Earl Grey Tea Muffins

I have seen many interesting bakes using Earl Grey tea, which is one of my favourite tea. Hence during one of the grocery shopping months ago, I grabbed a box of Dilmah Earl Grey tea bags without hesitation. Yes, you hear me right, months ago. But as time goes by with the depleting teabags, I realise that I have not done a single Earl Grey bake at all! =.='''

At least once, I must use this box of Earl Grey tea for its original intended purpose. Muffins using my favourite traditional muffin method is the most obvious choice! Hehe... :)

I wonder did I overbake these Earl Grey Tea Muffins as the top of the muffins appear to be slightly hard and the inside though soft is kinda dry. If I remember correctly, Min of Min's Blog made a similar comment that her Earl Grey Tea Muffins are also slightly dry. Nonetheless, these muffins have a light tea fragrance, just the way I love my tea to be. :)

Thanks to Min's Blog for sharing the recipe. :)

Earl Grey Tea Muffins
Adapted from: Min's Blog and 孟老师的100道小蛋糕 by 孟兆庆

Ingredients (Makes 3)
2 satchels Earl Grey tea powder
30 g fresh milk
1 egg
40 g castor sugar
50 g vegetable oil
100 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder

Method
1. Cut open the satchels and put the tea powder into the milk. Warm for a few minutes. Set aside to infuse for around 10 minutes.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together till pale and sugar is dissolved.
3. Add in vegetable oil and mix well.
4. Add in the milk tea and continue to mix well until thick.
5. Sift in cake flour and baking powder and fold gently with a spatula. Do not over-mix the batter. It is ok for the batter to have lumps.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups till 80% full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 25 – 30 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes
- I replaced 50 g vegetable oil with 35 g melted butter and 15 g vegetable oil.

Red Bean Muffins

It has been quite a while since I bake any muffins using the creaming method. Most of the times, I opt for muffin recipes that are using the traditional muffin method, i.e. mixing the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together. The reason is simple: To save the trouble of taking out the electric mixer and less effort to wash up afterwards. Oops, did I just reveal my plain laziness? Haha... :P

You probably have heard this from me many times: I am always baking to clear the existing ingredient inventory. If not for the sweetened red beans that I desperately want to finish up, I will not discover the wonders of the creaming method of muffins. These muffins are closer to a cake texture and the crumbs are so light and fine! :)

Red Bean Muffins
Adapted from: 君之

Ingredients (Makes 5)
60 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
60 g castor sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
50 ml milk
15 ml lemon juice
100 g cake flour
1/8 tsp tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
60 g sweetened red beans

Method
1. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until the batter turns pale and increases in volume.
3. Add the beaten egg in 3 additions, beating well after each addition.
4. Add in milk, lemon juice and flour mixture and fold using a spatula till well-combined.
5. Fold in the red beans and mix well.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups till ⅔ full and sprinkle some red beans on top.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 185°C for around 30 minutes.

Notes
- I added lemon juice to the milk and set aside before use.
- I used 65 g sweetened red beans and mixed all the red beans into the batter. I did not sprinkle any red beans on top.

Awards (One Lovely Blog)

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Edith of pReCiouS MoMentS and Honey Boy of Cosy Bake for passing this award to me. :)

Update on 15 Apr 2011: I would also like to thanks Joelyn of 幸福の起点 and Angel of Cook.Bake.Love for passing me the award. :)

It is a lovely surprise and motivation to receive this award from these respectable ladies whose blogs are my daily sources of inspiration, even way before I started to have my little blogging space. Do find some time to hop by their lovely blogs and get inspired too!

Mango Coconut Chiffon Cake

I am dedicating this Mango Coconut Chiffon Cake to all my dear blogger friends and readers who have brought so much fun and liveliness to this blog! :)

The cake is endowed with a light and not overpowering coconut fragrance. To top it off, the slightly moist and crunchy dried mango against the soft texture of the chiffon cake is so welcoming and appealing. You are hearing it from someone who doesn't normally eat dried mango: I ate 2 slices of this cake at one go and another slice for breakfast. Hehe... :P

Thanks to Cosy Bake for sharing the recipe. :)

