Valentine Day
Sweets for special someone
Red Velvet Cake
For this Valentine’s Day, I knew right away that I wanted to make baked cheese tart as soon as I got my hands on the recipe from a family member. While browsing Meta, I came across an interesting coconut ganache filling recipe for macarons, which I decided to try as well.
Following the tradition of using reddish hues for Valentine’s treats, I wanted to bake something with a vibrant color. A Red Velvet cake seemed like a great choice, but I wanted to give it a modern twist. I found a recipe on YouTube, and the result was a moist cake with a rich red velvet flavor. The cream cheese frosting was light, and the addition of lemon zest gave it a refreshing touch. Big thanks to Hanbit Cho for the recipe!
Triple Layered Red Velvet Cake with Cheese Cream Frosting
The crumbs of the cake spread into the frosting when the cake was sliced.
The cake is moist yet crumbly, as seen in the slice above.
Coconut Macrons
I improvised the ganache since I couldn’t find the main ingredient. Instead of coconut meat purée, I used coconut cream and adjusted the recipe by increasing the amount of gelatin powder to compensate for the extra liquid. I also added a bit more salt to enhance the signature saltiness often found in coconut cream-based desserts. The result was a creamy coconut ganache filling that set perfectly. However, the macarons needed to be consumed right away, as the moisture from the ganache made the shells turn soggy over time. The original recipe is by Fred Csibi Levin.
Coconut ganache filling macarons.
To stay true to the theme, a Raffaello Ferrero Rocher was halved and placed atop the macaron shell.
A plate of coconut macarons with a single raspberry.
Burnt Cheese Tart
I first encountered and tasted this new and currently very popular version of cheese tart in Singapore. I enjoyed it but never thought to look for the recipe. Then, a family member made a cheese tart with a texture remarkably similar to the one I remembered, and I knew I had to get the recipe. This cheese tart is creamy and a lot more softer closer to melted ice cream than a traditional baked cheese tart, though it holds its shape and doesn’t spill out when sliced.
Baked cheese tart, torched to give the burnt effect and smoky taste.
Sliced to reveal the softness of the filling.
The sliced cheese cake holds its shape despite the softness of the filling.