Hearts and Hands

Lemon Meringue Cake

2012-01-28T11:27:00.000+08:00

I feel as though I have lost my baking mojo for some time. This cake puts me back in the groove!

A girl, a bunny and a sewing cake

2011-08-24T23:42:00.000+08:00

For my daughter's 6th birthday, she asked for a bunny.

Not just a cake with a sugar paste bunny, but a real rabbit. We wondered if we would have the time and energy to look after a pet and deliberated for some time. Eventually, we decided to get one. And so we now have a new member to the family, and he has been enjoyable to have. Here's the birthday cake to accompany the bunny and the birthday gal.

Here's another - Birthday gal wanted lots of buttons and ruffles at the side to go with a sewing themed party. Unusual theme, great party!

Next up, Elvis cake part 2 - after he sheds some mighty pounds.

Car Cake - but don't ask me to make this again

2011-07-02T18:13:00.000+08:00

Ah what the heck. Here are the pictures of that 3-D car cake I mentioned. See the saggy slouchy bumpers and the punctured tyres and the general untidiness of it all? The birthday boy and his very nice mother were kind enough to overlook the imperfections, but I won't be making this again anytime soon - too stressful!

Cakes for Boys

2011-07-02T18:02:00.001+08:00

Some of you may already know cakes featuring cars and trucks and trains are not my forte. They fall under the general category of "Boys Cakes", which is incidentally in the same category as "Challenging". Especially after being scarred by my wild stab at a 3-D car cake which turned out to be way more difficult than I imagined it to be - one of my earlier cakes when I had more bravura than common sense. Or skill. Again, I feel too thin-skinned to share that picture today. [Postscript: I did post it eventually. See here].

But one should start somewhere, starting from 2-D cakes. Here is an attempt at a car cake and features 3 racer cars in bright blue, green and pink. The cars are all on the side in anticipation of the set of happy birthday candles that will be on top of the cake. Happy with how it turned out, and even happier that the birthday boy liked it. Maybe car cakes are not that scary afterall.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

2011-06-22T20:48:00.000+08:00

My daughter requested for salted caramel cupcakes for her birthday. I suppose salted caramel is a flavour befitting a girl who has just entered her teens. At 13, the saltish twist to the cake would appeal to fairly grown up taste buds, but sweet, buttery caramel will always call out to the young (and young at heart).

The cake was made with brown sugar which lent a mellow flavour that paired well with the sweetness of the caramel that tasted just like melted toffee. The caramel was swirled into the buttercream, frosted on the cakes, and sea salt flakes in the palest shade of pink were

then carefully sprinkled on top. Sweet and salty - the best of both worlds loved by young and old and all ages in between.

FAQs

2011-06-08T20:05:00.000+08:00

Some of you have had some questions about the cakes that we make at Hearts and Hands, so we thought it will be helpful to have a short FAQ to address those questions.

1. How do I collect the cakes?

The cakes can be collected from the home of the person who baked it. As we are not operating a business, we are not able to arrange for delivery of the cakes. On the plus side, we try to accommodate your request as far as possible as to collection times, and will try to work around your schedule as far as possible.

2. How do I make payment?

We have thought about this. And we think going forward we will give this a try: you can issue 2 cheques – one to the baker, and the other to the charity directly. That may sound cumbersome, but you will know exactly what portion of the cake price is going to the charity, and how much is going into the cost. It’s all very transparent. And we also do not have the hassle of working out the cost of 3 eggs, 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of good quality vanilla or 230 grams of good chocolate (we use only good stuff so, hey it all adds up!).

The idea is that we let you know how much we recover from the cake upfront, and you can then make an informed decision as to whether you would like to order a cake from us. As a general principle, we try to make sure that the amount contributed to the charity is more than 50% of the amount charged for the cake. Afterall, a large part of this initiative is to be able to raise meaningful amounts for the charity adopted.

3. Why are your charges higher than the neighbourhood bakery store?

Apart from the fact that we do not enjoy the same economies of scale that a business would enjoy, the quality of the ingredients used has a direct impact on the price (and we would like to think, the quality) of the cakes). As this is not a business, we really are not out to compete for any “market share”. But if you want a one of a kind cake lovingly made by hand, and you like the idea that the proceeds from your order will benefit a charity, then yes, you have come to the right guys.

4. I have never tried fondant before. What is it made of?

Fondant is a decorative medium made largely of sugar. It is very sweet and kids tend to like it, though many adults I know find them too sweet for their grown up palates. I personally scrape them off the cake, and I would not mind at all if you do the same.

