Dear friends,
Due to some technical issues, I am unable to receive your comments or feedback. But I can be reached at this email address: jennypreston00@gmail.com.
Do drop me some comments and we could learn from one another the baking techniques, or any good proven recipes that you would like to share.
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
More Cheesecakes
Hi everybody, how are you? It's been awhile that I had not posted any recipes here. Last year was a very fruitful year for me as I delivered my twins (yes, twins :) the best gift from God! At the same time, it was a busy year as I had to juggle my time for different things: work, family, babies etc. In other words, I had no time at all for myself! Having said all that, I really enjoyed (and still enjoying) being a mother especially when seeing my twins growing day by day -- it's something beyond any words that can describe for the joy and experience I am going through!
Although I had not been touching my baking utensils for awhile, as time went by I just could not suppress the emotion and passion (for baking) any longer... so, despite of my busy schedule I went ahead to bake for the first time after my delivery. Early this year, I baked a Key Lime Cheesecake - a good combination of the sourish taste of lime and the sweetness in the cream cheese. The result was really heavenly delicious!
Here is the Key Lime Cheesecake recipe:
(Note: If possible, use lime instead of lemon as the taste is so much different)
Lime custard:
6 lg. egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
6 T fresh Key lime juice
1 tsp. Key lime zest
Crust:
1-3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling:
2-8 oz. pkg cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
2 lg. whole eggs
3 T fresh Key lime juice w/pulp
1 T Key lime zest
Topping:
16 oz. sour cream
3 T sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in the center of oven. A 9-inch springform pan wrap with foil.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients for the lime custard and whisk over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles around the edges of the pan. Let bubble about 30 seconds then remove from heat to cool slightly before scraping into a bowl to cool to room temp.
3. Crush crackers until become crumbs. Add sugar, salt, and cooled melted butter. Blend well. Press contents onto the bottom and half way up the sides the springform pan. Bake the crust until set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pulpy lime juice, and zest. Mix until creamy.
5. After the crust is cool, carefully spoon the lime custard into the bottom and smooth evenly. Then spoon the filling over the lime custard, again carefully smoothing to completely cover the first layer. Set the springform pan inside the large baking pan and place on the oven rack. Pour hot water into the large baking pan until the level reaches about half way up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Combine sour cream with the 3T of sugar and carefully spread over the top of the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, just until the topping is set.
Durian Cheesecake
Malaysian generally loves Durian. In fact, we use Durian in many recipes such as Durian mooncake, Durian cake/crepes, Durian cream puffs, Durian ice cream etc. Now is the Durian season and it's quite cheap to buy in bulk. I bought some (the 'Kampung' flavour) few weeks ago and had them made into a Durian Cheesecake. Since Durian is quite sweet, to counterbalance the sweetness I used chocolate biscuits as base and for the topping I used cocoa powder mixed with water. The result is 'OK' - Durian taste is too overwhelming that it suppressed the cream cheese. Honestly, I am not so satisfied with the result but my dad loves it!
Although I had not been touching my baking utensils for awhile, as time went by I just could not suppress the emotion and passion (for baking) any longer... so, despite of my busy schedule I went ahead to bake for the first time after my delivery. Early this year, I baked a Key Lime Cheesecake - a good combination of the sourish taste of lime and the sweetness in the cream cheese. The result was really heavenly delicious!
Here is the Key Lime Cheesecake recipe:
(Note: If possible, use lime instead of lemon as the taste is so much different)
Lime custard:
6 lg. egg yolks
3/4 c. sugar
6 T fresh Key lime juice
1 tsp. Key lime zest
Crust:
1-3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Filling:
2-8 oz. pkg cream cheese
2/3 c. sugar
2 lg. whole eggs
3 T fresh Key lime juice w/pulp
1 T Key lime zest
Topping:
16 oz. sour cream
3 T sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Position rack in the center of oven. A 9-inch springform pan wrap with foil.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine all ingredients for the lime custard and whisk over medium heat until it thickens and bubbles around the edges of the pan. Let bubble about 30 seconds then remove from heat to cool slightly before scraping into a bowl to cool to room temp.
3. Crush crackers until become crumbs. Add sugar, salt, and cooled melted butter. Blend well. Press contents onto the bottom and half way up the sides the springform pan. Bake the crust until set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven to cool completely.
4. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, pulpy lime juice, and zest. Mix until creamy.
5. After the crust is cool, carefully spoon the lime custard into the bottom and smooth evenly. Then spoon the filling over the lime custard, again carefully smoothing to completely cover the first layer. Set the springform pan inside the large baking pan and place on the oven rack. Pour hot water into the large baking pan until the level reaches about half way up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
6. Combine sour cream with the 3T of sugar and carefully spread over the top of the cheesecake. Put it back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes, just until the topping is set.
Durian Cheesecake
Malaysian generally loves Durian. In fact, we use Durian in many recipes such as Durian mooncake, Durian cake/crepes, Durian cream puffs, Durian ice cream etc. Now is the Durian season and it's quite cheap to buy in bulk. I bought some (the 'Kampung' flavour) few weeks ago and had them made into a Durian Cheesecake. Since Durian is quite sweet, to counterbalance the sweetness I used chocolate biscuits as base and for the topping I used cocoa powder mixed with water. The result is 'OK' - Durian taste is too overwhelming that it suppressed the cream cheese. Honestly, I am not so satisfied with the result but my dad loves it!
Friday, 29 March 2013
Egg Tart
One of the famous Dim Sum dishes that most people like is Egg Tart. Not only it looks delicious but tastes delicious too! This pudding like dessert comes in either a fluffy puff pastry as the base for the egg pudding or a simple shortcrust pastry as the base. Personally, I prefer the fluffy puff pastry base!
I have always wanted to make my own egg tart because it looks so simple. I started to make some based on a recipe given by a friend. It was considered successful and taste good! However, I still need to improve the outlook of the tart especially the pastry base. Here are some photos to share with you...
If you want to try out your own, here is the recipe:
skin A:
150g plain flour, sifted
20g custard powder, sifted
30g icing sugar, sifted
60g shortening
2-3 tbsp water
skin B:
90g plain flour, sifted
60g shortening
filling:
3 eggs, beaten
120g castor sugar
250ml hot water, stirred & cooled
1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tsp white vinegar
Method:
1) Skin A: mix and knead until smooth. Divide into 15 parts.
2) Skin B: mix and divide into 15 parts.
3) Wrap B with A. Roll into a long shape, roll up tighty like swiss roll. Then roll into a round piece and line onto the egg tart mould.
4) Mix and strain the filling. Pour into the mould until 3/4 full.
5) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 15-20 mins until the filling is set.
One of the famous Dim Sum dishes that most people like is Egg Tart. Not only it looks delicious but tastes delicious too! This pudding like dessert comes in either a fluffy puff pastry as the base for the egg pudding or a simple shortcrust pastry as the base. Personally, I prefer the fluffy puff pastry base!
I have always wanted to make my own egg tart because it looks so simple. I started to make some based on a recipe given by a friend. It was considered successful and taste good! However, I still need to improve the outlook of the tart especially the pastry base. Here are some photos to share with you...
If you want to try out your own, here is the recipe:
skin A:
150g plain flour, sifted
20g custard powder, sifted
30g icing sugar, sifted
60g shortening
2-3 tbsp water
skin B:
90g plain flour, sifted
60g shortening
filling:
3 eggs, beaten
120g castor sugar
250ml hot water, stirred & cooled
1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tsp white vinegar
Method:
1) Skin A: mix and knead until smooth. Divide into 15 parts.
2) Skin B: mix and divide into 15 parts.
3) Wrap B with A. Roll into a long shape, roll up tighty like swiss roll. Then roll into a round piece and line onto the egg tart mould.
4) Mix and strain the filling. Pour into the mould until 3/4 full.
5) Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 15-20 mins until the filling is set.
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Moist Marble Cake
This is one of my favourites .... Marble Cake. As the name implies, the cake has a marble effect in it - the swirled patterns from the cocoa batter. I have tried many recipes in the past but most of them are not as tasty as this one. I left some over night in an airtight container and it was even more moist! The other day, I came across another recipe for Marble cake which calls for the eggs to be separately prepared something like making a fluffy sponge cake. It's not a bad idea to separate the eggs as it will give more air to the texture and ultimately the cake will be lighter and fluffier. I will try it and post the outcome in my later episodes to come. But for now, the recipe I used here is using whole eggs and it's taken from the recipe book "Bread & Baking". The recipe calls for SRF (self raising flour), but I ran out of SRF and hence I made my own SRF. It's a mixed of 3 simple ingredients: plain flour, baking powder and salt (you can refer to one of my earliest posts to get the deatils).
