Is My Blog Burning? – Durian Fudge Cake

My first instinct was to bake a chocolate cake, as it would combine two of my great food loves – chocolate and cake. However, I decided I wanted to try a recipe that I had never used before, and make a type of cake that I had never baked before. And if it could also be something uniquely South East Asian, then, well, that would be um… icing on the cake (pun absolutely intended, of course). The perfect candidate presented itself in the form of a durian cake.

Durian. This King of Fruits does not leave much room for ambivalence. You either love it or you loathe it. Rarely, is the reaction to it a shrug-of-the-shoulder indifference. And for the majority of South East Asians, theirs is a passionate and rapturous love affair with this highly aromatic (or pungent, depending on which side of the fence you are on) fruit. There is just something thoroughly thrilling about splitting open that hard, tough, sharp spiky husk and revealing glorious, smooth, glossy, satiny seeds of soft, creamy flesh. Ah! To smell that unique aroma, to savor that intense, rich flavor! Eating durian is quite a sensual and sensuous experience… the incredible sensation of the luscious creaminess hitting your palate, and exploding into a myriad of complex tastes and fragrances.

Coming a very close second to the love for eating the fruit fresh off the seed, is the eating of the fruit in all its many other guises – in cream puffs, cakes, tarts, pancakes, crepes, muffins and even roti prata (Indian pan-fried flaky, crispy bread dough). Singaporeans expend much energy in verbal debates as to where the best durian cream puffs and durian cakes can be found.

I have received numerous requests for a recipe for durian mousse cake (the current most popular form of durian cake). I don’t have one, unfortunately. However, as I did a little research for this event, I stumbled upon a little treasure.

Tucked away in my mother’s “treasury of recipes” is a hand-written recipe for a “Durian Fudge Cake”. Now, this little nearly-30-years-old hard-cover notebook of my mother’s is not just any ordinary notepad filled with hand-noted recipes. Only “tried-and-tested” recipes that my mum deems tasty enough and “worthy” enough are included in this exclusive collection. Admittedly, the notebook’s “database”, so to speak, doesn’t get “refreshed” very often, so some of the recipes may have been improved upon and replaced by more favored versions over the years. But more often than not, the recipes in this little notebook have withstood the test of time, and many have remained tasty favorites.

This particular durian cake recipe is more than 20 years old! My mum learnt the recipe at a cake baking class she attended way back when. At that time, the in-vogue method for making durian cakes was the “fudge cake” approach, just as nowadays almost all durian cakes are “mousse cakes”. She made it a couple of times subsequent to that baking class, and had tweaked and refined the recipe (as evidenced by the penciled-in notations in the margin). But for the last 18 years or so, this recipe has not had another outing. A-ha, what better opportunity than now, I thought. Besides, it sounds interesting. Something different. And it would be nice to re-visit an “old-style” durian cake. A mousse cake is just getting a little too run-of-the-mill.

As it turned out, my path to this Durian Fudge Cake was a long and winding one.

As I read the recipe, I became a little worried about the execution. The recipe, being as old as it was, quite obviously needed some adjustments, substitutions and modifications. Unfortunately, given my extremely limited knowledge of the technical theory behind and the principles of cake making, this was akin to shooting in the dark. What were the purposes of certain ingredients, what was the effect I was supposed to be aiming for, how else could I achieve those results and on and on. Doubts plagued my mind. But I was determined to make a go at it.

I ended up making some fairly significant adjustments throughout the recipe. Thankfully, the end result did not embarrass me, but the road to getting there had me, at various points, close to despair. I will list below the quantities and methods I actually used, as well as notes on what was substituted or changed.

A Brief Overview
The cake used is a very light sponge cake which does not contain any butter at all. Initially I thought that it might have been an error in my mum’s transcription, but it isn’t. The cake is intended to be incredibly light and fluffy in texture, to balance out the richness of the durian “fudge”. Given the lack of fats in the cake recipe, the type of flour used becomes all the more important. The original recipe calls for a mixture of “Optima flour” and Softasilk flour. I assume the former is something that existed 20 years ago. I have not seen it on supermarket shelves or at the baking supplies specialty shop. Softasilk I have seen at certain baking supplies stores, but I was not inclined to drive out to one just to get a flour that I was going to use but only a tiny portion of. So, I decided to use one type of flour only – something that is called “Top Flour” in this part of the world (not sure if it goes by the same name elsewhere). It is lighter, softer, more refined and has even less gluten and flour protein than cake flour. I figured this should work well enough if I helped it along by sifting the flour twice. At the worst, there would only be a slight difference in the texture and crumb of the sponge cake. I decided I could live with a denser crumb if it came to that.

