Daring Bakers Challenge: Cheesecake Pops

More than 1000 cheesecakes pops are landing on the food blog world today, because this is the Daring Bakers challenge for April! It is no secret that cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts, seeing that I have made quite a few varieties in the past. I would even stock up on cream cheese when they are going on sale in the grocery stores!

Instead of baking one big cheesecake, our hostesses Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell have chosen the Cheesecake pops from Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth as our April challenge. Readers, you will soon hear the resounding "YUM" from other fellow DBers that this is one delicious and fun challenge.

The original recipe makes 30 to 40 pops, which would be great for party. But seeing that we won't have any party going on anytime soon, I have scaled the recipe down to 3/5. Most of them are brought to OCT lab, but I save some for snacking in the afternoon. I love that they are of the perfect size to nibble. It will still be less than the calories of 1 slice of cheesecake if I have eaten 2 cheesecake pops. And if I only eat one, that's practically no calories consumed. (yeah, right..)

I have posted two recipes below; one is my scale-down version and one is the original. Remember to check out other fabulous cheesecake pops from my fellow Daring Bakers here. Thanks Deborah and Elle for the fun and delicious challenge. This recipe has both thumbs up from this cheesecake lover! xoxo.

Cheesecake Pops
from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth by Jill O’Connor
Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional



Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Mandy's 3/5 low fat version

3 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature (I used 2 blocks of Neufatchel and 1 block of original)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 egg yolks
1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed

Proceed as mentioned in the recipe above.
Note: I bake the cheesecake in a 9x3 loaf pan for about 45 minutes, depending on the temperature of your oven, it may need shorter or longer time. Check your cheesecake after 25-30 minutes.

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Pichet Ong's Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream and Meet My New Ice Cream Maker

An ice cream maker has been on my "to-buy-list" for the looongest time. Everytime I go into the Bed Bath and Beyond store, I tell OCT that I am going to get it once we moved to Atlanta.

You proud owners of ice cream makers out there have no idea how tortured I was, watching these talented and imaginative people posted their ice creams photos on their blogs. If it's not for the move, I would have gotten mine loooooooong ago. OCT never understood my fascination with ice cream maker. "What's wrong with store bought ice creams?" He asked. Nothing, honey. But I just want to make my own wacky flavors. Like this Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream.

I am inseparable from my nifty Vietnamese coffee filter ever since I bought it few weeks ago. That potent little cup of coffee is all I need to stay alert for the whole day. Because I use much less condensed milk than the restaurants, I don't feel too guilty drinking on a daily basis. Oh,I digress.

So I decided it would only be fitting to make my first batch of ice cream with my latest obsession- Vietnamese Coffee. The ice cream tastes almost like the iced Vietnamese Coffee, and that's the way I like it. OCT, being a non-coffee drinker, thinks that it is not sweet enough, and the coffee flavor is too overpowering.I guess that means more for me, which is always better:D)

Not the perfect scoop yet, but at least it is a start.

p/s: The lovely Tartelette made a version of Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream sometime ago, and here's her version.

Pichet Ong's Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream
from foodandwine.com

2 cups whole milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup ground Vietnamese coffee
Pinch of salt
6 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, condensed milk, ground coffee and salt and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand for 20 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve lined with several layers of moistened cheesecloth.

Return the steeped milk to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until slightly pale. Gradually whisk in the hot milk; refrigerate until cold. Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to a container and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

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A Taste of Yellow: Steamed Fish Rolls

A taste of yellow is a food blogging event started by Barbara of Winos and Foodies last year in support of the LiveStrong Day. 149 bloggers participated by making dishes with an element of yellow food last year. I have no doubt that the numbers will increase this year as cancers have affected more people in all walks of life.

I first learned about cancer when I was 9 years old. It affected my grandpa, the person I love the most in the entire world. It's hard to talk about grandpa without having tears welling up in my eyes. Although he has passed on for almost 20 years now, I still miss him a lot. More so on the special moment in my life, like my graduations and wedding. And I know how much he wished to see me in my wedding gown. But cancer took him away, even before he saw me graduating from primary school.

Grandpa was a joyous person and he knew how to enjoy life. He traveled whenever he could, and he and grandma were regulars in clubs where they loved to go and dance. Yes, my grandpa was a great dancer. Unfortunately, he never passed on that gene to any of his children or grandchildren. When I think of grandpa, I think of his infectious laughter, his positive outlook on life, the jokes we shared, the story about tiger and a little girl that I asked him to repeat one too many times and the delicious chinese meals he cooked.

