mother and child meal

Ever since my elder child went on to secondary school, with longer school days, he hardly comes home for lunch. Gone were the days when the three of us would chit chat over the lunch table. With extra lessons and activities in the afternoons, I only get to have lunch with his younger brother twice or if I am lucky, three times on a normal school week. I know I shouldn't complaint, but I find it difficult to cook for just the two of us. I am ever so tempted to rely on take-outs instead of turning on the stove. But, the feeling of guilt will always come haunting me if I fail to put home cooked meals on the table.

So, I resort to fuss-free, whenever possible, fume-free, quick and easy to pull together, under 30mins meals...just like this parent and child donburi.

I was introduced to the Japanese cuisine way back in the early 90s. The first time I read/saw the kanji '親子丼' or oyakodon on the menu, I formed the impression that it is so named because it is a 'mother (母親) and child (孩子) meal'...a loving okasan cooks this special dish for her child; mother and child then sit down to enjoy the dish together. Indeed it was a very heart-warming scene I had conjured, a parent-child bonding thingy because I had subconsciously interpreted it based on the Chinese context of the characters '親子'. It was only many years later that I read that the parent and child here refers to the two main ingredients, chicken and egg! I felt really sheepish when I realised my mistake. Can you almost imagine how that scene in my mind was shattered? very anti-climate isn't it? lol! I should have known better since I learned long ago that many kanji words have totally different meaning from the Chinese characters.

When I first attempted to replicate this chicken-and-egg donburi at home, I used pre-mixed pack. Ok, I know, it is very embarrassing, but what to do for someone who was, and still is, a culinary idiot. Glad to say, I have since progressed from pre-mix, to cooking it, almost, from scratch. But it still lacks the real authentic flavour as I don't make my own dashi. I can easily cheat by using instant dashi powder but I don't want to, as the ones I saw available on the local supermarket shelves come with added msg. To avoid the hassle of making dashi, I used water...and, a dash of fish sauce! Believe it or not, it comes quite close to the real thing, at least my untrained, unsophisticated taste buds makes me think so. For the time being, this is the way I prepare this dish, but I am sure in time to come, I will make dashi from scratch.

P/S: I use this brand "Megachef' fish sauce(it doesn't contain msg), my friend VB has kindly sent it to me all the way from Hong Kong :)


Easy Oyakodo
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 large chicken thigh, deboned, remove skin, cut into bite site
1 medium size yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 eggs, very lightly beaten
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sake (I replaced with ryori sake, Japanese cooking rice wine)
1/2 cup dashi (I replaced with water and a dash of Thai fish sauce)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used Japanese soy sauce, Yamasa brand)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
some spring onions, cut into 1" length
2 bowls of cooked rice

Method:
In a small frying pan, heat mirin and sake and bring to a boil. Add dashi, soya sauce and sugar, bring to a boil. Add onions, cook till soften, about 2 mins. Add chicken meat, leave to simmer for about 2 to 3 mins or until the chicken is cooked. Toss in the spring onions. Drizzle in the eggs, do not stir. Turn off the heat once the eggs is almost set. Place rice in a large serving bowl. Pour chicken and egg mixture over the rice. Serve with nori (optional).

Recipe source: adapted from 30种爆红人气外食

back to work

It took me a while to get back to making bread. I thought I would be churning out loaf after loaf of bread when I bought my new bread machine, instead I have been making simple stir and bake cakes more regularly that ever. Even though making a batch of bread buns is not as difficult as it seems, it does take up a fair bit of time...at least 3 hrs from gathering the ingredients to retrieving a tray of freshly baked buns from the oven. It needs proper time management and planning ahead, so that I won't end up in a situation that I need to get out of the house to run errands or to go fetch my child from school while the dough is ready for shaping into rounds.

I finally got down to make some bread buns last week, and that was when 'suddenly' the reality hit me that I may have to spend less time on baking in the future...

