Puteri Ayu - Steamed Coffee and Coconut Small Cakes (Aspiring Bakers #25)

This is my last steamed cake recipe for this month, and probably for this year too. Well, I have steamed enough for this year, I am actually running out of steam already! Jokes aside, this is actually my 2nd attempt at this recipe. The 1st time I didn't add ovalette (sponge gel) and the coconut toppings fell apart when I unmoulded the small cakes. This time round, ovalette is added, the coconut topping is pressed hard into each mould before pouring the cake batter and I greased each of the moulds individually with baking spray. 

But still, part of the coconut topping stuck to the bottom of each mould. Wonder what is the problem? Should I or should I not grease the moulds? If I have freshly grated coconut, I would have used it in place of dessicated coconut from a packet, then the effect would have been better, I think. Anyway, this is a delicious type of malay-style (or is it indonesian?) small cakes, commonly known as puteri ayu (or putri ayu), they are usually of pandan flavour, but my puteri ayu are coffee-flavoured. 

 

The sun has gone into hiding again in winter...I put the cakes near the window and opened the curtains, but still hardly any light came through at all, and it was only 1pm in the afternoon. Considering that today is actually the sunniest day of the week, you know what kind of weather we have over here. :S

Recipe adapted from Yochana and Baking Quin

Makes 12 small cakes

Ingredients

Coconut Topping (for 12 small cakes)

40g dessicated coconut

1 to 2 tbsp hot water

a pinch of salt, less than 1/8 tsp

1/4 tsp corn flour

Mix all the above ingredients until a little moist. Scoop 1 heaped tsp of the coconut topping into all moulds, leaving one empty. Use this empty mould as a compressor. Press it hard over the rest of the filled moulds, then repeat the same procedure for the final empty mould.

Cake Batter (for 12 small cakes)

1 egg

40g gula melaka / brown sugar

15g castor sugar

1/2 tsp ovalette (sponge gel/cake emulsifier)

50ml coconut milk

60g cake flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp coffee paste (I dissolved 1 tsp instant coffee with 2 tsp hot water, then scooped 1/2 tsp of the instant coffee)

Method

1. Prepare a steamer in advance (over high heat).

2. Use a cake mixer, whisk everything (egg, gula melaka, sugar, ovalette, coconut milk, flour, B.P, cocoa powder, instant coffee) together until light and fluffy and doubled in volume.

3. Scoop 2 tsp of cake batter into each of the moulds, then steam on HIGH heat for 10 minutes.

4. When done, allow to cool a while before carefully removing the puteri ayu from the mould.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #25 - Steaming Hot Cakes (November 2012), hosted by none other than myself, Miss B of Everybody Eats Well in Flanders. :)