Sugar-Free Gender Reveal Mango Pandan Coconut Sponge & Pudding Cake

 My friend requested for a sugar-free gender reveal cake and this was what I came up with!

Most gender reveal cakes involve cutting the cake and revealing either coloured sponges, buttercream or confetti sprinkles in the colour of the baby's gender. The content creator part of me wanted to film the reveal without having to destroy the cake so that I don't have to repair the cake/make another one after filming the reveal 🤭.

 That's why I came up with a simple reveal mechanism made of food-safe materials that I already have at home. I am surprised that this isn't the standard way reveal is done because it's so fun, dramatic, so simple to make, AND it doesn't destroy the cake!

The recipe I share can be made with regular white sugar although my friend requested for the use of sugar replacements omitting sugar altogether where possible. I made use of natural food sources as colouring where possible too! Such as the use of fresh red dragonfruit puree for making the hidden pink cake bites.

Pink cake bites in the shape of mini croissants and mini macarons

Cake composition:

- Red dragonfruit sugar-free chiffon cake bites with a little strawberry jelly

- Vanilla sugar-free chiffon cake bee

- Vanilla.pandan sugar-free chiffon cake sponge layers and white bubbles

- No-sugar-added mango pandan coconut pudding

- Fresh blueberries and red cherries as decorations

Here's a peek of the cake and hidden surprise before the cake topper is in place 

You may refer to my earlier blog post for the no-sugar-added mango pandan coconut pudding recipe. Here's the rest of the recipe for the various chiffon sponges. 

PINK/WHITE CHIFFON:
18g cake flour 
Pinch of salt
10g oil
20g liquid*

1 egg white (36-40g)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
16g sugar of choice*

STRAWBERRY JELLY GLUE:
5g strawberry jam 
1 toothpick dip of strawberry emulsion
14g water
2g gelatin

VANILLA PANDAN CHIFFON LAYERS:
(makes two 9" cakes):
8 egg yolks
96g oil
60g pandan water**
60g milk
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract 
164g cake flour

8 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
140g sugar of choice*

* Liquid:
Pink: 20g sieved red dragonfruit puree. Replace 1/4-1/2 with water if prefer lighter pink. Add a tiny dip of strawberry emulsion for a hint of berry fragrance 

White: 10g pandan water** + 10g milk+ a few drops of vanilla extract+ a few drops white colouring

* Sugar of choice:
I used a blend of sugar replacements & prebiotic soluble fibres to replace white sugar. Not able to disclose type & ratios as it's class material

**Boil a few pandan leaves in 500g of water. Simmer for 10 min. Discard leaves 
I used bloomed & melted gelatin as glue for the fresh fruit & chiffon parts in a ratio of 1:6 for gelatin : water

Please see this reel for the process and method:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZ_O2RbSric/?igsh=eGdiZXh4MG5lNWJt

I will share the recipe for the bee, including a video tutorial for it in another post.

with love,

Phay Shing

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No-Sugar-Added Mango Pandan Coconut Pudding

 This is so refreshing, delicious and simple I felt it had to be a blog post on its own instead of being part of my upcoming mango sponge and pudding cake!

Father's Day is just around the corner and I thought this is perfect for dads who like a sweet (but not too sweet) refreshing treat that isn't harmful for health. Of course sugar can be added for dads who love it really sweet. But my family finds it unnecessary to add sugar when you choose really sweet and ripe mangoes.

This recipe is an adaptation of the pudding layer in pandan kaya cakes so the texture is like a soft steamed kueh which is different from the usual gelatin-based mango puddings. This recipe is suitable for vegans too as it doesn't contain gelatin or eggs. 

Feel free to scale the recipe up or down according to the portion size you want.

