Pandan Ogura Chiffon Cake

There've been many posts of ogura chiffon cake on the net lately... I was also inspired to bake one. Ogura cake is really a chiffon cake except that it's baked in a regular baking pan, not the chiffon pan, using the water bath method. The ingredients & method of mixing are also similar except that a whole egg is also added to the yolk mixture in ogura cake. I decided to use the recipe shared by Sonia after looking at her awesome pandan ogura cake. Really love the texture of her cake... so fine & even.....  Mine is not as fine & even, as you can see below.... there are some big holes. Anyway, I'm still very happy with the outcome. The cake is moist, soft & spongy.... I just need to add some salt & a bit more sugar. I'm sure I'll be baking this cake again.

Pandan Ogura Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

5 egg yolks ( A size) - 93g

1 whole egg (A size) - 58g

40g corn oil or vegetable oil -I used canola oil.

2 tsp homemade pandan extract (Refer to the recipe here. If you don't have homemade pandan extract, you can blend pandan leaves with coconut milk, and get 90g of pandan coconut juices)

80g coconut milk (you may replace with fresh milk)

85g cake flour, Top flour or low protein flour

a pinch of salt (I added.)

1/2 tsp vanilla (This is not in the original recipe, but I would add it in future as the cake has a slight egg smell.)
 a few drops of apple green colouring (I added.)

5 egg whites (A size) - 184g
85g caster sugar - I would add about 15g more in future.
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (I didn't use.)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 deg C and place the rack on the second lowest level. 
2. Grease the side of a 7x7x3-inch pan (NOT non-stick.) with corn oil, dust with cake flour, then line paper at the bottom. (I also grease the paper.) Wrap the exterior of the pan with a piece of aluminium foil securely, up to half its height. 
3. Combine the whole egg & egg yolks in a bowl. Stir lightly using a balloon hand whisk until well combined.
4. Add in corn oil, stir well to combine. Then add in coconut milk, pandan extract & salt. Mix well.
5. Add in cake flour and stir to mix well. Strain the batter through a strainer into a clean mixing bowl (This will produce a cake with fine crumbs).
6. In another mixing bowl, combine cream of tartar & egg whites. Beat till foamy. Gradually add in sugar in 3 batches and beat till soft peak forms, i.e. when you lift up and turn the bowl upside down, the meringue stays still in the bowl.
7. Take 1/3 meringue and mix with egg yolk batter using a balloon hand whisk. Change to silicone spatula, fold in 1/3 of meringue till slightly combined, then fold in the remaining meringue gently until the batter is well mixed. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Pour from 2’ height so as to remove some air bubbles. Then lightly tap the pan on a countertop to remove some more air bubbles. 
8. Place cake pan in another bigger pan ( about 2cm bigger, but not too big). Fill with hot water about 1cm high. Bake at 160 deg C for 35 mins, reduce to 140 deg C and bake for 35-40 mins. Every oven is different, so please adjust the temperature accordingly.
9. Remove the cake from the pan as soon as it's out of the oven to prevent shrinkage. Invert the cake onto a wire rack & then turn it over onto another cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting to serve. Store any leftover in the fridge.

Recipe by  Sonia @ Nasi Lemak Lover.

Notes & modifications:

1. Sonia used a  pan with removable bottom. I just used a regular 9x6x3-inch pan. It worked well.
2. Since every oven is different, you definitely need to adjust the temperature accordingly. So I used the following guideline shared by Sonia  when baking my chiffon. First, bake the cake on medium heat (for my case 150 deg C for my small oven) till the cake rises and starts to turn light brown, about 30 minutes for me. Before it starts to crack, reduce the temperature to lower heat (140 deg C for my oven). Continue to bake it till cooked. It took me 1 hour in total to bake my cake.

Serimuka (Putri Salat) Durian

I made Putri Salat (or Serimuka to the Malaysians) for dessert at my mum's place last weekend. I decided to add the beautiful yellow but pricey durian (I think it was Mao Shan Wang.) which I bought at the market a couple of days before....  This sure is a perfect dessert for all who love kuih & durian like me... Excellent recipe too, except I think the top layer is too thick.... will reduce it by a third the next time I make this.

