Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cake. Show all posts
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Basic Creamy Cheesecake
The original recipe makes a 16 servings cheesecake in a 9" springform. I had halved the recipe as there are only 5 mouths at home including Elmo, and the portion had fitted nicely in my one and only 7" springform pan (I had left my 6", 9", 10" and 11" back at home). This cake has a velvety texture with New York cheesecake kinda "dense and rich" flavour if you know what I mean. In fact it's almost like New York cheesecake but not quite yet because there isn't any lemon in it. It's also one cake that you can customise and play around to suit your own taste.
Basic Creamy Cheesecakeadapted from "Baking From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I had used Mcvities digestive biscuit, placed them in a ziplock bag and rolled them into crumbs with a rolling pin)
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (4 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature (I had used 2x250g boxes)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two (note: you can make the cake milder or tangier by using all heavy cream or all sour cream, or a combination of the two. I had used all sour cream.)
Methods:
To make the crust:
1. Butter a 9" springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminium foil.
2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist (you can use your fingers).
3. Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even.
4. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
5. Centre a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you prepare the cheesecake batter.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Note: Although the crust will bake with the cake, don't skip the quick 10 mins prebaking - it's what gives the crumbs their nice crunch.
To make the cheesecake:
1. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.
3. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.
4. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition - you want a well-aerated batter.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
6. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it. (I don't have such a roasting pan so I had used a disposable 9"x11" aluminium pan instead. Plan to reuse it for whatever recipes that call for waterbath.)
7. Give the batter a few stirs with rubber spatula, and scrape the batter into the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in buttered ramekins or small souffle mold.)
8. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (note: I found mine wobbly from about 3" from the centre, which is perfectly normal. Do not test your cake with a skewer as it will never come out clean.).
10. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open a little. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its waterbath for another hour.
11. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster, and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
12. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
13. Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan, and set the cake on a serving platter.
This is one ideal celebration cake which certainly will bring you gasps of satisfaction when you place it on the table. Most importantly is it's so easy to make at home. Get the first taste of the freshly-baked homemade cake and look at the gratification of your loved ones when they savour the cake bite after bite, how comforting it is?
For the crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (I had used Mcvities digestive biscuit, placed them in a ziplock bag and rolled them into crumbs with a rolling pin)
3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (4 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, at room temperature (I had used 2x250g boxes)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two (note: you can make the cake milder or tangier by using all heavy cream or all sour cream, or a combination of the two. I had used all sour cream.)
Methods:
To make the crust:
1. Butter a 9" springform pan and wrap the bottom of the pan in a double layer of aluminium foil.
2. Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist (you can use your fingers).
3. Turn the ingredients into the springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even.
4. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)
5. Centre a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you prepare the cheesecake batter.
6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Note: Although the crust will bake with the cake, don't skip the quick 10 mins prebaking - it's what gives the crumbs their nice crunch.
To make the cheesecake:
1. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes.
3. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat for another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light.
4. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition - you want a well-aerated batter.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
6. Put the foil-wrapped springform pan in a roasting pan that is large enough to hold the pan with some space around it. (I don't have such a roasting pan so I had used a disposable 9"x11" aluminium pan instead. Plan to reuse it for whatever recipes that call for waterbath.)
7. Give the batter a few stirs with rubber spatula, and scrape the batter into the pan. (If you have a pan with lower sides and have leftover batter, you can bake the batter in buttered ramekins or small souffle mold.)
8. Put the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water into it to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top should be browned (note: I found mine wobbly from about 3" from the centre, which is perfectly normal. Do not test your cake with a skewer as it will never come out clean.).
10. Turn off the oven and prop the oven door open a little. Allow the cheesecake to luxuriate in its waterbath for another hour.
11. After 1 hour, carefully pull the setup out of the oven, lift the springform pan out of the roaster, and remove the foil. Let the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
12. When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours; overnight is better.
13. Before serving, remove the sides of the springform pan, and set the cake on a serving platter.
This is one ideal celebration cake which certainly will bring you gasps of satisfaction when you place it on the table. Most importantly is it's so easy to make at home. Get the first taste of the freshly-baked homemade cake and look at the gratification of your loved ones when they savour the cake bite after bite, how comforting it is?
PHOTOLOG #18: 20090426
Hello!! It had been a really long time since my last photolog post. So sorry for my absence and as compensation I had made something to make you drool hoho....
Recipe coming up next...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Hot Chocolate Fondant
I had decided to make Chocolate Fondant for the 2nd time, to give J a little surprise of the day. The first time I made was on the last Valentine's Day, and the recipe that I had used called for less flour and hence the outcome was a bit pudding-liked, although it was still sinfully luscious. This 2nd time I tried a different recipe of Gordan Ramsay which called for more flour and hence the overall texture is more cakey with a divine liquid centre which I personally think is one level higher! It's so presentable and sublime but I promise it is 100% easy to make. Definitely an "in-law" kinda material, bake this to impress!
I had doubled the recipe to make 4 fondants. The unbaked batter (in individual ramekins) can be frozen for up to 2 months but I think they will be long in your stomach by then haha.
