Monday 16 May 2016

[Recipe + Video] Blue Pea Flower Chiffon Cake - 蝶豆花戚风蛋糕

Hello everyone how's your weekend? Finally mid-year exam for the boy had ended last week and now I am back with my usual routines on trying out new recipes. Last week I baked the above chiffon cake using mixture of cake and rice flour together with blue pea flower water.

Initially I thought the cake will turn out to be either light blue or purplish colour but it ends up pale green which resemble matcha cake. Guess next round I have to intense the colour by adding more dried blue pea flowers while making the "blue water".


Blue Pea Flower (蝶豆花) also known as butterfly blue pea is a tropical vine growing around fence that bloom beautiful blue flowers. The petal is rich in vitamins A, C and E. According to some research and myth, drinks made using these dried petals can help to improve the immune system, beautify complexion as well as a natural collagen on itself.

Besides that you can also use the "blue colouring" (obtain by soaking a few dried petal in water) to make Thai or Malaysian cuisines like Blue Rice (nasi kerabu), Nyonya dumpling (with hint of blue rice), Khanom Chan (Thai dessert) and more.


BLUE PEA FLOWER CHIFFON CAKE
(蝶豆花戚风蛋糕)


I am sure you will ask how is the taste of this cake. To be honest blue pea flowers water has no special fragrant or taste so to enhance the flavour of the cake; lemon zest and vanilla bean are added to create a light and refreshing citric scent. Furthermore the use of rice flour also helps to make the cake more light and airy which resemble Japanese cheesecake texture.


(Yield: 17cm Chiffon Pan | Preparation: 15 mins | Baking Time: 40 mins)

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
15g caster sugar
20ml corn oil
50ml blue pea flower water
Zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod / 1 tsp vanilla extract
25g cake flour
25g rice flour

Meringue:
4 egg whites
55g caster sugar
5g cornflour

*note: egg used is 55g each with shell

Method:
1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla pod seeds until thick and creamy.

2. Next whisk in corn oil, blue pea flower water and sieved flours in order till it forms a smooth batter. Set aside.

3. Using an electric beater whisk egg whites until foamy, slowly add in sugar mixture (with cornflour) while whisking until it became stiff peak (meringue stays in bowl when overturn).

4. Gently fold meringue in 3 batches into the cake batter till combined.

5. Pour batter on height into the chiffon tin (I have placed some soaked blue flowers (pat dry with kitchen paper) on the base of the tin).

6. Smooth the top and bake in preheated 160°C (284°F) oven (2nd lower rack) for 10 minutes.

7. Lower the temperature to 140°C (356°F) and continue to bake for another 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted in centre and comes out clean.

8. Remove from oven and immediately invert tin over a mug to cool the cake completely before removing it from pan.

9. Using a plastic spatula to go around the sides of the tin to loose the cake.

10. Remove it from pan and repeat the same process on the centre core and bottom to completely remove the cake.


11. To serve, drizzle cake with lemon icing (optional) and some fresh blue pea flowers.

Lemon Icing:
3 tablespoons icing sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Mixing icing sugar and lemon juice (can add more or less) together until it achieve a piping consistency.


Blue Pea Flower Water
1. Simmer about 20 fresh blue pea flowers with 100ml of water for 5 minutes, drain and obtain about 50ml blue water.

2. Using kitchen paper tower to pat dry the flowers then arrange them at the base of the chiffon tin for decoration purpose (this steps is optional, you can discard the flower after extracting the blue water).

OR

3. Soak 5 dried blue pea flowers with 50ml of water for 10 minutes.

*note: dried blue pea flowers (兰花) is available at some of the Chinese medical hall together with dried rose and chrysanthemum flowers.


A demo clip on how to prepare Blue Pea Flower Chiffon Cake.



蝶豆花又称蓝花豆或蝴蝶花豆,它的花瓣具有丰富的维他命A,C和E。而且用来泡茶可以提高免免疫力, 帮助和促进皮肤的弹力和骨胶原。只需五六朵干蝶豆花瓣加柠檬片碎和少许蜂蜜调味即可享用。这里我用蝶豆花浸泡的水做了蝶豆花戚风蛋糕,因加了柠檬皮所以吃起来特别清香。

(分量: 17cm 戚风烘盘    |   准备: 15分钟    |   烘烤时间: 40分钟)
材料:
3个蛋黄
15克砂糖
25克低筋面粉
25克粘面粉
20毫升玉米油
50毫升蝶豆花水
1粒柠檬皮碎
1条香草荚

蛋白霜:
4个蛋白
55克砂糖
5克玉米粉

* 注意食谱使用55克鸡蛋

做法:
1. 把5朵干的蝶豆花浸泡在50毫升的热水中大约10分钟。捞起后用厨房纸吸干水份才排列在威风蛋糕模里,备用。

2. 蛋黃,砂糖,柠檬皮和香草豆用手拌器打到浓稠(大约2-3分钟)之后顺序拌入玉米油,50毫升蝶豆花水和篩好的面粉(低筋加粘面粉)成面糊状,备用。

3. 用电动搅拌机把蛋白打至泡沫状,再慢慢加入砂糖(糖和玉米粉混合在一起)打至起角及企身,即蛋白的尖峰挺立不下垂。

4. 接着把蛋白霜分成分三次拌入面糊,切记不可太用力搅拌, 轻轻拌匀即可否哲烘好的蛋糕会下沉。

5. 最后把面糊倒入扑好蝶豆花的威风蛋糕模,抹平表面才放进以預熱160摄氏度的烤箱烤大约10分钟。(我家的烤箱是用最后第二层

6. 接着调底烤箱的温度到140摄氏度再继续烤大约30分钟直到蛋糕里面熟透。

7. 出炉立即倒扣在一个高杯上,待凉才脱模。

8. 你可以用少许的柠檬糖霜 (3汤匙糖粉加一些柠檬汁,搅拌均匀)做点缀。




To go with the chiffon cake, you can make a cup of Blue Pea Flower Tea together with honey and lemon to enhance the taste. This drink is rich in antioxidant and proteins and it also has many other health benefits such as stimulate blood circulation, slow down aging process, keeping skin glowing and many more.

(Yield: 1 serving | Preparation: 10 minutes )

Ingredients:
6 dried blue pea flower
200ml hot water
1 tablespoon of wild honey
1 slice of lemon

Method:
1. Place flower petals into a cup of hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally until water turns blue in colour).

2. Sweeten tea with honey and a slice of lemon and serve warm. Alternatively you can chill it in the fridge or add in a couple of ice cubes.

4 comments:

  1. Haha looks like everyone is baking a chiffon of one flavour or another! Your blue pea flower chiffon looks so sweet, with the subtle tinge of blueness in the cake. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks for dropping by :) love your gula melaka chiffon too and am going to try making kimchi with your step-by-steps guide too :p

      Delete
  2. Hi, can I skip the lemon zest? Also is it possible to use 3 eggs white instead of 4?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hwee Young, yup you can omit the lemon zest and use 3 egg whites provided the size of eggs used is 65 - 70g each.

      Delete

Dear All,

Thanks for leaving down your comments. I do value each and every of your suggestion(s) or comment(s) so if you are signing off as Anonymous, please kindly leave your Name so that I could address you. Thanks

Lastly, please DO NOT SPAM as Spam comments will be deleted immediately.

Regards
Ellena (Cuisine Paradise)

ShareThis