The filling is not really a fudge in the true sense of the word. It is more like a very rich, soft yet somewhat firm, creamy filling with a fudgy, yet slightly custardy feel. (For those familiar with South East Asian food, it is sort of similar to the green-colored top half of the Nonya kueh salat, or slightly similar to the filling of a kaya cake, only not as firm).

The original ingredient list for the filling is quite a shocker. It calls for… get this, approximately 36 fluid ounces (that’s 4 ½ cups!) of coconut milk!! And this is intended for a not very large 10” cake! My arteries constrict and feel all clogged up just at the mere thought! This recipe quite obviously harks from a time when saturated fats and cholesterol perhaps did not mean too much. So, to save my heart from seizing up in horror, I lightened the recipe by partially substituting with 2% fresh milk, with no noticeable adverse effect on the aroma, taste and texture of the filling.

I also decided to make only half a recipe. Given the numerous changes and substitutions that I was making and the many unknowns I was grappling with, this felt to be the safer and less wasteful way to go. So, the quantities that were actually used are for a half recipe, while the quantities listed as being from the original recipe are for a full recipe.

I will mention the other changes as we go along. Right, on to the baking of this durian cake then…

The Durian Pulp
First off, the durians. I of course have to be difficult and try to make a cake using a fruit that is still in pre-season. The mid-year durian season usually starts proper only in mid-May or thereabouts. Sure, durians are now available throughout the year, even during traditionally off-season periods. But the fruits found during those times are definitely less intensely aromatic, flavorful and sweet. Still, I was undeterred. Off to Geylang I went, and returned with two large red plastic bagsful of suitably ripe durians. These fruits were not bad. Although definitely not at peak-quality, they were at the same time definitely not what we call in Chinese “potato-durians” – durians that are as bland as potatoes. They were still sweet enough, aromatic enough and flavorful enough. Only thing missing was that overtone of bitterness, but that’s my personal preference, and that type of durian probably wouldn’t work too well in a cake anyway.

So, how many durians does it take to make one small durian cake? This many…

No, I’m exaggerating. But I probably did use around 2-3 medium fruits worth of durian pulp in what turned out to be a small 8x4 inches cake. I think that works out to a fair bit of durian per square inch of cake!

The first task is to break open the tough husk of each fruit and extract the seeds of durian flesh. There are some important things to note while carrying out this stage of the cake-making operations. Firstly, do not be fooled by family members who enthusiastically volunteer to help you open up the durians and extract the fleshy seeds. More often than not they have an ulterior motive for getting close to the fruits. Should you fail to prevent this first point from happening, point two is very important: stand watch like a beady-eyed hawk as said family members huddle around gleefully and set upon the fruits with gusto, wielding knives and pieces of cloth. A momentary diversion of attention on your part can result in more durian seeds disappearing down open mouths than there are seeds appearing in the large bowl that you have placed next to the said enthusiastically helpful family members. Step three, be extremely wary of phrases like: this one is too mushy to be used; this one is too fibrous; this one is way too firm to be used. Under no circumstances are you to be taken in by such mutterings. They are but mere smokescreens, and are actually urgent indications of imminent danger to the safety of the precious durian seeds. Step four, as soon as all seeds have been removed from the spiky husks, as quickly as possible, remove bowl of durian seeds from the chaotic scene of discarded shells. Any delays in this crucial step of the operations will again render you with less than the desired quantity of durian pulp.

With the seeds securely in your possession, it is now necessary to separate the creamy pulp from the large hard pip in the center of each seed. This can be very easily done by using a spoon and scraping the flesh off the pips. At this point, events will feel like deja-vu. Enthusiastically helpful family members immediately re-appear like magic, making tempting offers of help. As before, assistance may be accepted at your own risk. Vigilance, however, is required if the quantity of shed pulp is to remotely match the number of discarded bald pips.

Should you manage to successfully negotiate the previous two stages of durian pulp extraction, and still manage to get sufficient quantities of target commodity, you are on the home stretch. Give yourself a pat on the back.

Just as quickly as they have appeared, all signs of help disappear just as magically. As the real work is about to begin, you are once again left on your own in the kitchen to work peacefully on the cake.

