Famous Taiwan Castella Sponge Cake

26.05.2017 Talk of the town recently this cake is selling like HOT CAKE!! hahaha....It is a HOT CAKE! Yes its the Taiwan Castella Sponge Cake im talking about.  Its starting branching in some part of Malaysia and Singapore because of the high demand and all that sensational story about this cake, everyone is talking about it and some trying to bake them to get a first hand experience themselves, one of them is me.... lol*

I have not try the real / original cake, but here i bake one, so its just basically a spongy sponge cake, i do not want to condemn much about the test as i have not try the real one yet.

When reading about this cake, people always complain about the long queue for a piece of sponge cake!  Now what is it so special?  Im curious to know too and thats why i got this recipe today from Steph's Wonder and immediately i try out to see what is all about. 

While im baking this cake, i can't wait to see it rise! When its done in one hour, immediately took it out from oven, flip over when it is still piping hot! i do it like how it should be, remove, flip and cut.  The truth reveal....testing time, Taste...... just like an ordinary sponge cake!!! Good.... but just a plain sponge cake.... lol**  Anyway, its nice to eat when its warm, I like the texture spongy and basically that's it. I hope my recipe is the right sponge cake that i am looking for. 

My point of view, maybe many people curious and attracted the way they present the cake when its out from the oven, its steaming hot, a big cake, beautiful fluffy looking cake, they flip, they measure and cut, its kind of a new naked cake show we do not see from any bakery in century, its basically a good presentation and they did break the record of how good the idea is selling their product.  Its kind of impressive for many especially those cake lovers, i think that is all about a sponge cake!   

I will try to bake another famous sponge cake with cheese, probably that makes some difference.

CASTELLA SPONGE CAKE
6 egg yolks
75g oil
60g milk
90g cake flour

6 egg whites ( used cold egg whites from the fridge )
75g caster sugar
1g salt ( dash of salt )

METHOD:-
* 8" square pan, lightly grease with oil side and bottom, line grease paper side and bottom, insert cardboard at 4 side of square pan.
* Heat oil in microwave for 2 minutes. or heat with a sauce pan, once it is hot, remove pan from stove.
* Mix in sifted flour into hot oil mix well with a balloon whisk.
* Add in milk slowly, mix evenly and continue with egg yolks add into mixture, mix until all combine into smooth batter.
* Beat white and salt and gradually add in sugar until soft to stiff peak.
* Add meringue 1/3 meringue into batter with whisk, mix well, fold in 2nd 1/3 portion mix gently and is ok if u see some meringue not totally mix through and fold in the batter into the remaining 1/3 portion of meringue, fold with a spatula gently until all combine.
* Preheat oven 150c steambath ( i preheat my oven at 170c with steambath )
* Steam bake 150c for 1 hour ( i steam bake at 170c for 1 hour center oven ) 
* If you find the finishing result bottom cake is dense, you can remove water, continue bake another 10 minutes "lower oven heat only" with a lower temperature to dry off the cake bottom.
* When it is done, remove cake from oven, flip over remove grease paper, and invert cake on clean grease paper or plate. cut cake while its hot and eat warm.

Happy Baking!!

Rose Zebra Stripes Ogura Cake

I love rose smell, syrup, aroma, fragrance, anything smell rose is my favourite.  I have been wanted to make something with Rose.  Happily, I found Rose Paste, haven't seen Rose Essence or Rose Water around, anyway i am happy enough to find Rose Paste, i can start making one Rose Cake now.

Here i used Jeannietay BluePea Ogura recipe to create a Rose flavour Ogura Cake to the next level..... lol *feeling crazy.   This recipe is very straight forward and easy, i just added a tsp of Rose Paste into batter. If you want to create a darker color or stronger rose flavour, you may add 1tbsp of paste instead of 1tsp or just add 1tsp of Rose Essence.

You may notice that this cake has a weird looking stripes, i did it on purpose to create another looking stripes instead of the regular zebra stripes.

Beautiful Rose Zebra stripes Ogura Cake, so soft, delicious, delicate, 

every bite taste and smell so rosy and a beautiful pink color.