As it is made largely of sugar, it needs to be kept in a cool dry place, preferably an air-conditioned room. Cakes made with fondant should not be refrigerated as the condensation on the cake after it is removed from the fridge will mar the appearance of the cake.

5. What sort of buttercream do you use? Does it contain raw eggs?

Our preferred choice of buttercream is Swiss Meringue Buttercream, where the egg whites are gently heated over simmering water before being whipped with the butter. It creates a lighter texture to the cream, and we have peace of mind knowing that the eggs have been pasteurised.

6. Why do you guys do this? Haven’t you got better things to do with your life?

No.

7. Seriously??

Seriously, we like to bake (within reasonable measures) and we also LOVE our day jobs (our bosses could be reading this). And we are too risk adverse to go into business. So this suits us fine. It is time consuming, and involves some sleepless nights, and some form of family neglect while we mess up the entire kitchen and sometimes the living room with our cakes, cakes and more cakes. But we will do it as long as we find it meaningful.

And so we’d like to end this FAQ by saying a big THANK YOU to you for your support.

Last Cake for May

2011-05-28T19:11:00.000+08:00

This is the last cake for May, a Cars cake for a little boy. Phew! It has been a very busy month, with 1 wedding cake and 4 birthday cakes, 2 of which fall on the same weekend. So I am definitely RELIEVED May is almost over.

For this cake, I got my older girl to help me with the cactus. So the little spikes (made with Japanese sea weed) that you see here is the result of her slow and careful labour. She was very happy to be able to help, and I am proud of her effort. As for the Cars toys - they were bought as no way am I able to reproduce a Cars figurine with fondant. And frankly, I think the birthday boy would be happy to have a cake AND a toy to play with when he is done eating. One day I should show you a photo of a 3-D Mini Cooper car I once made. My first attempt. (Maybe when my skin grows a bit thicker.)

Cake is frosted with my new favorite Nutella Swiss Meringue Buttercream with little crunchy Valrhona pearls. I love the crunch in every mouthful, and how it still stays crunchy after sitting for more than a day in the fridge.

School holidays are here. Enjoy! (or Endure).

Butterflies and Pools

2011-05-23T13:43:00.001+08:00

Here are some photos of 2 recent cakes. The first is a butterfly-themed cake. It is the first cake I have done for a girl which does not have a touch of pink in it. I like how the blue and green combination works. Cake is inspired by Sweetappetite.com.

Front View

Back View

And some details.

Next, I finally got to do another swimming pool cake - this time minus the heart stopping moments, which I had written about here.

Do you think the swimming pool cake will work with a pink instead of blue pool? Would you think about strawberry milkshakes or pink milk? Or would you think (like me) ... sharks?

Thanks for dropping by the blog.

Hearts and Hands' New Beneficiary - Royal Family Kids Camp

2011-05-17T15:21:00.006+08:00

We are very excited to announce that Hearts and Hands has "adopted" a new beneficiary - the Royal Family Kids Camp (RFKC). With effect from May 2011, all proceeds from cake sales will go towards RFKC.

The RFKC is a non-profit organisation which runs yearly camps for abused and neglected children in various countries, including Singapore, Japan and from this year on, Hong Kong as well. It is entirely volunteer-led and raises its own funds to run the camps. The children are mostly from foster or children's homes, and are referred by social workers or, in the case of Singapore, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sport. The kids are given a right royal treat at the camps where they spend an entire week in a one-to-one volunteer to child ratio and are given lots of love and undivided attention, which goes a long way to building their confidence and self-esteem.

We hope that you will continue to support Hearts and Hands and in so doing, help to fund the camps that will enrich the lives of these children. Your contribution counts, and will make a difference to the children at RFKC. To read more about RFKC, visit http://rfkc-sg.org/. If you are interested in volunteering at one of the camps, do email YEO Meng Hin or Caroline DE WITT YEO at info@rfkc-sg.org.

We thank you in advance for your support.

A kilo and a half of strawberries ... and two sugar darlings

2011-05-14T22:22:00.000+08:00

This is a cake for a pair of lovely strawberry-loving girl twins. J and R are 2 super lovable 4 year olds, from a family of 5 kids. They are sisters to another pair of boy twins and it is a joy to see their whole brood together, such a rare sight in Singapore.

I had fun making an impression of the twins out of sugar paste. Here they are.

And on top of the cake, sitting in a field of strawberries.

This was a very large cake, and a kilo and a half of strawberries went into it. That's plenty of fruit in there. Now who said cakes are unhealthy?

