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Birthday Cookie Cake recipe in this week's 优1周UW... I was very honoured when 优1周UW magazine approached me a few weeks ago to contribute a cookie recipe to their recipe segment. They wanted a cookie recipe that would be delicious and different, so the reporter and I chose my chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe, and we decided that it should be a decorated "cookie cake". Since then, I've been excitedly waiting for the issue to come out... and now it has! You can buy this week's issue at newstands almost anywhere in Singapore and the birthday cookie recipe is on pg 93. The recipe comes with step-by-step photography of the cookie making and decorating process too! So do grab a copy of this week's U Weekly! =)
Read the earlier part of this story here... Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 29 June 09 .................................................................................................................... Pandan Cake again... Part II (continued from here) Almost a month later, I tried my recipe again with a major adjustment to the amount of coconut milk and a slight increase in temperature, and the result was much better. It was a bit shorter than I had hoped but the colour was a much deeper shade of brown and there was that brown skin at the side. From listening to the cake "squoosh", I think the cake was moister and softer too. However, I'm not entirely sure because this cake went missing!
What happened was, after making the cake and cooling it, I hastily left the house for an appointment and sms-ed Mom to tell her there was pandan cake at home. When I came home much later, Mom was out and my brother told me he had eaten two slices - and he had only found two slices. The rest of the cake was nowhere to be found. Mildly frantic, I called Mom. She told me she had brought the rest of the cake to church. There were no leftovers, so I didn't get a chance to get a shot of the inside of this cake...but on the bright side, there were no leftovers! =) I only had anecdotal evidence to go on. My brother thought it could have been a bit lighter, and mom wanted it slightly sweeter. The only solution was to make it again. Probably, it would require a bit more egg white for added height and lightness, and a teensy weensy bit more sugar. So, with sweat pouring down my face (thanks to the weather and my extra pounds), I made the cake again. And forbade anyone from touching it while it was cooling upside down. Daddy was very bemused that the cake had to be hung upside down and made a science joke I didn't quite understand.... But I digress.
I was happy with the colour, height, texture and flavour of this latest version, and I managed to retain most of the brown skin - I lost some due to rough handling but it was my own fault. This time I managed to get the picture of the inside. Whoopee!
Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 25 June 09 .................................................................................................................... Stained glass cookies... Aunty D was very kind to teach me how to do these pretty stained glass cookies when I went over to her house a few days ago. First we rolled and cut out the the cookie shapes and used smaller cookie cutters to cut out smaller pieces. (I hope you know what I mean) Then we baked them for three quarters of the total time or so until the cookies were just starting to brown. I always thought the sweets (she used Fox sweets) had to be pounded into small pieces but she simply chopped them into quarters and placed them into the cut-out spaces. In fact, Aunty D told me that if the sweets were in very tiny pieces the stained glass effect will be more bubbly and not so smooth. I guess smaller pieces of sugar boil faster and more furiously in the oven... Each little space needed around 1-2 small quarters of Fox sweets.
We baked them for the rest of the baking time and the sweets magically melted into place.
Aunty D had some little gumpaste flowers that she bought from Phoon Huat and she stuck them on the melted sugar while it was still sticky from the oven. We had to work fast because the sugar would harden quite quickly as it cooled.
She told me that the right amount of sweets would result in a perfectly filled centre, like this one below. Too much and they would sort of leak out from under the cookie. (See cookie on top right hand corner in the picture above)
This is the front view of the cookie. So cute and shiny and pretty. Looks like jelly, come to think of it.
