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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Shiba Strawberries and Cream Painted Box Cakes

 
I have a set of really cute Shiba stickers that inspired me to create these painted cake boxes!

Strawberries are in season so I incorporated it in the flavour and design. Check out the surprise inside too!

Cake composition:
🔸Lavender vanilla chiffon sponge
🔸Fresh strawberries
🔸Rose honey jelly with fresh strawberries
🔸Lavender vanilla custard cream

I will share how to create edible paintings on chiffon sponges using the printing technique which does away with the use of a patterning batter. This method is easier and more environmentally-friendly as it does not tricky batter management, the need for many piping bags, and you have a lot less washing up of bowls and spatulas to do!

Painted Shibas before the 🍓 are added in

Please refer to this link for the studio class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/shiba-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class

Please note that spaces are limited for the studio class as people have expressed interest and availability for the date before the content is being put up for registration.

Please refer to this link for the online class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/product-page/shiba-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class-ready-by-8th-aug-sgd-88-usd-68

The online class has no expiry date and is available worldwide. All studio class participants will have access to online class material at no extra charge.

You may have a peek of the process from this reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXIaZiGyJgG/?igsh=d24zZzVsOWZvNXMy

with love,

Phay Shing 

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"Penguin on Ice" Marshmallows with KitKat Surprise

 I had a request for some penguin marshmallows with KitKat balls hidden inside them. This was what I made!

Checkout the video of the process over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWxPMX8SVxE/?igsh=MXAzeHNxMG11eTRwdQ==

Recipe can be found here.

I actually made 3 batches of marshmallow batter for creating 30 penguins because the batter only remains pipeable for limited time even if I store unused batter in a warm place (breadproofing box). I had leftover marshmallow batter to deal with because of that. As it was around the time for Easter, I decided to melt the leftover batter and set it in a tray to cut egg shapes out. 

I made S'mores out of it along with leftover brown sugar cookie dough I had in the freezer to use up.

And because the egg-shaped S'mores were made from marshmallow cutouts, I had to deal with the leftovers of the leftovers 😆. I remelted the marshmallow and set them in cupcake cases to make these S'mores, which I took the chance to use up extra KitKat balls too.

The "flower petals" are the extra penguin wings that I didn't use 🤭

I had enough leftovers to generate these!

with love,

Phay Shing

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"Puppies with Hearts" Marshmallows on Fresh Cream Cake

 The brief I had for this request was "Fresh cream cake with ombre pink/red hearts cascading down the cake and some cute puppies or bears". This was what I came up with!

Inside the cake is 5 layers of vanilla chiffon sponge with a hint of pandan in the batter as well as from the syrup brushed on the sponge surfaces.

It was honestly quite nerve-wracking putting this cake together because I seldom frost cakes completely and fresh cream only allows a limited number of passes with the scraper or spatula before it turns grainy. And Singapore is really warm so I had to work in the air-conditioned room.

I used my default vanilla chiffon sponge recipe and replaced a quarter of the milk with pandan water. I used pandan water instead of just water for the syrup for brushing the sponge. The ratio I used for the syrup is 1:2 for sugar : pandan water. I made the pandan water by simmering several pandan leaves in a saucepan of water (about 400ml) for 10 min before discarding the leaves.

I used the stabilized whipped cream recipe from this bake.

A closer look at the puppies with hearts!

Works-in-progress photo of the Hojicha marshmallow puppies before I stuck the marshmallow hearts and bows on

Please see this reel for the process of making the marshmallow cake toppers:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUnUti6CZN8/?igsh=d2M0YzF1NzVvMDRk

with love,

Phay Shing

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Nick and Judy Brown Sugar Cookies

 My friend loves my brown sugar cookies so much that she's ordering it again for her daughter's birthday! This is the twelfth consecutive year I am baking for the young lady! I didn't get around to sharing these earlier but the cookies were made along with the macaron versions of Nick and Judy.

Can you spot which ones are the cookies and which ones are the macarons below?

I use my default brown sugar cookie recipe because although it's not the prettiest cookies, it smells and tastes amazing! It has a long shelf life and stays yummy even when working for long hours with royal icing decoration as it is yummy both crisp or soft. I use cake paint to add in some shading or details on the icing.

