Recipe: Pandan Chiffon Cake with Coconut Cream

’This post is an entry into the Nuffnang ‘Fresh Recipe’ Network Competition, thanks to BRITA. Check out betterwithbrita.com for inspiration and exclusive recipes by Gary Mehigan’.

Ewww it's green, but what about Dr Seuss' 'Green Eggs and Ham'?

So you guys know that I don't often post recipes, perhaps it is this sense of insecurity that I have; there are so many food bloggers out there that are such talented cooks and share their amazing creations. As for what this recipe is going to be about, well you only have to turn to the title to know. To be honest, the concept of a family recipe is fairly foreign in my household, I guess you can say that we have had recipes that have been passed on from one generation to another but even that description seems a bit too overwhelming. This cake has been one of my signature cakes that I make for family, friends and family friends. Its selling point is the fact that it is incredibly fluffy and sorry the ordinary sponge cake has nothing on my cake. Also if you don't have much of a sweet tooth then this is you cake.

On a side note if you frequent Chinese bakeries a lot then this is that cake that is shaped like a cone except for the fact that I've decided to add pandan paste to this cake but when omitted it is that cake in those bakeries.

What you'll need otherwise known as 'Ingredients':

1 cup self raising flour

3/4 cup sugar (this is like the base amount, if you have a sugar tooth you can add slightly more)

1tsp baking powder

1tsp cream of tartar

8 large eggs (ideally at room temperature, if they have been in the fridge leave them in a bowl of tap water for a few minutes)

150ml water (I personally prefer and do in fact use filtered water for just about everything I use. I'm not sure if you guys fall into this category but normal tap water has a particular metallic taste to it where as filtered water is a lot sweeter and doesn't have an odd smell to it either. And being a sweet recipe, naturally the sweetness of filter water is catered to being employed over its tap water counterpart

100ml of oil (I prefer either a canola or vegetable oil)

A few drops of panda paste

Optional for the cream:

1x can of coconut cream roughly 400ml

1tsp vanilla essence

Icing sugar (amount varies depending on your sugar preferences)

Packet of desiccated coconut

Method: Cake

1. Preheat oven to 185 °C
2. Add the sugar and roughly combine
3. Add the water and stir until it is well combined (Please note that you should only stir in one direction only i.e. if you stir clockwise keep on stirring clockwise. This may sound like a superstition that my Aunty-who taught me- passed onto me but I do not kid when I say that bad things happen when you change the direction that you combine in)
4. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, the egg yolks go into the flour-sugar mixture and the place the egg whites go into a separate bowl. Be very careful to separate them precisely because when you beat the egg whites, it won't turn out well if you have some egg yolk in it.
5. Mix the egg yolks into the flour-sugar mixture
6. Add a teaspoon of the cream of tartar into the egg white bowl
7. Beat the egg whites until peaks forms
8. Fold the egg whites into the mixture
9. Mix the oil through
10. Add a few drops of panda paste and mix through
11. Pour the mixture into a chiffon cake tin
12. Bake for 45 minutes, this is how long it should take but when you take it out stick a skewer through to make sure that it comes out clean.
13. Once out of the oven, flip the tin upside down and leave to stand for 30min
14. Cut around the outside to remove the cake from the tin

Cuckoo Callay Review

What do you think when I say stripped paint + decrepit warehouse? Your ideal answer should be something along the lines of ‘my gosh, that is the perfect location to open up a café’, what would, in the past, have been met with a serious dose of cross-eyed, bewildered faces from friends and colleagues alike is now the celebrated it location if you want your share of the competitive café market. But if that is the case then how is one meant to distinguish themselves from the famed The Grounds of Alexandria and co.

Welcome to the world of Cuckoo Callay, a step back from the hustle and bustle of King Street, it is a place where optical illusions, punny jokes and a good sense of humour reign supreme. That aside, the food there is also highly commendable with generous servings, great Single Origin roast coffee and an extensive drinks menu that also includes alcoholic beverages from their bar menu when nighttime falls upon us.

If you’ve have been a long time reader of my blog then you will know that I have a fond appreciation for interior design and I am also a not-so-secret judger of toilets when I eat out. Unfortunately a lot of the thought and effort that goes into the smaller details goes unnoticed so if you’re swinging by Cuckoo Callay, take a minute to escape the rat race, grab a coffee, seat, a meal and go down the rabbit hole. I say that because the owners Ella and Ibby have drawn inspiration from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

For my entree to the food, I thought I'd share with you all some pictures that I look there. I’m not going to ruin the fun by pointing out all the neat tricks so let me know what you think in the comments or better yet see it for yourself in person.

