The Cake Decorating Weekend

This weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of taking cake decorating classes with both Eric Lanlard and Mich Turner who are, in today's words, epic cakemakers. I have books by both of them and whenever university work gets a little more stressful than usual, I plonk myself in bed and flip through the books whilst daydreaming. I'd rather be making cakes than taking politics notes that make no sense, really. (No, I still love my major.)

Eric, Mich, and Peggy Porschen have been the three people who have inspired me to create tiered cakes and glamourous/couture-y cakes like these mini rose cakes, this three-tiered cake, and the first one of them all- the one I decided to make one midnight: a simple two tiered imprinted cake. Their creations are the prime example of eye-candy and are awe-inspiring in their level of detail, elegance, and beauty.

The class that I took with Eric was the Cupcake Masterclass (Info for classes can be found here.) We learned how to work with gumpaste (Which I had never done before!- Gumpaste is slightly different from sugarpaste/fondant in its texture- it hardens fairly quickly), we used the gumpaste on silicon moulds to get desired shapes and then learned to how to color the figures and use glitter. Eric also showed us three lovely techniques to ice cupcakes (a wonderful swirl, petals, and one that was absolutely gorgeous and sort of looked like petals and leaves) Sadly I didn't manage to the last one really well. It was great since I tried a lot of things I hadn't tried before. The session was followed by a wonderful afternoon tea. Each of the sandwiches and pastries were presented soo beautifully that all of us gasped everytime they were brought out.  Only after I took the pictures did I realize that they were blurry- I was so excited to eat all of the goodies haha.

The class with Mich was a crowncakes and cookies master class at the beautiful Langham hotel on Regent Street. We learned how to ice and flood a cookie (I FINALLY learned how to flood a cookie- now I can use all my cutters to their full potential!) and then learned four wonderful designs for the crowncakes. I was quite proud of them- they looked so pretty I didn't want to eat them! But, also in this case, there was one technique I didn't quite master which was the candy striped cake. My lines were really squiggly and shakey :( But it was the design I loved best. The one I was happiest with though was the monochrome lace with pink icing in sashes and bows and drops. It was a great class ALSO followed by a wonderful afternoon tea. I hope I can recreate something like this on my own because my main issues seem to be getting the royal icing the right consistency and covering the cake neatly with fondant. More info on the classes here.

the squiggly cake.... but I made the rose myself!

I'm extremely glad I got to take both these classes and the icing on the cake (pun not intended) was that they were on consecutive days. I conquered my fears of gumpaste and royal icing and I'm ready to work with both of these mediums a lot more extensively than I previously had. 

Taste of Dubai

I had a wonderful time at Taste of Dubai this past weekend!

Trying out all the different restaurants was super-fun! I also took part in the BBC Good Food charity bake sale by baking these little chocolate shortbread drops. My cousin gave me the best (and easiest) idea on how to package these little things. Just wrap them in a little clingwrap and tie with a ribbon.

All of us at our foodie group were also blogger supporters (http://www.tasteofdubaifestival.com/home/supporters/).

So I saw this toy and really wanted it. No matter what. Yes, I can act like I'm five years old when I want to. To get it, you had to get the ball in the basket twice in a row. I tried four times. And didn't get it in at all. Anyways that toy was adorable. And I still want it. In case you're wondering, it's the orange monkey thing. Not Mario.

The staff at Certo saw me taking pictures of the decadent white chocolate mousse and starting posing for pictures.

My cousin's cheese manakeesh from Al Nafoorah and my lamb tagine from Almaz by Momo's.

The decadent white chocolate and passion fruit mousse.

Thursday night. Extremely crowded.

I'm not one to use prepared mixes but these were VERY creative! I was so tempted to buy one. Chocolate chip mix, oatmeal and raisin cookie mix, brownie mix.. And all the ingredients look like they're there!

I think this was India Palace's stand... or was it?

Dessssssssssssertttt.
The picture didn't turn out right but this place looked magical! Walking on this little path, you'd see fairy lights, little stalls, and lots of people. It reminded me of a festival in a Shakespearean play.

Alhambra.
Dim-sums!

My beautiful cousin Sahar with dynamite shrimp from PF Changs.

P.F. Changs!

Almaz- Momo

Rib Room

SUSHI! Which sadly I did not have.

Cookies in Wonderland

I made these bites for a bake sale that our department at university was hosting. Before rushing out the door with them, I wasted a little time playing around with the styling. Upon looking at the pictures now, I feel like they sort of remind me of Alice and Wonderland... maybe because of the miniature teapot. Or maybe Beauty and the Beast with the teacup. Or maybe it's just my imagination.

***

I'm not one to extravagantly decorate cupcakes (partly because I don't know how to! But ssh don't tell anyone!) but at the same time, neither am I one to decorate them in such a childish way as I just did in these photographs here. But I think in today's time of gorgeously stylish baked items, one needs a little bit of the old home-made look and feel of things. I love amazingly iced cakes and cupcakes and certainly want to attempt decorating them more often, but homey cakes just make you feel so relaxed and certainly do take you back down memory lane. Plus, you don't feel as guilty about eating them! That's why recently I've been making things like marmalade and coconut crumble cake, pineapple streusel cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, and raspberry crumble muffins.

And these. Rosewater cupcakes and crackle cookies.. another of my favourite recipes to make along with chocolate shortbread drops. This cupcake recipe is in fact the recipe I used when I made my first ever cupcake batch. They were rosewater cupcakes and the recipe was extremely simple-and thus inviting....

I remember when I first started baking. It was the summer of 2007 and I was working as an events management assistant. I'd get home from work in the afternoons and head straight to the kitchen where I'd try making cookies. I stuck to making cookies for the longest time ever. Partly because it was so successful.. Each batch would yield around 60 pieces and so I'd take them to the office with me and feed everyone. Then, I attempted making brownies after everyone asked me to. That, again, became a huge success. So much so that I started being known as the "cookies girl"... and I think I still am.

A month or so after that, I decided that it was time for me to bake a cake. I went to the supermarket and saw Betty Crocker's devil's food cake mix. I am extremely embarrassed to say that up until that point, I thought that was exactly how a cake was made. Through a packet mix. I cringe at the thought now..I cringe horribly. Packet cake mixes and frosting to me are like... getting an F on an exam and being happy with it.. or.. well, I can't think of the right analogy.

Anyways, I bought my cake mix, got home, and read the recipe. "Eggs, water, oil?" I thought. "That's all I need apart from the mix? If baking cakes were so easy, why didn't I start making them years ago?"

I can't exactly remember when reality struck me- or who the person that broke the news to me was (whoever you are- I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!), but eventually I learned that ready cake mixes were not how you make cake.

You might be wondering what this little anecdote has to do with these cookies and cupcakes, but these two things were some of the very first things that I started baking once I felt myself truly a budding baker/chef.

It's always amusing to take a little time out and think about your first endeavors (apart from eating!) into the world of food. I don't think I would have ever realized what a huge, warm, and inviting world it would be.