ROSE ZEBRA STRIPES OGURA CAKE
50g Oil
60g milk
Pinch of salt ( i omit this )
5 egg yolks (100g ) + 1 whole egg ( size B )
65g plain flour
10g pandan coconut powder
1tsp Rose Paste
5 egg whites (200g)
80g caster sugar
1/2tsp cream of tartar ( i used 1/4tsp )

METHOD:-
* 8" round pan, line bottom grease side, set aside.
* Beat white & sugar until stiff peak and set aside for later use.
* Beat egg yolks + 1 whole egg until light to double volume, add in oil, water mix slowly until all combine and sift in flour with a hand whisk slowly until all combine.
* Mix in meringue into 3 batches, 1st fold in 1/3 portion with hand whisk until all combine, 2nd fold in 1/3 portion mix gently and is ok if u see some meringue not totally mix through but continue add in the last remaining portion, fold with a spatula gently until all combine.
* Divide batter into 2 bowls.  Mix in Rose Paste into one portion ( Ensure plain batter is slightly more than Rose batter. )  With a spoon, scoop batter into baking pan in 5 separates dollops like flower petals and one in the middle a dollop, about 2-3tbsp each dollop, continue alternatively until top.  When the circle getting smaller, reduce tablespoons of batter into 1 tbsp.  
* Pre-heated oven at 170c with waterbath
* Bake at 170c, for 1hour center oven.  Removed waterbath, move tray into lower rack continue bake for another 30 minutes.
* Remove cake from oven, wait for few minutes until cake pull away from pan to unmould cake.  Cake cooked perfectly with no cracks :)

Happy Baking!!

 Which ever batter is more, use as the 1st layer to do the stripes 

and continue alternatively. As i did another way round, there for i end up with

alot of pink covering the plain batter :(

Mango Mousse Cake

15.05.2017 - Mousse, sounds yummy already! am i right. Lets get into the recipe :)

SPONGE CAKE RECIPE 
( recipe by mandybakingjourney i modified a little bit here and there )

3 eggs ( medium )
90g flour
1/2tsp baking powder ( added )
pinch of salt
35g oil
30g water
1/2tsp vanilla
90g sugar ( i reduce to 50g sugar )

* Grease 6" pan line base, grease side with butter.
* whisk water, oil and vanilla in a small bowl set aside.
* beat eggs until ribbon stage, sift in flour 3 batches, fold in very gently with a balloon whisk do not over mix and deflate the mixture ( or else the sponge won't rise and lost it fluffiness), add ( water+oil+vanilla ) slowly fold until combine with a spatula.
* Bake 180c for 30 minutes center rack.
* Done, removed from oven, wait for few 10 minutes in the pan, let cake pull away from pan and invert cake to the wire rack and set aside for later used.
* When cake is cool, cut into 2 layers.

MANGO MOUSSE RECIPE
( recipe by allthatmatters )

You will need about 4-5 large sweet Mangoes
( for mousse, mango cubes for mousse filling in between the cake layers, topping and decoration. )

300g Mango ( peeled ) + 3tbsp power sugar
17g gelatin powder + 60g hot water
220g cubes Mango ( for fillings in the mousse )

* Puree Mango with 3tbsp power sugar.
* Dissolve gelatin with hot water, once it is in room temperature.  Mix in mango puree set aside.
* Beat whip cream until stiff peak, fold in mango puree gently with a whisk and change to spatula until all combine and set in the fridge for later use.

MANGO TOPPING RECIPE
150g Mango Puree
1tbsp gelatin powder + 4 1/2tbsp hot water

* Dissolve gelatin powder into hot water. set aside
* puree mango and mix in gelatin water.
* Pour Mango Topping into mousse cake, let it chill for 2 hours.

