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Friday, August 9, 2013

APPLE JAM COTTONY CAKE [OGURA CAKE]

Made some apple jam the other day and had some extra left which couldn't be stored in the jar.  So I used it [about 2-3 tbsp] to bake this cake.  Since the apple jam is sweet, I reduced the sugar in the egg whites from 80 gm to 60 gm.
The cake turns out perfect without any cracks, soft, light and fluffy.  I added some poppy seeds but it's optional.  The cakes tasted good with a slight aroma of lemon and cinnamon [the jam flavours].

Ingredients for Egg Yolk Mixture
[using 8" or 9" square tin]
75 gm superfine flour - sifted and a pinch of cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
60 ml corn oil
2-3 tbsp apple jam [see recipe here]
60 ml milk
  1. Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make well in the centre.  Add in eggs, corn oil, apple jam and milk.  Using a paddle hook, beat ingredients until creamy and well combined.   Set aside. 
  2. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups water into baking tray, place baking rack on the tray and  preheat oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes.
Ingredients for Egg White Mixture
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
60 gm castor sugar 
  1. using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy, add in cream of tartar and whisk until  slightly foamy.  Add in sugar in 3 batches.  Whisk until soft to stiff peaks formed.
  2. Using a spatula, fold in 1/2 of the meringue into egg yolk mixture.  Lift and fold until well combined, then add to rest of meringue.  Fold again until well mix.
  3. Pour batter into a 9" square tin [line base with baking paper at the bottom only]. 
  4. Smooth the surface with a spatula or just lightly shake the baking pan [the batter will spread out evenly].
  5. Steam bake in oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes, lower heat to 150 degrees C and bake for a further 55-60 minutes.  
  6. Invert the cake after baking on a wire rack and let it cool slightly [about 5 minutes] before removing the pan and baking paper [there maybe some vapour on the baking paper].
  7. Cool cake completely before slicing to serve or refrigerate before slicing to serve later.
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22 comments:

kitchen flavours said...

Hi Kimmy,
This is such a lovely cake! Looks so soft and fluffy! And a fun idea to add poppy seeds!

Kimmy said...

Hi Joyce, it's right decision to add poppy seeds. Texture wise is good.

Baby Sumo said...

Hi Kimmy looks like cottony cake is very popular amongst the bloggers nowadays. Yours look so soft!

PH said...

Kimmy, your cake as usual turned out beautifully! Perhaps I can use store bought jam :)

Kimmy said...

Hi Baby Sumo, I find this cake easier to make than chiffon cakes and it's versatile. Can always try with different flavours with the same basic ingredients.

Kimmy said...

Hi Phong Hong, should be no problem using store bought jam, just check the sweetness to adjust the sugar needed to whisk the meringue.

Zoe said...

Another beautiful Xiang Si baked by Kimmy!!! Perfetto!!!

Kimmy said...

Hi Zoe, nowadays I just love to bake this kind of cake especially when good butter prices are going up and up. Very economical.

Wings Wings said...

Hi Kimmy, I just found your blog recently and really would like to know how to make a perfect ogura cake. I saw that sometimes your recipe calls for 65 gr superfine flour and sometimes 75 gr. I am wondering why is the difference. My last couple attempts of ogura cake have been a failure. They came out kind of wet. My batter was more liquid-y than yours though. Also, sometimes your recipe asks for us to make a hole in the dry ingredients then combine with the wet but another time, you want us to whisk the eggs first then slowly adding the rest of the wet then dry ingredients. I dont understand why you make the difference. And your cake always comes out perfect. Why???

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, thanks for dropping by. The difference is because I followed different recipes to see the outcome. Both the methods used to mix the egg yolk batter is workable. I'm trying to find simple ways to make the cake so that more people will try baking their own cake. I find mixing the flour with liquid than adding in the egg yolks is much easier and simple. It doesn't affect the outcome.

Wings Wings said...

