Lazy Matcha Red Bean Cake

A. Matcha Red Bean Cake

Sponge layer :

1/2 cup (125gm) butter

1/2 cup (100gm) sugar

1 cap vanilla essence

60ml full cream milk

3 large eggs

1 cup (200gm) flour (185gm AP, 15gm corn)

1 tbsp matcha powder

1 tsp baking powder double acting

Steps:

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla essence. Continue creaming. Add in milk 1 tbsp at a time and cream batter in between to keep the structure light and fluffy.

2. In a separate container, beat 4 eggs with a whisk until frothy, bubbly and airy. Add in eggs into butter mixture in batches (3-4 batches usually) while beating with mixer alternately.

3. Fold in flour, baking powder, and matcha green tea powder in batches. Beat until well incorporated and batter felt light and fluffy. As long as flour has disappeared, you are good to go.

5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake under 160°C for 30-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool completely (between 2-4 hours) before starting frosting process.

Red bean jam :

100gm red bean paste

50gm water

1. You can use canned red bean. Check if beans are soft enough for mashing. If not, boil for a while with water until soft. Need to boil the water to dry out before mashing beans to a paste.

2. If lazy, can use ready-made red bean paste. Let cool.

Diplomat cream layer : 

2 eggs

30gm corn starch

50gm sugar

250ml milk

30gm butter

200gm whipping cream

1. Please read & follow steps per "Cheesekut - Pastry Cream".

2. Beat egg yolks until light and fluffy. Set aside.

3. Combine corn starch, sugar, and milk in one pot. Heat on medium - low heat until milk mixture is slightly simmering at the edge of the pot. Take away from heat.

4. Spoon the hot milk mixture into egg yolks one tbsp at a time while continuously whisking the egg yolks. Just enough to temper the egg yolks. Continue until egg yolks mixture is slightly watery. Then, combine egg yolks mixture with the milk mixture. Whisk until well incorporated.

5. Bring the pastry cream mixture on top of medium - low heat again. Whisk continuously until thick. Remove from heat.

6. Add in butter. Whisk until butter melted and well incorporated.

7. Add in part of the cream (1 tbsp at a time) to Part A mashed red bean, just enough to lighten the paste. Then, pour all of lightened red bean to the pastry cream, mix until well incorporated.

8. Let cool before refrigerating for at least 4 hours.

Part C -  Diplomat Cream

1 tsp gelatine powder

5 tsp warm water

200ml whipping cream

1. Bloom gelatine in warm water. Might take around 5-15 minutes. If still grainy, place the bowl on top of simmered water, which is warm enough to heat the gelatine mixture to be liquidy. Set aside to cool off.

2. Beat cold whipping cream in a cold bowl until soft peak forms. Set aside.

3. Spoon some whipped cream, 1 tbsp at a time, into gelatine liquid to temper the liquid. Gelatine liquid at the point of time should no longer be warm but still runny. Repeat until 2 tbsp.

4. Pour gelatine liquid into the whipped cream, aside from the whisk and immediately whisk to incorporate the gelatine into the whipped cream. Beat until stiff peak forms.

2. Bring red bean pastry cream out of the fridge. Fluff up the cream to loosen & lighten the cream before incorporation with the now stabilised whipping cream.

3. Spoon a part of whipping cream into pastry cream. Fold gently with a spatula. Repeat step (in 3 - 4 batches) until all of whipping cream has been incorporated into the pastry cream.