Nico's 2nd Birthday

Thinking of what to do on Nico's birthday this year has had me going for weeks.
August 20th, 2008, he turned 2.

Finally got to bake him a cake to celebrate with his classmates, and some cuppies from them to take home.
All cake was Choc Mud Cake, covered with whipped cream.


The theme is Little Einstein, one of Nico's favourite TV show, which was chosen after a lengthy discussion between two kids and their Mum. (Nico was wanting Mickey Mouse but he had it last year!). At the end, he was squeaking with glee when he saw the edible, so I believe Little Einstein was the right choice. Thanks to Ina Larizz for making it happen.



The cuppies has Little Eisnteins and Pocoyo and it came in a single cuppie bubble container for friends to take home. They were again topped with whipped cream, and sparkled by some star trimmits, which was a gift from Natalia - thanks!



More cuppies for neighbour friends, and some strawberried ones for the mothers.

Happy Independence Day Cookies

The 63rd Indonesia Independence Anniversary is coming, a friend ordered some cookies for her Mum to take to her office to celebrate the upcoming event. They had to be in red & white, the colours of Indonesian flag.


Only have two colours to play with, I decided to toy with the pattern, using the mighty toothpick to tweak the icing and create different style from my usual ones.


I wished I could've done the red colour better, but I promised Mia's Mum I'll do a perfect red for Xmas. Promised. Merdeka euy!

Oom Budhi's Lucky Birthday Cuppie

Some choc mud cuppies for the best of luck on my favorite uncle: Oom Budhi on his birthday. I spent a lot of time in his house during my college years, spared me his roof during my internship, and he was a witness on my wedding day.

However, everything about his birthday this year was so auspicious!
It falls on the 8th of the 8th month two thousand 8.
So I baked him 9 cuppies for extraluck. And guess what. When I broke open one of the egg, it has twin yolks in it!! This was my 2nd twin yolk egg, my first one was long time ago when I was a kid.


Topped with some smooth ganache, I put some oranges to enlighten the choc and bring some freshness to the whole taste. An auspicious fruit in Chinese symbols. The word for tangerine having the same sound as "luck" in Chinese, and the word for orange having the same sound as "wealth".


Hopefully everybody like the little treats of abundance luck and wealth!

Macaroni Schotel

I'm ever so happy with non stick my muffin tray, the best thing in mykitchen I purchased under Rp.20 thousand. Now I can bake my family recipe of Macaroni Schotel in it. Soo handy!


Boiled the pasta, drained them, and soaked them in generous amount of milk , cheese, and eggs and scattered some smoked beef or whatever meat you like, and divided evenly between the the molded cups. Baked in 180-200C for 20 minutes. Used to need 45 minutes or more in larger pyrex dish. Popped out so easily from the mold without greasing. Saves time, enery, and no need of cutting evenly between your guests.


I LOVE my non stick muffin tray!!

Melt in Your Mouth for Fanny

So lousy of me, I didn't know that our neighbour and a dear friend, Fanny had her birthday some weeks ago. Promised her a belated birthday cake to make it up. She said not to give her any pretty cake because she'd feel sorry to eat it, instead just give her any 'reject' cake - that's her exact word!

Had a free time this Saturday morning and wondered if there's any new recipe to try. Remembered this 'Melt in Your Mouth Choc Cake' I saw on Chocolate & Zucchini, which is a blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier. Think that this is the right time to try it and to fulfill my promise to Fanny, forget about the 'reject' cake, here's something specially made for you!


The very dense, dark, richly chocolatey and buttery (hey! 200gr butter, 200gr choc, 200gr sugar and only 20gr flour!!) heart shaped cake should taste heavenly with fresh whipped French cream, sprinkled with 100&1000's.
Surely look festive and merry for a belated birthday dessert :)


And I'm glad I used the colourful heart trimmits, Aska had a good time picking up the 'hati yang kelir-kelir' while Mami Fanny enjoyed the cake...

ChocMud Cuppies for Amy

It was Wednesday, our 2nd day at Anyer when I found a text message from my sister, asking if it's too late to ask me to bake some cuppies for her goodfriend Amy's birthday on Friday.
Baking won't take long but me on my holiday mood couldn't work my brain out to get an brilliant idea for the decoration. I told Reny I'll get back to her by Thursday night, whether I could get the cuppies done - or not, when I'm back from our first beach family holiday.

I know I have all the ingredients ready at home, so once we get back and after I bathed the kids, I started working on the kitchen. Were not sure what kind of cake Amy likes, but I decided to treat her with the juiciest choc cake I think no one insane enough to resist :)

Not much on the decoration, was thinking about making some fondant figurines but afraid of running out of energy and time to dry them up, so I picked some Arnott's Tiny Teddy and sprinkle some hearts trimmits as token of love from a good friend, and line the edges with sugar crystals for festive effects.


So glad to hear back from Reny that Amy called and told her she liked the cuppies, she tought they were so cute she display the box on her desk for everyone to see. Then she finally ate them and share them with her colleagues, and said the cuppies were sooo chocolatey and melted in the mouth. they finished them all and forgot to spare one for Amy's husband *oops!!*

Cookies to Welcome Fakhri!

Winda called me a few months ago with some inquiries on lolly cookies she saw when she visited Baby Adia. She called me again on a late Sunday afternoon, and ordered these lolly cookies to welcome her newborn baby boy, Fakhri. The cookies are for guests to take home as thank you gift, therefore Winda wants Fakhri's name written on them.


I jumped off my seat and run to the kitchen right away as Fakhri was born that morning, so his mum would need the cookies right away! Plus the fact that my family & I were going to go out of town on Tuesday morning, I would need to finish the cookies for Monday delivery.

Gathered the ingredients and utensils while my kids were napping, I worked on the dough and icing, and only stopped for a quick shower and dinner. Luckily my Mum stayed over before our vacation, she helped me taking care of the kids so I could finish the whole 30 cookies right on time to tuck them in their beds. Thanks Mum!!

Started decorating them overnight and only finished at about 2 in the morning, I couldn't do a fancier style (sorry Winda...) and got them all packed and ready by 3 a.m.


Got the cookie jars just before I drove to the hospital, and even wrap and tied the cookie bouquets in front of the new proud parents of beautiful baby Fakhri.
I hope Winda & Agus like the cookies despite the time constrained creation.
Welcome Baby Fakhri!

Choc Mud Cake

I am not a chocolate person myself, but when I saw this recipe my memory flew back to those several years ago when I was living in Sydney.
There's a little bakery somewhere in the heart of DeeWhy and when I have a bit of extra money money (hey, student's don't have money...) I sometimes go inside this shop and got me a piece of moist dark brown treat with scrumptious rich tastiest chocolate topping (now i know it's called ganache) that I used to save to my last bite...


Chocolate Mud Cake. Dark. Rich. Moist.
Best served chilled with heavy cream on the side.
I didn't have cream this time as I want to savor it's original rich taste on its own.

You can call me a chocolate person this time.

Famous-Amosy Wannabe

Been googling for Famous Amos cookie recipe when I stumbled over to several blogs, one of them is fellow Indonesia baker now living in Melbourne, Regina.
She quoted the recipe which claimed itself as the original recipe, however I was more interested in the piece that she modified.

Got all the stuff together including the very tempting Semi Sweet Hershey Choc Chip. Alas! Only to found out my grinder was broken and it was too late to cancel this project that has been on my wish list for weeks, so I just ground the oatmeals manually using Indonesian traditional stone mortar & pestle!!
That saved me a few bucks off gym admission and in return here comes the yummy morsel of snack I've ever made! Yihaaa....


It has all the goodness of dark cooking choc, our treasured Hershey's Choc Chip, almond, and butter. Yummo yummo!

Cancerians Crab Cuppies

Specially requested by Reny for 2 of her colleagues who were having their birthdays this month. The brief was to make something simple for 2 different guys for them to share the cuppies with their kids at home. But something 'simple' wouldn't do kids much excitement enjoying cuppies, I want them to savor the look as much as its Vanilla & Choc Chip flavour.

Needed to squeeze my brain to get an interesting theme quickly as I don't have much time, a basic idea that can be slightly modified into two different set of cuppies. Albeit the different personalities, at least Dodi & Bondan share something in common: their zodiacs! They're Cancerians.

Hence come the idea of making this crab as center piece, one was hanging out on the beach with earthy colour tone, and the other was in the bottom of the sea with teal blue tone.
Along came other sea creatures you can find in the sea and on the beach to accompany each crab.


Orange marbled yellow fishes, seashells, and starfishes...


All figurines were made of fondant, the sand was made of brown sugar. This fake sand looked sooo real but I bet it tastes hundred times better!


They come in clear plastic boxes, a set of 8 cuppies. Wasn't a too bad job for such a short notice (Reny only texted me Tuesday afternoon to get this delivered by Friday!) and I was quite happy with the outcome...


Looked like this crab feel a bit trapped. Poor little things. I wonder if they actually get eaten, too! :)

Disney Princess & Ben10 Cupcakes

These cuppies were ordered by Tia for her children.
Tia didn't mention the occasion when she called me, she only wants half a box of cuppies for her son with Ben10 edible images and the rest of them with Disney Princesses for her daughter. The cakes were chocolate flavor with some generous amount of choc chip sprinkled inside.


It was Tuesday morning and the cuppies were to delivered to her office by Friday noon, so I called Yani immediately requesting the edible images to be made and sent to me asap. Once I had the edibles on my hand, I cut them out and put them onto rolled fondant and inserted a toothpick in between so the edible were able to stand up straight on the cuppies.

The cuppies were covered with baby blue poured fondant, decorated with cut out butterflies, pink flower and dragee on each petals, and colorful spikel sprinkled all over. All decoration items are edible.


I choose soft orange fondant to cover Ben10 series, to compliment the yellow & apple green theme colours. So I picked these colours for the cut out stars. Metallic green dragees and round chocolate chips are placed in between to made the cuppies look merrier.


I delivered the cuppies to Tia's office on Friday morning, and only then realized that we had actually known each other through a job back in 1999. That's almost 10 years ago!
Then Tia told me that her son had just been through a tonsil operation, and the cuppies were treats to celebrate the day he was allowed to start eating the yummy foods again!

I hope he enjoys the choc cuppies with his favourite Ben10 character, and get well soon, and have more yummy cuppies :)

Animal Topper 3

Cute Bunnies!


The three sisters are: Cherrylane Bunny (owned by Cia), then my 2nd attempt Bunny, and at the end is 1st attempt Bunny.
I'm so happy with my new Bunny as she's able to hold the plumpness and it's shape also resembles the perfect Cherrylane Bunny model.


It's cute behind :)
But I think I could do the tail a bit smaller next time...


I can't wait for the edible pen my Mum had just bought me, but she'll only be back next week. I need them to make perfect eyes for the figurine as toothpick and food colouring doesn't do justice to this cute animal being!

Animal Topper 2

Ladybug.


A somewhat easier project compare to the previous Cherrylane Bunny. I like it's googly eyes, her head sunk ready to feast on the rose's leaf.


A quirkier angle. Looks like she's trying to hide herself behind the sumptuous peach rose. Or maybe she's camera shy.

That's why we get her a plastic bubble of her own :) I think this 'hamburger' wrap suites her.

Animal Toppers 1

The perfect Cherrylane Bunny belongs to Cia, sitting next to my bunny and my mouse.

My bunny was plumper and taller when I was making it, but it sunk and flattened during the drying process albeit only in room temperature. I kinda lost patience trying to put on it's nose and ended up pressing it too hard therefore the funny nose.

The colouring I put on their eyes won't dry up even after 2 days, and accidentally rubbed my finger on the mouse's eye so I decided to change the bunny's eyes with melted chocolate.


Somehow it looks cuter sitting on the cuppie, or even in it's new see through cage.

Ladybugs & Roses Cuppies

A box of cuppies as a thank you gift for our friend dr.Joyce.
I've known her from uni back then when we attended the same alma mater. She's a very good and caring doctor, she's the one we count on when one of us get sick, and we often bother her on the most inconvenient hours like Saturday midnight (!!), but she always gets back to us by calling back or replying my text messages.

Can't thanks her enough for all her help.
But at least we can occasionally send her something from our kitchen as she likes my baking goods. It's not Macaroni Schotel this time - but some cupcakes with cute garden theme.


Vanilla & Choc Chip and Chocolate & Choc Chip flavour, all covered in soft pastel green fondant, sprinkled with green sugar crystals for sparkling effect.
Some bright red ladybugs were sunbathing among pink and peach roses, all made of fondant and edible.
It's nothing compares to all the helps dr. Joyce had provided us with, but at least it's something to snack on while she enjoys her weekend holiday, right, Doc?

Animal Cuppies for Mika

Happy Belated 3rd Birthday, Mika !! Hope you had a blast and lots of presents and toys :)
Sorry that Cia & Icho weren't well last week so their mum couldn't spare time to bake you something to celebrate your birthday on time.

But here's something from Cia & Icho, please don't mind as it came a week late...


Ibu Opi told me you likes chocolate, so here are some in Chocolate & Choc Chip for you , and Vanilla & Choc Chip flavour for Ibu & Ayah. Somehow the temperature made the fondant topping a bit wrinkly, so they actually looks like Pug Dog's face skin. All parts are edible, they are made of kids cereals and chocolate buttons and choc coated peanut candy.
Lots of choco thingy for choco lover boy!



Hope you like these animals cuppies, Icho thought they were Mickey Mouses, but Cia guessed better, they were puppy dogs, koalas, and teddy bears!