Chocolate Cake Roll with Earl Grey Cream

Back with another cake roll per R and G's request.

They requested for chocolate and earl grey flavors and extra cream, so I added cocoa powder to the cake batter and infused the cream with earl grey tea. The resulting cake roll is dreamy. I love this classic earl grey chocolate flavor pairing, and the earl grey cream was absolutely divine on its own.

To make the earl grey cream, I infused about 200g cream (almost double the amount of what I used for the previous cake rolls) with 3 earl grey tea bags. I heated the cream up to a slow simmer and let the tea bags sit with the cream for about 45 minutes off heat.

Chocolate Cake Roll with Earl Grey Cream
recipe adapted from Neo Sook Bee on IG
makes one roll

Chocolate Cake:
30g oil
45g cake flour
14g cocoa powder
1g salt
50g water or milk
3 eggs
40g sugar
drops of lemon juice, optional to add to egg whites

1. Warm oil to 70C (158g).
2. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk to combined.
3. Add water and whisk.
4. Add yolks and whisk until combined and lump free.
5. In another bowl, beat egg whites. When bubbles are formed, slowly add in half of sugar. Keep beating until soft peaks form. Add rest of sugar and continue beating until medium peaks.
5. Fold egg white into egg yolk mixture 1/3 at a time until no more white streaks.
6. Pour batter in one spot onto lined pan. Smooth into even thickness and gently tap to rid of large bubbles.
7. Bake in preheated 325F oven for 20-23 minutes or until cake is spongy to touch.
8. Slide to rack to cool. Place a clean parchment paper over to prevent over drying.
9. Once is cool enough to touch, flip and peel off parchment paper.
10. Optional: trim off edges. On a short end, trim at a 45 degree angle. This will help with rolling/ sealing.
11. Spread a thin layer of cream. Roll and wrap to chill.
12. Chill for 1-2 hours before cutting.

Earl Grey Cream:
200g cream
3 earl grey tea bags

Over medium low heat, heat cream till simmer. Off heat. Add tea bags and steep for 30-45 minutes. Once cooled, chill in fridge before whipping.

Step by step photos:

 

 

Baked:

 

The skin peeled off evenly and revealed a nice "towel" roll. I would want extra cream too if it's this earl grey cream. 

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

5 stars for the earl grey cream, but the chocolate flavor can be more dark/intense

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Pillow-y airy cake with a creamy rich filling.

Hojicha Cake Roll with Hojicha Cream

Hojicha is roasted green tea with smoky notes similar to coffee. The taste is so complex and sophisticated. This cake roll has double the Hojicha and is perfect for any Hojicha lover!

Both the cake and cream have Hojicha powder added and are packed with the roasted tea flavor.

Hojicha Cake Roll with Hojicha Cream
recipe adapted from Sift and Simmer
makes one 9" x 13" cake

Cake:
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
40 g granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
30 g granulated sugar
30 g oil
30 g milk
45 g cake flour
10 g hojicha powder

Hojicha Cream Filling:
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp hojicha powder
1 Tbsp powdered sugar

Gently fold egg whites into yolk batter

Bake until top is dry and springy to touch

Make the Cake:
1. Line a 9" by 13" baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Add egg yolks to a large bowl. Add insugar and whisk together.
3. Next, add in toil and milk and whisk until combined.
4. Add in  sifted cake flour and hojicha powder. Use a spatula to mix together. Set aside.
5. With a stand mixer, gradually whisk egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add in cream of tartar. Increase the speed gradually and add in sugar in small increments.
6. Beat until egg whites reach medium peaks.
7. Fold egg whites into yolk batter in third until homogeneous.
8. Pour into lined baking tray. Smooth out batter and tap tray to remove any trapped air bubbles.
9. Bake at 375F for 13-15 mins, until top is dry and springy to touch.
10. Remove from oven and carefully drop it from a height of about 1'.
11. Transfer cake over to a cooling rack, with the parchment-side down.
12. Loosely cover top with a new piece of parchment paper.

Make the Hojicha Cream:
Add whipping cream, hojicha powder and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk until the cream thickens.

 

To assemble:
1. While cake is still warm, carefully flip the cake onto the new parchment paper, with bottom side facing up. Peel the old parchment paper off the cake.
*Optional to trim edges. Trim one edge at an angle for a more rounded roll.
2. Using an offset spatula, spread the hojicha cream over the surface of the cake.
3. Carefully roll up cake from the short side and seal the ends of the parchment. Place into the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours.
4. Slice with a serrated knife and serve.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Hojicha rich!
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Light and airy cake with creamy rich cream.

Banana Ogura Cake

This cake baked up so beautifully with moist crumbs and a smooth golden brown exterior. It's like a pillow. So soft and fluffy! The banana flavor comes through, and the light sweetness makes this cake crave-able at any time of the day. I love enjoying this cake plain.

Banana Ogura Cake
makes one 8" square pan
recipe adapted from Jeannie Tay

5 yolk + 1 whole egg
60g corn oil
160 mashed banana
1/4 tsp salt
70g cake flour
5 whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
65g sugar

1. Whisk egg yolks, 1 whole egg and corn oil until frothy then add mashed banana and mix well.
2. Sift in flour and salt and mix again until well combined. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white, cream of tartar and castor sugar until firm peaks formed.
4. Mix 1/3 of meringue with yolk batter with a hand whisk.
5. Add another 1/3 portion and fold gently with the whisk.
6. Pour in remaining meringue. Fold gently using a spatula until no more streaks of meringue can be seen.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan and tap pan lightly to remove air bubbles.
8. Bake in a water bath for 70 minutes at 320F.
9. Remove from oven. Drop pan at a 4" height onto a table top. Unmould as soon as you can.

