For Mom with Love - Mango Mousse Cake

This Mango Mousse Cake was for my mom who celebrated her 66th birthday in March.

 

Mango Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 15 pieces digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs in a zip-lock bag
• 90g unsalted butter, melted

For the mango mousse:

(Adapted loosely from finebaking blog)

• 300g mango fresh
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 tsp gelatin
• 350ml whipping cream

For the top layer mango mirror:

• 200ml fresh mango puree
• 4 tsp gelatin powder
• 100ml hot water

 

Methods:

1. For the base: Mix the biscuit crumb with the melted butter. Press the mixture into the cake mold. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. For the mousse: Puree the mango flesh with the sugar. Strain to remove fiber from mango.
3. Put one third of the mango puree into the pot and stir in the gelatin until dissolved, over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining mango puree. Set aside to cool.
4. Once the mango puree has cooled down, whip the cream to soft peak stage.
5. Gently fold the cream into the mango puree and scoop the mousse into the cake mold, on top of the biscuit crumb base. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for several hours until set.
6. For the top mango mirror layer: Once the mousse is set, dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add gelatin mixture into the mango puree and mix well. Strain and spoon the mixture over the mousse. Leave the cake into the fridge overnight to set.



Birthday Cakes for January Babies

I baked 2 birthday cakes last month. Both cakes used the same  moist chocolate cake recipe which I liked very much.

 

Birthday Cake #1 - This is for my friend who celebrated her 50th birthday - a simple cake decorated with sprinkles:

  

 

  

 

The second one, is for my 6-year old nephew. I used coco pop cereals and oreo cookies to create this "Coco-Beary Happy Birthday Cake". It was a pleasant surprise for him and he liked it very much. :)

 

 

 

 

Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe

(adapted from my previous post with small adjustments and baked in 7-inch round cake tin)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 80g unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 120g sugar

 

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degree C. Line and grease a 7-inch round baking pan.
2. Heat milk, butter, oil, coffee granules and cocoa powder till the butter melts. Let it cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Add this and the beaten egg into the cooled wet ingredients. Use a hand whisk to beat till the batter is smooth and well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a knife insert into the middle come out clear. Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and let it cool on the iron rack before applying any decoration.

 

For the Coco-Beary Cake, I first applied a thin layer of frosting (beating 1/2 cup of nutella with about 28g butter until creamy and fluffy), then I lightly pat the coco pop cereals to cover the entire cake. I used 3 pieces of yellow oreo cookies and nutella spread to form its eyes and the nose. Another 2 pieces of the cookies are stuck to the two sides as its ears.

Healthy Banana Quick Bread - Low in Fat and Sugar, High in Fibre

Whenever there is ripe bananas stocking up at home, my kids know it is banana cake time. This is a new recipe that I tried last week, adapted from here, with some slight variations to produce a healthy and yet delish banana cake, that is low in fat and sugar and high in fibre. We absolutely enjoyed this much healthier bake.

Healthy Banana Cake/Quick Bread

Ingredients:

(Makes one loaf, about 12 slices) 

• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 120 ml low-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp of milk
• 40ml canola oil
• 90g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 130g all-purpose flour
• 35g whole wheat flour
• 30g ground almond
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

 

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, sugar, egg and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, ground almond, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
5. Combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and add to the flour mixture. Throw in half of the sliced banana pieces. Stir just until all the ingredients are combined and there is no dry flour. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Top with the remaining banana slices.
6. Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. To prevent the top from over browning, I cover it with a foil after 35 minutes and continue the baking for another 20 minutes before it came out nice and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

 



Birthday Cake #1 - Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

This Mille Cake was a birthday cake I made for my nephew who turned 11-year old on 20th September. It is a cake formed with layers of thin crepes, filled with milo-buttercream and covered with chocolate ganache.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell from the photo below, cake decoration is clearly not my forte. I was so embarrassed to bring out the cake from the box that evening and actually blaming myself inside me for  volunteering to bake him the birthday cake.

 

 

 

 

But fortunately, appearence aside, the cake was delicious. All the children and adults at home enjoyed the un-usual cake very much. This is the first time they have seen and eaten a mille crepe cake. Mum said it is like eating the layered nonya kuih (九层糕) and my girl said it is like kuih lapis. My little 4-year old nephew gave me 300% for it. LOL. Most importantly, the Birthday Boy enjoyed the cake very much and even asked for second helping which is unusual for him to do so as he was never a cake lover. I felt comforted from their comments as well as their requests for second serving. They had made my hours spent flipping and turning the pan to  make the individual thin tissue-like crepes late into the night all worthwhile.

