Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Mini-cake with chopped walnuts

First time I digged into it, it instantly reminded me of wedding cakes. This cake is pure and elegant, rich and tasty.

But nah, didn't make it for a wedding (not yet), I first made it for my father's 77th birthday. It became a hit to my household (yeah including my picky-eater toddlers), cousins, neighbors and colleagues that I now make it at least once a week...no exaggeration.

It's the most nutritious of all the cakes I have tried doing so far, what with all those cups of freshly grated carrots ;)

Vanilla Cupcakes

It is my second time to bake Vanilla Cupcakes. This is better than the first only because I used cupcake liners like how cupcakes should be. Unlike the first batch which I topped with Buttercream Frosting, I am not frosting nor 'sprinkling' this batch with more sweets. My household had enough sugar the past five days.

Needless to say, the sprinkles in these photos are just for decoration purposes =)


Adapted from Joy.

Vanilla Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup all-purpose flour (sifted 3x)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and butter into a bowl and mix until the mixture reaches a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half of the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.

Whisk the egg, vanilla and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated. Scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side or the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth. Just a few minutes. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into paper lined cupcake pan, dividing between the 12 cups.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool slightly in the pan, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Gooey Brownie

It is very late at night, yet I'm making this yummy treat. Staring at the picture at Joy's website makes me want it more and more. No, it's not Joy's fault. It's me and my chocoholism.



Adapted from Joy.

Gooey Brownie

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
(4 ounces coarsely chopped, 1 ounce coarsely grated)

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 eggs at room temperature

1 egg yolk at room temperature

6 tablespoons sugar


Preheat oven 400 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch pan and set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa and salt together, 5 times.


Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, put the coarsely chopped chocolate and the butter in the bowl and stir occasionally over the simmering water just until they are melted – do not overheat. Set aside.


In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and yolk. Add the sugar and whisk until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and, still using the whisk, stir (don’t beat) them into the eggs. Little by little, and using a light hand, stir in the melted chocolate and butter.

Pour the batter onto an 8-inch pan and sprinkle the coarsely grated chocolate over the batter.


Bake the cake for about 18 minutes. (There is no way to test that these cakes are properly baked, because the inside remains wet). Still in the pan, let it cool for 5 minutes then transfer into a plate using a spatula.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

It's a hot day. The chocolate chips are melting in the cupboard. I need to do something about it... how about Chocolate Chip Pancakes for our afternoon snack? Sounds like a plan.



Adapted from Joy.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes
makes enough to fill 3-4 tummies

Prepare all the ingredients you need.


1 egg
1 cup flour (sifted 3x)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extact
1/2 cup chocolate chips (you can add more if you wish)

butter or oil (for cooking)

In a large bowl, beat egg. Add milk, butter and vanilla, mix well.


Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth.


Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.


Heat non-stick pan over low heat. Grease the pan with butter or 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil. Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the pan. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Serve with maple syrup.

Making Cake Flour

Cake flour. It sounds intimidating to a newbie baker like me. It not only sounds expensive, it seems like being used only by professional bakers. Thank God there's Joy who understands us newbies and always ready to share a tip or two.

Cake flour lightens the cake crumb, making it softer. I almost always use cake flour for my baked goodies though the ingredients only call for all-purpose flour. Though I see cake flour available in baking supplies stores that I frequent, I prefer to make my own. It is very easy to make. Let me show you...

1. Measure out the all-purpose flour that your recipe requires.


2. For every cup of flour, take out two tablespoons of flour, return it to the bin and replace it with two tablespoons of cornstarch.


3. Sift the flour and cornstarch together for five times. The cornstarch and flour need to be well incorporated and the flour aerated.


Your cake flour is now ready to use.