I have been keeping my digital to-do list on my phone diligently, whenever I am at a lost or couldn''t make up my mind what to bake it will come in very handy. First on my list is none other than Coffee Buns or better known as Roti Boy or Mexican Bread Buns. While the usual roti boy bread buns come with a buttery filling, I decided to skip it since I have yet to find a recipe that uses much lesser fat. We could do without the filling extra fat as I was very confident that the tangzhong bread buns would taste great even when eaten plain.

I love how these coffee buns or coffee cookies buns (as they were covered with a layer of cookie dough) turned out. These buns were delicious even without the filling. They were not as greasy as the ones I bought from the bakery, but it would be better if the coffee flavour was stronger. They smell really good though especially when they were baking in the oven.

As usual, the tangzhong dough didn't disappoint me, the texture of the bread was very soft. After taking the first bite...for the first time...I felt proud of myself that I have come 'so far'. I can still remember the very first batch of bread buns I made several years ago, they looked so horribly out of shape that I could feel my stomach cringe every time I was reminded of them whenever someone left me a comment on that particular post. Everything is self taught, from baking to taking pictures. Even though I have not moved beyond baking simple cakes and buns, at least my shaping skills have improved and I am able to take slightly better pictures compared to six years ago. Yes, my learning curve is definitely much longer than most who started their baking journey even much later than me. Yet, I truly enjoyed this slow learning process, taking my own sweet time to explore the world of baking and doing what I like.

I hardly buy cut-flowers but when I saw these lovely flowers looking so fresh at the florist stall, I couldn't help but to part away a couple of dollars for a stalk. That single stalk has enough flowers to fill up my tiny vase :) I have bread to feed my body and I have flowers to feed my soul, what more could I ask...


Back to the title of this post...

I will be going back to work. It is not a full time job and I get to work from home. No, the job I have been offered has got nothing to do with baking. It is a 'regular' freelance, home-based job and I'll get to earn some pocket money which I could spend on baking ingredients :) I will probably not be able to update my blog as regularly but I will still continue to bake, at least once a week, I hope...



Coffee Cookie Buns
(makes 10)

tang zhong (water-roux):
25g bread flour
125ml water

bread dough:
210g bread flour
56g cake flour
20g milk powder
42g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6g instant yeast

30g egg, lightly beaten
85g water
84g tang zhong (water-roux)*

22g unsalted butter

topping:
50g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
50g egg, lightly beaten
50g cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon warm water


Method:

to make topping:
* Dissolve instant coffee powder with the warm water, mix in vanilla extract. Set aside.
* Beat the butter with caster sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg one teaspoon at a time, beat well after each addition (add in egg gradually to prevent the mixture from curdling). Add in the coffee mixture gradually, beat well after each addition. Sieve over the cake flour. Mix with a spatula until just combined. Transfer topping into piping bag fixed with pipping nozzle (round tip). Let the topping chill in the fridge until needed. Remove from fridge about 5~10mins earlier before use to allow the topping to soften a little.

to make tang zhong:
* Place 25g bread flour in a saucepan. Add 125ml water, mix till smooth, making sure there are no lumps of flour. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring constantly with a hand whisk to prevent it from burning. Within 1 to 2 mins, the mixture will start to thicken, stop when you see traces in the mixture for every stir you make with the hand whisk. The 65degC tang zhong is ready. Immediately transfer the hot tang zhong into a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap, making sure the cling wrap sticks onto the surface of the mixture. This is to prevent a film from forming on the surface. Leave to cool completely before using it.

to knead dough by bread machine:
* Place water, egg, tang zhong (use 84g), sugar, salt, bread flour, cake flour, milk powder in the pan of the bread machine (according to the sequence as stated in the instruction manual of your bread machine). Make an indentation on the flour and add in the instant yeast. Select the Dough function of the bread machine and press start. Leave the lid of the machine open (this is to prevent over heating). After about 10mins of kneading, add in the 22g of butter. Let the machine continue to knead the dough. After the kneading cycle has stopped (20mins), Stop and Restart the machine. Continue to let the machine knead for another 20mins. Remove dough from the bread pan. (Note: refer this post for instructions on how to knead dough by hand.)

