{Round-up} Aspiring Bakers #22: Lightened Up Cakes (August 2012)

Yup! Its September already! Thank you to all the Aspiring Bakers who participated in the August theme and I hope that you have grasped a couple of healthier tips to make your cakes for the health of you and your families. 😀 I received a total of 24 entries. Hope you enjoy them and use them as references to create healthier bakes! 😀

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Soy Milk Muffins by Sharon of Sweet Surrender

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Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake by Jess of Bakericious

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Healthilicious Pumpkin Cake by Cecilia Koh of BeautyMe Loves Recipes 

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Sugar-Reduced Berries Yogurt Cupcake by Hankerie

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Wholemeal Cake by Ann of Anncoo Journal

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Banana Greek Yogurt Cake by Wendyinkk of Table for 2….. or More

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Mini lime marmalade chiffon cake by Cheah of No-Frills Recipes

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Apple Cranberry Olive Oil Cake by Jess of Bakericious

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Flourless Almond Chocolate Cake by Kimmy of Cooking Pleasure

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Banana Bread/Cake by Sassezz of Sassezz’s Kitchen

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Orange Swiss Roll by Hankerie

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Coffee Soufflé Cake by Kimmy of Cooking Pleasure

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Fruit and Nut loaf by Baking Tray

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Lower-calorie Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Green Tea Cream by Mich of Piece of Cake

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Banana Cake by Man of Sappy Tea Flour

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Vegemite Fruity Macarons by Hankerie

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Orange Muffin without Butter by Ann of Anncoo Journal

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Gluten-free banana cake by Annadina of Homemade Heartmade

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Vanilla Swiss Roll with Vanilla Crème Mousseline by Vivian Pang of Vivian Pang Kitchen

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Steam chocolate moist cake by Abbymonster

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Gluten-free Blueberries & White Chocolate Muffins by Hankerie

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Guilt Free Decadent Marbled Banana Bread by Qi Ting of A Dessert Diet

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Pandan Soufflé Cake by Kimmy of Cooking Pleasure

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Almost Fat Free Fudge Brownies by Vivian Pang of Vivian Pang Kitchen

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Gluten Free Apple Cornmeal Upside Down Cake by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake

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Healthier Chocolate Cupcakes by Alice of I Love. I Cook. I Bake

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Low Fat Banana Loaf with Berries by Sammie of Sweet Samsations

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For the next Aspiring Bakers event, check this Aspiring Bakers #23: Desserts on a plate (September 2012)

Guilt Free Decadent Malted Marbled Banana Bread

Good ol’ banana bread. With swirls of malt. And studded with chocolate chips. Topped with crumble. A banana bread really can’t get better than this. That its low fat is just a bonus. 

The recipe for the banana bread/cake base is from: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/11/02/polka-dot-banana-bread/

I changed it by:

1. Using sugar free maple syrup instead of agave or pure maple syrup
2. omitting the 1 stevia packet
3. using 1 cup cake flour + 1 cup whole wheat flour instead of 2 cups spelt flour 

The other changes, like marbling the bread/cake with milo batter are given in the following picture.

The ‘milo truffle’ mixture mentioned can be found here.

Recipe for milk crumbs was adapted from here.

I am submitting my post to Aspiring Bakers #22: Lightened Up Cakes (August 2012) hosted by Qi Ting of A Dessert Diet.

Revive Your Buns– Just another Bread Pudding ?

Since school ended last December, I’ve ‘discovered’ some really impressive stuff. So I decided to compile everything and call it “Wrappy’s Recommendations” (not “Qi Ting’s” because I don’t really like my name, because its given by some Buddhist Temple in Taiwan and I’m Christian.) Hopefully, I will pass this ‘enthusiasm’ to you guys.

