Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake

Chinese New Year (CNY) usually cannot go without some auspicious cakes like Kueh Lapis Legit (千层糕), Kueh Baulu ((鸡蛋糕), Walnut Cake and etc. This year, I have come up with a something new apart from the usual CNY cake using "orange zest, dried longan, cranberry, chia seeds, yogurt and Cointreau" to bake this Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake for Chinese New Year.

LONGAN AND CRANBERRY YOGURT CAKE

The cake itself is soft and moist due to the added Greek Yogurt and plus it has a light fruity aroma which comes from the dried longan, cranberry and Cointreau. And instead of adding poppy seeds which we cannot get hold in Singapore, I replaced it with some Chia seeds which helps to add extra "popping" texture to the cake. Other than the flavour, Chia seeds are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which our body needs.

(Make: 10- 12 Cupcakes | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 20 - 25 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 245g Self Raising Flour
• 175g Unsalted Butter, cubes
• 180g Caster Sugar
• 3 Eggs (60g each)
• 30ml Fresh Orange Juice
• Zest of 2 Oranges
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 4 Tablespoons Of Greek Yogurt
• 50g Dried Longan, roughly chopped
• 50g Dried Cranberry, roughly chopped
• 2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds
• Some Almond Slices
• Some Kumquat slices, optional
• 40ml of Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Method:-
1. In a small bowl, soaked dried longan and cranberry using either Cointreau or Grand Marnier for at least 30 minutes or more. Stirring twice or more in between.

2. Using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar till pale and creamy.

3. Beat in egg one at a time till combined. Add in orange zest and vanilla extract, beat well.

4. Next fold in sieved flour in 3 batches alternate it with orange juice and yoghurt. 

5. Stir in Chia seeds and mix it well before adding in the longan mixture. 

6. Divide cake mixture into cupcake cases (do not filled it to the rim, leaving about 1.5 cm allowance for the cake to raise)  or prepared loaf tin. Top with some Kumquat and almond slices.

7. Bake in preheated 180°C (degree Celsius) oven for about 25 minutes or when the skewer insert in the centre and comes out clean.

Tip:
~ To make your cake taste better you can use vanilla sugar instead of normal caster sugar.

Longan And Cranberry Yogurt Cake:- A small token of appreciation for my friends

Since Kumquat (金橘) is available during Chinese New Year, I decided to add a few slices of the Kumquat on top of the cupcake together with some almond slices for auspicious out look and festive feel. But if you cannot find these two toppings you could always swap it walnuts, orange slices or etc according to your preferences.

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

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Georgian recipes green beans with herbs and garlicky yogurt mtsvane lobios borani

Its a season for green beans (aka French beans, fine beans, string beans), though Im getting my beans from the market stall just now and not from my garden. Back in April, when all decent gardeners were sowing their beans, I was in Tuscany with my dear K. and our three small kids, so some of my vegetables will be ripening later than usually this year, as they were planted or sown later than they ideally should have been planted or sown :)

Todays recipe is a flavoursome Georgian (= the country in the Caucasus region, not the state in the US :)) vegetable dish, with loads of herbs and a garlicky yoghurt dressing. Simple to make (and during winter you can cheat by using frozen beans) and a great way to use a great variety of herbs from your allotment or backyard.

Enjoy!

Youll find all of Nami-Namis Georgian recipes here.


Green beans (haricots verts) at a Lyon market in France, August 2009

Georgian-style green beans with herbs and garlicky yogurt
(Rohelised oad ürtide ja küüslauguse jogurtikastmega)
Serves four to six

450 g green beans
1 onion, chopped
4 Tbsp butter
0.25 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
freshly ground black pepper
finely chopped fresh herbs, including (purple) basil, tarragon, coriander/cilantro, dill, savory

Yoghurt dressing:
250 g strained Greek yoghurt
1 small garlic glove, minced
0.5 tsp salt

Garnish:
1 Tbsp fresh spearmint, finely chopped

Trim the beans, cut into 2 or 3 and blanch in a salted water for a few minutes or until al dente. Drain. (If you use frozen beans, then these are pre-cooked and just need to be defrosted.)

Heat the butter on a large frying pan/skillet, add the chopped onion and sauté till translucent. Add the pre-cooked beans, then season with cinnamon, cloves, pepper. Fry gently on a medium heat, stirring every now and then, until the beans are fully cooked and soft.

At the same time prepare the yoghurt dressing. Place the minced garlic clove and salt into a bowl and pound into a paste (or simply use a fine Microplane zester/grater). Mix with yoghurt. Put aside.

Add the chopped herbs to the cooked green beans, toss thoroughly and heat for another minute. Transfer the herbed beans into a serving bowl, drizzle the yoghurt dressing on top.

Garnish with mint. Serve hot or at room temperature.

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