Swiss Meringue Buttercream Cheese - finally a pipe-able batch!

Cream Cheese Frosting! How many of you are like me? I surfed countless recipes, tried many times and tasted plenty, in the search for a tasty one that can hold swirls. The cream-cheese-butter-icing sugar recipes usually turned out pretty good for frosting and are able to hold with lots of icing sugar incorporated but are way too sweet for my liking. From various feedback, I gathered that Swiss Meringue Buttercream is well-liked for it's lightness and satiny mouth-feel.

I've done it twice before, it's indeed tasty but was a little slippery to work with. I find it easy to frost cakes with it but they are not stiff enough to hold shape. Today, I whipped up yet another batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream Cheese (SMBC), however I made a big booboo. I did not let the cream cheese soften and didn't whip the cheese sufficiently before I added the buttercream. The end result was a frosting that had little icky bits of cream cheese. Eui, not nice on the palate. Darn, I had 300g of cream cheese and 600g of SMB in it! All wasted. So I went to Mr. Google on "how to save a lumpy cream cheese frosting" and that's how I knew I made the 2 big mistakes. Most remedies call for microwaving the SMBC for 10s then rewhipping. I tried, microwaved, whipped, chill, didn't work. I tried again, microwaved longer, whipped, chill, turned into ab absolute goopy mess. Thats when I concluded that I tried but failed. Tough work. 900g of frosting went into the trash.

But, the blessing in disguise came! While waiting for my 2nd batch of cream cheese to soften at room temperature, I left my SMB in the fridge to chill. As I later whipped the cream cheese till the cows came home, scrapping down and whipping repeatedly till it's smooth, I added the cold SMB bit by bit till the CC and SMB are just incorporated together. That's when I realised to my pleasant surprise that the peaks held. Wow, I think the cold SMB could be one of the key factors. The other factor could be that lower proportion of cream cheese to SMB. In my previous attempts, I used 70 to 80% ratio of CC to SMB, this time I used only 50%. The cream cheese taste is still pretty significant, enhanced further by a tablespoon of lemon juice.  So 2 factors that changed my frosting from a creamy but slightly droopy frosting to a light and stiff buttercream that can be piped, were the cold buttercream and the lower proportion of cream cheese. I may try 60% CC to SMB next time, just to see if there's any significant difference in taste and texture.

Meanwhile, go make yourself a cake that needs that Swiss Meringue Buttercream Cheese!

SMBC: (Makes around 750g SMB)

5 large egg whites

250g granulated sugar

340g unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes

2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or essence

pinch of salt

375g cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature

Steps:

1. Place egg whites and sugar in a clean and dry metal mixer bowl, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2. Using the whisk attachment of mixer, immediately start whipping until the meringue is thick and glossy. The mixture should be at room temperature by now (It may take around 10 minutes)

3. Switch over to paddle attachment and on low speed, start to add butter cubes gradually, and mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. Add vanilla and salt.  Continue to beat on low speed until well combined.

4. Move the SMB to another bowl and keep that in the fridge. 

5. In the mixer bowl, paddle-whip the soft cream cheese till it's light and smooth. Took around 15 minutes of high speed paddling and lots of scrapping down the bowl. 

6. Add bits of the cold buttercream to the whipped cream cheese on med-low speed until it's just incorporated. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice, paddle-whip at med-high speed for a short while to let it come together. TaDa! It's now ready to be used. 

Hummingbird Cupcakes - Full of delicious fruits and hearty with whole wheat

Did I already mention I love Bananas? And my all-time favourite cake is the Carrot Cream Cheese Cake from Cedele. Every time I think of the cake, I feel like having 1 huge slice immediately. Carrot cakes don't always taste strongly of carrots. What I love about carrot cakes is generally the crumbly, slightly coarse texture that provides bite, an earthy flavor that goes so well with a tangy sweet cream cheese frosting. Ooh and the generous doses of walnuts! So good.

Then I came across the Hummingbird. It's like my 2 loves in 1. It has the crumb structure of a carrot cake, the ooh la la sweet fragrance of ripened bananas and as an additional bonus - the juiciness of crushed pineapples. Made these 4x so far and it has always received good reviews from my kind audience. I've adjusted the recipes from the original in a few ways and also tweaked it in my first 3 attempts, finally arriving at a recipe that has a crumble that gives bite but wouldn't totally collapsed upon cutting, is not too sweet from being sugar-laden and has defined tastes of both bananas and pineapples.

