TOP 10 RECIPES OF 2016

We come to the end of 2016 and it is the time to look at my popular post this year.

Once again the top spot goes to Eggless Marble Banana Cake that was chosen for past 4 years,

This year my new cookie recipe that makes up this list  is Coffee Biscuits   Have you tried any of my recipes?  Do let me know in comment section.

You can view the full recipe by clicking on the the title of each photo.

FRUIT CORNFLAKES BARS RECIPE

A combination of cornflakes and dried fruits makes these bars a wonderful treat.

It has been awhile I made breakfast bars.   Since my cornflakes are sitting idly in the cupboard. it is the right time to turn them into a delicious grab and go slices.

These  Fruit Cornflakes Bars  are so versatile, there are so many variations you can made from it.  Either add  fresh or dried fruit when mixing them,  I used  1 cup dried grapes and  1/4 cup of fresh blueberries or use a total of one and quarter  cup of fruit you have in hand..   You can even add chopped nuts like almond, walnut or pecan too.

These chewy, tender Fruit Cornflakes Bars are packed with tasty ingredients.

ZEBRA OIL CAKE RECIPE

An easy but impressive  cake using oil that has two contrasting colors.

Zebra Oil Cake is similar with butter cake but used oil instead with two colored stripes.

I used my electric hand mixer to beat sugar and eggs on high speed until it turns fluffy, thick  and pale in color for about 5 minutes.

The batter is divided into 2, one portion leaves as it is while the other mix in the cocoa powder. Now is the fun part, layering the batter by alternating between the plain and chocolate one until  both batter have been used up.  You need not spread the batter, it would spread by itself.

Do you know the difference between zebra and marble cake.? Zebra Oil Cake has almost even stripes where else marble cake has uneven pattern by swirling around the batter to create a marble effect.

Other similar cake recipe you should check :

Eggless Marble Banana Cake, Banana Chocolate Bread Marbled and   Marble Cake

IRISH BARMBRACK RECIPE

A yeast free Irish tea bread (barmbrack), studded with dried fruit that was soaked in tea overnight or at least 4 hours.

A popular Irish  bread normally baked using yeast.  Today I tried a yeast free version. Used dried cranberries, apricot and sultana that have been soaked for 4 hours.

This Irish Barmbrack is uncomplicated to make if you plan properly.  It requires you to soak the dried fruit in black tea overnight in a refrigerator, the rest was just mix  and stir.

You can soak the fruits in any type of tea you like other than black tea.  Also this bread does not require extra brown/white sugar either as it is naturally sweetened by the dried fruits.

Irish Barmbrack is easily adapted to be a vegan recipe if you replace some of the ingredients :

whole milk  ------>   non dairy milk
1 egg           ------>   60 g mashed banana or mashed potato

Barmbrack is also eaten year round as a delicious treat at teatime when it is served with salty butter, a few days old brack  is also lovely toasted.

Other quick bread recipes you should check out:

Fantastic Apricot Bread.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

QUICK CHOCOLATE CHIP ALMOND BARS RECIPE

A quicker way to satisfy your sweet cravings by making this Quick Chocolate Chip Almond Bars,  made with chocolate chip cookies.

I have a few sleeves of chocolate chip cookies gifted by my close friend.  Am well aware that nobody is going to eat them right from the package.

My recipe below is adopted from graham crackers  where I replace them with chocolate chip cookies, reduce the sugar since the chocolate chips are already sweet.

As the cookies are round in shape, it has a small gap in between. Just   fill the empty space with a broken cookies.

Quick Chocolate Chip Almond Bars  are easy, yummy and  have been a total crowd pleaser.  This imitates a favorite candy bar.

Other bars recipe:
Coconut Bars
Honey Oat Bars
Cocoa Banana Bars

PEACH CAKE FROM SCRATCH RECIPE

A soft and lovely cake studded with diced peaches perfect for  breakfast, brunch or teatime treat.

I have a can of peaches halves  sitting in my pantry for some time. My son saw it and ask me to bake a  peach cake.

Have baked peach cake before, this  Eggless Peach Cake  was  egg free so I want to try with eggs this time.

