"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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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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Hojicha Matcha Christmas Log Cabin Cake

 I decided earlier this year to make a matcha sponge based log cake with fresh berries and cream for my extended family this Christmas because it looks so Christmasy. But I saw the log cabin cake that joyfulhomecooking (Instagram account) made and fell in love with it! I stayed true to the flavour profile I originally planned into the cabin cake and this is what I came up with!

The insides still looks Christmasy!

Composition:

- Matcha honey chiffon sponge cake layers

- Stabilized fresh cream between matcha sponge layers and on the roof

- Fresh strawberries between matcha sponge layers and on the roof, and blueberries on the roof as well

- Hojicha Swiss meringue buttercream to coat the layered sponge assembly

- Iced brown sugar cookies for external decorations 

- Lady's finger sponges for the roof. You may make your own from scratch but I bought mine from a baking supplies store.

I made one cake earlier for my immediate family just so I could destroy the cake and share the content and recipe earlier for those of you who want to make this.

It's really yums!

The cake is light and refreshing, and the Hojicha buttercream tastes like Hojicha latte with a secret ingredient added! 

The whole project may seem like a massive undertaking but the good news is, the components can be broken down into manageable blocks of time for those of us with busy schedules. I will share the components in the order you should be making.

See the process of making the cake in this reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DR1s6GQkhVz/?igsh=ZmJnNjJpamFkbndk

1. Brown Sugar Cookie Decorations

The iced brown sugar cookie recipe can be found here. You may choose to omit the cinnamon or replace with a gingerbread spice mix if you wish.

Iced cookies!

The cookies have an excellent shelf life of 1 month at cool room temperature storage so you may make this first. The dimensions of the windows and doors are:

Windows: 3 cm x 5cm

Doors: 3.5cm x 6cm

Use the smallest cookie cutters you have for other decorations. Feel free to adjust dimensions according to your preference.

2. Matcha Honey Chiffon Sponge

(12x16" tray)

5 large eggs, separated

10g matcha 

55g hot water

16g honey 

1.5 tsp vanilla

64g oil

87g cake flour 

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

75g caster sugar

1. Make egg yolk batter. In a small bowl, whisk together matcha powder & hot water. Add honey & whisk until smooth. Sieve into large mixing bowl. 

2. Add oil, salt & vanilla. Mix well

3. Sift in flour & whisk until combined

4. Add egg yolks & whisk until smooth. Set aside

5. Make the meringue. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks, adding sugar gradually once egg whites are foamy.

6. Fold meringue into yolk batter in 3 additions. Pour into baking tray lined with Teflon sheet or parchment paper. Feel free to use alternative baking tray sizes because the sponges will be cut into pieces anyway.

7. Bake in preheated oven at 160C fan/170C 12-15 min or till done

8. Immediately flip onto a fresh sheet of parchment paper to cool completely. Cut into pieces for assemby Wrap in double layer of cling film to freeze if not assembling yet. 

Dimensions:

- 11cm x 21cm 3 pieces of sponge

- 7cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge

- 4cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge 

- 2.5cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge

3. Hojicha Swiss meringue buttercream 
145-155g egg whites (about 4)
1/8 tsp salt
130g sugar 
280g unsalted butter, slightly softened
16g Hojicha powder
4g dark cocoa powder (optional, for darker brown & added richness)
16-20g 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.

1. Double boil egg whites with salt & sugar, whisking constantly until mixture reaches 71.1C. 

2. Whip till stiff, glossy peak. 

3. Add butter 1tbs at a time. Continue beating 8-10 min on med-high speed until light & fluffy. 

4. Add hojicha, cocoa & milk powder during the last min of beating until incorporated. 

5. Use immersion blender for a shiny & smoother buttercream to finish off. You may use immediately with 8mm piping tip or freeze in airtight condition until use if making ahead of time. Mix again with immersion blender after defrosting. If making it ahead by a day, you may refrigerate the buttercream. Let it soften slightly at room temperature before using an immersion blender to mix until smooth & creamy.

4. Fresh Berries

Slices of strawberries should be prepared just before assembly and before whipping the fresh cream. I sliced the strawberries to a thickness of about 1cm. Place cut surface on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. You may prepare this up to several hours in advance, keeping the cut fruits in the fridge until assembly.

5. Stabilized whipped cream

220g + 30g heavy cream*

200g non-dairy cream*

1 tsp vanilla extract 

8g gelatin bloomed in 32g ice water

* You may use all dairy, non-dairy or your own preferred ratio of creams. If using only dairy, add a little icing sugar to taste. The non-dairy whipping cream I use is pre-sweetened. I use a mix for better stability in hot Singapore but still tastes good.

