Recently Ian asked me to bake something nutritious, and I just flipped my recipe book to this page –> Pumpkin Cheesecake, so decided to give it a try. Never tried or seen a pumpkin cheesecake before!

The ingredient is very special, it only uses very little 20g of brown sugar for the base, and none for the cake itself. It is sweetened by the honey and the pumpkin. At least my mom can eat this cake, after so long!

BAKED PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
Crust Base
200g digestive biscuits
20g brown sugar
100g butter
Filling
500g cream cheese
100g honey
25g cornflour
1 tsp nutmeg powder
3 eggs
230ml UHT whipping cream
500g pumpkin flesh
Topping
Some nutmeg powder

METHOD
1. Crush the biscuit until fine
2. Melt butter on low heat, remove when melted. Mix butter with brown sugar and crushed biscuits.
3. Press the biscuit mixture onto a 9″ loose-base cake tin. Refrigerate until set.
4. While waiting for the base to get ready, steam the pumpkin until soft and mash it with fork.
5. Preheat oven at 150C degree.
6. Cream cheese with honey, add cornflour and nutmeg powder. Mix well.
7. Add in whipping cream and eggs, and lastly add in pumpkin flesh.
8. Mix well and pour onto the biscuit base.
9. Steam bake at 150C for 1.5 hour and until firm to the touch. Turn off the oven, but leave the cake in oven for another 30 min with door closed.
10. Remove from oven, when it is cool enough, keep in oven for at least 6 hours.
11. Remove cake from tin, dust with nutmeg powder and served chilled.

I have got most of the ingredients required for this cake for at least 6 months. All set up to bake it, but couldn’t find an occasion. My original plan was to bake it for DH’s birthday, but it happened in Oct, my first month of starting the new and demanding job – I just couldn’t spare my time!

Then, I realized that the ingredients are going to get expired! So, even without an occasion, I still went ahead to bake this few weeks ago.

I have to admit my kungfu (skill) in slicing the cake (horizontally) is horrible! Look at the photo below, my first slice was too thin, almost cut through. After slicing the 2nd piece, I then realized that what was left behind, too thick! There must be a technique to slice them evenly. I must find it out!

Anyway, the cake was so so so delicious and popular. The kids cried when I wanted to share a piece with Piggy and Aiyu. LOL! I think the use of a good quality chocolate bar is the key. The chocolate bar that I bought is so expensive. It costs RM7+ for 400g, which you could get half the price for a less delicious chocolate (too sweet to my liking).

Here is the recipe…

Chocolate Banana Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Chiffon Cake
(A)
30g cocoa powder, mixed with 120ml water
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
130g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
60ml corn oil
1 tsp vanilla essence

(B)
4 egg whites
60g caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tatar

Cake Filling
500 ml chocolate whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp instant coffee (mixed with 1 1/2 tsp hot water)
1 tbsp gelatin (mixed with 40ml water)
6 ripen bananas (sliced)

Chocolate Frosting
140 UHT whipping cream
350g good quality cooking chocolate
1 tbsp butter

METHOD
1. Preheat oven at 180C.
2. In a bowl, whisk Ingredient (A) until smooth.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar (from Ingredient B) until foamy. Add in sugar and continue whisking until stiff.
4. Fold (3) into (2) and mix evenly.
5. Pour into prepared 9″ lined cake tin and bake for 40 min at 180C.
6. Invert cake and leave to cool completely. Slice cake horizontally into 3 layers.
7. In a clean bowl, whisk cream at high speed until stiff. Add in vanilla essence followed by coffee mixture and gelatin mixture.
8. Spread filling onto 1st layer of cake and arrange banana slices on top of filling. Top with 2nd layer. Spread filling and arrange slices of bananas. For the last layer of cake, spread cream filling on top and sides of the cake.
9. Chill the cake in fridge at least 1 hour to set.
10. When set, place cake on a wire rack, pour on chocolate frosting. Decorate as desired with fruits of chocolate chips. Refrigerate until set, before serving.

Chocolate Frosting
1. Heat UHT cream in double boiler.
2. Add in chocolate and butter.
3. Stir until chocolate and butter melted.
4. Leave to cool slightly before pouring on top of cake. (important, or it will ‘melt’ the cake)
5. Let the chocolate spill over the sides to coat evenly.

Not sure if you have received this hoax email before, which story centered around a freely distributed RM250 Famous Amos Chocolate Cookie Recipe?

I got that a while ago, ignored. But received again from Piggy last year, saying that her sister baked it successfully and is quite delicious, except that it is the chewy type, which can disappoint some who expect it to be crispy.

