Sam's Bake Journal

Sam's at Yule Market

2010-12-03T22:05:00.002+08:00

Hello Everyone!

Sam's Cakes & Bakes will be at Singapore First Farmer's Market again on Saturday (11th December 2010) from 8.30am to 2pm. There will be lots of christmas cakes and goodies at the Yule Market. Do come down and support!

The stall at this upcoming Yule Market is a joint collaboration between Sam's Cakes & Bakes and Sarah's Loft.

You could also read Notabilia's Blog on her experience at the previous Farmers' Market here.

Do check out Sam's Christmas Catalogue 2010 as well. Place your orders early to avoid disappointment!

Sam's at Farmers' Market

2010-11-17T01:38:00.005+08:00

Hello Everyone!
Sam's Cakes & Bakes will be at Singapore First Farmer's Market this Saturday (20th November 2010) from 8.30am to 2pm. There will be lots of cakes and goodies. Do come down and support!

Sam's on Manawatu Standard Page 4

2010-06-25T11:54:00.003+08:00

The Manawatu Standard is the daily paper for the Manawatu region based in Palmerston North, New Zealand with satellites in Feilding and Marton.

Bread Baking Day (BBD #30) - Round Up

2010-06-04T12:02:00.004+08:00

Here is Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies round up on twisted bread. Check out the multi-post round-ups (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4) Natashya made.

Bread Baking Day (BBD) #30 - Cranberry Almond Plait

2010-06-01T00:00:00.008+08:00

BreadBakingDay is a monthly event for passionate and to-be bread bakers and was started by Zorra of Kochtopf way back in July 2007.

This month's theme of twisted breads is hosted by Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. I have decided to participate in this event with a recipe that I have recently taught.

Cranberries are full of antioxidants and are the "in" thing to use in baked goods these days. They can be use to substitute raisins, sultanas or any dried fruits in the recipes. Given its tartness and colour, it will make any product appetising!

For this event, I will be sharing with you a Cranberry Almond Plait. Alternatively, you could also make them into buns or rolls.

Bread Ingredients:
350 g Bread Flour
50 g Almond Powder
15 g Milk Powder
½ tsp Salt
50 g Fine Sugar
11 g Instant Yeast (Gold)
140 g Water
56 g Egg (1 No)

50 g Butter

175 g Cranberries, conditioned

Egg Glaze:
1 No Egg
1 Tbsp Water

Toppings:
Almond Flakes, Pearl Sugar

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl except butter. Knead till the side of the bowl is clean. Add in the butter and knead till well developed. Add in the conditioned cranberries.
2. Round the dough and rest for 2 hrs.
3. After resting, turn the dough bottom side up and punch down to flatten. Divide the dough into 15 X 60g pieces. Roll out each dough piece into rod shaped strands. Take 3 strands and plait (See Demo) and place the plaited dough onto a baking pan.
4. Proof the bread till double in bulk, approximately 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush the surface lightly with Egg Glaze and sprinkle the top with Almond Flakes & Pearl Sugar.
6. Bake at 200C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with oil when baked to give a glossy finish.

Chinese New Year & Valentine's Day Catalogue 2010

2010-01-08T12:34:00.002+08:00

Sam's Christmas Online Promotion with eGuide (Singapore) and Singapore Shopping Guide

2009-11-04T22:06:00.001+08:00

Christmas is just 7 weeks away and Sam's Cakes and Bakes is proud to sponsor 10 Healthy Carrot Log Cakes for a Christmas Online Promotion with eGuide (Singapore) and Singapore Shopping Guide. Special thanks to Tracy from RBI-Asia.

So what are you waiting for? If you happen to stumble upon Sam's Bake Journal and have a love for healthy cakes and goodies and hope to win the healthy carrot log cake this christmas to share with your family and friends, visit the following (link) and fill up a form (takes you less than 5 minutes!). Good luck!

Visit Sam's Cakes & Bakes website for more christmas goodies! Sam's Healthy Carrot Log Cake (Sugar-Free) is also available, kindly enquire for more details.

Customised Cake at Sam's (Halloween Themed Carrot Cake)

2009-11-01T20:28:00.001+08:00

Customised Cake at Sam's (Halloween Themed Carrot Cake)

Besides being able to customise cakes for special diet needs (Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nuts-Free and Eggless Cakes) at Sam's. Occasionally, we receive orders like this Halloween Themed Carrot Cake. This cake was specially ordered by one of Sam's customer for her husband to celebrate his birthday with a halloween theme. Should you like to have customised cakes, please do feel free to make an enquiry with us.

Sam's on Y factor (October 2009)

2009-10-03T10:09:00.000+08:00

Sam's on Y factor (October 2009)

Sam's on Food-4Tots Blog

2009-10-01T19:15:00.002+08:00

Photograph courtesy of Food-4tots.

I am very happy to see that more people are gaining an interest in baking. Food-4tots.com is a blog by one of my student who attended one of my bread baking sessions recently. Not only did she took down notes in my class, she went home and practise tirelessly to successfully make this healthy multigrain bread for her family and friends. Click on this (link) to view the recent blog entry that she wrote about her experience in baking this bread. There are also other recipes that she writes that are healthy and easy to do for your loved ones.

Wedding Cupcakes

2009-07-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

Wedding Cupcakes
Recently, I had another order for a couple's solemnization and they have decided to order this 3 tiered cupcakes wedding cake. Interested to have such a cake for your wedding / anniversary? Contact Sam.

Sam's on Y factor (June 2009)

2009-07-01T23:10:00.000+08:00

Sam's on Y factor (June 2009)

In the subsequent issues of the quarterly Y Factor, I will be contributing easy-to-follow recipes. Do look out for them! I would like to thank Ms Priscilla Leong from YMCA Corporate Affairs for this opportunity.

Sam's On MediaCorp Channel 8 (Yummy Yummy Lunch Box)

2009-06-08T12:27:00.000+08:00

Sam's On MediaCorp Channel 8 (Yummy Yummy Lunch Box)

Kids, if you’re looking for some culinary inspiration, then help is here! My Yummy Yummy Lunchbox is back with more delicious recipes! This season, 2 teams will learn basic recipes from professional culinary teachers. From pasta to omelettes and fried rice, these dishes are the basis for more to come. Once having mastered the skill, the teams then go head to head by turning the simple dish into something deliciously new! Be inspired as they cook up a storm in the kitchen - who will come up with the most creative and mouth-watering version? (Adapted from MediaCorp Channel 8 Website).

I will be featured on the 4th Episode whereby I will be teaching the kids how to make Choux Pastries.

This episode will be televised over Mediacorp's Channel 8 on Sunday 28th June 2008 @ 10am.

More details can be found on the following website.

Special thanks to the producer Ms Ng Lee Yi and screen writer Mr Dah Jui Hoon from The Moving Visuals Company for this opportunity.

Sam's on Y factor (February 2009)

2009-02-02T12:55:00.000+08:00

Sam's on Y factor (February 2009)

Sam's on Straits Times (Home Section, Page B8)

2008-12-13T23:19:00.001+08:00

Sam's on Straits Times (Home Section, Page B8)

'Tis the season for helping the less fortunate by Seow Kai Lun

Volunteer groups planning host of activities to raise funds for old folk and children

ECONOMIC gloom is not clouding the Christmas charity season. At least 30 outreach groups with volunteers from all walks of life are helping those less fortunate.

Ms Lisa Li, 28, is an organiser of a 65-strong group distributing hampers of toiletries and biscuits, in partnership with the Kreta Ayer Residents' Committee.

She and a group of friends distributed 300 gift bags for the first time last year.

This year, on Dec 21, they are distributing 1,200 hampers to elderly folk living in one-room flats in the Chinatown area.

The hampers, worth about $10 each, will reach those who do not receive public assistance.

'We raised funds by asking people we knew to contribute to the cause. Many are affected by the downturn and retrenchment but they still gave generously,' said Ms Li.

The Young Men's Christian Association of Singapore's Festival of Love, a group of 60 volunteers, makes various holiday goodies for different homes.

To add to mouse-shaped pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year and most recently ondeh ondeh for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, they will round off the year with 400 Christmas cupcakes for the Dover Park Hospice.

The festival's head chef, Mr Samuel Chan, 23, who operates online business www.sams-cakes.com, has been leading the creation of all the Festival of Love cooking sessions for the past two years.

'Doing this, I not only get to know more people, but also spread my love for cooking and help others in the community,' he said. 'It's like killing three birds with one stone.'

Some volunteers have become friends and now sign up for sessions together. So much so, said Ms Sivian Look, manager for YMCA Corporate Communications, that 'we have had to increase the number of slots for people to come and cook'.

Glad tidings for the year-end are also coming from students. Volunteers from National Junior College will organise a Christmas party for children from Daybreak Family Service Centre next Saturday.

They also put together a last-minute visit to the Newater centre for children from low-income families.

Volunteer Joycelyn Chua, 17, a first-year student, said: 'Everyone deserves to have some fun during the festive season.'

And students from the Singapore Management University have joined the Raleigh Society to organise a fund-raising walk next Saturday. Participants pay a registration fee of $20 for the 10km route and $60 for the 50km and 100km overnight route.

The group hopes to raise $80,000, half of which will go to the Movement of the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. A group of 35 people from the movement will be invited to a party on Dec 27, during which they will be presented with the funds raised.

Sam's on Y factor (November 2008)

2008-11-02T11:45:00.000+08:00

Sam's on Y factor (November 2008)

Sam's On Lian He Zao Bao (Page 12)

2008-09-28T23:16:00.000+08:00

Sam's On Lian He Zao Bao (Page 12)

Sam's On MediaCorp Channel U (MoneyWeek)

2008-08-10T22:45:00.000+08:00

Sam's On MediaCorp Channel U (MoneyWeek)

This programme was televised over Mediacorp's Channel U on 10th August 2008 @ 11.30pm.

For those who subscribe to MediaCorp's MobTV, you can click on this link, Choose Episode 19 and download to watch it. Special thanks to the producer Mr Charles Chow for this opportunity.

Sam's On Straits Times (Main Section, Page 4)

2008-05-17T19:15:00.000+08:00

Sam's On Straits Times (Main Section, Page 4)

Diploma icing on the cake for baker by Jane Ng

MR SAMUEL CHAN, who graduates from Singapore Polytechnic with a chemical process technology (food technology) diploma at the end of this month, has been running an online bakery set up even before he joined the school.

The 23-year-old was also conducting baking classes for his schoolmates while getting his diploma.

Now that he is graduating, he is homing in on the niche market for healthy cakes which contain no eggs, nuts, sugar and gluten.

He said: 'I do not want to be just another chef.

'With my diploma, I have learnt the science behind food, healthy recipes, new ingredients and new techniques.'

His five-year-old online bakery started out as a catalogue of items in his baking repertoire, which now also includes sugar-free confections for diabetics.

