Ingredients:
Ruby bundt cake:
1 tbsp butter (for the pan)
2 tbsp sugar (to coat the pan)
115 g (4 oz.) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets, melted
375 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
2 tsp beet powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
225 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
300 g (1-1/2 cups) granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs, at room temperature
240 ml (1 cup) sour cream, at room temperature
2 tsp beet powder

Ruby ganache:
125 g (4.5 oz.) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets
120 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
2 tsp beet powder
1 tbsp butter

To decorate:
Freeze-dried raspberries
Sanding sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F.
2. Butter and sugar the bundt pan. Yes, coat the bundt pan in sugar. Just trust me on this one.

3. In a small bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the ruby chocolate. Set aside to cool.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and 2 tsp beet powder. Set this aside.

6. In a stand mixer fitted with a beater, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until ... you guessed it ... light and fluffy.... all. the. time... light and fluffy is my mantra.
7. Reduce the speed to medium, then add the eggs, one at a time, waiting for one to be fully incorporated before adding the next one.
8. On the lowest speed setting, fold in the flour in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture. Start and end with the flour.
9. Fold in the melted ruby chocolate.

10. Transfer the batter to the prepared bundt pan, making sure to fill all nooks and crannies.
11. Place a thick layer of kitchen towels under the pan, and bang the pan on the counter a few times to settle the batter and pop the air bubbles.
12. Bake in the center of the oven for 55 - 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Rest the cake in the pan for 5-10 minutes, before inverting it onto a rack to cool completely.

When the bundt cake has cooled, make the ganache:
14. In a microwave safe bowl, place the ruby chocolate and heavy cream, and heat it in 15 second bursts, stirring in between.
15. When just melted, stir in the butter and the beet powder.
Adjust the consistency of the ganache: if too thick, add a bit more butter, and if too thin, refrigerate it a while.

16. Set the bundt cake, still on the cooling rack, on top of a pan or a large plate to catch all the chocolate drippings.
17. Pour the ganache all over the bundt cake, taking care not to miss the crevices.
Collect the chocolate on the pan/plate to drip on the cake again if needed.
18. Sprinkle freeze-dried raspberries and sanding sugar to decorate.

It’s that time of the year when love and (wind)chill is in the air. Baking calls for something rosy, something fruity and yet something decadent for the occasion.



Enter this ruby chocolate cheesecake! It is a no-bake delight, creamy and luscious, fresh and fruity, and oh-so-pretty in pink.



An almond-tinged crust made with amaretti makes for an ideal base, upon which this berry-scented cheesecake rests. Then a velvety pour of ruby chocolate ganache is draped on top, with almond slivers, freeze-dried raspberries and fresh juicy berries adding texture and visual interest.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients:

Crust:

120 g (1 cup) graham cracker crumbs (about 10-12 full cracker sheets)
60 g (1/2 cup) amaretti (Italian almond cookie) crumbs
35 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
70 g (5 tbsp) butter, melted

Cheesecake:

14 g (5 tsp or 2 pouches) Knox gelatin
120 ml (1/2 cup) cold water
225 g (1-1/2 cups) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets
30 ml (2 tbsp) heavy whipping cream
240 g (2 cups) icing / confectioners sugar, sifted
15 g (2 tbsp) beet powder, sifted
360 ml (1-1/2 cups) heavy whipping cream, cold
750 g (26-1/2 oz or 3-1/3 cup) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
15 ml (1 tbsp) vanilla extract

Ruby Chocolate Ganache:

75 g (1/2 cup) Callebaut ruby chocolate callets
120 ml (1/2 cup) heavy whipping cream
3 g (1 tsp) beet powder

To decorate:

Fresh berries
Freeze-dried raspberries
Slivered almonds

Make the cheesecake:

Oma is so famous for her kaastengels aka cheesesticks. While others get to enjoy them during Christmas, we lucky ducks get to enjoy it year-round. And she makes a LOT of it. She may as well, because once she gets her portable oven and 10-or-so baking sheets out, she may as well feed the town. Nah, we so selfish, we want it all to ourselves :D


We've waited quite a bit to wrangle this recipe off her, Oma usually prefers to bring it over as a treat for the kids. However, lately, it's becoming too tedious for her to manage baking such a big batch on her own, she finally acquiesced and mixed and baked it in our kitchen. That's when I got the chance to actually weigh all the ingredients before she dunked them in her massive mixing bowl.

