Taking a break....

 So much baking... uugghhh....my lower back and shoulders are screaming for me to take a break.  So here I am.... back to my hometown... fishing...

Tak sempat nak tukar baju... !

 One of the eight Talapias I caught...!  Yes, I can fish too..!

Choc-Moist iPhone Cake...

I think the cake would look better if it was covered with Fondant, but my customer wanted the choc-moist cake covered with ganache topping... (sigh..)

Thanks Zarina for the order...

Upin-Ipin Birthday cake...

Dr Azlin, thanks for the order.  

Merry X'mas & Happy Holidays everyone...!

 I have been very busy lately...

I can't believe a whole year has gone by so fast. Somewhere in between cupcakes and cakes orders, my 9-5 job, classes, etc.... I forgot about my health..!

2012 is approaching ...

...and I would like to thank you for all your support and encouraging words on my blog this year. It has really helped me strive to be better at what I do and also reminds me why I love what I do... :)

It's been a big year of learning and change for me and there will be lots of new things happening next year too. I can't wait to share it with all of you.

Best wishes for the holiday season, hope you are all surrounded by lovely friends and family and get a chance to relax and eat, eat, eat!

...and most of all... take care of your health..!

 Dear Santa..

This year please send clothes for those poor ladies in Daddy's computer... Ameen.!

Merry X'mas and Happy Holidays

Christmas Cupcakes...

These are fun and easy to make and loved by just about everyone..! 

 

 

Thanks Khairani for the order...

Thank you all for the support...

Thank you Akmal... 

 Thank you Farah...

 

 Christmas is almost here...it's party time.  At least thats what my boss said..!

All staff are invited to my crib..!!

 ...and...please bring something to share and enjoy the festivity with others...

 Not sure what to bring, so I decided to bring something I do best - Cakes..!

  Orange-Lemon-Butter cake

There's no better time than sharing good food with good company...

Merry Christmas Boss...

Enjoy your holiday in Australia & See you next year...!

The Challange...

Last week I faced  one of the most challenging weeks I have ever had. I should not have taken on the number of orders I had but somehow the little voice in my head kept telling me I would be able to do it (maybe I am a sucker for self inflicted stress!). And on top of all that I have to get my LIMA 2011 exhibition report ready on/by Monday, before my big boss leaves for X'mas holiday...!

The Sunday before, as soon as I return from my business trip, as I prepared for the storm I really did worry how I would get it all done. It was not a matter of not finishing (I knew I would finish) but more the matter of the amount of sleep I would have to sacrifice to get there. Oh dear..

At one point, my dining table was packed to the brim with cupcakes and cakes - cuppies, cakes... here and there... everywhere...!

 Not to mention trying to schedule the deliveries. Two of the orders all had to be delivered to venues all over town before 11:00am. It's at times like this I wished I had my own delivery driver.

But you know what? As I now sit here and reflect on last week, I think the pressure and challange was just the right amount of fire up my bum I needed to get myself to move faster and be better. I realised what I thought would take me a long time to do based on past experiences actually did not. I managed to really push myself and I guess when you have no other choice, something inside yourself snaps and you somehow just move, move, move!

I heard my daughter's singing from her bedroom upstairs..

"...Mummy...you've got to move it.., move it...!"

Simple White and Purple wedding cake...

While there are many colors that would suit a rich, elegant wedding cake, the
best would be simple, graceful, pastel hues. Purple is one color chosen by both bride and bridegroom and it looks very appealing..

 Chocololate moist cake 1st  tier, and butter-orange cake 2nd and top tiers.

 Iced with vanilla-buttercream...and covered with while-vanila fondant...

...with simple floral arrangements.  Simplicity is the best.

Thanks Dalila for the order.

The drive home...

There's something about watching the sunset (while driving and on my way home after delivering my orders...); and knowing that I still have another solid hour drive to reach home (sigh..), not forgetting the rush hour traffic (double sigh..!),  on Friday evening...

Wish I could stop my car (in the middle of MMR2 highway)...and sit by the curb and enjoy the breathtaking view..

 ...God's creation...

  
 Location:  MMR2, near Kepong /Sg Buloh... @ 19:10hrs

Cupcakes for Abang 'Iron Man'

No one can deny the power of the Iron Man phenomenon...!

...including this wife of my neighbour who ordered these cuppies for her loving hubby's birthday..!

Thanks Farah for the order...

..hope your 'Abang Iron Man' is in shape..!

Roasted Orange-Lemon Cutney...

Because you use whole orange and lemon its best to wash them first in warm water to remove any waxy residue.  This cutney will last for several days, refigerated, in a tightly covered jar.

 You can slatthered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat chease.  But really, you can do so many other things with it.  Eg: tossed with hot roasted or baked  potatoes, eat with rice or incorporated into a hot pasta bowl. 

Its super versatile...!

   

Ingredients:

2 small Oranges

2 small Lemons

1/4 cup - finely chopped shallots

1/4 cup - extra Virgin Oil, plus extra for brushing

2 tbspn - Honey (extra if you like sweet)

Sea salt - to taste

Ground Black Pepper

About 2 tbspn chopped mint or basil

Method:

Heat oven 200 C, line a baking sheet with foil (or parchment paper).

