Bang!!

HUH, GUNS ?!??!?!?!?!?!
Are you for real ??

YES !!! bakingbee has been commissioned to bake a birthday cake in a shape of two guns. It is indeed a rather challenging project since I have to carve the cake myself. The cake is in the oven at the moment. Hopefully it turns out nicely later on.

Thank God for the heavy rain! It has swept off the sweltering heat from yesterday. The temperature was hovering around 38-39 degree Celcius yesterday! My my! And the bushfire has started too! Oh no!! >.<" Hopefully today's rain spreads out to the rural areas where the bushfires are. Oh and to the water reservoir too. Melbourne (Victoria) desperately needs water. OK! B's out for some dinner with her family. More on the gun later. Stay tuned, peeps!! Ciao !!

Hello again, peeps!
Sorry it toook so long to finish this post. As I have mentioned previously, I am going back for good to Indonesia. So the last 2 weeks, I was busy packing and sorting out stuff that I need to give away to my friends and the Salvation Army. It was a stressful indeed as I have a lot of stuff. Thank God for my family and friends who are always willing to lend helping hands.

Back to the guns, it was trickier than I thought it would be !!! The silver colouring didn't come out as I expected. :( I was a bit stressed that time. But thank God Amy loved the cake.. :) So all is well... :)

Little Miss Sunshine

Today has been a long busy day. I had to get the last shot of Gardasil, then run around getting stuff for my next cake orders. I managed to bake 2 batches of cake (a white chocolate mudcake and a lemon cake for Amy and Madam Ho), get a graduation present for my cousin, take photos of my cutesy cupcakes and blog. What a day, what a day!

The reason why I baked these cakes is because I've never really made them before , so I have to do some R&D to make sure that the cakes turn out nicely. So, in the pursuit of moist tangy lemon cake, I tried making this.

Little Miss Sunshine
bringing some lemony goodness

Verdict: Not as tangy, I need to put more lemon zest for the actual cake. The cake is quite moist and fluffy. I'll try the regular size tomorrow to see if it's any better. :)

Oh no!! Just remember that I still need to decorate the other cake for tomorrow's dinner.
I think I'll just do it tomorrow. Oh wait!! Tomorrow is gonna be hot!! NOOO !!!
Must decorate now ?!??!?! What a day indeed !!

Okay! B's out for a cuppa hot tea and decorating cake.
I'll blog about the other cake tomorrow.. :)
Stay tuned, peeps!

OH!! turned out that the other cake is an epic failure!! :(
i'm hitting the sack instead!

Can you spot B ?

B's cupcakes are the current hit! Apart from the usuals who can't stop asking for more cupcakes from bakingbee's kitchen, others who have tried B's cupcakes seem to fall in love with them too.

Today's project is birthday gift requested by Deasy's friends. The cupcake tower is consisted of Red Velvet and Green Tea cupcakes.

For some reason, I still don't really enjoy baking and decorating cupcakes. It requires sooo much work. Oh, and the limitation of my kitchen space, utensils and time, really don't make the baking any better. I think for the upcoming "All-you-can eat Cupcake Day", I will just simply frost the cupcake without piping the icing. More on that later.

By the way, can you spot B ? ;)

Good Tidings!

I know it's super early here in Melbourne, but I can't help to keep this good tidings from you all.
I've just received my final result and....

I'M OFFICIALLY DONE with uni!! ^^v
*no victory dance this time! I'm blogging from bed*

Praise God for His Faithfulness, Mercy and Grace throughout these 5 long years. Without Him, none of this would've happened. Even to the very last minute (read: my final semester), His grace is always sufficient, His power is made perfect in my weaknesses.

My final result turned out to be better than what I expected. Considering I'm not doing as well this semester as previously, I would be happy with a Pass for every subject. The result I'm getting, would never happened to me without His Mercy and Grace, so I'm giving back all the credit to Him.

Even though I've been anxiously waiting for my result, deep down I knew that I had passed, for the Lord will never put to shame those who trust in Him. So, here's to a God who is true to His words; who keeps His promises; who never forsakes nor leaves His children. *raising glasss*

....and now the journey goes on....

There's So Much To Be Thankful For

Indeed, there's so much to be thankful for. This morning, I woke up with overflowing sense of thankfulness to my Almighty God because His steadfast Love never ceases, His mercies are new every morning. His faithfulness is never ending.

Last Friday, I had a deep and meaningful chat with Julie and CJ while making the mini soccer ball. One of the questions CJ asked was "What is your worst characteristic that God changed?" CJ shared his answer, Julie shared hers, then it was my turn to share mine. I told them, "I used to be very bad tempered. Easily angered, impatient and selfish." They were really surprised to hear me saying "bad tempered". Yes my friend, before knowing Christ, I was really bad tempered. My parents, old and new friendcan testify to that. I am a living testimony that the Lord, through His Holy Spirit, really changes lives. He soften shardened hearts and makes it pliable. When we allow Him to work in us, He continually molds our hearts in such a way to reflect His.

CJ's other question was "What would you be now if Jesus was not in your life". hahaha, I think from his questions, you can tell that he is a thinker. Well, personally, i think He is. He was a good debater, he is a good thinker, and he is an awesome writer. Seriously, i can see him as a writer later down the years. :) Aniway, back to my story, that question has made me pondered upon my life journey so far.

What would I be without Christ in my life? Firstly, I wouldn't be who I am today. As I mentioned above, the Lord changes me. He consumes me from the inside out, renewing and transforming my heart and mind into His likeness each and every moment. I think without Christ, I would've been a very evil person. Yes. E V I L !!

Secondly, bakingbee would never exist without Him and His divine intervention. He is the One who gives me this gift. He is the One who taught me the joy of serving. He is the One who gives me the servant heart. He is the One who opens doors and opportunities for me. Without Him, none of this would have happened.

I believe by now, you can already tell why I am very grateful. I am grateful for my Lord. For the fact that He has called me to be His children. There are other many things that I am grateful for. My loved ones, the opportunity to live and study in Melbourne, even the bad and difficult times. You know what? It is actually through trials and hard times that the Lord grows my character. He has taught me a lot of things. He taught me that with each and every trial, He always provides a way out. He has shown me, that when i chose to follow and obey Him, each trial brings about renewal, to the mind, to the heart and to the spirit. There are countless other things that I can't list here because it will take forever. Don't worry, i count my blessings in my heart! ;)

Referring back to bakingbee, I thank Him for making it exists in the first place and growing it. It is only by His grace that I am who I am today. It is only by His mercy that I am surrounded by the people I know today. People who have been very supportive of what I am doing, precious friends and family.

May the Lord be glorified through bakingbee. May the creations of my hand speak of His Love, Mercy and Grace. May bakingbee be a living testimony of the journey of a girl with her Saviour. For Bebe is a sinner, saved by the Grace of God.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Cupcake Galore on A Rainy Day

What happened to Summer ?? This week has been cold for a December. But I'm grateful for it. Given that Australia is very dry, cold rainy day like this is much better than the heat of Summer. When I checked the weather forecast on Sunday and found out that today would be raining, I decided that I shall try new cupcake recipes on Tuesday.

Round 1: Red Velvet
The first time I tried Red Velvet cupcake, I can't help but wonder why people (read: girls) love this particular cake so much. The one that i tried, was dry, the flavour didn't come out. It tasted like very bland chocolate cake. The icing was not good as well. Unsatisfied with what i tasted, I googled up "red velvet cake". This particular cake is originated from Southern United States of America. Supposedly, one should be able to taste a bit of tang in the cake because it contains vinegar, and buttermilk. When mixed with cocoa, the acidity of vinegar brings out the red colour in cocoa and to enhance this, a bit more red colouring is added.

red velvet

My version of red velvet, turned out VERY VERY good. I really like it. The cake is very moist and fluffy. Although i can't really taste the tang in the cake, the chocolate flavour is quite strong. Combined with the smooth cream cheese frosting, this cake is definitely a hit.
*Initially I wanted to make a chocolate velvet (not adding any red colouring whatsoever) but when I made the batter, the chocolate colour is very pale. So I added 1/2 tsp Wilton pink colouring. I was really surprised to find out that that amount was enough to make the whole batter RED !!!

Round 2: Black Bottom Cupcake
Julie introduced me to this cupcake. No, I've never tried it before, but she has! And according to her, this cupcake will melt you because it is really delicious. When I read the recipe, I knew it would be a little sweet with a BIG taste. Imagine rich chocolate base, topped with cheesecake mixture and frosted with smooth cream cheese icing! When I had a bite, it is indeed O M G !!! This cupcake is not for those who don't like heavy chocolate cake as the flavour is quite rich and the cake texture is also thick and gooey.

black bottom

Conclusion: Happy Bee! cupcakes test has been successful!! Whee !!! ^^v
waiting for some review from my testers :)

The Pursuit of Perfection

I have been baking lots of cupcakes recently. Not because I love eating them (honestly, I'm not a big fan), but because my friends love eating them. On top of that, cupcake is currently the HOT item of sweets. So, there's nothing wrong with trying to perfect my cupcakes. The Matcha cupcakes I made the other day, i believe, have the perfect texture. Very soft, moist and fluffy. But not too crumbly. Following its success, I'm experimenting to get the perfect yellow base cupcakes today. I am yet to try my latest cookies&creme batch that just came out of the oven. My house is very fragrant from the baking. I think, I smell like cookies and cream already! No kidding here!

I shared the previous batch I made with the church office staff for afternoon tea. Sharon, our dear admin assistant who have been patiently dealing with my venue-bookings & key borrowing, will be on leave until next year, meaning I won't get to see her until, God knows when. The cookies&creme icing is yummy. But I think, the texture of the cake is not OK yet. It was still a bit too chewy. I think I baked it for a tad bit too long. >.<" Despite the not so fluffy texture, Sharon still loved it much. She said, "Your cupcake is 10-fingers lickin' good!" ahahaha... Thank you dear! I've made 2 batches after the afternoon tea. I am yet to give some to my official cupcake tester, Ria, and get some review from her. This girl has tried a lot of cupcakes in Melbourne. So I'm looking forward to hearing her review.

the 6th batch of Cookies&Creme

mini Soccer Ball

Remember the "baking to the heart's content" that I've been mentioning since I finished my final exams? Turned out I really have been baking to my heart's content ever since. I had a few very last minute orders, including this mini soccer ball that I'm currently working on.
Jax messaged me yesterday evening asking for a mini soccer ball for his business partner's son's birthday. phew.. that's long! haha.. I assume it's intended for a birthday gift for the birthday boy. But I have a feeling that Jax will eat half of it by himself. LOL.. You know why ? Because he specifically asked for the super yummy cookies and cream flavour!

Currently, the 1st half of the soccer ball is in the oven. I think it's a little bit too sweet. But then again, I'm not that much of a sweet tooth. hopefully it turns out well. :) Fingers crossed!

OK, the cake is finished by the way. It was a bit stressful at the beginning because the smaller templates that I prepared didn't fit as expected. It looked very messy and ugly. So Julie and I decided to just use the big ones that I've been using for my previous soccerball cakes. Oh in case, you're wondering why Julie was with me when I'm doing my cake, she was giving me some moral support.. :) How sweet!!

So yeah, last night/ early this morning I had fun working on a project accompanied by special friend and Michael Buble's singing at the background. Julie insisted on a little bee on the cake because she hasn't seen it in real life. So I made one specially for her and stick it to the ball. Haha. It makes the cake cuter and more colourful. Afterall, it's a birthday present for a 2 years old boy.

Oh and by the way, Jax didn't get to eat the cake at all during the party this afternoon. They said it's too pretty to cut out. LOL. But i just got an update from him, his friends (Harry's parents) said that the cake tastes as good as it looks. And all photos are courtesy of Julie, an aspiring photographer! :) Thank you dears!

White Choc Raspberry Mud Cake

People say that December is the Festive season with Christmas and New Year just around the corner. But for us, international students, December can be a very depressing month. Many of us have to go back to our home country upon finishing our studies here in Melbourne. I too, will be one of them very shortly. As i said previously, leaving Melbourne will be very hard. It is not so much the city that I will deeply miss, but rather the people. The friendships that have grown through the years, the many good and bad times we've shared, the ups and down, the teasing and bullying, the laughter and the tears.

This cake, is to farewell her dear friends. Yu Ying messaged me yesterday morning and asked for a cake if possible. A few of her cell group members will be leaving Melbourne very soon and she specifically asked that the writing of the cake be "May God bless you and lead you in your onward journey." So sweet. We may be on different journeys now, but when God is the one who leads the way, everything will be OK.

No picture this time. It was very rushed since i have to finish Jo's cake too.
It's white choco raspberry mud cake with white choc ganache and choc collar.
I leave it to your imagination to picture the cake! ;)

DiRaffe in the Love Jungle

If chocolate is the food of love, then this dark chocolate orange gateau is the celebration of love. As I said before, chocolate and orange are perfect match made in Heaven. They complement and bring out the best out of each other. The sensation of chocolate melting in your mouth, combined with the freshness of orange deliver the X-factor that leaves you on the 7th Heaven. You can't get enough of this cake.

I just finished making some deco for my next cake. I have once again been commissioned to bake another DCOG. This DCOG is for two very special friends of mine who happen to be big fans of Jaffa (and my DCOG too ;) hehehe... ) I'm praying hard that this cake will turn out nice, taste-wise and aesthetic-wise. Fingers crossed!

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Cake: check! Jaffa mousse: check! Figurines: Check!

They all look alright at this point. I can't wait to assemble the cake later tonight.

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Cake board is too big! Can't fit to container. :( need to go get another one tomorrow.
Tasted the quality control portion of the DCOG. It is THE BEST so far! Very nice texture. Thick mousse. Dark Chocolate. Orange. Rum. Heavenly!!! ^^v

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Tadaaaa!!

Dino + Giraffe = Diraffe!

I was VERY VERY VERY happy with how the figurines turned out! They are ULTRA CUTE! hahahhaa. I had to restrain myself from pinching and poking the cheeks of my babies! When i finished assembling the cake before, I felt like dancing around because of the Joy that blossoms in my heart. It is a very special cake indeed, and I poured my heart out making it. Thank God the figurines and the cake turned out well. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I decided to change the cake design very last minute yesterday. Personally, I think this is even better than what I had in my sketch book. WHee!! ^^v

I've received messages from my happy customers. Ivan said, "Terimakasih bebe, kek'nya lucu bgt, enak sekali. Terimakasih bebe!" Wow dude! You even wrote 'banget' as 'bgt'. not bad not bad. LOL :) It turned out that Jo was the one typing the sms. So all credit goes to Jo. X) Joanne said, "SOOOOOOOOOO CUTEEE!!! Ivan loves the dino.. he was so happy to see the spikes. and he said the leaves look so good. I'm happy of course. yummy, cute and meaningful..and handmade by you! Thank you Jo for ordering the cake. Of course the leaves look good. I'm now better equipped, thanks to your very precious gift ;). Thanks for trusting me to make your special cake. I get to try making figurines :) xoxo

Ms.Giraffe & Mr. Dino (a.k.a Jo&Ivan)