Sunday 29 September 2024

"Knight Z Travels Around the World" Macaron Carousel

 This is the fourth consecutive year I am making a macaron carousel for a young knight! Knight Z has taken a liking to travelling around the world so this is this year's macaron carousel for him!


This was an epic bake that needed a lot of time and planning so it was broken up into several sessions. The great thing about macarons is they shells filled or unfilled can be frozen so it gives me the freedom to take it at a more relaxed pace.

You may want to check out my reel for creating the large macaron base over here and the carousel roof over here.

Here's a picture of the partial assembly which I leave to set overnight:


I filled the large macaron pieces with a ring of vanilla bean white chocolate, dairy-free dark chocolate ganache and crunchy chocolate crisp pearls.


The globe spheres are actually hemispherical macaron shells filled with the same dairy-free dark chocolate ganache and Ferrero Rocher.



Smaller macaron pieces are just filled with the white chocolate and dark chocolate ganache.



Here's the reel of the assembly:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAbBrwFyP87/?igsh=YjUzeW16ZnU0YXEw


with love,

Phay Shing

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Sunday 22 September 2024

Succulents & Cacti Marshmallows in Butter Cake Pot

 I made this for my dad's birthday this year!


Made another simpler cake for my uncle's birthday too!


Both my dad and uncle love a little bit of gardening so I thought this theme is just right for them. The old school butter cake recipe can be found in this blog post. I included some prebiotic soluble fibres to make it healthier.

The succulents and cacti are made out of zephyrs, an agar-based marshmallow. Instead of using fresh egg whites, I used meringue powder. Those of you who bought my Deco Marshmallows book may be pleased to know using meringue powder works just as well! Please refer to this reel for the substitution and some visuals:


The zephyrs are coloured with a combination of matcha powder and gel food colouring.

Here are some pictures to share...

Piped marshmallows 


Butter cake pot with chopped toasted almond slices as the "soil"


A slice of the cake!


Dad posing with a cactus!

This is the reel with snippets of piping the succulents:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAN_8s2y-Px/?igsh=MW5sbWg5YTZnanllMg==


Both Dad and Uncle loved the cakes!


with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Saturday 14 September 2024

"Capybara in Teacup" Macaron

 I needed to make some blue hemispherical macaron shells for an epic project so I took the chance to play around with this for fun!



We have a teacup plush toy and one of the capybara plushies we have fit so nicely in it I simply had to make a mini macaron version of it! The capybara is a hand-shapeable filling. I made it gula melaka coconut flavoured with a pandan gula melaka coconut surprise inside. Here's what it looks like when you take a bite of it!


I couldn't bear to do the cut of the capybara so I made a plain round version of it to do the cut scene. Here's a peek at how I piped the hemispherical shell and how I made the capybara filling! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_HIjKlSuhb/?igsh=MTlsanlvamkxbWtkdg==

I shared the coconut filling recipe in the captions of the reel. I can't share this low fat low sugar hand shapeable filling as of yet as I only discovered it recently and am using it as a class material. It's texture is similar to Orh Nee or Mont Blanc dessert and it's relatively neutral tasting so it can take on many flavours. It's temperature stable too so it won't melt in Singapore's tropical heat.



Stay tuned for the epic project that made use of the blue hemispheres! 


with love,

Phay Shing

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Thursday 12 September 2024

Labubu Chiffon Cake

 


Can you guess which is cake and which is plushie.? Who finds Labubu so cute too? 🥰 I was gifted a Labubu and found it so adorable. Here's a short video of the assembly on my IG. 

With love, 
Susanne 
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Chocolate Truffle White Lotus Snowskin Mooncakes (for CAM)


Hi everyone, here is the recipe for Chocolate Truffle White Lotus Snowskin Mooncake Recipe for CAM class. Hope you will enjoy the recipe as well as the talk! 

Chocolate Truffle White Lotus Snowskin Mooncake Recipe (by Susanne Ng) 
Makes 10 50g-truffle mooncakes 

Ingredients 
70g Kou fien, sifted 
10g Wheat starch 
40g Icing Sugar, sifted 
25g Shortening 
40g Cold water 
75g Cold ice cream soda 
250g White Lotus paste 
28g Chocolate biscuit crumb + 32g Chocolate lotus paste 
Chocolate emulco (1/4 tsp) 
Extra 1 tsp koufien for dusting 

1. Mix chocolate biscuit crumb and chocolate lotus paste in a plastic bag. Roll into a log and divide into 10. Roll into balls. 

2. Roll white lotus paste into a log. Divide equally into 10 (~25g each). Wrap white lotus paste around the chocolate balls and roll into a larger ball. 

3. Mix sifted kou fien, wheat starch and icing sugar together till uniform using a spatula. 

4. Add in shortening and quickly mix using gloves until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. 

5. Pour in the cold water and soda and knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth. Divide the dough into two. 

Plain dough: knead until smooth and cover. 

Brown dough: add ¼ tsp chocolate emulco and knead until smooth. 

6. To the plain and brown dough, roll into log and divide dough into 5 (~26g). 

7. Flatten the prepared dough into an 8-cm circle. Put the filling and pinch to seal. Dust the dough ball. 

8. Place the ball in, press and push out the mooncake. 

9. Store the cakes in an airtight container (label) and refrigerate for about 1-2 hrs for the mooncake to become firm before consuming. The mooncakes stay soft at least for several days. Enjoy! =) 

With lots of love, 
Susanne
 



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Friday 6 September 2024

' Animals in Bee Suit' Marshmallow-Choux Pastry Delight

 If you want to learn the basics of deco marshmallows and choux pastries in one session, come and join me for this class!


The bee suit is made of patterned choux pastries and the animals are made of honey passionfruit vanilla marshmallows. The inside of the pastry is filled with dark chocolate passionfruit truffle and honey jelly.


I made the filling such that it is safe to leave it out in the hot tropics as it doesn't contain dairy. Great for gifting or party venues where there isn't air conditioning in hot Singapore.

Please click on this link for more information or to register for this class. There are two dates to choose from to suit your schedule. Don't be intimidated by the long hours as I want the participants to enjoy the process and not rush. You may leave early if you are done early 😊.

See the squish of the marshmallows in this reel!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ORSsXSL5o/?igsh=MWg0eDNrNDg3aDlvdg==


with love,

Phay Shing

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Thursday 29 August 2024

Apple Earl Grey Apple Macarons

Happy Teacher's Day to all teachers! Thank you for your hard work! I didn't have time to make a teacher's day special bake so this unplanned bake came at the right time! This unplanned bake happened because I had leftover batter from an epic project that was sitting in the piping bag for 4 hours. Presenting my apple macarons filled with apple Earl Grey ganache and apple jam filling! The ganache is dairy-free and temperature stable in tropical Singapore's non-airconditioned room temperatures.


I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe where the egg whites are split into whipped and unwhipped portions to give a smoother finish on the surface. Really pleased that despite leaving out the batter for long, the macaron shells are still full, smooth and have even feet!

Even the stems and leaves were made from leftover batter too and of a different color. The stems were made from leftover grey batter with cocoa powder and cornstarch added. I added the cornstarch to thicken the batter some more to give the stems a little texture. The leaves were made from leftover beige batter coloured with green gel colouring.


The apple jam is actually what I use for making zephyrs (agar-based marshmallows). Since this bake was unplanned, I just used the same apple jam for filling the macarons as I am preparing for a marshmallow bake soon.



Proper technique and attention to detail during the process is so important and that's what I teach in my classes. It's not simply about following a recipe as we all work with different equipment and conditions.

See my reel for the filling recipe and video tutorial of the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_Nl4M-S_cA/?igsh=cWsxbWNrMXRvbmty


with love,

Phay Shing

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Sunday 25 August 2024

Bunny & Elephant Lychee Mixed Berry Rose Choux Pastries

 I had a request for some cute animal choux pastries with bunnies as a must. Here's what I came up with!


If the bunnies look familiar, that's because the requestor saw the choux pastry bunnies I made beginning of last year and wanted something similar. I adapted the choux pastry filling from this cake and it's always been a hit. I used less cornflour in the diplomat cream, agar as the gelling agent and a mix of berries for the choux pastry version.

Here's a peek at the cross-section view of the frozen filling of lychee rose diplomat cream, strawberry raspberry jam and lychee rose agar!


Why freeze them? Because they taste wonderful this way! I prefer eating them like ice-cream creampuffs. Refreshing on a hot day! This flavour combination is really popular for creampuffs and I can understand why! 

Here are some pictures of the process...


Freshly baked choux buns!


In the process of filling up the pastry. Doesn't the lychee rose agar jelly look inviting?

Here's a reel of the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-oXhQASzmy/?igsh=MWhrOHlkMGN3ZmJlaw==


with love,

Phay Shing

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Saturday 24 August 2024

Capybara Snowskin Mooncakes

 


Capybara Snowskin Mooncakes! 🦫₍ᐢ-(ェ)-ᐢ₎ Too cute to eat?🥰 
Made with RedMan lotus paste and premium ingredients from @phoonhuat !💕 

Video tutorial reel here: https://www.instagram.com/p/C--SOQ8y8yg/ 

With lots of love, 

Susanne 


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Sunday 18 August 2024

Healthier Old School Butter Cake

 I am planning to make old school butter cakes for my dad's and uncle's birthdays this year but with a healthier twist! Before I make the actual birthday cakes, I decided to to some trial bakes so here's a picture of my second attempt!


In case you are wondering, is the taste compromised? Answer is a no according to my taste testers of various ages!

**This is not a sponsored post. I bought the ingredients because I wanted to.**

How did I make it healthier? 
By choosing a recipe that begins with less sugar and using Alchemy Fibre as well. Alchemy Fibre is a blend of inulin and edible gum. It's a prebiotic soluble fibre blend that has well documented positive effects on cholesterol and blood sugar levels. 

How is this butter cake healthier?
✅ Contains 32% less sugar than Mrs SK Ng's butter cake recipe
✅ Contains prebiotic soluble fibres which are good for gut health 
✅ Fibres reduce bad cholesterol effects of butter
✅ Fibres reduce overall GI of the cake too!
✅ No sugar replacements so suitable for those sensitive to sugar alcohols 

I chose to adapt from Wen's Delight and she in turn took Cooking Crave's recipe as the reference. Why didn't I use the famous Mrs SK Ng's recipe as a reference then? Because it contains 20% more sugar and a higher proportion of sugar goes into the creaming of butter than the meringue. This will mean a less stable meringue and chances of the meringue collapsing or breaking down during the folding stage are higher, especially with such high fat content in the egg yolk batter.

What if you don't have access to Alchemy Fibre? 
You may just replace with inulin, which you may get from health supplies stores. In Singapore, Alchemy Fibre is easily available at supermarkets like NTUC and Sheng Shiong. Feel free to replace with sugar too.

Why did I think of using Alchemy Fibre? 
Besides the health benefits, I have found that it is a meringue thickener and stabilizer so I substitute part of the sugar when making the meringue. You may see my experiment from this reel that cakes leavened by meringues like chiffon cake can be made using Alchemy fibre and without sugar at all!

Can you replace even more sugar with Alchemy Fibre than the recipe in this post?
You can definitely try although personally I wouldn't substitute much more than what I share here because I find that the fibres cause a tendency for the chiffon cakes to crack at the tops during baking and the change in texture from the familiar old school butter cakes may become noticeable. There's also such a thing as too much of a good thing because overconsumption of soluble fibres may cause bloating too. If you don't mind the change in texture for an even healthier cake and are only having a little cake in each sitting (to avoid side effects of ingesting too much soluble fibres), go ahead and make the substitution 😊

Healthier Old School Butter Cake
125g Golden Churn butter*
34g caster sugar 
6g Alchemy fibre*
Pinch of salt 
2 egg yolks
15g milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
100g cake or plain flour or a combination* 
1/2 tsp baking powder

2 egg whites 
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1/2 tsp lemon juice
34g caster sugar
6g Alchemy fibre*

* Golden Churn is the preferred choice of butter for most bakers. It tastes great & you don't have to worry about waiting for it to come to the right room temperature (narrow window sweet spot of 18-20C with other regular butter that needs refrigeration)  before using because it comes in a can at room temperature!
* Alchemy Fibre is a mix of inulin & edible gum. If you can't get this product, you may substitute with inulin or sugar
* Flour choice depends on preference of firm or more tender bite. Cake flour for more tender bite, plain flour for better structure stability/firmer 

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 170C, oven rack set to second lowest position or lower third of the oven. Line a 6" round or square pan at the base and grease the sides.

2. Cream butter, sugar, salt and fibre until pale & fluffy.

3. Sift together flour & baking powder. Add 2 tbs to step 2. Mix well with electric mixer. Adding flour at this early stage helps to prevent batter from splitting when the wet ingredients are added.

4. Add egg yolk one at a time. Mix well with electric mixer.

5. Add 2 tbs of sifted flour mix. Mix well with spatula or electric mixer on low speed.

6. Add milk & vanilla. Mix well with electric mixer. 

7. Gradually add flour 1 tbs at a time. Mix well with electric mixer on low speed or spatula after each addition until no trace of flour is seen. Set aside.

8. Whisk sugar & alchemy fibre together in a small bowl just before making meringue. Make meringue by beating egg whites with cream of tartar/ lemon juice & sugar mix to firm peaks.

9. Fold meringue into egg yolk batter in three additions, taking care not do deflate the meringue.

10. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45min at 170C or until done. Adjust baking conditions according to your oven so watch the brownness during baking. Reduce temperature or tent your cake with foil if it browns too fast.

11. Invert onto wire rack to cool.

See my reel for the video tutorial of making this cake:



Enjoy it while freshly baked and warm! Storage in the fridge will make the cake firmer and some people like my dad loves it this way. But if you prefer soft fluffy cake, steam or microwave with steam created from a separate bowl of hot water to reheat until moist and soft again.



with love,
Phay Shing
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Sunday 11 August 2024

Shiba Fall Fatcarons

 Are you ready for Fall? Here are some Fall macarons that I am super excited about! 


Here's a peek at the cross-section view!


If you are not familiar with Fatcarons, they are simply macarons with a really thick layer of filling. These adorable shiba fatcarons came about because I asked myself " Why does macaron fillings have to be piped?? Can't it be shaped by hand?" 

Of course you can use a number of things to shape it and sandwich between macaron shells. But I want it to taste good with macaron shells so things like fondant, modelling chocolate, marzipan or marshmallows are out for me because they contain too much sugar to be paired with macaron shells.

This mystery shapeable filling is low in sugar, low in fat, doesn't melt at tropical temperatures or in you hands but melts in your mouth. It has a texture similar to Orh Nee or Mont Blanc. It is so shapeable that tiny details like the eyes, eyebrows and "X" on the butt are made of the filling! It's fairly neutral tasting and made from a key ingredient that is cheap and easily available. These shibas are hojicha and vanilla flavoured with a strawberry raspberry ganache surprise in the middle.

So the question is, what is the filling??

Join me for the studio class or online class to find out! All studio class participants will have access to online class content at no extra charge.

Studio class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/shiba-fall-fatcarons?referral=service_list_widget

Online class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/product-page/online-classes-shiba-fall-fatcarons-ready-by-14-oct


with love,

Phay Shing 

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Friday 9 August 2024

Cute Animals Snowskin Mooncakes (for BASIC event)


I am excited to be teaching how to make these cute snowskin mooncakes at my church's Basic family day tomorrow! It's going to be fun blessed time of family bonding! Here is the recipe for your reference =) 


Animals Snowskin Mooncake Recipe (by Susanne Ng) 
Makes 8 60g-mooncake animals (for 4 pax – 1 group) 

Ingredients: 
75g Kou fien, sifted 
10g Wheat starch 
40g Icing Sugar, sifted 
25g Shortening 
45g Cold water 
45g Cold ice cream soda 
240g Lotus paste 
Chocolate emulco (1/4 tsp x2) 
Pink food colouring (1/2 drop) 
Extra 5g shortening for greasing  

Equipment you may need: 
1 plastic table cloth 
1 spatula 
1 knife 
4 pairs of gloves 
4 disposable containers 

1. Roll lotus paste into a log. Divide equally in 8 (~30g each). Roll into balls. 

2. Mix sifted kou fien, wheat starch and icing sugar together till uniform using spatula. 

3. Add in shortening and quickly mix using gloves until the mixture resembles bread  crumbs.

4. Pour in the cold water and soda and knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth.  Pinch out 2 small balls (1-cm) and divide the dough into two. 

Plain dough: knead and cover (rest 10 mins). 
Brown dough: add ¼ tsp chocolate emulco. Knead and rest. 
Dark brown dough: add ¼ chocolate emulco to 1-cm ball. Knead in. 
Pink dough: add pink food colouring to 1-cm ball. Knead in. 

5. To the plain and brown dough (after 10 mins), pinch out a 2-cm ball (for ears/hands). 
Roll into log and divide dough into 4 (~28g). 

6. Flatten the prepared dough into a 7-cm circle. Put the filling and pinch to seal. Roll the ball smooth. Assemble your own animal by adding eyes, nose, ears, and paws. 

7. Store the cakes in an airtight container and refrigerate for about 1-2 hrs for the mooncake to become firm before consuming. Best consumed within a few days. Enjoy! =) 

Lots of love, 

Susanne 








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Sunday 4 August 2024

Miffy Vanilla & Lavender Marshmallows (using meringue powder)

 After coming up with the recipe of using egg white powder to make marshmallows, of course I have to try using meringue powder to make marshmallows. Here's what I made!


The Miffy marshmallows come in two flavours. Vanilla and lavender vanilla. 

Here are some pictures of the piped marshmallows.



I made a total of 44 Miffys! So it really tested my patience 😆. If you are interested to see the marshmallows made from egg white powder, you may refer to this post.

I shared how you can use meringue powder instead of fresh egg whites, as well as a comprehensive comparison between fresh egg whites, egg white powder and meringue powder in marshmallow making in this reel:


You may see the squish and piping tutorial in this reel:



Please refer to my book Deco Marshmallows for the details of the basic recipe and various delicious marshmallow flavours!


with love,

Phay Shing

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Wednesday 31 July 2024

Deco Chiffon 3D Rolls (NEW COOKBOOK)


Excited to share my new cookbook Deco Chiffon 3D Rolls is finally hitting stores, both physical shelves and online! 

Last year, I had the sudden inspiration to shape/design roll cakes into cute 3D Characters with different fillings/surprises! 😋 There are cream-free options, downloadable templates, step pictures, video tutorials, and hard cover in this limited edition! There also also cute surprises inside the cakes and creative fillings like cheesecake, jelly, mousse etc. See video of the book on my Instagram here.

Book availability here:

Singapore: Kinokuniya, Amazon

Malaysia: Kinokuniya (Kinokuniya KLCC), Mph (The Exchange TRX)

Indonesia: Periplus

Other countries: Amazon.com and kindle in a few months

I will also be having a DEMO on how to assemble the Mermaid Roll cake and book signing this Sunday 4th Aug, 130pm at Start Vista Redman. My cookbooks will be on special offer during the demo and there will be shopping vouchers too!

Hope to see you there!

With lots of love,

Susanne

 



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Sunday 28 July 2024

Baby Shower Macarons

 Our friends welcomed a baby girl into their lives recently so these were made for them!


I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe to make the macaron shells. Here are some pictures of the piped batter:



I decorated the macaron shells with edible marker and royal icing. I filled the macarons with either Hojicha chocolate ganache or mixed berry ganache. Both of which are dairy-free to facilitate gifting people in hot tropical Singapore's weather.



You may refer to this post for the mixed berry ganache recipe. I can't share the hojicha chocolate ganache recipe as it's used for my hedgehog macaron class.

You may have a look at the reel for the tutorial of the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9Rzyqby3-F/?igsh=MW5hdTl2Z2RpZmxucw==


with love,

Phay Shing

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Sunday 21 July 2024

Jellycat Avocado, Egg & Toast Marshmallows (Using egg white powder)

 It's been some time since I made marshmallows. Honestly, I didn't feel motivated to make them again until I had the motivation to try using powdered egg whites instead of fresh egg whites. Presenting my avocado, egg and toast Jellycat marshmallows!


You may see my reel over here on how to use powdered egg whites for marshmallow making:




This experiment came about because in some countries, the use of raw fresh egg whites is against cottage laws.

Here's a picture of the piped batter:


Marshmallows taste the best toasted because of that caramelized crisp layer and soft gooey insides.



Paired with chocolate is great!



Here's a reel showing how squishy the marshmallows are and the piping video tutorial:


https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8-rDFlyBCe/?igsh=MTN0OWNwNTFtZzJ5Yw==


with love,

Phay Shing

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