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.

Cheddar Cheese Cake

The cheddar cheese addition has miraculously transformed a simple butter cake to a delightful savoury cake. Yummy! :)

Thanks to Lily's Wai Sek Hong for sharing the recipe. :)

Cheddar Cheese Cake
Adapted from: Lily's Wai Sek Hong

Ingredients (Makes 2 loaves)
1 cup (227g) unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
2/3 cup (4 slices) cheddar cheese, cubed
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup milk
Pinch of salt (Optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract (Optional)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish or 2 loaf pans.
2. Sift plain flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
3. Mix milk and vanilla extract in a bowl. Set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
5. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture until the batter is smooth.
7. Add in the cheddar cheese and mix well. If the batter is too stiff, add a little more milk and mix well.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s). Bake at 175°C for 45 – 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 
9. Cool in pan for 5 – 10 minutes. Unmold from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes
- I replaced plain flour with cake flour.
- I baked in a medium loaf pan and a 20-cm round pan.

Lemon Butter Cake

It has been a long time since I last posted, one month to be exact. Did anyone miss me? :)

After the Moist Butter Cake post, there are several encounters where wet lines are observed in my butter cakes. This time round, I halved the Lemon Butter Cake recipe, which The Little Teochew has tweaked from her Moist Butter Cake. The result is fantastic, a soft cake with a lovely citrus lemon scent! :)

Thanks to The Little Teochew for sharing the recipe. :)

Lemon Butter Cake
Adapted from: The Little Teochew

Ingredients (Makes an 18-cm round)
97.5 g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
85 g unsalted butter, softened
60 g sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, grated
4 tbsp fresh milk

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease and line an 18-cm round cake pan.
2. Sift plain flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy for about 2 minutes.
4. Add in lemon zest and egg gradually and beat until well-combined. If the mixture curdles, add 1 tbsp of flour and continue mixing. 
5. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk, beating at low speed until the flour mixture is fully incorporated in the batter.
6. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 10 – 15 seconds, just until the batter appears uniform. The batter should look thick and creamy.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smoothen the top with a spatula.
8. Bake at 190°C for 30 – 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes clean.
9. Leave the cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Unmold and cool on a wire rack completely.

Notes
- Omitted the Lemon Curd Cream.
- Use a smaller pan.

Condensed Milk Pound Cake

Apart from the slight wet lines that is seen at the bottom of the cake, the crumbs are really fine and the cake tastes great! :)

Thanks to Table for 2 or more for sharing the recipe. :)

Condensed Milk Pound Cake
Adapted from: Table for 2 or more and baking fiends unite!

Ingredients (Makes an 8-inch loaf)
120 g unsalted butter
45 g sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup (125 ml) condensed milk
120 g cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs

Method
1. Sift cake flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer till light and fluffy for about 2 minutes.
3. Add in salt and vanilla essence and beat well.
4. Add in condensed milk and beat till well-combined.
5. Using the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions. Mix till the batter is smooth.
6. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix till the batter is smooth.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 1 hour.

Blueberry Lemon Cake

Immerse in the wonders of lemon. A small amount of lemon zest can make a big difference to a bake: Refreshing and makes one feel so much less guilty when indulging in a rich buttery cake. Hehe... Next time when a recipe calls for lemon zest, I hope I can duly follow without omitting this ingredient. Well, grating lemon zest is one of the most dreaded tasks that I find in baking.

I have finally used up all the frozen blueberries that I have stocked up in the fridge. One of the most useful tips that I have learnt from various bloggers is on freezing blueberries. With this, I can satisfy my craving for blueberry bakes anytime. :)

The same cake seems to look different even though I did not change the camera setting. Well, I am a camera-idiot and just used the auto-mode. Hehe... Which photo do you prefer? :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #5: Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by Bakericious.

Blueberry Lemon Cake
Adapted from: Easy Cakes by Linda Collister

Ingredients (Makes a 9-inch loaf)
125 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
100 g sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, grated
2 extra-large eggs
Pinch of salt
110 g self-raising flour
70 g frozen blueberries
Some icing sugar for dusting

Method
1. Put the butter in an electric mixer and beat at low speed until creamy. Increase the speed and gradually beat in the sugar, followed by the lemon zest.
2. Put the eggs and salt in a large measuring cup with a lip, beat lightly, then add to the creamed mixture, 1 tablespoon or so at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 tablespoon flour with the last 2 portions of egg to prevent the mixture from separating.
3. Sift the rest of the flour onto the mixture and gently fold in with a large metal spoon. When you no longer see streaks of flour, mix in the blueberries.
4. Transfer to the greased pan and spread evenly. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
5. Store in an airtight container and eat within 5 days.

Notes
- I replaced 110 g self-raising flour with 110 g plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder.
- I omitted the icing sugar for dusting.
- Can consider to use a smaller loaf pan.

Moist Butter Cake

I almost don't want to post this butter cake. There is nothing wrong with the recipe or the taste. I must do justice to this cake, it tastes great and not too sweet. Just take a closer look at the photos and you will see why.

The cake has many wet areas despite the fact that I have extended the baking time to another 15 minutes and the skewer came out clean. Hmm, this is not the first time I have encountered the same problem. The last time I baked a butter cake using a different recipe, I also noticed the wet areas in the cake. Maybe some kind readers can advise me or point out the mistakes that I have made.

Thanks to The Little Teochew for sharing this recipe. :)

Moist Butter Cake
Adapted from: The Little Teochew

Ingredients (Makes an 8-inch round)
195 g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
170 g unsalted butter, softened
150 g sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
180 ml fresh milk

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan.
2. Sift plain flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy for about 2 minutes.
4. Add in egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract gradually and beat until well-combined. If the mixture curdles, add 1 tbsp of flour and continue mixing. 
5. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk, beating at low speed until the flour mixture is fully incorporated in the batter.
6. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 10 – 15 seconds, just until the batter appears uniform. The batter should look thick and creamy.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smoothen the top with a spatula.
8. Bake at 180°C for 40 – 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes clean.
9. Leave the cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Unmold and cool on a wire rack completely.

Notes
- I beat the egg, egg yolk and vanilla essence together before adding to the batter gradually.

Osmanthus Tea Cake

I adore the sweet scent and the little specks of osmanthus in the cake. The cake may appear to be slightly dry at the first bite but it goes well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. :)

Thanks to Peng's Kitchen for sharing the recipe. :)

Osmanthus Tea Cake
Adapted from: Peng's Kitchen

Ingredients (Makes a 20-cm round)
60 g unsalted butter
100 g castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 g self-raising flour, sifted
90 ml milk
1 1/2 tbsp dried osmanthus
Topping 
10 g unsalted butter, melted
Some castor sugar

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and flour side of a 20-cm round pan, line the base with parchment paper.
2. Bring milk to a boil. Lower the heat, add in dried osmanthus and simmer for about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
4. Add in the egg gradually, beating well after each addition. Add in vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Fold in the flour and milk alternately, stir lightly with a spatula until smooth.
6. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes till the cake turns golden or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes. Turn onto the cooling rack, brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar.

Notes
- I replaced 150 g self-raising flour with 150 g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
- I boiled 90 g milk and steeped with 1 1/2 tbsp (4 g) dried osmanthus. The cooled milk mixture weighed 68 g and I topped up with milk till the milk mixture weighed 80 g.
- Added in the flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture and beat using the electric mixer at the lowest speed.
- I omitted the topping.

Walnut Pound Cake

I have the terrible habit of buying something first (usually on impulse) and then decide what I want to do with them much, much later. This bake is yet another classic example of my random purchase: Walnuts!

Do not be fooled by the plain or unappetizing look of this Walnut Pound Cake. Its buttery aroma and crunchy walnut bits will make you fall in love with it after the first bite. :)

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all my dear readers and blogger friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Walnut Pound Cake
Adapted from: 磅蛋糕123 by 趙筱蓓

Ingredients (Makes an 8-inch round)
120 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
80 g white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
130 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
100 g walnuts
1 – 2 tsp rum

Method
1. Toast walnuts at 120°C for 3 minutes. Coarsely chop the walnuts and set aside to cool.
2. Beat butter and sugar till creamy and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs gradually and mix till well-combined.
4. Sift cake flour and baking powder together. Add in separate additions and mix well.
5. Add in the chopped walnuts and rum and mix lightly.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 8-inch round pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 60 minutes.
7. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Unmold from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes
- Rum helps to enhance the walnut flavour in the cake.
- I used plain flour instead of cake flour. Rum was omitted.

