Custom cakes I've developed over the years... #throwback

Feast your eyes on some of the customized cakes I've made over the years, courtesy of some very imaginative clients. 

Disclaimer: No Naughty Cakes Contained Within. Check This Space For The Naughty Post Coming Soon.

E-mail me at velvetvintage09@gmail.com for your cake today!

I'll bake & deliver within 3 days. 

For intricate designs I will require one week's notice. 

 Ninjago Themed Cake - Eggless Cake

 Banana Cake with Lemon Frosting

 Bible Themed Cake - Vanilla Butter Cake

 Floral Themed Cake - Orange Butter Cake

 Chocolate Mud Cake awaiting customization.

 December 2011 Christmas Themed Cake - Apple & Cinnamon Cake

 Launch of Quaff Bar in Taman tun Dr. Ismail - Chocolate, Vanilla and Lemon Cupcakes.

 DJ Set Cake with moving turntable 

 Easter Themed Cake with Fresh Fruits

 Garden Themed Cake

 Chocolate Mud Cake with Cherries

 A Law Graduates cake.

 Minnie Mouse. Covered in buttercream frosting

 Engagement made colourful with some M.A.C.

 The Stars Align Themed Cake.

 A batch of Chocolate Fudgy Brownies given a Guinness face-lift

 1st Holy Communion Themed Cake - Chocolate Butter Cake 

 Superheroes - Chocolate Mud Cake

 Bows & Ropes in Orange and White - An orange butter cake for the base. A chocolate mud cake for the first tier.

Instead of a power nap, try this banana cake.

Banana cake with a light lemon frosting that cascades down the sides. 

A burst of flavour in your mouth. 

Moist and tangy. A divine combination.

Banana Cake with Lemon Frosting retails for RM 70/kg 

 

It's light and airy texture makes for a great mid morning snack or paired nicely with a cup of Earl Grey.

Brown sugar has been reduced significantly to allow the natural sugars from the banana to come through. 

The inspiration & vision for this cake:

  A great tasting home-made cake that is nutritious and boosts energy.

A light coat of lemon frosting is used to keep sugar levels low. Additional frosting available upon request.

Serving suggestions: The light coat of frosting will be absorbed by the cake (as per picture above). If you wish to have a 'fresh look', we can separate the icing so that you may drizzle it on effortlessly. 

Heating tip: Remove cake from fridge and heat in microwave for 10 seconds. 

"We hope every Malaysian will do their bodies justice in reducing the amount of unnecessary sugars they consume. That is the goal here. Serving up cakes, brownies and desserts that you know are made by people who champion the need to eat deliciously clean food."

-Fiona Zuzartee- 

Banana Cake Challenge. Two recipes, one outcome. The better cake coming to you by 25th March.

Left: Banana cake with almond filling.   Right: Fluffy, moist banana cake.

In February, I searched my recipe pile for two banana cake recipes that could be tested head to head.

The vision: To find a delicious and nutritious banana cake. All Velvet Vintage cakes use reduced amounts of sugar.

The mission: To test the recipe and send it out to a test group for feedback on taste, appearance and general comments.

The results: One recipe needed a bit of modification in increasing the quantity of ingredients. The other was modified to be more moist. Overall, the test group gravitated towards the banana cake on the right (see picture below). However, it was noted that it (picture on the right) is a common recipe and improving on the appearance of the banana cake with the filling would  be a unique selling point.

The current situation: The cost will be calculated to determine the selling price. The cakes keep for one week, refrigerated. The proposed date of availability of this cake on our menu is  25th March 2014.

Baker's experience: The baker tasted the cake a whole week after it was baked. The cake was removed from plastic wrap which was placed in an airtight container & microwaved for 15 seconds. It (4 slices of 2" x 2 " sized pieces) tasted fresh and was moist. The cake with the almond filling looked better than expected. It was thought that the filling will turn black from oxidisation as it had mashed banana's in it. This turned out to be true, however the discolouration was not displeasing to the eye.

Velvet Vintage is honoured to have worked with a wonderful test group which provided honest and practical feedback. 

If you are residing in Klang Valley and would like to be part of our test group (free cake samples in exchange for honest reviews), please e-mail your interest to velvetvintage09@gmail.com

Rich Chocolate Mud Cake

This delectable and rich chocolaty cake is ideal for the chocolate lover in all of us. 1 kg goes for RM66.00 and it is topped with thick chocolate ganach.