Oh gosh! I just saw your respond after so long. I am so sorry, Kimmy. The problem is... I dont remember in which post of yours I left the comment. LOL. I was trying to search for it but couldnt find it until I accidentally hit this post again. So sorry. I succeeded in making an ogura cake "before" I changed my baking pan to this current one. This new pan that I just bought is thicker than the one I used before and somehow, my cake comes out too moist again every single time. Although it is moist though, my top cracks too. Typically, a moist cake will not have a cracked top, isnt it? I dont understand... baking a perfect ogura cake is so hard to master for me... in baking depression right now. Help, Kimmy! Any suggestion for my wet cake, cracked top, and shrunk cake? My cake shrinks every single time. Tried stiff peak, medium peak, and still shrink like crazy :'( Help, Kimmy!

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, sorry about your unsuccessful Ogura cake baking. There are various reasons for cracks - pan size or oven temperature. I have baked a cake that rose beautifully, cracked but moist like is uncooked.It's common that the cake shrinks when cooled. I suggest that you try other recipes using less ingredients with the new pan and test it before removing from oven. If the skewer does not come out clean, bake for a further 5-10 minutes until cooked.

Wings Wings said...

Thanks, Kimmy, for the quick respond! I am going to try again today, and hopefully, my cake will succeed this time. Keeping my finger crossed!!!

Wings Wings said...

Kimmy, your finished batter (egg yolks + egg whites combination) always looked glossy and smooth (checked various posts). It looked like a thick batter too. But mine always looks runny-like after I combine everything together. When I pour it to my baking pan, I can see bubbles bursting out from my batter (I dont think that happens to your batter because yours is rather thick). Do you know why? I am sure I fold my egg whites correctly as I have searched all the youtube video about it and I fold the same way as a lot of people. Is it because I under beaten my egg whites? I can overturn my egg whites after I am done beating it though. Do you know why my batter is always runny-like instead of thick like yours and many bloggers out there? Please advise, Kimmy! Thank you so much!

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, my batter becomes runny usually because I have over-mix the batter or my meringue is too stiff or when I use melted cheese or butter, I can see bubbles in the batter. When this happens, my cake will not rise much.

Wings Wings said...

I see. Much appreciated for your response and help, Kimmy! I will keep trying until I get an ogura that looks so cottony like yours. Sorry to keep asking questions! But thank you so much!

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, you're welcome. Keeping trying, perhaps you can try those using less eggs with a smaller pan like 6" or 7". Good Luck.

Wings Wings said...

Well, actually, Kimmy, I am so determined to get this cake right that I bought the eggs as a wholesale now from a wholesaler! LOL. Hopefully, I will be able to bake a "cottony" cake before I use up all 150 eggs. Wish me luck! And one more question please =) The top of my cake cant brown (maybe I should say wont cook) although the inside of my cake is completely cooked through. This results in a sticky top after it cools down. If I bake couple more minutes (say, 5 or 10 mins), the inside of my cake is rather dry already. How do I prevent sticky top? Also, 85% of my cake always comes out with jelly-like layer on the bottom part. I wonder what caused this? I tried baking this cake with 150C, 160C, and 170C already, but all to no success for a "cotton" cake (sponge cake's and chiffon cake's texture come out all the time). My oven comes with bottom heat only though. I wonder if this causes problem. Any advice please, Kimmy?

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, when you said the cake top is sticky, I was about to ask you to check whether your oven has top and bottom heat. Then you said your oven has bottom heat only. This is probably the cause of why you cake comes out different. The jelly like layer should be like custard layer cos' you batter is runny. When I have runny batter the cake base comes out like this too. I suggest you use an oven with top/bottom heat.

Wings Wings said...

That makes a lot more sense to me of why my cake always comes out different than yours, Kimmy! Hmmm... may I ask if your oven has a fan forced, Kimmy? I think I may need to play more with my oven while waiting for an oven on sale to get a new one. Thanks again for your help, Kimmy!!! Really appreciate it!!!

Kimmy said...

Hi Cherish, mine is just a portable oven with top/bottom heat. Simple oven but can do wonders ....

Wings Wings said...

Ok! Will be watching and hunting for a better oven from now. Thank you, Kimmy!