Mango Swiss Roll (芒果瑞士卷蛋糕):

Finally, it’s the peak of the mango season!  Fresh Ataulfo Mangoes are simply my favorites.  When they are in season, I often get them in cartons (about 16 to 20 mangoes in a carton).  Not only I enjoy them fresh as is, I also like to create different treats with these refreshing and juicy mangoes. I’ll list some of my other creations at the end of the post if you’re interested.  But today, let me show you how to make this gorgeous Mango Swiss Roll Cake!



My family loves Swiss Roll Cakes!  They are simply a light and fluffy sponge sheet cake, filled with fresh whipped cream, and sometimes fresh fruit, and rolled up into a log.  If you’ve tried my Swiss Roll Cake Recipes in the past, you know my roll cake recipe is pretty much a fail proof one.  It’s easy to roll up without cracks.

You can check out my list of Swiss Roll Recipes here:
Strawberry and Cream Swiss Roll Cake
Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll
Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake
Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Swiss Roll
Chocolate Yule Log
Pumpkin Swiss Roll Cake with Cream Cheese Filling




This Mango Swiss Roll Cake is packed with the delightful and floral mango flavors!  I added fresh mango puree in the cake batter, then filled the cake with diced mangoes and whipped cream, and garnished with more fresh mango roses on top!  It’s looks super gorgeous and it is rather easy to put together if you follow my tips and tricks in the video tutorial! 




I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial.  If you have any recipe request, feel free to leave me a message below and I’ll try my best to create a tutorial for you. 





Tools and Ingredients Used in this post:
Cake Flour (Click here for more information)
10 x 15-inch Baking Pan (Click here for more information)
Ninja Blender (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Kerrygold Butter (Click here for more information)
Organic Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)
Mango Extract (Click here for more information)
Measuring Spoons Set (Click here for more information)
Powdered Sugar (here for more information)
Horizon Organic Heavy Whipping Cream (Click here for more information)
Cream of Tartar (Click here for more information)
Pastry Bag (Click here for more information)
Parchment Paper (Click here for more information)


Other Mango Recipes:
Mango Crêpe Cakes 芒果法式薄餅千層蛋糕

Mango Shaved Ice

Mango Panna Cotta

Fresh Mango Salsa

Fresh Mango Crêpe 芒果法式薄餅

Mango Pudding (芒果布丁)

Mango Yogurt Popsicles (3 ingredients) 芒果酸乳酪冰棒

Coconut Mango Mochi Roll (椰汁香芒糯米卷)

Matcha Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate - for Chinese New Year

Happy New Year!  Did you go somewhere fun to count down to the new year?  As usual, we stayed home for the count down and had a wonderful feast along with some bubbly to ring in the new year!  While the vacation and days off might be over for some people, the celebration is still going on in my house.



This year, January 28th marks the first day of the Chinese New Year!  In Asia, Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration of the year, comparable to Christmas and Thanksgiving in the U.S.  It’s a 15 days long celebration!  Schools, most shops, and businesses are closed during the Chinese New Year so that everyone can spend time with the family to celebrate. 



Although we don’t get any days off for Chinese New Year in the States, I try my best to pass down the traditions and culture to my Kids, mostly through story telling, and more often, through food.  There are many traditional food and special dishes that we prepare mainly for the Chinese New Year.  But some are so good that I pretty much make them all year round, such as these Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate.



These cookies are quite simple to prepare.  They are the “slice and bake” type of cookie which you can (and should) prepare the dough ahead of time.  When it comes time to bake, you simply slice the cookie dough into disks and bake them off.  If you haven’t done so, watch my video above to check out my secret/tip on how to keep the cookie dough nice and round instead of having a “flat bottom” while it’s chilling in the fridge.  And you’re very welcomed!  Consider this tip as my Chinese New Year gift to you!  



If you like Matcha, you’re going to love these cookies.  They are packed with the matcha flavor and go nicely with a cup of hot tea.  However, Matcha could be an acquire taste for some people though. 



These matcha cookies are not too sweet, therefore, the white chocolate chips add a nice touch of sweetness to balance out the flavors.  The dried cranberries not only add a nice contrast of color to the cookies, but also a little tartness and texture as well. 



Make a batch to share with your friends and family during this Chinese New Year.  I’m sure they’ll love these gorgeous and fun cookies.  What other family traditions do you celebrate?  Do you have any special Chinese New Year dishes that you would always prepare for your family?  Leave a comment below and let me know.  I can’t wait to hear from you!





