Individual Fruit Cheesecakes

Hey all! I know, it's been awhile... but I've bored and have nothing better to do at the moment. So a couple weeks ago, for a Thanksgiving dinner party, I made some strawberry cheesecakes. This recipe came from 'Le Cordon Bleu - Dessert Techniques' book my awesome friends got me <3 (though I used my own sponge cake recipe)

 

I know it's not the prettiest picture I have, but it was taken in a bit of a rush and it's the only one I have too T_T" Basically this dessert has 3 layers: 

1. Sponge cake

2. Strawberries

3. Cheesecake

For the sponge cake, I used the same one I used for my mango mousse swiss roll recipe. For the sake of convenience, I'll just re-post the recipe, with the imperial measurements this time, since that's what I used.

Meringue: 120g Egg White (about 4 eggs), 60g Granulated Sugar

Sponge: 80g Egg Yolk (about 4 eggs), 20g Granulated Sugar, 60g Vegetable Oil, 60g Milk, 80g Flour, 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/4tsp baking soda

1. To make meringue, whisk egg white at medium speed until foamy. Then gradually add in granulated sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks with electric mixer for about 2 minutes before gradually adding in granulated sugar and beating until pale yellow and leaving ribbon trails when lifted.
3. Pour in milk and vegetable oil and mix.
4. Sift in flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until just combined.
5. Carefully fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the sponge mixture to lighten it.
6. Fold the sponge mixture into the leftover meringue bowl and fold well.
7. Pour the mixture into a parchment paper lined baking pan and make sure it is level.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius.
9. When the cake is cool, use a circle cookie cutter that has been brushed with a light coating of almond extract to cut out circles from the cake, and set aside.

Lemon Cheesecake - the recipe for the cheesecake is good for normal sized fruit filled cheesecakes as well, since it's a simple lemon cheesecake.


You'll need to make a syrup. Dissolve 3/4cup of sugar in 1/3 cup of water in a saucepan, and boil until it reads 240-245 degreesw Farenheit on a candy thermometer.

In a separate heatproof bowl, whisk 6 egg yolks, then pour in the syrup in a thin stream, whisking continuously until the yok and syrup mixture is pale and creamy. Continue whisking until cool.

Next, dissolve 4.5 tsp of gelatin in 1/6 cup of water (about 3 tbsp) in a small bowl. In a bigger bowl, beat together 1lb. of cream cheese with the grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, then stir in the dissolved gelatin. Stir the yolk and syrup mixture in gradually afterwards. In a separate bowl, whip 1-2/3 cup of whipping cream until it stands in soft peaks, and fold this into the cream cheese mixture. Et voila! You're finished the cheesecake, so now for the assembly....

Assembly:

This recipe really works well if you have small cake rings, which unfortunately I didn't have, which is the main reason why some of my cheesecakes were looking a little less circular than I wanted. Anywho, what I did was wrap each sponge cut-out circle with parchment paper, and it has a rather similar effect. I also used my four cookie cutters as rings as well. So after wrapping the paper or cookie cutter/cake ring around the cake circle, moisten the cake with spoonfuls of kirsch or another liqueur (I used Cointreau).

Next, add a layer of thinly sliced fresh fruit over the cake. I used strawberries, as I mentioned above. Then fill each ring with the lemon cheesecake mixture, unsuring that the fruit is concealed, and then chill for a couple hours. Loosen the cheesecakes from the rings with a thin-bladed knife, then lift off the rings, and transfer the cheesecakes to plates with a metal spatula. And you're done!!

I also decorated my cheesecakes with strawberries dipped in melted strawberry jam, and threw a handful of orange zest on top. =] Enjoy <3 ~

Opera!!!

No, not theatre, the cake, among one of my favourites actually~ What is an Opera cake you ask?

"Opera gateau is an elaborate almond sponge cake with a coffee and chocolate filling and icing."

