Order and National Day

My sis's fren ordered this Black Magic cake for last Sunday.. I don't really know what's the occasion the friend orders for but I'm happy to receive orders anyway.. A 6" Black Magic cake.. It looks really nice and I really feel like gobbling it all by myself.. hahaha..Very vey tempting... Maybe I should make one for myself.. Very very soon..

I don't really have any ideas how to decorate the cake.. But this was one of the ideas.. White chocolate chips borders with 2 cherries on top.. I was looking for the triangle comb to decorate the sides nicely but it was out of stock at B-I-Y (bake it yourself).

That's me decorating.. hahaha.. It wasn't as easy as I thought.. Don't mind the ugly background though..

Im currently attending the Wilton's Method of Cake Decorating Course 1.. Cost quite a lot actually but I decided to go for it.. To gain more experience and upgrade my skills.. Hmm.. Sound very Singaporean.. Hmm.. Neway, here's what I learn after the 2nd lesson...

I should have wrote the words in Red but I was too tired and lazy to colour another batch of icing and use up another diposable pipping bags.. haha.. So this is what I got.. My lettering sucks but Im practising hard on it.. The rainbow looks very pretty though..
I made the sponge cake.. The came is similar to the American Whisked Sponge Cake that I did previously.. tasted and smell like Kuih Bahulu/baulu/bolu.. hahah.. I knew the buttercream would be very very sweet given the amount of sugar required in the recipe.. So i decided to put Strawberry Jam to kill a bit of the EXTREME sweetness..

One of my nephew really love it cos he goes crazy for sweet stuffs.. The rest said it was too sweet as expected.. But I can't change the buttercream recipe.. Boo Hoo.. But I won't cover the cake with this buttercream recipe the next time.. That's for sure cos even I, can't take the sweetness..

Oh yeah... I didn't plan to write those National Day thingy.. It was the 9th Aug when I decorated this.. I didn't know what else I could write and my family suggested that.. Neway, Happy National Day to everyone.. Belated actually..

~What Do You See?~

Cupcakes for Wedding Giveway??

My mom requested me to help her make cupcakes for her friend's daughter small wedding ceremony (nikah) at the mosque on Thursday (6/8/2009). It is to give away to those who were present there... My mission was to make simple cupcakes that I could store in a small container that my mom bought.. No frosting watsoever.. Hmm.. I had to make 2 types of cupcakes (50-50).

Okay.. The all the time fave of my family is Nutella Frosted Cupcakes.. of cos that was on top of the list.. I wanted to the make Old Fashion Chocolate Cupcake cause I've always liked that one but the recipe was so unstable... I did 2 batches and poooff.. FAILURE!! Haiz~ It sank.. I don't understand why but I am determined to find out.. very determined.. Hmm..

Nutella Frosted Cupcakes will always makes you happy.. Cause it is a confirmed success recipe.. Heh.. Hmm.. It's actually very tiring to do.. cos of the swirling and all.. But nevertheless, will never let you down..

After completing the Nutella ones, I moved on to the next 50... After the failed 2 batches of Old Fashion, I decided to make the Neapolitan recipe except now the neapolitan is not complete without the strawberry frosting.. Hehe.. I can't frost these cupcakes as I had to put them in the container.. So it's not neapolitan anymore.. Double Trouble?? What should I name it? Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.. Yin & Yang.. Sorry.. late night lame-ness.. *rolls eyes to myself*

I wanted to do something different... I didn't want to stick to my own safe recipe that I always make.. Hence, I figured out Neapolitan cupcakes would do the trick.. This would be the 2nd time Im doing the recipe but this time around, no buttercream on it.. I remember it to be a very nice firm cupcake.. Martha Stewart recipe never goes wrong.. :) I put one dot of buttercream to act a glue to for the flower decoration... It turn out to be very pretty and delicious too.. I totally digg it.. If only I had coloured the buttercream green.. Then it could be like leaves.. Cool rite.. haha..

After the tiring feat, I packed it away into those individual cups.. Simple and sweeeet.. I hope the people who received it love it as much as I love doing it.. Hmm.. I'll post the neapolitan recipe someday.. Just let me rest for now.. :P Oh yeah.. Thanks Wafi for helping me again..

This is for you guys/girls reading this... I mean the picture above of my pretty pretty cupcake.. haha.. *Self-proclaimed*

~I was dying inside to hold you
Couldn't believe what I felt for you~

Brownie

After baking this brownie.. I realize that my ideal brownie is more cakey with a bit of fudgey-ness in it.. For now.. I used to like chewy brownies.. I don't know why I stopped liking them too.. Haha.. Neway, I found this recipe from a book by Daniel Tay.. He's the owner Bakerzin if I'm not wrong.. I was searching for recipes for brownies and his recipe seems to appeal to me most of all the brownie recipes that I had collected... Why?? Cos his recipe was the first recipe I saw that had cream cheese in it.. Hmmm

Well, it turned out wonderful.. Cakey and kinda fudgey when it's hot.. I like my brownie plain.. Maybe with fudge on it.. But I don't like nuts in it, especially walnuts.. eugh.. Not that I don't eat it but I just don't like it.. But I think the next time I do this, I can add some white chocolate chips or even milk chocolate buttons inside.. I think it would be really nice and make the brownie fudgier.. Just the way I like it..

Reviews from my sis is that it's too cakey.. But I guess different people have different takes on it.. It's cakey but when I heat it up in the microwave before I eat it, it's a bit fudgey.. You just have to try it yourself.. The recipe makes good clean and neat brownie.. Haha.. Whatever that means.. Lol.. Nice eaten with Island Creamery ice-cream too.. Yummy!!
Chocolate Brownie (taken from just desserts and other baked treats by Daniel Tay)
(makes one 28-cm / 11" square cake) (my notes in red)
(I make one-third the recipe as I just wanted to make a small tray for myself.. hehe)

325g (11 1/2 oz) plain (all purpose) flour
5g (1/2 oz) baking powder
150g (5 1/3 oz) cocoa powder
225g (8 oz) cream cheese
860g (1 4/5 lb) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
10g (1/3 oz) salt
450g (16 oz) unsalted butter
400g (14 1/3 oz) eggs
300g (10 1/2 oz) walnuts
butter for greasing

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350 F)

2. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.

3. Place cream cheese, sugar, vanilla essence, salt and butter in another mixing bowl and whisk until blended.

4. Fold eggs into cream cheese mixture, then gradually fold in flour mixture. Add walnuts and mix well. (I didn't fold.. Just added everything in my KitchenAid and Beat it~ haha.. ok.. lame)

5. Lightly grease a 28 cm / 11" square baking tin with butter. Level Batter into tin and bake for 20 minutes. (I baked in my 6" x 9" rectangle tray)

6. Unmould brownie and leave aside to cool. Slice before serving.

You might think that the ingredients list is a bit weird as all the quantity are in grams and ounces.. But from the baking books that I read, giving the quantities this way is the most accurate. This is because measurements in spoons and cups can vary in different countries.. Even the size of eggs can be different everywhere.. That should explain it.. But I must say it's more troublesome having the recipe in grams as I have to weigh everything.. And I guess it's time I invest in a good weighing machine..

~There are many things that I
Would like to say to you but I don't know how~