Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas and a happy new year!!

6 items on Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa,
I have been a good and sweet girl this year. Wherever you are, whoever you are, please put me on your good kids list. :)
Love,
hanushi

Since Christmas is just round the corner, I would like to compile my Christmas wish list! :)

1. White glass cake stand
One of the things that I fall in love when reading Donna Hay magazines and The Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks are not just the wonderful bakes, but also the stylish and elegant cake stands that are featured. How I wish to own one of these beautiful cake stands too.

Source: Donna Hay

2. Non-stick small cheesecake pan
With the removable bases, this 6-cup pan is perfect to make small individual cheesecakes for dessert treats. The size of this pan is just right to put into my small oven too.

Source: Amazon

3. Cake and cupcake caddy
It will be lovely if I can put my bakes in a pretty and reusable cake caddy and bring them to a party to share with friends. It will be a bonus if the cake caddy can double up as an air-tight container and keep the ants away from the food.

Source: Amazon

4. Ornate cooling rack / wire trivet
I have a soft spot for anything that is pretty and sweet. These ornate cooling racks simply melt my heart away. Be awed by the exquisite design, don't you think that your kitchen will always have space for these pretty wire trivets?

Source: Donna Hay

5. Cupcake / Batter dispenser
With this cupcake / batter dispenser, messy worktops and wastage of batter becomes a thing in the past. I am sure your little ones will love to help you in the baking process too.

Source: Amazon

6. Silpat non-stick baking mat
A remarkable and useful baking tool that everyone who owns it, loves it to every bit. There is even one right size that can fit for my small oven. Bravo!

Source: Amazon

Let's sing-along

Drop your whisks and sing together, shall we?

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to Hanushi
Happy birthday to you...

Updates

I am always not good with electronics and electrical stuffs and when they fail me, I always end up feeling lost and angry. What should I do? How do I salvage the situation? Frustrating...

One unfine day last week, my laptop has decided to resign abruptly, without warning.

To keep the story short, for the time being, I will not be able to blog. Till further notice.

Gula Melaka Cupcakes

These rich and flavourful cupcakes get a perfect score in the taste department, largely attributing to the divine pairing of gula melaka and coconut. Strongly recommended! :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog.

Thanks to The Kitchen 70's for sharing the recipe. :)

Gula Melaka Cupcakes
Adapted from: The Kitchen 70's

Ingredients (Makes 3)
62.5 g unsalted butter
40 g gula melaka, chopped finely
1 egg, lightly beaten
50 g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Some desiccated coconut

Method
1. Sift plain flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and gula melaka till smooth.
3. Add beaten eggs in separate additions, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the flour mixture with a spatula.
5. Pour the batter into the cupcake moulds till 80% full and sprinkle some desiccated coconut on top.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 20 – 25 minutes.

Notes
- I used freshly grated coconut and moistened with a little hot water.
- I folded in some grated coconut after the flour mixture and sprinkled the rest of grated coconut on top.

Osmanthus Cupcakes

Osmanthus plays a subtle yet important role in these soft and delicate cupcakes. So faint is its scent that it could be easily overlooked in the midst of the crunchy pumpkin seeds. Savour these cupcakes slowly and you will be allured by the flowery and natural sweetness that it brings to these cupcakes.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #13: Enjoy Cupcakes! (November 2011) hosted by Min of Min's Blog.

Osmanthus Cupcakes
Adapted from: Fruity Cakes by Alex Goh

Ingredients (Makes 4)
62.5 g unsalted butter
40 g castor sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried osmanthus
1 large egg
90 g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of baking soda
45 g sour cream / plain yogurt
25 g sunflower seeds
25 g pumpkin seeds

Method
1. Sift plain flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter, castor sugar and dried osmanthus until light and fluffy.
3. Add in eggs one at a time and beat until smooth and light.
4. Add the flour mixture and sour cream (or yogurt) gradually and alternately. Mix well after each addition.
5. Add the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds and mix until well combined.
6. Pour the batter into the greased cupcake moulds and sprinkle some sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds on top.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 25 – 30 minutes.

Notes
- I used plain yogurt, omitted sunflower seeds and used 35 g pumpkin seeds.

Awards (Circle of Friends, Cutest Blog, Kreativ Blogger)

I would like to thank Kristy of My Little Space for passing these beautiful awards to me. I am very honoured and happy to receive these awards from her! :)

Kuih Kosui Pandan

I am not a kueh person, so do not be surprised when I say that I have never eaten Kuih Kosui Pandan before. Hehe...

