7.11.2007

steamed egg cake

This steamed egg cake is similar to the Fatt kueh except that it does not require the yeast dough mixture. Since orange juice is one of the ingredients, the cake has a unique fruity taste that is absolutely delightful + the cake is super soft because of SP. Light cream in color, they look beautiful when they open up in quadrates on the top with swirls of raspberry.
Ingredients:
Eggs, 3
Sugar, 185g
Hong kong flour, 400g
Orange juice plus water, 190g
Orange zest, 2 Tbsp
double action baking powder, 1 dsp
S.P., 20g

Method:

1. Add the egg and sugar into the mixer ( use an wire whisk). Mix for approximately 2 minutes on medium speed. Add S.P. Sift Hong Kong flour and baking powder together. Fold it into the batter.

2. Add half the amount of water into the batter, beat before adding the rest of the liquid.

3. Continue to beat for 10 seconds until the batter is smooth.Remove from mixer.

4. Line steamer with greaseproof paper. Pour cake mixture in. Use an oiled spatula to cut a "x" on the top. Add raspberry coloring on top. Swirl. Steam over high heat for 25 minutes. Makes 18.

*extra tips:*

1. Use Ice cream soda or orange flavored sprite drink instead of water. It depends on your taste preference. You can also use orange juice for the whole liquid portion.

2. Must use Hong kong flour, not plain flour because yeast dough mixture is not used.

3.It can be baked in a bigger tin instead of small mufin cups.

7.10.2007

Huat kueh -pumpkin, durian, sweet potato

Ever heard of---> Huat Kueh ~ Fatt Koh ~ Prosperity Cake?
Healthy steamed Oriental style fatt kuehs filled with the goodness of steamed pumpkins, durian, yam and sweet potato flesh. High in natural fibres, they are definitely nutritious little snacks for all at home that will bring you health and wealth!


Basically, it is the Chinese version of cupcakes. Most Singaporean or Malaysian Chinese must have had the experience of eating Huat Kueh at some point or another since it is commonly sold everywhere. ( I have never seen these sold in the US). It is usually eaten steaming hot, dipped into sugar (the orange flavored one). It's can also be eaten with fresh shredded coconut. When making this, it is important for the fatt koh to "SMILE" which means that the top has to open or bloom as much as possible. The bigger the smile, the more prosperous or "fa" one will be!

For the all the flavors- sweet potato/yam/durian/ pumpkin, use this basic yeast dough:

A) Yeast dough:
Plain flour 50g
Water 50g
Yeast, 1tsp (7.5gm)
Method:
Mix yeast dough (A) ingredient together. Leave aside for ½ hr until it has proofed.

Sweet potato Fatt cake
(From the picture above, you can tell that my Fatt kueh is smiling real wide!!! It is always exciting to lift up the lid to see how the fatt kuehs turn out. For this sweet potato fatt kueh, I'm surprised at the intense bright orange color because I didn't add any coloring. Maybe it's the sugar. I must say that it taste really good and natural- better than store-bought ones.( The ones sold outside do not use fresh blended ingredients but red/yellow/green coloring to give it a colored look. )

B) Sweet potato (steamed), 200g
Coconut milk, 120g
Water, 40g
Orange sugar, 140g
Egg, 1
Plain flour, 200g
Double acting baking powder, 1dsp

Durian Fatt kueh

( my dad's favorite of the lot. but my mum prefers the pumpkin and sweet potato flavor ;p)
Durian flesh ,200g
Coconut milk, 140g
Water, 40g
Sugar, 150g
Egg, 1
Plain flour( sift), 200g
Double acting baking powder, 1 dsp
Coloring (opt)
B) Pumpkin Fatt Kueh
Pumpkin (steamed), 200g
Coconut milk, 100g
Water, 50g
gula melaka, 140g
Egg, 1
Plain flour, sift, 320g
Double acting baking powder, 1 dsp

Method:
Combine pumpkin/sweet potato/durian, sugar, egg, coconut milk, water together and blend it. Add in flour, double acting baking powder, yeast dough and mix evenly. Pour mixture over cups. Dip a spatula in oil and make an “X” across the batter. Leave it aside to proof for 10 minutes. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes.

*some extra tips: ***

1. Use a rattan basket to steam the fatt kueh as it will cook better.

2. When adding in flour, double acting baking powder and yeast dough into blended batter, do it quick, in one direction, with spread out fingers. Once flour is mixed, stop- do not over mix the batter.

