momofuku

Is this birthday cake recipe a project? Yes, it certainly is. But you can tackle it one component at a time and work well in advance of party day.

Momofuku Milk Bar’s Birthday Layer Cake

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

cake flour

baking powder

salt

buttermilk

grapeseed oil

vanilla

sugar

vegetable shortening

(½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

brown sugar

eggs

¾ cup cake or all-purpose flour

rainbow sprinkles

vanilla extract

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

cream cheese, room temperature

corn syrup

⅛ teaspoon citric acid (or ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice)

milk

6" cake ring

Is this birthday cake a project? Yes, it certainly is. But you can tackle it one component at a time and work well in advance of party day. Watch the video here.

Bon Appétit

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9" rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and coat with nonstick spray; set aside.

Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and ¼ cup sprinkles in a large bowl. Combine buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat granulated sugar, shortening, butter, and light brown sugar in another large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl. Continue to beat mixture, occasionally scraping down sides and bottom of bowl, until almost doubled in volume and very light, airy, and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.

With mixer on low, add buttermilk mixture until incorporated. Add dry ingredients, beating until just combined, about 1 minute.

Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp. sprinkles. Bake until cake is light golden brown, the center springs back when gently pressed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 30–35 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and cool on a wire rack or, in a pinch, in the fridge or freezer (don’t worry, it’s not cheating).

Do ahead: Store cooled cake wrapped in plastic in fridge up to 5 days.

Preheat oven to 300°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, sprinkles, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add oil and vanilla, and using your hands, mix until no dry spots remain and large clumps form when mixture is pressed together. As though you were making a crumble topping, break mixture up into clusters (some small, some large) and spread onto prepared baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until crumble is light golden brown and crunchy, 10–12 minutes (it will firm up as it cools). Let cool completely.

Do ahead: Wrap crumbs tightly in plastic and store at room temperature up to 5 days.

Combine butter, shortening, and cream cheese in large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high until mixture is smooth and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and slowly stream in corn syrup and 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Beat until mixture is silky smooth and glossy white, about 3 minutes.

Scrape down sides of bowl and, with mixer on low, add powdered sugar, salt, baking powder, and citric acid until just combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until you have a brilliant stark white, beautifully smooth frosting, about 4 minutes (it should look just like it came out of a plastic tub at the grocery store!).

Do ahead: Store frosting in an airtight container in fridge up to 1 week.

Place a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment on a counter. Invert cake onto mat, then peel off parchment. Use cake ring to punch out two 6" rounds from cake (or, using a springform pan as a guide, cut out 2 rounds using a paring knife). These are your top 2 cake layers (the remaining cake scraps will form the bottom layer of the cake).

Line a sheet pan with a clean piece of parchment. Clean cake ring and place it in center of the pan. Use 1 acetate strip to line inside of cake ring. Place cake scraps inside ring and use the back of your hand to press scraps together into a flat, even layer (you never see this layer, so it’s okay that it’s messy—but since it’s the base of the cake, it needs to be flat).

Combine milk and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla in a small bowl. Dunk a pastry brush in milk mixture and use half of it to generously moisten the base layer.

Use the back of a spoon to spread about 3 Tbsp. frosting evenly over cake. Sprinkle ⅔ cup birthday crumbs evenly over frosting. Use the back of your hand to press them in place. Use the back of a spoon to spread another 3 Tbsp. frosting as evenly as possible over crumbs.

With your index finger, gently tuck second acetate strip between cake ring and the top ¼" of the first acetate strip, so that you have a clear ring of acetate 5–6" tall—high enough to support the height of the finished cake. Top with a cake round (if 1 of your 2 cake rounds is less pretty than the other, use it for the middle layer and save the most perfect one for the top). Brush layer with remaining milk mixture. Repeat frosting-crumb layering process.

Nestle remaining cake round into frosting. Cover top of cake with remaining frosting. Use an offset spatula to form decorative swirls, or do as they do at Milk Bar and shape it into a perfectly flat top. Top with remaining birthday crumbs.

Transfer cake to freezer and freeze at least 3 hours to set cake and filling.

At least 3 hours before serving the cake, pull sheet pan out of freezer and, using your fingers and thumbs, pop cake out of cake ring. Gently peel off acetate and transfer cake to a platter or cake stand. Defrost in fridge at least 3 hours.

Do ahead: Cake will keep up to 2 weeks in freezer or 5 days in refrigerator.

