Less Sweet Pandan Kaya Cake

This cake was tailor-made for my friend's mum's 70th birthday. How good was it? The birthday girl who has a long history of refusing cake because she doesn't like cream, butter or anything too sweet finished the slice given to her! The rest of the cake? Everyone else finished it within minutes despite being too full after a meal. It's tasty, refreshing & not too sweet. I decorated the cake with blueberry-apple marshmallow flowers & simple cocoa gula melaka chiffon basket weave ring.

Here's the review from my friend!

Those of you not familiar with the colloquial language of Singapore, siu-dai or siew-dai means less sweet. So I had the challenge of making a cake that is really less sweet but still tasty enough for the birthday girl and everyone else at the celebration.

Not many people make pandan chiffon cake the old school way from homemade pandan juice concentrate nowadays because it's a labour of love! I use a combination of homemade concentrate & bottled pandan paste to impart flavour & colour that my recipients love so much over the years.

I adapted the recipe from this basket weave cake I made for my mum a few years ago.

Pandan Chiffon Sponge

(makes two 7.5" round sponges)

A)

45g oil

70g pandan juice concentrate*

40g coconut milk

12g Gula Melaka, grated (coconut palm sugar)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pandan paste 

B)

120g cake flour, sifted into large bowl

C)

6 egg yolks

D)

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

72g caster sugar (use more if prefer sweeter & for more stable meringue)

Pandan Kaya pudding

E)

720g coconut milk

300g water^

60g clear pandan water*^

45g Gula Melaka, grated (use more & add caster sugar if prefer sweeter)

3/4 tsp vanilla

3/8 tsp pandan paste

3/8 tsp caramel essence (optional)

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp green liquid colouring (optional)

2 tsp agar powder

F)

78g cornstarch

390g water^

* Blend about 25-30 mature pandan leaves with 120g of water. Strain juice & squeeze out as much liquid as you can from pulp. Let juice settle over 3 days in fridge. Separate clear water from concentrate. 

^ Traditional recipes use pandan water from water boiled with a few pandan leaves. Over here I just used what is usually discarded. It saves you the effort for one step!

Steps:

1) Line pans with parchment paper or teflon sheet. Preheat oven to 140-150C (no fan) with optional steam baking. Note that baking temperature and time is oven dependent so adjust accordingly.

2) Place A) in saucepan & heat until gula melaka is dissolved & mixture is 80C.

3) Pour 2) into B) & whisk until a dough forms.

4) Add C) 2 yolks at a time. Whisk until well combined after each addition.

5) Make meringue (D). Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks form, adding sugar gradually once egg whites are foamy. Slowly build up your meringue using medium speed to avoid creating large air bubbles and to help with stability.

6) Fold meringue into 4) in 3 batches. I like to use the whisk to fold in the first two batches and finish off using a silicone spatula.

7) Fill pans until 80% full. Bake for 40 min or until done. 

8) Cool completely & unmold. Slice each cake horizontally for 4 pieces of sponge.

9) Mix F) in jug. Set aside.

10) Put E) in pot, whisk to disperse agar & set aside for 5 min. Bring to boil while whisking continuously. Continue simmering for 1 min while whisking. 

11) Whisk F) again to disperse cornstarch before pouring in a thin stream into 10) while whisking continuously. Continue cooking pudding for another 1-2 min. Remove from heat.

12) Assemble cake by alternating sponge and pudding layers within a cake ring or acetate sheet. Stir pudding mixture in pot to prevent it from setting during assembly. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before unmolding. Neaten the pudding layers if need be by carefully cutting stray bits off.

See my Instagram reel for snippets of the process!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvE_U7PgJKl/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Traditional pandan kaya cake is usually totally covered with the pudding and garnished with some desiccated coconut or finely grated fresh coconut. I kept the design clean and simple for this cake so I omitted the coconut and revealed the pudding and sponge layers as part of the aesthetics.

See how squishy my marshmallow flowers are in this post! I used some sugar-replacement to replace white sugar so it is overall a little more diabetic-friendly. Keep a lookout for my Deco Marshmallows book which will cover how to make marshmallow flowers made from lots of fresh fruit, as well as how to make them without white sugar too!

