Monday 29 April 2013

Pandan Chiffon Cake

This is my fourth attempt in trying to make this cake and I finally succeed for the first time! I was so happy that I finally made it.

I have always loved pandan cake because of the nice fragrance from the pandan leaves, plus the light and fluffy texture of the cake. Simply delicious.

Isn't this a very nice green colour?


 Ingredients 1

7 eggs Yolks
75g fresh coconut milk
Pandan extract (I use about 30 pandan leaves)
150g cake flour
4g baking powder (1 scant tsp)
95g sugar
3g salt
83g canola oil

Ingredients 2

7 egg whites
100g sugar


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160 Deg C.

2. Beat egg yolks and sugar till it becomes pale, thick and creamy or mayonise-like.

3. Add coconut milk and pandan extract*. Add canola oil. Whisk till evenly mixed.

4.Sift in cake flour, salt and baking powder and gently whisk the mixture till evenly mixed. Put aside.

5. Add sugar to egg whites and beat till stiff peak.

6. Add the egg whites mixture to the egg yolks mixture in 3 batches and gently mixed.

7. Pour mixture to a 2 piece chiffon tin. Make sure the tin is not non-stick. This recipe is too much for a 21 inch pan, so if you have a bigger pan, you may want to use it. For me, I still have some leftovers after pouring to the pan, and I bake the remaining in cupcake cups instead.

8. Bake for about 45 mins

9. After the cake is removed from the oven, flip the tin upside down and let it cool. When the cake is cooled, you may loosen the cake by sliding the knife along the side.


 * For the pandan extract, I used 30 leaves and cut them into pieces. Blend them with 1/2 cup water and squeeze out the juices. Try to use younger leaves which are soft and moist, and they give better fragrance too. Older leaves tends to be dryer, so you may not get as much juices. If you can get pandan leaves anywhere, you can always find those artificial flavoring from your baking suppliers stores.




Tada! When the cake came out like that, I can't help it but smile immediately. :) Love it. Looks pretty isn't it?


Monday 8 April 2013

Beef burger with cheese and portobello mushroom


Made some beef burger quite some time back. It was my first time making my own beef patties and quite surprisingly, it was very easy to make! Everyone loves it.. Adults.. Children... It was definitely a hit. :D It is also great for parties as well.


Ingredient for beef patty

1 small onion
500g mince beef
1 egg
1 tbsp vegetable oil / olive oil
4 burger buns
All or any of the following - Tomato slice, beetroot, horseradish sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, rockets, watercress


Method


Chop onions into small diced pieces. Tip the beef into a bowl with the onion and egg, then mix. The guide for eggs is about 1 egg to per pound of beef so that the patties will not crumble.

Divide the mixture into four. Lightly wet your hands. Carefully roll the mixture into balls, each about the size of a tennis ball. Set in the palm of your hand and gently squeeze down to flatten into patties about 3cm thick. Make sure all the burgers are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 mins.  

Heat the pan to medium hot. Lightly brush 1 side of each burger with oil. Place the burgers, oil-side down, on the pan. Cook for 5 mins until the meat is lightly charred. Don't move them around or they may stick. Oil the other side, then turn over using tongs. Don't press down on the meat, as that will squeeze out the juices. Cook for 5 mins more for medium. If you like your burgers pink in the middle, cook 1 min less each side. For well done, cook 1 min more.

Take the burgers off the pan. Leave to rest on a plate so that all the juices can settle inside.

Slice each bun in half. You may pop your buns into the microwave or a minute or two for a sligthly crsipy bun.

Depending on your preference, I like my beef burger with cheese and sauteed portobello mushroom. Totally in heaven!

Enjoy!!