Birthday Bake: Oreo Cheesecake Cake!

Another birthday bake!! :) I really enjoy these bakes! Baking for an occasion.. and this time it was for a friends' 25th birthday! She was having a birthday BBQ out in the open so couldn't really make anything frozen. I saw a post for this cake a while back and thought it looked pretty awesome, plus I had heaps of Oreo's at home XD

There may seem like a lot of steps for this cake but it's really not too bad. I would set aside 2 days to complete. One day for the cheesecake and the other day for the cake and frosting. Ultimately, 3 day is perfect.. one more day for the decoration =p

Oreo Cheesecake Cake
Recipe adapted from Family, food and fun

Cheesecake
500g cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
3/4 sour cream
7 coarsely crushed Oreos

Cake
2 cups caster sugar
1 3/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp instant coffee granules

Frosting
85g white chocolate
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 cups soft icing sugar
1/4 cup thickened cream or milk

extra Oreos for decoration

CHEESECAKE
1. Preheat oven to 160oC. Grease and line 23cm spring form pan.
2. Beat cream cheese with electric beater until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time and then the sour cream. Fold in crushed Oreos.
4. Pour batter into pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 45 minutes for until just set in center. Let cool completely before removing from pan. Wrap in cling wrap and place in fridge overnight (or freezer if you wish to make this cake in one day).

CAKE
1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease and line 2 23cm round cake tins.
2. Stir sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt together in large bowl.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed with electric beater for around 2 minutes or until well combined.
4. Dissolve coffee granules in boiling water. Stir coffee into batter (Batter will be thin but don't worry about it!). Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely. You can also wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge for easier assembly.

FROSTING
1. Place white chocolate bowl over pot of simmering water. Stir until melted, remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. 
2. Cream butter with electric beater. Once chocolate has cooled, beat in with butter. Add vanilla and beat.
3. Gradually add in cream/milk and icing sugar, alternating until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Ready for the assembly~~

ASSEMBLY
1. Place one layer of cake onto board. Frost with a thin layer of frosting and a sprinkle of crushed Oreos.

2. Remove cheesecake from freezer/fridge and place cheesecake layer on top of cake. If cheesecake is wider than the cake, it may be necessary to trip it. Frost with a thin layer of frosting and a sprinkle of crushed Oreos. 

3. Play top layer of cake on top of cheesecake. Coat entire cake with a layer of frosting. Top with mini Oreos and decorate as you like.

I suppose you want to see the inside of the cake =p It was a little crumbly to cut.. also because I forgot to bring a cake knife >__<" But we got there in the end!

I hope you all enjoyed the cake =) It was really fun making it! and I hope I will have many more opportunities in the future to bake birthday cakes!!! =D

Happy birthday Amy ^___^

Work catering #14: Peaches and Cookies and cream

Peach season is almost over so time to use up those leftover peaches in the fridge! Whilst looking up peach slice recipes, I came across many blogs and websites sharing this recipe. Bill Granger is somewhat a famous Australian chef and there were many rave reviews for this slice so what was stopping me from trying it out!? nothing! haha! It seemed very simple =) and used everyday ingredients!

Bill Granger's Peach and Raspberry Slice
Recipe adapted from Kitchen Delights

Ingredients
185g (1 1/4 cup) plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp extra
125g chilled and cubed butter
115g (1/2 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
3 peaches, peeled and sliced
90g raspberries, fresh or frozen
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg, lightly beaten
185g milk

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Grease and line slice tin (20x30cm)
2. Sift flour and baking powder into large bowl. Rub in the butter till resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in both of the sugars.
3. Press half the mixture over the base of tin. Lay peaches over the top and sprinkle on raspberries.
4. Add vanilla, extra baking powder, egg and milk to the rest of the base mixture and stir well. Pour evenly over the top of the peaches and raspberries. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in tray, then cut into squares.

Ready for catering =D

Thin slices but packed full of flavour

The slice came out thinner than I expected....But it was still nice and sweet =) With the tang of the peach and raspberry.

I think I'm still in a cheesecake phase and needed a new cheesecake recipe. I've been sticking with the same Blackforest Cheesecake for a while because it's so easy but I think it's time for a change. While flipping through the Woolworth's catalogue I found this recipe for Cookies and Cream Slice! Essentially, it's an Oreo Cheesecake! Yum!

Cookies and Cream Slice
Recipe adapted from Woolworths

Ingredients
300g Oreo Classic Cookies
80g butter, melted
375g cream cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup thickened cream
3 tsp gelatine, dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water
200g white chocolate, melted, cooled slightly

1. Place 250g Oreo cookies in food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add butter and process to combine. Press mixtures into lined slice tin (20x30cm) and refrigerate.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in cream until smooth. Stir through gelatine and white chocolate.
4. Roughly chop remaining cookies and stir through the filling, then pour over the base. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. 

Black and white squares

Can you see the Oreo pieces?? =D

I'm really happy with this recipe =) and got some good feedback from it! I think the only thing I would change would be to add more chopped oreos into the cheesecake mix but other than that.. super yummy =D