Kuromi birthday cake

 

My first chocolate art, piping Kuromi onto acetate sheet and placing on a cream cake.
This cake was requested by my brother for his girlfriends birthday. Ivy loves the character Kuromi and I never heard of it until today. I sketched the character on to paper and place an acetate sheet over the sketch and piped chocolate to draw the face out.  First time making this and I'm very excited and the results was good. I can actually draw!! haha.
I know where I get my artistic side from, my dad.
Whipped cream with a few drops of red gel colour and pipe rosettes using Wilton 1M nozzle.
And that's how simple it is.
Now I can draw other characters for cakes, can't wait to make another one soon.

 

Candle cake

My first fondant cake! This is really fun to make and I call it my edible Play-doh cake.

Though it is not perfect but I pretty happy with the outcome.

It tastes really yummy, chocolate cake with mocha spread as filling.

 

 

Gingerbread cookies

 

The time has come and lets start off with some Christmas cookies.

This year I have bought some mini cookie cutters and want to make tiny cute little gingerbread cookies.

Christmas tree gingerbread cookies

 

Bake some gingerbread cookies and you need green fondant, I used ready made fondant.

Royal icing and small edible balls for the lights.

 

Gingerbread cookies recipe here

 



Chocolate christmas pudding

This is the latest trend for cake makers and hobby bakers. I've seen so many people make them, I can't help but to try it out myself. This is so easy and fun to make it would only take you 10-15 mins.

Great gift ideas or just to treat yourself. Hope you would try it too.

 

All you need is:

1 Terry's chocolate orange

1 bag (121g) Maltesers

Some melted chocolates to stick on the Maltesers.

Fondant (white, green & red)

Halloween 2014

 

 My Halloween cake 2014, have been too busy to update this post and I'm over 5 weeks behind.

Here is a 5" and 7 1/2" 2 tier cake.

Chocolate cake with Black cherry filling.

 

 

Doughnut muffins (Duffins)

Doughnut Muffins

 

Makes 6 duffins or double the recipe to make 12.
(A)
70g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
(B)
50g plain yoghurt (I used sour cream)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
70g melted butter

Nutella or jam filling of you choice, I used Nutella.

Preheat oven 190c
Grease muffin tin generously with butter or use muffin cases.
Mix ingredients (A) together.
Whisk (B) to combine.
Pour (B) into (A) and fold until it's all mixed together.
Spoon half of the batter into the muffin tin and add 1.tsp of Nutella in the centre of the batter. Then add the remaining batter over the top covering the filling. Use a fork to make sure the filling is completely sealed.
Bake in the oven for 18 mins.
Take out the oven and roll into caster sugar with a sprinkle of cinnamon powder (optional) I do like the cinnamon taste.
Ta da! It's that easy!

My Blog's 1st Anniversary

 

It's one year already!! I can't believe how time flies.

Today is my Blog's 1st Anniversary.

 

Here's a quick look back at the cakes I made for my special occasions 

 

Swiss meringue buttercream

I've always wanted to try out Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) but the fear of failing always puts me off.  The method sounds complicated and I don't know anyone that's made it to give me advice.

What made me try this for the first time, it's because my son's birthday party was coming up, he wanted a Spiderman cake.  The party is held at a soft play center and the cake would be left out for 2 hours. Ok, so cream cake is definitely a no no!

But I dislike buttercream as its too sweet.

So I had only one choice and that is SMBC!

So, I googled Swiss meringue buttercream, there's like a million recipe but which one should I try?

I follow Sweetapolita and I love her site, I remember seeing a SMBC she's made for a ruffle cake and I decide to try her version. I have made 1/3 of the recipe to try it out, after a successful attempt I made more!

Surprisingly, it's not difficult to make and it is smooth and very fluffy!

Spiderman cookies

My little boy is having a birthday party and this year he knows exactly what he wants.

He said he wants a Spiderman cake and cookies.

Hmmm... ok, shall we start with some cookies first?

