Test Kitchen #4 - Kek Kurma Kayu Manis (Cinnamon Date Cake)

This cake is opened for order. RM 60/9.5 inch square (subject to changes according to dates price and availability). Self collect around Kuching area. Refer to Cafe Order for ordering details.

I never had a chance to spend much time in the kitchen. And if I do, I'd take the pictures of my baking and cooking project. Sadly, the picture never get published...still sitting in my memory card waiting to be blogged about. 

This time its different. I have been wanting to do light cake with dates. It just a matter of time. The basic cake is actually pound cake. But I have adjusted certain ingredient to that I could achieve the flavor that I want. Originally I only want to put dates in a basic cake. But as I went on baking...certain ingredients somehow get its way into my recipe. The best thing about this cake is my brother who only love chocolate cake have declared this cake is the second best in his preference. To have a fussy person like him to said that is an honor. Besides, a dear friend of mine insist to have this recipe. And would be happy to share to all my readers. Do me a favor, whenever people ask for this recipe...please ask them to get it from my blog. The more traffic I get from readers viewing my humble blog....the more motivation I have to update stuff that I love.

So everyone...get ready to bake:

 

The Ingredients (Bahan-bahan):

520g of flour (tepung)

520g of eggs (telur)

350g of sugar (gula) - can reduce the amount tp lessen the sweetness

520g of butter (mentega)

2 heapful teaspoon of cinnamon powder (sudu teh penuh serbuk kayu manis)

2 cups of coarsely chopped date (cawan kurma yang dicincang kasar)

3/4 cup of dried lorange rind (cawan kulit oren kering)

1/2 cup of finely chopped cherries (cawan ceri dicincang halus)

1.5 cap of vanilla flavor (penutup perisa vanila)

1/3 teaspoon of baking powder (sudu kecil serbuk penaik)

9.5 inch square mould (inci loyang segiempat)

Beat the butter till thickens. Set aside.

Pukul mentega hingga kembang dan ketepikan

Beat eggs and sugar till fluffy 

Pukul telur dan gula hingga kembang

Add cinnamon powder and baking powder to flour. Mix well. 

Masukkan serbuk kayu manis dan serbuk penaik ke dalam tepung. Sebatikan.

Add flour mixture and eggs mixture alternately to butter mixture and mix well 

Masukkan adunan tepung dan adunan telur ke dalam adunan mentega secara bergilir dan sebatikan.

Add in dates, orange rind and cherries. Mix well 

Masukkan kurma, kulit oren dan ceri ke dalam aduanan dan sebatikan

Bake in preheat oven in 170 degree celcius till approximately 45 min. Do not open the oven door in the first 20 minutes of baking. Test with clean skewer to check if it is done. 

Bakar dalam oven yang telah dipanaskan pada suhu 170 darjah selsius sehingga kira-kira 45 minit. Jangan buka pintu oven pada 20 minit pertama. Cucuk dengan lidi bersih untuk pastikan ia masak.

Note: For outstanding taste, use premium quality and fresh ingredients

Let me know if u have tried the recipe and give your comments in the comment section below. Appreciate if you could share picture of your cake or modification that you have made to make this cake taste better.

Quest for a special PEN

My search is finally over. I have finally decided to purchase Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch CTH 470 and its wireless adapter. For those who are not familiar with this...it is actually a digital pen with touch able pad (means we can sort of touchscreen remotely...err can you get it?). Some may wonder...why in the world would I be into this graphic (as it is generally known) since it is basically use by artist and photo editor professionals? Here is my long version answer...

Since Samsung Galaxy Note make it first appearance, the first feature that really caught my heart is the S pen. The idea of writing instead of typing on flat surface is more than appealing. It is a must!!! There is time when I do seriously thinking of selling my newly acquired Samsung Galaxy SII....just to own that GNote, But somewhere in between..I've got my senses straight up (btw, a SA in Samsung convince me that my version of SII is a better one...making me more attached to it)...so I have forgone my wants to own Gnote.

