Out & About #1068 | Pre-CNY Visuals, Orange Yogurt Cake + Chocolate Pecan Cookies

The Year of the Snake approaches steadily. Chinese New Year has been historically celebrated in our household with feasting, funds, and fiery red decorations. Nian Gao, or Leen Go/年糕, is another quintessential component of the traditional holiday.

This space has seen numerous iterations of the formula, though the past few ​years has remained more or less consistent.

I'm moderately proud of having organized the festive decorations and relocated them away from the kitchen, where they had previously found. Despite possessing a plethora of zodiac animal plushies though, the snake was, unfortunately, not a member of the existing collection. A giant pink serpent with disintegrating insides were summoned for the annual New Year Cake display, but ultimately reinstated to its dusty post on the couch shortly afterwards.

​The Leen Go was chewy, tasty, and not cloying in the slightest. Amusingly, this year's edition revealed itself to have drier edges. On the fourth day of consumption, microwaving would lend the centre a soft gooeyness and the edges an unmistakable sturdiness often associated with pan-fried nian gao slices.

Creations of the week(end) included:

 1) Orange Yogurt Cake

In recent years, I've strictly purchased Astro's Balkan yogurt to pair alongside homemade granola. Its tanginess complements the crunchy, hearty profile of nuts, seeds, and oats, while its texture loose enough to crumble readily for seamless spoonfuls of yogurt and granola. Activia's vanilla yogurt did not provide the same eating experience. Despite bearing lovely base notes of aromatic vanilla, the texture was lumpy and seemingly synthetic. By reading the ingredient list, I confirmed this was indeed the case: starch stabilizer was the culprit behind the off-putting consistency.

Naturally, the next step was to deplete the container in a manner that did not involve direct consumption. I turned to SK's Grapefruit Yogurt Cake.

Originally, I debated the use of butter instead of oil, contemplating a modification of Ciao Kitchen's Lemon Pound Cake. However, making adjustments were not as straightforward as desired: the recipe was scaled for three mini loaf pans, exclusively relied on cake flour (which I did not have), and used under 100 g of sour cream, ultimately defeating the core objective of exhausting my yogurt supply. Reddit had advised increasing the amount of butter if using in place of oil, given that butter was comprised of both liquid and solid fats while oil was wholly liquid. But the conversion ratio was not clear, and furthermore provided solely in US measurements (cups or tbsp) instead of metric. To simplify my concurrent loaf construction project, I'd resist altering SK's cake guideline altogether - save swapping one citrus for another.

The instructions were read with haste, thus compromising accuracy of the steps. My version used two bowls, along with application of cake-making principles that may or may not reveal their worth in the final product. For clarity sake, both the ingredient list and process are detailed below:

Ingredients:

i) Loaf

• Zest of one orange
• 200 g granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• vanilla extract
• 230 g plain yogurt

• 195 g AP flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 120 g canola oil​

ii) Orange Syrup

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar *

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Combine orange zest and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Mix well to ensure comprehensive infusion of the sugar. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and oil together, forming a paste. This process coats the flour particles in fat before mixing with liquid, which enhances tenderness and prevents gluten formation in recipes with a high proportion of liquid. Set aside.
4. Add eggs into the orange zest-sugar mixture. Beat well to aerate. Add in yogurt and mix well.
5. Add flour-oil paste into aerated egg-yogurt mixture. Fold to combine.
6. Transfer to lined loaf pan. Bake at 375 F for 10 minutes, then 360 F for 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Let cool.
8. If using orange syrup, combine orange juice and granulated sugar in a pitcher. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Strain pulp from syrup if necessary. Set aside.
9. Poke holes on the top of the loaf. Line a tray with plastic wrap (ideally 2-3 layers for insurance) and transfer the loaf onto the plastic wrap.
10. Slowly immerse the loaf with orange syrup, ensuring complete coverage before pouring a second layer. Some of the syrup may spill onto the side, however this is not an issue.
11. Wrap the loaf in the plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to hydrate for 3-4 hours. Unwrap and slice.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

