Limon Tiger Cheesecake

This is quite simply an homage to the 70s recipe books where they are written by "women who love their families". While that line may have a double edge meaning (with the quotes and all that between the lines pun), I would like to focus on the good part of a 70's cookbook - the no-bake cheesecakes!

I was at an excellent pub eating pub grub the other day and fell in love with their slice of heaven called Limon Tiger Pie. It's basically lemon cheesecake with a fluffy creamy top, a rather light but denser middle set on a chocolaty base. I think the reason why they called it a Limon Tiger is because of the stripes caused by a marbling effect on the crumbs and the generous sprinkles of chocolate crumbs splashes over the top. It's simply amazing to eat because of it's lemony fluff texture. To be quite frank, I never thought I would like unbaked cheesecakes this much that I would try to recreate it at home days after. Successfully. Because it's easy. :)

In the 70's, people ate raw eggs wantonly like Salmonella and E. Coli never existed. Today, I'm not so keen on having raw egg yolks in my cheesecake unbaked. And I suppose vegetarians and lacto-vegans will be please to know that I didn't use any eggs in this recipe.

Without further ado, here's Limon Tiger Cheesecake -

For the base:
2 cups of crushed chocolate chip cookies (use your favorite brand) + some for sprinkling
1/4 cup butter

Cheese filling:
500g of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened in room temperature
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of lemon zest, zest and finely chopped after
1/2 lemon juice
1 cup of densely packed icing sugar + 1/4 cup for heavy cream


Method:
1. Prepare the base first. Use an 8inch round cake pan and coat it with butter.
2. In a food processor, add your cookie crumbs and butter in. Blitz until you get a pebbly wet texture that is easy to form and mold.
3. Press the buttery crumbs into the base and the wall of your cake pan, slowly even it out with your fingers until you get a pretty crumb base.
Put it into the freezer, while you prepare your cheese filling.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream your cream cheese until it's creamy and fluffy (about 3 minutes with an electric mixer).
5. Add your lemon zest, lemon juice and icing sugar in and start mixing it again until everything is well incorporated. Continue beating the mixture for another 5 minutes. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, pour your heavy cream into a bowl with 1/4 cup of icing sugar.
7. Beat with an electric mixer until heavy cream forms firm peaks (about 3-4 minutes)
8. Pour the fluffy cream into the cheese mixture. This time use a spatula to gently fold the two mixtures together until they are well incorporated.
9. Take out the base from the freezer and pour your cheese content in.
10. Sprinkle with remaining crushed chocolate chip cookies and let it set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.If you're feeling decadent, forgo the chocolate chip cookie topping and pour a can of preserved cherries on top.

This cheesecake is extremely easy to make despite it being 10 steps. You don't need to turn on your oven and that, hands down, makes this the most excellent recipe for hot summer days. What I like about this recipe is that it's melts in your mouth, almost like ice cream :)

Icky Sticky Buns

This is a back log post that was suppose to be up before I left. I posted pictures of them before but Sticky Buns are something that everyone should make at least once in their lifetime. The gooey praline type topping is just hard to resist!

I first encountered these buns on TV where Chef Bobby Flay was having a Throwdown with Joanne Cheng, famed for her sticky buns of Flour Bakery and Cafe in Boston. And she has generously shared her delectable Sticky Buns recipe for all here. :D

I followed the recipe diligently EXCEPT for the flour, i only had all purpose and substituted it with the flour required in the recipe. I did make a bit of adjustments here and there, like substituting pecans for slivered almonds. I was making do with what I had because I was craving sticky buns and I wanted to eat them NOW!

But you will see that "NOW!" meant the next day because the dough needs time to rest and rise. The recipe will be divided into three parts - the dough, the goo and the assembly. So here's my version of sticky buns with much respect to Joanne's original recipe:

For the dough:

2 1/2 cups high-gluten flour
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 cups all purpose flour
1-ounce yeast
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup ice water
5 eggs
11 ounces butter, softened

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except the butter and beat on low with dough hook for 10 minutes.
2. Add the softened butter and knead for another 20 minutes until dough slaps on the side of the bowl.
3. Place in a container and cover well.
4. Proof in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
5. Shape, cover, proof for several hours at warm room temperature.

For the Goo:

1/2 pound butter
15 ounces brown sugar
5 ounces honey
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup water

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and brown sugar. Remove from heat, let cool, and whisk in the honey, cream, and water. Set aside.

