Master Chef Junior Dubai

 Remember the book I was talking about called Bringing Up Bebe? In the book there is this bit about how french children are given a chance to bake since young and even at a tender age of 3 or 4, they are TRUSTED with the ability to bake and one of the first cakes that they will attempt is a Yogurt Cake.. which uses the yogurt cup to measure out the ingredients.

Apparently, the act of allowing your kids to bake and measure things allows them to learn patience and helps them with their motor skills.

I figured since Ace is already 7 years old.. he is more than ready to attempt this cake on his own and for the very first time in his life, I allowed Ace to cook something.. everything done by himself from SCRATCH ;)

 Step one, pouring out the yoghurt...

 Step two, break an egg! He did it without having shell bits falling into the cake mixture:)

 Some vanilla essence...

 Measuring out the sugar...

 Now measuring out the flour...

 Now mixing in everything...

 And the last bits! chocolate chips!!!:)

 To save trouble of using the oven, I just used my lightly greased happy call pan...

 Tadah!

It is suppose to taste best with some sort of cream but i couldnt find it so wat the heck, eat with ice cream lah! Max says it is delicious!

Ace was so proud and happy he says he would like to offer some to his friends because  "I like to make things for them.." And so I cut some for him to share with his friends and everyone loved it.. especially JH as he liked Yoghurt:)

The experience seems to have given Ace some sort of confidence and without us requesting him to, he is now volunteering to do most things by himself... if he eats an apple, he wants to wash and peel it by himself.. (he ended up peeling a little bit of his skin off with the peeler but well, that is how you learn right?) and he is now even keen to learn how to iron clothes, how to mop the floor too:) I think the confidence translates over to the other little things in his life as well, Max noticed this too:) initially he was not so impressed when i shared about Bringing Up Bebe but now that he has seen how this baking episode has given Ace confidence, even he is saying, "Looks like the french parents are doing something right!"

Anyway, we are planning to bake another milo flavoured one with chocolate chips next week!:)

PS:


Now tat he is confident to do more by himself, Ace is learning to iron his own shirt before he goes out:)

PPS:
Just in case you are interested to experiment with your children..

“gâteau au yaourt "(Yogurt Cake)1 six-ounce containers plain whole-milk yogurt (that is 170mg)
(use the empty containers to measure the other ingredients)
1 eggs
1 containers sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Less than 1/2container vegetable oil
2 containers flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Gently combine the yogurt,”
“eggs, sugar, vanilla, and oil. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; mix gently until ingredients are just combined (don’t overmix).

You can add 1/2 container of chocolate chips and half container milo powder. You might always wish to add in fruits like raspberries or even some chopped nuts..

Use vegetable oil to grease the inside on HCP and pour mixture in. 

Bake 5 min on left side, 5 min on right side,  Bake another 5 min on left side n another 5 min on right side.

Flip pan over and bake 3 min on each side.

It should be almost crispy on the outside but springy on the inside. Let it cool. The cake is best served with tea and some ice cream. (Or if you can find, it. best served with a dollop of creme fraiche .. I think it is some sort of sour cream.)

Note: please double the portions if you are baking using a 9 inch baking pan in an oven. It should go into a preheated oven at 375 (degrees Fahrenheit)  for 35 min. 5 min more if it doesnt pass the knife test.

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