Cream cheese coffee cake

Hubby kept nagging at me that I didn't make his favourite cake - Coffee cake. So I took some time to modify this coffee cake recipe I found online. Couldn't put in blueberry as my hubby hates fruits and needed to change some of the ingredients as I did not have them at home.

For the cake base:
1 1/2 c rice flour mix ( I used plain flour)1/4 t salt
1/4 t xanthan gum (I don't know what is this, so I didn't put this in)2 t baking powder
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
2/3 c milk
1 t vanilla (I added 1 t of coffee essense too)

Preheat oven to 190 degree celscius. In a small bowl, blend together the flour mix, salt, xanthan gum, and baking powder, then set aside. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg, followed by the milk. Add the vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture. Blend well, then spread into a 8x8 pan or an 8" pie/tart pan.

For the cream cheese layer:
8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk
1/4 c sugar
2 t lemon juice or vanilla

Smoosh the cream cheese together with the egg, sugar, and lemon juice. Beat until smooth, and drop big spoonfuls on top of the coffee mix.

For the streusel layer:
2 T rice flour or almond meal (I used plain flour)
2 T butter
3 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Mash together all the ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over the cheese layer.

Bake the cake about 45-60 minutes, until no longer jiggley in the center, and starting to brown. Cool completely before serving.

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Arnott's Choc Ripple "Cake"

Thanks to my hubby's cousin, she helped us bought the Arnott Choc Ripple biscuits from Oz. However, I didn't managed to make the "cake" look nice

Preparation time 25 minutes
Chill Time Overnight
Serves 9+

Ingredients
300ml cream
1 tsp caster sugar
Vanilla essence
1 pack Arnott’s Choc Ripple Biscuits
Crushed nuts, grated chocolate or seasonal berries to decorate

Method
Add sugar and a drop of vanilla essence to the cream and whip until very stiff.

Join biscuits together by standing a biscuit on its side and sandwich with the next biscuit using a generous spread of cream. Continue until all the biscuits have been used and resemble a log.

Cover the log thickly and entirely with the remaining cream. Place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours to set.

Before serving, decorate log with grated chocolate, if desired.

To serve, cut cake at a slight angle to ensure alternate layers of chocolate biscuit and cream are in each slice. Serve with seasonal berries, if desired.

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World Kitchen Voting Contest

Oh Almost forgot .. I joined World Kitchen Asia Submit Recipes contests and got myself two free plates from Corelle !! So happy !

Last day to vote for my cheesecake and hubby's Szechuan prawns with bean sauce ... we do not want to win .. we just want to get MORE free plates from Corelle !! HAHAHHA .. coz we are addicted to Corelle !!

Anyway, here are the 2 plates we have gotten : )

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A special Chocolate Birthday Cake for My Dearest Nephew

Since I started exploring on baking, I thought it would be fun if I was to bake a cake for my nephew's birthday party. So here you go :

The design wasn't really nice .. but glad everyone enjoyed the cake. My nephew has always hated eating cake, but he was so happy with this cake and finished the whole slice coz it was baked by his "Ah Yee" . My brother also had a second slice : )

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Awfully Chocolate Cake

I modified Yochana's Cake Delight - Awfully Chocolate Banana Cake and removed the banana part as hubby doesn't like banana. The cake didn't came out as successful as I thought. Coz I didn't wait for the spongecake to cool down and i put in the mousse between the layers, which melted into the spongecake. And i put in too little mousse : ( I think I just have to practise a few more times, it should be fine !!

Chocolate Sponge cake:
3 nos. Extra Large egg yolks of about 90 gm. each (or use 4 medium eggs of about 60 gm. each)
100 gm. castor sugar
120 gm. Self Raising flour
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda
50 gm. Corn oil
1 teasp. vanilla essence

3 1/2 X.Large egg white (or use 4 1/2 medium eggs)
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
60 gm. castor sugar

30 gm. cocoa powder + 120 gm. of hot water - stir till smooth

Method:

(1) Mix egg yolks, sugar, oil, SR flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and vanilla essence into a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon.
(2) Add in cocoa mixture and stir together till smooth.
(3) Beat egg white with cream of tartar for 2 mins, then pour in sugar gradually till egg white becomes fluffy but not too stiff.
(4) Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. Do not overmix otherwise the egg white will be deflated and the cake will sink. If you feel that you are mixing too long and can still see traces of egg white it means that you have overbeat your egg white. Stop mixing anymore, don't worry about the egg white traces, just pour into a 9" round cake tin and bake.
(5) Bake at 175C for about 50 mins. or till cooked.
(6) Cool the cake on wire rack and then slice into 3 layers.

Chocolate mousse:

250 gm. Non-Dairy Whip Cream
150 gm. Dairy whip cream
1 tsp. Vanilla essence
1 level Tablespoon of Gelatine powder - mix together with- 4 Tbsp. water and microwave for 20 secs
50 gm. Cocoa powder ) mix together
80 gm. icing sugar )
1 1/2 Tablespoon of Nescafe )
1 1/2 Tablespoon of hot water ) mix together
1 Tablespoon "Kahlua" or "Tia Maria" coffee liquer


Method for the mousse:

(1) Beat the two whip cream separately.
(2) Mix all the ingredients together.
(3) Spread 1/3 of the mousse on the first layer of sponge cake, lay the slice bananas on top and then top up with another layer or sponge, continue till the last layer of sponge is used up.
(4) Cover the whole cake with the balance mousse and keep in the refrigerator till the mousse sets.

Coating for the cake:

35 gm. cocoa powder
50 gm. sugar
150 gm. Dairy whipping cream
80 gm. chocolate - chopped
30 gm. Butter

(1) Put into a mixing bowl and double boil till mixture thickens. Cool before pouring onto cake.

(2) Pour the coating onto the cake and let the chocolate mixture flows down the side smoothly.
(3) Decorate the cake and put into the frige till coating sets.
(4) Slice with a warm knife and serve.

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Baked New York Cheese Cake

I have another attempt on cheese cake. Back to New York Cheesecake again. Couldn't accept my failure in Chicago cheesecake .. so here I go again . I modified my earlier recipe of New York Cheesecake and created my own one! Got very good review from hubby and colleagues for this cheesecake .. YIPPY!! Success !!!

Crust:

Ingredients:
100g graham crackers
56g melted butter
1 tbsp sugar

Method:
1. Combine all the ingredients and press them onto a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Pre heat the oven at 170 DC.
3. Bake for 8 - 10 min.

Cheesecake:

Ingredients:
2 8oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 175degreeC. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and milk. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the sour cream lastly and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 50minutes in a water bath. Switch off the oven and let it rest inside for 1/2 hour before placing it in the fridge. Chill overnight.

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Sweetcorn Bread

Well, since young I love sweetcorn bread. Still remember dad or mum would buy it from Gardens at Geylang East. Miss eating it for quite sometimes. So thought that it wasn't a bad idea for me to try making one myself .... Recipe is from Baking Mum

Ingredients
(A)
300 gm bread flour
3 tbsp custard powder
60 gm castor sugar
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp instant yeast

(B)
140 ml chilled fresh milk
1 egg

(C)
25 gm shortening

(D)
100 gm whole kernels of sweetcorn (canned, drained)

For glazing
1 egg (beaten)

Method

1. Combine (A) in a mixer. Add in (B) and mix into a dough. Add in (C) and continue to knead until dough is smooth and elastic to the touch. Lastly add in (D) and mix well.

2. Keep dough in a big bowl and let it proof, covered with a damp cloth or with clingwrap for 30 mins or till dough rises to double.

3. Divide risen dough into four equal portions and shape into balls. (For me I do it differently because I wanted to use a different moulds.) Leave two portion into a well greased mould. Leave it to proof for 40 mins.

4. Brush with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 20-25 mins. Remove hot bread from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool immediately.

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