Mixed Berries Yoghurt Chiffon Cake 杂莓优格戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (for a 20 cm tube pan) :

Group A (Egg Yolk Batter) Ingredients

• 5 egg yolks (est. 65 gm egg each)
• 30 gm castor sugar
• 70 gm cake flour (sieved beforehand)
• 55 ml vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (sieved beforehand)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 60 ml mixed berries yoghurt drink
• 1 to 2 drops red gel food colouring (I used Wilton) if your yoghurt drink has no colour. I used Farm Fresh brand yoghurt drink (available at NTUC Finest) that has no colouring.

Group B (Egg White Batter) Ingredients

• 5 egg whites (est. 65 gm egg each)
• 50 gm sugar (subject to your preferred sweetness level)
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon) 

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 150C (upper and lower heat, no fan). To prepare for steam bake, pour about 3 to 4 cups water into a tray and insert below baking rack.
2. In a large bowl, combine yolks and sugar and beat till mixture's light and fluffy.
3. Fold in oil, mixed berries yogurt drink and 1 drop of red gel food colouring (if your mixed berries yoghurt drink has no colour) into same bowl and mix well. 
4. Slowly fold in flour, baking powder, salt and mix till a smooth batter is formed. Set aside.
5. In a separate clean mixing bowl, add egg whites and whisk till foamy. 
6. Start mixer and slowly fold in cream of tartar and sugar till stiff peak is formed 
7. Gently fold in meringue into Group A's egg yolk batter in 3 batches. Each time, use a spatula to fold gently and swiftly. 
8. Check if the batter colour is what you desire. Adjust by adding another drop of red gel food colouring if necessary.
9. Final cake batter (i.e. Group A + Group B) all ready when no streaks remain.
10. Transfer batter to a 20 cm tube pan.
11. Tap baking pan against kitchen top a few times to rid air bubbles.
12. Use a satay stick to quickly stir through the cake batter in the baking tin as a final attempt to remove air bubbles if necessary. 
13. Steam bake in oven at 150C for +/-60 minutes. 
14. Remove from oven once satisfied with the colour of cake at the end of baking time.
15. Immediately invert to cool. 
16. Wait till cake is completely cooled down before dislodging from tube pan.
17. Slice and serve.

Do note that temperature and baking time may vary in accordance to different oven makes, sizes and  performances. Make your own adjustments as you know your oven better. 

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If you prefer, you may apply just 4 eggs in this recipe. Everything else remains the same except you get a shorter cake, like the one in the 2 pics below. 

I added 2 drops of red gel food colouring because the yoghurt drink that I used has no colour. If your yoghurt drink is already in your desired colour, you may not need to use food colouring. 

Mango Yoghurt Chiffon 芒果优格戚风蛋糕

Ingredients (for a 20 cm tube pan) :

Group A (Egg Yolk Batter) Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks (est. 65 gm egg each)
• 30 gm castor sugar
• 70 gm cake flour (sieved beforehand)
• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp baking powder (sieved beforehand)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 60 ml mango yoghurt drink

Group B (Egg White Batter) Ingredients

• 4 egg whites (est. 65 gm egg each)
• 50 gm sugar (subject to your preferred sweetness level)
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon) 

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 150C (upper and lower heat, no fan). To prepare for steam bake, pour hot water into a tray and insert below baking rack.
2. In a large bowl, combine yolks and sugar and beat till mixture's light and fluffy.
3. Fold in oil, mango yogurt drink into same bowl and mix well. 
4. Slowly fold in flour, baking powder, salt and mix till a smooth batter is formed. Set aside.
5. In a separate clean mixing bowl, add egg whites and whisk till foamy. 
6. Start mixer and slowly fold in cream of tartar and sugar till stiff peak is formed 
7. Gently fold in meringue into Group A's egg yolk batter in 3 batches. Each time, use a spatula to fold gently and swiftly. 
8. Final cake batter (i.e. Group A + Group B) all ready when no streaks remain.
9. Transfer batter to a 20 cm tube pan.
10. Tap baking pan against kitchen top a few times to rid air bubbles.
11. Use a satay stick to quickly stir through the cake batter in the baking tin as a final attempt to remove air bubbles if necessary. 
12. Steam bake in oven at 150C for +/-70 minutes. 
13. Remove from oven once satisfied with the colour of cake at the end of baking time.
14. Immediately invert to cool. 
15. Wait till cake is completely cooled down before dislodging from tube pan.
16. Slice and serve.

