Strawberry and Cream Oat Muffins with Chia Seeds

Hi everyone! So sorry for my long absence again. Gosh I gotta stop doing this, disappearing and coming back being all apologetic, haha! But I reckon I will be slowing down in my posts here. No worries, I won't abandon it altogether but will still be lurking around, coming back with some awesome recipes to share, especially those that are in quite high "demand" in my Instagram account. I have to say it ain't easy to maintain two accounts....blog and IG. And since IG is a much easier posting, haha, I naturally lean towards that. Nonetheless will not leave my blog as I promised, so no worries!

Today's recipe is actually inspired by Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal. She has this really awesome recipe of strawberry cream cheese muffins which I made quite awhile back (not too sure have I posted it before, haha) But anyways, I decided to remaking it into a much healthier version, adding oat flour and chia seeds. Ok ok, back up you say? Chia what? Haha, it is the next BIG hit in super-food. Read all about its greatness here. Anyway, here is my baked muffin:

Note that all pictures posted on this post are taken using my iphone5...ehh yeah I kinda didn't expect to post this recipe so didn't even bother to whip out my DSLR, haha. So please pardon the slightly not up to standard qualities ya?  

Okay, here is my version of the recipe:
Ingredients for Strawberry & Cream Oat Muffins with Chia Seeds (Makes 16 of 4 oz cuppies)
1 cup buttermilk (I used 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice, combined with 1 cup fresh milk, rest 5 mins)
113g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
180g cake flour
50g oar flour (50g rolled oats, blend till very fine)
140g light brown sugar
1/2 salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp chia seeds (adjust amount to your liking but do not add too much)  

Cream cheese filling
125g cream cheese, room temperature
1 and 1/2 Tbsp. of liquid from one whole egg that's been beaten lightly
1 tbsp of strawberry jam (optional)
3 tbsp confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
 
1 cup fresh ripe strawberries cut into small chunks

• In a small mixing bowl, add in cream cheese, powder sugar, egg, strawberry jam and vanilla. Stir and mix well till everything comes together into a smooth consistency.
• Chill the cream cheese mixture in the fridge till needed. 
• Preheat the oven to 175C.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar till light and creamy. 
• Crack in an egg at a time, making sure it is well combined before adding the next one.
• Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
• Next shift in half the amount of cake flour, baking powder and salt. Combine well.
• Then add in all of the buttermilk and again mix well.
• Add in the oat flour and combine, then lastly shift in the rest of the cake flour and stir well to combine.
• Sprinkle in the Chia seeds at this point if you are using and stir to mix it in evenly.
• Line the muffin cups and scoop about 1/3 amount of the cake batter in cupcake or muffin liners.
• Then scoop about 1 tsp amount of cream cheese mixture right in the middle of that cake batter.
• Then sprinkle a few chunks of cut up strawberries over the cream cheese. Then cover all this with another 1/3 amount of the cake batter.
• Making sure all these does not fill up more then 80% of the cupcake or muffin liner.
• Repeat till all the liners or tray are filled. Sprinkle some coarse brown sugar over the top for a nice sparkle.
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•  Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes till the top is golden brown and the cake tester comes out clean.

There you have it guys! For all those that has been bugging....sorry asking me for this recipe, hahaha! Just kidding! Happy baking ya! Oh wait!

How can me miss out this all important picture of how the cake look inside! Crisp on the outside and yet creamy on the inside. Not too sweet, just right with a slight tang from the fresh strawberries inside. You won't taste the Chia seeds at all if you are worried. It just add a tiny bit of crunch to every bite. ;) Hope it has tempt you enough! Thanks for staying with me and let me know how it turned out for you. ;))

Have a good one all! Cheers!

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Earl Grey Cake

I have always been in love with Earl Grey, whether it is the tea itself, or baked cake, masakies or even ice cream, it's just yummy to me. I have baked Earl Grey Chiffon before but not a normal cupcake or loaf cake. So here it is! I have finally did it, my version of earl grey cake:

Ingredients for Earl Grey Cake: (Makes 12 four oz)

150g unsalted butter, room temperature
80g caster sugar
2 large egg yolks
100 ml concentrated red tea (from keycoffee)

-alternatively, you can use two tea bags soaked in 150ml of hot water, let sit for 15 minutes)
2 packets earl grey tea sachets (to use the tea leaves inside)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
150g cake flour

2 egg whites
20g caster sugar

• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with caster sugar till light and creamy. 
• Add in the egg yolks and mix well till well combined.
• Add in the concentrated red tea and combine. The mixture may seem a little separated, no worries, it will come together when the dry ingredients are introduced.
• Add in the tea specs from the tea bags and combine till it is uniformly mixed through.
• Sift in cake flour, salt and baking powder and gently mix in.
• Preheat the oven to 170C and prepare cupcake liners
• In an another mixing bowl, beat the egg white with the remaining 20g caster sugar till stiff peaks.
• Combine the white to yolk batter in 2 separate portions and fold in gently till all is combined.
• Scoop in cupcake liners till all the batter has been used.
• Bake in the oven till tester comes out clean. 

Soft, fine crumbs, really really please with the texture of the cake! So glad that my first attempt turned out so well. I topped it with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting which complements the overall taste of the cake and brighten the whole taste.

Ingredients for Lemon Cream cheese frosting:

170g cream cheese, soften 

110g unsalted butter, room temperature 

100g confectioner's sugar ( I can't really recall the exact amount)

2 tsps fresh lemon juice

Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, and then lemon juice; mix until smooth. 

