Four cakes are going to be on a table this day, and you can be sure there will be one chocolate cake among them all. Right on! But in no way should I resign myself to the tried and true, the fail-safe, the fool-proof Devil's Food Cake, should I? Oh gosh, no! Life would be utterly boring. Even the best chocolate cakes would cause one's palates to become immune to its pleasures if it were to be served on one too many occasions. Hence the chocolate chocolate chunk coffee cake.

Tedious and tongue twisting the name may be, it does give a comprehensive description of the delight to follow. The cake is essentially a chocolate cake, we got that. Then there's chocolate chunk, mind you, not those over-processed chips that contain stuff we do not need, rather chunks dark (over 70%) good quality chocolate, good enough to gift, good enough to pair with wine. Yes, that good, the stuff that is about four or five times the price of generic chocolate. Trust me on this! It is a birthday cake, go ahead, you can splurge!



Then I included the word coffee, and not in the sense that it's an afternoon tea accompaniment, but actually using espresso powder and coffee stout in the cake. Why? Because coffee intensifies the chocolate flavour like no other. Then there's a secret ingredient! You can scroll down to the recipe to find it, but don't turn up your nose just yet! It's egg content and emulsifying properties lend so much richness to the cake and rounds it off nicely.



This recipe is adapted from Tasty's Ultimate Chocolate cake, and true to their word, it is an ultimate version of your home-made chocolate cake. I amped it up with Kahlua to bring out the coffee even more, made a cake syrup to intensify the chocolate flavour, then frosted it with my favorite buttercream - Italian meringue, chocolatized! Yes, it's now an official word. I just submitted it to Oxford English Dictionary. And yes, you can do that! I just did! :D



So then what does one call a cake that's more than Ultimate? Rather than calling it Supreme or Superlative Chocolate Cake, which could be just click-bait, how about Chocolate Chunk & Coffee Cake with Chocolate Buttercream? Now you're really salivating, aren't you? ;)

Ingredients:

A) Godiva liqueur cake syrup:
240 ml (1 cup) water
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
30 ml (1/8 cup) Godiva Chocolate liqueur

B) Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake:
225 g (1-7/8 cups) all purpose flour
150 g (1-1/4 cups) Dutch cocoa powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
450 ml (1-7/8 cups) coffee stout
1-1/2 tbsp Kahlua coffee liqueur
1-1/2 tbsp espresso powder
285 g (1-1/4 cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
375 g (1-7/8 cups) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
150 ml (5/8 cup) mayonnaise
170 g (6 oz.) dark chocolate (from a chocolate bar), chopped

C) Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream
425 g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
90 ml (3/8 cup) water
6 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
510 g unsalted butter, just slightly softened, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) cubes
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
60 g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder, sifted

Directions:

A) Godiva liqueur cake syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, place the water and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, then set aside to cool.
3. When cooled, stir in the Godiva chocolate liqueur.

B) Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake:
1. Butter and flour the sides of 3 20-cm (8-inch) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C or 325F.

3. Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the coffee stout, Kahlua, and espresso powder. Leave to rest. Before using, whisk again, then strain this mixture into another bowl.

Vruchtentaart met vla ... it's Dutch for fruitcake with custard, for if I should call it fruitcake, one would expect the old English classic. Not this one, though. This is a refreshing summery cake, enriched with cool thick custard and accented with summer's bounty: kiwis, strawberries, blackberries and canteloupes.



Tante Lily came to cook in our place one day and made a cake such as this for Mama's birthday, one of the many desserts for the buffet. This cake stole the show, not only because it was light and fruity, desirable qualities of desserts in the tropics, but also because it was decadent in its own way, rich with custard, unlike the many other buttercreamed cakes on the table.



There is a light coating of agar on top of the fruits which serves to plant the fruits firmly on the cake, preventing an avalanche as you slice into it, and also to prevent the fruits from drying out and discolouring. You definitely want to start making the agar after the cake has been fully assembled. It's an added bother, but will definitely extend the aesthetics of your baked good.

Vanilla Cake
Ingredients:
2 tsp cream of tartar
50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
150 g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
250 g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tsp vanilla extract
200 g (1-2/3 cup) all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
1. Butter and line 3 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper on the bottom.
2. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until it starts to froth.
4. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and continue whisking until soft peaks form.
5. At this stage, start adding the 50 g of sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites come to stiff glossy peaks.
6. Transfer this meringue to another clean, large bowl.

7. Replace the whisk with a flat beater and give the bowl a good wipe, then beat together the butter and 150 g of sugar for about 10-15 minutes, till pale and fluffy.
8. While waiting, sift the flour with the baking powder into a medium bowl.

9. To the butter and sugar mixture, add the yolks, one at a time on a slower speed, followed with the vanilla extract.
10. On the slowest speed, add the flour in four additions, mixing just until no visible lumps remain.

11. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and with a wooden spoon or a large spatula, fold a third of the egg whites to the batter.
12. Gently fold the rest of the meringue in.
13. Divide the batter among the cake pans, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
I placed one on the top rack and two on the lower rack, swapping them after they have risen.
14. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before inverting it on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Custard
Ingredients:
50 g (4 heaping tbsp) custard powder
1000 ml (4 cups) UHT milk
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, or to taste
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, boil custard powder and milk.
2. Add vanilla and sugar, stirring constantly.
3. When done, turn off heat and cool in a larger pan filled with cold water, keep stirring so as not to set the custard.

Agar Glaze
Ingredients:
10 g (1 pack) clear Agar (I use Swallow)
720 ml (3 cups) water
25 g (2 tbsp) sugar

Directions:
Make agar only when cake is assembled.
1. In a small saucepan, combine agar with cold water and sugar.
2. Cook till it boils.
3. Turn off the heat, keep stirring so it doesn't coagulate.

Assembling
Ingredients:
4 cups of cut peaches, plums, cherries, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, or the like.

Directions:
1. Invert one cake layer onto a serving platter.
2. Spread a little less than a third of the custard on top.
3. If desired, place half a cup of fruit (diced small) on the top of the custard.
4. Top with the second cake layer.

5. Repeat layering with the same amount of custard earlier and optional fruit.
6. Place the last cake layer on top.
7. Pour and spread the rest of the custard on top, letting it drip over the sides.
Work quickly, this stuff can set and thicken.
8. Arrange the rest of the fruit on top of the custard.

9. At this time, the agar glaze can be made, stir to cool, then slowly pour on top of the fruit and to the sides to set the fruit and prevent them from discolouring.
10. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.

Just when I thought you can't push the envelope on a classic banana chocolate chip muffin. You can!

I promise you, this will be your new go-to recipe for bringing to school, work, friends, or whipping up when you have a craving at midnight. This recipe makes 24 awesome muffins. Rightly so. Because you can always freeze them, you know? Not that there will be a shortage of peeps you can share it with. Really, it's just banana and baking stuff, not something super fancy, so please share the love. There has not been an ungrateful soul so far, except those trying to stick to their keto diet. LOL!

Ingredients:
Crumb:
50 g (<1/4 cup) light brown sugar
60 g (1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
Pinch of ground cinnamon
42 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter

Muffins:
420 g (3-1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
6 ripe bananas, mashed
100 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
165 g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, melted
350 g (2 cups) chocolate chunks

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine all the crumb ingredients.
2. Work them together by pinching them between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand.
3. Place the bowl in the fridge while preparing the muffins.

4. Preheat the oven to 175C or 250F.
5. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake or muffin liners.

6. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and butter.
8. Fold the flour into the banana mixture, then add the chocolate chunks, mixing until just combined.
9. Fill the paper liners up to 2/3 full.
10. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the muffins.
11. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden, rotating the pans between the oven shelves about 15 minutes into baking when the muffins have risen.
12. Transfer to a wire rack when safe to handle and let cool.

By the way, if you're not a fan of the crunchy crumbly topping and prefer to have a classic, try my ever-so-popular banana chocolate chunk muffins instead :)

And as always, bake with love!

What? It's my birthday and I have to make my own cake? Whhyyyy? Because I want to. Because it is the only time I get to do what I want to do without having to ask anyone if they would be okay with it. And because I can :D




I was also looking for another component to bring to the cake, something a little tart, something fruity, to balance the floral. I looked through my pantry and fridge and examined the options: lemon curd, passion fruit purée and the few preserves I had on hand. Hmmm? No obvious option here, so after baking the cake, I tasted a bit of it with each of them, offered it to willing family members, before finally settling on one that went so perfectly with the elderflower aromas. It was the raspberry preserves.



Since every cake is different, each has its own journey, its own trials and tribulations. I have come some ways from being happy just making a recipe I saw online (usually the best photos win my heart). Now I think about what flavour pairings, I go for differing textures, and I want to do something that pushes the envelope.



When you read a few of my posts, you will find that I say that a lot - push the envelope. With life, as cake, you wither when you rest on your laurels. You deteriorate when you don't learn anything new. And most tragically, you live the same life, the same meals and the same cakes over and over. And that is sad!



So ... a new cake it will be. Perfumed with sweet notes of elderflower, tinged with a bit of tang from raspberries, this cake turned out so lovely and aromatic, perfect for a summery-fruity-floraly-boozy kind of birthday. And you can be sure I had a glass of St. Germain and Prosecco to accompany me on this, er, shall we say, creative process ;)


Elderflower syrup
Ingredients:
240 ml (1 cup) water
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
60 ml (1/4 cup) St. Germain elderflower liqueur

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, place the water and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil, then set aside to cool. 
3. When cooled, stir in the St. Germain elderflower liqueur.


