♥ Oolong Tea Chiffon Cupcakes ♥

Recently, chiffon cakes have been a popular request at home, simply because those fluffy airy cake can melt in mouth in just a second. Since there are so many flavors of chiffon cakes from fruits to tea, I infused Oolong Tea, a traditional Chinese tea, to my go-to chiffon cake recipe which I also used to make my green tea chiffon cake. I also added cream of tartar to stabilize my egg white batter.

And WATCH OUT for the aroma of Oolong! It is so wonderful!

To serve my Oolong chiffon cupcakes, I topped them with a basic sweetened whipped cream to balance out the tea flavor, but this is optional.

Make 6 muffin-size cakes
You'll need:
3 egg yolks
3 oz / 85g sugar
3 tbsp oil
4 tbsp oolong tea
2.6 oz / 75g cake flour
1 tbsp oolong tea leaves (1 tea bag)
1 tsp baking powder
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

For topping:
1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

How to make oolong chiffon cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/3 of sugar. Add oil and water, mix well. 
3. Sift cake flour, oolong tea leaves and baking powder and add to egg yolk mixture. Whisk until incorporated without lumps.
4. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat egg whites till opaque and foamy. Add cream of tartar and remaining sugar, beat until stiff peak forms. 
5. In 3 batches, fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Make sure mixture is mixed well in 3 increments.
6. Divide batter evenly among paper muffin cups. Tab on the countertop to release air bubbles. 
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake upside down on wire rack. Serve chill if desired.

How to make sweetened whipped cream:

1. Pour cream into chilled bowl and add sugar and vanilla. Beat cream to desired consistency, either soft peak or stiff peak. Top on chiffon cake and enjoy.

With all my love <3

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♥ Biscoff Cheesecake Mousse ♥

Intentionally I was going to make a matcha green tea tiramisu, in a cream cheese version. While realizing my tub of matcha powder has only a teaspoon left (as most are used previously in my green tea muffins, donuts and chiffon cake), I turned down the idea and came up with another no bake dessert. Cheesecake mousse! I make use of the remaining half jar of Biscoff (after finishing half in my rice krispies recipe), whip it up to make this amazingly indulging treat for myself!

Make 6
You'll need:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8oz cream cheese
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup Biscoff spread

1/2 cup Biscoff cookies or Digestive crumbs
whipped topping, for garnish
ground cinnamon, for garnish

How to make biscoff cheesecake mousse:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and biscoff spread until creamy. 
2. In another chilled bowl, pour cold cream and beat until soft peak. Add cream cheese mixture and beat until it thickens.
3. Keep cheese mixture in fridge before serving.
4. When serve, divide digestive crumbs equally among serving cups, pipe or spoon in cheesecake mousse and dust each with ground cinnamon.

With all my love <3

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♥ Green Tea Muffins ♥

Last but not least, let's make something back to basic with matcha green tea again. The little muffins are full of antioxidant, healthy Omega-3 fats and magnesium. All these should credit to the addition of green tea powder and the pumpkin seeds that I topped on them. And woohoo! They finally turn out green in colour, which is miserable why it didn't happen the same for my chiffon cake. 

It is pretty amazing to make this recipe within 30 minutes and pop them in the oven. They smells so "green tea" indeed. I am sure they will perfectly pair with a cup of matcha latte! I would highly recommend a soy milk green tea latte such as this! To add on, if you don't like pumpkin seeds, you can also top them with other nuts or seeds, such as sunflower.

Make 6 muffins
You'll need:
65ml vegetable oil
60g granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
125g cake flour
2 tbsp matcha powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100ml milk
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds for topping

How to make green tea muffins:

1. Preheat oven to 165C. Grease muffin pan or line it with cupcake liners, set aside.
2. In a bowl, sift flour, matcha powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat oil, sugar, egg and vanilla together until well blended. Alternatively, add flour and milk. Mix after each addition until combined.
4. Divide batter evenly among muffin tins, sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

With all my love <3

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♥ Tiramisu Swiss Roll ♥

Swiss rolls are basically sheet cake being rolled up and normally filled with whipped cream, jelly, or cream cheese. And my tiramisu version has combined my favourite italian pudding in it. It is a scrumptious family-style dessert for gathering and party. 

I love making cake rolls and last Christmas I made my first attempt at pumpkin swiss roll with creamy cheese filling. That recipe has a slighly different procedure because of the addition of pumpkin puree that ensure a moist texture, eggs aren't separated. I don't find any difficulty in achieving a spongy texture for the sheet cake as long as you separated the eggs and beat the egg whites so that the cake rises, and so this tiramisu version comes up. To stabilise the beaten egg white, I added cream of tartar, but it is optional. And you can try using AP flour instead to make a denser cake. 