Used canned peaches, well drained and dice.  Even after cutting, still place them tin the colander to completely drain the liquid. Not only that a quarter cup of flour is added to these peaches.

The process of making Peach Cake From Scratch is quite simple.  It starts by beating eggs with sugar until light and fluffy.  Afterwards combine the dry and wet ingredients together.

For a richer taste, you could use melted butter instead of vegetable oil.

Another tips, you must grease your pan extremely well with butter then coat with flour.   This step is important to  release the cake from the pan with ease.

This Peach Cake From Scratch  takes a long time to cook so make sure to test with a skewer that comes out clean  before removing from your oven.

EASY LEMON YOGURT CAKE RECIPE

Ultra  moist and slight tanginess makes this cake a favorite for everyone.

Incredibly tasty and you just can't  stop at one slice! Easy Lemon Yogurt Cake uses freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated lemon zest.   It is  packed with delicious lemon flavor.

I used a wire whisk to beat  sugar and  eggs until pale and creamy or use your mixer to do the job.  Always love a simple recipe yet turned out wonderful.

You can ice the cake after it has cooled or pour lemon syrup on top while it is still warm.  Am not a fan of those so we have it as it is.

This Easy Lemon Yogurt Cake is the best lemon cake I have made in ages.  Even a couple of days later.  the last piece still tastes lovely.

NO YEAST BRAIDED SAVORY BREAD RECIPE

A quick way to enjoy your bread without waiting and rising the dough by making this No Yeast Braided Savory Bread.

This is a wonderful recipe for a yeast free bread using few simple ingredients you already have in your pantry.  No Yeast Braided Savory Bread is very versatile and so easy to make.

Since my family requested for a savory filling,  I used  curried green peas and potato.  You can vary the stuffing  depending on your preference either sweet or savory.

Turn this bread into whatever shape you prefer -  a regular or decorative one.

I love this No Yeast Braided Bread very much,  it is very easy to work with, retain its shape and bake beautifully.

Other quick bread recipes you should check out:

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

TANGZHONG SWEET BUNS RECIPE

A soft and fluffy sweet buns recipe using water roux (tangzhong) method.

Tangzhong Sweet Buns  is a basic recipe that can be transformed into honeycomb buns, pull apart bread, chocolate, cinnamon rolls or stuffed with either sweet or savory filling.

Before proceeding to bake this bread, prepare the tangzhong.  You need to cool the water roux before adding it to the dough.

These buns need to rise twice, one after kneading into smooth ball and immediately after shaping them.

If you intend to turn into honeycomb buns,  shape into a tiny ball and stuff with sweet or savory filling.  Place these balls in a concentric circles.  After baking, pour sugar syrup or butterscotch sauce on top if you're using a sweet filling.

As for cinnamon rolls, roll out the dough into a rectangle,  spread with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving 1/2 in border all around,  roll up and cut into 1 in thick slices.

Tangzhong Sweet Buns  turned out fantastic, remarkably soft  and very flavorful.   Importantly the dough is also very manageable, very nice dough to work with.

Other bread recipes you might want to try:

Banana Yeast Tartlet.

Monkey Bread From Scratch

Stuffed Bread

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

This is our new favorite chocolate cake that requires cooking of butter, cocoa, sugar, water and baking soda on stove top before adding the rest of the ingredients.

When I stumbled upon this Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe. am   tempted to try it out after reading its positive comments.

Have made slight changes by reducing the sugar from 1.5 cups to only 1 cup and used plain flour instead of self raising flour.

We are excited to bake this wonderful Easy Chocolate Cake Recipe that came out deliciously perfect and moist even without any frosting.  This is a  good cake to turn into a birthday or any other special moments with your favorite frosting.

I have other chocolate cake recipes you should try too:

Chocolate Cake w/Chocolate Frosting

Best Cocoa Brownies

Eeggless Chocolate Cake

EGGLESS BASBOUSA / SEMOLINA CAKE RECIPE

A famous dessert originating from Middle East, made of semolina and drenched in sugar syrup.

