Sunday, December 23, 2012

Vanilla Cupcakes - Round Two

Today I spent a total of two and half hours baking vanilla cupcakes (round two) and prepping the sweet  tart dough for the Strawberry tarts (which I will make tomorrow). I prefer these vanilla cupcakes compared to the ones I just made, because they really highlight the star of the show - Vanilla. The last batch I made (different recipe) tasted a little more lemony; great, but not vanilla-ey enough for me!




The cupcake was really delicate with a fine crumb, and the buttercream was, well, buttery and vanilla-ey. Need I say more?

-J

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Pancakes!

Today I shot out of bed at 9am, eager to make these fluffy pancakes. Honestly, I've only made pancakes once before this, but I can guarantee you that these were a hundred times better. (p.s sorry in advance for all the horrible quality of the photos, after all I am an amateur! But it was also 9.30 in the morning thus my hunger pangs were really getting to me).

Anyway, if there's one thing I have to say about making the pancakes, it's that the first few pancakes were fluffier than the last couple I made. I wonder why...





I thought making pancakes were a relatively simple thing to do, but nooooooo, this experience has completely changed my mind. It is a skill that one has to develop over time with much patience. Kudos to all of you out there who are successful in making these delicious little things. 

Also, to whoever out there reading this, thank you for your time! I truly appreciate each and every single reader.

-J

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

I love pound cake. But what made this particular pound cake even better was the addition of the cream cheese. And I thought regular pound cake was good. Don't get me wrong, I adore butter pound cake, but this, this did it for me. It was GREAT. The cake was lovely and buttery, and once again, the lemon zest added an extra kick to this delightful cake. I can't really explain the difference between this and a regular pound cake in words, but there was just something which made it extra special. 

I got the recipe from The Little Teochew, she's one of my favorite food bloggers! 





I was really hoping the cake wouldn't crack, but it did. Ah well, we can't have it all, can we? Still, it was delicious and I'll definitely be making it again!

-J

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Long Overdue

These pictures were taken some time back... Just wanted to share them with you all!

a) Lemon Cupcake with cream cheese frosting


b) Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream 


That's about it, just wanted to bring back older, fonder memories~

-J


Vanilla Cupcakes

Today I decided it was time to bake another batch of vanilla cupcakes after the last disastrous attempt. I was so relieved when they turned out okay! I used this recipe (Joy of Baking). Something about Stephanie Jaworski's recipes make me want to use them time and again because they are so reliable and relatively "approachable" - i.e they are simple and do not scare the living daylights out of me with over complications :)


Back to the cupcake. The cupcake was nice and fluffy, with a hint of lemon (due to the lemon zest. A light cupcake to enjoy on any occasion. I decided to go with a red/pink and green buttercream frosting, since Christmas is approaching! The frosting was ace, don't make the cupcake without it!!





p.s. sorry for that last horrible picture

More to come in the next few days!!!

-J

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Tea in London

I recently returned from a trip to London, and one of the most memorable experiences would have to be the tea I had with my sister at Bea's of Bloomsbury. Tucked away along a row of unassuming little shops, this shop has blown me away with its freshly made, simple yet delectable desserts which I still have cravings for every now and then. 

Here are some of the wonderful things we ate:

a) Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake





Look at it. Just look at the generous amounts of peanut butter and chocolate. I love how they put crushed peanuts on the cake for texture as well. Soooo good. The cheesecake had specks of vanilla bean in it, and was crumbly (indicating how fresh it was!!). My sister and I were devastated when the cake disappeared (not exaggerating), we even considered walking back in the cold to get another slice. All in all, a crumbly, fudgy and chocolately dessert that you would want to give a try!


b) Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake


There were so many cupcakes to choose from but I decided to go for this one as the other desserts that I had taken away were so rich that I felt the need to get something fruity to balance things out (and also convince myself that I was eating something "healthy"; fruit = healthy? No?). Haha just kidding. There was nothing healthy about this cupcake, but it was pretty decent. 

The best part about this cupcake was the frosting - so light, yet it had such a lovely raspberry taste to it. It was just right, not too sweet, not too overpowering - just the perfect pairing for the buttery vanilla cupcake. The cupcake itself was okay, I wished it were less dense, but then I realized that the slightly denser cupcake paired well with the light-as-air frosting, so I had no complaints.


c) Carrot Loaf (carrot cake with cream cheese frosting)


I have a confession to make - out of the 10 days I spent in London, I went to Bea's twice, and had this cake twice. It was THAT good. The ratio of cream cheese frosting to the moist carrot loaf was perfect each time, and I love how the loaf (cake) wasn't too sweet. The frosting, however, made this cake a hundred times better. The tanginess and richness of the cream cheese frosting paired really well with the moist cake. Mmm. 


d) Lemon Meringue Cheesecake



Words can't even begin to describe the joy I experienced while having this cake. Even so, I shall try to explain how mindblowingly-good this was. You take the first bite - the richness of the cream cheese hits you. Slowly you begin to taste the lemon curd-like filing, tangy - but not too sour that it kills your taste buds. The torched meringue bit of the cake adds a fluffiness to the bite, making sure the mouthful of cheesecake isn't too heavy for the palette. Then you begin to think back to the lemony bit of the cake - was that really all lemon? I must have tasted some other fruit in there! Then you realize that they cleverly put some passionfruit in for a little kick. Absolute bliss on a plate. 

If you're in London, heed my advice - head down to Bea's of Bloomsbury for a treat like no other. You'll be floating all the way back home on cloud 9.


-J

Monday, December 17, 2012

Chocolate Cookies

Have you ever been so excited for something such that you couldn't sleep? Well, these cookies were just the reason why I went to bed at 2am. I woke up (unusually) early, eager to bake these scrumptious looking bites of heaven - and it was worth it.


These chocolate cookies are the ultimate chocolate cookies. Trust me, if you're having a craving for something chocolatey, this is it! They are crisp on the edges, but slightly softer towards the middle of the cookie. Did I mention that they also melt in your mouth? Deliiiiicious. 

Mmm the chocolate flavor still lingers in my mouth. You would probably want to use GOOD QUALITY cocoa powder in this, it makes a huge difference.


You can put anything in your cookies - regular chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nuts, etc. - but i decided to go for all chocolate cookie, with a combination of regular and white choc chips. 

This isn't my recipe, I got it from Joy of Baking. But whether it was mine or not, bottom line is - Make these cookies! They are rather fool-proof and easy to make, and the results will leave you begging for more.




Ps. I think it's quite evident that I can't take good pictures but hey, it's better than nothing! One way to know what they really look like is to make them yourself ;) You are STRONGLY encouraged to do so.

-J







It Begins!

I've been putting this off for a long time, but finally - I have a food blog! Created for all who love (and live) to bake.