So now for the weighing of the bounty and the process of “refining” the pulp.

Once seeded, the durian pulp needs to be weighed into three different quantities, with each being used in a different way…
• approximately 4oz / 115g for the sponge cake
• approximately 9oz / 255g for the fudge filling
• approximately 3oz / 85g for the fresh cream topping

The original recipe calls for 5oz / 140g for the cake and 10oz / 280g for the filling. This is for a full portion of the recipe. Even though I was making only a half recipe, I still used nearly the full amount of durian pulp. Why? The fruit I was working with was not, as mentioned earlier, at peak-flavor. So, to maintain the intensity and richness of aroma and taste, I decided to use more pulp. Also, family members are durian fanatics! The more pulp the better is their credo. (The fresh cream topping was my own last-minute addition to the recipe, and I simply guesstimated an amount of durian pulp that I thought would be sufficient for my purposes.)

Even with the amount of pulp used, the durian aroma and flavor in the finished cake were not overwhelming – at least not for us anyway. I think the recipe allows a fair bit of leeway and flexibility in adjusting the amount of pulp either way – more pulp, or less pulp – according to personal preferences, without any adverse effect on the final cake results.

To prepare the pulp for the cake: take the 4oz / 115g of durian pulp and mix it with 1fl oz / 30ml of coconut milk (not coconut cream). I use canned coconut milk, although my mum would probably use nothing less than freshly squeezed coconut milk. But I’m a girl that is all for ease and convenience. So, canned coconut milk it is. I like the Ayam Brand simply because it has no further additives at all, and is pure coconut milk.

Mix the durian pulp and coconut milk together to get a chunky paste. Next, mash this paste through a fine mesh strainer. As the resulting smooth, creamy pulp puree accumulates on the underside of the sieve, scrape it off with a spoon. We now have a bowl of very beautiful, satiny smooth, glossy durian cream…

To prepare the pulp for the fresh cream frosting: again mash the fresh durian pulp through a fine wire mesh strainer. I didn’t add any coconut milk for this – I used just the pure durian flesh. Refrigerate the prepared durian cream until it is needed.

To prepare the pulp for the fudge filling: take the 9oz / 255g of durian pulp and combine it with approximately 1 fl oz / 30ml of fresh (2%) milk. This is just to lighten the density of the pure durian pulp slightly to a chunky paste, thus making it easier to mix into the cooked coconut milk custard later.

The original recipe calls for this durian pulp to also be sieved through a fine mesh strainer. However, as the family likes to have chunks of real fruit pulp in their durian cake, I decided to just leave the pulp in for the fudge filling. For a more refined, smoother-textured filling, simply repeat the straining step as for the cake and fresh cream frosting above.

The Sponge Cake
3 egg yolks
3oz / 85g Top Flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4oz / 115g durian pulp creamed with 1oz / 30ml of coconut milk (from above)
3 egg whites
2½ oz / 70g sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

• Combine the flour and baking soda, and sift twice.
• Add the yolks to the flour, and whisk together with a manual balloon whisk.
• Next, add in the durian cream, and mix well.
• In an electric mixer, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Whisk for 1 minute on medium speed, followed by approximately 3-4 minutes on high speed or until the egg whites have formed smooth, glossy, stiff (but not dry) peaks.
• Gently fold a small batch of the whisked egg whites into the durian mixture, to lighten the mixture, followed by the rest of the whites in small batches.
• Transfer batter into an 8” square cake tin, lined with parchment paper.
• Bake at 155C or 300F for about 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

[Original full-portion recipe: 5 egg yolks, 3oz Optima flour, 3oz Softasilk flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 5oz durian pulp creamed with 2 fl oz coconut milk, 5 egg whites, 5oz sugar, ½ teaspoon cream of tartar.
Cake is baked in a 10” round cake tin at 155C for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Note: given the larger quantity of egg whites, whisking time for the meringue would also be longer than that indicated above.]

