Vanilla Swiss Roll (香草瑞士蛋糕卷)

There're a few common problems with making Swiss rolls: (1) The cake is hard and dry. (2) The crust sticks to the paper the cake is wrapped in. (3) The crust cracks when you roll the cake.

Good Swiss roll starts with, of course, a sheet cake that's fluffy. You know what's wrong with a lot of Swiss roll recipes? They have way too much flour.

A cake that's 1-2 cm tall should have very little flour because it doesn't need much structural support. If it has as much flour as a cake that's 5-7 cm tall, it would be dense and hard.

There's no point in baking a cake that's fluffy but dried out. What makes my cake moist? Oil. It has more oil than flour. If you're on a low-carb, high-fat diet, this is the cake for you!

Water doesn't help make a sheet cake moist. Why? Because the cake is so thin, H₂O in the batter evaporates very quickly. It's gotta be fat that keeps the cake moist. 

Of course, don't overbake the cake or it'll be dry no matter how much fat it has. Timing is critical because a 1-2 cm thick cake may overbake in 1-2 minutes. Make sure the cake is removed from the oven once the middle is springy when pressed lightly.

How to stop the crust from sticking to the paper it's wrapped in? Easy. Just don't wrap the cake in paper.

A lot of Swiss roll recipes tell you to roll the cake whilst it's piping hot, when it's most flexible and least likely to crack. This (the rolling, not telling) is done after placing the cake on a piece of parchment paper, and then dusting the crust with icing sugar.

The cake is rolled along with the paper, which stops the cake from sticking to itself.

The sugar is supposed to stop the crust from sticking to the paper, in theory. In practice, however, it doesn't because the cake releases moisture as it cools down. The paper traps the moisture that makes the crust wet and, hence, sticky.

How about wrapping the cake in a tea towel which breathes better than parchment paper? That works if the cake is quite dry when it's removed from the oven. But who wants a dried out Swiss roll, right? If it's moist as it should be, it'd still stick to the tea towel.

I let my sheet cake cool down on a wire rack after it's baked, without rolling or covering it.

Is my cake dry after it's cooled down? Not at all, because it has loads of fat and it's not overbaked.

Does my cake crack when I roll it after it's cooled down?

Nope, it doesn't because it's very flexible. The cake can stretch and bend into a roll without breaking. The flexibility is due to the way the eggs are beaten. The whites are whisked to firm peak stage, then the yolks are added one at a time and whisked thoroughly. Compared to the whole egg or chiffon method, this makes a cake that's more stretchable.

Some people wrap their Swiss roll, after rolling, to set the shape. If you want to do that, I suggest you use a tea towel. Parchment paper, if tightly wrapped around the cake for a few hours, will stick to the crust.

I prefer not to wrap the cake. There's really no need to do so provided the filling is firm when I'm rolling the cake.

If you use dairy cream filling, it must be firm when you're spreading it on the cake. And you must work quickly so it's still firm when you roll the cake. If it isn't, put the cake in the freezer for five minutes or so.

Here's how I make a Swiss roll (without pushing him down a mountain):

VANILLA SWISS ROLL (香草瑞士蛋糕卷) (Recipe for one 13" roll) Cake 140 g egg whites 60 g castor sugar 60 g egg yolks 40 g cake flour 1/16 tsp fine salt 1 tsp vanilla extract 60 g corn oil butter for greasing pan Filling 80 g chocolate spread       or 215 g whipped cream (click here for recipe) 1 can (312 g) mandarin orange, drained and chilled This recipe is double the pygmy-sized cake in the video. 1. To make cake, preheat oven to 200°C. Measure and prep ingredients as detailed above. Grease 13" x 10" pan with butter. Line pan with 13" x 13" parchment paper. 2. Whisk egg whites on medium-slow speed till thick foam forms. Gradually add castor sugar whilst continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till egg whites are at soft peak stage. Reduce speed to slow and continue to whisk till firm peak stage (when whisk is lifted, egg whites form peak that's hooked). 3. Add yolks to whites in 4 batches. Whisk on slow speed till evenly mixed after each addition. Sift half of cake flour into mixture. Add salt. Mix with whisk till almost even. Sift remaining cake flour into mixture. Mix with whisk till just even. Add vanilla extract and corn oil. Fold with spatula till just evenly mixed, banging mixing bowl against worktop 2-3 times. 4. Pour batter into cake pan. Spread with spatula as evenly as possible, pushing batter into corners of pan. Jiggle till batter is level. Tap pan against worktop twice. Bake on middle shelf till middle of cake is springy when pressed, 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven. Drop pan from 1' high 3-4 times. Unmould cake onto wire rack. Peel parchment paper from sides of cake. Leave till cool. 5. To assemble, place cake on new sheet of parchment paper, face down. Peel parchment paper from bottom of cake. Spread evenly with chocolate spread or whipped cream. Place mandarin orange, if using, in middle of cake. Roll cake as shown in video. 6. To cut chocolate spread Swiss roll neatly, dip serrated knife in hot water before each cut and wipe dry/clean with paper towel. For orange and cream Swiss roll, chill till cream filling is set, then use a serrated knife that's wiped clean after each cut. 7. Orange and cream Swiss roll is best eaten after an overnight rest in the fridge, when the filling has had time to perfume the cake. Chocolate spread Swiss roll should be chilled or eaten once it's made. Otherwise, oil separates from the spread and seeps into the cake, making it hard.

