Durian Coconut Blossom

I made  steamed coconut blossoms last Saturday. Incidentally, the last time I made them was also in Ramadan, two years ago. This time, most of the blossoms opened up quite beautifully. 

The important factor in producing such beauties is to steam them on high fire. The size of the steamer matters too, the bigger the better. Or, if you are using a small steamer, steam a few pieces at a time.This time, I didn't use Softasilk or Hongkong flour since I didn't have either of them at home. Instead, I used cake flour & the texture of the blossoms is still very fluffy. Oh yes, I also added some durian to the filling since there's some left in the fridge. Yummy!!

This recipe makes 30 medium blossoms. If you are making the whole recipe but don't want to consume all of them right away, I suggest you freeze them. And when you feel like having them again, just reheat them in the steamer.

Durian Coconut Blossom
(makes 30 blossoms)

Ingredients:

3 eggs (cold)
250g sugar
280g Softasilk flour or any superfine flour like Hongkong flour - I used cake flour.
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp ovalette
140g coconut cream
30g pandan juice (blend about 6 pandan leaves)
1 tsp green colouring

Method:

1. Prepare a steamer.  Fill it with water & boil it.
2. Combine all the ingredients  in a mixing bowl & beat  until thick and fluffy. (I beat for about 6 minutes using my Kenwood Major at speed 3.)
3. Line the blossom mould with paper cup & fill 1/3 of mould with batter. Then put 1 tbsp of coconut filling on the batter & top it with more batter until mould is almost full.
4. Steam over high heat for 10-15 mins.

Coconut filling:
30g castor sugar - I didn't use since I added durian.
100g gula melaka
60g water

100g durian flesh (mashed with folk)

250g grated fresh coconut

1 tsp. cornflour
2 pieces pandan leaves - cut into small pieces

Method:

1. Combine sugar, gula melaka and water in a saucepan & boil it. Strain & pour back into the saucepan.
2. Add in the durian flesh. Mix well. Add water if it's too thick.
3. Add in grated coconut and pandan leaves and cook until slightly dry.
4. Sprinkle cornflour & stir until well mixed. Remove from fire & leave to cool before using.

I'm linking this entry to Aspiring Bakers #33 (July 2013) - Tropical Spiky Month hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

I made Durian Custard Cake after seeing a facebook post. Since I was already planning to bake cotton cheesecake, I thought why not replace the regular vanilla sponge with the cotton cheesecake. Well,  that may not be a good idea after all.... though the cake tasted really good, I think the rich & amazingly delicious durian custard just overrode the subtly-rich cheesecake. Maybe the cake would taste as good just with a regular sponge cake... why waste the cheese.. right? Anyway, I won't really know unless I make it again using the vanilla sponge.

Durian Custard Layer Cake

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake
Recipe by Alex Goh from Fantastic Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
160g cream cheese
25g butter
120g milk
40g flour
30g cornflour
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
100g sugar
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Grease & line the bottom of two 20-cm oval pans. Wrap outside of the pans in a foil. (I used one 14-cm & one 18-cm round pans.)
2. Place cream cheese, butter & milk in a mixing bowl & stir over double-boiler until thick. Remove it from double-boiler.
3. Add in flour & cornflour & mix until well combined. Add egg yolk & continue mixing until well blended.
4. In a clean & dry bowl, whip the egg white until foamy. Then add in cream of tartar, sugar & salt & continue whipping until soft peak.
5. Fold in the meringue, in thirds, into the cheese mixture & mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into the pans & bake in water bath at 160 deg C for 40-45 minutes (I baked for 30 mins.) or until firm & golden brown.
7. Remove cake from the oven. Remove the cakes from the mould immediately. Set aside to cool.

Durian Custard
Recipe by Kak Fida @ My Resipi.

Ingredients:
250g durian flesh
1000 ml diluted coconut milk (I used 500ml regular milk & 500ml water.)
300ml thick coconut milk
1 packet (12g) agar-agar powder
6 tbsp custard powder
200g fine sugar
1/4 tsp salt
yellow colouring

Method:

1. Blend durian flesh together with the diluted coconut milk. Strain & pour into a pot. 
2. Add in the rest of the ingredients & cook over medium fire, stirring continuously, until mixture thickens. Remove from fire & set aside.

How I assembled my cake:

1. Prepare a ring mould. Wrap the bottom of the mould with a cling wrap. Then place the mould on a cake base. 
2. Cut the cake into two horizontally. The diameter of baked cake must be about 2cm smaller than the mould because the outer part of the cake served later will be covered with the custard.
3. Place one piece of the cut cake into the mould, positioning it in the center.
4. Then pour the custard into the mould, making sure the cake is totally covered with custard.
5. Then gently place the other piece of cake into the mould & pour some more durian custard.
6. Decorate the top of cake using the remaining custard or toasted sliced almond. (I left the top plain.)
7. Allow the cake to cool down. Then chill it. 
8. Before serving, remove the plastic base by sliding it out gently while the cake is still on the cake base.
9. Then lift up the mould gently. Slice & serve.

