Huat Kueh and Marble Muffin

Made huat kueh the day before and its my first time the "petals" open up very nicely and evenly!  Hope I will always be so lucky everytime I make.

I also made some marble muffins for my cousins.  The recipe is from Aunty Lucy's blog.  I find the texture soft and not so sweet.

Rich Fruit Cake and Mixed Fruit Flan

Richard taught us the rich fruit cake and mixed fruit flan in our second lesson of Stage 3. The fruit cake is those we eat during X'mas and the texture is actually rather nice. But I will definitely use the real rum and not rum flavouring if I make.

I had thought mixed fruit flan is something pie-like but it is actually a mixed fruit cake. Richard showed us 4 ways of decorating the fruits.  They look so colourful and pretty!

He made orange and strawberry sponge cakes and interchange the layers, this makes the cake looks colourful even when cut up.

Kaya Butter Cake, Coconut with Strawberry Cream Cake and Carrot, Raisin & Walnut Cake

Today is the last lesson of stage 4 with Richard. He taught Kaya Butter Cake, Coconut with Strawberry Cream Cake and Carrot and Raisin & Walnut Cake.  Luckily the class did not end too late even though he taught 3 items.  The kaya butter cake is very soft and tasty. I will definitely be making this again, maybe this weekend.

As for the coconut with strawberry cream cake, it smells very nice and it should be healthier since it is made with yoghurt.  This is the cake decorated by me!

See the pink layers inside? Pretty right?

I have never been a great fan of carrot cake so am not looking forward to the carrot, raisin & walnut cake. Richard made the cake into muffin cups so that it is easier to distribute.

Japanese Cream Puff and Churros

Attended Valerie's class today on Japanese cream puff and churros. I had look forward to this lesson as I had fancy churros. True enough, Valerie's recipe did not disappoint me. The churros are so crispy and sweet with cinnamon taste! As with any fried food, it is best to consume soon after making or else it will not be as crispy. Although I do not fry things at home, but I don't mind making the churros one of these days as it is really tasty.The Japanese cream puff is the same as her durian puff with just a different filling. The custard is very fragrant too and very nice when eaten chilled. I think I can make some and keep in the fridge and eat as snack when the weather is hot.

Log Cake and Chocolate Truffle Cake

Yesterday was the first lesson with Richard for stage 3. He taught us log cake, which is rather early for x'mas and chocolate truffle cake.  But is it impressive how little decoration can spice up a cake.

He showed us how we can create the tree trunk effect on the cake.

Think this year I will make my own christmas log cake since it is not difficult.  Richard uses the same chocolate ganache for the chocolate truffle cake.

The combination of 2 coloured sponge makes it less dull. 

I also made some cupcakes for my cousin's children as they are celebrating their birthdays together in advance. I find plain vanilla cupcakes too boring so I added some colours which I guess kids will like.

Orange Mousse Cake

Richard taught this orange mousse cake during our previous lesson. Although I don't fancy orange cake, but I really like the decoration on the side. However, I will attempt a mango mousse cake instead.

Jam Tarts and Chocolate Fudge Cake

Attended my last lesson with Richard on Saturday for Stage 2.

I like the pattern of the jam tart, it looks so delicious! 

The tart is sandwiched with 2 different layers of jam. The excess toppings that were made into butter cookies, soft and fragrant.Nothing goes to waste. The excess pastry for the base were also made into cookies which are very crunchy. Today Richard showed us a different pattern for the whipped cream decoration on top of the chocolate fudge cake.

Tiramisu ~

Yesterday attended Valerie's class on Tiramisu. She made them in glasses so that it is easy to serve and looks good too. I think it looks very elegant...
This is the sponge we used for the tiramisu. I find it tasty even on its own.

I will try to make the tiramisu one of these days since I have a bottle of Kahlua.

Coffee Pudding Cake and Cheesecake

I like this checked design of the Coffee Pudding Cake. I find it very neat.

This is the cheesecake which Richard taught us last Saturday. I find it too sour, I will omit the lemon juice if I next make this. He also showed us another version with the marble effect.

I like the checked design of this Coffee Pudding Cake, I find it very neat although I do not fancy coffee cake.

Chocolate Tarts, Mango and Chocolate Cheesecake and Almond Pear Pie

This is suppose to be a strawberry and chocolate cheesecake but Richard made a mango one as he can't get strawberry.  I find the mango not fragrant enough. And I think it will be prettier is strawberry is used coz it will look pink.

Initally I did not think the almond pear pie will be very tasty but to my surprise, I love it! However I do find the canned pear too sweet. Maybe I will try with peach.

This chocolate tart is very yummy too. But it did not look very nice as the top cracked. Richard says I can whip up the egg yolks more so that the top will not crack. I am planning to make either the almond pear pie or the chocolate tart over the coming long weekend.

Curry Puff and Chicken Pie

Yesterday Richard taught us curry puff and chicken pie using pastry puff skin.

He said we can minimise wastage of the pastry if we cut into squares instead of round. So he made triangular curry puff.

Here's the chicken pies. Some of the students did not press the "cover" to the base pastry resulting in the top puffing up too much.