Tea Time Sugar-Free Bakes

 Someone requested that I teach a baking class featuring simple bakes without sugar, one sweet treat and one savoury treat. This was what I came up with!

The savoury treat is Gougeres, a cheese-based Choux pastry that can be enjoyed with or without a filling/dip. 

I use a combination of Gruyere and mature Cheddar with a sprinkling of Parmesan as well as some seasonings to impart flavour to the pastry without adding table salt.

Thee this reel for a better look at the pastries along with the ASMR of how crunchy they are!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dal2r59S3cj/?igsh=MTl2ZTd0bTdqamN0dA==

The sweet treat is a sugar-free lychee blueberry cake with blue china butterfly pattern as the design as requested. The cake composition includes:

- Sugar-free lychee chiffon sponge

- Blueberry compote made without any sugar added

- Blueberry mascarpone whipped cream without sugar added

- Wafer paper butterflies as optional decorations

You may watch this reel for a peek at the process of making the mini cakes!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DatlC2YyEQS/?igsh=cDBidHlnbjBtbnJm

I have both studio and online class for this. Studio class participants will have access to online class material for free. The online class doesn't have expiry date.

with love,

Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Vanilla Chiffon Bees

 I made some chiffon cake bees and used one of them as a cake topper for a sugar-free gender reveal cake!

The bee means something special to the couple that's why it's included as part of the decoration. I made it sugar-free as requested by my friend but you can make it with white sugar.

BEE MAIN BODY
Egg yolk batter:
16g milk
12g oil
Pinch of salt
1/8 tsp vanilla
20g cake flour, sifted
1 egg yolk
1-2 drops yellow gel colouring (optional)

Meringue:
1 egg white (36-40g)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar 
15-20g sugar of choice*

WHITE WINGS & EYE HIGHLIGHTS
See my previous post for the pandan vanilla chiffon cake recipe that I used.

BLACK EYES
5g butter/oil
5g cake flour
5g icing sugar
5g egg whites
1/16 tsp charcoal powder/black cocoa powder

FEELERS
Angel hair pasta
Black batter for making the eyes

OTHERS
- Pink lustre dust for rosy cheeks
- Black edible marker for mouth & stripe outlines
- Bloomed & melted gelatin used as glue for the wings & eyes. I used a ratio of 1:6 for gelatin:water
- Charcoal powder + water as black paint. I didn't measure as I just added drinking safe water to charcoal powder until it was a good painting consistency. Allow the paint to dry on the chiffon sponge before direct handling to prevent accidental smudges

* I used a blend of sugar replacements & prebiotic soluble fibers instead of white sugar. Unable to disclose type & ratio at the moment.

See the reel for the process of making the bees and the method in the pinned comments of the reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaOrloUyu-Y/?igsh=MW9uYTR5dmQwM25oNg==

with love,
Phay Shing

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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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Sugar-Free Jasmine Green Tea & Grape Painted Cake

 Mum requested for a sugar-free cake for her birthday based on one of her artworks and this was what I made!

I painted the chiffon sponge based on her painted ceramic plate design.

Cake composition:

- Sugar-free Jasmine green tea chiffon sponge

- Cold brew Jasmine green tea in fresh grape juice for brushing on sponges

- Fresh grapes

- Sugar-free Jasmine green tea mascarpone whipped cream 

Please see the reel for the process and detailed recipe:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DX-fIcaSjkk/?igsh=anFwNXVnNW40Zmw5

I will share the ingredient list here for your reference.

Jasmine green tea chiffon sponge:

Egg yolk batter: 

20g oil

48g concentrated Jasmine Green tea*

1/16 tsp salt

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

50g cake flour, sifted

1 tea bag of leaves (~2g), ground & sifted with flour

3 yolks

Meringue:

3 egg whites (about 110g)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar 

45-50g sugar of choice

* Steep 5 Jasmine green tea tea bags in 120g hot water covered for 15 min. Strain & reserve 48g for chiffon sponges

Mascarpone Jasmine green tea whipped cream:

170g mascarpone, cold

215g tea infused heavy cream, cold*

1.5 tbs (~12g) sugar/sugar replacement of choice

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

*Steep 8g Jasmine green tea leaves (~ 4 tea bags) in about 260g heavy cream for 12-24h in the fridge. Strain & reserve 215g

Cold brew Jasmine green tea in grape juice:

45g freshly squeezed grape juice

4g (2 bags) Jasmine green tea leaves

Just to share some photos of the process...

Sponge brushed with cold brew tea in grape juice

Filling with mascarpone whipped cream and fresh grapes!

The cake was light and refreshing, yet rich and not too sweet. Perfect for dessert after a heavy meal at the restaurant!

