An effective way to chase away the long-lasting winter cold jitters is to share a square of warm Zuckerkuchen with your friends. Come and join Angie to experience the joy and delight of this classic German coffee cake.

1. Place all the ingredient for the batter in a mixing bowl, stir for 4-5 minutes at the middle speed until all the ingredients are well-combined.
   
   
2. Pour in a 26x16x4cm glass pan or a square cake pan. Bake in a preheated 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes.
   
3. Mix all the ingredients for the topping. Take out the cake and slowly pour the topping over the cake. Return the cake to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Lamingtons are a butter cake in the shape of a cube, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut. Recipe adapted from Joy Of Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and place oven rack to middle position. Butter the bottom and sides of a 26x16x4cm cake pan. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
   
2. In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
   
3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
   
   
4. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Re-invert. Once the cake has completely cooled cut it into 15 2-inch (5 cm) squares. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or even overnight. The reason for doing this is that it is much easier (less crumbs) to coat a cold cake with frosting.
   
5. Place the confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.
   
6. Put the squares of cakes on a serving plate lined with a baking sheet. Have ready the coconut on a large box or a plate and the chocolate frosting. Spoon or ladle the chocolate frosting over each square of cake, making sure you cover all sides. With a knife transfer the chocolate covered cake to the plate of coconut and roll the cake in the coconut, covering all sides. Gently transfer the lamingtons to a clean wire rack to set. Once the lamingtons have set, store in an airtight container for several days.

Five flavours - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - are found in this unique five-spice powder containing fennel seeds/小茴香籽, cloves/丁香, and Chinese cinnamon/肉桂, along with star anise/八角 and Szechuan peppercorns/花椒 .

1. Rinse and pat dry fish fillets. Cut each into 2-3 even chunks and place them in a bowl. Add in marinade and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Strain the marinade into another bowl and stir in all the ingredients for the sauce.
   
   
2. Heat the oil till it is bubbling, then turn heat down to about medium-low. Place fillets into the pan and cook, covered, for 3-5 minutes until cooked thoroughly. Transfer the fish on a serving plate and sprinkle the shredded red pepper and spring onion over. Pour the sauce into the skillet and bring it to a boil. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve immediately.

Alaska pollockm the member of the cod family, sometimes called walleye or bigeye pollock, is a lean fish with firm, white flesh and a nice flake.

1. Separate the broccoli into the small florets. Wash and drain. Rinse the fish fillets and cut into even chunks.
   
2. Fill a medium pot with water and heat it on high until boiling. Add in a bit of salt, sugar and oil. Drop broccoli florets into the boiling water and cook without lid on for about 3 minutes. Drain.
   
3. Pour enough water with half ginger and onion into a skillet to just barely cover the fish. Bring to a boil. Add in fish fillets and 1 teaspoon of rice wine. At the same time poach the broccoli in another pot of boiling water seasoned with a little salt and oil. Once the fish is cooked through, remove and reserve the stock.
   
4. Heat up a skillet with some oil. Add in the rest of ginger and onion, stirring until fragrant and lightly brown. Pour in the saved fish stock and bring to a boil. Discard the ginger and onion. Return the fish fillets to the skillet, adding the rest of rice wine, seasoning with chicken bouillon and salt.
   
5. Thicken with the starchy solution and drizzle with some cooked oil. Turn off the heat. Arrange the fish fillets on a serving plate, and surround the dish with the prepared broccoli. Garnish with shredded carrot. Serve with a dish with oyster sauce.

The Marshmallow is a confection that, in its modern form, typically consists of sugar or corn syrup, water, gelatin that has been softened in hot water, dextrose, and flavorings, whipped to a spongy consistency. Wikipeida

1. In a saucepan on low heat, combine marshmallows and milk. Cook until marshmallows are melted, and mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. If using 200 grams of marshmallow, I would suggest adding 1 teaspoon of gelatin powder into the mixture.
   
