Cake twenty-two - Cheesecake delice

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I think decoration is a key point in a cake and not only a matter of ‘appearance’: it’s your personal touch! 

Berries are a must for cheesecakes, I must say, and raspberries among them all are the best choice. I particularly love them for their bright colour which gives the cake a kind of luxurious look and secondly, but not certainly less importantly, for their taste which is a mix of sweet and sour juicy fragrance which easily blends in with most of the cakes and above all with cheesecakes.
It can be a yummy birthday cake in Summer!

250 g plain chocolate biscuits
150 g butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
20 g butter, extra
300 ml thickened cream
50 g milk chocolate, chopped finely
3 tsp gelatine
60 ml water
500 g cream cheese
110 g sugar
3 Mars bars, chopped finely 
200 g. raspberries
Process biscuits until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, add butter. Process until just combined. Press biscuit mixture over base and side of 20cm round tin. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm. 
In the meantime combine brown sugar, extra butter and 2 tbsp of the cream in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, to make butterscotch sauce.  
Combine chocolate and another 2 tbsp of the cream in another saucepan stirring over low heat until chocolate melts.
Sprinkle gelatine over the water in small heatproof jug. Place jug in small saucepan of simmering water and stir until gelatine dissolves. Cool 5 minutes.
Beat cheese and sugar in a bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat remaining cream in small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir slightly warm gelatine mixture into cheese mixture with Mars bar. Fold in cream. 
Pour half of the cheese mixture into the prepared tin, drizzle half of the butterscotch and chocolate sauces over cheese mixture. Pull skewer backwards and forwards through mixture to create marbled effect. Repeat process with remaining cheese mixture and sauces. 
Cover and refrigerate about 3 hours. 

also visit:
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2013/03/cake-twenty-two.html

Cake five - Red Heart Birthday Cupcakes

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Welcome to the  “Magic World of Cupcakes,” a rich and colourful universe of taste and looks! When you say ‘cupcake’ you only refer to the shape of your cake - a very small one, the size of a cup - and not to a specific cake. 

The secret ingredient is decoration: 
this time choco buttercream frosting with heart shaped candies.
150 gr self-raising flour
90 gr. softened butter
110 gr sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk 

Beat flour, butter, sugar and eggs with electric mixer for five minutes, then add milk and beat until mixture is of a pale colour. 
Preheat oven to 180°. Put mixture into paper cases and bake for about 20 minutes. 

 Decoration 

Choco Buttercream Frosting

125 gr butter

240 gr icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Beat butter until as white as possible, add icing sugar and cocoa, then add milk. in two batches.. 

Use a piping bag with a large fluted tube, half-fill the bag with the buttercream. Pipe generoous swirls on top of each cake. Refrigerate.

Read Heart candies

30 hard candies, either clear or red

Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Unwrap hard candies and put them on baking sheet spacing them about 5 cm apart.

Preheat the oven to 200°. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, checking
frequently after 3 min as some brands might melt quicker than others.

In the meantime dip the metal cookie cutters (hearts) into vegetable oil. 

Here they are! 

Remove the melted candies from the oven and leave for about 30 seconds to firm up slightly. 

Press the cutters firmly into the syrup and lift away immediately so clearly defined shapes are visible.

Let cool completely before lifting from baking paper and snapping away the excess sweets from the shapes.

also visit:
http://time-for-a-cake.blogspot.it/2012/07/cake-five.html