Baking reluctance

Last week, I promised my Uncle Richard that I'd bake two cakes for the CNY- flourless chocolate cake with chocolate icing and lemon butter bundt cake.

I'm regretting my decision now, as the weather has been sweltering hot for the past few weeks. And it's no fun, baking in a hot weather and, moreover, with a hot oven churning more heat- I'd be sweating buckets! Besides the two cakes, I've got to bake a huge batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies which I give to my cousins and friends.

2 cakes. 300 cookies.

Groan.

What have I gotten myself into?

Weekly Must

Today, I had lunch with Jane and we agreed to be each other's career mentor. That is, we meet up weekly and check on work/career progress, do some brainstorming and of course, the inevitable goss session.

Jane is a chain smoker who'd never say no to ciggies. Whenever I meet Jane, I'd nick a cig off her and that's the only time I take a fag. But she smokes Marlboro cigs which, to me, taste awfully weedy and leave a bitter aftertaste.

I remember my ex-boss who smokes Cartier cigarettes. She's the only woman I know who looks so elegant while having a fag. Sometimes, I wonder if it is the Cartier cigarette or just her, being the sophisticated woman she is. So, this afternoon, I bought a pack of Cartier Vendome Menthol Light cigarettes to see for myself.

Ooo0h, it was really good. Not weedy at all. It was amazingly refreshing. I know, I'm mad to say this. But those Cartier cigarettes were really good. Plus, they're pearl-tipped and slim- just nice for my small hands. Finally, I don't feel like a clumsy oaf with a cigarette between my fingers.

Hmm, I hope I don't make these Cartier cig sessions a must, like Cartier's trademark statement- Les Must de Cartier.

Mad about Bundt

Yesterday evening, I had a good workout session of 45 min weight training- working on my arms and abs, followed by a gruelling one hour uphill walk.

The intense workout session left me high on endrophins. When I came home after the walk, I was all sweaty and raring to do something.

I just had to do SOMETHING!

So, I did what I do best- bake a cake. There was a packet of shredded coconut in the fridge which I'd wanted to get rid of. Although, I wasn't craving for any coconut, I baked a Coconut Cake using a bundt pan.

Bundt pans are fancy tube pans which gives you wreath-shaped cakes. They are especially good for baking butter cakes- lend the cake a festive look with a beautiful, delicious brown crust all over. Check out this website- www.nordicware.com . They have the most exquisite cake pans in the world. My favourite is the rose bundt pan. Imagine, baking a cake that looks so elegant that you'd pause a moment to admire the cake before slicing it!

Unfortunately, NordicWare cake pans aren't sold in this part of the world. Right now, all I can do is visit the website, every now and then, and admire the beautiful cake pans.

Sigh, I wish someone I know will be heading to the US one day, and get me the gorgeous rose bundt pan and mini bouquet bundt pans.


I dream of baking these gorgeous little cakes!
* Pic from Williams-Sonoma website

Baby cakes that got busted

After purchasing "Little Cafe Cakes" by Julie Le Clerc, I decided to try her recipes. I spotted one very interesting recipe- Chocolate Opium Baby Cakes. Basically, they're chocolate cupcakes with a subtle twist - poppyseeds. Actually, it was the recipe's warning that intrigued me- poppy-seed laden cakes tend to be addicitive!

It was my first time baking a poppyseed cake. And what's more- chocolate poppyseed baby cakes! Naturally, I got really excited and even bought a muffin pan.

So, last friday night, I was busy in the kitchen, happily measuring, mixing and adding all the precious ingredients. The baby cakes came out beautifully from the oven. They rose to a nice height- not too tall nor too puffy. The kitchen smelled heavenly and I was in seventh heaven, like Charlie and his Chocolate Factory.

Next morning, I jumped out of bed. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into one of those lovely baby cakes.

I took one bite.

*CRUNCH* *GASP* *PTUI* *YUCK*

It was awful! The baby cake turned into a gritty sand cake!

You know how when you're eating rice and you accidentally bite on a tiny stray pebble. It's that horrible loud, crunching sound that not only hurt your ears but makes you lose appetite afterwards.

I was disgusted and very disappointed with Julie Le Clerc. Before anyone'd complain about those nasty baby cakes, I quickly packed all 12 cakes into a plastic bag and threw them away. That was a horrible baking day!

Today, I went to the baking supply shop at Taman Mayang and saw two types of poppy seed. Then, I realised I had used the wrong type of poppy seed- the white ones that the Indians use to thicken curries.

Silly me! I should have checked at Cook's Thesaurus in the first place. Anyway, I got the right poppy seed- shiny dark blue ones. This weekend, I shall rebake the chocolate opium baby cakes, as I don't give up easily on failed baking/cooking attempts. And I'm not about to give up on Miss Le Clerc and her wonderful baking book.

Lesson learnt - read up on any vaguely known ingredients before baking or cooking.

Horoscope freedom

Last week, I made a life-turning decision to quit reading my horoscope predictions - daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. My life was ridiculously astrologised for the past few years. And I was semi-consciously making decisions based on those stupid predictions. Yeah, I was that bodoh to believe all that horoscope nonsense.

I've got to learn to live life with absolute faith, instead of reading monthly horoscope for guidance. It got out of hand when I realised last month, that I couldn't even query for new work because my bloody horoscope told me to be caution on signing new contracts because "mercury is still in retrograde".

All that horoscope bullshit do nothing. When it says this month will be smooth-sailing and easy- my life is same old, same old. When it says this month will be tough and rough- my life is still same old, same old. It also says that Mr. J is my soul mate but he's just another annoying yuppie I know.

Since un-horoscoping my life, I feel 100% clearer about things and my current situation. I mean, life is all about change and constant flux. And although, I know well that no horoscope predictions happen on the dot, I was unconsciously living my life in a "predicatable" way.

I like it this way- living my life without any set of expectations.

Wicked cakes coming up!

I've always stopped short at making cakes/cookies that require a dash of alcohol. Because in my house, we've got no other alcohol but the typical chinaman Hennessy Cognac XO, which my parents buy by the crate every year without fail. My mum's only reason, when I asked why buy Cognac XOs in emergency rations - Aiyah, in case, we run out of Cognac XOs for family gatherings - as if!

There're way too many bottles of Cognac XO stuffed in the liquor cupboard. And not enough family gatherings to guzzle them. So, my mum has a mandatory bottle of Cognac XO in the kitchen, among the bottles of sauces. Food tastes really good when you add cognac- especially beef stew, baked garlic prawns, stir-fried frog legs and hainanese steamed chicken but sadly, not cakes.

Once, I've added 1/3 cup of cognac to a 'liquer chocolate cake' recipe. And the result was an unchocolatey cake with a sharp alcohol and somewhat herbal-like taste. That was the wierdest chocolate cake I've ever baked. No, cognac does not go well in cakes. It overpowers other flavours in the cake.

So, I've decided to stock up on the booze to bake those alcoholic cakes I've always wanted to bake. Am getting a bottle each month:
1. Grand Marnier or Cointreau - whichever is cheaper
2. Amaretto
3. Tia Maria
4. Kirsch
5. Bacardi Rum

Ooh, I can't wait to buy my first bottle of liquor!

This year is a year of wickedly decadent cakes. :P

Hello 2005

May the year 2005 see me taking up projects that felt intuitively right. May the year see me rejecting crappy jobs because of the money. May the year see me growing creatively. May the year see me expanding my creative horizon. May the year see me writing more, reading more, doing more, cooking more, baking more and talking less. May the year see me travel to London to visit my sister and France to satisfy my francophile-side. May the year see me listening to my intuition and acting upon it without a single doubt. May the year see me trusting the inner voice inside me. May the year bless me with a good man in my life. May the year see me spending more time with people who matters most to me. May the year allow me to walk away from people and situations that contaminate my life, in one way or another. May the year push me to go to anything that I feel a "pull".

May 2005 be filled with blessings, luck and happiness for everyone. :D