1. Place 220g of heavy cream, non-dairy cream & vanilla extract in a cold mixing bowl. Whip cream until soft peaks.

2. Melt bloomed gelatin using microwave or by immersing in another bowl of hot water.

3. Add 30g of cream into melted gelatin & mix well

4. Pour 3. into 1 in a thin stream while whisking the whipped cream by hand. Continue whipping until firm peaks. 

5. Transfer into piping bag & use immediately. If storing overnight or for 1h or more in the fridge, you will need to stir the whipped cream with a spatula again to smoothen it out before transferring into piping bag. Pipe the cream onto the cake using 1cm diameter piping tip

6. Assembly

Assembly can be spread over two days as well to make it manageable.

1. Layer the matcha sponge, fresh cream and strawberries as shown in the reel. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for 2 hours.

2. Pipe hojicha buttercream over the assembly and smoothen it out with a spatula. Melting small amounts of the cream to smear it horizontally along walls of the log cabin will create a natural subtle wood grain effect.

3. Add cookie decorations

4. Add lady's finger sponges for the roof

5. Pipe fresh cream on the roof

6. Add fresh berries on the rooftop

Refrigerate the cake for at least a few hours before serving. You may store the cake in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

I made the flavour profile not too strongly of matcha so that kids can enjoy this cake as well. If you prefer a stronger matcha flavour, brush the matcha sponge with matcha syrup during assembly before layering the fresh cream and fruits. Alternatively, add matcha powder to the fresh cream.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas in advance!

with lots of love,
Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Halloween Marshmallow Surprise

 I am really excited to share an amazing sugar-free marshmallow creation for classes because it's so tasty you wouldn't think it's sugar-free!

These cuties are Hojicha sugar-free marshmallows with sugar-free chocolate hazelnut cakepop surprise inside.

 Although I shared sugar-free marshmallow recipes in my Deco Marshmallows book, this version uses a different type of sugar replacement that is more commonly available (hint: it's not Erythritol!) and I added prebiotic soluble fibres too! Soluble fibres help to lower the GI of the confection even more as well as provide benefits for gut health and cholesterol management without adversely affecting taste. My book provides the recipes using fresh egg whites but this one uses meringue powder so it eliminates the risk of salmonella. 

Here's a video of the piping work behind the scenes and the squish:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM7j9Auz9J9/?igsh=c2sxYXdpcXhwbzZh

Just to share some other views of this creation:

Piped marshmallows before dusting

A closer look at the cut cross section revealing the chocolate hazelnut cake inside

Please refer to this link for the studio class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/sugar-free-halloween-marshmallow

Please refer to this link for the online class:

https://www.bakersgym.com/product-page/sugar-free-halloween-marshmallow-ready-by-17-oct

All studio class participants will have access to online class material for free! There's no expiry date for the online class.

with love,

Phay Shing

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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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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:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3Gxytry4ZA/?igsh=emdqMTA0cmFnbnk=

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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Corgi Hojicha Plushiemallow Class

This corgi plushiemallow class is up for registration with Artz Baking and Culinary studio! 

Like the unicorn plushiemallow class, you get to learn how to create corgi plushiemallows in three common plushie postures: sitting upright, lying on back and lying on front. There's a bonus corgi butt, of course😆! 

This marshmallow is flavoured with hojicha powder, which tempers the sweetness of marshmallows well. I personally prefer flavoured or toasted marshmallows as it brings a different dimension to just plain squishy candies.

This class has both online and hands-on options. All hands-on participants will have access to online class material at no extra cost. The online class will be released in time for International Dogs Day too! Please click on this link for hands-on class. Please click on this link for online class.

with love,

Phay Shing

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Dart Monkey Matcha Hojicha Macaron Carousel

"I would like a macaron carousel for my birthday" 

"Ok! Just let me know what character you want." 

That's why I made this dart monkey mini macaron carousel in my elder kid's favourite flavours --- hojicha and matcha! My elder kid is a gamer a Bloons is one of the games he plays. 

I used the swiss meringue method for making the macarons. 

Just to share photos of some of the piped batter and macaron shells... 

Piped batter of the large pieces on carousel frame

Piped batter of Dart monkeys and some darts

Carousel frame made from lightly matcha flavoured shells. 

Dart monkeys! 

The filling for macaron carousel has to be a firm one to prevent unwanted collapse during assembly and I am sharing the recipe in this post. You may replace some white chocolate with butter if you live in a colder climate. 

Matcha/ Hojicha chocolate buttercream

This is a small portion so feel free to upsize it. 

