My Birthday Cake

Raspberry Swirl Cake:

250 Butter softened

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

3 eggs

2 1/4 cups self raising flour

3/4 Milk

150 g frozen raspberries partly thawed

Butter Frosting

100 g butter softened

1 cup icing sugar

1 tbs milk

pink food coloring

Beat butter extract and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy beat in eggs one at a time stir in sifted flour and milk in two batches, divide mixture between two small bowls, lightly crush raspberries in another small bowl with a fork gently stir in crushed raspberries into one bowl of the cake mixture. Drop alternate spoonful of mixtures into pan. pull skewer back and forth through the cake mixture for  marbled effect.

Bake cake about 1 hour (180/160C Fan Forced) - in my oven it takes about 30 minutes.. let it cool for 5 minutes before turning. 

Spread the plain frosting on cake then dollop cake with spoonful of pink frosting. 

Frosting: Beat butter in small bowl with electric mixer until white beat in sifted icing sugar and milk, in two batches. Divide frosting between small bowls; tint one bowl of frosting with pink coloring.

Carrot Cake Made Easy!

I must admit even though I adore carrot cake I always thought the grating of carrots is extremely daunting. The first thing I wanted to try out when I got the Kitchen  Aid is making carrot cake, and it turned out to be enjoyable experience using this beautiful machine.

Carrot Cake Recipe 

150g light brown sugar

50g caster sugar

240 ml Vegetable oil

3 eggs

Finely grated zest of 1 orange

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

230 g self raising flour

2 large carrots grated

90g chopped walnuts

Icing

200g cream cheese

1 tsp lemon juice

90 g icing sugar

Preheat oven on 180C

Beat together sugars,oil, and eggs. Stir in the orange zest cinnamon and ginger. Sift the flower over the bowl, then fold in. Fold in the carrots and walnuts, Tip the mixture into cake tin, Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hour. 

Icing

Beat together the cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar, spread over cooled cake.

Note: baking time depends on the oven, in my oven it takes about 30 minutes.

Love Baking ♥ 

My Birthday Gift!

My lovely friends got me this beautiful machine, today I decided to use it for the first time making my usual very popular chocolate cake. I loved the machine it's awesome

Of course before using it I looked up "how to" video on you tube, since Randa went on and on about how heavy this machine and how it is very possible that I may hurt myself using it, I actually did hurt my finger a little bit so I decided to look into how to handle it. 

Anyhow it's easy to use, you just need to understand it's functions and you'll be ok! I loved how it makes the dough it's really something special. 

Thanks to Randa, Hala and my sister Dania.... :) xx

Love Baking ♥ 

Master Chefs Desert Indulgence!

I joined the Dubai meet up master chefs and the chance to learn 4 different deserts, we made baked cheese cake, Tiramisu, crème brûlée , creme caramel, fantastic mixtures turn into a complete indulgence experience.

Excited for the Baking session next time! 

Triple Chocolate Cookies!

I had a very long and exhausting day! I decided to end it in baking somehow it helps me to wash away the stress and noise of a working day :) ... These Triple Chocolate Cookies are truly amazing! a true chocolate experience, white,milk and dark chocolate together you can picture the rest! They are very easy to make too! 


Triple Chocolate Cookies:
125 g Butter Chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 & 1/4 cups firmly packet brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate Soda
1/3 Cup Coca Powder
1/2 Cup Coarsely chopped raisins
1/2 Cup Milk Chocolate Bite
1/2 Cup White Chocolate Melts, Halves
1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Melts, Halves


Preheat oven 180C Fan Forced & Grease oven trays (or Line with oven baking paper)
Beat Butter, extract, sugar and egg together till smooth (do not over mix)
Stir in "sifted" dry ingredients, then stir in raisins and all the chocolates.


Drop level tablespoon of mixture in to tray leave 5cm space between each. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. Stand on tray for 5 minutes then transfer to cooking rack.


Love Baking ♥ 

Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

These are the amazing Chocolate Cinnamon cookies two flavors that love each other! Crunchy and soft everything is perfect in these lovely cookies! I must admit the first batch I switch the yolks with white of the eggs and it turned out so different still yummy though, it was a silly mistake but I really liked experimenting with how different effect each element does to the dough fantastic science :)

Love Baking ♥

Chocolate & Blueberry ... Make Wonders!

This is another delicious experience, I didn't quite understand the chocolate syrup on top, it made the muffins a bit soggy, still taste good! I am not sure if I applied them in the wrong way! But it's ok I guess it still my first time doing muffins!

  

Chocolate Blueberry Muffins

Paper liners not only make for easier washing up, but keep the muffins fresher.

Makes 12

Ingredients

115 g / 4 oz/ 1/2 cup butter

30 g / 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted 
90 g /3 oz  unsweetened chocolate chopped

200 g /7 oz / 1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

259ml/80 fl oz/ 1 cup buttermilk

10 ml/ 2 tsp vanilla essence

285 g / 10 oz/ 2 cups plain flour

5 ml/ 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

170 g / 6 oz cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Preheat oven to 190C/375F/ Gas 5  1

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chocolate until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

Stir in the sugar, egg, buttermilk and vanilla essence. Gently fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda until just blended. (Do not overblend: the mixture may be lumpy with some unblended flour.) Fold in the berries.