NB: If there's leftover custard, pour it into jelly moulds & chill them. Serve as durian pudding.

I'm posting this entry to Aspiring Bakers #33 (July 2013) - Tropical Spiky Month hosted by Charmaine of MiMi Bakery House.

I'm aso linking this post to  Bake Along  hosted by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Lena from Frozen Wings.

Bingka Durian

I saw Yatie's post for her Bingka Durian this morning. The bingka looks sooo delicious. The only way to taste it is of course, bake it! All the ingredients, including  the durian, are in hand. So, in just over an hour, the kuih was ready! The taste & texture are just amazing! No kidding!

Binka Durian

Recipe by Yatie @ Sinar Kehidupanku.

(makes a 10-cup mixture)

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup thick coconut milk (I used freshly-squeezed coconut milk.)

2 1/4 cup water

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups durian flesh

yellow colouring

sesame seeds for topping

Method:

1. Preheat ove at 200 deg C. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan.
2. Combine all ingredients except durian & mix with a hand whisk until well blended.
3. Add in durian & mix well.
4. Heat up greased pan in the oven. Take it out from oven & pour mixture into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake for about 1 hour or until cooked.
5. Remove from pan & leave aside to cool. Cut into small pieces & serve.

What I did: I combined all ingredients, except sesame seeds, in a blender bowl & blend mixture until well mixed. Then I strained the mixture. I used NordicWare bundt pan & baked for half an hour. (I didn't preheat the pan.)

Bingka Ambon Durian

Since my successful attempt at making Bingka Ambon, I've bookmarked a couple of other versions which I planned to try out. One of them is the durian version. Since there was some durian left in the fridge, I decided to try it yesterday so I could share them with my family at my mum's place.

This time, the confident me decided to make some amendments to the recipe, even though it was my first time using the recipe. With hindsight, I shouldn't have.... now I'm not sure if the colour, texture & the problems I encountered while making them were because of the amendments.  Yes..... there were some challenges. Firstly, the bottom of my bingka came out quite dark. I think this could be the result of the additional  amount of sugar (I added 60% more!) since sugar affects the colour of the end product. Secondly, the bingka took a long time to fully cook.... the bottom was turning dark & yet the surface was still sticky. The good thing was, I only had the sticky-surface problem for the first few batches. Maybe I should have heated up the mould longer before I started baking the first batch.

As you can see below, the texture of this bingka is quite different from the regular ones that I made before. Personally, I like the texture of the regular ones better as they were spongy. My mum liked this better.... she said it's softer. Now I'm wondering if using richer coconut milk from one coconut instead of 1/2 had resulted in the soft texture.... I think it had a role. Tastewise,  I think it's delicious. The durian flavour was just enough. That's because  the durian was already sweet..... and rich, and delicious.... However, the bingka was quite sweet. That's expected since I added 60% more sugar! What was I thinking.....!

Overall, this is a good recipe. I would try again, without making any changes, of course. If you'd like to try this recipe, I would advise that you stick to the original recipe too, at least for a start!

Bingka Ambon Durian

Source: Sajiansedap.

75g plain flour
1 tsp instant yeast
10g granulated sugar
85 ml cold water

75g durian flesh
225 ml coconut milk from 1/2 coconut (I used freshly-squeezed milk from 1 coconut. I also warmed it until just before it started to boil, stirring continuously, to avoid overflowing & curdling. Then I left it aside to cool.)
1/2 tsp salt
12 drops yellow colouring
1/2 tsp durian essence (I didn't use.)
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolk
125g granulated sugar (I used 200g.)
100g tapioca starch

Directions:

1. Combine plain flour, instant yeast & sugar in a bowl. Pour cold water into the bowl, stirring thoroughly. Leave aside for 45 minutes.
2. Combine durian flesh, coconut milk, salt, yellow colouring & durian essence & blend to form smooth paste.
3. Beat eggs & sugar until fluffy. Add in durian mixture continue for about 20 minutes. (I used medium speed.)
4. Add in yeast mixture & continue beating for 20 minutes more. Leave aside for 2 hours.
5. Fill an apam balik mould with sand & place it on the stove. Place greased muffin moulds on the sand. Heat up the moulds for one hour. (I used a baulu mould & just heated it up directly on the stove for  a few minutes. I did not use the sand.)
6. Stir mixture thoroughly & pour into the mould until almost full. Once little holes start to form on the surface of the bingka, cover the mould. Leave to cook for few minutes. Then remove bingka from moulds (I used a sate stick to lift up the bingka.) & repeat process.

Makes about 60 pieces.

