Tag: Melbourne

Dessert Story

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There’s alot of buzz about Hong Kong desserts in Melbourne of late. And I can never get enough of it! The Mr and I were at Glen Waverley for dinner one night, and we chanced upon it while roaming around the area. We are relatively new to the area, and wasn’t too sure what we could find there. And we found a place to satisfy our sugar cravings!

Dessert Story

Add : 72 Kingsway, Glen Waverley Vic 3150 

Tel : 03 95618884

When we got there, it was super packed and we the last couple of seats available. Thankfully we were a few minutes earlier, because after us was a line of people wanting to get seats! They had outdoor seats, but it was far too cold to sit outside.

The menu was extensive and there were really heaps to choose from, both hot and cold. We were definitely craving (and needing) something hot so we chose a dessert each! Trust me, it wasn’t easy narrowing down our choices because we just wanted to order everything haha. There were some interesting combinations too! Some of which we never heard or seen before.

I ordered the soya beancurd with black sesame paste. It kinda killed two birds with one stone and satisfied my cravings for both desserts. I was a little worried about the combination cause I never heard of it before. It’s usually sold separately back in Singapore. But I decided to give it a shot anyways and no regrets there! The black sesame paste was really fragrant, thick and smooth and not overly sweet. The beancurd was really smooth as well and just melts in your mouth. I do recommend it if you are a fan of black sesame!

The Mr ordered the tang yuan (汤圆) which are glutinous rice balls in a sweet pandan broth/soup. These are filled with peanut and black sesame. Yes, haha we do like black sesame alot. Plus it’s good for you! (:

It was a good balance between the sweetness of the glutinous rice ball and the sweet soup. Makes me miss those I usually get from China Town Food Street and they sell their glutinous rice ball in a peanut sweet soup! Noms!

I have to admit. If I were given a choice between the peanut and the black sesame, I am more inclined to choose the black sesame. It’s funny how my taste buds have changed through the years. I use to only have the peanut ones, but now I will only order the black sesame ones. hehe Although they are both delicious!

We will definitely be heading back to try the other desserts on the menu! They have desserts from both Hong Kong and Taiwan! Can’t wait to try the shaved ice to see if they are like the ones we had in Taiwan! (:

So what are the kind of asian dessert you enjoy? Would love to know if you have a favourite place in Melbourne to have them so I could pop them in my “to-go” list! 

Private Dining Room With Manu Feildel

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I’ve always been pampered by the Mr. He is the person who know what would make me happy and he got me the perfect birthday present. My birthday was spent in New Zealand with the family and that itself was awesome. That night, he passed me his phone and ask me to take a look. I didn’t know what he was trying to do, but seeing his smile, I knew it was definitely something good. (: And boy was I right!

The Private Dining Room with Manu Feildel at the MElbourne Good Food & Wine Show! (: I was smiling non-stop as I am a big fan of Manu especially after watching MKR. There something about his French accent that makes you smile. haha And him saying “Bon Appetit!”

It was just a small group of us and we were waiting outside these big black curtains. The wait staff come out with glasses of champagne and I have to say, that was a perfect start to an awesome meal. (:

To my Mr : Thank you so much for this absolutely amazing generous and thoughtful gift! I couldn’t ask for more. I’m truly blessed to have you in my life (: I love you!

Isn’t this the prettiest table setting you’ve seen? Incredible.

Before every meal, a representative from Dan Murphy’s would explain the wine that would go perfectly with each of our courses. I have to say, his role wasn’t small as well. We were all there for the food, but it’s really important to have good wine to go with the yummy food. So kuddos to him for his recommendations!

The yummy menu for the afternoon! Was my first time having chilled soup! Have to admit, I was a bit hesitant when I saw the menu, but I had no doubt it would be delicious.