What do you guys think this looks like? 

Notice anything?

Work out the Cuckoo Callay story

Notice anything unusual?

Onto the food!!!

But first here's an aerial shot

Oolong tea $4

I was on a coffee diet so I opted for tea instead but I didn't keep my word and grabbed a cup of coffee before I left. Forgive me for I have sinned.

L: Nutella Shake $7

R: Orange, carrot and ginger juice $7

Great thickness to the shake, and yes it tasted like nutella so fans of that breakfast spread can rejoice because this drink stayed true to that choco-nutty taste that we have become so fond of. I would recommend that you pick a lighter meal if you were to order the shake because it can get quite heavy.  

Juices are always a great alternative, they are light and healthy provided that the right ingredients are used. I've mentioned this already several times but I always so that ginger is a flavour that really divides people over a meal, it's a taste that I've grown to like in moderation. I found that the juice wasn't so heavy on the carrot, which was definitely to my likely though I would have preferred a bigger ginger kick to cut through some of the sweetness of the orange.

Pumpkin Fritters, house cured salmon, poached egg, homemade basil pesto, and fresh heirloom tomatoes $17

Though overwhelming upon initial glance, the colourful combination of all things healthy is in fact a lighter meal than expected. Pumpkin fritters, despite their mushy texture in fact melt on the palette, the sweetness a good contrast to the mild saltiness of the cured salmon. Coupled with the juiciness of sun-dried tomatoes, delightfully aromatic pesto and poached egg, these elements add a novel touch to a classic meal. Highly recommended for the adventurous Breakfast-in-Sydney enthusiast.     

#Hashtag Browns- Crispy potato hash brown, poached egg, pea puree, avocado with bacon steak (or choice of house cured salmon, or grilled haloumi instead of bacon steak) $17

Sorry guys but #hashtags have jumped out of the instagram and twitter-sphere, any bets on when or if ever, blogger will adopt it? The hash brown is unfortunately hiding underneath the poached egg and overshadowed by the avocados but that's okay because all you need to do is focus on that lovely piece of bacon. I actually have a strange preference when it comes to my bacon - it is one of the foods that I'm super particular about. I don't like it when bacon is overcooked and crunchy because it is then dry but that problem often happens because the bacon comes in thin slices. Well a bacon steak is anything but that. This is a huge piece of bacon. If you're not a salt fan like me, it's best to eat the bacon together with the hash brown like it was intended. I personally like my hash browns (and chips as well) without the salt because I feel that that way I can truly appreciate the taste (yeah I'm weird like that), suffice to say this unsalted hash brown was amazing.  

Pulled duck, sautéed potatoes, green lentils, shaved asparagus, poached egg and spilled chilli jam $22

This was my meal and when I warned you guys about the huge servings, I wasn't kidding. I was so full after eating about half to this but truth be told, it was too good for me not to finish all of it. Loved the crunch of the lentils together with the asparagus and of course let's not forget the duck which was incredibly tender. Let's conclude on a three letter word: Y U M !!!

L:  Cucumber, carrot, Apple, Mint $7

R: Pulled Pork Baguette- 16 hours slow roasted pork shoulder served on baguette with whiskey doused rough cut apple sauce and coleslaw. $15

I really enjoyed the juice, it was super refreshing, this time the mint and carrot were more subtle. Also, how good does this baguette look with all the colour from the purple cabbage. I absolutely adore apples in savouries, the apple sauce was more of a sweet apple jam but it worked well when paired with the slightly spiced pull pork. Oh and yes for the record, the pull pork was super tender, definitely bang for buck with that 16hour cooking time. 

Callay's Brekkie Board- Double smoked ham, rosemary and lamb sausage, house cured salmon, two eggs, avocado, roasted heirloom tomatoes, and mushrooms with sourdough $21

Breakfast fit for a king especially one that can't make up their mind about what they want to order. 

That's The Way the Cookie Crumbles  $11

Death by chocolate, nothing more, nothing less. Warning, the chocolate cake comes out gooey fresh from the oven which means the ice-cream will melt quickly and it tastes so much better when the ice-cream is still in one piece. Think homemade lazy Sunday treats and an unforgiving relationship with food. I would recommend sharing this, unless desserts for dinner is your regular type of meal.

