Thin Crust Hawaiian Pizza (Encore!)

I guess this pizza recipe needs no introduction again because this is my 2nd attempt. Had no idea what to cook for dinner last weekend Saturday, and I had Hubby to propose. And yes, pizza was his choice of dinner for that night. So... I got together all the ready ingredients I have at home and got the pizza baking away in the oven in no time.

No proofing needed and so it was just a mix, knead and go pizza recipe. I know I should go hunting for another thin crust recipe to try but well, this recipe is currently my fave so let's leaving the thin crust recipe research till another time keke!

Crispy Thin Crust Pizza dough

Recipe by Jacqueline Liu

(Makes 2 12-inch pizza dough)

1 pkg (.25 oz) Active Dry Yeast (7g)
¼ tsp Sugar
¾ Cup Warm Water (170g)
1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour (224g)
½ tsp Salt
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*tomato pasta sauce or tomato puree

**3 pcs ham, cut to small pcs
**5 slices of canned pineapples, cut to small pcs
**8 to 10 pcs of button mushrooms, sliced thinly
(Squeeze out the excess pineapple water and mix all ingredients together.)

***Shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 8 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, salt, olive oil.
3. Add the yeast mixture.
4. Add well.
5. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes.
6. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12” circle.
8. Slice ham, shredded cheese or any ingredients you like. (Spread a layer of pasta sauce over bread dough, leaving about 1.5cm of sides plain, spread cheese followed by ingredients, and final toppings with cheese again)

9. Place dough on pizza pan. Cover with your pizza sauce and toppings.

10. Bake at 500 Degree F (I baked at 230deg C for 25min) for 10 - 15 minutes.

Chilled Coffee Cheesecake 免考咖啡乳酪蛋糕

Wanting to clear the blocks of cream cheese in my fridge, I got down to making this fuss free and yummy no-bake coffee cheesecake. It has been some time since I last baked this cheese cake.  Cheese cakes are decadent yet sinful cakes so they are good only for occasion indulgence.

Gave some slices to my sis and bro-in-law and brought some for my colleague. This cheesecake was cleared fast and that means I can do another cheesecake real soon!

Short post here. Be back soon :)

Chilled Coffee Cheesecake 

Recipe by Grace Kitchen Corner

- for 8 inches baking tin or 8 of 5cm chef rings (I used a 6-inch springform tin)

Bottom base

90g digestive biscuits crumbs 

30g oreo biscuits crumbs 

75g butter (melted) - you may use 60g to 65g melted butter if you prefer crumbier base

Fillings

250g cream cheese 

60g sugar 

12g instant coffee (dissolve with 1 tablespoon water) 

2 teaspoon gelatin (dissolve with 1 tablespoon hot water) 

170ml whipping cream 

40g chocolate beads (I left out the coffee beads)

Toppings (I left the toppings out)

150g whipping cream 

50g dark bitter chocolate 

8 pieces of mocca beans (deco)

1. Mix the crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. Press crumbs mixture onto bottom baking pan or little chef rings and keep in the fridge.
2. In another bowl, beat cream cheese until soften, gradually beat in sugar until the sugar dissolve. Add in the coffee mixture until well blended.
3. Whisk the whipping cream in another bowl until thicken.
4. Mix the dissolved gelatin into the coffee mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the in the whipped cream until everything well combine.
5. Pour into the baking pan or chef rings and chill in the fridge until it set.
6. After the cheesecake has set. Melt the chocolate with the whipping cream. Pour a thin layer on top of the cheesecake. Let it set in the fridge.
7. Run a sharp knife at the edge of the cake pan and unmold when everything has set. Decorate with a dollop of whipped cream and go with the mocca bean. Enjoy!

Thin Crust Hawaiian Pizza

My first time trying out a thin crust pizza and it was a success! All thanks to hubby who urged me to make this for dinner while a friend was over.

