Chocolate & Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Cake

Chocolate and Cherry Cheesecake Swirl Cake

Based on the name, this is bound to be a winner! What is not to like in Chocolate, Cherry and Cheesecake?  All together... bliss!

After my mistake with the Maple and Walnut Streusel Cake of putting too much batter on the bottom before the streusel layer, I tried to correct it with this cake.  I over corrected. 

The cheesecake layer all sunk to the bottom (top when turned out of the pan). The cheesecake was also slightly undercooked. It didn't seem to quite set.  I have a fan assisted oven, so generally recipes call for a cooler temperature, but so far with these recipes I've used the recommended temperature, and still had a few issues with under baking.  

The cake fell quite a bit when I took it out of the oven, but I think that may normal taking into account the cheesecake layer. 

Overall it was easier than I expected. The sponge is lovely and moist, I may try cupcakes of the same method, I'm always on the look out for a moist chocolate sponge recipe. I have doubts they will work out without the cheesecake to slow the baking. 

Next challenge may be a proper cheesecake. I've never made one that really impressed me. 

Jolly Jammer and Custard Cream Cupcakes

Today should have been one of those days that I thought "less is more"

Trying to do both these cakes in the 3 hrs that my daughter is at school was way too much to take on and I ended up feeling stressed rather than the relaxed feeling baking normally gives me.

The problem was that because the method and ingredients are so similar, I knew if I did one of these now and not the other it was very unlikely I'd ever go back to them.

That being said, they are both once again delicious.

Jolly Jammer Cupcakes

When I first made the dough for the biscuits, I thought Wow, lovely pliable dough.  When I tried to roll it out, I thought, Wow, I may never get this off my table again it's so sticky.  The recipe doesn't call for the dough to be chilled, but I highly recommend it. I  put it in the freezer for expedience, and it was much easier to deal with after. 

I didn't have a 3.5cm fluted cutter, so I used 4.5cm.  It really throws the scale of the cakes out, but tastes the same. 

I also think I could have done with a bit more icing on the inside of both the cakes and biscuits. 

Custard Cream Cupcakes

Being Canadian, custard has never been a staple food in my life.  This was my first attempt making it.  I seriously considered whipping up a batch of Birds because of time constraints, but I went with the recipe in the end.  I'm not really sure if cooled custard is meant to be solid, but it was. It made it a bit difficult to get inside the cakes, but once there it was worth it. 

All in all, it was too much to do in a day.  There are a lot of steps involved, and I don't think I'd make these again unless I knew someone that really loved either Custard Creams or Jammy Dodgers (Peak Freens to the Canadians). I ended up getting bored and not finishing the biscuits. The last several cakes are just plain vanilla with icing.  Still delicious though!