Calling Emergency

Maybe it was my subconscious, or maybe my sixth sense.

Or I just love to bake that much.

I woke up today at 7am without an alarm and I can't fall back to sleep. I got out of bed and I start making bagels. Just because I want to.

As I was shaping my fourth bagel my phone rang. "Who would call me at 9am on a Saturday?"

It turns out to be my mom, asking me if I remember it was grandma's lunar birthday today.

GREAT!

Don't get me wrong, I am usually the one who remember birthdays. We usually keep a calendar in the bathroom and every January I would write down all the birthdays and holidays of the year. Usually I would stare at the calendar while I brush my teeth and plan about the month's baking plan. But as I moved out and I don't have a calendar in my bathroom anymore, and I don't actually own a lunar calendar at my place, it's hard to keep track of lunar birthdays.

That means I need a cake by 6pm today, I am still making bagels in my PJs and I haven't have breakfast yet. I roughly finished my bagel dough and put them in the fridge, and start browsing for birthday cake ideas while I was in the shower and head out to grab a croissant for breakfast.

By the time I got back it was almost noon but I had a plan. I will be making green tea mousse cake with red bean filling for gran's birthday. I put the cake in the fridge at around 3pm to let it set. Not bad huh?

And I still managed to have time to buy myself a new camera before I decorate the cake and head out for dinner celebration.  I am rocking it!

Green Tea Mousse Cake with Red Bean Filling
I borrowed part of the recipe from the RTHK eLearning website. I skipped the red bean cheesecake portion and make it into a jelly just to make it lighter. I like the texture with the mousse but next time I would cut down the portion in 1/4. I have reduced the amount in the following recipe. I would also pour the red bean directly on top of the cake so that the filling sticks better to the rest of the cake. The overall taste is still good though!

Green Tea Sponge Cake
Ingredients:
1 egg
24g sugar
20g cake flour
2g green tea powder
8g melted butter, cooled

Method:
Whisk egg and sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is in ribbon form. Fold in sieved cake flour and green tea powder. Add melted butter. Bake in a 6" spring form pan and bake it at 350F for 15 minutes.

Red Bean Filling
150g store bought red bean paste, preferably without beans
75g water
3/4 teaspoon gelatine powder

Bloom gelatine with 10 g of water from the recipe. Melt with microwave until dissolved. Add the rest of the water to the red bean paste and stir until combined. Add melted gelatine and combine. Pour over sponge cake and freeze until set. (It's easier to handle afterwards if you put it in the freezer. Don't leave it in too long though or the water will get crystalized.)

Green Tea Mousse
200g whipping cream
80g sugar
12g green tea powder
80g cold water
4g gelatine powder

Bloom gelatine with some of the cold water. It doesn't matter how much as you will eventually mix them all together. Microwave until melted. Add sugar.
Use the rest of the water to dissolve green tea powder. Add melted gelatine and let cool to room temperature.
Whip cream to soft peaks. Add a scope to the green tea mixture and incorporate, then mix it in the cream.

Assembly:
Take out the red bean filling/cake from the freezer and release from the mould. Put the cake at the bottom of a 7" ring mould and pour the green tea mousse on top. Make sure the mousse fill up the sides of the cake. Refrigerate until set and add decoration.