 

 

Mille Crepe Cake with Chocolate Ganache

 

A) The Crepes

(adapted from this crepes cake recipe):

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup cake flour (75g)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (about 85g)
• 2 cups warm milk

 

Methods:

1. Sift flour and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk eggs together. Gently stir in flour mixture until smooth. Stir in butter. Slowly stir in milk until just blended with the consistency of light cream – do not over mix.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 1 hour.
4. Rub bottom of an 8-inch nonstick pan with canola oil and wipe out excess with a paper towel.
5. Place over medium heat. Ladle in about 4 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan.
6. Gently swirl the pan immediately to let the batter spread out evenly to cover the surface of the pan.
7. Cook until browned, about 20 seconds.  Flip the crepe over to cook the other side (either lift the crepe with a spatula or throw the crepe into the air to turn it over - this is fun but be prepared for mishap!)
8. Cook the other side for about 10 seconds and slide the cooked crepe onto a plate.
9. Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.
10. I used paper towels to absorb the excess oil from each pieces of the crepe and stack them up together neatly. Wrapped up in plastic film and refrigerated until ready to assemble (I kept them over night).

 

Makes about 20 - 25 crepes.

 
 

B) Milo-Buttermilk

(Adapted from a cake recipe that I chanced upon, author unknown)

 

Ingredients:

• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g sweet condensed milk
• 1 packet 3-in-1 instant milo powder

 

Methods:

Cream butter until pale and fluffy. Add in condensed and milo, mixed well. Keep it in the fridge until ready to use.

  

 

C) Chocolate Ganache, adapted from joyofbaking

 

Ingredients:

• 113g semisweet chocolate chips
• 90 ml whipping cream
• 14g unsalted butter

 

Methods:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium sized heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil.
3. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
4. Whisk gently until chocolate melted and turned into a smooth ganache.
5. Leave it to cool down slightly before pouring over the cake.

 

Finally, assembling the cake:

1. Place first crepe on a plate. Spread a thin layer of buttercream evenly over the top.
2. Lay second crepe on top. Repeat the spreading and stacking steps until all crepes are used up.
3. Wrap the crepecake with plastic film and place it in the fridge to let the frosting set. About 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache.
4. Put a iron rack in a shallow baking tray lined with aluminium foil (to catch the dripping ganache). Place the crepe cake on the iron rack.
5. Pour the cooled ganache onto the center of the cake. Spread the ganache with a large metal spatula to push the ganache over the sides of the cake for a smooth and even coating.
6. Serve the cake immediately. If you are not serving it immediately, chill it in the fridge. Let the cake sit out at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Birthday Cake #2 - Moist Chocolate Cake

This is Birthday Cake #2 that I made last month. It is a no frills chocolate cake for a simple advance birthday celebration at my mum's place for my elder girl.

 

 

  

This is a really simple to bake cake that yield great flavour and super moist texture. A definite keeper. The recipe is adapted from

mariasmenu.com. I made some adjustment and also cut down the ingredient quantity to 2/3 portion for a 8-inch round cake.

Recipe for Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

(For one 8-inch round cake)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 80g unsalted butter + 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 150g sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degree C. Line and grease a 8-inch round baking pan.
2. Heat milk, butter, oil, coffee granules and cocoa powder till the butter melts. Let it cool to room temperature.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and sugar. Add this and the beaten egg into the cooled wet ingredients. Use a hand whisk to beat till the batter is smooth and well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a knife insert into the middle come out clear. Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Un-mold and let it cool on the iron rack.
5. Decorate as desire. As can see from the photos here, I only did some simple dressing up to keep the cake simple.

Birthday Cake #3 - Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

This Double Chocolate Mousse Cake was the third birthday cake that I made in September. It was the second birthday cake that I made to celebrate my elder girl's 13th birthday. She loves chocolate and green tea. So, the best birthday cake for her would naturally be a chocolate-matcha cake.

 

 

 

  

I have not tried my hand on making mousse cake. When I chanced upon this triple chocolate mousse cake, I bookmarked it immediately as the steps sounded manageable for me and it will be a perfect birthday cake for my girl if I replace the bottom chocolate cake with a matcha cake!
 

 

 

I am very pleased with the end result. In fact, quite proud of it. This is the beauty of baking, when you created something that you are satisfy with and  your family/friends also enjoyed eating it, you will be at cloud nine!

