Chinese Five Spice Ginger Cake Food

CHINESE FIVE-SPICE GINGER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
• Mix flour, ginger, baking powder, orange zest, baking powder, five-spice, and salt together.
• Mix applesauce and tea together in a separate bowl.
• Beat eggs with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until very fluffy and light. Pour in oil gradually and beat on medium speed until combined. Alternate adding the flour and applesauce mixtures, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Place a wire rack over the cake pan and flip to release cake onto the rack. Let cool completely, at least 45 minutes.
• Cut parchment paper into any shapes you like to act as stencils. Brush lightly with water and stick them over the surface of the cake. Gently sprinkle turmeric around the shapes. Carefully lift up stencils.

FIVE-SPICE GINGERSNAPS

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Whisk together flour, five-spice powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
• Pulse ginger with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
• Add syrup, butter, egg, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar to processor and blend until mixture is thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add flour mixture and pulse just until a dough forms. Form dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 8 hours to allow flavors to develop.
• Bake and ice cookies:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Quarter dough. Keeping remaining 3 pieces wrapped in plastic wrap and chilled, roll out 1 piece of dough on a lightly floured sheet of wax paper with a lightly floured rolling pin to 3/4 inch thick. (If dough becomes too soft to roll out, chill on wax paper until firm.) Cut out rounds with cutter and transfer to 1 lined baking sheet, arranging cookies about 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies until slightly puffed and a shade darker, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheet. If desired, make holes with piping tip near edges to hang cookies, then transfer cookies (still on parchment) to a rack to cool completely. (Cookies will flatten slightly as they cool.)
• While first batch is baking, roll out and cut another batch, arranging cookies on second lined sheet. Bake in same manner, then gather scraps and chill until dough is firm enough to reroll, 15 to 20 minutes. Make more cookies with scraps (reroll scraps only once) and remaining pieces of dough, cooling sheets and lining them with fresh parchment before using.
• If using icing and coloring it, transfer small batches of icing to small bowls, 1 for each color, and tint with food coloring. Spoon each color of icing into a separate pastry bag, pressing out excess air. Twist bag firmly just above icing, then decoratively pipe icing onto cookies. Let icing dry completely (about 1 hour, depending on humidity) before serving or storing cookies.

CHINESE FIVE SPICE

Steps:

• In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, combine all ingredients (in batches if necessary); grind until mixture becomes a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

SPICY GINGER SUNDAES WITH FIVE-SPICE CRISPS

Steps:

• Divide the ice cream between two bowls or sundae glasses. Top with the ginger caramel and coconut chips. Add the crisps to the edge of each bowl or glass and finish each with a dollop of whipped cream. Dive in.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and sambal and cook for a minute to release the flavor. Add the coconut sugar, cream and salt. Cook while whisking gently until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Use warm or cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix the sugar and five-spice powder together in a small bowl.
• Add the tortillas to a sheet pan and brush the tops with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle the tortillas with half of the sugar mixture. Flip and repeat with the remaining butter and sugar mixture.
• Bake until very crisp and golden, 15 to 17 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Break apart and eat as a snack or with your favorite ice cream.

CHINESE TAKE-OUT: CHINESE FIVE SPICE POWDER

Steps:

• Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium-low heat. Add peppercorns and shake pan back and forth for 2-3 minutes.
• Immediately put peppercorns into a spice grinder, along with the star anise and fennel seed. Grind until the spices are finely powdered. Sift the spices through a fine mesh strainer and discard what remains behind. Put powdered spices back into the grinder and add the ground cinnamon and ground clove. Mix again until thoroughly combined.
• Store in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place for 4-6 months. (I usually make a double batch and use a small (4 oz) baby food jar for storage).
• Enjoy your "Home-made Chinese Five Spice Powder"!

CHINESE FIVE SPICE (MADE EASY)

Steps:

• NOTE: SOME FIVE-SPICE RECIPES WILL HAVE YOU TOAST THE WHOLE FENNEL AND STAR ANISE FIRST. YOU MAY DO THIS, BUT I GENERALLY PREFER NOT TO FOR A CLEAN, FRESH FLAVOR. HOWEVER, IF USING THE SPICE SPECIFICALLY FOR BARBECUED MEATS OR PHO SOUP, I RECOMMEND LIGHTLY TOASTING THEM FIRST IN A DRY SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT FOR A SMOKY FLAVOR BEFORE THE FINAL GRINDING. YOU MAY SUBSTITUTE THE SZECHUAN PEPPERCORN WITH WHITE PEPPER, WHICH IS A POPULAR BLEND FOR USE IN CHINESE COOKERY. KEEP IN MIND -- "A LITTLE BIT OF FIVE SPICE POWDER GOES A LONG WAY". WHEN SEASONING FOODS, START WITH A SMALL AMOUNT, THEN ADJUST ACCORDINGLY.
• MEASURE all ingredients into a clean spice mill or coffee grinder, whether whole or ground, using pre-ground cinnamon as the only exception: 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cloves, 1 tablespoon fennel, 1 tablespoon star anise, 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorn.
• GRIND mixture in a clean spice mill or coffee grinder in 15-30 second increments, until mixture is finely powderized.
• Store in an airtight container.
• Use measure-for-measure in any recipe calling for Chinese Five Spice powder.

ASIAN FIVE-SPICE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 10- by 2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Put chocolates in a large shallow bowl. Bring water, 1/2 cup sugar, and spice to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then pour through a fine sieve set over chocolates. Stir until smooth, then stir in butter until smooth.
• Beat eggs with remaining 3/4 cup sugar until increased in volume and pale and beaters leave a distinct trail (4 to 5 minutes in a standing mixer or 15 to 20 with a hand-held). Stir 1/4 of eggs into chocolate to lighten and fold in remainder gently but thoroughly (fold 1 to 2 minutes).
• Pour batter into pan and smooth top. Put pan in a water bath and bake in middle of oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs adhering. Remove from water bath and cool 2 hours in pan on a rack.
• Unmold cake by running a thin knife around edge, then heating pan 5 to 10 seconds on burner set at moderately low. Invert cake plate over pan and flip cake onto plate. (If cake sticks, tap bottom of pan with a knife handle. If that doesn't work, heat pan again.) Peel off paper.
• Serve cake in thin slices.

FIVE-SPICE MIX

Steps:

• Toast the whole spices in a small pan until they are aromatic and have turned a shade or two darker. Don't be tempted to skip this stage, as it really enhances the flavours.
• Tip into a spice grinder (or use a pestle and mortar), then add the ready-ground spices and dried herbs if required, and crush to a fine powder. Store in a sealed jar for up to six months.

FIVE SPICE

Steps:

• Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add spices and toast, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool. If using the whole spices for a braise, they are ready to go.
• To make the spices into a powder, use a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle to grind the spices until fine. If you like, you can strain the mix through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any coarse bits, but this is optional. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.