Do give this cake a try if you are looking for something that's tasty, refreshing and not too sweet for birthday celebrations! 

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Chocolate Hazelnut Bear in Panda Suit Choux Pastries

I was given two bottles of Hazella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, by Phoon Huat (Redman) to try. I decided to share something cute, yummy, simple and uses minimal ingredients. Here are some chocolate hazelnut bears in panda suits!

There is no added artificial colouring too! I shared the recipe and decorating steps in my Instagram reels where you can see how I created the panda cap and bear filling. As mentioned in my caption with the reel I recommend watching my youtube videos for choux pastry technique if you are new to making choux pastries as it is a bake that requires some attention to detail and knowing how to work with your oven as well, but much as it is easier than macarons or chiffon cakes.

Chapter 7 about craquelin, chapter 8 about choux batter preparation and chapter 9 about piping and baking choux au craquelin.

Chocolate Hazelnut Choux Pastry Bears 

(makes about 15 small pastries)

Please scale quantity according to preference as this is a small batch.

Choux pastry:

Craquelin:

21g unsalted butter

18g sugar

21g plain flour, sifted

Batter:

60g water

20g unsalted butter

1/8 tsp fine salt

1/2 tsp sugar

30g plain flour, sifted 

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Bear filling:

200-250g whipping cream of choice* 

250g Hazella (or any chocolate hazelnut spread)

Decoration:

Mini chocolate chips

Mini chocolate Crispearls (optional, for bear's nose)

*I used non-dairy cream that's pre-sweetened, stable in hot Singapore & impossible to over whip. Please use an electric mixer to whip the Whip Topping. Be careful not to over whip dairy cream if that is what you choose.

1. Make craquelin. Mix sugar & butter briefly. Add flour & form a dough. Roll until 2-3mm thick. Freeze until firm. Cut out 3cm circles & freeze until needed.

2. Preheat oven to 180C(fan)/190C. Line tray with perforated mat or baking paper.

3. Make batter. Place water, butter, salt & sugar in small pan. Bring to boil. Pour flour in & mix until dough forms. Cook over med-low heat to evaporate some water. Cool briefly in bowl. Add egg gradually until batter is able to hold a long "V" on spatula. 

4. Transfer into piping bag with round tip. Pipe generous mounds about 2.3cm at the base. Place craquelin on top. Bake for 20 min. Reduce temperature to 140C(fan)/150C & bake for 25 min until thoroughly dry inside.

5. Cool completely. Cut off the top of pastry & decorate with mini chocolate chips/melted chocolate for panda.

6. Whip cream until stiff. Mix 100-150g cream with 250g Hazella. Adjust ratio according to taste. Pipe bear with creams. Use melted chocolate & Crispearls to decorate. Assemble panda hat & refrigerate or freeze (Ice-cream version😋!)

A note about using melted chocolate for decoration. Please melt it using low heat and be careful not to overheat. You may use microwave or double-boiling to melt chocolate. Add a little shortening/butter/oil to make the consistency a little runnier for ease of painting/piping the features. It also helps prevent the chocolate from setting too fast. Adding a fat is optional but I find it helps to make it significantly easier to work with.

Besides using Hazella as a toast spread, why not try this as a simple two-ingredient chocolate hazelnut ice-cream! You may consume the creampuffs refrigerated or frozen (my preference!). I was honestly rushing when I took the photos and videos, hoping that I could still make use of some natural sunlight. This forced me to keep everything as simple as possible. So feel free to add Biscoff spread (crunchy one please😋) or Fererro Rocher to add even more dimension to you pastries!

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Garfield 45th Birthday Chiffon Cake

 

Happy 45th birthday to our favorite cat!🎉

So honored to make this surprise cake for Nickolodean Asia!💖

Assembly reel can be found here!

With lots of love,

Susanne

Read More »

Shiba Mitarashi Dango Vegan Macaron Class

 This is the second vegan macaron class I am offering: Shiba Mitarashi dango macarons!

The Swiss meringue method is covered in this class. Just like the first vegan macaron class, vegan royal icing is also covered. I wanted to include an essential ingredient in Mitarashi dangos, which is soy sauce, into the macarons so the filling is soy sauce caramel with toasted white sesame ganache.

The shibas are coloured using Hojicha powder so as to minimize the use of artificial colouring.

For more information or to register, please refer to the link below:

https://artzbakingculinary.com/product/vegan-shiba-mitarashi-dango-macarons-teens-adults-parent-child-workshop-by-instructor-book-author-tan-phay-shing/

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Bears-in-Box Heart Chiffon Cake

 

What's Sweeter Than a Bear-in-a-Box? A Bundle of Bears!💕I love making cute bears! This is another bear-in-box in a heart-shaped box! Hope this made you smile!

With love,

Susanne

Read More »

Hanami Dango Vegan Macaron Class

 I am pleased to announce that I am finally adding vegan macarons in my repertoire for classes!

I cover Aquafaba-based Italian meringue method macarons in this class. I will also be sharing how you can decorate your macarons using vegan royal icing and filling them with a vegan ganache base that can take on various flavours. The macaron shells are coloured using matcha powder and strawberry paste. 

Please click on the link below for more details or to register:

https://tottstore.com/classes/vegan-hanami-dango-macarons/

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Shirokuma and Furoshiki Vegan Macarons

 I had requests for vegan macaron classes so I have been doing rigorous testing for vegan macaron recipes. After trying French and Swiss meringue methods, I decided to try Italian meringue because Italian meringues have the added advantage of the stabilizing effect of sugar in the form of sugar syrup. After some attempts, I am satisfied with this Italian meringue method recipe especially since it is stable enough for a creation like this!

It's summer in the Northern hemisphere now and this year has been especially hot with the El Nino effect going on. Watermelons are definitely welcomed! Shirokuma thinks so too! 

You may ask why did I choose this theme and subject? It's because of the testing I have been doing for class material. I have decided on making simple character Hanami dango macarons with the colours pink, white and green so naturally this image of Shirokuma and Furoshiki came to mind! Note that this design is not for class material. I will be sharing the simple character vegan macaron class material soon so you can sign up for it with Tottstore.

Piped batter. I am sure you can't tell the difference between vegan and egg white based!

Freshly baked shells!

I used royal icing transfers (vegan of course) for the watermelon slices. They can be baked together with piped macaron batter, just like regular macarons.

These macarons are filled with the filling I will be sharing in my class too, which is matcha, vanilla and strawberry vegan white chocolate ganache.

See my reel for the piping process and the filling!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ct87AZQgbqW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Stay hydrated and cool during this hot spell!

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Hidden Superhero Chiffon Cake

Finally back after a few weeks away! Here's my belated Father's day post!
There's a Mighty Superhero inside every Dad! Happy Father's Day!❤️
With lots of love,
Susanne

 

Read More »

My Melody and Kuromi Macaron Carousel

 My friend requested for a My Melody and Kuromi macaron carousel and this was what I made!

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

Here's a video tutorial on how I create My Melody's lop-eared fold. A secret I have kept for many years! Some people asked how I did it way back in 2017 but I wasn't ready to reveal it yet.

The details are added on using royal icing and edible marker. I made royal icing transfers for My Melody's flower

I like to experiment and change designs along the way so this time round, I did something a little different for the carousel frame.

These are some of the standard pieces.

I included some small flowers piped using #2D tip from underfolded batter.

Blueberry ganache is the logical choice for filling to match the purple frame so that's what I used as the filling. The natural purple from fresh blueberries is lovely! I used a stiffer and darker coloured ganache for the middle of the carousel frame, hidden from sight by adding some freeze-dried blueberry powder to impart a stronger blueberry flavour without adding moisture. 