I like making each order special because we are all unique in our own ways. So when you place an order, do share your design ideas with me. For ideas, please visit my facebook page.

Rich Chocolate Mud Cake @ RM 66/kg.

Absent baker now back on the block.

Dear all,

I've been absent from blogging but certainly not baking for a while now because I just simply didn't keep up to it. Now I have promised myself I'll be more religious about it and update you folks about my goodies, happening and some awesome inspiration/ideas that come from clients.

If some of you must know, in the last few years, I've been dabbling a little in Public Relations with a great SME owned by a friend, besides primarily baking. I'm now streamlining my focus toward my business a little more because therein lies my passion.

I'm in the midst of designing some great (I hope you tell me if they aren't) looking menu's and will share it soon.

Recently, I've added a facebook page where you can quickly access my product list, pictures and ramblings. Check it out at Velvet Vintage

Thanks for all your support (you know who you are)

Looking forward to seeing more of you and hearing your feedback.

Easter Treats

As we all know, Easter is a sacred time for Christians all over the world. In the spirit of Easter, the first 10 people to order any easter themed cakes are entitled to a 10% discount. So what are you waiting for?

Forget the traditional Easter eggs- its not enough to go all around and fill those tummies what with all the fasting that we've been doing so dig deep into your creative side, get your thinking caps on and give me your most creative cake decoration idea and I'll bake up a storm for ya!

If your out of ideas, google some images (http://images.google.com.my/images?q=easter%20cakes&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi) and maybe you may get some inspiration. You can also tickle your taste buds and perhaps go on a whim with the flavor of the cake too. Chocolate, orange, lime, and vanilla are examples of NOT tickling your taste buds but if your not adventurous, I completely understand.

So go ahead, and copy the details below and send it to me in an e-mail to velvetvintage09@gmail.com right NOW for that 10% discount.

Your Name:
Delivery Date:
Contact Number:
Cake Decoration Specifications:

Cake Flavor:
How many kilograms:

Butter, orange and Vanilla cake (1kg) with butter icing is RM60
Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganach (1kg) is RM55

Price quotes for customized orders will be e-mailed to you within the same day of your e-mail. Please also order at least 3 days in advance. Easter is this Sunday 4th April!

Red Velvet Valentines Day Cake

How does this sound to you?

A nice dinner, a beautiful person across from you and the thought of a scrumptious dessert - personalized by yourself for your other half awaits him/her after your meal. Or if your not able to be with your date,I could deliver this cake right to his/her doorstep.

I'm here to provide you with a memory of that very special day that will surely last a long time. Think mini heart shaped cake. Think red velvet cake covered with mouth-watering butter cream icing or chocolate.

To take it a step further, you can choose what flavor and color you would like your cake to be, what message you want written on it (just a short message because it is a mini cake), what decoration you would like on it and best of all, I have for you the option of printing an EDIBLE picture** of the two of you (or any picture at all) and placing it on the cake.

How is that for size?

Price you ask? Well it's RM10 for the heart. Pretty cheap considering all the extra trims you add to it. So, call me to place the order and I will deliver it(extra charges for all areas except TTDI,DU,BU,Bangsar & K.L. town center)

Hp no: 017-3401701
E-mail:velvetvintage09@gmail.com.

Payments may be made via Maybank2u or C.O.D.

** Do take note that for edible picture printing, I'll be accepting ALL orders until the 10th of February, Wednesday only.



Images courtesy of:
http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/tv/martha_stewart_show/show_photos/2051_2100/2100_recipe_cakes_l.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAYKsE0IA7uT2Fz-G3Vw1X_w0J5mR13YiYBZ19X-fzlkhxWHO2Yk1Q9RH0SIB83FY8W-Z4cnC1sYB4k2_oHPa_uTeunuC6nCe5Zfi2Zyy6H_HqwAGv0t2_0p-3qrlK-eokUK5MRXxHiy_/s400/IMG_1801.JPG
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/4108RGSGYZL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

Chinese New Year - Invest in a future.

I'm a strong believer in going all out to achieve your dream and I'd certainly have moseyed along smoothly if I were presented the opportunity. BUT! now, you and I are both in the position to do a very special and talented person a favor and it's a win win situation for everyone here.

Read on to find out because Crystal Cha is a talent worth investing you time and money in. And no.. I'm not gaining anything financially from this. I just happen to believe in her.


