Merlion Kaya Macarons

 To celebrate Singapore's 59th birthday this year, I have decided to have a merlion macaron class with a flavour profile that is familiar to Singaporeans: kaya!

These macarons are flavoured pandan coconut so even eating them "kosong" (plain or without filling) is delicious! Much like eating a chewy version of kuih bangkit! I made sure the filling is flavourful but not too sweet by making the kaya jam from scratch and surrounding it with a beautiful blue pea coloured coconut white chocolate buttercream. My taste testers all unanimously agree this is delish and not too sweet!

Here's a sneak peek at the work behind making these in the reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C63SRAiyWG4/?igsh=cTBjbGoxOHRrM2Qx

Check-out the lovely feet on the shells!

Check-out the beautiful and delectable filling!

Awesome cross-section of the full macaron shells!

You will learn the basics of Swiss meringue method of making character macarons as well as the plain rounds so beginners may join this class too. I focus on the techniques you need to start as well as venture into making characters. 

The link below has more details about this class as well as registration info:

https://www.bakersgym.com/service-page/merlion-kaya-macarons?referral=service_list_widget

with love,

Phay Shing

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Japanese Milk Bun Bears with Kaya Filling

School has just reopened, so I made these simple Japanese Milk Bread Buns with kaya filling for my kids' snack break. It's an easy bake, using a similar recipe to the previous Chocolate Bear-in-a-cone, but without cocoa powder.

Milk Bun Bears (With Kaya filling)
(A)
100g Prima bread flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant dry yeast
130g warm milk (~37°C, I microwaved for 20 secs)

(B)
100g Prima bread flour
20g unsalted butter
1/3 tsp salt

Black/pink food marker for decoration

1. In the stand mixer bowl, add all the dry ingredients in (A). Then add in the warm milk and mix vigorously using the dough hook for a few minutes. This helps to activate the yeast. Stop when you see little tiny bubbles popping when you stop stirring.

2. Add in the rest of (B) ingredients into the bowl. and mix using the dough hook until window pane stage (around 20 min, using speed 3). *Check for window pane after kneading for 20 min

3. Cover with cling wrap. Let it proof for 40 min for 1st fermentation. The dough will increase in size to about 1.5-2 times.

4. Do the finger test for the bread dough (leave an indent). Once the 1st fermentation is ok, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and degas the dough.

5. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Shape into balls and cover for 10mins (bench time).

6. After 10 min, flatten the dough and section out 2 small parts for the bear’s ears, and 2 smaller parts for bear's hands.

7. Flatten the larger dough into a circle. Place a 2 tsp ball of kaya (or whatever filling desired) in the center. Pinch to seal and roll into a round ball. Place the ball with pinched ends facing down on the prepared baking tray.

8. Repeat for the rest of the bread dough. Attach the ears and hands onto the bread. I used pasta sticks to prevent ears from dropping after proofing. I didn't need to use for the hands as they were small.

9. Cover gently with cling wrap. Let it rest for 30 min for 2nd fermentation.

10. Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the buns into the oven then lower to 150°C. Bake at 150°C for 30 min.

11. Cool the buns completely on a wire rack.

12. Draw on features using food marker.

Hope you like the simple, easy and cute bread buns!

With lots of love,

Susanne

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Chiffon Mooncakes (Chocolate)

I dressed up some Peanut Butter Chiffon Cakes as Mooncakes last year as gifts for teachers and friends! They were such a hit, I was requested to make these again =p.

This year, I played around with different flavour pairings - Chocolate Chiffon Cake as the "Chocolate lotus paste" and both Strawberry Jam (pink) and Pandan Kaya (green) Chiffon Cakes baked as sheets as the "Skin".

You can refer to the same method/pictures to make the Mooncake Chiffon Cake from last year, except I substituted the 4-inch Peanut Butter Chiffon Cake recipe for Low Sugar Chocolate Chiffon Cake recipe. The Strawberry Jam skin used is the same. Recipe for the green Pandan Kaya Chiffon Cake has been shared here (scale down to 2 egg recipe for the sheet cake).

Hope you like these cute creations!