Ingredients and Tools used:
Matcha Powder (Click here for more information)
Dried Cranberries (Click here for more information)
White Chocolate Chips (Click here for more information)
Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)
Baking Sheets (Click here for more information)
Silpat (Click here for more information)
Rolling Pin (Click here for more information)
 

Classic Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake (雲呢拿瑞士卷蛋糕)

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, I’m sure you know I’ve created my fair share of Swiss Roll Cakes.  So far, I’ve shared the recipes of Strawberry and Cream, Decorated Coffee, Yule Log, and Sakura, etc.  Today, we’re going back to basic.  Check out this Classic Vanilla Swiss Roll Cake (雲呢拿瑞士卷蛋糕) and the tutorial video above.




All along, I thought my family is chocoholic!  The darker, the better!  However, since the day that I’ve made this Vanilla Swiss Roll, they’ve been asking me to make this cake, over and over again!  Seems like they’ve forgotten the chocolate option for this cake, which used to be their favorite! 




There’s something about this basic vanilla cake that we all love.  I guess it’s just the simplicity that wins us over.  It’s made out of just a few basic ingredients that you probably have already in your pantry.  And you can simply taste each one of them, such as the sweet and slightly floral vanilla aroma, the rich and decadent egg flavor, and the silky and smooth freshly whipped cream, etc. 




If you haven’t try any of my Swiss Roll recipe just yet, I’m sure this is the time to do so.  It’s basically a foolproof Swiss Roll Cake recipe that assures you the ease of rolling up your cake nice and easy without any cracks.  The cake texture is light and silky smooth.  Each bite melts in your mouth in heavenly goodness!  I wish I can share this cake with you by passing a slice through the monitor.      




Give this recipe a try, I’m sure it’ll become your family’s favorite as well.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.  Thank you for stopping by today. Please stay tuned for more fun and easy recipe.  If you have any recipe request, simply leave a comment below and I’ll try by best to post them soon!      





Tools and ingredient used:

10X15 Baking pan (Click here for more information)

Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)

Butter (Click here for more information)

Cooling Racks (Click here for more information)

Vanilla Bean Paste (Click here for more information)

Organic Heavy Cream (Click here for more information)

Plastic Wrap (Click here for more information)

Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Swiss Roll 櫻花瑞士卷蛋糕

I adore Sakura (Cherry Blossom)!  One of my dreams is to visit Japan in Spring to enjoy the scenery when the Sakura blooms!  Since I don’t think that is going to happen any time soon, enjoying a slice of this Sakura Swiss Roll Cake 櫻花瑞士卷蛋糕 is as close as I can get my hands (or taste buds) on them!  



If you’ve tried my other Swiss Roll recipes, such as this Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll, Strawberry and Cream Swiss Roll, or Chocolate Yule Log, you probably know that my roll cake recipes are pretty much fool proof.  What is the biggest nightmare when making a roll cake?  I’m sure any baker would tell you that having a cracked up cake when you try to roll it up is the baker's biggest fear!  So, give my recipes a try and you’ll be amazed by how soft and spongy the cake is, which makes it super easy to roll up!  Watch the YouTube video tutorial at the top of this post and you’ll see what I meant.  



I used some pickled sakura to decorate this cake.  Beside adding a little pattern and decorations on the cake, the pickled sakura also adding a hints of tartness and unique flavors to this cake (the flavor is similar to the Chinese sweet and sour plums).  I also added some sakura paste into the cake batter and fillings.  It’s tart and sweet at the same time, and packed with wonderful sakura flavor which I adore.  The subtle floral aroma is beautiful in this gorgeous cake.  Check out the list of tools and ingredients at the end of this post to find out where to get them.  I hope you’ll give this cake a try soon.  It sure feels like Spring time arrived early in my kitchen!




Pickled Sakora Cherry Blossoms (Click here for more information)
Sakura Paste (Click here for more information)
10 by 15-inch Baking Pan (Click here for more information)
Heavy Cream (Click here for more information)
Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Cooling Rack (Click here for more information)
Vanilla Extract (Click here for more information)

How to Make Sandwich Bread (TangZhong Method)--白方包 (湯種法) with Video Tutorial

The very first time that I shared my Sandwich Bread using the TangZhong Method (白方包湯種法) was when I first started blogging, you can see the post here.  Many years have gone by and there are also a few changes that I’ve made toward making this bread (wow, can’t believe I’ve been blogging and sharing my recipes for almost 5 years!)  The biggest change from the previous recipe is that the loaf pan size was too small for my family these days, as their consumption of sandwich bread grows.  



