CUPCAKES DREAMS

Laura Ashley Shopping

2012-01-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

Love Laura Ashley

Apart from baking, I love Home Decor so much, that I love to browse home-styling magazines. I have been ignoring this part of my life lately, but last week I have managed to do some home decor shopping. Oh, I love Laura Ashley so much. Laura Ashley was definitely my first love back in 1997 in the UK, but it was their clothes that I was in love with. Apparently, it was definitely cheap in the UK, however, unfortunately, my love affair with Laura Ashley ended in 1999. I couldn't afford Laura Ashley in Malaysia. Laura Ashley was incredibly expensive back then. However, last week I went into Living Quarters ( a home decor cum crockery, etc store) and well, what I discovered was their sale... Yes, sale- 10 to 30% off the original price. So, yours truly, has definitely rekindled her affair with her first love, this time with its home decor products. It was worth every single penny or in this country- sen- and I would definitely loved to be meeting again Miss Laura Ashley. Now, who ever invented the word retail therapy is definitely a genius... ;) I went home happy and couldn't wait to start baking again... as I have rekindle my romance with Laura Ashley....

Levain's Macaroons

2012-01-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Lemon, Blueberry, Chocolate and Raspberry Macaroons

I went to Levain, a French-themed cafe in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, yesterday- and what I discovered was their macaroons, apart from the variety of buns and sweet bread. I bought them - six macaroons all together- for RM 19.80. They were quite cheap, considering that some shops were selling them for RM 3.90 per piece. Well, I would say that these macaroons were nice too, but I particularly liked those blueberry ones- they were definitely thumbs up for me. I do not want to rate them against any particular shop churning macaroons, but I personally think that if macaroons are not that sweet, we could always eat them in a go. I am yet to do another attempt on macaroonage, as I am too scared of the result - the last time I did try, the batter went straight into the bin- that is why it is safe to test and try macaroons at many sweet parlours. Those macaroons at Levain were plump with generous fillings, but for patrons- be warned for the limited parking space as there would be too many people especially during weekends. Colourful, plump macaroons with generous fillings, these are definitely worth it....

Macaroons @Chocolate World

2012-01-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Raspberry, Lemon and Mango Macaroons- In A Box

A feast for the eye- Macaroons at Chocolate World, Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya

I love macaroons to bits.. I really do. At this moment, I give up on trying to do macaroons as I have failed once. So, I stick to- buying and testing them until I find the courage to do them-macaroons. This is supposed to be an earlier entry- but I just couldn't find the time to blog on this. For your information, I have discovered the kiosk of Chocolate World first in KLCC back in December 2011, and then bumped onto another one in Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya recently.

Oh my, I am glad that Empire Gallery has finally reopened- I got to do my shopping again. What I like about those macaroons in Chocolate World is they come in boxes, for take-aways. These macaroons are just divine, I love their fillings- some macaroons are just too sweet to my liking, but these are just nice. I could always finish them up with a cup of coffee. The way the macaroons are lined up, really turned me into a little kid entering a candy store. Well, I could say that these macaroons baked by Chocolate World topped my list on the quest of the best local macaroons.... Shall I say these jewels are worth to try, definitely good for any sugar fairies out there. Now, it's time to head to Chocolate World....and you will know what I mean. Macaroons to die for- yes they are- at Chocolate World.

A New Beginning

2012-01-19T00:41:00.000-08:00

Life is like a flower blooming

It shoots high up to the sky

It paves for us the many "firsts"

Learning new things, adapting to schedules

Teaches us the meaning of responsibilities, leaving behind our loved ones in their nests

My son who turned six recently, started school officially--this year. He's definitely one grown-up boy. Apparently, he is really into school these days, such as the way he zooms into the school canteen right after the last bell, leaving me speechless. He no longer needs me to be around, even warning me not to come near him during recess time. One year has passed and where do we go after this, I wonder...I did not know what really happened to the year 2011, there were definitely many on-goings, headaches and happy moments. And suddenly we are here in 2012. Seeing my son happily settled in his new environment, made me sad. Not that I am thinking about myself, it made me think of my own mother. How would my mother feel seeing each of her children leaving the nest finally? Seeing her own children scattered all over Malaysia, not even a single child stays near her now. What was really the feeling, being in an empty nest.... Now, when should I start planning my homecoming down- south to historical Melaka, despite the ever demanding hectic schedule- I could only wonder?!

A Rainy December...Adieu 2011

2011-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Rain dripping through the pot hole...

Yellow flowers at my parents' house in Melaka..

Life and its surprises. Nobody would have predicted them at the first place. I do not know how the future would look like. There are so many plans in my life that I have to shelve out, put aside in 2011. Sometimes, life is good without any planning, sometimes it is not. We aim for the best in our career, our personal life is going to suffer any how. I used to do a wish list for every coming new year, but somehow rather the wish is not going any way or it does not become significant anymore. So, I stop to wish, just like I wish that I would do more baking in the year of 2011. However, I was not baking at all towards the quarter end of the year. Work commitments have taken a toll on my life. I wished that I would have baked and blogged more, sharing my thoughts and recipes. Oh, I could only wished. Blogging and baking used to be the therapy of my calling, but time is my biggest enemy. I lacked of time to do things of my own passion, and ended up feeling miserable most of the time.

With the coming year of 2012, I certainly hoped that my readers, friends and alike would achieve bigger things personally and professionally. I hoped that happiness and good health would surround you. I hoped for all the best things in life. We may have our own sadness and unhappiness, but there is definitely hope. Life is HOPE and let us dream of better things to come. Thank you for reading this entry. I am humbled for the initial beginning of this blog, back in 2008 and it has definitely grow, and I grow up too- in a way. Happy moments ahead everyone, may I blog more in 2012 and share wonderful stories and recipes with all of you. Adieu 2011, welcome aboard 2012- with a lot of dreams and definitely HOPE...

I Went South

2011-12-07T22:41:00.001-08:00

A clock in one of the restaurants in Malay Village

Mee Rebus Stulang in Johor Bahru

Kacang Pool -Johor Bahru

I went South-(accurately Johor Bahru and Singapore) this time, and revel on many different things. There were so many things that I took for granted all this while, and this time- I took time to do some shopping, trying out new dishes and sight-seeings. Johor is a food paradise and Singapore on the other hand is a shopping heaven.

Masjid Sultan at Arab Street, Singapore

Murtabak Singapore - Arab Street

What's left....

Ice cube box outside of 7-Eleven, probably because of space availability

A rainy day, indeed

Shopping in Takashimaya, Orchard Road

Toys fair

Handbags anyone?

Art deco near the escalators in Takashimaya

To sum up, it was definitely a marvellous holiday- going to the South. The only drawback was the lack of time and $$$$...Oh, if only I had tonnes to spend. Yes, every one needs a wonderful holiday and some retail escapades.

A Birthday Wish

2011-11-29T00:43:00.001-08:00

Six years of existence....

Classic Chocolate Cake- I have double the recipe- seen here,
this cake is quite overbaked.

The Birthday Cake- Classic Chocolate Cake frosted with White Chocolate and Buttercream, topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries

Celebrating birthday with friends- daycare at kindergarten

Six years ago, I would have never known that my life would change with the arrival of a bouncy young baby boy. He was anticipated by yours truly as I have always wanted many children in my life. But God has his own plan. This bouncy baby boy came into my life and commanded my full attention for six fine years as he was the only child. I've changed along the way, growing up and learning to become a mother as well. I learnt to rely to my motherly instincts and made many sacrifices in the last six years of my life. God knows how difficult it is to balance work commitments and responsibilities at the same time. You see, I have a very demanding job which required paper chase as well. Sometimes I wake up at 4 on Saturdays just to be in one of the places by 6.30 in the morning. I might as well keep saying that I hate my job, and I always dream of quitting and concentrating on baking- for leisure and pleasure, of course. That is why as much as I like to update my blog and trying new recipes- I fail in that area, simply because I don't have much time and energy to spare. I am too exhausted by the end of the day. And for this birthday celebration, I slogged like a crazy woman just to bake a birthday cake as wished by my son. I was tired before that. He was actually asking for a chocolate cake with white frosting and fresh fruits as seen from the picture. I tried to oblige as I didn't really spend time with him lately ...... I was busy with work. Eventually, I have managed to bake a birthday cake as what he had requested, only after a second attempt in baking. The first cake was a failure (even a baker failed miserably at times). Finally, after nearly giving up - I have managed to bake a Classic Chocolate Cake, overbaked it a little bit {Choc Cake recipe-click here } frosted with White Chocolate and Buttercream. I did something horrible with the frosting, and after three hours managed to get ready for the birthday celebration. Well, that settled, I was exhausted by the end of the day. But, glad I did bake the cake.. (phew). That's what we call Love, right!

The portion of the cake- 3/4 left

Little Azeem when he was just a baby...seen here with his grandfather

This cake is a proof of a mother's love to her child....

Happy 6th Birthday dear son- may you grow up to be a wise and knowledgeable person....May we have more birthday celebrations in years to come...

Memories of yesteryears- Chocolate and Zucchini cupcakes

2011-11-14T07:35:00.001-08:00

I have grated chocs into the cupcakes... seen here are unbaked cupcakes and "zucchinis"

Piping hot in the oven

Black beauty- they are...

As natural as they are....Chocolate and Zucchini Cupcakes

I have always loved these mouth-watering, easy to please Chocolate and Zucchini cupcakes. I stopped baking them after one incident that I wished to forget. But through the persuasian of a favourite student, V- I have managed to bake them -today. Yes, today....Time after time, he kept mentioning these cupcakes, persuading me through out the years to bake these for him and I kept telling him that I would not bake them anymore. Yes, my feelings were mixed when I baked them today, ~ thinking that I am old now. My student was only 14 when he tasted these cupcakes and he kept telling me how he missed these cupcakes. He is now a 17 year old teenager in the brink of adulthood. Frankly speaking, after an incident that I really wanted to forget, I stopped baking cupcakes altogether. I was frustrated and sad as well.. but today, I baked them again.

Three years ago, when I started this blog, I was experimenting with all types of recipes, and I was concentrating on cupcakes. I just adored the mini-sized cakes, as you should know, cupcakes were all the craze years ago, many home bakers started business and got a lot of profits just by selling cupcakes. I knew one professional turned part time baker who managed to do brisk business in cupcakes and at one time, the income from her business surplussed her own salary. Then, the craze for cupcakes died... just like that. It's sad. Now, there are macaroons, whoopie pies and what ever baking creations some other people would like to offer.

Back to these cupcakes, I did not know how to describe them - in words. I guess, I might be over react with their flavours, as I have always loved them to bits. You can read my older posts on these cupcakes back in July 2008. At that time, I was inspired by Heidi of 101 cookbooks. Today, I am going to share this recipe, so that every one would regard zucchini in a higher postion rather than some tasteless vegetables. Here goes;

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

3-4 tbs caster sugar

1 tbs honey

1/4 cup melted butter ( I have used salted)

3/4 cup coconut oil

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

2-3 tbs fresh milk

2 cups grated zucchini

2 cups plain flour

1 cup grated choc/chop chips ( I have grated Hershey's chocolate- did not put in the choc chips)

1 cup cocoa powder ( I have used Hershey's)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp all spice powder( this- I omitted -forgotten actually)

2 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder( I put 1/2 tsp -missed reading the actual recipe)

How

In a stainless steel bowl, mix sugar, honey, melted butter and coconut oil. You can use electric hand mixer. (I did the traditional way.... hand-whisk). Beat in eggs, one by one. Mix well. Stir in vanilla essence, sour cream, zucchini, grated chocolate and salt. Mix well. Add in milk, followed by lemon juice. In a separate bowl, sift altogether --soda bicarbonate, flour, cinnamon , all spice and cocoa powder. Add in the dry ingredients to the liquid mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix them together. Preheat oven for 8 mins ( 150C)-- I used conventional electric type oven.

Get ready your souffle paper cups. ( I used medium-sized cups). Spoon 3-5 tbs of the batter into the cups. Make sure they are 3/4 full and there are spaces between the cupcakes. Bake the cupcakes. After 20 mins, they would be ready. Check if they are ready, by inserting a skewer into the cakes, if the skewer comes out clean, then, your cakes are ready. Do not over bake them...

Happy baking. May cupcakes rule your heart and brighten up your days...

Chocolate and Zucchini Cupcakes frosted with chocolate ganache

Cropped-up view

Ready to be given to my fav student, V...

Eid-ul Adha and Marble Rainbow Cake

2011-11-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

Marble Rainbow Cake- for Eid Celebration

The view from top -as colourful as the RAINBOW, hence the name.

Last Sunday was Eid-ul Adha in Malaysia. It's a special day for Muslims. This is when sacrifices are made, cattles (usually) are slaughtered, and the meat is distributed to the poor. I would have preferred Eid-ul Adha rather than Eid-Fitr personally, as I got more time to spend in the kitchen and the preparations are not so taxing. So, every year - I will head to my maternal grandmother's house in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan to celebrate Eid. It's so nice to be surrounded by family members and this is the time I got to meet my cousins and their children as well. For this celebration, I've promised my mum that I would bake two cakes and make some curry puffs. But being me, with all the things that I needed to prepare, I ended up baking only ONE cake. Yes, only one. I know that my mum has simple taste in cakes, she would only want a fuss-free cake without all sorts of icing. So, that would be easy then - and I ended up baking this cake. This is definitely a classic type of cake. Everybody would have known any recipe of a marble cake. I've done many types of cakes, all based on recipes - I even twicked here and there to suit my taste bud. However, this time I relied on my instincts and experiences as a baker. I wanted to do an experiment, hence this Marble Rainbow Cake. There are many cakes that used a lot of extra things, but I only want to do a simple one. My ideal cake should come out tasting good and the texture is moist and buttery as well. I followed my heart, relying much on my likings, recollecting my failed attempts in recipe inventions- and I came out with this cake. I went slowly with the methods, writing out the recipe during the process. It took me opproximately, an hour to do all the preparations and baking ( I assemble the ingredients beforehand). Apparently, I was a satisfied baker with the results. So, it was a successful experiment- I brought this back to my "kampung" (village) and there was always a second helping for everyone. Well, everyone was happy during this Eid and it's all about family and happiness. Here is the recipe for everyone to try.

Cake;
315g of unsalted butter ( I used SCS and Lurpak)- they were available in my fridge
1 cup - caster sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
2 1/2 cup of self-raising flour ( sifted)
8 eggs
1-2 tsp of apple green colour
1 -2 tsp of red and pink colour -combine this to get the desired colour as seen in my picture
4 tbs of evaporated milk ( I used Ideal from Nestle)
* If you should use salted butter, omit salt in the recipe
* I don't used vanilla essence in this recipe- I want the taste of a buttery cake

How
** Preheat oven -150C (7-8 mins)
1) In a stainless steel bowl, cream butter and sugar well- 4 to 5 mins,
medium speed using hand mixer
2) Add in salt. Add in eggs, one by one- combine well.
3) Add in flour, go slowly, by three to four batches - mix well
4) Add in evaporated milk, combine well. Divide mixture into three parts. Colour one part of the cake mixture- green, another part the combination of pink and red. The last part should be in the original colour.
5) Grease your baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

6) Pour the original colour mixture into the baking pan. Put dollops of green mixture in certain parts of the baking pan, then put the red mixture, as well. After that, put dollops of the original mixture. Combine the three colours by mixing them well using a rubber spatula, so that you would have a rainbow colour cake as seen from the picture.

