Monthly Archives: June 2014
june: kerri’s vanilla cheesecake with vanilla syrup berries
I chose this month’s theme because I love vanilla. I didn’t come to appreciate it until I was an adult, until I tasted desserts made with the vanilla bean. Growing up, my mum only used vanilla extract in her baking. And the only vanilla anything I remember having as a kid was mass produced, commercial, boring vanilla ice cream. The vanilla bean opened up a whole new flavour to me, one far from boring.
I decided to do a cheesecake for my post because B loves cheesecakes. I’m not the biggest fan – I’d rather have a cakey cake or tart – so he often misses out because we like to share desserts. So a vanilla bean cheesecake sounded like something we’d both like.
Cheesecakes, overall, are pretty simple to make. What makes them simpler is using a food processor (rather than an electric mixer). It’s really quick, and the mixture comes out really smooth and uniform. You end up with a cheesecake with a smooth, creamy, rich and light consistency.
Martha Stewart’s original recipe uses graham crackers for the base, as do many American recipes. If you don’t have access to graham crackers, use any other sweet biscuit. I used a mixture of digestive and marie biscuits. Her recipe also covers the top of the cheesecake with a chocolate glaze. I decided instead to lighten it up for the hot weather with berries soaked in vanilla syrup (own recipe).
I served my cheesecake for afternoon tea when hosting a board games day at our place. It was as promised – smooth, creamy, rich and light. It was enough to keep bellies and taste buds happy, and keep the feuding at bay during Settlers of Catan. And B kept telling me how much he liked it, so it must have been good enough for cheesecake lovers’ standards. Personally I would have liked more vanilla bean to come through so next time I might add more. But it seemed our guests also liked it – one even asked to take some home for his family!
You can find the recipe here.
june: vanilla
Plain. Simple. Boring. Generic.
All adjectives often used to describe the humble vanilla. But there’s so much more to this bean than this!
Join us this month as we make vanilla a drool-worthy competitor in the flavour game!
*photo by brown eyed baker on flickr.
may: anna’s coconut and passionfruit cupcakes
I was looking for a lighter type of cupcake to make for a friend’s birthday recently. We were having burgers and fries for dinner, so I needed something not-too-heavy to follow (so chocolate was definitely out).
Coconut cupcakes sounded like a great option. I used three different types of coconut to make these – fresh coconut, coconut milk and dried coconut.
The original recipe topped these with a coconut glaze, but I wanted something fruity, so I paired the cupcakes with a passionfruit buttercream. I think it was a good flavor combination, but the passionfruit flavor actually overpowered the delicate coconut flavor. On it’s own, the cake had a really great flavor and texture. The coconut milk in the cupcake batter came through subtly. I definitely want to try making these again with the coconut glaze. It would also make a great layer cake!
I’m always anxious when I’m trying out a new cake recipe. The results can be hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit!
Find the recipe here
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