Cake Recipe: Granny Smith Cranberry Olive Oil Cake

Here is a recipe to share with you all.

Of the many cakes that the wife got for her birthday this year, this was the only home made one and probably the tastiest too! Some of you have seen me post the photo of this cake in Instagram and have asked for the recipe, so here it is.



Mum made it for her new daughter in law's birthday. It's really easy to make and I am going to show you how to make it. Using lots of photos, I will guide you step by step. If you are a pro baker, just bear with me. For newbie bakers, I hope with these photos, you can  almost feel you are in our kitchen making it!

Most cake recipes require very precise measurement, mum has been baking cake for over 40 years and have been modifying them as it goes. This is one recipe she says that does not need precise measurement. No need to have complex machines too! Just a large mixing bowl, a sieve, a whisk, a lined baking tray and an oven.

We are having green apples for this recipe, just because it's one of the wife's favourite fruit.


Ingredients Set A
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of olive oil
3 XL eggs (if you get them from the wet markets) or 6 small eggs (the usual ones in the supermarkets)


Ingredients Set B
3 cups of granny smith (3 or 4 apples depends on the size)
150 gm of dried cranberries
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

Ingredient Set C
3 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of bi carb
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt

Preparation Steps to be done first
- Sift the ingredients in set C first.
- Prepare a 9x9 inch square tray and lined it with grease proof paper.


Baking time
- 45 mins at 175 Celsius

Follow me as I graphically show you how it's made:

Step 1: Pour into the mixing bowl, 1 cup of sugar.




Step 2: Add in the 1 cup of olive oil. You do not need to use the most expensive olive oil you have. In fact, we use the Fairprice brand of olive oil. It's just to replace butter.




Step 3: Add in the eggs. The eggs we bought from the supermarket last week was a bit too small. So mum had 6 eggs instead.  If you usually get the super XL eggs from wet markets, 3 is enough. 




Step 4: Whisk the mixture with a hand whisk! It is that simple!

We hate cleaning up. Especially containers from machines that does not really fit into our dishwasher. Keep your Kenwood or Kitchenaid.




Step 5: Add in the 3 cups of granny smith apples. Just a simple mix will do.

You might be asking what's a good size to cut for the apples? If you want to have nice, clean and pretty slices of cakes when you cut the cake when it's done, cut it apples smaller. If the apple is too big, when you cut the cake, you get 'holes'.

If it's for family and you really love the bite of apples, cut it the size you see above. It won't be as pretty when you cut the cake, but you get the nice bite!




Step 6: Add in the sifted flour. If you are making macarons or chiffon cakes, you usually add in the flour in 2 or 3 batches. For this cake, you can add it all in at one go!




Step 7: Add in the dried cranberries.




Step 8: At this point, preheat the oven. Set it at 175 Celsius. We usually set it to 10 minutes.

We sometimes bake using the Bosch Oven or the Many-in-one Panasonic steam oven.  Both works. Just your preference. The Panasonic is smarter sometimes, when it reaches 175 Celsius, it beeps!

Mum prefers traditional convection oven.




Step 9: Add in the cinnamon powder. Apples and cinnamon goes very well together!

Give it a really good stir with a spatula, not the whisk. Same like other cakes, don't fold it too hard or too long. When it's well mixed, stop.




Step 10: Pour the mixture into the cake pan! That's it!




Step 11: Admire your work! I was already salivating when I saw this! There's so much fruits in it!




Step 12: Into the oven it goes!




Step 13: Set it to bake for 45 minutes at 175 Celsius. Wait patiently!

While it's baking, you can clean up. Err... there's nothing much to clean up is there? We used so few 'equipment' to make this cake.




Step 14: The finished product! Test the cake to see if it's done.

Poke a bamboo skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's done! If not, give it another 5 to 10 minutes. When it's done, the cake does not stick to the sides of the pan.




Step 15: Cool the cake. I tell you, it smells so good, you can't wait to eat it!




Step 16: Serve the cake! Mum asked if she should prepare some chocolate cream to cover the cake. Everyone at home said no! We usually scrap off the cream, so we say we don't want cream.  Put a Happy Birthday decoration tag on top and candles and it's done!

Sing Happy Birthday, make a wish, blow the candle, cut the cake and EAT!

Hope you enjoy this recipe.
Let us know how you like it when you bake it.

1 Caramel Dessert Boutique @ 1 Rochester Park

This was an interesting visit to an eatery!

The address says Level 2, 1 Rochester Park. It's located at one of the conserved 'black and white houses' or colonial building that some prefer to call it.

For your first time there, you might probably be like me, walk around the building trying to figure how to get to the 2nd level. You won't find any and soon realize that there's a staircase in the middle of the 1st floor restaurant called One Rochester. You would gingerly walk right in and see if that's the right place. It looks about right and walk upstairs.