• Coating the flour with fat first is technique used in both pound cakes (flour-batter method) and airy chiffon cakes to ensure tenderness. While not specified in SK's recipe, I opted for this method having seen success in my many iterations of the Condensed Milk Pound Cake, my splendidly voluminous chiffon cakes from Sheldo's Kitchen, and the fact that I would be using a neutral gluten content AP flour instead of cake flour. In addition, forming a homogenous flour-oil paste eliminates the need to sift the flour while keeping lumps at bay.
• Aerating eggs with sugar is a crucial component of cakes without chemical leaveners. SK uses baking powder in this recipe, thus nixing the need for complete aeration. Generally, my personal preference lies with the uniform structure and finer air pockets promised by stabilized eggs over the erratic and asymmetrical air pockets caused by chemical leaveners. Adhering to these self-imposed BMPs, I found the crumb to be more uniform than if solely relying on the raising power of baking powder.
• SK uses a juicer and saucepot to create the syrup, however these tools are not strictly necessary, especially for one mere orange. I took to manually juicing one large orange, mixing with 2 tbsp of granulated sugar in a Pyrex beaker and microwaving until the mixture bubbled slightly and all sugar granules dissolved. Finally, I strained the pulp from the syrup. The total yield for one large orange was 1/2 cup of juice. Seeing as the recipe only called for 1/3 cup, I did not exceed this amount in fear of rendering the loaf soggy and lifeless.
• For those looking to simplify their lives, a 50/50 combination of a simple syrup with orange extract and pulp-free orange juice may induce more potency with less effort. That said, it is not recommended to only use orange juice as it is likely to mask the aromas of the finished cake without adequate hydration of the crumb.

​SK's Grapefruit Yogurt Cake involves two additional steps after the cake emerges from the oven: a grapefruit syrup for absorption by the cake and a grapefruit icing for drizzling on top. These components seemed excessive, for, in my humble opinion, a cake should be scrumptious enough on its own.
But one bite of the cooled loaf changed my mind. It was excessively zesty and even slightly bitter, yet devoid of the aromatic, citrusy tingle I had anticipated. The syrup was deemed necessary after all. The icing not so much.

After 3-4 hours of hydration, the loaf would reveal itself damp but not sodden. After 12 hours, the slices would somewhat dry out again, but the loss of moisture wasn't necessarily a negative as structural integrity was improved. Frankly, the loaf was quite tasty, however it was definitely no Sunday creation. Although lighter than expected, it was also less impactful and, dare I say, one-dimensional. Notes of orange were muddled, the surface was soft instead of crunchy, and the overall specimen did not leave one craving for more. While a solid tea cake for afternoon snacking, it is undeniable that the amount of effort invested did not translate efficiently into the finished product.

2) Marbled Banana Bread

It's undoubtedly been a while since the last iteration of Marbled Banana Bread. Alas, given that freezer inventory had been steadily depleted over the course of the holidays, I refrained from replenishing the stash until further notice.

As space returned, I began my preparations accordingly. Lean, green bananas from Walmart would be observed for about one week. The bunch was exceptionally budget-friendly at just thirty-eight cents per pound, albeit rather thin for the purposes of baking. Each weighed in at around 90 g - a whopping 44% less than the usual 130 g. Consequently, I was unable to assemble my usual marbled duo. Four out of six small bananas would be utilized for one loaf.

​I adhered to SK's formula for the majority - why mess with a tried-and-true? - then noted the following incorporations:

• homemade vanilla extract
• cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and apple pie spice
• a combination of turbinado and gingerbread cookie sugar to finish

While visually estimating a half portion of batter was unnerving, I somehow succeeded with two evenly-mixed bowls without traces of excess gluten formation.

Undetectable in influence were the gingerbread cookie sugar. But of course, the resulting loaf was predictably delicious, in addition to featuring one of the most visually pleasing swirled cross-sections to date! 

3) Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Cravings for cookie crept up steadily over a forty-eight hour period, aligning with the Orange Yogurt Loaf's residual sense of unfulfillment. A modified version of Sunday Baking's Chocolate Almond Cookies was the solution to these cocoa-filled desires.

​For starters, the recipe would be doubled - since who doesn't enjoy crunchy cookies?. Cake flour would be swapped for AP flour and sliced almonds for toasted, chopped pecans on the bases of availability. Mind you, these modifications made for a lengthier construction process overall, but served the main objective nevertheless.

