ONE TIER SMALL WEDDING CAKE WITH GORGEOUS CUPCAKES

This is lovely and good wedding cake idea if you plan for simple cake cutting ceremony. I made small one tier wedding cake with sweet pink color and briar roses....surrounded by gorgeous cupcakes. Just perfect for small wedding and they look cute.

If you're on a budget, single tier wedding cakes are less expensive than tiered wedding cakes. This is because a lot of time goes into securing the tier structure. Another expense you can save on is the wedding cake decorating. If you keep sugar flowers and intricate caking decorations to a minimum, you could pay even less.  It's all your call.

  

STARGAZER LILY WITH SWEET PINK FONDANT

Am inspired after learning to make gum paste flower...and I made this for "hantaran" cake..Sweet pink with the combinations of stargazer lily , Gerbera Daisy..blossoms and stephanotis.... This is interesting..not only we need the skills to make the flower...but we also need to know how to arrange the flowers on the cake...Challenging and fun.

STARGAZER LILY WITH GREEN FONDANT

I love this a simple butter cake with green fondant and simple floral arrangement. A combination of Stargazer Lily, stephanotis, briar rose and sweet peas... plain and simple...

GREEN FONDANT - BUTTER CAKE

We are approaching 2013..and time flies so fast. I have a few more 2012 entries that I need to post before we close 2012..ha..ha..am making a super spree so that I won't miss any...This is a simple "hantaran" cake. I made butter with green fondant. Just love the color...simple and suite the "engagement theme color.

CHOCOLATE FONDANT CAKE

This is another great chocolate cake recipe adapted from
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html.

I made this for my friend. Dark chocolate cake with chocolate filling and chocolate fondant. Simply delicious.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

2 cups sugar

3/4 cups good cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk, shaken

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with chocolate ganache. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake and cover with chocolate fondant.

FANCY COOKIES

Wedding, Christmas or Party is the time for bakers to shine. Fancy Cookies are beautiful enough to give as gifts.You can make it in many sizes, designs and decorated it with Royal Icing. It's fun doing it and even your little one will be happy to help you in the kitchen. Create a dazzling arrangement of your cookies to savor and share this holiday season.

This is a basic cookies recipe...
Adapted from Nurainie Tan Cookies Class

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

250 g butter - I used buttercup

250 g caster sugar

1 egg

500 g cake flour - I used Rose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1. Combine flour baking powder and salt and set aside.  
2. Cream together butter and sugar.  
3. Beat in eggs one at a time and then add vanilla.   
4. Gradually add flour mixture until well blended.    
5. Cover and keep in the frig for about 2 hours.  
6. Preheat oven to 350*  
7. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface. 
8. Cut out into shapes and place on greased cookie sheets. 
9. Bake 6-8 minutes or until very lightly browned.   
10. Remove from cookie sheets and cool.

Royal Icing Recipe

500 g icing sugar Redman

3 tbsp meringue powder

6 tbsp water

Put everything together and beat at lower speed for about 5 minutes.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

• 
  
• Some context on this dish - this Cordon bleu is a breaded cutlet dish of meat (traditionally veal, but pork or chicken are common) pounded thin and wrapped around a slice of ham (or prosciutto) and a slice of cheese (such as Swiss), breaded, and then pan fried or baked. Originated from Switzerland and seem to be a popular Western Menu in any Western Restaurant in Malaysia. My favourite and used to be one of my lunch menu while working in one of  the private University in Penang.

Simple and easy to prepare and serve best with Hollandaise sauce or mushroom sauce with rice or baked potatoes for a fabulous meal or Sunday dinner.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 4 slices (1 ounce each) cooked ham, cut in half
• 4 slices (1 ounce each) Swiss cheese, cut in half
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• vegetable oil

Mushroom Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup heated milk
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt
• white pepper

Preparation:

Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper or in food storage bag. Pound gently to flatten, using a rolling pin or smooth side of meat mallet. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Combine eggs with 1 cup milk; dip chicken pieces in mixture. Place a piece of ham and a piece of cheese in the center of each flattened piece of chicken. Brush top of cheese slices with the milk and egg mixture. Fold ends over the ham and cheese; roll up, beginning with long side. Secure rolls with toothpicks. Dredge chicken in the 1/3 cup flour then dip in remaining milk mixture; roll in bread crumbs to coat well. Place chicken rolls on a plate; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Fry chicken rolls for 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown. Drain well. Serve with mushroom sauce. Serves 8.

