Showing posts with label Yuzu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yuzu. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 August 2026

Yuzu Honey Long-Tailed Hokkaido Tit Marshmallows

 While preparing for my "cat in ice-cream cone" marshmallow class, I couldn't resist making these adorable birds because I can use the exact same batter for the brown and white parts of the birds.

Long-tailed Hokkaido tit marshmallows modeled after the figurine version which is also in this picture. Can you identify the figurine amongst the marshmallows?

Here's a video of the piping tutorial:

Here's a works-in-progress shot of the piped marshmallows...


I am so glad that I can colour marshmallows brown naturally with low fat cocoa powder from Callebaut ever since it became available from Redman! 


Low fat cocoa powder (<1%) is excellent for meringue-based bakes like macarons, meringue cookies, chiffon sponges and of course piped character marshmallows because most easily available cocoa powder have much higher fat content of 20-25% which deflates the meringue quickly, resulting in dense bakes.

Fluffy chocolate marshmallows are now possible! stay tuned for an upcoming chocolate marshmallow character in a future post!


with love,

Phay Shing

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Saturday, 23 May 2026

Yuzu Chocolate Cat Marshmallow Cones

 I love creating marshmallow treats with different levels of textures and flavours so I made these marshmallow cones!




Composition:
- Chocolate coated wafer cone with rainbow sprinkles
- Chocolate marshmallow with KitKat bite surprise
- Yuzu honey marshmallow cats 

I am teaching this as a studio and online class. Please refer to the respective links for more information or to register.

Studio class:

Online class:
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Thursday, 14 May 2026

3D Turtle Matcha Yuzu Macarons

 I have a fairly large wedding macaron order coming up so I took the chance to play around with matcha macaron shells which was requested for the wedding batch. I ended up with these turtles!




3D macaron shells in the form of hemispheres are perfect receptacles for turning macarons into mini entremets because of the extra volume they can hold. Here's what the turtles contain:

- Matcha macaron shells
- Yuzu royal icing coating the insides of the hemispherical shells
- Matcha ganache
- Matcha vanilla bean mousse

The bright and tangy yuzu complements the earthy premium matcha really well! The icing layer prevents the top hemispherical shell from maturing so it stays crunchy, whereas the bottom macaron shell matures as per normal so it has a soft chew. The creamy mousse filling rounds off the texture nicely.



Here's a picture of the undecorated and unfilled macaron shells...


I will share the ingredient list for the filling here. I used my default Swiss meringue method macaron recipe for the shells but with some premium matcha powder added.

Matcha vanilla bean mousse:
75g + 75g heavy cream 
25g white chocolate couverture, melted
1 egg yolk (about 15g)
5g sugar
3g matcha powder (dissolve in 9g hot water to form a smooth paste)
2g gelatin bloomed in 8g cold water
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Matcha ganache:
120g white chocolate couverture, melted 
1/16tsp salt
4g light corn syrup
12g matcha powder
32g hot water (may replace with hot cream)
2g gelatin in 8g cold water (optional)

Note: Hot water is used instead of cream to bring out a more intense matcha flavour. You may replace hot water with hot cream if you wish for a more milky ganache. Omit gelatin as well if you wish. I added it to make it more temperature stable in the tropics where I live.

Yuzu royal icing:
42g icing sugar
3g meringue powder
7g 100% yuzu juice concentrate
1g light corn syrup

Watch the reel for the process. The method is in the pinned comments of the reel.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYYO6ykSA5S/?igsh=MWZlNTU5YzQ5cDMybQ==

This is really delightful for people who love the matcha -yuzu combo! 😋

with love,
Phay Shing
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Tuesday, 6 January 2026

Hojicha Yuzu Horse Macarons

Welcoming the Year of the Horse with these Hojicha Yuzu horse macarons!



Here's a peek at the hojicha chocolate ganache and yuzu jam fillings!


The ganache is made dairy-free and temperature stable enough for gifting in tropical Singapore so you may share this with your family and friends during this Lunar New Year without fear of it melting into a puddle during transport. All post-baking decorations are made using edible cookie dough and edible marker. 