With this many details, I can only ice this quantity 🤭. The weird cookie at the top right is for testing the shade of paint on the icing before I apply on the actual characters 

You may see this post for the details of the macaron version. Thank God it was well received once again!

with love,

Phay Shing

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"Happy Guinea Pig Village" Macarons

 I have a set of really cute guinea pig magnets that I have been wanting to create a bake with for some time. I finally had the bandwidth to play around with it and this was what I made!

Guinea pig macarons filled with smooth Biscoff spread and Nutella dark chocolate, along with a couple of 3D coffee macaron basket weave tunnels!

This project took place during a particularly rainy and humid spell so it was a little challenging to manage although making sure that the meringue was really stiff enough helped the batter to stay stable for a longer time.

I share the process of making the 3D tunnels along with some tips over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVhaegjkrXw/?igsh=Z21sN3UwcXRkbm05

Some photos of the process of making the 3D basket weave tunnel...

Freshly piped before transferring to the homemade foil arch

Transferred piped batter onto foil arch 

Baked coffee macaron tunnels!

I shared the process of making the guinea pig macarons along with some technical tips of working in humid conditions over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVpI4G-kj3p/?igsh=ZTZtMTQ1ZjEwNGJw

Some photos of the process of making the guinea pig macarons...

Freshly baked macaron shells along with the original magnet references

Check out the awesome feet on the shells!

I added in the details with gel food coloring and edible black marker.

It's the first time I am testing out using gel food colouring instead of cake paint after a long time because it didn't work for me in the long past but since it works for some macaron bakers, I thought of giving it a shot again. It takes a much longer time to dry than cake paint but it still works.

Filling with Biscoff spread and Nutella dark chocolate

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe for both guinea pigs and tunnels but for the tunnel, I used the variation of the recipe where all the egg whites are used for making the Swiss meringue and folded until dry ingredients are just combined with the meringue.

with love,

Phay Shing

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Horse Cashew Cookies

 This unplanned bake happened because my friend gave me a bag of raw cashews!

I made the cookies sugar-free to make it more diabetic-friendly but you may use regular sugar.

(Makes about 30-34 cookies)

Main dough:

125g toasted cashew flour*

125g plain flour

50g icing sugar*

1/4-1/2 tsp salt*

20g peanut or cashew oil*

45g neutral oil*

Egg wash:

1 yolk or 1/2 egg lightly beaten + 1/2 tsp water, sieved

Others:

1/16 tsp cocoa powder 

Cashew halves for decorating

Edible marker 

Please see the reel for the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUjnY9xCVQS/?igsh=MXdxMDQzZDA3Yjd2bA==

1. Whisk together cashew flour, plain flour, icing sugar & salt

2. Add peanut oil & mix well

3. Gradually add neutral oil until you are able to form a ball of dough that doesn't break apart when rolled between hands. This ensures that the texture of cookie is light & melts in your mouth while being cohesive enough that it doesn't crumble too easily. You may not need to use all the oil

4. Reserve 5g of dough & add cocoa powder. If the dough is too dry & crumbly, add a drop of oil to make it cohesive again. This step is optional if you aren't making horses

5. Divide main dough into 10-11g balls & place on lined baking tray. They can be placed really close together as they don't expand much in the oven

6. Press halved cashew on top of dough ball (for non-horsey cookies) or create horse design as shown

7. Apply egg wash

8. Bake in preheated oven at 170C fan/180C for 15 min or until golden brown. Rotate tray halfway

9. Cool on baking tray for 5 min before moving to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight condition for up to a few weeks.

* NOTES FOR INGREDIENTS:

🔸Toasted cashew flour: 

I made my own flour by baking raw cashew nuts at 150C for about 10-15 min until aromatic & lightly browned before grinding into powder. You may purchase cashew flour if you don't want the hassle of processing your own nut flour which can be tricky if you are not careful as you may end up with nut butter instead. I strongly advise toasting the store bought flour to have a more nutty cookie! Just bake at 150C until aromatic & lightly browned

🔸Icing sugar:

I wanted to make the cookie more diabetic friendly so I replaced the icing sugar with 15g Lakanto (Erythritol with monk fruit extract), 10g Alchemy Fibre (a blend of inulin & edible gum) & 25g Maltitol. Taste isn't compromised (you can't tell it's sugar-free because there's no weird aftertaste!)

🔸 Salt: 

Adjust amount according to preference. My family prefers the higher end as salt really brings out the nutty flavour for a more savoury cookie

🔸Peanut/cashew oil: 

I used some peanut oil instead of neutral oil only to enhance the nuttyness of the cookie, but not all peanut oil as it would overpower the cashew flavour. If you have access to cashew nut oil, go ahead & use it 😊. I don't have it easily available. You may replace with neutral oil for simplicity 

🔸 Neutral oil: 

I used canola oil but you may use corn, soybean or sunflower oil too

with love,

Phay Shing

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Horse 马蹄酥 (Ma-Ti-Su)

 It's the Year of the Horse (马年) so of course I have to make some 马蹄酥 horses!

A closer look at the flaky pastry and gooey filling!

Recipe For 马蹄酥🐴 (horse shoe pastry horses)
(makes about 7 horse pastries)

A.k.a. Beh Teh Soh or Heong Piah in Hokkien dialect or Heong Paeng in Cantonese dialect.

Recipe is adapted from Yeo Min's Chinese Pastry School cookbook. 

For those of you not familiar with the pastry, it has a crisp, flaky crust and a gooey, fragrant, savoury and sweet filling with maltose, shallot oil and toasted white sesame seeds as the stars of the flavour profile.

Filling:
35g sugar (caster or light brown)
55g maltose
1/2 tbs toasted white sesame seeds
10g shallot oil
1g salt
15g cooked glutinous rice flour

Oil dough:
54g plain flour
27g vegetable shortening 
1/16 tsp cocoa powder

Water dough:
70g plain flour
10g caster sugar
8g neutral oil
4g shallot oil
35g warm water
5g maltose
1/16 tsp salt

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp hot water
1/8 tsp cocoa powder

Others:
Black edible marker
A little maltose or honey

Watch my reel to see the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUhCmpGieCh/?igsh=MXR3YTVna2hhYXo2MQ==

METHOD:

1. Prepare filling. Warm maltose and sugar in microwave oven/double boiler. Mix in the rest of ingredients. Rest for 10min. Divide into 15g portions. Freeze for 10min before reshaping to horse face shape. Keep frozen till assembly.

2. Prepare water dough. Whisk all ingredients except flour together to emulsify oil & water. Pour at once into flour. Mix until dough forms. Cover and rest for 15min. Knead until elastic and passes windowpane test. Keep covered

3. Prepare oil dough while resting water dough. Rub shortening into flour and form a ball of dough.

4. Laminate 18g water dough and 9g oil dough as shown in reel. Keep laminated balls of dough covered to prevent drying out.

5. Add 1/16 tsp cocoa powder to 6g of oil dough. Roll to 3mm thick between parchment paper and cut out horse mane. You may use a template and knife. I made a homemade cookie cutter out of an empty can to make it easier. Bake at 150C for 10 min or till done. You may do this after the pastries are baked to have a better gauge of the size of the mane needed.

My homemade cookie cutter for the horse's mane

6. Use leftover oil dough for forming the ears.

7. Roll laminated dough flat, about 8-10cm. Place filling in the middle & enclose. Pinch seams together & place it seam side down. Make sure the seams are properly sealed or the filling will burst out during baking.

8. Prepare egg wash. Dissolve cocoa powder in hot water. Add to egg yolk & mix well. Sieve before using.

9. Brush the tops of the pastry for horse face pattern. Attach ears and egg wash as shown in reel. Make holes for nostrils using toothpick. Imprint the mouth using a straw cut as shown in reel. You may need to deepen the mouth by using the toothpick to indent the smile deeper or it may disappear after baking

10. Bake in preheated oven at 170C fan/180C for 30 min (or until lightly browned). Rotate the baking tray halfway through baking. 

Very helpful tip from Yeo Min: 

Bake pastries on preheated baking tray or hot stone to quickly set the pastries for reducing risk of leaks. That's why I placed each horse on parchment paper squares so that I can yeet them into the oven directly onto a hot surface, baking 3 horses at a time. This tip really works wonders! 

11. Cool slightly before drawing eyes with black edible marker. Attach the mane using a little warmed and softened maltose or honey. Best enjoyed freshly baked or retoasted until warm if stored in airtight container to enjoy the pastries with the filling in a gooey state.

with love,
Phay Shing

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Chili Crab Choux Pastry

 Decorative Choux pastries need not always be sweet. Here are some savoury, spicy and sweet cute choux pastries --- chili crab choux!

A closer look at the insides filled with chili crab diplomat cream that has real crab meat! This filling really works together with the crunchy pastry case! 

