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Flower Pot IceCream Cake with (rose-flavoured) Flower Sugar cookie. They look, taste, and smell like flowers!

dessertsyum — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:50:55 +0800

It's actually a cross between The Pioneer Woman's Flower Pot Dessert and Domestic Goddess's Flower Cookie Cupcake.

Very pretty and cute yup! I made them for my good friend's sister birthday! His sister, D, is turning 12 tomorrow so I thought of making these very adorable 'birthday' cake. It has icecream, oreo crumbs and a sweet sugar cookie. I hope she likes it!

The entire process was quite fast and easy. I like the sugar cookie recipe I used (adapted from Sweet Melissa Sunday's bakers!) I added more sugar since they reviewed the recipe to be a little bland. I also used rose extract instead of vanilla to the cookie dough so that they not only look but also taste and smell like flowers.

I filled the pots strawberry icecream and pink icing for the cookie based on her favourite flavour and colour :) Happy Birthday to D in advance!!

Fromage Fraise - Almond Joconde, Strawberries & Whipped Lemon Cream Cheese.

dessertsyum — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:30:39 +0800

Classic Fromage Fraise. My second attempt at it after much sweat and effort.

My first take at this 'upside-down-strawberry' cream cake was 2 years ago when I knew little about construction of such cakes. I'd always been hesitating to try this again but there were simply other recipes that appealed to me on the way! I did make a simpler Strawberry Shortcake last year though - which I was very pleased with, except for the sponge that was too dry.

Fortunately, my current restaurant served Napolean Strawberry Cake for our previous month's set lunch dessert. Being involved in the layering of the cake and a little on the production where I got to whip the mascarpone cream was a lot of fun! It is a pity I joined them too late to witness the process of making their pain de gene (cake made with almond paste in french).

In fact, working at The Dunearn has seriously led to my enjoyment of pastries and desserts even more. One practice of the job that I treasure a lot is the spreading of mousse/parfaits/cream over its base. I like playing with the angle spatula very much as my seniors in the pastry kitchen always do an inspiring job.

When we make our own chocolate decorations, I'm motivated to complete it nice and smooth. However, as my seniors tell me, it really takes practice after practice. For one sheet of chocolate deco I might be able to spread it smoothly, but it was too thin! For another sheet of chocolate deco I might be able to spread it evenly thicker, but I took too long, the chocolate has already set over the marble table before I can complete it!

I ought to thank my seniors who have been so generous in sharing with me their knowledge and so patient with their guidance. It saddens me that I won't be here for long, I might not even have the opportunity to try every of their recipe before leaving :\

Anyhow, I made this cake using a few components: almond joconde, sliced strawberries, whipped lemon cream cheese. Although Singapore does not have 4 seasons, I like to pretend we have. It doesn't hurts right :D It gives me an opportunity to learn the fruits of Spring for instance, and incorporate them in baking. Yeah, that makes my Fromage Fraise pretty much a good combination of cake to welcome Spring!

I did spent a little time slicing the joconde thinly, but it paid off because it went really well with lemon whipped cream cheese. I like how the lemon taste and strawberries dominate the cake's flavour, making it tangy and less sweet. Furthermore the cream cheese filling makes the cake more stable than it would be if I only spread whipped cream in it.

The top cloudy white frosting is actually Marshmallow Frosting made using the Italian meringue method. I always had luck with italian meringue without using a thermometer (LOL). I mean really! But getting a candy thermometer'd still be more reliable and it prevents a lot of other problems that may arise if you pour the sugar syrup into the whites before it is hot enough.

Ultimately, I'm very please with my Fromage Fraise. It is like the classic yet gorgeous cake that you'd have seen many times. It is very presentable to give away for birthdays or parties. My only regret is that I feel that I should have frosted the top part with whipped cream. It'll be easier to spread and it complements the overall flavour of the cake better.

I suggest that you freeze that cake after layering so that it is easier to cut. My cream was already slightly softened when I cut them, resulting in less neat and sharp sides.

On my third attempt, surely, I will use Mascarpone whipped cream. My first taste of it at my workplace was amazing. It was totally not what I had expected and the only reason why I didn't use this for this trial is because it was unavailable at both the supermarkets I went to yesterday! In fact I was pretty upset with the change of my filling, but still went ahead with it as I didn't want to leave my sponge in the fridge for more than one day :\

Very moist and crumbly Orange Cake

dessertsyum — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:57:58 +0800

Orange cake is the first citrus sweet cake I'm posting and I must say I was really excited to use my new loaf pan.

