Osmanthus Chia Seed Chiffon

This sounds like a very special chiffon flavour, plus the addition of chia seeds. Chia seed is one of the superfoods that has many health benefits. It is touted to be anti-inflammatory and loaded with anti-oxidants. I got the recipe from here, adapted it to bake mine.

Ingredients
120g cake flour (sieved)
3 tbsp chia seeds
6 yolks (I used 55g)
3 tbsp honey
70g canola oil
160g hot water
2 tbsp dried osmanthus flower (I didn’t have enough to double this to 4 tbsp)
70g sugar
6 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tar tar

Directions

Boil 200g of water with the 2 tbsp of osmanthus flower. Let it seep for 10mins before you strain and remove the flowers. Take out 160g and set aside to cool.

In a medium boil, add the egg yolks, honey and mix well. Then add in the oil and the osmanthus tea from above. Gradually add in the sieved cake flour and chia seeds. The batter here is very watery. I noticed this recipe has a lot more liquid compared to other chiffon recipes. However as chia seeds are mucilaginous seeds, they absorb liquid and thickened. After a few good stir, the yolk mixture thickens.

Using a electric handheld whisk, whisk the egg whites till frothy, then add 1/2 of the sugar and continue to whisk. Add the balance 1/2 of the sugar and the cream of tar tar. Continue to whisk till the meringue reaches firm peak.

Pour the batter into the chiffon mould ungreased. Tapped the mould on the table gently to release any trapped air. Sprinkle some dried osmanthus flowers on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170degrees for about 60-65mins or until cooked. Overturn the cake to allow it to cool completely before unmoulding.

My cake started to crack after 20mins of baking. However after it cooled down the cracks sort of close up. I got a super tall cake! It is really soft, moist and fluffy. Smells heavenly too. I can’t really taste the osmanthus flavour though. If I had enough for 4 heaped tablespoons, maybe I can get a stronger flavour. I loved the caramelized honey smell in the cake. Hope you will like this too!

Osmanthus Jelly with Wolfberries & Red dates

This jelly is good to eat during hot weather. The osmanthus wolfberry with red date jelly is sold at chinese restaurants. They are easy to make and cheaper too.

The recipe is adapted from here. I modified by reducing the sugar and added more water as that is how I prefer the texture. I recently made this for pot luck with my friends. They prefer not too sweet. Please do not reduce as much as me if you prefer something sweeter.

Ingredients

1 packet Konnyaku Jelly (10g)

4 tsp dried osmanthus flowers

4 tsp wolfberries (I used 5)

5 red dates

950ml water ( I used 1200g water)

200g sugar (I use 150g)

Directions

Soak the the dried osmanthus flowers and red dates in 400g water for at least an hour. Prick the red dates with a fork or toothpick before soaking to help it absorb water better.

In another bowl, rinse and soak the wolfberries for about 15mins in 100g of water. Dish out the wolfberries and set aside both the water and wolfberries.

Bring a pot of water with 700g water to boil. Add in the osmanthus red date with water and the wolfberry water.

Let it simmer for 5 mins.

Mix the sugar with the konnyaku powder. This helps to prevent the powder from becoming lumpy once it comes into contact with boiling water.

Add the sugar jelly powder into the boiling water and stir till all the sugar has melted.

Add in the wolfberries and off the fire.

Spoon the mixture into your jelly moulds and let it cool down a bit before you refrigerate them. Enjoy the jellies chilled.