Bento #192 - Banana Bear

This is my 3rd attempt to bake cake, but this time is banana cake. Remember the first two attempts wasn't that successful and I have figured out where went wrong. This time I sifted the flour, I heated the oven earlier, I used butter instead of margarine and beat it longer.

The banana cupcake taste so nice while it is still hot, it's loose and soft inside. Banana is one of Isaac's favourite fruit, therefore he loves this cupcake more compare with previous two cupcakes. I decorated the cupcake into little brown bear. As you can see, the ears were cut from banana cake too... (^.^)

Ingredients:(around 16 cupcakes)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
230g Self Raising Flour
230g Butter, softened at room temperature
160g Castor Sugar
300g Banana (mash it)
3 Eggs, at room temperature
1/2 Teaspoon Banana Essence (I forgot to buy therefore I use vanilla essence)
1/3 cup of hazelnut (mash it and bake in oven until golden)

Methods:
1. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
2. Add eggs, beat until well combined.
3. Sift self raising flour over butter mixture and mix well.
4. Add in vanilla essence, mashed banana and hazelnut then mix well.
5. Preheat the oven to 175 degree.
6. Line 16 paper cups in muffin tray.
7. Put the mixture into muffin tray then put 3-4 hazelnut on top.
8. Bake the cake for 15 - 20 minutes until light golden.

Bento #191 - Five Little Duckling

Five little ducklings went out one day
Over the hill and far away
Mother duck said "Quack, quack, quack, quack."
But only four little ducklingss came back.

Bento #190 - It's a Summer Holiday ...

The bento was fixed on 3rd June but today (29th June) only I update the blog. I can't recall what make me fixed this theme, probably is because summer holiday coming.

Bento #189 - Button Mushroom Pizza

Last weekend I cooked spaghetti, there were some buttom mushroom left, therefore I baked some button mushroom "pizza" for my two Mr.Handsome. Isaac love the bread, he claimed that two is not enough, the mushroom is so yummy, asked me to prepare more (^.^) Does the apple looks like rabbit?

~~ The Making of Mushroom Pizza ~~

Pumpkin Hazelnut Cupcake

Recently I am keen on baking cupcake, trying to find a recipe that Isaac love so that I can bake some for his friends on his birthday or kindy event. This is my 2nd attempt, recipe is grabbed from My Kitchen.

Ingredients:(around 24 cupcakes)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
250g Unsalted Butter
180g Castor Sugar
3 Large Eggs
150g Steamed Pumpkin, mashed
300g Self-raising Flour
20g Corn Flour
60g Milk
150g Pumpkin, peeled and diced
Pinch of salt
Raw Hazelnut (mash and bake in oven until it turns to light brown)
Pumpkin slices, for topping (optional)
Pineapple-cane Sugar (optional)

Methods:
1. Preheat oven to 175ºC. Line and grease the baking pan.
2. Cream butter together with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and cream until light and smooth or the colour turned pale.
3. Stir in mashed pumpkin and mix until well blended.
4. Sift together flours and salt, fold into the mixture alternate with milk. Mix until well combined then stir in diced pumpkin and baked hazelnut.
5. Line paper cups in muffin tray, transfer batter in to paper cups.
6. Arrange pumpkin slices on the surface and sprinkle with pineapple-cane sugar. You may also add some pumpkin seeds.
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until it is cooked. Cool on rack.


The appearance and taste was quite nice, however I still not satisfied with the result. It didn't raise as what I have expected, middle part is quite dense. After discussing with my colleagues, we concluded that: 1st, butter + sugar is not beat until pale and creamy. 2nd, flour should be sifted before use (I skipped this step as I thought this small action it will not make any different)

Cool, at least I know roughly where went wrong. I will give 3rd try during school holiday. Hope it success this time....

Bento #188 - Pussy Cat

Today is another quite bento, I fixed a wily pussy cat for my boy. The head of the cat was cut from purely egg york sheet whereas the body was from egg white mixed with some yolk, therefore it has light yellow effect. I packed some jackfruit for Isaac. Pretty simple bento huh...

Bento #187 - Egg Sandwich Bento

Can't think of a nice name for bento today, since it's egg filling, therefore just name it as 'Egg Sandwich'... kekeke.

I asked Isaac what jam he prefer for the bread tomorrow, he requested egg instead of jam. What I can think of is eggsheet with some chicken floss. But other than seal the bread using sandwich mould, there is no way for the chicken floss not to fall out. Hmm... I come out this idea, put the chicken floss onto eggsheet before the eggsheet is well cooked. Here is the picture of the eggsheet.


Colleague of my sister gave me a pack of jack fruit last night. While eating, I told Isaac it has been long long time I didn't eat jack fruit, it taste so nice. Isaac replied me with "Mummy, you are much better than me, this is my first time eating jack fruit".... (~.~) I grew up in small "Kampung" (village), jack fruit can easily find and it's free. But ever since I stay in KL, in my memory, I have never buy jack fruit and never think to buy it (wonder why....) (-_-)

Bento #186 - Egg Roses Bento

Another flower bento (*0*) Did your heart sing with joy because of the flowers (心花怒放）? Recently Isaac couldn't finish the bento I packed for him, obviuosly I have already reduce the size. Ever since he recovered from high fever, I realized his appetite reduced. Wonder is it too little time is given or get bored with bread. I believe all mummy will be happy to see thier kids have good appetite. To improve Isaac's appetite, today I packed food he loves, which is egg.

I prepared an eggsheet and make it into two roses. In fact with that eggsheet size, I can have three roses. I didn't forget to packed some tomato sauce to eat with the egg. There is a jelly in the bento box, I am sure Isaac gonna have a Happy Friday!

~~Here are some pictures on how to make the egg rose. Enjoy !! ~~

Bento #185 - Simple Flower

Very fast running out of idea. No, I should say I didn't do homework yesterday night (^.^) I made a small round chicken floss sandwich and top it with a cheese flower, packed one cheese sausage (cut into two) and some apple. Pretty simple right? Sometimes, simple is beautiful (life but not bento)... kekekekeke