Happy Pancake Day! (Thermomix Pancake)

Shrove Tuesday is the day in February or March which is preceding Ash Wednesday. This day is celebrated in some countries by having pancakes.

Today is pancake day. Let's have some pancakes!

Ingredients:

1. 50gm butter (have some extra for frying)
2. 300gm oat milk
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 bananas (mashed)
5. 200gm buckwheat flour
6. 5gm baking powder
7. 1/2 tsp salt

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1. Place butter into TMX jug and set 2min/70C/speed1.

2. Add the milk, eggs, buckwheat flour, baking powder, salt and banana and mix 10sec/speed 5.

3. Heat up a frying pan.

4. Add some butter to the frying pan.

5. Pour a ladle of batter and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbles start to appear on the pancake surface.

6. Flip the pancake over and continue frying for another minute or two.

7. Repeat with the remaining batter.

8. Serve hot with butter or maple syrup.

Bon appetit!

Thermomix Gluten-Free Pancakes

NOTE: You will still need a frying pan to make this!

Ingredients:

1. 100gm butter

2. 600gm water OR milk

3. 4 eggs (I used 5 as I bought kampung eggs. They're really small eggs.)

4. 250gm white rice flour (Click on Thermomix Ground Rice Flour on how to make your own home ground rice flour.)

5. 150gm sorghum flour

6. 1/2 tablespoon of sea-salt

7. Sunflower oil
8. 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

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1. Place butter into TMX jug. Melt at 2min/75C/Speed 1.

2. Add the milk/water, eggs, flour, baking powder, sea-salt and sunflower oil. Mix at 20seconds/Speed 4.

3. You can spread some oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

4. Pour a ladle of batter and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly browned. Flip it over and continue cooking.

5. Finish all the batter.

6. Serve it warm.

Bon appétit!

Did You Know....

... That baking powder and baking soda are not the same?

Yes, they are both leavening agents. They are both added to baking goods BEFORE cooking to produce carbon dioxide for the goods to rise. But they play their roles in two different ways.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. When using baking soda in baking, it is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (buttermilk or honey) to create a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide for the baking goods to rise. Another reason to combine baking soda with an acidic ingredient is because of its alkalinity, it will produce a metallic taste when the chemical change happens. Baking soda also needs to be used at that very moment. It is not to be added and placed aside for awhile before baking as the good will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder has 3 ingredients. It has sodium bicarbonate, cream or tartar (an acidifying agent) and a drying agent (starch).

There are two types of baking powder. The single-acting (fast acting) and the double-acting (slow acting) baking powder. The single-acting baking powder is activated by moisture/room temperature. The baking good which requires this single-acting baking powder must be cooked immediately after mixing. The double-acting agent reacts in two phases. When the baking powder is added to the baking good, some gas is released at room temperature but the remaining of the gas is only released when in the hot oven while baking.

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You cannot substitute baking powder with baking soda when the recipe requires baking powder. However, you can make your own baking powder by mixing one part of baking soda and two parts of cream of tartar.

Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of white rice flour
2. 1/2 cup of sweet rice flour
3. 250gm of butter (softened at room temperature)
4. 4 eggs
5. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
6. 1 cup of apple sauce (Click on LINK for recipe on how to make home-made apple sauce)
7. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
8. 1 teaspoon of baking powder
9. 1 cup of blueberries
10. 1 cup of milk (I used rice/quinoa milk)

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1. Cream the butter.

2. Add one egg at a time and continue stirring the batter.

3. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the applesauce and milk while continue stirring.

4. Lastly add the blueberries.

5. Preheat oven at 170C.

6. Line muffin baking trays with muffin paper casings and scoop the batter into them.

7. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

8. Allow to cool slightly before eating. You can freeze the extras.

Bon appétit!

Gluten-Free Moist & Fluffy Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1. 250gm salted butter (melted butter)
2. 50gm of fine sugar
3. 50gm of sweet rice flour (this is also known as glutinous rice)
4. 250gm of white rice flour
5. 8-medium sized eggs
6. 1 teaspoon of baking powder
7. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
8. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

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1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and the sugar together. 

