Like BreadTalk Crater Cheese Honey Cake / Grilled Honey Cheese Sponge Cake

&version;If you have been following and reading my blog, you might notice that I'm the type of person who is crazy with lots of energy and ideas in the things that I love.
Lately, I have been crazily exploring many different chiffon cakes, scones, cookies and waffles recipes... and also the Asian-style soufflé cheesecakes!!! ... but I must admit that I have not discovered many impressive soufflé cheesecakes! Sad to say, I have found only two good soufflé cheesecakes recipes, Taiwanese Cheese Cake and Fail Proof Cotton Soft Japanese Souffle Cake that had wowed me!
Why? Is it because my baking skill is lousy??? LOL!
Not to defend myself, I did tried baking several soufflé cheesecakes especially those with low flour content before. Apart from the fact that these cheesecakes are difficult to bake in my strong heating oven, they somehow taste pretty averagy to me! Average because these cheesecakes taste typical baked cheesecakes but with a hint of fluff! That's all.
To be honest, I'm after either the best, the most delicious, the most interesting and unique or fail proof recipe. Just like this grilled honey cheese sponge cake that I would highly highly highly recommend to everybody!!!
YES! I have found you!!! You are so delicious, interesting and unique!!!

YES... You are the third soufflé cheesecake that has totally wowed me!!! Although you are a cheesecake that is not heavily loaded with cheese, you are amazingly just right for my liking!

LoVe! LOve! LovE! Love! LOVE! LOL!!!

Grilled Honey Cheese Sponge Cake
So heavenly light, soft and delicious! Oh! I love love love love love!!!

Is this cake really unique? I'm sure many trendy Asian bakers or cake lovers must have seen this cake before...
I first saw it at Facebook a few months back at around April and May this year. Then, I saw it selling at BreadTop, a popular Asian bakery chain in Melbourne. And now, I saw it again at Instagram saying that BreadTalk in Singapore is selling it too! In Singapore, these cakes are known as Crater Cheese Honey Cakes. So you know... this cake is really really really yummy and trendy!
Back then during April when I wanted to bake this cake, I did searched via Google to see if I can find any clue and of course I found nothing!
Fortunately, I saw one of my FB friends, Shook Ping baking these cakes and so I asked her if she can give me her recipe and she said YES to me!!! Gosh! I was so happy... Thanks Shook Ping!!! Thank you so much!!! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! I love love love love love this recipe!!!
Unfortunately, the recipe was written in Chinese!!! Plus, I got distracted with winter blues, hectic busy schedules and many other things. Or maybe I'm just full of excuses!!! LOL! Anyway, it's better late than never!!! And I'm happy that I did bake this lovely cake eventually...
Any baking tips?
YES! And I won't say that this recipe is fail proof or an easy recipe!!!
I have to warn you that this cake is made with low flour content will shrink and sink at the center after cooling. Hence, this is why the original recipe and Melbourne BreadTop and Singapore BreadTalk bake the cakes in small round baking pans to minimise the cake from shrinking but I have manage to bake it in one 20 cm round pan and it is awesome too... being extra moist with feathery light especially in its center!!! YUM!!!

To ensure that the sponge cake is risen properly without cracking, the egg white mixture has to be beaten until near stiff peaks. Not stiff or soft... just near stiff peaks! LOL! So fussy, huh?

The original Chinese recipe has this crazy oven setting like preheat the oven at 200°C on the top and 150°C at the bottom and bake the cake for 10 mins. Then, change the temperature to 150°C on the top and 170°C at the bottom and bake the cake for 17 mins. I'm like... What THE? My oven is not so fancy fancy!!! Instead, my oven tends to be stronger in its heating and so I preheated my oven at 150°C with top and bottom heating with no fan forced and baked the cake at 150°C for 10 mins and then 130°C for 45 mins... 45 mins because my cake is a 20 cm cake and you probably need 20-25 mins if you are baking two 15 cm cakes. If your oven is more well-calibrated than mine, you can choose to bake your cake with 150°C throughout for a slightly shorter baking time.Plus, you need two days to bake this cake. One day to bake and freeze the cake thoroughly. The second day to grill the cheese layer. Two days!!! This is why it took me so long to fit my busy schedule to bake this 麻烦 (mafan meaning troublesome in Chinese) cake. Oh gosh... I'm full of excuses!!! LOL!
Nevertheless, it is time for me to reap the rewards...