Pandan Kaya/Layer Cake

In the land of the half-lion, half-fish mutant, there's the half-cake, half-kueh: pandan kaya quake. 

kueh + cake = kuake = quake

Dig?

Using kueh as an icing makes perfect sense when you live in the tropics. There's no need to worry about the icing melting even when there's a heat wave. El Niño? Bring it on! No aircon? No problem!

The cake part of pandan kaya cake is quite straightforward. It's a sponge cake made with the separated egg method. If you follow the recipe and you know how to whisk egg whites to firm peak stage, your cake will be fluffy, moist and fragrant.

If you don't know what the hell firm peak stage is and you need instructions on how to follow instructions, please refer to my posts, Cake FAQ and Cake Dos and Don'ts.

The kaya part of pandan kaya cake is made with pandan juice, as well as pandan paste to boost the colour. There's coconut milk as well, pandan's best friend. These two are real buddies, you know? (Of course you do.) The two combined would make (almost) anything sweet taste good.

Turning pandan leaves into pulp is easy when you use a food processor or blender instead of mortar and pestle. (You knew that, of course.)

How to squeeze the hell outta pulverized pandan leaves, so that you get every drop of juice possible?

The hard way: with your bare hands. The easy way: with a potato ricer. (You know Archimedes' Law of the Lever . . . don't you?)  

Besides coconut milk and pandan juice, there's also butter in cake kaya. The fat is absolutely necessary. It hides the floury taste of hun kwee flour.

Unlike its cousin that's spread on bread, cake kaya is made without eggs. Bread kaya is set with eggs but cake kaya is set with hun kwee flour (a starch made from mung beans) and agar-agar powder.

Hun kwee flour is available at most supermarts if you live where I live. If you're in the western/southern hemisphere, try Asia grocery stores. In the US, Amazon.com can deliver a pack to your doorstep.

Pandan kaya cake may be assembled upside down. IOW, you start with a layer of kaya and finish with a layer of cake on top. After the kaya is set, the cake is flipped right way up.

I prefer to assemble my cake right way up, starting with a layer of cake and finishing with a layer of kaya.

If you do it my way, make sure the kaya isn't too thin when you pour it on the first cake layer. If it's watery, it'll seep underneath the cake. What's the right consistency? Kind of like thick but pourable cream.

Kaya that's too thick is also problematic. If it's not thin enough to flow smoothly, the layers formed won't be even. How do you stop the kaya from becoming too thick?

1) Measure the ingredients accurately. 2) Use a pot that retains heat well. 3) Don't overcook the kaya. 4) Have your cake layers and pan (or cake ring) ready before cooking the kaya.

If you look at the written recipe below, you'll find it's rather long. That's because describing the process in detail requires a lot of words. Well, 1,000 words = 1 picture, right? If you watch the video, the recipe doesn't look too daunting. In fact, if you enjoy baking, it looks exactly like the kind of thing you'd want to do this weekend.

Repeat after me: "Baking is fun, not work! Baking is fun, not work! Baking is . . . ." (I'm sure you knew that.)



Pandan Layer Cake
Singaporean pandan kaya cake has an identical twin in Malaysia called pandan layer cake. How to tell the twins apart? The kaya in the Malaysian cake is like agar-agar/jelly. The Singaporean version, OTOH, is like kueh.

To make pandan layer cake, use 3/4-1 tsp of agar-agar powder instead of 1/2 tsp. More agar-agar powder makes the kaya set quickly, so you must be quick when you're assembling the cake or the kaya layers won't be smooth.