* Grease hands with some vegetable oil (this helps to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands). Remove dough from bread machine. Shape into a smooth round. Place dough in a lightly greased (use vegetable oil or butter) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap or a damp cloth and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk.

* Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions (about 55g each). Roll each dough into smooth rounds and place on a greased (or lined with parchment paper) baking tray. Space doughs two inches apart to allow them to expand. Cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave doughs to proof for the second time for about 30~40mins, or until double in size.

* Pipe topping onto each dough. Make sure to cover the entire surface with the topping.

* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins or until golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire track to let cool. Once cool, store immediately in an airtight container. Best served warm (re-heat in oven if necessary before serving).

Recipe source: 65度C汤种面包, 陈郁芬 and 我的幸福手作面包，李成实

Care for a slice of cake?

Care for a slice of cake? Anyone?

It has been a long while since I baked something with lavender. I bought some dried lavender, on impulse, of course, and it has since been sitting in the cupboard for weeks. I am so glad that I finally used it to bake something!

It is certainly a good start as this Lavender Pound Cake came out of the oven with a slight dome, a nice albeit not too deep crack in the centre, and a beautiful, even, brown crust. The lovely golden crumbs has more than compensate the higher calories count.

The distinct scent of the lavender filled my kitchen as the cake was baking in the oven. Yet, I didn't find it too overpowering. The texture was not too dense although it wasn't as moist as I would have expected it to be. I could have over baked it since I had left it in the oven for extra few minutes just to make sure the cake was fully cooked. I like the nice buttery fragrance though, with just a hint of lavender lingering at the background. I am thankful that my family was quite receptive to the not too familiar taste of a scented cake. I will certainly try out other ways to use the reminding lavender, and hopefully I am able to come back with good results.



Lavender Pound Cake

Ingredients:
(makes one 17cmx7cmx6cm loaf cake)

90g cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30g ground almond
100g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon dried lavender
some apricot jam (I omitted this)

Method:

1. Spread ground almond on a baking tray. Toast in oven at 100 degC for about 10mins. Give it a stir in between to ensure even toasting. Leave to cool completely.
2. Line 17cm x 7cm x 6cm loaf pan with parchment paper (base and all sides). Set aside.
3. Sieve cake flour, baking powder together, set aside.
4. Beat butter and sugar with electric whisk until mixture turns light and fluffy.
5. Add 1 egg yolk, beat well. Add 1 egg white in 3 separate additions (or dribble in gradually), beat well after each addition. Repeat the same with the second egg yolk followed by the egg white also in 3 separate additions, beat well after each addition (Note: this method of adding in the eggs helps prevent the batter from curdling.)
6. Add the ground almond, fold with a spatula until just combined.
7. Sieve over the flour mixture in 3 separate additions, each time fold with spatula until just combined.
8. Add dried lavender, fold to combine.
9. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven at 170 degC for 10mins. Remove from oven. With a knife, make a slit lengthwise along the centre of the cake (this is to ensure the cake produce a nice crack upon baking). Continue to bake for another 30~35mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Unmould, transfer to wire rack, leave to cool. Brush top with apricot jam if using.

Recipe source: adapted from Delicious!! Baked Cakes

cake for a special occasion

I don't usually make layered cakes unless there is a special occasion.

I baked this simple chocolate layered cake for my child's birthday, and also to mark the 14th year since I became a mom ;) How time flies, our bundle of joy has now grown into a healthy teenager!

As what I have planned, we bought him a camera as birthday present. He was uneasy when I asked him which model he would prefer, he felt that he didn't deserve it at all. It is an expensive gift but I know he will make good use of it. Since he didn't want any birthday presents for the past few years, plus I do not reward him with gifts even for doing well in his studies, I thought this camera is a good way to make up for everything. To make him feel more comfortable,  I told him not to expect any birthday presents for the next ten years, this 'assurance' instantly puts him at ease ;)

Back to the layered cake. I got out of my comfort zone this time. Instead of using the whole eggs method to make a genoise sponge cake, I followed a chocolate chiffon cake recipe. This recipe came in handy as it calls for baking powder and baking soda, which was good for me as I needed that little extra help to make sure the cake would rise since I wanted to bake it in a normal cake tin instead of a chiffon tube pan. The cake did rise and formed a slight dome with a small crack on it. It didn't bother me much since I could removed the dome easily. After slicing the cake into three layers, I couldn't help but to take a picture of it. The cake looked lovely without any frosting, I know I am quite capable of messing up things when it comes to frosting and decorating a cake, it is not difficult to imagine how ugly it will end up.

