Double Chocolate Olive Oil Banana Bread

Another recipe containing somewhat copious amounts of chocolate? Yes, you got that right!

I love chocolate and I love bananas. Can you tell? Personally I think chocolate and bananas go very well together. Pair them together in banana bread and they are a match made in heaven!

This banana bread couldn't be easier to make nor more delicious to eat. It contains dutch-processed cocoa powder for that deep chocolate flavour, sweet overripe bananas, greek yogurt to keep the banana bread tender and moist, fragrant extra-virgin olive oil, along with a handful of caramelised white chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs! Also, the banana bread comes together relatively quickly, so it is really no hassle at all

Once it's out of the oven, let it cool completely before slicing into it. However, I wouldn't fault you for cutting into it while it is still warm – it's hard to resist!

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Double Chocolate Olive Oil Banana Bread

Makes one loaf

Ingredients

• 170 g (approx. 1 1/3 cup) all-purpose flour

• 50 g (approx. 1/2 cup) dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional

• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, optional

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated white sugar

• 100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar

• 100 g (approx. 1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

• 350 g (about 4 large) overripe* bananas (weight without skin), mashed

• 130 g (approx. 1.2 cup) full-fat greek yogurt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 120 g chocolate of your choice, chopped roughly into chunks (I used caramelised white chocolate. You could use dark or milk chocolate.)

• 2 to 3 Tbs cocoa nibs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter and line an 8-inch by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Leave some overhang of parchment paper along the sides of the pan.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, leaveners, and spices.

3. In another larger bowl, add eggs, salt and sugars. Using a hand-held whisk or stand mixer, whip the eggs with the sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

4. Slowly stream in the oil as the mixer whips on low until it is incorporated.

5. Fold in the mashed bananas, yogurt and vanilla extract.

6. Fold in the sifted dry ingredients until the batter just comes together and there are no streaks of flour visible. Do not over-mix the batter.

7. Fold in the chocolate until the chocolate is distributed throughout the batter. Again, do not over-mix the batter.

8. Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle cocoa nibs on top.

9. Bake the banana bread for 50 to 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

10. After baking, let the banana bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then, gently lift the loaf out of the pan holding on to the overhand of parchment paper. Use a knife or cake spatula to loosen the banana bread from the pan if it feels a bit stuck. The banana bread should be able to come out of the pan cleanly.

11. Set the banana bread on a cooling rack to cool completely before digging in! The banana bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Freezer tip: For longer storage, you may freeze individually cut slices by double wrapping in the slices in cling wrap and placing them in a well-labelled freezer safe bag. They would be able to last in the freezer for a month. To consume, simply let the banana bread, still wrapped in cling wrap, thaw at room temperature until it becomes soft. Once it has thawed, remove the cling wrap and consume!

*Note: The skin of an overripe banana would be almost black. Overripe bananas are the best for baking as they are at their sweetest. So don't throw blackened bananas away!

#breakfast #baking

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

I think my obsession with chocolate is pretty apparent.

These triple chocolate cheesecake bars are for all the chocolate lovers out there. I certainly am a chocolate lover. Just a quick glance at my feed and blog and you would know that chocolate is my most favourite dessert/snack food and ingredient for baking. Anyone who knows me personally would know this fact and the extent to which I love chocolate.

So, these cheesecake bars really do check all the right boxes. A dark chocolate biscuit base, rich and creamy dark chocolate cheesecake, smooth chocolate ganache, crunchy cocoa nibs – honestly, what's not to love?

Not only do these triple chocolate cheesecake bars sound good, but I assure you that they taste every bit as good as it sounds. When you take a spoonful of the triple chocolate cheesecake bar, the smooth creaminess, the light crunch of the crust and cocoa nibs, the rich intensity of dark chocolate and the subtle tang of cream cheese will overwhelm your taste buds in the best way possible.

Just so you know, I made two whole 8-inch squares of cheesecake instead of one. I made an extra one so that I would have enough of it to give away to my graduating students, friends, B and his family, and my family. It was a lot of cheesecake. The good news is that these cheesecake bars freeze well, which means that making extra is very worth it because you would have cheesecake always in your freezer, ready to be consumed when a craving strikes. All you need to do is thaw the cheesecake in the fridge overnight (more instructions on freezing and thawing cheesecake below).

