TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MINI CUPCAKES

Look at that dont you think it looks sweet and tiny.I made these into mini cupcakes.  Let me tell you, filling them with the ganache was challenging but oh so worth it!  I made them for a niece wedding reception.  They were a hit.  The frosting was delicious and the cake was very chocolaty. I am going to be keeping this recipe in my favorites for sure.  

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE MINI CUPCAKES

3/4 cup butter or margarine

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 all-purpose flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

6 dozen Betty Crocker® Candied Fruit wHershey®’s Kisses® Brand milk chocolates -OPTONAL)

1 Heat oven to 350°F. Place mini paper baking cups in mini muffin pan cups OR use mini foil muffin cups if you don’t have mini muffin pans.

2 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and chocolate over low heat 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until smooth; cool 20 minutes. In large bowl, beat melted chocolate mixture, sugar, 1 cup of the flour, the cocoa, baking powder, salt and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup flour and the chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons into mini cups.

3 Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are slightly firm (center will be slightly soft). Immediately top each with cherry, pecan half or chocolate, pressing slightly. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

Next Post - Russian Black and White Cake

LEMON CURB TARTS

Some may like it but some don't..Tangy, classic lemon curd. Whether you know it as lemon spread or lemon butter, it's still perfect with scones, pie and tartlet This is an old family recipe that we also call “Lemon Cheese”.  We generally make it during the holidays but I like to make it a few times a year to give away as special treats to my friends es especially after a plate of "briyani"...good to cut the excess fat away,I like to spread it on a crispy english muffin but it’s also super delish on any type of toast. 

And it’s ultra super delish as a pie, tart or cookie filling.  I’ll even admit that there’s been a time or two when I’ve eaten lemon curd right out of a spoon. There are only 4 ingredients and it’s also relatively inexpensive to make, especially if you have a lemon tree or find lemons on sale. 

Let’s check out the ingredients:Lemon curd

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

2 tablespoons lemon juice

50g butter, chopped

finely grated lemon rind, to serve

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Method

Step 1

Make lemon curd: Place egg, egg yolk, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice in a heavy-based saucepan. Whisk to combine. Add butter. Place over medium heat. Cook, whisking, for 7 to 8 minutes or until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stand for 5 minutes. Pour into a small bowl. Cover surface with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool completely.

Step 2

Meanwhile, lightly grease a 12-hole, 1 1/2 tablespoon-capacity mini muffin pan. Using a 6.5cm cutter, cut 12 rounds from pastry. Press pastry rounds into prepared pan. Pierce bases with a fork. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Bake pastry cases for 15 to 16 minutes or until light golden. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4

Spoon 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon curd in each pastry case. Top with lemon rind. Serve.

Note : Use can also use this lemon curb for macaroon filling it's a!! awesome !!!

