Here’s my very first chiffon Koala Bear. It sits atop my Neopolitan Chiffon Cake in Strawberry, Vanilla, and Chocolate. The tube hole hides a surprise that helps support the weight. The Strawberry/Vanilla/Chocolate Neopolitan chiffon flavors were requested. The Koala Bear was adorable, and I liked the effect of the three flavors/colors. This is a recipe with reduced egg yolks for a whiter cake.
1. Preheat oven to 160degC. Prepare a tray with water at the bottom of your range (I baked the cake on the lowest rack). You can omit the steam baking, but I prefer it to make a smaller cake.
2. Mix oil, milk/water, and vanilla extract with the egg yolks. Beat with a whisk until pale yellow.
3. Then, add the sieved flour. Whisk until there is no flour left. Divide the batter into three parts. Add 1 tsp of cocoa powder to the first part (and a pinch of baking powder). Add 1/2 strawberry paste to the second portion. The third can be left untouched.
4. Meringue: In two additions, beat the egg whites and 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar until stiff peaks or firm peaks are formed.
5. Divide the meringue into three parts to make each of the three egg yolks above. Fold the meringue gently but quickly into each batter, 1/3 at a given time.
6. Pour the strawberry batter evenly into the chiffon pan, then the vanilla batter, and finally the chocolate batter. Leave around 2 cm at the tip.
7. Tap the table gently three times to remove any air bubbles.
8. Bake the chiffon for 15 minutes at 160degC, and then for 30 minutes at 140degC.
9. Once the oven is cool, invert the pan immediately.
10. After the cake has cooled, remove it by hand. To unmould, gently pull the cake away from the sides and lift the removable base. To remove the cake, lift the cake gently from the floor with your hands. Repeat this at every angle before flipping the bottom (see the video tutorial’ Unmoulding Chiffon Cakes by Hand for a Smooth Finish ).
If you use natural cocoa powder, you will need to add 1/4 of baking soda to your chocolate egg yolk batter. This is to prevent the formation of larger air pockets.
The Koala uses the same recipe. To make the bear grey, I used 1/4 teaspoon of charcoal powder. The Koala was baked in glass dishes and cake pop molds. The Koala Bear recipe and picture tutorial are now available in the Deco Chiffon Cakes book.
