Mixed Berries Cheesecake (no bake)

This cake was done by my girl for Mother's Day as I got busy with my dad's cake.  

Yearly, we will celebrate Mother's Day on my dad's birthday.  This year is no exception.  For the next two years, I will be missing my daughter on this special day.

My parents feel that it is a little sweet but for us, we think it was okay.  So if you are making it for old folks, reduce the sugar.

Learning: In the next round, we will follow the below recipe to make it a taller cake.  Also best serve totally chilled.

What you need:

5" 

80g digestive biscuit

40g unsalted butter

260g cream cheese

120g castor sugar

160g mixed berries puree

200g whipping cream

2 tsp lemon juice

16g gelatin

64g cold water

Mixed berries jello

75g mixed berries puree

30g castor sugar

6g gelatine

24g cold water

Method:

Cheesecake

Bloom gelatine in cold water for 10 mins.  Melt gelatine over hot water until dissolved.

Melt the butter.  

Break the digestive biscuit into fine powder.  Add in the melted butter and mixed well.

Spread the crumbs into the 5" cake ring.  Compact it as much as possible.  Chill.

Beat the cream cheese until soft.  Add in the sugar and beat until creamy.

Add in the mixed berries puree and lemon juice and beat again.

Whisk the whipping cream until soft peaks.  

Fold in the whipped cream into the mixed berries cream cheese.  

Mix in the melted gelatin until fully incorporated.

Pour onto the biscuit base and freeze.

Jello

Dissolve mixed berries puree, and castor sugar in the microwave oven (30-sec burst).

Stir the mixture and bring back into a microwave oven (20-sec burst)

Stir in the gelatin until well combined and let it cool down (enough not to feel warm).

Assembly

Strain the mixture onto the cheesecake.  Shake it gently to distribute the layer evenly.

Chilled until set before serving.

Happy Mother's Day to all mommies out there!

Basque burnt cheese cake

Basque Burnt Cheese Cake has been going on for a while and today, I get a chance to try it as I have cream cheese balance from a project that I was working on and I do not want the leftover sitting in the fridge.

Initially, I thought this cake was originated from Japan but then I found out that its name was taken from a little Bar, named La Vina in Basque country, a place straddles France and Spain.   People from all over the world will queue for a slice of this cheesecake.

The characteristic of this special cheesecake is that the top layer is caramelised which gives it a slightly bitter taste (like how caramel supposed to be) to counter the sweetness of the inner texture between a flan and a New York cheesecake.

Another characteristic is that it does not have a nice smooth round which most cake has.  This was created by having a baking paper roughly lined round the pan.

I have seen many actually produced a “blacken” top and after being warn of the carcinogen effect, thus I really took care not to burnt my cake.

If you are curious about how this should look like, Andrea Duty actually took a really good photo of the actual cake in La Vina.  (unfortunately, Andrea had since taken down her blog but La Vina, has a small picture in their website). 

Her recipe was a huge one, so I downsize it to one that fits a 6" round.

Learning experience: 

This cake is the 2nd I baked.  The first one yields a prettier top but since I am giving away the 2nd, I am not sure how receptive of a darker tone.  So to play safe, I took it out before it caramelised any further.

Nevertheless, the aroma of this cake baking in the oven is awesome.

I started monitoring the cake at 20 mins so that I will not burn the cake.

What you need:

250g cream cheese
80g caster sugar
2 eggs
10g plain flour
120g whipping cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 220°C.  Double-lined a 6" pan with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, cream cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light.

Add in one egg one at a time, beating it until it fully incorporated before the next.

In a bowl, add flour and slowly whisk in the whipping cream until flour mixture dissolved.

Pour into the cheese mixture and beat to combine.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 mins.



Enjoy!

Steam Cheesecake Brownie 蒸芝士布朗尼蛋糕

I think baked cheesecake brownie before but I have not tried steaming one.  So today, I shall try this Steam Cheesecake Brownie 蒸芝士布朗尼蛋糕 for a change.

Learning experience: 

The texture is moist and soft.  My neighbour can't tell it was cream cheese in the middle as it was so light.

My hub did not think it was brownies as it was not the usual brownies that he is used to.

Overall, this is a good recipe.

Source: Here and here.  Thanks Roz for translating.

What you need:

Cheesecake:

250g cream cheese, room temperature

60g castor sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp plain flour

Method:

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

Add in egg and whisk until well mixed.

Add in water and flour and mix well.  Set aside.

Brownie:

2 eggs

140g castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

½ cup boiling water

½ cup milk

½ cup oil

140g plain flour

20g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

Method:

Sift plain flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder.  Set aside.