Pound cakes, yogurt cakes, bundt cakes... I'll surely give them a try since I love such treats! I enjoy how moist and slightly dense they are, and if served warm, it really taste homely.

Also, I have to rave about this recipe as the cake's texture was perfect, it had a nicely formed crust and is extremely flavourful. I was so glad that I could still taste (& even smell) the orange while the cake was baking! Plus it was my chance to clear the ONE orange in my refrigerator :D The recipe is from Technicolor Kitchen, a foodblog i recently discover. Her recipes are so unique I find myself opening several links in new tabs!

Anyway, this Orange Cake was baked past midnight after I returned home from work. I actually considered giving it a miss because I felt very tired - mainly because my eyes were dry (yes you know what I mean if you wear contact lenses). However, my older brother, whom is currently studying for his double Masters, was burning the midnight oil. He'd be taking his exam today (and like brother, like sister), we all do last minute studying. LOL. Thus I decided to bake a simple comfort cake for him :D

I prefer the cake warm and plain. It is sweet enough to go without jam, but if you like, you can always drizzle lemon glaze over them to make the cake a little more acidic :)

Milk Chocolate Mousse Cake w Caramelized Maple-walnuts & my 17th Birthday!

dessertsyum — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:39:45 +0800

I turned 17 on 14March! (anyone reading shares the same birthday as me? :D) I finally understand what my mum means whenever she says "I'm old, will be 50 soon.." when she's only 47 because currently,

I also feel like telling the world, IM OLD! 'LL TURN 20 SOON! :( LOL! Oh well, let's skip the whining about how much I really wish I can stay 16 forever. Youth is priceless!!

So I went out with my former schoolmates and another two birthday girl&boy. Our birthdays fall on the 13th, 14th and 15th! We had dinner, cut the birthday cake, and caught a movie before going home :)

Birthday basketballers! *all of us have SMALL EYES -__-* (My genuine birthday wish is to grow FAT.) You know if you let your birthday wish out, it will not come true, so yup, I hope my birthday wish will NOT come true now that I'm telling the public. LOL!

Anyway this chocolate mousse cake recipe is another recipe that I have bookmarked very long ago! The components are really simple but I kind of cracked my brains just to think of how I can decorate it - which've obviously prove to be a failure.

The chocolate sponge is pretty firm which makes it easy to slice into many layers. It is a little moist but not rich or chocolatey like the usual sour cream chocolate cakes. I think this sponge can be used for lighter cakes :) However, care must be taken that you do not over mix the batter as it will deflate causing the sponge to be denser than you should be..

Wishing all March babies Happy Birthday at the same time!!!

Blueberry Crumb Cake. Or is it PIE?!

dessertsyum — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:25:18 +0800

GOOOOOD DAY BAKERS!

I made a dessert using the recipe I bookmarked very recently, Blueberry Crumb Cake, at FoodNetwork.com! I was simply craving for something sweet and fruity but I didn't want to play with strawberries because the supermarket does not have the reddest and prettiest strawberries at this time of the year. I will be waiting for summer to arrive in the North patiently :)

Anyhow, the Blueberry Crumb Cake I baked today was really fantastic. Soft, tender cake topped with browned crumbly streusel. Exactly what I was looking for in a g-r-e-a-t crumb cake! It is so delicious, I'm sure I have to make this again :)

Now, watch me make the most satisfying Blueberry Crumb Cake, step-by-step!!

Rainbow (white) Cake with Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

dessertsyum — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:06:01 +0800

As a child, I was always fascinated by colours :)

I still do and even now that I'm already a teen, any objects of my favourite colours draw my attention to them. I would eat vegetables & salads because I love green! I would buy Hello Kitty accessories because I like pink! & I'd tan myself nicely brown just to match beautiful white dresses :)

Yeah, colours are very happy stuffs and they do magic to little things in life. Hence, I baked this cake for my teammate's birthday, Z. She is definitely the most outstanding player in our basketball team who had contributed a lot during competitions. We play the same position and I'd always feel safe during the game with her around!

Although the graduation from high school meant that we were all going separate ways, she's one of those I still meet up with very very often :) Basketball is our language and I'm glad this common interest has glued us pretty well!

I rushed home immediately after school to get this done, AND more importantly, to take enough shots before the sky turns dark! I don't have photoshop and I cannot do much to edit the pictures =\

This Rainbow Cake sponge (bottom) is strongly reccommended if you are looking for a white cake recipe. It is extremely soft, crumbly and moist, very very tender even if you used plain flour instead of cake flour! The only thing you might want to take note is that the cake is quite fragile, so please be gentle when you lift each layer.

