Let's have a little fun!

As the title suggests, let's have a little fun! :) I am going to give a surprise present to one lucky reader. ^-^

At this point in time, I will not reveal what the present is, but rest assured it will be related to baking / cooking. It is my little way of showing appreciation to you who have been so supportive all these while. :)

This giveaway is open to anyone from anywhere. To enter, leave your comment below in the following format:
- Your nickname and where are you from?
- Your blog / Your email
- Anything you want to say. :)

All entries are due by 30th September 2011, 10 pm (Singapore time). The lucky winner will be announced within a week.

Good luck and have fun! I look forward to your participation. :)

Update on 30 Sept 2011: Thanks for all your participation! This giveaway is now closed. :)

Shanghai Mooncakes

I put my mooncake making on hold for a while so that my family members will not be overwhelmed with eating too many mooncakes. I know that the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, so bear with me meanwhile. :)

With the remaining of the lotus paste, I finally get to try this long-overdue Shanghai Mooncakes recipe that I have been bookmarking since last year. These buttery and crumbly pastries are so addictive that I left no crumbs lying around. :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Thanks to Jane's Corner for sharing the recipe. :)

Shanghai Mooncakes
Adapted from: Jane's Corner

Ingredients (Makes 4)
20 g icing sugar
6 g egg, lightly beaten
40 g butter, cubed
60 g plain flour
10 g custard powder
Some black sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds / melon seeds, for sprinkling

Filling
130 g lotus paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 4 portions of 32.5 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Sift plain flour and custard powder together. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, sift icing sugar and add in egg and butter. Beat well till well-combined.
4. Add in the flour mixture slowly and knead into a soft dough. Divide into 4 portions of around 35 g.
5. Flatten a piece of dough into a round shape and wrap in a filling. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
6. Place the sealed ends facing downwards on a baking tray. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with some black sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds / melon seeds on top.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes
- I replaced custard powder with 10 g corn flour and few drops of vanilla essence.
- For egg wash, I used the remaining beaten egg and applied a second egg wash 10 minutes into baking.

In search of White Cake (白饼)

One of my favourite confectionery when I was young is this old-fashioned White Cake (白饼) that is coated with a lot of flour. How I miss these classic cakes...

Photo by Chinatownology

"White cake has a sponge cake like body and generously powdered with flour. It is almost always offered in a stack of 3 gently sitting on top of each other in a transparent plastic bag sealed with a strip of red tape. It taste sweet and powdery and very very soft with a pleasant fragrance." - Chinatownology

I have a favour to ask all of you, my talented baker friends: If you have come across any good recipe or know how to make these White Cake (白饼), please share with me. Hugs. :)

Earl Grey Pound Cake

Finally, the slim pound cake tin that I have won earlier at The Kitchen 70's giveaway is put to good use. I am madly in love with the tin, for it moulds the baked products to a pretty rectangular. Thank you for your lovely gift, J.O. :)

This soft Earl Grey pound cake is lightly perfumed with the Earl Grey tea scent. For all avid tea lovers, this cake will definitely not disappoint you! :)

Thanks to 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 for sharing the recipe. :)

Earl Grey Pound Cake
Adapted from: 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 and 磅蛋糕 & 烤点心 by Ecole

Ingredients (Makes a loaf)
100 g butter, softened at room temperature
70 g icing sugar
2 eggs
90 g cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp (3 satchels) Earl Grey tea powder

Method
1. Sift cake flour and baking powder together. Add in the tea powder and mix well. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and add icing sugar in 2 additions until the batter increases in volume and pale in colour.
3. Add in eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the flour mixture using a spatula until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 50 – 60 minutes or till cooked.

Notes
- I sifted Earl Grey tea powder together with the flour mixture.
- I replaced icing sugar with castor sugar.

Lemon Financiers

Financiers are small French almond cakes traditionally baked in rectangular moulds, hence earning the honour of resembling a gold bar. As I do not have the rectangular moulds, I baked these in heart-shaped muffin cups. Hmm, does that make them a heart of gold instead? Hehe... :)

These little cakes have a glossy crust, as though a thin glaze has been applied. Nutty and lemony, they are moistly soft and dense inside. No doubt, these financiers fall on the sweeter spectrum even though I have reduced the amount of sugar, which fondly remind me of macarons in terms of their sweetness and similar ingredients. :)

Thanks to Technicolor Kitchen for sharing the recipe. :)

Lemon Financiers
Adapted from: Technicolor Kitchen

Ingredients (Makes 6)
87.5 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
50 g ground almonds
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
Lemon zest, finely grated from 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
80 g icing sugar, sifted
35 g plain flour, sifted

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Butter well six ⅓-cup (80 ml) capacity muffin pans.
2. Place the butter, ground almonds, egg whites, lemon zest and juice, icing sugar and flour in a large bowl and stir just until combined.
3. Equally divide the batter among prepared pans – they should be just over ½ full.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Allow to stand in pans for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.

1st Blog Anniversary

Ho ho ho... Simply Hanushi (this blog) is turning one tomorrow and I just can't believe how fast time flies! :)

I am not good at expressing myself and neither do I have a flair for writing. As much as I want to share many of my thoughts, I end up staring at the screen in front when drafting and don't know what to write. Hehe... :P

Throughout the year, I am glad that all of you have become a part of my baking journey and exploration. I have gotten to know many of you with the same interest in baking through your wonderful blogs as well as those of you who have left lovely comments in this blog. :)

So I would really like to say "Thank You" to all of you for your continuous encouragement and support for this blog! :D

Home-baked Goodies

I want to say a big "Thank You" to Angel for her homemade mooncakes. I am really surprised and privileged to receive them. Even though I couldn't wait to sample them immediately, I waited patiently (or impatiently) till the next day: I want to take photos of these mooncakes with the natural lighting before they disappear in no time. Hehe...

Lotus Paste Pork Floss Butter Mooncake: The pastry is very crumbly and delicate. The slightly salty pastry compliments perfectly with the sweet lotus paste, presenting a balanced harmony. Awaiting me in the middle of the mooncake is a lovely surprise: flosses! Indeed a very interesting mooncake and I love it to every bit. :)

Walnut Mooncake: I am impressed with the pretty and unique appearance of the mooncake with the walnuts nicely tucked around the side. The lotus paste is skilfully wrapped in a thin pastry skin and the walnuts create a delightful nutty dimension to the soft and crumbly mooncake. Yummy! :)

Once again, thank you Angel! :)

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes

These Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes are so popular and well-raved that I certainly don't want to give it a miss this year! :)

What makes this mooncake special is its rich buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture and the addition of Parmesan cheese powder gives it a slightly salty taste, which goes perfectly well with the lightly sweet lotus paste. :)

Wishing all readers and blogger friends a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! :)

Thanks to 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 for sharing the recipe and Nasi Lemak Lover for translating the recipe to English. :)

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes
Adapted from: 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 and Nasi Lemak Lover

Ingredients (Makes 6)
60 g Planta margarine
20 g castor sugar
2 1/4 tsp evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese powder
1 1/2 tsp corn flour
90 g cake flour
Some Parmesan cheese powder / melon seeds, for topping

Filling
180 g lotus paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 6 portions of around 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Beat margarine, sugar and milk till creamy.
3. Add in cheese powder, corn flour and cake flour, combine to form a soft dough.
4. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.
5. Knead the dough to smooth. Divide the dough into 6 portions of 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
6. Flatten a piece of dough with your palm and wrap in a filling. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
7. Place the mooncakes on a lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool slightly. Lightly brush the surface with egg wash and decorate the top with cheese powder or melon seeds. Continue to bake at 180°C for 10 - 15 minutes.
9. Leave to cool and store in an airtight container.

Notes
- I replaced margarine with butter, evaporated milk with fresh milk.
- I used a lightly beaten egg as egg wash and brushed with egg wash 15 minutes into baking.

Matcha Swirl Mooncakes

Using the same way as Teochew mooncakes to wrap the doughs, this series of matcha flaky mooncakes are layered with beautiful swirls. As compared to the Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes, these mooncakes have a slightly stronger matcha flavour, attributing from the matcha powder! :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

I am also submitting this to {Event} Natural Colour Bakes hosted by Hankerie.

Matcha Swirl Mooncakes
Adapted from: 爱和自由

Ingredients (Makes 8)
Water Dough
75.5 g plain flour
9 g Icing sugar
28.5 g shortening
31 g cold water

Oil Dough
61.5 g cake flour
2.5 g matcha powder
32 g shortening

Filling
280 g red bean paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 8 portions of around 35 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Water Dough: Mix plain flour, icing sugar and shortening together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in water and knead into a smooth dough. Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 4 portions of around 36 g each and shape round.
3. Oil Dough: Mix plain flour, shortening and yam paste together and knead into a dough (Do not over-knead). Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 4 portions of around 24 g each and shape round.

Assembling:
4. Flatten a piece of water dough and wrap in an oil dough. Pinch to seal edges.
5. With the sealed ends facing up, lightly flatten the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an elongated shape. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
6. Turn the dough 90 degrees with the end facing up. Roll out the dough into an elongated shape. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 20 minutes.
7. Cut the dough into halves to get 8 portions in total.
8. Lightly flatten the dough. With the cut side facing down, roll out dough into a round shape with the edges thinner than the centre. Wrap in the filling and pinch to seal the edges.
9. Place the sealed ends facing downwards on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Notes
- When wrapping the filling into the dough, try not to 'tug/pull' too hard, otherwise the layers will tear.
- It is better to flatten the dough into a larger round shape so it is easier to pinch to seal the edges.
- For the oil dough, I used plain flour instead of cake flour.
- I replaced red bean paste with ready store-bought green tea lotus paste (low sugar) filling.

Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes

I transformed the Red Bean Flaky Mooncakes recipe that I used last year to green tea flavoured by using store-bought green tea lotus paste (low sugar) filling. Without egg glaze, these mooncakes appear like little snowballs from afar. Ooh, I love the flaky crust to every bit! :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Thanks to Jane's Corner for sharing the recipe. :)

Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes
Adapted from: Jane's Corner

Ingredients (Makes 8)
Water Dough
90 g plain flour
5 g icing sugar
30 g shortening
45 g water

Oil Dough
70 g plain flour
35 g shortening

Filling
240 g green tea lotus paste

Glazing
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, for egg wash
Some white / black sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 8 portions of 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Water Dough: Mix plain flour, icing sugar and shortening together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in water and knead into a soft dough. Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 8 portions of around 20 g each.
3. Oil Dough: Mix plain flour and shortening together and knead into a dough (Do not over-knead). Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 8 portions of around 12 g each.

Assembling:
4. Flatten a piece of water dough and wrap in an oil dough. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
5. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an elongated shape around 15 cm long. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
6. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out the dough into an elongated shape around 20 cm long. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
7. Flatten the dough into a round shape and wrap in the filling. Seal the edges and place the sealed ends facing downwards on a baking tray.
8. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with sesame seeds on top.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes
- After wrapping the water dough and oil dough together and swiss-rolled twice, the dough was pressed in the centre using the thumb and all the 4 sides were pinched together and rolled into a ball. The dough was then flattened into a round shape and wrapped with a filling.
- I did not apply egg wash and omitted the sesame seeds for topping.