Thursday, December 31, 2015

Weekend Apple Cake

from Baking Chez Moi

Ingredients

- 1 1/3 (181gm) cup of flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 stick of butter ( 8 Tbsp, 4 ounces, 113 gm)
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1/2 (60 gm) confectioner's sugar

- 3 large eggs (room temp)
- 1 Tbsp dark rum (or additon 1 tsp of vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 medium apples, peeled cored and cut into small chunks

- about 1/2 cup (106g) apple jelly or strained apricot jam (optional)

Centre rack in oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees
BUtter 8.5 x 4.5 inch loaf pan, dust with flour, tap out excess, put pan on baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt together

Beat butter on medium speed until smooth, add both sugars and beat until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time, beat for 1 min after each egg.  (the mixture will look curdled and be thin) Add the rum and vanilla.  Reduce the mixer to low speed and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the batter.  With a flexible spatula, fold in the apple chunks then scrape into the prepared pan.

Bake for 60 - 65 mins


Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Taro root cake (wu tau goh) - recipe still in development...


- 1 taro root (2 lbs), cut into 1-2 cm cubes
- 3 lap cheong sliced
- 6-8 chinese mushrooms (reconstituted), diced
- 6-8 dried scallops (reconstituted), shredded
- 1/4 cup dried shrimp (reconstituted), chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots diced
- 2 tsp salt
- 6 chopped green onions
- 1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
- white pepper
- 3 cups rice flour
- 1 1/4 cups glutinous rice flour

1. fry off lap cheong in oil until crispy, remove from wok
2. fry shallots and garlic until aromatic, then add mushroom and scallop (drained), then green onion 
3. add taro to wok with salt, 5 spice powder and pepper, stir fry for 2 minutes 
4. add back lap cheong and 2 1/2 cups of water to make sure all taro is submerged
5. cook for 8-10 minutes (until taro soft)
6. combine flour, in separate large bowl add a total of 2 cups of fluid (first with the reserved liquids, then water) then slowly add the combined flours until a thick paste forms, when the majority of the flour has been added, add the taro mixture and mix, then the remaining flour
7. divide the mixture into 2 and place into oiled 9 inc round or square pans
8. Steam for 45 mins until firm to the touch, cool to room temperature then refridgerate
9. slice and fry over med high heat in a oiled pan until golden crispy and delicious, serve with oyster sauce mixed with soy, white pepper, and sambal

NOTES:

the texture was not quite right, too glutinous, not firm enough, consider different flour (no glutinous) or maybe less liquid ? 
still working on method to combine flour and liquid to get right consistency with no flour clumps