---Larousse Gastronomique, completely revised and updated, [Clarkson Potter:2001] (p. 814)
 
Sounding good? Well here's some pictures of my first time making it along with the recipe, which i got from http://joepastry.com/index.php?cat=167, the recipe for the entire thing is all split up into it's components, so I'll just re-post it all in one piece. I highly recommend you look at his recipe, cause there's pictures of almost every step, instead of my crappy pictures. I highly suggest splitting this recipe into two days. The first day I baked and prepared the Joconde for the next day, and I made the coffee buttercream and coffee syrup, then the second day all I had to do was make the ganache then put it all together and then make the glaze and pour it on.
 
Joconde Recipe

6 room-temperature egg whites
1 ounce granulated sugar
8 ounces sliced blanched almonds, ground to powder in a food processor
8 ounces powdered sugar, sifted
6 large eggs
2.5 ounces all-purpose (AP) flour
1 1/2 ounces clarified butter, melted

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two half-sized sheet pans (jelly roll pans) with parchment and brush with melted butter.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the egg whites to soft peaks, add the sugar, and continue to whip to stiff peaks. Scrape the meringue into a bowl.
3. Wash the bowl of the mixer and dry it, and switch to the paddle attachment. Beat the almonds, powdered sugar and eggs on medium until they're light and increased in volume, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer down to low and add the flour, stirring just until it disappears.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the meringue.
5. Lastly, fold in the clarified butter.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, spreading it as evenly as possible over the two pans.
7.  Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the layers are lightly browned. The layers can be refrigerated for one day or frozen up to a month.

Tempered Chocolate Glaze Recipe

(expensive stuff)

1. This will require 6 ounces of a good Euro-style bittersweet chocolate (like Callebaut or Ghiradelli) and one ounce of clarified butter.
2. 
   
   Put the chocolate into a glass or crockery bowl. Melt in the microwave in the same way you'd melt chocolate for a ganache, zapping it on high for bursts of 10 seconds or so. Meanwhile, prepare two bowls of water that the chocolate bowl will fit into comfortably. Fill one with ice water, and one with hot water.
3. 
   
   When the chocolate mixture is finished melting it will likely be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaving the thermometer in the chocolate, dip the bowl of chocolate into the bowl of ice water and stir until the temperature comes down to between 80 and 84 degrees (it will start to firm). Immediately put the chocolate into the hot water bowl and bring it back up to right about 89 degrees.
4. 
   
   Remove the chocolate bowl from the hot water and immediately stir in the clarified butter. Promptly spread a thin layer of chocolate over your cake with an icing spatula and allow it to set.

French Buttercream
6 egg yolks, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 pound unsalted, soft butter

1. Prepare a mixture of two tablespoons of instant coffee or instant espresso powder dissolved in two teaspoons of boiling water. Allow it to cool, then start on the French Buttercream.
2. Start by putting your room temperature yolks into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whip attachment. Turn the mixer on high and whip the yolks for five minutes or so, until they appear light in color and somewhat foamy.
3. While the mixer is going, prepare your sugar syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring them up to 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Oops, this is a little hot.
4. Immediately pour the syrup into a pyrex measure for easier handling.
5. Start drizzling the syrup into the yolks a little at a time. Do it with the motor off so as not to splatter it all onto the sides of the bowl where it won't do your buttercream any good. Drizzle a little, run the machine a little, drizzle a little, run the machine a little until all the syrup is incorporated.
6. Whip this sweet yellow "foam" until it's cool...about room temperature. Once that's achieved, switch to the paddle (beater) attachment and start adding your butter, a piece or two at a time until it's all in.
7. Beat the coffee mixture into the finished buttercream along with one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Opera Cake Ganache Recipe (i changed the proportions because the first time I made it, I had tons left over)

1. So then, start by putting 5 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, in a microwave-proof bowl. Pour in 4 ounces of heavy cream. You may feel free to swap out an ounce of rum or Grand Marnier for an equal amount of cream.
2. And insert in the microwave. Here I must emphasize that a microwave must be used judiciously where chocolate is concerned. Several short bursts on "high" are what's required, as opposed to one or two long ones. I start with a 30-second zap, stir, and then use as many 20-second blasts as I need after that (generally about 4 for this much ganache).
3. Another 45 seconds and we have touchdown. The ganache emulsion-with-a-suspension has been achieved. Some crystallization, however, is important for a ganache, which is why a warm ganache should always be allowed to sit at room temperature for at least a few hours.