It isn't that Oma doesn't want to share her recipes ... not that at all! It's that she relies so much on look and feel that she never bothered to weigh or measure her ingredients, rightly saying that the amounts will vary whether it is the dry or rainy season. Yes, humidity also plays a part in baking as I found out when I tried the exact measurements on my own. So much to learn, so little time.


Also, Oma uses a few types of butters ... the refrigerated kind, which is usually 80% butterfat, makes up 2/3 of the amount of butter used in this recipe, and the canned Dutch preserved butter which I found was 84% butterfat, which makes up the 1/3 amount of the butter used. However, in the absence of the tinned Dutch Wijsman butter, I used Plugra, a higher fat European style butter which had 82% butterfat. Just to compare, the Kirkland butter from Costco which I usually swear by has just 80% butterfat. No, not all butters are created equal.



Then there's the cheese. Edam is non-negotiable in your typical kaastengel recipe. Made from partly skimmed milk, it is lower in milk fat (40%) than let's say Gouda (48%), and it is drier and lighter, so it won't melt and flow a lot when cooked or baked. So please, make kaastengels only when you can get your hands on Edam cheese.

Cheddar is the other cheese used in typical kaastengels recipe. It has a nutty aroma, and it's rounded sharpness complements Edam very well. Also, cheddar will melt more than Edam, binding the rest of the dough, giving it a better mouthfeel. I usually use a mature, old or sharp cheddar for this purpose.



With all that being said, these measurements below are as much of a recipe as it is a template. And we inevitably need to compensate and allow for subtle changes. I baked a small batch using a combination of both butters and found that my kaastengels were spreading too much too soon, so I added a bit of flour to 'stiffen' them up and baked them at a higher temperature for a wee bit shorter time. After two trials, it was perfect! At least for me it was.



So then, try this recipe, make it your own. And let's remember that nothing goes to waste for you can also eat your trials and errors ;)


Ingredients:
900 g butter
4 egg yolks
600 g Edam cheese, grated
200 g Cheddar cheese, grated
1200 g all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp salt

4 yolks for glazing
200 g Cheddar cheese, grated, for topping

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, soften butter with a mixer, then add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing it well until homogenous.
2. Still with the mixer, drop in handfuls of grated Edam and cheddar cheese.

3. Switch to a wooden spoon, then stir in the flour, adding it a handful at a time as well.
4. At one point, it will require you to work with your hands. Add a little, then fold it in, taking care not to 'punch' the dough down.
At this point, the dough should be pliable enough, a little on the softer side, and not too firm as cookie dough. Trial and error and practice makes perfect.

5. Shape into small 'sticks' by taking a small ball and rolling it gently between the palms.
The OCD in me makes them between 10-12 grams each.
6. Place the sticks on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Alternatively, shape into small balls of not more than 1.5cm across, or one can even use the cookie piping gizmo. We even shaped it into letters!

As you work with the dough, turn it over once in a while so as not to let the butter settle on the bottom of the dough.

7. With a brush, gently glaze the tops with egg yolks.
8. Place a bit of grated cheddar cheese on top.
9. Bake on medium heat, 160C for about 30-40 minutes until top turns golden.
10. Let rest for a few minutes before removing from the baking sheet.

Not sure what to do with that eggnog or almond nog? Other than making chai, latte, and hot chocolate, substitute this sumptuous and flavourful liquid for your favourite nut milk in your regular recipes, and you got yourself a Christmas treat.



