just 3 ingredients

Baking cheesecake is my achilles heel.

My previous attempt at making a Japanese soufflé cotton cheesecake failed miserably. Once out of the oven, it sank, shrank and developed a 'waist'. The texture was more like kueh lapis than cottony soft soufflé! I have since stayed clear of making another such cheese kueh until I saw this lovely soufflé cheesecake baked by Ann of Anncoo Journal.

I was very inspired after reading her post as her soufflé cheesecake requires only 3 ingredients. Even if I were to make a blunder again, I won't feel so bad since I would at most scarify just 3 ingredients. The original recipe was taken from this video recipe by Ochikeron. The clear step by step instructions helps to boost my confidence level too.

Since I have all three ingredients...eggs, white chocolate chips and cream cheese in my fridge, I didn't procrastinate but to bake the cake first thing the next morning. All went well until the cake was removed from the oven. It started to sink, as I had expected. I thought it was a complete failure again until I unmoulded it from the pan. It didn't look too bad despite the wrinkles on the surface, at least the cake didn't crack or form an obvious waist.

The texture of the cake was soft and moist. It was lighter than the usual Japanese cheesecake as only half a block of cream cheese is used. I didn't find the cake overly sweet either. I actually tasted the white chocolate and cream cheese mixture before adding in the eggs. I skipped the lemon zest and juice and replaced it with vanilla extract. I would most probably add in lemon juice if the mixture was too sweet for my liking.

This cake was a huge hit among my children. They wiped out more than half the cake in one siting and could have finished the whole cake if I wasn't there to stop them. The recipe is certainly a keeper and most importantly it is another milestone in my baking journey. I hope I could bake a better soufflé cheesecake in my next attempt...one that doesn't sink or shrink. May the force be with me.




3 Ingredients Soufflé Japanese Cheesecake

Ingredients:

125g cream cheese, cut into cubes, soften at room temperature
120g white chocolate, break into pieces (I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips)
3 extra large eggs, cold, separated (I used 4 eggs with 60g yolks, 140g whites)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Method:

1. Line the base of a 7" round cake pan(fixed base) with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter, set aside. 
2. Separate the eggs and leave egg whites to chill in the fridge until ready to use, this helps ensure a more stable meringue.   
3. Fill a saucepan with water to about half full. Bring the water to a full boil. Turn off the heat. Place white chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and set it over the saucepan (make sure the bowl is bigger than the sauce pan). Stir chocolate till smooth. 
4. Add cream cheese and mix till smooth.
5. Remove mixing bowl from the saucepan. Add the egg yolks, with a balloon whisk, whisk to combine. Add vanilla extract (if using), whisk to combine, set aside.
6. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until the egg whites reaches the stiff peak stage. (Take care not to over beat the egg whites. Since there is no sugar added, it takes a very short time to reach the stiff peak stage.)
7. Add the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture in 3 separate additions, each time fold with a spatula (I used a balloon whisk) until just blended.
8. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
9. Place cake pan in a baking tray. Fill the baking tray with some hot water. 
10. Place on lower rack of the oven and bake at 170 degC for 15mins. Lower the temperature to 160 degC and bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off the oven temperature and leave the cake inside the oven for another 15 minutes.
11. Remove cake pan from oven and leave the cake to cool before unmolding. Refrigerate for about 2 to 3 hours. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

Recipe source: from Anncoo Journal and this video by ochikeron.

my green tea experiment

I made these blueberry and green tea muffins just so to used up some sweet blueberries and to try the matcha powder I bought during our trip to Jeju Island last december.

I bought the matcha powder from Osulloc tea museum in Jeju. It was a very nice and beautiful place! When I first came across pictures of this tea farm while I was planning for our self drive trip, I told myself I had to include it in our itinerary.