The little hole in the top of the cookie was made on purpose, so that a string could be threaded through. I didn't do that because I couldn't be bothered =P, but it's definitely do-able. And I learned that lining the baking sheet with silicon paper is a must for this project. Ordinary baking paper may not release the stained glass part easily. When we put a few cookies on a piece of kitchen paper to cool, the kitchen paper promptly stuck to the sugar. So now I know and you know how to make these lovely stained glass cookies. You could use any rolled cookie recipe, really. I had fun! Thanks Aunty D! Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 25 June 09 .................................................................................................................... Jun-Aug Workshop Schedule... The Cookie Art Workshop is back, along with Fondant Cupcakes! What's great about Cookie Art is that the cookie recipes are yummy and a snap to make, and the 3-step decorating method is not at all difficult to master. Best of all, the results are picture-perfect...we were really honoured that Mediacorp felt that our decorated cookies were good enough to be used as edible props for one of their drama series. We're very happy to have Ms Jane Lim of Passion Baker join us to teach some of our workshops. Jane's got a wealth of baking experience and she's so willing to share what she knows. She will be teaching Cookie Art this season, guiding you through the process of baking and decorating cookies that are both beautiful and delicious. The seats for the Pretty Floral Cupcakes workshops taught by Philia were snapped up so fast that we have opened some new classes! There will be an additional session in Aug, and then Philia will be teaching Fondant Cupcakes. Fondant Cupcakes is a follow-up workshop to Pretty Floral Cupcakes that focuses exclusively on decorating with fondant - the perfect type of icing for our warm weather or outdoor parties. There is no prerequisite for either of these cupcake workshops and you can choose to attend either one first. Both workshops are suitable for beginners to either baking or cake-decorating. So here's the Jun-Aug 2009 workshop schedule you've been waiting for... COOKIE ART WORKSHOP (Hands-on)
To find out more or register, please click here
PRETTY FLORAL CUPCAKES WORKSHOP (Hands-on)
To find out more or register, please click here
FONDANT CUPCAKES WORKSHOP (Hands-on)
To find out more or register, please click here Registration is easy and instantaneous. Simply go to Baking Workshops, click on "Find out more or register", fill up the form and make payment online to reserve your seat. See you at the workshops! =) *IMPORTANT: Kindly do not register at the Asian Bakes Culinary Studio as they do not have the latest information on seat availability. Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 15 June 09 .................................................................................................................... I have always admired the cookie cakes that Famous Amos and Mrs Fields have on their display shelves. Finally, I had a chance to make one of those myself. (As for how that chance came about, I'm dying to tell but it'll have to wait for next time...) Anyway, I got out my usual chewy cookie recipe, and found it was even easier than making regular sized cookies. Instead of measuring little balls of cookie dough, all I had to do was squish all of the cookie dough into my usual cake pan and bung it in the oven. Actually I made it in two cake pans because I wanted to keep one and give one away.
Here's the cookie sitting in its pan, cooling down. You will need to line the pan with baking parchment, just in case. This sort of cookie is better if it is chewy so don't overbake it. The centre of the cookie should still be a little soft. You wouldn't want it be too brittle and dry in places.
I piped a border with royal icing, my icing of choice for warm weather. Buttercream is well and good but you will need to refrigerate the cookie if you use it.
It was a nice and thick cookie with a chew. I've been pinching bits of it to eat. I hope someone comes along and rescues me before I finish it all by myself. Help? Posted by Anna Chan, Fri 12 June 09 .................................................................................................................... Part I The very name gives me mixed feelings. If you've failed or never tried making one before, the words pandan chiffon are like a undefeated challenge. If you've succeeded in making a really good one, it's like a notch in the baker's belt and even the oldest member in your family would beam upon you with pride and say, 'My _______ [fill in the blanks] makes very nice pandan cake.' And if you're like me and you've both succeeded and failed, you will probably feel torn between a vague sense of happiness that you can in fact make pandan cake, and yet bewildered as to why you can't always get it right. Today I managed to turn out an okay looking one. It rose beautifully in the oven...
and didn't crack when it was done...
and it hung suspended over an inverted glass without dropping out...(yes that's the free coke glass that comes with your Mac's Extra Value Meal =)
...and the little brown crumbs tasted nice. I didn't manage to retain the brown outer skin but that isn't bothering me.
It even made a little 'squooshy' sound when I lightly pressed the top with a fingertip. (The squoosh sound is an indicator that the cake will be moist inside.) But I have no idea if it is going to be everything it promises to be. I can't cut it because it's meant for my dad. I can't even pinch off a corner to try because it's not going to be dressed up with cream and things. So I'm scared. I hope it turns out well and he likes it.... (2 days later...) I must give a little background to why I chose to make pandan cake for Daddy. He had specifically hinted about whether it was possible to not have any cream on the cake, so this cake was chosen and presented completely au naturel - as pandan cakes usually are. Yet, it was with a little embarrassment that I told my family that Dad's cake wasn't a dressed up cake this time. No one seemed to mind. In fact everyone was very encouraging and made a lot of nice noises about not wanting to eat the extra cream anyway.
