Category: Cakes

Lychee Cheesecake In A Jar

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I’ve been wanting to do this for the longest time. Making a dessert in a jar that is. I’ve been really amused by the whole concept and also totally in love with how the desserts turn out. You don’t even need to decorate it much, just place a ribbon around the mouth of the jar and place it with a spoon, viola! (: You have a beautiful looking dessert on the table. Perfect for a dinner party or even gifts for friends!

I had a block of cream cheese sitting in my fridge for the longest time, and have been wanting to make something with it. I wanted to make some japanese cheesecake, but decided to make something new instead. So searching my pantry, I found a tin of lychees and decided to use them!

Lychees are definitely one of my favourite fruits. But it’s so difficult to find the fresh version here, even if they sell it, it’s so crazy expensive! haha So I always have a tin of lychees sitting in my pantry. (: I have to admit, i’ve not had cream cheese with lychees before, but I suppose, it should go well with a sweet fruit puree. Right? hehe So here goes nothing!

I did a bit of research and found a recipe that sounded easy and the product looked absolutely gorgeous, so I just had to give it a try. The only downside to this recipe? Is that I have to wait for the cheesecake to set, before being able to indulge in them! haha But I am a firm believer of delayed gratification! This is one dessert that is definitely worth the wait! (:

Oh yes! I did add a bit of lychee liquor, which I always have in my pantry, just to make it a little boozy! hehe But definitely not enough to taste it. hehe Almost no effect at all.

Lychee Cheesecake in a Jar (adapted from Honest Vanilla)

For the base :

100g digestive biscuits

40g short bread

60g butter, melted

For the lychee cheese layer :

500g cream cheese

300g thicken cream

240g lychees, drained and reserve syrup

100ml lychee syrup

1 tbs lychee liquor

50g sugar

3 tsp powdered gelatine

Steps : 

This recipe is enough for 6 jars and a 6-inch springform pan.

1) Break the digestive biscuits and the shortbread by sealing them in a ziplock bag and crushing them using a rolling pin. Make sure you get them quite finely.

2) Pour the crushed biscuits in a bowl, and pour the melted butter over them evenly. Combine both butter and  biscuits are well combined and press them evenly at the bottom of the jars and springform pan. Set and chill in the fridge while preparing the lychee cheese layer.

3) In a small pot, heat the lychee syrup till it just comes to a boil. Take it off the heat and add the gelatine. Stir until it dissolves completely. Set aside to cool.

4) Puree the lychees in a blender until there are less visible chunks. Add the lychee liquor and mix it well.

5) Whisk the cream cheese in a mixing bowl with the sugar until smooth, then add the lychee puree. In another bowl, whip the cream to a soft peak and gently fold it into the cream cheese and lychee mixture.

6) Once it’s well combined and smooth, add the gelatine mixture and fill a piping bag with the lychee cheese mixture. Slowly pipe it into the jars. Pour the rest of the mixture into the springform pan. Set to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. (I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight.) 

7) To serve, top it with a bit more buttered crumbs, and a lychee. I added half a strawberry for more crunch and texture! Also, pour 1 tsp of lychee syrup on top just before serving for extra sweetness!

ENJOY!

Note to self : Definitely add a little bit more next time! hehe Of course, you can leave it out if you want a kid-friendly version! hehe

Sticky Date Pudding

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It’s been a while since I baked something, and it’s definitely been a long while since I made a sticky date pudding. Cold winter nights usually makes me crave for a hot dessert. That to me, would definitely end my night on a super sweet note! (: So what could be better than freshly baked sticky date pudding with a dollop of freshly whipped (and quenelle, might I add) vanilla bean cream? Absolutely, nothing! Nothing could be more comforting than a hot pudding with cream or ice cream! mmmm.

My colleague has very kindly shared her recipe with me. I took one bite of the one she made, and immediately asked her if she minds sharing the recipe. She made it so often that she wrote out the recipe in less than 5 minutes! Including the steps! WOW! I was super impressed and couldn’t wait to try it!

Sticky Date Pudding (Adapted from Sandra)

200g dates, chopped

600ml boiling hot water

2 tsp soda bicarbonate

200g self-raising flour

150g unsalted butter

4 eggs

160g dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 pinch of salt

Butterscotch Sauce

300ml thickened cream

150g unsalted butter

1 cup of caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

whipped cream or ice cream, to serve

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius. Place the chopped dates in a bowl, and sprinkle the soda bicarbonate on it, and pour the boiling hot water over it. Leave it aside, to let it soften.

