Birthday Cake

Every once in a while, i would try my best to make someone happy. 

I cooked my mom a full pasta meal when i was merely 10 years old.

I would drop little trails of (eherm) pixie dust to a birthday present. 

I was very much reprimanded in both occasions. 

As i remember, it was "not pixie dust".

 My little "happy" giveaways never end beautifully.

Soon enough (about 10 years), I stopped trying.

 Then, i met you.

You fell asleep.

Yes, my little "happy" treats never end successfully. 

But this cake was delicious. 

Guest Post: Chic & Gorgeous Treats

Disclaimer: All Pictures and recipes in this post are by Joanna from Chic Gorgeous.

Jo from Chic & Gorgeous Treats is here for our very first guest post! 

One of the first blogs I followed when I started blogging was Chic & Gorgeous Treats. After I found her Amanda's Pink Rainbow Cake, it was a one-sided admiration. And her recent Earl Grey ice Cream post changed this admiration to jealousy. Thus, the post was dedicated to me (coughs*).

Through our exchange of emails where I feel like the pauper and she's the queen, we realized our equal love for baking. We talked about food for hours and after several rounds of begging, I was promised 100 Jo-baked-cookies each month for immunity fees. Please do visit her site for some awesomeness!

Hi there fellow Pencil & Skirt peeps! Gosh, I am lost for words at the moment..LOL. That's usually not the case as Jes and my other friends can assure you that I am a chatty person in life. Right now, I suddenly feel like a sense of pressure on my shoulders. That's maybe because I am trying to win some hearts here too.. [I'm only joking!] I think it's best I share with you how I feel, since it's only appropriate, you know just like the Oscars? To be honest, I am thrilled and feel really honoured that Jes asked me to guest blog for her. Plus I am No# 1..yeayy!!! Not to mention she "loves" my treats over at my blog [You do right Jes?..coughs]. So that says a lot and sure got to mean something right? I have to say after getting to know her, I felt like I found another fellow new buddy. We both are so deeply passionate about baking that it isn't funny one bit. Who knows? We might collaborate and work on bigger projects one day. To kick start the guest posting on her blog, I have decided to make a simple decadent light and healthy treat. Perfect to kick off those hot sunny days and quench the thirst. Hope that you will enjoy it as I much I did preparing these Raspberry Lemonade Yogurt pops for you. If only I could hand out to you all for samplling.. I would ;). ENJOY and do pop over to Chic & Gorgeous Treats to give me a holler. Cheers~

Me: How did you realize your love for baking?

Jo: This is a good question. When I was back in high-school, we had Home Economics as one of our subjects. We had to cook and of course baking was involved. I can still remember that very day. We attempted to bake Chocolate Cake. Guess what, my baking failed. The cake came out hard as rock. 

(nods) I feel you, sista'. My first cake was used as punishment "if you lose the game, you have to eat".

I will let you in on a secret. "We actually used instant cake mix". Now, not sure where it went wrong, but I swore then that I will never bake again. 

Kind of like the time I swore "I will never eat m&ms again". 

So how'd you start baking again.

It started maybe around 4 years ago, when I used to throw my friends parties and had cookout sessions. 

I always love to end the meal with something sweet and delectable. That's when I started to get my hands dirty and give it another shot in baking. Of course there were flops, but somehow I persevered and continue to experiment. The more I practice, the better I became in a way.

(relieved) I'd thought God was unfair and made you a genius.

So here I am, obsessed with making sweet treats, and continue to strive to do better. 

What's your goal?

My aim is to become a pro in cake decorating and continue to make really good old classic cakes. Hopefully that dream will come true.
Talking about Classics, what's your most unbelievable fetish when it comes to baking?

I am not sure if I have a fetish in baking. Does making anything pink counts? Or any sweet pastel colour counts? I suppose in terms of fetish in baking, I really love the colour PINK, shabby chic, and glamorous designs. To be honest, I am pretty anal (laughs at word "anal"), I like to have everything I make in perfection.. So I tend to dream of designs, which I never seem to follow anyways as it tends to be dependent on how I feel that day.(laughs)

Ah yes, the good old mister-mood. 

What would you hate to happen whilst baking?

The thing I fear most, is when the cake falls apart while transferring from the cooling rack to a cake base. 

(shudders) We all hate that..