7) Put your baking tray into the oven. The cake would take about 25-30 mins depending on the size of your baking tray. Test if your cake is ready by inserting a skewer. If the cake is ready, the skewer will come out clean.

** Cut into squares and serve them with a cup of black coffee. Then you will know that you are coming home... hmmmm

The journey of " balik kampung" ( homecoming)

"Kampung" is surrounded by coconut trees... ;)

Eid's breakfast- Lemang, Grandma's antique teapot and the cake cut into squares

Close- up view - on top we have the rainbow effect and when we cut into squares,it looked so beautiful with the different colours meddling into each other.

Now, that the "homecoming" is completed, everyone should have happy moments with their loved ones. Happy days ahead and may your heart filled with heavenly baking goodness....

Revisited ~Coconut milk and pandan steam cake- the recipe

2011-10-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

Cut into squares- this is a picture from my album...

The whole cake- if you want to have a smooth texture- cover the cake with a muslin cloth..

Time after time, I always wonder why this cake become one of the top posts in my blog. Apparently, when I first did the post on this cake in February this year, I did not include the recipe. I thought it was just a no big deal cake- but the popularity of the post had me thinking. So, here I am - spending time to rewrite the recipe, admist my ever mounting work chores. I am sorry if the pictures are old ones taken from my old archive, however- with this entry, I have included the recipe. Sometimes, the idea of sharing the recipe was always in my mind, but I kept thinking of other recipes that I wanted to do. So, here I am- sharing the recipe. I hope you will try this. Double the recipe if you want to steam it in a round baking pan just like the above picture. The recipe will be very suitable for small cupcake cases. Here goes;

Ingredients

5 pandan leaves, cut into small parts
1 cup of coconut milk ( freshly squeezed - you should get the medium thick liquid)
* If you should use the canned coconut milk- add 1/2 to 1 tbsp of water, (so that it does not become too thick)
1 cup freshly grated coconut - the usual dessicated ones will not bring the flavour and aroma needed in this cake
100g margarine ( I used PLANTA brand)
100g caster sugar ( I have reduced the amount of sugar -originally, it was 150g)
2 eggs
250g self-raising flour- sieved twice
** 1-2 tbsp of plain water (optional)

How

1) Using blender, blend pandan leaves with the coconut milk. Sieve to get rid of the pandan leaves- make sure you get a cup of sieved coconut milk. The colour now, should turn into greenish milk.
2) Beat margarine and caster sugar- until fluffy. Add in eggs one by one- Stir the mixture well.
3) Add in half of the flour and another half of the greenish coconut milk. Stir well.
4) Then, add in the last batch of flour, followed by another half of the greenish coconut milk, at this stage- you can add in the plain water ( if you want to). Stir well. Get ready with your steamer. Make sure that the water is heated moderately well for about 7-8 mins, before you put in your baking pan into the steamer.
5) Grease the baking pan with margarine. Put the mixture into the baking pan. Cover baking pan with muslin cloth or aluminium foil, so that the water from the steamer will not drop into the cake. Steam your cake (45 mins for the round baking pan), please do not attempt to open the cover. After 45 mins, you can test your cake by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready.
6) Cool your cake for about 5 mins. Then, it is ready to be cut into squares.

Pandan leaves ( Google Picture)

Pandan shrubs ( google)

Fresh coconut- (google)

Happy baking, everyone.....

Life Is.......Hope

2011-10-13T02:19:00.000-07:00

I love pink....Pink has different meanings to me- it can be girlish, sweet, full of hopes and happy moments.

Not forgetting shiny, satin pink ribbons

Pink gerberas are definitely pleasant to the eyes

Life is like autumn.. the leaves are first green, after that they become red, turned into yellow and then brown. Next, they become dry and the leaves fall from the trees...

As the little bird rummaging its two little feets in the snow flakes of winter

We dream of the beautiful white and yellow daisies in the spring- we hope for good days to come and blissful and sunny days to celebrate

Life is hope, obviously. I say that life is hope as I got to know that a friend has contracted breast cancer- today. A few years ago, I had a cousin who passed away due to cancer. She left six children, all deprived of her love. Last year, I had visited a college friend who was dying from cancer- at the age of 34. Then, my friend, Elly, brought me to visit her cousin who was suffering from cancer too. Recently, Elly's cousin whom I had visited passed away. I was sorry to hear that. Do you know that October is actually the Breast Cancer Awareness Month? Not many are aware of the significance of this month. We are so caught up with our own moments, we think that we have face many difficulties in life, that we forget some people are suffering from this illness. I have called up my friend and told her that I always think of her, and hoping for the bests. Life is hope, we do not just give up easily...We must achieve what ever that life is offering. Everybody has their own ups and downs, my test may come in another form. In the mean time, let's think that life is hope cornering in every tests that we may face... All hopes for my friend and Doa ( prayers) for her speed recovery....

These happy quotations may set us on a positive path in life ;

True happiness is not attained through selfgratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
Helen Keller

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
Mark Twain

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.
Richard Bach

The supreme happiness of live is the conviction that we are loved.
Victor Hugo

We must laugh before we are happy, for fear of dying without having laughed at all.
Jean de La Bruyere

Nobody really cares if you’re miserable, so you might as well be happy.
Cynthia Nelms

Live life to the fullest, the best is yet to come .....

Blame it on the weather man....

2011-10-12T22:45:00.000-07:00

The weather's been fine in Teluk Cempedak, Kuantan, Pahang- last two weeks....

I've been dreaming of doing something sweet with fresh strawberries- but somehow, rather- ended up buying a pack of strawberries and found them rotten in the fridge after two weeks...

Missing the moments when I could do nice frosting with cupcakes... Now, time is spent doing house chores.

I really need fresh vegetables in my diet- my immune system is very low due to stress and work commitments

I dream of something like this in the future- a bake shop full of baking delights and sweets- This is my cousin's small quaint gift shop in Putrajaya. You should see the decor inside- will rave about it in my next post.

Missing macarons or French macaroons- these little sweet pleasures as found in Whisk, Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya.. Since the catastrophe/explosion in Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya, on 28 September 2011- I couldn't go to Whisk to unstress my ever wandering tired mind .I am too lazy to attempt doing macaroons, as I know there is always Whisk to cater to my sugar rush for macaroons. Now, I have to do macaroonage any way, any how...

I've been caught sick for these few weeks...and today I have been down with a very bad cold or flu or influenza. What with the weather- it's raining one day, then hot and sunny the next day.When ever I am sick, I think about those pleasurable moments, I think about baking sweet things or even a trip to the mall to cure my boredom. But, I am so tired and sick to do all the activities....I've been wanting to eat macaroons in Whisk, but that seemed impossible nowadays. When was the last time I had a good, healthy meal with lots of vegetables, greens and fruits? I am totally at my wit's end. Maybe, I am stupefied for these past few weeks. I needed the rest, but I resisted it, thinking that rest could wait, work couldn't. Now, I am paying the price for not listening to the call. The call to take a rest and have a break. Last two weeks, I had been to Kuantan, Pahang and attended a friend's wedding, before that there were two mornings when I woke up at 3.30 so that I could bake cakes. Yesterday, was spent tripping the mall, to cure my stress and today I found myself not really feeling vivacious and lively usual. So, I needed a break. I am no superhuman, those work loads could wait- now, when was the last time, I had a holiday? I wonder... yes, holidays should be the cure, not work or the never ending paper chase... hmmmm...

Carrot and Walnut Cake

2011-10-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

Carrot and Walnut Cake

- frosted with cream cheese icing, topped with roasted walnuts, silver beads, chopped roasted walnuts and maraschino cherries.

I went rustic this time..... Again, it's a 3.30 in the morning- baking mission

Carrots are said to have beneficial effects to our health- eating carrots will reduce the risk of CVD (cardiovascular diseases)

This is definitely a postponed entry. I have baked this cake two weeks ago, as requested by my elder sister, N- who wanted to bring this to her potluck party. She asked me to bake Carrot Cake, it meant specifically THE Carrot Cake...from the recipe that I had given her before. I had given her the recipe, taken from my book CAKE, as she was failing in her attempt to bake an ideal carrot cake, by following a recipe from the net. She almost gave up, until I searched for the recipe in my book. Well, truthfully, I have so many baking and cake books in my book shelves, that sometimes I do not realise some hidden gems right in front of my eyes. I had baked this cake before, and it received very warm reviews from friends, that is why when ever I think of carrot cakes, I always think about this cake. This cake does not use vege oil/ corn oil as usually found in any normal carrot cake- it uses butter. I do not know how to describe the texture of this wonderful baking joy, as I seldom having the last piece, it's always a hit with everybody including my sister's friends in the office. Up until today, one particular friend kept saying all the good things about this cake when ever she mentions Carrot Cake to me... Since, it's a winning, fail-proof cake, what better way to share this recipe, so that everybody could whip this any time they want to have a melt-in the mouth sweet experience.... Here goes :-

Cake

2 1/3 cups (350g) all-purpose flour (plain)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda ( bicarb. of soda)

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves ( I omitted this- there's no ready made ground cloves, too lazy to ground it on my own)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups( 375g) butter, softened ( I have used SCS unsalted butter - if you use the normal salted butter, please omit salt in this recipe)

2 cups (400g) caster sugar ( I have used 1 cup of soft brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white caster sugar)

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 large eggs

2 cups ( 200gs) finely grated carrots

1 1/2 cups (200g) fairly finely chopped walnuts ( I have roasted the walnuts in the oven before chopping them) - {You can use pecans as well- they are definitely the bests}

1/3 cup (40g) raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 ( 8 ounce/250g) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup ( 90g) butter. softened

2 1/2 cups (375g) icing sugar

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Walnut halves, to decorate

How

1) Preheat oven to 150C (electric oven, conventional), for about 8-10 mins.... {I have lowered the temperature. Originally it was 350F (180C/ gas 4)}.

2) Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch ( 23cm ) springform pan. {I have greased and lined the baking pan with baking parchment}.

3) Batter- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, (preferably stainless steel baking bowl), beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and creamy.

3) Add eggs one at a time, into the butter and sugar batter- beating until just combined after each addition. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins.Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

4) Bake for 45- 55 mins. or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 mins. Loosen and remove the pan sides. Invert the cake onto the a rack. Loosen and remove the pan bottom and let cool completely.

5. To prepare the frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and lemon zest and juice in a large bowl until creamy and smooth. Spread the cake with the frosting. Decorate as you please...

I have used Sultana raisins in this recipe

Walnuts and shells

On a final note, what a better way to celebrate happy moments rather than baking your own carrot cake... Well, "Happy days ahead, every one."... May cakes rule your heart, and carrots and walnuts make you happy and healthy....

Easy Moist Lemon Cake

2011-10-04T05:38:00.000-07:00

Easy Moist Lemon Cake

I baked this at 3.30 in the morning..

Close up of the cake

I have baked this Easy Moist Lemon Cake for a pot luck party at my work place. Initially, I have wanted to bake Carrot Cake, but since, I ran out of time, I decided then to bake an easy cake, that required minimum ingredients and maintenance. As you could see, it seemed to be a flat cake. Yes, it was a flat cake and it took me about an hour and a half to do all the preparations and baking. This cake is full of lemon zests and is quite moist as well. For this cake, I have doubled the recipe, so that I could cut into several pieces. At the party, some friends complained that they did not even have a bite, as the cake was a sold-out towards the end of the day. Now, here goes the recipe... as adapted from my recipe book aptly named "CAKES" by Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi.

Cake

1 1/2 cup s (225g) all purpose (plain) flour

3/4 cup (150g) sugar - you can use 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 3 tbsp of fine sugar (to reduce the sweetness of the cake)

3 large eggs

1/2 cup (125g) butter, softened

1/3 cup (90ml) milk

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp of lemon juice

Lemon Frosting

1 1/2 cups (225g) icing sugar

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp of fresh milk

2 tbsp shredded (dessicated) coconut

Lemon zest - 2tbsp

1) Preheat the oven 350F (180C/ Gas 4). { I used 150C-electric oven- for about 7-8 mins}.Lightly grease a 9 inch (23cm) square pan.

2) For the cake- beat the flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, lemon zest, baking powder, salt and lemon juice in a large bowl with an electric mixer at low speed until well blended. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until pale and thick, 3-4 mins. Spoon the batter into prepared pan.

3) Bake for 40-45 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack.

4) To prepare the frosting, beat the icing sugar and butter in a medium bowl. Beat in milk, lemon zest and enough lemon juice to make a spreadable frosting. Spread the cake with the frosting, and sprinkle with the coconut.

Happy baking every one...

Fruity Sensation - Raspberry and Peach Cake

2011-09-26T04:33:00.000-07:00

Raspberries are "wonderlicious" berries

Raspberry and peach cake

Side way of the cake

I always have a soft spot on fruits, especially raspberries and peaches. Both of them are definitely top of my list. I like the unique features of raspberries, as summarised by whfoods.com "they are delicately structured with a hollow core, with almost melt-in-your mouth texture". There are certainly many benefits of consuming Raspberries . I presume that raspberries are understated fruits compared to the other berries such as strawberries and blue berries. I wonder why we couldn't plant raspberries commercially in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia as they do with strawberries. Perhaps the Malaysian Agriculture Ministry should do something on this matter.

On the other hand, the stone fruits- peaches are said to be native to Persia (now known as Iran), even though they have been cultivated in the early days of China. Sometimes, we tend to have confusion between peaches and nectarines. Apparently, peaches have fuzzy skin, where else nectarines are smaller and sweeter with reddish, smooth skin. It is said that a peach tree could bore nectarines as well.

All right, back to this cake - I have decided to bake this cake due to its two ingredients- my favourite fruits of raspberries and peaches. I wanted to bring something different for my department's pot-luck party, and this cake fitted the bill. When I brought this cake this morning, my colleagues kept asking me what it was actually. They thought it was a pudding, as they kept guessing the actual ingredients, much to my own amusement. Well, I told them that it was all berries and peaches- fresh produce of USA (the raspberries) and CHINA ( the white peaches that I had used). The fresh produce were definitely worth the price, as opposed to canned goods. The use of the fruits in the cake, made the texture felt airy and light with a tinge of natural sweetness and a little bit of sourish taste, thanks to presence of raspberries. I definitely think that if you do not have the luxury of having raspberries in your local grocer, you could always replace them with strawberries with a little bit of lemon juice. Thus, I am sharing the recipe of this "wonderlicious" cake, so that everybody could try at home . To have a big cake as seen from the pictures, please double the amount of ingredients used.