His final-year project involved creating a high-fibre roti prata using wheat-resistant starch containing soluble fibre.

He has applied for a degree programme in food technology with Massey University in New Zealand.

Another Singapore Poly graduate, Mr Jonathan Samraj, the top student in the diploma in information technology course, has also had a taste of selling his skills.

He set up his own information technology company at 16, and has since provided Web solutions and design services for 15 firms.

Making profits was not his priority, he said, adding that the insights into how different industries operated were more rewarding for him.

With 30 distinctions and As in the bag, he hopes to read computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology next.

Singapore Poly will send off 4,896 students next week.

Sam's On Project Smitten Magazine

2008-05-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

Sam's On Project Smitten Magazine

Mother's Day Rose Delight Cake

2008-04-21T19:25:00.000+08:00

Mother's Day Rose Delight Cake

Haven't thought of what to get for your mother this Mother's Day? Why not try Mother's Day Rose Delight Cake by Sam's. This rose flavoured fresh cream heart shaped cake decorated with rose macarons will make this Mother's Day a floral scented one. So... instead of getting your dearest mother a bottle of perfume, get her this Rose Delight Cake by Sam's this year for a change. Haha.

Latest Sam's Products!

2008-04-20T19:13:00.001+08:00

Latest Sam's Products!

(Left: Baked Green Tea Cheese Cake, Right: Tiramisu)

Sam's valued customers and friends would be delighted to hear of the launch of these two latest products - Green Tea Cheese Cake & Tiramisu.

Green Tea Cheese Cake: Experience this rich cheese cake filled with antioxidants from the infused green tea. Layered with a bed of Japanese Azuki Red Beans, giving you the ultimate taste experience.

Tiramisu: Friends who have tried Sam's Tiramisu love the liquor rush in it. Great for home parties or small gatherings with friends.

Chocolate Cakes

2008-04-16T18:26:00.000+08:00

Chocolate Cakes

One of the favourite choice of flavour for most customers of Sam's - Chocolate. Well, this is indeed Sam's best seller for cakes of all occasions. Recently, there has been an increased number of requests for special diet cakes. As such, I have decided to showcased how the special diet cakes would look like. In fact, they are identical.

(Left: Picture of a chocolate cake for a class of 40 students).

(Left: Chocolate Fudge Cake, Right: Special Diet Chocolate Fudge Cake - Egg Less, Dairy-Free).

Well, currently at Sam's, the highly recommended Vegetarian cake is the Chocolate Fudge Cake. Do note that at Sam's, we provide a range of special diet cakes: Diabetic Cakes (Sugar-Free), Vegetarian Cakes (Egg less), Dairy-Free, Nuts Free, Gluten Free. Contact Sam for the above customised cakes.

Museum of Shanghai Toys

2008-04-01T18:13:00.000+08:00

Museum of Shanghai Toys

On 29th and 30th March 2008, Museum of Shanghai Toys (MoST) had an open house. Admission was free. Sam was invited to set up a bazaar stall there. MoST is one of two toy museums in Singapore. The toys showcased in this museum are those that were played in the 1960s to 1980s, mostly, wooden or metal clockwork toys. If you have the time, what not pay them a visit at 83 Rowell Road. Visit their website for more details.

Wedding Cupcakes

2008-03-24T22:08:00.000+08:00

Wedding Cupcakes
Recently, I had an order for a couple's 25th Wedding Anniversary and they have decided to order this 3 tiered cupcakes wedding cake. Interested to have such a cake for your wedding / anniversary? Contact Sam.

Barbie Doll Cake

2008-03-16T22:48:00.000+08:00

Barbie Doll Cake

Instead of the usual cartoon cakes which are 2-Dimensional, I had a request for a 3-Dimensional Barbie Doll Cake. Everything from the dress down is edible! Get something different for your kid's birthday this year!

Sam's Bazaar Stalls

2008-02-27T23:47:00.001+08:00

Sam's Bazaar Stalls

Sam's Cakes & Bakes will be setting up bazaar stalls ate the following locations. Should you be nearby, do come and support Sam's Products.

Date / Time: 2 March 2008, Saturday, 9.30am to 12.30pm
Location: YMCA Level 1 Auditorium

Date / Time: 8 March 2008, Saturday, 9am to 7pm
Location: NTU Open House (Quad)

Date / Time: 17 to 19 March 2008, Monday to Wednesday, 9am to 6pm
Location: NUS Business School

Date / Time: 29 & 30 March 2008, Saturday & Sunday, Time: 12 noon to 6pm
Location: Museum of Shanghai Toys

Sam's Baking & Culinary Courses: Growing The Passion In You

2008-02-17T09:52:00.000+08:00

Sam's Baking & Culinary Courses: Growing The Passion In You

For those who are interested to learn how to bake for your loved ones, visit http://samscourses.blogspot.com/ for the course schedules.

2008: Year of the Rat (Pineapple Tarts)

2008-01-21T08:56:00.000+08:00

2008: Year of the Rat (Pineapple Tarts)

Left: Normal Pineapple Tarts (For Sale), Right: Mouse-shaped Pineapple Tarts (For Education)

Last year was the Year of the Pig and I created a Piggy Butter Cookie. This year is the Year of the Rat and guess what I have created! Rat or rather Mouse-shaped Pineapple Tarts.

However, this is strictly for education and training purposes. I will be demonstrating how to make this cookie for YMCA Festival of Love 2008 on 2nd February 2008.

Sam's on My Paper

2008-01-10T15:08:00.000+08:00

Sam's on My Paper

Food blogs: treats or threats?

Serene Luo & Esther Au Yong
Wed, Jan 09, 2008, my paper

DO NOT buy food from online food blogs. The convenience of buying online isn't worth it when it comes to personal safety.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) says the levels of hygiene maintained by blog sellers are "questionable".

Most of these popular blogs - many of them peddling dessert items like chocolates, cupcakes and other pastries that may contain uncooked butter cream - do not have the required NEA licence to prepare and sell food.

Last year, the NEA warned two such blog owners and made them remove all mention of their wares from their blogs.

Businesses that want to sell food must satisfy several criteria, such as typhoid inoculation for all food handlers, and have premises with the facilities for food preparation.

It is also illegal to sell home-cooked food to the public.

A spokesman said: "NEA takes a serious view of such unlicenced food sales as the conditions under which the food is prepared are questionable, and NEA will not hesitate to take enforcement actions against such individuals."

What's more important is whether the product is safe, said veteran food writer Sylvia Tan.

"PrimaDeli was a licensed food handler, and even then, people got sick," she said.
Recently, over 100 people came down with food poisoning after eating chocolate cakes from PrimaDeli bakery outlets.

Ms Tan advised my paper readers to be careful of where they purchase their goodies.

"Home sales have been going on for the longest time. Everyone knows someone who sells cookies or tarts. Personal recommendations are very important," she said.

Food bloggers say they will continue plying their wares

Licensed or not, customers will continue buying treats like cupcakes, pineapple tarts or fancy macaroons from "casual" home bakeries, they say.

At the same time, food bloggers selling their wares say they will continue their trade - because most of their customers are their friends.

Concern over hygiene standards kept by food bloggers hawking their wares had arisen, following last month's PrimaDeli food poisoning incident.

One blogger, editorial consultant Cheryl Chia, said that she knew about the National Environment Agency regulations and that "food poisoning can kill, it's scary".

"That's why I am now only baking for family and friends," she said.

The 23-year-old behind She Bakes & She Cooks said that she first started selling because readers wrote in, asking her to sell her baked goods to them.

Basic food hygiene is always observed, said Mr Samuel Chan, 22, of the blog Sam's Cakes and Bakes.

However, getting a licence is too costly, mainly because of the need for a commercial space, he said.

Under the law, homes cannot be used to cook food to be sold to the public.

First-time offenders could be fined up to $1,000.

"While we can't use our home kitchen, I feel that a home kitchen is clean enough and adequate when it comes to small-scale production," Mr Chan, a food technology student at a local polytechnic, said.

Undergraduate Julius Chen, 22, who runs the website Julius Truffles, suggested licensing home premises for small-scale baking.

"There can also be courses for home bakers. Perhaps awareness and education campaigns too, when it comes to concerns like food safety," he said.

In any case, many home bakeries come recommended by friends and should be reliable, said consumers whom my paper interviewed.

Marketing manager Ng Aik Kiat, 32, says he has been buying pineapple tarts and love letters from his neighbours for many years because he found the quality of their baked treats to be high.

"After all these years, there is a certain level of trust and confidence," he said.

"They might not be licensed, but it's almost like my own relatives making (these cookies) for me."

Account executive Jaslin Poh, 28, said she would still take this "calculated risk".

"As long as the website doesn't have a bad record, I will still go ahead," she said.

"I'll stop only if I get sick."

2008 Chinese New Year Goodies!

2008-01-06T00:22:00.000+08:00

2008 Chinese New Year Goodies!

Chinese New Year is round the corner (about 1 month's time). This year, Sam has a wide range of cakes and goodies for you to choose from. Including the launch of Sugar-Free Cakes & Cookies. For more information, kindly email sam@sams-cakes.com for more details.

Items includes:

1. Orange Butter Cake (Sugar-Free available)

2. Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pineapple Tarts

3. Almond Blossoms (Sugar-Free available)

4. Kueh Lapis (with Prunes available)

Sam Wishes All a Happy New Year 2008!

2008-01-02T00:07:00.000+08:00

Sam Wishes All a Happy New Year 2008!

First and foremost, I would like to wish all my friends, customers, fellow blogger and readers a very Happy New Year 2008! There are lots of things to look forward to this year! I will be graduating by the 1st of February 2008 with a Diploma in Chemical Process Technology (Food Technology) from Singapore Polytechnic and will be going full force in fufilling my passion.

Here are some of the things to look forward to at Sam's:
1. 2008 commemorates Sam's Cakes & Bakes 5th Anniversary. Look forward to delicious bakes coming up in the months to come.
2. Sugar-Free Cakes and Goodies will be launch this coming Chinese New Year, do enquire for more details.
3. Baking & Culinary Courses by Sam will start running from February 2008. Do enquire for more details as well.
4. More bake journal articles featuring new food finds and new food developments will be published.

With so much plans in the pipeline, do constantly visit Sam's Bake Journal at http://samsbakejournal.blogspot.com/ for your daily reads and should you feel hungry for cakes & bakes or need to get that special customised gift for that special someone, visit http://www.sams-cakes.com/.

Sam's Cakes & Bakes - Baked with Love & Sincerity.
Baking & Culinary Courses at Sam's - Growing the Passion in You.
Sam's Bake Journal - The Science of Baking Revealed.

SHF #38 - The Proof is in the Pudding! - Panna Cotta

2007-12-25T00:30:00.000+08:00

SHF #38 - The Proof is in the Pudding! - Panna Cotta

Firstly, Merry Christmas to All! Its Christmas Eve and special thanks to Zorra of Kochtopf for her invitation to participate in yet another Sugar High Fridays. The theme this time round is Pudding. As many of the participants may post recipes on Christmas Puddings, I have decided to post an Italian Dessert which is easy to make and can be served at parties - Panna Cotta.