Elderflower Cake
Ingredients:
420 g (3-1/2 cups) all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
4 eggs + 1 yolk, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur
240 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
300 g (1-1/4 cup) buttermilk, at room temperature

Directions:
1. Butter and flour the sides of 4 20-cm (8-inch) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with parchment paper. 
2. Preheat the oven to 160C or 325F. 
3. Into a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, on medium high speed, beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and elderflower liqueur about 10 minutes until fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. 
5. Drizzle in the oil, and continue beating for another 3-4 minutes. 
6. Reduce the speed to medium low, then alternate adding the flour (in 3 batches) and the buttermilk (in 2 batches). 
7. Give it a good mix with a spatula before dividing the batter between the 4 prepared tins. 
8. Bake for 50 - 55 minutes until a skewer pierced in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
9. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a cooling rack. 
10. When cooled, level the tops with a serrated knife or a cake leveler. 
11. Brush with prepared cake syrup.


Raspberry Spread 
Ingredients:
240 ml (1 cup) raspberry preserves

Directions:
1. Place the raspberry preserve in a blender and blitz until super smooth. 


Elderflower Italian Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
425 g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
90 ml (3/8 cup) water
6 egg whites, at room temperature 
Pinch of cream of tartar 
510 g unsalted butter, just slightly softened, cut into 1.5 cm (1/2 inch) cubes 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
1 tsp St. Germain elderflower liqueur 

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, start heating the sugar and water. Have an infrared (or candy) thermometer ready. 
2. In a clean and dry bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, start whisking the egg whites on medium speed. 
3. As soon as the egg whites turn foamy, add the cream of tartar. Keep whisking the egg whites until you get to the soft peak stage. 
4. Keep an eye on the sugar syrup, as soon as it hits 112 - 115C or 235 - 240F, turn the heat off and VERY VERY CAREFULLY pour the syrup into the running mixing bowl, trickling it down the sides of the bowl. (You do not want to pour it into the whisking area because it will splatter and burn you!) 
5. Keep whisking until you get a voluminous white meringue. 
6. The bowl will get hot, at which point you want to cool it off with damp cold kitchen towels. You can stop whisking at this point long enough to place a larger bowl with ice and/or cold water under the mixing bowl to help it cool quicker. 
7. As soon as the meringue reads 39 - 40C or 102 - 104F, switch the whisk attachment with the beater attachment, then start beating on medium speed. 
8. Add the butter, a cube at a time, in about 5 second increments, the buttercream will start coming together after 2/3 of the butter is added. Continue adding the butter until depleted. 
9. Add the vanilla extract and Elderflower liqueur and beat for another minute. 

The buttercream will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days in maximum 25C weather. Otherwise you will need to refrigerate it. 

If your buttercream is curdling, or you see water is separating from the butter, the mixture is too cold. Warm the bowl by placing hot towels around the bowl. If your buttercream isn't coming together, or still watery, it may be too warm. Cool the mixing bowl by wrapping it in cold kitchen towels. Then continue beating until it comes together. 

Assembling

Now that we have our buttercream ready and at room temperature, and our cakes leveled and brushed with syrup, we can continue to assemble them. Make sure your cake board, turntable, offset spatulas, leveler, and a large cookie scooper is also on hand.

1. Check all the layers and choose the best one for the top of the cake. We are looking to place the bottom side up for the top-most layer. 
2. Place a small smear of buttercream on a cake board, then place a layer, bottom side down, centering it as best you can. 
3. Using a cookie scooper, scoop about 3/4 cup of buttercream on top of the layer, leveling it as evenly as possible. 
4. Spread a thin layer of raspberry preserve on one side of the next layer. 
5. Place this layer raspberry side down on the buttercream.
6. Continue layering all the cakes in this way. 
7. Crumb coat the whole cake, then refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to set and harden the buttercream. 
8. Frost the whole cake and decorate as desired.

Jakarta, circa 1978. There is a pile of bamboo sticks in our back yard. Oma stacks a few bricks, 3-high on 4 sides to make an enclosed pit on an old large metal sheet. Inside this pit she lays twigs and branches, and gets the fire ready.



The rice she cooked earlier in the kitchen is now being transferred into the bamboo, already lined with banana leaves on the inside. Caps were fashioned on one side of the bamboo poles; made from banana leaves and twine so the rice doesn’t fall off. As the fire gains momentum, these bamboo poles are positioned leaning at an angle close to the fire, never directly on top of it. I know now this is to have the rice settle on the bottom so as to make a more dense and compact rice roll. Also, slow and steady heat infuses the banana leaf flavour onto the rice much better, and develops a delicious crust on the sides.



