Apricot Soufflé Cheesecake

Whenever I start harboring thoughts of giving up blogging altogether, all I needed to do was to try something new(to me)...be it a new ingredient, a new baking method or a new recipe.

Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake

After baking a batch of Oreo Cream Cheese Buns, I was left with half a block of cream cheese. Not knowing what to do with the leftovers, I tried googling for a suitable recipe to use it. I searched using the keywords "125g cream cheese", nothing interesting or suitable came up. I then tried googling in Chinese, "125g 奶油芝士" and this recipe popped right up.

The blog post with the title "125g的奶油芝士也能做出香浓的日式轻芝士蛋糕" caught my attention immediately. This is exactly what I am looking for...to use only 125g cream cheese to make a Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake!

I didn't have much luck with Japanese style cotton soft cheesecake on my previous attempt, once out of the oven, it sank, shrank and developed a 'waist' despite leaving the cake to cool in the oven before unmoudling. However, after my successful attempt at making the 3 ingredients Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake, my confidence level went up :)

I adapted the original recipe a little just to round off the ingredients amount. I baked the cake at 150degC for 60mins. The cake rose nicely and the top was baked to a beautiful golden hue without me having to adjust the temperature or to tent the top with foil. The cake was able to hold the structure so well probably because of the number of egg whites used and the relatively higher amount of flour. This is the first time I baked something using 5 whole eggs, I was actually a little overwhelmed with the shear amount of egg whites that was being whipped up!

Instead of leaving the cake to cool in the oven, I removed it immediately once the baking time was up. Once out of the oven, I dropped the cake pan at a height onto my kitchen counter top (I used a cork mat to protect the counter top). I read that this action helps to get rid of the hot air inside the cake quickly so that the cake will not sink or shrink too much (this also applies to chiffon cakes and bread loaves). I removed the cake from the pan right after as I didn't want it to cool off inside the pan. For me, it is best to remove the cake from the pan while it is still hot, as upon cooling, the top of the cake (the papery thin golden crust) will stick to anything that comes into contact, be it my fingers or a plate.  The cake pan and the cake itself was very hot, making it a little tricky to unmold especially I had used a cake pan with a fixed base. I had to invert the cake twice so that I could remove the baking paper on the sides and bottom, before leaving it to cool right side up on the cooling rack. It would be easier if I were to use a pan with a removable base. However, as the cake is baked using the water bath method, even if the pan is wrapped with foil, somehow water condensation may still occur, leaving the bottom of the cake dense and wet.

This cake is a lighter version of the usual Japanese soufflé cheesecake, the texture was soft and moist, something we could eat one slice after another without having to feel too guilty. Do give this a try if you ever run out of idea what to do with half a block of cream cheese. I feel that this is quite a fool proof recipe especially so if you are good in making chiffon cakes but no luck with Japanese soufflé cheesecake.

Happy Baking!



Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake 日式舒芙蕾芝士蛋糕

Ingredients:
(makes one 8" cake)

125g cream cheese, cut into cubes
60g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
5 egg yolks (I used eggs with net weight of 55g)
125g milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
75g cake flour
35g corn flour

5 egg whites (I used eggs with net weight of 55g)
120g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice


Method:

• Line the base and sides of a 8" round cake pan(fixed base) with parchment paper. For the sides, make sure the parchment paper extends higher than the cake pan by about 1.5 inches as the cake will expand and rise above the rim of the pan, set aside. 
• Sieve together cake flour and corn flour, set aside.
• Place cream cheese, milk and butter in a large mixing bowl. Set the mixing bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the mixing bowl is bigger than the sauce pan). Let the mixture melts and stir till smooth. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
• When ready, add the egg yolks to the cream cheese and butter mixture, one at a time, and with a balloon whisk, whisk to combine. 
• Add lemon juice, whisk to combine.
• Sieve over the flour mixture, whisk to combine. Small lumps may form once the flour is added, whisk the batter gently till there are no lumps, do not over mix. 
• In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites and lemon juice with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and turn to medium-high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture in separate additions and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. Turn to low speed and beat for another 1 to 2 mins (this helps to stabilise the air bubbles). 
• Add the beaten egg whites to the cream cheese mixture in 3 separate additions, each time fold with a rubber spatula (I prefer to use a balloon whisk) until just blended.
• Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
• Place cake pan in a baking tray. Fill the baking tray with hot water (the water should rise up to about 1 inch of the cake pan).
• Place on lower rack of the oven and bake at 150 degC for 60 mins. 
• Remove cake pan from oven and immediately drop the pan at a height of 20~30cm onto the table top. This helps to prevent the cake from shrinking upon cooling. Unmould the cake immediately. To unmold, place a large plate or baking sheet on top of the cake pan, invert the cake pan onto the plate/baking sheet. Remove the cake pan and the parchment paper on the base and sides of the cake (Note: do use oven mitten as the cake pan will be very hot). Next, place a cooling rack on the base of the cake, invert the cake right side up onto the cooling rack and leave to cool completely. Leave the cake to chill in the fridge for about 2 to 3 hours, best overnight, before serving. 

Recipe source: adapted from here.

just 3 ingredients

Baking cheesecake is my achilles heel.

My previous attempt at making a Japanese soufflé cotton cheesecake failed miserably. Once out of the oven, it sank, shrank and developed a 'waist'. The texture was more like kueh lapis than cottony soft soufflé! I have since stayed clear of making another such cheese kueh until I saw this lovely soufflé cheesecake baked by Ann of Anncoo Journal.

I was very inspired after reading her post as her soufflé cheesecake requires only 3 ingredients. Even if I were to make a blunder again, I won't feel so bad since I would at most scarify just 3 ingredients. The original recipe was taken from this video recipe by Ochikeron. The clear step by step instructions helps to boost my confidence level too.