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in egg yolk. Fold in 1/3 of the melted marshmallow mixture, then quickly fold in remaining marshmallow until no streaks remain. Stir in lemon juice. Beat cream until soft peaks form in another bowl. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
   
3. Place the sponge cake in a mousse ring on a serving plate, surround with wafer rolls, then spread the cheese mixture into it. Chill overnight or at least 3 hours. Decorate with chocolate and hazelnut crocant.

Smooth and rich cheesecake, for me, is always a delightful treat. I usually would bake my cheesecake with bain marie (BAN-mah-REE) to prevent cracking but the moisture of this carrot cake helps to keep the cheesecake part from cracking.
Recipe adapted from Ultimate Cheesecake (E-cookbook Library)

1. Mix crumbs, sugar, butter and milk and press onto the bottom of a 26-cm spring form pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
   
2. Using your hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, Quark, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add the cornstarch, eggs, lemon juice, and salt. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
   
3. Whip together the oil, sugar, and eggs until well combined. Mix in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until well combined. Add in carrots, walnuts and raisins. Pour the carrot cake batter onto the crust. Spread evenly.
   
4. Drop the cheesecake mixture atop and bake in the lower rack of the hot oven for about 55 minutes. Turn off the oven and let cake cool in oven with door ajar for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Chill overnight.

These breadcrumb-coated fried onion rings turned out crisp on the outside but tender within. I have also tried the onion rings coated with old-fashioned batter, which I have used for the fried milk. Use a bit more of milk if the batter is too thick. They taste as crisp and good as the crumbs-coated ones. They go very well as a side-dish with hamburgers or as a snack all on their own.

1. Peel onion and slice about ¼ inch or larger (depending upon preference) thick; separate into rings. Cover with cold water and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain and spread out on paper towels.
   
2. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of flour, egg and water in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, mix ½ flour and baking powder. Place bread crumbs on a medium, flat dish. Dust onion rings with flour mixture. Dip one at a time into egg mixture and coat thoroughly with bread crumbs.
   
3. Heat enough oil in a large, heavy skillet to 190C/375F. Fry coated rings in the hot oil, a few at a time, until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

A pretzel is a twisted braided bread of German origin. They are either soft or hard. Hard pretzel, like "Salzstangen" sold as snack in every supermarkets in Germany. Other flavours, like chocolate or sugar icing coated hard pretzels are popular too. Soft pretzel is usually made from wheat flour, water, and yeast, sprinkled with coarse salt. Enjoy them with sausages, mustard and beer!

1. Dissolve the yeast with the lukewarm milk in a mixing bowl. Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and make a well. Pour the yeast mixture in the well. Stir the dough until thoroughly mixed and the dough loses its stickiness. Cover and let rest until doubled, about 1 hour.
   
   
2. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each into a rope about 15 inches /38 cm long. Twist into a pretzel shape by crossing the ends of the rope to make a loop, then twisting the crossed ends once and fold across the loop, firmly pinching the ends together. Let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes.
   
3. Bring a large saucepan (non-aluminum) of water to a boil. Stir in baking soda and reduce to a simmer. With a slotted spatula, lower 3 or 4 pretzels at a time into the pan. Let simmer for about 30 seconds. Drain and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake in a preheated 200C/400F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Fish is usually served whole in my hometown, esp. in parties, celebrations, and ceremonies. A headless, tailless fish is considered incomplete and unaesthetic. According to chef Sam (my favourite chef from HK), besides superstitious reason, a practical reason for leaving the fish intact is fewer juice escape during the cooking process.

1. Have fish cleaned, drained and cut into 2 segments. Rub fish segments with rice wine and salt. Heat oil in a heavy pan until 175C/350F. Gently lower in fish and pan-fry until golden on each side. Drain on a kitchen towel and set aside.
   
   
2. Leave a little oil in the same pan, add in star anise and pepper corns. Stir until fragrant. Take away the star anise and pepper corns. Add in ginger, garlic and onion, pouring in some stock or water. Then add in rice wine, soya sauce, salt, sugar and vinegar, returning the prepared fish into the pan. Bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
   
3. Arrange the fish on a serving plate. Thicken the sauce with the starchy solution and pour over the fish. Drizzle the sesame oil over and serve immediately.