Hong Kong Chiffon Mini Cakes, #BundtaMonth

The Silk Road started with one Chinese Emperor Wudi’s dream.  And one General Zhang Qian’s courage to carry out the vision. They committed themselves to build better understanding between the East and the West in 2 BC. Despite a journey fraught with mishaps and encounters with nomadic rebels like the Xiongnu - whose goals were less than lofty - the project captured the hearts of many and the Emperor’s dream endured. Today, the Silk Road is known for the many exchanges of products from all over the world for Chinese silk.



Xian, China
(Photo Credit)


Via the avenue of food and fun facts, my dream is also to build a bridge between the East and the West. The world, I think, is a little nicer to live in when there is appreciation for an understanding of different viewpoints and cultures.  I’m not alone. Amy of Utry.it consistently shares lovely stories of Hong Kong cuisine and culture.

Today’s Hong Kong Chiffon Mini Cakes for the #BundtaMonth group (scroll down for details) is adapted from Amy’s Utryit recipe. I increased the sugar content for the mini cakes and garnished the goodies with a Triple Sec orange liqueur buttercream.



Hong Kong Mini Chiffon Bundt Cake


Despite the extra sugar, the tartness of the grated orange took center stage. Topped off with the sweet (think birthday cake) frosting, the mini Bundts drew great applause from this Ninja Baker. Hope these mini cakes draw rave reviews at your home, too.

Hong Kong Chiffon Mini Cakes

Adapted from Amy's Utry.it recipe for Orange Chiffon Cupcakes.

The Ninja Baker's Hong Kong Chiffon Mini Bundts contain a bit more sugar and are topped with Triple Sec liqueur buttercream flowers. Thanks to the generous zest of fresh orange, the cake is still quite tart. Combined with the sweet frosting the mini Bundt is a kiss of bliss!

Ingredients: 
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Pinch of  salt
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup of sugar, divided in half
  • 1/4  teaspoon of cream of tartar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon meringue powder
  • 3 tablespoons Triple Sec liqueur
Directions: 

For the mini Bundts:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Coat mini Bundt molds well with cooking spray. Generously dust with Japanese panko bread crumbs.

Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a large bowl. In a stand mixer bowl whisk the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. When soft peaks appear, add half of the sugar in a continuous stream. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently scoop the egg white mixture into a clean bowl. Beat the egg yolks and the remaining sugar together until a light lemon color appears. Mix in the butter, orange zest and extracts until well combined.

Starting and ending with the flour mixture, add about 1/3 of the flour/baking powder followed by some orange juice. When thoroughly combined, carefully fold in the stiff egg whites – about 1/3 at a time.

Divide the cake batter amongst the mini Bundt molds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool.

For the Ninja Baker’s Triple Sec Buttercream:
Cream the butter and vegetable shortening until well combined. One cup at a time, sift the powdered sugar over the mixture. Add the meringue powder. After 2 cups, pour in 2 tablespoons of Triple Sec. Sift in the remaining powdered sugar followed by the 3rd tablespoon of orange liqueur. If the frosting is too thick, add more Triple Sec. And if it is too thin, add a tiny bit more powdered sugar.

With different sized star tips, pipe flowers onto the cooled mini Bundts.

Here are a few more fancy party-style Bundts from stellar bloggers in the food blogosphere. The hosts of this fabulous buffet of cakes are Anuradha of Baker Street and Lora, the Cake Duchess. They are celebrating a one-year anniversary of #BundtaMonths so we all brought our best Bundts to the party.

 Here’s how you can be a part of Bundt-a-Month:

  • Simple rule: Bake us a fancy Bundt
  • Post it before September 30, 2013
  • Use the #BundtaMonth hashtag in your title. (For ex: title could read – #BundtaMonth: Fancy Bundt)
  • Add your entry to the Linky tool below
  • Link back to our announcement posts

Even more Bundt fun! Follow Bundt-a-Month on Facebook where we feature all our gorgeous Bundt cakes. Or head over to our Pinterest board for inspiration and choose from hundreds of Bundt cake recipes.

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Wishing you silk-smooth roads which lead to happiness. 

The Ninja Baker

© ™ Watkinson 2012

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

 

 

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Tags: 
Chiffon Cake Recipe
Silk Road
#BundtaMonth