Mango Coconut Chiffon Cake
Adapted from: Cosy Bake

Ingredients (Makes an 17-cm tube cake)
3 egg yolks
70 g sugar
50 ml vegetable oil
50 ml water
4 tbsp (20 g) desiccated coconut
80 g cake flour, sifted
4 egg whites
60 g dried mango, cut into small bits
Some cake flour, for coating mango

Method
1. Coat the dried mango with some cake flour and sift to remove the extra flour.
2. In a bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add in ⅓ of the sugar and whisk using a hand whisk.
3. Add oil in separate additions and mix well. Add in water and continue to mix using a hand whisk.
4. Add in desiccated coconut and sifted flour and whisk until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter and the batter is smooth and glossy.
5. In a clean dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until frothy and foamy. Add the remaining sugar in 2 additions and beat until soft peaks form.
6. Add ⅓ of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk batter using a hand whisk and mix well.
7. Add in the remaining of the egg whites to the batter and fold gently using a spatula until fully incorporated.
8. Add in the dried mango and fold lightly using a spatula.
9. Pour the batter from a height at one go into the ungreased pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top with both hands to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let it cool completely before unmold.

Matcha Madeleines

The reason why matcha bakes are constantly appearing in my blog these days is because my bottle of matcha powder is going to expire soon! Hehe... And because of that, I finally made my first batch of madeleines. Hurray... :)

I was wondering how madeleines develop the humps since the madeleine batter looks no different from my other cake batters. Will my madeleines develop the characteristic humps too? I stood in front of the oven, keeping my fingers crossed. To my surprise, it happened amazingly within split seconds after 5 minutes or so into baking. Imagine my excitement when I saw the humps unfolding before my eyes!! :) Although some of the humps are not so prominent, I am happy enough.

Aren't these madeleines pretty? I can't help but took a few more photos of these petite cakes.

Thanks to 袅袅烘焙香 for sharing the recipe. :)

Matcha Madeleines
Adapted from: 袅袅烘焙香

Ingredients (Makes 20)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
60 g castor sugar
1 tbsp honey
115 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp matcha powder
Pinch of salt
115 g butter, melted and cooled

Method
1. Sift plain flour, baking powder, matcha powder and salt together. Set aside.
2. Whisk the eggs, sugar and honey until pale and thick.
3. Add in the flour mixture and mix until well-combined.
4. Add in the melted butter gradually and mix until smooth.
5. Cover the bowl with a cling film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
6. Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a 1-cm round tip and fill the batter in a buttered and floured madeleine mould about 80% full.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 10 minutes, or till the madeleines have risen well and the edges are golden brown.
8. Invert the madeleines onto a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes
- For best results, refrigerate the buttered and floured madeleine mould for 10 – 15 minutes each time before use.

Matcha Mochi Cake

Using the same recipe as Red Bean Mochi Cake, I went on to explore the matcha version with red beans. This time round, I am using a muffin/cupcake mould. The texture seems slightly more dense and chewier than the previous Red Bean Mochi Cake, as shown in the photo below. :)

Thanks to My Buttery Fingers and Lemonpi for sharing the recipe. :)

Matcha Mochi Cake
Adapted from: My Buttery Fingers and Lemonpi

Ingredients (Makes 12)
2 eggs
100 g castor sugar
85 g unsalted butter, melted
180 g fresh milk
220 g mochiko / glutinous rice flour
5 g matcha powder
1 tsp baking powder
140 g sweetened red beans

Method
1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Line the cupcake mould with paper liners.
2. Gently rinse the red beans in a sieve and let them drip dry. Pat them dry with a paper towel, and toss with around ½ - 1 tsp mochiko.
3. Sift mochiko, matcha powder and baking powder together. Set aside.
4. With an electric mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Fold in the melted butter and milk.
6. Fold in the flour mixture.
7. Fill the cupcake mould with some batter, followed by the red beans and fill with more batter.
8. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool the cake on a rack, then remove from pan.

Awards (Stylish Blogger and One Lovely Blog) and 6-month Blog Anniversary

I would like to thank Lena of Frozen Wings for passing these lovely awards to me. I am really honoured to receive this recognition. :)

Incidentally, yesterday marks my blog's 6-month anniversary. Hehe... On this special day, I would like to extend my thanks to all of you for your continuous support and guidance! ^-^