French Style Cheesecake

Cheesecake or a cake baked with cheese is usually rich and dense. It is delicious and not overtly sweet. My daughter is fond of cheesecakes and I have always wanted to try one at home. She likes the New York style cheesecake but that is truly rich. I wanted something light and so decided to bake this French style cheesecake. French cheesecakes are light and fluffy though they may be very rich too.

This cheesecake is made with a cream cheese called neufchatel. This cheese is from the Normandy region of France and is under EU protection. The version of neufchatel sold in the US is lighter than regular cream cheese. That got me interested in it and I went looking for it in my neighborhood Whole Foods. I was surprised to find it in the Whole Foods brand. I guess it is really popular here in the US.

The cream cheese was easy to work with and combined with the sour cream gave the cheesecake a lovely flavor. Using sour cream instead of whipping cream helped lighten the cake too. I debated whether to use fresh fruit compote to garnish the top but in the end settled for some kiwi slices. I baked the cheesecake in individual serving bowls. When the cake came out of the oven the aroma spread through the whole house.

You will need
For the crust
6 Digestive biscuits or graham crackers
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. butter, melted

For the filling
1 8 oz. packet Neufchatel cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Break the digestive biscuits or graham crackers in small pieces and place them in a plastic sealed bag. Using a rolling pin roll over the bag to crush the biscuits. In a mixing bowl combine the crushed biscuits with the sugar and melted butter. Place the mixture on the bottom of the baking dish or bowls. Press down such that it rises up about an 1/2 inch on the side.

Let the cold ingredients sit on the kitchen counter until they reach room temperature. It is a lot easier to work with. Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer for half a minute. Add the other ingredients and beat again for another half minute. Ladle the mixture over the crumb crust. Place the bowls on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake is jiggly but set. Let the cake cool slightly before placing the bowls in the refrigerator. Cool completely for about an hour or two. Garnish with fruit or chocolate.

Enjoy!

Beetroot cake

In my attempt to bake more cakes I baked this moist beetroot cake. When my daughter saw the batter she was sure she was not going to like it. She likes beetroot but had reservations about this cake. But when it came out of the oven she was all for having a slice.

If you have cake flour this would be the cake to use it in.

You will need
150 ml oil
2 eggs
250 gm soft flour
2 tsp. baking powder
150 gm brown sugar
200 gm beetroot
100 gm raisins

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a cake pan and keep aside. I used a small 7" springform pan.

Peel, wash and shred the beetroot. Keep aside. In a bowl beat the oil and eggs. Sift in the flour. Add the baking powder and brown sugar. Now add the shredded beetroot and mix using an electric mixture or a wooden spoon. Mix in the raisins and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake for an hour and a half or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.

The cake should be soft and moist inside. Enjoy!

Applesauce Cake

We all have a sweet tooth in my family and enjoy a bite of something sweet after lunch and dinner. I have made a lot of different desserts but I recently realized I do not make cake as often. I am determined to correct that so today I have an applesauce cake.

Unlike typical fruit cakes where diced fruit is added to the cake or upside down cakes where slices are placed under the cake, this cake has applesauce. You can make applesauce at home. Peel, core and dice the apples. Place them in a pan with a little sugar allow them to cook on low heat until mushy. Mash down the cooked apples and your applesauce is ready. You could use store bought applesauce if you wish.

You will need
55 gm butter
100 gm sugar
125 gm applesauce
125 gm flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 cloves, ground to powder
handful of raisins

Before you begin ensure the butter is at room temperature and the applesauce is chilled. Prepare a loaf pan by running a little oil to the bottom and sides. Keep aside. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the applesauce and beat well. Sift the flour and add it to the applesauce mixture along with the baking powder and powdered cinnamon and cloves. Add the raisins and mix well. Pour it into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 375 F and bake for another 20 minutes. If the top gets brown too quickly tent it with foil. When done take the cake out of the oven and let it sit in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Enjoy a slice as dessert or at tea time!

Halawat Gajur

Gajar halwa is common in south west Asia. But this version in my opinion takes the cake. Literally. It is baked into a cake. This will be my go to halwa recipe from now on. We all liked it very much. My daughter who is not really into sweets chose to pass on it but anyone who likes sweet dishes would love it.

I made a small portion with just two carrots because I did not want too much leftover. The last few days I seem to be trying new things all the time and making them in tiny portions has worked out well. Especially of something as delicious as this halwa, that I love. It was an effort to have a small piece for dessert after dinner and leave the rest for another day. The only tiny pan I had on hand was heart shaped, so the cake is in the shape of a heart.

You will need

2 carrots

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. heavy cream

1 tbsp. ghee

Wash and peel the carrots and shred them. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the shredded carrots. 

