Marble Pound Cake: 2nd attempt

This is my second attempts on marble cake. I'm using Carol's marble pound cake recipe, this time not dare to make any modifications, no banana, please!

Lesson learnt:

1. Butter should not be too soft.

2. No need to beat the butter until too smooth in the begining stage. 

3. oil dashing out is common situation in pound cake.

My heart sank when I saw the oil accumulate in the baking pan, I thought, oh no, again! But when I cut the cake, surprise, the texture of the cake looks nice and soft, no oily bottom like in my previous baked. 

Soft texture! :D

Penang Hokkian Style Deep Fried Nian Gao

Nian Gao, the glutinous rice cake was one of the best finger food at home.  This is the recipe from home, from my mum and also from my mother-in-law, this is the way a true Penang Hokkian lady would fried their Nian Gao. It is one of the taste ingrained since young. The memory of home and the place where I grown-up become very clear. I placed a piece of crispy fried nian gao in my mouth, the sticky gooey filling melted with the taste of sweet potato, always at the risk of burning the tongue. I remember how far we are now, outside my windows, I can see rain falling from the sky. 

Recipe from Ah Tze's kitchen play

Ingredients:

1 medium size Nian Gao, sliced into 1/2 cm slices.  

50g plain flour

a pinch of salt

50ml water, or lesser

sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/2 cm slices.

oil for deep frying

Steps:

1. Heat oil in wok.

2. Mix the flour and salt, add water and stir into a smooth sticky batter. (gradually add water)

3. Sandwich nian gao into two pieces of sweet potato, dip into the batter and fry over the medium heat until golden brown. (Remember not in high heat to prevent the nian gao from burning and the sweet potato undercook) 

4. Test the softness of sweet potato with a chopstick, it should be able to prick through the sweet potato easily. Drain on kitchen paper before serving.

Notes: 

1. slice sweet potato as thin as you can.

2. Heat oil in wok with high heat. 

3. Fry nian gao over medium heat.

I used chopstick to test the softness of the sweet potato.

Dark Brown Sugar Butter Toast

My first toast using Carol's Dark Brown Sugar Butter Toast recipe。I used gelatinized dough method 汤种法面团 instead of Lau Mian Fa 老麵法, because according to Carol, 老麵法 will add extra savoury to bread, I'm not sure whether I'm able to accept that extra flavour. Better be safe than sorry. As a whole, I'm happy with the glazing and texture of the bread. However, it will be great if the letter "C" on the bread can be taller.

Recipe adapted from Carol's 黑糖奶油吐司 Dark Brown Sugar Butter Toast , with minor changes

Ingredients:
Gelatinized dough
250ml milk
50g bread flour

Steps:
1. In a bowl, add milk then stir in flour.

2. Bring batter to gas stove, on medium heat cook and stir until the batter thicken.

3. Leave the gas stove once the batter thicken, continue stir until swirling batter.

4. Once cool, the dough can be used directly, if saving in refrigerate has to use within 3 days.

A. Main dough
100g gelatinized dough
250g bread flour
1 egg
3/4 tsp instant dry yeast
1/4 tsp salt
30g fine sugar
40g unsalted butter
110ml milk (warm milk)

B. Filling
3 tbsp Dark brown sugar (I used 5 tbsp)

C. Galzing
1 egg


Steps:

1. Place all ingredients A into a mixing bowl (except butter), knead the mixture until forming a smooth nonsticky dough. (Liquid part has to reserve 20-30ml, add in slowly)

2. Add in butter. Knead the dough with the standard kneading method, which is in an action of pushing the dough out. Knock the dough on the work surface until the dough is able to form elastic film.

3. Roll the dough into ball, spray water on the surface and cover it with damp cloth. Let it proof for 1 hour (about 2 times bigger)

4. Once proofing complete, use hands to press out air. Roll the dough into ball, cover with damp cloth and let the dough rise for 15 mins.

5. Roll the dough into olive-shape dough, the width of the dough should be the size of your loaf pan.

6. Sprinkle the dark brown sugar on the dough, keep 1.5cm of the side clear of sugar, roll up from the shorter side.

7. Press down the side of the dough to form a cylinder. Seam-side down, place in the grease loaf pan.

8. Spray water on the surface of dough, let it proof in warm place for 50-60 mins.

9. Preheat the oven to 170C (I used 180C) when height of the dough has reached 90% of the loaf pan.

10. Egg wash the dough, bake for 35-38 mins.

11. Immediately turn out the loaf from loaf pan when it is done.

I used 180C instead of 170C for my oven, with baking time around 35 mins.

Love the wonderful sweetness of this dark brown sugar, its fragrance filled my kitchen when the loaf was done.

Initially the dough will be a bit sticky to handle, you need to resist adding too much flour to the dough, and try to slowly add in all the milk in the recipe. Thing will turn around when you finally add the butter. A very soft dough will eventually produce soft bread.