Cream Cheese Tart Recipe_[Spin-Offs]

Dear Bakers,

Happy 20th Birthday to my little brother (that's not so little anymore...D:)! In light of his birthday celebration, I wanted to bake him his birthday cake myself...or a birthday Cream Cheese Tart ^^ 

Ingredients

[For the Crust]
4- whole wheat cookies (I used Digestive cookies; you can also use graham crackers) 
1 1/2 tablespoons of Butter

[For the Filling]
4 oz (about 115 g) of cream cheese*
*Leave the cream cheese out in room temperature for about 20 minutes to soften.
2 oz of plain yogurt
1/8 cup of Flour

2 Eggs
1/8 cup of milk (I used low fat milk)

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar (you can use less sugar if you use sweetened yogurt)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

This recipe made 1-batch for [20 cm (about 8'') * 2 cm (about 1'') height tart pan]

1. Melt the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Meanwhile, crush your whole wheat cookies in a zip-lock bag or any plastic bag until they are just a little chunky, but mostly fine. Here's a picture of what my crust looked like.
3. Mix the crumble and butter together thoroughly.
4. Flatten out the crumble mixture on the bottom of your tart pan. Make sure it covers all of the bottom.
5. Now, let's make the filling! In a large mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese and sugar thoroughly. Then, pour in the milk, eggs (one by one), yogurt, and vanilla in the listed order. Lastly, mix in the flour to thicken up the batter. Make sure there are no chunks of flour floating~
6. Carefully pour in the filling batter into your tart pan. I had just the right amount to fill it to the very top.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 F (or 175 C). Bake for 30-35 minutes on the baking stand on the very top rack of your oven. This is to prevent burning the tart!
8. Keep the tart inside the oven for another 15- 20 minutes to deflate and cool.  Afterwards, take the tart out of the oven and chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. (Keeping the tart in the oven for 15-20 minutes after finishing baking helps to not only deflate the tart, but also to form a glossy surface that helps to detach the tart from the pan.)

annnnnnd there you have it! :) It's different from a cheesecake, obviously...because it's a tart! It is a little more egg-y and custard like. If you enjoy firmer texture, you can freeze it in the fridge for an hour or so before eating it.

I decorated mine with pink-white chocolate and sprinkles to wish my brother a happy birthday. :) andd I'm glad to say that he enjoyed his birthday-tart very much. 

Here's a side view: 

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy it as much as my family and I did. Let me know if there are any specific recipes that you want me to try or post!

Happy Baking,

Steen

6/20/14

찐득찐득 호두 브라우니_[KOREAN_한국어]

Chocolate을 사랑하는 님들께,

정말 찐~~~한 초콜렛이 땡기는 그런날...전 제 자신에게 다크 초콜릿 호두 브라우니를 선물했지용 :) 

필요한 재료

밀가루 1 컵

버터 1/2 컵 (110g 정도) 

달걀 2개 
좋은 질의 무당 코코 파우더 1/2 컵
백설탕 3/4 컵 (아님 1컵-원하시는 당도에 따라 바꿀수 있어요~)

바닐라 오일 1 티스푼 

베이킹 파우더 1/4 티스푼 

소금 한 꼬집 (아님 1/4 스푼 개량해서 넣으셔도 되요!)

호두 분태 1/8 컵 (아님 아몬드도 잘 어울려요)

*제가 여러 견과류 종류로 해 본 결과, 호두랑 아몬드가 다크 초콜릿이랑 제일 잘 어울리는거 같네요 ㅎㅎ

이 레시피는 [Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish, Clear 9 x 13 inch] 으로 한 번 구울수 있는 양의 레시피 입니다. 

1. 버터를 불 위에서 아님 더 쉬운 방법으론 전자랜지에 30초에서 1분정도 돌려 녹여 주세요. 
2. 버터가 녹고 너무 뜨겁지 않은 온도로 식는 동안, 밀가루와 코코파우더를 섞어주세요. 
3. 계란, 설탕, 소금을 녹은 버터와 잘 섞어주세요. 다음 베이킹 파우더와 바닐라도 섞어주세요.
4. 밀가루/코코 믹스쳐를 버터 믹스쳐와 잘 저어주세요.
5. 오븐을 175 C로 예열해주세요. 
6. 브라우니를 구울 팬을 미리 기름이나 버터로 칠해주세요. 브라우니 반죽을 팬에 부어서 골고루 펴주세요. 
7. 호두 분태를 골고루 반죽 위에 뿌려주세요. 
8. 20-25분 정도 오븐에서 구워 주세요.
9. 이제 오븐에서 꺼내 브라우니가 식을때 까지 기다리면~~~끝!

이 브라우니는 오븐에서 바로 꺼냈을때 케익처럼 폭신 한 감이 있어요. 만약 찐득한 fudge 브라우니의 식감을 원하신다면 랩/ 포일로 싸서 실온 아님 냉장고에서 식혀주세요.

저는 벨기에산 다크 코코 파우더를 썼어요. 이 코코 파우더는 카카오의 거친 맛이 안나고 부드러운 끝맛이 있어 좋더라고요~

만약 견과류 알러지가 있으시다면 레시피에서 빼셔도 되요~ 더 초콜릿맛과 단 맛이 강한 브라우니를 원하신다면 초콜릿 칩을 반죽에 섞으셔도 되요. 이런건 다 개.취 (개인의 취향)!

맛있는 브라우니를 즐기시길 바래요. ^^

언제나 행복한 베이킹을 위해,
Steen

6/18/14

[Chocolate Lovers] Fudgey Walnut Brownie Recipe

Dear Chocolate Lovers,

It was one of those days when I was craving something super duper chocolaty...and here is the dark-chocolate walnut brownie that I treated myself with :)

Ingredients

1 cup of Flour

1/2 cup (about 110 g) of Butter

2 Eggs

1/2 cup of High-quality unsweetened Coco powder

3/4 cup Granulated Sugar (or 1 cup, depending on how sweet you want your brownie)

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 tsp of baking powder

Pinch of salt (or if you want to be exact, 1/4 tsp)

1/8 cup of chopped Walnut (or Almonds)*

*From what I have tried, these two seem to create the best synergy with the dark-chocolate flavor of the brownie

This recipe made 1-batch for [Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish, Clear 9 x 13 inch]

1. Melt the butter over the burner OR easier way is to microwave the butter for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. While waiting for the butter to melt and cool, mix the flour and the coco powder in a large bowl. You can sift if you want, but it is not necessary.                                                                                         -Depending on how you want your brownie to taste- bittersweet or milky-sweet - you can add 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup of coco powder, respectively.
3. Mix the eggs,sugar, and salt with the melted butter. Add 1/4 tsp of baking powder and vanilla into the butter mixture as well.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 degrees C).
6. Butter or oil your baking pan/ dish. Pour the batter into 9'' x 13'' pan. Evenly spread out the batter (about .75 '' thickness on the pan).
7. Sprinkle the chopped walnut evenly on the entire baking dish.
8. Bake for about 20-25 minutes on the top rack of your oven.
9. Cool the brownie outside before serving.

*The brownie can have a more cakey/ soft texture when it is right out of the oven. Cooling it in the fridge or letting it sit overnight with a cover gives it a more fudgey texture.


-I used Belgian coco powder. I found this Belgian unsweetened coco powder does not have that harsh finish we often get from unsweetened coco, but has a smooth/ soft finishing taste.
-If you are allergic to nuts, you can take out the nuts completely.
-You can also add chocolate chips into the batter for a more chocolatey/ sweet brownie.

Happy Baking,
Steen

6/18/14