Out & About #1167 | Underbaked Caramel Honeycomb Cake, Pecan & Sesame Hoddeok + Starting Active Mississauga

The advantages of calling in sick were abundant. My stress levels decreased dramatically, for starters, and the ability to use my time as saw fit was reinstated. When Wednesday evening rolled around, I declared an unwillingness to return to work. Wouldn't it be fabulous to continue earning money while living life? Alas, any and all contractual PTO arrangements are to the benefit of the employer.

1) Caramel Honeycomb Cake

I wasted not a single of my time off, crafting yet another Caramel Honeycomb Cake.

Referencing Papa Fung's recipe once again, it was confirmed that making a dry caramel is not for the impatient. Despite directions to dissolve the sugar over low heat, I naturally increased to medium-high heat when there was seemingly no change to the powdery, white granules. Having confirmed the significance of using hot water as opposed to room temp, I was careful to maintain the warmth of the water before combining with the dry caramel in two additions. In any case, the sugar crystals had hardened on the bottom of the saucepot. Warming the mixture on low to medium heat succeeded in easing most of the fragments back to a state of fluidity. In future iterations though, I believe I'll simply resort to forming a wet caramel for the sakes of sanity and ease.

Approximately double the amount of vanilla extract had been mistakenly added to the batter. That said, I do not believe the extra tablespoon of liquid would impact the consistency greatly. After baking for 30 minutes, I cautiously probed the cake all over. The centre began to sink and darken when the cake was removed from the oven, indicating an excess of moisture, however the tester consistently returned clean.

​I allowed the cake to cool to room temperature before transferring to a wire rack. After the round had cooled completely, I sliced into it with grand expectations. A wave of dismay resulted from the hue difference in the cross-section; the distinctly underbaked centre summoned bewilderment. It was unthinkable that a custardy, uncooked centre would emerge when the cake tester had returned clean in several locations! Alongside a beautiful honeycomb structure, a crispy crust had settled nicely on the surface. I couldn't comprehend the outcome whatsoever.

At first, the round was slid into my countertop convection oven in an attempt to salvage it. After baking at 350 F for 7 mins though, the top began to darken. While the centre remained gooey, the rest of the cake would scorch if allowed to continue baking. Consequently, the cake was portioned and the centremost section of each wedge was returned to the oven to cook fully. Laying the slices flat, akin to baking rusks, enabled the pieces to finish cooking with a uniform, crunchy edge.

​Regardless of the various mishaps that have taken place to date, the prominent honeycomb structure persists in each iteration. For future attempts, I shall not hesitate to commence with a wet caramel and turn towards my intuition for doneness.

2) Pecan & Sesame Hoddeok

Recent talks surrounding Korean snacks led me to crave hoddeok. My last encounter with the comforting street snack was in Seoul, and before that the sweltering summer of 2024. Despite being aware of my extreme fondness for hoddeok, my browsing partner has never once sampled the treat, for, in the wild, hoddeok is often prepared with peanuts or exposed to cross-contamination involving peanuts.

​Rebooting four-year-old attempts at homemade hoddeok wasn't entirely due to allergen concerns. With every reminder of the toasty, delectable qualities of the brown sugar pancake, I began to yearn for it a tad more earnestly. Frankly, the filling is ever customizable: my first attempt saw a mix of black and white sesame seeds, while my second toasted, chopped walnuts. Toasted sesame seeds were superior to the soft nut, in my opinion. For the current attempt, I resolved to use a mix of sesame seeds and pecans, the nut variety on rotation in my pantry.

A) Dough

I'll be honest: I didn't review Maangchi's original recipe before preparing my own version. Blooming the yeast in advance did not constitute part of her formula. Furthermore, against my better decision, I had not measured the quantity of water to be added, but merely continued to add liquid until a wet dough was formed.

