Taking a break to reflect...

As Salam semua..

Hoping this email finds u in great health, insyaallah. For the past few months, Ive been keeping myself quiet due to some reasons. Its difficult for me to describe openly the experiences Im getting now. Semuanya kehendak dan ketentuan Allah SWT and I am thankful for the opportunity given for me to reflect, improvise and  looking at things in different perspectives.

One thing for sure that I like to share is I am a Hijabi now, syukur Alhamdulillah. Started wearing it on the 9th of May 2011 and this is a date that I always want to remember. It marks a new beginning, new hope and a new future for me. Hidayah Allah sampai tanpa disangka. It all happened on a beautiful Saturday morning. I woke up with a strong desire to wear  hijab. Realising that it is a big decision to make in such a short period of time, I made an effort to go with the flow of my thoughts and thinking. We were about to take the kids out to Bird Park and mind u, it was a very hot saturday noon. Luckily hubby and the children were very supportive. My Emran said "U look nice mommy". I almost cried upon hearing this sincerely coming straight from his heart. I prayed to Allah, that if this is good for me, pls Allah make it easier for me to adapt to the new look. Alhamdulillah, Allah maha mengetahui dan berkuasa atas segalanya..dengan izinNya sehingga kini saya berhijab. I know its nothing to shout about..but Ive never felt this calm before. Now I know why ppl cover and wear hijab. If u know and take time to study reasons behind Islamic principles of clothing/covering..you will know why it is Wajib for us female to cover. Subhanallah.


I am still in the learning process and there are so many things I want to learn and hopefully I will be able to share the good knowledge for the betterment of all. Recently Ive read a very nice description regarding the practice of Islam.."Seseorang Islam itu haruslah mempunyai Ilmu untuk menjadi seorang Islam yg menyeluruh..Ibadah dan Ilmu harus seiringan. Ilmu yag dapat seharusnya dapat dimanfaatkan bersama".. It shows how important knowledge is to Islam. Knowing why I cant do is not enough..I need deeper explanation as why Allah forbids us from doing certain things. Semoga diterangkan hati utk menerima ilmu...

Dont get me wrong with the little preaching Ive done above :) I still like cooking and baking and definitely will pursue more recipes in the future. Not only baking but now Ive got another aspect of my life that I want to share publicly that is my journey towards discovering myself..in terms of learning and experiencing the opportunities Allah given to me. Semoga dgn tulisan ini, dapat menyuntuk satu semangat baru kepada followers, insyaallah.

Im in the midst of revamping/rebranding/making over the appearance of my blog. Hoping to get the magical touch of Crafty Pallete. She is indeed awesome with designing templates for blogs. From now on, I hope to combine my culinary experience with the journey of my new life.

I like the new me and each day I make doa to Allah for this beautiful feeling to be forever embedded in me. Thank you for the support given. May Allah beri hidayah kpd kita semua, Insyaallah

"Be mindful of Allah, and you will find Him in front of you"

What's for DinDin?

Me in my favourite home outfit...

***YuMmeH***

No rice for tonite. We had a nice homemade Italian dinner. Decided to finish a box tagliatelle before stocking up a new one.  A quick bolognese sauce was made. In order to add in some extra healthy nutrients for the kids, I threw in some brocolli, diced carrots and capsicums. Suri loves eating veges but not Emran. Emran is  a picky eater and he will eat his sphagetti without any gravy on it. I always find it difficult to get him to eat good food. He likes to eat most of the food on its own without any addition or alteration done to it. Ok, getting back to our dindin, everyone enjoyed the homemade sauce with the pasta..and I made some garlic toast too. It was a nice simple dinner eventhough I spent most of the screaming at my kids asking them to finish the food..Our tummies were smiling at the end of the dinner, and it was a nice way to end the 3 day holiday...

Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce and homemade garlic toast for our dinner

Suri trying very hard to finish her dinner

Loving daddy with his prince and princess

I've always wanted a small library of good cookery books in the kitchen. Syukur alhamdulillah, I do have one now. This is where I get my ideas from..Currently in the midst of expanding the collection..

Orange & Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This one uses orange. I'm sharing this recipe as I like the seedy taste of it. It may not be a cup of tea for some people as the taste could be strange but I like the soft crunchiness the seed adds to the orangy flavoured sponge cake. Poppy seed can be found in most grocery stores and finding one is absolutely not a problem! The cake is full with vitamin c ( I keep on saying this whenever I feel guilty after eating them) because it has a bit of orange juice and some grated orange add into it. Put away your guilty feeling and have a go at making this cake for an interesting afternoon treat!!

Ingredients..
1 cup unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
1 cup superfine sugar (gula halus)
3 extra large eggs, beaten
finely grated rind of 1 orange
1/4 cup poppy seeds
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
strips of orange zest to decorate

This is how you do it...
1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Grease and lightly flour a bundt tube pan (the usual pan ppl use to make chiffon cake)
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then add the eggs gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition. Stir in the orange rind and poppy seeds.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then fold in evenly.
4. Add the milk and ornage juice, stirring to mix evenly. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-50 mins until firm and golden brown.
5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

(the recipe suggests that  nice syrup to be poured over the cake while it is still warm. If u want to make the syrup...place the sugar and ornage juice in a saucepan and heat gently until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 mins until reduced and syrupy.)

Delicious dessert!!!! Love the dotties!!!

Retro Rocks!! Good ol' Pineapple upside -down cake

Lets go Mediterranean!! Fiesta with pineapple!! Ok, when it comes to using pineapple and matching it with a cake..nothin beats Pineapple upside-down cake. This is not my first try at baking the cake..I did try once after reading the recipe from one of my friend's blog (thank you Shamam for sharing the excellent recipe) Her recipe is a bit different from the one I tried today. She suggested for the batter to be steam baked and it turned out well and fluffy. This time around, I used a different approach. I baked the whole cake on its own without the stimming water. So, what was the internal motivation for my second try? I still have some nice pineapple in my fridge and before it turns bad, might as well I use it. I still remember that I  got myself all  excited after looking into the pictures of the recipe with the glazed pineapple and cherries on top of the cake. Alritey! Without further delay, I dashed into my comfort zone and searched for the ingredients. The ingredients are....

Ingredients..
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup superfine sugar (gula halus)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups oall purpose-flour
2 tsp baking powder
generous 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

Topping
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4tbsp dark corn syrup ( for this recipe, I used golden syrup)
425g canned pineapple rings, drained
4-6 candied cherries, halved

This is how you do it.....
1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Grease a 9-inch round, deep cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Lets make the topping first. Place the butter and corn syrup in a pan and heat gently until melted. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, strirring, until slightly thickened and taffylike.
3. Pour the syrup into the bottom of the prepared pan. This is the nice part! Arrange the pineapple rings and candied cherries in a single layer over the syrup.
4. Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a large, heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water and beat with an electric mixer for about 10-15 mins until thick enough to leave a trail when the beaters are lifted.
5. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in lightly and evenly with a metal spoon.
6. Fold the melted butter into the mixture with a metal spoon until evenly mixed. Spoon into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour until well risen, firm and golden brown.
7. Let cool in the pan for about 10 mins, then carefully turn out onto a serving plate. Serve warm or cold.

The whole cake came out nicely. This time around, I wasnt able to place the cake in my garden for the photo shoot as it was already dark outside cos I started making the cake quite late in the afternoon. The pictures are not that striking, but the taste was absolutely yummeh! It looked beautiful, taste was nice, texture was fluffy. It will make a fun centre piece for afternoon tea and certainly it brings back many wonderful memories..Many people label this cake as a retro cake....

It is lovely, glistening slices of sweet and sticky caramelized pineapple sitting happily on top of a fluffy white butter cake. Nice to be served warm from the oven. Extra delicious to eat with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream!!!