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Wrappy’s Recommendations

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1. TOUCH (Season 1, thus far)

TOUCH is about this little kid who happens to be super cute, mute and is able to see the past, present and future through numbers. Every episode, he leads his really awesome Dad through a series of puzzles/ personal stories that are somehow related to each other in the most amazing way. The stories are touching, thrilling, sort of creepy, mysterious, heart-warming and just about everything everyone needs in a story (in this case, a really long one). Lori Rackl, of the Chicago Sun-Times, said the show “operates on the mind-blowing premise that people around the world are linked to one another and their lives intersect — with potentially major repercussions.” which is how I should have phrased it. That. That’s absolutely right. Michael Landweber of PopMatters called the show “stunningly effective” and praised “its mix of spirituality and science, familial and global struggles.” You get the idea. (Quotes from Wikipedia the FREE Encyclopedia. Isn’t the world getting better by the day???) And did I mention how talented all the actors are???

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2. SoundHound

In the midst of wandering around in Whatsapp (no idea what that is I now know what that is), Facebook, Instagram, and other privacy-invading, stalker- encouraging programs, probably few of you’ve heard of SoundHound.  What’s SoundHound?, you-who-don-t-know-how-to-use-Google ask.

I’ll put it this way. Let’s say you walk into a 7-Eleven, Cold Storage, Walmart, Whole Foods, or wherever there’s music. You hear this mind-blowing song. You have no idea who sang it or what song it is. You’re angry, pissed off at the world (probably exaggerating, but if its a good song, this is no exaggeration) for making you feel deprived for the last few years of your life. Here’s where SoundHound comes in. You activate the application, hit a button, and in about 5 seconds, the name and singer of the song appears on your screen, along with buttons that link you to its YouTube video and lyrics. And that’s how I found “Jetlag” (Simple Plan, featuring Natasha Bedingfield) and “What Makes You Beautiful” (One Direction). You can even sing a song to have it identified. I hope you sing in tune. Simply revolutionary! I have it on Android 😀

Curious? Check out http://www.soundhound.com/.

(Unfortunately, it can only identify songs in English)

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3) theoatmeal.com 

This website features tons of dumb, ingenious stuff. It’s taken me through a few of the times when I’m being stupidly sad. You’ll probably get hooked on it. 

Be sure to check out airplanes feature. Those are my favourite!

Check it out here: theoatmeal.com 

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4) Shake to Charge (for your Android/iPhone)

This app transforms the kinetic energy (movement in the form of shaking)  applied to electrical potential energy (i.e. energy for your battery).

You get a workout AND your phone charged. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

Its supposed to work. I think it does. 

Then again, I’m easily deceived. 

Check it out here: http://download.cnet.com/Shake-to-Charge-Battery/3000-2094_4-12504829.html

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5) Blender

Sample images from http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/gallery/art-gallery/

Its not a real blender. You  know, for juices and stuff.

Nonono. 

Its a FREE 3D software. You heard me right. FREE!

You can make 3D images and videos of say, Nemo from Finding Nemo, your friend, yourself, your room, your favourite cartoon, anime, etc.

3D softwares are always a challenge to me. I’m still suffering from the after-effects of my blue donut and purple coke can. No joke.

Check out Blender here: http://www.blender.org/features-gallery/

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Nevermind the above. Its now time for this. 

On first glance, it looks sort of like a cake. Yet it’s not cake. 

No, its a bread pudding. And made from buns! Best of all, you’ll only need 5 minutes of preparation, excluding all the waiting time. Its the kind of bread pudding that’s not wet, that makes you feel like you’re eating s french toast cake, that makes you want to reach out for another piece. For the foundation of the bread pudding, its preferable that you use buns filled with a sweet smooth paste like red bean paste, kaya, lotus paste, nutella, peanut butter, cream cheese, etc. 

The recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Bread Pudding Tart with Brown Sugar Crumble (low fat & whole wheat)

Dear Barney, or Mr Stinson (Recovering Mentally Unsound human being, Whatever you prefer I call you),

You’re handsome, hot, surprising sensitive, sometimes hilariously dumb, an insult to Barney the Dinosaur (since you two share the same name), terribly rich, gorgeously well-dressed and would totally win a Girls’ Choice Award. Unfortunately, I chanced upon your patent for “back boobs”. Seeing that its an atrociously disgusting idea, I take back everything I said.