Ingredients:

• 4 g sugar
• 2 tsp yeast
• Water

• 300 g AP flour
• 50 g tapioca starch
• pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• 30 g sugar

Yield: 9 ginormous dough balls, which ought have been further divided into 12 portions

Before fermentation

After 12h cold fermentation

Directions

1. Combine sugar, yeast, and warm water in a small bowl. Mix and set aside for 10-12 mins, allowing the yeast to bloom.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together all other ingredients until well combined. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast water. Mix well.
3. Gradually add water until a dough forms. The dough should be slightly tacky. Knead until uniform.
4. Cover the bowl with greased plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to ferment overnight. (I allowed for 12h cold fermentation, however 8-10 h should be sufficient.)
5. Remove from the fridge and bring to room temp. Loosen the dough with a well-oiled bench scraper and divide into 9-12 portions.

Notes

• Overnight cold fermentation is optional, however provided me with schedule flexibility as I could commence the project immediately the next day.
• Swapping out AP flour for a gluten-free starch causes the dough to become softer, wetter, and stickier. As such, it is crucial to apply oil on the bench scraper as well as all surfaces that come in contact with the dough to ensure ease of handling.
• While I had not measured out the precise quantity of water used in the recipe, it is advised to do so for comparison purposes. (Recall: Do as I say, not as I do!)

B) Filling

I had always questioned Maangchi's original recipe when it only called for 2 tbsp of chopped nuts. The amount felt inadequate to me and I, as the greedy over-stuffer, altered it to better suit my tastes. The total amount of pecans by volume was 4 tbsp - effectively double of that specified. To preserve its signature fragrance, the nuts were toasted at 350 F for 3 mins then chopped into extremely fine pieces reminiscent of sesame seeds. This step was pivotal in maintaining uniformity and a pleasant mouthfeel. Naturally, I also toasted the sesame seeds for improved aroma.

Ingredients:

• 60 g brown sugar
• 50 g pecans, toasted and very finely chopped
• 13 g black and white sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon *opt

Yield: 123 g of filling

​123/9 = 13.7 g filling per piece
BUT aim for 123/12 = 10.25 g

As mentioned above, strive to divide the dough into at least 12 portions. When flattened, my 9 rounds became gargantuan - about 1.5x the size of the standard hoddeok.

Pan-frying is the step that garners the greatest resistance for me. The setup is far more troublesome than transferring batter to a lined pan and allowing the oven to complete the process. When working with a hot pan and tacky dough, mise en place becomes essential to success. Once again, all surfaces were required to be thoroughly greased: gloves, bench scraper, pan, hoddeok press, spatula/tongs (if using), etc.

​I admit to burning a few of the rounds, and ripping the exterior of a few others - Grease the hoddeok press!! Sugar syrup that burst from the exposed areas quickly caramelized in the pan to yield a crisp surface though, so I wasn't mad about that. The addition of tapioca starch also lent a subtle but delightful chewiness to the dough, justifying the increased difficulty in dough handling.

Conclusions

• Homemade variations can indeed quench the burning desires for hoddeok - no need to venture 2h in to K-town!
• Toasted pecans and sesame seeds contribute unparalleled nuttiness and splendid aromas, thus are superior to walnuts and peanuts for filling.
• Grease all tools liberally for success.
• While AP flour ensures ease of handling and structural stability, swapping out a portion of AP flour for starch improves dough texture immensely. Through the second and current trials, swapping out 6-14% of AP flour for starch has resulted in a chewier consistency. 20 g of a gluten-free stabilizer enables clean dough balls to be formed, while 50 g of tapioca starch results in a damp, loose dough portions.
• The appropriate proportion of water to starch remains unverified. Future trials should investigate the addition of glutinous rice flour (or glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch combo!) and reduction in water under typical fermentation conditions (warm, not overnight).
• Due to the moisture content of the dough, filling the hoddeok rounds in advance causes moisture to pool on the underside, therefore adhering to their resting surface. Once parchment paper softens, it can be difficult to remove the dough ball and risks tearing of the casing. In other words, just like the street stalls, only wrap before pan-frying and transfer the dough to the griddle quickly, seam side down.

