26 June 2013

Little Coffee Cakes

Happy midweek everyone! Hope you have had a smooth first half of the week and are looking forward to a great weekend wherever you are.

To kick start my weekend (I do start early, don't I), I found a really good Little Coffee Cakes recipe. These mini cakes are really moist and rich in flavour. They are incredibly delicious and I can’t promise you that you’ll stop after one little cake!
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There is no bitterness to these little cakes and they are surprisingly light too. This is the first time I've succeeded in making proper icing however I still need to work on swirling it properly so it does not taste only yummilicious but also looks fabulous!

Copyright Yoyo's Kitchen Adventures

It does look devilish, doesn’t it? The recipe was superb. Even Daniel, who isn’t a fan of icing, finished two little coffee cakes at once! Here's the adapted recipe for these wonderful little cakes.

Ingredients

  • 50g golden caster sugar
  • 70g butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 70g self-raising flour
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee mixed with half tbsp water

For the icing


  • 100g butter, softened
  • 80g icing sugar
  • 1 tsp instant coffee mixed with half tbsp water
  • 25g plain chocolate, melted
Instructions (Baking time 17 minutes) 
  1. Heat oven to 170C. Line 18 holes in 2 bun tins with fairy cake cases. 
  2. Beat the sugar with the butter until light and creamy. 
  3. Beat in the eggs, one by one, adding 1 tbsp flour at the same time. Beat in the rest of the flour along with the coffee. 
  4. Spoon into the cake cases and bake for 17 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.  
Instructions for Icing
  1. Beat the butter until pale, then gradually beat in the icing sugar, followed by the espresso and the melted chocolate.
  2. Decorate the little cakes with icing when they have cooled.
Tips
Unless we're really desperate to wake ourselves up, we don't drink espresso. That hardly happens so I don't have any at home. I didn't see the point of spending a few Euros on a bottle when the recipe calls for less than 2 tablespoons of espresso so I used oridinary coffee powder which works just fine. As with all the recipes you'll find here, I always put less sugar than what's stated in the original recipes. 

If you could resist digging into these little coffee cakes immediately, I recommend chilling them for a couple of hours before serving. The icing would have set a little more by then. Unlike some cakes which get dry after refrigerating them, these stay moist even after keeping them for two nights. 
 

23 June 2013

Midsummer Swedish Kladdkaka Cake

Happy Midsummer everyone!

Actually I’m not sure what people say to each other on this day. Midsummer is celebrated in Europe (particularly in the Scandinavian countries) and it takes place around the same time as summer solstice. As Singapore is a tropical island located near the equator, we have pretty much quite the same number of daylight hours throughout the year. In Europe, summer solstice occurs on the day when we have the longest daylight hours.


Source: Robert Nyman’s website
Before living in Europe, it was hard to imagine that it would still be bright at 10pm in England. I thought Daniel was trying to impress me (who knows why this would be impressive?) when he told me this fact years ago. But I don’t remember him telling me about the long, dark winters. CHEATER BUG!!!

Here’s a BBC picture of the Brits mark summer solstice at Stonehenge.

 
Source: BBC News 
And since I love the summers in Germany (on days that actually feel like summer) I looked up online on how to bake Kladdkaka which is a Swedish chocolate cake with a gooey centre. I baked it today and I must say it is officially my favourite chocolate cake. It’s soft in the centre which melts in your mouth when it’s warm.
Copyright Yoyo's Kitchen Adventures
If it’s your first time baking this cake you might wonder if it’s actually cooked through. Unlike most cakes, if you poke a stick through its centre it will NEVER and SHOULD NOT come out clean. It is meant to be gooey, sticky... NOT DRY.

Copyright Yoyo's Kitchen Adventures

Here is the brilliant recipe from it from All Recipes

Ingredients
  • 60g all-purpose flour
  • g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1g sale
  • 2 eggs
  • 240g white sugar
  • 15ml vanilla extract
  • 115g butter, melted
Instructions (Baking time - 35 to 40 minutes)

  1. Preheat oven to 150C. Lightly grease an 8 inch tin.
  2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set it aside. 
  3. Stir the eggs into the sugar until smooth. 
  4. Add the flour mixture, and stir just until combined. 
  5. Pour in the vanilla extract and butter. Stir until it is well combined.
  6. Pour mixture into tin.
  7. Bake in the lower tray of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the center has slight set.
  8. Allow cake to cool before serving.  
Tips
This recipe has been tested by many and received a high rating overall. I followed the recipe exactly (word for word) and it worked out really well for me. The only thing I might change on hindsight perhaps is to reduce the amount of sugar used since I sprinkled icing sugar on the cake before serving.

