Pretty 3D Flower Frosting

I have been doing numerous frosting for the past years but this is my 1st attempt on 3D flower frostings.  The rose looks so professional doesn't it? I am so impressed of myself...hehe...;)

These roses are piped using wilton tip no.104.

Besides roses, I have also piped sunflowers using wilton tip no.68.

The frosting I use is swiss meringue buttercream.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

If you are using buttercream on your cake, I would recommend that you use Swiss Meringue or Italian Meringue as these taste much better than normal buttercream.  They are also more stable (does not melt too quickly) in a hot and humid climate like Singapore.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

4            Egg Whites
190g     Sugar
340g     Butter (soften)
26g       Corn Syrup
1 tsp     Vanilla Extract
Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Cut the butter into small cubes
2. Mix the sugar, egg whites and corn syrup in your mixing bowl.
3. Put the bowl on a saucepan with simmering water, and keep stirring, till the sugar melts.  Test by rubbing a small amount of mixture with your fingers.  If the mixture is smooth, all sugar has melted.  If you feel any grainy texture, that means you need to continue to melt the sugar over the simmering water.
4. Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and whip at high speed on your mixer till the mixture comes down to room temperature.
5. Slowly, add softened butter cubes into the meringue, followed by salt and vanilla extract.

Mantou (馒头）

Mantou (Chinese steam bun) has been a staple food for the Chinese for thousands of years.  Nowadays, we eat mantou deep fried or steamed.  It is best served with chilli crab! yum yum!!

I prefer mantou that has a softer texture.  So after a few experiments, I came out with a receipe that is to my taste and preferred texture.  Mantou is vegan and easy to make.  So, do try it out!

 

I made some into roses

 

For step-by-step guide to shaping the roses, please refer to my post on How to Shape Flower Mantou.

 

I made some into pandas...after making 8 pandas, I gave up as it is really tiring...:P

 

Those panda mantou are filled with my homemade smooth red bean paste.  Plain mantou is nice too!

 

 

Mantou (馒头）

300g         All Purpose Flour
¾ cup      Warm Milk
80g           Sugar
1 tsp          Baking Powder
2 tsp         Instant Yeast
¼ cup        Oil                       

Directions

1. Mix the warm milk, sugar and yeast in a bowl and let the yeast blooms, around 5-10 mins
2. Sift the flour together with the baking powder.
3. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients (milk mixture and oil) and form a soft dough.  We want a soft dough so that your bun's texture will be softer.
4. Knead the dough till smooth, around 5 mins. 
5. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with clean moist towel or cling wrap and let it rise till double - around 1½ hours.
6. Punch down the dough to remove any air bubbles.
7. Knead the dough for another 15 mins till smooth. You may use a standing mixer with a dough hook but I prefer to use hand as I can feel the texture of the dough and adjust the amount of dry or wet ingredients to make a better dough.  You can also use this chance to vent all your anger on the dough!  haha! 
8. After which, you may proceed to shape your dough into any desired sizes, or you may roll into a log and cut into even pieces.
9. Cover your final product with clean mist towel or cling wrap and let them rise again for around 20-30 mins.
10. Prepare your steamer and bring the water to a boil.  To prevent the buns from sticking, line it with parchment paper or cheese cloth.
11. Steam the buns on medium heat for 15 mins.  Open the lid slightly for 5 mins before removing the buns from the steamer.

Simple Syrup

There are many uses for simple syrup.  Besides adding it to tea or drinks, you can brush it on cakes to keep it moist.

Simple Syrup

1 cup     Sugar
1 cup     Water

Direction :

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, stirring till the sugar dissolves.
3. Allow to cool completely before pouring the syrup into a glass bottle or container.
4. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.