I took this picture at the restaurant with my phone camera on macros mode and the picture just isn't so good as when I use my husband's big old camera...but at least you can see the grain of the cake. In the end, the objective was achieved. Daddy did like it! He had two slices and so did Grandma (actually, so did I). In my opinion this particular version still wasn't everything I was hoping for. It was moist and light and tasted nice but somehow, I felt it could still afford to be a little richer... and the brown skin should at least be intact on the top surface. Oh well, back to the drawing board... Writing recipes is hard but I really like it! Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 28 May 09 .................................................................................................................... Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshops... Ms Philia Ng, an accomplished baker and blogshop owner, is our guest trainer and she will be conducting our "Pretty Floral Cupcakes" Workshops at the AsianBakes cooking studio located at The Central #B1-43. Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshop (Hands-on)
To find out more or register, please click here *IMPORTANT: Kindly do not register at the Asian Bakes Culinary Studio as they do not have information on seat availability. Posted by Anna Chan, Tues 26 May 09, updated Wed 10 Jun 09 .................................................................................................................... Baby's birthday... We are having a little birthday party for Amos tomorrow so today is cake-making day. I decided on something safe and simple - a cartoon cake featuring his favourite character, Mickey Mouse. My mom had given him a jigsaw puzzle, and the picture of baby Mickey happened to be the right size for the 8 inch cake I intended to make.
I traced it on baking parchment and used the chocolate transfer method invented by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen in their book Whimsical Bakehouse. It really is a great method. The authors recommend using wafer chocolate (candy melts, I think) but I use Phoon Huat's bakeable white chocolate chips and the results are very good. As for the cake itself, I made the chocolate chiffon sponge recipe from my book Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Homebakeras an 8 inch round cake. (In case any of you feel like doing the same, the baking time is 40 min at the same temperature.) After torting the cake into three layers instead of the usual two, I happily filled and covered it with white chocolate meringue buttercream and fresh strawberry slices. And then I ran out of buttercream before I could pipe any other designs or borders. ACK. I knew I should have stuck with 2 layers of cake... Oh what to do? What to do!? Thank God for that packet of almond nibs in the fridge. They're always so handy for cake decorating emergencies. I dry-fried them in the frying pan (you can also toast them) until they were lightly browned and when they were cool, plastered the sides of the cake with them.
Happy Birthday Amos! Papa and Mommy love you. Posted by Anna Chan, Fri 22 May 09 .................................................................................................................... Win a prize in our May Giveaway!... We have something absolutely delightful to give away to our readers! But first, the story.... I fell in love with this local online shop called Shopnbake owned by Elyn! Elyn has got a beautiful catalogue of unique baking products that you can't find in Singapore. The products mostly need to be pre-ordered, but she is really prompt and friendly in answering queries and it's so easy working with her. I can't wait for my things to arrive. Anyway, I've been admiring her stuff for months and got excited when she added a cookie letter press to her catalogue. I just had to order it. Soon I will be able to imprint names on cookies. Boy will my family be surprised when they see their names professionally embossed on cookies. Not to mention it will make a cool, albeit edible, calling card for meeting people. I'll upload pictures of the cookie press later and the imprinted cookies later when i have time to make them! I actually wanted to buy some more goodies from Elyn to give away right here, but she was kind enough to sponsor them! ...So nice of her! So here's the deal for our... May Giveaway Contest! We'll be giving away a set of music-themed cookie cutters (worth S$22.90), generously sponsored by Shopnbake, to one random lucky winner residing in Singapore!
To enter this contest, simply:
Deadline for comments is 22 May 2009, 10 pm Singapore time *The winner will be chosen via random.org's integer generator and will be announced on this post on Monday 25 May 2009. So leave a comment, and stand a chance to win this cookie cutter set! Sorry, time's up! This contest is now over. The winner will be chosen via random.org's integer generator and will be announced on this post on Monday 25 May 2009. And the winner is.....comment #19 by beabea!
