My first daring bakers!!!

With the all the rules.. I think I am finally allowed to post my first daring baker's challenge. 
So daring baker's is a website/forum, where one person each month will suggest a recipe to bake for everyone else.  The new challenge is released on the 1st of the month, then we are suppose to blog our results on the 27th.  So, I purposely waited to post this on the 28th, just because I didn't read whether it had to be the 27th US time or wherever you are from. 


This month's challenge was Quick Breads.  
So it was suggested to make Banana Bread, which I made, just to keep it safe since it was my first challenge. 


I've made banana bread before, but I forgot just how easy it is. Everything required is already in the pantry, the only thing is making sure you have some overriped bananas.  Squash that in one bowl, and then in another had flour and other dry ingredients. 


Mix them together and .. bake in oven... there you have it, its banana bread.  Don't even need to use a mixer! 


And here are my results... 

Success.. It got all gobbled up really quickly!! 

Can't wait for the next challenge!!

Birthdays....

2 birthdays this week, meant 2 birthday cakes to make. 


Since my presentation is not really a strong point.. its always a good thing that in most cases, the taste gets you over the ugliness of the presentation. 


Birthday #1 .. Dave's Tiramisu

Sponge was a good recipe, except it didn't turn out as sweet nor coffee enough for me. 

So it was ok average. The other tiramisu recipe turned out better, but it was too ugly.  

Ribbon turned out to be a really nice touch. Very Blair-esque.

Birthday #2: Cathleen's Cake

I used the Red Velvet cake recipe from Joy of Baking website.  Sponge was good, not chocolatey enough though.  And the cream cheese frosting uses mascarpone in it, so its not as cream cheese as I would like.  Too bad I have no idea where I put the recipe I used last, so that had a nice tang to it.


Anyway, so it was requested that there was chocolate ganache as well, so I tried to use that to cover the cake.  Except, I use those chocolate melts, and it just wouldn't melt well.  I covered it on top of some cream cheese frosting, so therefore .. it was a disaster! 


HENCE.. its all covered up, and you can't see the came itself. 


It was a good cake for asian family gathering, because it wasn't too sweet and I would say, it was a pleasant cake. 
Nothing exciting, nor would I use the same recipe again though.


So.. I think I can finally get to post my first Daring Baker's result tomorrow.  So excited, and it feels like its taken forever this month to go through. 


Anyway, shall post it up tomorrow! 


xoxo Mich

Coffee time..

With so much egg whites and an early mark from work... 
Time to combine 2 good things, coffee and macarons to make .. coffee macarons! =) 

Mum complained that there's not enough coffee flavour.. 

I'll try to add more next time. 

First time trying to sprinkle things onto the macaron shell.  And still cracked all of my batch .. I swear its my oven. I shall just blame my oven! 

xoxo Mich

Barbados!!!

About a year ago, I went to a cooking class with my idol.. Adrian Zumbo!! =) 
My aim that night was to not look / act like a stalker, so I think I managed to do ok I think.  And this is after I got a signature and photo with him!  *wink wink* 


So back to the class.. He taught us to make Barbados, which was a sable beton (i.e. a thin piece of biscuit).  On top was a coconut jelly and mango jelly with pineapple with some kaffir lime leaves. On the other side coconut mousse with rice.  Topped with palm sugar mousse.  


This is my results... note, I didn't put the palm sugar mousse, just didn't sit pretty. 

Ok .. not very pretty, but tasted good.  Loved the freshness! 


I was wanting to upload the Adriano's version, except my phone won't find the picture.  It could be fate that you don't see the ugliness in mine! =P 


xoxo Mich