Chilled pea soup with crab salad & black olive oil. Really delicate flavours and surprisingly being not a fan of peas, I really liked the taste! Was really refreshing as well. Made me want to just pick the bowl of soup up and slurp it rudely. haha But of course, I resisted. Best thing about it? You could have them with prawn instead of crab or in Manu’s words “Lobster if you’re feeling rich!” hehe He was humorous the whole time, was great to know how friendly he is with everyone (:

 Roast duck with spiced honey glaze. There just something about the combination of sweet and savoury in a dish. The caramelised skin of the duck and the caramelised carrots were just delicious! Though I preferred the fats on my skin a bit more rendered. But it was still delicious! Like MKR and the emphasis with the sauce, there were some guests that asked for more and Manu came around personally with the pot of yumminess and poured more on every plate. NOMS!

Chocolate and hazelnut mousse. Decadence in a glass. Pure indulgence. It was a really rice dessert, and the mr had to finish 1/3 of mine for me. But it was so good, really good. Every mouthful just felt like I had a mouthful of nutella. Smooth and creamy! But what topped the afternoon off was….

I was star struck and VERY happy! haha Was actually more in a shock but in a good kind of way (:

Thank you for the wonderful meal, Manu, and thank you again my dear husband for this awesome awesome birthday gift ! I think it’s gonna be difficult to beat for next year. hehe 😛

New Found Gem : Kang Na Roo Korean Restaurant

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I have something to confess : I’m a convert! Let me explain. I use to think that my favourite cuisine is Japanese food. Don’t get me wrong. I still love my sashimi and sushi. But of late, I’ve realised that I would actually rather have korean when given the choice! Just something about hot plates and hot pots that I am craving for all the time. (: And I have to admit, we’ve been a bit korean crazy lately. haha

We chanced up this small little restaurant when we were furnishing our new place and needed to get some materials. Traveling up and down to Bunnings Warehouse at Clayton and saw this restaurant, at the corner opposite Clayton train station, was still buzzing with patrons at 9pm on a weekday night! So we both decided it was a place we have to check this place out.

Of course, we decided to pop up on a Friday night at 7pm. PEAK HOUR ALERT! And waited, willingly and excitedly, for half an hour to get our seats. Standing at the doors was pure torture, only because we had to withstand the cold winds that was coming through the doors whenever customers were going in and out, and also smell the aromas from the food in front of us (and salivating non-stop because of it!). The restaurant was really cosy and everyone working there were koreans. We were excited, cause we knew we were going to get some authentic korean food.

Kang Na Roo

Address : 309-315 Clayton Road, Clayton Vic 3168

Tel : 03 95432842

I dunno about you, but I absolutely adore the small dishes that come just before the food comes. The top of my favourite list is the caramelised sweet potato! I could just have that all night, although my waist wouldn’t be too pleased about that. haha

We flipped through the menu and this hot pot dish caught our attention : Gamja Tang. It’s mild pork bone marrow stew with vegetables and potatoes. It was just the right amount of spice that we needed to warm our tummies up for the start of winter. The Mr was just happily slurping on the marrow and we finished everything in that pot.

What was special about this particular hotpot is that you could order a serve of special rice with vegetables that will come after you have finished 95% of the soup in the pot. Then one of the wait staff came to mix the rice into the hotpot and fry it on the spot! The Mr and I were just smiling non-stop cause we were so amused!

It looked simple but it tasted A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! With the flavours of the stew, it was a home run for us!

This, dear readers, was no ordinary fried chicken. It’s drizzled with a sweet chilli sauce that intrigues us. It’s almost like malt –  it’s super duper thick and sticky but not overly sweet when you taste it! We just couldn’t stop eating it even though our stomachs were starting to feel stuffed! The addition of peanuts and pine nuts just adds a bite to the dish. Just describing it now is making me hungry even though I just had dinner. haha

We could not be happier when we were done with our meal that night. Both the Mr and I had the widest smiles and the happiest bellies (: Definitely a place we will visit regularly from now, seeing that it’s about 5 mins drive away from our new place! (: And do know that you could call and book a table in advance so you won’t have to wait too long for a table!

So are you a japanese or korean food lover? Or are you a convert like me? Would love to know!