I know many of you have tried the previous recipe and loved this bread.  I can’t praise TangZhong Method (湯種法) enough as it yields the softest bread that you’ll ever feel.  Best of all, the softness lasts for a few days.  Yet, it’s all natural without using any weird ingredient that you cannot pronounce.  The secret is all in the method of how to make it.  I've shared a few videos in the past on how to shape different buns (see links at the bottom of this post) with fillings inside, using this basic bread dough.  Yet, I have not shared the process of making the dough.  Many of you emailed and messaged me to request a video tutorial with the step-by-steps on how to make this bread from start to finish.   So here we go....your wish is granted!



Ready to learn how to make this amazing sandwich bread?  Watch the video tutorial below.






I hope you enjoyed watching my video tutorial.  If you haven’t done so, please subscribe to my Youtube channel here.  You’ll be the first to know when I have new video tutorials published.

One thing I want to emphasize is that bread making is quite time consuming.  You have to set aside at least 3 1/2 hours from start to end.  However, all of the steps are easy to follow and there are many idling time.  You can work on other things while you wait, such as surfing the web, watching your favorite TV show, or answering emails, etc.  There’s just no short cut when it comes to bread making.  But, I can guaranteed that you and your family will fall in love with this bread once you’ve tried it.  You can definitely taste the love in this bread.  It's so soft and pillow-y that you want to snuggle it and take a nap!






If you have a recipe or certain dish that you would love to learn how to make, feel free to leave a message below to let me know.  I will try my best to make more wishes come true!


Tools used in this post:

1 1/2 Pound Pullman Sandwich Loaf Pan (Click here for more information)
Calphalon Baking Sheet Pans (Click here for more information)
Wood Print Photography Backdrop (Click here to see similar product)
KitchenAid Stand Mixer (Click here for more information)
Organic All-Purpose Flour (Click here for more information)
Active Dry Yeast (Click here for more information)

Click here for the Orange Marmalade Recipe
Click here for the Meyer Lemon Curd Recipe
Clicke here for Prosciutto di Parma with Smoke Gouda Crescent video
Click here for Hong Kong Bakery-Style Sausage Bun (腸仔包)
Click here for Pastrami and Muenster Cheese Blossom Buns

Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll with Step-by-Step Pictorial (彩繪咖啡瑞士卷)

Many of you have requested a Coffee Swiss Roll recipe in comments and emails ever since I posted the Chocolate Yule Log (recipe here) and the Strawberry & Cream Swiss Roll (recipe here).  So, finally, here is my Coffee Swiss Roll recipe.  Sorry for the delay, my dear Friends and Readers.  But I'm telling you, it's worth the wait!  As you can see from my pictures, this is not just any Coffee Swiss Roll, it’s a Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll, that’s entertaining and gift-giving worthy!  I would be totally impressed and touched if I receive this cake as a gift.  What do you think? 



It’s probably the 98,349,766 times that I've mentioned here on the blog that I’m NOT a crafty person, at all.  So, if I can make this cake, so can you.  I’ll hold your hand and show you the step-by-step pictorial on the process so you feel more comfortable when you make your own.  A picture is worth a thousand words, so, I’m sure a pictorial really helps with this recipe.



The basic Coffee Swiss Roll recipe I’m sharing today is one that I’ve tested and developed several years ago, except that I have never published it before.  I've been using this same recipe every time my Chubby Hubby family requests a Coffee Swiss Roll for afternoon tea.  If you wish, you can totally skip the decoration part and simply make the Coffee Swiss Roll.  I promise it’ll taste just as good, just not as glamorous and elegant, that’s all.  But if you plan on preparing this Swiss Roll for entertaining guests, special occasion or as a gift, you should totally give this decorated version a try.  



Ready to come into the kitchen with me?  Come on in….

1) First, get the decoration tools ready.  I drew the patterns I wanted for the decoration, free-hand, on a piece of paper that fits my baking pan.  Simply making curls and movement here and there, that's all.  I started with a pencil and then trace it with a marker so the lines are thicker and can show through the parchment paper easily.

2) Line the baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.  Make sure the parchment paper is large enough to have at least 2-inch excess on all sides for easy removal when the cake is done.

3) Pick your piping tip and fit it into a small pastry bag.  I’m using a Wilton #2 here (click here for a closer look), which is a tiny tip because my patterns are on the thin side.  You can choose a wider tip, depending on the patterns that you want to draw.

4) Twist the piping bag near the tip and tuck the piping bag into a mug or a glass.  It’ll make filling the batter much easier.



