Recipes

Any Tea Chinese Paper-Wrapped Spongecakes

"This is one of my favorite Chinese bakery recipes. As a child, having one of these spongecakes was never enough. They’re also perfect for my palate, not too sweet, and never frosted. Imagine marshmallows and clouds had babies; those babies would be these spongecakes.Traditionally, these are egg and vanilla flavored when you find them in Hong Kong or US Chinatown bakeries. To celebrate Lunar New Year, I’ve infused the milk with tea from World Spice Merchants to make these delicious and auspicious treats. Now we can have tea and fluffy soft spongecakes at the same time. “Work smarter, not harder,” is my motto this year of the rabbit!"Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu

Fluffy-Like-A-Cloud Chiffon Cake

"From the late 1930s to early 1940s, Ah Ma, my paternal grandmother, learned culinary secrets from restaurants in Vietnam. She passed down only one written recipe, a lemon chiffon cake recipe that I always turn to and treasure. I use about half of the ingredients she used in her recipe (she used 10 to 12 eggs!), and instead of lemon, this regal cloud of a cake is tea-flavored and will serve as the perfect sweet treat or gift during Lunar New Year." Bio: About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu “Excerpted from Modern Asian Baking at Home. © 2022 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Text © 2022 Kathleen Lieu”

Kat Lieu's Beautifully Blue Mochi Cake

20 min

"Ever had butter mochi or a mochi cake? If yes, then you’ll love my irresistible and beautifully blue mochi cake! If you haven’t, that’s ok; let’s start with this recipe. I bet you’ll be mochi in love. It’s so easy to make and a great introduction to the world of mochi or rice cakes." "Mochi cakes are chewy, bouncy, and gluten-free. The toothsome mouthfeel is addictive to me! With a few ingredient substitutions, this cake can be made vegan too. Kids will love this cake, and it’ll surely be a showstopper at any dinner party!" About Kat Lieu - the doyenne and Queen of Asian baking, Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and modernasianbaking.com. Her debut cookbook is Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Lieu is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow Subtle Asian Baking @katlieu

Poudre Douce Almond Cake

10 min

Poudre Douce, or "sweet powder," is a delightfully simple mix of sugar and spice handed down from Medieval and Renaissance cookery. This almond cake is a perfect way to try it. The texture of this cake is fluffy, light, and buttery with chewy edges. You can enjoy the cake simply for the texture and spicing or garnish it with fresh stone fruit, berries, or cream.Want a gluten-free option? No problem! Use an all purpose gluten-free flour and the cake will transform from a fluffier cake into a blondie like consistency. Equally delicious.

Grandma's Applesauce Fruitcake

This recipe has been in our family for decades. The base of this Applesauce Cake is extremely versatile and can be modified to any taste. We decided to add candied orange, dried cherries and Gingerbread Spice. This will have any fruitcake-hater second guessing themselves. We've seen it happen many times at the dinner table! This fruitcake is a staple in our household during the holiday season and sporadically throughout the year. Half the fun of cooking and baking is getting creative, so make a few tweaks where wanted and have fun with it!

Caribbean Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake has been a cherished dessert for generations, with fond memories going back before the 1950's. We decided it was about time to give the recipe a bit of a facelift while still keeping true to the its roots. What we ended up with is a cake that's fruity, bold, and more flavorful than ever. A melody of allspice and bay leaves give this upside down cake a vibrant Caribbean flair, although the true star of the show here is long pepper. The pine cone-shaped spice is gingery and has notes of cardamom and black pepper. This flavor in the gooey caramel at the bottom layer of this cake is simply other-worldly. Buttery, fluffy, fruity, spicey — this is everything you'd want wrapped up in one drool-worthy dessert!

World Spice Birthday Cake

Let's see....how do you celebrate a quarter century milestone 2020 style? Go with the flow! This cake has all the flavor worthy of a 25th birthday spice cake and all the ease that comes with working with what's at hand. We spiced everyday cake mix with our Roast Chai blend and added Turmeric to a delicious tub of frosting to take it over the top. Coconut orange curd made up the filling of this 5-tier tower of sweet, bold flavor. You only turn 25 once, and it was a fun cake to make. We hope you are inspired to make this or use what you have on hand to experiment with your own version, because sneaking in spice into any celebration should be delicious and easy. Enjoy!

Sumac Strawberries with Jasmine Pearl Pound Cake

In college, a friend from Azerbaijan first introduced me to Sumac. The deep reddish-purple spice is sour and bright, and makes for a beautiful garnish. Ever since then, I've always thought of it as a curious and versatile alternative to lemon.That substitution takes center stage in this luscious summer desert. Sumac and strawberries make an excellent flavor pairing, with the tartness of the spice balancing the berries. As a subtle twist, we added the delicate floral taste of Jasmine Pearl green tea to the syrup and cake batter. The tea adds some complexity to the dish, and scents your whole house with a flowery aroma as a bonus. For no mess plating we dished these up like a trifle, to display the beautiful layers.

Lemon Coriander Cake

This Lemon Coriander Cake is light and delicious with bright flavors of lemon and Indian coriander. We loved it plain and simple with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a glass of Timber City Ginger Beer on a spring afternoon, but you could also elevate it over the top with Rhubarb Compote and Coriander Creme to finish off the finest gourmet dinner. Either way it is a wonderful cake with texture light as angels wings and sophisticated flavor.