Cendol Mousse Cake

Have been thinking about creating a cendol mousse cake after trying out a cendol ice shaving dessert at one of the chinese dessert shop at Ion basement foodcourt. But I was too lazy to get started until now. First, I have to think about the coconut milk to the whipping cream ratio. After searching around the web for some ideas, I came upon the Cendol Mousse recipe from Yochana's Cake Delight (Cendol Mousse @ Yochana's Cake Delight). But I did not follow the whole recipe, only the coconut milk to whipping cream proportion.

Next, I want to make my own cendol and found the recipe at My Kitchen Snippets (http://www.mykitchensnippets.com/2007/10/cendol.html). It's very simple to make and it tastes good compared to those you buy from the supermarket. Here it is:

Now I'm set to bake the cake. The base of the cake is two layers of vanilla chiffon sponge cake with a layer of the cendol mousse sandwiched in between. As you can see from the photo below, I put lots of cendol, red beans and "attap chee", aka palm fruit, into the coconut-whipping cream mousse.



The cake is then covered with a layer of the coconut-whipping cream and adorned with more cendol and "attap chee". The addition of coconut milk to the cream makes it simply delicious. You can taste the fragrant coconut and the pandan flavour from the homemade cendol. I will definitely bake this again and get cendol lovers to try it.

Cendol Mousse Cake

Ingredients:
(A) Sponge Cake
One 7" round vanilla chiffon sponge cake

(B) Cendol Mousse
200g coconut milk
250g whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
3½ tsp gelatine powder
70ml water
4-5 tbsp gula melaka syrup

Cendol
"Attap Chee"
Cooked red beans

(C) Gula Melaka Syrup
20g gula melaka, finely chopped
100g water
Pandan leaves

Prepartion:
Line a 7” round baking tin with greaseproof paper.
Pre-heat oven at 180°C.

Method:
1. Add the chopped gula melaka and knotted pandan leaves to 100g water in a pot. Boil until gula melaka is dissolved and remove from heat.
2. Refer to Vanilla Chiffon Sponge Cake recipe to make the sponge cake.
3. For the cendol mousse, heat up the coconut milk. When cooled, add in 4-5 tbsp of the gula melaka syrup and mix well.
4. Add 70ml of water to 3½ tsp of gelatine powder and let stand for about 5 minutes.
5. Heat up the above gelatine mixture over a pot simmering water (place the bowl holding the gelatine mixture over the mouth of the pot). Mix well to dissolve the gelatine thoroughly. Remove from heat to cool.
6. Once cooled, add the gelatine mixture to the coconut milk mixture and stir well. Place the mixture into the fridge until needed later.
7. To whip the cream, ensure the bowl and beater is ice cold. You can put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Place the bowl over a larger bowl of ice cold water and whip the cream and the icing sugar until stiff peak forms. Do not overwhip or the cream will turn into butter.
8. Take the coconut milk mixture from the fridge and fold into the whipped cream above. Mix until well blended. Leave it in the fridge.
9. Slice the sponge cake into 2 even layers.
10. Take the coconut-whipped cream mixture out from the fridge. Place a huge dollop of the cream onto the cake and use an angled spatula to even out the cream.
11. Put a layer of cendol, followed by red beans and “attap chee” on top of the cream.
12. Take another dollop of the cream and cover the ingredients above. Smoothen it with an angled spatula.
13. Place the second layer of sponge cake on top of the cream carefully, making sure the sides are even.
14. Refrigerate the cake for about 45 minutes to allow the mousse to set. Put the balance cream into the fridge.
15. Remove the cake from the fridge and use the balance cream to cover the sides and top of the cake.
16. Decorate it with cendol and “attap chee” or as you wish.
17. Refrigerate the cake.

Note: This cake is best consumed on the day it is baked or by the next day due to coconut milk.