Coconut and Azuki (Red Bean) Glutinous Rice Cake 椰汁紅豆糯米糕—For Chinese New Year

According to the Luna Calendar, the Chinese New Year (CNY) falls on January 23rd this year.  I can't believe it's only a week away from now.  Chinese New Year is the biggest Holiday in many Asia countries, pretty much like Christmas or Thanksgiving in the United States.  In Hong Kong, most retail stores, businesses and schools are close for a week during the CNY to celebrate.  Traditionally, the days off also allow everyone to celebrate and visit family members and distanced relatives.  Boy, don't I miss that tradition!  To read more about other Chinese New Year traditions and a scrumptious Butter Cookie recipe, you can also refer to this post here from last year.  As we say farewell to the Year of Rabbit, we'll be welcoming the Year of Dragon.  The Dragon certainly has the characteristic and image of strong, energetic and mysterious.

There are many specialty food, savory dishes or sweet treats, made just for the Chinese New Year.  These special treats often have special meanings, for good health, wealth and/or good luck for the new year.  Rice cakes are one of the "must have" treats during the CNY because the pronunciation of Rice Cake in Chinese (年糕) sounds exactly like "growth (taller) every year".  These rice cakes symbolize growth and improvement for the year to come.  There are many different version of Rice Cake.  The more traditional ones are simply glutinous rice flour mixed with brown/palm sugar and/or coconut milk or water, and then steam away.




This particular recipe of Coconut and Azuki (Red Bean) Glutinous Rice Cake 椰汁紅豆糯米糕 is my modernized version of the Rice Cake.  Baked with a crunchy and fragrant layer of coconut flakes on top.  The first time I tried this coconut rice cake was from my Aunt.  It was so amazing that I went back for second and third.  I adopted my Aunt's recipe and added Azuki beans.  The red beans not only added a little sweetness and tender texture to this rice cake, but also added some red color that symbolized good luck in Chinese.  The slightly sweetened red bean flavor compliment really well with the coconut.  My Aunt's recipe called for just vegetable oil, but I replaced it with some coconut oil to add more coconut flavor.  It came out wonderfully.  Here are the main ingredients you'll need: Coconut milk, glutinous rice flour, eggs, coconut milk, prepared azuki red beans, evaporated milk, sugar and of course coconut flakes.



When the batter is done mixing, pour onto a prepared baking dish and dollop the red beans on top randomly.



With a spoon, swirl around to make the marble patterns as shown below.  Don't worry about the red bean staying on top now as some of them will sink during the baking process.  Also, I bake the rice cake for a few minutes before sprinkling the coconut flakes on top to prevent the coconut flakes from sinking.  When the coconut flakes stay on top, that’s how you get the golden brown and crispy layer.



See the golden brown top and crunchy edges?  YUM!  I particularly love the sides and corners for the extra crunch, just like brownies.



When the rice cake cooled down a bit, cut them into bars of your preferred size and serve.  I love them when they are still slightly warm from the oven.  The texture is a mix of crunchy from the edges, flaky and crisp from the coconut flakes on top, and tender and chewy from the inside.  The sweetness is perfect and packed with red beans and coconut flavors.  The coconut aroma truly shines through.



These Coconut and Azuki (Red Bean) Glutinous Rice Cakes 椰汁紅豆糯米糕 are perfect for sharing in gatherings, pot lucks, or package them to give to friends and relatives for the CNY.  Just a reminder, the edges of these rice cake will soften the next day.  Simply pop them back to a toaster oven or regular oven for a few minutes if you prefer them to be crispy.  Or simply enjoy their tender and chewy texture as is.




I want to wish all of you all a bountiful, healthy, and happy Year of Dragon (Gong Hay Fat Choi). May you reach higher than ever, exceed your next goal and target in life, just as these Rice Cake symbolized. 祝大家恭喜發財, 龍馬精 神  , 身體健康, 步步高升!





