Baked Chocolate Mooncake 2014

烤巧克力皮月饼

The 1st time I saw Ann Low posted her baked chocolate mooncake, I was attracted to it because it is chocolate & the recipe do not required egg wash. Therefore I decided to try it once I bought the ingredients.

By using Valrhona Cocoa Powder, it had enhanced the flavour of the mooncake. I love it very much. I also added glitter on the mooncake since it does not required egg wash.

Thank you Ann Low for sharing the Baked Chocolate Mooncake recipe.

Recipe attached as below:

Ingredients

60gm Plain Flour
60gm Hong Kong Flour
20gm Valrhona Cocoa Powder
90gm "Lyle's" Golden Syrup
30gm Peanut Oil
½ tsp Alkaline/Lye Water

180gm Coffee Lotus Paste
180gm Milk Tea Lotus Paste

Method

1. Mix sugar syrup, peanut oil and alkaline water together thoroughly.
2. Sift plain flour and cocoa powder in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour sugar syrup mixture. Using a rubber spatula to mix and form to a soft dough. Cover with a cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
3. Divide the coffee lotus paste and milk tea paste into 13 portions, 15gm each. Wrap the milk tea lotus paste around the coffee lotus paste.
4. Divide dough into 13 portions, 20gm each and roll into balls. Wrap the dough around the lotus paste.
5. Roll it into ball and dust with some flour. Press firmly into mould, un-mould and place on a lined baking tray.
6. Bake at preheated oven 180°C for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and rest mooncakes to cool for about 15 minutes. Then bake the chocolate mooncakes again for another 10-12 minutes.
7. Leave mooncakes to cool down completely before storing into an airtight container. This mooncake can be eaten immediately with the crispy or wait for about 3 days for the mooncakes for skin to soften (回油) before serving.
8. Enjoy the mooncakes with a pot of your favourite tea!

Enjoy It!

Steamed Chicken with Essence of Chicken

I had many bottles of "Essence of Chicken" left. I still do drink them occasionally but not as often as 3 times a week during my schooling day in University. 

I decided to try to make use of it in my cooking. Here it is, the 1st trial with steam chicken. It enhanced the taste of this dish. It is healthy and people who do not like to take Essence of Chicken by itself can try this cook so that you will eventually drink the essence and build/maintain your health thru your meal.

Steamed Chicken

Recipe attached as below:

Ingredients

¼ chicken (portion of whole chicken) or 2/3 drumsticks or 4/5 chicken wings

A handful of wolfberries

8 red dates

1 pc of Dang Gui (optional), I miss this out as I'm lazy to go & buy.

half a bottle of chicken essence (any brand)

Seasonings

¼ tsp Salt
½ tsp Hua Tiao Wine
a pinch of white pepper

1 tsp of ginger juice

Method

1. Wash the chicken clean & tap dry with kitchen towel.
2. Season the chicken with the above seasonings for 30 mins to an hr.
3. Pour half a bottle of chicken essence & steam for 20 to 30 mins.
4. Enjoy while hot!

Double-Boiled Chicken Wing In Coconut

A year back, I saw Zoe Tay (Mediacorp Artiste) cooked a chicken soup in coconut but I cannot find the recipe online via Google (maybe I'm bad with search). I wanted to try it long ago, yet either I do not have all ingredients or I do not have the time to do it.

We the bad weather bad due to the haze caused by neighbouring countries recently, I decided to use my sixth "cow" sense to cook the soup myself. Out of my surprise, my sixth "cow" sense for today was sensitive enough. It was a success soup tonight as one of my dinner's dish.

I will like to share this yummy soup with all my friends and fans of my blog. It is really worth an effort to cook this soup. Do give it a try.

Ready after 2 hours of double boiled

A bowl of serving of the soup

Recipe attached as below:

Ingredients for the dish

Ingredients

1 pc     Coconut
4pcs     Chicken Wings
10gm   Wild Red Dates
10gm   Ginger
5gm     Wolfberry
5gm     Dry Mushroom
3gm     南杏北杏 [North Almond (Bitter) + South Almond (Sweet)]

Seasonings

¼ tsp Salt
½ tsp Hua Tiao Wine

Method

1. Wash and tap dry the chicken wings with kitchen towel then season with salt for 30mins.
2. Remove the seeds of wild red date.
3. Soak the mushroom, wolfberry, wild red date with warm water.
4. Cut the mushroom, ginger into slice.
5. Open up the coconut & retain the 100ml coconut juice.
6. Stack the chicken wings with all the ingredients alternately into the coconut shell.
7. Add in hua tiao wine and coconut juice.
8. Double-boiled it for 2 hours.
9. Enjoy while hot!

Below are the details step in pictures.

Season with salt

Soak the mushroom

Remove the seeds and soak 

Soak the wolfberries

Cut the mushroom

Drain the wild red date

Drain the wolfberries

Cut the ginger into slices

Give 南杏北杏 a rinse

Stack all the ingredients and add coconut juice

Add Hua Tiao Wine & Double Boiled

Snowskin Mooncake (Natural Colour Extract)

Mid-Autumn Festival 2014

Wish everyone a happy mid-autumn festival. 

Mooncake Boxes for 2014

Mid-Autumn Festival 2014 was on 8 September 2014, Monday. Lots of people actually have the celebration brought forward to Friday (Company) & weekends (Family).

I did not celebrate it myself but I make some mooncakes for family, relatives, friends & neighbours as an appreciation of this festival. Hope they all like it and enjoy the festival.

Snowskin mooncake was one of the choice for many of us, therefore I make it again this year. I had being using Happy Home Baking (HHB) recipe for last 2 years which I do like it as shown in the below pic and introduce to my friends as well.

2013 Snowskin Mooncake using HHB Recipe

This year I intend to try Ann Low (Anncoo) recipe. Since I'm not able to purchase the premix snowskin powder (KCT Pinpe Premix Powder) mentioned by her this year, I will follow the skin dough of her Cranberry Snowskin recipe with a slight amendment to suit my tastebud.

6 Flavors Snowskin Mooncakes

Top Row, Left to Right : Purple Sweet Potato, Yam, Coffee with Chocolate Truffle

Bottom Row, Left to Right : Red Bean, Coffee, Green Tea

8 Flavors Snowskin Mooncakes

Left Column, Top to Bottom : Coffee with Chocolate Truffle, Coffee, Red Bean

Centre Column, Top to Bottom : Purple Sweet Potato, Yam

Right Column, Top to Bottom : Green Tea, Red Bean & Green Tea, Milk Tea

Coffee Snowskin (I play with skin dough)

I played with 4 colours skin dough

A bite on Snowskin Yam Mooncake

After making so many snowskin mooncake, It seems like I still did not make enough to give out as Mid-autumn gifts & for myself to try. I got one piece to try as my mum was not able to take yam for the time being after her little surgery on the face (right eye area) and developed some allergy on her skin too. So sad that I cannot do much for her other than help her to apply medicine & bring her to see doctor. Wish that she recover fast so that she can take yam (one of her favorite).

Mum's Surgery & Allergy

Recipe attached as below:

Ingredients

Skin Dough

55g   KCT Fried Glutinous Rice Flour (Gao Fen/糕粉)

20g   KCT Snow Skin Powder (For Hand Rubbing)
50g   KCT/SIS Icing sugar
25g   Crisco Shortening
90ml Cold Water (See the substitute water for various flavor mooncake)
Zero Coloring Used (See the substitute water for various mooncake colours)

Extra KCT Snow Skin Powder (For Hand Rubbing) for dusting & moulding the snowskin mooncake

Paste

Prepare 330gm for each flavours (30gm each)

1. Sweet Purple Potato
2. Yam
3. Coffee with Chocolate Truffle
4. Red Bean
5. Coffee
6. Green Tea
7. Milk Tea

Forgotten to buy Chocolate Lotus Paste so missing out my favorite taste.

Substitute Water & Colours

Stacks of Natural Coloured Skin Dough

1. Red - Boil beetroot slices with some water
2. Blue - Boil blue flowers (pea flowers) with some water
3. Purple - Mix red & blue together (add clear cold water for a lighter tone of Purple)
4. Brown - brew 2 tsp of coffee powder with some boiling water
5. Beige - brew 1 packet of Lipton tea with some boiling water

*Note: Just add cold water to make up to 90ml if there isn't enough after the hot water is being chilled.

My match of the Skin dough with Paste as below:

All Natural Extract Colour Skin Dough

1. Red + Red Bean Paste
2. Blue + White + Coffee Paste + Chocolate Truffle
3. Light Purple + Purple Sweet Potato Paste
4. Dark Purple + Yam Paste
5. Brown + Coffee Paste
6. Beige + Milk Tea Paste
7. White + Blue + Red + Green + Red Bean Paste + Green Tea Paste

Method

1. Sieve fried glutinous rice flour, snow skin powder and icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Rub shortening into the mixture until even.
3. Add half of the water and mix evenly, slowly add more water little by little until a consistent dough is formed and knead well.
4. Set dough aside for 20 minutes and divide dough into 11 portions, 20g each.
5. Wrap the snowskin dough (20g) around the paste (30g) or any other filling you prefer.
6. Roll it into a ball and dust with some snow skin powder and press firmly into mould then un-mould
7. Store in a container/mooncake boxes and chill before consuming.
8. Can keep up till 3 days for it softness.

1) Simplest Packaging

2) Hello Kitty & Winnie the Pooh Wrap Packaging

3) Frame & Paris Tower Wrap Packaging

Happy Mid-Autumn 2014!

See you in Mid-Autumn 2015 (*_*)

Yuzu & Chestnut Ogura Cake

Yuzu & Chestnut Ogura Cake

I saw this recipe from Food & Travel Magazine. Knowing that my mum love Chestnut and Yuzu Drink so I went ahead to make this for her. Had bake twice for her as flour content was low so won't make her gain weight easily.

Adapted from Food & Travel Magazine (June 2014, Page 38 - 39)

Recipe attached as below:-

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
1 egg
40g canola oil
70ml yuzu juice
2 tsp yuzu concentrate (optional)
55g top flour
1/4 tsp salt
150g egg whites
75g caster sugar
80g unsweetened roasted chestnuts, coarsely chopped.

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 155°C and place four ramekins or a shallow tray filled with hot water on the lowest rack.
2. Line am ungreased 20x20cm pan with parchment paper. Whisk egg yolks, egg and canola oil until slightly frothy.
3. Tip in yuzu juice and yuzu concentrate (if using), and mix well.
4. Sift in flour and salt. Whisk well and set aside.
5. Using a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and sugar until soft peaks form. 
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the meringue mixture into the egg yolk batter.
7. Fold the rest if the meringue into the batter. Fold in the chopped chestnuts.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and tap the pan lightly on a flat surface to remove air bubbles.
9. Bake for 40 mins at 155°C then bring down the temperature to 140°C. Bake for another 25-30mins until the inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove cake from the pan immediately and invert the cake onto a wire rack to cool.
10. Enjoy (*_*) !!!

5" Rainbow Cake - 100% Chocolate Cake

5" Chocolate Rainbow Cake

After making an 8" Rainbow Cake, many of my friends/fans notice my baking. I start to have "little" order from a lady named Marilyn who we used to hang out for Pool, Clubbing, Drinking & many other activities many years back.

I make her & her friends who is celebrating their birthday in August. I'm glad they like the taste of the cake especially the sweetness was just right for them. But of cos there is still room for improvement as the wafers did not remain crispy till the night & the colour of the M&M have a little run-off. I felt pretty sorry about this 2 areas that caused the cake to be in perfect.

Possible solution suggested by friends & members from FB Groups are as below:-

• To "bake the wafer biscuits before putting it on the cake"
• To search for "M&M for baking" which I try asking Phoon Huat (Staff @ Marsiling Outlet said OOS for a year le).

I'm also grateful that Marilyn had share the cut-up of the cake for me to view & keep in record. Let me share with everyone here.

5" Chocolate Rainbow Cake Cut-up

Recipe attached as below:-

Ingredients

Cake

250 gm Unsalted Butter, Softened

400 gm Castor Sugar

3          Eggs

3 tsp     Chocolate Extract
¾ tsp    Fine Salt
3¾ tsp  Baking Powder
470 gm Cake Flour
450 gm Low-Fat Fresh Milk
6 color  Coloring Gel (I used Americolor Soft Gel Paste - Food Colors)

My colour combinations as follow:
Purple = Violet
Indigo = Violet + Royal Blue
Blue = Royal Blue
Green = Leaf Green
Yellow = Lemon Yellow
Orange = Orange
Red = Super Red

Frosting & Decor

150 gm  Frosty Whip Whipping Crème
1 Tbsp  Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp    Chocolate Extract  
240 ml  Water
400 gm 1 Can of Luxury Cream Wafers - Chocolate Flavour
100 gm 1 packet of M&M Milk Chocolate

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Cake

1. Grease and line the 5" round baking tins with baking paper and set aside.
2. In a bowl, sift the combination of cake flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. Cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat till fluffy for about 3 minutes. Add one egg at a time, beat well after each addition. Add in chocolate extract and mix till just combined.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients in 3 parts alternating with addition of milk in 2 parts. With each addition, fold until all ingredients are incorporated but "DO NOT OVERMIX". (Note: a photo below to show the baked results of being over-mix)
5. Separate the batter into 7 equal portions (180 gm each) in 7 different bowls.
6. Fold in each bowl of batter with one colour (a drop) each. Pour 1 bowl of batter into 1 baking tin.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 25 mins. Remove the cake from baking tin and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Wrap with cling wrap and store in fridge overnight before frosting.

Baking Tins Bought @ Daiso, Bukit Indah

Result of Over-Mixing the Batter

Frosting & Decor

1. Mix well frosty boy whipping crème, valrhona cocoa powder and chocolate extract with water.
2. Beat the mixture till stiff peak.

