How To Compete Against The Big Boys

Hi ya you all peeps...I missed you the entire week last week. Time was so tight I thought I needed to be resuscitated! But thank god , I pulled through! I have about 2 weeks left to complete some mission in the office, with more work and new projects piling up....but hey when the going gets tough, the tough gets going!

I didn't cook the entire week last week except for one night, the rest of the nights were tapau food. I had quite a bit of baking to do.....mac making was almost nightly, and I piped about 350 macarons last week.....don't ask me how I made it, but I did. The aircond hall and dining helped ...a lot!

It's another marathon this week, but I knew I must pen  down a few lines...dah gatal nak tulis hehe...anyway, I just want to share with you this article http://www.businesscircle.com.my/how-to-compete-against-the-big-boys/ , which I got from Vivy Yusof's http://www.proudduck.com/ blog! They Vivy and Fadzarudin are young, but they are big in business, I compare them with Mark Zuckerberg and the likes. I drive my inspiration from them, yeah I'm their parents age, but hey so what!

In the article Fadzarudin talk about riding the wave in the industry that you are in and competing with the giants...with enthusiasm! Indeed! it's the enthusiasm that keep me going till the wee hours making cakes and macarons lalalala....and bingeing the wee hours too have made my tummy to grow, bigger!

He also looked at the growing online business to mean a bigger opportunity, and a piece of cake for everyone...owh this so true! ...I believe that you have to be true to yourself, be original, I drive some inspiration and ideas from some bakers, but be yourself!....mmmm...the rest of the article, you go and read! Because I got to run and get Hajar and Muhammad and prepare dinner , hehe. Sorry to let your steam down, wakaka!

...I made this and that new recipes inthe last two weeks, I will post them, not today but maybe tomorrow, or the day after or the day after that, I won't promise!

have a brilliant, productive and healthy week ahead...let's ride the wave...aummmm...

xoxo Yani thekitchenguardian

Red Velvet Cake

...I don't know why I decided to try this recipe (as if I had not tried that many Red Velvet cakes recipes) , but I did...and I was glad I did! I love the simplicity of this cake, using corn oil, instead of butter but yet made you want to have a slice of the cake over and over again! It was Umar's meal for 2 straight days, yup, he just had that, no rice nor bread during the next two days after I made this cake.....so...what does that say about this cake, I don't have brag!

...oh yeah I know why I made this cake...I was attracted to the beautiful shots taken by the maker pikyin's instagram photos....anyway, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder, I used Valrhona

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 cups corn oil

2 1/4 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp red colour gel

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Method

1. Preheat oven at 170C, grease cake pans if using. I used a 9x13x2 inches baking sheet lined with baking paper.

2.Whisk dry ingredients: cake flour, salt, baking powder, coacoa powder.

3.Whisk oil and sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one by one.

4.Add gel colour, mix well.

5.Add dry ingredients, and alternate with buttermilk in 2 additions.

6.Incorporate baking soda and vinegar in a separate bowl, and quickly pour into cake batter, whisk till well incorporated.

7.Bake for about 35 minutes, let cool and I cut to make a huge cake loaf.

For Cream Cheese Topping
I used 250g cream cheese, 125g butter, vanilla and sifted icing sugar to taste. I also added 3 tbsp whipping cream.

The verdict...awesome, super moist because we used oil....need I say more! I have also tried another recipe using oil, and I must say that I love them both!

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Pics of some of the bakes I made in yesterweek...

Darck Chco ganache macarons, for hantaran. Tqs Shilla!

Purple hue rainbow cake. Tqs Leanni

Victoria sandwich wedding cake. Tqs Farrah! 

..and some Magnolia Bakery vanilla cuupies to accompany!

Devil's Food Choc Cake for her daughter, tqs Hezzie! 

I packed some  more macarons, Salted Caramel in Coffee macarons, Lemon Curd and Blackcurrent in French Buttercream...

...what's a weekend without Red Velvet cupcakes! kan!

Tqs peeps, see you soon...October is a darn busy month for me, I have to complete all my projects and fulfill my KPIs in the office...but life ig good, great!

xoxo Yani, thekitchenguardian

ps, see more pic at instagram @thekitchenguardian...take care be happy!