Pain au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants)

I am so into making croissants this week! Right after the unintentional creation of Brioche-Croissants in my previous post, I immediately google and work on another croissant dough recipe which I couldn't wait to share the results! I must say the time spent and efforts really paid off. And I have come to terms that croissants-making is definitely one that cannot be rushed. This 3-day baking affair was certainly worth the wait. The flaky Pain au Chocolat were soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Until now I still couldn't believe I actually did it! Yay!

Well, and the reason why I'd decided to try out another recipe (instead of the same recipe in my earlier post) is because I've noticed that most croissant dough recipes add butter to the making of the dough. However, the previous recipe I'd worked on (plainly due to the small quantity) didn't (although I might not have succeeded because I did not follow the instructions, and not because of the butter @_@). Not too sure if the addition of butter has any impact on the croissant dough until I re-make the previous recipe. But until then, I must say I am happily satisfied with the results from this recipe that I'm sharing below. Woohooo!

Pain au Chocolat

They might not be the prettiest looking Pain au Chocolat, but they are definitely a delicious one. Guess I have to work on wrapping the chocolates between the dough. But I'm glad that the decision to turn the classic croissant dough recipe into these Pain au Chocolat version worked just as I have hoped for. For those of you who have been intimidated by the making of these delicate pastry and still contemplating if you should give it a shot, hesitate no more! If I can do it, you can too! ^_^

Chocolate Banana Cake

What's better use of over-ripe bananas than in baking? Though I'm not quite a "banana" person, I do like the combination of banana and chocolate, especially in cakes. So rather than wasting those over-ripe bananas that were sitting in the kitchen, I decided to look up new recipes on bananas and chocolates. I wanted to try something different though I have my heavenly Awfully Dark Chocolate Banana Cake and delicious Banana Chocolate Chips Muffins recipes ready on hand. And I came across this recipe for a chocolate banana bread. But a look at the ingredients and instructions suggest that it's more like a cake than a bread. And I wonder if it's called a bread because it's baked in a loaf pan? Anyway, I was curious how the recipe would turn out and decided to give it a shot.

Chocolate Banana Cake

I tried out in a square pan instead. And the verdict... it turned out to be everything in-between! The crust is somewhat similar to a soft french bread, and the bite and texture is somewhat similar to a brownie, yet it's not dense and gives a soft "cakey" chewy bite. I know this may sound confusing, but I really like this cake I'd call it, though I must admit I wasn't impressed (by the colour and appearance) when I un-moulded it from the cake pan. And the English idiom that goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover" definitely hit me hard here. After all, how wrong can banana and chocolate pair go, right? ^_^

I am sharing this Chocolate Banana Cake with blog event, We Should Cocoa (May 2015: Vanilla) organised by Choclette of Tin and Thyme and Chele of Chocolate Teapot and guest hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage for the month of May 2015;

I am also sharing this recipe with Best Recipes for Everyone (May 2015 Event: My Favourite Desserts) organized by Fion of XuanHom's Mom and co-hosted by Aunty Young. 

And last but not least, I'm sharing this new exploration from a bread-turned-cake recipe with monthly link up party, Our Growing Edge (May 2015) hosted by Jordan and Cindy from My Daughter and I, an event that aims to connect food bloggers and inspire us to try new things.

Chocolate Cream-filled Profiteroles (Chocolate Cream Puffs)

"No, egg yolks are bad and we should only eat the whites". This is what my husband always insist whenever I fry him an egg. All these years, I have long given up proving to him with health articles about the benefits of egg yolks, or at least the harmless of eating egg yolks and "coaxing" him into eating the yolks. I know very well that it's just his plain excuse for not eating the yolks, which he claimed has a funny taste, when he refuses to accept that egg yolk has its beneficial contents. That's also his way of refuting my claim that he behaves just like a big kid picking on his food. And for that reason, we always have leftover egg yolks which I sometimes have to throw away if he is eating eggs too often. >,<

But fortunately or unfortunately, the leftover egg yolks prompted this bake when I decided to turn the yolks into pastry cream. And my immediate association with pastry cream are these delicious cream puffs, a French dessert otherwise known as Profiteroles.