2) In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix till well combined.

3) Using a large wooden spoon, fold in the flour, a little at a time. Add the date and water mixture and mix till it becomes a wet mixture. Don’t worry, it does look very watery, so don’t panic! Pour into a well buttered baking tray and bake for 40 mins.

4) Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce by placing all the ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat. Allow the butter and sugar to melt and thicken. Pour 1/3 of the butterscotch sauce over the baked pudding and place it back into the warm oven for another 15-20 minutes.

5) Serve with freshly whipped vanilla bean cream or ice cream. ENJOY! (:

PS : It is very addictive! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! haha (:

Coffee Hit : Famish’d

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The holiday food adventures continues! The Mr brought me here after our wonderful lunch at MissChu for some digestive – coffee and cakes. Just what we needed to complete our lunch. There is ALWAYS space for dessert, or some kind of sweet, regardless of how full you are. haha Trust me!

Famish’d

Address : 130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Tel : (03) 90040322

Website : http://www.famishd.com.au

Opening Hours : 7-4pm

 Love the decor of the place. You feel a kind of comfort I can’t really describe. Everyone is so friendly there and the Mr said that they actually address you by your name when you’re a regular. Adds a personal touch to your visits here and definitely allows you to be more comfortable while dining there. How fabulous is that? To me, great service is everything!

Famish’d is actually known for their salads. It’s almost the same concept as Salad Stop in Singapore, where you can actually design your own salads, and pick your combination from a whole huge range of different ingredients. Or pick from daily salad special which are the hot favourites! How exciting is that? And now that it’s winter, they offer a soup special daily with freshly baked bread! YUMS! I am definitely returning back on an empty stomach to try their salads and soup!

But for this visit, I was there for some sweets and a good cuppa coffee using St Ali coffee beans.

When I saw what they have to offer, I just instantly picked these two cakes : citrus & poppyseed and orange & almond ! The cakes had a burst of flavour the second it touches your tongue and they were so moist. It’s a slightly denser cake, but I actually like dense cakes. haha Feel like they have more bite to it!


Word.

We both had lattes. Just that the mr ordered their large. And their hot drinks all came with a meringue that will filled with a surprise. It’s filled with chocolate chips! I have no idea how they make it, cause you don’t see the chocolate chips till you bite into it!

I do apologise that I didn’t get a shot of the chocolate chips in the meringue. I got too excited and it was too delicious, I finished it in 2 quick bites. haha I guess I just have to head back to have it again!

 I can’t wait to head back to try the food they have to offer. I have a good feeling they will be yummy! (: So if you work in the city and want a healthy and hearty lunch or even just a cuppa and something sweet, why not drop by and satisfy that hunger!

Sour Cream Maple Banana Cake

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What’s your favourite childhood cake that you still can’t get enough of now? For me, the banana cake from the neighbourhood bakery would be the clear winner! The moist and soft texture of the cake, and every bite is just full of banana-y goodness! I’ve made a few banana cakes before but nothing came close to those I had when I was back in Singapore. It either came out too dense, or too burnt or too dry.

I came upon a recipe from Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey? while blog hopping and saw a recipe I just couldn’t resist trying out. I wasn’t sure if it would turn out like those from back home, but it was definitely worth a shot! Especially since it’s also an upside down cake, and I’m kinda into that now, after making my upside down mandarin cake. haha

The recipe calls for maple syrup. I walked the aisles of the supermarket and contemplated on the maple flavoured syrup, as I never really wanted to spend almost $10aud on a bottle of pure maple syrup. But I decided to spoil ourselves and got a bottle of the real stuff and boy was I glad I did. It adds a unusual nutty flavour to the cake, which was perfect! The sour cream made the cake really soft and moist. And nothing could beat the smell of banana cake baking in the oven. It fills the whole house with the yummy aroma which makes you wanna dive your fork into it immediately once it’s taken out of the oven!