Kanzi Fashion Cafe Review

I probably should have looked at the menu beforehand prior to going here but after looking at all the instagram photos I was sold but unfortunately we pictures can be deceiving. I can’t say the same about Café Tiamo’s melon bingsoo but I did feel that the melon bingsoo from Kanzi Fashion Café was rather disappointing. ‘Bingsoo’ is the Korean word for ‘shaved ice’, if you watch a lot of Korean dramas or variety shows (guilty as charged) then you’re probably familiar with the word ‘patbingsoo’ where the ‘pat’ prefix means red bean. This dessert for what you get is quite expensive, and unfortunately I was the sad case that hopped along this bandwagon. For $18.90 all you get is half a honeydew where the melon has been scooped out in balls, shaved ice, ice-cream and a melon popsicle. It doesn’t sound all that great right especially when you consider how cheap all those ingredients are where the only thing inaccessible is the shaved ice. Guys learn from my mistake, if you ever find something that looks amazing on instagram or facebook, visit a blog to see what someone thought or at least find the menu online. It’s a shame that this place in particular doesn’t dedicated a part of their fashion store site to the café because I would have thought twice after seeing the price tag.

Call me Plum Crazy

Lipstick: Tom Ford Bruised Plum no. 27

Nail Polish: Mecca Cosmetica

Bag: See by Chloe Small Cherry Crossbody bag 

Turtleneck: From mother's closet

Pants: Cameo the label Poison Tree pants

Hat: Lack of Colour Midnight Muse

Shoes: Bought off Ebay, I liked them because they have a black heel whereas the rest of the shoe is white

Perhaps this post should have been aptly called something along the lines of 'Crazy hat lady' but I presumed that that much was obvious. Besides I figured that there was too much plum particularly in the above photo for me not to call myself a plum crazed lady. Surprisingly, I've never been much of a plum person until recently when I came across Tom Ford's bruised plum lip. If you're not a lipstick person then paying AUD$65 for a lipstick is beyond unreasonable, in fact you should be screaming in rage. I would do the same were in it not for the fact that I am utterly in love with this colour, it is a shame that unfortunately even DLSRs cannot capture exquisite lip colours. 

P.S If you're looking to buy this, I got mine off Ebay because it is currently practically sold out everywhere since it was named one of the top lipsticks of 2013. That said, I did a tester at David Jones so I definitely suggest trying the colour out in person before committing to buy it. 

Sweet Street Festival by Anna Polyviou and Friends at Shangri-la Hotel- Sydney

[Warning this post will contain an unhealthy amount of photos that will make you want to hate me with seething jealously. This post is also by no means sponsored, I paid to attend this event myself and so all comments remain my thoughts and my thoughts only].

Dessert degustations are about as rare as finding a magical unicorn, you often find around 2 courses out of 7 (or 8) that are dessert based and sadly that is the standard that has come to be expected. So what happens when you come across a night that is dedicated to dessert (yes you read correctly, DEDICATED)? Well one can only really jump up in jubilee and rejoice and praise the masterminds behind such an idea. Priced at $55 per ticket which includes 10 tokens and entertainment for the night, Sweet Street is the brain child behind Shangri-la Hotel's acclaimed, executive pastry chef, Anna Polyviou. What makes this event even better is the inclusion of Sydney's N2 gelato, Adriano Zumbo and Melbourne's Lux Bite, Savour School and Cacao Lab. With such pedigree all meeting together in the one location, this was the night where sweets reigned supreme.

Savour School: 

Elisa's Guide to Free Birthday Food

Woo, first guest post! Many of my friends know me as the person who always gets free stuff, whether it be at uni/city/at random suburbs whenever something new opens. So on my birthday last year, I went out to maximise my birthday freebies. I guess in high school you would hardly go to the city, but since to go to uni I have to go to the city everyday, so it was only a minor detour to get free food! For my fellow Sydneysiders:

Boost
An all time favourite. I’ve been getting a free boost every year on my birthday for over five years. All you have to do is join their Vibe Club. You also get other perks for joining them such as discounted drinks when they have a new flavour. Oh, they also have heaps of challenges to do that you can earn a free boost if you didn’t know already. Just have to wait for the challenges to come around. I can say with confidence that I haven’t paid for my last 10 boost drinks. I’ve always had one on my birthday, but they allow you to have 2 days before or after to get your free boost.

Lowenbrau Keller
Make sure you book beforehand, then you get to receive a free meal from anything on the menu, but you have to have another paying customer with you. Being Asian, I chose one of the more expensive steak dishes (even though steak isn’t really Belgium). My Mum ordered the lunch special  that day, so didn’t have to spend much. However, when we went again for my mum’s birthday during a weekend, they made us pay for the more expensive dish, and only the cheaper meal was free. So I think to maximise your meal there, it’s better if your birthday lands on a weekday.

