Cake Decoration Advanced class

Recently, I had just completed a cake decoration advance class. This class was more on piping skill to pipe various animals and flowers. These are what we done in the class:

There are more, but I didn’t take the pictures as my hands were often oily from the shortening . However, there was a final test to decorate a 10″ cake with fresh cream and also have to display our skill on piping the roses…. The cake you see in above and the roses are my final project.

Mickey Toon Town

This was one big project for me! I’ve never been to Disneyland before, hence do not really know what is a toon town until the request of this cake.

The idea of this cake wasn’t from me, since I’ve never been to toontown. And for those like me, haven’t been to toontown, it’s actually Mickey’s house. The clubhouse which we always see on TV, that’s the clubhouse, and toontown is his house.

Anyway, the credit of this design should go to the birthday boy’s mother, Jen. She gave me the ideas.

She wanted her children as part of the design, hence I’ve hand moulded her children with fondant where the sister is hugging her little brother. I did the figurines the night before, but when I woke up the next morning, the figurines turned soft. I had no choice but to re-do the figurines again while the cakes are in the oven baking.

And the matching cupcakes:

 

When you put both together:

The top tier was Lemon Butter Cake, bottom tier was Chocolate Butter Cake, Mickey Cuppies were Nutella Cupcakes and Minnie Cuppies were Oreo Cuppies.

Last but not least, I would also like to give credit to my partner, Connie, without her help, I will not be able to complete the cakes in time.

 

Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends are always a boy’s favourite. This time round, I did 25 cupcakes on this theme for my friend’s son. I’ve spent many hours and sleepless nite for these cupcakes. As these were requested on a weekday, I had to bake the cupcakes after my class at 11pm and decorate them.

I feel that I didn’t do a real good job on these even though I quite like the outcome:

And friends:

Blackforest cake again!

Blueberry Streussel Muffin

I love blueberry streussels muffin! I bought a box of blueberries which was on offer on Friday and decided to whip up some blueberry muffins with fresh blueberries… Here they are:

It’s Purple in colour, not so sweet and not dry! It’s so yummy!

Strawberry Cake

I had a busy weekend last weekend. I wouldn’t be so busy if I hadn’t forget that I have a class on Monday!

On Saturday, I did a Strawberry cake for my boss. She wanted it for her sister’s birthday, so I did. It was a 12″ cake and I quite like the simple and yet cheerful design:

Teacher’s Day Cupcakes Decoration

Want to learn how to decorate some cupcakes to show your teachers your appreciation??

You will get to decorate 4 cupcakes to bring home, which include teddy bear fondant modelling @ $35 per pax.

No experience needed, just come and have fun!

Location @ Upper Bukit Timah Road, The Hillside condo
Date: 15th August 2009, 10am – 12.30pm

Interested, Please email 3rsvan@gmail.com
Please note, your seat will only be confirmed upon paying of the course fees.
Max: 6 pax, minimal 4 to start a class.

Last day of registration is 13th Aug 2009.

I know, time is short, it was a last min decision to do this class.

Chocolate Chips Chiffon Cake

Sorry to keep some of you waiting, here is the recipe for the Moist Chocolate Chips Chiffon Cake:

Ingredients:
6 eggs (Separated into yolks and egg white)
110g cake flour
135g sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup corn oil
75g cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 tbsp of mini chocolate chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven in lower thrid of the oven to 150 Deg C
2. Grease the bottom of a chiffon pan
3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Add half of 135g of the sugar and blend together.
4. Make a well in the centre and set aside.
5. Add oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla extract into the centre of the well in the flour mixture.
6. With a wire whisk, mix together until smooth and light in colour. Make sure there is no lumps.
7. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and stiff. Make sure the bowl is clean and dry and greasefree.
8. Fold the egg white into the batter mixture until thoroughly blended.
9. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top and fold until all combined. Do not over fold.
10. Immediately, pour into the prepared cake pan. Do not bang the cake pan, instead, run a table knife or icing spatula through the batter in a “S” formation.
11. Bake the cake in the pre heated oven f0r 40-45mins or until the cake is deep golden brown on top and springs back when touched lightly with the open palm of your hand. When a skewer is insert into the cake, it should come out clean.
12. Remove the cake from oven immediately and over turn it to cool on a high cooling rack to prevent condensation on the surface of the cake.
13. Remove the cake by gently running the side with a thin knife after it has been completely cooled. Take caution as not to scratch the side of the pan.

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and serve. Enjoy!

Mad Hatter’s Hat Cake

As for the Mad Hatter’s Hat, this cake was about 7-8″ high with alternate cake flavour of Madiera cake and Chocolate Butter Cake. The challenging part was to create the teapot. We tried to be creative, we used a “milk ball” cake as the body of the teapot.

Why milk ball? Because instead of Rum or other alcohol to mix the cake crumbs, we used milk as it’s meant for children. But we had forgotten something, milk is liquid and it’s the “enemy” for fondant!

I woke up the next morning, stressed to see that my handle came off the teapot and the whole teapot “cracked” and soft and looked ulgy! Initially, I thought of just re-doing a smaller handle so that it can hold in place, but while I was making it, then I remembered that the “milk ball” contains milk! I had to quickly removed the teapot and re-do a new teapot with 100% fondant. Luckily I did not throw away the royal icing which I had prepared the nite before.

The new teapot looked much nicer, neater and more elegant now when it’s all dry. I had the whole cake blasted with full blown aircon in the room till delivering.

These pictures were the “old” teapot and I forget to take the photo of the new teapot

I would like to give credit also for this cake. I didn’t come out with this design, it’s the mother of the birthday gal. Thanks A for helping in brainstorming for this cake design.

VROOOOMMM~~~~

The weekend just past had been a busy one for me. I had 2 big cakes to fulfill, 1 is a Car track for the birthday boy to put his cars on it and the other one is for a sweet little girl’s Alice in Wonderland theme party.

The car track measures 10″x 20″ and I think it’s about 4.5″ height. It’s a very heavy cake and the cake was madeira cake. The cake was filled with chucks of fresh strawberries.

The track was done with Chocolate Fondant. It taste very chocolatey and yummy, much better than normal white fondant… and not as sweet in my opinion.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce my friend, Connie, to you! She had joined me in my recent cake ventures and helped me with all the designs and baking………

She’s the lady behind the cake! She was helping me with the preparation of the fondant while I took this photo. It’s a snap shot of her without her noticing.

Let’s Welcome her together!!!

I would like to give credit to someone else also, and that’s Meng Choo for sharing her yummy and not so sweet buttercream icing recipe with me. Thank you!