Mini Cheesecakes

I have a soft spot for anything mini.

Minis are just so pretty and dainty.

(Just like me! hehe)

Ok, serious now. 

There's nothing special to making minis.
The recipe doesn't change.
Ok, well, maybe the baking time changes, but that's about it.

For these minis, I used the same recipe as my Rum & Raisin Cheesecake, except that I left out the rum and raisins, and reduced baking time to just 20 min.
(Recipe makes about 20 mini cheesecakes in large cupcake liners about 2.5" diameter.)

Cheese-less Crust-less Quiche

What? No cheese? No crust? Can you even call that a quiche?

First, let me tell you why it's crust-less...
I was simply too lazy to make pastry dough. (I'm sure many of you out there are guilty of this too. Right?)  So I pulled out some tortilla wraps from my freezer, searched my drawers for a suitable sized bowl, and delicately pressed one wrap into each bowl.

Now, why is it cheese-less?
Because I plain forgot. Yes. Forgot. Silly reason, but I'm sure it happens to all of us as some point.

Nevertheless, despite the laziness and the boo-boo, it still turned out ok.
Quite pretty in fact, if I may say so  :)  And certainly less sinful than a traditional buttery crust.


TOMATO BACON BROCCOLI QUICHE
Serves 2.

2 tortilla wraps
A handful of cherry tomatoes
3 rashes of bacon, sliced into 1cm strips
Some broccoli, chopped to small pieces
1/2 tsp dried basil
150ml milk
2 eggs

Press tortilla wrap into a greased oven-proof bowl.
Slice tomatoes in half and scatter onto wrap.
Cook bacon in a pan for about 5 min, then add the broccoli and cook for another 5 min till broccoli has softened slightly.
Scatter on top of tomatoes and sprinkle the basil over the top.

Combine milk and eggs, then pour on top of filling.
Sprinkle with pepper and parsley flakes if desired.

Bake at 170*C for 25 min.
Carefully remove from bowl and cool on a wire rack for about 5 min.
Serve while still warm to hungry tummies, in the hope that they won't realise that the dish is missing some cheese.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

I wish there was a way to multiply the time we have in a day.
There are just so many things to do but so little time.

As I've resolved not to get lazy and neglect my blog, I thought I should at least post the recipe for those of you who might find it useful.

The photo really doesn't do justice to the rolls (I used my iphone to take this shot).  And don't be fooled - the rolls are mini size, less than 2 inches each. Somehow, minis seem less guilty than regular size ones :)

Maple Cinnamon Rolls 
Makes 32 mini rolls (using two 8" pans).

320ml milk, lukewarm
80ml oil
50g sugar
1.5 tsp instant yeast
350g + 40g plain or bread flour 

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
100g butter, room temperature
100g brown sugar
2 tbs cinnamon powder
1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins, according to preference

maple syrup, for drizzling 

Combine milk, oil, sugar, yeast, and 350g flour. 

Knead with dough hook for about 10 min. 

Cover and let rise for at least 1 hour. 

Combine 40g flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Add to batter and knead till fully incorporated.  

The dough will be rather sticky; don't worry. Chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours (up to 2 days). This will firm up the dough. If it starts to overflow, punch it down.   

Dust your work surface generously with flour. 

Roll the dough out thinly into a rectangle.  

Spread the butter over the dough. 

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon, then spread evenly over dough. 

Distribute raisins evenly. 

Tightly roll the dough into a log, pinching the seams to seal the edge.  

Cut the roll into 16 equal pieces and place them in a greased baking tray. 

Leave some space between the rolls to allow for expansion. 

Cover and let the rolls rise for 20-30 min or till they fill up the pan. Bake at 180*C for 20-25 min till golden brown. 

While still hot, drizzle maple syrup over the rolls.

Best served warm, with a cup of coffee or tea.

Rum & Raisin Cheesecake

Who likes Rum & Raisin?

Whoever thought of this flavour combination is a genius!!

This is a great way to jazz up a classic cheesecake.
See the little raisins peeking out the side of the cake? 
Now, if there was rum & raisin cheesecake ice cream.... 

You can basically take your favourite cheesecake recipe and just add rum & raisins.
But to give this cake maximum flavour, soak the raisins in rum at least 3 days in advance.

RUM & RAISIN CHEESECAKE

Makes an 8- or 9-inch cake.

CRUST: 
200g Digestive biscuits, finely crushed
100g unsalted butter, melted

Mix crushed biscuits and melted butter till well combined.
Press evenly into springform pan. (If you are not using a non-stick pan, grease the sides of the pan.)
Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

FILLING:
1kg cream cheese, softened
200g white sugar
30g flour
5 eggs
80ml whipping cream or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp lemon juice (optional)
80g raisins, soaked in 80ml dark rum for at least 3 days

Beat together the cheese, sugar and flour with the paddle attachment on medium speed. 
Do not beat on high speed; you just want to combine the mixture, not introduce air, which would only cause cracks in your cheesecake.

Add eggs one at a time, ensuring that the batter is thoroughly mixed.
Add whipping cream, vanilla, lemon juice and the rum drained from the soaked raisins. Mix well. 
Gently fold in raisins.

Pour filling on top of crust.
Bake at 140*C for about 60 min or till edges are set but centre still looks a little wet and wobbly.
Many recipes will advise you to bake cheesecake in a water bath. But because I used a springform pan, I didn't want to take the risk and just placed a tray of hot water on the lower rack while baking. Alternatively, you can wrap a wet towel around the pan; this would have the same effect as a water bath.

When the cake looks done (wet and wobbly in the centre), turn off the oven and let the cake cool in the pan, in the oven with the door closed for at least the first 30 min or so. This very slow cooling process will ensure that there is no sudden temperature drop that would cause cracks in the cake. And because the oven is still warm, it will continue cooking the cake so that by the time it has cooled to room temperature, the centre of the cake would have been done just right.