My brother and I watch in fascination, not daring to go closer, the dancing flames both enthralled and terrified us. We were just waiting for the nasi jaha to be ready. Oma has already made some ayam woku to have for dinner. But we didn't need anything else, save the aromatic rice that is just minutes away from our palates.

Finally it is ready. And it isn't something you can dig in right away. The bamboo first needs to cool before we can pry the rice rolls out of them. And when it does, we would be right there, plate and spoon in hand. Oma cracks the bamboo poles open with a few whacks of the hammer, and as the pole splits, the aromatic steam fills the air ... grassy notes of banana leaf, pandan and lemongrass, a faint citrus note from the kaffir lime leaf, and ginger, ... a very decidedly pronounced earthy fragrance of ginger. We are salivating ... and the first bites can't have come any sooner.



Oh, to unwrap the rolls and dig in to spoonfuls of this soft, tender, fragrant and delicious rice, fresh from the glowing embers ... was a joy! To have seen it being made, from when the rice was washed, cooked with leaves and spices, arranged in the bamboo poles, roasted on a makeshift pit, cracked open, then have the roll finally on our plate. Sigh! An arduous task, only fueled by a desire to perpetuate a family recipe of a very authentic regional dish to feed loved ones.

Such are the kind of memories that fuel my interest in cooking for loved ones. That many many years from now, sights and smells jog memories of home-cooked meals, that will in turn fuel interest in the next generation to cook a family recipe. Something authentic, something regional that just isn't available in any restaurant around you. And that will be a mission well accomplished.


This recipe is a far cry from the authentic and traditional method to make nasi jaha. No bamboo or fire pit required. But it surely is Oma's recipe that was modified to meet the adequacies and capabilities of today's kitchens (read: pyrex dish and oven).

Need to further simplify it? Make it without banana leaves: just steam the rice with the already aromatic herbs and spices. It's as simple as you have time and inclination for. But please do try it. It's a delicious rice roll that can be enjoyed with any gravy-laden main dish and is sure to please any rice aficionado.

Ingredients:
(3 cups) glutinous or sweet rice, rinsed
(1 cup) jasmine rice, rinsed
1-1/2 liters (6 cups) water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large shallot, finely minced
5 cm ginger, finely minced
360 ml (1-1/2 cup) coconut milk
6 stalks lemongrass, each cut into 3, then bruised
9 kaffir lime leaves
Pinch of sugar
1 tbsp salt, or to taste
Optional:
Young banana leaves, washed and dried, then cut into approximately 15x20 cm or 5x6 inches

Directions:
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, boil both the rice with water for 20 minutes until it becomes fluffy and has soaked up most, if not all, of the water. It should be al dente and have a little bite, though not crunchy, after this step is done.
2. While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then sauté the shallot and ginger until aromatic and slightly browned.
3. Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, sugar, and salt and let come to a boil.
4. Pour this liquid into the rice, mix well, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and let steam for 20 minutes, or until rice is soft and tender.
You can enjoy the rice right now as is, or ...

5. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.
6. Brush a 9x13 Pyrex or baking pan with olive oil.
7. Divide the rice mixture into 6, place in the center part of the cut banana leaves, roll tightly, then place seam side down on the dish to make 6 logs across.
8. Cover with parchment paper, then aluminium foil.
9. Bake for 20 minutes until banana leaves are browned and wilted.
Now you have nasi jaha.

Doesn’t saying it evoke a smile? Then some curiosity? Is it a dish or a dance move? Do the dabu dabu. LOL! It could just as well be one. Imagine just how catchy would that be. Doing the dabu dabu! Just remember that you read it here first :D

Dabu dabu is a raw sambal, a condiment, a spicy side kick to a lot of Manadonese dishes. Indeed it is very similar to a salsa, but in a decidedly hotter version. It is easily whipped up, and is enjoyed with almost all Manadonese mains, especially grilled fish.



And this is Oma’s dabu dabu recipe, a closely guarded secret. I haven’t come across a dabu dabu that comes close. Psst! Don’t tell her I shared this recipe with the world now. She is one who subscribes to the idea that family recipes should remain just that.

My fond memories of dabu dabu involve ladling (yes, ladling!) it from big bowls to accompany Oma’s Gurame Bakar and rice. You can never have enough of it when fish and rice are involved. It’s refreshing, it’s spicy, and at times, it is the only serving of vegetables. LOL!



Just a few ingredients, chopped or whizzed in a food processor, and ready in 3 minutes. And note that you can go as mild or as hot as you prefer.

Ingredients:
3 - 4 red (cayenne) chilies, de-seeded and sliced finely
2 shallots, finely minced
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp olive oil (secret ingredient)
5 - 6 Thai basil leaves
Pinch of sugar (another secret ingredient)
Salt, to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, mix to combine.
2. If too spicy, add some more chopped tomatoes.
3. Cover and chill for 30 minutes if time allows (so much better if you do)