Am looking for Eggless Basbousa / Eggless Semolina Cake Recipe over the net.  There are various recipes for making it, some used coconut or  ground almond and richer one with heavy dose of butter and eggs.

After checking so many recipes,  decided to give this recipe a try. This Eggless Basbousa / Semolina Cake recipe uses no eggs and least sugar for the  syrup.

Used a whisk to cream the butter and sugar together.  Need not beat until fluffy, just until well combined.

This Eggless Basbousa / Eggless Semolina Cake does not have a cake like batter but rather a thick mass of dough.

Am running short of whole almonds so I used almond flakes for topping.

We enjoyed a slightly chewy texture imparted by semolina, sticky and moistness by the syrup.  It is much better the day after since the lemon flavored syrup  will be completely absorbed.  We plan to make this wonderful Eggless Basbousa/Eggless Semolina Cake again for our family gathering.

Other dessert recipes you should check the out:

Cocoa Banana Bars

Blueberry Milk Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

BINGKA ROTI (HOMEMADE BREAD PUDDING)

Bingka Roti - A baked dessert using bread slices, eggs, milk and plain flour that was firmer and easy to slice.

I have a few slices of stale bread lying on the counter.  To rescue those bread  am making a bread pudding or Bingka Roti.

This Bingka Roti was slightly different from my earlier bread pudding recipe. as it was firmer and easy to slice due to addition of plain flour.

You can choose other add ins such as sweet corn, jack fruit or banana.   Also  instead of milk, opt for coconut milk instead.

Other recipes using bread:

Microwave Bread Pudding
Egg Free French Toast
Roti John (Asian French Toast)
Bread Paratha

MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

A moist and delicious chocolate cake for any occasion.

I have tried various chocolate cake recipes.  Most of them are made using only a whisk.

This Moist Chocolate Cake is differs from what I have baked so far.  It requires to heat milk, sugar, cocoa and oil until the sugar is dissolved then cool to room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients.

It rose beautifully, I baked it for 70 minutes in 8 in cake pan but you must check for doneness after 60 minutes as my oven would have different setting from yours.

Add your own twist by changing the frosting flavor but it is just perfect for me to eat it without glaze or frosting.

This Moist Chocolate Cake was  quick and easy  with delightful result.  Definitely a recipe to keep!

Other chocolate cake recipes you should try:

Chocolate Cake w/Chocolate Frosting

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake Diary Free

MOIST PUMPKIN BREAD RECIPE

A deliciously spiced and moist pumpkin bread recipe, no mixer required.

Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe  has to be one of  my favorite quick breads.  I made it with fresh pumpkin from scratch.

This is the easiest to make by combining a dry and wet ingredients in one bowl with just a whisk.

This Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe  is a pretty basic recipe, but fell free to add semi sweet chocolate chip, raisin, seeds or nuts to make it even full of good stuff.

TOP 10 YEAST BREAD RECIPES

These are Top 10 Yeast Bread Recipes that don't require bread machine,  chosen by my readers ranging from the easiest to decorative one.

I was never a fan of bread baking to be honest with you but now I have found a great way to  relax and at the same time exercise (hand kneading)  by baking a loaf of bread.

Over the years,  I have tried various type of yeast bread either sweet or savory.   They came in different shapes, sizes and taste.

Freshly baked homemade bread is  more nutritious, more economical and delicious than a store bought loaves,  It is worth the effort of making your own since you can customize what ingredients to add minus those chemical additives and preservatives.

To view full recipe, click on the title of each bread,  What's your favorite bread?   Do let me know in comment,  I would love to try out yours.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE

This Chocolate Pudding Recipe is made for a lighter  dessert after an indulgent meal.

It was made using agar agar powder, cocoa. milo and milk without egg and cornstarch, cooked  on stove top until it thickens.  If you don't have milo, you can increase the cocoa powder to 2 tablespoon. .

Used small mold for this pudding but you can use one large bowl or container then  cut into slices to serve.

If you want something that tastes  great  and easy to prepare  this Chocolate Pudding Recipe is for you.

Other pudding recipes you should try:

Chocolate Semolina Pudding.