I forgot to also add that it's very easy to make. ITS A CAKE EVERYONE SHOULD TRY TO MAKE! =)

Source
Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup castor sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3.5 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh crushed pineapple
2 cups mashed roasted banana
1 cup roasted walnut pieces

Steps:
1. Prepare the bananas and pineapples ahead of baking. Roast 6 mid-large ripe bananas at 200C for 8 minutes, flip and roast another 5 minutes. The skin will turn black, the banana will be mushy and your house will smell wonderful. Mash and keep 1 side. Peel and cut a ripe pineapple, chop 1 cup of pineapple into fine pieces and keep both the fruit and juices. Roast the walnuts at 200C for 5 minutes, be careful not to burn them.
Let the bananas and walnuts cool to room temperature.
2. Sift the flours together and add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, soda and salt to it. Mix well.
3. In another bowl, mix the sugars together and add the eggs. Whisk well. Add the oil and vanilla, whisk to emulsify.
4. Add the flours into the sugar/egg mixture and stir lightly to just combine. Do not use electric mixers.
5. Stir in the pineapples, then bananas and walnuts.
6. Pour into 26 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or 2 8-inch lined round pans for 30 minutes at 170C.
Note: Cakes will dome slightly so use less batter if cupcakes are not meant to be too high or use more to make into muffin style cakelets. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
I used a mixture of cream cheese and swiss meringue buttercream, added a good dose of lemon and vanilla bean paste, mixed well and piped a round dollop then added a dried pineapple flower piece on top. Or, just stick a whole walnut piece atop for simplicity sake.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMB) from Sweetapolita.
5 egg whites + 250g fine grained sugar- in a clean mixer bowl over simmering water, whisk constantly until sugar has melted. Using the electric whisk, beat at high speed until mixture is thick, glossy and the bowl has cooled to room temperature. Switch to paddler attachment.
Add 340g unsalted butter (cubed and softened) gradually at low speed until buttercream is silky soft.
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (or up to half a lemon), 2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well to combine.

Weigh the above amount of SMB and measure out cream cheese equivalent to 80% weight of the SMB. IE: if the SMB weights 500g, the amount of cream cheese should be 400g. Beat slightly softened cream cheese (removed from fridge for about 3 to 5 minutes only) until light and fluffy, then add the SMB and mix well to incorporate.

Note: The above SMB will yield much more than the amount needed for this batch of cupcakes but I generally make this amount and take the amount needed, then freeze the rest. It can keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

For pineapple flowers, refer to this site for step-by-step instructions.

No-Knead Sweet Potato Whole Wheat Bread

What a mouthful of a title! On my quest to increase the ratio of whole wheat to white flour without it textured like rocks, it suddenly struck me to incorporate sweet potato. My previous sweet potato yogurt bread was so soft that it was limp, I think potato must be a good tenderiser. So onto Mr Google I went again and found one at this wonderful blog, with clear instructions and her bake looks so good!

I tweaked it slightly as I wanted it to be no-knead and prefers a crusty boule rather than a loaf. Here goes the result:

Recipe:
2 midsized sweet potato, skin removed, boil until soft and mash while hot and leave to cool.
(I added 2 tablespoon olive oil when mashing it, to add some liquid and fragrance)
9g instant yeast
2 cups bread flour
2 cups whole meal flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1.25 cup room temperature water

Preparation on day before baking:
Have a lidded container ready, mix all dry ingredients into the container except salt. Stir everything up and add the salt. Pour the water and add the cooled sweet potato mash into the mixture. Knead together for couple of minutes just to have the dough come together.

Place the lid back on but not capped tightly, to enable air release/circulation. Leave overnight for at least 12 hours up to 72 hours.

Baking day
1 Slice the portion that you want to bake out of the container and place onto a well-floured surface.  Dough will be sticky.
2. Press the air out of the dough, form into a ball or shape of your choice and place onto a well-floured pastry paper.

3. Make a couple of cuts on the surface, dap with water and sprinkle topping (I used a multi-grain mix) or skip the water and sift a layer of flour for that rustic look.
4. Let it proof for 2 hours until indentation stays in place when pressed.

5. Before baking, pre-heat oven with dutch oven pot inside for 15 minutes, at 200C. Once ready to bake, carefully slide the dutch oven out, remove the cap, slide the dough with the paper into the pot. Place the lid back on and slide into the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 5 minutes to brown the surface.

Alternative - Bake into rolls or buns

1. Slice the bread dough into equal portions (I used 50g dough balls and it later became the size of a big fist)
2. Form into balls and let dough relax for 15 minutes.
3. Prepare your filling (I used cooked and cooled Emborg frozen spinach and President cheddar cheese slices)
4. Flatten each ball and roll filling into it. Form back into balls.
5. Dap surface with water and sprinkle topping. Let dough proof for 1 hour.

6. Before baking, pre-heat oven with dutch oven pot inside for 15 minutes, at 180C. Once ready to bake, carefully slide the dutch oven out, remove the cap, slide the dough with the paper into the pot. Place the lid back on and slide into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 3-5 minutes to brown the surface. Watch it carefully to prevent charring. (Note: I used a lower temperature to get a softer crust)

Always cool the bread before slicing / eating.

