I finally got it!

Well, sort of! *grin*

I still have to perfect it further, but at least it is getting rounder.....

What is getting rounder, you might ask?

My cake pops are getting rounder and more...err.....well...ok....almost perfect....

After 3 attempts, I finally managed to get the right batter that would rise up to the top of the cake pop maker and making the top rounded.

Why this sudden craze for cake pops, you ask?

Well, blame it on my sister, Adura, or more fondly known as Chik, for getting me into this craze! LOL!

It all started with her attempting to make cake pops for our mum’s 75th birthday celebration (yeah! Still need to blog on that!) just over a month ago.

It was a 1st time for both of us trying to make cake pops. It looked easy enough. She shared videos on YouTube with me a few days earlier in preparation to make the cake pops just the day before the celebration.

Trust my sister to come up with such madness timing when we have 1001 other things to do! LOL! 

It wasn't as easy as in the video, I tell you! My sister ended up sleeping early out of sheer tiredness, stress and frustration from not getting the cake pop to turn out the way it should, leaving me and my niece to finish making them late into the night. 

We slept at 2.00am that night before the celebration, trying to finish up everything and get things organised!

After the birthday celebration, I could not help but feel that there must be some easier ways to make cake pops instead of baking the cake beforehand, crumbling a perfectly nice cake, adding butter cream frosting to act as glue to the cake to make them easy to form balls.

The butter cream ended up making the cake too sweet, and that’s even before you dip them in chocolate!

When you dip the cake pops into chocolate to coat them, it was like you just got a huge dose of adrenaline! LOL! 

Forming the balls was easy once you have the right amount (or shall I say, huge amount) of butter cream added to the cake crumbs. Making the ball stay in that form was the difficult part.

When we tried sticking the lollipop sticks into the balls, we sometimes ended up with the balls breaking apart.

When we succeeded in getting the stick into the ball without breaking it, the ball would still end up breaking apart or crumbling the minute we dipped them into the melted chocolate. 

So, not willing to give up on this new found craze, I googgled cake pops for days, watching video after video on YouTube (goes to show you how much time I spend at the airport waiting for my flights! LOL!).

That’s when I discovered the cake pop maker!

After further research, I decided that I am going to get one of this awesome gadgets that will once and for all, take away the stress of making cake pops! LOL!

I thought only my job was stressful! LOL!

I ordered my cake pop maker from an online shop called BarangOverseas. You can find them on Facebook.

My cake pop maker finally arrived after some initial disappointment of not being able to play with it over an extended weekend when the courier service closed for the weekend due to the public holiday. 

Anyway, as soon as the package arrived, I immediately opened it and wanted to immediately try making some cake pops. But when I checked the gadget, I noticed that the top cover was swaying from side to side. Thinking that it might be a faulty appliance and not wanting to have the warranty forfeited if I start using it, I consulted with the supplier I bought the gadget from.

Unfortunately the supplier has never used the gadget before but has never had any complaints from customers regarding it. She suggested that I give it a go first and if it causes problems, to have it returned. However, she no longer has the 12 hole cake pop maker. She only has the 7 hole maker. Bummer!

Anyway, as suggested, the following weekend, I decided to give the cake pop maker a go.

At the 1st attempt, I had some that were round, some that were flat. 

I tried the recipe that came with the cake pop maker.

The taste was nice though. 

Despite all the lopsidedness, I ended up eating everything up over a span of a few days. No wonder I have gained so much weight! LOL!

Not satisfied, a week later, I made a 2nd attempt using the same recipe which came with the pop maker which I had used in my 1st attempt, but this time I tried using self-rising flour instead. 

So much for self-rising flour, instead of rising high, I ended up with all my cake pops turning out flat! Only one or two pieces rise. I just don’t get it!

Since the taste was nice, though it did not look good, I decided not to waste it and instead went ahead to dip them in chocolate, put them into small gold coloured paper cups, which made them look really nice, and have some of them wrapped up in lollipop wraps.

I think no one noticed that they were supposed to be round like a ball. 

I gave them all away to friends and relatives as taste test. 