3) Dalgona

​With an active stovetop, it was only reasonable to take advantage of the setup with another no-bake creation.

Quantities for dalgona candy were derived from Sunday Baking's six year old Dalgona Scone recipe, while J'adore's recipe provided greater clarity on the required temperature for the sugar syrup.

Ingredients:

• 200 g sugar
• 70 g water
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepot. Heat over medium-high heat until dissolved and aggressive bubbles emerge.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low once the bubbling slows. When the syrup turns pale yellow, take the temperature using a candy thermometer. Monitor until the sugar syrup reaches 170 C.
3. Turn off the heat and add in baking soda. Stir vigorously to incorporate. The mixture should bubble and turn golden. Once a caramel fragrance is perceived, remove from heat and immediately transfer to a Silpat-lined baking tray.
4. Let cool completely. Break up into pieces and use as needed.
5. Serve on top of iced lattes, or alongside dessert of choice.

Shards of airy dalgona were used to top an afternoon matcha latte, but sturdier renditions could easily be used as a cake topping as well.

​Having finalized the decision regarding my current employment, I initiated several processes to maximize the remaining benefits before its expiry. One of these perks was the acquisition of an Activity Pass, which allowed access to the drop-in fitness classes at all community centres within the city.

Being new to the program, it hadn't occurred to me that drop-in classes required checking in at the front desk and obtaining a wristband for entry. My first class was Kickbox Cardio, where the instructor talked more than she exercised, made it appear as if there was a "wrong" way to exercise, and insisted that I leave class midway to retrieve a wristband. While I understand the importance of good form for efficacy and safety, the dialogue did not align with the instructor's omission of a warm-up, constant excuses for forgetting the choreography, and unnecessarily drawn-out cooldown. I barely broke a sweat!

Not all community centres were equipped with the same facilities. Erin Meadows housed a pool, spacious activity studio, and multi-purpose room. Meanwhile, the Meadowvale Community Centre had been renovated to include a PUDO loop, pool with upper level viewing platform, gender-separated and family changing rooms, and a fitness studio within a walking track-fitted gym. Despite the renovations, the parking lot had been evidently downgraded, for the one-way drive aisles would simply see congestion with vehicles leaving and parking. Navigating the two-level community centre also summoned confusion.

​Zumba & Toning was held in a tiny fitness studio with decent ventilation. The concept of the class was interesting, as it involved both standard aerobic dance sequences and a "toning" segment using Zumba-branded weighted shakers adopting the appearance of double-ended maracas. Unfortunately, the instructor did not evoke high energy levels fitting of a Zumba class; she was too mellow and showed favouritism for regulars. Generally speaking, the class had poor coordination overall, which was a deviation from the LA Fitness crowd. Simply put, the session was too cramped and insufficient in meeting my desired intensity.

The sole in-office day proceeded better than expected, with reasonable times for lunch and discussion conclusion.

A brisk mall walk informed of:

• The Saigon's pending opening
• BOGO offers at TAO Tea Leaf
• The existence of bamboo charcoal toothbrushes from Colgate
• The return of fashion trends from my middle school and high school days
• Another pop-up market in the Centre Court with practically the same vendors as the Eid Market

​I spent most of the afternoon gorging on Girl Guide Cookies. A colleague had also kindly gifted me an Easter candy bundle brimming with a generous selection of Cadbury Mini Eggs, jelly beans, and bunny-shaped candies.

​Other visuals of the week included the Maui Jim Sunglasses of my dreams (which I, obviously, could not afford) and sampling Chef Boyardee's Spaghetti and Meatballs, whose formula has been downgraded to boast swollen, broken noodles and flavourless orange sauce.

Nigori Sake served as a comforting conclusion to the work week. Hoshuichi's rendition was comparatively sophisticated to Hakutsuru Sayuri, embracing a profile that was less sweet and less gritty.