Wedding Cake: Part Three

 

This is my final post on my wedding cake series. Thank you all so much for your kind support and for taking the time to stop by. You have all been super sweet and amazing.

To keep up with the vintage wedding theme, I made a three tier all white cake covered in fondant. Then I place a string of gold pearls around the top and bottom tier. For the second tier, I fully covered it with vintage gold buttons in various shapes and sizes. This for me adds texture and creates character to the cake.

Just like the previous cake, I wanted to keep things clean and simple. So I decided to scatter just four gum paste flowers on each corner of the cake just to balance them out if you will.  I made two of those flowers in white with a vintage gold button in the middle and then, for the other two I painted the petals in edible gold powder and then place tiny sugar pearls in the middle of it.

 I was pretty happy with how this cake turned out. Originally, I wanted to add about six or seven flowers, but somehow it didn’t seem right. It looked a little too much and a little crowded. Most of the time less is always more.

 

At the end of day, after having lots of conversation with myself and sleepless nights. I am so glad with the end results.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

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Wedding Cake: Part Two

I really didn’t mean to tease you all with part one and lead you to think that I was leaving you hanging and waiting for part two. There are no excuses. Really, there is none. And yet, somehow I was working up a good one in my head. But I shall not bore you with what I’ve been doing or how getting a good internet connection can sometimes feel like you’ve won the lottery.

OK, let’s talk about this wedding cake. The theme was vintage classic. So I went with the classic. When I think about vintage, almost immediately if not automatically, my mind wonders off to something lacey and something with pearls. The design of this cake is nothing too elaborate. I wanted to keep it clean and simple and went with a three tier cake in an all-white fondant and then adorn these babies with some gum paste lace design and a pearl border.

I must say that the picture here doesn’t do much justice to the cake. I have myself to blame for that really. The weather was seriously hot and humid that day and between carrying the cake out to the beach (yes, it was a beach wedding) and putting on the finishing touches and  also between  sweating in my spanx, I was so overwhelm with everything that was going on around me, I just wasn’t thinking anymore.

I didn’t use a topper for this cake; I really didn’t see the need for that. I wanted to highlight all that lace and pearls with a bouquet of all-white gum paste peonies. It made sense to do that. The peonies sort of made everything popped! And after spending two whole weeks making those peonies, I am glad it all worked out.

Be sure to come back for part three 🙂 and thank you for stopping by.

Wedding Cake: Part One

For those of you, who have been following me on my humble blog, would already know how much time I have been rambling on about my adventures on baking three wedding cakes. Yes, this is part one of three that I will be featuring on here.

But for this cake, I wanted the leading role to be this cute and chic wedding cake topper. I came across a similar topper like this on etsy, only it was made out of wood. I had some gum paste around the apartment and thought why not? I was going to do a test dummy to see how it would all go down but as I started painting them with food gels, there was no turning back. This is it! I thought. This cake topper will play the lead role. And I was going to write a story around it.

I decided to go with an ultra-chic look. A petite two tier cake with an all-white frosting was all I wanted to do and it was all I could think about. I thought, how cute would it be? Having the cake topper on an all-white cake like that? So I piped the bottom tier with ruffles or rosettes and that sorta added an illusion of volume to the whole look of the cake. And as for the top tier, I wanted to keep it simple and clean by just smoothing the sides with a spatula.

My favorite detail on this cake topper would have to be the side bun on the bride with a large lily to finish her look.

After this, the bride and the groom would use this topper on their first year anniversary cake and as a keep sake to last forever.

Again, thank you for checking in and for stopping by. I truly appreciate your kind comments and feedback. To me, it’s like having my very own support system where we can share our love for all things sweet and savory. Cheers!

Honey Cornbread

Sometimes, when I crave for something sweet and decadent, it is by default I reach out to make my favorite batch of brownie. This is after all a no brainer considering how chocolate has that strong hold on most of us.  

But then, when I think of this honey cornbread I wonder why don’t I make this more often? It is moist, rich and definitely sweet! And it will hit you in all the right places.

Let me just say that the texture of this cornbread is not like a regular quick bread but instead, it’s more dense and moist, just like a cake. So really, it should be called corncake. This is the sweet stuff right here.

 

As you some may have notice, I have been away for a while. I am currently on vacation visiting my family and just having the best time ever. There has been a lot of laughing, hugging, talking, cooking and my oh my there’s been a lot of eating! After packing two pairs of jeans with me, I think I need to go out and get some new ones only this time, a size up!

