Out & About #1163 | Complicated Feelings, Matcha Layer Brownies + Caramel Honeycomb Cake (Round 3)

When my Guinness Cake arrived in the office on Monday morning, I noticed that the rate of consumption had stalled compared to most days. The final piece remained in place until lunchtime, which was triple the period required for the adjacent Butter Tteok to vanish. However, office remarks were positive - overwhelmingly so! While I hadn't observed most people take to the cake, I was later informed that the bitterness of the cake was indeed reminiscent of Guinness' wondrous qualities, perfectly offset by the subtly sweet, yielding frosting.

Almost one year later, I'm extremely proud to declare that my presence is observed and, above all, my abilities recognized. The office had welcomed me at long last, noticing periods of my absence and excitedly gravitating towards me when present. While I despise the constant need to participate in meetings, those that actually require my engagement does not constitute time lost.

This week has given rise to yet another whirlwind of emotions. It has been extremely hectic, in which I constantly found myself in conversations that I neither expected, or did not expect to go beyond the specified duration. I continue to despise the work and its seemingly endless nature, but am starting to feel mournful: The relationships I've strived so hard to build are finally bearing fruit.

​Appearances in the office were brief. At Walmart, I spotted a low-quality K-pop Demon Hunters tiger plush being retailed at an atrocious $54.95. This was an outrage considering that my recently acquired CoCo plush cost well under half the price and featured superior and significantly softer material. 

​In spite of floral installations in the Grand Rotunda signifying the arrival of spring, Mother Nature was compelled to disagree with an influx of flurries and brisk, single-digit temperatures throughout the week.

​Appeasing some of my anxieties was an LCBO stopover - the first of this year's, might I add!

​The opportunity allowed for a well-deserved restock of sake, along with craft beer. Proof of age was, shockingly, not requested during this visit, which led me to contemplate whether ongoing work stress had resulted in a telling, withered appearance.

​Availability of imported seasonal produce is on the rise. Recently, grocery stores have seen a surge in Fuji apples and mangoes. The latter served as a splendid complement to Nani's Gelato's Mango Lassi formula.

​I slaved away for the rest of the work, actively questioning when my stress-induced weight gain would dissipate. Office sightings of fruit cake, brownies, and sour candy weren't beneficial to my case, though I was mindful to increase exercise accordingly.

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1) Matcha Layer Brownie

It was on Tuesday morning amidst rushing to prepare my lunch for another in-office day that my mind wandered in the direction of matcha brownies. The vision was oddly specific: Brownies with a layer of Matcha "Brownie" on top. When I had arrived in office and saw the Mini Egg Brownies constructed by another member of the office, I couldn't help but admit to a sense of déja vu.
"I was contemplating matcha brownies, actually." I began.
"Yes!" The creator of the Mini Eggs Brownies immediately stood up to voice support.
"See you Monday." piped another colleague.

The exchange was amusing and lovely all the same.

When the weekend rolled around, I took to The Brownies To End All Brownies, adapting it to align with my vision.

Ingredients:

A) Original Brownie Batter

• 128 g unsalted butter
• 135 g 52% chocolate couverture  
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 120 g granulated sugar
• 95 g dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 30 g AP flour
• 30 g cornstarch
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 22 g olive oil

Directions

1. Line a 8 in x 8 in square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place diced unsalted butter and chocolate couverture in a large, heat-proof bowl. Gently melt in bursts in a microwave until just fluid. Do not subject the chocolate to prolonged periods of high heat.
3. Dissolve instant espresso powder in the chocolate-butter mixture. Add in vanilla. Mix well and set aside. Let cool to at least room temperature before using.
4. Combine eggs, sugars, and pinch of salt in a medium bowl or Pyrex pitcher. Thoroughly aerate using a whisk until thickened and pale in colour. The mixture should be able to form loose ribbons in the bowl, then vanish within seconds. A hand mixer is not necessary; this consistency should be able to be achieved by manually whisking with a wire whisk.
5. Ensure chocolate-butter mixture has cooled to at last room temperature. Continue to let cool if still warm.
6. Gradually incorporate aerated egg mixture into chocolate-butter mixture. Combine well.
7. Add in flour, cornstarch, and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine, ensuring no streaks of flour remain.
8. Drizzle in olive oil and fold until homogenous.
9. Set aside while preparing the Matcha Brownie Batter. Alternatively, transfer to the lined square pan and bake at 350 F for 35-40 mins for non-matcha brownies. The surface should be set with signs of crack propagation, while the centre slightly moist but not runny.
10. Let cool completely before slicing.

B) Matcha Brownie Batter (halved from A)

Ingredients:

• 64 g g unsalted butter
• 68 g white chocolate couverture  
• 60 g granulated sugar
• 48 g dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 25 g AP flour
• 25 g cornstarch
• 10 g matcha
• 11 g olive oil * reduce!

