Bittersweet Chocolate Cupcakes

Hello cupcakes! I usually don't enjoy dark chocolate much, but I am making an exception for these cupcakes. They paired well with Mocha Latte from Starbucks. But they ain't from Starbucks. 

These bittersweet chocolate cupcakes are not from Starbucks.

The recipe calls for 24 cupcakes but I yielded 15! So I gathered my initiator, Huey Jia, and internal auditor, Sheena. We needed to find out the reason for the shrinkage in number of cupcakes. We analyzed the cupcakes in depth. Verdict? The cupcakes tasted heavenly. Price? A 3-km run in the evening. But it's all worth!

My committee concluded that the shrinkage is likely due to the size of the baking cups. Action plan is to use mini baking cup - they can help calorie-counting dieters better. 

Mini cupcakes make perfect Christmas gifts

Fret not, Swedish study says chocolate lovers have fewer strokes!

Love love love chocolate!!!

Bittersweet Chocolate Cupcakes

(Adapted from Tartelette)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamon (I omit this)

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar 

4 large eggs, at room temperature

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat the oven to 175 celsius.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cardamon and salt and set aside.
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar on medium speed until airy and reamy.
4. Add the edges, one at a time, beating well after each addition (scrape down the sides if necessary).
5. Still on medium speed, add the chocolate and mixing until well incorporated. 
6. Add the flour, baking soda and salt alternating with the buttermilk. Make sure that all the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overbeat.  
7. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. BAke for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. 

Whipped Ganache Frosting:

12 ounces (360g) good quality bittersweet chocolate

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

1. Place the chocolate in a medium size bowl and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan set over medium heat and bring the cream to a simmer.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for a couple of minutes.
4. Stir the cream and chocolate together gently until the mass becomes smooth and shiny. Let cool and refrigerate until very cold.
5. When ready to use, whip the ganache until it holds its shape and spreads easily. Use as soon as it is made or it will be too stiff to pipe. If this happens, just reheat it on top of a double boiler to melt it again, and repeat the cooling and whipping process.

If your chocolate is less than 72% bittersweet, add 2 more ounces before adding the hot cream. 

Chocolate cookies & cream cheesecake

When it comes to their beloved man's birthday cake, the wife requested for chocolate cookies and cream cheesecake like those from Cedele. The daughter chose a 2D Baby Milo as the theme for the cake.  

To the delight of the birthday man and his family.

y quest for the perfect cheesecake began. I wanted to find something unique. I wanted to find the cheesecake with the "secret ingredients". I wanted to find the cheesecake that everyone dying to have. 

Search and you shall find. I chanced upon perfect cheesecake recipe by Elise Bauer. I modified the recipe in accordance to the request (with apologies to the creator!). With no doubt, this is the best recipe for chocolate cookies & cream cheesecake I have ever tasted. Smooth and luscious, this cake always wins accolades. Yes, this cake is really good! Even if you don't like cheesecake, you will find yourself delighting in this cheesecake flavour.

Even though the idea of making a cheesecake can be little scary for some but you have to trust me here. Making a cheesecake is absolutely easy and actually very quickly apart from the cooling time it requires. 

Chocolate Cookies & Cream Cheesecake
(Modified from Perfect Cheesecake Receipe)
Yield: 16 servings
Cook time: 3 hours


INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 250g of digestive biscuits, finely ground
• 70g unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 900g cream cheese, room temperature
• 180g caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 160ml sour cream
• 160ml heavy whipping cream
• 3 oreo biscuits, finely ground

Toppings

• 3 oreo biscuits, finely ground

Special equipment needed

• 9-inch, 2 3/4-inch high springform pan
• Heavy duty, 18-inch wide, aluminum foil,
• A large, high-sided roasting pan

METHOD

Prepare the crust

1. Prepare the springform so that no water leaks into it while baking. Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the springform pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don't create any holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Press the foil around the edges of the pan. Place a second large square of foil underneath the pan and repeat, gently folding up the sides of the foil around the pan and pressing the foil against the pan. Gently crimp the top of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan.

2. Preheat oven to 175°C (or 155°C for a fan-forced oven), with rack in lower third of oven. Pulse the digestive biscuits in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put it in a large bowl and stir in the melted butter.

*Tip: If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can throw the biscuits into a large food storage bag and give it a good whack with a rolling pin or a heavy duty pot. You'll get out a lot of anger and stress that way. 

