Longevity Peach Lychee Chiffon Cupcake 'Peaches' (updated recipe)

I have a request for a pretty large number of lychee flavoured longevity peach cupcakes together with a small longevity peach themed cake for a 90-year-old lady's birthday. I have updated the recipe to make the cake more fragrant. Original recipe can be found here. Here are four of the peaches...

And here are all 40 of them!

I must admit that it's a test of patience and endurance for me to make so many peaches. I usually make only 12 for a batch so this is a first for me. The peaches are baked in heart shaped Tovolo silicone moulds this time instead of the ones sold at Daiso.

Ingredients (makes about 12-14 peaches and one 8" square thin layer cake):
1 egg yolk
10g caster sugar
42g canola/vegetable oil
48g lychee puree (blend some canned lychees in a bit of syrup, strain to remove woody bits)
1/2 tsp lychee flavouring
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp rosewater
65g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Pandan paste
A drop of green gel food colouring
A few drops of white gel food colouring (optional)

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

Steps:
1. Line square pan with baking paper. Place silicone heart shape moulds on a large tray that fits into the oven. Prepare a baking tray of water at the bottom of the oven to create steam (optional). Set oven rack to second lowest position.

2.  Beat egg yolk and sugar until pale and all sugar has dissolved. Gradually add oil and whisk until well combined. Gradually add lychee puree and whisk until well combined. Gradually add sifted flour salt and baking powder and whisk until no trace of flour is seen.

3. Divide egg yolk batter into ratio of 1:3 for green:white batter. Add Pandan paste and green colouring to the smaller portion. Add lychee flavouring, rose water, vanilla and white food colouring. Mix well.

4. Make the meringue. You may want to divide the meringue ingredients into ratio of 1:3 as the green layer cakes and heart shaped cakes are baked at separate times. Beat egg whites and sugar in a clean metal bowl together with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

5. Fold the meringue into each of the coloured batter in 3 additions, following the ratio above.

6. Bake layer cake at 160°C for 10-11 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Bake hearts at 160°C for 5 minutes, followed by 140°C for 15 minutes, then 125°C for another 10-15 minutes. This baking time is for my thick-walled silicone heart shaped moulds. I used a different temperature setting for my earlier longevity peaches which were baked in thin-walled silicone moulds.

Note that baking times are approximate as each oven behaves differently.

7. Remove baking paper immediately from layer cake. Cool the white cupcakes before unmoulding by hand.

Freshly baked and cooled

8. Use a small knife to make an indent for centerline.

Unmoulded and centerline marked

Assembly
1. Prepare the pink coloured paint for spray painting. I used a mixture of pink gel food colouring and natural food colouring dissolved in lychee syrup (from the can).

2. Dip a toothbrush in the paint, knock off the excess and spray it onto the peaches.

3. Cut out leaves and a small rectangle strip from the green layer cake for the leaves and stem of the peach. Roll the rectangle strip like a swiss roll to form the stem.

4. Melt some marshmellows with a sprinkle of water as the glue. Stick the leaves and stem onto the peaches using the glue. Brush the peaches with a bit of lychee syrup. Store in airtight container in the fridge.

My parents had some extra peaches and they loved it! Working on the peaches was made more pleasant for me because the cupcakes were really fragrant!

Thank God that the cupcakes were well received at the party!

With love,

Phay Shing