[3 recipes] Christmas Bakes

Christmas is just a few days away from now, although this year we cannot have large group gatherings due to the current situation but we still can prepared some homebake cakes or cookies to bless our friends and family members. This year we are sharing three different types of our favourite bakes and we hope there is one that suits your liking.

[Fall Recipes] Mini Apple Cheesecake & Pumpkin Parmesan Scone

[Fall Recipes] Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Madeleine and Mini Apple Cheesecake with Salted Camera l Sauce

Every year during the month of October, we love to get our hands on some Fall Recipes such as "pumpkin" related bakes like Pumpkin Scones, Pumpkin Chiffon Cakes, Pumpkin Pie or some comfort casseroles for Halloween Party as well as Thanksgiving dinner. 

This October we are featuring two pumpkin related recipes over at Bake King recipe website which are Mini Apple Cheesecake (serve with salted caramel sauce) and Pumpkin Parmesan Scones.

Oreo Cheesecake (OREO 芝士蛋糕)

Oreo Cheesecake

In celebration of Children's Day which falls on Friday, 03 October this year, I made a surprised Oreo Cheesecake for the boy as this is the only flavour of cheesecake that he loved. This cheesecake is slightly different from the usual creamy version with a lighter taste (adding some sour cream to tone down the strong cheesy flavour) and cotton soft texture which similar to the Japanese Baked Cheesecake (cow print cheesecake recipe) that I made earlier.

Cow Print Japanese Cheesecake

Cow Print Japanese Cheesecake

If you are craving for some cheesecake perhaps you could try out this "light version" (less cheese + without using any oil) over the weekend. This cake has a light lemon fragrant with soft and moist texture that makes you probably go for second helpings without feeling too guilty.

Steamed Coffee Sponge Cake Vs Almond Cheesecake With Berries

[Halloween Inspired Cake] Steamed Coffee Sponge Cake

For the month of November I have created two recipes using Bake King flavour essence and emulco to make baked almond cheesecakes and some lovely steamed coffee sponge cake for afternoon tea. If you are interested to find out more on the mentioned recipes, you can check out their recipes site at http://www.bakeking.com.sg/recipes

Fall Recipes Using Pumpkin For Halloween

Halloween is a yearly celebration observed in a number of countries which falls on October 31. Although we don't really celebrate Halloween through the traditional trick-or-treat party but for the past three years I have being sharing some Halloween Themed Recipes during this time of the year. For this year instead of the usual savory dishes I decided to bake some sweet treats (cakes) for our afternoon tea.

And since Pumpkin is one of the most common ingredients for Fall recipes, I decided to use it to make my favourite Pumpkin Cheesecake (mini version) and Pumpkin Chia Seeds Chiffon Cake.

Assorted Cakes For Tea

It is the month of April again, and by the end of this month Cuisine Paradise will be celebrating it's 8 years old Birthday. Day after days it's has being more than 2,800 days since our 1st post till now which shows how fast time past. From a blog that shares simple homecook dishes and parenting journey till what we had today, I sincerely appreciate each and everyone for your kind comments and support. Although I could not update the blog as often with a daily / weekly post like what most bloggers do but I hope to try my very best to maintain it as often as I could too.

Here I have 3 different Tea Cake recipes which I would like to share with you and I hope you would find them useful or even add them into your cake recipes collection.

[Wordless Wednesday] Torte At Waterloo Street

Yuzu infused Snow-Skin Mooncake with White Lotus and Creme de Marron(chestnut) (S$40/box of 8 mini mooncakes)

An unique combination of Yuzu, White Lotus Paste and Creme de Marron which leave you a refreshing after taste. You can read more reviews on melicacy.com

Torte (S$4.50 with ice cream) is a MUST TRY flourless chocolate cake which even my picky 8yrs old cannot resists.

Love their Thai Ice Tea (S$2.00) which is refreshing and thirst quencher.