Make 1 cake roll
You'll need:
45g cake flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg whites
60g sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar, optional
extra cocoa powder, for dusting

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tbsp rum
1/2 tbsp espresso powder

How to make tiramisu cake roll:

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 12 by 8 inch retangular tray with parchment paper, set aside.
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder twice.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, oil, milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
4. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, if using, and sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
5. In 3 batches, fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Make sure mixture is mixed well in 3 increments.
6. Pour cake batter into prepared baking tray. Smooth the surface evenly and bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
7. Let cool for 5 minutes. Turn the cake on another parchment paper dusted with cocoa powder. Remove the parchment paper on top and from the short end, roll it into a roulade while still warm. Let cool for 20 minutes.
8. To make the filling, whip the cream with rum and espresso. Unroll the cooled cake and spread whipped cream evenly.
9. Reroll into a cake roll and store in fridge until serve. Trim the two ends to make it looks prettier.

With all my love <3

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♥ Green Tea Donuts ♥

Eating donuts is often a guilty pleasure for me. When it comes to Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts, it is just hard to resist. Fortunately, having some baked donuts are still wonders because they shaped like donuts without being deep fried and dusted with generous amount of sugar or glazed in sugar.

These baked donuts are so easy to make ahead of time, decorated beautifully and kicked off with a hint of matcha powder. Sounds healthy aren't they? Serve them warm with a cup of matcha latte!
If you cannot find matcha chocolate, try to make your own, such as this. And don't forget to check my green tea panna cotta infused with jasmine tea as well as cute little matcha truffles.

Make 6 donuts
You'll need:
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp matcha powder
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup full-fat milk
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp honey

1/4 cup matcha chocolate
Sprinkles of your choice

How to make green tea donuts:

1. Preheat oven to 220C. Spray donut pans with baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mxing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and matcha powder. Alternatively, you can sift them through a fine sieve.
3. Add beaten egg, milk, melted butter and honey. Mix until well combined.
4. Divide batter equally among 6 donut holes. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
5. Cool a few minutes in donut pan and invert them onto wire rack to finish cooling.
6. To decorate, melt chocolate in a double boiler or in microwave, dip donuts into melted chocolate and top with your favourite sprinkles. 

With all my love <3

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♥ Green Tea Chiffon Cake ♥

I know I know! Green Tea / Matcha cake are supposed to appear green in colour. But here you can tell my chiffon cake turns nothing like green. Even though it doesn't look like green tea, it tastes like green tea! Trust me! (Well, of course I wish I could have used a better quality matcha powder, as mentioned in the footnotes of Justonecookbook's recipe)

This soft-as-cloud angel-cake-like chiffon cake is another kick to my skill in beating egg white. Separating eggs, beating egg whites, and folding, are some crucial steps for making fluffy cakes. These steps may struggle you and sounds complicated, but worth making the steps for such amazing lucious dessert afterall.

Practice makes perfect. Examine and challenge your egg-white-beating skills with some of my other recipes such as the recent souffle cheesecake and Japanese castella cake. I frankly failed a couple times as well with the honey cake.

Adapted from Justonecookbook
Make 7 inch cake
You'll need:
3 egg yolks
3 oz sugar
3 tbsp oil
4 tbsp water
2.6 oz cake flour
1 tbsp matcha powder
1 tsp baking powder
3 egg whites

How to make green tea chiffon cake:

1. Preheat oven to 170C. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/3 of sugar. Add oil and water, mix well. 
3. Sift cake flour, matcha powder and baking powder and add to egg yolk mixture. Whisk until incorporated without lumps.
4. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, beat egg whites till opaque and foamy. Add remaining sugar and beat until stiff peak forms. 
5. In 3 batches, fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Make sure mixture is mixed well in 3 increments.
6. Pour mixture into ungreased chiffon cake pan. Tab the pan on the countertop to release air bubbles. 
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
8. Cool the cake upside down on a tall heavy bottle. Leave to cool completely before removing the cake pan. 
9. Using an offset spatula or sharp knife, run it around the cake. Invert and flip onto serving plate.

With all my love <3

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♥ Pigs in a Blanket (aka Mini Hotdogs) ♥

Pigs in blankets. Haha! Such a funny intepretation. To be frank, these mini hotdogs are absolutely a perfect gameday snacks. You can make them ahead and freeze them up before baking and ready to serve. Those sprinkles of poppy seed can be replaced with black or white or both sesame seeds. Oh! Don't forget to serve them piping hot alongside with some mustard and ketchup! Cheese dip will also be a great alternative.