Oh yes, and also 1.2 litres of fresh cream. Think of it as an alternative source of calcium dense milk. Better still, cast aside all thought, and just dig in.

My First Wedding Cake

2011-05-03T13:13:00.000+08:00

I feel like I have just delivered number 3.

I had the privilege of making a wedding cake over the weekend for a niece of a good friend of mine. The couple wanted a cake with red, black, gold and white themes. After looking through some options over the net, we settled on a 3 tier cake with a cascade of large flowers going from the top tier to the second tier. Here is the result.

As the reception was a cosy do, there would be too much cake if we had done 3 actual layers of cake. Hence, the bottom layer is actually a dummy.

All the flowers are painstakingly handcrafted over many days and countless hours, after my kids have gone to bed and I have the peace to do something without the constant refrain of "Mummy, what are you doing?", "Mummy, how do you spell (some random word)?", "Mummy, can we eat the cake? Whhhhyyy not???" For those who are into statistics, I must have spent something like 2 to 3 hours on each flower, not to mention all the failed duds along the way.

Overall, I am quite happy with the result, although there are one or two things I would like to improve on if given the chance to make another wedding cake (again, husband shakes head in resignation). Also, I thought the cake would have looked just as nice with just one flower instead of a cascade, as in this:

What do you think? Cascade or single flower?

As for the cake inside - chocolate of course. Yums.

Strawberry Shortcake, the way I like it

2011-04-16T11:27:00.000+08:00

At last, a chance to make a cake that looks like a cake! A family favourite, I like the whiteness of the cream against the lush red of the strawberries - it does not need anything else. Seconds guaranteed!

Red Cross Japan - Update

2011-04-04T19:58:00.002+08:00

Through the continued support of our friends and those who heart the cakes at Hearts and Hands, we made a contribution of $520.00 to Red Cross in aid of the recent tragedy in Japan. Thank you once again for supporting our efforts, and in so doing, bringing a little comfort to the people of Japan.

Princess Tiara Cake

2011-03-28T15:38:00.002+08:00

This was a very fun cake to make and I have to thank the little birthday princess for knowing her own mind. She knew exactly what she wanted. She was very specific : pink, tiered, with a tiara on top. She even showed me a book. "There, Auntie Rui Juan, this one." Would she want to consider a Ruffles Cake (see here)? (I am dying to make that cake.) Nope. It has to be a pink tiara cake. This is the result and I am happy that she liked the cake.

Happy Birthday, Princess Audrey! Your birthday party was a blast.

Red Cross Japan

2011-03-27T18:48:00.000+08:00

In support of the relief efforts in Japan, Hearts and Hands will be donating the proceeds from its cakes and desserts to Red Cross Japan. It is sad to see the extent of work needed for rebuilding the parts of Japan affected by the recent events, and we are happy to help in whatever way we can. Thanks for your support and generosity in being a part of this.

Hello Kitty Cheat Sheet

2011-02-01T19:19:00.004+08:00

I was so pleased to come across these Hello Kitty toppers during a recent trip overseas. Just bake the cake, frost it and top it. All in 2 hours. Birthday girl was very pleased with the results, and I had time to do ... 2 other cakes and some homemade marshmallows.

Happy Lunar New Year to one and all! Thank you for your generosity in supporting Hearts and Hands.

Lunar New Year Offerings – Double Happiness Mandarin Tangerine Cupcakes

2011-01-28T23:29:00.003+08:00

This Lunar New Year, break away from tradition and give Mandarin Tangerine Cupcakes instead of the ubiquitous mandarin oranges! This limited edition concoction comprises a mix of mandarin oranges and oranges, resulting in a cupcake with a fragrant tang of Mandarin oranges minus the tartness you get from pure oranges alone. The cupcake base contains the juice of mandarin oranges, while the orange curd filling is made with both types of oranges, lending a sweet and piquant but not sour taste. Topping it all is a buttercream with more orange!

Minimum order of 12 which can be packed in pairs, or in boxes of 4 or 6 – just pick your auspicious number. Retails at $3.80 each from now till 16 February. Gong xi fa cai to all our supporters!

Confession: I must apologise for the unbecoming swirls of buttercream in the picture - was trying out a new decorating tip without much success. Have vowed to go back to my trusty 1M tip!

Green Tea Souffle Roll and Linus Van Pelt

2011-01-17T22:01:00.005+08:00

This is taken from Okashi by Keiko Ishida and is one of my personal favourites. It is light and subtle, looks modest, is not too sweet, and is perfect after a hearty dinner when you feel like having something sweet but don't really feel like stuffing yourself all over again.

