Pandan Chiffon Cake

I went to a baking ingredients shop and found some pandan paste. Yay, no need to make it on my own. Decided to make pandan chiffon cake with it to test out the pandan paste. I found a simple chiffon recipe here, which I adapted it to make the pandan chiffon cake.


The chiffon turns out a bit too green to my liking. Overall, the texture and the taste of the chiffon cake is good. I will use this as the base for my future chiffon cakes. However, I will stick with homemade pandan paste in the future.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Pre-Steps
Preheat the oven at 165 degrees Celcius.

Ingredients:
(A)
2 1/2 cup of cake flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of castor sugar

(B)
7 egg yolk (at room temperature)
1/2 cup of sunflower oil
2 tablespoon of pandan paste (store bought)
1 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of water (at room temperature)

(C)
7 egg white (at room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
3/4 cup of castor sugar

Steps
1. Sift (A) together in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix (B) together in a separate bowl. Mix well.

3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient. Mix well and set aside.

4. In the mixer, pour the egg white in a dry mixing bowl.

5. Whisk it for about a minute until it is slightly foamy.

6. Add cream of tartar at this stage and continue to whisk for another minute.

7. Gradually add the sugar in small batches and whisk at medium to high speed until you have reach hard peaks.

8. Add this egg white to the egg yolk mixture. Add in 3 batches, using large folding strokes.

9. Pour into the un-greased baking pan.

10. Bake for 50 minutes.

11. Once baked and tested with cake tester, turn the cake upside down for an hour until cool. 

12. Remove from the baking pan and serve.

Simple Chocolate Brownie with Walnut

The chocolate craving continues.. this time with chocolate brownies. This recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking's brownie recipe. It taste great when served chilled, and when the chocolate ganache sets.

Recipe Ingredients Edited on 5-May-2013

Preparation Time :  20 mins

Baking Time: 20 (On the second try, at 20 minutes the cake turns out moist as compared to 23 mins. I will stick with 20 mins. But do remember to test with cake tester before removing the cake from the oven)

Ingredients: 

Chocolate Base

70 gm of raw walnuts (I love lots of nuts. However, you can reduce to 40gm if you do not wish to feel the nuts at every bite)
150 gm of baking chocolates (I used sweetened)

125 gm of salted butter

1/2 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of plain flour

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of thickening cream (increased from 1/3 cup)

1 tablespoon of butter

Steps:

1. Crush the walnuts and lightly toast them in the oven for 5 minutes at 100 degrees Celcius. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

2. Put a mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water.

3. Add butter into the mixing bowl and allow to melt.

4. Add the baking chocolate and stir the mixture together. Allow to melt and smoothen.

5. Remove from the pot of boiling water and allow to cool.

6. Once the mixture cooler, add sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.

7. Add eggs and mix well.

8. Add flour and mix well.

9. Add toasted walnut and mix well.

10. Line the baking pan with parchment paper. I am using a 7 inch square shaped baking pan. 

11. Pour the mixture into the pan.

12. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees Celcius for about 23 mins. Test with a cake tester. It should come out moist with only a few crumbs sticking to it. DO NOT OVERBAKE.

13. Leave it to cool. Once it is cool to touch, prepare the chocolate ganache. 

Chocolate Ganache
14. Put the mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water.
15. Add the thickening cream, chocolate chips and butter into the mixing bowl. 

16. Stir continuously until everything is melted and smooth.

17. Pour the mixture over the brownie base.

18. Leave it to cool.
19. Once cool, move the brownie into the fridge to chill. Once set, cut and serve.