Maps of the Problematiqué

White Cupcakes

2009-10-02T11:54:00.006+08:00

White Cupcakes got their name from the use of egg whites. Therefore, they are generally more delicate and lighter than the usual yellow cupcakes.

Normally I would not put in any colouring for the icing as I prefer to keep it white, but I realised that this would be a good opportunity for me to experiment with the colours that I have. Thank god I messed around with the colours cause they came out looking pretty!

Fruit Tarts

2009-09-29T12:08:00.007+08:00

I thought that this would be a good size for fruit tarts but everyone's been complaining that it's too big. Will try to look for a smaller mold or something to make some comparisons.

You might think that i'm nuts with that amount of kiwi on a tart. Honestly, I have never been a fan of kiwi. I just had too many of them sitting in the fridge.

Chocolate Malted Cupcakes

2009-09-16T11:52:00.017+08:00

Whipped up some chocolate malted cupcakes for Justin's 25th. He's a sucker for fountain soda, that's why I added the malt.

In case you do not know what malt is :

Wikipedia: The term "malt" refers to several products of the process:

the grains to which this process has been applied, for example malted barley;
the sugar, heavy in maltose, derived from such grains, such as the baker's malt used in various cereals; or
a product based on malted milk, similar to a malted milkshake (i.e., "malts")

The icing got a little messed up while I was transporting them. Not to mention the scorching heat from the Malaysian sun. Sigh.

I liked the malt taste though. It had this zingy sort of feeling, something different in a cupcake. I'm definitely putting this on my bakeshop menu.

Victoria Beckham - Every Part of Me

2009-08-28T19:19:00.003+08:00

Funny, when I look at you, I don't see me anymore.

Help.

2009-08-28T19:13:00.001+08:00

Can you please tell me how it's like to smile?

Genoise with Ganache Filling

2009-08-03T14:56:00.008+08:00

Wikipedia: A Génoise Cake is an Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and closely associated with French cuisine that does not use any chemical leavening, instead using air suspended in the batter during mixing to give volume to the cake.

I'm doing another run on this cake for my brother's birthday that's coming up this weekend.

This time i'm going to try to be a little more creative with the deco.

I still have a gazillion pictures of different cakes which I made over the past two weeks but haven't had time to post them up on the blog. Hopefully I'll get to do it soon.

Also, I'm doing a bake spree this week until Wednesday. Wish me luck!

Apologies

2009-07-15T13:35:00.007+08:00

I know that I haven't been updating my blog lately. There has been just too much going on.

#1
My bake school just kicked off and I have been extremely busy. I even have to hand in homework. Talk about heading back to school.

#2
Thinking about trying out some online cupcakes and cakes selling. Currently working on the menu & hopefully it'll be up soon.

#3
I haven't had time to play with my camera either and hopefully i'll get to use it very soon. I realise that my hands are getting kind of rusty with it & it's worrying.

So yeah. Apologies for the lack of updates and hopefully i'll get this blog running again soon! Lots & lots of love!

Smile for Me

2009-06-23T13:48:00.000+08:00

Daddy.

Shawnie.

Auntie June.

Baby Shanelle.

Blueberry Muffin

2009-06-18T12:03:00.011+08:00

I finally found a supermarket that sells fresh blueberries and the muffins came out with more than happy results!

Blueberry Batter.

Bake time. Did you notice the oozing blueberry? ; p

Final results.

Note:
None of the pictures above were taken with flash. I'm trying to experiment not using the flash.

Dinner at Ming Cuisine

2009-06-16T15:14:00.014+08:00

I took all the pictures without any flash this time round.

Was feeling a little lazy, therefore there's only 1 miserable picture out of the many dishes we had.

Stuffed crab.

Just the usual wine & dine (& chai mui) crowd.

Maggie.

Jen.

Vincent.

Joel & Jean.

Alex/Walrus.

Chriss.

Alex & Tasd.

Brought the chilled mango cheesecake for dessert though. More pictures on that in the post below.

Chilled Mango Cheesecake (Perfecto!)

2009-06-11T12:10:00.005+08:00

Second run on the chilled mango cheesecake.

Mind the uneven sides. I'm thinking about wrapping the pan with aluminium foil the next time round to get it to be more even.

Came out with more than happy results. The amount of cheese and mangoes were just right. Whee!

Futsal

2009-06-09T15:27:00.015+08:00

Kaki-kaki bangku belaka.

Chilled Mango Cheesecake

2009-06-08T11:08:00.029+08:00

First try out on chilled cheesecake. I normally make baked cheesecake instead. Mind the photos. I was in a hurry.

Got myself some good Indian mangoes which are currently in season (heard that it only comes around once a year). Indian mangoes are famous for their rich aroma and taste but might be a lil wasteful if you're using it for cake making. Technically, I got conned into buying it, so oh well.

Chilled Mango Cheesecake.

The mango puree gave my cake this light creamy yellow color addition to it. I also added in some mango chunks. Wicked.

I must say that the cake turned out quite well, but I'm going to try to decrease the amounts of mango puree the next time around. The cake was too "mango-y"? that it overpowered the taste of the cheese. I mean you could still taste it, but minimal though.

Packing up the slices.

Looking forward to doing another run on this cake, hopefully sometime this week.

Raisin Oatmeal Muffin

2009-06-05T09:23:00.002+08:00

Muffin for the older & more health conscious generation.

Yea, I'm talking to you Wil. ;)

Super bestest & sedap bangat.

Genting

2009-06-04T16:26:00.000+08:00

Two weekends back, the boys decided to head up to Genting for a change. A change for a "quiet" night away from the usual crowd and nightspots. Bad, bad idea.

Stopped for gas.

What change when it involves Black Label, Absinth & Bacardi 151? This is worse and definitely more lethal than a night of clubbing in KL.

Drink with caution.

The boys. I could barely open my eyes. Sigh

The only reason I went up was to to take pictures and thank god they came out well. Headed home after I was done (like an hr?). Silly but true.

The best 2 pics from the outing. Color and clarity wise that is. I'm loving the dark pitch black background.

Joel & Jean.

Chriss & Maggie.

My camera (& me *ahem*) really does magical wonders.

Disastrous Baking - Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin

2009-06-03T15:15:00.000+08:00

DISASTROUS. HORRIBLE. DISAPPOINTING.

Not even close to looking like a muffin.

Looks can be deceiving.

Bye bye "Muffin Bible".

Disastrous Baking - Marbled Muffin

2009-06-02T10:49:00.014+08:00

I bought a new muffin cookbook over the weekend called the "Muffin Bible". Monetarily, I paid a small sum for it. Realistically, I wasted over an hour and a half making 2 different recipes from the book. The results, HORRIFIC. Mind the pictures too, I was too pissed mad to even bother trying to make the muffins look nice.

Here's my attempt with the Marbled Muffin.
The batter had to be divided into 3 different sets;

1) the original batter, 2) batter with red food coloring & 3) batter with cocoa powder.

Batter no.1

Batter no.2. Ok, i admit going a little over board with the red.

Batter no.3

By the time i took a look at all the 3 batters, I was seriously starting to get skeptical about the damn muffin. There wasn't sufficient batter and all their textures were weird.

Only 1 or 2 turned out looking pretty with the marble effect. I left too much red in the rest.

The others looking like my mum's "fatt gou" for prayers. Sigh.

Final outcome.

Looks ok just cause of the colors but it tasted so bad. I baked them for a good 20-25 mins but they came out sticky. I really doubt that it was cause they weren't fully cooked through as the texture was as if the muffin had been steamed rather than baked. Just like the chinese "fatt gou". Never have I baked and have something turn out like this. Stressful & disappointing.

Conclusion, I'm binning all the muffins along with that damn book.

Art

2009-05-29T17:10:00.009+08:00

No doubt art is expensive but only if you're dead for a good couple of years or centuries.

RM 20K for this piece of art? No. No.

Vincent's shitty photography skills.

Jen's slightly better than Vincent's photography skills.

IWC Schaffhausen Regulateur

2009-05-26T11:18:00.008+08:00

My birthday came early this year.

IWC Schaffhausen Regulateur.

Thank you daddy.

Proper Butter Bundt Cake

2009-05-25T15:40:00.015+08:00

Remember the bundt cake that I tried making and the unbelievably difficult mold to find? Well, I finally got it and put it into use.

In goes the batter.

The mold was silicon and also very flimsy, so I was quite skeptical as to whether it would work. My biggest worry, the entire mold melting in the oven.

Beautiful brown.

The obvious was that the mold didn't melt. Silly me for worrying. And best of all, the cake out so well. Shocking.

Shocking outcome.

Now that's what I call a proper bundt cake.

Sri Lanka Crab

2009-05-22T14:49:00.025+08:00

My buddy, Jeff brought in some Sri Lanka crabs for us to sample. Jeff runs a family owned seafood trading company and we, his friends have been lucky enough to sample some of the best seafood that Sri Lanka has to offer.

Sri Lanka Crab. Still alive and kicking (literally).

Ming Cuisine's table setting.

We had other dishes as well but the obvious was the crabs being the main highlight of the dinner. The only other dish that stood out from the crab was foie gras (goose liver), which was superbly fantastic. I didn't manage to take a picture of it though as I got too excited at the sight of the dish.

Sri Lanka Crabs steamed with Egg White.

As for the taste of the crabs, technically it would be wrong for me to comment as I did not try them. Truth is, I have never really been a fan of crabs. But judging from the expressions of the others that were the table. the crabs must have really been darn good cause the entire table was quiet for a good 10-15 minutes before someone shouted Quote "the crab is so good. it's so meaty, succulent and sweet!" Unquote. I think it was Jen.

A very happy Alex.

We had 3 large crabs which was divided into two (2) separate styles of cooking. One being the above, steamed with egg white and the second being the spicy sour sauce featured below.

Sri Lanka Crabs in Spicy Sour Sauce.

I did try the spicy sour sauce though cause I can never resist the temptation of fried buns (I'm a carbo freak.) to go along with the sauce. The sauce was unexpectedly better than I expected. Believe me, I have tried so many of these sauces that I am close to proclaiming that Ming Cuisine's is probably one of the best I have ever tasted.

Jeff sells the crabs in smaller bulks too. If you're interested, leave me a message and I'll let you in on the price and availability of the crabs.

Brussels Beer Cafe

2009-05-21T14:40:00.034+08:00

Met up with the boys for drinks to pass them the muffins I promised.

From Left to Right:
Tres Leches, Oatmeal Raisin & Chocolate with Gooey Chocolate Muffins.

Secretly, I think I'm beginning to get addicted to Hoegaarden Draught.

Blissful me.

There were more than enough muffins to share and everyone got to savor a bite of everything. Greatness.

Helen with the Chocolate.

Chriss & Jen with the Tres Leches.

Ended up with 9 pints in total among 5 drinkers, within a span of 2 and a half hours. I dare say, bare minimal.

*burp*

Grandpa's Birthday Dinner

2009-05-20T15:16:00.031+08:00

Had a birthday dinner celebration with grandpa at his favorite local restaurant. The dinner was kept simple & was definitely a small family affair (thank god for that!). Always preferred to have things kept small and minimal when it comes to family gatherings. Hate getting bitched about and thrown with awkward questions whenever there's too many ""family friends" around.

Grandpa. He's 86. Don't be deceived, he's still a feisty old man.

The dinner was just "dinner", therefore no pictures on the dishes served. Truth is, I've never really been a fan of this restaurant cause there's definitely no surprises when it comes to the choice of dishes. Occupied most of my time there snapping away. Grandpa was pleased (him being a celebrity and me, a pesky paparazzi).

Aiden, my youngest cousin, cute as a button but not when it come to food and the term 'sharing'.

Feisty and believe me, he really does not share.

Aiden is so spoilt that he gets practically anything and everything (a majority of it is food, he wants nothing else) from us, except from his mum. She's trying to instate some form of rule and structure, but it's not really working since there are tons of uncles and aunties that would willingly give in especially my parents.

"Crying" cause he got scolding for messing around with grandpa's cake. Classic.

Eat first. Cry later.

Happy 86th Birthday grandpa. May you be healthy and live longer to see us squabble and whine and have you nag our parents on behalf of us grandchildren cause you know you do it best. We love you very much.

Can't fit 86 candles you know.

Baking Spree

2009-05-20T11:00:00.010+08:00

Clockwise from Top:
Tres Leches Muffins, Butter Bundt Cake & Chocolate Muffin with Gooey Chocolate

Pictures of what I baked in a span of 2 hrs. Mind you, I only have 1 oven, 1 mixer and 1 muffin tray. Call me Speed Baker!

Focus on the Muffins.

I will be posting up more pictures and my thoughts on each of the items separately. Keep reading!

Chocolate Muffin with White Chocolate Chips

2009-05-19T12:08:00.016+08:00

Being adventurous by adding in the white chocolate chips.

The muffin turned out really well; being moist and chocolatey. However, the white chocolate chips addition were a big no no for the muffin. Definitely better off replacing them with nuts instead.

Moist & Chocolatey

Cherry Oatmeal Muffin

2009-05-18T12:19:00.015+08:00

Muffins can be salty too right? LOLs.

I reduced the amount of sugar required by a bit too much (like half? oops.) and so, the muffins came out a little saltier than expected. Anyway, it was a good thing for my dad though since he's not too into this sweet tooth thingy ma jiggy.

Looking dry.

Surprisingly the cherries countered the taste of the salt, but only if you have it together and not the dough alone. Guess it's back to the tweaking board.

Not the inside though.

Oh well, will be doing another run on this muffin again soon. Like tonight? =))

Kitchen Books

2009-05-14T13:35:00.020+08:00

Bought a couple of books over the weekend.

Pretty much done with "Harumi's Japanese Cooking by Harumi Kurihara" & "the Whimsical Bakehouse by both Kaye & Liv Hansen".

My 2 cents, both the books are great buys & would make great gifts for people who simply adore cooking and baking. Not only are the cooking instructions kept simple and straight forward; the ingredients used are common and can be found in most supermarkets, which is absolutely fantastic.

Was super excited and could not wait to try out some of the recipes from the whimsical bakehouse, but made some minor adjustments which for me, basically means deducting the amounts of sugar required/added. The final results came out very well and am super happy and excited. Will be posting the pictures soon.

Funny thing is, I love baking, but I barely eat cause I have never really had a penchant for sweet foods.

So stop reading, head to your nearest bookstore and knock yourself out.

Super Junior - Sorry Sorry MV (Dance Version)

2009-05-13T17:00:00.012+08:00

Guys who can dance are smokin' hot. Period.

Japanese Shabu-Shabu

2009-05-12T17:07:00.013+08:00

Nothing beats the gift of food when it comes to celebrations with my parents. And this year, I prepared Japanese Shabu-Shabu for mother's day.

Delicately chopped spring onions for the sauce.

Wide array of vegetables.

Beef Shabu-Shabu Slices.

Crab, anyone?

All set & ready.

Conclusion, a simple and satisfying hearty home cooked meal.

Silicon Bundt Pan/Mould

2009-04-29T16:24:00.004+08:00

Look what I got in the mail today..

Guess I'll be baking the butter bundt cake again! Wheeeeee...!!

Pecan & Walnut Crunch Cake

2009-04-28T12:30:00.012+08:00

Over the weekend, I made a butter cake with a 8" round pan. It was a full batter and the cake came out pretty well. Sorry for the lack of photos, I was in a hurry!

Sliced the cake into half and added a thin layer of vanilla whipped cream and then it was onto the cake decorations. Whipped some cream and made a mixture of sugared pecan and walnut crunch which was then scattered onto the cake.

Voila! I would say not bad for a first attempt?

Ingredients for the nut crunch is as follows:

1 cup Walnut/Pecan Nut
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cups of water

Directions:

Chop the nuts into small pieces and lay them on a parchment paper in a 10 x 12" pan. Melt the sugar with the water until the colour turns brown, approx. 8-10mins. Wait for the bubbles to subside and pour the mixture over the nuts. Let cool for 5mins before popping the pan into the fridge for 30mins. Break the crunch into smaller pieces and decorate as you wish.

Packed & ready to go!

Butter Cake

2009-04-27T11:06:00.025+08:00

I did some baking experiments with the butter bundt cake recipe on different pans and quite interestingly, it came out with different results. Also, I modified the recipe a little to give the cake a softer texture (also cause I don't have a proper bundt pan at the moment).

Mind the crumbs.

The recipe is as follows:

120g of margarine
120g of sugar
4 medium sized eggs
40ml of milk
1/4tsp of salt
150g of all purpose flour
1 tsp of custard powder
1 tsp of baking powder

Directions:

Preheat the oven to approx. 170degC or 350degF. Sieve the all purpose flour, custard powder and baking powder together and keep aside. Cream margarine, sugar and salt until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time until well mixed; followed by the milk. Gradually add in the flour and mix well. Check for a soft dropping consistency (mixture falling from the spoon when held downwards), if the batter is too stiff, add a tbsp of milk & mix the batter well.

Note: Remember not to over beat the batter (your cake will look like it has chicken pox on the surface after it is baked esp if you use the round cake pans)

I made 2 rounds of the same batter which was divided into 3 different pans; 1) loaf tin with 1 full batter and 2) 9" round cake pan & 3) 7" round cake pan, divided between 1 full batter. My verdict, 3 options, 1) the loaf tin works better as a casual coffee cake, 2) a full batter for the 9" cake pan (option of having filling or no filling) or 3) 2 x 7" round cake pans (only if you decide to have a filling for the cake, if not, do not bother wasting time with this).

Final outcome from the loaf tin.

The loaf tin requires a longer baking time, approx. 40-45mins whereas, the 7" round cake pan require approx. 25-30mins of bake time. The 9" round cake pan can be used as well with a baking time of approx. 35-40mins, but I strongly recommend that a full batter be used.

Butter Bundt Cake

2009-04-23T15:30:00.026+08:00

Wikipedia: A Bundt cake is a dessert cake cooked in a Bundt pan forming it into a distinctive ring shape. Bundt cake is pronounced "bunt", the "d" being silent and comes from the german word bund for a gathering.

The biggest problem with this whole bundt cake idea was getting hold of the bundt pan itself, which seemed impossible. None of the bake shops had any idea what I was talking about. So, I finally found something or at least, I thought it did, that resembled a bundt pan & decided to make do with it. Two words, Bad Idea.

Will only be posting the exact measurements /ingredients when I perfect the cake.

The cake was not a total failure, but I overestimated the time it required to cook in the oven due to the size of the pan. If you have an idea on how a bundt pan looks like, you'll get what I'm saying. Bundt pans normally require a longer cooking time, but as for mine, the batter was too little for the large pan, thus the dark shade.

Looking more like a Christmas reath than a bundt cake.

It would have probably looked better if I were to decorate it, but I was too lazy and disappointed with the outcome to bother fixing it. Admist the dark shade, the inside of the cake was very yellow and it's texture was just about right. I'm going to be a little more adventurous and see if I can make the texture softer or more sponge like.

I'm doing a second run on this cake with another pan just to see if it works better. In the mean time, I'm still looking for a proper bundt pan. Please let me know if you have any idea on where to get one.

Happy 2009

2009-01-05T16:22:00.014+08:00

NEW YEAR TRAFFIC IN KL

Hello everyone and welcome to the genesis of "Maps of the Problematique". My name is Cherronne or I'm better known as Ching to my dear friends.

This blog will serve as a form of communication between me, my friends and family. I will try to update my blog as much as time permits and hopefully you will enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing.

XXX