White chocolate cream cheese butter birthday cake with strawberries.

This old blog's been collecting dust lately. I made a layer cake for my child awhile ago for his second birthday. It was similar to the butter cupcakes that I have made in the previous post, except that for the frosting I used this recipe for White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream which looks like a dream. The cake was Mrs Ng's recipe which I have attempted a few times, but this time in a different size of tin.

The frosting requires butter, quality white chocolate and cream cheese with a 1:1:1 ratio. It is important to use high quality chocolate or else you would make the same mistake as I did. I subbed the chocolate with normal chocolate chips I bought from a bakery shop and the frosting didn't turn out as good as I expected it to be (it might also be due to myself not exactly following the recipe ...). 

You may use my version to speed things up or refer to the original recipe. I believe with the relatively warmer, more humid weather in Malaysia, the frosting needs to cool down in the fridge before it is used to frost the cake.

If I would whip this up again, I'd opt out the butter and just double the cream cheese. I like the pure flavour of cheese for my frosting.

I decorated the cake with heart shaped strawberries and an animal toy as a cake topper.

Butter cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Frosting cakes has never been my thing. There are more dishes to do and a piping bag to clean. Besides, the frosting always seem to be TOO sweet. And I could never get the hang of frosting a nice pattern.

It took a lot of motivation for me to actually initiate this trial. I used the most trusted recipe of butter cake for the cake base. You could use just half the recipe to make a dozen cupcakes.

I couldn't recall where I got the cream cheese frosting recipe from. I whipped 250 g of softened cream cheese with approximately 40 g of white chocolate and about 20 g of icing sugar. I don't remember the exact recipe but it was enough to ice 12 cupcakes.

If I try the recipe again I would post it here.

Strawberry chocolate pie.

If you have seen this intriguing video that was once viral on the social media, you would know how tempting it looked. I intentionally bought a rectangular pan with removable base and tried out the recipe.

This is the No-Bake Strawberry Chocolate Pie recipe shared by Home Cooking Adventure.

I made the pie for a farewell gathering and it was not too bad. I used chocolate compound and did not add any sugar, so the chocolate pie was rather bitter. If you prefer your dessert sweet, just follow the original recipe that calls for a combination of milk and bittersweet chocolate.

Following is my adapted recipe for a 20 x 8 cm pan.

Strawberry Chocolate Pie (serves 6-8)

For the crust:

200 g Oreo cookie crumbs

80 g butter, melted

1. Combine together crumbs and melted butter and mix thoroughly. Press to the bottom of the pan and then work your way up the sides. Leave in the freezer.

For the filling:

200 g dark chocolate compound

100 g whipping cream

3 strawberries, halved

1. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes, taking it out for a stir every 30 seconds.

2. Pour in cream. Let sit for a minute. Then stir to combine with chocolate.

3. Take out the pan. Pour the chocolate filling over crust.

4. Gently press the strawberry halves downward.

5. Chill the pie for the filling to set. It might take an hour or so, even more. 

As my filling was rather thick it did not take very long to set. The pie was retrieved from the fridge and survived under room temperature for 2 hours before it was served. The filling was rather gooey and the pie still retained its shape.

I would make this pie again (if there are people to share it with).

Oreo cheesecake with reduced sugar content.

If you're lazy, or out of equipment (like me) to crush the cookies for cheesecake base, which always discourages me from making cheesecakes, then head on to your nearest baking supplies store for a packet of cookie crumbs. I was lucky to have Oreo crumbs at the store I visit regularly. This means I had to omit the filling that was called for in the original recipe, which I was okay with - less sugar, you see!

I also reduced more than half of the sugar and almost doubled the recipe to use up 500 grams of cream cheese. I thought the taste was just fine.

Recipe adapted from Oreo Cheesecake Bars by Table for Two.

Oreo Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

For the cookie base:

70 g Oreo crumbs

2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 180°C. Mix well the crumbs and butter, then press onto the base of an 8" pan. Bake for 5 minutes.

For the cheesecake:

500 g cream cheese

30 g granulated sugar (use twice the amount for added sweetness)

200 g sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 medium eggs & 1 yolk

50 g Oreo crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 165°C. 

2. Beat the cheese until smooth, then add in the sugar and beat until it is smooth again.

3. Mix the sour cream and vanilla essence with the cheese mixture.

4. Beat in the eggs and yolk.

5. Stir in the crumbs until they are just distributed through the batter. Don't overmix.

6. Pour batter onto the cookie base. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Leave the cake to cool in the oven for an hour. Remove from the oven and chill in the fridge.