Chocolate Cream-filled Profiteroles (Chocolate Cream Puffs)

This French dessert may be delicate, but they are definitely not difficult to make. I have adopted the same pastry dough recipe that I'd used for my mini Chocolate Eclairs since it was an easy and successful recipe. Looking back at my post archives, I then realised that those were made almost a year ago. *Gosh~ how time flies! Anyway, I find it really interesting how two different desserts could be formed from the same recipe when they just appear in different shapes (and sizes). ^_^

Triple Chocolate Swiss Roll

The rainy weather over the past few days has made me lethargic and lazy. I was sitting in front of my laptop aimlessly going through my blog materials when I found this draft post amongst my few other long overdue drafts. I'm not sure how other bakers do, but I often find myself saving my draft recipes when I couldn't think of what to write. Somehow, I feel "obligated" to share something meaningful in my blog post, or at least the reasons behind each bake before I publish a recipe. Not that my other published blog posts are all that meaningfully or wonderfully written, but I find my mind blocked especially when my bake is kind of impromptu for no special occasions or planned intentions. And this is one of the times...

Triple Chocolate Swiss Roll

So amongst my few draft blogposts, I have decided to share this Triple Chocolate Swiss Roll which I have baked sometime back. Triple because it's a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream coated with chocolate rice! *Grin* Anyway, it seems like my mood has been pretty much affected by the gloomy weather of late, and looking at this swiss roll just seems to bring back those good old memories of family and friends in younger days as this used to be my childhood sweets.

How does this Triple Chocolate Swiss Roll remind you of your good old memories?

Easter Cupcakes

It's Good Friday everyone! And Good Friday is a day I used to look forward to in the past (when I was schooling and then working) because it means a public holiday (at least it is in my home country)! But now that I'm neither schooling nor working, I'm kind of indifferent since every Friday (or rather every day) is a "public holiday". Haha!

Although I'm not a Christian, I have been quite overwhelmed with Easter, which is the Sunday following Good Friday since (almost) every places put out sales, decorations, food and themes associated with it. So this year I've long decided to execute a bake which I'd kept in my head for a year! How long is that, uh?! Despite having it "planned", I didn't think I would bake ahead of the weekend and I found myself lacking a couple of ingredients in my pantry based on the initial idea I had. >,<

But it may well be a "blessing in disguise" or a chance to think out of the box and come up with a creative combination. So to make do with all that's available, I decided on these lemon chiffon cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting! You may think the combination tastes weird, just as I had initially thought too. Surprisingly not! The soft and fluffy lemony cupcake so refreshing cuts the sweetness from the chocolate cream cheese frosting which makes it a heavenly pair! Lemon and chocolate, simply the best of both worlds! Now that I come to think about it again, my original intention of a vanilla-based cupcake (with the same chocolate cream cheese frosting since I needed that to build my cupcake design) would have been "boring"! Haha!

Easter Cupcakes 
(Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting)

Unlike most of my other blog posts, I've enlarged this photo of my cupcakes purposely. I mean, they are just too pretty not to be admired, right?! Haha! And this lemony cupcake recipe that yield such refreshing, soft and fluffy is definitely a keeper! The same goes for the chocolate cream cheese frosting, rich but not too heavy and sweet. Well, actually this whole recipe combination is a keeper! And since they were made for a purpose, I have named them Easter cupcakes! Yum~~

TDB's Birthday (Chocolate Chiffon) Cake

Woohoo~ The Dream Baker is One! Happy Birthday (to my blog)! ^_^

I guess words simply can't describe my feelings now. Looking back at the past blog posts of all that I've done (or rather achieved), it's definitely consoling. Every little detail and contents on this blog is a great reflection of the amount of time and efforts that I've put in and built from scratch. Never would I have dreamed of having my own (baking) blog. And I can't help but wonder, "How would I've otherwise spent those time if I wasn't baking and blogging?!" Well, I guess that's life, never without uncertainties...

So to celebrate this notably significant anniversary of the birth of my blog, I've decided to bring my self-taught baking skills to greater heights by making a cut-out cake of my self-created logo! This birthday cake is a combination of my favourites - chocolate chiffon cake, strawberries, dark chocolate and cream frostings.

TDB's Birthday (Chocolate Chiffon) Cake

And my thoughts behind the creation and making of this birthday cake:
I was caught up with this cut-out shaped cake idea after I was inspired by a birthday cake idea which I learned from a friend. In fact this is my second attempt after I made myself a birthday cake last year. I decided to use a chocolate cake base after I posted my Milano® Cookies Chocolate Cake, and I decided to use strawberries to fill in between the layers of the cake since I needed chocolate frosting for the drawing of the outline and strawberries and chocolate are just a heavenly pairing. I personally preferred a lighter cake texture like chiffon cake as compared to the usual chocolate sponge cake, so instead I've decided and wanted to adopt the same recipe I had used for my Mini Chocolate Chiffon Cakes, only to realised that I was out of milk. Hence, I modified the recipe from a Green Tea Chiffon Cake which I came across during my research. Unexpectedly it turned out pretty well! In fact, the cake is deliciously chocolatey to be eaten by itself.