Blueberry yuzu ganache

Blueberry compote:

150g blueberries

15g yuzu juice concentrate (or lemon juice)

15g sugar

Light colored ganache:

150g white chocolate (finely chopped from bar or use couverture chips)

75g compote

15g unsalted butter, slightly softened at room temperature

Dark colored stiffer ganache:

150g white chocolate

45g compote

5g yuzu juice concentrate (or lemon juice)

20g freeze dried blueberry powder

10g unsalted butter, room temperature

You may not use all the ganache for the carousel but they cam be kept frozen for longer storage.

Steps:

1. Prepare blueberry compote. Cook over medium-low heat until reduced to about 140g in total. Press through sieve to remove the skins.

2. Melt white chocolate over double-boiler or using microwave at medium-low power in 10 second bursts, stirring between each heating cycle.

3. Mix warm compote with freeze-dried blueberry powder and yuzu for the stiffer ganache. Heat it up again slightly if it has cooled down after mixing.

4. Pour warm compote/compote mixture over melted chocolate. Stir in one direction until well mixed. Use an immersion blender if you wish.

5. Add softened butter and mix well. Press cling wrap onto surface and refrigerate for at least half an hour or until ready to assemble.

I added some chopped toasted hazelnuts coated in dark chocolate in the middle of the larger macarons like the base and the roof. I used a 1:1 ratio for nuts: dark chocolate by weight.

In order to support a softer filling than I normally use for load-bearing macaron structures, I piped a ring of medium-stiff royal icing for the central pillar pieces of the carousel frame.

I also reinforced the straw with royal icing so that the characters don't have the risk of sliding down the straw.

As usual, I let the weight bearing pieces rest overnight after partial assembly before adding on more load. This is to allow the royal icing time to harden fully.

I think the carousel frame looks lovely on its own 😍

Here's a reel of the assembly process:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CttiocAAq95/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

with love,

Phay Shing 

Read More »

Easy Custard Pudding (Father's Day Special)

Wondering what easy and delicious treat to make for Father's Day that can be adapted for a variety of preferences? This easy pudding can take on many flavour variations and you can set it in tart shells to make them into tarts! Scale portion according to your needs.

I shared the custard pudding earlier in 2020 (see this post) but made slight modifications to it in this updated post.

Custard pudding

Ingredients:
6g gelatin, bloomed in 30g ice water
2 egg yolks
40g sugar*
Pinch of salt
100g + 160g milk**, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp caramel flavouring (optional)

Steps:

1. In saucepan, heat 100g milk until hot but not boiling

2. Whisk yolks, salt & sugar in heavy jug/bowl

3. Pour hot milk in thin stream into egg mix while whisking continuously

4. Pour back into saucepan & cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously

5. Once custard starts to thicken or reach 71C, remove from heat.

6. Wait for 1 min or until custard is 60C. Add gelatin & whisk until melted

7. Sieve mixture through fine sieve. Add vanilla & 160g milk. Whisk until smooth. Spoon into jars/tart shells to avoid bubbles. Pop bubbles with skewer if need be

8. Refrigerate for at least 2h or overnight. Consume within 3 days. Highly recommend to serve with maple syrup if you are keeping it plain.

* Adjust amount according to taste. Replace/mix with brown sugar for a caramel note.

**🥛Richer: Replace part or all with cream

🥥Non-dairy: Replace with other types of plant milk

🍵Infusion: Heat milk with herbs, tea leaves/flowers

☕ Coffee: Replace part with coffee

🍫Chocolate: Add finely chopped dark chocolate to hot custard, reduce amount of gelatin

🥞Caramel: Sub a small portion with maple syrup & reduce sugar. Use brown sugar

🍓Fruity: Replace half with reduced fruit puree. Reducing over low heat destroys gelatin-destroying enzymes & intensifies fruit flavours.

This is a great way to use up excess yolks too!

Catch a glimpse of the texture and how jiggly it is in my Instagram reel:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CteLk-kAwPu/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

In case you are wondering what the black decorative parts are made of, it is marzipan naturally coloured and flavoured with black cocoa powder. I didn't wait for it to dry at all before placing on the pudding, thinking that it is just for photography so I was going to take photos/videos shortly after decorating. It turned wet so quickly😆. Feel free to use chocolate for the decoration instead. Marzipan works too but make sure you dry it thoroughly and only place it on shortly before consuming. Homemade marzipan, uses only a few ingredients, tastes great and it is easier to work with than chocolate, especially in hot and humid kitchens in Singapore. It works like fondant but tastes much better.

