learningtocook

[learningtocook]

No-Bake Yogurt Cheesecake

No-Bake Yogurt Cheesecake

This recipe is from Amanda Tastes. 

Ingredients and steps:

1. finely crush 6 digestive biscuit (about 85g), mix with 35g melted butter to create a sand mixture, press it into the cake pan to form the bottom of the cake, chill in the fridge

2. mix 150g soft room tempt cream cheese with 70g sugar with a rubber spatula until it gets really smooth

3. add 150g sugar-free yogurt, mix with a whisk

4. add 1 tsp lemon juice, mix well

5. beat up 100ml cream with a whisk

6. soften 3-5g of gelatine (1 slice) with water, take it out, squeeze water out of it, then add 2 tsp hot water and mix and melt it

7. mix gelatine water with the cheese mixture, then add the cream in 2 batches

8. after everything is well incorporated, pour the cheese-cream-mixture into the chilled cake pan, freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight

[learningtocook]

Blueberry Crumble Cake

Blueberry Cumble Cake

This recipe is from CupcakeJemma, a very simple and delicious recipe. The streusel topping reminds me a little bit of Chinese walnut crispy cookies, maybe I’ll lean to make those next time!

Ingredients and steps:

1. mix 50g melted butter with 100g demerera sugar (I used brown sugar), 50g plain flour and 1 tsp cinnamon to create a sand mixture

2. put 175g caster sugar, 4 tbsp vegetable oil (I substituted it with melted butter) and 1 egg in a big bowl, mix everything with a hand mixer for about 3 minutes until it becomes really pale and little bit fluffy

3. add 120ml whole milk and mix them together

4. sift 225g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt into the bowl, fold them together with a rubber spatula until there’s no lumps

5. add 225g blueberries into the batter

6. transfer the batter into a 8 inch cake pan, sprinkle with streusel topping

7. bake at 180C for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

I forgot to take a picture, but it was really delicious.

[learningtocook]

Lemon Loaf Cake

Lemon Loaf Cake

This recipe is from the French pastry chef Pierre Hermé, it’s definitely more time-consuming than the banana bread and you need a mixer, but the result is very rewarding. Since the cake was huge, I gave some to my friends and they love it so much that they had to fight for the last piece. Can’t say I didn’t feel proud of myself at that moment.

I reduced the sugar by half of the original amount and it came out just right, not overly sweet. Next time I’ll put bit some fresh lemon juice in the batter, I like it extra lemon-y.

Ingredients and steps:

1. zest the skin of 3 bio lemons (or wash it very throughly) directly in to 400g sugar (or reduce the amount a bit), massage them together with your fingers and let it rest for 10 minutes, so the sugar could soak up the lemon flavor

2. put 6 whole eggs in a bowl with the lemon sugar from step 1, add a pinch of salt, beat it with an hand mixer until it becomes fluffy, white and full of bubbles

3. add 190g 30% cream and 3.5 tbsp rum, and mix again

4. mix 375g cake flour and 3/4 tsp baking powder, sift them into the mixture in 3 small batches, make sure that there’s no dry flour and lumps before adding the next batch

5. add 135g melted and COOLED butter into the batter, use a whisk to gently incorporate it with the batter

6. pour the batter into a bread pan, bake at 160C for about 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

7. meanwhile, mix 150g water, 65g sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice in a small pot, make a syrup and let it cool first

8. take the freshly baked cake out of the oven, don’t release it from the pan just yet, brush the syrup onto the cake while it’s still hot, the head will help it to absorb the syrup

9. cool at room temp for at least 1 hour before take it out of the mold

10. store it in the fridge up to a week, or at room temp for 3-4 days. The taste gets even better after few days!

Here’s my result:

[learningtocook]

The banana bread was actually my first attempt at baking ever, and it was a huge success among my roommates, who asked me to make bigger batches. I also like to top it with walnuts or mix it with chocolate chips, the baked walnuts are particularly good. 

This recipe from Cooking with Dog is my favorite, it’s simple, hard to mess up, doesn’t require any mixer, so it’s very beginner-friendly. And it tastes sooo good. 

Ingredients and steps:

1:  170g Ripe Banana ½ tbsp Lemon Juice

smash the banana with a fork (but not too mushy), mix it with lemon juice to prevent the color from changing

2.  1 Egg 100g White or Brown Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 40g Butter, unsalted 2 tbsp Milk

mix the egg, sugar, vanilla extract, beat the mixture up until the sugar dissolves, then add melted butter and milk, mix well

3. 170g Cake Flour or all purpose flour (6 oz) 2 tsp Baking Powder 2 pinches of Salt

sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the wet mixture, fold everything together, pour it into a bread pan, bake at 170C for about 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.