Tag: baking

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Nian Gao with Red Bean

Makes 2 7″ nian gao in Instantpot. Use a 7″ bowl or cake pan.

9oz red bean, soaked 6-8 hours
Add red beans and water that generously covers red beans to Instantpot. Pressure cook 15 minutes. Check if the beans are still intact, but burst when squeezed. Drain and cool.

Bowl 1 – Add brown sugar (4.8 oz) and boiling water (3.6 oz), stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Bowl 2 – Add glutinous rice flour (4.8 oz), regular rice flour (1.2 oz), coconut milk (1.25 tbsp) (optional), olive oil (0.6 tbsp)

Combine bowls 1 and 2, and stir until there are no white clumps of flour remaining. The mix should be creamy and smooth, so you may need to add splashes of water if it’s not there. Mix in half of red bean. Stir and then let batter rest 5-10 minutes.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to size of the bottom of Instantpot cake pan. Spray pan with spray, then add paper, then spray paper. Pour batter in.

Add 1.5 cup water, steam rack, then cake. Set to high pressure 20 mins. Instant release. Use chopstick to poke middle to see if it’s done. If not, add 0-1 minutes. Cool on plate, then let set in fridge overnight.

Recipes

Light Peanut Butter Cookies

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (7 ounces)
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
¼ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse

1 Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2 Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the butter, egg, and vanilla together. Stir in the brown sugar and peanut butter until smooth, smearing any remaining clumps against the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in the flour mixture and peanuts until thoroughly combined.

3 Working with a level tablespoon of dough each time, roll the dough into 1-inch balls. (If the dough is too soft to roll, refrigerate it until firm.) Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart (you will fit 12 cookies on each baking sheet).

4 Bake the cookies, one tray at a time, until the edges are light golden and the centers are just set, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through baking (do not overbake). Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Bake the second tray while the first tray cools.

Recipes

Corn bread

  • ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal (3 3/4 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup buttermilk (can substitute half yogurt/sour cream and half water)
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform. Stir in the butter until just combined.

Spread evenly in a greased cake or springform pan. Bake 450*F until the cornbread is cooked through in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Recipes

Maple Nut Banana Muffins

  • 1 cup bananas (2-3 medium very ripe bananas)
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar, or brown sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup crushed nuts (walnut or pecan)
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12 cupcake tins with liners.
  2. Mash bananas in a bowl, set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl cream butter and 1/4 cup maple sugar (or brown sugar) with an electric mixer.
  5. Add egg whites, mashed bananas, maple syrup, apple sauce and vanilla; beat at medium speed until mixed well, scraping down sides of the bowl.
  6. Add flour mixture, stir until just combined. Fold in crushed nuts.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Spread the pecans evenly over the muffins.
  8. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipes

Gingerbread cake

  • 150 g/3 oz butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 dl / 6 oz / 0.8 cup sugar
  • 1 dl / 472 oz / 0.6 cup dark brown sugar
  • 4 dl /6 oz / 1.6 cups plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 2 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 dl / 6.7 fl. oz / 0.8 cup sour cream, double cream or buttermilk
  • 4 dl / 3.8 oz / 1 cup marmalade

Heat the oven to 175 C/350F. Grease and dust with breadcrumbs a midsize sponge cake dish. Melt the rest of the butter and let cool slightly. In a bowl, whisk the and the sugar and dark brown sugar until porous, using an electric mixer if you have one handy.

Mix the dry ingredients. Blend them into the egg mixture together with the sour cream / double cream / buttermilk and marmalade until smooth. Tip into the cake dish. Bake in the lower oven for 50-65 minutes until it feels dry. Tent with foil for the final minutes if needed.

Recipes

Dutch Pancake

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar and nutmeg in a blender jar and blend until smooth. Batter may also be mixed by hand.
  3. Place butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet or baking dish and place in the oven. As soon as the butter has melted (watch it so it does not burn) add the batter to the pan, return pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden. Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake five minutes longer.
  4. Remove pancake from oven, cut into wedges and serve at once topped with syrup, preserves, confectioners’ sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Recipes

Plum torte

  • 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
  • Large pinch of salt
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 tbsp applesauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • 12 smallish purple Italian purple plums, halved and pitted
  • 1 teaspoon or tablespoon ground cinnamon
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Sift or whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and light in color. Add the applesauce and eggs, then the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
  2. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan (but if you’re worried, you can always lightly coat it first with butter or a nonstick spray) and smooth the top. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon, then remaining sugar.
  3. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a center part of the cake comes out free of batter (but of course not plum juice), about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack.
Recipes

Bread machine dinner rolls

  • 1 cup warm milk (70 to 80 degrees F.)
  • 1 stick butter or margarine
  • 1⁄4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 2 1⁄4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  1. Melt the butter. Off heat, slowly whisk in milk. Take temperature to ensure it’s 70-80*F.
  2. In bread machine pan, put all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.
  3. Select dough setting.
  4. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.
  5. Divide dough into 24 portions.
  6. Shape dough into balls.
  7. Place in a greased 13 inch by 9 inch baking pan.
  8. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes.
  9. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown.