Red Velvet Cake

It was my son's birthday 3 weeks ago but with all the ongoing activities, he couldnt have his birthday party until this week.  He invited some of his good friends over and requested that I make him a Red Velvet Cake.  I was so relieved that he didnt ask for any fancy cake or with a theme....that would have taken longer time to prepare.  I only baked the cake in the morning before his party.  Alhamdulillah.  To my sunny boy, mummy doakan Abang sentiasa dalam perlindungan Allah.  Ingat pesan Mummy and Tok Mak, jangan tinggalkan sembahyang dan apa2 yang kita buat semuanya kerana Allah.  Insyaallah here and after will be yours.  Amin.

Here's the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

125 gm unsalted butter (softened)
300 gm caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
240 ml buttermilk
250 gm self raising flour
20 gm cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp red colouring (I used Fortuna Red)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method:-

1.  Greased and line 2 x 9" baking pan.  Set aside
2.  Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
3.  Mix buttermilk with red food colouring and set aside.
4.  Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
5.  Add egg one at a time and beat well.
6.  Add vanilla essence and mix well.
7.  Fold in 1/3 of flour.  Add 1/2 buttermilk and mix well.  Alternate the process until finish ending with flour mixture.
8.  In a small bowl mix baking soda and apple cider vinegar.
9.  Quickly pour the soda mixture into batter and mix till fully incorporated.
10.  Pour onto baking tin equally and bake in a preheated oven 160C for 45-50 minutes or until skewer tester comes out clean.
11.  Let the cake cool completely before icing it with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

350 gm philadelphia cream cheese (softened)
100 gm butter (softened)
450 gm icing sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:-

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat till smooth.  Sandwich the cake with cream cheese frosting and spread the rest to cover the whole cake.

Happy baking and salam from Ann's Delight.

Mushroom Pasta

Good morning everyone and since I havent been updating my blog for awhile, I hope it is still not too late to wish all Muslims, Eid Al Mubarak.  Alhamdulillah, although away from home, we had a sweet and meaningful Raya with my family.

Recently I cooked this Mushroom Pasta for our family dinner and the children loves it.  Its easy and simple to make and always a hit with my children.

Here's the recipe:-

4 turkey/chicken bacon slices (diced)
200 gm mushrooms (chopped)
350 gm pasta (of any shapes)
50 gm Parmesan cheese, grated
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp cream or evaporated milk
1 big onion (diced)
1 garlic (minced)
small bunch parsley, finely chopped
some basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste


Method:-

1.  Cook the pasta following the pack instruction and drain and reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water.  Set aside.
2.  Fry the bacon and mushrooms till golden brown and set aside.
3.  In a bowl, mix the cream, parmesan cheese, egg yolks, parsley and basil.  Set aside.
4.  Heat oil in pan and fry the garlic and onion till soft.
5.  Add the pasta and mushroom mixture.  Mix well and over low heat, add the sauce and balsamic vinegar.  Season and quickly mix, add a little cooking water if its too thick.
6.  Add some Parmesan cheese shavings and parsley before serving.

p/s  If you like, you can also use some sausages to replace the turkey bacon or simply omit it for a Vegetarian Meal.

Happy Cooking.