Black cocoa marzipan 

Ingredients:
24g superfine almond flour
18g icing sugar + extra as necessary*
4g black cocoa powder
1/2 tsp water
1 tsp honey (about 4-5g)

* I use icing sugar with cornstarch already added. 

Steps:

1. Sift together almond, icing sugar and cocoa powder. 

2. Add honey and water and mix until a ball of dough forms. 

3. Roll out between parchment paper to 2-3mm. Cut to desired shapes. Dust very lightly with icing sugar if it gets too sticky.

4. Leave marzipan cutouts to dry in the open or loosely covered box at least overnight before using it to decorate. Store any unused marzipan cling wrapped in airtight condition for up to 6 weeks at cool room temperature.

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Deco Marshmallows

I am super excited to share what Deco Marshmallows is about and will update this blog post periodically once I receive any news from Marshall Cavendish about the book.

ISBN: 9789815084191

Here are the dates of release for various sources that I received from the publisher and what I gathered from the internet and people who notified me.

Singapore: Available at Popular, Kinokuniya and Amazon Singapore.

UK*: Available on Amazon and other bookstores  (no longer available from 1 Sept 2024)

Australia and New Zealand: October 2024 (Already available for pre-orders on Angus & Robertson)

Malaysia: Available at MPH

Thailand: Available at Kinokuniya 

USA*: October 2024 (Already available for pre-orders on Amazon US and Barnes & Noble) (Will not be available from 30 Dec 2024)

Ebook: Amazon, Google, Kobo and Overdrive in due time

I have received many of requests for getting the book earlier overseas when unfortunately the wait for it to be on Amazon or ebook forms is a long one. You may try this service that matches travellers to buyers if you would like it earlier at a more affordable shipping cost.

*********************************************

I stumbled into the arena of marshmallows by accident because I had no intention of exploring what to me a couple of years ago, was simply one-dimensional tasting candy. Someone wanted to learn character marshmallows and one of the  baking studios I work with asked if I could teach. One thing led to another and after discovering the endless possibilities and depth of flavour you can achieve, I decided to do a book to share my discoveries!

What motivated me to write yet another book despite knowing the tremendous amount of work involved was precisely what I am going to share in Deco Marshmallows:

1. You can use templates to create piped shapes more consistently instead of using freehand piping. Great for the artistically challenged!

2. You can do away with piping on a bed of dusting so you save a lot on dusting.

3. You can use gelatin or agar-agar as gelling agents according to your dietary preference so vegetarians can have a go at marshmallow-making too! (Note that egg whites are still used so it is not vegan but I have a vegan option mentioned in the book)

4. You can make it sugar-free if you like and it will not look any different from marshmallows made with regular sugar! Diabetics can have a taste of cute marshmallows too!

5. Many types marshmallow flavours from natural ingredients, various fillings and coating options are covered in the book to show you how to make marshmallows much more than one-dimensional tasting candies.

6. Marshmallows can be paired with other pastries or confections too to create something extraordinary!

7. I like to make use of common kitchen items like foil, zester/grater, citrus juicer, skewers and scissors as tools so you don't have to own a large collection of specialized tools for making cute marshmallows.

I am sharing what went on during four days of photoshoot. We took it at a more relaxed pace this time, spreading over more days than previous books. Note that these pictures were taken with my phone camera off the screen of the photographer's laptop or tablet so quality isn't the best but you can get the idea!

Back cover

Title page

Page fillers. My favourite shots because they are super whimsical and hilarious!

The gingy on the table looks like he is happily running towards his friend in the mug. "Wait for me! I want to join you in the hot chocolate onsen!"

I think this one is hilariously self-explanatory 😆

Grumpy octopus is not too thrilled about being with a cheeky friend and having an audience of narwhals

Cats in watermelon wonderland. This one has more of a subtle sweet feel and will be used with the acknowledgements/dedication pages.