This is an adaptation from the epicurious.com recipe, which is supposed to be from the Momofuku Cookbook by David Chang

Momofuku Pork Belly

(3 lbs.) slab skinless pork belly

salt (try

white granulated sugar

black pepper (+ more if desired)

Nestle the pork belly in a roasting pan or dish.  Sprinkle/coat the pork belly liberally with the salt, sugar and black pepper. Alternatively, you can also mix together the salt, sugar and black pepper in a small bowl and rub the mix all over the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge for at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 450F. Discard any liquid that accumulated in the baking dish. Place the pork belly in the oven, fat side up, and cook for 35 minutes. Next, turn the oven temperature down to 250F and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the belly is tender - &quot;it shouldn&#39;t be falling apart, but it should have a down pillow-like yield to firm finger poke.&quot; Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the belly to a cutting board. Allow the belly to cool slightly. Slice and enjoy!*

Make the best soft fluffy whole wheat Chinese steamed buns (wholemeal) with this easy foolproof recipe. All the tips you need to get smooth steamed buns in 3 different ways: fold-over steamed buns, mantou, and round steamed buns.

Soft Fluffy Whole Wheat / Wholemeal Steamed Buns (Mantou / Bao)

300 gr whole wheat flour (or wholemeal flour)

instant yeast

gr sugar (about 1 Tbsp, more or less to your taste)

Tbsp cooking oil

tsp salt

ml milk

gr cake flour (see notes)

150 gr whole wheat flour

Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and oil in a mixing bowl. If you use a machine, use a dough hook attachment. Turn on the mixer on medium speed and gradually add the liquid (it&#39;s important to start with room temperature or cold liquid), start with the lowest amount of liquid and then add as necessary until a dough is formed. Don&#39;t dump all the liquid all at once. Knead for about 5 minutes until you get a rough dough. Add the salt and knead again for another 10-12 minutes until the dough is very stretchy and smooth

Make the dough with a machine:

If you are kneading by hands, mix until you get a rough dough (it&#39;s not going to be smooth yet). Cover and rest it for 15 minutes. Then go back and knead it. You&#39;ll be surprised by how easier it is to knead it now. Knead until the dough is smooth and pliable, about 15-20 minutes. At any point during kneading, you can always stop and rest the dough if you find it hard to knead. This is to relax the gluten. Then go back to knead again and you&#39;ll be surprised by the difference it makes by just resting the dough before kneading again. It&#39;s easier for you too

Make the dough by hands:

Cover and rest the dough for 15 minutes. This is not to proof the dough. It shouldn&#039;t double in size. This is to relax the gluten for easier shaping and rolling the dough

Rest the dough:

Instead of dusting your work surface with flour, spray some cooking spray or use a bit of oil. The more flour you add to the dough, the drier and tougher it gets. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Keeping the dough covered and work with one dough at a time

Roll into a round ball. Flatten with your palm and then use a rolling pin to roll it into an oval shape. Fold the dough over and place on a parchment paper. Repeat with the rest and proceed to proofing step

If doing fold-over steamed buns:

Pull and tuck the dough from top to bottom so the seams are at the bottom and the surface is relatively smooth

Roll the dough into a smooth round ball in between the palm of your hand REALLY make sure the dough is smooth.

Cup the dough with both palms and move the dough in a circular motion to shape it taller. This part is important so your steamed buns come out tall instead of spreading to the side after steaming

Place on a piece of parchment paper. Proceed to the proofing step below

If doing round steamed buns:

Instead of dusting your work surface with flour, spray some cooking spray or use a bit of oil. The more flour you add to the dough, the drier and tougher it gets

Roll the dough out into rectangle, about 9 x 12 inch then roll it up like a Swiss roll. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut into 12 pieces. The two end pieces may be a bit smaller compared to others. Place on parchment paper and proceed to the proofing step below

If doing mantou shape:

Keep the shaped steamed buns covered with a towel and let them proof until about 50% bigger than the original size, it may take about 30 minutes to 1 hour, maybe a bit longer if it&#039;s winter. Don&#039;t go by the time, go by how the steamed buns look like. It should feel lighter and slightly puffy after proofing. The dough should feel lighter when you lift it up. Proceed to steaming

Proofing the steamed buns:

Most likely your steamer won&#x27;t be able to accommodate steaming all buns at one go. You may need to steam in 2-3 batches, which means, the rest of the batches will sit longer and continue to proof while waiting for the steamer. If you think the buns are proofing way too fast (getting bigger too fast), here&#x27;s what you can do: Make sure to cover them with plastic wrap and then place them in the refrigerator to slow down the yeast activity or halt it all together until they are ready to be steamed

Bring the water in your steamer to a boil. Wrap the lid of your steamer with a kitchen towel to prevent moisture dripping back on the steamed buns as this will create &quot;burn&quot; spots

LOWER THE HEAT TO MEDIUM. Place the buns in there, leaving about 1-inch space in between. Close the lid and leave about 1/4-inch gap to let some steam escape and steam like this for 8 minutes. Steaming them this way will give you a very smooth surface without any wrinkle

