New York Cheese Cake

We wanted some cake for raya.  But I am just too lazy to bake.  Ada few orders from friends,  jadi malas nak  bake untuk rumah.  But Iffah dok asyik begging  mama to bake something.  So aku suruh dia  bake sendiri.  We decided to bake NY cheesecake sebab cheese ada banyak  dalam peti.  

Patutnya bake dari  semalam,  but we ran out of yoghurt.  Then bila dah beli yoghurt,  aluminium foil pulak takde.  Adoi! Dugaan betul.  

I made few changes to the original recipe.  The truth was,  we have no white granulated sugar at home,  maka,  terpaksa la guna brown sugar. And Masya Allah,  it turned out great! 

Adapted from https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_cheesecake/

INGREDIENTS Crust: 

 1 3/4 cups (230g) of Graham cracker  

1 Tbsp sugar Pinch salt 

 4 Tbsp plus 

1 teaspoon (60g) unsalted butter 

Filling: 

900gram cream cheese, room temperature 

 1 cup of brown sugar 

1/3 cup granulated sugar  

Pinch of salt  

2 teaspoons vanilla extract  

4 large eggs 

2/3 cup sour cream/yoghurt (160 ml) 

 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream 

Toppings: 

2 cups sour cream (475 ml) 

1/3 cup powdered sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

12 ounces (340 g) fresh raspberries 

1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g) 

1/2 cup water (120 ml) 

METHOD

PREPARE THE CRUST 

1 Process graham crackers, mix with sugar, salt, butter: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor or blender until finely ground. Put in a large bowl, and stir in the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), with rack in lower third of oven.  

2 Press the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the springform pan: Gently press down on the crumbs using your fingers, until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan, with maybe just a slight rise along the inside edges of the pan. 

3 Bake the crust: Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. While the crust is cooling, you can skip ahead and start on the filling. Wait until the crust has cooled to wrap the pan in foil in the next step. 

4 Triple wrap pan in heavy duty foil: Prepare the springform pan so that no water leaks into it while cooking. Place a large 18-inch by 18-inch square of heavy duty aluminum foil on a flat surface. Place the springform pan in the middle of the foil. Gently fold up the sides of the foil around the pan. Make sure to do this gently so that you don't create any holes in the foil. If there are any holes, water will get into the pan and ruin the crust. Press the foil around the edges of the pan. Place a second large square of foil underneath the pan, and repeat, gently folding up the sides of the foil around the pan and pressing the foil against the pan. To be triply safe, repeat with a third layer of heavy duty foil. Gently crimp the top of the foil sheets around the top edge of the pan. 

MAKE THE CHEESECAKE FILLING 

1 Beat cream cheese, then sugar: Cut the cream cheese into chunks and place in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and creamy. Add the sugar, beat for 4 minutes more. 

2 Add salt, vanilla, then eggs, then sour cream: Add the salt and vanilla, beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated. 

3 Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl, and scrape up any thicker bits of cream cheese that have stuck to the bottom of the mixer that paddle attachment has failed to incorporate. 

COOK THE CHEESECAKE 

1 Prepare pan and boiling water: Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large, high-sided roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C). 

2 Pour filling into pan: Pour the cream cheese filling into the springform pan, over the graham cracker bottom layer. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. 

3 Place in oven: Place the roasting pan with the springform pan in it, in the oven, on the lower rack. 

4 Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan (without touching the hot oven), to create a water bath for the cheesecake, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan, about 1 1/4 inches. (Alternatively you can add the water before putting the pan in the oven, whichever is easier for you.) 

5 Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 1 1/2 hours. 

6 Turn off the heat of the oven. Crack open the oven door 1-inch, and let the cake cool in the oven, as the oven cools, for another hour. This gentle cooling will help prevent the cheesecake surface from cracking. 

7 Chill 4 hours: Cover the top of the cheesecake with foil, so that it doesn't actually touch the cheesecake. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight. 

PREPARE SOUR CREAM TOPPING Place sour cream in a medium sized bowl, stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla, until smooth. Chill until you are ready to serve the cake. Note that this recipe produces enough sour cream topping for a thick topping and some extra to spoon over individual pieces of cheesecake, if desired. If you would like a thinner layer of topping and no extra, reduce the sour cream topping ingredients in half. 

