Cheesecake Cuppies

Just realized I've not create an entry on my cheesecake cuppies. They were part of those thank-you gifts at the baby shower.


before baking..

Cheesecake Cuppies

Ingredients
(A)
60g digestive biscuits, crumbs
30g butter, melted

(B)
170g cream cheese
75g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract - i used paste
1/4 tsp lemon zest
tiny pinch of salt
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
60g sour cream

(C)
canned strawberries
1 tsp gelatine

How to make
Preheat oven 170C.
Combine A. Press them down with fingers or back of a chopstick into small cuppies paper. Bake 5 mins. Remove and let cool.

Cream cream cheese and gradually add sugar. Cream til smooth. Add vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Beat well. Add eggs one at a time. Ensure each addition is well incorporated. Add sour cream and mix well making sure there's no lumps in the batter and batter is silky smooth.

Pour batter into cuppies lined with biscuit crumbs. Fill to leaving tiny space on top of paper for topping later. Bake 15 mins til tops crack a little and leave to cool. Cheesecake tops will sink slightly when cooled.

Drain (C) keeping both juice and strawberries separate. Place juice in saucepan on medium heat and let it come to boil. Place 3 tbsp of hot juice in a small bowl and sprinkle 1 tsp gelatine. Whisk til completely dissolved. Add mixture back into saucepan and leave til juices slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

Carefully spoon juice on top of cheesecake cuppies. Place a strawberry on top and place cheesecake cuppies in fridge for an hour or more til topping sets.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake Pops

Baby shower thank-you gifts!

I am unsure how my cheesecake turned out firm and "scoop-able". They didn't stick my hands and were just perfect to round into balls.

I took out my cheesecake after 40 mins and it was browned on top. The middle even cracked slightly, but just a little. I thought to myself, "..uh-oh, doomed!" So with crossed fingers I cooled it and place it carefully inside the fridge overnight.

The next morning, I scraped the top of my cheesecake and the bottom layer. The bottom softens a little to make them perfectly scoop-able and no mess! I am not sure how or why most end up with gooey, mess with theirs but I suppose I missed that soft, gooey cheesecake with these!

Perhaps it's my measurements? I halved the recipe accordingly but not entirely. And used a hand mixer. Maybe I overmixed them. Or maybe it's the square tin pan I used instead? Anyway, here's my version.

Cheesecake Pops

Ingredients:
600g cream cheese
180g caster sugar
17g flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg + 2 small eggs (42g)
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla paste
30mls whipped cream

30-40 (4 inches) lollipop sticks or skewers
some semi-sweet or dark chocolates and shortening
other types of topping (crushed cereals, graham crackers etc)
How to make:

Preheat oven at 170C.
Cream together cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt.
Add eggs one at a time, beating well.
Add vanilla paste and cream.

Grease a square tin pan and pour batter in. Set kettle on. Place tin pan in a large roasting dish and pour boiling water in roasting dish til water comes up halfway tin pan. Place roasting dish inside preheated oven. Congratulations, you've set yourself baking in bain-marie style =)

Bake 35 to 45 mins.

Tips: I'd check after 30 minutes. Mine took 40 mins and it was all browned on top.

Remove tin pan from its water bath. Let cool to room temperature, place plastic wrap on it then place it in the fridge overnight. Or at least 3 hours for cheesecake to firm up.

Scoop cheesecake into small balls (25g each) and roll them with your clean hands. I weighed each balls and got exactly 35 balls. Place them on a tray layered with baking sheets. Stick your lollipop or skewer stick into each ball. Freeze 1-2 hours til very hard.

Melt shortening and chocolate in microwave for few seconds stirring each time. Dip frozen cheesecakes into chocolate mix and place them back in the fridge for at least 24 hours. They may also be frozen.

Hints: You may use milk chocolate but I find them too sweet. I used 1/4 milk and 3/4 dark chocolate for mine. I also thinned out the chocolates with warm milk. My first try was milk chocolate and hubby said the chocolate was too empowering and too thick. Hence, the variation.

I must admit, I was very reluctant to make these pops looking at the amount of cream cheese required in the original recipe. 5 blocks!! But seeing it's a special occassion and I do want to make personalized thank-you gifts, I thought I'd halve the recipe and make just enough for the guests.

