Ninjago and Power Rangers- All for a kid's party

I'm happy to announce that I have a very special birthday party coming up and have been asked to bake the birthday cake as well as prepare the goodies bag. I have also been informed that the two kids (who are brothers) loves Ninjago and his younger brother, Power Ranges.

I must say, I'm totally out with what kids are into these days. The last I remembered it was Pokemon, Captain Planet, Power Ranges (but the really early version) etc. Clearly, there is a generation gap.

For the last couple of days, I've been doing some research, only to find that there's this growing trend in fondant cakes. What ever happened to the good old buttercream. fresh cream cakes? Goes to show that I'm a true 90's baby.

For the first time I will be working very closely with fondant and chocolate ganache. I will also need to sieve out a good chocolate cake recipe. Suggestions for good chocolate cake? Hmmm... it will need to be moist, yet not to crumbly and needs to taste of chocolate. Ugh! More testing to come. And maybe, just maybe, a recipe to share.

Yes, the cake will be kept simple so I have more time to work on the edible decorations. It will need to be a two tiered cake; one set per cake (I may be making two, one for the ninjago and the other for the power ranger. The top tier will form the 'head' of the lego figurine and the bottom tier will act more as a platform to sit the top tier, to give it some height. As for the size of the cake, I was thinking more of a 20cm diameter for the bottom tier and a 10cm diameter for the top tier. The measurements are subject to change of course. It will all depend on whether we will have cupcakes to pair up with the cake.

A shout out to Pink Cake Princess and her awesome Youtube channel. Great source of inspiration and I would highly recommend you all to head over to her space and check it out. I will be giving her chocolate ganache recipe a try and see how it sets. I love her idea with the lego pieces which she used to top her cupcakes. This is practical in a sense that you don't want kids to be fighting over cupcakes because one has a power ranger/lego man and the other has only a piece of lego.

I'm still working on the design of the power ranger cake. There's not a lot of ideas going around, hence some more research it is. If you ask me where do I begin when it comes to designing cakes, it's Google. I just type in what I want to research and see what comes out. Then I pick, edit and create my idea. Not a bad place to start might I say.

Once I get my basic plan design up, I shall post it here so you guys (if you're out there) to have a basic idea of where I'm going with this cake.

Well, enough for now. More researching and designing.

Oh and also, my oven is still dead. I've been lucky to have an awesome partner and his family that has kindly said 'Use our kitchen'. But yes, we have plans to renovate my current kitchen at home. Construction/ renovations commence end of November and is scheduled to finish before Christmas. Did I mention that I also had another gig to bake for before Christmas? Yes, and it is very exciting too. But I shall share more about it in a later blog post. I will be talking about dessert tables and Christmas themed ideas.

But for now, Happy Baking! Comments are welcomed below. I shall look forward to responding to them.

Pancakes are my best friend- for now...

I don't know if you all out there share the same fetish as me. When I go on Youtube I absolutely loved searching videos on people cooking, whether it be home cooks sharing recipes or people vlogging street cooks. Cause my oven died a long while ago, I've begun exploring the world of pancakes, crepes and other sweet treats that don't require 'baking' as per sae.

Last week I was rostered for refreshments for my connect group (i.e. bible study class), and thought it would serve a good platform for me to try out my pancake recipe. And it worked a treat. The key to a good pancake is don't over mix the batter. You're gonna activate the gluten if you whisk it into submission. Lumps in the batter ain't gonna wreak the outcome.

The next trick to a good pancake is buttermilk. If you don't have access to this, it's basically the combination of full cream milk and white vinegar. Say one cup to full cream milk to a tablespoon of white cooking vinegar. There's something with the acidity content of the buttermilk that keeps the pancakes fluffy and moist. If you don't gorge it all down the first day, provided it's kept in an airtight container, the pancakes are just as good the next morning; particularly if you pair it up with Nutella....Yum.....

Another tip to note is when you're cooking it, your pan needs to be on a medium heat. Best to use a non stick fry pan, otherwise, ensure you butter your pan decently. You don't want too much butter to the heat in the pan may cause the butter to brown. When the batter is in the pan, let it sit there. Don't feel the urge to flip it immediately. Your pancake will tell you when it's ready to be flipped, which is when the top of the pancake forms air pockets. When it does, simply flip it over and let it cook for another four to five minutes or until cooked.

The last tip I have for a good pancake is to use good quality butter when cooking the pancake. Think about it, it's the butter the coats the outside of the pancake. You'd realize that good quality butter leave a dreamy, gorgeous scent/ flavour on the pancake. So I would highly recommend that you spend just that little bit more on the butter.

We have a whole range of butters in our local supermarket. For those who shop at Coles you'd know what I'm talking about. It can range from local produce to international produce. I generally opt to Western Star which is great for all kinds of recipes. But for this occasion, I decided to splurge a little and opted for Ballantyne (http://www.ballantyne.com.au/about-us/). Trust me, it really does make a difference.

I guess you would like to see the recipe now.

Well then, if you keep watching this space, I might just post it up.

Happy Baking.

Mama Bea.

It's been to long. How I have missed you.

Let the photos do the talking.

Those who read my blog posts would know that I have not been able to bake in the house. The oven had died and remains dead. However we had this event over the weekend and it could not proceed less some home baked cupcakes. Hence my partner's family were kind enough to let me bake in thier kitchen. I was like 'WOOOOHOOOOOO'. 

Yes they are chocolate cupcakes; the recipe you can find in my 'recipe' list. For garnishing, I used my chocolate buttercream recipe (this recipe will be shared at a later date) along with some fresh strawberries from my local supermarket. To make things a little fancier, I dipped some of the white strawberries in white chocolate. The brand used was Wilton Chocolate Melts (in the white colour). 

Thoughts on the product (Wilton Chocolate Melts (in the white colour)):-

Pros: 

• Melted easily in the microwave, sets quickly and has a glossy look after it sets. Hence no tempering required (not that I have ever tried tempering chocolate)

Cons: 

• The weather was a little cold, then I found that I had to reheat/remelt the chocolate after a couple of uses. This was a bummer as I was in a rush and needed something that could just retain its state. However, I may try keeping it in a hot water bath next time I use it to see whether helps. Also, I find the consistency a little too thick.

When will I be able to bake again? 

Keep watching this blog and ye shall know. 

Happy Baking!

Mama Bea