Mini Cheesecake with chocolate-stuffed raspberry center

These mini cheesecakes were good! Notice I used past-tense. And also they are stinkin' cute.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crushed Oreo biscuits
• 30g butter, melted
• 225g cream cheese, softened
• 150g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 raspberries, stuffed with chocolate chips, dark or white
• melted chocolate for hearts and drizzle over cheesecakes
• sprinkles of your choice

Method:

Preheat oven to 160ºC/140ºC for fan oven.  Add cupcake liners to a cupcake pan.

Combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter. Divide the mixture between the cupcakes liners and press into the bottoms.

Bake the crust for 5 minutes then remove from the oven. Allow to cool while you make the filling.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy

Fill  the cupcake liner ½ full and add one stuff raspberry into each of the cupcakes. Fill with the rest of the cheese cream batter. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave the door closed for another 5 minutes. Crack the oven door and allow cheesecakes to cool for another 15-20 minutes, then pit in the fridge to finish cooling.

To finish off the cheesecakes, pipe the chocolate hearts onto parchment paper. Work quickly and add sprinkles before the chocolate hardens to ensure they stick well. Allow to harden.

Remove the cupcake liner from the cheesecake and place it in a serving plate. Drizzle with melted chocolate and place a chocolate heart on each cheesecake.

Pandan Angku (Gula Melaka Coconut Filling)

Traditionally this kuih is red colour and the filling is made of mung beans, known as Angku. However along the way lots of adaptation comes along and this green one is made from pandan juice with coconut filling. 
This kuih taste the best just when they have been freshly steamed. Because the skin will have the desired chewiness and the texture when is still lukewarm. Because such kuih entail a large portion of glutinous rice flour, they generally turn hard if left uncovered or overnight. To overcome this problem, do try and steam them up for a couple of minutes before consumption again.  Enjoy!!! 

Ingredients:
For the gula melaka filling:

• 110g gula melaka, grated
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 80g hot water 
• 2 pandan leaves, knoted
• 150g fresh shredded coconut, I use desiccated coconut
• 100g coconut milk if using desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp cornflour +1 tbsp water

For the Pandan skin:

• 80g yellow sweet potatoes, diced
• 100g pandan juice, I used  ½ tsp pandan paste mixed with 100g water
• 200g glutinous rice flour
• 60g hot water 
• 10g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Preparing gula melaka coconut filling: Combine coconut (or desiccated coconut , gula melaka, dark brown sugar, hot water, (coconut milk if using desiccated coconut) and pandan leaves in a non-stick cooking pan, cook over lowheat until sugar fully dissolved and the liquid has nearly dried up. Add in the cornflour mixture and cooked until the liquid dried up.

Divide the coconut filling into 20 portions and roll into a ball

Preparing pandan dough skin:  Steam the diced yellow potatoes over medium heat until very soft. Blend the pandan juice with the steamed sweet potatoes until smooth, set aside to cool.

Mix together hot water and 100g glutinous flour, then add in the pandan sweet potato paste, mix well. Combine icing sugar and another 100g glutinous flour , add to mixture. Mix into a dough. If too dry add a little pandan juice or water at a time until a smooth dough is formed. Add in cooking oil, knead until well blended.

Divide the dough into 20 portions, cover with cling wrap to prevent from drying.

Prepare 20 round banana leaves, coat with oil.

Lightly coat angku mould with glutinous flour, tap off excess flour. Shape the dough into a bowl, fill with coconut filling. Wrap filling fully with dough. Press until firm and shape into a ball. Put into the angku mould, press lightly with palm to fill the mould. Tap the mould gently on work top to un-mould the filled dough. Put onto an oiled banana leaf, then arrange in steamer rack.

Steam over medium heat for 8 minutes. Once taken out from steamer, lightly oiled the angku surface. Set aside to cool

Vegan Lemon Curd Layer Cake

Vegan lemon curd layer cake-easy, fluffy vegan lemon cake layered with vegan  lemon curd and vegan buttercream, perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients:
Vegan Lemon Curd:

• finely grated zest of 1 lemon, optional
• 1½ tbsp cornflour
• juice of 2 large lemons, about 100ml
• 50ml water
• pinch of salt
• 100g granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp almond milk
• 2 tbsp vegan spread

Vegan Lemon Cake:

• 300ml almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 150g vegan spread
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 275g self raising flour
• 45g cornflour
• 1 tbsp bicarbonate soda
• 175g castor sugar
• finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• couple drops lemon extract, optional

Vegan Lemon Buttercream:

• 150g vegan spread
• 225g icing sugar
• couple drops lemon extract

Method:

Vegan Lemon Curd: Make the lemon curd at least the day before you assemble the cake. Place the lemon zest (if using) and cornflour into a small stainless steel pan. Gradually whisk in the lemon juice then whisk in the water, salt and sugar.

Stir over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved then continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it comes up to a gentle simmer and becomes very thick; cook for a further minute.

Whisk in the almond milk and vegan spread and continue to stir over a low heat until melted and smooth then remove from the heat. If you like can pass the curd through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon zest. Transfer to a bowl or jar, cover and place in the fridge overnight. It will thicken as it cool and will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Vegan Lemon Cake: Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC for fan assist oven. Grease 3x 6in round tins or 2 x8in round tins and line the bases with baking parchment.

Stir the lemon juice into the almond milk and set aside to curdle. Place the vegan spread and the golden syrup in a small pan and heat until the spread has melted, set aside to cool slightly.

Sift the flour, cornflour and bicarbonate soda into a large bowl and stir in the sugar and lemon zest. Whisk in the milk mixture then the melted spread and lemon extract until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake tins. Bake for about 25 minutes for the 6 inch pan and 30 minutes for the 8 inch pan, until golden, pulling away from the sides of the tin and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins for 20 minutes then carefully turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Vegan Lemon Buttercream:  Place the vegan spread in a bowl and gradually stir in the icing sugar. Add the lemon extract then whisk until smooth.

To Assemble the cake: Very carefully trim the tops of two of the cake layers or one if you used the larger tins to make two layers rather than three. Place one of the trimmed layers on a serving plate and spread over half of the buttercream then spread over a generous layer of lemon curd.

Place the second trimmed layer on top and repeat the buttercream and curd. Top with the un-trimmed layer and serve.