When you are on the upper floor, you are further confused! You see a glass door and it says 'kitchen'. There's no entrance or any other doors that seems to lead you to 1 Caramel.



You get curious and sort of frustrated and decide to peep in the kitchen, and it's really a kitchen!

You see the fridges like the one above and below. Beautiful cakes, tempting delights, a place that negates all your work out! How do I get in? Should I just walk into the kitchen?



Just push the glass door that says 'kitchen' and walk in! It's the only entrance in!
They operate a truly open kitchen concept! You see how the food's being prepared! Walk in and beside these fridges is another glass door that leads you to the balcony of this black and white house! That's where the seating area is.

It's a very nice and cosy place whether day or night! Trees slightly covering your view of the Ministry of Education building opposite. It's like a nice hideaway and it's air-conditioned too!

I walked in the 'kitchen' and saw Yuen and Fen from SgDessert! Always a comfort to see some familiar faces. They told me to walk towards the glass door to the balcony and that was where I was greeted by two lovely ladies from the 1 Rochester PR Team. Nice folks and I was asked if I wanted any drinks.

It was after work and a day before my birthday. I look at the menu (which is available online with prices listed too) the Specialty Tea range. They have a tea called Happy Birthday Tea! It's as if the menu was printed for me! I ordered it! A mild black tea which with red berries and hint of vanilla. Perfect!

All day breakfast!

It was dinner time at nearly 7pm, but I am having Brunch!

This was the Traditional Eggs Benedict. Very delicious poached eggs on toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce. This version I had included the Smoked Salmon.

Note: It's one place that you can come for ALL DAY BRUNCH! Brunch hours are from 11:30 am till 10:30 pm on weekdays and 11:30 till 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.



I like how they prepared the potatoes that was part of the egg. It was soft inside and there's a slight crispy feel to it.



This photo is to tempt you! If you like runny egg yolks, drool!
The fish roe was a nice touch! Love it when it pops in your mouth while you have the egg, salmon and muffin.

The Posh Platter

If you are here with your date or friends, try the platters.They have a few, refer to the menu.

This was the Posh Platter, which has smoked salmon tart with creme fraiche and ocean trout caviar, asparagus wrapped in basil and proscuitto, truffled brie and cherry tomatoes on a toasted brioche.



It was all beautifully plated and each piece seemed so delicately crafted. They all tasted very delicate and had unique flavors. The asparagus wrapped in basil and prosciutto was probably the one I liked the most.

Souffle

Love souffles? The few of us were tempted by them!

Souffles are meant to be eaten straight away! See what happens when food bloggers take more than the required time to take photos! The ice cream melts and the souffles flattens!




There have very unique flavors here. They have:
- Hazelnut souffle with chocolate ice cream
- Chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream
- Miso souffle with yuzu ice cream
- Vanilla souffle with strawberry ice cream
- Passionfruit souffle with banana-passion sorbet



We tried 3 different ones and the Miso souffle was something really different and hey, it's worth a try if you are adventurous! Very Japanese influence in it. The yuzu ice cream was just so ideal!

A nice shot at last. This last souffle arrived in front of me and I got to take first shot of it! Look how tall and handsome it is!

Desserts

With a name like 1 Caramel, you know this place is a definite Desserts Heaven!

If you are alone, take a pick by looking at the menu or simply walking to the fridge and pick the one that calls out to you.

If you are here as a group, order the 1 Caramel Assiette to share! Probably the best way to try out everything! You get to choose from the menu 3, 4 or 5 desserts of your pick!
 



Presenting the 1 Caramel Baked Alaska!
Just oogle at this gorgeous little thing! A work of art don't you think?

The menu describes it as: "Combination of homemade chunky strawberry and vanilla Madagascar ice cream coated with rhum Italian meringue on top of a nutty chocolate brownie."

Are you tempted? It's for the sweet tooth!




Death by Chocolate.
We did not die, but this valrhona sofiato molten cake with dark chocolate sorbet was really fabulous. I especially liked the dark chocolate sorbet! That was something I could not resist. I finished it all off after 2 other diners sharing with me said they had enough!



The name's already a mouthful and it describes it all!
Raspberry lychee rose pannacotta, lychee-lemon compote.

It's something of a contrast to the other desserts. It's to me a very feminine dessert. Rose scented pudding, lychee. Ladies, tell me what you think after trying it.

In my mind, I thought of Crabtree and Evelyn or Laura Ashley! haha...




Tropical Vodka Trifle.
It's Pineapple gazpacho jelly, pineapple sponge cubes with crystallized baked almonds topped with coconut sorbet.





Earl Grey creme brulee
An unique creme brulee. Earl Grey infused custard dessert.
Earl or Lady Grey to me is an acquired taste. Either you like it or not. Probably my youngest sis kind of dessert, she's an Earl/Lady Grey tea person. I am sure if she's here, she would have enjoyed this.