My budding vegan baker at home pulled out the stops and made her first yeast bake. And what a learning curve it was ... and the rolls came out picture and palate perfect!! I, on the other hand, am not so lucky when it comes to yeast, and happily delegate those recipes to my son, who I call the 'yeast beast'. Seems we have another yeast baker at home. I so happy.



The combined aroma of the almond nog and bread baking that emanates from the kitchen ... especially when it's super chilly outside ... it's just so comforting. Totally drew everyone out of their rooms into the kitchen just to see what's in store for them. They're kind of spoiled, I know :)

We were invited for dinner and surely, yours truly signs up for dessert. No surprise there. And as I scoured my bookmarks, looking for something simple and quick (after all, it's already noon and the dinner was at 6!) this Portuguese orange olive oil cake somehow looked very very promising.


I've always been fascinated by olive oil cakes. Having made a few oil-based cakes before, I was looking forward to a tender crumbed tea cake, slightly fruit-fragrant, not just because of the orange, mind you, but the aromas emanating from the olive oil, and definitely something light and ethereal because it finally felt like spring.



The cake was pretty easy to put together, although I can't say much about what happened to my arm after zesting 4 huge navel oranges after they have been soaked in boiling water to rid the skins of the wax. Slippery skins do not make for easy zesting. But hey, no pain no gain, right? And since I didn't have enough time to cool it completely, and had to transport it on the sky train, I so nonchalantly opened the cake carrier cover, treating every one in that car with delicious whiffs of my freshly baked orange olive oil cake.



This recipe is perfect for a 22-inch springform pan, but the cake you see in the photos was made in a 24-inch silicone mold (for which I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 times, and allowed for more baking time).

Ingredients:
240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
95 g (1 cup) almond flour
Zest of 3 oranges
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of tsp salt
4 eggs (at room temperature)
50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
240 ml (1 cup) orange juice

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 175C or 350F.
2. Butter and flour a 9 inch or 22 cm cake tin. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Skip this step if using a silicone mold, as I did.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, zest, baking powder and salt. Set this aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes until pale and frothy.
5. Add the honey and beat a further 2 minutes.
6. Beat in the evoo, vanilla extract, and the orange juice.

7. Transfer the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and mix until just combined. The batter will be quite runny.
8. Pour into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven.
9. Reduce the oven temperature to 160C or 325F and bake (preferably convection) for 60 minutes. Check doneness at the 50 minute mark.

10. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar when cooled, to serve.

Better believe it, we have just taken an already delicious classic cookie and given it a super-pimped-up makeover. And I am talking about a structural intervention here. Because we are stuffing these babies with chocolate eggs that are already stuffed with peanut butter.



Eggs, you ask? Yep, chocolate peanut butter eggs ... the kind that rolls around when Easter hops around. And I'm betting that if you love peanut butter chocolates, you would totally totally go for these chocolate stuffed peanut butter cookies.




This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies.


Ingredients:
320 g (2-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
225 g (1 cup) butter, softened, at room temperature
200 g (1 cup) light brown sugar
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
370 g (1-1/2 cup) creamy peanut butter (homogenized)
2 tsp vanilla extract
36 peanut butter filled chocolates
100 g bittersweet chocolate, melted (to drizzle - optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set this aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, on medium high speed, beat the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy, this will take about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting for one to be fully incorporated before adding the next one.
4. Reduce the speed to medium and fold in the peanut butter and vanilla extract.
5. Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour in three additions.
6. Transfer to a container with a lid, or cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill between 1 hour to 3 days.

To bake:
7. Remove the dough from the fridge.
8. Scoop 2 tbsp of dough, roll into a ball, then flatten to a disk.
9. Enclose a peanut butter filled chocolate inside, sealing the edges and flattening it slightly. Repeat until dough is all used up.

10. Preheat the oven to 175C or 350F. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper
11. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, then remove from the oven to flatten slightly (the chocolate will have melted) using the bottom of a mug.
12. Rotate the baking sheets between the shelves, then bake a further 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown on the sides.
13. Leave the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Optional:
14. Drizzle the cookies with the melted chocolate and leave to set for 15 - 20 minutes.