Making the cake was a traumatic experience for me. I was close to pulling my hair out in distress. My mum had scribbled in her notebook “whisk together yolks, flour and durian cream until the mixture is like a smooth runny cream”. Now, when I combined these ingredients together, what I got was a very thick, very sticky, gooey, gummy mixture – sort of like very sticky play-doh or sticky super glue! It was as far away from being a “smooth runny cream” as the moon is from the earth! I panicked a little. Maybe I read the recipe wrong. I went back to check. Nope. That was what it said. Oh dear, maybe I shouldn’t have used almost the full quantity of durian cream in a half portion of the recipe, I thought. Maybe that was the problem. I was supposed to get a “runny cream”?!?! It just was not possible. That was like attempting to get melted Mozzarella to be of the consistency of thick cream or something. Still, valiantly, I added a couple of tablespoons more of coconut milk, hoping to lighten the texture somewhat. It did lighten… barely. It was still a sticky, gooey glob. Sigh! I didn’t want to mix it anymore as I was worried about overmixing and overworking the gluten and flour proteins. In the back of my mind, I was ever aware that this was supposed to be a very light and fluffy sponge cake with a very tender crumb. It didn’t help that at that point I also realized I had only sifted the flour once, and not twice as I had intended to.

I contemplated starting over, thinking I had spoilt the batter beyond resurrection. But, me being me, I refused to say die. I thought: okay, if I was going to end up wasting the batter, I guess there was no harm in risking wasting the egg whites too. Since they were all whisked and ready to go, I folded them into the batter. Oh, the batter looked okay. Maybe there was hope yet. I was still worried that I had overworked the batter, and the cake was going to come out dense and heavy. But I wasn’t going to know for sure until after I had baked it. So, with fingers crossed, I popped it into the oven.

At this point I already knew that I would potentially have at least one problem to deal with after the cake was baked. I had run out of parchment paper, so I couldn’t line the cake pan. I buttered and floured it instead, but I knew that there would be a high chance of the cake sticking, and given its supposedly light and tender crumb, it would be a devil to get out of the pan without the cake breaking. And if it didn’t stick, there was a chance the cake would have developed a thicker crust than desired, owing to the floured and not lined cake tin. That would not be good news either. Oh well, I was going to have to deal with it if and when it happened.

Another point: I wanted my cake to be rectangular rather than round, simply because I thought it made for a nicer presentation. I was initially going to use a loaf tin, but due to some last minute logistical reason, I ended up having to use an 8” square cake tin instead. The original recipe used a 10” round cake tin for a full recipe. So, an 8” tin for half a recipe was going to give a rather shallow cake. That was another cause of anxiety and concern. But as it turned out, that actually worked in my favor at the end. When it came to filling and frosting the cake, I only had to cut the cake in half and then split each half horizontally once only, instead of having to cut it horizontally three times, like I would have had to if I had used the loaf tin, to get my four layers of cake. Anyway, I’m skipping ahead of myself here.

The cake was done in just under 35 minutes. It looked fine – just a tad uneven on the top surface, but that was going to be frosted over anyway. And then… it had happened. The bottom of the cake was stuck to the cake tin. And it was made worse by my ignorance of a great cake tip which my mum rather belatedly offered me when she happened to saunter into the kitchen. I had run a knife around the sides of the cake pan, hoping to loosen the cake from the edges so that I could tip it out. But because the bottom was stuck, the top edges of the cake, now freed from the sides of the cake pan, started to shrink a little as the cake cooled. So, I ended up with sloping sides on the cake, which had to be trimmed off later.

So, I learnt something new. If the cake is stuck in the pan, leave it! Do not even try to free the sides. Leave the sides “stuck” to the pan, as this keeps the cake “stretched” out as it cools.

After the cake cooled, I cut it down the middle, splitting it into half while it was still in the cake tin. This made it easier for me to manoeuvre it and remove it from the tin, which I managed to do successfully, but not without leaving the entire bottom crust behind. But that suited me just fine! The crust had come off so evenly, it left a smooth, flat, soft underside to the cake – just perfect for filling and frosting the cake. I couldn’t have done it better myself if I had attempted to trim the cake. Even I had to grin when I saw how tidily, neatly and completely the bottom crust had been separated from the rest of the cake. And, best of all, not only did the cake not break or split, its texture was nicely soft and fluffy and the crumb was tender and nicely refined (safe for an occasional tiny hole or two left by a bubble). It was all just the way it was supposed to be. Ah! The angels of baking must have been watching over me. I couldn’t believe it. The cake turned out as it was supposed to despite all that I had put it through!

It looked and smelt good!