 I felt that this cake was a slightly healthier version as it has way less sugar and butter as compared to the mandarin one (well, I would like to think that! haha). Though they were both really yummy, this just brought me back to my childhood, and felt like I was back in Singapore for that 30 minutes of tea time. haha Yes, yes. I have to admit, I am really home sick. But I’ll be fine. (: Nothing a banana cake couldn’t fix!

So thank you so much Meeta, for sharing this awesome recipe. It’s definitely a keeper, and my mum has made me promise to make this for her when I get back at the end of the year! (:

Sour Cream Maple Banana Cake (Adapted from What’s For Lunch Honey?)

Ingredients : 

5 ripe bananas (3 for the base of the tin, and mash the other 2)

100g unsalted butter, plus extra to butter the tin

9 tbs maple syrup

200g dark brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

200g sour cream

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and butter a 20 x 20 square tin well. Pour 5 tablespoons of maple syrup into the tin and swirl it around to make sure the base of the tin is well coated.

2) Slice 3 bananas into half length-wise and lay them, cut side down, in the tin.

3) In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla paste and the mashed bananas. Mix until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula, then stir in the sour cream.

4) Carefully spoon the mixture into the tin, making sure the bananas at the base do not get displaced. Bake for 45 mins, then open the oven door and place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the tin so that it doesn’t get burnt. Bake it for a further 5-10mins until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the middle of the cake.

5) Take the cake out and poke the top all over with a fork. Spoon the last 4 tablespoons of maple syrup over the top and allow it to be soaked through (about 5 mins).

6) Use a knife to run through the sides of the tin, careful not to cut into the cake, then place a large plate over the baking tin and carefully over-turn the cake. Voila!

7) Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!

This is one recipe I can be certain everyone would enjoy! Especially those of you who are like me, who absolutely loves banana cake! The old school bakery ones! NOMS!

Upside Down Mandarin Cake

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It’s been so long since I baked anything. And I think my poor Kitchenaid felt really neglected. But the packing, unpacking and moving has made it almost impossible to get any proper baking done. But now that we’ve settled in, I just had to put my little red engine to work and bake something.

It’s the mandarin season right now and I really wanted to use them. I don’t usually use much citrus fruits in my baking, in fact the first time I did and attempted to make a orange and poppyseed cake, it failed miserably. haha So I was really worried and nervous about how this was going to turn out.

Especially making an upside down cake, you never will know how it will turn out or if it will even be successful until you turn the baking tin upside down. I held my breath from the time I placed a plate over the baking tin, and over-turning it. Only after hearing the “plop” sound did I let out a sigh of relief! That turned into a smile or a grin rather, after I lifted up the tin and found a beautiful flower-like arrangement of mandarins on top of a dense but soft buttery cake. Mmm mm mm!

I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Especially since I was never a cake-baking person. I’m more suited to baking cupcakes! So this was a real accomplishment for me. (: *phew*

So head down to the nearest supermarket and get yourself some mandarins! You’ll definitely enjoy this like we did! Especially when it’s warmed and served with a scoop of ice cream and topping with a touch of nutella! NOMS!

Upside Down Mandarin Cake (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January 2009)

Ingredients :

6-7 Mandarins, peels and segmented

226g unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

3 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice

1 1/3 cups, plus 1tbs of all purpose flour, sifted

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs orange zest

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup whole milk

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius. In a large pot of water, boil the mandarin segments for 3 minutes, drain and dry them on some paper towel.

2) Place 113g of butter in a 9-inch round baking tin. Mix 1 tsp of vanilla paste and 1/2 cup of sugar, then sprinkle over butter. Place in the oven until the butter has completely melted. This would take about 7 minutes. Carefully add 2 tbs of orange juice, mix till well combined.

3) Arrange the mandarin segments in a flower-like pattern starting from the middle and spiraling outwards. Set aside while making the cake batter.

4) Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cream zest, remaining butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla paste in a mixer until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low. Add half of the flour mixture, then the milk and the remaining 1 tbs of orange juice. Beat in the remaining flour mixture.

5) Gently spoon the batter on top of the mandarin, and spread evenly. Bake the cake till it’s golden brown and when the cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle. This will take about 45-50 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the tin on a wire rack.

6) Run a knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cake. Place the plate on top and invert the tin. You can let it cool before you eat, or have it slightly warm with a scoop of ice cream! ENJOY!

