Addicted...

...to reruns of Grey's Anatomy, that is. Funny cause this show's been going on for seven seasons (I think) but I only recently 'discovered' the reruns on cable TV. And now I can't seem to stop watching it. I'm still on Season 2, imagine that. It's a good thing it's shown Mondays thru Fridays so I don't have to suffer and wait long for the next episode. Grey's Anatomy reminds me so much of ER (George Clooney days), which I absolutely loved. I guess medical dramas are my kind of thing. I wonder if I could have been a doctor...

Recently, I got really hooked on watching Cake Boss too. We used to not have the Food Channel with our cable TV package so when we finally got it, I've been following every (old) episode, day and night, 7 days a week. I'm not much of a fondant lover but I've definitely been learning a lot of cake decorating tricks from the show.

These past few days, I've noticed I've been neglecting Cake Boss though. Maybe I'm getting tired of Buddy Valastro. I told my daughter I'd gladly exchange Buddy for Patrick Dempsey anytime....lol.

You know what? I just realized how I actually have time now to sit down and watch TV. And I really enjoy it. This was next to impossible before, when my four kids were still very young. Now, though still busy looking after them, I have a little bit more time for myself...to do the things I want to do. With no guilt feelings attached. That's not a bad thing, is it?

Before I end, here are two cakes I finished late last night. Both are red velvet (again).

Made this for a Collingwood Magpies supporter, hence, the black and white colours.

Close-up of the gumpaste bow.

For a young girl's birthday.

And lastly, what I did with an extra layer of red velvet cake and leftover frosting...

This one's just for us!

Have a good weekend and a great week ahead!

Copyright

I have just added a Copyright Notice on my sidebar.  Never thought the day would come when I would need to put one on this blog.

On an innocent Google search for ube (purple yam) cake images, I discovered not one, but several sites, using my cake photos for advertisement.  It's shocking (and shameful)...Bakeshops using photos of cake that they did not even make.

To use someone else's photos is one thing, but to put your watermark on them and claim them as your own is just taking it to another level.

Image credit: from the webpage that used my photos. My original photos are here.

Upsetting, isn't it?  I do not understand why anyone would think this is okay.

Access to the two web pages which were on Facebook have already been removed.  Another one in another site has also been deleted. I am in the process of dealing with the last one.

I believe I have been generous enough to let people use my tutorials and recipes freely.   The eBooks I sell are the only ones I have copyrighted as I don't want them distributed in any way.  I have always allowed people to even sell their finished products when most pattern makers won't.

I thank those who contact me to ask permission when needed and for giving acknowledgement where it is due.

I suppose there's other copyright violations out there that I may never find out about. To be honest, I really don't want to make this my problem.  So please, read my Copyright Notice and respect it.

6 Ladies and red velvet cake

Three weekends ago, my sister in-law (let's call  her Lady #1), asked me to make a red velvet cake for an 18th birthday.  She said the birthday girl loved budgies and that it would be great to have that represented on the cake.

I loved the pastel colours on this cake!

Cute yellow budgies, aren't they?

The celebrant's mum, Lady #2, brought leftover cake to a second gathering the next day.  Lady #3, who was at that gathering, got to taste the cake and she loved it.  She emailed me to order another red velvet cake for her husband's 50th birthday the following Sunday.

The cake top was rather simple but I think the red velvet cake crumbs brightened it up.

A few days later, I received another email, this time from Lady #4.  She asked if, by any chance, I made a red velvet cake for someone's birthday the past weekend.  I told her about the 50th birthday.  Apparently, Lady #3's sister in-law, Lady #5, is her workmate and  Lady #5 brought cake to work the Monday after the birthday and she got to eat some. Lady #4's daughter's 4th birthday was coming up and she thought of having red velvet cake (again) and cupcakes for the party (which was last Saturday).  

The 4th birthday party had a princess theme.

The birthday girl wore a Cinderella costume. 

Used the vine from the Wilton pattern press set to make the decorations for the side of the cake.

The matching cupcakes.

In an entirely separate incident, a 6th lady ordered a purple yam cake from me for Sunday (yesterday).  Funny thing, it turns out, Lady #5 and Lady #6 are best friends. When she told Lady #5 that she ordered a cake from somewhere and was picking it up, Lady #5 asked where.  When Lady #6 mentioned our suburb, Lady #5 said, "That's Corinne, isn't it?  You should have ordered red velvet!"

