How to Make a Christmas Bunting Cake

To say that I have the best sister ever is an understatement. Totally. 

She's way more than amazing! I could go on and on (yeah I love lists, don't I?) as to why she is the world's best sister but let's leave that for her birthday. 

Anyway, for my Christmas gift this year from her, we're going on an island getaway!!! "Oh no, I'm not beach ready!" says my muffin top but I am bubbling with excitement!! Thanks, T__e_g! :)

I don't know about you but I am what they say a laid back vacationer. I am content to spread a beach towel on the white sand, sit comfortably and read (and enjoy a mojito if I'm feeling fancy). So instead of searching the web for the best of what the island has to offer, I am up over at Amazon searching for the best beach read this Christmas. Here are my  choices (in no particular order) -

• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender 
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
• Evertaster by Adam Glendon Sidwell 
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

I not sure if you've noticed, but my current state of mind seems to scream that I'm totally gravitating towards books with food as the theme. Hmmm, I'm not sure if that means anything *wink*

Anyway, before we leave for the island in a few days, I made you a bunting cake - Christmas style. Here's a shot of the red bunting flags. 

And what is Christmas with out giving gifts? Here are some waiting for Santa to pick them up for nice little kids all over the globe (and probably beyond? Who knows.)

And if you've been very good little boys and little girls who are really nice and patient enough to still be reading at this point, here is a little surprise inside.

Want to know how I made the cake? Today's you're lucky day because I'm going to show you how it's done, Bake Happy style.

How to Make a Christmas Bunting Cake

What we need:

Vanilla Cake

Your choice of buttercream or creamcheese frosting

Red Striped Straws

Red Striped Baker's Twine

Fondant Gift Toppers

Barbecue sticks

Red Wooden Beads

Red Construction Paper

Paste/Scissors

Here's how:

(1) Make the vanilla cake. I used Magnolia Bakery's recipe

Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cake Recipe
adapted from the The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook


2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bottle McCormick Red Food Coloring
1 bottle McCormick Green Food Coloring

Sift together/dry whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, slowly. Add a third of the dry ingredients, then half of the milk. Repeat till all is combined. Lastly, add vanilla. 

Then divide the batter into two, coloring one red. In my case, there was more red than green (sorry po, tao lang :) )

And the other half green.

Bake in 7-inch round pans for 30-40 minutes or until done at 350F. Let it cool

(2) Make the frosting
(3) So, as I said, there were more red cake than green cake in my cake and luckily it worked on my favor since I get to divide the red cake in three parts and the green one in to two. Let's start assembing (Ohh.. this is where the fun starts!!!). Place a red layer as a base, then spread some frosting.

(4) Followed by a green one, then a red, then a green... you get the picture :)

(5) Until you come up with this. Then, cover the whole thing in frosting.

(6) Make the fondant gifts.
How to make Fondant Gift Topper
What we need:
Fondant in green, pink, yellow and blue
Silicon mold for ribbons

Create some ribbons from the fondant using the mold

Shape squares from the fondant.

Cover it with a thin fondant stripe resembling a ribbon

Top with the mold we made earlier.

Here are the mixed and matched gifts

(7) Poke two barbeque sticks onto the cake in a slanting position. They will be the guide for the straw.

(8) Now add the red striped straws

(9) Add wooden beads (luckily, I was able to find some at home bought at Divisoria a few years back), I don't know how I pulled it off but I attached the beads to the straws using red fondant.  Tie the baker's twine to connect the two poles.

(10) Make some red bunting flags and paste to the baker's twine.

And viola, we know have a Christmas Bunting Cake!

Hope you like this one! :) Happy holidays everyone!

Bizu Patisserie’s ‘Nutcracker’ Christmas

This holiday season, Bizu Patisserie borrows inspiration from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite as it transforms itself into the magical Land of the Sweets.

Each branch is festooned with toy soldiers, dolls, candles, flowers and even the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier.

Just like in the beloved masterpiece, Bizu abounds with sweet creations both wonderful and unique.

Rouge is a French gateaux of raspberry mousse cake with a crème brûlée surprise. 

Noël Dark Chocolate Fruitcake is a Valrhona  chocolate pecan and dark cherry cake with pate-a-glacier and the Noël Fruit and Carrot Cake is a fruit and walnut cake with browned butter cream cheese. 

Gaspard is a Christmas chocolate ornament ball on top of a classic financier cake. Inside, when cracked, is a medley of flavors – hazelnut praline mousse with passion fruit and orange cremeux.

Bizu creates its very own Panettone, the classic sweet Italian Christmas bread with candied orange peels, plump raisins and red cherries. Colomba Petit, is another classic Italian bread with candied orange peels soaked in orange liquer.

There is a snowman shaped Macaron de Paris with a new and intriguing flavor called Speculoos. The macaron is filled with ginger butter creme ganache.

Deck your holiday table with show-stopping centerpieces. Melchor Croquembouche is a white and dark Belgian chocolate-covered cream puff tower while the Macaron de Paris Pyramid is a structural art-piece to hold 40 pieces of your favorite Macaron flavors.

  
In a rush and need a hassle free Christmas? Let Bizu do the cooking! Browse through their Party Tray Menu as they serve a wide variety of exciting canapés to tasty terrines, fresh organic salads and tempting entrées. Take your pick from Bizu’s moist Yuletide Pork Crown Roast with apples, chestnut and sausages stuffing, Melt-in-your-mouth 10-Hour Roast US Beef Belly and a plump, golden brown Turkey served with pan gravy, cranberry sauce and chestnut stuffing.

Let Bizu, once again, make this Christmas an occasion to remember!

Check out Bizu Patisserie’s newest branch in One Rockwell Tower, Rockwell Drive Makati City (478-7755). Other Bizu branches are located in Greenbelt 2 Parkside (757-2498), Greenhills Promenade (724-2498), Alabang Town Center (809-2498) and St. Luke’s BGC (789-7700). 

You can also email bizumarketing@gmail.com or check out www.bizupatisserie.com or Facebook Fanpage www.facebook.com/ilovebizu Twitter: @BizuPh

How to Make Golden Angel Cupcake Toppers

I not sure you've noticed. But I love lists. A list loving person, I am. Give me a task, I will surely grab a pen and paper first and break it down to mini tasks. Then further break the mini tasks down to micro mini tasks. The previous sentence is not really true. But the first two are. 

Anyway, my current list now involves the question: what are the things I love about Christmas? Hmmm let's see...

• Puto Bumbong
• Bibingka
• Crema de Fruta
• Christmas lights
• Giving gifts
• Parol ornaments
• Santa Claus
• Candy Canes
• Chrismas Carols

Ooohh definitely Christmas Carols! I love how in the Philippines, you get to hear Christmas songs as early as September 1st! Definitely brings a spring to my step.

A song that I rarely hear now but defintely loved as a kid was the Christmas Alphabet. Don't you love this song? Here's a clip from Youtube.

And yes, A is for the heavenly, sweet and oh so pretty Angels. Want to make some cupcake version of them this Christmas? Here's how :)

Golden Angels Cupcake Topper

What we need:
Fondant in ivory
Gold luster dust
Rolling pin
Petal cutter
Brush and water to paste the wings to the body
Toothpicks

Here's how:
(1) Roll a ball from the ivory fondant

(2) Next, shape an inverted cone from the fondant

(3) Using a toothpick, attach the body to the head

(4) Cut out petals to serve as wings

(5) Attach to the angel and brush with gold luster dust.

Here they are! :)

So what are the things you love about Christmas?

Peppermint Bark

Is mint an acquired taste? Because I used to not like it. It just seems like I'm eating toothpaste  and I'm kind of awkward thinking I'm chewing toothpaste instead of munching on mint infused goodies. 

But that all changed December of 2005 when I tasted my first Mint Brownies from Starbucks. My life was never the same. I suddenly just want to taste every mint infused food there is. Peppermint candies, Mojitos, York Peppermint Patties, After Eight Mints. I am still dreaming of making my own Grasshopper Pie. I'm just looking for creme de menthe. I can't find it anywhere I look. And, being a mint lover, one of the things that perpetually puzzles me is why Hershey's would not bring York Peppermint Patties here in the Philippines. And because of that I am about to cry (just kidding).

Anyway, good thing there are ways to satisfy my mint craving with just few easy steps. Take this Peppermint Bark for example, got milk (or even dark, semi sweet) and white chocolate? And, got some peppermint candies? Then you can do this very easy Christmas treat! Ready?

Peppermint Bark Recipe
adapted from Joy of Baking

What we need:

300 grams milk chocolate (I have chocolate bars on hand that I had chopped)
300 grams white chocolate (there's some white chocolate chips in the pantry I used)
Peppermint candies, as many as you want

Here's how:

(1) Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Melt milk chocolate.

(2) Spread evenly over the cookie sheet. Let it cool for a bit (for the impatient me, I placed it in the fridge for faster cooling) 

 (3) Melt white chocolate and spread over the cooled milk chocolate

 (4) Crush the peppermint candies. It's okay to sample a piece or two as I understand our concern for quality control :)

 (5) While the white choclate is still warm, sprinkle the crushed candies over it.

 Let it cool and chop as you desire after. I don't want to kid myself, I want big chunks with lots of candy on top. I know you do, too :)

 Right Santa? :)

How Can We Enjoy Picket Fence Ice Cream? Let me Count the Ways

Last Saturday, I went to SM MOA to check out Picket Fence Ice Cream, the new ice cream in town that's swiftly gaining a following here in Manila. 

Picket Fence only started offering their uniquely flavored ice cream in bazaars last February and now they have four branches and a dine-in store to boot! Owned by the Ko family, Picket Fence imports their premium ice cream and gelatos from Australia and offer them at amazingly affordable prices at Php 35 on a cone, Php 60/scoop and Php 110/double scoop (both on a cup). 

I love the combination of blue, white and green in their stalls. It has the cozy-homey feeling to it.

Here are some of their unique flavors: Tiffy Strawberry isn't your usual milky strawberry ice cream. It's almost like a sorbet with a burst of strawberry in it; Jaffa Jack it a combination of chocolate and orange. A combination of flavors you won't usually taste in ice cream but wow, it really works; Leeny Vanilla, their version of vanilla ice cream, is one my faves - the vanilla flavor really stood out. 

I just love how they named their ice cream after their loved ones. And guess what, the Kikay Barkada even has an ice cream flavor named after them! Isn't that cool? Chichi Chocolate Chip  for Chico Garcia, Delle Macadamia for Delamar Arias and Orange Gigi for Gino Quillamor. Too bad these weren't in the selection when I visited. I would love to try them out.

I guess we know what their best sellers are now, do we? There's Tiffy Strawberry, Leeny Vanilla and Patricio Pistachio. Almost sold out!

So, back to our question, how can we enjoy Picket Fence Ice Cream?

Let me count the ways

#1 Picket Fence Ice Cream Sandwich

Craving for something sweet? Got any store bought cookies? I have. Or even the baked ones are cool too!

 Cookies and ice cream are all it takes. Scoop some ice cream into the cookies

Top it with another cookie. Pick it up and gobble :)

#2 Picket Fence Ice Cream Affogato Shots
Need a new exciting way to enjoy your pick me up? Try some Ice Cream Affogato Shots. All you need are vanilla ice cream, coffee, and shot glasses. Scoop vanilla ice cream in shot glasses.

Pour coffee...

Mix it up and enjoy!

#3 Picket Fence Ice Cream Root Beer Float
Want to know the secret to making the best root beer float ever? It's in the ice cream. And it's so easy to make. Scoop some vanilla ice cream to a tall glass (I want mine extra creamy so I have extra scoops - okay there are four -  in my glass).  

And slowly pour root beer. Ahhhh... can't wait to take a sip.

Love how frothy the float is! Yum!!

#4 Picket Fence Ice Cream - Straight Up!
And of course, when your really craving for ice cream, the best way to enjoy it is definitely straight up! Here's Picket Fence Ice Cream's Mei Mei Mint. It's definitely one of my favorites. I love the subtle minty explosion it created in my mouth and wow, love the chunky cookies in it. 

My parting shot, don't you love how the ice cream slowly drips from the cookie? Okay, I'll stop taking pictures and eat now. You should, too! Mmmmmmm mmm mmmm (<- cream="cream" ice="ice" is="is" left="left" licking="licking" making="making" me="me" nbsp="nbsp" of="of" s="s" sandwich="sandwich" sounds="sounds" the="the" this="this" what="what" while="while" yummy="yummy">

Picket Fence Ice Cream
Bringing sweet suprises in every scoop


http://www.facebook.com/picketfence.milkandicecream
http://twitter.com/PicketFencePh

Dine-in Store:

FBR Arcade Bldg. 
317 Katipunan Ave. 
Loyola Heights, Quezon City


Branches
SM Mall of Asia
SM Southmall
SM The Block (North EDSA)
Alabang Town Center



*Sponsored post
Thanks to Nuffnang and Picket Fence Ice Cream