Coffee & Living

Cafe hopping around the world

  • Home
  • About Us
Found this on YouTube and thought you might like it! This is so adorable... Now you can show off your Cupcake nailart too!

Thank you cutepolish for the wonderful tutorial!

 Got some leftover dough? Flour? Or any other baking materials? Don't waste - get them rolling!

Found some really cute and basics that anyone can do it at home... I think it's cute to have a bun or cookie shaped like that... Don't you think so?

Credits to Andrew for the idea and pictures. :)

This is the same post adapted from Voneats.

So I have decided to bake again after so long. I've been wanting to eat really soft cotton cheesecakes but there isn't any nearby where I live - probably they do have it in central London. Sometimes, baking at home is better than buying... The huge success that results in satisfaction can never be bought from any shops. Agree? It all began when a friend, Lynette, sent me the link on how to bake Japanese cotton cheesecakes. I do not have cake tin at home - I prefer cakes in the size of cupcakes or smaller (it's prettier!!). It's also easier to distribute when it's done. After trying out various recipes I've gotten online, I've decided to use this recipe. 

Initial Recipe (taken from The Little Teochew)
140g fine granulated sugar
6 egg whites
6 egg yolks
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
50g butter
250g cream cheese
100ml fresh milk
60g cake flour (can also use plain flour)
20g corn flour
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a double boiler. Cool the mixture. Fold in the flour, the cornflour, salt, egg yolks and mix well.

2. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

3. Add the egg whites to the cheese mixture to and fold well. Pour into a 8-inch round springform cake pan or removable-bottom cake pan (lightly grease and line the bottom and sides of the pan with greaseproof baking paper or parchment paper). Wrap the base of your cake tin with aluminium foil, to prevent seepage ... although I never do, and it has never seeped! ;)

4. Bake cheesecake in a water bath for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C.

5. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

===============  VON'S VERSION  ===============

I've tried a couple of times with different combinations and have finally settled with -
*You may want to click on the link by The Little Teochew for extensive explanations on certain terms.

Von's version
40g fine brown sugar
2 egg whites
2 egg yolks
15g butter (FULL FAT)
100g cream cheese (FULL FAT)
40ml fresh milk (FULL FAT)
20g extra fine sponge flour
10g corn flour

Adjustments for step 2, 3, 4

Step 2 - Basically the same step, without cream of tartar.

Step 3 - The same step, but I used cupcake silicone moulds. I did not use aluminium foil.

Step 4 - I baked the cheesecake in a water bath for 35-40 minutes.

The reason why I've reduced so much of everything is because I enjoy cakes but I can't finish everything all by myself. Instead of putting them to waste, it's better to bake it with lesser ingredients. As for why I did not include cream of tartar, it's because I do not have it at home.

Result from Von's version (after multiple times trying!) *picture taken using iPhone, no filter / edit.


Lesson Learnt

The OKs

  • It is OK to use a silicone mould. Mine turned out to be just as soft as expected.
  • It is OK to substitute sugar, as long as it is soft and fine.

The NOs

  • Do not substitute flour if you're not a regular baker - This is because you do not know how to tweak the flour to the exact flour that you need. Unless you're a regular baker and you know how flour works, do not substitute.
  • Do not reduce too much sugar - I personally never like cakes that are overly sweet so I tried reducing it to 25g sugar and the cake turned out to be horrendously tasteless!
  • Do not use low fat milk or cheese - It will make your cake tasteless. You MUST use full fat of both.
  • Do not use cheap butter or cheap cheese - It will definitely not contribute much taste to the cake. You can always use brands that you prefer, as for me I've used the Anchor original butter and Philadelphia original cheese.
  • Do not stop until your egg whites are foamy, otherwise the cake will be rock hard!

Verdict

  • It didn't look that pretty from the picture :(
  • The cake is not very sweet, just nice for people who loves eating cakes but do not enjoy sweet products.
  • The cake is very light, fluffy and soft.