To some of you, you remember this place as the cool dessert place at Handy Road. That was sometime back. They are now at Rochester area. I was told it is like a home coming as they started off here! They are located just minutes away from the Buona Vista MRT.

They also have customized cakes that you see on the first photo. Check out their website at http://www.1-caramel.com for more details.

I realized that the organization I work with is part of their Corporate Boast Program. That means when I show my staff pass, I get 10% off. A few organization around this area like the Biopolis are part of the program. If you work for A*Star or NUS, just present your staff pass for the discount! Ask your HR if your company is part of it.



1-Caramel Dessert Boutique
1 Rochester Park,
Level 2,
Singapore 139212

Tel: +65 67741302
Hours:
For cake collection: 11.30am -9.00pm
For dine in: Mon-Fri:1130am – 1030pm / Sat & Sun:10am -1030pm (Brunch is available till 4pm)

Brewerkz @ Riverside Point

Oh how we love celebrating birthdays!

It was one of our friend's birthday and we presented him a few options of where to go for his birthday dinner. He picked a place that sells meat and beer - a good combination according to him.

We decided that we would each order our own mains and order some sides to share around.  I did not take photos of all the food we had. The table was long to move around.  Took photos only of the food within reach.




Buffalo Chicken Wings.
Somehow when there's a buffalo wings in any menu, there's a high chance of people ordering it! I think we had the mild version. The sauce was nice, but the chicken was about OK only.





Chicken Cobb Salad.
It's a combination of Greens, grilled chicken breast, bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes, grilled onions, hardboiled egg and sliced avocado. Yup, stinking blue cheese!

Those of us who liked veggies enjoyed it, but we made sure we did not mixed the potent blue cheese when it was served. The moment it was served, the smell.... enough said.




King Brew!
This burger's called the King Brew. The largest burger on the menu. On the menu it says: "Don’t tell your cardiologist—two patties of beef with cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms and beer chili".

It is not very very big. The photo above can tells you so. It's big enough and very filling though.
It was tasty too.



Two patties with the mushroom in the middle. The texture of the patty is nice. Not too much other stuff in it. Very beefy. This burger gets the approval from the wife.

The pickles were served the side. I would have preferred it in the burger. I like pickles and I think they should be inside. I know many people don't like pickles, probably why it's on the side.

It's a messy job eating this, but in a good way.




Barbeque Pork Ribs
These tender baby back ribs were quite delicious. The sauce, they call it the brewerkz bbq sauce, was a nice mix. Very flavourful, it's tangy and sweetish. Goes well with the soft ribs.

Just wondering if they had some of the brew in their bbq sauce. Hmm...




A slice of corn bread came with the Ribs. Momo the corn lover and a few others think that this corn bread taste rather good. I am not a huge corn fan, so I think it was OK only.




Crab Linguine.
I think it was all right, it's not that spectacular. Remember it's a beer place. ;-)





The nicest beer that I think we had was this Brothers Strawberry Cider!
It's strawberry infused pear cider.



I can't remember what they were. Everyone had different beer.
I did remember the dark one was not finish because one of the lady friends who ordered it think it was not her style of beer.



It was a great nite out with a few friends to celebrate a birthday.
Happy Birthday Matthew!

Oh ya, to get discounts here, guess what card did we have to present? Not a credit card or usually the Safra card, but the Passion Card! It gave us 15% off the food and beverages. 

Brewerkz
30 Merchant Road
#01-05/06 Riverside Point
Singapore 058282

Tel:  +65 6438 7438
Hours: Mon - Thurs & Sun: 12pm - 12am /  Fri, Sat & Eve of PH: 12pm - 1am

Plaza Brasserie @ Parkroyal Beach Road

If you like Asian Buffets, you should check out the Plaza Brasserie @ Parkroyal Beach Road. They have quite a good selection of Asian food and for this month (I know it's ending soon that's why I have to quickly rush out this post) they have a "Treasures of the Sea" promotion.

Quoting from their website:
"Indulge in a variety of fresh seafood, including flower crabs, queen scallops, tiger prawns, oysters, mussels, clams and much more! Enjoy rounds of sake oyster shots, chilli crab, bamboo clams and drunken prawns in herbal soup, all on the buffet spread.

From Mondays to Fridays, pick your favourite fish from our ‘Catch of the Day’ section and our chefs will prepare it in your preferred sauce and style."

Thanks to the folks at the hotel's PR department who hosted a few of us, we really enjoyed what we saw and ate.

Here are some of the samples of the food that you got to try. You pick the seafood you want from the counter and the way you want it cooked. The chefs will prepare it fresh for you and deliver it to your table.



