Recipe: Marble Cake

Morning, earthlings! What's your plan on this lovely Saturday?

It's time to update about my weekly bake, was supposed to blog last few days but I procrastinate as usual HEH So here goes! Well, if you followed me on Instagram (username: hildamildaa), you should have known what did I bake last week (:

Once in a while, I will crave for marble cake, no idea why but I just do. Not really a healthy option but no harm indulging something sinful sometimes *chuckles in denial mode* As I was looking for recipes to bake that day, I saw this marble cake recipe. It doesn't look complicated, so I decided to give it a try! Since my family love butter cake as well. It's just like any typical butter cake, just that it requires extra few steps to make the marble effect. The ingredients are pretty easy to get too.

Ingredients:

150g butter

70g sugar

4 egg yolks

80ml milk

180g self-raising flour

2tbsp cocoa powder

4 egg whites

70g sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

 Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C.
2. Beat the butter and sugar before adding in the egg yolks and milk. 
3. Then in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, add sugar gradually.
4. Add in the egg whites (second batter in step 3) into the first batter, beat until well incorporated before adding in the flour.
5. Remove 1/3 of the batter into another bowl, add in cocoa powder and fold well.
6. Pour 1/2 of the original batter into a lined cake pan. Next pour in the cocoa batter. Finally pour in the remaining original batter.
7. Use a chopstick to create some random designs (this is where the fun part is) on the batter (basically just draw some circles) to create the marble effect. The messier the better. You can also add a few drops of the cocoa batter on top so it doesn't look so plain on top. 
8. Lastly, bake in oven for 50 mins.

TADAAAAAAA, the end result!

Erupted like a volcano, it doesn't look appealing T__T Probably the temperature was too high LOL 

Marbling effect wasn't that prominent too but I guess it's okay? HEHE cause I think I was pretty safe, I didn't make it messy. 

Close up of the sinful and moist marble cake I made :D 

That's pretty much it. I'll probably try another method (whole egg method) again and see if there's any difference in texture. Lemme know if you guys are gonna try this recipe or perhaps lemme know if it's successful. Either way, I hope you guys like it. Cause it's really simple and delectable too *licks finger* Especially if you have it with a cup of cold milk!

Till then, happy baking!

xx

Eté Café @ Penang

Oh, hi there! ヽ(；▽；)ノ

Looking at my never ending list of pending posts, I'm quite happy that I managed to cross out a few already.  At least I'm productive this holidays *smirks* Back to while we were in Penang for our clinical placement few months back, we girls sort of have this weekly bonding time over caffeine every Sunday so today I'm gonna blog about one of the cafes that we've visited. 

As we stumbled upon Eté Café as one of the recommended cafe on Google, we decided to give it a try. The cafe, located at one of the shoplots along Jalan Carnavon is pretty obsecure since it has no apparent signage.  But thanks to Jie Yi's eagle eyes we managed to locate it easily without going rounds after rounds. You just have to drive slowly and be alert. The parking space are quite limited as well.

Eté Cafe is a family-owned coffee hotspot, run by a Taiwanese couple. Both of them learnt baking skills from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in France. So if you favour freshly baked French pastries, desserts and savory items, you should really drop by :D Customers patronize them to experience their siphon coffee and tea too.

It was packed to the brim when we were there so we were lead to back of the cafe. I actually thought they probably have more tables inside and the next thing I know, I was walking out of the back door. Feeling confused, they took out a table and placed it at the back alley. I was like, WHUTTT are we sitting outside here? Yeap, we did. HAHAHA well I wasn't complaining, I just find it rather cool, in a way. Our so-called private room is actually at the back alley, which is good for us cause whenever we are, we seem to be the loudest group that we might even annoy people with our loudness. So it's good that we are placed at the back alley, we can just talk and laugh as loud as we want. 

The back door :P 

Good thing the weather was not as hot as it is now, and gladly these trees provide us shade too. 

Googled what Eté means in French, it's summer (:

So close to nature as though we are having picnic in the forest lol 

Eté Love @ RM8
I suppose this is one of their signature cakes since almost everyone that visited this cafe ordered this. It's a mango passion fruit cream cake, not a usual dessert you can find anywhere. You can find a nice balance between fruits and cake, with a mixture of sweetness and sourness. However, the taste of mango is more distinguished compared to the passion fruit. 

Alhambra @ RM8
A slice of hazelnut chocolate sponge cake topped with cocoa glaze that is creamy and rich in flavour. You'll get the oooomph everytime you sink your teeth in it. If you're a chocolate lover, I would totally recommend this. It's nothing like brownies or moist chocolate cake, irresistible yet unmemorable. 

Sea-salted Caramel & White Chocolate Mousse @ RM8
This is the least favourable cake among the others but I actually liked it, probably cause I love anything that has salted caramel (:  Perfect match with a cup of Brazil Santos coffee. 