No one can complain when they are free, right? LOL! *wink* 

Not willing to give up on making the cake pops, I posted on FB asking for some advice. I also spent whatever spare times I had, again, waiting at the airport for my flight, googgling for other cake pop recipes.

I came across 2 sites and they have the same recipe. One even had a step by step photo, which really helped.

You can find the recipes here and here.

Not all the balls came out all nice and rounded. Quite a few did not rise high enough to reach the top of the cover, causing the balls to crack slightly at the top.

At the 1st round of this 3rd attempt, I only filled up 5 holes. I did not want to waste my batter if the attempt fails again.

I did a few tests by either adding more or lesser batter into the holes with each try, and also adjusting the timing. By the time I got the amount and timing right, I ran out of batter! LOL!

Anyway, I am quite satisfied with this 3rd attempt. Although not all of them turned out perfectly round, I like the taste from this recipe. It is very nice. Not too sweet. 

The texture is also just right. Not too light. Not too dense.

I guess this is a true and tried recipe. Even my son who usually does not eat much of any of my baking, except my Carrot Cakes, loves them.

He finished 4 sticks in just one sitting! Now that’s what I call being appreciative! LOL!

I went ahead to dip the cake pops into melted chocolate, and even went further ahead to add some decorations to the cake pops for this photo session taking just to show you that at least I have found the right recipe to make these cake pops.

I think I prefer the cake pops in a cupcake rather than just on a stick. It makes decorating easier. It is easier to serve too. I don’t need any special plate or Styrofoam box to serve them. 

Don’t you think these cake pops look lovely and yummy?

You can order them from me if you want to *wink*, but just don’t expect 100% perfectly round balls. But I assure you the taste is nice. ;)

Next, I am going to try other recipes like chocolate cake pops, red velvet and others.

I am also going to try other forms of decorations. Keep checking back!

A time to get creative......

It's another night when I could not sleep again.

So, I decided to get up and make myself a bowl of instant noodle, but, the room did not provide any fork and spoon.

So, what do you do? You get creative......

Did you know.....?

....that there is an Arsenal female football team?

You don’t? Shame on you, Arsenal fans! There is, and their team logo is exactly like the original, but in pastel shades to reflect their faminity.

Heheh.......kidding, people!

I definitely don’t want to get into trouble with the Arsenal fans nor Arsenal themselves, so, I’d better apologize.

Of course there is only one Arsenal team, but, I am not to be blamed for the Arsenal Birthday Cake that I made for my nephew that did not turn out with the right colour. Blame it on the cake and baking supply shop for running out of the right red, blue and gold colouring and running out of supply of the white vegetable shortening just when I needed them most! *sulking*

Heheh.... *wink*

Sorry! Drama sikit. *grin*

Ok, but, the reality is that I really could not get the right red, blue and gold colouring and the shop did run out of supply of the white vegetable shortening which would help in getting the colours closer to the actual Arsenal logo colour.

My SIL, Eina, had initially ordered a Carrot Cake for her family as a Raya Cake. It was initially supposed to be decorated as a normal Raya cake or just plain Carrot Cake, and in my head, I was trying to plan how to decorate the cake with some sugar flowers and raya decorations when she sent me a message on FB a few days before the 1st of September, asking me if I could decorate it with something to do with football or Arsenal since her whole family is a great Arsenal fan, and since by coincidence, the day that she was to pick up the cake, it was her son, Amirul’s birthday.

Can I blame my SIL for telling me late about wanting it to be an Arsenal Cake instead of a normal Carrot Cake? Yeah! Blame it all on everyone else but myself! LOL! *wink*

Kidding, Eina!

Thank you, Eina, for entrusting in me a ‘project’ which I am sure you thought I’d deliver successfully, but which I must apologize, as I think I failed miserably in the decoration part. BUT, I assure you, the taste of the cake is GREAT! LOL! *wink*

Honestly, I thought that I could find time earlier in the week to get the things I needed, like the colouring and white vegetable shortening for the frosting, but fate has it that it was a busy week at home and at the office front.