Assembly et. al.:

1 recipe Brioche dough, recipe above
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pecans slivered almonds, toasted and chopped
Goo, recipe above

1. On a floured surface, work out the dough until it is a large rectangular shape. It will be approximately 1/4 inch thick.
2. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds well and sprinkle on the dough surface. Make sure you evenly cover the surface with all the cinnamon and nutty goodness.
3. Roll up the dough ala cinnamon bun style and cut it into 1 inch thick buns. Leave aside.
4. Spread the goo on a baking pan and lay the buns cut side up side by side until the pan is filled.
5. Let the buns rest for 2-3 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Bake until beautiful golden brown for 45 minutes. Let it cool for 10 mins before inverting it onto a serving platter and watch the magnificent goo spill lazily on the sides of the golden rolls.

Eat carefully as the goo can be a tad warm :D

The Blueberry Pancake post

Since I was a little girl, I've always been fascinated by the pancakes in American commercials/movies. They were always so perfect and fluffy. My attempts on making pancakes as a child were rather insipid because they always turn out flat and thin. But I have since discovered that I was making crepes instead of pancakes; crepes post for another time..:)

But as time passes by and after eating proper pancakes that looked like the ones I saw on TV I began to mix up my own batches of batter until I came to a perfect concoction without measurements. If that made any sense.

I measured with my senses for the perfect batter, knowing when to stop adding the flour by instincts....but fret not, dear readers (and Elsie) for I have come up with a good measurement this time for a no fail pancake recipe. Blueberries are my addition of choice but you can make this plain to eat with just butter and syrup if you want.

The perfect pancake batter bettered with blueberries starts with,
the perfect pancake batter:
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of corn flour (cornstarch)
1 tablespoon sugar
1.5 teaspoon of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 egg
3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons of milk

Optional: blueberries (but do try raisins and bananas, they are out of this world)

Method:
1. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients together with a whisk or a fork. Mix until you're sure that everything is combined properly.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add milk and eggs. Slowly mix until you have a smooth and thick batter. Batter should be as thick as sweetened condensed milk from the can.
3. Heat pan on medium heat until hot. Add a bit of butter and grease the pan.
4. With a 1/4 measuring cup, scoop the batter and pour 1/4 cup's worth of batter onto the hot pan. Add blueberries in and leave the batter to cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping it over for another 2 minutes or until the it is golden brown.
5. Repeat step 3 as needed and step 4 until all batter is used up. You'll get approximately 1o pancakes.

Serve pancakes hot with butter and syrup. Serve it with bacon if you dare because I dared myself and loved it to bits!

This is going to be my last post for a while. I will be flying back to Malaysia for a trip in a few days so if any of you would like to meet up, just let me know yeah? :) My email is on the About Me section on the right hand side - feel free to drop me a line or two, do not leave your contacts in the comment section for security reasons.

All things sweet and nice!

Happy New Year folks!

I am back after a back breaking ski trip and wholesome family-style Christmas. First, before I start with all things sweet and nice, let me talk about my ski trip: I was a ball of pain when I got back. I reckon falling approx. 20 times didn't help as it was my first time ehhehe but I never ate so much snow in my life! Anyway, apart from the pain, I came out skiing better than I never did and fell much less. Oh and I also cried like a baby in the locker room too because I was having period cramps on top of the falls...BOOO. But like a champ, I stuck to it. My partner was so proud of me.

Would I ski again? Definitely. And this time, I want my own skis and not the crappy rental stuff that gives my shin bruises.

SO next to all things sweet and nice! How's your New Year's been? Time sure flies when you're not looking, I am still adjusting to the fact that I have to write 2008 now and not 1998. Ahem. And I can't believe I am getting older.....I was 17 a blink of an eye ago. Wtf? lol. *goes into denial mode*

I was suppose to get to sweet and nice stuff and look where that got me! Okay, I made this really cute and yummy chocolate gingerbread men/women/stars as Christmas gifts for my partner's family. If you want an affordable pressies that pleases the mass, nothing does it better than homemade stuff. Trust me, it's just better and you can get creative without burning a hole in your pocket.

And since I added chocolate chips into my gingerbread men, they're just delightful and surprisingly good. Frankly, I don't like gingerbreads, I made the whole batch for my partner's family :P

Here they are:


I've just rolled the dough out and cutting them with my newly acquired cookie cutters. I couldn't get over how cute they were.