Assembling the cake

1. Put a little frosting in the centre of the cake board to adhere the first layer (purple) of the cake & frost it. (Note: do not use too much frosting in-between the layer as it will add on more weight as well as it might be too thick).
2. Continue stacking the cake, taking care to position the layers as evenly as possible, so that the sides of the cake are as straight as they can until all 7 layers are used up. (My color order is purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange then red from the cake board)
3. Apply a crumb coat of frosting on the entire cake, filling any gaps between layers. The colors of the cake will be very apparent, but don’t worry. Chill for an hour in the fridge.
4. Apply the second coat of frosting. Chill for an hour in the fridge again.
5. If necessary, apply the third coat. If not, you can smoothen the side & edge of the cake frost for a smooth finish.
6. Align the wafers as you wish along the wall of the cake (frosting will hold the wafer in place temporary) & tie a ribbon around the wafers to hold the wafer is place (this will prefer the wafers to drop off the cake during transportation & looks good too).
7. Align the M&M on top of the cake in circular direction from the edge of the cake all the way into the centre of the cake.
8. Lastly place a "Happy Birthday" Chocolate Sign in the centre for a completed décor.
9. Keep in fridge till enjoy!

8" Rainbow Cake - Lemon Flavour

8" Rainbow Cake

I had been seeing lots of rainbow cake posted on Facebook and selling in the bakery retail outlets. My uni-mate "Robbert" send me 2 pictures of rainbow cake make by his Dutch's Friend as shown below.

Rainbow Cake 1

Rainbow Cake 2

Thereafter we make an agreement that if he can clear his last semester exam and graduate with me and other uni-mates, I shall bake one Rainbow Cake to celebrate our successful hurdle of our life.

On 09.06.2014 Sunday, we have our BBQ gathering @ Rob's house, therefore I bake this cake for everyone who attended. I'm glad they are all pleased with the taste and look of the cake. I'm very satisfied with my challenge in baking it and will make it again.

Recipe attached as below:-

Ingredients

Cake

2 box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Cake Mix (Lemon/White)
8 Eggs
230 ml Vegetable Oil (I used olive oil)
320 ml Water
6 color Coloring Gel (I used Wilton Icing Colors)

Note: You can refer to the blog named “Mandy’s Baking Journey” for Basic Sponge Cake Recipe instead of using the Pillsbury Premix.

My color combination as follow:
Purple = Violet
Blue = Royal Blue
Green = Kelly Green
Yellow = Golden Yellow
Orange = Lemon Yellow + Golden Yellow
Red = “No Taste” Red

Frosting & Decor

200 gm         Frosty Whip Whipping Crème

300 ml          Water

1 container   Redonda Luxury Cream Wafers

                     (Assorted Flavors – Chocolate, Vanilla & Strawberry)

1 packet       M&M

1 pc             Strawberry

Preparation & Cooking Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven at 170°C.
2. Grease and line the 8 inch round/square baking tins with baking paper, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Blend well.
4. Separate the batter in 6 equal portions into 6 bowls.
5. Color each bowl of batter (Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red) & set aside.
6. Pour 1 bowl of batter into baking tin.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 15mins or till cooked.
8. Cool the cake in the baking tins for 10mins.
9. Remove the cake onto the wire rack for completely cooling.
10. Repeat step 6 to 9 till all colors are bake. (If you have 6 similar baking tins, time taken will be shorten)
11. Cut away the dome on each color of baked cake if any.
12. Wrap each cake with cling wrap & keep in fridge. (This step is to prevent the cake to give out lots of crumb during frosting process)

Frosting & Decor

1. Mix well the whipping crème with water.
2. Beat the mixture till stiff peak.
3. Add essence or color if desired and mix well.

Assembling the cake

1. Put a little frosting in the centre of the cake board to adhere the first layer (purple) of the cake & frost. (Note: do not use too much frosting in-between the layer as it will add on more weight as well as it might be too thick).
2. Continue stacking the cake, taking care to position the layers as evenly as possible, so that the sides of the cake are as straight as they can until all 6 layers are used up. (My color order is purple, blue, green, yellow, orange then red from the cake board)
3. Apply a crumb coat of frosting on the entire cake, filling any gaps between layers. The colors of the cake will be very apparent, but don’t worry. Chill for an hour in the fridge.
4. Apply the second coat of frosting. Chill for an hour in the fridge again.
5. If necessary, apply the third coat. If not, you can smoothen the side & edge of the cake frost for a smooth finish.
6. Align the wafers as you wish along the wall of the cake (frosting will hold the wafer in place temporary) & tie a ribbon around the wafers to hold the wafer is place (this will prefer the wafers to drop off the cake during transportation & looks good too).
7. Align the M&M on top of the cake in circular direction from the edge of the cake all the way into the centre of the cake.
8. Lastly place a strawberry in the centre for a completed décor.
9. Keep in fridge till enjoy!