And here is something that I made with icing the other day for a Peanuts fan. Anyone remembers Linus Van Pelt, the kid who constantly lugs around a security blanket and sucks his thumb? (Well, if you do, it shows your age! Gotcha there.)

And here is the original picture.

Chinese New Year is around the corner. Do look out for some Chinese New Year inspired cupcakes on the blog soon.

Gingerbread Biscuits

2010-12-13T19:38:00.006+08:00

I was inspired by Faithy's lovely iced biscuits, and the book the Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits, so I decided to have a go at it. It is quite addictive fun, though very time consuming. Here are some photos of the cookies, which my family really enjoyed.

Gingerbread recipe taken from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Rose's Christmas Cookies, a book I highly recommend for those biscuit lovers out there.

425 g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
180 g dark brown sugar
170 g unsalted butter
160 g unsulfured molasses
1 large egg

1. Sift and whisk together all the dry ingredients save for the brown sugar. Set aside
2. Process brown sugar in food processor till fine.
3. Add butter (can be straight from fridge) with the motor running.
4. Process until smooth and creamy.
5. Add molasses and egg until incorporated.
6. Add flour and spices mixture and pulse till dough starts to come together.
7. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.
8. Roll out between 2 parchment to about 1/8 inch. Cut with cutters.
9. Bake in 350F oven for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on size of cookie.

Have fun!

Festive Offerings

2010-12-01T13:40:00.006+08:00

A new cupcake in celebration of Christmas and the new year will be offered for a limited period, up till 31 January 2011. These are our limited edition Baileys Cupcakes. We believe festive occasions call for a bit of booze, so we are pleased to introduce a dark chocolate cupcake filled with creamy chocolate ganache, and topped with the piece de resistance - frosting laced with Baileys Irish Cream. To add to the spirit of the occasion, each cupcake is decorated with handmade Cranberry Sparkles. Yes, we believe in spreading holiday cheer and goodwill all around, hic.

Each Baileys Cupcake retails for $4.00, with a minimum order of 12.

A New Beginning

2010-11-24T20:56:00.002+08:00

We are pleased to inform that since we embarked on raising funds for Eden School through the sale of our cakes, we have to date (since April 2010) raised a net sum of $1068.20 for the school. We must thank you, our supporters and fellow cake lovers, for your support in making this possible. We couldn't have done this without you, so a heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who bought our cakes!

We are also happy to report that Eden School has met its target for their school building fund, and as such, with immediate effect, we will be channelling the funds from future cake orders to a new voluntary welfare organisation. Details will be announced soon, so check back again. We hope you will continue to support us as we begin a new chapter of "Hearts and Hands".

Hello Kitty Cake

2010-11-02T11:30:00.004+08:00

A year ago, if you had asked me if I would be making kiddy cakes on a frequent basis, I would have answered without hesitation "Nah, not a kiddy cake person". Anyway, I eat my words. Here's the very pink Hello Kitty Cake I put together for my daughter's last day of preschool. I am going to miss her school and the super adorable little tikes in her class. As for the cake, I must say it's a nice change doing a 2D cake where nothing is going to collapse or shift, after all that 3D excitement.

Introducing Faithy

2010-10-18T17:28:00.005+08:00

Isn't that the most amazing cake you have seen? Everything you see is EDIBLE, short of the cake board. I can't begin to imagine the amount of time spent creating this work of art. What a marvelous and unique present for the birthday boy! What a labour of love!

In case you are wondering, no I did not make that. The baker is Faithy, check out her blog at http://theamateurbaker.blogspot.com/ and at Facebook - Faithy Bakes for more amazing creations. Here are a few more samples.

If you would like to try one of these bespoke creations, you will be pleased to note you may now order Faithy's creations as part of the Hearts and Hands initiative, meaning all proceeds from these orders will go towards the adopted charity. The bespoke cakes start from a minimum order of $200. Considering the amount of sweat and toil that goes into the creation of one of these babies, the quality of the ingredients used, the fact that the cakes are one of a kind which you can't get in a regular bakery, and the fact that the cakes are for a good cause ... need I say more? Personally, I think it is a steal.

Cookies like the ones above start at $2.50 per piece (depending on the level of detail), at a minimum order of 24 pieces. Faithy does decorated cupcakes too, starting at $4 per piece (again depending on level of detail), with a minimum order of 12 pieces. Due to the intricacy of the designs, a lead time of 2 to 3 weeks is required for every order. Please email either Faithy directly at faithybakes@gmail.com, or you can contact either Sharmaine or myself in the usual way (see How to Order at the top right corner of the blog) and we will put you in touch with her.