Yours sincerely,
Representative of all who are grossed out by your warped ideas.

*wrote this draft last week but didn’t want to waste it. sorry if he took back the idea.
only if. 

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This Bread Pudding Tart enriched with cinnamon, the nuttiness of whole wheat flour, addictive crunchy brown sugar crumble and hints of apple is one of my most favorite creations. It may look not at all appealing, but be rest assured that its as flavorful as I described. Topped with custard-y vanilla goodness, its hard to resist!

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recipe notes:

Tart Crust is adapted from: 2至4人， 低脂轻量蛋糕甜点
author: 小欣子 

Brown Sugar Crumble ia adapted from: Crusta Bakes

Bread Pudding is adapted from: All Recipes

Vanilla Sauce is adapted from Oven Haven

brown sugar crumble: 46g whole wheat flour 70g whole wheat flour

Exploding Cream Buns 爆浆面包 (Whole Wheat & Vegan)

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One of the things I love most of Taiwan is the varied speeds of change in the country. The rocky path to my grandparents’ house  have those same old rocks embedded, the same old metal spring buried at one side, rows of crops of 槟榔叶 (betel leaves) grown by the same old farmers at the other, the same kinds of grass growing at the side, the same family of daisies swaying along to the wind. Largely the same people, plus a few babies, minus some who passed away, the same smiles, the same faces, with a few more wrinkles. The same breakfast shops that had not changed in any way since before I was born. Things like that stay the same. They make the place we come from what it is.

Cycle a couple kilometres along the sort-of-expressway into the city. Most things would be different a year on. The same lady selling my favourite pancakes 车轮饼 stands at the same spot, but in front of a different shop. Shops promoting PDAs with wireless network connection spring up. Just 5 years ago, barely anyone owned a computer, let alone knew what the hell the internet was. [Even today, in the area my mum was born, few people have an internet connection (an estimated 1 in 3).] And right in the middle of the Pingtung city, now stands at least 3 new french bakeries, 1 Japanese bakery, and 1 modern Taiwanese bakery. That’s where I found 爆浆面包, or as I translate– Exploding Cream buns. An innovation unto the traditional tiny buns accompanying Western meals. Today, they are one of the most popular buns in Taiwan. Though they’re typically filled with a buttercream filling, I decided to go the healthier way with, well, tofu. If you don’t tell the people you’re serving that the buns contain tofu, there is little chance they’ll find out.

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The cream is injected into the bun rather than pre-inserted. DO NOT inject the cream into the bun while the bun is warm lest you want baked cream (a mistake a made for 2 buns, one of which’s innards are in the photo below).

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I’m providing 2 choices of filling. The Oreo Cream.

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The Coffee Cream version.

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And now the recipe! The recipe for buns is adapted from Christine’s Recipes. There are errors though! Add another 1 tsp of lemon juice for Coffee Cream and 1/2 tsp for Oreo Cream.

Assembly: stuff cream of choice into a piping bag. Make a hole in the corner of the bun and fit the piping nozzle into the hole to squeeze cream into the bun. If you press too hard such that too much cream enters, the bun literally explodes. So be careful!

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Hopefully, I’ll have something great for you tomorrow!

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This post is going to YEASTSPOTTING!!!

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Guest Post: Counterfeit Chocolate Cake Balls (Vegan)

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I really get you.

I know your heart.

I read your mind.

I recognise your innermost desires. 

Alright, I lied. I’m no mind reader but I guess that you’re probably sick of my ridiculous sarcasm, limited vocabulary and dry sense of humour. And I apologise, alright? 

I’m sorry. 

So I got someone more interesting than I am to write today’s post. 

Like me, Madison creates healthier versions of classic desserts. And she’s darn good. I mean, who can give you a recipe for healthy Mexican wedding cookies??? You can find it here. Thank her later. Or now. 

Please welcome her! 

