A Friendly Reminder: Google Friend Connect

Good news and bad news.


Let's start with the bad one first. 
But before I share the bad news, here's a pretty picture of Mini Crab Quiche(s) which is totally not related to the below news. Just wanted to post something pretty to prep you guys up :)

So here it goes... ever since I started this blog, one of the things that fascinated me the most is the cool Blogger feature called "Google Friend Connect". Basically how it works is that you click on "Follow" on the Blogger tab if you want to follow a blog. 

And wow, I must have been saying some right, something funny, something noteworthy for you to follow my blog. And that is one of the things that keep me going. And for that, "Google Friend Connect" followers, I thank you for the bottom of my happy heart.


I recently found out that blogger is removing this feature effective March 1, 2012. This surprised me in a sad kind of way. I'm not sure why they are doing away with this but this means if you follow me through "Google Friend Connect", chances are beginning March 1, you won't be able to receive updates from me. 


But here's the good news!!!


Don't you worry, there are lots of ways to connect with Bake Happy!
See the nice looking rows of buttons on the upper right hand corner of my blog? Head on over to it and click one (or it would make me happy if you click and subscribe to all).

Bake Happy is currently on:

• Facebook: aside from blog updates, this is where I post all cake orders (if you need a "cute cakes fix", then head on over. Outtakes (stuff that didn't make it to this blog), baking tips and Sunday lazy baking pictures are in Bake Happy's Facebook page, too.
• Twitter: aside from blog updates, this is where you'll know if I am craving for sugar coated pili nuts, my everyday musings and my penchant for Shaider's Fushigi Shigi song, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert's It Happened One Night and crime procedural dramas.
• Pinterest: Oh, I have to work on this one but all tutorials are on my boards :)
• E-mail: Got a question? A cake order? Just want to say, hi? Drop me a mail and let's het to know each other better. :)

So, let's celebrate two things today, (1) Social Media and (2) Bake Happy-ness!


ps. want the recipe for the Mini Crab Quiche from the photo above? If your answer is "yes of course!" ask me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, through mail or comment below and I will definitely answer :)


Have a great day ahead everyone! 

Chocolate Lover

This is the confectionery castle baking dreams are made of. 

How do I know of Chocolate Lover? I remember passing by their Quezon Avenue branch while still in college and use to wonder why a big chocolate colored castle is standing proudly in the middle of the metro. I mean, what is going on? Was I missing something? Will an Oompa Loompa greet me at the door while Willy Wonka wait for me by the Chocolate River? I was often tempted to stop and see what all the fuss is all about but I was not familiar with the area. Good thing a friend of mine from college filled me in on the secret. And no... sorry to tell you, no Oompa Loompas.


Anyway, fast forward to a few years later, when the baking bug hit me, I finally stepped into their Cubao branch. I tell you, my baking life was never the same. If want to start a baking business or want to take up baking as a hobby, you may want to visit Chocolate Lovers. Let me be your unofficial tour guide for your first visit. After that, you're on your own. Unless you want to invite me, I'd be happy to tag along.


Okay, just so I won't take the blame, here's the Bake Happy's friendly warning before we browse through the aisles: this place will make you dig real deep into the farthest recesses of your wallet... in pockets you never thought existed. With that out of the way, shall we?


Before, all packaging materials were on the second floor while all confectionary items were in the ground floor. They recently renovated The Castle and literally made it a one stop shop. All items are now on the first floor. 


Here are the packing materials. Boy there are lots of them!

Some D-I-Y cupcake towers available in 3 and 5 tiers. There are some plastic packaging too.

Can't get enough of sprinkles? [Like someone I know who buys them all the time even though she doesn't know where to use it yet. {That someone's defense: Hey, sprinkles are like visible version of endorphins, just looking at them makes everybody happy}]

But wait there's more!

How about some sanding sugar? These ones are used for sugar cookie decorating. Something like what glitters are to scrapbooks.

Lots of cocoa powder to choose from! One time, I was really clumsy and dropped a bag of Callebaut and the whole thing split open! I was sooo embarassed! I was fussing over the mess (wow I can still remember the intoxicating chocolate fragrance) and a nice lady approached me and told me not to fuss. I told her I'll pay of course (clumsy me) and she went on telling stories about how they use it to make champorado. Such a sweet old lady :)

Need some pans? You can find virtually anything here.

If you're mission is to add up to your collection (ummm, I mean investment) of tips, cutters and all sorts of cake decorating tools then this is the place to be. But I warn you, their stock flies out of the window fast. What you see there one week may be gone the next.

Did I mention well stocked?

I did mention well stocked? Yes? Yeah they are.

Here are some walnuts, cashew nuts, macadamia and all sorts of nuts. They say you are what you eat, so I try to stay away from these stuff. Just kidding.

Ahh... the confection The Castle is named after, chocolate.

Cool! Here are some pre-colored ones. I will buy some the minute I have the courage to make cake pops. I suck at making them. I wish I live next door to Bakerella. 

Candies in all forms, anyone?

Here's more!

Hope you enjoyed the tour everyone! Happy shopping!




Chocolate Lover Incorporated

Locations:


Main:
45 P.Tuazon Blvd. corner
C. Benites St. Cubao
Quezon City
Philippines 1109


Tel. numbers:
724 4964
724 5752
411 7474
email: info@achocolatelover.com


Branch:
2 Kitanlad St. corner
Quezon Avenue
7328576 / 7417487

Cupcake Decorating 101: Cupcake Decorating Tips

We're talking tips today. The cupcake decorating kind that is.You see, I just noticed that ir has been awhile since I followed up on the cupcake baking posts. I guess weve been caught up in cupcake tutorials, you and I.

So just in case, and this is me hoping, that my blog has recently been a favorite of yours,  head on over to the tutorials section for the past posts on cupcake baking. And while  you're at it do check the cupcake topper tutorials, I'm pretty sure you'll find one or two useful. But before you click on the tutorials link, please promise me youll come back to this post. Yeah?

Okay, so let's go back to this post's topic.  I thought I'd show you the decorating tips I usually use when frosting cupcakes and how they look like when piped. I buy all my tips from Cooks Exchange in Glorietta. Sadly, they are closed for the mall's renovation. But they still have branches in Rockwell and Megamall.  All are from Ateco.

 Here are some closed star tips.  Tip #855 is my all-time favorite one. You can see it used all over this blog. I love closed star tips because of the defined swirls they make. A smaller version is tip #846. Tip #854 has more "teeth" than the other two. 

Here is a batch of frosting I prepared so I can show you how they look like piped.

Don't they look pretty? See the well defined swirls? 

Now, here are some open star tips. While the closed star tips curve at the top, the open star tips are designed to have more frosting on the center, creating a more stable top for a cupcake. So, if you have a heavy cupcake topper, and you want swirls on your frosting, go for the open star tips instead of the closed ones. 

Here's how they look like piped. Swirls are less defined than the what the closed star tips create but are more stable

Lastly, if you want to go for simple effect, here are some plain round ones. Tips with numbers 809, 806 and 805 should be able to do the trick.

Here's how they look like on top of cupcakes. Oh wow! Just looking at these, I just realized (again), by using the round tips, the cupcake to frosting ratio is almost 1 is to 1! Sweet!

Hope this post helps you guys! More to come! :)

How to Make Eiffel Tower Cupcake Toppers

February is the only month when it is unofficially okay to have pink as your picture background for every post for the rest of the month. By "you" I mean "me". And while where at it, I'll include April on the list since it's my birthday month and I can practically do anything I want. 

But then again, pink is a popular background for all my posts. I hope by now you're used to it, though I try to balance the whole vibe with other colors as well. Sometimes, you see browns, oranges, reds, greens, oh well, you get it. But pink is the closest to my heart. Just saying. 

Anyway, since it's the love month and all, I thought I'd show you how I made the Eiffel Tower Cupcakes from this post. And I'm posting it early to give you all the prep time you need. How's that for nice? :)

What we need

Eiffel Tower Image

Knife

Gumpaste (I use Country Kitchen's Gumpaste Mix)

Brown gel food coloring

Royal Icing in piping bag with a #1 tip

Bronze luster dust

Vodka [friendly note: vodka is used to thin out the luster dust and not for drinking while doing this project. After all, friends don't let friends cake decorate while drunk :)] or a clear extract (ex vanilla or lemon)

Brush

Slim popsicle sticks

Here's How:

(1) Roll out gumpaste and cut out the Eiffel Towers using the template. Let it dry overnight

 (2) Thin out brown food coloring with vodka and brush onto the towers. Let it dry for about 2 hours.

 (3) Using the Royal Icing in piping bag with a #1 tip, pipe the outline and details on the tower. Let it dry (... again) 

 (4) Thin out the bronze luster dust with vodka and brush onto the details.

 Here are some cupcakes I prepped with heart sprinkles. Cupcakes taste so much better with sprinkles, says Fancy Nancy. Oh wait, that was ice cream I think. Same difference. 

Assemble towers on top of the cupcakes with Popsicle sticks for support. Oh la la!!!