Peonies!

.....how I wish my life is a bed of peonies! 2012 slipped in without all us even realising it...and now we are a,most stepping into March already! I have achieved quite a bit in this short period of time and of course I have failed miserably as well in some areas.

2010 and 2011 were baking months all grouped together into years...I didn't attend any classes in that section or even at work, well, yeah the seminars that I attended were all work related as far as office was concerned. This year, I have decided that I should enrich myself, both in the baking arena and at work!....Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again!

Hence, I attended my first class this year which was a Food Photography class...it was a short and basic class, but , boy....it opened up the universe to me! I have so many things in store that I could explore after that! ...Yup, I am attending another photography workshop soon!

...and last Monday, I took the afternoon off from work to learn this from a very young powerful lady! She knew what she wanted to do in her life, unlike me...still lurking in the dark sometimes! Anisa patiently took me through the whole module, which began at 2 and finished (albeit I had to rush her to assemble the flowers) at 6.30, as I had to fetched my little ones from Aunty Roopa!

She is very young, hence very patient, and most of all very inspiring! Thank you so much Anisa and Anita, I'll be back with other tutorials from you. Of course I love and can't thnak enough my first sugarpaste teacher ...heloo Wiz...wave, wave!!...We all have our stories, I mean why and how we started going into this baking arena! And from every teacher, I learnt different perspective of life...Hmm....

...and speaking of this, I have been faced with a few options, decision I have to make, with my baking and at work...think am ready for the next level......only I have to decide......

In the mean time, feast your eyes with this photos...not very well taken, as I was in between kneading and frilling the petals, but I think they are enough for our consumption!

....to close...you know, I think I have lived long enough to say that life is all about choices, and believe in Him entirely. He will guide the way, inshAllah!

# psst...I made Rose Berambaum's Classic White Cake (I made cupcakes) yesterday, but measured the jammies wrongly...thought of putting the recipe here, but I have to do it again! The cake was super delicious, we all couldn't stop picking 2 cupcakes at a go, but they weren't that pretty. So, I 'll put the recipe later when everything was right! hehe!

# This peonies are ready for orders, but please allow me at least 2 weeks notice. tqs.

Blueberry Lemon Cheese Tart

I made this this morning! Wanted to bake last night, but I was too tired after making some macaron shells. The preparation was very simple, make the tart base and then blitz the cheese filling and there you go. The pictures were snapped at around 8 am, just before I left for work!

Ingredients

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

1 1/2 cup APF sifted, I didn't

125g cold butter chopped

1/2 cup icing sugar

3 yolks, yikes!

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp iced water, I didn't add

Method, this is how I did this morning! Didn't read the instructions, hehe!

Rub butter with flour until crumbs were formed. Add icing sugar. Rub in the yolks one by one and vanilla and lightly knead to form  a dough. I pressed the dough into my tart tin, and let in chill in the fridge while I get my shower, haha! I heated my oven at 170C. 

When ready, stick the tart in the oven and turn on the timer for 25 minutes....and I went to get ready to go to work, as in get Muhammad and Hajar into their acts and wait at the living hall.

Lemon Cheese Filling

227g cream cheese

396 condensed milk

zest of one lemon

80ml lemon juice, I used juice of one lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Blitz all the ingredients in afood processor or a mixer, I used my mixer.

By this time, the tart base was already cool, so I poured on the base and scattered blueberries on them....took a slice to office, the reast are happilly chilling themselves in the fridge!

This recipe was a mix and match recipes that I found in Joy of Baking! tq! and Voilla!

Enjoy enjoy enjoy...in the mean time I have some decisions to make, see you!

Losing Dignity versus Losing Virginity!

...it's ramblings on Monday again....and this post is not about me. But it's about a lot of women out there! You know, you always think that you have so much to chew, like the world is coming down on you...but nay...there are a lot more people out there with all sorts challenges that you can ever imagine! I know a colleague in IT division whose son is battling his life with some blood disorder disease, only Allah knows his reasons....

Over the weekend, I was battling with time to complete my orders, alhamdulillah, it was indeed a very prosperous weekend! But I also learnt a few things...like how do you feel when your soul-mate woke up and said that he found you as someone he couldn't talk to anymore????? Daft to say the least! And that was his reasons to find another life partner???? Kesian!! Think in that sense it's better to lose virginity than to lose dignity...I don't know, I was just guessing as I never had to go through either, I mean in the adverse way....

