A long belated V-Day post

Ok, I really haven't been updating my blog for ages. Guess other things in life got ahead of me. This is my last semester in uni and time seems to pass so quickly, despite my efforts to slow it down and savor my last uni days. I'm completing my studies soon, and will be going for 6 months attachment this july. Not to deny, I'm feel rather apprehensive. I'm stepping out into the working world... gone will be the days when I could skip lessons when I don't feel like going, shopping on weekdays when the crowd aren't alot, laughing with friends over lunch time and waking up late. Gosh, I'm already missing it. And the thing i will miss most is meeting up with him in school, having simple lunch together, taking afternoon naps at his hostel when I have long hours break....

The past V-day was our 4th one together. As usual, the baker in me planned to make something for the occasion. I did a strawberry flavored cake for once! (He doesn't likes strawberries--> Imagine not liking strawberry!!) :p

I made a chiffon based vanilla sponge and layered it with freshly made strawberry bavarian cream. As it was my first time using the recipe for the cake, I find it not sweet enough. Could use a tad sweeter. Paired with the strawberry bavarian cream, it tasted ok only. I made minis and topped them with strawberries and chocolate curls.

Hee...now here's the main lead. I made a bear using sugarpaste. And everyone adores it. lol..even he find it so cute that he still keep the bear now, not bearing to eat it.

I made cupcakes for my girls in uni. Hee...and we spend some time taking photos before they finally devoured the cupcakes.

He gave me this lovely bouquet of pink roses that day. Though the past bouquets he had given me before are always tulips (my favourite), but tulips don't last as well as roses. =( Nevertheless, I love the flowers... and him of cause!

Happy birthday to my dearest

I have made so many cakes for him before that everytime an occasion draw close, I have to crack my head to think of what to make. Especially when he's a chocolate lover. No strawberries, no blueberries, no kiwis, no matcha and such. Man.. he's hard to please. =P

*Laughs* So who is this guy whom I always go to extents? He's none other than my bf, my confider, my laughter, my comfort. He came into my life most unexpectedly, and has brought me so much joy the past years.
So this is for you, bb!

A moist chocolate sponge cake with dark chocolate mousse. Topped with a shiny glaze and surrounded with chocolate wafers. He loved the look of it. A pity though, the wafer turned soft as it absorbed moisture from the cake. Nevertheless, it was still yummy (as said by him). =)

Cake Order

This was an cake order by a good friend of mine for the 21st birthday celebration of she and a friend. It was my first time doing such a huge cake, and venturing into pictorial cakes. The idea was suggested by my friend and I sketched out one, did some changes here and there.

Hee... everyone was full of praise for it although i felt that it could have been better. Nevertheless, the cake was yummy. Moist and soft chocolate sponge layers laced with a hint of rum and smothered in rich chocolate cream.

Sweet bread (pai-pau)

Pardon the poor photo taken, with the pathetic one slice of bread. lolz... I baked these sweet bread, also known as 'pai pau' at night, and I was too lazy to take photos. The second day, when I'm all ready to take photos of it, there's only this amount of bread left. haha...

Anyway, bread has always been my comfort food. When I'm sick or feeling blue, with just no appetite for any delicacies, I turn to bread.
My favourite kind of bread? I love those soft and fluffy kind, no hard crust, no chewiness, just soft and fluffy. lolx~

I've been eyeing this recipe for some time, but been lazy to get my hands on it. Hee... And I'm one indecisive girl. Believe me when I say it takes me some time always to decide on what to bake.

This sweet bread really turn out soft and fluffy, though i feel it can be softer. lolz (am i ever satisfied) The sweetness could be increase slightly though, unless you wish to spread jam on it. But!! It is still soft even on the second and third day!! Try this recipe, peeps, if you love soft bread like me. =)

Sweet bread (pai pau)

2.5 tsps dry yeast
375g High gluten/bread flour* (may use more or less)
105g sugar
1 egg... room temp.
1 egg yolk... room temp
2 Tbps butter, melted ( i used oil)
1/2 cup whole milk, UHT or fresh ... room temp.

1. Disolve dry yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water, wait 5 - 10 mins.

2. Mix the yeast liquid with the rest of the ingredients, knead until smooth and elastic. (I let my bread machine do this).

3. Let the dough sit in a geased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. 1st proving for about 45 mins.

4. Punch the dough to release some air, knead a few times, put back in the bowl, covered, for 2nd proving, 45 mins or double the volumn.