Here they are freshly baked out of the oven. Warm and soft but they do harden up as they cool. It's better if you let them cool up to 12 hours before decorating them. They store very well in the freezer for up to 6 months ;)

Here they are decorated amateurishly snuggled in boxes. I bought these boxes and paper linings from the 1 Dollar store. In all, for these pretty boxes and ribbons, it costs me less than $10, how sweet is that?

Here they are all wrapped up, pretty and ready to be unfold by unsuspecting relatives. The Jack Daniels is for them to wash it down after a nibble of course...... nah, the Jack Daniel's for me especially. The silver package on the right is a beautifully adorned cast-iron teapot for my partner's mother. Really heavy stuff but she loved it to no end when she saw it :) I am just happy.

I'll let the picture do the talking here. Pfft. Shoo!

After getting back from Christmas, I was itching to bake again. It must be because I was still in baking mode after all that gingerbread men/women/stars. So when I saw sticky buns on the food network channel, I made up my mind to make some.

They are outrageously good. OUT OF THIS WORLD. Hips beware.

And to end the All things sweet and nice! post are blueberry pancakes. Use frozen or fresh blueberries for an antioxidant filled breakfast. Yum...


I know, i know. Where are the recipes? I will get to that soon :) One by one hehehe. Or maybe I will save the chocolate chip gingerbread men recipe for next Xmas!

Let's start on a sweet note!

Hi foodies, I know it's been a while since I updated so during my spare time today, I thought i'd go with a RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE PIE as a sweet start! Miss food-blogging tons and I am not quite done yet with my exam and work. I have quite a bit lined up this month even after exams with deadlines, deadlines, deadlines - but do look forward to going home next Chinese New Year to be with my family and chill in the beautiful sunshine of my home country, Malaysia :)

I might be doing a cover for a food mag and travel site about Malaysia and Singapore when I get back. I do hope things fall into place! It's just more reason to eat, drink and be merry while getting paid for it hehe - I'll keep you guys posted if it comes to :)

Anyway, back to this luscious, better-tasting-than-it-looks-pie, I think there is nothing more luscious and utterly decadent than chocolate sauce, berried, and baked into a smooth delicious pie.

This pie was originally set in white chocolate. But because I did not have white chocolate with me, I used normal good quality semi-sweet chocolate - and thankfully, it worked out quite well for me even though the surfaced kind of reminded me of the moon. The crater-effect could have been avoided had I not been too vigorous in my mixing of my chocolate sauce. Oh well, live and learn :)

Hersheys, in this case, was my "normal good quality"of choice. I just wasn't ready to use my Lindts yet as I wasn't sure how this pie would turn out. Semi-sweet chocs (but go ahead with milk chocolate or white chocolate if you have some) because the crust of this sinful pie is made from shortbread, which is subtly sweet, soft and flaky - I've added a whole vanilla bean into the mixture which made it even lovelier!

When the chocolate, raspberries and crust combines, take my word when I say it was the perfect slice.

I did not chance upon discovering this in my kitchen in the midst of busyness. It was Ricardo, yes, Ricardo the flamboyant, vibrant, and rather effeminate but straight, chef of FoodTV's Ricardo and Friends. Because the pie was so easy to do and so beautiful after, the image remained in my head while my senses tried to emulate the taste of white chocolate and raspberry duet. I guess, I know how chocolate and raspberry turned out now but I am still savoring the white chocolate version in my head, so this will not be the end ;)

I made a few changes to the original recipe, so here it is:

Shortbread Crust

• 2 1/4 cups (560 ml) flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) vanilla sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) demi salted butter, chilled and cubed
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) ice water or 35% cream
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

Filling

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) 35% cream
• 4 ounces (120 g) white chocolate, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) fresh raspberries
• White chocolate shavings

Directions:

Shortbread Crust

1. Place the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
2. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
3. Add the egg yolks, water or cream and lemon juice.
4. Pulse until the mixture begins to form a ball.
5. Remove the dough from the food processor. Shape into a disk.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Pat the dough into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie pan. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
8. With the rack in the lowest position, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
9. Line the chilled crust with aluminum foil, scattering a few dry beans or pie weights on top to hold the foil in place.
10. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and bake for 5 minutes more. Let cool.

Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).
2. In a saucepan over low heat, gently melt the chocolate in the cream.
3. Lightly beat the egg using an electric mixer on lowest speed.
4. While beating, slowly add the chocolate mixture, taking care not to incorporate air into the mixture. Beat for 15 seconds more.
5. Arrange 1 cup (250 ml) raspberries on the pie crust with their pointed ends facing up.
6. Gently pour the filling over the berries without covering them completely.
7. Bake until the centre is firm, 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Let stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours.
9. Just before serving, garnish with white chocolate shavings and the remaining raspberries. Best if served the same day.

Will there ever be a time when cravings like these are unbecoming? Never!
This goes very well with ice wine. :)

Honey and Cinnamon Italian Toasts

Cinnamon wakes you up in the morning and makes even the grouchiest morning people smile. :) My Honey Cinnamon Italian Toast is a bright and cinnamon-y toasts that is so delicious, I'd like you to imagine a crispy crust with a soft center and an aroma that will knock you off your grouch!

I am not a morning person, per se. People who have lived with me can tell you of the horrors of my morning grunts and groans. Okay, that probably didn't come out too well. But anyway, I needed a pick me upper before I had to leave the apartment.
I haven't told you guys yet but I made Ciabatta bread recently(basically a loaf of rustic italian bread); using the old fashion way and then I tried out the no-knead method as demonstrated in the NY Times. Here's what I think:

Traditional Method: Lots of kneading, hands aching, need to prepare bread sponge, dirty hands and the result: Excellent crusty bread with big holes.

No-Knead Method: Not much kneading, no aches, no need to prepare sponge, dirty hands, less time and the result: Excellent crusty bread with big holes.

So go with the No-Knead Method since the results are the same - Excellent Bread! No-knead method is great if you have a small kitchen, it'll save you a lot of problems cleaning up after and also it'll save you a lot of bumps from kneading.


Oh right, back to my Honey and Cinnamon Italian Toasts (Italian because I used Italian bread), it's really easy to do. What you need is slices of bread (normal loaf of bread works fine too). Oh let me just put the recipe down here instead.Recipe for Honey and Cinnamon Italian Toasts
2 slice of bread
1 tablespoon of butter (use good butter)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder + 2 teaspoon sugar (mix well)
1 tablespoon of honey
a pinch of kosher salt
a flat pan

Method:
1. Spread butter on both sides of bread and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on both sides.
2. Heat pan on medium heat before tossing slices of bread in. Let it toast on the pan for 1-2 minutes. Check for readiness. If you like your toasts to be browner, leave it on a little longer. You want the sugar to caramelize to give you that beautiful smoky and caramel-like flavor.
3. Turn to the other side and repeat.
4. Set toasts on a serving plate and sprinkle a pinch of salt on both toasts.
5. Drizzle with luscious honey on top. Serve with hot tea or cold cold milk :)

Basically, there is no specific recipe for this. But the honey and cinnamon is the core ingredient. And that pinch of salt really brings out the flavor. Remember, salt is a flavor enhancer - a little bit of it goes a looooong way :)


THIS IS AN EGGLESS RECIPE.

And with this, I end this post with a cat in a paper bag:

I know you being in thereee!

p.s: I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I miss you guys too. I have been busy studying frankly, I have quite an important exam coming November :( But things should loosen up before the year is over. Until then posting might be sparse (saying this, might make me jam in a few posts after- I know myself!:P )

The Key Lime Pie

It's not A key lime pie, it's THE key lime pie that made my partner question my cooking abilities when he came to visit me for the first time in NZ. BUT, let me just say this, he was the only one who thought the key lime pie was horrid. The rest of my flat mates loved it and finished it.

No. I don't think they were being nice.

Anyway, to prove that my key lime is not horrible I made it again and this time, he loved it. *Shrugs* Beats me, maybe he had a dead roach on his tongue the other time (euuu...). Lemon meringue pie is his favorite dessert, so I thought I should make key lime pie to see how he'd like it.
Oh well, what matters is I've hit home run this time. And i would like to share the recipe with you because it's EASY as hell to make and so simple to make it look pretty. Use store bought pie crusts because it's so much easier.

All you need is for the filling:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of lime juice
3 large egg yolks
2 teaspoon of grated lime zest (about 2 limes worth)


Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until they become pale and fluffy. It would take you about 3 minutes on an electric mixer.
2. As you're mixing, add your condensed milk in and beat until you have a nice fluffy mixture. You're look at 5 minutes or so, of beating with an electric mixer.
3. After that, you can start adding your lime zest and lime juice in. Mix well until the filling is well incorporated.
4. Pour your filling into the pie crust and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the top set. You should not see any browning and 15 minute is the MAX time u should bake your key lime pie.

