Mid-Autumn Festival

HAPPY MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL!!!

Is everyone as excited as me to have 7th month to go away as fast as possible so that we can welcome lunar 8th month to come by?

.

Don't you guys are as excited as me to eat MOONCAKE on this special month?

Only once a year~! 

Seeing all the pretty mooncakes on the shelves of famous hotel and all the pretty pictures of mooncake all over the net made me really happy indeed~

hahaha~ what a glutton me >.<"

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But most importantly, I have a yearly "event" (made it sound grand)  held in my house~! 

A little gathering with my best friends at my house to make mooncake~

To be honest, though the making of mooncake is a yearly event in my house, we haven't really succeeded throughout all these 2 years. Either the skin of the mooncake crack or the shape turns out really ugly.

Although the happiness of the get around is the most important part, the thought of the failure mooncake is such an disappointment. -.-Zzzzz

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This year which is the 3rd year ,i decided to do a research on how to make mooncake~!!

Need to STOP the failure!

It took me a real long time researching all over the net, watching youtube videos etc.

And it really succeeded! I am really glad that the hard work isn't wasted after all!

HEHE! Hearing all the praises around my friends and families made me really happy!

HAHAHA!!

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Gonna share the recipe with YOU!

So that u can make mooncake too~

It's shown at the bottom of this post~

^.^

don't you feel this pig is so adorable staring at you? ^.^

 HEHEHE~ my cute turtle mooncake~

 i think this two piggy look like couple~

hahahaha!

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I  will be putting up the best recipe that i search from all over the net~

So it is a TRIED and TESTED recipe~

So u guys can really try out this recipe and tell me the results okay?

Hope it will be as successful as mine~!

I tried making pig mooncake and my newly invented Turtle mooncake~

HAHAHAH!

I guess no one will ever thought of making Turtle mooncake~

LOL! just the fun of it as I have a pet terrapin ~! 

^.^

Traditional Mooncakes Recipe

(adapted from Happy Home Baking but i made a little modification)

Ingredients:

(makes 12~13 mini mooncakes)

for dough:

100g plain flour ( I used Hong Kong Flour)

70g golden syrup (I used Abram Lyle's Golden Syrup)

2ml alkaline water

25ml peanut oil (I replaced with sunflower oil)

for filling:

415g lotus paste/red bean paste/green tea lotus paste

40g melon seeds 

For the egg wash:

1 yolk + 1 tsp of water lightly beaten and strain

Method:

1. Mix lotus paste with melon seeds. Divide the filling into 35g portions and shape into balls. Set aside. (Note: I used a dough: filling ratio of 3:7, for 50g mooncake mould)
2. Place golden syrup in a bowl. Add in alkaline water, stir to combine. Add in oil, mix well.
3. Place plain flour in a mixing bowl,make a well in the centre. Add in the above mixture. Mix with a spatula to form a soft dough. Gently knead the dough till smooth (takes 1~2 mins). Shape it into a smooth round dough. Wrap with cling wrap and leave in fridge to rest for at least 2 hours or over night ( I leave it in the fridge overnight) . This step is known as 醒面.
4. Dust work surface with some flour. Give the dough a few light kneading to smooth it.
5. Divide dough into 15g pieces. Shape each dough into a ball. Roll each dough over some flour. Dust hand with flour and flatten each dough into a small disc (about 5cm in diameter). Wrap it around the filling and shape it into a ball. (always dust hand with some flour to avoid the dough from sticking).
6. Lightly dust the wrapped dough with some flour. Place it in the mooncake mould (plastic mould is better for beginner than wooden mould )and press the mooncake out. Place mooncake on a baking tray line with parchment paper.
7. Spray some water on the mooncakes. (Note: this helps to prevent the mooncake from cracking during baking.)
8. Bake at preheated oven at 180degC for 10mins. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 15mins (do not skip this step).
9. Brush the top with some egg wash. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 15mins until golden brown (since all oven works differently, do check after 10mins, and subsequently every other 2 mins to make sure the mooncakes are not over browned).
10. Leave mooncake to cool completely and store in air tight containers. Wait for 2 ~ 3 days for the mooncakes to 回油 (for the skin to soften) before serving.

