Chocolate Banana Cake with Chocolate Topping

I have not baked for a long time. OK, OK, maybe 1 month or so is not considered a long time but for someone who used to bake every week, it seems like a long break!

Since it's my turn to prepare the refreshment for church this Sunday, I thought I'd bake a cake and something which I have not done before. So, as I was flipping through my recipe book, I saw this chocolate banana cake and it looks so easy to make. I've got to try it! For health reason, I didn't intend to put any topping but when I asked VIP, he disagreed with me, so I thought, well....OK, no harm, I'll just eat less of it. Hahaha....

The original recipe has a higher amount of sugar (115gm) and it uses malt extract (2tbsp) too but since I don't have that, I replaced it with golden syrup.

This cake is moist and I think I feel less guilty with the lower amount of sugar and also only 4 tbsp of oil...;p
So, if you're on diet and still want to bake your cake and eat it too...give it a try!

Note:
1. Use only ripe bananas.
2. The baking time depends on your oven. My new oven is a super oven as the cake is cooked in 35min! The original recipe said you're supposed to bake it for 1hr.

Ingredients:

Cake
Self raising flour (225gm)
Cocoa Powder (3 tbsp)
Sugar (100gm)
Golden Syrup (3tbsp)
Milk (4 tbsp)
Egg (2)
Oil (4 tbsp)
Banana (4 medium size) - mashed

Topping
Cooking chocolate (60gm)
Butter (60gm) - unsalted butter is better

Preheat oven at 160C.

Method:

1. Sift self raising flour with cocoa powder. Mix in sugar.
2. In another bowl, mix egg, milk, golden syrup, oil and mashed banana.
3. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the mixture in no. 2. Mix to combine.
4. Line a round baking dish and pour in the mixture.
5. Bake for 40min or until cooked. Remove the cake from the mould and let it cool.
6. To make the topping, melt butter and chocolate in a pan and mix well. Let it cool so it's a little thick before spreading onto the cake.

Mifen Soup Version 3

Oh...you can't see the mifen right? Haha...ya lor...too much meat and vegetables already. This is really easy to cook and without any oil (if you omit the sesame oil), so kind of healthy.

Ingredients:
Fish meat
Black Pepper
Chicken meat
Ginger
Tofu
Carrots
Lettuce (clean and soak in water)
Mifen (soak in water)
Sugar
Salt
Cooking wine
Sesame Oil
Water


Method:
1. Marinate fish with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
2. In a pot, bring to boil chicken eat and ginger for ~30min.
3. Add in tofu and fish. Season with salt, sugar and cooking wine.
4. When fish meat is cooked, bring out the chicken meat, fish, carrot and tofu.
5. Put the mifen into the soup and cook till soft. Bring out the mifen and divide into serving bowls.
6. Cook lettuce in the soup for 1min with a few drops of sesame oil.
7. Shred the chicken meat and arrange it with tofu, fish, carrot and lettuce on top of the mifen.
8. Pour in the soup until it covers the mifen and serve.

Scallop Porridge with Minced Meat & Dried Figs

Porridge is one of my favourite food and I cook it quite often since it's really easy to prepare. Those who know me would know I like to experiment with new things when it comes to cooking. I remembered my friend's mum used to cook her soup with dried figs and she told me the figs add sweetness to the soup. So, I thought I'll try that in the porridge!


Whether it's the figs or not, I like this porridge :)

Ingredients:
Dried Scallops
Carrots (cut into cubes)
Potatoes (cut into cubes)
Dried figs (3-4 pieces)
Ginger
Brown Rice
Water
Minced Pork (marinated with soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, corn flour)
Salt


Method:
1. In a pot/slow cooker, put in rice, ginger, dried scallops, dried figs, carrots and potatoes. Add water.
2. Cook till porridge is almost done.
3. Use a spoon and scoop the minced meat into the porridge.
4. When minced meat is cooked, season with salt.

Baked Rice (Free Style)

OK, free style means 'cincai' cook one la ;p No recipe....just agak-agak.

I don't remember what gives me the inspiration to cook this but I think the taste is not too bad for a first attempt. The only thing I should improve from this version is make sure the rice is not too wet. Other than that, it's kind of nice and would be even nicer if you can take in a more fattening version by topping it with cheese before baking ;p

The seaweed absolutely enhanced the taste of this dish!

Ingredients:
Rice (cooked)
Corn (steamed)
Carrot (diced)
Garlic (chopped)
Chicken meat (remove bones and cut into small pieces)
Pumpkin (cut into small cubes)
Tomatoes (cut into small pieces)
Seaweed sheets (tear into bite size pieces)
Cooking wine
Light Soy Sauce
Sugar
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Tomato Sauce
Chili Sauce
Oil
Water

Preheat oven at 180C.


Method:
1. Marinate chicken meat with cooking wine, light soy sauce and sugar. Set aside.
2. Heat a little oil and saute garlic.
3. Add in carrot and pumpkin. Stir fry for 2-3min.
4. Add in chicken meat.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Add water and cook till pumpkin is soft. Mix in tomatoes and dish up.
7. Grease a baking dish with a little oil.
8. Fill the baking dish with rice.
9. Pour mixture in no. 6 into the rice and mix.
10. In another bowl, mix tomato and chili sauce together, then stir the mixture into the rice.
11. Cover the baking dish with an aluminum foil.
12. Bake for 20min.

Stir Fried Angel Hair Pasta Chinese Style

This is really easy to do and angel hair is really very versatile. You can mix almost anything with it and it'll still be easy to cook and turn out well.

Ingredients:
Angel hair pasta (cooked per packet instruction)
Chinese Mushroom (soaked until soft and sliced)
Dried Shrimps (soaked and chopped coarsely)
Carrot
Garlic (chopped)
Onion (cut into small cubes)
Black Pepper
Salt
Olive Oil
Water


Method:
1. Heat oil and saute garlic and onion until fragrant.
2. Add in dried shrimps and stir fry for 1min.
3. Mix in carrot and mushrooms. Season with salt.
4. Put in the pasta and mix well.
5. Sprinkle a dash of black pepper and add some water if it’s too dry.
6. Stir fry for 1min and it’s done.

Fried Rice with Mixed Vegetables

This is one of those quick one dish meals that I do when I am too lazy to cook anything elaborate ;p

Ingredients:
Cooked rice
Mixed vegetables
Button Mushroom (sliced)
Chicken Frankfurters
Garlic (chopped)
Dark Soy Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Cooking wine
Salt
Pepper
Oil
Water


Method:
1. Heat oil and saute garlic.
2. Add in chicken frankfurters and button mushrooms and stir fry for 1min. Season with a little salt.
3. Add in mixed vegetables and rice.
4. Season with dark and light soy sauce and pepper.
5. Stir fry on medium-high heat for 1min.
6. Add a little water if it’s too dry.
7. Add some cooking wine and finish with a quick stir fry.