The design portion of the book is broken up into three sections.

Pretty Awesome covers everything that is not a creature so it is mainly plants and objects.

Cute and Magical covers all kinds of creatures...well... cute and magical.

Update 06/10/23: There has been a delay in the book hitting the shelves due to potential copyright issues with one of the entries in this section "Cute and Magical". We have taken out the princess and replaced it with a cute girl dressed up for the Lunar New Year instead.

Perfectly Matched covers how marshmallows can be paired with other pastries, confections or desserts.

Here's a special behind-the-scenes reel I shared on Instagram! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtRTiczgJOQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

As with all our Creative Baking books, we cover the basics, techniques and frequently asked questions/troubleshooting in detail so you can apply what you learn for your own designs. My motto has always been "Teach people how to fish and not simply feed them the fish."

Having seen all these, are you as excited as me?

Stay tuned for periodical updates!

UPDATE 25/07/2024:

All the recipes in this book are based on the use of fresh egg whites. If you have concerns about having unbaked egg whites in your food or if the sale of food with unbaked egg whites is not allowed in your country, you may use egg white powder or meringue powder as replacements. I mentioned this briefly in the book but if you need exact ratios and method of using these replacements, please watch the reels and read the caption for :

Egg White Powder

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84I744ywEl/?igsh=MTIzOGI1OGQ2b2syOA==

Meringue Powder 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9wt2xmS_ca/?igsh=cmpzZ3RnaGJoOXR6

I also included a point-by-point comparison of all 3 forms of egg whites in the caption of the meringue powder replacement reel so that you can see which type is most suitable for your needs.

* UPDATE 09/08/2024:

I just received news from the publisher that their third party warehouse and book distributions partner in the UK has gone into administration. This means that my books will no longer be available in the UK market and on Amazon UK with effect from 1 Sept 2024, and will cease to be available in the US market and on Amazon US with effect from 30 Dec 2024.

So if you have been considering getting my books, you should try to get them before the dates given. In the meantime the publisher is trying to find other sources to reach the international audience. Book distribution within Singapore is not affected. Digital version is also not affected.

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Diabetic-Friendly Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake with Marshmallow Flowers

 I decided to make a simple cake that is assembled in a container for mum's birthday because this bake happened towards the tail end of my preparation for Deco Marshmallows' photoshoot.

The cake is a coffee chiffon sponge with thin layers of maple dark chocolate ganache and chopped toasted hazelnut, pumpkin spice diplomat cream and coffee jelly. I tried to make the components as diabetic-friendly as possible but had to use some maple syrup and Maltitol as Allulose alone doesn't taste as good. Maltitol is a sugar replacement often used as a sweetener for sugar-free chocolate but still contributes to glycemic index. Maple syrup is a tasty refined sugar-free syrup substitute that has a low GI. Why this choice of flavour combination? Because I have leftover pumpkin puree from making an entry in my marshmallow book 😆. 

The florals are made of agar-based marshmallows. I used apple or pumpkin puree for them. The yellow roses are naturally coloured from pumpkin and are made sugar-free. The other florals and leaves were extras I kept from making for the book.

I will share the detailed recipe for the four components of the cake. Feel free to vary the ratio of components during assembly according to taste. You may assemble in smaller cups too for individual sized treats! Freeze the whole thing and it's an ice-cream cake! Diplomat cream frozen is like ice-cream 😋

Sugar-free coffee chiffon sponge 

(10 x12" sheet cake)

Egg yolk batter

3 egg yolks

10g maple syrup (replace with zero calorie sugar replacements for totally sugar-free sponge)

30g vegetable oil

20g fresh milk, warmed (increase to 30g if using dry sugar replacements)

6g instant coffee
1tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

45g cake flour

Meringue

3 egg whites

20g Inulin or Alchemy fibre

50g Allulose

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Steps:

1. Line 10 x 12 tray with Teflon sheet or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 170C (top and bottom heat only). Dissolve instant coffee in warm milk. Add vanilla and salt to the mixture and set aside.