The chocolate ganache was surprisingly easy to work with, much easier to smooth it evenly over the cake than whipping cream. Even without using a cake turntable the chocolate layer appeared to be quite smooth. Not too bad for a self taught baker.

As usual I was at a loss when it comes to decorating a cake. I lack creativity and imagination. Fortunately, my younger son was at home that afternoon. With his help, we managed to put something together...although it turned out to be a little too kiddish for a teenager, lol.  But, we know the birthday boy wouldn't mind...unlike his mom, he doesn't eat with his eyes.

We had a mini celebration that evening. The lovely reflections of the candle flames on the chocolate layer made this homemade cake looked so much more sophisticated. Actually, I totally forgot about getting a box of matchsticks to light the candles. Since the candles were very small, I didn't want to risk burning my fingers to light them directly over my gas stove. I have no matchsticks at home but I do have a packet of spaghetti. Yes, I used a piece of spaghetti as a lighter. It worked really well and I only used one piece to get the job done. If I were to use matchsticks, I would probably used up a whole box to light so many candles. Besides using it as a matchstick, do you know that spaghetti can also be used as cake tester? The only down side is, if you are not careful, it may break and you may end up with a broken piece of spaghetti inside your cake!

The texture of this cake was slightly heavier than a normal chiffon cake, it tasted just like the usual sponge cake to me. Nevertheless, I was quite satisfied with the result as it could get very tricky when making chiffon or sponge cake with cocoa powder. The chocolate ganache was really good, I used only a very small amount, yet, its presence was felt. Overall it was a delicious cake that everyone enjoyed.


Chocolate Layered Cake

Ingredients:
(make one 7" round cake)

for sponge layer:
3 egg yolks (use large eggs)
25g caster sugar
50ml vegetable oil
70ml water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
85g cake flour
25g cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon baking soda

4 egg whites (use large eggs)
55g caster sugar

for chocolate ganache:
170g pouring cream (I used one can Nestle pouring cream)
170g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Method:

   to make sponge cake:

• Line base of a 7" round pan with parchment paper. Do not line or grease the sides.
• Sieve together cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
• Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. With a ballon whisk, whisk the yolks a little. Add in sugar and whisk till the mixture turns pale and thickens.
• Add in vegetable oil gradually, whisking at the same time till the mixture combines.
• Add in water gradually, whisking at the same time till the mixture combines. Add in vanilla extract, whisk to combine. Sieve over the flour mixture and whisk till the flour is fully incorporated. Do not over mix. Set aside.
• In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar amount and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)
• Add the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter. 
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 170 degC for 40~45 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, when lightly pressed the cake will spring back. Invert the pan immediately and let cool completely before unmould. To release the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife or a off-set spatula around the inside of the pan.

   to make chocolate ganache:

• Place cream and chopped chocolates in a bowl. Set it over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl is big enough to sit over the saucepan).
• Stir the mixture gently with a spoon till the chocolate melts and mixture becomes smooth.
• Remove from the bowl from the saucepan. Use immediately.

   to assemble:

• Slice the cake horizontally into three layers. Place a layer of sponge cake on a cake board. Spoon about 4 heaped spoons of the chocolate ganache onto the surface. Spread evenly with a spatula. Repeat with the second layer of sponge cake. Place the third layer and spoon the remaining ganache over the top and spread it over to the sides. Smooth the surface evenly with the spatula. Decorate as desired. Keep chilled in fridge.