.....and life goes on...and that we have to put on a "poker face"....an indifferent face no matter in what situation...yeah I learnt that too over the weekend! I am blessed with all this beautiful people around me, yes!

But, sorry I didn't have time to try any new recipes...I can only offer you this pictures. They are all mostly the happenings in my kitchen because I almost slept in my kitchen , haha!

The produce that I got from Ng Choong Yeam after I took Khadijah to APSh for a check up. The fruits were for a Pavlova and rainbow Cakes orders.

Found Persimmons in my fridge...must be from Chinese New Year times! Still good, but over riped!

A treat for myself, got some flowers from Ng Choong Yeam!

"Nenek and a heart shape" cut out from fondant to top....

a Hummingbird cake ordered by Anita. Tqs for this order, glad everyone enjoyed this cake!

Muhammad, my constant companion in the kitchen...comot!

..."busy" helping me, when mummy was busy, Muhammad was also busy...his (and Hajar's, they share) rolling pin! 

For a Macaron lover, she and her children! Coffee, Apple Cinnamon, Casis, Raspberry, Macadamia Brittle, tqs Nita!

Nita also ordered this Devil's Food Choc Cake for her son's birthday, I drizzled with Milo powder, yums! Tqs Nita!

She's been ordering since the Milkadeal deal, 50 pcs Red Velvet cuppies for her daughter's birthday. Tqs Halina! Also delivered this on Friday 6.30 am, infront of the zoo, Siti was bringing this cuppies to her kampung for an engagement. Tqs Siti!

Let your weekend be filled with colours....Rainbow cakes! Tqs Sharifah, tqs Zeti! Sharifah also ordered a Pavlova!

Chcocolate Macarons using Valrhona Cocoa powder! Loved by Nita and Nora! Tqs peeps!

One can never tire of this cake Victoria Sandwich Cake, tqs Nora!

Two packs of this Macarons, tqs Kak Cik Mahirah, one beautiful young lady!

...what's left with me yesterday, after the last pick up at around 6...and CikMin  and her family dropped by on their way back to Bentong. I feasted them with Cekodok Pisang, Jemput Bilis, Keropok and some Nasi Arab that I packed during lunch!

...looking for his mommy....sebab tu ada peribahasa "Ibu Kucing", this kitten was left at Zira's house! 

Such is life! Have a productive and healthy week peeps! Bye!

Oreos Brownies!

Good afternoon peeps! I have seen this Brownies in Rima's blog for quite a while. However, I never got round to doing it, as there would always be a request from hubs or my kids to bake something else....so, last night while waiting for my Red Velvet cupcakes to cool before I could add the topping, I made this!

I love making brownies as there was no whisking required! You just have to melt the butter and chocolates and incorporate the sugar and flour and the other ingredients! And with this brownies, it was a marriage between chocolates and Oreos biscuits, what's there not to love! Yeah!!  

Ingredients
225g butter, I used Anchor salted
240g cooking chocolate, I used Belcolade 70% choc buttons that I got from Singapore
3 grade A eggs
1 tsp coffee powder, I used Nescafe Gold powder, my current like
1 tsp vanilla
250g caster sugar
60g flour
40g cocoa powder, I used Valrhona
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt, I still added!
1 1/2 packets Oreos biscuits, I used 1 packet which I crushed with their cream...ollalla! Yumms!

Method

1.Melt butter and chocolate. I melted butter on slow fire, turned off fire and added my chocolates and stir until all were melted and incorporated. Let them cool a bit.

2.Add sugar, vanilla, and coffee powder. Add eggs one by one, stir until well mixed.

3.Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt.

4.Stir in crushed Oreos biscuits!...no...I diligently added them all into the batter,and managed to refrain myself from popping one or two into my mouth! hehe! 

5.Grease and line a 10inch square cake tin with baking paper...which I couldn't find last night, and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 25 mins.

6.When baking brwonies I will bake until they are just gooey and leave a slight mark on a toothpick that was inserted into the brownie. It will cook and firm once you remove it from the oven. And, so you will get a gooey and not dry brownie, ya!

Thanks Rima for this recipe, it was indeed the brownie that I have been looking for, imagine the chocolatey taste married with the slight bitter dark Oreos....mmmmmm....

It's Saturday tommorrow, and I have quite a bit of baking to do...next week will be madness, but we will all survive, won't we! Happy weekend you beautiful peeps! Go make some brownies!