When grandpa was alive, egg used to be one of his favorite foods. I think it's only appropiate for me to make something with eggs as my contribution for this year's A Taste of Yellow. So steamed fish rolls it is. I first saw the recipe on Chubby Hubby, and then my friend Rasa Malaysia made it too. The locals in my hometown have a similar version of this dish, but between you and me, I like the bloggers' version better.

Steamed Fish Rolls
adapted from Rasa Malaysia

3 extra large eggs (makes about 6 small fish rolls)
6 sheets of roasted nori or seaweed
1/2 pound fish paste or half a box of frozen fish paste (get it from any Asian Grocery store)
4 or 5 medium shrimps, shelled and deveined, finely minced
1 stalk scallions (chopped into tiny bits)
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Japanese mirin (optional)

Defrost the frozen fish paste and add in minced shrimps, scallions, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix well and set aside. Beat the eggs and add mirin, if using and salt. Heat up a non-stick omelet pan (any nonstick pan with 8-9-inches in diameter is fine) and make about 6 thin omelets. Set the omelets aside to let cool.

After the omelets are fully cooled, transfer one onto a dry and clean chopping board. Lay a piece of roasted seaweed or nori on top of the omelet. Cut the edges of the seaweed sheet off with a kitchen shear, so they match the shape of the omelet perfectly. Then, spread a thin layer of the fish paste mixture evenly on top of the roasted seaweed sheet and roll the omelet up firmly. Seal the omelet with the fish paste so the fish roll is nice and tight. Repeat the same for the remaining omelets.

Transfer the fish rolls onto a plate and steam in hot boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until the fish paste fillings turn opaque. Cut the fish rolls into small pieces and serve immediately with chilli sauce.

note: for step by step illustrations, check out my fellow Malaysian-My Kitchen Snippet's post

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Moscato and Vanilla Poached Pears and Getting to Know My Oven

Growing up, I have never been the girliest girl among friends. I probably checked the content of the fridge more often than checking myself out in the mirror. Yes, I am one who doesn't even look into the mirror when I wash hands, after going to the bathroom. Especially so in the the public bathrooms.

Given my total negligence on my appearance, I turn out to be slighly above average as an Asian female homo sapiens, thanks to my parents excellent genes. However, beneath my tomboy-ish skin, my favorite color happens to be pink. The girliest color among all.

When I see this tree blooming with pink flowers in front of my new apartment, I go crazy taking hundreds of photos of it, at different angles, once in the morning and once before sunset. It is a good omen, I tell myself. I shall get into the kitchen to bake something marvelous and fill our new house with delicious scent.

Here comes the problem.

Despite my enthusiasm of a new and bigger kitchen, my first few collaborations with the oven don't turn out as well as I have anticipated. A failed batch of Pandan chiffon cake, chocolate and pear clafoutis and Nutella cupcakes later, I know I need more time to get to know the oven.

It is time like this that reminds me of the poached pears I made for a dinner party not long ago. Tired of thinking what else to bake, and the prospect of cleaning many bowls, I decided to bring something different this time. With a few pears sitting in the refrigerator, it would be a perfect occasion to try my hand at poaching. The delicious pears have then be devored (with some premium quality ice-cream), with photos taken as proof, then promptly forgotten and burried in one of the picture folders. Until now. This effortless dessert would be perfect at time like this.

Poaching is a simple and healthy technique to impart flavors. As fancy as the term sounds, poaching is nothing more than immersing the desired fruits or meat into a flavorful simmering liquid. I poached the pears roughly based on a recipe from Epicurious.com. But one could easily substitute any components of the poaching liquid to obtain the desirable taste. This is the kind of dessert one needs when the oven is not cooperative. :)

Note: If you come via feeds, click through to check out my new layout. I get bored and decided to give my blog a facelift, again.

Moscato and Vanilla Poached Pears
adapted from epicurious.com

6 firm but ripe large Bosc/Anjou pears, peeled, halved, cored
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cup water
1.5 cups Moscato
12 tablespoons honey
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Toss pears with lemon juice in large bowl. Set aside. Combine water, Moscato and honey in large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until honey dissolves. Add pears. Cover mixture with round piece of parchment paper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pears are just tender when pierced, turning when half-way through cooking, about 15-25 minutes.

Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to large bowl. Boil poaching liquid until reduced to half. Cool syrup. Pour syrup over pears. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 8 hours or overnight. Remove vanilla bean.

Halved the pears, removing the cores with stem attached. Or thinly slice each pear half lengthwise, leaving slices attached at stem end for a fancier presentation. Using metal spatula, transfer pears to plates. Spoon some syrup over pears. Serve with ice cream or enjoy the poached pears as they are.