2. Make egg yolk batter. Whisk egg yolks with maple syrup until thick and pale. Add oil and whisk until well combined. Add coffee milk and whish until well combined. Gradually sift in flour and whisk until no trace of flour is seen.

3. Make the meringue. In a small bowl, whisk together Allulose and Inulin. Set aside. In a clean metal bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until firm peaks. Use medium speed to beat to build up the meringue slowly for a more stable meringue and finer air bubbles. Make sure you are able to consistently get firm peaks before you stop beating to ensure meringue is sufficiently firm.

4. Gently but quickly fold meringue into egg yolk batter in three additions until no trace of meringue is seen. Pour into prepared tray.

5. Bake for 12-13 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Immediately flip onto fresh parchment paper and cool completely covered with another parchment. 

Sugar-free pumpkin spice diplomat cream

1 egg yolk

20g Allulose (or sugar of choice, quantity according to taste)

Pinch of salt

9g cornstarch

100g milk

150g pumpkin puree, sieved*

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp Pumpkin spice**

100g whipping cream of choice***

* Bake pumpkin until softened and press through a fine sieve to get the puree. If your puree is very wet, you may reduce it over low heat if you wish. I didn't want to be too heavy handed with the spice component so adjust quantity according to taste.

** I didn't have pumpkin spice mix so I used what I have at home, which was 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp Allspice

*** You may use dairy or non dairy, add sugar or omit it according to taste and type of cream. Pumpkin is naturally sweet. I used a pre-sweetened non-dairy whipping cream. You may use Everwhip for a sugar-free dairy-free whipping cream that is pre-sweetened with sugar replacements.

Steps:

1. Heat pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla in saucepan until steaming hot (not boiling).

2. In the meantime, whisk together egg yolk, Allulose, salt and cornstarch until smooth in a heatproof heavy bowl or glass jug. 

3. Pour hot pumpkin milk in a thin stream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking the egg yolk mixture continuously. Pour everything back into saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat while whisking continuously. Once mixture starts to thicken and bubble, whisk for another 1 minute before removing from heat.

4. Transfer into a bowl and press cling wrap on the surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5. When ready to assemble the cake, whip whipping cream of choice to firm peaks. Briefly whisk pumpkin spice pastry cream to loosen it. Fold whipped cream into pastry cream in a few batches. Transfer into piping bag with a hole cut.

Sugar-free coffee jelly
(set in lined 7x7" tray)

16g gelatin sheets

120g ice water

4g instant coffee

120g hot water

20g Maltitol (or sugar of choice, according to taste)

Steps:

1. Soak gelatin sheets in ice water in a microwave-safe bowl. Set aside.

2. Dissolve Maltitol and instant coffee in hot water. 

3. Microwave bloomed gelatin to melt it using medium power for 10 seconds. Stir and repeat heating if necessary. 

4. Add coffee to melted gelatin and stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared tray. Refrigerate until firmly set. Cut into squares or small pieces, place on a lined tray and refrigerate.

Maple dark chocolate ganache with toasted hazelnuts

90-100g chopped toasted hazelnuts

50g no sugar added chocolate (I used the ones from Pascha)

60g heavy cream

30-40g Maltitol

25g maple syrup

Pinch of salt

20g unsalted butter, softened

Note: If you are using pre-sweetened chocolate, omit the Maltitol. Use dark chocolate if possible so it doesn't end up too sweet. You may use more chocolate as well if not using unsweetened chocolate due to the difference in fat content.

1. Place chocolate, finely chopped or use chips in a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat cream, maple syrup, Maltitol and salt in a saucepan. Stir until sugar and salt dissolves and mixture just starts to bubble a little at the edges. 

3. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Stir in one direction gently until chocolate is melted and smooth.

4. Add softened butter and mix well. Add hazelnuts and mix well.

Assembly

1. Line base container with sponge (cut to size of container). Brush with diluted maple syrup (hot water : maple syrup, 1:1)

2. Cover with thin layer of diplomat cream before coating with a thin layer of chocolate hazelnut. Coat with another thin layer of diplomat cream.