Soft shell crabs with 5 spice powder.These were super duper crispy crabs, slightly on the salty side, but it was really delicious! I had one bite and loved it so much, I quickly had a second piece. My mum loves to use 5 spice powder in her food, so grew up liking the smell and taste of it. This dish really makes me happy.

They also have soft shell crabs on the buffet tables, but this "prepare as you order" version has 5 spice powder and taste crispier.




Grey Prawns with spicy garlic sauce.
If you like prawns, this combination really makes you salivate. Prawns and garlic are a good combination and making it spicy is even better! By licking on the sweet, sourish and spicy sauce on the prawns, you know you would want more. The prawns were really fresh too.




White Clams with Spicy Onion Sauce
This was my favourite for that afternoon. It's probably because it's onions sauce! I think clams or shell fish that are smaller in size tastes better. Since the rest were busy snapping photos, trying to get their perfect shot, I was indulging in this. I probably finished quarter of this huge bowl of clams served.




Green Shell Mussels with black bean sauce.
These were nice, but I could only eat 2 and I have enough of it. I personally prefer smaller ones as bigger shell fish has this 'ocean taste' (not fishy, but this ocean smell or iodine aftertaste) that makes you control your intake to a few of it.




Fresh black mussels with sambal sauce.
I like this dish too, my personal bias to smaller shell fish. I can eat and eat and eat this stuff. Probably because it was small, you enjoy eating it without getting the stuffed feeling.




Bamboo Clams with Black Bean Sauce.
I personally find the bamboo clams chewy. The black bean sauce was nice though.
In my mind, I associate bamboo clams with lots and lots of garlic with light premium soy sauce. hehe. Like the ones here.




We were glad to meet Mr Jackson Goh the Executive Chef.
He's the guy who comes out and quality controls the food that comes out of his kitchen. He has done a pretty good job!




I went around the hot food buffet area and saw that they have sea cucumber too.
The way I like it done! Braised with Roast Pork! You should try this.




This was probably Miss Tam Chiak's or Hungrycow's bowl of laksa which I tasted a spoonful of.
Very nice!



I was told on certain days there will be chicken rice served.
I could not resist and helped myself to a small portion of it. Glistering rice and smooth tender chicken.




A portion of the roast pork, bbq pork and roast duck that I shared with fellow diners.
The BBQ pork has a taste of 'chinese wine', which I knew the wife would love if she comes here.




The buffet also has a dessert section which is quite good. The 'must try' I was told will be the Chocolate Truffle Cake. Was told it's to die for!


Guess what?
It was the wife's birthday this week, and the in-laws wanted to go for a buffet dinner and I said we should come here! I really think this place is worth the money spent so I recommended this place. Well, after the dinner, both parents-in-law thought it was really a good choice.

Well, they love fish and if you go on a week night, there's a "Catch of the Day" promotion. We were there last Friday and we had two fish.



The HK style steamed Seabream.



The HK style steamed Seabass.

Dad-in-law picked two fish and knowing mum-in-law loves fish steamed HK style, both fish were cooked the same way. We had 1 fish first and when we finished the first fish, we ordered another!




The food we ate last Friday night is exactly like the one prepared for the 'bloggers tasting'.
Well, just without the extra garnishing for photo taking. LOL

The wife finally got to taste the soft shell crab that I said was very crispy and nice.




Still did not really enjoy the bamboo clams.



But I loved the black mussels in onion sauce. Nice!



Also, the white clams with sambal sauce. We were full by eating seafood! Overeating!

Parents-in-law and the wife were indulging in the fresh oysters! It's scary how they can eat so many of it at one go. They did not believe I did not eat any at all! People always say I 'rugi' because I don't eat the oysters. I just say, eat more on my behalf! This was before our 'cooked to order' seafood arrived.

They only served 2 types of sashimi, but they were fresh. Momo thought the laksa as good too.
I don't know which brand of ice cream they served, but it was quite nice! Momo and I think it taste familiar, but can't put a 'brand' to it, I had like 4 scoops with those coloured rocks chocolate bits.

The parents-in-law enjoyed the Durian mousse that was on the dessert table too. The pulut hitam was nice too! You should try it!




We thought we would come for this self paid meal in 'stealth mode', so it was not under my name, but in dad-in-laws name for the reservation. The very observant PR director was quick to spot it and drop me a note on whatsapp. She knew it was the wife's birthday, but with so little time, she arranged for a little surprise! How cute right?

Parents in law paid for the meal with the UOB card and got 20% discount.


Treasures of the Sea buffet dinner
2 September - 30 October 2011

Mondays to Thursdays: Adult • S$45 | Child (3 to 12 years old) • S$27
Fridays to Sundays : Adult • S$48 | Child (3 to 12 years old) • S$29


Prices are subject to service charge and prevailing government taxes.





Plaza Brasserie @ Parkroyal on Beach Road
7500 Beach Road
Singapore 199591

Tel: 6505 5710