UAE National Day

Today I baked cupcakes for UAE National Day and I will give away these sweets to my close friends and colleagues. I made a chocolate cake from hersheys recipe and the merengue buttercream from Martha Stewart recipe. I did well in making the buttercream for the first time, white eggs perfomed well to create a stiff volume, the eggs are of high quality while the kitchen temperature was perfect  in creating the merengue for one attempt. The buttercream were so smooth and soft and lasted for 4 days outside the fridge. 

I hope I could make merengue buttercream as easy as possible to create an actual round or square cakes. 

Happy UAE National Day folks!!!

French Macarons

The dessert that I love most are the real french macarons from la duree, paul, fushion, angelina, and jeff bourouf (i forgot the spelling!?) from it's round outer look youll know for sure that it is a great pastry. The expensive ones are with golden touch of 24K edible gold. These are from my husband's restaurant, pretty standard but it tasted good with green tea or coffee. 

I didnt read the history behind these small round pastries but definitely there are my faves, so tiny, sweet and easy to munch in. I love it!!!

Oreo Cupcakes

Hello Guys. I wanted to share my cupcakes today. These will be my birthday gift for the 5th birthday of my boss youngest child Ahmed aka Dudes. I came up with an idea to bake oreo cupcakes because I was inspired when I saw a recipe when she included the whole oreo cookie as the base of the cupcake. The flavors are so yummy thou I am not really a chocoholic person but this flavor is second to my top favorite caramel flavored cupcakes. 

Enjoy!!!

RECIPE: 

For the cupcakes

(Adapted from Sweet Harts cakes and bakes)

200g plain flour

40g cocoa powder

240g caster sugar

3tsp baking powder

80g unsalted butter

2 eggs

200ml milk

2tsp vanilla extract

16 whole Oreo's

For the buttercream frosting

175g softened unsalted butter

350g sifted icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

1-2tbs milk

3 or 4 crushed Oreo's 

Crush them in a food processor,or you can put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin if you want to beat something up. (Just kidding)

You can use more or less Oreo's in your frosting,it really depends on how you want it to look yourself.

Preheat the oven to 180 or gas mark 4 and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.

Place a whole Oreo into each cupcake case.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a bowl give it all a whisk around.

In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until it combines then add the vanilla extract and the eggs 1 at a time whisking them in slowly.

Alternately add the milk and flour and bring it all together, adding any remaining flour at the end.

Divide between the cupcake cases, covering the Oreo's and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

The cakes are ready when a cocktail stick or skewer comes out of the centre clean.

Make the buttercream by beating the butter and icing sugar and vanilla together for a good few minutes until it becomes very smooth and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time if you find the consistency a little too thick.

Mix in a spoonful at a time of the crushed Oreo's just until you get the pretty cookies speckled look that you're after.

Ready to deliver these 2 dozen oreo cupcakes.

My Nephew Aj's Birthday Cake from Tita A and Ninong Chef A

Chef and I arranged to deliver a special cake for my first and only nephew Arvin Jr aka AJ.  I can't think of any design and since I already arranged a fab cake during his baptism celebration, being away from this child my connections are limited. So I decided to take the photo from our wedding with him. See how he looks, blow and stare at the cake.

Happy Birthday Little One!

We Love you!

Lemon Bars

Hello Everyone.

It took me more than a week to visit and write on the blog. Last Sunday I made lemon bars from my favorite cookies recipe authored by:

Again, we still have 10 more lemons at home and I made something out of lemons.

The final presentation on my first attempt wasn't really look good but it tastes so yummy!

My husband can't resist the bars though I change the recipe to wheat flour and brown sugar.

RECIPE:

TBP

Hand Made Marzipan Toppers

Here is how I made the marzipan toppers. Actually, I know how to make fondant from scratch but due to  limited time so I decided to buy a ready made marzipan and mold the toppers by myself. 

KNEAD AND ROLL

MAKE A ROUND BALL AND MIX WITH YOUR PREFERRED COLOR 

KNEAD 

KNEAD

USE YOUR DECORATING TOOLS

THAT'S IT... ITS SO EASY!!!

Rainbow Batter Vanilla Cupcakes

Pastel Colored Flower Vanilla Cupakes

Makes about 12 cupcakes.

Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe:

Source: http://www.joyofbaking.com

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (outer yellow skin)

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) milk

Vanilla Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon zest, flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 17 to 20 minutes or just until set and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. 

Rainbow Colors Batter:

After the batter has been mixed I separated into 5 containers and mix with different colours of yellow green blue red and orange. 

 yellow

 green

 orange 

 blue

red

then in to the oven.

after 20 mins....

Filling made of strawberry and blueberry:

My husband made the caramelized filling buy adding water and sugar to the fresh strawberries and blueberry (10pieces each). 

Confectioners (Buttercream) Frosting:

2 cups (230 grams)  sugar icing, sifted if possible (i cant sift)

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk, I used skimmed milk

Assorted food colors

In an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed. Tint the frosting with desired food color.

Assemble:

Open a spoonful of cupcake then filling in and cover back the cupcake. Looks yummy!!! let the cake sip the sauce. 

Beautiful colourful batter

Icing and Fondant Toppers:

I hope you like this blog I made these for about 2 hours, toppers where made a night before and Im happy because my husband chef liked the colors thou some of the icing melted because i poured an excess of 1 tbspoon milk while mixing the frosting but because of the fondant it covered the melted ones, can you see it? Flowers still have the corn flour from kneading and its better to wipe it out by using a brush (i dont have one, sad to say) but I guess over all it looks nice, looks commercial and most of all looks special for the wife of my boss. I didn't change the ingredients into a healthier options like to change into wheat flour and brown sugar since this is a gift but as my personal rule if this is for our home I certainly only use wheat, dark brown sugar and skimmed milk, and low fat unsalted butter. (except of course of we ran out of these stuff from our kitchen).

Enjoy!!!

Loves,

Mrs. A