weekend factory

so this past weekend, i invited my friends over to help me with some baking.
with a lot of events happening, i needed to bake some macaroons and a cake.


so for the macaroons...i decided to go with an almond matcha shell and a basil lime butter cream filling...to be honest, i didnt want to put in too much basil so it kinda ended up just tasting like a lime butter cream filling haha



so i piped out the shell, let them rest a little and then off it went into the oven...



the shells came out nice and round...i still dont know why mine doesnt have that cool lifted look
but i'll find that out one day i hope haha...it might be because i dont let it rest too long
(because i'm impatient......)


the finished look...with the cream in the middle...
not the best lighting i know
baking almost makes me want to buy a new camera haha



then it was off to our next project
you see..my friend had a bbq/bday party and i figured i'd surprise her with a cake



here are some of the plumerias slowly drying and waiting for a dusted finish.



the finished cake outcome from the front/top to the back.
simple and cute.
happy 26th birthday to my friend :)

mini red velvet cupcakes

a couple weeks ago, i baked some mini red velvet cupcakes.
because it was so small i didnt want to put too much frosting on the top...
so my friend and i decided that we'd just make a zig zag decoration on it.
i feel that it was just the right amount of frosting for the bite size amazement in your mouth

green tea cupcakes

so i had a dinner potluck last night and our theme was japanese/hawaiian.
i decided to bake green tea cupcakes with a raspberry/strawberry mousse frosting


i'm not exactly sure why but they didnt come out as green as other ppls online
i did think about whether or not i should add in more matcha but i decided not to
(next time i think i will add a bit more because i do want the color)




.
a little blurry but its quite alright
the frosting cupcake combo was excellent
(sweet and tart, airy and buttery)

le cordon bleu

today i went to the le cordon bleu of pasadena to check out their patisserie and baking program.
my main concern was if i would be able to afford it...meaning would i be able to receive enough grants and loans to cover my tuition....
so i go there and ask questions and my lady tells me that i need to talk to the fin aid ppl down stairs for it...but....i cant until i submit an application and a deposit of $75 to secure my spot.

i went on a tour of the campus(its more of a building)
at the end of the tour, i was told that i needed to take a test prior to submitting an application
so they gave me a 30 questions to answer in a span of 8 mins on the computer.
passed this test with flying colors...
anyways so i go and decide to apply to the school because if for any reason i decide to drop, they would reimburse me of my $75 deposit.

so i signed my life away
then i went down stairs to meet with the fin aid ppl only to find out that i cant get any grant money because i have a stupid BA.....
also the loans wouldnt help much because 23,000 and 28,000 dont make too much of a difference because i dont have any money...

so now i must wait patiently to see if i could receive loans from other places
and probably during this time i should decide if i really do want to take out a loan...
or if i should just wait a couple years and save up (which will probably never happen)
i guess we'll just have to wait and see
it'd be really awesome if i was able to go but it looks like i wont be til later :(

thailand fundraiser

menu for lunch:
jasmine rice
thai bbq chicken
thai iced tea




this is where i found the recipe
thank you george for the awesome marinade recipe
it was a great hit!!!

thailand team was awesome to work with
great job you guys!!!

14 layers

this weekend i decided to try making a 14 layer cake.
i used the same recipe that bakerella used....
personally, i think the cake was way too sweet
her dark chocolate cream cheese frosting was pretty good


heres a picture...not that great of one
i was going to take a picture once we cut a bigger slice.....
but my mom already gave away slices of cake to other mothers
so i was no able to take a picture.


i'll probably never make this cake ever again haha

macaroons

last friday i baked macaroons for my community group dinner.
of all the times i've baked them...i think this round came out the best.


coconut macaroons. this ones a big hit (at least around coconut lovers)


a lot of my macaroon shells cracked....and i still cant figure out how to not make them...


these are my favorite.....hazelnut mocha macaroons.
they almost taste like neutella