KCC: Birthday Party Food - UBE CAKE

January is a special month for me, because it's my birthday month! My 7 yr old son was also born in January a few days before mine, and ever since he was born we tend to focus now on his birthday wishes, like what kind of theme for his party, who to invite to his party or what kind of cake to have.  So unfortunately, I end up spending days making his boy-themed cakes and planning his parties.  If I had a chance to make party food request this year, I'd have special two: my mom's kare-kare and the other is ube cake.  My mom is a great cook, but cakes aren't her forte so I'd let her spoil me by making my ultimate favourite dish.  The cake-making would be left to myself even on my birthday.  I got to admit, I do long for Red Ribbon's Ube cake, but because I can't have that here I have to try making it from scratch.

My aunt sent me a few bottles of McCormick Ube flavouring from the Philippines.  It's purple coloured essence, so you don't have to add food colouring.  If you can't avail of it then you can try using yam essence (try oriental stores) and add the purple food colouring yourself. 

1 cup        cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup      caster sugar
1 tsp        baking powder
1/4  tsp      salt
1/3 cup      canola oil
4              eggs, separated
1/3 cup     water
1 tsp        ube flavouring
1/4 cup     milk
1/4 tsp      cream of tartar
1^1/2 cup   cream
1/4 cup     icing sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp     ube flavouring or purple food colouring

• Preheat oven to 180C (not fan-forced) oven, and line 1 (9-inch) round pan or 2 (6-inch) round pan
• Sift together cake flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk oil, egg yolks, water, ube flavouring and milk. 
• Gently blend the egg mixture to the cake flour until smooth, being careful not to over beat.
• Whisk the egg whites and the cream of tartar until frothy. Set mixer on highest speed, and gradually add 1/2 cup of caster sugar.
• Gently fold the ube mixture into the eggwhites.
• Pour batter in pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until done. To test, insert skewer into cake and it should come out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in pan for five minutes then invert on rack to cool completely
• For the frosting, whip the cream, ube flavour (or purple colouring) and gradually add the icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
• To assemble, split the cake in half. Trim the top of cake to make it flat and even.  Place the trimmings in a food processor and set aside.
• Spread whipped cream on one cake layer and top with the second layer. Frost all sides and top of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs on sides and top. Decorate with piped cream to finish.

Alternative:  Add strips of macapuno in the centre of cake to make ube-macapuno cake.

PS. Here's my mom's Kare-Kare and I ate so much of it with bagoong!

Fairy Paige

This is Paige's, my 2-year old cute fairy neice, birthday cake my mom and I made together.

Banana bread

One noticable difference found here in Sydney that's not in Perth (yet) is their love of banana bread! They're crazy about it, and it's a phenomenon here. Most cafes sell it, and listen to this - they serve it to you toasted. That's right, toasted with melted spread of butter.

Six months ago, my husband came home and was ecstatic about his new breakfast discovery from a cafe near his workplace. He said I ought to try toasting a thick slice of banana bread, and I would be gobsmacked. In fact, his sister and the rest of his family knew about it too long before him, so it seemed like he was second-last to know and me the last.

Keen to give it a try, I wanted to bake one so I can taste what he meant. Shortly after that discussion, I was given a delicious store-bought loaf before I could bake my own. Yes, toasting it tasted different and new, and it was good. I normally like my banana cake served cold, for that's how my love-at-first-bite on banana cakes started when I attended my mom's cousin's wedding in the 80's. I still like it cold for I prefer cold desserts over warm ones, so a warm banana bread isn't really my ideal choice.

This recipe I recently tried is leaning a little on the dry side because it's a bread not a cake recipe. Cakes would call for more butter in the recipe. It's moist, but not super moist. It also dries up when kept in fridge (I like to keep it in the fridge to prevent microbes from growing). Hence, toasting it on a dry fry pan, a toaster or sandwich press, plus a thin smear of light margarine (for cholesterol-free indulgence and I picked marge with low trans-fat) makes it easier to swallow.

Adapted from: Taste.com.au

Ingredients
300 g self-raising flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
70 g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
185 ml (3/4 cup) milk
100 g melted butter canola oil
1 egg, lightly whisked
250 g (1 cup, 2 pieces) mashed ripe bananas

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush a 6cm-deep, 9.5 x 22cm (base measurement) loaf pan with oil to grease. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sultanas and sugar, and make a well in the centre.
Combine the milk, oil, egg and banana in a large jug. Pour into the centre of the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool. Once cool, cut the loaf into 1cm-thick slices. Enjoy!

Mission 4

My boy m loves anything space-related: the solar system, rocket ships, asteriods and meteors. He loves calling out the planets and drills me with, "What's between Venus and Mars?" It's embarassing to admit that I don't know the answer and as I type had to open another internet window just to know it.