San Churros
One of those things where you need to sign up for. It was my first time having San Churros last year. This one is worth it, Churros for Two (:

Baskin Robbins
Don’t go to the Darling Harbour one. Super bad customer service, and they only gave me a free kids scoop last time-it was more like half a kids size. After a heavy meal and churros, this ice cream was more like a “waste of stomach space.” Again you need to sign up

Nando’s
I’ve only bought Nando’s once, but to get their free birthday meal, just head in store to ask for one of their member cards (I didn’t buy anything when I got a member’s card). Last year you could choose any free main meal from 1/2 chicken, to ribs etc, and it came with sides plus drink. This year they’ve gone smarter, and you can only choose between a classic burger/pita/wraps or 1/4 chicken which are only worth about $8, and then sides plus drinks. I guess if you don’t mind the smaller portion, it’s still free food so it’s still worth it. After you get their card, make sure you register here

Subway
Free 6 inch sub with drink after signing up to their list. Don’t have to get it on your birthday.

Some new things which I’ll try for this year: 

Bondi Pizza
Signed up end of last year, and since it’s my birthday this week, I’m still waiting on my $25 voucher. I’m not sure when i actually get the voucher, but I’ve heard that this works, and apparently you don’t have to use it on your actual birthday.

Waterfront Grill
I saw on the 2nd August that to get a free meal on your birthday, you had to sign up to their emailing list the month before, so I missed out on this deal by 2 days ): Again, you need to book beforehand.

Pony Dining
It’s always good to try something new for free and I haven’t been to this restaurant before, but I subscribed to their list for a free meal. Problem is, they only give you the voucher the day before or on the day of your birthday, so I don’t know if I should make a booking for Lowenbrau Keller, or make a booking for this instead.

Kikki K
Sign up to be a member and get $10 off. The good thing is it can be used in conjunction with other offers like their Diary Love offers. This month it’s spend $50 get $10 off, so I can technically pay $30 for $50 worth of stuff. 

Other things like Muffin Break and Sumo Salad have freebies, but you have to get a card from them   after buying something, so it’s technically not free, so ceebs. I’ve heard you can get a free drink from Cha Time, but I think those are also a waste of space since I think there’s more sugar than tea. I haven’t had Easy Way since about 5 years. I do love my pearl milk teas, but I just think these chain stores have a ridiculous amount of sugar and ice, and also makes it not as worth compared to going to an Asian cafe.

After the first two things on the list, you’ll be super full so make sure you bring someone with you to splurge on birthday freebies!

Ippudo Sydney Review

I know that I mainly blog about cafes and Modern Australian restaurants but to simply label Sydney as consisting of only those two classes would be an insult to all the other cuisines out there. Today’s review is about a combination that really just consists of soup and noodles; one of its permutations is called ramen. I think you would have to go hunting through my archives to see the last time that I blogged about Japanese food, I think from memory it would be about udon at Oiden. For the past week, I have been procrastinating my criminal law readings by looking at Japanese food blogs, and feeling insanely jealous of Japanese seafood. If anyone has some recommendations for Japanese restaurants that do amazing sushi, let me know.

Also before I get too carried away with my ramen talk, many of you should be aware of this but I am hosting my first giveaway on Facebook so simply head to my page to enter the competition to win a $25 Menulog voucher. 

I’ve never mentioned this on my blog but I go through ramen cravings (if that is allowed to exist). There are just times where I want ramen and I will stop at nothing to get my serving. You guys should extend your sympathy to a friend of mine whom I was doing a group assignment with and unfortunately for him I would bring up ramen whenever I could. Needless to say, we ended up having ramen otherwise the food monster in me would probably attack the nearest piece of furniture and start gnawing at it to suppress them ramen cravings (was that too extreme a description?)

There are plenty of ramen places to choose from and I am by no means an expert. If you are a ramen aficionado then by all means check out my friend’s blog that is titled ‘Fried Food Fanatic’. For this time’s ramen craving I settled on the vastly popular joint, Ippudo in Westfield Sydney. We had dinner early at around 6-6:30 and so we were also seated quickly, and if you, like me, tend to carry around copious amounts of bags or just stuff in general then you’d be please to know that you are provided with a box to place your items in and that basically sits at your feet. 

Ippudo Pork Bun- Steamed bun with braised pork and Ippudo original sauce $4

 These buns are absolutely standout and are equally as famous as the ramen. Unfortunately priced at $4 a piece, they are easily devoured in 3-4 bites, but if you have never had these then do consider them the next time you come because it should be concession that can be made especially if you have yet to lose your Ippudo pork bun virginity. The bun was so soft and smooth, heck the meat I can eat these buns all day, everyday. Bun aside, pork was slightly salty but super tender (but I guess that just goes without saying for braised meats) which was accompanied with a small sheet of iceberg cabbage.

