joicydoodle♥: 2014

I wish that one day I can devote full time for recipe writing and publishing. We, Millennials are preoccupied with daily routines, and if we will tabulate each day that passes that we don’t pursue our passions, it tallies up to weeks, months, years up to never. And so today, after my weeks/months of commitments and my day job, I decided to publish a new recipe for my baby blog.

My featured recipe is my take on Mocha Chiffon Cupcakes with Creamcheese Frosting. I wanted to create something that I can pair with afternoon floral teas or slow roasted coffee that won’t be too sweet, not too decadent, but just right.

I really prefer pink stuff so my brothers won't touch them. Works in the kitchen with men dominance too! So meet my kikay measuring cups and recipe notebook. It's my kind of investment :D

One of the basic skills we learn in Baking is how to properly whip our egg whites and another thing is to not over mix and not to deflate our batter with whipped egg whites. I remember when I was 14, before baking school, and just home baking, learning through Jamie Oliver shows, that you can whip egg whites by hand with a wire whisk and stainless mixing bowl. The inner Barefoot Contessa in me, vulnerable and excited...I tried it. I failed. Looking back now that I am 23, working the corporate kitchen, after some competitions and after a lot of trial and errors... it makes me cringe and laugh alone. We indeed can never learn without failures.

Mocha Chiffon

125g Cake Flour

6g Baking Powder

3g Iodized Salt

3 pcs Egg yolks

95g Water

63g Corn Oil

110g Sugar

4 pcs Egg whites

60g Sugar

Pinch Cream of Tartar

½ Tbsp Instant Espresso granules

Today's mise en place table

Meringue-ables

1/2 Tbsp Instant Espresso Granules, and if you're wondering where I got my set of Heart measuring cups and spoons, it's available in Fullyboked

Going back to our Mocha Chiffon, the ingredients are divided into 3 parts; the dry ingredients in one bowl, which we have to sift altogether for even distribution of leavener and espresso, and to be able to create a lump-free batter. The liquid ingredients with egg yolks, sugar, water and fat. and the Meringue ingredients of egg whites in a stainless bowl and sugar with cream of tartar in a separate small bowl.

Stir together sugar and fat until the granules become smaller, then slowly add egg yolks at a time. Pour in water and slowly fold in the sifted dry ingredients, continue mixing until the slurry-like mixture is lump-free and well combined.

It's alright to let this batter sit down while preparing the meringue...

Just like in our other entries, simply whip the egg whites until bubbly and gradually add in cream of tartar and sugar, then finishing off until stiff peaks. Then carefully fold in the whipped egg whites into the batter, since we do not want to over do it and deflate the meringue, I suggest to use a handy, big spatula to cover the bottom of the bowl as you scrape the two mixtures in J motion fast and until just combined.

T'is the season of golden cupcake liners!

Pipe the chiffon mixture until 3/4's or 1/2 filled depends on your serving preference. This makes about 20 pieces of 3 oz cupcakes

Bake it at preheated 170/170 C for 25 minutes or until done

Whipped Creamcheese Frosting

400g Creamcheese

1 cup Powdered Sugar

Pinch Instant Espresso granules

Whip creamcheese and powdered sugar together until it's smooth to the tongue and fluffy.

Decorate as you wish <3 You may use star or shell tip to make whirls or round tip to make rounded swirls

Edible Art of Sameness

Sprinkle with Espresso on top

Mocha Chiffon Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Mocha Chiffon Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting. Pairs well with a good book, warm brown sugar coffee or Americano, or Chai tea. Sweet life!

#Nude

Now that you reached the bottom part of my entry, let me share you my favourite word porn of the week; To remind myself after almost a year of planning, failing and re planning again my Aussie move, that nothing in life so worth it, will come easy. That one day, my tiny hands will create the next It Dessert, I will compete and win the highest Gold out of my shaky hands, and I will publish with my International By Line. I will go to places. My ambitions are often huge, but isn’t that the point? But first, I shall fail. Bake again. Repeat.

To remind us, Grownups that even we are in charge of our lives, He is the one in control.

Onwards to pursuing our deepest ambitions, brave hearts! Whatever it is, make it happen.

An advocate of home baking: this week I tried combining the idea of Cappuccino bars from my childhood baking class with Chef Jill Sandique, and I'm very lucky that despite the hot weather, my experiment yielded a good hybrid.. This is my "Cappuccino, Peppermint & Pretzels"

I baked the cheesecake one night ahead and let it set in the chiller over night. While I was unstacking my pantry of old ingredients and culinary tools, I found this old, little rusty, manual hand mixer. I go like "look how cool my mom is"

Mommeh, you so cool! My mom got some vintage baking toys that she passed on me, like this one.

Going back to my featured recipe this week, this is a jackpot of a beginner's luck or just got lucky today kind of recipe ... few of the recipes that I post are untested prior to featuring, meaning I bake them first time and then if it works, I post it. Most are old tested ones though, especially when I tagged it as my "favorite in the world" or "childhood favorite". Honestly, I have enough in my draft that is unpublished because it's a total failure/bad idea/ really bad idea. HAHA.

