London & A Recipe

Apologised for not updating my blog frequently for the past few weeks.

My life was a bit chaotic & I tried to set my feet on the ground.

While I'm writing this blogpost, I'm really sad that there're riots across London & across the UK.

I love the city as it's historical, friendly & multicultural.

The rioters & looters not only destroyed shops & homes of innocent people but the fame of London which took decades to build.

I'm not here to criticise nor question the cause of riots.

I wish sincerely that riots have gone & the UK can be in peace once more.

Meanwhile, I'm sharing a recipe of the cherry & mint confit cheesecake.

I've never used peppermint tea in baking, it turned to be great.

The cheesecake was soft & creamy, the texture was silky smooth.

It's very satisfying & perfect with a cup of coffee.

Lemon Cheesecake with Cherries in Red Wine

I made this cheesecake before I went to Paris on Sunday.

This was the first time I have made a lemon cheesecake, the recipe is simple & easy but the result is satisfactory.

The cheesecake is light & refreshing, coupled with the subtle taste of cherries.

This wasn't my original idea, I was inspired by Dear Pig (chinese) & used a simple yet delicious recipe for the lemon cheesecake.

The trip to Paris was great, we stayed there for 3 days & the weather was nice & sunny, not too hot though.

Although I have already been there once with my friends in the winter, this time I went in summer & I'd enjoyed French foods & cakes over there.

I'll post some photos later after my brother has sorted them out.

Low-Fat Chocolate Cherry Muffins

With the cherries, I baked some chocolate cherry muffins.
I called it low-fat because it has less butter compared to the recipe I always used.

I always bake muffins for my breakfast so now I can have healthier muffins.

Cream Cheese Tartelettes with Cherries in Red Wine

It is the cherry season!

I've seen baskets of cherries in Portobello market where I now routinely shop for fruits & vegetables.

Since I made my 1st jar of blueberry jam, I love the ideas of preserving fruits without additives.

So, when I came across the brilliant post (Chinese) in preserving cherries in red wine, I bookmarked it & told myself I must try this.

Although I don't drink wine, I still like the subtle & fruity taste of the cherries & red wine.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

With such a chilly week, I need something sweet to comfort me & get me working.

I actually love winter & cold but it's too chilly outside.

I cannot help but keep thinking about chocolate & baking.

This cake is light but yet very chocolate.

There is a layer of cherries on the bottom.

Yummy!

Recipe (8'' x 4'' loaf pan):

3 eggs

35g sugar x 2

17g plain flour

17g cornflour

20g cocoa powder

35g butter (melted)

Frozen cherries

Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

Arrange a layer of cherries in the prepared pan.

In large bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar (35g) until thick & pale.

In another large bowl, whisk the egg white until stiff.

Add in the sugar in 3 portions during the whisking.

Mix a spatula of whipped egg white with the beaten egg yolks.

Mix & sieve all flours, then fold half of the flours into the egg yolks.

Fold in another spatula of whipped egg white.

Add melted butter, fold gently until smooth.

Pour into the remaining whipped egg white & fold gently until smooth.

Fill in the prepared pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180’C for 25 - 30 min.