Posted on by Bembum Kitchen · 1 Comment

Christmas & Holiday Treats

Hi Everyone, how is your Christmas preparation?
I usually start making Christmas treats 3 days in advance …
This year, I decided to make Gingerbread Cookies on the first day;
Fruit Tea Bread, Triple Chocolate Peppermint Donuts and Ginger Milk Tea on the second day.

I also will share with you my favorite NO KNEAD Bread in the video 

GINGER COOKIES WITH FRESH GINGER CAN'T BE BEAT FOR FLAVOUR
Nothing makes me feel more like Christmas is here than a batch of my favourite Gingerbread Cookies;
Hi Everyone! 😬

Soft in the centers, crisp on the edges, and perfectly spiced.

This is my trusty gingerbread recipe that I have used over the years and let me tell you it never disappoints. 

An embossed rolling pin makes even simple Christmas tree shape cookies look elegant

To use one, you’ll need to roll the dough out with a standard rolling pin first, then use the embossing rolling pin to leave pretty patterns. Do this before cutting the cookies into shapes.

The cookie dough or uncooked cookies can be wrapped in cling-film and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months

Always bake equally sized cookies together to make sure they cook in the same time
If you mix different sizes, the smaller ones are already cooked when the larger ones are still raw in the middle.

Baked Gingerbread Cookies will keep for up to 3 months if kept in airtight container or cookie jar 😚

How you decorate your adorable Gingerbread Cookies is completely up to you!
If you want to get extra creative you can pipe some coloured icing on top of your cookies and give them a bit of character! 

AS WE ARE ENJOYING CLASSIC CHRISTMAS FRUITCAKE SINCE CHILDHOOD, I HAD TAKEN A MISSION TO BAKE DIFFERENT KIND OF FRUITCAKE ON THIS CHRISTMAS
If you like fruit cake but don't have much of a sweet tooth, I highly suggest you try my Fruit Tea Bread recipe.

It’s a beautifully flavoured tea cake; a unique nut free non-alcoholic tea cake aka fruit cake loaded with fruits and raisins.

The raisins and dried fruits are soaked in strongly brewed tea overnight to plum them up and next day tea soaked fruits are added in the cake batter along with the tea and some additional spices.

Because the fruit is soaked before baking, it allows the fruit to impart moisture to the bread for days afterwards, keeping it from drying out;

You can use your favourite black tea 😇

And it will stay good for up to a week.

I’m prefer to use Ceylon Tea or Earl Grey, it really works beautifully 😘
CHRISTMAS DONUTS ARE A DELICIOUS AND FUN WAY TO ADD A LITTLE SWEETNESS TO YOUR CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST OF BRUNCH
Have I told you all how much I love chocolate? I mean, who doesn’t – right?
My family also loves donuts – chocolate ones, especially! I don’t make these too often, but they are a nice treat now and then.

You probably want to try these Triple Chocolate Peppermint Donuts;
decadent and delicious, these yeast chocolate donuts are heaven in every bite. 

Adorable puffy donuts 🙄 I can’t wait to take a bite

They’re loaded with creamy Chocolate Custard, topped with a silky Dark Chocolate and sprinkled with Peppermint Candy.

Frying Chocolate Donuts can be tricky coz you can’t see the browning colour.

Moist and fluffy, these Triple Chocolate Donuts are perfect for any chocoholic! 🍩🥰

No matter how you decorate and serve them, these Christmas donuts make for a fun and merry holiday treat. I know you’re going to love them
These treat that’s sure to please any chocolate lover!

WHAT IS YOUR MOST POPULAR DRINK AT CHRISTMAS?
How about Ginger Milk Tea to warm up the holidays? ☃️☕ 
This Ginger Tea Latte is perfect for Christmas and winter. It's also a healthy alternative to coffee and tastes so good!

Ginger tea with some spices is a lovely, lightly spicy drink for warming up on cold days.

It’s a light, alcohol-free alternative to a nightcap. It soothes upset stomachs and eases indigestion if you over-indulge this holiday season (don’t we all?) 🤣

I wish you all the best that life can bring, May the true meaning of this season fill our hearts.

And that’s it, to appreciate the love given to us by not taking it for granted.
Merry Christmas Everyone… ❤️ 💋


OVERNIGHT NO-KNEAD BREAD
Yield: One 15 diameter loaf
Active time: 1 Hour
Total time: 11 Hours

🌿 Ingredients
200 g All-Purpose Flour (unbleached)
50 Whole Wheat Flour (100% Stone Ground)
1/3 tsp Instant Yeast
1/4 tsp Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tbsp Caraway Seeds (optional)
180 g Water (room temperature)

🌿 Instructions

  1. In a large bowl; mix all dry and wet ingredient (make sure salt doesn’t have direct contact with the yeast); Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours or until doubled in size and the top of the dough has a lot of air bubbles (time will depend on your room temperature – the cooler the room the longer it will take).
  2. On the next day, roll the dough into a smooth ball, place it in the proofing basket ( has been floured) and let it proof for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until almost double in size (if you lightly press into the dough, it will leave a slight indentation).
    In the meantime, place 16 cm diameter Cast Iron Pot in the oven, and preheat the oven to 210°C.
  3. Turn the proofed bread upside down into HOT Cast Iron Pot, close the lid and bake in the preheated 210°C oven for 30 minutes.
  4. After 30 minutes, remove the pot lid and continue bake for about 10-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.

🌿 Notes

  1. What’s unique about this recipe is that the bread is baked in a covered pot.
    You can use either a Cast Iron (can be enameled) Dutch Oven or a Ceramic Pot.
    The pot needs to be placed in the oven as it preheats so it gets really hot. The idea is that when the bread bakes in the pot you are actually trying to simulate a small brick oven where the steam released from the wet bread dough is trapped inside the pot. This will produce a bread with a crisp golden brown crust and a soft and tender crumb.
  2. If you are not keen to buy Cast Iron, you can also use a shallow pan as a base and a tall round baking pan as a lid. Don’t forget to put both pans inside the oven before you preheat the oven (so it gets really hot).
  3. Store the bread in plastic wrap. Avoid storing bread in damp, airy locations, which can speed up moulding.
    If you’re not going to eat the loaf in 2-3 days, the best option is to freeze it for later (max. 2 month).

GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Yield: 2 Dozen Medium Size
Active time: 1 Hour
Total time: 3 1/2 Hours

🌿 Ingredients
25 g Water
70 g Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Molasses
1 tbsp Maple Syrup/ Honey
1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tbsp Fresh Ginger (grated)
1/3 tsp Ground Cloves 
85 g Salted Butter
1/3 tsp Baking Soda
185 g All-Purpose Flour

🌿 Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the Water, Brown Sugar, Molasses, Cinnamon Powder, Fresh Ginger and Ground Cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil. 25 g Water; 70 g Brown Sugar; 1 tbsp Molasses; 1 tbsp Maple Syrup/ Honey; 1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder; 1 tbsp Fresh Ginger (grated); 1/3 tsp Ground Cloves.
  2. Once boiled, remove from the heat then stir in the Salted Butter, mix well. 85 g Salted Butter
    Add in Baking Soda and mix. 1/3 tsp Baking Soda
  3. Allow to cool until just slightly warm; then pour in the All-Purpose Flour. Mix until it forms a wet and sticky dough. 185 g All-Purpose Flour
  4. Wrap the dough in Cling-Film and chill for at least 2 hours.
  5. After 2 hours, place the dough in between a pair of Marzipan Spacers and roll it out to an even thickness.
  6. Using your favourite cutter, cut the dough. Place it on the pan (lined with a Parchment Paper).
  7. Chill again for about 30 minutes before baking (chilled cookies hold better in shape as they don’t tend to spread too much).
  8. Bake in the preheated 200°C oven for about 12 minutes (for large size); 8 minutes (for small size). Rotating your pans approximately halfway through the bake time.
  9. Remove cookies from the pan and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.

🌿 Notes

  1. Cookie dough or uncooked cookies can be wrapped in Cling-Film and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  2. Cookies baked from frozen hold better in shape as they don’t tend to spread as much as chilled ones.
  3. Baked Gingerbread Cookies will keep for up to 3 months in an airtight container or cookie jar.

FRUIT TEA BREAD/ CAKE
Yield: One 17x8x6 cm Loaf Pan
Active time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 10 Hours

🌿 Ingredients
2 Bags Black Tea (Ceylon)
125 g Hot Water
100 g Jaggery/ Muscovado Sugar
40 g Golden Raisins
40 g Black Raisins
25 g Dried Apricots (chopped)
Zest of 1 Orange
175 g All-Purpose Flour
1/3 tsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Mixed Spice Powder
30 g Whole Eggs
25 g Unsalted Butter (softened)
Almond Slices (optional)

🌿 Instructions

  1. In a heat proof jar, combine Black Tea Bags and Hot Water. Let it brew for 5 minutes. 2 Bags Black Tea (Ceylon); 125 g Hot Water
    Remove tea bags, then add in the Jaggery Sugar, Golden and Black Raisins, Dried Apricots and Orange Zest. Mix well, let it soak overnight. 100 g Jaggery/ Muscovado Sugar; 40 g Golden Raisins; 40 g Black Raisins; 25 g Dried Apricots (chopped); Zest of 1 Orange.
  2. On the next day; In a large bowl, combine the All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Mixed Spice Powder. 175 g All-Purpose Flour; 1/3 tsp Baking Powder; 1/8 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Mixed Spice Powder
  3. Add in the Eggs and the Soaked Dried Fruit along with the tea liquid; Mix well. 30 g Whole Eggs
  4. Add in the Unsalted Butter and mix all together until well combined. 25 g Unsalted Butter (softened)
  5. Pour the batter onto prepared pan (loaf pan lined with Parchment Paper). Tap the pan a few times to remove air bubbles and the batter spread evenly.
  6. Sprinkle with some Almond slices; then bake in the preheated 160°C oven for 45 minutes.
  7. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat. Let the bread sit in the oven for about 10 minutes;
    Remove the bread from the oven, let it sit in the pan for another 10 minutes;
    Then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.