I love making cookies but I've never made Spiderman ones?

I remember seeing a photo on Pinterest and they used an egg shape cookie cutter to make the Spiderman's head. Great!! I have an egg shape cutter which I bought during Easter to make e

Egg shaped cookies.

So I drew around the cutter as a template and copied a photo I saved from Pinterest

I drew the lines that goes on Spiderman's face. It's not that hard really?

So, lets bake some cookies first.

Pumpkin shaped Macarons

It's Halloween!! One of my favourite time of year as kids are usually excited about going to Trick or Treat.

But it seems like the weather have got the better of us as we are all poorly and both kids have temperature and not been well all week.

It's schools half term and kids have a week off, we done nothing apart from cuddled up to watch telly and drink medicine!! But that doesn't stop the fun from baking.

First Halloween bake off are these cute little pumpkin shaped macarons.

Genoise sponge recipe

Genoise sponge

This is one of my favourite sponge I use for most of my cakes.

 It uses the whole egg method and does not need baking powder as the eggs are beaten to ribbon stage, the air helps hold the sponge during baking.

Here's a video clip to show you what the egg and sugar mix to ribbon stage looks like here



 

The recipe below can be used in an 8 inch cake tin, bake at 25 minutes.

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This is for a 7 inch cake tin.



Oreo cheesecake (non bake)

 

I asked my brother what kind of cake he would like for his birthday this year, he immediately said "Oreo cheesecake!" A Cheesecake for your birthday? Strange request but I guess it's still OK as long as it looks like a birthday cake. So being a lovely big sister, I made him an Oreo Cheesecake!

Kids were excited and as I was in the process of making it, they kept coming over pinching the Oreo biscuits. I've lost count of how many biscuits I used but it was almost 3 packets!!

I can't believe how heavy this cheesecake is and not to mention how many calories it contains!

 

So, who said cheesecakes can't be used for birthdays!

 

Here's the recipe to the non bake Oreo cheesecake.

 

Ingredients:
 

100g Oreo cookies (discard the filling)

50g melted butter

Method:
 

 Line the base of an 8 inch spring form tin.

Crush the Oreo cookies and add the melted butter.

Press firmly into the base of the tin and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.

 

 

For the filling:

 

300g cream cheese

80g icing sugar
10g lemon juice
50g milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
200g whipping cream

10g gelatine soften in 50g water

Prepare the gelatine by softening it in 50g water, let it bloom for few minutes and then dissolve into liquid, set aside.

 

Make extra crushed Oreo biscuits for the filling and to coat the sides of the cheesecake, cut 6 biscuits in half with a sharp knife for decorating later.

 

Method:

Whisk the cream cheese with icing sugar the add the milk and combine until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. Pour the cooled gelatine slowly and keep whisking until it has completely mixed in well.

Fold in the cream cheese mixture with the cream then pour in the lemon juice and vanilla extract and whisk quickly to combine.

Add more crushed Oreo's and fold until it is mixed evenly.

Chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours or over night.

Once ready, remove the cheesecake from the tin and add crushed Oreo's around the cheesecake.

Pipe cream around the top and add half a biscuit to decorate.

 

And it's ready to serve.

It's really is that easy!

 

Optional

Split the cheese mixture into two.

Add one half with crushed Oreo's and the other half plain.

Pour the mixture with Oreos first then the plain on top and chill in the fridge.

Coat with chocolate ganache recipe is here

 

You can make a chocolate plaque by melting white compound chocolates and set on acetate sheets or projector film. This would leave the chocolate a shiny surface when removed, I used to use baking paper and it doesn't give the chocolate a glossy finish.

 





My Wedding Anniversary cake

 

This year it is me and my hubby's 19th Wedding Anniversary.

I wanted to try a naked cake as it's the latest trend for Weddings and Anniversary's but hubby say they look terrible. Stuck with ideas, I saw a photos of a cake with flowers. I thought it would be nice to keep it a romantic theme. I wanted to add ruffles and made white modelling chocolates to wrap around a pink sponge layered cake.  Though the cake is a bit small, it was perfect size for me and my little family. I think this cake would look amazing if it had a bottom tier.  Maybe I will make something similar or a 3 tier cake next year for our 20th Anniversary.