For me, not only do I love eating the desserts that I make, I always take pleasure in bring able to share what I make and to see others enjoying what I have made. It brings me a lot of joy and satisfaction when people enjoy what my hands have made. I was thrilled to know that the people who got to eat these cheesecake bars loved it so much.

If you do make these triple chocolate cheesecake bars, do let me know as I would love to see how you get on! I promise that you would love this recipe as much as I and many others do.

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Makes one 8-inch square cheesecake, cuts into 16 squares

Ingredients

For the cookie crust:

• 250 g Oreo cookies (including the filling)

• 50 g (1/4 cup) white granulated sugar or brown sugar

• 15 g (2 Tbs) dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1/8 tsp sea salt

• 100 g (7 Tbs) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

• 170 g dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids)

• 455 g cream cheese, room temperature

• 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated white sugar

• 125 g (1/2 cup) full-fat greek yogurt

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

• 2 large eggs

For ganache:

• 150 g dark chocolate (60% to 70%, but not more than 70%)

• 150 g heavy whipping cream

To assemble:

• A spoonful of cocoa nibs

Method

For the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Butter and line an 8-inch square cake pan. Leave some parchment hanging over the sides so that you can lift out the cheesecake later. Alternatively, use a pan that has a removable bottom.

2. In a food processor, pulse oreo cookies (oreo fillings included) until they become fine crumbs. Alternatively, use a pestle to grind the oreos into crumbs (certainly more painstaking, but I didn't have a food processor so that was what I did). You could also place the oreo cookies in a large ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to bash them until they become crumbs.

3. Add sugar, cocoa powder and salt and pulse or stir to combine and evenly distributed with the oreo crumbs.

4. Add cool melted unsalted butter and pulse or stir until all the crumbs are coated with butter and resembles wet sand.

5. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the cake pan. Make sure that you pack the crumbs tightly.

6. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set it aside to cool a little.

For the cheesecake:

1. Melt dark chocolate in the microwave on medium in 30 second intervals, stirring until it has melted completely. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy (but don't over-mix as you don't want to beat in too much air). Beat in sugar until the sugar is combined with the cream cheese.

3. Then, add greek yogurt, vanilla and salt and beat until smooth and combined.

4. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until smooth and well-combined. Remember to scrape down the bowl to ensure that everything is homogeneous.

5. Pour the cheesecake batter into the pan with the crust.

6. To level the cheesecake and get rid of air bubbles, lift up the pan and gently but firmly bang the pan on the counter/table a few times. Use a toothpick to gently pop any air bubbles that surface. It is important to get rid of air bubbles in the cheesecake batter so as to prevent the cheesecake from cracking after it bakes. (No water bath needed for this cheesecake!)

7. Place the cheesecake in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 35 to 40 min at 160°C. To check whether the cheesecake is done, look out for a few signs. Firstly, the top of the cheesecake will be set, which means that when you use your finger to gently press the top of the cheesecake, it should spring back slightly and there should not be any wet cheesecake batter sticking to your finger. Secondly, the cheesecake should jiggle slightly. It will continue to cook and it will fully set as it cools. Do not over-bake cheesecake as you will not get a creamy texture. 

8. Once the cheesecake is done, switch off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 min (again, to prevent cracks due to a sudden change in temperature). Then, remove from the oven and set the cheesecake on the counter to let it cool in the pan.

9. Once the cheesecake is cool enough, transfer it to the fridge to chill at least 6 hours or overnight. At this point you can even freeze the cheesecake. More on that below.

Make the ganache and assemble:

1. Place chocolate and cream in a microwave-safe bowl.

2. Microwave the chocolate and cream on medium in 30-second intervals, until the cream is warm and the chocolate begins to melt. Stir until the chocolate has melted and has emulsified with the cream. Do not let the ganache get too hot or else it might seperate/become grainy.