We'll be getting in touch with beabea soon to give him/her the prize! Thank you for your participation, everyone! Posted by Anna Chan, Sat 16 May 09 (Updated Mon 25 May 09) .................................................................................................................... Baby turns 2!... He turns two next week. I still call him Baby. It is amusing that he seems to know what to do with with the cookie dough...
Maybe one day he'll inherit all my pots and pans and cake-making things, if he wants them. Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 14 May 09 .................................................................................................................... More handbag cakes!... We made handbag cakes again yesterday! I really like putting these on display...they're so pretty, don't you think? I love the versatility of fondant and how it can be made to look so smooth on a cake.
Made by Serene
Made by Michelle (Serene's sister)
Made by Sufiani
Made by Michelle
Made by Carly
Made by Larry Great work everyone! =) Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 11 May 09 .................................................................................................................... What we did during the 2-Tiered Cake Workshop... It's time for another line-up of dazzling beauties! The workshop participants really did an amazing job with their 2-tier cakes. Wow...
It's no good seeing their masterpieces from so far away. Let's go closer.
This one was made by Jean...
and this was by Siti...
and this was made by Melissa...
...this was by Suzanah...
this, by Michelle...
and this one was by Oni.
(I managed to complete mine after we had finished cleaning up.) And this is the 2nd instalment!
By Aida
By Raiha
By Fiona
By Jane
By Jaslynn
By Philia Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 4 May 09 .................................................................................................................... Design-A-Handbag Workshop... Just a quick announcement... Design-A-Handbag Cake Workshop
Posted by Anna Chan, Fri 1 May 09 ................................................................................................... Play that funky music... My old buddy Angie's having an uber cool (wait, what does uber mean?) 80s-themed birthday party and I didn't know what to get her, so I offered to make her a cake. In the end, we settled on cookies. It's going to be an outdoor party and with our inhibitive weather that will wilt any class of a cream cake, royal iced cookies are the perfect fancy treat to have instead. She had no problems deciding on what she wanted. (I love this girl!) And here the cookies are, all dressed up for the party.
This box is actually from a Marriot chocolate hamper we got recently. I'm sorry I recycled the box Angie dear, but it's a real solid looking box and it was the perfect size. =P
I wrapped the cookies in individual little ziploc bags because I'm terrified of the lethal combination of food + outdoor events + unpredicable weather. The bugs!! and the HEAT and the DAMP! It's time to think about what to wear to her party to look prettily preggie instead of frumpily fat. Happy Birthday Angie! Posted by Anna Chan, Fri 24 Apr 09 .................................................................................................................... Peanut butter blessings... Waking up on Easter Sunday morning was difficult and I complained inwardly about having to go to church so early in the morning. =P But God had a little surprise for me.
Usually I have to do a whole string of experiments before I arrive at a recipe that I like. This time, after attending the Easter service on Sunday, I went home and tried a simple formula for peanut butter cookies that dawned on me while I was listening to the sermon. The formula worked on the first try, resulting in delicious crumbly peanut-buttery cookies that are sturdy enough to be packed closely into a box and yet melt in your mouth. I was amazed as I almost never succeed like this on the first trial of a new formula. I don't doubt for a moment that God was trying to make my life a little easier - even in a seemingly trivial matter like coming up with a new cookie recipe. =) So kind of Him, especially after I complained about going to service! Thus, I've decided to put up this recipe and call it Peanut Butter Blessings because the recipe literally dropped into my lap. I'm still sitting amazed as I write this. The recipe is now on the subscribers' freebies page. If you had already subscribed before today, the link has not changed yet so you can still download the recipes from the link I sent you in the latest newsletter. Posted by Anna Chan, Tues 14 Apr 09 .................................................................................................................... Humidity is my nemesis... For my beloved grandma's birthday, a traditional but pretty cake was in order. I had decided to make an orange sponge cake, and had already made a bunch of royal icing flowers two days ago. Royal iced flowers are great as they can be dried at room temperature. Only, they have to be left to dry for a day / overnight. Buttercream flowers were out for me because I have no more freezer space. [You can do all these flowers with a #104 petal tip, some piping bags, baking parchment, a flower nail (it looks like a nail with a large flat round top) and stiff consistency royal icing.]