🌿 Notes

  1. The cake/ bread best made two days ahead of time (if you have the time as this allows the flavours to absorb and develop). If you don’t have the time, it is also rather good straight from the oven.
  2. The cake/ bread can be stored at room temperature for up to a week. Cover in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.
  3. This cake/ bread freezes well for up to three months. Wrap it in plastic wrap and foil, then place it in an airtight plastic container or freezer storage bag.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT DONUTS
Yield: 8 Pieces (6 cm Diameter)
Active time: 2 Hours
Total time: 3 Hours

🌿 Chocolate Custard
35 g Egg Yolks
10 g All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Corn Starch
170 g Milk
25 g Granulated Sugar
50 g Dark Chocolate (Couverture/ Compound)
1 tbsp Dark Rum/ Vanilla Extract 

🌿 Chocolate Donuts Dough
80 g Water
40 g Milk
20 g Egg Yolks
30 g Granulated Sugar
1/3 tsp Salt
2/3 tsp Instant Yeast
140 g Bread Flour
40 g All-Purpose Flour
20 g Cocoa Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
30 g Salted Butter

🌿 Top Coating
150 g Dark Chocolate (Compound)

INSTRUCTIONS
🌿 Chocolate Custard

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the Egg Yolks, All-Purpose Flour, Corn Starch and 1/3 part of Milk. Mix until they are no lumps visible, set aside. 35 g Egg Yolks; 10 g All-Purpose Flour; 1 tsp Corn Starch; 1/3 part of 170 g Milk
  2. In a medium saucepan mix the Granulated Sugar and the rest of the Milk; Cook over medium heat. 25 g Granulated Sugar; the rest Milk
  3. Once it boiled, lower the heat, pour in the Egg Yolks mixture and continue stirring until the mixture thicken.
  4. Add in the Dark Chocolate while continue stirring, mix until all the chocolate melted (be careful not to burn it). 50 g Dark Chocolate (Couverture/ Compound)
  5. Take it off from the heat and strain the mixture (don’t skip this step, you don’t want any lumps in your Custard)
  6. Add in the Rum (optional), mix well. 1 tbsp Dark Rum/ Vanilla Extract 
  7. Cover Custard with a Cling Film (make sure the plastic touches the custard surface to prevent forming a thin crust on top); store in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.

🌿 Chocolate Donuts Dough

  1. In a large bowl combine the Water, Milk, Egg Yolks, Granulated Sugar, Salt and Instant Yeast (NEVER add salt on top of yeast, it will indeed kill the yeast); Mix well. 80 g Water; 40 g Milk; 20 g Egg Yolks; 30 g Granulated Sugar; 1/3 tsp Salt; 2/3 tsp Instant Yeast
  2. Add in the Bread Flour, All-Purpose Flour, Cocoa Butter and Baking Powder; knead briefly until it form a dough ball.
    Cover the dough with clean towel or a plastic wrap; let it rest for 15 minutes. 140 g Bread Flour; 40 g All-Purpose Flour; 20 g Cocoa Powder; 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
  3. After 15 minutes, add in the Salted Butter, mix until well combined; then start kneading the dough for about 5 minutes. 30 g Salted Butter
  4. After 5 minutes, the dough become less sticky and really smooth. From the dough into a smooth ball, place onto a grease bowl; cover and let it rest for another 15 minutes.
  5. After 15 minutes, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll each dough into a smooth ball (kindly follow video instructions).
    Place individually onto a Greaseproof Paper so it will be easier when you lift it.
    Cover with a clean towel, let it proof for about 30-45 minutes or until almost double in size (if you lightly press into the dough, it will leave a slight indentation).
  6. Frying Donuts
    Preheat the oil (temperature should be about 160°-170°C); don’t fry donuts all at once, the oil temperature will decrease.
    After you reach the right temperature, turn down to medium low heat, place about 2-3 donuts and fry for about 10 seconds
    After 10 seconds  the bottom is slightly cooked, turn it over (don’t flip it now, until the bottom is dry; about 1 minute)
    After 1 minute, flip it over and cook for another 1 minute; take it off from the heat, place onto a cooling rack and it’s done (So remember total frying time is about 2 minutes; otherwise, your donuts will definitely burn and taste bitter).
  7. Once the donuts reach room temperature, gently shimmy the chopstick inside of the donut a little ways (gently rotating from the initial opening but not widening it too much).
    This will open up a little more space inside of your donut for the filling.
  8. Spoon the filling into your piping bag, insert the tip of the piping bag into the donut, gently squeezing the filling inside. Squeeze slowly, so that the filling has a chance to reach into air pockets in the donut and generously fill it.
  9. Once the doughnut has been filled, melt some Dark Chocolate (if it’s too thick,  you can add 1-2 teaspoon of Shortening to thinning the chocolate);
    Ice one side of donut with melted chocolate and sprinkle it with some crushed Peppermint Candy for a pretty finish.


🌿 Notes

  1. Custard filled donuts can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days; cover doughnuts with foil or plastic wrap or place in plastic bag when refrigerating to prevent drying out.
  2. Keep refrigerated; Because custard contains milk and eggs, it is quite perishable. The custard should be refrigerated at 40° or lower to stop the formation of bacteria.
  3. To freeze (max. 2 weeks), wrap doughnuts tightly with Aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place in heavy-duty freezer bags.

GINGER MILK TEA
Yield: 2 savings
Active time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes

🌿 Ingredients
80 g Fresh Old Ginger
2 Stalks Lemongrass
1 Cinnamon Stick
4 Whole Cloves
30 g Palm Sugar
500 ml Water
200 ml Hot Milk (frothy)
Cinnamon Powder (garnish)

🌿 Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients (except milk). Bring to a boil, let it simmer for 15 minutes. 80 g Fresh Old Ginger; 2 Stalks Lemongrass; 1 Cinnamon Stick; 4 Whole Cloves; 30 g Palm Sugar; 500 ml Water
  2. Take it off from the heat, strain the mixture (divide into 2 glass); Add some hot milk or frothy milk and sprinkle some Cinnamon Powder for garnish. 200 ml Hot Milk or Frothy

🌿 Notes

  • Ginger Tea can be served with or without milk.
  • Sugar can be added or reduced according to taste.
  • To store; 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Purple Sweet Potato & Chestnut Roll

I fall in love with this cake since first time I had it at MUJI café

If there were just one recipe that you can make for this holiday season, what it could be?

“Purple Sweet Potato & Chestnut Roll” A cotton soft vanilla sponge cake, loaded with Chestnuts Cream and earthy Purple Sweet Potatoes.
I thought this cake will brings both hearty comfort and seasonal decadence to holiday table.


I’m not a fan of Chestnuts but this cake turned me into a Chestnuts Lover. The Purple Sweet Potatoes paste not only inviting but also tasty 🙄.

The original MUJI cake “Sweet Purple Potato and Chestnut Roll”
I ❤️it so much

And since Christmas is coming soon, I developed the cotton sponge cake with Spinach Powder that I really love.

The earthy flavour of the spinach bring freshness and goes very well with the sweetness from the sweet potatoes. And yes, the vibrant purple and green colour is more lovely too 😘.


If you really can’t find Spinach Powder, you can substitute it with Matcha Powder, It really doesn’t taste so much different.

I found spinach brings more vibrant colour while Matcha has a slightly bitter taste.


And for the Chestnut Cream filling, don’t bother using unpeeled Chestnuts, nowadays roasted Chestnuts without shell is available anywhere and it’s tasty too.

I use stabilized whipped cream in this recipe. This method produces the perfect whipped cream that you love, but with a stabilizing agent, which means that it won’t fall flat or melt if it sits around for a while.

The little secret is a bit of unflavoured Gelatine. This won’t change the flavour or texture either, it simply provides some staying power.  


It’s a beautiful dessert with dazzling colours; the bright green colour of this spinach cake match perfectly with Christmas time, since it’s so Grinch-like 😂


The cake so soft-moist and not too sweet, with the creamy earthy Chestnut filling…
It really has a nice purple colour and very nutritious too ☺️

Who can resist this beautiful cake? 🙃

I hope this cake can give you an inspiration for your upcoming Christmas, I hope you learn something
Please give it a try and share with me what do you think about it?

Love you All!!


PURPLE SWEET POTATO & CHESTNUT ROLL
Yield: One (23 x 23) cm Square Pan
Active time: 1½ hours
Total Time: 2½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Purple Sweet Potato Paste:

  • 250 g Purple Sweet Potatoes
  • 100 g Heavy Cream


Spinach Sponge Cake:

  • 55 g Egg Yolks
  • 15 g Caster Sugar
  • 45 g Milk (warm)
  • 30 g Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tbsp Spinach Powder
  • 2 tsp Hot Water
  • 45 g All-Purpose Flour
  • 10 g Corn Starch
  • 90 g Egg Whites
  • 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
  • 45 g Caster Sugar

Chestnut Cream:

  • 1/2 tsp Unflavoured Gelatine Powder
  • 3/4 tbsp Cold Water
  • 175 g Heavy Cream (cold)
  • 30 g Icing Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 50 g Roasted Chestnut (chopped)

INSTRUCTIONS
Purple Sweet Potato Paste

  1. Under running water; scrub the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt and then steam them for about 30 minutes or until very soft. 250 g Purple Sweet Potatoes
  2. Take it off from the heat, let it cool completely before adding the Whipped Cream.
  3. Peeled off the cooked sweet potatoes and mash it until smooth.
  4. Add in the whipped cream and mix until well combined. 100 g Heavy Cream
  5. Using strainer, sift the paste mixture (this step is important, you don’t want lumps or any hard fibre in your paste). Pass mixture through a sieve.
  6. Place the sifted paste into a pipping bag, cut off the end; then drop it into another bag that is fitted with this basket weave nozzle. Store the paste in the fridge while preparing the cake.

Spinach Sponge Cake

Before you start, make sure that the bowl and beater grease-free; because any residue of fat will prevent egg whites from beating up properly (wipe the bowl and beater with Vinegar or Lemon Juice to remove the left over grease).

