Matcha tres leches

My second tres leches cake has a Japanese tea twist.

The idea of adding tea was good, but this recipe has a big flaw, read at the end.

More about “tres leches” cake and basic recipe.

I made a simple cake with flour, baking powder and matcha green tea.

The cake was nice and fluffy but it didn’t hold its shape as well as the classic one when soaked.

Syrup of tres leches (3 milks) :
condensed milk + cow milk + DIY almond milk.

I had a leftover of syrup that I thickened with potato starch. I’ve used it to fill between the 2 layers of biscuit.

As you can see the filling became runny and the cake more like a pudding. But I liked the almond flavored matcha au lait taste.

Verdict : good in taste, not great in texture. Next time, I won’t use that type of biscuit. I think the basic sponge (biscuit de Savoie with egg) or okara cake keep their texture better when soaked.

Postre de las tres leches, coconut style.

The tres leches cake is very popular in Latin America. It’s classically soaked in tres leches (3 milks) : condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream. I had never eaten any. That was this month’s challenge :

Blog-checking lines: Inma of la Galletika was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!

I made 3, this one PLUS :

matcha tres leches (coming soon)

Momo mitsu-nyu, a plant based tres leches with peach (coming soon)

I’ve put the classic recipe at the end. I drifted away, using a second coconut version.

My biscuit is flavored with lots of vanilla powder.
For soaking : condensed milk + coconut milk + coconut cream + rum.

I garnished with orange, litchi and whipped coconut cream, unsweetened.

Fruits are between the 2 layers of biscuit and around. Then dry coconut and sweet cinnamon :

Sponge cake for Classic Three Milks Cake:
Source : Daring Baker

Servings: 12

Ingredients for the vanilla sponge cake
5 large eggs (separated)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) of vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) (5 oz) (140gm) all-purpose (plain) flour (sifted)

-Preheat oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Prepare a square 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan
Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
-Beat the egg whites on medium speed, 3 – 5 minutes.
When soft peaks form slowly add the sugar in small batches.
Whip until stiff peaks form about 5 minutes. Set aside.
-In a medium bowl beat egg yolks at medium-high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the egg yolks become pale colored, creamy and puffy. Stir in vanilla.
-Pour the egg yolks over the egg whites, gently fold until just combined trying not to lose any volume from the mixture.
Fold in the flour little by little in the form of rain. Mix until just combined (over-beating will result in a denser, flatter cake).
-Pour the batter into the prepared 9”x9” (23cmx23 cm) square cake pan or 9” (23 cm) round cake pan.
Bake in the preheated moderate oven for 25 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool.
-Once cool, split the cake in half, flip the top of the cake and place it on a base. Poke using a fork holes all over the cake to better absorb the three milk soaking liquid.

Classic Three Milks Cake:
Source : Daring Baker
For three milks syrup
1 can (14 oz) (400 gm) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) (340 gm) evaporated milk
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream (about 35% fat) or 1 cup of half & half or 1 cup milk
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons (10 ml) rum (or other flavoring)

Topping and filling
2 cups (500 ml) of whipping cream (about 30% fat)
½ cup (120 ml) (4 oz) (125 gm) sugar
Canned or fresh fruit (to fill and decorate the cake)

-Three milks syrup
In a saucepan add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and cinnamon stick, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Remove it and let it cool.
Once it is cool, add the rum or any other flavoring you are using
Gradually brush all the milk soaking liquid into all sides of the cake (including the cut surfaces) until all absorbed. Best to rest the cake in the fridge overnight to complete the soaking process.
-Topping
Whip the cream, when soft peaks form add the sugar little by little, continue whipping until stiff peaks form about 2 mins. Layer some whipped cream on the bottom layer and cover with canned or fresh fruit and decorate the top layer with whipped cream and the fresh or canned fruit.

Mawa cake with DIY mawa

South Indian cardamom milk cake, made with mawa (unsweetened condensed milk).

So that’s this month’s Daring Baker’s challenge.

Blog-checking lines: Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen was our August 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and she challenged us to make some amazing regional Indian desserts. The Mawa Cake, the Bolinhas de Coco cookies and the Masala cookies – beautifully spiced and delicious!

The detailed recipe is at the end of this post.

I also baked :
masala cookies

Recipe in 1 line : Simmer and stir 1 liter of whole milk.
That’s true and that take ages. I have cheated, I’ve started with evaporated milk, then I had my mawa in 15 minutes.

The baked cake.

Let it cool.

I found it better fully cooled, even chilled a few hours.

Iced chai latte (Ceylon tea and cardamom infused in cold water and coconut milk, sprinkled with cinnamon).

Recipe from the Daring Baker Challenge :

MAWA CAKE (Cardamom Flavoured Milk Cake):
Servings: Serves 8 to 10
Mawa Cakes are a specialty cake that is the hallmark of Irani cafés in India. The Iranis are Zoroastrians who left Persia/ Iran in the 19th and early 20th centuries to escape persecution of non-Muslims, and settled down and thrived here mostly in the cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune. They’re most famous in India for their friendly informal cafés/ restaurants that serve the most awesome food. The brun pav or maska pav(kinds of bread) with Irani chai (thick, strong, sweet and milky cardamom flavoured tea), their Shrewsbury biscuits and Mawa cakes are just a few of them.
Mawa (also known as Khoya/ Khoa) is made by slowly reducing milk (usually full-fat) until all that remain is a mass of slightly caramelized granular dough-like milk solids. Mawa is used in a wide variety of Indian sweets like Gulab Jamun and Peda, to mention just two. Mawa is pronounced as Maa-vaa; Khoya is pronounced as KhOh-yaa.
In this cake, Mawa lends a rich and a caramelized milky taste to this cake which is slightly dense and reminiscent of a pound cake. Cardamom and cashewnuts are typical of a Mawa Cake, though blanched almonds are also used. Mawa Cakes are also bakes as cupcakes.

