Orange Chiffon Cake

I never bake a good chiffon cake after I changed my oven. This time, I tried my luck to back another chiffon cake. Surprisingly, I have a baked chiffon cake. It is not soggy like previous one. I am glad that I finally get to know my oven better. Although my cake's outlook is a bit not up-to-standard.  :P

Baking Temperature: 200C (This is my oven temperature for the chiffon cake.)

Baking Time: 30-35 minutes

Mould Size: 9”

Ingredients:

(A)

150g    Superfine Flour

1tsp      Baking Powder

80g      Castor Sugar

1/4tsp   Salt

(B)

45g      Sunflower Oil

4          Egg Yolks

100ml   Orange Juice

1tsp      Orange Zest (I put ½ tsp which caused my cake has less orange aroma)

(C)

4          Egg Whites

60g      Castor Sugar

1/4tsp   Cream of Tartar

Method:

1. For ingredients (A): Sift superfine flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add in sugar and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
2. For ingredients (B): In another bowl, combine orange juice, orange zest, egg yolk and sunflower oil in sequence.
3. Add flour mixture into egg yolk mixture. Mix well. Set aside.
4. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites. When you see the bubbles, add in sugar gradually then followed by cream of tartar.
5. Whisk the egg white mixture till a soft peak is formed.
6.  Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture.
7. Bake at preheated oven 200C for 30-35 minutes.

  

Mini Honey Cake

Honey has been widely used in cooking and as a food decades ago. Historically, honey has been used by humans to treat a variety of ailments through topical application. However, children less than one year old should not be given honey due to their digestive system is still weak.

I tried the easiest way to make honey cake with only 6 ingredients. The texture of the cake is soft and spongy. It is sweet as my honey is sweeter than those sold in hypermarket. Please note that different honey will have different sweetness level. You might need to cut or maintain the honey ratio.  

Recipe adapted from 孟老師的100道小蛋糕（page 84）

Baking Temperature: 160C

Baking Time: 15-20 minutes

Yield: 14 muffin cups (38x30mm)

Ingredients:

20g      Cooking Oil

30g      Honey

2          Eggs

20g      Castor Sugar

50g      Superfine Flour

1/4tsp   Baking Powder

Methods:

(1)  Double boil cooking oil and honey until well mixed.

(2)  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and add in sugar gradually. Beat the egg mixture till the  color turns from yellowish to creamy light yellow. Beat at high speed until it becomes creamy white color. The mixture is done when you take out the beater and dripping line does not immediately disappeared. Then beat at low speed for 1 minute.

(3)  Sieve in flour and baking powder. Then, add in ingredients from step (1). Fold the batter until no trace of flour.

(4)  Pour the batter into muffin cups and set aside for 5 minutes.

(5)  Bake at preheated oven at 160C for 15-20 minutes.

(6)  Once done, invert the cake immediately on the rack and let it cool down. (I forgot to invert it immediately and you can see all my mini cakes shrink down.)  

Note:

• Set the batter aside for 5 minutes to make the cake denser. 
• Please beware of the oven temperature (should not use high heat) due to honey will cause the cake to be over baked.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Today is International Woman’s Day. It is an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macedonia (for women only), Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.

Unfortunately, Malaysia does not declare this as an official holiday. Anyway, today we deserve to do what we want and take a good rest.

After a long fighting with my fever, finally I have recovered 80% i.e. no more fever but cough and flu still remain.

Anyway, I decided to bake all my lady friends’ lovely muffins as a gift for the day. Hopefully, they will like it.

Recipe adapted from Food 4 Tots

Baking Temperature: 175C

Baking Time: 20-30 minutes

Yield: 24 muffins (38 x 30mm)

Ingredients: 

250g   Superfine Flour

3 tsp   Baking Powder

1 tsp   Salt

120g   Castor Sugar

2        Eggs (at room temperature, then lightly beaten)

4 tbsp Fresh Orange Juice

2 tsp  Orange Zest

180ml Sunflower Oil

1 tsp  Vanilla Extract

160g   Plain Yoghurt

100g   Dried Cranberries 

Methods: 

1. Put the dried cranberries in a plastic bag. Pour drinking water inside the bag and immediately pour it out. Retaining a little bit of water inside. Leave the plastic bag overnight at room temperature. Pat dry any excess water before use it. 
2. In a mixing bowl, sieve flour and baking powder. Add in sugar and salt. Mix well. Set aside. 
3. In another bowl, whisk together the lightly beaten eggs, oil, yoghurt, vanilla extract, orange juice and orange zest until it becomes creamer. it will be a bit cuddled. DO NOT over-beat the mixture.  
4. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients by using spatula until they are well combined and no traces of flour. 
5. Stir in cranberries and mix well. 
6. Do not over-mix the batter. The batter should be thick ("spoonable" not "pourable").
7. Spoon the batter into muffin cups or you can use piping bag to put the batter until 80% full. 
8. Bake at 175C for 30 minutes. (This is the temperature and time for my muffins. Different oven might have vary temperature and time). 

Pork Floss Buns

Today I try to make sweet buns again as I was not making a good bun last Thursday.

This time, I use KA mixer to knead the dough at speed 2 for 20 minutes. Then, I knead the dough by hand for about 1 hour till the dough does not stick to my hands and I can stretch it till it becomes a thin mask.

I follow the steps from 周老師的美食教室 as she has explains clearly how to make a good dough with steps by steps photo. This is a very useful website!

Recipe adapted from 周老師的美食教室第127篇

Baking Time: 15-20 minutes

Baking Temperature: 175C

Yield: 12

Ingredients:

(A)

180g                Water

1/2tbsp            Instant Dry Yeast

320g                High Protein Flour

80g                  Superfine Flour

80g                  Castor Sugar

1tsp                 Salt

16g                  Milk Powder

1                      Egg

(B)

40g                  Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)

(C) Mixed Well

1                      Egg Yolk

1/2tbsp             water               

(D)

Mayonnaise

Pork Floss

Method:

(1)   In a mixing bowl, put all ingredients (A) and use the lowest speed to knead the mixture. Change to higher speed when the mixture is well combined.

(2)   Add in unsalted butter and continue knead at higher speed. (Different mixer needs different speed and time. I use KA mixer at speed 2 for 20 minutes and knead the dough by hand for 1 hour).

(3)   The dough is done when you knead it till you feels it is no more sticky and it can be stretched to become a thin mask (please do not add flour when you knead the dough).  

(4)   Put the dough in a big bowl and cover it tightly. Let it proof for 2 ½ hours.

(5)   Wait until the dough becomes double in size. Test the doneness of the dough: Use one finger to poke the dough, if it holds the indentation, then it’s ready.

(6)   Use your hand to knead out the air from the dough.

(7)   Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each at 45g.

(8)   Round it and let it rest for 15 minutes.

(9)   Roll the dough into your favorite shape. Brush with ingredients (C).

(10)Put the ready dough in oven with a bowl of hot water at the bottom of the oven for final proof, approximately 55 minutes.
(11)Brush the dough with egg yolk mixture. Bake the dough at preheated the oven at 175C for 15-20 minutes. 

(12)Remove the buns from the mould and let it cool on a rack. 

(13)Put some mayonnaise on the top of the buns and sprinkle some pork floss.