 

 

 

For the Matcha Cake Base

(Adapted from this green tea swiss roll recipe. I halved the portion as below for a 8-inch round cake)

 

Ingredients:

• 13g unsalted butter, melted
• 42g egg yolk (about 3 small-medium egg yolks)
• 12g caster sugar
• 4g green tea powder
• 60g egg white (about 2 small-medium egg whites)
• 40g caster sugar
• 24g cake flour, sifted

 

Steps: 

1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar over a pot of hot water till thicken and pale in color.
2. Add in the matcha powder and stir well to combine. Set aside.
3. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy, gradually add in sugar and beat till glossy and soft peaks form.
4. Spoon 1/3 portion of egg whites mixture and mix with the egg yolk mixture using a hand whisk. Then gently fold in the remaining egg white using a spatula until well combined.
5. Gently fold the sifted flour into the batter. Add the melted butter into the batter and mix well.
6. Pour the batter into 8-inch round baking pan lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a scraper. Gently knock the tray on tabletop to remove air bubbles trapped in the batter.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 175 degree C for around 10 minutes.
8. When cake is done, remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the Chocolate Mousse

(Adapted from this Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe, also halved the portion, as listed below)
 

Dark Chocolate Mousse:

• 3/4 tsp powdered gelatin
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 oz good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 150ml whipping cream

White chocolate mousse:

• 3/4 tsp gelatin powder
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 oz good quality white chocolate
• 100 ml whipping cream

Steps:

1. Place 1 tbsp water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin power evenly over the water to let it bloom.
2. Heat the milk to a simmer in a small sauce pan.
3. Pour the hot milk gently oven the gelatin. Stir gently until it’s completely dissolved.
4. Pour this milk mixture over the finely chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Then whisk to dissolve the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit over a pot of simmering water and stir if necessary to melt the chocolate completely.
5. Whip the cream to soft peak stage. Keep chill until ready to use.
6. Scoop 1/3 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate and stir to combine so as to lighten up the chocolate. Gently fold in the other 2/3 of the cream.

Repeat the same steps to make the white chocolate mousse.

 

The above yielded 1 cup (about 250ml) of dark chocolate mousse and the same quantity of white chocolate mousse.

 

To assemble:

1. Place the matcha cake into a mold. I used a heart-shape cake ring to cut the cake. Leave the cake in the cake ring.
2. Pour the first layer of dark chocolate mousse slowly over the top of the cake base. 
3. Leave it in the freezer for 10-30 minutes to set.
4. Remove from freezer and gently cover the dark chocolate mousse with the white chocolate mousse. I used a spoon to do this so as not to "disturb" the nicely set dark chocolate layer.
5. Freeze the mousse cake in the freezer for a few hours before serving. (I left it in the freezer over night)
6. 2 hours before serving, remove the cake from the freezer and gently remove the cake ring (I used a hot towel to wrap around the ring to loosen the cake and carefully lift up the ring). Once ring is removed, leave it in the fridge to thaw.

Decorate as desire before serving.

Strawberry Shortcake

I made this cake for my daughter's friend as she spent her birthday with us due to her parents' work commitment.

I baked a peach buttermilk cake and frosted the top with cream cheese frosting, 'fenced-up' the cake with lady-fingers and top it with big red strawberries.

Peach Buttermilk Cake

Adapted from forkspoonnknife's Strawberry Buttermilk Cake

• 1 cup flour 
• 65g butter, softened 
• 1/3 cup sugar + 2 T sugar for the meringue 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp vanilla essence 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 1 egg white 
• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk 
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 pieces of peach halves in syrup, discard the syrup and chop the peaches into small cubes

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter and line a 8 inch round cake pan (I used a smaller 6-inch pan with removable base as I wanted a taller cake).
2. Mix the dry ingredients together. Cream together butter and 1/3 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla. 
3. Add the egg yolks and beat well. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, mixing until just combined. Set aside.
4. Beat the egg whites till frothy. Gently drizzle in the sugar and continue beating until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
5. Fold about a 1/3 of the meringue into the batter to loosen it. Gently fold the remaining whites just until you no longer see any white streaks. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. 
6. Scatter peach pieces over the top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (mine took much longer, about 45 minutes), until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Leave the cake to cool down completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from http://www.taste.com.au/

• 60g cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)
• 30g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Place the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Using a electric mixer, beat until pale. Gradually add in the icing sugar, beating until combined.

To assemble the Strawberry Shortcake:

Frost the top of the cake with cream cheese frosting. Spread the side with a thin layer of the frosting too so as to allow the lady fingers to stick to the cake.Surround the cake with lady fingers then place strawberries in the centre. Leave it in the fridge until ready to serve.

Easy, right? :) Have a nice weekend!

  

Oatbake with Blueberries and Chocolate Chips

This recipe caught my attention as rolled oats are used in the baking. Any recipe with rolled oats must be healthy, isn’t it?

