Launch of Sprinkled with Love - E

So stoked that I've received so much encouragement and blessings over this weekend 

as I launch of my online bakery : Sprinkled with Love - E ;) 

After more than 3 years of baking (2 years for macarons), 

it's a very euphoric moment to see my baking efforts materializing into something concrete. 

Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I'd have such a day,

where I get so many compliments about my bakes and having repeated supportive customers.

*touched* thank you very much to you guys for making this possible.

To thank all the supporters, I've especially created a new flavour to coincide with the launch:

Durian macarons!

Singaporeans have such a passion for this hate-it-or-love-it fruit.

During the durian season, you see the durian stalls pop up everywhere, 

hear people comparing the types and prices of durians in their conversations,

and smell durians from miles away as your neighbours feast on them. 

Well, my guess that is majority of the Singaporeans love their durians.

For one, I'm very much a durian-fanatic, especially the slightly bitter variation.

When I was younger, my parents used to limit my intake of durian to 2 -3 pcs each time,

as durian is known to be a "heaty" fruit.

During those times, I recall licking my fingers endlessly, 

and leaving no trace of the creamy flesh behind.

Till today, I love this pungent fruit to bits, and will get it whenever it's in season.

Despite being such a fan of durians, I didn't explore this flavour until a customer requested for it.

I had causally mentioned to her that I'd be trying it soon (procrastination took over :P).

And boy, I'm so glad she provided the nudge for me to try this out!

The aroma of the thorny fruit filled my entire kitchen (or should I say house)

 as I meshed the durian flesh for the ganache. 

It took me so much determination not to steal a spoonful of them halfway! lol!

Here are the yellow shells, fresh out from the oven.

The heat tinted the yellow shells, creating a gorgeous shade of golden yellow. :)

The flip side of the shells after peeling them off the parchment paper.

I've seen macarons where the top shell color is very pretty,

but the bottom is sticky and uncooked. 

There's a high possibility that these shells are hollow, 

with a cloyingly sweet puddle of almond-sugar mix at the bottom.

Personally, I don't think those make good macarons.

Then again, it's up to personal preference as to whether aesthetics or taste is more important ;)

The completed durian macarons all ready to go!

There are many steps in making macarons, and the whole process can be quite tedious.

So it really gives me a huge sense of satisfaction whenever I pack my macarons.

I give my best in every step of making macarons,

from grinding my own almond powder, whisking the egg whites to firm peaks, 

mixing my macaronage till it flows like a ribbon, piping the shells out in equal sizes,

baking them at precise temperatures for an exact amount of time,

to experimenting and perfecting every filling.

Every step is important to me, 

and I don't hand out any macaron that falls short of my own expectations.

I used to toss out batches and batches of failed attempts,

and my parents and parents in law would exclaim "But that's what they sell outside too!"

Yes, I know some bakeries do that. But I don't want to do that. 

You see, I  really really love macarons.

They are finicky, and excessively tedious to make. 

But I'm passionate about making them.

To date, there isn't another item which I've so fervently baked for such an extended period of time.

 So, if they turn out to be less than what I expect them to be, I'd not hesitate to toss them out. 

Another batch of durian macarons, this time with green shells & 100% D24 durian ganache.

Spot the little yellows of durian flesh that is peeking out :)

For those who are not as inclined towards durian, here's another flavour : Rose Buttercream.

It's the hottest item from my list of flavours.

I think I've made more than 250 pcs of them since March this year :)

The buttercream is very light, and has a very fragrant taste of rose. 

The delicate smell of rose will reach you before you pop them into your mouth.

I had one customer telling me that she is afraid of trying out rose buttercream,

as the one she ate previously in another shop reminded her of lipstick.

I never had any lipstick which reminded me of rose buttercream,

so I was rather worried that mine would remind her of lipstick too!

Definitely wouldn't want my macarons to have a taste that resembles an artificial-created item.

Thankfully, she said mine wasn't anything like that. phew. 

And the best part was that she loved this rose buttercream ;) yays!

In any case, I don't add chemicals to my macarons, so I'm not sure how the lipstick taste was achieved too.

 

Here's a behind the scene snapshot of my piping process ;)

Pretty shade of pastel pink in little circles ;)

The packaging which I've decided on for the 2 baby showers over the weekend.

Both customers had ordered the rose buttercream and earl grey chocolate flavored macarons!

The happy (and super vain) me all ready to deliver my mac babies!

So glad that the macarons were very well received. 

I was rushing out the facebook page on Friday midnight to be in time for these 2 events, 

so apologies for not having sufficient information up yet.

I'd be doing a giveaway reallyyyy soon. 

But in the meantime, I've just created an order form, and it's attached here as well:

There is free delivery for a minimum purchase of $46!

Show some love, and hop over to Sprinkled with Love - E today.

Like the page to be updated on the giveaway,

and share the page with everyone you love! :)

Thank you very much!