Fruit Cocktail Pudding

Cconut Milk Jelly

BLUEBERRY BANANA CAKE RECIPE

Blueberry and banana go surprisingly well together,  make a very moist and flavorful  Blueberry Banana Cake.

When you have a bunch of banana and blueberries so this is a right time to combine both and turn them into a scrumptious treat.  If you are a fan of banana, you can check other cake recipes below using banana as a star ingredient.

Eggless Marble Banana Cake
Banana Chocolate Bread Marbled
Marble Cake

This recipe is a straight forward one and ready in a matter of minutes.   You can use a mixer or just a whisk to make this Blueberry Banana  Cake.

Really delicious, I love this combo , this cake was complete hit with kids and visitors/  Blueberry adds a juicy fruitiness  and a subtle flavor, not overpowering  by banana.

STRAWBERRY CAKE NO JELLO RECIPE

A homemade Strawberry Cake  No Jello and box mixes that was moist and a cinch to make.

Have been looking for strawberry cake  without gelatin all over the net but  can't find what I like. In the end, I used my regular cake recipe with slight adjustments.

This Strawberry Cake  No Jello can be baked in 8 in cake pan or bundt instead of loaf pan that I used.

Used fresh strawberry and did not puree  them  instead chopped them fine.

Accidentally, added a bit more of the liquid food coloring, I suggest you add drop by drop to obtain lighter color tone.

Baked this Strawberry Cake No Jello for first 30 minutes @ 180 C then reduce the temperature to 160 C and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.  Apply frosting of your choice if desired.

Other cake recipes you should try:

Banana Upside Down Cake

Marble Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake Diary Free

EASY BROWNIES FROM SCRATCH

These Easy Brownies From Scratch are made with cocoa powder, plain flour, butter and sugar. They come  together in minutes.

I found most brownies recipes  are made of almost the same ingredients  but  vary on the  quantity of butter, sugar, flour and cocoa powder used.  Previously baked  Banana Brownies Eggless  and Yeasted Chocolate Brownies Eggless  that uses more flour  and  turned out almost like a cake.

Recently  discovered that there is a brownies that use loads of  chocolate with least amount  of flour.  Am yet to try this.

Easy Brownies From Scratch does not require mixing the batter until fluffy, just combine until well blended and don't even use baking powder or baking soda.

These brownies come together in minutes.  For best result, do not over bake,  check them after 30 minutes.  You may want to add toasted nuts like walnut, pecan or cashew before baking.  Easy Brownies From Scratch  were chewy, chocolatey and simply wonderful.  By the next day, a pan of brownies was gone.

CLASSIC BREAD PUDDING

This Classic Bread Pudding is an easy dessert using a stale bread soaked in a milky egg mixture.

I used to make it using my white sandwich  bread, crust removed then cubed, but today I made this Classic Bread Pudding with multi grain bread, cut the slice into half length wise.

Also baked this pudding in my  9 x 11 in  baking pan instead of the heavy glass dish.  It does not matter what utensil you choose, it still turns out great.  The advantage of using a glass dish is that it can go from oven straight to dining table.

It can be customize to your liking by adding cinnamon, nutmeg or lemon zest.  If you are a chocolate lover, add a cup of  chopped bittersweet chocolate or add in fruits like banana (2),  blueberry, strawberry, raspberry (2 cup) or dried fruit (1 cup) just before baking.

This simple  Classic Bread Pudding came out beautiful and and  taste exactly the same  I enjoyed as a child.

Other recipes using bread:

Microwave Bread Pudding
Egg Free French Toast
Roti John (Asian French Toast)
Bread Paratha

FRESH STRAWBERRY CROSTATA

This  Fresh Strawberry Crostata is a free form tart recipe featuring fresh strawberries wrapped in buttery pie crust.

It has been  2 years since I  baked  Pumpkin Galette.  I have recently managed to purchase fresh strawberries and now it is a time to bake a crostata again. These strawberries are vibrant and absolutely gorgeous,  they stay firm when ripe.  If you need tips of making a perfect crust,  kindly check my Apple Crostata  post.