The Durian Fudge Filling
Mixture A
4oz / 115g sugar
½ packet agar-agar powder (white color or plain)
8oz / 240ml 2% fresh milk*
8oz / 240ml coconut milk

[Original full-portion recipe: 8oz / 230g sugar; 1 packet agar-agar powder; 32 fl oz / 950ml coconut milk]

* I substituted half the required amount of coconut milk with 2% fresh milk. I was happy with the final taste of the filling in the cake – I felt there was sufficient coconut richness and creaminess. However, if a stronger coconut flavor is desired, use a higher ratio of coconut milk to fresh milk. On the other hand, I would not recommend going below half the original amount of coconut milk, as this would probably change the consistency of the filling and dilute the flavors too much. Another option would be to substitute part of the coconut milk with full cream milk instead of 2% milk.

Mixture B
1 fl oz / 30ml 2% fresh milk
1 tablespoon green bean powder (or mung bean powder)**
½ tablespoon custard powder***
½ tablespoon cornflour (or cornstarch)

[Original full-portion recipe: 2 fl oz / 60ml coconut milk; 2 tablespoons green bean powder; 1 tablespoon custard powder; 1 tablespoon cornflour]

** Green bean powder, sometimes called mung bean powder, is very commonly used in Asian, especially Nonya, desserts. It helps give the dessert a nice soft, custardy but somewhat firm texture that holds its shape. Its thickening effect is different from that of other standard starch thickeners like cornflour (cornstarch), arrowroot, tapioca starch and so on. I am not sure what an equivalent substitution for it would be. But it should be available in most Asian – Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese – grocery stores (for those outside Asia). Alternatively, you may grind your own from dried mung beans. In Asia, mung bean powder sometimes comes in different colors like green etc, so be sure to use either the white (neutral) or yellow colored ones only for this recipe.

*** The custard powder enhances the yellow color of the durian, and thus gives a richer hue to the filling. It will not turn the filling a ghastly bright yellow. However, if desired, it can be easily substituted with cornflour, as custard powder is largely made up of cornflour/cornstarch. Simply use 2 tablespoons of cornflour instead of 1 tablespoon each of cornflour and custard powder in the full recipe.

Mixture C
9oz / 255g durian pulp mixed with 1 fl oz / 30ml fresh milk (see “to prepare the pulp for the fudge filling” above)

• In a large saucepan, combine mixture A. Cook over a medium heat until the agar-agar powder is dissolved, and the mixture is just about coming to a boil. As soon as it starts to come to a low boil, reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Dissolve together mixture B. Slowly add this to mixture A, a spoonful at a time. Stir continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Allow the coconut milk custard mixture to cook until it is a thick fudgy smooth paste.
• At the first signs of the mixture coming to a boil again, add the durian pulp (mixture C). Mix well.
• Immediately remove from heat, and allow the filling to cool before using.

This “fudge” filling is based on the traditional Nonya pengat, a thick, rich, creamy sweet dessert porridge-cum-pudding. It is essentially a fruit or several fruits (or sometimes root vegetables) that are cooked down with lots of coconut milk (santan), palm sugar (gula melaka) and sugar. Common versions are pengat pisang (bananas cooked with coconut milk, sugar and palm sugar), pengat nangka (using jackfruit) and pengat ubi kayu (using chunks of tapioca, yam and sweet potatoes). These are usually served and eaten on their own, like a sweet dessert porridge. Pengat durian is often served as a thick, creamy paste over sweet glutinous rice. Or is sometimes spooned over the popular shaved ice dessert “ice kacang”.

In the instance of this cake, the pengat durian is used as a basis to create the “fudge” filling. As the consistency and texture of pengat durian is very much like a thick, creamy paste, it is too “liquid” and not particularly suited for use as a cake filling. It is thus thickened and firmed up with a combination of agar-agar (a seaweed derived substance that is similar to gelatin, and which is sometimes referred to as vegetarian gelatin) and a mixture of three starches (green bean powder, custard powder and cornstarch).

I think the agar-agar and the starches need to be used in combination. I contemplated using only one or the other, but I don’t think that would work, or at least not work as well, as each has a different effect on the texture and consistency of the filling. Cooked agar-agar gives a firm texture that holds its shape well, while the starches help make the mixture soft, creamy and fudgy, and give its appearance a slight sheen. It is possible, if an even softer, more fudgy consistency is desired, to experiment with reducing very slightly the amount of agar-agar and/or starches indicated in the above recipe.

Heat control during the cooking process of the fudge filling is important. At one point my flame was too big, and I had difficulty keeping the mixture lump-free.

