Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Guys, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope you all have a great time enjoying your holiday! As for me, it won't be any traveling at all, maybe just hanging out in the malls or if I am lucky enough, going to the beach when the weather and transportation allow and T's office is closed. So are you going somewhere?



Lately I have been quite swamped with cupcakes and became fond of them. There was a few corporate orders that sum up to 500 pieces of vanilla cupcakes required to be delivered within one week. It was kind of fun and amusing exploring how I could cope with tight deadlines, and cupcake stress.



When all was over and I looked back at the cupcake moment, I was pleased knowing that I have done my part in spreading joy to other people during this festive season, particularly those who have consumed my cupcakes. Hopefully at the end of it, those who liked them would do their part spreading words to their friends and I would get to bake more cupcakes next year, right?



As for now until the end of the year, I am delightfully taking my day easy, although I have to start thinking about the UK visa application soon.

Let's wish all the best for our 2012! Good luck and greatest success for all of you!

Glued

Who doesn't like to watch TV drama series? I for one have been forbidding myself from falling into the Korean TV series mania that hit the whole world like a storm. Say a few.... Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven, Coffee Prince? Any of these you haven't watched? I confess, I have watched none...

And I was just doing okay turning away from what everyone or anyone was talking about in the last few years. Our office maid is a Korean serie fanatics, she claimed she had watched and kept every single Korean series she could laid her hands on in this country. And feel free to talk to her about any actor or actress, old and new. She knows it all.

But to my surprise, I could never keep my eyes off of the US TV series. Some were exposed to me and got me glued to every minute and second of the storyline. Once I was a big fan of Carrie Bradshaw in "Sex and The City". I had watched and rewatched the episodes a couple of times and started to write my sentence that went like "I can't stop but wonder ......". And then there were a few more provocative ones that entertained me shortly afterwards like "Six Feet Under", "The Ghost Whisperer" and "Lost". These three evently got me annoyed - don't know why, I just saw my interest diminish overtime until I found "Nip Tuck" and "Desperate Housewives".



The latest has become my all time favorite and funny enough I think the production could not catch up with my viewing speed so I ended up facing a lot of void for a certain period of time. And while waiting I got myself busy with replaying the old episodes or ..... opening myself to new options...

I stumbled into "Ugly Betty" a while ago and never really thought of getting into it until a closed friend told me she really liked it. My niece left our family trip this month with a message that I should catch "Glee". Wow, can I commit to that? While eventually came to meet face to face with "Ugly Betty" first episode, I had to admit - despite being a bit dull in the beginning - she grew into an interesting personality and soon enough she was adorable and had to exit Disc 6 of the first season. Oh man!

Do I miss Betty already like I miss all my family members that left after spending our wonderful time together in Thailand? Yes, I kind of do... so just have to catch the second season, shouldn't I ?. Meanwhile I have a few in my list: "The Traveler", "The Mentalist". "Brothers and Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money". Which one will drop and which one will sustain? Lets' see!

Do you have any favorite series too? Share your titles with me :-)

A Step Back or Forward?

I had to bake something! Oh come on, think! It is a replacement for the Daring Cook's Challenge which I had called it off, most probably permanently... So how about something practical and yet sweet and buttery? Let's bake cupcakes, just love to decorate these mini cakes, one at a time.... So much fun, especially when it involves colored sugar...



Meanwhile, something surprising happened with my work at the office. For some budget reason (and of course the complain about the world economic crisis, oh come on..... I mean who doesn't make a fuss about it, right?) my employer had requested me to work either on a freelance basis or a 20% cut on my salary with one less working day per week. That happened last Friday so I told her I had to sleep on it and would talk to her again about it during this week.



I tried to understand the situation .... as most of the people in my situation would do, I bet. Is this a step back? Or a step forward (into unlimited possibilities)? Am I sad about it or relieved? Is it a misfortune or a blessing in disguise?



T showed his symphaty by saying that I should not be afraid because he would be my side on this. It was comforting and he surely had said it on the right time. So to get away from this matter (I couldn't really get away from it, frankly speaking, more like thinking lesser about options whenever the thoughts came to mind again and again), we picked up kararoke, or more like he picked it up and I listened to his singing.



VANILLA CUPCAKES
Makes 13



Ingredients:
- Cake flour > 250 grams
- Salt > 1 teaspoon
- Baking powder > 6 grams
- Salted butter – room temperature > 75 grams
- Granulated sugar > 270 grams
- Vanilla extract > 2 teaspoons
- Eggs > 3
- Evaporated milk > 265 ml
- Whipping cream > 250 ml
- Red colored sugar > 20 grams
- Grape - halve and deseed > 7



Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 C.
- Combine cake flour, salt and baking powder. Sift. Set aside.
- Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract with electric cake mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time and beat thoroughly.
- Set to low speed, fold in sifted flour mixture and evaporated milk, alternately a little bit at a time. Beat until smooth.



- Pour batter into cupcake moulds, about 80% full.
- Bake for 25 minutes or whilst inserting toothpick into cupcake, it comes out clean.
- Leave to cool.
- Beat whipping cream at high speed until soft peak.
- Fill into the piping bag and pipe on top of cupcakes as desired.
- Sprinkle with red colored sugar.
- Decorate with grape.

Un Grand Commencement

Today is a special day for my date - first working day in the new company. Glad to see how early he woke up this morning in order to get to the office at least on time, if it is not in time. In this great moment, I would like to say: "Congratulations, wish you achieve great success in your work and enjoy exorbitant support from everyone at the new office!"

This post is meant to be just as special. It is the second serie of my cupcake decoration endeavor. And knowing how much I enjoy decorating cupcakes, on his way back from the holiday my date brought along various appealing snacks catered for the decoration.

So here I go fiddling with the colorful jelly bits he bought. We both agreed to name it Castle Cupcakes, as an expression of our dream trip to see castles in Europe someday...

CASTLE CUPCAKES
Makes 11 cupcakes



1. Chocolate Cupcakes
Prepare: 11 muffin paper cups (diameter 2 ¼ inch, height 2 ¼ inch) and a large baking tray

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 120 grams
- Cocoa powder > 44 grams
- Baking powder > 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda > ½ teaspoon
- Salt > ¼ teaspoon
- Milk > 190 ml
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Butter – soften > 90 grams
- Granulated sugar > 187 grams
- Eggs > 2



Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place 11 muffin paper cups on the baking tray with adequate gap between one another.
- Mix all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift.
- Separately combine milk and vanilla essence.
- Place softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until both ingredients are fully combined. Change to high speed and cream for 5 minutes.
- Change speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time.
- Adjust speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in a few additions. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.
- Spoon batter into each muffin cup until ¾ full.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the cake turns out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.



2. Decoration

Ingredients:
- Whipping cream > 300 ml
- Condensed milk > 2 tablespoons

Method:
- Beat whipping cream. Once it starts thickening add condensed milk.
- Continue beating until hard peaks form.
- Fill into piping bag with the star nozzle and pipe.
- Decorate.

Wearing an Orange Skirt

Come to realize that decorating cupcakes is like an addiction. Once we do it, we will think about doing it again.. and again..... That limited circular area with diameter of 2 inches lures the inception of many colorful decorative ideas. Besides that top hot spot, we also have extra option to beautify the cup design. I like it...

So this will be my first cupcake decoration serie following my previous posting of Rich Chocolate Cupcakes in Chocolat et Café. Many more to come...

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH ROSE TUILLES AND YAM STICK
Makes 11 cupcakes



1. Chocolate Cupcakes
Prepare: 11 muffin paper cups (diameter 2 ¼ inch, height 2 ¼ inch) and a large baking tray

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 120 grams
- Cocoa powder > 44 grams
- Baking powder > 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda > ½ teaspoon
- Salt > ¼ teaspoon
- Milk > 190 ml
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Butter – soften > 90 grams
- Granulated sugar > 187 grams
- Eggs > 2



Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place 11 muffin paper cups on the baking tray with adequate gap between one another.
- Mix all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift.
- Separately combine milk and vanilla essence.
- Place softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until both ingredients are fully combined. Change to high speed and cream for 5 minutes.
- Change speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time.
- Adjust speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in a few additions. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.
- Spoon batter into each muffin cup until ¾ full.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the cake turns out clean.
- Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.



2. Decoration

Ingredients:
- Whipping cream > 300 ml
- Condensed milk > 2 tablespoons

Method:
- Beat whipping cream. Once it starts thickening add condensed milk.
- Continue beating until hard peaks form.
- Fill into piping bag with the star nozzle and pipe.
- Decorate.

Chocolat et Café

Have seen many bloggers posting recipes of cupcakes. That is a good advantage for those who are really into cupcakes to actually do experiments with various recipes and come out with their own formulated ones. Subsequently if they post those new recipes, everyone of us will benefit from them all over again. And soon enough, a circle of neverending cupcake learning community will be formed!

I am one of the cupcake lovers, who also happened to have craving for chocolate cupcakes recently. Initially planned to crown my cupcakes with tangerine cheese cream from one of the appetizing recipes found on the Net, but then it wasn’t the season of tangerine. So I had to figure out the replacement. My bet was coffee butter cream. Nothing can go wrong since both chocolate and coffee compliment each other to deliver the most of both taste and aroma.

RICH CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Makes 11 cupcakes



1. Chocolate Cupcakes
Prepare: 11 muffin paper cups (diameter 2 ¼ inch, height 2 ¼ inch) and a large baking tray

Ingredients:
- All purpose flour > 120 grams
- Cocoa powder > 44 grams
- Baking powder > 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda > ½ teaspoon
- Salt > ¼ teaspoon
- Milk > 190 ml
- Vanilla essence > 1 teaspoon
- Butter – soften > 90 grams
- Granulated sugar > 187 grams
- Eggs > 2

Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Place 11 muffin paper cups on the baking tray with adequate gap between one another.
- Mix all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift.
- Separately combine milk and vanilla essence.
- Place softened butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until both ingredients are fully combined. Change to high speed and cream for 5 minutes.
- Change speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time.
- Adjust speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in a few additions. Continue to beat until batter is smooth.
- Spoon batter into each muffin cup until ¾ full.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the cake turns out clean.
- Remove from stove and cool on wire rack.



2. Coffee Butter Cream
Makes approximately 450 grams

Ingredients:
- Egg yolk > 20 grams
- Whole egg > 60 grams
- Water > 90 grams
- Vanilla powder > 1 teaspoon
- Sugar > 124 grams
- Salted butter - room temperature > 250 grams
- Coffee flavoring > 1 tablespoon
- Mocca paste > 1 teaspoon
- Chocolate coloring > 1 teaspoon

Method:
- Combine egg yolk with whole egg. Whip moderately with fork until frothy. Set aside.
- Mix water, sugar, and vanilla powder. Bring to boil until it reaches 118°C. Remove from fire and quickly place hot syrup in a mixing bowl.
- Pour egg mixture into hot syrup while whipping with cake mixer at medium speed. When it is fully in, switch to high speed and continue whipping until cream is cool and thick.
- Add butter into cream and whip until hard and smooth (approximately 5 minutes).
- Fold in coffee flavoring, mocca paste, and chocolate coloring. Mix thoroughly.
- Pop a star piping nozzle into the piping bag and fill with coffee butter cream.
- Pipe cream on top of chocolate cupcakes.
- Decorate more as desired. Serve.