Ingredients:

A) 
80g coconut milk
180g mango puree (blended without sieving)
50g pandan water*
2g agar powder (about 3/4 tsp)
A pinch of salt (optional)

B)
18g corn starch
100g pandan water*

* Put 3 pandan leaves cut into shorter strips in about 500g water. Bring to a boil & simmer for 10 min. Discard the leaves. Cool to room temperature before using

Method:
1. Bloom agar in water in A) for 5 min in a saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients in A) into saucepan

2. Mix ingredients in B) in a jug. Set aside 

3. Bring 1. to boil, whisking constantly

4. Stir 2. until cornstarch is suspended again. Slowly pour in a thin stream into 3 while whisking constantly 

5. Keep cooking & whisking until pudding starts to boil again. Continue whisking & cooking for another minute before removing from heat. 

6. Sieve through a fine sieve before layering with sponge or pouring into molds. This is optional if you don't want the pudding to cool & set too quickly while you work. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before unmolding or serving

Go and look for some really ripe mangoes and whip up this treat for your dad!

Here's the video of the process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZvyDIWSpVv/?igsh=MTd0eTR4OXZzOTRpYw==

Pardon the lack of photos because the video and photo of the pudding was taken in a hurry as I worked concurrently on the main bake/ videos for the main bake.

With love,

Phay Shing

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Monkeys with Apple Tree Macaron Ferris Wheel

I have an interesting request and challenge for a monkey themed macaron ferris wheel bake. This was what I made!

It's my first attempt at changing the ferris wheel design while retaining the working mechanism. I also made use a stiffer macaron batter to create textures for the tree foliage and trunk. I used my default Swiss Meringue method recipe but in two ways for this bake. I used all the egg whites for the Swiss meringue for the ferris wheel frame, small parts and base to create sturdier shells as well as create the textures by underfolding the batter. I used part of the egg whites to mix with sifted dry ingredients to form an almond paste, and used the rest for the Swiss meringue to make the bananas and monkeys as I wanted the macaron shells to have a smoother finishing.

I used royal icing and edible marker for the details. Have a look at the decorated macaron shells! I made them concurrently with the Charizard carousel bake!

I always make extras in case of accidental uglification or butter fingers

Mango flavour was requested. As this creation consist of some load-bearing parts and parts that do not need to bear load, I filled them differently. I used a firm and fairly low water content mango white chocolate buttercream as the base, but include homemade mango jam for pieces that can afford to be softer.

Mango jam

Ingredients:

250g mango flesh, cubed

25g sugar (or to taste)

pinches of salt

1-2 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. Place all ingredients in saucepan and cook until 50% of original weight. For a drier jam if you want to reduce water content further, which I did for jam in the ferris wheel base and wheel itself, I reduced it further to 30% of original weight but left the portion for monkeys and bananas at 50% of original weight. You may puree the mango but it's optional. Cool completely before using. You may prepare in advance and store in the fridge or freezer.

Mango white chocolate buttercream
Ingredients:

300g White chocolate, finely chopped or use chips

60g unsalted butter or vegetable shortening

1/8 tsp salt

45g Freeze dried mango powder (you may add more but I didn't want to soften the structure too much)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Place everything in microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate. Mix well.  You may use double boiling method too if you wish.

2. Place bowl in a cold water bath and use electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Remove from cold water bath once the buttercream starts to firm up, continue beating until desired fluffiness. You may also choose to let the mixture firm up slowly at room temperature for half an hour before transferring into piping bag.

Here's the reel of the assembly and the ferris wheel in spinning action! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyam2-syoAz/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

If you would like to learn how to create macaron ferris wheels that is as sturdy as what I made and spins as smoothly, do join me for my Penguin family Christmas Carnival masterclass. I have both online and studio versions. Studio participants get to have access to online class material free of charge! Online class is ready for viewing anytime and there's no expiry date.

with love,

Phay Shing

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Giraffe Macaron Swing on Fruits n Cream Cake

 I don't usually take requests in December as it is a busy month for me. At most I will accept one request. Someone wanted a giraffe swing with elephant and dog in it, on top of a fruits & cream cake. Here it is!

