Baking in Melbourne - Red Velvet Cupcakes

 
It has been a fun trip in Melbourne so far. Today is boxing day and I decided to bake a batch of Red Velvets just to try out how baking would be in Australia given the obvious difference in climate (humidity & weather), different ingredients available, a different oven and kitchen.

The result was a success but with noticeable different from those that I've baked back in Singapura with the same recipe. The rising of the cake is lesser here in Melbourne in comparison.

Banana Cupcake with Light Cream Cheese

Banana cupcake with cream cheese frosting

stripped naked, awaiting to be devoured!

gone in 2 mega mouthfuls

 

My last Saturday at home for the year!

My bro, sis-in-law and little niece are coming today. I wanted to bake the red velvets that I did for the Charity for them to try but I saw a bunch of bananas sitting on the table in the kitchen, beckoning me, as if asking: "You really don't wanna bake banana cake meh?"

And so I obeyed Mr. Banana. Sigh... I'm so easily persuaded.

I took the recipe meant for Banana muffins and made it into cupcakes. I must say the cream cheese compliment really well with the banana cake!

Next Saturday Elmer will be baking Christmas log cake. Can't wait!!!!

Charity Bake was a Success!

photo credit: aaron

The Charity cakes & cookies were sold out in 2 hours! And we raised S$2.8K in total for the less fortunate children of the Mekong Subregion~

I'm so happy and glad to be a part of this drive. It made my 2011 more complete. I've achieved most, if not all of the check-list items that I have established at the beginning of the year. No, not those lame and impossible New Year Resolution craps, but things that I truly set myself to complete/achieve.

I made 3 wishes on the 1st Sunday service this year together with the rest of the church. And He blessed me with more (His usual style). :)

A quick recap:

Personal Projects

- Pink Ribbon Campaign (Oct), Flaunt It! Concert (50 pink ribbon cupcakes)

- i.Observe --> SIN : An Singapore Instagram Exhibition - 2 photos chosen to exhibit (Oct)

- i.Observe --> InstaShow Presentation - Presented 17 of my Instagram photos to the public (Nov)

- Child's Dream - Mekong Subregion Kids Charity Drive --> Baked 100 cupcakes for sale (Dec)

- artbyboon.net --> Dad sold a few pieces this year, also gotten a part time job. I sold 3 pieces.

- cake by boon --> something I've always dreamt of, but never gotten down with it until Elmer bought an oven for us

Many of us are skeptics by nature. We are told that there is no free lunch in this world, we are told we have to work extra hard to achieve, we are programmed to think that nothing comes that easily.

But matter of fact, life is that simple - believe in something you desire, and you will have it. The universe will work its wonders and orchestrate to realise those dreams - one and only thing to do is to believe. I did that and I have nothing to lose by doing so. In fact, everything to gain and benefit.

the world calls this idealistic. i call it realistic, as long as you are bold to simply believe.

May the kids benefit largely with the token we have raised from the charity drive.

100 Red Velvets for Charity & Tea's Awesome Chocolate Chips Cupcakes!!

Fresh cream cheese topping with Red Velvet Cupcake

Tea's Awesome Chocolate Chips Cupcakes

After the trial run 2 weeks ago, today I went to TKH's place again to bake the actual 100 Red Velvet cupcakes for tomorrow's Charity Drive.

We did 3 batches all in all. I didn't add lots of red food coloring, so the cakes didn't appear really red. But it was a success!

KH took 1 cup to try, so technically speaking, we only have 99 for the Charity. lol

With the left over cake batter, KH baked a batch of his "Tea's Awesome Chocolate Chips Cupcakes". Basically, he embedded LOADS of semi-sweet chocolate chips in the batter and on top of it.

I must admit it tasted AWESOME! best eaten warm (with melty choc inside) & a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it. Thanks a lot Guofeng for lending me your mum's amazing kitchen, your Laticias and being my professional Sifter!

I'm very happy to be a part of this Charity drive, spreading the joy of Christmas to the less fortunate. All proceedings will go to the less fortunate children in Mekong Sub-Region~ ♥

More Christmas Bakes!!

Joy, Love and Peace to all

I found Angel cookie cutter!

I baked 3 bottles of butter cookies this morning, ready to be given away to my dear friends whom I'll be meeting up for pre-Christmas dinners next week. I dusted powered sugar over the Angel cookies for even more Angelic feel. Only minus part is that the wings are always chao tah.