3. Hong kong flour can be used, although unnecessary as it is more expensive.

4. If durian is wet, add in extra 40 g of flour into the batter.

5. Makes about 9-10 fatt kueh for each recipe.

6. It is important to dip the spatula in oil before cutting it deep down into the batter to form an "x".

7. Never remove the lid while the fatt kuehs are being steamed. It might cause them to "not-smile."

***Check out my next post for the similar steamed egg cake recipe....

7.09.2007

longan konnyaku

It was great meeting up with primary school friends Jingying and Xuefang! I can't believe how quickly time flies and how much we've all grown. From immature lil' girls wearing yellow uniforms in an all-girls' school to grown-up ladies. I wonder how we'll be like 10 years from now. lol. *_^ Xuefang said Jing ying won many hearts with her longan konnyaku........ Of course I had to give her recipe a go! ^_____* What is Konnyaku? Wikipedia says it’s a tuber valued for its starchy corm, which leaves me bewilded because of its flavor. The flour derived from this Japanese root is the key ingredient in Konnyaku jelly, giving this much loved snack its signature chewy texture and nutritional value.
~~~~::~~~~::~~~~::~~~~
Basically this recipe can be modified to suit whatever kind of fruits and flavor you want. Check out Phoon Huat & Co for the original recipe and video demonstration.
**For the one I made, I reduced the sugar by half since longan water is sweet. Empty out the longan water and add enough water to make 950gm.
Ingredients:
Konnyaku jelly powder, 10 gm ( 1 packet) Caster sugar, 100g
Water, 615g
longan water, 335g
Citric acid or malic acid, 1/8 tsp
longan, 1 can, finely diced ( she said she experimented with many types of brands and HOSEN is the best)
Method:
1.Mix the Konnyaku Powder and Caster Sugar together. Mix well.
2.Pour the Konnyaku Powder and Caster Sugar mixture into longan water/water gradually and stir till boiling.

Important: must constantly stir, without stopping at all!
Food for thought:Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success. --Brian Adams

3.Turn off the flame and keep stirring for about 5 minutes, till the bubble dissipates and the Konnyaku Jelly solution becomes clear.
4.Add Citric Acid or Malic Acid.
5.put the pieces of cut longan in the moulds, then pour the Konnyaku solution into the moulds for 3 times, every time pour 1/3 of the mould.
6.Chill to set the moulded Jelly solution in the refrigerator for 3 hours before serve. Makes 24 pieces

7.06.2007

Black Forest cake

Besides this Black Forest cake, check out the Fresh Fruit roll..... Ingredients:
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
100g sugar
90g plain flour (sift)
10g chocolate powder
100g butter, melted
Topping ingredients:
300g fresh cream
250g dark sweet pitted cherries ( use fresh ones!!! the "fake" ones taste horrible) @__@ )
chocolate shaving
2 tsp rum flavor ( opt)
200g chocolate cream

Method 1:
1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease and line a deep 9 in round baking tin with paper
2. Whisk eggs and sugar at maximum speed for 5-6 minutes until stiff
3. Fold in sifted flour and chocolate by hand, using an upward circulating motion. Add in warm melted butter and mix well until batter is shiny.
4. Pour into baking tin and bake for about 35 minutes. Turn cake out from baking tin and leave to cool. Cut cake into 3 layers. Remove top thin layer too.
5. Whisk the fresh cream until stiff and add half of the whipped cream to the chocolate cream and rum flavor.
6. Spread a thin layer of chocolate fresh cream on one cake layer and pipe a round of the cream on the edge. Put the pitted cherries in the center and cover them with a thin layer of the cream. Continue creaming with the second layer of cake. Spread the final layer of cake with white whipped cream ( opt: with rum flavor added).
7. Pipe 12 rosettes using a star nozzle and place the stem cherry to decorate. Cover the center and sides of the cake with chocolate flakes.
ENJOY!! ^_________^

Fresh Roll cake

As you can tell from my previous posts, I've been posting up many cake recipes! Well, I'm concentrating on "mastering" it now and hence, signed up for some cake classes. Richard Goh, who teaches at many community centers in Singapore is superb! I'm so glad I'm learning it from him. :DWhat we learnt this time ::::Black Forest Cake and Fresh roll cake! ^__^
Ingredients:
4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
100g sugar
100g plain flour
100g butter, melted ( use corn oil)
Decoration: fresh cream, 150-200g, strawberries, kiwi, peaches, pineapple slices, chocolate rice
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Grease and line a shallow 11 inches square baking tray with paper
3. Whisk eggs vanilla essence and sugar at maximum speed for about 5-6 minutes until stiff.
4. Fold in sifted flour by HAND, using an upward circulating motion. Add flour slowly, but by bit but not until completely mixed before adding the next batch of flour.
5. Add in warm melted butter and mix well, until batter is shiny. Pour into baking tray and bake for about 13-15 minutes. Turn cake out from baking tray and leave to cool. If cake is not removed from the tray, the cake will shrink. And if batter sinks fast, the cake is not beaten up well.

