EGG-FREE YOGHURT CAKE... BY ACCIDENT 

It's official: I'm a dunderhead.

There I was, eager and all ready to try out this recipe for a French Yogurt Cake (yoghurt without the 'h' from Bon Appetit). I had all the ingredients laid out and even took the eggs out from the fridge so they would come to room temperature before I mixed up the batter.

The cake came together easily. I did everything by hand: whisked this, blended that, poured the batter into the greased tin and into the preheated oven it went.

It started rising soon after (it's a ritual for me to sit in front of the oven, peering through the glass door to see what's happening inside) and I was pleased.

Then I started cleaning up and what do I see? Two eggs still in their shells with condensed beads of water on them on the kitchen counter.

My first thought was to take the cake tin out of the oven, pour the batter into a mixing bowl and beat in the eggs, and then back into the tin. It wouldn't have worked, would it? So for the next 40 minutes or so, I just brooded over my stupidity.

But then, the cake rose some more to just under the lip of the baking tin. When the cooking time was up and the top was brown, I stuck a skewer in the centre and it came out clean.

It took a lot of restraint to keep myself from immediately removing the cake from the tin, but I let it cool. When I finally cut into it, it didn't look like any mistake had been made. The crumb did not resemble the slice of cake in Bon Appetit – it was tighter, not at all translucent – but in terms of taste, there was nothing horrible about it. 

I'll be honest, I actually made this cake only to use up leftover frosting from the Sourdough Chocolate Cake of a couple of posts ago. Despite having a tinge of coffee flavour in it, it didn't jar with the tang of the yoghurt cake. I can't say I wasn't pleased with that.

I may make this cake again and leave out the eggs consciously next time.

Egg-free yoghurt cake

BRONZED CHICKEN WITH RED, GREEN AND BROWN RICE 

Every cook is advised to have a bag of tricks with recipes for simple but impressive dishes that they know will work every time and can be whipped up at a moment's notice.

Knowing how to roast chicken is a good skill to have. Even in a rice-eater's heaven like Malaysia, a good roast chicken gets most people's approval and it can be seasoned or marinated in many ways.

My roast chicken seasoning is a Cajun spice rub. If I want leftovers, I'll get a whole chicken, butterfly it and apply the spice rub, then put it in the oven. That takes no effort at all. But with only two of us in the household, I usually just get cuts and instead of heating up the oven for the few pieces, I'll cook the chicken on the stove.

I've made "blackened chicken" many times, and just a few days ago, I saw a similar recipe by American chef  Paul Prudhomme who called it "bronzed" chicken. This is what he says about the process:

"My advice to people at home is bronzing rather that blackening. This avoids the smoke and the risk of handling a red-hot skillet while still achieving an excellent result... The coat of this bronzed chicken breast is golden and caramelized from the cooking method. The secret to bronzing is to keep the skillet at the right temperature. The chicken should take 6 to 7 minutes to cook. If it takes much longer, the skillet is not hot enough." 

Prudhomme's chicken was served with a tomato and spinach pilaf, which was called Red, Green and Brown Rice. The link to the recipe seems to have been disabled but putting a similar dish together isn't difficult. I'm borrowing the name of the dish because of the colour but have changed practically everything else.

Now, about the Cajun spice seasoning for the chicken: I have made my own before, but I have also used a ready-made variety. The Husband can't tell the difference but I have a feeling he favours the store-bought seasoning since it's saltier. I feel a bit of a fraud when I use the ready-made mix and receive compliments for the tasty chicken. I don't always pass it off as my own, but at other times I just say thank you and throw my conscience out the door.

Bronzed Chicken Breasts

Makes 2 servings

2-3 tbsp Cajun spice rub (ready-made or homemade, recipe follows)
2 boneless chicken breasts or thighs, about 400g, skin off

1-2 tbsp cooking oil

Spread spice rub on a plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Press chicken into spice rub, coating both sides well. Cover and set aside at room temperature for no more than 30 minutes or in the fridge for up to 8 hours.