I searched the internet and found this recipe. Looking at how straightforward and easy this method was, I knew I had to try this recipe out! Needs no proofing time, just mix, roll, spread sauce, cheese and ingredients and off it goes into the oven. All these in less than an hour and you get the thin crispy pizza. Easy peasy and yummy. No more thick base pizza for me from now hehe!

Crispy Thin Crust Pizza dough
Recipe by Jacqueline Liu
(Makes 2 12-inch pizza dough)

1 pkg (.25 oz) Active Dry Yeast (7g)
¼ tsp Sugar
¾ Cup Warm Water (170g)
1 ¾ Cups All Purpose Flour (224g)
½ tsp Salt
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

*tomato pasta sauce or tomato puree

**3 pcs ham, cut to small pcs
**5 slices of canned pineapples, cut to small pcs
**8 to 10 pcs of button mushrooms, sliced thinly
(Squeeze out the excess pineapple water and mix all ingredients together.)

***Shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 8 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine all purpose flour, salt, olive oil.
3. Add the yeast mixture.
4. Add well.
5. Turn dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 2 minutes.
6. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
7. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 12” circle.
8. Slice ham, shredded cheese or any ingredients you like. (Spread a layer of pasta sauce over bread dough, leaving about 1.5cm of sides plain, spread cheese followed by ingredients, and final toppings with cheese again)
9. Place dough on pizza pan. Cover with your pizza sauce and toppings.
10. Bake at 500 Degree F (I baked at 230deg C for 25min) for 10 - 15 minutes.

Tiramisu Charlotte Cake (using cream cheese)

What is the one thing that comes to your mind when you see these 2 items??  Yeah, Tiramisu cake alright!

Made this dessert many times with mascarpone cheese and received compliments for it, but this time I decided to challenge using cream cheese instead.  Wanna see if there is much difference to using mascarpone cheese and cream cheese.  Yes, there is. Using mascaporne cheese yields a lighter tasting tiramisu, while cream cheese got the cake tasting slightly heavier and had that tangy taste, which I actually quite like! Great! A cheaper alternative for me next time keke~

Tiramisu, to me, is quite a fail-proof dessert that everyone can make.  Who doesn't like after-meal sweets??? So do it!

Tiramisu Charlotte Cake

Recipe by Happy Home Baking

(makes a 7" cake)

Espresso Syrup:
1 tablespoon instant espresso/ strong coffee powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) boiling water
1 tablespoon Marsala (I used Baileys Irish Cream)

Filling:
250g mascarpone cheese (I used cream cheese)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons Marsala (I used Baileys Irish Cream)
1 cup (250 ml) heavy/whipping cream (I used whipping cream)

about 24 sponge fingers (savoiardi)
50g dark chocolate (optional, I did not use)

cocoa powder, to dust
dark and white chocolate shavings (optional)
strawberries for decoration (optional)


Method: 

To make the Espresso Syrup:
Dissolve instant espresso coffee powder, sugar in boiling water. Leave to cool. Stir in 1 tablespoon Baileys Irish Cream. Set aside.

To make the Filling:In a mixing bowl, with a manual whisk, whisk mascarpone cheese (cream cheese) with icing sugar, vanilla extract, Baileys Irish Cream and 3 tablespoons of the espresso syrup until blended.

With an electric mixer whisk the whipping cream until soft peak (do not over whip). With a spatula, fold in 1/4 of the whipped cream to the mascarpone (cream cheese) mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream to the mascarpone mixture  (cream cheese).

To assemble the cake:
Cut off one end of the sponge fingers so that each one is about 3" in length. Line the sides of a 7" round baking pan* (with a removable base or use a springform pan) with the sponge fingers (do not dip them in the espresso syrup). You will need about 17 sponge fingers (depending on the type/brand). If the last sponge finger cannot fit in nicely, trim away part of it to fit it in. Save the leftover small pieces.

One at a time, gently dip (do not soak) sponge fingers in the espresso syrup and use them to line the base of the pan. Cut the sponge fingers into shorter lengths if necessary. Use the leftover pieces to fill the gaps.