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. An Italian phrase which literally means "cooked cream", it generally refers to a creamy, set dessert from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is eaten all over Italy where it is served with wild berries, caramel or chocolate sauce. It is not generally known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. Earlier recipes for the dish used boiled fish bones in place of gelatin; however, sugar, a main ingredient, would not have been widely available as it was an expensive imported commodity. After years this treat evolved into what is now a gelatin dessert, flavored with vanilla and topped with fruit or spices, and served chilled. Similar versions of this dish are also found in Greece and France.

(Blue Text Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panna_cotta)

Here is the recipe...

Panna Cotta (Makes 17 Shot Glasses)
600 mL Milk 600 ml
3 tsp Gelatine

150 g Cream
90 g Sugar
1 Tbsp Almond Essence (Optional)

Toppings:
Strawberry Jam, Sliced Strawberries.

Method:
1. Place 5 times the amount of gelatine of milk in a small bowl & sprinkle with gelatine. Allow the gelatine to bloom for 5 minutes.
2. Put the remaining milk in a pan with the cream & sugar & heat gently while stirring, until almost boiling (when you see small bubbles appearing).
CAUTION: Do not Boil or the mixture will overflow.
3. Remove the pan from the heat & whisk in the gelatine into the cream mixture until dissolved.
4. Stir in the Almond Essence & leave it to cool for a while.
5. Pour the mixture into the glasses & chill until set (about 4 hours).
6. Serve with strawberry jam and decorate with sliced strawberries.

Recipe By Samuel Chan

February 2007

http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com/

Click Here for the Roundup.

YMCA - Festival of Love 2007 (Christmas Cookies)

2007-12-16T00:02:00.000+08:00

YMCA - Festival of Love 2007 (Christmas Cookies)

With Christmas round the corner, I was given the opportunity work with YMCA on one of their charity events - Festival of Love. This is apparently the 3rd and final run for this year. Earlier this year, they made pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year and rice dumplings for Dumplings Festival.

For Christmas, they requested me to teach the members, staffs and volunteers how to make gingerbread man cookies for a children's home. As gingerbread may not appeal to the children, I decided to teach them how to make a simple cut-out cookie that they can then decorate with royal icing, topped with hundreds and thousands, M&Ms, etc.

Despite the time constraints, we managed to complete the required number of packets of cookies.

Special thanks to Angeline and Annie for providing the necessary ingredients and equipments and I hope to be part of future events such as this organised by YMCA.

Baking Demonstration at Robinsons Centrepoint

2007-12-01T23:46:00.000+08:00

Baking Demonstration at Robinsons Centrepoint

Thanks to Mayer Marketing, I was given the opportunity to do a baking demostration to promote their KitchenAid mixer at Robinsons Centrepoint. With kaya kindly sponsored by Fong Yit Kaya, I decided to do a Christmas Log Cake with a twist - Kaya Christmas Log Cake. Here is the recipe for you to try this christmas!

Kaya Christmas Log Cake
Log Cake Ingredients:
3 Nos Eggs
75 g Caster Sugar
85 g Self – Raising Flour
40 g Water
40 g Corn Oil
½ tsp Vanilla Essence
1 bottle Fong Yit XO Kaya

Chocolate Ganache:

100 g Chocolate
60 g Dairy Cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to about 200C.
2. Whisk Eggs & gradually add in the Caster Sugar whisk till ribbon stage.
3. Mix Water, Corn Oil & Vanilla Essence together.
4. Fold in Self – Raising Flour, Water, Corn Oil & Vanilla Essence.
5. Bake at 200C for 12 to 15 mins.

Recipe By Samuel Chan
December 2007
http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com/

Sam's Cakes & Bakes Goes Dot Com

2007-11-06T00:36:00.000+08:00

Sam's Cakes & Bakes Goes Dot Com

Visit http://www.sams-cakes.com today!

The Next Phase of Sam's - Coming to you this November

2007-11-01T20:01:00.000+08:00

The Next Phase of Sam's - Coming to you this November

Do check back here on 1st November 2007. The Next Phase of Sam's - Coming Soon...

Sam's Light & Moist Christmas Fruit Cake

2007-10-25T01:08:00.000+08:00

Sam's Light & Moist Christmas Fruit Cake
Fruit cakes are often associated with hard, dry texture and overly sweet. Sam's improved version of his Christmas Fruit Cake is light, soft and moist. It is also healthier too! With oil used instead of butter, loads of fruit and nuts, packed in a beautiful gift box, Sam's Light Christmas Fruit Cake makes a great gift this christmas!

World Bread Day 2007 - Roundup

2007-10-21T20:32:00.000+08:00

World Bread Day 2007 - Roundup

Please Click Here

Sam's Cakes on The New Paper

2007-10-21T01:20:00.000+08:00

Sam's on The New Paper

DOUGHBOYS ON THE RISE
More young men are putting on the apron and hopping on the gravy train

By Esther Au Yong
October 20, 2007

THEY whip up delicious hotel-standard cakes, cook for private dinner parties and even make their own chocolate truffles.

They are not your typical housewife, but young, hot-blooded men.

All are under 25, with the youngest only 16.

Whlie others their age may be spending their weekends playing computer games or soccer, these guys are getting busy in the kitchen.

Many have turned their hobby into a lucrative business - either online or through word-of-mouth.

Such as Mr Mike Lau, who runs Creme Confections online.

He specialises in cheesecakes and chocolate cakes.

RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Mr Lau said: 'For me, cooking runs in the family. My mum used to run a food stall and now, she's semi-retired.

'So it was quite natural for me to go into a food-related business - baking.'

Mr Lau, 22, has a diploma in culinary skills from The Singapore International Hotel and Tourism College (Shatec) and has apprenticed at Justin Quek's La Petit Village and Emmanuel Stroobant's Saint Pierre.

'I started cooking and baking for friends and family when I was 15.

'It went on from there and early this year, my friends suggested that I start a small online business.'

Now, Mr Lau bakes about 20 cakes a week - each costs between $35 and $50.

He declined to reveal his profits, but said that he is confident that 'if I set up shop and sell cakes full time, I will have the orders to sustain it'.

His family has offered to help him financially and a cousin even volunteered to help with deliveries.

While Mr Lau is lucky to have support from his family, Mr JuliusChen, who sells chocolate truffles under the brand Julius Truffles, had a harder time convincing his.

The 22-year-old NUS sociology student said: 'I think they were worried that it would affect my studies or that I wasn't going to gain anything from this hobby.

'But they're okay with it now, especially since orders have been coming in.'

Now, he earns about $800 on good months, and $200 on slower months.

The bulk of his business comes from friends and family.

But is baking befitting of a man?

Of course, they say.

Mr Samuel Chan of Sam's Cakes and Bakes said: 'Look at celebrity chefs like Emmanuel Stroobant and Jamie Oliver. Actually, people believe that guys who can cook are more romantic.'

Besides baking carrot cupcakes, fruit cakes and cheesecakes, the 22-year-old Singapore Poly food technology student also conducts workshops to teach creative bread-making techniques.

The guys say satisfaction comes from watching their friends enjoy their masterpieces.

Said Mr Lau: 'A lot of the time, people don't believe I made the cakes that I bring to parties. they say I bought them.

'But when they eat a slice, they keep quiet and just keep eating.'

And often, it's also about networking and getting a headstart in the business world.

Said Mr Chen: 'Through this experience, I've come to know a lot of people, from students to professionals, and even, some high-society people. Chocolate, in a way, brought us together.

'And now, even if I stop selling chocolates and start selling something else, I'm confident my friends and customers will still support me because of the relationship that we have. They also know the quality and standard of my products.'

He has also formed a network with fellow male bakers.

He said: 'When I first started my online catalogue last year, I didn't know many of them. But now, I know at least 20 other young men who cook or bake.'

Mr Chen has even collaborated with some of them and added them to his website, forming an online community.

But not all have made a business out of their hobby.

For some, food remains just a passion.

For teenagers Jonathan and Sean Gwee, dabbling in cooking is an enjoyment that has helped them bond.

Said Jonathan, 18, a first-year medical student at NUS: 'I do other things like play games and all that too, but cooking is my passion.

'I enjoy experimenting with flavours and watching them interact.'

His brother Sean believes much can be improved in the local dining scene.

Said the 16-year-old who is sitting for his O-Levels this year: 'I would like to change the misconception that fine dining is all about being high class or that it's only for the rich, but really, it's an exciting alternative that's worth it.

'I hope more people will be more adventurous.'

Singaporeans who have tried these young men's creations say they are surprised at these homegrown talents.

Said Ms Amelia Koh, 35, a sales manager who has tried Mr Chan's cakes: 'I was very surprised when I found out that he's so young!

'But I enjoyed his cakes and most importantly, the good service from him. I'm glad more young men like him are following their dream.'

Cakes & Chocolates

2007-10-20T00:59:00.000+08:00

Cakes & Chocolates

Volcs from Julius Truffles, Rich Blueberry Cheesecake from Sam's Cakes & Bakes.

The journey of Sam's Cakes & Bakes was never an easy one to start with. From an online catalogue to a bakejournal with gallery, from an online bakeshop to an online educational bake journal. I still remember all the difficulties throughout these times. All these changes have got to do with the people that I have met and networked throughout the past 4 years.

In cyberspace, many virtual relationships are formed. Be it friendship or business partnerships. A lot of trust is involved as physically both parties do not know each other at all. I never believed that virtual relationships can last, let alone virtual business partnerships relationships.

Not until Julius of Julius Truffles came along. What started out as an invitation to conduct chocolate courses for me turned out to be an unexplainable friendship being forged. I remember the first time we chatted was through Friendster about how we were both doing a cooking hobby business, and how we had always dreamt of opening our own place one day. Upon seeing my then geocities website, Julius offered to revamp it for me onto blogspot, inclusive of all the graphic designs. Why did he help me? I did not even know him physically.

On further conversing with him, I started to see that there were similarities in the way we dealt with our passion. The passion for creating food.

Today, what you see in the pictures are how we have both progress over the years, showcasing our products as compared to the past, when it was all about perfecting the right recipe. We have moved far ahead of our time, and suddenly I feel that yes, this is what it really means to be passionate.

World Bread Day 2007

2007-10-16T20:33:00.000+08:00

World Bread Day 2007

Note: The Gingko Nut Bun is on the left side.

Thanks to Zorra of Kochtopf for her invitation to participate in World Bread Day 2007. This year, I have decided to share with you a recipe that I taught recently at a Baking Demostration. Gingko Nuts have been used widely in Asian cuisine. Some of these include: Japanese Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg), Teochew Au Nee (Yam Paste Dessert).