TORTE
SCWO Building
96 Waterloo Street
Reservation: 6571 0197
Website: http://www.torte-sg.com/

Opening Hours:-
Monday – Friday: 10am – 10pm; Sunday: 10am – 3pm
Closed on Saturday

Magic Of BOSCH MCM4100 Food Processor - Part II, Baked Mini Lemon Cheesecake

This is a super "over due" recipe which I found in my "draft" a few days back while sorting out some my posts. I guess it has being almost 6 months since the other related Part I post had being published. So please accept my sincere apologies if you are waiting for this recipe.

I love cheesecake especially those that are baked rather than the non-bake type. And out of all the different types of cheesecake, New York and Boston Cheesecakes are two of my favourite because I love its thick and creamy cheesy flavour.

Magic Of BOSCH MCM4100 Food Processor - Part I

I love to experiment with new Kitchen Gadget and this set of "lemon" pastry plus juice is whipped up using my new toy - BOSCH MCM4100 Food Processor(more detail of this product HERE). This food processor comes with multiple functions such as; juice blender, meat grinder, dough maker, making meringue, sorbet, mayonnaise and etc.

In this post I would be sharing 2 recipes using this food processor such as ABC Detox Juice and Lemon Berry Tarts. And as for part 2 post, I would be sharing a recipe on Baked Lemon Cheesecake.

Mixed Berry Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

As you can see from most of my "bakes" I seldom do cake with frosting because my skill level of frosting is totally unbearable. I can't seems to frost a whole cake evenly with smooth finishing or at least something presentable. But after seeing Celes's mouthwatering "Blueberry Cake with Cheesecake Frosting" photo on twitter and facebook I decided to give her recipe a try.

So with a twist to her recipe, I have made a Mixed Berry Cake together with some Cupcakes frosted with fresh Raspberry Cream Cheese.

Recipe adapted from Celes @ Celestial Delish

Ingredients: (make one 7" size cake and 6 medium cupcakes)
180g Butter, soften
170g Caster Sugar
3 Large Eggs
225g Self Raising Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Vanilla essence
250g Sour Cream
200g Blueberries
125g Raspberries, reserve 1/4 for cream frosting and decoration

Mixed Berry Cupcakes made with half portion of the batter resting on the cooling rack.

Method:-

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degree.

2. Cream butter and sugar for 1 minute, add in flour, baking powder and vanilla and continue to beat for another 2 minutes on low speed until thick and creamy.

3. Next beat in 4 heap tablespoons of sour cream then stir in the mixed-berry using a spatula or wooden spoon till well mixed.

4. Scoop the mixture evenly into a 7" disposal round case and the remaining batter into 6 holes muffins tray line with paper cups liner.

5. Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until skewer insert and comes out clean; OR

* Bake the 6 holes muffins tray batch at 20 minutes or till skewer insert and comes out clean.

6. Cool for cake/cupcake on the cooling rack till completely cold when touch before proceeding to the frosting.

The Original recipe calls only cream cheese, icing sugar and sour cream but in order to make the frosting more colourful and presentable. I added about 10 raspberries into the beaten cream to enhance the taste, texture as well as visual effect to the frosting.

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Ingredients:

200g tub Philadelphia cheese
100g icing sugar
Remaining Sour Cream, leftover from the cake batter
10 Raspberry, roughly chopped

Method:-

1. Beat the soft cream cheese with the icing sugar and the remaining soured cream in a bowl until smooth and creamy.

2. Add in chopped raspberries and give it a quick stir or two till mixture is well combined.

3. Spread cheese mixture over the top of the completely cooled cake and scatter with some extra berries on top as decoration. OR

* Spoon a few tablespoons of prepared cream mixture into a pipping bag with a "Wilton 2D" pipping nozzle attached and pipe rose design starting from the middle of the cupcake in clockwise direction.

Mixed Berry Cake with Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Overall this is a very soft, light and moist cake made with fresh berries that makes you feel irresistible with its fruity flavour cream cheese topping. And according to Celes, these frosted cake can keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. But before serving, it will be best to bring it to room temperature so that the texture will be soft and moist instead of harden and dry due to storing in the fridge.