MANGO MOUSSE CAKE ASSEMBLY 
* Ready 8" Spring Pan, Place a layer of cake in the center of the spring pan.
* seperates mousse into equal portion.  Pour the 1st portion mouse about half amount to cover the cake and add in mango cubes.  Cover the cubes with the remaining mousse.
* Repeat, put another layer of cake in the center, make sure you lightly press the cake down a little.
* Pour the remaining 2nd portion of mousse all the way to the top of the pan.
* use a rubber scrap to smooth the top and chilled for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
* Add in Mango Topping let it chilled for 4 hours or overnight is the best
* i have extra mousse, due to a smaller pan used, so i make another 2 cups of mousse cake.
* To remove the cake from ring, blow with a hair dyer for few second not too long and remove ring and serve chilled.

Happy Baking!!

This is really so so delicious!! Aaahh.........hmmmm

Yam Swiss Roll

21.05.2017 - Purple Purple Purple..... love purple. I have got this lovely Taro Paste which i just bought and how i love the fragrance that makes me think of something to bake and so i thought of making a simple Swiss Roll.  The sponge cake so soft and fluffy! it was a success creation! The only thing i wasn't really like about is my sugar measurement not to my liking, it was too sweet for me, to those who love sweet, i think that sweetness level wouldn't be a problem, but for me i will definitely reduce sugar the next time, i will go for 35-40g :)  

Back to the paste issue......I seriously like this brand "MAGLAM" very much, it is so thick, concentrate and the fragrance is so nature and strong.  If you ever find this brand the nearest to you, get all of these flavours to stock for future use.  So far its the best paste i have ever discovered.  I've got Coffee Mocha, Chocolate, Pandan Wangi and the latest addition is the Taro/Yam flavour.... *hahaa... < *L*>  You can use this in any pastry making like bread, cake, ice cream, kueh, frosting, crepes, waffles, pancakes etc....etc Its very useful indeed.

Little bit about my baking pan, I have a small oven, so my oven can only fit in 11" x 8.5".  As you can see my Swiss Roll does look smaller, thicker, not so much rolls..  If you have a bigger oven, you can used a pan size 11" x 14" and the swiss roll will definitely looks better, thinner and could make more rolls with it. :)

Anyway, I hope all of you will try out my recipe! Good Luck and Happy Baking!!

YAM SWISS ROLL
4 medium egg yolks
60g caster sugar ( separates sugar into half for egg whites )
33g oil
40ml fresh milk
1tbsp Taro/Yam Paste ( could add more for darker color and stronger flavour )
Purple Coloring ( optional )
67g All Purpose Flour ( sifted ) ( if you use cake flour, you can skip BP )
1/2tsp Baking Powder

4 medium egg yolks
1/4tsp Cream of Tartar
half sugar from 60g above

SWISS ROLL FILLING
3/4 cup Whipping Cream ( May use 1 cup for bigger swiss roll and add in some cooked yam cubes )
* Whipped cream to stiff peak, set in the fridge for filling and decoration.

DECORATION ( you can decorate your own desire )
Pipping Gel
Strawberries
* I use store bought clear pipping gel, added few drops of purple food coloring.  You can add any color of your desire. If you do not have pipping gel available the nearest to you.  Here is the link how to make piping gel your own as easy as 123 :)

Method:-
* Grease and line a rectangle 11" x 8.9" pan, set aside.
* Beat white and sugar til stiff peak and set aside for later use.
* Beat egg yolks and sugar till light to double volume,  sift in ( flour+BP) with a hand whisk slowly ( Do not over mix ) and mix ( oil, milk and paste ) with a balloon whisk slowly until well combined.
* Mix in meringue into 3 batches, 1st fold in 1/3 portion with hand whisk until all combine, 2nd fold in 1/3 portion mix gently and is ok if u see some meringue not totally mix through but continue add in the last remaining portion, fold with a spatula gently until all combine.
* Preheated oven at 180c, bake for 25 mins center oven.
* When its done, removing cake from oven, wait for few minutes, removed cake from pan and carefully remove the baking sheet and roll up the while its still warm. skin side up. Let it cool on the rack.
* When it is cool, unfold the cake and fill in whipped cream and gently roll it back, keep in fridge and let it chill at least 2 hours before serve.

My morning Breakfast :) with extra strawberries to balance out the sweetness... hahaha..

