Out & About #974 | No-Bake Mugwort Mousse Cake + Whole Wheat Pineapple Buns

​Chinese New Year wasn't on my mind this year - a shocking announcement, I am aware. But comparatively more striking stressors had left me bereft of reasons to celebrate. My mind debated whether one's sheer existence incited moving forward, or whether one was required to move forward in order to continue existing. Needless to say, the festivities - and later my overall health - had been ignored altogether.

I must admit: I went slightly mad during this period, with an unhealthy urge to purge depressing thoughts with soulless creative pursuit. There were countless items of affection and little time to waste. The longer those ideas bounced about my mind, the more contemplative I became, eventually expanding into more projects than both my physical abilities, diet, or freezer could sustain.

1) No-Bake Mugwort Mousse Cake

On some days, you just want cake. But those days may coincide with non-hair-washing days. In those cases, no-bake cakes are the way to go; while they require lengthier chill times, they are also a convenient method of using up soon-to-expire, neutral-flavoured biscuits, such as milk and honey ones I picked up at Eataly that didn't succeed in earning a title as an item of affection in the household.

Looking to revisit the mugwort-chocolate combination, I attempted a tri-layer creation of biscuit base, mugwort mousse, and chocolate glaze.

The crust was sourced from Sunday Baking's Easy No-Bake Cheese Cake with Peach Jelly, using 120 g of pulverized biscuit and 50 g of melted unsalted butter. Pressing the fine mixture into three mini springform pans - recently re-discovered whilst cleaning (oops!) - the pans were allowed to rest in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes before the subsequent layer was poured on top.

​The centremost layer was the trickiest, for a recipe did not exist for the flavour swap. Sunday's egg-less mousse was adapted for the dusty teal inclusion by mixing mugwort powder with melted white chocolate to form a paste, then loosening the mixture with a bit of oil - and, later, hot water, for easier incorporation.

​Admittedly, it was a looser consistency than desired, even after chilling overnight. Its edges did not set smoothly, resulting in a dull, uneven surface for glazing. Moreover, the glaze also dragged with it any loosened portions of mousse, causing milky trickles down the side of the cake.

With panic on the horizon, I rapidly constructed a ganache to camouflage the imperfections. Instead of a 2:1 chocolate-to-cream ratio, I opted for 180 g of couverture and 149 g of heavy cream, hoping for a thick coating that would set with ease.

​An excess of glaze and ganache would prevail. The glaze would be covered with cling film and placed into the fridge until a suitable use could be determined. Meanwhile, the ganache was poured over a tray of almonds - a specimen that could likely be used for decoration, or so I naively believed.

The trio was allowed to rest chilled until fully set, however saw damage to outer edges during the process. I attempted to mask the imperfections using mostly malleable strips of almond-containing ganache, but they merely fell off instead of adhering to the areas of injury.

​Two of three cakes were transferred to the freezer in hopes of improving their texture, then soon forgotten with the arrival of the work week. One had been sealed in a lidded plastic container, while the other loosely covered with plastic wrap, exposing it to below-freezing temperatures for upwards of 36 hours.

Frostiness had coated the cakes, indicating mild freezer burn. Clean slices were made possible with greater solidity, and altered its flavour profile minimally. The ganache gained structure accordingly, while the rest of the cake tasted almost ice cream-like, edged with a lovely, buttery crust.
Unfortunately, there was no hiding the smears and uneven glazing. At the very least, the cake was tasty and disappeared quickly once landing in the office.

2) Carrot Pound Cake

Since revisiting carrot cake not long ago, Sunday Baking's Carrot Pound Cake had left quite the impression on me. That said, it seemed only fitting to do it justice with a proper cream cheese frosting.

The intent had been to create the cake first, and source cream cheese from the grocery store in the subsequent days. Truth be told: the work week did not play out as such. Finely chopped pecans were sprinkled on top instead.