Still hot from the oven... This is how the cake looks when it is freshly baked.

The cake shrinks! This is how the cake looks after it is cooled to room temperature.

It's heavenly delicious!!!
This is how the cake looks when it is grilled with honey cheese layer.

And this is why I love love love love love this cake :)

Here's the video showing how I baked this superb lovely cake.

Thanks Bensound for the music in my video.

Here's the recipe that is adapted from the Chinese recipe that Shook Ping gave me.

Makes two 15 cm / 6 inches or one 20 cm round cake/s

For Day One:

A
60g vegetable oil, preferably something light and neutral tasting
10g egg yolk
40g egg whites
10g honey

B

50g cake flour with 8% protein
10g corn flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

C

70g egg yolks

D

170g egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice
70g caster sugar

For Day Two:

E (honey cheese topping)
10g vegetable oil, preferably something light and neutral tasting
15g honey
35g unsalted butter
25g cream cheese
40g cheese singles (about 2 x 20g pieces) 

On Day One:

Preheat oven to 150°C / 300ºF with top and bottom heating (NO fan forced setting). Line the inside bottom of two 15 cm / 6 inches or one 20 cm / 8 inches loose bottom or springform pan with NO non-stick surface with baking paper. Do not line or grease the internal side of the cake pan. Wrap the outside bottom of the cake pan with foil to secure the loose bottom base in place and avoid having any batter from leaking out. Set aside

For A:

Combine all in a large mixing bowl and use a hand whisk to whisk until combined.

For B:

Combine all and sift the flour ingredients into mixture A. Use a hand whisk to mix until just combined.

For C:

Whisk egg yolks into mixture AB, one at a time until just combined. Do not over-mix.

For D:

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and lemon juice in the lowest speed for at least 10 mins to stabilise the mixture. Increase beating speed to the next higher speed. While beating, add sugar gradually. Increase beating speed to another higher speed and continue to beat until near stiff peaks form. NOT stiff or soft... just near stiff peaks! - Watch my video. The meringue should be very smooth with tiny bubbles. Do not over-beat the mixture.

Using a hand whisk or a spatula, gently fold in the egg white mixture (D) into the egg yolks mixture in 3-4 batches. It is ok to mix the 1st batch of egg white more vigorously into the egg yolk mixture but the subsequent portions must be folded in very gently. Make sure that most of the white is not visible after folding.

Pour batter into the prepared pan/s. Give the pan/s a gentle tap and use a skewer to draw zigzag on batter surface to remove any large bubbles. Bake 150°C / 300ºF for 10 mins at the middle rack. Then, decrease temperature to 130°C / 265°F and bake for another 20-25 mins for 15 cm cakes and another 40-45 mins for 20 cm cake, or until the cake/s is are thoroughly baked. IMPORTANT: Different ovens are different. Although this is the oven setting that has work perfectly for me, you might have to use a different setting like decrease or increase oven temperature, longer or shorter baking time and use lower or higher baking position if necessary.

Remove cake/s from oven and immediately drop the cake/s with the pan on at a height of about 30 cm onto the table top. This helps to prevent the cake/s from shrinking too much during cooling. IMPORTANT: Please be aware than the cake/s will shrink eventually but will hold it/their shape very well.

Do not remove cake/s from the cake pan/s. Place on an wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. Then, place the cake/s in a freezer, preferably overnight as the cake/s need to be completely frozen.

On Day Two:

For E:
Preheat oven to 230°C / 445ºF top and bottom heating with top grill function or 210°C / 410ºF fan forced with top grill function.

Place all in a large heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and make sure the mixing bowl is big enough to sit on the top of the pot. While heating, keep stirring the mixture until the cheeses are melted and combined. Remove mixture from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly for about 5 mins.

Remove cakes from the freezer - No thawing required.

If you are baking two 15 cm cakes, divide topping into two equal portions. Apply all of the cheese topping on the top of the cake/s and bake the cake/s at 230°C or 210°C fan forced, with top grill function for 6-8 mins or until the top of the cake is nicely browned at the edges.

Leave the cake/s to cool slightly for about 15 mins to set. Remove cake/s from cake pan/s. Cut and serve.

Store any uneaten cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Enjoy!!! They are very very very delicious!!!

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