PANDAN KAYA CAKE (班兰咖吔蛋糕) (Recipe for one 20 x 12 cm cake) Cake 10 g castor sugar   45 g egg yolks 50 g corn oil 45 g full-fat milk 8 drops pandan paste, less if your egg yolks aren't as yellow as mine 50 g cake flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/16 tsp salt 105 g egg whites 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 40 g castor sugar Kaya 300 g water 1/2 tsp white agar-agar powder 40 g sugar 25 g unsalted butter 40 g pandan juice rinse 50 g young pandan leaves; cut 5-6 cm long; grind in food processor with 30 g water till fine; press with potato ricer, in 2 batches, to yield 40 g pandan juice; if you have less/more, increase/decrease the 300 g water 1/8 tsp salt 120 g pure coconut milk, freshly squeezed 35 g white hun kwee flour 5 drops pandan paste 1 big drop egg yellow food colour 1. To make cake, trim 5 mm thick corrugated cardboard to fit sides of 23 x 15 cm cake pan. Wrap each piece of cardboard in aluminium foil, shining side facing out. Line bottom of 20 x 12 x 7.5 cm cake pan with 2 layers of parchment paper. 2. Preheat oven to 160°C. Measure ingredients for cake as detailed above. 3. Whisk 10 g castor sugar with egg yolks till dissolved. Add corn oil. Whisk till just combined. Add milk. Whisk till just thoroughly mixed. Add pandan paste, 6-8 drops, to make yolk mixture's colour look like Golden Delicious apples'. Mix thoroughly.  Sift cake flour and baking powder into mixture. Add salt. Whisk till just thoroughly mixed. 4. Separately whisk egg whites till frothy. Add cream of tartar. Whisk till thick foam forms. Gradually add 40 g castor sugar whilst still whisking. Continue to whisk till firm peak stage. 5. Thoroughly whisk yolk mixture. Add egg whites in 3 batches. Mix with whisk till almost even after each addition. Scrape down and fold with spatula till just evenly mixed, banging mixing bowl against worktop 2-3 times. 6. Pour batter into 20 x 12 x 7.5 cm cake pan, slowly and from about 30 cm high. Jiggle pan till batter is level, tapping pan against worktop 2-3 times. 7. Place cake pan holding batter in 23 x 15 cm cake pan. Tuck cardboard between 2 pans. Bake in bottom of oven till middle of cake doesn't squish when pressed gently, 40-45 minutes. 8. Remove pans from oven. Remove cardboard and outer pan. Drop pan holding cake from about 30 cm high, once. Invert pan onto wire rack. Leave till just cool. Unmould cake and remove parchment paper. 9 Slice cake horizontally with serrated knife into 3 layers. 10. Wash and dry cake pan. Line pan with aluminium foil with  some overhang. 11. To make kaya, place water in a small pot that retains heat well. Sprinkle agar-agar powder into water. Add sugar, unsalted butter, pandan juice and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes or longer. 12. Place coconut milk in a bowl. Add hun kwee flour. Stir thoroughly. Refrigerate till ready to use. 13. After cutting cake and prepping cake pan as detailed above, heat and stir agar-agar mixture till agar-agar powder dissolves. (Mixture is now very hot but not boiling.) Turn off heat. Add coconut milk mixture. Stir thoroughly. Add 5 drops pandan paste and 1 big drop egg yellow food colour. Stir thoroughly. 14. Turn on heat to medium-low. Cook and stir agar-agar mixture till thick enough to coat sides of pot thinly. Turn off heat. Stir till residual heat dissipates. (Mixture should now be thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly but thin enough to flow smoothly.) 15. To assemble cake, place what was top part of cake in cake pan, cut side up. Pour 140 g kaya into pan. Tilt pan from side to side and swirl kaya to form even layer. Wait till kaya layer thickens slightly, about 60 seconds (less if it's cold where you are). Place what was middle part of cake on kaya layer. Make kaya layer as before. Wait 30 seconds or so. Top with what was bottom part of cake, cut side up. Make kaya layer as before. 16. Leave assembled cake on wire rack to cool down. Refrigerate, covered, till ready to serve and kaya is firm. 17. To serve, unmould cake and trim 1 cm from all edges. Transfer to serving plate. Leave till cake is at room temperature, covered. Cut and serve.