For Cakes Filling

For Macaroon Filling

HEAVENLY CAPPUCINO CARAMEL CAKE

Here's my own recipe, based on a dozen old-fashioned ones given me by my friends over the years.  This is my favorite caramel cake.  It has a sturdy texture to the cake itself, almost a sponge-cake texture, and the frosting is rich and thick.   CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED  FROSTING 1 packet sponge  mix / 1 bungkus kek span mix 8 eggs / 8 biji telur 175 ml water / 175 ml air 175 ml corn oil /175 minyak jagung 1 cup caramel / 1 cawan caramel Preheat oven to 160 C  160 C / Panaskan ketuhar 160 C Put all ingredients in a bowl except oil and whisk till light and fluffy then add in oil whisk again / Masukkan semua bahan kecil minyak dan pukul sehingga kental Finally add in about a cup of caramel and combine well. / Akhir sekali masukkan minyak dan gaul rata. kemudan masukkan 1/2 cawan karamel yang disejukkan  Divide cake into 2 portion.Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. / Bahagi adunan kepada dua bahagian dan bakar selama 30 minute setiap satu atau sehingga masak. Sejukkan CARAMEL SYRUP 300 g brown sugar/ 200 g gula perang 300 g fresh milk / 300 g susu segar 45 g butter / 45 g mentega 150 g fresh milk / 150 susu segar Shimmer sugar till thick (soft ball stage)  remove from heat and add in 150 g fresh milk combine well./ Masak gula sehinnga perak dan seperti soft ball stage. Angkat dari api kacau2 dan masukkan 150 g susu segar PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING 230 g peanut butter / 230 g peanut butter 180 g cream cheese / 180 g cream cheese 100 g butter / 100 g mentega 60 g icing sugar / 60 g ising sugar 400 g whipped cream / 400 g krim putar  - whisk till soft peak Whisk ingredient A till soft and fluffy then add in the whipped cream Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light To assemble the Cake Slice each cake into 2 so you will get 4 pieces of cake if you like you can add in some caramel in you frosting/ Potong kek kepada dua..menjadikan 4 keping. Place a cake on the cake board and spread the frosting..then layered with another cake continue process until cake complete and finally frost the cake with the balance frosting and decorate./ potong setiap kek kepada dua menjadikan semua empat keping kek. Letakkan kek atas kek board dan sapukan frosting yang telah di siap. Jika anda suka perasa karamel boleh dimasukkan sedikit karamel kedalam frosting gaul hingga sebati. Ulangi proses sehingga habis dan baki frosting boleh digunakan untuk menghiaskan kek.

Next Post - Russian Black and White Cake

PATYSKITCHEN...MY PASSION, MY DREAM AND MY INSPIRATION

I still remember 2 years ago when I started blogging my conscience was clear..I want my blog to be a one stop reference for recipe. I want to record all my mom's recipe and with a high hope that my children could use this blog as their reference.  Never that I that through out the process I leaned more recipes..meeting new friends and most importantly getting my passion into business. In fact this was the thrilling part when friends asked me to bake for them...magazine started to approach me and business outlet started to ask me to supply them. Am a career woman..and what I did was just my passion and my past time..however since the demands was there...i told myself why not gave a try..who knows..it could be another turn around episode my life....turning my passion into income.

So here I go taking the challenge...and alhamduliallah it moves in the right directiosn. I relying so much on internet marketing online. Internet marketing is a big change to consider as you reinvent your business. The Internet has already changed the world, so it’s time for it to change your business too. Options to consider include: a beefed-up website and online sales operation, search-engine optimization, blogging, deal-of-the-day services such as Facebook and Twitter. The Internet can help a small micro-business compete with the largest international business. Budget no longer controls the outcome, but neither does price alone. But perceived value and niche marketing will win, developed and enhanced with the community support that social networking provides. This can best be accomplished via the Internet.

And that 's how  I did my business....alhamduliallah orders came in from everywhere that you did expect...am  blessed and now am looking for ways to diversified my business and improving me product. Well if am a novice baker can do it I believe you too can do it...like the saying "when there's a will there's a way"....yeah !!!

Here's my product line  !!!!

SNOW CHEESY CAKE

This is another awesome cake. The texture of the care is soft like Japanese Cotton. The cake is unique...cheese was not inside the cake but as frosting/coating...perfect cake for cheese lovers.

CHEESY SNOW CAKE

adapted from Izahmuffinlovers/blogspot,

•  6 egg yolks /6 biji telur ayam (buang putihnya)
• 100 g caster sugar /100 gram gula halus
• 100 g hong kong flour /100 gram tepung hong kong (blue key superfine boleh juga) 
• 60 g corn flour / 60 gram tepung jagung (maizena)
• 50 g water from the fridge / 50 gram air sejuk (dr peti ais)
• 1 tsp baking powder /1 sudu teh baking powder- tak letak
•  2 tbsp ovelette /2 sudu makan ovelet
• 75 g melted butter / 75 gram mentega (dicairkan)

• UNTUK KRIM
• 1 box cream cheese /1 kotak cream cheese philadelphia
• 1/2 can condensed milk  / 1/2 tin susu pekat manis
• (satukan kedua bahan & putar sehingga tidak berketul2.