Do note that temperature and baking time may vary in accordance to different oven makes, sizes and  performances. Make your own adjustments as you know your oven better. 

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Coffee Agar Agar Zebra Chiffon 咖啡布丁戚风蛋糕

I couldn't make up my mind. I wanted to try baking a custard layered cake but I do not have all the essential ingredients. I wanted to try baking a zebra chiffon but I'd never done it before.....So in the end...I married them all and did a Coffee Agar Agar Zebra Chiffon 咖啡布丁戚风蛋糕. It's my own creation. I used both instant coffee and coffee liquor to get a nice coffee aroma. Loving it! 

Group A - Cake Ingredients (For Yolk Batter) :

• 120 gm TOP or cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 egg yolks (est. 65 gm eggs)
• 2 tbsp kopi-o instant coffee
• 1 tbsp coffee liquor (optional) 
• 80 ml full cream milk
• 75 ml vegetable oil
• 30 gm sugar

Group B - Cake Ingredients (For Egg White Meringue) :

• 5 egg whites (est. 65 gm eggs)
• 80 gm sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (sieve beforehand)(to create darker colour meringue)

Group C - Coffee Agar Agar Ingredients :

• 10 gm agar agar powder
• 100 ml full cream milk
• 1150 ml water
• 1 sachet kopi-o instant coffee bag
• 1 tbsp coffee liquor (optional)
• 80 gm sugar (or to taste)

Method :

1. Sieve top or cake flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, add egg yolks with other Group A's ingredients (i.e. sugar, milk, instant coffee, coffee liquor, and vegetable oil. Whisk till even.
3. Fold in sieved cake flour and baking powder bit by bit. Whisk till even.
4. Pre-heat oven to 150C. Add a tray of water in the oven (for steam baking).
5. In a mixer, fold in egg whites and cream of tartar (from Group B). 
6. Start mixing at low speed. Add sugar slowly (from Group B).
7. Turn mixer to medium speed and mix till firm peak.
8. Combine meringue onto egg yolks mixture in 3 batches. Gently fold till even.
9. Divide combined cake mixtures into 2 equal bowls. 
10. Mix cocoa powder (from Group B) into only one bowl and gently fold to create a darker cake mixture.
11. Line baking paper at bottom of a 7-inch round cake tin.
12. Gently fold in alternate colours into cake tin layer by layer. Scoop equal amount of each colour every time. 
13. Gently tap cake tin few times to remove any air bubbles after each layer.
14. Steam bake at 150C for +/- 70 minutes (subject to oven size and brand).
15. Insert bamboo skewer into cake to check if they are fully cooked. 
16. Remove from oven when ready. Immediately dislodge cakes from tin.
17. Allow cakes to cool completely to room temperature on cooling rack.
18. Meanwhile, prepare coffee agar agar by bringing to boil all the Group C ingredients in a pot at low heat. Keep stirring till the jelly powder and sugar are fully dissolved and turn off heat when mixture starts bubbling. 
19. Discard instant coffee satchet. Sieve agar agar mixture till desired smooth texture.
20. Fold in a thin layer of agar agar mixture onto a very clean cake tin. Allow to cool for 1 minute. Arrange the entire cake into cake tin (leaving some space all round). Scoop agar agar mixture over it until the top is nice and smoothly covered. 
21. Allow to cool in room temperature before chilling them overnight in refrigerator. 
22. When agar agar is set overnight, dislodge entire cake from tin. Slice and serve.

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Savoury Treasures in Konnyaku 蒟蒻宝中宝

This savoury konnyaku can be served as a cold dish/starter on any dining table. It's full of treasures embedded in the cool jelly! Just like digging for treasures! 好像寻宝一样! The CP chicken gyoza is surely the jewel amongst the treasures! Refreshing, yummy and easy to make in just 5 simple steps!

Unique on first bite, but the more you dig in, the more you'd be enchanted with the layerings of flavours : Sweet (from konnyaku and wolf berries). Savoury (from gyoza and chicken stock). Tangy (from fresh ginger shreds and vinegar). Fragrance (from the osmanthus). Very refreshing yet enticing.