Cake Dos & Don'ts

This rather long post, for cake newbies, can be summarised in three words: Follow the recipe. Experienced bakers may change anything they like because they know what works or probably works. Beginners, OTOH, can't tell if a seemingly insignificant detail is actually a critical part of the recipe. If you're one of these, I hope this post shows you why you may want to do everything the recipe says, and not do everything the recipe doesn't say.

What to Do Before Your Cake Fails

a) Use an oven thermometer.  »

A lot of ovens aren't accurate. If the oven temperature is wrong, you have two problems. First, your cake may fail, or it may not as good as it could be. Second, if your cake fails, you have no idea what the problem is. It may be the oven temperature, or something else. If you know for a fact what the temperature is, you can at least eliminate the oven from your list of suspects.

Some recipes say "every oven is different". That may be true but one 180°C is the same as another 180°C. Whatever you're baking doesn't care what oven it's in. It only cares what the temperature (and humidity) is.

An oven thermometer measures the temperature in the oven; it can't tell where the heat is coming from. If the top heat is higher/lower than the bottom heat, your cake will fail. Fortunately, most ovens don't have this problem. If you think yours does, toast a slice of bread in the middle of the oven, on a rack at 220°C. If the top and bottom of the bread browns evenly, the oven is good.

b) Don't change the pan type.  »

Only round, square and rectangular "regular" pans made of the same material are interchangeable. The pan type goes with the recipe. It affects how quickly the batter heats up, how deep the batter is, and how much structural support the cake needs. These factors in turn affect how high the cake rises and whether it stays up there or comes back down after cooling down.

My recipes use aluminium pans. If you use dark coloured non-stick pans, your cakes will be different from mine.

c) Scale the recipe according to your pan size.  »

If your pan is bigger/smaller than the recipe's, you must scale the recipe proportionately. Of course, you could scale the recipe first, then find the proportionate pan size. How wide and long the pan is affects the depth of the batter. Deep batter rises more than shallow batter, all other things being equal.

If you don't know how to change the pan size or scale the recipe, please refer to question (i) and (j) in this post: Cake FAQ.

d) Don't replace any ingredient.  »

The only exception is flavourless oil, which may be swapped with any flavourless oil. Changing any other ingredient has an impact on the cake. Once you modify the recipe, it's yours. If you like the final product, congratulations. If you don't? It's your recipe, so you fix it.

e) Don't leave out any ingredient.  »

Bad recipes are like germs and idiots – they are everywhere. If your cake fails, wouldn't you want to know if the recipe really works and is worth another attempt? The only way you'd know, if you don't know much about baking, is by sticking to the recipe.

f) Measure everything accurately.  »

The more exact you are, the higher the chances of executing the recipe correctly.

Accuracy is crucial for fluffy cakes. Why? Because fluffy cakes have very weak structures. When the measurements are wrong, the cake will collapse or it won't be as fluffy as it should be. If you want to bake the lightest and fluffiest cake possible, one that doesn't collapse but is one the verge of collapsing, the balance of ingredients must be spot on. If you're not the obsessive-compulsive-anal-retentive type, don't bake fluffy cakes. Try fruit cakes instead.

g) Observe the eggs/whites/yolks you're whisking.  »

How long it takes to whisk eggs/whites/yolks to the stage required in the recipe depends on the speed and size of the whisk; the size, shape and material of the bowl, the atmospheric humidity and temperature; and the freshness, temperature, size and quantity of eggs being whisked. For beginners, this is not the time to multitask because you need to watch what you're whisking, like a hawk. Your cake will fail if the eggs/whites/yolks are under- or overwhisked. The latter may happen in seconds, so go slow towards the end and keep testing.

h) Once you start whisking eggs, work quickly.  »

If kept waiting too long, whisked eggs/yolks lose their air bubbles and whisked whites lose their extensibility. If you have to check on your baby, go to the loo or read the recipe, do it before you start whisking or after the cake starts baking.

i) The cake is done when it's done.  »

The baking time in the recipe is a guide, not cast in stone. Why? Because it's difficult to whisk every batch of eggs/whites/yolks to the same level of thickness/stiffness. The stiffer the whites are, the faster the cake sets and browns. Yolks and whole eggs have the opposite effect as they thicken.

If you scale the recipe, the baking time may vary by 5-10 minutes. You should test if the cake is done as per the recipe whether or not the recipe is scaled.

j) Prep the cake pan as directed.  »

Some readers line/grease the pan when the recipe says nothing about lining/greasing the pan. And then they whine when their cake fails, insisting they've followed the recipe to a T. These people should relearn their alphabets.