3. Set the ganache aside to cool at room temperature until it becomes a spreadable consistency. You could speed up the cooling process by placing the ganache in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Once the ganache is spreadable, remove the cheesecake from the fridge and the pan. Set it on a serving plate. Spoon dollops of ganache on the cheesecake and spread it across the top. Sprinkle with cocoa nibs. Cut into squares and serve cold.

Note: To freeze the whole cheesecake, once the cheesecake has chilled, remove the cheesecake from the pan. Wrap in cling wrap twice and aluminium foil twice. Take care that it is completely sealed. Freeze for up to 2 months. To eat, let the cheesecake thaw in the fridge overnight while it is still wrapped. To serve, carefully remove the cling wrap and foil. Set the cheesecake on a serving plate, decorate and slice it/ Enjoy your cheesecake bars! Consume within 5 days and store the extras in the fridge.

#cheesecake #cake #dessert

Rye Apple Cake

In the spirit of a non-existent autumn (definitely not along the Equator, where I'm found), I wanted to bake something with one of my favourite fruits, that being apples! Even though I don't experience the four seasons here, there certainly has been an abundance of apples in the supermarkets recently. I definitely didn't want to miss this opportune time to make something apple-related, so I bought a few bags of apples home.

For this cake, I used half rye flour and half all-purpose flour. I love the subtle warmth and earthiness that rye imparts. Using half rye and half all-purpose flour instead of using rye flour completely ensures that the resulting cake is still fluffy.

In addition, Pink Lady apples and Granny Smith apples were used in this cake. This is actually my first time using Pink Lady apples and I just love the colour (it is a pretty pinkish red)! Both the Pink Lady and Granny Smith are firm and crisp apples, which make them perfect for baking because they will hold their shape and not turn into mush. Also, I find that the Pink Lady's fragrant sweetness and slight citrus notes complement the tartness of the Granny Smith very nicely. You could also use other types of apples that you prefer, such as Honeycrisp or Gala apples. Just be sure to use firm and crisp varieties of apples, because they hold their shape better as the cake bakes.

Well, that's it! This cake is perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea. Do give it a try and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

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Rye Apple Cake

Makes one 9 inch round cake

Ingredients

Apples for the top of the cake:

• 3 medium apples (I used a mixture of Pink Lady and Granny Smith), cored and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices*

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 25 g to 50 g (2 to 4 Tbs) brown sugar (depending on the sweetness of the apple itself and how sweet you want it to be)

• 1 tsp cinnamon

For the cake:

• 226 g unsalted butter, room temperature

• 150 g (3/4 cup) brown sugar

• 100 g (1/2 cup) white granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 4 large eggs

• 138 g (1/2 cup) full-fat greek yogurt, room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 160 g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour

• 132 g (1 1/4 cup) rye flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 medium apple (I used Pink Lady), peeled and diced into small cubes*

To serve:

• A light dusting of icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform cake pan, and line the pan with parchment paper.

2. In a medium sized bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set it aside for later.

3. Make the cake. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars and salt for at least 5 minutes until it is pale fluffy.

4. Add in the eggs one at a time, whisking after each egg is added. Ensure that each egg is well incorporated into the butter-sugar mixture before adding the next egg. Remember to scrape down the bowl using a spatula to ensure that everything is well mixed together.

5. Whisk in full-fat greek yogurt and vanilla until smooth.

6. Sift all-purpose flour, rye flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices over the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is just combined.

7. Toss in the diced apple and fold it into the cake batter until most of the apple cubes are distributed throughout the batter. Do not over-mix.

8. Bake the cake for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9. Once it is baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes before removing it from the springform pan. Set it on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating it with icing sugar and slicing into it.

10. Cut a generous slice and enjoy!

*Note

• I didn't peel the apples that went on top of the cake because I don't mind the skins. However you can peel them if you want.

• Don't discard the apple core and skins! You could use them to make an apple sauce/jam. What I did was I threw all the apple scraps into a small pot, added a bit of water and cooked the mixture over medium heat until the apples turn mushy. Then, I discard the cores and pureed the mixture to get a jam-like thing. It was delicious.

#cake #fallbaking #dessert