The sponge is moist and soft with fine crumbs too and you can't tell you are eating a cake made using sugar replacements because it doesn't leave a weird aftertaste or texture! I use a blend of replacements to achieve this. I also included some prebiotic soluble fibres to further lower the GI of the cake. I can't disclose the exact blend and ratios as I use it for my sugar-free chiffon cake class 

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Tiramisu Parfait

 These are the Tiramisu parfaits that the sugar-free Pochacco marshmallows went on!

I made these for my hubby's super early birthday treat!

You may refer to the reel for the recipe and video of assembling:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN5W_8o0gHB/?igsh=MWhvenpnMHZ2OTc5cw==

But for your convenience, I will put the ingredient list here.

You may replace all the ingredients marked "*" with caster sugar for the regular sugar version.

Vanilla sponge:

Yolk batter:

2 egg yolks

10g Lakanto* (Erythritol with Monk fruit extract)

10g Maltitol*

55g cake flour, sifted (may be replaced partly with almond flour to further lower the GI)

Pinch of salt 

15g water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

Meringue:

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

10g prebiotic soluble fibres* (I used Alchemy Fibre)

20g Maltitol*

Cream filling:

2 egg yolks (or half of a large egg)

13g Maltitol*

A pinch of salt

180g whipping cream (35% fat)

170g mascarpone, softened at room temperature 

1 tsp Kahlua coffee liqueur (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Other ingredients:

60g concentrated coffee or espresso

120g sugar-free Oreo cookies without cream, crushed (I used Gullon's no sugar added cocoa sandwich cookies without the cream. You may replace it with sugar-free grated chocolate or cocoa powder, or omit)

Just to share some photos of the process...

Soaking sugar-free sponge with concentrated coffee

Piping sugar-free mascarpone cream

Adding crushed sugar-free oreo cookie crumbs

If I didn't tell you this is sugar-free, you wouldn't know because it's yummy!

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Pochacco Coffee Lavender Marshmallows

 The end of the year looks set to be busy so I decided to make the birthday bake for hubby really early while I have the inspiration 🤭. I made some sugar-free marshmallows as decorative toppers for another sugar-free bake. Presenting my coffee lavender sugar-free Pochacco marshmallows!

Here is the video of the piping process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN5W94R0r8G/?igsh=MTZ6NzQ0bWhrYXYyOA==

I am not able to share the recipe as it's a class material. I added some prebiotic soluble fibres as well to further lower the overall GI of the confection, and add dome benefits for gut health and cholesterol management.

 You may also see my book Deco Marshmallows for another sugar-free marshmallow recipe that produces the fluffiest and bounciest marshmallows but I decided to switch to another sugar replacement that is more easily available and doesn't have a strong aftertaste. 

Here are some works-in-progress pictures:

I couldn't resist taking the following shot just to show how tiny the little chick friends are!

Stay tuned for the sugar-free Tiramisu that these sugar-free marshmallows are supposed to go with! 

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Sunflower Gula Melaka Pandan Kaya Cake

I finally got around to making my mum's super belated birthday cake! Dad took much longer than expected to recover from his surgery so we had to postpone her celebration. Thank God all's good now. Presenting the gula melaka pandan kaya cake that I planned to make a few months ago with the design based on one of Mum's Nagomi Art paintings!

This is mum's painting. Doesn't it look like some professional art piece?

I did a "full-dress rehearsal" of the cake over here with a tulip themed Nagomi Art design as my reference if you are interested:

http://lovingcreations4u.blogspot.com/2025/05/gula-melaka-pandan-kaya-painted-swiss.html

Cake composition:

- Sunflower chiffon cake inserts made using only Gula Melaka and prebiotic soluble fibres as the "sugar"

- Green and brown gula melaka pandan kaya pudding with gula melaka as the only "sugar"

- White chiffon sheet cake made using pandan water and no egg yolks to keep the cake white. A sugar replacement and prebiotic soluble fibres were the "sugar" in this cake

Just to share some works-in-progress photos:

Some photos of the cake at the restaurant where we had the celebration 

You may see the reel for the process of making this cake over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNnVY5XpCy5/?igsh=MXViYzQzZHZ3OTVodg==

I shared the sugared version of the recipe together with my Tulip roll cake reel so please refer to the captions of that reel if you need a reference recipe. 

Needless to say, everyone enjoyed the cake that was tasty but light and refreshing enough to be consumed after a sumptuous meal!

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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Sugar-Free Kirby Cherry Strawberry Marshmallow Coated Chocolate Hazelnut Cakepops

 I had to satisfy my curiosity to see if it works for my sugar-free version of marshmallow as well. So glad it works! Presenting Kirby as sugar-free marshmallow coated cakepops!