I did not do a good job during unmolding as you can already tell from the photo. Other than that, these pandan-flavoured kuehs are fantastic: Fragrant, soft and springy, just the way a kueh should be. :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by Small Small Baker.

Thanks to Maameemoomoo for sharing the recipe. :)

Kuih Kosui Pandan
Adapted from: Maameemoomoo

Ingredients (Makes 5)
45 g rice flour
12.5 g tapioca flour
37.5 g sugar
75 ml thick coconut milk
2 pandan leaves
112.5 ml water

For topping
Some grated coconut
Pinch of salt

Method
1. For topping: Mix grated coconut and salt together and steam over high heat. Set aside to cool.
2. Blend pandan leaves with water and strain to get the pandan juice.
3. Sift rice flour and tapioca flour into a mixing bowl. Add in all the rest of the ingredients, except grated coconut.
4. Mix thoroughly and stir over low heat till mixture thickens.
5. Pour the mixture into the greased patty tins and steam over medium heat for 20 minutes.
6. Cool completely before removing from patty tins. Serve with grated coconut.

Notes
- I replaced the pandan juice with equal amount of water and a few drops of pandan paste.

Green Tea Ang Ku Kueh

Don't ask me how an Ang Ku Kueh would taste like; I seriously don't remember when is the last time I ate one. The baking session with Cathy last week kinda changes my impression on these long-forgotten kuehs. :)

Before you start to wonder whether I post the wrong set of photos, let me reassure you: These are truly kuehs! Haha... The reason why they look like mooncakes is because I do not have an Ang Ku Kueh mould, hence I turn to my mooncake plunger instead. :P

I guess by now, most of you would have known that I am a matcha fan. These Green Tea version of Ang Ku Kuehs are no exception, I love them to every bit. To me, it is like eating a softer and stickier version of green tea mochi with red bean filling. :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by Small Small Baker.

Thanks to Jane's Corner for sharing the recipe. :)

Green Tea Ang Ku Kueh
Adapted from: Jane's Corner

Ingredients (Makes 12)
(A)
25 g rice flour
55 ml water
(B)
125 g glutinous rice flour
5 g green tea powder
15 g sugar
110 ml water
1 1/2 tbsp oil

Filling
180 g red bean paste

Method
1. In a bowl, mix the ingredients (B) except oil together.
2. In a saucepan, cook ingredients (A) till thick.
3. Mix both (A) and (B) together and add in oil to form a soft dough.
4. Divide the dough and fillings into 12 portions respectively.
5. Wrap a filling in the dough, press into shape using a greased mould and place the kueh on lightly greased banana leaves.
6. Steam for 7 – 8 minutes over medium heat and brush some oil on the surface of the kuehs.

Notes
- The dough was very soft. I added extra flour (10 g rice flour and 5 g glutinous rice flour) after the oil step. Rested the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before and after shaping.

Coffee Marble Chiffon Cake

A very soft chiffon cake with a light coffee taste. As I slice the cake, I am intrigued by the unique marbling effect of each and every piece. :)

Coffee Marble Chiffon Cake

Ingredients (Makes an 17-cm tube cake)
1 tbsp instant coffee powder
1 tbsp hot water
3 eggs, separated
60 g granulated sugar
30 ml vegetable oil
50 ml water
70 g cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp corn flour

Method
1. Sift cake flour and baking powder together. Dissolve coffee powder in hot water. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and ½ of the sugar together until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add in oil and mix well, followed by water.
4. Add in flour mixture and whisk until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter.
5. In a clean dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until frothy and foamy. Add the remaining sugar and corn flour in 2 additions and beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Add ⅓ of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk batter using a hand whisk and mix well.
7. Add in the remaining of the egg whites to the batter and fold gently using a spatula until fully incorporated.
8. Take ¼ of the batter out and mix in coffee mixture lightly.
9. Pour the coffee batter back into the plain batter and mix the two batters in one big fold using the spatula.
10. Pour the batter into an ungreased 17-cm pan and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 35 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and invert the pan immediately. Let it cool completely before unmold.

