Malaysia's First Ever Blogger Masterchef - Going to the Semi-final

Click for larger view

In case you haven't heard...

Super excited! I don't have good track record when cooking under pressure, so I'm a little bit anxious at this moment.

Wish me luck!

Malaysia’s First Ever Blogger MasterChef - Introducing the Twix Cheesecake (no bake of course)

 

 OMG! I really thought I am going to miss the deadline. Thank heavens Nuffnang extended the deadline to submit the blog post to 3 October 2011 (the original deadline was at midnight today)! Is there a rehab for cronic procratination? I seriously need help...

Moving on...

I love, love, love Masterchef Australia and I love even more Junior Masterchef. MasterChef is a worldwide phenomenon where a cooking reality show, even when it doesn’t allow viewers to vote, has still broken viewership records in US and Australia. MasterChef is a success because not only is Food something we are all very passionate about but the show only allows amateur cooks to compete. Their creativity and passion for food were mind-blowing. I couldn't wait to see what kind of dishes the participants on Masterchef Malaysia will be serving, knowing how the food in Malaysia tastes like and the different types of dishes that exist... My mouth waters just from writing this post. And now, I suddenly have a craving for Char Kway Teow! Where can I get Char Kway Teow at this hour?


Since Masterchef Malaysia is kicking off on 22 October 2011, organizing Blogger Masterchef is a fabulous idea. Simply ingenious. So Why do I want to be Malaysia's first ever Blogger Masterchef? 


I want to give myself a challenge. I know how to cook and baking is my forte but am I good enough? Now that's a question. I am hoping that by showcasing my skills, I can be a better chef. Challenge accepted!


For my first ever Blogger Masterchef post, I was inspired by Recipe Girl's Twix Cheesecake Pie. I wanted to make something awesomely easy but looks like it is made out of Nigella Lawson's Cookbook. The cheesecake is a variation of my original recipe; the no-bake Oreo Cheesecake. Using twix is a nice touch to an already delicious dessert. And who in the world who doesn't like Twix? It's one of my favourite chocolate bar. 

So let me present to you...


The Twix Cheesecake, the No-bake Version

Ingredients:

The Stars of the Show

for the base:

2 packets of Oreo
3 tablespoons of butter, melted


For the filling:


2 x 250g Phillidephia Cream Cheese
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup water
2 tsps Agar-agar Powder
5 bars of Twix chocolate


For the decoration (optional):


Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Sauce and Oreo

Note: You don't have to make the sauces from scratch. Just buy them at the supermarket.




Directions:

1. Crush the Oreo cookies using a food processor (or place the cookies is a plastic bag and crush them using a wooden spoon). Mix in the melted butter and press firmly onto the base of the springform tin. Refrigerate.

 2.  Slice the twix bars into small pieces.

 3. Beat the cream cheese until its fluffy. Then add in the condensed milk and beat until the mixture is creamy.

 

4. Get ready the baking tin and twix next to the mixing bowl. Agar-agar powder hardens very fact once it is mixed into the cheese mixture and you must act fast before the cheesecake hardens in the bowl instead.

5. Mix water and agar-agar powder in a saucepan. Cook until it simmers.

 

6. Add it into the cheese mixture. Stir quickly.

7. Quickly stir in the twix pieces.

 

8. Quickly pour the cheesecake mixture into the springform tin. Bang the tin on the table to prevent air bubbles forming in the cake. Refridgerate until the cheesecake is firm.

 

 9. Refridgerate the cheesecake for about 15-20 minutes. The cheesecake will firm up nicely.

 

10. Decorate by drizzling caramel sauce and chocolate sauce onto the cake and scatter chucks of twix and oreo (optional) to complete the transformation into a mouth-watering dessert. Especially delicious eaten cold out of the fridge.

The Verdict: This cheesecake really taste like twix. Yum! Heaven in a bite. You can easily make this cheesecake in 30 minutes and the deliciousness is guaranteed. 

Have another closer look...

And another...

I am hoping that I can get into the top 40 most creatice blog entries. I would love to participate in the next phase of the contest – the Blogger Cook-Off Challenges! In the meantime, I look forward to watching Masterchef Malaysia. The food is going to be awesome. FYI, Program details are as follows:

• MasterChef TX will be starting from 22nd October 2011, every Saturday – Wednesday, 9.00pm. Master Class will be on every Friday, 9.00pm.
• Program channel – Astro Ria (Channel 104)
• Official Site URL – http://www.astro.com.my/MasterChef/ 
• Facebook Page Link- http://www.facebook.com/MasterChefMalaysia 
• Twitter Link– www.twitter.com/MasterChefMY

 Get ready for the MasterChef phenomenon to take over Malaysia on 22nd October 2011!

The Blackout Cake

Last week was not a good week. I had big plans. My sister's birthday was on the 21st and I wanted to make a beautiful birthday cake for her inspired by Sweetopolita's Neopolitan Cake. Yup! I was that ambitious.