This is truly a healthy and yummy loaf of baked rolled oats with honey and fresh fruits. I added some chocolate chips as my younger girl does not really fancy blueberries. Another good option for home-baked breakfast.

Oatbake with Blueberries and Chocolate Chips

Adapted from Nordic Bakery Cookbook by Milsa Mink

Ingredients

• 100g rolled oats
• 300ml hot milk
• 100g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 60g caster sugar (I reduced to 35g)
• 50ml runny honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 125g plain flour
• 150g blueberries (I used one punnet)
• 150g raspberries (I replaced this with mini chocolate chips, at about the same quantity as the blueberries)

 Methods

1. Grease a 900-g loaf tin. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
2. Heat up the hot milk in a small pot. Once it started to boil, off the gas. Pour in the rolled oats and set aside to allow the oats to absorb the liquid and cool down slightly.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in the honey and vanilla extract. Gradually add in the beaten egg, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then fold into the butter mixture. Drain any remaining milk from the oats, then stir the oats into the mixing bowl.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and sprinkle the blueberries and chocolate chips evenly on top.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clear. (Mine was done at 175 degree C for 45 minutes. I used a foil to cover the top of the tin after 35 minutes to prevent over-browning the top.
7. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Orange Pound Cake with Nutella Swirling

12 loafs of Orange Pound Cake.

No, I do not bake for a living. These pound cakes were for my elder girl's school fund raising carnival. Her class was running a bakery stall she asked me to bake these pound cakes for sales at $5 for 3 slices. Besides pound cakes, the stall also carried cup cakes, fruit cakes, bars and cookies contributed by the parents of her other classmates.

The carnival started at 10am on Saturday morning. She excitedly called me at 1 pm to inform me that the pound cakes were all sold out. They are the first item being sold out among the rest. Many "customers" sampled the cake and gave very good comment on it. A few of them even bought the cake in loaf, instead of individual slices.

This is my first time baking pound cake as I am concern with the high fat and calorie content due to the relatively large amount of butter and sugar called for (compared to the many other type of cakes) in most traditional pound cake recipes.

I actually baked 13 loafs over 2 nights (5 on Thursday night and 8 on Friday night) as I wanted to sample my own cake to ensure that they are of "edible" standard. The citrus aroma from the baked cake was so nice and strong that I cannot resist to try a slice in the late Thursday night.

When hubby and my girls ate it on Friday morning, they love it too. Elder girl (she left the house for school before I woke up) left me a note to tell me that the cake is "soooooo yummy" :) She really knows well how to make me "work" for her without complaint.

The original recipe from Joy of Baking is for a standard buttery pound cake but as my daughter specifically asked for Orange Pound Cake, I have done some variations to the original recipe to come up with this Nutella-swirl Orange Pound Cake. I baked the 12 loafs over 3 batches and for each batch, I tripled the quantity. The recipe below yield one load (9x5x3 inch).

Orange Pound Cake with Nutella Swirling

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice (Original: 3 tbsp milk at room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (Original: 1½ tsp)
• Zest from 1 orange (Not in original recipe)
• 150g sifted plain flour (Original: Cake flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 100g caster sugar (Original: 150g)
• 185g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tbsp Nutella (Not in original recipe)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Butter the loaf pan and Line the bottom of the pan with baking paper. (I did not do the lining).
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest.
3. In another bowl, place the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar) and mix the ingredients until blended. Add the butter and half of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed with mixer until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about one minute to introduce air into the batter to develop the cake's structure. Slowly pour in the remaining egg mixture over 2 additions. Beating about 30 seconds after each addition to incorporate the egg and strengthen the cake's structure. 
4. Scoop the one-third of the batter into the prepared pan and slightly smooth the surface. Drizzle 2 tablespoon of nutella along the top and cover it with the rest of the batter. Insert a knife into the batter and do a zip-zap swirling movement from one long end to the other end of the loaf pan. Lift up the knife only when it reaches the end so that the filling can be discretely hidden under the batter. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
5. Bake for about 55 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. To prevent over-browning of the top before it is done, cover the top of the cake with a piece of lightly buttered aluminum foil after 30 minutes of baking.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a lightly buttered wire rack.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes for 2 birthday girls

I baked 2 Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes over the last 7 days for 2 birthday celebrations in my family - one for the most senior member in my family i.e. my dearest mummy for her 64th birthday and the other is for the youngest member in the family i.e. my baby niece for her 1st birthday.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake #1: This is for my mum - a simple, no-frill cake for a simple but strong woman.