5. Take it off the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Chill in the fridge and serve with some whipped cream and fruits :)

This dessert is light and fluffy. Every bite melts in your mouth as soon as it touches your tongue. And i think key lime pie has more character than lemon meringue pies with respect to taste :)

O' Sweet Orange Cake

Syrupy, sweet and sticky. A little tinge of sour goodness to excite the taste buds and a balmy orange fragrance expires throughout. The soft moist cake drenched in orange syrup melts warmly in your mouth; down it with a glass of milk and your midnight cravings are satiated. Mmm..this is a true red carpet treatment for your senses :)

I am talking about an orange cake that I baked out of whim. I was never one who enjoyed orange cake but after being coaxed by a friend into trying the recipe from Chubby Hubby's blog on Damien Pignolet's Serious Orange Cake recipe, I was converted. I would blame my lack of enthusiasm, initially, to a bad experience. I had an orange cake when I was a little girl and it overwhelmed my taste buds with bitterness I stayed away from any type of orange cake since then, till a few months ago.

This is definitely a cake recipe everyone should seriously consider keeping in their books because it is so delicious.

You can check out the recipe at Chubby Hubby's blog because I followed it precisely. But for convenience sake, here it is:

For the cake:
1 orange, weighing around 150g, washed well and diced, pips removed
200g sugar
3 eggs
150g self-raising flour, sifted
a small pinch of salt
180g butter, melted and cooled a little

For the orange syrup:
60ml orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1-2 tablespoons Cointreau

Preheat oven to 340 F or 170C. I used a loaf pan but you can use a 9" cake pan for this recipe, line the pan with parchment paper.
But basically, you will need 1 medium sized orange, diced and make sure you take out all the pips because if not, you are going to end up with a bitter cake. Put your diced oranges into a food processor along with 200grams of sugar and process until it is silky smooth. After that you can add the eggs in one at a time until all is well mixed.

Add your flour and salt in and let the machine run until all is combined and then you pour down your melted butter until the mixture is amalgamated into a beautiful creamy batter.

Pour the delightfully fragrant cake mixture into your pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Or until the skewers comes out clean.



For the orange syrup:

While your cake is baking, put the orange juice, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan. Let it come to a simmer for 2 minutes. If you are using cointreau, add it in now and let it continue simmering for another 1 minute. Pour off the pan and let it sit until your cake is done.

When your cake is done let it rest for 10 minutes before poking holes all round it with a skewer or a fork so that the orange syrupy goodness is absorbed into the cake.
Let it cool completely before serving. As you can see, I just couldn't wait till it was completely cooled off hence the crumbs :)

A Berry Rosey Panna Cotta

Ladies and gentlemen, if I may be so bold as to say that life without dessert is as colorful as a black and white TV. I have been craving all things sweet lately and specifically, for an Italian dessert called Panna Cotta.

What's funny is I have never made Panna Cotta before but I have tasted some very delicious ones at Italian restaurants that I have visited in the past. There is one Italian place in Malaysia (i just simply cannot remember its name anymore) that serves absolute to-die-for tiramisus and panna cottas!

I remember the silken feeling of the smooth and luscious cream pudding that melts in your mouth like butter on hot toast. Mmh...

So I HAD to have it and I did. While some people liked drizzling their panna cotta with jus from fruits and chocolate sauce, I felt like fresh berries to top it off. And it was delicious, melt in your mouth and the whole shazam! You ABSOLUTELY have to try this recipe as it is EASY as 1,2,3 (ok maybe there is a 4 ...and a 5)

My Panna Cotta is flavored with rose water instead of the usual vanilla. You can flavor your Panna Cotta however you want but bear in mind that if you want a lemony Panna Cotta, use Lemon Oil Essense and NOT lemon juice, lest you want curds.

Here's my Berry Rosey Panna Cotta recipe -
*Note: It is advisable to plan this one day ahead OR you can do this in the late morning in time for dessert at dinnertime)

Panna Cotta (I got this recipe off Allrecipes.com):

• 1/3 cup milk (skim or normal)
  
• 1 ounce envelope unflavored powdered gelatin
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream (35% Cooking Cream)
  
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon rose water
  

Method:

1. Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the rose water and pour into six individual ramekin dishes OR six wine glass.
3. Cool the mixture uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

Berry Topping:
10-15 strawberries, cored and halved
a handful of blue berries
10-15 cherries, pitted and halved
2 Tablespoonful of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
a small pinch of kosher salt

Method:
1. Combine all the strawberries together into a bowl, add sugar, vanilla and salt.
2. Stir to mix the fruits well and let it stand for about 10 minutes before topping it on your chilled panna cottas.
3. Serve!

