Tee Off Cupcakes

These vanilla and chocolate chip cupcakes were for my neighbor, who is an avid golfer. The wife ordered the cupcakes for his upcoming birthday. It took me a while to hand-mould the golf bags, golf clubs and golf balls, but at the end of the day, I was pretty happy with the outcome. I hope the family enjoys the cupcakes.... and P, if you are reading this... the Poh family is wishing you a very happy birthday, and may you be blessed with everything nice throughout the year! Bon anniversaire!

Happy Teacher's Day

Tomorrow is Teacher's Day. I baked some Devil's Food Cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream and fondant messages for Julian and Justen's teachers. This is just my little gesture to say "thank you" to all their teachers for the love and patience that they have shown to my sons, for the knowledge and guidance that they have imparted on the boys and most of all for their endless effort in making school a fun place to be in every way. Wishing all the teachers a very sweet and happy Teacher's Day!

Flower Blossoms Cupcakes

My customer ordered this batch of flower blossom cupcakes for her aunt's birthday. The cakes are vanilla and cranberries flavor, and topped with vanilla buttercream. I took many pictures of these cupcakes as I was trying out my DSLR camera. In the end, I could not decide which one to post in here... so I am going to put the better ones all here. Flowers make me happy... hope they cheer up your day too!

Princess and Pirate Cupcakes

Julian's classmate, Issabelle, invited her whole class to her house for a pool party yesterday. Initially I thought it was meant to be her birthday party, but I later realized that it was just a casual get-together party organized by her mum so that Issabelle could play with her friends. We were told not to bring any presents, but I did not want to turn up empty-handed, so I made some cupcakes for the kids. These were pistachio and chocolate chips cupcakes, and I decorated some of them in princess and pirate theme for the girls and the boys. I also did some with simple chocolate glaze sprinkled with chopped pistachio nuts. I think the adults would prefer them this way! It turned out to be a very nice party, with lots of finger food and drinks. Not only did the kids enjoyed themselves tremendously in the pool, we parents got a chance to get to know one another better too!

Embossed Cupcakes

Tomorrow is my birthday... I baked these cupcakes for myself. Happy Birthday to me... and this year I only have one simple wish... TO BE HAPPY.

Birthday Cupcakes for my Dad

This coming Monday will be my dad's 66th birthday.  I made this set of orange and passionfruit cupcakes to wish him a very happy birthday.  The golden coins on the cupcakes denote longevity.  The chinese words came from the chinese idom "福如东海长流水, 寿比南山不老松", a blessing used commonly on elderly's birthdays and it can be simply translated to mean: (May your) happiness be as boundless as the eastern oceans and your life as long as the long lasting southern mountains.  

Thirty four years ago my dad became a first time father when I was born.  He was about thirty-two years old then.  He devoted the next thirty over years taking care of his family.  He worked hard to provide for us and never complained no matter how tough things were.  A calm and steadfast man is what I known him to be.  Strict but never loses his temper or raise his voice on me except on instances where I went way over board.  I respect my dad a lot and I love him so much.  But ever since I started my own family, I tend to neglect him a bit due to the busy life I have now.  Many times, I took him for granted, and always procrastinate in making that phone call to check on him.  I do understand that for elder folks like my dad, material things no longer weigh as much as compared to the love and concerns from family and children.  I must constantly remind myself to always be there for my folks... 

Today, I spent a whole afternoon with my dad.  We watched F1 on TV, enjoyed the company of my sons, his grandsons, and we had a good meal together.  I feel really happy, and i think my folks are happy too.  So once again, 生日快乐, 老爸!  

Earl Grey Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

I love drinking tea, and one of my favorite blend is Earl Grey tea.  I like it for its very distinctive flavor and scent that is derived from the addition of oil from the rind of the bergamot orange.  I usually like to drink one cup of Earl Grey tea every afternoon, and one day while I was having my tea, an idea came to mind.  I should bake some Earl Grey tea cupcakes!  One of the method to incorporate the Earl Grey flavor into the cupcake was by infusing the milk with the Earl Grey tea.  The other option was to simply add the tea leaves directly into the cupcake batter.  I chose the latter.  I used 3 tea bags of Earl Grey tea for 2 dozens of cupcakes.  The Earl Grey flavor in the cupcakes turned out to be rather subtle.  I think I will use more tea bags the next time round and maybe I will infuse the milk with more Earl Grey tea too.  I topped the cupcakes with lemon buttercream and fondant flowers.  A nice afternoon tea delight that goes perfectly with Earl Grey tea.