Saute on medium heat until the carrots are cooked and browned slightly. You will see the quantity drop as the carrots cook.

Add the sugar and mix well. The sugar will melt and coat the carrots. Continue to saute the carrots for couple more minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Add the 1/4 cup of cream and let the mixture cook until the cream is incorporated in the carrots to form a paste.

Transfer to an oven proof mold. Spread the tablespoon of cream over the top. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top and sides are brown. Let it cool on the kitchen counter. 

Refrigerate for a couple hours. 

Best eaten chilled.

Welsh Moist Cake

This Welsh cake is a true delight. It is very flavorful but very rustic at the same time. The batter is assembled and piled on a dinner plate and baked. Now I had never baked anything on my dinner plate before so I was understandably a little skeptical. During the first few minutes the cake looked like it was going to go over the edges of the dish instead of growing upwards. But then after another few minutes it sprung in the right direction. It was moist and stayed that way for a couple of days in our hot summer. This is definitely something I will try again.

I halved the original recipe and wished I had not. My father enjoyed a small slice of the cake with his afternoon tea until it was all gone.

Recipe adapted from here

You will need
4 tbsp. butter
110 gm flour
55 gm sugar
30 gm raisins
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, powdered
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Sift the flour in a bowl. Bring the butter to room temperature and rub it in to the flour. Combine with sugar, raisins, baking powder and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Add it to the flour mixture. Pour in the milk. Bring the batter together with a fork until there is no dry flour left. Do not over do it. Grease a side plate and transfer the batter to the plate.

Resist the urge to smooth out the top. Bake the cake for 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Mouwarka

Mouwarka is a yeast leavened sweet bread stuffed with almonds and walnuts. It is the shaping of this bread that caught my attention. The dough is rolled out really thin and the filling spread over it. Next a hole is made in the center and the dough rolled outward from the center to the edges. The result is a beautiful ring which is folded almost like a serpent and baked in a cast iron pan.

I accidentally bought red berry whole wheat flour instead of the white whole wheat flour so used that in this recipe. It added a brownish tinge to the dough.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
40 gm strong flour (I used whole wheat)
1 gm instant yeast
1 gm salt
6 tbsp. water

For the filling
20 gm almonds
20 gm walnuts
20 gm sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. orange blossom water or rose water (I used mint extract)

1 tbsp oil, divided

Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and form dough. Knead well and keep aside covered for a couple of hours. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Grind the walnuts and almonds to a coarse powder and mix in the powdered sugar. Keep aside until needed.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Take the risen dough on a work surface and with the help of some flour roll it out into a large disc.

Transfer to a tea towel and continue to thin it out. Spread half the oil over the top.

Now place the filling in the center of the rolled dough.

Spread the filling out evenly leaving 3/4 of an inch all around.

Make a hole in the center and pull the dough up over the filling.

Continue rolling the dough outwards on all sides making the center wider as you go.

Continue until you reach the end and form a ring.

Seal the edges by pinching them in. Then shape the rings as shown below and place it in a cast iron pan. Apply the remaining oil over the top.

Bake for 10 minutes until the top is brown and mouwarka is crispy.

Transfer to a cooling rack until cool.

The crispy and not overtly sweet dessert is ready.

Breakfast Banana Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

Presenting a very simple banana bundt cake.

Mother's day in our house always makes me feel happy. I usually get a beautiful hand made card (the summer scrap booking class all those years ago is still paying off). I also get a bouquet of some very unique tulips made just for me (that would be the balloon shaping class). All this is presented at breakfast.

This is my second month baking with the bundt bakers. Last month I forgot to add baking soda to the batter. This month I made a mistake that was way worse. It almost ruined the cake. While I was running a spatula down the sides to loosen the cake I completely forgot about the center. I turned the cake over and the center stayed put. What did fall out on the plate was threatening to fall to pieces.

I was sure I was going to have to bake another cake for this post. Having nothing to lose I decided to try to salvage the cake. I quickly placed the bundt pan back on the fallen cake and turned it over to put the cake back in the pan. The cake was still pretty hot. I let it sit in the pan for about 20 minutes.

Then I ran my spatula around the hole in the middle and turned it out on a plate again. The cake came out in decent shape, only two pieces. The original plan was to dust the top with sugar but this cake needed something more. I searched for and found a completely opaque glaze to cover the not so pretty top. As you can tell from the pictures the cake has been in distress but it tasted so good it was all gone at breakfast the next morning. And in the process I found a recipe for a really tasty cream cheese glaze.

I sincerely hope I have an uneventful baking day next month when I bake the next bundt baker cake.

Recipe adapted from here and the glaze adapted from here.