The cake is very easy to make and the Mawa is not too difficult. It just requires some time, patience and a lot of stirring!

Ingredients

For the Mawa:
1 litre (4 cups) full fat milk

For the cake:
1/2 cup (1 stick) (120 ml) (4 oz) (115 gm) unsalted Butter (soft at room temperature)
3/4 cup (180 ml) packed crumbled mawa
1-1/4 cups (300 ml) (10 oz) (280 gm) castor sugar
3 large eggs
5 to 6 cardamom pods, powdered, (about 1-1/2 tsp powdered cardamom)
2 cups (500ml) (9 oz) (260 gm) cake flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) (5 gm) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
Cashewnuts (or blanched almonds) to decorate (about 18 to 20)

Directions:
1. First make the “Mawa”. Pour the milk into a heavy bottomed saucepan, preferably a non-stick one. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring it on and off, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
Turn down the heat to medium and keep cooking the milk until reduces to about a quarter of its original volume. This should take about an hour to an hour and a half.
2. The important thing during this process is to watch the milk and stir it frequently to make sure it doesn’t stick to the sides or bottom of the pan and get burnt. The danger of this happening increases as the milk reduces and gets thicker.
3. Once the milk it has reduced to about one fourth, 1/4 quantity, lower the heat to low and let cook for a little while longer. Keep stirring regularly, until the milk solids (mawa) take on a lumpy appearance. There should be no visible liquid left in the pan, but the mawa should be moist and not stick to the sides of the pan.
4. Remove the pan from heat and transfer the mawa to a bowl and let it cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate it for a day or two (not more) till you’re ready to make the cake. It will harden in the fridge so let it come to room temperature before using it.
You should get about 3/4 to 1 cup of mawa from 1 litre (4 cups) of full-fat milk.

5. Now start preparations for the cake by pre-heating your oven to moderate 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Beat the butter, the crumbled mawa and the sugar in a largish bowl, using a hand held electric beater, on high speed until soft and fluffy.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium speed till well incorporated. Add the vanilla and milk and beat till mixed well.
7. Sift the cake flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt onto the batter and beat at medium speed and well blended. If you cannot find cake flour, place 2 tablespoon of cornstarch in the bottom of your 1-cup measure and then fill it with all-purpose (plain) flour to make up to 1 cup.
8. Grease and line only the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan. Pour the batter into this and lightly smooth the top. Place the cashew nuts (or blanched almonds) on top of the batter randomly. Do not press the nuts down into the batter. A Mawa Cake always has a rustic finished look rather than a decorated look.
9. Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 1 hour until the cake is a golden brown and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake or it will dry out. If the cake seems to be browning too quickly, cover it will aluminium foil hallway through the baking time.
10. Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 min in the tin. Release the cake, peel off the parchment from the base and let it cool completely.

My exps in plant based milks and yogurts

Here is a post to make the point about my adventure in the plant-based milk and yogurt world…
That doesn’t go much out of the beaten paths, but for me there were novelties. Also these food are very different so I made my tasting files for each.
If you want wider information about dairy-free cooking, there is a compilation post about it (here).

MILKS :

Soy milk (tutorial)

+Tastes good cold or hot.
++Useful to make tofu, yuba, yogurt, etc.
++ Very cheap ingredients.
-A bit long and complicated to make.

Almond milk (tutorial)

+ Tastes great cold.
+ Useful to make blanc-manger.
– Raw almond are very expensive here.
++ The most convenient and quickest to make.

Sweet corn milk (recipe)
+ Tastes fresh and original cold.
+ Quick and easy to make.
– Seasonal ingredient, no so cheap (I think frozen corn is pre-cooked, I didn’t try)

Sesame milk (tutorial)
+ Tastes great warmed.
+ Convenient and easy to make.
+ Cheap ingredient.

Recipes :
kurogoma tonyu (black sesame paste in soy milk)
hot sesame milk

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Coconut milk yogurt
+ Very tasty
+ Super easy to make
– or + It stays liquid
– A little fat (has to be drunk in small amounts)

Soy milk yogurt (thick type recipe)
+ Tasty
+ Great texture
+ Cheap ingredient
– Some prep needed to thicken it

Recipes :
coconut milk lassi

Sesame latte

Milk made from sesame seeds. Totally simple. It can be enjoyed hot or chilled. The taste is slightly nutty, as expected, but it’s not too strong.

Sesame seeds. These are sold already toasted. I’ve soaked them a few hours, added water. Well, I had 1/2 cup of seeds and I completed to 4 cups of liquid. In the blender, I’ve mixed finely.

Then I passed it in a mesh coffee filter. It took a while to pass through. Here are the grounds. They can still be used to make sesame sauce.

You can see 2 layers in the milk that has been a while in the fridge. Just shaking the pot is enough to mix it again.

I preferred the warm version with a hint of nutmeg.