Iced coffee @ RM10 
They have an extensive list of various kinds of coffee beans with description on the menu. However, you can always ask for opinion or recommendations if you have no idea which to order. It all depends on how you like your coffee, sweet or bitter. The famous one would definitely be the Brazil Santos coffee. The coffee beans in Eté Café are freshly grounded and brewed with siphon, which is one of their specialty. 

As usual, a pot of tea for me. I couldn't remember the exact name of this tea but it was the famous Taiwan Oolong Tea and I didn't regret with my choice. It was really good, clear and fragrant. 

Mushroom Quiche @ RM10 
I just had to order this cause I can't resist anything with mushroom. Such a lame excuse I know :P They serve pizza too. 

It took them quite a while to serve us this, probably they prepare this on the spot. The crust was crispy and it's soft in the inside. When we cut it open, there was juice oozing out :OOO

Delectable on every bite, love it!  

Brazil Coffee @ RM10

S

Just in case you wonder how does it look like to be having tea and coffee at a black alley HEH

Like we owned that place HAHAHA #likeaboss 

So this is what they gave me when I asked them to pose for the camera lolol 

Girl, you gotta learn how to drink your tea in a graceful manner. 

The different types of coffee beans in jars and those are the siphons on top of the rack. 

You can see an array of mouthwatering desserts when you enter the cafe. They also serve tarts and colourful macaroons. 

Their only signage that we can spot and now you know what I mean by no apparent signage. 

I love the idea of decorating the exterior with those brown coffee sacks. So if you're finding for this cafe, just look for these sacks! And oh, there's a police station opposite it. 

To be frank, this is the most expensive tea session we have as the bill came up to RM70+ in total. Their sweet treats and beverages are slightly pricey but it's definitely worth the price. Small in quantity yet large in satisfaction and taste. I guess it's okay to indulge once in a while? So if you need to find an escape to relieve your sugar cravings and satisfy your sweet tooth, this is the place! :D 

Eté Café 
79 Lebuh Carnarvon
Georgetown 10300
Penang
Business Hours: 11:00 am – 6:30 pm (Closed on Tuesdays)
Tel: 017 4350922
FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/etecafe
GPS Coordinates: 5.416083, 100.335333

xx

Timeless Truth Instantaneous Brightening Cooling Mask

Blessed Sunday, people!

I know I'm probably the last person to be blogging about this TT instantaneous brightening cooling mask. I was supposed to receive these masks two months back but thanks to the efficiency of PosMalaysia, I guess my parcel went missing somewhere and it just never arrive at my doorstep. So I had to inform TT Mask Malaysia via FB and I was really happy with their prompt reply and action taken. They even insist in having my masks sent via Poslaju to my hometown which I receive two days later, earlier this month. Double thumbs up for their good customer service!

My first encounter with TTMask was when I received one of their masks in my first box of Vanity Trove (click HERE to read) but I didn't write any review about it. 

Received 3 pieces of TT Instantaneous Brightening Cooling Mask and the Swallow's Nest Whitening Mask, along with a discount voucher from TTMask. 

Just a short intro about TT Mask;

Timeless Truth Malaysia (TT Mask Trading) was incorporated in August 2012 to support Timeless Truth’s expansion plan in Asia. They are the exclusive sole distributor for Timeless Truth brand in Malaysia.The humble beginning of the “Timeless Truth” brand started back in 1988, France. Ever since then, TT has been playing an active role in the international trade of skin care products arena. Timeless Truth has taken the market paradigm shift from France to Taiwan in 1998. New products are invented every year in response to different target groups’ market requirement. With a wide selection of skin care products that cater for different needs from the consumers (facial masks, eye masks, neck masks, foot masks and breast masks), Timeless Truth is definitely the preferred brand of choice. — Source

YAYYY Another discount voucher from them! Muehehee :D I've received one from Vanity Trove as well as from Ladies Edition's Worthy Book. 

These are the Brightening Cooling | 極透瞬白冰沁面膜 Mask under the moisturizing  mask series.
Its benefits are cooling, moisturizing, smoothens skin and whitening. 

INGREDIENTS
 STAY-C 50, m-Tranexamic Acid, Calendula, Menthol, Hyaluronic Acid, DI Water

1.  STAY-C®50 reduces dark spots and slows down formation of melanin to allow even toned finish for the skin and brings back clarity. It is one of the best active ingredients for skin whitening, and builds a blockage for UV rays. 
2.  m-Tranexamic Acid is medically used in prohibiting bleeding issues. It is proven to have highly effective result in reducing melanin growth and pigmentations. m-Tranexamic acid is capable in reversing and inhibiting dark spots to fight mild inflammation. 
3. Hyaluronic Acid is non-toxic that serves as the most important space filling substance in the human body. It holds water in the skin to keep collagen hydrated and provides a youthful look. Hyaluronic Acid has moisturizing capabilities on skin’s structure. 
4. Menthol is derived from peppermint. It is used as a cooling agent and fragrance to give a refreshing and soothing sensation to the skin.