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins

Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
Adapted from: 孟老师的100道小蛋糕 by 孟兆庆

Ingredients (Makes 5)
1 egg
40 g castor sugar
50 g vegetable oil
35 g fresh milk
80 g plain yogurt
100 g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of baking soda
50 g blueberries, dried or fresh

Method
1. Whisk the eggs and sugar together till pale and sugar is dissolved.
2. Add in vegetable oil and mix well.
3. Add in the milk and yogurt, continue to mix well until thick.
4. Sift in cake flour, baking powder and baking soda and fold gently with a spatula. Do not over-mix; mixture should be lumpy.
5. Add in the blueberries and fold gently.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups till 70% full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 25 – 30 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes
- Fresh milk was replaced with hot water and cake flour with plain flour.

Oreo Muffins

Thanks to Jane's Corner and Forbidden Garden for sharing the recipe. :)

Oreo Muffins
Adapted from: Jane's Corner and Forbidden Garden

Ingredients (Makes 5)
60 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
35 g castor sugar
50 g (1) egg
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
60 g fresh milk
40 g buttermilk / plain yogurt
105 g plain flour
4 g baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder (Optional)
6 - 8 pieces Oreo biscuits, coarsely crushed
Some chocolate rice (Optional)

Method
1. Sift plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon powder together. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar till pale.
3. Add in egg and continue to beat until well-combined.
4. Heat up the fresh milk and buttermilk (or yogurt) till slightly warm. Add the milk mixture into the egg mixture and mix well.
5. Add in vanilla essence, followed by the flour mixture and mix well.
6. Add in the coarsely crushed Oreo biscuits and chocolate rice, mix gently until just combined.
7. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until ⅔ full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes or until cooked.
8. Cool the muffins on a wire rack after baking.

Notes
- I omitted cinnamon powder and chocolate rice. 8 pieces of Oreo biscuits were coarsely crushed with the cream.
- Plain yogurt was used and fresh milk was replaced with hot water. I mixed yogurt and hot water together and did not heat up the mixture.

Fun Baking Time

I have an enjoyable baking time with Cathy this afternoon. :D Really so much fun baking together and I have certainly learnt a lot from her. Time just flies so fast when you are having fun, don't you agree? Let's bake again next time, Cathy! :)

Roti Boy Buns

Our very own Roti Boys! :) I must say that these buns are really soft and springy. The fragrance of the coffee aroma when the buns are churning in the oven is a prelude of irresistibly delicious buns. Best eaten when warm. :D


Green Tea Buns

I had great fun piping the matcha topping on top of these little buns. I can only say that I have a lot of room for improvement in the area of shaping buns and piping skills, which is one of the reasons (who knows that might be the main reason) of the uneven matcha crust layer. Hehe... :P


Black Glutinous Ang Ku Kueh

I have never dreamt that I will be making these kuehs. Thankfully, Cathy suggests doing it for this month Aspiring Bakers' theme and doing together doesn't seem such a daunting task after all. :)


Please refer to Cathy's Joy for the recipes of the Roti Boy Buns / Green Tea Buns and Black Glutinous Ang Ku Kueh. :)

We are submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #12: Traditional Kueh (October 2011) hosted by Small Small Baker.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake

I did not manage to achieve the desired height as shown by Carol 自在生活, my fault for baking in a rush. Taste-wise, you can never go wrong with a chiffon cake. :)

Blueberry Chiffon Cake
Adapted from: Carol 自在生活

Ingredients (Makes a 20-cm tube cake)
(A)
5 egg yolks
25 g castor sugar
33 g vegetable oil
100 g blueberries, fresh or frozen
100 g cake flour, sifted
(B)
5 egg whites
1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
40 g castor sugar

Method
1. Blend the blueberries until puree. Set aside.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until pale.
3. Add in oil and whisk till well-combined, followed by blueberry puree.
4. Add sifted flour in 2 additions and whisk until the flour is fully incorporated into the batter and the batter is smooth and lump-free. (Do this swiftly to prevent gluten from forming)
5. In a clean dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric beater until frothy and foamy. Add in lemon juice and sugar in 2 additions and beat until stiff peaks form.
6. Add ⅓ of the beaten egg whites to the egg yolk batter using a hand whisk and mix well.
7. Add in the remaining of the egg whites to the batter and fold gently using a spatula until fully incorporated.
8. Pour the batter into the ungreased 8-inch pan and smoothen the surface with a spatula. Tap the pan lightly on a table top with both hands to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 10 minutes. Take out from the oven. Using a small knife, gently draw a (*) on the surface using 3 strokes. Bake at 150°C for another 40 minutes or until 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
- For this recipe, use cold eggs.
- If the top of the cake turns brown too quickly, cover the top with a foil.
- I omitted lemon juice.
- I did not take out from the oven to draw the (*).