In the past, the fresh Gingko Nuts have to be first smashed open to remove the hard outer shell covering. Sometimes, there is a bitter centre to be removed. After which, the Gingko Nuts are boiled either in water or a sugar syrup to soften it. These days, vacuum packed and canned Gingko Nuts are readily available and this has reduce a lot of preparation time.

Happy World Bread Day! If Gingko Nuts are not available in your country, you can replace it with any other nuts available.

Gingko Nut Buns (Makes 7 Buns)
Bread Ingredients:
135 g Bread Flour
50 g Plain Flour
8 g Milk Powder
35 g Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
6 g Yeast
70 g Water
1/2 No Egg
25 g Butter
100 g Sliced Gingko Nuts
28 Nos Whole Gingko Nuts

Egg Glaze:
1 No Egg
1 Tbsp Water

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in bowl except butter. Knead till the side of the bowl is clean.
2. Add in butter and knead till well developed. Add in the Sliced Gingko Nuts.
3. Round the dough and rest for 30 minutes.
4. After resting, turn the dough bottom side up and punch down to flatten. Divide the dough into 21 X 20 g pieces. Roll the dough out and wrap one whole Gingko Nut. Place 3 of the dough together in a baking cup on a baking pan.
5. Proof bread till double in bulk, approximately 1 hour.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C. Brush the surface lightly with Egg Glaze.
7. Bake at 200C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with oil when baked to give a glossy finish.

Recipe By Samuel Chan
October 2007
http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com/

Apple Day Roundup

2007-09-29T21:43:00.000+08:00

Apple Day Roundup

Please Click Here

Apple Day - Sam's The Big Apple

2007-09-29T00:10:00.000+08:00

Apple Day - Sam's The Big Apple

Thanks to Zorra of Kochtopf for her kind invitation to participate in this blog event on 28th September 2007, Apple Day.

Coincidentally, just over a week ago, I was coming up with a design for my apple muffins and as a fan of Granny's Smith green apples, I have decided to make my muffins look like apples. Baked in an apple designed cup, it further enhances the apple muffin. At Sam's, it is known as "The Big Apple".

When using apples in baking, it is good to use a mixture of red and green apples. The red apples (such as Royal Gala) will provide natural sweetness and the green apples (such as Granny's Smith) will give a crunch and tartness to the baked product. In addition, when the apples are being peeled, they should be tossed in lemon juice to prevent any enzymatic browning from occuring. Some books will tell you to use salt solution. In my opinion, the salt solution will leave some slight salty aftertaste in the apples which may be unpleasant in the baked product.

Apples are very versatile fruits. They can be eaten on its own, tossed with other greens to form a salad, cooked with cinnamon and cloves and used as pie fillings, and baked into muffins, pies and cakes.

Remember, an apple a day, keeps the doctor away!

Special Thanks to Halcyon Photography for the Photograph on Sam's The Big Apple.
http://www.halcyon.com.sg/

Sam's Healthy Carrot Cupcakes

2007-09-23T23:29:00.001+08:00

Sam's Healthy Carrot Cupcakes

These mouthwatering Carrot Cupcakes has come a long way since I first made them slightly more than a year ago. Today, it has become a well-loved product of Sam's. It is not only nutritiously packed with lots of carrots (beta-carotene which is good for the eyes), sunflower oil is also used instead of butter (which has lower saturated fats) and it is high in calcium from the milk used.

When I first made these Carrot Cupcakes, there were various feedbacks. The "Ang Mo" Carrot Cake lovers find the texture of these cupcakes too soft as compared to the traditional one which is rougher and heavier. Those who love the "Singapore" Carrot Cake, often confused this with the savoury version found in your neighbourhood hawker stalls.

Even the way these Carrot Cupcakes looked has changed over the past year. From covering them with a layer of cream cheese frosting to decorating these Carrot Cupcakes with a handmade edible marzipan carrot.

Sam's Healthy Carrot Cupcakes... Have you tried them yet?

Special Thanks to Halcyon Photography for the Photograph on Sam's Carrot Cupcakes.

http://www.halcyon.com.sg/

Flowers & Cakes

2007-09-02T23:16:00.000+08:00

Flowers & Cakes

Incorporating flowers as a decoration for cakes is not new. However, one must be very careful in the selection of the type of flowers used. The flowers should not produce any sap when cut. Also, these flowers should be properly treated to remove any residual pesticides.

In most cases, roses are used. For me, I personally prefer to use Margarita Pong Pong Flowers. When I use them as decorations on cakes, it gives a fresh look to "Flower Cakes". From the pictures above, you can see how versatile these flowers can be used on the cakes. From birthday cakes to wedding cakes... Flowers suits any occasions.

Giving Sam's Cakes & Bakes Website a Change...

2007-09-02T00:17:00.000+08:00

Giving Sam's Cakes & Bakes Website a Change...

Top: New Website Template, Bottom: Old Website Template

Chocolate Tobbies

2007-08-25T23:58:00.000+08:00

Chocolate Tobbies

Chocolate Cupcakes + Toblerone = Chocolate Tobbies.

This has been a hot favourite amongst my friends and relatives. Moist & Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with a Toblerone Centre, Chocolate coated and sprinkled with Chocolate Pearls and White Chocolate Chips... You have to try it for yourself.

Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival 2007

2007-08-21T09:31:00.000+08:00

Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival 2007

Mid-Autumn Festival is round the corner... This year, it is on the 25th Sept 2007.

Singapore Celebrates 42 Years Of Independence

2007-08-09T22:00:00.000+08:00

Singapore Celebrates 42 Years Of Independence

What better way to blog an entry for Singapore's National Day this year? National Day Muffins!!!! By coating my blueberry muffins with white chocolate and placing an edible Singapore Flag on each of the muffins. Happy Birthday, Singapore!

World Bread Day 2007 - 16 October 2007

2007-07-16T22:11:00.000+08:00

World Bread Day 2007 - 16 October 2007

In 3 months time, it is World Bread Day again... Having participated in World Bread Day 2006, by sharing a recipe on the Eggless Pumpkin Buns. I shall put on my thinking cap again this year and think of what bread I should showcase this year...

Squeeze 'N' Spread Kaya

2007-06-24T22:42:00.000+08:00

Squeeze 'N' Spread Kaya

What an interesting find! Squeeze 'N' Spread Kaya... Now we can forget about having to open up a glass or plastic jar containing the kaya / jam and finding a butter knife to dip into the jar to spread the kaya / jam onto our sliced bread.

With the increasing competitiveness of the food industry, more companies are looking into new way of packaging traditional foods to attract the consumers.

If you have any interesting finds like this, feel free to drop me an email at samscakes@gmail.com

Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie)

2007-06-19T21:53:00.000+08:00

Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie)

The Dragon Boat Festival, Duan Wu Jie, Duan Yang meaning the "Upright Sun" or "Double Fifth", Fifth Month Festival (common name amongst the Chinese), a Chinese festivity tracing its origins to Southern China, falling on the fifth day of the fifth month around the Summer Solstice, involving boat races and rice dumplings. The festivity evolved from the practice of revering the River Dragon, to what later became a festival to commemorate Qu Yuan, a third century poet and political figure of the State of Chu.

Primitive worship of the river dragon was often practised during the Summer Solstice. The Dragon Boat Festival was tied to Qu Yuan's story only in the second century A. D. Qu Yuan was a councillor and a patriotic Chu Minister who lived in the third century B.C. In the midst of turmoil during the period of Warring States, Qu Yuan had warned his king, Lord Huai of the threat that the northern Qing posed toward the southern state of Chu. However, political intrigue led Lord Huai to banish Qu Yuan instead. The ministry was left in the hands of corrupt statesmen and Qu Yuan helplessly watched his motherland decline. Depressed, he began to pen beautiful, patriotic poetry such as Li Sao (an allegorical poem stating his political aspirations), Jiu Ge (or "Nine Songs") and Huai Sha (pointing to his eventual suicide), all of which gained Qu Yuan great renown. In 278 B. C., General Bai Qi led the Qing armies to occupy Ying and destroyed the Imperial palace. Several months later, on the fifth day of the fifth moon in 279 B.C. Qu Yuan, driven to despair, threw himself into the Mi-Luo River, giving his life to his country.Here the legend varies. Some suggest that fishermen at hand attempted to save their Minister. Having failed, they sought to appease his spirit by throwing out rice stuffed in bamboo stems into the river to prevent the fish from eating the body of their beloved Minister. Others say that the rice offerings had been snatched by a river dragon and the rice needed to be bundled in chinaberry leaves instead and tied with five different coloured silk threads in order to be effective. The triangular rice dumplings or zong zi thus became entwined with the festivities. Another version has the farmers rowing out in dragon boats in their attempt to save Qu Yuan. Thus the practise of the dragon boat races.

(Blue Text Source: http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_67_2004-12-27.html)

Today is the actual Dragon Boat Festival Day, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Over the weekends, my mother, grandmother, aunties and uncles were helping to tie the rice dumplings (Bak Changs). Having grandparents from two different dialect groups (Cantonese and Teochew) allows me to see the difference in the type of rice dumplings made. Generally, the key difference between the two types of rice dumplings is that my Cantonese grandmother's rice dumplings are darker and the rice have been fried with lots of soya sauce, five spice powder and coriander powder. Her rice dumplings are very close to those available outside with sliced shitake mushrooms, minced pork, chestnuts, salted eggs, etc...

On the other hand, my Teochew grandmother's rice dumplings (as seen in this bake journal entry) are lighter in colour and one corner of the rice dumpling is red bean paste. According to my Teochew grandmother, this style of rice dumpling is very traditionally Teochew. When one savours the rice dumplings, one tends to eat from the salty end and ends off with a sweet red bean paste finish. Do note that there are red bean paste dumplings available outside, but they are generally plain glutinuous rice wrapped with red bean paste.

Another of my Teochew grandmother's specialty is her chilli rice dumplings. The minced pork is fried with her special chilli paste and then used as a filling. As compared to the first rice dumpling, this is much easier as there are only two fillings (plain glutinuous rice and chilli minced pork).

Left: Fillings for the traditional rice dumplings, Right: Chilli minced pork fillings for the chilli rice dumplings.

Left: Filling the bamboo leaves with glutinuous rice, Right: Tying the rice dumplings securely.

Left: More rice dumplings waiting to be cooked, Right: Rice dumplings cooking in hot boiling water.

Seedless Lychees???

2007-06-04T22:34:00.000+08:00

Seedless Lychees???

My parents just bought these lychees back from Guangzhou, China and it was sitting in the fridge. Being the food technologist in the house, I decided to snap a photo of the two types of lychees and blog about it in my bake journal entry.

You would probably have seen seedless watermelons, seedless oranges, seedless grapes... I bet you have not seen seedless lychees! I must say that in Singapore, it is not impossible to see lychees with very small seed, in some cases, would be classified as "seedless". The lychees on the right of the picture is what a normal lychee should look like on the outside and inside. Generally, they are small, slightly rough skin and sweet and juicy on the inside with a seed in the centre.

