My 1st Birthday Cake

This was the first birthday cake that i made in Dec 2011 since i started my baking adventure in Nov.  It was my smallest lover’s birthday and I wanted to make a birthday cake for her. 

It was indeed a challenge for me to make a birthday cake from scratch having not much knowledge and experience on baking.  As for a birthday cake, beside the taste, the look is also equally important and I can’t afford any failure in this birthday cake baking.  It's too expensive for me to fail both in terms of the time and ingredients it took to make this cake.  As a mom taking care of two little ones at aged of 4+ & 1+, I really don’t have the luxury of time to have any trial & error.  So, I told myself I need to make this right at the 1^st time of baking and I pray hard for that.

I guess it was the power of mother’s love to daughter, I’m pretty satisfy with my 1^st birthday cake and my hubby was impressed with what I come out with on my 1^st attempt of birthday cake making when he was home from work that day.  J 



My 1st home made birthday cake



The cake base is vanilla layer cake with pink colour frosting and decorated it with some strawberry & M&M candy.  The birthday girl liked it so much and all the effort in preparing the cake was well worth it!

Bday girl can't wait & help herself with the cake...haha

Happy Bday, Sweetheart!

 

  

My 4+ lover was excited with the cake and told me that she also wanted a pink cake filled with candy just like a candyland princess feel on her birthday. J  But soon later, she has fallen in love with Rapunzel and I actually made a Rapunzel birthday cake for her on her birthday instead (as in my other post on Home Made Rapunzel Birthday cake).   

Ingredients:
For the cake:

·                5 eggs white 

·                300ml shifted all purpose flour

·                300ml white sugar

·                170g soften unsalted butter

·                1 TBSP & 1 tsp baking powder

·                1/4 tsp salt

·                2 tsp vanilla extract

·                240ml milk (devide 60ml & 180ml each in two separate bowls) AND

·                the most important ingredients: Good Wishes & LOVE!  J

For the frosting:

·        115ml confectioners sugar/powdered sugar

·        113g soften unsalted butter

·        ½ tsp vanilla extract

·        2 TBSP milk

·        Pink gel paste food coloring

For cake deco:

·        Strawberries

·        M&M candy & Peanut M&M candy

·        Raisin & cashew nut

 

Steps:

1.     Spray two 8” round cake baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray & set aside

2.     Preheat oven to 350F/180C

3.     Whisk together the egg whites, 60ml milk & vanilla extract in a bowl & set aside

4.     Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder & salt) in another   bowl with my electronic mixer until all blended, then add the butter and remaining 180ml mil and continue mixing till the dry ingredients are moistened, then continue beating in medium speed for ‘bout 2mins

5.     Gradually add the egg mixture from step 3 in three addition to the dry ingredients, beat well after each addition until fully incorporated

6.     Then transfer it to the baking pan and bake for 30mins 

7.     If a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is bake well and can be removed from the oven.  Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack prior to frosting

Start to prepare the frosting while waiting for the cakes cook.  To prepare for the

frosting:

1.     Beat the butter until smooth

2.     Beat in the vanilla extract

3.     Gradually beat in the sugar

4.     Add the milk and beat to combine

5.     Then, beat frosting until light & fluffy on high speed

Yummy Banana Bread

My home made banana bread ~ yummy!

  This banana bread is always my favorite since my childhood and I was so delighted to find out that how easy it is to make this yummy bread.  The aroma came out from the oven that filled up my entire kitchen while baking really made me felt so good & yet so hungry!  J




The baking in progress..mhmm, smell so Gooood!!

 



Freshly out from the oven....wohoo, i'm hungry now!

 

My two little lovers at home felt in love with this when I put a scoop of ice-cream on top of it as their afternoon high-tea.  I guess they probably love the ice-cream more and I’m playing a little trick here to get them eat the bread.  ;)

 





Well, here is how I made this yummy dessert:

Ingredients used:

·        230g all purpose flour

·        150g white sugar

·        2 large lightly beaten eggs

·        3 large mashed banana

·        113g melted butter (let it cool b4 use)

·        1 tsp baking powder

·        ¼ tsp baking soda

·        1 tsp vanilla extract

·        ¼ tsp salt AND

·        lots of childhood sweet memory! J

Steps:

1.     Spray the loaf pan with non-stick vegetable spray & set aside

2.     Preheat oven to 350F/180C

3.     Whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda) 
    together in a bowl & set aside

4.     Whisk all the wet ingredients (lightly beaten eggs, vanilla, mashed banana &
    melted butter) together in another bowl

5.     Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until all incorporated

6.     Scrap batter into loaf pan and bake for 55-60min

Enjoy this yummy banana bread top with your favorite ice-cream or whipped cream, yummy!

Recipe source: Joy of Baking

The Making of Marble Cake

Marble cake is the 2^nd home baking cake that I tried after the butter cake.  Again, this is another simple & safe cake for an inexperience home maker like me.  In fact, I’ve lots of fun trying to swirl the marble effect in my kitchen while preparing this lovely cake.  J

The marble cake prior go into the oven



My home made marble cake



My 1^st attempt of marble cake was well accepted by the 3 lovers at home, especially the big one, who enjoyed it much.  And I’m happy to see them enjoyed munching it as much as I enjoyed baking it.

The original recipe that I found in the cookbook called for double of below ingredients, since we are only a family of 4, I’ve reduced it to half and listed below is how I prepare this cake:

Ingredients used:

·    113g unsalted butter

·    100g white sugar

·    2 large eggs

·    110gm sifted all purpose flour

·    ½ tsp baking powder

·    ½ tsp vanilla extract

·    ¼ tsp salt

·    ½ TBSP cocoa powder  

·    3 TBSP milk AND

·    FUN, FUN, FUN mood! J

Steps:

1.    Spray the 8” round cake baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray & set aside

2.    Preheat oven to 350F/180C

3.    Beat the butter & sugar together until all blended with my electronic mixer

4.    Add eggs one by one, beat well after each addition to blend together

5.    Add flour, baking powder & salt, then continue to mix well

6.    Beat in the vanilla essence till all incorporated, then set aside the batter  

7.    Mix the cocoa power with the milk in another bowl till blended well

8.    Then transfer 1/3 of the batter into the cocoa-milk mixture, mix all together

9.    Scope a spoonful of the cocoa-milk mixture to the baking pan, then followed
      by a spoonful of the white batter.  Continue this until the baking pan is filled up 
      with both cocoa-milk mixture & white batter

10.  I then used a chopstick to slowly swirl the marble effect & I’m actually having 
      fun doing this.  But, don’t over mix though as that will give you perhaps a
      chocolate cake instead.  ;)

11.  Put in the oven & bake for 25-30min or until a toothpick inserted into the center
      of the cake comes out clean

That’s it!  Pretty simple & easy.  Then sit back, relax & enjoy the lovely marble cake!  

      

Sit back, relax & enjoy the marble cake

My 1st Attempt of Home Baking ~ Butter Cake

What drove me to start baking is i wanted to cheer my girl up who has just recovered from a sickness.  I wanted to do something new & sweet for her, then i thought perhaps i can try baking.

I referred to a number of recipes found in net before i started my baking adventure, yet the 1st cake turned out so-so only, not rised much and the edge of the cake was a bit overcooked, but my girl loved it.  Nothing is more satisfactory than seeing a smile back on her face and regain her appetite after two weeks suffering from sickness.

With my 1st baking experience, my 2nd time baking of this butter cake turned out satisfactory.  I guess i was pretty smart to start my baking adventure with this simple yet safe to bake butter cake which is all time favorite that gives me a low failure rate.  I am also fortunate to have the 3 supportive lovers at home who have in fact finished all the cake of my two attempts.  A big encouragement to me that drove me to continue on my home baking journey.

My homemade butter cake

Below is how I made this cake:

Ingredients used:

·  3 eggs

·  150ml shifted all purpose flour

·  150ml white sugar

·  185g unsalted butter

·  1 tsp baking powder

·  1/4 tsp salt

·  1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

·  3 TBS milk AND
·  the most important ingredients: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  J

Steps:

1.  Spray the 8” baking pan with non-stick vegetable spray & set aside

2.  Preheat oven to 350F/180C

3.  Whisk together the eggs, milk & vanilla extract in a bowl & set aside

4.  Mix together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder & salt) in another bowl with my electronic mixer on low speed until all blended, then add the butter

5.  Add the egg mixture from step 3 in three addition to the dry ingredients, beat well after each addition until all incorporated

6.  Then transfer it to the baking pan and bake for 55 min 

7.  If a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, the cake is baked well and can be removed from the oven 

     

Homemade Tangled Rapunzel Birthday Cake





Happy Bday, sweetie!



 

My Home Made Rapunzel Cake



I made this cake for my beloved daughter’s 5 yrs old birthday In Jan 2012 with all her favorite stuff – her favorite princess, fruit & M&M.  This is a simple to make cake and for a person who know nothing ‘bout baking that started her 1^st ever butter cake baking only in end Nov 2011, I’m glad that I can make this for her.  And, if I can do this, am sure everyone else could and would be able to do it even better.  :)

This is how I prepare the cake:

I made a vanilla cake and bake it in two 8” round pans for a layer cake that stuffed with grape slices and a thin frosting in between of the layer. 

I personally like cakes with fruit and think that it would be a healthier and yummier cake esp. for kids.   I decided to use purple color for the frosting since Rapunzel colour is purple and it goes well with grapes too.  I used the purple gel paste food colouring to make the purple frosting. 

To complete the Rapunzel theme, i wanted to have a tower on the cake and did some research on net, found that those tower making are too challenging for me who is not a pro in baking and know nothing ‘bout fondant.  Hence, I decided to make use of anything I can find at home to make the tower.  Luckily I came across the pepper shaker & ice-cream cone in my daughter’s kitchen play-set and I used those to make the tower wrapped with a green colour string and paste some flower stickers from my daughter’s sticker book to make it the tower feel.   



Material used to make the tower


I made a cupcake for the tower base to make the tower look taller on the cake.  Then, I used the yellow color icing writer from Wilton to extend the Rapunzel hair and write my daughter’s name as if the name was designed from Rapunzel’s long hair.  I finished the cake deco with the grapes surrounded the top & bottom of the cake, added the M&M candies in between.

The cake was well-liked by the kids and a mother told me that her kids even asked for it during supper time.  :) 

Some guests asked where I buy the cake knowing that I don’t really know baking & some even thought the tower was bought, which made my day!  :)

Hope you like this cake too.  J  

DIY Tangled Rapunzel Themed Birthday Party