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake #2: This is for my little niece - decorated with strawberries and shredded white chocolate that are sweet and appealing to her.

 

Both cakes are not so nicely decorated but they are baked with full blessing from the bottom of my heart. For both cheesecakes, I followed the recipe from The Little Teochew, her cotton cheesecakes looked really nice and cotton-like. Mine still have a lots of room for improvement. 

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 140g fine caster sugar
• 6 eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 50g unsalted butter
• 1 block (250g) cream cheese
• 100ml fresh milk
• 60g cake flour
• 20g corn flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Methods

1. Preheat the oven at 160°C. Place 2 bowl-oven proof bowls of water at the bottom-tier of the oven (as an alternative to water bath the cheese cake).
2. Lightly grease a 8-inch springform cake pan and line with baking paper on the bottom and sides. The paper for the sides should be higher than the cake tin by about 1.5 inches.
3. Melt cream cheese, butter and milk over a pot of simmering water. Set aside to cool
4. Combine the flour, cornflour, salt, egg yolks. Add into the cooled cream cheese mixture and mix well. Sieve the batter using a wire mesh sieve to remove any lump to get a smooth batter.
5. Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in the sugar over several batch and whisk until soft peaks form.
6. Add the egg whites to the sieved cheese mixture and fold well. Pour into a springform pan.
7. Bake cheesecake for 1 hour 10 mins or until set and golden brown at 160°C.
8. Leave to cool in oven with door ajar, about 30mins to 1 hour. Sudden changes in temperature may cause the cake to cool too quickly and collapse.

Take a peek at the internal-appearance of the cake below. The soft and light-texture will make you wanting to take an extra slice, without much guilt :P

Christmas Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)

It is the time of the year for Christmas baking again!

Besides the 2-tiered cake which I have backed for my ex-colleagues for early Christmas celebration, these are the rest of my festive baking:

Cranberry Scones

Animal Cookies (Recipe here)

Last but not least, a Yule Log Cake to end the year with a smile :)

I followed the recipes of my first yule log cake  closely, except the yoghurt fillings which I replaced plain yoghurt with mango flavoured yoghurt:


Swiss Roll Cake:
(adapted from dessertfirst)

• 5 large eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree C. Oil a Swiss roll baking pan with butter and line with baking paper. Oil the baking paper with butter too.
2. Whip egg whites in a stand mixer bowl until they hold soft peaks.
3. Add 1/3 cup of the sugar in a steady stream and whip until white hold medium firm peaks.
4. In a clean mixer bowl, whip the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and remaining 1/3 cup sugar on high until mixture is thick and pale, about 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl down as needed.
5. Add in flour and salt and whip on low speed just until incorporated.
6. Using a spatula, carefully fold one-third of the egg whites into egg yolk mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest of the egg whites until combined.
7. Turn out mixture into prepared pan and spread out evenly with an offset spatula.
8. Bake in oven for about 8 minutes, until the top is pale golden and the center springs back when you touch lightly. It should not get very dark.
9. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. Place a tea towel over the top and let rest for 10 minutes.
10. Run a thin knife around the border of the cake to loosen it. Using a strainer, dust the top lightly with confectioners' sugar.
11. Re-cover the cake with the towel, and place a  baking paper on top. Invert the pans together so the cake turns out onto the towel, on top of the baking sheet. Peel off the baking paper and let the cake finish cooling.

Mango yoghurt filling:
(adapted from pengskitchen)

• 250g mango flavoured yoghurt
• 4 tsp gelatin
• 3 tbsp warm water

1. Dissolve gelatin with water. Mix yoghurt and gelatin together. Chill in fridge until needed.
2. Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the cake, leaving an inch border on the long sides and a narrower one on the short sides. 
3. Starting with the shorter side closest to you, roll up the cake into a Swiss roll
4. Wrap the roll with a plastic wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the cream set a bit.

Mocha buttercream frosting :
(adapted from allrecipes)

• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp brewed coffee
• 2 tbsp milk

1. Beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth.
2. Remove the plastic wrap from the Swiss roll, cut a portion of the roll out, and further cut it diagonally to attached it above the bigger piece of the roll, to form the log cake shape. I used tooth pick to ensure the 2 pieces are attached to each other firmly.
3. Frost the Swiss roll with the buttercream all over the log cake.
4. Use a fork to scratch the surface of the frosting to create the tree bark effect. Decorate with Christmas ornament.
5. Sprinkle some shredded white chocolate to form the snowy effect before serving.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #14 - Creative Christmas, hosted by Hankerie.

Have a Merry Christmas and a good year ahead.


I will be back next year with more baking and cooking posts. :)