Mango Chiffon Cake

 

My mum bought some mango from the supermarket. The mango smell so fragrant and taste so sweet. So I took one that are very ripe and make a chiffon cake.

 

 

I have encountered a few times failure on making chiffon cake, so I wanted to practice more to improve and I decided I shall focus more on baking chiffon, swiss roll and bread for the time being. Pls bear with me if this few post will be more on C S B.

 

 

I'm so happy this time the cake did not sink. I cut some mango into cube and put in the batter. So when you eating the cake, you will also get to eat the real mango.

 

 

 

I bake the cake in the late evening and leave it to cool. The next morning the cake is ready for me to snap down the picture without waiting the cake to cool before I can unmold.

 

 

The cake is rather short because I using a 21cm chiffon tin and the batter only yield half portion for my 21 cm tin. The correct size to be use should be 17cm for this portion of batter.

 

 

Testing time, I feel the texture is abit dense and not the kind of fluffy. Taste wise, I can't really taste the mango aroma in the cake and is not very sweet too. Anyway is still a success to me even though there are lots of improvement need to be review. ^^

 

Ingredient A:

• 3 egg yolks
• 20gm castor sugar
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 50ml mango puree (one mango)
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 80gm cake flour (Sift)
• Half a mango (cut into cubes) *optional

Ingredient B:

• 3 egg white
• 30gm castor sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

Method:

1. To make the mango puree - Cut the mango, discut the skin and seed. Place the mango fresh and sugar in a blender and blend until it become puree.
2. Separate the egg yolk and egg white into different bowl (make sure the egg white bowl do not contain any water or oil on it)
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the sugar until the yolk become pale in light yellow colour. Than add the oil and mango puree and mix till incorporated.
4. Add in the sift flour and mix until no trace of flour can be seen. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold in 1/3 of the meringue into (step 4) and mix. Continue mix the remaining meringue and make sure there are no trace of meringue can be seen in the batter.
6. Pour batters into chiffon tin, rap tins on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 170°C for 30 minutes or until insert a toothpick into the centre comes out clean. Invert the tins immediately and leave to cool completely before unmold.

Banana Swiss Roll

My sister apps me where shall we go and celebrate mother day. Immediately I reply her, shall we have steamboat at home instead of eating out. Restaurant definitely is full of patron on actual mother day. To avoid the crowds, we decided to have steamboat at my elder sister house.

I wanted to bake something for the small celebration / gathering. So I browse through the net and looking for some inspiration and I saw swiss roll. Thinking back, I have made a swiss roll before and once only. My family member both the young and elderly love banana, so I decide to bake a banana swiss roll cake on the Mother Day.

Rolling the cake is really a challenging task. This time the swiss roll crack again when I roll it and is the same area with that Butter Cream Swiss Roll. The same problem again, the swiss roll is too thick and it make it more difficult to roll the cake. Next time I must make the roll slightly thinner.

I read a few blogger and some mention that they bake it everyday or within one month bake more than 20 roll to practice and to get it right. I was like WOW! Really admire their persistence. I got a question straight to my mind, how do they handle the cake? Eat every roll? Throw away? Give away? This question keep pop on my mind if I also do that, how should I deal with all the roll???

I saw another blogger said, given one recipe and give a hundred of people to use this same recipe to bake. The result might be vary to that hundred of people, which I quite agree to her said. Why some people using the same recipe given but some might be success and some might fail. This taught me that practice is really important. More practice more improvement.

The cake texture turn out dry and coarse. This time I try the sponge cake method which required to whisk the batter to ribbon stage and is my first time trying this method. Not difficult but yet I got a dry and coarse cake. (-_-")

Sponge Cake Ingredient:

• 25gm Unsalted butter
• 35gm Milk
• 200gm Whole egg
• 20gm Egg yolk 
• 90gm Sugar
• 80gm Cake flour (Sift)
• 1 tsp Corn flour

Filling and decorating:

• 180gm Whipping Cream
• 20gm sugar
• 2 medium size banana + 1 more slice into pieces *for decorating on the surface of the cake
• Small slice and pieces of chocolate (using a slice knife and slice the chocolate bar)
• Icing sugar

Method:

