Marble Bundt Cake

Birthday cake!

Yuzu Chiffon Cake (again!)

an almost perfect extraction! practice makes perfect!

Rainbow Cheesecake

i'm not a fan of rainbow anything.. to me, it's just a cake with LOADS of colouring.. yes it looks nice but i will never buy it from stores..

and i am also quite reluctant to make rainbow cakes 'cause it just takes up way too much time.. imagine u gotta split the batter into 6 layers (most rainbow cakes only have 6 layers) and colour them.. and bake them in batches ('cause oven not big enough and not enough cake moulds of the same size) and prepare icing/ buttercream.. and stack the layers up.. and cover with heaps of icing/ buttercream.. and by the time you're done, it's time for bed..

so the lazy me decided to modify my cheesecake recipe to make it a rainbow cheesecake.. did it take me a long time? not as much as it would if i did a baked version.. i guess in total, it took me about 2 - 3 hours to assemble the whole cake.. the main challenge was to ensure each layer set properly before i poured the next layer in.. i used 2 blocks of philly cream cheese and each layer was about 125ml (i used a 6" cake mould).. as i mentioned earlier, rainbow cakes usually comprises of 6 layers:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple

anyway, i am left with some extra cream cheese mixture so i just poured it over the red layer and decided to marble the top by adding a few drops of red liquid colouring and with a chopstick, start drawing all over the top.. i really really like the effect.. and the best part is, the effect stays as it is even after the layer sets in.. 'cause for cakes that u have to bake, sometimes the pre-bake effect looks better than the post-bake..

and guess what? i receive many many compliments for this cake! the cheesecake recipe already tastes great and with these visuals, everyone was really impressed.. the only shortcoming was that the cake melts quite fast in the humid climate.. so once cut, best to be consumed within 10mins? yep, other than that.. i guess i may try doing this again for parties or events.. a great tasting cake with superb visuals :)

Yuzu Chiffon Cake

A rather fragrant cake with a mild yuzu taste.. texture is light and fluffy.. feeds 8 to 12 pax (depending on how big you cut each portion!)

Orange Pound Cake w a Layer of Orange Glaze

The third picture shows how it looks like straight after the glaze is applied. It'll settle in and not be so obvious after sometime.. but you can still see the orange bits on top.. this makes a nice gift :)

Do use cake flour instead of plain flour for pound cakes as it helps improve the texture of the cake.. but if you're not so particular, i guess plain flour will do fine :)

Orange Chiffon Cake

Pink Ombre Cake

first attempt at baking an ombre cake.. i used the betty crocker white cake mix for the batter.. once the batter is ready, i divided them into 4 equal portions of about 260 ml each. tinted 3 portions with red food colouring.. 

i only had two 7" moulds so i could only bake 2 portions at a time for 18mins each..

buttercream was made and spread in between the "patties".. note to self, reduce the icing sugar in the buttercream by at least HALF.. (>_<)

crumb coat the cake and refrigerate it for a while...

then frost the whole cake and refrigerate it for a while again before serving..

use a clean knife and cut!

lurve the colour gradient!

this cake would have been perfect if the buttercream isn't so damn sweet.. but well, i have another box of cake mix so that's a second chance for me :)

Blueberry Cake with Streusel Topping

Chocolate Cake with Ganache

First time experimenting with ganache and it was really successful! the ganache tasted really good and added a really nice coating to the cake..

then i was faced with a problem - how do i decorate the cake?? it looked so plain.. i toyed with the idea of piping some frosting but i didn't have time to prepare the frosting.. so i went through my cupboard.. and found these colorful chocolate bits which i bought from Australia last year.. the silver beads were also from Australia and  i lined it around the heart to make it more defined.. don't worry.. these haven't expired yet :P won't be using them if they had!

Mandarin Orange Cheesecake

7" round tin
1 block philly cheese

Lychee Martini Cake

Lychees soaked in vodka.. i thought this can be used to decorate the cake.. in the end, i didn't use them at all.. probably use it as a drink or as a garnish when serving the cake by the slice..

i used a sponge cake recipe for this.. substituted the vanilla essence with lychee essence and added a couple of tsp of the vodka that the lychees were soaked in..

i always dread removing the cake out from the tube pan.. but yay! managed to get it out of the pan quite nicely :)

this is just whipped cream with sugar and a little lychee essence and vodka.. this will be used to coat the cake..

the reason why i made the lychee martini cake was so i could frost it with the rose swirl.. i happen to see this online.. went to youtube and saw a few videos on how to get this done and i'm so glad to be able to use this technique today! i was also inspired by my sis' friend who recently converted into a home baker.. his photos and spirit spurred me on to try this recipe :) something a little more sophisticated than what i usually bake..

i messed up a few times while frosting the cake but this rose swirl pattern is really forgiving!

i'm pretty happy with how it turned out! i just hope it passes the taste test! and then i'll have another recipe to add to my repertoire.. :D

this cake kinda reminds me of the ugly duckling story.. a plain yellowy sponge cake.. turning into something not v pleasing when frosting was applied halfway and then transforming into a sophisticated cake when everything's complete.. love the colour though would prefer it to be of a darker purple tone.. :) hope to be able to try this out again..

i'm feeling accomplished!

Chocolate Cake in a Loaf

seldom injure myself while baking but accidentally scalded my left hand with boiling water while measuring it.. BAH.. so careless.. generously applied aloe vera gel on my entire left hand to counter the stinging pain and reduce the redness and i guess it kinda works.. at least now there's just a couple of light red marks on my fingers.. no blisters.. heng..

hope the kiddos like this cake :)

Cheesecake Topped w Lychee Flavoured Agar Agar

for a super fun-loving, cheerful and bubbly lady :) so glad to have known you!

Blueberry Cake

Banana Cakes

For mum tomorrow :)

Lemon Cheesecake topped with Agar Agar

Wanted to try the pop-out effect on the cheesecake.. at the same time, tweaked the original recipe by substituting water with pure lemon juice..

my colleagues commented that it was sour.. "i can taste the lemon juice! (>_<)" their expressions were priceless.. hahaha..