Makes 12 mini hotdogs

You'll need:

1 sheet ready-roll puff pastry

6 jumbo turkey sausage / chicken sausage

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water)

poppy seed

How to make pigs in a blanket / mini hotdogs:

1. Preheat oven to 200 C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Cut each sausage in half crosswise. Set aside.
3. Defrost puff pastry according to package direction. Roll pastry out on floured surface. Cut large rectangle into half lengthwise, and then cut both small rectangles into 6 equal rectangles. 
4. Spread small amount of mustard on each pastry and place mini sausage on mustard. Brush the end with egg wash and roll up sealing the end. Put sausage rolls into refrigerator for 15 minutes to chill.
5. Remove from refrigerator and brush pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle with poppy seed and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until puff pastry is golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

With all my love <3

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♥ Chocolate Biscoff Rice Krispies Treats ♥

Surely most of us know how to make rice krispies treats. As dedication to my friend, who had sent me a jar of my favourite spread Biscoff, I made a twist on the traditional cereal bars with the addition of cookie butter. Cookie butter/Speculoos/Biscoff is like a "vegan" peanut butter that are made out of Lotus cookies. Caramel cookie taste-like. I simply love using them in all my bakings. You should check these recipes too: Biscoff Hazelnut Chocolate Blondies and Biscoff Biscotti glazed with that gorgeous Biscoff Glaze! 

These bars are just so amazing to snack on and without a doubt, they are pretty easy to whip up. A tip here, using mini marshmallows would be easier as they melt faster than regular ones. Pack these little babies in cookie bag or gift box as a gift away! Oh! And don't miss my Chocolate Biscoff Truffles too!

Make 16 squares
You'll need:
2 tbsps unsalted butter
20 marshmallows or 2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup Biscoff spread
2 3/4 cup rice krispy cereal
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips

How to make chocolate biscoff rice krispie treats:

1. Grease a 8 by 8 inch square pan. Set aside.
2. In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows until smooth. Take off heat and stir in biscoff spread.
3. Pour in cereal and stir until every cereal is coated. Pour into greased pan, press down to even the top and cool to room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in double boiler. Pour melted chocolate over rice krispies and cool until set. Cut into 16 equal squares and serve.

With all my love <3

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♥ Japanese Souffle Cheesecake ♥

Father's day is approaching. I have a special treat prepared for my daddy at the weekend, which is his favourite - Souffle cheesecake. The first time he had a souffle cheesecake was at a buffet. And we were all surprised that he loved it so much since he isn't a big fan of "dessert". I have came across a lot of Japanese recipes for this kind of cheesecake, and most often they call for many eggs and whatsoever that make me don't want to attempt them. Lately, I found a simpler recipe that only calls for 2 eggs even though it is still to be baked in a water bath.

I found it really important to wrap foil at bottom of the cake pan, and probably I would recommend double wrapping because if any water leaks, your cake will be ruined. Fortunately, my first attempt with souffle cheesecake doesn't fail with the use of single foil wrapping.

How about whipping the egg white? Nah! If you made french style macarons before, such as these and these, it is definitely no big deal for you, am I right? 

Make 6 inches cake
You'll need:
150g soften cream cheese
30g caster sugar
75ml fresh cream
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour

2 egg whites
30g caster sugar

How to make Japanese souffle cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Grease a 6-inches cake pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom of the cake pan with aluminium foil. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together cream cheese and sugar.
   Add the cream and egg yolks, one at a time.
3. Sift in corn flour. Pour batter over a sift into a bowl to remove any lumps. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. 
5. Add 1/4 egg whites mixture into cheese batter, stir well to loosen the batter and then add the remaining egg whites mixture. Fold gently to prevent deflating egg whites. 
6. Pour cake batter into prepared cake pan. Bake in a water bath for 40 minutes.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely. Refrigerate cake at least 3 hours or overnight. 

With all my love <3

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♥ Coconut Peanut Shaobing 椰絲花生燒餅 ♥

I am not so sure whether this dim sum is originated from Taiwan? or Japan? But those I often come across are commonly filled with red bean paste. Alternative to the adapted recipe, I have substituted the with a coconut peanut filling. With crunchy peanut-butter-candy like, a hint of coconut and chewy mochi cake, I am sure it will be as good as the original one.

Make 10 mochi cakes
Adapted from Happy Home Cooking
You'll need:

1/2 part granulated sugar
1 part crushed peanut
1/2 part dessicated coconut, optional

150g glutinous flour
30g granulated sugar
135g water
2 tbsp vegetable oil

How to make peanut shaobing:

1. Prepare filling by combining all the ingredients. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to boil. Add vegetable oil, immediately fold in glutinous flour and knead until a dough form.
3. Divide dough equally. Roll each into disc, spoon the filling into the middle of the disc and seal properly. Flatten each into a disc again. 
4. Place discs on a frying pan. Toast until golden brown.

With all my love <3

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