Birthday Cake Banner Tutorial

I love elaborate and decorated cupcakes/cakes. I've been enquiring about personalized birthday cakes lately and the prices for them are sky high and I seriously think it's a little too much to pay for a cake. It's something the birthday boy/girl can't keep and most of the time.. the quality of the cake is not as good compared to a freshly baked butter or marble cake.. or even a good old fashion Lana chocolate cake. 

Recently my good friend's sister celebrated her 25th birthday and she requested for Orange Moist Cake.  I was thinking hard how I should decorate the cake without adding any fondant and buttercream to it and I thought, why not a birthday cake banner?! Here's a tutorial to show you how easy it is and how it can change the whole look of the cake.

What you need:

2 lollipop sticks / coloured straw
Ribbon for the banner

Scissors

Craft Glue

Sticker letters

Patterned/Scrap book paper

Choose the papers to create the banner with and cut it into strips, they do not have to be all the same length, you can vary them if you choose to. Cut as many as you need to create the word you are spelling out. Fold the paper into half and cut a triangle out of the bottom

Cut out small squares with the paper and then just stick your letters on the paper.

Stick the square paper with letter onto your prepared patterned paper. Fold your patterned paper in half and put a dab of  glue in the center and fold over your paper so that the points meet.

Tie the ribbon to the end of straw/lollipop stick

 You can make additional flags with toothpicks or if you want longer, you can use satay sticks.

Dust your cake with some icing sugar

Stick the banner and flags to your desired place

And there you go.... a gift baked and decorated with love with minimum effort.
A simple cake that's 'dressed' up for the occasion.
Most importantly, you have personalized and decorated it for the VIP's party. 

Happy Birthday Liz!! May every Birthday remind you of the huge number of people who love you and can't do without you. I'm one of them!..:D

PEANUT Butter Attack!

Christmas is round the corner and I need to find the perfect Xmas Cupcakes for 2008!

1st Attempt.. Peanut Butter cupcakes!

Next...... Any ideas for me??????



My little helper...





What's next??

Wedding Bells

I finally brought my Kitty(Kitchen Aid) out!! Why??!!

MY BEST FRIEND got married!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HAD to bake for her. It was a surprise and I'm glad everyone(I think) at the dinner enjoyed it!

Jelly Hearts

At last I did it!!!

I'm not sure why this was so difficult for me. Probably I'm not a step by step person??? Maybe I don't have the patience for each layer to form before moving on to the next step??? I really don't know why but whatever it is.... I did it this time!!!!!!!! Hooray!!!!!!!!!!! (FYI, this is my 3rd attempt!! Now you understand why I'm so proud of myself!) haha...

Jelly hearts is actually a cheesecake with crust layer at the bottom, a thin cream cheese layer in the middle and topped with a heart shaped strawberry "encased" in a layer of jelly...:)

Recently, I've taken up another 2 new hobbies.....:P

1. Photography

2. Quilting! 

(Both in these 2 pictures. Any comments???)

Happy baking!!!

Cookie museum

Went to watch the musical "We will rock you" on Sunday and I must say I truly enjoyed myself very much. It was shown in Esplanade and because of that I have an excuse to run down to the cookie museum to grab a tin of this! YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love their cookies but I find them too pricey but what the heck! We only live once..:) If you happen to be in that area, do try out their cookies and cakes!! Simply delicious!

www.thevtearoom.com

The very next day was Yvonne's birthday. She's a very fussy lady esp when it comes to food!! I wanted to bake her something and it took me awhile before i decided on what to bake! 
She loves cake surabaya!!!! So instead of baking her a whole cake with 3 layers, I made it into cupcakes!!

Quite smart huh?? hehe...:P

Topped it with some strawberry jam. (I couldn't do any butter or cream cheese frosting because she hates it!!)

And decorate it with a nice pink button chocolate!

Pink blue and yellow..

PINK?? BLUE??? and YELLOW???

Yes yes!! That's the colours I decided for my icing..:P

Over the weekend, I had 2 cupcakes order. One is for my dearest sister-in-law Jenna who turned 19 and the other was for cute little Asher who turned 2!! 

This is for little Asher.

Little Asher loves Winnie the Pooh and friends!

And this is for Jenna! Since her party is more adult like, i decided to bake 3 different flavours for her. I hope they all like it..

3 Different flavours:

My favourite double choc cupcakes

Orange and cheese cupcakes

Last but not least Peanut butter cuppies..:D

Recipe for Orange and Cheese Cuppies

227g      Butter (unsalted)
4 tbsp   Light brown sugar
115g       Caster sugar

3       Eggs

225g  Plain flour

1/2 tsp Baking powder
Pinch of Salt
4 tbsp Orange juice
1 tsp    Vanilla essence
115g    Cream cheese

1. Beat butter until soft.
2. Add the brown sugar and regular sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out orange juice and vanilla together.
6. Add about a third of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add all of the juice/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Add another third of the flour mixture and beat to combine.
9. Add cream cheese and beat to combine.
10. Add the rest of the flour and beat to combine.
11. Scoop into cupcake papers.
12. Bake for 20-25mins..:)

Happy Baking!

Strawberry Chocolate Cake

What better way to celebrate your resignation? ........ a  BBQ party with your closest friends!! This is for Edwin Ho!!! After 13 years with the airlines, he decided to quit and be a full time tai tai!!! *envy! envy!*

I promised him I will not be there empty handed and I came out with this!! 

Made with lurve.............

VeRy Rich CHoCoLatE CupCaKe..:)

ValRhoNa ChoColaTe FroStinG!!

ToppEd WitH HeaRt ShaPE StrAwbErrY!!

 

Baked Blueberry Cheesecakes

These mouthwatering little cupcakes are specially baked for a lovely couple I know who are migrating to Melbourne on Sunday..:( I would like to wish them Bon voyage and all the best in their future..:P

"The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again"

Charles Dickens

Double chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

I was really excited bout baking these cupcakes because

Number one.... there were 2 new things i just bought and i couldn't wait to try it out!!!

Number two... I was baking for my ever efficient colleagues!!

Number three... I wanted to know how good these recipes were!

Presenting to you my 2 new toys:

1)ORGANIC vanilla essence!!

2)Seedless Raspberry Puree

(Can only be found in Culina shops)

(www.culina.com.sg)

I must say, so far these are my favourite cupcakes. Raspberry and chocolate goes very well together!!

This is now one of my favourite cupcakes! Rich and moist!! yum yum.......

Msg from my colleague Marie Raineiro

The cupcakes were great! I make my boyfriend try and both of us loved the fact that you slowly discover different taste in your mouth, starting with a chocolate mousse and then the choc cake and then you taste the raspberry mixing perfectly with the chocolate. Thanks again for this great culinary experience!! Marie..