Don't worry if this cake doesn't rise just like other ordinary cakes. It is meant to be a little flat and dense. But I assure you, it is DELICIOUS. 


Copyright Yoyo's Kitchen Adventures
So, here we are wishing everyone a good week ahead and Happy Midsummer!

14 June 2013

Habitual Saving

You don't need to be in dire need of financial help to start budgeting. In fact, it is essential to know the importance of budgeting to ensure that you're aware of your finances and plan for the future. A lot of us have legitimate reasons to complain about inflation, rising costs of housing etc and we worry what will become of us in 35 years. Many people try to save but fail to do it on a regular basis thanks to the ease of swiping credit cards. It's not so much the determination to set aside a fixed amount monthly but rather a habit that we need to get into when it comes to saving money. So, the question is how can we get into the habit of saving?

1. Know your spending habits
You need to know what you're spending on. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Most of us could probably give a good estimate of how much we spend monthly. However this mission gets difficult if we were asked to break it down into categories such as clothes, food, leisure etc. I started taking note of what we were spending on by looking through bank statements, bills, any direct debit set up and keeping receipts for at least a month. The whole point of this is to look at the generic spending patterns you have and know where the money is going.

You’ll realise that there will be recurrent expenditures such as (but not limited to):
 • bills (electricity, gas, water, internet, phones)
 • council tax (if applicable)
 • rent
 • transport fees
 • food

Once you’ve added them up, hopefully the outgoing is less than the incoming!

2. Identify things you enjoy
Set aside 15 minutes one evening and write down a list of things you enjoy doing or like. Next is to identify the things you don’t care about but spend out of habit and the things you truly care about. A friend of mine was spending €1.90 from Mondays to Fridays on coffee. Assuming there are 22 working days a month, his monthly allowance for work coffee was €41.80. He decided that it was more than what he would like to spend on coffee. Hence, he stopped having his daily coffee treats. He decided that buying a coffee was something he did out of habit and not something he really enjoyed. It was merely a routine he got himself into.

I’m not suggesting that we all give up coffee and be anti-social. On the contrary, I believe that we can still keep up with our social lives without compromising our budget. If you’re one of those who needs a good coffee on a daily basis, why not bring your own coffee to work? Most workplaces provide a good pantry/kitchen where you can heat up your lunch or make drinks these days. Instead of having a total “makeover” of your spending habits you could start by taking baby steps. Treat yourself to coffee three times a week and not five. Soon you’ll break out of the habit.

3. Be realistic
After you’ve paid for the essentials, look at the amount you have and determine what a realistic amount to set aside each month is. To me, a realistic amount is one which still allows me to enjoy my day to day life without breaking the bank. I’m not particularly fussed about dining at restaurants every other night. In fact I am capable of surviving an entire week without eating out. But that’s because I enjoy cooking and have the luxury of time to do so. I understand that saving is such a personal thing and it does require you to make changes to your lifestyle (whoever who tells you otherwise is talking nonsense). But you have the last call. You decide for yourself if you’re willing to make those minor changes and save the money you need for better purposes.

4. Set a goal
Don’t we all need a goal to be motivated? Well, I do anyway. There must be a reason for you to want to save and I call it a “goal”. I have long term and short term goals when it comes to saving. Long term goals could be a deposit for a house, retirement, investments (generally goals that I’ll achieve in 5 years time or more). Short term goals could be the ability to go on frequent holidays, shopping for shoes (I love shoes and I really don’t have enough of them!), home deco etc. Once you know your specific goals, it will not only motivate you to save for them but you will also have a better idea how much you want to put aside monthly.

Be careful not to “borrow” from yourself to achieve short term goals. If you see a pair of shoes that costs €100, I’m sure you’re able to put it on credit or just pay immediate cash for it. The “if you won’t be broke, just spend it” mentality is the precise cause of one’s failure to save. Didn’t our parents teach us to save our pocket money to buy our favourite doll/ transformers or sweets when we were little? It’s the same concept. Getting a pay cheque doesn’t mean we go absolutely crazy and buy every pretty thing in our way.

