Jen's Cupcakes Quest
>> Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I woke up at 2am this morning, couldn't sleep and my mind started concocting
My Pièce de Résistance for the Cake Decorating Class Finals
>> Saturday, September 26, 2009
I didn't have much time this week to plan the design for my final cake. As usual, I had barely enough time to bake the cake, let it cool down, half it, frost it. Frosting the cake is usually the challenge for me since I don't like to have any cake crumbs on my frosting (which is almost impossible) plus I don't like to use the ready-made Wilton buttercream icing, which means I'd always have to make the buttercream icing from scratch. Someday, I'll learn to frost a cake perfectly. Someday.
Anyway, since there weren't any plans, I made several batches of icing in various colors so that I could bring to the last class, just to be safe. I figured I'd be inspired by the time I get there!
I did get some sort of inspiration somehow. Just wanted to incorporate everything that I had learnt in the class into that one little 8" round-barely 2.5" tall cake: piped roses, 
shell borders, 
pressed flowers,
letterings and stencils. By the way, it was a Spice cake (Sylvia Weinstock's recipe) with apricot preserve filling and creamcheese frosting. The cake smelled heavenly when it was baking in the oven but to tell you the truth, for the sake of preserving my "art piece" for photograph taking plus the love for my niece, Nicole - she loves cakes and would be thrilled to get to cut a whole cake, I haven't even had the chance to cut into the cake till now.
I'm so proud of myself! Yeah, yeah, there're some flaws if you look close enough but to paraphrase my Cake Decorating instructor "don't worry about each individual piece, just step back and look at all the decorations on the cake as a whole. In unity, in concert, together - they make a beautiful cake!" And it is a beautiful cake to me! I will get my certificate soon. Ooh, so thrilled! Tell me what you think!
D's Birthday Cake
>> Thursday, September 24, 2009
Excellent recipe for chocolate fudge cake from Sylvia Weinstock's Sensational Cakes. You can find it here.
Sunflower Cupcakes
>> Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I needed about 8 cupcakes for my cake decorating class so I baked a batch of couple dozen Lemon Yoghurt Cupcakes with made-from-scratch Lemon Curd filling last week. 
First Rainfall of the season
This is way too early. It's only mid September?!!.
We were watching TIVO'd episodes of Everyday Italian and Barefoot Contessa when suddenly, I could hear the pitter-patter sounds out our backyard. Muted the TV volume, ran to peep outside through the kitchen window - lo and behold: it's raining! It was above 90 degrees yesterday, today was somewhat cooler but still, we weren't expecting rain. Probably should've paid more attention to the weather forecast. :-(
This has been a great summer. A memorable summer. A fun summer. A defining summer. I'm just not prepared for it to end....not just yet. Sunrise by 5am, long summer days with the skies still bright at 9am.......so much to do, to see, to savour.......why can't it be summer all year long?
Central California Photography Expedition September 2009
>> Friday, September 11, 2009
We decided to take a road trip down south, along the beautiful California coastline - Highway 1. We've talked about doing this for a long time but as usual, life took over and months, years passed by. Here we are, 9 years later and we haven't taken that drive down Hwy 1 to Central Coast! So that became our 2009 Labor Day weekend rendezvous.
Another Red Velvet Cake
>> Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Just can't seem to get enough of RVC. We had to bring a baked cake, frosted, ready to decorate for our cake deco. class.
