Thursday, April 29, 2010

Tofu Chiffon Organic Green Tea

Green Tea Chiffon is a recommendation made by one of my readers and this is something I didn't regret trying. Chiffon may be a common item in neighbourhood confectionaries but this is something very different. The texture is very springy and soft, unlike the common puffy ones (without volume body).

Tofu Chiffon Organic Green Tea

I have mentioned in my previous entry that Tampopo's chiffon is a class-different from the regular chiffon, I guessed I will have to retract my stand after this entry. Why so? First, the baked skin which is a must-have for chiffon cakes is very even and not burnt. Second, each bite is springy and moist with certain density, not just plain soft. Lastly, it is not overly sweet.

Tofu Chiffon Organic Green Tea

However, green tea lovers will find the cake mild to their liking. As for the tofu in this cake, the taste is not very distinctive, apart from Yuan mentioning that the cake has a strong taste of "eggs" (probably due to the protein content of tofu and not eggs) but I am not sure if this is the factor that contributes to the heavenly texture.

Note that this cake is not 100% vegan, as confirmed by Glace, they indeed use eggs in their tofu chiffons. This cake is available as a whole ($10.80) and I am not sure if this is sold in individual slices. On the day of my visit, I did see the orange chiffon sold in slices but not green tea. individual slices are sold at $1.80 each & flavors vary everyday.

Quoted from Pâtisserie Glacé's website,
"Using silken tofu as a main ingredient, Chef Yamashita's rendition of a common local fare with a nod to eating healthy and eating well.

The first bite warrants a re-think. The cake has good density, clear tastes of the green tea we import from Kyoto. Rest assured it tastes nothing like tofu. Like tofu it is low in calorie.

The whole cake is about 15cm in diameter and serves 6-7 persons."

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website

7 comments:

red fir said...

I guess the textural difference has to do with the proteins in tofu & eggs. The protein structure in tofu is probably more stable then egg white. fen, perhaps you can do an experiment & bake 2 chiffons side by side, one using tofu the other eggs, and compare hehe.

red fir said...

Btw, which is softer, tofu chiffon or regular chiffon?

Fen said...

I referred to two websites and both mentioned the importance of eggs in cakes,
- as a leavening agent to make the cake light and fluffy
- add moisture and
- act as a binder (glue other ingredients toether, thereby giving a structure to baked goods)

In short, the more eggs needed to replace, the trickier it will be as beancurd makes the cakes heavy and thick. Generally, beancurd is incorporated in a cake by blending 1/4 cup silken tofu with liquid ingredients until tofu is smooth and creamy.

Although beancurd mimic the closest to the consistency of the eggs, other substitutes for eggs include Flax seeds, Ener-G Egg Replacer, Soy Yoghurt, Bananas and Apple Sauce.

Hmm... comparing with the vanilla chiffon cake my daddy has made recently with Glace's Tofu Chiffon, there isn't much difference in terms of the moisture. Reason being, my daddy's chiffon fails to cling onto the tin for long and fell in the process of cooling, so in a way, the cake becomes denser but retains its softness and moistness. I guess the effect of tofu works in this manner, making the cake denser but not compromising the texture and moisture content.

I found a recipe that uses soy bean powder or kinako, might get daddy to try. The recipe is pretty much similar apart from replacing some cake flour (low protein flour) with kinako. The eggs content remain the same. I doubt he will try one that replaces egg with beancurd, the high water content in beancurd will affect the outcome of the cake and poor daddy has experimented for months before getting an ideal chiffon recipe.

Comparing this tofu chiffon with the regular chiffon from bengawan, like I said, this is more moist, denser and springier.

red fir said...

Thanks fen for the detailed explanations. As confirmed by Glace, they indeed use eggs in their tofu chiffons so it's not totally vegan. You may like to add that to your post lest it misleads readers. The individual slices are sold at $1.80 each & flavors vary everyday.

Just one more question, comparing Tampopo Deli's light chiffon cakes & Glace's tofu chiffon, which is moister & "softer"? I gather from your reply tofu chiffon is denser, hence not "softer". In this case, I'm not referring to the springiness.

Fen said...

I understand where u r driving at. Often beancurd recipes are associated with vegan products.

Tampopo's matcha chiffon is softer and stronger in matcha but my last encounter with Tampopo's chiffon was pretty disappointing. The cake was dry and porous (lack of body) so I am not sure if there is a change in recipe or it being kept in the fridge for too long.

Sihan said...

Hey Fen,
i'm on the lookout for kinako powder as well for a recipe. Any idea where I can get my hands on that?

Fen said...

I think I saw organic Kinako at NTUC =), abt 8 bucks per pkt.

Blog Widget by LinkWithin