And they're still asking!

Easy to make, hard to dress up! But managed to scramble some passionfruit curd and papaya to make it local. I think this was literally because I wanted to post a new photo on instagram. hahaha.

Cheesecake. I'm sure it is unrequited too because it certainly does not help the waistline. It will probably take two taps of the Bay Run to work off...

Probably one of the most decadent desserts in cake form and most versatile. Baked, unbaked, philly or ricotta. Cookie crumbs, brownie base, pastry base... whatever the form, it is so delicious.

This one?

Super tall (did I mention I LOVE tall cakes?) Bailey's Irish Cream Double Baked Cheesecake with Bailey's Whipped cream, a sprinkle of cocoa and fresh strawberries. Is your mouth watering yet? A couple of the guys at work did TWO slices. Wow. Needless to say, invites to this morning tea were quite exclusive.

Flowers, frangipanes and chocolate for Cath's retirement. She is travelling with her husband to Europe indefinitely. Buying a motor-home and doing as they please. I only wish that one day, I will do what I say I want to do, not just dream about it. . .

And to finish the week (cake-wise), whipped up a frosted raspberry and vanilla cake for a birthday in the Hunter Valley. Wine, country roads, scenery, open fires and good company. My kind of weekend!

I'll admit that making cheesecakes with fruit as opposed to chocolate or liquor or cookies etc etc is indefinitely more popular and perhaps more refreshing and lighter than other cheesecakes. Baked cheesecakes are known for being dense (try Japanese or unbaked for a lighter texture). I do love experimenting with other flavours though and its been awhile since trying green tea, black sesame, etc etc. Will have to find an occasion. 

I'm quite fond of piling fruit on top and leaving it rustic looking. It sets it apart from the cakes in the shops and it personalizes each cake. It also shows that the produce is 100% fresh :)

I had actually originally envisioned this cake with lashings of Irish Cream mousse piped into a dome towards the centre so it gives this cake a little bit of height and more character. Instead, I opted for classic strawberries & a sprig of rosemary for colour. 

The inside is white so I think the contract would have been lovely.

This recipe calls for a quarter of a cup of coffee beans (whole) to be simmered with 1 cup of cream for about 15-20 minutes. The shortcut I suppose would be to add a shot or two of coffee directly into the cream cheese mixture. However, I think that this additional step provides a more subtle flavour and a nicer colour! (Looks just like the New York Cheesecake but packed with coffee essence - it literally warms up the whole kitchen).

A second technique that is unique to this baked cheesecake is that the eggs are separated and yolks and whites used in two separate steps. Usually, the whites are beaten to soft peaks in a no-bake cheesecake for added volume and to aerate the mixture. However, this step is usually omitted in a baked cheesecake as these cakes are usually suppose to be quite dense. So it is very interesting  (and highly risky) to do this in a baked cheesecake. I think more times than not, the additional volume causes the cake to crack upon cooling. I wouldn't say it definitely gives me volume to the cake once cooled and refrigerated - and certainly not as much as the Japanese Cheesecake - but perhaps provides a subtle yet different texture?

Hooray, quarter-end madness is over and we can bake at regular hours again! ;) No more midnight cakes and early morning frostings.

Raspberries as sooooo in season right now and they are mouth-watering. We had a few punnets in the fridge and had to guard them fiercely to make this White Chocolate & Raspberry Baked Cheesecake. Chocolate in a cheesecake takes it to a whole 'nother level. And just because, we topped in with a layer of raspberry cream before covering with fresh berries.

It was really really good. I kid you not.

YES WE CAN!

Berries, the not-so-new wonder fruit. Low in sugar content and therefore perfect for the diabetic.

We made this baked cheesecake through some tweaking of our recipes and with Splenda. Sugar substitutes do not bake well in cakes. Ever. But looks like there may be some exceptions to those rules. More or less, the texture was like a normal baked cheesecake (dense, smooth and creamy and in this case, loaded with fruit) and 4 out of 5 people would say that the flavour is all there and if you hadn't told them it was sugarfree, they wouldn't have given it a second thought. Good news there!

So if you've got a friend of a family member who can't have too much sugar and a special occasion coming up, give this sugarfree cheesecake a thought or two!

Look forward to hearing from you :-)

Had am amazing day in the kitchen and thanks for our helped Donna today for her awesome contribution to decorating all our Christmas cookies today!

Made this yummy looking mummy and baby sized white chocolate and lemon mousse baked cheesecake with scorched meringue. Looks good, tastes good, smells good and made for sharing.