CHINESE NEW YEAR COOKIES + invest into a young person's future!
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Yesterday at 22:04
As you probably know, I love baking AND photography.

I happen to be saving up for my second dream camera (the Nikon D90 if you're wondering) ANDDDDD it happens to be CHINESE NEW YEAR - that time of the year where we pig out on yummy food and snacks!

So, I thought I'd sell cookies to raise funds for my (hopefully soon-to-come) new baby and I would REALLY REALLY appreciate you to bits if you could help out by either 1) buying the cookies or 2) promoting the cookies to friends and families and uncles and aunties and your third cousin's mother-in-law.

Note that these are NOT your ordinary CNY cookies. Instead of the usual biscuits you'll find at every other open house, these are home-baked, good 'ol fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies and Butter Cookies. People who have tried them / credible food tasters (ie. my brothers and friends) have vouched that they are not just edible but incredibly ADDICTIVE and YUMMY as well!

So please please PLEASE do consider making this CNY an extra tasty AND kind-hearted one because you're not just giving your guests and family more delicious snacks to munch on, but you're also investing into a possible future talent you could ask to shoot your future wedding photos! :) :) :)

♥ PRICES:

A regular sized bottle goes for RM25; 2 bottles for RM 45 (RM22.50/bottle); 3 for RM65 (RM21.70/bottle)

♥ DELIVERY:

To Phileo Damansara, FGA KL, and Bukit Jalil - FOC
To Seri Petaling, Old Klang Road, Happy Garden, Entrepreneur's Park, and OUG - FOC with minimum purchase of 2 bottles
To PJ / Damansara (Jalan Gasing, Old Town, PJ State, Section 14 (Jaya 33), Section 13 (JayaOne), SS2, Tropicana Mall, TTDI Plaza - RM 5
Elsewhere - depending on availability

♥ ORDERING:

E-mail crystalcha28@gmail.com or SMS 010-2624363 specifying the following:

* Quantity (number of bottles)
* Flavor (Chocolate Chip or Butter Cookies)
* Delivery location / desired date and time (depending on availability)

Would REALLY appreciate it if you could help spread the word to all those you know who would be interested! Thanks so so much!! :)

Naughty naughty naughty cake!

I was commissioned to make a boob cake for a friend who wanted to take it with him for well- a bachelor party.

It was my very first attempt at sculpting a cake to resemble a woman’s torso. I read up and researched the design based on pictures obtained from the web and got cracking.

In total, it took me three to four hours to get it done and since my friend had said they wanted to make the said bachelor play a game with the cake, I took the liberty of placing two tiny cupcakes for the breast and covered it heavily in fondant and icing. The crotch was made using a tiny heart shaped cake pan and again it was decorated with icing.

It proved to be a challenge to make but boy did I have fun doing it! Please feast your eyes the pictures and don’t get any naughty ideas J

Have a great day all!

Selamat Hari Raya

Dear Readers,

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir & Batin to all and a safe journey back to your 'Kampung'. Do listen in to traffic updates and plan your trips well ahead of time.

Orders are still being accepted for all cakes, cookies and desserts. We in the F&B industry work our hardest during the festivities and I for one don't plan on slowing down.

On that note, I wish you all well and look forward to your special orders.

The Spice of Life

What makes for a good dessert on an oh-so-hot day?

Temperatures are definitely rising, this part of the world and a hot dessert just isn't going to cut it.
Although.. it has rained at night for the past couple of days.

Desserts are something you can whip up using your imagination but there are also those recipes which you have to follow. Not everything turns out 100% right all the time but this is due to the fact that we are only humans.

I got a review the other day about a cake of mine that my client said was too dry as opposed to it being moist. For a person who doesn't take criticism easily, it was definitely a blow to my ego. She was nice in telling me about it. No harsh comments or anything like that. Although so, I was upset.

After a while, I consoled myself with the thought that I am after all only human and while I feel awful that they had a less then perfect cake, I realized that there are 2 lessons I can learn from this experience.

Adapt it into our daily lives:

1. We can try our best and there are those who will still be unhappy with the outcome of the situation. All we really can do in the end is to be ourselves, do the best that we can do, be the best that we can be and be content with our achievements.

2. We have to learn to accept the fact that we make mistakes but we have to be bold enough to admit it and act accordingly.



Picture credit
http://www.themillionairesecrets.net/images/2008/12/change-your-life.jpg

Apologies with a touch of Sweetness.

It has been too long since my last post and I have to blame it on the goods and gadgets, namely the internet connection and my laptop. No worries now as I have a brand new connection coupled with a brand new laptop.

That aside, I'll be expanding the menu in the next couple of days and hope you guys start placing your orders soon enough.

In light of the festivities coming round the corner- Deepavali and Ramadhan, I'll also be adding new items of interest to suite your needs.

If there is something that you like that you can't find on my blog, do drop me an e-mail and I'll look up the recipe and bake you a storm :) (velvetvintage09@gmail.com)

With much love from the Velvet kitchen.

Manchester United - Premiership Winners!

As the title would suggest, I am a Manchester United fan. I was undoubtedly elated when they won the EPL title this season. On the other hand, the finals with Barcelona was nothing to shout about as I viewed their game as inappropriate and unbecoming of champions of England.

On to sugary matters, Reyhan - my sister's boyfriend, just celebrated his birthday and I was called in to make the cake. It was to be his favorite football team, Manchester United.

I got cracking at dawn and after 7 hours, the cake was ready to be transported to the venue. It was given rave reviews and most were impressed by the cake. Although I am unsure if they were more surprised that it looked divine or that a 21 year old girl managed to bake up a beauty considering most girls 'can't cook'.

I'll leave that a mystery and believe what I wish to. Hope you like it and should you like to discuss further designs, do give me a call or drop me an e-mail and we'll talk details.

Members Discount - 30% off on fudgie brownies

Hi all,

After coming back from a road trip, I am re-energized and ready to get the fire burning again.

The oven has been heated up, the chocolate is melting and most importantly I'm pumped and ready to bake up a storm.


As we approach 150 members, we would like to show our appreciation by giving you a 30% discount on our fudgie brownies.

Promotion period is from the 9th (this Tuesday) to the 16th of June (Next Tuesday).


The fudgie brownies normally retail at RM 45 per 64 bite-size (1 inch x 1 inch) pieces but now you can get them at RM 31.50 only

To find out how to place your order, kindly visit this link --->
http://velvet-vintage.blogspot.com/2009/02/ordering-process.html

Herbs and How To's

Garlic. I absolutely love garlic. Eating it with every savory dish possible would be the ideal thing to do... (for me) but I HAVE to take into consideration those around me. Can't make them smell my every garlic laden word now can I?.

What is it about this pungent white pip that I love so much? Aside from the fact that it is a natural antibiotic, it has been developed into a supplement thus elimination the 'garlic breath'. However, I still believe in ingesting it fresh, organic and straight from the ground.

Other than that, it is rumored to be able to combat the common cold and the flu. It has been used extensively in herbal medicine (phytotherapy) as well.

Raw garlic is used by some to treat acne and there is also evidence that it can assist in lowering cholesterol levels . It can even be effective as a natural mosquito repellent.

It is sharp on the tongue when consumed raw, therefore cooking it would reduce this effect.
It should be kept in a dry place so that it does not begin to sprout and using it as soon as possible would of course be the best advice I could give you.

I do not use any garlic in any of my recipes ( I doubt there are any dessert recipes to begin with) so I hope this shared information helps. Please feel free to share your comments and ideas on this segment or article. Let me know if you want me to feature herbs, vegetables, spices, anything at all and I'll do the work (research) for you.



Picture courtesy of
http://wakawikiwiki.wikispaces.com/file/view/GarlicHarvest.jpg
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_05_28-MinceGarlic1.jpg
Information courtesy of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic
http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html

Herbs and How To's - Ginger

I have a love hate relationship with this one particular herb. Reason being, as a child my mother used to cut these rhizomes into pieces which, to me looked like potatoes. As I sank my teeth into them only did I realize that it was a piece of ginger. By which time it was a little too late to spew back out. (I would have gotten it good from mum if I did).

It was not until recently that I discovered after reading a newspaper article that ginger is used to treat nausea related to both morning sickness and motion sickness.

Bouquet: warm, sweet and pungent.

Flavour: Fiery and pungent

Heat Scale: 7 Preparation and Storage
Storage:
Ginger is best used fresh and is either minced, crushed or sliced. Fresh ginger can be kept for a few weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. Dried ginger should be kept outside and ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibers, then infused in the cooking or making ginger beer and removed when the flavor is sufficient. Dried and powdered ginger should be stored in airtight containers.

Culinary Uses:
Fresh ginger is essential to Asian and oriental cookery. It is used in pickles, chutneys and curry pastes and the ground dried root is a constituent of many curry powders. Tender young ginger can be sliced and eaten as a salad. In the West, dried ginger is mainly used in cakes and biscuits, especially ginger snaps, gingerbread and ginger nuts.

It is also used in puddings, jams, preserves and in some drinks like ginger beer, ginger wine and tea. Pickled ginger is a delicious accompaniment to satays (skewered meat) and a colourful garnish to many Chinese dishes. Preserved ginger is eaten as a confection, chopped up for cakes and puddings, and is sometimes used as an ice cream ingredient.

Its uses in other parts of the world:

Ginger has long been ascribed aphrodisiac powers, taken either internally or externally. It is mentioned in the Karma Sutra, and in the Melanesian Islands of the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’. Conversely, in the Philippines it is chewed to expel evil spirits.


Please refer to THIS link for our items that include ginger.

Picture courtesy of
http://alasarpk.com/images/ttar_ginger_v.jpg
Information courtesy of
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/ginger.html

Herbs and How To's - Star Anise

Dear friends,

It's been a while since my last H&HT (Herbs and How To's) segment and I apologize for that. That is why today, I'm going to give you not 1, not 2 but yea... 3 different herbs and their how to's.

On the menu, we have Star Anise.

Star anise is the fruit of an oriental tree. As the name would have it, it is star shaped and has between five to ten pointed sections. These hard sections are seed pods. Tough skinned and rust coloured, they measure up to 3cm (1-1/4”) long. The fruit is picked before it can ripen, and dried. The stars are available whole or ground.

Bouquet: Powerful and liquorice-like, more pungent and stronger than anise.

Flavour: Evocative of a bitter aniseed, of which flavor star anise is a harsher version. Nervertheless, the use of star anise ensures an authentic touch in the preparation of certain Chinese or Indian dishes.

Spice Scale: 3

Useful Information:

The whole stars can be placed directly to the cooking pot with a host of other spices and browned before the main ingredients are added. Another method would be to grind the whole stars as required and used as how you would ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

A note worth remembering is that small amounts are used, as the spice is powerful. Stored whole in an airtight container keeps for well over a year. A good time to toss it out would be when it is no longer fragrant.

Culinary Uses:
Good to be added in any meaty dish, especially pork and duck dishes. As for using it in desserts, it is used to flavor compotes and jams

Medicinal Uses:
.Like anise, star anise has carminative, stomachic, stimulant and diuretic properties. In the East it is used to combat colic and rheumatism. It is a common flavoring for medicinal teas, cough mixtures and pastilles.




Recipes which use star anise:

Sujee Spice Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)

Festive Sujee Fruit Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)

Rich Fruit Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)


picutres courtesy of
http://lh3.ggpht.com/blogmeeta/R77qfnEO1EI/AAAAAAAABoM/kPKbSSLmmGA/Star+Anise+01+framed%5B2%5D
http://www.soul-hunter.com/sailormoon/articles/supers_badiane3.jpg
information coutesy of
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/staranis.html

Chocolate fudgie brownie!

Yes you read it right! Its a fudgie brownie.

Now the pictures have been taken but due to some delays they'll be posted up a little later.

Since these little chocolate dynamites are extremely chewy (yet they don't stick to your teeth) I've decided to cut em' up into small bite size pieces measuring 1 inch x 1 inch.

They're simply to d.i.e. for. I should warn the nutty nuts that they are loaded with walnuts and for a little adventure, each piece is topped with a little sour cream & chocolate frosting.

They come in a set of 64 pieces and sealed in an airtight container. If you are looking to take it with you as a gift for someone, we'll tie the plastic jar up with a little ribbon.

Chocolate fudgie brownie : RM 45 / 64 pieces.

Please note that it has to be kept in the fridge.

A write-up on our Charity Bake Sale

After sweating it out in the kitchen, Sowmya and I dolled up on the last day to please the lenses and I must say the pictures in United Voice were simply divine.

Mind you I'm referring to the food and our little helpers, namely Intan, Izzuddin, Pavala and Jennifer.

They made the baking fun and we felt extremely energetic being around them.

Here is our article (from a journalist point of view). Feel free to leave your comments here or e-mail us at velvetvintage09@gmail.com

http://www.mmail.com.my/content/sweets-sweethearts