Recipe source: adapted from 初事身手做甜点, 信太康代

nothing special

There is nothing special about this simple banana walnut cinnamon cake. This cake is as ordinary as your everyday white loaf bread. I can't find anything that I could shout out loud. There is absolutely no wow factor, be it the texture, the flavour...and it certainly doesn't look like a pretty cake. In fact, the method of preparing this cake is not very different from baking a batch of muffins. It is just like putting 12 muffins together to form a cake.

Yet, I couldn't help but to blog about it, and that is despite the colour of my photos came out weird, thanks to the poor lighting condition.

and here are my reasons for writing up this post:

This is the kind of cake that I will make anytime, as long as I have a bunch of over ripe bananas and leftover walnuts, or any nuts or dried fruits I could find in my fridge. Making the cake is a breeze, you do not have to invest much of your precious time just to put a cake into the oven. It is one of those cakes that you could bake on a whim...jumping from the couch to the kitchen ;) There is not much washing up either. Best of all, it is quite a fool-proof recipe...I doubt anything could go wrong, unless this is the very very first time you have ever baked a batch of muffins. Even then, by following the steps closely, I am sure any novice will be able to make a stir-and-bake cake like this one.

Despite its simplicity, the texture of the cake is really good....soft, moist and fluffy. Definitely a healthier choice than any store bought banana walnut cake as it doesn't leave a greasy after taste, or stick to the roof of your mouth...yet it doesn't taste dry at all. I wouldn't recommend omitting the cinnamon powder as it does lend a aromatic flavour to this ordinary, everyday tea cake.

On a side note, I can't remember where I read it, but I have learned something new about preparing a cake pan for baking. I have always line the base of the cake pan with parchment paper, but for the sides, sometimes I will line it with parchment paper, and sometimes (especially if the recipe specifically states so) I will grease, with butter, and flour the sides. It never occurs to me whether it makes any difference...since both methods help to prevent the cake from sticking to the pan. The only difference for me is, I always get very frustrated trying to line the sides or a round pan with parchment paper. I have this thing about making sure the paper sticks perfectly to the sides so that my cake will come out of the pan with a perfect 90 degree straight edges! Anyway, it may not be new to you, and it may even sound trivial, I learned that by greasing and flouring the sides, the finished cake will give a nice golden crust. Call me a perfectionist if you must, but I was really happy to notice the evenly browned crust all over the sides of this cake. In case you are wondering, no, the crust is not thick and hard at all, just a nice thin layer, which doesn't add much value to the cake, but does brighten up an ordinary home baker's day....

Thank you for reading :)



Banana Walnut Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients
(makes one 7" cake)

150g cake flour
2g ground cinnamon
4g baking powder
2g baking soda
1g salt (I used sea salt)
2 large eggs
80g caster sugar (I cut down to 70g)
70ml vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
250g, about 3 medium sized over ripe banana, mashed (original recipe uses 120g)
70g walnuts, coarsely chopped (reserve 1 tablespoon as toppings)


Method:

• Toast chopped walnuts at 150degC for about 8 to 10mins, stir in between and make sure walnuts do not get burnt.
• Line base of a 7" round pan with removable base with parchment paper, grease (with butter) and flour the sides. Set aside.
• Sieve together cake flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
• Place eggs, caster sugar, oil and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. With a manual whisk, whisk to combine.
• Add mashed banana, whisk to combine.
• Sieve over the flour mixture, with a spatula, fold the mixture until just incorporated. Do not over mix. The batter should appear lumpy.
• Add in chopped walnuts (set aside 1 tablespoon to use as toppings), stir just to combine.
• Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap the pan a few times on work surface to release any trapped air bubbles. Sprinkle the top with the remaining walnuts.
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 175degC for 30-35mins or until a tooth pick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Remove from oven, leave to cool for 5mins. Unmould and transfer to wire rack, let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from 我的幸福手作面包，李成实

simplicity

A good recipe is hard to come by.

One that uses the most basic ingredients and doesn't requires lots of sugar and fat in order to yield moist tender crumbs is even harder to find.