The recipe ( originally from the Good Housekeeping book)

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease
250g self-raising flour, sifted
100g soft brown sugar
4 medium eggs, beaten
125g raspberries ( you can put half of this amount)
2 large, almost-ripe peaches/ nectarines, halved, stoned and sliced ( I used peaches)
4 tbsp apricot jam/ conserve
juice of 1/2 lemon

How

Preheat oven 150c for about 8-9 mins- I did this.(The book stated -preheat oven 190c {170c fan oven} mark 5). Grease a 8 inch (20.5cm) cake tin (you can use springform cake tin) and baseline with baking parchment ( baking paper). Put flour, sugar in a large stainless steel bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the melted butter and eggs. Mix well. (Please use the hand mixer to mix them well, so that you wouldn't have any curdles in your cake mixture). Spread half the mixture over the base of the cake tin, add half the raspberries and sliced peaches. Spoon the remaining cake mixture, smooth over, then add the remaining raspberries and peaches, pressing them down in the mixture slightly. Bake for 1-1/4 hours until risen and skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin to cool for about 10 mins. Warm the jam and lemon juice together in a small pan and brush over the cake to glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The cake is glazed with warm apricot jam and lemon juice

Happy baking everyone, now it's the time to have some "fruits" in our cakes...

A Hummingbird For Two Little Girls

2011-09-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

I became a kid when decorating cakes for the young ones

Words as written in Malay literally translated as Happy Birthday Wafaa and Hanis... Hummingbird cake topped frosted with cream cheese, topped with fresh cherries, colourful drizzles,sugar flowers, roasted pecans and red jelly.

My handwriting looked like a 4 year old, though (hahah .. funny)
I stick to my clientele's way of handscript...

I have started baking cakes again after a break of 3 months. Work has totally got into my nerves, and to find time just to bake something is just like a luxury. So, when my friend, Ms S asked me to bake a Hummingbird for the birthday celebration of her two girls, I happily obliged-just to get away from my over-looming paper chase work commitment. For this time, I have put extra bananas and pineapple to get the nice-extra taste with lots of chopped roasted pecans. Cream cheese was not Phillys as it was out of stock, so I had used another brand -Elle and Vire of France.This brand was less soury than Phillys but it did not have the consistency of Phillys. But, since I was in desperation, I had decided to use it any way. Overall, it took me three hours to bake the cake and another two hours just to frost the cake. I went "naive" with the total outlook of the cake, just to cater to my "client's" age. Both girls were definitely two lucky girls as not many people had the chance to share the same birthday cake like they did. Well, a happy baker definitely baked a "happy cake"...

Of Syawal and Memories

2011-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Beef rendang"- beef cooked in coconut milk, lemon grass,chilli and spices - A Malay delicacy for Eid

Deserted roads in Shah Alam on the first day of Eid- that's why Eid is best celebrated in "kampungs" or villages.

Grandma's china- Teapot set

My grandmother's heritage- vintage crockery

I have postponed this entry for quite some time. I needed time to settle some things, to do house chores and be prepared for work commitments. Now, we are in the middle of Syawal- the holy month when Muslims celebrate Eid. I always remember Syawal with a childlike fondness- and during the recent Eid- I have finally got to fulfill my longing to go back to my grandmother's house in Negeri Sembilan, even spending a few nights there. What a difference to me just to go back to my "kampung" - I feel happy just like the old times. Even if my grandmother has passed away for 20 years, I have always feel her presence. From the china that she had painstakingly collected during her life time, to her beef "rendang" recipe that I still made and her clothes still being kept in the wardrobe. I definitely feel my grandma's love. That's why I love Syawal in the "kampung", it reminded me of a lovely lady, who taught me that materials do not matter in terms of happiness. It is love that matters.. Well, at least when times are tough, we could always go back to our "kampung" and find our roots and ancestry lines, and feel the inner peace in our hearts....

When Eid Is Nearing....

2011-08-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Eid is most treasured when you are being surrounded by family My siblings, mum and cousins - grandma's house in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan. Life was simpler then, my sisters and I had our own happy memories of Eid.

My traditional, wooden, "grandeur" grandma's house in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan - I had memorable childhood Eid celebrations when grandma was around.

Eid is nearing. Ramadhan is leaving in a few days. I am still here. Stuck in the city. Eid preparation is nil for this year. That's why at this stage, I have only posted one recipe of Eid biscuit. For the whole month of Ramadhan, I was tired with work. Things did not go smoothly. I totally forgot about celebrating Eid. I bought flours and ingredients for baking cookies, but I was so lethargic during the day, that I ended up not baking anything. Prices of food stuffs have risen so much that I don't have the mood to celebrate Eid. Money for the day is a just a piece of paper, it has no value at all- as prices of every day's provisions have gone up to the ceiling (for me, as far as I am concerned). Sometimes, I feel that we have gone "material" these modern days. Whatever happens to simplistic values, the days when we don't really judge people for their materials and wealth but their own virtues and behaviour. When we can have a simple Eid, without splurging our money. To me, Eid is better spent when you are surrounded with your beloved family members. I remembered when I was small, having two elder sisters was really fun. We would have squabbles whenever we were baking Eid's biscuits, and it was really a team work. One would look after the oven, one would roll the cookie dough and I would do all the garnishings. Now, I would only bake alone in the kitchen, there's no one to share my story of the day, and I ended up being bored at times. Some of the days, I would transport myself back to my childhood Eid's celebrations - when my grandma was around- the days when she cooked beef rendang and lemang to perfection, when she would baked her melt- in- the- mouth marble cake. When she would be all smiles seeing us, the grandchildren spending the first day of Eid with her. My sisters and I would arrange the cookies in the cookies' tray and set up all the cutleries needed. My late maternal grandma stayed in the kampung (village) and she did not have all the fine chinas such as Noritake , Doultons or Albert. There were just simple china made in CHINA. But what I treasured most was the love that she had for her many grandchildren, the intense preparations that she did to celebrate Eid. The idea of her being all zest and active to bake cakes and cooked rendang, so that her grandchildren would have food to eat. That's the best memory of her that I could treasure, it showed from the way she cooked her food. They were definitely dishes of love. As for me, I would never have that kind of Eid anymore. I have learnt to spend Eid in someone's city or someone's kampung (village), but it would definitely not be the same. I am a proud kampung/ village girl, even if some of my students thought that I am from the city of Kuala Lumpur.(chuckles).... My kampung would always be in my heart and my childhood Eid celebrations with my siblings and late maternal grandmother would always be etched in my mind. The best Eid was definitely when I was small and young, having my siblings and beloved grandma around. Remembering you with love, grandma. Alfatihah....

Pignoli Cookies- The Recipe

2011-08-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

Pignoli cookies

Close -up view - Pine nut cookies/ Pignoli cookies

When I posted some of the pictures on Pignoli cookies on FB, I have several enquiries on these cookies. My friends kept wondering what these were all about. Some friends even asked for some samples at work and I happily obliged. Eventually, pine nuts are edible seeds derived from the cones of pine trees. These pine nuts are mostly cultivated in Korea, USA and and several European countries. In Malaysia, you can get these pine nuts in several specialty bakery supplying stores. These pine nuts are expensive here, and I don't really think it's a good idea to sell these cookies for Eid. I won't reveal the cost of 500g of pine nuts here in Malaysia, as some people may think that I am being ridiculous with the price. The pine nuts should always be kept in the refrigerator as we have a humid climate in Malaysia. They can go rancid if we leave these nuts in the pantry. I knew, because I have bought these nuts before, and I forgot about them in the kitchen cabinet until they became flour, as a result of being attacked by bugs.These cookies may looked simple, but what an impact they had given my friends. My particular friend was all sunny and happy when she told me how they tasted the day after I had given these cookies to her. "They tasted like macaroons, not so sweet, and I couldn't stop eating them". Frankly speaking, I wanted to adjust the amount of sugar used in the original recipe, as I found the cookies to be quite sweet. But since, my friend told me that, I would just post the original recipe as used by me.

THE RECIPE

Almond paste - ingredients = 8 ounces of almond - finely ground twice (Please use food processor, instead of blender. However, you can use the dry mill attached to the blender- but be careful with the amount of almond that you can use, as the space of the mill is quite limited). 8 ounces of icing sugar. 1 egg white. How = Firstly, grind almond and sugar in the food processor. Make sure they are well blended. Next, add in egg white. The almond paste should be quite sticky and resembles a paste.

THE COOKIES

Ingredients = Almond paste that you have just made. 1/2 cup of fine sugar. 1 egg white. A pinch of salt.1 - 2 cups of pignoli nuts/ pine nuts. How= Preheat oven to 120c. ( I have lowered down the temperature, so that the cookies will not burn. They make take more than 30 minutes to be fully baked). Line your baking sheets with baking paper. In the bowl of food processor, place almond paste, sugar, egg white and salt. Process until it is well mixed and comes out as a thick paste. Put the pignoli nuts into a big bowl. Using a teaspoon, drop a small amount of dough into the pignoli nuts. Roll the cookie around so that all the nuts are coating it. Remove the cookie from the pignoli and form it into a small ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets. Make sure you don't put the cookies too near to each other on the baking tray, as these will expand. Rotate the pans at least once during the baking process. The cookies are done when they are slightly golden on the top. Do not overbake these as they'll hardened after you have taken them out from the oven. To store these- sprinkle some fine sugar in your biscuits' tin, before placing a dollie or cut-up baking paper. Arrange these cookies layered by dollies. They will stay crunchy and chewy with the existence of the sugar and the layers of the dollies will make your cookies stay intact.

Happy baking, everyone....

Eid's Biscuits 2011 - Pignoli Cookies

2011-08-21T01:16:00.001-07:00

In the oven - piping hot

Cooled on the rack

Pignoli Cookies or Pine Nut Cookies - ready to be consumed on Eid

I started baking Eid's biscuits quite late for this year. I was tired with work commitments and kept procrastinating my baking job. And finally, I took the pledge today and started baking cookies for this year's Eid celebration, even missing a shopping spree in KLCC with Mr Husband and son. These cookies are the ones that I've been dying to bake a few months ago. I was inquisitive with pine nuts. No, pine nuts are not peanuts - they are simply PINE nuts.This recipe calls for almond paste, it does not use butter at all and only uses egg whites. Since I am running out of time, need to prepare food for breaking fast or iftar, I could only post some pictures of the cookies and would find time to type out the recipe.. Happy Sunday every one..

Welcoming Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

2011-07-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

The holy month of Ramadhan is like a light in a deserted soul

I miss spending Ramadhan in my home town- Melaka

Tomorrow, marks the first day of Ramadhan- the fasting month for all Muslims. In Malaysia, tomorow is the day when Muslims will start to fast. I welcome Ramadhan with full of heart and soul. Always been fascinated with this holy month, when prayers are held and hearts are purified with Quranic readings. I truly hoped that I could do a lot of baking this month as Eid is coming over after Ramadhan. I've got several orders for Eid biscuits, but I am not sure whether I would manage to complete all orders, God willing. I hoped too that Ramadhan would inspire me with baking assignments, time is always available for me to bake some cookies and cakes and I would always be happy to bits. On a final note, to my Muslim friends, may Ramadhan light up your souls... and keep you blessed. Happy Ramadhan...

Sometimes ...

2011-07-26T07:00:00.001-07:00

Now, baking seemed to be a luxury

What we really need in life -is our inner strength

Life's been busy- really busy, that I don't have the time and energy to do my baking vocation. Apparently, I have so many baking projects outlined, but they had to be kept on hold. In actual fact, I miss my baking moments so much, that browsing my recipe books, seemed to be a luxury. Not that baking can't unstress my mind, it's just that at the moment, I have lost some of my energy. Work definitely has taken a toll on me. When will I have the time to do my favourite past time I do wonder as my hands are aching to do all sorts of baking experiments. To do something out of your own passion, is something that I cannot afford now. Eventually, it is difficult at times to be yourself in a challenging world, or even to stay normal in an upside-down environment. Being someone who holds another job in another arena, means I am having less time in the kitchen. Well, I am praying for another opportunity to do baking projects. Until then, recipe books will definitely be my best friends and time is definitely my enemy...... ;(

P/S: Sometimes, all that we need is our inner strength and determination to stay "alive" in a very stressful world. Oh, wish that I've taken a culinary degree instead....

Macaroonage in July

2011-07-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

Red Velvet Cupcake, and 5 pieces of macaroons -lemon, blueberry, cranberry macaroons - the other two I've forgotten the flavours.

Perfect indulgence... hmmm

July has been a busy month for me. So, to celebrate the end of one important event, I went to Whisk- just to savour the delectable and sweet macaroons. I have always been fond of Whisk. There are local baking aficionados who jump into the bandwagons by baking macaroons and selling them in the local malls' flea markets, but nothing beats the macaroons by Whisk. I know, because I've bought a big-sized macaroon for RM2 and ended up being frustrated. Thus, whenever I feel that I need something sweet, coffee et all, I always think of Whisk. So , I had a bit of macaroonage that afternoon with my friend, and went home happy. Hmm... that's what we call sweet escapade...

Chocolate Rose Bouquet

2011-06-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

A wedding flower bouquet- roses and all are made entirely from Belgian Chocolate

Ms chocolatier, Sujatha - she was reluctant to pose for the picture, but I have managed to coax her up.

Bangsar Shopping Centre, (BSC) has been around for years - but I have only managed to visit it last May. It definitely has its own charm, despite being relatively unknown for some people. What caught my eyes here was this little chocolate stall, Chocolate Chapters. Its abundant personalised chocolate designs were magnificent. You could just have anything in your mind, and ask them to create it for you- teddy bears, baby booties, truffles cake or even chocolate cigars. Yes, cigars! But what really made me marvel with this chocolate stall, was the wedding rose flower Bouquet - I could not help but admire the intricate rose petals created from chocolate. Those roses were definitely chocolate wonders. The company even has its own website- http://www.chocolatechapters.com/. Manned by soft-spoken nice young lady Sujatha, you'll definitely ask questions on these beautiful intricate creations. For those crafty, amazing art creation, I truly believe they deserved to be mentioned here. Eventually, I bought some personalised chocolates for a special occasion, and what a delight to present those chocolates as gifts. Life is sweet, and it is even sweeter with some Belgian chocolates to make up your day. Send chocolates to your loved ones and you'll definitely see them smile. Yes, chocolates, love and smile....

I am being nostalgic again

2011-06-17T23:52:00.001-07:00

Me -in my 20's (years ago)- West Sussex, UK

The Big Ben- the UK has shaped me a lot in terms of my perspectives in life.

