Sweet Tooth Experiments

Tag Archives: white chocolate

Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

For a while now I have been trying to make a delicious dessert with a bottle of butterscotch snapps that I have left over from a cocktail night.

I figured I have never baked with butterscotch before and was really interested in experimenting and making it a hero ingredient.

For flavor pairing inspiration I thought about what works well with butterscotch sauce (hmmm butterscotch sauce). Vanilla and white chocolate seemed to have similar flavor profiles and worked well.

I decided on a cheesecake as the cake type, as I’m not a fan of heaps of cream and fat I decided to use low fat ricotta and mascarpone cheese as the filling foundation. I’ve made cheesecakes with ricotta before and they have worked brilliantly.

To ensure the textures were balanced I added chopped macadamias to provide some crunch, which goes perfectly with vanilla and white chocolate.

The outcome was a luscious and decadent cheesecake with grown up flavors that you can eat and enjoy more guilt free that usual.

Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

Base:

  • 150g biscuits
  • 75g butter

Filling:

  • 175g ricotta
  • 175g mascarpone cheese
  • 35g icing sugar
  • 1 tsn vanilla essence
  • 50ml butterscotch snaps
  • 120g white chocolate
  • 50g macadamia

 

Method:

  1. Line a 25cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Place the biscuits and soften butter in a food processor and blitz until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  3. Press mix into the bottom and sides of the lined cake tin.
  4. Place the tin in the fridge to set.
  5. Place the ricotta into a food processor until smooth.
  6. Melt 40g of white chocolate and leave aside until cool to room temprature.
  7. Transfer the ricotta into a large bowl with the mascarpone cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and butterscotch and beat using a hand whisk until just combine.
  8. Add the melted white chocolate and whisk with the hand whisk until combine.
  9. Finley chop up the remaining 80g white chocolate and the macadamia nuts and stir into the filling.
  10. Pour the filling onto the base and place into the fridge for 3 hours to set.

 

Note: I have decorated with some extra chocolate and nuts chopped up as well as a few raspberries for decoration.

 

Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Butterscotch Macadamia and White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe

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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Don’t let the low fat make you think these cupcakes are not super delectable with a super tasty texture. Replacing 60% of the butter with apple puree ensures that the texture is still just as good but makes me feel much more guilt free!

It does sound like a strange concoction of flavors in this recipe, but the combo really works and complements each other.

Saffron is a common South Eastern Asia savory flavouring. While vanilla is a stock standard sweet flavor enhancer, white chocolate though not the usual go to chocolate for baking is still a common ingredient and yoghurt, well this ingredient is becoming more and more utilised in baking. So, you can imagine from this blend of varying flavors the recipe could have gone very very wrong…but to my delight I must say it’s quite a moreish sweet treat.

The white chocolate and vanilla sweeten and put a floral accent on the saffron and the natural yoghurt calms the icing sweetness down.

 

Ingredients:

  • 140ml milk
  • Large pinch of saffron
  • 250g flour
  • 4 tsn baking powder
  • 80g sugar
  • 160g white chocolate
  • 70g butter
  • 100g apple puree
  • 4 tsn vanilla essence
  • 2 eggs

Icing:

  • 50ml natural yoghurt
  • 325g icing sugar
  • 20ml vanilla essence

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
  2. Place the milk into the microwave until steaming and add the saffron. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
  4. Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place into the flour mix, stir.
  5. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the milk, puree, vanilla and eggs. Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined.
  6. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix and using a hand whisk beat until just combine.
  7. Pour the batter into the patty cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until and skewer in the center comes out clean.
  8. Place the cupcakes onto a cooling rack until cool.
  9. Meanwhile to make the icing beat the ingredients until well combined.
  10. Using a spatula spread over the cupcake evenly.
  11. Grate extra white chocolate over the icing and a few saffron strands.