Soaked chopped shallots to reduce their strength a bit.

Slice oranges and lemons into 1/2 inch thick, remove seeds.  Arrange the slices on foil and brush with a bit of olive oil on both sides. 

Roast the slices, turning every 5-10 mins until they are tender and just a few spots of brown (takes about 25 mins, more or less).  Don't let the slices crisp, and keep an eye on the bottoms, which tends to brown before the tops.  Set aside to cool enough to handle.

Once cool, transfer to a food processor, add any juices if any on the sheet.  Drain the shallots and add into the food processor.  Pulse several times, add lemon juice and olive oil.  Continue pulsing untul the chutney is fairly smooth and creamy.  Its OK if there one or two lemon or orange chunks.  Season with pepper and salt and lemon juice or honey to taste.  Keep tweaking until it really tastes great to you.

Transfer into a bottle and let it sit for at least 2 hours to let the flavours meld.  Just before serving, stir in the fresh basil or mint, and make any final adjustments.

Enjoy...!

The Charity...

As a regular baker, I often think about how I could use my skills for the benefit of those in need.

With cupcakes being so popular now, I thought.."Why not sell them and put the money towards a good cause..."

So with that, I decided to contribute all proceeds to "Kasih Hospice Homes.."

Alhamdulillah....

Project Deepavali 2011: Caring is Not Only Sharing...

The month of October is a month of celebration for the Hindus to celebrate their festival of lights - DEEPAVALI -  which indicates the victory of good over evil.

  I was asked by a friend if I could sponsor a birthday cake for their Deepavali Project..

...hence, I baked above...

...lemon-orange butter cake...

...layered and topped with vanila buttercream...

... with a simple design of 'kolam'...(my version that is..!)

... children from various orphanage homes...

...Let there be lights to everyone...

Happy Deepavali...

The 3-Ds Birthday Bash..!

Golf theme for Abang...

..Kakak asked for Angry Birds...

...and for Adik... anything 'Transformers'..

..all three cakes on display...

... part of the wonderful set-up by the Party Planner..
(forgot to take the photo of that cute horsey Pinata)

Last but not least....

... a 2-in-1 birthday cake for their aunty Effa...

...and their Grandma a.k.a 'Wan'...

Thanks Irda Sharina for the orders...

 

Double Moist Choc Cuppies...

 Last minute order...

Thanks for the order Ustazah Sham...

There goes your diet Mummy..!

Yesterday I dragged my daughter to met up with my old friends at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa  to 'work-out' (ha ha ha...yeah right..!) and have a picnic. It was a perfect morning day...

...brisk walking through the lake ...

Love this picture,  this is so typical of us (non stop talking and looking forward to eating..!)

 I made this; pineapple upside down cake...

 ...and kiwi muffins...

 ...the healty oatmeal muffins by Yati Tajuddin... (yummy...!)

  ...the 'telur goreng' by Ros Ari-Ari

 ... aahhh yes.... Fried Chicken!..

Thank you Ros Ari-Ari for waking up as early as 5:00am to fry these for us..

 Mizan with her kuih-muih...

Yeah.... Nasi Lemak...!

A 'must have' food after the 'work out'...!

Thumbs up to Ros Ari-Ari again..!

Without food or drink, yes, let me say that again "WITHOUT food or drink" the  “work-out/picnic” will really just be us sitting cross-legged on the grass, twiddling your thumbs; not as thrilling as it sounds.  We had a nice picnic before some of us played badminton (no photos here as I was busy stuffing myself up with food... LoL..!

On the way home, my daughter and I had a good laugh in the car...!

 "Mommy, you are the best. I love you so much." 

Sweeeeettt.....I couldn't ask for a more perfect day!

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake...

This is a Pineapple Upsidedown cake...   

...with pineapple slices, maraschino cherries and a topping made with brown sugar. 

The lovely, glistening slices of sweet and sticky caramelized pineapple sitting happily on top of a fluffy white butter cake...

Sharing the Recipe:

2 1/2 cups - All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup - Caster Sugar

1/2 cup - Brown Sugar

175 gm - Melted butter

1 cup - Buttermilk

2 large - Eggs

1 teaspoon - Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon - Bicarbonate Soda

1 teaspoon - Nutmeg (grounded)

1 tblspoon - Vanila Extract

Pinch of Salt

Slices of Pineapple (drained)

Marachino Cherries

Preparation:

In a 8-inch round cake pan, melt butter; sprinkle with brown sugar.
Arrange pineapple and cherries on sugar, making a design.

Make cake batter.

Lightly beat eggs, vanila, buttermilk, then add melted butter, beat well.

Add  dry ingredients (flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate soda) alternately with egg mixture; beat until smooth, ending with dry ingredients.

Pour over pineapple design.

Bake at 375° for about 35 minutes.

Let cake cool for about 5 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.

Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired.

Enjoy...!