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Hi everyone! My name is Madison and I write about my healthy baking adventures over at a little blog called Peanut Butter Lover. First I want to start off by thanking Qi Ting for allowing me to write a guest post in her lovely world of desserts! All of her recipes are so tasty and more than once have been the inspiration behind some of my experiments in the kitchen.

 

This is Madison!

In the past, I have struggled with my eating like many other fellow health food bloggers. Then one day I realized that I can still bake and eat healthy at the same time. Actually, it’s better that way! You see, instead of relying on packages to tell me what is in the food I eat, I get to decide what goes into my body.

There have been many ups and downs with my eating since then. Days of binging, days of restriction, but along the way I have come to find that nobody is perfect. While my body is made up in an exact science, it doesn’t take a scientist to fuel it properly. As long as I attempt to choose whole foods to fuel me and as long as I make good choices most of the time, I’m good.

However, since I do try to restrict myself from eating “bad” foods, I sometimes crave those old processed snacks that I’ve done away with. This is also where baking comes into play. My goal in the kitchen is to make healthy recipes that sustain my cravings. In no way do all of my recipes taste “exactly” like their unhealthy counterparts, but for the most part they do a pretty dang good job.

My inspiration in the kitchen comes from all places under the sun: cooking shows, my grandmas who love to bake, cookbooks, old family recipes, and of course- food blogs.

The recipe I am going to share with you today was actually created over a year ago after I stumbled across an online recipe for chocolate black bean brownies.

 

Christmas break had just begun and my mom, being a middle school teacher, had brought home sweet treats from her students. A dessert-lover’s heaven.

Among the boxes of confections were chocolate chip cookies, chocolate turtles and … chocolate cake balls.

This was my first experience with cake balls and it was love at first “bite.” If you don’t know what cake balls are, let me give you the 411- These decadent balls are made by mixing crumbled cake pieces with frosting and forming them into balls. Then the balls are coated with a layer of chocolate and frozen to perfection.

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My mom was trying to make them last though, so I decided to make my own to keep all for myself. They turned out great, but after indulging in one too many; I realized that cake balls were definitely not part of a healthy diet.

And that’s when I remembered that black bean brownie recipe. You could say that a lightning bolt had struck my brain at this point, and in a flash of inspiration I set to work in my kitchen to make a tasty, but healthy “cake ball.”

What I came up with is not overly sweet, but rich, moist and a chocolate lover’s dream. Oh, and did I mention that it contains no added sugar whatsoever? Well then, by all means, here’s the recipe that will knock your socks off:

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Counterfeit Chocolate Cake Balls 

No. of servings: Makes 16 to 20

Calories: About 55 calories each (With 18 cake balls)

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Ingredients

1 small, ripe banana, mashed (approximately )

½ cup dates

¼ cup egg beaters

1 can black beans, drained (or about 1 ½ cups)

8 Tbsp cocoa powder

Splash vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

*Additional ingredients needed in step 8 of the directions

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Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees/180C.

2.      Place the dates in a small bowl and cover with mashed banana. Microwave for 2 minutes on medium. (This replicates soaking dates which takes several hours!)

3.      Place the soaked dates, banana and egg beaters in a food processor and blend until smooth.

4.      Then add the beans by a ½ cup, processing as you go along until completely combined.

5.      Add remaining ingredients and combine.

6.      Spray an 8×8 glass pan with nonstick cooking spray and spread the brownie batter evenly into the pan.

7.      Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

8.      When the brownies are baking, make the Banana Chocolate “Frosting.” To make the “frosting,” combine two large bananas (about ) with of cocoa powder in a food processor until smooth.

9.      When brownies are done, let cool.

10.  How to assemble the cake balls: Crumble half of the black bean brownies into a bowl. In the same bowl place 1/3 of the “frosting” and mix together. Then, form 16 to 20 balls out of the mixture and place on a sprayed lid/cookie sheet. Freeze for an hour. Remove when frozen and coat with remaining “frosting.” Freeze until solid. Thaw for a few minutes and enjoy!

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Thanks again to Qi Ting for letting me do this guest post on her blog. It was a little late in coming, but I enjoyed writing this so much!

