THE DARING BAKERS’ NOVEMBER, 2011 CHALLENGE: FILIPINO DESSERTS

Catherine of Munchie Musings was our November Daring Bakers’ host and she challenged us to make a traditional Filipino dessert – the delicious Sans Rival cake! And for those of us who wanted to try an additional Filipino dessert, Catherine also gave us a bonus recipe for Bibingka which comes from her friend Jun of Jun-blog.

I have a confession to make, I didn't make the Sans Rival because I was so pressed for time, November and December is very hectic for me and instead of skipping this month's challenge, I opted to make bibingka and another Filipino dessert that was easier to make than Sans Rival.

So what exactly is Bibingka? Bibingka is traditionally served during Christmas. It’s similar to other Asian desserts that use rice flour as the base, like mochii. The traditional method of preparation is to line a special clay pot with banana leaves, pour in the batter, top with banana leaf, and then sit it in coals to cook. It is served with a shredded, mild, white cheese and slices of salted egg on top for favor contrasts.

BIBINGKA

Ingredients

2 cups (480 ml) (320 gm) (11.3 oz) rice flour

1/2 cup (120 ml) (80 gm) (2.8 oz) glutinous rice flour

1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) baking powder

3/4 cup (180 ml) (170 gm) (6 oz) sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup (80 ml) (75 gm) (2⅔ oz) unsalted butter melted

1-1/2 cup (360 ml) coconut milk

6 pieces banana leaves cut into 8-inch (20 cm) circles

1 salted egg, sliced into 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick slices

Butter, salted or unsalted, for brushing the tops

1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) white granulated sugar

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (10 gm) (⅓ oz) grated coconut (optional)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) grated Edam cheese (optional)
Directions

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4.

2. Line six tart pans or ramekins with banana leaves and brush the leaves with butter

3. Combine rice flour, glutinous rice flour, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Beat eggs in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add butter and coconut milk and mix well. Add the flour mixture and blend well until smooth

.4. Pour the rice batter equally into the six pans or ramekins. Lay a slice of salted egg on top and bake until the cake is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Take the cakes out of the oven and brush the top with butter. Turn the broiler to low and broil the cakes to brown the top for about two minutes
5. Serve the cakes warm. Brush the cakes with butter and sprinkle with sugar, grated coconut, and grated Edam cheese.
Cooking notes from Jun:
• For the rice and glutinous rice flour, I recommend using the Thai brand commonly found in most Asian grocery stores.• Use either tart pans or ramekins lined with banana leaves cut into circles. The cakes baked in 6-inch (15 cm) pans more closely resemble the traditional ones. The cakes baked in 4-inch (10 cm) ramekins are thicker and take longer to bake.• Instead of a sliced salted egg, the cakes can be topped with slices of Edam or Gouda cheese.• When using frozen grated coconut let the grated coconut thaw then place the thawed coconut on paper towels to soak up the extra moisture. Place them on a baking tray and lightly toast them for about a few minutes with the broiler (griller) turned on low. Use grated coconut and NOT grated young coconut.

Instead of Sans Rival I chose to make Brazo de Mercedes which is also made of meringue but is not as time consuming to make. I used this recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks KULINARYA (A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine) which is authored by several well known Filipino chefs.

BRAZO DE MERCEDES
Rolled Meringue with Creamy Filling
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 grams) butter
1 cup (120 grams) All-purpose flour
8 eggs
1/4 tsp (1 gram) Cream of Tartar
!/2 cup sugar (100 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
1 Lemon
1 1/4 cups (350 ml) condensed milk
1/4 tsp (1ml) vanilla essence
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees farenheit.
Grease, line and grease again a 9 x 13 inch pan. Dust with flour, making sure the whole surface is covered. Discard extra flour.
Separate the eggs.
Beat the eggwhites with cream of tartar until fine bubbles form. Add the sugar gradually to the egg whites until resulting meringue is stiff but not dry.
Spread the meringue on the prepared pan mao king sure the ends slightly overlap the edges of the pan because the meringue will shrink a little during cooling.
Meanwhile, dust a clean cloth measuring approximately 12 in. x 12 in with half of the powdered sugar, set aside.
Grate the lemon rind to produce 1/2 tsp. zest. Set aside.
Bake the meringue in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Invert baked meringue on the cloth dusted with powdered sugar. Roll up the meringue into a cylinder and set aside.
In a double boiler, combine the egg yolks, condensed milk, lemon zest and vanilla essence. Over medium heat stir continuously until the mixture thickens and is of piping consistency.
Unroll the meringue. With a pastry bag fitted with a plain round piping tube 1 inch in diameter, pipe the filling along the center of the meringue. Roll the meringue.
*Instead of piping the filling, I spread it on the unrolled meringue.
Serving suggestion: Dust the top lightly with the remaining powdered sugar. Slice crosswise into 1 1/4 inch thick slices.
Thank you Catherine for this month's challenge and for a chance to showcase Filipino Desserts. For the other Daring Bakers' versions of Filipino Desserts click here.