Kaya Chiffon Cake with Yam Chiffon 'Baby Octopus'

These Asian inspired flavours Kaya and Yam was designed for my friend’s grandpa!

Kaya is a food spread, made from a base of coconut milk, eggs and sugar. Kaya bread tastes so good, I imagined kaya chiffon cake to be delicious! When I googled, there didn’t seem to be a kaya chiffon cake created before, so I attempted to make a kaya one myself and it was really good! I used nyonya kaya which has pandan inside as I find it more fragrant. I made the chiffon cake 2-toned using pandan paste for the green portion as that it’s prettier and also adds fragrance!

In the recipe below, I had also included a single tone kaya chiffon cake, in case you don't want to have 2 batters (one with more pandan) to work with. The baby octopus is made from yam chiffon cake.

Nyonya Kaya Chiffon Cake (18-cm to 20-cm tube pan)

5 egg yolks
22g castor sugar
68g coconut oil
56g nyonya kaya
17g coconut milk
2g vanilla extract
100g prima cake flour (I used 85g cake flour and 15g top flour)
¼ tsp baking powder
3g pandan paste (for green pandan kaya layer)

7 egg whites
68g castor sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. *Optional: I used steam baking, i.e. I placed a pan of water under the lowest rack before preheating – to control oven temperature, prevent cracks and for moister texture.

2. Whisk egg yolks with sugar until light, fluffy and well-mixed.

3. Add in oil and mix well. Then add in kaya, coconut milk/water and vanilla extract and whisk till well-combined.

4. Whisk in sifted cake flour and baking powder, and mix till well-combined.

5*. Divide the egg yolk batter into two. To one batter, add in pandan paste for the green portion.

OR *If you do not wish to have 2 colours, just add pandan paste to all the egg yolk batter (the pandan enhances the nyonya kaya flavour!).

6. Prepare meringue:

a. In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till frothy.

b. Add in ½ castor sugar for meringue and whisk at high speed till soft peaks form.

c. Add in rest of the castor sugar for meringue and whisk till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak. Firm peaks give finer, softer texture.

7*. Divide the meringue into two. Gently fold in meringue gently into respective egg yolk batter 1/3 at a time.

OR *If you do not wish to have 2 colours, you may omit this step (do not need to divide the meringue by two).

8. Gently scoop the plain batter into an ungreased 7-inch chiffon tube pan, followed by one layer of green batter. Repeat another time with plain and then green batter being careful not to disturb the layer below. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.

*For one-tone batter, just pour all chiffon batter into tube pan.

9. Bake at 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 31+ min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. **If you use steam baking, you may need to bake for a few more minutes.

10. Invert pan to cool on a wire rack completely.

11. Unmould the chiffon cake by hand (see video tutorial ‘Hand unmoulding Chiffon cakes for a clean finishing’).

Yummy kaya chiffon cake!

Yam octopus chiffon cake (for one 11-cm bowl and 8-cake pop molds or 1 6-inch chiffon tube pan)
2 egg yolks
13g castor sugar
27g vegetable/corn/coconut oil
27g coconut milk
10g water
53g purple yam, steamed and mashed
1/3 tsp yam paste (from baking supplies stores)
32g prima cake flour
Pinch of baking powder

3 egg whites
30 g castor sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.

2. Whisk egg yolks with sugar until light, fluffy and well-mixed.

3. Add in oil and mix well. Then add in coconut milk, water, purple yam puree and yam paste and whisk till well-combined.

4 Whisk in sifted cake flour and baking powder, and mix till well-combined.

5. Prepare meringue:

a. In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till frothy.

b. Add in ½ castor sugar for meringue and whisk at high speed till soft peaks form.

c. Add in rest of the castor sugar for meringue and whisk till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak.

6. Gently fold in meringue gently into egg yolk batter 1/3 at a time.

7. Spoon the batter into one 11-cm glass bowl and 8 cake pop moulds. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.

8. Bake the bowl at 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 15+ min. Bake the cake pops at 160oC for 12 min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean.

9. Invert bowl to cool on a wire rack completely. Cake pop mould can be cooled upright.

10. Unmould the chiffon cakes by hand.

11. Round up the base of the cakes by cupping the base with your hands for the baby octopus.

The facial features were cut from black and pink chiffon sheet cakes and glued on using melted marshmallows. I filled the centre hole of the kaya chiffon with a 'surprise' (balls of yam chiffon cake) and used it to support the yam chiffon octopus on top. 

Enjoy your yummy kaya chiffon cake! Yam to me has a milder flavour =).

With lots of love,
Susanne
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Creative Chiffon Cookbooks with Marshall Cavendish:

Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes

Great news for Malaysians, the cookbook can be found in Popular KL and selected outlets now =).

and Deco Chiffon Cakes (photoshoots)