5. Divide the dough into small balls (45g), roll smooth, cover and let them relax for 20 mins.

6. Flatten and roll each ball into a (roughly) rectangle (0.5cm-thick). Start from the long side, roll it up as swissroll.

7. Place the rolls in a gease tray leaving about 0.5 cm gap between each roll (too jammed or too far part will affect the appearence after baking). Cover, and rest the dough for 45mins or until almost double the size.

8. Preheat the oven to 180C, brush the egg wash on top, bake for 20 - 25 mins.

Anniversary

Bb and me celebrated our 3rd year anniversary yesterday. I had ideas on two type of cakes initially - Tiramisu and Ice-cream cake. However, I know he isn't really keen on the liquor taste of tiramisu. And so I decided to make him an ice-cream cake (his favourite, of coz).

I knew right away I wanted chocolate ice-cream cause we are both chocolate lovers...sometimes I think he's more a chocoholic than me. Hee..
What flavor should I pair it with? And I remembered the Haagen Diaz - Macadamia Nut Brittle icecream we both love. But it's so expensive.

So I thought...I could make the nut brittle myself and stir it into vanilla icecream. Hehe...and that's just what I did.

I baked a simple vanilla pound cake for the cake base and top, made some macadamia & hazelnut (plus some hazelnuts cause I ran out of the former) nut brittle.

Icecream cakes are really easy to make. Layer a cake ring bottom with pound cake, spread on softened icecream. Let it set for about one and a half hour in the freezer, before spreading on the second flavor icecream( skip this step if only using one flavor). Cover the top with another layer of pound cake. And freeze overnight. Decorate as wish on the second morning.

*I soften the ice-cream by putting it in the normal compartment of the fridge for about 1-2 hours, depending how soft your ice-cream was to begin with.

Anyway, the macadamia & hazelnut nut brittle ice-cream turned out really yummy. Bb said this is the best cake ever! Hee~

Donuts or Doughnuts

There has been some donuts craze here in singapore the past months. Me having join up the crazy 2 hours queue in Raffles City for them. lolz.... ok..that's just once.

Anyway, whenever I'm have my sugar crave, a sugary donut would do nicely to satisfy my craving. Hee~ But I would feel sinful each time after having one cause being how nice they are, these sweet treats are deep fried and coated with loads of sugar!! lolz...Who's counting the calories?

So I decided to make a baked version of it. I saw these wonderful milk rolls at Gattina . I changed the shortening to butter as I can't digest the idea of taking in trans fat. *wink*

The dough was really soft and sticky despite adding generous amount of flour. And it stick to my cutter each time. After much struggle, I sent my ugly shaped donuts into the oven.

I cooked some cinnamon apple filling for the donuts, while some are covered with cinnamon sugar and a few frosted with nutella!!

The texture was rather disappointing. But what am I looking for in a baked donut right?

Baked Donuts (courtesy of Gattina)

2 1/4 tsps dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 Tbps unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
2 1/4 cups plan flour.

Melted butter as glazing; and some cinnamon sugar

Directions

-melt the butter with milk, cool to lukewarm temperature
-Dissolve the yeast with the water for 5 minutes
-In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, egg, yeast water and milk mixture, stir briskly till well blended. The dough is very wet and lumpy, like cake's batter.
-Cover the bowl with clingwrap and rest dough for an hour or double its volume in room temperature.
-Spread (a big area) quite a lot of flour on the work table, pour in the dough... you need to keep dusting your hands with flour as the dough is very sticky... pat (don't knead!) it into 1/2-inch-thick big round dough.
-Use a 3-inch-diameter cookie cutter/water glass to cut the dough, and place them on a slightly buttered baking tray.
-Pre-heat the oven 220oC while resting the rolls (covered) for 20 minutes.
Bake the rolls 8-10 minutes or they JUST turn slightly brown.
Immediately brush the melted butter on the rolls, and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. Served warm.

Duos Marbled Slices

My mum has been hooked on making marbled cake recently. During one of her bakes, I suggested to do a matcha marbled cake instead of the usual chocolate and vanilla combination.

And it turned out really yummy. A refreshing change! As for the usual marbled cake you see here, it's actually mocha and vanilla combination, which tastes just as great. =)

Just use any butter cake recipe, take out one third of the batter and mixed with 2-3 tsp of green tea powder. Pour in the two batters alternately. And voila, you have your matcha marbled cake!