Dreamy Cream Cheesecakes!

Dreamy and creamy ... that's how I love my cheesecakes! I've said my first love (cakes, that is) is mousse cakes, yet I have a craving for cheesecakes more often than I admit. In fact, I love all types - Japanese souffle, Boston-style, mousse (chilled) or NY-style in all it's denseness!

I remember when I first tackled a cheesecake recipe and it turned out grainy and crumbly ... in the days when I can't tell a 'bain-marie' from Marie Curie. Well, I've moved on, and have finally baked the cheesecake in the perfect texture and taste to my liking! Thanks to Rose Levy Beranbaum of Cake Bible fame, my cheesecake is an adaptation and though it is quite different from the original Cake Bible recipe, the Cake Bible indeed provided the 'understanding' so to speak.

So here is the creamiest baked cheesecake ever - not crumbly or crusty - sinfully rich and meant to be savoured in small servings! I love fruity cheesecakes because I think the fresh tangy berries and fruits balances the richness of the whole indulgence - hence my all-star flavour: "Racy Raspberry"! Racy Raspberry is topped with a delectable spread of ruby red homemade raspberry conserve or - when in season - the deluxe version gets a generous pile of glazed fresh raspberries.

Two other great flavours that I love to bake is the Durian Lime and Banana Toffee Crunch. All these premium cheesecakes feature luscious toppings that brings a new flavour dimension to the cheesecake itself, and a light frosting of light whipped white choc ganache adds the finishing touch. Oooh.... dreamy indeed!

I usually bake these as treats for my friends (or myself) rather than customers simply because they start at rm90 for a 9" cake (approx 1.8kg). But for those who have tried them ... second or even third helpings are a must!

Sweet Surrender!

Right on the dot of my 40th birthday, I received a surprising call - a journalist expressed her interest to interview me and write about my cupcakes! Apparently, her editor - Poh Lin had the opportunity to try some and thought they were heavenly! I was absolutely flattered!

So in a frenzy, I toyed with the various types of cupcakes I think will make a good impression. I finally decided to show off my decorating skills since there will be lots of pictures! So I proceeded with piped roses, a new set of piped designs themed along the lines of 'Spring Brocade', and my lovely fondant butterflies. I also did a set of 'Party Petites' - my petite size party bites cupcakes (more on that later).

Then, I remembered my luscious cheesecakes - the journalist must taste it! So I made 2 - Racy Raspberry and Durian Lime.

On the day of the interview, I felt really fluttery! I took out my fave silver tier tray, some of my best china, and brewed a pot of rose tea... kind of an English afternoon tea.

I have to say, both the journalist and photographer (Kamariah and Lim) were the nicest people ever... and I was really glad they loved the cakes. And the article... wow, it came out earlier than I expected (a slew of phonecalls came in even before I had a chance to flip thru the paper) - a full colour double-page spread! I felt soooo honoured! I totally loved it (except maybe the large photos of my face plastered on it! - would rather if the pics were all of the lovely cakes!)

In any case, my sincere thanks to Kamariah, Lim and Poh Lin ... and to NST of course! This was my best birthday present ever!