Enjoy your cake with a cup of coffee! ^_^

Hello! So we went to Greece last month for a couple of days and we tried to make room for desserts for every meal we had. Unfortunately neither of us did research of the local desserts and the only thing that looked appealing from most menus were yogurts!!! 

What is so wonderful about Greek yogurts? It's the king of yogurts!!! Simple plain Greek yogurt is sourish - adding honey makes the entire yogurt so flavourful you can fly up to the sky really. 

It can be for breakfast, for lunch (with fruits perhaps?), dessert or even snacking time. The best thing about it is, yogurt is healthy! So yup - if you can't think of what to eat in Greece - get the yogurt and honey, it will never be wrong!!!! If you're a yogurt or honey hater then I'm so sorry for your life because either or, it is the best thing in life!!!!!!! Don't leave Greece without grabbing Greek yogurt. For real!!!
Some of the prettiest cupcakes we spotted on Pinterest....








The authors of Cupcakes Party are going to Greece for a short break. Do you guys have any suggestions what dessert we should try?
 Lynette insisted that Pinkberry's frozen yogurt is the best!! I... have no absolute idea what Pinkberry was until she told me! The first thing in my mind when she mentioned frozen yogurt was Tutti Frutti... which wasn't really that great. 

 But I have to agree with her that Pinkberry is AWESOME!!! You get to try the flavours before picking it.. The coconut seems OK too but I ordered the strawberry and mango. Maybe I'm not a fan of coconut that's why I think it's just OK.

And why do I agree that it is good? It's really, really light and flavourful. My favourite would be the strawberry. Unlike Tutti Frutti which is slightly thicker (like ice cream), Pinkberry is light, smooth and refreshing...

The frozen yogurt comes with toppings as well, with a little extra fee. Topping includes chocolates, fruits, nuts, cereal, depending on what you like. I... prefer plain yogurt. I can't remember the price of it but it's not expensive. Probably costs less than £3 for a small cup. Actually the small cup is quite huge... Ask for two flavours if you can't decide, it'll amount to the same price anyway. 

Pinkberry Selfridges
400 Oxford Street,
W1A 1AB London
United Kingdom
 Mino Japanese Restaurant, the one and only decent Japanese cuisine in town.. Apart from sushi and sashimis they do serve desserts as well. They have different promotions from time to time, currently they serve free green tea ice cream for every check-in with a photo. 

 Just show it to them and you'll get it. Easy? Someone taught me how to make green tea ice cream, perhaps I'll write up about it one day, it's really simple but I'm not sure if it works. ^_^

 Coconut ice cream in a coconut shell. Interesting? I mean, having the idea of the ice cream in the fruit itself. Creative! The ice cream is very rich in coconut taste, and it has little bits and pieces of the coconut in it. Someone even mentioned to me that it totally reminds her of the ice cream she had in Bangkok. I've never been to Bangkok, maybe when I do I'll definitely say something about it.

Tiramisu ice cream!! Initially I thought it was going to be "just another tiramisu cake". It does look like a cake, but it's actually the ice cream. It's just like a frozen tiramisu cake, instead of the soft and fluffy cream it's ice cream. I like the idea of it actually, the ice cream is very strong in coffee taste. Yummm

To add on, they are currently doing a 15% off promotion for students so long as you flash your student ID. :)

Mino Japanese Korean
20 Eden Street,
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1BB London
United Kingdom
020 8546 5283
These are plain wooden metal chairs and tables but they painted it to suit the theme. Cuteness overload!

It's a small shop with only about 5 tables. We wanted to get scones as most of the online reviews recommended that it is good. True enough, by 1pm they were all gone. No chance to try the scones :( !

 Jacket potato. You can customize your own toppings so we chose shredded cheese and mayonnaise chicken. Portion is so huge it should be for two!

 Carrot and coriander soup. Very creamy and thick. It somewhat felt a bit Chinese-y feel because of the coriander. It's really good, very rich in taste.

Caramel pear and cherry cake. I don't know what to say about this cake, it was my first time eating a cake where there are pears on it. Something different. Well, the pears are soft and sweet and the cake is like a sponge cake, not sweet so it'll compliment with the pears. Perfect!