For the ganache:

20 g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

1 tsp milk

Microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir the mixture until smooth. If it's too thick, thin it with more milk or thicken it with more chocolate, and microwave for another 20 seconds. You may need to let it cool to your preferred consistency.

Pour the ganache over the room temperature or chilled cheesecake and let it set in the fridge. It will thicken as it cools.

Durian mini cheesecakes.

Being married to my husband has got its perks. For example, we never had to pay a cent for durian. And they are gifted to us as long as they are in stock. Crazy, but good. I remember last year when I got out of confinement, durian was going out of season. This year however, we still have so much even though it's now September!

Taking advantage of the room temperature durians (but don't ask me the species, I only knew they were sweet because I reject bitter durians) I made these mini cheesecakes with the recipe adapted from Foodie Baker. 

Her recipe was adjusted from another source and the measurements were not exact. The recipe yielded 7 muffin-sized cheesecakes for me. She also increased the durian content from the original recipe, when she halved the rest of the ingredients.

As a result, the cheesecakes were very dense with durian, and so creamy, which was delightful! It's not any bit light or fluffy, therefore not the kind of cake my mom would prefer. Making this was rather effortless, but baking was a fussy process. Using low temperature would result in a much longer cooking time, but temperature too high would make the cakes rise too high and crack. I wasn't using the 160 °C consistently, I played around with 150 (too slow) then 160 again (too hot!). As the cakes cook, cracks were seen but since it's a very dense recipe, the cakes fell as it cooled down. If you plan to use any topping, don't worry about the cracks. But if you are particular about them, I suggest you bake the cakes at 150 °C but for 40 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.

Durian Mini Cheesecakes (makes 7 muffins)

250 g cream cheese

30 g icing sugar (you can reduce it as you like so the cake will not end up too sweet, but omitting it totally will make your cake harder to brown)

1 egg

40 g milk

150 g durian flesh (puree it if you wish)

1. Preheat oven to 160 °C.
2. Whip cheese for one minute. Then beat in sugar until it turns light and fluffy.
3. Whip in egg until just incorporated. Slowly mix in milk.
4. Gently fold in durian until just mixed.
5. Pour into muffin cases more than 3/4 full. Bake for 30 minutes or until top browns.

Chocolate & marshmallow muffins.

Fudgy muffins.

Chocolate and Marshmallow Muffins (makes 12)

Dry ingredients:

210 g flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

30 g cocoa powder

110 g icing sugar

80 g chopped chocolates

4 marshmallows, cut smaller (tiny white marshmallows would be more appealing)

Wet ingredients:

1 egg

95 g vegetable oil

240 g milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. 

2. Mix together the dry and wet ingredients. Do not overmix. Seeing small traces of flour is OK (lumpy mixture makes the best muffins).

3. Pour into 12 muffin cases, 3/4 full.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until puffy.

The Philippines travelogue - Boracay: Day 4 to 7.

Day 4 to 7 - Boracay Island

On day 3, we took a flight by Cebu Pacific Air to Kalibo Airport from Manila. We actually missed our Air Asia flight (ticket cost about RM 300/pax) and ended up on Boracay very late at night.

Luckily Cebu Pacific came up much cheaper (less than PHP 2500/pax after deducting airline travel insurance).

During the 1 hour flight, the air stewardesses were promoting the round trip offered by Southwest Tours straight to the doorstep of the hotel at PHP 900 per pax - which we signed up for. This includes door-to-door transfers, environmental fee (PHP 75) and terminal fee (PHP 100).

Upon landing we boarded a bus to the jetty terminal nearby Caticlan. During its 2 hours journey the bus will make a stop at its own rest station that has a mini market and washrooms.

Arriving at the jetty, we had to wait a while to board the ferry, which would take another 10 minutes to reach the island. Here's a heads up, you will be asked to leave your luggage outside the cabin because the seats will be too narrow to accommodate the bigger sized bags.

Make sure your belongings especially bags that weren't locked stay by your side at all times. Our friend left his backpack together with our luggage (locked with password) and his cash got stolen. 

At the island, mini vans were used to transport passengers to their respective guesthouses. This could take another 10 minutes to reach, depending on which station you are staying.

Boracay's white beach has 3 stations:

1) Station 1 is more secluded. This is where most of the 5 star rated hotels are. It is near to the Puka Shell Beach.

2) Station 2 is highly crowded with tourists and bustling with commercial buildings and activities. D-Mall is located here. Lots of food variety, ranging from budget to expensive.

3) Station 3 is mostly occupied by locals. Wet markets and police station are found here.

