Moist Carrot Cake

(adapted from SmittenKitchen)

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp powdered cinnamon

a pinch of powdered nutmeg

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cups corn oil (or u can use any cooking oil u hv at home)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 1 medium sized carrot)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup canned pineapple, chopped and drained

Methods

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in your favourite bowl. Mix well. 
Using a hand mixer, blend sugar and oil in another bowl until well blended.
Whisk in eggs 1 at a time.
Add flour mixture all at once, stir (or fold) until blended.
Stir in carrots, raisins and pineapple chunks.

That's it! :) 

I used an 8-inch tin. For my oven, I baked at 160C for 55 minutes. After about 30 minutes in the oven, I covered the top of the baking tin loosely with aluminum foil to prevent the cake from being too 'tan'.. hehe

Top with cream cheese topping. YUM!

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup flour (tepung gandum biasa)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter
8oz light brown sugar (equals to 1 1/2cup)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (i didn't use this)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened butter (room temp) in another large bowl until butter disappears.
(I used a wooden spoon)
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg (using the same wooden spoon).
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well. (also using spoon)
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined. (also using spoon)
Bake in a 13/9 inch pan at 170C for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Make sure you don’t over bake. ( i baked exactly 30 mins at 165C)

Hershey's Best Brownies

http://www.recipezaar.com/

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (I used 1 block 250g buttercup) - melt in microwave

• 2 cups sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 cup plain flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

First mix all the dry ingredients including the sugar. Mix so the cocoa is well incorporated. Then add the melted butter, lightly mix just a few times. Then add all the eggs and vanilla all at once, mix a few times. Do not over mix! (if u overmix, u'll get cakey brownies). Bake. (I baked mine at 160C for 25 mins).

Red Velvet cake

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp red colouring
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter (about 50g)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk (I used 1/2 cup low fat milk plus a few drops vinegar)
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream cheese frosting
125g cream cheese
50g unsalted butter ( I used SCS salted)
110g icing sugar (mine, 1/2 cup)
1 cup fresh cream, whipped until stiff


Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

2. In one container, sieve flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a small container, combine cocoa powder and red coloring and stir well until form a paste. It's ok to add a little water in case it's too sticky.
3. Using a mixer, beat butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, beat until blended. Add vanilla extract and cocoa powder mixture, beat until well blended.
(I think it is ok to add cocoa powder and red coloring separately without mixing them beforehand)

4. Add in sifted flour and buttermilk alternately. Beginning and ending with flour. (F-M-F-M-F)

5. In a small bowl, combine vinegar and baking soda and add it to ur batter. Stir well with a spatula. Pour into a 6" baking pan and bake it for 50mins or until cooked.

6. Let cool on wire rack.

7. Once cool, slice cake into two and spread cream cheese filling.. top it with the rest of ur cream cheese too... chill for a few hrs.. slice and enjoy!
*** note the recipe is halved from the Mystery Cake recipe, so it uses 6 inch tin. I used 8 inch tin (coz i dont have 6 inch! ouch!) the cake definitely will look good standing taller :)


Cream Cheese frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese with butter until soft.

2. Turn mixer to low speed, add powdered sugar a little at a time. Whisk until well blended.

3. Add whipped cream, stir through with a spatula.


got the recipe from here:http://adorablecupcakes.blogspot.com/2011/01/cake-that-stops-traffic

Red Mystery Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ounces red food coloring  (this got me off!!)
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar together thoroughly. Add eggs and beat well. Make a thin paste of the food coloring and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture.

Sift flour and salt together and add to batter alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla.

Combine soda and vinegar and mix into batter immediately at low speed. Pour at once into two greased and waxed paper lined 9-inch layer cake tins.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Let cool and then remove from pans. Fill and frost with cream cheese icing.

Recipe from: http://www.barrypopik.com/

I tried the one from Rima's and I must say... hmmm.. this one's a keeper!!!
I've tried a few recipes out there but this one really got me hooked!

Devil's Food Chocolate Cake

 1 cup all purpose flour (tepung gandum biasa)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
65 gram butter ( i didnt even measure, agak2 je..)
1 large egg - size A (i used 2eggs,  size C)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk (homemade: 1/4 cup milk added with a few drops of distilled vinegar (cuka biasa), leave to rest for about 20 minutes
1/2 cup warm water

Methods:
Set your oven at 170C (i set mine at 160C)
Prepare your cake tins, I used my casserole.
Sieve flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate soda, salt, and set aside.
Beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs.
When all well incorporated add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder etc) and alternate with liquid ingredients (buttermilk + warm water) in three portions, last incorporate the vanilla extract.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until just cooked


Cream Cheese Frosting
250 g Philly cheese (i made only half-125g)
125 g butter (i use about 60g)
1 cup icing sugar (i used 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice of a squeezed slice of lemon, to rid the cheese taste (i didnt put)

Beat the cheese and butter, just until creamy, add the icing sugar, vanilla and lemon juice.


Chocolate Ganache
200 ml double cream with at least 30% fat content
250 g dark chocolate, chopped finely
a pinch of salt

In a double boiler, warm the cream until just at boiling point, add the chocolate and salt and stir, when all chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and continue stirring until all well mixed.

Wait for the cake to cool completely, spread the cream cheese frosting and pour the ganache on top.

Mean Parents

Someday when my children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will
tell them, as my Mean Mom told me: I loved you
enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom,
and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you
discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours
while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger,
disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must
learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the
responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm
glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to
understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the
meanest mother in the whole world! While other kids
ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was
different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all
times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She
had to know who our friends were, and what we were
doing with them. She insisted that if we said we
would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve
to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work We
had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to
cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash
and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie
awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time
we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had
eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn
when they drove up. They had to come up to the door
so she could meet them. While everyone else could
date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16 .

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of
things other kids experienced. None of us have ever
been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's
property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today.
It just doesn't have enough mean moms!


PASS THIS ON TO ALL THE MEAN PARENTS YOU KNOW. (And Their Kids!!!)