I ended up not being able to find time to go to the usual cake and baking supply shop I frequent in Kota Damansara where I am very sure I would be able to get the right food colouring and other stuff I needed to make the cake.

Instead, when I find myself simply short of time, I had to settle to drop by a small cake and supply shop in USJ. My alternative plan or Plan B if I am not able to get the right food colouring was for me to buy a decorating set of football players and goal post, which, again, I know, in the shop in Kota Damansara, they would have.

I had plan on making a cake of a football field as an alternative. Alas, the cake supply shop in USJ did not carry the football decorating set either. :(

I did, however, managed to get a bottle each of red, blue and gold food colouring, but it was a brand that I am not familiar with, but it got me all excited anyway to do the Arsenal logo as the logo did not look too difficult to do. Alas, they did not have the white vegetable shortening.

I bought the normal yellow shortening anyway, hoping that I could whisk it until it turns white and fluffy, but while I was whisking it for some time, I remembered a baking friend telling me that over whisking the shortening could take the butter cream too soft to pipe. So, I stopped whisking it before it could turn totally white, and added in the colouring.

That’s when I realised that I am no to going to get the right colouring to match the logo as the yellow base colour of the butter cream made any food colouring added to it turn a pastel colour.

Even after I added so many drops of the red and blue food colouring, the colours remain pastel.

I wanted to call my SIL to tell her that I wouldn’t be able to make a cake with the Arsenal logo in the right colour, and to ask her if I should proceed or should I just decorate it with something else. But, it was already past midnight on the 31st of August when I got to the point when the colours simply did not turn out right. I had actually only started on decorating the cake at close to 11.30pm.

Yeah! I think I will blame my boss (kidding, Boss! *wink*) for making me start late on decorating the cake, as I had to help out at my boss at his daughter’s wedding rehearsal.

My target was to start decorating the cake after dinner at about 8.00pm. But, when one thing lead to another at the rehearsal (through no fault of his, actually), that by the time I was done at my boss’s daughter’s wedding rehearsal (I am honoured that my Boss has asked me to help out at his daughter’s wedding), I ended up arriving home only at 10.30pm (after we stopped by for dinner on the way home).

By the time I got all the things ready for me to start on the decoration, it was already close to 11.30pm.

I did not want to wake up my SIL at 12.00midnight only to tell her the not so good news. So, I decided to proceed anyway, as I think that at least I got the logo almost right, and also, if it is of any consolation, I know for sure that my Carrot Cake tastes good and almost all my nieces and nephews would swear by it that even the top most cake shop in town can’t beat it! LOL! *wink*

Right, Sarah and Kuyana? *grin*

I finally finished decorating the cake at 1.30am. The result?

An Arsenal cake for the female team! LOL! *wink*

Again, I apologize to my SIL, Eina, and to the birthday boy, Amirul, for failing to deliver the right Arsenal cake, but I hope you all will still enjoy the cake.

HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY, Amirul!

Next year, I think, if my SIL orders a Birthday Cake from me again (Who am I kidding? You think she will order from me again after this blunder? LOL!), I am just going to make a cake of a football field. And, this time, I think I am going to buy the things early in the year for just in case! LOL! *grin*

Breaking fast at a sight to behold

We broke our fast at the Wilayah Mosque last night.

We were to pick up my mom to take her out for the breaking of fast, but since we were not able to pick her up any earlier than after the breaking of fast, we told her to break fast first with something light so that she wouldn’t get too hungry as our journey from our house to my sister’s house would take us some time.

However, my hubby suggested that instead of driving from our house to my sister’s house only after breaking fast which would take some time to get there, he suggested that we go out as soon as we can after all our chores are done and break fast at the Wilayah Mosque, do our Magrib prayers, and then pick up my mum. That way it wouldn’t take us that long to get to my sister’s place where my mum is staying.

We did just that last night, and while there, I thought I would take in the sights around the mosque which is really pretty.

It’s one of the mosque which I find really beautiful, and my must add that this mosque was designed by an Architect from my department. Not many people know that.