​In this rendition, the dried cranberries and raisins hadn't been pulsed as finely as the first. On the other hand, pecan bits contained within the loaf were barely discernible. This difference enabled a moister cake with faint notes of crunchiness along the top.

While received well, my personal preference lay with larger chunks of pecan within and finer bits of dried fruit, for prominence of the latter is usually associated with blue sky bran muffins. (Come to think of it, those haven't been crafted in a considerable amount of time...)

My hasty investment in a 6 lb bag of carrots promises further trials though, ideally with cream cheese frosting in accompaniment. For now, the knobs and grated 80 g portions have been frozen for longevity and flexibility.

3) Whole Wheat Pineapple Buns

My last iteration of homemade pai bao/排包 had materialized moist, delectable, and aromatic. Though, the distinct lack of rise was an aspect that lingered about in my mind. Was it due to using AP flour instead of bread flour? The recipe hadn't specified the type of flour and merely showed an unbleached edition being poured into the mixing bowl.

​A follow-up experience was executed using bread flour, but in the form of a whole wheat edition as unbleached had sold out at the time of visit. The goal was to achieve a higher rise, and consequently a fluffier texture.

​Identical quantities to the original recipe were used. The dough was decidedly sticky at first, causing me to wonder whether additional flour would be needed. Continued kneading ensured cohesion as well as a smoother surface; let it be known that the wheat bran-speckled dough required greater periods of kneading than its AP flour-containing rendition. Once any remaining bits of dough peeled off from the sides of the bowl, the mound would be transferred to a large mixing bowl and covered with grease plastic wrap for proofing.

A similar sluggishness was observed throughout this process. The first proofing revealed minimal expansion even after two hours. Gluten strands had formed adequately, though the dough wasn't exactly airy.

Roti Sisir involved forming the dough into 15 thin logs. Meanwhile, I opted for 8 circular portions - the base of my Whole Wheat Pineapple Buns. These mounds would be arranged onto a Silpain-lined cookie sheet for a second proof.

Prepared concurrently would be the cookie dough topping. Sourced hurriedly from the plethora of online resources, I landed upon one containing no ammonium bicarbonate but one egg yolk (ugh).
As with all small dough portions, working by hand proved more efficient than using the standard roster of cooking-making tools. Initially, the dough was quite soft, threatening to ooze butter if molded for too long. After chilling for 20-30 minutes, however, the edges were a tad too dry, cracking as a result.

​That said, they persisted as being malleable and did not resist being shaped into discs. Cross-hatching using a dough cutter was not possible though, for the underlying dough rounds were too soft.

The second proof was restricted to just under one hour, as I was looking for a seamless transition between cookie dough completion and oven temperature readiness.

After a thorough brush of egg wash, the octet was slid into the oven. Once subject to heat, the buns puffed and billowed. Amusingly, they expanded horizontally rather than upwards, like the bakery versions. Unimpacted was the cookie dough topping, which spread and browned beautifully to a gleaming gold crackle.

Admittedly, the buns weren't as vividly tinted as those constructed of unbleached flour, but the incorporation of whole wheat was one worth mentioning. The inclusion offered a chewy, craggy consistency and am almost savoury characteristic - depicted as 고소한 맛 in Korean - to the otherwise sweet Chinese bun.

​The innovative take was absolutely scrumptious! For those less acquainted (or fond) of whole wheat creations though, the profile may constitute more of an acquired taste than that of a reinvented classic.

​Not a single bun made it to the freezer, for all had been devoured well in advance of their freshness expiry. After the second day of residing at room temperature in a covered ceramic container, the topping revealed traces of dampness. Storage beyond the third day should be at single-digit temperatures in the fridge.

For later consumption, toasting effortlessly revives the buns to its aromatic state.

​Although no simple feat, I'd like to revisit this classic treat when equipped with a quick-rising - and ideally tangzhong-less) - brioche recipe. My rendition expanded horizontally, producing wider rounds instead of the tall, fluffy bakery varieties.