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For The Sack of Nostalgia- A recipe of Caterpillar Bread

Growing up, the time that we kids looked forward the most was when the bread van pull into the neighborhood. We usually called the man behind the wheel- "the bread van uncle". Sadly, I don't recall having another nicer name for the movable vendor who sells various kinds of Asian breads, pastries and snacks out of the back of his van. Normally, we could hear the unmistakable rumbling of his weathered engine with the loud and clear honking miles away, and would patiently wait for it to arrive at its designated stop, usually under a shady tree, 2 houses down from ours at 4p.m.

My younger brother Alan would always get a hot dog bun, I think he is a devoted hot dog buns follower. Sometime I would get something chocolatey, such as a chocolate cream bun, or sometime I would join him and get a hot dog bun.

So where is this going and what does this have to do with the Caterpillar Bread, you ask? Well, I believe that this caterpillar breads that surfaced and proliferated in many Asian bakeries in late 90's was a derivative of my brother's favorite hot dog bun. And wouldn't it be fun if I could recreate his childhood favorite bread and surprise him when we meet again? I have a feeling that the hot dog bun may still be his favorite bun now. Some things just never change. :p

I don't think mine turned out looking like caterpillars, they looked more like turtles, but it was a fun project to undertake on a weekend nonetheless! OCT like to bring them to work on busy days when he doesn't have time for a proper lunch.

I used the basic sweet dough from the pork floss bun recipe, and squeezed light mayo and ketchup on top of the breads, together with pork floss before baking. A taste which is reminiscent of home.....

*I will type out the detailed recipe soon, but trust me, the step by step instructions above is easier to follow. :)*

Caterpillar Bread

one batch of basic sweet bun dough
1 pack of sausages/franks
mayonaise
ketchup

Divide the basic sweet dough into 70g pieces and mould them into balls. Let them rest for 10 minutes, then roll them flat with a rolling pin.

Put the sausage on the center of the dough and fold the dough into halves. Lightly pinch to seal. Cut each folded dough into 8 small portions, leaving 1/3 from the sealed edges uncut. (The dough should resemble a comb at this point.)

Twist first cut portion to the left, and second to the right, repeat this for the rest of the portions. Place the shaped dough onto a greased baking sheet and press each lightly. Let the dough prove for 45 minutes.

Brush with egg wash, and drizzle ketchup, followed by mayonaise on top.

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until the breads look golden brown. You can pipe some mayonaise and ketchup on top if desired (for presentation) and sprinkle the optional pork floss.

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Blogging from Atlanta and My Discovery of Nutella Cupcakes

Hello, friends and readers! I couldn't believe I left you without a word for so long. Packing for the move after Easter and some last minute baking had occupied almost all of my waking hours. Could you believe that we were still frantically packing on our last day before the move? Packing one week prior to the moving date is definitely not a good idea. Anyway, lesson learnt. On April 1st, we left St Louis for Atlanta. Another round of unpacking and furniture shopping ensued. To my surprise, I actually enjoy the unpacking process. It almost feels like presents opening on Christmas morning. Except there isn't new things that I don't already own. That,in a gist, explains my silence for the past weeks. I hope everyone is enjoying Spring, and no one notice my temporary absence.

Coming to a new city is exciting. I discover something new about this place everyday and nothing thrilled me more than knowing there's a few Malaysian restaurants in the vicinity. Although I haven't gotten the chance to visit them, but they will surely be on my "to-eat-list" once we have settled down.

I haven't done any baking in my new kitchen yet, but there were a few things that I baked before our move. Most of them were given away before photographed.You can find them in my past posts like here, here and here. One of the recipes I got to try in an attempt to use up the jar of Nutella was Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes from Nicole's blog- Baking Bites.

I have read rave reviews about it from other bloggers, but never gotten round making it until the last week before our move. What a treat these cupcakes are. And I couldn't believe it took me so long to make it.To be honest, I kind of regretted sending them off after eaten only one of them. One thing for sure, the Nutella cupcakes are going to make an appearance here once I have my kitchen all set up and perhaps I will not share so generously this time. We'll see.

Nutella Frosted Cupcakes
from Baking Bites

10 tbsp(140 grams) butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla essense
1 3/4 cups (200 grams) sifted all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
Nutella, 12 teaspoons. (1 teaspoon for each cupcakes)

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy,about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don’t worry if the batter doesn’t look smooth. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until batter is uniform and no flour remains.

Using an ice cream scoop or spoon , fill each muffin liner with batter. They should be 3/4 full, if you’re not using a scoop. Top each cake with 1 heaping teaspoon of Nutella. Swirl Nutella in with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of batter up over the nutella.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 delicious cupcakes.