As for the lychees on the right, I must say that they are mutants. Seedless! As to the overall taste of the fruit, it tasted very artificially sweet and the skin of the seedless lychees are smooth and thin.

All I can say, this is what the world is heading towards, convenience fruits... Soon, there maybe even seedless mangoes, seedless durians, seedless longans, seedless rambutans, etc...

Prawns...

2007-05-24T11:41:00.000+08:00

Prawns...
You must be thinking, what is so unique about these prawns. They are just steamed prawns presented in a beautiful way hanging over a coconut shell. I must say, there is so much more that meets the eye.

Usually, when we eat steamed prawns, they are either overcooked, dry, not sweet, mashy or very bouncy (which is due to the alkaline solution that they have been soaked in).

This may look like a simple prawn dish presented in a unique way, but there is a lot to learn from it. Firstly, the prawns are boiled in the coconut water to retain and further enhanced the prawns sweetness. Secondly, they are put over the sides of the coconut shell. This coconut shell is placed over some solid fuel and lighted. The sweet fragrance of the prawns is evolved.

The gastronomy science behind cooking the prawns ends here, but there is still the savouring side. As we take one prawn out of the coconut shell, the outer shell is warm and does not scald our fingers which ease peeling of the prawns. Next, you will observed that the prawns are cooked to perfection in terms of colour and texture. As you placed it into your mouth, the prawn is naturally bouncy, free of the alkaline taste.

Definitely a dish to whip up for parties and it will surely be a conversational piece. You can wow your guest by telling them the gastronomical science of cooking and eating prawns.

Doughnuts!

2007-05-20T07:35:00.000+08:00

Doughnuts!

Doughnuts... The picture above shows how the shape and design of doughnuts can vary. Look at the first picture, these are doughnuts from Vietnam. At a first glance, these were once upon a time, the most basic form of doughnuts (fried ring shaped dough coated with a layer of powdered sugar). Nowadays, you see that doughnuts have taken on a new look (coloured glazed, jam filled centres, etc...). This is a very evident example of how the food that we eat also evolves with time. Here is a poem written by my culinary teacher, Chef Judy Koh, "Doughnuts with holes in the middle".

Doughnuts with holes in the middle

hands kneading to silky smoothness

stretched so thin it forms skin over timpani

make music the magic of dough

and hear it grow

cut to circles

then in bubbling oil they go

sink, then float and rise

like golden sunshines

golden sunshines

with holes in center

eclipses that mar

the perfect wheel of life

yet little hands will grab

doughnuts with holes in the middle

and laugh at each bite

and doughnuts with holes in the middle

will fill the eclipses that

mar the perfect wheel of life

- Judy Koh, 8th December 2003.

A very interesting food poem to ponder upon. Comparing how life is never perfect just like doughnuts with holes in the middle, yet at every bite of it, you could taste the joys of life and forgets the imperfections of life. To my loyal bake journal readers out there, if you too have a good food poem to share, email me at samscakes@gmail.com

Summary of my Vietnam OITP Experience (The end of 7 weeks in Vietnam)

2007-04-14T23:57:00.000+08:00

Summary of my Vietnam OITP Experience (The end of 7 weeks in Vietnam)

I was suppose to keep you all (Sam’s Bake Journal loyal readers) updated about what I do in Vietnam. However, given the working hours, I often returned back to the hotel feeling very tired. Nonetheless, I will give a full blog summary on my overall experience in Vietnam over the past 7 weeks.

Indeed it was a good exposure and experience for me to be working in a bakery in Vietnam. Not only did it open my eyes to see how mass production using both semi-automated machines and high labour, it also showed me how easily satisfied the workers were in the bakery.

Despite the language barrier, we were lucky to have 3 ladies who knew how to speak English, Mandarin and Cantonese respectively. This was one of those times that I was really grateful to my paternal grandparents for teaching me to speak Cantonese whilst they were looking after me when I was much younger. From these 3 ladies, we managed to pick up some simple Vietnamese phrases and words, enough for us to get by our day to day life in the bakery. This was further put to the test when we had two Chinese chefs from China coming to the bakery to conduct some demonstrations on the use of their butter which the boss of the bakery had bought. I had to translate the recipes in Mandarin to Vietnamese.

With respect to the Vietnamese people in general, they are very friendly and very outgoing. They are easily satisfied. When they start working, the two important goals that they want to achieve are to buy a motorcycle and second to that is a mobile phone. They do not have to worry about having a house and paying installments or even paying credit card bills as they are used to making transactions in cash. As they do not have much recreation here, one of their favorite past times is to sing karaoke and they are really great singers.

As pictures say a thousand words, here are some of the pictures we took together with the workers both at work and when we are out together.

Hotpots (Steamboats) in Vietnam and Miscellaneous foods

2007-04-13T10:01:00.000+08:00

Hotpots (Steamboats) in Vietnam and Miscellaneous foods

Hotpots or Steamboats are a hot favourite here in Vietnam. In Singapore, this is served as a complete meal, however, in Vietnam, this is a soup dish that complements rice or noodles. The hotpot contains seafood, vegetables and a few slices of meat in a variety of soup stocks (Thai Tom Yum, Chicken, etc.) Almost every street corner, you can see these hotpots stalls and restaurants.

Safety have been of little concern whenever we eat them in Singapore, until this incident struck during one of my hotpot meals in Vietnam. We were only about 3 tables away from this fire which took 3 big bottles of fire extinguishers to extinguish. In most cases, these fire hazards are due to the re-using of gas tanks by pumping in gas into the finished tanks. Over time, they get worn out and explosions like these occurs. In this case, it could be due to the oily drips from the food which came into contact with the big flames of the fire and with water and wind the fire spread very fast across the table.

Here are some of the foods that we tried in Vietnam.

Left: Squid Salad, Right: Roasted Mouse Meat
Squid Salad: Steamed squid mixed with onion, pineapples, sliced chilli, parsley and lemon juice.
Roasted Mouse Meat: Lots of bones, very little meat. Tastes like chicken breast meat.

Celebrating Pin Da's Birthday in Vietnam

2007-03-21T11:13:00.000+08:00

Celebrating Pin Da's Birthday in Vietnam

Today, the four of us celebrated Pin Da's birthday. After we arrived at the bakery, we decided to source for a plain vanilla sponge cake. Following that, we brought the cake down to the cake decoration department (the place where the May and Siew Lee are working). With the help of some of the workers, they applied the skills that they have learnt on the cake (piping roses, flowers, edges, etc...). To further give Pin Da a surprise, May managed to get a sugared dragon decoration for the cake. What a day! Happy 19th Birthday, Pin Da!

The end of 1 week in Vietnam

2007-03-04T00:40:00.000+08:00

The end of 1 week in Vietnam
On Thursday, we tried the 2nd of the 3 choices (Baguette with fried eggs, Noodles or Bee Hoon Soup, Porridge with salted eggs, peanuts, vegetables and pickles) available for breakfast at our hotel – Noodles Soup.

And to kick start our morning, what better way than to have a cup of ca phe (Vietnamese Coffee). The coffee here is very thick and sweet (Haha! What we would call in Singapore… Espresso with condensed milk).

We proceeded to the bakery as usual with 3 other Singaporean consultants (Mr Foo, Mr & Mrs Kum). At the R&D laboratory, Pin Da and I were taught to use the frozen sweet bun dough to shape into 3 different breads (Pork floss buns, Ham Buns, Hot dog Buns). Here are the thawed frozen sweet bun doughs and half finished products in the proofer.

We were also taught how to make Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Baguette). While waiting, for all the breads to be proofed, we saw Chef Meng doing some chocolate decorations and asked him to show us. Amidst all the chocolate decorations, this one caught my attention and we learn how to make this chocolate decoration pattern.

Our buns baked and out of the oven, with some finishing touches!

After lunch, we would usually head to this sugarcane stall just outside the bakery. Often, we would see other staffs of the bakery and would try to make conversations with them (Most of the time, we would be figuring out what they are trying to say rather than start a proper conversation). The afternoon was spent rounding the plain sweet buns (frozen dough) which is used in huge amounts daily!

On Friday, when we first entered the R&D laboratory, these cute animal breads were sitting on the table next to the oven. From this, you can see that the Vietnamese bakers are very good at handicrafts.
Our Bahn Mi… Proofed and ready to go into the oven to bake!
Our baked buns… 100% done by ourselves.
This is an interesting bread. Korea Bread. It is packed with black sesame and on top of that, a high amount of modified starch is used to make this bread. You can see the difference in the gluten structure of the bread. Crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, sweet and fragrant!

For dinner, we were recommended to try this place “Hai Lou” which is about 2km from our hotel.

The famous Vietnamese sticky rice.

Boy! Saturday… Yes we are working 6 full days here. First thing that was done in the morning, making this frozen hot dogs buns (notice the pattern… very similar to Danish pastries, but they are actually normal hot dog buns).

Rondo Sheeter… Extremely useful in a bakery.

Laksa for lunch??? (Haha. More like Curry Bee Hoon. Anyway, the curry here is slightly sweet).

Croissant Buns…

And we have the privilege of learning some baking skills and technique from Mr Kao himself. He taught us Financiers, French Puddings and a new pattern of shaping sandwich loaves. Financiers…

French Puddings (using all the remainder egg yolks… as the financiers use egg whites).

New pattern of shaping sandwich loaves…

Today is Sunday!!! Our off day!!! We explored the area around our hotel, did some shopping and spend the afternoon chilling at Trung Ngyuen Coffee (an equivalent of Starbucks or Coffee Bean here in Vietnam).

Well, it seems like this Bake Journal is becoming a day to day narration of what I do at Duc Phat Vina Bread Company… I will blog about more interesting finds in Vietnam soon.

Updates… First Off Day and First Working Day

2007-03-01T20:54:00.000+08:00

Updates… First Off Day and First Working Day
On Tuesday, our off day, we slept in and decided to have "dim sum" for brunch at this restaurant recommended by Christine which is opposite our hotel. The whole meal cost us VND 280000 (SGD28). Here are the pictures for you to feast your eyes on.

As for dinner, we found a nearby Chinese "Zee Cha" at a corner coffee shop.

On Wednesday, we officially started our first day of work. The hotel we stayed in provided breakfast. Here is our breakfast…

After which, we waited for our transport to take us to the bakery. Here is a picture of Pin Da and me in our uniforms.

Siew Lee and May are attached to the cake decorating department for the first 2 weeks while Pin Da and I are attached to the Research and Development Laboratory. We will swap after 2 weeks. Since pictures paint a thousand words… I shall elaborate on what we learn on Wednesday.
At the R&D laboratory, observing how they vacuum packaged their cakes.Croissants… Part of the frozen dough department

Yes! This is how they do egg wash in the bakery… Much faster than using the paintbrushes.