[BEFORE]  With my fringe and hair all tied up, I can haz quite a big face lol 

The size of the face mask fits my face perfectly and it's not loose. I suppose it's designed to suit asian's face size so yeah I love the fact that the mask was intact the whole time due to the specialized weaving technology, unlike certain masks which tends to peel off or displace. The non adhesive cuts allow the serum to be 100% absorbed by the skin pores as well. The mask is really damp and  generously soaked with essence.  If you see clearly, there are even drops of serum dripping down on my neck from the mask :P which I find slightly irritating. 

      How to use: 

1. As usual, use after face cleansing. 
2. Adjust mask to align the center of the mask with the center of the skin contours positioning openings for eyes and mouth. The darker side of the mask fits on the face to maximize the efficacy. 
3. Remove mask after 15-20 minutes. 
4. Gently massage the remaining essence into skin. Post cleansing is not needed. 
5. Apply skincare products thereafter to lock in moisture. 

[AFTER] I'm not sure if you can see the difference but I felt it myself after using the mask. 

It does have the instant brightening effect, as my complexion appear to be more radiant after using the mask. The mask is really cooling and it has this minty sensation due to the menthol in it. I was pretty impressed that the cooling sensation stays throughout the 20 mins (that I almost felt asleep) even when I'm using it during a hot sunny afternoon. Definitely something that I've never experienced with any hydrating masks that I've used before this. I felt so much refreshed and hydrated after using the mask. Major loveeeeeee ♥(ʃƪ´⌣`) I can totally see myself using their masks after this! 

They have quite various kinds of facial masks for different type of functions and even neck, eyes and foot masks. You can check out more at their official website (http://ttmask.my/) or their FB page (http://www.facebook.com/ttmaskMalaysia?fref=ts).

P/S: Selected TT masks are now on promo at Hishop with free delivery for purchases above RM50 *steal* Promo ends tomorrow, so hurry up!

On a side note, besides the new Instagram video function, another hot topic that everyone is talking everywhere would be the terrible haze that Singapore and Malaysia is experiencing now. Thank God that my hometown isn't that badly affected but the hot weather is really taking its toll on me! So just a gentle reminder to all, keep yourself hydrated and stay indoor (good time to pamper yourself with a cooling facial mask too HEH) if possible. Get yourself face masks too if you have to head outdoors. Take care people, especially those in West Malaysia T__T

Have a great week ahead.

xx 

Bob The Maid

Can I have this maid at home? 

Too cute that I couldn't resist not to post this one. I know everyone most of you, especially the girls are having a Despicable Me fever, cause even my FB timeline is full of these banana addict creatures' short videos and what not.

This is exactly how I feel, couldn't contain my excitement any longer for Despicable Me 2! 

Okay, one last one. Promise :P

Ohhh, they like butts too! HAHAHAHA

Have a butt-tiful weekend, I mean great weekend (; xx

Recipe: Low Fat Banana Chocolate Loaf

Hi guys!

Well if you know me, you would know baking is definitely one of the things I enjoy doing! I'll definitely try out a new recipe to bake everytime I'm home on a semester break.

So this time round, I decided to do a low-fat banana chocolate loaf. It's a bread in a way but it looks like a cake too. It works either way I guess :P The initial plan was to bake a marble cake first, but I had a few overripe bananas so I suppose it's better to make good use of them rather than throwing them away.

Ingredients: 

300 g self raising flour 

60 g sugar 

1 cup chocolate chips 

1 cup mashed banana (approximately 3 bananas)

2 eggs 

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp vanilla essence 

250 ml low fat milk

Oh, don't forget the secret ingredients too but it wouldn't be a secret if I tell you. So don't forget to add a cup full of love and a tsp of patience as well! HAHA Lame IKR. And for a even healthier version, it's best to use brown sugar instead and maybe you can replace the chocolate chips with berries or nuts. You can also add sliced bananas or almond slices on top of your bread. 

Daddy even got me a new set of measuring cups and spoons (＾▽＾) 

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C. 
2. Sift flour and baking soda into a large bowl. 
3. Add brown sugar and chocolate chips, mix well. 
4. Add milk, eggs, vanilla essence and mashed banana. Gently fold the batter until well combined. Do not over mixed the batter, lumps are totally fine. 
5. Spoon batter into a lined tin and top with almond slices or anything as desire. 
6. Bake in preheated oven for 30 mins. 
7. Serve warm! It tastes extra nice when it's warm (: 

Here's the end result :D
I was really happy cause I never expected it to be this successful.
Most importantly, it smells really good! 

Here's how it looks in the inside. 

Close up of the yummy banana chocolate loaf I made.

Too bad the loaf was a tad dry due to the fact that I added extra flour when the batter was runny. So do expect a slightly runny batter. The whole loaf gets even harder everytime I heat it up（；￣д￣) so it wasn't a total success after all #macamyestapibukan

Love the fact that this is a really easy recipe and it requires no oil or butter! Healthy much, no? It's suitable to be served for breakfast or tea. If you love banana, you'll definitely love this. Feel free to give it a try :D   

Definitely gonna bake again this week, so stay tuned for the next recipe okay? Happy baking!

xx