Coconut and Azuki (Red Bean) Glutinous Rice Cake 椰汁紅豆糯米糕:
(Printable Recipe)
Makes 24 bars

1 bag (16 ounces) glutinous rice flour
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs

11/2 cups castor sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4  cup vegetable oil
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
6 oz evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup prepared red bean (Yude Azuki)

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 380 degrees F.  

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, baking powder and baking soda, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and the castor sugar together on medium high speed until pale yellow.  Add coconut oil, vegetable oil, coconut milk, evaporated milk and salt, beat together until well combined.

Turn mixer to low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until well incorporated.  You'll get a very thick batter.  Don’t worry about over mixing the batter as it’s already packed with glutens.  

Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, pour batter into the dish in an even layer.  Dollop the Azuki red beans on top and slightly swirl them with a spoon to form the marble patterns.  Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle the coconut flakes on top in an even layer.  Return to oven and continue to bake for another 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Loosely cover the top with a foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserts in the center and comes out clean.

Let cool on a wiring rack.  With a sharp serrated knife, cut into bars in desired sizes.



This recipe is linked with:

Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Mingle Monday
Tuesday Talent Show
Success U
I'm Lovin' It
Foodie Friday
Full Plate Thursday

Snow Ball Cookies (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies)

I call these Snow Ball Cookies because that’s what my little boy likes to call them.  When I was taking pictures for this post, he happily exclaimed, “Wow, snow balls!”  After he tasted one, he kept asking for more snow balls.  Of course, my Baby Girl got her fair shares as well.



By now, you probably have heard the other dozen names that these cookies also referred to. Such as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding cookies, Italian Tea Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, so on and so forth.  I thought I had many nick names when I was young. I can’t believe my record got beat by some cookies! LOL…Mind you, these are not just any cookies. These are some buttery, melt in my mouth, and highly addictive cookies.  I love the crunch and nutty flavor from the chopped pecans in them.  Another big plus of these cookies? They are super simple to prepare and your kids would probably want to help out in rolling the dough.  And it’s okay to let them taste the dough, it’s eggless.    



I've packaged these Snow Ball Cookies during the holiday to share with my friends and family as they are very popular during the holiday season.  But I’ve already made more batches afterwards because they are simply amazing.  After you've tried them, you would want to make them all year round too, and not just during the Holidays.







Snow Ball Cookies: (Printable Recipe)
Makes about 48 Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with a hand held mixer), beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Turn mixer to low, beat in flour and pecans, mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, form each into a flat disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in refrigerator until cold, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. With a small/mini ice cream scoop, scoop dough by one tablespoonful and roll in between palms into balls. Arrange dough balls on baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden brown on bottom and pale golden on top, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Cool cookies on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish; gently roll completely cooled cookies in powdered sugar to coat.





This recipe is shared with:

Sweet Tooth Friday
Friday Favorite
Friday Food
Foodie Friday
Sweets For Saturday
Pink Saturday
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Mingle Monday

Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël au chocolat) For Christmas—with Step by Step Pictorial

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow….

Sorry for the cheesy opening of this post, I really couldn’t help it.    But seriously, I envy those of you who get to enjoy a white Christmas.  Although I hate don’t like extremely cold temperature, I don’t mind it for the Holidays.  Oh, who am I kidding!?  If I live in an area that snows, I probably will stay indoor the whole winter with the heater on full blast! Please excuse my mumbling and let’s get to the cake.



Now, you know what I did with these Vanilla Meringue Mushrooms from the previous post!  They were made for decorating this Chocolate Yule Log Cake.  This is a very festive cake to make for the Holiday and it’s much easier to prepare than you think.  I make this chocolate roll cake all the time.  The chocolate roll cake is a very popular cake in Asian bakeries.  The only differences of this Chocolate Yule Log cake are the extras chocolate frosting that I spread on to imitate/resembling the log patterns and the Vanilla Meringue Mushrooms on top for decorations.

Here’s the step-by-step pictorial.  First, preheat the oven to 375 degree F. and grease a 10 by 15-inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Then, line the pan with parchment paper.  Make sure the parchment pager is large enough to have at least 2-inch excess on all sides for easy removal when the cake is done.