Do try the scones and let me know if it's good! :)

The Mad Hatters Tea Party
5 Orange Grove,
BA1 1LP Bath
United Kingdom
012 2546 6733


When I passed through the Magnum Cafe at Siam Centre, there was a huge crowd. You'll know the food is good when there's a long queue outside. Too bad the queue was super long, so I didn't get to get in.


So, I'm just letting you guys know that you can actually make your own Magnum ice cream here!!!!



First, you need to coat your Magnum with the Belgium chocolate. Then, choose your favorite toppings. You can choose up to 3 toppings. Then drizzle with your choice of dark chocolate, milk chocolate or white chocolate. And you're done!


Here are the toppings choices....



I wanted the brownie, pistachio nut and red velvet cake crumble!!!!


It's so unfortunate that I couldn't try it since I'm a big fan of Magnum ice cream. Well, if you go to Bangkok, remember to try it and let me know how good it is. The cafe is located at Siam Center ground floor, towards the exit to Siam Discovery.
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

LOCATIONS

  • France (2)
  • Genoa (1)
  • Greece (1)
  • Indonesia (5)
  • Italy (4)
  • Japan (7)
  • Korea (2)
  • Russia (1)
  • UK (21)
  • US (4)
  • australia (34)
  • china (1)
  • hongkong (6)
  • malaysia (98)
  • new zealand (7)
  • philippines (3)
  • singapore (5)
  • taiwan (1)
  • thailand (5)
  • vietnam (1)

Visit Us

Visit Us

Visit Us

Visit Us

LABELS

Greece HCMC afternoon tea alcoholic bad desserts bake bakery baking art bingsu breakfast brunch bun cafe cake candy cheesecake china chinese chocolate churros coffee coffee art cookies creme brulee crepe cronut cupcake art cupcakes dc comics dessert dessert art dessert story donut etc. fine dine flickr flower frozen yogurt fruit fun stuff ganache gelato healthy eats hi tea homemade icecream korean macaron marshmellow meringue mille crepe molten movie news pancake panna cotta pet cafe pie popsicles pudding recipe rose sandwiches scones smoothie softserve sorbet soufflé superheroes sweets tarts tool truffle uber waffle web yogurt
Powered by Blogger.

Blog Archive

  • ►  2017 (28)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (3)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (3)
  • ►  2016 (67)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  August (3)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (8)
    • ►  May (10)
    • ►  April (9)
    • ►  March (9)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2015 (6)
    • ►  December (2)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  March (1)
  • ►  2014 (2)
    • ►  May (2)
  • ▼  2013 (9)
    • ▼  September (3)
      • Cupcake Nailart
      • Some Baking Inspirations
      • Japanese Cheesecake
    • ►  June (1)
      • Greek Yogurt - King of Yogurts
    • ►  May (1)
      • Pretty Cupcakes
    • ►  March (2)
      • Pinkberry
      • Mino Japanese Restaurant
    • ►  February (1)
      • The Mad Hatters Tea Party
    • ►  January (1)
      • Make Your Own Magnum Ice Cream at Magnum Cafe
  • ►  2012 (20)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (10)
    • ►  October (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2011 (23)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  October (4)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (1)
    • ►  July (1)
    • ►  June (2)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (1)
    • ►  January (1)
  • ►  2010 (22)
    • ►  December (1)
    • ►  October (3)
    • ►  September (2)
    • ►  May (1)
    • ►  April (1)
    • ►  March (2)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (8)
  • ►  2009 (82)
    • ►  December (6)
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (1)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (4)
    • ►  June (10)
    • ►  May (15)
    • ►  April (12)
    • ►  March (16)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2008 (14)
    • ►  December (4)
    • ►  November (6)
    • ►  October (4)

POPULAR POSTS

  • i One
  • Backlane Coffee
  • Tsui Wah Restaurant 翠華
  • Yee Shun Dairy Company 港澳義順牛奶公司
  • CAFE de CRIE

Copyright © 2016 Coffee & Living. Created by OddThemes | Distributed By Gooyaabi Templates