Since I have all three ingredients...eggs, white chocolate chips and cream cheese in my fridge, I didn't procrastinate but to bake the cake first thing the next morning. All went well until the cake was removed from the oven. It started to sink, as I had expected. I thought it was a complete failure again until I unmoulded it from the pan. It didn't look too bad despite the wrinkles on the surface, at least the cake didn't crack or form an obvious waist.

The texture of the cake was soft and moist. It was lighter than the usual Japanese cheesecake as only half a block of cream cheese is used. I didn't find the cake overly sweet either. I actually tasted the white chocolate and cream cheese mixture before adding in the eggs. I skipped the lemon zest and juice and replaced it with vanilla extract. I would most probably add in lemon juice if the mixture was too sweet for my liking.

This cake was a huge hit among my children. They wiped out more than half the cake in one siting and could have finished the whole cake if I wasn't there to stop them. The recipe is certainly a keeper and most importantly it is another milestone in my baking journey. I hope I could bake a better soufflé cheesecake in my next attempt...one that doesn't sink or shrink. May the force be with me.




3 Ingredients Soufflé Japanese Cheesecake

Ingredients:

125g cream cheese, cut into cubes, soften at room temperature
120g white chocolate, break into pieces (I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips)
3 extra large eggs, cold, separated (I used 4 eggs with 60g yolks, 140g whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Method:

1. Line the base of a 7" round cake pan(fixed base) with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter, set aside. 
2. Separate the eggs and leave egg whites to chill in the fridge until ready to use, this helps ensure a more stable meringue.   
3. Fill a saucepan with water to about half full. Bring the water to a full boil. Turn off the heat. Place white chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and set it over the saucepan (make sure the bowl is bigger than the sauce pan). Stir chocolate till smooth. 
4. Add cream cheese and mix till smooth.
5. Remove mixing bowl from the saucepan. Add the egg yolks, with a balloon whisk, whisk to combine. Add vanilla extract (if using), whisk to combine, set aside.
6. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until the egg whites reaches the stiff peak stage. (Take care not to over beat the egg whites. Since there is no sugar added, it takes a very short time to reach the stiff peak stage.)
7. Add the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture in 3 separate additions, each time fold with a spatula (I used a balloon whisk) until just blended.
8. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
9. Place cake pan in a baking tray. Fill the baking tray with some hot water. 
10. Place on lower rack of the oven and bake at 170 degC for 15mins. Lower the temperature to 160 degC and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off the oven temperature and leave the cake inside the oven for another 15 minutes.
11. Remove cake pan from oven and leave the cake to cool before unmolding. Refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

Recipe source: from Anncoo Journal and this video by ochikeron.

dessert in a glass

If you are a parent of a P6 student in a local school here, you would probably know why I have been missing in actions for the past weeks ;)

Today marks the beginning of the much anticipated (with stress and agony on my part) primary school leaving examination or better known by the 4 letter 'word', psle ;) This national examination also marks the last leg of my younger child's 6 year primary school education. After crossing this huge hurdle, it is not the end, but a beginning of a new chapter for his next phase of education.

I have refrained from baking or indulge in photography or blogging for the past few weeks...just so that I won't feel guilty about not spending quality time with my child. I am blessed with a boy who has his own initiatives to do his own revisions without much guidance or coaching. He has certainly put in a lot of effort to prepare for this exam. I am truly blessed as I didn't have a hard time too when my elder child took his psle a couple of years back.

History repeats itself while I read through my older post about how my elder child prepared for this much dreaded (by parents) national examination. Just like his brother, my younger son went through the same phase. I would think he is in a much better position than his brother since his mother is 'wiser' and less stressed up and has since learned to be more relax after having gone through the cycle once ;)

Ok, enough of my ranting, and I would like to end this post with a simple, easy to put together yet delicious dessert...No bake cheesecakes in pots!

I bought these tiny pudding bottles when I was in Beijing a few years back. I didn't really have much chance to use them until now. Don't be misled by the photographs, these bottles are really tiny, it can only hold 180ml of water!

Instead of making a big no bake cheesecake, I have used the bottles to make individual portions. The steps are pretty much the same as a no bake cheesecake. First layer the bottom with a biscuit base, followed by the cream cheese filling and topped off with some homemade blueberry sauce. The sauce can be made within a few minutes just by cooking blueberries with some caster sugar.

It is quite a 'light' dessert as I have used non fat plain yoghurt instead of heavy cream. I wouldn't say it is a healthy dessert as cream cheese is really fattening ;) However, since one single portion is really quite small, as long as we eat in moderation, I would think it is still a nice sweet treat to serve your family or friends.

I have also made another version using small glasses and topped it with homemade strawberries sauce. Unlike the blueberries version, the strawberries I bought were a bit too tangy. If you were to follow my recipe and would like to use strawberries instead, do adjust/increase the amount of sugar so that the sauce will be sweeter especially if your have got sweet tooth.


