Nutella Cheesecake

Nutella Cheesecake
Makes 1 cake | Prep Time: 20 mins | Bake Time: None (refrigerate for at least 4 hours)
Recipe Source: Nigella Lawson
Contributor: CP Choong

Ingredients:

10 oz graham crackers (digestive biscuits)
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 13-oz jar Nutella (at room temperature)
¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 lb cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ cup confectioners’ sugar (sifted)

Method:

Break the graham crackers (digestives) into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and 15 ml or 1 tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Tip into a 23 cm/9-inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

Mini Lemon Cheesecake

Mini Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
Adapted from: Cuisine Paradise
Make 12 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Bake Time: 22 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (7 graham crackers)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Toppings:

Blueberry
Raspberry
Lemon slices

Method:

In a bowl, add in the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and butter. Mix well. Divide the crumbs and press into bottom of the 12 soufflé baking cups. Refrigerate the crust.

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Attach the metal blade to your food processor. Pulse the cream cheese until smooth. Scrap the side of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add in the sugar and pulse again until smooth. Next, add the sour cream and lemon zest and pulse until smooth.

Add 1 egg at a time and pulse until combined. Lastly, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Scrap down the side and give it a few more pulses until smooth.

Remove the baking cups from the refrigerator. Place them in a muffin pan. Scoop the filling mixture into the baking cups.

Bake them for 20-22 minutes or until the centers are firm. Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan to cool completely on a cooling rack.

Chill the cupcakes in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with the fruit toppings before serving.

Cook’s Note:

I used the 3.25 oz soufflé paper baking cups.

Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake

Steamed Moist Chocolate Cake

Makes 1 cake | Prep Time: 15 mins | Bake Time: 45 mins
Adapted from Cooking Crave
Contributor: CP Choong

Ingredients:

180g (6.3 oz) Butter
200g (7 oz) Castor sugar
200g (7 oz) Full cream evaporated milk
2 Eggs, slightly beaten with fork
100g (3.5 oz) Plain flour / All purpose flour
50g (1.7 oz) Cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract / 1 tsp Vanilla essence
2 tablespoons Rum (optional)

Chocolate Fudge Topping

200g (7 oz) Condensed milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract / 1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Tbsp corn oil
20g (0.7 oz) Cocoa powder, sieved
1 pinch of salt

Method:

Combine castor sugar, evaporated milk, vanilla extract/essence and butter in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted, remove from heat and keep warm.

Add beaten eggs into the slightly cold evaporated milk mixture and stir till well mix.

Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl, then pour the eggs mixture over the flour and stir till well mix ( cake batter should be runny)

Heat up steamer.

Lined and greased an 8 or 9 inch round baking pan.

Pour the batter into the lined pan and place the pan into the steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil.

Cover the steamer and steam over medium heat for 45 mins.

Cool the cake in pan before turning out for further decoration.

To make Chocolate Fudge Topping:

Combine the sieved cocoa powder, condensed milk and oil.

Stir over low heat till thicken.

Add in salt and vanilla extract or essence.

Cool the chocolate topping a little before spreading on the cake.

Refrigerated before serving it.

Cook’s Note:

You may substitute the fudge topping with ganache, icing sugar, frosting etc.

Raisin Butter Cake

Raisin Butter Cake Recipe
Makes 3 mini loaves
Adapted from Food-4Tots

Ingredients:

2 and 1/3 stick (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
7 oz (200g) plain flour/all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
7 oz (200g) castor sugar
4 eggs
½ tsp salt
4 tablespoons fresh milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 cup raisins + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (mix together)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Lightly grease the pan with some butter.
3. Mix the flour and the baking powder together and sieve. Add in salt and mix well. Set aside.
4. Use an electronic beater to mix butter and sugar until well combined or pale yellow in color. (Note: Sugar has not dissolved yet).
5. Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy.
6. Scrape down the sides for even mixing.
7. Add in vanilla essence and mix well.
8. Fold in the flour into the mixture and mix well.
9. Finally, add in the milk and fold in the raisins. Mix well.
10. Pour the mixture into the greased baking pan. Shake it lightly to distribute cake mixture evenly.
11. Bake until golden brown and cooked, about 40 minutes. Use a cake tester to test if it’s cooked.
12. Remove it from the oven and let cool on the wire rack for another 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Brownie Butter Cake

Brownie Butter Cake Recipe
Makes 1 loaf | Prep Time: 30 mins | Bake Time: 55 mins
Adapted from Kevin Chai – I Love Butter Cake Too 2
Contributor: CP Choong

Ingredients:

Brownie:

140g (5oz) Dark Chocolate (broken into pieces)
50g (¼ cup) Butter
50g (¼ cup) Brown sugar
1 Egg
35g (¼ cup) All purpose flour

Butter cake:

120g (½ cup) Butter
100g (½ cup) Sugar (I reduced by 1 Tbsp)
2 Eggs
120g (1 cup) All purpose flour
2g (¼ tsp) Baking powder
50ml (3 ½ Tbsp) Fresh milk

Method:

Grease and line a 10cm x 20cm (4×8-in) loaf pan with aluminium foil.

