Happy Valentine Day's Anita!

This is one order of valentine's day themed cupcakes which I made for a dear friend which is for her cousin which is for his girlfriend which is also my dear friend's friend.

You got that?

As always, the internet offers loads of ideas. This is what I came up with.  Something elegant, sweet and most of all, must be able to send the requisite looooooooove message.

I also found the perfect box. It's japanese made. Japanese makes really sturdy, nice looking box. I love japanese made box!

It's butter cake with vanilla buttercream. I was told the recipient who was my friend's friend who has this gir... never mind...

...loves simple things. So butter cake with vanilla buttercream is absolutely simplicity in the truest sense.

I was told they loved it.

I am glad to be able to make someone's valentine extra special.

I Beary Beary luv u!

The requisite Valentine Day's red red roses...

Japanese made box.  Did I already tell you how much I love Japanese made box!?

sighsssss...

Hope you enjoy looking at 'em!

Happy Birthday Sanjeevan!

Sanjeevan turns 8 today!

He's an avid Liverpool fan.  Naturally, it would be nice if it's a Liverpool cake.   I thought of an edible image of Liverpool logo but that would be too hard to find.   Then, I thought and thought, why not a football cake?  Thankfully the mom ok-ed it!   Nowadays, kids are just so fortunate to have moms who go all out to fulfil their birthday wish!  Party, presents and a customized cake!  I probably could still count the birthday cakes I have had in my youth with my fingers.   Oh yes.  I remembered those 8" round vanilla cake with your name spelled out in red buttercream. 

Where was I? 

Oh.

As simple as it sounds, first of, I gotta find myself the football design..you know...the pentagonal / hexagonal design...so that your football cake has some remote resemblance to uh.. a football.   As usual, the internet provided the design.  I really heart the internet!

It's gonna be a moist chocolate cake filled with fudgy chocolate ganache covered in chocolate buttercream.  That boy is very into chocolate.  A chocolate loving boy! 

Here's the cake.  Looking really moist ya?   I really wanted it to dome.  Football.. get it?  Round?  So what if I didn't get the perfect round top!?  Life must go on, I know....  

Bring on that luscious, fudgy chocolate ganache.  A potent thin layer will do.  A little of this will kill.  No need to go overboard. 

Next up, chocolate buttercream.  To complete the climax. 

This look like a giant chocolate macaron.  hahha! 

Unfortunately, the shiny bald head has to go.. to give roundness to the shape.  It's football cake remember?!

Although totally unrelated, but this is relevant to the progress.  Sushi - to refresh and energize.  Everyone should have this in the midst of a crucial job.   Go on...try it!  You'll thank me.

Back to serious business.  Covering whole cake with buttercream.  Dark chocolate buttercream for the dark patch and white chocolate buttercream for the white patch.   Sinful, yes?  

Somehow weird lighting plays trick on this pix.  The chocolate buttercream seems grey?

Next.  Piped green grass.  Throw in some flowers to the mix.   It completes me.  A garden. 

The name to be propped up.  High and mighty, yes?  

The almost there cake.. 

A Liverpool boy must have something Liverpool.  It completes him.  Do I sound like I am in the business to complete people?!

There.  The complete me-completes him cake. 

What about you?

Happy Birthday Kai Xiang & Kai Wen!

The twins are turning terrible two!  Sharon ordered cupcakes to make the occasion.  Cupcakes are great for such occasion where adults and kids could have their own little cake.  It  basically also means less mess! 

Animals was to be the theme of the day!  I got a lot of ideas from the web.  

I HEART THE INTERNET!!  What would I do without thee?

I shall call it my Animal Theme cupcakes.  How original of me rite?

I made these fondant days ahead to let them dry in time.  

The animal kingdom consists of.. an elephant..

 

a yellow fat chick..

a white cat...

You must have at least a bear...

a puffy cheek penguin...

The boys specially requested a friendly lion...

Must include a representative from the great seas, a whale!

Who could resist a playful monkey?

Note the numeral 2 on each cupcake top.  Signifying second burpday!  Ok.  We get that!

Don't they look happy together?

The final presentation.  I had to tutor the parents with step by step instructions on arranging the cupcakes into an effective '2' arrangement.  Talking about top notch customer service!  LOLS!

But I heard they dropped 1 or 2 cupcakes.  **roll eyes**

Happy Birthday Aunty Vijaya!

This is the second time my buddy colleague ordered cakes from me!  

Hi Shantha! **waves**  Glad you like my creation that you have come back again and again and even a third cake - her boy's birthday too!   (to be featured in the next post!)

This time, the cake for mommy!

Again, the design is left entirely to my own devices!  I love how people trusted me enough to work creatively on their cakes. 

The freedom to let my imagination flow is so liberating.  Almost therapeutical.  You should try it sometimes.   

I thought of a two layer cake, light and moist.  With tangy orange curd as filling which I spread generously in between the layers.  

The cake layers turned out beautifully.  Look how flat it is.  Sweet success!  

I like that the crumb is so fine.  

Crumb coat with a layer of thin buttercream. 

The buttercream is also flavoured with orange.  Not from essence but real orange whizzed to a fine pulp.                           

Aunty Vijaya is the birthday girl here - so "MOM" it is!  

Roses for the lady! 

Like a rose garden.

Finished product. 

Hope you like it!

Happy Birthday Flo!

I must say so myself, this is a well-behaved cake - look how flat it is.   Should this cake domed, I would have to cut it down to a flat surface and waste some cake. 

An order by Serena for her best buddy, Flo who is into all things flowers, a true blue flora and fauna girl. :)

She give me a free hand (yippee!) to come up with the design myself but severely reminding me that the theme has to have flowers.  Goddit!

First of, it's a orange buttercake which I layered into two, filled with tangy orange curd and frosted with orange buttercream. 

Next up, huge sunflowers.  Bright and vibrant colours.  Unfortunately, it was a wet day.  Humidity hung heavy in the air - a threat to these delicate sugarpaste flowers.  I bought these to bed with me in airconditioned room.   Worried about them all night long.  **sweats** 

Followed up by these. 

Spread tangy orange curd and then a layer of orange buttercream.  No one will complain, right?

Piped borders at the base and making the garden come alive!

Secured sugarpaste alphabets.  Added more sugarpaste daisy details at the side of the cake.  Well, it's coming along fine, I should think!

My girl, Susanna helped with the holey round patch.  She is a great help.

Completed sunflower garden.  What do you think?

Happy Birthday Yew Mei!

This was a last minute work.

I was given only 2 days notice but happily, I got a free hand in the design of the cake.

First of, I started with 3 stack of cake layers.  I filled each layer with white chocolate buttercream. 

One coat of buttercream - a crumb coat.

Cover the top with rosettes.  Lovely!

Lined the top and base with little icing tips.

Almost there....

Stuck little sugarpaste flowers.  Going for elegant look.

Dressed the top of cake with a sugarpaste bear and snail on a bed of roses.

Next up, the birthday girl's name accompanied by another snail.

Finished cake.

A slice of cake..

The mom send pixs of this. The happy happy birthday girl. 

I love a pix of small hands. 

and all kids like snails, no?