I've been blogging previously on blogger at this site. The previous blog was a mish mash of updates in life, trips I've taken plus some rants and raves in life. As 2 years passed, I came to realise almost all my recent posts were cupcake related. It was not intentionally so, but sometimes things turn out that way, and since then i've had a quasi baking blog.
As the new year rolled in, the seed of an idea to start a new blog dedicated to baking was planted. Through the past few weeks, the idea sprouted and took form...
So here I am, at the start of the year, with a fresh new blog.
To start the ball rolling, let me introduce you to one of my favourite flavours in the world - GREEN TEA.
Green tea is traditionally a Japanese drink. The clever Japanese have long discovered the benefits and healing qualities of green tea, which is essentially a tea leaf that is not fully oxidized. Chinese drink green tea traditionally too, but mainly the black teas are more common.
In the past decade or so there has been a reintroduction to this healthy substance not only as a drink, but infused into cakes, ice cream, biscuits and all sorts of yummy things. In my old blog I did a post about my favourite green tea foods, go have a look at it should you feel curious to learn more.
Recently Flavours magazine featured recipes from famous bakeries and cakeshops in the country. I was over the moon and considered buying 5 copies of the magazine as keepsakes! How many times can you get a whole collection of the yummiest desserts in town, full recipes and method of baking fully disclosed? It's a treasure trove!!
Over the year end holidays, I tried out the Green Tea Sponge Cake by San Terri. San Terri has branches at Bangsar Village 2, Hartamas Shopping Centre and Menara Hap Seng, amongst others. The first thing I noticed about the shop was its funky fabrics on their sofas. The ambience is casual chic with a hint of elegance.
The recipe was a success! The folded in egg whites created a fluffy and light texture, and the cake did not need rising agents! No baking powder, no soda bicarb! It was really really good.
Try it for yourself and tell me how you like it!
Recipe:
Green Tea Cupcake
110ml vegetable oil
130 ml milk
180g flour; sifted
10g green tea powder
4 eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
Instructions:
1.Preheat oven to 180c. Line cupcake tin with liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, milk, flour and green tea powder; add egg yolks and mix to combine. Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and sugar to the soft peak stage. Gently fold into flour mixture and pour into cupcake liners, 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Custard Cream
270ml milk
60g custard powder
270ml whipping cream
Instructions:
1. In an electric mixer, add milk and custard powder. Mix until smooth.
2. Add whipping cream and whisk until light.
- I did not get a light cream. Instead I had to put the mixture on top of a stove to lightly heat, while whisking continously, until custard thickens. Refrigerate until ready to pipe.