Lastly I would like to thanks Celes for sharing this wonderful recipe as well as her patience in walking through the steps and sharing of handy tips in the baking process.

[Cupcake Pop Mold Giveaway] Assorted Cream Cheese Cake Pops

Ever since I saw and bought these cute cupcake pop molds, I have always wanted to try making some Cake Pops which is one of the latest trend among online bakers other than cupcakes and macarons. And recently I also saw Starbucks having some cute Cake Pops featuring in their food menu too.

What is Cake Pops? Cake Pops can be defined as little/mini cakes on a stick that is coated with chocolate/icing and decorated with all sort of sprinkles or toppings which made famous by Bakerella( read more on the link HERE).

There are a few ways of making these cake pops from either using crashed Oreo or graham biscuits to vanilla or chocolate cake crumbs. But no matter which method(s) you prefer I am sure both Adults and Kids will enjoy the fun process of rolling, molding and decorating these cute Cake Pops.

Ingredients: (make 10 mini cake pops)
200g Butter/Marble Cake, break into pieces
150g Cream Cheese, soften
*1/2 Tablespoon of Grand Marnier/RUM/Kahlua, optional

Decorations:
Assorted Chocolate of Your Choice, melted
Assorted Toppings

*Note:
~ You can either add more cream cheese or a bit cold milk to bind the crumbs if it is too dry.

Method:-

1. Break the ready bought marble cake into smaller pieces and place it in a large mixing bowl.

2. Beat the cake pieces at low speed until it resemble find crumbled (refer to the photo above), drizzle Grand Marnier evenly over the cake and beat for another few second till combined.

3. Next using a spatula or hand mix and knead the soft cream cheese mixture with the crumbs till it forms a smooth dough.

4. Roll the mixture into a 1” round balls and place on a tray lined with foil/baking paper.

5. When done, place them in the freezer for about 5 minutes before molding them using the cupcake mold.

To Assemble:

1. Place one of the chilled dough in the cupcake mold, gently press down to fix the mould and closed it tight to remove any excess dough that are being cut off.

2. You have to work fast and mold all the prepared dough into cupcake shape then freeze them for another 5 minutes to firm it up before dipping with melted chocolate.

3. Melt your choice of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 30 seconds intervals on high heat, stirring in between until chocolate melts and become smooth.

4. Slowly lower the cake into the melted chocolate to coat the bottom half portion by holding the tip of the cake. When done carefully insert a lolliop stick from the bottom base of the cake to secure it. (after coating the base, I leave it on the baking paper and freeze for another 3 minutes before doing the top)

5. After the chocolate coating, rest the sticks of cake pop on styrofoam block(can get from daiso) or in a tall cup to dry while decorating the pops with sprinkles or toppings.

6. You can refer to the related VIDEO(click HERE) on making these cake pops by using this cupcake mold.

Remeber the monthly Aspiring Bakers(founder, small small baker) events that I always participate, for this month of April, the key ingredients will be cheese. Jean suggest that it should be something cheese related on either bakes/frozen desserts. So I will be submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #6: Say Cheese! (April 2011) hosted by Jean from Noms I Must.

Secondly I would like to thanks those of you who had participated in the "Gyoza Mold Giveaway" and "Sandwich Sealer plus Heart Shaped Food Picks" events which ended last week. Here is the 3rd “Giveaway” for the month of April to celebrate Cuisine Paradise's 6th Anniversary which falls on 30th April 2011. And I hope with this handy "Cupcake Pop Mold" you can make use of it to shape into different design of Cake Pops where you can refer to their official website HERE.

If you are interested to win this set of "Cupcake Pop Mold", just leave your Name and your favourite Cake Pop and topping (strawberries, Oreo, dark chocolate, mint), example "I Love Chocolate Cake  Pop With Oreo Toppings" in the comment box and I will pick ONE Lucky winner on Sunday, 01 May 2011. Result will be announce on 02 May 2011.


[Updated on 02 May 2011 09 May 20111]

GIVEAWAY RESULTS!!!!!

