Cake Lotus

March 10,2023

This is Tanabata and I want to teach you how to make beautiful things.

Looking through "Nezha" a few days ago, I was happy to see end of song. It has line "I am a lotus flower" which is daring and magical. My mind was so busy with lotus cakes I baked that I almost drooled looking at credits.

Lotus flower cake consists of pink and delicate thousand-layered petals wrapped in sunny egg yolk stamens. It slowly blossoms in oil pan, with its own aura. The petals are very fragile and fall off easily when touched, so you need to be careful even when picking them up. The filling is firm and dense, and spreading in mouth, gives people a feeling of satisfaction, like a fairy.

It so happened that koalas in neighborhood took over backyard of my house and wanted to wear a hanfa to take a picture. I took opportunity to borrow their dry ice to give lotus a sense of immortality.

As expected, it took 5 hours to make, it's really pleasing to eye. I'm afraid you're working too hard, so it doesn't matter if you don't turn in your homework this time. As long as you see end and feel happy, it's okay.

I hope feeling of summer ritual you're looking forward to can be realized here.

Lotus Cake

One · Make a stuffed heart

1.Sprinkle surface of 3 salted yolks with a little white wine (it can remove some of fishy smell of salted yolks), bake in oven at 150 degrees for about 10 minutes until buttery, take them out, put them in a sieve, crush and sift. Fine salted egg yolk powder, take about 20g for later use.

2. After softening 20 g of butter at room temperature, mix it with 50 g of coconut, 20 g of powdered sugar and 20 g of filtered salted egg yolk, divide into 10 equal parts (11 g each) and wrap in small balls with plastic wrap Put in refrigerator to freeze until ready to use.

Second · Bake

1. Dig a well in middle of 65g low gluten flour, add 35g lard and mix well.

2. Rub your palms on cutting board a few times to form dough, gather it up with a scraper, and repeat this step. Finally, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

*In summer temperature is too high and finished dough will be sticky, so it needs to be refrigerated to loosen it, but in winter it can be relaxed at room temperature.

Three Rose Oil Leather

1. Place 100g low gluten flour, 10g lard and 10g fine sugar into a clean container, then mix 3g beetroot powder with 55g water and mix well, then slowly pour rose red liquid into container and mix into snowflakes.

2. Pour it onto a cutting board, knead into a smooth and elastic pink dough, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 15 minutes to use later.

*The amount of water can be increased or decreased depending on dryness of each place and, finally, knead a smooth and elastic dough.

四 Make meringue

1. Take above-mentioned relaxed dough and rosewater butter peel, first mash them into long strips, then cut into 10 equal parts, grate into balls and cover with plastic wrap.

2. Take a pink water-oil ball, flatten it with palm of your hand, then roll it into a circle, wrap it in dough, close your mouth and rub it into a circle.

* To prevent water from evaporating, puff pastry previously wrapped at this stage, as well as unused watery puff pastry and puff pastry, must be covered with plastic wrap during entire process.

3. Gently press wrapped meringue to flatten it, fold two ends towards middle, put it in cling film to relax a little, then take it out, repeat same operation, cover with plastic wrap and relax. within 15 minutes.

Wu Stuffed Heart

1. Gather crumbly puff pastry, press it up and roll into a circle using a rolling pin.

2. Roll up frozen egg yolk filling, round it up and place seam side down.

3. Draw a "rice" knife from above. Cut depth to filling. Leave a distance of 1 cm at bottom of embryo and do not cut to end. Gently push petals apart.

*Be sure to use a sharp knife, otherwise dough will stick together easily, which will affect flowering effect when frying.

Lu Fried Lotus Crisp

1. Pour oil into a saucepan, heat it to 120 degrees (use an oil thermometer), drain lotus chips in a colander and dip them in oil.

2.In frying process, gently pierce petals with a bamboo stick, shape will be more beautiful, turn off heat after petals open, continue frying at remaining temperature, take out and drain oil after mold is set.

*This recipe makes 10 lotus flower chips, which should be sealed and stored at room temperature.