I also baked a mini loaf with the remaining batter and then top it with lemon icing ....I cannot decide which one I like more haha!

Super love this and can't wait to bake this again for my friends to try it. ;) Do try and let me know if you do or just tag me in Instagram on ig_honeybeesweets

Okay, till the next time, have a good day/night ahead

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Black Glutinous Cupcakes (Pulut Hitam Cupcakes)

If you have been an avid reader of Christopher Tan's work, be it his webpage at www.foodfella.com or the fortnightly food column in The Strait Times, you would have already heard of his latest, greatest creation. His new masakbook, the  "NerdBaker", published by EPIGRAM Books. So you must be wondering why am I writing about him? Well, firstly, I happened to be invited to attend his book launch last week...yes, felt so privileged! Of course I got to meet Christopher himself. Nerd or not, he was definitely a walking encyclopedia on food. You can sense his passion, not just in baking, but to share his knowledge on how to bake better and more delicious food. And that book, "NerdBaker" also showcased what he has researched, tested (tasted of course) and presented to you in the most detailed manner on how to replicate his wonderful recipes.

The other main reason why I love about his book is that he incorporates local flairs or flavors into his bakes. Like Pulut Hitam (Black glutinous rice), lemongrass and even miso, into cakes and pastries. Some recipes are just plain exciting, like the Bacon Kouignou-Amann, Chocolate Matcha Macaron Tart and Intelligent Black Rice Cake! I am literally planning which day I can try these recipes out! Be still my heart, haha! 

I really wanted to try his recipes even though it has been a crazy busy weekend...I opted for an  easier recipe in the book; Black Velvet cupcakes. Why black, what makes it black? Bamboo charcoal? Super Black Chocolate? Neh...it is Black glutinous rice flour, aka Tepung Pulut Hitam.

Kind of black I know. But they are Black Velvet cupcakes right haha! Some how mine didn't turn out as pretty purplish-looking as Chris's version in the book, which I think he uses grains from different country maybe? But I am pretty sure the taste is almost as awesome as his...because these babies are delish!

Due to Copyrights reasons, I won't be able to share Christopher's original recipes here. But I bake a varied version which I made several changes to the original recipe. Changes which I felt will not alter the "integrity" of this wonderful recipe. ;) But bare in mind this is my own creation and has in no way trying to replace Chris's recipe. And that is why I named mine Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes instead of Black Velvet Cupcakes. So ya...try at your own risk heehee...

Recipe for Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes (Makes 10-12 3-ounces cupcakes)

125g  Black Glutinous Flour (See *Note)

125g cake flour

1/3 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

120g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp of wild flower honey

150ml coconut milk (I used Ayam Brand canned coconut milk, really good!)

50 ml fresh white milk (I will try buttermilk next time!)

80g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

40 ml cold pressed coconut oil (I bought mine from California during my last trip back "home")

*Note : The last time I "encountered"black glutinous rice flour was actually from a nice blogger friend whom bought a pack of the flour for me when she return from Batam. I have tried searching for it here but couldn't find any. :P So I took up Chris's advice in the book; that is to buy raw black glutinous rice grains, freeze them hard and blend them with a high wattage blender till powdery form. 

To ensure the flour is fine enough, sieve it through a fine sieve. Repeat the blending on those bigger grains till all is finely ground till flour form. Store in air tight containers for use later. Should stay fresh for a good 2-3 weeks.

Method:

• Combine the coconut milk and milk together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave it for 2 minutes on high. Or you can put in a pot over medium fire and masak till small tiny bubbles appear on the side. immediately remove from fire. DO NOT boil it. 
• Add the black glutinous rice flour and salt into the heated milk. Give it a good stir till well combined. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. (This step will allow the rice to absorb the milk and thus soften the grains more easily)
• 
  

•  In the meantime, prepare pan with cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 180C. Have a cup of kopi and chill till the alarm calls for you. ;)
• Next you sift in the cake flour and baking powder in. Add in the 2 eggs, coconut oil, melted butter and caster sugar.
  

•  Mix well with a whisk till well incorporated. 
• Lastly, add in 1 tbsp of that wild flower honey. Hmmm...why honey in pulut hitam...why not gula melaka? I'll ask Chris next time haha!

•  Scoop the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes or till the cake tester comes out clean.

 Not hard to make isn't it? I think even my kids can do this! Perhaps the most tedious part was blending the black glutinous rice to flour.

 The taste is like eating "Orh-Bee-Ber" (Bubur Pulut Hitam) in cake form. If you are already a fan of this Black Glutinous Rice dessert, then you are gonna love this cake. Moist, fine crumbs and all so fragrant! It has this unique texture of slight chewiness...a true replica of a local flavor into a whole new form. A "form" even the younger generation will love, like my kids!

 I hope this recipe inspire you to try it out. It seriously taste better then it looks haha! Hopefully I will be able to try out more recipes from Chris's book...soon. ;)

If you are interested to get "NerdBaker" masakbook, head on to any major bookstores like Kinokuniya or Popular. Alternatively, Shermay's masak School in Holland Village also carries signed copies with an additional 10% off! Hurry! In case you wonder...No, I'm not paid to say any of the above, all view and opinions are mine. 

 Okay, signing off now, before the clock strikes 12am! 

Till next time, happy baking guys!

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