This Fresh Strawberry Crostata requires a buttery crust and a filling.   Prepare the crust first before proceeding to make the filling.

Wash the strawberries and drain well. the strawberry is like a sponge that absorbs water  so do not let it soak in water.  If the strawberries are big, slice into 3 or 4 lengthwise.

Made mine into 2 x 6.5 in circles instead of one  big one,   The size and shape are  entirely up to you, whether you choose a square, round or rectangle.

FLAT TOP BANANA BREAD RECIPE

This classic Flat Top Banana Bread is always a favorite, whenever I have over ripen banana,  this is the bread I used to make.

It uses one and half cup of mashed banana, yogurt and butter to produce a moist and divine banana bread.  It took 50 minutes to bake it at 180 C.

Easily turned this basic banana bread to the next level by adding chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut or blueberry.  So, if you're craving for a sweet, warm and super easy treat,  this Flat Top Banana Bread is the best option.

As this bread was extremely moist, place the bread  in an airtight plastic container then store in a refrigerator after 24 hours

VEGAN HOMEMADE DOUGHNUTS

A vegan and yeast free doughnuts for our tea time treat this week.   Found this recipe on Facebook.  It looks easy and quick to make.

These Vegan Homemade Doughnuts use vegan margarine and soy milk without yeast.   If you're not a vegan, you can use butter and fresh milk.

Original recipe calls for deep frying but I opt for baking instead.  Also did not coat them with sugar as we wanted a savory version.

The dough of these  Vegan Homemade Doughnuts are really sticky,  I added a tablespoon of flour to make it easier to shape by forming the dough into a ball, flatten it and make a hole with your floured finger or else roll the dough and use a doughnut cutter.

The doughnuts turned out very tasty despite they don't rise much as compared with  deep fried ones.  I think we need to add another teaspoon of baking powder if it is baked (original uses 1 teaspoon).

VARIATIONS

Liquid can be replaced for fruit juice, you can even add chopped dried fruit.

For savory bread, add tomato juice instead of soy milk,  sun dried tomato may be added to the dough

Brush the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt  and oregano for foccacia flavor.

RED VELVET BANANA CAKE RECIPE

My Red Velvet Banana Cake was slightly different from the regular red velvet as I have added mashed banana  in the batter.    Am attracted to its color and curious to know how the combination  of chocolate  and red color turns out plus a little twist by adding banana.

This Red Velvet Banana Cake  uses yogurt and banana to moisten the cake  In case you're not keen to use banana, you may add 2 more eggs plus 1/4 cup of yogurt.

Sadly my cake did not turn out deep red in color but overall, it was amazing cake.  You're hooked after the first bite!   Used liquid red food coloring for this recipe.

The ideal pan to use is a 12 cup bundt pan as I don't have it,   bake them into  a small bundt and another 8 in cake pan.

Red Velvet Banana Cake turned out wonderful.   Extremely pleased with moist and tenderness of the cake.   Will bake again as my family enjoyed it.   Even my boy can't wait to devour it  after I removed it from the oven.

Other cake recipes you should try:

Banana Upside Down Cake

Marble Cake

Eggless Chocolate Cake Diary Free

MUTTON BIRYANI RECIPE

Eid-ul-Fitr  is a day of forgiveness and joyous occasion  by strengthen  ties with people around you.   This is not complete without visiting and feasting.

It is a must for every household to offer a feast to their visitors.  The feast offered can be anything either main dish, sweets, flat bread or  even noodles.   It does not need to be elaborate,  any simple meal is most encouraged.   Always think about others who had nothing and avoid wastage.

This year I try this Mutton Biryani for my close relatives.   It involves a lot of work but I managed to do it all by myself.

The step require you to marinade the mutton with spices, yogurt, cilantro and fried onion for at least 12 hours.  The longer the better to allow all the flavor absorbed by the meat.

I have chosen slightly different method by cooking the meat until tender before layering the rice.   The mutton sold here is really tough hence this method is the best option.

Since the meat is already cooked and the rice is  1/2   cooked, need not to cook it much longer.  So glad my visitors enjoyed this Mutton Biryani  and some even asked for the recipe. .