 

Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes
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Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes

Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes

This recipe was inspired by wanting to make a super-fast, super easy and fuss free cheesecake. Instead of blitzing biscuits and butter for the base (which I know is already easy) I used a round whole cream filled vanilla biscuit and placed it into a cupcake patty. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Milk chocolate and chai is a standard flavor combo these days, so for something different I opted for white chocolate and vanilla as the complementary flavors to the chai. This allows for a subtle sweet milky hit at the end of the chai flavor.

Fridge-set means no oven required and the only equipment you need are electric beaters.

The chai is the standout in this recipe, that has a beautiful and delicate after-tone.

Ingredients:

Filling:

  • 12 round vanilla cream filled biscuits
  • 200g white chocolate
  • 200ml Cream
  • 3 tsn gelatin
  • 4 tbsn water
  • 240g chai powder
  • 500g cream cheese
  • 3 tsn vanilla essence

Topping:

  • 20g icing sugar
  • 200ml thickened cream
  • 3 tsn vanilla essence

Method:

  1. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cupcake patties.
  2. Place one biscuit in the base of each patty.
  3. Place the white chocolate and 120ml cream in a bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until the cream just starts to steam.
  4. Remove from the microwave and stir until the mix is smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool.
  5. Combine the 4 tbsn of water with the gelatin and whisk until smooth, place in the microwave for 30 seconds and whisk ensuring all gelatin is dissolved and smooth.
  6. Place the cream-cheese, 80g thickened cream, vanilla and chai powder into a bowl and beat with electric beaters until just combine.
  7. Add the chocolate mix and the gelatin mix to the cheese mix and beat until just combine.
  8. Pour the mix into the cupcake patties over the biscuits until the patty is almost completely full.
  9. Place the tin into the fridge and leave to set overnight for best results (otherwise 4 hours).
  10. Meanwhile add the topping ingredients into a bowl and using electric beaters beat until peaks form.
  11. Once the cheesecake is set use a star nozzle and piping bag filled with the topping cream and pipe on the top of the cakes.
  12. Sprinkle with extra chai powder and biscuit crumbs and enjoy.

 

Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes
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Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes

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Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes
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Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes
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Orange Blossom Polenta and Yoghurt Syrup Cake recipe
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Chai White Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Posted on Posted in Cupcakes .

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes

You are correct, white chocolate and macadamia is a stock-standard flavor combo, nothing new or unusual here. And lemon, well this is also a very common baking ingredient that is sometimes paired with white chocolate. The reason these flavors are common is because they are so divine together.

So if I’m creative a recipe that’s stock-standard what is going on and why even bother making up a recipe? The hero ingredient in which I have never baked with before and don’t believe I have ever even heard of being in a sweet treat before is the Lemongrass (also lemon and macadamia is a little unusual in itself but not enough for me to create a recipe off).

The lemongrass provides a lovely variation to the norm lemon flavor, the salted macadamia provides a lovely crunch texture to the cupcake and the salt elevates the tone in the white chocolate making this cupcake super delicious and walks all over any lemon cupcake I have ever had!

Also, the natural yoghurt and the lemon juice adds a slight sourness and bitterness that offsets the intense sweetness of the icing sugar making the icing a lovely more restrained addition.

Ingredients:

  • 250g flour
  • 4 tsn baking powder
  • ½ tsn salt
  • 80g sugar
  • 160g white chocolate
  • 80g macadamias
  • 40g Lemongrass
  • 1 tbsn lemon zest
  • 70g butter
  • 100g apple puree
  • 140ml buttermilk
  • 2 eggs

Icing:

  • 70ml natural yoghurt
  • 300g icing sugar
  • 15ml lemon juice

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
  2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
  3. Chop the white chocolate and macadamia into small pieces and place into the flour mix, stir.
  4. Grate the lemongrass and stir into the flour mix.
  5. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the buttermilk, puree and eggs. Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined.
  6. Pour the milk mix into the flour mix and using a hand whisk beat until just combine.
  7. Pour the batter into the patty cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until and skewer in the center comes out clean.
  8. Place the cupcakes onto a cooling rack until cool.
  9. Meanwhile to make the icing beat the ingredients until well combined.
  10. Using a spatula spread over the cupcake evenly.
  11. Grate extra white chocolate, macadamia and lemon zest over the icing.