Serimuka (Putri Salat) Durian
GLUTINOUS RICE LAYER

Ingredients:

500g glutinous rice - soak in water plus 1 tsp lime solution (air kapur) for 1 hour (I didn't add the lime water.)

1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

340 ml thin (diluted) coconut milk

pandan leaf (torn & tied into a knot)

Method:

1. Rinse rice until clean & strain. Combine rice, salt, sugar, pandan leaf & coconut milk. Steam for about 45 minutes until cooked. (In the meantime, start preparing the durian kaya layer.)
2. Then fluff rice using a folk & transfer into a greased pan. Press the rice using banana leaf, plastic or lapis cake presser. 
3. Steam again for about 5 minutes, just before pouring the durian kaya.

DURIAN KAYA LAYER
Ingredients:

300g durian flesh

250g fine granulated sugar

6 whole eggs (about 60g each)

70g plain flour 

20g sago or corn flour 

750ml thick coconut milk (The original recipe recommends using 200 ml coconut milk plus 550 ml water.) - I followed Rima by combining 350 ml coconut milk from a box with 400ml water.

a pinch of salt

a few drops of yellow colouring

Method:

1. Blend durian flesh & about 100ml of the (750ml) coconut milk until it turns into durian puree. Set aside.
2. Beat eggs & sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add in flours, salt & colouring. Then pour in the rest of coconut milk gradually. Stir until well combined. Then strain the mixture.
3. Add in the durian puree into the egg mixture & mix thoroughly. Cook the mixture on a stove using medium low fire, stirring continuously until it thickens slightly but not boiling.
4. Using a folk, scratch the surface of the pressed glutinous layer lightly & pour the cooked kaya mixture onto it. Steam for about 30 minutes on medium low fire.
5. Remove pan from steamer & leave the kuih in the pan to cool completely (about 3 hours) before cutting & serving.

Notes & modifications:

1. I used a jug blender to mix my kaya mixture. After blending the durian with some coconut milk, I added the rest of the ingredients & continued to blend until well mixed. Then I strained the mixture.  
2. Instead of cooking the kaya directly on the stove, I double-boiled it like I usually do when melting chocolate block. This method lessens the chance of the kaya sticking to the pot easily.
3. I used a 9x9-inch square pan. This is equivalent to a 10-inch round pan. I lined the pan with a silicone paper. You can line with a piece of plastic or just grease it.
4. Like any kuih, slice using a plastic knife to produce smooth cut surface.

Original recipe by Rossya.
Adapted by Bisousatoi.

Bubur Pulut Hitam Cupcakes (Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes)

If you had been following the cupcake craze in Singapore and Malaysia, you would have noticed a trend nowadays..... cupcake flavours that are based on our local delights like ondeh-ondeh, kuih koci, cendul, teh tarik, etc. The pioneer baker of these cupcakes is, I believe, Cikkiah, a talented baker from Malaysia. Over the years, she has inspired many bakers, including many in Singapore, to come up with so many fusion cupcake flavours, including nasi lemak cupcake! Yes! There's also nasi lemak cupcake! I'm not kidding.

I'm a great fan of local kuih, so I'm all for cupcakes with kuih flavours..... I've tasted a few flavours and I love them all... In fact, I've also gone to a couple of baking classes in which I managed to pick up some ideas and tips to bake and assemble the cupcakes. But since the classes are still ongoing as they are quite popular, I'm not sharing any of the recipes so soon, just to be fair to the teachers. Nevertheless, I'll be sharing with you my creation of a cupcake recipe based on my favourite dessert, Bubur Pulut Hitam or Black Glutinous Rice Porridge..

Like many fusion cupcakes, this cupcake basically consists of the sponge cake, filling, frosting and toppings. I adapted Carol Pastor's vanilla cupcake recipe for my coconut milk cupcake, cooked thick bubur pulut hitam for the filling, combined mascarpone cheese & non-dairy whipped cream for the frosting & topped it off with more bubur pulut hitam & coconut milk drizzle. The result is one superb fusion cupcake! It's like eating bubur pulut hitam but here the porridge is thicker than usual and it is enveloped in a fluffy & moist sponge cake & topped with rich but fluffy frosting. I love the assembly....

