Love,

Love — a magical feeling between a boy and a girl. Roses, chocolates, kisses, and hugs. Is always willing to fall into, be smothered with, and often leads to excessive gazing into each others eyes.

Love — a mother and child. Protection, patience, warmth. Father and daughter and son. Provision, strength, foundation . Easily the most powerful bond between two human beings.



Love – patient and kind. Does not envy, nor does it boast. Never ever self-seeking or easily angered. Keeps no record of wrong. Doesn't delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love – an action, more than words. A choice to make. Both the cause and the effect. And love grows. No matter how small it is, it starts with one, and leads to two, which multiplies to four and who knows where it will go?



What is this girl babbling about? Well, in light of the so called "holiday" that just passed by, I want to share with you my take on love. And hopefully it doesn't sound like boasting on my part, but perhaps it inspires you and urges you to join me in multiplying "love".

SO, last year, I had a special Valentine's Day Cupcake sale to make some extra cash. It went quite well, with more than 10 individual orders, and up to $200 in profit. So this year, I thought I could do the same. I thought, "Hey, more people know about my cupcakes, so maybe it will be an even better turn out." But as it turns out, whether it's the economy to blame, or my lack of advertising, I was wrong. I barely got 5 orders, but nonetheless, I was still really happy to be doing it.



As I was collecting my final orders, I read an article about how there's this guy in the States who wants to somehow ban Valentine's Day (and is trying to take it to court) since it's just another evil money-making day for businesses. Apparently, all it does is make men feel pressured and under-appreciated because of the unreal expectations of women. It's simply about how much dough a man can dish out for his woman. But the article goes on to saying that instead of the cynical view, why not just celebrate this day of Love? Why not have a chance to stop and really appreciate love? And I thought to myself, well, what is love then? Sure, it's emotional feelings towards your mate, but I believe love is more than that. It can make an even greater impact and produce greater fruits than that. So what better way to celebrate love than to show it to those who need it most?



And who needs it more than anyone at this time? Of course, the people of Haiti. I don't really think I need to talk much about the heart-breaking disaster, as I'm sure everyone is aware. With that said, I was moved to give what I have and share my part of love. So, last minute, I decided to donate all the money from the cupcakes, which turned out to be enough to provide TWO families with emergency kits. (Through World Vision). I know it's but a small initiative on my part, however I know every bit counts. It's my first step, and I don't want to stop here.



Andrew and I also started supporting a child through World Vision. His name is Mame, from Senegal. His family barely meets their needs, so I'm really hoping with the monthly donations that we make, it will make a difference in his family's lives. Imagine we could truly change someone's life? Imagine we can help pave a way of hope?



The power of one. Hundreds and millions of people start with one. That's from a song I've recently heard. And I really believe in it. I'm starting with one, but I'm confident it can keep spreading. Just like love spreads. ♥

An occasion for celebration

Did you miss me? Please tell me that you did, 'cause I missed you hecka lot. Wow, not blogging felt like a part of me was not being filled, like a void in my life. I'd have pangs of guilt whenever I think about it, as a parent would after neglecting her child. But the matter of fact is, I've been filling that void with something else. Occupying my mind and time and physical energy. What is it, you ask? WORK, of course!



I don't know if you've been following my blog, but that is a BIG BIG deal! I graduated this past May in the heights (or depths, I should say) of an economic crisis and I was a big fretball, worrying about not being able to start my career like I should. After 5 years of preparing myself as a "designer" the few months idling was very stressful indeed. But guess what? I did it!!! With the support of family, friends, and even you, my dear blog world peers, I survived the icky period of uncertainty, and finally am voyaging through the working world.



So, I am now officially a permanent junior designer at a very well established and exceptional design agency. I say this not to boast about my position, but because I'm so proud of the firm I am working at. They're all such hard workers and innovative thinkers and my only aspiration is to grow more like them. I was an intern at the agency for over two months, and then fortunately was asked to come on board as a permanent employee! The past few months has been an exciting and scary journey altogether -- trying to not fall short of their expectations, and what's more, my own.



Confidence seems to be such a key factor in learning and progressing forward and that's something I really want to work on. Of course, I'm not talking about Pride that shadows the potential of genuine relationships and creative flow, but the kind of confidence that revels in challenge and prevails through pressure. A lot of times I think "Oh boy. Am I up for this? Do I really think I can do this?", even for the little things. But each time, I tell myself that I can do it if I really believe in myself and put in all I can. Plus, my creative directors and fellow designers are so awesome that they're always leading, guiding and supporting the team.



Anyways, so here it is! An occasion for celebration! A "Cheers!" for attaining dreams and a "Thanks!" to all those who helped me get there! And it's just the beginning! :D



By the way, these sparkly cupcakes were made for a special birthday party order and I especially love them because they are mini. Anything mini is just that much more lovable, don't you think? The vanilla recipe is here and the red velvet recipe is from Joy the Baker, which she got from Hummingbird Bakery. Enjoy!!

