For its 15th anniversary issue, Flavours magazine tracks down the recipes for cakes that are on the Malaysian list of favourites.
CAKES have captured our hearts as special treats fit for any celebratory occasion. From birthdays to anniversaries and festive occasions, there’s always a cake to share while we celebrate our happy moments.
Special assignment: Catherine Lau was commissioned to design a cake to commemorate Flavours recent 15th anniversary. We were hooked from that first bite into a rich, golden butter cake with tender crumbs or the light-as-air sponge cake sandwiched with butter cream which we learned to bake from the colonial British and Dutch.
Circa the 50s, a cake of any sort was considered a treat. The bakery of the time was the Federal Bakery, which started way back in 1912.
Through the years, our preference for cakes has evolved; today, it takes more to tickle our fancies, so cakes have become multi-layered and sandwiched and flavoured with all sorts of stuff including mascarpone cheese, cream, chocolate, teas, fruits, nuts and caramel, among others.
The era of fancy cakes began with the emergence of cake houses such as Australia Confectionery and Angel Cake House in the 70s. Those were the days of jam-topped sponge cakes, tall chiffon cakes flavoured and coloured with pandan juice, and butter cream covered cakes topped with wafer roses. The iconic cakes of that period were the cherry-studded, chocolate-flavoured Black Forest and its antithesis, the White Lady fresh cream cake.
In the 80s, La Manila upped the ante of the bakery chains by offering premium cakes based on Filipino recipes. Originally started as a corner shop in Ampang (they eventually relocated to Taman Megah in Petaling Jaya), La Manila introduced us to the delights of Sans Rival (layers of cashew nut meringue with cream), American Chocolate Cake (a moist chocolate cake with chocolate icing made from condensed milk) and Toffee Banana Cake, a sponge cake layered with banana and toffee. This kicked off a phenomenal craze for tall, feather-light sponge layer cakes dressed in snowy white cream – which still has a loyal following today.
While boutique cake houses such as La Manila catered only to Klang Valley folks, the start of the Secret Recipe chain of franchised cake shops in 1997 took designer cakes all over Malaysia – and to neighbouring Asian countries as well. While their cakes bear a striking similarity to the cakes of La Manila, they make a mark for themselves with their cheesecakes, especially the well-loved chocolate marble cheesecake.
We’ve had a love affair with cheesecakes ever since we were smitten with the New York cheesecake and La Manila’s Toblerone chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake craze of the 80s and 90s has fizzled, but we still love the occasional slice, and whenever there is no exciting cake on offer, a cheesecake can always do.
One of our all-time favourite is the Tiramisu cake. The version first offered by the Bon Ton restaurant in the 90s is one of the most loved, its coffee-soaked sponge layered with flavoured cream and chocolate, covered with crushed, caramelised almond brittle, and served with strawberry sauce.
Diners were equally drawn to restaurants like Bon Ton and Chinoz for their cakes and food. At the same time, bakeries like Cocomo in Bangsar captured our taste buds with their Cocomo Special, a light but rich tasting chocolate mousse cake.
Bon Ton’s pastry chef Su Chan subsequently brought the mélange of cakes over to her own café, Suchan Deli in Section 11, Petaling Jaya. Eventually, every place in town had their own version of the Tiramisu cake, which remains popular to this day. Today, the Alexis Bistro has the perfect recipe.
It was a matter of time before Malaysians’ love for the King of Fruit saw the durian making its way into cakes: durian is mixed with cream or made into a custard and used as filling for sponge cake or to flavour cheesecake; Celicakes in Desa Sri Hartamas and Bijan restaurant in Jalan Ceylon, both in Kuala Lumpur, offer them when durians are in season.
European-styled cakes like the Sacher and Opera also made a popular but short-lived appearance here with the opening of the Patisserie Opera (offering Japanese-style patisserie) and the Singapore-based Bakerzin (offering French-style patisserie), both of which have since closed their doors. Today, a gourmet version of the Sacher and Opera made using premium Valrhona chocolate is available upon order from Cuisine Studio in Tropicana, Petaling Jaya.
The latest issue of Flavours features 14 cakes that are very popular among Malaysians, and a special cake designed by cake book author Catherine Lau, a dark cherry wine cake redolent of the complexity of red wine ... a cake with dark and deep flavours that is sure to go down as another classic.
The cake recipes in Flavours Nov-Dec edition are contributed by various bakers and cafes: Su Chan (Carrot cake, Tiramisu cake and Pear and Ginger Upside-down Pudding), Catherine Lau (Dark Cherry Wine cake, Very Berry Pavlova cake, Hummingbird cake and Marble Cheesecake), Arlene Diego (Moist Chocolate cake and Toffee Banana cake), Debbie Teoh (Durian Layer cake), master pastry chef Jean Francois Arnaud (Sacher and Opera cake), Food Foundry (the Mille Crepe cake), West 5th Café by Zang Toi (Chocolate Banana cake), and San Terri Cottage (Green Tea cake). Three are featured here.