Mushroom Sauce

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; sauté mushrooms until browned. Add flour and stir until mixture is well blended. Gradually stir in hot milk and chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thickens. Simmer, stirring frequently, over very low heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 1 cup of medium thick sauce.

To prepare the Hollandaise sauce:

Gently place 4 egg yolks in a food processor and add a pinch of salt, white pepper, paprika, the lemon juice and hot sauce. Place the warmed clarified butter into the food processor very slowly until it thickens. To thicken the sauce, add an egg yolk and to thin it out add warm water.

MY FIRST CARTOON ARTWORK CAKE

I didn't expect that life could be so much fun lately. Am enjoying every moment of my life and approaching my retirement gracefully. I learned new things each day, things that I never envisaged that I could do...from fondant, to cake decoration, and now learning cartoon artwork cake. Honestly am not good at drawing but this was really fun. Designing a cartoon cake is not as difficult as it looks. With some basic baking supplies, you can make a cartoon cake yourself and make the birthday party one to remember. The base cake can be any flavor you choose, and you can make the cake from scratch or use a mix. 

You Need

- a cake, any cake..sponge cake will be good enough

- buttercream

- piping gel

- plastic piping bags

- dark chocolate converture

- liquid and gel coloring

- warm water

- spatula

- sample of cartoon picture to the actual size to be done on the cake

- cake liner paper/parchment paper/tracing paper/baking paper

- pencil/small tip marker/edible ink pen

STEPS

Draw the basic cake design on a notepad. The cake design can be as elaborate you like. If you are new to cake decorating, keep the design to a single layer cake with frosting designs. If you have decorated cakes before or want to experiment, add as many layers as you like. Consider the final cake, complete with decorations, frosting and accessories in your design. Color the pattern in and make note of the different colors you will need.

Prepare the necessary frosting and fondant colors. Color before chilling. Work the food coloring in. For even coloring, work the food coloring or color paste in thoroughly.  I used buttercream. Refrigerate the cake for about 20 minutes, or until the frosting is stiff to the touch.

Place the tracing paper on top of the cartoon image, secure it with masking tape. Trace the outline of the cartoon using pen or pencil., Melt the chocolate and insert in the piping bag. Pipe the chocolate outline set. Leave for a while till dry.

Remove the cake from the fridge and transfer the chocolate scatch on the cake. Do it carefully and slowly peel the paper off the cake. The transfer drawing are ready  for coloring. Color your gel  accordingly and insert into an individual piping bag. You are ready to start your artwook.

Buttercream Recipe

800 g creamwell

1 can condensed milk

Beat creamwell till soft. Add in flavour and condensed milk. Continue beating until until cream is smooth and well blend/

MY CHOCOLATE AND YELLOW FONDANT CAKE

When I was first learned to work with fondant, I found one of the hardest parts was actually covering the cake and having it look smooth. I struggled with pleats around the bottom, cracking and tearing fondant and corn starch or powdered sugar spots all over the fondant.

I looked at pictures and instructions, watched youtube videos and read forums...there are many tips you can find and its very helpful and sometimes you just can't wait to thave a perfect touch to take order. Since  I always believe practice...practice...and practice will perfect youR cake..so I made my decision to accept order and improve it along the way....and that's how I built my confidence....and of course my prime target is to make at  least 3 tier wedding cake..insyallah.

This "hantaran" cake I made for my daughter's housemate..simple chocolate cake with yellow and chocolate covering.these two color is her wedding theme. Dont really have a smooth touch..since it has been raining the whole week and I found out that the area am staying is quite humid so..its not so good for fondant..it dry up late. Anyway I still get it done...simple "hantaran' cake.

CAKE DECORATING TIPS - TIPS ON FABRIC PATTERNS ON CAKE

I saw this in a cake decorating book and I love it so much..so I search the you tube if I can find a way of designing my cake that mimic the fabric patterns and I found it in About.Com..wow it was so simple using a card with 45 angle. I do have a template for this but it was so hard to bend and it spoiled the cake so I used the About.com technique which is better. Here's how you can make it and i also included a video from about.com that can give you a clear picture of getting the quilt  fabric patterns on your cake.

HAPPY TRYING...