As the filling cools, a layer of “skin” will form on the surface, but nothing a quick stir prior to using it won’t solve. I know, a lot of recipes will probably tell you, in such instances to cover the filling with plastic wrap, directly onto the custard, to prevent this “skin” from forming on the top. I personally am usually not keen to do such, simply because of the potential implications (albeit unproven) of possible chemical reactions of the polyethylene with heat. It’s just a personal thing, so if you have no such qualms, then yes, a piece of cling wrap will prevent the problem of a “lumpy” custard surface.

Cake Assembly
Okay, we are almost there. Are you still with me? Well, finally, I was ready to put the cake together. This part scared me. Until that point, I had never, in my life, filled, frosted or decorated a cake before. I had always stuck to those recipes that produced cakes that were complete in themselves as they came out of the oven. At most, I would pour a glaze over the cake. That I could manage. But carefully dividing a cake into slim layers, filling it, frosting it and decorating it? Aiks! Don’t you need to go to pastry school or something to learn how to do all that fancy stuff?

Well, I decided that since I had come this far, I would just have to finish it.

• Divide the cake using a serrated cake knife. First, cut the 8x8 inches square cake into half, that is, into two 4x8 inches pieces. Next, half each piece horizontally to produce two fairly slim layers from each piece. This will give four pieces of cake in total.
[In my case, I had already cut the cake into half while trying to remove it from the cake tin. So, I nervously split the two half pieces into two layers each. Thankfully without much incident. I only had to watch out for the tendency of the knife to start dipping or rising as I moved along the cake, making the layer either thicker or thinner in some parts.]

• Trim the cake. Ideally, for an elegant-looking end result, the sides, bottom and top crusts of the cake should all be trimmed off, so that there will be no brown “skin” layers visible in the cross-section of the final assembled cake.
[Luckily for me, the cake tin took care of the bottom crust for me when I removed the stuck cake from the tin. I just didn’t feel confident enough to do the top crust, and I wasn’t prepared to risk it. After coming all this way, the last thing I wanted was to mess up at this point. So, I left it in. As you can see from the pictures, a thin brown line of crust is visible in the cake’s cross-section. Not very pretty (or professional looking), presentation wise. Oh well. And to trim the sides, I stacked all four pieces of cake together before trimming, to get perfectly even and lined-up edges.]

• Remove the top three layers of the trimmed cake, leaving the bottom piece on the cake decorating turntable, ready to receive the first layer of filling. Be sure to remember the direction and order of the three layers that were moved, so that they can stack back on nicely and neatly. It is highly unlikely that all four sides of each layer would have been trimmed equally, so rotating the direction of subsequent layers could mean an unevenly stacked cake later, and more trimming would then need to be done. I personally think it would be a lot harder to trim the cake once the layers of filling have gone in, as it would then be necessary to worry about not letting the filling ooze out while trying to slice through seven layers of cake and filling, and not applying uneven pressure and causing the filling to move and create uneven layers, and on and on.

• Drop dollops of the filling onto the cake, and spread it evenly using a metal spatula. Any filling that overflows the edges of the cake can just be leveled out into the sides of the cake, as a layer of filling will also be applied to the sides of the cake later.

• Place second layer of cake on top of the filling. Repeat process with each piece of cake, and finishing with a cake layer on top.

• Using the metal spatula, apply a thin layer of the filling to all four sides of the assembled cake, to smoothen and even out the sides.

The Durian Fresh Cream Frosting
When I got to this point, I realized I had no idea what I should do next. I knew I had to decorate the cake. But what with? Not the filling, that was for sure. Its consistency was way too thick for that. So, I improvised at the last minute and mixed some pure durian puree into some light whipped cream.

I had to use the ready-whipped cream that comes in canisters. The type we use to make home-made iced lattes with. I had not planned ahead, and did not have whipping cream at home. It would have been best to use freshly whipped cream, but there you go, life is not perfect.

The only problem with using these types of ready-whipped cream was that they deflated and became flat once I folded in the durian puree. Still, they managed to do a fairly acceptable job of covering the cake.

So, to the top and four sides of the cake I applied a layer of the durian fresh cream. Now, I wish I could claim that the ripple effect in the cream frosting was intentional. But it wasn’t. I simply didn’t have the frosting skills to create a perfectly smooth, flawless, mirror-like cover on the cake. So I figured it was better to have many “wrinkles” instead of just one or two odd-placed ones!

