Eggless Apricot Almond Madeleine

(makes 25 mini cupcakes)

Ingredients (A):

Corn starch 15g

Plain flour 130g

Baking powder 1 tsp

Ingredients (B):

Salt 0.5 tsp

Light brown sugar 65g

Corn Syrup 20g

Melted butter 136g

Milk 120g

Ingredients (C):

Filling = Handful of apricot cut into bits 

Topping = Almond Slivers/Slices/bits

Steps:

1. Mix n sift dry ingredients (A).

2. Mix (B) until sugar is dissolved and well mixed into wet mixture.

3. Add wet mixture from #2 into dry ingredients from #1 and mix well.

4. Keep mixed batter into fridge for at least 30mins to make sure batter is form in thick paste batter.

5. Pipe or scoop into mini cupcake cup.

6. Add Apricot in between batter and top up with Almond bits.

7. Bake at 170 degree for 20 to 30 mins until well cooked and Almond is light brown color.

Note:

1. If using Madeleine mould, sprinkle flour on mould before piping batter.

2. Madeleine taste better the next day of baking. 

Eggless Lemon Cranberry Pound Cake

Make 2 sets of mini pound cake tin (5 x 5 x 15 cm)

(A)
Oil        40g
Milk   190g
Sugar   65g
Vanilla essence   1/2tsp

(B)
Lemon Juice             20g

(C)
Cake Flour              150g
High Protien Flour   20g
Almond Flour           40g
Baking Powder          7g
Lemon Peel               1 tsp

Filling/Topping:
Cranberry          15g (soak in advance or overnight)
Almond Nuts    15g

Preheat oven to 180 to 190 degree for 20 mins.
Line or oiled baking mould 

1. Soak dried fruits amd squeeze out extra water. Before bake, add little cake flour to coat (optional).

2. Mix all Dry ingredients (B) together.

3. Mix all Wet ingredients(A) with balloon whisk till well mixed.

4. Mix Dry ingredients from #2 into Wet Ingredients #3  in 3 batches.

5. Add most of almond bits into batter (leave some for topping) and use cutting method to mix well.

6. Pour half of batter into mould and add cranberries (leave some for topping) then top up with rest of batter.

7. Sprinkle balance almond bits and cranberries on top of batter.

8. Drop tin on table top to release air pockets.

9.  Bake for 30 to 40 mins.

Notes:
1. Bake at higher temp (180 or 190 degree for first 15 to 20 mins).

Eggless Banana with Date and Walnut Cake

(A)
180g cake flour or 1 1/2 cup
(optional: Substitute 5g with cinnamon powder)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

(B)
3 ripe bananas mashed

(C)
20g brown sugar
30g to 40g sugar (depending on how ripe is the banana)
75g oil 1/3 cup
60g yoghurt 1/4 cup
1 tsp vanilla essence or rum

Others:
Filling: 65g walnuts and 60g dates
Extra walnuts to decorate the top

1. Whisk (C) until well mixed.
2. Mix in (B).
3. Gently fold in (A) - Do not overmix.
4. Add in the dates and walnuts just before well mixed.
5. Preheat 180 degree
6. Bake lined cake tin for 50 to 55 mins.
7. Leave it on rack to cool before slicing.

Super Moist Pandan Chiffon Cake

Ingredients
·        Cake Flour              100g
·        Corn Flour              15

·        Salt                       1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon
·        Egg Yolks               6
·        Sugar                    30g
·        Kara coconut milk    225g
·        Sugar                    30g
·        Oil                        30g

·        Pandan juice 100ml (60 leaves + 3/4 cup water and let it settle for 1 hr)

·        Egg White              7
·        Sugar                    55g
·        Cream of Tartar       1/4 tsp or 1/2 tsp lemon juice


Steps:
1)      Pre heat the oven to 160 degree.

2)      Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and add 30g sugar. Stirring slowly to dissolve the sugar and smoke start to form.

3)      Set aside; add oil follow by pandan juice then cool mixture.

4)      Whisk the egg yolk with the other 30g sugar till thick and pale. Slowly add the warm pandan coconut milk.

5)      Gently fold in the sieved flour and salt.

6)      Using a balloon whisk gently fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and blend well. Follow by two more steps with the balance 2/3.

