Cheesy Lemonpop Coffee Cake

There are so many recipes I wanted to try, just didn't get around to it and this is one of them. I baked this right after we finished the Peachy Cream Cake since there was still some cream cheese left. I added 2 tbsp of lemon drink mix this time to boost up the lemony flavor and it works!! Oh, you can also use lemon essence instead. The taste is so so good. Hope you like it too.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest 
2 tbsp lemon drink mix (I used Country Time Mix), optional

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 400°F, line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, rub together sugar, lemon zest and lemon drink mix. Add butter, cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until light and creamy, followed by the egg, vanilla, sour cream, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Mix until well combined. 

For the next part of the mixing I use a spatula. Gently add flour mixture into the batter in three batches, until just combined. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough. Spread batter evenly in the cake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool.

Peachy Cream Coffee Cake

I have to bake bread today and since the oven will be heated up, I want to bake something right after that to save energy. In my fridge you can always find sour cream. I love adding sour cream into many of my recipes.  I also wanted to use up the left over cream cheese in the fridge. So I came up with this recipe and it is easy to make. The name Peachy Cream Coffee Cake was given by my husband. 

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups sugar

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup (2oz) cream cheese

1 can (15.25oz) sliced peaches

2 tbsp peach syrup(from the can of peaches)

 

Preheat oven to 400°F, line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and creamy, add egg and vanilla. Beat until well combined. For this part of the mixing I use a spatula. Gently add flour mixture into the batter in three batches alternating with sour cream and peach syrup, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough. Spread batter evenly in the cake pan and arrange the sliced peaches on top. 

 

Bake for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve once it is cooled. 

Pandan Chiffon Cake

 

This is one of my favorite childhood cakes. In those days we did not have an electric cake mixer and my mum used a giant spring/pump whisk to pump the egg whites, one of my brothers always standing by to help her. It needs a lot of energy to pump up the egg whites and sugar. We finished the cake within minutes and she never had a chance to get a second piece. A couple of years later my dad bought her a Kenwood stand mixer, not sure why she didn't use it to make this recipe. It is difficult to find this cake in Charlotte. I have seen it once in a Asian grocery store but the store is very far from us. Anyway, this is not difficult to make.

 
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/3 cup sugar, separated. (take 1/2 cup from here for whisking egg whites)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup coconut cream
5 Egg yolks
1/4 tsp Pandan essence






7 Egg whites
1/2 cup Sugar (take from the 1 1/3cup above) 
1/2 tsp Cream tartar

1 tbsp baking powder


Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 1/2" round tube pan.

In a big mixing bowl, mix together the first group of ingredients: cake flour, salt, sugar, coconut cream, egg yolks, pandan essence and set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy,  gradually increase the speed and add in the sugar in 3 to 4 portions , beat until the egg whites form a stiff peak on the whisk (see picture on the right), about 5 minutes and set aside. 

Add the baking powder into the pandan batter and mix well.  

Now you have to work quickly but gently. Pour 1/3 of the egg whites into the pandan batter, mix well with a spatula, gently pour in the rest of the egg whites and mix until just combined. At this point you can see many bubbles in the batter, the baking power has started to work. Over mixing will let out a lot of air and the cake will not rise and will become hard. 

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the cake tester inserted into the thickest part comes out clear.  Serve once it is cooled.

Note: I noticed the baking powder starts to work almost immediately once it is added into the pandan batter, that is why I add it after the egg white is ready. This is to prevent the cake from rising unevenly. (Spongy top and hard bottom)

Chocolate Cappuccino Marble Cake

My husband loves dessert. He likes chocolate and coffee. I like both chocolate and vanilla with a touch of coffee. This cake is a good combination for us.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp instant cappuccino or any coffee of your choice
1/4 cup boiling hot water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 2 8" x 4" bread pans.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add vanilla, mix well and add eggs one at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl when needed. Beat until well combined. Add flour mixture in three batches alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Do not over mix or your cake will become tough.

In a medium bowl mix together cocoa power, instant cappuccino and boiling water. Pour in 1/2 of the cake batter and mix well.

Spoon the batter into the pans, alternating the vanilla and chocolate coffee batter. Run a knife ( I use a chop stick) through the batters in a swirling motion to create the marbling effect.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve once it is cooled.