#CPCreativeGyoza @CP Singapore

Recipe : 

Ingredients


• 8 pcs frozen CP chicken gyoza
• 250 ml chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
• 500ml water
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 150 gm konnyaku jelly powder
• 1 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers
• 1 tbsp wolfberries (pre-soaked and drained)
• 1 pc 3 to 4 inch sized ginger (peeled and shredded)
• a handful coriander
• a pinch of salt


Method

1. Steam frozen CP chicken gyoza for 15 to 20 minutes and set aside to cool down.
2. Line 8 tart moulds (egg tart size) with coriander, wolf berries and shredded ginger. Insert 1 pc CP chicken gyoza into each tart mould. Set aside.
3. Bring chicken stock, water and vinegar to boil in a pot. At low heat, add osmanthus flowers, konnyaku jelly powder and a pinch of salt. Keep stirring till the konnyaku powder is fully dissolved and turn off heat when mixture starts bubbling. 
4. Fold mixture onto tart moulds and allow to cool in room temperature before chilling them in refrigerator. 
5. Dismount from tart moulds and serve when konnyaku is set.

Castella Cake (Coconut Cream) 椰香古早味蛋糕

There's a recent craze about Taiwanese Castella Cakes (or Kasutera Cakes) in Singapore. My sister-in-law queued almost an hour for the Original Castella Cake few days ago. I told my husband that I could bake for him instead. Upon his request, I'd instilled a very subtle tinge of local touch and made it a little more flavourful by using coconut oil and coconut cream to replace the normal vegetable oil and milk. This Castella Cake (Coconut Cream) 椰香古早味蛋糕 yielded me wonderful texture, fragrance and flavour I must say! Do you believe that I didn't see any loose crumb falling off the cake from the time I removed it from the oven, cooled, sliced, took photos and stored?

You'll be disappointed if you're expecting a pungent coconut flavoured cake. In this version, the coconut fragrance and taste were very subtle as I did not use any essence or flavourings besides coconut cream and coconut oil. My intention was still to keep it as close to the Original Castella Cake as possible. 

Ingredients (for a 7-inch square baking tin) :

Group A Ingredients

• 70 ml coconut oil
• 90 gm cake flour or top flour (sieved beforehand)
• 65 ml coconut cream
• 6 large egg yolks (I used 70 gm eggs)

Group B Ingredients

• 6 large egg whites (I used 70 gm eggs)
• 80 to 85 gm sugar (subject to your preferred sweetness level)
• 1/5 tsp salt

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon) 

Method :

1. Lay baking paper in 7-inch square baking tin (refer to pic below). 
2. Pre-heat oven to 140C (upper and lower heat, no fan). To prepare for steam bake, pour hot water into a tray and insert below baking rack (refer to pic below).
3. Heat coconut oil in saucepan till fragrance emits. Set aside.
4. In a separate saucepan, heat coconut cream at low heat. Turn off heat immediately upon bubbling. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, combine hot coconut oil with flour. Mix well till there's no more clumps. 
6. Fold in coconut cream and egg yolks into same bowl and mix till a smooth batter is formed. Set aside.
7. In a separate mixing bowl, add salt to egg whites.
8. Start mixer and slowly fold in sugar till firm peak is formed (I used a KitchenAid Mixer - Speed 1 for 1 minute then Speed 8 for another 1 to 1.5 minute. Have to eyeball to decide).
9. Gently fold in meringue into Group A's egg yolk batter in 3 batches. Each time, use a spatula to fold gently and swiftly. 
10. Final cake batter (i.e. Group A + Group B) all ready when no streaks remain.
11. Transfer batter to lined baking tin.
12. Tap baking tin against kitchen top a few times to rid air bubbles.
13. Use a satay stick to quickly stir through the cake batter in the baking tin as a final attempt to remove air bubbles if necessary. 
14. Steam bake in oven at 140C for 70 minutes. Then 150C for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Do not attempt to open oven door while making the adjustments as it would impact the temperature and the cake may shrink.
15. Remove from oven once satisfied with the colour of cake at the end of baking time.
16. Immediately tap baking tin on a kitchen top a few times to prevent shrinkage.
17. Remove cake from baking tin and baking paper.
18. Leave cake to cool before slicing.
19. Store in airtight container(s) in refrigerator after sliced.

Do note that temperature and baking time may vary in accordance to different oven makes, sizes and  performances.  

(scroll to bottom of page, click on "Print" or "PDF" icon for printer friendly recipe)