Blueberry Pound Cake

A dear friend IP showed me a silicon mould that she received as a housewarming gift and asked if it can be used for baking chiffon cakes. Looking at it, I believe it is called a bundt pan which is more suitable for baking heavy cakes such as pound cakes. I hope I am not the blind leading the blind. Hehe... 

I was thrilled when IP suggested a baking session at her place. I knew exactly where I can find the perfect recipe for the lovely bundt pan: the Blueberry Pound Cake from Anncoo Journal! :)

We started our weekend afternoon excitedly, gathering the ingredients and the baking equipment that we needed. When we were measuring the sugar, we realised that we did not have enough sugar for the recipe! Poor IP's hubby had to be our "errand boy" to the nearest supermarket which was a 20-minutes walk. Oops... :) Despite the hiccups and fumbling, the baked cake is a real beauty that wins all the "Wows" and praises, living up to its origins as Elvis Presley Whipping Cream Pound Cake. A very soft and delicious cake and the addition of blueberries certainly enhances the savoring experience. Of course, not forgetting that I had an enjoyable and fun afternoon, baking and catching up with IP. :)

Thanks to Anncoo Journal and Honey Bee Sweets for sharing the recipe. :)

Blueberry Pound Cake
Adapted from: Anncoo Journal and Honey Bee Sweets

Ingredients
113 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
180 g cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
180 g castor sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
250 ml heavy whipping cream
250 g fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbsp plain flour, for coating blueberries

Method
1. Grease a Bundt pan and dust flour evenly in pan, knocking out the excess flour. Alternatively, grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour and salt together, set aside.
3. Toss the blueberries with 1 tbsp of plain flour, set aside.
4. Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
5. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add in vanilla extract and mix well. 
7. Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, alternating with the whipping cream in 3 additions, mixing well in each addition.
8. Fold in the blueberries using a spatula.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Unmold from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes
- I used Bulla thickened cream for the heavy whipping cream and replaced cake flour with plain flour.
- I mixed the vanilla extract together with the whipped cream.
- I used frozen blueberries without thawing and tossed with 2 tbsp flour, sifting away the extra flour.

Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake

Finally, the long-awaited sale was here! Nope, it is not clothes, bags or shoes. It is blueberries!!! For a period of time, the price of the blueberries was soaring high. I was so excited to find them on discount. Grabbing a few punnets of the blueberries is just the most intuitive and sensible thing to do. :P

When I first saw the Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake at Cook.Bake.Love months ago, I was mesmerised by the beautiful name and Angel of Cook.Bake.Love had given good reviews on the cake. I told myself, I shall try this recipe once I get hold of blueberries. And I did. :)

I have to agree that this batter is really extremely thick and hard to work with. I can barely mix the batter after I added in the frozen blueberries, lest to say to smoothen the batter when I scrapped it into the baking pan. I had to resort using my clumsy fingers to spread the batter and blueberries on the baking pan (Hehe... Sorry for the unglam). The end product is definitely beyond my expectation, a light and delicious cake with blueberries oozing in each mouthful. If only the blueberries are not so tangy. Hehe...

Thanks to Cook.Bake.Love for sharing the recipe. :)

Shenandoah Valley Blueberry Cake
Adapted from: Cook.Bake.Love and Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Ingredients (Makes a 9-inch square or a 9-inch round)
210 g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
75 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
130 g sugar
1 egg
80 ml milk
125 g fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

Method
1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously grease a 9-inch square or round pan.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with a mixer at high speed until well combined.
4. Add the egg and beat well for 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl, until the mixture is smooth and light.
5. Stir in half the flour mixture, then half the milk, mixing just enough to keep the batter fairly smooth and well combined. Add the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the milk, mixing gently. Stir in blueberries.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden, springs back when touched gently in the centre and is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
7. Serve a square cake right from the pan, warm or at room temperature, cut into small squares. If it is round, let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack or folded kitchen towel for 10 minutes, and then turn it out to cool on a wire rack, top side up.