OH! And one more reason for celebration: I have finally perfected the Cream Cheese frosting. After much struggle to keep it from being runny, and after my generous readers who left me with their fail-proof recipes, I found out why I have been failing! From some point, I started overbeating my frostings. I think I heard in a cooking show that they beat their buttercream for tens of minutes, and I somehow thought that would be the secret to my cream cheese frosting: WRONG. Totally, utterly wrong. Overbeating results in breaking down the "waters and such" in the mix and results in an unforgiving mess of a frosting. This time, I made sure I beat it just enough to blend everything and stopped there. And the result was a perfect billowy, sturdy frosting that's easy to pipe. Here, I'll post the recipe for you!

Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

for 2 dozen cupcakes
adapted from Hummingbird Bakery Recipe, as well as from lucyinaz

ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt
8 oz Philly's Cream Cheese, cold

directions

1. In a mixing bowl, beat butter, confectioner's sugar, salt and vanilla until combined. At this point, the mix is going to look really dry and crumbly, but be patient and it will come together, about 4 minutes.
2. Add cream cheese and mix until well incorporated, about 2 minutes. DON'T OVERBEAT. Frost as desired!

Be Mine

What a long overdue post! I'm sorry I haven't put up anything in a while, but it's mainly because of how much baking I was doing, actually. I had an exciting (and a tad bit lucrative) baking event for Valentine's Day! I offered freshly baked and valentine-ly decorated cupcakes for this special holiday. And I must say it was quite a success! I don't think I would be able to do it all the time with my busy schedule, but it was a great learning experience!




I had quite a few orders and it was really exciting to bake for lots of people. It was a lot of pressure too, I guess, because it was a special gift to their special someone. I think it went well though-- I got many raves of how much they loved it, so phew! Thanks!! I don't think I need to explain much about the cupcakes other than that I offered two kinds of cupcakes: luscious red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and cutesy vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Red velvet was definitely a hit: it was everyone's favorite. It might be the popping colour, but I'm sure it's mostly because of the cream cheese frosting. You can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting, never.




I also gave people three options for the decoration: homemade brownie hearts, chocolate truffles (I ending up buying fererro rocher) and sprinkles. People mostly ordered the brownie hearts, which I think was an obvious choice -- they were simply adorable on top of the cupcakes!




Alritey, so here's my share of the romance: this was a very special Valentine's Day for me, other than the baking job! You see, I had a Valentine of my very own this year! :D I must say, it was definitely a fine pay off from all the hard work all weekend, only to be wooed by a wonderful boy afterwards. Heehee. (Sorry for the mushiness, but hey, tis the season to by cheesy!) Guess what I got while I was baking ferociously and with much stress in the morning? I was delightfully surprised with beauuuutiful long stem roses delivered to my door! And that was VERY nice, to say the least.



Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. I know we all know that it's probably just some day made up for businesses to make some money and to break the pockets of the male gender, but I must say.. it is quite nice to celebrate having someone be mine. :)

The Sunny and the Rainclouds

Tonight I really feel thankful for a lot of things. I should be thankful always, really, because there are so many things that I am blessed with. A joyful family who loves me just the way I am. Loving friends who are just where I left them when we finally meet again. Being part of a church with so much love and excitement to see one another grow! And even the everyday and not so everyday gifts I have in life.



But being thankful isn't just about the good stuff in life. True thanksgiving is even about the rainclouds and thunderstorms. Because by those moments, it shapes who we are now. So I am thankful for them too. I realized today that during the times that are harder, I am actually more lucky. The fact that during those difficult moments I can have faith in myself, in God, in the people around me, is more meaningful and incredible than having an easy and happy life. So I am ever grateful that I am still standing, no matter the circumstance.






Today I would also like to celebrate my friend Minsoo's birthday! Happy Birthday, baby! You'll always have a special spot in my heart! ;) I hope you have an exciting year with lots of adventures and victories! Love you and I'll be praying for you!



Okay okay, now that I got the ooey-gooey stuff and birthday shoutouts done, let's talk about these red velvet cupcakes. It's a new recipe: I thought it was about time for me to try another one. I saw this on Martha Stewart a while back where the guest was famous in the South for her red velvet cake. She actually doesn't put any cocoa powder in it at all -- she likes it brilliant red. Plus instead of butter, she uses vegetable oil, which I think gave it a pretty fluffy texture. Great!



BUT! These cupcakes are proof that I am still such a novice baker. Everything was really easy and great except: these babies aren't so cuppy-sized at all!! I made them ginormously giant-sized. And totally my fault. When I was diving the batter, I used my usual ice cream scoop but the batter being more watery, it seemed to scoop a lot more than usual. So most of the cups were filled like 90% to the top! It should be around 2/3 full, and even though I knew it looked very wrong, I just went with it anyway. Bad idea. They turned out huge, awkward and with big crusty muffin-tops. Hahaha!



I also tried to be a little rebellious and decided to squeeze in some cocoa powder... which I don't think was the best idea. I used dutch processed cocoa (cuz that's the only kind I had at home), but apparently dutch processed cocoa isn't good for red velvet cakes because of the counter acidity and such and such.. which just means that it results in a less brilliant red. The cake in Martha Stewart's recipe is a bright deep red, but mine was a blotchy pink. Heeehee. Hey but it's all about experimenting and learning, right?



But don't get me wrong. They tasted wonderful and it had a great crumb. I will definitely use this recipe again. The people at the party loved it and once again I somehow made it look like I was an expert baker. :P No way! I've got such a looong way to go and I'm enjoying every bit of it!

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 dozen normal sized cupcakes
from Martha Stewart

ingredients

2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons red food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake tins. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla. With an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix on low speed just until flour has been incorporated. Slowly add buttermilk. Add food coloring, and beat to combine.
3. Divide batter among cupcake tins; each about 2/3 full. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pans to a rack to cool.
4. When completely cooled, frosting with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

for 2 dozen normal sized cupcakes

ingredients

1 stick butter
8-oz cream cheese
3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

directions

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Add vanilla extract. Sift in 1 cup of confectioner's sugar and beat until combined. Then sift in the remaining sugar and mix until consistency is smooth and thick, about 7 minutes.

my big debut

Okay.. maybe it's not much of a BIG DEBUT, but still I've had a very exciting moment in my life! It was my first cater order for cupcakes! After a few months of waiting for a call, I ecstatically received my first bridal shower order. It was for such a lovely friend too, so the pressure was on as well! She had a lot of trust in me-- don't want to let her down!



She ordered 36 cupcakes: which offers a choice of two cakes and two frostings. She chose vanilla on vanilla and red velvet with cream cheese. And her colors were purple, orange and silver. I thought this would be my chance to try some different decoration techniques (since I always just do the usual swirl, and occasional sprinkles). After much much much scratching the head and debating what I should do, I thought I should try out royal icing flowers to put on top of each cupcake. And that's what I did! I guess it was easy for an easy flower... but I think it would be a lot more challenging to make it super nice. Next time I'm going to adventure even more in cake decorating.



It was a lot of fun although I'm not sure if I made that much money off it. My friend was kind enough to give me more than I charged, though!! I wasn't expecting that at all!! Overall, this cupcake catering will probably be more of a hobby than a lucrative business, but that is A-O-KAY by me! People around me have been really supportive so I'm soo very thankful. My friend Alicia even got me a CUPCAKE STAND as a "first order" congratulatory gift!! I'm sooo lucky! So, I'm just going to be joyful in all I do!

Brand Spankin' New

Yay! I have finally revamped my blog. It's always nice to brush up on my old css/html skills. (Woo-hoo, 4 years of graphic design schooling did make a difference!) Anyways, a lot of new and exciting things have been going on with my life, so I thought a new look for this website was appropriate.

First off, I am starting my mini cupcake catering business!!
I am but a humble amateur baker at home, but I have a big heart for those delicious little treats. After many years of "free baking" and many many suggestions to start charging money for them, I have decided to dip my little feet in the grand world of cupcake catering. All I offer is lovingly hand-baked cupcakes with the best quality ingredients I can get my hands on-- all for a price WAY more reasonable than those expensive bakeries downtown. Mine taste just as good--if not better! Haha. Okay. Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I think this is an exciting new beginning for me. Who knows where this will take me? I'm just open to venturing into a new baking era. I still have much much much to prepare but I'm just letting the world know for now! :D

So, the catalyst to this decision? Redwood. :)
Redwood was the design company I was interning at for six weeks. And as it usually happens, I got the reputation as a baker in the office. During that time, I brought in some of my baked goods a few times. On the final day of my term, I baked my specialty: cupcakes! And were they well-received indeed!! People really really loved and raved about my cupcakes and I had to hand out business cards! I was considering this for a long time but was sort of hesitant about going official with this, but I guess I gained a lot of confidence now. So that's how it happened. And I am very excited for my new side baking career.

Sorry for that long intro! Let's get to the good part: the cupcakes. I baked vanilla vanilla cupcakes and Red Velvet Cupcakes. Obviously, the Red Velvet were a huge hit, especially with the Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting. After a very looooooooong search for a good recipe, I decided to just stick with the Magnolia Red Velvet Cake recipe and I think it turned out pretty nicely. One thing though...I am a HUGE over-beating paranoia freak. Haha. I really really make sure I don't overbeat. But this time, I sort of underbeated the color...so the cake looked more like Red Velvet Marble. The brown and red were a bit splotchy. The people didn't notice it, but next time for sure, I'll get the color right. ;) The rest of the cake was good: moist and fluffy.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes about three dozen cupcakes
from Magnolia Bakery

ingredients

3 ⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 ¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 tablespoons red food coloring
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line pans with cupcake liners.
3. In a small bowl, sift the cake flour and set aside. In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the red food coloring, cocoa, and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
5. In a measuring cup, stir the salt into the buttermilk. Add to the batter in three parts, alternating with the flour. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated, but do not overheat.

6. In a small bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to the batter and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl, making sure the ingredients are well blended and the batter is smooth.

7. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.

8. When the cake has cooled, ice the cupcakes with frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Enough for about three dozen cupcakes

ingredients

1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

directions

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat well. Gradually add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating continuously until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate icing for 2 to 3 hours, but no longer, to thicken before using.