We stayed at MNL Beach Hostel sharing a 6 person dorm room. You can opt for mixed or female only dorms. (However, washrooms are mixed.) The place is lively especially over the weekends, on the rooftop bar where you can chill and drink with other backpackers or the friendly employees.

Places we went

You can choose from travelling by foot or by tricycles. Tricycles charge a standardized fare over here so don't worry about swindling.

Willy's Rock at Station 1.

Sunset at the White Beach.

1) White Beach
5 minutes from our hostel is the most crowded beach in Boracay, the White Beach. It offers lots of activities ranging from banana boat to parasailing. The waters here are calm and suitable for families. The place is crowded even under the unforgiving sun at 12. For lunch we look for something to eat here at a budget of less than PHP 100 per person. Mango shakes can be found as cheap as PHP 50 here. Take a walk to Jonah's Fruit Shake at Station 1. It offers many types of super-rich fruit shakes at about PHP 100.

2) Puka Shell Beach
A one-way tricycle trip to Puka Beach is PHP 150, regardless from where. The waters here are deeper but cleaner. Water sports activities here are limited. Come here for a serene spot to watch sunset. Avoid coming in the afternoon as there are few shades (but they are usually free). Bring enough water and some snacks since drinks are expensive (PHP 200 for a mango shake) and food are virtually non-existent.

3) Bulabog Beach
Located just some footsteps from MNL Hostels is this quiet Bulabog Beach, where some surfing and diving academies are at. We came here for the sunrise at 5 AM (if you saw my previous post, that the sun rises much earlier in the Philippines).

Inside D'Mall.

4) D'Mall
This open space commercial area is a collection of a few rows of shop lots. Postcards, dried mangoes and trinkets can be bought as souvenirs from D'Mall, apart from some of the variety of food offered. There's a small mart where you can buy most of what you need.

Foods & drinks we tried

Honestly speaking, it was a hard time for us to find budget food here. Although not impossible, the heat often hindered us from going farther for more choices. It's good to know that D'Mall does offer good food at reasonable prices. It remains a regret that we did not try D'Talipapa ... Where you can buy your own food (seafood, especially) and get them cooked at nearby restaurant.

Bulalo from Smoke Resto in D'Mall.

Adobo rice and cheese omelette rice.

1) Smoke Resto
This humble restaurant tucked away in a corner inside D'Mall was run by locals. Come early before 7 to secure a seat. Food was usually cooked by one lady so serving time is pretty slow during peak hours. If you suffer from confidence issues with foreign food, start with Smoke Resto's famous Bulalo (beef shank soup) as a side to a bowl of piping hot rice. My only complaint was it's too salty! (This wasn't my first experience with salty Filipino food as I have also tried fried vermicelli, called pancit in another restaurant, and it was too salty for me to finish.) Other food at the place looked promising. I have ordered its cheese omelette rice which was decent, and my husband tried its adobo served with mango and rice, though the adobo was also too salty for us.

2) Jonah's Fruit Shake & Snack Bar
Jonah's has earned its reputation throughout the Internet and earned a spot on the Boracay map. I believe it has more than 2 outlets. The one that I've tried was on the street to Puka Beach from D-Mall, not located beside the beach. The shakes we had - Avocado Milk Shake and Mango Milk Shake, were outstanding. At PHP 100 each, they cost more than many milkshake stalls, but you would know it's worthwhile from their super dense shake that is jam packed with fresh fruits and milk. The avocado shake left me so bloated and I struggled to finish the whole thing. If you love fruits, don't leave the island without trying Jonah's!

3) E-Mall
There's a less known E-Mall which less resembled a "mall" than the open-spaced D'Mall. Here, there are shops selling the typical souvenirs but with far less tourists. There's a stall selling a coconut shake (Buko shake) that we liked a lot. Too bad the spot is far from our place and we couldn't go back for another bottle. The picture above was taken at the jetty terminal leaving Boracay, which was no match to the one we had at E-Mall.

4) Halowich
If you have yet to try halo-halo, Philippines' must try dessert, but you're skeptical against the version offered by the local fast food chain, visit Halowich at D'Mall. They offer many mango based desserts such as this ice cream that we have ordered, and the shop was nearly always full house. You may have to wait for a seat out in the heat. The desserts served were of appropriate portions and the shop was air-conditioned. Like the ice cream we had was just nice for two person sharing. They also served sizes suitable for family or couple.

5) San Miguel Flavored Beer
Fan of fruit cider flavored beer? Then you should get sipping on this local brew. We bought this at PHP 30 at the pizza shop downstairs (which will be introduced in point 6) but you can get them at any convenience store.