PREPARE THE RASPBERRY SAUCE Place raspberries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to mash the raspberries. Heat on medium, whisking, about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Let cool. 

PREPARE THE CHEESECAKE TO SERVE Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your cake serving dish. Run the side of a blunt knife between the edge of the cake and the pan. Dorie recommends, and we've done with success, that you use a hair dryer to heat the sides of the pan to make it easier to remove. Open the springform latch and gently open the pan and lift up the sides. Spread the top with the sour cream mixture. Serve plain or drizzle individual slices with raspberry sauce.

Churros Sedap & Senang

Oleh kerana ada anak sedara dua orang kat rumah,  maka,  terpaksa la aku buat something for tea.  They wanted to bake cookies,  but aku tak kuasa nak membasuh afterwards.  So aku decided to buat Churros.  The first time aku makan Churros was masa Kat US,  Disneyland LA.  Masya Allah,  I love it so much.  But tak tau nama benda aku makan tu Churros.  Dah famous now,  baru la tau.  

This Churros tasted almost the same as the one yg aku beli kat Disneyland LA tu.  But since now I am on keto diet, I had to refrained myself from eating more than 1. Aku makan tadi just to rasa,  betul ke sedap sebab anak sedara aku couldn't stop eating it.  

Homemade Churros by

https://www.happyfoodstube.com/homemade-churros/

Ingredients

⅔ cup All-Purpose Flour (110g)

¼ stick Unsalted Butter

1 cup Water (250ml)

pinch of Salt

2 tsp Sugar

1 Egg

Oil , for frying

Instructions

Place water, butter, sugar & a pinch of salt into a medium size sauce pan. Bring to the boil.

Add the flour and mix vigorously until well blended (the dough will come together in a minute or two).

Remove from the stove and let it cool a bit. Once it is not too hot, add the egg and work the egg into the dough. Try to do it as fast as possible. At the beginning it might look like the churro dough doesn’t wanna bind but take your time it will.

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and heat it up.

Fill a piping bag fitted with star piping tip with half of the dough (it is easier to handle).

Check if the oil is ready for frying by dropping a tiny piece of the dough in. Once the dough turns nice brown, you are ready to pipe the churros in.

Pipe the dough directly into the hot oil (choose any length you like) and cut with a fork (I found fork the best tool for this). Do not pipe too many churros in as they need space for frying. It will take only about 2 minutes for them to get nice golden color and that is a sign they are ready. They should get the color gradually. If you see they are not getting dark evenly, reduce the temperature.

Take them out and place them on a paper kitchen towel to get rid of the excess oil.

When they are still warm, roll each of them in a sugar mixed with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm with thick hot chocolate or chocolate pudding.

Recipe Notes

1. Work the egg fast into the dough it to prevent the egg from cooking. This may be a bit tricky, as the dough is quite hard at this point. If you find it hard to mix with a wooden spoon, use an electric mixer.

2. You can either pipe the churros directly into oil or pipe them onto a sheet of baking parchment first and then place these into hot oil.

The Best Cinnamon Rolls

Tried to post this recipe for quite a while,  asyik hilang je.  Frust betul. Aku try one more time.  Hopefully  lepas.  Bengong LA blogger ni.  

The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever by

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/best-cinnamon-rolls/

Ingredients

For the dough:

¾ cup cold milk

2 ¼ teaspoons active yeast 

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

3 cups bread flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

For the cream cheese frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Add dry ingredients, flour,  yeast,  sugar,  salt,  to the bowl.  Make a well.

2. Add melted butter, eggs and milk.  Stir the ingredients. 

3. Place dough hook on mixer and knead dough on medium speed for 8 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be

slightly sticky. (If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a

well-floured surface.)

4. Transfer dough ball to a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour to 1 ½

hours, or until doubled in size.

5. After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x9 inch rectangle. Spread

softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.

6. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then

gently rub in into the butter a little. Tightly roll dough up, starting from the 9 inch side and place seam side down making

sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. Cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife or floss. You should get

9 large pieces.

7. Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. (I also recommend lining the pan with

parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out.) Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let

rise again for 30 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just

slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to underbake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want

them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for a 5 minutes before frosting. Makes 9 cinnamon rolls.

9. To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.

Beat until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.