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe with separated egg whites for the macaron pieces. As the swing is a structure that needed to bear weight, I made the fillings firm enough even at Singapore's indoor room temperature without air-conditioning. The macaron shells are filled with a stiff mango passionfruit ganache and dark chocolate-butter filling.

Mango passionfruit stiff ganache
80g white chocolate, finely chopped or use chips 
20g unsalted butter
1/8 tsp salt
30g warm water
20g freeze dried mango powder*
20g freeze dried passionfruit powder*

*You may use fresh fruit but you need to reduce it over low heat until thick.

Steps:

1. Mix freeze-dried fruit powders in warm water until you form a paste. Set aside.

2. Melt chocolate, butter and salt. Set aside to firm up. Use spatula or electric mixer if you wish, to whip until it looks like buttercream.

3. Add fruit paste into white chocolate mixture in a few additions.

Dark chocolate filling
You may use ganache but I wanted something really firm to support the weight plus movement of the swing.

100g dark chocolate
50g butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Steps:

1. Place everything in heatproof bowl and melt over double boiler. Alternatively you may use microwave.

2. Set aside to firm up. If your environment is very cold, I would suggest using ganache or this will become too hard to work with when set.

I used my default vanilla chiffon sponge recipe but baked in two 7"x1.5" round pans lined at the base and sliced each one horizontally into two to get four layers of sponges. Baking profile was 150C for 15 min, 140C for 15 min, followed by 130C for 20min with steam baking. Note that every oven is different so adjust accordingly.

Requester wanted the cake covered in cream so I prepared more cream for it. Feel free to use your favourite Chantilly cream recipe that can hold up in your climate. I live in hot and humid Singapore so stabilizers are needed. You may use gelatin as stabilizer but I go for what was easy, tastes good and it works!

Whipped cream
250g Whip topping (non-dairy whipping cream)
200g double cream (high fat dairy cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Note: Non-dairy creams are pre sweetened so there is no need to add sugar. Please add sugar if you are using dairy cream only.

Steps:

1. Whip whip topping until really stiff peaks with vanilla extract.

2. In another bowl, whisk double cream until it is just able to form a hint of soft peaks. Don't over whisk!

3. Fold Whip topping into double cream in a few additions.

Your resulting cream should be relatively smooth and able to hold its shape at aircon temperatures and briefly for 10min in hot kitchen.

I went for simple, slightly rustic and elegant design for the cake, with the exterior showing a hint of what's inside. The sponges were brushed with simple syrup (1:1 water:sugar)  before slathering on the cream.

Mango, Korean strawberries and green kiwi as fruits in the cake.

Watch the swing in action over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CmRCT-9AwGC/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=

with love,

Phay Shing 

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'Ox Welcoming Tiger' Yuzu Mango Matcha Macarons

This was an unplanned bake that had to be made because it stuck in my head and I needed to get it out of my system😅. Last year I made an impromptu bake of "Rat welcoming the Year of the Ox" macarons. This year I thought of making something with similar theme but in 3D form. So here's my version of this year's "Ox welcoming the Year of the Tiger"! 

A closer look at the Ox without the cart. 

Of course I had to test out the cart to make sure it works... 

What was really stuck in my head was this that I had to get out of my system... 

I broke down the baking into 3 separate sessions since this was unplanned. The red macaron shells for the new year greeting was baked with batter for my teacup macaron class using Swiss meringue method. The cart was made using French method and the ox and tigers were made using swiss method. The cart and animal macaron shells are lightly mango flavoured and filled with a new flavour I was testing out: yuzu mango matcha! I was inspired by the full leaf yuzu green tea I drank and the mention of this flavour in one of the baking contest shows I watched. 

The quantities of each component can be tweaked according to preference. I needed something firmer and not too intensely green so I went easy on the matcha and used less wet ingredients. You may use more yuzu juice or mango compote instead of brewed green tea like I did. I was trying to get more tea flavour without the colour. Feel free to up size the portion as this is a small portion. 