Many think that the mosque was designed by a consultant. That happens all the time. When the design of a building is beautiful, the public thinks it’s the consultant that designs them. If the design is ugly and boring, the design must be that of the Public Works Department.

If a building gets completed successfully and on time, it’s the contractor that gets the credit and they are being glorified no end. But when the building fails like if the ceiling comes off, the roof leaks etc., it’s the Public Works Department that had failed to supervise the project properly even if the project was a Design and Build project and the supervision was actually done by consultants appointed by the Contractors themselves. It’s sad.

We do our work in accordance to the proper work procedures, but most contractors these days will almost always try to cut corners so that they can get a higher profit margin. When we apprehend them for cutting corners and issue out non-compliance reports (NCR), they become aggressive and threaten us with accusation letters and slander because, to them, we have made work difficult for them. They never want to admit that it is they that are wrong.

If they had done their work in accordance to the correct specifications in the first place, then we wouldn’t have had to issue out any NCRs, and they wouldn’t have had to redo the same job twice. But no, they will always try to cut corners with the hope that they can get away with it. They always try to bank on our sympathy. When we stand up to what is right, they start dropping names saying that they know this influential person, that influential person with the hope to scare us. Such is the attitudes of some contractors these days. Sad, isn’t it?

So far, my team and I have stuck to our principals and remain united in our stand to ensure that we receive buildings that will not compromise on safety, quality and stability, and are in accordance to the specifications outlined in the Conditions of Contract. We pray that Allah will always protect us and keep us all from harm, as we have had two of our Project Managers whose life was at risk when they were assaulted with sharp objects when they stood to their grounds. One was stab on the neck with a screwdriver, the other a knife on his thigh. *sigh*

Oopps! I am digressing again. Sorry! *grin*

OK, back to what this posting is all about, which is the beautiful sights at the Wilayah Mosque and also on the food at the restaurant that we took my mum out for dinner last night.

We had our dinner at this Restaurant in Mont Kiara, across from the Duta Tropika gated community housing area.

They offered Ramadhan buffet for RM49.00+, which I think was quite pricey, but since my mum enjoyed her dinner, it made every cent worth it. While my hubby went for the buffet too, my son and I didn’t. We decided to go for the ala carte.

I ordered the Lamb Shank while my son ordered Fried Mee. I specifically requested for the Fried Mee not to be spicy.

My order of Watermelon Juice with Lychee came only after repeated reminders, and after we had waited for more than 20 minutes. As for the Fried Mee, not only did we have to wait for almost 30 minutes before the food came, not to mention after several reminders, it came all hot and spicy that my son was sweating on his head like he was bathing sweat! LOL! Pity him.

Also, I felt that the menu was kind of misleading. It had listed the Fried Mee as having chicken, prawns, chives and Fried Egg. The mee came with everything else except the fried egg. When I inquired, they said that the egg has been fried together with the mee. Can you believe this? If the egg was going to be fried with the mee, you needn’t have to list it down. And, anyway, there was no evidence that the egg has been fried together with the mee. See photo to believe it.

Did they apologize for misleading us, and also for making us wait for 30 minutes for our order which eventually was not how we wanted it to be when they made it spicy despite my request for it NOT TO BE SPICY? Unfortunately, not! The apology was difficult coming. It only came after I told off the cashier that she could have at least apologized for the mistake. After all, she had made us wait 30 minutes already. I could have asked them to fry a fresh one, but, my son was already too hungry and we were not willing to wait again should they end up taking another 30 minutes to deliver our order.

For sure, we won’t be coming to this restaurant again! But, I am glad that at least my mum enjoyed her dinner and the Lamb Shank wasn’t too bad. I only wished that they had served it with bun or some sort of bread. I would have enjoyed it more.

It’s the yeast!

This is another overdue posting, but since I had written this already earlier, but forgot to post it, I might as well put it up. So, here goes...

When I was crazy making bread about 2 months ago, but was having so much problems getting it right, I just wouldn't give up. I had to keep on trying until I get it right.