• UTK TOPPING
• 1/2 kotak kraft cheddar cheese (parutkan) 

        Dicadangkan parut halus supaya kek tidak muak ketika dimakan.

Cara-cara:

1. Masukkan semua bahan2 kecuali mentega cair dan putar.

2. Putar dengan kelajuan sederhana sehingga pekat & putih.Akhir sekali masukkan mentega cair.Putar lagi sehingga sebati dan pekat.

3. Sediakan acuan yang telah dialas dgn kertas minyak atau yang telah disapu dgn sedikit butter.

4. Bakar dalam acuan dengan menggunakan api atas dan bawah selama 45 minit ke 1 jam, dengan kepanasan 150C.

5. Bila sudah masak biarkan sejuk. Bila dah sejuk, ambil pisau kek dan potong di tengah-tengah kek supaya menjadi dua bahagian.

6. Sapukan krim cheese di atas separuh kek tadi, kemudian letakkan sebahagian lagi kek di atasnya.

7. Sapukan lebihan krim cheese sehingga menutupi seluruh kek.

8. Akhir sekali taburkan cheese kraf yang telah diparut tadi keseluruh kek sebagai toppingnya.

9. Masukkan dlm peti ais dlm 1-2 jam. Lepas tu baru potong.

Ramai dah cuba cake ini dan ternyata kek popular dikalangan blogger. Tektur kek sama dengan Japanese Cotton Kek..cukup lembut dan gebu..Kek cuma menggunakan keju dibahagian luarnya sahaja. Dua jenis cheese digunakan iaitu krim cheese dan ceddar chesse untu membaluti kek. Cukup sedap..bagi peminat cheese..kita ini memang sesuai untuk anda

HOW TO MAKE FONDANT BOW POM POM STYLE

Fondant creates an extremely polished, professional look to cakes, but simple fondant creations, such as this gift bow, are not particularly difficult to master, even for the beginner. Here are the steps to creating lovely individual fondant bow cakes for a bridal shower, baby shower, birthday party, or other special occasion.

I use marshmallow fondant for my bows.  I find that it dries very quickly.  If you have trouble getting it to dry, you can add some Gum-Tex to your fondant, or use a half-fondant, half-gumpaste mixture.

This bow will be sized to sit on top of a 6" cake (looks the best if it is a tiered cake).

So, let’s get started!  Here’s a list of what you’ll need.  Everything is not in the picture and you can probably substitute for some of these items, but this is everything Iused.

• Fondant with Tylose powder or gum paste (about 1 pound)
• Rolling Pin
• Ribbon Cutter
• Shortening
• Sugar Glue (Water with a tiny amount Tylose powder added), or you can just use plain water, but the glue works better!
• Paint Brush
• White Chocolate (optional)
• Round Cookie Cutter (about 3.5″)
• Pastry Wheel or Pizza Cutter
• Ruler
• Plastic Wrap
• Cookie Sheet, dusted with corn starch

1. Roll a sheet of fondant about 8" wide by 15" long, approx. 1/8 inch thick.  You don't want it to be too thin, or the loops won't be able to hold their shape when they dry.

2. Cut the sheet with a pizza roller, 6" in width.

3. My bow loops will be 1" wide.  Use the ruler as a guide and cut with a pizza roller or fondant cutter.

4. You can have as few as 12 bow loops or as many as 18, depending on the look you wish to achieve.  This bow will have 14 loops, and I always make a couple of extras in case of breakage.

5. Dust the sheet of cut strips with a shimmer dust like pearl dust, or antique silk, which is what I'm using. The brush is a cosmetics brush that I only use for dusting cakes.

6. Pick up a single strip, and pinch together the ends (making sure your shimmer dusted side is facing OUT).  If it doesn't adhere by itself, you can use a little water at the joining point.
  
7. On a large sheet of wax paper, carefully position the loop on its side for drying.  Repeat for all loops.

 8. The bow streamers:  Cut two 6" strips the same width as for the bows.  Dust with shimmer dust and cut a 'V' shape in the end with kitchen shears.

9. To achieve the look I want for these streamers, I place a piece of wax paper over an inverted cake pan, and arrange the streamer over the pan and flowing off the side.  Make sure the streamer is completely on the wax paper.  As you can see from the examples at the top of this tutorial, there are many different ways to position the streamers.  

10. Dry 1-2 days, depending on the temperature and humidity in your area.  Mine are usually dried overnight (in air conditioning).

11.  Assembling the bow:  Get a small plate like a bread or salad plate, and cover with a piece of wax paper about the same size.  For your bow's glue you can use royal icing or candy melts.  If your bow is colored, tint your glue the same color as the bow.  Place a small puddle of glue in the center of the wax paper.

12. The bottom layer of this bow will have 7 loops.  Arrange them in a circle, turning some on their sides.
   
13. For the second layer, add another generous dollop of glue to the center.

14. Stack another layer of loops on top, again turning some on their sides.  Try to make the 2nd layer loop the "opposite" of the first layer loop.  In other words, try not to stack two on their sides because it looks funny.  Arrange in a circle.   My second layer will have 6 loops.

15. For the top and center loop, apply your glue directly to the pointy side of the loop.

16. Arrange the top loop in the top gap, making sure you have good contact with the glue on the bottom.

17. Sometimes, during the assembly process, the loops start to work their way outward.  After I have assembled all the loops, I gently put both hands around the bow and press inward to make the bow formation tighter.  This is done very gently. Stop pushing when the loops don't move any more.
 
18. Let dry a few hours, or preferably overnight.  If you've used candy melts as your glue, you can speed up drying time by putting in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so.

19. When you are ready to place the bow on the cake, make a puddle of glue on top of the cake.

20. Place your streamers on top of the cake, with the ends in the glue.

21. Gently pick up your bow by sliding your hand under the wax paper.  Turn upside down into your other hand and slowly peel off the wax paper.

22. Place on the cake!  You're done!  For a fun, whimsical touch, you can attach a fondant pearl to each bow loop with a dot of royal icing.

HOW TO MAKE GUM PASTE WIRED ROSES

I made this wired gum paste roses for the recent wedding cake. For those interested to know here's the video by Edna on the step by step process. You can use colored gum paste or use the flower dust method. I did the second version. I made my roses white and flower dust it with pink flower dust.

Pada yang bertanya tentan.g bunga yang saya gunakan untuk kek kahwin baru ini, di sini saya tunjukkan cara membuatnya. Saya menggunakan gum paste untuk membuat bunga mawar tersebut. Oleh kerana bunga yang saya gunakkan ada besar maka bunga ini perlu di support dengan dawai..jadi semua kelopak bunga dimasukkan dawai. Saya sertakan di sini video dari Edna yang menerangkan secara terperinci bagaimana bunga ini dihasilkan. Anda boleh memilih dua cara samada mewarnakan gum paste anda atau pun menggunakan flower dust untuk mewarnakan mawar anda. Untuk kek ini saya memilih cara kedua ia itu dengan  menggunakan flower dust. Flower dust boleh didapati dengan berbagai warna di mana-mana kedai..kek. Membuat gum paste rose ini memang menarik dan bunga harus dikerinkan semalam sebelum digunakan.

STACKED TIERED CAKE CONSTRUCTION

Fondant is a great way to decorate a cake, or cookies or cupcakes, for a special occasion. Fondant's smooth finish will give your dessert the illusion of coming straight from a professional bakery. It is not the easiest cake decorating material, but once you get the hang of it, it can be used in many different ways for many unique looks.

