S*U*C*C*E*S*S

I tried out 3 new recipes recently. Was quite satisfied with 2. Funny how success with little things like this can put a spring in your step for a couple of days! I did work on this Red Velvet for a while and finally getting it right with 2 thumbs up from friends!

Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting




Semolina(sugee) and coconut. Quite yums!
















Peanut butter cupcakes.
Not exactly happy with this recipe.







Golf themed cake.





Chocolate and strawberries.... gooood...!








A 'cowboy' cake.







Something in tropical colours.







Happy 52nd Malaysia. Sorry I added 2 extra stripes on you!

Carrot and walnut with cream cheese frosting.

Concentrating on what's ahead

With so much sad news recently, it's best to keep busy and focus on today and tomorrow. Every dark cloud has it's silver lining, we just have to look through the haze obstructing it!

These cupcakes were meant to be wedding favours. However, due to unavoidable circumstances the wedding has to be postponed. And like the troopers some people are, we must have our cake, albeit a week later. I didn't mind, it was either that or having 200 flowers sitting around the house... literally!




















Elaine's daughter turns 1.
























Strawberry swirl cheesecake. My all time fave!













I re-connected with an old classmate recently. This was his second order in a matter of days after first trying my cupcakes. Hope Penny got a decent slice this time!






Tried a new recipe for sugee cake.
Verdict: 2 thumbs-up!

Clowning around

Have I? I've been kept pretty busy lately but I don't have the pictures to show for it. A lot has been on my mind and maybe that's why I feel like I've been 'working' a lot! All I can say is I'm glad July is gone!

This was to be a chocolate chip butter cake. As I feared all the choc chips sunk to the bottom but I had to see it for myself.





Some colour samples a customer wanted to see for her up coming wedding.












Met up with old friends and brought caramel banana & walnut cupcakes.

Sweet May

May and I met at the first PME Professional course, we've since completed all 3 modules together. The most bubbly person one could ever come across, May called me this morning all concerned because I had not made an update on my blog in a while. How sweet was that, you tell me!

As I had told May, the reason was because most of the work I've been doing lately are repeats of previous work so there hasn't been anything new to feature. But time does fly past and now I do have new stuff to show.

Thanks for your call May, stay sweet and I know I can count on you for the most infectious laugh!



For Hida, the science student.



I didn't have much time to put any thought into this graduation butter almond cake. The only request was for lots of icing!










A Mummy, wife and lawyer... what a job!








Kinda obvious what this dude's interests are! *wink, wink*



Butterscotch mini cupcakes.





















Banana and walnut cake for McCann's June birthdays.

An order from England. From Graham to his daughter who teaches at the Alice Smith school.

Cakey-cakey for the DCruz family

That was how my dear friend Sue described her order when she emailed me. The cakes below were for one of their regular family get togethers, nearly 50 pax each time.



Vanilla butter cake. Sue's mum turns 70. Her cake incorporates all her interests: children, home, baking, reading, girl guides and sewing. After my royal icing course, I decided to include the recently learned smocking technique here.
Date & walnut cake. For Sue's sister and BIL's 16th anniversary. This is a new recipe shared by Beryl in England. I've not received feedback so I've no idea how this cake turned out but the 'greenies' theme made it fun to do!

Moist chocolate cake for the June babies. Here I played around with colourful glitter piping gel.

PME Professional Diploma in Royal Icing

And so I've completed all 3 Modules offered by PME, UK. What's next? The Masters certificate is so tempting but let's wait and see. However, it does give me a sense of achievement to hold the 3 diplomas and Calvin's (our sifu) words ring out loud and clear, "You are now a Cake Artists, not home bakers anymore." Wow, that will take a while to sink in!

One thing for sure, I'm no longer intimidated by sugar paste (fondant), sugar flowers or royal icing... bring it on!

I so need a new camera... among other stuff!

My Fuji Digital cam has seen better days. Followed me to Australia, Bali, New Zealand and all around here. Went for repairs twice... so what more can I ask of it? You have served me well but dang it.... I have to take a dozen snaps before it yields a clear picture!

However a replacement has to wait. I have a water tank, damaged ceiling, walls and floor to think of first (see previous post).

Just when you thought things might go smoothly...

Sometimes things just falls into place. You sell similar ideas to different clients and in one sitting you get all the toppers done and drying nicely until bake day. See below, how alike everything looks? Same colour scheme, all in buttercream.... aaah, easy peasy, right? Think again....

















Before I could really rejoice at how relaxing my weekend is going to be.... the water tank decides to burst and rain on our heads... indoors! So in between baking, I mopped and mopped, searched for a plumber.... mopped some more, all 150 gallons of water the tank held. I'm not even going to show you a picture of the gaping hole in the ceiling the plumber made to get to the source of the leak.

The sound of silence.... and hot air.

It's been a long, hot, dry and quiet past couple of weeks in my home. My beloved Ken(wood) went on a unannounced vacation (did I over-worked him?).... and I kinda followed.

Only a few orders came along the last couple of weeks. Not that I'm complaining; it must be the hottest season yet! I made all these using good old fashioned brute power before I borrowed a hand held mixer from my kind SIL.









Vanilla butter cupcakes.










Mini cupcakes in butterscotch.












Someone just wanted a good 'ol carrot cake to enjoy. I like it this way too... no fuss and no extra calories!