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I finally decided to move my blog. So from now on you’ll find me at http://somecappuccino.com/.
Please join me there.

Post-Christmas treats

Christmas has gone by so quickly that I can hardly believe it was even here in the first place. This year, it was very relaxing and we enjoyed a nice break with each other and our friends. On the second day of Christmas, I made cinnamon rolls – one of my favourite desserts. I came across a delicious recipe on whatscookingamerica.net. These cinnamon rolls are the perfect addition to any meal as a dessert or a wholesome breakfast.  The best part is that they are very easy to make, and you can save some by freezing the dough and using it at a later time.  Click here for step-by-step freezing/thawing instructions. Bon appétit!

Harvest Cinnamon Rolls

Dough
1 cup milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs room temperature and beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (optional)*
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Add all ingredients in the bread machine or mixer, and mix until an elastic dough results.  
Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan).
After dough has risen, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15 x 24-inch rectangle. Brush the cinnamon filling over the top of the dough with a spatula or a pastry brush.

Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over the butter on the prepared dough. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal.

With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2-inch section. Use a sharp knife or slide a 12-inch piece of dental floss or heavy thread underneath. By bringing the ends of the floss up and criss-crossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place cut side up in prepared baking pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking.

Cinnamon Filling
1/2 cup butter, melted or softened
1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Soften the butter; set aside. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; stir in chopped nuts (optional).

Cream cheese frosting
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract or oil (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon extract or oil until well mixed and creamy. Refrigerate frosting until ready to use and then bring to room temperature before spreading.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Spread frosting over the cinnamon rolls while still warm. Best served warm, but room temperature is also great!



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for approximately 20 to 25  minutes or until they are a light golden brown.

Anniversary and first (baked) cheesecake

We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on November 3rd, and wanted to surprise my husband with a different type of dessert this year! We’re both fans of baked desserts/pastries, but this time around,  I wanted to prepare something creamy yet not too heavy.  Since I love cream cheese and always wanted to make a cheesecake from scratch, without having to spend half a day in the kitchen, I’ve  started searching for a recipe online.

I came across Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake recipe that has been apparently tried out by many fellow bloggers/bakers during Jenny‘s Daring Baking Challenge. Different people tried different variations, but I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, and use fresh berries if possible.

So, I decided to give it a go, made some slight changes (used Light creamcheese and reduced the number of eggs to 2).  The result was a delicious, creamy and light cake! My husband loved it, and my co-workers couldn’t agree more (I brought some to work today).  If you’re looking for a delicious and simple cheesecake recipe, I highly recommend this…

Bon appétit et bonne anniversaire Chery!

Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake adapted from here. See recipe below.

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs (I used an equal amount of crushed bran cookies)

1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cheesecake:
3 bricks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature (I used 2 bricks and 8 oz. Philadelphia Light)

1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs (I used 2)
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.
2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too. Set crust aside.
3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.
5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done – this can be hard to judge, but you’re looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don’t want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won’t crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.