CasualCook

      CHOCOLATE MINI CHEESECAKE                  WITH OREO CRUST Satisfying your sweet tooth with these Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes. It's creamy and rich almost like a dense chocolate mouse but better and made with an oreo crumb crust. These recipe is for true chocolate lovers.  I'm a BIG cheesecake fan but making a cheesecake can be intimidating. Making individuals cheesecakes in a muffin pan is a great way to scale down a regular cheese cake recipe. Not only that - it's simple to put together. Mini cheesecakes don't require a water bath or any special tools, plus they bake faster the regular cheesecake. Mini cheesecakes are a great way to serve without having to cut.  Tips to make Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes - Since chocolate is the main ingrediant here. Make sure they are high quality. You can eighther use  semi sweet, bitter sweet or dark chocolate, depending on personal preference. I used dark chocolate. - Us...

  CHAI SPICED CUPCAKES WITH        BROWN BUTTERCREAM FROSTING These Chai Spiced Cupcakes get perfect pairing with the brown butter cream frosting. They are tender, moist and jam packed with warm spices of chai. To be honest, they are good on it's own but no cup cake is complete without a frosting. I topped the cupcakes with some brown butter frosting which works wonderfully with an added nutty and toasty butter flavour. It takes ordinary frosting and turns it into extraordinary.  You can also get fancy by adding a cinnamon stick for decoration. So, roll up your sleeves and let's get baking! INGREDIENTS CHAI SPICE MIX ( mix all spice together, spice mix will be used in both the cupcakes batter and frosting) - 2 -1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - 1 -1/4 tsp ground ginger - 1 -1/4 tsp ground cardamom - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg  TEA INFUSED MILK -1/2 cup whole milk  - 2 tea bags CUPCAKES BATTER - 200g cake flour  - 115g salted butter (room temperature) - 3 ...

       DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA                                  CAKE An exotic combination of banana and chocolate in this double chocolate banana cake recipe. The sweet mellow banana flavour and rich cocoa powder are match made heaven. Add a little crunch from the hazelnuts and topped with melted chocolate chips an absolute must try indulgence.  Tips to make Double Chocolate Banana Cake.  -  Chocolate is one of the main ingredients here, so make sure you use quality cocoa powder and chocolate as this is basically how the cake will taste.  - This recipe requires ripe bananas. Ripe bananas will bring the real taste in the cake. Banana must be brown, very ripe and easy to mush. - Most of the recipes call for oil as opposed to butter but I find the flavour was lacked in interest and dept so for this recipe I added butter, it's adds richness and helps the cake feel mo...

                    SCONES    I love a buttery, light, moist scones with crumbly corners. They are so quick and easy to make. Spread jam, clotted cream, butter or simply eat them plain. Delicious! Some notes on making SCONES - My golden rule of baking, use quality ingredients. Use real butter not substitute. - Use cold ingredients  - keeping scone dough as cold as possible by using cold ingredients like milk, egg and butter. - I like using frozen grated butter, the finer the pieces of cold butter the less the scones spread and the quicker the butter mixers into the dry ingredients. Unlike a pie crust, don't have big pieces of butter in the flour rather, it has a sandy soft texture.The cold butter creates  that beautiful flaky texture. Try not to over mix the dough or allow it to get warm. It will result a flatter and overly dense scones. ( If you notice the butter become greasy and melty, pop into freezer for 15 minut...

          CREAM CHEESE BROWNIE This is basic brownie recipe layared with tangy cream cheese. A refreshing spin on a classic brownie! The cheesecake itself has the perfect texture - wonderfully creamy and melts in your mouth, pair with the fudgy brownie are simply hard to resist. Some notes on making Cream Cheese Brownie - Use good quality ingredients. It makes a huge difference. - Room temperature cream cheese is a must before it's beaten so it will be nice and smooth with no lumps. - You can leave the coffee mixture out to make a regular brownie. The coffee in the brownie doesn't give a coffee taste but it brings out the chocolate flavour. - Get more creative with the brownie layer and making your own by adding wulnuts, chocolate chips or dried fruits. - You can substitute lemon zest and juice with orange or just keep it plain - though I feel it gives a nice freshness to the brownie. - This brownie works best in a 8 inch pan but you could also make them in a 9 ...