THB #29: Dark Chocolate Cheesecake + Corelle Cherish & Snapware Eco Flow Review

Time for The Home Bakers again! This time we are making a lovely chocolate cheesecake, chosen by MiMi Bakery House. This is one of my favourite bakes though I deviated from the original recipe quite significantly – this is originally a white chocolate cheesecake! But after siezing two batches of white chocolate over the double boiler (*sobs*), I switched to dark chocolate – which I eventually think is a good choice as I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate in the first place (perhaps only in Subway’s macadamia and white chocolate chips cookie!)

I added in a digestive biscuits crust as I love a cheesecake with a thick crust (there are times when I love the crust more than the cheesecake… hehe) and I’m surprised there’s no crust inside this recipe! I’d also skipped the jam (pure laziness) and simply garnish with fresh strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar.

Taste-wise this is a very silky and very smooth cheesecake. Even with dark chocolate, the sweetness was just right. I didn’t bake it in a water bath, so I’m quite surprised there wasn’t any crack in the cheesecake. This is definitely a crowd-pleaser and I’d love to make it for parties as I can make them in advance. Thank you MiMi for choosing such a wonderful recipe, really love this bake!

On a totally random note, Chinese New Year is coming (super excited because of all the New Year goodies that I can gorge myself silly!) Every Chinese New Year, my mom will “ransacked” the whole house, seeing if there are old and unusable items to be thrown or recycled. Do you happen to be looking for a new set of dinnerware for the Chinese New Year to replace your old and chipped ones? Look no further! The leading global kitchenware company, World Kitchen, launched two new modern ranges recently and I was lucky to be gifted with a mini Corelle Cherish set as well as a sleek Snapware Eco Flow.

The Corelle Cherish is World Kitchen’s first embossed series for Asia Pacific. The festive blossoms embossment is so pretty, I couldn’t stop running my fingers through it!

I don’t know why, but square-shaped dinnerware has a more crisp and clean look as compared to round-shaped dinnerware. Both are good for plating and photography purposes, but square plates tend to look more classy, like restaurant food? But I guess that’s just me 😉

How is it made? Embellished decorations are intricately infused into the glass by an innovative process of engraving the design onto a unique metal roller that withstands the heat of molten glass. The roller forms the decoration onto a fluid sheet of glass that is then pressed into the shape of the plate and bowls. Interesting isn’t it?

On the other hand, Snapware Eco Flow, also a newly-released range, features a 700ml glass carafe, a 1.10L glass carafe with handle and a 1.10L glass carafe without handle. Snapware products provide 100% airtight storage system with maximum leak proof security, so I can store these filled bottles almost anyway I want!

With the advanced Snapware technology that provides 100% airtight storage system with maximum leak proof security, beverages can be kept fresher throughout the festivities. Made from borosilicate glass, a non-porous and non-toxic material, the Snapware Eco Flow glass bottle range is 100% pure and natural, allowing for both hot and cold beverages to be kept fresh without any plastic or metal tastes affecting the liquid.

I brewed a fruit tea, filtered into the bottle then let cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator. The fruit tea ain’t that fantastic, but I love how pretty the bottle looks on the dining table. Simple is always the best! I will try bringing it out for picnics in the future to see if it’s really leak proof!

The Corelle Cherish Square 16-Piece Dinnerware Set is now retailing at $250 and is available exclusively at TANGS Orchard and TANGS VivoCity. Grab it now to replace the old and chipped dinnerware of yours for the upcoming Chinese New Year!

The Snapware Eco Flow, will officially launch in the Singapore market in February 2014 June 2014 and retails for $25 for the 700ml glass carafe, $29 and $19 for the 1.10L glass carafe (with and without handle respectively) and is available at selected BHG, Metro, TANGS and OG departmental stores. It is also available at IMM’s Haller Kitchen, Mustafa Centre and selected Caltex service stations. They will make really good housewarming gifts!

Disclaimer: I was gifted with a mini Corelle Cherish set and a 700ml Snapware glass carafe to review. No monetary gifts were received. All views and opinion expressed are my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider

And finally… the step-by-step photos!

Step-by-step Photos
1) Grab some digestive biscuits.	2) Crush them into smithereens
3) Pour melted butter over the biscuit crumbs.	4) Mix and press into a tin and chill.
5) Melt some chocolate and set aside to cool.	6) Cream some cream cheese and sugar together.
7) Once fluffy, beat in egg, vanilla and sour cream.	8) Pour in the cooled melted chocolate.
9) Pour into the prepared tin and bake!	10) Let cool and refrigerate.

I’m submitting this post to:

The Home Bakers #29 hosted by Mimi Bakery House! See all the submissions here!

Little Thumbs Up – Cheese organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by Alice from I Love.I Cook.I Bake (because cream cheese is used!) See all the submissions here!

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adapted from Coffee Cakes by Lou Seibert Pappas

Baking Note: I scaled to 2/3 of the recipe below and baked mine in a 5×8-inch cake tin. I lined the cake tin with parchment paper with overhang and used the overhang to lift the cheesecake out when it’s fully chilled. But! When I tried to lift up the cheesecake, the parchment paper tore, and it got quite difficult to lift the cheesecake up. So do use a springform pan so that it’s easier to remove the cheesecake!

Crust
150 grams digestive biscuits, crushed
75 to 100 grams butter, melted

Cheesecake
500 grams cream cheese, at room temperature
100 grams caster sugar (1/2 cup)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
183 grams sour cream, at room temperature
225 grams dark / white / milk chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

Fresh berries for garnish

Crust: Combine the crushed biscuits with just enough butter to moisten the crumbs. Transfer the moist crumbs into the tin and press it down with your fingers. Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the cheesecake.

For the cheesecake instructions, please head over MiMi Bakery House!

Super Naggy:

• All ingredients should be at room temperature before starting! Especially the chocolate – make sure the chocolate has cooled completely to room temperature before mixing it into the cheesecake batter.
• Mix the cheesecake filling using a medium to low speed as you don’t want to incorporate too much air into the cheesecake. Too many air bubbles = cheesecake will rise = higher tendency to crack.
• After pouring in the cheesecake batter and smoothing the top, lift the tin and drop it on the counter several times. This will release the huge air bubbles to the surface so your cheesecake will not end up rising during baking. This also helps to prevent cracks.

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