Decorating a Quilt Pattern on Cake

I have to make sure first that our fondant is nice and smooth. I'm going to do a quilting technique, which gives the fondant a quilted fabric look, and it looks really, really nice. So I take my straight edge - and this is at a 45-degree angle - line it up on the bottom of the cake. And I take my quilting tool and I just trace down along, and it will make it look like stitches. Move over to the next notch. Do the same thing. And you're going to repeat this step all the way around the cake. Flip it around, and make the crosses on each opposite direction. I'm using edible beads to put at each of the crossroads. I take my royal icing, and I'm going to put a little dot at each "X." That will make the beads stick.

http://video.about.com/cakedecorating/Cake-Decorating--Tips-for-Fabric-Patterns-on-Wedding-Cakes.htm

Sebenarnya ilmu menghias kek banyak boleh didapati dari you tube kalau rajin membuat kajian. Saya begitu berminat untuk membuat "quilt fabrik" ke atas kek tetapi tidak tahu cara membuatnya. Saya pernah dimaklumkan bahwa terdapat alat khas seperti template untuk untuk membuat quilt ini dan saya telah membelinya tetapi menggunakanya adalah amat rumit seka;i dan kadang ka;a  boleh merosakkan kek.  Tetapi sukur alahamdulillah saya telah mendapati satu kaedah yang begitu simple untuk membuatnya dengan hanya menggunakan kertas keras yang berukuran segi tiga berdarjah 45 dan diletakkan ke atas kek sambil diukir dengan roller yang digunakan untuk menanda kain baju. Cukup mudah dan yang bestnya coraknyanya pun kemas dan cantik. Saya letakkan manis hiasan diantara jarak2 kek ini ..memang hebat. Saya sertakan rujukan you tubenya jika anda berminat.

SELAMAT MENCUBA

MY GUM PASTE PROJECT - MAKING GUM PASTE FROM SCRATCH

Chinese Peony - from Gum Paste

Honestly am into this gum paste project...just started with making into simple small roses and now I have expanded my horizan into something big and complicated like "peony" and bigger roses, This is an interesting project, from making the gum paste from scratch, modelling, color brush, air brush and assembling the petals.  I really love this. The flower seem to be so real, and you will definitely be happy to see the results of your own making. 

I used to get the store bought gum paste but I realised that the quality wasn't so good, it easily deformed and melts when the water was cold..so decided to learn to make my own gum paste from scratch. Guided by my Sifu Nurainie Tan and OMG is was easy and the homeade gum paste is better than store bought in most cases because it is less expensive and creates a product that is easier to use. Premade gum paste tends to be a little stiffer and more likely to crack. The amount of gum paste created by most recipes might seem like too much for your various projects. However, gum paste can be frozen for up to six months as long as it is wrapped properly. You simply have to let it thaw in the fridge and then allow the gum paste to come back to room temperature before using it to make flowers or other cake design elements. 

There are four elements to making gum paste which are ingredients, mixing, kneading and storing.It is important to allot enough time when creating gum paste because each step is crucial to the finished product and ultimately the flowers you create.

You will need:

• A great gum paste recipe like the one developed by 
• A heavy duty mixer with a paddle attachment
• Spatula
• Fine powdered sugar, sifted
• meringue powder
• Large zip-lock bags
• shortening
• CNC power
• water

The recipe is very simple to follow for beginner cake designers.

Gumpaste Flower using flower dusting

The process for making gum paste is quite simple but you do need to follow the instructions very closely to achieve the correct elastic texture. Most recipes for gum paste follow a similar series of steps and use the same ingredients. The basic ingredients for gum paste are egg whites, powdered sugar and some sort of gum agent like tylose powder. I  used merigue powder as a substitute to egg whites and CNC gum as substitute to tylose..so here's the recipe for the gum paste:,

4 tsp merigue powder
4 tbsp water
350 g icing sugar (sifted)
6 tsp CMC
2 tsp shortening

1. Whisk the meringue powder with water till fluffy
2. Whisk in icing sugar. you will get a soft consistency royal icing texture

3.  Add in the CNC, mixture will thicken at this stage
4. Knead in shortening and mould into dough

5. If so sticky add in some icing sugar.
6. Wrap with  cling foil and rest overnight before using

Some useful tips to insure success in any gum paste recipe are as follows: Adapted - http://cakedecorating.about.com/od/gumpastetechniques/a/Lesson-Three-From-Craftsy-On-Making-Gum-Paste.htm

