Oreo Cookie Monsters

As the males in my family are great fans of the oreo cookies, we usually have a good stock of these cookies in our kitchen. I was looking for recipes that calls for oreo and came across this wonderful creation by Angie of My Kitchen:My Laboratory. It's a oreo butter cake. Thanks to Angie for sharing her recipe. The cake was really delicious and moist. My kitchen was filled with this nice and sweet aroma of the butter cake while it was baking! Naturally, it was very well received by the oreo cookie monsters in the house ;)

Strawberry Jellyhearts Cheesecake

Last nite, I made this strawberry jellyhearts cheesecake. I got the idea from Yochana's Cake Delight. However, I didn't follow her recipe, instead I used the biscuit base and cream cheese filling recipe from the no-bake oreo cheesecake I made earlier. Furthermore, the original version is suppose to be in squares but I made it into a round shape, just like a cheesecake. Initially, I thought it should be quite simple...just follow the same method as the oreo cheesecake and then top it up with jelly. I was wrong, I made 2 mistakes while making this cake!

Mistake no. 1: I didn't add the strawberries before putting the cake into the fridge to set the cheese mixture. I made the cream cheese mixture just before dinner, thinking that I could cut the strawberries and layer it after dinner. However, the cheese mixture was harden by the time I was ready to add in the strawberries. So, they couldn't "stick" onto the cheese layer. Well, I thought, it should be alright, since the jelly would cover them up and set them "down". Little did I know that when I pour in the jelly, the strawberries started to "swim" in the jelly liquid! So I tried to "pin' them down by pushing them into the cheese mixture. To my horror, tiny bits of cheese mixture came floating on the jelly liquid. That's mistake no. 2.

Mistake no. 2: I didn't wait long enough for the cheese mixture to set. You see, I thought since the strawberries couldn't stick onto the cheese layer, the cheese mixture must be very well set right? I was wrong, I believe it was because the mixture was not well set, as such, tiny bits of cheese started to dissolve when the the jelly was added.

My recovery actions were to spoon out most of the jelly liquid and put the cake in the freezer to freeze it. After half-an-hour, the strawberries were set with the help of the thin layer of jelly. I poured in the remaining jelly and let the cake set overnight. It was tedious to carefully spoon out the tiny bits of cream cheese. Luckily, the cake turn out quite ok. So, if you want to try this out, do take note of these 2 steps.

Ingredients:

base:
110g digestive biscuits(about 8 pieces), chopped into fine crumbs
40g melted butter

filling:
250g cream cheese, soften at room temperature
50g icing sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin powder
40ml boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 box Jelly crystal (strawberry flavour)
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

Some strawberries, cut into heart shapes

Method:
1. Mix biscuit crumbs & melted butter together and press firmly with the help of a spoon onto the base of a 18cm cake tin. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. Place gelatin powder and boiling water in a bowl. Heat a pot filled with some water until just simmering and place the bowl inside the pot. Dissolve gelatin and boiling water in the bowl. Keep warm.

3. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese , icing sugar and vanilla essence until smooth & creamy. Blend in gelatin solution and mix well.

4. Pour the cheese mixture into the cake tin. Layer the strawberries on the cheese mixture. Chill for at least 3 to 4 hours.

5. Dissolve the jelly crystal in the cup of boiling water, followed by the cold water. Pour the jelly on the cheese mixture. Let it set before removing from the cake tin.

Going Bananas

When I first rekindled my love for baking, i.e. since the day I bought my little oven, I started off baking simple cookies and quickbread. This is the first Banana Bread I have baked.


With 2 pairs of helping hands, I was able to produce these 2 lovely loaves. I like to involve my children in my baking sessions. It's simply fun to have them around. My elder boy will read out the recipe and help me with the weighing of the ingredients, while the younger one will help stir and mash up the bananas. The elder brother will always keep an eye on the younger one...to make sure he stirs the batter in one direction and adds in the eggs gradually. Since we made this banana bread, the little one has been declared the "official banana masher" in our kitchen.

This recipe is taken from Betty Crocker's website. The bread is very tasty and moist but I do find it a bit too sweet. Since it was my first attempt, I followed the recipe to a T. Will definitely cut down on the sugar next time. If the bread is not eaten fresh, it is best slightly toasted/heated again before serving.