Whisk egg and sugar until frothy.

Add in vanilla extract and salt.

Add in hot water, milk and oil.

Fold in flour mixture in 3 additions.  Stir well in each addition above.

Prepare steamer and lined a 7” square cake pan.

Steam above medium heat, half of the brownie mixture 377g for 15-20 mins, until the surface, is dry to touch.

Pour cream cheese mixture on top and continue steaming for another 15-20 mins.

Finally, pour the remaining half of the brownie batter and steam another 30 mins until done.

Cool cake before inverting.



Enjoy!

Japanese Soufflé Cheese Cake

I love Japanese Soufflé Cheese Cake but I have not bake one for the longest time.  

Now with a block of cream cheese in the fridge for me to clear, it will be perfect for me to pick up my mojo on this cake.

Findings: Am glad that my skill for such recipe did not gone haywired.  Pretty please with how it turned out too.

Source

What you need:

250g cream cheese

5 egg yolks (A grade)

50g butter

70g castor sugar

100g fresh milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

60g cake flour

20g corn flour

¼ tsp salt

5 egg whites

¼ tsp cream of tartar

70g castor sugar

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160°C (Top and bottom heat, no fan force).  Line bottom of a 8” x 3” round cake pan and grease the sides.

Whisk the cream cheese, sugar and butter till smooth on a double boiler. Remove from heat.

Add cold milk and whisk until combined. (this is prevent the hot mixture to cook the eggs)

Add egg yolks one at a time and whisk until smooth.

Add salt, lemon juice and whisk again.

Sift flour and fold into mixture until fully combined. Set aside.  

In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites at low speed till foamy.

Add cream of tartar and beat at medium speed till bubbles become very small but still visible.

Gradually add sugar and beat till very glossy soft peaks. Use medium speed to avoid over beating.

With a hand whisk, fold meringue into batter ⅓ at a time until combined for each addition.  Last addition, switch to spatula to gently fold until smooth and no streaks of meringue is visible.

Pour batter into prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles.

Bake in a water bath at for 1 hr 10 minutes.

Test by pressing lightly on the surface, if still soft and did not spring back, bake another 5-10 minutes.

Unmould once cake as pulled away from the sides of pan by inverting on to a smooth non-stick pan, peel off the lining paper and invert it back on to a rack to cool.

Enjoy!

Soufflé Chocolate Cheesecake 3 Ingredients

I have been a fan of Ochikeron for years.  As a Japanese, she delivers her English speaking video beautifully.  She makes recipe seems so easy that she actually motivated my girl to prepare her very first dinner for the family.  

I have bookmarked this recipe, Soufflé Chocolate Cheesecake for a long time as it only uses 3 ingredients but I am sure many are like me, bookmarked and then procrastinate.

Recently I was given some white chocolate which I was at a lost how to finish it, so this recipe is finally able to put to a test in my kitchen and yet it helps me to clear off the chocolate.

My first attempt was a disaster; first I burnt my white chocolate.  Then the lazy or rather the curious me, wanted to try baking the cake in the air fryer.  

More disaster as the cake rose so much that it got stuck to the coil!  It was an ugly sight but hubby is always sweet.  He said though the presentation is not there but the cake still is nice.

I wasn't deflated as I have seen many attempted this recipe using the air fryer and theirs were perfect!  

I didn't to try again.   While melting the white chocolate, it strike me with hubby not around, and son won't eat anything that looks white, we might have a problem finishing up the cake.  So I added in 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to "fool" him.  Thus so I too cheated with this 3 ingredients recipe.

I served this for tea when C came for a visit.  She felt that something is missing from this but we can't pinpoint what it is.  

Verdict: 

Does this taste like Japanese cheese cake, the answer is no.  Is this easy to put together, it is definitely.  

Somehow I felt that the cheese flavor is missing from the usual Japanese cheese cake.  Perhaps it is the white chocolate that mask the flavor.  I might bake this using either milk chocolate or bitter chocolate the next time when I am feeling lazy and yet wanted a cheese cake.  

What you need:

3 eggs
120g white chocolate 
120g cream cheese

2 tbsp cocoa powder

For air fryer

Add water into the base bowl.  Place the 6" cake pan in the basket.  Bake at 140°C for 30mins.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Lined and greased a 6” round cake pan

Separate the eggs and place the whites in a large bowl.

Let your egg whites sit in the refrigerator to keep them cold until you are ready to use them (which makes the meringue more stable).

Place the chocolate (broken into pieces) in a large bowl. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water (60C/140F).

Then add the cream cheese and melt them together.

Remove the bowl from the double boiler, add the egg yolks, and mix well.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites with an electric mixer until firm peaks form.