Sweet bun rolls layered with something close to yam filling. A picture of how these buns are made… Roll and Cut!

Our lunch! At the bakery’s canteen…

The view of from where Pin Da and I rest during our 2 hours long lunch break. (Here, the lunch breaks are longer partly due to the longer working hours and nature of work). After the lunch break, making Pizza using cutter to cut uniform round shapes.

Sweet bun rolls layered with something close to green bean filling.

Last task for the day which took up the whole afternoon… Rounding the plain sweet buns (frozen dough). The pictures show the dough being kneaded, Chef Tan transferring the huge dough into a divider and together with the other staffs, Pin Da and I rounding the sweet buns (frozen dough). Today, will be reporting back to the same department… OITP in Vietnam continues…
Meanwhile, I have gotten a Vietnam Mobile Number. Just in case any of our friends or lecturers needs to contact us. +84938569656.

Vietnam! The Start of OITP…

2007-02-27T18:47:00.000+08:00

Vietnam

! The Start of OITP…

Yesterday, I officially started the first day of my Overseas Industrial Training Programme here at Duc Phat Vina Bread Company in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Well, basically now I am typing this bake journal entry using Microsoft Words on my laptop in the hotel room. Later, I will post it on the bake journal when I am out and am able to find an internet café nearby.

Here are some of the interesting finds and happenings of yesterday… Enjoy!

“Vietnamese Subway” – Bahn Mi… (The famous Vietnamese Baguette filled with pickled vegetables, some cold meat and… chilli that will numb your tongue. Mr Kao, the CEO of the company, told us that the incorporation of the chilli was to give the Bahn Mi different taste sensation which would leave you wanting to take yet another and another and another bite.

Being part of the company for the next 7 weeks, we had to make a trip to their warehouse to collect our 3 sets of uniform. Here is a picture of us in the uniform.

Here is a picture of the Vietnamese sweet bun filled with Chocolate. See the difference! In Singapore, we would complain about the miserable amount of filling…

This is the most interesting find for yesterday. What do you think this is…

Pork Flosses! You may ask… why is in white in colour? Haha. We had a taste of it and boy is it very salty. I guess the white colour is due to the high amount of salt used and the chloride from the salt bleach the pork floss white! The pictures below shows the where the pork floss is used. As Mr Ut (prononunced as “Oat”), our supervisor, told us about the Vietnamese taste preference… “The Vietnamese like their food to be Sweet enough, Salty enough”.

Here is one of the company’s famous products. Puff pastry with sugar sprinkled on the top. These are being cooled and will be packed. According to Mr Ut, these can be kept up to 8 months.

How can we forget their ever lovely cream decorations! Here is a picture of a big 3-Dimensional cream Dog specially posted for our friend in Singapore (you know who you are… Haha)

Right, as for today, we were given a day off to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings, getting some daily necessities, finding where the internet café and laundry services are. Work starts for us again on Wednesday. More adventures here in Vietnam await us.

7 Weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Singapore Polytechnic Overseas Industrial Training Programme (OITP)

2007-02-26T10:47:00.000+08:00

7 Weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Singapore Polytechnic Overseas Industrial Training Programme (OITP)

26 February to 14 April 2007

From tomorrow onwards, over the next 7 weeks, I will be doing me Overseas Industrial Training Programme at Duc Phat Vina Bread Company in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I will try to update some of my everyday happenings there whenever I have time.

Here are some pictures taken when I was there in September 2006...

Left: Bahn Mi (Vietnamese Baguette), Right: Pey Nie & Linnet (My Food Technology Seniors), Me and Zhou Lou (Master Baker of the Cake Decoration Department)

Advanced Birthday Celebrations For The March Babies Friends...

2007-02-24T10:14:00.000+08:00

Advanced Birthday Celebrations For My March Babies Friends...

Left: Blue Forest Cake, Right: Personalised Wine Labels from Sevenoaks Wines.

Today, in the midst of the Chinese New Year festive mood, I gathered my group of polytechnic friends to have an advanced birthday celebration for two of our friends (Cedric and Pin Da) who will be turning 19 years old soon (the last time they will see the "1" in front... Haha). Since the two of them are Pisces, I have decided to take up the challenge of drawing 2 fishes onto my ever famous Blue Forest Cake (Vanilla sponge cake sandwiched with blueberry jam and cream).

On top of that personalised cake baked by me, we decided to get them a personalised wine each. Special thanks to Desmond from Sevenoaks Wines for promptly processing my rather late request in the midst of the Chinese New Year period.

This bake journal entry is dedicated to the two birthday boys and since we silently sang "Happy Birthday" to them, here is a Blog Version (Haha!)

Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday to Cedric and Pin Da,

Happy Birthday to You!

Brownies... By Sam

2007-02-20T17:12:00.000+08:00

Brownies... By Sam

Well, enough of writing about Chinese New Year dishes. Today, I shall dwell into one of the cakes that top the list of favourites of my friends and relatives. Brownies! My brownies are so well received by my friends and relatives for its moist rich dark chocolate fudgy cake texture topped with a smooth semi-sweet chocolate ganache. Often, those store bought ones are either too sweet or dry and crumbly. That aside, my brownies are filled with roughly chopped roasted walnuts that gives that extra fragrant in every bite. Special mention goes to my chocolate friend, Julius, who helped me with some of my cakes photography. He is also a web graphic designer cum chocolatier. Sam's Bake Journal dwells into the science of baking, Julius Truffles Diary depicts the chocolatier's chocolate journey.

Chinese New Year... Fish of Fortune

2007-02-17T17:18:00.001+08:00

Chinese New Year... Fish of Fortune

Fish of Fortune "Fish" or yu has the same sound as the word "excess" while sheng means "life". Raw fish or yu sheng is thus mandatory especially for the New Year Eve's Reunion dinner.

It has to be served whole, the head and tail representing a completeness with a beginning and an end. Fish is often the last dish served, thus symbolic of the host wishing her guests abundance continually ahead of them.

Yusheng is served on the seventh day also known as Everyman's Birthday in the hope of having a longer life or added material wealth. The fish is thinly sliced and tossed together with a mixture of shredded vegetables in a sweet, piquant sauce.

The Chaozhou (Teochew) Chinese consider the Rabbit Fish (Siganus canalicalatus) or bai du yu or in Chaozhou dialect, pek thor her, highly auspicious as it signifies good luck and prosperity. The fish breeds only once a year during the seasonal celebrations of January or February. Thus during Chinese New Year, the silver-grey female fish are a delicacy, heavy with delicious roe.

(Blue Text Source: http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_27_2005-02-02.html)

So much information for the eve of Chinese New Year. Well, I wanted to share with you all something that I have been exposed to every Chinese New Year since young as I am half Teochew (because my mother is Teochew). During the Chinese New Year, the Rabbit Fish (otherwise known as Pek Thor Her) is something that the whole family will eat. What is so special about this fish? Other than all the auspicious reasons which have been already mentioned, I shall dwell into the biological aspects of this fish.

The Rabbit Fish from this particular area near Batam, Indonesia possess some kind of intuitive thinking. Coincidence you may say, but it is only during Chinese New Year that their stomachs are filled with roe. This makes the fish during the Chinese New Year even more expensive. Although, countries like Taiwan have tried to cultivate this fish, they are only successful in being able to cultivate them to grow quite big, but is still unable to get the fishes to have their stomachs to be filled with roe. Apparently, the place where these fishes come from is at the river mouth and only the rabbit fish from this area have their stomachs filled with roe during Chinese New Year.

As to how to savour this delicacy and the taste profile of this fish... This fish is often steamed or cooked with leek (another auspicious vegetable eaten during Chinese New Year). The meat is usually dipped in a chilli-leek-sugar-dark soya sauce-vinegar sauce. Generally, this fish is slightly more fishy as compared to other fishes. As to the roe, I personally prefer the male roe as it is soft like tofu (beancurd), the female roe on the other hand is harder and rougher in texture.

Note: Photos of the whole fish and Yu Sheng were taken at my Chinese New Year Eve's reunion dinner this evening. Photo of the Rabbit Fish (Pek Thor Her) was taken this morning which was for my brunch.

Eggs... White? Brown?

2007-02-16T17:15:00.000+08:00

Eggs... White? Brown?
I have been busy baking for the past 3 days in preparations for the coming Chinese New Year, which explains my absence from posting any new bake journal entry. Whilst I was baking, I had this sudden inspiration to do a bake journal entry on Eggs (something that I use all the time - be it for cakes, breads, cookies, pastries, etc...).

The eggs that I use for baking are the brown ones. However, if you watch those food programmes that is produced in America, England and even Australia, you cannot help but noticed that the eggs the chef / baker uses are white. Well, in our supermarkets here in Singapore, there are white eggs available and they are comparatively more expensive than the brown ones. So, as a food technologist, I decided to do some research on these two eggs. Haha! Guess what. They may be different on the outside, but are the same on the inside (as shown in the picture above).

Here is a basic explaination on the where the colour (or a more scientific term: pigmentation) of the eggs come from. Brown chicken eggs comes from brown chickens. White chicken eggs comes from white chicken. Then there is this very interesting question that you may ask me... so black chicken produces black chicken eggs? Haha. NO! From my knowledge, black chicken produces white eggs. Don't ask me why...

Designer Tang Yuan on Straits Times (Home Section, Page 7)

2007-02-14T00:13:00.000+08:00

Designer Tang Yuan on Straits Times (Home Section, Page 7)

Tang yuan twist wins food design prize by Melissa Tan

A TWIST to the recipe for conventional glutinous rice balls has won four boys the top prize of $500 in a food design competition. Known to the Chinese as tang yuan, these appear no different from the original version at first glance. But while the traditional version is usually filled with ground peanuts or sesame and eaten with a warm, sweet syrup on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, these students have filled their version with lychee and longan. And theirs is served with a chilled syrup. The second-year Singapore Polytechnic students who tweaked tradition hatched their idea in a laboratory. But, in a nod to tradition, they still used the customary method of kneading the dough and cooking the tang yuan, said Mr Samuel Chan, 21, who started baking when he was five. He intends to open his own bakery in the future. Mr Cedric Tay, 18, has similar aspirations. 'My family runs a Thai restaurant in Purvis Street. With the experience I've gained, I hope to help make my mother's Thai olive rice even better.' The designer tang yuan will hit the market in a year, and they are hoping it will sell like hot cakes. 'Cold food will appeal to today's youth,' explained Mr Marcus Lim, 19, and Mr Tho Pin Da, 18, who are both gunning for degrees in food technology. 'We aim to reinvent tradition.'

Designer Tang Yuan (aka Fruitee Moochi Ball)

2007-02-12T22:18:00.000+08:00

Designer Tang Yuan (aka Fruitee Moochi Ball)

Yes and here you have it! Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) filled with Hosen canned fruits (in particular, Lychee and Longan).