I am just being nostalgic, remembering my 20 something years. Forgive me if I am being a nostalgic freak- just can't help it-thinking that how time flies by. Going to be mid 30s this year, but still longing for those happy 20 something moments. Time flies by, but memory lingers on -especially those happy moments. This year, after having happy dreams of visiting UK - I have decided to set 2013 as a year to revisit my 20 something years - to Uk of course... God willing! That is going to be my target... Yes, happy moments, happy twenty something years... When you reach your 30's you'll reflect your youth days with a smile....

A Special Birthday Cake

2011-06-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

A cake in the box

Happy 10th Birthday INAS...

This is a postponed entry. I was extremely busy that I couldn't have time to do this post. And now, here I am. As you can see, this is quite a birthday cake. I have baked a classic simple chocolate cake, with my prized ingredient of muscovado sugar, frosted with chocolate ganache topped with fresh strawberries which have been glazed with apricot jam. Apparently, it's a birthday cake for a young client. My friend asked me for a chocolate cake specially baked for her daughter. And I have decided to bake my chocolate cake which is always a hit with young clents. Untold story -it's also a last minute baking expedition. I have baked this cake twice. The first one was a crumbly but delicious cake, so I have decided to give that to my friend -the owner of this cake. The second attempt was fine, but running out of time, I couldn't decorate it well. No wonder, as I was up by 4 a.m that morning, just to bake the cake. Probably I should have baked this cake earlier- yes, lesson learnt. Verdict- my friend told me that this is definitely a sell-out among her children, especially the birthday girl. Upon, hearing that- I was definitely grinning to my ears. ;)

Now, this is the ultimate recipe that I think everyone should bake;
Ingredients=cake -115g/ 4oz plain choc, 45ml/3tbsp milk (fresh),150g/ 2/3 cup unsalted butter,150g/scant 1 cup light muscovado sugar ( you can use brown sugar), 3 eggs, 200g/ 1 3/4 cup self-raising flour, 15ml/ 1tbsp cocoa powder

Frosting/ Ganache = 1-2 tbsp of butter,3-4 tsp of caster sugar, 250g cooking choc,1tbsp fresh milk, 1 tsp of salt,1tbsp of cocoa powder-sifted (double boil all these)

How =1- Preheat oven 150c for 15 mins, 2- Grease 9 inch round cake tin-line with non stick baking paper. 3- Melt choc and milk- double boil (put in a heatproof bowl -over a pan of simmering water), 4- Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 5- Add eggs one by one, beat well after each addition, 6- Stir in choc mixture and mix thoroughly, 7- Sift flour and cocoa over mixture, fold in with a metal spoon until evenly mixed. 8- Bake 40-45 mins, Check if it is ready by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready. 9- Cool the cake, frost with chocolate frosting/ ganache

Happy baking everyone and have a lovely Saturday.

A Nostalgic Marble Cake

2011-06-04T03:22:00.000-07:00

Cut into squares

Close up view- the melting cake

A total heaven

I always have a fond memory of marble cake. As you see, when ever I remember marble cake, I will always remember my late grandmother. She passed away when I was just a fifteen year old clueless girl, but what an impact she had left me. In my heart, I remember her with a nice feeling, the kind of feeling reserved for a loved one. That is why I have always searched for the similar recipe of marble cake as baked by my grandmother. I couldn't get the original one, but I'm working on it. However, recently, I have come across an old fashioned marble cake recipe, and I jumped on the opportunity to bake this cake and bring it to my work place. It turned out to be a successful baking adventure. It has a nice soft texture and you will not stop eating it. In other words, you will not get bored of this cake. I liked this cake as it just melt in my mouth, and I kept popping it while cutting into squares. Eating this, brought out memories of seeing my grandmother baking in her old kitchen. Mean while, at the work place, my friends kept saying that this is the cake just like the old days, the ones being baked by grandmothers especially during Eid celebration. I totally agreed on that. Now, this is definitely going to be THE cake for this year's Eid celebration. Here goes the recipe- it's a 10 egg- marble cake recipe and I assure you, it's worth it.

Ingredients
10 egg yellow

10 egg whites

300 g castor sugar

315 g plain flour- sieved twice

*2 tsp double acting baking powder - sieve together

*2 tbp cocoa powder -sieve together

**400g butter (I used unsalted) } beat these two together in a bowl

**6 tbp sweetened condensed milk }

1 tsp vanilla

How

1) Beat egg whites thoroughly, (for about 3-4 mins), then add in the sugar. While beating the whites and sugar, add in the egg yellow. Then, add in vanilla. Beat well for 7 mins.

2) Stop the mixer, add in the butter and milk mixture, mix well.

3) Add in plain flour, mix well again.

4) Divide the mixture evenly into two big bowls. One bowl is reserved for the original butter mixture.

** In another bowl, combine the butter mixture and the cocoa powder. Mix well.

5) Line 9 x 9 x 3 baking pan with a parchment paper. Grease with butter.

6) Put 5 dollops/ spoons of butter mixture into the baking pan. Level it. Then put in another 5 dollops of the cocoa mixture. Do that alternately until done. Use a fork /skewer to mix the batter.

7) Bake for 1 hour - 180 C.

Cut into squares and enjoy it with a cup of hot tea/ coffee and you will know what I mean....
Happy baking everyone.....

Art and cupcakes

2011-05-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have drawn this picture many weeks ago, to make it as some sort of logo or trademark for my baking items. Perhaps I would modify it a little bit as time goes by. This is just something that I have done out of the blue, using borrowed colour pencils from my son. It was fun any way..... It sure looked that I;ve enjoyed myself very much...out of amusement of my son... (hahhaha)

Classic Simple Chocolate Cake

2011-05-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Close -up of the frosted cake

Classic Simple Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate cakes would never fail to impress children and kids. What's up with chocolates and children anyway? Well, I do not know the answer. I have baked this chocolate cake with kids on my mind. Using my prized muscovado sugar ( I always have fond memories of muscovado sugar- having discovered its specialities when I was a student in the UK), melted chocolate and Hershey's cocoa powder- the cake is just what I have expected it to be. Since my young clients do not have the sophisticated taste buds to savour the ever upper class red velvet nor the royal creamy cheesy cakes , I really cracked my head to come out with a good never failed to impress chocolate cake. So, there lies the challenge of impressing young teenagers. I've found this recipe in my own recipe book, it's been with me for more than 12 years. And I've guessed this is definitely a winner on its own. My young clients have finished up the whole cake within an hour, and there were definitely no left overs. Even the adults had to sit back and watched the moments when those young teenagers savoured the cakes. I was happy to see that as I knew that young clients were not easy to be impressed. I have frosted this chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries, coloured sprinkles and large chocolate buttons and it really made an impact with the kids. Happy kids made a happy baker, as they say.

P/S: I could not share the recipe, as the typing went haywire after I have spent some time to type it out, and finally, I have to delete it. So, the recipe will be shared in the next post, if time permits.

Time is definitely an asset

2011-04-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have always dreamt of living in an English cottage in the South England countryside

But time is definitely a hindrance on this

Miss all the nice things you've found in the lowlands. When peace comes knocking at the door step

(pictures; Google)

Last week, I had this dream. I went back to England, for a visit. Such a fun trip. I did not know what was the meaning of my dream. Am I missing something in my life? Or perhaps I am just tired with the every day's routines. The truth is, I am tired for these few weeks, I haven't even got the time to finish some of the books that I've bought. There are just too many things to be done at the same time, datelines, house cleaning. I need a vacation - English countrysides definitely. I remember my student's day of heading to the book store in the high street just after finishing my classes, rummaging the pages of the latest best sellers or even sitting on the bench, just watching people walking by or even walking in the canopy of maple trees when the leaves just turned yellow during autumn. I dream of a simple life, when nobody is going to chase you with datelines. I miss those days... time does not permit me to do things that I've wanted to do in this age. There are just so many things to catch up, perhaps the dream of going back to the place I discovered myself would be an ambition that I need to achieve. Not the SUV or MPV or even a BMW. But days spent in England would be fine for me...

Nobody is perfect either

2011-04-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

Life is a journey.... the road is narrow and winding,

outlined with trees of hopes

(picture; Google)

Everybody is definitely not perfect

(picture; Google)

Nobody is perfect. I agree on that. Sometimes we make mistakes, sometimes we think that we can't do everything that we want. But perfection is often underestimated. We dream for something big, but we do not have any means for that. We think that we are good, that sometimes we forget little things that should matter to us such as rest, leisure and happiness. We work like there is no tomorrow, we have paper chase and yet we forget humanistic values. We forget that life is indeed short, where are we heading after tomorrow? I remember when I was young, at the age of 17, I told my my best friend at that time, that I have my life all mapped out, planned nicely, to whom I've wanted to marry, even the number of children to have. Yet, God has other plans for me, there were bumpy rides along the way, failed relationships, challenging work experiences and life heart aches. Then, I realise that I need to stop planning my life. There is definitely no more plans at all, I just need to go with the flow. I am not perfect, and things sometimes do not turn out as what I've wanted. It's all right if people say you are not good, well .... nobody is perfect either!

Melted Butter Flat Pineapple Cake

2011-03-27T02:35:00.000-07:00

Close-up view- it's not that thick, though.

I loved the natural yellow colour from egg yellow, butter and pineapple- Pineapple Cake.

Pineapple is nature's best gift to us. It's a versatile fruit. It could be cheap and expensive as well, depending on the variety. You can eat it fresh, cooked it in gravy or turned it into mouth-watering desserts. It could be sweet, sour or even a cross between these two tastes. This entry is a long-postponed piece of writing. I kept delaying the post and did something else, or maybe I was so - into brownies lately. I love this pineapple cake- I've got this recipe from a Malay magazine aptly named SAJI (vaguely translated as SERVE). This cake is just what you need to kill off the blues, it's sweet, soft, milky and buttery. Just the right type of cake for everybody. Using melted butter and condensed milk, you will get a flat, fragrant and delicious cake. This cake will not rise high due to the melted butter added at the end of the mixing process. I brought this cake to work, and colleagues couldn't get enough of it. My friends say this is like bingka ( a type of kueh in Malaysia). Whatever it is, I definitely loved this cake very much and would bake it again, some other time. Here goes the recipe after several modifications.

The ingredients

1) 3/4 cup of condensed milk

2) 1/2 cup of brown sugar

3) 3 tbs of caster sugar

4) 1 tsp of baking powder

5) 1 can of pineapple- drain well

6) 2 tbs pineapple juice (from the can)

7) 3/4 cup salted butter ( I have used Australian Golden Churn butter- good aroma)

8) 1 1/2 cup of plain flour

9) 2 tsp of vanilla

10) 4 egg yellow (large eggs)

How

** Preheat oven- 150c for about 10 mins

1) Using blender -blend condensed milk and drained pineapple.

2) Sift flour together with baking powder.

3) Melt butter- low heat. Remove from heat.

4) Using electric mixer- in a bowl, beat egg yellow with sugar. Mix well, fully- incorporated for about 5 mins. Do not overbeat. Add in vanilla. Add in pineapple mixture. Add in pineapple juice.

5) Using spatula, fold in sifted flour in the egg mixture.

6) Add in melted butter. Mix well.

7) Transfer batter into well-greased baking pan - advisable to use a square 8 to 9 inch baking pan.

8) Put the baking pan in a pre-heated oven. Make sure after 5-6 minutes, you have lowered the oven temperature to 120C.

9) Bake the cake for about 30-35 mins. Check if the cake is ready by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready.

10) Cut into squares, serve them with a cup of black coffee, lay back and dream of nice things ahead. ;)

Happy baking, everyone.... have a nice weekend!

Chocolate Cheese Brownies

2011-03-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ingredients - as you can see: plain flour, cocoa powder, salted butter, vanilla essence, cream cheese , chocolate and sugar.

The batter

Half of choc mixture- transfer to baking pan

Put slices/chunks of cream cheese

Cover with choc mixture

The baked product

Now, this is what we call indulgence

Chunks of cream cheese

And finally
*
*
*
*
*

Chocolate Cheese Brownies

Brownies are heaven. They are simply divine. I loved the idea of having brownies with hot chocolate. Sometimes I think brownies could be mistaken as chocolates. Chewable, delicious- eating chocolates. Who could argue on that? Everybody who is close to me, seemed to love brownies too. Afer the ever fabulous choc fudge brownies, my friends loved this Chocolate Cheese Brownies. This recipe is actually from the cook book The Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. Yes, Nigella Lawson gives good and reliable recipes, and that is something that we could not deny. And here I am, sharing this recipe, after several adaptations to suit my taste bud.

Ingredients

1)5 tbs of salted butter

2)1/2 cup of brown sugar

3)1/2 cup of caster sugar

4)125g of bitter sweet chocolate ( you can use semi-sweet choc)

5)50g of unsweetened chocolate ( you can use normal baking chocolate -add another extra

3 tbs of cocoa powder)

6)2-3 tbsp of cocoa powder

7) 3-4 thin slices of cold cream cheese-from the fridge

8) 2 tsp of vanilla essence

9) 1/2 cup of plain flour (**plus 6 tbsp of plain flour too- optional)

10) 4 large eggs

How

1) Beat eggs, first - in a bowl. Add sugar bit by bit- until triple in volume. Add vanilla.

2) Melt butter, chocolates and cocoa powder in a heavy saucepan- medium heat.

3) Remove saucepan from the heat.

4) Sift flour.

5) Fold in flour into egg mixture. Whisk well. Lastly, put in chocolate mixture. Mix well.

Pre heat oven - 150C.

6) Put in half of the chocolate mixture into baking pan. Cut cream cheese in thin slices. You will end up with chunks of cream cheese.

7) Arrange chunks/ slices of cream cheese on the choc mixture.

8)Cover the cream cheese with half of the chocolate mixture.

9) Bake the brownies mixture for about 25-30 mins. Lower the temperature to 100c

once the baking pan is inside- so that your brownies will not crack.

Happy Saturday, everyone.

Love Is ~ Having Hot Chocolate On A Rainy Night

2011-03-21T06:09:00.000-07:00

What do we have here- chocolate,

fresh milk, water and sugar.

Whisk vigorously

Now, we have-- 4 mugs of hot chocolate- just nice on a cold, rainy night

I love hot chocolate- especially on a cold, rainy night. I have this memory of having the best hot chocolate way back in 1999 - in a small, quaint, family-run cafe in the outskirt of Dublin, Ireland. Up until today, I have never come across a good, reliable recipe. Not until I have discovered a good, not-going to fail hot chocolate recipe adapted from the famous tea salon --Laduree, Paris, France. Originally a bakery found in 1862 by Louis Ernest Laduree, a miller from South Western of France, Laduree is famous for its desserts especially macaroons. The famous macaroons eclipsed other good things about Laduree. Now, I am going to share the recipe of one of the best-kept secrets of Laduree- not macaroons, but hot chocolate.

Ingredients

1) 3 cups of fresh milk (750g)

2) 1/3 cup of water (80g)

3) 1/3 cup of brown sugar (65g)

4) 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (175g) -you can also use semi-sweet

chocolate

5) A pinch of salt

How

1) Put milk, water and sugar in a saucepan. Boil medium heat.