You will need

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (I used fat free yogurt)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda

For the cream cheese glaze
2 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat variety)
Couple drops vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar (I powdered a little less than half a cup of regular sugar)
1 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and flour a 6-inch bundt pan. In a mixing bowl beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until the well combined and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and the egg and beat well. Mash the bananas and fold them into the bowl. Next fold in the sour cream or yogurt. Sift the flour and baking soda. Add it to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Mix well and transfer the batter to the pan. Smooth the top and bake for 55-60 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool for 10-20 minutes. Run a spatula around the edges as well as the hole in the center. Place a plate over the top of the pan and flip it over to transfer the cake on to the plate. Allow the cake to cool completely. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the glaze and pour it over the top of the cooled cake.

Enjoy!

Colorful Spring Bundt Cake #BundtBakers

A super colorful spring bundt cake

I have always wanted to bake a multicolored cake. I got this recipe from the King Arthur website where it is called lemon bliss cake. I decided to skip the lemon and add a teaspoon of mint extract that I happened to have on hand. I am so glad I did! It gave the cake a fresh refreshing flavor.

I wanted to substitute the all purpose flour called for in the recipe with cake flour. Just before adding the cake flour to the batter I started having second thoughts. I went to the King Arthur website and asked to chat with an agent. Mary, the agent, promptly told me not to make the substitution as this cake needed the stronger all purpose flour. Wow! I was impressed. Thanks King Arthur Flour!

I enjoyed playing with the batter; dividing it, mixing in the colors and layering them in the pan.
The only thing I would change about this cake is the glaze. I should have dusted sugar on the top instead.

You will need
8 tbsp butter, melted
scant 1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp mint extract
liquid colors green and yellow

Preheat oven to 350 F. Using a combination of oil and flour grease the bundt pan. Ensure you get all the nooks and crannies.

Combine and cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time. Beat until fluffy. Sift the baking powder and flour together. Add a little of the flour mixture and milk alternating between the two until it is all gone. Continue beating the batter. I used a hand beater. Fold in the mint extract.

Divide the batter into 3 bowls. Fold in the green color into one of the bowls and the yellow color in another.

Layer the batter one color at a time in the prepared pan.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. A few minutes before the cake is done bring 2 cups of water to a boil in the microwave. Place a couple of hand towels in the sink and soak them with warm water. Just before removing the cake from the oven pour the heated water from the microwave over the towels. Now place the bundt pan on the hot towels for about 20 seconds. Working quickly loosen the sides of the cake. Invert the pan on a cooling rack and watch the cake release in one piece.

Apply glaze while the cake is hot or dust lightly with powdered sugar. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Enjoy a slice of a very moist, mint flavored, colorful spring cake!

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Swirl Bread

This is a 100% whole wheat cinnamon swirl bread. Instead of strong flour I used regular chapati flour. I have found that when I use this flour I have to use a little more liquid than called for in the recipe.

I used organic apple juice in place of orange juice. I also added raisins to the cinnamon sugar to add a naturally sweet taste. I left the eggs out altogether and used a third of a teaspoon of vanilla extract to coat the bread. I halved the recipe and ended up with a roll instead of a loaf.

I have made other cinnamon breads like the Swedish Coffee Bread and the Beautiful Cinnamon Bread. This bread is a simpler version. I am very happy with the end result and will definitely make this recipe again.

You will need
For the Starter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I used chapati flour)
Fourth of 1/4 oz Fleischmann instant yeast packet

For the Dough
The remaining packet of yeast
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
2 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. apple juice

1 1/4 + 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

For the filling
1/3 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. cinnamon powder
3 tbsp. sugar
a handful of raisins

Prepare the starter by mixing the water, flour and yeast. Keep at room temperature overnight. It should get puffy.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes. Cover and keep aside until double in volume or about an hour and a half.

Prepare the loaf pan by placing parchment paper on the inside.

Punch down the risen bread gently and roll into a sheet. Ensure the short side is a little shorter than the length of your loaf pan.

Flip the sheet over so the smooth side is on the bottom. This is something I forgot to do. Sprinkle the vanilla extract all over the sheet and spread it.

Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the sheet of dough. Sprinkle raisins all over the sheet.

Starting from one of the short sides fold tightly into a roll. Seal the ends and the seam. Smooth it out by rolling back and forth on the working surface.

Place the roll in the loaf pan. Ideally the roll should rise to touch the sides of the pan and eventually rise above the pan. However, since I halved the recipe mine turned out to be a log.

Let it sit covered for an hour and a half.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the risen roll into the oven for 20 minutes.

Cover the top with an aluminium foil and bake for another 30 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Cool completely before slicing.

Serve with a beverage of your choice.