5. Pay yourself
Once your employer has paid into your current account, the next thing you should be doing is pay yourself in your savings account. This isn’t a new trick but setting up a standing order would be a great start. It’s best time to pay yourself is a couple of days after you’ve been paid (taking into account public holidays and weekends). As your savings build up they should grow faster too (only if bank interest rates aren’t this low now!). On transfer days, I check that the money has been successfully debited into the savings account and that’s it. However small an amount you’ve set aside, give it a couple of months and you’ll be surprised at how much you’re actually saving in the long run.

These are the exact five tips that I use to help me get into the habit of saving. Saving isn’t something we do for a couple of months and then stop. It is a habit that we need to get into to make our dollar stretch further. On my money saving journey, I’ve also learnt more about myself and others. I know what I value more these days and things that I couldn’t care less about. If you have additional tips that you would like to share, please comment below. I would love to know what else works for you guys.

7 June 2013

10 Tips to Reduce Your Grocery Bill

You've had a blast at university and landed yourself a great job but student loans are eating your pay cheques. Maybe you've just moved in together in a rented house/ flat and are saving for the 10-25% deposit of your first home. Maybe you're saving for the big day. Maybe you're planning on having a little addition to your family and want to have more financial security. Or, you just want to save some extra cash for your annual summer holiday. 

You've scratched your head real hard (sacrificing a few strands of hair), done the maths and wondered if you could possibly reduce food expenditure without compromising on the quality of food. Of course the answer is "YES"! 

I’ve gathered some tips which I follow that might help you save money and still enjoy your food. Hopefully these little tips will help you change your spending habits in the long run. However, I can't emphasise enough how important it is to still enjoy your food, eat healthy meals and not buy something that's cheap (but horrible) just for its price.

1. Be your own chef
It is indeed romantic to dine out. An evening dinner for two with drinks comes up to an average of €30. Not too bad, you might think. Now, make that twice a week, 8 times a month, 96 times a year and the final bill is a whopping €2880!

Despite wanting to save more money, we’ll still need to live our lives and socialise. So I’m not suggesting that we become hermits and bury ourselves at home. It’s all about striking a balance. 

Eating in can be fun. Plus you’ll get to show off your culinary skills! For the inexperienced, it’s time to get some practice in the kitchen. It doesn’t need to even be a fanciful 3 course meal; it’s the thought that counts. Being your own chef also means you can make healthier meals – less fat, salt, MSG and sugar. Why not invite some friends over on a weekend for a potluck party? 

Whenever I eat out I consciously choose dishes which I can’t cook at home. I mean, why pay €10 for bolognese (with all due respect to the REAL chefs out there) when you can easily cook something similar for less than half the price for two servings? Decide for yourself if it’s going to be money worth spending. 

To ensure that we stretch the Euro further, we’ve cut down on eating out to once a week. This makes the night out a more cherished one as it feels a lot more like date nights. It’s the one day of the week when we have no washing up to do.

2. Plan your meals
I’ve been guilty of roaming down the aisles of supermarkets with an empty trolley wondering what on earth to cook for dinner. The end result – overloaded trolley, hefty bill and an aching back from lugging the grocery bags home. 

It helps knowing in advance what you’re cooking and buying only what’s necessary. Every Friday I “brainstorm” on what’s for dinner for the following week. Why Friday? It’s because everything closes on Sundays in Germany and we do our shopping on Saturdays.

Planning your meals in advance means you do not succumb to emotional needs at the supermarket. You’ll no longer pick stuff just to fill the trolley only to find out later that you haven’t really got the essential ingredients to whip up something healthy and delicious. 

I used to spend an average of €45-60 per week on unplanned shopping. More often than not, there was food wastage because I bought too much fresh food which we didn’t consume in time. Now that I plan meals, my weekly shopping has been reduced to €30-35 a week to feed two of us. This includes breakfasts and dinners for both of us and lunches for me. A savings of €15 a week works out to €780 a year. That’s pretty impressive. 

3. Make a shopping list
Now that you’ve got a weekly meal plan, you should have a concrete idea on what you actually need to buy. Make sure you have the quantity written down. Remember, buy what is only necessary!