You can use any type of berries you want, I so happened to have cherries, strawberries and blueberries in hand at the time.
This dessert is the perfect ending for a dinner party because it is definitely going to impress your guests. It's simple to make and almost fuss free as the magic happens during waiting time :)

The Panna Cotta keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Oh, it's also VERY good on it's own.

Death by Chocolate - a tort to die for

A crusty chocolaty top and a bite that melts in your mouth!

Few days back I had a baking itch on my fingers and cravings for chocolate. Well, I could have just gone to the store and get myself a slice of cake but it was 10pm over and most stores are already closed. So, for a not so quick, but do-able, fix I made a delicious and decadent chocolate tort. To which I aptly named as Death by Chocolate. Why? Because there is only 4 tablespoons of flour in this whole recipe and the rest is chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

I am sure there are many variations of Death by Chocolate, in fact there is even a dessert chain called that in US. But this is MY variation of Death by Chocolate and be forewarned that it is A LOT of chocolate...:)

Let's get to the recipe so we can overdose on Cocoa, shall we?

Death by Chocolate:
8 oz or 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of butter (or 1 stick of butter)
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 cup of sugar
1.5 teaspoon baking powder OR 1 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
4 heaping tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract/essence
4 tablespoons plain yogurt (use low fat if you want but what the hey, it's too far to turn back now so why bother? :P)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
2. Line a circular 10 inch cake pan with baking sheets and grease it with some butter. Set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate chips and butter in a pan over hot water. Never melt chocolate via direct heat.

4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until well combined and then add flour, baking powder/baking soda, and vanilla in to combine. Mix well.
5. Take the melted butter and chocolate mixture and pour in a thin stream into the egg mixture.
6. Fold the batter gently with a spatula and then add your yogurt in. Fold again. Pour the mixture into the greased cake pan.

7. Bake for 50mins or until the toothpick comes out clean when you poke into the center of the cake.
8. Let it cool a little and serve warm (with vanilla ice cream, creme fraise, or even strawberries and chocolate sauce!) :)


This cake is not meant to be thick. It tends to rise when it's baking but collapses somewhat when it's cooled. So, expect a petite looking slice that packs a punch with richness!

It's great with milk too!

Chocolate Rocky Road Banana Loaf

In all it's crumbly glory~!

Say whatever you like but nothing beats the comfort of a banana cake/loaf. Frankly, I don't really care what the difference is between a banana cake and a banana loaf, if any, except the type of baking pan used but I made mine in a bread pan, so I'll call mine a Chocolate Rocky Road Banana Loaf :)

Every now and then, i bake in the middle of the night because it soothes me. Last night, i baked a banana loaf laden with walnuts and chocolate chips. It's so filled with all the goodies, it was quite hard to cut when it was warm because the cake was too soft and moist. I have to admit, picking on the crumbs was really yummy though.

It doesn't look like a banana cake from the top at all

So, the recipe is a very basic banana cake/load recipe. All you need to do is just add the extras in (walnuts and chocolate chips).

Here's my recipe:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 and 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (or substitute with 1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar and normal milk)
2 large ripe bananas (or 3 medium sized bananas), mashed

This is after i have picked up all the crumbs after the first slice, notice the hole at the corner?

Optional:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350Fahrenheit (that's about 180C) and grease your cake/loaf pan. Mine was an 8 inch loaf pan, i thought it was a little small so if you have a 9 inch one, use that.
1. Combine soften butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
2. Sift your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and then add gradually into the butter mixture.
3. Add your mashed bananas and buttermilk in and mix well.
4. Add your chocolate chips and walnuts, remember to reserve some for the topping.
5. Pour into the cake pan/bread pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.


After it is out of the oven, loosen the sides with a knife and let it cool completely before cutting. Don't make the same mistake of cutting it while it's warm like me otherwise, you'll have to pick on the crumbs.

Enjoy! :)

Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread

This is perhaps the EASIEST recipe I have ever come about in baking history. Well, no doubt it's just a shortbread, preparation and labor takes less than 30 minutes. You basically dump every ingredient in, stir and pop it in the oven to bake.

The result? A buttery and delicious shortbread. Originally, this is a Martha Stewart's recipe but I added chocolate chips into it because of my undying love for all things cocoa. All for good measure. Seriously, chocolate should be a food group of it's own, since cocoa is high on antioxidants! :P So this recipe initially was made into heart shapes by Martha and I think it was for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. One way or another, you can have it in any shape you want, just choose your cookie cutter shapes. I just cut them into rectangles and eat them with cold milk. YUMMY!

Oh and since Father's Day is on the 17th of June, you might want to consider making this for daddy dearest. If the man has fed you, clothed you, protect you, brought you up and love you so much since you were a tiny tot - i think spending a short amount of time in the kitchen making heart shape shortbreads is a small gesture for dad. Too bad, I can't make this for my dad - he's just thousands of miles away right now. But I have other things in planned ;)

Here's the recipe for the Chocolate Cranberry Shortbread:
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely shopped dried cranberries
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Literally dump everything in

2. Combine ALL ingredients into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. You will have a crumbly but malleable texture that you can bring together into a ball.
3. Grease the cookie pan with some butter and flour.
4. Pour the dough onto the cookie pan and with a roller, roll it evenly such as thus:

I realize that some dough is stuck to my roller, an idea would to be cover the top with a plastic wrap and roll. Then nothing sticks! :)

5. Pop it into the oven and bake for 20-50 minutes (the range is big because some ovens varies in temperature and power).
Whatever it is, just lookout for a pale golden top and you're done. You only cut the cookies AFTER it's baked :)

After it's done, just cut them into rectangles like me or you can use a heartshape cookie cutter and make heart shape shortbreads :)

These shortbreads tastes better and better as the days goes by. It will keep up till 7 days, so keep them in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm on a baking streak again. This was spurred by the fact that chocolate chip cookies are so darn expensive in stores. I know how some people would rather buy than go through the trouble of baking the cookies themselves but I love the trouble of baking my own because 1) I love making food 2) I get to control what's in the cookies 3) I get to pick the bits off the cookie dough :P

Sinful but good to pick on

This chocolate chip cookie with peanuts recipe is an adaptation of the chocolate anise biscotti. I did some changes to it by adding roasted peanuts, brown sugar, increasing the amount of flour and taking a portion of the baking powder away. The result is a very nice textured cookie that's a little chewy and crunchy where it matters. It's crunchy around the sides and bits that juts out here and there while retaining layer of chewiness in the center. It's absolutely lovely with milk.

Here's the recipe for my Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Cookie:
1 cup butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar (pressed down the sugar until you get 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chip (approx. 270grams)
3/4 cup roasted peanuts, skinless (use macadamia or walnuts or pecans if you want)


Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

1. Cream butter with a whisk (to build baking muscles in your arms) or with an electric beater until its color becomes a pale yellow. After that, add both brown sugar and white sugar, beat for another 2 more minutes until the mixture is fluffy.

2. Change to a spatula, add one egg at a time, mix well each time. Then, pour in your vanilla essence and mix well again.


If you can, please use REAL vanilla extract. Of course, you can always use the cheaper kind but i like real vanilla extract because it gives a certain depth to your baking goods. They are more expensive but it's well worth it. I would go to the extend of making my own vanilla extract with vodka and vanilla beans but I'll leave that for another day.

3. Mix your flour, baking powder and salt throughly first so that it is evenly distributed. Then, add half of it into the mixture earlier, mix and then add your chocolate chips and nuts in and mix again.

4. Once mixed well, add remaining flour in and mix again until your cookie dough is done. Please refrain from picking on the bits...i'm just covering my behind in case you get salmonella poisoning but I am not really concern about that. Salmonella usually stays on the shell of the egg ...it's only if you're really unlucky that you get an infected egg. I'll take my chances really, cookie doughs are soooo yummy! This one is out of this world.

5. If your cookie dough is too sticky, pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Then, scoop up a ball about the size of a golf ball and plonk it on the baking tray.

they're about the size of golf balls

Make sure you have about 1.5 inch space in between each dough ball. Bake for 15 minutes and then let them cool on a tray before you store them in an air tight container.

Fresh out of the oven

Now, this will be a treat for all the cookie monsters out there! :)

The Breakfast Stack

I don't know about you guys but I love the combination of savory and sweet for my breakfast. I love bacon drizzled in maple syrup and i love eating my waffles with sausages. With that love comes this recipe I created called The Breakfast Stack.

