Got my parents to bring back Kinako powder from Japan! Kinako is a nutty soybean powder that is eaten with dango or warabi mochi and brown sugar syrup. This cake was inspired by the water jelly that was quite popular then. The chiffon cake itself is not too sweet, novelty is in the moistness and texture. While it is true that the brown sugar syrup can help, do not overbake this cake! Kinako itself has a nutty texture and any dryness will emphasize it. It’s best enjoyed slightly moist and perhaps slightly chilled to emphasize its natural caramel aroma.
This recipe was adapted from Japanese dessert master’s book “Okashi – Sweet treats made with love” by Keiko Ishida.
When dressed up with extra mochi, homemade brown sugar syrup, and kinako powder, it’s a fun Japanese style dessert that can be enjoyed as a perfect light finish to any meal.
| Ingredients
Kinako Mochi Chiffon Cake adapted from Happy Home Baking 3 egg yolks Brown Sugar syrup 25 ml water |
To make Kinako Chiffon Cake
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl. With a balloon whisk, whisk the yolks a little. Add in brown sugar and whisk to combine. Add in vegetable oil gradually, whisk to combine. Add the water, whisk to combine. Sieve over the flour and kinako, whisk till the flour is fully incorporated. Do not over mix. Set aside. Mix the 30g caster sugar with the corn flour. In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar and corn flour mixture and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar mixture and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.) Add the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula (I use a balloon whisk) until just blended Pour batter into a 9″ chiffon tube pan (do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degC for 30 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, when lightly pressed the cake will spring back. Invert the pan immediately and let cool completely before unmould. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake. To make Brown Sugar syrup Place 25ml water and 50g dark brown sugar in a pan. Heat the mixture till the sugar dissolved. Remove from heat. Add in 1/2 tablespoon honey, stir to combine. Leave to cool before using. (Double or triple the recipe accordingly to yield more syrup). To assemble Serve slices of the cake with mochi, kinako and brown sugar syrup. Enjoy! |
My Dose of Sugar 