​Ingredients:

• 160 g pecan halves
• 180 g unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 240 g AP flour *
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Toast pecans at 350 F for 5 minutes. Let cool then roughly chop into 0.5 - 1.0 cm pieces or slivers. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 365 F and line two cookie sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
3. Cream softened butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add in egg one at a time, whisking until homogenous. Add in vanilla.
4. Add flour, cocoa powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Fold until partially incorporated. Add in toasted, chopped pecan and mix until uniform. Be mindful of streaks of butter or unmixed flour at the bottom of the bowl.
5. Form two logs, roughly 1 inch in diameter. Shape the logs using parchment, then wrap the entire package in cling film to prevent the ends from drying out. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2.5 h, but ideally 3h, as specified by Sunday.
6. Remove cling film and parchment wrappers and cut into 1 cm thick slices using a dough cutter.
7. Arrange cookies on lined cookie sheets, with no more than 1/2 inch space between. These cookies hardly spread, thus do not need much clearance.
8. Bake for 365 F for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops cease to bubble and the nuts adopt a golden glow.
9. Let cool for at least 15 minutes.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 70 cookies, with dimensions of 4.5 cm (width) x 3.0 cm (height) x 1.0 cm (thickness)

Notes:

• I added both eggs and vanilla extract at the same time, causing the batter to separate quite a bit. As with most cookie recipes, room temperature eggs and slow incorporation is recommended.
• It is not recommended to add more than the specified amount of nuts to this recipe. The current ratio of dough to nuts grants crunch without excessive chewing.
• Sunday's original recipe does not utilize any raising agents. Omitted from the ingredient list are baking powder and baking soda. In fear that I may have overworked the gluten, I added a pinch of cream of tartar in hopes of achiever a taller cookie with more snap than density. The resulting rounds did not exhibit any noticeable airiness, thus concluding that cream of tartar can be omitted entirely.
• For a double batch, I'd highly recommend compiling the dough in a stand mixer. Sunday notes the dough to be soft; in addition to this, I also noted the dough to be tough to work with (ie. difficult to fold in flour) following the addition of eggs. Neither a silicon spatula nor wooden spoon assisted much, thus one should turn to mechanized equipment if available.
• While Sunday uses the front end of a chef's knife to portion the cookies, I tend to find knives more difficult in achieving uniform thickness. An IKEA dough cutter works best for those with naturally poor portioning abilities, such as myself. (Of course, my cutting skills will never be flawless, but I digress.)
  
• For most cookies, I tend to summon a wire rack to cool their undersides. This cookie did not require additional air circulation and firmed up nicely even while residing on their respective trays.
  
• If desired, these cookies could be dunked halfway into tempered chocolate to intensify their cocoa-forward profile. That said, they are scrumptious on their own and I did not feel a need to undertake this step.

​The cookies were, as anticipated, extremely delicious and addictive. My only complaint was the lack of tenderness, which could either be owed to my use of AP flour instead of pastry flour or slight overmixing causing excess gluten formation. Either way, I'd like to explore this formula further, perhaps swapping out a portion of the flour and granulated sugar for icing sugar for a more tender crumb.

Meals of the week comprised of: Giuseppe Pizzeria's Four Meat Pizza, Braised Daikon and Pork over Rice, and Salted Pork Rib Congee. Despite being labelled as "Thin Crust", the five-dollar budget find veered closer to a flatbread with toppings of cheese, pepperoni, and minced meat. It was nevertheless delicious, but less desirable to Casa di Mama's smaller rounds with overflowing toppings.

When stomach pains overtook my entire existence towards the end of the week and not even choy sum could be stomached, homemade Salted Pork Rib Congee materialized as my saviour. Brimming with meaty essences of bone, lean meat, and collagen, it appeased the stomach and nourished the soul with ease.

In attempting S'Mores with a freshly refilled blowtorch, I quickly learned that a stronger flame did not necessarily yield more desirable results. The marshmallows were rapidly scorched and the chocolate charred; neither became soft and pliable, but rather broiled with stiff centres. Altering the layering order or configuration did not grant better results either, leading me to conclude that the boiler function of my toaster oven to be superior.

It is with mixed feelings that I process the termination of the Winter Heptagon comeback; the period of bliss was simply too short!!

GOT7's return gave rise to a Tidal Wave of emotions from within - deeply-rooted emotions that were unconsciously dormant. Interactions with an insurmountable amount of global ahgases confirmed the same strange feeling across the board.
We truly missed GOT7.