Recipe: more on Chinese New Year celebration

Can't seem to find where i put my New Year Cake recipe. so here are some for you to have a look. like i said earlier, should you find these are not possible to prepare at home, just bring your most popular sweets and the host will be happy! i have couple of cookie recipes posted out on the Baking Board. One of them is the "Almond Cruch" and those are very easy and popular with my friends here. Do have a look.

happy Chinese New Year to you too!

eggy/m'isa
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Here are 3 "Fatt Kou" recipes. "Fatt" means "getting rich" and this cake looks like a muffin and should have that broken top. Chinese use this for most prayer and it will be OK as a Chinese New Year gift. Some people make it a "GIANT" size for fun and for good luck.

Chocolate Fatt Kou
Ingredients
300g water-lily flour (low protein flour)
2 tsp double action baking powder
250g castor sugar
2 tsp ovalette/Quick 75
2 eggs
150ml water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp cocoa powder
Method
MIX all ingredients, except cocoa powder, in a bowl. Use a balloon whisk and beat until fluffy. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir evenly with a metal spoon.

Heat small cups in a steamer. Pour batter into the steamed cups. Steam the fatt koh over rapid boiling water for 25-30 minutes over high heat.
The kueh of prosperity ... Sweet potato fatt kou (left) and pandan fatt kou, two of the varieties popular among the Chinese. Sweet Potato Fatt Kou
Ingredients
(A)
120g water-lily flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp double action baking powder
25g castor sugar
1 tbsp shortening
55ml water
(B)
200g steamed sweet potato (orange type), finely mashed
(C)
130g water-lily f1our
2 tsp double action baking powder
110g sugar
1/4 tsp ammonia
Method
MIX ingredients A well and leave in an air-tight container to ferment for five hours. This is the starter dough.

Sieve the flour and double action baking powder (C) into a large mixing bowl. Add in sugar and ammonia. Mix in the starter dough and blend well. Add in ingredient B and knead well to form a soft dough.

Make into small balls and put into paper cups. Place the paper cups into small metal cups. Leave aside for 15-20 minutes to rise.

Steam the dough for 25 minutes over high heat. Pandan Fatt Kou
Ingredients
(A)
150g water-lily flour
30g rice f1our
2 tsp double action baking powder
150g castor sugar
(B)
Mix well together these ingredients:
200ml general santan
1/4 tsp pandan essence
Apple green colouring
Method
PREPARE a steaming wok and allow water to boil. Arrange small Chinese tea cups and steam well.

Mix ingredients A in a mixing bowl. Add in B gradually and use a hand whisk to mix. Sieve the batter. Pour into the hot tea cups and steam over rapidly boiling water for 25 minutes.

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New Year Snack
Ingredients A

120g peanuts
120g cashewnuts
120g walnuts
3 tbsp sesame seeds
12 sheets spring roll wrappers (cut into strips)
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp oil
Seasoning

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp five spice powder
1/2 tsp salt
DEEP-fry peanuts, cashewnuts and walnuts (ingredients A) and spring roll wrapper strips in hot oil until golden brown. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Pour honey and seasoning and cook over low heat. Mix in the fried nuts and coat evenly.

Just before serving, garnish the spring roll wrapper strips on top at the centre.
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If your hosts are from South East Asia, ie. Indonesia or Malaysia and Singapore, they will LOVE this cake as it's very popular over here.

Specot (Indonesian Layer Cake)
450g butter (use good quality butter)
275g fine castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp brandy
20 egg yolks
10 egg whites
85g fine castor sugar
225g Superfine flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp mixed spices
Method:
LINE and grease the base of a 23cm (square) loose-bottomed tin. Preheat oven to 180 C.
Sift flour, baking powder and mixed spices into a bowl then divide into three equal portions.

Beat egg yolks until creamy with a hand-held electric mixer.

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla essence until light. Add brandy and continue to cream until fluffy. Blend in creamy egg yolk mixture slowly and gradually.

Fold in sifted dry ingredients in three batches, one-third portion at a time. Mix well with a metal spoon.

Whisk egg whites with sugar until stiff. Fold meringue into the creamed mixture until well-combined.

Spoon 4 tablespoons mixture into prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or till golden brown. Remove cake tin from oven and turn off the oven. Heat up the grill.

Brush each layer of the cake with a little melted butter. Use a skewer to prick the bubbles on the surface of the cake then press lightly with the flat bottom of a glass container. Continue in this manner until all the batter is used up.

Spoon 3 tablespoons of mixture over the first layer and spread evenly. Grill at 220 C for 2 to 3 minutes or till brown. Repeat layer after layer till all the mixture is used up.

For the final layer, preheat oven at 150 C and bake the entire cake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Leave cake in tin for a while before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. Cut the cake only when it is completely cooled.

Note: This cake will turn out beautifully only in an oven with two elements--a bottom heating element and a grill element. The flavour of the cake will be further enhanced after a day or two; it keeps well in an air-tight container for up to a week.