And it goes to...

I shall not keep you all waiting any longer for the results. I am equally, if not more anxious to know who is the lucky winner of my 1st giveaway.  :)

But before that, aren't you curious what the present is? Let me reveal the surprise present: A pretty silicon mould that you can use to make cakes, jelly, chocolate and many more!!! :)

A total of 16 participants. Since it is a manageable size, I chose to draw lots manually than to use an online random generator. I could have done it earlier, if not for waiting my camera battery to be charged, to capture the process.

Now I am ready to pick the lucky winner.

And the present goes to...

Congratulations to Esther (neyeeloh). Please contact me via email (that is available in my profile) to collect your present!

I hope all of you have fun participating in this giveaway! :)

Let's have a little fun!

As the title suggests, let's have a little fun! :) I am going to give a surprise present to one lucky reader. ^-^

At this point in time, I will not reveal what the present is, but rest assured it will be related to baking / cooking. It is my little way of showing appreciation to you who have been so supportive all these while. :)

This giveaway is open to anyone from anywhere. To enter, leave your comment below in the following format:
- Your nickname and where are you from?
- Your blog / Your email
- Anything you want to say. :)

All entries are due by 30th September 2011, 10 pm (Singapore time). The lucky winner will be announced within a week.

Good luck and have fun! I look forward to your participation. :)

Update on 30 Sept 2011: Thanks for all your participation! This giveaway is now closed. :)

Shanghai Mooncakes

I put my mooncake making on hold for a while so that my family members will not be overwhelmed with eating too many mooncakes. I know that the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, so bear with me meanwhile. :)

With the remaining of the lotus paste, I finally get to try this long-overdue Shanghai Mooncakes recipe that I have been bookmarking since last year. These buttery and crumbly pastries are so addictive that I left no crumbs lying around. :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Thanks to Jane's Corner for sharing the recipe. :)

Shanghai Mooncakes
Adapted from: Jane's Corner

Ingredients (Makes 4)
20 g icing sugar
6 g egg, lightly beaten
40 g butter, cubed
60 g plain flour
10 g custard powder
Some black sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds / melon seeds, for sprinkling

Filling
130 g lotus paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 4 portions of 32.5 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Sift plain flour and custard powder together. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, sift icing sugar and add in egg and butter. Beat well till well-combined.
4. Add in the flour mixture slowly and knead into a soft dough. Divide into 4 portions of around 35 g.
5. Flatten a piece of dough into a round shape and wrap in a filling. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
6. Place the sealed ends facing downwards on a baking tray. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with some black sesame seeds / pumpkin seeds / melon seeds on top.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes
- I replaced custard powder with 10 g corn flour and few drops of vanilla essence.
- For egg wash, I used the remaining beaten egg and applied a second egg wash 10 minutes into baking.

In search of White Cake (白饼)

One of my favourite confectionery when I was young is this old-fashioned White Cake (白饼) that is coated with a lot of flour. How I miss these classic cakes...

Photo by Chinatownology

"White cake has a sponge cake like body and generously powdered with flour. It is almost always offered in a stack of 3 gently sitting on top of each other in a transparent plastic bag sealed with a strip of red tape. It taste sweet and powdery and very very soft with a pleasant fragrance." - Chinatownology

I have a favour to ask all of you, my talented baker friends: If you have come across any good recipe or know how to make these White Cake (白饼), please share with me. Hugs. :)

Earl Grey Pound Cake

Finally, the slim pound cake tin that I have won earlier at The Kitchen 70's giveaway is put to good use. I am madly in love with the tin, for it moulds the baked products to a pretty rectangular. Thank you for your lovely gift, J.O. :)

This soft Earl Grey pound cake is lightly perfumed with the Earl Grey tea scent. For all avid tea lovers, this cake will definitely not disappoint you! :)

Thanks to 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 for sharing the recipe. :)

Earl Grey Pound Cake
Adapted from: 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 and 磅蛋糕 & 烤点心 by Ecole

Ingredients (Makes a loaf)
100 g butter, softened at room temperature
70 g icing sugar
2 eggs
90 g cake flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp (3 satchels) Earl Grey tea powder

Method
1. Sift cake flour and baking powder together. Add in the tea powder and mix well. Set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and add icing sugar in 2 additions until the batter increases in volume and pale in colour.
3. Add in eggs gradually, beating well after each addition.
4. Fold in the flour mixture using a spatula until flour mixture is fully incorporated into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 50 – 60 minutes or till cooked.

