This cake marks the official debut of my new chiffon pan bakes! :)
When I first took the chiffon cake out of the oven, I was disheartened. The top was badly cracked and looked real ugly (which you may not be able to tell since the cake was inverted for photo-taking and serving). However when I unmolded and sliced the cake, my heart skipped a beat. I am pleased to announce that this Pu-Erh Chiffon Cake has passed the test! I am refering to my own chiffon cake test and with this bake, my chiffon cake success rate has improved slightly. Hehe... The moral of the story is don't jump into conclusions too soon and judge a chiffon cake by its "initial" appearance!
This chiffon cake is very soft and fluffy. On top of that, it has a light, nice tea fragrance. If you are a tea lover like me, I am sure that you will love this cake! :)
I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #1: Chiffon Cakes (Nov 2010) hosted by Small Small Baker.
Thanks to Happy Home Baking for sharing the recipe. :) I made some modifications to the recipe to make Pu-Erh Chiffon Cake.
Pu-Erh Chiffon Cake (普洱戚风蛋糕)
Adapted from: Happy Home Baking
Ingredients (Makes an 18-cm tube cake)
(A)
3 egg yolks
40 g castor sugar
100 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp Pu-Erh tea powder
50 ml vegetable oil
75 ml water
(B)
3 egg whites
40 g castor sugar
Method
1. Sift cake flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside.
2. Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl, add sugar in 3 separate additions and with a manual whisk, whisk till the mixture becomes sticky and turns pale.
3. Drizzle in the oil, whisking at the same time till the mixture is well combined. Repeat the same with the water.
4. Add in the flour mixture and whisk until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter.
5. Add in the tea powder and mix well.
6. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Add the beaten egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.
8. Pour batter into an ungreased 18-cm tube pan. Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 45 – 50 minutes or until the cake surface turns golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let it cool completely before unmold.
Notes
- If the tea leaves are coarse, use a mortar and pestle or a grinder to grind it till fine and powdery before use.
- I steeped the tea powder in 75 ml hot water for a few minutes. The tea powder and water were cooled and added together in the batter, after the oil addition.
- I used 2 Richshaw Pu-Erh tea satchels. If you prefer a richer and stronger tea flavour, you can consider using more tea satchels.
