Barbie Doll Cake 芭比娃娃蛋糕



Last week I was so busy, because I have to make three Birthday cakes (all my niece and nephew Birthday mainly fall on August and Sept). And this Barbie Doll Cake took two days to complete. This cake was specially for my niece who celebrate her perfect 10th Birthday last week. And I was pleased with the result and all my family was impressed with my first Barbie doll cake ^_^.

 

The most headache about this cake is to decide what type of frosting to be used. Because i want a buttercream that can withstand in this hot weather and also I can display this cake throughout the whole party. So non-dairy whipping cream definitely out ( have to store inside the fridge and melt when weather is hot) and Fondant also out because it will be turned wet if store outside the room temperature ( since the party is in open air area). At the end, I decided to use Swiss Meringue Buttercream which can withstand in this hot weather. I noticed the buttercream of this Barbie doll cake still look stable and not melted on the 3rd days.

If you intend to try this buttercream, when you notice the buttercream is watery, do not panic and don't throw it away, just place it on top of another bowl filled with iced water, continue to beat till curdles, then stir with a spatula and it will become smooth buttercream like below picture.

 

 



 

Total you need two days to complete this cake. Day 1 is to prepare the cakes first.

I decided to use sponge cake for Barbie doll body (lighter than butter cake and easy to trim if compare to chiffon cake) and butter cake for the base (butter cake is compact and firm so it can withstand the weight from sponge cake).





 



 

I chosen the most simple pattern to pipe the buttercream  ^_^

I can't store this cake inside the fridge (due to the height) and also wonder how to carry this cake back to hometown which is 30mins away from my house. Luckily i saw the brilliant idea shared in Fong's kitchen (she has few beautiful Barbie doll cakes, check it out at her site) of using two cake boxes to DIY a Barbie doll cake carrier.  Simply overlap the base of the boxes and use the covers to form a "house" for the Barbie doll.

 



Updated on 28 Aug- actually just Barbie doll cake alone is sufficient for a small party, don't need to make the cake base. If you just make only the Barbie Doll cake without base, I will suggest you to make butter cake instead of sponge cake.

Barbie Doll Cake 芭比娃娃蛋糕

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

Day 1 – bake the cakes

For the base- two chocolate butter cakes ( 1x8” , 1x7” square cake pan)

400g butter

160g sugar
8 egg yolks
340g cake flour
30g cocoa powder
1tsp, 1/2tsp and 1/4tsp double action baking powder
8tbsp milk

8 egg white
145g sugar

Method- followed to the old fashioned butter cake steps, 170C (fan forced) for 45mins or till cooked

For the Barbie Doll body- 3 sponge cakes (whole egg method)

1^st bake-1x7” and 1x6.5” round cake pan
8 eggs (large), cold from fridge
240g caster sugar
240g Top flour or cake flour
80g melted butter

Method- followed to orange sponge cupcake steps, using KA mixer, beat for 30mins.Bake at 160c (fan forced) for 45mins

2^nd bake- 1x6” round cake pan

3 eggs (large), cold from fridge
90g caster sugar
90g Top flour or cake flour
30g melted butter

Method- followed to orange sponge cupcake steps, using hand electric mixer, beat for 15mins.

 

Day 2 –decorate the Barbie doll cake

To prepare Swiss Meringue Buttercream

300g egg white
405g sugar
680g unsalted butter

Method- followed to swiss meringue buttercream steps, using KA mixer.

To decorate Barbie doll cake

1. Wrap lower-part of Barbie doll with cling wrap.
2. Trim one side of the 7” butter cake and place it to the empty space and arrange with the 8” butter cake to become a rectangular shape). Frost two butter cakes with buttercream (~250g buttercream)
3. Start with the base of 7” sponge cake, measure the centre  ( I insert a skewer to mark the centre), then making a hole ( I use a paring knife, and insert to Barbie doll to measure the correct size of the hole). After made the hole, cut each sponge cake into two layers. Repeat the same steps for 6.5” and 6” sponge cake.
4. Stack each of the layers and insert the Barbie doll, use a sharp knife and trim the cake to form a dome shape. Once the dome shape is done, remove Barbie doll, and remove each layer of cakes. (If you did not make the base, then you can spread buttercream, then stack and trim )
5. Spread buttercream on top of each layer of sponge cake. Start to stack each layer on top of the frosted butter cake. Insert back the Barbie doll into the hole. Frost the whole body of Barbie doll (~200g buttercream)
6. Now we can start to decorate the Barbie doll
1. tip 35 star–for the whole body from waist ( Dark Pink-Wilton Rose+AmeriColor Tulip red (~250g buttercream), pink-AmeriColor deep pink (~150g buttercream) , original buttercream (~150g)
2. tip 5 round hole –for the upper part and back of the body
3. tip 20 star-for the skirting
4. tip 5 round hole – for the side of the square shape of butter cake

I am also submitting this to the Little Thumbs Up "Egg" event organized by Bake for Happy Kids, my little favourite DIY and hosted by (Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out). You can link your egg recipes here.

Oreo Owl Cupcakes 猫头鹰巧克力杯子蛋糕



I made this Oreo Owl Cupcakes for my son Birthday the other day. As usual, before I make the cake, I checked with him for what Birthday cake he wants first. Phew, this time he just wanted chocolate cupcakes, unlike last year he requested a Minecraft fondant cake. But I don't want to just make the ordinary chocolate cupcakes for him, so I chosen this cute Owl cupcakes that I have seen in Crystal blog.

At first, I use the normal size of Oreo cookies to make but after decorated, we feel they are too big size and not that cute. Luckily I have a box of mini Oreo cookies that given by Jessie when she visited me last year. I seem could not get mini Oreo cookies in supermarket here, if you know where to get this, let me know please..

These were the batch using normal Oreo cookies..

These using mini Oreo cookies, they are so cute!

Let my daughter show you on how to decorate this Oreo Owl cupcakes

Oreo Owl decorated cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes

(recipe source: adapted from Dailydelicious with minor changes)

100g unsalted butter

160g caster sugar
 2 eggs
A pinch of salt
150g cake flour
40g cocoa powder
1tsp double action baking powder
60g dairy whipping cream
100g natural yogurt

 Method

1. Mix dairy whipping cream and natural yogurt and set aside for 1hr.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C. Place the baking paper in to the cupcake tins.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together
4. Beat the butter, salt and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Put the egg in to the batter and beat until combine.
6. Add yogurt and whipping cream mixture, beat to combine.
7. Add in flour mixture, mix to combine.
8. Scoop the batter into the tins (about 80% as we need cupcake's top has dome so its give 3D effect)  , bake for 20mins or adjust according to the liners that you use, until the cake is spring when touch lightly.
9. Let the cake cool completely before decorate.

To decorate Oreo Owl cupcakes

(recipe source: adapted from here with minor changes)

Oreo mini cookies (2 cookies per cupcake)

Brown m&m’s (2 per cupcake), mini size
Yellow m&m’s (1 per cupcake), mini size
Chocolate ganache-220g dark chocolate and 25g whipping cream, melt over double-boiled method. Set aside to thicken.

 Method

1.Separate all of the Oreo cookies, using only the cookies that have the white frosting. You will need two cookies per cupcake.
2.Scoop chocolate ganache on top of cupcake. Gently press each cookie on the cupcake to form an eye, making a pair for each cupcake.
3.Apply a dot of chocolate ganache on the cookie, stick one brown M&Ms candy on each cookie to form an eye, making a pair for each cupcake.
4. Using a yellow M&Ms candy, gently press it below and in between the cookie eyes to form a beak. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
5. Take some chocolate ganache, put on the top of cupcake and use a toothpick to decorate the hair.
6.Serve immediately and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

My son's friends who are staying nearby were so happy to receive this Oreo Owl cupcake...

Old-Fashioned Birthday Cake, and party foods 怀旧的生日

The other day when i had conversation about Birthday party with my hubby, and i just realized that both of us never had neither a Birthday party nor Birthday cake when we were young. Our family financial situation was not allowed to have such luxury celebration last time. When i was a kid, our family were staying at the kampung (small town) , to have a Birthday cake is big thing for us, we can only travel to big town like Klang to get Birthday cake because there were no bakery shop at our small town last time..Anyway, we never blamed our parent and we blessed for what we had last time, it also trained us become stronger and appreciate for everything that we achieving now.
Nevertheless, i still have kawan-kawan yang kaya ( rich friends) last time, so i still have chances to attend their Birthday parties, hehehe..When i flipping through those old Birthday party photos the other day, recall a lot of nice memory and nostalgia feeling about these old Birthday parties. So i decided to held an old-fashioned party for my hubby this year..

I tried to recall what foods were served in a Birthday party last time. Here i came out with these old-fashioned cake and foods..I also served these foods with old fashioned enamel plates and Corningware L'ECHALOTE (Thanks to my hubby finally got me this set of classic casserole that i have been wanting to own a set)

Dig out all these old Birthday photos to get the ideas on how to decorate the old-fashioned Birthday cake

The common old-fashioned Birthday cake has those colourful edible wafer flowers, chocolate rice on the sides of the cake, star pipe buttercream..

This time i really made an old-fashioned Birthday cake even the buttercream also taste exactly like those i ate in old time. I learnt how to make this old-fashioned buttercream from the bakery shop that usually i visiting, just realized the buttercream is made with one type of margarine called Creamwell..check out recipe below..



Some of the foods that usually served in a Birthday party last time..The fried chicken also old style, you must be wondering why fried chicken also has old style, hehehe, find out the recipe below..

Must have item -red eggs, recipe here ( i have revised the old post to include exact amount of ingredients )

fried meehoon, recipe here

my hubby's favourite- Hokkien fried mee, recipe here

Chicken curry, recipe here

This is a must have dish, as we like to pour a lot of curry gravy onto fried meehoon or fried Hokkein mee..

One of the kuih that i like to eat in an old-fashioned Birthday party- corn pudding..will share recipe soon..

old-fashioned agar-agar jelly, will share recipe soon

Old-fashioned fried chicken..

In old time, taking Kentucky fried chicken outside also a luxury thing, so usually my mother using this type of pre-mix Kentucky flour to fry chicken..very easy, just coat this flour with chicken and deep fry..

My son Desmond said he likes this old-fashioned fried chicken very much ^_^

Happy Birthday to my hubby!! stay healthy...

Old-Fashioned Birthday Cake
(Recipe: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

One 7” chocolate sponge cake, refer recipe here
One quantity of Creamwell buttercream, refer recipe here
Chocolate rice
Edible wafer flowers

Method
1. Using a cake divider to divide sponge cake into 3 pieces.
2. Frost the whole cake and between layers with Creamwell buttercream.
3. Pat chocolate rice on the sides, and pipe a ring of star buttercream around the cake.
4. Decorate with edible wafer flowers.
5. Cover and keep in room temperature.

** I got this old-fashioned Birthday party idea when i saw Wendy also held one for her husband last time..

Jelly Layer Cake

Finally , i have finished re-arrange all labels of my existing posts and created a new recipe index page (Thanks to Wendy for her guidance). When i see this recipe gallery in this new page, i just realized that i have cooked and baked so many foods, like a recipe map!! Feel free to have a look on my new recipe index (on the top page) and try to click here and there (give comment if any), Xie Xie , Terimakasih and Thank you..

Last two weeks i made two Birthday cakes for my niece and nephew, one was Tiramisu cake for Birthday boy, another was this Jelly Cake for Birthday girl. I got this idea from Eileen's blog.

I was not sure why the recipe need to add instant jelly powder, quickly made a call to Angie (the owner of the jelly recipe). She was so kind explained to me why we need to add this extra instant jelly powder, as to prevent jelly from deteriorate quickly ( water comes out from jelly )

I got the idea from Japanese drama "Midnight Canteen" on how to decorate this cake, it look simple and elegant for me. But my sister complainted why nothing at the sides of the cake and look so plain, hahaha..And she also said the cream look so untidy, i know i still have to improve my frosting skill.

Jelly Layer Cake
(recipe source: jelly recipe adapted from Angie My Mum's Cake house)
*makes a 7” round cake

To make jelly layer
975ml water
135g sugar
10g agar-agar powder
1tsp instant jelly powder
100g fresh strawberry, small cubes
A drop of red food colouring

Method
1. Mix water, sugar, agar-agar powder and instant jelly powder in a saucepan, stir well.
2. Cook over medium heat till sugar dissolved.
3. Pour the jelly liquid into a 35.5cm x 28cm (11”x14”) square pan.
4. Sprinkle strawberry cubes and add a drop for red colouring into the jelly liquid.
5. Set aside to cool and set.
6. Cut out two 7” round jelly layer.

To make plain sponge cake
One 7” plain sponge cake, refer recipe here, slice into 3 equal pieces

200g non-dairy whipping cream, for frosting, follow to steps here to whip the cream

150g fresh strawberry, for decorating

To assemble the cake
1. Place one piece of sponge cake on a cake disc (at a revolving decorating cake stand for easy frosting)
2. Spread evenly a thin layer of whipped cream, top with a jelly layer.
3. To continue spread evenly a thin layer of whipped cream, place second piece of sponge, spread evenly a layer of whipped cream, top with jelly layer.
4. Top with last piece of sponge cake, frost the whole cake with whipped cream.
5. Decorate with strawberry or your own choice of decoration.

My sister sent me this photo (taken using her phone), have a look the inside of this cake..