Cheesecake

I've just baked 2 batches of cheesecake and it was really different from the first one I baked which was a year ago. You can really see the difference in the pictures. I used the same recipe for both.

For the first cheesecake, I baked it at 177C for about 40 minutes I think. The timing was because I used more batter(3 egg portion) so the cheesecake was quite tall. I guessed I overbaked it because it was really brown at the top. But then again, it's still moist! According to most websites, a brown surface on the cheesecake means it has been overbaked. It's confusing huh, I overbaked my cheesecake but it was moist.

Just now, I baked cheesecakes again using the same recipe and same 6 inch pan but I changed the oven temperature to 160C, used less batter(1 egg portion), and I tapped the pan to get air bubbles out before baking. It came out really pretty, and denser than the ones I baked a year ago. But the thing is, I cannot figure out which taste nicer because both are good. I'm really confused. This is really confusing. What do humans want in a cheesecake? Like what appearance would be more appealing to them? I can't figure it out. 

The final product of the recipe below will be a brown surfaced cheesecake, and it is lighter than the ones I have baked recently. 

Cheesecake recipe

70g digestive biscuits (crushed into crumbs)

20g butter (melted)

750g cream cheese (room temperature)

3/4 cups white sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream (already whipped to soft peaks)

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 177C.
2. Mix the biscuit crumbs with the butter until combined, resembling wet sand.
3. Line aluminium foil to a 6 inch loose pan. Place the crumbs in the pan and press tightly, refrigerate the pan.
4. In a bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. Mix until soft and creamy.
5. Place in the vanilla extract and whipped cream. Mix until combined.
6. Add in one egg at a time, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix as it will incooporate too much air into the batter, causing cracks to the surface of your final product.
7. Bake in a 6 inch pan for about 30 to 40 mins or until the surface of the cheesecake is golden brown. 

Banana Split Cupcakes

Hey guys, I'm back after trying out Wordpress. It was good, but I still prefer Blogger. So new recipes will be posted up at least once a month, and here is one recipe I have tried 3 weeks ago. This is a chocolate cupcake with banana custard in the middle, topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. The idea initially came from BakersRoyale, but a added my own variation by having a chocolate cupcake instead of a banana one, and whipped cream instead of buttercream. Banana cupcakes didn't interest me much as cupcakes with bananas just doesn't seem right. But still, this recipe is worth a try for banana lovers (:

Chocolate cupcake recipe

Adapted from Divas Can Cook

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cups sugar

1 cup hot coffee

1 cup canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F/162C.
2. Double sift the dry ingredients(flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder) and mix them together, set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together sugar, coffee, oil, and buttermilk.
4. Combine the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix till combined. 
5. Add in the eggs, and vanilla extract, do not overmix.
6. Bake for 21.5 minutes exactly. Please use a timer.