2) Put chocolate and salt. Boil for another 4-5 minutes.

3) Remove pan from the heat.

4) Whisk vigorously or use hand-held (immersion) blender or transfer the hot chocolate to a

traditional blender and blend on a high speed for 1 minute.

5) There you have it, hot chocolate served hot and frothy.

For further "sweets" please visit -http://www.laduree.fr/

Happy Monday, everyone

A Hummingbird Over A Red Velvet ......

2011-03-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hummingbird with vanilla beans and Cream Cheese frosting, topped with roasted pecan nuts, maraschino cherries and pale pink sugar flowers

Sideway- Hummingbird

Red Velvet- with cream cheese and mascarpone frosting, topped with sugar hearts, maraschino cherries, with fresh strawberries and blue berries

I just got the urge to design this red velvet in such a way

I have baked these two cakes in a marathon baking since Ms Zetty, a friend of my friend has requested these two cakes. In an actual fact, she wanted the cakes for the upcoming holidays back in her hometown. Ms Zetty had sampled my Red Velvet before and this time, she wanted a taste of my Hummingbird ever since she spotted a picture of the former in her friend's FB. So, my ever humble oven was working hard since Thursday evening up to Friday morning. I have baked the Red Velvet first since it took longer time for the baking process and then, proceed to the Hummingbird. Phew, with a few hours to prepare and frost the cake, I did a mental picture on how to organize the baking process. I needed to plan my baking procedures since the cakes needed to be delivered on time. For these two cakes, I have used unsalted butter, simply because I like the taste of it. Even though, the original recipe of Hummingbird required the use of vegetable oil- I still think that butter gives a different kind of pleasure to the Hummingbird. Whenever, I bake cakes, I have always imagined that these cakes are mine, and I would like the touch of home-baking designs. Sometimes, it is hard to give away cakes which are nicely decorated- it is like separating from your loved ones. The feelings are not to be described here...(he he he). My long-time friend recently asked me, how did I get involved in this baking vocation? I told her baking unstress my mind. Well, at times, when ever I feel that the world moves in another direction, or my world turns upside down- only baking seemed to save my day. Back to these cakes, after seeing the final designs- I couldn't help but felt happy. Really happy. Probably, I should have ventured into baking seriously one day.... Yes, one fine day.

Book Shopping

2011-03-12T08:48:00.001-08:00

Kino- @KLCC, books' heaven, my heaven too

I gave up- I bought books and magazines anyway

A sneak preview of my shopping bag

No Chanel today- it's all about books

I have this weakness. I go nuts for book stores. To me, books are treasures. That is why when I don't want to buy books, I will stay away from book stores. I couldn't help it- whenever I spot a book store, I would always wanted to go in. Sometimes, it is hard not to buy a single book. There would always an excuse to buy a book- especially the one which contained a rare-different kind of recipe. So, last Saturday- I went to KLCC and guess what, I ended buying a couple books and magazines. Of course, there were definitely some recipe books and not forgetting work-related materials. By then, after spending some amount of money, (which I don't really like to reveal..hehe), I had discovered that Chanel cosmetics was having some kind of promotions on the concourse level. Well oh well, no time to browse around make -up counters that day, since my money had been spent on books. Thus, the reason to try the recipes and get the oven working full scale. Thank God for Kinokuniya, books are abound for bookaholics like me- especially in Malaysia ... ;)

Eating Out-@Delicious

2011-03-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti Carbonara

Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Sometimes it is nice to go around and sample food in fancy eateries. Two weeks ago, I went to Bangsar Village and hopped to Delicious. There was a wide variety of food and desserts. I was spoilt with choices, and finally chose two types of desserts- the Red Velvet Cupcake and Apple Pie. My sister has chosen the Carbonara and it tasted very light, not that so cheesy. The desserts? I would say that I really liked the apple pie, it was a sure winner to me. The apple pie was lip-smacking good with a hint of cinnamon, not overly done. Together with vanilla ice cream- it gave you a little bit of balance, one was earthy, one was sweet and milky. However, the red velvet was okay if you went really easy with it. That's red velvet- you must taste it bit by bit, savouring every little bite. Well, if you really want to be pampered with desserts- head to Delicious, where you can just pick and choose your kind of "sweets".

Red As In A Red Velvet

2011-03-01T05:03:00.000-08:00

Close-up view

A Red Velvet Cake with Mascarpone and Cream Cheese Frosting, topped with Maraschino Cherries...

It's "Happy Birthday Mama"- script written in Malay as requested by my friend.

I went red with the red velvet this time. I have just got this design in my mind. Last week, on Tuesday, my friend, Ms Siti Nor Siah gave me a call. She is celebrating her birthday on Monday- 28 February, 2011. She was actually in a confinement period. She asked me to bake a cake. A red velvet. I asked her again, "Are you sure you wanted a Red Velvet? It's cream cheese frosting". Well, in Malay culture, it's going to be a 100 day-confinement period after delivery. Nonchalantly, she replied- "It's okay. I am all right." (Well not exactly in her own words, it's just that I've summarised her answer..heheh). She requested no Hawaiian coconut and no candles with script written in Malay. So, I did as what she had asked. Tempting to frost the red velvet with my favourite Hawaiian Coconut. It took me nearly two hours to frost this cake. Being me, I wanted it to be perfect all the way long. I wanted the red velvet to receive the best treatment as it was always on the Red Velvet. I owed this cake a lot, I have baked this red velvet since the year 2008, perfecting the recipe as time goes by, and it has always been first love...My first ever client for this cake was my friend, Faraniza - (http://www.farawmdean.blogspot.com/). Since then, I was hooked too on baking. Well, red means love, as in the red velvet baked with such enthusiasm and passion.

Happy Tuesday, everyone....

P/S : Red Velvet baked up to this day- 10....

Life as it is....

2011-03-01T01:53:00.000-08:00

Masjid Kampung Kling, Melaka / Kampung Kling Mosque, Melaka

I often think that life is better when it is simpler. Life in a "kampung" or village is peaceful compared to life in the city. That is why when ever I go back to my hometown in Melaka, I marvel at things which the locals take for granted. Like the architecture of this mosque. It is unique in its own way. Or simple things like the way the Malaccans wrap up their "nasi lemak" or coconut rice with banana leaves or even things like narrowed roads lined with local shops. I miss the simplicity of life. Life which moves on its own pace of time. Life in the city is very hectic and we end up feeling alone and lonely even if we are surrounded by many people. There are many simple things in life that we always take for granted, we are wrapped up with the rat race and towards the end, we feel that nothing matters except for our family and children and even friends. We are so caught up with work that we forget to stop and have a look at our surroundings. We even forget to see the colour of the grass, is it yellowish, greenish or darkish brown.... The recent tsunami tragedy in Japan should make us stop and wonder-what is our priority in life? Is it the constant work load or loved ones waiting for us at home or is money important and not the hugs from little angels who are busy colouring their art pieces. I wonder if all materials are actually relevant in my life or just a simple little cottage in a village that matters. I miss all things which are simple .......

Note; The post was saved as a draft on 1/3/2011. This entry was written fully after the Tsunami in Japan. The Tsunami in Japan was on 11/3/2011.

Choc Fudge Brownies

2011-02-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

Sinful choc fudge brownies

Who could have resist these dense and dark temptations

Choc Fudge brownies with Italian Vanilla Gelato

Brownies...Who would resist them? Brownies are actually a cross breed between cakes and biscuits. They are not cakey like cakes and not as crunchy as biscuits. As a matter of fact, they are simple baking invention which would not go wrong as long as you have the correct recipe and methods in hand. I've done a little bit of homework on brownies- and it appeared that these sinful creation was created in 1893, by a chef in Palmer House Hotel Chicago, USA- it was a request from an American socialite Bertha Palmer (yes, she is the wife to the owner of the hotel).

Yes, back to the story of brownies- I first baked brownies when I was a 16 year old school girl. I had baked brownies with my eldest sister, out of curiosity. It was a recipe from a Malay magazine back then. Oh my, it was awful- something was not even right with the recipe, it was so sweet and we couldn't even take another slice. Those brownies were straight away given to our opposite -door neighbour. So, that was the last time I had baked brownies. Then, I have discovered that home- grown bakery cum restaurant - Secret Recipe, have their own versions of brownies. But somehow rather, I was not tempted.... Then, as fate intervened- I have ordered brownies for a meeting from my friend, Erna Malia of (http://piece-of-cake-desserts.blogspot.com/). Oh gosh, her brownies were complete heaven. I couldn't even have the last piece to bring back. They were gone....right in the meeting. So, I was inspired by brownies again. Then one fine day, I have discovered a brownie recipe, from a foreign magazine. I instantly bought that magazine. I kept promising myself to bake brownies again, telling myself this time it is going to be all right. And guess what, it turned out to be a sold-out among friends and yours truly. As I cut the brownies into pieces, I kept popping them in my mouth and only brought 3/4 of the tray to work. Apparently, friends kept asking for the recipe- and here I am, sharing the recipe as I have repeatedly baked these choc fudge brownies. Every time, I brought them -brownies- to work place, friends kept asking for more brownies and its recipe. So, now goes the recipe....

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, unsalted please (if you may have them)

4 oz unsweetened choc, chopped, ( I have used hershey's bar)

4 oz semisweet choc, chopped

* You can use bitter sweet choc to replace the unsweetened choc- it turned out to be nicer -from my experiment...

* You can also put 1/2 cup of unsweetened choc powder for the unsweetened choc (if any)

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder ( I have used Bournville's Cadbury's Cocoa)

1/2 tsp salt

6 eggs (large)

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 cup soft brown sugar

2 tsp of vanilla extract

How

1) Preheat oven to 150C. Line baking tray, grease it with butter. Baking tray -it should be square and not that deep- or you can just leave out the parchment paper and just grease it with butter...

2) In a saucepan, melt butter and chocs - low heat. Stir using wooden spoon. Remove from heat.

3) Using mixer, beat eggs until blended. Add sugar -bit by bit, beat 10 minutes or until tripled in volume.

4) Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt.

5) In the egg and sugar mixture, fold in melted chocs and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture. Pour into pan. Bake 28 to 32 mins. You can test if it is ready by inserting a skewer in the middle, if the skewer comes out clean, your brownies are ready. Cool and cut into pieces.

Happy Friday, everyone...

p/s: Eat them with Italian gelato and you'll fly to the moon.... ;)

I Miss This Place

2011-02-24T00:44:00.000-08:00

Parham House and Gardens, South Downs Way, West Sussex

Barley ripening in South Downs Way, West Sussex

A countryside landscape in West Sussex.

All pictures -credits to Ferne Arfin

From http://www.gouk.about.com/

I miss this place very much.. Those picturesque countrysides of West Sussex, England. Often that I've been wondering to myself- whether I would have the chance to spend another few years of my life again in this place. This place had seen me growing from a clueless teenager in the brisk of adulthood to a young lady of 20's. I even celebrated my key to adulthood (of 21 year old) in this place. I do not miss London, the city where everyone has been dreaming of . I miss this part of countryside, seeing the beautiful houses in vast farms or wild rabbits hopping around the fields. I might even consider myself a country bum. Oh, I miss this place very much as it has helped me to become ME.....But sometimes, we could only dream as work and family commitments do not permit us to visit the place which we have fond memories... Thank You, West Sussex for being You.

The Hummingbird Is Flying High ....

2011-02-13T04:57:00.000-08:00

The Hummingbird frosted with Philly's cream cheese with a dash of vanilla beans, topped with roasted pecans, maraschino cherries and orange sugar flowers..

This birthday cake is for the three special people in my friend's life,

Nurul Izwarina- her husband, sister and son.

The Hummingbird is flying high. Even higher than before. A day before Chinese New Year, my friend- Ms Nurul Izwarina was having a kind of birthday party for some VIPs in her life, and she has requested for the Hummingbird. And I was more than happy to bake for her - yes, I loved baking this particular cake. It's my favourite- as I've said earlier, this is just a humble cake, not snotty.. but humble. This time I've added more roasted pecans and used vanilla beans in the batter and frosting. Vanilla beans are indeed a luxury, but I just couldn't use the usual vanilla essence, as I was trying to be extravanganza in this particular cake. I have used all extra ingredients. More pecans, chopped bananas and extra crushed pineapple. The results were fantastic, based on the delicious batter and frosting. Since I had to squeeze all the names on the cake, I've decided to put less cherries and going on the cute outlook. Apparently, I ran out of my writing icing, hence the squeezing of the few drops of icing. Since I have baked this with love, I hoped my friend would be happy with the cake. As the saying goes, " a happy baker makes a happy cake ". Yes, the hummingbird is here to stay. For a long period of time..... Happy Sunday, every one.

Another Hummingbird For Another Friend

2011-02-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Hummingbird, frosted with Philly's cream cheese, topped with roasted pecans, fresh cherries, Hawaiian Coconut flakes and small pink sugar flowers.

The girl is officially 31 now.

It's my favourite cake, too.

The Hummingbird is a humble cake. I say it is humble because nobody would have imagine the taste of this cake. They cannot even guess the ingredients, but simply saying that the cake has made them want more and more. For your information, I have made this cake using chopped bananas, a handful of walnuts and pecans, freshly grated coconut and chopped pineapple. Some of my friends were unaware of those ingredients. They cannot even think of what they have eaten, this cake is simply "different".

My love affair with this cake has started in 2008. I first baked this cake out of curiousity. It was 2009 and I had presented it to a dear friend for her delivery. Her children liked it very much. Then, I stopped. Then, at the end of last year, I had baked it again for my friend's birthday. Elly, my friend liked it very much. What a pomp to go for this humble cake. The rest as we say, is history. The hummingbird is now no longer a humble cake. It has emerged as an "eagle".

The story behind those pictures- I have baked this cake for a friend. Complimentary of me. As usual, friends are always asking for red velvet, but since it is FOC, I 've got the final say.(heehe). I told my friend, Aisha, I would bake her a different cake, as I thought that red velvet is too popular now. I have always liked to bake something that is not too cliche. In short, I want to be different. Verdict- Colleagues are raving about this cake, they thought that it was so nice and different. Well, I told them, " It's my favourite too" and smile.....

Coconut Milk and Pandan Steam Cake

2011-02-02T04:51:00.000-08:00

Pandan steamed cake

Cut into squares...