**DO take note of the points highlighted in RED~!**

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Follow the recipe above and u can make different shape to the dough and fillings u have created~!

Time to show your creativity instead of the boring square/ circle shape mooncake~!

Make ANIMALS Mooncake~

I LOVE IT! :)

Steps of pig mooncake recipe adapted from Anncoojournal

There is a video made to show u how to make the pig moocake~! 

Do take a look at her webpage! It is amazing~!

And of course steps on how to make a turtle mooncake!

heheheh! this is so easy to make!

DO try them~

Hope this year Mid-Autumn Festival will be a fun day for you and your family to get together to eat some mooncake, drink some tea under the BIG round moon ~

And DO try making the cute mooncake~ It's so fun~
HEHE~

XOXO,

Munchmunch~

<3

Cinnamon Bread Recipe

Cinnamon Bread

Our virgin Bread-Making session♥~

how great and fascinating to see our dear live organisms (yeast)

growing inside our little bread babies :)

Seeing it grows every seconds till it is BIG enough to put inside the oven to bake 

makes us feel really excited~

Growing BIG~ READY FOR BAKING! :D

HEHEHE!

It's a suceed though it's our first try~

How amazing it looks~

Don't you feel they look so pretty~?

All the cinnamon twirling in between the bread~

YUMYUM!

Want to have a bite too?

heee^.^

Cinnamon Bread Recipe

(recipe adapted from: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/homemade-cinnamon-bread/)
-a really great blog to follow along with pictures^.^ thank you for sharing~

Prep Time: 4 Hours  |  Cook Time: 40 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don't boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine flour and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.

Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.

Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it's warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.

Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you're going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.

Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.

Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.

♥ baking with muimui~

XOXO,

munchmunch~

Chocolate Banana "Bread" Recipe

Chocolate Banana "Bread"

I love Chocolate, I love Banana. 

Imagine the combination between both, 

I know i am gonna love this "bread" with all the rich chocolate and the taste of bananas~

if u are wondering why am i putting it as "bread" instead of just bread, 

i think u will know why later~*wink*

 I mixed everything just as what the recipe stated~

Feeling really excited about how this "bread" will turns out ^.^

I even decorated it with slices of bananas~

wee~ so pretty!

 VIOLA~

The "bread" was done~

it stated 55min-65min

but it turns out to be 10mins earlier~

45min and this "bread" is done!~

notice how the picture of the "bread" looks like?

Don't you think it looks so so much like a CAKE?

it even taste so much like a cake!

Maybe.., a really dense Bread?

but the taste and everything is really nice~

All the rich chocolaty taste with a tinge of bananas in between~

YUMMY!

though it doesn't taste or look like a bread, it is a really nice recipe for a chocolate banana cake:)

Chocolate Banana Bread

(recipe adapted from: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/10/chocolate-banana-bread-recipe.html )

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (i use Hershey brand)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled ( 1 stick=113g of butter)
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed well
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (vanilla essence works too~)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips  (i use Hershey brand)

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Carefully fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan (i only lined it with baking paper). Bake at 350 degrees (which is 177°C) for 55 to 65 minutes ( Mine took only 45 mins) until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and wrap in plastic wrap and foil or in a ziplop bag. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Adapted from Joy of Baking

hope there will be more baking coming on~ <3 baking with muimui~!

XOXO, 
munchmunch~

Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins

MUFFINS~

don't you ever love to eat muffins accompanied with a cup of tea?

I LOVE IT~

with the combination of chocolate and banana, I'm in heaven~

ohhhlala~

I even put the mix into a hello kitty mould and it becomes a...

HELLO KITTY MUFFIN~

awwwww~

so cute don't u think so?

Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Yield: 12 standard muffin cups

Wet Ingredients:
3 overripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter

Dry Ingredients:    (shift all dry ingredient)
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
A pinch of salt
Desired amount of Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Mix dry and wet ingredients separately.
3. Combine the dry to the wet ingredients. Do not over-mix.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. (Save some chocolate chips for decoration)
5. Divide the batter into 12 standard muffin cups.
6. Decorate muffins with chocolate chips to your desired pattern. 
7. Put them into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.