Steamed Green Tea Cake with Black Sesame Seeds

Author: Unknown // Category:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons powdered green tea
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 6 egg whites
  • 2 teaspoons black sesame seeds, garnish

Directions

  1. Set a bamboo steamer large enough to contain a 9x9 inch pan over simmering water. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and green tea powder. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, water and vanilla extract. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until mixture has tripled in volume. Fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
  3. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold whites into the egg yolk mixture. Pour batter into the cake pan.
  4. Place cake pan in steamer. Stretch a kitchen towel over the cake pan without touching the surface, then cover with steamer lid. Steam cake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and cut into pieces before serving.

Chinese Steamed Cake

Author: Unknown // Category:

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

  1. Arrange a large bamboo steamer or a large vegetable steamer over simmering water. Make sure it is large enough to hold the baking pan. Line a 9 inch square pan with waxed paper.
  2. Separate the eggs. Place the yolks in a large bowl along with the sugar and water. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until the mixture has increased about three times in volume. Whisk together the flour and the baking powder; sift this over the egg mixture, and fold in gently. Blend in the extract.
  3. Whip the egg whites in a clean bowl to stiff, not dry, peaks. Fold into yolk base. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and smooth out to edges. Rap the pan on the counter to get rid of large air bubbles.
  4. Place the pan into the steamer. Cover the top of the steamer with a kitchen towel, and place the lid on top; the towel will absorb any steam that collects on top from dripping onto the cake. Steam for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

Drozdzowka (Polish Yeast Plum Cake)

Author: Unknown // Category:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • 2 (2 ounce) packages cake yeast
  • 1 1/3 cups margarine
  •  
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  •  
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/8 cups white sugar
  • 8 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  • 1 cup whole milk, or as needed
  • 6 cups fresh plums, pitted and quartered
  •  
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

  1. In a saucepan over very low heat, warm up 1/2 cup of milk to no more than 100 degrees F (38 degrees C); stir in 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Remove from heat. Crumble the cake yeast into the milk mixture, and gently stir until the mixture becomes creamy. Cover the pan with a cloth, and set aside in a warm place until the yeast forms a spongy texture, 20 to 30 minutes. While yeast is rising, melt margarine in a saucepan over low heat; remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish, and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
  3. Place eggs and 1 1/8 cup sugar into a blender, and process until the mixture is yellow and fluffy. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 8 cups of flour with vanilla sugar. Scoop in the egg mixture, activated yeast mixture, and lukewarm margarine; start kneading 1 cup milk, or as needed, into the dough, a little at a time, until the dough stops sticking to your fingers and becomes smooth and even. Knead for at least 15 minutes, working to incorporate as much air as possible into the dough as you knead.
  4. Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking sheet, and arrange the plums over the top of the dough. In a bowl, cut together 1 1/2 cup flour, the butter, and 1/2 cup of sugar with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs; sprinkle the streusel mixture over the plums. Dust streusel with cinnamon.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Zwetschekuchen (German Plum Tart)

Author: Unknown // Category:

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup butter, cut into chunks
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon water, if needed
  • 3 pounds Italian prune plums
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste

Directions

  1. Place the flour, 1 1/3 cup of sugar, lemon peel, cinnamon, and butter into the work bowl of a food processor, and process until the mixture turns grainy. Stop the machine, add eggs and egg yolks, and process in the machine until the mixture gathers itself up into one dough ball. If the dough doesn't ball up, stop the machine, sprinkle several drops of water onto the dough, and process again. Place the dough into a covered container and refrigerate at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.
  2. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes to warm up.
  3. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to make a 9 1/2-inch circle. Dough will be rich and sticky. Scrape up the dough circle, and press into a 9-inch pie dish. Quarter and slice the plums, and place skin sides down onto the dough in a neat ring, starting at the outer edge and working in a neat row towards the center.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until the plums are bubbling hot and the crust starts to brown, about 45 minutes.
  5. Allow the tart to cool, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar before serving.

Mint Brownie

Author: Unknown // Category:
YIELD: 1 jelly roll pan

Ingredients: The Brownie Layer

* 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

* 1 1/2 cup of Hershey's syrup

* 4 eggs

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 cup all purpose flour

* Pinch of anise (Optional)

* Pinch of cloves (Optional)



Ingredients: The Mint Layer

* 2 cups powdered sugar ( I sift it - if it's lumpy or clumped)

* 1/2 cup (1 stick)softened butter

* 1 tablespoon water

* 3 drops of green food coloring

* 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Ingredients:The Thin Chocolate Frosting Layer

* 1 cup of MINT chocolate chips (if you can't find this - use normal chocolate chips and add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract)

* 6 tablespoons of melted butter

Brownie Layer Procedure
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly butter a jelly roll baking pan.

Melt the butter and stir in a can of Hershey's chocolate.

Set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl

Add the chocolate mixture, flour, and vanilla.

* If you want - add a pinch of cloves and a pinch of anise powder. (Again it's an option)

* Stir until just blended. Don't go for light fluffy and airy. Just blend.

* Cook 20 minutes (really!) The top will look wet. That's what you want. Just kinda wiggle the pan to make sure the batter is cooked.

NOTE: The look will fool you - that's why you want to tooth pick test or wiggle the pan. Put the brownies in the fridge to cool down while you make the mint layer. They don't need to cool off to "cold". But they need to cool some.

Mint Layer Procedure

* Combine all the mint layer ingredients in a bowl. (The powdered sugar, butter, and extract - leave the water out at first)

* Beat until all the lumps are gone.

* If you need the water - then add it. You may not. I just eyeball it. Spread this over the some-what cooled brownies.

This is the stage you want to cool everything down until it the two layers are set.

Thin Chocolate Layer Procedure

Stir the mint chocolate chips and the butter in small saucepan over low heat.

Stir just until smooth.

Cool slightly.

Pour over mint topping, if it doesn't spread evenly - help it out.

Sometimes I dip a thin spatula in water and move the warm frosting along.