Add ¹/₃ meringue into the cream cheese batter and blend well with a spatula. Then add the rest of the meringue ½ at a time and mix well.

Pour the batter into the pan and drop the pan lightly on the counter to raise the air bubbles out of the batter.

Place the cake pan on a baking sheet. Pour some hot water into the baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, and 160°C for 15 minutes, then switch off the heat and let the cake stay inside the oven for another 15 minutes before removing it.

When it is done, place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

You can either serve immediately or chill in the fridge before serving! It will slightly get hard in the fridge, so leave at room temperature for a few minutes before you serve.

You can brush the cake with some apricot jam syrup and/or dust with powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar) to finish. You can serve it with whipped cream if desired.

No Bake Oreo Cheese Cake

As for dessert, I tried out No Bake Oreo Cheesecake.  Since Oreo is always a hot favourite with kids.  

There were two versions that I saw on the net and I opted one with gelatine as I didn't want to risk them not setting firm.

I should have used a smaller muffin cup but somehow I couldn't find it in the house.    The recipe yield 15 pcs but I think I will reduced this to 8 for a deeper dept of cheesecake.  I also increased the gelatine for a firmer texture.

I also turned them into a cheesecake sandwich and I am delighted that the kids love it.

  

 What you need:

½ cup whipping cream

250g cream cheese, softened

6 tbsp castor sugar

2 tsp gelatine with 2 tbsp hot water, dissolved

15 oreo, removed cream

10 oreo, removed cream (pound till crumb like)

2 tsp lemon juice

Method:

Put half of the oreo into a muffin liner.

Beat cream cheese with sugar till fluffy.

Add in lemon juice and beat well. 

Add in gelatine.

Add in crush oreo.

Whip whipping cream till stiff.

Fold whipping cream into cream cheese mixture.

Scoop into muffin liner and top with the other half of oreo.  Chill for 6 hours.

It's been a while since I last entertained and I am glad that I didn't have any pain after.  

The night was really enjoyable as we sat in the open, sipping on wine and chit chatting the night away while the kids were having a blast dancing and playing.  
Totally enjoyable.

Thanks for the great company, H & S.  I hope your kids enjoyed themselves.

Hugs 

Chocolate Cheesecake (Baked)

A new year, a new beginning and a new hope.  This is what I am going to do.  I needed more self-love starting from this year as advised by my counselor, Yvette.

As much as I wanted to do the first post on New Year day, somehow I got caught up with things that needed my attention first.

Many have written to me asking for my new blog but I am very lousy with design work as well as crazily puzzled over those html coding.  Seriously lost touch now since I hardly revamp my old one for the past 7 years. 

Though I still bake weekly and cook daily but I wasn't ready to post on the blog till now (pardon the ugly layout but I will get there with time)

This blog will be my journal on all the tried and tested recipes.  Recipes that interest me and I have tried it.  I will post the source of my attempts but will not post all the recipes that I tried online but if you are keen, drop me a note on the comment box.

Now back to what I have been up to.  Thanks to hubby who not only provided financially, he also planned, coordinated and acted as our driver for our one month long vacation in Nov/Dec.  Though our rented car was broken into but it was not dampened as we got to see the most amazing coastal line after the ordeal.  Another added bonus to this trip, was to be able to visit my brother and his family.  I really missed them so much and it was good to see my kids bonded with their little cousins.

I came home feeling recharged and positive.  Then I suffered another mishap on my back trying to prepare a simple Christmas Eve dinner.

Things haven't been looking good then as some days, I have difficulty getting out of the bed without stabilising myself for a few minutes.  Scary isn't it?  

Now, I am diligently exercising as instructed by my chiropractor and hoping to strengthen my muscle before my next visit.

I am trying to be positive as I have so many things that I wanted to accomplish in 2013.  I needed to be able to run like a bunny FAST!

Now with a waist brace pretty permanently scrapped round my back, I tried to function as normal as possible.  

I have been craving for a cheesecake since we came back.  Yes, I got addicted to Cheesecake Factory while we were holidaying.  My family just loves the food, cakes, and services here.  

Thus to solve my craving, I baked a Chocolate Cheesecake!  Yah, I hardly baked cheesecake for many reasons.  One is a leakage problem, hated to stain my oven.  Second, it takes ages!  But with strong craving, everything is possible.

I doubled lined my spring form pan with aluminum foil over the water bath pan (darn the bigger pan also leaked).  Luckily, I have another shallow tray at the lowest rack on my oven to catch the water dripping.

Tip: Don't over beat as the cheesecake will be cracked during baking.