Ingredients:

55g white chocolate, finely chopped or use chips 

5g 100% dark chocolate couverture (may substitute with white chocolate. I use this to temper the sweetness of white chocolate) 

20g unsalted butter

3/4 tbs hojicha or matcha powder

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

A pinch of salt

Steps:

1. Place everything into heatproof bowl and melt over hot water without the base of the bowl touching the water. Melt the chocolate and butter and stir to mix well. Do not overheat. Alternatively you may use microwave oven to melt in a few rounds at medium-low power in 10 second bursts. 

2. Wait for it to firm up at cool room temperature. Whip it up a little using spatula to lighten texture. 

3. Transfer into piping bag and fill the macaron shells. 

Here's another look at the carousel! 

Assembly of the structure is done using STIFF consistency royal icing.  I get some people report that their carousel frame collapse during assembly but I found out that it is either because icing isn't firm enough or they didnt wait till the icing has set fully before letting the central pillar take the weight of the roof. It is important to make sure that icing has set firm before letting central pillar take the full weight of the roof or removing external supports for assembly especially if you use a soft filling. Sometimes this requires an overnight wait. 

So glad that the birthday kid loved this! 

With lots of love, 

Phay Shing 

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Starry Wonderment Macaron & Cookie Creation

"Make something with as many stars as possible, and a moon, and maybe a pig. Because the recipient said she wants to be surrounded by stars." 

If you were given a task like this, how would you put it into a picture? This was my take on it using cookie and macaron as my medium of expression 😊. 

Matcha hojicha flavoured macarons and hojicha cookie tree! As usual, my bakes are fondant-free and this has minimal inedible items included. 

I wanted to create everything in macaron at first but thought it is too risky due to the fairly thin parts on the tree skeleton structure. I decided to use my default cookie base for construction projects to ensure a sturdier support structure is present without having to use inedible dowels. The recipe is tweaked a little by replacing the cornflour with plain flour for a sturdier structure, and hojicha and cocoa powder added for a darker colour. I adapted my cookie template from Jennifer Maker. 

Recipe for Hojicha cocoa cookie

Ingredients :

114g unsalted butter

100g caster or brown sugar 

1 egg (51g without shell) 

285g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1tsp vanilla extract

1 tbs hojicha powder

1 tsp cocoa powder

Steps:

Please refer to this post for the steps. I rolled the dough to 4mm thickness before cutting the tree shape out. Add milk a little at a time if the dough is too dry and crumbly. Add flour a little at a time if too sticky and soft to work with. 

I used the Swiss meringue method recipe for the macaron shells. 

Undecorated macaron shells

I used pink lustre dust to create some of the intermediate shades of pink for the macaron stars. 

I used edible marker, lustre dust and royal icing for adding the details on the pig, moon and star. 

I used a mixture of hojicha and matcha ganache for the fillings. I added some crunchy chocolate balls for the large base macaron shell, which is around 14cm in diameter. 

Hojicha ganache, matcha ganache and crunchy chocolate balls. 

The assembled base looks pretty on its own! 

I filled the moon and stars with hojicha ganache. The stars are glued to the tree with hojicha ganache.

But before I glued the stars on, I had to take a photo of the tree on the base! It looks like something out of a children's picture storybook! I used stiff royal icing to secure the cookie tree to the base macaron. It is sturdy enough so no dowels are needed. I just reinforced the cookie structure with some royal icing on the back surfaces of the cookies. 

With love, 

Phay Shing

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3D Corgi Hojicha Macaron Class

After making 3D macaron cats, of course I have to make some 3D macaron doggos! My favourite breed has to be the corgi because I love their smiley faces, short stubby legs and of course their irresistible butts! 

For this class, I will cover the basics of French method, this corgi design and the yummy but easy hojicha chocolate ganache filling that is firm enough for such 3D construction. The macaron shells are mildly Hojicha flavoured too! 

This class will be with Artz Baking and Culinary studio. We have not decided when to have this class as we have already lined up the classes for this year. Please let Sharon (whatsapp +65 96882777) know your interest for this class and she can reserve a slot for you first. 

With love,

Phay Shing 

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Naturally Coloured Hedgehog Hojicha Chocolate Macarons

I am excited to share with you how to make these naturally coloured hedgehog hojicha chocolate macarons! 

It is not just the design that I am excited about, but also a technique that works! Besides teaching the basics of French method, how to make 3 colours of batter in a single batch, and how to pipe the hedgehog design, I will show you how to incorporate royal icing transfers onto macaron shells. There are various cute character macaron designs whereby the character is holding objects. It can be a challenge for the new baker to incorporate another layer of the object using macaron batter. The option of using transfers means that there is no need to freehand pipe the object or up the challenge by having to prepare additional coloured batter(s) for the object. 

A yummy and easy filling of hojicha chocolate ganache that is firm enough for Singapore weather will be taught. 

The registration link for this class is not up on Tottstore website yet but it should be some time in July. So keep a lookout for it! 

With love,

Phay Shing

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