Caramel Coffee Ice Cream: Better than a glass of frappe!

When the weather is extremely hot, a scoop of ice cream is very very good. I love to have a box of ice cream in the freezer, and home made ice cream is the best.

I made ice cream almost every week, but the problem is the flavor is not varied -*-. Most of the time, I make coffee ice cream (it's my mom favorite). Anyway I really need something new, (haha, I always feel bored when I make the same thing, I love to try something new (^_*)).

I got the idea from the book name: .................

Now it's time for something beyond basic coffee ice cream: The caramel coffee ice cream. The smell and the flavor of the caramel make the ice cream become more like a glass of coffee caramel frappe! But I think it's better ^ ^.

Caramel Coffee Ice Cream
serves 3-4 persons

Caramel Sauce
50g	Caster sugar
1tbsp	Water
50ml	Whipping cream
⅓ tsp	Sea salt
Coffee ice cream base
3	Egg yolks
20g	Caster sugar
250ml	Milk
20g	Caster sugar
1½tsp	Instant coffee

First make the caramel sauce:

Combine the sugar and water in a heavy saucepan and stir well to mix. Put the cream and salt in a second small saucepan (or put in the microwave proved measuring cup). Place the first pan on medium heat and cook undisturbed until the sugar begins to melt and caramelize-you’ll see a few wisps of smoke coming out of the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and stir occasionally so that the sugar melts and caramelizes evenly. Remove it from the heat when the caramel is still very pale (the sugar will continue to darken off the heat). Slide the pan with the cream onto the burner. As soon as the cream has some bubbles around the edge (if using microwave put the cup in the microwave and heat for 40 seconds), add it to the caramel at arm’s length, averting your face—the caramel will boil up and may splatter out of the pan. Pour the diluted caramel into a medium bowl and cool it to room temperature.

In a small saucepan, combine milk and 20g of sugar together. Heat the milk mixture over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan sprinkle with instant coffee powder. Set aside and cover to keep hot.

In a bowl, with a whisk, beat 20g of sugar and egg yolk together until very thick and smooth. Gradually add the hot milk mixture, whisk all the time to prevent the yolk to become curdle.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of the spoon (about 75°C). Remove the pan from heat and pour the caramel sauce into the pan.


Pour the mixture through the sieve and set it in a bowl of ice water. Stir to cool the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled.
Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Caramel Coffee Ice Cream: Better than a glass of frappe!

Dark Cherry Cake: Easy, simply and delicious!

We all need something easy to bake, when we need a break from all the work sometimes just make something quick and easy is the best.

This cake can be the answer, from the fact that that base is a soft biscuit and the filling is a can of cherry in heavy syrup (it's time saving too, just open the can, that's all ^ ^). Top the cake with the crumb and put it in the oven, then after 30 minutes you get the delicious cake, How easy!
Actually, I have to confess, I bought this can of cherry for making the black forest cake, but I felt very lazy so I try to find other recipe, -*-.

Dark Cherry Cake
Makes 22cm cake

Base
200g	Cake flour
20g	Whole wheat flour
2tsp	Baking powder
40g	Granulated sugar
¼ tsp	Sea salt
80g	Butter
80 cc	1 egg plus whipping cream
Cherry filling
1 can (425g)	Dark sweet cherry (sieved and discard syrup)
1 tbsp	Corn starch
2 tsp	Granulated sugar
1tsp	Lemon juice
Plain crumble
40g	Cake flour
20g	Almond meal (grounded almond)
40g	Granulated sugar
40g	Salted butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Butter 22 cm tart pan, set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, and sugar. Using a pastry Blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Using your fingers, squeeze the mixture together to create pea-size to ¾-inch pieces. If not using right away, cover and chill until ready to proceed.

In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour,whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry Blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. Pour the egg and cream mixture into the bowl, using spatula mix until the egg and cream mixture is absorbed. Using your hand, squeeze the mixture together to create a ball.


Roll the dough into a circle slightly larger than the pan.
Place the dough over the pan and press the dough into the pan.
Using rolling pin roll over the pan to remove the exceeded dough.

Make the filling:
Mix all the ingredient together.
Pour the mixture into the pan, and sprinkle with the crumb.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Dark Cherry Cake: Easy, simply and delicious!

MINI MARBLED MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

I don't bake cheese cake much, may be it from the fact that I really love it, ^ ^, and I just can't resist eat them all. Anyway, last week I really want to eat them.

I choose to make them in tiny size (so, when eating it I will feel better, haha, at least it's small). But don't let the small size fool you, this cheese cake packed with both of my favorite ingredients, chocolate and mascarpone!

Each bite will fill you with joy of smooth cheese flavor and the density of dark chocolate (ok, it will depend on the kind of chocolate that you use, but I love dark so I used Green & Black's 70% so my cheese cake is heavenly sent ^ ^).

I don't like my cake to be extra sweet, but if you like the amount of the sugar can be 150g instead of 120g. And if you don't have mini cheese cake pan (I know that not everyone crazy about the mini size, haha), you can use 7 inch springform pan and the baking time will be 60-65 minutes (or you can double the recipe and use 9 inch springform pan and the baking time will be 70-75 minutes). But believe me, size doesn't matter, they will be delicious in any size, haha.

I adapt this recipe from:The Cake Book by Tish Boyle

MINI MARBLED MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE

Makes 12 mini cheese cakes

CRUST
50g	Chocolate sandwich cookies (removed the filling and crushed in a food processor)
MARBLED MASCARPONE FILLING
100 g	Bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
40 ml	water
300 g	cream cheese, softened
120 g	granulated sugar
2	large eggs, at room temperature
140 g	Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoons	Vanilla extract

MAKE THE CRUST

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a mini cheese cake pan. Dust the pan with the crumbs, covering the bottom. Cut 12 pieces of 4-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap the foil around the outside of the pans.

MAKE THE FILLING

2. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the water over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove the chocolate from the heat and set aside to cool.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until blended. At low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

4. Spoon the mascarpone cheese into a medium bowl and stir it with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract. Stir about 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture into the mascarpone until well blended and smooth. Mixing at low speed.

Gradually add this mixture to the remaining batter in the bowl. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and stir the batter with a spatula a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

5. Stir ¾ cup of the batter into the melted chocolate. Mix until blend.

Scrape the white batter into the prepared pan. Lightly spoon the chocolate batter on top of the white batter and spoon the remaining white batter on top. Using a spoon (or toothpick), pull the white batter up from the bottom of the pan (without disturbing the crumbs) to create a marbled effect (but don’t overdo it, or the two batters will end up blended instead of marbleized).

6. Place the pan into a roasting pan or a large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to come about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cake in the water bath for 40 to 45 minutes, until the center is set but slightly wobbly (the cake will continue to set up as it cools). Remove the pan from the water bath and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

MINI MARBLED MASCARPONE CHEESECAKE