1. Take into consideration the area you live in when adding the powdered sugar to the egg whites. You might have to add more powdered sugar if you live in a more humid place and a dry environment would require less sugar.Take about a cup of sugar out of the amount listed in your recipe so you have some room to manipulate the finished product.
2. Always scrape the sides of the bowl down, as with any recipe, to ensure all the powdered sugar is mixed into the eggs.
3. Do not under mix the eggs and sugar. When finished the mixture will be very thick and glossy and look like meringue. Undermixing will produce gum paste which is not pliable or easy to handle.
4. If you are going to color an entire batch of gum paste a specific color you can add the color before adding the tylose powder when the batch still looks like maringue.
5. Sprinkle the tylose powder into the mixing bowl while running the paddle at low speed. Do not simply dump the powder in or it will clump up.
6. Take the extra time to scrape off the paddle and gather as much gum paste as possible because even a tiny amount can create a few flowers.
7. Seperate the gum paste into at least two smaller balls so it is easier to knead.Add extra powdered sugar in very small amounts as you knead the gum paste because it is hard to remove too much sugar if your texture becomes dry!
8. Gum paste dries out very easily if left exposed to air so wrap the finished ball as well as the ball waiting to be kneaded tightly in plastic wrap. The finished ball of gum paste should also be placed in a Ziploc bag with all the excess air pressed out.

After the gum paste is completed it is important to store it in the fridge for at least 24 hours so any undissolved tylose powder can become active. Most recipes makes about two pounds of gum paste which is enough for an entire garden of handcrafted sugar flowers! Trying to make gum paste from scratch is completely invaluable for anyone who is serious about making gum paste from scratch. It is relatively easy and handling homemade gum paste is a real pleasure.

Dusting Flower

Completed Gumpaste Rose Without Dusting

Air Brush Gumpaste Rose

Air Brush Equipment

Project gumpaste ni cukup menarik..saya mula  bermain aje..kini telah menjadi minat yang tidak dapat di tahankan lagi..setiap kali terjumpa sesuatu yang baru pasti akan saya mengambil jalan untuk mencubanya. Menariknya gumpaste flower ini mudah dipelajari di mana-mana aje..jika mampu boleh berguru dan jika tidak boleh melihat melalui you-tube. Dalam dunia serba canggih ini rajin dan usaha sahaja jalan yang terbaik untuk menimba ilmu. Masa mula berjinak dengan gum paste saya banyak menggunakan gum paste yang siap dikedai dan balik cuma mewarna dan membentukkan mengikut bunga yang digemari. Kali ini saya membuat gumpaste sendiri dari scratch. Caranya cukup mudah..malah gum paste yang dibuat sendiri lebih baik qualitynya dari gum paste yang dibeli. Kita cuma kena pandai adjust untuk mengikut cuaca di tempat kita.

Untuk gumpaste buatan sendiri ini saya menggunakan meringue powder.....caranya macam buat icing sugar juga..biasanya putih telur digunakan tapi saya lebih senang menggunakan meringue powder. Caranya memang seakan royal icing cuma bezanya ialah gumpaste ini dimasukkan sedikit gam yang terdapat berbagai jenis untuk mengeraskanya. Untuk resipi ini saya menggunakan CNC..yang selalu digunakan orang ialah tylose powder. Jika membuat adunan yang banyak mixer adalah penting..Untuk resupi yang saya gunakan ini mixer tangan memadai dan proses menguli dilakukan dengan tangan. Caranya mudah..jimat dan qualitynya lebih baik dari yang dijual dikedai.

Next Post -Decorative Cookies

CONGRATS EYBA - AM PROUD OF YOU

Yesterday was a happiest moment of my life..all the anxious waiting for my sweetie Eyba PMR result end up with a sweet and encouraging experience. She promised me straight's A and she delivered it..am so blessed and proud of her. 

No matter how bitter the books of education may be, the fruits are always sweet. Learning is the key to success.  I kept on emphasizing it to my children. She has achieved a great success, 8A's, her serious efforts had paid off and she deserve every bit of it. Congratulations and I bless you with my best wishes for you future. May God always take your care.

As this is her momentous milestones that should be celebrated, I baked her a cake to show my appreciation for her, a simple vanilla sponge cake with butter cream frosting...ha..ha..we had a small du'a selamat last night and it was a day and a night to remember. Congrats EYBA!  Savor this wonderful time in your life.  Anything is possible.