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Happy Easter and a Sweet Gift of Chocolate Truffles

I am one who is bad at sending greeting cards on time. More often than not, my friends receive birthday cards and presents from me long after their actual birthdays. And my Christmas cards only arrive in January!

So I just want to quickly sneak in and wishes everyone who celebrate Easter a blessed Easter!

I haven't eaten a single chocolate egg yet since they make their debut on 15 Feb, a day after all valentine merchandises were off the shelves. Simply because I am a cheapskate who rather wait for massive clearance sale after Easter! I wonder if any of you will go for the after holiday sale for more chocolate eggs? Hopefully not, that means there will be more left for me! :)

Meanwhile, here's a sweet little something I made for OCT's colleagues this week,as a gesture of appreciation for the fantastic farewell party they threw us. (ok, his PI, Prof RK paid and hosted us, but still everyone made an effort to turn up and the company was great!)This truffle recipe which I saved since Christmas from Warda of 64 sq ft kitchen makes a perfect edible gifts. I made them with the leftover egg yolks from another recipe and they were delicious.

This truffle recipe from Chef Jacques Pepin is different from the one that I am accustomed to, in which heavy cream is used insteads of egg yolks. However, upon reading Christine's rave review after making the truffles, I know I need to try it when the right occasion arises. I ended up making 2 flavors- Irish Cream and Grand Marnier. Some modifications were adopted to utilise what I had on hand. For instant,Bailey Irish Cream was used instead of espresso because I love Bailey in everything and was simply too lazy to brew espresso at that point. I also omitted orange zest that the original recipe suggested, because guess what? I had run out of orange. On hindsight, I should have added some meyer lemon zest into it. Because the flavor of the grand marnier truffles was milder than what I like. Maybe a little more booze would help. I need to try that again later this week.

I am also sending these bittersweet gifts over to Danielle of Habeas Brulee who is hosting this month's Sugar High Friday. Be sure to check back her on 28 March to read about the sweet gifts other bloggers have whipped up for the event!

Delicious truffles from other blogs:
Matcha White Chocolate Pralines with Pistachios
Orange Truffles
Marble Swirl Truffles

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How to Decorate Chiffon Cake for Dinner Party- Vanilla Beans Chiffon Cake

Frosting a cake is hard! Especially when you are a left-handed and have a serious lack of imagination. I know how that feels like, when I tried to decorate the banana cake with caramel espresso frosting. I am contemplating of enrolling myself for the Wilton Cake Decorating classes once I move to Atlanta. I guess I need some help in the decorating department.

Meanwhile, I have found some pretty simple ways to go about the dreadful decorating task when the "I need to bring a presentable dessert to a dinner party" situation arises. Here's what works for me:

1. Keep it Simple. Use one piping tip that can do the job of simple decoration. In my case, it's the Wilton decorating tip #199.
2. Use lots of fruits to disguise the uneven frosting. Berries are natural beauty, sprinkle them however you like, they will turn out pretty. I used blueberries here because they were on sale in the market. As you may already know, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are suitable candidates too.

Voila, 2 simple steps to a dinner party worthy dessert! I hope you find the simple tips useful. :) So, what is your decorating secret?

Vanilla Bean Chiffon Cake
adapted from The Cake Book

2.5 cups sifted cake flour
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 plump vanilla bean, split lengthwise in half
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 large eggwhites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and cut out a hole in the middle to fit the center tube of the pan. This cake is baked in an ungreased pan because greasing the pan would keep the batter from rising and gripping the sides of the pan as the cake bakes.

Using a spoon, scrape the small seeds out of the vanilla bean in to a large measuring cup or bowl.Mix in the water, lemon zest, oil and eggyolks. Whisk until well combined.

Over a large piece of parchment paper or bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Add 1 1/4 cups of sugar and salt and stir together.

Make a well in the center of the mixture by pushing the dry ingredients towards the side of the bowl. Add the water + oil + egg yolk + lemon zest mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir together until thoroughly combined.

Place the egg whites in the grease free bowl of an electric mixer or in a large grease free bowl. Using the wire whip attachment or a hand held mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue whipping until the egg whites hold glossy and firm but not stiff, peaks, about 5 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 to 4 stages, blending thoroughly after each addition. Transfer the batter to the tube pan. Use the rubber spatula to smooth and even the top.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. (Mine took 45-50 minutes).

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a cooling rack onto its feet or over a funnel or a thin necked bottle. Let the cake hang to cool completely. Don't set the pan on a cooling rack on its base. This will cause the cake to collapse onto itself.

