5 desserts you can make with puff pastry

I.have.cheated.

If my explosive declaration above has not caught your eye, at least, I trust that the title of this post did.

Banana Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Sometimes, the itch to bake comes suddenly and the battle between the mind and body begins. My psychically tired and lazy body refuses to do move but my mind is working overtime with the numerous recipes I want to try.

This recipe was born out of my mind-body conflict. All you need is a big bowl and a sturdy spoon/spatula/whisk. Mix, bake, and wash – all completed in an hour flat. Out of sheer laziness, I used Skippy chocolate peanut butter but you can always use a combination of peanut butter and cocoa powder or melted chocolate. If you like, throw in a dash of chocolate chips for some bite.

Cream Puff (Basic Choux Pastry) Recipe

Choux pastry is a light pastry dough used to make cream puffs, éclairs, etc. Its main ingredients are butter, sugar, salt, water, flour, and eggs. No raising or leavening agents are used - the dough is cooked and has high moisture content which creates steam during cooking to "puff" the pastry.

Banana Cupcakes Recipe

There are some recipes which you would constantly to refine to achieve a better taste or one that is to your liking. This is one of them - banana cake recipe.

Mocha Oreo Cheesecake Recipe

I am on a no-bake cheesecake spree ever since my last trip to Phoon Huat (local baking store). This is a result of buying cream cheese and diary whipping cream in bulk - think 1kg of cream cheese and 1L of whipping cream. To be fair, I couldn't resist the cream cheese. The one I bought comes from Australia in a tubular form and has a light creamy taste which I absolutely adore. I don't like cheese with a strong "cheesey" taste (it's ironic I know) and this affordable option ($12-ish for 1kg) is for those who want to make cheesecakes but find Philadelphia (250g for $5-ish) a tad pricey.

Checkered Cake Recipe

I love basics - a sponge cake when done well is utterly delicious. Which is also why I am always on a search for the perfect sponge cake recipe. There are many recipes out there but the key is finding what works best for you both in terms of methodology and taste.

Cranberry Cheesecake Recipe

It's been a whole month since my last entry as the past month has been hectic. I planned for a week long trip to Taiwan with my friends right smack in the middle of the month so I was busy clearing work before and after that. Taiwan was lovely and I absolutely loved the food, culture, people. We also took the off-beaten track and visited places which are quaint and memorable. I would post up our carefully planned itinerary one day, but in the meantime, let's settle for an easy no-bake cheesecake recipe - Cranberry cheesecake!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes Recipe

Weekends are great times for brunch and my pancakes craving kicked in again. Last time round, I paired my pancakes with lemon curd, left-over from my lemon curd tart. This time round, I had decided to pair my pancakes with sautéed apples with cinnamon.

Fruit Tart Recipe

Fruit tarts are easy to put together and one of the healthier desserts. You can use any seasonal fruit available and berries are often used, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Colourful fruits are packed with vitamins and they brighten up the whole tart. Not only is a fruit tart good to look at, it is also delicious - buttery tart crust paired with sweet custard and many pieces of layered fruit.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Recipe

Peanut butter is an item usually available at my home and it has attained the same status as butter and kaya (a local coconut spread). When I was younger, I remember having different variations of peanut butter, jars that came with chocolate or jam strips. I had a scale of favourite for these three flavours; chocolate > peanut butter > jam (too sweet). This prompted me to use only certain parts of the peanut butter jar depending on its flavour combi. You can imagine how messy the jar contents are once I'm done with them :p

Soft baked Chewy Dark Chocolate Cookies Recipe

I am a huge fan of chewy, soft baked cookies. For those who have not had a chance to try such cookies, make a trip to Subway or a nearby grocery store and look for Pepperidge Farm soft baked series. Soft baked cookies are simply delicious - eat them plain or dunk them in milk. So start grabbing your favourite chocolate and make soft baked chewy cookies with me!

Matcha/Green Tea Cheese Tart Recipe

Green Tea Mochi Cakes with Red Bean, Chilled Green Tea Beancurd (tau huey), Soft Centered Green Tea Cupcakes, Green Tea Chiffon Cake (to be shared soon...) I love the taste of green tea and here's another recipe to add on to my growing list, Matcha/Green Tea Cheese Tart!

My recipe is shared by Chef Tomoko Higashiguchi of Patisserie Glace from herworldplus. It seemed pretty easy, with steps similar to my previous Cheese Tart recipe but flavoured with Matcha/green tea and addition of gelatine and yogurt. Usually, in no-bake cheesecakes, either yogurt or whipping cream is used but this time around, both are used. Interesting to see how those two will gel together!

Basic Tart Crust Recipe

Having bought a tart pan recently, I have been somewhat in a tart-making craze. Tart crusts are very easy and quick to make, either by a food processor or by hand and you can freeze them up to two weeks in the freezer. They are quick-fix desserts, just bake the tart for 20-25 minutes and you can make anything with them, fruit tarts, chocolate tarts, apple pies, etc. The list is endless.

The recipe I am sharing is fuss-free; no baking weights are needed, don't need to roll out the dough (which necessitates more washing). Oh and get a non-stick pan; it saves you the hassle of greasing the pan. Quick, easy, simple.

Baked Potato Wedges Recipe

There are days when all we want is some comfort food - french fries! As much as I love my fried food, I am mindful of how unhealthy are, especially when you get them in restaurants or fast food joints. If you had had a chance to peep at restaurants doing deep-frying, you would notice that the oil is a dark murky colour, resultant of repeated use and even re-use.

To side step that, the best way would be prepare them at home but frying requires copious amount of oil and not to mention the amount of cleaning that needs to be done. When craving calls, the best way would be to think of the next best alternative. I figured if I can't get my french fries, I can get some potato wedges baked to a crisp.

Japanese Steamed Egg (Chawanmushi) Recipe

There are many versions of steamed eggs. Some of my favourites include those with 3 types of eggs; normal chicken egg, century egg (pi dan) and salted egg. Another version that is often served in restaurants is the combination of century egg (pi dan), salted egg and spinach

A simple variation of steamed egg is Chawanmushi or Japanese steamed egg custard. All you need is some stock and eggs.

Pancakes Recipe

I love weekends brunch as it is always a relaxing time to enjoy your food and coffee with your friends and family. On a lazy Saturday afternoon, I decided to whip up my own brunch rather than heading out.

Basic Sponge Cake Recipe

Having a good basic sponge cake recipe is great for many reasons; they are delicious plain but can also be dressed up to become a fruit cake, etc. I love a good sponge cake that is fluffy, light and a foolproof method to ensure that is through the egg-separation technique used commonly to make chiffon cakes.

 

Lemon Cream Cheese Cupcakes Recipe

Using what I had in my pantry; cream cheese, lemons and lemon curd, I decided to make lemon cream cheese cupcakes. Adding lemon to cream cheese makes the cupcake lighter and the cupcakes resemble mini lemon cheese cakes.

Thai Vermicelli Tuna Salad Recipe

Going for a more oriental flavour, I decided to pair thai-style vermicelli with my greens. For the additional spice, I topped it off with some chilli tuna.

Lemon Curd Tart Recipe

With the hot weather, one naturally craves for a light and quick dessert. Using an sweet buttery almond-based tart with an extra sprinkling of toasted almond meal topped up with tangy lemon curd is the natural way to go.