Thursday, May 28, 2015

Cheesecake Brownies



 
This recipe from David Lebovitz is super simple with no fuss ingredients. Rich cheesecake is combined with a dark chocolate brownie giving you the best of both worlds. I didn't have a lot of chocolate chips in my pantry so I substituted them with white and peanut butter chips. I took them to work as treats for my colleagues and everyone was delighted by the cute little packaging.



 
Recipe Source - David Lebovitz
 
Ingredients
6 Tbsp (85 Gms) Unsalted Butter (Cut into pieces)
115 Gms Semi sweet Chocolate (Chopped)
2/3 Cup (130 Gms) Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs (At room temperature)
1/2 Cup (70 Gms) All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/8 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
1/4 Cup White Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Peanut Butter Chips 
200 Gms Cream Cheese (At room temperature)
1 Large Egg Yolk
5 Tbsp Sugar
1/8 Tsp Vanilla Essence 
 
1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) or 8-inch (20cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.
4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.
7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.
Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares (Chill brownies before cutting to get clean pieces).

These taste best when served at room temperature.

Happy Eating!!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Mango Yogurt Mousse Layer Cake

 


This light and refreshing cake is a perfect end to any lunch or dinner party. Two layers of sponge cake are filled with a delicious Mango Yogurt Mousse and fresh mangoes.  I used a recipe from Epicurious for the mousse and loved the outcome. The recipe calls for fresh mango puree and I would definitely recommend using the best mangoes you can find as it does affect the taste. I used a tin of mango pulp and this gave a slight after taste to the mousse. Next time I will use fresh Alphonso mangoes to make the puree. I used low fat yogurt in this recipe which I hung in a cheesecloth overnight to remove all the excess water.

Recipe Source - Mousse recipe from Epicurious

Ingredients

For the Cake
Two layers Vanilla Sponge Cake
2 Mangoes (Chopped)
1/2 Cup Unsalted Roasted Pistachios (Roughly Chopped)
Simple Syrup

For the Mousse
1 Tbsp Unflavoured Gelatin
1/4 Cup Cold Water
2 Cups Mango Puree (Made with fresh mangoes)
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Cup Thick Yogurt
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

Make The Mousse

1. Pour the cold water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the water. Keep aside for two minutes and then place the saucepan over low heat to dissolve the gelatin.
2. Put the mango puree, sugar, vanilla and gelatin in a blender and blend well.
3. Place the yogurt in a big bowl and whisk to remove lumps. Add the blended mango mixture and whisk.
4. Beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks and fold in the mango yogurt mixture. Keep aside.
Do not wait too long to assemble the cake as the mousse will set and it will be difficult to layer it on the cake.
 
Assemble the Cake
 
1. Line the inside of a cake ring with a 6 inch wax paper collar. Place one layer of cake on a cake board and place the cake ring around the cake. Apply simple syrup all over the cake to make it moist.
2. Arrange the mango pieces all around the cake ring.
3. Fill the space between the mangoes with the mousse and cover them completely. Add a layer of chopped mangoes.
4. Add the next layer of cake, syrup and mousse. Using an offset spatula spread the mousse evenly to get a flat surface. This is important as the mousse will set in the fridge.
5. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill for 4-5 hours in the fridge or till the mousse is set.
6. Remove from fridge and gently loosen the cake ring. Remove the wax paper.
7. Sprinkle the crushed pistachios all over the top of the cake. Serve Chilled.

Happy Eating!!