 

 

My Hatching Day!!!

Yup! It's my birthday!. So far, Ive received wonderful wishes from my dear friends and families. Call me self-involved or needy,  but I love happy birthday wishes :) Wishes are all I need now to keep me going strong..So far..what have I achieved at this age of 33? Thank you Allah for giving me such a wonderful, understanding and supportive husband who is always there for me. He never fails to look into the positive side of me.. Having 2 adorable children is the best thing I have in my life. Abang Emran  the apple of my eyes and Suri is the noor of my eyes. Both are the love of my life forever and ever...I feel so blessed to hv such a wonderful father and lovable family whom I can count on at all times. Alhamdulillah, Im happy with what I do, I have and certainly look forward for more brighter future ahead. My best years are still ahead of me...dgn berkat dan iziNya..hidup pasti akan menemui kebahagian. Whats my plan for this birthday? A belated birthday celebration with hubby soon! Thinking of going for a quiet and intimate birthday lunch with him on Tuesday (after im done with the marking) and heading home to see my children! Dearies..Im coming home soon!!! xxxx00000




Wishlist for my 33rd birthday...Amin Yarrabal-Al-Amin... 

1. Umrah ( kalau ada rezeki, teringin utk menjadi tetamu Allah SWT)
2. An expert cake maker :)  ---nak masuk kelas baking very soon! Looking forward to make new friends along the way.
3. A good cake mixer (love those reddish high tech cake mixer often used by Nigella)
4. Beautify my small heaven on earth (my house, of course!)
5. Trying my best to change from the old me to the new me..insyaallah, moga dibukakan hati dan minda untuk berubah ke arah yg lebih baik..
6. Excell in my work..
7. Be a devoted mommy to Emran & Suri
8. Enjoy life to the fullest by indulging myself in simple pleasures of life...
9. I need to watch what I eat! More yoghurt and healthy snacks..enough junkiess!!
10. Another addition to Anuar's clan? Amin...

Ok, dearies..gtg..***love***

Busy Bee.....zzzzzz

Me..with work...sigh!

Assalamualaikum wbt...hoping that all of u are in pink of health dan sentiasa dibawah lembayung Allah SWT, insyaallah. Sorry for not updating my blog with latest recipes..sincere apologies from me. There are some few things I need to get done and let it be out of the way before I can start trying new recipes. It is the end of semester..work is piling up...assignments to be marked, carry marks need to be ready for students' viewing, exams to be invigilated, interviews, outstations...and list would go on and on..Come on Syahreena!!! You're a soccer mom!! Go! Go! Go!

Recently few things happened. I lost a dear friend of mine (warga Fakulti Pendidikan) allahyarham Mohamad Arif. Such a bubly and kind person. Arif would always be the joker in the group whenever we go for working trips. Teringat masa sama2 di Mukah..I bought for him some muffins and cupcakes because I pity him for not able to go out cos a lot of markings need to be done by him as he was exceeding the deadline given. Kenangan bersama arwah akan tetap dikenang dan semoga roh arwah ditempatkan bersama insan2 yg soleh, insyaallah. Beliau dijemput di usia yg sangat muda iaitu 30 years old. Ajal dan maut ditangan Allah. Semoga beliau memperoleh ketenangan disana..farewell my friend...

Now lets go back to where I left in terms of my work..ok last week, I brought the family to Malacca as I had to attend an interview workshop and recently, couple of days ago, just got back from JB interviewing the ASASI TESL students. I had great time interviewing the candidates but from my personal point of view, the parents of these kids were being very demanding. Some of them would just enter the room without salam asking for directions as we were busy interviewing the candidates. I still remember last time when I had to go for an interview, I would tell my mom not to wait for me cos I need to deal this all by myself without any interruptions from my family..kids nowdays are soo different..they will let their parents do the talking....hmmm...macamana nak berdikari kalau mcm ni?

