Cake · Flavours of My Childhood

Tofu Hua Chiffon Cake

Tofu hua is warm soft tofu pudding in sweet ginger syrup and it is one of my clearest food memories from Malaysia. I wanted to make a cake that captured that feeling. Using Asian soybean milk from the Asian grocery store, not the standard white soybean milk which is too diluted, gives this chiffon a flavour that is subtle and specific. Serve it with ginger syrup to complete the reference.

Ingredients

Chiffon Cake

• 6 egg yolks
• 100g granulated sugar
• 120ml neutral oil
• 220ml warm Asian soy milk (sweetened)
• 225g cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 egg whites
• 80g granulated sugar

Ginger Syrup

• 5cm fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 50g granulated sugar
• 60ml water

Method

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. 2 Make the ginger syrup first. Add the sliced ginger, sugar, and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened. Set aside to cool.
3. 3 In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, oil, and soy milk until smooth.
4. 4 Sift in cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until fully combined.
5. 5 Stir in 2 tbsp of the cooled ginger syrup.
6. 6 In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy, slowly add sugar, and whip to stiff peaks.
7. 7 Fold one-third of the meringue into the yolk batter, then gently fold in the rest until no streaks remain.
8. 8 Pour batter into an ungreased chiffon pan and bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes.
9. 9 Immediately invert the pan and cool fully before releasing.
10. 10 Slice, then drizzle generously with the remaining ginger syrup.

Tips & Notes

This recipe uses Asian soybean milk, not the standard white soybean milk you find at regular grocery stores, as those tend to be more diluted. For the best flavour and texture, get your soybean milk from an Asian grocery store.