Way Behind

OMG! I'm so sorry for being missing in action for quite a long time. You see, I just got back to work at the hospital and our duty days have increased in number thus taking away a lot of blogging and lazing time for me. :/ I've also decided to go the healthy way lately so I try to make time for walking/jogging as often as possible. I've lost weight already but I'm still kinda fat so I have to do a lot more to achieve my normal BMI. I have  set an appointment already with the endocrinologist by the end of the month and it's kinda getting me anxious. duuuuuh. 

The good thing though about my hectic schedule is that I still have time to bake. Been doing it for the past month, major highlights being Valentines Day and Blissful Nibbles Anniversary. So without further much a do, I'll show you the stuff I did. 

VALENTINE CUPCAKES

VALENTINE COOKIES

me after packing them individually

VALENTINE CAKE

SOME BIRTHDAY STUFF

 Superman Cake

Ocean theme birthday cupcakes

BLISSFUL NIBBLES ANNIVERSARY

February 16, 2011

It's the blog's first birthday. :)

I made Chocolate Mocha Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting topped with chocolate chips.

Brought some to the hospital. 

Was a sure hit!

And here are my early March creations. 

Tink theme cupcakes

Motherly birthday cupcakes

and monthsary cupcakes

Weeeeeeeeeee. I'm sooo glad I have finally updated my blog after a long long time. 

I will try my best to keep posting soon. 

I have something in mind but I'll keep it a secret for now. hihi

Superman Cake

Hospital Duty seems to be taking most of my time lately. I have been in the hospital almost daily but it's fun. I'm assigned to the ER now. I still get a little confused as hospitals do have some differences with policies. I also have new friends and a new set of 'bosses'. hihi :))

Well anyhoo, I came from a night shift and went straight to making this cake. I planned this for days though so I was kinda organized. I baked the cake the night before and did the decos today. I finished early and went out for a walk. I do walk a lot nowadays too as I want to have a beach body by summer. haha:D It may sound ambitious but hey, I'm working on it, okay? :)

So here's the cake. 

It's a Superman cake ordered by a friend, who now lives in the UK, for her brother here. 

I had fun making this and I was pretty meticulous. hihi :D

I also notice that my hands get really colorful after doing things like these. 

I've washed my hands a number of times already. 

The food colors are stubborn. 

I still have a few to post about but I get too lazy sometimes so maybe I'd do them in one post only sometime soon. 

My blog anniversary is at hand too and I'm planning to make something special. I hope I can pull through. :) 

Tinkerbell Doll Cake

Ooooh the holiday gifts thanking never stops, does it? That's because I received quite a number and I feel really excited when I get the chance to make use of them.

You see, I received a Wilton Doll Cake pan from an aunt and I was wondering how and when I'd be able to use it. Thanks to a number of Youtube videos, the Wilton site and a niece who fell in love with Tinkerbell, I got to make a doll cake for the very first time last wednesday.  It was really fun to do. I enjoyed decorating it as much as I am in awe of the pan. haha :D

Here's my finished product. My brother says, I did a pretty good job for a first time cake like this. hihi :D

That's her with her cake and party food. :) 

Holidays of 2010

First off Happy New Year, Everyone! 

I know it's been quite a long time since I last posted. The holiday season has been quite busy yet very rewarding for me. I've baked quite a number that's why I got too lazy to post. 

Anyhoo, 2010 has been a fun year for me. Especially that I got to get back to work at the hospital and travel even to just nearby destinations. It also marked the start of my baking blog which will be a year older next month.[Yay!] And it was on that year that I kinda fell in love and got broken hearted a few months after. 

Now 2011 is here and I'm looking forward to a number of things. I know so many can happen within a year and we'll never know what might come our way. Well anyway, I only have fond wishes and hopes of continued good health for everyone.

Right now though, I'd like to share to you the last few goodies I made for 2010. Did them through the holidays. Btw, my aunt brought more than 10 cake, muffin and brownie mixes for me to do. I'm not a fan of those stuff but sometimes, it's just the most convenient and because my family thinks of me as the 'baker girl/cupcake girl' already, I have to do the baking for them. It's not always fun but there's something with the sound of the mixer and the heat of the oven that makes my day. hihi

Here are the stuff I sold during the holidays.

 Holiday Cookies [Poinsettia, Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, Winter House, Hollies and 2011 Bunny Cookies]

Chocolate Fudge Frosted Chocolate Cakes for Christmas and New Year

Here are the ones I made for the family. 