Heat a medium-sized nonstick skillet over high heat and add oil. When it is very hot, add the chicken pieces. Immediately turn down heat to medium. Cook until the underside is blackened and the meat does not stick to the pan, about 5 minutes. Cook second side 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.

Cajun/Creole Seasoning/Spice Rub

Makes about ¼ cup

2½ tsp paprika

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

Red, Green and Brown Rice

Makes 2 servings

½ cup brown rice, rinsed

¾ cup water

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp vegetable stock powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper 

1 tsp vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

Place rice in a rice cooker with water, tomato ketchup, vegetable stock powder and cayenne pepper. When cooker goes off, leave for 15 minutes, then add oil and seasonings to taste. Add basil leaves and toss well.

FROSTED SOURDOUGH CHOCOLATE CAKE 

I tasted this cake the day it was baked and frosted, and wondered what I could do with a tasteless 18cm square cake, minus a slice – perhaps crumble it up, add a few other ingredients and turn it into chocolate truffles?

I was disappointed that it had taken two days to make and turned out... dull. What a waste of time and effort.

Well, the saying good things come to those who wait was never more apt in this case. The next day, as I sliced up the cake to put it into smaller containers for freezer storage, I tasted my second piece from the slab.

Just as you can't rush a sourdough starter, time is what was needed for the flavour of this cake to emerge. And it certainly struck the right note. The cake didn't end up in the freezer, and instead was well received by everyone who tasted it so, yay!

Making the cake

For the cake, I used the recipe from King Arthur Flour, but with slight modifications. As with most things sourdough, this cake starts with a well-fed starter. After the first feeding, milk, plain flour and sugar are added and the mixture is formed into a soft dough. It only needs to be left at room temperature for a couple of hours according to the original recipe, but I didn't have time to bake that day and put it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, the dough had risen substantially. Out of the fridge, it  rested for about an hour before I combined it with the rest of the ingredients. The mixing takes a bit of effort because of the consistency of the batter. I would describe it as thicker than a creamed cake batter, but almost dough-like, although it is wetter than a high-hydration bread dough. But the two parts will come together after some folding with a rubber spatula, and then it flows out of the mixing bowl easily into the baking pan.

Making the frosting

The frosting comes from Tasty Kitchen and is called "That's The Best Frosting I've Ever Had". I must say, it is very good, and I will be using it for other cakes in the future.

Sourdough Chocolate Cake

12-16 servings

Cake

Based on a recipe from King Arthur Flour and scaled down

½ cup “fed” sourdough starter

½ cup whole milk

1 cup plain flour

¾ cup caster sugar

½ cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

¾ tsp baking soda

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

½ tsp instant coffee or espresso powder

1 medium egg

Combine the “fed” starter, milk, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight or let rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours. It won’t necessarily bubble, but it may have expanded a bit.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and base line an 18cm or 21cm square pan.

In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt, baking soda, cocoa and espresso powder. The mixture will be grainy.

Add the egg, beating well.

Combine the chocolate mixture with the flour mixture. Fold the two mixtures together until smooth with a rubber spatula. It may take a little effort as the flour mixture is quite thick. Make sure no chunks of starter dough remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the cake for 30 to 40 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed in the centre, and a cake tester/toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, and set it on a rack to cool.

Coffee Frosting

Adapted and scaled down from “That's The Best Frosting I've Ever Had” recipe at TastyKitchen. Makes about 1 cup.

½ cup whole milk

2½ tbsp plain flour

½ tsp coffee extract

110g unsalted butter, softened

½ cup caster sugar

Combine the milk and flour in a saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until thick. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Add the coffee extract once cooled.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Make sure the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is not at all grainy. Add the cooled milk mixture and beat very well. It may look separated – keep beating until fully combined. It should be fluffy and light, similar to whipped cream.

Chocolate Drizzle

From KingArthur Flour

⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp corn syrup

Combine the chocolate chips, milk, and corn syrup in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave till the chips soften, then stir till smooth. Alternatively, use a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water.

Assembly

Frost the top of the cake and drizzle/drip the chocolate over the icing. The lines can also be turned into feathers: Use a toothpick or the tip of a knife to drag the lines in one direction, then alternate the direction for the next drag.