First, I couldn't find any strawberries at the supermarket and settled for frozen raspberries instead. Arrived home and tasted the raspberry...yuck! so sour! Cancelled strawberry cake and decided to bake only vanilla and chocolate cake.

So far so good. Music on. The table was messy (Just so you know, a messy table is a pre-requisite for a complete baking experience!). The cakes were already in the oven. It was 2am in the morning. And then, with the best timing in the world, blackout! Oh! so why not turn on the electricity when the oven was already warm? Oh yes indeed! The "best" timing in the world. Good timing should be driving with green lights all the way. Not to have a blackout when the cakes are still in the oven. Sigh...

The next morning, I got a fantastic idea to turn the ruined cake into an ice cream layered cake.  Should be easy right? The answer is NO and I learned it the hard way. Making an ice cream cake in the warm kitchen was a very bad idea. The ice cream melted instantaneously. I quickly frost the cake with whipped cream and hoped for the best.

My poor sister celebrated her birthday (reluctantly, I guess)with a blackout cake. Does it taste good? I've done better.

Lesson learned: I will never make an ice cream cake again, ever!

P/s: Happy 24th birthday Amal. Sorry about the cake. But it was fun right?

Nutella Mug Cake

Dang! Monday is approaching fast. Isn't it always sad that you really look forward to the weekend but then suddenly, it's already Sunday and tomorrow you have to go to work, again! Seriously, who says adult life is always fun...


So, to start off the weekday, I want to introduce to you a dessert that will hopefully help you go through the week and make your week a happy one. Everyone...meet Nutella Mug Cake. Yes, you heard me right. A chocolate cake made with nutella, baked (actually microwaved) in a mug. Dump everything in a mug, stir well  and after just 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave, you will get a moist chocolate cake that you can eat straight from the mug. No hassle! So good and incredibly easy!


Nutella Mug Cake
Courtesy of Babble Blogs


You will need one large mug and a tablespoon to measure all the ingredients.


Ingredients:


4 tablespoons of self-raising flour
4 tablespoons of caster sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of nutella

icing sugar, for dusting 

Directions:


1. Get ready a large mug. Make sure the mug is suitable for microwave. 

2. First, add in the flour.

3. Then, add in caster sugar.

4. Add in the egg.

5. Next, add in the cocoa powder.

6. Pour in the oil.

7. Measure and add the milk.

8. Last, add in the nutella.

9. Mix all the ingredients using a fork. The mixture will look lumpy initially. Do not worry. Keep on stirring.

10. Bake in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes. (the baking time may differ for different brands of microwave, so bake the cake on 30 seconds interval)

11. For decoration, dust with icing sugar or when the cake is cool, top with whipped cream or you can eat the cake plain.

Easy delicious dessert made in mere minutes. Want a bite?

Fruit Cocktail Dessert a.k.a Crema De Fruta

Taa Dah! Another easy no bake dessert.

Whenever there's potluck at the office or at someone's open house or birthday party, I can guarantee they will have fruit cocktail dessert served on the table, drenched in sweet cream or custard and/or topped with vanilla ice cream. Easy to make and clearly everyone's favourite. 

Interestingly, thanks to Google, I got to know that there is a popular Filipino dessert called "Crema De Fruta" (it means Cream of Fruit) which has all the same basic ingredients but by adding biscuits into it, forms a very delicious and moist cake-like dessert.

 So here's my version of the Crema De Fruta.


Crema De Fruta
inspired by Filipino Cooking

Ingredients:

3/4 cup condensed milk (if you like a sweeter dessert, use 1 cup)  
1 can Nestle Cream (or 1 cup whipping cream)
1 can of fruit cocktail (can be substituted with any other kind of canned fruit)
1 cup of the fruit cocktail syrup
Chocolate Marie Biscuits
1/2 teaspoon of agar-agar powder

Note: The original recipe uses graham biscuits but I find marie biscuits absorbs liquid better and still hold its shape.


Directions:


1. I use a tin with removable base to make it easier for me to serve the dessert. You can also use a square container. Line the tin with clingwrap to avoid any spilling.

2. Mix the cream and condensed milk in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Drain the fruit cocktail. Set aside 1 cup of the syrup.

4. Arrange the biscuits on the bottom of the tin as many as possible. 

5. Pour the cream mixture onto the biscuits just until the biscuits are covered. Repeat until you have two layers of biscuits. This will form the base.

6. Again, arrange the biscuits and pour the cream mixture. Now add the fruit cocktail on top of the cream mixture. Repeat until you have pour all the cream. Set aside.

8. Boil the syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of the agar-agar powder. Let it cool for a while. Then, slowly pour into the dessert.

9. Keep the dessert in the fridge preferably overnight to let the biscuits soak and absorb all that deliciousness. Here's what the dessert looks like the next day:-

Extremely delicious served cold. Enjoy!