Don't shake the cake out of the pan before it is cool. Once the cake is cool. use a thin blade knife or flexible blade spatula to run across the outer edge and the inside tube to help release the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack, then reinvert onto a serving plate.

Place the cake on a rack over a lined baking sheet.Decorate with any buttercream you like.

Related entry:
How to decorate a Chocolate Cake for dinner party

Hungry for more chiffon cake recipes?
Espresso Chiffon Cake with Caramel/Chocolate Glaze
Grand Marnier Chiffon Cake
Banana Chiffon Cake

Read more...

Cleaning the Freezer Part 1: Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting

As anyone who have moved before can attest, moving to a new place is a hassle. It often involves lots of packing and cleaning.All the clothes,books and other stuffs that one may have well forgotten their existence until being confronted in the most unlikely places. I have to confess that we haven't done much on the packing part. Mostly because we think (1) We still have time (2)We don't have many things to pack (3) I may still need to use that pan/book/CD or wear that jeans/sweather/coat/shirt.

However, I have certainly made some progress with the cleaning part. Cleaning out the freezer that is. There was some scone dough that I baked for OCT to munch on during his busy lab day, and chocolate hazelnut sables dough that I sliced and baked to bring to a dinner party. As I reached deeper into the freezer, there was a bag of bananas. I know I am going to make a batch of my favorite banana bread to bring with us to Atlanta. And the rest would have to be used in other recipes.

Like the banana cake with caramel espresso frosting from Tish Boyle's The Cake Book . I have made so many recipes from this book that makes the purchase worthwhile! If you may kindly divert your eyesight from my horrible frosting, I would love to tell you more about this cake.

Moistened with 3 large bananas and 1/2 cup of non-fat yogurt, and flavored with ground cardamom and ground cinnamon, this banana cake is wholesome on its own, without the frosting.

Having said that, the frosting is definitely one not to be missed! Imagine caramel made from scratch, combined with espresso powder and lots of butter using the french buttercream method. I was full of anticipation as I watched eagerly at the candy thermometer as the temperature rose to the desired degree. And then the caramel was slowly poured into the egg mixture in the mixer. A few seconds of mixing, followed by more caramel pouring, and more mixing later, the kitchen smells like a candy store. Some sticks of butter later, it turned out to be a luscious caramel espresso buttercream that gild right down one's throat.

Honestly, although the cake is great, I think the buttercream is the reason one should give this cake a try. Unfortunately, for the same reason, I decided to use as much buttercream on the cake as possible. Hence explains the catastrophic appearance of the cake. Can you tell from the piping that I was trying to squeeze in all the buttercream onto the cake?

I was really happy when I learned from one of the tasters that the cake was devored within 5 minutes when it made its appearance in the meeting. That shows I am not the only one who doesn't care about the apperance of food, as long as it tastes nice! :D

Want more recipes with bananas?

Banana Chiffon Cake
Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze
Hummingbird Cake

Banana Cake with Caramel Espresso Frosting
adapted from The Cake Book

for the banana cake:
2.5 cups cake flour
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
0.25 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
0.25 teaspoon ground cardamom
1.5 cups mashed bananas, from about 3 large bananas
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt (the original recipe uses sour cream)
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
0.5 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnut/pecan (i used walnut)

Caramel Espresso Buttercream:
(This recipe yields 5 cups of buttercream, I halved it to save some calories and it has enough frosting to cover the cake)

1.25 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown, because that's what I have on hand)
1.25 cups (300ml)heavy cream
0.5 cup light corn syrup
0.25 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

To make the banana cakes:
Position a rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pan, and dust with flour.

Sift together the cake flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamom into a medium bowl, whish to combine and set aside.

Combine the yogurt and mashed banana in a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy, and add in the oil, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat at high speed until creamy and light, about 3 minutes. At medium speed, add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scrape down the sides as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract. At low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the banana mixture, and mixing until blended.

Stir in the walnut/pecan by hand and divide the batter into two prepared pans. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes on wire racks for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely.

Note: The cake can be made in advanced and store unfrosted at room temperature, covered with foil for up to 5 days.

To make the caramel espresso buttercream:

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup and salt to cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring and increase the heat to high.

Meanwhile in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with te whisk attachment, begin beating the eggs at medium speed. When the sugar syrup reaches 225F on a candy thermometer, increase the speed of the mixer to high. Continue to cook the sugar syrup until it reaches 238F.

Remove the pan from the heat and with the mixer off, immediately pour about 1/4 cup of the hot syrup over the beaten eggs. Beat at high speed until blended, about 10 seconds. Turn the mixer off and add another 1/4 cup syrup. Beat at high speed for another 10 seconds. Repeat this process until all the syrup is used. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat at medium high speed until the egg mixture is completely cool, about 5 minutes. When you touch the mixing bowl, it should be cold.