Maybe I am not gentle enough.. or maybe because the cake was too moist.. Also the humidity that constantly ruins the frosting. It just makes it harder to pipe designs on our cake. Which means I will have to constantly work with the air-condition on in order to bring down the level of humidity.

Precisely! Thank you, Asia!
Okay, lastly, how do you deal with harsh criticisms, if you have any.

I think everyone will have their own opinions. So the best is just learn to let go and take it with a pinch of salt. I am no saint and it isn't always easy to just laugh it off. But it's part of our life growth. However, I stay by this motto as much I can "If you have nothing nice to say, best to hold in peace"

That's what a saint will say, Jo. For me, its "Let me at em, just let me at em!"

Grapes Breakfast Cake

Back when I was studying, my cousin had a habit of cooking up snacks to prep me for my exams. Then, she would knock on my door (occasionally shocked to see the state of my well-being) and wish me "all the best". Hours later, as I walk out the exam hall, I would receive an enthusiastic message from her asking how i did.

As time goes, I started to miss these little things. So, I'll be passing on this sweet habit to all of you.

This cake is a tribute to examinees, particularly those who are "winging" it and those who are caught dancing to Billy Jean with a neon colored head band and drum sticks made of crumpled lecture notes (definitely not me).

Its a simple Breakfast cake. Not too sweet or sour, not too dense or light. Perfect for exams and fricking delicious.

Plum Jam with Black Tea and Cinnamon

How far are you willing to go to prove a point?

I'd go pretty far. Just my bad mixture of pride, competitiveness and a hint of suck-it-bitch-! attitude.

Anyway, here's plum jam for you. Who knew plum jams can be this good?! With cinnamon and black tea, it's no ordinary jam. (gasp!) Yea, you heard me.

Thanks to Noelia for the post here. Although mine turned out more red than purple, I assumed I'm doing it right.

 Plum Jam with Black Tea and Cinnamon

600 g Plum 

300 g Sugar

1/2 Orange juice

2 Tea bags

1 Cinnamon stick

1. Cut and core the plums. Add sugar and orange juice and let rest for at least an hour. (At this point you could opt to pulse everything in a food processor)

2. Add all ingredients and transfer mixture into a medium pot.

3. Cook the plums until mixture thickens. (According to personal preference)

4. Take out the tea bags and cinnamon stick. Sieve if desired and transfer into a canning jam.

5. Turn the jar upside down whilst jam is still piping hot. This will keep the jam in tip-top shape for 1 year if jar is not opened. Let cool.

So how far are you willing to go to prove a point?

Are we stubborn people.

Jams Up,
Jes

Two Type Rolls with Cinnabon-like Dough

I started reminiscing this morning. The days when "chilly" weather exists, when wearing a scarf was not "silly", when walking home is a leisure. Be glad that you've touched snow and made snowman and snow angels and snow bunnies!

Then I began thinking further back, the innocent years I've had. Mostly not really that long ago until I started waking up at 3 am only to find out that the public media isn't at all appropriate. Dem you channel 9, give me back my innocence!

Years having my family around, conned by my brother and his friend to a buy-2-get-1-free drink (yes, I paid for both, no, I wasn't trying to impress his friend, yes, I'm just an idiot.). Even in those days, I was not worry-less. Yet, we bring our asses to gather around the table to have a dinner together.

I return to those memories, though fading and blurred by hurts and mistakes, missing those few people who actually mattered. Gradually, nothing of the little disagreements mattered. This was a family. Blood is thicker than water. This is my family.

Indeed i would like to try a different approach in my future which i have yet to consult with the Mr who claims a proposal doesn't have to be done with a knee and a ring then presumes that silent means consent. I kid. No, really, we girls want rings! Holla if you agree (so that i'll get my ring).

Anyway, due to high demand in the house, this is my third "Cinnamon" roll. By now, you should gather that I love my variety, so I made two versions. In simple steps, make dough, make 2 filling, divide dough, roll, spread butter, sprinkle filling. Of course you can skip dividing the dough. However, garlic and bananas might not complement each other. 

Apple Fancy Cake

Whoever said that we bloggers had to be cool? Receiving a reward, "it's so nice of you". Hitting 50 comments, "Oooh thank you". And baking an awesome cake, "it wasn't easy but i did it". That's like pasting wings and a halo on a bull making it fly, singing "red bull gives you wiiiiiiiings". I'm the furthest person from cool.

