Honey cheesecake with walnut biscotti

Unfortunately, for this post I only have part of the recipe to offer up. It's also the least featured part in the pictures. That's right, it's the biscotti recipe. The bisoctti that you can see only a tiny portion of on the right handside of the above picture. Opps.

You see, I lost the cheesecake recipe. Which is kind of upsetting because it was pretty delicious. I'm a big fan of unbaked cheesecake so if anyone can recommend a recipe that'd be great as I don't have one anymore.

On the plus side, these biscotti are pretty delcious. They smell of three varieties of citrus, yum! In them there's orange, lemon, and lime. It's quite lovely. They also have walnuts, I have a soft spot for so to me they're a combination of all good things. I used them instead of store bought biscuits for the base of these mini cheesecakes. I totally recommend you should do the same next time you make cheesecakes, that is if you happen to have uneaten biscotti lying around the house. Which you probably don't because who can resist tasty, tasty biscotti?

Walnut biscotti

Makes 24 biscotti

For the Biscotti

• 200g Plain flour, plus extra
• 150g caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• Grated zest of 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 150g walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a tray with baking paper.

Place the flour, sugar, cloves, baking powder, grated citrus zests, and fennel seeds in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

In a separate bowl, beat the whole eggs and yolks together. Pour the beaten egg mixture into the well in the centre of the dry ingredients and mix together to form a sticky dough. Add extra flour until you are able shape the dough, I found I needed to add a lot more flour than the recipe called for. Add the walnuts and mix to combine.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the top and roll the dough into a sausage about 30cm long.

Transfer the dough to the lined baking tray, sticking any cracks back together. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and set.

Remove the log from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the log to a chopping board and, with a serrated knife, cut the biscotti into 1.5cm slices.

Put the slices back on to the baking tray and return them to the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 130°C and bake the slices for 15-20 minutes. Remove the biscotti from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate and nut muffins

Typically I like my muffins light and fluffy with a crispy top, but there are times when I crave something dense and packed with delicious. Something that feels wicked in a way a light muffin never could. I think for those times I found the perfect recipe.

The recipe for these muffins was originally meant for a loaf tin, but mid-way through making I realised I didn't actually own a loaf tin. I know most people check these things before they start a recipe but, hey, I thought I owned one and the recipe calls for 10 minutes of beating so I figured I could grease and line the pan then.

Not owning a loaf pan didn't strike me as a big deal, I figured I could just make muffins instead... Then I realised I don't own a muffin pan either. Seriously, what kind of kitchen do I have? Fortunately, I do own a lot of dariole tins so I figured they would do, unfortunately they don't fit any of my cute muffin papers. Muffins without cute papers wrapping their bases taste the same but they're nowhere near as cute. So I vowed to buy a muffin tin, which I haven't done yet and probably won't do.

Not one to be deterred by a lack of appropriate equipment I decided to pucker on and boy was it worth it. These are chocolate and nut central. Yum yum.

If you do own the right equipment you can of course make this in a load pan. According to the recipe you'll need a 22cm x 12 cm (9" x 5") loaf pan and you'll need to bake the load for 60-70 minutes rather than 30-40.

Chocolate and nut muffins

• 210g (1 1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 7 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 130 (2/3 cup) sugar
• 140g (5 ounces) almond paste
• 4 large eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 65g (1/3 cup) almonds, blanched and chopped
• 70g (1/3 cup) pecans, toasted and chopped
• 55g (1/3 cup) walnuts, chopped
• 85g (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks
• 185g (6 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Centre an oven rack and preheat the oven to 180°C (250°F). Grease or line 12 standard muffin cups.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.

Put the sugar and almond paste in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until the almond paste breaks up and mixes with the sugar; it would resemble damp sand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition.

Replace the paddle attachment the paddle with the whisk attachment, increase the speed to high, and beat for 8-10 minutes, until the ingredients have formed an emulsion - the batter should resemble mayonnaise and the whisk will leave tracks.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the milk, mix until combine, and then add the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until everything is combined.

Working with a rubber spatula, fold in almonds, followed by the pecans, walnuts, and chocolate. Lastly, gently fold in the melted butter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven and let the cakes cool in the tin for 10 minutes before unmolding. Remove the muffins from the tins and cool to room temperature. The muffins can be served the same day, or wrapped in plastic wrap and allowed to 'ripen' for a day before serving.

Chocolate orange crème caramel

I wish I could make a perfect crème caramel, with beautiful smooth sides and the perfect amount of caramel pooling on the top and around the edges but I can't. I can make a tasty, delicious crème caramel but like most things I make it always has a certain degree of wonky-ness about it. In some ways it's quite charming but in others it's not the desired effect.

I read somewhere that having your caramel perfectly solid when you pour the custard into the ramekin helps achieve the smooth texture. So I attempted that. I poured the caramel into the ramekins, took a shower, got a haircut, and did a little bit of shopping. A few hours later, I made the custard. Surely, I said to myself, the caramel will be set by now and I'll have beautiful, smooth crème caramels.

Well, apparently not. There must be some other trick I'm missing and if you know it (or any old wives tales about perfect crème caramels) I would appreciate some insight. Because, seriously, mine are pitted like nobody's business. They're adolescent crème caramels and they really want to become smooth skinned adults.

On the plus side though, they are delicious and taste just like jaffas.

Chocolate orange crème caramel

Adapted from The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

Makes four 125ml custards

For the custard

• 340ml(1 1/3cups) full cream milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Zest of 1 orange, grated
• 2 large eggs
• 115g (4oz) dark chocolate, finely chopped

For the caramel lining

• 85ml (1/3 cup) water
• 135gg (2/3 cup) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

To flavour the custard

Heat the milk, sugar, and orange zest in a medium saucepan over low heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 1 to 1/2 hours, until the orange flavour is strong.

