Cream cheese swirled chocolate bundt cake! Another farewell cake :(

Another farewell.. =( This time for a friend who finished her PhD :) so I guess it's kind of exciting~ she went back to Malaysia so decided to make a cake for her. This cake was inspired by this chocolate bread I tried from THE DOUGH COLLECTIVE in Sydney. I hope this place comes down to Melbourne! They have all kinds of bread, but one of the best is the Double Chocolate Finger Roll - chocolate bread with chocolate chips and chunks of cream cheese. It's DELISH!

Cream cheese swirled Chocolate Bundt Cake
Recipe adapted from Baker Street

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Swirl
1/4 cup caster sugar
250g cream cheese, softened at room temp
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate cake
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
113g unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicard soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

Glaze
4 tbs icing sugar
2-3 tbs milk

1. Preheat oven to 180oC and grease bundt tin.
2. For the cream cheese batter, beat the cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer until well combined. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Set aside.
3. For the chocolate cake, combine all ingredients in large bowl of stand mixer. Beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often until all ingredients are moistened. Increase speed until well combined.
4. Pour ~3 cups of batter into bundt tin. Spoon cream cheese layer over batter without touching sides of pan. Cover with remaining batter.

creating a swirled pattern

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 30 minutes then remove and cool completely.
6. For the glaze, mix sugar and milk together in small bowl until you reach a spreadable consistency. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Cream cheese centre! YUM!

Ok so it's not much of a "swirl" but more of a "chunk" of cream cheese~~ but still yummy ^^ I think I'm in a bundt cake phase~ Been looking up many bundt cake recipes so stay tuned for more :)

Work Catering #40: Blondies vs. Brownies

Which do you like better? Blondies or Brownies? I made both for work last week~! Well technically the blondies weren't "blondies" because they didn't have any white chocolate in them... and it was a bit biased because the brownies had cream cheese and Kit Kats...so of course the brownies won XD But they were both yummy :D 

I was still in a Kit Kat phase from last work catering, so I decided to use them in a brownie!

Kit Kat Cream cheese Brownies
Recipe adapted from Bakerella

Ingredients
Brownie
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
150g unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 x 45g package Kit Kat bars

Cream cheese topping
250g cream cheese, softened at room temp
2 eggs
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 180oC and grease and line a 20x30cm baking pan.
2. Sift flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder in medium bowl and set aside.
3. Melt butter in microwave. Stir in sugar, then eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix until well combined.
4. Add dry ingredients. Stir until combined then pour into prepared pan. Gently press 16 individual Kit Kat bars on top of brownie batter.
5. To make the topping, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time to mix until combined.
6. Gradually add icing sugar and then vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour on top of brownie batter.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Place a sheet of foil on top of pan for the last 10-15 minutes to avoid over browning.
8. Remove from oven and cool completely. Chill in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight before slicing and serving - I was too impatient and I think that's why it was quite hard to slice XD was too warm and sticky! haha


Falling brownies....

The cream cheese topping wasn't quite what I was expecting. It was quite soft and pretty sweet but I think the layer was just the right thickness! Any thicker and it would have been overly sweet.

Did I tell you that some of these were stolen? :O

I put them in the work fridge overnight and the next day most of them were gone~

To balance out the sweetness we have some tart apple harvest "blondies". I like the texture of the nuts on top and also bits of cream cheese ^^

Apple Harvest Blondies
Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients
150g unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (divided)
3 large eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essense
2 medium apples, peeled and chopped (I used granny smith apples for tartness)
125g cream cheese (you can freeze to make it easier to chop later)
3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 170oC. Grease and line 20x30cm baking pan. 
2. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of brown sugar. Mix well and add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 
3. Add flour, baking powder and vanilla essence and mix well. Fold in apples.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Chop cream cheese into small bits and mix with nuts, cinnamon and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly over batter.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Pretty moist and full of fruit :D

and Golden!

I wonder why they are called Apple harvest blondies... 

The FACS cake - for all the science nerds out there!

I don't think many people will get this post.. it's a bit of a science "inside-joke" but nonetheless I want to share it with all of you XD

My friend left 2 weeks... off to pursue a new and exciting job! So although it is sad and I will miss her... I'm also excited for her! and it's not like I can't go visit and vice versa! haha! So this cake was made for her farewell!

I can't take any of the credit because she once showed me a picture of a cake that she suggested I make, but I guess I never had the opportunity to make it, until now! It's a FACS cake~ FACS stands for .. (ok .. nerd time!) Fluorescence-activated cell sorting. It's basically a method to distinguish different cells based on their markers and then you use this machine to analyse them. (I know all you can hear me say is "blah blah blah" xD so let's get to the recipe!!!)