 

Please be very careful when using fresh flowers on your cakes, I wrapped the stem with foil before I put it in.  Have been advise that using fresh flowers isn't safe and I have taken these out afte the photos were taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



M&M's cookies

I have totally forgot about updating this cookies recipe, I made this after my kids demand for cookies in the supermarket. The kids have been off school for the summer holidays, so food shopping means taking them with me. We always come home with lots of junk food.

I rememeber that we had a bag of M&Ms at home so rather buy the cookies, I decided to make it when we got in.

These are really easy to make and the kids had fun helping me.

Well, that did help kill some time too.

Snow skin moon cakes

 

 

 It's here!! Mid Autumn festival. Have you made moon cakes yet?

This year I wanted to try something different apart from the traditional moon cakes. 
You can find my traditional moon cake post here.
 

A fellow Blogger Jenny Ong, which I have been in touch with lately, have shared with me one of her Snow skin moon cake recipe. As her blog is in Chinese which I can't read, she kindly translated her recipe in English for me and have given me the confidence to try it.

 

And the results were amazing!!

 

Here is Jenny's Snow skin moon cake recipe link

 

White modelling chocolate

 

 

I have found the next best thing for my cream cake decorations.
White modelling chocolates.

You need :
12oz of Wilton's candy melts
70ml of glucose syrup

 

 

Melt the Candy melts in the microwave, heat it for 30 seconds and mix, another 30 seconds and it should be half melted and mix then lastly 20 seconds and it should have completely melted.

 

My late Birthday cake post

 

 

 Have been looking back at some of my cake photos and happen to realise I haven't blogged about my birthday cake on here.  I must have been carried away with thoughts for being another year older.

 

Yes, it's scary to say I've reached my 40th Birthday already!! Ekkk!!

 

Summer is almost over and today is the last day of August.

But it reminds me that my Wedding Anniversary is only round the corner.

With preparing the kids for going back to school, I haven't had time to think about what cake I'll be making this year.

 

My hubby loves Black Forest,  I have made one for him on Valentine's Day. I guess I can make one again as it's been over 6 months since we've had one.

 

Time have been flying by. Soon my baby boy will be 4 in October, he wants a Spider-Man cake!

How am I going to make a Spider-man cake using fresh cream and fruits?

I think I'll  have to start expanding my cake knowledge and brave myself  into making fondant cakes.

At least they won't melt and I can make them in a few days in advance.

 

But at the moment, I still enjoy eating as well as making fresh cream cakes.

Moon cakes 2014

 

It's almost Mid Autumn festival, this year it falls on the 8th September.
The festival occurs on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month on the Chinese calender every year.

When I was a child, my parents would invite relatives over and they will make a feast, it is a tradition to bring  families together from near and far.
It is as exciting as the Chinese new year celebration.

In our custom, during the Mid Autumn festival we buy moon cakes as gifts.
Traditionally, moon cakes are made using salted egg yolks as it resembles the moon and a sweet filling of lotus paste or red bean paste .

Moon cakes symbolising the full round moon of the Mid Autumn festival, when you cut the cake in half, the yolk will looks exactly like the full moon in the night sky.

Nowadays there are more varieties of moon cakes, this is because the traditional flavours are not as well received by the younger generation.
I have seen Green tea flavour, Black sesame flavours even Tiramisu!

But as I am unable to buy salted egg yolks or new trendy fillings, my version will be based on lotus paste and red bean paste. I have added a piece of chestnut to resembles the moon.
Today, I will be joining many bakers by making home made moon cakes.

 

If you like to find out more about this festival you can click here and it will explain the history of this festival.
 

This year will be my second year in making my own moon cakes, and I have ordered a mini mould to try and make smaller size moon cakes.