Banh Bo Nuong (Vietnamese Honeycomb Cake)

Ingredients

 §  1/2 c. coconut cream

 §  1 1/4 c. sugar

 §  6 eggs

 §  1 1/4 c. tapioca starch

 §  2 1/2 tsp. single acting baking powder (make your own with 1 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar + 3/4 tsp. baking soda)

 §  1/2 tsp. salt

 §  1/2 – 1 tsp pandan extract

 §  1 tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure

1.  Preheat a convection oven to 360 degrees (375 degrees in a regular oven).  Grease the bottom (not the sides) of an angel food cake pan with canola oil, and allow the pan to preheat inside the oven.  (You want the pan to be nice and hot when you add the cake batter.)

2.  Sift the tapioca starch, baking powder, and salt.  Do not use double acting baking powder, or this recipe will fail.

3.  In a separate container, stir the eggs until homogenized – you want to avoid beating any air into the eggs.

4.  Mix the coconut cream, sugar, pandan, and vanilla extracts.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.

5.  Stir the eggs into the coconut milk syrup.  Do not beat or overly agitate the mixture.

6.  Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients, and mix to combine.  Stop mixing when you still have some lumps – over mixing will ruin this cake.

7.  Pour the batter through a sieve, and using the back of a rubber or silicone spatula, push all of the batter through.  This step will take care of all the lumps, allowing a nice smooth batter, without over mixing.  Sieve the batter 2 more times to ensure a perfectly smooth batter.

8.  Pour the batter into the hot cake pan, and bake for 10 minutes at 360 degrees in a convection oven (375 degrees in a normal oven).  After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 305 degrees, and continue baking for 25-30 more minutes.  Test with a wooden toothpick – when the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is ready.

9.  Remove the cake from the oven, and invert onto a wire rack.  Allow to hang upside down to cool for at least 90 minutes.

10.  Remove the cake from the pan when cool, and serve.

    

The 350 Degree Oven. Blogspot, 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
http://the350degreeoven.blogspot.ca/2011/01/banh-bo-nuong-vietnamese-honeycomb-cake.html