Ok, now Im packing my stuff again, off for matric marking starting tomorrow till next Tuesday at Flamingo Ampang. Surely I will miss my apple & pumpkin pie..Hopefully, daddy will bring them to visit me while I mark the papers at the hotel...

After all of these are done....tak sabar rasanya nak masuk kelas baking. I need to learn some new techniques.puasa pun dah nak dekat...raya nnt tak payah beli kiuh :) Dear friends, I will be updating soon with my latest recipes. Hopefully I can make some nice cookies too. Ive been wanting to come up with an album specially dedicated to kids' food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) Insyaallah, hopefully that can be materialised too....

Thank you for taking some of your precious time dropping by to visit my humble blog..I really appreciate it very much. xx000 Hope to see all of u again in another entry..soon!

New Chef in the House

Memperkenalkan my little kitchen helper..Enna Suri. Kerja tak berapa sgt, tapi becok mengalahkan Chef Wan..Ada je benda nak cakap. I snapped these pictures early in the morning when she played as a host for a  morning tea gathering with her little teddies. According to Suri, she invited mama teddy, baby teddy and daddy teddy for the tea. She served her guests with some homemade goodies :) .. a plastic cake bought at Toys R us :-)

                                        

                                                    

                                      

Carrot Cake with Maple Butter Frosting..

Ok, Im still in the traditional mode. So, what other cakes can be considered as the traditional ones? Tiba-tiba teringat the strong smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground allspice..Aha! Jom kita buat Carrot Cake. This cake is a good, quick and easy to make dessert cake for friends and families. A nice way to end your dinner..Btw, there is a story behind the making of the cake that I want to share with u...After thinking of what cake to make on a beautiful Saturday noon..without much thinking, I went to the mixing of the ingredients. Punyalah bersemangat nak buat sampai lupa nak check whether have I still got some baking parchment left or not. Alhamdulillah, kek naik dgn gebunya tapi disebabkan tak ada baking parchment, masa nak turn over the cake from the tin..berlaku satu accident. The cake which had been rested on the rack for half an hour suddenly jatuh berderai2 when I wanted to turn it over..Punyalah sedih yg amat sangat..Luckily there were some parts yang tak jatuh..So I used those to snap some pictures to share with all of u here..Tu yang frostingnya tak berapa kemas. Well, not too bad for a first timer heh? There's room for improvement. So, kalau nak baking, the first thing to get is the parchment! I will nail it down in my skull..for my next baking session...Oh, one more thing friends, kalau ada yang cuba my recipes, can you share your opinion and the results you get after making the cake? Saja, nak tukar2 pendapat..and still Im in the process of learning too
**hugs**

Here's the recipe for a traditional Carrot Cake....

Ingredients

450gm carrots, peeled and chopped into tiny pieces
175g all-purpose plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of ground cinnamon
4 eggs
 2 tsp vanilla extract
I cup of brown sugar
90g of granulated sugar
300ml of sunflower oil
115g of walnuts, finely chopped
65g raisins
walnut halves for decorating

For the frosting

75g of unsalted butter - room temperature
350g icing sugar
50ml maple syrup

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Choose a rectangular cake tin. with baking parchment and grease it lightly with some melted butter.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, salt and cinnamon into a bowl. Set it aside.
3. With an electric whisk, beat the eggs until well blended. Add the vanilla, sugar and oil; beat to incorporate. Fold in the flour mixture in three batches.Fold in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 mins until springy to the touch. Stand for 10 mins and turn it out from the tin.
5. Make the frosting. Cream the butter with half the sugar until soft. Add the syrup, then beat in the remaining sugar until soft. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake. Using a metal spatula, make decorative ridges in the frosting. Decorate the top with some crushed walnuts if u like...

                                                                  Jom Minum Petang!

Lets go traditional...

