No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

For a change I made these Mixed Fruit Cupcakes as a substitute for X'mas fruit cake.   These cuppies will be appropriate especially for a family get together or pot-luck and I believe they will be a hit with the kids. Mixed fruit cupcake  ~   杂果纸杯蛋糕 Ingredients 125 gm butter 80 gm caster sugar 2 eggs 250 gm self-raising flour 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup milk 150 gm dried fruits (sultanas, figs, cranberries) 1.1/2 to 2 Tbsp Rum a pinch of salt Icing sugar for dusting (optional) Method Soak the dried fruits with Rum for a few hours or overnight. Sift the self-raising flour with salt, set aside. Sprinkle some flour from the above onto the mixed dried fruits.  Mix well. Beat the butter with sugar till light, creamy and pale.  Add in eggs one at a time, mix thoroughly.  Add in vanilla. Fold in sifted flour alternating with the milk.  Add in the mixed fruits, mix well. Spoon the batter onto the cupcake lined muffin pan, three-quarters full.

A light and refreshing sponge cake which I decorated with icing sugar and sugar shards to depict a Christmas atmosphere! Pumpkin sponge cake ~   南瓜海绵蛋糕 Ingredients  (adapted from  'here'  ) Ingredients (A) 4 egg yolks 30 gm caster sugar 20 ml coconut milk 1/4 tsp salt 50 ml oil 1/2 tsp vanilla 70 gm mashed pumpkin (Steam the pumpkin and mash it up) 105 gm plain flour 10 gm rice flour 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (B)  4 egg whites        1/4 tsp cream of tartar        50 gm caster sugar Method Line the base of an ungreased 8 inch round springform cake pan with parchment paper. Sift plain flour, rice flour and bicarbonate of soda, twice.  Set aside. Mix coconut milk with salt, set aside. Using a handheld mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar till pale.  Beat in oil, coconut milk and vanilla.  Add in mashed pumpkin and stir to combine. Add in sifted flour, set aside. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites till frothy, add in cream of tartar and beat

Almost everyone enjoys receiving yummy food gifts during the holidays and I believe that these fruity and citrusy aromatic Passion fruit cookies will make a wonderful gift for family and friends.  You can place these cookies in glassine bags or wrap them up in wax paper and secure  with a colourful ribbon.  Another way is to fill them in inexpensive cookie jars, or containers, seal tightly and tie a bow.  Have fun!            Passion fruit cookies ~  百香果曲奇 (adapted from 'here' with adjustments) Ingredients 185 gm butter 190 gm self-raising flour 95 gm cornflour 140 gm icing sugar 3 passion fruits 1 tsp lemon zest Method Sift self-raising flour and cornflour, set aside. Cream butter, icing sugar, lemon zest till light and fluffy. Add passion fruit pulp and mix well. Fold in sifted flours, mix well. Cover with cling wrap and let chill in the fridge for an hour or so. Roll into balls, place on a parchment lined baking tray. Press with a fork t