Easy Orange-Cranberry Cake

In my previous blog article on sticky cinnamon rolls I mentioned that I was not a real fan of ultra sugary dessert treats.

My taste buds tend to be more on the tangy and sour side for desserts. I found a cake recipe that satisfies that. It is a deliciously moist orange-cranberry cake. And the best part is that is so easy to prepare!

I have made three cakes from this recipe so far, and will continue it whenever I have a craving for a tangy AND sweet dessert.

Orange-Cranberry Cake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 stick unsalted butter
2 large eggs
2 cups dried cranberries (or 1 cup dried and 1 cup fresh)

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Mix all of the ingredients above in a mixing bowl - yes, it is as simple as that! Mix until batter is softened and able to slowly drip of the mixing spoon. The batter should not be too soft or drippy though.

Then pour the mixed batter into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350F for about 45-55 minutes. To check and see that cake is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out dry, then the cake is done.

Notes:
The above recipe results in a moist and crumbly cake. To harden it, you may keep it in the fridge for an hour, then slice it. To serve warm, heat in an oven or microwave.

I also altered the recipe with different ingredients. I used 1 cup bread flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Instead of butter, I used 2 tablespoons of canola oil. With these two alternations in ingredients, I obtained a less moist, but firmer cake. The taste is akin to a bread cake - like banana bread. But not buttery.

I preferred the first one - as I think most people would.

But some of the people who tried my 2nd version with the canola oil, liked it better.

Try them both and see what works for you :)

Simple Cinnamon Sticky Rolls Recipe

I can't believe how long it's been since I lasted posted a recipe on my blog! That is an indication of how busy I have been - and how long I've been away from my kitchen. Too long a story to tell. It involves a lot of traveling. Sigh.

But anyway, I am now back to my happy and relaxed self, finding myself experimenting with recipes again in my lovely kitchen - thank God for leisurely summer vacations! Of course, I would have loved it even more if my kitchen looked the way it does in the picture on the left, but we can't always have what we want.


But my kitchen is not TOO bad either :) In my kitchen, I decided to bake a deliciously decadent sweet treat. So why did I do that - especially when I am not such a big sweet treat person. No, seriously! People don't believe me when I tell them that I am not into sweets - I am more of a savoury treats person. Sure, I am a sucker for chocolates and ice-cream, but even those treats lose out to freshly baked buns.

I decided to make these sticky buns on a lazy Sunday afternoon - primarily for my significant other who has a sweet tooth. But I tried them myself and I have to admit that these sweet treats have my vote too. That says a lot for a person who isn't typically into sweets!

Here is my simple recipe for Sticky Cinnamon Rolls (with pecans and melted brown sugar). It has been adapted from a recipe I found in O Magazine.

Ingredients

Dough:

1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Topping:

3/4 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. honey
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) chopped pecans

Method

1) Making the Dough

In the bowl, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, salt and 3 cups flour. You can use an electric mixer to mix till blended. I however used a spoon to do the mixing. Later on I used my hands to knead the dough. Slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Knead the dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet). Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in an entirely warm place). After the dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.

2) Making the Filling

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.

Then roll dough out into a rectangle shape. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into slices.

Place dough slices, flat side down. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for the buns to rise, and refrigerate for several hours. I left mine overnight and baked them the next day.

3) Baking and Making the Topping

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375°. Pour some of the topping mixture on the buns. Sprinkle the pecans. Be sure to use only what is necessary to allow the pecans to stick onto the cinnamon rolls. Leave the rest of the topping mixture for later use. Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately pour the topping over the cinnamon rolls. Let cinnamon rolls cool slightly and serve warm.

Note: The original recipe had called for the topping mixture to be poured onto the un-cooked cinnamon rolls, and then refrigerated overnight. The rationale for that is that the melted butter and brown sugar mixture will harden onto the cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator and then melt when baked. However, the melted butter and sugar can also harden when placed in the oven for too long. Then instead of gooey sweet cinnamon rolls, you will end up with hardened toppings. My method of adding the topping mixture at the end - immediately after you remove from the oven - ensures that the cinnamon rolls are moist and sweet.

Also, the original recipe had called for pouring all of the topping mixture and pecans onto the baking pan, AND then placing the sliced un-cooked cinnamon rolls on them. The idea is is invert the cinnamon rolls into a dish after baking, so that the pecans and topping mixture is on top. But this inversion method is risky business - imagine overturning a hot baking pan - piping hot topping mixture may slip onto your toes, and other parts of your body. My method avoids this risky step.

Try it and see if it works for you too :)

Simple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

Make It Yourself - Simple Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

It is so easy to make teriyaki chicken that I wonder what would be the need to buy this dish at restaurants anymore! Usually, Japanese restaurants will use two types of rice wine (mirin and sake) in making the teriyaki sauce.

However, if you prefer not to have wine in your teriyaki sauce - then you can simply omit this from the recipe, as I did.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soya sauce
2 tablespoons honey
500g skinless chicken thigh meat
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon oil

Method

1) Mix the soya sauce and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

2) Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Lightly dust in flour, shake off the excess.

3) Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add oil. When it is hot, add flour-dusted chicken pieces. Do not crowd the pan. When the bottom is golden brown, flip to the other side, cook for one minute. Remove to plate and continue cooking the rest of the chicken in batches.

4) Return all the cooked chicken to pan, pour in soya sauce mixture and let it bubble in the pan. Turn the chicken pieces to coat in the sauce. When the sauce has turned to a sticky glaze, turn off the heat.

Serves four.