The Mr absolutely loved the cake ! It’s no wonder how he now has a sweet tooth huh? (:

Boozy Nutty Brownie

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When you think of St Patrick’s Day, you think of stout. Word association I say. That was exactly what we got to have on this special day (: Of course, I am more of a cider girl, so my choice was the Dirty Granny.

We never really celebrated St Patrick’s Day, but this year, I was just really itching to bake something. It has been a while since I used the oven for baking sweets, so I thought I should really get cracking. I bookmarked a recipe from Steph from her amazing blog Raspberri Cupcakes  a long time ago, and as I went through my endless list of “recipes to try”, my eyes was drawn to her ‘Beer & Nut’ Brownie! So I had to give it a try for sure (:

This was a perfect recipe to whip up on a Saturday night, it was quick and definitely delicious! Especially when you’re craving something chocolatey. This would definitely satisfy that craving, or any sweet craving that’s for sure! It was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside! Don’t worry if you’re not a huge fan of the taste of stout (like me), cause like Steph said, the taste of stout is really subtle, you will taste more chocolate than stout for sure! And if you ask me, the addition of peanut butter was just perfect. Yes, peanut butter. Just for extra crunch, I used the crunchy one. YUM!

My brownies didn’t turn out as beautiful as Steph’s though. Sadly, my swirls came out as blobs. haha But nevertheless, it was delicious and definitely something I would make when I am craving for something nutty and chocolatey!

Thanks for allowing me to share the recipe Steph! (:

Steph’s ‘Beer & Nut’ Brownies from Raspberri Cupcakes

(serves approximately 20)
125g semisweet chocolate
100g butter
100ml stout (Steph used chocolate stout but I couldnt find it but the regular stout worked too!)
2 eggs
3 tbsp dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
75g plain flour
190g caster sugar
160g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, your preference!)

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C. Grease very well and line the bottom and two long sides of a 20x30cm baking tin. Let the baking paper hang over the long edges so that it will make it easier to lift brownie out later.

2. Break up chocolate into small pieces and chop up butter into 1cm cubes and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat over a saucepan of boiling water. Stir and set aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. Sift cocoa powder, sugar and flour into a large mixing bowl. Add melted ingredients, stout and eggs to the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Take care not to overmix or the brownies will be tough. Pour into prepared tin.

4. If peanut butter is coming out of the fridge, you may need to heat it gently in a small saucepan to make it less viscous. Using a teaspoon, place dollops of peanut butter over the surface of the brownie mix. Using a round-bladed knife, swirl peanut butter into the brownie mix.

5. Bake for 22-25 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

6. Remove from the oven and place tin on a wire rack. Cool completely in tin before removing and cutting into squares. Can be stored overnight in an airtight container in the fridge.

Before you serve, microwave the brownies on high for 20 secs to warm them up and serve with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream. Match-made in heaven. (: ENJOY!

Forever 18.

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Turning 18, in my opinion, is one of the milestones of life.

I remember when I turned 18, it was my first year here in Melbourne, and it was also my first birthday away from home. It was bitter sweet, almost. Thank God that I had friends who love me and made my day very very special and unforgettable. So, to me. Having a celebration when you turn 18 is almost crucial! (: It signifies you becoming an adult (I know, not as huge as turning 21, but nonetheless important!) and definitely deserves a good dinner and a huge cake!

A huge cake was what I made for Peiwen for her 18th birthday during the last weekend! To be honest, I was very very nervous. Big cakes are definitely not something I am good at, not to say, I rarely make them. So I was really brave to decide on making not just a big cake, but a layered cake that, to me, is the most complex thing I’ve ever done! And.. it was HUGE! haha I got a shock after I assembled it, at how huge it was!

As “tall” as Peiqi’s hands!

Just shy of Peiwen’s hand haha

The original name of this cake is called the Heaven and Hell cake. I know. Not a very attractive name. But it’s only cause the two flavours of cakes in this recipe is an angel food cake and a devil’s food cake, held together with a peanut butter mousse. haha. So it does make sense yea? But when it was assembled and when I was helping to cut it into smaller portions, only one thing came to my mind: Reeses. So I decided to change the name to Reeses Choc-White cake (:

Thankfully, it was well received by everyone, and most importantly, the birthday girl (: So happy birthday once again! Hope you had an awesome time!

