RASPBERRY CHEESE CAKE (NO BAKE)

Cheese cakes are always popular among people who love desserts. A good cheese cake is always a hit on the table and you can never get enough of it. 

I love anything that comes with cheese and all kind of berries. Anything I can make using this combination is always welcome on my table. 

This easy to prep cheese cake is so much better than the store bought ones and you can get it done in no time.

Try this amazing recipe! 

And share a picture on Instagram and tag me @berrybakes! 

Happy no bake day everyone! 

INGREDIENTS 

For the crust 

• 1 1/2 cup crushed Graham crackers 
• 8 tbsp butter (melted) 
• Pinch of salt 

For the filling 

• 1 cup cream cheese 
• 1/2 cup icing sugar 
• 2 cups heavy cream 
• 1tsp vanilla extract 

raspberry sauce 

• 2 cups frozen raspberries thawed 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 2 tbsp water 
• 2 tbsp corn starch 

METHOD 

raspberry sauce 

• In a small pot add the raspberries and sugar, bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for  4-5 minutes and mash the raspberries with a spatula 
• Combine the water and corn starch and add into the sauce to thicken, cook for 2 minutes and set aside to cool completely 

The crust 

• Clamp a piece of baking paper between the bottom and outer ring of an 8 inch springform pan
• In a medium bowl mix the graham crackers, melted butter and salt, then press it into the bottom and sides of the pan and keep it in the freezer for 15 minutes. 

Filling 

• In a medium bowl whip the heavy cream
• In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, vanilla and icing sugar until it becomes light and smooth. Then add in the whipped cream and beat until well incorporated 
• Take half of the filling and mix in 3 tablespoon  of raspberries  sauce 
• Pour the raspberry sauce mixed filling into the bottom of the crust and spread it evenly, then add the remaining half of the filling on top of it smoothing with a spatula 
• Drop spoonfuls of raspberry sauce on top of the filling and spread it evenly over and on the sides 
• Chill the cheese cake at-least 5 hours or overnight before serving 

Note: You can use regular crackers in case you may not get graham crackers. Also the same recipe can be used with different kind of berries! 

YOUNG COCONUT AND SEA ALMOND TART (Hunihakuru kanamadhu tart)

There are so many local bakers whom I absolutely adore. Their creations and final products just leave me wanting to try different ideas. This recipe is inspired by gabulhi and kanamadhu tart replication made by fonithoshi.mv just a few days ago. I love kanamadhu and couldn’t resist without giving it a try myself. 

There are some ingredients which might be a bit hard to get your hands on, but you can still do it without them and get good results. 

So good with a cup of hot black tea! 

Try it yourself and share a picture on Instagram by tagging me along @berrybakes! 

INGREDIENTS

For the tart shell 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter (cold/ cut into small cubes)  
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 3 tbsp water (ice cold) 

For the filling  

• 2 cups grated young coconut (gabulhi) 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup Maldivian Liquid sugar (dhiyaa hakuru) 
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2 pieces of pandan leaf (3 inches each) 
• 1 cup sea almond (kanamadhu)

METHOD 

How to make the tart shell 

• Mix the flour and icing sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl and add the cold butter cubes
• Rub the butter and flour together in the bowl until a crumb consistency is reached 
• Then add the ice cold water and cut it through using a palette knife to mix in the water 
• Use your hands and give the dough a quick folding and make it into a round shape (if folded for too long the heat of your hand could make the dough sticky) 
• Cover the dough with parchment paper/ cling film and freeze it for at-least 2 hours or overnight.
• Take a 8 inch tart pan and keep it aside  
• Now take the freezed dough out, dust the countertop and start rolling the dough into a circle (make sure to roll it into 12 inches so it can cover the sides of the tart pan as well) 
• Then carefully take the dough and keep it in the tart pan, use your hands to fully cover the sides of the pan, roll over your rolling pin on top of the tart pan to cut of the sides.
• Place parchment paper over the dough that was spread on the tart pan and put some uncooked rice over it to prevent the dough from puffing up while it bakes 
• Keep it in the freezer for 20 minutes, then take it out and bake for 20 minutes at 180 degree Celsius 
• Once it’s baked and out of the oven, take out the rice and apply egg wash on the tart shell
• Then bake the dough for another 15 minutes and the tart shell is ready. 

