Stove-baked Orange Sponge Cake

No oven? No problem! No parchment paper? No problem! No vanilla pod? No problem! No eggs? Yes problem... Hahahaha! Now I gonna share with you my mom's recipe of very simple orange sponge cake. I like so much when it still a lil' bit warm and eat it with a large scope of vanilla ice cream. Yummeh!!!

Ingredients:

5 eggs (med size)
1 cup of white sugar
3/4 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
1 tablespoon of orange flavored essence
1 orange, zest

Methods:

1) Dust the cake-pan with flour and heat it on the stove. You may grease the cake-pan with butter.

2) Using electric hand-mixer, beat the eggs until it light and fluffy.

3) In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture turning pale in color.

4) Add in orange zest, vanilla essence & orange-flavored essence.

5) Pour the eggs into the mixture and flour gradually. Using hand whisker, whisk slowly. Or fold.

6) Pour the cake mixture into the heated cake-pan and put it on the stove at low heat for about 45 minutes. You may check using skewer stick, too.

Done. How about that? Easy eh? Try it!

Non-baked, Frozen Cheesecake

serCheesecake not suppose to be spongy or airy. And personally, I don't like a baked cheesecake. I like it chilled especially here in Malaysia where the weather is too hot and humid. So yeah, lets say CHEEEEEEEEEESE!!!

Ingredients: 

Base:
1 packet (or more) Cookies or biscuits - you can use any type of cookies or biscuits! Oreo, digestive cookies,mary, cream crackers, tigers, shortbread, etc. Totally up to you!
125 unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup of sugar - more or less, depends on your taste actually :)

Cheesecake:
750g of cream cheese (Philadelphia is too expensive here so I opted to Tatura from Australia)
1 lemon, zest
1-2 teaspoon lemon juice, to taste
Condense milk, to taste
3/4 teaspoon of powdered, unflavored gelatine (to mix with 2 tablespoon of hot water, dissolved)

Methods:

First, we make the base:
1) Using food processor, crash-crush the cookies/biscuit.
2) Add the sugar and melted butter and process till well-mixed.
3) Pour in to cake tin and press firmly.
4) Put in the refrigerator meanwhile making the cheesecake.

And then, for the cheesecake:
5) Blend the cream cheese in a food processor until the texture become smooth
6) Add the lemon zest, lemon juice & condense milk (according to your taste) and keep on processing until the texture become really smooth and glossy.
7) Add in together with the gelatine, mixed well.

For the final:
8) Take out the cookies/biscuits base from the refrigerator.
9) Pour in the cheesecake mixture on top of the base. Shake the cake tin slowly to get the even surface.
10) Cover with cling film and put it in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serve.

Tadaaaaaa!!! You may serve the cheesecake with your favorite fruits or syrup or jam. Be creative! Picture below - I'm using oreo as a cookies base with fruit syrup with mango & strawberry dices.

Powerberries Pavlova

After so many try & error... finally, I did it! I did it! F**k yea! I am so proud of myself :)

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 lemon, zested 
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
300ml whipping cream
Berries: raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries or a mixture
1 tablespoon icing sugar

Methods:

1) Heat the oven to 180celcius. Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2) Whisk the egg whites with electric beaters until they just form stiff and shiny peaks. Gradually add the sugar a couple of tablespoons at a time and whisk really well between each addition.

3) When all of the sugar is used up continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until the meringue is stiff and glossy and stands up in peaks, then whisk in the cornflour and lemon juice/vinegar.

4) Spoon the mixture onto the baking parchment and use a palette knife to make a circle (depends on you how big you want your pavlova to turn out!).

5) Put in the oven, turn the temperature down to 120celcius and cook for 1hour 45minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside until completely cold, around 4-6 hours or overnight.

6) Carefully peel off the baking parchment and put the pavlova on a serving dish.

7) Mix the vanilla essence into a mixing bowl, add the whipping cream and lemon zest and softly whip, then spoon onto the pavlova.

8) Mix the berries, spoon the fruit on top of the cream, dust with a little icing sugar and serve.

"Cheat Tiramisu" a.k.a Easy Tiramisu

What?!!! Mascarpone? Double Cream? Heavy Cream? Whoaaa!!! Damn bloody f**kin' expensive man... It'll cost lot!  Stop complaining! Try this "cheat" recipe! Cut more than 50% from the traditional tiramisu cost and still get the sae texture and excellent taste!

Ingredients:

500g Cream Cheese (I use Tatura Cream Cheese instead of Philadelphia)
120ml cream (doesn't matter cooking cream or whipping cream or heavy cream)
60g unsalted butter, softened
5 tablespoon castor sugar
Biscuit (normally for tiramisu, people use ladyfingers @ savoriardi but I just use any kind!)
Unsweetened black coffee, cooled

Optional: Tia Maria or Kahlua
Optional: Dark Chocolate, grated or cocoa powder - for ganishing
Optional: Strawberries, sliced (you may use any other fruits that you like!) - for ganishing

Methods:

1) In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, cream and butter until well blended. (I call this as "mascarpone substitute")

2) Beat the mixture above and caster sugar in a mixing bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Set aside. 


3) Combine the coffee (and Tia Maria or Kahlua, if using) in a large bowl. Dip the savoiardi biscuits quickly into the coffee mixture and then arrange over individual serving glasses.

*You may arrange the sliced strawberries or other fruits on the side or bottom of the serving glasses.

4) Spread half the "mascarpone" mixture evenly over the biscuits.

*You may repeat the step #3 for another layer. Finish with a layer of the remaining mascarpone mixture.

5) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

6) Sprinkle with the grated chocolate or cocoa powder just before serving.

SERVES 6-8