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

To make brownie, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove and leave to cool slightly. Stir in brown sugar until blended.

Add in egg, mix well. Fold in flour, mix until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove.

To make butter cake, beat butter with sugar until creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fold in sifted flour and baking powder, alternately add in fresh milk, mix to form batter.

Spread the butter cake batter over brownie, bake in oven at 160C/320F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked. Insert a cake tester in the middle to check doneness.

Cook’s Notes:

1. I am using allrecipes.com conversion chart. For the best results, please follow the metrics measurement.
2. I mixed the butter cake batter while baking the brownie. Then I poured the butter cake batter VERY QUICKLY onto the “hot” brownie. The butter cake batter will melt instantly. The second time I baked this brownie butter cake, I put the butter cake batter into a piping bag and cut a big hole at the tip, pipe in the butter cake batter quickly, and  just shake and tap the pan to smooth the top.

Black Forest Cupcakes

Black Forest Cupcakes
Makes 12 | Prep Time: 20 mins | Bake Time: 25 mins
Adapted from Pooi Sam
Contributor: CP Choong

Ingredients:

40g (1.5 oz) Corn oil
10g (0.4 oz) Cocoa powder
70g (2.5 oz) Chocolate
45ml Water
40g (1.5 oz) cake flour (preferred) or all-purpose flour
3 Egg yolks
3 Egg whites
30g (1 oz) sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 can Cherry Pie Filling
Fresh cherries
Whipping cream

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (356F) and lined muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Heat up corn oil, remove from heat and add in cocoa powder and chocolate, stir until chocolate melted.

Add in water, flour and egg yolks, well mixed and set aside.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar in a large mixing bowl till peak form, fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture in 3 batches till fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan and bake in preheated oven for 25 mins. Remove the cupcakes from oven once it is cooked and cool completely on a wire rack.

From the top of the cupcake, make a small hole in the center of each cupcake, and brush the canned cherry syrup in the hole, then stuff a canned cherry inside it.

Squeeze whipped cream on top of the cupcake and garnish with fresh cherry and shredded chocolate.

Cook’s Notes:

Use baking chocolate for this recipe, or chocolate with 32%, 55%, 64% and 72% cocoa in the chocolate. The taste will be richer with higher percentage of cocoa.

This cupcake recipe is not very sweet. If you like it sweeter, please add more sugar.

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Chocolate Chip Brownies Recipe
Makes 12 brownies | Prep Time: 30 mins | Bake Time: 35 mins
Recipe adapted from iTunes app: The Photo Cookbook – Baking
Contributor: CP Choong

Ingredients:

1 cup Butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
5 ½ oz / 150g Dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 ½ cups Self-rising flour
2/3 cup Superfine sugar
4 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Chopped Pistachio nuts (I used walnuts)
3 ½ oz / 100g White chocolate, roughly chopped
Confectioner’s sugar, sifted, for dusting

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Grease and line a 9-inch/23cm square baking pan.

Place the dark chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then let cool slightly.

Sift the flour into a separate bowl and stir in the superfine sugar.

Stir the eggs into the chocolate mixture, then pour into the flour and sugar and beat well.

Stir in the nuts and white chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a palette knife to spread evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until firm to touch around the edges. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with the confectioner’s sugar.

Cut into 12 squares and serve.

Crumbliest Scones

Crumbliest Scones Recipe
Makes 6 | Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Bake Time: 20 Minutes
Source: Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

75 g dried fruit, such as sour cherries, raisins, sultanas, chopped sour apricots, blueberries, or a mixture
Orange juice, for soaking
75 g cold unsalted butter
250 g self-raising flour, plus a little extra for dusting
1 level teaspoon baking powder
1 heaped teaspoon golden caster sugar
Pinch of salt
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk, plus a little extra for brushing

Optional:

Jersey clotted cream, good-quality jam or lemon curd, to serve

Method:

Put the dried fruit into a bowl and pour over just enough orange juice to cover. Ideally, leave it for a couple of hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Put your butter, flour, baking powder, sugar and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl and use your thumbs and forefingers to break up the butter and rub it into the flour so you get little cornflake–sized pieces. Make a well in the middle of the dough, add the eggs and milk, and stir it up with a spatula. Drain your soaked fruit and add that to the mixture. Add a tiny splash of milk if needed, until you have a soft, dry dough. Move it around as little as possible to get it looking like a scruffy mass – at this point, you’re done. Sprinkle over some flour, cover the bowl with cling film and pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 2 to 3cm thick. With a 6cm round cutter or the rim of a glass, cut out circles from the dough and place them upside down on a baking sheet – they will rise better that way (so they say). Re-roll any offcuts to use up the dough. Brush the top of each scone with the extra milk or some melted butter and bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until risen and golden. At that point, take them out of the oven and leave them to cool down a little. Serve with clotted cream and a little jam or lemon curd.

Cook’s Note:
I halved the original recipe and made 6 scones. Double the recipe and you will make a dozen.