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.

Ngoh Hiang

 Ingredients

500g minced pork (front thigh or pork belly)

500g prawn (use small mini like 'Sua Lor' aka Sand Prawn)

300g water chestnut (cut into big chunks about 1cm cubes)

1 big red onion
10 cloves of garlic
1 egg
1.5 tbsp plain flour
1/2 or 3/4 carrot
3/4 stalk chinese celery or coriander leaves（芹菜或芫荽）
1 stalk spring onion

Seasoning
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

Wrapping & Frying

Tofu skin (thin)

Water for wrapping

Optional: Rice + Corn flour for deep frying (ratio 2:1)

Method
1. Chop chestnuts into 1cm cubes.
2. Chop carrot, onion, garlic, chinese parsley and spring onion finely.
3. Remove prawns' shells and veins. If use bigger prawns cut into 1cm size.
4. Add in egg, plain flour , salt and pepper. Mix well.
5. Leave it to marinate for 30 mins or longer.
6. Wipe tofu skin (saltish) with a damp cloth and cut to your desire size before wrapping.
5. Wrap mixed ingredients with Tofu skin and seal it with water.
6. Place them on baking paper and steam for 15min.
7. Remove and cool cooked Ngoh Hiang over kitchen tissue to dry the steamed Ngoh Hiang. Can pack and store extra in freezer for future consumption.
8. Cut the steamed Ngor Hiang into bite size. Coat it with rice & corn flour and fry till brown or just pan fry and cut to 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.

Tang Zhong or Water Roux

Make 300g

IngredientBread Flour x 50g
Milk x 125g
Water x 125g (or can use all water at 250g and omit milk)

Steps
1) Mix bread flour with water and/or milk.
2) Cook over low heat and stir continually to prevent burning.
3) Cook until boiling and keep stirring until the bubbles disappear and streaks appear in the mixture for every stir you make
with the spetula. Remove from heat immediately.
4)Pour the hot Tang Zhong into a bowl and cover it with cling wrap (touching the surface of TZ) when it is warm.
5) Leave to cool down at room temperature before use.

Tips :
- Leftover Tang Zhong can be store in container or plastic bag, kept refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.
- All chilled Tang Zhong must return to room temperature before use.
- If chilled Tang Zhong has turned grayish in colour, discard it.
- Weight will varies after cook due to water evaporate during the heating process.

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.

Lemon Curd

Make 1 bottle of 600ml.

Ingredient
lemon zest x 3 teaspoon
lemon juice x 8 to 9 tablespoon
sugar x 330g
egg x 3
egg yolk x 1

butter x 135g


Steps
1) Mix egg, egg yolk, sugar and lemon juice together.
2) Baine marie over low heat and stir continuously.
3) Cook until mixture started to be thick, add lemon zest.
4) Continue cooking untill thick and add butter.
5) Pour and store lemon curd in hot sterilised bottle for future use.

Tips :
- Add additional egg yolk for thicker constinuency of lemon curd.
- May use Meyer lemon if in season as more fragrance.
- May play around with flavour for orange or yuzu curd for baking or macaron filling.

Milo Eggless Tiramisu

Ingredient
• 12 pcs Italian ladyfinger biscuits (for dipping in coffee solution)
• Milo or Cocoa powder for dusting

• (A) Cream mixture
o 250 grams mascarpone cheese
o 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
o 2 tablespoon vanilla essence
o 2 tablespoon sugar
o 3 tablespoon Milo mixed well with 3 tablespoon warm water (reduce to 2 tablespoon of Milo drink if using vanilla essence instead of vanilla bean paste)
o 2 tablespoon thickened cream

• (B) Coffee solution
o 3 tablespoon instant coffee mix in 150ml hot water
o 3 tablespoon of Kahlua or Tia Maria (can substitute with Milo drink)

Steps
1) Mix instant coffee granules with warm water followed by Kahlua.
2) Quickly heat the coffee mixture to evaporate the alcohol (this step is optional for those do not mind the alcohol).
3) Pour the coffee mixture into a shallow plate for dipping of the ladyfingers.
4) Mix all the ingredients in A together in a bowl until well mixed.
5) Dip half of the ladyfingers and line them at the bottom of cups or dish.
6) Ensure all biscuits are well coated n do it fast else the biscuits will be too soggy to handle).
7) Scoop half of the cream mixture over the ladyfingers.
8) Sieve milo power over the cream mixture.
9) Dip the other half of the biscuits and line them on the cream mixture.
10) Spread the balance cream mixture over the second layer of ladyfinger biscuits.
11) Chill the tiramisu in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
12) Before serving, sieve some more Milo powder over the chilled tiramisu and top with Nestle milo cereal.