Durian Lapis Cake

It took me longer than usual to bake durian lapis cake yesterday. My 19-year-old Baby Belling oven went kaput.... sign...  Since I've never used any other oven when baking my lapis before, it took  me a while to  get the hang of the correct temperature as I experimented with my other two ovens, the Cornell Chef Master & my big Electrolux oven. In the end, I stuck to my small (& cheap) but very useful Chef Master. Even then, its temperature was not as high as my Belling's because it took about 4-5 minutes, even at its highest temperature of 250 deg C, to bake each layer compared to 2 minutes when using the Belling oven. No wonder Belling oven is many bakers' top choice for baking lapis cake. Anyway, I'm glad the cake turned out fine.....

This lapis cake was ordered by my friend, Haslita, who ordered it for her cousin's engagement. Since it was for the exchange of gifts between the girl & the guy, I dressed the cake up with some flowers & heart shape cake cut-outs. I'm glad Haslita & her mum like the decor....  I also gave some of the cake for Haslita & her family to taste. She called to say the cake was really delicious. I cannot agree more... it's like eating kuih lempok, the traditional durian cake, in a form of a lapis cake. This recipe is another keeper from Bro Rozzan.

Haslita also ordered a pudding to accompany the durian lapis. That will be my next post. In the meantime, have a good  weekend!

Lapis Durian
Adapted from recipe by Bro Rozzan.

Ingredients:
16 oz butter (I used unsalted butter & added 1 tsp salt.)
4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
14 oz durian flesh

20 egg yolk
6 egg white
1 tbsp cake emulsifier
10 oz sugar
5 1/2 oz self-raising flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven at about 200 deg C, top grill only. (The temperature for your oven may not be 200 deg C.  A good indicator is each layer will cook & turn golden brown in about 2-3 minutes.)
2. Line & grease bottom of pan only (8x8 or 10x7 inch). Set aside.
3. Combine butter, condensed milk & durian in a mixing bowl. Cream on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Set aside.
4. Combine egg yolk, egg white, emulsifier, sugar & flour in a large mixing bowl & beat on high speed for about 8 minutes.
5. Combine butter & egg mixture  & mix until well combined.
6. Pour 2 ladles of mixture into baking pan. Spread evenly & bake for 2-3 minutes until cake is cooked & cake surface turns golden brown.
7. Remove from oven, press cake surface using a lapis presser or bottom of a glass.
8. Pour 2 more ladles of batter & bake. Continue the process until finish.

Durian Gelato, anyone?

          It's hard to ignore the durians whenever I go to the market these days. You see, my hb and I love durian. The problem  is, it's hard for him to control himself when eating durians. So I've been refraining myself from approaching the durian section until a few days ago.... I gave in... Bought 3 packs, ate 2 packs and used 1 pack to make Durian Puffs and  Durian Gelato! Not very happy with the puffs but the gelato was a success!

          There are not many good quality durian ice-cream in the market. Even Swensons'  has the artificial flavour and lack the pure durian flavour. Straits Kitchen's is better. Still I think the recipe that I used is the best. It's like eating frozen durian but better. When this rich and creamy gelato melts in my mouth, it leaves some pulp as if to remind me not to forget the source of this heavenly taste frozen dessert! All the time and effort put in in the preparation and the facial expression of my testers make it all worth it!

            I know some of you are wondering what the difference between gelato and ice-cream is. Actually, both are prepared using essentially the same ingredients and method. The major difference is the amount of air and butterfat contained in each. Gelato contains between 6% & 8% butterfat whereas ice-cream contains 10 to 16 % butterfat. Since gelato contains less fat, less air is whipped into it when it is simultaneously churned and frozen in an ice-cream maker. So, gelato has a slightly denser and softer consistency than ice-cream. (Source: Making Artisan Gelato by Toffance Kopfer)

             I've tried Kopfer's recipes a few times and I'm happy with the outcome. So I've adapted his recipe to prepare my Durian Gelato.

Ingredients:
2 cups (470ml) whole milk
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 cup (235ml) dairy whipping cream (I used 38% fat)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla paste
100g durian flesh (buy the best available and mash with folk)

Method:

1.Combine the milk and 2/3 of the sugar in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it registers 77 degC on an instant-read thermometer.

2.In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until foamy and slightly thickened.

3.Carefully temper the egg yolks with the milk mixture by slowly adding about half of the hot liquid to the eggs, whisking continuously.

4.Pour the heated egg mixture into the saucepan with the hot milk and return to the stove top. Stirring continuously with a wooden spoon , cook the mixture over medium heat until it registers 85degC on an instant-read thermometer or is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula, taking care to make sure  the mixture does not boil. Remove from the heat.

5.If the mixture is not completely smooth, emulsify it by using a hand whisk or stand  blender and blending it until smooth.

6. Pour the heavy cream into a clean, large stainless steel or glass mixing bowl set over an ice bath.

7.Pour the heated custard through a fine-mesh sieve or strainer into the cold cream and stir until fully incorporated and the mixture has fully cooled.

8. Then remove the bowl of  mixture from the ice bath, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.

9. When ready, pour the chilled mixture into the  ice-cream maker, add in the mashed durian and vanilla and process according to manufacturer's specifications.

Makes about 1 litre.
Adapted from Making Artisan Gelato by Toffance Kopfer.