FONDANT HANTARAN DESIGN 6

Mad about Macaron and Crazy With Fondant and I don't know what's next. Anyway this is just for display..no recipe , I made this for a long..long lost friend daughter's engagement "hantaran" . The Theme color is pink so I made this tiny cake about 8". The weather is not so good due to raining days so it's hard to harder the fondant...ha..ha ..so the fondant slept with me in the air-con room to harden it fast. Simple one tier cake with peony and roses. Just perfect for hantaran.

Next Post - Steam Nyonya Yam Cake

ORANGE VANILLA CUPCAKES - MARTHA STEWART RECIPE

This is a great recipe that I got from Martha Stewart blog. A simple vanilla and citrus cupcakes. It's me when I'm stressed and have nothing to do at home I will bake and try something new. I have some  oranges in the fridge so goggled and found this recipe in Martha blog. See when come to cupcake you can’t go wrong especially when these individual cakes are lightly scented with orange and vanilla and topped with buttercream and bright orange zest. Texture is soft and moist and it's simply tasty

INGREDIENTS

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 vanilla beans, split and scraped, pods reserved for another use

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

2 large eggs

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Candied citrus slices, for decorating - I skipped this

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Cream butter, sugar, vanilla seeds, and orange zest until pale and fluffy. With mixer running, add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl.
2. Combine cream, orange juice, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with cream mixture, ending with flour; beat until just combined.
3. Divide batter among muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until testers inserted in the centers come out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in tins on wire racks. Undecorated cupcakes will keep, covered, for up to 1 day (or frozen for up to 2 months).
4. Using a serrated knife, trim tops of each cupcake to make level. Using an offset spatula, frost tops of each cupcake with some buttercream. 

Cupcake yang mudah dan sedap. Inilah tabiat buruk saya bila stress atau tak ada apa yang hendak dibuat maka merekalah saya. Kali ini nampak buah orange bergolek dalam fridge dan nampaknya tidak akan diusik jadi saya buat kek ini. Mulanya hendak membuat blended orange kek..tapi dek kerana sudah biasa membuatnya maka saya tukar plan dan buat cupcake ini. Resipi asal meletakkan hirisan limau atas kek tapi saya  malas hendak kecah-kecahkan kek jadi saya paip gunakan buttercream perisa oren. Sedap..lembut dan terasa orenya.

Next Post -  My Sixth Hantaran Cake

MEE REBUS TULANG

Wow this is absolutely marvelous. I really love Mee Rebus. So far that I;ve tasted were Mee Rebus Haji Wahid which is i Johor Baharu, Mee Rebus Ramli which is in the town I stay and of course Mee Rebus Mamak in Penang. All Three are superb but the best is Mee Rebus Haji Wahib. I never miss it if I have the opportunity to visit Johor. Well no one know their secret recipe but it was damn good. Recently I got some meats and bones from the :"qurban" so I decided to make this Mee Rebus. I don't really have the recipe but I goggled around and found one in Ceria Resipi.blogspot. Here recipe looks so tempting so I followed her with a tweak that suit my taste bud so here goes the Mee Rebus Tulang Recipe

RESIPI MEE REBUS TULANG

Asapted from - http://ceria-resipi.blogspot.com/2010/09/mee-rebus-haji-wahid.html

Bahan-bahan ( 4-5 org )

600 gm mee kuning (SPEGHETTI PUN BLH)

Taugeh agak dicelurkan

3-4 biji kentang (tgk saizlah eh) direbus di hiris 

3-4 biji telur direbus - di hiris nipis

3-4 kpg tauhu di goreng

lada merah n bawang merah

Cucur udang - saya buat cucur udangbiasa aje dihiris

Cili Hijau  dihiris

Bawang Goreng buat taburan

caipo n limau kasturi

Untuk Kuahnya

*7 biji bawang merah

*3 ulas bawang putih

 *3 batang serai

*1 inci lengkuas

*1/2 cawan udang kering

1 packet rempah kari daging

2 sb campuran ketumbar jintan disangai

400 gm tulang rusuk (takde tulang daging pun boleh)

1 1/2 cwn santan pekat

1 cawan taucho

1 1/2 sb gula merah

garam n perasa jika suka

3 ketul keledek kuning direbus dan dilecek

Cara-cara

Rebus tulang hingga empuk.... Bila tulang hampir empuk masukkan taucho dan biarkan mereneh.... 

Kemudian masukkan santan pekat...

Sementara itu dikuali lain... tumis rempah dan bahan blend hingga garing.... dan naik minyak

Kisar ketumbar jintan yg telah disangai td, masukkan kedlm bahan tumis... biar garing dan naik bau... masukkan bahan tumis kedlm kuah rebusan daging tadi.....

Masukkan gula merah, garam n perasa jika suka..... Biar hingga kuah pekat... (boleh letak keledek, kentang atau tepung jagung utk memekatkan kuah)

Rebus mee dan celur taugeh.. kemudian tapis.....

