Singapore here I come...

I am all ears to anyone with any advice on my adventure to Singapore... I will be attending a couple of cupcake courses there and eating lots of EVERYTHING... If anyone knows the wheres and hows of Singapore I would appreciate your advice.

Vida x

Some old, some new, some even Crabapple Bakery style...

Experiments in styles...

My favourite at the moment is the "clouds with stars and moon"... Vida x

Feasting on French Fare...

Can you believe that I got these at the little fruit shop in Carlisle Street... how good is this? French wild mushrooms (at wild prices) and they smell like the earth itself... just a couple of handfuls made my sauce the best thing ever... good fillet steak from Leon's (also on Carlisle Street) and a potatoe, sugar snap peas, tomato, bacon and pesto salad and dinner was divine... Oh and did I mention... I painted this plate myself!?!?!?

Vida x

Ella's Sweet 16th...

Ella turned 16 today and of course I was on cupcake duty... She had done work experience at one of Australia's most renowned restaurants and picture below was taken there... she had 20 friends join her for some dinner and lots of giggles... These were for a girl called Em who celebrated her 21st last weekend...

She wanted purple, pink and green as a theme...

I tried to vary the styles a bit...

I got lots of praise and my cupcakes were a hit...

Until next time... Vida x

Crabapple Bakery - forget them!!!

These are some designs I have been playing with lately... I like this colour combo...

Using lollies with texture for centrepieces...
These flowers and butterflies are handmade... I even made the sugarpaste from scratch!!!

Vida x

Crabapple Bakery - Big Shoes to Fill...

I am sure you have all heard the Crabapple Bakery went into voluntary liquidation earlier this month and so now there is a huge gap in the market where they left off... I cannot say that I am the one to fill that gap but I certainly will give it a shot... I have started to receive some commerical orders already and I am lucky enough to have access to a commerial kitchen in which to fill those orders... These are some cupcakes I made over the weekend including the handmade flowers...

My classes are getting lots of attention too with the school holidays commencing soon so I might be too busy to post over the next few weeks... Vida x

Las Chicas...

My cupcakes are now available at Las Chicas in Carlisle Street, Balaclava... a short distance from home and my favourite St Kilda haunt...



I hope your guys get a chance to see them there, my cupcakes are on trial to see how things go but I am hoping I will be supported and that they sell well enough to survive... Vida x

The Business Card Company...

Yippie, hooray, the Business Card Company have printed my business cards and I am so pleased... I did my homework for months and shopped around to get the best price and these guys were it...

The used one of my photos but they are very apt at doing whatever you need them to do!! Their prices were almost the same as if I had gone to Officeworks and done them myself... who wants to go through the trouble!!! I had checked out quite a number of the printers out there including the big chains and honestly these guys did it for less then half and almost a quarter to what all the others were charging... A lot of the work was done over the phone and through email and I believe you can pay to have it delivered even so if you are interstate it could work too... so guys I have done the leg work for you and all you have to do is call these guys and get your cards done... easy as 1 - 2 - 3.... Vida x

The Business Card Co. (Aust) Pty Ltd
Suite 2,

297 Bay Street,

Brighton 3186

Phone (03) 9530 8100

http://www.tbcc.com.au/

Email: inform@tbcc.com.au

A rose by any other name...

This is my "rose" pasta... I got this idea from a fellow blogger who sadly now has invited guest only to her blog... a loss for everyone...


I filled these with goats cheese, roasted pumpkin and amaretto biscuits...


There is no recipe as I just made the pasta and add the filling along the length of the pasta... with the rough edges coming together to look thinner and petal like when rolled around... I made these ages ago so my memory is quite vague but I think I used either water or egg wash to "glue" the ends together... I then popped them into the freezer whilst I got the water ready... Angelika was firm on this advice as they held together with the freezing and you could then cook them at your leisure or leave them in the freezer...


Alana plans to do them for a school project and I have suggested using beetroot to colour the pasta and laying them on a bed of leaves so they look a lot more like roses as such...


I will post those photos once she is ready...


Vida x

Birthday Photos...

Flowers from E,

Beautiful indulgent therapy at St Kilda Sea Baths from L,

Chocolates from A,

I made these,

This is me trying every pose in the book to avoid the "double chin"... am not too sure it worked but I did my best...


I had my spa treatment today and I feel radiant, silky smooth and I think I even dozed of at one stage but luckily my snoring woke me!!!

A funny point on the night - I invited three couples and ALL the women had names starting with V, there was me Vida, a friend of 28 years called Varinia, a friend for the last decade Veronica, and a more recent friend called Viviane - what are the chances?!?!? I mean there is not a Susan amongst us, V starting names are not common by any measure... just another oddity in my life... one I will never figure out I guess!!!

I had one of the best birthdays I have ever had in my life and I felt GREAT... life really is good at the moment!!!

Vida x

BIRTHDAY GIRL....

It's my birthday today... photos will follow later today... 44 and feeling good! Vida x

Click away....

Thanks to the wonderous Christie, you can now just click on the little cupcake with the red flower to your right on the side panel and you will be directed to my website... which will be updated soon to include new pictures... These terrific photos were taken by the lovely Jackie... so this is REAL teamwork!!! Vida x

Photos at last...

Quince preserved, jellied and pasted....

Pasted???? is that even right???

Sorry for the lack of posts but my camera cord is broken and I really am unable to upload to the laptop (any suggestions please sing out!!!) and so it seems a bit funny to just write without photos...

Anyway tonight the girls went off to the footy with family and friends and I had the run of the house (must get used to saying apartment) and it was time for me to catch up on kitchen capers. The quince were really waiting for me to get into action so finally I did and in a big way... well three ways that is, first preserved in my trustee Fowlers Vacola preserving "thing", then I cut some up and made a paste and I dare not waste the skin, pips and bits because they all went into a pot with water and sugar to make jelly. I almost thought I could make a cordial too but exhaustion got the better of me and really I did not have THAT many quince.

So now I wait for everything to cool a little then I can store it all away. The quince paste will take a week or so to set and then I can wrap that up and label/tag it. I do have some lovely tags my dear friend gifted me last year and I might just use them and return the favour by giving her some paste.

I hope I can get some pictures tomorrow and somehow upload them to show you. I will miss the sweet perfume the quince have delighted me with these past few weeks sitting on my coffee table but I will enjoy eating them too... Perhaps a little bit of the jelly as my liquid for a few cupcakes or even in the icing perhaps... yum...

Pink and pretty is all I see in the jars in my kitchen, such glee!!! Ahhh a poet to boot!!

Perhaps the lovely Jackie would like some of my spoils for all her talents helping me photograph my cupcakes, in order to update my website... lookout Jackie, I am coming your way!!!

Vida x

Now Available...

My cupcakes (I Bake Babycakes t/a Class Cupcake) are now available at the award winning Red Rhumba Cafe Restaurant, 98 Waverley Road, Malvern East... Drop by, have a coffee, say hello to Kevin the owner and sample my very own cupcakes!! Vida x

Red Rhumba doesn't have a website but you can still look it up and here's a link to the cafe on Your Restaurants. (Thanks Thanh.

http://yourrestaurants/redrhumba"

Vida x

Big in the Country and lots of Country Hospitality!

Oooops, I bragged about being on page 3 when in fact, on seeing the paper again, it's page 8, which really kinda looks like 3!!! Anyway I done good, just to get there at all!!!! This is the Ararat newspaper and lady furthest to my left (your right) is Jenny, a dear and wonderful friend who helped me and my family settle into a new neighbourhood more than a decade ago... she lost her father just three short months after I lost mine... the lady closest to myself is Judy (her mum) and the wife to Bill who lost his life to cancer. Judy wanted to raise $5,000 in Bill's honour and I am proud to have been asked to help and proud to say she more than achieved her goal!!!! Not bad considering how hard the country has been hit by draught etc.

The money will go to The Cancer Council for research/and or whatever their needs may be. A plaque will be put up in Bills memory... Both my parents suffered from cancer and I was also doing this very much for them both...

These cute "cupcakes" are made of soap and were gifted to me by Jenny in recognition of my support of this fundraiser... The quince is from Judy's tree, also gifted to me as well as eggs, chutney, chocolates and so much more...

I do so love fresh produce, free range eggs and lovely homemade goods... I really appreciated all my gifts... oh and did I mention I was taken to a lovely lunch in a sweet cafe in Ararat too!! I cannot tell you the number of people that thanked me for my cupcake efforts too, I felt very appreciated and cared for...

Judy held a fashion parade for over 100 people, a morning tea for more than 30 (I went up twice over the last month to help with the food for both), a relay and a garage sale... she worked so hard to show her love and respect of her husband of over 50 years... I met Bill on many occasions and he was a good, honest man... they both were very avid fundraisers in their community and again it was a pleasure to give back to them both...

Thank you to all of you who take the time to share my experiences...

My living room is perfumed with the sweet fragrance of quince... time for sweet dreams and rest... Vida x

Classes & Catering...

Thank you to those of you who told me my website sucks... it's ok... I am learning and it is a work in progress clearly... I will get there and it will be great... feels good to know what is wrong because then I can fix it or more to the point get someone more capable to fix it...

On the other hand the catering aspect is going along in leaps and bounds... it started with an order for 2 dozen and then it became an order for 10 dozen and this week again an order for 10 dozen...

This picture shows the latest order for 10 dozen... they look like little soldiers... this one was never going to be too intricate as it was for a fundraiser and I was wearing all the cost (not the way to do good business) but they still look cute and hopefully I will get a student or two come my from it... wish me luck, I am travelling to Ararat with these babies in tow... Vida x

Class Cupcake Begins in a Few Weeks...

Well I have done it... I have put up a website advertising my classes and now I hope people will be interested enough to attend...

Supplies have started to arrive and I hope I am ready!!!!

I will (as the website tells you) share all my knowledge about cupcakes... I have spent almost two years researching all I can and I will not be holding back any information... I will give you a goodie bag to take home which includes piping bags and nozzles, cupcake liners in assorted colours, also 4 food colourings to get started with, I will show you techniques, I will give you many recipes and it will all be done in under 3 hours and hopefully it will be comfortable and welcoming in my own home... I will provide cupcakes to decorate and take home... You only need to bring yourself and nothing else...

My website is http://www.classcupcake.com.au/

Let me know what you think... If you think I could add more to the experience please let me know!! Vida x

Cupcake Madness...

Spectacular Cupcake 2008

For the batter:
200g plain flour
200g caster sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 salt
40g dutch cocoa
150ml sour cream
2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the icing

160 g milk chocolate
75g unsalted butter
125ml sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon golden syrup
300g golden icing sugar, sieved
1/2 teaspoon hot water

Preheat oven to 180C
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a large bowl. Then using an electric mixer, add the butter. In another bowl whisk together the cocoa, sour cream, eggs and vanilla, then slowly add this cocoa mixture to the ingredients in the bowl, beating until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the batter in the moulds and bake for 15-20, checking by piercing with a thin bladed knife, when this comes out clean they are ready. Leave in tin for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. To make the icing, melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave, or in a bowl over hot water. Let cool a little, then stir in the sour cream, vanilla and syrup. Add the sieved icing sugar and a little hot water, blending until smooth. When the right texture you can pipe onto cupcakes.

Cover this over with Iranian Fairy Floss (all details and facts for Iranian Fairy Floss are posted here on my site back in October of 2007, and you are done.

Vida x

Linzer Torte...

I am practicing my piping for my cupcakes and saw this brilliant idea on TV whereby you pipe the base of your tin instead of rolling or spreading both of which would have taken heaps more time than the piping did. I must say there really was no waste with the piping, it was SOOOOO fast and easy and I think it really gave the torte a professional look.

Now it would have been great had I remembered to take a after photo after baking but that was not the case and so you will have to imagine it all cooked and yummy, which it really was. I had some left over so I just piped out a few biscuits, an added bonus!!!! Vida x

Linzer Torte

200g butter
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1cup sugar
1 ts vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ ts salt
½ ts nutmeg
½ cinnamon
150g flour plain
150g hazelnut meal
¾ cup raspberry jam

Whisk butter, sugar, zest and vanilla – 3 mins

Add eggs and yolk.

Sift all dry ingredients and add ¾ in whilst mixing with mixer then add last ¼ to be mixed in with wooden spoon.

Cook at 160 for 35 mins.

Tip for professional and EASY way to get base into loose based tin…. Pipe the lot in starting with tiny circle in middle and just keep going all way to the end then add a little border up sides. Spread your jam into base then pipe lattice on top.

I have made it!!!!!!!!!

I just found a cool food blog directory, sorted by geography. Check it out: Columbus Foodie Food Blog Directory.

And I am on there in the Australian category of course! I could not believe it when I saw little old me there in the listing BUT what was more fabulous it seemed like I could look up blogs by geography and then I would assume culinary style... I mean if I feel like something Asian, I could search through Asia, something Latin, off I go to South America.... I think this is fabulous and I imagine there are a few of you bloggers out there that would have to agree!!

Actually I think this is just another way for me to be even more engrossed with the blogging network than ever, my family will hate that I found this site...

Check it out and please let me know what you think!!

Vida x

Then I got some instruction...

I got some instruction and a couple of new piping tips to go with my piping bag and I was off and running again...

Double click for a close up on the phots and be kind, these had to travel to a friend's house and home again and THEN I took the photos, at night in the dark.... ooops...

Vida x