6. Whisk fresh cream at medium speed until stiff. Spread whipped cream + mango puree or lemon jam ( whatever you like) over the cooled cake and roll up with the aid of a piece of paper. Place a piece of damp cloth beneath the paper to prevent slipping when rolling up cake. Freeze roll for 15 minutes.
***If you want the roll to be very rounded, slice the side of the cake diagonally, and place it at the other end of the cake. Look at the illustration below>>>>
7. Coat the roll with fresh cream and/or chocolate rice. Cut into pieces of 1 inch thick.
8. Spread whipped cream on top and decorate with fresh fruits and glaze with agar agar.
Preparation for agar agar:
150g water
30g sugar
1/2 tbsp agar agar powder
Boil all ingredients together.
OR to get a better and clearer look, use >>>
APRICOT GEL ( 100g) + 80 ml water,
Boil until dissolved, use a whisk to stir.

Longan cake

If I had to choose between the 2 cakes - Custard fruity cake or Longan cake, I would choose the longan cake. Both are good but longan cake has a special twist of exotic taste that I fancy. :) Besides I love longan.^_^ And so, here's how it's made!!!
Ingredients:
4" cake ring, 4
Ingredient A:
water, 100g
longan (cut into pieces), 80g, remove 80g longan juice)
sugar, 10g
fresh milk, 50g
instant jelly, 1/2 tsp
agar agar powder, 5g
Ingredient B:
Fresh cream, 160g

Method:
1. Cut 80g longan into small pieces
2. Bring ingredients 1 to a boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and immediately start on the whipped cream.
3.Whip fresh cream until very stiff. Add mixture 1 ( while it is still hot) into the beater and mix well, about 10 seconds.

4. Pour the mixture on top of the sponge cake, sandwich it with another piece of sponge cake. Pour the remaining filling over.

5. Arrange longan and fruits on top immediately, while the mixture is warm! 6. Boil topping ingredients together.
Topping ingredient:

water, 150g
sugar, 20g
instant jelly, 10g

Boil these together. Cool it for 3 minutes before pouring it over the cake. Keep refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving.

Sponge cake ( Jialei center)


Ingredients:
egg, 6
sugar, 160g
water, 70g
vanilla/ honeydew essence, little
self-raising flour, 160g
corn oil, 70g
S.P, 20g
Cake tin: 1 rectangular cake tin ( 11"x14") greased with oil and lined with paper.
Method:
1. sift self-raising flour
2. Beat egg and sugar for 1.5 minutes. Add in 1 and S.P. Beat for another 1.5 minutes. Blend in water and vanilla. Beat for 1o seconds. Remove from mixer.
3. Using hands, in circular motion, fold in corn oil and mix well. Pour mixture into cake tin.
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 200C. Leave it to cool. Decorate as desired.

Custard fruity cake

Beautiful on the outside and inside>>>>>Food for thought: " Beauty is always skin-deep. This beauty lies several inches into the skin. Though it cannot be seen, it can be felt. This is the only inner beauty that would ultimately bring you happiness.
I'll post up the recipes of the 2 cakes I learnt from Jialei center- Custard fruity cake and Longan cake ~~~
Ingredients:
Base:
flour, 120g
egg, 1/2
milk, 1 tsp
margarine, 60g
sugar, 30g

Method:
1. Combine margarine, sugar and egg together and mix well. (use a flat beater). Start slow, gradually increasing speed and beat until soft before adding flour and milk to form a dough.
2. On floured surface, roll out the pastry dough and knead till pliable. Roll it out on prepared wax paper. Using a ring to make the sides level. Use the wax paper to lift up the dough and flip it onto the square flat tin 10"10" wax paper. Prick it with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes at 180C. At the 13th minute, remove from the oven and over turn it to brown the other side of the crust.
Next, custard filling.....
Custard Filling:
sugar, 100g
fresh milk, 300g
water, 350g
egg yolk, 4
custard powder, 90g
Method:
1. Crack eggs into a bowl to get the yolk. Add in custard powder, sugar and a little water to mix well. After they have dissolved, add in the rest of the liquid ingredients. Slowly cook custard over low heat and stir constantly.
Note: the pastry, sponge cake and fruits must be ready and cut before custard preparation because the following movements have to be done quickly. To get this layered look::::::
do these steps:::::
1. Spread a little custard filling over pastry.
2. Place a piece of sponge cake on the pastry layer
3. Slice the sponge cake into half.
4.Spread the custard over the sponge cake
5. Place the last piece of sponge over the custard.
6. Finally, pour the remaining custard filling over it and IMMEDIATELY( while the custard is still hot)
7. Arrange fruits over the top.
8. Pour agar agar solution on it.
9.Leave it to set in the fridge.
Topping:
Fruits, 400g ( strawberry, kiwi, peach, honeydew)
jelly solution:
sugar, 110g
water, 500g
instant jelly, 30g
Method:
Boil together the above ingredients together. At the first boil, remove from heat and cool it for 3 minutes before pouring it onto the cake.
Note: if unable to find instant jelly, use agar agar powder, 10g. However, it will not look as clear as instant jelly powder. Agar will coagulate and make it look cloudy.
**for mango flavored custard, use mango puree instead of milk.
Disclaimer: All the recipes posted are for my personal references and/or adapted from mentioned instructors or books. They/I reserve the rights to it. Please remember to cite your sources! Thank you.