  1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
  2. Line the pan with a Parchment Paper (bottom and sides).
  3. Combine the egg yolks and sugar, mix until the sugar dissolved. 55 g Egg Yolks; 15 g Caster Sugar
  4. Pour in the warm milk along with vegetable oil and vanilla extract; mix again until well combined. 45 g Milk (warm); 30 g Vegetable Oil; 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  5. Dilute the powder with some hot water (if you really can’t find Spinach Powder, you can substitute it with Matcha Powder). 1/2 tbsp Spinach Powder; 2 tsp Hot Water
    Add in to the egg yolks mixture, mix it really well.
  6. Sift in the All-Purpose Flour along with Corn Starch in two batches; set aside. 45 g All-Purpose Flour; 10 g Corn Starch
  7. For the egg whites
    In another bowl; whip egg whites for a few second. 90 g Egg Whites
    Add in Cream of Tartar and mix again. 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
    When the egg whites started to get foamy, slowly add in the sugar in 3 batches and continue mixing until it reach a firm peaks (peak fold like a bird’s beak). 45 g Caster Sugar
  8. Add the egg whites mixture to the yolks batter in 3 batches.
    Add the first batch, mix it really well to loosen the batter
    Continue with the second and third batches; using spatula fold gently, make sure there’s no egg yolks batter left at the bottom of the bowl (do not over mixed or the batter will deflated).
  9. Pour the batter into prepared pan. (23 x 23) cm Square Pan
    Shake a bit and tap the pan a few times to remove air bubbles
  10. Bake in the preheated 150°C oven for about 25-30 minutes.
  11. Once it’s done, tap the pan a few times so the cake doesn’t shrink too much
    Place a piece of parchment paper with a cooling rack on top; turn it over
    Take it out from the pan, peel the parchment paper on top, place a new parchment paper on top to prevent the cake from dying out; and let the cake chilling out until it cools completely.

Chestnut Cream

  1. Chopped Chestnuts into fine pieces (feel free to use food processor), set aside. 50 g Roasted Chestnut
    Don’t be tempted to cut it big, it won’t taste good, you will find an unpleasant gritty texture on your cake.
  2. Mix Gelatine with some cold water. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to “bloom” (it will be thick and semi-solid).1/2 tsp Unflavoured Gelatine Powder; 3/4 tbsp Cold Water
  3. While the gelatine blooming, you can start beating the heavy cream.
    You can put your bowl in the freezer before mixing or just place a bowl of ice water under your mixing bowl (especially if the weather in your place is quite hot).
    Mix the heavy cream and icing sugar, beat for about a minute; set aside. 175 g Heavy Cream (cold); 30 g Icing Sugar
  4. Heat the bloomed gelatine in the microwave or on the stove until just melted (it only takes about 5-10 seconds).
    Slowly add the gelatine into the cream mixture, as the mixer is running.
    Add in Vanilla Extract and Continue beating until you reach medium-stiff peaks. 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
    * As it sits over ice water or in the fridge, it will set up a little more, and it will last significantly longer than regular whipped cream.
  5. Mix the chopped chestnuts into the Whipped Cream, fold until well combined.

Assemble and Decorate

  1. Use the bottom part of the cake for the outside.
    Spread 2/3 of the chestnuts cream over the cake; roll it up; use a ruler to pull it tight (kindly follow video instructions)
    Wrap the cake and then store in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
    * Store the rest chestnut cream in the fridge
  2. After 1 hour, take the cake from the fridge
    Trim both ends to make it prettier
    Spread the remaining Chestnut Cream on the surface of the cake
    Pipe the purple sweet potato paste on top (horizontally), decorate as desire.

NOTES

  1. If you really can’t find Spinach Powder, you can substitute it with Matcha Powder. I found spinach brings more vibrant colour while Matcha has a slightly bitter taste.
  2. The cake should be stored in the fridge (in an airtight container). Best served on the day it’s made; it can be store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen · 2 Comments

Vintage style petits fours (Less sweet)

Owning my own beautiful café and cake shop was always a childhood dream of mine. I fall in love with Petit Fours since I saw Peggy Porchen first book “Cake Chic. 
This was the first baking book that I bought; I’m such a fan of hers 😚 
I love all her creations, so pretty, dainty and feminine


Fondant Fancies which also known as Petits Fours are fanciful cakes traditionally eaten at teatime but just as hard to resist for dessert. In fact, the name Petit Four translate as “small oven”.
These intriguing little bites of cake can be made of any type of cake, in so many delicious ways.

They often have multiple thin layers of cake; with a fruit glaze in the middle, covered in fondant or icing and usually adorned with intricate decorations. 


“Classic Petits Fours usually are overly sweet (think fudge)”, some people think like that and I totally agree with that.

People often debates about how they should dip this little cakes in a fondant or icing.
“One layer should cover, but should be thin enough on the sides to see through. That’s why you need two coats!
But two coats too thick and would end up too sweet. That’s what they always mentioned.

The fondant temperature is also the major issue “Too hot will be to runny” or “Less hot will be too thick and it won’t pour or dip properly”


After testing, I found that buttercream and white chocolate is a great alternative for those who find the fruit glaze and fondant or icing slightly too sweet.
I’m prefer to use Chocolate Compound coz no need tempering; it can simply be melted and used immediately.

This yummy buttercream also helps in cutting the sweetness of the chocolate coating 😘

The temperature for the right consistency also important.
After a couple testing, I found that 90-95 F is the best temperature for coating. In this consistency (one coating is enough) your coating won’t be too thin or too thick, just right.

Feel free to use any colour or design you want, I use this colour because it’s my favourite 😍

Modelling chocolate flower is one of my favorite decorations, it’s not only beautiful, but also tasty. These chocolate very sensitive to the heat of your hands so it will soften while you handle it.

To shape the rose petals, there’s no special tool required; A piece of Ziplog bag or food grade plastic is all you need

If you have hot hands, you might need to use some food grade gloves to prevent from melting it into a sticky mess 🤪.


I was lucky to be able to visit one of the prettiest Peggy Porschen cake Parlour, once in a lifetime experience.
If you really love baking and have a chance to visit London; I highly recommend you to stop by; Everything in her shop was so beautiful and extremely detail.

This was the first baking book that I bought 🙂

Petits Fours is perfect for tea parties; they look brilliant on a cake stand too.
I like to add some decorations on the bottom part of my little cakes with straight frill cutter; These design have an appealing vintage feel and are easy to achieve with Modelling Chocolate.


The cake is so soft and moist, with the light buttercream filling inside; and yummy velvety white chocolate decorations…

I’m hungry… 😞

I hope that you can enjoy the beauty of this petit dessert 😉


Love You All!


VINTAGE PETITS FOURS
Yield: 9 pieces (One 32 cm x 18 cm rectangular pan)
Active Time: 2 ½ hours
Total Time: 3 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Modelling Chocolate:

  • 200 g White Chocolate Compound
  • 50 g Corn Syrup
  • Food Colouring (you can use water/ oil based/ powder or candy colouring)

Sponge Cake:

  • 60 g Egg Yolks
  • 45 g Vegetable Oil
  • 55 g Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 80 All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp Corn Starch
  • 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
  • 90 Egg Whites
  • 70 g Granulated Sugar


Buttercream:

  • 30 g Egg Whites
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 60 g Water
  • 50 g Granulated Sugar
  • 85 g Unsalted Butter
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract


Chocolate Coating:

  • 400 g White Chocolate Compound
  • 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
  • Candy Colouring or Food Colouring Powder



INSTRUCTIONS
Modelling Chocolate

  1. Use double boiler or microwave in 30-second intervals melt the White Chocolate Compound.
  2. Once the chocolate melted, add in the Corn Syrup.
    Fold the mixture together until mixture starts to resembles soft serve ice cream (do not over mix)
    *If you keep stirring, the Cocoa Butter will start to separate and seep out then your modelling chocolate end up too oily.
  3. Place it in a cling wrap; flatten the mixture down so it will sets evenly and let it sit in the fridge to harden for about 1 hour.
  4. After 1 hour, you can see that modelling chocolate is harden as a stone.
    Cut it into small pieces. 
    Knead each pieces, smashing any hard lumps with your fingers and then gather all together and knead until smooth and pliable (now it’s ready to use).
  5. Dye the chocolate as desire
    *Please note; these chocolate very sensitive to the heat of your hands so it will soften while you dye it. If you find it too soft, you can re-wrap the chocolate and place back in the fridge to set up for  about 10 minutes before you use it.

Prepare the pan
Line 32 cm x 18 cm rectangular pan with parchment paper (bottom and sides)

Sponge Cake
Before you start making the cake, make sure that the bowl and beater grease-free because any residue of fat will prevent egg whites from beating up properly.
Wipe the bowl and beater with vinegar or lemon juice to remove the left over grease

  1. Simply combine the egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk and Vanilla Extract.
  2. Sifted in the All-purpose flour along with Corn Starch and Baking Powder; mix well, until no lumps visible.
  3. For the egg whites
    Beat it until foamy; gradually add in the Granulated Sugar and continue mixing until it reach a stiff peaks.
  4. Add 1/3 of egg whites mixture to the yolks batter; mix it really well to loosen the batter.
    Add the rest of the egg whites mixture; fold gently and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix else the batter will deflated.
    Scrape off the bottom and sides, make sure there’s no egg yolks mixture left at the bottom of the bowl.
  5. Pour the batter onto a prepared pan; tap the pan a few times to remove air bubbles.
    Bake it in the preheated 170 C oven for 25 minutes.
  6. Once it’s done, tap the pan again a few times so the cake doesn’t shrink too much; remove the cake from the pan immediately. Peel off the sides of the parchment paper and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

Buttercream
Before you start, make sure that the bowl and beater grease-free

  1. Combine the egg whites along with salt and ½ tbsp of Granulated Sugar and beat until it reach a stiff peaks; set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, pour in the water and 50 grams of Granulated Sugar; cook over medium high heat, let it boil for about 2-3 minutes. Take it off from the heat and pour it into the egg white mixture.
    Then continue beat this mixture; mix until it reached a stiff peak and the mixture cools completely.
  3. Add the Unsalted Butter a little by little; continue beat on high speed.
    You will find that the mixture is runny at first;
    After 10 minutes, then it will start curdling;
    After 15 minutes, the mixture coagulate and form a solid buttercream. 
  4. Add in Vanilla Extract, mix well.


Prepare Cake Layers

  1. Cut the cake into 2 equal pieces.
  2. Apply some buttercream to the first layer, place another layer on top.
  3. Cover the layered cake in a cling wrap, store in the fridge for about 1 hour (to let the buttercream sets hard; so, it will be easier and neater when you cut it).
  4. After 1 hour; remove the edge of the cake and divide the cake into 9 equal pieces (4 cm x 4 cm each).
  5. Store the cake slices in the fridge while waiting for the chocolate coating.

Chocolate Coating

  1. Use double boiler or microwave in 30-second intervals melt the White Chocolate Compound.
  2. Dye the chocolate
    * Note: It is important to use special Candy Food Colour or you can use food colouring powder to dye the chocolate else it will cause your chocolate to seize.
  3. Add vegetable oil to help creates a smooth, glossy finish.
    Continue stirring until it reach about 90-95 F (now your chocolate is ready for coating).


Chocolate Roses and Decorations
* Kindly follow instructions in the video


NOTES

  1. Petits Fours should be stored in an airtight container in a cool place and eaten with 2 days.
  2. They can be store refrigerated for up to a week or may also be frozen for 2-3 months.
    *Please note when you take it out of the fridge there will be water droplets on the surface of the chocolate and a bit sticky.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

songpyeon 송편

Songpyeon is a traditional rice cake made during the Korean autumn harvest festival, Chuseok 추석 which is also known as Hangawi 한가위.

It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar-the same day many Asian countries celebrate a Mid-Autumn Festival.

Families gathered enjoy time together and give thanks to their ancestors for the plentiful harvest.
These little rice cakes are commonly stuffed with sweet fillings.

The most traditional fillings include three types – Sesame, Beans and Chestnut

Song translates as pine tree and Pyeon means cake. 
The name songpyeon comes from the pine leaves because the cakes traditionally steamed on a bed of pine needles which gives them a distinctive taste and the fragrant smell of fresh pine trees.

Traditional Songpyeon steamed on a bed of pine needles

There are many options for colouring Songpyeon. Traditionally, Koreans often use natural colouring  from vegetable and fruit such as Mugwort for green colour or Raspberry for pink.

Recently, they use multiple different colours using coloured powders. You can also use store-bought food gel colouring if you want.

Natural Colouring Powder can be a bit pricey but efficient 

In this recipe, I will show you how to make homemade natural food colouring.
I prefer to make my own because it’s healthier and also fun to make.

There are a lot of ingredients that you can use as sources for natural food colouring.
I will use blueberries for purple, spinach for green, strawberries for pink and pumpkin for yellow.

You also can use other vegetable of fruit such as carrot juice for orange, Raspberry for deep pink or maybe steamed purple sweet potato for purple; the sky is the limit.

Dough that has been coloured

As for the fillings, the most traditional include three types – Sesame, Beans and Chestnut.
Sweetened bean and other fillings are quite popular, but sesame seed filling is always be my favourite.

For the roasted sesame, I highly recommend to use store-bought one rather than a homemade that you roast yourself; you really can tell the difference.
One of the brand that I love is this Japanese white roasted sesame seeds which has a stronger nutty flavour.

Japanese Roasted White Sesame Seeds and Soy Bean Powder (Kinako)

Other ingredient for the sesame filling is this roasted Soy Bean Powder or Kinako.
This will gives a more intense roasted flavour to the filling; but if you can’t find it, you can just omit it. 

I also will add some Maple Syrup or Honey to the sesame seeds. This syrup will give the filling a little bit of moisture, makes the sesame stick together so much easier to handle when stuffing the Songpyeon

Yummy Sesame Filling (don’t  forget to cover it with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out)

For the dough, the most difficult ingredient that you’ll have to find for making Songpyeon would be the rice flour which is called Mepssalgaru.

Mepssalgaru (Short Grain Rice Flour)

The flour is made from Short-Grain Rice that has been soaked overnight and ground. It’s really different from regular rice flour, glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour.
I found it also hard to find and not easy to make.

Short Grain Rice

In this recipe, I will show you how to make easy rice flour for the Songpyeon dough by combining regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour.

For the flour, I highly suggest to use Thailand brand for better results. Try to find the unbleached one coz bleached flour will produce a slightly bitter taste and unpleasant smell on your final cake.

And please note, it is very important to use really hot boiling water when making Songpyeon dough to create more chewy texture.

Rice Flour and Glutinous Rice Flour for Making Songpyeon Dough

Traditional way to shape these rice cakes is to make them into half-moon shape.
Actually, there are many ways to folding and shaping Songpyeon dough.

By using these fondant or clay tools and small shapes cutter you can create many beautiful and intricate design for your Songpyeon.

Bellow, I will show you how to make basic round shape for Songpyeon.
From this basic shape you can create all sort of different design; for example the traditional half-moon shape.

These following steps are important. If you do follow these steps, your Songpyeon will turned out pretty, it’s not gonna break or leaking.

You can decorate the half-moon shape Songpyeon with various beautiful flower shapes. It’s not necessary to buy a small shape cutter, you can actually create your own design manually by hand.

I like to make big flower shapes with these purple and pink dough or you can mimicking some fruit shapes if you want; that would be lovely.

So Pretty! 😘

Don’t be confused if you have left over dough, you can mix 2 or even 3 different colours and create a very unique Songpyeon.

Please note that the colour will be darker after steaming, so don’t worry too much if you see that your coloured dough is a bit pale.

Which one do you prefer? I really love all the design 🥲

For the steamer; here we use a layer of cotton steamer cloth for simplicity.
Don’t forget to sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the cotton cloth so the Songpyeon won’t stick to it.

Granulated Sugar prevent from stickiness

If you use metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth; so the water condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your Songpyeon.

Before steaming 😚

You know, an old Korean anecdote says that the person who makes beautifully-shaped Songpyeon will meet a good spouse or give birth to a beautiful baby 👶 .

Look! the colour becomes darker after steaming ☺️

After steaming, we need to rinse Songpyeon immediately with ice water in order to maintain their chewy texture.

And then, using your hands or small brush coat them lightly with sesame oil.

Fragant Sesame Oil

This oil will prevent from sticking to each other and also adds a fragrant aroma.

Adorable pumpkin Songpyeon from Chungcheong Province 🎃

As you can see, there are some rice cakes that shaped look like small pumpkin, which is so adorable.
They are actually popular at Chungcheong Province which is known for the pumpkin Songpyeon.

Any type of Songpyeon is a good one; in my opinion, these rice cakes are best eaten while it’s still warm but you can certainly enjoy them at room temperature.

Yummy…. these beautiful soft chewy texture with the fragrant sweet filling inside.

😳 I want…

Songpyeon not particularly sweet and addictive chewy bite, they are the one of Korean dessert that I really love.

Feel free to be creative with what you mix with the dough for more colours and what to put in for your fillings! 

추석잘보내세요 (chuseok jal bonaeseyo) , that’s how you say it in Korean 😍
Happy Chuseok everyone! 

It’s even better with Cheongju 청주😍 Korean traditional alcohol or clear rice wine

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, I hope you learn something.
Love you All and I’ll see you in the next recipe…. ❤️
Take care Everyone!

Songpyeon 송편 (Chuseok 추석 Korean Rice Cake)
Yield: 18-20 pieces
Active time: 2 hour
Total time: 2 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS
Natural Food Colouring:

  • Pink (150 g Strawberries)
  • Purple (150 g Blueberries)
  • Green (150 g Spinach, 120 g Water)
  • Yellow (150 g Pumpkin)
  • 1 tsp Vinegar, 1 tsp Salt and water (for Water Bath)

Sesame Filling (for 1 batch dough):

  • 35 g Roasted White Sesame Seeds
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 1 tbs Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Soybean Powder (Kinako)
  • 1 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey


Chesnut/ Pine Nut Filling (for 1 batch dough):

  • 1/2 cup Cooked Chesnut/ Raw Pine Nut
  • A pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tbs Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey

Songpyeon Dough (1 batch):

  • 150 g Rice Flour
  • 75 g Glutinous Rice Flour
  • 1/4 + 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 180 g Hot Boiling Water

Coating

  • A Bowl of Ice Water
  • Sesame Oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Natural Food Colouring

  1. For the berries;
    Simply give them a quick rinse with cool running water, and then let the berries sit in the salt-vinegar-water bath for about 5-10 minutes (this process will help to remove pesticides, dirt and mold).
    Cut the strawberries into small pieces. Place them in a non-stick pan and cook over medium-high heat until it comes to a low boil.
    Once the strawberries soften and just start to break apart, gently press it with potato masher to release all the juices.
    Lower the heat, let it simmer for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat and strain. This concentrate juice will colour your songpyeon beautifully.
    *Don’t throw this precious strawberry skin. You can add to your yogurt or make some strawberry tea.
    Repeat the same process with the blueberries
  2. For the spinach
    Blanch the washed spinach over 120 g boiling water for about 1 minute.
    Place the blanched spinach with the water in food processor, blend it until smooth.
    Strain the juice back to the pan to remove the pulp; and continue cook the spinach juice until it reduce to 1/8 cup. Use the concentrate juice to colour your dough.
  3. For the pumpkin
    You can use either steamer or microwave to cook the pumpkin.
    Using microwave: cover the washed pumpkin with damp kitchen towel, and microwave on high heat for 5 minutes. 
    To make the pumpkin puree; remove the skin and sift the cooked pumpkin through the strainer. It will becomes really smooth and make it easier when mixing with the Songpyeon dough.