9" Hawaiian Pizza from Lola's. Sorry for the unsightly and high flash exposure photo, it was taken at the roof deck of our hostel with little lighting.

6) Lola's Pizza
Since husband and I were on a constrained budget, Lola's Pizza (Road 1-A) for dinner automatically became an attractive option, though it was considered the least known pizza parlour in Boracay. While the prices were not dirt cheap, they were gentle on our wallet. The pizzas were priced from PHP 100 to 200 for sizes 9" and 12". We would have bought some deep-fried fish balls before Lola's and get two pizzas for actual dinner. It's conveniently located beside MNL so we would place our orders, go get a quick shower and go back to pack our dinner and enjoy them at the rooftop. Lots of the hostel residents did the same.



Our trip was not done on a packed itinerary, and from what you can see, we did not take on any water sport activities (that's because we overspent due to the missed flight). Overall, we have spent less than PHP 2000 (about RM 1800 back then) for a 4D4N two person trip (excluding flight).

Honestly speaking, we haven't explored half the island as many more attractions are secluded, such as the Spiderhouse and Mount Luho. Despite the pushy vendors and thieves, we feel there is so much more potential the island could offer. I'm missing the place.

It's been 3 months, our skins are still tanned from spending a long time under the Philippines sun.

See my travelogue in the Philippines:

Manila Day 1
Manila Day 2

Brownie with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries.

The brownie recipe was taken straight from Annie Bell's rendition in her book Gorgeous Cakes, which was my all-time favourite.

I did some Google search and found out that the ground almonds cannot be swapped for flour, as they give a different texture to the cake while flour forms the gluten which helps the cake to hold together.

Brownie with Chocolate Ganache and Fresh Strawberries

For the brownie:

250 g chocolate buttons
144 g butter
100 g granulated sugar
3 eggs, plus 1 yolk
80 g ground almonds
1/2 tsp salt
100 g flour
1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 10" pan.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter for 30 seconds. Stir until incorporated.
3. Mix in the sugar until melted.
4. Add in eggs and the yolk, one by one.
5. Fold in the ground almonds and salt.
6. Carefully fold in sieved flour and baking powder in several additions.
7. Pour into the greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.

For the ganache:
12 g butter
25 g milk
100 g chocolate
4 strawberries, rinsed, dried and quartered

1. Microwave all ingredients for 30 seconds.
2. Whip until well mixed. Put aside to chill to your preferred consistency, if needed. Spread on top of the unmoulded cake and serve with strawberries.

The Philippines travelogue - Manila: Day 1.

Day 1 - Intramuros (San Agustin Church, Manila Cathedral, Fort Santiago) , Mall of Asia, SM By The Bay

We took the LRT to the Central Terminal Station. Intramuros is about 1 km away from the station, which involves going through the underpass to cross the main road. After the underpass, walk along the road and you will arrive at Intramuros. First shop you would see is a McD restaurant.

It is encouraged to visit the place in the morning, before noontime. Don't be bothered by the pushy tricyclists if you are determined to walk. Every tourist spot in Intramuros is easily accessible on foot and close to one another. However if you wish, a tricycle would help save time (they would stop at the attractions and wait for you) and is cheaper than renting a horse carriage.

From this direction, the nearest attraction to you would be the San Agustin Church, or the Church of Saint Paul, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The church, more than 5 centuries old, is the oldest church in the Philippines. Survived from multiple destruction and rebuilt for four times. The last time it took a damage was during the Battle of Manila in 1945, and repaired thereafter.

We were not allowed to enter the church due to the matrimonial ceremonies held back-to-back on that Sunday.

A few blocks down the road is the Manila Cathedral.

Manila Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. Took numerous hits from natural disasters (earthquakes and typhoons) which are common in the Philippines, and was completely destroyed during the Battle of Manila. The cathedral was rebuilt in 1958.

We visited Fort Santiago afterwards. They charge an entrance fee of PHP 70/pax. There is a tourist center where you can watch an introduction video on Intramuros and get free maps of Manila.

José Rizal was imprisoned at Fort Santiago before his execution. You could pay a visit to Rizal Shrine which is in the same area.

Afterwards, we took a cab to Mall of Asia for PHP 300. Quite pricey as it was not charged based on meter but dividing among the 5 of us (yes, 5) the price was still acceptable. The car ride was about 10 minutes. Spotting the mall was effortless. The gigantic globe standing in front of MOA was hard to miss.

