周老師的美食教室英文版

For the basic chiffon cake recipe, please refer to post titled "Fresh cream chiffon cake".

Chocolate chiffon cake - 9" or 10" diameter cake

Egg yolk mixture:

Egg yolk..............................72g (Approximately 4 large eggs)

White sugar........................70g

Salt.......................................1/2 teaspoon

Vegetable oil......................50g

Milk.......................................100g

Cocoa powder...................2 tablespoons or 14g

Cake flour.............................120g

Baking powder.....................1 1/2 teaspoons

Egg white mixture:

Egg white...............................126g

Cream of tartar.....................1/4 teaspoons

White sugar............................84g

9" or 10" cake pan with removable sides

(Volume of 9" cake pan = 2840cc)

Method:

Same as that of the basic chiffon cake. Sift the cocoa powder into the egg yolk mixture after addition of milk. Mix well, then sift cake flour and baking powder into the mixture. A finished product should look like this:

Cake frosting and decorative accents

Chocolate cream icing:

Shortening..................................240g

Castor (powdered) sugar.........240g

Cocoa powder..........................40g

Water...........................................3 tablespoons

Chocolate glaze:

Bittersweet (dark) chocolate.....200g

Water............................................50g

Method:

1. Sift sugar and cocoa powder into shortening and water, then whisk ingredients for the chocolate cream icing. Let the mixture sit for a while so that the flavours have a chance to meld. If the weather is hot, the icing can be refrigerated for a short period of time to harden slightly - it will be easier to decorate with this than soft icing. Do not allow icing to over-harden.
2. Follow the instructions posted in the "Short videos" section to make 5-6 roses using the icing mixture. Keep the roses refrigerated.  
3. Cut the cake horizontally in half and use the remaining icing as a filling for the cake. Save some for making leaf decorations. You can also add fruits such as cherries to the filling. Place the top layer back onto the cake. Place the entire cake on a similarly sized cardboard plate, and stack it atop some parchment paper.

4.Put the bittersweet chocolate and water into a bowl. Place the bowl above a saucepan or pot of boiling water to allow the chocolate to melt over gentle heat. If you have a double boiler, this is a good time to use it. (Do not overheat or cover the bowl - the chocolate will seize and separate, or become grainy)

5.Drizzle the molten chocolate over the cake and let the glaze flow naturally around the cake. Glaze that overflows onto the parchment paper can be re-used again.

6.Allow the glaze to harden. Take the chocolate roses from the refrigerator and place them gently on the glaze.

7.You can also add some extra chocolate leaves and vines for decoration in between the roses. (Use a flat, tapered pastry tip to create leaves: squeeze harder but quickly let go to make leaves)

Notes:

Buttercream icing is also acceptable and particularly suitable for cake decoration - you can scrape it off and redo your decorations if you are not satisfied, add some water or whisk it gently to soften it, or refrigerate it if it's too soft. You can also add cocoa powder to cream frosting for making beautiful cake decorations, but the cream frosting cannot be re-used.

For the above recipes, you can replace the water with milk if you prefer, and butter can be used in lieu of shortening, but make sure to reduce the amount of water that you add. To make cream-coloured frosting, simply omit the cocoa powder and reduce the amount of water by 1 tbsp. Some vanilla or almond essence will make the frosting even more fragrant.

There exist specialized stands for making icing decorations, but I used an upside-down pudding cup instead. I like using a flat tip for making roses, but an oval-shaped one will also do.

Below: (Left) Flat pastry tip, (middle) leaf-shaped tip and (right) small round tip for making vines.