I stumble across many educational videos, teaching audience with diagram will be drawn along. I found that it is a better way of teaching. The problem is, if I try to draw on white board while teaching, it is not ergonomic friendly that is I would end up talking to the white board most of the time! So, I started to search for a software that record my screen. After hunting for vast selection of software, I came across something that is usable and free. But then it dawn to me: I can't draw diagram with a mouse. So the dilemma begins....

A simple solution is just to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Yeah....it is fine alright. By the way I see it, there will be a redundancy of usage. I am afraid I would neglect my much beloved SII.  While GNote 10.1 is full of amazing features, it is still not for heavy usage. Heavy in terms of its ability to support powerful software. But the ability to record drawing process with such ease make its place in my consideration despite the possibility to flatten my bank account.

Then comes the Samsung Hybrid Window 8...which I have known earlier....and its launch will come around soon. This baby have all the requirement that I want...it is a tablet that can transform to netbook with a pen and operates on window...it can't get any cooler that this! This would be a perfect substitute for my old and well use HP Mini netbook (on which I am typing this entry now). Unfortunately, the price would definitely out of my sensible reach. Come on....who would want to pay 6k for a gadget that would be easily become obsolete in within 3 years time?

My last resort is to find a mouse in a pen form. A deeper search lead me to this WACOM lines of product (even GNote 10.1 pen feature is coming from WACOM technology). Wow! There is wide range of products, features and usability of this gadget. You could have a mouse in pen form or have this smart pen that could facilitates in serious sketching and photo editing plus the touch pad that allow you to simply use hands gesture to control whatever you have on your screen. I am in. Gonna buy it. But........wait!!! What? The nib (the tip of the pen) wears off easily? I dont want to spent another cent after purchase. I want it to be money free maintenance. Again, I am dumbstruck and really left with GNote 10.1 option.

My gut tells me, there must be some way around the WACOM nib situation. And I am right!! Some genius out there found a cheap alternative to replace the nib. You can watch the video here.

Image coutesy from Lelong.com website

Today, I am awaiting my brother to query its price....seller price since he is the IT bussiness....hopefully I could shave hundreds in discount. That would be AWESOME...

Saya Sayang Mereka

Selalu soklan ni yg korang slalu tanye kan?...Ele..jgn tipu la.....hahah

Minggu ni...aura aku sangat positif....tak kira bila dan mana...tengs kepada seorang teman yang memulakan misi memberi sayang...yang menyebarkan sayangnya ke wall fb aku....

Ni la post yang aku cakap tadi...beliau telah menjadikan minggu ini sgt best...kepada beliau...terima kaseh...suke sangat2

Dan semestinya...aku nak ucapkan terima kasih pada mereka yang telah menge'LIKE' post di atas....korang menyebabkan aku rasa sangat disayangi....*syahdu*

Aku rasa cam pompuan kat bawah ni....sedang dihujani kasih sayang...ngeee*sengih*

Perasaan sayang ni jarang nak diungkapkan kan? Maklumla..budaya kita ni jarang nak open bagai....tapi sekali sekala diungkapkan....terasa best jugak!

So sempena Minggu Kasih Sayang ni (My buat hari...aku extend jadi minggu je la Mai)

Aku nak ungkapkan yang aku sayang pada aku nye

1. Family

2. Sedara 

3. Guru dan pensyarah

4. Kawan2 dan student2 di SRB & SMB St Teresa Kuching, UM, Vista Angkasa, PTPL, TW, KPPS, KSKB Kch, Puncak Alam, Taman Permai Impian...

Mungkin korang kecewa aku tak mention satu2 nama...tp korang jangan pikir aku tak ingat nama korang...sapa korang....rupe korang...

Selalu jugak...aku teringat2 kepada mereka2 yang pernah aku kenal...dan aku selalu tertanye2...kt mana derang ni, sehat ke...happy ke...pendek kata kalian tetap dalam ingatan..walaupun aku suke menyepikan diri...*ecece*

Moga kalian bahagia dan gumbira dalam kehidupan masing-masing....Amin

Note: Ini ialah entri sambungan dari entri ini

Cabut bulu?