Our heartfelt thanks to Faithy for her generosity in contributing her cakes.

Christmas is coming soon. Why not surprise someone with a lovingly made one of a kind novelty cake or cookie?

The King Lives!

2010-10-16T12:23:00.005+08:00

The request was a birthday cake for SP's dad's 70th birthday celebration. After chatting, we found out SP's dad is an Elvis fan, and so, we thought "Why not an Elvis cake?". So here it is. Elvis in his latter days, a little less lithe and trim perhaps, but Elvis nonetheless. The base cake is 4 layers of moist chocolate genoise moistened with chocolate syrup and frosted with raspberry accented ganache made with home-made raspberry sauce with a hint of white chocolate. Chocolatey and slightly tangy. Yum!

Strawberry, anyone?

2010-09-23T21:31:00.003+08:00

My friend J ordered some cupcakes for her daughter M's birthday, to be shared with the little girl's kindergarten class. Being the democratic person that I am, I stoutly declared that M should make the very important decision of choosing the flavour for her cupcakes. I excitedly made up a list - chocolate, tiramisu, lemon, carrot, and as an afterthought (a reluctant afterthought, I may add), threw strawberry into the list, thinking there was no way she would go with strawberry. I mean, how exciting can strawberry be? Strawberry is so ... so predictable isn't it?

Well, M chose strawberry and I dutifully complied. I did say it was a democratic process didn't I? I decided that the strawberry filling will NOT come from a jar. No siree, if I was going to make strawberry cupcakes, the strawberry filling will be completely hand made and home made, short of picking the strawberries myself. So I embarked on an experimenting frenzy, making up batches of strawberry filling till I was completely satisfied. The result was a buttery cupcake filled with a strawberry filling that was neither too tart nor too sweet but the best part was the chunks of strawberry pulp that you could actually sink your teeth into. And the buttercream on top? Good old fashioned vanilla of course, a perfect complement to good old fashioned strawberry. A cupcake after my own heart.

How NOT to make a swimming pool cake

2010-08-29T01:36:00.015+08:00

No, the title is not a typo. An alternative title could be the "Heart-stopper cake". This cake brought back happily forgotten memories of knotted stomachs, sweaty palms and enhanced heart rates while being in the office at 2 a.m. with another 2 documents to turn around by the morning.

The birthday girl had a simple request: "Blue swimming pool cake with a slide. Yes, very blue. And flowers". Not being a kiddy cake person, I had my doubts if I could wing it. But I trawled the web for some ideas, was seduced by the photographs and valiantly decided it was going to be fun. After all, how hard can it be? I have done several tiered cakes, I am fairly decent at creating little figurines when playing with my daughter's clay. The water will just be buttercream glazed with blue glazing gel. As I said, what can go wrong? Famous last words.

I decided to do an 11 inch round bottom tier comprising 2 layers of cake, and a small single 6 inch top tier so that the slide has somewhere to flow down from. The cake would be covered with, and the little people made of, fondant. So far so good.

Then things started to go south. In my folly, I decided to cover the bottom layer with a second layer of fondant and then hollow out the centre portion of that cake where the "water" was supposed to be. The idea was that the water would then rest in that little recess and therefore look more realistic. A bit like a big SK-II mask with one big hole in the centre. Big mistake. Huge. For you experienced cake makers out there, can you immediately see where I went wrong?

After composing the cake, it looked pretty good. Here are some pictures.

I was wondering why the sides of the cakes look a little rumpled. I put it to some slip in my execution and just put the cake away.

Around 11 p.m. comes one of those moments when your palm turns from warm to clammy and your tongue dries up in one second flat and you lose the ability even to swear. One section of the cake had collapsed due to the lack of support in the centre of the fondant covering, resulting in the fondant stretching and slowly creeping downwards, such that the sides of the cake sagged like ... well, rude things come to mind but I shall refrain. Suffice to say, I will not be so self-satisfied the next time I look at Cake Wrecks. (No pictures of the wreck though - should have taken some on hindsight.)

What am I going to do?? The party is tomorrow and how am I going to tell the birthday girl and her mother that her very blue swimming pool and slide cake has melted into some Freddy Kreuger's confection? Why or why did I decide to do this baking for charity thing??! Why or why did I cut that stupid hole in the fondant??