At medium speed, beat in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the vanilla extract and coffee mixture, increase the speed to medium high and beat the buttercream until it is smooth and shiny, about 4 minutes.

The buttercream can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 hours, or refrigerate for up to a week; bring to room temperature before using.

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25 Things about myself

I was tagged by Medena, My cooking hut, Aran, Ginny and Happy Home Baking for the 5 things meme. Does that mean I have to tell you 5x5 things about myself? Alright, here it goes:

Prawns in Sabah, my hometown is cheap and good

About my photographs,
1. I am currently using a pentax K100D with SMCP-FA 50mm f/1.4 and am loving every minute of it.
2. Yes, I photoshop all the photos you see in my blog.
3. The few functions of photoshop that I know how to use, include auto level, contrast and auto color.
4. I try to take most of the photos under natural light. Normally around 10-11a.m or 3-5p.m, the time when there's enough natural light .
5. I use the aperture priority setting with aperture set between 2.8-3.5 most of the time.

Laksa, in the hawker store near OCT's

About baking,
1. I don't use a timer when cooking/baking...and always forget how long my cakes/cookies have been baking. But I make sure I keep a close watch on them.
2. I can never level a cake nicely. As a result, the layer cakes always turn out tilted like the Tower of Pisa.
3. I lack the imagination required for cake decoration. So I opt for simple chocolate glaze most of the time.
4. I believe that a layer of chocolate glaze make everything taste better.
5. I have never made custard before. Probably because it is not something that I like in particular.

Crab, must eat seafood in Sabah.

About myself,
1. I love to sing. I went karaoke with my friends frequently when I was in Singapore.
2. I don't believe you have to spend a lot of money to get delicious food. Food prepared with tender loving care from our loved ones is the best.
3. I like to seek out where the locals go for unpretentious, delicious food whenever I travel.
4. I wanted to learn photography and photoshops from books, but that never materializes.
5. I am the eldest child and my brother is 2 years younger.

Random shot, on the rare occasion that I eat lunch.

6. My favorite person in the entire world is my grandpa Jimmy. Sadly, he passed away when I was 1o years old.
7. When I was 4-5 years old, I asked my grandpa to get me a star in the sky. I thought all he needed was a stair in our store room.
8. I am my grandpa's favorite grandchild. He used to shower me with gifts when he returned from travel.
9. The local food I love to eat include: laksa, prawn noodle and "kou rou" (pork belly) when they are done right. But chocolate remains my absolute favorite, the darker the better.
10. I don't care about the presentation of food, as long as it's tasty.

Vegetarian meal, prepared by one of my best friends- Khim, for her birthday

11. I am not an adventurous eater, I don't mind eating the same dish in the same restaurant over and over again.
12. I love to cook for others. Hopefully, I can turn this into a career one day.
13. I would rather not read a book or watch a movie with sad ending.
14. I love cheerful colors and OCT says I am easily satisfied.
15. I am planning to go to pastry school in 2 years' time once I save enough money.

My first year eating Chinese New Year Eve dinner at OCT's. They have steamboat every year

I hope I don't miss anyone who has tagged me for the same meme. I am really not good at keeping track of the tagging game. I am not tagging anyone for this. But if you feel like telling your readers a little bit more about yourself, feel free to do so. And consider yourself tagged. :)

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Chocolate Matcha Loaf Cake

Has Spring arrived in your neck of the woods yet? This morning when I looked out from the window, there's still no sign of its arrival yet. I feel cheated when seeing my contacts on Flickr posted their Spring inspired photos, of flowers blooming and people smiling, on a presumably happy Spring day.

Old man winter seems to overstay his welcome here. And I am grumpy, with the view of depressingly barren trees, and the prospect of hunting an apartment which we can call home in Atlanta. We are moving in 2 weeks time, but not a single detail of the move has been finalized.

For a complete lack of wit, allow me to leave you with this chocolate matcha loaf I made, using my favorite low fat recipe from Alice Medrich, which never fails to make me feel better and comforted after a slice.

I am going out for a walk now, hoping to find the slightest hint of Spring's arrival.

For recipe, see here.

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Grand Marnier Chiffon Cake

p/s: if you are reading this via feed, will you drop by my blog and check out my new layout? Although it's still a work in progress, I am happy that it's now cleaner and load faster than before.

Before I was 5 years old, orange was the only fruit I ate. And when being offered the colorful gummy bears or other fruity sweets, I wouldn't hesitate to pick only those with orange flavor. In fact, I would rather being offered Smarties, Kitkat or the Cadbury Chocolate, especially the one with hazelnut. That was my absolute favorite.

