Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

I had previously baked a Black Sesame Chiffon Cake in year 2011, and I loved it very much... These Black Sesame Chiffon Cakes are one of my favourite too.. I love Black Sesames in any form of food...

Today I am trying a new recipe from OKASHI.

She had used black sesame paste which I was once told that by using black sesame paste will give the cake a better fragrant than using the powder. It is true indeed. However, this time round, I still did not managed to find any black sesame paste... Perhaps next time, if I ever get a chance...

This recipe turns out very well indeed. Getting a very soft, sponge-y & moist texture from the chiffon cake. You can even hear the "hissing" sound of the chiffon as you take a bite... Am I for real...??? kekekeke...

Try them and I'm sure you will like them as well..:-D

Recipe as adapted from OKASHI by Keiko Ishida

Ingredients:

(yeilds a 20-cm cake)

70g pastry flour/top flour

5 egg yolks

20g brown sugar (I used castor sugar)

20g black sesame paste (I used about 50g black sesame powder)

60g water

40g canola oil

20g black sesame seeds (optional)

90g sugar

10g rice flour/corn flour

5 egg whites

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Sift flour once.

2. Combine all egg yolks, brown sugar & black sesame paste in a bowl and mix well. Add water and canola oil and blend together. Add flour & mix well until batter becomes sticky, the fold in the black sesame seeds.

3. Make meringue. Combine sugar & rice/corn flour. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add half the sugar and the flour mixture and continue beating for a few minutes, then add the remaining sugar & flour mixture and beat until egg whites are glossy, with stiff peaks.

4. Add 1/3 of the meringue into egg yolk mixture and fold in lightly, then add remaining meringue and fold to incorporate completely. Do not over mix as the sesame paste in the mixtur will cause the volume of the chiffon cake to decrease, thus making it heavy.

5. Pour the batter into an ungreased 20-cm chiffon cake tube pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. When the cake is done, remove from oven and turn the pan over. Leave cake to cool in the pan.

6. Once the cake has cooled completely, carefully run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen it before inverting onto a wire rack.

Almond Financiers-Would you like them as well?

A financier is a small French cake, often mistaken for a pastry. 

The financier is light and moist, similar to sponge cake, and usually contains almond flour, crushed or ground almonds, or almond flavoring. 

The distinctive feature of the recipe is beurre noisette (brown butter).Other ingredients include egg whites, flour, and powdered sugar. 

Financiers are baked in shaped molds, usually small rectangular loaves similar in size to petits fours.

The name financier is said to derive from the traditional rectangular mold, which resembles a bar of gold. Another theory says that the cake became popular in the financial district of Paris surrounding the Paris stock exchange.

Financier pans are traditionally rectangular, but other shapes are not uncommon.
As adapted from Wikipedia

Recipe as adapted from OKASHI by Keiko Ishida

Ingredients:

(yields about 16 cakes, or depending on the cake moulds used)

 50g Pastry flour/Top flour

5g corn flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

130g egg whites

(about 2~3 eggs depending on egg sizes)

130g sugar (i use 100g)

50g ground almonds

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

a pinch of salt

130g unsalted butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Lightly grease 16 small cake moulds, each about 5.5 x 7.5 cm, with a little softened butter and place them on a baking tray. Sift flour, corn flour and baking powder together twice.

2. Place egg whites into a clean bowl and beat lightly. Add sugar and mix well, followed by ground almonds, vanilla extract, flour mixture and salt, mixing well after each addition. Be careful not to overmix. Set aside.

3. Brown butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking frequently until fragrant and golden brown in color. Pour into a mixing bowl and place into a larger bowl half-filled with iced water to stop the butter from cooking further and burning.

4. Add the browned butter to the egg mixture and mix well. Transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with 1-cm palin piping tip. Pipe batter into the prepared cake moulds.

5. Bake financiers for 10-15 mins until they are light golden in color. Remove the cakes from the moulds and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Financiers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or for up to 1 month in the freezer.

Swan Cream Puffs / Cream Puffs

I know I am always late... late for my postings...

Seeing my fellow baking friends whom had already baked cream puffs in September for the Bake-Along theme, Lena  and Mui, both of them had also attempted on the swan puffs. When I saw their puffs, I was envy, admiring how beautifully their swan puffs had been baked.

Recently, I had also saw some FB bakers, baking these swan puffs too... So pulled up my socks and started my challenge once again!!!!

These swan puffs recipes were adapted from Kevin Chai's. His recipe had stated 3-4eggs..., so I had used only 3eggs. I guess it would have been better to use 4eggs instead, as my batter was rather thick and it did not had the smooth, sateen feel...  Ended up the cream puff texture was abit tough, but overall was quite alright... :-D

So let me try 4 eggs in future...:-D

As I couldn't buy the instant custard cream, I had use the vanilla cream that I had used for the Hokkaido Cupcakes.

So how did I fare for these swan puffs?

Recipe as adapted from Kevin Chai's Dainty Desserts

Puff Ingredients:

200ml water

25ml fresh milk

80g butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

170g high protein flour(cake flour)

3-4 eggs

Method:

1. Combine water, milk, butter, salt and sugar. Bring to boil.

2. Add in flour, use a wooden spoon, vigorously stir over medium heat until mixture leaves side of pan. Remove from heat.

3. Beat the dough in a mixer until cool completely. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until smooth and satiny.