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven at 180°C, prepare a pan with baking paper on it.
2. Melt the butter together with the milk and stir until disslove, set aside.
3. Place the whole egg, egg yolk and sugar in a big bowl and whisk under a double boiler (fill a pot with water and heat under a stove, place the bowl on top of the pot). Remove the bowl from the pot when the egg batter is warm enough with a touch using your finger, continue to whisk.
4. When the egg batter no longer warm, places it back to the steaming pot and bring the temperture back to warm and continue to whisk until the batter turn pure in colour and in ribbon stage.
5. To check the ribbon stage by using the hand whisk and draw a 8 on the batter, if the 8 doesn't disappear immediately mean you got the right stage.
6. Using a electric hand whisk and whisk for one minute in low speed to remove the big air bubble in the batter.
7. Sift the cake and corn flour together, pour 1/3 of flour into the batter and mix using a spatula. Than divide flour into 2 times adding into the batter and mix until no trace of flour can be seen.
8. Pour 1/4 of the batter into the melted butter (step  2) and mix in a fast motion. Pour it back to the 3/4 batter and mix until incorporated.
9. Pour the batter onto the prepared pan. Using a scraper to make the surface even. Hit the pan lightly on the counter serval times to release the air bubble out.
10. Bake the cake at 180°C for 12 minute.

Filling:

1. Make sure the whipping cream is cold. Use a electric hand whisk, whisk the cream in low speed and slowly increase into high speed. Add all the sugar in and continue to beat until stiff.

Resume:

1. Spread the cream on the cake and place the whole roll banana and start to roll the cake.
2. Keep the roll cake in the fridge for 30 to 60 minute to let it set.
3. After 60 minute, remove from fridge and spread the remaining cream on top of the cake and decorate with the chcocolate, icing sugar and slice of banana.

Almond Chocolate Cookies

This almond chocolate cookies has been in my baking list for month until recently I decided to bake. If you notice I seldom bake cookies, more on cakes and others. Reason because my house is full of biscuit and cookies which my mum like to buy those factory biscuit and store at home. 

 

I came across this cookies years ago where my manager bought a jar of this chocolate almond cookies from a bakery shop. I try it and immediately I love it. She actually bought 2 different cookies but everybody (my colleague) target this, the other jar still remain half full while this almond cookies already empty. See how delicious this cookies are.

I modify some of the ingredient, I added some almond flour which the original recipe didn't yield. This cookies so tasty, I like the cocoa taste with the slices of almond give the crunchy texture. Add slightly more almond slides if you are a almond lovers. I want to try other flavour using the same recipe for next attempt.

*Recipe source: http://mintyskitchen.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/chocolate-almond-cookies.html
*I halve the recipe.
 
Ingredient:

• 125g butter
• 90g icing sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 55gm almond flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 25gm bake chocolate (melted)
• 75g almond flakes
• 1/2 egg (Or alternative u can use a small egg)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Using a whisk cream the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, mix until combined.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and almond flour. Fold into the butter mixture.
4. Add in the melted chocolate and almond flakes and combine to form into a dough.
5. Prepare a 7 x 7 inch baking tray. Lay out a cling wrap slightly bigger than the baking tray, overflowing the cling wrap at the sides of the baking tray. Place the cling wrap in the tray nicely and fix well to the sides.
6. Drop the dough onto the prepare with cling wrap baking tray. Wrap it up with the overflowing sides of the cling wrap.
7. Pat the dough down flat and spread it evenly.
8. Chill the dough overnight or freeze for 2 hours.
9. Slice the dough into rectangle square and chop (yes, chop with a very sharp knife quickly while the dough is still hard) into 3mm thickness.
10. Lay cookie dough onto baking sheets leaving spaces in between.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 175°C for 18-20mins or until golden brown.
12. Stand cookies on the pan for 2-3 mins, then let to cool completely on a wire rack and store them in an air-tight container.

Pandan Roll Bun with Coconut Filling (椰子面包)

I make some pandan roll bread with the left over pandan extract coconut milk which I have used for my previous post on the pandan chiffon cake. So I decided of making some 微波面包 and sweet coconut filling bun.

I'm a coconut lover. Anything cook with coconut or make into a dessert, I will not hesitant to try it. 椰子面包 (coconut bun) is one of my favour and most of the time I will buy from the bread shop. It usually come in 4 or 6 small bun in one packet.

My wrapping skill is really lousy and if I'm not wrong this is my first time make a wrapping filling bun. The correct way should be able to see the coconut filling in the centre but mine version somehow the filling is like been push to the top and the centre filled with bread. Is not easy to wrap and seal it with filling, because the dough is soft and you have to be fast and skillful to hold on the filling within the centre than wrap and seal it. I need more practice and I wanted to! There are a lot of thing to practice, improve and learn from the mistake. 

I made two different version with the same recipe, one with coconut filling and the other is plain. This time I added store buy pandan extract to make it more fragrant with the pandan taste. Finally the pandan taste is more obvious now with the pandan extract and the colour look pretty nice too.

The coconut filling quite disappointed as the sweetness and fragrant is not the taste I want it. I used brown sugar to cook with the shredded coconut. It will be taste nicer to cook with gula melaka but I do not have in hand so I replace it with brown sugar. None-the-less the bread taste soft, fluffy and  fragrant with pandan.