Sesame Filling

  1. Grind the roasted sesame seeds, salt, sugar and Kinako powder with a food processor (you can use mortar or pestle to do this).
    You don’t need to blend it until completely ground, just half way is fine.
  2. Add maple syrup or honey and blend it again for a few second. 
    Maple syrup or honey will give the filling a little bit of moisture, makes the sesame stick together so much easier to handle when stuffing the Songpyeon
  3. Cover the filling with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Chesnut/ Pine Nut Filling
Simply grind the chestnut or pine nut with the rest ingredients and your filling is done. Cover the filling with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.


Songpyeon Dough

  1. In a large bowl combine the rice four, glutinous rice flour and salt; mix well.
  2. Add 2 tablespoon hot boiling water at a time and mix (it is very important to use really hot boiling water to create more chewy texture).
    Remember that the dough is quite hot, so it’s a good idea to mix everything with a spoon first; and then once all the hot water is fully mixed, you can start kneading the dough with your hands
    The more you knead the dough, the more rice cake will chewier and taste good.
    *Please note that different brand of flour can produce slightly different results. Resist the urge to add too much water, remember that we will add some food colouring to the dough, we don’t want that the dough ends up too soft and hard to shape.
    As long as the dough comes together into a smooth ball, it’s good to go.
  3. Colour each portion of the dough as needed.
    You can test whether your dough is the right consistency by take some small piece of the dough and roll it between your palm, it should create a smooth ball. 
    If it breaks or you can see a lot of crack on the surface that means it might be too dry. Kindly adjust the amount of water or more juice 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.
  4. Remember always cover the dough with a cling wrap so it doesn’t dry out.

Fill and Shaping
To fill and create the basic round shape, kindly follow YouTube video instructions or check out step by step pictures below:

Steaming
Layer a bamboo steamer with a layer of cotton steamer cloth and sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of the cotton cloth so the Songpyeon won’t stick to it.
*If you use metal or plastic steamer, make sure that you cover the lid with a piece of cloth; so the water condensation during steaming won’t ruin the look of your Songpyeon.
After finished with all the design, preheat the steamer. 
When the water starts to boil, cover and steam Songpyeon over high heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn off the heat, let the steamer rest for another 3 minutes.
Remove steamer from the heat.

Finishing & Coating
After steaming, quickly rinse cooked Songpyeon with ice water in order to maintain their chewy texture.
Then using your hands or small brush coat them lightly with sesame oil (this oil will prevent from sticking to each other and also adds a fragrant aroma).
Serve warm or at room temperature.


NOTES

  1. Songpyeon are best eaten on the day they it’s made.
  2. Storing – Place the left over Songpyeon in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3 days or 2 weeks in the freezer.
    I don’t recommend to freeze them too long coz freezing them may change their texture.
  3. Reheating – Steam Songpyeon for about 5-10 minutes.
    DO NOT microwave Songpyeon, the skin will turned hard and lose their chewiness.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

low-sugar Open face apple pie

I have been baking since I was little.
Baking to me is a wonderful way to be able to share food and joy with other people.
These beautiful Apple Pie recipe was taught by my cousin’s helper when I was in fourteen “Thanks to her!”

After reading a unique cookbook “Naturally Sweet” from America’s Test Kitchen, I was inspired to use Sucanat as a sweetener in this recipe.

If you’ve never heard about Sucanat; it’s an unrefined sugar made from minimally processed sugar cane juice with no chemical.

Beautiful tan brown colour of Sucanat

Since it is less processed than granulated sugar, it retains additional vitamins and minerals from their natural molasses.
The granules are a tan-brown colour with a deep molasses-y flavour that far more flavourful than regular white sugar.

Sucanat sometimes never dissolved completely

And while granulated sugar dissolve quickly into batter, Sucanat took much longer to dissolve and sometimes never dissolved completely.
So don’t worry too much if at some point you still can see the sugar granules.

For the apple, Granny Smith apples are great for pies because their crisp texture holds well even after baking, they got soft but they are not break down into mush.

Peeled the apple, cored and cut it into thin slices

If you prefer to be sweeter, look for varieties such as Gala, Pink Lady or Honey crisp.

  Cut the apples into 1/4 inch thick

I like to squeeze some lemon juice on top of the apple slices.
This lemon juice not only prevent browning but also help balance the sweetness of the sugar and tartness of the Granny Smith apples.

You could bake an Apple Pie without Cinnamon Powder of course, but it’s convention that apples and Cinnamon go together, much like Peanut Butter and chocolate.

And to keep the cake from sticking to the pan, grease some butter to the pan and sprinkle with fine, dry breadcrumbs instead of flour. This breadcrumbs will add the beautiful crispness to the outer pie crust.

I suggest to distribute the batter in a few spots so it will be easier to spread evenly.

Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter in an overlapping pattern 45 degrees angle. 

I feel so relax when arranging these apples 😊

Make sure that you press the apples slice down so that half part of the slice is inside the batter.

If you use bigger apple, you can arrange it horizontally. I’m prefer to do it vertically so it looks prettier when I cut it into portions.

Lemon is another unsung flavouring for Apple Pie. Adding a teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest to your Apple-Pie filling is always a good idea.
That hit of citrusy acid also helps set off the flavour of apples.

These Apple Pie bake in 2 different temperatures;
First in the preheated 200°C oven for 10 minutes to get that nice brown pie crust and then reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue baking for another 35 minutes until the apples are tender.

Apple pie needs some time to cool down before cutting into it, you will want to wait at least 30 minutes before actually steal your first slice.

The outer crust is really crispy. Sucanat really gives the pies an earthy, molasses flavour and golden brown colour which is really tasty 😘.

Hm..mm it’s really good! 🤪

Another secret of an Open Face Apple Pie is that every bite is made smoother and velvety with the absence of a top layer of crust like in usual pies.

Serve slices of warm with a cup of tea or coffee or maybe cooled pie with a scoop of your favourite ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream.

No matter what you choose to top your Apple Pie with, the all-time classic dessert will not disappoint.
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do, I hope you learn something!
Love you All 🥰


LOW SUGAR OPEN FACE APPLE PIE
Yield: 1 Rect. Fluted Pie Pan (25 x 10 X 2.5 CM) or 7-inch Round Pie Pan
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

  • 2-3 Medium Apples
  • 1 tbs Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon Powder
  • 75 g Salted Butter
  • 60 g Sucanat (you can substitute it with 70 g Granulated Sugar)
  • 50 g Eggs
  • 100 g All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbs Sucanat (for sprinkle) or Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Grated Lemon Zest
  • Bread Crumb

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with generous amount of butter, then sprinkle a small amount of bread crumbs. Tap the pan to spread the crumbs, twirled around all over the bottom and sides and excess thrown out.
  2. For the apple
    Peeled the apple, cored and cut it into thin slices (as shown in the video). Squeeze the lemon juice on top of the apple slices. Add the cinnamon powder, mix it really well.
  3. For the batter
    In a medium bowl, mix the butter and Sucanat for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy (Sucanat took much longer to dissolve, don’t worry too much if at this stage you can still see the sugar granules).
    Add in the eggs and mix until all the eggs well incorporated with the butter mixture. Finally, pour in the flour and stir until just combined (do not over mix, stir until all the flour has disappeared).
  4. Place the batter in the prepared pan, spread it evenly (I suggest to distribute the batter in a few spots so it will be easier to spread).
  5. Arrange the apple slices on top of the batter vertically in an overlapping pattern, 45 degrees angle. Press the apples slice down so that half part of the slice is inside the batter.
    Sprinkle some Sucanat and grated lemon zest on top of the apple slices.
  6. Bake it in the preheated 200°C oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue baking for another 35 minutes.
  7. Allow the pie to cool down in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting.

NOTES

  1. Best serve on the day it’s made.
  2. To store; 4 days in the fridge (in an airtight container).
  3. To reheat; Set the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and put it in a preheated 180°C oven for about 15 minutes.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Princess Pandan Rose Mousse Cake


Hey Guys, how do you enjoy your afternoon tea?
My perfect afternoon tea is to have a cup of Cappucinno and a piece of my favorite buttercream layer cake.

A layered of soft cotton cake with rose mousse filling in between, covered and decorate with a silky smooth Italian Meringue Buttercream…here you will find a fanciful realm of enchanting sweet treats in these vintage style “Pandanus Rose Cake”.


I always fall in love with the vintage style buttercream cake with the piped ruffles and borders, it reminds me of my 1980’s birthday cake.

1.5cm – 2 cm Hot Water Bath 

This cake will be bake in a water bath. The benefit of water bath is that it will moderate the baking temperature and the cake texture will be very moist too.  

I love this Pandan Powder SO MUCH!

For the flavouring, you can use pandanus paste. I found this natural pandan powder is really great for baking. 


It’s adds natural green coloring and fresh pandanus aroma.


The cake is light and moist and not to sweet…


Paired with rose mouse filling inside so tasty and flavorful…


And this buttercream also so soft melts in your mouth…


For the mousse filling, I highly suggest to use this natural rose water rather than artificial one, you really can tell the difference.


I love to called it English Style Princess Birthday Cake ☺️ ! That enticing smell makes your mouth water.


Hm..mm this cake makes me so happy and I feel like a princess 👸


Enjoy your afternoon tea with this fluffy, fragrant Pandan Rose Layer Cake, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did….

