Thursday, August 26, 2010

Pandan Chiffon Cake II

Here is how my Pandan Chiffon Cake with Butter, no vege oil, turned out.
I used the same recipe from the previous Pandan Chiffon Cake.  I omitted the vegetable oil and replaced it with 2 oz of butter.  I was careful to whip the egg whites to stiff peak but not dry, then fold it in gently to the egg and flour mixture.  This time the cake volume is higher than before.  The cake rose about an inch during the baking.  It is not as high as the Seadragon's Pandan Chiffon Cake.  In her photo, her cake rose above the rim.  I made sure the tube pan I am using is the same size.  The texture is not as 'fine' when the vege oil was mixed in.  But this is too early to decide if that is the reason.  I will need to bake a few more times.  It maybe because I have over beaten the eggs . . .  The cake is moist just like the Pandan Chiffon Cake I made previously.  It tastes delicious still - light and moist.   I am trying to upload the video to YouTube of how I folded the egg whites into the egg/butter mixtures, but it is taking a long time.
After over an hour, my video recording of mixing egg whites got uploaded to the YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UMECHANKICKS?feature=mhum  And I am happy to see so many other How To's at YouTube related to Chiffon Cake making.  I spent over an hour studying how others are doing it.  And I am convinced that mixing with bare hand would be the best method to mix the egg whites... and I would like to try that next. 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Chiffon Cake Testing

This is how my Chiffon Cake testing turned out. The recipe is from Happy Home Baking http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2010/08/breakfast-chiffon.html
Her work is always an inspiration for me. I was limited with time, so, I quickly tried the basic ingredients. Okay, I misread her baking pan size. So, my tube pan is the regular size. If it had been the small angel food cake tube pan, it would have looked normal. It looks like a wheel. I think that's how the wheels are invented...
It taste so good that I did not make time to make any frosting or cream... I should have. Maybe not this time round, but I will try to give it a finished look the next time.



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Pandan Chiffon Cake Adventure

PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE - doesn't it sound mysterious and delicious? I came across this recipe while visiting few of my favorite food blogsites (listed under "My Inspiration". ) I always wonder what that peculiar flavorful aroma I smell when I go near Asian pastry with 'green' color to them. I thought it was coconuts. After understanding that 'stuff' is Pandan - I went to the local Asian market in Sacramento to search for it. I found the fresh Pandan leaves. It was named Landau or something like that. I was not sure what it was, so I asked other shoppers, and they confirmed that it is Pandan leaves. Sadly, after the purchase, my work got so busy, I did not have the time to prepare it. So, after a week, I had to discard them. But I had Pandan Paste in my pantry from the previous week's shopping. (I was bit hesitant to use it because of the food coloring, but I only used a drop... it turned out beautiful color and added a delightful complimentary taste to the coconut flavor.) I didn't have fresh coconut meat to shave either. So, I used coconut powder mix to suffice. It brought back the memory of how we used to shave the fresh coconut meat with a shaver and squeeze the fresh milk out -- that was a good ole' days in S. Viet-Nam. In San Jose area, there are several bakeries (Hong Kong style) in 99Ranch that are quite popular. And many people love their cakes. I could not figure out what type of cakes they are. Now, I know--it is this Chiffon. The recipe for this Pandan Chiffon Cake is from the Seadragon's site at http://cornercafe.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/pandan-chiffon-cake/#comment-1635 As many other experienced bloggers have commented at both Happy Home Baking site or at Seadragon, the final gentle folding of the egg white is indeed challenging. This Pandan Chiffon Cake turned out great. Baked in the Angel Food Cake Tube pan. Baking at 160C. I read other bloggers' comments that baking at lower temperature prevents cracking at the top during the rise. Irregardless, I am very pleased with the result and taste. It looks great and yummy.



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