Next, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until frothy.  Then slowly add around 1/2 of the sugar as stated in the recipe.



Beat until the meringue reach a medium peak.



In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow.  Then add the vanilla, instant coffee, melted butter and heavy cream until incorporated.  Sift the cocoa powder and cake flour into the egg yolk mixture.  Fold until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined. 



Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter and stir until batter is lightened.  Do not worry about deflating the egg white here.



See how much lighter the batter is? 





Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two batches.  Need to be careful now not to over beat the batter and deflate the egg whites too much. 





Gently spread the cake batter evenly onto the prepared cake pan. 





Bake at 375 degree F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake and comes out clean.  Let cool on a wiring rack completely.





To prepare the filling, beat the whipped cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peak formed.  Spread evenly onto the cooled cake.





Roll the cake up, from the shorter end.




To prepare the chocolate frosting, whip the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peak forms.  Sift in the cocoa powder and fold until well incorporated.  Cut about 2 inches off the rolled cake at an angle, set aside.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of chocolate frosting and spread the rest evenly onto the log.  With the back of a fork, gently press over the chocolate frosting to create the log patterns.  Place the cut off portion on the side of the log and spread the reserved 2 tablespoons of frosting on the side of the smaller log.  Use the fork to create the log patter on this piece as well.  Top with Vanilla Meringue Mushrooms and sprinkle the powdered sugar for the snow effect. 




This Chocolate Yule Log truly brings back many childhood memories.  I remember having my very first Yule Log cake for Christmas when I was about 7 years old.  The cake was bought at a store.  My Grandparents, Parents, Aunts, Uncles, my Brothers and Cousins were all there to celebrate together.  Spending time with family and enjoying good food together are precious and priceless.  I’ll forever treasure and cherish those sweet and warm memories.  I hope you and your family are creating new memories together during this Holiday Season.








Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël au chocolat)
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients for the cake:
5 egg whites
5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon caster sugar, divided
Pinch of kosher salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granulate
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup cake flour

To prepare the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F.  Grease a 10 by 15-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Then, line the pan with parchment paper.  Make sure the parchment pager is large enough to have at least 2-inch excess on all sides for easy removal when the cake is done. 

Next, beat the egg whites with cream of tartart and a pinch of salt until frothy. Then slowly add in around 1/2 of the sugar and beat until medium peak forms.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until light and pale yellow. Then add the vanilla, instant coffee, melted butter and heavy cream until incorporated. Sift the cocoa powder and cake flour into the egg yolk mixture. Fold until the dry and wet ingredients are just combined.

Add 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter and stir until batter is lightened. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites in two batches.  Be careful not to deflate the egg whites too much.

Gently spread the cake batter evenly onto the prepared cake pan.  Bake at 375 degree F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the cake and comes out clean. Let cool on a wiring rack completely.

Mean while, work on the filling and frosting.

Ingredients for the filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

To prepare the filling:

Beat the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peak formed. Spread evenly onto the cooled cake.

Ingredients for the chocolate frosting:

1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

To prepare the chocolate frosting:

Beat the whipped cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peak formed.  Sift and fold the cocoa powder into the whipped cream mixture until well combined.

To Assemble:

Gently spread the filling onto completely cooled cake.  Roll the cake up, from the shorter end.   
Cut about 2 inches off the rolled cake at an angle, set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons of chocolate frosting and spread the rest evenly onto the log. With the back of a fork, gently press over the chocolate frosting to create the log patterns. Place the cut off portion on the side of the log and spread the reserved 2 tablespoons of the frosting onto the side of the smaller log. Use the fork to create the log pattern on this piece as well. Top with Vanilla Meringue Mushrooms and a sprinkle of powdered sugar for the snow effect. Take some pictures and enjoy the cake.  If not serve immediately, cover loosely and keep refrigerated.