Spoon over half of the filling. Spread evenly. Grate the dark chocolates over the filling (I used cocoa powder). Repeat with another layer of sponge fingers and spoon over the remaining filling (I did 3 layers and dust the 3 layers with cocoa power). Spread and smooth the top (I dust a 3rd layer of cocoa powder). Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, best left overnight.

I covered the top with clingwrap and secured it with a rubberband, and refrigerate it.

Just before serving, unmold the cake and dust the top with cocoa powder (my 4th layer). Decorate with dark and white chocolate shavings and strawberries (as desired).

Equally sliced and ready to be eaten!

Enjoy!

Hawaiian Pizza

Time flies.  It's already Tuesday and almost reaching midweek!  Great that this week is a short week - all thanks to Good Friday!  So looking forward to the long weekend. How are you going to spend your long weekend :)

And so this post is sort of a continuation from the last.  Like I say, it was a stay home Saturday, and I made pizza for dinner on that same day I made soup (for lunch) but was lazy to blog a long post altogether! In fact staying home does not mean more rest for me, because I am the kind who will be buzzing around in the kitchen, cooking or baking away.  Home is the best, isn't it?  I can do what I like, no one's stopping me keke~

Some weeks back, my hubby asked me to make pizza and I did not.  Bad wife huh?  I bet you have those days too where you are okay to cook or bake anything, everything except that particular food?  Unfortunately for my hubby, I do, so I said "okay, I make for you another day".

Okay... at least I kept my promise and made him one leh... :P

I wanted a fluffy pizza base, bread type for a change, so I fell back on my all-time fave recipe.  End product was good and hubby gave a thumbs up. All time and effort spent into making it was well-worth the while.  What all homemakers and home bakers need is the support from your other half and family members!

Hawaiian Pizza (using sweet bun base by Sponge Dough method)
(Makes one 10-inch round pizza)

Pizza toppings
6-8 pieces of canned pineapple slices (cut into small pieces)
4 pieces of ham (wash, pat dry with kitchen towel and cut into small rectangles) - I ran out of ham so I used chicken franks
1 can of button mushrooms (sliced thinly) - I used Hosen brand button mushrooms
Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional)
4 tbsp pasta sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (optional unless you want a tangy yet spicy taste)

1. Squeeze out some of the pineapple juice to remove excess juice, otherwise when added to pizza base, base will turn soggy.
2. Mix all topping ingredients (except all cheese) in a bowl and leave in fridge till ready to use.
3. Mix pasta sauce and sweet chilli sauce well.  Leave base sauce aside.

Pizza base (sweet bun base)
Step 1: Sponge dough
50g plain flour
75g bread flour
1.5 tsp instant yeast
65ml cold water

Mix yeast with water in mixing bowl, then add in flour.  Knead to form a smooth dough. Cover and leave to proof for 1 to 1.5 hours or double in size.

Step 2:
125g bread flour
40g sugar
1/2 tbsp milk powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 small egg (set aside balance for egg glaze on the rim of pizza base)
65ml cold water
25g butter (soften at room temperature)
Egg glaze

1. Add all Step 2 ingredients (except butter) to sponge dough from Step 1. Knead from low speed until well combined.  Continue to knead on medium speed until dough is soft and smooth.  Add in butter, continue to knead
till dough is soft and elastic or reaches window pane stage.
2. Shape dough into ball.  Cover and leave to proof for 15 minutes or dough in size.  Roll out the dough into flat and round shape that fit into 10-inch round baking tray.

3. Spread base sauce over pizza base, leaving 1-inch of the sides clear.
4. Sprinkle some mozzarella over sauce.  Add toppings all over evenly.
5. Top with thick layer of mozzarella cheese (and other cheese).
6. Leave to rise for 20 minutes.  Brush sides of base with egg glaze.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 190 deg for 12-15 minutes or till golden brown.  Serve.