I will be sharing the recipe and technique for this in an upcoming class. Please click on the link below for more details or to register:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/hojicha-yuzu-horse-macaron-class


Here's a peek at the process of making the macarons:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTKkS9viQAv/?igsh=eWYyNTZxcGJiNWls


with love,

Phay Shing

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Sunday, 1 June 2025

Capybara Yuzu Macaron-Shortbread Cookie Sandwich

 Capybara macarons again! But this time, as a yuzu shortbread cookie sandwich!

Don't they look like they are peeking out of windows?

A closer peek at the yuzu ganache filling with some bits of citrus rind in there. 


I could have made everything out of macarons instead of cookies but that would have made the bake a lot more time consuming 🤭.

Shortbread cookies are really simple to make. Simply follow the ratio of 1:2:3 for icing sugar : butter : plain flour by weight. Add some vanilla and salt and you have your vanilla version of shortbread cookies. Roll to your preferred thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. You may even shape the dough with your hands for some fun shapes without cookie cutters. For these sandwich cookies, the thickness I roll to is 3-4mm.

You may refer to my previous blog post for the recipe and tips for making chocolate macaron shells which can be tricky. 

Here's a closer look at the even feet all around.



Here's the reel for tips on how to pipe character macarons with intricate shapes and even feet all around:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ6VZY4JZWx/?igsh=ZHBqYnllZHo4ZDd3


with love,

Phay Shing

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Wednesday, 2 April 2025

Yuzu honey marshmallow bunnies

These bunny marshmallows are really fun! I made sure their long ears are flappy and the sitting upright ones have arms that can wave too!


See the video of the process and brief recipe in this reel:


This particular set of bunnies lying on their backs is available as an online and studio class option if you are interested as I share the technical aspects in more detail during class.


Click here for online class and here for studio class.

A closer look at the bunnies sitting upright and lying on the front...




I hope these cuties put a smile on your face as they did to me! They went on a chiffon cake and some parfaits as toppers.





with love,

Phay Shing

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Thursday, 23 January 2025

Yuzu Matcha Wintermelon Mochi Tarts

 Inspired by the filling of wife biscuits (老婆饼) & the pastry of pineapple tarts during the Lunar New Year season, I came up with these!


A closer look at the insides!


It was a challenge to get nice pictures of a bite cross-section because the pastry is light and crumbly. I have shared the recipe and video of the process on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFJTQ1ghkpm/?igsh=MTh6aGJkeDJwZnRh

But I will just copy and paste the recipe and baker's notes on this blog post for those of you who find it hard to read off the captions of the reel. Feel free to upsize as this is a small batch.

Yuzu Matcha Wintermelon Mochi Tarts 
(makes about 25 tarts)

Filling:
100g candied wintermelon (糖冬瓜)* blended or minced
1/8 tsp salt
6g oil
4g honey
20g yuzu/Jeju citron* marmalade without rind
25g water* (more if necessary, 1/2 tsp at a time)
40g cooked glutinous rice flour* (a.k.a. 糕粉)
2g matcha powder*
12g yuzu/citron rind from marmalade, finely chopped

Pastry:
110g plain flour 
10g cornstarch 
6g matcha powder
20g milk powder
25g icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
100g cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg yolk

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
7g milk/water

1. Blend or mince candied wintermelon. Add salt, oil, honey, marmalade & water. Mix well

2. Whisk together cooked glutinous rice flour & matcha powder. Add to 1. & mix until dough forms

3. Add rind & mix well. Add more water if dough is dry*

4. Divide filling into 8g balls. Keep airtight & refrigerate until ready to assemble

5. Sift together all dry ingredients for pastry

6. Rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs

7. Add yolk. Mix until dough forms. Wrap & refrigerate for 30min

8. Divide dough into 10g portions. Wrap the filling. Make a hole to vent* during baking

9. Freeze & preheat oven to 135C fan/150C

10. Once oven is preheated, place chilled tarts on lined baking tray. Apply egg wash. Add black sesame seeds if you wish

11. Bake for 30 min or until lightly browned, rotating the tray halfway. You may reapply the egg wash halfway through baking if you wish. Remember to adjust baking temperature and time according to your oven as each oven is different. 


*Baker's notes:

🔸Candied wintermelon, cooked glutinous rice flour and yuzu/Jeju citron marmalade are most likely things you can find in an Asian grocer if you don't live in Asia. These are common items in Singapore. If you can't get cooked glutinous rice flour, simply dry fry glutinous rice flour over low heat for 10 min until aromatic. There's a distinctive cooked glutinous rice flour smell you can't miss

🔸I was given some high grade matcha powder from @alovelikesobo but you may use whatever you have on hand. Do note that lower quality matcha may oxidize with exposure/heat and the green colour may be less vibrant after baking. Needless to say, higher quality powder would taste better

🔸The amount of water needed for the filling will vary depending on how dry your candied wintermelon is. Err on the side of adding less water first because it can get difficult to handle if too much water is added and it becomes a sticky mess. Add enough water such that it's still soft and tacky to touch but doesn't stick to your finger when lightly pressed as shown in the reel

🔸I went for a slightly firmer pastry than regular pineapple tart pastry but still crumbly as the filling is slightly chewy due to the glutinous rice flour. Personally I feel if the pastry is too delicate, it wouldn't fit this filling but feel free to adjust the ratios of the dry ingredients in the pastry. The higher the percentage of cornstarch, the more delicate the pastry

🔸Traditional wife biscuits are made with flaky pastry that doesn't use butter. I decided to have a light buttery pastry to accompany the aromatic and slightly chewy filling. Slits or holes are usually made in the flaky pastry before baking. They act as vents to release steam from the filling, which in turn prevents the pastry from cracking uncontrollably. Don't be alarmed if you see your tart pastry cracking in the oven as this is due to the expansion of filling/ release of steam. The appearance of the cracks will reduce upon cooling. Using lower heat with longer baking time helps to keep cracking minimal


with love,

Phay Shing

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Saturday, 12 October 2024

Capybara in Orangeland Yuzu Orange Swiss Roll

 I have been eyeing the U-shaped cake mold from Qeleg for the longest time. I finally have the chance to try it out! 


I adapted the "Capybara in Orangeland" design from the orange template on Qeleg's store. I forgot to position all the important elements such that they are visible from one angle when rolled 😅. Here are more views from different angles so you have a better view.




I have been making patterned swiss rolls on and off for almost 11 years and finally settled on a recipe and method that I am satisfied with. I prefer using a pattern that has a similar texture to the base sponge, has fine pores and most importantly, stable enough because I work slowly 😅.

Using the U-shaped mold means that the roll cake is made of a U-shaped patterned piece and a flat rectangular piece for the base. Both pieces are cut from a 12x12" sponge:


I used cake paint from Sweet Sticks for painting in the details.


The U-shaped mold was really handy for assembling the yuzu whipped cream and fresh sweet mandarins! There's no worry about the sponge cracking since this is a "cheat" method of making roll cakes 🤭


Here's the video of the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DA0m442ylQS/?igsh=MXY4aW84eWpwd2lkcg==


Capybara in Orangeland roll cake recipe

Feel free to use any patterning method/ recipe you like. I developed my own for a more stable patterning batter that doesn't crack at the boundaries, produces sponge with fine pores suitable as a painting canvas & has a similar soft texture as the base sponge. I am not ready to share the method and recipe for the pattern I developed at the moment.

Sponge:
(Makes one 12x12" thin layer of sponge)
Egg yolk batter
3 egg yolks*
30g oil in
45g yuzu jam tea**
54g cake flour, sifted
Pinches of salt
1/16tsp orange emulsion (optional)

Meringue
3 egg whites*
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
45g sugar 
Cake Filling:
25g yuzu jam, blended
100g whipping cream of choice
4 small sweet mandarins, halved
Extra yuzu jam tea

* Large eggs at least 65g with shell on
** Blend 40g of yuzu jam with rind in 40g hot water. Sieve through fine sieve. Use the liquid for making sponge & brushing sponge before filling

Method: 
1. Preheat oven to 170C. Make cake pattern using your preferred method & recipe

2. Make egg yolk batter. Whisk egg yolks, orange emulsion, salt & oil together. Add flour & yuzu jam tea in alternating additions, whisking until well combined each time

3. Make meringue. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks, gradually add sugar once egg whites are foamy

4. Fold meringue into yolk batter. Pour over pattern. Bake for 15 min or until done

5. Cut the patterned U shaped piece & rectangular piece for the base. Paint the sponge as desired

6. Whip whipping cream until firm peaks, fold in blended yuzu jam. Transfer into piping bag

7. Place sponge pattern side down on parchment paper. Brush sponge with some yuzu jam tea. Put in U-shaped mold from Qeleg

8. Fill the sponge with cream & mandarins. Cover base with rectangular sponge. Freeze for 30-40min. Flip the cake over onto serving plate/cakeboard. Keep chilled in airtight condition. Consume within 3 days

Additional notes:
1. If it's too intensive to complete the whole project in a day, you may bake the sponge on day 1 & paint/assemble on day 2. To do so, store U shaped patterned sponge in the U shape mold lined with parchment paper overnight. Cling wrap the whole assembly & store at cool room temperature to prevent the cake from drying out

2. Keep sections of sponge that you are not painting covered with parchment or cling wrap to prevent drying out. You may also dab sections of sponge with drinking safe water if exposed for a long time as some designs may take a long time to decorate 

3. Use dairy, non-dairy or a combination of whipping creams according to your preference and serving ambient conditions. Be careful not to overwhip if using only dairy cream. Use stabilizers if using dairy and serving in a fairly warm place

4. Adjust baking temperature and time according to your oven 

You may use this link to browse Qeleg's website with the discounts already in-built or use my promo code: Phay_Shing. They have a wide range of silicone molds, metal trays, cookie cutters, fondant molds and more!

with love,

Phay Shing

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Sunday, 7 July 2024

Capybara Yuzu Tea Steamed Buns

It's been a loooong while since I made cute steamed buns! I finally decided to play with dough again because I had some leftover yuzu tea from a kid's chiffon cake class.


Look at how fluffy it is!


The citrusy note was delightful too! These buns pair well with any sweet breakfast spread and they are nice as they are too. My kids love it!

I adapted the recipe from teacher Meiji's book and you can see the last time I tried character bun based on her book over here. Yes it's been a good 6+ years since then. That's why I am out of practice and struggled with working fast enough for smooth surface. I decided to knead the dough by hand as usual which wasn't such a good idea if I wanted the surface to be really smooth. That's despite using cold liquid. If you use a standmixer, please double the amount in the recipe as it is easier for the mixer to handle a larger volume of dough.

I shared the recipe in the caption of my reel but will copy and paste it in the blog for those of you who have difficulty reading captions on Instagram. Please watch the reel to have a view of the process.


Capybara Yuzu Tea Steamed Buns
Ingredients:
(Makes about 7 mini buns)
85g cold yuzu tea*
15g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
1/3 tsp (1g) instant yeast 
6g neutral flavoured oil
150g plain flour
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp cocoa powder
Extra water & flour as needed

* Blend 60g of yuzu jam with as much of the rind as you like with 60g hot water. Sieve through fine sieve. Reserve 85g & refrigerate for at least 2 hours before use.

Steps:
1. Whisk first 4 ingredients together. Add flour & 1/4 tsp cocoa powder

2. Knead until dough is smooth & elastic. I hand kneaded but it's better to use a standmixer to work faster for a smoother finishing. Double the recipe if using standmixer. Add water/flour if the dough is too dry/sticky

3. Divide the dough into six-seven portions 30-35g each. Add 1/8 tsp cocoa powder & a little water to the remaining dough to colour it darker brown. Keep any dough that is set aside loosely covered to prevent drying out 

4. Shape the head from the light coloured dough. Place on a piece of parchment. Add the snout & ears, sticking them on by brushing the surface of the dough with a little water

5. Set in a warm, moist enclosed place (35-40C) to proof the buns until they expand to 1.5x original size (about 40 min for me)

6. Steam for 15 min over medium heat. Turn off heat & rest for 5 min before opening the cover. I used wooden steaming baskets to prevent water from dripping onto the buns. You may wrap the lid with a towel if you don't have the baskets

Enjoy while hot! These citrusy buns can be paired with any sweet breakfast spread or eaten on their own. Keep leftovers in the freezer in airtight condition & steam from frozen until hot. They taste as good as fresh!



with love,

Phay Shing

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Friday, 24 May 2024

Capybara Yuzu Chocolate Hazelnut Bouchee

 I had lots of yuzu diplomat cream and chocolate hazelnut whipped cream left from making the display set and a few other capybara choux pastries so I decided to make bouchees to use up the filling. Here's something cute and quick to put together that capybara fans will love!



I was inspired by Winnie (Instagram: ohcakeswinnie) to give bouchees a try as to her, it's easier than macarons 

I shared the recipe for making these bouchees in my Instagram reel over here:



If you never had bouchees before, they are light & airy sponge sandwiches with tasty filling. They are also rather quick & simple to put together!

This recipe makes only five-six 5cm capybara bouchees so feel free to upsize the portion.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
1/8 tsp salt (optional)
30g caster sugar 
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
20g cake flour 
12g almond flour (may replace with hazelnut flour)
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp cocoa powder
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt & sugar until stiff peaks

2. Briefly whisk egg yolk & vanilla. Fold in gently with spatula until smooth 

3. In another bowl, whisk together flours & 1/4 tsp cocoa powder. Sift over egg mixture. Gently fold until just combined

4. Portion out one heaping tablespoon of batter. Add 1/8 tsp sifted cocoa powder. Gently fold until combined 

5. Transfer light & dark brown batters into piping bags. Pipe as shown in reel. Use a template if you wish for consistent sizing

6. Lightly dust with powdered sugar if you wish (not shown in reel)

7. Bake 150-160C 15 min or until crisp. Adjust time & temperature according to your oven as each one is different

8. Cool completely before decorating & filling. I filled mine with chocolate hazelnut whipped cream & yuzu diplomat cream because I have that on hand but you may fill with any filling of choice like jam/curd with vanilla whipped cream. Refrigerate overnight for the sponge to soften & absorb the flavours of the filling. Best eaten cold

I didn't explain what's the difference between dusting with icing sugar and without dusting before baking in the reel. You can see the difference in this picture below:


The lighter coloured ones were dusted with icing sugar and the darker ones didn't have it. Final texture wise especially after maturing with the filling, I don't find a difference. I prefer to bake the bouchees until they are rigid enough to handle and dry enough because when I leave them spongey like cake, the surface turns sticky very quickly in humid Singapore, even when I dust with icing sugar before baking. The moist, high water content filling will soften the texture to be more sponge cake-like so it's ok to "overbake" and dry out your bouchees until they taste more like light airy cookies when freshly baked if you prefer something that's easier to handle in humid climates.

Just to share more pictures of these treats!






Cross-section looks like a macaron!

Do give this a try as bouchees are really quick to put together (in under an hour!), yummy and you may fill with any filling of your choice!


with love,

Phay Shing

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Friday, 10 May 2024

Capybara Yuzu Chocolate Hazelnut Chiffon Cake

 My family loves capybaras and the multitude of capybara plushies at home are a source of inspiration for my capybara bakes😆. Here are some simple yuzu chocolate hazelnut chiffon cakes that I made for fun but decided to make it into a kids baking class material!


The sponge is yuzu flavoured and coloured brown with a little cocoa powder. The pudding in the middle is a delicious chocolate hazelnut pudding. The ears and facial features are not made out of fondant, marzipan or modelling chocolate, AND you don't have to make an extra item using more ingredients to make those too!


Find out the secret of the simple hack I use to transform a plain chiffon cake to my family's favourite creature from this class happening during the June school holidays! Please click on this link to register. 


with love,

Phay Shing

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Saturday, 27 April 2024

Capybara Yuzu Chocolate Hazelnut Choux Pastries

 My family loves capybaras because they are so cute! They are a source of inspiration for me when it comes to bakes too. Here's my choux pastry take on these cute creatures after I made macaron and marshmallow versions of them.



The capybaras are made of yuzu diplomat cream and chocolate hazelnut whipped cream, nestled in choux au craquelin coloured and shaped like fruits. 

Here's a reel of them!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C556326ywaA/?igsh=bGZmeWVsbG4wNHR3

This is actually a class material I have with Baker's Gym. Registration is still open although we are almost full up! Please click on this link for more information or to register.


with love,

Phay Shing

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Friday, 16 February 2024

Vegan Hojicha Yuzu Capybara Macarons

As I was finalizing the recipe and processes of an upcoming vegan macaron class, I couldn't resist using the leftover batter to create capybaras!


The macaron shells are coloured and flavoured with Hojicha. Since capybaras are known to soak in onsen filled with floating yuzu, I decided to fill them with hojicha ganache and yuzu marmalade.

Swiss meringue method was used to make the macaron shells from aquafaba that has been reduced by 50%. Remember to shake the can of chickpeas hard before using the aquafaba.

Here's the template for the large capybara with yuzu on the head. 


Please resize the template to fit an A4 sheet


I only had brown and white macaron batter to work with so I used edible paint to add in all the other details. I finally found a brand of edible paint that dries fairly quickly, doesn't need dilution with water or alcohol, and doesn't dissolve the surface it is painted on!


To make the ganache vegan, I used plant based white chocolate.



Please see the reel for the piping and painting video tutorial:

Tips for vegan macarons:

🔸Make sure the meringue is whipped till very stiff. Aquafaba based meringues are not as stable & robust as egg white based meringues. There isn't a danger of over whipping so go ahead and whip away! This applies for all meringue methods using aquafaba. If meringue isn't stiff enough, you get exploding feet & batter breaks down faster
🔸Use an acid to help stabilize meringue
🔸Don't overfold the batter
🔸Pipe larger macs. Small macs tend to have lopsided feet due to weaker nature of aquafaba meringue
🔸Rest your piped batter till really dry to prevent exploding feet. You should be able to swipe a finger across the surface of the piped batter while applying slight pressure. It should feel dry & firm
🔸Try to maintain constant oven temperature as any fluctuations can cause the feet to go wonky
🔸 Don't bake at too high a temperature or you get exploding feet
🔸 Don't bake at too low a temperature or you get lopsided feet or no feet
🔸 Bake longer than you would regular macs since vegan macs bake at lower temperatures than egg white based macs
🔸 Remember you are working with something tricky & it can go all wrong if your oven decides to play punk so don't be a perfectionist. Some hollows are expected

with love,
Phay Shing
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Wednesday, 1 February 2023

Mandarin Orange Marshmallows with Yuzu Mandarin Orange Filling

 This is the second Lunar New Year themed marshmallow creation that I wish I thought of making earlier. But it's ok, this will appear in my upcoming book Deco Marshmallows as well!

This is a rather nostalgic design because it looks so much like my chiffon cake mandarin oranges that I discovered 9 years ago. How time flies! I remember the excitement of discovering how I could make realistic looking mandarin oranges out of mandarin orange chiffon sponge so many years ago! What I did differently this time for the marshmallow version, is to add a filling to boost that citrusy kick! The filling is yuzu with mandarin orange zest and the marshmallow itself is made with mandarin orange juice.


Here's a video of it in squishy action! Perhaps you can fool your family and friends next Lunar New Year with these 😉

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoHktm0gWdk/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=


with love,

Phay Shing


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Wednesday, 14 December 2022

MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH Yuzu Chiffon Cake


 Can you tell which is cake and which is real juice? 

Patterned Yuzu Chiffon Cake modelled after my favourite MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH Select Yuzu juice! 

Tutorial video here. 

Yuzu Chiffon cake batter 
64g MARIGOLD PEEL FRESH Select Yuzu juice 
5 egg yolks 
60g vegetable oil 
90g cake flour 
6 egg whites 
100g castor sugar 
½ tsp cream of tartar 

With love, 

Susanne 

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