5) Next, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until frothy.

6) Then slowly add in around 1/2 of the sugar and beat until stiff peak forms.

7) In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow. Then add the vanilla, coffee mixture, melted butter and heavy cream until incorporated.

8) Sift the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture.  Fold until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined.




9) In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoon of the egg yolk mixture, 6 tablespoon of the meringue, and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

10) Gently fold until the ingredients are incorporated.

11) Fill this chocolate mixture into the prepared piping bag.  Gently squeeze the piping bag to release batter and trace the patterns on your prepared baking sheet.

12)  Here’s how it looks when piping is done.  Remove the paper/drawing under the parchment.  Bake for 5 minutes or until your decorative patterns are set, depending the thickness of your decoration batter.




13) Gently fold the remaining meringue into the egg yolk mixture, 1/3 at a time.  Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.

14) Make sure there's no big chucks of meringue in the batter.  This is how the batter looks when it's done.

15)  When the patterns are done baking, pour the cake batter on top and gently spread the batter into one even layer.  Bake at 375 degree F for 10 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake and comes out clean.

16) While the cake is still warm, roll the cake with the parchment from one end to the other, starting from the shorter end.  This will help the cake hold its shape and prevent cracking.  Unroll the cake and let it cool completely.

17) When the cake is completely cooled, gently spread the freshly whipped cream on top in an even layer.  Roll the cake up, from the shorter end without the parchment.  Wrap the filled cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour, or until ready to serve.

18) Admire the cake for a few seconds, cut it up and enjoy!




It really is easier to make this cake than it looks.  There might be a few more steps compared to regular Swiss Roll but all simple steps and totally worth it, in my opinion.  I hope you'll love today's recipe, pictorial and is inspired to make your own Decorated Coffee Swiss Roll soon.

Strawberry and Cream Swiss Roll (草莓奶油瑞士卷)—With Pictorial

Swiss Rolls are one of my childhood favorites.  Yes I know, I have many favorites.  If you’re not familiar with them, they are sponge cakes filled with whipped cream, jam, or sometimes fresh fruit.  The origin of Swiss Roll is likely from the United Kingdom.  Since Hong Kong (my home country) was a British Colony from the 19th to late 20th century, the Swiss Rolls are popular treats that are easily found in most Chinese bakeries. 



If you have been following my blog, you will probably remember that I’ve made a chocolate version of this Swiss Roll last Christmas (Chocolate Yule Log—Bûche de Noël au chocolat).  Doesn’t sound familiar?  Never mind, here’s the link again for you to drool on.  It really is a simple cake to make and I’ll walk you through in the step-by-step pictorial in just a minute. 

Before the berries season ends, I want to indulge in as many fresh berries as possible.  The strawberries are so sweet, juicy and vibrant when they are in season.  I can’t help it but to make the Swiss Roll with fresh strawberries and cream this time.  It’s a heavenly combination that my kids could attest to that.  Their little faces lit up with a big smile when they saw this cake.  That made me feel so warm and happy that they loved and enjoyed my creation.



Let’s move on to the pictorial, shall we?

1) Grease a 10 by 15-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2) Beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until frothy
3) Then slowly add in around 1/2 of the sugar and beat until stiff peak forms.
4) In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow.



5) Then add the vanilla, melted butter and heavy cream until incorporated
6) Sift the cake flour into the egg yolk mixture. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and fold until all ingredients are just combined.
7) This is how the egg yolk mixture looks like after folding in the cake flour
8) Fold egg whites into the egg yolk mixture in three batches. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.


9) Gently spread the cake batter evenly onto the prepared cake pan. Bake at 375 degree F for 8 to 10 minutes
10) This is how the cake looks like when it’s out of the oven.  Place on a wiring rack until completely cooled.
11) Spread the whipped cream evenly onto the cooled cake. Sprinkle the strawberries onto the cream evenly.
12) Roll the cake up, from the shorter end. I trim off 1/2-inch of the cake on both ends for a prettier presentation.



That’s it!  Simple enough, right?  I hope you’ll take advantage of the berry season and try this recipe out.  The sponge cake itself is silky, light and fluffy as clouds.  I used a little bit of lemon zest and juice to brighten up the flavor.  The juicy strawberries in the fillings are mingling with the smooth and freshly whipped cream.  You’ll get a burst of juicy freshness when you bite into the strawberries.  If that doesn’t sound heavenly, I don’t know what is.



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe.  Thank you for stopping by and I’ll share another favorite treat with you real soon.

