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Orange Muffins – Delishar | Singapore Cooking, Recipe, and Lifestyle Blog

This muffins were almost impossible. Don’t get my wrong, they are super easy to make. All you need to do is blend, mix, and bake. It was almost impossible because my oven died on me while it was preheating. I had everything prepared and ready to go. Then the electricity at home tripped! Everything was dark. At first, I thought it was some electrical appliances that my helper was using in her room. Or my steam iron that has been giving us problems. But I turned around, and my helper was right behind me.

I checked, turned off my oven then the circuit breaker stopped tripping. My heart was broken. I was thinking, oh my… no more baking/roasting for me! A part of me kinda died with the oven as well. And I was really disappointed as I have promised my girls to make them orange muffins. The only saving grace is that the oven died at the time when I was about to mix my wet and dry ingredients. My heart would break even further knowing that those ingredients have to go to waste. So I started packing up, and sealing stuff in air tight containers, hoping that my oven will rise from the dead the next day.

Then I proceeded to give my oven a pampering spa scrub, bath, and a good massage. Then stuck a thirsty hippo in to absorb all the moisture as I read moisture is a common culprit for causing the oven to trip. Well, the next day I crossed my fingers, toes, hair, and eyes while I walked over to turn my oven back on. IT WORKED! IT’S ALIVE! I LIVE AGAIN! Phew! I was so freaking happy.

orange muffins Insta 1

I happily pulled out all the ingredients that I’ve saved and started the process again. Finally threw everything in my blender to blend. Mixed it and into my preheated oven. I literally stood by my oven to watch it bake, while gently coaxing it, and verbally encouraging it to hang in there and not die on me again. Definitely showing it a lot of love and attention, but it was well worth it!

The house smells amazing while the muffins were happily rising in the oven. The aroma of butter and orange was driving my saliva glands and tummy crazy. And the smile on my girls faces in the morning was priceless. The muffins were fluffy, and kind of have a texture of light butter cake. They were gone in no time at all. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Don’t forget to take part in the Chinese New Year 2016 S$500 Paypal Cash Giveaway! Click to go to GIVEAWAY PAGE and complete the rafflecopter widget at the end of the post!

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Orange Muffins

Delishar

1 seedless orange peeled and sliced (I used Navel Orange)
1/2 cup 118ml orange juice
1 egg 65g, grade AA
1/2 cup 113g unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup 224g all purpose flour
1/2 cup 100g castor sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 200C.
Line muffin tins with muffin liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a blender, place orange slices and orange juice.
Pulse until smooth.
Add butter and egg, then blend to combine.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
Fold wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
Fill muffin cups to 3/4 full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to wire rack to cool completely.

Use room temperature orange, juice, butter, and egg. If not your liquid ingredients will curdle. If it does, just blend it a little more and mix well with dry ingredients. But be careful not to over work your batter or you will get gummy/rubbery muffins.

orange muffins

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Orange Cocoa Loaf Cake – Delishar

A while ago I made a Jam Swirled French Yogurt Cake what was extremely delicious. I wanted to try making it with orange zest instead of lemon zest. However, I wanted to make it a little different, so I added cocoa powder because cocoa and orange are a match made in heaven.

I cannot begin to describe how fragrant my house was while the cake was baking in the oven. The lovely aroma of citrus filled the house, and little smiling faces came running into the kitchen asking if I’m baking them a orange cake. And when I said orange and chocolate, their smiles grew even wider! It’s moments like this that I treasure so dearly, and it is such a joy to be able to cook and bake for the people I love.

If you are wondering what to do with the mountain of mandarin oranges you collected for Chinese New Year. This would be a recipe you can make. Substitute the cocoa powder for plain flour if you want to make a plain Orange French Yogurt Cake.

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Orange Cocoa Loaf Cake

Delishar

9×5 inch loaf

1 cup 128g flour
1/2 cup 64g cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup 169g sugar
Zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup 175g + 2 tbsp (35g) greek yoghurt (or natural yoghurt)
1/3 cup 74g corn oil / grapeseed / canola
2 large eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp espresso powder optional

Preheat oven to 175C.
Spray loaf tin with non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, sift baking powder, cocoa powder, espresso powder, flour, and salt together.
Using your fingertips, rub orange zest and sugar together until moist.
Combine sugar and flour mixture with a whisk.
Then mix in eggs, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, and orange juice until just combined.
Bake for 50 minutes at 175C or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing it from loaf tin to cool completely.