 

Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Lemongrass Salted Macadamia Cupcakes
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Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

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Kahlua and Butterscotch Schnapps Cake

Posted on Posted in Cakes .

Kahlua and Butterscotch Schnapps Cake

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

I was playing around with liquors in the kitchen over the weekend and decided that I wanted to make a decadently scrumptious cake off the base of 2 sweet, complimentary andinteresting alcoholic flavors.

I gave myself the challenge of coming up with a recipe off the flavor combination of Kahlua (coffee liquor) and Butterscotch Schnapps (Butterscotch liquor). I was looking for the mix of the sweet coffee flavor along with the butterscotch (almost caramel flavor). They both have such similar flavor profiles and taste spectacular together.

For a decadent cake I decided both liquors would be in the cake itself and I would have a filling based on one liquor and icing based on the other.

To further add to this flavor mix and take the cake to the next level I decided to add white chocolate as well as cream to excel the flavor and add a profile that can bring the sweetness back down to be highly palatable for all.

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

Ingredients:

  • 220g brown sugar
  • 75g butter
  • 3 egg
  • 190ml butterscotch Schnapps
  • 185ml milk
  • 285g self raising flour
  • 40ml Kahlua

Ganache:

  • 125ml cream
  • 30g Kahlua
  • 375g white chocolate

Cream:

  • 200ml cream
  • 20ml butterscotch Schnapps
  • 15g icing sugar

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 185c degrees and line a 25cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Beat the sugar and butter in a bowl with electric beaters until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the eggs one at a time beating in between each addition.
  4. Add the schnapps and the milk and beat until combine.
  5. Add the flour and beat until well combine.
  6. Pour the mix into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Place the cake onto a cooling rack until cool.
  8. Cut the cake into 3 horizontal cakes and using a pastry brush brush on the Kahlua on all 3 layers.
  9. To make the icing place the cream in the microwave until steaming.
  10. Add the Kahlua and chocolate to the cream and leave for a minute.
  11. Stir until the mix is well combine and place in the fridge to set.
  12. To make the cream filling place the cream in a bowl and using electric beaters whisk until peaks form.
  13. Add the icing sugar and butterscotch snapps and on a low speak beat until just combine.
  14. To assemble place one layer on a plate.
  15. Spread ½ the cream over the top of the cake, Kahlua side up.
  16. Top with 2nd cake we layer Kahlua side up and spread with remaining cream, top with 3rd cake layer Kahlua side down.
  17. Spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake and enjoy.

 

Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Kahlua and Butterscotch schnapps Cake

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Lavender and Blueberry Fudge

Posted on Posted in Fudge .

Lavender and Blueberry Fudge

Lavender and Blueberry Fudge recipe

After a flop with my attempt at a Quinoa Lavender cake I was determine to try again with lavender. This time I pulled back on the craziness and really thought about an ingredient that would complement and enhance the lavender flavor.

I’ve baked with lavender and lemon before so I wanted to try the next best flavor combo that I thought would work, this ended up being blueberries.

With lavender being such a strong and robust ingredient I decided to make a simple fudge that I could constantly tweak to ensure no over kill of the lavender taste.

I’m actually quite impressed with the outcome of my Lavender and Blueberry Fudge, its actually really really tasty and addictive.

The Lavender and Blueberry really work together to produce a gorgeous taste.

Lavender and Blueberry Fudge recipe

Ingredients:

  • 220g white chocolate
  • 1 tsn dried lavender
  • 80g fresh blueberries
  • 2 tbsn butter

 

Method:

  1. Line and spray a 4-inch baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Cut the chocolate into small pieces and place in a food processor with the lavender and berries.
  3. Pulse until the mix is well combine and no lumps.
  4. Spoon the mix into a saucepan and heat on medium, stirring constantly until the mix begins to bubble.
  5. Remove off the heat and stir in the butter.
  6. Pour into the prepared tray and place in the fridge overnight (or freezer for a few hours).
  7. Once firm remove from the tin and cut the pieces into 1-inch size squares.

