Basque Burnt Cheesecake (TAKE 2!)

Hello all,

I tried out a new recipe Basque Burnt Cheesecake a few weeks ago for a birthday girl :) I wanted to see if I could get a more burnt top! This recipe only required a mixing bowl and a whisk so seemed pretty easy~! Also it is for a bigger sized tin than the previous recipe I tried. (You can find the previous recipe here).

Basque Burnt Cheesecake
Recipe by Samantha Lee

Ingredients
450g cream cheese (room temp)
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
270g heavy/thickened cream
20g cake flour

1. Preheat oven to 240oC fan forced. Grease and line 18cm (7 inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Place cream cheese in large mixing bowl. Beat using a whisk until smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla, salt and cream and mix together until all combined.
5. Sift in cake flour and mix until all combined.
6. Pour into lined cake tin. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top is burnt and the centre of the cake is still quite jiggly. Remove from oven to cool. Once cooled, put in fridge for 4 hours or overnight. 

Although I didn't achieve a fully burnt top (I think it may be my oven's problem of not distributing heat properly... still figuring it out!), it still tasted amazing. Thankfully the birthday girl enjoyed her cake :D 

If you guys need an easy and delicious cheesecake recipe..this is the ONE! Happy Baking :)

Brownie Cookies! - Baking with Tray ep. 9

Hi everyone! 

Had a fun bake session with my niece today ^^ This recipe was really good for kids! Super simple and the hardest thing was probably microwaving the butter and chocolate. All you need is just need one bowl and one spoon! 

These cookies were a great texture: nice and chewy! I sprinkled the top with a bit of salt and that just took the flavour to the next level. As it's school holidays at the moment, maybe you can make these with your kids!

Brownie Cookies
Recipe by Sweetest Menu

Ingredients
150g dark chocolate melts (a block of eating chocolate also works)
75g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar (*EDIT: I made these again recently and reduced the sugar to 180g and it was still nice and sweet)
2 large eggs
105g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
75g chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 180oC (normal oven) or 160oC (fan-forced). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Place butter and dark chocolate in large microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second bursts, mixing in between until melted and smooth.
3. Add sugar and mix together. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after eat addition until well incorporated.
4. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir until smooth.
5. Add chocolate chips and mix well.
6. Spoon tablespoonful of mix onto baking tray (I used a cookie scoop/ice-cream scoop and it was really useful!). Make sure you leave enough room for the cookies to spread. Bake for 13-14 minutes until cookies have spread and cracked on top.
7. Leave cookies on tray to cool completely to cool before eating (I know it can be hard waiting but it's worth it!!). Sprinkle with a bit of salt and enjoy!

If you have a sweet craving, these are quick to make and will definitely satisfy those cravings!

Happy Baking!! Till the next episode... :)

Hotteok 호떡 (Korean Sweet Pancake) - Baking with Tray ep. 8

Hi all!

Today we made one of my favourite Korean street snacks: Hotteok!! (호떡) often mispronounced as 'hotdog'..haha but there is a HUGE difference! Hotteok are sweet pancakes filled with an oozy melted cinnamon sugar and sometimes nuts.

They were such a cheap street snack that when I visited Korea a few years ago I ate one everyday!! I've yet to find a place in Australia that does it... (so if you are thinking of starting a food truck then there's an idea for ya!). 

I've made hotteok a few times (see recipe here) but this time I used a different recipe (uses milk instead of water and the addition of nuts). I think the texture was better and definitely going to add nuts in the future. Loved the crunch!

It might look or sound hard to make but it's not! Even can make it with a sleeping baby on you ^^

Hotteok (호떡)
Recipe by My Korean Kitchen

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm milk
cooking oil
Filling
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbs crushed nuts (I used walnuts)

1. Sift the flour into the large bowl. Add sugar, salt, yeast and milk and mix together until a dough is formed. Cover and proof for at least 1 hour.
2. After dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough a few times with your fist to release the gas. Cover and let rest for another 20 minutes. Make the filling by mixing brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts in a small bowl.
3. When the dough is ready, coat your hands in some cooking oil to prevent the dough sticking to your hands. Form the dough into a rough log and divide into 6 dough balls.
4. Put one dough ball into your hand and flatten out. Put about a tablespoon of filling into the centre of the dough and seal the dough to make a ball.
5. Heat a frying pan on medium high heat and put about 1 tbs of cooking oil. Place one ball onto the pan (or more if you have room) and fry for about 30 seconds or until the bottom is slightly golden brown.
6. Flip pancake over and press down using the back of a spatula to flatten the pancake. Place lid on pan and turn heat to low. Cook for 1 minute.
7. Flip pancake one last time and cook for another 30 seconds - 1 minute. Remove pancake from pan. Cook the remaining pancakes.

These are best served hot! But just be careful not to burn your mouth on the melted sugar! Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Happy Baking!! Till the next episode...

Chocolate Soufflé - Baking with Tray ep. 7

Hello all!

Today we baked chocolate soufflé live on instagram! A bit sad because I don't know where the video saved...so if you didn't catch it.. sorry there's no replay! But here's the recipe :)

It's super simple and tastes light and fluffy! One thing is that you kinda need to eat it immediately otherwise it will deflate (but I'm sure it'll still tastes great!).