Then, I realised I had a dilemma. Royal icing flowers need to sit on a dry type of icing like fondant, not a creamy icing like fresh cream or buttercream, or they will absorb the moisture and become soft and shapeless. On the other hand, sponge cakes shouldn't be covered with fondant as fondant is too heavy and will crush it. (A chocolate-based icing/ganache posed some uncertainty for me as I had no idea how royal icing decorations would behave on chocolate. Perhaps it would be ok or perhaps it wouldn't, but I couldn't risk it this time as it wasn't an experiment.) Finally, I decided to go with a thin donut glaze over the orange sponge as the glaze would dry nicely and the royal iced flowers would behave themselves atop a dry surface. Everything was going fine when I made the cake yesterday, and the flowers on the glaze were looking perfectly okay. I knew the cake would be fine at room temperature... but I was suddenly consumed by a terrible fear of ants crawling into the cake box and all over the cake during the night, so I transferred the cake to the fridge. MISTAKE. This morning, I took the cake out to take a photo and the poor flowers, being very cold from the fridge, began collecting condensation from the warm air. You know how water vapour collects on your spectacles when you come out of a cold car into warm weather? The little flowers wilted very slightly and looked wet. And the words began to dissolve a little. It's not obvious in the photo though. Can you see a light sheen on the roses? It's not on purpose!
To dry up the flowers, I am right now using an old trick: letting the cake sit under the aircon which is going at full blast. The flowers are looking drier now. Phew. Moral of the story? Humidity and temperature changes are a cake-decorator's worst enemy. Afternote: The cake was an 8 inch round and was just enough for 20 people to enjoy a thin slice each. I'm so happy that I got the sizing right this time. Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 6 Apr 09 .................................................................................................................... On 'maternity leave' from 18 May 2009 onwards... If you've looked at the baking workshop schedule, you may have noticed that that there's no new classes after 17 May. Well that's because... ANNOUNCEMENT: From 18 May 2009 onwards, I will be going on my own early 'maternity leave' to prepare for baby number 2 =) IMPT: Don't worry if you are attending the upcoming April and May classes. Classes will go on as normal as I'm not in any danger of giving birth until late July - yup, I'm still in great (pear) shape as it's still only 2nd trimester. WHAT'S NEXT?: Although I won't be conducting cake classes for a few months after 18 May, I will be putting up some nice new recipes for everyone to try in the subscribers' freebies, as and when I've perfected them. Do drop by to visit this blog as I will continue announcing new stuff here. Feel free to contact me through email, as always! =) Posted by Anna Chan, Wed 1 Apr 09 .................................................................................................................... Plain Sponge Cakes... Part I I woke up on Monday morning with two ideas in my head. One, I just had to try making a new sponge cake, and two, I just had to visit my grandma who had just been discharged from a thankfully brief stay in hospital. (Also, I had to go the market to buy groceries for the home but that thought had to be shelved.) My grandparents appreciate a good old plain sponge cake, so I decided to go out on a limb and try a new untested recipe i had and hope that it would be good enough to take with me as a little present for Grandma. The batter was easy enough and the cakes rose well, but one never knows with sponges until you bite into them. With a little trepidation I turned them out of the deep silicon mould, packed them into a box and got going.
Thankfully they were perfectly soft, yummy and well-risen, and Grandma thought I had steamed the cakes and asked if they were some kind of japanese cake. (which they aren't but I was just happy she liked it.) But as my grandfather suggested, and I agree, they should be a trifle more golden on top. "You need a bigger fire" he told me. That's exactly what I'll do, increase the oven temperature by 10 deg the next time and see what happens. Part II For my next try, I increased the temperature by 10 degrees, used lined paper cups and the result was even better. The texture of the cake was spongy and soft as before, but now they were taller thanks to the paper lining and slightly more browned on top.
