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.

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! ^_^

Do you remember how I was complaining about bad nyonya dessert I had in Melbourne with Yvonne (also a blog admin here)? Erm...it's here >>> Nyonya dessert.

Since I'm back in Malaysia, more precisely...back in Penang, I didn't miss the chance to savour some nyonya dessert. I had Bubur Cha Cha, and this was my first time meeting YT (also a blog admin here).

We headed to Gurney Drive, where supposedly it's food haven. Honestly, I think it's been too commercialized. Anyway, the Bubur Cha Cha was a thousand times far more better than the one in Melbourne.

Here the recipe for Bubur Cha Cha. It's so simple you can dance Cha Cha.


Ingredients:
300g taro, diced
150g orange color sweet potato, diced
150 g purple/yellow color sweet potato, diced80g black-eyed beans, soaked in hot water for 2 hours(optional)100g sago pearls(optional)
100g tapioca starch
Very hot boiling water
Red food coloring (or any color)
2 cans 400 /ml coconut milk/cream
1/4 tsp salt
100g sugar, or to taste
3 pandan leaves, knotted


Method:
1. Steam diced taro and diced colored sweet potato separately until soft (about 20 minutes).

2. Cook soaked black eyed pea until soft(if using. i cook in the pressure cooker)

3. Cook sago pearls (if using. I did not use these, cos the i made the chewing tapioca starch) until they become translucent (about one half hour).

4. Using a spatula, add very hot boiling water to the tapioca starch in a mixing bowl, bit by bit until it becomes doughy. Mix well with a drop of red food coloring. When it can be handled with bare hands, roll into 1cm thickness and cut into strips. Cook in boiling water until they become translucent (about one half hour). Remove and soak in iced water until needed.

5. Put coconut milk/cream, sugar, salt and knotted pandan leaves into a pot and bring to a gentle boil, stirring continuously.

6. Add taro, sweet potato, , tapioca jelly and black-eyed beans, sago pearls and mix well.
Serve hot or cold.

1. In a hot saucepan, melt a block of love (preferrably the long-suffering ones), and let it simmer.


2. Add a few pieces of broken heart. Get those already broken, so you don't have to break it.


3. Stir in some regrets, hope and preparation for a positive change.


4. Set to cool.


5. Sprinkle some tears, memories, laughters and happiness.
   
   
6. Bottle it up and close tightly. Just in case anger, slip of tongue and jealousy get into it and spoil your cookies.

Tralalalala....It's Sunday. Super good weather. But I had nothing to do. Not exactly nothing to do. I just don't want to do what I'm supposed to do. Whatever...

It's been months since Dixon asked me to make tiramisu. As usual, I'll take my own sweet time before I make it for him. Here it is...

Yup, my usual plastic cup again

Ingredients:

500g mascarpone cheese
3 tbs caster sugar
3 tbs thickened cream
a cup of brewed coffee with Tia Maria
some Scotch finger biscuit
a bar of chocolate
chocolate powder

The measurement are just an estimation. I've so used to making it I never bother to measure anymore.

First, beat the mascarpone cheese with caster sugar and the thickened cream. At low speed, beat until...erm...until you think it's supposed to look like the tiramisu cream. I'm bad at writing recipe. But you know...

Set aside the mixture. Crush the biscuits into big pieces. Although some people just dip it into the coffee, but I prefer to crush it and then add a little bit of the coffee, just enough to wet the biscuit but not too much until it's melted.

Layer the biscuit into a cup. And then layer the cheese mixture. Just spread how many layer as you like.

At the end, dust the top with chocolate powder. And add some chocolate flakes as garnish. You can just shread the chocolate flakes from any chocolate bar. As for me, I shreaded it from the easter egg. Too much of easter chocolate this year.

Sorry for the terrible recipe. I'm overdosed with sugar now... Getting too high. I hope you get it. But I guess most recipes are written in tedious language, so I just going to make up my own now.

This time I made banana cupcakes! It’s for Dixon. He doesn’t like chocolate but he still ate the chocolate cupcakes I made the other time. This time I have to compensate back, so I made for him banana cupcakes :) Usually I love making mini cupcakes, but this time I made a bigger one.

The recipe is here:

INGREDIENTS
100 g shortening
300 g sugar
2 eggs
5 ml vanilla extract
225 g mashed ripe bananas
60 ml buttermilk
250 g all-purpose flour
5 g baking powder
3 g baking soda
3 g salt

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, bananas and buttermilk. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to banana mixture. Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.

What do you do when you’re left alone in your boyfriend’s place? Don’t crack your head to think of what to do…just bake some cupcakes. He’ll be very happy to see it when he comes back from long tiring day of work. Here’s a chocolate cupcake recipe that I’ve tried.

INGREDIENTS

165 g all-purpose flour
1 g baking soda
9 g baking powder
65 g unsweetened cocoa powder
0.8 g salt
45 g butter, softened
300 g white sugar
2 eggs
4 ml vanilla extract
235 ml milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk; beat well. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full.

3. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Frost with your frosting when cool.

I’ve tried the bend ‘n’ bake mould. It’s really good and convenient. I’m going to get another set because 12 are not really enough.

I used ready made chocolate frosting. It's really much more time saving.

Here’s the sprinkle that I used. I asked the boys to choose their favorite color. Sadly, no one pick the green one. I’m saving that next for my monster cupcakes!!!