So Strawberry Steamed Cake 全草莓蒸蛋糕

Brightly rouged strawberries are hard to come by in our tropical markets. This delicate fruit is so temperature sensitive that a tour guide in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, once advised us to eat the fresh strawberries before we left the highland. From his experience, by the time when the Singaporeans reach the customs, half of the strawberries would have gone bad :(

When I bought these red fresh strawberries, which flew all the way from Japan, I told myself I have to enjoy these fruit fresh, not as jam ◉‿◉

I baked a steamed cake using strawberry fresh milk and frosted it with strawberry milk ermine cream. The fresh strawberries just lay between or sat on top of the moist light cake. Yummy :)

Strawberry Ermine Cream

Ingredients

10g honey

40g strawberry fresh milk

5g all purpose flour

40g salted butter, slightly softened 

10g icing sugar 

Directions

1. Add honey, strawberry fresh milk, and all purpose flour into a small metal cup, and mix well.

2. Heat over low heat till the mixture thickens. Stirring regularly.

3. After the strawberry milk roux has cooled down to room temperature, seal with a sheet of food wrap and store it in the fridge till needed.

4. After whipping the softened butter till creamy, add in the icing sugar and whip till it is light and pale.

5. Add in the cold strawberry milk roux, spoon by spoon. Mix well before adding the next spoon.

6. Cover and keep in the fridge till needed.

Strawberry Milk Sponge

All ingredients in room temperature

Ingredient A

50g strawberry fresh milk

10g condensed milk

10g rice bran oil

Ingredients B

70g top/cake flour

Ingredient C

2 egg whites

50g fine sugar

2 egg yolks

Ingredient D

2 strawberries, cut into quarters

1 strawberry, slice into 8 pcs

Directions 

1. Line a 14 cm round cake tin with parchment paper.

2. Mix ingredient A together and set aside.

3. Loosen the ingredient B using a hand whisk. Set aside.

4. In a clean  and dry mixing bowl, beat egg white till frothy. 

Slowly add in the fine sugar, in 3 batches. Continue to beat till the whisks can draw up a long and narrow meringue.

5. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Continue to beat till the batter can hold its shape for at least 5 seconds.

6. Fold in ingredient A and B in alternating sequence. Start with flour and end with flour.

7. Give the batter a thorough mixing using a spatula.

Do not over mix.

8. Pour the batter into the lined cake pan. 

Steam at medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to steam for about 18 to 20 minutes, or till an inserted cake tester drew out clean.

Keep the temperature low, the cake will not raise too high and form a high dome top, not very nice for frosting.

Drop the hot cake with the pan 3 times from a height of about 10cm. This is to prevent the cake from over shrinking.

9. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, before transferring out.

Let the cake cools down completely on a wire rack.

10. After the cake has completely cooled down, remove the parchment paper

11. Slice off the top, and divide the cake into 3 portions.

12. Spread cold strawberry milk ermine frosting in between layers and in top of the cake. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices and quaters.

13. Cover and store the cake in the fridge for about 90 minutes before slicing.

As fresh fruit is involved, this petite cake is best be consumed within the same day.