Two of the Kirbys in the picture are plastic figurines so don't be fooled 🤭

I used the same sugar-free recipe as my chick marshmallows over here, except that I used fresh chery puree that was reduced instead of passionfruit puree. I also added prebiotic soluble fibres in both cakepop and marshmallow in addition to using a sugar-replacement to further lower the GI of the confection. I added strawberry emulsion to the marshmallow batter to impart some colour in addition to the cherry puree as well as to increase the fruity taste. I adapted the sugar-free chocolate hazelnut cakepop from the one I used for my Christmas bear with present marshmallow class. You may sign up for the online class over here if you are interested! 

You may wonder if taste is compromised. I have various taste testers who love it and can't tell it's sugar-free! Main recipient was my hubby and he's glad to have a treat he can enjoy that's made in one of his favourite game characters!

I am not able to share this sugar-free recipe yet but I will have a studio and online class for a similar content in October so keep a lookout for it on my Instagram! For the time being, you may refer to my book Deco Marshmallows which has sugar-free recipes for both gelatin and agar based marshmallows where I use a different sugar replacement from the current one I am using.

You may refer to this reel for the video tutorial of making these adorable treats:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL9p9_Bpx8I/?igsh=MW81dng3OXdidmQzMQ==

Here are some works-in-progress pictures!

A shot of the Kirbys before I sliced one.

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Gula Melaka Pandan Kaya Painted Swiss Roll (new technique!)

 I am really excited to share a new game-changing technique that will make painted cakes much easier for beginners without much artistic or baking skills! This is a bake to test the proof of concept and I am very pleased with the results!

Some of you may recognise the style of artwork is Nagomi art. Why the choice of nagomi art style? It's because my mum took up a nagomi art class recently and I was inspired to turn one of her paintings into her birthday cake design. This tulip design is taken off the internet (FortuneArtDream from Pinterest) for my practice run. The choice of cake flavour is because Mum took up a Peranakan cooking course last year and has been practicing making kueh kosui on and off. I thought this flavour profile is reminiscent of the kueh.

Cake composition:

- Pandan gula melaka chiffon sponge cakes for the tulip centers and white sponge canvas for the painting

- Gula melaka pandan kaya pudding in green and brown colours as the roll cake filling

If you have followed me long enough and are familiar with patterned chiffon cakes and swiss rolls, you will know that the standard method is to use a patterning batter that is baked together with the base sponge batter as the cake designs or as guides to mark out areas where additional details are painted in post-baking. Working with patterned batter can result in many challenges where things can go wrong, such as:

1. Cracks along boundaries between pattern and base sponge

2. Pattern stuck to Teflon sheet/parchment paper instead of base sponge

3. Patterning batter turning runny/deflating before piping finish the pattern

4. Difficulty in optimizing oven settings to bake the cake

What I have done in this new technique is to do away with the patterning batter and we start with a blank canvas in the form of a solid coloured sponge (usually white). Baking a single-coloured sheet cake is way easier and faster!

How do we get the pattern on then? By tracing a mirror imaged picture onto parchment paper and printing it onto the cake! I was inspired to try this when I saw reels shared by qeleg_cake (Instagram account) on printing faint outlines onto sponge cake before painting. What I did differently was to use edible marker instead of cake paint, and parchment paper instead of transfer paper.

Here's some pictures of the painted cake halfway through and upon completion.

You may refer to the reel below for the recipe of the cake (see the captions and pinned comments of the reel) and printing technique. Do note that although I made this cake using prebiotic fibres, a sugar replacement and gula melaka, the recipe I shared only uses regular white sugar and gula melaka as the sugar-free version with prebiotics is class material.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJRIsoGpLPN/?igsh=MWxkMWRoa3o3dWo4Ng==

with love,

Phay Shing

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Sugar-Free Passionfruit Chick Marshmallows with Prebiotics

 I am super excited about these experimental marshmallows that turned out so squishy, full of passionfruit flavour and doesn't taste too sweet at all. The best part is there's prebiotic fibres added to further lower the Glycemic Index of the treat (fruit puree contributes to the GI) and it's beneficial for gut health and cholesterol management.

I used desiccated coconut to give the chicks a furry look. Even the beak and feet are made sugar-free from peanut butter as a base!

See the reel of the process over here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH8Kh0TTeXS/?igsh=cnQ2anA5MXltb3Ji

Here's a peek at a works-in-progress state!

I shared sugar-free, keto-friendly marshmallow recipes that are suitable for piping characters and florals in my book Deco Marshmallows. 

This version for the chick is made using another sugar replacement with prebiotic fibres replacing part of the sugar.  I am not ready to share the recipe yet but you may see the regular sugar version in the captions of my reel. 

with love,

Phay Shing

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