Green Tea Mousse Cake

I am brushing up my baking skill currently in preparation for the girls' birthday in 1.5 months time. Have not decided what cake to bake for them though, just picking a recipe in random. The cake that caught my attention this time is the Green Tea Mousse cake.  The recipe is from the book '100 Desserts' by Winnie.



Cocoa Sponge Cake

2    eggs (room temperature)
60g  sugar
1/3  tsp  baking powder
1 1/2  tbsps  cocoa powder
1  tbsp corn starch
2  tbsps melted butter


Method :

1) Sift flour, corn starch, cocoa and baking powder together.
2) Beat eggs and sugar till thick.
3) Fold in the sifted dry ingredients. Mix well.
4) Add in the melted butter.  Stir well.
5) Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 20 minutes.


Green Tea Mousse

10g  green tea powder
2 tsps corn starch
2  egg yolks
1  cup milk
100g  sugar
3tsps  gelatin powder
1 cup whipping cream

Method :
1) Mix green tea powder and corn starch. Add egg yold, sugar and gelatin powder. Mix again.
2) Bring to boil and strain the mixture.  Leave to cool.
3) Beat whipping cream till stiff.  Stir into custard from step 2.


Chocolate Ganache

80g  dark chocolate
1/2  cup whipping cream
red beans, cooked in water till soft

Method :

1) Bring whipping cream to boil in a pot.
2) Finely chop the chocolate.  Pour the boiled whipping cream into the chocolate. Stir till chocolate dissolves and mixture well blended.
3) Leave to cool and beat till fluffy and thick.

Assembly

1) Slice the cocoa sponge into two layers horizontally.
2) Place one sheet of sponge into the cake tin.  Pour ganache over the sponge.  Top with another sheet of sponge. 
3) Arrange red beans on top. 
4) Pour green tea mousse over the red bean and sponge cake. Refrigerate till set.
5) To garnish, sprinkle green tea powder over the cake.  Add a piece of chocolate.

The preparation of the cake took a long time.  Definitely not for one pressing for time.  Am quite pleased with the outcome although the presentation needs lots of improvement.  The combination of chocolate, red bean and green tea is delightful, especially for a green tea lover like me. 

High Fibre Cookies

I think the most common dilemma of parents nowadays is how to get their little ones to take in more fibre.  My girls for one, do not like the greens although they will eventually eat them, after lots of coaxing, that is.  So when I stumbled upon a recipe for high fibre cookies, I did not hesitate in trying it out.  The girls sure like cookies.  Incorporating fibre into cookies seem to be a brilliant idea. 

The recipe is adapted from the book ‘100 Desserts’ by Winnie.

Ingredients :

150g      unsalted butter (room temperature)

4tbsps   brown sugar

2tbsps   castor sugar

1            egg  (room temperature)

240g      flour

50g        wholemeal wheat flour

1 ½ tsps vanilla essence

2tbsps   pumpkin seeds

2tbsps   flaxseed

2tbsps   toasted sesame seeds

4tbsps  chopped walnut

Method :

1)      Beat butter, brown sugar and castor sugar till creamy.  Add in the egg and vanilla essence.  Mix well.

2)      Add flour and wholemeal wheat flour.  Mix well.  Knead  into dough.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients.

3)    Shape into rounds of 0.5cm thick.

4)      Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 18 minutes.

5)      Leave cool on a rack and serve. 

The cookies has a nice nutty taste due to the walnut.      The girls like it and I am glad that I have somehow found a wat to introduce more fibre in their diet.

DIY Sugar Scrub

While whipping the shea butter cream the other day, my mother in law (MIL) commented that cosmetics are very expensive these days. She mentioned in particular, body scrub. Since she brought it up, I thought that I might as well diy one for her.

The simplest diy scrub I can think of is the sugar scrub.  Ingredients needed are :

Brown sugar

Castor sugar

Olive oil

Grapeseed oil

Method :

Mix the sugars together.  Add in the olive oil and grapeseed oil alternately, a little at a time while mixing with the sugars.  The amount of oil needed depends on the consistency of the scrub that you desire.  I prefer mine to be just slightly 'wet'.

The scrub can be used right away.  It should be used on dried skin as water will dissolve the sugar.  The oil in the scrub will leave a lovely, soft feeling to the skin. Enjoy!