7)      Place the finished mixture in an ungreased chiffon cake mold. Level and band the filled cake tin 5 times.

8)      Cover the cake tin with aluminum foil and bake in the oven (bottom rack) at 160 degree for 45 mins.

9)      Remove aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 10 to 20 mins depending on oven and size of cake tin.

10)   Remove from oven and immediately reverse it on rack to cool.

11)   Only remove cake from tin when it is completely cool.

Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake

Chocolate Sponge cake (9" Round):

Large Egg Yolks - 4

Castor Sugar - 90g
Self Raising flour - 120g  (or 1 cup Plain Flour + 1  1/2 tsp. Baking Powder + 1/2 tsp Salt)
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Corn Oil - 50g
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp



Large Egg White  - 4 ½

Cream of Tartar - 1/4 tsp (or 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
Castor Sugar - 60g



Cocoa Powder - 30g
Hot Water - 120g (Stir and dissolve cocoa powder in hot water to form cocoa mixture)

Method:
1) Preheat oven at 180C.
2) Sieve all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda and baking powder).
3) Beat egg yolks and sugar until sugar dissolve and become pale yellow color.
4) Add oil, vanilla essence and cocoa mixture into egg yolk batter and mix well.
5) Fold in dry ingredients gently into mixed egg batter with a balloon whisk.

6) Beat egg white with cream of tartar (or lemon juice) till bubbles form, then pour in sugar gradually till egg white becomes fluffy. Beat till Medium peak.
7) Fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg white mixture. (see tips in chiffon cake on folding steps).
8) Pour into a lined cake tin.
9) Bake at 175C for about 40-50 min. or till cooked.
10) Off the oven and leave the cake with door ajar in oven for 10 min before removing (this will prevent cake from shrinking)
10) Overturn cake tin and removed cake from tin.
11) Turn cake back to normal position and let it cool on rack with the lined paper on.
12) Remove the lined paper when cake it cool and slice into 3 layers.





Chocolate mousse:


(A)
Gelatin powder - 1 tsp.
Hot water - 4 tbspn. (baine marie to dissolve gelatin)

(B)
Nescafe - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Hot Water - 1 1/2 Tablespoon



(C)
Cocoa powder - 50g
Icing sugar - 80g



(D)
Dairy Whip Cream - 400g (Dairy will taste nicer but be softer. Non Dairy is more stable)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.
"Kahlua" or "Tia Maria" coffee liquer - 1 tbspn

Method:
1) Dissolve (A) gelatin in hot water using bain marie method.
2) Dissolve (B) Nescafe granules in hot water.
3) Mix #1 and #2 and stir in (C) to form paste and let it cool (not too cool else will form jelly)
4) Beat (D) whip cream over bowl of ice (this will allow the cream to be whipped faster and don't over beat else will separate to form butter)
5) Mix all the ingredients together and use it immediately to assemble the cooled cake.

Assemble the Cake


Prepared Chocolate Mousse
2 large ripe Del Monte Bananas - slice about 7-8mm each and coat with lemon juice
Cake tin bigger than baked cake (at least by 1cm).



Method:

1) Pour some mousse as the base of the cake tin.
2) Place 1st layer of cake on the mousse.
3) Pour additional mousse and top with sliced banana.
4) Follow by 2nd layer of cake.
5) Pour additional mousse and top with sliced banana.

6) Follow by 3rd layer of cake.
7) Pour remaining mousse to fill up gaps on the side of the cake tin.
8) Place "moussed" cake into refrigerator to set.

Decorate the Cake 

 

Ganache

Cocoa powder - 35g
Sugar - 4og
Dairy whipping cream - 150 g
Chopped dark chocolate or mini chocolate bits - 80g
Soften Butter - 30g
Fresh milk (15ml or more optional)


Method:
1) Bain marie whipping cream and dark chocolate till dissolve.
2) Add in cocoa powder and sugar till dissolve.
3) Add some fresh milk if find the chocolate mixture too thick.
4) Add soften butter before turning off the fire to create shine in the ganache.
5) Cool before pouring onto cake.
6) Use a warm towel to wrap the cooled tin or use air dryer to heat up the side and base for easy release of cold and set mousse cake from the cake tin.
7) Place the set mousse cake on wire rack over a baking tray.
8) Pour the cooled ganache over the mousse cake and let the ganache flows down the side smoothly.
9) Decorate the side with chocolate shaves or use a plastic film to wrap it.
10) Decorate the cake and put into the refrigerator till coating sets.
11) Slice with a warm knife and serve.