3. Put all the digestive biscuits crumbs in the bottom of the springform pan. Gently press down on the crumbs using spatula, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan, with maybe a slight rise along the inside edges of the pan. Be careful, as you do this, as not to tear the aluminum foil. Place in the own for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 165°C (or 145°C for fan-forced oven).

Yes, the crust is the absolute best part of a cheesecake.

Make the fillings

4. Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on the medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and cream. Add the sugar, and beat for 4 more minutes. Add the vanilla and beat after the addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated. Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and scrape up any thicker bits of cream cheese that have stuck to the bottom of the mixer that the paddle attachment has failed to incorporate.

5. This is totally option, but because I am a perfectionist, I want a lump-free, smooth as silk batter. So once I have combined the filings, I usually strain it using a wire mesh sieve. Fold in the cookie crumbs.

Cook the cheesecake

6. Place the foil-wrapped springform in a large, high-sided pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water. Pour the cream cheese filling into the springform pan, over the digestive biscuits base bottom layer. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Place the roasting plan with springform pan in it, in the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (without touching the hot oven), to create a water bath for the cheesecake. Pour until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan, about 1 1/4 inches. (Alternatively you can add the boiling water before putting the pan in the oven, whichever is easier for you.) Bake at 165°C (or 145°C for fan-forced oven) for 1 1/2 hours.

7. Turn off the heat of the oven and let the cake cool in the oven for 15 minutes. 

8. Crack open the oven door, 1-inch and continue to let the cake cool in the oven for another hour. This gentle cooling will proven the cheesecake surface from cracking. 

9. Remove the springform pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack completely. 

10. Cover the cooled cheesecake with foil, so that it doesn't actually touch the cheesecake. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum 4-hours or overnight. 

Serving

11. Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cheesecake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cheesecake and the pan. Open the springfoam latch and gently open the pan and lift up the sides. Spread the top with finely ground oreo cookies.

Tiramisu

The translation of the name Italian tiramisù (tirami sù) means "pick-me-up" (metaphorically, "make me happy"). The name itself has a fond place in my heart (and tummy). The very first time the first spoonful of the Italian dessert passed through my lips, I fell in love with its smooth sweetness and coffee-liquor flavoured concoction.

The Tiramisu is a decadent layer upon layer of coffee-rum tinged Savogliardi ladyfinger cookies with mixture of whipped heavy cream and mascarpone cheese and flavored with cocoa. It was just heavenly! What I really like was its light and airy structure that did not overpower and sit heavily on the tummy. 

I thought of making desserts cups for Christmas last year. But the guest list grew to more than 60, and I ended up making the killer Tiramisu. Most of the guests managed to eat a small portion. They really liked it and were all praises!

The Tiramisu craze continued into 2013. 

The birthday cake (above) was made specially for January birthday ladies. Two Lunar New Year requests from my cousin and aunt. 

I'd never get enough of Tiramisu but I'm game to try out other recipes.

Tiramisu 
(Adapted from Laura in the kitchen)

Ingredients:

1 lb of Mascarpone Cheese, softened
1-½ cup of Heavy Cream
1/3 cup of Granulated Sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla 
2 ½ cups of Really Strong Coffee or Espresso, cooled 
2 Tbsp of Dark Rum
2 Tbsp of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 
30 Ladyfingers (preferably Savogliardi, not sponge cake ladyfingers)

Process

1) In a large bowl whip the heavy cream and set in the fridge until you are ready to use it (cream stays stiffer longer if kept cold) .

2) In a large bowl cream together the mascarpone, vanilla and sugar, fold in half of the whipped cream into mascarpone mixture to lighten. Fold in remaining whipped cream being careful not to over mix.

3) To assemble, in a large bowl mix together the coffee and rum and set aside, also have ready the cocoa powder and ladyfingers. Have a 9 by 9 square bak

ing pan ready to start assembling. Dip each ladyfinger into the coffee mixture and lay in the bottom of your pan, once the whole bottom of the pan has the coffee and rum soaked ladyfingers ready pour over half of the mascarpone and cream mixture, spread evenly over ladyfingers and sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

4) Arrange the remaining coffee soaked ladyfingers on top of the layers and spread over the remaining filling. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

5) Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours before serving.

6) Garnish each serving with some fresh raspberries and chocolate covered coffee beans.

You can opt out rum. A three-layered Tiramisu taste as good. , not sponge cake ladyfingers)