The creation of this product started off as a module "Introduction to Food Product Development" which I took as a Year 2 Food Technology Student at Singapore Polytechnic. Hosen Group Ltd sponsored canned fruits as the product development theme. In a class of 40 students, 10 teams were formed. My team consisting of Cedric, Marcus, Pin Da and me. Spending approximately 10 weeks, many kitchen trials and sensory evaluations were conducted to ensure that the product is widely accepted by the consumers. All our hard work paid off when our product (Designer Tang Yuan) was selected as the top winning entry for this module.

So... What is so special about our Tang Yuans? We have reinvented the concept of eating tang yuan hot. These Designer Tang Yuans are filled with fruits and served chilled.

You could have caught a glimpse of these Tang Yuans featured today on MediaCorp Channel 5 News, Channel 8 News and once again I am on MediaCorp Radio Capital 95.8 FM.

Just in case you are wondering if there is a runner up team. Yes! The runner up team consisting of Sherman, Sharon, Nancy and Sara created Fruit Blue Potato Croquette.

HOSEN Canned Fruits???

2007-02-09T20:56:00.000+08:00

HOSEN Canned Fruits???

Haha! HOSEN Canned Fruits??? What kind of Sam's Bake Journal entry title is this. Stay tuned to find out! Never underestimate what you can do with Canned Fruits...

Easy to Make Valentine's Day Desserts

2007-02-07T22:11:00.000+08:00

Easy to Make Valentine's Day Desserts

Left: Panna Cotta (Lovey Dovey), Right: Apple Surprise (Apple Of My Heart)

Since Valentine's Day is just 1 week from today, I have decided to post an easy to make Valentine's Day Dessert. The two desserts shown were featured in the "LIVE" TV Interview at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (January 26, 2007). The "LIVE" programme was "Sweet Time" which was suppose to "air" a Valentine's Day Special Programme. Well, since Valentine's Day is often a day where couples do something special for each other, I have decided to share with you all a simple recipe that you can make for your other half. Apple Surprise (which was later renamed to Apple Of My Heart). A very simple idea, but you can let your ideas run wild and modify on this recipe. In short, this recipe shows how desserts need not need to be so complicated. The ingredients in the recipe are easily available at home, all you need to do is to follow the instructions and you end up with a nice delicious looking apple bowl that can be served with a scoop of ice cream if you do not want to use the canned fruit cocktail.

Ingredients:
2 Nos Red Apples
1 No Lemon
1 Can HOSEN Canned Tropical Fruit Cocktail

Decoration: Mint Leaves

Method: Makes 2 Apple Surprises

1. Squeeze the lemon juice out of the lemon into a bowl.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice the top of the apple. Place this into the bowl of lemon juice.
3. Using the tip of the knife, go around the apple, leaving 2mm spacing from the skin.
4. Carefully use a spoon to scoop out the apple, leaving behind an apple bowl. Quickly fill the apple bowl with lemon juice to prevent it from browning. Drain off the lemon juice.
5. Open a can of HOSEN Canned Tropical Fruit Cocktail and drain the syrup.
6. Spoon the canned fruits into the apple bowl
7. Chill the apple surprise for 4 hours and serve with mint leaves as decorations.

Recipe By Samuel Chan
For Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Film Media & Studies)
January 2007
http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com

All About Carrots

2007-02-06T23:05:00.000+08:00

All About Carrots

Left: Carrot Cake, Right: Carrot Piccosams

β-carotene, a dimer of Vitamin A, is abundant in carrots and gives this vegetable its characteristic orange color. Furthermore, carrots are rich in dietary fiber, antioxidants, and minerals. Thanks to wikipedia for the above information.

So much for the nutritional aspects of carrots. Cakes are usually perceived as unhealthy, high in sugars, fats and full of calories and absolutely a "No No" for weight watchers. However, there are ways to make healthier cakes such as incorporating vegetables such as carrots.

Wait a minute, you must be thinking after scanning through the two pictures above...... 1. Carrot Cake? How come it is so different from those I get from the hawker centre. 2. What is so special about Carrot Piccosams? Looks like a cupcake / muffin.

The first picture shows a Carrot Cake. Not your local carrot cake available at your nearby hawker centre, fried to perfection, usually with loads of eggs, chilli and dark sweet sauce. This is what I would call the "Ang Moh" version of our "Chai Tow Kueh". But I must say, to some it requires an acquired taste to be able appreciate this carrot cake. It does not have that soft and spongy mouthfeel of your usual cake. On the contrary, it is heavy, densely packed with carrots, with roasted chopped walnuts and juicy raisins in every bite, topped with a cream cheese topping with the acceptable sweetness level.

The second picture...... NO it is not a cupcake or a muffin. It is PICCOSAMS. Piccosams is a range of small cakes that I have created for my family and friends. They are usually great for family and friends gatherings or parties. The Carrot Piccosam will be the first of many to be featured in this bake journal (I will update as I create the subsequent piccosams). The Carrot Piccosam taste profile is totally different from the Carrot Cake. It is light, soft and spongy. Whenever I bake them for my friends and relatives, they would not hestitate to finish one by themselves...... Only to discover that it is all gone when they want to go for a second helping.

As a baker, I am constantly in search of continuously creating and formulating healthier baked products. If you have any burning questions on certain food ingredients or recipe, feel free to drop me an email and I will be more than happy to answer you. Do note that your questions may be posted on this bake journal to benefit those who shares the same passion as me.

Sam's On MediaCorp Radio Capital 95.8 FM

2007-02-02T20:36:00.000+08:00

Sam's On MediaCorp Radio Capital 95.8 FM

For those of you who tuned in to MediaCorp Radio Capital 95.8 FM today, Sam was on the news. The Piggy Butter Cookie (above) was featured in a short news broadcast on unique Chinese New Year items found online especially on blog. Special thanks goes to Suet Ying, the reporter from MediaCorp Capital 95.8 FM, who did a phone interview with me. Well, on my thoughts about being contacted by the media, I am very happy to know that with perserverance and strong believe in what I create, people will eventually find and appreciate it.

Chinese New Year Bakes

2007-01-29T21:29:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year Bakes

Well, since Chinese New Year is around the corner, instead of the usual pineapple tarts and almond cookies that I usually bake every year, I decided to bake something different for my family this year. Since it is the Year of the Pig, I have decided to make Piggy Butter Cookies and Orange Butter Cakes for them. Aren't they unique?

"LIVE" TV Interview at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

2007-01-26T21:06:00.000+08:00

"LIVE" TV Interview at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Haha! You must be thinking are you sure? "LIVE" TV interview... Okay, I was actually invited to be a special guest for a "LIVE" TV interview by a group of Ngee Ann Polytechnic Mass Communication students for their project. The idea of the whole project was to simulate what it would be like to do a MediaCorp equivalent of "MediaCorp ChannelNewsAsia Primetime Morning - LIVE". The only difference was that the whole take was recorded for their lecturer to view and assess them. I must say, though it may be working with students, the overall feel of the whole take is very real. Well, I love working with students, especially when they are those who are passionate about what they are doing. Just like me, I am passionate about baking and cooking and in general anything that is food-related. Similarly, they are passionate about how they can make a difference in the media industry. After all, they are the leaders of tomorrow. Special thanks to the following students for giving me this opportunity to be part of their project: Adiel, Evangeline, Gladys, Jazreen, Mei Yi & Andrew.

3-Dimensional Durian Cake (Esplanade)

2006-12-17T17:14:00.000+08:00

3-Dimensional Durian Cake (Esplanade)

There are times when friends request for certain cakes. This 3-Dimensional Durian Cake was a request made by my friend, Liza, for her father's birthday. Her father really loves durian! (be it the fruit form or in all other forms). Instead of the usual round cake with durian filling sandwiched between, I decided to make the cake literally into a durian shape (inspirations came from my culinary teacher, Chef Judy Koh).

I decided to blog about this cake partly because it is not a regular cake, but more importantly, it tested once again my passion and love for what i am doing. I had reached home rather late about 7pm and was about to start making the cake, when i found out that my house had a power failure. Thanks to my friend, Cedric, he kindly allowed me to use his designer kitchen to fufill this order. After packing all the equipments and ingredients, i rushed down to his place and completed the cake.

This only led me to reconfirm my passion for this bakery line and how many a times we see many success stories and fail to see the hard work behind all that. With passion breeds success. Here, I am a 21 years old guy who could well be busy partying with my friends, but instead chose to follow his dreams and passion to make the best and most sincere cakes for his friends. I will leave you with what my friend who ordered the durian cake have to say...

"A refreshing treat for a durian lover's special day; unique in design, rich in taste. =)" - Liza.

Acknowledgements for the photo goes to Liza.

Pound Cake

2006-11-14T20:08:00.000+08:00

Pound Cake

(Top: Pound Cake - Just out of the oven; Bottom Left: Wrapped and in the box; Bottom Right: Packed in a presentable box).

Today, on my way home, my friend ask me whether I know how to make ####### Brand Pound Cake. That setted me to think about the last time I made a pound cake.

Basically, why is it called a pound cake? Simply because the cake contains 1 pound of every ingredient a cake needs. 1 pound of flour, 1 pound of sugar, 1 pound of butter, 1 pound of eggs. In case, you do not know, 1 pound = 454 grams.

By now, you must be thinking... what a way to give us the recipe. So, I have decided to share the recipe for a pound cake proper as follows, I hope you can give it a try and feedback to me by sending me a photo of your version of this pound cake recipe. Also, do note that as this pound cake recipe has no emulsifiers and cake stabilisers, refrigerating the cake will cause it to be hard.

Ingredients:

125 g Butter

67 g Sugar (I reduced it from 125 g because I find it too sweet).

125 g (approx 2 Nos) Eggs

125 g Self-Rising Flour, sieved

A drop Vanilla Essence (optional)

Method: Makes One 7 1/2 Inch By 4 Inch Loaf Tin

1. Preheat oven to 175C. Grease and line the loaf tin.

2. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence till light & fluffy.

3. Add in the eggs a bit at a time till well mixed.

4. Fold in the sieved flour and stir until just combined.

5. Fill up the loaf tin and bake at 175C for 35 to 40 minutes

6. After baking, remove the cake from the loaf tin and cool.

7. Enjoy!

Recipe By Samuel Chan

November 2006

http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com

High Fibre Chocolate Chips Cookie & Teddy Bear Cookie

2006-11-05T09:10:00.000+08:00

High Fibre Chocolate Chips Cookie & Teddy Bear Cookie

(Left: High Fibre Chocolate Chips Cookie, Right: Christmas Teddy Cookie)

Christmas is a time of giving, I have reinvented my Chocolate Chips Cookie this year. Not that it contain more chocolate chips, it contains fibre! Fibre is very important for digestive system. Fibre is often associated with fruits and vegetables. With this High Fibre Chocolate Chips Cookie, you can be sure to have your daily intake of fibre and yet enjoy it! When my younger cousins see cookies made by me, they just "chomp" straight at it. Haha. This is why, my aunties and uncles would not mind their children eating my cookies (though it may be heaty due to the chocolate chips). Well, for the adults, I created the Christmas Teddy Cookie which has a crunch when you bite into it. Well, the joy of sharing my bakes with my loved ones is one of those things that I guess money cannot buy!

