Air-fried Sweet and Sour Pork

29 May 2014
Although this post is written today, but I actually make this dish some time ago. This dish will be my maiden post for dish besides my cakes. I make this dish, using my air-fryer. Thank you Roxana Ng for the recipe.

When using air-fryer, a lot of people will ask whether the meat will get stuck on the air-fryer basket, and the cleaning will be daunting. To avoid this, I fried the meat in the baking pan, until the meat is dry. Then only I take the meat out and put directly onto the basket. That way, the meat wont get stuck on the basket, and it will get browned nicely. 

Buttermilk Vanilla Cupcakes

I still have some leftover buttermilk that I bought earlier to bake red velvet cupcakes. Hence, I search hi and lows for a cake recipes that uses the most buttermilk, and I came across this one. The cupcakes is indeed very moist and fluffy. I baked it in my Air-fryer, and each batch only able to fit 5 cupcakes, but it only take me around 12 minutes, at 180 degree Celsius. 

The original recipe is in US cups and I have converted it to metric version for my easier reference later. 

Pre-heat air-fryer at 180 degree Celsius, for 3 minutes. 
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups cake flour ( I mix a little bit of normal plain flour as I am running out of cake flour. 156g)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (150g but I only use 125g)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil) (I use canola oil, 109g)
1/2 cup buttermilk 

(or 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice- add acid to the milk then set aside for 5 minutes before using)(122g)

Steps:
1. Flour + bp + bs + salt -> whisk to combine -> dry 
2. Eggs + sugar + oil + vanilla -> whisk until sugar melted -> egg mixture
3. + add 1/3 of the dry into the egg mixture -> whisk until combine 
4. + add 1/2 of the buttermilk -> whisk until combine
5. Alternating with the dry and buttermilk , ending with dry ingredients, until just combine. 
6. Using a ice-cream scoop, one scoop for each cupcake ( I use silicone cupcakes case), and it recipe yield 15 cupcakes .

Again I downloaded the picture from my FB account. Enjoy! 

Whipped Cream Cake

23 May 2014
Yesterday, while I was writing the post on my Buttermilk cake, I suddenly remember that I forgot to write this post. The texture of my buttermilk cake really resembles this cake.  I actually bake this whipped cream cake, on 21 Nov 2012. I called it  Delicious Whipped Cream Cake. I got the recipe from Realbakingwithrose.  
I love Rose baking website, as she will provide the ingredients measurements in both cups and in grams. 

I use my Cornell oven to bake it. 

Pre-heat 160 degree Celcius. 

Rose uses a 10-cup fluted metal tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour, but I use a 9inch round removable base cake pan

Ingredients:

Cake flour 225g

Baking powder 2 teaspoons

Salt 3/4 teaspooon

Heavy cream ( diary whipping cream), cold 348g

3 large eggs 

Pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon

Superfine sugar 225g (I forgot how much I use, but definately less than 200g)

Instructions:

1. Cake flour + bp + salt -> mix well -> dry

2. Whipped the heavy cream until stiff

3. Eggs + vanilla -> mix well -> egg mixture

4. Egg mixture + whipped cream -> mix well

5. + sugar -> mix

6. Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients to the whipped cream mixture 

7. Pour into the pan and bake for around 30 minutes. 

Nigella's Buttermilk Cake

22 May 2014

Bake this Nigella's Buttermilk Cake just now, after lunch with my air-fryer. Wow..the cake smell and taste heavenly! So fragrant and moist, and fluffy.

The recipe is from Paris Loves Pastry,  and the recipe is measured in cups and tablespoons. Hence, I have converted it to grams.

Pre-heat air-fryer at 160 degree Celsius.

Butter a 6 inch square pan.

Ingredients:

- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose-flour (160g, I use Cake flour)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons buttermilk (or ⅓ cup plain yogurt mixed with ½ cup low-fat milk) (211g)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cups soft unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup sugar (suppose to be 170g but I only use 140g and it taste just nice)
- 3 large eggs

Instructions:

1. Flour _ Baking powder + baking soda + salt → whisk to combine → dry

2. Buttermilk + vanilla → wet 

3. Butter + sugar → cream until fluffy

4. + eggs one at a time

5. + flour mixture → mix + buttermilk mixture → mix alternating, ending with flour.

6. Pour into the cake pan and bake.

Verdict: Taste very yummy, soft, and fluffy. Similar to Wipped cream cake I make last time.

Banana Chocolate Cake

18 May 2014

During the quest of searching for the easiest and delicious cake for my Kit Yi birthday celebration at school, I came across this recipe. After my trail baking at home, I decided to bake it later today, for her kindy celebration tomorrow morning.