For his birthday party fun, space theme was of course the most obvious to pick. With Daddy d's help, the kids played "Moon rock Hunting" (treasure hunt), "Musical planets" (musical chairs), "Pin the martian's nose" and pulled a rocket ship pinata.

Lunch wasn't exactly freeze-dried food, like what the real astronauts eat. Thankfully, ours were better and yummier courtesy of my helpful moms, aunties and uncle. We had "lunar lasagna", "neptune noodles", "super galaxy salad", "mini chicken moon pies", "melon moon balls".

Mango Cake

M for mangoes! I love mangoes and so does m! Here's his birthday cake prepared on his actual birthday. It's a sponge cake I lined with mangoes and topped with berries on hand. If mangoes aren't available, tinned ones will do. In this case, I used tinned ones for I was press for time. To make it glisten, brush with dilute gelatine mixture and set in the fridge.

Christmas tree Cupcakes

My first acting role was to play a christmas tree in our Grade 2's Christmas school presentations. I was dressed in green pj's and a cardboard tree cutout (as tall as me) with my face showing through it. During rehearsals, I would boldly get up in front of class and do my part while the rest of my classmates in choir sang, "Oh, christmas tree". Hardly a role, because I just had to stand there and later act falling as the woodcutter chopped. However, on the day of the school's christmas celebrations, coldfeet struck and refused to participate. My parents and my teacher had to beg me to do it. Needless to say, they didn't cancel the show because I later gave in and did it. Guilt must had struck me, for Christmas of course won't be christmas without a tree. Yeah, expect a 7 year old to have that kind of adult reasoning!

Here are some baby trees I made this year for the playgroup's Christmas party. Baby Christmas Vanilla Cupcakes with buttercream icing. There were lots of kids and lots of food!

J's day

Pocoyo, a playful and adorable cartoon character, is just like our wonderful j. So, it's no surprise he got a Pocoyo cake - complete with his pals Ely, Sleepy bird, Pato and Loula.

The pleasant Friday morning in the nearby playground was superb for j's birthday playdate. Dad, Mom and m were present, and so were his Grandpa (visiting specially for the grandkids' birthdays), Aunty C, cousin j and four young pals. They played at the swings, slide and see-saw; ran to catch bubbles; and ate lunch and cake. Later in the evening, celebration continued in a nice seafood restaurant with Lola M from Canberra and Uncle J.

Choc cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes for the Tupperware party. I used the Black Forrest Gateau recipe (without the cherry filling). Topping is ganache and whipped cream mixed with cocoa powder.

Baptismal cake

My little angel j got this for his baptismal day. His grand auntie c made the cake inside, an all-natural, soft orange chiffon cake. The decoration is made by me and j's auntie a.

Lightning Mcqueen Party

For m's 3rd birthday party, his cake got to be Lightning Mcqueen, his number one favourite to date! For this cake, I baked a chocolate cake in a rectangular pan and covered it with fondant icing. Love to do this again, except for the labourious hand-kneading of colouring involved! Oh, anything for you, dear m!

Vanilla butter cake

These I brought to playgroup for all the littlies.

125 g butter
3/4 c milk
3 eggs
1 T vanilla essence
1 c castor sugar
1.5 c self-raising flour

Grease mini muffin pans. Combine butter and milk in saucepan, stirring constantly until butter melts. Cool to room temp. Beat eggs and essence in small bowl with electric mixer until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beat until dissolved between additions. Transfer mixture into large bowl, stir in half of sifted flour and half of butter mixture, then remaining flour and butter mix. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 13 minutes in 180C oven.

(Butter's high in saturated fats, so I substituted butter with light olive oil margarine that is low in sat. fat and 'zero' trans fat)

Source: Cakes & Slices cookbook

Black Forest Gateau

A special occasion deserved a cake. This was a birthday cake I made for my uncle.

Serves 8-10

Black Forest Gateau

6 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
185 g self-raising flour
80g cocoa powder
1 jar pitted morello cherries (or black)
1 T cornflour
3/4 cup Kirsch
600 ml thickened cream * see note*
200 g dark chocolate (to make caraque as decoration)

Preheat oven to 180C

Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and frothy. Add oil and water, beating constantly. Sift flour and drinking chocolate. Add to egg mixture and combine well. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour into a greased 23cm springform tin. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool in tin.

Drain cherries, reserve syrup. Pour Kirsch over cherries, cover and soak overnight or as long as possible. Drain again, reserving Kirsch. Combine reserved syrup and cornflour in a small sauce pan and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add the cherries. Allow to cool before placing on cake.

Cut cake in half, brush with reserved Kirsch. Spread the cherry mixture on one cake layer. Place another layer on top and spread cover cake with whipped cream. Cover top and sides with chocolate caraque. Decorate with some reserved cherries and dust with sifted icing sugar just before serving.

Note: I replaced 300ml of cream with the "light" cream version. Light cream doesn't whip easily, so it will make the cream runnier.

Source: Chocolate cookbook