Orange Chocolate Loaf 2

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Orange Spot Prawns – Delishar

The prawn we have available in Singapore are the grey prawns, tiger prawns, red leg prawns, and vannamei prawns. Many of which are farmed in Asia. There is also another variety of prawn that is available to us that we know little of. That is the Alaskan Spot Prawns, brought in by The Alaska Guys.

These prawns are wild caught and harvested direct from the pure icy waters of the Gulf of Alaska. These prawns have a orange-brown hue with distinct white spot close to the head and tail. They are large & stout with sweet flesh, delicate flavor, and firm texture.

The Alaskan Spot Prawns are also the cleanest, purest prawn in the world, with hardly any back vein to remove. I slit open all the prawns to make sure that it was clean. True enough, I did not have to remove any veins. They are also considered a delicacy because they are seasonal catch. However, they are now available year round as they are flash frozen when caught.

The thing I dislike most about dealing with prawns is the smell, that nasty fishy smell. However, dealing with these spot prawns from TAG was an absolute dream! They smell nothing like the prawns that we are used to. These prawns has a sweet odor that’s tough to describe. The best way to put it is that they smell like the ocean. After remove the shells, I kept it to make stock. I didn’t want to waste any part of the prawn.

Preparation for this dish was simple. Mix, marinate, and cook. Using orange and honey helps to enhance the sweetness of the prawn, and give the sauce a glaze like consistency. I used mandarin orange for this recipe because I made this just after Chinese New Year, and I didn’t want the mandarins to go to waste.

Leave the prawns to marinate for a longer period of time for a more intense flavour. However, do not leave it to marinate over 24 hours to ensure that the prawns stay fresh.

Orange Spot Prawns

Delishar

450 g spot prawns from The Alaska Guys
2 tbsp honey
Juice of an orange i used mandarin
3 tbsp soy
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp cooking oil

In a bowl, mix honey, soy, orange juice, ginger, and garlic together.
Reserve half of the marinade, and pour the other half into a container or ziplock bag.
Add prawns into container, and allow to marinate for an hour.
Heat pan on medium high heat, and add oil.
Add prawns into pan, discarding used marinade.
Cook prawn for 45 seconds on one side, flip, then pour reserved marinade into pan.
Allow to cook for another minute until prawn is cooked through.
Serve prawns with sauce, and garnished with chopped spring onions.

*This post is a collaboration with The Alaska Guys.

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Orange Salmon Salad (Paleo, Whole30) – Delishar

I love cooking with oranges, especially naval orange. It lends a burst of citrusy freshness with a hint of natural sweetness to the dish which often makes me want to go back for more. Honestly, the salad dressing is out of this world. I would drink it straight up if I have no self-control. At some point I was questioning if I’m eating another portion of greens because it was an excuse to have more dressing.

The marinade for the fish could not be any simpler. Orange, garlic, and thyme go so well together! I’m sure it’ll work well for other kinds of fish or even chicken. Use wild-caught salmon if possible. Yes, it makes a difference. If you have time, package up the fish in the foil and let it sit out in the chiller for the flavours to marry. The aluminium wrapped fish would be perfect for the grill as well!

Orange Salmon Salad

delishar

4 x Wild Salmon Fillets about 180g each
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. fresh thyme stem removed
1 naval orange sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
Salt and black pepper to taste
400 g of mixed salad greens
1/2 Japanese cucumber sliced
1 large tomato sliced into wedges
Salad dressing
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp orange zest
4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 200C
Prepare a sheets of aluminium foil for wrapping each salmon fillet
In a small bowl, mix together garlic, orange juice, and olive oil
Season salmon with salt and black pepper
Lay 2 slices of orange on aluminium foil
Place salmon on top of orange slices and pour prepared sauce over
Place another slice of orange on top and loosely seal the package
Bake for 15 minutes
In another bowl, mix salad dressing together in a tight container, cover and shake until combined/emulsified
Toss salad greens with prepared salad dressing to desired taste
Serve with baked salmon

You can also add some segmented orange into the salad like I did but it’s optional.
You can get wild salmon fillet from The Alaska Guys

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Steamed Moist Orange Chocolate Cake – Delishar

A moist, decadent, luxurious, and ultra delicious chocolate cake that was steamed, not baked. It was surreal when I took my first bite. This cake is hands down one of the best cake I have on my blog. A recipe that I highly recommend.

