Yummiest Cake - Lychee Martini from Pine Garden

Lychee Martini was ranked as among the best cake in Singapore, with the likes of Sweet Secrets and Mezza9, in a Sunday Times column many light years ago.

I remembered then I rushed down to Pine Gardens in AMK, and went AGH when i saw the humble shop... uh well, my mum did say never judge a cake by the store :-)


It's must have been over 4 years (or more)... cos other than the memory of the adventure, i can't really remember the taste.  Not that it is forgettable, but a baker's pride that only cares for what comes from her oven!!!




I was glad that I had the chance to re-live the taste on Friday night.  


My ex-boss is finishing his assignment in Singapore, and his team organized a farewell party for him in a very nice restaurant.  So, what has the cake got to do with a Dutch man?

This bag cake was a surprise for the organizer, PL, whose birthday falls in the same period!!!  A few thoughtful ladies planned this, and had PL's favorite bag (accordingly she uses this 60% of the time... trust planners to be this precise!) immortalized in a Lychee Martini cake! 


In my recent cake-venture, i am taught that fondant covered cake must be firm and dense in order to withstand the weight of the fondant.  But this theory was scrapped here!

  

Pine Garden uses vanilla sponge as a base, which is moist and fluffy.  Between the layers is the light buttercream infused with lychee.  If there's any alcohol, none of us can taste it!  I am assuming that they have macerated the canned fruits in some liquor like rum or limoncello, in which case, the liquor flavor can be made stronger by brushing the sponge layer with the leftover liquor.  


My other complaint is that there's really too little lychee bits...  the canned fruits should be economical enough for the baker to be more generous!  


The covering is made with chocolate fondant which is quite yummy.  I wonder if they are using the Pentinice Bakel fondant.  


Looking at the pretty (and tasty) cake got me itchy to get back to serious baking and cake decor...  Some day, some time...  








Pine Garden's Cake
Blk 529 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10
#01-2369/2329
Singapore 580529
Tel: 6457 6159

Operating hours - 8:30am to 9:30pm (daily)
http://www.pgcake.com/

Homemade Caramel Popcorn

Thanks for Sally's comment and to those who sent me private messages about the school bully.  Like many things in life, this is one of those that we just have to learn to manage, like it or not.


My beloved sister took her family over this afternoon... and I was thinking hard what can I prepare in short notice.  They love my cakes but little i can do when i haven't got the baking barangs-barangs out of those boxes!


I remembered reading a blog post on King Arthur Flour and so i set out to make the Caramel Popcorns!


Check out the blog for the step-by-step photo... this is really easy!

I used the microwave popcorn that i shipped back from England :-)  So convenient!


Carol's Caramel Corn


Pop corn following packaging instruction, then prepare caramel syrup.


Here's my version of the caramel syrup:
1 cup sugar - brown is better, but white works for me cos that's all i have in my kitchen
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 light corn syrup - the Macdonald's pancake syrup works fine as a substitute
1/2 tsp baking soda


Direction:


1. Melt all the above (except baking soda) in a heavy bottom pot over medium fire.  I used my  Le Creuset Chinese Wok cos it would have enough space for me to stir in the popcorns.  Trust me, you can do with 1 less pot to clean up after that.


2. Bring it to boil, stirring occasionally.  Careful the syrup can be really hot.  The syrup will darken, this is normal.  After 5 min, turn off the fire, and stir in baking soda.


3. As you stir in the baking soda, the caramel will thicken and change color, becoming a rich golden beige.   The baking soda acts as an acid to make it thinner, which will coat the popcorn  better without the awfully heavy feeling.


4. Pour in the popcorns into the caramel (or caramel over popcorn if your pot is not big enough).  Keep stirring until all the popcorns are coated evening.  You need to do this as soon as the caramel is done because it turns into caramel brittle as it cools.


5. Once coated, turn it into a baking tray and leave it to bake for 30min at 100C, turning at 15min interval.  The original recipe says 1 hour oven time but the young ones at home can't wait this long!  This step is to dry out the mixture to give a better crunch.  But i find that mine already crisp once the caramel cools so perhaps I will skip this step altogether next time.


And btw, someone shared that microwave can do the same trick without the hour wait.  Simply dump the caramel corn into a large bowl, and microwave it for one minute. Stir, and microwave for one minute more. 




6.  Let cool and enjoy.  It will be sticky when hot, but crisp wonderfully when cool!

A spicy version that you can try:

add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper into the caramel mixture while it is cooking. That little bit of cayenne with the spices gives it the most awesome flavor, according to a baker who shared this variation in the blog.


Note:  This portion of caramel is just enough for my pack of popcorn.




The toughest part after making caramel or boiling sugar syrup, is the clean up.  You cannot imagine how much scrubbing is needed but i found a little trick that works - simply soak the pot and whatever utensils in water.  If you wait long enough, you will find that all the caramelized lumps soften and dissolves into water.  If you can't wait, just boil enough water in the pot over low heat.  


B just asked when can I make some toffee banana...  Ha!


-------------


Updated 9 Jan 2012:
I made this again with brown sugar... this time round, i realized that the mixture takes longer to dry up.  So the step in the oven becomes a necessity to crisp up the popcorns.  


When I used the microwave, thinking to short cut the drying process as someone  had shared, it has hotspot and burnt in those area.  Do take note to use a lower voltage and turn more frequently if you are using the microwave.  I just turned to the trusty oven to do the job :-)

School Bully

It must be me... I felt like I just been home given the state of unsettleness! But when I glance at the date on the last post and the date it reads on my computer, I can't believe it has been a good 2 months.

The boxes are slowly disappearing. Yes, I mean s-l-o-w-l-y. To be fair,I don't mind unpacking. In fact, I love it! There's a clear beginning, an obvious work-in-progress, and a definite end game! What can be so crystal clear in life? The amount of efforts you spend on work ≠ promotion or pay rise. The amount of time you spend coaching your child's school work ≠ good results. Huh?!

I digress.

Back to unpacking - this is only but a small part of returning home. The first victim is B - There's a BIG adjustment that he had to make fit into Singapore's cookie cutter education system. Education is alot more fun in England, or many ang-moh countries. The play-based approach and flexibility is something that B had to sadly let go on the first day of school at BBPS.
He cried, but he learnt to adapt.

By the end of the first week in school, he came home with some bruises which we found out later that he has been kicked, pushed and punched by his class bully. We brought this to teacher's attention and the boy's parent called in.

What surprised me is that when I posted the matter on FB, many friends commented at their children had been a victim of school bully at some point. And this is happens too in good school like Rosyth. One extreme case shared was a P6 daughter of my good old classmate who had been so traumatised in school that she has been attending private counselling for the past 2 years!

And that got me wonder, with such behaviour so prevalent, why hasn't MOE taken a stronger stance? I am not saying that the English has the best policy per se, but some of their measures are really effective: they take a zero tolerance toward bully behaviour (which can be verbal or physical). Repeat offenders will be suspended from school until parents provide the written assurance to address the behaviour issues. This way, the parents will be involved in the child's development and not only the school working on it.

I think many bakers here are also parents - what is your experience in this?


PS: In case you are thinking, the boy in B's school - his parents didn't turn up. Grandma deputised but the punishment mated out for him was 'no sweets for the day'!

Home again...

We are back home, finally.

After being in England for a year, we are back to the tropics. Something that we are looking forward to; J wants to get back to work, Sheen wants to have his cousins' company. And I like to be back with my sis and parents!

So it was an exiting time. A time to get back into a routine, see friends missed over the year, and look forward to the sunny weather and a fresh start.

But once the sea shipment arrived, my newness has worn-off. I have cartons, 127 of them, everywhere in my house. The pix below is just a tip of the iceberg!

I sure have to work hard to keep the positive attitude and productive energy going!!!

Playing Tourist at Venice

I just landed in London after holidaying in Venice, and gosh, tired I am, but can't hide my excitement and thrills that i had to share my holiday pix!

If you have watched Angelina Jolie & Johnny Deep's The Tourist, you will know Venice.

What I didn't know is that the actual place is alot more beautiful then what I saw on the silver screen!

I wished i have smart suits, heels and coiffered like Angelina to live the scene. LOL.

Apart from the regular morning shower that dulled the sky, we were blessed with bright sunny day in the afternoon on days we were there.

Yeah, Sheen was so excited about McDonald's there... we were there for 8 days, and he grew so sick and tired of pizza, pasta and risotto. He is not a Mac's fan, but when you are desparate, you would rather opt for some familar taste.

BTW, there's only 1 Mac in the whole Venice. That's at Strada Nuovo. If you are taking the vaporetto (the water bus), alight at Ca' d'Oro and walk for 2 min. The price for a upsize meal is Euro 7.90 (~SGD16).

While in Venice, it is worth going Island hopping. Island like Lido, Murano, Burano etc, are all nearby and if you buy a tourist pass, you get unlimited bus and boat rides during the valid period. We paid Euro 23 per adult for 36hours. You can check out the full fare table here .



The magic of holidays in Venice is created by the over-the-top architecture, the ethereal, colourful Venetian glass and ubiquitous and fantastical masks. Go lose your way in the tiny street, riding a gondola down the Grand Canal (warn: this is expensive but a once-in-a-lifetime experience) and enjoy a glass of Prosecco on St Mark's Square!

Oh, the thought of it makes me feel like Angelina Jolie!

Spiced Nuts

The other day when I was out shopping and picked up a pack of Almond with the thought to roast my own healthier version, using this recipe which i bookmarked long ago.

Spiced Nuts
(Fills 3-4 jars)

1-2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
4-5 star anises
3 cup of raw almonds (or any other nuts like cashew)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp each of powdered chilli, cumin and cinnamon spices

Method
1. Heat the oven to 160 deg C.
2. Heat oil in a wok together with cinnamon stick and star anises. When you smell the fragrance, turn off the fire and add salt and sugar. Add the raw nuts, stirring well to ensure even coverage.
3. Place nuts on an oven tray, spreading them out. Roast for 15 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on them as they burn easily.
4. Scatter powdered spices over the nuts & stir for even coverage. Switch off the oven but leave nuts inside for another 5min.
5. Remove and allow nuts to cool before storing them in clean jars. The nuts will harden upon cooling.
6. Wrap a Christmassy ribbon round the neck of the jars and you have a healthy gift to give away this season.


PS: I find it not spicy enough - will need more chilli powder and cinnamon to make a statement.

When Will wed Kate...

If you are in London during in the past few days, you will know how crowded this England capital suddenly became! I felt like half the world is congregating in this already jam packed city. Despite many friends who tell me I am lucky to be in the right place at the right time, I think I rather be enjoy the city in peace...

1 think I do appreciate, of the wedding, is a Bank Holiday out of the deal!

I was out at Harrods yesterday, I can't help but feel just a little jealous observing all the indulgent Royal Wedding festivities. Look at how this shopping instution devoted all its window dressing to the royal couple:

Honestly, I think this is mroe suitable for a Bollywood wedding! LOL.

This uni-jack cake is my favourite!

Look at this... even the bus is not spared!

So, where were you on April 29?