Then some friends asked, "why not use fondant?" To me, fondant is a "pretty-but-not-delicious" form of cake decoration (in my own opinion). Putting aside the skills level required to master fondant cake decorations, I'm very much in favour of presenting an equally pretty and yummy cake, both for admiration and savouring, than just a pretty cake that is better for admiration. Although I'm not a fan of cake frostings either, and often I would be "scrapping" away those thick layer of cream from store-bought cakes, I'm quite happy to be eating those cream frostings of my self-baked cakes since I am in control of the amount and thickness of the cake frostings that goes onto my cake. ^_^

And this feels like a dream (cake) come true...

P.S. Pardon me for my tiredness, I was oblivious to the abbreviations ("TDR") I've written on the cake (which was supposed to be "TDB") until I was going through the pictures. Instead of trying to photoshop those photos as my husband suggested trying, I thought I might as well take the wrong and make the best of it. So in this context, "TDR" (or correctly "TDB") shall stand for The Dream BakeR. Hahaha!

Milano® Cookies Chocolate Cake

Hi everyone! Since this is my first post for 2015, allow me to wish you a Happy New Year! Hope all of you had a great start into the new year. ^_^ Time flies indeed, I can't believe that we are half way into February! Gosh~ It was a pity I didn't get to update my blog in January as I fight hard with time to get things done after settling down from an almost two-week long road trip which I went with my husband (and three other friends) last year end till the early days of January. I was practically hands-tied with the crafts-making in preparation of a wedding gift for my sister and the "intense" packing for my "secret" trip home. Haha! Glad that I managed to pull off a surprise for my family with my appearance on my sister's big day and having spent good quality time catching up with my dear friends during my two weeks home. Despite the long haul flight to and fro (which I dread most), everything else was worth it!

Today is the fifth day since my return to this foreign city and I'm still (very much) feeling the jet-lag. >,< But this may well be a blessing in disguise because I finally get to finish up this long overdue cake recipe which I have created from my Milano® cookies indulgence. This cake is definitely an absolute LOVE - so appropriate for the Valentine's day occasion tomorrow! I hope you'll like it as much as I do! ^_^

Milano® Cookies Chocolate Cake

Here's wishing all a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you'll spread the love and share this with all your loved ones. Cheers!

French Macarons with Mint Chocolate Ganache (Sucre Cuit / Italian Method)

It’s Christmas Eve! I bet everyone or at least majority of you are feeling as excited as I am. And I am extremely thrilled because I will be hitting the road up north of Florida in a couple of hours for my 10-day road trip to various cities in the sunshine state. I’m sure it’s going to be a well-deserved break after days of baking some homemade sweet treats for this festive season.

It was a bold attempt I would say since it was a first-time for me, or rather, the first time I am trying out a new recipe – the baking of French macarons! Bold because I would end up with no gifts for giving in the event my baking experiment fails. Haha! Well, I suppose you guessed it right that my experiment pulled off successfully since I am blogging about it now. Oh wait, does anyone blogs a failed recipe? Not that I have come across so far. *Grin!

Strictly speaking it’s not my first time making French macarons. In the past, I have relied on the French method – a more commonly used method of creating the meringue by whipping together cool egg whites with granulated sugar until they form a stiff consistency which is said to yield lighter, tastier with a more delicate, cookie-like texture of authentic French macarons. Unfortunately the results of my macaronage were not quite consistent each time I tried. Until much research and read-up, I discovered the Italian (also known as Sucre Cuit or Sugar-baked) method of making macarons – a method that relies on a hot sugar syrup slowly whipped into egg whites to achieve its meringue which is regarded as more complicated than the French method. Despite so, many who have tried the Italian method said it actually yields a more stable meringue consistency. And I have witnessed that for myself indeed.

French Macarons with Mint Chocolate Ganache

For those who still have “fear” of trying to bake macarons at home, stop hesitating! If I can do it, you can do it too. ^_^

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Nutella® Buttercream Frosting and Mint Chocolate Ganache

The end product of an inspirational cake idea from a friend turned out well to my surprise! And I was surprised partly because I was actually working with mint chocolates, definitely one ingredient I wouldn't think of using in my own bake creation. Honestly, I'm no fan of mint chocolates, saved for After Eight® dark chocolate thin mints which is by far the only mint chocolate I would eat. In fact not just mint chocolates, I don't actually fancy mint flavour of cookies or ice cream either, except for peppermint candies of course. What strange taste buds, I know. Haha! Well since this cake is my homemade, I had no choice (not that I'm forced) but to taste the cake and I was actually glad that I didn't "reject" it. I suppose this cake may well be a "turning point" for those who don't have a liking for mint chocolates too. ^_^

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Nutella® Buttercream Frosting and Mint Chocolate Ganache

I am sharing this post with CookBlogShare event hosted by Lucy of Supergolden Bakes because sharing is caring.

And for the first time, I am sharing my bake with Bake of the Week event organised by Helen & gang of Casa Costello.

Mini Chocolate Chiffon Cakes

The 2014 FIFA World Cup™ has finally come to an end. Have you guessed this year's champion team correctly? Anyway I was so amused by the anti-betting advertisement promoted by Singapore's NCPG which created quite a big "hooha" after Germany emerged as one of the final teams, and now that Germany has finally won. I wonder how the scriptwriter feels about it. Haha! Well back to reality, much of my time will be freed up and life shall resume back to "normal" without these football matches to catch at the regular timing of the day. And since there's a current baking event theme on chiffon cakes, I am so going to maximise the use of my mini angel food cake pan!

Mini Chocolate Chiffon Cakes

I have decided to bake a chocolate version of chiffon cake since two of my friends here have each given me a box of cocoa powder. I didn't know the difference in cocoa powder until I noticed recipes specifying "Dutch-processed" cocoa powder in their list of ingredients. As usual, a quick google search generated a whole list of information on the differences between Dutch-processed cocoa powder and natural cocoa powder, where the latter is more commonly found in supermarkets and is what I realised I have in my kitchen too. Personally, I like the post on Baking 101 tips by Joy the Baker as it provides an easy yet informative understanding on the differences between the two types of cocoa powder. Since natural cocoa powder is all I have (in abundance), I have decided to go ahead with the substitution even though this recipe I took referenced from called for Dutch-processed cocoa powder. It was one of the webpages I have bookmarked when I was trying to learn and understand the techniques of baking the "perfect" chiffon cake. I find it pretty useful as the baker gave quite a detailed explanation on the basics of baking chiffon cake and troubleshoots the common problems faced. And I'm indeed very happy with the results of the mini version of my chocolate chiffon cakes. I hope you like it too! ^_^

Chocolate-coated Shortbread Cookies

The talk topics lately have been surrounding the 2014 FIFA World Cup™. Fortunately this year, I was able to catch the matches without having to wake (or stay up) in the wee hours since we're in the Central Time zone. Though I'm not really a football fan, it's somehow the only sports tournament I enjoy (or perhaps love) watching, and that would make me sacrifice my sleep (in the past) especially since it's only held every four years.

And for the same reason, I haven't been blogging lately since there were matches almost everyday during the past weeks. *Oops! So here's a quick recipe that I've made as my snack companion for my chilled diet soda or iced tea which I haven't been able to live without since Summer kicked in. Though I would prefer such seasonal Summer heat over the almost all-year "summer" weather experienced in Singapore (because it's not just hot but humid), I'm still very much overwhelmed by the scorching July sun. And yes, it has been a chilled beverage with snack during tea-time instead of my usual hot floral or green tea. ^_^ But be it a chilled or hot beverage, these cookies are a great treat for sure as you can simply grab and bite into it without taking your eyes off the "ball" on the screen, if you know what I mean. Hee~

Chocolate-coated Shortbread Cookies

I am sharing these Chocolate-coated Shortbread Cookies, one of my Summer tea-time snack companions with Treat Petite July 2014 theme, Summer hosted by Kat of The Baking Explorer and Stuart of Cakeyboi.

White Lover's Cookies (Shiroi Koibito)

Recently, my sister posted a photo of the souvenirs she'd received from a friend's recent Japan trip. It reminded me of my own trip to Tokyo, Japan with my husband last May after we got married in November the year before, which he had always regarded as our "mini" honeymoon. Well, I kind of agree with him since it was a place we haven't been to, but only so reluctantly because I didn't consider honeymoon a honeymoon anywhere within Asia. Haha~ But don't ask me where we went for our "actual" honeymoon because it wasn't really planned to date, although we went on a holiday to New York last fall. @_@

Thinking back about the Japan trip, I miss the snacks and the food there more than anything else. One of the goodies that I couldn't resist from buying was this 白い恋人, also known as "White Lover" in English translation, which is a very popular snack from Hokkaido (no, we didn't travel up to Hokkaido but this snack can be found easily at the airport and many departmental stores in Tokyo). Here's a picture of the packaging I took back then if some of you don't know what I'm referring to. It is also called the "Chocolat Blanc et Langue de Chat" as the name on the packaging suggests. It consists of chocolate sandwiched between two butter cookies.

Nowadays, with the advancement of international trade and shipping services, one may easily get it from a local store or purchase it online even if one don't get to travel. But ever since I got into baking, my natural chain of thoughts wasn't to look up an online store that sells and delivers the snack to where I am, but instead, the possibility of making them myself at home. ^_^ I hope everyone will enjoy these home-baked Shiroi Koibito as much as I do.

White Lover's Cookies (Shiroi Koibito)

Chocolate Éclairs (Minis)

It was a lazy week for me after a long weekend as the federal holiday, Memorial Day happened to fall on the recent Monday. After cracking my brain on what to bake to fit the respective themes of the baking events I have been participating over the past weeks of the month, I was inspired by a store-bought dessert, Chocolate Éclairs, which a friend had brought along to our recent potluck dinner. And that's definitely one of my favourite pastry desserts!

Chocolate Éclairs (Minis)

Just like my past bakes, I would do a fair bit of research by comparing the various recipes, reading the reviews and comments of others who have attempted, including watching online videos on the making process, if available before I embark on my own baking experiment. Honestly, I felt a little intimidated after doing my homework because it seems like the challenge faced by many is in the making of the choux pastry, otherwise called pâte à choux, or simply known as the "shells" of the éclairs. Finally, I decided and settled on Paula Deen's Chocolate Stuffed Eclairs recipe found on FoodNetwork.com, but guess what? My choux pastry, that is the shells of the éclairs turned out to be a success on my first attempt and I actually failed on the chocolate cream filling. @_@! I suppose I'm one of the fewer minority for that matter. The chocolate cream filling felt like the texture of red bean paste, if you know what I am referring. Somehow somewhere, I couldn't figure how and where it went wrong. So I quickly turned to the crème pâtissière of the alternative recipe by Gale Gand's Chocolate Eclairs which I've kept from my research and made a vanilla cream filling for my éclairs instead. And there goes my original plan of finishing up the last two episodes of my Taiwanese drama after my bake when a half day baking affair took almost the entire of my day. Thought I could enjoy these éclairs for my tea-break which I didn't get to have one today, and ended having these éclairs as an after-dinner dessert. Still, this is definitely worth it!

I am sharing this post with the event, Little Thumbs Up (May 2014: Milk) organised by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY hosted by Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House.

(P.S. And I realised I have past the submission deadlines for the respective baking events, namely The Biscuit Barrel Challenge (May 2014: Favourites) organised by Laura of I'd Much Rather Bake Than…, AlphaBakes (May 2014: Letter "E") hosted by Ros of The More than Occasional Baker & Caroline of Caroline Makes, and Treat Petite May 2014 theme, World Baking Day hosted by Kat of The Baking Explorer & Stuart of Cakeyboi, which I had intended to share this baking post with when I was ready to publish this post. @_@!)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

The weather in this small city in the west of Florida is getting unbearably hot in the day as summer approaches. And I wonder if the bananas in the kitchen are ripening at an accelerated speed due to the heat. Personally, I'm not a fan of banana baked goods. I seldom explore baking with bananas except for these banana chocolate chip muffins which is everyone's favourite and my recent attempt in making my husband's favourite Awfully Chocolate Banana Cake. If I'm not wrong, this is the fifth time I am making these banana chocolate chip muffins. However, what's worth mentioning is that the recipe which I had referenced for my previous four bakes (which were all successful) was from my sister's best friend's sister and her friends' blog, Forget Those Calories (Umm by the way, this is not a paid advertisement for their blog). *Grin*

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I tend to settle with one recipe for each of my bakes as long as the end product turns out well for me. But this time, I resorted to looking for an alternative recipe because I'm out of plain yogurt and sour cream (and its equivalent substitutes) called for in the usual source recipe I'd referred, and the bananas sitting at the kitchen table doesn't look like they could "survive" another day! Ok alright, I am over exaggerating here. *Lol! Anyway, this alternative recipe turned out to be a successful one too. In both recipes, the ingredients used were almost similar except for the difference in quantity which I have no intentions of doing a comparison analysis. @_@ Instead of using plain yogurt or sour cream, I could make do with milk for these muffins. This was also in a way helping me "kill two birds with one stone" as I realised that the bottle of milk sitting in my fridge is nearing its expiry too. *Oops~

Conclusion? There were no significant difference in taste and texture from those made from plain yogurt, sour cream or milk! The muffins were just as moist but not dense on the inside. The trick in this taste and texture test comes from balancing the ratio of the ingredients which is always so in baking. After all, baking is a science! So here's sharing the banana chocolate chip muffins made out of milk which were gobbled up by my friends in a wink.

