Adorable Toast Art

When I was just a kid, I'd always get in trouble for playing with my food. Now that I am old (-er), and old habits die hard, every now and then I still find myself enjoying the ever unnecessary but also oh-so-fun session of decorating my toast before eating it. I mean sure, you could just slap that peanut butter on top and get on with life but honestly, what's the fun in that? People are always saying " you must have so much free time on hand, with the funny toast and everything." Truth is, I really don't. I have the same 24 hours of never ending works and the misery of lack of sleep like everyone else. But this is also the exact reason that keeps me going, because creating yummy and cute foods makes me happy. Anyways, I have digressed. Back to cute toast! I don't really have recipes for each of them, because I usually just work with whatever ingredients I have on hand. A piece of white bread is basically like a blank canvas, after all! So have fun and go wild with your creations. Have a great week ahead everyone!    

Totoro Toast made with white chocolate and black sesame cream cheese spread!

Pompompurin toast with chocolate and peanut butter!

Pikachu toast with cheese and strawberry jam!

Cute turtle toast with panda kaya spread and fried quail egg!

Gudetama toast tugged warmly under a crispy bacon!

Rice Cooker Cake Recipes: Pink Velvet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!

Have you ever had that sudden urge to bake a cake in the middle of the day, and you actually made it ever so randomly? I know I have, and this cake was the perfect example of it. To be fair, I have been looking for an opportunity (or excuse, you might say) to try baking a pink velvet cake using only a rice cooker, and what occasion could be more appropriate than Valentines day itself, right? Even though I did not technically have any 'special someone' to spend the day with, I have decided to make the cake and enjoy it with the love of my life, my ever wonderful family. The cake turned out really well and I had so much fun making it. 

Pink and fluffy cake with soft and creamy lemon frosting

Since I did not have any buttermilk in hand, I had to make it myself. To make your own buttermilk, just add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk, wait for it to do its magic for 10 minutes, and voila! you have buttermilk.

This recipe was adapted from the ever lovely Abeer from cakewhiz.com, but instead of her delicious strawberry frosting, I have decided to go with my very own lemon cream cheese frosting, just as a personal twist. Also, rather than using 1 cup of butter for the cake, I have put in my own twist by cutting down the butter to 1/2 cup and replace it with 1/2 cup of coconut oil. 

Overall, I really like this recipe and I am so glad that my family loved it too. Hope you had a great Valentines day and maybe next year you can make this cake for your special someone!

Here is the recipe!

Pink Velvet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Ashley Ooi (adapted from cakewhiz with a few personal twist)

Learn how to make a pink velvet cake, with a rice cooker!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes (including cooling and decorating time)
Ingredients

The Cake

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 3 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• A few drops Rose Pink Gel Colouring

The Frosting

• 2 (8 ounce) packages Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
• 2 cups Icing Sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Lemon Zests
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cooking Directions

The Cake

1. In a bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one by one and mix well.
3. Add in coconut oil and mix again.
4. In another bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mix well.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture by batch, alternate by adding buttermilk in between. Mix well after each addition until the batter is smooth and silky.
6. Add in the colouring and adjust the shade according to your preference.
7. Slightly oil the rice cooker and pour the batter in.
8. Smooth the surface and lightly tap the pot to remove air bubbles from the batter.
9. Set the rice cooker to cake function and press the start button.
10. Once the cake is done, wait for it to cool down.
11. Carefully cut the cake into half horizontally.
12. Spread frosting on the cake and put the other layer on top. Frost the cake to your preference. Decorate with sprinkles.
13. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before eating.

The Frosting

1. Cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer.
2. Add in butter and mix until soft and fluffy.
3. Add in the lemon juice and zest and mix again.
4. Add in sugar and vanilla extract, mix well.
5. Once everything are well incorporated, turn the mixer to the highest speed and mix the frosting for 10 seconds to get a light and fluffy frosting.

Love, 

Ashley

Rice Cooker Cake Recipes: Marble Butter Cake

Ever since I was a kid, butter cake has a special place in my heart. I am not sure why, but every time I see the tightly wrapped piece of cake in a cake store, my first instinct would be to buy it like there is no tomorrow. Now that I am older, there are times where I would still be craving for it but nonetheless be too lazy to go out just for a piece of cake, and my desire to bake it myself has unfortunately not been reciprocated because well, I do not own an oven.

That's when it hits me, a rice cooker. Of course! A rice cooker! As a proud Asian, I know that a rice cooker would not fail me, even in baking. So I have decided to bake a Marble Butter cake (20% for experiment purpose, and 80% purely from the determination to eat a cake). It was fairly easy to make and the result was surprisingly good. To say that I was excited would be an understatement.

The cake turned out super moist and buttery, with a hint of bittersweet chocolate from the cocoa powder. Friendly tips though, the texture of the cake does vary when it is in a different temperature. It would be slightly denser when warm but no doubt at its moistest state, and slightly dryer and lighter when you place it in the fridge for a few hours/overnight. Personally I prefer eating the cake chilled as it has more of that store-bought feel to it, but with such a versatile cake, it is up to you to decide how you like it best, really.  

So there you go, a cake made with a rice cooker. I am super happy with the result and I can't wait to make many more! Below is the recipe, do let me know what you think!

   

Rice Cooker Marble Butter Cake

Recipe by Ashley Ooi

Moist and buttery marble cake, made with a rice cooker!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 2 hours (including cooling time)
Ingredients

• 200g Self-raising flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 150g Brown sugar
• 250g Butter (salted)
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence
• 3 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Cocoa powder
• 30ml Milk

Cooking Directions

1. Make sure the butter is in room temperature.
2. Beat butter and sugar with a electric mixer until it becomes soft and fluffy.
3. Add in one egg and beat with mixer, repeat for the second and third egg.
4. Mix until creamy.
5. Add in vanilla essence and mix again.
6. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl, add into the butter mixture.
7. Fold the mixture carefully with a spatula.
8. Add milk and fold until no lumps present.
9. Take out 1/3 of the batter, fold in cocoa powder until well combined.
10. Slightly grease the rice cooker pot.
11. Put in one scoop of the pale batter in the middle of the pot, then a scoop of chocolate batter on top of it. Continue piling with the same pattern to achieve the swirl.
12. Choose the 'Cake' function on your rice cooker, and press 'cook'. Use a toothpick to check doneness. 
13. Once the cake is done, take out your pot and let the cake rest for 1 hour (minimum 30 minutes if you really can't wait any longer).
14. Once cooled, flip the cake out and Enjoy!