Hot Chocolate FondantI had doubled the recipe to make 4 fondants. The unbaked batter (in individual ramekins) can be frozen for up to 2 months but I think they will be long in your stomach by then haha.
adapted from "Makes It Easy" by Gordon Ramsay
Yield: 2
Ingredients:
50g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
2 tsp cocoa powder, to dust
50g good quality bitter chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
1 egg
1 egg yolk
60g caster sugar
50g plain flour
Methods:
1. Heat the oven to 160. Butter 2 large ramekins, about 7.5cm in diameter, then dust liberally with cocoa powder.
2. Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a small bowl set over a pan of hot water, then take off the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar together until pale and thick, then incorporate the chocolate mixture.
4. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently fold in, using a spatula. Divide between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.
5. Turn the chocolate fondants out onto plates and serve immediately.
Remember not to overbake this if not you won't be getting the oozing melted lava. I found the freezing method is particularly useful in this, which you can freeze the batter till it's hard before baking so that the inside will get cooked slower and is still in liquid form when it's done baking. Oh ya, while waiting for the oven to preheat, you might wanna leave the frozen batter to thaw for about 8 minutes.
Gonna finish up the remaining 2 fondants tonight for dessert. Gtg. Tada! <3
Monday, September 17, 2007
Chilled Oreo Cheesecake
I had made this recipe more than once, and everytime it turns out beautifully with consistent taste. The texture of this cheesecake is smooth and light, and less stodgy than New York Cheesecake. Overall it isn't too sweet but from time to time you will be on cloud nine when you get a bite on the scattered Oreo, and on the Oreo crust that is good even if you eat it on its own.
Filling:
100g sugar
8 egg yolks
500g cream cheese
22g gelatine powder dissolved with 100ml of hot water
300ml whipped cream
50g cooking chocolate
1 packet of Oreo sandwiches
Yield: A 9" cake that feeds 12 stomachs
Method:
For crust:
1. Blend the whole Oreo in a food processor until it assembles fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, simply place the cookies into a large clean plastic bag, seal it up and crush them by rolling a pin over the bag.
2. In a bowl, mix the Oreo crumbs with melted butter until all the crumbs take on a wet appearance.
3. Press the mixture into a 9" round springform tin. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 mins until the base is firm.
For filling:
1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar lightly over a pot of simmering water. Make sure that the base of mixing bowl doesn't touch on the water. Whisk until the texture becomes thick and lighter in colour.
2. Beat cream cheese on low until smooth and creamy. Pour in the melted gelatine mixture and mix evenly with a spatula.
3. Pour the whisked egg yolk into the cream cheese mixture gradually and mix till evenly combined.
4. Fold in whipped cream.
5. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared base, lay oreo cookies on top of the filling and pour the remaining mixture on top.
6. Mix 2 tbsp of cream cheese mixture with melted chocolate and spoon it on top of the cheesecake. Use a skewer to swirl it into marble effect.
7. Chill in the refrigerator for more than 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Normally the price of a cake will skyrocket when it's tagged with a "cheese" word. Try this homemade cheesecake that doesn't need an oven, which you probably need to spend only half of the money that you spend on any store-bought cheesecake.
The best thing that I found on this recipe is, it requires minimum cooking time but you will still get a masterpiece that amazes your peers as it doesn't involve any baking that usually takes hours to cool down before sending it into the refrigerator.
Chilled Oreo Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:
220 g whole Oreo
120g melted butter
Filling:
100g sugar
8 egg yolks
500g cream cheese
22g gelatine powder dissolved with 100ml of hot water
300ml whipped cream
50g cooking chocolate
1 packet of Oreo sandwiches
Yield: A 9" cake that feeds 12 stomachs
Method:
For crust:
1. Blend the whole Oreo in a food processor until it assembles fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, simply place the cookies into a large clean plastic bag, seal it up and crush them by rolling a pin over the bag.
2. In a bowl, mix the Oreo crumbs with melted butter until all the crumbs take on a wet appearance.
3. Press the mixture into a 9" round springform tin. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 mins until the base is firm.
For filling:
1. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar lightly over a pot of simmering water. Make sure that the base of mixing bowl doesn't touch on the water. Whisk until the texture becomes thick and lighter in colour.
2. Beat cream cheese on low until smooth and creamy. Pour in the melted gelatine mixture and mix evenly with a spatula.
3. Pour the whisked egg yolk into the cream cheese mixture gradually and mix till evenly combined.
4. Fold in whipped cream.
5. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared base, lay oreo cookies on top of the filling and pour the remaining mixture on top.
6. Mix 2 tbsp of cream cheese mixture with melted chocolate and spoon it on top of the cheesecake. Use a skewer to swirl it into marble effect.
7. Chill in the refrigerator for more than 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Normally the price of a cake will skyrocket when it's tagged with a "cheese" word. Try this homemade cheesecake that doesn't need an oven, which you probably need to spend only half of the money that you spend on any store-bought cheesecake.
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