Matcha Pound Cake

I love to eat my slice of pound cake with a cup of milk. The amount of matcha in the cake is just right for me. If only I have the red bean paste, that will be heavenly perfect!

Thanks to Happy Home Baking for sharing the recipe. :)

Matcha Pound Cake
Adapted from: Happy Home Baking

Ingredients (Makes a loaf)
120 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp matcha powder
100 g sugar
100 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200 g red bean paste

Method
1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a loaf pan.
2. Sift the cake flour, baking powder and matcha powder together. Set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
4. Add in the eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.
5. Sift over the flour mixture in 3 separate additions. Each time, gently fold with a spatula until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter.
6. Spread 1/3 of the batter evenly into loaf pan, spread a layer of red bean paste on the batter. Cover with 1/3 of the batter and spread another layer of red bean paste. Spread the remaining 1/3 of the batter.
7. Smoothen the batter evenly and make a slit in the centre (length-wise) with the tip of the spatula.
8. Bake at 170°C for 35 – 40 minutes or until the cake turns golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Notes
- I omitted the red bean paste.

Carrot Cake



This Carrot Cake has a great mix of healthy ingredients: dried fruits, nuts and vegetables! 

To speak the truth, I am never a fan of most dried fruits which include raisins, cranberries and mangoes, but I love their fresh counterparts. Whenever I eat buns or cakes with dried raisins from the bakeries, I will carefully remove the raisins or eat with a disdainful look and wash them down my throat with a mouthful of water. The same fate applies to other dried fruits (berries included). 

However, after seeing so many bloggers baking with cranberries, I decided to give cranberries a second chance, Perhaps because I am starting to appreciate the different types of food in my daily diet or maybe because it is homebaked, I thoroughly enjoyed the presence of cranberries in the cake. As for the carrots, even though I can see them all over the cake, I could hardly taste them. Oh yeah, the nutty diced almonds certainly added a special touch to this Carrot Cake.  

I omitted the cream cheese frosting as it seems a bit too sweet to my liking. Hmm, is this how a carrot cake should taste like? :)

French Almond Cake

Months ago before I started blogging, I saw this cake at Happy Home Baking. I was drawn by the simple yet elegant look of her cake. On top of that, I was curious about how ground almonds would taste like in a cake. Shortly after, I went to get a packet of ground almonds and flaked almonds, telling myself I will bake this cake soon.

However I did not. Not until I saw it again recently at Hearty Bakes. Her cake seemed to beckon me to "bake me, bake me". Without further ado, I digged out my equipment, gathered the ingredients and baked this French Almond Cake to cheer up the otherwise gloomy day.

It is indeed a light moist cake with a subtle buttery ground almond fragance. I simply love the crunchy bite of the flaked almonds!

Thanks to Happy Home Baking and Hearty Bakes for sharing the recipe. :)

French Almond Cake
Adapted from: Happy Home Baking, Hearty Bakes and Easy Cakes by Linda Collister

Ingredients (Makes an 8-inch round)

110 g unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature
120 g castor sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
90 g ground almond
40 g self-raising flour
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (Optional)
1 tbsp flaked almonds, for sprinkling
Some icing sugar, for dusting 

Method

1. Preheat oven at 180°C. Grease the sides of an 8-inch round pan and line the base with a parchment paper.
2. Toast ground almonds at 100°C for 10 minutes, stirring in between. Let it cool.
3. Place butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl.
4. Add almond powder, flour, milk, vanilla extract (optional) and beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
5. Spoon into the prepared pan and spread the batter evenly.
6. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over the top of the batter.
7. Bake at 180°C for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the sponge just springs back when pressed, or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Run a thin bladed knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the cake, then turn out onto a wire rack and let it cool.
9. Dust with icing sugar before serving.  

Notes
- If the top of the cake turns brown too quickly (after 15 – 20 minutes), cover the top with a foil. I did not cover with a foil as the top of my cake was just nicely browned.
- I run out of milk at home. Hence I replaced milk with the same amount of water and 40 g self-raising flour with 40 g plain flour, ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.