Strawberry Pudding Shots

A simple and quick dessert recipe that tastes a bit like cheesecake and a bit like an icebox cake. You can switch it up and use chocolate rolls with coffee and nuts or any other fruit like mango, cherry etc.

Recipe - Serves 4

Ingredients

6 squares Kiri Cheese or 100 Grams Philadelphia cream cheese (at room temperature)
6 small packs or 1 large roll of Americana Swiss Rolls Vanilla Flavour (any other brand will also do)
1 Sachet Creme Caramel Powder
1/4 Cup Thick Cream (e.g. Nestle or Puck)
1 Cup Chopped Strawberries

Additional Strawberry slices for garnish

Method

1. Put the cream cheese in a big bowl and beat till fluffy (about one minute). Add the creme caramel and cream and mix well. 
2. Mix in 1 cup chopped strawberries and beat till the strawberries are blended but not pureed. 
3. Slice the Swiss rolls in smaller pieces. Take four small cups or one 6x6 glass Pyrex. Place half the sliced cake pieces at the bottom and top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat with the cake and pudding. Garnish with sliced strawberries. 
4. Chill in the fridge for an hour before serving. 

Happy Eating!!

Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake is one of my favourite desserts but sometimes you just want to eat it and not wait one full day for the cheesecake to bake and cool. These cheesecake bars are super easy to make and needs only an hours chilling in the fridge. I served them with a simple strawberry sauce made by macerating strawberries in sugar and mashing with a fork. They can be served plain or along with a variety of toppings and sauces like blueberry sauce, chocolate sauce, crushed Oreos, caramel etc.

The original recipe calls for a 9X13 pan but I made them in a slightly smaller pan to get thicker slices.

 

Recipe Source - Given as is from Joy of Baking

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 Cups Crushed Digestive Biscuits
113 Grams Unsalted Butter, Melted
For the Filling
454 Grams Cream Cheese (At room temperature)
1/2 Cup Granulated White Sugar
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Lemon zest
2 Large Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 13 x 2 inch (23 x 33 x 5 cm) baking pan that has been lined with aluminium foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Lightly butter or spray the foil with a non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
4. Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. 
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, as needed. 
6. Pour the cheesecake filling over the graham cracker base and bake for about 18 - 20 minutes or until the cheesecake batter is just set.
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cover and place in the refrigerator for several hours to make the squares easier to cut. To cut into squares - place on a cutting board, remove the foil, and with a sharp knife, cut into 2 inch squares. Have a damp cloth on hand to wipe the knife between cuts. Garnish with fresh berries, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Happy Eating!!

Double Berry Buttermilk Bundt

This cake is super simple to make and looks amazing with sweet  juicy berries studded throughout. I was itching to bake something and had limited ingredients at hand when I spotted this beauty on Smitten Kitchen. Berries? Check. Buttermilk? Milk and lemon juice substitute to the rescue. Here we go!

While the original recipe has a glaze on top, I think the cake is sweet enough without it. You can also add any fruit to it (cherries, raspberries, peaches etc., avoid very watery fruits) and mix up the ratios as you like as long as it is up to 3 cups of fruit. This makes a large bundt so make sure you have enough mouths to share. Or maybe not.

Recipe Source - Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (355 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (20 grams) All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp (10 grams) Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Cup (225 grams) Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
1 3/4 Cups (340 grams) Granulated Sugar
3 Large Eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Essence
3/4 Cup (175 ml) Buttermilk (I used milk and lemon juice substitute)
3 Cups (350 to 450 grams) Mixed Berries (I used 2 Cups frozen strawberries and 1 Cup frozen blueberries)

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 170° C (350°F). Grease a 10-cup Bundt pan, either with butter or a nonstick spray. Keep aside. If using frozen berries remove from freezer and place in a strainer to defrost.

2. In a medium bowl, add 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk well and keep aside.

3. In the bowl of your stand mixer or another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes on high until light and fluffy.

4. Turn the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides with a spatula between each addition.  

5. Add the vanilla and beat lightly.

6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add half the buttermilk, then repeat 1/3 flour and remaining buttermilk. Finish with remaining 1/3 flour and beat just to combine. 

7. Take the berries in a bowl and add the two tablespoon flour. Toss to coat. Gently fold in the berries in the cake batter. 

8. Spread the batter in the greased pan and place in the centre rack of the oven. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. My oven runs a little hot so my cake was done in 45 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and set on wire rack for 30 minutes. Invert cake on cooling rack and cool completely. Serve and enjoy or keep in an air tight container.

Happy Eating!!