Verdict:


Both the dough turned out well. I made the boule on 2nd day and the buns on 3rd day, thought the flavor develop slightly better on 3rd day and the dough was a little softer and stickier. I like that the boule was crusty and chewy, definitely much softer than if I has done just 5050 ratio on whole wheat without adding the potato. Bread is still abit on the heavy side though and one slice of it for breakfast fills me up very nicely. However, it's on the bland side, not something that you would eat on it own, have to be used as a sandwich bread.

As for the buns, I find them delicious! The cheese melted and somehow the bun is very moist and soft inside and the crust was thin enough. The flavor of the cheese went very well with the bread and my little hint of spices inside up the oomph factor, definitely marked as to be repeated.

Loving the simplicity of the prep!

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BYOB at Roxana's Home Baking

Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

Valentines' day. A day where most restaurants are packed, menus are fixed to identical sets, flowers are priced 3x the usual, and chocolates sales probably hit a sweet festive peak.

Husband and I prefer to spend a quiet evening at home with a simple home-cooked korean galbi meal with lots of fresh lettuce and sharp garlic. A home-baked red velvet cake, with a sweet creamy cheese frosting and fresh cherries completed the happy v-day meal.

Inspired by Joy The Baker, sourced from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, cake turned out a deep vibrant red, dense and moist with the cocoa flavor shining through clearly. Hubs love it. Yay!

Ingredients:

57gram unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoon cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)

2 tablespoon red food coloring

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, let stand for 10min)

1 cup + 2 tablespoon cake flour

1 teaspoon fleur del sel salt (or normal sea salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1.5 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

1. Using paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and continue mixing. 

3. Mix the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red coloring together into a thick paste. Add to mixture and mix together thoroughly, ensuring that the colour is evenly incorporated.

4. On low speed, add half the buttermilk, beat, half the flour, beat, rest of buttermilk, beat, rest of flour, beat until a smooth batter is formed.

5. Add the salt, baking soda and cider vinegar. Beat on high until completely mixed.

6. Pour into 2 6-inch lined cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until skewer test comes out clean. 

Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

250g cream cheese, slightly cooled
125 unsalted butter, room temp
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat Cream Cheese and butter using the paddle attachment until smooth and well-homegenized. Add vanilla extract and beat further. On low speed, add icing sugar gradually, until smooth and creamy, to the desired sweetness level.

Can be used immediately to frost cooled cakes.

 

Brownie & Cheesecake

 

The indulgent auntie. I know that's what I am, at least in terms of food. I ply my nieces with their favourite bread, that sweet Hawaiian bread loaf from Sun Moulin, all the time when I was working in Orchard. Week in and out, it's the same bread.. yes, its boring but that's what they always look forward to - "the sweet sweet bread". Occasionally, (too frequently in my brother's opinion) they get chocolates,  gummies, pocky, hello pandas la la la..

 

Last week, I discovered a new favorite of theirs. Yes, it's Brownies! Good 'ol Chocolatey Brownie, no frosting, no toppings, no fancy addition but just warm, homely and deliciously cocoa-laden. What can I do but set out to bake it just for them.

 

I've not done brownies in years and set out to surf for a rich fudgy brownie recipe. The best I've ever tasted for which I still have fond memories of, were those from Skyve - rich dark almost molten squares of indulgence. Though mine didn't turn out like that, they nonetheless came out chocolatey, slightly bittersweet, with a light crunch to the top. The plus point is that its super easy and fuss-free! The nieces and nephews love them (or so I think, since the niece asked me to bring it again next week, yay!)

 

Recipe, adapted from here:

 

Ingredients:

85g dark chocolate

113g unsalted butter

130g sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

85g AP flour

 

Steps:

 

Preheat oven to 180C, line a smallish tray. (I doubled the recipe and its sufficient for the large oven tray that comes default with all ovens)

1. Have a pot of simmering water, not boiling. Place another heat-proof bowl over the pot and melt butter and chocolate fully, stirring constantly.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar vigorously.

3. Let mixture cool almost to room temperature and whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract and salt.

4. Stir the flour in and you should have a slightly thick mixture that will pull away from the sides of the bowl upon stirring.  

 

 

 

5. Pour batter into tray, tap the tray lightly to remove any air bubbles

6. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating tray halfway through

 

Cool and enjoy while slightly warm. Refrigerate and enjoy couple of cold slabs too!

 

 

It was also a good friend's birthday, a friend who loves cheesecakes. So, I used a thin layer of the brownie as the base and whip up a batch of cheesecake batter, layer it on top of the still-unbaked brownie base, and swirl a spoonful of the brownie mix at the surface. Tada, a simple birthday cake is created!



 

 

Use any cheesecake recipe that you'd like.

 

I used the following:

225g cream cheese + 1/2 cup sugar, beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

Add 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, incorporate into mixture.

Beat in 1 egg then 1/3 cup thickened cream until smooth.

Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, cool completely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving

 

The light cream cheese was a good balance against the chocolate of the brownie. Pretty yummy!