Taste: 4.5 stars out of 5
Subtle banana flavor and sweetness just right.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
So light and fluffy yet moist.
Appearance: 4.5 stars out of 5
Smooth golden brown top. Would try baking this in a smaller pan to get a taller cake!

Memorial Day Weekend bakes recap

I baked two of my tried and trusted recipes - Blueberry Scones (step by step tutorial here) and Matcha Chiffon (recipe here) this past weekend. Both recipes are similar in that they are relatively simple and quick to put together.

Chocolate Strawberry Cream Cake

Throw back to my first successful chocolate sponge/chiffon cake in 2010 (original post here). My family and I loved it so much that I made this cake a couple more times following - as seen here and here. Somehow somewhere this recipe got a bit forgotten in the past 7 years or so.

For my dad's birthday this year, I decided to dig up this oldie to see if it's as good as remembered. I made some slight modifications and encountered a bit of a mishap.

Matcha Chiffon Cake

As covered California puts it, I am experiencing a life changing event (for the better). An unexpected layoff is really a blessing in disguise for me. I am hopeful and motivated to move forward to new opportunities. And in the meantime, I can really do more of what I love - baking!

One thing that will never change is my love for chiffon cakes. Their fluffy light texture is so dreamy, and matcha is the perfect subtle flavor to pair this cake with. I like my chiffon cakes cut into slices and eaten plain. They are perfect on their own with a cuppa.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake with Blueberry Chia Jam

I definitely did not want to mess up my mom's birthday cake like how I messed up mine but still wanted to be ambitious and try something I haven't done. A blueberry chiffon cake was the answer with its light and fluffy texture and fruity and lightly sweetened flavors! I am pleased with the way it turned out.

Blueberry Chiffon Cake
recipe adapted from Ten Thousand Taste Buds
makes one 7" chiffon cake

100g blueberries
30g (1/8 cup) sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

4 yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
50mL vegetable oil
80g cake flour
2/3 tsp baking powder
4 whites
1/10 tsp cream of tartar
60g (1/4 cup) sugar

1. Preheat oven to 320F.
2. In small saucepan on low, cook blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Simmer for about 8 mins until berries burst and mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. Beat yolks till fluffy and creamy.
4. Add cooled blueberry compote. Mix
5. Whisk in oil and vanilla extract.
6. Sift in cake flour and baking powder. Whisk until no more lumps. Set aside.
7. In a grease-free bowl, beat whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Continue beating, slowly adding sugar and increasing speed in increments. Beat till stiff peaks form.
8. Gently fold whites into yolk/flour mixture in thirds. Fold just until no more white streaks.
7. Pour batter into chiffon pan. Lightly tap on counter and run skewers through to get rid of any large bubbles.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and invert to cool.

Blueberry Chia Jam

1 cup blueberries
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

1. Place blueberries, chia seeds, lemon juice, and honey in small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Bring mixture to a low boil, stirring frequently and lightly mashing the blueberries.
3. Keep stirring until mixture thickens.
4. Remove from heat and pour into an air tight container.
5. Leave to cool then place in fridge to store.

Now comes the fun part of assembling after the cake and jam are ready.

Christmas Crack (& failed creme brulee matcha cake)

Let's catch up on some of my last bakes in 2016, beginning with this highly addictive Christmas Crack! This is an ingenious and simple treat to make, and it's really customizable to your liking. I obviously went for a nutty version and topped it with almonds. A sprinkle of sea salt helped to balance and highlight the sweet toffee and chocolate really well!

The possibilities are endless (pistachios, pecans, pretzels, coconut, etc), and I highly recommend trying them out if you haven't. Top it with pink sprinkles and gift them to your valentines this year!

Christmas Crack (a.k.a. Saltine Toffee)
recipe adapted from Dessert for Two
makes about 24 pieces

24 saltine crackers
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
5 Tbsp (71g) unsalted butter
1 cup (180g) chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (70g) almonds, chopped
sea salt, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line quarter sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Line up one layer of saltine crackers on the pan, leaving no space between crackers. (If using salted saltine, place salted side down)
3. In a pot, add butter and brown sugar and heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Continue boiling for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and immediately pour brown sugar mixture evenly over crackers.
5. Bake for about 5 minutes until toffee is boiling all over.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee. Let them sit for a minute until they are melted.With a knife, spread chocolate evenly over toffee.
7. Sprinkled chopped almonds and sea salt if using over the top of the chocolate.
8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
9. Break or cut into pieces and serve.

Chop up some almonds or nuts of your choice.

Chop up a bar of chocolate.

Bring sugar and butter to a boil.

Line your crackers.

Pour the boiling sugar/butter mixture over crackers.

Bake for 5 minutes until sugar bubbles and hardens.

Sprinkle chopped chocolate on top.

Let it sit for a minute and spread evenly.

Top with nuts.

Set and break it into pieces.

Chewy and crisp - Enjoy!