I couldn't remember how I outgrew the orange phrase, or rather what mum did to coax me to give other fruits a chance, but orange remains one of my favorite fruits. Even though nowaday I have also added lemon, mango, durian, cherry, apple, pear and grape to my favorite fruit list too.
I love eating oranges out of hand, and would usually choose to peel them by hand. I simply enjoy the process of peeling oranges. I love how after the vitamin C packed fruit is devored, its fragrant aroma lingers on the fingers.

As much as I love oranges, I seldom bake with them. My partner, who declared that he had eaten enough orange cake for a lifetime during his National Service forbid the presence of such cake in the house. Honestly I could hardly picture anyone eating orange cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner for one whole month! So OCT is an orange cake phobic. Everytime when I suggest to make an orange cake, he would wince and ask me to reconsider.

But I want to bake something with the beautiful oranges that I have just bought. In an attempt to make myself feel less guilty, I shall proceed and name this cake- Grand Marnier Chiffon Cake. Even though the batter has only 1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier, and as much as 3/4 cup of orange juice. No, the mention of orange chiffon cake will not be accepted in this household. But Grand Marnier chiffon cake is a totally different matter. It is soon being fully endorsed by my partner who is averse to orange cake! So you see, naming the food is as important as the food itself, if not more in this hiffon cake case.

You can omit the Grand Marnier if you don't have it on hand, but I love how it enhances the flavor of the chiffon cake. We eat the cake as it is without any frosting or glaze. But feel free to use the bittersweet gananche that accompany the recipe, should you need something more elaborate for a dinner party.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Grand Marnier Chiffon Cake (a.k.a Orange Chiffon Cake)

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons orange zest
3/4 cup fresh orange juice (I used juices from 3 oranges and top up the volume with water)
1/2 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, separated ( I used 1 1/4 cup of sugar)
6 extra large eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
confectioner sugar, for dusting

For Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache (optional):
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used 72% chocolate), finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 tablespoons rum
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 325F.

Cut a round of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and cut out a hole in the middle to fit the center tube of the pan. This cake is baked in an ungreased pan because greasing the pan would keep the batter from rising and gripping the sides of the pan as the cake bakes.

In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix the orange juice, grand marnier, orange zest, oil,vanilla and eggyolks. Whisk until well combined.

Over a large piece of parchment paper or bowl sift together the flour and baking powder. Add 3/4 cup of sugar and salt and stir together.

Make a well in the center of the mixture by pushing the dry ingredients towards the side of the bowl. Add the orange juice mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir together until thoroughly combined.

Place the egg whites in the grease free bowl of an electric mixer or in a large grease free bowl. Using the wire whip attachment or a hand held mixer, whip the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Slowly sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue whipping until the egg whites hold glossy and firm but not stiff, peaks, about 5 minutes.

Fold the egg whites into the cake batter in 3 to 4 stages, blending thoroughly after each addition. Transfer the batter to the tube pan. Use the rubber spatula to smooth and even the top.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.(Mine took 45-50 minutes).

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a cooling rack onto its feet or over a funnel or a thin necked bottle. Let the cake hanf to cook completely. Don't set the pan on a cooling rack on its base. This will cause the cake to collapse onto itself.

Don't shake the cake out of the pan before it is cool. Once the cake is cool. use a thin blade knife or flexible blade spatula to run across the outer edge and the inside tube to help release the cake from the pan. Invert the cake onto a rack, then reinvert onto a serving plate.

Place the cake on a rack over a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar if using.

*optional*
Making Chocolate Ganache Glaze:
Heat cream, sugar, rum in a saucepan over medium heat until it simmers and bubbles forming on the sides of saucepan. Remove from heat and pour cream over chopped chocolate. Using a rubber spatula, stir to melt chocolate with hot cream until the mixture turns glossy and smooth. Let the chocolate ganache cool to pouring consistency. Pour over the chiffon cake.

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Chinese Beef Stew with Daikon

It was only last Sunday when we put on our shorts and flip-fops to welcome the apparent arrival of spring. And then late last night came the snowstorm that brings the temperature down from the 70's to 20's, together with 12 inches of snow. Throughout the day, the incessant snow that resembled sifted flour had me wonder if the angels have been busy baking for somebody's birthday.