Mandarin Orange Chiffon Cake

Make 1 x 20 cm chiffon tin cake

Ingredients:
(A)
Egg yolks (about 20g each) - 5
Corn oil - 80 ml
Orange Juice - 160 ml
Grand Marnier OR vanilla essence - 1 tablespoon (15ml) this is optional
Orange zest - 1 orange
Cake flour (sieve) - 130g

(B)
Egg whites (about 30g each) - 5
Cream of tartar - 1/4 tsp
Caster sugar - 75g

Steps:
1) Preheat oven at 160C.

2) Whisk egg yolk, orange juice, oil, Grand Marnier or vanilla essence and orange zest until well combined.

3) Fold in cake flour and mix well till all flour is mixed well to form a thick batter.

4) In a clean dry bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy.

5) Add in sugar gradually and continue to beat until just before stiff peak.

6) Take 1/3 of egg whites and mix well with egg yolk batter with hand whisk.

7) Repeat the above step with remaining egg whites and fold gently untill you get a light foamy batter (texture is in between egg yolk batter and egg white batter). Note: Do not overfold which will turn into same viscosity as original egg yolk batter. This cause the cake to be dense and not rise as high.

8) Pour into a 20cm tube pan.

9) Use a spatula to gently cut the cake in the position of the middle of the cake batter at the direction along the tin's circumference for 1 or 2 complete cycles. Note: This step is to futher even out the batter without over folding and helps to flatten big bubbles in batter.

10) Lift up the cake tin and give it a few gentle bangs (I usually do it upto 10 counts depending on the bubbles release from the action). Note: This is to further eliminate bubbles in batter to produce a finer and closer cake crumb texture.

11) Bake for 50 - 60 mins at 150 degree or until inserted skewer comes out clean OR gentle tap on the cake top. If finger dents are formed and cake remain dented fm the tap, means cake is still dense. If the finger dent slowly rise up after the tap, meaning the cake is ready.

12) IMMEDIATELY remove from oven and REVERSE the cake tin onto a rack to let it cool. Note: This is to prevent the cake from shrinking.

13) Unmould the cake only when it is cool and Bon Appetit!

Note:
1) This recipe yields a v moist chiffon cake due to its high liquid to dry ingredients ratio. Thus, paying attention to the notes is important. Also, temperature setting depends on each individual oven. However, suggestion for high liquid recipe to bake at lower temp 140 - 150 is possible but longer time. Refer to the finger tap steps for testing of cake readiness as it is very reliable.

2) Pls adjust recipe accordingly to 7 eggs for 23 cm chiffon tin.

Chocolate Crumble Marble Cake

Make (15x15 cm)
Adapted from Dailydelicious

Ingredients
Crumb topping
Plain flour x 85g
Cocao Powder x 8g
Butter x 50g
Brown sugar x 50g

Cake

Butter x 115g
Sugar x 115g
Whipping cream x 30 ml
Eggs x 2
Vanilla extract x 1tsp
Plain flour x 115g
Baking powder x 1¼tsp

Dark chocolate (chopped) x 65g
Whipping cream x 30 ml

Steps

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C
2) Line the pan with baking paper.
3) Make the crumb: Mix all the ingredient together until it looks like bread crumbs and set aside.
4) Beat the butter with sugar until light and fluffy.
5) Add vanilla extract and egg beat bit by bit to combine.
6) Sift the flour with baking powder and add half of it into the butter mixture and fold to combine.
7) Follow by 30ml of whipping cream and fold to combine.
8) Then add the rest of the flour and fold to combine.
9) Melt the chocolate with 30ml of the whipping cream.
10) Scoop 1/3 of the cake batter into chocolate and mix until combine.
11) Pour both of the batter into the prepared pan and use a chopstick to create marble effect.
12) Put the cake into the oven middle rack and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
13) Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the cake and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick insert in the center of the cake come out clean.

