Clitoria Flower Chocolate Chiffon Cake

Melacca is famous for lot of things such as: chicken rice balls, gula melaka, coffee, art and craft, nyonya kuehs, etc.

I know most of the foodbloggers who love to make kuehs like me will be interested to know where to get the Dried Clitoria Ternatea or Butterfly pea flowers or Bunga telang. With this flower, we are able to produce the food in natural blue. Yes, I managed to buy the flower from Melacca! How I found it? Well, I asked nearly each food stalls which I stopped over at 鸡场街 about this flower, not a single stalls selling it! I managed to buy the flowers from a nyanya kuehs shop at the side lane out from 鸡场街, with RM5.00 a pack. After that I bought another two packs with a cheaper price from an old run down grocery shop at the end of 鸡场街, with RM1.60 a pack.

So sorry that I was in a hurry that I didn't note down the shop's name. The grocery shop is at the left side of the ice kacang stall, opposite the public toilet which is at the end of 鸡场街. With this clue, hope you are able to find the dried clitoria flowers too.

If you are my usual reader you will know that I rarely baked a big cake with the beautiful frosting, the reason of that is it requires time to do the deco and also I have no confidence in baking a big cake. 

WT's birthday was on Halloween, as we were just back from Penang and I didn't have time to shop for a good cake, I decided to brave myself baking a cake for him. His answered was "I can buy one when I get home!" Haha...no confident in my cake deco.

The cake sponge is a chiffon cake just because Gabriel likes this kind of soft cake. Do you see the green chiffon cake above? The blue juice of dried clitoria flowers mixed with the egg yolk and egg white turned the batter into green, I was thinking whether this is as simple as blue + yellow = green. 

The chocolate ganache didn't turn out well, I tried to stabilise it with a piece of gelatin but it was still runny. I fridged the cake for a few hours before WT cut the cake. He was delighted to see the cake .... haha, at least this is not a plain chiffon cake :) Gabriel also said yummy to this cake!

I really need to practise more on cake baking and deco!

Happy Birthday WT!

Recipe from Ah Tze's kitchen play

6" round springform pan

A. Egg yolk batter

5 egg yolks

90g top flour

15g fine sugar

30ml olive oil

5 tbsps dried clitoria flowers juice

B. Egg white mixture

5 egg whites

1 tsp lemon juice

60g brown sugar

C. Chocolate Ganache

200g dark chocolate, chopped

125ml double cream

D. Deco

Walnuts

Almonds

Strawberries

Bluberries

Steps:

1. For egg yolk batter: Mix the egg yolk with sugar, whisk until creamy. Add olive oil. Add the flour alternate with flower juice. Set aside.

2. For egg white mixture: Beat the egg white with lemon juice until foamy, add in half of the sugar, beat in high speed until soft peak, add in another half of sugar until stiff peak.

3. Stir in a portion of B to A. Fold in B to A in 3 portions.

4. Pour in the batter into baking pan, knock the pan on table top to reduce the bubbles forming in between batter. Bake at 170C for 40-45 mins.

5. Once baked, turn upside down the pan to let the cake shrinks to flat top. Let it cool completely before deco.

6. For chocolate ganache: melt the chocolate, cream in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stiring occasionally until smooth, add in the soften gelatin. Set aside to cool and it will thicken slightly. Refrigerate for later use.

7. For Deco: Pour the chocolate ganache on the cake, fridge it for an hour before deco. 

I'm back with ...

These chicken siew bao were made when I was in Penang. The pastry is better than my previous siew bao  but there is room to improve on the sealing part as the BBQ chicken source still leak out. I really love the taste of this yummy pastry :)

This is one of the busiest hawker centre at Lip Sim Garden in Penang. We were there on the morning of Deepavali (Indian's New Year) 

Banana Chocolate Cake from Secret Recipes.  

Is Grandpa's birthday!

Gabriel insisted to cut the cake and not to share the cutting session with Clement. Eventually it was Grandma holding Gabriel hand to cut the cake.



Gabriel had a great time staying in Penang because Clement is big enough to play with him. On the morning when we were going to leave Penang, Clement said he wanted to go Singapore with us. Gabriel who sat behind the car seat said "Of course, you can come Clement! No need to wear shoes, come!" When grandma took Clement away, Gabriel was very sad, he asked "why Clement can not come with us?" I told him, Clement has to get permission from his mommy.

Staying at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, having opportunity to see Kolam the decorative artwork drawn on the floor using coloured ground rice powder. It represents Hindu deities and auspicious signs that are intricately displayed in front of a home or a prayer room.

This is one of the shop which sell various types of coffee powder in Melacca. It is located at 鸡场街, this shop is full of coffee aroma. There is an atrium to allow sunlight coming down in the middle part of the shop, with a cup of coffee in hand to enjoy the quiet time this is beautiful.

I found another special thing in Melacca which I will share with you in my coming post. Bye and keep tune!

Kuih Talam (Steamed Coconut Pudding)

Today clearing my pandan juice (screwpine leaves) from the fridge :)

Kuih Talam is one of my favourite kuih, I ate half of the tray once it is ready for cutting :) The salty coconut topping blends so well with the sweet pandan bottom layer. The taste is so close to the Kuih Talam I ate when I was young. The memory of waiting at the doorway with my sisters for the Indian man who sell all sort of nyonya kuihs in his little push trolley to pass by my house, come back to me.  

I placed the grease banana leaves in the tray to make the kuih more flavourful. 

Recipe adapted from Aromas of Kuihs by Amy Wong

I changed a bit on the quantities because I used the 6 inch tray instead of the 7 inch tray as stated in the recipe.

Ingredients A (soaked for 15 mins)

50g green bean starch

150ml water

Ingredients B

180g sugar (used 120g)

70g rice flour

15g tapioca flour

Ingredients C (blended and filtered for 400ml 300ml)

100g pandan leaf

380ml water (used 250ml)

Ingredients D

1/8 tsp alkaline water (omitted)

2 drops green colouring (omitted)

Ingredients E (Top)

250ml coconut milk (used 200ml pack)

200ml water (used 150ml)

45g rice flour

35g tapioca flour

3/4 tsp salt

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients A, B, C and D. Filter and cook till slightly thickened. Pour the mixture into mould and steam for 30 mins.

2. Mix ingredients E. Filter and cook till slightly thickened. Pour the mixture onto step 1 and steam for another 20 mins. (medium heat) set aside to cool before cutting into pieces. You may place it in the fridge before cut for serving.

I'm submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by SSB of Small Small Baker. Also sharing this in the Muhibbah Malaysia Monday Event hosted by 3 hungry tummies.

Note: This should be the last kuih from me for this month, I'll be away for a week and happy baking to all!