Hey people!
Last year, I got to meet Chef Yamashita, the pastry chef behind those irresistible Japanese cakes at Flor Patisserie in a Bosch Christmas Bake event. It was truly an honour to meet someone so talented yet so humble at the same time.
2 days ago, Chef Yamashita launched his 3rd recipe book, Tanoshii Ke-Ki and I was happy to be able to witness the Recipe Book Launch at Bosch Experience Centre. Congratulations Chef!
Tanoshii Ke-Ki ($32 before GST) features a collection of recipes to Chef Yamashita's signature sponge, chiffon and mousse cakes. Just flipping through all those glossy pictures of his cakes in the recipe book was enough to make my mouth water.
For those who love baking and are inspired by Chef Yamashita's Japanese-style French confections, you can get your hands on this book and start experimenting in the kitchen. There is even a section in the book that will teach you how to prepare egg-free desserts. Thumbs up for that!
Besides Tanoshii Ke-Ki, Chef Yamashita has previously produced 2 other recipe books - Tanoshii and Tanoshii Wagashi. These books can be found in Kinokuniya; in Chef Yamashita's artisan patisserie at Tanjong Pagar Plaza (see address below) or on Marshall Cavendish's Official Website.
Do not mind the Japanese titles; the books have been translated to English and are easily comprehensible.
We also got to watch a live preparation of Chef Yamashita's Yuzu Chiffon Cake using Bosch kitchen applicances.
There's Chef holding up a container of honey yuzu tea syrup for mixing into the egg yolk batter.
Chef preparing the meringue which was made out of whisked egg whites. One's supposed to whisk till there are firm peaks formed.
The meringue was then added to the egg yolk batter and mixed well.
After pouring the batter into a chiffon cake tin, Chef proceeded to bake the cakes for 30 to 40 minutes.
You could totally smell the lovely aroma of freshly baked cakes when the cakes were removed from the oven.
After letting the cakes cool, Chef demonstrated how to remove the cakes from the chiffon cake tin.
P.S: It required some skilful precision!
The Yuzu Chiffon Cake can be cut into small pieces, ready to be shared with everyone.
The texture felt soft and spongy, with a slight citrusy taste from the yummilicous chunks of Yuzu pieces embedded within the cake.
You can also decorate the cake with Chantilly Cream (i.e. whipped cream and castor sugar) and a generous amount of fruit to spice up its look.
Looks like a great cake to share among family members for the upcoming Mother's Day, doesn't it?
Chef Yamashita also brought out his latest creation for sampling - the pretty in pink Sakura Roll.
It had simple decorations using few pieces of fruit and it tasted divine!
I expected the Sakura Roll to taste really sweet but the sweetness was a lot milder and lighter than I thought. Definitely a must-try if you visit Chef Yamashita's patisserie.
The Honey Castella was also a new creation and was made out of eggs.
As compared to Yuzu Chiffon Cake and the Sakura Roll, this had a heavier taste and was a tad sweet because of the honey and sugar bits found in the cake. It was so-so for me largely because my preference still lies with the softer and lighter cakes created by the Chef. Thus, the Sakura Roll still remains my new-found favourite. :D
Ending this entry with a group photo!
Thank you Bosch and Marshall Cavendish for having me at this fun-filled culinary event. :)
If you're interested to purchase the recipe books or try some Japanese sweet treats, be sure to visit Chef Yamashita's patisserie in the address below.
For more information, you can also visit Chef Yamashita's Official Website.
Chef Yamashita
1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza
#02-44, Singapore 082001
Disclaimer: Event feature is based on personal experiences.