New York Cheese Cake

This New York Cheese cake recipe was discovered by my gal friends > 10 years ago from the internet which received 5 or 6 stars review. It is very close to Coffee Bean NY Cheesecake and in fact I think it taste even better than that :) The success factor for this recipe lie with the lemon rind for the biscuit base and cream cheese recipe...enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
Crust
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose (plain) flour
slightly less than 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon skin)
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 egg yolks beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence


Cheese Filling
30 oz cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon skin)
2 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
slightly less than 1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 egg yolks
3 tablespoon heavy wipping cream
1/2 lemon (etxract juice)


DIRECTIONS:
1. To make the CRUST:
- Combine flour, sugar and lemon zest.
- Rub in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir beaten egg yolk with vanilla essence and form into dough.
- Preheat oven to 205 degrees.
- Pat 1/3 of the dough into the bottom of one 9 inch springform pan with the sides removed.
- Bake at 205 degrees for 6 minutes. Let cool then butter sides of pan and attach to bottom.
- Pat the remaining dough evenly on the sides to a height of 2 inches.

2. To make the FILLING:
- Stir cream cheese to soften.
- Beat till fluffy and add vanilla essence, lemon sezt and lemon jiuce
- Mix flour, salt ans sugar together
- Gradually blend above mixture into beaten cream cheese
- Add egg and egg yolk ONE at a time, BEATING WELL after each one.
- Gently stir in heavy cream

3. BAKING
- Pour batter into prepared crust
- Preheat oven to 260 degrees.
- Bake cake at 260 degree for 5 mins or untill the top edge of crust turn golden.
- Reduce heat to 170 degree in water bath and continue to bake for 1 and 1/2 hour or until cake turn golden.
- Leave cake without water bath in the overn (with door close) and oven temperature off for 1 hour before remove from oven.
- Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for at least 3 hours.
- Remove side of pan to serve.

Japanese Light Cheese Cake

This cheese cake taste the same as light as cotton and the best part is it is very moist and lemony taste. It is difficult not to fall in love with this unless you are a hard core cheese lover and only love New York Cheesecake.

INGREDIENTS
(A)

• 1/4 cup (60ml) milk - I used cup
• 1/4 cup (60ml) corn oil

(B)

• 1 lemon - Grate the zest (only take the yellow portion -stop once you see white else bitter
• 1/2 lemon - Extract the juice

(C) Sieve Together

• 30g cake flour
• 1 tablespn corn flour
• 1 teaspn baking powder

(D) Cream Together as 1st Batch

• 125g Philadelphia cream cheese
• 100g castor sugar
• 4 egg yolks

(E) Cream Together as 2nd Batch

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 40g castor sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius.
2. Prepare a 7" baking pan by lining baking paper at the base (no need to grease).
3. Prepare water bath.
4. Heat (A) in a microwave at high for 20 secs. (I use baine marie method over the stove). Once you see smoke or start to bubble BUT NOT boiling. Remove from stove. Do let it cool and pour this while warm into beaten cream cheese with egg yolk mixture.
5. Cream cheese and 100g sugar untill light and fluffy.
6. Add in egg yolks one at a time and mix well after each addition.
7. After last egg yolk beat for another 2 minutes.
8. Stir the warm milk and poil mixture into above and mix well.
9. Mix in lemon juice and zest followed by shifted flour. Stir with a ballon whisk untill well mixed.
10. Whisk egg white, cream of tatar and sugar untill medium peak meringue.
11. Fold a third of meringue into the cheese mixture and fold with ballon whisk.
    Cyndi's 5 steps "Wheel Flip Fold" between meringue and cheese mixture untill well mixed. If not well mixed, can see and taste meringue after baking.
12. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in water bath in preheated oven for 1 hour 30 mins (I bake for 1hr 45 mins to 2 hours depending on oven Ariston medium rack).
13. Lower temperature will produce soft and moist cheese cake that melt in the mouth effect.
14. Fan over need to reduce temperature by 20 degree and cake tends to crack.
    To check whether cake is cook? If can see finger print, NOT cook yet. If cake bounce back, is COOK.
15. Use knife to detatch the side of cake (ONLY the TOP).
16. Tilt the cake to detatch the cake.
17. Overturn the cake on rack to cool. (DO NOT leave the cake in the cake tin else it will collapse).

Below is a picture of the cake that is not fully cooked yet as you can see my "finger print" on the surface.