Please come visit my blog, check out my recent posts and my About Me page. I enjoy reading everyone’s comments and I love meeting fellow foodies!

 

~ Madison @ Peanut Butter Lover

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Thank YOU, Madison!! Remember to hop over to Madison’s. Right now. 😀

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(Breakfast Special) Those foods aren’t friends…

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Let me guess.

You probably eat oatmeal everyday, with a glass of milk either on the side or in the oatmeal?

You enjoy a post-workout smoothie, complete with bananas and milk?

You’ve eaten strawberries with oatmeal? Or apple with honey?

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Courtesy of a publication by

何一成 ：家医科主任,书田诊所 He Yi Cheng, the head of the family clinic at Shu Tien Medical Center

林君玉：中医主任医师，联合医院 Ling Jun Yu, head Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor at Lian He Hospital

黄美智：縂院营养师，耕华医院 Huang Mei Zhi, Head Dietitian at Geng Hwa Hospital

called 吃对食物，健康100分，here are some common incorrect choices of food combinations and why they may have negative health implications.

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Oatmeal with milk

Why Not?

The oxalic acid in oatmeal binds to the calcium in milk, thus affecting the ability of the adult body to absorb calcium, possibly leading to calcium deficiency.

 

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Milk with Bananas

Why Not?

Milk is high in protein while bananas are high in fruit acids. When protein and fruit acids come into contact, they bind and solidify, causing indigestion due to extension of time needed for digestion.

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Drinking Coffee AFTER consuming Whole Wheat Bread

Why Not?

Causes bad memory & bad temper

Caffeine in the coffee destroys the vitamin B1 in the whole wheat bread. Hence consumption of large amounts of coffee may cause vitamin B1 deficiency, resulting in severe drop in ability to concentrate and focus, easy loss of memory, higher levels of anxiety & anger as well as tiredness.

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Strawberries with Oatmeal

Why Not?

Strawberries contain organic acids and when eaten with oatmeal which contains protein, creates sediments that cannot be digested, preventing nutrients from both foods to be indigestible.

  

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Almonds with Oatmeal

Why Not?

Prevents calcium absorption

Calcium in almonds, when combined with the oxalic acids in oatmeal, prevents absorption of oxalic acid (which is essential for absorption of calcium), thus preventing calcium absorption.

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Apples with Honey

Why Not?

May cause diarrhea

Apples are high in fibre while honey prevents constipation. When eaten together, diarrhea is easily induced.

  

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That’s it for this post.

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You can leave any questions about the nutritional impact of any food combination below and I will deal with them (if I can find them in the book) in another soon-to-come post. 😀

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All images copyrighted by adessertdiet.com

Whole Wheat Cranberry Scones

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Okay, I promised to post the recipe of the scones a couple weeks ago. 

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Recipe from Daring Bakers!

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Question time: If you blog, what keeps you blogging? If not, have you ever considered it?

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Healthy Hokkaido Bread (Taiwan-inspired!)

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6 years ago…

Location: Kaoshiung International Airport 高雄国际航空站

Crazy people: Me, Bro, Mum

Airport Security: What are you carrying?

Mum: Bread.

Airport Security: Really? (Disbelieving)

Mum: Yes. (in a ‘Duh!’ manner)

Airport Security: Is it really that delicious? (More than ‘disbelieving’-ly)

Me: Yes. (instead of raising redundant suspicions with a sarcastic “no, we are smuggling drugs”)

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I can safely say it was the most ridiculous thing we have ever done. It was the most fragrant, milky, soft bread we had ever eaten.

After 5 hopeless failures, I finally got it right. 

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It contains 5 forms of milk, which together create a sweet milky aroma that stimulates a craving in even the most determined dieter.

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If you’ve never eaten bread without spread, start here!