Potong kentang, tauhu, telur, lada merah n bawang ikut suke nak potong camaner..

letak mee, taugeh n bahan lain termasuk cili hijau dan limau kasturi... tuanglah kuah kat atasnyer..... siap....

Sebut aje Mee Rebus rmai akan teringat Mee Rebus Haji Wahidkan. Sedap dan entah apa resipinya tak ada siapa yang tahu..ialah rahsaia perniagaan. kebetulan baru ini dapat daging kurban saya teringin sekali hendak membuatnya jadi saya goggle dan jumpa resipi dari Ceriaresipi.blogpot.com nampak sedap dan tuan punya badan pula menyatakan ianya resipi mee rebus haji Wahid jadi saya cuba..cuma saya buat beberapa perubahan sedikit..sebab saya sukakanya lebi berempah jadi saya tambahlah rempah daging dan ketimbar lebih sedikit. Saya tidak letakkan cili boh kerana saya sukakan kuahnya pekat dan kekuningan. Buat sedikit cucur udang cara saya..sebaiknya jalau dapat cucur udang yang ranggup tetapi dek tak pandai saya guna car saya aje. Mak aii memang sedap lebih-lebih lagi dapat tulang som-som yang boleh disedut isinya dengan straw. memang puas hati lah..insyallah cuti Deepavali ni nak try lagi.

Next Post - Orange Cupcake

SPRING BATTENBURG CAKE

Battenberg cake is a light sponge cake. The cake is covered in marzipan and, when cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow. It was invented in 1884 by the chefs of the British Royal household to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine and Prince Louis of Battenberg.

This yummy and light sponge cake is a popular treat in England. When you slice open a Battenburg cake, the insides reveal a "checkerboard" pattern of alternating pink and yellow. It's a great party cake for all ages and a perfect afternoon tea treat. I made mine red and greeen, it' so lovely and tasty

Spring Battenburg Cake    
                                              


1 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 tsp milk (if batter is too thick)

1 drop deep pink Americolor soft gel food coloring 
1 drop green Americolor soft gel food coloring
1/2 cup apricot jam 
1 1/2 cups or approx. 3/4 lb.  marzipan  (press into measuring cups)
1 1/2 cups or approx. 3/4 lb ready-made white fondant
Confectioners' sugar for dusting 
Pearl dragees 
Corn syrup to hold dragees in place
Parchment paper 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10 x 7 baking dish, set aside.

Line the pan:
Fold a piece of parchment paper in half, then, while folded,  trim the edges to fit the length of the pan.  Place the parchment inside the greased pan with the crease sticking up and running lengthwise. (You are dividing the pan in two portions with the crease of the parchment.)  Smooth each side of the parchment down into the pan, adhering it to the bottom.

Bake the cakes: 
Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Beat in the 3 eggs one at a time, then mix in almond extract.  In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Gently add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture, and stir on low speed until combined. Add milk if mixture is too dense - batter will be thick but should spoon out easily.  Divide batter into two equal parts (this recipe makes about 3 1/4 cups batter).  Tint one portion of batter pink, and the other portion green.  Spoon (or pour) pink mixture into one side of the parchment lined pan, and green into the other side.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.  Turn cakes out onto a wire rack and let cool completely

Assemble the cake:
Using a serrated knife, trim each cake evenly into two long cuboid cakes.  You should have two green cake pieces and two pink. Melt apricot jam and brush cakes on all sides with it.  Stack cakes together two-by-two, creating a square of alternating colors.  On a piece of parchment, roll marzipan thinly with a large rolling pin, making sure there is enough to completely cover the stacked cakes.  Roll stacked cake tightly in marzipan, pressing to secure the edges.  

Dust work surface with confectioners' sugar and roll ready made fondant into a large thin sheet - again, making sure there is enough to completely enrobe the cake.  Roll marzipan coated cake in fondant making sure the seam is placed at the bottom of the cake - trim as needed.  Slice a small portion of cake off each side, removing the excess fondant and marzipan along with it.

With the back of a knife press criss-cross patterns in the top of the cake (like quilting).  Make a small indention with a lollipop stick where each line meets.  Put a small dab of corn syrup in each hole (use a small paintbrush or toothpick to apply) and place a single pearl dragee in each hole.

Store in an airtight container or wrap in cling film.


For those who need a step-by step process you can click to Hoa to Make Battenburg by WikiHow...Its very helpful and Happy Trying.  http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Battenburg-Cake


Next Post - Mee Rebus Tulang 

PERFECT FONDANT TIPS

Honestly I took fondant a month agao from my Sifu Nurainie Tan. She is a Wlton Instructor, A very good lesson that I go through as a beginner, we were taught of :-

1. tilt gunpaste and fondant

2. Making roses using 5 petal cookies cut

3. Making Calla Lily Flower

4. Making Daising

5. Making Carnation

6, Making Carysythmun

7/ Making Bow Tie

8 Making raffels for Cakes

9. Making different types of leave

10 Method of covering the cake.

Basically I am happy with the lesson learned. From zero knowledge...now I have made at least  6 fondants for my customer and they are really happy with my piece of work. I will definite continue my class and at the same time getting more information to perfect my cake.. Here are some tips that I got from the class and I hope this help for the beginner

I'm going to take you through my biggest tips and pointers for getting a nice finish so you can learn to cover your cake without pleating, tearing, holes, or any other frustrating issues that have you beating your head against the counter. This is good for those new to fondant as well, however, I will say that watching videos does help immensely so combine my information with some other videos and information out there. 