This delicious cake is also known as Marbled Cake because of its distinctive appearance. The marbled effect comes from the swirl of plain and chocolate batters. A word of reminder for the ladies..this cake is fattening (rasa secubit dua tak apa..hihihi) cos it uses 10 eggs and a generous portion of butter and not forgetting the addition of semisweet cooking chocolate to the chocolate batter. However, it is still a great cake for feeding a crowd. According to the English way, they normally serve this cake with fresh custard or pouring cream. I like to eat it on its own, especially the minute  it comes out from the oven. I had a jolly good time swirling the two batters together...

****nice to eat while its hot****

Ingredients

115g plain (semisweet) chocolate, broken into squares
350g plain flour (all-purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
450g butter at room temperature (extra for greasing later)
650g sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
10 eggs
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Line the base of the pan with baking parchment. ( acuan sama macam buat kek chiffon)
2. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water. Stir occasionally and set aside.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. In another bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, two at a time, then gradually incorporate the flour mixture on LOW speed (very important to put it on low speed)
4. Spoon half the batter into the prepared tin. Stir the chocolate into the remaining batter, then spoon into the pan. Using a metal spatula, swirl the two batters together to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Usually I will first use 180c for the first 45 mins and gradually decrease the temperature to 150c in the middle and finish off with 100c towards the end. Kalau panas sgt, takut terbakar bahagian atasnya.
6. Insert a metal skewer and if the cake comes out clean, maknanya kek sudah masak. Allow to stand for 15 mins then transfer to a cooling rack. To serve, dust with some icing sugar.

A fruitful day for me. **Happy!**

Yayyy! I managed to produce two cakes today. I made a traditional marbled cake nicely swirled with melting chocolate..and a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. So far so good, both of them looked pretty resting on my little island in the kitchen. the whole house smelled like a homey bakery and it can anytime beat the smell of a potpourri :) Suka bau kek yg sedang dan telah dibakar. Seronok tengok kek yang dalam proses untuk menjadi dan happy bila melihat my kids circling the cake trying to have a taste of it. My kids are not keen eater of sweet things, tapi bila mommy dia sibuk didapur...mulalah masing-masing menyebukkan diri :-) Ok, back to the news of my new baking...so, for today we had a very satisying lazy noon together...makan kek sambil tengok tv...Simply heaven!! Pictures and recipes will be uploaded soon! Time to sleep...zzzz...Good nite! A loong day tomorrow! Working...

                               ****************Every cake is a piece of cake*************

Coconuty and Lemony

I tried something different 2 weeks ago. As I was flipping through my collection of recipe books, this particular recipe caught my attention. It has such a weird combination as the ingredients. Coconut with lemon? I guess the coconuty taste is being balanced with a hint of lime. Without putting much thought into, quickly I dashed to my favourite baking shop, Bagus in Seksyen 13 Shah Alam and bought the needed ingredients. After done with the baking, boiled myself a cup of tea, lazed in front of the tv and had a taste of it. Sedap! The cake is not too sweet.  The fresh taste comes from the lime and the cream cheese works wonderfully to the overall taste of the cake. Selamat mencuba!
Ingredients

225g self-raising flour
225g caster sugar
225g unsalted butter at room temperature
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g dessicated coconut
grated zest of lime
2 tbsp of lime juice

For the icing

100g icing sugar
Grated zest of 1 lime
2 tbsp lime juice
300g cream cheese at room temperature (I like to use Philadelphia cream cheese)
15g dessicated coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Lighty grease the tin and line with baking parchment. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the caster sugar, butter, eggs and mix until well combined. Mix in the coconut, lime zest and lime juice. Spoon the batter into the tin and level the top. Bake for 1 hour or until risen and springy to the touch. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and cool completely on a wire rack. Carefully cut/divide the cake into 3 layers using a sharp knife.
2. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the lime zest and lime juice and cream cheese, and whisk until the mixture starts to thicken. Taste to make sure it is according to your taste. Add some sugar if you like it really sweet) Spread the three layers of the cake, then sandwich them together. Scatter the toasted coconut over the top to decorate.

