Castella cake (or chocolate castella cake)

~~ This is the best recipe for birthday cake i tried. ~~

ingredients:
- 75 g vegetable oil
- 90 g *cake flour, or substitute by 74 g (80%) all-purpose flour & 16 g (20%) corn starch
- 60 g milk
- 6 egg yolk

- 6 egg white
- 75 g caster sugar
- 1 g salt

1. Put the baking sheet inside the oven and pour hot water until half way or 1 inch deep in the oven.

2. Preheat the oven to 300 F degree.

3. Place parchment paper in the baking pan.

2. **Heat up oil (optional, i prefer skip this step) in microwave for 2 min or cook at the stovetop at medium low heat for 2 mins (70-80C or 158-176 F).

3. Mix with vegetables oil and flour until smooth.

4. Add milk and yolk mix until smooth batter.

5. Beat egg white with salt.

6. Separate 3 times to add sugar and beat egg white until soft peak.

7. Add 1/3 egg white mix to egg yolk batter and mix gently.

8. Separate 2 times to add the rest of egg white mix to the batter and mix gently.

9. Pour the mix batter to the baking pan and gentle tap the pan to release any air pockets in the batter.

10. Place the cake pan into the baking sheet which’s already in the oven. Bake for 60 mins.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

For 5" round pan about 1" high cake

ingredients:

- 25 g vegetable oil

- 30 g *cake flour

- 20 g milk

- 2 egg yolks

- 2 egg whites

- 25 g caster sugar

- a pinch of salt

Follow 1 - 9 step

10. Bake for 20 mins.

For 4" round pan 

ingredients:

- 12.5 g vegetable oil

- 15 g *cake flour

- 10 g milk

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 egg white

- 12.5 g caster sugar

- a pinch of salt

Follow 1 - 9 step

10. Bake for 12 mins.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

ref: http://stephiews.blogspot.com/2017/02/how-to-make-steam-bake-sponge-cake.html

notes:

* Chocolate cake flour ratio:

   cake flour : cocoa powder

   2/3 : 1/3

** Heat up the oil is optional. But heat use heat up oil to mix flour, the cake will more moisture.  I prefer no heated oil.

I used this recipe to make a birthday cake.  But I brushed vanilla sugar syrup on top and bottom of each layers of cake before I decorated.

vanilla sugar syrup:

- 40 ml hot water

- 25 g sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

fruit enzyme

ingredients:

- 300 g fruits, cut in small dice

- 250g - 300 g sugar

- 1 tbsp or more fruit enzyme (optional)

1. Prepare a clean and sterilized 600ml bottle.

2. Layer fruit with sugar. First and final layers must be sugar.  Make sure have room in the bottle, during ferment the volume of fruit enzyme will increase.

3. If have left over fruit enzyme, add the left over fruit enzyme can make it faster fermentation.

4. Cover it with coffee filter with rings or rubber band to secure it.  It will create air during the fermentation.  So coffee filter can help it to release air to avoid the dreaded bottle bomb.

5. Store it at room temperature without sunlight .

6. Start stir it daily on the 2nd day.

7. Until it start bubbling and create a foam on the top after stir (shows in the photo) or no more sugar on the bottom. That fermentation takes about 3 to 10 days.

8. The fruit can store in the fruit enzyme no more than 1 month.  Otherwise, separate the fruit and fruit enzyme.  The fruit can blend it and store in the refrigerator. It can use as bread spread.

9. The fruit enzyme is ready.  Keep store it at the room tempereture with coffee filter cover.

****important note: CANNOT use banana.****

note: it's like fruit flavour syrup. Eat the fruit and fruit enzyme together with plain yogurt is the best!!  Or add water to drink. Or use it for cooking to substitute sugar.  It will tender the meat when use it to marinate meat.

Caution: it's still contain a lot of sugar, don't eat it over daily recommended sugar intake.