The pictures below are taken that day, during my trail baking. I have re-downloaded it from my Facebook account for this post.

I modify a little bit the recipe is from Joyofbaking

Below ingredients and my steps:

Preheat air-fryer for at least 3 minutes, at 180 degree.

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar ( I use only 160g)
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (35 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed) (I use Dutch-processed Van-Houten)
3/4 teaspoons baking powder (12 Oct 2014: 3g, refer to this site.)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (12 Oct 2014: 5.5g, refer to this site.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 1 medium sized banana) (I weigh my banana flesh, and it is 170g)
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola, corn, or vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Steps:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and whisk it to combine.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients into a food processer, and process it until all the banana are blend in.
3. Mix the 2 above, until just combine.
4. Using a ice cream scoop, scoop the batter and pour into a cupcake/muffin case.
5. Bake for 12 minutes.
Done

Mrs SK Ng Butter Cake

I bake this cake a few times, and almost every time I manage to get a perfect result. This cake is always soft and fluffy. Not too dense and not too moist. This is due to beating the egg white separately, as compare to traditional butter cake which add in the egg as a whole. Below is the recipe that I get from Table for 2. 

180 degree celcius, 8 inch square pan is perfect, but I normally use 9 inch round pan.

Ingredients:
A:
230gm salted butter (Normally I use SCS Creamery Butter or Anchor, depends on the price, whichever cheaper), softened - I leave out in the counter for around 10 minutes only as my kitchen here in Port Dickson are very hot.
4 grade B eggs yolk
150g sugar ( I reduce sugar to 135g)
200gm self raising flour, sifted.
60ml milk (sometimes I use soya bean milk, or my girls formula milk).
1 tsp vanilla extract

B:
4 grade B egg whites
50g sugar 
1/4 tsp cream of tartar ( I added this to stabilized the meringue)


Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius.
8 inch square mold,  line with baking paper.


Steps:
1. Preheat oven at 180C (conventional). (I only use 170C). Prepare a 8 inch square pan. Line the base and grease the sides (greasing helps the cake’s sides to rise well)
2. Separate the eggs, and place the whites into a medium sized bowl (6 cup capacity)Beat egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add 50gm sugar and beat until stiff. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and 150gm sugar until pale and fluffy (KA speed 2-4 ). Put in vanilla seeds and and beat for a while. Put in egg yolks one by one and beat well after each addition.
4. Put in half the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Put in milk in 2 additions and mix until well incorporated. Mix in balance of flour.
5. Put half the egg whites in and mix on low speed. Pour the balance of egg whites in and FOLD.
6. Pour batter into pan and level.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. (I reduced to 150C for the last 15 minutes because the top seems to be getting dark)

I bake this cake again on 4 Oct 2013 using my air-fryer. Will have to update my air-fryer bakes in here as well. This baking tin is only around 16cm, and hence, need to halfed the recipe. 

 

Banana Chiffon Cake

I like to eat plain banana, and fried banana fritter. I don't really like banana cake, because they taste dense, rich and sweet.  Around 1 month ago, I found this recipe online from Fong-Kitchen-Journal and decided to give it a try. Today, 24 Jan 2012 is my 2nd time baking this cake. 

I use local Malaysia cooking banana, and we call it Pisang Nangka.

Below is the recipe for a 23cm chiffon cake pan.

Ingredients:
A:
240g banana ( around 3 bananas)
7 egg yolk (prefer to use A grade egg to get more volume, however today I use B grade egg, and still able get 4 inch cake)

67g fine sugar
75g oil
A pinch of salt
150g cake flour / superfine flour / self raising flour

B:
7 egg white
1/2 teaspoon cream of tar tar
67g fine sugar

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius.

23cm tube mold.

Method:
Below are the steps to prepare the yolk batter from Ingredients A.
1. Fork/blender -> mashed banana.
2. Yolk + sugar -> manually whisk till sugar dissolved.
3. + salt + banana -> well blended.
4. + sift in flour -> well blended -> yolk batter.
5. Using a mixer, beat egg white until frothy + tar2 + fine sugar -> stiff -> meringue.
6. Take 1/3 of the meringue and fold into yolk batter
7. Pour yolk batter into the meringue and fold until uniform.
8. Bake for 50 minutes.

9. Cool the cake upside down. 

Verdict:

This cake has become one of my favorite chiffon cake. It is very soft and fluffy, with a slight banana aroma. Very fragrant and the sweetness is just right.