A shopping list keeps you focused and saves time too. I used to spend an hour or so roaming around the supermarket picking random items to fill my trolley. But now, I’m done in 20 minutes or less.

4. Eat your veggies
It’s generally cheaper to eat vegetables than meat. And it’s definitely healthier. This doesn’t require you to change your diet. All it asks of you is to have a “Pro-Veggies” day. There are plenty of vegetarian recipes online which are very tasty. It’s only a day, you can do it!

5. Waste less food (stop over eating!)
I used to buy 250g mince instead of 180g because they cost only a few cents more. I thought I was getting more value out of it. The true story however is, we could never finish 250g mince! Even when we did, we felt horrible for gorging down too much food. All it did was made me worry about my already disappearing waistline. 

As shoppers we need to change our mentality. If we’re not eating that much, we might as well pay less for the smaller packaging. There will be less food wastage and more pennies (and probably a slimmer waistline too).

6. Set a weekly budget
Firstly, you’ll need to know how much you’re spending each week on grocery shopping. Secondly, know how many meals need to be paid for. Once you’ve figured that out, think about how much you’ll want to save. Be realistic about it. It is very important that as we save our pennies we do not compromise on our quality of life and the quality of food we consume. Oh, and stick to the budget!

My tip is to give yourself a trial period of a month or two to change your shopping habits. Collect all your supermarket shopping receipts (however small the purchase is) and keep them on your fridge. At the end of the month calculate how much is spent and have a think whether you would like to save more or if you’re being too harsh on yourself. 

7. Use what you have
How often do we really do an inventory check of our kitchen cabinets? I almost never did till I decided I need to be more careful with my spending. 

Much to my surprise I had tins of tomato sauce, pasta sauce, half opened packs of flour etc. They added to the collection of sauces I bought on previous occasions sitting on top of the fridge. Yes, what a disaster! I was buying stuff I already had.

Such products have a long shelf life, but surely I should only be getting ingredients that I don’t have in the kitchen. It wasn’t as though I was stocking them up because they were on sale. Sad to say, they were items I bought to fill my trolley. 

I suggest having a look at what you already have (check the expiry dates!) and finish them before stocking up.Look for recipes which use up those cans of food first before buying more.

8. Shop at different places
I am utterly pampered by British supermarkets. The food looks fresh and I always have an excellent shopping experience. When I moved to Germany the arrogant me within refused to shop at Lidl, Penny Markt and Aldi. Even Rewe wasn’t impressive but I knew I would be crazy to shop at Galeria or Karstadt frequently. 

However after a long discussion with my husband on how we can get more value from the money we have, we decided to check out Lidl. I had a list of things to buy and knew how much they cost at Rewe. A lot of items (same brand, same item) were cheaper at Lidl compared to Rewe and sometimes up to €1 less. 

Be careful of brand loyalty. Sometimes cereals of a different brand taste just as good. We bought a 750g pack from Lidl for €1.99 when a 375g pack at Rewe was selling for €2.95. It tasted just as good so yes, we’re switching brands. 

For many people, convenience is of the highest factor to consider. You might like getting all your necessities from one store and call it a day. If you’re lucky to have 4 different supermarkets just a 5 minutes walking distance from where you live (I’m the lucky one), I suggest popping into all four and do a price comparison. You’ll be surprised to know how different places price the same items differently.

9. Eat your fruits
A 1litre fruit juice (not the horrible concentrate stuff…eeewww) costs approximately €2.95. We usually finish it in 2 days which means we spend an average of €44.25 a month on juice itself.
While it is definitely important to get those essential vitamins in our body to fight off colds, €44.25 can be better spent on eating the REAL fruits. Why not make yourself a fruit salad which can be kept in the fridge for a 2-3 days and serve that for dessert? If you really need a drink, there’s always water. Do I need to get into the health benefits of drinking 8 glasses of water a day?

10. Stay away from the stores
There’s no such thing as “just browsing” when it comes to grocery shopping. You’re bound to get something (even if it’s tiny). Once you’re done with your weekly shop and got everything you need, stay away from supermarkets. Whenever you see beautiful flowers or dark purple seedless grapes on sale at the entrance of supermarkets, tell yourself this "It's a trap!".