Miss Polly

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Sorry for my long absence in posts as the past month! It has been a really tiring but exciting time for both the mr and I and I do hope for your kind understanding and thank you for your continuous support of Food Made With Love! (:

You see, the mr and I bought our first place and been crazy busy with the packing-moving-unpacking-and-decorating process! Plus we had no internet for the first 3 weeks after moving in, but now that the internet is up, I am back and here to stay!

This is a photo of our dining and living room. (: Loving our sofa from Freedom! hehe But this post would be dedicated to food, after being MIA for so long! haha But I promise to share more photos of the new place in the post to come!

Miss Polly

Add : 26 Britannia Mall, Mitcham Vic 3132

Tel : 03 98738246

I’ve always considered myself very lucky cause I have a family who care and love me unconditionally and a husband who loves me and loves to give me surprises! (: He came home one Saturday from training his clients and told me to get dress cause he’s bringing me to brunch! When I asked where brunch was going to be, he refused to tell me and replied simply, “secret!” haha. Weekends (especially long ones) couldn’t get any better just spending time with him and enjoying what we love – FOOD!

Miss Polly is a small and cosy cafe tucked in a small lane in Mitcham. It’s apparently opposite what used to be Coles a few years back! I kinda overheard the conversation the owner was having with another couple the table next to us. haha. Their mother used to go to that Coles! Love a place with rich history (: Makes the place more unique!

I was super happy that the mr brought me here. I was crazy jealous when he went there on his own after sending his car in for a service. I saw his pictures on instagram and it was on my “to-go” list (which by the way is ever growing! haha). Lucky us took the last table available besides the communal table! Plus, everyone at the cafe was really friendly and nice! Straight away we ordered our choice of hot drinks, as it was super cold that morning!

Our drinks are pretty standard for brunch : chai soy latte for me, and a large cafe latte for the mr. It was my first time seeing a large latte served in a tall glass! And what’s better? They use the beans from Proud Mary! The Mr’s favourite coffee. hehe it was a win-win!

Thank you for surprising me with brunch ! (:

When I skimmed through the menu, the one thing that caught my eyes was the dish with corn fritters! Ever since I had corn fritters at Replete Providore, it’s something that I crave for brunch constantly! So when I saw it, I just had to order it. It’s called Something Salmon! What a cute name aye? It has alternate layers of corn fritters, smoked salmon and spinach leaves topped with a poached egg and delicious tangy tomato relish! How pretty does it look? It tasted as delicious!

Of course, I couldn’t finish it haha (nothing new there!) and the mr had to, once again, clean the plate up for me! hehe Even after having his order of Polly Big Breakfast! The breakfast platter includes scrambled eggs, spinach, mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, chorizo, a slice of bread and a side of tomato relish!

Loved how their scrambled eggs were still a little runny! The magical part of the dish was definitely the chorizos and the tomato relish. Really adds depth and flavour and also puts a smile on the mr’s face! hehe

Miss Polly is definitely a cafe we would frequent from now on. Good food, goof company and good service. It’s like a trio-winner-factor! Although it’s not exactly close to where we now live, but it’s near Box Hill, which means we can have brunch and then do marketing! hehe Well, distance will never be a barrier to us having our brunch! Don’t you agree? (:

So what do you like to order when you go for brunch? Would love to know your choices! Happy mid week everyone! Just 2 more days till the weekend again!

A Day of Two Brunches

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Brunch has been a weekend affair ever since I can remember. The Mr and I would try to explore different cafes on Sundays after church, especially if they are highly recommended. On some Sundays though, we rather head back to a place we know we would definitely love and enjoy. In fact, we went to 2 of our favourite places within 2 hours. Thank goodness for close proximity!

Proud Mary

172 Oxford Street, Collingwood Vic 3066

First stop : Proud Mary ! This definitely isn’t our first time at Proud Mary. The Mr and I came here on a weekly basis before we got married. But due to work commitments, we are only able to come once or twice a month. Not a bad thing though. Cause it makes us miss it alot more, and crave for their delicious brunch! As usual the queue was all the way to the road outside the cafe, so we had to put our names down on a waiting list. We were told it would be a 30 mins wait. So we decided to make a small detour and headed to our second stop : Monsieur Truffe (MT for short) that was just a few streets down to get ourselves our chocolate croissant fix!