Spoon batter into a greased or paper-lined 6 cm / 2 1/2in bun tray, filling to the top> Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with just few crumbs attached. Remove muffins in their paper liners to wire rack immediately (if left in the tin they will go soggy). Drizzle with the melted chocolate and serve warm or cool. 

♥ Love Baking 

Orange Delight!

I like it when things come out good! From start to finish this cake is an absolute delicious experience! The fine aroma of fruits while baking this cake is extremely tantalizing! The taste is teasing to the senses, sweet and sour, moist and fluffy... It's a complete "YummmY" experience.

Orange Syrup Cake Recipe:

1 Orange

170g Butter at Room Temperature

140g Caster Sugar

3 eggs

140g Self Raising Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

4 Tablespoon Ground Almond

Syrup:

Finely Grated Zest and Juice of 1 Orange

55g Caster Sugar

Preheat Oven for 190C, Grease round cake pan and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.

Finely grate the organs and set aside, Cut the peel and white pith from the orange, then roughly chop the flesh, removing all seeds Blend the flesh in the food processor, until smooth and set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar until pale and creaming, then beet in the eggs one at a time. Stir in orange Puree and grated zest, then sift the flower and baking social over the bowl and fold in. Then Fold in ground Almond. Pour mixture in the cake pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden and the inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Syrup: Put the Orange Juice and zest in a small pan with the sugar, warm gently stirring until sugar dissolves, Bring to vigorous boil then remove from the heat, Pour the syrup over the warm cake and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tip: I served the cake with the syrup aside and each poured some of the syrup on their piece.

 Love Baking ♥

5 Steps To Perfect Baking!

(Image by Sicha Pongjivanich)

I am a new baker and I've been trying to learn how to perfect my baking! I learned 5 new things from experience and reading which I believe will help me a lot.

1. Know your oven type:
1. Convection ovens speed the cooking process, need less baking time cause they have a fan inside that distributes more heated air.
2. Conventional ovens traditional ovens with no fan.
   
   
2. Creating the Mixture: Creaming methods “in this methods butter is mixed with sugar to form a mixture, then eggs are added one at a time, then you add the dry ingredients”. The flour must be added to the “sugar/butter/eggs” mixture first then liquid, it’s important to stir in flour as little as possible while combining ingredients. By doing that you will prevent gluten developed which will give you a softer cake.
   
3. Do not rush creaming process; you need to ensure natural air pockets are produced during the mixing process. The air pockets cause the cake to naturally rise. So when mixing the dry ingredients does it slowly in batches.
   
4. Beating the eggs in early in the mixture allows even more air pockets to be produced.
   
5. Cake cracks caused by too much oven heat, the cake rises too quickly, perfecting the temperature is important. (Know your oven point number [1])

Love Baking ♥

Opssss! I burnt my heart!!!

Still trying to figure out what happened but I bakes it for 30 minutes and it got burnt! I am in the process of making another one will post picture once it's done! I can't understand why a recipe says bake for 1hour on 180C and it burns after sitting 30 minutes in the oven!!! I think every oven is different but 30 minutes difference is way too much!

I tried again, lowered the oven's temperature to 160C, it baked for 30 minutes till perfect, I loved this recipe the cake comes out soft, crunchy top and delicious flavor.

Love Baking ♥

Chocolate Chips Cookies!

I baked today 44 chocolate chip cookies, they are so delicious I just adore making biscuits...

Love Baking ♥

Awesome Chocolate Cake

I over baked this one, but it turned out good! for next time I will only put it on oven for 30 minutes although the book says and hour!! Oven is the tricky thing in baking, I still have lots to figure out!

What made this cake is the icing! it's also tricky the making and applying of it! Anyhow all turned out perfect chocolate evening :)...

Love Baking ♥

My Famous Chocolate Crisps!

My Famous chocolate crisps!! a yummy crunching chocolaty experience!

Love Baking ♥

Family Chocolate Cake!

A Successful experiences indeed! The Family Chocolate Cake was extremely successful, I hosted a tea afternoon for my closest friends, who objected over adding topping cream on the cake, so I suggesed we put the cream aside for those who can afford to eat, everyone ended eating.

This cake was very special it was fluffy moist and heavenly delicious!

As I am blogging I am baking another chocolate experience, "The Chocolate Peppermint Cake" will post pics soon.

Love Baking ♥

My Baking Mistake #1!!

I started off my baking marathon 2 weeks ago, I baked nice things and whoever tasted my cakes loved them. I must admit I bake good but that doesn't mean I didn't do mistake, the mistake I did in this recipe is I added the chocolate layer and candy on the dough before baking where I should have done it the other way round! I promise myself I will not do this mistake again! Baking is a really sensitive task you must be extremely alert when you are baking!!

Love Baking ♥