This is an experiment for me, and I think there's still room for improvement especially for the flavour. I will definitely reduce the sugar for the sponge cake as it is slightly sweet, but I wouldn't reduce it too much as doing so may affect the texture of the sponge. I also find the overall flavour of the cupcake slightly too rich... this is no surprise as there's coconut milk in the cake, filling and topping and the mascarpone frosting is also quite rich (and delicious!). As a result, the flavour of the glutinous rice filling is not as intense as I would prefer it to be. So the next I bake this cupcake, I need to adjust the glutinous rice filling recipe too. Perhaps I should not add any coconut milk to the filling...
All in all, I would consider this a successful experiment. So if you are a fan of black glutinous rice porridge and also love having cupcakes, do give this recipe a try..

Bubur Pulut Hitam Cupcakes 
(Black Glutinous Rice Cupcakes)

CUPCAKE
Ingredients:
2 whole eggs
115g (1/2 cup) caster sugar (I will reduce to 90-95g next time.)
135g (1 cup) self-raising flour (sifted together with the baking powder)
1/2 tsp baking powder
50ml (1/4 cup) thick coconut milk (from a box)
50g (4 tbsp) butter - melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I use paper cupcake cases & place them onto a baking tray.)
2. Beat eggs & sugar until thick & fluffy.
3. Fold in flour & coconut milk. Mix until well blended. Finally, add in melted butter & vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon mixture into paper cases until they are 3/4 full.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen & golden brown. Test lightly by pressing the centre of the cakes with your fingers. The sponge should lightly spring back.
6. Remove from the oven & leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely. (I removed the cakes from the baking pan onto a wire rack.)

Recipe adapted from CUPCAKES by Carol Pastor.

BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE FILLING

Ingredients:
100g black glutinous rice
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 pandan leaf (torn)
50g palm sugar (gula Melaka)
1 and 1/2 tbsp thick coconut milk
1/8 tsp salt

Method:

1. Rinse the black glutinous rice with water thoroughly until the water turns clear. The water will still remain slightly black or purple but clear. Fill the rice in a container, then pour water up to about 2 cm above the  rice. Soak for about 1 hour.
2. After soaking, drain the water & place the rice, 1&1/2 cups of water & pandan leaf into a saucepan. Cook on medium fire, stirring continuously, until the rice becomes soft & sticky. Add some water if the rice becomes too thick & dry.
3. Add in the palm sugar & salt. Continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved. Finally, add in the coconut milk. Continue cooking until the dessert thickens. Set aside to cool. Remove the pandan leaf before using.

MASCARPONE CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients:
125g mascarpone cheese (room temperature)
125ml (1/2 cup) non-dairy whip cream

Method:

1. Using a spoon or a spatula, stir the mascarpone cheese until smooth.
2. In another bowl, whisk the cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into mascarpone cheese until completely incorporated. Fill into a piping bag.

ASSEMBLY

      Using a cupcake corer or a knife, core the center of the cupcake. Fill the hole with black glutinous rice filling. Then pipe the mascarpone cheese frosting. Finally spoon some filling on the frosting & drizzle some coconut milk (I diluted some thick coconut milk with just a little bit of water for the drizzle.).

Notes & modifications:

1. The cupcake recipe makes 10 regular size cupcakes. I filled the batter into 17 medium paper cake liners. I'm glad I used the medium liners. After coring the cake, I was able to fill up quite a generous portion of filling, as you can see in the last picture.
2. I use non-dairy whip cream instead of the dairy alternative as the former produces a more stable frosting.
3. Any leftover glutinous rice filling can be diluted with some water & heated up to make bubur pulut hitam or black glutinous rice porridge.

Lapis Cempedak... again.

