Red Velvet

I chanced upon a cupcakes and muffins recipe book recently written by the good people at the famous The Hummingbird Bakery, Portobello Market, London.

I remember sinking my teeth into one of their famous red velvet cupcakes last year during our honeymoon!

Excited by the prospects of recreating that little slice of heaven myself, I bought the book and got down to work. The result my friends, brought back sweet memories . . .

The recipe may sound a little fiddly, but let me assure you its worth the effort.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

60g unsalted butter (i used Lurpak)

150g caster sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (i used valrhona 70% dark)

2 Tbsp red food colouring

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (i use madagascar bourbon)

120ml buttermilk (herein i believe is their secret)

150g all purpose flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1&1/2 tsp white vinegar

1 quality cream cheese frosting (see below)

a 12-cup cupcake pan lined with paper cases

Preheat oven to 170 degC(325 degF)

Cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer up to high speed and slowly add the egg and beat until everything is well incorporated

In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa, red food colouring and vanilla extract to make a thick, dark paste. Add to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until evenly combined and coloured.

Turn the mixer down to slow speed and slowly pour in half the buttermilk. Beat until well mixed then add half the flour and beat until everything is well incorporated Repeat this process until all the buttermilk and flour have been added. Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until you have a smooth, even mixture. Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. Turn up the speed again and beat for a couple more minutes

Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or unitl the cake bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to col slightly in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. To make red crumbs for sprinkling on top of the frosted cupcakes, slice a thin sliver off the top of a couple of the baked cakes and crumble between your fingertips. When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the Cream Cheese Frosting on top and dust with the red crumbs.

Cream Cheese Frosting

300g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter

125g cream cheese, cold

Beat the icing sugar and butter on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed

Add the cream cheese in on e go and beat until it is completely incorporated Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed, Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat as it can quickly become runny.

A new Angel . . .

Coincidentally enough, today was Dialect ministry Sunday. The choir sang a Hokkien hymn. Couldn't help but think that it was Ah Ma who's now in Heaven, joining in the angels and singing us this Hokkien hymn.

She's safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast. There by His love o'ershaded, sweetly her soul shall rest.

A Eulogy for My Grandma - Ah Ma

Some of my fondest memories of my Ah Ma were the times spent in her home back when I was in Primary school some 20 years ago. I recall how after my Saturday ECA classes, I’ll take a long bus ride – the orange number 8 bus to be exact - from my school in the east to her home in Bukit Ho Swee where the family will gather for lunch. It wasn’t anything fancy, just simple home-cook dishes cooked with grandma’s love. My favourite was her Szechuan vegetable with pork slices – I haven’t eaten that in a long time. Lunch would be followed with the cousins messing up the room playing with blankets and toys. I fondly recall that big plastic basin under the bed filled with toys of all sorts. No matter how messy the room got, Ah Ma never raised her voice at the grandchildren. I honestly cannot recall my Ah Ma ever losing her temper at us. Never.

As the grandchildren grew up and as age too caught up with Ah Ma, lunches at Bukit Ho

Swee became a thing of the past. Ah Ma started to move around staying at the children’s homes instead. It was time we returned Ah Ma the favour of cooking us lunches. I recall one dinner when she was staying at my place. I had prepared pasta for dinner – spaghetti with garlic. We weren’t quite sure how Ah Ma would take to it but thought who said Ah Mas can’t eat Italian pasta! To our surprise, Ah Ma polished her dinner! We just told her it was “mee char xing tao”! We always enjoyed having Ah Ma over. Her presence brought much joy, noise and laughter to the home. When she was more able, her favourite pastime would be to ‘niam tau guay’ and ask for clothes that needed mending – like my shorts that have lost its elasticity. When her hands got weaker, we kept her occupied by making her pose for photos. She hated it, not because she was camera-shy but because she was ‘vain’. She would always say the photo would come out ugly because her hair was out of place or that her clothes weren’t pretty enough. I always retorted “Ah Ma, mai hyao la!” and then we would both end up laughing with her affectionately hitting my hand!

There was also the side of her you don’t get to see often. Things she does as you quietly observe her from afar. This was probably a few years ago, not long after she received Christ as her Lord and Saviour. I heard my Ah Ma saying her prayers in the quietness of the living room with birds chirping in the garden. It was a very serene sight. My Ah Ma looked happy, she was at peace. It was her personal time with God. Until her very last days, I believe my Ah Ma kept talking to Jesus even in her state of semi consciousness. God must have heard her because today, she is with Him in Paradise.

I love this photo of Ah Ma. It was taken on my birthday 2 years ago just 2 days before my wedding. Ah Ma had came over to my place to stay and to join in the celebrations. Her smile encapsulates it all – she knew she was blessed. So as we gather to mourn her passing, we also gather to celebrate her beautiful life. Blessed indeed she was as a lady who had lived her 88 years to the fullest. As wife, mother, grandma and great grandma – she has taught each generation well, she has loved each of us selflessly. Her story will be told to our children and our children’s children for generations to come.

Our lost is Heaven’s gain. We will all miss her. Miss her child-likeness, miss her curly white hair, miss her physical presence. But we take comfort in knowing that my Ah Ma is in a better place now and she will want us all to know that she is happy where she is.

We love you Ah Ma.

Happy Birthday Dearie!!

Look who celebrated his 34th birthday!

Better Place

"I want to go home to be with Jesus, He is better"

Spoken in Hokkien

My Ah Ma

Lemony Goodness!!!

I needed to occupy myself with something. A new project, something to keep me busy. So the hubs threw me a challenge a few weeks back. Think Julie & Julia but on a smaller scale. So he gave me 6 months. The deal - 30 recipes (they didn't have to be my own original recipes) and to write this all down as if I'm creating a recipe book. I was pretty game. My baking has taken a little hiatus lately and I wanted to get back at it. What's more, the kitchen now boost a spanking new electric oven - none of all that convention cum microwave nonsense! We can finally fit 4 muffin trays into the oven!

So to kick-off my little project, we got down to working on a lemon loaf. Taken from this gorgeous recipe book " Baked" present to me by my dear Aunt Veron. The recipes in this book are great. The best brownie I've baked was from here. The marble bundt cake didn't fail either. Its in the little details that make the recipes in this book work so well. The ingredients are a little fussier where it's not just all-purpose flour but a mixture of cake & all-purpose flour. The techniques are precise where you're called specifically to fold not with a whisk but a spatula.

Today's lemon loaf was a huge success. The kitchen smelled so good all afternoon, the Dad couldn't resist a slice even though we just finished dinner.

So stay tune as I work on this recipe collection of mine. Next week, we're attempting kaya - a local egg & coconut custard jam. Ambitious I say, but I've a greedy husband to feed.

Moving on ... but not forgetting

I thought I would be over it by now. But when I found myself still tearing every now and then, I realised that I will probably never get over it and that I don't have to. It will forever be a chapter in our lives and part of our story, nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to run away from. Yes we move on, yes we'll try again, but doesn't mean we have to forget ...

A POEM OF COMFORT

I thought of you and closed my eyes

and prayed to God today.

I asked what makes a mother

and I know I heard him say...

"A mother has a baby."

This we know is true.

But can you be a mother

when your baby's not with you?

"Yes, you can,"

He said with confidence in His voice.

"I give many women babies.

When they leave is not their choice.

Some I send for a lifetime,

and others for a day.

Some I send to fill your womb

but there's no need to stay."

"I just don't understand this, God.

I want my baby here."

He took a breath and cleared His throat

and then I saw a tear.

"I wish that I could show you

what your child is doing today.

If you could see your child smile

with other children and say,

'We go to earth to learn our lessons

of love and life and fear.

My Mommy loved me oh, so much

I got to come straight here.

I feel so lucky to have a Mom

who had so much love for me.

I learned my lesson very quickly.

My Mommy set me free.

I miss my Mommy oh, so much

but I visit her each day.

When she goes to sleep,

on her pillow is where I lay.

I stroke her hair and kiss her cheek

and whisper in her ear,

"Mommy, don't be sad today.

I'm your baby and I'm here."

So, you see, my dear sweet one,

your child is okay.

Your baby is here in my home and

this is where she'll stay.

She'll wait for you with me

until your lesson is through.

And on the day that you come home,

She'll be at the gates for you.

So, now you see what makes a mother.

It's the feeling in your heart.

It's the love you had so much of

right from the very start.

Though some on earth may not see

you're a mother with a child.

They'll be up here with me one day

and know you've always been one."