I tried making it again on 15 May 2011, but this time, I decided to make Cinnamon Rolls instead of just the normal bread, and it almost became another disaster, if not for some light bulb that lighted in my head! LOL!!

I measured everything according to the recipe, including the yeast from a cylindrical container I had bought some weeks back at the hypermarket. The expiry date shows 2013.

I started the bread machine like I always do, but in DOUGH mode instead of BASIC (Normal) as I would have to take out and roll the dough myself to make them into cinnamon rolls.

About 30 minutes before the dough was to be ready, I checked the bread machine and noticed that it was the same size as when I checked it an hour earlier. I suspect that something must be wrong with the yeast, but I had used the bread flour called for, and measured the milk, sugar and everything else correctly. So, I decided to do a test.

I read from the internet how to test to see if the yeast is OK or not. True enough, it was dead! A goner! LOL! Nothing happened when I added water and sugar to the yeast. Luckily I had a new packet of yeast I had bought just that week and decided to test that one too.

Within a few minutes of adding water and some sugar, the water became frothy. The yeast is alive!

Now what could I do with the dough that was in the machine? Not wanting to have it go to waste, I decided to experiment. I have nothing to lose, except for the dough, which, if my test did not work, the dough would be wasted anyway since it had only risen slightly due to the earlier dead yeast.

I took out the dough, and started kneading the new yeast which I had tested earlier into the dough. Because the water used to test the yeast wasn’t exactly at room temperature, my warm dough which I had taken out from the machine suddenly turned cold, and was beginning to collapse. Oh no! Now what?

A bulb suddenly lighted in my head when I remember reading somewhere that bread dough needs a warm place to rise. I turned on the oven and heated it up to about 10 degrees. I then put the dough which I had shaped into rolls into the oven but with the door slightly ajar so as not to get the baking started.

I was so relieved when I saw that the rolls begin to rise! I waited for about an hour, and when it looks like it was no longer rising, I shut the door of the oven and increased the temperature to 175 degrees.

If the first badge of yeast had worked, I think my rolls would have turned out better, but I was still glad that at least the dough did not go to waste, and it had increased to about 2/3 its original size.

The taste was great though! We had them for breakfast 3 days in a row! LOL! I am definitely making them again, and hopefully very soon, as I just love Cinnamon Rolls!

The following weekend, I tried making bread again, but this time, just the normal white bread. I was careful to check the yeast first before starting, and this time, it came out prefect!

Just look at the bread just taken out from the pan, and look at how lovely it looks out of the pan!

I can almsot smell the freshness of newly baked bread! I just can't wait till after the fasting month to start baking breads again!

A year older! A lot wiser? *wink*

It was my birthday on the 8th of June. Don't ask how old I am. *grin* Just know that I am still young at heart. LOL! *wink*

I had to travel for work that day and so could not spend it with my son and hubby. But, as it turned out, I had to travel to Kota Bharu, and so, I got to spend my birthday with my mum and baby brother (not so baby any more actually when one is already 27 years old, right? LOL!).

I arrived in Kota Bharu at 7.30pm, just in time to sit down for dinner with my mum and brother, Azan

My mum had prepared my favourite dish of jeruk mame', budu, blanched vegetables and daging panggang. Yum!

It was a simple dinner, yet it was delicious! Thanks, Ma!

The next day, before I was to take my flight back to Kuala Lumpur, I had an early dinner of Nasi Kerabu prepared by my mum which I ate with my brother as my mum had some activities with some of her girlfriends.

I came home from Kota Bharu on Friday night and my hubby took my son and I out to dinner at San Francesco Steak House in Subang Jaya, Section 15.

When I saw that they have ribs, definitely that was what I had! LOL! *grin*

My hubby had the steak and my son had the barbecue chicken.

We also shared between us a serving of nachos.

Really love their nachos!

It was a great dinner! Thanks, Dia!

A week after my birthday, on the 16th of June, my staff surprised me with a birthday cake!

I was chairing a staff meeting and was wrapping it up when some of my staff started acting kind of strange and one or two of them started leaving the room. I thought that they had gone to the toilet.