This afternoon was time to get stuck into more Christmas baking.

We finished our second batch of Belgium Cookies, made Passionfruit Shortbread, Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread boys and girls and...

THESE AWESOME GINGERBREAD HOUSES!!! ... A WHOLE CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE of them!

So much fun to make, bake and build and build and build. There are surprises in these too. Can't wait to gift them and share the love! Each house has their own sleigh and welcoming Tiny Teddy too.

And we even had some spare minutes to come up with these genius cookie christmas puddings. Again with surprises inside!

Berries are in season and so begins making them delicious! Stewing, baking, dehydrating, in pies, fresh, smoothies, juiced, the list is endless.

This one's a mixed berry baked cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries, a white chocolate squiggle and strawberry glaze. Can I just say... it smells so delicious that I almost wish I got to have a piece too!

Just the right amount of berries (sweet and tart), cream cheese and a touch of sour cream to balance the flavours. 

When are you going to order YOURS?

It almost felt like being on MasterChef and the Sunday Night Invention Test!

Was given the last of creating a cake for a farewell in the office this week and there was no brief! I could do anything i wanted!

I knew I wanted to make a cheesecake. And I knew most of the people in the office weren't keen on dense, designed cakes. Lashings of cream and soft centres seemed the way to go. Not to mention that the person whom the cake was originally intended for had just gotten braces so we had to go with something easily digestible!

And so this White Chocolate & Lemon Mousse Cheesecake with Scorched Meringue was born... yes, i know, it's a mouthful. But a yummy one at that.

Have to say it was a little nerve-wracking! It was the cake that I actually made for this office so knew I was going to be on the judging panel (and of course, it was all the more exciting with a couple of other avid bakers in the office!).

In the end, I think we only just had enough to feed the crowds. I honestly didn't know we had so many people in the office until Friday morning tea. Where did they all come from?!?! And very relieved (and happy, of course) that there were positive reviews all around! Yay! Someone even asked where I bought the cake from. Ha-ha... how flattering!!

I don't do small cakes very often. But this size is perfect for about 4-6 people. And this was the size of my birthday cake back in Japan all those years ago...and as a hoarder, I even kept the box... because it was so pretty!

Bailey's Cheesecake. Flavour's awesome and not alcoholic at all.

It was my sister's 18th birthday cake. 2-tier... disappeared in about 5 minutes... It was awesome.

Here's another birthday cake - sans the writing for now... white chocolate shards, fresh whole strawberries and topped with a ribbon. yum yum yum.

Yield 1 x 10-inch round

Ingredients
250 g NICE biscuits
100 g butter, melted
750 g cream cheese, softened
150 mL thickened cream
1 C sugar
2 limes, juiced and zested
3 eggs
1/2 t vanilla

Method
1. Preheat oven to 110 degrees and grease and line springform baking tin.
2. Crush biscuits and add melted butter to form biscuit base. Press into the base of the tin and refrigerate until needed.
3. Beat cream cheese, lime juice and zest, sugar and vanilla until combined.
4. Add eggs one at a time until just combined. Beat in thickened cream.
5. Pour mixture oven base and bake in a slow oven for 45-60 minutes or until the centre of the cake is still slightly wobbly.
6. Cool with door ajar before refrigerating.

Yield 1 x 8-inch round

Ingredients
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
250 g cream cheese
50 g butter
100 mL milk
3/4 C sugar
1/4 t cream of tartar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 C flour
2 T cornflour

Method
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and grease and line baking tin with baking paper.
2. Melt cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add half the sugar and milk and stir well.
3. Fold in egg yolks and sift in flours. Combine well and add lemon juice.
4. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form whilst gradually adding remaining sugar and cream of tartar.
5. Fold flour mixture into egg whites and pour into prepared tin.
6. Bake cheesecake in a waterbath for 60-75 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Leave door ajar and cool in oven for about 15-20 minutes before removing to cool completely.

Best if you halve these ingredients to make a 6-7 inch cake.

Yield 1 x 10 inch

Ingredients:
250 g NICE bicsuits
100 g butter, melted
500 g cream cheese
300 g sour cream
3/4 C sugar
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 120 degrees and grease and line baking tin.
2. Beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth.
3. Whisk together eggs, Baileys and vanilla.
4. Gradually add egg mixture into the cheese mixture.
5. Stir in melted chocolate and combine well.
6. Pour onto prepared crust and bake for 45-55 minutes or until edges and puffed and dry but centre is still jiggly.
7. Cool in oven undisturbed.