I am sharing this post with the event, Little Thumbs Up (May 2014: Milk) organised by Bake For Happy Kids and My Little Favourite DIY hosted by Tze of Awayofmind Bakery House.

I am also submitting this post to Treat Petite May 2014 theme, World Baking Day hosted by Kat of The Baking Explorer and Stuart of Cakeyboi because sharing is caring. =)

Awfully Dark Chocolate Banana Cake

I caught the making of a chocolate birthday cake on TV sometime ago and thought I could twist the recipe and challenge myself in making my very own version of my husband's favourite dark chocolate cake with banana filling. Although the taste is not exactly like the one from the famous shop in Singapore which he always have on his birthdays, this cake is just as yummy and satisfying. Anyway, I  still have months until November to practice this bake before my husband's next birthday. *Grin* Meanwhile, I shall dedicate this cake to Bake-Along's 3rd Anniversary, wishing every success to its current and future baking themes.

Awfully Dark Chocolate Banana Cake

I am sharing this post with Bake-Along #60: Theme - Chocolate Cakes organised by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids in celebration of Bake-Along's 3rd Anniversary.

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was my plain excuse of "fighting" with the lazy bug for not baking lately. The fact is ever since I started watching my first Hong Kong drama show online, I have been so addicted.  In a period of less than a month, I have completed three drama series plus the fourth one with the last four episodes to finish. It was then I thought to myself that I have to pause because this is so horrible and unacceptable of me. Although I'm as eager to finish the remaining episodes of my fourth drama show, I've decided I should (at least) bake one recipe this week. To regain my momentum, I thought I would try out something easy which doesn't take quite as much time and so I've settled with the so-claimed Famous Amos® Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe which my brother had tasked me sometime ago. And what I thought was "easy" turned out to be a disaster (at least it didn't work out for me)! @_@ I'm not sure if there was a typo in the recipe since it was posted in 2011 but I am quite certain that the amount of butter stated in the recipe might not have been accurate from the result of the cookies I'd made (regret my impulsiveness of deleting the pictures because the cookies were just too ugly to look at, otherwise I could have shared here). Although I ended up spending two days instead of one as planned in my cookies baking, I was satisfied with the results of my chocolate chip cookies after my own trials and errors. With that, I have completed my "mission"! ^_^

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ice-cream Cone Rainbow Cupcakes

I was wrong when I thought cupcakes was a frenzy in Singapore until I visited Washington D.C. and New York City last December. I was one of the luckier ones who got ahead in the snake queues at the famous cupcakes stores to sink my teeth into one (or rather two) of the many different flavours that were available. This got me into searching and experimenting various cupcakes recipes after I returned from my trip and I must say this is the best recipe amongst what I have tried so far.

For the purpose of the Aspiring Bakers' last theme event, I made a slight variation in an innovative way. ^_^

I am submitting the Ice-cream Cone Rainbow Cupcakes to the Aspiring Bakers #40: Rainbow and Ombre Party! (March 2014) hosted by Cynthia of The Baking Biatch.

MultiColour Checkered Cake coated with Dark Chocolate Frosting

I have been overwhelmed with lots of baking ideas lately. These ideas have been keeping me busy as I just can't wait to execute all of them. During one of those days when my energy level hit the max, I even attempted two baking experiments in one day. I was occupied for the whole day and by the time I was done, I ended up fixing microwave food for dinner and realised I had forgotten about laundry altogether. @_@

That particular day was quite an achievement albeit exhausting. But that was only possible when the ingredients and the preparation involved were much simpler. Certainly not for this recipe which I am going to share because it took me almost the whole day before I could sink my teeth into it. I shall share the other two baking experiments which I had accomplished within a day in my upcoming baking posts as I simply can't wait to reveal the surprise in this cake.

MultiColour Checkered Cake coated with Dark Chocolate Frosting

"Ta-da"! How pretty, isn't it? Although I wouldn't say this is perfect, but this is definitely good considered my very first whole cake baking attempt. I am so delighted!