Then, as I was packing up my things, in came a trolley with a cake all ready with lighted candles!

They were sweet to only put 4 candles on the cake! LOL! I felt so young! LOL!

Unfortunately I have no photos to show. I was too stunned by the surprise cake that I forgot to snap a photo of the lovely and delicious cake. :(

This year, besides the birthday dinner, my hubby also gave me a birthday present in the form of 2 cook books - one on bread and the other on cupcakes, knowing how crazy I am of late, making breads and cupcakes.

There were a couple of times that my bread has either turned out soggy, hard or undercooked. The book was probably a hint for me to start baking good bread. LOL! *grin*

Thanks for the books, Dia! I promise that my next batch of bread will turn out better....err...hopefully! *grin*

This birthday, and in the years to come, I hope that all my wishes will come true, and that I will succeed in everything that I do. May Allah bless me with lots of happiness, good health and great wealth, and may I live long enough to see my son succeed in life and may my hubby too have a long life so that he will be with me to see see Aiman succeed in life, insyaAllah. Amin.

To everyone who has sent me birthday wishes, thank you so much! Hugs, everyone!

19 wonderful years!

On April 17th 2011 (yeah! This is another post long overdue!), my hubby and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary!

We celebrated it small scale with lunch at Chillies, Empire Shopping Gallery; our latest playground.

It being more than a month ago that we had the lunch that I forgot what I had ordered.

I know that Aiman ordered the usual kiddie meal, and we had our favourite nachos as appetizers to share among us.

I think I had the lamb and chicken combo and hubby had the fajitas. 

The meal was filling, and very satisfying. It left us feeling lazy to even get up from of our seats to go home! LOL!

Would you believe it? It’s already been 19 years since we made a vow to love and respect one another. It’s been 19 wonderful years! I hope there will be many many many many more wonderful years of us together.

I would be lying if I said that our marriage had been smooth sailing all the way. As with any marriage, we have had our share of ups and downs, disagreements, and I don’t want to talk to you moments *grin*, but, the strong love and mutual respect that we have for each other has made us able to weather it all, alhamdulillah.

I may be a woman of very strong character, and when at the office, I am one very firm person who would not tolerate nonsense, but, I always tell my hubby that I am emotionally dependant on him. He is my rock in times of down when things at the office seems almost intolerable. Just to have him hug me and say that everything will be OK is enough to give me strength to face more challenges that comes my way.

His support for all things that I do, be it anything to do with my work at the office or my crafts; he is forever encouraging and supportive. God could not have given me a better person to be my husband.

Though I can sometimes be stubborn and want things to only be done my way, his patience would usually wear me down to eventually agree with him.

I may at times not know how to express my love for him, but I hope that he knows that deep down, he is my only love. I love him with all my heart, and I love the child (Aiman) that completes us and make us a happy family.

I always pray to Allah to keep us together for as long as we shall live. I pray that Allah will give us a long and healthy life with good wealth to see Aiman grow up, succeed in life, get married and have a family of his own.

I hope to be able to grow old with him, and to hold his hands as we walk down the path of the garden to our dream home, insyaAllah.

May Allah always bless us with many happiness, good health and good wealth, insyaAllah. Amin.

I love you, Dia! Hugs!

Cupcakes for Mother's Day!

I suddenly got into a cupcake craze recently (will I have to give up this craze to concentrate on the certification program I just applied for?), when my son asked me if we could bake some cupcakes for him to bring to school for his snacks. You can read about it here.

Since then, I have been itching to bake, not just cupcakes, but homemade breads too!

My first bread in a very long time turned out not well risen causing the bread to be very heavy and dense. We ate it anyway with soup.

My second attempt at making bread turned out so much better because it was a quick bread which did not use yeast but just baking soda and baking powder. I had baked Banana Nut Bread, and it was delicious!

My 3rd attempt was making wholemeal bread after finally being able to get my hands on a pack of wholemeal flour at the International Center for Cake Artistry (ICCA) at Kota Damansara last week.