4. Spoon dough into piping bag and pipe out a big rosette and swan's head & neck. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C(200C) for 25mins. Leave to cool.

Custard Ingredients:

100g instand custard powder

120ml fresh milk

200g fresh whipped cream

1/2tsp vanilla essence

Method:

Stir instant custard powder with milk, then combine with the whipped cream and vanilla essence until well-combined.

To assemble, cut the puff into half, trim the top layer to form wing shape and fill the bottom layer with custard.

Garnish with fruits, wings and head.

Dust with icing sugar.

Have fun:-D

Hokkaido Cupcakes 北海道蛋糕

I had finally made my Hokkaido Cupcakes today... These Hokkaido Cupcakes had always been a to-bake list. And I saw this recipe from Baking Wonderland, one of this baker, Ann Chin, had this Hokkaido Cupcakes, and they were so pretty... So I decided I should try this recipe asap... And here we have, my freshly baked Hokkaido Cupcakes:-D

These Hokkaido Cupcakes were simply so delicious. Thumbs up!!!!

Cake texture was really excellent, soft and it melts-in-your-mouth texture.

As for the vanilla custard cream, it was really tasty too. I have used about 1.5 tsp of the vanilla essence and it gave the custard cream a very nice fragrant.

My girls, Nic wasn't keen, whereas Nat & Mimi tried the Hokkaido Cupcakes... So what were they reactions??? Nat liked the cupcake, but her favourite was the strawberry & especially the custard cream, and Mimi, she just ate the strawberry... -_-"

So here as originated from Ann Chin from Baking Wonderland:

(I have stated the English Version, not sure if they are correctly translated... hehehehe... pardon me...:-p)

北海道蛋糕食谱～Hokkaido Cupcakes Ingredients:

A = 牛奶(Milk) 135克，植物油(Canola Oil) 45克，幼糖(Sugar) 30克。
B = 低筋面粉(Cake) 135克。
C=蛋黄(Egg Yolk) 135克。
D= 蛋白(Egg White) 270克，幼糖(Sugar) 60克，塔塔粉(Cream of Tar Tar) 1/2tsp。

做法：[METHOD]1.将A煮至热（不需要滚），把低筋面粉加入拌匀，待凉后再加入蛋黄，要一边搅拌一边加入, 然后放一边待用。(Cook A in low fire(warm-do not need to be boiling stage), add in the B and mix well. After the batter has cooled, add in the egg yolks while whisking. Leave it aside for later use.)2. 把蛋白打至发泡加入半份白糖和塔塔粉，继续搅拌至蛋白呈现细腻才加入剩余白糖，
继续打至硬性发泡即可。(Beat egg white with cream of tar tar & sugar till stiff peak forms)
3. 把2/4蛋白加入蛋黄糊里搅拌均匀，再倒回剩余蛋白里，轻轻拌匀即可。(Add 2/4 of the meringue into the egg yolk batter, mix well. Pour mixed batter into the remaining meringue and mix until well combined)
4. 把面糊舀入纸杯里，7/8分满就好，然后以预先预热上下火180度的烤炉里，烤约15 分钟或至熟即可！(Pipe the batter into the cupcake cases till 7/8 full. Bake in a preheated oven of 180C for about 15 mins)
5. 待凉后才挤入香草奶油馅和装饰，然后冷藏才好吃的！(Once cooled, pipe in the vanilla custard cream into the Hokkaido Cupcakes and decorate as desired. Dust with icing sugar for the finishing touch. Chilled the Hokkaido Cupcakes as they are best eaten chilled:-D)
分量可做19个 (Recipe can yeilds about 18-19 cupcakes) 

自制卡仕达酱（香草奶油馅）(Vanilla Custard Cream)材料A:
蛋黄(Egg yolk) 45克
幼糖(Sugar) 40克
材料B:
低筋面粉(Cake Flour)10克
玉蜀黍粉(Corn Flour) 10克
材料C:
牛奶(Milk) 250克
幼糖(Sugar) 10克
香草精(Vanilla Essence) 适量(I use about 1.5 tsp)
材料D:
牛油(Butter) 20克
材料E:
Topping cream 100克

做法：[METHOD] 1. 将材料A打至浓稠（蛋黄颜色变白 ） (Beat egg yolks & sugar until white & creamy)
2. 加入材料B拌匀，备用。 (Add in B until well combined. Keep aside)
3. 将材料C煮滚，熄火，在把一半份量倒入2里，要一边搅拌一边倒入，
然后把以上混合物筛过后倒入剩余的热牛奶里搅拌均匀 (Boil C. Pour half of the boiling milk mixture into the egg yolk batter. Mix well and pour it back into the balance milk and mix well.
4. 继续用小火把以上混合物煮至浓稠即可，熄火后趁热加入牛油拌匀。(Continue to boil the milk mixture over low fire, stir till you get a thick consistant texture. Turn off the fire and stir in the butter till melted.)
5. 用保鲜膜盖在蛋奶酱上面防止表层结皮。待凉备用。(Use a cling wrap to cover the custard cream to prevent surface from skinning. Keep aside)
6. 最后，把材料E搅拌至看见纹路（类似湿性发泡）后，把它加入蛋奶
酱里拌匀再冷藏，就变成美味的自制卡仕达酱。(Lastly, whipped the topping cream till peak forms. Mix it together with the custard cream. Keep chilled before piping it into the cupcakes)

  

 So try these Hokkaido Cupcakes now!!!!