Notes
- I sifted Earl Grey tea powder together with the flour mixture.
- I replaced icing sugar with castor sugar.

Lemon Financiers

Financiers are small French almond cakes traditionally baked in rectangular moulds, hence earning the honour of resembling a gold bar. As I do not have the rectangular moulds, I baked these in heart-shaped muffin cups. Hmm, does that make them a heart of gold instead? Hehe... :)

These little cakes have a glossy crust, as though a thin glaze has been applied. Nutty and lemony, they are moistly soft and dense inside. No doubt, these financiers fall on the sweeter spectrum even though I have reduced the amount of sugar, which fondly remind me of macarons in terms of their sweetness and similar ingredients. :)

Thanks to Technicolor Kitchen for sharing the recipe. :)

Lemon Financiers
Adapted from: Technicolor Kitchen

Ingredients (Makes 6)
87.5 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
50 g ground almonds
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
Lemon zest, finely grated from 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
80 g icing sugar, sifted
35 g plain flour, sifted

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Butter well six ⅓-cup (80 ml) capacity muffin pans.
2. Place the butter, ground almonds, egg whites, lemon zest and juice, icing sugar and flour in a large bowl and stir just until combined.
3. Equally divide the batter among prepared pans – they should be just over ½ full.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
5. Allow to stand in pans for 5 minutes then turn out onto a cooling rack.

1st Blog Anniversary

Ho ho ho... Simply Hanushi (this blog) is turning one tomorrow and I just can't believe how fast time flies! :)

I am not good at expressing myself and neither do I have a flair for writing. As much as I want to share many of my thoughts, I end up staring at the screen in front when drafting and don't know what to write. Hehe... :P

Throughout the year, I am glad that all of you have become a part of my baking journey and exploration. I have gotten to know many of you with the same interest in baking through your wonderful blogs as well as those of you who have left lovely comments in this blog. :)

So I would really like to say "Thank You" to all of you for your continuous encouragement and support for this blog! :D

Home-baked Goodies

I want to say a big "Thank You" to Angel for her homemade mooncakes. I am really surprised and privileged to receive them. Even though I couldn't wait to sample them immediately, I waited patiently (or impatiently) till the next day: I want to take photos of these mooncakes with the natural lighting before they disappear in no time. Hehe...

Lotus Paste Pork Floss Butter Mooncake: The pastry is very crumbly and delicate. The slightly salty pastry compliments perfectly with the sweet lotus paste, presenting a balanced harmony. Awaiting me in the middle of the mooncake is a lovely surprise: flosses! Indeed a very interesting mooncake and I love it to every bit. :)

Walnut Mooncake: I am impressed with the pretty and unique appearance of the mooncake with the walnuts nicely tucked around the side. The lotus paste is skilfully wrapped in a thin pastry skin and the walnuts create a delightful nutty dimension to the soft and crumbly mooncake. Yummy! :)

Once again, thank you Angel! :)

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes

These Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes are so popular and well-raved that I certainly don't want to give it a miss this year! :)

What makes this mooncake special is its rich buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture and the addition of Parmesan cheese powder gives it a slightly salty taste, which goes perfectly well with the lightly sweet lotus paste. :)

Wishing all readers and blogger friends a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! :)

Thanks to 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 for sharing the recipe and Nasi Lemak Lover for translating the recipe to English. :)

Cheesy Shanghai Mooncakes
Adapted from: 鲸鱼蓝蓝小窝居 and Nasi Lemak Lover

Ingredients (Makes 6)
60 g Planta margarine
20 g castor sugar
2 1/4 tsp evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp Parmesan cheese powder
1 1/2 tsp corn flour
90 g cake flour
Some Parmesan cheese powder / melon seeds, for topping

Filling
180 g lotus paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 6 portions of around 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Beat margarine, sugar and milk till creamy.
3. Add in cheese powder, corn flour and cake flour, combine to form a soft dough.
4. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.
5. Knead the dough to smooth. Divide the dough into 6 portions of 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
6. Flatten a piece of dough with your palm and wrap in a filling. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
7. Place the mooncakes on a lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and leave it to cool slightly. Lightly brush the surface with egg wash and decorate the top with cheese powder or melon seeds. Continue to bake at 180°C for 10 - 15 minutes.
9. Leave to cool and store in an airtight container.

Notes
- I replaced margarine with butter, evaporated milk with fresh milk.
- I used a lightly beaten egg as egg wash and brushed with egg wash 15 minutes into baking.

