Long Weekend Bakeover #2: Banana Chocolate Cupcakes & Matcha Roll Cake

As I've mentioned before on previous post, I've started doing bakeover sessions in CL's apartment, usually on the weekends. After the success of the first session, we decided to do another session the next day, on a lovely Sunday afternoon. Aside from the banana chocolate cupcakes recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook, CL insisted on making matcha rollcake. 

Long Weekend Bakeover: The Hummingbird Bakery's Matcha Cupcakes

Well, I've been too busy (and too lazy) lately that I've neglected this blog for quite a while. Things have been quite crazy at work and it's gonna get crazier over the next few months, up til November. But in between, I try to squeeze in as much time as possible to play around in the kitchen -as a way to stay sane. Meanwhile, lots of pictures of baking projects and culinary adventures are abandoned, waiting to be edited and posted. 

'Alice in Wonderland' series #2: Lavender Cupcakes

I have never really liked the smell of lavender flowers. But an infatuation soon started after I read Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Rather metaphorically of course, since I'm still not too keen on the scent. But the thought of living amongst lavender fields are just too dreamy to resist.

So when I flipped over my current cupcake bible (500 Cupcakes & Muffins by Fergal Connolly) and found a recipe for Lavender & Honey Cupcakes, I thought it would be nice to use the box of dried lavenders, which has been sitting in my fridge forever, as part of my 'Alice in Wonderland' cupcake series. Evan was very excited about it too.

'Alice in Wonderland' series #1: Rosewater Cupcakes

When I first read about recipes featuring rosewater as an ingredient, I thought of it as very girly, romantic, and somewhat seductive. Rosewater is a byproduct of rose oil and is a widely popular ingredient in Middle Eastern sweets. I purchased my bottle from Jones The Grocer, Singapore, during my last visit there in January. The bottle stood in my kitchen cupboard for months until I finally put it into good use last Sunday to bake some rosewater cupcakes.

Introducing: Evan

 Eye-ing the strawberries 'n cream cupcake

Hi, All!

Meet Evan. He's a sweet but (rather) shy sweet toothed polar bear cub that I adopted from a gift hamper a few months ago. He lightens up at the sight of cookies, cupcakes, or any other sugary confectionaries. Though he's a bit reserved, at times he could be giddy -mostly because of the sugar rush.

A Lil' Sip of French (and Nespresso) at Bistro Baron

This new place looks very lovely on the outside with its tres chic French bistro design and romantic accordion music. You'll feel like you're in one of those scenes in 'Ratatouille' ;P But frankly the service was rather a disappointment -it took (almost) forever for our orders to come out.

One of the main attraction of this place, for me, is the fact that they serve Nespresso. So my partner and I, both a self-professed coffee enthusiasts, specifically went there for it. We are very keen to taste this it coffee. So far, on the menu, they only serve 4 types of pods out of the available 16. At Rp. 45.000 per cup (excluding the 21% tax of course), this cuppa is no doubt an expensive indulgence.

Nespresso Roma cappuccino (front) & Livanto long black (back)

The Lure of Ladurée

Well, this is what I would call a sweet start to the year.

It is quite obvious that by now, some people would have noticed my silly obsession with macarons. Not that it's hard to miss, really, I ranted about the sweet confectioneries in my blog and even on my facebook status for some time.

So when a friend who happens to live and work in Paris (yes, the capital of Macarons) came back to spend the new year here, he made a sweet gesture of bringing back a box of assorted Macarons from one of the legendary patisserie there, Ladurée.

 

indeed, sin tastes sweet