Fish Shaped Mooncake ^^ Happy Mooncakes Festival 2012

Happy Mooncake festival 2012 ! Today we did a small celebration at home.
This will be my last mooncake post for this year

 Recipe Adapted from Honey Bee Sweets. blogspot.com

Mooncake Skin :-

Makes 12 Mini Fish Mooncakes

225 gm Hong Kong Flour
135 gm Golden Syrup
1t alkaline water
55 gm Vegetable oil

240 gm Lotus paste

1) Measure out the Golden Syrup, alkaline water & oil into a small bowl.
2) Add in the flour, stir & knead till pialable dough ( does not stick to your hand)
3) Covered & rest for 30 mins.
4) Meanwhile , weigh the lotus paste to 20gm each. Rolled into ball .
5) After 30 mins resting time of the moon cake skin, weigh the skin dough to 25 gm each.
Wrap the lotus paste into the skin dough and put into the fish mould shape.
6) Dislodge the mini fish mooncake into a lined baking tray
7) baked at 170 C for 10 mins. Set aside to cool
8) Brush with egg wash & return to bake for another 15 mins.

Ready to go into oven.

Steamed Flower Bun with Crispy Bacon

Recipe adapted from a cookbook  by 孟老师
(Makes 7 pcs flower roll)

135gm water
250gm plain flour
15 gm sugar ( i used 40gm , cos i feel not sweet enough)
1T oil
3/4t yeast

Chopped bacons- fried  (i added)

Method :
Mix all the dough ingredients and knead till soft & smooth.
set aside , covered, rest for 5 mins
roll into a rectangle shaped , width 35 cm x 15 cm
Brush with some oil and spread the chopped bacon over the dough.
Shaped into flower roll.
Rest for 30 mins or till double.
Steamed from cool water for 17 mins. Turn to medium heat once water is boiling.
After 17 mins, off the fire and let stand for 3 mins before opening the lid.

A Birthday Cake - Chocolate Cake with Light Ganache & laquer Glaze

Today was hubby birthday. Despite renovation going on in our house, I managed to make a cake for his birthday. It was a chocolate cake made from clarified butter. It was soft and full of bitterness from the chocolate ! simple and elegant . I topped it with strawberry.

Lucious Strawberry 

Recipe adapted from wendyinkk.blogspot.com

Thanks wendy for sharing the wonderful recipe!!

shiny glaze...simply beautiful!

Recipe for Chocolate cake :-

60 gm clarified Butter - melted and add in 1t vanilla extract

60 gm cake flour-sieved

38gm cocoa powder (1 used valhorna cocoa powder)- sieved together with flour

5 grade A eggs

200 gm sugar ( i used 150 gm)

Preheat oven at 180C. Double boil egg & sugar, whisking till egg mixture is warm and sugar melted.

Remove from heat and whip the egg mixture till ribbon stage.

fold in flour & cocoa powder. Taking care not to deflate the air bubbles.

Drop 1 Cup of egg batter into the clarified butter. Mix well and pour back to the egg batter. Fold batter till well mixed. Bake in a 9" pan for 30 mins.

Light Ganache recipe:-

250 ml whipping cream

184gm Dark bitter chocolate

Warm up cream till you see small bubbles appeared at the side. Pour warm cream into the chocolate . Leave to stand for a minute. Then stir till all chocolate melted. Covered and fridge for at least 6 hours (i frigde overnite)

When ready to use, just whipped till thick and frost immediately

Lacquer Glaze :-

39gm cold water

1-1/8 tsp gelatin

100 gm sugar

59 gm water

21 gm corn syrup (i used golden syrup)

50 gm cocoa powder

58 gm whip cream

Place 39gm water in bowl & sprinkle in the gelatin. Let sit for 5 mins.

Cooked the sugar in 59 gm water till melted .. Turn off heat and add in the syrup and cocoa powder, followed by cream. stir well. return to heat till bubbles appeared at the side. Turn off fire and strained the mixture. Add in the gelatin, stir well. Leave to cool in fridge till 26 C before pouring to glaze cake

Once cake ready, slice into half, spread the whipped light ganache and let set in fridge for 2 hours before pouring the glaze. 

Happy Birthday Hubby !

want a bite ? Creamy and delicious! make sure you used dark bitter chocolate

Try it , you won't regret ! Cos the glaze was amazing!

Ever Popular - Hokkaido Milky Bread

 This bread is soft but not chewy . Normally i would bake this bread if in emergency case...haha ..Because no starter nor prefremented dough to be prepared a day in advance.During all my days of baking bread, a tips that is very important is to knead the dough till membrane stage in order to achieve soft fluffy bread.
Recipe please refer Hokkaido Milky Bun Galore

Green Tea (Matcha) Swiss Roll with White Chocolate Ganache

This is my second try in making white chocolate ganache. First time , the ganache separated during the whipping process...so i got to re-do the second time to get the correct ratio.