To make the caramel lining

Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the sugar and cream of tartar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear.

Increase the heat to high and boil the syrup rapidly until it turns a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat and immediately divide the caramel among the cups, swirling to distribute the caramel halfway up the sides. Set the cups in a roasting pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

To make the custards

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and position an oven rack in the centre.

Uncover the saucepan of lime-infused milk and place it back over medium heat. Reheat until the mixture begins to simmer.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. pour about 1/2 a cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly. Once blended, whisk in another 1/2 cup. Then, slowly pour in the rest of the milk mixture. Add the chocolate and continue to whisk until it is completely melted through.

Strain the mixture into a jug and discard the zest. Divide the custard among the cups in the pan. Pull out the oven rack, place the pan on it, then pout enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides. Cover the pan in aluminium foil, ensuring it does not touch the top of the cups. Push the rack back into the oven and close the door. Make the custards for 30-40 minutes or until the centres are no longer wobbly

Remove the foil and then the pan from the oven, being careful not to splash water on to the custards. Immediately remove the cups from the water bath and place them on a rack to cool. Once cool, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate or at least 4 hours, until cold.

30 minutes before serving, remove the custards from the refrigerator and allow them to sit at room temperature. To unmold the custards, run a small knife around the edge of a cup. Place a serving plate over the top, then, holding the two together, invert the. The custard should slide out on to the plate. Repeat until all the custards are unmolded.

Tiramisu

Until last year I'd never had tiramisu. I'm not quite sure why not, I'd just never tried it. It's such a classic dessert and yet I'd never even tasted it.

Last year I made it, bu never photographed it because it was huge, and in a pie dish, and kind of fell apart when it was dished. It was also all eaten before I got the chance to even attempt to make it aesthetically pleasing.

This time, I decided to make an effort to ensure at least some of my tiramisu was dressed up enough to be photographed. As result, my photos are some what misleading. This recipe actually makes a rather large tiramisu and I didn't serve it all in cute, tiny glasses. No, that would have involved a lot of washing up and me actually having enough small, glass ramekins - which I don't.

I don't know if this is the best tiramisu recipe out there as I have no benchmark to compare it to. However,, my untainted palette thinks this is very good, extremely rich, and best enjoyed in small to medium quantities with friends.

Tiramisu

From Goons with Spoons

Makes one 22cm x 33cm (9" X13") cake

• 4 eggs, separated
• 250ml (1 cup) heavy cream
• 110g (1/2 cup) white sugar
• 125ml (1/2 cup) port
• 250ml-500ml (1-2 cups) espresso or strong coffee
• bittersweet chocolate, grated
• mascarpone cheese
• about 30 ladyfingers

Add two teaspoons of sugar to the hot coffee, set aside to cool.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks by hand until they lighten in colour, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and port, whisk until completely incorporated.

Simmer about an inch of water in a small pot, place the bowl of egg yolk mixture on top; make sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Heat the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time. Allow the custard to thicken to ribbon stage, about 5 minutes, it should fall off the whisk when you lift it and remain on top of the custard for a moment.

In a large bowl, beat the mascarpone until smooth. Add the custard and whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture; ensure there are no streaks in the mixture.

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Fold the beaten egg whites into the mascarpone mixture. Set aside.

Pour the coffee into a medium sized shallow bowl. Place the dish you'll be putting the finished tiramisu in next to the bowl of coffee. Dip a ladyfinger into the coffee for a second, flip the ladyfinger to the other side for another second, then pull it out and place it in the serving dish. Try to avoid letting the coffee drip off the ladyfinger. Repeat until you have a layer of ladyfingers covering the bottom of the serving dish.

Spread a generous layer of mascarpone cream over the top of the lady fingers. Sprinkle the cream with a layer of chocolate. Repeat with another layer of ladyfingers, cream, and chocolate. Cover the tiramisu and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Lemon & plum cake

Despite the cold at the moment it's still plum season and as result I've inadvertently ended up with a huge bucket of them. Initially they went into my mouth, then this cake, and finally into jam as a way of keeping them around for longer. Despite how nice they were, there's only so many plums two people can eat in a week. I would write about the jam but it's quite a simple process and cake is much more fun.

This cake served as a good way to turn the plums into something different once you've reached the point of having eaten too many on their own. Originally an olive oil, lemon, and cherry cake I decided to add my own twist on it. Out with the olive oil and cherries, in with the macadamia oil and plums. The plums definitely take a back seat to the lemon, as the cake is extremely lemony making it a simultaneously sweet and tart experience.

Macadamia oil isn't strictly necessary as I'm not sure how easy to find it is outside of Australia, and in all honesty the only reason I used it was because I couldn't find walnut oil at my local shops. I'm sure you could even use a mild olive oil as the recipe intended. I didn't as I'm not sold on olive oil in cakes.

Lemon & plum cake

Adapted from Desserts by Pierre Herme by Pierre Herme & Dorie Greenspan

Makes one 25 cm cake

• 1 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 100g (3 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted but still warm
• 2/3 cup macadamia oil
• 1 cup fresh plums, pitted and chopped

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a 25cm (10") round springform pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together,set aside.
3. Place the sugar and chopped lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Rub the ingredients together between your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Fit the bowl to the mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Add the eggs and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and thick, about 3 minutes.
4. Set the mixture to its lowest speed and beat in the milk. Add the sifted dry ingredients, beating only until they are incorporated, then add the lemon juice, warm melted butter and macadamia oil. Beat until the ingredients are just blended.
5. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Top with enough plums to cover the batter, the pour the rest over the top. Smooth the batter with a spatula.
6. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, or until it is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove the cake from the oven and immediately unmold it. Invert the cake so that it is the right way up and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, dust with icing sugar and serve with mascarpone.