My girls turned to me after their first taste, with smiles on their precious little faces. Gave me 2 thumbs up and said, “Wow! It’s very good, mom. Very very good!” They say kids are the toughest food critics. It seems this recipe excelled. Steaming the cake was extremely easy with the Compact and Multifunctional Panasonic Cubie Steam Oven.

With all the festive, gatherings, and get together this time of the year, this cake is the perfect dessert to bring to parties. Your hosts and their guests will love you! This is the perfect make-ahead party dish. The cake is so deliciously moist (thanks to the steaming method) that you don’t have to be afraid of it drying out overnight or two in the fridge!

Last year, I shared a Christmas Tree Pizza recipe with you using the fermentation, steam, and convection function. Because the steam function has a 30 minutes maximum time, I wanted to test how it’ll hold up to a recipe that needs twice the cooking time.

As you can already tell from the pictures, it definitely aced the test. All I needed to do was to reset the timer once the 30 minutes beeping sounded. With a quick start of only 20 seconds to get the steamer going, there was no significant loss of steam or heat that will affect the cooking process.

The compact Panasonic Cubie oven is great for families who are space-conscious or would like an extra oven. Measuring only 355 x 455 x 351 mm and weighs only 10.8kg, it is portable enough without much hassle. Although compact on the outside, it is big on the inside. With a 15L capacity, you can fit a whole fish or chicken or a 9-inch cake pan. Do away with a few kitchen appliances with this multifunctional machine. It is a steamer, oven, sterilizer (think utensils & milk bottles), and air-fryer all build into one.

I’m impressed with the intelligent pre-programmed menu. As I looked down the list I was amazed to see deodorization (17) and self-cleaning programs (19 & 20)! Scoring major points here as we all know it’s not fun to clean an oven or remove the smell of strong smelling food trapped in the oven. I like that I can drain (21) the water from the tank and water pipe after I use the steam function. Don’t want any stale water trapped in there, do we?

The water tank holds 600ml of water, which is good for about 30 minutes of steaming. I topped it up towards the end of the steaming process by simply lifting the lid, pour in the water, and popped the lid back on.

Look how perfect the cake turned out!! It was fluffy and ooh so moist. While waiting for the cake to cool, I wiped the inside of the oven to dry out the excess water from the steam. Cleaning was simple, and took barely a couple of minutes.

I like it that I didn’t have to monitor a steamer on the stove and worry about the water drying up or the pot burning or keeping time. And that I didn’t have to worry about adding water into a wok steamer when the water level is low and having to wait for the water to come back to a boil!

I’ll be making this cake very soon and with Chinese New Year coming, I might switch up the navel orange juice and zest to Mandarin Orange to suit the occasion. You can find Panasonic Cubie Oven at major home appliances stores. Search for your closest store here!

Steamed Orange Chocolate Cake

You can also steam it on your stovetop or steamer over medium heat for 45-55 minutes if you don’t have a steam oven.

180 g butter
170 g caster sugar
150 g full cream evaporated milk
50 g navel orange juice
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp navel orange zest
100 g plain flour
50 g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Chocolate Ganache:

50 ml whole milk
200 g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Add the butter, sugar, evaporated milk and orange juice into a heavy bottom pan. Over low heat, stir until sugar and butter melt. Cool mixture to lukewarm temperature.
In another bowl, combine eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Lightly beat to combined.
Pour egg mixture into lukewarm butter mixture. Mix well.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour batter into a lined and lightly greased 8″ round baking tray. Cover with foil and steam over medium for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Remove foil, allow to cool for 15 minutes in the pan before flipping it out to cool completely. Gently remove the baking paper on the cake.

Chocolate Ganache

Heat milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low heat until the edges starts to bubble then immediately remove from heat. Do not boil the milk. Add chocolate chips into the milk, and stir.
Stir until chocolate chips has melted and ganache is smooth and glossy.
Pour over the cake and spread with a spatula or drizzle on the cake before serving.

You can garnish with berries and mint leaves for added colour and flavours. I served mine with cherries and mint with a light dusting of powdered sugar. Want a full chocolate cake instead? Omit orange zest and replace the 50g of orange juice with evaporated milk.