Cheesy Bun

The girls love it when I bake.  Not sure whether they like to watch me working or like to eat whatever it is that I am making, it s a delight to see their hopeful looks and enthusiasms.  Since I am at home today nursing a bad viral infection, I thought that I might as well try on a new recipe rather than lying down all the time.  All the sleeping is giving me more headache than the virus.

This is another recipe given by my sis.  She loves this very much and claimed that this will make me cry if the pumpkin bread that she shared with me earlier didn't.  So here's the recipe :


Ingredients :

300g      Bread flour
30g        Sugar
1/2tsp    Salt
3/4tsp    Yeast
198g      Milk
20g        Butter


Method :

1) Mix all ingredients except butter and knead till well mixed.
2) Add in butter and knead till the dough is plastiky and does not stick to your hands.
3) Let proof for 1 hour.
4) After proofing, divide the dough into 9 portions.
5) Shape into rounds and let proof for another 30 minutes.
6) Egg brush and sprinkle some cheese on top.
7) Baked in preheated oven (180 deg C) for 20 - 25 minutes.

Couldn't resist taking a bite when it was still steaming hot.  I would say it is heavenly and I like it better than the pumpkin bread.  But still, it didn't make me cry.

DIY Liquid Breast Milk Soap

Following the success in breast milk soap making, I decided to try my hand on making liquid breast milk (bm) soap instead.  I personally prefer liquid soap as it is more convenient.  Plus, I don't fancy the slimy bar of soap, especially when the bar is finishing. 

The liquid bm soap that I made comprised of palm olein, olive oil, breast milk and dashes of lavender essential oil.  The liquid bm soap is made using the hot process.  It is a tedious process and I felt like my arm was at the point of breaking from all the stirring as I do not have an electric blender.   The whole process took more than 4 hours.

Once the soap base is done, I diluted part of it with water.  The first dilution was too watery while the second batch was just right.  Althought it can be used right away as the saponification process would have been completed during the hot process, nevertheless, I feel it is better to be safe and let it cure for 4 weeks before using.    The liquid soap is foamy from the shaking and handling during the dilution.  It will settle and the liquid soap will become transparent in a few days time.

Liquid breast milk soap making service is available. Please enquire within at ngmh@yahoo.com

DIY Playdoh

Since attended the nursery, the girls always come home with lots of toys and pencils, courtesy of other parents and the suppliers for the nursery.  They came home one day with playdoh.  I have not thought of getting them any playdoh for fear of them consuming it.  A lot of caution was practiced when the girls played with the playdoh that they brought home.

The girls love to play with the playdoh and came out with lots of 'unique' creations.  Kids will always be kids. The playdoh were lost and gone in very short time.   Although they love it so much, I have no intention in buying something that will not survive even a week.  Thus, I made the playdoh on my own.


Ingredients :

1 cup   plain flour
1/2 cup  water
1/4 cup  salt
3 tsp  vinegar
2 tbsp  cooking oil
edible colorings


Method :

1) Mix the flour and salt in a pot.  Add in water.
2) Heat the mixture while stirring.
3) Add in vinegar and cooking oil.
4) Stir and cook till a pliable dough is obtained and let cooled.
5) Once the dough is cooled, add in few drops of colorings and knead till well blended.

Store in airtight container when not using and it should be able to keep for a few weeks.


Some recipe for playdoh calls for the use of cream of tartar instead of vinegar.  However, there is some concerns about commercial cream of tartar containing aluminium.  Thus, I used vinegar in place of the cream of tartar.  This however, leave a hint of vinegar scent to the playdoh.  It is not unpleasant though.


The girls love the playdoh that I made.  So glad that I have found a way to save again.  Plus, I have the peace in mind knowing that the playdoh is perfectly safe if consumed accidentally.

Party Dress for the Twins

Weeks ago, I stumbled upon a stall that sells pretty clothes for kids.  The designs were very nice and workmanship was good too.  The price tags, of course, were nothort.  Each piece of clothing costs at least RM80++. 

There was one design that I particularly like. Thus, I decided to sew it on my own, just for the fun of it.  Not that my girls have any party to attend.

Bought one meter of india satin which cost RM16.90 per meter.  I particularly like the blue although the original dress that I saw was grey in color.  The cloth is shiny and smooth to touch.  Used the satin cloth for the bottom while the top is made of organza. 

I would say the completed dress is lovelier than I anticipated although it is no where near the pretty original that I saw.  I know now that I am capable of sewing party dresses for my girls.   This will save us a lot of money in the long run...