Pandan Chiffon Cake II

When I saw “Make it yourself - Pandan Chiffon cake” published by Sunday Times, and it had been a year since I baked pandan chiffon, it’s time for me to try this :). I baked 2 times in different day, because I was curious with top part cracked and the result of the texture of the cake (see pictures below).

Here is the recipe – shared by Chef Judy Koh – Creative Culinaire
Ingredients:
5 pandan leaves, finely chopped
3 Tbs water
48g egg yolk, from about 3 eggs
70g sugar
1/8 tsp salt
20ml corn oil
36ml thick coconut milk
1/4 tsp pandan paste
54g cake flour
120g egg white, from about 3 eggs
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Method:
- Preheat the oven to 190 C (I baked in 160C).
- Blend the pandan leaves with water to a fine pulp. Wrap the pulp in muslin cloth and squeeze to extract the juice. Discard the pulp and set aside the juice.
- Whisk together the egg yolk, 30g sugar, salt, corn oil, coconut milk, pandan paste and pandan juice until well incorporated.
- Sieve the cake flour into the pandan mixture and continue to whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Whisk the egg white, remaining sugar and cream of tartar until stiff, such that a firm peak forms when the whisk is pulled from the mixture.
- Gently fold the egg white mixture into the cake batter until well incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a 23cm tube pan (I used 18cm) and bake for 40 minutes (I baked in 160C for 50-60mins) until the surface is browned.
- Remove the cake from the oven and invert it on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the mould by running a palette knife along the circumference of the cake to loosen the sides.

Here are my two pandan chiffons, although I baked both in 180C for 10 mins, then reduced to 160C until baked, but still the top part still cracked :(

Both cakes turned moist & fluffy, however if you notice carefully, the first cake (see above picture) has bigger air pockets and has springy texture. (maybe this because I whisked the egg white until medium peak form)

Therefore, when I made the second cake (see below picture), I purposely whisked the egg white until soft peak form, and here you can see smaller air pockets compared to the first cake and has more spongy texture.

Taste wise ….. both cakes were finished within the same day :).

So, which texture do you prefer? Please share, add and comment.

Something to share, reports from "8 Days" magazine recently stated:

- 446,400 no of pandan chiffon are sold annually by Bengawan Solo, that summed out a total of 37,200 sales monthly or 1200 sales daily.

- according to Health Promotion Board, a standard size of 450g pandan chiffon cake has 1,481 calories, as compared to 744 calories a plate of char kway teow.

Mini Croissant

This wonderful croissant recipe is shared by Christine's blog, and you cannot go wrong with it, as she provided us the fantastic step-by-step illustrations how to make it. :) So during the weekend, I baked half-of-recipe, and made around 16 mini croissants. I baked only half of it, and the other half, once final proof, put in the container and kept in the freezer. The croissants were still remain soft until the next day.

Other pictures:

Extra dough, I cut into small square cube, sprinkle or roll onto sugar before proofing. The final result was not bad, just like eating the sugar crackers.

The other half of croissant that kept earlier in the freezer can be used anytime. What I did is I took out from freezer and transferred it to the fridge one day in advance. Anytime, just half an hour before I baked, I took out from the fridge. Like the below sandwich croissants I baked it this morning, just nice for our family's breakfast. :)

Paper-lined Sponge Cake

Recipe adapted from Do What I Like

Ingredients: (10 pieces in standard paper cups)
5 egg yolks
30 gr sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla esssence

55 gr warm corn oil / melted butter
60ml warm milk

80 gr cake flour
20 gr corn starch
1/2 tsp baking powder

5 egg whites
50 gr castor sugar

Method:
1. Sieve flour, corn starch and baking powder together.
2. Beat egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla essence together till thick and creamy. (I beat my egg yolk by sitting the mixing bowl in a basin of hot water).
3. Stir the warm corn oil/melted butter and milk into the yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Fold in the sieved flour mixture and mix well.
5. Beat egg whites till white in colour and add in sugar by thirds and beat till egg white is stiff.
6. Fold half portion of the egg white into egg yolk and blend well.
7. Pour the yolk mixture into the remaining egg white and blend well.
8. Spoon batter into paper cups lined with baking paper up to 80% full and bake at 180C for 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes:
- Cut baking paper into 19cm x 19cm put it on top of a paper cup then use another paper cup to push the baking paper into the cup (idea from Jo's Deli).
- Be careful not to dirty the baking paper while spooning in the batter otherwise you will get dark brown patches on the baking paper and the paper-lined sponge will not be presentable.
- The paper cups are tall so if you are baking in a small table top oven, for the first 10 - 12 minutes bake it in the middle rack then move it to the lower rack and bake till cooked.

Lidah Kucing a.k.a. Cat's Tongue Cookies

These cookies are quite popular back in Indonesia. Why the name is Lidah Kucing a.k.a. Cats Tongue cookies, maybe because of their long and thin shape. :) It’s just like butter cookies, a bit crunchy and easy to make.

Ingredients:
125 gr butter
80 gr icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
50 gr egg white
125 gr plain flour

Method:
- Preheat oven at 180C
- Cream butter, icing sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Add egg white bit by bit, beat until well combined.
- Fold in the flour, mix well.
- Put the batter into the piping bag, cut the end to made round tip.
- Start piping a long strip around 3-4cm length on the baking papers.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

NOTES:
Other flavour variation you may create such as mocca, cheese, chocolate, etc.

Mocca Swiss Roll

Looking at the beautifully baked Tiger Skin Swiss Roll by Anncoo, really encourage me to try on it. So during weekend, I made the chocolate ganache first, then the inside swiss roll, instead of using chocolate paste, I used mocca paste. The swiss roll is super soft, then I have to carefully remove it from the paper. Finally, I baked the tiger skin swiss roll ....... hahahaha .....there is no tiger skin after 12 min.
I don't know why, actually I can see some wavey on top skin, however, not too obvious. I guess maybe this is due to my oven ... not hot enough. I used 200 degree, I put in the middle rack, maybe next time I bake I will put on the top rack.

Since there is no tiger skin, then I need to rename it to Mocca Swiss Roll.

Nutella Bread Rolls

The original recipe named Marble bread from Sedap magazine. As I was lazy, I did not make the chocolate filling, but instead I replaced it with Nutella, then I re-name it to Nutella Bread Rolls hehehee … :)

Here is the half-recipe that I baked.

Ingredients:
A.
250 gr Bread flour
7 gr Milk powder
4 gr Instant Yeast
40 gr Sugar

B.30 gr Egg
25 gr Milk
65 gr Ice water

C.25 gr Butter
1 gr Salt

D.75 gr Pastry margarine

Filling: Nutella

Method:- Mix A until well-blended.
- Mix well B, then add in A and knead until well-blended.
- Add C and knead to form elastic dough. Set aside to proof in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough flat into rectangular shape. Spread the pastry margarine on top dough, then fold the dough from both ends to wrap up the pastry margarine (make 3 folds).

- Then roll the dough flat again, spread Nutella all over the dough, and wrap into 3 folds. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

- Then roll the dough flat again into rectangular shape, then wrap into 3 folds again, let it rest another 15 minutes.
- Roll it flat into 1 cm thickness. Cut around 1 cm width into long strips, roll it.

- Place it on the greased swiss roll tin, and let it proof for 45 minutes.
- Bake at 190C for 15 minutes.


Other pictures:

Chocolate Muffins

Recipe adapted from DailyDelicious