Monsieur Truffe

90 Smith Street, Collingwood Vic 3066

When you enter MT, you are hit with the loveliest smell of butter pastry and cocoa. They make their own chocolates and you can purchase their bars as well! What got my attention was the huge chocolate rooster standing proudly on top of a cabinet of baked goods. We ordered a chocolate croissant each and had to head back to Proud Mary to wait for our seats!

This is what a croissant should be. Layers and layers of pastry. Crispy on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. With the addition of chocolate, PERFECT. The Mr just can’t get enough! (:

So about the time we got back from MT, our names were called and we got to our seats! Lucky ducks we were!

If you’ve never been to Proud Mary and you are a coffee lover. I URGE you to make a trip down as soon as possible. I usually am not a coffee drinker (chai is definitely my choice of beverage), but when I am there, I have to order their latte or cappuccino. Definitely one of the best coffees we’ve had! The baristas are super quick with the orders and professional, might I add. Proud Mary has so many different ways of brewing their coffee, I get so amazed!

Of course, it’s not just the coffees that are good here. The food is to-die-for! I didn’t really need to look at the menu. I knew what I wanted even before we got here. haha The Hash!

The potato hash was just heavenly. Every single bite was just more delightful than the one before. The saltiness of the bacon, the crispy bacon and the soft and runny poached egg. The hash was nice and crispy on the outside, but the unique thing about their hash is that you can see every strand of it. It’s not mush like others. Perfectly seasoned. YUM!

The Mr ordered the smoked herring. It was a new dish on the menu so he wanted to give it a try. And also because he didn’t want to end up ordering the same thing as me (oops). He also ordered a side of bacon (super generous portion) just cause he wanted some!

It came with a chutney, fried egg, salad and toast! Was pretty yummy, but we did prefer the smoke salmon they use to have! That was really good. hehe

After the 2 meals, you can imagine how full we were. But we were definitely very happy we had brunch there. (: So have you tried Proud Mary before dear readers? What was your favourite dish?

Till next time, have a lovely Easter everyone! xx

Brunch Sunday : Replete Providore

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Replete Providore

302 Barkers Road, Hawthorn Vic 3122

(03) 98184448

We arrived at 930am and the place was filled! We had to wait for about 10 mins for window seats, definitely had to wait a tad bit longer for a table. It’s a really cosy place and the staff were friendly. I didn’t know there was a communion table behind with sofa seats and really a really pretty light!

I first read about Replete Providore from Iron Chef Shellie and what caught my eye in her review post was their chai soy latte. If you know me, I LOVE chai! It’s absolutely vital for me to have a cup of chai soy latte in the morning, to start my day off well! So when I saw how they served their chai in a teapot, I had to go give it a try!

It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Love that they put more cinnamon powder on top to add a spice-kick to the hot and comforting drink. I don’t know if it’s just me. There’s just something therapeutic dipping the honey dipper into a big glass container of honey and slowly allowing it to drip into my cup of chai.

fuzzy wuzzy honey bee (:

The Mr, on the other hand, is a coffee lover. When asked how his coffee was, he said GOOD! haha So I reckon it’s something not to be missed too if you’re there for brunch and you need your morning cuppa!

 Sundays are brunch days for the mr and I. We always head to somewhere nice after mass in the morning. It’s just something we decided to do a while back. It’s definitely a day I look forward to and treasure very much. Especially since we are working everyday and get so drained by the end of the week and all we want to do is relax, enjoy each other’s company and have super yummy food! (:

On with the food. The best part! haha I’m having this current obsession with corn so the minute I saw corn fritters on the menu, my mind was made up! Layered with bacon and topped with sour cream and avocado salsa, I was sure it would be a winner (:

And yes, the portion size here is HUGE! Two really big fritters with heaps of bacon and a more than decent amount of sour cream and salsa. Everything came together and complimented each other. The flavours were just dancing in my mouth! I was a super happy girl.

With portions this big, I usually can only have half of it, and the mr would need to finish it up for me. But that day, I couldn’t stop eating it. Of course, I still couldn’t finish it, but I did better than just 1/2! An achievement in my eyes. hehe

Now, this is the breakfast for champions. Eating champions. haha How big is the Replete Breakfast? Toast, bacon, poached eggs, spanish sausage, tomato, field mushrooms and the most amazing hash brown! The hash was super crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It is one thing the mr always looks out for when he’s out for brunch. A good hash. And he definitely found it here!

Of course, you can imagine how full we were by the end of the meal, but we were two very happy campers! With very round tummies! hehe Definitely a place I recommend. If you want to avoid the crowds, come during the weekdays. But brunch just isn’t brunch without the crowds and people flipping the papers and tables of friends laughing and having a good time with good food, is it?

Have a fantastic brunch day people! (:

A Review Post Gone Korean Crazy

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We are addicted. Addicted to everything Korean. But more specifically, Running Man! We were introduced to this awesome tv game show by the Mr’s sister, Melissa, and we have been crazy about it ever since! If you haven’t had a chance to watch any episodes, I urge you to watch them! I have to warn you though, you would laugh so hard, you would get cramps or even fall off your chair!

So the last few episodes that we watched, they went around the different cities of Korea buying the famous korean food and snacks at their night markets. That made us drool and made our stomachs growl. We usually watch an episode before going to bed, and boy was that a bad idea. We were so hungry by the time the episode was over. haha

Needless to say, we were both craving for Korean food! If you follow me on Instagram, you would have realised that for my dinners, I’ve been making my own versions of korean dishes just to satisfy those cravings. But after the weightlifting competition the mr took part in last night, we couldn’t resist but to head to Han Guuk Guan at Carlton for dinner since it on our way home.

Han Guuk Guan

Address : 13 Victoria Street, Melbourne Vic 3000

Telephone : (03) 96391747

This family-run Korean restaurant is gem hidden behind taller buildings along Victoria Street. We use to dine there really often when we were living in Carlton a few years ago. But haven’t been there for ages! They serve both chinese and korean dishes and trust me, both cuisines are yummy (Do take note that they only serve korean on Mondays, in case you would like to try their chinese dishes).

The staff were very friendly and the whole restaurant was filled with the delicious smell of BBQ meat. We couldn’t wait to get seated and have our food!

We ordered the seafood pancake as a starter. It was really crispy on the outside and was made with a mixture of vegetables and seafood. It came with a tangy sauce which made it even more delicious!

Though the starter appeared to be small, the mains were huge! The Yu Seul Jaa Jung Meon (Black Bean Noodles with Seafood) was DELICIOUS! There is something about me and black noodles. I can’t have enough of them.  As unappealing as it looks, trust me. When you take your first bite, you will be in love! However, the combination of hunger and delicious food was horrible though, I ate two bowls so quickly, I was stuffed even before the other dish arrived! haha

The Mr was really happy with how delicious the food was! (: And he sure had a big appetite after his weightlifting competition and he finished everything!

of course, we couldn’t resist ourselves from ordering our favourite dish: Soondubu Jjigae (Spicy Seafood Toufu Stew) ! Especially on a cold and rainy night, this was perfect! The soup was really tasty and breaking the raw egg yolk just made the soup/stew thicker.

We definitely left the restaurant full and happy! The price was really reasonable too for the portion size! And what made us even happier was that the Mr did really well at the competition! 3 Personal Best lifts yo! (: Congrats baby!

So the next time you are around Carlton or even the city and you crave Korean, you know where to go! (:



 

A Keeper : Beef Stout Stew

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Remember the post I did a couple of days ago on Yorkshire pudding? I knew after posting that I had to post the recipe of my favourite stew to have the pud with. I’ve made a few stews but I feel that this one is definitely a keeper.

I don’t know if it’s the stout, but somehow. It does make the stew yummier. Might be in my head. haha (My Mr loves stout!) In saying that, I’m sure it will be fine if you leave the stout out and just use more stock. It’s just one of those stews that you can put all your favourite ingredients in it and it will turn out great! Although it takes a really long time to cook, it is crucial just so the flavours will develop and you will get the thick and lucious gravy! The waiting time is worth it!

There are many things you could have with a stew. Besides the yorkshire pudding, one of my other favourite sides to go with a stew is a good mash. I made parmesan mash with this beef stew. And it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T! (:

So what is the favourite thing you like to go with your stew? SHARE! (:

Beef Stout Stew (Serves 6 or freezes well)

Ingredients :

1.2kg gravy beef, cut into 3cm pieces (can use chuck as well)

1/4 cup plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

2 celery stalks, cut into chunks

3 carrots, cut into chunks

1 big onion, cut into wedges

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

6 small eschalots

8 mushrooms, cut into quarters

2 tbs tomato paste

2 cups beef stock

1 cup stout

2 bay leaves

Steps :

1. Lightly dust the meat with the flour, shake off and reserve the excess. Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a casserole dish/claypot on medium-high heat and pan dry the beef in batches until browned all over. Remove and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium and heat the rest of the oil, adding the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring for 3-4minutes until tender. Add the tomato paste and the rest of the flour and stir for a further minute.

3. Add the stout, beef stock and bay leaves and stir till well combined. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow it to cook over low heat for 1hr. (Stirring every half hour just to make sure nothing is stuck at the bottom)

4. Add the mushrooms and eschalots and cover and cook for a further 1 1/2hrs or until the meat is soft and tender and the sauce is rich and thick. (Stirring every 30mins)

Serve with a side of your choice! (: ENJOY!

FREEEEDOM!

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I’m back and I’m free!

Free to do what I love to do most: Cook and bake! The past two weeks have been crazy to say the least. I was relying on just 2-3hrs of sleep a day just to complete the last 3 assignments for the semester. Thank goodness I don’t have exams! haha So I crashed almost immediately after I handed in my last assignment. But only recovered a couple of days ago!

One of the first things I wanted to do was of course BAKE! (: Had so many recipes I wanted to try. I had cravings for green tea and it has always been my favourite asian flavour for desserts. My second is black sesame! My day wouldn’t be complete without a cup of hot green tea.

So I why not combine them together right? AWESOME AWESOME idea! (: I came across this recipe on Delicious Coma while blog hopping and I was thrilled and excited to give it a try!

and boy was it yummy! The cupcake was the softest texture I ever got and the green tea cream cheese icing just compliments it SO WELL! My housemate actually said that it’s the best one he’s had so far! WOO! haha.

So here’s the recipe I adapted from Delicious Coma ENJOY!

Black Sesame Cupcakes

6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups (155 g) all purpose flour
1/2 cup PLUS 3 Tbsp milk

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. Line a mini cupcake pan with 12 baking liners.

2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring them constantly, until they are fragrant (about 2 minutes). Crush toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle until they are the texture of damp sand and set aside (I cut carried away and was crushing them for almost 20 mins!). Separately, sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the ground sesame seeds, egg, and vanilla and beat until combined. Alternate the dry ingredients and milk (i.e. beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, add 1/2 the milk and mix well. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and the remaining milk, and the remaining flour). Mix until batter is smooth.

4. Fill cupcake liners until they are about 2/3 full (I put the batter in a piping bag and pipe them into the liners). Knock out any air that is in the batter after filling the liners. Bake for 15 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan as soon as safely possible. Cool completely before frosting as desired.

Matcha Cream Cheese Icing

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature
2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted (more if needed)
10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature and cut into small pieces
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 tsp matcha (green tea) powder (I used 4 cause I really like it!)

1. Sift powdered sugar and matcha together into a small bowl.

2. In a larger mixing bowl, cream the butter, powdered sugar mixture, and vanilla until thoroughly blended. Add the cream cheese, a chunk at a time, beating after each addition (just enough to work it in).

3. Pipe it on the cupcake how you like it. Sprinkle some toasted black sesame on top.

4. DONE!

Forever 18.

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Turning 18, in my opinion, is one of the milestones of life.

I remember when I turned 18, it was my first year here in Melbourne, and it was also my first birthday away from home. It was bitter sweet, almost. Thank God that I had friends who love me and made my day very very special and unforgettable. So, to me. Having a celebration when you turn 18 is almost crucial! (: It signifies you becoming an adult (I know, not as huge as turning 21, but nonetheless important!) and definitely deserves a good dinner and a huge cake!

A huge cake was what I made for Peiwen for her 18th birthday during the last weekend! To be honest, I was very very nervous. Big cakes are definitely not something I am good at, not to say, I rarely make them. So I was really brave to decide on making not just a big cake, but a layered cake that, to me, is the most complex thing I’ve ever done! And.. it was HUGE! haha I got a shock after I assembled it, at how huge it was!

As “tall” as Peiqi’s hands!

Just shy of Peiwen’s hand haha

The original name of this cake is called the Heaven and Hell cake. I know. Not a very attractive name. But it’s only cause the two flavours of cakes in this recipe is an angel food cake and a devil’s food cake, held together with a peanut butter mousse. haha. So it does make sense yea? But when it was assembled and when I was helping to cut it into smaller portions, only one thing came to my mind: Reeses. So I decided to change the name to Reeses Choc-White cake (:

Thankfully, it was well received by everyone, and most importantly, the birthday girl (: So happy birthday once again! Hope you had an awesome time!

Cutting the cake was nerve-wrecking for me. I didn’t know if the layers were going to be distinct, or it was going to be a while mess inside. So with my fingers and toes crossed…

not very uniform in the height of each layer. but the layers are pretty distinct, right? haha Or just me and my self-encouragements. haha. ah wells. anywho! Here’s the recipe I’ve adapted from Food o’del Mundo

Reeses Choc-White Cake

Ganache
1 3/4 lbs (795 g) dark chocolate melts
1 1/3 c (315 ml) heavy cream

Place the chocolate in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan and when it begins to bubble up, pour over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Gently stir, starting in the middle and working your way outward, until the cream and chocolate are completely mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

Angel Food Cake
1 1/2 c (235 g) confectioners’ sugar
1 c minus 2 Tbls (120 g) flour
2 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 c (355 ml) egg whites
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1 c (200 g) sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325F (160C) and line the bottom of a 10″ round cake pan with ungreased parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar, flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually sprinkle in sugar, then extracts, beating until stiff peaks form.

Sift half of the flour mixture over egg whites and fold until just combined. Sift over the remaining half of the flour mixture and gently fold until no streaks remain.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake until top of cake springs back when touched, 45–50 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack and let cool.

My angel cake turned out to have a very crispy outer layer, not sure if it’s cause I did something wrong, but it did add this crunchy texture to the cake which actually was pretty good! (:

Devil’s Food Cake
3/4 c (155 g) unsalted butter
1 1/2 c minus 3 Tbls (185 g) flour
3 Tbls cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 c (355 ml) coffee
3/4 c (70 g) cocoa powder, sifted
2 c (250 g) sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, room temp

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 10″ round cake pan with shortening and dust with flour to coat. Shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk the coffee and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a handheld mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 minutes. Alternately add the flour mixture and the coffee mixture to the bowl in 3 stages, beating to combine after each addition.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, 30–35 minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Mousse
1 lb (455 g) (2 8oz packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 c (710 ml) smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
2 c (315 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 c (235 ml) heavy cream

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Put cream into a large bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining 2/3rds. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Assembly

Using a serrated-blade knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Place 1 layer of the devil’s food cake on a cake stand and spread 1/3 of the peanut butter mousse over the top. Top mousse with a layer of the angel food cake and spread with half of the remaining mousse. Repeat with the remaining devil’s food cake, mousse, and angel food cake. Wrap cake in plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours.

Stir ganache (heat it in the microwave, if necessary, at 10 second intervals. Be sure to stir well) until smooth and pour over the top and sides of the cake, smoothing with a palette spreader if necessary. Refrigerate the cake for 2 hours before slicing.

Happy 18th Birthday !

So tell me dearest readers, how did you celebrate your 18th birthday?