MOVED.

I'm now located at the surviving girl~! See you guys there ;)

closed.

I'm swamped with exams! AS and end of year exams are killing me.. T__T

I have skipped September's DB challenge and will be missing this month's too. I'll be back only next month after the 15th!

So dear bloggie, I promise I'll bake and update more often after this busy period! So see you until then! :)

August 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Ice Cream Petit Fours/ Baked Alaska With Brown Butter Pound Cake

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

August's challenge was a fun, and tiring one to me. As always, making homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker is time consuming. Moreover, with limited storage space in my more-than-15-year-old freezer makes ice cream making a more daunting task. Elissa was kind enough to allow the use of store bought ice cream for those with complications in making homemade ice cream.

Earlier this month, I was having my progress test so I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to make my own ice cream and to complete this challenge. However, towards the end of the month, I've decided that I should participate this challenge by making homemade ice cream, rather than store bought ones. Else, would this be a challenge anymore? Challenges are meant to be hard, don't they?

Initially, I chose to make baked alaska. However, during the process, I decided to make some petit fours as well. I suppose I was excited to decorate my cakes with those decorating sprinkles and stars sitting in my fridge waiting for my Raya baking. I invited a friend over to bake with me as I have all the equipments over at my place. In exchange, I got to have awesome pictures of my cakes taken.

Here's my baked alaska - caramel ice cream with brown buter pound cake topped with meringue.

Next up, is my petit fours - caramel ice cream sandwiched with brown butter pound cake decorated with chocolate glaze, icing sugar, almonds, colourful sprinkles and stars.

I've enjoyed this month challenge a lot. It allowed me to let my creativity flow, something I could never have done else where but my baking. The brown butter pound cake was exceptionally delicious. The aroma itself could lured me into the kitchen past midnight just to have another bite of the cake. Letting the cake wait in the freezer sure was a torture. My family and friends enjoyed the cake a lot and hopefully, my Physics tutor did too. I gave him each of the Petit Fours as a I'm-sorry-I-did-not-score-very-well-for-Physics-progress-test gift.

This recipe is really something worth keeping. Perhaps it's time I re-compile all my recipes into my recipe book. If you wanna know more about the recipe, please visit http://thedaringkitchen.com/.

This month, I'll let the pictures do all the talking for the baking process. :)

dilemma? no. its stress..

My Mum offered to give me a ride to a nearby grocery store to get ingredients for the cakes and biscuits I'll be baking for Hari Raya (aka Islamic New Year). Honestly, that was kind of a surprise cos most times I'd be the one to beg for a ride.

So I started my research on what to bake. One thing I don't like about Raya cakes is that they use LOTS of egg yolk *10 at least* and butter *500g at least*. It's very pricey to bake wonderful Malay cakes and biscuits and it's a headache for me to search for recipes that are nice yet cheap. It's so HARD to keep everything within budget.. SIGHHHH.

Now I'm having a headache and I've stopped my research. I told Mum I'll just go some other day. Time to do my homework.. or maybe a nap.

Bye bloggie.

Lakers 24 Fondant Cake.

Can I let the pictures tell the story? I'm pretty much tired to blog now. T.T

All I can say is:

1. I think my frosting looks good! My second attempt is so much prettier!

2. Marshmallow fondant nearly killed me. The kneading and trying hard to get the right consistency demotivated me. But I didn't give up!

3. Piecing of fondant pieces and purple icing was pretty hard. 

4. Total preparation + bake time: 13 FREAKING HOURS IN THE KITCHEN! 

Anyways. I'll come back and update more next time k? :) Enjoy the pictures~

Chocolate Frosting~

Marshmalllow Fondant~

Assembling~

July 2010 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s world – life and food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

I've been feeling excited for the past few weeks regarding my first Daring Bakers' Challenge. On the 1st of July, the challenge, Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake, was revealed and I was pretty excited about the cake I would be baking. I've baked something similar before so I figured it won't be too hard for me. However, I was wrong.

Things got busy with schoolwork and my chaotic life begins. Again. I was struggling to find time for this challenge as I started panicking when 20th July arrived. I knew I have not much time left. My grandparents and relatives from Canada were staying over at my place and it was quite hard to have my kitchen, and especially the fridge, free to myself!

I did my research on the 22nd to 24th. I even drew up a plan for my cake! xD I'd say its my very first time drawing up a plan. I guess I've never been this excited to pen down my thoughts for my cake.

My plan pretty much says it all. My cake has a pink and white theme, very different from Sunita's cake. I decided to have some variations so I chose my favourite colours and my favourite flavour vanilla. Strawberry flavour was chosen as it was pink in colour! Haha.

I divided the task into two days as advised by Sunita, and everyone else. On the first day, Sunday, I prepared my swiss rolls and ice creams. It was kind of a disaster.

======= I'll update more on the preparation process when I have more time to blog. =======

In the mean time, here's more pictures. ^^ 

You might not notice the white chocolate sauce in between the two layers of ice creams. But it's there. You can slightly make it out from the pictures above. The chopped strawberries for the vanilla ice cream is not very obvious either. Oh well. I'm quite proud of myself for completing my first challenge on time. :) I love the colours as well! :)

Personally, this is a cake I wouldn't mind preparing more often in the future! Perhaps I'll buy ready made ice cream next time instead. Not unless I get myself an ice cream maker. Haha.

Pink and White Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

Difficulty: 7/10

Nurainicious: 8.5/10

charity sale.

I've decided! I am taking part in my school's charity sale next Monday! :) It's gonna be a busy weekend for me. Keke. But I am quite excited! When I told Mum about participating this afternoon, she said "Honestly I do not like you to do such things.. you should focus on your studies instead". I won't say I didn't feel crushed at all, but I won't give up just for her words. I know Mum will always support me in whatever I do in the end. I love you Mum! <3

I bought 12 new tart moulds again today when I visited Le Apple Bakery Mart. More investment! It'll all be worth it although it's burning a hole in my wallet. T.T I will use my new tart moulds to bake some chocolate tartlets. I'll share more about it after the charity sale. Hopefully with pictures. :)


P.S. I haven't started with my Daring Baker's challenge yet. Time is running out. Uh-oh. @.@