When the cake has cooled to room temperature, cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I prefer to bake cheesecake at least a day in advance so that it has at least 24 hours for the flavours to mature and develop before eating. Trust me, freshly baked cheesecake does not taste as good as 'matured' cheesecake.

TOPPING:
handful of chocolate chips
1 tbs rum (or whipping cream)

Melt chocolate chips bain marie, gently stirring till smooth. 
Stir in rum.
Transfer to a piping, then snip a tiny bit off the end before piping any design you like.
Dust with cocoa powder if preferred. 

Pink Cupcakes

Just for the fun of it, I thought I'd add some pink colouring to my cupcake batter.
I skipped the usual cupcake frosting as I personally don't fancy the sweet stuff. Instead, I topped the cuppies with an assortment of cornflakes, peanut butter, jam, and nutella.

I can't decide if I like it or not.
Seems odd biting into pink cake. Other than that, my favourite topping was the peanut butter and jam (the cupcake right in the middle.)
Would you eat pink cake?

Recipe can be found here.
The only difference is the addition of pink food colouring to the batter.

Tip:
The intensity of the colour faded after baking. So if you're making coloured cakes, you might want the batter to look one shade darker than your intended colour.

Low-fat Yogurt Cupcakes

Don't you just love it when you see "low-fat" on a dessert? 

It makes us feel less guilty about taking a bite or two more out of that carb and sugar loaded piece of cake!  

Haha, every bit counts doesn't it?  So low-fat anything is better than low-fat nothing! 

So here you go, girls... 

LOW-FAT YOGURT CUPCAKES

Makes about 9 regular cupcakes.

80g butter 
100g sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g (abt 1/2 cup) low-fat yogurt
130g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder, sifted with flour
 
Whip butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat till well combined.
Add yogurt and mix till well combined.
Mix in flour and baking powder on low speed till just combined.
The batter should be soft dropping consistency. 

Divide batter equally among cupcake cases. Sprinkle desired toppings.

Bake at 160*C for about 20 min or till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

It's been a long long long time since I last made a cake.
And the last time I made a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake was in Dec 2010.

Since then, I've been wanting to try another variation of the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake by America's Test Kitchen.

And again, their recipes have not failed me.
It was easy to make, almost fail-proof, and the flavours were great! Of course, it helps that you use the best quality chocolate you can afford, since this cake is all about the chocolate.

I was in such a haste to get this ready for a birthday party that I didn't have the chance to take photos of the sides or the insides (I wrapped this cake with plastic around the sides, that's why you see a shiny reflective surface in the photo).

But... to show you what it looks like inside, here's a shot from my 2010 attempt, and it pretty much looks the same.

The original recipe from the website was for a 9.5" cake. But I halved the recipe and it made a 6.5" cake just perfectly. You could probably make up to a 8" cake; you'll just get shorter layers and a shorter cake, but the flavour will be just as awesome!

Now, don't be put off by the long recipe for this cake. It's really not that complicated at all. The recipe is long only because the instructions are very detailed. Once you've read through the recipe, you'll find that it's really rather simple. I gave it a go, and am so glad I did. Cos this is a really lovely mousse cake - rich, yet light at the same time. It sounds odd, but it's true. You'll know what I mean when you try it...


TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
Makes a 6.5" to 8" cake, using a springform pan at least 3" high.

BOTTOM LAYER:
42g butter
100g bittersweet chocolate
3/8 tsp instant espresso or coffee powder (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
pinch of salt
35g brown sugar

Melt butter, chocolate and espresso powder bain marie, stirring occasionally till smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Whisk in vanilla extract and egg yolks. Then set aside.

Whisk egg whites and salt till frothy.
Gradually add sugar and whisk till soft peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up.
Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites till no white streaks remain.
Push the batter into a greased or lined springform pan, smoothing the top.
Bake at 160*C for about 15 min till cake is done.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Do not remove the cake from the pan.
The cake will collapse and shrink quite a bit as it cools. This is perfectly normal, so don't get worried.

MIDDLE LAYER:
1 tbs cocoa powder
2.5 tbs hot water
100g bittersweet chocolate
180ml whipping cream
1/2 tbs white sugar
pinch of salt

Combine cocoa powder and hot water. Set aside.
Melt chocolate till smooth. Then set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk whipping cream, sugar and salt till soft peaks form.
Whisk cocoa powder mixture into the melted chocolate till smooth.
Then fold together the whipped cream and chocolate mixture till no whites streaks remain.
Spoon the mousse over the cooled cake (bottom layer) and smooth the top.
Refrigerate for at least 15 min while preparing the top layer.

TOP LAYER:
3/8 tsp powdered gelatin
1/2 tbs water
85g white chocolate
180ml whipping cream

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand for 5 min.
In a small saucepan, bring 60ml of the whipping cream to a simmer.
Remove from heat, add gelatin and stir till fully dissolved.
Add white chocolate and stir till smooth.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Whisk the remaining whipping cream till soft peaks form.
Fold 1/3 of the whipping cream into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up.
Then fold in the remaining whipped cream till no white streaks remain.
Push the mousse into the pan over the middle layer, and smooth the top.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the cake to set.

To serve:
I chose to decorate the cake with more chocolate.
First, I dusted some cocoa powder over the top in a triangle pattern.
Then I placed 3 Ferrero Rochers in a cluster near the edge of the cake.
Next, I sprinkled some chocolate shavings around the Rochers, lightly pressing them into the mousse.
Finally, I randomly pressed in a few silver dragees to add a little bling!


I hope you'll give this recipe a try, and if you do, please let me know how it goes for you.

Thanks for reading this very long post  :)