Tips for Sucessful Sponge Cake

Below are some important notes to take note for making a successful sponge cake:
1) Preparation Work

• Sift cake flour and baking powder 3 times. This is to lossen up the flour and make the cake soft and light.
• Grease and lay the tin with greased baking paper.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

2) Mixing of Batter with Flour

• It is very important NOT to overmix the batter (especially once flour is added to form batter) as the mixing will cause gluten to form and thus make the finished product hard.

3) Whisk Egg White

• Always whisk egg white last and prior mixing as egg white cannot hold on too long after whisking.
• Use dry, clean and must be GREASE-FREE aluminium bowl to whisk egg white.
• Cream of Tatar help to stablise egg white so as not to deflate so easily.
• Always start with whisking egg white till bubble / foam form before adding cream of tartar.
• Then gradually add in the egg white
• Medium Stiff is the best consituency for sponge cake (too soft - cake flaten easily and too stiff - difficult to blend egg yolk mixture with egg white and end up a lot of folding)

4) Folding of Egg Mixture

• Always start with mixing 1/3 of egg white to the thicker mixture (egg yolk) to balance out the consituency and before blending the mixed batter to balance egg white.
• If need be, sometime blend egg white and yolk few times before final folding.
• Folding meaning using spatula to go one round of batter in clockwise direction following by cutting the batter at 12 0'clock position and lift up the spatula to fold in the batter. 
• Alternatively, use manual ballon whisk to fold batter in a circular motion like merry-go-round.
• Use swift and light stroke and fold the batter quickly.
• Always end the folding position by lifting up the spatula to fold in the batter.

5) Post Mixing

• Bang the baking tin prior placing it in the oven for about 5 times to get rid of any remaining air bubbles.
• Wrapping baking tin with wet Wilton's baking strips or wet towel. This help to prevent the cake top to be cracked and dome shaped.

6) Baking

• Bake immediately when mixing is complete else batter will deflate and cake will sink.
• Temperature Control (too hot - cake dry and will crack else sometime outside cook but inside still not cook)
• Bake in oven's at bottom rack.
• Cover the top with aluminium foil when the top is nicely brown and smell start to come off from the oven. (This is to avoid top from burning).

7) Post Baking

• Check if cake is done using 4 fingers to gently tab the cake surface. If finger dents are formed, cake is not cooked yet. If cake bounce back with the tapping without any funger dents, cake is cooked.
• Drop cake tin at height of 25cm onto table top to shock the cake and reduce shrinkage.
• Overturn the cake tin once remove from the oven to prevent the cake from collapsing and shrink in height.

Vanilla Sponge Cake

This is my 1st successful and my favorite master recipe for vanilla sponge. Follow the steps to the T will definietely be successful. The texture is chiffon type (fluffy, light and soft) since the method is the same as chiffon cake.

INGREDIENTS

• 110g cake flour
• 2 tsp double action baking powder
• 5 egg yolks
• 70g corn oil
• 85g water
• 1 tablespn rum
• 5 egg whites
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 100g castor sugar

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Soak Wilton's baking strips or alternatives.
3. Coat a 9" round baking tin with Cake Release or alternatives.
4. Line baking tin with baking paper and again coat with cake release.
5. Sift cake flour and baking powder 3 times.
6. Mix egg yolks, water, oil, rum and flour mixture with paddle attachment, until flour is incorporated into the egg mixture. It is ok if there are lumps in the mixture. The important thing is NOT to over mix the mixture.
7. Pour the mixture through a sieve.
8. Whisk egg white and cream of tartar with balloon attachment till foamy.
9. Gradually add in the castor sugar and whisk till medium stiff peak.
10. Fold in some of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture till well mixed.
11. Pour egg yolk mixture into the remaining meringue and fold.
12. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin. It should fill till about 1" below rim of tin.
13. Run it with your spatula to even out the mixture and also to get rid of air bubbles.
14. Wrap with your baking strips and bang the tin for about 5 times to get rid of any remaining air bubbles.
15. Bake in your oven's bottom rack for 40 - 45 mins (160 to 170 celcius).
16. Cover the top with aluminium foil when the top is nicely brown and smell start to come off from the oven. (This is to avoid top from burning).
17. Overturn the cake tin once remove from the oven.