I spread nutella over the cake, followed whipped cream in between every layer. Finally when it is chilled, I frosted the cake with Cream cheese and pressed oreo crumbs on it gently :)

Perfect Party Cake with the Best Chocolate Mousse ever!

dessertsyum — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:06:59 +0800

It's been real long since I last updated & I am truly, truly sorry for my absence ever since college has began! Schoolwork might have been crazy but seriouslyyy, I am the student who never mugs until I know I have to LOL! Furthermore, the most attractive part about my college's that it is located quite near town. (which also means far away from home!)

Therefore, I've been spending most of my afternoons enjoying lunch out of school & catching a few movies. Yay! I really think I have a life. HAHAHAHA. If you read about me, you'd also know that I used to play basketball. I stopped in college so this extreme increase in leisure time has made my schedule even more exciting. I love freedom :D

So today, I spent my afternoon whipping up the best chocolate mousse I've ever eaten using Francois Payard's recipe! I also managed to bake Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake which I have bookmarked for super long!! Do not be intimidated by the steps that may seem a little long-winded because they are really easy :) Both turned out great but my cake did not appear as pretty as I wanted it to be as I don't have a small springfoam cake pan...

I had troubles layering the cake and mousse without a cake ring. Also, my decision to add some texture to the cake by filling the mousse with a little jelly made the filling heavier =\ The mousse ended up spreading alot and it didn't have the NICEEEE, smooth surface. However, if you are going to bake this too, I'd strongly recommend you to add jellies too. It does magic to the cake and give a little chew when eaten!

Lollipop Garden Cake - Moist Chocolate cake frosted w pink Lemon Buttercream

dessertsyum — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:19:32 +0800

Hello Bakers, it's New Year! Happy 2010 and here wishing you guys a great year filled with fun and happiness ahead :)

As much as I'm enjoying every moment of my holidays, I still have to face the anxiety most 16-years-old are experiencing now: O'levels results will be releasing in another 10 days. Gosh..... There's this huge part of me really afraid that I've screwed my results, especially English. Because.. I wrote a crap essay that was incomplete and I usually depend on my essay to do moderately well for this subject. (By saying moderately well, I already mean a low B!)

But of course I don't intend to live in fear and worries every day till the very second I hold my results slip..! So, here I baked a cake for. ermm.. nobody? HAHAHA. It is cute anyway, right? It is certainly one of the funniest cake I've baked. Not that it is funny, but what I've done stupidly that are funny. Especially when my brother saw the mess I made.............

I was really embarrassed. and trying to control my laughters (which I failed. which WE both failed)..... I started slapping his arms - for being there to witness all my stupidity!! AND for laughing at me!

Strawberry Shortcake and my new job!

dessertsyum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:55:16 +0800

Classic, homely, sweet. My Strawberry Shortcake with Creme Chantilly.

It's summer in Singapore everyday!

This is probably my 15th time making a layer cake (or even more). But each and every time I bake a layer cake, there is nothing I worry more than the sponge. Intially, I intended to layer it with chiffon but my yolk mixture was extremely rubbery and doughy! Thinking that it might have been me instead of the recipe, I decided to try again - and still failed T_T I was quite upset because I don't like wastage. Sighs.

So the third time I made, I used a basic sponge cake (cause I thought it was stupid it do again and waste more ingredients if I hadn't any idea what went wrong) and *PHEW* nice, soft and light cake. Just what I was looking for =) (that's why you should never give up!)

And I finish them off with apricot glaze :D It makes them shinee~~

(look at my cream T.T I really don't know why this happened, so I covered them with some raisins? It's good to have raisins at home. They're sooo great even in yogurt -LAUGHS-)

What should you do on a cold, rainy day?

dessertsyum — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:03:21 +0800

That's right, you should bake brownies! 'cause I'm very sure you've already got all the ingredients at home, yah? Chocolate chips, cocoa powder, plain flour, eggs, BUTTER, ..... (okay, now you're ready to go into the kitchen!)

Anyway, It has been raining since morning and you know, one gets lazy when it rains. So I decided to postpone my study plan to tonight (English Literature paper tmr!!) and started interacting with my laptop and food! Virtually I mean =P

I was hooked, of course. So I decided to stop being envious of all the bakers who'd been baking recently when I had buried myself among my books. I BAKED!! LOL. (6 more papers left for O'lvls! sometimes I really can't imagine my papers flying to cambridge. wows~) And you know my sacrifice was really big, I missed the halloween bakings!! Arghs =(