 Scorched Cheese Lasagna :D

Berry Medley Cheesecake

[Pie crust was ready made by Honey Maid but cheesecake was made from scratch. Berry Medley  Filling by Comstock.]

Chocolate Mint Brownie 

[Brownie Mix by Pillsbury]

There are still a lot more but haven't taken pictures of. 

More box mixes to bake. 

Happy New Year again, Everyone! 

:D

Chocolate Flan Cake [2]

I have always been fascinated by this type of cake because they describe it as one that will trigger 'Oooooohhh's and 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh's. You're supposed to place the flan mixture above the cake batter then when it's cooked already, you'll find the flan at the bottom of the pan and the cake on top. That's because the flan is denser than the cake.

I usually have the urge to bake this when I have lots of egg yolks in the fridge after baking something else. And so when I found out I was stocking about 8 already, I thought it was time to pull the idea out again. :) So I did but the people I asked to get me condensed milk bought me evaporated instead. I was clearly upset at first but realized that I couldn't do anything to reverse the situation. I first opted to just turn down the whole thing but then I was so excited I mixed the chocolate cake batter ahead of time. In the end, I made use of what was available and hoped for the best.

As expected, the cake didn't come out perfectly. Still, it turned out good. I invited a friend to come over and have a taste for herself. She kinda enjoyed it as well. She says though that she didn't like the flan so much. My sister and I still liked the flan though. hihi

See for yourself.

The Flan is supposed to sink to the bottom.

Dusted with confectioner's sugar for aesthetic purposes. 

Took a slice and that's how the innards look like. :)

The recipe for the chocolate cake I used for this is found here. 

I used the eyeball technique for the flan. 

I read through recipes of chocolate flan cake for the directions on how to bake it. 

A slice as my World Teacher's Day offering.

Just like a teacher, this cake offers a good learning experience. 

[The names listed above are those of my near relatives who are great teachers as well.]

Pesto Pasta and Mango Island Cliff Cake

Right now, there are only three people left in the house. Me, my sister and my Papa. Sadly, my grandfather passed away the night of the election day and so my mom and cousin left for Leyte to attend to the wake and funeral. My brothers are far away too so the house is almost empty with my sister off to training at a pharmacy and me and my papa barely talking. 

So last night, to liven up a bit, I made a pasta dish for dinner. I just googled how to make pesto to add to my white sauce. The white sauce recipe by the way was taught to me by my late friend, Char. I feel like she was with me all the while. She made the best carbonara I've ever tasted. Now she's gone and I can't taste it anymore. I feel that however much I try, mine will always be second best to hers. I've been missing her a lot lately as many many memories keep rushing back into my mind. Add the fact that her boyfriend who now works faraway is here and seeing him is like feeling that she's just around too. I tweaked the recipe a bit with basil, which by the way might be one of my favorite ingredients from now on. It just adds oomph to the food you make and if used properly adds to the market value of your meal. It makes food taste expensive. That's in my opinion, of course.

Here it is. 

Sorry for the poor quality photo. 

My mom brought my camera with her to Leyte so I had to use my phone.

I didn't succeed making the real pesto. I just improvised and ended up using it still. haha:D

Today, I went out of my chocolate comfort zone and went for microwave mango cake. :) I used the leftover mango we had from mothers day. I also wanted to mimic the one written about in the previous post. It wasn't a flop this time. haha Oh just the whip cream. I still have to practice. It looks like an island cliff... a mango island cliff. :D

There you go.

A Mango Island Cliff Cake surrounded by a sea of cream. :P

Mother's Day Mango Cake

In honor of my Mama who raised us well through all these years, here's for you.

i'm sorry if you find it hard reading the writings. 

it says "Happy Mothers Day Ma!"

This is my first try on Whipped Cream Frosting and it turned out really yummy. The mango cake looked like cassava cake too maybe because of the puree. :) Anyhoo... here.

And if you wanna see my Mama cutting it, here it is. 

We LOVE you MAMA! 

<3

Send Off Cake

Yup. Send off I say because my second brother, Jonathan, already left for Cebu last night to start his new found job there. Of course, there has to be something special for dessert last night since we had eggplant omelets for dinner. Sounds nice eh? But the main dish was just a typical dinner dish in our family. The event wasn't really very sad too since Cebu is just a boat ride away. But still, we have to cross the seas, right?

The Magic Chocolate Mug Cake has been doing wonders for me too because it makes an instant delicious cake during times when everything's uptight that I can barely even make way for it. It's fairly easy and doesn't involve taking out too many utensils and equipment. I only use a wire whisk, a bowl and some measuring spoons to mix the batter; a mold and I put the mixture into the microwave to cook. 

I've also done my first attempt of Cooked Chocolate Frosting last night and it came out really delicious. I mean really delicious. I made use of the cooked frosting recipe I found at Tummy Yummy's site. I halved the recipe and added a few tablespoons of chocolate powder to the mixture. 

So needless to say, we were all sated. We ate the rest of it after lunch today. :D

:)

a closer look

my brother making the first slice. 

[looks pretty small huh. that's the mug cake recipe times 4]

ooooooh yummy gooey innards. 

enjoy! :D

Yakult Chocolate Cake

I've always wondered how my favorite pro-biotic drink, Yakult, would taste if used as a substitute for milk in baking. 

taken from the site above.

I love Yakult. I grew up loving it. I don't know how I came to love it. All I know is that it's been there since I was a child. It's good for the tummy too. 

So last night, the thought hit me. And so I pulled out my Magic Chocolate Mug Cake recipe and mixed in the Yakult and microwaved it. Here's the result. 

Looks like tree barks. :)

still has the microwavey texture.

Taste-wise, it was good enough. 

I wouldn't recommend it though because it's not something I think everyone would like. :D

Chocolate Flan Cake Yummy Flop

Yup. You read it right. I saw it once at TasteSpotting.com and I knew I had to make it. Having lots of egg yolks from a weekend of baking was the perfect opportunity. I was inspired and made use of the microwave to get fast results. Talk about fast. After about 2 and a half minutes of cooking it, when I poured it onthe plate, I realized that the center was not cooked yet! It was a total flop. But anyway, it was not worth stressing about because the cooked parts were really yummy. I took them out, placed the uncooked batter into a mug and shoved it back to cook a minute more. It didn't come out as I have expected. Maybe because I tried to do it on my own and I didn't make enough flan to equal the amount of chocolate cake. But still... it was a yummy flop. 

cooked part after 2:30 minutes

see the uncooked batter looking like chocolate sauce?

a cleaner slice

here's from the mug. 

Celebrations and Firsts

Whew! I'm so glad to be back to posting. This, I believe is going to be jam-packed. Our internet connection was down for days, you see. Sooooooooooooo..........

My brother, Jovan, arrived from Bacolod City last Friday for a family celebration and we are more than happy to have him around. I always love making excuses to bake and this occasion is the perfect excuse! hahaha:D So I did whip up something with the use of my magic microwave[again]and made a special upsized[this time] version of the chocolate mug cake.

I've also read about cooked frosting and that it is [as they say] the best frosting for chocolate cake so I decided to go for it the first time. I didn't make much as it was just a test so I downsized the recipe to one-fourth.[I know, right? I do a lot upsizing or downsizing of recipes to fit my needs.]

Texture-wise and taste wise, the chocolate cake was in its best form... doesn't feel "microwavey" at all. And the frosting? I don't know if I did it right because it's kinda runny but it tasted good.

On to some photo-sharing...

view from the top

side

closer

Jovan cutting his cake

view from our dining table

sliced.

Back to the celebration I was talking about, yeah, it was quite a big one. It's my other brother Jonathan's graduation from college. Yeah, three out of the four Tan siblings are already out of school[in a good way]. Only one left, our baby girl [she's 18] Jackie. :D So the celebration made me really think of building a cupcake tower for the first time. Nothing really fancy, just a simple one to grace the table aside from the cake. Hence, I was really busy the whole day since my parents had to join him in the school festivities. I helped in setting up the tables, chairs, food and the venue. By the way, I used cake boards and old milk cans for the tower, covered them in blue and black cartolina[paper] and glued them with Mighty Bond. I was really a little scared that the tower will tip but I was really glad it stood sturdy[though a little wobbly when moved] the whole time.

So here's another photosharing...

here goes... that's Jonatz right there with his sweets. :D

[i didn't make the cake... that's BQ's]

here I am

basking in my stressed 'glossy' look. hahaha :D

[it's worth the time and energy ain't it?]

By the way, that day, a very good news came to me.

My OVEN is FIXED!

I love it! :D