Did Kara Andretta’s “A Matter of Taste” column in the March/April 2016 issue intrigue you? Here are the recipes she included with her story that we didn’t have the space to print. So go forth and experiment. And let us know how it turns out!

Kara’s Perfect Vanilla Cake
Refer to my blog for full recipe and method: http://www.karascouturecakes.com/acd

I used two 7 x 3 inch rounds. Filled just under half way, I had a bit of batter left over that I experimented with.

To steep spices/coffee/leaves/tea into your milk or liquids:

• Method one: combine flavor ingredient with liquid and allow to sit in refrigeration over night; strain.
• Method two: heat your liquid and flavor ingredients over medium heat; allow to cool to room temperature then strain.

Kaya Pandan (coconut jam)

Ingredients:
2 TBSP pandan extract
8.5 ounces coconut milk
8 ounces granulated sugar
5 eggs

Pulse pandan leaves and a few drops of water in a spice grinder and press through a mesh sieve until you’ve made 2 tablespoons of extract. Mix extract with coconut milk; set aside. Whisk together eggs and sugar until incorporated. Whisk in pandan flavored coconut milk. Place over a double boiler on medium and whisk every 5-10 minutes until thick like pudding (1 – 1.5 hours). If it seems grainy or separated once thick, blend with an immersion blender or in a food processor till smooth. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Pulut Tekan

I only used half of the amount this recipe makes when assembling my cake. I cut and served the other pressed rice cake with kaya as it is traditionally presented.

Ingredients:
4 cups glutinous (sticky) rice (I used premium grade nishiki)
blue gel food color
1 1/8 cup coconut milk (I used Goya and blended it to make it smooth)
pinch salt
3 large or 6 small pandan leaves
banana leaves

Separate rice into two containers: 2/3 in one, 1/3 in another. Cover the rice with water in the larger bowl. In a third bowl, mix blue food coloring with water (about 5 drops of gel) and pour over smaller bowl of rice. Cover and allow to soak over night.

Line two seven inch round pans with banana leaves on the bottom and around the sides, as you would with parchment. Be sure the darker, shiny side of the banana leaves are facing inside where the rice will sit. Strain soaked rice and add white and blue in separate portions to each pan. Flatten the rice so it is level. Tie into a knot the pandan leaves and place them atop the rice. Drizzle ¼ of the coconut milk over the rice in each pan.

Place pan into a steamer with a lid. I used a seafood steaming pot with a metal insert to keep the pan from touching the water. Steam for 20 minutes. While steaming, prepare another cake round with banana leaves. Set aside. Remove the pan carefully and using a small spoon mix the two colors of rice slightly to begin to achieve a marbled look. Flatten the surface again, drizzle half of the remaining coconut milk over the rice and place back in the steamer for 20 minutes more. After the second 20 minutes, test the rice for doneness. Remove the pandan knots. Transfer the fully cooked rice to the newly lined pan, continuing to marble the colors, but not fully mixing them. Place a piece of plastic over the top and press down firmly with a flat surface – a small 6 inch cake board works perfectly. Allow to sit over night with a weight on top of the cake board to continue to press the rice. Repeat with the second pan.

The next morning, gently tug some of the banana leaves around the outside and then invert the pan, catching the pressed rice cake with the cake board. Flip back onto it’s bottom side and remove the banana leaves from the side. Leave the bottom banana leaves until it is placed on the cake. (Place on the cake upside down, leaving the bottom banana leaves exposed and able to be peeled away.)

White Chocolate American Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 cup white chocolate ganache (6 ounces white chocolate, 3 ounces heavy cream)
8 ounces (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
3.5 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract (I used Tahitian vanilla)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until very light in color and very thick. Add white chocolate ganache while still flowing (not set) and beat until incorporated. Allow to rest at room temperature for an hour before use. Place in a piping bag.

Nutella filling:

Place 1.5 cups of Nutella (just eyeball it) into a small piping bag and microwave for 7 seconds to soften.

Pandan Simple Syrup:

Ingredients:
4 ounces (by weight) granulated sugar
8 ounces (by weight) water
3 TBSP pandan extract (as described in the Kaya recipe)

Bring to boil the sugar and water. Add pandan extract once cooled. Pour into a squeeze bottle.

Assembly:
As per diagram below

More About Kara
Kara is a cake and sugar art instructor teaching live and online. She has appeared in multiple magazines and is the creative chaos behind karascouturecakes.com blog and the “Design Bake Decorate Success” virtual mentor series. In a previous life (or when she was a spring chicken) she studied to be a fine arts teacher for school aged children. Now, a two time graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and former intern with Ron Ben-Israel Cakes in New York City, she currently resides in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, with her husband and three boys. She is a homeschooling mom, average knitter, lover of all things food science, and a Harry Potter nerd. She’s also been referred to as a crazy cat lady, but she unconvincingly denies those accusations.