Even though it was a very hectic day covering the Cheonjiyeon Falls (one of the three famous water falls in Jeju); having a fun tim at the Alive Museum; a leisurely walk on the natural volcanic rocks along the magnificent Yeongmeori coast; we were glad to be able to make a pit stop at this lovely tea plantation. I didn't take any photos inside the museum and cafe as I was busy loading the shopping basket with tea leaves and souvenirs. It was a Sunday afternoon and the place was really crowded with locals. Since we were slightly behind time, we didn't sit down to try the famous green tea rolls at the museum cafe :'( We compensate with take-out green tea ice cream to enjoy while we walked around the museum compound. I also spent some time picking up Innisfree skin care products for my teenager's troubled skin. What to do, this mummy has made herself to believe that those products made with natural volcanic minerals will help her son to achieve flawless, blemish free skin just like the brand's ambassador, Lee Min Ho. Yes, there's a Innisfree house (store cum cafe) within the Osulloc tea museum. Do drop by this tea museum if you plan to visit Jeju Island, especially if you are a fan of green tea ;)

Now back to my baking lab. To minimise shortfalls, I used my all time favourite blueberry muffins recipe as base and added some matcha powder. Nothing too adventurous actually, but it was the first time I had tried match-making blueberries with green tea. A rather bold move coming from someone who has very low tolerance for any kitchen failures.

The recipe is so easy and straight forward that I was rewarded with a tray of sweet smelling homemade muffins within an hour.

The muffins domed and cracked beautifully...and...

they neither look weird nor taste odd as oppose to what I had imagined earlier.

The texture was...'muffin-perfect'...airy, coarse crumbs which tasted soft, fluffy, moist and wholesome. Thanks to my baking friend's heads up, the blueberries from the local supermarket were very sweet, and, whats more, they were on discount. I am sure gonna grab some more on my next trip to the store. It is a pity that the matcha flavour was a little on the subtle side (for me). Its presence was not so prominent but not to the extend of not being able to taste the unique green tea flavour. I didn't want to add too much matcha powder for fear that it will cause the muffins to come out dry. The blueberries and green tea goes well together, it is not a hit nor a miss. These muffins are certainly worth giving it a go if you were to develop a sudden muffin-crave and you happened to have all the ingredients on hand :)



Matcha Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients
(makes 12 regular size muffins)

240ml plain yogurt (regular or low fat)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
60ml canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
100g granulated white sugar
100g fresh or frozen blueberries


Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lightly beaten egg, oil and vanilla extract until just combined.
2. Sieve flour, matcha green tea powder, baking powder and baking soda into another mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and whisk to combine.
3. Remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients and toss it with the blueberries (Note: If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them).
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined (Note: stop stirring once the flour incorporates into the batter, but do check that there is no large pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl). Gently stir in the blueberries. Do Not over mix the batter. The finished batter should appear thick and lumpy.
5. Spoon batter into paper muffin cups, fill it to about 3/4 full.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 190degC for about 20 - 25mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from Joy of Baking.

not so mini

I stumbled upon these lovely mini corn dog muffins over at Stephanie's macaroni and cheesecake food blog when I was looking for finger food to prepare for my guests when they came over for a get-together dinner.

Those cute little muffins were baked in mini muffin pans. However, I don't even own a regular muffin pan, let alone mini ones. Since I am not ready to head down to the nearest baking supply shop to get one, I improvised with my usual small paper muffin cups. I did a test batch and the muffins turned out great! While they are not as mini as those featured on Stephanie's blog, they certainly are small enough to serve as finger food. The muffins came out perfect when I removed them from the paper cups. They looked really close to those from the original recipe.

These muffins are the results of an ingenious combination of cornbread with a hotdog bite inserted in the centre, a much healthier version than the regular fried corn dogs. The Bob's Red Mill fine grind cornmeals I used gave the muffins a gritty texture. I pretty enjoy the grainy, nutty texture in each bite but it didn't really appeal to my younger child. He finished up the corn bread portion first and saved the hotdog bite for last (^^"). The muffins are served with ketchup or mustard as dipping sauce, they taste delicious when freshly baked, but you can always made them ahead and store in airtight container in the fridge. Simply warm them in the oven and they will be just as good.

Even though these were perfect finger food, I didn't make any for my year end dinner party. I had to strike it off from my list as there were already more than enough food to serve. However, I did manage to get a chance later on to bake a batch to give away to my baking friend. I am looking forward to baking another batch real soon :)

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

Ingredients:
(makes about 12 small muffins)

65g plain flour
75g yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g caster sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
85g plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 hotdogs, cut into 1" size


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190 degC.
2. Sieve flour and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add in cornmeal and salt. With a balloon whisk, whisk to combine. Set aside.
3. Place sugar and melted butter in another mixing bowl, whisk with the ballon whisk to combine. Add in eggs and whisk until incorporated. Add in yoghurt, milk and vanilla extract, stir to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl of the dry ingredients. With a spatula, stir the mixture until just incorporated, the batter will appear lumpy, do not over mix.
5. Fill each small paper muffin cup with batter to about 3/4 full (about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of batter). Place one hot dog in the center of each muffin cup vertically. Arrange filled muffin cups on a baking tray.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until muffins are golden brown. Remove muffins from oven and leave to cool on cooling rack.
7. Remove muffins from paper cups. Serve with ketchup or mustard for dipping if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Warm the muffins in the oven before serving.