Here's wishing all P6 students, all the best for the psle!

and best wishes to all Mummies,

endure, endure, and it will be over very soon ;)



No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Pots

Ingredients:
(makes 6)

125g blueberries (about 1 punnet)
2 tablespoons caster sugar

75g digestive biscuits (about 5)
25g unsalted butter

250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
50g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140g non fat plain natural yoghurt (I used one 140g tub marigold non fat yoghurt)


Method:

• Heat about 1/3 of the blueberries and caster sugar in a small pan over medium to low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the berries have broken down. Add the rest of the blueberries, cook for another 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Melt butter in a small pan over low heat. Crumb the digestive biscuits with the blender attachment of the Bosch MUM5 home professional kitchen machine until they resemble breadcrumbs. Mix the crumbs and the melted butter with a spoon until the crumbs are moistened. Spoon equal portion of the mixture (about 2 tablespoons) into the bottom of 6 dessert pudding bottles or shot glasses (size: 180ml/3 oz). Lightly press down the mixture into the bottom of the bottles or shot glasses. Leave to chill in fridge.
• Place cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract in the mixing bowl of the Bosch MUM5 kitchen machine. Mix on speed 4 with the silicone flexible whisk attachment for 3 minutes, or until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Add in yoghurt and continue to beat for about 1 minute till the mixture is thoroughly blended.
• Spoon cream cheese mixture into the prepared pudding bottles or shot glasses (about 3 tablespoons per glass). Leave to chill in the fridge.
• Top with the blueberry sauce before serving.

not my everyday muffins

These are not your everyday muffins.

They are uji matcha or green tea muffins topped with mini chocolate chips...

made, not by the usual 'muffin method' of mixing the dry with the wet ingredients, but by creaming butter and sugar...

and, there's a little surprise in each of these delicious cuppies...

what's the surprise?! A ball of cream cheese in the middle!

Well, the cream cheese is meant to be in the middle, but mine was too close to the top ;)

I didn't blame myself as I did follow the instruction closely, that is, to fill the muffin cups to half full before adding the cream cheese balls. I believe if I were to fill it to 1/3 full, the cream cheese would be right there in the middle. It also turns out that the cream cheese became tapered and not round like a ball. I think it has to do with my shaping. I am not complaining, since there is a 'heart' in every one of those muffins ;) I have taken the recipe from a cookbook ' Home Baking 星期天的烘焙时光' (loosely translated as: Home Baking on a Sunday). My baking friend suggested that I could try out this recipe after I told her I have some left over cream cheese from the matcha cheesecake tart. I am so glad I heeded her advice!

These aren't my everyday muffins. They're indulgent!

The texture is tender, moist, much softer and lighter than a slice of pound cake. I guess they taste just like cupcakes, minus the frosting. There is also a good balance of flavours...matcha, cream cheese and chocolate...each having its own distintive taste, yet, with not one flavour overpowering any of the others. What can I say? Every bite is a delight!

Oh, before I forget, they taste really good when freshly baked! So, if want to give this a try, do plan ahead, you won't regret enjoying them with your morning or afternoon cup of tea, warm and fresh from the oven :)


I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #30: it's Tea time! (April 2013) hosted by Food Playground.




Matcha Green Tea Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 10, muffin cup size: diameter 6cm top, 4.5cm bottom, ht 3.5cm)


150g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
15g icing sugar

85g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
145g cake flour
5g matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1g salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)
80g milk
some mini chocolate chips


Method:

• With a wooden spoon or a spatula, mix cream cheese in a mixing bowl still smooth. Add in icing sugar, mix to combine. Divide the mixture into 10 portions (about 15-16g each). Shape each into round balls. Leave to chill in fridge.
• Place butter in a mixing bowl, beat with a balloon whisk or an electric mixer till smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture turns pale, light and fluffy.
• Gradually add in the egg, little by little, whisking after each addition. 
• Sieve over the flour, matcha powder and baking powder. Fold with a spatula until just combined.
• Add the salt, stir to combine.
• Add in the milk gradually and fold with spatula until just combined.  
• Fill paper muffin cups with batter till about 1/3 full, add the cream cheese balls to each muffin cup. Spoon over the remaining batter till each muffin cup is almost full. Sprinkle top with some mini chocolate chips.
• Bake in preheated oven at 180degC for about 20-25mins until the top is lightly browned or until a toothpick inserted into the side comes out clean.

Recipe source: adapted from Home Baking 星期天的烘焙时光

Matcha Cheesecake Tart

It has been a while since I last updated my blog. I can't think of a valid excuse except that I keep procrastinating...before I knew it, another week has flown by.

I have several posts lining up...and I will kick start with this matcha green tea cheesecake tart.

I can't remember exactly when my baking friend gave me a pack of expensive looking Uji matcha powder. Probably we have been meeting up so often, and also she has been showering me with gifts and baking ingredients, and buying me lunch one after another, to the extend that I have problem keeping track! It is a happy problem and I hope you are now green with envy, no pun intended (^^)!

I confessed to my baking friend as I was feeling very guilty that the green tea powder is going to expire soon. She came back with a very good tip, that is, to store the matcha powder in the freezer, it helps to keep it longer. Of course, the very first thing I did after hearing such good advice was to pop the whole pack into the freezer. But, it didn't stay there in the cold for too long ;)

Age is really catching up, I can't recall how I stumbled upon this green tea cheesecake tart recipe here. I was sold after going through the list of ingredients. I have all the items on hand! No special trip to the baking supply store is required. Best of all, according to the site, the recipe is shared by Chef Tomoko Higashiguchi of Patisserie Glace. I have not been to this cafe, but I believe it will be something really delicious.

I didn't follow the recipe to the T though. Instead, I made the tart crust using another recipe from a cookbook. Comparing the two, they are almost identical, except that there is ground almond for the recipe from the cookbook. I have been making tart crust with ground almond and I do think the presence of ground almond does make a difference to the taste.

As for the cream cheese filling, all went well until the last step when the matcha powder is added. According to the recipe, I am suppose to stir in the matcha powder and create a marbling effect. However, I had problem blending the matcha powder to the mixture. I couldn't create any marbling effect after lots of stirring and mixing. Despite the amount of stirring, the matcha powder still didn't dissolve completely! See the speckles of green tea all over?!

