I'm discovering the use of Mascarpone cheese; and I'm surprised to know that a 250 gram tub costs almost P500 at Tinder Box. Let's see how good this cheese is.
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin
1/3 cup (75 mL) water
1 1/4 cups (300 mL)strong coffee or espresso
1/4 cup (50 mL)almond or coffee flavoured liqueur
2 tbsp (25 mL)custard powder
3/4 cup (175mL) milk
1/3 cup (75 mL) granulated sugar
1 tub (475 g) Tre Stelle® Mascarpone
8 egg whites
2 packages (150 g) ladyfingers
1 tbsp (15 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
Sprinkle gelatin over water to soften. Heat until dissolved. Combine coffee and liqueur; set aside. In a large bowl stir custard powder into milk. Add sugar and Tre Stelle® Mascarpone. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat dissolved gelatin mixture into Mascarpone mixture until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. One at a time, dip ladyfingers into coffee mixture and place fingers in bottom of a serving pan. Spoon 1/3 of Mascarpone mixture evenly over. Repeat with 2 more layers of ladyfingers and mascarpone. Sift cocoa over top and refrigerate overnight. Makes 10 servings.
It's actually a mistake, I was craving for red velvet like the one I had at Cheesecake Factory. Browsing through my photos, I realized it was not just any ordinary red velvet, twas a red velvet cheesecake. Cheesecake Factory's red velvet cheesecake was definitely to die for. It's their second best seller next to the classic new york cheesecake and the only one flavor that's not classic that remained on the shelf after several years. Who introduced me to red velvet? Oh, no less than Oprah Winrey :)
Red Velvet Cheesecake
Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 11-13 pieces
Crust Ingredients:
32 chocolate sandwich cookies, finely processed into crumbs
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
Ganache Ingredients:
3/4 cups heavy cream
10 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used half semisweet and half bittersweet)
Cake Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
1 ounce red food coloring
Filling Ingredients:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
Decorative Toppings (optional):
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
white chocolate for drizzling
strawberries
Directions: Note on cheesecake making: Cheesecakes are simple and super customizable. New to cheesecake making? Watch my 6 minute Cheesecake Video Tutorial for visual assistance!
Note on scheduling: This cake is easily separated into two days of preparation, and can be prepared ahead of time. On day one, prepare the red velvet cake, cool it, and freeze it. On day two, prepare the cheesecake. You can then assemble and decorate right away, or leave this for day three.
Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom and the sides of an 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides to make it easier to lift the cake out of the pan when it’s done. Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Make a paste of the cocoa and coloring and add to the shortening mixture. Add salt and vanilla. Add buttermilk alternately with the flour, beginning and ending with flour. Mix vinegar and soda right before using and add to mixture by folding in. Pour batter into the cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely, cover in wax paper, and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.
Make the cheesecake: To make the crust, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet. Combine the chocolate cookie crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl. Toss with a fork to moisten all of the crumbs. Press into a thin layer covering the bottom and sides of the springform pan (at least 3 inches up the sides).
Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Once the cream reaches a simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand 1-2 minutes. Whisk in small circles until a smooth ganache has formed. Pour 1 – 1.5 cups of the ganache over the bottom of the crust. Freeze until the ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes. Reserve the remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature for later decorating.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well blended. Beat in the flour. Add in the vanilla and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition.
Pour the filling over the cold ganache in the crust. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the top is lightly browned, puffed and cracked at the edges, and the center moves only very slightly when the pan is lightly shaken, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and let cool at least 3 hours, until completely chilled and set.
Assemble topping: Whip room temperature ganache to create a fluffy texture perfect for piping. In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese, butter, and confectioners’ sugar to make a small amount of cream cheese frosting for decorating.
Assemble the cheesecake: Wrap a warm towel around the outside of the springform pan to help loosen the crust from the sides. Carefully remove the springform. Transfer the cake to a serving platter. Place cake layer on top of cheesecake (right side up). Decorate top of cake with drizzled white chocolate, piped cream cheese frosting, whipped ganache, and strawberries.
I was craving for some sweets today, I came home early from work so I dropped by Leona. Often mistakenly called as Leona's, Leona Cake and Pastries Company serves one of the best breads and cakes in Cebu, ideal for home or for give aways. Their price is fairly reasonable for good quality stuff. I particularly like their moist chocolate cake, guava chiffon cake, their mamon comes close to Goldilocks, their wheat bread is an everyday bestseller. I grabbed a few slices of banana carrot loaf, mamon, moist chocolate cake and was dumbfounded seeing a four inch red velvet cupcake selling for P50. It looked so tasty, I can't wait to get a bite. Except for the white sprinkles on the icing, although less cheesy than Los Angeles' Cheese cake Factory version, I was totally satisfied with this one. Aaah, heavenly!
I'm off to the grocery since I'll be trying out this recipe:
Red Velvet Cake:
2 1/2 cups (250 grams) sifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Butter two - 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl sift together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.
In bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Place a wire rack on top of the cake pan and invert, lifting off the pan. Once the cakes have completely cooled, wrap in plastic and place the cake layers in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or overnight). (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)
Cream Cheese Frosting:
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until smooth.
Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.
Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to spread.
Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.
Assemble: With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer in half, horizontally. You will now have four cake layers. Place one of the cake layers, top of the cake facing down, onto your serving platter. Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting. Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Can garnish the cake with sweetened or unsweetened coconut.
Although recommended ingredients is still best for any recipe, circumstances dictate you need to substitute some ingredients. I often resort to this when ingredients are not available in the market or need very little when I have ready substitute on hand. Here's a helpful guide:
For 1c butter, substitute with:
1c margarine
7/8c lard plus 1/2 tsp salt
7/8 to 1c hydrogenated shortening plus 1/2 tsp salt
For 1 square oz of unsweetened chocolate, substitute with:
3Tbsp cocoa plus 1 Tbsp fat
For 3 native eggs, substitute with:
2 regular sized eggs
For 1c cake flour, substitute with:
7/8 c all purpose flour (sift it several times)
For 1c buttermilk or sour milk, substitute with:
1Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar plus enough fresh whole milk to make 1 cup
or 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar plus half cup evaporated milk and half cup hot water.
For 1c fresh whole milk, substitute with:
1/2c evaporated milk plus 1/2c water
For 2 1/2tsp or 1pkg active dry yeast, substitute with:
1 cake compressed fresh yeast
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin 
