Michelle from Paragon Tea Room always wanted to try this Houjicha-Chestnut combination, so I decided to infuse it in a traditional Japanese treat, Dorayaki. It is a simple, one-bowl recipe for the dorayaki batter, and I create two fillings, Houjicha Custard Cream and Chestnut Paste for this treat.
It turns out to be a flawless combination. The earthy houjicha tea flavor eases the heaviness and sweetness from the chestnut. Unlike the traditional dorayaki with the red bean paste filling, this is a less heavy treat. I found it enjoyable with a cup of hot tea.
Houjicha-Chestnut Dorayaki
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Non-Stick Pan
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
Dorayaki Batter
- 2 Large Eggs
- 100 g All-Purpose Flour sifted
- 45 mL Milk
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 27 g Sugar
- 10 g Honey
- 20 g Vegetable Oil
Chestnut Paste
- 200 g Peeled Roasted Chestnut
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 3 tbsp Whipping Cream
Houjicha Custard Cream
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 30 g Sugar
- 18 g Corn Starch
- 200 mL Milk
- 1 tbsp Houjicha Powder sifted
Instructions
Houjicha Custard Cream
- In a bowl, add sugar (30g) into the egg yolks. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved, and the batter becomes white-ish color with an airy, fluffy consistency.
- Add corn starch. Mix until combine.
- In a saucepan, add milk (200mL) and hojicha powder. Mix until the hojicha powder is dissolved, Boil it until bubbles start appearing. Remove from heat.
- Pour the milk in the yolk batter, while mixing the batter simultaneously. Mix until it fully incorporates.
- Pour the mixture back to the saucepan. Turn on medium-low heat and continue to stir until it starts to thicken. Turn to low heat. Continue to stir until bubbles start to appear on the surface. Remove from heat.
- Place in a bowl. Set it aside to cool down.
Dorayaki
- In a large bowl, combine egg, sugar, honey, milk (30mL), and oil. Mix until it is fully incorporated.
- Sift in all-purpose flour and baking powder. Use a spatula and cut-and-fold method to mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
- Set aside to allow the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes. While waiting for the batter to rest, work on the chestnut paste (see below).
- Once the batter is ready, add another 15mL milk. Mix until combine. The batter should now be slightly runny.
- Preheat your non-stick pan under medium-low heat for at least 2-3 minutes. I don’t recommend to grease your pan because you won’t be able to get a nice golden-brown color.
- Using a ladle or measuring up, pour the batter on to the pan to create 8cm diameter pancakes. Try to pour the batter in one go; otherwise the color wont be even.
- When the surface starts bubbling, flip over and cook the other side for 10-15 seconds.
- Continue to repeat steps #6 and 7 until all batter is used up.
Chestnut Paste
- In a food processor, add chestnut, sugar, 2 tbsp whipping cream. Puree until smooth.
- You can check on the consistency at this point to ensure it is sticky enough to form a ball. If not, add 1 tbsp whipping cream. Puree again. The chestnut paste is ready.
To Assemble:
- Match similar-size dorayaki. Transfer the custard cream into a piping bag.
- Place the chestnut paste on one pancake. Pipe the houjicha custard cream evenly on the chestnut paste.
- Sandwich with the matching pancake. Ready to serve.
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