Eyba's Congrats Cake - Vanilla Sponge and Butter Cream 

Next Post - My Gum Paste Project 

INSTANT NOODLES FRITATA

Frittatas are open faced omelets that are sturdier than traditional French omelets and therefore easier to make. They are sometimes baked in the oven and sometimes cooked on the stove. This one is cooked my favorite way: partially cooked on the stovetop, then finished under the broiler. Frittatas are a great way to use up leftover pasta or bread crumbs, and they're ready in about 20 minutes, start to finish so they're a great choice for a quick dinner.

Left over is the best way to  cook fritata. As for this recipe I just cook the instant noodles..add shrimps and chicken fillet..some spring onion till cook, drained the soup and add the seasoning...then follow by the normal omelette method.

It's great for dinner or even breakfast. Serve while it is hot with some chili sauce

Here's the recipe

1 packet instant noodles

100  g chicken fillet diced

200 g shrimps diced

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup parmesan

2 stalk spring onions chopped

Cook the instant noodles as per the packaging instructions, add chicken and shrimps. Drain the soup and set aside

Beat eggs and milk, add the instant noodles seasoning, add the cooked instant noodles and chopped spring onions.

Heat up oil in the skillet then pour over the batter. Flip over and allow to cook, when it is almost cook sprinkle the cheese. You can also  put the skillet in  oven to get evenly  it evenly cook.

Simple ha !!! Bon Appetit

Fritatta ini adalah lebih kurang macam telur dadar..terkenal di Peranchis dan Italy, biasanya masak pakai pan biasa lepas tu di masak dalam oven supaya lebih sekata. Mudah membuatnya dan selalunya bahan-bahan lebihan semalam yang digunakan..tapi untuk kali ini saya gunakan mee maggi saya masak mee maggi seperti biasa tapi tidak diletakkan perisanya angkat dan toskan airnya. Guntingkan sedikit meenya. Lepas tu pukul telur dan campurkan susu, masukkan perencah maggi dan maggin yang dimasak tadi. Panaskan kuali leper dan masak macam buat telur dadar..balik-balikan dan taburkan cheese kemudian masuk dalam oven sebentar. Siap dihidang. Sedap makan bersama cili sos

BEST YELLOW CAKE

I was looking for a white/yellow cake for my daughter's birthday and I found this recipe in Smittenkitchen.com. the cake looks delicious and I gave myself a try..I divided the cake into two portion, one yellow and one pink. Frost it with butter cream. True enough as the owner claimed is a killer cake, the cake was simply delicious moist and tender..

YELLOW CAKE

Adapted - http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/best-birthday-cake/

Yield: Two 9-inch round, 2-inch tall cake layers, and, in theory, 22 to 24 cupcakes, two 8-inch squares or a 9×13 single-layer cake (I have yet to audition the cupcakes, shame on me)

INGREDIENTS

4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 grams) cake flour (not self-rising)/ 4 cawan tepung cake ( bukan tepung naik sendiri)

2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder / 2 sdt baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda /1 1/2 sdt baking soda

1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt / 1 sdt garam

2 sticks (1 cup, 1/2 pound or 225 grams) unsalted butter, softened / 225 g mentega

2 cups (400 grams) sugar / 2 cawan gula

2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract / 2 sdt vanila

4 large eggs, at room temperature / 4 biji telur

2 cups buttermilk (475 ml), well-shaken / 2 cawan buttermilk

Tyca with her birthday cake enjoying good

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans and line with circles of parchment paper, then butter parchment. (Alternately, you can use a cooking spray, either with just butter or butter and flour to speed this process up.)/ Panaskan ketuhar pada 350 F dan oleskan  loyang 9" dengan kertas minyak letak sebelah.

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture will look curdled). Add flour mixture in three batches, mixing until each addition is just Incorporated./ Ayak semua bahan kering dan letak sebelah. Dalam mangkuk lain pukul mentega dan gula sehingga kembang masukkan vanilla. Masukkan telur sebiji demi sebii. perlahankan speed  dan masukkan buttermilk. Masukkan tepung dalam tiga bahagian
2. Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. (I like to drop mine a few times from two inches up, making a great big noisy fuss.) Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour./ Bahagikan adunan kepada dua bahagian dan curahkan ke dalam loyang pembaker bakar selama 30-40 minit stau sehingga masak.

________________________________________________________________

Kek kuning atau butter cake yang cukup menarik. Saya dapat dari Smittenkitchen.com. Keknya lembut dan kembap, memang sesuai dijadikan kek ulang tahun.

Next Post - Instant Noodles Fritata