Ingredients:
225g butter/margarine
225g castor sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
225g SRF, sifted
finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
25g cocoa powder, sifted
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly grease an 8" round pan and line the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs into the mixture a little at a time. Mix well in each addtion. Slowly fold in the flour until well corporated.
3. Divide the batter into half. Add into the first half batter the orange rind and a little bit of orange juice and mix well.
4. Mix the cocoa powder and the remaining orange juice and add into the second half batter. Mix well.
5. Spoon into the round pan the 2 mixtures alternatively. Take a skewer or chopstick swirl the 2 mixture in the pan to create the marble effect. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
This is one of my favourites .... Marble Cake. As the name implies, the cake has a marble effect in it - the swirled patterns from the cocoa batter. I have tried many recipes in the past but most of them are not as tasty as this one. I left some over night in an airtight container and it was even more moist! The other day, I came across another recipe for Marble cake which calls for the eggs to be separately prepared something like making a fluffy sponge cake. It's not a bad idea to separate the eggs as it will give more air to the texture and ultimately the cake will be lighter and fluffier. I will try it and post the outcome in my later episodes to come. But for now, the recipe I used here is using whole eggs and it's taken from the recipe book "Bread & Baking". The recipe calls for SRF (self raising flour), but I ran out of SRF and hence I made my own SRF. It's a mixed of 3 simple ingredients: plain flour, baking powder and salt (you can refer to one of my earliest posts to get the deatils).
Ingredients:
225g butter/margarine
225g castor sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
225g SRF, sifted
finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange
25g cocoa powder, sifted
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C. Lightly grease an 8" round pan and line the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs into the mixture a little at a time. Mix well in each addtion. Slowly fold in the flour until well corporated.
3. Divide the batter into half. Add into the first half batter the orange rind and a little bit of orange juice and mix well.
4. Mix the cocoa powder and the remaining orange juice and add into the second half batter. Mix well.
5. Spoon into the round pan the 2 mixtures alternatively. Take a skewer or chopstick swirl the 2 mixture in the pan to create the marble effect. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Monday, 29 October 2012
Orange Chiffon Cake
You may not like sweet desserts at all, but I am sure many of you have tasted Chiffon Cake at least once in your lifetime, ya? I don't think i am overstated here ... the reason is simple: it's a type of cake that is so conveniently available in many cake shops (at least in Malaysia), it's delicious and not oily/heavy in texture, and it's cheap - cost about RM6 - RM8 (more than enough for a family of 4). You can even get one for RM3.50 at those hypermarkets. So, it has all the right ingredients to sell as a 'hot' cake and loved by all.
So, why bother to make one yourself? Some may ask. My answer is simple: homemade is always taste much better than commercial (if you do it right), agree? Chiffon Cake though it looks simple, it does demand for skills and experience to make it right. When I first tried to make one, I started off with an Angel Food Cake recipe. I failed miserably. Then, I did a fair bit of research and went on a second attempt. Again, failed. So, I went full force to look for tips, techniques etc and finally I made it. During the course of this journey, I also learned something valuable that Angel Food Cake and Chiffon Cake are not the same. The former is oil free (no butter/vegetale oil needed) and the latter calls for vegetable oil in the recipe. My first Chiffon Cake (Pandan flavour) was taken from a well-known recipe. It was so so successful and delicious that my husband and I we fininshed it within a day! I will post it when I make one again. I subsequently made a few with different flavours. Here is one with the orange flavour:
I baked this in a 20cm tube pan. The citrus smell from fresh orange is so pungent and the cake is very moist!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
6 Large Eggs, separated plus 1 additional Egg White
2 1/4 Cups Sifted Cake Flour
1 1/4 Cups Superfine White Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Tbsp Orange Zest
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
Method
1. Separate the eggs and place the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
2. Preheat the oven to 325F (170C) and have ready 20 cm tube pan. (ungreased).
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, sugar (minus 3Tbsp), baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg yolks, oil, orange juice, orange zest , and vanilla extract. Beat about one minute or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 3Tbsp of sugar and until stiff peaks form.
5. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until blended (being careful not to deflate the batter).
Tips:
1. The eggs must be in room temperature before separate them.
2. The important step in this recipe is the beating of the egg whites. Make sure it reaches almost stiff peak. Over beating will spoil the whole thing.
3. A rule of thumb, I always scoop 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and mix it with the batter first. This helps the folding later.
You may not like sweet desserts at all, but I am sure many of you have tasted Chiffon Cake at least once in your lifetime, ya? I don't think i am overstated here ... the reason is simple: it's a type of cake that is so conveniently available in many cake shops (at least in Malaysia), it's delicious and not oily/heavy in texture, and it's cheap - cost about RM6 - RM8 (more than enough for a family of 4). You can even get one for RM3.50 at those hypermarkets. So, it has all the right ingredients to sell as a 'hot' cake and loved by all.
So, why bother to make one yourself? Some may ask. My answer is simple: homemade is always taste much better than commercial (if you do it right), agree? Chiffon Cake though it looks simple, it does demand for skills and experience to make it right. When I first tried to make one, I started off with an Angel Food Cake recipe. I failed miserably. Then, I did a fair bit of research and went on a second attempt. Again, failed. So, I went full force to look for tips, techniques etc and finally I made it. During the course of this journey, I also learned something valuable that Angel Food Cake and Chiffon Cake are not the same. The former is oil free (no butter/vegetale oil needed) and the latter calls for vegetable oil in the recipe. My first Chiffon Cake (Pandan flavour) was taken from a well-known recipe. It was so so successful and delicious that my husband and I we fininshed it within a day! I will post it when I make one again. I subsequently made a few with different flavours. Here is one with the orange flavour:
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
6 Large Eggs, separated plus 1 additional Egg White
2 1/4 Cups Sifted Cake Flour
1 1/4 Cups Superfine White Sugar
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
2 Tbsp Orange Zest
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
Method
1. Separate the eggs and place the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.
2. Preheat the oven to 325F (170C) and have ready 20 cm tube pan. (ungreased).
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, sugar (minus 3Tbsp), baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg yolks, oil, orange juice, orange zest , and vanilla extract. Beat about one minute or until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 3Tbsp of sugar and until stiff peaks form.
5. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until blended (being careful not to deflate the batter).
Tips:
1. The eggs must be in room temperature before separate them.
2. The important step in this recipe is the beating of the egg whites. Make sure it reaches almost stiff peak. Over beating will spoil the whole thing.
3. A rule of thumb, I always scoop 1/3 of the beaten egg whites and mix it with the batter first. This helps the folding later.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Yam Swiss Roll
I love yam. I love anything that goes with yam. When it's cooked, its special taste and its smooth startchiness do wonders in many signature dishes. Well, a lot of people are familiar with yam in chinese dishes but do you know that yam is also famous in making perfect desserts and pastries? Here is one recipe which I have tried and fell in love with it - swiss roll with yam paste filling!
Remember the days where I went through so many recipe books and even in the Internet in a mission to find the best and most delicious Yam Swiss Roll. Finally, I found one that 'looks' delicious by a famous baking guru from Taiwan (孟老师). You know, there are many substitutes available nowadays. You name it and you have it ... durian paste, pandan paste, passionfruit paste etc. The problem with these substitutes is that they will never be able to substitute the real thing! Not even come close! Many recipes out there call for substitute which in my opinion is totally unacceptable. Nothing tastes better than making your own yam paste using real yam. Here is the recipe for the home made yam paste:
275g yam
45g icing sugar
35g unsalted butter
3 tbs coconut milk
Method:
Peel yam. Do not wash the yam. Cut the yam into small strips and steam on high heat for about 1 hour or until yam is very soft.
Smash yam with fork and mix well with icing sugar.
Add in unsalted butter to combine.
Lastly stir in the coconut milk and mix well. Yam paste should be smooth.
For the sponge cake, you can use the previous recipe published in my blog or you can use your own.
Remember the days where I went through so many recipe books and even in the Internet in a mission to find the best and most delicious Yam Swiss Roll. Finally, I found one that 'looks' delicious by a famous baking guru from Taiwan (孟老师). You know, there are many substitutes available nowadays. You name it and you have it ... durian paste, pandan paste, passionfruit paste etc. The problem with these substitutes is that they will never be able to substitute the real thing! Not even come close! Many recipes out there call for substitute which in my opinion is totally unacceptable. Nothing tastes better than making your own yam paste using real yam. Here is the recipe for the home made yam paste:
275g yam
45g icing sugar
35g unsalted butter
3 tbs coconut milk
Method:
Peel yam. Do not wash the yam. Cut the yam into small strips and steam on high heat for about 1 hour or until yam is very soft.
Smash yam with fork and mix well with icing sugar.
Add in unsalted butter to combine.
Lastly stir in the coconut milk and mix well. Yam paste should be smooth.
For the sponge cake, you can use the previous recipe published in my blog or you can use your own.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Lemon Swiss Roll
Hi my friends, it's been a long while I had not been updated my blog. My office job has demanded a lot of my time and energy lately. I always look forward to weekends so that I can spend time in my baking but tiredness has taken a toll on me. I wish I have more than 24 hours a day everyday to do things that I enjoy ... Nevertheless, I promise to do my best to upload and update this blog as frequent as possible.
From where I left off the last time, I promised you that I would share more swiss roll recipes with you. Here is another swiss roll that I love -- a lemony sponge fill with lemon butter cream.
Lemon is the main ingredient in this recipe. Most people love lemon because it brings more good than harm to us especially it has the power to open up our taste buds and our senses although physically our body does not feel like it. The juice and the zest of lemon make it light to the taste. For the fnishing touch, I decorated it with a thick layer of lemon butter cream on top ... enjoy!
Here is the recipe:
For the sponge:
80g egg yolks
25g castor sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs + 1 tsp corn oil
2 tbs water
zest of 1 lemon
70g cake flour
160g egg whites
65g castor sugar
Filling:
65g castor sugar
60g egg whites
150g unsalted butter
3 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
1. Whisk together egg yolks, 25g sugar, corn oil, water, lemon juice & lemon zest until combined.
2. Sift in cake flour and mix until smooth.
3. In a seprate bowl, beat egg whites until it turn frothy then gradually add sugar (65g) and continue to beat until becomes stiff peak.
4. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until mix well. Then fold in the remaining egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until all incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into a baking tin measuring 12x12 inch and bake in a preheated oven (180C) for 8 mins or until it turns light brown. Set aside.
6. For the filling: Place egg whites & sugar over a double boiler. Constantly mixing it until sugar dissolved.
7. Remove from heat and continue mixing until it turns pale and creamy color and stiff.
8. Add in the butter to the egg white mixture and continue to beat until it becomes fluffy and thick.
9. Add lemon juice & vanila extract and beat well.
10. Assemble the swiss roll (follow the instructions explained in the previous recipe).
From where I left off the last time, I promised you that I would share more swiss roll recipes with you. Here is another swiss roll that I love -- a lemony sponge fill with lemon butter cream.
Lemon is the main ingredient in this recipe. Most people love lemon because it brings more good than harm to us especially it has the power to open up our taste buds and our senses although physically our body does not feel like it. The juice and the zest of lemon make it light to the taste. For the fnishing touch, I decorated it with a thick layer of lemon butter cream on top ... enjoy!
Here is the recipe:
For the sponge:
80g egg yolks
25g castor sugar
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs + 1 tsp corn oil
2 tbs water
zest of 1 lemon
70g cake flour
160g egg whites
65g castor sugar
Filling:
65g castor sugar
60g egg whites
150g unsalted butter
3 1/2 tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
1. Whisk together egg yolks, 25g sugar, corn oil, water, lemon juice & lemon zest until combined.
2. Sift in cake flour and mix until smooth.
3. In a seprate bowl, beat egg whites until it turn frothy then gradually add sugar (65g) and continue to beat until becomes stiff peak.
4. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until mix well. Then fold in the remaining egg whites into the egg yolk mixture until all incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into a baking tin measuring 12x12 inch and bake in a preheated oven (180C) for 8 mins or until it turns light brown. Set aside.
6. For the filling: Place egg whites & sugar over a double boiler. Constantly mixing it until sugar dissolved.
7. Remove from heat and continue mixing until it turns pale and creamy color and stiff.
8. Add in the butter to the egg white mixture and continue to beat until it becomes fluffy and thick.
9. Add lemon juice & vanila extract and beat well.
10. Assemble the swiss roll (follow the instructions explained in the previous recipe).
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