O-Jizo-San Cake (お地蔵さん)
My first baking post since I moved to Yokohama AND got an oven for my Birthday!
My friends own an Izakaya (Japanese style restaurant/bar) and yesterday was their establishment's 5 year anniversary. What else can one do but make a cake to celebrate? Sadly I am not good at decorating at all, I also don't really know how to pipe or make flowers or anything like that. Also, I'm trying to slip this in as this month's theme post "Asian".
I'm just going to call this the O-Jizo-san cake (お地蔵さん) because that's the little guy's name on the cake. (http://www.japanippon.com/fairytales/jizo.htm)
It's really just a chestnut cream layered vanilla cake with almond butter cream frosting. Sorry I don't have any of the usual how to photos, I had a Japanese baker with me who wanted to watch how a North American style cake is decorated.
The Japanese baker's mind was blown!!! They don't decorate cakes with frosting in Japan, and powdered sugar is EXPENSIVE (for no good reason). Most cakes in Japan are decorated with cream, fruit, or bean paste.
On the cake at the top is says Osabou which is the name of the restaurant, at the bottom is pretty much says let's celebrate 5 years!
I think "Asian" themed baking is going to require some good creativity to pull off, at least for Japan. Traditionally Japanese sweets do not involve an oven, sweets are either made by pan cooking on the burner or steamed. A lot of traditional sweets involve bean paste from beans that are quite sweet (Azuki) and mochi (pounded rice). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagashi)
In the 1600's when Japan first started opening up to the western world Japanese baking over the centuries took on a European influence. In the south like Okinawa and Nagasaki had more of a Portuguese influence (Castella;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castella), and for the rest of Japan mainly a French influence.
Nearly in every train station in Japan you can find a Boulangerie or Patissier. It's almost like French baking but not quite. Most non Japanese baking is pretty much French baking, also now in the past years (no clue when it started) a kind of French-Japanese Fusion dessert trend has started. Chiffon cake layered with bean paste, or Chestnut cream, Maccha (green tea) flavoured roll cake with cream, or sweet potato tarts.
Why do I consider this Asian baking? 1. I'm in Asia 2. There is an Asian language on the cake 3. There is chestnut cream which is used a lot for Japanese cakes.
If I have the time and endurance (it's about 38 degrees with 95% humidity) I will try making a French-Japanese fusion dessert.
Recipes:
I used this cake recipe. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/davids-yellow-cake/detail.aspx
And this frosting recipe. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttercream-icing/detail.aspx except that I added a little sea salt, a tsp. of almond extract, and another cup of icing sugar, and added milk to what ever consistency I desired.
My friends own an Izakaya (Japanese style restaurant/bar) and yesterday was their establishment's 5 year anniversary. What else can one do but make a cake to celebrate? Sadly I am not good at decorating at all, I also don't really know how to pipe or make flowers or anything like that. Also, I'm trying to slip this in as this month's theme post "Asian".
I'm just going to call this the O-Jizo-san cake (お地蔵さん) because that's the little guy's name on the cake. (http://www.japanippon.com/fairytales/jizo.htm)
It's really just a chestnut cream layered vanilla cake with almond butter cream frosting. Sorry I don't have any of the usual how to photos, I had a Japanese baker with me who wanted to watch how a North American style cake is decorated.
The Japanese baker's mind was blown!!! They don't decorate cakes with frosting in Japan, and powdered sugar is EXPENSIVE (for no good reason). Most cakes in Japan are decorated with cream, fruit, or bean paste.
On the cake at the top is says Osabou which is the name of the restaurant, at the bottom is pretty much says let's celebrate 5 years!
I think "Asian" themed baking is going to require some good creativity to pull off, at least for Japan. Traditionally Japanese sweets do not involve an oven, sweets are either made by pan cooking on the burner or steamed. A lot of traditional sweets involve bean paste from beans that are quite sweet (Azuki) and mochi (pounded rice). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagashi)
In the 1600's when Japan first started opening up to the western world Japanese baking over the centuries took on a European influence. In the south like Okinawa and Nagasaki had more of a Portuguese influence (Castella;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castella), and for the rest of Japan mainly a French influence.
Nearly in every train station in Japan you can find a Boulangerie or Patissier. It's almost like French baking but not quite. Most non Japanese baking is pretty much French baking, also now in the past years (no clue when it started) a kind of French-Japanese Fusion dessert trend has started. Chiffon cake layered with bean paste, or Chestnut cream, Maccha (green tea) flavoured roll cake with cream, or sweet potato tarts.
Why do I consider this Asian baking? 1. I'm in Asia 2. There is an Asian language on the cake 3. There is chestnut cream which is used a lot for Japanese cakes.
If I have the time and endurance (it's about 38 degrees with 95% humidity) I will try making a French-Japanese fusion dessert.
Recipes:
I used this cake recipe. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/davids-yellow-cake/detail.aspx
And this frosting recipe. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buttercream-icing/detail.aspx except that I added a little sea salt, a tsp. of almond extract, and another cup of icing sugar, and added milk to what ever consistency I desired.