Very Moist Egg White Mocha Marbled Butter Cake

I know my butter cake. Do you?

To me, a good butter cake has to be made with maximal amount of butter. In other words, a real good butter cake should be seriously buttery and moist but not too overly butter-loaded to the extent that it feels oily to touch. The composite of the cake has to be just right! Agree?

Until today, I have came across and baked three really good rememberable butter cake recipes and they are:

Marble Butter Cake at here
Mrs Ng SK's Butter Cake at here
Madeira Cake by Nigella Lawson at here

And now, I must say that this Asian style butter cake is the fourth!

Egg White Mocha Marbled Butter Cake

After my first mouthful of this cake, I told myself that I have to share this very good butter cake recipe!!! ... especially for the coming Chinese New Year.

Why is this butter cake so good?

1) Instead of baking this cake with four whole eggs which is 200g without the shell, it is made with 200g egg whites making the cake not oily at all and yet so moist with a nice finishing Q. "QQ" in Chinese term means chewy food with bouncy texture and of course "Q" means food with subtle bouncy texture :)

Hence, if you are like me, baking heaps of pineapple tarts, cookies and cake lapis for Chinese New Year and have heaps of leftover egg whites after baking heaps of yolks-rich goodies, this will be a good recipe for you and me to use up your excessive egg whites.

2) Instead of baking this cake with minimal amount of flour to bind the maximal amount of butter, this cake uses way more flour (250g flour) than Marble Butter Cake at here (135g) Mrs Ng SK's Butter Cake at here (150g) and Madeira Cake by Nigella Lawson at here (225g) to incorporate 180g butter into the cake and yet it is so surprisingly moist and yummy!!! Why??? Seriously, I can't comprehend. Maybe the addition of evaporated milk does help to make the cake extra extra extra moist. Well, let's just say that this recipe is just simply amazing!

3) Here's a hint... Instead of eating the cake when it is freshly baked, I reckon this butter cake tastes the best and moistest after allowing it to rest in an airtight container overnight at room temperature.

Gosh! This cake is so buttery, moist and delicious... Go on! Don't wait. Must bake this butter cake for your Chinese New Year!!! And best to bake it on the day before!!!

This cake is so good that my friend's daughter asked my friend to get the recipe from me when she ate one of these :)

So buttery, moist and delicious! This is why I must share this recipe!

As this will be my last blog before the arrival of Fire Rooster Year and I would like wish everyone...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy. Healthy. Prosperous.
... throughout the rooster year!!!

Here's my one-minute video showing how I baked this amazing butter cake.

And here's the recipe that is adapted from the book, Peranakan Snacks and Desserts. by Julie Yee

Makes one 17 cm square cake

A:
5g instant coffee granules (I'm using decaffeinated coffee)
5g cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1/2 tbsp hot boiling water

B:
180g unsalted butter, soften at room temperature
70g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt
175g all purpose / plain flour with 10% protein
75g cornflour

180g evaporated milk - you can use either regular one or fat reduced one with 98% fat free. I used the 98% fat free one and it has worked well for me.

C:

210g egg whites
70g caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line one 17 cm square cake tin with baking paper. Set aside.

For A:
Place coffee, cocoa and water in a heat proof bowl. Stir until the coffee and cocoa dissolves into the mixture.

For B:

Using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until mixture is fluffy and combined. Combine flour and corn flour. Briefly divide the flour mixture and evaporated milk into 3 to 4 portions. Sift each portion of the flour mixture into the butter mixture and stir in each portion of sifted flour and evaporated milk alternatively into the butter mixture. Repeat the sifting and mixing step until all the flour mixture and milk are incorporated.

For C:

Using a clean electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites in lowest speed for about 10 mins to stabilize the egg white mixture. Increase mixing speed to medium (not too high to avoid large bubbles forming). While beating, add caster sugar gradually into the egg white mixture and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Do not over-mix and mixture should look smooth and glossy.

Add 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the butter mixture and use a hand whisk or spatula to incorporate both mixtures. It's ok to mix the 1st batch of egg white more vigorously into the butter mixture but the subsequent portions must be folded in very gently. Make sure that most of the white is not visible after folding.

Spoon one-third of batter into another bowl. Add coffee mixture into this batter and mix until well combined.

Spoon large-tablespoonful of the plain cake batter and the coffee batter alternatively into the prepared cake tin until all of the batter are transferred into the cake tin. Use a knife to cut through the batter a few times to create swirling patterns.

Bake at 180°C for 45 mins or until golden brown. Allow cake to cool slightly in the tin for about 10 mins. Remove the cake out of the tin and place it onto wire rack to cool completely.

Best to consume the cake on the second day of bake. To do so, place cake in an airtight container to rest overnight at room temperature. Trim off the edges, cut into slices or squares and serve.

Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

Happy Baking

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