Coffe-Flavored Cake Syrup Recipe

This is just standard cake syrup but with a little zing. To make coffee cake syrup combine 1 cup of water with half a cup of sugar and add about three tablespoons of instant coffee or instant espresso powder. Bring the mixture to a simmer and...done! Cool and store in the refrigerator until needed. It'll keep well for a week or more.

Opera Assembly

1. Begin by trimming the edges off your two joconde sheets. Once that's done, measure them and cut them in half. The exact dimensions are less important than making sure they're all the same size. You want four layers, which is traditional for an Opera cake. You want the "up" side of the joconde layers (when they were finished baking) to remain their "up" side, as they're more porous and will more easily absorb the syrup.
2. Job one is to apply a thin scraping of melted chocolate to the underside of the bottom layer. Remove it to a separate sheet of parchment, flip it over and spread the good stuff on. Let it firm for a few minutes, then place it in the refrigerator for a few more. What will this do? Besides adding still more deliciousness, it will ensure that the cake doesn't stick to the cake board when it's time to slice and serve. (This is an excellent, consequence-free opportunity to practice your tempering, should you be so inclined).
3. Flip it over onto your cake plate or cake board. Gently peel the parchment back, center it on the board and you're ready to go.
4. First thing, apply coffee syrup to your layer, and don't be shy about it. Thoroughly soaking the layer will give the cake the melt-in-the-mouth texture that Opera cakes in Paris are known for.
5. And now for your first layer of buttercream. Take your time, and pay special attention to the edges. As with all icing and/or topping jobs, the tendency will be to pile all the good stuff up in the middle. Spread the buttercream slowly and deliberately, eyeballing it from all sides to get it as even as you can. You want it about a quarter inch thick.
6. Apply your next layer of cake. Soak it.
7. Now it's time for your middle layer of ganache. Spread it thinner than the buttercream. Just a covering will do.
8. Apply the next layer of joconde. Soak it. Apply another quarter-inch layer of coffee buttercream. Again, check for evenness all the way around as you apply it.
9. Then the top layer of cake. Edges getting a little sloppy? Don't worry, you'll trim those off later. Check again for evenness. If you have any obviously high spots, it's OK to press them down a little with your palm at this point.
10. Soak, soak, soak.
11. And now for the top. Here you want just a thin scraping of buttercream, mostly to fill in any pits so the tempered chocolate top will lay on smoothly.
12. Prepare your tempered chocolate according to the tutorial. Or, if you just want to melt some bittersweet chocolate and put it on, that's fine too (if you've gotten this far, you've already done one heck of a job). Spread it on promptly and thinly.

13. Let the chocolate firm at room temperature for about ten minutes. Then, using a knife you've heated under hot tap water (then dried) slice off the edges to reveal the layers.
14. Once that's done it's time to score the top so it doesn't shatter later when you want to cut it. Again, heat a long knife under hot tap water, dry it, and do your business. Pieces can be any size you like. Now's the time to put your Opera cake in the refrigerator.

 et voila!

Chocolate Cupcakes!!

mmm...some of my favourite words: chocolate, and cake ^^ Had the urge to make some chocolate cupcakes in attempt to get rid of some of my ingredients =]

This time the recipe was from Lovin' From the Oven she's got some great stuff (and beautiful pics) so check it out if you have time! I'll just copy the recipe over...

