Chocolate Mint cheesecake

I had some leftover creamcheese from the last bake(my son’s birthday) and the UHT whipping cream I need to use up before it is no longer usable.  I sat there long frowning over what type of recipe should I use to bake this unfinished stuff.  There are lots of stuff I can think that I wanted to do.  Among them are the chocolate moist cake, Chocolate mousse cake among a few.  I was also taken aback, with this whole lot of bakes, who’s going to eat it all??  Hm... if I finish this all, I’m going to gain lots of extra pounds, which is rather hard to shed these days.

To cut the story short, I ended up with a recipe I wanted to try for so long but never had the chance to as I bought peppermint essence but never used on the recipe as I was worried on the “right” amount of peppermint taste on the cake.  I’m afraid I will ruin the cake.  I was also hesitant to try it out as I had not perfected my cake baking skills.  After quite a lot of successful attempts this year, I brave my heart to try it out.  I was also aiming to try out more challenging cake as the normal cakes that I bake has already lost my appeal.  Today, the bake turns to be alright, not as bad as I thought it would be only with one exception, I reduced the amount of cream cheese topping and forgot that the chocolate cake are meant for 3 eggs not 2 so the mint layer looks too thin.

Recipe taken from Dessert’s Temptation, by Wendy’s Delight

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake

3 egg yolks

60g sugar (I used 40g)

3 egg whites

60g superfine flour

20g cocoa powder

40g melted butter

20ml milk (I used UHT low fat milk)

Mint Cheesecake

250g cream cheese

40g sugar

3 eggs

50g fresh cream (I used UHT whipping cream)

1 tbsp peppermint essence (I used ¼ tsp peppermint essence)

Chocolate Cake

1.     Beat egg yolks and 30g sugar until fluffy.  Stir in superfine flour, cocoa powder, milk and melted butter.

2.     Beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form.  Fold in egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.

3.     Pour the mixture into cake tin.  Bake at 180^oC for 25 minutes or until done.

To Assemble

1.     Combine cream cheese and sugar.

2.     Add one egg at a time.  Beating well after each addition.  Fold in whipping cream and peppermint essence. 

3.     Fold in whipping cream and peppermint essence. 

4.     Lined the bottom of a cake tin with chocolate cake.  Pour the cream cheese batter into the cake tin over the cake base.  Bake in water bath at 160^oC for 50 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake

Blogging? I must be dreaming!!

I had a blog account set up a few years ago as some fellow colleagues set up a blog thinking that this is a "safe" channel to express our thoughts and to communicate to each other across border without going through the company's email account.  However, the idea of keeping-in-touch went awry as everyone was too lazy to check online post..and post.. hehe..

I never thought I would actually thought of blogging because I feel that all thoughts should be kept by oneself, not to be shared.  Same with the Facebook, I never could understand why some of my friends love to post all tiny bits of news for the whole world to know.  That... I never understood it well. 

As time past, it seems that having a blog is also a good idea of expressing one's thought and sharing it out with  each other, which makes more sense to blog rather than to post.. in facebook.  It would, at least keep my brain "working" rather than letting it rust as I seldom find myself doing much typing these days, especially I think I must had left all my Reports back in the office days..., no more bosses chasing me to complete reports, present reports, meetings... etc etc.. my ex-colleagues, envies my life, while I missed my corporate life...how irony it is.

Missing working life as usual, it seems rather odd, to me to even consider home business, until it star struck to me that I could actually make some money for myself, doing something rather than pressing the ATM withdrawing hubby's money all the time...... at least I keep some money for my ehm..."personal" indulgences... i.e. shopping...

Ha!  Who don't love to shop?  I think these days, I'm doing more shopping for baking stuff than browsing though the malls for clothes, shoes...  My working attire had all been kept safely in the closet, I really wonder when I had any chances to wear it back again.  Therefore, where's the need to shop for anything "corporate" except some jeans and T-shirts and sandals?

All those new stuff in the baking supplies shop really made my heart flutter.  I wish I would add more and more additions, and everytime I fret, on my expanding.. assets.. as it took a  lot of space in the kitchen, from 1 box, to 2 box, and now, I can't count it anymore.   All those additions only had 1 meaning... I must put it to full use, or else it will become storage.  Therefore I am determined, this year I must put full use of my baking skills and try to earn some living through my passion in baking.