Ahh....leganya hati...aku dah pos dokumen utk tukar nama skuter Suzuki 100 yang jadi kuda aku sebelum nih....ah...rindu ngan dia...tp xpe, aku jualkan kat member sendiri...i know he will be in a good hands...

Dalam terkecoh2 nak balik...sempat pulak mata ni baca stetmen kt satu iklan...tapi yang paling aku nampak perkataan 'bulu'....hahah sbb perkataan tu yang aneh kalau nak jadikan iklan pun....so korang mesti tak sabar nak tau pasal bulu hape kan?

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Patut ke tak patut iklan nih?

Aku rasa lebih senang je tulis '.....bersihkan sarang burung walit'....senonoh la bunyi nye. Korang pikir camne?

posted from Bloggeroid

Mereka Sayang Saya

Tajuk di atas mengada....aku tahu...sila muntah...hahaha



Mekaceh *blush* dengan My...si pembuat announcement hebat dan tepat pada abad ini....

My ni dulu sama rumet opis kt Somban dolu....geng masa meroyan, merewang, meriban dan segala2 me- yg ada...

Kini...walaupon jauh...maseh boleh lagi sama me- segala...hahaja

Thank you atas deklarasi anda...aku rasa sgt disayangi....*ecece*

posted from Bloggeroid

Purple sesat

Pagi ini ceria....

Aku nk tunjuk kabel utk phone yg baru...kaler ungu...haha...aku sgt ske...

Nak buat spare kt opis....terpaksa lari tema warna pink....takpe...purple pon ok...tp ketara la kepurplelan itu...

Kabel ni ade kaler oren n kuning....sape nak...leh order kt aku...hargenye RM 8 je tak masuk pos...

Meja opis aku deco skit2 je...sbb Maharani alegik ngn konsep yg aku nk buat...menurut perintah je la...

Nanti aku rajin...aku snap gambar meja opis ku plak....

posted from Bloggeroid

Bertapa di Hari Jumaat

Salam semua...sebelum start pulun kerje nk wat entry ringkas jap....plan hari ni:

Marking paper
Enter SKT HRMIS
Packing
Fly to KL

Pepagi lagi dah tercongok kt library....nak elak gangguan....so tatat...nnt samb citer...

posted from Bloggeroid

Si Bunga Kuning Kerdil

Sekuntum bunga kecil
Dirinya kerdil diselang rimbun lalang
Hanya kerna warnanya kuning
Lalu indah hadirnya....

Begitulah kita
Hanya kerna kita biasa sahaja
Berikan sahaja kebaikan
Moga indahnya hidup kita...

posted from Bloggeroid

Keep Silence

Whoa....such a brilliant quote....indeed, when we hv more value...we tend to minf our own life...right?

posted from Bloggeroid

Le Soleil De Mania

Second sketch for today using a generic pen. A little bit easier than using a finger...but still there is no precision. Owh...there is no replacement for S pen. Maybe u cnould suggest cooler apps for drawing?

I love cupcakes...not only for my dessert (or snack even) but I love it because of what it represent. It is very cute and pretty...giving the air of coziness and festiveness...It melted my heart...to see those tiny delectable piece of art waiting to be savoured...especially when it is decorated delicately.. I am truly obsessed with cupcake....what do u expect?

posted from Bloggeroid

Boredom Kingdom

I feel bored. What a better way to muse myself than doodling? I doodle with this Sketchgram apps. It sure makes ur doodle looks more commercial looking....hahaha....

I rate this apps 3 star....it satisfy my itch to doodle but I can't sketch define form. Using my finger as pen not helping either. Owh...how i wish I own Galaxy Note....huhu

posted from Bloggeroid

Rainbow Gone Bad

This cuppies was made for Dedication Project in my former workplace like last year...my first project ever this semester. I intent to make a striking color combination...but i lost it halfway...now its kinda retro looking design...