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Healthier Hokkaido Bread

No. of servings: 12 thick slices

Adapted from: Angie’s Recipes

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Tangzhong preparation method: Mix 50 grams of bread flour and 250 grams of water together and stir until flour is completely dissolved. Heat mixture over a stove in a saucepan at medium-low heat. Keep mixing until until a swirl of your spoon leaves a trail. Immediately pour mixture into a separate bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate till tangzhong reaches room temperature or you can leave it overnight/a few hours before using (for better results some say)

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Ingredients

• 200 g bread flour
• 150 g Whole Wheat flour
• 20g milk powder
• 120 g tangzhong
• 60 g White sugar
• 8g instant yeast
• 5 g Salt
• 1 Egg
• 30 g fresh milk
• 40g low fat evaporated milk
• 10g low fat condensed milk (do not omit!)
• 30 g low fat cream cheese, diced (tastes richer with full fat cream cheese- recommended!)

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Directions

1. Place all other ingredients, in the mixing bowl with a dough hook and stir over the low speed until the ingredients incorporate. Adjust speed to medium and continue to beat. Knead until the dough has become very smooth and elastic.
2. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer into a large greased mixing bowl. Roll it around so the dough gets coated with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough to release the gas produced during the proof and divide it into 3 even portions, each about 240 grams. Round up and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Press out the gas of each dough and roll out into an oval shape. Fold it into thirds, overlapping them in the center, press the dough down firmly. Turn over and roll out into a 30-cm long strip. Turn over and roll up each to a column shape. Place them in a 30x11x8-cm loaf pan. Let the dough rise up to 2/3 full. Lightly brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated 170C/340F oven for 30-35 minutes.

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Its soft, fluffy, chewy, sweet and lasts 3 days that way! 

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That’s it! 😀

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This post is going to YEASTSPOTTING!!!

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Single Serving Cookie Cake (Reduced Fat, Vegan & Whole Wheat)

It’s time for you to enjoy your cookie cake.

It’s literally a cake… that tastes surprisingly like a giant cookie. 

Its unfortunate that my brain tends to work in such an unfashionable manner. A cookie cake that comes a tad too late. My apologies.

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A cookie cake for you and you only! The recipe can be ‘bent’ to fit your liking. If you like fluffy cakes (as seen in the pictures), up the baking powder to 1/4 teaspoon. For a chewier and denser cookie cake, follow the recipe.

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Single Serving Cookie Cake

No. of servings: 1

Adapted from Maybe Just One More

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Ingredients

1/3 cup (42g) whole wheat flour
a little less than 1/10 tsp baking powder (about a big pinch) make sure the amounts are substantial
a little less than 1/20 tsp baking soda (about a small pinch) make sure the amounts are substantial
small pinch salt
4 tsp(20g) cold reduced fat margarine, room temperature
1 tbsp + 1/3 tsp (15g) dark brown sugar
4/5 tbsp (10g) sugar
1 tbsp applesauce
1/3 tsp pure vanilla extract

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Freeze, than chop into small chunks
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp water

OR 

use 20g semi- sweet chocolate chips instead

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Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F/180°C. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter and sugars in another bowl until barely combined with a fork. Add vanilla and applesauce, mixing until combined. Mix in dry ingredients and maple-syrup-cocoa-powder chunks . You should have a very stiff, lightly sticky dough. If needed, add another teaspoon of flour.

Spread mixture in mould. Bake for 17-22 minutes. Take the cookie-cakes out of the oven before you think they look done, when the outsides are lightly browned and the insides are mostly done. Cool completely and cut into wedges.

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*Note: knead/mix as little as you can.

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You probably want to know how many calories this has.

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Oh yes! Cookie cake! You know you want it! 

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To add-on quickly, I did my FIRST Daring Bakers Challenge! My sourdough came out to dense (I was too tired to let it rise longer… baked it at 2am)

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Tasted pretty good though! I ate it with some maple-syrup-peanut-butter (better than PB which I’m not too big a fan of)

Mix:

• maple syrup
• peanut butter
• water

till desired consistency and sweetness achieved. Easy peasy!

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PS: I’m looking for Guest Bloggers! You can write on any topic related to health-and-wellness or anything about food or recipes of course! No other limitations. Contact me at qiting93@hotmail.com please! 😀 😀

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