I waited a year to bake it!! CNY is nearby, and I thought maybe I should bake it for CNY!

It is not an easy task. I don’t think I will repeat this in a short while. The part about grating the chocolate bar is killing me. And then, have to roll the dough into tiny pieces… With the small oven we usually have at home (i.e. not commercial), it is so slow. Every tray can only carry that many pieces only, have to leave space for the biscuit to expand. I think it yielded about 100 tiny pcs or so, didn’t really count it. Tedious, tired, sweaty…

Anyway, my kids loved it so much. I think before CNY the cookies are going to be gone!

Here is the recipe. I reduced the sugar by half, and still think it is quite sweet. Can’t imagine how people eat with the original recipe!!

‘FAMOUS AMOS’ CHOCOLATE COOKIES RECIPE
Ingredients
1 bar butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal, blended to powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
340g chocolate chips
250g Chocolate bar, grated
100g nuts (your choice), chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven at 190C
2. Cream the butter and both sugars
3. Add eggs and vanilla, mix evenly
4. Fold in flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda.
5. Add chocolate chips, grated chocolate bar and nuts. Mix well (I used my hands in a food grade plastic bag, as it is too thick for my mixer).
6. Roll into small balls (around 1 inch in diameter) and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet/tray.
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 190 C.

When the cookies are removed, they are soft. But when left cool, it will harden up and become slightly crisp outside (but chewy inside).

A reader has highly recommended this recipe of steamed raspberry cheesecake, and left a comment here for me to try it out.

I have not had time to do any cooking or baking for a while until I’ve recently settled in my new job and got a new maid. Just made this cake yesterday…

This recipe is very different from all the other ‘common’ ones, in many ways. For a start, it is the EASIEST and SIMPLEST cheesecake recipe that I have tried. It is steamed instead of baked. And it uses 6 eggs rather than 4 that other recipes usually call for, but my friends and I do not quite like the overpowering egg scent and taste, and if I were to make this again, I will reduce to 4 eggs like the usual ones.

The original recipe calls for raspberry jam, but since the shop ran out of stock, I replaced it with blueberry. I believe you can substitute this with any fruit jams that you like.

RECIPE
Ingredients
500g cream cheese
1/2 cup caster sugar (reduced from original recipe)
6 eggs (recommend to reduce to 4 eggs)
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
200ml UHT cream
200g fruit jam (raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, etc)
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Method
1. Cream cheese and sugar until smooth
2. Add in eggs, vanilla essence, and cream. Mix till smooth.
3. Pour into lined 8″ round cake tin.
4. Mash the jam until very smooth, pour half of the jam into the cake mixture. Stir with a chopstick to create marble effect. Reserve the other half of jam for decoration.
5. To avoid water sipping in, cling wrap the cake tin 3 times tightly.
6. Steam the mixture for 2 hours under low heat (after water is boiled).
7. Cake is cooked, if the surface is firm to touch and shrink from the sides.
8. After cooled, chill in fridge for at least 1/2 hour before decorating.

Decoration
1. Pour the rest of the jam onto a pan, mix with 1/2 lemon juice. Bring to boil.
2. Spread over the chilled cheesecake, and chill for another 1/2 to 1 hour. It is ready to be served.

This is another alternative of the light cheesecakes that I love. Just tried baking it once, DH brought a piece to his office for the girls to try – I was so happy with their reaction!!! Everyone should give this a try, as it is really, REALLY, good.

INGREDIENT
1 slice of 8″ sponge cake
400g chocolate milk
250g cream cheese
50g plain flour, sieved
5 eggs, separated white and yolk
50g caster sugar
A handful of chocolate chips

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line an 8″ cake tin. Place a slice of sponge cake inside.
2. Double boil chocolate milk and cream cheese until cheese is melted.
3. Add in plain flour, mix well and cook till thickened. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
4. When cooled, add in 5 egg yolks. Mix well.
5. Whisk egg whites and caster sugar at high speed till peaked. Fold into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Strain the mixture onto the sponge cake.
7. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and stir with spatula slightly.
8. Steam-bake at 180C for 20 min. Reduce to 140C and continue baking for 2 hours or until cooked.
9. Turn off the oven, leave the cheesecake inside for another 1 hour.
10. Chill in fridge for 4 hours. Top with apricot glaze, and chill again before serving.

The other day I bought from MPH sales, a recipe on steamed cakes. Happened that I have all the ingredients required, I steamed this cheesecake on the same day. This is very suitable for households without an electric oven. Steaming is also seen as less ‘heaty’.