As the name suggest, it's a stack of wholesome good ol' breakfast ingredients - eggs, sausage, waffles/crumpets/pancakes/grilled burger buns/ bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup. It's totally out of this world, people...out of this world. The sweet flavors of maple syrup is cut by the saltiness of the the bacon and sausages and then a hint of sweetness is tasted again - it just makes you want to have this for lunch, dinner and supper. Now, this is the perfect breakfast because it gives you all the energy you want to start your day so you don't eat badly throughout the day as oppose to when you skip breakfast.

Anyway, here's the recipe for The Breakfast Stack,

Ingredients:
1 waffle, toasted (but you can use any carb base you want; bread/buns/crumpets/etc)
1 egg
2 slices of bacon (if you don't eat pork, find an alternative)
2 sausages, mashed and shaped into a pate.
1 tomato, halved (i used Russian Persimmon, they're orangey/yellow in color)
Maple syrup, enough to drizzle
salt and pepper


Method:
Major part of this breakfast is assembly. But first toast your waffle and let it sit on the center of the plate.
1. Cook your sausage until both sides are slightly brown and crisp. Layer the cooked sausage on top of your waffle.
2. Take two strips of bacon, lie on 3 layers of paper towels and microwave it high for 3 minutes. This is a really effective way of cooking bacon without excess fat and it comes out crispy. You can of course cook it on the stove as well. Once cooked, take both bacons and criss cross it ontop of the sausage.
3. Drizzle some maple syrup ontop of the stack, as much as you want.
4. Then, Cook your egg into a nice sunny side up with your halved tomatoes on the side.
5. Lay the cooked eggs ontop of the stack and seaon with some salt, pepper. Serve the pan fried tomatoes on the side. Drizzle more maple syrup around.

Cook this in a non-stick pan as it'll save you tons of time and frustrations :D

Evidence that Summer's near

You know summer's really near when your strawberries are plump, big, deep red, juicy and sweeeeeeeeeet.

Look at how gorgeous this fatty strawberry is! :P I'm so in love.

Muffin: Chocolate, Coconut and Raisin

Fresh out of the oven.

I've been in a baking mood of late... I don't usually bake as much as I cook really because all those precision in baking sometimes puts me off. I hate measuring stuff. But this muffin is a one hit score! because it's awfully good and it melts in your mouth. It's really quite simple to make and you can add whatever variables you want into your muffin mixture.. I so happened to add chocolate chips, coconut, and raisins into mine. I wanted to celebrate the arrival of summer and coconut reminds me of a sandy beach, while raisins reminded me of the sun. :)

This recipe yields 12 large muffins, if you want smaller ones, you'll obviously yield more. However, i must warn you that these muffins are totally addictive because of it's light and fluffy texture.

Chocolate, Coconut and Raisin Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3.5 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut (use fresh grated coconut if you can get any)
120grams of raisins

Method:
1. Preheat oven at 400 F.
2. Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg and blend. Add baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Add flour and milk.
3. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut. Pour into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle additional coconut and chocolate chip on top of muffins. Lower heat to 375 F.
4. Bake at 375 degrees until coconut is browned or knife comes out clean; approximately 30mins.

i had it for breakfast today :)

These muffins are excellent anytime. I personally like having it with my chinese green tea.

Cinnamon and Raisins Rolls - Step by Step

Did you know the smell of cinnamon rolls baking arouses men? :P

Can't let the blog layout boo-boo get me down, especially when my apartment is just permeating with this beautiful smell of cinnamon rolls! I made them this morning and I followed Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Roll recipe. You have to let the cinnamon roll sit over night in the fridge and then proof it for 30 mins before you bake it. This is how you get the SAME cinnamon rolls as the bakery bought ones - nice and fluffy! Alton didn't use any raisins in his recipe and used cream cheese icings for his rolls, while mine had raisins and no icing. I don't particularly like the icings on my cinnamon rolls..they're too sweet on an already sweet roll.

Don't let the long hours put your off btw. Most of it is just waiting and letting it do its own magic. I think overall, it only takes less 45mins of labour to get these beautiful cinnamon rolls :)

Here's the recipe:

make sure you have everything ready, so it's easier

Dough:
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:
8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
42g (1 small box) raisins
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing (optional: for you, sugar tooth's, out there)
2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
3 tablespoons milk
5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk.

Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook.
Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.