(A) Sponge dough Ingredients:

• 201gm bread flour
• 4gm yeast
• 16gm milk powder
• 50gm egg (one egg)
• 73ml pandan extract coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp pandan paste
• 1/2 tsp pandan essence

(B) Main dough ingredients

• 67gm bread flour
• 40gm brown sugar
• 4gm salt
• 27ml fresh milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 30gm butter

(C) Coconut Filling:

• 1 cups fresh grated coconut
• 1/4 cups brown sugar (Gula Melaka will be a better choice)
• 2 + 1/2 tbsp water
• Pinch of salt

Method:

Coconut Filling:

1. Place the sugar and water in a pan over low heat, cook until sugar dissolves, shimmer until the liquids start to thicken and become syrupy.
2. Add grated coconut and salt, keep stirring and cook until all well combine over low heat for 10 min or until coconut filling become thick and dry.

Bread/Bun:

1. Mix all ingredients (A) together and form into a dough (do not need to knead). Cover with a cling wrap or damp cloth and leave to proof for 90 min.
2. After 90 min, mix all the ingredients (A) and (B) except the butter together and knead the dough until it is not so sticky. Put the piece of butter into the dough and continue to knead until the dough is smooth, look shiny and can stretch into a thin sheet without breaking into hole.
3. Cover the dough with a cling wrap or damp cloth and leave to proof for another 50 min.
4. After 50 min, divide the dough into each 40gm. Shape it into balls and cover the dough with a cling wrap or damp cloth, leave to rest for 10 min.
5. After 10 min, roll out dough into long rectangle shape and roll it back like swiss roll shape for the plain bun. 
6. For the coconut filling, roll out each dough and wrap in the coconut filling, shape it into round shape and seal it.
7. Place the individual dough into baking tray.
8. Cover the dough with a cling wrap or damp cloth and leave to proof for 30 min.
9. Preheat oven at 170°C. Brush milk or egg wash on the bread surface and bake for 12-15 mins or till golden brown.

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Does this look like a "pandan" chiffon cake? I ask this question because of the colour, it should have a light green colour but it turn out in light yellow colour. I did not use the artificial pandan paste. I bought the pandan leaves and blend together with the coconut milk and extract out the juice.

I think maybe I didn't blend more pandan leaves with the coconut milk and that's why I got a cup of light green colour.

The past one week before I bake this pandan chiffon cake, I had also baked a banana chiffon cake and a chocolate chiffon cake but both failed. At first I thought I made a batch of beautiful chiffon cake because it raised up high and tall in the oven during baking and it still stay on to the pan when I inverted it. The problem come here, when I unmold it from the pan the cake started to sink and collapse down from the center. I knew something is wrong so I cut a piece and try, the cake taste so dense. The correct texture should be light, fluffy and airy. Both banana and chocolate give me the same outcome although it did not fall off from the pan which I mention before there is once time my chiffon cake literally fall off from the pan when I inverted it.

So I was so angry and sad that I told myself, I want to bake another chiffon cake again until I get at least a pass and I did.

Honestly I was so scare when I unmold this pandan chiffon cake and luckily it turn out fine. I'm so happy when the cake remain spongy and it bounce back when I press it down slightly. The cake is light and airy but can't really taste the pandan smell. As always my mum will criticize the food I bake, she said this is my first time saw a yellow pandan chiffon cake.

*Using a 21cm chiffon tin

 Ingredient A:

• 4 egg yolks
• 50gm castor sugar
• 45ml vegetable oil 
• 90gm cake flour (Sift)

Ingredient B:

• 4 egg white
• 50gm castor sugar
• 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 

Ingredient C: Pandan Juice

• 60ml coconut milk 
• 10-12 pandan leaves *Cut into small pieces (I would recommend more, maybe 20 pandan leaves to get the natural green colouring and of course the aromatic pandan taste)
• 1/2 tsp pandan essence (optional)

Method:

1. Extract pandan juice by blending the coconut milk with the pandan leaves and squeeze out the juice. Get 60ml.
2. Separate the egg yolk and egg white into different bowl (make sure the egg white bowl do not contain any water or oil on it)
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg yolk with the oil. Than add the pandan juice and pandan essence and mix, follow by the sugar and mix till the sugar dissolve. 
4. Add in the sift flour and mix until incorporated. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold in 1/3 of the meringue into (step 4) and mix. Continue mix the remaining meringue and make sure there are no trace of meringue can be seen in the batter.
6. Pour batters into chiffon tin, rap tins on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles.
7. Bake in the pre-heated oven at 170°C for 30 minutes or until insert a toothpick into the centre comes out clean. Invert the tins immediately and leave to cool completely before unmold.