Usually when I tell people that this cake is steamed they find it hard to believe because the taste is rich. I also don't like it to be too sweet so perhaps that's why you can taste the chocolate and banana more. Overall it's rather good! You know how some people say, "I'll just try a little, I'm full". This cake is tastes good yet healthy enough to get them to take a second helping.
I find that it tastes almost professional - but less sweet and less pretty, but that you can improve, or at least I can improve! You can also camouflage bad forsting skills with toppings.
Try it!
I find that it tastes almost professional - but less sweet and less pretty, but that you can improve, or at least I can improve! You can also camouflage bad forsting skills with toppings.
Try it!
Adapted from Bakericious http://bakericious.blogspot.sg/2012/08/steamed-moist-chocolate-cake.html?m=1
&
The Baking Biatch
Makes one 7.5 inches (19cm) cake.
FOR CAKE:
180ml sunflower oil (or butter)
150g brown sugar
200 low fat milk (or evaporated milk)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs, slightly beaten with fork
100g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Method :
1. Combine sugar, milk, vanilla essence and oil in a saucepan.Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved (and butter is melted), turn off the fire and keep warm.
2. Add the beaten eggs into the slightly cooled milk mixture and stir till well mix.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda into a large mixing bowl, then pour the egg mixture over the flour and stir till well mix. Cake batter should be runny. Be careful not to over mix else it may be dense later.
4. Heat up a wok with water at med heat.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and place the pan into the steamer and cover the top of the pan loosely with a piece of aluminium foil (to prevent condensation from steam to fall onto cake)
7. Steam over med heat for 40 mins. (until skewer came out clean).
Note: Don't steam too long else it becomes dense. Don't use high heat else top will 'huat'.
8. Cool the cake in pan before turning it out for cutting.
FOR FROSTING:
250g whipping cream (both dairy and non-dairy works well)
250g dark couverture chocolate
3-4 bananas
Method:
1) Melt the 250g of couverture chocolate in the microwave (on 1 minute intervals, medium setting) or double boiler till it is shiny. Stir well and allow it to cool down for 5 minutes.
2) Whisk up the whipping cream (250g) to stiff peaks.
Note: stiff peaks won't fall when you overturn the bowl. It's possible! And if you draw across it you should be able to see the tracks.
3) Add the chocolate into the whipping cream and stir well with a spatula.
If frosting seems too runny, let it cool before application.
COMBINE cake and frosting:
1) Cut cooled cake into 3 even layers
2) Spread frosting on one layer, add bananas and spread frosting again
3) Top with one layer of cake
4) Repeat till 3 layers are stacked
5) Then frost whole cake - i.e. the top and side
Chill cake in fridge while preparing ganache.
FOR GANACHE:
200g dark couverture chocolate
80ml whipping cream (both dairy and non-dairy works well)
3/5 tbsp unsalted butter
Method:
1) Melt the 200g of couverture chocolate in the microwave (on 1 minute intervals, medium setting) or double boiler till it is shiny.
2) Add the whipping cream and heat it up for another 2 minutes.
3) Add the butter. Stir well. If your mixture is still chunky, pop it back into the microwave oven (medium setting) on 1 minute intervals to have it all melted.
Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before applying on the cake. Cool until it is not runny so it's easy to apply).
Notes:
Batter made with butter was less runny and also cake was a little dense, in fact hard after refrigeration. Suggest to stick to oil. But be careful not to break cake when cutting for layering else cake will overflow to side when bananas and frosting are added.
To prevent dense cake, do not over mix to prevent dense cake and water should be boiling on med heat during steaming.
If there are too many air bubbles, tap the tin to break the bubbles or drop it a few times on tabletop before steaming.
Hershey's choc chips are not the same as couverture. Hershey's gives much air bubbles which you don't see with couvertures. And Hershey's takes much longer to melt than couverture. Taste will be ok but a lot of air bubbles in the ganache and ugly when applied.
Frosting too runny is due to whipped cream not achieving stiff peaks. Really overturn the bowl to check that cream will not drop.
If you accidentally broke your cake during layering, don't fret! Do not try to stuff the cake and filling back, they will just flow out. Finish your layering and frosting, put the cake in the fridge for at least 30min then take it out and cut out the excess to achieve a round shape.
Cut cake (before frosting and before eating) with bread knife. You can get very clean cuts.
This amount of frosting and ganache will give you a little leftover. If don't want leftovers, try to cut by 20ml/g.