3. Line the sides of the container with coffee jelly. 

4. Fill up the middle of the cake with more cream and coffee jelly. 

Refrigerate for 5 minutes. 

5. Spread a thin layer of chocolate hazelnut.  Top of with some diplomat cream. 

6. Brush another layer of cut sponge with diluted maple syrup and place the sponge syrup down on the cake. Brush the top of the sponge with more maple syrup if you wish. Decorate the top circumference with some coffee bean shaped  chocolates.

Here's a peek at a cut slice! Pardon the messy cut!

My family enjoyed the cake even though it was after a buffet meal and it was a flavour that is not commonly found here❤️.

with lots of love,
Phay Shing

Read More »

Ferrero Rocher Filled Hydrangea Marshmallow Bouquet

As the dates for photoshoot draws closer, I am getting really busy with marshmallow making madness so there isn't time for new content for blogging. But I simply have to share these florals that I made for the photoshoot of Deco Marshmallows!

The blue and purple hydrangeas were made using raspberry and green apple puree. The yellow one was made from pumpkin puree but using passionfruit or mango puree along with apple puree will yield similar colour. The yellow one is sugar-free too! Ferrero Rocher makes for a very good filling!

Here's another floral arrangement that I made and hastily took a photo of. I forgot to line the plate with a doily or paper before arranging the flowers on 🙈.

The roses and tulips were made using green apple puree.

All the leaves are coloured with matcha powder.

Marshmallow florals are best made using agar-based recipes. Such marshmallows are known as zephyrs/zefirs, originate from Eastern Europe and can be piped like buttercream flowers. Agar based marshmallow batter is much stiffer than gelatin based batter so it holds up any ridges very well, giving whatever you pipe a sharp definition. My upcoming book will cover such marshmallows too! You can look forward to more agar-based entries, not just florals 😉.

Blessed Mother's Day to all moms out there!

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Heart-shaped Roll Cake

 

Heart-shaped ❤️ Roll Cake Tutorial! 

I was inspired to shape a swissroll into a heart shape for mother's day. Hope you enjoy it too!🥰 

Recipe (10" cake) 
3 egg yolks 
15g castor sugar 
30g oil 
30g milk 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
45g cake flour, sifted 

Whisk all ingredients above till smooth. Add pink food coloring. 

3 egg whites 
40g castor sugar 
1/4 tsp cream of tartar 

Whip egg whites till firm peaks. Gently fold in egg yolk batter above. Bake at 170C for 22 min. Slice the cake into two. 
Fill the cake with fresh whipped cream and heart-shaped strawberries. Shaping technique in my IG video 💕 

With love, 

Susanne 

Read More »

Grogu Matcha Marshmallow

This was an unplanned creation as I am really swamped with making each entry in Deco Marshmallows. I was making a matcha marshmallow character for the book when I realised that May the 4th is around the corner and I can take a little time out to create Grogu, baby Yoda!

Pardon the off-colour as my phone camera doesn't pick up the true colours sometimes 

This is the correct color

A works-in-progress shot!

As I wanted to keep things as simple as possible, I used a store bought product for Grogu's body. I bought Twiggies, a cream filled sponge by Gardenia.

Watch the reel on how I made this! Recipe for matcha marshmallows will be in Deco Marshmallows.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CryYtlRAlOE/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

with love,

Phay Shing

Read More »

Rainbow Comic Chiffon Cake

 

Double Rainbow Cartoon Chiffon Cake, with recipe🥰. 'Too-n' cute to eat?  

Ingredients (7" angel cake pan)🌈 

1 whole egg 

27 g castor sugar 

52 g oil 

52g milk 

7g vanilla extract 

80g cake flour, sifted 

Whisk all ingredients above till smooth. Divide the batter into 6 and add respective food coloring. 

5 egg whites 

1/4 tsp cream of tartar 

65 g castor sugar 

Whip egg whites till firm peaks. Divide the meringue into 6 and fold into each color. Pipe on the rainbow stripes. Bake at 140C for 55 min for the big cake and 25 min for the small cake. Outline with chocolate ganache.💕 

Recipe video here on my IG.  

With love, 

Susanne

Read More »