Yuzu mango matcha ganache 

Ingredients:

60g White chocolate, finely chopped or use chips 

10g Concentrated brewed green tea (made from 35g hot water and 3 teabags steeped for 20min)

4g 100% yuzu juice concentrate

1/2 tsp freeze-dried mango powder

1/4 tsp matcha powder

6g unsalted butter 

Steps:

1. Place everything in microwave safe bowl. Use medium-low power to heat for 10 seconds and stir. Repeat heating and stirring until mixture is homogeneous and melted. Alternatively you may use the double boiling method. 

2. Leave it at aircon room temperature to set until toothpaste consistency. Whip it up to lighten texture if you wish. 

3. Transfer to piping bag and fill the macarons. Let thr macarons mature at room temperature or in fridge for at least 24h before consuming. 

With love, 

Phay Shing

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The Promised Neverland Mangoes n Cream Cake

A friend requested for The Promised Neverland themed cake for his daughter's birthday.  Here is what I made! 

Of all types of character macarons, Anime types are the toughest because of the amount of details needed for the eyes and hair. It's a test of patience!

I used the Swiss meringue method for making the macarons. 

This tray took me 2 hours to pipe! 

Freshly baked macaron shells! 

I decorated the details with edible marker and vodka wash. You may refer to this blog post on how I do anime character macarons including the edible marker and vodka wash technique. I decided to do the hair with macaron batter to make ot look 3D and without post-baking decoration. 

The macarons are filled with dark chocolate ganache and blueberry strawberry ganache.

Blueberry strawberry ganache 

I made a firm ganache so feel free to increase the amount of compote if you wish. Compote is made by reducing fruit puree with a little sugar until it weighs about half of its original weight. 

Ingredients :

60g white chocolate 

11g butter

1/16 tsp salt

10g strawberry compote

8g freeze-dried blueberry powder

Steps:

1. Melt all ingredients together using double boiler or microwave oven. Be careful not to overheat. 

2. Chill in fridge until firms up to toothpaste consistency.  Whip up with spatula or electric mixer until buttercream texture. 

3. Transfer into piping bag and use it. 

I made the macaron sofa in purple, Alethea's favourite colour. 

Norman, Emma and Ray on a macaron sofa! 

I used my default vanilla chiffon cake recipe to make the sponge. 

I filled the cake with fresh Thai mangoes, mango yuzu compote and fresh cream. The mango yuzu compote is made with 1 mango pureed with 1 tsp yuzu juice concentrate, a little sugar and a pinch of salt, cooked over low heat until weight of puree is reduced to about 70% its original weight. 

Thank God this birthday bake was very well received! 

With love, 

Phay Shing

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Knight and Graduating Dragon Macaron Carousel

I have made many designs and themes of character macarons since 2015 but I have never made knight, dragon and castle themed ones before. So I was really excited to make one, in carousel form too! 

This is graduation themed as well so someone has to wear the mortarboard. Of course it has to be the dragon! 

The castle macarons were made as a backdrop so they are not part of the carousel so I took photos of them as loose pieces. 

I used the Swiss meringue method for making the macarons. The bake was split into 2 separate days due to the many colours and rounds of baking involved. 

Just to share some photos of the process... 

Dragon piped macaron batter. I piped some plain rounds to bake for testing of colours for icing, edible marker and paint post-baking. 

Castle piped batter. Everyone says this looks like a dress if you turn it upside down😂. 

Knight piped batter. 

Piped batter for mortarboard pieces. I put my thumb there to show how tiny they are! 

Assembled mortarboard with royal icing and sour candy strip for the tassle. The regular sized version of this can be found in my Macaron Basics book. 

Some of the freshly baked pieces of the carousel frame. This is the first time I made a yellow frame! 

Undecorated as-baked macaron shells for the dragon, knight and castle. 

Decorated version of the dragon (minus the mortarboard), knight and castle. See what a big difference adding the details make! 

The macarons are filled with mango white chocolate buttercream and dark chocolate ganache. Crunchy chocolate balls are added for the large macaron base. 