No choice. I decided to be ruthless and amputate the saggy slouchy bits. I chopped off all the sides of the cake. Then it's on to making buttercream at 1 a.m. and putting it on the sides to replace the discarded sugar paste. Then slowly putting on bits of rainbow balls at the side to mask the less than perfect sides. And piping a border round the pool to disguise the slouchy shoulders. And redoing the green "grass" again using desiccated coconut. Hubby was kind enough to wait up with me and help me with putting on the rainbow balls and to help clean up. It was past 2 a.m. when we finished. The cake was not as fine as I would like it to be. The piping was not neat and the pool and figures were starting to look tired from all that surgery. Can't worry about it anymore. We went to bed.

And the result? Here are some pictures. See if you can spot the difference.

Well, the cake was not all I wanted it to be, but at least I could deliver a cake! And all things considered, I think my rescue operation was good given the circumstances. Most importantly, the birthday gal and the kids loved it anyway. They completely overlooked the slightly sloping shoulders and the less than perfect piping and just oohed and aahed at the little people on the cake, which they promptly devoured. I think they were quite thrilled that the cake was a swimming pool and had a slide. Aren't kids just wonderful?

Oh yes, at least the chocolate cake was delicious. Moist and chocolatey without being dense.

So in conclusion, here is how NOT to make a swimming pool cake:

1. Don't cut a hole in the middle of a fondant layer. Without the centre support, the sides will sag and eventually parts of it will collapse.
2. Don't use cheap fondant. I have found Massa Ticino to be wonderful in our humid weather, even if more expensive. Worth every penny. Does not crack no matter how you handle it. Yes, you guessed it, I ran out of Massa Ticino and used some other brand which regrettably does not perform the same way.
3. Don't put the figurines on the gel till the last minute. The colouring in them will seep into the blue of the "water" if left to stand overnight. Not pretty.
4. Don't put the cake in the fridge. The figurines looked as though they were glistening with sweat after some time out of the fridge due to the humidity in the air and the temperature change.
5. I would skip the buttercream undercoat for the water and just use glazing gel next time.
6. I would make the cake as a buttercream cake instead of a fondant cake the next time.

I must be crazy, but after the party I told hubby, "I know now exactly what NOT to do, so the next time I will be able to do it much better. I want to do it again!" He shook his head resignedly and I thought I heard him mutter something like "Seow".

Seriously, but for the heart stopping collapse, I did have fun making the cake and the figurines (thanks AL for trusting me enough to make the cake though I don't really do kiddy cakes and there are lots of people out there way more experienced than I in this area), and ... I really would love the chance to do it again - can somebody out there please order one from me soon? I promise it will be good this time round!

2010-08-17T21:49:00.007+08:00

A fund-raising event called A Very Special Walk was organised by Pathlight School in aid of Eden School last month. As you know, all proceeds from the sale of cakes at Hearts and Hands go to the Eden school building fund for this year. We were very honoured to be invited to contribute cupcakes for sale at the event which comprised movie screenings coupled with food stalls pretty much like a fun fair. It was all great fun and extremely well organised. Kudos go to both Pathlight and Eden for putting up a really impressive affair. Read more about the event at www.edenschool.edu.sg.

Anyway, back to the cupcakes. It was a baking and decorating marathon which resulted in 120 cupcakes comprising coffee streusel with vanilla buttercream and chocolate cupcakes with malt frosting which will shortly be renamed Horlicks Golightly, but that's for another post. All in, it was great fun and hugely rewarding. We are glad to have been a small part of this fund-raising effort; it made waking up at 5am to roll out fondant decorations oh so satisfying.

Butterflies and Daisies II

2010-08-08T16:12:00.011+08:00

Here's another take on the butterflies and daisies theme. I can understand why this theme is an oft-repeated one and is popular with little girls (and their mommies) - there's just something so charming about those delicate winged creatures on white daisies.

This is the biggest cake I have attempted thus far. The bottom tier is 3 layers of 9-inch chocolate cake, whilst the top is another 3 layers of 6 inch chocolate cake. The cake is syrupped with a milk chocolate ganache, which makes the cake moist and fresh even after a few days. Then there's the fondant to cover and decorate the cake with. Assembled, the cake weighs more than a good sized infant. I hope little D had a good party, and the adults and kids enjoyed the cake alike.

Blossoms on quilt

2010-07-17T18:28:00.007+08:00

This is my daughter's birthday cake. She wanted lots of flowers on her favourite dark chocolate cake, but as I did not want her to gobble up massive amounts of sugar paste, we both agreed on a cake with many small blossoms. This is the first time I tried imprinting the fondant with a dressmaker's wheel for a quilt-like pattern on the cake. It may not be done with Martha Stewart precision but I am nonetheless happy with the results.