Recipe source: adapted from macaroni and cheesecake

Christmas Scones

It was a quiet and peaceful Christmas eve. There was no Christmas dinner or any junk food party last night. In fact, this is the first time we are not spending the Christmas with my better half. He is away and had to work through Christmas and didn't get the chance to get back to the hotel until the early hours of Christmas day.

Being a positive person, it means I didn't have to prepare anything special for Christmas night. It was a golden chance for me then, to keep myself busy baking on Christmas eve :)

I managed to make a batch of scones and a test batch of hotdog corn bread which I will share in my next post.

I tweaked the original scones recipe from a cookbook to suit the festive mood. By simply adding some ground cinnamon, walnuts and a light dusting of icing sugar, these scones are great to serve on Christmas day. It would certainly be nice if I had some dried cranberries, but too bad I ran out of any type of dried fruits(!) and had to settle with chocolate chips instead. On hind sight, I believe they would be cuter if I had cut them into smaller rounds.

Never judge a scone from its appearance...I am speaking for myself. I was quite certain that I may have to feed the bins with these bricks of doughs when the exterior 'feel' hard and 'rocky'. Due to the ground cinnamon, they appear a little over baked too, giving the false impression that they would probably taste like cardboard, hard and dry. Thank goodness, after the first bite, it proves that my worries are completely unfound! Unlike the crust, the crumbs is soft and tender. The scones are buttery, yet, without leaving any greasing aftertaste. I adore the walnuts, chocolate chips combo and I am so glad that the cinnamon flavour is not too over powering. These scones taste good enough on its own, without any jams or cream. I had two of these big, delicious scones with my cup of breakfast coffee on a lovely Christmas day. I will always remember this morning in years to come, even if my memories fail me, I can always come back to read this post.

Merry Christmas and an early Happy 2014 to all!

I am submitting this to the "Baby Sumo's Christmas Recipes Collection 2013" event which is hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out.



Christmas Scones

Ingredients:
(makes six 7cm scones)

220g cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
30g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoons salt
100g unsalted butter, Cold, cut into small cubes
40g plain yoghurt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50g chocolate chips (can be replaced with dried cranberries or raisins)

extra 1 tablespoon milk for brushing
extra whole walnuts to be used as toppings (optional)

Method:

• Mix together yoghurt, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl, set aside.
• Sieve cake flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Add in caster salt, whisk to combine.
• Place cold, diced unsalted butter into the mixing bowl. With a fork or a dough scraper, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. (It is important that the butter be cold so when it is cut into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour-coated crumbs. If the butter starts to melt away during this process, stop and place the mixture in the freezer for 10-15 mins to prevent the butter from melting further. Continue the process when the mixture is well chilled.)
• Make a well in the centre and add in the yoghurt/egg mixture. Give a few quick stir with a spatula. Add in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Fold with a spatula just a few times to make the mixture comes together to form a shaggy mass.
• Gather up the mixture and place it on a lightly floured surface. Dust hand with flour and give it a few light kneading (not more than 10 seconds) so that it comes together to form a dough. Do Not over work the dough. (Only mix the dough until it comes together. Too much kneading will cause gluten to develop, and the resulting scones will turn hard and chewy. Knead only until the ingredients come together into a combined mass.)
• Pat the dough to about 1 inch thick. Cut out the dough with a lightly floured biscuit cutter (I use a 7cm cutter). Press the cutter directly down and lift it straight up without twisting. Dip the cutter into some flour after each cut. Gather scraps together and repeat until all the dough is used. (For easy cleaning and to prevent sticking, I lined my work surface with cling wrap, it is also easier to lift up the scones after cutting.)
• Place scones on baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush top with milk and place one whole walnut on top of each scone (optional).
• Bake at preheated oven at 180 degC for about 25mins or until they are well risen and the tops are lightly brown. Serve warm.