Chocoalte Cupcakes

•2 cups sugar

•1 3/4 cups AP flour

•3/4 cup HERSHEY's cocoa

•1 1/2 tsp baking powder

•1 1/2 tsp baking soda

•1 tsp salt

•2 eggs

•1 cup milk

•1/2 cup vegetable oil

•2 tsp vanilla extract

•1 cup boiling water

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour 2 9-inch round baking pans or line muffin cups with bake cups.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on med speed for 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter onto prepared pans.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes if doing 9-inch round pans, 22-25 minutes for cupcakes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans/cups to wire racks and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream:

•1/2 cup or 1 stick butter

•2/3 cup HERSHEY's cocoa

•3 cups powdered sugar

•1/3 cup milk

•1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter, stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups of frosting.

And there you have it! I love decorating cupcakes, you can do so much with them! =] Sprinkles, fruit, buttercream, chocolate...just to name a few ideas ^^ Have fun~

Swiss Rolls Galore!

I love swiss rolls <3 I love eating them and I love makin em, but they never seem to turn out pretty like the pictures in the books...but they're fun to experiment different fillings with, and they taste great so that's all that matters right? =] Anyways, I made two swiss rolls this month:

A chocolate strawberry swiss roll, and a mango mousse roll =]

The chocolate strawberry roll is filled with whipped cream and strawberries, whereas the mango mousse roll is filled with, well, mango mousse and mangoes xD

For the sponge cake, I tried using a new recipe, from the book, 日嚐甜品（第二版）/Everyday Treats-Anita&Sanny@Jam Bakery and it turned out pretty well i think ^^ Here's the recipe converted into mLs:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line a 12x8in. rectangular baking tray with parchment paper(i used a 13x9in. cookie sheet)
2. In a large bowl, whisk 4egg whites(room temperature would be best)  with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy. Gradually add 52.5mL(3.5tbsp) of granulated sugar ad whisk until soft peaks form to make meringue. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks untl foamy. Gradually add 17.5mL(1tbsp + 1/2 tsp) of sugar and mix with electric mixer for at least 2 minutes until pale yellow and stiff.
4. Add in milk *53mL(about 3.5tbsp) if making a vanilla roll, and 65mL(about 1/4 cup) if making a chocolate roll* and 52.5mL (3.5tbsp) of oil and whisk well.
5. Sift in 70mL(about 1/4 cup) flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. baking soda and mix with electric mixer until just combined. *Sift in 2 tsp. of cocoa as well if making a chocoalte roll*
6. Fold in about 1/3 of the meringue into the batter, being as gentle as possible.
7. Then fold all of the mixture into the meringue.
8. Pour the mixture into the baking sheet and smooth the surface.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
10. When it's cooled down a little, lift the cake up with a small knife, and peel off the parchment paper.
11. Laying a new sheet of parchment paper down on a clean work surface, place the cake onto the parchment paper, and use the paper to roll the cake up loosely lengthwise(so the short sides are on your left and right) and allow the cake to cool like this.
12. When you're ready, unroll the cake and spread on the filling of choice, thinning it out as it reaches the 3 sides away from your body.
13. Add fruit (if desired) on the side closest to you.
14. Roll the sponge cake into a swiss roll, using the parchment paper to help. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Fillings:

The recipe I always use for whipping cream is:

• 250mL whipping cram
• 1 to 2 tbsp. sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. rum
• Just mix them all together until it holds soft peaks

For the mango mousse:

1. Mix two packs of gelatine (7g each) with 1 tbsp. sugar and 65mL(about 1/4cup) hot water. Put it in the microwave for about 10 seconds to melt the gelaine fully.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk 250mL of whipping cream, then add the gelatine mixture along with 1 tbsp. of rum, 2 drops of lemon juice, and about 90g of mango puree (i used mango pulp) and mix together.

et voila! enjoy =]

Mango Mousse Cake

When I think asian cake, the first thing that comes to mind is mango mousse cake, and I've already made it a couple times, the most recently made one pictured on top here. Had some fun playing around with strawberries and chocolates, but not sure about the taste of it since I did a couple variations different from the one on the bottom. This was a cake order by the way, so I don't get to eat it =[ But I'm guessing the taste should be similar since I used the same recipe. All I changed this time was putting strawberries on top, and using cake flour for a lighter sponge cake.

