My new sugarcraft toy! :)

This is my very first daring baker's challenge~! I'm so excited!

For April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. Yummy Yummy cheesecake. We are allowed to make some changes to the recipe and i've decided to use Oreo biscuits as the base instead of Graham crackers. 

MMMmmmMMM i love Oreo 

*twist lick and dip!* <----Oreo's slogan

When i read about the challenge about a couple of weeks ago and it was cheesecake i was like "yes!". I love making cheese cakes.

This reminds me of when i first started out baking, back in high school, my first couple of cheesecake attempt was a BIG failure= BURNT Cheesecakes. This is was because i didn't use 

the water bath method. Only when i started to read the recipe notes "carefully", i found out we were suppose to use the :steam oven: method! I felt really really silly for not reading it carefully *slaps my head* Well, i guess lesson well learnt! :)

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

Ingredients List:

Crust:

2 cups / 180 g Oreo cookies (crushed)

1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted

Cheesecake Batter:

3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature

1 cup / 210 g sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.

Remove the cream from the cookies. Anyone up for Oreo cream?

Melt Butter

Mix butter with crushed Oreo biscuits

It will then look like this

Oh yes! Not to forget, line the pan before you do anything else!

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy. The batter should then look like this.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.

Secure bottom with foil

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. 

While its baking in the oven, i melted some chocolate for the decoration.

After a long 45 mins, the cake's ready!

I covered the entire cake with ganache (not a very good job here)

The end result!

Doesn't it just look yum? 

Now, who wants to be a cake tester?? anyone??

Toodles~

Lilia

G'Morning Readers!

I'm up early today. I just realized that it is SUNDAY!! YAY!!

I've been having days off since Friday and it feels sooooooo good. Given that i've been very busy during the week with work, cakes, events........ *groans* but now its all good.

Since its my day off, i can do whatever i please *big smile*. Actually more like picking up things where i left off. Eg: my cupcake stand! 

I've been wanting to complete it but things just get in the way! You know, when you want to do something and then when you're about to start you find out something else more pressing that needs your immediate attention?? (like the burning cakes in the oven! yikes!)

Yea, i've been putting off this cupcake stand project for about 3 months or so now. I finally got my lazy bum started on it and ta-dah! 

I love it, the frills and ribbons and wrapping paper.

Although it is a little too black for my liking but hey, there're always more boards to cover :)

Now that this is done, I'm off to organize my whole entire external drive.

(another chore that i've been putting off.)

Until then,

Toodles

Lilia

My 2nd Christening cake in a week!

 *phew! two down , two more orders to go for the coming week*

This time its for a gorgeous baby girl, Alexis. I totally adore her smile, its sooooooo CUTE!!!

(Let me remind you besides me being a cake craze, baking craze person, i LOVE babies! Sometimes, i find myself wandering in Pumpkin Patch looking at baby toys, clothes, shoes, they are SO tiny and cute) *I can't wait to have kids~

The theme obviously was all pink and white with teddies, exploding stars and baby blocks. How cute huh? 

The cake is about 12 inch with an 8 inch top and my my, it was one heavy cake altogether. I would think its about 10kgs or even more!!!       *i might be a little exaggerating*

Big thanks for YOONG!! for helping me to mould the fondant and cover the massive 12inch bottom tier.

*claps! and hugs Yoong* I'm officially hiring him to be my fondant person :)

Fadi and Carla absolutely adored the cake! (Did i also mention that they are one very lovely couple?) 

I hope to see them again soon with baby 2! :p

The first tier of the cake (white chocolate with ganache) Yum!

I swear it WAS NOT easy making the blocks, it kept slipping cause it was so small and delicate. I had to be really really careful when covering the blocks. so far, it turned out not too bad 

(Grade: B)

Ta-dah! Baby blocks with deco

The final masterpiece done~

The top tier with pink teddy and exploding stars

Don't this just make you feel starry and pinky?

You know, I'm not normally a big fan of pink ..........but I'm starting to like this pink. Its kinda growing on me. B)

So who is next on my list of to-do's?

Frank's 21st!

No wait, i need to finish my daring baker's challenge first~

Post date is coming Monday, so stay tune for more pictures~!

Toodles~

Lilia

My very first fondant covered cuppies! 

It was a big success~~ *happy happy joy joy*

It took me quite a while to think of a suitable deco for these cuppies. 

*one whole night*

First, i was thinking of the normal cachous and love hearts but then i thought that it would just be too simple and i wanted something that represented us, (the showbag girls, and boys of course) as this is a thank you present for our dearest supervisor, Irene. 

Since i have not yet mastered my human figuring skills, i finalized with cute little teddies to represent each and everyone of us :)

I hope Irene loved her cuppies~!

First we start by covering the cuppies with fondant

It will then look like this!

Next, teddies appearance!

Teddies on cuppies

The girl version with a little ribbon

The boy version

Cuppies personalized to each staff member

Irene's cuppies

Packed Cuppies

It been a very very very extra hectic week for me.

(I cannot stress how busy i have been)

Here's an example of days from this week,

First my day work starts from 9am till about 3pm. After work i get home and start my baking/decorating routine till about 6pm. Then off to my night job at 7pm-11.30pm. Later get back home again to resume with my baking till about 2.30am....

Next day back up again at 7 or 8 am to start my day all over again.

(that was yesterday and now i feel so buggered! plus my feet is so sore from all the standing. *cries*

Every night of this week has been with an event on or something. I promise i will have a quiet on next week (BAH! i doubt that cause i have more cake orders!)EEEEEEeeeeeee, bad news for my feet again.

Besides that, I think i've inhale a little too much cocoa powder, i feel it tickling my nose right now :p

Well, this week i made 50 cupcakes, Hello Kitty Cake and Christening Cake.

No pictures yet from the Hello Kitty cake and cupcakes. In the mean time, here are some pictures from the Christening Cake.

*I kinda like the background, guess where it is? In the lift!

LOL.

My explanation : i had no time to even find the camera to cam-whore this cake!

Close up view of the bears

In a different lighting

These are the only pictures i have of the cake. (Wish i had more and from different angles)

I almost forgot to take any until Yoong reminded me that i should at least keep a portfolio of my creations just for future reference. I'm glad i did listen to him (Thanks honey!) :)

If you would like to look at the teddies in closer view. Click here!

Hello everyone!

Join me in making cupcakes for Biggest Morning Tea event- by Cancer Council.

I'm so *excited*!!! Its my first baking for a cause~~

This event is held every year and it is back celebrating its 16 year. The official date is Thursday 28 May, but we are allowed to host an event any time during May or June.
The aim is to reach $11 million! Money raised during this event will go towards Cancer Council research, prevention, education and support.

Although i will not be able host a morning tea myself but i have offered my services (baking of course!) to bake cupcakes for host/hostesses to serve with their morning tea event. :)

For those of you who don't know much about what Cancer Council do, here is a little summary:-
The Cancer Council's mission is to defeat cancer and they see research as playing a vital role.
Research is the key to finding answers to questions about cancer - what causes cell damage, why cells turn cancerous, how cancer grows and spreads and how we can most effectively attack it.
That is why they work closely with other cancer organizations in Australia to:

• undertake and fund cancer research
• prevent and control cancer
• provide information and support for people affected by cancer

Also here is the link to check them out and ways of how you can help!
Hurry up and put on your apron to have a bake fiesta!

Sample Cupcakes from previous events!