I used my trusty One Bowl Chocolate Cake recipe (all credits go to I bake for you). After letting the cake cool, I frosted with vanilla icing and then went creative with my icing pen and sprinkles! Lots of fun :D

The whole lab had a laugh and enjoyed the cake and said it was really moist (yay!). Although I'm not a professional cake decorator, I do enjoy the occasional cake design =p

Work Catering #39: have a break! Have a KitKat .. cheesecake!

Sorry... another cheesecake post! But this one is different!! it's got KITKAT bars in it XD I have made a similar cheesecake using Tim Tams.. and Cherry Ripes. Any other suggestions for chocolate bars? =P

Also made some blueberry cookies. I always enjoy putting fruit into cookies but usually I used dried fruit however this time I tried out fresh fruit! Enjoy the recipes :D

KIT KAT Cheesecake Slice
Recipe adapted from Bakers Corner

Ingredients
250g plain chocolate biscuits
100g unsalted butter, melted
375g cream cheese, softened
1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
2 tsp powdered gelatine
1 1/2 tbs boiling water
1 tsp vanilla essence
180g Kit Kat, coarsely chopped
45g Kit Kat, extra, coarsely chopped

1. Line a 20x30cm pan with foil.
2. Process/Crush chocolate biscuits until fine. Add butter and process until well combined. Press mixture firmly over the base of prepared pan. Refrigerate while making filling.
3. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in condensed milk and cream until well combined. Dissolve gelatine in water, then add to cream cheese mix. Beat in vanilla then fold in chopped Kit Kat pieces.
4. Carefully pour mixture into prepared base. Sprinkle with extra Kit Kat pieces and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Cut in squares and serve.

Look at the Kit Kat chunks!! XD

Brown Sugar Blueberry Cookies
Recipe adapted from The Baker Upstairs

Ingredients
113g butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs milk
3/4 cup fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 190oC. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix well to combine.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon with mixer on low speed. Mix until dough comes together then add milk. If dough still dry and crumbly, add 1 tbs milk at a time until it comes together.
4. Carefully fold in blueberries. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Remove dough from fridge. Roll teaspoonful of dough and place on baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

I'm not sure if it was because I used frozen blueberries, but the cookies were a bit soft. I think the moisture from the frozen blueberries may have softened the cookies after they were baked however the flavours were still there. It actually tasted like cookie dough so I didn't mind ^^ The cinnamon, brown sugar and blueberry went really well together.

Cookie time!

Work Catering #38: So CHEESECAKEY!!

If you have been reading my blog, you will know that I LOVEEEE CHEESECAKE!!! It's the one cake that I could live off if I was ever stuck on a deserted island... and I wouldn't be sick of it XD There are just SOOO many different cheesecakes out there! Baked.. frozen...chocolate.. fruity... mini... slice...  the list goes on!

So for catering this week I decided to bake a classic carrot cake with a twist. Surprisingly I have not made carrot cake before! (GASP! I KNOW!) It's such a classic and I love the cream cheese frosting (MY FAVOURITE FROSTING!) so I discovered this recipe that combined carrot cake with cheesecake - a twist on the original cream cheese frosting. The base is carrot cake, while the topping is baked cheesecake. This slice is best served chilled so try and be patient and chill in fridge before eating ^^ if you can...

ok i know.. uneven layers >_>

Carrot cake cheesecake slice
Recipe adapted from The Sweets Life

Ingredients
Carrot Cake
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 raisins
1 1/2 cups grated carrot (about 2 large carrots)
1 large egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cheesecake
500g cream cheese, softened
1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sour cream
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 180oC and line rectangular baking pan (20x30cm) with baking paper.
2. Beat all carrot cake ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixture until a thick dough forms (a stand mixer is great for this). Press dough into prepared pan, spreading an even layer. Set aside while you prepare filling.
3. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk until smooth. Make sure to scrape down sides of bowl. Add sour cream, salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix until combined.
4. Pour cheesecake mixture over the carrot cake base, spreading evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until just set. The centre should have a slight wobble.
5. Allow to cool completely before covering and refrigerating until bars are set, for 2-3 hours or best overnight. Cut into squares and serve chilled.

Was def a winner at work! they loved it :D

One bite is not really enough...

Next up are these cute little choc cheesecake cups! The smaller the dessert.. the more you can eat right? XD These are just the right size and no bake! You could make them in larger cups or even a cake tin, just double the recipe.

Chocolate Cheesecake cups
Recipe adapted from DK learns to cook

Ingredients
Base
250g Nice biscuits
100g butter, melted
4 tbs cocoa powder

Filling
250g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
150g dark chocolate
150g thickened cream

1/4 cup milo

1. Process/Crush biscuits with cocoa powder until fine. Add melted butter and mix well. Press 1/2 tsp into base of small cups.
2. Beat thickened cream until soft peaks form and refrigerate. Melt chocolate in microwave and allow to cool.
3. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in icing sugar and vanilla and beat until combined.
4. Mix melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture until combined.
5. Mix 1/3 of cream into mixture. Add remaining cream and fold until no white streaks remain.
6. Carefully spoon cream cheese mixture into cups. Dust with milo and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving. 