Hong Kong Bakery-Style Sausage Bun (腸仔包) Using Tang Zhong Method (湯種法) with Video Tutorial

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you would probably remember the different types of bread recipes that I created with the Tang Zhong Method (湯種法).  Think of the Tang Zhong Method (湯種法) as the “starter” or dough base for your bread.  This method yields the softest and fluffiest bread you’ll ever experienced.  Unlike the traditional homemade bread, which often turns into “stone” the very next day; in contrast, the softness of the bread made with the Tang Zhong Method (湯種法) lasts for days.  Simply reheat the bread in the microwave and it tastes and feels as it’s just came out of the oven.  If you’ve missed the previous recipes and video, no worries, here they are again: A Loaf of White Bread, The Prosciutto di Parma with Smoke Gouda Crescent, Friendship Braided Bread, and The Brown Wheat Bread - Cheesecake Factory Style. 





Ever since I’ve discovered how easy and tasty homemade breads are, I’ve been making bread and buns more often at home.  The “demand”  had also increased, hence, I’ve been using a new method in preparing the Tang Zhong.  In my previous 4 bread recipes mentioned above, I recommend pouring the boiling water over the bread flour to create the Tang Zhong.  This works wonderfully when you’re preparing a single batch of Tang Zhong for 8 buns OR a loaf of bread in an 9 by 5-inch loaf pan such as this one below. 

Image From Amazon

However, I’ve switched to a different loaf pan long ago because of the increase in demand. I often found myself baking 2 loaves of bread in a day, one for my family and one for my In-Laws.  Or, a loaf of bread with another batch of (a dozen instead of 8) buns, such as these Hong Kong Bakery-Style Sausage Buns.  Back to this new loaf pan below, it has the capacity of 1.5 times of the one above.  Which means that I often find myself creating 3 times the amount of Tang Zhong.  Plus, the end result just look much better with the rigid/straight corners.   At the end of this post, I’ll show you in a short video on how the new loaf of  bread looks like after it’s out of the oven!  So what is the new method of preparing Tang Zhong?  Simply prepare it on the stove top! 

Image From Amazon

Here’s a simple pictorial on how to prepare the Tang Zhong on the stove top.

1) In a small/medium saucepan, add 1 1/2 cup of water and 3/4 cup bread flour together.

2) With a wooden specula, stir until there’s no big lumps.

3) Turn on the stove to low heat and continue to stir.  The dough will start to thicken.

4) When the dough turns slightly translucent and thicken, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

5) Line a kitchen scale with plastic wrap, evenly divide the dough into 2, I always use a digital kitchen scale such as this one for accuracy (I’ve been using this scale for a while now.  I love it because the price is reasonable, very accurate and easy to use.  Besides, you will need one for making French Macarons anyway…okay, that’s another post.  Sorry….hehehe…)  I always get 200 gram (about 7 ounces) of Tang Zhong for each of this recipe.

6) Wrap each one up and refrigerate it overnight before use.

The next day when you’re ready to bake, follow my recipe’s instructions at the bottom of this post.  This video below shows you how to form these Hong Kong Bakery-Style Sausage Buns, after the dough finishes the first round of proofing (refer to Step III and Step IV from the recipe).  Please enjoy the video.  





Pretty easy, huh?  In fact, they are, and very tasty as well.  Nothing beats the aroma of bread baking in the oven.  The whole house smells wonderful, just like home.  Oh well, some days my home smells like a bakery!  hahaha….

I usually use all beef kosher sausage to make these buns because my family prefers the taste.  But you can use your favorite kind of sausages, such as chicken, turkey or pork.  Another note, when you’re ready to make these buns, the whole process from start to finish takes about 3 1/2 hours.  However, there are a lot of “down time” in between because of the proofing, resting and baking.  The real hands on time is approximately 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how fast you can form these buns. So, you might want to make sure you have sufficient time before you get started.   





Here’s a closer look at the inside of these sausage buns below.  See how light and fluffy they are?  I just love them.  Especially, when I don’t have to pay $1.75 to $2.00 per bun at our local bakery.




If I still haven't convinced you to make your own Tang Zhong bread, you’ve got to watch this short video below.  This video will show you how light and fluffy a loaf of Tang Zhong bread could possibly be! Unlike commercially produced bread, this one has NO artificial ingredients nor hard to pronounce “stuffs”/chemicals in the bread to make it light and fluffy for days.  It’s all NATURAL and basic ingredients.  It’s the “method” and LOVE that do the magic!