Matcha Cheesecake

So lots of you were asking about Diana’s cheesecake – here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
(Cake Base)
100g Digestive Biscuits
30g Unsalted Butter, melted

(Cheesecake Filling)
580g Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
80g Granulated Sugar
3 Eggs
80ml Whipping Cream
1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2tsp All-Purpose Flour
4Tbsp Uji Matcha Powder
Some Hot Water

Method

1. Place digestive biscuits/graham cracker in a ziplock bag, crush into crumbs with your hand/bowl. Mix in melted butter.
2. Pour crumbs into a 6-inch springform pan, and press with the back of a spoon to form a firmly packed crust.
3. Grease the side of the pan with melted butter.
4. Makes Match Filling. Preheat oven to 170C.
5. Add 3tsp hot water to matcha powder to form a thick paste, the exact amount will depend of brand of matcha powder.
6. Beat softened cream cheese in a large bowl till it is smooth and creamy, then add in granulated sugar and mix on medium-high speed for a few minutes.
7. Crack eggs into separate bowls and mix them in one by one. Do not over beat as it will cause the cheesecake to crack.
8. Mix in whipping cream.
9. Add in vanilla extract. (Optional but recommended)
10. Sprinkle all-purpose flour on top and give it a quick stir.
11. Add in matcha paste and mix till well incorporated.
12. Wrap bottom of sprinform pan with aluminium foil.
13. Pour cheesecake mixture into your springform pan, smooth out with a spatula and bang on the counter a few times.
14. Place into a deep baking tray and fill with hot water (this keeps
15. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 120C, cover cake with baking sheet/aluminium foil and continue to bake for 60-75 minutes.
16. Carefully remove cheesecake from oven, it should have a wobbly centre.
17. Let it cool completely then refrigerate for at least 10 hours (preferably overnight).
18. Remove cake from springform pan. Run spatula under hot water, wipe off the water then use it to smooth out the sides of the cheesecake. (Tip: Dip your knife into hot water as well before cutting any cheesecakes/icecream cakes!)

Source: http://peachybunnymel.com/2015/04/14/teakha-matcha-cheesecake/

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

Yields 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour (plus 2 teaspoons for apple coating)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (plus ½ teaspoon for apple coating)
• 2 cups diced & peeled apples (preferably granny smith, but any will do)
• 110g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

(Ingredients for topping)

• 60g unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup ground cinnamon

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a cupcake tin with baking cups.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, toss together diced apples and 2 teaspoons of flour to coat apples. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add vanilla.
5. Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in diced apples. Then scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about to about ¾ full. Baking until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
6. While the muffins are baking, prepare the topping by melting the butter and cooling it slightly. Pour the butter into a separate wide bowl easy for dipping tops of muffins. Mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.
7. Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then, remove each muffin and dip first in the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place onto wire rack to cool.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1. 2 3/4 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
5. 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar
6. 2 large eggs
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla

Coating:

• 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Method:

1. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. 
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm (about one to two hours).
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
4. Shape the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls.
5. Coating: In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
6. Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
7. Bake the cookies for about 8 – 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown and firm around the edges. The centers of the cookies will still be a little soft. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
8. Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 – 14 days.

Makes about 4-5 dozen cookies.

Taken from joyofbaking
Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Snickerdoodles.html#ixzz2MHZDPKNF –

Sticky Lemon Cake

Ingredients

• 175g unsalted butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 2 lemons
• 3 eggs
• 75g plain flour
• 150g ground almonds
• 150g natural yogurt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius. Grease the cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
2. Cream together the butter and 150g caster sugar in a large bowl. Grate the zest from both lemons, add to the bowl, and mix together.
3. Gradually beat in the eggs, one at a time. If the mixture shows signs of curdling, add 1 teaspoon of flour.
4. Mix the flour, baking powder, and ground almonds together. Sift into a separate bowl, then fold into the butter and eggs. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and the yogurt. Pour the mixture into the tin.
5. Bake for 40 minutes or until the centre of the cake is just as firm to the touch. Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in tin.
7. Heat the remaining sugar and the juice from the remaining lemon in a saucepan. Pierce the cake several times with a skewer, then drizzle the syrup over the cake. Leave to cool before removing the cake from the tin.

Serves 8

Taken from “Cakes & Cupcakes” by DK