PANDAN ROSE MOUSSE CAKE
Yield: One 6 Inch Square Cake
Active time: 1 1/2 hours
Total time: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS
Rose Mousse Filling

  • 2/3 teaspoon Unflavoured Gelatine
  • 20 grams Water
  • 75 grams White Baking Chocolate (Compound or Couverture)
  • 30 grams Milk
  • 160 grams Heavy Cream
  • 5 grams Icing Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Beetroot Powder or Pink Food Colouring
  • 5 drops Pure Rose Water 


Pandan Sponge Cake

  • 85 grams All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon Double Acting Baking Powder
  • 60 grams Salted Butter
  • 60 grams Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 100 grams Egg Yolks
  • 1 teaspoon Pandan Powder or Pandan Paste
  • 140 grams Egg Whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar or Lemon Juice
  • 60 grams Caster Sugar


Italian Meringue Buttercream

  • 160 grams Egg Whites
  • 300 grams Granulated Sugar
  • 180 grams Water
  • 150 grams Unsalted Butter
  • 420 grams Shortening
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
  • Green Food Colouring

INSTRUCTIONS
Rose Mousse Filling

  1. Bloom the gelatine by sprinkling it over cold water and let it stand for 5 minutes.
  2. Melt the white chocolate.
    Heat the bloomed gelatine and the milk in the microwave or on the stove (DO NOT BOIL).
  3. Add the hot milk into the melted chocolate, whisk vigorously to a smooth paste.
    Mix in the melted bloomed gelatine and whisk again until smooth.
  4. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream with the icing sugar until they reach medium firm peaks (don’t over whip it, else it will first turn grainy and then to butter).
  5. Take about 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining cream.
  6. Add some beetroot powder and a few drops of rose water, mix until well combined. 
  7. Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up.


Pandan Sponge Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
    Line your pan with parchment paper (make sure you have enough parchment overhang to cover up the entire inside of the baking pan).
  2. Sift the flour and baking powder, set aside.
  3. For the Egg Yolk Batter
    Melt the butter until start to bubbly, take it off from the heat, add 2/3 of the flour mixture and keep stirring until smooth.
    Add the milk and vanilla extract, mix well
    Add the egg yolk and mix
    Pour in the last portion of flour mixture and mix until really smooth
    Add pandan powder, mix well; Set aside.
  4. For the Meringue
    In a large bowl (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free) whisk egg white until frothy, add the vinegar and continue to beat until foamy; gradually add in the sugar and whisk until firm peaks formed (the peak will hold and fold back slightly when you turn your whisk upside down).
  5. Add 1/3 of meringue to the egg yolk batter, mix well;
    And then pour the yolk batter to the rest meringue, fold gently in one circular motion until well incorporated.
  6. To Bake
    Pour the batter into a prepared pan (slowly and from about 30 cm high so that air bubbles burst as they flow out of bowl)
    Tap the pan against worktop 3-4 times to remove air bubbles.
    Wrap the bottom part of the pan with aluminium foil so that the water doesn’t get into the pan. 
    And for a Water Bath; place the cake pan within a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5cm – 2 cm. 
    Place the whole thing in the oven and bake them in the preheated oven for 70 minutes.
  7. After 70 minutes, turn off the oven. Remove the water bath and return the cake into switched off oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes.
  8. Once it’s done, drop the pan at a height of 10 cm onto a table top (this will prevent cake from sinking). Unmould immediately, peel off the baking paper and re invert onto a rack to cool completely.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

  1. Place egg whites inside the stainless steel mixing bowl with the whisk attachment (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free).
  2. For the Sugar Syrup
    Pour the sugar and water in a large heavy bottom sauce pot; cook over high heat until the sugar dissolved and reaches 240°F.
    Always extra precautions while working with hot sugar syrups!
  3. For the Meringue
    As soon as the sugar mixture reached 240° F remove it from the heat; turn on the mixer to medium high speed to get the egg whites frothy and gaining volume.
    Once the egg whites are starting to get white in color, slowly and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping egg whites (try to avoid splashing the syrup onto the whisk attachment or you will be making spun sugar as it hits the sides of the metal bowl).
    Continue whipping until the mixture has cooled completely (mine takes for about 15 minutes) before you add the butter and shortening or you will have Butter soup!
  4. Once the meringue is cool to the touch, slowly add the butter and shortening, add in vanilla extract (the mixture will look as if it’s broken and curdled at first NO NEED to be panic this is natural, it will come back together eventually, just continue mixing until the mixture is smooth).
  5. Colour the buttercream with a bit of green food colouring.

ASSEMBLY THE CAKE

  1. Cut the cake into 3 even layers.
  2. Pour the mouse and buttercream into a pipping bag with a number 12 tip.
  3. Place the first layer on a cake board; pipe a double dam of buttercream all away around the cake (this dam is going to help the mousse filling from seeping out).
    Pipe the rose mousse in the center (you want to make sure that your filling is at the same height over your dam buttercream, so when you stack the layer it continues to stay even all the way up).
  4. Place the second layer, repeat the same process with the second layer.
  5. Place the last layer, cover it all with the buttercream. Decorate according to your preference.

NOTES

  1. For the cake; try to use room temperature egg whites, this will yield more volume.
  2. Over beating meringue may cause the cake to crack, while under beating will cause the cake to collapse or it may not rise much.
  3. Mousse made with whipped cream, so it must be kept refrigerated at all times. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 days.
  4. To store Italian Meringue Buttercream; 2 weeks in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer.
  5. To Defrost Buttercream
    Take it out several hours before you need it and let it get to room temperature.
    Then put it on the mixer on low speed and let it mix (it will look curdled at first, don’t be alarmed this is natural, it will come back together eventually). You can turn the speed up to medium high and it will mix out smooth.
  6. To store the final layer cake; Store in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 3 days.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Puppy Love Deco Chiffon Cake

Chiffon cakes are typically baked in standard tubed pans.
But did you know…
You can also bake them in all sorts of exciting shapes or sizes and give them patterns or decorations created using the same cake batter as well.

These “Puppy Love Deco Chiffon Cakes” are pretty enough to stand alone as the centrepiece at a party and a perfect surprise gift for your loves one.

You can print this A4 template as a size guide

Template in an actual cake size is very important as a size guidelines, especially when cutting the cake details
Another thing that you will need to prepare is the pan or mould which as much as possible represents the shape of each puppies details. It can be baked in a variety of moulds, such as glass, metal, silicone and paper cones.

Various pans that I used for this project

For example, I will use some egg shape pans to create the mouth, feet, hands and ears. 

I also need shallow baking pans for baking the thin layer used for decorating purpose.
The size of the shallow pan that we used is depend on the decoration required, for example if very little decoration required then the smaller pan is used.

Another pans that we use here is 5-inch, 6 cm deep round pan for the head and also 750 ml stainless steel cup for the body (wonder mold doll cake which is similar to this works well too).

Make sure that you prepare all the pans in advance and preheat the oven so the batter won’t sit too long, allowing air bubbles to escape and deteriorate.

Vinegar to clean the bowl from grease

For meringue batter, I highly recommend to wipe the bowl and beater attachment with lemon juice of vinegar to make sure that it’s clean and grease free as the presence of grease may affect the foaming properties of the egg whites.

Invert the pan during cooling stage

Once it’s baked, it’s important to invert the pan immediately on the cooling rack layered with greaseproof paper and let them cool completely.
Moulds with a bigger volume are preferably inverted during the cooling stage so that gravity can help pull the cake to its maximum height before the cake structure stabilizes.
On the other hand smaller moulds, inverting does not make a difference to the height of the cooled cake.

Pockey stick and bubble tea straw as buffer to support the head

And because of the structure of chiffon cake not as strong as any other type of cake, it was a good idea if we can add some buffer around the body part to support the weight of the Puppie’s head.
how about some delicious pockey stick? since it was edible and sturdy enough (use pockey part which is covered with chocolate).

Another important tip, when it comes to stacking cakes I always use bubble tea straw in the middle as a centre pole to helps stabilize the cake structure (wooden chopstick works well too).

Always cover each part of chiffon cakes with plastic wrap during the process to prevent from drying out.

Handsome BOY!

OH.. MY lovely Puppy !!!

LOOK how gorgeous he is!

I’m sure that people will fall in love once they see him!

😊 😃 😀

The cake is so fluffy, low in sugar and very tasty, these are healthy treats suitable for people of all ages. It’s a very light and simple, yet delicious cake

🤤 SLURP….

I hope that once you recreating these recipe, you will have more confidence to create your own stunning design.
Thank you so much for staying with me…
LOVE YOU ALL!!


PUPPY LOVE DECO CHIFFON CAKE
Yield: 1 Deco Chiffon Cake (Width: 17 cm, Height: 25 cm)
Active time: 2 1/2 hours
Total time: 4 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS
Egg Yolk Batter:

  • 50 grams Egg Yolks
  • 25 grams Caster Sugar
  • 100 grams Vegetable Oil
  • 100 grams Water
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 150 grams Cake Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Meringue Batter:

  • 350 grams Egg Whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
  • 100 grams Castor Sugar
  • Food Colouring (soft pink, brown, black, yellow)

Pans/ Moulds:

  • 6 pieces Egg Pans (@50 ml)
  • 2 Rectangular Pan (22 cm x 10 cm) & (25 cm x 7,5 cm)
  • 1 Round Pan (12 cm diameter, 6 cm height)
  • 1 Wonder Pan (750 ml)

Edible Glue

  • 3 tablespoons Icing Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Water

INSTRUCTIONS
Pans

  1. Grease the bottom part of the 2 rectangular pan with some butter and layered with parchment paper for easy release.
  2. Don’t grease the Egg, Round and Wonder pan.


