GZ Tai-Tai

Banana Bread/Banana Muffins

I have tried many banana bread recipes, this one I found was always the best and I always came back to it. . I have even frosted it and made it as a cake for events. The kids at soccer loved when I made them as cupcakes and frosted them with cream cheese frosting. I baked this recipe as muffins this week for a bake sale at school. 

Banana Bread

2 bananas

½ cup butter, margarine or shortening    I use half butter half shortening

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 ¾ cup flour

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup milk

Blend bananas, butter, eggs, and vanilla.

Beat in milk. Combine sugar, flour, salt, and soda; mix into the other ingredients. Bake in a moderate oven (350F 180 C) for 1 hour.

For variety you can add nuts or raisins. I have even added fresh blueberries when they were in season.

For muffins fill muffin cups, bake (350F 180C) for 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

Jelly Roll/Biscuitrolle/Swiss Roll

Sorry no photo will keep trying but for whatever reason I am unable to post the photo at this time.I will keep trying not sure if it is me or Typepad. finally a photo. : )

I got hooked on Swiss Roll cakes when we had our first tour of Guangzhou. These were readily available at the local hotel deli that I picked up bread and other grocery items at the time. They were filled with a thin layer of cream that was not too sweet and the sponge was so nice. Of course the cake was usually consumed when my friend and I got home from the journey over a cup of tea or a coffee.  When we moved back to the states I craved this not so sweet cake that I could not find until a Chinese bakery opened about 45 minutes drive from my home. When I was in that area I always stopped in for a Swiss roll to take home.

This is very close to the Swiss roll that I craved, when you fill with a thin layer of cream. However this simple cake can be an elegant statement when filled with a thick layer of cream and some fruit, or a humble, yet delicious treat, with a smearing of jam or jelly of your choice.

This recipe comes from a lovely German friend that shares my love of cooking and was so nice to teach a few of us her lovely biscuitrolle.

Preheat oven to 200C

4 eggs

150g sugar

10g vanilla sugar

4 Tbsp boiling water

100g flour

50g cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

Beat the eggs and boiled water with an electric mixer for two minutes. When the eggs are foamy add the sugars half at a time and beat for two more minutes.

Add the remaining dry ingredients to the egg mixture half at a time. Pour onto a baking paper lined, jelly roll pan or baking sheet with sides. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until tested with toothpick and it comes out clean.

Turn out onto a tea towel that you have sprinkled with sugar. Peel baking paper away and cover cake with a moist tea towel, this will keep the cake from drying out while it cools down.  When cake has cooled fill with your choice of filling and roll using the tea towel that has been sugared to assist you in rolling.

Birthday! The Icing on the Cake

Yes it was my Birthday yesterday. Expat Son and Hubby made me a cake which was made, I believe, mostly by Son with a little bit of help from Hubby. Then I helped later in the day with the icing, I made the icing, rather than have a cake with canned icing. I have never really liked canned icing, it has it's place for those rush job cupcakes that I am told about at the last minute, that need to be delivered to the school today... but rarely do I use it on a cake. It just seems too sickly sweet.
Expat Son is becoming a great little chef in his own right and he does like to cook, until his friends call and then he is out the door to play football (soccer) or something else with his pals. Yesterday was that way with the cake, he made the cake and while the cake was cooling he got the call and disappeared for several hours.When he came in from playing, all sweat soaked, and was ready for icing the cake and decorating it too. I insisted that he wash up first. I quote " go wash your hands up to your elbows, before starting on the cake"!
Once washed up I gave him the bowl of icing I  had whipped up and left the kitchen. He called me in and said "could you ice the cake I am having problems with the sides... I'll decorate it though". No problem it was a 2 minute job to help him out in this way. When he was finished with the masterpiece he called Hubby and I to look at his work. He said, "see it says happy birthday in gummy candy over here on the lower right of the cake."  I could not see it at first and he pointed it out to us and it indeed does say Happy Birthday if you look real hard. 
He was very proud of his work and I am very proud of him too!
Later Expat Hubby and Son took me to dinner at the White Swan Hotel in the Silk Road Grill Room.
Dinner was nice we had a table with a view of the Pearl River and we were entertained by the river cruise boats that were lit up with fairy lights going up and down the River . This was helpful as dinner was a nice long relaxed event and Expat Son was happy to have the entertainment. The food was good, I ordered Prime Rib, as this is a favorite of mine and I do not get it very often. Son had Alaskan Crab Spaghetti and Hubby had Alaskan Halibut. We started the meal off with Onion soup and Caesar Salad. To end the meal we shared a plate of Crepe Suzette which they prepared table side, also a nice touch. When we arrived home after that lovely meal it was after 10:00 PM we decided to go to bed as it is a school night and Son was up past his bedtime. We will have cake tonight after dinner and I know we are all looking forward to it.
Thanks to my boys I had a lovely birthday celebration and I will get to celebrate again tonight with a yummy birthday cake that was prepared with love.

Earlier in the week I had a lovely lunch with my favorite friends. It was also an enjoyable afternoon catching up with all of them over some good Italian food.

I received cards from family living far away, phone calls and internet chat from Expat daughter too!

I am a much loved person and that has really made me feel special. Thanks!

I did have a happy day indeed!

Recipe for my birthday cake icing follows.. This is one my Mom used to make and it was my favorite as a kid. It reminds me of icing on bakery cakes or wedding cakes. So when I am in the mood for wedding cake or the taste bakery cakes from home I use this icing recipe.   

Egg/Advocaat Cake

The first time I had Advocaat was in 1996 at a Christmas party. I really enjoyed the liqueur, despite the fact that people told me that old ladies drink it in Holland or rather eat a thicker version from spoons. A drink that will be familiar to bar menus that the liqueur is used in, is called a snow ball. It contains advocaat, lemon soda (seven up or sprite) and ice. I like to sip it straight with an ice cube like I do with Irish cream liqueur.

Recently, at a friends house, I had a slice of cake made with Advocaat and it was quite good. My friend has since moved and she did not have a chance to give me the recipe before leaving, however she said that she would when she is settled. In the mean time I decided to do a little hunting of my own and found a few recipes for a cake made with the egg liqueur. None of them were just like the one she baked but I did monkey around with some of the recipes and this is what I came up with....

1,2,3 Cake

This cake is more like a tart than a cake but it is one of my favorites!  My wonderful friend Ulita gave me the recipe when we were living in China the first time (late 90's). The thing that is especially nice about this recipe is that all the ingredients are available and were back then too.  I made it with plum, but you could use any fruit you like. I chose the plum as this brought back memories of having a slice with my good friend while we watched our toddlers running around the garden together.

I really should make this more often it is so easy, you could say it is "as easy as pie".