Before applying fondant to your cake you want to make sure it is completely level and flat. Use a knife to cut off any excess cake and to round the edges. If there are any sharp corners or edges the fondant might crack when it is drying. Next, use a large spoonful of frosting to secure your cake to a cake board or plate you will be serving it on to prevent it from moving around and sliding while you are trying to decorate it.

Apply butter cream frosting to the entire cake. This will hide any uneven spots or crumbs stuck to the cake while also acting as a sealant that the fondant will stick to. The fondant will also stick better if applied to the cake when it is slightly chilled so you might want to stick it in the fridge for a few minutes.

To prepare the fondant for the cake knead it in your hands until it feel like clay. Now roll it out with a rolling pin. You can sprinkle it with cornstarch if it starts to stick to your rolling pin or countertop. Keep rolling until the fondant is 1/4 inch thick and a little larger than the cake you wish to cover with it. It should be large enough o cover the entire top and sides of the cake and touch the board or plate.

Once the fondant is rolled out to the correct size flip it over and place it on the cake, this way the side that was touching the countertop is facing up. This side will be shiny. Starting in the center and working outwards smooth the fondant using your hands. Work towards the edges and move your way down the sides to remove any air bubbles trapped underneath.

Once the fondant is smooth on the cake cut any excess from the bottom that hangs past the edge of the cake. You can now continue to decorate the cake with more fondant, sprinkles, frosting, or whatever you choose.

Rolled out fondant can be cut with cookie cutters and then used to decorate over more fondant or just plain frosting. You can also sculpt fondant just like clay to make any 3D shapes or figures you might need to complete your design.

Berkesempatan menyediakan Kek Kahwin untuk anak saudara merupakan satu pengalaman yang cukup menarik. Saya hanya memperlajari untuk membuat kek fondant cara membalut kek dan menyediakan bunga tetapi untuk kek kahwin bertingkat saya belum berkesempatan untuk memperlajarinya. Cuma berpandukan dengan internet saya laksanakan tugas ini. Tekniknya lebih kurang sama dengan kek fondant yang lain tapi untuk kek bertingkat ini paling penting ialah structure kek supaya kek akan kuat dan tidak goyang.

Untuk Kek Kahwin ini oleh kerana saya masih baru saya cuma menggunakan butter cake..sebab tektur butter cake mampat. Sila lihat gambar rajah dibawah bagaimana untuk menyusun dan menguatkan kek. Ukuruan bagi setiap kek harus tepat supaya ia tidak sengit. Teknik membalut kek boleh dirujuk pada entry saya yang dahulu. Saya ada menunjukkan step by step proses. Untuk  kek kahwin ini highlightnya ialah structure kek. Kek apabila telah selesai disusun dimasukkan batang kayu nipis menembus ketiga-tiga tingkat supaya ia tidak goyang. Kayu ini boleh didapti di mana-mana kedai kek. Lepas structurnya kukuh bolehlah dihiaskan dengan design sendiri. Ternyata membuat sendiri adalah lebih puas dan menyakinkan....Insyallah.

Stacked Tiered Cake Construction - adapted from Wilton

Stacking is the most architectural method of tiered cake construction. Tiers are 
placed directly on top of one another and pillars are not used. Cakes are supported 
and stabilized by dowel rods and cake boards.

Click here to view ideas that use stacked cake construction.

step 1

Dowel rod all tiers except top tier.

step 2

Position the middle tier on the base tier, centering exactly.

**TIP: Finely shredded coconut or confectioner's sugar, placed in
 area where cake circles or plastic plates will rest, helps prevent 
                            frosting on the cake from sticking.

step 3 

Repeat with the top tier.

step 4

To stabilize tiers further, sharpen one end of a wooden dowel 
rod and push it through all tiers and cake boards to the base of 
the bottom tier.

     step 5

To decorate, start at the top and work down.