Ingredients:
(makes two 8 inch loaves)

110g butter, softened @ room temperature
250g sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 to 4 medium bananas (meshed)
Half cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
350g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Method:

1. 
   
   Move oven rack to low position so that top of loaf pan will be in the centre of the oven. Preheat oven to 180 degC. Grease bottoms (only) of two 8x4 inch loaf pans or one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. 
   
   Mix sugar and butter still creamy and fluffy. Stir in eggs gradually until well blended. Stir in bananas, yogurt and vanilla essence, beat until smooth.
3. 
   
   Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts, if desired.
4. 
   
   Pour batter into loaf pan(s). Bake 8 inch loaves for about 1 hour, 9 inch loaf for about 1 hour 15 mins; or until skewer inserted in centre comes out clean.
5. 
   
   Remove from oven and let the loaf cool for 10 mins in the pan. Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Today is the start of the new school year. How time flies! I have already been a stay-at-home-mum for one full year! After a fun-filled year end holidays, we are back to our normal routine life. I made this Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake with the help of my 2 boys during the school holidays. This recipe was taken from C W Cookbook 3.

Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Mixture
250g cream cheese (soften at room temperature)
60g castor sugar
1 egg

Chocolate Mixture
180g butter
150g caster sugar
3 eggs
3 tablespoon cocoa powder
120g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon baking powder

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 150°C.
2. Grease and line a 20cm round cake pan.
3. Cream Cheese Mixture - beat cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg gradually and beat until well incorporated. Set mixture aside.
4. Chocolate Mixture - Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well incorporated into mixture. Sieve all the dried ingredients together. Fold into the egg mixture.
5. Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the cake pan.
6. Pour all the cream cheese mixture and then the remaining chocolate mixture. Gently spread the chocolate mixture to cover all the cream cheese mixture.
7. Bake for 45-50 min or until skewer comes out clean. Cool completely and chill in the fridge before serving.

Sweet Buns

I love bread. I have bread for breakfast almost everyday ever since I was young. This is my first attempt in making bread buns, like those "6-in-1" buns available at neighbourhood bakery shops. I have always wondered how they "join" or "mold" the bread into 6 buns. Thanks to the many food blogs out there, I was able to learn how this is done from step-by-step photos shared by bloggers. In case you are as ignorant as me, this is done simply by placing 6 doughs into one baking pan. The individual buns will join together after they are baked! Now, why I did'nt think of that?!

As I do not have a heavy duty mixer, I made the bread by hand. It is not easy. You will need to knead the dough continuously for at least 25 mins. The hard work did pay off though, the buns turn out to be very fluffy and soft. I was not very good in shaping the dough, they came in "all shapes and sizes" despite the fact that I weigh the dough to ensure each one was of equal weight.

I adapted the recipe from this site.

Ingredients:
(make around nine 60g portions)

150g bread flour
150g cake flour
5g active dry yeast
3g salt
125g milk
1 egg
60g caster sugar
50g butter
(1 egg, beaten, for glazing)

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in milk, egg and butter. Mix into a dough.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until the gluten is fully developed (see tip below) and the dough is elastic, smooth and non-sticky. It will take about 25 mins to knead the dough by hand. Initially the dough will stick on to the work surface. Do not be tempted to add more flour or even give up kneading! After continuous kneading, the dough will no longer stick to the work surface.
3. Place the dough in the mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel or cling wrap to seal in the moisture. Allow the dough to ferment(or proof) until double in bulk. This will take about 1 hr. To test whether the dough has been fully proofed, press a finger into the dough and withdraw quickly. It should leave a deep impression and spring back very slowly. For an insufficiently proofed dough, the impression will spring back instantly.
4. Take out the dough and punch out the gas produced. Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Cover with a damp towel or cling wrap.
5. Divide the dough into 60g portions. Shape and add fillings as desired. Arrange dough in a greased or lined pan. Let the dough proof for the second time for about 30-45mins. Cover with a damp towel or cling wrap.
6. Brush the top with egg wash. Add almond flakes on the top of the buns, as desired.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 190 degC. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Tip:
To check whether the dough is fully developed, take a small piece of the dough and stretch it with your fingers. If it can be stretched into a thin layer without tearing easily, the dough is fully developed.