And here's a shot of the heady dark chocolate cake that really packs a punch, underneath all that seemingly meek, soft and demure white appearance. How apt, I thought. Happy birthday my dear girl. Love you lots.

A lovely handmade gift

2010-07-12T22:56:00.004+08:00

I want to share with you a gift we received from a very talented scrapbooker, who made this frame to encourage us with this little baking project we have got going. Check out her blog here. We often bake for those we love as a way of expressing our affection (and have some fun in the process), and knowing that our efforts are appreciated is a reward in itself. So thanks, Jaz, for your lovely handmade gift.

You may have noticed that there have not been many postings recently. Well, as a lot of the cakes we have been baking recently are orders from the order list and have already been featured, we thought it did not make sense to do repeated postings of a similar cake. But coming up, we intend to do some postings of new offerings. So watch this spot!

Buttons and Bows

2010-06-11T18:36:00.005+08:00

Peach-coloured birthday cake, this time with orange and red ribbons ... and a quirky button or two.

Japanese Green Tea Chiffon

2010-06-05T16:54:00.005+08:00

Green tea flavoured chiffon cake with green tea laced fresh whipped cream. I like how the slightly bitter taste of the green tea mutes the sweetness of the cake. Perfect with a cup of tea.

Blushing Rose

2010-06-03T13:43:00.006+08:00

Ivory tinted fondant with blushing handmade roses and silk butterflies - and the surprise inside - deep dark and moist chocolate cake. Fondant is a decorative medium that allows endless possibilities for creativity, but taste-wise, it is considered a little too sweet for the average Joe. So imagine my surprise when I saw someone pop an entire rose into his mouth! Hope he has a sweet tooth.

Cake Menu

2010-05-30T16:17:00.004+08:00

Here is the order form that some of you have asked for. We are working on getting pictures of each cake.

Name of Cake	Description	Size	Unit Price
Chocolate Scream	The ultimate chocolate indulgence – light, moist, tender and totally decadent.	6-inch round cake 9-inch round cake	$35 $80
Moist Chocolate Raspberry Genoise	Velvety light yet intensely chocolatey, with the subtle tang of raspberries to surprise the palate. For the chocolate lover who prefers a lighter touch	6-inch round cake 9-inch round cake	$35 $80
Strawberry and Vanilla Cream Sponge	Soft fluffy sponge cake frosted with freshly whipped cream infused with the fragrance of vanilla and topped with luscious strawberries	6-inch round cake 9-inch round cake	$35 $65
Triple Chocolate Cupcakes	For choc lovers – a heady mix of 3 types of chocolate	Standard cupcake size	$3.80 each (Min order of 12)
Quick Pick-Me-Up	Tiramisu cupcakes laced with wicked coffee lacquer and Mascarpone cheese frosting	Standard cupcake size	$3.80 each (Min order of 12)
Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Rum Buttercream	An addictive combination of spices, rum and pecans	Standard cupcake size	$3.80 each (Min order of 12)
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese White Chocolate Frosting	Traditional carrot cake with a twist –white chocolate cheese frosting kicks things up a notch	Standard cupcake size	$3.80 each (Min order of 12)
The Lemony Snicket Cupcake	A filled cupcake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream – refreshing and tangy	Standard cupcake size	$3.80 each (Min order of 12)
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting	The richest chocolate cake with a melt in the mouth frosting	Standard cupcake size	$3.00 each (Min order of 12)
Horlicks Golightly	A chocolate cupcake with a touch of nostalgia – full of homely goodness	Standard cupcake size	$3.00 each (Min order of 12)

And here is how to place orders:

1. E-mail your order to heartsandhands@ymail.com.

2. Orders must be placed at least 1 week in advance.

3. Payment to be made upon collection of the cakes from us. Whole cakes can be collected from Jervois Road (near River Valley) while cupcakes are to be collected from Westwood Avenue (Jurong West). For administrative ease, we would appreciate if payment may be made in cash.

Thank you!

Some of you have asked if the entire amount will be donated. What we do is to take away the cost of the ingredients and donate the balance. We do not charge for labour (though handcrafted things, as you know, are by definition very labour intensive and time consuming), seeing that as part of our contribution. We are happy to indulge our hobby and at the same time, do our little part to help.

More New Offerings - Lemon Cupcakes

2010-05-29T23:03:00.003+08:00

If you love sour gum balls, preserved plums or yuzu, this is the cupcake for you. Filled with a zesty lemon curd and topped with buttercream laced lightly with more lemon, this cupcake is fresh, tangy and uplifting. What more could you ask of a cupcake?