The first thing we did was eat. Sizzlin' Steak was located at the side of the Mall of Asia, alongside many other food outlets. You can choose to dine alfresco but the climate was too warm for us to do so. Their menu was ala Pepper Lunch, with steaks and rice served on a sizzling hot plate.

Husband and I ordered the set for two at PHP 499. We got to choose two main courses and soups, and got two iced lemon tea. I had the burger steak. The difference between the set's main course from ala carte's was that no grilled vegetables were provided as the side, just some sad corn off the cob with shallots.

The food was good but the portion was huge. It was one of the best meals I had in the Philippines.

After a short walk about the mall, we proceeded to SM By the Bay, linked to the mall by an overhead pedestrian bridge. As it was a weekend the crowd was overwhelming. Nearing sunset, we took a ride on the MOA Eye, which charged PHP 150/pax (adult). The whole ride lasted around 8 minutes. It was however, not suitable for photographing as the outside of the compartment was not clean, traces of dust were spotted instead.

The place was breezy. The top of the seawall was fully seated by people who wished to enjoy the sunset. Many spectators were standing and we too stood up a few times attempting to take photos. There were policemen guarding the area and we were asked to sit down for our own safety.

Come on a weekday, then the place might not be as crowded. Shopping at the mall may be a breezier experience. Although the sun was obscured, our day ended with this gorgeous view of flame red clouds.

See my travelogue in the Philippines:

Manila Day 2
Boracay Day 4 to 7

Easy breakfast and brunch ideas for the busy moms.

With a kid coming along the way, I have finally came to my realization that being a mom is not "relaxing". It's a never-ending full time job, even more so when I was home alone with my baby. Cooking with a baby at home is a challenging task, so I have created some of these recipes I hoped to share with other moms out there who are also struggling with juggling between baby and work.

Vegetarian one pot pasta (serves 1)

This has got to be the easiest, no-mess recipe. If you are stuck at home with no one to look after the baby, give this a go.

Slice  2 garlic cloves, a chunk of carrot, 1 potato, 1 onion and 2 tomatoes. Rinse 2 shiitake mushrooms. Break up 1 portion of spaghetti into halves (I used spaghetti because it cooks the slowest, but feel free to use any other pasta). Combine in a pot and pour water over, just enough to cover. Place pot over high heat until liquid boils, season with salt, then cover with a lid and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated. Add in any green and continue cooking for 2 more minutes or until it has wilted slightly.

P/S: I preferred my dish a little moist so I retained some of the soup.

Rice vermicelli with vegetables in anchovy soup (serves 2)

I like anchovy soup base! Boil the anchovies for no more than 15 minutes and you get the perfect flavour. The best thing about this dish is I don't have to use salt at all.

Clean 200 g anchovies (pick larger sizes for soup) and remove the heads. Rinse twice. Pour 600 ml of water and cook the anchovies over high heat. When it boils, switch to low heat and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. In the mean time, slice a chunk of carrots, 1 potato, 1 onion and some cabbage. Soften 2 portions of rice vermicelli in water. When the soup is done, remove anchovies from the soup. Place all vegetables into the soup and boil until they are cooked, about 10 minutes. Put in the rice vermicelli and cook for another minute. Serve.

Beef burger (serves 2)

This is a winner.

Mince 1 garlic clove, 1 onion and ground 200 g beef. In a bowl, combine the ingredients with about 3 tbsp barbecue sauce (alternatively, just marinade them with some soy sauce) until they are well mixed. Divide the mixture into two even portions. Place a sheet of cling film on your palm, and put one portion onto the film. Shape the mixture into a patty of even thickness, then wrap. Repeat with the other portion. Let the patties sit for 30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat oven to 170°C. Place a sheet of aluminium foil on a tray and rub it with oil. Remove the cling film and bake the burgers for 20 minutes.

Serve, on toasted bread, with cheese, sliced tomatoes, sauce and cabbage.

Well-balanced breakfast (serves 2)
This dish is sufficient for me to last the morning. You can add in minced meat

Dice 1 large potato. Bring a pot of water to the boil and throw in the potatoes, simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, beat 2 eggs. Scramble them over medium heat (I turned mine to low heat after the pan was hot enough for it to cook slowly), until it is just cooked (turn off the heat before all of it solidifies, and let the residue heat to continue cooking the egg). Remove from pan. Heat up butter in pan, and stir fry shimeji mushroom until most of the liquid has evaporated, then add in some cabbage and stir fry until it has cooked, and season with salt. Remove from heat. Drain the potatoes, then add 1 tbsp butter and a splash of milk (optional), and mash.

Serve the mash potato with the egg and vegetables.