Cupcakes and Cakes and Awards! Oh My!

Hi all!

Boy does it feel weird to have been away from the blog for so long! It's been less than a month but it feels like eternity! That's a compliment to my talented and supportive fellow foodies -- definitely missed you all!

So while I've been away and getting into the spirit of being back to school, which is proving to be much more stressful than I'd anticipated, I baked! (Surprise, surprise!)

First up, the cake I baked for Lail t'ul Qadr at khane. It's triple-layered and pina colada inspired. I decided to try and convey the whole pina colada idea through a pineapple cake with vanilla buttercream and coconut layered in between. Next time, I think I will try to switch it up with a pineapple filling and coconut cake. I suspect that since pineapple is not quite a stand-up kind of a flavour, that it might have gotten lost in the cake, though I didn't get a taste!
Next up, inspired by my dear uncle and therefore, aptly named "Alnoor's Spicy Apples". The name is quite fitting since my Alnoor Masa has quite the spicy personality, himself!

I had a talk with Alnoor Masa the other day and he ran the idea by me to create an apple-crisp inspired cupcake just for him: so here it is! The Spicy Apple consists of a plain cupcake with a spicy apple filling in the centre, topped with my famous apple crisp topping! Since the cupcake is so decadent, I decided to cut the sweetness with a spiced cream cheese (idea courtesy of mum) for that little bit of contrast. They are garnished with an extra bit of the spicy apple topping.

Finally, I would like to thank fellow blogger Shabs (shabscuisine.blogspot.com) for my first set of awards! (look, mom!) I'm so honoured!

Since the stress is mounting as the semester progresses, I'm sure I will be blogging soon so, till soon!

Cake City and Pie Town

I have ventured into Cake City twice in the past (with the Quilt and Polkadot Cakes) and found it not too much to my liking.

I now realize that the frustration that ensued from that positively harrying experience could very well have come from doing too much, too fast!

I decided to venture back into Cake City a couple of days ago since we had planned a barbecue at my cousin, Al's, house. It was a housewarming of sorts since my mum, sister and I visited his place for the first time, today.

Since Al always takes interest in my baking, I thought I would make a cake to bring over there! (Can't ever go anywhere empty-handed when people know I bake!).

I went with a simpler design, since this is only my second cake fully covered with fondant, so cherry blossoms bonanza it was. I found this cake way less stressful since I split the work up over a couple of days. That definitely made for more patience and a better outcome, I think.



















I went with Al's favourite flavours for the cake. The top and bottom layers are a chocolate orange and the middle is a coconut cake. Between each of the layers, I spread a deep, dark chocolate orange ganache. For a clean finish, I went with a rope border (covers up any messy edgework...hey, it's still only my second cake!)



















Why don't I ever leave well enough alone? Oh yeah, because I'm a baker. This morning (before the barbecue) I decided to whip up a pie! I made it with a cherry filling (my Mumti Masi's favourite) and it ended up hopping right in the van somehow and got taken to the barbecue, too!

Cake and pie for dessert, anyone?

Seriously, best.vacation.ever.

Christmas in August!

I.love.Christmas.

Seriously, in my opinion, it is the best time of year (primarily because of presents and baked goods!)

So when my aunt had a recipe for what is called a "Dundee Cake" (essentially a fruit cake) I jumped at the opportunity to try it out!

This is the product of my foray into Cake City. What makes it particularly delicious is that the fruit was soaked in whiskey and orange juice :) Mmmm! This cake is definitely one of those items that just gets better the longer it sits around. I, however, wouldn't know since there is scarcely a slice left in the tin!

That's all for now, folks!

Later Days!

A Garden of Cupcakes

Hello, everyone!

Don't you just love those midnight ideas that end up turning into some of your loveliest creations? That's the story behind a cupcake I like to call "Zoyah's Chocolate Orange".

This melt-in-your-mouth cupcake is chocolate with orange rind and juice for a real infusion of orange flavour.

We injected the cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting infused with orange and lemon rind.

For the sake of ease we used the fondant cut-outs and dragees for decoration. I think the colours really sing summer (so fitting for such a beautiful day!).

We are going to take this plate of cupcakes to khane tonight and since we had a couple of the coconut lemon flutterbys left over, we put them in the centre and the plate instantly screamed garden! Love it!

I will blog again soon, folks!

Have a happy, sunny day! :)

Seeing Red

Good evening, all!
Decided to try red velvet cupcakes, today. I've been toying with the idea for a while, and finally decided to give it a go.

The cupcakes definitely need to be perfected and I think I will try them again but at a later date.

I decorated them with a cream cheese frosting and decided to go the simple route with some fondant cut-outs and dragees.

I went a little more complicated on one below with a red dress on it. The name "red velvet" reminds me of velvet dresses that little girls wear and so that's where that idea came from :)

Anywho, that's all from me today! If you can believe it, I'm cupcaked out for the moment. Maybe I'll attempt something tomorrow!

Till then, happy cooking/baking/eating!

PS - Angry chicken representing the Southern origin of Red Velvet courtesy of my aunt :)

Mumti Masi's Coconut Lemon Flutterbys!

Greetings from the best kitchen in the world! Man, I love it here in Calgary!

To thank my Mumti Masi for her kind heart and infinite generosity, we decided to bake up a batch of cupcakes dedicated especially to her! Thanks for everything, Mumti Masi!

That's how these light-as-air coconut lemon flutterbys came to be. They consist of a fluffy coconut cake topped with a tangy lemon buttercream (courtesy o' Mehny). I decided, since they are so light, to top them with a butterfly piped with white chocolate (some of it I coloured purple).

Okay, off I go! Today, I'm planning on baking another two batches so I'd better get a move on!

I'm sure I'll post, again, in a few hours!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Farhan, Dabir and Al

Hey everyone!

Today is a good day! The sun is shining, the kitchen is spotless and I will soon be off for another shopping adventure!

I woke up this morning and decided that no Bake-ation would be complete without a batch of my famous chocolate-chip cookies :)

Instead of the usual plain chocolate chips, I added half milk chocolate and half white chocolate chips and threw in a handful or two of chopped walnuts for a treat that anyone would love to enjoy with a tall, cold glass of milk!

I also decided to make these cookies jumbo for my cousins Farhan, Dabir and Al to enjoy!

Till soon, I'm sure!