Lapis Surabaya

It’s been a wonder to me - why it is named after one of Indonesian big cities, is it because of its origin? Its creator’s origin? Or its creator has something special with this city? (well, you can’t tell if he/she has his/ her first love there, right?) This is a very popular cake among the Indonesian since I don’t know when .

Consist of three layers of cakes (yellow – chocolate – yellow), attached together with some jam in between, this cake felt so smooth ( thanks to the extra yolk, not the artificial emulsifier) Actually, when I put my trial four weeks ago – with an auntie’s recipe-, I’m afraid that I might spoiled the eggS if I can’t bake it right, so I tried half of the recipe with only two layers instead of three. Since then, my uncle who lives next door keeps asking me when I’m going to make the real size, with three layers of course.

So there, I found my self cracking the eggs, split them into yolks and whites, (very time consuming but the result really worth the effort) creating my first Lapis Surabaya (this I made with less sugar so Grandma can also have a bite). Just be careful with the calories, it really needs an extra workout :)

Recipe: Te

Chocolate Muffins

In intention to provide a fresh warm baked goods for Dan and my lil brother (he’s here for a sleepover) and accidentally found this recipe in this lazy Saturday morning I forced my self to get up from the bed, creating this simple Chocolate Muffins. First catch it in LCB’s recipe book (fortunate finding in yesterday trip to Dan hometown – in the sale section of Periplus). All the ingredients are so easy to find, just a regular kitchen shelf stuffs, and what I like from it is that its contain no egg ( this what I love about baking our own food, you can always make it less sugar, less salt, less eggs – kind of try to control the cholesterol level here). The whole baking process won’t take you an age, just mix it all, scoop it, pop it into the oven and voila! Since the batter is not the ‘rise up high for the sky’ type, please feel free to fill up the tray/ paper case. I replaced the milk with some milk powder and the required amount of water (always the fastest solution when I got no ‘liquid’ milk in the fridge), omit the chocolate chip, and served it warm.
This muffin has a soft texture, even when it’s cooled already. According the book, these muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Rule #1 : never overmixed the mixture - in making muffin with this method, or it'll go hard.

Chocolate Muffins
Makes 12

210 g plain flour
40 g cocoa powder
150 g caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
250 ml milk
60 g unsalted butter, melted
¼ tsp vanilla extract
120 g semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven ( 180 C) and prepare a 12-hole muffin tin.


2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt into a bowl.


3. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, melted butter, and vanilla.


4. Make a well centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until the liquid is just barely mixed in (the batter is supposed to be lumpy).


5. Gently fold in the chocolate chips, place the mixture in the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Unmold and cool on a wire rack, serve warm or cold.

Recipe: Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection “Breakfast”

Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year !!
[it’s nice to have a vacation]

Nastar. To be honest, I never find it so enjoyable to make it. First of all it takes double effort, you have to mold the jam; then again, you have to mold the dough (with the jam in it). Second, when you’ve finally got it in the oven and you think it’s all done, you still got to take it out and polish the surface to make it a ‘good looking’ cookie.
I used to make this cookie with my mom, when the mood was right for her. And somehow, me and my siblings still prefer for another cookies with cheese (viva cheese lovers!), so kaastengel is still the winner.
Now that I’m married, I ‘d love to bake for Dan (give a little meaning to those childhood storybook – mom in the kitchen, bake something for us to have with a cup of tea, and .. we live happily ever after). I asked him once “ I’d like to make you some cookie, what do you prefer?” – “Nastar would be nice,…”. Next thing I know I find my self struggle with the whisk in my hand, trying to make the butter softer (my electric mixer was borrowed by my mom, I think it’s when she have the right mood). I never let my eyes off from the oven, being occupied with my thought that it is too hot that the cookie will cracked. But just when the “after hour” come , here what I get from the oven, good looking cookies lining in a tray, fully polished, fragrant and yellowish, and the best of it: no preservatives!

For Dan, nastar should be filled with a mouthful of pineapple jam (I mean mouthful). So far, we haven’t found what he’ looking for, the kind of nastar that available in the market serves us with bigger composition in the cookie dough – not the jam. For me, nastar should taste good, so it’ll lead to orders. :D

Recipe: Mom