I usually make my mango ganache with a combination of homemade mango compote and freeze-dried mango powder for a strong mango flavour. But as a carousel filling, I needed something really firm so no compote was used. My mango white chocolate buttercream is an adaptation from my usual mango ganache. 

Mango white chocolate buttercream (firm and tart filling!) 

Ingredients :

140g White chocolate (finely chopped or use chips) 

42g Unsalted butter 

A pinch of salt

28g Freeze-dried mango powder

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

Note: feel free to adjust the amount of mango powder and white chocolate according to taste and climate. 

Steps:

1. Place everything in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the butter and chocolate in bursts of 10 seconds on medium-low power. Mix well between heating cycles. 

2. Set aside to let it firm up in aircon room for half an hour or in the fridge for a few minutes until toothpaste consistemcy. Whip it up to lighten the texture. Transfer into piping bag for use. 

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the base as I think it is beautiful too! 

The filling was rather soft when I was assembling so I decided to share my method of assembling such that there is less risk of a carousel collapse. It's Lego to the rescue! You may use other things like retort stand or anything with adjustable height too but Lego is just so handy for me. I shared this little tutorial on how to use Lego as temporary supports during carousel assembly on Instagram. 

The wooden skewers help to take some of the weight of the heavy roof. 

To remove the skewers and Lego supports, carefully slide the paper towels under the supports away first. This will create some give between the roof and skewers so that it is easier to remove the skewers. 

You may wish to assemble 3 (instead of 2 as shown here) of the 5 poles while the supports are still there if you want to be really sure there is no chance for collapse. Once the royal icing on the poles are set firm, the structure is very stable. 

Assembling this was a breeze with the temporary supports! 

With love, 

Phay Shing 

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Dinoland Mango n Peaches Cake

Dinosaur theme for birthdays never go out of fashion and is surprisingly popular with little boys. Presenting my Dinoland macaron scene on top of a mango and peaches fresh cream chiffon cake! 

I learnt something new from a baker on Instagram (account is flourhour_afterdark) that you can pipe macaron batter on silicone cupcake cases. I am not a stranger to piping macaron batter on silicone hemisphere mould trays but have not tried cupcake cases before. It was surprisingly easy to pipe on and easier to unmould than the tray types! I used the swiss meringue method recipe for the macarons. I created the volcano and tree foliage using silicone cupcake cases. 

I achieved the height of the volcano by piping on stacked cases. A little wiggling with a toothpick is enough to dislodge the silicone case from the baked shell. 

Freshly baked shells! 

The lava on the volcano was added on post-baking with royal icing. The dinos were decorated with royal icing and edible markers. 

Putting it all together! The volcano is filled with crunchy chocolate balls (store bought) and dark chocolate ganache. The rest of the macarons are filled with dark chocolate ganache. 

I made the vanilla chiffon sponge using my default recipe. 

Freshly baked vanilla chiffon cake! 

I used a mix of stabilized dairy cream and non-dairy cream to get a good balance of stability and taste. 

Recipe for cream

Ingredients:

100g + 100g heavy cream

2 gelatin sheets, bloomed in ice water

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g whip topping (non-dairy cream) 

Steps:

1. Heat 100g of heavy cream until about 40C. 

2. Add bloomed gelatin and vanilla. Whisk until gelatin is melted. 

3. Add 100g cold whipping cream and whisk until well combined. 

4. Press cling wrap on surface of the cream and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

5. When ready to assemble, whip non-dairy cream till stiff peaks. Whip chilled dairy cream until stiff peaks as shown below. 

6. Fold dairy cream into non-dairy cream and transfer into piping bag with a hole cut for assembly. 

To assemble, the sponge was sliced horizontally into 3 pieces. Between the sponge layers was the cream, mangoes and canned peaches and some homemade mango yuzu compote. Use an acetate sheet to hold the layers together during assembly. Chill in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight before removing the acetate sheet. 

I love the clean and fresh look! 

Thank God it was a well-received bake! 

With love,

Phay Shing

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