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!

Mango Passion Rose and Durian Lime Mousse Cakes

I personally have a soft-spot for European-style mousse (fresh cream) cakes. They were my first ventures when I tried baking at home as I missed eating them after I stopped working (there were less opportunities to visit a good bakery!).

For anyone who have tried baking one of these, it is really simple as it involves baking a sponge-base cake, soaking it in some syrup/liquor and layering it with mousses. The trick is in finding a great combination - and there are lots!

I love to use the denser genoise (a French-style sponge) which is more fine-textured, and almost always there's fine liquor. Some of my best flavours are Mango Passion Rose, Durian Lime, Black Forest Cheese Mousse, Java Coffee, Choc Raspberry, and Peanut Butter Choc (above are the Mango Passion Rose and Durian Lime). These are very 'adult' cakes I must say - as the genoise base always gets a generous dousing of liquor, and the flavours are often a sophisticated combination of sweet and tangy.

Mousse cakes are finicky to transport though, as refrigeration is a must. Definite no-nos for parties, weddings or in gift boxes as these are occasions when the cake will probably be sitting at our rather warm room temperature for prolonged periods. Perfectly sophisticated for small group celebrations though!

3-D Birthday Cakes

Some of my earlier attempts - birthday cakes for my little sweetie pie and a dear friend's son. My girl actually had two - one for the celebration at her playschool and one for our own celebration at home! That gave me a lot of opportunities to try out some designs. All these were first attempts - luckily they turned out well!

Only mishap - the balloon on the teddy cake burst when the candles were lighted!

Fairytale Castle B'day Cake for Two Princesses

Large cakes are never my strengths - and I only mainly make them for my own family's celebrations. Nonetheless, I couldn't talk these 2 girls into switching to cupcakes, so began the challenging journey of creating this cake!

The brief was simple - pretty, pink, fairtytale-like! I think a castle would only have a fairytale feel if it is on top of a hill, so I decided to precariously tier a small castle on top of the lovely Wilton Cascade bundt shape - the perfect hill! I used rounded shapes for the castle, and soft swirls to decorate the turrets, so as to keep it magical and girly... and lots of edible sparkles and shimmer for a dreamy fairytale effect!

With some last minute ingenuity (thks to some kind suggestions from a guest at the party) - I managed to tier the castle on top of the bundt cake - on site - without dowelling. Pretty petite cupcakes topped with flowers and butterflies surround the castle, some spelling out the birthday princesses' names - Marilyn n Marissa. I particularly loved the two little handmoulded fondant bluebirds holding up the "Happy B'day" message banner! I'm such a sucker for all the glittery petal dusts - they do add magic to the cake!

Well - the final outcome was pretty good - the girls do love it! Happy Birthday princesses!