Thursday, August 27, 2015

Bean paste cake (绿豆糕)

1. Prepare green bean pastry filling and red bean pastry filling.
2. Portion and roll them into small balls, and wrap the red bean filling in the green bean paste.
3. Use a 50g moon cake mold to press them in shape. Keep refrigerated.

Green bean pastry filling (绿豆馅)

Ingredients:

Dried peeled green bean - 1 bag, 14oz (400g)
Butter - 45g
Oil - 45g
Sugar - 0.5 - 1.25 Cup (your preference. I use 1/2cup)
Sweetened condensed milk - 4 TBSP
Corn starch - 3 TBSP

Steps:

1. Add dried peeled green bean in about 4+ cup water, Boiling until the beans are soft, about 30 minutes. The cooked beans is easy to stick to the bottom. Make sure there is enough water. After cooked, drain excessive water if possible.
2. Beat the cooked green bean with a electrical mixer to make sure it is smooth. Stir in sugar, oil, sweetened condensed milk.
3. In a large fry pan, add butter. When butter is melted, pour in the mixture from 2. Simmer under low heat, gradually sift in corn starch with flour sifter until the mixture can be folded with spatula easily.
4. Take mixture out of fry pan and let it cool down. Chill it in refrigerator. If you do not plan to use it within a day, you can put it in sealed container in freezer.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Steamed Purple Yam Rice Cake (紫薯凉糕)

This is recipe from Junsome's blog. It tastes best after it is chilled in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Ingredients

Purple yam (peeled) - 150g
Lotus root powder (藕粉) - 75g
Rice flour (粘米粉)- 50g
Wheat starch (小麦澄粉)- 25g
Sugar - 75g
Milk - 210g
Water - 210g
Dried coconut shred (幼椰丝)- for coating
* This makes about 16-20 pieces

Steps

1. Chop the purple yam in big chucks and steam until soft. It takes about 15 minutes.
2. Use a blender to blend all ingredients, except the coconut shred, together into a smooth mixture.
3. Coat a container with corn oil or cooking spray, then pour in 1/3 of the mixture. Steam on high for 10 minutes

4. Steam on high for 10 minutes, then add another 1/3 mixture, steam another 10 minutes. Finally pour in the rest of the mixture, and steam for 15 minutes.

5. Take the container out of steamer and chill it in refrigerator. After the cake is cooled, it should be easy to remove it from container.
6. Cut the cake into serving size, and roll each piece in fine coconut shred to make sure it is coated on all sides. 
The cakes should be consumed within 1-2 days. Keep refrigerated.

Monday, August 10, 2015

Blueberry Mousse Cake

Summer is the season for blueberries. I can eat blueberry for a meal. It is great for Mousse Cake also.

PART A: Make Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

Egg - 5 Large
Cake flour - 85g
Oil - 40g
Milk - 40g
Sugar - 60g for egg white
Sugar - 30g for egg yolk

Steps:

1. Follow the same steps in Chiffon Cake to bake two 9" cakes.  Adjust baking to 340°F, 25 minutes
2. After cakes are cool, use the heart shape mousse ring to mark the cakes and trim them in heart shape.

PART B: Make Sugar Water

1. Boiling 75g water and 38g sugar until the sugar is fully melt. Set aside to let it cool.
2. Mix in 1 TBSP Brandy or Rum

PART C: Make Egg Yolk Cream

Ingredients:

Egg yolk - 94g (about 5 large egg yolks)
Sugar - 126g
Milk - 172g
Gelatin - 2 packs (~ 15g)
Brandy or Rum - 1 TBSP (~14g)

Steps:

1. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolk and sugar, use a mixer to beat it.
2. Pour milk in a sauce pan, add gelatin powder, mix and cook the mixture over low heat .
3. Pour half of the milk mixture to the mixing bowl, mix well, and then pour all content of the mixing bowl into the sauce pan.
4. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon. Don't let the mixture boil.
5. Take the mixture out and let it cool. Then add Brandy or Rum.

PART D: Make Mousse

Ingredients:

Fresh blueberry - 560g
Heavy whipping cream - 1 and 1/2 cup (~336g)
Powdered sugar -  2-3 TBSP or to your preference
Egg yolk cream - from previous step

Steps:

1. Puree blueberry with blender.
2. Add the egg yolk cream slowly and mix well.
3. Beat the heavy whipped cream and powdered sugar into whipped cream.
5. Fold the blueberry mixture to the rest of whipped cream.

PART E: Assembly and Chill

1. Set cake ring on top of a cake board.
2. Put first cake inside mousse ring. brush the cake with sugar water.
3. Pour in mousse to fill the gap around the cake, and make a thick layer on top of cake.
4. Place the other cake on top, brush the cake with sugar water.
5. Pour in the rest of the mousse. Flatten the cake surface.
6. Put in refrigerator for 1 hour or so, then take it out to place blueberries on top so that it will be stay cemented on the cake top after chill.
7. Put in refrigerator overnight.

PART F: Make Glaze

Ingredients:

Jam - 2 TBSP (Prefer blueberry jam. I used strawberry jam.)
Lemon juice - a few drops (use water if you do not have lemon juice)

Steps:

1. Put jam and lemon juice in small sauce pan over low heat. Keep stir until the jam is soften and well mixed. Add some water if it is too thick
2. Use a filter to filter out lumps.

PART G: Final Decoration

Brush a layer of glaze on the blueberries.
With the cake trims and a small mousse cake mold, I made a mini cake too.