Chocolate Soufflé
Recipe adapted from Donna Hay

Ingredients
2 egg yolks
80ml (1/3 cup) milk
1 Tbs corn flour/corn starch
1 Tbs cocoa powder
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar 
40g dark chocolate melts
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (*I used lemon juice)
20g unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 180oC. Brush 2-3 ramekins with melted butter and dust with cocoa powder. 
2. Place egg yolks, milk, corn flour, cocoa powder and caster sugar in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until mixture begins to thicken (~3 min). As soon as mixture thickens, add dark chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted and mixture is thicker (~1 min).
3. Transfer to large bowl and refrigerate for 5 min to cool slightly.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar/lemon juice until stiff peaks. Remove chocolate mix from fridge. Fold in egg whites one third at a time.
5. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins. Run your finger 0.5cm around the edge of the ramekin. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 15-18 min or until risen. Dust soufflés with icing sugar and serve immediately.

These would be great for dessert for a dinner party (Once restrictions ease!)! You can eat it with ice-cream, whipped cream or a chocolate sauce!

Hope you guys try it out! Happy Baking :D Till the next episode...

If Jonah Can Bake POUND CAKE, So Can You! (Episode 3)

Hi everyone! 

Today I taught Jonah to make a simple but classic pound cake (saw it on Breadahead Bakery's IG Live tutorials!). His dad used to make a butter cake for him when he was young and I'm pretty sure it was a pound cake because when he asked for the recipe, the answer was.. equal amount of sugar, butter, flour and eggs. A classic pound cake has an equal ratio of butter, flour, sugar and eggs but this version has a few more ingredients added and a bit more butter to give that nice buttery flavour and texture. 

It's a really simple cake, made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry! The flavourings you can add are endless too! Lemon, chocolate, vanilla... the choice is up to you! 

We made a sugar glaze to put on top because.. why not! Gives the cake a nice shine.

Pound Cake
Recipe from Breadaheadbakery

Ingredients
185g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
150g caster sugar
150g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs (150g)
55g milk

Sugar glaze
40g water
60g caster sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180oC (mine was fan-forced) and grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with electric mixer/stand mixer on high for 3-4 minutes until pale and creamy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
4. Add the flour mix into the butter/sugar bowl and beat on high for 1-2 minutes until incorporated.
5. Beat the eggs and milk in a small bowl/jug. Pour liquid slowly into cake batter while still mixing at the same time. Beat until all incorporated.
6. Pour batter into loaf tin and bake for around 50 minutes or until golden brown and skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool.
7. While cake is cooling make the sugar glaze by putting water and sugar in small saucepan. Heat on high heat until a rapid boil occurs and sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and brush over the cake.

If you want a taller cake then you can double the recipe or just use a smaller tin. We'll definitely be trying out this recipe again :) 

Happy Baking! Till the next episode...

Amaretti - Baking with Tray ep. 6

Hello again!

Can't believe we are up to episode 6 already :D wow! After the last episode's semi fail bake, I needed to bake something a little more simple to get my confidence back up! I have actually never eaten amaretti before but a friend baked some and it looked so good so I thought I'd give it a go!

Amaretti are a sweet almondy Italian cookie that have a crispy outside and a soft and chewy inside. They are actually supposed to be slightly bitter (from bitter almonds) but this is a sweeter recipe. Best to be eating with coffee or tea. They only contain 4 ingredients so hope you give it a go too!

Amaretti
Recipe from Breadaheadbakery

Ingredients
1 egg white (30g)
94g caster sugar
150g almond meal
pure icing sugar, for coating

1. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Pre-heat oven to 190oC (mine was fan-forced)
2. Whisk the egg white in a clean bowl (can you a manual whisk or electric beater) until soft peaks.
3. Add caster sugar and whisk until thick and glossy (~1 minute)
4. Using a spatula, mix in almond meal until it turns into a dough. 
5. Roll teaspoonsful of dough into balls (or you can make larger ones if you want). Coat balls generously in icing sugar and place on baking tray. (Don't be tempted to dust off extra icing sugar).
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and the tops have cracked open.

Loved the taste of my first amaretti and also was easy to bake :) You could do so many different flavours! Maybe next time I'll try matcha!!

Happy Baking :) till the next episode....

If Jonah Can Bake THUMBPRINT COOKIES, So Can You! (Episode 2)

Hi everyone!

My husband, Jonah, asked me the other day, "How did I become a regular baker on your instagram?" hahaha! Quite funny! Not sure how it happened because he was supposed to be a special guest and now he's a regular! But I think it's pretty cool. I get to teach him what I love to do and also get to see his progress!

This week he levelled up! Not only did he make the dough beforehand (so that with TV magic he could say "Here's one I prepared earlier.") but he also did some cookie decorating! He made these Thumbprint cookies (aka Raspberry Shortbread Cookies on a previous blog post) and filled them with different fillings. The cookie dough needs to be rested for at least 1 hour so make sure you plan ahead. 

Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients
113g butter, room temperature
67g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
140g (1 cup) plain flour
Glaze
60g (1/2) cup soft icing sugar
1-2 tbs milk

1. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with electric mixer until well combined.
2. Add vanilla and mix. 
3. Add half of the flour and either mix on low speed or use a wooden spoon to combine. Add the rest of the flour and mix until combined. If still dry, you can use your hands to press the dough into a ball. Cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 180oC and line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 
5. Shape teaspoonsful of dough into balls (If the dough is too hard, you can work it with your hands. The warmth of your hands should soften the dough). Place 1 inch apart onto baking tray. Using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indent in the centre of each cookie. Fill with jam or any other spreads (e.g. nutella, biscoff). 
6. Bake for 14 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Allow to cool.
7. Make glaze by mixing icing sugar and milk and drizzle over cooled cookies.

You can be creative with the fillings (maybe not vegemite haha) and the shapes :)

Happy Baking!! Till the next episode....