Sugee Cake .. with a twist

Growing up in the Eurasian community in Penang, Malaysia meant loving the amazingly rich and delicious semolina cake called Sugee Cake. It's a cake that has many versions, every family has it's own secret recipe that they swore was of course the best in the world. One would get the chance to sample other people's sugee cake only at festive gatherings because that was a cake that was offered with pride from each family ... with the baker of the cake defiantly waiting for anyone to dare say they had tried a better version somewhere else.

Watching my Mum make the cake every year for Xmas was always so much fun. As a kid all the cake making process was to me was batter, bowls and beaters that needed a good licking. As I got older and learnt more about the sugee cake my Mum's version just seemed like such a chore as the semolina needed soaking for ages, the almonds were blanched and then skinned and then sliced and then roasted and so many other things seemed to need more than just beating and baking.

I found a recipe that looked simple and straight forward so I decided to try it. I called this cake a Sugee Cake "with a twist" because I had most of the ingredients needed, just not all of some so the twist is me improvising and hoping it works and then trying to make it sound non traditional on purpose because that's what I do .... the truth is it's a non traditional Sugee Cake because I did not have enough almonds and was too lazy to go to the shop and instead substituted with pecans. Lovely substitute but the darkness of the pecan made the cake that should have been very light and golden actually quite brown. My Mum also used a sweetened dry melon called "kundur" which I had none. Also I had no brandy which was such a shame as a  little brandy takes this cake to a different level.

Don't compare this to a traditional Sugee Cake, rather think of it as a Semolina Spiced Nut Cake. It can not compare to my Mum's Sugee Cake but it's still lovely so here's my non traditional Sugee cake With a Twist .. wink wink!!

250g butter
250g semolina
300g sugar
250g almonds and pecan roasted and ground very coarsely (or all almond, I did not have enough so I used pecan to make up the measure)
8 eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartare
1 teaspoon mixed spice
2 tablespoons brandy

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Separate the eggs.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in colour. Then beat in yolks one at a time.
4. Mix everything else in except egg whites and cream tartare.
5. Beat egg whites and cream of tartare into stiff peaks and fold into cake batter.
6. Put in oven and then drop temperature to 170 degrees and bake for 60 -75 minutes.

The crust on the cake should be dark and well caramelised and in my opinion the BEST part of the cake!!

Cheesecake Brownie Bites

When one can not decide between cheesecake or brownie, one thanks one's lucky stars for stumbling across the very clever idea of combining both in one bite size morsel of yumminess. Thank you Just A Taste.

This recipe makes a really moist and chocolatey brownie batter and a light and fluffy cheesecake mix. The 2 together is delightful, the sweetness and richness of the brownie countered by the lightness and tang of the cream cheese.

The only thing I will change for next time is I'd probably put more cheesecake mix than I did today as I love, love, love the tang cutting through the sweet. The white and almost black contrast is very pretty too.

Cheesecake Brownie Bites

Brownie Batter
4 large eggs
2 1/4 cups caster sugar
1 1/2 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 tablespoon instant coffee (mixed with 2 teaspoons hot water)

Cheesecake Mix
250g cream cheese (softened)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Beat eggs, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, vanilla essence and coffee mix. (Don't taste it at this stage unless you like salty bitterness - learnt it the hard way) When mixed well add sugar, butter and flour and stir well.

3. In a smaller bowl beat cream cheese, yolk and sugar until fluffy and well combined.

4. Grease a mini muffin tin. Drop a small amount of brownie mix in base. Then pipe (or not - use a spoon if u wish) the cheesecake mix on top followed by a dollop of brownie mix to top it off.

Do not overfill like I did as your cakes will all stick when they rise.

I used to much mixture - oops

5. Bake for 15 minutes approximately.

6. Cool in pan for a little while and then cool on rack or eat it warm.

It's nice warm .. it's nice cold. It's just nice!! 

Pie pops - stick it on a stick

I have learnt judging from the my kid's and their friend's expressions that anything you stick on a stick is instantly agreeable and extra delicious. When I decided to try my hand at pie pops I took inspiration from the very creative and clever people at Luxirare and Bakerella.

I must admit that I my first attempt was rather dismal. I made pecanamel (pecan and caramel for those of you who use real English) pie pops. The filling was really delicious but my crimping abilities to seal the pies left a lot to be desired for as all the caramel oozed out of the pies and left me with little cushiony pastry with dry nuts in it. Big apologies to my dear friend Jo who was my taste tester, I sent her home with a few samples for the family. Sorry!!

The next day I was adamant that I was going to do better and make pie pops that would not ooze filling at all and I am so please to say that I succeeded. I realised where I went wrong and rectified the problem. I was not sealing the edges well enough and making them in too much of a hurry so I slowed down and paid more attention and it worked a charm. This time I made 2 more fillings for variety. I made some bananamel (banana and caramel) pies and also some Nutella ones. I made them for our fortnightly gathering of twins at playgroup and I can happily say the children enjoyed the Nutella ones and the Mum's the banana ones as I had a bowl of caramel sauce for extra drizzle.