INGREDIENT
250g cream cheese
150g whipping cream
80g caster sugar
100g flour
30g corn flour
4 eggs, separate yolk and white
2 tbsp chocolate emulco
1 tsp vanilla essence

METHOD
1. Whisk egg whites with half of the caster sugar until peaked.
2. Mix cream cheese with sugar until well mixed, add in egg yolks one by one, and followed by whipping cream.
3. Fold in (1) and flour batch by batch alternatively. Mix well.
4. Take out 1/4 of (3), mix well with chocolate emulco.
5. Add vanilla essence to the remaining of (3) and mix well.
6. Pour 1/3 of (5) into a lined 7″ cake tin, top with 1/3 of (4), swirl to create some pattern. Steam 10 min.
7. Repeat step 6 until all batter used up.

This is a healthy way of eating spinach. No oil. The miso paste also adds more nutrients. Sesame adds fragrant too! My kids who don’t like vegetables love this dish. I learnt it from one of the health book I bought recently.

INGREDIENT
1 pack of spinach
2 tbsp white sesame
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp Thai chilli sauce (甜辣酱)

METHOD
1. Steam or boil spinach (whole) in work till soft.
2. Drain the spinach, keep some water for the gravy.
3. Cut the spinach into about 2″ length and arrange on plate.
4. Dry-fry white sesame till slightly yellow and fragrant. Crush the sesame slightly.
5. Mix sesame with miso paste and chili sauce. Pour onto the spinach and serve immediately.

Hubby doesn’t like it if I use ready-to-eat tomato pasta sauce, like Prego. Kids love macaroni in tomato sauce, occassionally they also ask for angel hair in tomato sauce as well. I have experimented a few times and found this recipe quite tasty. My kids love it!

INGREDIENTS
10-12 red tomatoes
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 onion, chopped
3-4 pips of garlic, finely chopped

METHOD
1. Boil a pot of water, scald the tomatoes for a few seconds. Wash in cold water. Then, the skins can be removed easily.
2. Heat some oil in wok, stir fry chopped onion until translucent. Add in garlic and sugar and stir fry a while.
3. Add whole tomatoes, basil, oregano, pepper and salt. Simmer in wok, covered, for about 30 min until tomatoes softened.
4. Mash the tomatoes with spatula.

This gives you the very basic tomato pasta sauce. Can serve hot immediately with cooked macaroni or spaghetti/angel-hair. I like to cook a lot, and keep them frozen for future usage. If frozen, can keep for a few months (but I usually use within 1-2 weeks).

When used on pasta, can add in other ingredients like meat balls, sausage, etc.

The tomatoes can be roasted instead of boiled, which gives more aroma, but I dislike that because it means more consumption of electric. LOL!

It is the durian season now! MIL bought a lot of durian for us, and we cannot finish them. I took the flesh of one box, make it into this delicious Durian Light Cheesecake. SIL loves it so much. Yummy!

INGREDIENT
1 slice 7″ sponge cake
250g cream cheese
3 egg yolks
150ml fresh milk
150g durian flesh
3 egg whites
50g caster sugar

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Line a 7″ cake tin and put in the sponge cake slice to line the bottom.
3. Beat cream cheese and egg yolks at low speed until well mixed. Add fresh milk and durian flesh. Mix well.
4. In a separate clean bowl, whisk egg whites at high speed till peaked.
5. Mix egg white mixture into the cream cheese mixture in 3 batches. Mix well.
6. Pour onto sponge cake in cake tin.
7. Steam bake at 180C for 20 min. Reduce to 140C and continue baking for another 1.5 hours or until cooked.
8. Leave cake in oven for another 1 hour. Chill in fridge for 4 hours before removing it from tin and serve.

I used to love this biscotti a lot. I can take the whole can of it, keep munching until it is gone. Have been trying to find a recipe to bake this, and didn’t realize I already have the recipe in one of my books!!!

I did a test bake last week. Reduced the sugar, because the only complaint I have about any biscotti sold, is the sweetness level. At first I thought I had a failure, because it didn’t rise in the cake tin, and it produces just so little. But the result was fantastic! The right sweetness for all of us – who just eat it plain. I think if you want to eat this with ‘sweet’ coffee, maybe you can add in more sugar.

INGREDIENTS
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
70g caster sugar
120g medium protein flour (sifted)
120g whole almonds
Few drops of vanilla essence

METHOD
1. Beat egg white with cream of tartar till peaked. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly until stiff. Lightly fold in flour, almonds and essence.
2. Bake in a greased tin for 35 min at 180C using a rectangular tray.
3. When cooled, cut loaf into wafer-thin slices and bake in an ungreased baking tray for 10-12 min at 150C.