You see, when i receive a reward, i dance my victory dance! And when i hit 50 comments, I sing my victory song! Oh and when I bake a pretty cake, I parade with it, wearing it on my head because it was hell of a hardwork! Well, that's the truth, folks... ok... My victory song and dance may have been the Hippo and Dog song... (weeeeeeeeeeee...we-um-um-um-a-weh) eherm*. But oh sweet mother of everything victorious, I'm never "cool" when hearing news!

So, I took the liberty of this awesome cake to ask for votes:
Pineapple Upside-down cake VS Apple etc etc etc cake, aka Apple Fancy Cake.
This does not mean I don't love pineapples, I love them. But this apple cake, oh boy, ooohhhh bu-oy..

Apple Fancy Cake

Chunky apples and cream cheese in a moist coffee and rum cake. The apples caramelized, with a hint of cinnamon and cooked to gooey perfection. The cake, light, moist but with rum. And for the final kick in the pants, cubes of Cream Cheese combining all the flavors together.

Black Tea Cake with Strawberry Tea Jam

There is one thing i can truly be proud of. I do not get sick. Germs hop away at the touch of my skin and in great fear. Which reminds me, I also know how to take care of sick people. Especially those stubborn ones, if you know what i'm sayin'.

Hence, when Jes says 3 cups, you gotta listen. 'less you want her to go down the crazy road. And you don't want her going there! You really don't. I'm just sayin'

 3 cups of Chinese herbal tea (not those served in your Dim Sum restaurant, those are a treat) a day. I assure you, you'd be thankful in the end. In return, when i'm feeling like less of a "devil" or when i couldn't sleep at the wee hours woken up by the exact thoughts of an awesome cake, you'll wake up to a slice of this. Deal?

This cake is one of my most random creations...who am i kidding, this is my most awesomest random creation that didn't turn out a disaster! May the little fur-less bunny rest in peace. 

I woke up at the strangest hour this morning, thinking up various flavours that will jingle all our tastebuds, as well as our eyes.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Vanilla And Chocolate Chips Cinnamon Muffins

I can see in the dark. I mean, I am trained to live in the dark. When the sun is down, I like to switch off all lights in the room and catch up on various TV series.This was difficult for everyone else. Seeing as I'm sharing my room and the constant need for people to come into the room in search for the stupidest things at the stupidest hours. Unlike me, they have not been trained to see in the dark feel in the dark. 

My long and constantly untidy black hair paired with my immediate "Hissss!" the moment a light is turned on, often leaves people in disarray. Ah, those shocked faces, always a pleasure.

That's how I'm able to eat in the dark, without leaving crumbs all over the place. This does not portray elegance or discipline of any sort, which I'm very much short of. But until you learn how to feel in the dark, sweetcakes, you are not allowed to bring food to the bed. Understood, Bambi?

Anyway, I chose to use a muffin recipe that is rated and reviewed by over 5,400 people. To Die for Blueberry muffins from All-recipes by Colleen. I adapted it to the following:

Cream Cheese Infused Cinnamon Roll Dough, filled with Gula Merah (Dark Palm Sugar), Choc Chips and Apple Bits.

There are usually lots of things on my mind. Aside from being a female and as occupied as that already is, I tend to think even more. I think ahead and as far as that goes, i forget whats right in front. Hence, when someone told me that metabolism rate increases with the work of your brains (aka thoughts), I would have to politely scoff.

With that amount of brain-work, comfort food, dessert bingeing and random tubs of ice cream nights are mostly necessary rather than an inability to control (maybe not but its a good excuse). The only problem is when these cravings necessities affect the people around you.

Because, sweeties from all around the globe, when you're on your baking experiments, (and seeing as how delicious your works of art are) people eat. When people eat, they gain weight. When they gain weight, they blame people. Who else to blame but the person who thinks "hmm, chocolate with chocolate would taste great" (they are a match made in heaven by the way). 

You might then question yourself, "but we eat the same goodies as well or even more". Good news for all of us, we may have gotten used to it! Yay! So, let's get down to business. 

Recently, as much a craze I have for chocolate, I have been addicted to using Dark Palm Sugar or Gula Merah (translation for Red Sugar in Bahasa Indonesia). This sugar easily melts at body temperature. When baked, it turns into a nice browned crisp with a gooey inside and of course, the smell is just intoxicating. Surprisingly, unlike how it seems, it is  not as sweet as our usual white sugar. 

I added plenty amounts of dark chocolate chips just to give it that bitter cocoa bite. I have apple bits in there as well, after all, they're cinnamon's best friend. However, i keep the fillings to personal choice. Instead, I'm here to introduce this amazing Cream Cheese infused Cinnamon Roll Dough by Joy the Baker

For clearer instructions, please visit her link, they're much better looking as well.

Flaky (Almost like Puff Pastry) Apple Pies

After various mishaps in the past, from deep within my stomach, i remind myself "people exaggerate". The most delicious steak is not the "most" delicious steak. The tastiest soup are probably too tasty for human beings. And the most buttery cake would probably be butter itself with a tablespoon of flour. So, as i search for THAT "best apple pie" recipe once again, I had to admit, I was full of doubt and distrust.

I google'd "Flaky pie crust recipe" and when the results popped up, my mind was chanting "people exaggerate, people exaggerate, people exaggerate". I was proven wrong. Aside from the 5% reviews commenting on the difficulty of working with the dough, everyone else described it as the perfect flaky pie crust. The pictures, unfortunately, weren't convincing. I choose to group myself with the unfortunate 5%, and put the recipe aside. 

Boom ba da Boom. Look at how each piece of the crust separates itself from the other? That's "flaky". So, you ask, which recipe did you end up using? Moving on from that recipe, I went on to search more "pie crust" tips. I ended up clicking to my all time favourite food blogger, Smitten Kitchen's Pie Crust Tips and remember her cute little apple pie cookies? Coincidentally, that was the same pie crust recipe!

Mango Upside Down Moist Chocolate Cake

Firstly, let me start by warning you, you're going to want to make these. So get prepared to buy some cocoa. I took 30 minutes to get the batter ready and left it to bake for 1 hour whilst meeting my girl friends for dinner. When we came back, the dessert was ready.

This cake isn't the fluffiest cake you will ever eat, neither is it the prettiest classy girl in class. However, I assure you, you would want seconds and thirds, each a thicker slice than before. It's so very chocolatey yet not sickeningly sweet, perfectly moist yet not buttery, airy yet dense and with a simple addition of citrus/fruit, it's simply addictive. 

Before we begin with the cake, I would like to thank all of you for the support. I am utterly grateful that I have people reading putting up with what I have to say. So here's to all our hopes and dreams! :)

Mango Upside Down Moist Chocolate Cake! So you follow Jes' blog and you ask yourself, "ooh... mango? she said she hated mango cakes? Caught ya!" Let me explain. I love mangoes, as a fruit, especially these ones from my mother's hometown. These mangoes were from a village called Pasuruan in Indonesia. Even in the capital city, Jakarta, these mangoes are rare and much more expensive than other mangoes. 

This mango is called Mangga Harum Manis, translated to Fragrant Sweet Mango. They're so sweet and fragrant that it is difficult to cultivate (due to attracting insects). Hence, when an aunt of mine brought 10 of these mangoes to my arms, ripening at the same time, I had to come up with something. Whilst I would prefer to have them the way they are, it's almost impossible to consume all 10 within a few days. Hence, I decided to whip up a mango chocolate cake (chocolate because I love it) for the usual friday "gathering" with the girls. In conclusion, no you did not "catch me".

Mango sponge mousse layer cake

 There were a few stories I had in mind for this post

One, was how this doesn't fit in with the fall/thanksgiving/halloween mood everyone else is experiencing. Two, was how much I love reading other fellow (not-to-mention superior) food bloggers! Hence, seeing as everyone is with their apples, cobblers and puddings, let's do something different here in the tropical country! Three, was the vast number of Mango cakes sold in every cake store, yet not too many a solid recipe posted on the internet. Thus,  my believe that my friend is out to test me and my skills.

Then I chose this story. A story of what i've gotten myself into when i decided i was able to bake layered cakes. Frostings! Frostings! Frostings! I love simple frosted cakes. Those with 7 different types of fruits and 8 different piping methods, they're not my cup of coffee. Most likely because I love cream but I know they're bad (for my hips) and so my conscience tells me that cream tastes bad. And remember how i suck at frosting?! I still do. But i ain't givin' up.

 My point is, I don't really have one. The reason for this blog was just to journalise what i've accomplished, do what i've been loving to do, pursuing to be what i want to be. Conquering each and every ingredient possible (not a fan of mango mousse or mango cake- purely under the request of a friend) and meanwhile, if i'm able to meet some new friends, and make the old ones go gaga, wouldn't that just be a treat?!