How to make the filling 

• Take a non-stick cooking pot and put the young coconut, sugar and pandan leaves in it, give it a mix and cook it for 10 minutes on stove top in low flame
• Once the sugar is melted add in the ground cinnamon and liquid sugar, mix it well, cover with a lid and cook for about 20 minutes until the flavours are well incorporated (stir it in with a spatula every few minutes to stop the filling from burning) 
• Once the filling is done take out the pandan leaves from it and keep it for sometime until it’s cooled down 
• Now take the baked tart shell out of the tart pan, put some kanamadhu in and then add the young coconut/ hunihakuru filling in it. 
• Place more kanamadhu on top of the filling and your tart is ready to be served

Note: If you cannot get Maldivian liquid sugar then use granulated sugar instead! 

KIRU BOAKIBAA (Maldivian Traditional Coconut milk pudding)

This is definitely one of my favorite desserts since I was a kid. 

Creamy, aromatic and truly Maldivian 🇲🇻 

I can assure you this is the best plate of tropical goodness you can get with just a little amount of work and some fresh ingredients! 

Please share your plate of this sweetness when you make it and tag me on Instagram @berrybakes! 

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 cups fresh coconut milk (thick) 
• 1 cup rice flour 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup water 
• 1/2 cup fresh jasmine infused water (a handful of jasmine kept overnight in half cup water) 
•  1 cup pandan water (4 pieces of pandan leaf boiled with 1 cup water and cooled) 

METHOD 

• Take a regular size glass tray/ non stick baking pan and keep it aside
•  Mix the rice flour, sugar and coconut milk with one cup of water in the mixer 
• use a sieve to strain the mixture (gives a smooth texture to the pudding) 
• Then take a clean non stick saucepan/pot and pour the mixture in it 
• keep the saucepan/pot on the stove top in low flame and keep stirring until the mixture starts to boil 
•  then add the jasmine water and pandan water into the mixture and keep stirring until the mixture becomes a thick paste (like custard)
• when it’s thick and sticks to the spatula turn off the heat and pour the mixture into the prepared pan 
• Refrigerate the pudding overnight for best results

Note: if you like it not too soft then grease a baking tray, pour the mixture and bake it in the oven for 15 mins at 180 degree Celsius and then refrigerate it 😉

GABULHI BOAKIBAA ( Young Coconut Cake)

Gabulhi Boakibaa (Young Coconut Cake) is definitely a must-make dessert for every Maldivian household during Ramadan. Over the years I have been seeing my mother make it for us at several occasions. So this time I had to give it a try myself. And the results were amazing. 

Give it a go yourself to this easy and yummy recipe! share the results on Instagram by tagging @berrybakes 

Happy baking everyone! 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 1/2 cup grated gabulhi (young coconut) 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1/3 cup flour 
• 1/3 cup water 
• 1 egg

METHOD 

• Grease a non-stick pan with some oil and keep aside
• Take the grated gabulhi (young coconut), flour, sugar, egg and water and put it in a mixer
• Mix it at low speed for about 1 minute (do not over mix as it would make the mixture too smooth and you may not get a good consistency while baking) 
• Pour the mixture into the pan, cover with a lid and bake it on stove top in low flame for 15 minutes 
• Then take the lid, grease it with some oil and flip over the boakibaa on it and place the boakibaa top side back in the pan and bake for another 10-15 mins. 
• Serve it once it’s cooled down for best taste 

Note: With tender gabulhi (young coconut) you can achieve a better taste and colour in the boakibaa! 

PANDAN CINNAMON ROLLS

Cinnamon rolls are something a lot of us definitely tried and loved. Over the years I have tried the regular cinnamon rolls from many different places, but every time I have felt that there is something more that could be done about these. But honestly, I was always afraid of the disaster I might make if I tried. 

However after moving back home, I had a lot of free time. Which made me do a lot of recipe reading and the idea just popped in my head that I could finally give cinnamon rolls a try, that’s also by infusing a very local flavor, which is pandan. 

I have a feeling that this is a dessert that a lot of people feel is too much to make. Personally I have completely different feelings now. This could get tricky if you don’t get the ingredients right. However if you have even the slightest idea about how yeast based products work, then there is nothing to worry. 

Hope the pandan and cinnamon lovers would try out this recipe! 