I’ve also just completed baking and decorated three wedding cakes for the very first time. I have been so stressed worrying about it and had many sleepless nights just thinking about how it would all turn out. I am now happy to report that everything went well according to plan and I couldnt be happier. Right now, I am just getting all my photos together for my next post so be sure to drop by soon.

Thank you again for being patient and for checking in.

Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com 

Spicy Turkey Sausage Orecchiette

 

Pastas are like people. They come in various shapes and sizes, but what it all boils down to; is that it’s all made from the same ingredient.

Just like this one; orecchiette. I really love the shape of this pasta. I think it’s so cute. Orecchiette got its name because of its unique shape which would remind one of a small ear. “Orecchio” in Italian means ear and “etto” means small. So put that together and you get small ears. If you ask me I’ve always thought they look more like teeny tiny pasta bowls.  I’ve even made this in a soup before and just love the way the pasta holds the soups in!

I have yet to do my grocery shopping this weekend and all I had in my pantry was a big box of orecchiette and some spicy Italian turkey sausages. It reminded me of a dish I had last year at my birthday dinner, only it wasn’t turkey sausage it was lamb and it wasn’t the same pasta but somewhere between browning the sausages over the skillet and the smell of pasta cooking over a pot of salty boiling water it brought me back to that night.

This a pretty easy dish to put together and one that packs in a lot of flavor.

Start off by browning the sausage on a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the sausage from the pan and allow it cool slightly. Then slice it or dice it into small pieces. Now, add about two small cloves of chopped garlic into the pan with another tablespoon of olive oil. Then add in the diced Italian sausage and season it with some salt and pepper and about a teaspoon of dried oregano. Now add a half a cup of fresh diced tomatoes and let that continue to cook in the pan for three to five minutes on a medium high heat. Then add in about half a cup of red wine and a third cup of chicken or turkey broth. Then add in the cooked orecchiette pasta and half a cup of petite peas and fresh parsley. Stir everything together and serve this with some grated romano cheese and enjoy!

 

Chicken and Waffles

 

In my perfect world, there would be no dirty dishes; I could eat as much as I want without having to wear spanx under my dress and I would never have to worry about applying eye cream before going to bed.

But as we all know, that world doesn’t exist.

We have to create our own perfect world to find happiness. And that is exactly what I did. As soon as I started to dip the chicken in rich buttermilk, i was already doing my happy dance in my head. Then, by the time the batter hit the waffle iron and started to sizzle I was already in heaven. In no time, I fixed myself a plate, poured hot peppermint tea in my big pink mug and found my seat on the couch next to the window and started tearing down the chicken and the waffle greedily. At this point, you can just forget about being a lady with the fork and knife, once the syrup, butter, chicken and waffle start to play; things will get crazy. Crazy good!

I’ll tell you what, this whole sweet and savory combo is the real deal.

 

Recipe Source

Corn Flake Crisps

 

Time is flying by so fast these days and I find myself trying to catch my breath just to catch up on things.I didn’t even realize that it’s been more than two weeks since my last post. I have been keeping myself busy these days planning and stressing over the wedding cake that I will be making this spring. I have less than two months before the wedding and right now it’s all about preparing the decorations and sorting out the check list. I recently had a light bulb moment at 3 am and woke up all giddy with ideas on how my cake would look like. Finally, I now have it figured out after months of searching for inspiration I am happy to report that I finally got it. And with that, I would like to celebrate it with something sweet of course!

As the weather here in the Northeast is slowly but surely finding its way to spring, I am seeing a lot of pretty bright colors everywhere; in dresses, shoes, bags and of course food. My color for today is yellow. And this makes me think of an old time family favorite that my mom and I used to bake. The idea of crushing golden crisp cornflakes with my hands is really fun plus it’s also a great way to release any build up aggression.

These cookies are really yummy. I love the idea of using corn flakes in cookies. It adds a delicious crunch to sink your teeth in and of course, corn flakes appeals to just about anyone.

Corn flake Crisps

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 cup self-rising flour
2 cups lightly crushed corn flakes 

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Then add in the egg and vanilla and continue to mix.

Combine the ground almond and self-rising flour; add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into a ball or use a small ice cream scoop and roll in the crushed corn flakes. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Gulab Jamun

I have been obsessed with making fritters lately. I absolutely love the sight of those tiny deep fried sweeten dough. It’s comforting and very forgiving. You really cannot go wrong making it. Those uneven shapes and irregular burn patches makes them special and oh so delicious.

These babies are my latest obsession. I tried them once at my favorite Indian restaurant here in the city and now, I am hooked. I love the earthy combination of cardamom and the delicate flavor of rose in this fritter. It can also be somewhat sensual.  But what makes this fritter special is that after it is fried, it is then soaked in a syrup flavored in rosewater. You can serve this gorgeous dumplings warm or at room temperature. I like mine scattered with some chopped pistachios, it does make a pretty dessert plate.

Gulab Jamun

1 cup dry non-fat milk powder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons clarified butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm milk
a pinch of ground cardamom
a pinch of salt

vegetable oil for deep frying

In a large bowl, mix together the milk powder, flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Next, add in the melted clarified butter and then mix in the milk until well blended. Cover the mixture and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Heat enough oil in a heavy skillet or use a dutch oven on medium heat for deep frying. Gently knead the dough, and form them into small balls, about 20 – 25.

Lower the heat before dropping the balls in the hot oil. Deep fry the balls in batches. They will start to float and expand from their original size after 3 minutes. Then, increase the heat back to medium and turn them frequently until lightly golden.

Now, remove the fritters from the oil and let them drain and rest on paper towels. After it’s cooled, immerse the fritters into the syrup for a couple of hours before serving as they will start to plump up. You can serve this dumplings chilled, room temperature or even slightly warm.  

Rose water syrup

2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon rose water

To make the syrup, place sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Allow it to simmer and 5 minutes. Then add in the rose water and set aside.

Pink Blossom Cake

Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you make or the ones you bake. It’s the gifts that comes from the heart are the ones that matters the most. And it doesn’t hurt if the gift you’re giving is something sweet and covered in delicious frosting too. Like this cute little cake.

I baked this cake for a friend awhile back, it’s a vanilla cake layered in double chocolate fudge. I wanted to make a small cake just because I know she would love it. So, I bake it in a six inch round cake pan in three layers, and then filled each layer with some double chocolate fudge. Then, I frosted the entire cake with chocolate buttercream.

Using ready-made fondant tinted in pale pink, I cut out some tiny blossoms using a plastic cutter and then, piped some vanilla buttercream in the middle. Then, I decorated all over the top of the cake with the tiny blossoms. I also tinted some of the fondant in dark green for the leaves. After it all came together, I realize that the cake now looks like a tiny flower pot. Which wasn’t part of my original plan but somehow it worked.  At least, I think so. This tiny little cake would really brighten up just about anyone’s day on any occasion. Let them know you care.

 

Salmon Teriyaki

A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make some chicken teriyaki for dinner. I was still in the whole phase where I wanted to cook everything in soy sauce, ginger and rice wine. (Like my previous post on Chinese Steamed Chicken) I was so obsessed with those flavors that I even had dreams about it. While shopping at the grocery store, my eyes were hooked on some gorgeous salmon fillets and just like that I canceled my chicken idea and new plan, we’re having salmon! I also grab a bottle of ready-made teriyaki sauce in hopes to speed up the cooking process but when i tried the sauce and I was so disappointed. It tasted really bad. It didn’t even taste like teriyaki.

But, lucky for me I had all the ingredients I need to make my own teriyaki sauce. It turns out; all I needed was just five simple ingredients to achieve a good teriyaki sauce. All you need is some good quality soy sauce (I recommend using Kikkoman brand), fresh ginger, sugar, rice wine or sake and cornstarch to thicken it. You can obviously substitute the salmon for just about anything you want. Serve it warm over rice or noodles.

Teriyaki Sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon rice wine or sake
2 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir the mixture well. Then, bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and allow it to simmer, continue to stir the sauce until it starts to thicken and bubbles. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool completely. You can store the sauce in a clean bottle or container and keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

To make the Salmon Teriyaki

Use half of the sauce to marinade the salmon for an hour or overnight in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, pan sear the salmon over medium heat until you’ve achieve good caramelization for about 2 minutes. Now, transfer the salmon to the oven and allow it bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked. Brush some teriyaki sauce over the salmon and sprinkle the top with some toasted sesame seed if desire and serve it warm.