Castle and Princesses Birthday Cake

Here is another Disney Princess-themed birthday cake (kindly ignore the background?!?)

And in case anyone is wondering... we rarely, if ever, use fondant...

Apple Cake

When I was a little girl, I loved apples.  I remember eating at least one each day.  And I loved the tart green apple best of all.

But my love for apples were only for the fresh chilled fruit.  I distinctly disliked apples in any other form except fresh, chilled and without the skin!  So while my mom's apple pie was possibly the best, I ate little of it (although to be fair, it was the only apple pie I would eat).    I did not like apple cake at all, except (recently) this apple upside-down cake.  

As I grew older, I grew less fond of apples.  But this did not mean that I did not try to use them for baking!  Especially since I (usually) get a lot of apples in December, so I baked a lot of apple desserts... mommy's apple pie (at least trying it), apple tarts, apple muffins, apple cakes... all of which everyone else would eat.

Then last week, as I was browsing Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, I discovered her recipe for Marie-Helene's Apple Cake.

And, as usual I made little changes... like using a mandolin to slice the apples instead of slicing them into chunks (it was really faster to use the mandolin!)... adding apple pie spice...  reducing the sugar (just a bit) and using light brown sugar (and then sprinkling the top with more light brown sugar and more apple pie spice)... and finally, using 2 6-inch Springform pans instead of a single 9-inch.

I used a mix of Fuji apples and Gala apples, although I think I might have overdone the apples.  Dorie Greenspan's recipe called for 4 apples (varying kinds).  What I had was 1 medium Fuji apple and about 6 small Gala apples.  I thought 2 small apples would be equivalent to a medium one...

I love, love, love this cake!!!  It's more apple than cake, I would say, and I really like the the apple slices still have a crunch to it!

Hubby had his cake with vanilla ice cream and he was so happy with the cake that he got a second and a third helping!

Noir Amer Moelleux au Chocolat (Bitter, Dark Chocolate Cake, French-style)

We'd been quite busy, almost to the point when there is little time to indulge in baking.  But a birthday cannot be celebrated without cake.  So, because of time constraints the cake had to be fast and easy, and of course, utterly delicious!

Answer?  French-style Chocolate Cake - dense, rich, flourless (or almost flourless) chocolate cake, meant to be served warm and without icing, except maybe to be garnished (or accompanied) with/by whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.  

A slice of cake, with a scoop of ice cream on the side.  Due to the richness of the cake, it is better enjoyed in thin slices.

It is fast and easy to make, especially with a stand mixer.  And with no icing or frosting, it was a breeze to serve.  It was simply fantastic with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or both!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Midi size

For Mrs. V's birthday...

Just a simple single layer midi-sized cake, about 6 inches in diameter...

Happy Birthday, Mrs. V.

Disney Princess and Castle Cake

Last year, the little girl made her birthday wishes known... castle and Disney princess...

I was stumped about the castle bit, until a dear friend pointed me in the direction of a cut-out castle (and I was all prepared to do it too!).  Then a "guardian angel" gave a real (toy) Disney castle ("playhouse") last Christmas and so... all I had to do was plop the whole thing on top of cake and decoratively arrange the princess figurines!

Presenting... B's 5th birthday cake!

The kids in school were so enamored by the cake!

Anyway, here are the cupcakes, which the little girl said should be Disney princess too, and pink...

And, of course, since it wasn't appropriate for boys to have princess cupcakes... so they got Mickey Mouse instead...

I was the star that day... because I made her wish come true!

Special Ube Cake

Another Ube Cake, by special request!

♥ ♥ ♥

Lime Margarita Chiffon Cake

A special request for a boozy cake got us to bake this one -

Another view...

Doesn't it look good???

White Chocolate Christmas Cake

I knew I wanted white chocolate cake.  What I didn't know was what to top it with.

But hubby helped with the solution... cookies and cream!

And it's really delicious!

Really yummy!

Reese-this-Christmas Chocolate Cake

Finally, we've finalized our offerings for this Christmas.  Fudgy Callebaut Brownies and Stuffed Blondies were easy choices, as is the Banana Chocolate Chip Cake of last Christmas (2012).  The Carrot Cake will still be available but in limited quantity only because of a limited supply of carrots.

The focus for this Christmas is chocolate.  So we decided on a chocolate cake and a white chocolate cake.  The dilemma we encountered was how to adorn the cakes without using frosting.  Frosting would be a problem especially if we had a lot of orders since I did not have a separate refrigeration unit and the cakes would definitely not fit in my fridge!

The idea actually came to me when I saw rocky road brownies at a kiosk in the nearby mall.  I realized I could use a variety of toppings instead of icing.

So here's our chocolate cake, topped with chopped Reese cups!

A peek inside...

The cake is approximately 6 inches in diameter, single layer, no filling.  It's a bit taller than our carrot or banana cake.  The cake itself is somewhat bland (this is deliberate on our part) because it is meant to be complemented by the sweet and decadent topping!

Loaded Strawberry Shortcake

This is a cake inspired by something I had a taste of on an out-of-town trip.  That particular cake was a 2 layer strawberry chiffon cake, filled with whipped cream and chopped strawberries, and frosted with whipped cream, topped with slices of fresh strawberries.

Now, I don't particularly like strawberries, unless they are really sweet, and only then if they're dipped in a specific blend of cream, but when I saw the (really) big, plump, really red strawberries at the local market in Baguio, I bought 2 kilos!!!  Price be dxxxxd,  I was determined to make MY strawberry shortcake!  One that is chock-full of strawberries!  From the cake itself, to the filling, frosting, topping... EVERYTHING!

So here are the (2 kilos) strawberries, hulled and cleaned - the smaller ones got chopped, while the larger ones were reserved for the cake topping.

Presenting...  my creation - which I fondly call THE

Loaded Strawberry Shortcake...

3 layers of strawberry chiffon cake (no added flavorings or color!), filled with strawberry cream, with chopped (fresh) strawberries, frosted with strawberry whipped cream, and topped with fresh strawberries!

A peek inside the cake -

And, as usual, I did not add any preservatives, artificial flavors or colors.  So, the cake layers did not have a pink hue, rather the cake layers were more yellowish.  The strawberry cream filling had pureed strawberries as well as chopped strawberries.  The whipped cream is strawberry as well (you can see the strawberry bits) but both filling and frosting are pale pink due to the "natural coloring" of the strawberries.

The only "problem" with this cake?  The lack of supply of fresh strawberries in the local market.  This cake was made with about 2 kilos of strawberries!  Talk about being loaded!!!  But the cost really is  prohibitive!!!

But I would like to offer this cake.  It's just too yummy not to share... I just have to figure out how (and without skimping on the strawberries!). :)

Caramel Cake

A cake that took me a year to make...

Lemon Chiffon Cake, with Custard Cream Filling, frosted with Caramel Icing, with Vanilla Buttercream borders, and decorated with (off-the-shelf) sugar flowers.

While we do not add artificial colors, a birthday cake (or any occasion cake) would look drab.  So while we DO NOT ADD artificial colors, there are times when we use ready made cake toppers or decorations that (obviously) used coloring.  And while, technically, such decorations are made of sugar (and hence can be eaten) we discourage eating them because (really now) all that sugar is really not good for anyone, and there's plenty of sugar in the cake and the icing to begin with!

Anyway, here's a peek inside the cake...

If only the cake was easier to make... took a whole day!  Baking the cake, cooking the filling, making caramel then cooking it to make the icing, then making the buttercream until finally filling and frosting the whole cake!  Imagine if I had to make the flowers myself, too!!!

Anyway, the birthday boy (who requested this cake last year!) was very, very happy.  In fact, he was so happy that within 15 minutes of finishing the cake, a fourth of it disappeared into his tummy.  Some hours later, only half remained.  And as of this writing (technically 12 hours after the cake was finished), only a small slice was left!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I consider the greatest measure of (my personal) success!

Mickey Mouse-themed Cake

For the first time, a request for a cake and cupcake "package" was asked of me... specifically with a Mickey Mouse theme!

I thought about it for a long time!

The "easiest" would be if I found figurines or cake toppers to plop onto the cake but I couldn't find any (in our part of the world the marketplace is limited!).  In my desperation, we even asked a friend abroad if he could find some for us (but he wasn't able to find any too...)

At the last minute (and I do mean just the day before the party!) I was meeting someone in a relatively small mall and while waiting I strolled around... and found a small Mickey Mouse stuffed toy!  Of course I checked its legitimacy and yes!  It was the genuine article... and it was on sale!!!  I bought it!

The concept came together after that.  Cupcakes with Mickey (and friends) candy and logo pick toppers for the bottom and middle layers and a top layer of cake with Mickey Mouse, a spray of flowers at his back, and candles that read "Happy Birthday".  The sides of the cake decorated with mickey logo candies...

The cake was beautiful!!!  but I have to say that the artistry is by hubby - I had the general concept in mind but execution was his - like I said, I have little (very little!) artistic talent.

A close up of the cake with the "happy birthday" candles lit.

It was yummy!!!  I am proud to say that my standard chocolate cake is always good but the bittersweet buttercream (a new recipe for me) was so yummy that hubby could not resist!  He said he would only taste a bit and he ended up finishing the "test" run!

Happy Birthday!

Now someone is asking about a Minnie Mouse-themed cake!!!

Ube Chiffon Cake

This one is a MaBelle specialty!  and a personal favorite!

special mocha chiffon cake

For a dear friend's birthday...

Everyone was raving about it!!!  One of the guests even said that it was better than the "famous" one...

Woohoo!!!

Black Chocolate Cupcakes with (the BEST) Strawberry Buttercream

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful fairy princess (read as:  beloved daughter) who asked her equally beautiful mommy (read as: all powerful queen... of the household) for a pink flower cake (chocolate, of course!) and Tinkerbell.

Now, the mommy had a bit of a problem with this request because she didn't want to put artificial coloring in the cake so how could it be pink?

Then one day, while the fairy princess and her mommy were taking a stroll around the marketplace, they chanced upon... strawberries... red, plump, fragrant strawberries!  Did I mention that the strawberries were bright RED?

DING! went a bell in mommy's head!  A strawberry infused icing would be, at the very least, pale pink... PINK!!!

And so, they went to work to make the sought-after pink flower cake.  Of course, the fairy princess had to have cupcakes to give to her friends, so the (beautiful and all powerful) queen made some cupcakes too...

And, the cupcakes had to follow the same theme of chocolate and pink flowers...

See the lovely pink flower on top of the cupcake?  See the lovely dots of strawberry bits?

See the rest of the cupcakes all lined up in their pink glory?

The fairy princess was very happy.  And proud!

What about her mommy, the queen?  Well, her heart soared as she heard the fairy princess whisper:  "Thank you Mommy!"

The End.

Birthday Cakes

As of a year ago, we decided to give home baked birthday cakes to our friends.  By far the most requested is the Ube Chiffon Cake (which I am seriously thinking of renaming as Ube Velvet), followed closely by Mocha Chiffon Cake (we are open to suggestions for a name that has a bit more impact and appeal...)

In the past year, we've had requests for these:

60th birthday:

mini mocha cake:

50th birthday:

and, just another birthday...

Other designs are possible, as are other flavors for the chiffon cake - orange, lemon, lime (or dayap) chocolate, walnut, cheese, and even durian!

Our favorite, though, will always be mocha!

Having Fun with Carrot Cake

We did not think of including carrot cake for our Christmas 2012 List of Products.  But having found really beautiful carrots (really sweet ones too!!!) we decided to offer them at the last minute.  Imagine our surprise when it was actually the most popular!!!

Our carrot cake comes in 2 options:  plain or frosted with Super Cream Cheese Frosting.

The one with frosting usually looks like this:

For a double dose of frosting:

With a bit of flair...

oops... a bit of a mess there... still, it's pretty, right?

Delicious, too!

Having Fun with (Mini) Ube Cake

Quite a number of people like my ube chiffon cake.  It has ube as an ingredient, unlike others that simply use food color and ube flavor to simulate the ube in the cake.  It also has no added preservatives.

The cake is 9 to 9.5 inches in diameter and is frosted with real vanilla whipped cream (we use our own Tahitian vanilla extract!).  This is how it usually looks:

Although on special occasions, or upon special request, it could look like this:

Or on certain days (like today), when I'm feeling weird and adventurous, it could be a mini cake that looks like this...

Or... this...

As you can see, I had quite a bit of fun with this last one...

Hihihi...

It was fun playing practicing my cake decorating skills (or lack thereof!)