Don’t forget to share a picture on Instagram and tag me @berrybakes! 

INGREDIENTS 

For the dough 

• 3 1/2 cups flour 
• 4 tbsp castor sugar 
• 1tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp active dry yeast 
• 1/3 cup warm water 
• 2 tbsp fresh pandan juice/1 tsp pandan paste 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 4 tbsp butter 
• 1 egg 

For the cinnamon filling 

• 1/3 cup butter 
• 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 

For the topping 

• 1 cup icing sugar 
• 1/3 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup cream cheese 

METHOD 

• Take a large bowl and mix 3 cups flour, sugar and salt together. 
• Put the butter and milk in a bowl and microwave until hand hot or heat them on a stove top
• Now take the yeast and mix it with the warm water and keep it aside for 5 minutes until it foams up
• Grease a large bowl with oil and keep aside 
• Once the yeast is foamed up, pour it in the mixing bowl and add the milk and butter mixture, egg and pandan juice 
• Use the stand mixture and mix it well until the sugar is dissolved
• Then add the dry ingredients in three halves until the dough is sticky and comes of the sides (use the dough hook during this process) 
• Take out the dough and keep it in the bowl that was greased earlier, cover it with a tea towel and keep in a warm place to let it rise for 1 hour 
• Once the dough is risen, take it out and give it a knead and keep adding flour a little bit each time until the dough doesn’t stick to your hand ( make sure not to over mix and dry out the dough) 
• Now mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and butter to make the cinnamon filling 
• Dust the countertop well with flour and roll out the dough out until 17 inches long and about 10-12 inches wide
• Then spread the cinnamon filling on the dough using a spatula and make sure to cover the whole thing 
• Once the filling is spread all over, take one side and roll it in
• Now cut the roll into 12-15 pieces and place them in 10 inches round cake pan ( Use two pans and give some space between each one as they would take the up the space to rise again) 
• Cover with a tea towel and keep them to rise for 30 more minutes 
• After it’s risen bake them for 20 mins at 180 degree Celsius 
• In a medium sized bowl soften the butter and cream cheese together using a whisk and then mix the icing sugar until it’s well combined
• Once the cinnamon rolls are cooled down spread the topping over the cinnamon rolls and serve it

Note: You can add a bit of green food coloring for a better look! 

In case you are not a pandan fan just omit the pandan juice and make regular cinnamon rolls! 

DHANDI ALUVI BOAKIBAA (Cassava Cake)

Since Ramadan started I have been planning on making lots of desserts. I have managed to keep up with the plan on most days. while some days have just been exhausting. I've been mostly reading and trying out local recipes and experimenting with a lot of them. Usually things doesn't work out well in the first try but I had a fantastic outcome with this Cassava Cake. 

Cassava ( Dhandi Aluvi ) is such an easy ingredient to find locally. And it wont be a hassle to get your hands on every ingredient included in this recipe. The process of making this is easy and you'll have the cake (boakibaa) ready in no time. This is a great dessert to be served during Iftar and goes along best with a cup of hot black tea. 

Try out the recipe and share your creations on instagram and tag @berrybakes!

Would love to see the results!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups grated Cassava ( Dhandi Aluvi )
• 2 cups grated young coconut ( Gabulhi )
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 2 eggs     

METHOD

• Grease a non-stick pan with a bit of cooking oil and keep aside 
• In a large bowl mix the sugar, eggs and water using a whisk
• Next add in the grated Cassava and Young coconut and mix it with a spatula until well combined. 
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, cover it with a lid and bake one side on stove top with low flame for 15 -20 minutes
• When one side is done, grease the lid with some oil and use it to flip over the cake
• Place the cake top side down on the pan and bake for another 15 minutes

Note: Baking on both sides would give the cake a good crust and you can serve the cake once its cooled down for best taste!

Happy Baking everyone!

Hello World!

Welcome, reader, to the first post of my very first blog. 

BERRY BAKES 

In 2018 I set up my instagram business account to give people more information about my baking and cake decorating. 

Today I am more focused on writing and promoting my recipes through my blog. I aim to build an audience that would love authentic Maldivian cooking with a mixture of some recipes from all over the world. 

My Maldivian heritage inspires me to focus on cooking with locally available ingredients.

In my blog you'll find useful information about recipes, cooking and other interesting food stuff.