I have been looking high and low for bread flour and wholemeal flour at every grocery stores that I went to but failed to find any. So, when I finally found it at ICCA, I grabbed both packs.

Though this wholemeal bread looks like it is almost perfect, but it wasn't done in the center. I had to take it out of the braed machine and knead it by hand and later baked it manually when my son accidentally switched off the bread machine 2 hours before it should have been done.

It became hard when I tried rectifying it by putting it back into the oven two hours after I had taken it out of the oven upon realising that the center was uncooked/not properly baked.

I hope to try making the wholemael and basic white bread again this coming weekend, and I hope, this time, that it will turn out well risen and light. Wish me luck!

Coming back to my cupcake craze, after making a batch of chocolate cupcakes 2 weeks ago, which Aiman really loves, I just had to try other recipes too!

It was Mother’s Day 2 weekends ago, and initially, I had wanted to go out and get my two mums something which I thought they would both like, but, alas, time was not on my side. But I still wanted to give them something to show my appreciation and love to them both, I decided that something homemade would be the best gift. And what would be more apt to a person’s heart if not through the tummy! LOL! *wink*

I was going back to Kota Bharu for work the Monday after Mother’s Day, and I thought this would work out just perfect for me to bake my mum and my MIL some cupcakes. I could pack the cupcakes for my mum in a cupcake box which I had bought at ICCA which has a cupcake holder or casing to keep the cupcakes in place.

So, that Sunday, Mother’s Day itself, with my son’s help, I first set out to bake the wholemeal bread. While the bread was being done in the bread machine, I started on the Banana Nut cupcakes from a recipe I got off the internet (this internet thingy is really wonderful, isn’t it? You can get almost anything from the internet!) .

You can get the recipes here too!

It said that the batter is enough to make 18 cupcakes. I should have spread it over 20 or 22 cupcakes as some of the cupcakes overflowed while baking, thus making some of the cupcakes lopsided.

Maybe my cups were much smaller in size compared to what was recommended, I am not sure, but I had used the standard size cupcakes I bought at ICCA..

Anyway, other than the cupcakes being lopsided, the taste is really yummy! You should really try out the recipe. It’s really good!

My son was excited to get started on the decoration, but we had to wait for the cupcakes to fully cool down before we could frost them.

I started on the frosting in the evening, following the buttercream recipe I had since I started cake decorating some years back. Although I have not been doing any cake decorating in the last 5 years, I don’t remember ever having problems with the buttercreame frosting. However, this time around, my frosting turned out too thin and difficult to handle.

I just could not shape the icing into flowers that I wanted. It just kept coming out flat and shapeless.

When I tried refrigerating it in the piping bag, I ended up almost bursting the piping bag when the frosting at the tips hardened but the remaining of the frosting remained thin.

I was almost losing hope and wanted to just bring home the cupcakes to my mum as plain cupcakes, but my son insisted that the decoration are lovely (my son has a way of making me happy! *smile*) and insisted that I frost all the cupcakes. He even helped with the sprinklers.

This is how the cupcakes ended looking like....

Very kiddish, huh? Oh well...... *sigh* It was worth a try. I am not giving yup. I am going to bake more cupcakes and give the cupcake decorating another go.

I don’t know if my mum and MIL appreciates the kiddish decoration *grin*, but I know that my mum likes the banana cupcakes, and I think she finished every single piece that I brought back (there were six), despite the frosting being all mushy and messy when the frosting melted during transportation from my house to my office to the airport onto the plane and finally reaching its destination at my mum’s house some 400km away!

How they looked before the journey began

How they looked upon arrival. My mum had eaten
a piece when I took this photo! *grin*

The journey started as early as 6.45am from my house, transiting at the fridge in the pantry of my office, before making its way to the airport and then onto the plane, taking a ride on the car to my mum’s house, and finally landing on the dining table of my mum’s house! LOL!

The cupcakes had crossed water (there is a river next to my office), been on the road and taken a flight some thousands of kilometers above sea level! Now that’s what I call a high flying cake well travelled! LOL!

HAPPY MOTHER’s day Ma and Mak! Love you both! Hugs!