Do give this swiss roll a try...healthy , low sugar and so soft!
Recipe as below :-
(A)
5 yolks
25 gm caster sugar
45 gm corn oil
45 gm milk
75 gm Superfine Flour
1T Matcha Powder
(B)
5 whites
85 gm Caster Sugar ( 1 used 50 gm only)


White Chocolate Ganache :-
100 gm White Chocolate
100 gm Heavy Cream
100 gm Whipping Cream




Method :

Mix ingredients A till well combined or till you get a smooth batter. Set aside.

Whip B ingredients till stiff peaks formed. Fold in 1/3 of the whites into egg yolks mixture.
Then fold in carefully the egg yolks mixture to the whites. Do not deflate the bubbles.

Put the batter into a 10" x 14" swiss roll pan. Level it and tap hard on table .
Put into oven at preheated 175 C for 15 mins.

Meanwhile Prepared the White CHocolate Ganache.
Double Boiled the white chocolate and heavy cream  till chocolate melted . Put into fridge to cool down the mixture.
When the mixture is cooled and slightly thickens, whip the whipping cream on high speed till strokes appeared on the cream, then slowly pour in the melted chocolate. continued Whisk till stiff.
Spread immediately on the swiss roll and roll up . Rest in fridge for 30 mins before cutting.

Pizza - Pineapple & ham Pizza

Today making pizza for my son. We loves pizza especially homemade because you can mix in any flavors that you or your family prefers.

This one was the pineapple & ham thin crust pizza.

Recipe:

100 gm bread flour
100 gm cake flour
10 gm caster sugar (about 2 teaspoon)
1/2 t salt
2 gm instant yeast (about 1/2 teaspoon)
110gm water
10 gm extra virgin olive oil (1 Tablespoon)

Toppings of your choice.
Some shredded chesse (Mozarella, cheddar , parmesan)

Place all ingredients except olive oil in a mixing bowl, make sure that the yeast & salt do not contact each other.
Knead till dough leave the side of the bowl , then add in olive oil,
knead till you achieved a soft, smooth ,elastic dough

Proved the dough , covered, till double (picture 1 & 2), about an hour.
Lightly knead to release air. And roll flat (picture 3)
Put the dough onto a pizza pan (better with holes underneath , to get a better browning & crispier pizza)- picture 4.
Slowly pressed the dough to fit the pan ( i am using a 13" pan). Poke the dough with fork (picture 5 )
Let rest for 15 mins. After 15 mins, brushed (lightly) some olive oil on to the dough. Next, spread some tomato sauce, then some shredded mozarella cheese.
Follow by your preferred toppings ( i am using pineapple & ham).
Lastly , spread some shredded mix cheese (mozzarella, cheddar & parmesan) on top.
Let rest for 15 mins. Baked at preheated oven at 220 C for 12 mins or till pizza is lightly brown.

Traditional Mooncakes

Traditional Mooncakes is a must for my list when baking monncakes.

 Recipe as below :-

Makes 10 pcs Monncakes ( Outer Skin - 45 gm, Inner Fillings - 100 gms)

300 gm Hong Kong flour
90 gm peanut oil
195gm Golden Syrup ( Make in advance a year ahead)
1.5t alkaline water

Lotus paste - 1kg
Adequate Melon seeds ( 1 used 50 gm)
Salted egg yolks - 10 pcs (steamed for 10 mins, let cool)

Mix Oil, syrup & alkaline water. Stir to combine. Sieve in flour.  Dough will be very sticky at first. Knead well till non sticky to your hand.
Covered and rest for 1 hour at room temp .

After an hour, weigh the dough at 45 gm each. Fillings at 100 gm each.
Wrap in the salted egg yolks to the lotus paste .
Prepared the mould and wrap the fillings with the dough.
Release the moon cake from the mould straight onto a lined baking tin.  Rest for 10 mins.
Baked at preheated oven at 170 C for 10 mins.

After first baking for 10 mins.

Removed from oven, rest for at least 15 mins. brush with egg wash (1 yolk + 1T water).
Baked again at 180C for 15 Mins. Do not over baked moon cakes as the skin will turn hard.
Removed and cool well before storing. Traditional mooncake is best served after 3 days in order for the oil to release and soften the skin.

Happy Mooncake Festival.

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes

This year mooncake festival falls on 23rd September 2012.