My piping skill sucks, and I knew I wouldn't be able to create that beautiful floral motif as shown in the picture from the site. I knew the effect wouldn't be great, so I didn't put in my best effort and didn't do it wholeheartedly. This is the best I could manage and from a distant, it didn't look too ugly ;)

I don't know whether I have added a tad too much lemon juice than necessary, but the very first bite into the green tea cheesecake filling didn't leave me with a good impression. The filling is a little too tangy. However, subsequently, I found myself getting used to the slight tang and the taste got better and better. It was a very refreshing treat with a nice matcha flavour without being overpowering.

Is it really worth the effort to put this together? I'll have to say yes, especially when my family members love it!


I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #30: it's Tea time! (April 2013) hosted by Food Playground.


Matcha Cheesecake Tart
(makes an 18cm tart)

Ingredients:

for the tart crust:
(Note: the ingredient makes 2 tart crust dough, you may freeze the second dough up to 2 weeks for later use).
150g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, softened at room temperature
80g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten (about 55g without shell, use room temperature egg)
250g cake flour
60g ground almond (almond powder)


for the filling:
1 teaspoon gelatine powder
15ml water
100g cream cheese, leave to soften at room temperature
40g caster sugar
40g plain yogurt
2 teaspoon lemon juice
200g whipping cream (I used non dairy whipping cream)
2 teaspoons matcha/green tea powder

Method:

to make the tart crust:

• Lightly grease an 18cm tart pan (with removable base) with butter, set aside. 
• Toast almond powder at 100 degC for 10 mins. Stirring in between. Let cool.
• Beat sugar and butter with a ballon whisk until the mixture turns pale. Add the egg gradually (a tablespoon at a time), mix well after each addition. Add the ground almond and fold with a spatula. Sieve over the flour. Mix with spatula and gather the mixture with hand to form a soft dough.
• Weigh and divide the dough into 2 egual portion. Flatten the dough to form a round disc. Place each dough into separate ziplock or plastic bags. Leave one of the doughs to chill for about 1 hour. Store the other dough in the freezer compartment for later use for other types of tarts. (Note: Alternatively, you may divide the crust ingredients into half and make only 1 portion).
• Remove dough from fridge and roll out the dough in between 2 sheets of baking paper (I used two plastic sheets cut-out from clear plastic bags) to about 23cm in diameter. Remove one side of the baking paper/plastic sheet. Gently lift up the other sheet of baking paper/plastic (with the pastry dough still on it) and flip the dough over the prepared tart pan. Remove the baking paper/plastic sheet. (Don't worry if some parts of the dough broke off. It can be moulded easily back into the tart pan.) Mould the dough into the tart pan, smoothing the edges and the rim carefully. 
• Prick the dough surface with a fork (this helps to prevent the pastry from puffing up when baking). Cover and chill the moulded tart crust in the fridge for 20mins (this helps to prevent the pastry from shrinking too much after baking.) 
• Line a sheet of parchment paper over the tart base. Place baking beads/weights on the parchment paper (I used green beans as baking weights), enough to cover the tart base. 
• Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degC for 20 mins. Remove the baking beads and parchment paper. Put it back into the oven and continue to bake for another 15~20mins until the crust is golden browned. Let cool completely. Leave the crust inside the tart pan, do not unmould.

to make the filling:

• Dissolve the gelatine in water and set aside for 10min. 
• Combine the sugar and yogurt in a pot over medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the gelatine solution until it’s dissolved. Remove from heat.
• With a balloon whisk, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add in the yoghurt-gelatin solution and mix to combine. Add in the lemon juice, mix to combine.
• With an electric whisk, whisk the non-dairy whipping cream until soft peaks form. With a spatula, fold in 1/3 of the whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the remaining whipping cream to the cream cheese mixture.
• Add in the matcha powder and mix until blended. 
• Pour the mixture into the tart pan until it is full. Pour the remaining mixture into a piping bag and pipe a floral motif on the cake.
• Chill the tart for at least 2 hours until it is firm. Unmould before serving.

Recipe source: 甜点新手零失败教室 and here.

Mini Oreo Cheesecake

To my regular visitors, my apologies for the long silence.

To make up for my tardiness in updating this blog, here's a little treat from my kitchen to yours...
mini upside down oreo cheesecakes...

A month ago, I was quite caught up planning for a holiday trip...it was a last minute decision as we almost gave up the idea when we couldn't get on the flight. By chance or fate, (or rather, thanks to my never-give-up attitude of checking the airlines system every other few hours) I managed to get all of us booked on the same flight. As we neither speak or read Korean language, I had to make sure I did a thorough job of getting into the minute details to prevent any hiccups during our trip. My 'strengths' in micro-managing pays off. Everything went well, we got to visit the places we had planned and didn't have much problem finding the popular makan(eating) places. As usual, we were on a shoestring budget, everything was DIY, backpackers style...only difference was, instead of carrying backpacks we maneuvered the busy streets and from train stations to stations with cabin bags in tow ;)

Our holiday trip was a real short one...time flies and in no time we are back to our daily mundane lives :(
In between doing loads after loads of laundry, I took time to 'spot clean' my fridge. Lying in the fridge was this block of cream cheese, crying out loud to me that I was right on time, it would exceed the expiry date the very next day!

Instead of procrastinating and end up having to throw it into the bin the next day, I googled for suitable recipes that calls for cream cheese. I remember seeing some oreo cheesecake recipes some time back, and it was a good thing that the recipe requires very basic baking ingredients, and, I am never short of oreos! The only problem was, I didn't have any sour cream on hand, but I do have yoghurt in the fridge. I went ahead and replaced the sour cream with yoghurt. I guess not much damage was done...