Piping hot from the steamer

I loved this cake. I would fall in love with it all over, again and again. It is just like you meet this person, and simply loved him for every single thing that he does...and loved him again and again through out your whole life...every time you have this opportunity to encounter him.....hmmm.;) There's a story on the existence of this cake, SIL had asked me to buy some Malay kueh or "desserts" at the market, but I did not I have the time to go out. I ran out of time. So, I decided to make another type of "kueh". Something that would not make people feel they have enough. Something that made people want another slice after having one. Yes, this is the one. Apparently, I have made this cake for a "kenduri" (a family gathering) in my MIL's house. Instead of baking, the recipe called for steaming. So, I steamed the cake as required. It took me a good half an hour to do it. Verdict- a total delight, something that cannot make you stop. You need another second helping and you can't just say no. The texture- it is dense and fluffy, yet very light. You can never be bored with this type of cake. I have used margarine instead of butter, (yes no butter, but simple "PLANTA") added a cup of freshly squeezed coconut milk, freshly grated coconut and pandan juice. The taste- is simply marvellous, you can just eat pieces of the cake without stopping. Yes, that is why we need to use natural and traditional ingredients in cakes, it is simple but yet it has made its own mark. So, the next time if I ever come across coconut milk and pandan leaves, I will definitely visualise hot steaming pandan cake and a cup of hot black coffee. Yes, love is having simple pleasures in life , that is your own home made cakes. ;)

Almond and Apple Cupcakes

2011-01-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

I love almonds, and I also like apples. Those green, juicy, crunchy Granny Smith's apples, that make you salivate for more. When I was just 7 or 8 years old, I was always on the look out for those big, gigantic red apples which were only available from Singapore. At that time, big, gigantic Fuji like apples were a rare find in Malaysia, what else in Malacca. My siblings and I were fighting over those rare apples every time our Singaporean uncle gave them to our father. But there were no apples, instead it was only an apple (to tell you the truth)..hahaaha. So, everyone would fight for a slice of THE apple. I would laugh every time I thought about it. There is an old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". So my love affair with apples would always be there even if I am more into green apples instead of red now. Back to the cupcakes, I have invented this recipe, just to use my extra ground almonds and darling green apples. I have intended to put just chuncks of green apples, so that I can bite into pieces of apples. Verdict- nice cupcakes with wonderful tastes, we have the sweetness of almonds and the raw sour apples all combined together. Have a try for this recipe....

Ingredients

1 green apple ( cut into chunks, or big dice)

1/2- 3/4 cup of unsalted butter

4 eggs

3/4 cup of brown sugar ( you can put less sugar as almonds are quite sweet)

1 tsp of vanilla

1 tsp of salt

1/2 cup of fresh milk -squeezed with 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice ( let is set for about 2 mins)

1-2 tsp of freshly grated lemon skins

1/4 to 1/2 cup of ground almond

1 to 1 and 1/2 cup of plain flour or cake flour (cake flour will give you fine texture) -

depending on the amount of ground almond that you use.

1 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of soda of bicarbonate

##2-3 tbs of fresh milk (extra)

How

# Pre heat your oven 120C

1) Cream the butter and sugar (it will take you a good 7-8 mins)

2) Put the eggs into the batter, one by one. Put in vanilla

3) Sift together flour, baking powder and soda.

4) Now put in the sifted flour into the batter, followed by milk, mix well.

5) Put in salt. Put in ground almond. Put in grated lemon skins.

6) Lastly, put in extra milk (if you intend to put it)

7) Put cupcake cases into muffin pan.

8) Spoon batter into cupcake cases.

9) Put chunks of apples on top of the cupcakes batter.

10) Bake them, for about 20 mins, check if they are ready by inserting a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean, your cupcakes are ready...

Have a good apple cupcake, everyone.....

Cupcakes are wonderful creations....

2011-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

I've decorated these cupcakes as a challenge for myself

Close- up views

The colours are so yummy...

I have baked these cupcakes on 30th December and decorated them the next day, on 31st of December 2010. I could still remember the dates as my intention was to bring them for my students. These cupcakes are gone now and I only have the chance to rave about them, in 2011. I was busy then, never imagined that these cupcakes were such hits for my friends. I have posted these pictures on FB, and I could have never think of the responses they would receive, whenever my friends came across these humble cupcakes. To tell you the truth, I have never liked to decorate cupcakes. That is why my cupcakes are very simple. I would like to have less icing on my cupcakes. I am a person who is more into simplicity.

However, my college friend has started this baking project called bake-a-thon, where each one of us (there are three of us actually) will bake cakes or any baking delights and post the pictures on FB. The rest as we say is history as I was infected by the baking bug. My friend Fareen was doing all sorts of colourful yummy buttercream icing on her cupcakes, that I too- went ahead and joined the bandwagon. Then, my experiments of achieving colourful creations began, and yes - I was successful at the end, after mixing lots of colours.

To achieve these types of pastel colours, what you need is lots of patience and never ever give up. I have used the normal STAR brand essence (which we can easily get in Malaysian supermarkets ) instead of Wilton's. It is important that you get the basic colours of red, blue, and yellow. Use only a little drop of each colour, using the back of the teaspoon. With these colours you can just mix up, together with the white buttercream until you get the desired colours.

I would love to share the recipe of my tropical buttercream icing, with friends and alike.

Basic Buttercream Icing

( White buttercream icing)

Ingredients

1) 1/2 cup of not so pure butter ( fat spread-butter containing blended vegetable fats

and animal fats)

I have used Farmcows.

2) 1/2 cup of of Creamwell (white vegetable shortening - you can also use the brand Crisco)

3) 2 tsp of unsalted butter

4) 1 tsp of salt

5) 2-3 cups of icing sugar (sieve 2 times)- to get rid of the lumps

4) 2 tsp of fresh milk (optional)

How

1) In a big bowl, put not-so-pure butter together with the butter, creamwell and salt.

Cream using the electric mixer.

2) Add in the icing sugar, bit by bit. Mix well. Put on the high speed button.

3) Lastly add in fresh milk. Mix again untill you achieve a stiff consistency. To test on

the stiffness, you should see whether the icing stay put on the back of the spoon and

will not drip easily.

To colour - just add any colours that you like, just put a little drop for each colour.

Happy creaming, everyone ;)

Bonjour 2011

2010-12-31T15:25:00.000-08:00

As we say good bye to 2010

We dreamt of something better this year or even grander

Something that should be sweet and pleasing to the eyes

And simple in its own way .....

I need to do this entry. Simply needed to. I need to say this -thank you for following my journey all this while. This blog is going to be 3 years old in May 2011. There are good and bad moments but I have stayed on, simply because I loved writing, cupcakes, cakes and baking. I am humbled by the experience of baking, dissapointments and frustrations of not having good cakes, unreliable recipes. This blog has helped me in many ways. I could get some stress out of my system. I could take good pictures with the sole intention to post it in my blog. I could even smile after writing posts in my blog. Thank you once again, dear friends and readers. Have a good year ahead.

Bonjour 2011. Welcome aboard. May all your wishes come true, may cupcakes rule your heart, may I have the strength and energy to continue blogging about cupcakes and baking, may I discover wonderful recipes to share with all my friends. Happy days and moments to come. Bonjour 2011 from cupcakes-dreams......

Classic Butter Cupcakes

2010-12-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

I have always liked classic butter cakes. Those melt-in-the mouth sensations when we bite a tiny bit of butter cakes could only be in our imaginations. Pure heaven... One thing for sure, I have always have these fond memories of my late maternal grandmother who would never failed to whip up a good home-baked marble cake. That is why I have always on the search for a good recipe of marble cake, just like my grandmother used to bake. I have never get hold of my grandmother's original recipe, my mother was never interested in home baking- (yes, surprisingly- if you may ask -I might get this baking bug passed from my late grandmother ), have been asking around my relatives- but my cousin kept forgetting to give me the original's. So, my search began and what a delight to have discovered a good reliable recipe. The one that came close to my grandmother's. As usual, I have adapted the original pound cake recipe by Susannah Blake to classic butter cupcakes. Here goes the recipe, as asked by my fellow friends ;

Ingredients

200g butter (unsalted)

280g caster sugar

6 eggs

270g plain flour

2 tsp of baking powder

4 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp of salt

* Variations for cocoa batter (if you want to do marble or just plain chocolate cupcakes)

## 3-4 tbs of cocoa powder

How

1) Preheat the oven t0 180C (350F).

2) Prepare your cupcake cases in the muffin pan

3) Beat together butter and sugar until pale and creamy.

4) Beat in eggs one by one.

5) Sift flour and baking powder. Fold in the the sifted flour into the mixture.

6) Stir in the milk and vanilla.

7) Spoon the batter into cupcake cases. (until 3/4 full)

6) Bake them for about 30 minutes ( they can be less - check if they are ready, by inserting a skewer in the centre. If the skewer comes out clean - the cakes are ready)

## To do marbling, just put aside half of the butter batter, sift the cocoa powder, add the cocoa powder into the batter. Spoon the butter batter, followed by the cocoa mixture, and lastly put another spoon of the butter batter.

Happy baking, everyone!

Violet Cupcakes

2010-12-30T02:35:00.001-08:00

1) Classic butter cupcakes iced with violet and pinkish buttercream

2) Violet cupcakes

3) The cupcakes as decorated by the kids

I have promised my 9 year-old niece many times- that is to do a baking project, cupcakes project actually. However, I never kept my promise. But today, I give in-knowing that promises shouldn't be broken especially to children. I have baked butter cupcakes to be frosted with buttercream icing. At first, I have wanted to do baby pink buttercream, but I have mistakenly put a drop of blue icing colour just to be adventurous. Apparently, I have got violet buttercream with a tint of pink. I have piped different styles of icing- as in Pict 1 and 2 ( for adults' point of view) and Pict 3 (for kids' point of view). You could see the difference as children are never afraid to explore their own creativity. My son and niece are ever ready to sprinkle as much things on top of their cupcakes, while I- being me- is so afraid to venture on. I kept my frosting simple as I have always liked simplicity in life.

What do I learn today? I have learnt that children are fun as they are not afraid to try new things in life, they like a little bit of adventures, where else -we, adults are so boring as we do things as simple as we could. We are just afraid to try new things, and that is why being children are more fun... ;) That is why we- adults would always envy the carefree days of our children. Deep in our hearts, we know that we are missing those days, we keep reminiscing our own childhood moments.

As I sent my back niece this evening, I could not help but noticing this - my niece went back happily, holding tight the green food container containing various designs of cupcakes. I did not know what made her really happy. The cupcakes or the experience of designing her own cupcakes. She was happy, and so did I.....

Saying Good Bye Is Difficult

2010-12-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

Seeing small crabs making "signs" in the sand

A stolk (Bangau in Malay)leaving the beach

(it's such a long time I haven't encounter a stolk in the West of Malaysia)

Morning in Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu

The horizon is wide here....

Tanjung Aru is such a beautiful beach, unspoilt.......

Swallows nesting in the 2nd lobby of

Shagri-La Tanjung Aru

(Who would have guessed, right?)

The MUIS building (Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah)

This brings back memory- the cinema is housed in an "antique" building. Narnia is showing here..

Kota Kinabalu- 6.30 p.m. (Maghrib is early here)

I need to say good bye. Saying good bye is actually difficult to say, especially when you haven't got the time to explore a town and see its own characters. Things that are not commercial. Things that do not matter for jet-setting tourists. I have always liked to explore places for their own specialities, simplicities and cultures. Kota Kinabalu, has opened my eyes. It has made me think of the need to conserve things and buildings of yesteryears. Kota Kinabalu is actually what Malacca was in the 80's before its commercialisation. Before the massive traffic jam in the city. Kota Kinabalu does not really have traffic jams, it still has roundabouts, it still has fishermen throwing nets in the river near the city. I hope it stays like that, with its alluring beauty, friendly people and unspoilt sceneries. It is a beautiful town (a city- actually, according to the status). In fact, famous cities in the world are known for their cultures and preservations. Kota Kinabalu could still woo tourists with its plus points- the beauty of its simple life and slow-paced movements and not forgetting unspoilt sceneries. Thus, saying good bye to a beautiful place is somehow a difficult thing to do. Good bye, Kota Kinabalu. I might be coming again....

Going East

2010-12-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful world-sunset in Tanjung Aru,

Kota Kinabalu

Dinner at Nelayan Seafood Restaurant

Having coconuts at the Philippines Market

Green Connection, Kota Kinabalu

Yes, this is Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Oogling these jewellery
Trinkets and pearl bracelets
- Philippines Market, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

1 Borneo- the biggest shopping mall in Borneo (hence, the name...)

Breakfast- Having omelette in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Taking the flight after a hiatus of 10 years

I went east, more or less to the East of Malaysia. This was my first time, being in Sabah, Land Below the Wind. Overwhelmed yes, sheepishly embarrassed yes... Simply because I have never been to Borneo through out my whole life. Yes, I've been to Singapore, the UK, Ireland, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and even Switzerland. But I have never been to Borneo. I've spent my student's days traveling to Europe and after that, spent years working in a remote area in Johor. After that, I've got married and settled down in Shah Alam, Selangor. Frankly speaking, it's been 10 years since I took the aeroplane. I kept planning for foreign vacations, but never been able to do that. Now, I am going east, so I need to think as a tourist, act as one ;). Those pictures speak for themselves. Kota Kinabalu is definitely a beautiful place, this place reminds me of my hometown back then in the 80's. The scenery is wonderful and the people are very friendly and helpful (never mind that transportation is a tad too expensive- I've spent RM55 on the taxi fare just to go the Philippines Market, Kota Kinabalu from my hotel in One Borneo and from the Philippines Market back to my hotel). Kota Kinabalu, has charmed me in a very simple way- life is slow and serene and there are many friendly people in this east side of Malaysia. Yes, look to the east- we need to learn something. Wealth and materials are not the most possible happiness in life.

Homecoming....

2010-12-19T19:24:00.001-08:00

Jalan Tukang Besi, Melaka
The Blacksmith's Road, Melaka

This is -Venice of the East

Home- is where the heart stays on...

Recently, I went back to my hometown. It was only a 4-day break, but a well-deserved one. Armed with a camera, I went for an exploration around town. Getting to know my hometown or simply reliving all the moments. I have spent my childhood and teenage days in the former sleepy hollow town of Melaka, now I am coming back to a vibrant and charming historical city of Melaka. Ooo.. I miss my hometown. Been away for many years, but I am still longing for this maiden city. They say, home is where you reside- but I beg to differ. This is my home, where I know my humble beginnings, where I know the best cendol in town, not the one served in a fancy restaurant- but this is where I know the nooks and crooks of narrow streets lined with old merchants' shops. This is where you get to know your pasts, where you imagine that when you grow up you would like to migrate to the other big city, however-eventually you keep dreaming of your own home- your own sleepy hollow town. Not the city that endears to the bus load of tourists but the one which is charming in its own way laced with historical moments. Only the old buildings became the witness of whatever had happened in the pasts. This is my home- and I am glad, that I have gone back... My home...

A Break In The City

2010-12-13T18:02:00.001-08:00

A white-theme lifestyle cafe

Location: The Curve, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Lunch in a Malay restaurant @The Curve

Seeing this fountain- makes me feel so happy. It is so tranquil...

Location : Mid-Valley Gardens, Kuala Lumpur.

