a bonafide runner, finally!
I recently completed my first 5K race during the National Geographic Channel Earth Day Run 2010 last April 18 at the SM Mall of Asia. Out of 1754 racers, I placed 317th with a PR (personal record) of 34:17 mins. Not bad for a first-timer! My runner friend R._ who is racing for his first full marathon this May suggested indulging on a cake to celebrate my accomplishment.
As I was surfing the net for ideas, I came across this intriguing cupcake created to celebrate the 2010 Boston Marathon. This cupcake has Gatorade Jello in it. Hmm. I was thinking more of something with cocoa, milk, bananas—natural food that can refuel tired muscles after a tough workout.
When I came across this chocolate banana cupcake recipe, I thought it fit the post exercise snack perfectly. Carbs? Check. Protein? Check. Sodium? Check. Flavor and texture? Check. Ok, so this also has sugar but some elite runners have been known to indulge in pizza and french fries as post race fuel so I guess a cupcake can not be that bad!
Anyway, right out of the oven, my nephew P._ gobbled two. My 16-year-old niece K._ who ran the 3K in the NatGeo Run with her mom and placed 258th out of 1466 runners— I am mighty proud of her!—got one piece, reached for the peanut butter and slathered it on her cupcake. Taking a cue from her, I made chocolate peanut butter (another protein source!) ganache to frost the cupcake. The ganache tasted great but I felt it was a bit overwhelming. I might try a plain ganache next time. I promised my good friend R._ that as soon as I get some chocolate candy molds of running shoes to make my cupcake toppers, I will bake him some of these goodies so he can reward himself after a long run.
I will be improving on this cupcake and I will post the final version when I get everything right—frosting, topper, photo and all. And I hope I get to shave some time from my PR on my next race on May 2!
April 21st, 2010
These are the cupcakes I recently made for a precious baby girl’s christening celebration. Her mother E._ chose chocolate banana and devil’s food chocolate as cake base and wanted an assortment of decoration. In addition to the baby icon toppers made of hand-molded chocolate (see Sweet Baby), there were also marshmallow flowers (see Blooming Garden) atop the ganache-slathered cupcakes.
E._ also wanted her daughter’s name spelled out on the cupcakes. Fortunately, I was able to find an alphabet chocolate mold.
When I made the delivery and was setting up, E._ asked me if I had a hard time making all those cupcakes (there were 96 in all). Not really, I said. Ok, molding chocolate candies is admittedly tedious especially if there are details and colors involved but as long as you do them ahead of time, then there is no problem. I always believe that if you love what you are doing, then the work becomes less of a chore and more of a labor of love. And seeing your handiwork being appreciated by the person receiving them erases all the tiredness and aches and makes your sleep-deprived days worth it.
Thank you very much E._!
March 29th, 2010
Monogrammed Cupcakes - cupcakes glazed with shiny ganache with lettering on top. Cake base include devil’s food, banana, mocha, chocolate chip. Price available upon request.
Someone recently inquired if I make cupcakes with letters on top. They would be for her wedding, she said. I have never decorated cupcakes like that before so I though I might as well try.
Doing calligraphy on top of a perfectly glazed cake or cupcake is trickier than it seems — what if I ruin the cake with my awful writing? I am always in awe of the commercial cakes with beautiful writing on them—Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Merry Christmas. Are the staff assigned to this task hired for their penmanship skills or are they trained in the art of fancy lettering? I wonder. As for me, I need to have a cheat sheet of the letters. And I have to practice, practice, practice.
The darkness of the ganache sets off each letter very well. The decorated cupcake looks simple, clean and elegant which is perfect for a wedding favor. For less formal occasions, the lettering can also be whimsical. The icing I used for the letters is buttercream. I initially thought of using fondant and writing the letter on top but as I have said, I am not a fan of fondant. I think chocolate molded letters will also work well.
March 12th, 2010
Have you ever eaten one of those gourmet chocolates which have some sort of printed designs on their tops? I found out that they are done using magnetic chocolate molds and chocolate transfer sheets. Magnetic molds have two pieces, bottom and sides, that are held together by magnets. The transfer sheet is an acetate sheet that has a design on one side This is placed in between the molds which are then locked and when the chocolate has set, you pull apart the mold, peel the sheet and voila, the design (made of cocoa butter) is transferred to the chocolate and you have sophisticated chocolate bonbons ready to be savored. Here is an easy tutorial on how they are done.
I don’t have any magnetic molds on hand and I don’t want to splurge on them yet (price starts at $45), so I just used a 1″x 1″x 1/2″ petit four chocolate candy mold that has been gathering dust somewhere in our kitchen shelf. I cut the transfer sheet to fit each cavity and proceeded to make truffle-filled chocolate confections.
Don’t you agree that the chocolates look awesome? The green and black chocolates didn’t require any transfer sheet but they are spectacular as well. Now if I can only get my hands on that chocolate tempering machine that I so covet …
February 22nd, 2010
a december wedding
I recently made cupcakes for a young couple’s wedding last December 30. The cupcakes were in two flavors as bride L._ likes coffee and groom C._ prefers chocolate. The motif was a combination of bronze and olive green so I incorporated the colors in the marshmallow petals that embellished the cupcakes. I personally do not like fondant and my frosting of choice is ganache. Aside from being delicious (who doesn’t love chocolate?) it is stable enough to stay at room temperature for hours. The small cake on top of the cupcake tree is devil’s food, filled and frosted with bittersweet chocolate ganache.
The cupcake tree I used is made of sturdy corrugated cardboard that I bought here. The beauty of this cupcake tree is that you can embellish it in any way you want to match the motif of an event. This can also hold up to 300 cupcakes and the top tier can accommodate an 8-inch cake.
Embarking on this project was a delight but still it did stress me out when I thought of the delivery. Even though I have safely transported countless cakes before, I still had these thoughts of the cake sliding and collapsing and the cupcakes tumbling out of their containers while in transit. I know it was silly of me to think about any delivery disaster because it can be prevented. Drive carefully preferably with a companion, allow plenty of lead time before the reception, carry necessary tools (piping bags, frosting, decorations) in case the cakes need repair, bring more than one set of directions to the site and have the proper containers for the cakes. I have special boxes that have cardboard inserts to keep the cupcakes in place but a box can only hold a dozen cupcakes so I got these cupcake couriers. Fortunately, no mishaps whatsoever happened on our way to the reception site. And boy did I sleep soundly that night!
Having cupcakes for a wedding is a unique way of celebrating an important milestone in a couple’s life. These miniature cakes are easier to serve and they can come in different flavors and even different decorations, adding a touch of whimsy to a memorable occasion. For those who want the traditional cake cutting ceremony, a small cake on the topmost tier can still serve that purpose, just like what L._ and C._ had in their wedding.
To L._ and C._, thank you. It was a pleasure working with you. All the best to you and may you have a happy life together!
January 10th, 2010
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