I baked them with paper muffin cups...one whole oreo cookie is placed inside each cup before filling it up with the batter. The preparation was rather fuss free, quick and simple. I followed the baking time but extended it for another couple of minutes as I did the skewer test and the centre was still wet although the top was set. For fear of over baking, I turned off the heat even though the inside was still not set. I believe they would be fully set in the fridge (upon cooling, the cakes have to be chilled in the fridge before consuming).

My little baking retreat was a great success. These mini cheesecakes were really delicious, and I thought they looked very lovely with the oreo cookies on top :)

They are excellent after dinner treats even though I am not an oreo fan, and I am sure they would jazz up any tea time tables especially when there are guests around ;)



Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
(makes about 10)

15 Oreo cookies (10 leave as whole, 5 remove cream and coarsely chopped)
8oz pack cream cheese, room temperature
50g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten, room temperature
60g sour cream (I replaced with plain yoghurt)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 135 DegC (275°F).
2. Place one whole cookie in each of the 10 muffin paper cups (or line muffin tins with paper liners). 
3. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer (medium high speed) until smooth. 
4. Add in sugar, beat until just combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
5. Add in vanilla extract, beat until just combined. 
6. Gradually drizzle in the egg, beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl when necessary. 
7. Add in sour cream, beat till just combined. 
8. Add chopped cookies, fold with a spatula. 
9. Fill each muffin cup almost to the brim. Bake for about 22~25 minutes until the filling is set and not jiggly. Transfer to wire rack, leave to cool completely. Cover or store in airtight containers and leave to refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove cake from muffin cups, serve cookies sides up.

Recipe source: adapted recipe from here.

当圈圈遇见方方

这款oreo芝司蛋糕, 是第6个做给我家那台不用插电全自动洗碗机的生日蛋糕。不过说来惭愧，我做给他的蛋糕一年比一年丑。虽然我不是赖小姐，但我总认为那是因为他对我没有任何要求，即使马马虎虎做一个蛋糕来充数，他半句怨言也没有，还夸张地对着未经修饰'全裸'的蛋糕说 "Oh，it's a heart shaped cake!"

待人处事比较圆滑的他，和个性较冲动有话直说的我，好比一个圈圈遇到一个正方形。多年的相处下正方形的四个角被磨得也变得有点圆了。有烘蛋糕的您，要为圆形烤盘铺油纸时是怎么剪圆形油纸的呢？好多年前我从电视学会了Jamie Oliver的方法，就是先剪个正方形，然后对折四次，大略剪一条圆弧，打开就是一个圆形了。


所以当圈圈遇见方方，会变成什么呢？是长了角的圈圈？还是缺了角的方方？

之前都只会做免烤生乳酪蛋糕，第一次烘New York style芝司蛋糕，零经验，don't know what to expect。阴差阳错，也就将错就错，用买了N个月的心型模具。成品真的不怎样，我想还是用圆形烤盘会比较好看。因为是New York style cheesecake，所以不虽要用水浴法来烤，直接放入烤箱就可以了。照着食谱用170度烤40－45分钟，蛋糕出炉， 表面有点‘moh peng’，可能我的烤箱温度有点偏高，放凉后收缩坍塌得蛮厉害，不过我想典型的烤乳酪蛋糕也就是这个模样，所以也不当一回事，没放在心上。蛋糕完全冷却后还不能吃，更不能立刻脱模，必须连模具放进冰箱冷藏至少四小时以上，最好隔夜冷藏，味道会更好。

虽然蛋糕有点丑，不过加上一些点缀还混得过去。乳酪蛋糕部分绵密扎实，酸甜适中，非常好吃，真的有点超出意料自外！没想到第一次烤芝司蛋糕味道会那么好， 吃一片肯定不够，多吃一片也不会感觉腻腻的。家里的一大两小oreo迷，都一一竖起大拇指连连赞好。

两周后我用160度烤第二个乳酪蛋糕，表面美美毫无瑕疵，让蛋糕在烤箱里放凉，蛋糕没收缩也没坍塌。因为我对oreo没多大兴趣，我会比较喜欢这个原味乳酪蛋糕。

回到当圈圈遇见方方的问题－－－答案其实是－－－心形！
把一个圆形对剪一半，排在一个同等大小的正方形其中的两边，就成了一个心形。。。
好比我的圈圈包容着我这个方方 :)

Pardon my recent absence from this blog. I have been putting in my best effort to fulfill my responsibility as a good parent to help my younger child prepare for his mid-year exams. Sad to say this is something quite inevitable in our meritocratic education system, there is no way to avoid it but to get on with it. Since I don't send him for any any tuition or academic enrichment classes, I have to assume the role of a home tutor. Anyone who has the experience coaching your own kid would know, it is definitely not a pleasant affair. I am so glad that we can now resume our happy mother and child relationship instead of getting into that all too familiar tiger-mother-helpless-lamb situation every now and then during the past few weeks.

The highlight of this post is yet another one of my 'first attempt' for the month, or rather last month. I baked a New York style oreo cheesecake for my husband's birthday. This is the first time I have made a proper baked cheesecake. Preparing the batter was quite straight forward and that left me the false impression that the cake would turn out great. Little did I know that my oven temperature was on the high side, and upon cooling, the cake shrank and collapsed with a slight sunken top. Well, it was not a pleasing sight to behold so I decorated it with whatever I had on hand to make it look more presentable. Fortunately, the taste of the cake was not compromised at all. It had a very nice creamy and smooth texture, yet taste light with a refreshing hint of lemon. You wouldn't be able to stop at just one slice. Once we finished the cake, I started craving for another one. It is no surprise that I made another version a fortnight later, and this time I was careful to bake it at a lower temperature. I left the cake to cool in the oven when it was cooked, the cake didn't shrink or sink as much as my first attempt. Unlike my husband and my boys, I am not really a fan of oreos. So I prefer this plain version as the delicate taste of the creamy cheesecake was not overpowered by the presence of the sweet oreo crumbs. The digestive biscuit base is also a better option to pair with the slightly lemony cheese filling.

My latest baking venture has certainly removed my fear of making a baked cheesecake...I am sure I will be able to move on to making more delicate bakes such as the Japanese style souffle cheesecake...



Baked Oreo Cheesecake
(makes one 7" round cake or 7" heart shape cake)

Ingredients:

base crust:
100g oreo cookies (without the cream), finely crushed
45g unsalted butter, melted

filling:
250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
100g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
100g sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
10g corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 ~ 4 oreo cookies, break into small chunks

Method:

Crust:
Lightly grease a 7" round baking pan (with removable base). Line base and side of the pan with parchment paper. Combine crushed oreo cookies and melted butter together in a mixing bowl, mix well. With the back of a spoon, press the oreo cookies crumbs firmly onto the base of the prepared pan. (To ensure the crust is even, I used the base of a flat-bottom glass to press down the crumbs.)

Filling:
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add in sugar and beat till fully incorporated. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary. Continue to add in butter, whisk to combine. Add in sour cream, beat to combine. Add in vanilla bean paste (or use the seeds of 1/3 of a vanilla pod), beat to combine.

Lightly beat the egg and egg yolks in a small bowl. Add in the egg mixture to the cream cheese batter in 3 separate additions, beat to combine after each addition. Add in corn flour and lemon juice, beat to combine.

For a smoother texture, strain the batter over a sieve. Pour the prepared pan with half of the batter, sprinkle oreo cookies chunks over the surface evenly. Pour the remaining batter. Smooth the surface with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven at 170 degC for about 45~50mins (Note: I find baking at 160 degC yields better result). To test for doneness, gently shake the pan, the filling should have a slight wobble in the centre. Once the cheesecake is done, turn off the oven. Leave the oven door slightly open and leave the cheesecake inside the oven to cool off for about an hour. The cheesecake may crack slightly if left to cool outside the oven.

Remove from oven and leave to cool completely. Do not unmould. Cover with cling wrap and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, best chilled over night.

When ready to unmold, place pan on an inverted glass (or a canned drink or any canned food). Carefully slide the side of the removable pan downwards to release the cake. Transfer cake to a serving plate, decorate as desired.

Recipe source: 起司蛋糕 by 信太康代

of Birthdays and Baking

It is the time of the year again...

when I am 365 days older...but not necessary wiser....

when I just have to make a cake for myself, not because I love baking so much...but it seems like the only right thing to do...

when I always begin the day with the wrong mood, usually with a hint of resentment...but always went to bed all soaked up in a sweet feeling...




Before I share with you my birthday cake for this year, I will like to mark this occasion with a small roundup of the birthday cakes I have made so far...

My maiden birthday cake...a Dorie Greenspan's Devil's Food White-Out Chocolate Cake. Just like the Chinese saying "初生之犊不畏虎" which has the same meaning as 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread'...looking back, I was indeed a fool...trying to do something so challenging with the little baking knowledge and experience I have. It is no where close to the gorgeous cake on the front cover of Dorie Greenspan's 'Baking: From My Home to Yours'...what a disgrace to the author!

The following year, I celebrated my 40th year on earth with a dark, rich (how I wish it was someone tall, dark and handsome!) and very decadent Chocolate Gateau. It was a break through for me as it was the first time I tried piping rosettes with melted chocolate. I remembered trying so many times to produce the best looking rosette I could manage, that the chocolate started to harden and I had to give up when the fat appeared to separate from the cocoa, lolz!

One year later...having gone through enough baking failures, I attempted a Tiramisu Charlotte Cake that looked quite presentable with the clever 'cover ups'. The taste was so good that I wasn't afraid to make the same thing again for my close ones' birthdays.

This strawberry mousse cake seems to mark the beginning of my baking skills going down hill. I cringe whenever I am reminded by how 'coarse' the mouse layer was! The cake has also taught me to be more humble...that is, I have to treat all recipes with respect. I shouldn't play around with ingredients too much especially when dealing with delicate cakes.

pardon the lousy image...click on the picture to view a higher resolution image

This the latest edition to my list of birthday cakes...a no-bake Tofu Cheesecake. This time, I followed the recipe closely, the only deviation was, I used another recipe for the biscuit crust. Making the cake was smooth sailing...except having to run out at the last minute to get gelatine powder after a fruitless attempt rummaging through my cabinets of baking stuff. I popped the cake into the fridge to set before we went out for lunch. I had planned to get some fresh strawberries on our way back to make some berries sauce to go with the cake. Another lesson learned...do not take it for granted that your local supermarket would carry strawberries all year round. I couldn't find any strawberries, not a punnet on the shelf, neither could I find any suitable fruits to use as garnish. We went home empty handed, and I thought I was going to have a plain cake for birthday until I remembered I came across a marshmallow fondant recipe a few days ago. I was happy that the pack of coloured marshmallows sitting in my cabinet came in handy. I melted three pink marshmallows over a pot of simmering water, then added 40g of icing sugar (the sugar amount is double the weight of the marshmallows), and kneaded it into a small dough. I spent the next half an hour making fondant roses with my younger son...while the elder fellow kept stopping by to steal a piece of dough before popping it into his mouth.

pardon the lousy image...click on the picture to view a higher resolution image

Thanks to Bakertan for sharing this video on how to make a rose out of fondant. I saw the video sometime back, and based on what I could recall (I didnt even bother to watch the video again), I made the first rose. Since it was the first attempt, it wasn't that nice to be granted the lime-light spot in front. The second rose, facing right at the camera was pretty well done...at least for a first timer who has zero experience with fondant. Just like the video demo, I didnt use any tools, or roll out the dough evenly. I simply pinched pieces of dough, flatten it (without using any cling wrap since it is not sticky at all) into petals and stick them together into a rosette. The smaller rose on the left was done by my younger child. The petals were not as thin but I would think his motor skills is actually not too bad. Besides he has some 'prior experience' making a small rose with jumping clay, the day before. 

There were only enough marshmallow fondant to make 3 rosettes...and I placed them on top of my cheesecake right after they were made. To my surprise, the roses started to sweat due to condensation. It wasn't something I least expected even though I have read about 'sweating fondant' especially in our humid weather. It was quite heart breaking having to watch the pretty roses sweating away :'(

As usual, before we cut the cake, I was 'showered' with presents from my boys. I saw my little one making this tiny froggy the day before, they should know that they can't hide anything from me ;)  My elder son gave me something 'intangible'. A piece of music...the classic birthday song which he 're-arranged' with some music software...it was a string ensemble with 'violin', 'viola' and a 'cello' (I think?).

I managed to take a clearer picture of a slice of the tofu cheesecake the following morning. The cake was smooth and firm...not velvety soft as silken tofu. The texture wass closer to a firm tofu...probably because of the amount of gelatin used. It is an 'adult cake' actually...because it tasted quite tangy, thanks to the generous amount of lemon juice. My younger son only took a few mouthfuls before he scrapped off the filling and transferred it to his daddy's plate. He told me he liked the crust better, haha. The rest of us fell in love with the tanginess! The cake tasted so refreshing and delicious that we couldn't stop at just one slice...there were no tofu taste though. We had to caution each other of the amount of calories in order to refrain from taking the third piece. The only 'compliment' I got from my better half was...the crust was very professionally made...it didn't fall apart easily like all the previous no-bake cheesecakes I have made. What a great pat on the shoulder! As for the marshmallow fondant...it tasted great when dry...almost like eating a piece of 'crushed and flattened' cotton candy. However, after left to perspired profusely, the fondant rose tasted like...according to my elder son's description...as though eating a piece of '大白兔奶糖' (a kind of milk toffee)!

It was an experience playing with fondant...something which I never thought I will make because of the high sugar content. Although I am likely out of my mind if I were to make a cake covered fully with fondant, I won't dismiss the idea of making tiny edible cake toppers whenever I run out of idea to decorate a birthday cake ;)



Tofu Cheesecake

Ingredients
(makes one 18cm round cake)

crust:
95g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
50g unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

filling:
6 tablespoons warm water
2 tablespoons gelatin powder
250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
150g silken tofu
45g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
5 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons lemon juice


Method:
Crust:
Line the base of a 18cm round pan (with removable base) with parchment paper. Combine crushed digestive biscuits, light brown sugar and melted butter together in a mixing bowl. With the back of a spoon, press the biscuit crumbs firmly onto the base of the prepared pan. Chill in the freezer compartment for at least 1 hour. (To ensure the crust is even, I used the base of a flat-bottom glass to press down the crumbs.)

Filling:
Measure warm water into a small bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin powder (without stirring). Set aside to allow the gelatin grains to bloom.

With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, silken tofu and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary. Add in sugar and beat till fully incorporated. Add in lemon juice, beat till fully incorporated.

The gelatin should turn spongy by now. Stir the solution with a spoon. (Note: not all the gelatin powder was fully dissolved when I made this, but it was not a problem as the mixture was added to the cheese batter through a sieve). Pour the gelatin solution through a sieve into the cream cheese batter. Beat the batter till fully incorporated.  Stop to scrape down the sides when necessary. (The finished batter is rather thin and runny.)

Pour the batter onto the chilled crust based. Tap the pan lightly on table top or smooth the surface with a spatula.  Refrigerate until set (at least 4 hours).

To unmold, place pan on an inverted glass (or a canned drink or any canned food). Carefully slide the removable pan downwards to release the cake. Transfer cake together with the base to a serving plate.  Serve with fresh berries sauce.

Recipe source: adapted from Food & Travel magazine

No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Made this no-bake cheesecake with a pack of Kraft's Philadelphia light cream cheese. It is supposed to be a Triple layer chocolate cheesecake. But you can see from the photo, it didn't turn out as expected. The three layers were not clearly distinctive :(

I guess the proportion of the dark and white chocolate was not right for the middle layer...as I sort of mix and match recipes to come up with this version. The original recipe uses 40g dark chocolate and 40g white chocolate for the middle layer. If I were to make this again, I will change it to 20g dark chocolate and 60g white chocolate. Nevertheless the cheesecake tasted very refreshing and light as I used yogurt instead of whipping cream.

Ingredients:
(makes one 18cm cheesecake)

for the base:
110g digestive biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
60g butter, melted

for filling:
250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
60g caster sugar
200g non-fat plain yogurt
2 teaspoons gelatin powder
3 tablespoon water
100g dark chocolate, melted
140g white chocolate, melted

Method:

1. Mix biscuit crumbs; melted butter together and press firmly with the help of a spoon onto the base of a 18cm round pan. Chill for 30 minutes.


2. Place gelatin powder and water in a bowl. Heat a pot filled with some water until just simmering and place the bowl inside the pot. Dissolve gelatin and water in the bowl. Keep warm.


3. With a whisk, beat cream cheese till soft. Add in sugar and whisk until smooth and creamy.


4. Add in yogurt and continue to beat till smooth. Blend in gelatin solution and mix well.


5. Divide cheese mixture into 3 equal portions.


6. For the 1st portion, stir in 80g of melted dark chocolate and spread evenly on the biscuit base. Chill in the fridge for a while. (I pop it in the freezer while preparing the 2nd layer).


7. For the 2nd portion, stir in mixture of 20g melted dark chocolate and 60g melted white chocolate. Spread over the 1st layer. Chill in the fridge for a while.


8. For the 3rd portion, stir in 80g of melted white chocolate. Spread over the 2nd layer. Chill for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Tip: You can melt the chocolate in 3 separate bowls, ie 80g of dark chocolate in a bowl, 20g dark chocolate plus 60g white chocolate in another and 80g of white chocolate in a 3rd bowl.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart

When I saw a picture of this very delicious looking blueberry tart from a Chinese cookbook (甜心小妙厨), I thought I should give it a try. I like the way the tart is decorated, and it will be a good chance for me to practice my piping skill. The recipe looks simple, as it is quite similar to the no-bake oreo cheesecake I have done before. I have came across a low-fat cheesecake recipe, where cream cheese is mixed with yogurt. Hence, instead of the fresh cream called for in the recipe, I replaced it with non-fat plain yogurt. I was glad with what I did as the taste is really awesome, and it is a much healthier version.


The recipe in the cookbook didn't give any instructions on how to decorate the tart. I tried to follow by studying the picture. It turned out that my "stars" were too big, as such, after lining the blueberries in 2 circles, there was little room for the blueberry jam! I should have used a smaller piping tip. The tart was really out of proportion, as the "stars" were bigger than the blueberries :(

The cream cheese mixture was a little soft to handle when I tried to do the piping. In the end, some stars were big, some were small. It didn't help when my younger boy came over to have a hand in squeezing the piping bag. He found it rather interesting. We had fun placing the blueberries as we tried to look for those which were of the same size...he happily finished up the remaining "unwanted" blueberries.

My elder boy couldn't wait to eat the tart when he saw the finished product in the fridge. He missed out the fun as he was busy catching up with his holiday homework...poor fellow! He finally got this slice after dinner. He likes it very much and the slice was gone within seconds!



Ingredients:
(makes one 18cm tart)

for the base:
125g digestive biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
60g butter, melted

for filling:
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
40ml boiling water
250g cream cheese
50g icing sugar
1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup blueberries
3 tablespoon blueberry jam

Method:

1. Mix biscuit crumbs & melted butter together and press firmly with the help of a spoon onto the base and side of a 18cm tart pan. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Place gelatin powder and boiling water in a bowl. Heat a pot filled with some water until just simmering and place the bowl inside the pot. Dissolve gelatin and boiling water in the bowl. Keep warm.
3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese , icing sugar and vanilla essence until smooth and creamy.
4. Add in yogurt and continue to beat till smooth. Blend in gelatin solution and mix well.
5. Pour and spread the cheese mixture evenly on the biscuit base. With the remaining cheese mixture, pipe two rings of stars. Then, place two rings of blueberries and fill the centre with blueberry jam. Chill for 3 to 4 hours before serving.
   

Strawberry Jellyhearts Cheesecake

Last nite, I made this strawberry jellyhearts cheesecake. I got the idea from Yochana's Cake Delight. However, I didn't follow her recipe, instead I used the biscuit base and cream cheese filling recipe from the no-bake oreo cheesecake I made earlier. Furthermore, the original version is suppose to be in squares but I made it into a round shape, just like a cheesecake. Initially, I thought it should be quite simple...just follow the same method as the oreo cheesecake and then top it up with jelly. I was wrong, I made 2 mistakes while making this cake!

Mistake no. 1: I didn't add the strawberries before putting the cake into the fridge to set the cheese mixture. I made the cream cheese mixture just before dinner, thinking that I could cut the strawberries and layer it after dinner. However, the cheese mixture was harden by the time I was ready to add in the strawberries. So, they couldn't "stick" onto the cheese layer. Well, I thought, it should be alright, since the jelly would cover them up and set them "down". Little did I know that when I pour in the jelly, the strawberries started to "swim" in the jelly liquid! So I tried to "pin' them down by pushing them into the cheese mixture. To my horror, tiny bits of cheese mixture came floating on the jelly liquid. That's mistake no. 2.

Mistake no. 2: I didn't wait long enough for the cheese mixture to set. You see, I thought since the strawberries couldn't stick onto the cheese layer, the cheese mixture must be very well set right? I was wrong, I believe it was because the mixture was not well set, as such, tiny bits of cheese started to dissolve when the the jelly was added.

My recovery actions were to spoon out most of the jelly liquid and put the cake in the freezer to freeze it. After half-an-hour, the strawberries were set with the help of the thin layer of jelly. I poured in the remaining jelly and let the cake set overnight. It was tedious to carefully spoon out the tiny bits of cream cheese. Luckily, the cake turn out quite ok. So, if you want to try this out, do take note of these 2 steps.

Ingredients:

base:
110g digestive biscuits(about 8 pieces), chopped into fine crumbs
40g melted butter

filling:
250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
50g icing sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
40ml boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 box Jelly crystal (strawberry flavour)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

Some strawberries, cut into heart shapes

Method:
1. Mix biscuit crumbs & melted butter together and press firmly with the help of a spoon onto the base of a 18cm cake tin. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. Place gelatin powder and boiling water in a bowl. Heat a pot filled with some water until just simmering and place the bowl inside the pot. Dissolve gelatin and boiling water in the bowl. Keep warm.

3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese , icing sugar and vanilla essence until smooth & creamy. Blend in gelatin solution and mix well.

4. Pour the cheese mixture into the cake tin. Layer the strawberries on the cheese mixture. Chill for at least 3 to 4 hours.

5. Dissolve the jelly crystal in the cup of boiling water, followed by the cold water. Pour the jelly on the cheese mixture. Let it set before removing from the cake tin.