2. Separate the egg whites and yolks.

3. In a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

4. In another bowl, beat the yolks.

5. Add the egg yolks into the butter/sugar mixture bit by bit while stirring continuously.

6. Then add in the egg whites into the mixture bit by bit while stirring continuously.

7. Add in the vanilla extract.

8. Fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda little by little and mix with the spatula.

9. Preheat oven at 170C.

10. Line a cake tray with baking paper.

11. Pour mixture into it and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

12. Set aside to cool.

Bon appétit!

P.S: I'm beginning to get the hang of gluten-free cooking!

Moist & Super Fluffy Butter Cake

Ingredients:

1. 250gm unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
2. 80gm fine sugar
3. 250gm organic self-raising flour (sieved twice)
4. 8 medium-sized eggs
5. 2 teaspoon of baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
7. * Milk (optional - unless cake batter is too thick)

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1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Separate the egg whites and yolks.

3. In a bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

4. In another bowl, beat the yolks.

5. Add the egg yolks into the butter/sugar mixture bit by bit while stirring continuously.

6. Then add in the egg whites into the mixture bit by bit while stirring continuously.

7. Add in the vanilla extract.

8. Fold in the flour little by little and mix with the spatula.

9. If the mixture is too thick, add in about 4 tablespoons of milk.

10. Preheat oven at 170C.

11. Line a cake tray with baking paper.

12. Pour mixture into it and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown.

13. Set aside to cool.

Bon appétit!

I started to cut the cake before I suddenly remembered that I haven't taken a picture of it!

Moist & fluffy!

Cooking For Joel: Polenta Banana Muffins!

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of gluten-free flour (you can buy this or make your very own gluten-free combo)
2. 1 cup of polenta
3. 1/2 cup of white rice flour
4. 4 medium sized bananas (mashed)
5. 2 teaspoons of baking powder
6. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
7. 1/4 teaspoon of salt
8. 1/2 cup of sunflower oil
9. 1 teaspoon of soft brown sugar
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1. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

2. In another mixing bowl, pour the sunflower oil and sugar. Stir them together for a few minutes.

3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Mix thoroughly.

4. Add the mashed bananas and mix until well combined.

5. Preheat oven at 180C.

6. Line muffin trays with baking muffin paper cups.

7. Fill the paper cups with the mixture.

8. Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

9. Allow to cool.

10. You can keep them in the freezer if you're unable to consume everything.

Bon appétit!

Moist Banana Cake

Ingredients:

1. 250gm salted butter (softened at room temperature)
2. 2 tablespoons of soft, brown sugar
3. 4 eggs
4. 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
5. 4 tablespoons of milk (liquid)
6. 2 tablespoons of powdered milk (do not mix with water)
7. 6 to 7 medium sized bananas
8. 2 cups of organic plain flour
9. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
10. 1 teaspoon of baking powder

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1. Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add in the eggs, one by one.

3. Add in the vanilla essence and milk (liquid) and mix throughly.

4. Add the mashed banana into the mixture and mix well.

5. Add the sifted flour, powdered milk, baking soda and baking powder bit by bit and mix thoroughly.

6. Preheat oven at 160C.

7. Pour the batter into a baking tin lined with baking paper.

8. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

9. Allow to cool.

10. You can slice it and keep it in the fridge or the freezer (if you want to keep it longer).

Banana & Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1. 3 medium sized eggs
2. 75gm soft brown sugar
3. 175gm of organic all-purpose flour (sifted twice)
4. 2 teaspoon of baking powder
5. 1 teaspoon of sea-salt
6. 1 teaspoon of baking soda
7. 175ml sunflower oil
8. 3 medium sized bananas (very ripe and mashed)
9. 175gm of grated carrots
10. 175gm of pumpkin seeds (OPTIONAL)

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1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture thickens.

2. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

3. Mix well and then add the oil.

4. Add pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly. (If you are not able to tolerate pumpkin seeds or any other seeds, omit step 4.)

5. Lastly add the grated carrots and mashed bananas.

6. Mix well.

7. Preheat oven to 170C.

8. Line a baking cake tin with removable base with baking paper.

9. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for about 1 hour or until golden brown.

10. Once it is done, allow the cake to cool.

Bon appétit!

Cashew Biscuits

I bought a cooking app for the iPad sometime back. It is called the Photo Cookbook - Quick & Easy. One of the asian recipes is the almond cookies. I amended it and changed some of the ingredients. I made cashew cookies instead.

Ingredients:

1. 675gm of organic unbleached plain flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon of sea-salt
4. 100gm of finely grounded cashews
5. 225gm of butter (softened at room temperature)
6. 80gm of soft brown sugar
7. 1 egg (lightly beaten)
8. 50 whole cashews (for decoration)

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1. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl and set this aside.

2. Pulverise 100gm of cashews until they turn into finely grounded cashews.

3. Add the flour and finely grounded cashews into a large bowl.

4. Add the butter and mix with the flour until a crumbly mixture is formed.

5. Add the sugar and egg. Mix well until the dough is soft and pliable but firm.

6. Preheat oven at 160C.

7. Divide the dough into 2.5cm size balls.

8. Place on baking trays which are lined with baking papers.

9. Flatten the balls with the back of a spoon.

10. Press a whole cashew nut onto each biscuit.

11. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

12. Once they are done, allow to cool before storing in airtight container.

13. You can store these biscuits in the fridge for about 1 to 2 months.

Bon appétit!

Barley-li-cious Pancakes!

Part 1

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup of barley groats
2. 1 1/4 cup of brown sugar
3. 4 cups of water

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1. Wash the barley groats.

2. Pour the washed barley groats and 4 cups of water into a large pot and boil for about 45 minutes or until the water turns murky.

3. Once the groats have softened, scoop the groats up and add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

4. Set aside.

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Part 2

Ingredients:

1. 250gm of organic barley flour
2. 250gm of organic all-purpose flour
3. 1 teaspoon of baking powder
4. 50gm of butter (softened at room temperature)
5. 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
6. 1 teaspoon of sea-salt
7. 5 large eggs (room temperature)
8. 3 cups of barley water

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1. In a large mixing bowl, add the barley flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, softened butter, sunflower oil, sea-salt, eggs and barley water.

2. Whisk the mixture by using an electric whisk until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly and the mixture is smooth.

3. Heat the frying pan.

4. Once the pan has heated up, scoop up the mixture by using a small soup ladle.

5. Fry the pancakes.

6. Set aside to cool.

7. Serve warm.

Bon appétit!

*This was my first time using barley flour and it gave a nutty flavour to the pancakes. Try the recipe!

I had a barley pancake and barley drink for breakfast. One word to describe the meal, 'YUMMY!' 

Salicylate-Free Wholemeal Digestive Biscuits!

Ingredients:

1. 100g organic wholemeal flour
*Alternatively, you could mix 80g organic wholemeal flour with 20g organic all-purpose flour.
2. 1 tablespoon of baking powder
3. 40gm of light, brown sugar
4. 120gm of salted butter.
5. 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk
(I did not add oats to the biscuits this round. If you prefer to add oats to them, add 100gm of fine, grounded oats.)

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1. Melt the butter.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and brown sugar into a large bowl.

3. Add the melted butter into the dry ingredients and mix until crumbly.

4. Add the milk until a smooth dough is formed.

5. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and store it in the fridge for about 1/2 hour.

6. Preheat the oven to 180C.

7. Remove the dough from the cling wrap and roll it into a long cylinder shape. You can cut small circle shapes 0.4cm in thickness. Alternatively, you can scoop out a tablespoon size of dough and flatten it with the back of a spatula.

8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

9. Lay aside to cool.

10. Store in airtight containers. I kept mine in the fridge.

Bon appétit!

Waiting for oven to be ready.

Fresh out of the oven!

Ready to be kept in the fridge!

Low-Salicylate Chocolate Cake

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1. 170g organic self-raising flour
2. 170g butter (softened at room temperature)
3. 140g sugar (*brown sugar if you are able to tolerate it)
4. 2 large eggs (room temperature NOT cold)
5. 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
6. 1 tablespoon of baking powder

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1. Grease baking tin with some butter.

2. Preheat oven at 170C/ 325F / Gas Mark 3

3. In a large bowl sieve the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.

4. Then add the softened butter, sugar and eggs to the flour mixture and mix well.

5. Pour mixture into the greased baking tin.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked.

7. Allow the cake to cool before serving.

Bon Appétit!