Everybody needs a break, somehow rather. So, I'm taking a break. Shall I say, retail therapy or better still the simple term of window shopping. That means thrawling around shopping malls but buy nothing. Nothing at all, just to have some ideas and inspirations. Just to soak the simple pleasures of having the opportunities in life, and mingle around. When the stress level is too high, even baking cupcakes seemed to be a chore. I know when I had had enough of things around me when I could not even have a wink, when I seem to be having difficulties of remembering things of the past or I do not even bother to do house chores. There and then, I am taking the signs- soak in the pleasures in life, you would never know how good these pleasures are. So, when ever you feel that pressure, do take a break at times- in between. You will never know what you have really missed all this while .

A Blog No More

2010-12-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

The recipe for these cupcakes was featured in my former blog- Coconut Pandan cupcakes

Black Bottom recipe was also featured in my former blog

This morning, I have the urgency to check on something. Someone has messed up with my blog account where I have painstakingly archiving my cupcakes' recipes collection. The account has been with me for two solid years, way before blogspot was even famous. My account has been considered as a " spammer". I cannot even retrieve all my recipes- yes, all lost - thanks to so some handful people who has invaded my blog with spammers, and regretfully, I have not thrash them all due to my laziness to check my e-mail account. Now, I have lost my collection of cupcakes' recipes. All lost.... What else can I do. So, from now onwards I will only concentrate on this blogspot account. Then, I will do another blog specially for cupcakes, cakes and other recipes account. This time I will be more adventurous. Well, I will not be that very sad now. Nothing could be done.. So, dear friends and readers - do not attempt to go to http://www.cup-a-cake.blog.com/. The account is now considered as a spammer. Good bye my cup-a-cake account, I will miss you terribly... Bon Voyage

Birthday Cakes For A Happy Kid

2010-12-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

Chocolate and Mango Cake - The Cake was cut into half and frosted with chunks of mango and whipped cream.

The happy kid with cousins and auntie

Celebrating birthday in kindy

Cake No.3 - Chocolate Mango Cake

Cake No.2- French Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Cake No 1- Chocolate Heaven Frosted With Chocolate Ganache

My kid turned 5 recently and I have decided to do a mammoth project. Baking 3 birthday cakes altogether. Cake No. 1 was for his kindy class. Cake no.2 was for day care and Cake No. 3 was for home celebration with lovely aunties, sporting uncles and cute cousins. Since I am catering for kids, I have to resort doing only chocolate cakes with 3 different recipes. The challenging part was decorations and how to attract kids.

Well, Cake No. 1 was simply sold out. The kids loved it very much. Cake No. 2 was a pleasant surprise, as the daycare teacher brought back the remaining cake. Cake No.3 was actually my favourite. Ainsley Harriot's chocolate and mango cake. No, it was not his original recipe. I have lost it since in the year 2001 or 2002, mum threw the magazine cutting that I have painstakingly saved back in West Sussex and brought back to Malaysia. However, I have managed to recreate the recipe, maybe not the exact taste, but who would have complained right.

For those who do not have any idea who Ainsley Harriot is, he is actually another of my favourite celebrated chef from Britain. Ainsley Harriot is a very famous chef in his home country because he has this 'happy' face, warm demeanor and not forgetting good, not- going -to- fail recipes. He may not be as famous as Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson in this part of this world-i.e Southeast Asia, but he has this ability to create feel good dessert recipes, cakes that you actually like to eat in your own free time with a cup of hot black coffee.

Well, back to my client, he was indeed a happy kid, who wouldn't right- if you have three birthday parties in a row. Birthday cakes make a happy kid, indeed. Happy 5th birthday, dear son.....

Take A Break

2010-12-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Childhood days are always the best

Dreaming of the highlands

I want to smell the flowers

It's been such a hectic week or should I say a hectic year for me. I am dreaming for a holiday. A long-due vacation, where I can sleep and do nothing, where I can start my daydreaming moments, where I can stop thinking about the vacuum cleaner and washing machine. Yes, everyone needs a break. Life is too short to start thinking about trivial matters. Sometimes it's always about the others.. but what about me and me. It's going to be another one month to go before we say good bye to 2010. Where have I been for the past one year, what have I done, have I really spend myself with my own self. Well, the truth is -the year 2010 is not really a smooth year for me. There had to be bumpy moments, not-so good times, loss in the family. I am tired. I need a break. There would always be things expected on me, people rely on me, people asking for help, people thought you are all right and they forgot that sometimes you do have frustrations too. People forgot that you are a just a normal human being, a person with feelings and emotions, that you need to slow down. Well, I am taking a small step now, saying "NO" if I can't do some tasks, people need to be fair to me too, I am no longer a "YES" person whom you can just running around asking for help. I am not bothered if there are skeletons in my closet. I am not bothered of thoughts of other people if I am not able to help them. I am not bothered too if there are people in the pasts who put labels on me and think they are angels and high above compared to me. I am not going to label people as to me only God is perfect. No human being is bound not to make mistakes. I am contented with my life now. I treasure every moment, to be able to breathe, to be able to have happy moments. As for me, I am going away for a holiday next week- I need a break, everyone needs a break. Life is short, so be nice to everybody- because when you are no longer here, people would only talk good things about you. I would like to remember life as it is.....precious moments, happy times spent with loved ones. That should be life ......

No Butter Muffins

2010-12-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Blueberry muffins- I have used fresh ones instead of frozen blueberries

Chocolate muffins- with chocolate chips

My chocolate muffins are plumping up

Believe me- there is no butter in these muffins

When I first read this recipe, I thought that it was a typo-error. This muffin recipe called for no butter at all. It only used milk, sugar, vanilla and so on. I read the recipe twice and it didn't mention butter. Well, call it something that is out of the box, so my experiment begin. The blueberry muffin did not rise well enough because I didn't cream the eggs and sugar with my mixer. Then, I 've realised my mistake. I should have creamed the eggs and sugar first, before adding the flour. Next, I did the chocolate muffins. I have creamed the eggs and sugar well enough. Better than the first blueberry muffin batch. After that, my chocolate muffins did rise well enough. The muffins really plumped up. And who would have guessed there is definitely no butter in these muffins. Well, perhaps we must never be afraid to try out out of the box recipes, recipes which are not that conventional right.... Verdict- sold-out muffins at the work place.

A Hummingbird For A Friend

2010-11-30T16:37:00.001-08:00

The texture of the cake- dense and moist

The Hummingbird Cake Frosted With Mascarpone Cream Cheese,Hawaiian Coconut , Pecan Nuts and Jelly

The Hummingbird Cake -side way

Happy Birthday My Dear....

What better way to appreciate a friend whom you have known for the past 16 years than baking a humble cake to celebrate her 34th birthday? Buying her jewellery? Or celebrate her birthday?Well, my friend, Ms Yusni Laily Sufian or Elly has just celebrated her birthday on 19th of November and she was asking a Red Velvet. But I have refused her... (hahahha), I told her that I would be baking a very nice, sweet cake instead. Just a reason to bake my own favourite cake... (aha). Since the Red Velvet is very cliche these days, I have decided to bake the Hummingbird Cake. Instead of using corn oil, I have used unsalted butter, and what a good decision to do that as the cake was so yummy and delicious, due to the use of butter. Yes, thank you dear Mrs Wiggins who has invented this cake in 1978. I could say that this cake is very humble compared to the sophisticated Red Velvet. Why do I say it is a humble cake? Simply because, you wouldn't even guess its ingredients, but its taste would be out of this world. Thank you once again Mrs Wiggins....

A Birthday Cake

2010-11-10T05:55:00.001-08:00

A double celebration

The Red Velvet Birthday Cake Frosted with Philly's Cream Cheese and Mascarpone Cheese, topped with Hawaiian coconut, fresh strawberries and blueberries.

We have always try to celebrate birthdays of loved ones. It would be nice to have a birthday surprise in terms of a birthday cake- especially a Red Velvet perhaps. This birthday cake is specially done, for Ms Zetty. She was a friend of a friend, and I have baked this as a challenge. A challenge for myself. Never done a birthday cake with writings on it. Thus, I have used the writing pen to save my time. Overall it took me 5 hours to do this. What a nice taste to use mascarpone cheese for this frosting. Like I've said in a previous post, back in 2008, when you bake, do not be stingy with the ingredients. The more you spend for your ingredients, the better the results. Ooo.. wouldn't it be nice if you relate it to your life? The more time you spend with your loved ones, the loved ones would love you more too... perhaps then.

Happy days ahead, hope your birthday is celebrated with a cake from the loved ones...

p/s: Lucky "Daddy and Amani Zara". Hmmm ;)

Just Like I've Promised...

2010-11-10T05:02:00.000-08:00

Custard Sauce

The Bread and Butter Pudding

Today, I just felt like winning a 100-metre race, simply because I have done my homework in a 2-hour marathon. I felt like a burden has just been lifted from me. So, what else to do than blogging about this recipe. God knows, how happy I am now- finally been able to think straight... ;) Just like I've promised before.. my whole-meal bread and butter pudding recipe (which was originally from Nigella Lawson). This bread and butter pudding is definitely a star on its own. It is certainly not an ordinary bread and butter pudding. There's a hint of English taste of this pudding. Give it a try and you'll definitely know what it means to be in a baking heaven....

The recipe for the pudding

What you need;

75g unsalted butter

3 tbsp of orange juice

75g sultanas

1 loaf of whole-meal bread (originally brown bread)

Half of bottle of Ginger and orange conserve (marmalade)-

I have used the St Dalfour brand of jam in this recipe

4 egg yolks

1 egg

3tbsp of caster sugar

200ml full-fat fresh milk ( skimmed milk will not do - I'm sorry)

500ml double cream ( I have used UHT whipping cream - ARLA or Emborg brand)

1 tsp of ground ginger (you can use fresh grated ginger)

2tbsp demerara sugar (abundant in the UK, unfortunately please use brown sugar here in Malaysia)

How

1) Grease pudding dish with not so expensive butter. Unsalted is quite expensive

here in Malaysia (unfortunately)

2) Soak sultanas with orange juice ( 15-20 mins or until they really plumped up)

3) Sandwich bread, butter and jam

4) Cut your sandwiches into triangles, arrange evenly

5) Sprinkle sultanas over the sandwiches, together with the soaked up-juices

6) Whisk egg yolks and egg with caster sugar- pour into bread sandwiches

7) Pour in the cream and milk

8) Smear the bread crust with soft butter, mix the ground ginger and demerara (brown) sugar.

9)Lastly bake the pudding in a pre-heated oven of 120C, for about 20-30 mins.

10) Test if it's ready by putting a skewer inside , it should come out clean.

Custard Sauce

Ingredients

275ml double/single cream -whipping cream is okay

3 egg yolks

1tsp corn flour

1 tsp caster sugar

2 drops of vanilla

How

1) Heat cream in a small saucepan or non stick pot.

2) Whisk egg yolks, cornflour, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.

3) Pour hot cream into the bowl. Stirring.

4) Return mixture to the saucepan.

5) Heat gently until thick. Use wooden spoon to stir your custard cream slowly. Make sure it

does not curdle.

6) Use low-temperature heat...

You can eat this pudding with vanilla ice-cream or this custard sauce.

Have a scoop of pudding, everyone.... ;)

Wholemeal Bread Pudding

2010-11-05T20:42:00.002-07:00

Whole-meal bread pudding with custard sauce

I have always be fond of Nigella Lawson. The British journalist- turned celebrity chef and TV personality is definitely a chef in style. I could say that she has always be my idol in terms of cooking and baking. A kitchen goddess, definitely she is. I have baked this bread pudding since 2007, ever since I have discovered her in TLC. What I liked best about her was the generous amount of ingredients found in her recipe. Recently, I have baked this bread pudding and it was definitely a sold-out. So now, I have decided to share the recipe of my version, in the next post ( when time really permits me to do that)...In the meantime, do enjoy the picture ;)

Thank You

2010-11-05T20:24:00.001-07:00

A Thank You Cake

Chocolate Heaven with Sour Cream and Chocolate frosting, topped

with fresh sliced strawberries, glazed cherries and chocolate chips. I have

written the words Thank You with an icing pen.

"Thank You" are two big words- showing our appreciation for those who have done great, good deeds to us. We say thank you to friends, family and colleagues. How often I wonder do we say thank you to those close to us. This cake is baked with those two words in mind. I've baked it as a favour for a colleague who has just finished her contract. She was asking for this chocolate cake and I thought what a great idea to sponsor this for a farewell party at my workplace. What a delight to have this cake with two big words which summarise everything.

Yes, thank you dear, from the bottom of my heart..... I was very glad to bake this for you; )

Vanilla Pods

2010-10-31T02:05:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Pods

These are heaven

I have bought two packets and only used one pod

We often used vanilla extract in our baking, either in cakes or buns or muffins. When we smell of vanilla, we remember home-baked goods. Vanilla derives from the plant of orchid. It's fragrant and aromatic, with a distinct feel-good smell. Vanilla are not flowers, there actually come in pods. That is why we call them vanilla pods. Recently, I went to Jaya Grocer, a supermarket in the Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya. Who would have guessed - I have discovered Vanilla Pods. Now and then I took two packets of those vanilla. They should be worth the money. I could say they are utterly expensive, but who cares anyway. Furthermore, I think I would save them for special occasion cakes.... Now, that is what we call excuses for luxury. ;)

Apple Walnut Cupcakes

2010-10-19T17:24:00.001-07:00

Cupcakes with crusts

Cupcakes, cupcakes...

Apple Walnut Cupcakes frosted with buttercream icing, topped with walnut, roasted Hawaiian coconut flakes and pineapple...

During the weekend, I felt like baking. It has been ages since I baked these cupcakes, the last time being in 2008. I had had some reasons to bake, one -I was going to visit a dear friend, two- I was thinking of apple cupcakes seeing the lone green fresh Granny Smith in my fruit basket. Thus, the idea of baking apple walnut cupcakes again. I loved these cupcakes, probably because there are walnuts inside. These cupcakes are usually preferred by adults rather than kids- maybe because of the taste of cinnamon powder. Adults would usually like sophisticated tastes ( aren't they?) while kids like sweet and fun things. My brother in law thought that these were banana cupcakes- maybe because of the grated apples. Eventually, this is the second time that people have mistaken apples for bananas for these cupcakes. Bananas and apples? Only God knows.. well, perhaps I shall combine these two fruits and bake them into cupcakes... ;)

For this recipe, I had only used one lone apple as that's the only one left in my fruit basket. To get the best results, would be - using two apples -as the texture would be nicer and you'll get apple tastes. Apart from that, I had also used sour cream ( my secret ingredient for all this while) and adding some crushed walnut. For the frosting, I had used whipping cream, creamwell ( a type of shortening), butter ( I had used Golden Churn), not so pure butter with vegetable oil( Farmcows), vanilla essence and icing sugar ( sifted). Using only creamwell will results on "not so buttery tastes" but by adding another three ingredients, you'll definitely get a better type of frosting.