I will be sharing how to create these yummy treats which are inspired by one of Singapore's iconic dishes in an April class. Please click on the link below for more information or to register:

https://shop.redmanshop.com/products/chili-crab-choux-pastry-class-phytsv00006

with love,

Phay Shing

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Judy and Nick Pistachio Mixed Berry Macarons

 My friend requested for some Judy and Nick macarons and brown sugar cookies for her daughter's birthday. It's the 12th consecutive year I am baking for her! I am sharing the macaron version in this blog post.

The macarons are filled with one of the yummiest flavour combinations I have made: pistachio Swiss meringue buttercream and strawberry raspberry jam. I used only added 10% sugar by weight to the fruit puree to make the jam so it remains very tart and fruity. I reduced the puree to half its original weight over low heat until it is thick before storing in the refrigerator.

According to my friend, the macarons were so yummy even her elderly mother loved it!

The fillings were rather time consuming to make too because I make all the components from scratch.

Here's the recipe for the pistachio Swiss meringue buttercream.

Ingredients:

75g egg whites (about 2)
1/16 tsp salt
65g sugar 
140g unsalted butter, slightly softened*
10g milk powder*
140g pistachio butter*

Steps:
1. Double boil egg whites with salt & sugar, whisking constantly until mixture reaches 71.1C. 
2. Whip till stiff, glossy peak, & cooled to room temperature.
3. Add butter 1tbs at a time. Continue beating 8-10 min on med-high speed until light & fluffy. 
4. Add milk powder during the last min of beating until incorporated. 
5. Stir some buttercream into the pistachio butter to lighten it up before adding it back to the buttercream. Fold the lightened pistachio butter into the buttercream in a few additions. You may use it immediately or freeze in airtight condition until use if making ahead of time. Briefly whip with a spatula after defrosting.

* Additional notes for ingredients

Butter: 

You may replace partially with vegetable shortening if you are not able to serve this in a cool environment. I live in the tropics so the filling may soften quite a lot at 30C non air-conditioned room temperature. But if your environment is cool, use all butter because it's yummier 😋.

Milk powder: 

You may toast the milk powder for a caramel flavour as well! To toast, bake in a thin layer in the oven at 140C, stirring every 8-10 min until golden brown but not too dark.  Total duration depends on whether you are toasting in bulk or small amounts. Milk powder adds stability to the buttercream too.

Pistachio butter: 

Toast shelled pistachios at 150C for 10-15min or until aromatic. Remove the skins first if you wish by blanching and rubbing between a towel. Blend with a little salt to taste. Using a powerful blender helps as you don't need to thin out the mixture with oil.

You may refer to this reel to have a peek at filling the shells:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTh0m2bCULh/?igsh=MXJtMGc3M3RrYzI4OA==

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe to make the macaron shells.

Here are some pictures of the undecorated macaron shells..

I used edible marker, royal icing and edible paint for adding in the details.

You may see this reel to see how I piped Nick:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTunc8PCVpH/?igsh=MXUzZXp6b3UwZXZxZw==

And see this reel to see how I piped Judy:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DT1RsuSCVk1/?igsh=MWxkNXM5NzA0dzczZA==

Do read the captions of the reels as I share some technical tips on how to work with complex shaped characters with many colours and details.

with love,

Phay Shing

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Caramel Earl Grey Cat Box Cakes

 These cat box cakes are not only cute, they are delicious too!

Here's the cake composition:

🔸Earl Grey honey chiffon sponge (as the base)

🔸Light coloured Earl Grey vanilla chiffon sponge (as painting canvas)

🔸Caramel Earl Grey custard cream

🔸Crunchy Biscoff spread

🔸Earl Grey cinnamon honey tea agar jelly

🔸Freshly ground salt

I used the printing technique for the painted chiffon so there is no need to mess around with a patterning batter. This "cheat" method yields great results while saving the environment by eliminating the use of piping bags and cutting out a ton of washing. 

Painted chiffon using the printing method

A peek at halfway through assembling

A peek at the cross-section!

You may see the process of making these in this reel:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTKkS9viQAv/?igsh=eWYyNTZxcGJiNWls

If you are interested in learning how to make these cakes, I offer both studio and online classes for it. The grey and white cat designs will be shared in the class.  Please refer to the respective links for more information or to register:

Studio class:
https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/cat-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class

Online class:
https://www.bakersgym.com/product-page/cat-painted-chiffon-box-cake-class-sgd-88-usd-68

with love,
Phay Shing

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