This recipe is shared with:

Pity Party
Friday Potluck
Melt in Your Mouth Monday
Mingle Monday
Do Something Crafty Friday
Tuesday Talent Show
Success U

Napoleon Mascarpone Cheesecake with Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies

My family always has a different preference on the flavor of desserts.  My husband is a big fan of chocolate, and dislike strawberry, or any kinds of berries, period.  My kids are big fans on ANY kinds of berries and fruit, especially strawberries.  For me?  I’m the least picky person in the house.  I basically eat anything (I’m such a pig). 



Why am I telling you this? Because that’s how this cake was created. To please everyone with a dessert. I’m so glad each of my family member loves a different kind of food/ flavor. That always give me opportunity to explore and try new things.  



When my husband first saw the cake, his reaction was “wow, this looks delicious!” Despite there’s strawberries in the cake, which was quite obvious from that pink color. When he took the first bite, he exclaimed, “hm….this is so good….” Then he kept quiet because he was too busy eating. You know what, I think he does like strawberries, after all.




My kids both had a big piece of this cake during afternoon tea.  Chocolate, vanilla and strawberries all in one bite, what’s not to like?  The good thing about this cake is the lightness.  It’s super moist, light and fluffy.  The sweetness is just right and you won’t feel guilty eating a huge piece.



I top it off with some Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies.  These cookies are airy and light.  It’s sweet, as all meringue cookies are, with a hint of tanginess from the Pomegranate powder.  The pure rose extract adds a hint of floral tone to the cookies and compliment wonderfully with the Pomegranate flavor.  It’s super crispy so it gives a nice contrast to the cake’s texture.  




If you’re thinking of a cake to make for gatherings or celebrations, this would be an elegant yet easy to prepare type of cake to bring to the party.  Best of all, you can make the Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies a day or two ahead of time and keep them in an air-tight container for freshness.  Just make sure you store some for the cake decoration before you snacked all of them before the party. 








Napoleon Mascarpone Cheesecake (Printable Recipe)
Makes 1 9-inch round cake
Ingredients

5 eggs, separated and at room temperature
a pinch of Kosher salt
3/4 cup caster sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup whipping cream
11/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons strawberries preserves
powdered sugar, for garnish
Some Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies, for garnish (recipe follow)
boiling water (for water bath while baking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch spring-form cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper on the bottom and sides. Wrap 2 layers of foil paper on the outside of the cake pan to prevent water from going into the cake pan while baking.

Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Make sure there’s no yolks in the whites. In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites with a pinch of Kosher and cream of tartar until egg white is soft peak.  Gradually add half of the sugar, beating on high speed until egg white is medium peak. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat mascarpone cheese with remaining half of the sugar until smooth and fluffy.  Whisk in whipping cream, egg yolks, vanilla extract and lemon juice until well combined. Turn mixer on low, add flour, and cornstarch until just combined.

Equally divide batter into 3 separate bowls, fold cocoa powder into one, and fold strawberry preserves into another and leave one plain.

Equally divide beaten egg whites into each of the cake batter until just incorporated (Do not over mix).
Pour chocolate batter on the bottom of the prepared spring form pan and spread batter into a smooth and even layer.  Gently pour the vanilla batter on top followed by the strawberry batter.  Carefully smooth the surface.

Place cake pan into a larger roasting pan and place roasting pan in lower third rack of the oven.  Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come half way up the side of the cake pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the center comes out clean.
Remove cake from roasting pan.  Carefully remove foil from the spring form pan and cool on a wiring rack.  When cake is completely cooled, remove the sides of the pan, dust with powdered sugar and decorate with Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies. 

Pomegranate-Rose Meringue Cookies (Printable Recipe)
Makes 40 cookies


3 large pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup caster (superfine baker's) sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure rose extract (it's really strong, so a little goes a long way)
1/4 cup freeze dried pomegranate powder

Preheat the oven 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until frothy, about 2 minutes. With the machine on medium-high speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time.  Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick, shiny and holds stiff peaks, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Then add the vanilla extract, rose extract, and pomegranate powder.  Beat until ingredients are incorporated.

Scrape the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip and pipe the cookies onto the lined baking sheets. Starting in the middle and make 1 1/2 circles, about 1 1/2-inch in diameter and 1 1/2-inch apart.

Bake the meringues until they are firm, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave them in there overnight.

If meringue are not totally dry, bake for an additional 15 minutes at 200 degrees F will crisp them up again.


Recipe Linked with:

Sweets for Saturday
Melt in your Mouth Monday
I'm Lovin' It
Pink Saturday

Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Tiramisu—Happy Anniversary

Last October, my husband and I celebrated our 6th wedding Anniversary at Maison Riz, a French and Japanese-fusion restaurant.  With our busy schedule this year, we went somewhere nearby instead.  Don’t you see a trend here? Yes, we both love Japanese food.    On the Maison Riz's post, if you scrolled all the way down to the dessert plate, you’ll see the little green cake in the middle.  That was an amazing piece of Green Tea Tiramisu.  Yes, this recipe is a replicate of that dessert.  It’s so wonderful that I just have to recreate it again.  Why did I waited for almost a year to make this dessert?  I'll explain to you later on in this post.



Tiramisu in Italian means “pick me up”.  Traditionally, this famous dessert is made of ladyfingers dipped in a mixture of espresso and liquor, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, cream and mascarpone cheese and cocoa powder.  The texture is so soft and fluffy, hence, it’s called “pick me up”.  I’m sure many of you have tried this dessert at a restaurant or even made some at home.  If you’re a Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) lover, you’ve got to try this recipe out.  Even if you’re not a big time fan for Green Tea, this is still an amazing dessert.



So, why did I waited for almost a year to make this Matcha Tiramisu?  Actually, I have wanted to make them for a long while.  Unfortunately, I had a hard time tracking down the ladyfingers in the neighborhood markets.  I tried homemade ladyfingers and my Tiramisu turned out to be a mess!    Luckily, one of my good friends knew I was on the quest to hunt down the ladyfingers and she came to the rescue and got me a huge package!  I’ve made a few batches of the traditional Tiramisu and a couple of batches of these Matcha version and they all turned out amazing!  Thank you for the fingers, my dear friend!



A message for my hubby: The past seven years has been nothing but amazing memories.  After having our first condo, changing of career, having two gorgeous kids, moving to another house, and starting an MBA together (yes, together because I feel like I’m taking the courses with you, Honey), I realized I love you more and more every day.  Thank you, my caring and loving husband for this amazing journey together.  I look forward to celebrate many more anniversaries, to accomplish many more milestones, and to grow old (if we’re not already old) with you together. 








Matcha Tiramisu Printable Recipe
Makes 9 by 5-inch
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Matcha powder, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. mascarpone cheese, room temperature
12 to 14 Savaiordi ladyfingers


In a medium pot, fill with 2 inches of water, set a mixing bowl over the pot of water. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
Add egg yolks, salt and sugar to the mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture thicken and lighten. When lifting the whisk, the mixture should fall back on itself looks like thick ribbons. Place the bowl over an ice bath to cool.

In a small pot, bring the milk to a simmer, remove from heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of Matcha Powder and vanilla extract until melted and no lumps. Transfer to a shallow dish and let it cool slightly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar until medium peak forms. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat mascarpone cheese until smooth. Gently fold the egg mixture into the mascarpone until incorporated. Then fold the cream mixture into the mascarpone mixture until well combined.

To assemble, line a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wraps, allowing the excess to hang over the ends and sides. Quickly dip both sides of the ladyfingers in the Matcha mixture (just long enough to moisten the cookies without making them soggy) and place them on the bottom of the pan. Spoon 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture on top of the cookies, smooth the surface and sprinkle the top with Matcha powder. Dip the remaining cookies and place on top of the cream. Spoon the remaining mascarpone mixture over the cookies. Smooth the top and fold the plastic wrap to cover the cream. Refrigerate for at least six hours, preferably overnight. Your patient will be rewarded. Before serving, dust with more Matcha powder and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes.


This Recipe is Shared with:

Sweet Treat Thursday
Foodie Friday
Full Plate Thursday
Sweets for Saturday
Anything Goes
MomTrend's Friday Food