I am lucky to come across this simple Chocolate Cake recipe from a bread making book.

Although it looks very much like a pound cake, it is actually a sponge cake. The batter is prepared by beating eggs and sugar, whereas a pound cake is made by creaming butter and sugar. The original recipe calls for dairy cream but I took the liberty to replace it with plain, natural yoghurt. I am quite certain that the result is not too far off from the original intention. Even though I could have deflated the batter a little, the cake rose nicely and even form a pretty crack on its own, that is, without having to 'slit' the batter, a step which is quite essential if you are baking a pound cake.

The texture of the cake is slightly on the dense side, but still taste moist and tender...a cross between a sponge cake and a pound cake. What I like most is the simple chocolaty taste.  This recipe is a keeper.



Chocolate Sponge Cake

Ingredients
(makes one small 18cmx9cmx7cm loaf cake )

80g cake flour
20g cocoa powder (I used Valrhona cocoa powder)
3g baking powder
1g baking soda
1g salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
90g caster sugar (I used golden caster sugar)
50ml vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
50g natural plain yoghurt, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

• Line a 18cmx9cmx7cm loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside
• Sift cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, at least 3 times. Set aside.
• Whisk eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until the batter triple in volume, thickens and leaves a ribbon-like trail when the paddle is lifted up. Takes about 5 mins. Turn to low speed, whisk for another 1 min (this is to stablise the air bubbles in the batter).
• Sift over the flour mixture into the batter in 3 separate additions. With each addition, use a spatula, gently Fold in the flour until well blended. Take care not to deflate the batter.
  
• Remove some batter into another mixing bowl. Add in oil, yoghurt and vanilla extra. Mix with spatula until well blended. Add this mixture to the egg and sugar batter. Fold gently with spatula until well blended.
• Pour finished batter to the prepared loaf pan. Tap the pan on work surface a few times to release any trapped air bubbles in the batter. Bake in preheated oven at 170degC for 25~30mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out fairly clean (do not over bake). Unmold and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from 我的幸福手作面包，李成实

I don't get tired of muffins...

and I do find inspiration in them...

Whenever I miss the simple act of mixing flour, eggs, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, the image of a tray of freshly baked muffins would jump out from behind the back of my mind. There is always a muffin recipe waiting for me to explore; and I have never seems to be short of any of the basic ingredients that is called for...be it flour, eggs, milk, sugar and vegetable oil. There is always a bag of left over chocolate chips, some left over dried fruits, walnuts, hidden somewhere in my fridge (^_^").

Oh yes, not forgetting the fact that I have one drawer full of paper muffin cups!

It took me just slightly over half an hour from reading the recipe to popping these muffins into the oven. I have adapted a cinnamon and nuts muffins recipe to turn it into a batch of Cinnamon, Walnuts and Chocolate Chips Muffins.  Before I was done washing up the mixing bowls, I could already smell cinnamon :)

Warm, freshly baked, homemade muffins are not only a nice treat for breakfast but also great for a casual tea time at home. These muffins are full flavour, certainly not a surprise as they are studded with all the walnuts, chocolate chips and cinnamon. The texture is a teeny weeny on the dry side...maybe they are made with milk only...I guess I am so used to the very moist muffins made with yoghurt.

I am so inspired by these lovely muffins that I think I have done a decent job in the composition of the above images. Of course, I must thank my cyberfriend VB for sending me the pretty muffin liners, gorgeous kitchen towels and the matching mug! I could almost imagine myself sitting inside a lovely little cafe at a little town in Provence, drinking tea and savouring muffins... ahem...delicate French desserts ;)

Cinnamon Walnuts and Chocolate Chips Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 9 regular size muffins)

140ml milk
80ml canola or corn oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
100g granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract, until just combined.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and stir to combine.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). 
4. Reserve 1 tablespoon each of the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Gently stir in the rest of the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips into the batter. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full.
6. Sprinkle top with the reserved chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. 
7. Bake in preheated oven at 200degC for about 20 - 25mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from 我的幸福手作面包，李成实