On baking Cheesecakes however, I'm betting my whole salary for the month, that one could never go wrong and most likely to succeed, win the heart of your crush, unless you try to save on money and use low quality ingredients. Cheesecakes is one of the reasons I could never get abs, or one of the primary reason I'm bloated this very moment, but as they say cherish every minute, this is my celebration!

Cheesecake Diary essentials; Oreo cookies or Graham crackers, Australian Creamcheese, White Chocolate, and fresh Eggs

This is my very first mixer; My sister bought this for me as a gift when I just started in cooking school. It came with a box and standing detachable body and plastic bowl that rotates on its own. I was so happy and teary! This is not even Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer, but the thoughts just hit me well, that one day, my resourcefulness will pay off. I still have it and I used it now for I'm little lazy to manually whip my components

I started baking (and going to baking class) at 14, before that, my curious inner Julia Child is (til now) very experimental. I'm always creating crap out of jams, cheddar cheese and saltine crackers and I thought, honestly, even if this costs my credibility, that is how you make Blueberry Cheesecake and it was a funny disaster.. that afternoon my sister just gave up on me and said "Okay, since you are really persistent with these experiments of yours, you're going to baking class, but you make me what you learn in class" -Maaan, that's how I started! That was October 14, 2006

Now, a real Cheesecake recipe on my cue...

I used a 10" x 10" x 2" square cake mold for this recipe. I'm not a fan of spring form pans though my good friend Phillip Ching gave me one for my 18th, because the water could get in.

Basic crust; combine crushed Oreo cookies and melted , unsalted butter. Then press it against the prepared mold and set aside in the chiller.

Whip creamcheese and sugar together until light and fluffy

At the same time, melt chocolate over hot water bath and dissolve coffee in hot water


Then add eggs at a time, notice that the batter will loosen and become smoother

Slowly pour in the coffee and continue whipping, then fold in melted white chocolate

Whip until the mixture is smooth, I prefer it a little airy.

Pour in the batter into the prepared Oreo crust and bake over warm water bath at 160C for 25 mins

For walking the tray into and out of the oven;Pour the hot water just about halfway or quarter of the mold, you can refill if it dries out than pouring a lot more and spill on your hands

The bottom will be a little jiggly but firm. Then cool down a bit and chill overnight

The next morning, I unmolded the baked Cappuccino cheesecake and continued my components


already good on its own


The morning that came after...

I used a plastic chocolate mold for this Praline. Drizzle tempered and colored chocolate in the mold for a rustic two toned effect. I used color green and a darker shade of mint green.

Spoon tempered white chocolate and tap facing down to take off excess. Set aside the shells and dry at 22 C room temperature or in the chiller


A rustic, two toned Green on White effect.

Add crushed Pretzel in the Ganache and chill to thicken the consistency

Pipe the Pretzel Ganache in the prepared shells and fill up each cavity to 3/4's full

Seal the Pralines with remaning tempered white chocolate and hardened and dry fully before unmolding

Melty Mint & Pretzel Pralines

Liquid filling; the consistency loosens when exposed at warmer temperature upon serving

Baked Cappuccino Cheesecake

400g Creamcheese

95 g Sugar

2 pcs Eggs

135g White Chocolate

4 tsp Instant Coffee diluted in 2 Tbsp Hot water

240g crushed Oreo

90g butter

Let this be a mother Ganache base and divide into three for this recipe's other components; Scald milk and melt chocolate, let it set until thickened in the chiller. Divide the Ganache as per recipe

Chocolate Ganache

2 cups Dark Chocolate

160 ml Fresh Milk

Mint & Pretzel Praline

100g Tempered White Chocolate (28 C)

1/2 c Dark Chocolate Ganache

1/4 tsp Peppermint Oil

Black & White

Combine Ganache and Mint oil together, then add in Heavy cream, whip until stiff peaks and chill

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

1/2 c Ganache

1/4 tsp Peppermint Oil

300g Heavy Cream

Pretzel Ganache
1 c Ganache
1/4 c Pretzels, crushed

Spread Pretzel Ganache on top of Baked Cappuccino Cheesecake

Pipe Mint Chocolate Mousse on top of Pretzel Ganache layer

Even and spread Mint Chocolate Mousse until all is covered

Then using the tip of offset spatula, make random swirls for an edgy effect

Top with Chococlate decors and Melty Mint & Pretzels Praline. Finish with more Chocolate Ganache with tadpole effect

Trim the sides with a clean, warm Chef's Knife, better cut it when very set or frozen.

One of the challenges in home baking is the warmer temperature at compact, home kitchens and the chiller that is not as cold and spacious as the industrial, restaurant ones. What you do is to be very patient while making your components and wait for them to set. Move quickly to avoid your cake and chocolate from melting, and plan your baking as we have many components in this recipe.