One important thing I find with this recipe is that the gelatine has to be melted properly, otherwise it'll turn out all bumpy like the pictue below sorta shows. This can easily be done by putting the gelatine and hot water mixture in the microwave for a couple seconds to melt the gelatine and provide a more smooth result.

But none the less, it's yummy, so that's all that matters =]

For the recipe, I used the one from All That Matters, but with a little bit of variation since that recipe is for a 7x7 cake pan whereas I used a 9in. springform pan.

The sponge cake recipe I used is the one I use for almost all recipes requiring a cake base:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, lightly butter a 9in. springform tin, line base with non-stick baking paper, and dust lightly with flour
2. Sift 1 cup of flour and a pinch of salt together twice and set aside
3. Melt 4tbsp. of butter and set aside
4. Half-fill a medium saucepan with hot water(not boiling) and set over a low heat. Put four eggs(room temperature) in a heatproof bowl which just fits into the saucepan without touching the water. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs at medium-high speed gradually adding 2/3cup sugar, for 8-10 minutes until the mixture is very thick and pale, and leaves a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted.
5. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and add 1/2tsp. vanilla essence and continute beating until the mixture is cool
6. Fold in the flour mixture in three batches, using a balloon whisk or metal spoon. Before the third addition of flour, stir a large spoonful of the mixture into the melted or clarified butter to lighten it, then fold the butter into the remaining mixture with the last addition of flour. Work quickly, but gently, so the mixture does not deflate.
7. Pour into the prepared tin, smoothing the top so the sides are slightly higher than the centre.
8. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until golden, and the top of the cake springs back when touched and the edge begins to strink away fro the sides of the tin. Place the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack to cool completely. Peel off the baking paper.

Here are the converted values for the mango mousse and mango puree topping, along with the recipe:

1. Slice the cake horizontally into 2 slices, and trim the edges to make the cake into an 8 inch circle.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip 1-3/4 cup of whipping cream with 4tbsp. of icing sugar to mousse state (about 80% thick, with peaks that stand up straight) Refrigerate to chill
3. In a small bowl, dissolve 3 packs of gelatine powder in 1/3 cup of boiling water. Make sure the gelatine is fully dissolved ( you may have to microwave the bowl for a couple seconds). Add 360g of mango pulp (no mango puree at supermarket, but this works fine...it comes in a 850g can usually in the oriental aisle of the supermarket). Add 1 tbsp of rum, and mix well.
4. Add the mango mixture to whipped cram. Mix well until incorporated.
5. Using the cake ring, place a layer of cake and pour in a little less than half of the mango mousse or use a large piping tip to pipe the mixture into the pan. Do take note of the corners. Add sliced up mango cubes (as much as you want) and cover them with some mousse, but make sure you leave at least half of the mousse for later. Let the cake set slightly in the fridge for 10 minutes.
6. Lay another cake layer and pour on the remaining mousse. Let set in fridge for another 30 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, dissolve 1 pack of gelatine in 1/3 cup of hot water for mango puree topping. Again, make sure the gelatine is fully dissolved. Mix in 180g of mango puree. When the topping is cooled, arrange fruit, or aloe if you want on top of the cake, then pour in the topping carefully. Let the cake chill for at least 3 hours before removing the cake ring and decorating.

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." - Julia Child

Baking? Yes, I'm passionate about baking, but am also lacking in skills, and experience.

I'm just your average full-time student with a sweet tooth, and what little time left between all the tests and assignments, shall be shared with you all on my adventures in the kitchen as I build up what little knowledge I have on the baking world.

Feel free to comment, constructive criticism and feedback are always welcome.

As a pre-warning: please excuse pictures of food that makes you wanna gag....they really do taste fine, or I wouldn't put it up =]