GIVEAWAY RESULTS ARE OUT! Are you the Lucky One!!!!!

Eggless Durian Tiramisu

It has being such a long time since my last making of Tiramisu. This yummy dessert is often one of my choices while dinning in most western restaurants if they have this dessert available in their menu section. Today’s recipe is specially made for one of my best friend, whom Rey and I wish to cheer her up by using one of her favorite fruit “Durian” as ingredient. So let’s take get ready and take a look at this Eggless & Sugarless East-West Fusion type of Tiramisu whereby Fresh Durian Paste is used in this recipe.

Tiramisu is one of the most popular Italian cakes whereby Savoiardi is dipped into Strong Coffee then layered with the whipped mixture of Egg Yolk and Mascarpone. But today our ingredients will be slightly different whereby we will use Durian and Chocolate Milk to replace the usual Strong Coffee and Egg Yolk. So I am sure this is a great recipe for durian lover as well as those who don't prefer using raw egg yolk as one of the ingredients.

This is a very simple recipe that you can prepare in the morning and served it as dessert after dinner or during gathering. I am sure everyone will be able to follow the steps and made your very own Tiramisu without any hiccups. If you don’t prefer Durian you can always exchange it with other fruits like mango, strawberry, raspberry or etc just let your imagination run wild……

Ingredients: serves 8
1 Packet of Sponge Fingers (24 savoiardi)
250g Mascarpone
300ml Whipping Cream
300g Fresh Durian Flesh
200ml Chocolate Milk
Dutch Cocoa, for dusting

Method:
1. Pour chocolate milk into a shallow dish. Set aside.
2. Beat the durian paste and whipping cream in a large bowl with electric beaters for about 15 seconds till thick and creamy.
3. Add in mascarpone and give it a quick whisk until just combined.
4. Dip Sponge Fingers biscuits, 1 at a time into the chocolate milk then arrange in a single layer over the base of the container. (do not dip the sponge fingers for too long or else it will be too soggy and spoilt the taste of the tiramisu)
5.Cover the biscuits with a layer of the mascarpone mixture and repeat another layer on top, ending with the cream.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dust generously with cocoa and serve.

Note:
~ This recipe can make two 12 x 12 cm square plastic containers.
~ You can Thickened Cream instead of Whipping Cream if you prefer a more creamy texture.
~ Chocolate Milk can be replace with plain low-fat or full cream milk.


So by looking at this….. Are you interested to try out my combination of Tiramisu whereby you can have “Durian + Cheese + Cocoa” together in one dessert :) And most important it is without any trace of Raw Egg and extra Sugar…… And if you are interested in more chocolate and cheese dessert maybe you would like to take a look at this "Durian Cheesecake With Chocolate Fudge" too!

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Japanese-style cheesecake relies upon the emulsification of cornstarch and eggs to make a smooth appearance. The texture is light, fragrant and not as greasy as the usual western baked cheesecake.

Although this recipe require a little bit more steps on the preparation but it is really worth the effort when you taste the end result. I really cannot re-called where I have taken this original recipe from, but after sharing it with one of my friend, she gave me another modify version of hers which use exactly 205g cream cheese. So upon seeing what her wonderful cheesecake, it makes me even wants to give this recipe a try.

The process of making these Japanese Cotton Cheesecake is not really that difficult. All you need to do is to follow the steps closely and you will sure to get the right texture and colour. (click on the picture for larger view)

Ingredients: (8" Round tin)
250g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
140ml Fresh Milk
55g Unsalted Butter
30g Cake Flour
20g Cornflour
4 Egg Whites
4 Egg Yolks
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Grated Rinds of 1 Lemon
95g Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Method:
1. Dice cream cheese into cubes and soak with milk (place mixture in a glass mixing bowl or double boiler) for about 30 minutes.
2. While waiting, melt the butter and set aside.
3. Put the cream cheese mixture in a double boiler(refer to the picture above), stir until smooth and creamy then stir in the melted butter and set aside to cool.
4. After the mixture cools down, stir in the flour mixture(sieved the cornflour and cake flour together) then follow by one egg yolk at a time, whisk the mixture till well combined.
5. Next stir in the lemon juice and rind and whisk the mixture till smooth then set aside.
6. In another clean bowl, add cream of tartar into egg white and whisk until foamy.
7. Divide the sugar into 3 portion and whisk into the egg white mixture until it becomes stiff peak form.(refer to the picture above for the egg white texture, this takes about less then 5 minutes or so)
8. Slowly blend the egg whites into the cream cheese batter and mix well until colour combines.
9. Place the mixture in a greased prepared tin and give it a big bang to released the bubbles.
10. Bake the cake in hot water bath at 170 degree for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 150 degree and bake for another 40 - 45 minutes.
11. Cool the cake in the pan completely, then set aside in the fridge for about 1 hour or more before serving it for a better texture and taste.

Notes:
~ Water bath is a pan of hot water placed into an oven. The hot water provides a constant, steady heat source and ensures even, slow cooking for recipes.

~ The best type of pan to use for a water bath is a roasting pan or other pan with sides at least 1-1/2 to 2 inches high. That will allow you to put enough water into the pan so it won't all evaporate before your pudding or cheesecake has baked.


I used to love Fiesta Cheesecake (which is now come under Ichiban Sushi Restaurant) that comes in 3 different flavour like original, coffee and can't remember the last one....... So with that soft and irresistible texture of Fiesta Cheesecake, I decided to give this recipe a try and after all those effort and steps. My final products do pay off with a good, soft and cotton like texture cheesecake.

Baked New York Cheesecake

I have saw and heard a lot of good comments on the Baked New York Cheesecake(flourless version), even my colleague's wife also strongly recommend me to try on this. So without any hesitate, I baked after getting hold of all the ingredients. And I must said, the result is really fantastic. The texture is so smooth that it really melts in your mouth when you eat it. The original one is just baked cheesecake with white sour cream on top.


But for me, I am a person who loves Vibrant Colours. So I added some yellow to the sour cream mixture and make it look sort of like custard. Other than that, I also pipped some Rose Scented Cream Cheese to go with some fresh Strawberries and Cherries to enhance the flavour and colour of the cheesecake.

As you can see, my cheesecake is kind of low compare to the one sold outside because I had used a slightly bigger springform tin. I just wanted to try having a small portion of the cheesecake instead of the usual big slices. For those who are interested to try out this wonderful cheesecake, the recipe are as below:

Ingredients:
350g Cream Cheese, room temperate to soften
75g Unsalted Butter, melted and cool
80g Castor Sugar
135g Egg, about 3 60g eggs
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Zest Of 1 Lemon
100g Of Sour Cream
35g Castor Sugar
Assorted Fresh Fruits

Methods:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree.
2. Diced the cream cheese and beat the soften cream cheese until creamy then add in 80g sugar and continue to beat until sugar dissolved.(about 4-5 mins on medium speed)
3. Next add in the eggs(lightly beaten) gradually in about 4 - 5 interval and beat well with each adding for about 2 minutes.
4. Add in the lemon juice and zest then stir till well combine.
5. Finally stir in the melted butter and pour the mixture into a prepare "7" round tin(i used a 8" springform tin) and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
6. While baking the cake, cream the 35g sugar with sour cream until sugar is dissolved then set aside.
7. When the cake is done(brown in colour), remove from the oven, switch off the heat and close the oven door.
8. Pour the prepared sour cream mixture in the middle of the cake and then put the whole cake back into the oven and let it continue to heat up using the remaining heat from the oven for about 10 - 15 minutes.
9. Remove, and set aside to cool completely before decorate it with extra cream or fresh fruit to serve.

Notes:
a) If after 30 minutes the colour of the cheesecake is still very pale, increase the oven temperature to 200 degree and bake till golden brown.
b) For my yellow colour sour cream mixture, I added about 1 teaspoon of yellow food colouring and beat till well combined.