Lots of mini cups! mmm

dont forget the spoons! hehe

Looks like chocolate mousse yeah?

So get out there!! Make some cheesecake!! :D I'm sure I'll have many more cheesecake recipes to come! But here's some you can check out :)

Cookies and cream slice

 

Raspberry Crumble Cheesecake

  

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Apple Crumble cheesecake

Blackforest cheesecake

Green Tea Cheesecake bites

Nutella Cheesecake

Tim Tam Cheesecake

Cheesecake Chocolate chip cookie Slice

THE "Cinnamoncake"

I think these are the most delicious pancakes I have made in a long time! Thanks to the recipe by the SORTED guys! A cross between a Cinnamon scroll + Pancake = Cinnamoncake! It's quick and easy and the pancakes were really light and fluffy due to the buttermilk. If you don't have any buttermilk you can MAKE YOUR OWN! Yes!! Just add 1/2 tbs of white vinegar or lemon juice to the 150ml of milk and let it stand for 5 minutes.... then TA DA~~ just like magic it turns into buttermilk ^__^ 

Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
Recipe adapted from SORTED food

Ingredients
75g salted butter
75g dark brown sugar 
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
150ml buttermilk (or 1/2 tbs white vinegar + 150ml milk)
pinch of salt
knob of butter to cook

1. In a small bowl, beat butter, sugar and cinnamon together till smooth and lump free. Transfer mix to piping bag/sandwich bag and set aside.
2. Mix flour and baking powder in separate bowl. Crack in the eggs and stir to mix. Keep whisking while you slowly add the buttermilk. Add pinch of salt and mix until smooth batter.
3. Heat large, non-stick frying pan to medium heat. Rub with butter. Spoon heaped tablespoon of pancake mixture into pan and cook for 30 seconds. Pipe a thin line of spiral on top of raw batter and leave for another 30 seconds.

swiiirrrllll~~

4. Flip pancake over quickly and cook for another 30 seconds. Transfer cooked pancake to plate. Wipe pan clean to get rid of any burnt sugar and repeat process to cook the rest of pancakes.

You can check out their youtube video here! 

My pancakes didn't exactly look like theirs because I didn't have DARK brown sugar, hence the piping mixture is quite light.. and I also forgot to wipe the pan clean so there was a bit of caramelisation happening.. :/ but all in all... yummy fluffy pancakes =D and addictive!!!

yum yum yum :D

Anyways it's a public holiday todayyy~~~ so for those in Victoria.. enjoy it :D maybe make some pancakes... or bake some cookies or bread!! or go out and have some brunch =) such a lovely day~~~ as for me! Gonna do some BAKING!! YAY!!!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls

Yet another recipe from Sally's baking addiction! I think I might have an addiction.. to this BLOG! hahah Must give her full credit~ there's just so many recipes that I want to bake after looking at the photos. They make you *DROOL*! and they also don't seem too difficult!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe adapted from Sally's baking addiction

Ingredients

Rolls
2 1/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup plain flour (extra)
3 tbs (45g) caster sugar
1 tsp salt
1 packet dried yeast (7g)
120ml water
60ml milk
2 1/2 tbs (38g) unsalted butter
1 large egg

Filling
2 tbs (30g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup mashed banana
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (50g) caster sugar
1/3 cup (60g) mini chocolate chips

1. Make dough by adding flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl.
2. Heat water, milk and butter together in a microwave until butter is melted. Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add the egg and enough of the extra flour to make  a soft dough. Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has elastic consistency.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 5-6 minutes. Place in bowl, cover with cling wrap and allow to rise for around 10 minutes.
4. Roll the dough out into a rectangular shape. In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with softened butter and spread over dough. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle over the chocolate chips. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 12 even pieces and plate in lined round cake tin. Loosely over rolls with foil and allow to rise in warm place for 60-90 minutes.

Lots of filling spread on the dough.. it's like a banana choc pizza XD

Arranging the slightly gooey rolls in the cake tin

5. After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat oven to 190oC. Bake for 25-30 minutes and lightly browned. Cover rolls with foil after 15 minutes to avoid tops burning.

Ta da~ golden brown!

I found the filling a little bit wet so maybe next time I won't mash the bananas up too much. Also feedback from the family was that the flavours don't really match.. but I think they do!! I guess it might have been a bit too sweet.... so next time I'll try berries! or even savoury cheesey ones! mmmm~~ the rolls were deliciously soft and fluffy though :D

Lovely, soft and fluffy rolls :)

Anyways if you have any suggestions just leave a comment =D Till next time~~