Happy CNY for 2008!

Waseh.... REALLY long time no blog ho... I've been back since 1st of February. Been busy the first few days - baking cookies and making other eats for Chinese New Year. This time around, my mum really made good use of our many recipe/cookery books.

{Steamed Fruit Cake + Moist Chocolate Cake}

Fruit cake was made based on a recipe given by my aunt. My mum steamed it for 8 hours, as was required of the recipe. The result was awfully dry and quite tasteless, a contradictory to what one might expect of a steamed cake. T-T My mum regretted having followed the recipe blindly - from her many experience, she knew steamed cakes would be done in one to 2 hours, or 3 at the most. But she didn't want to take the consequence of not following the given instructions, for fear of a failure. T.T Ah... The muddling world of baking.... The chocolate cake was the only cake I made for this new year. :P I'd made it twice when I was at Vista, changing the amount of ingredients each time, including this. Got the recipe here, from Aunty Yochana. To get the perfect taste and texture, substitute one cup of flour with one cup of Milo powder, and add 5 eggs instead of 4. :)

{Steamed Oat Cake + Ice Cream Cake}

Do not be deceived by the unappetizing name - 'oat'. This cake has also been loaded with the sweetest and most fragrant ingredients one can put into a cake - seri kaya and condensed milk. These two are a must to produce a sweetly dense steamed cake. On the other hand, the ice cream cake does not taste as good as its name. My mum followed a recipe in a book, which asked ice cream powder to be mixed into the cake. I don't quite like the fruity konnyaku-jelly flavour in each bite. Blergh. Not with cakes anyway.

{Sweet & Sour Layer Cake + Cake for All Seasons}

Now, the sweet & sour layer cake is a staple for every CNY. Been making it every year since secondary school. Each cake layer is alternated with a layer of 'san-cha' (Foochow), the sweet and sour Haw-flakes. Steaming somewhat softens the hard candy, and the texture goes very well with the cake. :) As for the other cake, I have no comments. T-T It's supposed to be the ultimately loaded cake, with each layer (there are 4) having a different flavour - cheese, coffee, fruity, and cereal. But, it turned out quite disastrous. It's true that too much is not always good.

{Scottish Shortbread}

This is another staple for CNY. This biscuit never fails. It's just so buttery, sweet and crunchy. :)

{Hoen Kwe Cookies - pronounced as 'Hon- Kueh'}

This is yet another must for every CNY. Don't worry. The black topping is not tar. It's chocolate emulco, a sort of chocolate flavouring for baking. The cookie batter was too soft to be rolled out and cut into shapes, and I didn't want a shortbread look-alike, so I used the chocolate emulco.

{Suji Cookies}

This is a successful first-time bake my mum discovered from one of the books. :) This biscuit is sooo soft yet with a crunch to each bite, so fragrant that one can only hope that Body Shop will introduce a it in its body scents. :D

{The PURfect Pineapple Tarts}

Yes, this it truly the perfect pineapple tart. :D Recipe here.

{Green Tea Cookies with Prune Filling}

This is a new recipe tried out by my mum. It turned out good. :)

{Cornflake Cookies}

If you're an advent baker, you'll definitely know, or have heard people saying that cornflakes make tasty cookies. It's true. Cornflakes are a wonder when it comes to cookies. :) The crunch, the sweet scent, the delightful taste - these are all acheivable with a few tablespoons of ground cornflakes. :)

{Milk Crisp Rolls}

A super easy, super tasty, super addictive tid-bit. :) You get some popiah wraps, roll them up and seal them with homemade glue or some beaten egg, snip them up with a pair of scissors, deep fry them, and toss them in milk powder and sugar. :) Super the easy one. :D And super the nice. And I should say no more and let you try it out. :D

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I hope you've enjoyed the eye candy. :P Chinese New Year in Sibu is the most 're-nau' (meriah). You can hear firecrackers and see fireworks non-stop from 11pm to 1 pm on new year's eve. I'm not kidding. And firecrackers were to be heard throughout the first few days of CNY. :) It really enhances the CNY atmosphere.

Well, hope you've enjoyed your CNY, or holidays. I sure did mine. :)