 

Notes:

  • I have garnished with mint (which actually goes quite well with the lavender and blueberry flavor).

 

Lavender and Blueberry Fudge recipe

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Lavender and Blueberry Fudge recipe

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Strawberry Cake Biscuits

Posted on Posted in Biscuits .

strawberry cake biscuits

Strawberry Cake Biscuits

I don’t tend to make many biscuits, I more skew to cakes and slices. Biscuits (or cookies if you’re from the states where some of my lovely readers are) tend to be either chocolate, chocolate chip or chocolate with nuts. You don’t get many biscuit variations like slices and cakes (when was the last time you ate a strawberry biscuit or orange and poppy seed?)!

Still on topic but to give you some context to this recipe, I was at the supermarket the other day and noticed a whole massive section to cake mixes, cupcakes and muffins but only 2 types of biscuit packs – chocolate and choc chip.

People must want to try other flavours…or maybe they just don’t sell..guess I will never know.

However, this got me thinking, what happens if I buy one of the more unique cake mixes and turn it into biscuits instead?

I don’t recall the last time I ever used a pack mix for baking but this could be a very interesting experiment indeed.

That brought on the Strawberry Cake Biscuit recipe.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (500g approx.) cake packet mix – I used Betty Crocker Strawberry
  • 1 tsn baking power
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • ½ tsn vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of small white chocolate chips (optional)

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 175c and line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Mix together the cake mix and the baking powder.
  3. Whisk by hand the eggs, butter, and vanilla extract.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until the dough is formed.
  5. Mix in the choc chips if you are opting for this ingredient.
  6. Using hands with a little oil/butter roll the dough into balls about 30g in size (this is about the size of a 50c piece). Place on the baking paper.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes or until they are almost (but not) about to get slightly brown.
  8. Wait a few minutes and transfer onto a baking rack to cool. Once on the rack slightly push them down with a spatula if they have risen a lot in the center.

 

 

Notes:

  • You can use any cake mix. I almost went for the white chocolate and raspberry swirl.
  • This is a bit of a cheat recipe but it is just so simple and you can make biscuits you have never even tasted before!
  • They take a whole of 20 minutes to make and bake!
  • The biscuits are quite sweet so it wouldn’t hurt to make them smaller than I have recommended if you don’t like things too sweet.
  • The mix I bought came with an icing mix, if yours does too you can make the icing and use it to make a biscuit sandwich (similar to a melting moment type biscuits).

 

Strawberry Cake Biscuits

The ingredients

strawberry cake biscuits

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White Chocolate Icing

Posted on Posted in Icing .

This may just seem like another icing recipe but I guarantee you if you try this icing it will be one of the most amazing icings you have ever tasted!

Once you try this icing you will never make another white cholocate or butter cream icing again!

 

white chocolate icing

White Chocolate Icing

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 egg whites
  • 160g white sugar
  • 300g butter at room temp, chopped.
  • 180g white chocolate, melted.

 

Method:

  1. Stir egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pan of half filled simmering water for 5 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Whisk with electric beaters until soft peaks form and the mix has cooled down slightly.
  3. Add the butter one piece at a time, beating in between each piece until the mix has become thick and creamy.
  4. Now beat in the melted chocolate until glossy.
  5. Refrigerate for 20 minutes then pipe away.

 

Notes:

This recipe makes enough icing to cover a 21cm cake or 24 medium sized cupcakes.

 

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White Icing

Posted on Posted in Icing .

white chocolate ganache

White Icing

 

Ingredients:

  • 200g butter
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 200g white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

 

Method:

  • Beat butter and sugar for 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
  • Slowly add in chocolate to the mix, beating until smooth.

 

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