There're two parts to "following to a T":

1. Do everything the recipe says. 
2. Don't do everything the recipe doesn't say.

k) Keep an eye on the cake in the oven.  »

Knowing how and when the batter rises, sets, browns and sinks (!) helps with the post-mortem.

l) Cool down as directed.  »

It ain't over till the fat lady sings cake cools down. Don't let your guard down at the last minute or your cake may shrink excessively or collapse.

What to Do After Your Cake Fails

m) Retrace your steps.  »

Check if you had:

1. The right ingredients.
2. The right amount of ingredients.
3. The right method for combining the ingredients.
4. The right pan size.
5. The right pan type.
6. The right preparation for the pan.
7. The right oven temperature.
8. The right baking method.
9. The right method for testing if the cake is done.
10. The right cooling down method.

n) Don't meddle with the recipe.  »

When you meddle, you change the recipe. Why does your cake fail in the first place? Because you changed the recipe. You can't solve a problem with what causes it, can you? 

o) Don't ask me why your cake fails.  »

 Why not? Because:

1. If the recipe works, then why your cake fails boils down to which part of the recipe you didn't follow. The best person to answer the question is you, not me because I wasn't there when you did it.
2. If you think the recipe doesn't work, the last thing you'd want is advice from the person who posted the recipe that doesn't work.
3. If the recipe really doesn't work, you're not going to hear it from me.

Pandan Sponge Cupcakes (班兰海绵杯子蛋糕)

I like my pandan sponge cupcakes very much. Made with pandan juice and coconut oil, the little cakes are very fragrant and the green colour is totally natural. The crumb is soft and fluffy, and it's still moist the next day.

If you're new to the whole egg method for making sponge cakes, please refer to my post on vanilla sponge cupcakes for tips on how to mix the batter without deflating it.

If, despite your best efforts, the batter loses a lot of air after you add flour and oil, switch to plan B. Which is? I suggest pancakes. I've never tried any before but I'd imagine pandan pancakes are quite nice.

The best tool for grinding pandan leaves to make pandan juice is a food processor. A mortar and pestle works well too, and it has the added bonus of helping you burn a few calories.

If you use a blender, the leaves must have some water added, which makes the juice too diluted. You have to let it settle for a few hours or overnight, then skim the excess water that floats on top.

If your pandan leaves are frozen instead of fresh, you must also let the juice settle even if it doesn't have water added, then use just the dark green part in the bottom.

Please don't use old, dark green leaves. Pick the ones that are soft and almost white or light green. If the leaves seem dry, soak them in water for about 30 minutes. Don't leave them in the water too long or the juice would be diluted.

A potato ricer is the most efficient tool for pressing the pulp. A small tea strainer that has a metal mesh works well too if it's the right size.

The colour of the eggs affects the colour of the cakes. Bright yellow yolks would mask the pandan juice's green colour. Use eggs with pale yellow yolks, e.g. Pasar brand, if you like your cakes as green as possible.

I use old-fashioned coconut oil for my pandan sponge cupcakes. That's the fragrant type made by simply heating coconut milk. On no account use deodourized oil, a newfangled thing that's supposed to be a health food. Virgin coconut oil, whatever that is, is fine if it's fragrant. If it isn't, you might as well use vegetable oil.

My pandan sponge cupcakes are quite fussy about what they're baked in. Hokkaido cupcake moulds give the best results. The cakes baked in these square cardboard moulds are perfectly fluffy and evenly browned. If you use other types of mould, your cupcakes may not rise or brown well.

Making good pandan sponge cupcakes is quite easy. Here's my video to show it really is a piece of cake:

PANDAN SPONGE CUPCAKES (班兰海綿杯子蛋糕) (Recipe for 5 big cupcakes) 6 g glucose 100 g eggs 40 g castor sugar 40 g cake flour 30 g coconut oil 10 g pandan juice 1/16 tsp salt Measure and prep ingredients as detailed above. Preheat oven to 190°C. Whisk glucose, eggs and sugar till ribbon stage, i.e. when whisk is lifted, "ribbon" falls from whisk smoothly and sits on top of mixture without sinking. Sift half of cake flour into egg mixture, moving sieve around bowl so that flour isn't clumped in one area. Gently stir just top part of eggs with whisk till you don't see any flour. Sift remaining half of flour as before. Repeat gentle mixing. Stir pandan juice and coconut oil till well mixed. Gently drizzle mixture around bowl. Mix with whisk till you don't see any oil, again stirring just top part of batter. Fold, using spatula, till just evenly mixed. Divide batter equally between 5 Hokkaido cupcake moulds, about 45 g each. Place cupcakes on baking tray spaced apart. Bake cupcakes in bottom of oven till batter domes and doesn't move when baking tray is gently shaken, about 8 minutes. Gently move tray to upper-middle shelf. Bake till golden brown and slightly springy when pressed lightly, about 5 minutes. Rotate cupcakes as necessary during baking so that batter rises and browns evenly. Remove cupcakes to wire rack. Leave to cool down completely, or serve warm.

Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes (班兰戚风杯子蛋糕)

Pandan chiffon cake hot from the oven is way better than cold pandan chiffon cake.

That's a bit like saying Bill Gates is rich, or Angelina Jolie has thick lips. We all know that.

So when was the last time you had pandan chiffon cake that was still hot?

WHAT? You've always had PCC stone-cold?

Oh . . . my . . . God . . . . Oh dear, POOR YOU!

Why don't you eat the cake hot, or least warm?

Because you bake chiffon cakes in a chiffon pan, and those have to be cool before you can unmould them?

Hey, ditch the chiffon pan! Let's bake cupcakes!

Small chiffon cupcakes can be much fluffier than big chiffon cakes baked in a tube pan.

Why's that?

Because the taller and wider the cake is, the less fluffy it has to be or it'll collapse.

A pan with a tube in the middle makes the cake narrow. But the "tube cake" is very tall compared to a cupcake. It must have a denser structure than its small brother or it caves in after it's removed from the oven. Hence, it can't be as fluffy as a cupcake.

All cakes lose some of their fluffiness as they cool down. Those that have butter or coconut oil lose more because saturated fat is liquid when hot but hardens as it cools down. Pandan chiffon cakes made with coconut milk are at their fluffiest when they're still hot.

Not only is pandan chiffon cake fluffier when it's hot, it's also  more fragrant. And there's something about hot PCC, psychologically,  that makes everyone go "Wow!" and "Oooh!"

My recipe comes with a warning: the pandan chiffon cupcakes crack. If there aren't any cracks, then the cakes aren't as fluffy as they should be.

The cracks close up once the cakes are removed from the oven but you'd still see the "scars". If you like your cakes scarless, then this recipe isn't for you. Or maybe you could use icing sugar as a concealer. A bit of makeup always helps.

Do the cakes have a sunken top like Hokkaido cupcakes? No. The top should be flat or very slightly rounded, not caved in, after the dome subsides.

Once you get used to chiffon cake hot from the oven, you may never go back to eating it cold. Unfortunately, no one sells cakes hot (save for chocolate lava cake?). That means every time you want to eat chiffon cake, you have to bake it yourself. Of course, if you're smart, you get someone to bake it for you. I guess I'm not so smart since I'm the one who bakes.

PANDAN CHIFFON CUPCAKES (班兰戚风杯子蛋糕) (Recipe for 8 big cupcakes) 60 g egg yolks 25 g castor sugar 50 g corn oil 50 g young, light green pandan leaves rinse thoroughly and drain; chop roughly  75 g undiluted fresh coconut milk blend with chopped pandan leaves; press with potato ricer to yield 65 g green milk; discard pandan pulp 1/8 tsp salt 80 g cake flour ¼ tsp baking powder sift with cake flour 150 g egg whites 60 g castor sugar Measure and prep ingredients as detailed above. Line eight 180 ml moulds with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 200°C. Whisk egg yolks and 25 g castor sugar till thick and pale. Add corn oil. Whisk till well combined. Add 65 g green milk and salt. Whisk till evenly mixed. Re-sift sifted cake flour and baking powder into mixture. Whisk till just evenly mixed. Set aside. Wash whisk thoroughly. Whisk egg whites till thick. Gradually add 60 g castor sugar whilst continuing to whisk. Keep whisking till egg whites just reach firm peak stage. Add egg whites to yolk mixture in 3 batches, mixing till almost even after each batch. Scrape down thoroughly. Fold till just evenly mixed. Bang mixing bowl against worktop 3-4 times to get rid of big air bubbles. Fill moulds with batter, about 60 g each. Tap moulds gently against worktop to level batter. Bake till cakes are golden brown and slightly springy, about 20 minutes. Cakes should crack after first 10 minutes. Transfer cakes to wire rack. Wait till cracks close up, about 5 minutes. Unmould and serve.