Btw...i found this post in a draft...cant recall why i did not publish this...

Well...there is always next tyme right? Keep tuning in...more posts coming up...

Latest Nuffnang Earning: Sept 2012

I blog because I love to write...because I have a lot going on in my mind and I thought blogging could ease some weight off my head. Life in general was mundane...I am looking for something new to do. Reading some of the popular blog and knowing that they can earn money excites me...But unfortunately, there are times when I am lost for words...and I have been neglecting this passion of mine. But I am back...and when I checked my Nuffnang earning...I am one proud blogger! Hahaha....my blog already earn RM 3.50. The last time I checked....I only earned Rm 0.50....well not bad....I wonder if I could get my first check from Nuffnang??

The Search

The idea of blogging straight from my mobile is very apealling. But to this day...I have not found the PERFECT apps yet. So here I am....testing this Bloggerdroid apps developed by PRZEMELEK. Will give the review somewhere later....

posted from Bloggeroid

Samsung Technology Dilemma

Samsung really pushing all their might into producing all sorts of gadget imaginable. After much anticipated SIII launch...nobody could expect Note 10.1 (certainly not me...I was expecting Note II the smhobet* to follow suit)...I am blown away to the idea of tablet with a pen...WHOAA!!! I can do some serious art with it...with 10.1 inch of blank canvas...everything is possible. Reading and taking note would be easy breezy.

Courtesy from Samsung

But deep down...I am a bit disappointed...as I thought there will be no more smhobet*, that Samsung have given up with the much controversial product due to its ambiguity in its classification. But lo and behold ladies and gentleman...Samsung is not cowering from the critics...instead they stomp their feet and say,' We are gonna make u scream!'....and screaming I am. 

Courtesy from Samsung

Comparing the first gen and second gen Note, the plus point is in its dimension, screen size, screen type, battery life, choice of internal storage, NFC availability, bluetooth version, SoC, RAM size and operating system.

Taken from www.product-reviews.net

Galaxy Note 2 do have a lot of boast about...but I wish they upgrade both camera quality (especially the front ones....who would want to make a video call with low quality picture? It defeats the purpose of making the video call). I don't understand why they sacrifice on screen resolution...what is the point of coming out with the latest version if u downgrade some of its feature? Well, I am no expert tech...just a girl with serious addiction to gadget...so I leave it to expert to do the judgement. Hopefully it will not effect much on the viewing quality. If someone ask me to choose between the first and second gen...its the second gen without a doubt!

Someone..somewhere out there may want to choose between Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2. So here is the comparison made by http://versusio.com.

10 Reason for Samsung Galaxy S3

SCREEN
Higher pixel density	313ppi	vs	267ppi	18% higher pixel density 81%
CONNECTIVITY
Has an HDMI output	Yes	vs	No	Video and movies can be watched on a TV with HDMI input
CAMERA
Has a built-in HDR mode	Yes	vs	No	It can automatically shoot pictures with an higher dynamic range (HDR)
Has a serial shot mode	Yes	vs	No	You can shoot multiple pictures in a row
PHYSICAL
A lot shorter	136.6mm	vs	151.1mm	14.5mm shorter
Some thinner	8.6mm	vs	9.4mm	0.8mm thinner 90%
Vastly less body volume	82.9cm³	vs	114.3cm³	27% less body volume
Appreciably narrower	70.6mm	vs	80.5mm	9.9mm narrower
Clearly lighter	133.0g	vs	180.0g	47.0g lighter
POWER
Wireless charging	Yes	vs	No	It can be charged w/o any plugs and wires similar to electric shavers or toothbrushes (as extra)