Cake Batter

  1. Preheat the oven to 150° C.
  2. Egg Yolks Batter
    In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale, thick and creamy (ribbon stage). Add in the oil, water and vanilla extract, mix well.
    Gradually add sifted flour along with salt, whisking until just evenly mixed, set aside.
  3. Meringue Batter
    Wipe the bowl and beater attachment with lemon juice of vinegar to make sure that it’s clean and grease free (the presence of grease may affect the foaming properties of the egg whites).
    Pour in the egg whites along with cream of tartar to the bowl, using electric hand mixer whisk at high speed until foamy. Add in half of the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
    Then add in the remaining sugar, continue whisking until it reach a stiff peaks.
  4. Fold the meringue into the egg yolk batter in 3 batches, gently fold it with hand whisk in one direction.
    Mix after each addition until no white streaks visible and well combined.
    Make sure there’s no egg yolk mixture left at the bottom of the bowl.
  5. To Colour and Bake
    FIRST BATCH (wonder and round pans);
    Draw the white part of the puppies body and head with some plain batter (please refer to the template) for about 1/2 cm thick (make sure it’s an even thickness) and bake them immediately in the preheated 150 °C oven for about 3 minutes.
    *I suggest to place the pan vertically while baking this, to make sure the batter stays in place.
    SECOND BATCH (2 rectangular pans);
    – Divide 22 cm x 10 cm rectangular pan into 2 equal sections, place soft pink and plain batter side by side for about 25 grams each.
    – Divide 25 cm x 7,5 cm rectangular pan into 3 equal sections, place soft brown, dark brown and black batter side by side for about 20 grams each.
    Tap the pans a few times to flatten the surface and then bake them immediately in the preheated 150°C oven for about 15-20 minutes or until it doesn’t stick to your hands when you touch it.
    * Once it baked, invert sheet cakes immediately onto a cooling rack layered with greaseproof paper and let it cool completely.
    THIRD BATCH (6 egg, wonder and round pans)
    Fill 3 egg shape pans with plain batter and another 3 with dark brown batter for about 20 grams each.
    Colour the rest of the batter with dark brown colour and divide them onto wonder and round pan.I suggest to fill the pan almost to the top rather than ¾ full so we can achieve full round head and body shapes.
    Tap the pan a bit to remove air bubbles and bake them in the preheated 150°C oven (please note the bigger the pan, the longer it will takes)
    – 25 minutes for egg pans
    – 35 minutes for round pan
    – 40 minutes for wonder pan, reduce the heat to 140°C and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
    * Once it’s baked, invert them immediately on the cooling rack layered with greaseproof paper and let them cool completely.

Edible Glue
Simply mix icing sugar with water and mix until well combined.

To Unmold the Cake
Gently pull cake away from sides of pan to loosen the cake and peel greaseproof paper from the sheet cake.
* Always cover each part of chiffon cakes with plastic wrap during the process to prevent from drying out.

DETAILS & ASSEMBLY
Kindly follow template and instructions in the video (for the body buffer, use pockey stick which is covered with chocolate otherwise it will be mushy)

NOTES

  1. To colour the cake; try to use natural food colouring such as cocoa powder, charcoal or matcha powder as much as possible (diluted with a bit of hot water before adding to the batter).
  2. Cream of tartar is used for stabilising egg whites, it also helps to increase the volume of meringue.
    *You can substitute cream of tartar with lemon juice or vinegar (replace every ½ tsp cream of tartar with 1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar).
  3. Chiffon cakes can be baked in a variety of moulds, such as glass, metal, silicone and paper cones.
    *Never use non-stick baking pan for chiffon cakes.
  4. Never grease the pan (except pans for baking the thin layer used for decorating purpose) coz this type of cake needs to cling to the sides of the pan to enable rising during baking.
  5. Moulds with a bigger volume are preferably inverted during the cooling stage so that gravity can help pull the cake to its maximum height before the cake structure stabilizes”
  6. Oven mays vary, if the chiffon cake browns, hiding the colour/pattern, try reducing the oven temperature by 10°C each time until you get the right temperature.
  7. To store
    Always keep chiffon cakes well wrapped up or in airtight container to prevent them from drying out.
    Store in airtight containers, chiffon cakes will keep up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days refrigerated.
Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Light Banana Layer Cake

“I still have a hard time resisting a piece of this first thing in the morning…“
Unlike the traditional dense banana bread, this one is so soft and fluffy, almost a cake-like texture.

Banana layer cake filled with creamy cream cheese frosting, they are also not overly sweet, if you are banana lover, this one really is a must-try.

Ripe banana which I used

When it comes to baking with bananas, most people like to use soft, overripe bananas with peels that are covered in brown spots are because they’re sweet and have a strong banana flavor.
I personally don’t like to use overripe banana because it will add the sweetness to the cake. Ripe bananas with a bit of dark spots just perfect for me.

Gorgeous banana batter

For this cake I wanted an airy, light, fluffy cake and not something resembling the texture of banana bread. I’m telling you, it does not disappoint!

Creamy cream cheese frosting

 It’s everything you love about cream cheese frosting– tangy and sweet, but not as tooth-decaying sweet as buttercream. Creamy, light, silky, smooth…. Yep, all of the above

Look! This is such a delicious cake, it’s light and moist.

You can serve it right away or refrigerate it for at least half hour for a cleaner cut.

Beautiful texture layer cake, intense banana flavour with a luscious homemade creamy frosting, it’s really a wonderful cake and disappeared in no time.
Happy baking!!

LIGHT BANANA LAYER CAKE
Yield: 25 cm x 16 cm pan
Active time: 1 hours
Total time: 2 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS
Banana Cake:

  • 60 grams Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • 30 grams Vegetable Oil
  • 100 grams Granulated Sugar
  • 50 grams Light Brown Sugar
  • 75 grams Eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 185 grams Mashed Ripe Bananas
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
  • 215 grams All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 175 grams Butermilk

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 120 grams Unsalted Butter
  • 120 grams Cream Cheese
  • 30 grams Icing Sugar


INSTRUCTIONS
Banana Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
  2. Grease the pan and line it with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  4. Place ripe bananas in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, mash it until smooth.
  5. In another bowl, combine the butter, half portion of vegetable oil, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Stir in the remaining vegetable oil and mix. Blend in the eggs and Vanilla extract. Add mashed banana, mix well
  6. Slowly add the flour mixture alternating with buttermilk in 3 separate batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; mixing just until combined after each addition.
  7. Once the batter is well combined, pour it into prepared pans, spread to an even layer.
  8. Bake it in the preheated 160 C oven for about 35 – 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  9. Take it off from the pan, peel the parchment paper allow it to cool completely on the cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. In a medium bowl whip the cream cheese a while until it a bit fluffy.
  2. Add in the softened butter, and beat until creamy and well combined.
  3. Pour in the icing sugar and vanilla extract, continue mixing until smooth and no lumps remain.
  4. Put the frosting into the piping bag with a start tip and store it in the fridge for at least half hour so it will firm up a bit


ASSEMBLY
Cut the cake into 2 equal long pieces. Place the first layer onto long platter, pipe a layer of frosting on top of itand then place another layer on top of the frosting. Clean up the sides a bit, decorate the top of the layer cake with the remaining frosting.

NOTES

  1. You can use store-bought buttermilk or simply make your homemade buttermilk by mixing 170 grams of milk with 3/4 tablespoon of vinegar, let it sit 5 minutes before adding to the batter.
  2. If you use overripe banana, it will add the sweetness to the cake.
  3. To store: 3 days in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer;
    Please note that the texture of the cake may change slightly once thawed. Allow to rest at room temperature about 10 – 30 minutes before enjoying.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

Sumikko Gurashi Mochi Browniesicle

Hey Guys, today we are making these “Sumikko Gurashi Mochi Browniesicle”. Adorable chocolatey fudgy chewy brownie on a stick.

They are the perfect blend of “Japanese Butter Rice Cake” with “Classic Brownies”, crispy on the outside and ooey-gooey mochi-licious on the inside.
They look just like traditional brownie but a lot less sweet than normal brownies.

Are they so Kawaii?

It’s important to use glutinous rice flour (or Mochiko — sweet glutinous rice flour) for these brownies. It does not contain gluten and gives us the chewy, sticky mochi texture that we want.

These brownies come together quickly, paired with melted and modelling chocolate, pack a serious chocolate punch!

The exterior is similar to Brownie, but the interior is chewy like Mochi

Look! It has a crackly shiny crust, crispy edges and also a rich chocolate flavour and a chewy texture. It is the perfect blend of brownie and mochi.

And when still hot, they are more sticky and difficult to cut, so make sure the brownies cool completely before cutting.

Then simply insert regular popsicle stick into the base of the brownie, cover them with melted dark chocolate and then decorate each character with modelling chocolate.
I love modelling chocolate so much as they are really flexible mouldable delicious clay and there’s no special food colouring require to color the chocolate.

It’s not necessary to use expensive Couverture Chocolate, I found a good dark and white compound chocolate (or candy melts) works best for texture and still tastes pretty good.

I will create my favorite 9 characters: 5 larger pieces for the main characters “Sumikko”, 3 smaller side characters “Minikko” and 1 piece for lovely Mount Fuji “Yama”.
It can be any design or character you want… The sky is the limit!

And can you imagine, what do you get when Mochi and Chocolate Brownies get together???
I’m sure after you tasted it, you may never want to go back to eating plain fudge brownie ever again!

Which one is your favourite character?

They are a perfect gift, dessert or snack for when you get the nighttime munchies, and make sure you pour yourself a really nice glass of cold milk or hot coffee. Because you can’t have brownies without milk or coffee, just like cookies.

Very Chocolatey Ooey-Gooey Mochi-licious on the inside

I hope that you give this recipe a try , it’s really fun, so tasty and I’m sure you are gonna love them.
For all the chocolate lovers out there, enjoy the recipe and happy baking!
Love You All!!

SUMIKKO GURASHI MOCHI BROWNIESICLE
Yield: 9 pieces (8-inch Square Pan)
Active time: 3 hours
Total time: 4 hours

INGREDIENTS
White Modelling Chocolate:

  • 300 gr White Chocolate Compound or White Candy Melts
  • 70 gr Corn Syrup
  • Food Colouring


Mochi Brownies:

  • 35 gr Unsalted Butter
  • 190 gr Milk
  • 35 gr Vegetable Oil
  • 125 gr Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 30 gr Eggs
  • 150 gr Glutinous Rice Flour
  • 20 gr Cocoa Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Modeling Chocolate

  1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler (let it cool to the touch). Add the corn syrup, stir just until it turns into a thick, smooth paste.
  2. Pick up the dough as soon as you can easily handle it and knead it over the bowl (knead out as much oil as possible).
  3. Pat the surface of the dough with some paper towel to sop up the oil (pat the dough quickly because the dough is quite sticky at this stage, if the paper sits too long it will get stuck in it).
  4. Once patted dry, wrap it tightly in plastic. Store in an airtight container.
    Allow the dough to sit 8-10 hours at room temperature or at least 1 hour in the fridge to set faster.