Subscribe here for the recipe! Posted by Anna Chan, Tues 31 Mar 09 .................................................................................................................... Orange Sponge Cake... When I first wrote this recipe, I tried making it using the usual genoise method - where you whip the eggs and sugar until ribbon stage, then fold in the flour, followed by oil and milk/water. It deflated and I thought it was because I had put in too much liquid. After several changes to the proportions, I finally went back to the original one I wrote but used the chiffon method. It turned out that this was the answer to my problems. In the chiffon method, eggs yolks, oil, liquid, flour and baking powder are whisked together. Separately, the egg whites are beaten with sugar until soft peak stage and folded into the wet batter. (For an idea of what soft peak stage looks like, see the picture of the egg whites on a whisk on the left.) Somehow, the whipped egg whites did a great job of holding up the wet batter - and because the balance of ingredients was right, I was able to make it in a round pan. In the end, I got a sponge cake that was airy and moist, thanks to the chiffon method! A final tweak turned it into an orange sponge cake. I love that perk-me-up flavour that grated orange zest and freshly squeezed orange juice give to a cake.
I will probably make this for my grandma's birthday....it's the sort of cake the folks can still enjoy after a gut-busting 8 or 9 course chinese dinner. Afternote: This recipe is now among the freebies for subscribers to our newsletter. Enjoy! Posted by Anna Chan, Wed 25 Mar 09 .................................................................................................................... Our cookies on TV!... I was very excited about making these decorated cookies as they were going to be used as props for a Channel 8 drama serial. I don't want to give the plot away but you can tell that it's something to do with demonstrating love through cookies. =) The episode will air sometime at the end of this year.
Sorry, I don't make these to sell, but if you are interested in learning how to make cookies like these, the Cookie Art Workshop is where I teach these recipes and techniques. =) As the Mediacorp executive I worked with told me, setting up a little shop and selling decorated cookies seems like a viable business to do -- especially now! For one thing, cookie dough is inexpensive and simple to make, and leftover dough can be frozen well (provided you seal it properly). Icing is also very cheap if you make it yourself. Cookie cutters are readily available (the novelty ones can be purchased online) and can be bought one piece or one set at a time. And the shelf life of both cookies and icing is 1-2 weeks, unlike cakes which only have a shelf life of 3 days. So, the thing that really makes a decorated cookie worth the extra dollar to the customer is your labour and skill with the piping bag. You could actually make a market niche for yourself selling cookies as edible pieces of art. Now, if only I had the time! What with one toddler and one baby on the way and a workshop business to manage...this sort of venture is probably out for me. But it isn't -- for anyone who is hardworking and loves to bake. Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 19 Mar 09 .................................................................................................................... Mar-May 2009 Baking Workshops... Here's the Mar-May Workshop Schedule! *updated as at 14 Apr 2009 Tues Fondant Cupcakes Workshop Mini Muffins Workshop
Cookie Art Workshop Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshop Simple 2-Tiered Cakes Design-A-Handbag Cake Workshop To find out more or register, go to the Baking Workshops page and click on the links below the workshops. Posted by Anna Chan, Thurs 12 Mar 09 .................................................................................................................... Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshop... Pretty Floral Cupcakes is such a popular class that we've decided to add another session for the month of March! This hands-on class will be co-taught by blog shop owner Philia Ng (Ophilia.Treats) and Anna Chan. Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshop @ CSC Club Baking Studio
To find out more or register, click here. *This class is now full. Thank you for the great response! Posted by Anna Chan, Wed 19 Feb 09, updated Thurs 12 Mar 09 .................................................................................................................... Cookie Art with an Easter spin... When I was a child, I looked forward to every public holiday, mentally ticking off the days until my parents would be free to hang out with us for the whole day and take us out for an excursion. (Not that they didn't do that on weekends, but it just seemed more special when it was a public holiday) Now I look forward to public holidays because D will be home for the day and we can have a leisurely breakfast (hopefully at a good hawker centre) with the baby and then we can take baby out for a spin and perhaps go see the grandparents on either side. Good Friday and Easter are coming and that holds an extra special meaning for us as we remember Jesus' death and resurrection....and I just had to think about Easter-themed cookies! So on Sunday, I spent a happy afternoon working on some Easter designs to include as decorating suggestions in the upcoming Cookie Art classes. During Cookie Art classes, we mix and bake the cookies hands-on, make royal icing, then decorate the cookies using a 3-step icing decorating technique. Generally, everyone has free rein in decorating their cookies in their own style - I just provide the techniques and a few suggestions to get their ideas flowing. For the Easter season, I'm going to include the following designs:
An easter egg with a marbelised swirly pattern...