I'm kinda nervous for tomorrow. I'll be baking 100 red velvets tomorrow for a Charity Sale happening on Monday. Gonna spread the joy of Christmas to the less fortunate. All proceedings will go to the less fortunate children in Mekong Sub-Region. <3

I smell Christmas!! Butter Cookies with Love...

I love Christmas, even so the Person who made the day special. Christmas always stirs the giving spirit, and Impulsive buyings!
For me, it's more of impulsive bakings ~ This Christmas, I'm going to make bottles and bottles of butter cookies filled with love, peace and hope for people around me, blessing them with a great year ahead~

Mum is already asking me to bake almond and walnut flavored ones for Chinese New Year. Hello~!!!? Christmas is not even here yet, you are requesting for CNY?!?! She sure follows the retail calendar closely! :P

Crazy bakes at TKH's!

TIMTAMs flavor! all thanks to KH's idea of replacing oreo with timtams and i must admit it's quite nice!

trying to perfect the swirl......

 pipping 70 cupcakes~~

 My company's HR approached me one day, asking me if I could bake 100 cupcakes for a Charity Drive. I was thrilled to do that, and accepted the request. My good friend, TKH, offered his huge kitchen, 3 ovens and 5 maids to aid in the baking process. (seriously, a household of 5 maids?! LOL) All for a good cause!

And so, we did a trial run at his place on Sunday and it went into a crazy baking frenzy! I wanted to just bake 24 cupcakes - 12 cookies and cream & 12 red velvet. We ended up baking 70 cupcakes! with new flavored ones like Tim Tams and Chocolate Chips Coffee!

Pink Ribbon Cupcakes Project 2011

Chocolate and Vanilla (Yin-Yang) swirl cake topped with pink Swiss meringue butter-cream

 I added a little pink coloring to the cake and it turned out with a light tinge of pretty pinkness to it <3

My personal Pink Ribbon Campaign Finale!

All set to bring these 50 pink cupcakes to tonight's Flaunt It! Concert @ Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial.

This is my first personal project in 2011. On my birthday month, I've decided to do something meaningful. So far, for the month of October, I've baked about 100 cupcakes for people around me, be it I know them or not. It is to promote the Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness. This project is a test for myself as well - a project with double meaning.

i've not accepted any monetary benefits from this, all cupcakes were given away for free. So skeptics, i'm not a con-star.

I hope you guys spend some time reading about breast cancer and how we could prevent by early detection.

Do you even know about Male Breast Cancer?
Where can your Mum or Sis or wife or gf or yourself go for a test?

www.pinkribbon.com

Gothic Halloween Cupcakes

classy gothic purple swirls cupcakes for Halloween

Red Velvet Cupcakes

 

And so, I allowed myself to be sucked into the seemingly "trendy" red velvet cupcake craze - a traditional Southern American delight. However, on this side of the globe, buttermilk isn't a readily available ingredient. That didn't stop me from trying to bake these beautiful cuppies. I didn't want to short-change myself  by baking a chocolate based cake with red food coloring. I mean, what's red velvet without the acidity in the cake? I HAD to bake the real deal.

And so, I made my own buttermilk. Basically just coagulating normal milk with white vinegar.

The cake was moist and dense, perfect with a tower of sweet and slightly sour cream cheese topping! <3

Cookies and Cream Cupcake

Vanilla cake with crumbs of coarsely crushed oreo cookies embedded within, topped with fresh light vanilla buttercream dusted with oreo crumbs~

After baking too much of the plain Vanilla and Chocolate based cakes, I did an experimental batch of Oreo cookies embedded cake. The first batch came out rather dry. I guess the cookies had absorbed the moisture too much, leaving the cake dry. And so, I altered the recipe a little and the 2nd batch turned out moist and more dense.

Both batches has it's own plus and minus points to them. The dryer batch would taste perfect with a larger pile of butter cream on it, while the moist and heavier batch could go with lesser topping. Either way suits the different preferences I guess!

Zesty Orange Muffins

best eaten warm with some butter sweating over it

freshly baked orange muffins dusted with icing

finely grated orange zest is added to the batter

Baking these little things made the entire house smell of refreshing orange fragrance, somehow giving me the countryside homely warmth feeling.

I personally prefer eating them warm, with a slab of butter sweating over the steaming orange delight. Mmmm.... this makes me wanna bake some of them now! The orange zest works wonder in the batter, giving the occasional zesty highlight to the taste.