Pie Pops

6 sheets of puff or shortcrust pastry - I used store bought
about 30 lollipop sticks ( 6 inches )
1 egg beaten with a little water or milk (for egg wash)

Pecan caramel filling
3 handfuls of pecan nuts chopped
4-5 tablespoons of caramel sauce





Banana caramel filling
1 large banana mashed
3-4 tablespoons of caramel sauce





Nutella filling

4 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons icing sugar






1. To make pecan filling simple chop pecans and stir caramel sauce through.

2. To make banana filling is just as easy, just mix banana and caramel.

3. Nutella filling not as easy, still easy though. Mix Nutella and icing sugar. Rolled into a log and wrap in plastic and freeze for about half hour. Then cut disc of Nutella when ready for pies as it's easier to work with when it's cold and hard.

4. Use cookie cutter and punch out circles. A sheet of pastry should yield about 9-10 circles.

5. Place circles on parchment paper and place lollipop sticks on to about middle of circle. Spoon filling on but do not overfill.

6. Dip finger in water and run along the edge of circle and place another circle on top and seal. (this is where I went wrong the first time, did not seal with water and overfilled pies)

To make life easier I would cut all circles out, then do each step in bulk instead of making one complete pie as it takes up more time I think.





7. Once sealed properly use the end on a lollipop stick and press down along the edge to form a nice pattern. You could use a fork if you prefer. Brush with egg wash.

8. Bake in 180 degrees oven for about 15 minutes or until pies are puffy and golden brown.

Caramel sauce - sticky smooth liquid gold

Until 2 days ago I had not made my own caramel sauce. I always thought it was difficult and troublesome. I now know I was wrong, it is way too easy and quick which makes it another luxurious, rich and dangerous recipe to have in my arsenal of good things that could be bad for you. I have to employ strength to consume in moderation. From not making any to making 2 lots in 2 days is not consuming in moderation but I did not eat it all I promise you, it was essential for other recipes I was playing around with.

By learning how to make it you can now always have freshly made caramel sauce for recipes that call for it like a pecan pie or filling for macarons or for sauce on ice cream or for days when a spoonful of caramel is what is needed - and let me tell you, I have the odd day or 3. This is how I made my caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream
100g butter

**** please use a big heavy base saucepan as the mixture bubbles and rises a lot when butter and cream is added and could potentially spill over or burn you ****
1. In the saucepan add water and sugar and place on high heat. I give it a good stir and then leave it to boil. Do not stir when it's boiling.

2. Keep an eye on the saucepan as the colours will start changing from clear to gold to brown very fast.

3. When the colour reaches a dark gold add butter. Be careful as the mixture will start bubbling rapidly. Stir with whisk or wooden spoon. Once butter is melted and incorporated remove saucepan from heat.

4. Now add cream but slowly and be careful as more bubbling and spitting and rising will happen even though it's not on the heat anymore. Stir well and once sauce is not bubbling anymore transfer to jar and let cool.

* Should keep in fridge for a week or so but will it last that long?
**The sauce will get hard as it cools but a few seconds in the microwave will bring it to smooth runny goldeny goodness.

Seafood Pie Delight

There's something very welcoming about the warmth of homemade pie to counter the chill of winter. I wanted to cook something with fish for dinner but at the same time I wanted to make something pie like so Fish Pie would have been the obvious choice. So I went to the supermarket and as I stood at the seafood counter indecisiveness hit and I could not decide what I wanted. After a lot of uhmming and arrhing I decided to ditch the notion of fish only and got a seafood mixture that had fish, prawns, mussels and calamari.

Whilst I have eaten several outstanding fish pies in seafood restaurants over the years I had never made one. I love love love the combination of dill and dijon in seafood pasta so I started looking at different pie recipes to see if other people had tried that combo before and lo and behold I found that the good folks at Souvlaki For The Soul had the very same thought.

So inspired by their lovely recipe and photos I made my very first Seafood Pie - not topped with pastry but with a mash of potato and cauliflower which I must say was a success. I made a family size pie, enough to feed 8 people and by the time dinner was over there was only 1 serve left. My family consist of 2 adults and 2 toddlers so the fact we ate 7serves of pie between us is pretty damn impressive I must say. Here's my pie, not the prettiest looking thing BUT I promise you, YUM YUM!!

SEAFOOD PIE WITH CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO MASH

1kg of seafood mix (fish, prawns, mussels and squid)
1 leek
1 large onion
1 lemon
2 carrots
3 sticks of celery
6 potatoes
1/2 head of cauliflower
a big bunch of dill chopped fine (about 4 tablespoons)
6-8 stalks of spinach
2-3 tablespoon Dijon mustard ( I used 3 as I love it)
approx 150ml cream
a handful of grated cheddar cheese
butter
salt and pepper

1. Cut leeks, onions, carrots, celery, 2 potatoes (diced) and garlic and cook it down for about 5-6 minutes. Then add seafood and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

2. Add mustard, dill, juice of lemon and give a good stir. Then add cream, stir and season well. Set aside in a baking dish while you make the topping.

3. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

4. Steam or boil potatoes and cauliflower until soft. Mash together but it doesn't have to be super smooth as the cauliflower and potato chunks will add a nice texture to the top. Add butter and seasoning to taste.

5. Cut spinach and add it as a layer on top of seafood mix. Second with salt.

6. Top the baking dish with the mash. Scatter cheese and pop in oven for 40 minutes.