One of the most popular lapis cakes for this year's hari raya is apparently Lapis Cempedak. I didn't realize it until I heard my relatives and colleagues talking about their cempedak lapis cakes and, for a couple of them, their disappointment as they were not able to order for themselves. A friend also requested me to bake for her but I declined as time was just not on my side.... The last time I baked lapis cempedak, I remember it took more than two hours just to bake a cake. Hence my reluctance to bake it during the fasting month.....

Anyway, I was inspired to bake Lapis Cempedak again although it was already the second week of Hari Raya. Fortunately, I managed to get hold of a plump and ripe cempedak two Saturdays ago... cooked the puree the next day and baked the cake on Monday, which happened to be a school holiday to commemorate Youth Day... In fact, I started in the morning and spent over seven hours to mix and bake four lapis cempedak cakes in total! I figured I might as well take advantage of the holiday since I wasn't working and there weren't any errands to run for at least the early part of the day. Oh yes, only one cake is for me, the other three are for a nephew's wedding this weekend..

Okayyy... now let's get down to the recipe.. This time, I used a recipe shared by Ayu which she got from a baking class.. Actually, it's almost similar  to the recipe I used before except that this uses less cempedak puree and all of it is added to the batter, so there is no puree layers for this cake. Nevertheless, it's still an awesome recipe.... the cake is rich and delicious with ample cempedak flavour. The texture is smooth and moist and the layers turn out almost perfect as there are only a few bubbles that need to be popped. Compared to the other recipe, this does not take as long to bake because there's no puree layers to be baked. 

So, which recipe would I use in future....? That depends on how hardworking (or lazy) I am. Haha! The cempedak flavour for this cake is not as intense as the other but, I must add, it is still very good. However, if you want a more intense cempedak flavour, almost like biting the cempedak flesh with the cake, go for the other recipe, but be prepared to stay longer in front of the hot oven. I think that's fair enough..

Lapis Cempedak

Ingredients:
450g butter - I used unsalted & added 3/4 tsp salt.
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp cempedak essence (optional) - I didn't use.
1 tsp vanilla essence
200g cooked cempedak puree (recipe below)

20 egg yolks
5 egg whites
270gm fine caster sugar
1 tbsp sponge gel (ovalette)
110g Top flour
20g vanilla ice-cream powder (You can also use milk powder.)
butter to brush the top of every layer (I didn't use this.)

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 170-180 deg C. Grease & line the bottom of a 10” x 7” (or 8” x 8”) baking pan.
2. Combine butter, condensed milk, vanilla & cempedak essence in a bowl & cream until light & fluffy. Add in the cempedak puree & mix till well-combined. Set aside.
3. Place eggs, caster sugar & ovalette in a mixing bowl & beat on high speed until thick & fluffy.
4. Add the butter mixture into the egg mixture & mix well.
5. Then fold in the flour.
6. Pour 2 ladles of batter (I weighed 80g) into the baking pan & spread it out evenly. Bake until the cake is cooked & the top turns golden brown. (Use top & bottom heat for this first layer.)
7. Remove pan from the oven, press the top of cake with a lapis presser & brush the top of the cake with butter. Then pour another 2 ladles & bake. Continue the process until finish. (Use top heat (grill) only for the second layer onwards, 
8. After baking the last layer, bake the whole cake using top & bottom heat at 130-140 deg C for about 10 minutes. (I baked at 180 deg C.)
9. Then remove cake from pan and allow to cool on a cooling wire rack before serving.

CEMPEDAK PUREE
(I didn't use this recipe. See note no.1 below.)

400g cempedak flesh (without seeds)
1 cup fine caster sugar
1 cup water
Combine the above 3 ingredients & blend into a smooth puree. Then cook, stirring continuously, until the puree is thick.

Recipe by Chef Tania.

Source: Ayu @ Curlybabesatisfaction.

Notes and modifications:

1. For the puree, I used the recipe by Bro Rozzan (but I reduced the sugar), i.e, I combined & blended 600g cempedak flesh, 180g sugar & 220ml water & cooked over medium low heat until the puree is thick. This made about 700g cooked puree. Any remaining puree can be frozen for future use.
2. You can also use this cake recipe to bake lapis durian. Just replace the cempedak with durian. (I think if you are using durian, you may not need to add so much water as durian flesh is already soft.)