Mochi Brownies

  1. Preheat the oven to 180° C, grease and line pan with parchment paper.
  2. Place the unsalted butter and milk in small pan, cook over medium low heat until the butter melted. Take it off from the heat and pour it into a bowl.
    Add in the oil, sugar and vanilla extract, mix until all the sugar dissolved and well combine.
    Allow to cool slightly before you add the egg yolks (we don’t want it turned into scramble eggs).
  3. In another bowl combine all the dry ingredients, mix well.
    Pour in milk mixture onto the dry ingredients, do not over mix, whisk until just combined and no lumps remain.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan (the batter will be on the thinner side).
    Tap few times to remove air bubbles and then bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted to the center comes out clean.
  5. Take it off from the heat, remove it from the pan, peel the parchment paper and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.


Decorate

  1. Cut mochi brownie according to the template.
  2. Insert regular popsicle stick into the base of the brownie until it’s about almost to the top.
  3. Dip them into a melted dark chocolate, tap a bit to get off any excess, stand these brownies up in a block of Styrofoam until the chocolate is completely hardened.
  4. Colour modelling chocolate as needed and start decorate the browniesicle (kindly follow video instructions)

NOTES

  1. When still hot mochi brownies are more sticky and difficult to cut, so make sure it cool completely before cutting.
  2. Remember when making or working with modelling chocolate are to never overheat and never overwork the mixture when it’s warm. On extremely hot days have a shelf in the freezer set aside so you can pop the piece/pieces you are working on in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up before you continue to work on it.
  3. There is no special food colouring required to colour Modeling Chocolate.
    Modeling Chocolate already has liquid in it (corn syrup) so adding more won’t hurt. I like to use regular gel food colours like Americolor.
  4. Mochi browniesicle serve freshly made.
  5. To store; 2 days at room temperature, 3 days in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.
  6. Please note; after 2 days in the fridge or 1 day in the freezer, they will lose the chewiness and the texture will becomes like normal brownie.

Posted on by Bembum Kitchen

My Melody Taiwanese Savory Mooncake

Hi Guys, today we are making these “My Melody Taiwanese Savory Mooncake”. It’s a flaky crust moon cake with the savoury sweet fillings inside which has a really unique texture.

Unlike the common traditional mooncake that are sweet, some spicy braised meat was added to the mung bean paste as a filling, they blends really well, the savoury perfectly complement the sweetness.

Crispy crust outside, Sweet spicy salty filling inside

You have some bits to bite in the smooth fillings, the savoury pairs the sweetness perfectly, the crunchiness of the layer crust even make it more special.

You can actually omit the meat portion if you wish too, but that’s what makes it special in my opinion. And if you are not preparing this for moon cake festivals, it’s definitely a good snack or a nice breakfast item.

Look how adorable they are!

The beautiful flaky crust itself created by combining 2 different type of dough which is called water and oil dough that has been layered by rolling and folding similar in making puff pastry dough.

Feel free to create any design you like but always remember that for the combined dough, you need to make the oil dough colour slightly lighter than the water dough so it doesn’t show on the surface of the water dough when you roll it.

So this is how we combine the dough;
Lightly press down to flatten the water dough and place the oil dough in the center of the water dough. Fold the combined dough like an envelope, seal all the seam and shape it round again.
Cover and let them rest for at least 10 minutes so the gluten can relax a bit.

Place oil dough in the center of the water dough

After resting, take one combined dough, using rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangular shape as evenly as possible, don’t press it too hard as you might tear the water dough membrane, about 3 mm thick is enough (pic. 1)
And then roll it up like you are preparing swiss roll (pic. 2)


Then turn the swiss roll direction with the shorter side pointing at you, using rolling pin roll it again into a long rectangular shape (pic. 3 & 4)

*One important tip when you roll the dough is always make sure that your rolling pin is clean from any dough flakes coz it will attracts the water dough surface which can cause a lot of cracks on the mooncake later.


And finally, roll it up again like a swiss roll (pic. 5 & 6)


Please note the colour will be much lighter when baked in the oven.
The minced meat is slightly on the salty side to compliment the sweet of the mung bean paste. If you prefer more spicy, feel free to add more chili or for a bigger kick, you can add a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, that will be great too!

And if the times permit, you even can prepared this meat the night before and store them in the fridge to let the flavor develops, it will taste even better.

Oh I love My Melody so much, they are my favorite Sanrio character since I was a child.

They taste amazing when served slightly warm and paired with a cup of hot tea or maybe your favorite coffee.
They are so adorable, tasty and also satisfying with their unique texture, it’s really hard to describe unless you have a chance to taste it

The recipe is rather long winded but it is rewarding coz they are so pretty and delicious.
I really hope you Guys give it a try coz this mooncake really suit my taste buds and I have to stop myself for further eating.

And if you want; you can share your creations with me with the “hastags bembumkitchen”, I really love to see all your creativity and I’ll make sure to give a like or thumbs up!

Enjoy the recipe, Love you All!!

MY MELODY TAIWANESE MOONCAKE
Yield: 10 pieces
Active time:  3 hours
Total time: 4 hours

INGREDIENTS
Mung Bean Paste:

  • 100 gr Split Yellow Mung Beans
  • 100 gr Hot Water
  • 75 gr Granulated Sugar

Braised Meat:

  • 100 grams Minced Pork
  • 1 tbs Corn Flour
  • 1 tsp Garlic (Minced)
  • 1 tsp Ginger (Minced)
  • 1/2 tbs Onion (Minced)
  • 1/2 tbs Rice Wine
  • 2 tbs Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Chopped Chilli Padi
  • 1/2 tsp Five Spice Powder
  • 1/4 tsp White Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1/2 tbs White or Black Sesame Seeds

Water Dough:

  • 200 gr All-Purpose Flour
  • 50 gr Shortening
  • 20 gr Icing Sugar
  • 100 gr Cold Water
  • Food Colouring (Pink, Black, Blue, Yellow)

Oil Dough:

  • 75 gr Cake Flour
  • 35 gr Shortening
  • Pink Food Colouring


INSTRUCTIONS
Mung Bean Paste

  1. Wash mung beans in several rinses of water until the water runs clear, then soak them in a hot boiling water for 30 minutes (the water will be absorbed and the beans gets bigger). 
  2. Preheat the steamer, bring water to a boil and then steam the soaked beans for about 30 minutes or until it can be easily mashed.
  3. Pour the beans into a non-stick pan, add in the sugar, cook over medium low heat (it will be wet at first as the sugar melts,keep stirring until it gets drier).
    Using a spatula, press the beans until it resembles a thick paste (as the water evaporates, the beans will no longer be sticky).
    Feel free to use blender or immersion blender if you prefer a really fine paste.
  4. Take it off from the heat, cover it with a plastic wrap, store in the fridge to firm up.


Braise Meat

  1. Sprinkle corn flour to the meat before cooking (it will helps prevent overcooking and toughening of the outer layers so the result will be more tender and flavourful).
  2. In a medium pan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, add in the minced garlic and onion, cook until golden brown.
    Add in minced pork, continue cooking until it change in colour.
    Pour in the rice wine and soy sauce, stir well.
    Add in the rest ingredients and mix until well combined.
    *Feel free to add more chili or cayenne pepper if you like more spicy.
  3. Cover and store them in the fridge to let the flavor develops.


Water Dough

  1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients, stir until it forms a sticky dough.
  2. Lightly transfer to a work surface and knead until it forms a smooth dough. 
  3. Divide the dough for each details, color as needed
  4. Cover each colours with a cling wrap and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.


Oil Dough
Mix the flour and shortening, add in the pink food colouring (this oil dough colour must be slightly lighter than the water dough for the base of My Melody’s head).
Keep mixing until it forms a soft dough (it can be slightly sticky). Cover it with a plastic wrap to prevent the dough dry.


COMBINE, ROLL & BAKE

  1. Divide the bean paste into 10 equal portions (25 gr each), shape it into a ball.
    Using your thumb press the center of the bean ball to create a hole. Insert about 1-2 tsp of the braised meat filling in the center, and then wrap and seal. Perform the same for the remaining 9 portions.
  2. Combine 2 dough:
    Divide the “soft pink” water dough and oil dough into 10 equal pieces (19 grams water dough, 11 grams oil dough).
    Lightly press down the water dough to flatten and place the oil dough in the center of the water dough.
    Fold the combined dough like an envelope, seal all the seam and shape it round again. Continue with the rest dough.
    Cover and let them rest for at least 10 minutes so the gluten can relax a bit.
  3. Roll the combined dough:
    Take one combined dough, using rolling pin, roll the dough into a long rectangular shape as evenly as possible (don’t press it too hard as you might tear the water dough membrane), 3 mm thick is enough. 
    Roll it up like you are preparing swiss roll.
    Turn the swiss roll direction with the shorter side pointing at you, using rolling pin roll it again into a long rectangular shape. Then roll it up again like a swiss roll.
    Set aside, cover it up while continue with the rest dough.


FILL  & DECORATE

  1. Fill
    Take one of the swiss roll dough, using rolling pin, flatten it into a circle shape.
    Flip the dough, place one portion of a bean ball at the center of the dough, and start covering the bean ball from all sides, rotate while tighten your palm, make sure the skin and filling stick together evenly.
    Seal all the seam. Shape the mooncake a bit oval as My Melody’s head. Repeat this process for the rest of the Mooncake.
  2. Decorate
    Add details according to My Melody’s Head, add the spark of her eyes with some white food colouring

BAKE
Bake in the preheated 170°C oven for about 15-18 minutes.
Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly on the pan for about 10-15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.


NOTES

  1. Don’t let the water dough sit too long coz it will release the oil and cause a lot of crack on the mooncake surface later.
  2. Best serve 20 minutes freshly baked. 
  3. To store in an airtight container; 1 day at room temperature, 1 week fridge, 1 months freezer.
  4. To reheat; 180°C oven for about 5-10 minutes