Happy Halloween 2012

Happy Halloween! I decided to Make some festive Halloween cake pops because I got inspired with all the cool fun images online. Cake pops have always been difficult to make for me in the sense that it's hard for me to control their outcome. So I figured it's always good to practice!! These are ginger pumpkin cake pops (usually I'd go with a plain flavor cake but I wanted to try out a new recipe). The monster eyes and ears, Frankenstien's hair, bolts, and eyebrows, the witch's hat and hair, and the pumpkin stump are made of fondant. The spider body is an m&m's and the legs are chocolate sprinkles. I find it easier to use black food coloring and paint on the designs instead of using an edible marker because the waxy texture of the chocolate seems to not allow the marker to write on smoothly. These cake pops were a lot of fun to make and they sure are spookily tasty! I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Humor:
- What do skeletons always order at a restaurant? Spare ribs!
- What do skeletons say before they begin dining? Bone appetite!
- What did the vampire say to the Invisible Man? 'Long time, no see!'
- Why is Dracula so unpopular? Because he's a pain in the neck!
- What do the birds sing on Halloween? Twick or tweet.
- What do you call a witch at the beach? A sandwich.

Happy 28th Birthday Bi-Ying!

Happy 28th Birthday Bi-Ying!!! One of the awesome things about my friend Bi-Ying is that she's into super nerdy board games just like me! Part of her birthday celebration this year must insist of these nerdy board games, one of which is Settlers of Catan! I just got a new edible ink printer for this special occasion, because I wanted to make the decorations just perfect for her! I found out that you can print on wafer paper, which is much cheaper than frosting sheets, but you have to handle them with care because sometimes they can crack and curl up when they are dry. What I would to be useful is that instead of using water or corn syrup to adhere the wafer paper onto the fondant or frosting on the cake, I just stick the wafer paper directly onto my fondant directly using nothing but the natural moistness of the fondant. When you work the fondant into the shape you want or roll it flat, it's still a little moist, so that's what I use, so you have to act quick. It's really easy and it doesn't give the wafer paper a chance to curl or crack! The other game pieces (the robber, settlement, city, roads, and die are made of fondant.)

These cupcakes are tres leches (3 milk - condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut milk instead of heavy cream) cupcakes with whipped cream on top. She's never had tres leches before so I made these just for her! This is Bi-Ying's first birthday in California in several years, so I wanted to make sure this is a special one that she can always remember! Happy birthday Bi-Ying, I wish you many many many more years of joy and happiness and I hope all your wishes come true!!!!

It's been awhile since I had some fun humor at the end of my posts and I know how much Bi-Ying loved my corny jokes, or so I think she did, so here they are!!
- What do you give 900-pound gorilla for his birthday? I don't know but you better hope he likes it!
- Why do we put candles on top of a birthday cake? Because it's too hard to put them on the bottom!
- Does a pink candle burn longer than a blue one? No they both burn shorter!
- Where do you find a birthday present for a cat? In a cat-alogue!
- What does a clam do on his birthday? He shell-abrates!
- The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age! - Lucille Ball

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Wada!

  

Congratulations to my colleagues, from UCLA, Jennifer Huynh and Christopher Wada on their upcoming wedding in two days (October 13, 2012).  I was so excited when Jenn emailed me asking me to surprise Chris with these Mario Bros cupcakes!  Jenn gave me an image of these designs, so I recreated them for her!  These are French Vanilla cupcakes with basic buttercream frosting!  All the decorations are made out of fondant.  I wish you two all the love and happiness in the world.  I'm so glad you guys are going to be starting this new chapter in your life together!  Congratulations!!