Happy Anniversary!

Here's introducing some of the best selling macaron flavours! 

These are the macs which customers have ordered,

and it racked up to 7 orders this weekend ;)

I doubt I can take any more than 7 - 9 orders a week. 

Rose macaron

Salted Caramel buttercream

Hazelnut macaron. 

New trial which turned out super yums!

Pistachio macaron

Matcha Green Tea macaron

Chocolate macaron

All packed and ready to be delivered to make someone's dayy! :D

Hope they like them!

I'm working on an exciting mission right now,

and hopefully it will materialize really soon!

There are so many online bakeries which are venturing into a brick-and-mortar cafe.

And I really look forward to having my own cafe one day too

But I hold a full-time job, which I hold dear to my heart as well.

Hence, I'm only baking only after work hours, and on weekends. ;)

Nevertheless, I'm now scouting for a suitable NEA licensed kitchen to rent,

so I can bake for bigger orders at a go! 

I'm also looking at potential farmers' market to hold a stall, 

so people can just pop by to say hi and try the macarons.

Currently, upcoming plans for Sprinkled with love - E, there are 2 major orders for weddings,

and I'm still trying to fix the details for a giveaway.

I guess I'd most probably find a day for everyone to meet me at a common point,

say City hall? 

It's not really possible to send a courier down for each giveaway giftbox :x

Looking forward to getting all your support to pop by to collect the giftboxes :D

Looks like I've many milestones that I can't wait to achieve with Sprinkled with Love -E..

If only I have more time to bake.

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On another note.. I've set aside my apron to go out too.

All the work and baking are driving me crazy. lol!

Here's Shane and myself celebrating our anniversary! 

Here's me being vain as usual!

Loving the pairing of the Forever New top and Love Bonito embossed skirt ;)

Been feeling a little wistful of late.. 

and thinking of how a year is passing by so quickly.

That's just me, getting into this sorta mood everytime the year comes closer to the end.

Can you believe that it's going to be October already tomorrow?

Where did three-quarters of the year go?

Nowadays, my calender is filled up with orders, work meetings, gatherings, baby showers, weddings..

There isn't a single slot in my calendar that is free on a weekend.

I live on a daily basis, poring and fussing over many details.

I wish I have time to slow down, but there is just so much I can't wait to accomplish while I'm still young.

Twenties is passing by really quickly..

And I hope at the end of my twenties,

I'd be able to look back and tell myself that I have no regrets :)

That goes for you too. 

If you have any dream, no matter big or small,

don't sit on it, don't be fearful, don't wait for things to happen,

make it happen. 

For afterall, you only live once. #yolo

It's never too early or too late to embark on anything.

Just start with baby steps ;)

That's what I'm doing right now too! 

I don't know how long will I be able to bake, 

but I know that I want to bake now. ;)

Alright, shall stop here before I go round and round with my big theories. hehe.

Till the next, have a good rest everybody.

I'm off to crash my bed.

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!

Living the baking dream

 Living the baking dream. :Baking macarons: dream, that is.

More on that later.

But yes, I've been periodically baking them again.

Tried my hand at a strawberry cream cheese ganache.

It turned out rather mushy, much to my dismay.

It barely makes the mark, but it's much better after being left in the fridge for a few hours.

I threw away my first batch of strawberry buttercream as it turned out way too runny for use.

Will keep trying till I nail the perfect strawberry flavor.

My ideal strawberry ganache is of a soft fluffy buttercream with the sweet citrusly scent of strawberries. yum.
The one thing about macaron is that there is endless possibilities,
and there are so manyyy flavours out there waiting for me to explore.
How I wish I have more time to bake.

 Did the rose pink brush stroke to differentiate the pink macarons as well.

The effect turned out pretty well, just that I have to let them air dry for a bit.
Macarons are pretty little things,
and I love how a little pattern makes the whole macaron even more brighter looking.

 The completed macaron order.

I totally adore the white macaron packaging.

But the price is too steep for me to continue using them.

I've found an alternative from Phoon Huat,

but they are kind of too long for my liking.

Oh well, the strugge of aesthetically pleasing vs good economical sense.
I guess at the end of the day,
people will toss away the packaging without a second thought,
so yea, I guess I'll go for good economical sense in this case.

 Early grey shells out of the oven
The deep bergamot scent filled up the entire kitchen.
One of my favorite flavors in the whole wide world.
Earl grey soya milk, milk tea, macarons, cupcakes..
Then again, it's not an easy taste to bring out.
I had to steep the earl grey in the whipping cream overnight for the chocolate ganache.

 Rose pink brush strokes

Had did this order for a dear colleague, and for Ainsley's family.
Glad her family enjoyed them!

Mm.. back to the point on the baking dream,
I think most people who know me will associate me with macarons.

Even my office's intern thinks so.

The top left one (the one with macarons in hand) is me.

haha. speaking of which, I think we have really talented interns!

Many of them have designed similar items for us, mostly with our unique characteristics.

I still remember my very first one was of me with my favorite hershey cushion.

I guess I grew out of hugging the soft hershey cushion after a while.

So now, I'm associated with macarons.

Can't really escape the association when I bring macarons on such a frequent basis to office. heh.

Well, that's in fact, not a bad thing.

I'm happy and proud to be able to bake, well, macarons.

And I do like to share the fruits of my labour with people around me.

That being said, when I tell people I bake,

the first reaction illicited would mostly be

"You're very free is it!?"

Such disparaging remarks do deal blows, yet I have to put up a front,

and feel obliged to explain why I have time to bake.

I'm trying not to go into a senseless rant here,

so in keeping it short, here's my thoughts:

I commit the same number of hours as any typical Singapore employee does,

and I do have a portfolio under my belt.

Just as resting is second nature to you when you reach home,

baking is second nature to me when I hit home.

Perhaps that is exaggeration to a certain point,

but I look forward to baking whenever I have some time at hand.

I take less than 2 hours to bake certain items,

and yes, I sleep at midnight as well too, in case you're wondering.

Rather than spending time surfing 9gag, facebook, videos online when I reach home,

I bake.

As simple as that.

Don't judge me simply because I choose to spend my time in a different manner.

On a lighter note, there are family, friends and colleagues who have been very encouraging :)

I guess it's easier to focus on the negative than the positive.

In the future, there will still be people who will pass insensitive remarks,

but I will just think of the people who have been encouraging and kind;

the people who matter.

Ok, enough of ranting ;)

Here's a funny photo of the doggie with me.

Dear Monkey (the doggie) doesn't like to take photos.

She's the kind that will strut away if you point a camera at her.

So here's her looking all pitiful and sad :(

 I even have to tug her back halfway when she tried to walk away. haha.

Finally a happy photo of her!

Ayt, have a lovely weekend people!

Weekend ♥

Had a rather fruitful weekend,

and I'm back to recommend some places to hang out :))

After hearing so many reviews on La Cantina in Venezia located at Changi Village hotel,

we decided to head there for dinner on saturday.

Was quite looking forward to the trip, esp the part on the Crabmeat linguine.

Here's the rooftop view which greeted us when we stepped out from the lift.

Actually, the hotel's pool is just next to us.

It's kinda weird cuz this means the pool is open to the public as well?

I wouldn't mind having a staycation here though!

The pool is kind of small, but it's an infinity pool after all ;)

But currently, it's overlooking.. erm.. construction cranes..

cuz there are some works ongoing.

Will kiv till the view's cleared.

oh, my outfit's from ASOS.

Got it for 50% off during its sales. heh. 

Heels are from our local brand C&K.

Was so happy to snag the last pair in size 35 :)

Here's the view from my seat.

See those sparkly lights there?

Yup, that's the pool area.

Shane's seat overlooks the sea,

but the lighting wasn't very good,

so I didn't post up the photo :x

For starters, we went ahead with the Parma ham with melon ($19.90),

and the mushroom cream soup ($10.90, i think).

We were quite disappointed with the quality.

The parma ham had this very distinct raw meat taste.

I can't really put it to words,

but it wasn't too appetitizing.

The mushroom soup was.. well.. normal.

The complimentary bread which came with the meal was much better though.

Here's the crabmeat linguine which I ordered ($29.90).

It was indeed divine.

Cream overload, with huge chunks of crabmeat tossed in.

The crabmeat was fresh and succulent.

The cream sauce was really special too.

Could taste a tinge of egg in it.

This dish was really the saving grace for the meal.

Shane had ordered the Al funghi pasta I think,

and it wasn't anything near fantastic.

Overall, I paid about $120 for the meal.

Would I come back again?

I guess probably not.

The ambience is perfect, but the service was slow,

and food qaulity wasn't quite up to expectation.

La Cantina in Venezia

Changi Village Hotel, 1 Netheravon Road

#08/09-02, Singapore 508502

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Started sunday bright and early at Pasar Bella!

Located at the former Turf City in Bukit Timah,

this place is a lovely tuckaway from the hustle and bustle of the nearby Orchard road.

The directory of stalls.

Can't really find familiar names of usual brands.

Thumbs up to that.

Pictures below show the Japanese stall that you'd see upon stepping into Pasar Bella.

Apparently, it's the must-try when eating at Pasar Bella.

But we weren't too inclined towards seafood for the morning.

So yea, we skipped that.

As you can tell, I was having loads of fun at camwhoring. lol.

There were many stalls there selling fresh organic produce, pastries,

wine, beer, cookies, vintage furniture etc.

It felt like I stepped into an european market of sorts :)

And the prices weren't too steep too.

Managed to score these half dozen cookies from "Cookies from Sid" at $7.80.

Don't they look too pretty to be eaten?

After all the camwhoring and shopping, we headed to omakase burger for lunch.

Saw many friends posted their meals from here,

so I couldn't resist the urge to go in and try their food too as well.

Had ordered the Ultimate burger,

along with truffle fries to share,

plus root beer floats each.

The beef burger was very tender and flavorful.

The combination of beef patty, bacon, cheese seldom go wrong.

But the truffle fries were serioulsy overfried.

Could feel the oil bursting into my mouth as I bite into each fry.

The truffles taste was pretty nice though.

I'm a fan of crispy fries actually, but this version of it was an overkill.

Shane thought the supposedly upsized burger to be too tiny.

hence, the skeptical face. lol!

Finally smiling :)

With that meal, we ended the trip to Pasar Bella.

I should be popping by soon to try the Japanese seafood :D

PasarBella

at The Grandstand Bukit Timah Singapore

200 Turf Club Road Singapore 287994

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Ended my sunday with baking macarons (again!)

Haven't baked them for quite some time.

The baking craze kind of died down after I stopped being overstressed at work. haha.

Nevertheless, I always welcome the lovely scent of baked macarons in my kitchen :)

Here's the earl grey macarons order for my colleague



Till the next, hope you'll all have a lovely week ahead.