Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Hi everyone and happy weekend to you!

Today post is Cheesecake!  Have you baked cheesecake before?  I bet you do.... I have baked cheesecake before but unfortunately it always turn out to be failures and never got the guts to post it in my blog here!  I guess I am not good in baking cheesecake especially those Japanese types or the cottony soft types!

When I saw Sonia posted her beautiful Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, I was so swooned over by the swirl she made on the cheesecake and I bet you do too.  Earlier I did saw Jane's Corner  posted hers and she made it so perfectly beautiful too!

Of course, I thought I should get up and do the same.... and you know what today my post of this cheesecake is my third time.  Though I am still not very pleased with it and thought I should go for the fourth time....  but I just go ahead to post it though it is not beautiful as of Sonia's and Jane's ~ they are the pro in bakes!

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
Recipe from Sonia's (I half of the recipe as the same in Jane's ) 

Ingredients 
200g Cream Cheese

20g caster sugar

2 Egg Yolks

25g low protein flour

100g Whipping cream

2  Egg Whites，

40g caster sugar

½ cup Raspberry filling (store-bought) OR 1 cup frozen raspberry + 1tbsp sugar (Process raspberries in food processor with 2 tablespoons sugar until smooth. Strain purée into a small saucepan. Boil mixture for 3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Cool to room temperature.)

Method

1. Remove whipping cream from fridge, immediate beat till soft peak, set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese with sugar till smooth (I use stand mixer)
3. Add in egg yolks and mix well. Add in flour and combine well.
4. Mix in whipped cream, mix till well combine.
5. Beat egg white till foamy (I use hand mixer), gradually add in sugar and continue to

     beat till soft peaks.
6. Use a hand whisk, mix in 1/3 meringue with cream cheese batter as to lighten the

     batter.
7. Then use a spatula, fold in the balance meringue, fold gently till combine well.
8. Pour batter into cake tin (line paper on the bottom), and make marble effect with

raspberry filling (fill raspberry filling into a piping bag or squeeze out bottle, 

drop small dots scattered the  whole cake, and then use a  pointy skewer to swirl

into the marble effect).
9. Bake at a pre-heated oven at 140C for 60mins at lower rack using steaming bake

method (place a roasting tin underneath and add in hot water before putting in the

cake tin).
10. Cool on a wire rack, remove the cake and chill the cheesecake before consuming.

My cheesecake has a bad cracked on top and were slightly browned eventhough I baked it at 130C.  After I let the cake cool in the fridge, I took it out and "repaired" it by squirt out some raspberry filling to cover the crack! 

I warmed up the raspberry filling with some water to make it diluted, strain & sieve it, let cool before pouring into this squeeze bottle and squirt out to the cheesecake.

Though it is not the perfect cheesecake this time round, of course I have so much enjoyed it.

Would I make it again for the fourth time?  You bet!  Who knows, it will be perfect 10 leh....

Orange Cheesecake With Kumquat Compote

I have been so intrigue when Wendy of Table for 2....or more  posted this recipe early last year during Chinese New Year.  As we can only get hold of the Kumquat during the season (usually in Chinese New Year), I told myself that I must get hold of the Kumquat this year to make it.

Orange Cheesecake With Kumquat Compote

adapted from Wendy of Table for 2 .....or more

Ingredients
250gm cream cheese, softened
125gm sweetened condensed milk
60gm whipping cream
1 egg
20gm corn starch
40gm cake flour
1 Tbsp orange zest
60ml fresh orange juice
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
30gm sugar

