I have been wanting to try my hands on chocolate truffle for the longest, longest time but never get around to do it until last Friday.

The first thing that came to mind was, “Dang! No wonder cafes and nice shops have them in either square or rectangle” because really, shaping these babies with hands (i had plastics on both hands) were quite a nightmare in this heat of ours (again!).

Seriously, next time, i’ll just pour the chocolate into a square pan, freeze and slice accordingly whenever it’s ready!

No more shaping the truffles with hands. I reckon i lost about 1-2 truffles to the plastics! >.<

Chocolate Truffles by Bill Granger

makes 18 (i only got 13)

200g dark chocolate

125ml cream

2 tbsp rum (optional)

cocoa powder, sifted for coating

1. Line tray with plastic or baking paper

2. Heat cream to boil then pour into chocolate. Mix. Add rum.

3. Set aside to cool then refrigerate for 30 mins (i needed at least 4 hours for mine).

4. When mixture is set, dust hands with icing sugar to prevent sticking then roll the mixture into small balls. (i couldn’t do this because if i did, instead of 13 truffles, i’d probably end up with only 6!!)

5. Immediatel roll the truffles in cocoa powder and place them on tray. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

We are never short of bananas at home.

Every few other days, we’ll receive a bunch of them if not two. Even though i am a banana-kinda-girl, i can’t possibly eat 3 to 4 of them on daily basis, can i? The helper doesn’t like banana. As for the boys, oh well.. males are generally unpredictable *ahem* so, i really can’t count on them to eat it at all. Sometimes they like, sometimes they don’t. Grrr.

Few days ago when we received 2 bunches of very ripe ones, i knew i gotta make / bake something out of it. How to eat 8 at one go myself, right??

nice fingers hor? not mine! :(

Then i thought of David Lebovitz‘ post sometime back.

Brilliant, i thought.

Because i was in the same situation as he did then. A case of too many ripe bananas that threaten to go black very soon!

So, banana and chocolate chunk upside down cake it was!

Not only it’s very low in fat, it’s very sedap too!

Especially when it’s first out of the oven… it’s oOoh la la!

To quote David..

“Who wouldn’t like a tender cake studded with melting chunks of chocolate, the rich-tasting batter scented with a hint of cinnamon, and rows of bananas lined up on top, gooey and caramelized in a pool of brown sugar topping?”

Seriously.

What is there not to like?

It’s perfect for health nuts and even non-health nuts! :P

AAaahhh.. the caramelized bananas on top… *slurrrrrp*

Together with a scoop of vanilla ice cream with my warm cake, my afternoon tea couldn’t be better ;)

Banana and Chocolate Chunk Upside Down Cake

by David Lebovitz

For the topping:
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (100 g) packed dark brown sugar — i’d reduce this to 75g next time!
2 tablespoons water or butter; cubed, at room temperature — just use butter lah! tastier!
3-4 ripe medium bananas
a few drops of lemon juice (omitted. no lemon)
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter, salted or unsalted
1 large egg
1 large egg white (i used 2 since i have stock)
1 cup (250 g) banana puree (about 2 bananas)
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream, regular or low-fat
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80 g) chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

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1. To make the topping, place the brown sugar and water or butter in an 8-inch (20 cm) square cake pan. Warm the pan directly on the stove top over low heat, stirring until the sugar is thoroughly moistened.
If using water, simmer the mixture for about 45 seconds. If using butter, stir just until the sugar is moist and bubbling, then remove from heat. (It won’t melt completely smooth, and there may be a few bare spots, which is normal.) Let cool to room temperature.
2. Peel and slice the bananas in 1/4-inch (1 cm) slices. Arrange them in slightly overlapping rows over the melted brown sugar. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Mix in the granulated sugar.
5. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, egg, egg white, banana puree, sour cream, and vanilla.
6. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until almost combined. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate pieces.
7. Scrape the batter into the pan over the bananas, then use a spatula to carefully spread the batter over the sliced fruit.
8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake feels just set in the center when you touch it.
9. Cool the cake for about 20 minutes, then run a knife along the edges of the cake to help it release from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.

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Serving: The cake is best served warm with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or by itself as a snack. If made an hour or so in advance, it can be inverted on the serving platter, and left with the cake pan over it, to keep it warm. Otherwise is can be rewarmed in a low over, covered with foil. Or enjoyed at room temperature.

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Storage: The cake can be made up to two days in advance, although it is best the day it’s made. To freeze it, wrap it securely in plastic wrap; it can be frozen for one to two months.

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My advice?

Best to eat it ALL once it’s out of the oven. Keeping it till the next day is really quite a bad idea. You’d be grossed out by the banana’s appearance on the top! :P

Regular readers would know how much i adore cheesecakes!

In my very humble opinion, BEST cheesecakes are from home. Coffee joints ones really cannot make it -_-

finger print by beep. spot it? ^.^

A recent trip to our regular coffee joint, one bite was all i needed. I knew immediately that they changed their supplier! And true enough, they did (i checked). The latest supplier was crap. They cut down so much of the cream cheese used that i really think they oughtta call it Oreo CREAM + GELATINE Cake instead of Oreo Cheesecake. I detest it so much that i walked to the counter with the cake and spoke to the person in charge — my first time! i usually will just close both eyes –

In the end, they exchanged another slice of cake for me and promised that they will speak to the Manager regarding the new supplier’s cake quality. (they better, otherwise… i’ll not go back again!)