Note:
*Scones are best served freshly baked. Any leftovers can be kept in airtight container. Brush or spray some water over the scones and warm them in the oven before serving.

Recipe source: adapted from Scones and Biscuits by Morioka Ari

holiday baking

It has been a really busy and eventful month...I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster ride for the most part of it ;)

It started off with the agonising wait for the release of the psle (primary school leaving exam) results, followed immediately by another few days of decision making...choosing the secondary schools for my younger child. We then flew off for our year end holiday trip to Seoul and Jeju. We had a great time visiting or rather re-visiting the places in Seoul, not forgetting the great eating places and the fun self drive tour in Jeju. It snowed when we were in Seoul and it was a winder wonderland at the Hallasan national park in Jeju, the place was covered with thick snow!

I came down with a cold during the trip and developed skin rashes after we came home :( Despite the discomfort from the itchy rashes, sinus and coughing, I still had to carry on with washing and clearing the piles of laundry...the usual aftermath of a holiday trip. It took me more than a week to recover and I went on to work on the year end spring cleaning chores.

My roller coaster ride ended on a high note with the good news that my child has been offered a place in his dream school. It was really icing on the cake as we received the good news on the eve of his birthday.

With so many things going on, it was hard to find time to do much baking. It was even more difficult to keep up with blogging.

Just when I thought my absence would be gone unnoticed, I received a warm comment from a well wisher...an anonymous reader :) My heartfelt thanks to you for checking on me and my apologies for not updating my blog as regularly as I wanted.

A couple of days ago, I finally managed to squeeze in some time to bake this delicious Blueberry and White Chocolate chips coffee cake. In case you are as ignorant as me, there's no coffee in this coffee cake. The term coffee cake refers to a moist, tender cake that is served alongside coffee or tea during breakfast or anytime of the day. One of the characteristics of most coffee cake is the inclusion of either yogurt, buttermilk, or sour cream in the batter. The cake is usually topped with some kind of streusel topping from a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter, or nuts, and sometimes various fruits may be added as well.

I followed the recipe from Baking Bites but adapted it to suit my baking pan, the ingredients I have on hand and reduced the sugar amount. The result was fabulous. I am not sure whether it was the 'drought' (the lack of homemade cakes for the past weeks), both my boys were all thumbs up after they took the first bite once I gave the go-ahead permission to cut up the cake.

The cake was surprisingly moist, tender and even tasted so buttery although I have cut down on the sugar (by at least 80g) and it doesn't calls for much butter. I guess the yoghurt has made wonders again. The blueberries was on the tart side, but the sweet white chocolate chips paired it off really well. You can't go wrong with sliced almonds as toppings, it lends so much fragrance and flavour to this simple and easy to put together cake.    

If you have the ingredients on hand, why not whip this up for your breakfast, tea or after dinner dessert? It will be a nice centre piece if you have guests coming over, and certainly great to bring for potlucks or gatherings during this festive seasons. I am quite certain it will be a crowd pleaser :)


Blueberry and White Chocolate Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
(serves 8)

210g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
60g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
120g caster sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup plain yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
50g (about 1/4 cup) white chocolate chips
80g (about 1/2 cup) blueberries
some sliced almonds
some granulated sugar or coarse sugar


Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degC.
• Line base and side of a 7" round pan with parchment paper. (Note: The cake can also be baked in an 8" or 9" round pan, shorten the baking time to 40-45mins)
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda into a mixing bowl. Add the salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Stir yoghurt and milk together, set aside. (Note: I used 70g Marigold low fat plain yoghurt and combined with slightly more than 1/4 cup low fat fresh milk to yield 1 cup of yoghurt-milk mixture).
• With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until the mixture turn light and flurry.
• Add in egg and vanilla extract and beat till smooth. 
• With a spatula, stir in half of the flour mixture.
• Add the yoghurt-milk mixture, stir to combine (the mixture may appear lumpy at first, keep stirring till smooth). 
• Add in the rest of the flour mixture.  Stir only until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Fold in blueberries (if using frozen blueberries, toss with some flour before using) and white chocolate chips to evenly distribute them. 
• Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread into an even layer. 
• Sprinkle the top with sliced almonds and granulated coarse sugar.
• Bake for about 50 minutes (if using bigger pan, shorten baking time to 40-45mins), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Leave to cool in pan for about 5 mins. Unmold and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Recipe source: adapted from Baking Bites