Matcha Swirl Mooncakes

Using the same way as Teochew mooncakes to wrap the doughs, this series of matcha flaky mooncakes are layered with beautiful swirls. As compared to the Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes, these mooncakes have a slightly stronger matcha flavour, attributing from the matcha powder! :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

I am also submitting this to {Event} Natural Colour Bakes hosted by Hankerie.

Matcha Swirl Mooncakes
Adapted from: 爱和自由

Ingredients (Makes 8)
Water Dough
75.5 g plain flour
9 g Icing sugar
28.5 g shortening
31 g cold water

Oil Dough
61.5 g cake flour
2.5 g matcha powder
32 g shortening

Filling
280 g red bean paste

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 8 portions of around 35 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Water Dough: Mix plain flour, icing sugar and shortening together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in water and knead into a smooth dough. Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 4 portions of around 36 g each and shape round.
3. Oil Dough: Mix plain flour, shortening and yam paste together and knead into a dough (Do not over-knead). Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 4 portions of around 24 g each and shape round.

Assembling:
4. Flatten a piece of water dough and wrap in an oil dough. Pinch to seal edges.
5. With the sealed ends facing up, lightly flatten the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an elongated shape. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
6. Turn the dough 90 degrees with the end facing up. Roll out the dough into an elongated shape. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 20 minutes.
7. Cut the dough into halves to get 8 portions in total.
8. Lightly flatten the dough. With the cut side facing down, roll out dough into a round shape with the edges thinner than the centre. Wrap in the filling and pinch to seal the edges.
9. Place the sealed ends facing downwards on a lined baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.

Notes
- When wrapping the filling into the dough, try not to 'tug/pull' too hard, otherwise the layers will tear.
- It is better to flatten the dough into a larger round shape so it is easier to pinch to seal the edges.
- For the oil dough, I used plain flour instead of cake flour.
- I replaced red bean paste with ready store-bought green tea lotus paste (low sugar) filling.

Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes

I transformed the Red Bean Flaky Mooncakes recipe that I used last year to green tea flavoured by using store-bought green tea lotus paste (low sugar) filling. Without egg glaze, these mooncakes appear like little snowballs from afar. Ooh, I love the flaky crust to every bit! :)

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #11: Mid-Autumn Treats (September 2011) hosted by Happy Home Baking.

Thanks to Jane's Corner for sharing the recipe. :)

Green Tea Flaky Mooncakes
Adapted from: Jane's Corner

Ingredients (Makes 8)
Water Dough
90 g plain flour
5 g icing sugar
30 g shortening
45 g water

Oil Dough
70 g plain flour
35 g shortening

Filling
240 g green tea lotus paste

Glazing
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, for egg wash
Some white / black sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Method
1. Filling: Divide into 8 portions of 30 g each. Shape round and set aside.
2. Water Dough: Mix plain flour, icing sugar and shortening together until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add in water and knead into a soft dough. Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 8 portions of around 20 g each.
3. Oil Dough: Mix plain flour and shortening together and knead into a dough (Do not over-knead). Cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide into 8 portions of around 12 g each.

Assembling:
4. Flatten a piece of water dough and wrap in an oil dough. Seal the edges to form into a ball.
5. With the heel of your palm, gently press the dough down to flatten it lightly. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an elongated shape around 15 cm long. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
6. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll out the dough into an elongated shape around 20 cm long. Roll up the dough in a swiss roll style. Rest for 15 minutes.
7. Flatten the dough into a round shape and wrap in the filling. Seal the edges and place the sealed ends facing downwards on a baking tray.
8. Brush egg wash on the surface and sprinkle with sesame seeds on top.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Notes
- After wrapping the water dough and oil dough together and swiss-rolled twice, the dough was pressed in the centre using the thumb and all the 4 sides were pinched together and rolled into a ball. The dough was then flattened into a round shape and wrapped with a filling.
- I did not apply egg wash and omitted the sesame seeds for topping.

Matcha Snowskin Mooncakes

My mind is a total blank when it comes to remembering details: I can't remember where I kept the snowskin mooncake recipe that I used last year!

So I end up randomly grab a recipe and perform trial-and-error as I go along. My first few batches of the snowskin mooncakes are not satisfactory as the skin dough get torn most of the times when wrapping in the filling.

Finally, the matcha snowskin mooncakes turn out to be the most decent and presentable. Hurray!

It is going to be Mid-Autumn Festival soon. Wishing all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance! :)