Coffee Cake by DH Kiara

Hi there readers of Yue Ky's blog, Desperate Housewives in Holland. I have been asked by YueKy to guest write on her blog and I am very happy to do so. The invite was some weeks ago so this recipe, the classic coffee walnut cake recipe is long overdue- (The walnuts are optional).

200gm butter
165gm brown sugar
80gm castor sugar
3 eggs
300gm self raising flour
60ml strong espresso coffee combined with 125ml milk
1tsp coffee flavour (optional or if your coffee is not strong enough)
35gm walnuts, toasted and chopped.

Coffee Butter Cream
200gm butter
300gm icing sugar
2tbsp VERY strong espresso coffee

Beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beat until just combined.
Stir in half the sifted flour, then half the combined coffee and milk, stir in remaining flour, coffee mixture, then chopped walnuts, if using.

Spread mixture into 8inch pan. Bake at 180C for 1hour.
To make coffee butter cream, beat butter, sifted icing sugar and coffee until well combined.

Split cold cake in half. Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread 1/3 of the coffee butter cream. Top with the other half, cut side down,then spread top and side of cake with remaining cream.

Cake can be frosted with other cream i.e - mousseline cream or chantilly cream.

Enjoy!

                 Check out Kelly's blog

Mooncake

I baked some mini mooncakes for the first time and boy it was not easy easy feat. I really need to invest on some good tools. The taste is nothing to be proud of. But maybe next year it would be better.

I was way too ambitious and added orange flower essence for the snowskin and orange juice in the red bean paste. Maybe I should stick to the traditional recipe. 

Couldn't get any pumpkin seed over here but had to improvise a bit with almond. I suppose it is okay? And yes I killed a koi fish.

I suppose I shouldn't post a recipe here as it is not so good. Don't want any koi fishes harmed!

DIY deco

I have been meaning to post this for a long time. Every summer there is a neighbourhood party. This year me and 3 other neighbour volunteered to organized a BBQ party. I especially enjoy in decorating the party. This summer Holland has decided to skip summer.It has been raining the entire summer season. Luckily one of our neighbour has a huge tent and canopy for the party.
I have discovered some cool and easy ideas for the party.

For one, was this cool place card idea. Just cut a piece of paper for your labels and stick it into a potato. Everyone seem to be excited about this place card holder and good news is we can actually decide to barbeque it if we want to.

I saw these poms poms many times in the shop. But their prices stopped me from purchasing them. They run to about 4-5 Euro each. Imagine having to decorate the entire room with them.

Luckily I discovered how to make these myself. It was surprisingly easy and materials are surprisingly available at home. I could use tissue or crepe papers. But this time I used plastic garbage bags.

My 70 something year old neighbour came to help with this DIY project and went a bit mischievous and combine different colored bags in one pom poms. The result was cute.

It was so easy. I am thinking of trying using fabrics to make this one day.

Sakura Showcase Party

Susan (DH Germany) hosted a Sakura Showcase Party and if I may add, we ended up with Spicy Showcase Party as well. Anyone MAY prepare something using the element of sakura flowers. 

DH SweeLake created FujiSan Jelly ( Mount Fuji ) with Sakura clouds dancing in the sky.

This Edamame beans is so delicious with avacado and sakura fish flakes. I wished the pinkish sakura flakes retain its colours because I was awed with its pastel pink sweet tint. But DH SweetLake who was preparing this assured me it is not going to happen the flakes will blend in with the rest.

I tried my hands in cookies for the first time. And decorated the cookies with some sakura flowers using icing and preserved sakura flowers given to me by DH SweetLake.

I wanted to give DH Germany a gift, so here you go Brown-eared Bubul bird pot painted by me! A bird which is commonly found sitting on sakura trees in Japan feeding on the sweet sakura pollen in spring time. I had to hold this pot in my 2 hours journey crossing over border to Germany. Probably left some cookie crumbs in my my husband's car. It was pretty handy when my kids were hungry and need to snack in the car. They were making sure the cookies are still good they said.

  Meanwhile the host prepared some sakura scented macarons with  sakura ganache and violette cassis macarons.

                    Aren't they beautiful?

DH Germany introduced us with this lovely bubbles serve with young berries. They were not only pretty but it taste so good.

                

             A toast to the friendship.

             After that we sampled some sweet delights.

Emeraude Entrement by DH Germany

Angku by DH Friesland

By DH Friesland

Spicy Showcase was followed.

Agak-agak Chicken Rendang by DH Hamburg

Beef rendang by DH Holland

                  By DH Germany's hubby

                                                                DH Easthouses

Chicken Rendang recipe courtesy of DH Dubai/DH Sweden aka DH 2 Homes

Sambal Prawn with Petai by DH Germany

Sambal Tempeh

                    Curry Duck with Lychee.

                                                        Squid Pineapple Curry.

                                   

                                                       German Sausages

DH Hamburg brought this to remind us we are in Germany. With such good food we of course, remembered.

Served with these drinks and we were ready for more fun.