Hello February!

Hiya peeps! They say that time flies when you are having fun....I guess that is what I am going through now....it felt like yesterday that we hopped into 2014, and now we are in the last week of January already! What scares me is that I haven't written my goals properly for this year, erk! So...I might just drift into an auto doing mode....

...there are many things that I wanted to achieve, one of them is to add value to people's lives....how I do that is by having regular baking classes, now.....and what do you know?! I see many have took off with a very rewarding part time cake business and for those who bake full time, their business have increased! I am very happy for them! On my part I really have to come out with new recipes.

January has been a very busy month for us.....Ibraheem is now in secondary school, Yusof sat for his O Levels exams, Khadijah is in her last A levels semester, Hajar in standard one, Muhammad has enrolled playschool and Umar will be sitting for his primary 6 exams soon!

....and my caking business has never been busier! Syukur! Even though think I need to do some adjustments here and there to cope with the orders.....I also realise that I have been doing more cakes for weddings lately! I won't complain as it sheer joy to be part of their special day even though in a very small, small way indeed! I am happy to announce that we are booked till March!

...alright i have to pen off, I have to rise early and tomorrow and the rest of the week would be a long busy one as I have a few projects in hand....to bring joy to others on their special day! Good night!

 

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hiya peeps! As promised, here's the recipe for Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies I made a few weeks ago. It was basically melted chocolate with a wee bit of flour and eggs and baked to a chewy and gooey cookie!

Ingredients (Recipe is from David Lebovitz's Ready For Dessert Book)

450g bittersweet chocolate, I used Callebaut 58% cocoa buttons

60g butter

70g flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt,I sprinkled fleur the sel

4 large eggs

350g sugar, I used 250g sugar and 100g brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla paste

320g bittersweet chocolate, I used Ghirardelli

100g walnuts or pecans

Method

Add chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl, Melt them over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat.

Whisk together flour and salt and baking powder.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla over high speed until a ribbon is formed with the mixture. With the mixer running slowly add the melted chocolate butter mixture until well incorporated.

Then using a spatula mix the rest of the ingredients ie the choc buttons and nuts.

You can either refrigerate the batter/dough, or bake immmediately. Of course I couldn't resist, and baked immediately by dropping tablespoonfuls of the batter on silpats and baking paper. Bake at 165C about 9 minutes.

After that enjoy, enjoy and enjoy till the last piece that you could dug your hands into the cookie jar! Hihi, it was that good!  

Enjoy this video

And this video reminds me of my secondary school days when we just loved to perform!

Swinging into 2014!

Hiya peeps! I have been away from this blog way too long that I don't know where to begin! It has been almost 7 months since I left full time employment, I don't miss it a bit except the friendship and companionship of my colleagues! But I do pop by Menara every once in a while for coffee or lunch....

I think I am getting into the rhythm of my new life now...yeah only now, but slowly... from when I started baking full time, I have progressed to having my own studio. It was not in the plan, however, my house was slowly turning into a mini bakeshop so much so that I had to look for a place...my new hideout!

...but I must say that the opportunities that came after I left my job has been abundance, alhamdulillah....well sure there were cakes not collected, or cakes consumed unpaid! Hehe, think that is part and parcel of business, you win some you lose some....I had 2 slices of cakes for dinner just now from an order that was not collected!

So, okay, what do I want to do in 2014!? Bake more cakes for sure and to be able to support the kids private education, that is is foremost important....I was supposed to give a new outlook on the cakes, which idea I have in mind but acting on it is another story....I wish to do more fondant cakes this year...yeah I will be joining a few other cake artists for a Couture Wedding Cake Class with Lori The Caketress in March in Jakarta....super excited about that...I can see doing more sugar flowers after this (really need to speed up with my roses...err I only love making peonies and orchids hehe).

I have to resume my mengaji classes that I have abandoned since Syawal last year, boo me for failing in this department....but I try to do my tahajjud every now and then, and having super powers after performing those solats, I don't kid you!   

I wish to try more recipes and share them here or in classes, as I feel big if I could make other people's life better! That aside, I have made so many new friends and been surprised by my customers ... a few were the whose who in the legal fraternity ant there have been occasions where polis mahkamah popped by my studio.....to collect cakes hehe..

I have been honoured too to make a cake and some macarons as door gifts for one of the nation's most respected veteran politician and father....all this opportunities wouldn't come by if I were working then.....of course, I had to laugh out loud when no monies, yup absolutely no monies trickled in when I took a break and went to Kuching! Haha, the realities of working your own business, no sales means no business no business means no money! But alhamdulillah, things are moving fine now...and I haven't checked what's the bonus from ASB yet...wink wink!

Okay....I have to go...actually I have a few cakes to bake now and prepare for my macaron class tomorrow, instead of updating my blog...err I also have some messages to reply....sabar ye my dear customers:p (I also have this pictures of chocolate pie flashing in my head, oooh....)

Enjoy this video that is a continuation of Anuar Zin's Ajari Aku video ..... good nite peeps, take care!