Chocolate Lava Cake,part 1 朱古力心太軟, 上集

Chocolate Lava Cake, Molten Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Volcano Cake...they all refer to this:

A chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate inside. It just flows out when you break it open with a fork. A chocolate ganache is refrigerated until it hardens, then after filling a ramekin or small cup with the cake batter, it is put in the middle and covered again with the batter and then baked. The heat will melt the chocolate inside just enough so that when it is served, it will flow out like lava or volcano.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Buns using Tong Zhong

Cinnamon buns are another favorite enriched bread for my family. I used whole wheat to make the bread more nutritious. Once again, this is the advantage of DIY.

Ever attracted by the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon buns or pretzels at the shopping mall? It is hard to resist, right? I think those stores are strategically placed, not in the food court, but all throughout the mall so that the aroma can easily reach the shoppers.

Red Bean Bao 紅豆包

When I go to chinese bakery, there are three types of bread that I always get: bo law bao, red bean bao and coconut bao. But I have not been to one for quite a while....

I always wonder how the bakery chef shapes the red bean and coconut baos. Then I came across a chinese cook book that has pictures to show the technique.

Chocolate Chestnut Cake 朱古力栗子蛋糕

I'm glad that my birthday is in winter because it is the season for chestnuts. Chestnut cream cake is my favorite cake second to chocolate cake. I can't really find a bakery that makes good chestnut cake around my area. It either doesn't have much chestnut in it or the chestnut doesn't taste like chestnut at all  : (

I've tried making my own chestnut puree, but it is just too much work: crack open the outer skin, boil the chestnut and remove the inner skin (that's the most tedious part) then puree it...

Baked Char Siu Bao 焗叉燒包

Baked Char Siu Bao

Every time I make char siu, usually I make more so that there will be leftover for char siu bao. My hubby likes savory bao more than sweet bun. It is very good to have it for breakfast or afternoon snack. I made whole wheat tang zhong with flax seed as the dough to add more nutritional values.

Hokkaido Milk Toast 北海道牛奶吐司

I have never been to Japan, but I know that the dairy from Hokkaido is very famous. They have a special kind of beef which can fetch more than $20/pound. Although I don't have the privilege to try the beef, I still can make the bread recipe that derived from Hokkaido ! You can, too !

Egg Tart in Puff Pastry 酥皮蛋撻

Egg tart is one of my all time favorite pastries. It is best to have it right out of the oven (maybe after a few minutes to cool ^_^). The egg custard is sweet and soft while the crust is buttery and crisp. I prefer puff pastry crust to cookie crust. Those layers of crust are just superb and irresistible. The way to make the crust is the same as other puff pastries in which a slab of butter is sandwiched in between a dough and rolled out. But for this type of crust, the slab of butter is mixed with some flour before rolling out with the flour dough.

Guilt-free Chocolate Chiffon Cake 朱古力雪纺蛋糕

This chocolate chiffon cake has been rated the best in my household for a chiffon cake. Light and full of chocolate flavor, this cake can be served plain or with chocolate ganache glaze or whipped cream. Chiffon cake is often preferred over other buttery cakes because it is free of animal fat and therefore much healthier. Whatever way, it is good as a dessert or an afternoon snack.