First tier cake

Excited and nervous.... Gonna create a two tier cake for my dear baby who turn 1 year old this May. Ok old entries.suppose to post this but lazy to pen it all down haahaa so here it is.

Throwing a big birthday bash for my baby... Time flies and he is 1 year old!!!!!. Decided to bake a two tier rainbow cake. Initially wanted 3 tier but afraid of left over, decided to have two tier with the last tier made for decoration. 

Decided on the design and cake flavor, time to find recipe. As its an important day for my baby, I gonna to do a bake trial on recipe found. 

Rainbow cake uses white cakes. Found a recipe and tried to bake a small one and ask my mum to taste. She give honest option on all my bakes. 

The recipe didn't pass through the test. Abit on dry side. Taste not fluffy enough. Not sure if I under bake or what. 

 In the end I used a Butter cake recipe and added 6 colors to bake the rainbow cake.

Mrs SK Ng Butter cake recipe 

( adopted and modify from Table for two or more by Wendy)

230gm butter (salted), softened (cool at 18-20C, not glossy)
200gm eggs, no shell (4 grade B eggs)
50gm + 150gm sugar
200gm self raising flour, sifted.
60ml milk
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

1. Preheat oven at 180C (conventional). (I only use 170C). Prepare a 9 inch round pan. Line the base and grease the sides (greasing helps the cake’s sides to rise well)
2. Separate the eggs, and place the whites into a medium sized bowl (6 cup capacity)Beat egg whites until soft peaks, gradually add 50gm sugar and beat until stiff. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and 150gm sugar until pale and fluffy (KA speed 2-4 ). Put in vanilla seeds and and beat for a while. Put in egg yolks one by one and beat well after each addition.
4. Put in half the flour and mix on low speed until incorporated. Put in milk in 2 additions and mix until well incorporated. Mix in balance of flour.
5. Put half the egg whites in and mix on low speed. Pour the balance of egg whites in and FOLD.
6. Divide rve batter into 6 equal portion and color it. Pour batter into pan and level.
7. Bake for 10-15minutes or until skewer comes out clean. 

8. Cool and decorate 

I bake it altogether 12 times as my oven can't accommodate 2 9" pan and the 7" pan I only have one. 

I uses some blueberry jam in between the layers to add taste to the else boring cake with only butter cream. 

The last tier, Mickey head; uses rice Krispy to make and covered by black fondant. 

200g marshmallow (plain)

50g oil

300-350g of rice Krispy 

Heat the oil over double boil and pour in the marshmallow. Melt it till its smooth and add rice Krispy in. Stir and slightly cool, mould it. 

End product:

Inside of the cake: 

Verdict: the cake is soft and fluffy and the  homemade butter cream is sooo tasty.. Very well received by my guest that day. 

Think I will bake this tier cake again to perfect my skill in applying the buttercream and building the tier. 

 The next tier cake I am gonna to try bake using solely sponge cake recipe to see if it will create a softer and more fluffy taste. Also to try if sponge cake can be tiered although no one uses sponge cake to build tier cake. I wan to challenge and see if its possible. Heehee adventurous me. 

Stay tune for my next adventure. 

Happy birthday to my precious little one. 

身体健康，快高长大！

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A challenge to create something different.

After watch too much food network challenge whereby the chef does those 3D cakes. Am tempted to replicate one too.

So here it is my first 3D cake... Not too neat thought. Crack my brain as was trying to have a balance flavor and omit using fondant. Fondant not so well receive by Asian due to its sweetness. 

Make this birthday cake for my sister in law whose birthday is juz 10 days apart from mine. She requested a badtz maru cake. 

Abit messy but she was surprise and love the cake... 

This cake is a heavy as i uses about 3 7" cake and about 300g of chocolate ganache.  

Side view of the cute bird 

Time to light the flame.. 

This cake gathers many woooos and wows and cute!!! One of the waitress actually asked where we gotten the cake from haahaa.. 

The cute bird is made if chocolate sponge cake with chocolate ganache coated with Oreas  crumbs. Minimum fondant used. Smells like cookies n cream cake. 

Taste verdict, sponge is soft and full of chocolate ... Best for chocolate lover. 

Recipe 

Chocolate sponge ( unable to review as u went to a course) you can use any chocolate sponge cake receipe. 

Chocolate ganache recipe

250g dark chocolate 

50g dark bitter chocolate 

300g heavy cream 

Heat heavy cream on a saucepan, pour over the chocolate. Waited for 5-8 mins and gif a stir to combine. Leave to cool in fridge for an hour and its ready to use. 

Crush oreas biscuits to coat. And some fondant for decoration.

Enjoy!!!!

Will u do again... Hm... If I got time I will otherwise think better to bake and decorate a traditional type. Heehee 

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Durain cake

It's a love hate relationship. 

It's either you love durain or u hate it totally.... For me, neither do I love or hate. Juz neutral, coz will only look for it when craving but always at the wrong timing haahaa.. 

Talking so much about durain, wat I wan to show us that durain is a very versatile ingredient. It can make sweet or savory dishes.. But what I know more on the sweet side heehee 

Present to you the durain cake...... Have baked this cake twice upon request. I try to decorate the same but in any chance i still feel they have their own character. 

Found a supplier who sell durain purée in small quantity. Good for home baker who  do small batches for own consumption. I can have durain goodies whole year round. Heehee... 

Said enough... Here is some pictures to enjoy. I use a vanilla cake base and top it with durain cream. Beware your fridge will smell of the durain... 