White Chocolate Marble Cheesecake
Biscuit base
125g butter
200g digestive biscuits, finely crushed
50g cornflakes, finely crushed
30g almond flakes, toasted and lightly crushed
25g brown sugar
25g cocoa powder dark chocolate mixture
12g cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
30ml hot water
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur white chocolate mixture
750g cream cheese at room temperature, chopped
120g caster sugar
8g cornflour
4 tablespoons Irish cream (optional)
3 grade A eggs, lightly beaten
100g white chocolate, melted
300ml sour cream glaze
50g apricot jam
2 tablespoons water
To prepare biscuit base: Melt butter over low heat in a pan. Add remaining ingredients, mix and cook until fragrant.
Remove from heat. Spread and press mixture evenly onto the base of a 23cm loose-bottom, round cake pan. Cover with cling film and chill until firm. Remove pan from the fridge 5 minutes before proceeding with the next step.
To prepare dark chocolate mixture: Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. Set aside.
To prepare white chocolate mixture: Beat cream cheese in electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar, cornflour and Irish cream; mix. Gradually mix in eggs, white chocolate and sour cream. Set aside 150g of the mixture. To the remaining mixture, add the dark chocolate mixture; mix well. Pour half the white mixture onto the prepared biscuit base. Dot half the dark mixture in the white mixture. Swirl a palette knife through the mixtures to create a marbling effect. Top with remaining white mixture and dot with remaining dark mixture; repeat the marbling step.
To bake: Preheat oven to 150°C. Place the cake in a larger (non-loose bottom) pan and set in a baking tray. Fill tray with 4cm hot water. Bake in the oven for 80 minutes, or until cake is set – the centre should still be slightly soft. Turn off the heat and leave cake to cool in the oven, with door closed, for 30 minutes. Remove cake and waterbath from the oven, and run a knife round the sides of the cake pan to loosen the cake. Set the cake back in the oven to cool completely with the door ajar. Refrigerate overnight.
To glaze: Remove cake from pan. Place apricot jam and water in a saucepan. Mix and cook over low heat until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken. Spread glaze over the surface of the cheesecake and leave to set.
Pavlova Cake
THIS spectacular-looking cake is a combination of meringue, fresh whipped cream and fruit stacked in layers. The pavlova was created by an Australian pastry chef in 1926 to celebrate the visit of Russian prima ballerina, Anna Pavlova.
8 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
300g caster sugar
120g icing sugar, sifted
30g cornflour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon fine salt, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white rice vinegar
Cream topping
600ml whipping cream
2 teaspoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnishing
200g strawberries
200g raspberries
200g blueberries
Rubies from 1 pomegranate (optional)
To prepare and bake meringue layers: Preheat oven to 105°C. Draw and cut out two 25cm circles on parchment paper. Place each circle on a baking tray. Whisk egg whites and lemon juice in a stand mixer until the mixture triples in volume, increasing the speed as the mixture develops. Gradually add sugar while whisking continuously until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed; mix in combined sifted ingredients, vanilla and vinegar.
Divide mixture into two and spread evenly on the paper circles to form two discs of meringue, each about 4cm thick. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Meringue should feel crisp and dry on the outside, softer in the centre. Cool completely in the oven. Paper should be carefully peeled off while the meringue is slightly warm.
To prepare cream topping: Whisk cream, icing sugar and vanilla on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form. Chill if not using immediately.
To assemble: Assemble the cake at least three hours before serving to allow meringue to absorb moisture from the garnish and gain a marshmallow-like texture.
Spread half the cream topping evenly on a meringue layer, leaving a 3cm border from the edge. Top with the second meringue layer. Spread remaining cream topping and garnish with the berries and pomegranate rubies (if using). Refrigerate and consume within two days.
Carrot Cake
SINCE medieval times, carrots have been used as a natural sweetener in cakes and puddings in lieu of sugar. The cake gained popularity in Britain during the Second World War following sugar rationing. It is also one of the best-loved cakes in the US.
350g caster sugar
350ml corn oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
150g walnuts, roughly chopped
90g desiccated coconut
450g canned pineapple, drained and roughly chopped
250g carrots, sliced, cooked and roughly blended
300g all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon fine salt, sifted
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda, sifted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, sifted
Cream cheese frosting
300g cream cheese, softened
80g butter
200g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Garnishing
10 marzipan carrots
To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 23cm round cake tin with oil and set aside. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl until well combined. Pour batter into prepared cake tin. Bake for 1 hour or until inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven. Leave on wire rack to cool. Remove cake from tin, once cooled.
To prepare frosting: Beat cream cheese, butter and icing sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and lemon juice; beat until well combined. Set aside.
To assemble: Slice cake into 2 even layers. Place one layer of cake on a cake board. Spread evenly a thin layer of frosting. Top with the second layer of cake. Cover top and edges of cake with frosting. Place 10 marzipan carrots as decoration. Refrigerate. Cut into slices to serve.
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