Memang sedap..You will be transported temporarily to heaven when enjoying this cake...heheheh...

Orange and Lemon Cupcakes

Cupcakes are lovely to look at and delicious to be served to anyone at anytime of the day. I love making it because it uses very minimal ingredients and most of it can be found hidden in your own little cupboard. Just search whatever that you can find, throw them into the batter, place it nicely in the oven and after about 20-25 minutes..you will get yourself a warm and fluffy cupcakes. For this particular dainty and pretty cuppies, Ive used grated zest and juice of an orange and some grated lemon zest too for a fresh taste. These angels would be an ideal for a girly tea party ( hmm, I may do some for Suri's coming birthday in October) or a children's birthday party. Not only children will love the fresh taste and colourful look of it, Im sure the adults  would be thrilled too!! Now..let us go to the ingredients...happy baking peeps!!!

Ingredients

200g  unsalted butter, room temperature
200g caster sugar
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange (worth to get a really fat and juicy one)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
sugar sprinklers, to decorate

For the icing

50 g unsalted butter (always use SCS or Golden Churn)
125 g icing sugar
juice of 1 lemon
few drops of natural yellow food colouring (optional)
few drops of natural orange food colouring (optional)

Lets get to the messy business...

1. Preheat the oven...always preheat it in advance, so that it will be at the right temperature when you put the cuppies in...
2. Place the butter, sugar, eggs flour, orange and lemon zest in a bowl and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the orange juice, a little at a time, until the mixture is of a dropping consistency.
3. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 25-30 mins until lightly golden brown, risen and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
4. To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together in another bowl, then strir in the leomn juice. If using colouring, put few dots into the mixture until you have the desired colour..
5. Use piping bag with the right nozzle of your choice (depending on the shape and size you wish to have)
and decorate with sugar sprinkler. If your little angel wants to help..this is the fun time getting them to sprinkle these beauties on top of each cake.
6. Serve them with a nice gentle smile of yours. The smile will surely add to the magical taste of it!!

I gave some of the cuppies to my neighbour on the day I made them. Rezeki jiran tetangga :-) Semoga murah rezeki saya..insyallah. So, what are you waiting for? Birthdays coming up? Selamat bercupcakes!! Forgot to mention earlier, these angels can be stored in an airtight container for several days.. Easy, economical and delicious too!!

Vanilla Cheesecake

This recipe is dedicated to the cream cheese lovers..This rich yet light cheesecake is guaranteed to be the centre of attention and an attention grabber I should say :) Selamat mencuba!!

Ingredients
60g unsalted butter (SCS or Golden Churn)
225g digestive biscuits (finely crushed)
1 tbsp brown sugar
675g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (yes Ladies..we need to be on threadmill at least 4 hrs after consuming this :-)
4 eggs (separated)
200g caster sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
500ml soured cream
kiwi fruit slices and some strawberries to garnish

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Lightly grease or line the base of the tin with baking parchment. If u have a pie dish, its better. Easier for you to lift up the cheesecake once its done

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add the biscuit crumbs and brown sugar and stir until blended. Press the crumbs firmly over the base of the tin.

3. Combine the cream cheese, egg yolks, 150g caster sugar and the vanilla in a bowl and beat until blended. In a separate clean, dry glass or metal bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pur the mixture into the tin and smooth the top.

4. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 45 mins. Remove the tin from the oven and leave it to stand for 10 mins or until it sinks back into the tin.

5. Meanwhile, combine the soured cream and remaining sugar in a bowl and beat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour on top of the cheesecake and smooth the surface. Increase the oven tempretaure to 240c, return the cheesecake to the oven and continue baking for a further 5 mins. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill for at least 6 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with slices of kiwi fruit, strawberries and dust it with some icing sugar for a more angelic look...

Insyaallah, I will try to make mini cheesecakes individually wrapped in its own muffin case. That will be my next project. Meanwhile, dont forget to try this one before moving on to the individual cheesecake :)

***Victoria Sponge Cake***

This English classic is my all time favourite. Bila rasa nak makan kek ni, I would go to Tea Pot Deli at SACC Mall. Now, nampak gayanya...there's no reason for me to spend couple of bucks just to get a slice of it. Just buy the ingredients..and make my own cake at the comfort of my home :) Here, Im sharing with you the recipe of the cake. Cuba tau jgn tak cuba...its worth the effort! You can never go wrong with this simple cake! Its always a hit...

Ingredients
175g unsalted butter (I make a point to use good range of butter such as SCS or Golden Churn)
175g  caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175g self-raising flour
6-8 tbsp raspberry jam (again, I will use a good brand, if not the jam will be too runny and watery)
150ml double cream
icing sugar, to dust
Secret ingredient: Buttermilk (this will make the cake very soft and fluffy..gebu) just put about 3 tbsp

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190c. Lightly grease and line the bottom of the tins with baking parcment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon (I use electric hand whisk) until pale and fluffy. It is important to beat it well at this stage to incorporate as much air as possible which helps prevent the egg from curdling.
3. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture begins to curdle, beat in 1-2 tbsp of the flour. Sift the flour, and fold into the egg mixture using a large metal spoon or spatula. Add in 2-3 tbsp of buutermilk and fold it in gently.
4. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared tins, and spread evenly to level the tops. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pale golden and springy to the touch. Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 mins, before turning it to a wire track. Peel off the baking parchment and allow it to cool completely.
5. When the cakes are cool, place one upside down on a serving plate, and spread with the respberry jam. Lightly whip the cream, until just holding its shape and spread over the jam. Top with the remaining cake and dust lightly with icing sugar before serving.

Walla!!!! Enjoy your cake freshly made from your wonderful kitchen....

***Whats in store?***

Alhamdulillah, I get good response from friends wanting to know the recipes of the cakes I posted in FB. Insyaallah, I will try to post the recipes which I have tried and tasted. So far so good..I get positive results after each baking. I may be bias, but I always prefer to get English recipe books..from my point of view, their recipes can be count on and easier to follow. There's one thing Ive been meaning to do..that is to enrol in a baking class. I need to improvise my baking techniques and work on my skills on cake decoration. Kalau ada rezeki, maybe I will be joining Bagus baking class in seksyen 13 Shah Alam. Apart from baking, teringin jugak nak belajar buat roti. It woud be splendid if I can bake my own breads and wake up to the fresh aroma of it...ahhh! Heaven! It is healthy too, as you can throw in any nutritious ingredients in it. So what's in store for this weekend? Red velvet cake and cupcakes. Tried once tapi tak menjadi. We'll see, if its ok..definitely will put it up for viewing and sharing :-) xxooo

***My naughty little helper***

**Cheeky face to keep me company in the kitchen**

**Suri, noor of my life**

A warm welcoming..

I cant believe to the fact that I have a blog now..I used to be a sceptical person when it comes to blogging. From my personal point of view, blog is for people who want to share their doings with the public..As for me, I rather keep certain things privately to myself and my family. Lately, there is a sudden urge in me to share what I have. Looking at tones of recipes I have..why not I share it with others? Yes! I can use my recipes which have been tried and tested :) Different people have different perceptions when it comes to cooking. I see cooking  from different angle. I treat it as an activity which rejuvenates my soul and inner feelings. I feel satisfied looking at the end result (itu pun kalau menjadi la masakan saya..) and absolutely love having people around and enjoy my cooking. I guess the ability to cook comes naturally as I used to stay on my own most of the time during my study years in UK and also the fact that my beloved mama is no longer here with us, has motivated me to master in cooking. One thing for sure, mom has left a very valuable piece of writing behind which is her self-written recipe book. Thank you mom..thank you for guiding me still up to this moment..(semoga roh arwah dicucuri rahmat, insyaallah..) I hope this opening serves as an introduction to my domestic world of cooking. Thanks for reading peeps! Mwahh!