Baking with Jazz

I have diving logbooks, and now I have a baking logbook too :) Just like diving, baking is therapeutic for me. I usually have Frank Sinatra and the likes of him accompany me when I bake, sometimes through the wee hours of the night. Usually it is big band music during daytime baking and jazz during nighttime baking. And on Sundays, it is Oldies coz my Mom hangs out around the dining room. Of course I always have my faithful companions, the itchy bitchy mosquitoes. And what would I do without my baking best friend, Mr. Autan, a.k.a. mosquitoes repellent (of course I prefer a Mr to accompany me ;) ?

Here are a few of the stuffs I've baked. The pics aren't that good. Just like baking, I am still learning. It is usually lack of lighting. Too lazy to get a desk lamp and not a big fan of using flash in some instances. Maybe some of you can give me some tips :)


Kue Lapis Legit

This was my second attempt on baking a Kue Lapis Legit (Rich Layered Cake). I had always wanted to try to bake lapis legit. But just like most people, the number of egg yolks required to bake this kue just scared me away. Even if you half the recipe, you will still be looking at 20-30 egg yolks. I've heard someone using 80 egg yolks for a kue lapis legit! I don't know exactly how big the cake pan is, but am sure it is not too big. So you can imagine what a waste of eggs if the cake doesn't turn out well. That was what happened to my first try. I burnt 1/3 of the bottom of the cake :P It was a learning experience.

Now I know that lapis legit is mainly egg yolks and butter. Yup, mainly just those two ingredients. No wonder it is so legit (rich), and of course so yummy... :)~~





Brownies Ketan Hitam

I don't like this cake. The texture is coarse and rather sandy. Unlike regular flour, ketan hitam flour (Black Glutinous Rice flour) is a bit rough. And i can't taste the ketan hitam flavour. I dun know if people actually use flavourings/essence to get that flavour. Or perhaps they use actual ketan hitam.





Lemon Meringue Pie

My first encounter with Lemon Meringue Pie was when I was about 9 years old where I lived with a Singaporean family. My guardian occasionally baked this. After more than 20 years, i taste again the mixture of fresh tanginess of lemon, mix with the pillowy softness of the meringue, in contrast with the crunchy flakiness of pie crust.