Raspberry Moussecake

Yesterday I made these.
Was so intrigued by the colors and thought this would taste delicious!
Indeed they were!



It sure takes a while to set but they were beautiful pink. I can imagine these being served on V-Day. However, I'd make a few changes next time. Use a little bit of pink/red coloring to enhance it. The plus to this is that I've all ingredients in my pantry =)

This recipe has been cut in half. To make a full cake, simply double the recipe!

Raspberry Moussecake

Ingredients
25 g flour
10 g cocoa powder
2 yolks
35 g sugar
1 tbsp oil
25 mls water
2 egg whites

To make the bottom chiffon cake
Preheat oven 180C
Line baking paper in pan.
Sift flour and cocoa powder together. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and add half the sugar. Whisk til creamy. Gradually add oil and water. Tip in the flour mix and combine. Whisk egg whites with remaining sugar til soft peaks form. Fold into chocolate mixture.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes til toothprick inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool.

Cut your chiffon cakes into round moulds. Put 10 g of caster and 25 mls water in a small bowl and microwave til bubbly. Brush the mixture on top of cakes. Leave the cakes in the fridge while you continue to make the mousse.

Tips: I used a small-ish loaf pan to bake my bake. And as for the moulds, I used small sized plastic trifle cups which got me 3 wonderful round cakes. The rest of the chiffon cakes I just dumped them into 2 other trifle cups and swirl the mix around.

Raspberry Mousse
Ingredients
150 g raspberry puree - I pureed my berries with a fork so I get some berry chunks in my mousse =)
45 g caster
3 g gelatine - I'd reduce this tad next time for a less gelatine-like mousse
150 g cream

How to make
Put 1 tbsp warm water into a small bowl and dissolve the gelatine in. Heat 1/2 of the puree with sugar in the microwave wil hot. Combine gelatine mixture into hot puree and whisk til well combined. Add the remaining puree and leave to cool a little. Whisk cream til soft peaks form and fold into puree mixture.

Top cakes with mousse mix. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Tips: The mousse mixture I topped with 5 tablespoons each onto each cake moulds. They fit perfectly.

Verdict: It's definitely for a sweet-sour tooth type of person. I don't particularly like the chiffon cake but after spending an overnight in the fridge, I don't quite mind it at all. The sweet chocolatey taste and sweet-sour taste from the mousse blended so well together.

Definitely a keeper =)

Mascarpone Marbled Cheesecake

We had few friends over for dinner so I made these for dessert!



After filling up all my mini cups pan, there are more chocolate batter than whites so I topped chocolate batter on whites instead into a muffin pan. I must say, the chocolate cheesecake is SO SO gooood!! Much better than the cheesecake itself!



Here's the recipe

Mascarpone Marbled Cheesecake

(A)
50 g Oreo cookies, crushed and fillings removed

(B)
100 g bittersweet/dark chocolates - use good quality chocolates
40 ml (2tbsp) water
300 g cream cheese
120 g sugar
2 eggs
140 g mascarpone cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract

How to make
Preheat oven to 160C.
Spray moulds with olive oil or butter.
Cover bottom pan with foil.
Sprinkle A into bottom of the moulds, pressing lightly.
Combine chocolates with water and melt together.
Beat cream cheese til smooth. Add sugar.
Add eggs one at a time, beating smoothly.
Mix mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract together.
Add to cheese mixture and mix til smooth.
Take out 1/3 cup of mixture and mix it into chocolate mix.
Alternate cheese mixture and chocolate mixture into moulds filling up to top. Start with cheese mix, then chocolate mix, ending with cheese mix til mixture comes up to the brim. Using a toothpick, swirl mixture in moulds carefully not to overmix.

Put kettle on. Place moulds into large roasting pan. Pour hot boiling water into roasting pan til it comes up to half mould bottom level.

Congratulations you've mastered the water-bath baking method :)
Depending on the size of your mould, I baked 15 mins. If using muffin pans, bake up to 30 mins. The centre should come out slightly wobbly in the centre.
Cool cheesecake on rack and put them into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Verdict: The taste is absolutely yummy though the crust didn't turn out crumbly. In fact it blended well into the cheesecake. I LOVE the chocolate mix, next time I'd make it all chocolate instead of marbling them =p

38 weeks!

YUMMO!

Almond and Chocolate Pound Cake with Lemon Curd filling

Hello.

Okay, I know now that at 37 weeks along, I'm supposed to be relaxing at home, put my feet up and lay sprawled on the couch in front of the TV with a tub of chocolate brownie ice-cream..

But!
Unfortunately that is too uncomfortable to do at this stage and I don't think I'm capable of handling that kind of lifestyle for long. So up I went to make myself a little useful and head off to the supermarket. Bought ingredients and did some retail 'baking gadgets' therapy =)

And here's what I turn up with!



Recipe for the pound cake can be found here!
I decided to give the original pound cake a try and used almond essence instead.
Verdict: Don't quite like the taste. I think 5mls of almond essence is too much. Try reducing it to half next time. OR better yet, switch to vanilla altogether.

I melted some choc chips, took out some of the batter and mix. I find the chocolate part is yummy with less almond-y taste. Luckily I made some lemon curd for the filling and these cuppies turned out DELICIOUS!



Not that these little cuppies needed the moist centre, but the lemony tang twist in the middle takes these little ones up another level =) *yum*

Here's the recipe:

Lemon Curd (original recipe from here)

Ingredients (- indicates halved)
3 large eggs - 2 small eggs
2-3 lemons, juiced out to make up to (80mls) fresh lemon juice - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp juice
150 g sugar - 75 g
56 g unsalted butter, room temp, cut to small pieces - 28 g
1 tbsp lemon zest - 1 tsp

How to make
Whisk constantly eggs, lemon juice and sugar on a double boiler til a consistency of sour cream or hollandaise sauce is reached. Check temperature so it comes up to 71C. Remove from heat and put through a fine sieve if lumps appear. Drop butter pieces one at a time whisking through with each addition til butter melts in the mixture. Add lemon zest.

Lay a piece of cling wrap on top of lemon curd surface to prevent skin forming and place it in the fridge to cool. Mixture will thicken more while cooling.

Note: I have halved the recipe and it made up close to half a cup of lemon curd. Just enough for me to fill 12 standard size cuppies!

SMBC (Swiss Meringue Buttercream frosting)

Ingredients
2 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
113 g butter (divided to 1 tbsp each or 14 g segments)
1 tsp vanilla extract
yellow coloring

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 yellow coloring.



Can you decide which design you'd like?



Sorry but can't resists!
Here's our little beast Koda.
Just moments before the flower vase toppled over her!

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.