I say, don’t pray pray with cheesecakes hor, especially if i am to eat it! Ha!

When i first saw the cake on Smitten Kitchen’s blog, i knew i had to bake it. MUST.

It’s my kinda cake totally. Heh.

1 layer of chocolate truffle, 1 layer of cappucino cheesecake and 1 thin layer of sour cream topping — my new favourite on cheesecakes! (remember yam cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake?? *wink*) — how could i not bake it???!?! :P

So baked i did… but a couple of months later after much procrastinating. Heeeee.

That also because Darcy requested it. A chocolate cake, please? he said. Any kind!

Darcy was desperately craving for my cakes.. which is quite abnormal. Maybe, just maybe, the lack of cakes in the house lately contributed to it.  Moreover, bossacafez was coming over the next day.. so all the more i should bake it! :D

I didn’t have much problem with the recipe except for the crust. Being a lazybumbum, i kinda skip the part where i gotta press the Oreo crumbs up the sides — i’m impatient! — hence, the ugly side crust *hide*.

took too long to photograph.. until everything was jelly soft :P

You know, i had such a hard time decorating the cake!

The chocolate gotta be at the right temperature for me to pipe it out nicely. The first attempt was terrible – chocolate was too hard = lines were uneven – then, my second attempt was still terrible – chocolate too soft = no lines!

It was during my third attempt that i managed to get it right… but not without a mess. The chocolate was everywhere when i squeezed it to pipe despite certain efforts to downplay the whole piping thingie. By the time i finished decorating, i was completely drained out — it took so much strength to pipe the chocolate out, goodness gracious me!! –  and had a tummy full with chocolate. I kinda swore off chocolate at that particular moment. HAhahahaa!

Cappucino Fudge Cheesecake

(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Crust
180-200g crushed oreo
5 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter

Ganache
1 cup single cream
15 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur (i used a combi of Baileys and rum)

Filling
2 * 250g packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 – 2/3 cup sugar (own preference)
1 tablespoons rum
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Topping
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rum

A handful of chocolate covered espresso beans (optional)

(i piped them out instead with chocolate)

Make crust: Finely grind cookies. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute. Transfer crumbs to 8-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan.

Make ganache: Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat; add chocolate and Kahlúa. Whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 1 1/2 cups ganache over bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for decorating.

Make filling: Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Scrape down bowl, making sure you get to the bottom, where little pockets of unmixed cream cheese love to hid. Beat in flour. Stir rum, espresso powder, vanilla in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves (i just dissolved the powder with 1 tbsp hot water) ; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will go nearly all of the way to the top, don’t panic. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping (top of cheesecake will fall slightly, making room for topping). Maintain oven temperature.

Make topping: Whisk sour cream, sugar, and rum in medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Bake until topping is set, about 5- 10 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about three hours.

Run small sharp knife between crust and pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. If you’d like to make an approximation (perhaps less rushed?) of the above decoration, pipe 6 diagonal lines atop cheesecake, spacing 1 inch apart. Repeat in opposite direction, making lattice. Pipe rosettes (or, uh, stars if you realize you do not have the energy nor inclination to practice rosette piping at that hour) of ganache around top edge of cake. Otherwise, have fun decorating freely. Espress(o) — ow — yourself!

Garnish with chocolate-covered espresso beans, if desired. Chill until lattice is firm, at least 6 hours.

Do ahead: Cake is best made a day ahead, so the flavors have time to settle. The cake also takes enough time to make that it’s best not to rush through it the day you want to serve it. It can be made up to four days ahead. Wrap loosely in foil, forming dome over lattice; keep chilled.

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Oh, if you must know, the cake was polished off the very next day and everyone was begging for more! AND it was a very very rich cake i tell ya. Not for the faint hearted ones :P

p.s : i still have no idea why i cant slice the cake perfectly without having the chocolate stained all over the sides of the cake, despite following every instructions! :(

How do the experts do it???????

pps : using my new prime lens for the first time!!!! :D

I love bananas and i love banana cakes!

Instead of my usual, boring but absolutely make-my-day-banana butter cake, i adapted the recipe to a healthier and even yummier version, banana yogurt cake with walnut and chocolate chips! It’s truly addictive! One will never be able to stop at 1 piece *wink*

Messy, check!

Chocolate everywhere, check!

Dirty looking boys, check!

Finger licking good, check!

Sharing my absolutely precious recipe with you… hope you’ll like it! :D

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Banana yogurt cake with walnut and chocolate chips

4 oz unsalted butter

3 oz yogurt, plain

5 oz caster sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp milk

3 1/2 large bananas, mashed

8 oz plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 handful of walnut and chocolate chips

1. cream sugar and butter till light and fluffy

2. add eggs, 1 by 1

3. add bananas

4. mix in the sifted flour, together with baking soda and baking powder + walnut + chocolate chips, alternating with 1 tbsp milk at a time

5. bake at 180 for 45 minutes or till skewer comes out clean

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Enjoy! :D