Note that the total quantity and ratio of dry ingredients remains consistent across both batters:

• Original Brownie Batter: 30 + 30 + 60 = 120 g
• Matcha Brownie Batter (halved): 25 + 25 + 10 = 60 g

Directions

1. Place diced unsalted butter and white chocolate couverture in a large, heat-proof bowl. Gently melt in bursts in a microwave until just fluid. Do not subject the chocolate to prolonged periods of high heat.
2. Combine egg, sugars, and pinch of salt in a medium bowl or Pyrex pitcher. Thoroughly aerate using a whisk until thickened and pale in colour. The mixture should be able to form loose ribbons in the bowl, then vanish within seconds. A hand mixer is not necessary; this consistency should be able to be achieved by manually whisking with a wire whisk.
3. Ensure chocolate-butter mixture has cooled to at last room temperature. Continue to let cool if still warm.
4. Gradually incorporate aerated egg mixture into chocolate-butter mixture. Combine well.
5. Add in flour, cornstarch, and matcha. Whisk to combine, ensuring no streaks of flour remain.
6. Drizzle in olive oil and fold until homogenous.
7. Transfer both Original and Matcha Brownie Batters to the lined baking pan, starting with Original then Matcha. Swirl the batters on the surface.
8. Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes. The surface should be set with signs of crack propagation, while the centre slightly moist but not runny.
9. Let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• As always, do as I say and not as I do! Being notorious for anti-mise - sometimes against my own benefit - the process played out in a relatively chaotic manner. I hadn't scaled the recipe beforehand, nor decanted my sugar for ease of use. I was also running low cornstarch and hadn't bothered to open my new canister of cocoa powder. Finally, my scale died in the middle of measuring flour! Should you be blessed with an abundance of counter space, it is highly recommended to mise en place.
• Having forgotten ̶t̶h̶e̶ my own recipe, the eggs had been aerated only with granulated sugar. The brown sugar was combined with the chocolate-butter mixture instead, which led to undesirable grittiness. While the outcome did not see a drastically negative impact, it is nevertheless recommended to adhere to the directions above.
  
• The mixture of white chocolate, butter, brown sugar, and olive oil was quick to seize as it cooled, but could be restored by warming the mixture and whisking thoroughly. The addition of egg further assisted in returning it to a homogenous state.
  

Similar to the last attempt, oil leakage was witnessed again. In consideration of this, the amount of olive oil can likely be reduced - or even eliminated! - in the next batch.

​I adored the glossy, shattering surface. It was also interesting that the matcha batter, despite constituting just one third of the overall slab, accounted for roughly 50% of each square. Flavours were intensely chocolatey within the first few hours of being removed from oven. With time (12-24h), the delightfully grassy properties of matcha came to light. There was an aura of sophistication accompanying the crispy, chewy first bite, soft and delicate interior, and decadent chocolate finish.

2) Caramel Honeycomb Cake

It's a mystery why this delectable treat hasn't been constructed since last year. Regardless of however many misinterpretations or mishaps may have taken place, Papa Fung's recipe reigns resilient! The glorious honeycomb structure never fails to emerge!

For reasons beyond me, the latest attempt saw a strange bulge form on one side of the cake. The mutated round was decidedly humourous to gaze upon. Notwithstanding the deformation, the cake's circumference persisted a lovely, coppery hue with a neat structure of air voids hinting at the honeycomb structure encased within.

The original ingredient list reads as follows:

• 200 g granulated sugar
• 220 ml water
• 160 g cake flour
• 3 g baking powder
• 5 g baking soda
• 120 g sweetened condensed milk
• 60 g unsalted butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Adapted for the remaining 3 eggs in my refrigerator, each ingredient was subject to a reduction factor of 0.6 (3/5):

• 120 g granulated sugar
• 132 ml water *should be hot!!
• 96 g cake flour
• 1.8 g baking powder
• 3 g baking soda
• 72 g sweetened condensed milk
• 36 g unsalted butter, melted and room temp
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add sugar to a medium saucepot. Dissolve over low heat - do not stir!!
2. Once fully dissolved and a golden hue is attained, add in half of the hot water. Allow the mixture to bubble vigorously, then add in the remainder of the water. Once combined, remove from heat and let cool to at least room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
4. Sift in dry ingredients. Whisk to combine, ensuring no streaks of flour left behind.
5. Add in melted butter. Mix until just incorporated.
6. Stream in cooled caramel syrup. Whisk again until homogenous.
7. Cover and let rest for (at least) 1h. (Papa Fung strains the batter before resting, however I typically do not bother as it involves washing one more bowl.)
8. In the meantime, grease a round, aluminum pan and line the bottom with a parchment round. For the full recipe, use an 8 in pan. For the reduced (3/5) recipe, use a 6 in pan.
9. Preheat oven to 350 F.
10. After 1h, agitate the batter and strain directly into the lined pan. Gently tap on the counter to remove air bubbles.
11. Bake at 350 F for 25 mins. A cake tester should come back perfectly clean.
12. Let cool for at least 30 mins before removing from the pan. Let cool completely before slicing.
13. Serve and enjoy!

Notes
1) Do not touch the dry caramel! I did not adhere to these instructions and clumping was quick to occur. Moreover, I also did not add hot water to the syrup as I ought to have; room temp water caused the caramel to solidify rapidly.
Consequently, I allowed the syrup to simmer for a few minutes longer than necessary over low-to-medium heat to allow the clumps to gradually dissolve and be reincorporated into the syrup. Be wary of this, as evaporation can cause the overall loss of liquid required for the recipe.
​
2) The original recipe by Papa Fung uses 5 eggs and appears to be baked in a shallow pan measuring approximately 8 inches in diameter. From last year's second trial, the recipe should yield about 350 ml of caramel syrup. This trial yielded 181 ml of caramel syrup.

• 0.6*350 = 210
• 210 - 181 = 29 ml

Thus, allowing the sugar syrup to simmer for longer than required resulted in a loss of 29 ml of liquid (or 8%).

​The most striking deviation from the past two attempts was the visual discrepancy between the upper and lower halves. The top half featured a lighter hue, with a distinctly cakey consistency and mildly alkaline profile. It was tender and supple though, akin to the springy sponge cousin known as Ma Lai Goh. The lower half persisted with a beautiful honeycomb structure, as depicted in my previous two trials and Papa Fung's original recipe.

​The complexity of caramel syrup was a tad more muted than I recalled, but nevertheless fragrant, indulgent, and gratifying.