Now, everyone would have a better reason to bake apple cupcakes, right... Yes, baking makes you happier....

I love my Chocolate Heaven

2010-10-14T16:40:00.001-07:00

My ever favourite Chocolate Heaven

Recently, there was a birthday party invitation from my neighbour for her one-year old girl. But, I could not attend the party as it clashed with my cousin's wedding. Therefore, it was time to head the kitchen again. As I could not make it, it supposed I should give my neighbour something to make up for our absence (my son and I). What came into mind was- baking my ever favourite Chocolate Heaven. This recipe uses all-in-one method. All- in-one method means that you dump everything in your mixing bowl. This method requires you to use vegetable oil (be it canola or even olive oil- but it is better to use corn oil economically- coconut oil would be nice too), hot boiling water, and perhaps maybe milk or buttermilk ( you can substitute buttermilk by having a cup of fresh milk with the addition of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice -only lemon could do- or a teaspoon of cream of tartar).

If ever you are using the all-in-one method for baking cakes- the most important thing is you must only add the liquids towards the end of the mixing. Like in this case, adding the hot boiling water at the last part of the mixing process. I have used imported cocoa powder bought from the baking store and frost the cake using my lovely self- invented frosting, topped with chocolate chips, dessicated coconut and glazed cherry. Feel free to try my favourite frosting recipe.

Chocolate Heaven Frosting recipe

(using the double-boiler method- or you can just put heat-proof bowl on top of

simmering pot of water on the stove)

Ingredients

1 or 2 tablespoons of butter ( unsalted is better)

A pinch of salt

2 table spoons of sour cream ( get this in the supermarket section of dairy products)

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (sifted)

2 or 3 tablespoon of caster sugar

1 bar of Cooking Chocolate ( you can just put half bar if you like -of 200g of cooking chocolate)

1 or 2 teaspoons of fresh milk

How

1) Add everything inside your bowl, put on top of simmering water.

2) Whisk them vigorously.

3) Adjust the sweetness and taste as to your liking.

P/s: I like the taste of bittersweet chocolate, thus the adding of extra cocoa powder.

Cupcakes' Project

2010-10-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

Pistachio Almond Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting

topped with Hawaiian Coconut and Blueberry.

Pistachio Almond Cupcakes

Cupcakes- lots of them...

Pistachio Almond, Coconut Pandan and Black Bottom Cupcakes

I call these cupcakes my X Project. As they are simply favours done for a dear friend. I have done them to help out a friend for her Hari Raya Open House- and only now that I have the time to upload these pictures. All 100 cupcakes of Coconut Pandan and Black Bottom. Apart from that, I even gave her some 15 extras- my long-time favourite of Pistachio Almond Cupcakes. These Pistachio Almond Cupcakes are actually baked based on my original recipe and I have perfected this recipe time after time. Therefore, these Pistachio Almond cupcakes are created by me and not from other sources. I was inspired back then in 2008 with recipe inventions and simply was inspired by my favourite King's ice-cream of Pistachio Almond. Perfected with cream cheese topping- there are actually your keepsakes. Yes, keepsakes of life...

Coconut Pandan Cupcakes

2010-09-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Natural Green Colour from Pandan Leaves

Pandan Coconut Cupcake

These cupcakes were created by me -unintentionally. I have used the recipe for an ordinary, usual cake and used another half of the batter for cupcakes. The usual cake was brought to my friend's house- due to her husband's request of the traditional pandan cake, and I happily obliged. What a nice surprise to have a nice, moist, dense cake. I have adapted the recipe using real pandan leaves and I've got a natural green colour.. Using cake flour and unsalted butter, I even added 100ml of coconut milk sprinkled with a bit of salt. These cupcakes also required the use of dessicated coconut. Eventually, the actual recipe was intended for ordinary, usual cakes- but I have made them into cupcakes and added chocolate rice for a nice touch. My kid just loved the taste of them. If you want cupcakes with a twist, these are for you....

Please go to http://www.cup-a-cake.blog.com for the full recipe

The End Of Syawal...

2010-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Almond Cookies that I have baked...

Traditional Pineapple Tarts -old time favourites

A beautiful Ramadhan in my kampung- village

( I was born and bred here )

The lights of Eid- Pelita Raya at my Grandpa's House- Villa Sentosa

Syawal is going to end real soon .... So starts the beginning of another year before Ramadhan comes around. This is the month where open houses are held during each and every weekend. But I am still longing for Syawal of yesteryears, Syawal means you can just come and visit your friends whenever time permits you. The beginning of Syawal for me, was a real havoc. I didn't have to relax, being in my parents' house means- I am going to be at the end of the kitchen, preparing food and drinks for the throng of relatives during the first, second, third and so on Raya days. They came in drove- kids, adults and teenagers... but that is the meaning of Raya or Eid for the southeners (Southern states of Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor). Being a Southener, I think friends could just give me a call and state the day and time they are coming- because I would not do any of the open houses' occassions, as I would like to entertain friends whole-heartedly. Call me, a nostalgic freak.. and I am willing ......

It's a Southern Raya for me, indeed.

Eid's biscuits

2010-08-25T17:26:00.000-07:00

Home-baked Coconut Biscuits (Biskut Kelapa)

These "biskut kelapa" were very famous in the

80's.

Counting the days. Eid-ul- Fitri is quite near. So, it's time to head the kitchen. This year, I am baking the oldies. Those memorable biscuits of yesteryears, which I simply remember the tastes. The lingering tastes, not like modern cookies with fanciful names. It's all about simple method, simple ingredients, simple names. Names likes Coconut Biscuits (Biskut Kelapa), Suji (Sugee), Almond Cookies, Traditional Pineapple Tarts and so on... Maybe because I was born in the 70's, I have had the experiences of celebrating Aidilfitri in the 80's, 90's and the millenium. Things were different then. Friends compete on how many cookies' jars that your mum has arranged in the kitchen, (not the cookies that you have bought-but the ones that your mum has actually baked). Now, everybody is making money. Everybody is selling cookies, regardless how bad they would taste.

I personally think that baking, whether you are baking cakes, cupcakes, biscuits or cookies, pies, breads or buns, should be made with lots of love. When you love baking, you made your cookies taste nice and wonderful. When you are happy, the cakes would turn out very well. So, I am baking my biscuits with a lot of love. As I knead my dough, I remember my late maternal grandmother who married at the age of 12, and learnt by scratch all the finer things in the kitchen, but still she is the best cook I have ever met in my entire life. Ask any 12 year old girl nowadays, whether she has actually baked any cookies, she will difinitely give you a puzzled look. Simply because mummy orders everything. Yes, that is something missing in our modern millenium days, the lost of home-baked cookies. The lost of baking skills amongst girls... The lost of our identity and traditions... That is why I am longing for the "oldies" -they remind me when things were good, when money does not really matter, when the aroma of cookies show you that Eid is just around the corner. Yes, I am all for the "oldies"....

Missing pieces ....

2010-08-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

With friends- I call them "friends of my life"-

Trafalgar Square, London, England

With college mates in Arundel, West Sussex

With housemates in West Sussex, England.

Time passed by without we realise it, but somehow rather ~ there must be some places that we long to go back to. It's been more than 10 years since, that I came back to Malaysia. But I am still missing the places that I've spent my youthful days. I don't know why, but one of the places that I have actually missed is West Sussex. The images of West Sussex, England, keep coming to my mind. Maybe because this is the place that has shaped and moulded me. I have come afar from the naive, carefree and single days as a student. Yes, I wished that I have a maturity of a 30 plus lady for a 21 year old then... things would be very much different now. There were many life decisions that I wished that I had done. Things that I should have done, things that I should have not done, words that I should have said, words that I should have not said. But that's life- we grow up, we make decisions that we regret... we wished for things that we have been dreaming of. However, I am glad that I have come afar, and made many mistakes in life, I am glad that I am what I am today simply because I had had many challenges in life, heart breaks and so on. Life goes on.... but we should not forget our pasts as our pasts have made us what we are today. That's true, indeed ...

Count your blessings

2010-08-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's one week of Ramadhan today, Ramadhan being the holy month for the muslims all over the world. It's the time for self-reflection and self-purity. As I looked back, for all the things I have been through- I know for sure that God is Great. Life as we see it, has its own fair of judgements. We gain some, we lose some. When we become too selfish and self-contented, we forget the things that matter the most- the feelings of loved ones, the feelings of friends who have stayed with us through thick and thin, the siblings that we loved since we were once babies....We tend to forget that other people have feelings too, we expect people to accomodate our needs, we always assume other people do not have their own share of ups and downs, just because they don't talk about their private lives.

Often that I think, people could be very cruel, they give assumptions on you, they call you names, just because you have different views, just because you were just plain honest and do not have any hidden agendas. Yes, call it wishful thinking, call it cliche, but if you ever wonder why your life turns out to be like that, count your blessings., because when you hear the stories of others who suffer, such as ~ a teenage boy who works in a burger stall every night just to pay his own school bus' fees (due to his parents' divorce), a poverty-strcken 13 year old school girl who brings along her 7 year old little brother with dirty marks all over his school uniform, and buys food for iftar with the little money that she has , a single mother with two primary school children who scrapes through to make ends meet, please count your blessings. For there are people who suffer but prefer to keep their mouths sealed, they don't talk about their sufferings or hard lives, but as I looked at them, I could see the sadness in their eyes. Sometimes, we do not have to say things that could hurt others, and please e do not expect some people are rich and can just treat us with hi-teas in big, posh hotels just because they never complain to you about the balance in their bank accounts.

Yes, please count your blessings and appreciate what you have. You will never know the sufferings of others simply because some people do not really talk about their private lives. Count your blessings and be happy with what life has offered you and do not envy with whatever blessings that God has for the others because you may not know the sufferings and obstacles in life that they have been through. Yes, indeed....

What Is My Dream....

2010-07-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have discovered this on the net.... and I think I share the same dream....

Do you have the same dream too?

Yes... dream on ;)

p/s: Who knows right......

Citrus Reamer

2010-07-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Citrus Reamer

Close up view

Another reason to bake lemon cupcakes

I love Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya. Simply because there are just so many things that I like there. I have finally found the Citrus Reamer that I've wanted for so long. I've seen Nigella Lawson used it during one of her shows, and I kept dreaming of finding it in Malaysia. This useful Citrus Reamer was bought in Kitchen Shop, a shop selling all things you need in the kitchen. You just name them, baking stuffs, Corelle dinner set, can opener... etc. Yes, all kitchen stuffs. I would love to use this with my lemons and bake some lemon cream cupcakes.....

Sugar Buttered Buns

2010-07-18T06:07:00.000-07:00

Rising time- buns before being baked

After 30 minutes-they are quite ready, but they need a little bit of make up

My beautiful buns or "Roti Paun"- as they come out beautifully after I've smeared some unsalted butter and margarine, and put them back in the oven for another 5 minutes
- My Golden Darlings

Yes, I've finally made it....After several attempts of baking Sugar Buttered Buns or " Roti Manis" or "Roti Paun" as we call them in Malaysia, I have successfully baked these buns. These buns are very famous in Terengganu- a state in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. But in my childhood memory, I remember these buns or "roti paun" as "roti paun Muar". Muar is actually a nice, old town of Johor. It was once the capital of the state of Johor ( Johor being one of the southern states of peninsular Malaysia- apart from Malacca and Negeri Sembilan) . This memory still lingers on, since these "roti paun" Muar are really "something". It was a treat to have these sugar buttered buns if ever we came to Muar, since Malacca did not have these little sweet treats. Back to the recipe, having doing several experiments, and trying all sorts of recipes that I've gathered from the internet and baking books- I have come to one conclusion. Never give up on these little darling. In making these buns, don't ever use any regular wheat flour or all purpose flour. Use "red rose flour" (you can find this flour in baking stores) or "bread flour". In fact, please sieve the flour, let the yeast rise ( I have used 1/2 of a packet of 11g dry yeast) in a cup of warm milk and 1 table spoon of sugar, and put 2 eggs, instead of one and add some margarine/ butter ( 3-4 table spoons), 1 tea spoon of salt and not forgetting a table spoon of bread improver. In this recipe, I have only used 1/2 kg of the red rose flour and 4 table spoons of caster sugar. The way to do it- is to sieve the flour, put the flour in an aluminium bowl, make a well, add in eggs, add in the rising yeast, put in sugar, salt, margarine/ butter and lastly the bread improver. Knead it slowly, adding flour a bit by bit,(just a table spoon or two of extra flour) punch the dough , to let the air being released. Then, let the dough rise, cover it with damp kitchen towel. After 20 minutes, knead the dough again, let it rise again for another 10 minutes, punch it. Then, make small balls of the dough. Cover them, with the same damp kitchen towel, let them rise for about 10 minutes. Then, bake them in a pre-heated oven ( heat the oven first, for 8 minutes) and put these buns for 30 minutes of 120C. The final end- these little buns are simply divine. I have also managed to get the soft like cotton texture. Eat these little darlings with "kaya" and have a sip of a black coffee, and you will know what do I mean. And all these little things brought me back to my childhood days... Days of a simple life in a town used to be known as a sleepy hollow town- Malacca. Ooo.. I miss my old Malacca....

P/S: The memory of my childhood stays in my heart, as I become a "resident" in another city. A city with not many old buildings..hmmm

Scones in Cameron Highlands

2010-07-17T04:52:00.000-07:00

Wonderful scones

The nice view

Strawberry Park, Cameron Highlands

Scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream

and tea

Nothing beats the smells of scones. I could say the best scones I've tasted so far were in Strawberry Park, Cameron Highlands. I could taste these Cameronian English scones (shortbread+biscuits) in every bite that I took. Taken with a cup of tea, clotted cream and Cameronian strawbery jam, these scones are simply marvellous. I have always admire the way the English have their afternoon tea and serve their guests. Twelve years ago, in a small resort town in West Sussex, UK, I have experienced the wonders of English afternoon tea in a quaint cafe.

Call it deja vu, I guess I have always got a soft spot for things of the British. Thus, having a late afternoon tea in Strawberry Park, Cameron Highlands brought back fond memories. Fond memories of the innocence of younger days...

P/S: Oh, I wish I could be young again. ;)

Macaroons - little treats from heaven

2010-07-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Fancy having coloured macaroons ala Paghee?... This little family- owned cafe, WHISK- is situated in Empire Gallery, Subang Jaya (just opposite of Subang Parade) made these little Parisian treats- a rare find in Malaysia. These macaroons maybe a little tad too sweet for my taste bud, but who cares- as they are macaroons. Made from egg whites and almond meal and lots of icing sugar- piped and baked, these little delights are heaven in your mouth. Recommended with dark, strong, bitter sweet coffee- you will definitely fly... Yes to heaven, I guess!

p/s : WHISK is near to Jaya Grocer ( ground floor)

Yes, I love Jaya Grocer too... another housewives' paradise!