1. Prepare and line a springform pan. Wrap pan with aluminium foil to prevent water from seeping into the
    baking pan.  Please refer to Wendy's blog here  of her photos how to wrap the baking pan if you do
    not know how.
    Preheat oven to 130C(fan)/150C  
2. Sift the cornstarch and flour; set aside.
3. Mix orange juice and egg yolks, lightly beat for a while; set aside.
4. With a large spoon, beat cream cheese until smooth and put in condensed milk and mix until smooth.
    Put in whipping cream and beat until smooth. Put in egg and beat until smooth. Put in sifted flour and mix
    until smooth. Put in orange juice mixture and and zest and mix until smooth.
5. Beat egg whites until frothy. Put n cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks. Put in sugar gradually and beat
    until stiff, and the peaks are softly hooked when whisk is turned upright.
6. Fold half of the beaten egg whites into the cheese mixture. Repeat with balance of whites.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and put the whole set of prepared pans into the oven. Pour boiling water
    into the outer pan until it’s at least 1/3 the height of the inner pan. (Bain Marie bake).
8. Bake for 1 hour. Cool cake in oven (door ajar) for half an hour. Remove cake from oven and cool down
    totally. Chill in fridge for 5 hours before serving. With a skewer/toothpick, poke cake to create at least 30
    holes to absorb the syrup from the compote.

What I like this cheesecake is the flavour of the orange in the cheesecake, and most of all, is the Kumquat compote.  I really loves the taste of it.

Though the cheesecake may not be that soft in texture after the next day,  it is still yummy.
The more I munch, the more tastier it is felt in my mouth.

Red, White And Blueberry Cheesecake Tart

Whenever I am in Singapore visiting my sister, I would make it a point to go to the library to borrow lots of cookbook to refer to.  And when I have a few books in hands, I will kept myself busy typing out the recipes I wanted to cook one day.

I loves watching Martha Stewart's show.  In her talk show, she would invite guests or professional chef to show how to cook and bake or show how to make an arts & crafts, how to upkeep your plants, how to clean your handbags, etc, etc.

And here I would like to bake one of Martha Stewart's Red, White & Blueberry Cheesecake Tart from one of her cookbooks I borrowed from the library.  You can find the recipe in here at Martha Stewart's site.

RED, WHITE & BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE TART

from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts Cookbook

Take all the layers of classic cheesecake – crumbly graham-cracker crust, rich, creamy filling and fresh fruit topping and combine them in a modern tart. Save some of the cooking syrup for tossing with the blueberries before scattering them over the top.  (makes one 9” tart).

For the crust ((I made this crust using 1 ½ recipe)

6 Graham cracker sheets (abt 3 ½ ounces)

1/3 cup whole raw almonds

¼ cup sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup sour cream (I used plain yoghurt)

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

For the topping

4 red plums, halved, pitted and cut to ½” pieces

½ cup sugar

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

10 ounces (2 cups) fresh blueberries (1 cup would do)

Make the crust : Preheat oven to 180C.  In a food processor, pulse graham crackers, almonds and sugar until finely ground; add butter, and process until combined.  Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up sides of a 9” tart pan with a removable bottom.  Refrigerate until firm about 15 minutes.

Make the filling :  Carefully wipe processor blade and bowl clean.  Process cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, and salt just until smooth.  Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet; fill with cream cheese mixture.  Bake until filling is just set 30 to 35 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the topping : In a medium saucepan, combine plums, sugar, and lemon juice.  Cook at a low simmer, stirring until mixture has thickened to a jam like consistency, 15 to 25 minutes (time will depend on ripeness of fruit).  Reserve 1 tbsp cooking liquid (no solids); cool remaining plum mixture completely.

Leaving a 1 inch border, spread cooled plum mixture over tart filling (meaning do not spread the plum all over, just leave an inch space away from the graham cracker border).  Reheat reserved plum liquid until loose.  In a medium bowl, combine with blueberries, and scatter on top of plum mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve, 2 hours or up to 1 day, unmold before serving.

A tart with cream cheese, plums and blueberries topping, what could go wrong for this delicious dessert! 

Just out from oven, and in the cooling process before putting the plums and blueberries topping.

I can't wait for 2 hours to have the tart to set........can't resist myself from cutting a slice for myself first. 

I have not submitted any of my food post to the Aspiring Bakers before, and since they are hosting Pies & Tarts for this month, I think I just post it in to join in the fun!.

I am submitting this post to the Aspiring Bakers #10: Easy as Pie (August 2011)  hosted by Not the Kitchen Sink!