Shiromaru Motoaji- Ippudo original tonkotsu broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, bean sprouts, black mushroom and shallots- $15

When you find yourself at a ramen joint it can at first be very very confusing with all the different names and to someone who isn't familiar with Japanese cuisine then you may surely find yourself ordering the first item that you see. When it comes to ramen, there are three things you need to settle on, the broth which is, for me the most important factor, followed by accompaniments and then noodles (of which you don't really get to choose, its more preselected). I personally prefer tonkotsu because the miso and pork bone broth work wonders together and I love the creamy taste to it. I was also super frugal that day so I went for the cheapest option, you'll find that Ippudo costs a lot more than other ramen restaurants in Sydney, so I wasn't going to be fussy when it came to deciding what accompaniments I wanted. Ippudo was also the first place that asked me how I wanted my noodles, this is really up to your own preference, I like mine slightly soggy so I opted for the middle option, medium so that when the ramen comes to the table the noodles will continue to cook for just a bit longer. 

Obligatory selfie because I needed to commemorate the moment when my ramen craving was satisfied. 

Kurogoma Panna Cotta- black sesame custard with creamy sauce $8

I absolutely loved this. It can be said to be a pretty Asian thing to love red beans and black sesame but I'm pretty sure that if you try a dessert made spectacularly using these ingredients, you would concur with my love affair and perhaps join the almost cult-like-following. The black sesame tastes in this panna cotta was superb, SUPERB I SAY. It wasn't so much the traditional creamy taste that you get from a normal panna cotta but the consistency was definitely there. I thought the creamy sauce was nice, I guess it helped with the heaviness of the panna cotta though perhaps a palette cleanser on the side would have helped one not reach for a glass of water after every few bites. 

Bitter's guide to using Menulog + GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I think that I can speak for everyone when I say that there are just some days in which we cannot will ourselves into making a decent home cooked meal (we're not talking instant noodles here). If you were me a few months ago then this would be practically every single weekday; juggling 6/7pm uni finishes and a 5pm finish from work. 

Last week after work, I had the pleasure of using a voucher courtesy of the Menulog team and it was the perfect way to end the working week because I didn't have to cook. If you haven't heard of Menulog before they are by far Australia's largest online restaurant takeaway and food delivery website. They operate in each state with a plethora of restaurants to choose from (we're talking over 3500) and what is even more exciting is the fact that most if not all restaurants offer specials like a free bottle of soft drink, 10% off the first meal, etc.

I don't often blog about the restaurants out in the West (think Parramatta) but I had to take this opportunity to celebrate the Indian and Sri Lankan food in my neighbouring suburbs. More on what I ordered later in the post but first let's talk about how to even order food to your door to begin with.

Step 1: Visit Menulog's website

Step 2: Type in your postcode or suburb so they can match you accordingly to what is in the area

Step 3: Pick a place!

Step 4: Pick what you want to eat [Warning: this step took by far the longest] 

Step 5: Select the discount option you want. You will also be prompted to pick your delivery suburb and once you click 'Place Your Order' you will then be asked to enter your voucher code (if you have one) as well as your credit card details for payment. 

Once that is all said and done, a confirmation text will sent to your elected mobile letting you know of the estimated in which your food should arrive. Word of warning, do expect a longer wait on Friday and Saturday night because understandably those are the busiest times.

Without further ado

Free 1.25L soft drink on the side

 Garlic Naan and roti

Who could miss the classic and loveable favourite- butter chicken

Vindaloo (Beef) -traditional hot and spicy Goan style curry

Don't be undeterred the red colour just means that it is red, hot, amazing.

Finally a meal isn't complete without dessert and I chose a Mango Kulfi which is like a denser and cream Indian ice-cream. 

Loved the feeling of being able to sit back on my couch and relax

If you've made it this far then you shall be rewarded, so to celebrate my partnership with Menulog, I have one $25 voucher to giveaway. The giveaway will be hosted on Facebook so just click here for the Facebook post.

T&C's:

Voucher is valid for one use only

It will expire one month after it has been issued 

Voucher is for delivery only and payment is to be made via credit card 

Voucher is for the stated amount, $25 and cannot be redeemed for cash.

As Menulog operates Australia wide, the voucher can be used to order from any participating Menulog restaurants

Winner will be picked randomly and notified via Facebook and should respond within 48 hours otherwise a new winner will be picked

The Gourmet Couture is not liable or responsible in any way or form for prizes that are subsequently not delivered by a third party or arrive damaged or late. 

Best of luck!

Competition ends 11/08/14