Recipe adapted from Sonia

All packed up for delivery 

 This cheesy flavours Shanghai Mooncakes was my new flavors this year
Recipe as below makes 8 pcs Mooncakes (Outer Skin - 50 gm, Lotus paste fillings 50 gms

120 gm Butter
40 gm caster sugar
1-1/2T evaporated milk
2T Parmesan cheese powder
1T cornflour
180gm Hong Kong Flour

Lotus paste- 400 gm
Adequate amount of melon seeds (roasted)
Salted egg yolks - 8 pcs (steamed for 10 mins)

Method :-
Creamed Butter with caster sugar till creamy and fluffy. Slowly add in milk. Beat to mix well.
Lastly add in Parmesan Cheese, cornflour & hong kong flour.
Wrap dough & refirgerate for 30 mins.

Prepared the lotus paste fillings , weigh 50 gm each and wrap in the salted egg yolks.
After 30 mins, removed the dough from fridge and wrap in the lotus paste.

Wrapped up . Ready for 1st baking

Baked for 10 mins at preheated oven 180 C . removed from oven, rest for 15 mins. Brushed with egg wash (1yolk + 1T water) , decorate with melon seeds, and rebaked for another 20 mins.

Let cool completely before storing at air tight container

A birthday Celebration - Fresh Fruity Cake

Birthday celebration for my sister today.
Make a simple sponge cake with fresh fruits for her.

Recipe adapted from sonia

4 egg yolks (large)
20g caster sugar
50g corn oil
60g milk
1/2tsp vanilla extract
90g cake flour

4 egg white (large)
1/4tsp lemon juices or 1/4tsp cream of tartar
60g caster sugar

Method
1. Lightly whisk egg yolk with sugar.
2. Add in corn oil and milk, stir to combine.
3. Add in cake flour, mix well, set aside.
4. Add lemon juices into egg white, beat till foamy.
5. Gradually add in sugar, beat till stiff peaks
6. Take 1/3 portion of egg white mixture and use hand whisk to mix with egg yolk mixture till light.
7. Fold the balance of egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture, combine well.
8. Pour batter into the pan (don’t line with paper), bake at pre-heated oven at 140c for 25mins (at lower rack), then increase to 170C (at lower rack) and continue to bake for 30mins.

For Decoration :-
400gm non-dairy whipping cream
1 canned halves peach
strawberry
golden kiwi

After the cake cooled, slice evenly to 3 slices.

 

Whip the non dairy whipping cream till stiff

Slice cake evenly

fillings

Do a crumb coat & fridge for 15 mins to set

After crumb coating. you may decorate as you wish. 
Best served cake when cooled.

Honey Bread (With prefremented dough)

This was my second time baking this soft soft bread.

Recipe adapted from Honeybeesweet.blogspot.com

Prefremented dough :-
250gm bread flour
160ml water
3gm instant yeast


Knead till pliable dough, no need to be smooth. Chill for 12 hours in the fridge or maximum 3 months inside freezer , covered .

Main Dough :-

270 gm Bread Flour
30gm cake flour
70 gm prefremented dough (above)
3 gm salt
12 gm milk powder
15 gm brown sugar
40gm honey
6 gm yeast
80 gm egg
8 ml fresh milk
35 gm butter

Knead the above till membrane stage. Covered and proved for an hour or till double .
Lightly knead to release air. Rest for 10 mins.
Then roll and shaped the dough. Proved second time till double .
Baked at preheated oven at 180 C for 30 mins.

Butter split top Honey bread

Verdict : Soft, Bouncy bread with slight tinge of honey smell.

Easy to achieve membranne stage , 1-1/2 cylce on bread maker.

Try it !

Macarons

First time doing this macaroons, really temperate little pastry . Every steps need to be done precisely and with love !

Recipe as below using French Meringue method :-

53gm egg whites
28gm caster sugar

83gm icing sugar
64 gm ground almond

Sieve ground almond with icing sugar . throw away all the bits of almond .
Beat egg whites with caster sugar till near stiff peak.
fold in the almond and icing mixture . Stop when you test by drop the mixture and the peaks dissolved in the count of 10.

Pipe 1-1/2" in diameter on a baking paper. Tap hard on bench to release the air. Dry out the macarons till dry skin form.
Preheat oven to 180 C , turn down to 150 C and put in the macarons, bake for 14 mins.

Pipe out macaroons, no peaks , as peaks will dissolved by itself if proper macaronage is done

Unfilled Macarons , with feet ! yay!

Look ! No hollow ....yippeee!!

Filled macarons with dark chocolate ganache, Yum!

Macarons all finished up within an hour , really nice !