# for my pics, I really should use a diffuser, or a reflector...ah well, well, well...hahaha! I'm happy anyway!

Kek Gula Hangus

Kek Gula Hangus or Caramel Cake is one hubs' favourite cakes...and he's been bugging me to bake this for as long as I have started baking!

I didn't have any baking to do (except one Victoria Sandwich cake and some Choc Macarons which I will do tonight), so I made this last night. And some Nutella cupcakes, which didn't satisfy my taste buds or my childrens', so I will not post the recipe!

As with any traditional cakes, this recipe was very easy to do, apart from the resting time for the batter which was 3 hours. Apparently, the resting time was so that we achieve the sort of bubbles, holes in the cake! Well, I got that texture, but there weren't that many holes, bubbles.....I think I need not let the caramel butter to cool, but let it be warm when I mixed the flour! You know like making One Bowl Choc Cake where you add boiled water!...will try that next time! Anyway, here's the recipe that I got from Mat Gebu !

Ingredients

110 sugar

120ml water

30g butter

3 eggs, size A

80g condensed milk

90g plain flour, APF, sift with 1 1/4 tsp baking soda

Method

1. Make caramel by heating sugar until amber colour, when it started to bubble, turn off heat. I love using a heavy base pan for the heat....slowly add water, it will splatter. Add butter, leave to cool this mixture.

2.Beat eggs till thick and pale, add condensed milk and fold in flour...you don't want to overbeat at this stage or you'll get a hard cake! You would have overworked the protein in the flour!

3. Pour in greased baking tins (owh I can't wait for my bundt pans to arrive..ordered from Amazon!), let the batter rest for 3 hours (in which time I made Nutella cupcakes....which Hajar and Muhammad had for supper!).

4.Preheat oven at 170C, bake for about 20 minutes. 

You know, this traditional kuehs were easy to make, but you really have to get the techniques right! Anyway, I had one for breakfast this morning, and the taste was awesome! Tqs Mat Gebu for this recipe!

...and here's some macarons I deleivered yesterday!

Apple Cinnamon Buttercream, Passionfruit White Choc ganache, Cookie Dough Buttercream, Macadamia Brittle in Caramel Buttercream...in French Style Buttercream, tqs Mahirah! 

...some macarons to feast the Board of Directors, all red because it was Valentines' Day! Hazelnut Almond Macarons filled with Raspberry Choc Ganache and Passionfruit Choc Ganache, using Valrhona buttons, tqs Elly!

Happy Wednesday you alls...I'm surrendering myself to my documents...hehe!

Monday Blues!

....I am having withdrawal symptoms from the weekend...yes I do! The heat (which was about 42C on Saturday) just overwhelmed me! I gulped so much water and yet it was hot and humid....but the hot weather         was so favourable for making macarons!...and today I still miss and want my weekend, huhu!

I didn't get to try any new recipes over the weekend. I had some orders, yes but last week was a super busy week in the office. By the time I got home and settle with the kids, I was just ready to sleep!

Here's some photos of what I made last week and over the weekend!

A Rainbow Cake ordered by a fellow blogger, friend, legal counsel! Tqs Yatt! 

I had a very short notice to prepare this macarons for a 5 year old birthday bash. Siti of Tyta Treats helped came out with my call cards and labels! Peanut Butter and Jelly and Choc Malt Ganache Macarons. Tqs Siti for this order! [For those who have emailed me about my labels, please visit Siti at the link ya!]

Made this Red Velvet cupcakes for Sharifah. Tqs Sharifah, hope you like the Beryani paste as well!

...some extras which I decided to snap some pictures...must practise my photo taking, you see!

Pavlova...naked..I let Doreen who ordered to assemble it herself with her pretty girls, tqs Doreen! Hope you  liked the Pavlova!

 Assembled this using some strawberries from my fridge and leftover buttercream from Victoria Snadwich Cake...my kids loved this!

......yeah! My trusted Baking Soda! And please change every 30 days!

Some macaron shells that I made, they dried in 10 minutes after piped on Saturday! Whoaaa! 

Their favourite! Made 2 Victoria Sandwich Cakes with Vanilla Buttercream for Jamaliah! Tqs Jamaliah!

Ahah! This one! I had made this earlier and sprinkled the salt immediately after I piped the shells, and they ended up like volcanos! Made this yesterday and it's perfect for me! Salt Flakes Choc Macarons using Valrhona cocoa powder! Any takers!!??

Okay, gotta go and finish some work! See you!