Jam Donut Muffins

I did not make this recently. This was made like decades ago and I have all this pending pictures to share.

So here is my take on Jam Donut muffins.

I was searching the net for some sweet eats which has strawberry jam included in it. Did I tell you before that hubby has a craze for anything strawberry?

This was when I found this recipe and tried. At that time , donuts in Singapore was so over-rated and I just wanted to make 1 differently. I constantly made sure that the ingredients gonna be used is simple and easy to get. And this was what I got.

I'm crazy about minis and so I was thinking of eating donuts ( with fillings ) in a bite.

Jam Donut Muffins ( from Taste.com.au )

Ingredients

• 300g (2 cups) self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup caster sugar, plus 1/2 cup extra to coat
• 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 175ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp good-quality strawberry jam
• 100g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 12 hole mini muffin pan.

Sift the flour into a medium bowl, then add a pinch of salt and the caster sugar.

In a jug, combine the vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Add to the dry mixture and stir to only just combine.

Place a spoonful of the mixture in each muffin hole and make an indent in the centre. Fill each indent with a generous 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry jam.

Cover the jam with the remaining muffin mixture and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, melt the butter.

Combine the extra sugar and the cinnamon in a large bowl.

When the muffins are cool enough to handle, brush each muffin with the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon sugar or dust it with some icing if you want.

Serve while still a little warm. It will be gone in minutes.

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Nagasari ( Steamed Banana Dessert )

Nagasari is a steamed cake made from flour, coconut milk and sugar, filled with prefably Saba bananas ( pisang kepok ). It is usually wrapped in banana leaves before being steamed, or prepared with pandan that gives it aroma. It is commonly eaten as a snack in Indonesia.

As I was in a steaming banana mood, what could be more pefect right.

This recipe is taken from my helper who comes from Indonesia. She usually made this everytime guest comes to her house as all they had was uncooked rice, banana , coconut and necessary condiments.

I'm glad I could get hold of a real 'kampong' recipe.

Nagasari ( Steamed Banana Dessert )

Ingredients

1 cup - Rice Flour

5 cups - Coconut Milk ( i used fresh coconut milk sold in NTUC - not Kara )

2 tbl spoons - Corn flour

3 table spoons - Caster sugar ( it's also according to your sweet taste bud )

1/2 teaspoon - salt

5 - Saba bananas ( Pisang kepok )

2 pandan leaves - for boiling

Banana leaves - for wrapping

Directions

Tear up the banana leaf to a 15cm length and 10cm wide ( on estimation ) and wither over the steamer for 5 mins.



In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and mix well.

Pour over a saucepan and stir over medium heat until thick and set aside.



This is how the consistency should be

 

 Take one spoon dough , flattened it on a plastic sheet for easy moulding & place the cut banana in the centre as above picture.

Banana all wrapped up

Place it on the withered banana leaf

Wrap by folding the left and right

Well, these are my little mini Nagasari.

Steam in a steamer with boiling water for about 15 to 20 min. After 15 mins, you may open up the wrap to check if the banana is cooked. If it's not then you may steam for another 5 - 10 mins

  

Tip: Sprinkle the wraps with water to avoid the leaves from going dark.

 These goes great with a cup of tea on these rainy afternoons.

Enjoy your weekend!

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Meringue

Meringue is a type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar.

These confections are light, airy, delicious and low-fat! Color them to suit your special occasion--purple, pink, green, and blue for Easter, pink for Valentine's Day, pink and blue for a baby shower--the possibilities are endless!

Few types of meringue.



French Macaroons - Picture from votregrandesoeur.com



French meringue is the method best known to home cooks. Fine white sugar is beaten into egg whites. These ones with fillingd are called macaroons.

Italian Meringue - Picture from madbaker.net

Italian meringue is made with boiling sugar syrup, instead of caster sugar. This leads to a much more stable soft meringue which can be used in various pastries without collapsing. In an Italian meringue, a hot sugar syrup is whipped into softly whipped egg whites till stiff. This type of meringue is safe to use without cooking. It will not deflate for a long while and can be used on pies. 

Swiss Meringue -Picture from martha stewart

Swiss meringue is whisked over a bain-marie ( water bath ) to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. This forms a dense, glossy marshmallow-like meringue.



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My friends and I were having a pot luck party at her shop and i decided to add this sweet but low fat dessert fro their sweet tooth.

Meringue Cookies ( from McCormick.com )

Ingredients

4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon Cream of tartar 

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

25 to 30 drops of food colours of your choice

1 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 225°F.

Beat egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. (If using a freestanding mixer, use wire whisk attachment.) Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to medium-high. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Beat in extract and food color until well blended. Gently stir in chips, if desired.

Scrape all the batter in a piping bag and piped out any kind of shapes you want. ( in these case, I made hearts ) and piped out about 1 inch apart onto 2 large foil-lined baking sheets sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

My marbled hearts meringue

Bake both sheets of meringues at the same time 45 minutes. Turn oven off. Let meringues stand in oven 1 hour or until completely cooled.

  

Happy Customers!

Meringues eaten like biscuits are baked at a very low heat for a long time. One name for them is "Forgotten Cookies"as they can be left in a gas oven for long periods of time after the cooking is done. They are not supposed to be "tanned" at all, but they need to be very crisp and dry. They will keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container.

 Tips For Meringue Success

• When making meringues, always cook egg whites or use purchased pasteurized egg whites to avoid salmonella poisoning.
• Use fresh egg whites. Old egg whites tend to collapse when other ingredients are folded in, and they don't rise well in the oven.
• Use eggs at room temperature if possible. Cold egg whites tend to reduce meringue volume.
• Never let any yolk get into the whites.
• Don't overbeat egg whites. (Overbeaten egg whites will look hard, lumpy or dry). When whipping egg whites, always start your mixer on medium-low to medium speed. Beat them until foamy and increase the speed to medium-high and then to high. If the egg whites are beaten too quickly at the beginning, the structure of the foam will not be as strong, and later the egg whites will not beat as high as they should.
• A small amount of cream of tartar or vinegar can be added to the mixture at the beginning of whipping to help stabilize the foam and make it less likely to collapse.
• Don't use plastic bowls – they can retain a film of fat from previously mixed or stored items that can deflate the meringue.
• Don't make meringues on humid days. Humidity causes meringues to be sticky and chewy.
• Bake meringues at low temperatures because they tend to brown quickly.
• Leave hard meringues in the oven after baking so they will cool slowly and not crack.

try it! You'll love it!

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Steamed Coconut Blossom

I love blossoms!

Everytime there is a family function , I would order this from my sister-in-law ( cause she made it so light and fluffy ) and she would never want to take my money for it. I would not want to take advantage of it and I also do not want to steal their family recipe and so I signed up for a steam cakes or in malay "Kelas Apam".

In the class, I learned how to beat these steam cakes at the right consistency and steam it at the right temparature.



My successful "Apam" results

And so , now that , I know the techniques of steaming, i browsed around on coconut blossoms recipes with my own alterations here and there. This was the addictive light and fluffy results where I can eat these anytime I want, cause it's so easy to make.

Photo is courtesy of Vanessa Wong from Salad Shop

Steamed Coconut Blossoms ( from Bisousatoi.com )

Ingredients
3 cold eggs ( Grade A or slight smaller )
250 gm. sugar
10 ozs. (about 280 to 300 gm.) Hong Kong flour or SuperLite flour - (Sieve for extra fluffiness)
 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. ovalette ( 1 used a heap spoonful )
130 gm. (5 ozs.) coconut cream (can buy the box coconut milk e.g. Kara)
30 gm. pandan juice (blend about 6 pandan leaves)
1 tsp. pandan paste

Directions:
1. Beat all the ingredients together until thick and fluffy.

2. Place the batter in a large piping bag for easy and clean pour

3. Pipe out batter ( about slightly less than half ) into the red cups or any steaming moulds you have (lined with paper cup), top up with coconut filling ( quantity is up to you ) - I like more coconut and then topped with more batter till almost full.
 

3. Steam over high heat for 15 mins.


Ingredients
250 gm. grated coconut
130 gm. gula melaka (palm sugar)
60 gm. water
1 tsp. cornflour
2 pcs. pandan leaves - cut into small pieces

Directions:

(1) Cook sugar, gula melaka and water in a wok till sugar melts.

(2) Add in grated coconut and pandan leaves and fry till dry.

(3) Sprinkle cornflour on top and stir till well mixed.

(4) Cool before using.Coconut fillings

Nice round and fluffy.

Even the birds want to eat it. hahahaha



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Baked Doughnuts - Anyway you want it!

I once made donuts - the fried version and a friend asked me if it was baked. It didnt cross my mind and I started searching.

I found this great recipe from Paris Pastry ,tried it and it turned out awesome. So much more interesting that a fried donut. Baked donut is healthier in a sense that all those oil in a fried donut does go in here.

This one is filled with strawberry jam

I tried it in so many different ways and this recipe was so versatile - i was amazed and so was my sister-in-law that she asked me to teach her the steps.

Time to share.

Baked Doughnuts ( from Paris Pastry )
Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- A pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
- A pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Instructions:
- Place ⅓ cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast.

  

-Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

- Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

- Punch down the dough and roll it out ½-inch thick on your floured countertop. Using a doughnut cutter,  stamp out circles. I also did a few round balls and a few flat round where I planned to filled it with pastry cream  (like Boston Cream Donut) and another with strawberry jam cause that will be hubby's favorite. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

- Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8.

- Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two.

Start decorating or filling it with your favorite fillings or toppings.

Cinnamon Sugar

Boston Cream

Almond Chocolate

Sugar with boston cream

The cream filled

All you have to do is poke these doughnuts with an apple knife and you can pipe in the cream or jam of your choice in the doughnut.

Eat immediately if not sooner.

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