Chicks...
Carrots...
Piped daisies... The registration for Cookie Art on 28 Mar 2009 (Sat) and 4 Apr 2009 (Sat) has already begun. To register, click here. Posted by Anna Chan, Wed 11 Feb 09 .................................................................................................................... Pretty Handbags made in Design-A-Handbag Workshop... We made handbag cakes in class on Sunday. What beauties these cakes are! The next Design-A-Handbag workshop is on 22 Feb 09 (Sun)
Pretty handbags in a row...
made by Anne
made by Oni
made by Philia
made by Nancy
made by Fiona
made by Josephine And here's a picture of the moist and velvety chocolate cake that was inside the handbags. (To cut a cake neatly, chill the cake in an airtight container to keep in the moisture, then cut with a serrated knife.)
(Small boy eating cake after everyone leaves.)
Posted by Anna Chan, Tues 10 Feb 09 .................................................................................................................... Feb-Mar Workshop Schedule... To register or find out more, please visit Baking Workshops Design-A-Handbag Cake Workshop
Cookie Art Workshop
Pretty Floral Cupcakes Workshop
Fondant Cupcakes Workshop
Mini Muffins Workshop
T is for TIRAMISU Workshop
21 Mar 2009 (Sat) 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
.................................................................................................................... Congratulations, Gingerbread House Contest Winners!... After the voting which ended on 31 Jan 2009, 12 am, three winners emerged! The 1ST PRIZE goes to Ms Suzanah Amin! (pictured with her three boys).
She won a Wilton cake stand, a tube of pearl lustre dust (total value $75) and a copy of "Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Home Baker" for her entry:
The 2ND PRIZE goes to Ms Cindy Quek!
She won a pair of Wilton Silicon Oven Mitts (worth S$39.80) and a copy of "Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Home Baker" for her entry:
The 3RD PRIZE goes to Ms Pauline Chan!
She won an 8-pc set of Wilton icing colours (worth S$15.79) and a copy of "Gorgeous Cupcakes for the Home Baker" for her entry:
A big thank you goes out to everyone who took part in the contest and to the many many people who voted for the gingerbread houses!
.................................................................................................................... Chinese New Year rush... The days leading up to Chinese New Year seem to be incredibly busy, what with stocking up the larder in typical 'kiasu' (i.e. neurotic) style in case NTUC closes on certain days and baking boxes of cookies in case friends or relatives want to visit us. Today I made 3 batches of pineapple tart pastry for my mom for our big bake-off on Thursday. I've also bought her the pineapple tart filling - we're not making it from scratch this year as mom and I are up to our ears in other work. I've always loved assisting her in baking and I still do! So mom and I will assemble the tarts at her place. Probably, my little boy will also want to play pat-a-cake with us so I will have to find him a clean cardboard tube to pretend to do rolling. Which reminds me, I think my mom has no rolling pins so I better take a couple with me. On an unrelated note, I made mini muffins on a whim and used meat floss to top them. Instead of using cupcake liners, this time I greased the pan with butter and as a result they became so beautifully golden even around the bottoms. The edges of the mushroom tops were crisp and contrasted nicely with the muffins' soft and fluffy interior. I know putting meat floss on a muffin is unorthodox [giggle] but these little babies are always eaten up really quickly... and besides, it is sort of in the spirit of Chinese New Year, no? =)
If you don't fancy or can't find meat floss, use bacon bits, small pieces of cooked ham, or shredded cheese. They're all delicious on a plain muffin (*Do omit the flavoured extracts/essences if the recipe calls for them. They will taste a little strange with the meat.) Posted by Anna Chan, Mon 19 Jan 09 ........................................................................................................................ Jan-Feb 2009 Workshop Schedule... Happy New Year to everyone! We've got an exciting line-up of workshops for you from Jan-Feb 2009...
Visit Baking Workshops to find out more and register!
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"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:16) |
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