From The Straits Times    |


PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE
By Lim Swee Chu, chef at Old School Delights

Makes an 8-inch cake

INGREDIENTS
10 egg whites
¾ tsp cream of tartar
6 egg yolks
170g Hong Kong flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
200g sugar
120ml corn oil
180ml coconut milk
1 tsp pandan paste*

*A liquid which adds colour and flavour to chiffon cakes. Available at Phoon Huat outlets (including 171 Bencoolen Street, tel: 6338-1143) and www.redmart.com.


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
2. Beat the egg whites and cream of tar tar in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, fl our, baking powder, salt, sugar, corn oil, coconut milk and pandan paste, and mix well.
4. Gently stir in the egg-white mixture.
5. Pour into a tube pan and bake for 50min.
6. Remove from oven, turn tube pan upside down and rest for 2 hours before removing the cake, so that it doesn’t stick to the sides. 

MARBLE POUND CAKE
By Olivia Teo, co-owner of Old School Delights

Makes an 8-inch round cake or a loaf

INGREDIENTS
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 block (about 227g) unsalted butter, softened
200g castor sugar
4 medium-sized eggs
1½ tsp vanilla essence
5 tbsp milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 175 deg C. 
2. Sift the flour and baking powder together, and stir in the salt. Set aside. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until fluffy and pale yellow. Add one egg at a time, beating until creamy, then add the vanilla essence. 
4. Fold in the dry ingredients by hand, and stir in the milk. 
5. Divide the batter into two, mixing the cocoa powder into one portion.
6. Spoon the batter into the cake pan, alternating between the plain batter and the cocoa batter. Using a chopstick, gently swirl the batter to create a marbling effect. Tap the tin to even out the batter and remove any air bubbles. 
7. Bake for 45-50min, or until a skewer into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

STRAWBERRY MOUSSE JELLY CAKE
By Kelvin Soh, owner of Dong Po Colonial Café

Makes an 8-inch round cake or a 7-inch square cake

INGREDIENTS
For the sponge base:
60g castor sugar
30g butter
3 eggs, beaten
½ tsp vanilla essence
60g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder

For the strawberry mousse:
170g white chocolate
200g heavy cream
200g strawberries, blended into a puree
A drop of red food colouring

For the strawberry jelly topping:
1½ tsp instant jelly powder*
20g sugar
100ml warm water
1 tbsp strawberry jam
*Available at Phoon Huat.

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 175 deg C. 
2. To make the sponge base, cream the sugar and butter in an electric mixer, then slowly add the eggs and vanilla essence. Sift the flour and baking powder into the batter, and fold in by hand until well-mixed. 
3. Pour the batter into a greased cake tin and bake for 23min, until firm and springy. Cool to room temperature or pop it into the freezer for 10min to speed up the cooling process.
4. To make the strawberry mousse, place the white chocolate in a bowl over a pot of water, over low heat. Gently let the white chocolate melt. Set aside. 
5. In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until it dribbles from the beater. The mixture should leave a trail but not be stiff. 
6. Add the melted chocolate, strawberry puree and food colouring, and mix well. 
7. Pour the mixture onto the sponge base, and chill for at least 4 hours. 
8. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the jelly topping and mix well. 
9. Spoon the jelly topping on top of the mousse layer gently to avoid creating bubbles. Chill for at least an hour to set.

This article was originally published in Simply Her August 2015.