Confusing???  To tell you the truth, I don't even know most of these ladies. It's such a small world.  It just amazes me how word gets around. And  I'm just ecstatic to know how my humble cakes speak for themselves.

Red velvet seems to make the world go round, doesn't it?

Gifts

My dad and mother in-law share the same birthday.  Both of them are celebrating milestones this year, on the 27th of September - my dad is turning 85 while my mother in-law will be 70.

It's always difficult to think of what to give people who are at this stage in their lives.  Certainly, material things are the least of their needs.

I decided to make two special rosaries from kits I purchased from this online shop. What I know for sure are that both celebrants to-be, both prayerful persons, will appreciate these rosaries and be able to use them.  With carpal tunnel syndrome on both of my hands, I struggled quite a bit and had to stop every couple of beads.  Still, I managed to finish the two rosaries in a few hours. Not a bad job (though not all my loops were as rounded as I used to do them).

For my dad, I chose sapphire glass beads, pewter crucifix and center with blue stones.  I  had the back of the crucifix engraved with 'DAD' and the date of his birthday.

For my mother in-law, I used mother of pearl beads with matching gold pewter crucifix and center.

I gave my own mother a similar rosary a couple of years before she passed away in 2009.  When we laid her to rest, she held that rosary in her hand.  Although I know that the rosary is just buried under the ground and most likely all rusty by now, I still feel that my mother has brought it with her to heaven and she is always praying for me.

I wish I could fly back home to give the rosaries personally, especially to my father, but circumstances do not allow me to do so at this time.  My husband will though, as he has been planning his trip and reunion with his family for some time now.  I will be asking him to bring them for me.

So...that's about it for now.  For those who have been anticipating the release of my travel wallet pattern, I am embarrassed to admit that I have not quite done it yet.  Promise....I'll get to that soon.

A Travel Wallet...finally

Ever since I opened my Etsy shop, I have found myself needing to constantly come up with new things to sew.  I suppose always having some new pattern is the only way I can keep people interested in coming back to the shop.  It can be frustrating at times.  Ideas do run out. At least, for me.

The idea of making a travel wallet has been on my mind since last year.  I've sat down countless times, drawn up pages and pages of layouts, only to end up shelving the project for another day.  Thankfully, not this time around.

I literally forced myself to complete this task.  I had little baking to do last week and had to take advantage of the spare time.  Finally, it all came together on the weekend.  I am pretty pleased with what I came up with.

The closed wallet is about 4 3/4" by 8 1/2".

Opened,  showing how organized everything can be.

For me, a travel wallet should carry all the essentials while at the airport and while in-transit.  To come up with the design, I listed down what I normally did and  needed when I travelled, especially overseas.

First of all, at check-in, I am asked to present my passport, my eTicket and usually the credit card I used to pay for it.  After that, I am given my boarding pass and this card that I have to fill in before I proceed to immigration.  This is when a pen comes in handy.

The left side has two angled pockets, one for  the passport and one for the airline ticket and boarding pass.  It also has an elastic pen loop.

When everything's done, I usually walk around the airport to pass the time.  Sometimes I need a little cash to buy a magazine or a snack.

The right side has an ID window, some card slots, two long pockets for cash and a  key holder.

While in-transit, before I reach my destination, I need my pen again to fill up a customs declaration form. Upon arrival, I have to have my lock key ready just in case I am asked to open up my luggage.  Sometimes I also need to have foreign currency with  me to pay for something at the airport.

Basically, that's it.  Did I forget anything? I reckon with this kind of wallet, I would have everything organized for a smooth travel.  I must say that while it looks good, the ID window is actually unnecessary.  I just might ditch that when I make the final pattern.  Also, I didn't find a zippered pocket for cash important because I wouldn't really think of keeping lots of money in here.

I have a few more travel-themed fabrics on hand so I will definitely be making more of this.  Just have to give my fingers a bit of a rest....they're quite sore from hand sewing the bias tape through those thick layers!  I will also work on the pattern and instructions next.  If you could tell me what you think of it, I'd appreciate it a lot.  

Hurray for something new!

Bread Heaven

The pork floss bun from Breadtop is one of my all-time favourites.  I don't get to buy it often though cause the only branch I ever get to go to is in the city (Melbourne) and we hardly go there (even if it is just about 20-30 minutes away).  So when I chanced upon a jar of pork floss in our local Asian grocery, I excitedly bought it.  That was a couple of months ago (sigh).  Unfortunately, I had not had the time to bake bread.  Everytime I opened our cupboard and saw the jar, I would find myself checking the 'best before date' to make sure the pork floss won't go to waste.

Well, today was to be the day! To be able to finally recreate this bread just made me so happy.

I used my dinner roll recipe for this.  It just yields the softest, lightest bread ever. And yes, the smell that permeates  the whole house while they are baking is just absolutely wonderful.

I baked the rolls in the same way except that I brushed them with eggwash to give their surface some shine. After the rolls had cooled down a bit, I halved each so I can spread a little mayonnaise inside. To finish, I spread some mayonnaise again on top so the pork floss will stick.

Can't wait to share these with the family later.  Try them yourself!

My kind of Cookies and Cream

My youngest son received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time tonight. As with all other sacraments, it was, of course, very special.

Being a school day, we didn't plan any big celebration. In fact, we had to rush and eat a quick dinner as we had to be at church before 7:00 pm. But, we did have cake afterwards.

A Cookies and Cream cake.



The way I did this is a bit different from my other version. Because I had very little time on my hands this morning, I decided to combine the crushed cookies with the whole batch of frosting. The end result might not look as fancy but does it really matter?

The frosting looks just like it's ice cream counterpart!

I only made a small 8" cake because, believe it or not, we are not big cake eaters. (The cakes you see here are usually not for us). When we do have cake, I usually give away some slices to friends just so it would be finished while still fresh. If not, the cake would stay for days in our fridge. This Cookies and Cream one proved to be different though.

As soon as we arrived home, everyone immediately started lining up to get a slice. And we nearly finished the whole thing in one go. It was very light on the tummy, just the right sweetness, delicious. One of my sons later said of the three remaining slices, "Mom, don't give this away, ok?"

I've been asked to share this recipe long before. Thanks for patiently waiting. Here it is. Enjoy!

COOKIES AND CREAM CAKE (recipe suitable for an 8" round, 3" high pan)

Chocolate Chiffon cake

Ingredients:
A}
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coffee powder *optional
1/3 cup sugar

B}
4 egg yolks (from large eggs, room temperature)
1/4 cup canola or corn oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

{C}
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

{D}
1/2 cup sugar

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. In a large bowl, combine {A} well. Add in {B}. Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth and well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, beat {C} on high speed until frothy. Gradually add in the sugar {D} and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Gradually and gently fold in egg whites into egg yolk mixture. Pour batter into an ungreased 8” round, 3” high pan.
4. Bake for about 50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Invert pan into wire rack immediately and cool completely.
5. To release cake from pan, carefully run a thin knife around sides of pan and invert onto your cake board or plate.

**Just a note: This cake is very light and not as chocolatey as you might prefer so feel free to use your favourite chocolate cake recipe instead!

Cookies and Cream Frosting

Ingredients:
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
125g cream cheese (1/2 bar)
about 15 Oreo cookies

1. Remove the cream center from 4-5 cookies then crush the cookies in a food processor. (It's up to you if you want your crumbs to be coarse or fine. I prefer them to be quite fine so I can pipe out my frosting). Set aside.
2. On a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.
3. Using chilled bowl and beaters, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks. Carefully fold in the cream cheese then beat mixture on high speed for a few seconds or just until everything is combined. Do not overbeat.
3. Lastly, fold in the crushed cookies. The frosting should look much like cookies and cream ice cream. The tiny crumbs should still be quite distinct from the whipped cream.

Another note: I actually made a full batch of this recipe (double the amounts given here) but had a lot of leftover after I was done frosting the cake. If you are a whipped cream frosting lover, you might consider making the full batch.

To assemble cake:
Slice cake horizontally into 2 equal layers. Invert cake top such that the cut side is facing up. Spread a generous amount of frosting then top with the remaining cake layer, cut side down. Use remaining frosting to cover the entire cake surface. Pipe out borders if desired and top with remaining Oreo cookies.

To make a larger 10" cake, just double the recipe.

As always, if you ever get to try this cake recipe, I would be very glad to know how it turned out for you. Feel free to email me for questions and also, to send me photos of your cakes! Happy baking!