Cutting the cake was nerve-wrecking for me. I didn’t know if the layers were going to be distinct, or it was going to be a while mess inside. So with my fingers and toes crossed…

not very uniform in the height of each layer. but the layers are pretty distinct, right? haha Or just me and my self-encouragements. haha. ah wells. anywho! Here’s the recipe I’ve adapted from Food o’del Mundo

Reeses Choc-White Cake

Ganache
1 3/4 lbs (795 g) dark chocolate melts
1 1/3 c (315 ml) heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan and when it begins to bubble up, pour over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently stir, starting in the middle and working your way outward, until the cream and chocolate are completely mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 c (235 g) confectioners’ sugar
1 c minus 2 Tbls (120 g) flour
2 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 c (355 ml) egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 c (200 g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F (160C) and line the bottom of a 10″ round cake pan with ungreased parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar, flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually sprinkle in sugar, then extracts, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift half of the flour mixture over egg whites and fold until just combined. Sift over the remaining half of the flour mixture and gently fold until no streaks remain.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until top of cake springs back when touched, 45–50 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack and let cool.

My angel cake turned out to have a very crispy outer layer, not sure if it’s cause I did something wrong, but it did add this crunchy texture to the cake which actually was pretty good! (:

Devil’s Food Cake
3/4 c (155 g) unsalted butter
1 1/2 c minus 3 Tbls (185 g) flour
3 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c (355 ml) coffee
3/4 c (70 g) cocoa powder, sifted
2 c (250 g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temp

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 10″ round cake pan with shortening and dust with flour to coat. Shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a handheld mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 minutes. Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the bowl in 3 stages, beating to combine after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 30–35 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Mousse
1 lb (455 g) (2 8oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 c (710 ml) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
2 c (315 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 c (235 ml) heavy cream

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Put cream into a large bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining 2/3rds. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Assembly

Using a serrated-blade knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer of the devil’s food cake on a cake stand and spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mousse over the top. Top mousse with a layer of the angel food cake and spread with half of the remaining mousse. Repeat with the remaining devil’s food cake, mousse, and angel food cake. Wrap cake in plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours.

Stir ganache (heat it in the microwave, if necessary, at 10 second intervals. Be sure to stir well) until smooth and pour over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing with a palette spreader if necessary. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before slicing.

Happy 18th Birthday !

So tell me dearest readers, how did you celebrate your 18th birthday?

Chocolate Gluttony Brownies

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Chocolate.

The ultimate stress reliever food! (: I will never turn down chocolate. White, milk, dark. With fruits, nuts or plain. GIVE ME ALL! It doesn’t help that Lindt cafe opened in Melbourne last year. haha. A whole range of different quality chocolates within easy reach! Chocolate becomes essential especially when there are assignments and when you get writer’s block. and what did I do? I baked! To me, baking is therapeutic. When I’m stressed, two things comes in mind. Baking and chocolate. Nothing would be more perfect than baking brownies!

A while back, Masterclass had the most sinful and gooey brownie. Baby and I just couldn’t not give it a try. I’m so glad I did though. Cause the recipe is definitely a keeper! The best thing is you can add as many things as you want in it, and it will still turn out yummy! It’s a pity I didn’t have pecans or peanuts as I think it will just bring it to whole other level of delicious. But here is always next time, cause more assignments are due in 3 weeks!

so here’s the recipe I used adapted from Gary Mehigan (Masterclass)

Ingredients :

250g melted butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
90g good quality (Dutch) cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour, sifted
½ tsp baking powder, sifted
5 eggs
1 block of Lindt White Chocolate with Almonds
1 cup chopped dark chocolate

6 big marshmallows

Steps :

1) Preheat oven to 165°C. Line 2 x 20cm square baking tins or one larger slice tin with baking paper.

2) Add butter and sugar to an electric mixer and mix on medium speed, sprinkle in cocoa powder and mix until combined and has a gooey consistency.

3) Add eggs one at a time, allowing each one to mix through before adding the next.

After adding 1 egg yolk

Last and final addition

All ready to add the flour

4) Rain in flour and baking powder with electric mixer on low speed, beating until well combined.

5) Stir through the chocolates until combined.

6) Pour equal amounts into the tins and smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Place the marshmallows on top of the batter and push it in just a little.

7) Bake for about 40 minutes until firm at the edges but still a little soft in the middle.

8) Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Alternatively you can make this ahead of time and store in the fridge.

GOOEY and filled with chocolatey goodness! (:

I’m pretty sure you will enjoy it! heh The middle is definitely my favourite bits!

A Sugee Cake Just To Say Thank You.

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I recently stopped work and really wanted to thank my boss and I knew from the very start sugee cake was her facourite cake of all time. So I couldn’t not bake it for her. I never really baked it before, and was a little nervous to be giving her my very first attempt to be honest. But as I was leaving for Melbourne very soon, I didn’t have much time to bake another. So a successful first attempt was what I was praying for!

Thankfully, I read Ju’s post on The Little Teochew (yes the same awesome person who baked and shared her Japanese Cheesecake recipe, thank you!) a couple of months ago, and bookmarked the recipe of the sugee cake she baked (adapted from Cherry on a Cake) and hers looks amazing! So I took a deep breath and plucked up my courage and gave this a try.

Ju did use almond silvers but I didn’t have that, and used pumpkin seeds instead. However, they didn’t stay on top and sank all the way to the bottom instead! hehe I must say it didn’t look very pretty, but it did taste pretty good! and goes well with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Thankfully, my boss enjoyed it very much! (: So thank you Zurin, for sharing the recipe, and thank you Ju for giving the tips!

so here’s the recipe from The Little Teochew, as adapted from Cheery on a Cake (: Enjoy!

Ingredients :

250g butter, softened
250g caster sugar (can reduce it to 220g)
125g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
125g semolina flour
50g cashews, ground (I used grounded almonds instead)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp buttercream essence (I left this out)
5 eggs plus 1 yolk, the whole eggs separated

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 150 C.

2. Stir semolina flour, Self Raising flour, baking powder and nuts together in a bowl and leave aside.

3. Seperate all the eggs. Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Add cold milk, vanilla extract and buttercream essence and mix well.

4. In another bowl beat egg whites till stiff. Fold in flour mixture into creamed mixture. Then fold in beaten egg whites gently until well mixed. Gently sprinkle almond silvers or any nuts (as mentioned above, I used pumpkin seeds and it sank, so just stick to the almond silvers) on top before putting it in the oven.

5. Bake 150 C for 50-60 mins until skewer comes out clean. (Tent the cake batter with foil because the high sugar content makes the cake brown easily)

I used a bread loaf pan and it came out pretty nice and close to the texture of Ju’s sugee cake, crumbly and nutty! (:

Thanks again to the both of you so generously sharing your recipe and tips!

Looks Can Be Deceiving!

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Ever judge something or someone by it’s or their looks?

I am definitely guilty! Especially when I baked this cotton soft Japanese cheesecake! I have made it before back in Melbourne and it was successful but was very thin. So when i saw this post by Ju, The Little Teochew (she is AMAZING by the way), and I couldn’t resist trying the recipe she used! To my dismay, mine did not turn out any where near hers. Her cake stood tall and mine stood timid and small, no matter how long I allowed it to rest in the oven before taking it out. BUT! the taste and texture of the cake was still super good! So with more practice, hopefully mine would look closer to hers!

So here’s mine, looking a little sad. But really, it was very good and everyone enjoyed it! So don’t judge anything from it’s outer looks, always give it a chance! (:

It was Father’s Day so I baked one for my dad, and one for Lester’s dad as well. Was really happy to hear both of them enjoying it! (: So here’s to all the fathers out there :

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY !

Recipe adaptd from The Little Teochew (I strongly urge you to visit her blog!)

120g fine caster sugar

6 eggs whites

6 egg yolks

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

50g butter

250g cream cheese

100ml fresh milk

1 tbsp of lemon juice

60g cake flour

20g corn flour

1/4 tsp salt

Steps :

1. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, egg yolks, lemon juice and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the cheese mixture to the egg white mixture and fold well.

Pour into a 8-inch round cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil if you are using a springform tin, to prevent seepage.

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 160 degree celcius.

Tips : So that the top will not be too brown, I covered the top with aluminium foil for 40 mins and took it off for the last 30 mins. Ju recommended to leave it in the oven for 1 hour with the door ajar so that it will not sink. I did that, but it didn’t work for me. Will definitely try it again! Remember to check out her blog! (:

ps : love you daddy! (: