Apple Strudle

As I still have balanced Puff Pastry, so I have decided to bake Apple Strudel. This is one of my favourite pastries.

Recipe Source: myhumble-kitchen

Apple Filling 

(A):

4 medium size Apples (cubes)

520ml water

40ml Lemon Juice

180g Sugar

(B):

40g butter

2 tsp brown sugar

(C):

120ml water

4 tbsp Corn flour

(For thickening)

Method for Apple filling:

Remove apple skin and cube the apples.

Bring all ingredients (A) to boil and simmer till apples are soft.

(slightly translucent)

Mix Ingredients (B) into the soft apple mixture 

till brown sugar and butter melts completely.

Turn to high heat, then add in Ingredients (C).

Turn off heat once mixture becomes thicken.

set aside to let it cool.

Custard:

2 tbsp sugar

3tbsp of custard powder

2 tbsp of fresh milk (to mix with custard powder and sugar)

500ml fresh milk

Method for custard:

Mixed sugar, custard powder and 2 tbsp of milk till dissolved.

Bring 500 ml fresh milk to a boiling point, add in mixed custard mixture.

simmer in low heat till custard thicken.

Set aside to let it cool.

(cover with cling wrap to prevent custard becomes dry)

Puff Pastry:

Puff Pastry 

1 beaten Egg (for egg wash)

Method for puff:

Follow baking instructions on packaging.

Set aside.

Final layering for Apple Strudel:

Lay a slice of baked pastry.

Spread with some custard then followed by apple filling.

Lay a 2nd slice of baked pastry,

continue with custard spreading and apple filling till you get 3 layers.

When all done, placed in an air tight container and keep in fridge

Serve Chill, Enjoy!!

Lemon Chiffon Cake

This week I have been busy at work as I just came back from a month of hibernating. I was craving for something light and lemon chiffon cake came to my mind. I love the zesty lemon aroma and the cake was soft and fluffy. This is the taste I want and I am happy with this bake.

Recipe Source: Jessie Cooking Moment

Ingredients:

4 Egg Yolks

20g Caster Sugar

Pinch of Salt

50g Corn Oil

30g Lemon Juice

40g Water

Zest of 1 Lemon

88g Cake Flour(Low Gluten Flour), sifted

12g Corn Flour, sifted

4 Egg Whites

75g Caster Sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C, fan-baked.

2. Mix cake flour and corn flour in a bowl.

3. Beat yolks, sugar and salt with a hand whisk until slightly pale. Add oil, lemon juice,water and lemon zest. Stir well on each addition.

4. Add flour mixture in 3 separate rounds. Use a spatula to mix until smooth and no lumps.

5. Beat egg whites until frothy. Add sugar in 3 separate rounds and beat until just under stiff peaks and glossy-looked. It is ready when you turn the bowl upside down, the egg whites should stay without falling.

6. Give a gentle stir to the egg yolk mixture. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into the yolk mixture. Then, pour it into the rest of the egg whites. Fold until just combined.

7. Pour into the chiffon pan, lift & drop the pan gently to remove air bubbles.

8. Bake at lower middle level for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

9. Invert immediately and let to cool down completely on a wire rack.

Pandan Bread

I love this soft fluffy pandan bread using homegrown pandan leaves. Taste so good with butter and kaya with a cup of coffee.

Recipe Source: Joceline

材料：

高筋面粉  200克

二砂糖 30克

盐 少许

干酵母 3克

香兰精华（底层沉淀深绿色的）50克

鲜奶 80克

牛油 15克

'

1) 把材料放入面包机搅拌至打到可拉出薄膜即可。 

2) 面团用保鲜纸盖着发酵60分钟或双倍大。 

3) 排气, 平均分割成5份, 滚圆, 松弛面团10分钟。

4) 将面团杆平再轻轻旁边卷起, 把面团收口朝下再排入抹油的烤模里。面团之间要有空间。

5) 等待第二次的发酵约45分钟。面团会随着发酵而粘起无空间了。

6) 放入预热后的烤箱里以170度烘大约分20分钟或表层有点金黄色。

7）面包取出后，趁热抹上一层牛油，把面包取出放在铁架上待凉后即可享用。

Five Happiness Nutty Mooncakes

This is my final bake on mooncake and my first time baking this type of mooncake. Mum has requested me to bake this for praying purpose.

Recipe Source: Sonia

Pastry
130g Hong Kong Flour
90g   Golden Syrub
30g   Cooking oil or Peanut Oil
1/4tsp Alkaline

Filling
40g Almongd, toasted and grind coarsely
40g Pistachio, toasted and grind coarsely.
40g Walnut, toasted and grind coarsely.
25g Pumpkin Seeds, toasted
25g Sunflower Seeds, toasted
20g Raisin, chopped into small pieces.
25g Cranberry, chopped into small pieces.
25g Winter Melon, chopped into small pieces
20g Chicken FLoss

60g Kor Fun ( Cooked Glutinuous flour) or adjust accordingly.
50g water or adjust accordingly.
20g sugar or adjust accordingly.
1/2 tsp Nam Yue ( I omitted this)
a pinch of chinese five-spice powder

Egg Wash - 1 egg yolk + 1 tsp milk (whisked and sieved)

Methods
1.   Sift flour in a mixing bowl.
2.   Mix syrub, peanut oil and alkaline water, slowly pour into flour.
3.   Mix till form a soft dough.
4.   Cover and rest for 1 hour.
5.   Divide the dough according to the mooncake mould size to from the shape.
6.   Mix the filling together.
7.   Weigh and wrap with a piece of cling film and shape into a ball according to mould size.
8.   Place the filling into the dough and press it firmly to form the shape.
9.   Bake at pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 7 mins.
10. Remove mooncakes from oven and set aside to cool for a at least 15 mins.
11. Apply egg wash on the whole mooncake and bake at preheated oven at 170 degrees for 15-20 mins or till golden brown.

                  Wish everyone a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!

Dragonfruit Jelly Mooncake

I love the vibrant colour of this Dragon Fruit Jelly Mooncake.

Recipe Source: Joceline with minor changes

Makes : 4 Jelly mooncakes

Ingredients

A. Jelly Egg Yolk (1 tray)

200g water

1tsp agar agar/jelly powder

30g Sugar

1tbsp evaporated milk

1 drop orange colouring or more

Bring all the ingredients A to boil at medium heat and keep stirring with a hand whisk. Pour jelly mixture into ball shaped mould. Keep in the fridge for 15 minutes. Remove from mould and set aside.

B.  Soya Milk Filling 

300g Soya Milk

5g Agar agar powder

2 pandan leave, knotted

Bring all ingredients B to boil at medium heat.

Put Jelly Egg yolk in the center of muffin cup.

Pour the Soya Milk muxture B into muffin cup and fill 1/2cm high.

Chill and set in the fridge for 15 mins.

Remove and set aside.

C. Dragon Fruit Mooncake Skin

100g Dragon Fruit flesh

500g Water

3 tbsp sugar or adjust according to your taste

7g Agar agar powder.

Blend the Dragon Fruit flesh with water and set aside.

Bring all ingredients C to boil at medium heat.

Pour some Dragon Fruit jelly mixture C into jelly mould, let them set for 3 minutes. Put the Soya Milk filling in the center of the jelly mould, pour the remaining mixture until full.
Allow the jelly to set completely and keep jelly refrigerated until ready to serve.

Chocolate Marble Bread

I saw a few bloggers making this and so thought of giving it a try, The swirl is not neat but overall the process of folding is pretty interesting and fun. Will try it again till I get the perfect swirl.

Recipe Source:  vivianpangkitchen

Kindly refer to the above link for recipe.

Teochew Sprial Yam Mooncakes

Recipe Source:  pengskitchen

Yam Paste

Ingredient (enough for 10 mooncakes)

• 500gm peeled yam, sliced
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 70gm corn oil
• 200gm sugar (can be further reduced to 150gm if you do like like it too sweet)
• 50gm water
• 50gm wheat starch
• 40gm melon seeds, toasted
• 10 salted egg yolks*

Method

1. Steam sliced yam over high heat until soft.
2. Using a food processor, blend hot yam, sugar & water until smooth.
3. Heat pan with 70gm oil. Add shallots and fry till fragrant and golden brown. Remove the fried shallots.
4. Add in blended yam paste and fry until thick, approx 5 mins, over medium heat.
5. Sieve in wheat starch and fry till mixture is non-sticky, approx 5 mins. You will notice that the paste will start to pull away from the edges of the pan. 
6. Cool completely before use.
7. Add in melon seeds into cooled yam paste and knead evenly. Divide into 75gm each and wrap in a salted egg yolk. Shape into round. 

* Rinse salted egg yolk and soak in rice wine for 5mins. Drain away the wine and bake the yolks in preheated oven at 160 deg cel for 8mins. Cool completely before use.

Pastry Dough (makes 6 mooncakes)

(A)

Water Dough

• 30gm shortening
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 40gm warm water
• 1/4 tsp rice vinegar
• 90gm bread flour

Mix shortening & sugar evenly. Pour in warm water and vinegar gradually and stirring at the same time. Sift in flour and knead into a smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30mins. Divide dough into 2 equal portions.

(B)

Oil Dough

• 90gm plain flour 
• 50gm shortening
• few drops of purple colouring (I use wilton colour paste)

Bake plain flour in preheated oven at 130 deg cel for 10mins. Stirring once in between the baking time. Cool down completely before kneading in shortening. While a dough is formed, incorporate in the colour paste. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. 

Final procedure, wrapping the oil dough into the water dough! The steps looks rather daunting but actually is not that difficult at all 

1. Lightly floured a working surface and rolling pin. Roll out the water dough into a flat round disc. Wrap in a piece of oil dough.
2. Roll it out into a long thin sheet.
3. Roll in up like a swiss roll. Turn the roll 90 deg and repeat step 2 and 3.
4. Cut the long thin sheet into 2 long stripes.
5. Stack them up and roll up again. Seal the edge with some water. 
6. Trim of the protruding parts on both ends, reserved for later use.
7. Slice the roll into 3 equal portions.
8. Repeat steps with the 2nd piece water dough and oil dough. You will get 6 round layer discs.
9. Using a rolling pin, roll out each disc. Wrap in yam paste filling.
10. Do not seal the bottom completely, leave some space. Roll out the reserved dough, smear with some water and stick to seal the bottom.
11. To deep fry : Heat some oil in a saucepan, the oil MUST BE HOT! Deep fry over medium heat until lightly browned. Drain well on kitchen paper. Cool completely before storing.
12. To oven bake : Bake in preheated oven at 160 deg for 15-20mins. The pastry will be soft when is out from oven. It will harden upon cooling. Cool completely before storing.