SHF #24: Little Bites Of Delights - Strawberry Amores

2006-10-27T22:02:00.000+08:00

Sugar High Fridays #24: Little Bites Of Delights - Strawberry Amores

Here goes another bake journal entry for a blog event, Sugar High Fridays (The brainchild of the Jennifer over at The Domestic Goddess who started this event way back in October 2004). For Sugar High Fridays #24 or in short, SHF #24, hosted by Jeanne of Cook Sister!, the theme is: Petits Fours.

I decided to showcase one of the many petits fours that i did recently for my own 21st birthday celebrations - Strawberry Amores. Petits Fours may look difficult to do at first, but with proper planning of your Mis En Place, it is indeed a joy to make and it gives me a great satisfaction to see my friends enjoy the petits fours.

Strawberry Amores are simply made by assembling a heart-shaped cutout shortcrust pastry base, pipe some strawberry chocolate gananche and topped with a heart-shaped cutout white chocolate (with pink stripes).

Complicated as it may sound, these Strawberry Amores are indeed great conversational topics during parties as your guests would be overwhelmed by the attractiveness of this petit four.

Click Here for the Roundup.

Baking Recipes using Fong Yit's XO Kaya!

2006-10-20T00:49:00.000+08:00

Baking Recipes using Fong Yit's XO Kaya!

(Centre: XO Kaya Soya Flower Buns, Right: XO Kaya Almond Friands).

On Wednesday, at Mayer Causeway Point, I conducted yet another baking demostration. This time round, I have created 2 new healthy recipes, namely: XO Kaya Soya Flower Buns and XO Kaya Almond Friands. Of course, I must first thank Mr Goh from Fong Yit Kaya who responded promptly on my request for Fong Yit to sponsor the XO Kaya used for this baking demostration. Note: XO here has nothing to do with liquor...

Here are some information with regards to Fong Yit's XO Kaya...

Besides all the health benefits, I must say Fong Yit's XO Kaya is also bakeable as you can see from the buns, the kaya is not burnt. This is mainly due to the use of isomalt in this kaya instead of sugar which would caramelised and burnt.

Since, previously I have shared with you all a bread recipe, I have decided to share a friand recipe this time round. What is a friand? Friands (French for "Little Cakes") are traditionally made mainly with nut-meal, usually Almond, melted butter and only a small measure of flour. In addition, friands usually use egg whites, which is low in cholesterol. You may think what a waste! How about the egg yolks? No fret, the 3 egg yolks that you have left, keep them in air tight containers in the fridge. I promise to post a recipe that will use 3 egg yolks soon. Or else, one can always make french toast with them for breakfast!

Lastly, thanks to Linda for constantly helping me to blog about my events or new baked products created by me. Check her latest blog entry where she blogged about Mr Bean's Soy Ice Cream, in line with my XO Kaya Soya Flower Buns. (By the way, I am also a fan of Mr Bean's Soy Ice Cream!). Talking about ice cream, YES! Ice Cream uses egg yolks!!!! But you will have to look out for my future entries...

Here is the recipe... It is so easy! so healthy!

Ingredients:
90 g Butter
50 g Icing Sugar
A drop Pandan Essence

120 g (3 Nos) Egg whites
40 g Plain Flour, sieved
70 g Almond, grounded

6 rounded tsp "XO Kaya" (Fong Yit Brand)
30 g Almond, flaked

Method: Makes 6 friands

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 6 muffin pans.
2. Cream butter, icing sugar and pandan essence till light & fluffy.
3. Whisk egg white till thick and foamy.
4. Combine creamed butter and whisked egg white.
5. Fold in sieved flour & grounded almond, stir until just combined.
6. Divide half the mixture among prepared pans, fill with 1 tsp of chilled "XO Kaya" filling and divide the other half of the mixture into the prepared pans and topped with flaked almonds.
7. Bake at 180C for 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Serve with a little extra sifted icing sugar.

Recipe By Samuel Chan
October 2006
http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com

World Bread Day 2006 Roundup

2006-10-17T21:38:00.000+08:00

World Bread Day 2006 Roundup

Please Click Here

World Bread Day, 16th October 2006

2006-10-16T16:45:00.000+08:00

World Bread Day, 16th October 2006

Thanks to Angie's Blog (My Kitchen: My Laboratory), I got a chance to participate in this event, hosted by Zorra of Kochtopf.

I am a fan of all breads and I hope to inspire more people to make their own bread. Through my short baking demonstrations, I try to introduce new flavours to our breads. Which brings me to the point of this blog entry... Eggless Pumpkin Buns.

As I have already mentioned in my first Bake Journal entry, I am very proud of this bun, simply because it is nutritious (high in Vitamin A & Beta Carotene due to the Pumpkin) and Eggless (Low in Cholesterol), but yet it is still very soft!!!! (No bread improvers added!) For those people out there who shares the same passion for bread as much as I do, you should try out the recipe (First Bake Journal Entry).

It has indeed be a joy for me to constantly develop new bread recipes and to share them in my baking demostrations. Now this sharing of new bread recipes have reached a new level, sharing with bread lovers around the world. There will be a round up of all the entries submitted to Zorra on 17th October. I look forward to see what my fellow bread lovers around the world would submit to Zorra on 17th October!

Happy World Bread Day!!!!

Cream Corn Chiffon Cakes

2006-09-27T23:29:00.000+08:00

Cream Corn Chiffon Cakes

Instead of the usual Pandan Chiffon Cake, I experimented and came up with a new chiffon cake: Cream Corn Chiffon Cake. This cake is nutritiously packed with corns and is so light! Previously, when I made coffee chiffon cakes for my relatives and friends, the response was also tremendous! It suddenly dawned upon me on how, in most people's perception, cakes are suppose to be light, soft and moist. However, there are cakes that are heavy such as my ever famous Carrot Cake. Well, I guess it still takes time to educate people on how to appreciate the cross cultural differences in food or in this case, cakes.

Bun Susi

2006-09-24T22:40:00.000+08:00

Bun Susi

On Sunday, Philip (owner of RICE - Resources In Cuisine & Events) invited me to teach his students how to make buns at his place in Clementi. Philip specialises in Peranakan Cooking and organises culinary tours. Over at his place, I taught his students how to make our soft asian buns with a twist. The filling was a truly Peranakan recipe. It consists of mainly minced meat with some onions and spices, cooked and cooled before being wrapped in the buns. This is what Philip calls the modified version of the Bun Susi (which incidentally, I found the recipe on the internet). The original Bun Susi (according to Philip) is actually the minced meat filling wrapped in a shortcrust pastry. In addition, the minced meat filling is slightly sweet.

To make the bun more interesting, I made a slit with a scissors, egg glaze and baked the buns. After which, I used the thai sweet basil leaf and a sliced chilli for a final touch.

Isomalt Snowskin Mooncakes

2006-09-23T23:03:00.000+08:00

Isomalt Snowskin Mooncakes

I have successfully formulated Isomalt Snowskin Mooncakes for Sam's Cakes & Bakes! I know that those who are in the industry reading this journal entry, may say that this is nothing new as Isomalt has already been used in countries such as Hong Kong to do their mooncakes. But like I have mentioned in my first journal entry, this bake journal is mainly used to depict my baking and culinary adventures!

Most people will think so what if isomalt is used in mooncakes? Well, to find out more, you can visit the company's website: Palatinit.

To sum up, when isomalt is 100% used in a product, it can be classified as a diabetic product. In addition, isomalt gives a lighter colour (Left: Normal Mooncakes using Icing Sugar, Right: Isomalt Mooncakes using Isomalt) and a fresher look of the end product. To make it even more interesting, the filling used in these isomalt mooncakes is black sesame paste (made using 100% isomalt). You will hear more about another isomalt product, XO Kaya by Fong Yit, when I do a demo at Mayer Causeway Point on Soya Kaya Buns (the Kaya, using the Isomalt XO Kaya by Fong Yit).

Eggless Pumpkin Buns Recipe

2006-09-22T23:57:00.000+08:00

First Sam's Bake Journal Entry & Eggless Pumpkin Buns Recipe

Welcome to Sam's Bake Journal! This is another phase that Sam's Cakes & Bakes is undergoing. I have decided to incorporate a Journal to depict my baking and culinary adventures in my kitchen, school laboratory or anywhere that allows me to continue to pursue my passion in this area. Do feel free to drop me an email if you do have any burning questions with regards to food and I will try to post the reply as one of the journal entries so as to educate more people who shares the same interest and passion! To kick off with my first journal entry, I have decided to post the recipe that I taught at a recent Mayer Workshop. By the way, Mayer Marketting is the Singapore distributor for Ariston Ovens and KitchenAid Mixers. I must say that they are household brand names nowadays and are used extensively in most homes.

This recipe that I am going to share is a very unique recipe! After much research into asian buns, I have came up with this Eggless Pumpkin Buns Recipe. Traditionally, most asian buns uses eggs to flavour the buns and shortening for the fat. In this recipe, however, the shortening has been replaced by butter and the eggs have been removed. But fret not! These buns are still as soft as ever with a very unique pumpkin filling! (which can also be replaced by yam). So here goes the recipe:

Filling Ingredients:
270 g Pumpkin, Steam for 20 mins & mashed, then cooled
135 g Icing Sugar

Method: Makes 8 X 50g Pumpkin Filling

1. Mix all the ingredients together into a paste.
2. Freeze the paste for 30 mins.
3. Divide the paste into 50g portions and keep it back in the freezer till ready to use.

Bread Ingredients:
240 g Bread Flour
100 g Pumpkin, Steam for 20 mins & mashed, then cooled
1 tsp Milk Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
30 g Sugar
6 g (1/2 pkt) Yeast
35 g Water

30 g Butter

"Egg" Glaze:
Evaporated Milk
A drop of Yellow Colouring (Optional)

Method: Makes 8 Muffin Cup Buns

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, except Butter.
2. Knead till the side of the bowl is clean.
3. Add in Butter and knead till well developed.
4. Round the dough and rest for 30 minutes.
5. After resting, turn the dough bottom side up and punch down to flatten.
6. Divide the dough into 8 X 54 g pieces.
7. Roll the dough out and wrap around the Pumpkin Filling.
8. Place on a greased baking pan.
9. Proof the bread till double in bulk, approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 200C.
11. Brush the surface lightly with "Egg" Glaze.
12. Bake at 200C for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
13. Brush with melted butter when baked to give a glossy finish.

Recipe By Samuel Chan
September 2006
http://www.samscakes.blogspot.com