Chocolate Banana Cake

It's been a long time since I was struck by an idea that kept me up till 2am tossing in bed. This came on the same day as the chocolate lava cake but Im posting it only now cause I was waiting for pictures. So... as I was preparing for the lava cake, I thought what I would do with overcooked cakes. And decided to make a chocolate banana cake since I had bananas at home!

It's been so overdone by me though. Feels like I'm going bananas soon. Sold a few of the original banana chocolate cake recently! :D
















Ah, but what's different about this was the way I laid the bananas. This time, I sliced it and arranged that layer as below. For the one above, I just place whole bananas on top of the mousse.















Then I covered it up with mousse. The layers were cake, mousse, banana, mousse, cake and finally mousse all over.

Then I poured some chocolate with butter on top to cover it. Followed by a white chocolate lattice which I made minutes before. Looks so pretty eh!

And I thought the layers would look decent! But guess I was wrong... Probably because I didn't use a ring to properly do up the layers. I simply just piled one on top of the other. Plus, the colours were too similar, lack of contrast!

Cheryl said it tasted good though, Im glad for that! But this was fun to do, because I tried new stuff in terms of cake decoration. And also the big lesson of the post: use a ring if you want a neat cake!

Finally, I would like to welcome a new addition to the extended family on may 25. Happy Birthday Caroline!

Life can really be so miraculous. And so fragile. It's more than a passion for baking; it's a passion for life.

Chocolate Lava Cake

Today, I embarked on a journey to achieve the perfect consistency for Chocolate Lava cake. For those well-versed in the art of a Lava cake, on the outside, it looks like any normal chocolate cake. Once you dig into a Lava cake though, a gooey mess awaits you, waiting to tickle your tastebuds with its warm chocolatey goodness.

First attempt: Overcooked
















Second attempt: Undercooked




















After a few attempts: Perfect!

The origin of this cake is highly disputed. An American dude claimed he discovered it when he underbaked a chocolate cake by accident, but some French man claims that this is another "Made in France" product. Whatever the case, I think it's ingenious. Reminds me so much of how Viagra came into existance: a group of scientists trying to discover a treatment for heart disease realised their test subjects were mostly becoming horny instead of feeling less heartaches.

It's whether you give that ugly duckling a chance to become another kind of swan. Perfection is all but a matter of perception.

Turning Point

Today, right at this moment, marks a crucial turning point in my life.

I accepted a scholarship from Sakae Holdings, a decision driven very strongly by future plans from Sakae to diversify into the pastry industry. Joining them, I will be given a chance to become a patisserie and play a significant role in shaping their pastry business, should I want to.

At this juncture, I had to say no to RE&S group. Though I initially showed the keenest interest in them, and it was really difficult to let go, but I knew that if I let go of the chance to leapfrog into the pastry business, I can never live with myself.

I guess I have pretty much decided my career, one intertwined strongly with F&B. At 19, this is a scary thought. Because in the past few months, I have found how drastically decisions can swing.

So NTU accountacy and business double degree, a choice I didn't even consider until the last week of university applications. But I guess such an academic choice will greatly aid me in my dream of having my own business in the future.

In the past few months, I made many significant decisions:

1) I could not envision myself working in the public sector, at least not now. So that ruled out any overseas scholarship to head for UCL.

2) I wanted a professional degree, but not Law, so I didn't even go for the interview.

3) The UCL degree suddenly didn't make sense, because Economics was not a profession. And while I love the subject, I wanted a profession, a skill, something concrete that I could fall back upon.

4) Bonds are scary. Unless absolutely certain about your direction, or university fees are too heavy to handle, do not go for bonds.

5) I rejected the Nanyang Scholarship from NTU, a bond-free one, for the Sakae scholarship.

6) Being the first and only scholar, in this pilot programme, Sakae Scholarship seems to be one that will likely open up immense opportunities for me.

I have no regrets, I feel like I made all the right choices, but why am I still so afraid?

But you know what, life's too short to blend in. :)

Chocolate Chip Cookies 2

Just a farewell gift to mark the end of my internship! While I did meet some wonderful people, had some fun, and gained valuable experiences, I must say that Im SO GLAD IT'S OVER!! Guess I wouldn't elaborate on it, except that working is really a whole different life and for those still studying, enjoy it while it lasts. You don't know what you lose, till you lose it.



Tried to do some ginger cookies with the same cookie dough, but I probably didn't do my estimation well. Only thing I realised: I absolutely dislike ginger cookies. :/

But I was just thinking, due to strong faith and confidence in my cookie recipe, that perhaps I can create variations/flavours and in the future when I open my own shop, I can specialise on cookies. At least have it as a signature product. Ah, when we're young, we dare to dream.

I'll fly to Paris before I turn 30.