5 Reason for Samsung Galaxy Note 2 CPU
Faster CPU clock speed	4x 1.6Ghz	vs	4x 1.4Ghz	14% faster CPU clock speed
CONNECTIVITY
Has USB mass storage support	Yes	vs	No	It can transfer files, music, photos via USB, no need to install additional software
SCREEN
Bigger screen size	5.5"	vs	4.8"	15% bigger screen size 98%
MEMORY
Much more RAM memory	2.0GB	vs	1.0GB	1.0gb more RAM memory 96%
POWER
Considerably more battery power	3,100mAh	vs	2,100mAh	48% more battery power

At quick and first glance, it may seems that Galaxy S3 is the one...but don't be fooled. 5 out of 10 reason in Galaxy S3 is attribute by its physical characteristic. And we all know that Galaxy note have its own distinct appearance...otherwise, it is just another smartphone with a pen, right?

Overall, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 is at par. Both have their own outstanding features and as a user, you may have to choose according to you needs and lifestyle. I personally would choose Galaxy Note 2 for I am a doodler. I listen better while doodling. I love the fact that I could save all my doodle to be viewed upon later and i didn't waste paper and pen to do it. Sometime i need to explain things with some visual effect, with note i dont have to scramble to get a piece of paper. Furthermore...I love to read. Having my hands full holding it is not a problem as long as my eyes can read with ease.

After establishing my preference here...this post have yet to end. I stopped breathing when I read about Samsung Window 8 Hybrid. Do you have any idea what does it mean??? It means that all my hopes have become reality. A laptop in tablet form and.....wait.....wait for it....it comes with S pen too!!! WHAT? Seriously it could not be better than that. This suits me PERFECTLY...it got the pen, the capability of a PC and mobility of a tablet. They come in two version: 5 series and 7 series. The 7 series being the high end with Core i5 processor, 4G RAM and 128G SSD...is my first choice (they debut price is pricey though $1200)

Courtesy from Samsung

Albeit the craziness in this tech world...I have to be rational and just be thankful with whatever I have...honestly, one could not keep up with the speed of innovation and  revolution...unless you are some wealthy chic.

Note: smhobet = Smart Phone + Tablet (i create this term...and i think its cool even you aren't). I am not a techno gadget reviewer by choice...but I am so excited about these gadget and i need to share it with everyone. Sharing is caring...caring makes me happy :)

Hunting the rocking

Courtesy to Amazon

I love rocking chair. It adds the feel of both vintage and traditional. After looking through all the option in Amazon, I opt for this one...because it have classic detail and the is....of course white. I have imagined myself sitting there with a book and eventually fallen asleep. Or finishing my crochet project while watching my favorite show on tv.

Then...I saw the shipment term.

No shipment outside US. WHY????????

Note: Anybody in Malaysia know where can I purchase it?

Smile Today

A flower pot...given by a dear student for my birthday...but to this day, I am not sure the name of this plant. Anybody can tell me?

Driving across the town to my workplace in this grey weather was depressing. In this wet and cold weather, nothing is more endearing to me than my soft fluffy pillows and warm bed...owh the feel! Albeit the gloomy mood that surrounds me, I am all smile today when I listened to Panggilan Hangit and Gotcha segment on the radio (both are by different radio station). Both have the same concept: Trolling. I am not going to re-live the story here...cause i know it wont be funny as it should be...But I feel amazingly lifted up...we need that....someone or something that gonna inject happy molecule (metaphorically speaking...and I am not referring to illegal substances) inside our blood vessel...even for a nano second...it is worth to have a smile in a day...because today is a beautiful day. Happy working peeps! 

Note: The pic is not related to my entry...I know...I have tons of pic worth ranting about...but I am just plain lazy to insert watermark in...haha

Lamp post

I saw clear blue sky...and this beautiful lamp post

It remind me of the word SUCCESS

As if...a climbing journey toward infinite

Timeless expectation...of a hopeful man

Note: I kept so many thought inside...sometimes it is cumbersome to repeat it here. But after long hiatus, the itch to write gnawing my insides. I can't keep more words to myself...so here...embrace my random train of thoughts. Missing u, my readers.