After steaming, turn off the heat. DO NOT OPEN THE LID of the steamer. Let the buns sit there for 1 minute like this. The buns will not sink or wrinkle due to the sudden change in temperature

Steaming:

Remove the buns to a wire rack to let them cool down. This is to ensure the bottom of the steamed buns will not be wet and soggy

COOLING:

If you make extra and plan to store them, let the already steamed buns cooled down completely and then place them on a baking sheet, not touching each other, and then put the entire tray inside the freezer for about 1 hour. They will harden, but not completely frozen yet. Transfer to a freezer bag and they will not stick to each other anymore. Try not to keep for more than 1 month

STORING:

They can go straight from freezer to steamer when you ready to eat them. Steam on high heat for 5 minutes and they are as good as new

REHEATING:

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/0fG941nj.mp4

Make the best soft fluffy whole wheat Chinese steamed buns (wholemeal) with this easy foolproof recipe. All the tips you need to get smooth steamed buns.

Want to recreate the Momofuku ramen experience at home? Following this step-by-step, detailed recipe will elevate your ramen game to celebrity chef levels.

How to Make Momofuku Ramen Broth

water

kombu

dried shiitake caps (not sliced shiitakes)

chicken

pork

oz smoked bacon

green onions, (cut in 2-inch (5 cm) logs)

onion,

carrot,

tbsp Japanese soy sauce ((shoyu))

mirin ((cooking rice wine))

tbsp kosher salt,

Add the water to a large stockpot and set over high heat. Rinse the kombu under running water, then add it to the water. Bring the water to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Fish out the kombu from the pot. See recipe notes, below, to learn how you can reuse this kombu in a quick salad. (If you do not want to reuse the kombu, discard it.)

Rinse the dried shiitake under cold running water, then add them to the pot. Turn the heat back on to high heat, bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the skiitakes from the pot. Transfer the shiitakes to a bowl and save them to make Pickled Shiitakes (get this recipe at the bottom of my main Momofuku Ramen post.)

Add the chicken thighs and/or drumsticks to the pot. Adjust the heat level to keep the broth at a gentle simmer. Using a spoon, skim and discard any froth or foam that rises to the surface of the broth while the chicken is simmering and replenish the water as necessary to keep the chicken covered throughout.

After about 1 hour, test the chicken: the meat should pull away from the bones easily. If it doesn’t, simmer until you reach that stage. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a plate. Let the chicken legs cool for a bit, then pull all the meat off and save it to serve over the ramen later.

While the chicken simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the skin off the pieces of pork bones you’re using, if there’s any, but leave the fat on. Set the pork bones on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, or until the bones are golden brown.

Transfer the roasted pork bones to the broth. Add the bacon and adjust the heat level to keep the broth to a simmer. Using a spoon, skim and discard any froth or foam that rises to the surface of the broth and replenish with water to keep the broth at the same level throughout. After 45 minutes, fish out the bacon and discard it. Keep simmering the pork meat and bones for 1 hours, replenishing the water as needed. Add the green onions, onion, and carrot to the pot, and simmer for 1 hour more.

Remove and discard spent bones and vegetables. Pass the broth through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Pour the broth back in the pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ramen seasoning ingredients. If necessary, microwave the mixture for a few seconds to make sure the salt melts into the sauce.

For the ramen broth:

Stir about half of the ramen seasoning into the broth. Taste and adjust to your taste. Remember David Chang’s advice: the ramen broth should be “not quite too salty but almost.” The flavor of your ramen broth depends on the type of bones and the saltiness of the bacon you used, so taste, trust your instinct, and adjust as needed.

STORAGE AND FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Store the ramen broth in airtight containers in portions (remember you’ll need 2 cups/500 ml per serving.) Refrigerate until cold. You can keep the ramen broth refrigerated for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 1 month (or more, if you have a chest freezer.)

A layer of fat will float to the top of the ramen broth and harden as it cools. Do not discard the fat. This fat is what makes this broth so delicious and flavorful. This fat will melt back into the broth as you reheat it before serving.

If you have limited storage capacity, you can save on space by simmering the broth further, until it is reduced by half. This means that you’ll store 1 cup (250 ml) broth per portion. Make sure to add a note on the container to remember to stir 1 cup (250 ml) water back into the broth (per portion) as you reheat it for service.

Top 4 momofuku recipes from across the web

The most viewed momofuku recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Momofuku Milk Bar’s Birthday Layer ...

Momofuku Pork Belly

Soft Fluffy Whole Wheat / Wholemeal...

How to Make Momofuku Ramen Broth

Top 4 momofuku recipes from across the web

The most viewed momofuku recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Momofuku Milk Bar’s Birthday Layer ...

Momofuku Pork Belly

Soft Fluffy Whole Wheat / Wholemeal...

How to Make Momofuku Ramen Broth

The most viewed momofuku recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine