A Box of Chocolates

Hubby missed out a wedding banquet he had to attend so that he could help me out at the store. So he ask me to make a box of chocolates for the happy wedded couple as they are friends in the church we worshipped at. Seems like I couldn't run away from this one.

This is what I made last night before bedtime. He chose the pretty box from our store. I chose the nice turqoise and gold foil for the chocolates and matching it with glassine brown paper cups.

The chocolates are made with white compound chocolate which had Valrhona crunchy pearls chocolates in it. I also added a hint of Jupe Japanese Royal Tea paste in it. Smells deliciously sinful.

Here's to many more wedded bliss for the young couple..!

A Time for everything...

Since opening the store, I found my days run in and out in a flash. Weekends are quick meals cooked in a one pot version. On nights, I just had Mozzarella cheese grilled straight on toast. I don't seem to have time to watch soapy serials on Channel 8 or movie flicks on HBO anymore.

My days and nights are filled with answering queries on emails or walk-in customers at the store asking about things I have in store.

But despite it all, I still find time to bake. And doing new recipes with the new ingredients I am selling in my store. And the most interesting thing was I could do this in a flash..after coming back from the store at 10pm each night.

Like this lovely Chiffon Cake I baked on Monday night using the Japanese UME Plum Fruit concentrated paste. It was light and yet firm and I even reduced the sugar by as much as 50%. The fruit paste was concentrated and sweetened. The aroma was heavenly.





Here is the recipe for it:

UME Plum Chiffon Cake
Recipe by Gina Choong

Ingredients A
4 egg yolks
125g Top flour
80ml fresh milk(I used UHT full cream milk)
2.5 tbsp Jupe Natural UME Plum paste**

Ingredients B
4 egg whites
80g fine sugar

Method
1. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks to whip till well mixed.
2. Add milk, fruit paste to stir. then add flour and stir to mix evenly. Set aside.
3. Whip egg whites in a cake mixer till foamy. Then pour in sugar slowly.
4. Whip till it peaks. Stop the mixer and fold in egg yolk batter with it.
5. Pour into tube pan
6. Bake in preheated oven 160C for 35 mins.
7. Serve cooled.

Notes
You can get UME Plum Paste from Kitchen Capers store. Costs S$8.80 per 100g bottle.

Are you a student?

With Mong or with Anna Chan's? Mong, as she nicknames herself, is a Wilton Methods Instructor and she teaches in her home. Check out her blog to find out about her classes on cupcakes or cake decoration. Her students will get a name card from her and it doubles up as a Discount card to be use at Kitchen Capers retail store.



Also with Anna Chan, she teaches baking, cake decoration skills too. See her blog for more details.



I am running this at my store for anyone who flashes Mong's or Anna Chan's name cards, will get a 5% Discount for all bakeware.

For my own KC students, the cards are still in progress(Printing stage). They will get theirs soon. But a special priviledge of 10% Discount only for my students. As a gesture of "Thank You" for the past support they have given me.


Mong's blog
http://mengchoo.livejournal.com/

Anna Chan's blog
http://www.sugar-inc-cake.com/

Happy Birthday Melody

My little girl Melody is 11 years old today. 25 May 2009. I couldn't do any fancy cakes for her or help her to do a party. So this was all I could do.

An 8 inch Hershey's Chocolate Cake that was covered in peppermint flavoured sugar paste that was tinted in green.

Only the roses are made by me. The rest of the fondant figurines were hand crafted by her. She also helped me to mould and tinted every shade of coloured fondant to be use on the cake.

The sugar doll was made of icing and was an item I sell in my KC store.




She brings the cake to school today and will have a mini celebration with her class and Form Teacher.

Here's wishing my baby a Happy and Fun Birthday today!

Love from mom and dad...

One card to have

The ultimate card to have..my KC priviledge card. Introducing it next month. Once I get it printed.

So if you have been visiting us at the store and buying..Thank you for your support. And my way of saying Thank you is to give you a card..

10% Discount on all bakeware. Except food, ingredients and party ware/papercups, muffin cups. Those fall under Bulk purchases and will have bulk purchases discount.

What's new ?

Decided to show off some new stuff I brought in to sell at my store.

Toolbox caddy. S$15.90 for all your cutters, fondant tools, colouring etc. Comes in 4 different colours.


Set of carnation cutters S$15.90


Chocolate mould : football S$22.00


A set of Daisy plunger cutters S$15.90


A set of Blossom plunger cutters S$15.90


Flexible mould with transportation icons S$10.90. Great for making tiny fondant figurines for cupcakes or cakes.


Egg Press moulds S$2.80 each. To press a hard boiled egg (remove egg shell) into it for 15 mins. Remove and the egg resembles the shape it is in.

In the garden

This week has been hectic for me. Having to teach for half a day, every day, starting from Tuesday and ending on Friday(tomorrow) and thereafter, rushing off to the store to work till 9pm each day. But teaching to me, is stress relief for me. A break from work and to do all things creatively.

I had the chance to meet up with a fellow blogger who also surfs at my KC forum. She came to Singapore from Brunei just to take up a 4 day baking and cake decoration class with me.

Our week started on Tuesday when I taught her to bake 2 cakes. The 2nd day, I taught her how to roll fondant, add and mix colours to create the different shades and we did some figurines too. From penguins to baby booties to roses to food icons.

Today, she learn how to cover a cake in fondant. And also how to bake the delicious Nutella chocolate cupcakes. And look at what she did..and she said, "This is my first time with fondant".

And I still don't believe her...do you?







And while she was fiddling with her cake...I made these on my own.