Cake Decoration
I was stuck again. What next? Durian cakes are difficult things to decorate. The dominating nature of the flavors and aromas of durian does not lend itself to harmonious partnerships with other ingredients that may normally be used for cake garnishing… like chocolate or maybe even nuts. I’m not even too keen on the idea of grated coconut for example on a durian cake. It just feels like too many different tastes happening at the same time. That’s why even the durian cakes sold in cake shops and hotels are usually just decorated with more durian cream, or as in the case of the famous Goodwood Park Hotel version, simply topped with cubes of durian sponge cake and sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.

Well, my biggest obstacle was my utter lack of piping skills. Like I said, I had never frosted or decorated a cake before. Now, I’m not usually a person to run from a challenge. In fact, more often than not, I relish the thrill of trying out something I don’t think I can do. However, by this time, I had been working on this cake for HOURS. (And you probably feel like you have been reading this for hours! If you are still with me that is.) It had taken me half a day to get to that point, and I was starting to feel a little tired of the cake. Enough already! I didn’t want to continue fiddling with it. I just wanted the cake finished! I had started in the early afternoon, and it was almost time for dinner preparations to begin!

I stared at the bald-looking cake for several minutes. Walked out into the garden. Snipped off two orchids and a stalk of Heliconia (or Bird of Paradise). Made silent apologies to the flowers for sacrificing them for the sake of beautifying a cake. I figured these flowers were in keeping with the exotic Asian theme. While this particular orchid was not our national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, it was still representative of Singapore I thought. And I just love Heliconias.

So, here it is… finally…

Admittedly, this is not the most professional looking of cakes. But, I think it is not too bad for a first attempt at filling and frosting a cake, if I may say so myself. Besides, as they say, the test is in the eating, no? And this cake tastes pretty good, or so the family says.

This morning, my mum and I were sitting at the kitchen table analyzing and dissecting the cake. We agree wholeheartedly that the cake tastes much better overnight or as is the case now, two days after it was made. The flavors have melded together more. And the texture and consistency of the durian fudge filling have also settled and relaxed, and are much nicer than on the first day.

We both really like the texture of the sponge cake. (Now I know why this cake recipe is in my mum’s little treasured notebook). Unlike a lot of or even most cakes which turn hard, rather dry and not very palatable once refrigerated, this sponge cake remains soft and fluffy even when eaten cold, straight from the refrigerator. It is thus perfect for the durian cake, or any other cake which has to be kept refrigerated. I really like this sponge cake, and can think of many other things I can use it for.

The durian flavor of the cake is very subtle – just a hint, a background note, which nicely ties the cake in with the durian filling, without tipping the balance of flavors in the assembled cake into overkill.

The rich, fudgy, custardy filling provides an excellent counterbalance to the lightness of the sponge layers. And after the cake has been sitting in the fridge for a day or so, the filling softens up slightly, becoming somewhat more custardy without being mushy. Very nice, in our opinion. We like it a lot.

We also like very much the feel of the occasional small chunks of durian pulp interspersed throughout the filling.

[On a side note, this filling can be very easily adapted and made suitable for filling choux pastry to form durian cream puffs (I have also received numerous requests and queries about how to make this). Or as a filling for durian tarts. Another option is to make a pure pengat durian (without the agar-agar and starches), and use it over sweet glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, or over ice kacang (shaved ice dessert).]

Probably the most important factor in this cake is the quality of the durian. This can really make or break the cake. Top quality durian will make this cake out of this world. This cake that I made tastes good, but it would have been magnificent had I had top quality durian at my disposal.

The amount of work involved in this cake probably doesn’t qualify it as a “make every month” kind of cake. It is also probably more economical to buy the very readily available, ready-made durian cakes. But nothing beats a home-made cake, where copious amounts of durian can be used, and where one can choose to use the best ingredients available.

I think this recipe is a keeper. I like the sponge cake. I like the filling and its potential for versatility. This is something that would be nice to make for a special treat.

All in, this cake was a very, very long process. It was fun. It was frustrating – at times. It was exhilarating. It was tiring. But most of all it was a tasty affair. Still, I’m glad it’s all over. It has been quite an experience.

And since you are still here reading this, I thank you for your patience and for taking the time to hear out my long and convoluted durian cake story!

Copyright © 2004 Renee Kho. All Rights Reserved.
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