Mini Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

I was flipping through my recipes file when I found this Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes recipe from the one and only baking class I'd attended with my sister a couple of years ago! I recalled we attempted this recipe for a second time at our home's kitchen which didn't turn out quite well. Haha! I didn't know I would have the patience to bake then, and yet now, baking seems to be part of me. Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes are very delicate, and they are definitely ones that will not make you sulk when you see them shrink after they cool. In fact, these cupcakes are supposed to shrink so that they will puff up nicely after being filled with cream frosting piped into the cakes.  

Mini Hokkaido Chiffon Cupcakes

After almost two years of self-taught baking and experimenting, I decided to attempt this recipe again and I'm glad they turn out pretty well. These cupcakes certainly bring back beautiful memories....

I'm sharing this recipe with Best Recipes for Everyone (June 2015: BREE #10 Secret of Chiffon & Roll Cakes) organized and hosted by Fion of XuanHom's Mom; and

Tea Time Treats (June 2015: Muffins, Fairy Cakes and Cupcakes) hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage and Janie of The Hedgecombers.

Mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry Compote

I always felt intimidated by the thought of making cheesecake. But I guess not anymore, at least not by these cute little and delicious mini cheesecakes which I have decided to top off with the blueberry compote. This is a variation compared to the original source recipe which is served with fruit jam and whipped cream. And what I liked about this recipe is that it is quick and easy. In addition, there's no need to worry about having ugly cheesecakes when they sink in the middle after they have cooled, an inevitable fear that had kept me away from baking cheesecakes, because the blueberry compote not only helps "beautify" the appearance, but also add a touch of sweetness to these cheesecakes.

Mini Cheesecakes with Blueberry Compote

This is yet another one of the recipes that cannot go wrong! These mini cheesecakes with blueberry compote are just so pretty for tea parties, after meal desserts, coffee breaks and more... You just can't have enough!

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~~

Reindeer Cupcakes

Can't believe it's already mid-December. My last baking post seems like yesterday. My apologies to those who have been checking back this space but find no updates. I have been pretty tied up with all the crafts-making for Christmas and itineraries planning for the holiday trips that I hardly had the time to bake these days. >,<

Fortunately or unfortunately, it was a stay-at-home over the last weekend since my husband was still recovering from his flu. Hence, I'm turning weekend shopping time to weekend baking time! This reindeer cupcake idea triggered by my non-stop-pretzels-snacking of late (a good snack find recommended by a friend during my Washington D.C. trip over the last Thanksgiving holiday) which very much resembled the horns of a reindeer has been in my head for awhile (although a quick search online found that it's nothing new actually). However, I'm glad it pulled off well and tasty as imagined after putting all my flavour ideas into one cupcake. ^_^ 

Reindeer Cupcakes

But wait, perhaps they look more like bears? Haha! Well, up to your imagination then...

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Pound Cupcakes

I was going through the photos stored in my mobile phone when I recalled a snapshot of this recipe which my sister had sent me months ago that she had kept from a Chinese magazine cut-out (unfortunately we could not track back the original source of this recipe and the Chinese magazine since it was many years ago). Back to the time when I was still staying at my parents' place before I got married, my sister used to be the one baking at home. Then, I didn't have much time (and interests) for baking since I was seldom at home during my non-working weekends. *Oops!

Lemon Glazed Vanilla Pound Cupcakes

I remember there was once when I tried to help her with the preparation of the cupcake batter and made a mess since I wasn't quite good at handling the electric mixer. Back then, she would nag at my ears repeatedly to caution me not to over-mix the batter since I was having much fun with the electric mixer after having a grasp of it. It was not until I started my own baking experiments that I realised the importance of each and every steps in baking (and the reasons for her anxious screams at me). Haha~ Those were the days…

In conjunction with the World Baking Day (and instead of baking a whole cake), I have made these vanilla pound cupcakes with my own twist as a reminiscence of the good "young" memories. My sister is a fan of most lemon-flavoured products and the "marriage" of the vanilla pound cupcakes and lemon glaze definitely makes a great combination to commemorate our sisterhood. This vanilla pound cupcake batter itself is a very good cake base. Instead of this lemon glaze, mix in some chocolate chips, cranberries, raisins or nuts and you will be surprised how yummy they still taste.

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 this is a bake for my sister as a commemoration of our sisterhood. *_*

Lastly, I am also sharing this post with The Biscuit Barrel Challenge (May 2014: Favourites) organised by Laura of I'd Much Rather Bake Than… because this is my sister's all-time favourite!

Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes

Yay, my oven has finally "fully recovered"! Just can't wait to put it into use after taking 1-1/2 weeks' break. The oven feels like new after it has been replaced with a computer board and a new bulb. For its first mission, I have decided to experiment my pandan chiffon cake recipe, baking them in cupcake size instead of using the traditional chiffon cake pan (simply because I don't have one). I have been in search for the "best" pandan chiffon cake recipe because my husband is a lover of the pandan chiffon cake from the famous bakery in Singapore.

Although there are many pandan chiffon cake recipes available online, I haven't found one to my comfort because most of the recipes bake using the traditional whole cake pan and most importantly, almost all recipes call for fresh pandan leaves and freshly squeezed coconut milk. Nope, you have not heard me wrongly. As ridiculous as it is, I am trying to make a pandan chiffon cake without using pandan leaves and

Pandan Chiffon Cupcakes

using canned coconut milk (or cream) as substitute. This is simply because these two key fresh ingredients are just no where to be found in this small city in the west of Florida. Then, how is it even possible to make a pandan chiffon cake as the name suggests? Thankfully, Man made pandan essence. Though the substitutions are not as fragrant as compared to freshly extracted pandan juice and coconut milk, it is consoling enough to be able to use a similar substitute to mimic its taste. With that, I was possible to work on experimenting my soft and fluffy pandan chiffon cupcakes. This is not my first attempt in making pandan chiffon cupcakes. In the past, I would half the ingredients for a whole cake recipe and the batter amount were usually slightly too much for a standard 12-cup muffin pan. With that, I had to bake a second batch of only three to four cupcakes which often turned out denser, possibly because the batter had been left to sit for as long as the first batch was baking. After my trials and errors, I am quite satisfied with my own version of pandan chiffon cupcakes. Though not as fragrant as it would have been had fresh ingredients been used, the chiffon cupcake texture was soft and fluffy. They were tasty enough to satisfy one's craving for pandan chiffon cake while being away from home!

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.