.. This way, the mixture is not so lumpy this way.

We added in the flour in small amounts...but when we folded them in we discovered there were a lot of small little lumps in the mixture...so it is okie to just leave them? as long as the flour cannot be seen anymore then we can stop the folding?

I am so blur...thanks in advance for ur help

[BunBun 5]

As long as the flour is incorporated into the mixture, it should be okay. Besides there will be bits of nuts and the dried fruits in the mixture looking like lumps too.

You try the results again this time, follow the correct steps and you can omit certain things like the nuts or reducing the amount/adding in your special ingredient. After that, you can think of what to omit next time when you've tasted the end results. I usually like to follow the recipe for the first time, then think of what is good to my preference to suit with the recipe and taste.

We added in the flour in small amounts...but when we folded them in we discovered there were a lot of small little lumps in the mixture...so it is okie to just leave them? as long as the flour cannot be seen anymore then we can stop the folding?

I am so blur...thanks in advance for ur help

[worldangel 0]

As long as the flour is incorporated into the mixture, it should be okay. Besides there will be bits of nuts and the dried fruits in the mixture looking like lumps too.

You try the results again this time, follow the correct steps and you can omit certain things like the nuts or reducing the amount/adding in your special ingredient. After that, you can think of what to omit next time when you've tasted the end results. I usually like to follow the recipe for the first time, then think of what is good to my preference to suit with the recipe and taste.

Hehe thanks...shall try it out again today...hopefully will turn out better...

[worldangel 0]

thanks to advice from BunBun, the fruitcake turns out quite well today

Additional thing I did which were not mentioned in the recipe:

I soaked the dried fruits and raisin in cold tea for 24 hours before using them for baking. It makes the raisins plump and juicy

I also glazed the top of the cake with Sunquick Tangerine Syrup after I took out the cake after 1 hour. Then I put in the cake again into the oven for ard 10 minutes to bake before taking it out to cool on the wire rack

Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (110 grams) dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons brandy plus extra for brushing the cake

Juice and zest (outer orange skin) of one orange

Zest (outer yellow skin) of one lemon

3/4 cup (65 grams) ground almonds

1 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds, chopped

1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) of an assortment of dried fruits (dried apricots, figs, prunes, etc.), candied and chopped mixed peel, and glace cherries (chopped into bite size pieces)

3/4 pound (340 grams) of an assortment of raisins, sultanas, currants, dried cranberries and/or cherries

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fruitcake: Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom of the pan with buttered parchment paper. Also line the sides of the pan with a strip of buttered parchment paper that extends about 2 inches above the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the brandy, juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon. Then fold in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and fold this into the cake batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and continue to bake the cake for another 1 hour 30 minutes or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. With a skewer poke holes in the top surface of the cake and brush with a little brandy. Wrap the cake thoroughly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place in a cake tin or plastic bag. Brush the cake periodically (once or twice a week) with brandy until Christmas. This cake will keep several weeks or it can be frozen.

Serves about 14 to 16 people.

[BunBun 5]

Looks good. How does it taste with the tangerine syrup?

thanks to advice from BunBun, the fruitcake turns out quite well today

Additional thing I did which were not mentioned in the recipe:

I soaked the dried fruits and raisin in cold tea for 24 hours before using them for baking. It makes the raisins plump and juicy

I also glazed the top of the cake with Sunquick Tangerine Syrup after I took out the cake after 1 hour. Then I put in the cake again into the oven for ard 10 minutes to bake before taking it out to cool on the wire rack

Here's the recipe for those who are interested:

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter

1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (110 grams) dark brown sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons brandy plus extra for brushing the cake

Juice and zest (outer orange skin) of one orange

Zest (outer yellow skin) of one lemon

3/4 cup (65 grams) ground almonds

1 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, or almonds, chopped

1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) of an assortment of dried fruits (dried apricots, figs, prunes, etc.), candied and chopped mixed peel, and glace cherries (chopped into bite size pieces)

3/4 pound (340 grams) of an assortment of raisins, sultanas, currants, dried cranberries and/or cherries

2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Fruitcake: Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom of the pan with buttered parchment paper. Also line the sides of the pan with a strip of buttered parchment paper that extends about 2 inches above the pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the brandy, juice and zest of the orange, and zest of the lemon. Then fold in the ground almonds, chopped nuts, and all the dried and candied fruits. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and fold this into the cake batter.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place the spring form pan on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) and continue to bake the cake for another 1 hour 30 minutes or until a long skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. With a skewer poke holes in the top surface of the cake and brush with a little brandy. Wrap the cake thoroughly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place in a cake tin or plastic bag. Brush the cake periodically (once or twice a week) with brandy until Christmas. This cake will keep several weeks or it can be frozen.

Serves about 14 to 16 people.