Love eating these frozen. Some may melt at room temperature while others don't. Am not quite sure why. I suppose the ones dipped with melted chocolate and warm milk would.

Carrot Cake Cuppies

2 cuppies in 2 days?

If you're wondering, no I'm not craving madly over cuppies in this late pregnancy. These (and yesterday's) cuppies are exclusively to feed approximately 20 ppl at our baby shower tomorrow! I've also a chocolate mousse cake setting in the fridge and cheesecake pops in the freezer. Mini quiches in the oven and cheesecake cuppies to make later in the day as thank-you gifts.

I haven't tried any of these cuppies or the cake. But my husband has! And I shall trust his taste-buds when it comes to food.

This carrot cake is supposedly served as one round cake or loaf cake. I think cuppies are cuter for the occasion. Minis should go very well with babies =)

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
(A)
2 small egg yolks
3/4 c vegetable oil - i used cooking oil
65 g caster sugar
65 g brown sugar
1 c grated carrots - 1 medium sized carrot
50 g chopped walnuts

(B)
125 g cake flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp soda bicarb

(C)
2 small eggwhites

How to make:
Whisk egg yolks, oil and sugar.
Combine remaining ingredients (A).

Mix and sift ingredients (B).
Add to ingredients (A) and stir with spatula.

Preheat oven to 180C.
Beat ingredients (C) til stiff peaks form.
Fold lightly into combined mixture (A) and (B).

Bake 10 mins as mini cuppies.
*If you've doubled the recipe to make one whole cake, bake 30-45 mins.

Tips: This recipe is halved to make 30-35 mini cuppies. It can easily be doubled to make muffins or one whole cake!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
40 g butter
80 g cream cheese
40 g icing sugar

How to make:
Beat everything together.

Tips: I had quartered the original recipe to suit my mini cuppies (which I truly regret, it's such a yummy frosting!). It made just the right amount to frost 35 mini cuppies.

Two-toned Cupcakes

The last time I made little cuppies was er.. very long time ago. Could be a decade. Mind you, I started showing off my baking skills at the age of 3! Of course it was on the kitchen floor playing with eggs, milk and flour on the carpet =p

Anyway, this was meant to be a cherry and chocolate cuppies with pistachio swiss meringue buttercream. But mine decided to have a mind of its own and turned out to be a vanilla and chocolate cuppies with pink swiss meringue buttercream instead!

Spumoni Cupcakes
(makes 48 mini cuppies)

Ingredients:
57 g butter
1/4 c + 2 tbsp sugar
3/4 c + 2 tbsp flour (for chocolate version: reduce amount to 1/2c and add 1/4c or about 32g of cocoa powder)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 tsp cherry extract (for chocolate version: substitute with 1/2tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 c milk
1/8 c chopped cherries (omit for chocolate version)

How to make:
Beat butter and sugar til light and fluffy.
Add egg. Beat.
Add cherry extract. Mix.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt together.
Mix by hand half flour mixture to butter mix and mix til well combined.
Add milk. Mix well.
Add remaining flour mixture til just well incorporated.

Fill mini cuppies liners with half cherry mixture and half chocolate mixture to make 3/4 full. Bake 10 mins.

Tips: if your cherry cupcakes lack color, I'd suggest adding bit of red coloring. But if you're happy with it, like mine, just leave it looking like vanilla cuppies =p

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/2c sugar
113g butter (divided to 1 tbsp or 14g segments)
1 tsp vanilla extract
rose pink color

How to make:
Whisk egg whites and sugar on a double boiler to reach a safe temperature of 160C, whisking constantly.
Remove and place in mixing bowl and whisk away on high speed til stiff peaks form but not dry.
Switch to paddle attachment.
Add 1 tbsp (14g) butter one at a time, whisking til well combined.
Increase to medium-high speed til you get a fluffy consistency.
Lower speed and add vanilla extract and rose pink color.

Tips: the buttercream is a bit tricky to make. With lots of confidence and patience. I did not however encounter the problem of it turning soupy like many did. But mine curdled a little halfway through butter addition. But keep whisking away (with fingers crossed tightly!) and it will come together in the end.