Mercury (Hobart)

Take the cake

Poh returns to her first love of baking, writes Dan Stock

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It’s almost like I’m coming out … as a baker!” Poh Ling Yeow says, laughing.

Bursting onto our screens in the first season of MasterChef and winning Australia over with her big laugh and even bigger grin, Poh almost took out the inaugural crown with her unorthodox takes on Southeast Asian dishes.

“People don’t think of me as a baker, but really, baking was my first love of cooking. My mum’s a massively enthusiast­ic baker. I was never allowed in the kitchen when I was growing up but the one thing mum let me do was bake,” Poh says.

It’s the blend of science and precision in baking that Poh says appeals to her curious and creative side. “The precision is something I enjoy, it’s how I paint as well — I’m very calculated in how I compose a subject and that way of cooking appeals to my personalit­y.”

For the past two years Poh, along with her long-time best friend Sarah Rich, have been winning over visitors to the Adelaide Market with their baked treats and “slightly wonky cakes” at Jamface.

“I’m very precise; Sarah’s a bit more chaotic in how she makes cakes, but people responded to that really well. In Australia we’re an unpretenti­ous bunch, we like to see food that’s been made by a person. We’re like a love child between Paris and the CWA!”

Here are some of the things she’s learnt along the way about cookies, cakes and other great bakes.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

“I think a lot of people are intimidate­d by baking, but it’s the easiest form of cooking in many ways. If you follow the recipe, follow methods, it will work,” Poh says.

“People think it’s a talent. It’s not. But you do need to have the courage to fail. Sometimes it will take you a few times to get the perfect result.”

Poh says that with so many variables that can affect the end product, getting to know your equipment is time well spent.

“Oven temperatur­es differ, so you have to use your common sense. You have to engage with your senses when cooking — and use them!”

Good cooks, Poh says, are those who are willing to troublesho­ot, and adjust accordingl­y, to get results.

“But that takes patience and stamina, to be willing to cook the recipe over and over again.”

BROWNIE POINTS

“I love a brownie that’s really dense, chewy and fudgy,” Poh says. The denseness of the brownie is related to the amount of chocolate you use — the more choc, the denser the brownie. Refrigerat­ing the brownie will also deliver a lovely chewiness, while adding toasted walnuts or pecans to the batter provides an element of crunch.

“I find too many brownies come out too oily, too buttery. Adding extra chocolate to the mix helps to make for a fudgy, chewy, winner.”

ANZAC DAY

“Anzac biscuits are truly one of my old-fashioned favourites, but when I discovered the chewy version my brain just about melted,” Poh says.

“Anzacs are up there as one of those simple things in life that you just can’t beat.”

The key thing to remember with a chewy-style biscuit is to let them rest on the baking tray for 5 mins or so before transferri­ng to a wire rack to cool — they will fall apart if you try to move them straight away.

WOODEN IT BE NICE

“This cake has serious currency in a baking repertoire. If, in your lifetime, you learn how to make very few cakes, this should be one of them,” Poh says of a Lumberjack cake that often features on the Jamface line-up.

“Its appearance is understate­d, with all its moist, dense, puddingy goodness hiding under a golden coconut caramel crust and sides so deeply caramelise­d that you could almost mistake them for being burnt … but no. Dive inside and you have apples and dates, something wholesome and robust, perhaps even a cake cousin to the Anzac biscuit.”

SWEET MADELEINE

“I love a Madeline,” Poh says of the classic petite French cakes that are the perfect accompanim­ent to a cup of tea. “They’re quite an easy one to do, but they work best if you can find an old tin mould rather than one that’s Teflon-coated,” Poh says. “Tin conducts heat better, which means they crisp up better, so when you bite into one you get that gorgeous crunch.”

Another tip is to “smash them out of the mould” as soon as they come out of the oven. “If you leave them in, they’ll stick.”

USE YOUR SCONE

Poh’s preferred scone recipe uses the (sort of) secret ingredient of lemonade, which makes for a sweet, light scone without having to rub the butter into the mix.

Simply mix 3 cups selfraisin­g flour with ¼ tsp salt, 1 cup lemonade and 1 cup cream. Mix with a fork or wooden spoon until combined. Turn onto a clean, well-floured work surface and pat down roughly. Cut into shape with a scone cutter, then bake at 190C for 20 mins (or until the tops are golden).

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