Neapolitan Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Floral Wreath Arrangement

07.05.2017 - I was thinking about school time 3 colors cake, so Neapolitan comes to my mind.  Use a basic vanilla sponge cake to create 3 colors favour sponge base and frost with Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

When this comes in last minute, i always end up busy googling and search for the best i could.  i was looking for Korean Glossy Buttercream recipe but seems like no one is kind enough to really post that or share that entirely.  So i just used SMBC recipe.  I have a little disappointment on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream floral making, the SMBC itself was perfected for frosting the entire cake but however, its not enough structure to pipe a simple floral for my decoration, i don't know what actually is the problem after i have mixed in colors, it turn so soft and just too soft to pipe.  I have probably over whipped occur too much air soften the cream, so much mixing or its not cold enough to pipe.  So i end up throwing and all that SMBC away duh..... and whip another new batch of SMBC for decoration and this time, i try not to over whipped it and it helps but i am still very disappointed with the piping and color mixing. so much to improve.   have do my best to at least pipe some as in the picture.  I will definitely try again with Italian Meringue Buttercream next time to create more realistic florals and get that Korean glossy buttercream consistensy.

Anyway, forget about the decoration! The starring is all about that 3 beautiful layers of flavourful delicious Neapolitan Cake. I really love the sponge cake that i picked for my creation, very satisfy with the cake baking indeed. So delicious!

VANILA SPONGE CAKE
( used 8" round pan )

5 egg yolks ( medium - large )
25g caster sugar
1tsp vanilla
85g water
65g oil
135g Cake flour ( for this time, i ran out of cake flour so i used APF, added DAP, u can skip the DAP if use Cake Flour ) 
1/2tsp double acting powder
1/2tsp vanilla paste
1/2tsp strawberry paste
1/2tsp chocolate paste
5 egg whites
90g sugar
1/2tsp cream of tartar

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:- ( this recipe can use for 16-24 cupcakes )
4 large egg whites
1cup caster sugar
1/4tsp salt
1 1/2cup ( 3 sticks ) unsalted butter
1tsp vanilla
colouring

METHOD:-

* Grease and line 8" pan base only.
* Beat white & sugar until stiff peak and set aside for later use.
* Beat egg yolks and sugar till light to double volumn, add in vanilla, oil, water slowly until all combine and sift in flour with a hand whisk slowly until all combine.
* Mix in meringue into 3 batches, 1st fold in 1/3 portion with hand whisk until all combine, 2nd fold in 1/3 portion mix gently and is ok if u see some meringue not totally mix through but continue add in the last remaining portion, fold with a spatula gently until all combine.
* Separates into 3 equal portion, add in vanilla paste, strawberry paste and chocolate paste into each bowl.
* Pour into prepared 8" pan, I bake with 2 pan, rotate the baking.
* Pre-heated oven at 180c, bake for 20 mins each cake.
* When its done, removing cake from oven, wait for few minutes until cake pull away from pan to unmould.

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting ( 1 )

03.01.2017 - Happy New Year to all!! I hope the Rooster year 2017 bring me luck, fortune, love and health all the way until the end and all the way until i die!!  *smile

This is my 1st cake in 2017. :) Has no intention to make red velvet cake actually, but this is my siblings fault *lol..... I was so dying to eat red velvet cake after one of my sister show me her red velvet cake and so i decided to make one all for myself *greedy mode *lol

I was always wanted to bake a Red Velvet whole cake as i did long ago with little cupcakes but i didn't really like the taste perhaps i wasnt good in baking that time.  However, im glad i decided to bake this again and happy that the cake turn out to be perfected.  It was totally taste as good as the one i ate long ago at a cafe.  This cake was super soft, delicious and delicate.  Im glad to pick Jeannietay's Blog recipe, She has an amazing skill and baking recipes, love her blog and all her recipes sharing.   Here is link  red-velvet-cake/

For the frosting, i used Munira Frosting.  ( This blog forgotten to post until today, so sorry if you happen to see 2 red velvet cake post at the same time! :::) :) and this is my 1st Red Velvet Cake