Tip 1: Start with the right fondant

One thing I found that really helped me was to buy a package of pre-made, high quality fondant to see what the consistency was like. That way I could better achieve the correct consistency when making it at home.

Tip 2: Get your icing as smooth as possible
The icing on your cake (under the fondant) should be as smooth and hard as possible. For this reason, many people really like working with ganache under fondant. You can get it as smooth as glass and it sets up as hard as a rock. I like ganache, but it's really rich and expensive so I mostly work with meringue buttercreams under my fondant which also provide a nice smooth surface. I use metal bench scraper and an icing spatula to get my buttercream smooth before I apply my fondant. 

Tip 3: Knead your fondant in pieces

I divide my fondant into several pieces to 

knead it. Then I zap each piece in the microwave for two 5-second increments to soften it slighty (no more than 5 seconds per zap or you'll melt it!) and then I work it on the counter. I keep the other chunks wrapped in plastic wrap so that they don't get dry and crusty while I work.While I'm kneading each section. 

4: Use your corn starch or powered sugar sparingly. I dust just a slight amount on my slightly flattened disc of fondant, rub it around, flip and do the same on the other side. Then I sprinkle a small amount around the countertop where I'll be rolling. e my fondant into several pieces to knead it. Then I zap each piece in the microwave for two 5-second increments to soften it slighty (no more than 5 seconds per zap or you'll melt it!) and then I work it on the counter. I keep the other chunks wrapped in plastic wrap so that they don't get dry and crusty while I work.

Once you've gotten all the chunks kneaded individually, put them together and knead the fondant until it's warm, soft, smooth and pliable. Remember silly putty? It should be a lot like that in consistency. 

As I roll, I put my hands under and all around the edges to make sure it isn't sticking to the counter. If need be, I sprinkle just a bit underneath and rotate the fondant slightly to distribute.

Tip 5: Roll it out bigger than you think it needs to be

Measure your cake across the top and sides. Got that added up? Great, add another 2 inches to the dimension. So if you measured 10 inches across the top and your cake is 3 inches tall, that's 16 inches of cake total. Roll out the fondant to at least 18 inches. I actually like a little more. More fondant along the bottom means you have more to work with when it comes to lifting and smoothing around the bottom and less opportunity for pleating and folding along the bottom. 

Tip 5: Roll it up
When you're ready to put it onto the cake, roll the whole thing back onto your rolling pin. Don't try to lift it with your arms or your hands and put it onto the cake. You'll get more air bubbles if you try to do it like that. The rolling pin method allows you to roll it slowly over the top of the cake. 

Tip 6: Secure the top edges first
Once you've rolled it onto the cake, secure all around the very top first. This will prevent the weight of the fondant from pulling away from the edge and tearing your fondant. The other thing that helps prevent fondant from tearing and breaking is the glycerine and shortening you added when you kneaded the fondant earlier as well as using a scant amount of corn starch (or powdered sugar). 

Tip 7: Lift up and in
Now you're going to work your way down from the top, smoothing out the fondant. Work your way around the cake, smoothing a half inch to an inch at a time all the way around, then keep going around until you get to the bottom. Sounds easy, no? This is the moment of truth. The trick? As you smooth with one hand, use your other hand to lift up the excess fondant on the bottom and push in towards the cake just slightly. It sounds completely counterintuitive, but just try it. Up and in. All that excess will help you with this. Keep lifting as you smooth down. 

Tip 8: Cut, smooth, cut
Once you've smoothed it all out with your hands all the way around, cut off all the excess with a pizza or pastry cutter.

Then use a fondant smoother to smooth it all down. Push in and move it up and down all around the cake. You'll end up with a little bit more along the bottom edge. Use your cutting wheel to cut it again as close as you can to the bottom edge

Tip 9: Use a butter knife to get a clean edge
Are you always putting something around the bottom of your cake to hide that ragged edge? I take a butter knife and work my way around, using it to gently remove and/or tuck in any excess underneath and create a nice smooth edge. 

If there's still a lot you didn't get, use the pizza cutter again. If it's just a tiny bit stuck to the cake board, you can scrape it off the cake board with the butter knife. If there's some that is uneven, use the butter knife to press it gently up into the cake. 

That's it! Now you have a smooth cake with no folds or pleats and a nice clean edge along the bottom. Now you don't have to worry about positioning your decorations to cover up your mistakes! You can start decorating your cakes with fondants flower and beads.