Seems like the season for comfort stews is far from over. For a wintry night like this, I love having a pot of hearty beef stew simmering on top of the stove to welcome OCT home. Because I still have some beautiful daikons left from making my favorite Crispy Daikon Cake, I decided to make an Asian inspired beef stew. There's a kind of Chinese beef stew which has daikon in it which my friend E used to rave about. She said that her grandma made the best Chinese beef stew with daikon in the entire world. Growing up in a family that doesn't eat beef, I have unfortunately not tasted this form of beef stew before. Neither have I met up with E's legendary grandma who makes the mean pot of chinese beef stew. So this is my take on the chinese beef stew with daikon. The way I envision it to be.In my humble opinion, I wouldn't think it resembles the original version in anyway, but this version is delicious nonetheless.

To inject some chinese flavor in this beef stew, I use some whole unpeel garlic cloves, star anises and five spice powder to season the broth. Instead of fresh cremini and white button mushrooms, dried shiitakes are reconstituted and used. Then I decided to incorporate some of my favorite elements of a classic American beef stew, such as red wine, swanson's low sodium beef broth and carrot into the pot.

You can call it the Americanized Chinese Beef Stew if you must, since I don't make the beef broth from scratch using beef bones, and traded the Chinese Shaoxing wine (which I obviously have in the pantry) for the bottle of leftover red in my fridge. Whatever. Wait. Let's call it......MAC BeST. (Mandy's Americanized Chinese Beef Stew, get it? :))

I know. It's lame. Just humor me by pretending that it's funny for a second, ok?

I am submitting this recipe for the Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Anna of Morsels and Musings this week. The rest of the world deserve to know that daikon tastes great in beef stew. :)


MAC BeST (Mandy's Americanized Chinese Beef Stew)

1.5 pounds sirloin tip roast,trimmed and cubed
2 medium onion, peeled and minced
1 large daikon, ( about 12-14 oz) peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1.5 cups chopped carrot
2 cups of low sodium beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 cups water
10-15 dried shiitake mushroom, reconstituted in warm water for 1 hour until soft, halved or quartered, depending on how big the shiitake mushrooms are
1/2 tsp five spice powder
2 star anise
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tsp salt
white pepper


Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Remove to a plate.

Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge beef in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil + 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of beef mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned beef to onion. Repeat procedure with remaining beef mixture and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Add 1 cup wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add star anise, five spice powder, broth, sugar, mushrooms and garlic cloves; bring to a boil. Stir in beef mixture. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for one hour or until beef is tender.

Stir in daikon and carrot. Simmer for one and a half hour to two hour or until beef and vegetables are very tender and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper. If time allows, increase the total cooking time to 3 hours, so that all the ingredients have more time to meld together.

p/s: The beef stew tastes better the next day!

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The Daring Bakers Bake French Breads

This month's Daring Bakers challenge is perfect for me. Ever since the weather turns cold, I have been wanting to horn my skill at bread baking. Of course I occasionally bake dinner rolls, but I am mostly grounded in my comfort zone. Making something like French Bread that takes 7-9 hours has certainly never crossed my mind.

I am really glad that the past challenges have pushed me to bake some cool stuffs that my normal lazy self won't have attempted on my own.

Our hostesses for this month- Sara of I Like to Cook and Mary of The Sour Dough have picked Julia Child's French Bread as this month challenge. It has been a challenge indeed from the very beginning. Even before I dip my measuring cup into the flour. Reading through the looooong recipe, had me feeling exhausted, before I get started.

But once I got over the reading part, everything else was a breeze. Ok, maybe not as easy as I had envisioned, but hey, after two attempts, I got these batards you see here!

Did I just mentioned I made this recipe twice? Oh yes, that's right. When I first made the recipe on Monday, my dough was unbelievably sticky and the little petits pains that I baked turned out looking anemic. Even though they tasted great, I was quite sure that something wasn't quite right, so I repeated the recipe again on Thursday. Learning from my first experience, I adhered to the recipe more closely, and shaped my dough into batards, like many of my fellow Daring Bakers do.

Although there are many areas that my french bread can be improved on, I think it will be awhile before I bake french bread again. Don't get me wrong, I love this recipe, and the flavor of this bread is quite addictive. I can eat it without anything topping or spread. It's merely because I have 2 batches of these in the freezer now.

We are going to reheat some petit pains and spread withNutella for breakfast, and the batards, with smoked salmon, apple, spinach and cheese for our weekend dinner and lunch. I wonder how my fellow Daring Bakers are going to eat their French Bread? :)

For the recipe of Julia Child's French Bread, see Mary's entry with nice step-by-step photos here

To read about the other Daring Bakers takes on the French Bread Challenge, head over to the Daring Bakers Blogroll.

The past Daring Bakers Challenges:
Tender Potato Bread
Yule Log
Lemon Meringue Pie

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