PS: I also made real lotus paste Snowskin mooncakes this year too, using olive oil (instead of shortening). Hop on to my previous post if you like Miffy =)

With lots of love,
Susanne

**Preorders for Deco Chiffon Cakes Basics will be closing today (10/9/17). 
Thanks for your overwhelming support!**

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'Giant Burger' Chiffon Cake (Kaya and Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon)

I made this cute "Big mac" for my friend's son who loves burgers! The "buns" are made from Kaya Chiffon Cake, while the "beef patties" are made from Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake. My "Big mac" is the American version that is very generous on the beef patties lol. The "fries" are also cut from chiffon cake =p.

I baked my Kaya Chiffon Cake in two 8-inch bowls (can be metal or glass) for the "buns", and a 8-inch tube pan (till only 1.5 cm thick) for the "bread" in between. This Kaya flavour is a new flavour which I experimented on previously and it was very well-received. Today's recipe is a modified version of my previous recipe (with more liquid and less sugar).

I sliced a Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake, baked in an 8-inch tube pan, into two 2-cm thick layers for the "beef patties" using a Wilton cake leveler. I'm not so sure of the origin of the Japanese Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake, except that it was in Aunty Yochana's blog for many years before it was popular among the bloggers. It is known for it's moist and rich taste. Mine is a slightly modified recipe with increased sweetness, and added vanilla extract.

I have shared the recipes below for what I used to make for this burger cake, but have also including measurements and baking conditions for a normal height chiffon cake in a tube pan, for those who want to try the yummy flavours to make a normal chiffon cake =).

Kaya Chiffon Cake (Two 8-inch bowls + 8-inch thick layer)

or (one normal 8-inch chiffon pan)

Egg yolk batter
5 egg yolks
20g castor sugar
68g coconut oil
56g nyonya kaya
24g coconut milk
2g vanilla extract
100g Prima cake flour
¼ tsp baking powder

Meringue
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. Prepare meringue:

In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in the castor sugar and whisk at high speed till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak.

6. Gently fold meringue into egg yolk batter with a flexible spatula 1/3 at a time, till no streaks remain.

7. Pour the batter into two 8-inch bowls + 8-inch thick layer. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.
* or one ungreased 8-inch chiffon tube pan if you want to make normal chiffon cake

8. Baking conditions:

Bowls: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 30+ min, or until skewer inserted into centre of cake comes out clean. Thick layer chiffon cake: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 5-10 min.

8-inch tube pan: 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 40 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. You may need to adjust the baking time, depending on your oven.

9. Invert pans to cool on a wire rack completely.

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

Dark Pearl Chocolate Chiffon Cake (8-inch chiffon pan till 2/3 height)

or (7-inch chiffon pan normal height)

Egg yolk batter
3 egg yolks
36g vegetable/corn oil
66g milk
3g vanilla extract
78g dark chocolate
34g Prima cake flour, sifted
15g cocoa powder, sifted
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
56g castor sugar

1. Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler and stir till smooth. Set aside to cool a little.

2. 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.

3. Whisk egg yolks with oil, followed by the milk and vanilla extract. Whisk in the melted chocolate till mixture is smooth.

4. Sift together cake flour with cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Add in the sifted dry ingredients to the egg yolk batter and mix till well-combined and no lumps.

5. Prepare meringue:

In a grease-free, dry metal bowl, using electric mixer, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar till foamy. Gradually add in the castor sugar and whisk at high speed till firm peaks form, or just the point of stiff peak.

6. Gently fold meringue into egg yolk batter with a flexible spatula 1/3 at a time, till no streaks remain.

7. Pour the batter into an ungreased 8-inch chiffon tube pan. Gently tap on counter top to remove air bubbles.

*8-inch pan will get 2/3 of normal height of a chiffon cake, just nice for my application. But to get a normal height chiffon cake, please use 7-inch pan.

8. Bake at 160°C for 15 min, 140°C for 40 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. You may need to adjust the baking time, depending on your oven.

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

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

11. Slice the chiffon cake into 2 equal halves (around 2-cm thick) for 2 beef patties using a Wilton cake leveler.

In addition, I baked three 10-inch chiffon sheet cakes for cutting out the ingredients:-

Red (strawberry chiffon): for the Tomato – use circle cutter with gear

Yellow (vanilla chiffon): for the Cheese – cut out squares

Green (pandan chiffon): for the Lettuce – use a garrett or frill cutter

Assemble by stacking the layers into a hamburger using melted marshmallows or kaya or cream as glue!


For cute 'burger' chiffon cake pops, hop over to my previous post.

With lots of love,

Susanne

More fun chiffon creations here =)

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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)

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