 

Recipe for the vanilla cake base:

For 7" round cake 

Ingredients:

3 eggs

90g flour

30g milk

30g butter( melted) 

90g sugar

1) crack whole eggs and sugar into a bowl, use the double boil method to melt the sugar into the eggs. Try not to burnt the egg mixture. Once it's warm up, remove from heat. 

2)use machine to beat till pale in couloir and in double in volume. Make sure it's the ribbon stage ( the mixture does not disappear after you count to 10). 

3) sift flour twice and add into the batter. Fold carefully try not to deflate the batter. Add milk and lastly the melted butter. 

4)line the cake tin with baking paper and pour the batter into the tin. Drop it a few times on the counter to let the bubbles escape so that you dun get a big hole inside the cake. 

5) bake at 180c for about 18-20mins.

Once is done, cool slightly and unmould the cake out of the pan. Invert and let the cake cool completely. 

Filling:

200g whip cream

300g -400g of durain flesh

1) whipped the cream to soft peak and add in the durain flesh and whipped till combine.

2)divide the cake into 3 layer and spread the cream in it.

3) cover the cake with the leftover cream and decorate it.

Here is the done cake. Enjoy!!!! 

pssst; if you like can add some durain purée into the cake mixture and bake it to get more intense flavor. 

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Green green birthday....

Never to test a recipe on an important day!!!!!

My dad birthday around the corner. Instead of the usual strawberry cakes or chocolate cakes. Think my family are bored with these flavor. Wanted to make something special for dad. 

After searching high and low..... Finally decided on pandan kaya cake. 

This is the first time I am using a cake ring to set the cake.. I am so clumsy and small incident happened and nearly spoilt the cake. 

 Finished product after the kaya set. 

I got a cake ring which is expandable. Like the idea coz need minimum storage space. But I was wrong as its difficult to use. ( not sure if I use it correctly or not as I feel it's so messy.. ) 

Anyway I adopt the recipe from Aunty yochana blog

Verdict: kaya too strong coconut taste as it uses purely coconut milk . Or Is it me who dump all coconut milk in as the recipe calls for. By the way I uses those ready squeezed coconut milk bought from supermarket. Not too sure if tat makes it too coconut milky haahaa 

Cake base wise not too bad but lack of the pandan smell as

I uses essence. Lazy to prepare the pandan juice.   The kaya  taste too strong coconut milk and no pandan coz no pandan juice added as recipe did not call for.  

Anyway we still finished the cake heehee. I tell my self not to be lazy when making pandan cake. Must must make the pandan juice no matter what. Also to try receipe before important day!!!! 

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Unbelievable

Eight is my hubby and nephew birthday. Both if then born in the same day but different year (obviously rite)
Done a cake for each of them. But m too adventurous wanted to complete it within a nite.

Luckily baked the cake two days before and left one day for decorating. No no it's one nite to decorate it. Didn't sleep and decorate it till the nxt morning. Pack up, wash up and go to work. A zombie at work.

Here is some pix to show my work :) it's the first time doing and lots of area for improving.

Can someone advise me on how to avoid the fondant from "sweating" & "melting...

Here is the cake for Hubby. He specially request for boxing glove design and I got to figure how to do it. The cake is chocolate sponge with dark bitter chocolate ganache.

The original glove next to the cake heehee..... Proud of myself to be able to complete it within a few hours. Really lots of room for improvement.

This is the cake for my nephew. A Liverpool lover that y though if this cake for him. But the icing image color runs and the logo blurred. Sad that can't produce a nice cake when deliver to the recipient. Nevertheless, he is happy of reviving the cake. That at least warm my heart. Got to think of a way to avoid it. Anyone out there can advise?.??



Once again I push my limits on decorating the cakes. Thus round gif me confidence to make even more adventurous cake...

Craving for pie!!!

Suddenly craving for chicken pie....
But dun feel like buying one from shops and its been a long time since I bake chicken pie to eat...

To satisfy my craving, I when marketing to get the ingredients. It's simple to put everything together..

Was also thinking about the crust, short crust pastry or puff pastry.. Home made or ready made for the puff pastry.

As I wanted to make it for breakfast and its already mid week. To cut the process short, bought a packet of puff pastry to make. Craving stronger and lack of time,
I jus use the store bought pastry.

Here is the ingredients for the method for the filling:

1 whole chicken drumstick( skinned & diced)
250g of mixed vegetables ( can be found in frozen section)
1 cup of heavy cream ( I use heavy whipped cream)
1/4 cup of milk
2 dsp of flour
1 med onion, chopped
3-4 shitakie fresh mushroom, diced
Salt and pepper

Method:
1) put some oil in the pan and fry the onions till it turn transparent. Put in the chicken and fry till cooked.

2) add in mushroom, mixed veggie and fry awhile and add milk and cream. Simmer a while and volia.... The filling is done. It's a versatile filling as it can be use for pasta as well.

Here is the end product. I feel that better to have the base using short crust pastry and the top puff pastry as the filling make the bottom soggy. Or I have to try cook it not so wet hm..... Will try to experiment again.

CNY mood

It's end of cny... 十五 n I still do not have much time to post my creation for Chinese New Year and some cakes....

Busy with making goodies to packing house to taking care of my little one. 24 hrs dun seems to be enough..

Ooops with a blink of the eyes CNY is ending..... Here is some glimpse of the stuff u bake which I manage to snap some pix

Hope this year will be a good year for me.