Strawberry Pancakes

 

Do you like pancakes? I bet if you asked youngsters that question today, everyone will agree with you.  

Pancakes are very popular in Indonesia now, as restaurant serving Pancakes widely open around the city. Either being part of the mall, or having their own building.  

Such examples are Pancious Pancake, Pancake Parlour, and Mr. Pancake. Those are the most popular Pancake restaurant in Jakarta based on detikfood's review. Though detikfood chose Pancious as its favorite, mine still goes to Mr. Pancake, especially in Setiabudi 1 building.  It's cozy and noise-free environment, good hospitality, and taste, especially it's Pancake topping, made me always chose it when I had a meet up with my ex colleagues. 

Anyhow, It's been a while since I've tasted how pancake melt in my mouth, and I missed it so much, that I'd like to try a recipe which texture and taste gets any closer with my favorite pancake. 

So I browsed some of the Pancake recipes, and I found out that to make your Pancake moist and fluffy, you need to add some buttermilk, milk only, or vegetable oil. 

For today, I chose to use recipe from allrecipes which use vegetable oil in it, but after having read the review, I then decided to use melted butter. 

Ingredients :

- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Strawberry Sauce :
- Take 3 tablespoons of strawberry jam, and dissolve it in 2 tablespoon of warm water. 

Directions :

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in milk, egg and melted butter. Mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

3. Pour strawberry sauce and icing sugar on top of it, yummmy

Water Roux Donut

When I made donut ala cafe before, I actually feel dissatisfied by its texture and taste, since it was too oily, empty and the taste was not too strong. 

So when I did a blogwalking in Mbak Hesti's blog for molten lava cake recipe, I remembered about this water roux donut recipe which I have bookmarked long time ago, but never tried, yet. 

Since today was the last day of Indonesian's long weekend after easter's holiday and ayah is in the house, I got lots of time to make one, and find some references to seek for the perfect glaze. My choice goes to chocolate nut glaze. 

Ingredients 

For the donut :

- 300 gr bread flour
- 300 gr all purpose flour
- 120 gr granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp skim milk
- 1 egg + 1 yolk
- 10 gr dry yeast (I use fermipan)
- 170 - 200 ml warm mineral water
- 75 gr margarine
- 1 tsp salt

Water Roux :

- 10% of bread flour from above recipe

- Mineral water 5 times from the bread flour

Exampe : 10% of 300 gr bread flour = 30 gram, so the mineral water should be   150 ml

For the glaze :

- 50 ml UHT milk

- 250 gr dark cooking chocolate

- Almond for topping

Directions :

Water Roux : 

1. Whisk together the 30 g flour with the 150 ml of water in a small saucepan.
2. Heat mixture over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until it thickens enough that your stirring leaves 'lines' or 'trails' on the surface, and then remove from heat immediately and scrape into a small bowl.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying on the surface and cool to room temperature.

Dough :

1. Put all dry ingredients, except butter and salt, and add cooled water roux in mixer bowl, mix it well, then add eggs and warm water. 
2. Mix all ingredients just come together, then add butter and salt. 
3. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic and will form a windowpane when stretched.
4. Proof dough, covered, until it doubles.
5. Deflate dough and weigh to 30-40 grams each portions. Roll out each portion into a round shape.
6. Cover and rest for another 30 minutes to allow it to rise. 

7. Use a donut cutter to get a donut shape from each dough round shape. 

8. Use a flat spatula to move the cut out donuts to a floured baking sheet.

6. Bring donuts into the hot oil, and fry donut under low heat, until the color turn brownish, Insert a chopstick into the hole, then flip over.  Fry for another 30-45 seconds, then remove to a rack to cool. 

7. When done – and cool enough to handle without burning your fingers, dip in each donut halfway into the glaze to coat.

8. Flip over, then set on a clean rack – allow the glaze to set. 

Chocolate Glaze :

1. Bring milk to boil under low heat, then add chopped dark cooking chocolate until milk and chocolate mix and melt

Molten Lava Cake

One thing you need after a series of sleepless nite and hospitalization thing, is of course a chocolaty dessert for balancing your meals. 

Why oh why, my brain keep thinking about this dessert, which made me drooling after blogwalking and finding inspiration for a food styling. This dessert called : Molten Lava Cake. 

I used to eat this dessert in the weddings, malls, or hotels. Never once I had in mind, to try out a recipe for this. Do you wonder why? I was afraid to fail. LOL. 

It happened, though. This is not my first time making it, but the first time succeed, after trying twice. The first was last week. The second is today. Yippie..finally. Though it's not 100% succeed, but at least I still got the lava came out. The first was overbaked. Yeah rite. Waste of time. Huhuhu. 

Anyway, this recipe came from Mbak Hesti's Kitchen blog, because I thought that was the easiest recipe I could follow. 

The original name from her blog was fondant, which she got from bbcgoodfood's Gordon Ramsay. 

Ingredients 

50g melted butter, for brushing

cocoa powder, for dusting

200g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

200g butter, in small pieces

200g golden caster sugar

4 eggs and 4 yolks

200g plain flour

Caramel sauce (see 'Goes well with') and vanilla ice cream or orange sorbet, to serve

Directions :

1. First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with 1 the next mould.
2. Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.
3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.
4. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.
5. Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.
6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.
7. Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.
8. Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce – do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.
9. Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a ‘quenelle’ of ice cream.
10. Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.

Trust me. If have a bad day or not-so-well-planned day, take a spoon of it, and you'll be amazed by the happy feeling inside that comes so fast! At least for a while, though. Hahaha

Ontbijkoek

My handphone has been 'sick' for about 4 days, and I was surprised to found out, I am actually okay without it. LOL

So the days I didn't get to be able to type or browse, what I did was exploring more about a cake, a dutch cake, which my mom was asked to make, once, and it happened that my hubby's friend also asked if I could make it. 

This cake is called Ontbijkoek. The dutch usually eat it during breakfast, as ontbijkoek literally means breakfast cake. 

The dutch usually serve it with a thick butter layer on top, as a replacement for bread. 

Here, in Indonesia, youngsters are very unfamiliar with the cake. The elder are the ones who usually know it, and really know how it tastes, as our country once were civilized by the dutch for 3.5 years. 

What I made, is an Indonesian ontbijkoek modifications, which usually made with sponge cake method. 

Again, I got the recipe from Mbak Ricke's blog, my all time favorite blogger. 

Ingredients

5 eggs 

1 teaspoon cake emulsifier

100 gram brown sugar/ palm sugar

50 gram granulated sugar

100 gram all purpose flour

25 gram corn flour

20 gram skim milk

2 teaspoon spekoek powder

75 gram of melted margarine/ butter

Almond slice for topping

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 175C.
2. Line a loaf tin.
3. Beat in the eggs, granulated sugar, palm sugar, cake emulsifier in bowl with a low speed mixer until well combined. 
4. In a separate bowl, sift all purpose flour, spekoek powder, corn flour, and skim milk. 
5. Combine the sifted ingredients and eggs mixture, and fold in using a spatula. 
6. Add melted margarine/ butter until no margarine/butter left in the bottom of the bowl. 
7. Pour in the prepared loaf tin and place in the preheated oven.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then take it out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. 

If you want to experience a dutch breakfast long time ago, enjoy a slice of it in the early morning with a cup of hot tea. Yummm...

Devil Food Cake

I've never thought photography would be so hard, yet fun, to learn. I forgot exactly when I started doing basic photography. But my hubby brought me into it. And of course, with a very busy routines I had when I was still working, and babies delivery, I haven't got the chance to really explore it. 

When I started blogging, I am pushed to learn more about food photography. But really was the basic one. Blogs, articles, youtubes, craftsy, and sharing with others, are my main references in learning about it. 

About a month ago, I joined an instagram account called @uploadkompakan. It is a really good slot for any photography lovers. #52weeksfoodphotographyproject is also a good place to learn more about photography, since people will give inputs and critics about your pictures. 

I am really into it now, and developing myself more about photography. 

Anyway, in uploadkompakan, we also have a group based on where you live, and every week there will be a photo challenge for its members. Lucky me, this week's theme is CAKE, and I still have lots of chocolate bars and powders!  

When it comes to chocolate, my choice would've never been missed to something like Devil Food Cake, cake with a very strong chocolate taste. It is very chocolaty devilish (is that even a word? LOL)

I've tried so many Devil Food Cake recipes and frosting. It never gave my tongue a yummy and melting experience, expect this one, a Martha Stewart recipe. A classic one, yet so yummy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pans

3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans

1/2 cup boiling water

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange two racks in center of oven. Butter three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans; line bottoms with parchment. Dust bottoms and sides of pans with cocoa powder; tap out any excess. Sift cocoa into a medium bowl, and whisk in boiling water. Set aside to cool.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on low speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down sides twice. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating between each addition until the batter is no longer slick, scraping down the sides twice. 

4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk milk into reserved cocoa mixture. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and cocoa mixtures to the batter, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with flour mixture.

5. Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of each layer comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans for even baking. Transfer layers to wire racks; let cool, 15 minutes. Turn out cakes, and return to racks, tops up, until completely cool.

6. Remove parchment from bottoms of cakes. Reserve the prettiest layer for the top. Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate ganache over the top. Add the second cake layer, and spread with another 1 1/2 cups ganache. Top with third cake layer. Cover cake with the rest of ganache. 

7. Serve.

Ganache

500 gr chopped dark cooking chocolate

200 gr whipped cream powder (I use wippy haan)

400 ml mineral water

100 gr butter, chopped

1. Dissolve whipped cream powder with mineral water in a sauce pan, stir well. 

2. Under low heat, bring saucepan to boil, and add dark cooking chocolate. Stir well until all chocolate melt and mixed well with cream. 

3. Add butter, stir well, remove from heat before it gets boiled.