New Offering - Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-05-29T22:20:00.006+08:00

For occasions when you hanker for some good old fashioned comfort food, why not have a carrot cupcake? The familiar taste of carrot cupcake and cream cheese frosting is given an extra kick with an added dose of white chocolate. Yum!

Strawberries and Cream

2010-05-22T15:56:00.005+08:00

A generous portion of strawberries sandwiched between 2 soft light sponges and covered with vanilla infused mascarpone fresh cream. I love how the rich colours of the berries complement the creamy whiteness of the fresh cream. Happy Birthday T and J!

Cupcakes All in a Row

2010-05-16T11:05:00.003+08:00

Twelve triple chocolate cupcakes, topped with white chocolate buttercream, with one special one for the birthday girl.

Valrhona Indulgence Cake

2010-05-15T11:16:00.008+08:00

Here is a picture of the Valrhona Chocolate Cake. It is finished with a deeply chocolatey and bittersweet lacquer that is incredibly shiny and lushious. As the cake is meant for a little girl who has not turned one, the cake has a scatter of blossoms to lighten the dark chocolate base. We will try to show you the inside of the cake at another posting.

Ordering a Cake

2010-05-10T10:47:00.009+08:00

Here is the order form that some of you have asked for. We are working on getting pictures of each cake.

Name of Cake

Description

Size

Unit Price

Chocolate Scream

The ultimate chocolate indulgence – light, moist, tender and totally decadent.

6-inch round cake

9-inch round cake

$35

$80

Moist Chocolate Raspberry Genoise

Velvety light yet intensely chocolatey, with the subtle tang of raspberries to surprise the palate. For the chocolate lover who prefers a lighter touch

6-inch round cake

9-inch round cake

$35

$80

Strawberry and Vanilla Cream Sponge

Soft fluffy sponge cake frosted with freshly whipped cream infused with the fragrance of vanilla and topped with luscious strawberries

6-inch round cake

9-inch round cake

$35

$65

Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

For choc lovers – a heady mix of 3 types of chocolate

Standard cupcake size

$3.80 each

(Min order of 12)

Quick Pick-Me-Up

Tiramisu cupcakes laced with wicked coffee lacquer and Mascarpone cheese frosting

Standard cupcake size

$3.80 each

(Min order of 12)

Rum Raisin Cupcakes with Rum Buttercream

An addictive combination of spices, rum and pecans

Standard cupcake size

$3.80 each (Min order of 12)

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese White Chocolate Frosting

Traditional carrot cake with a twist –white chocolate cheese frosting kicks things up a notch

Standard cupcake size

$3.80 each (Min order of 12)

The Lemony Snicket Cupcake

A filled cupcake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream – refreshing and tangy

Standard cupcake size

$3.80 each (Min order of 12)

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

The richest chocolate cake with a melt in the mouth frosting

Standard cupcake size

$3.00 each (Min order of 12)

Horlicks Golightly

A chocolate cupcake with a touch of nostalgia – full of homely goodness

Standard cupcake size

$3.00 each

(Min order of 12)

And here is how to place orders:

1. E-mail your order to heartsandhands@ymail.com.

2. Orders must be placed at least 1 week in advance.
3. Payment to be made upon collection of the cakes from us. Whole cakes can be collected from Jervois Road (near River Valley) while cupcakes are to be collected from Westwood Avenue (Jurong West). For administrative ease, we would appreciate if payment may be made in cash.

Thank you!

Welcome to the Hearts and Hands Blog

2010-05-10T09:03:00.003+08:00

Welcome to the Hearts and Hands blog, where we hope to update photos of some of our cakes and desserts from time to time, following feedback from some of you that photos of the cakes would be appreciated.

As some of you already know, as part of our commitment to support a charitable cause through baking, we will be accepting orders for cakes and donating all proceeds to the selected charitable organisation. This year, the proceeds will be in aid of the new school building fund of Eden School (previously known as Singapore Autism School), a school for children and young persons with autism. Eden School aims to provide quality educational and vocational services in a nurturing environment for persons on the autism spectrum. The school is presently occupying a former school building in Yuan Ching Road and will move to a new purpose-built school in Bukit Batok in the middle of this year. The school needs to raise $1.9 million to fund its new building. Read more about Eden School here.

So, for a start, here is a posting on the Daisies and Butterflies cake, which was a special request that we did recently for a little girl's baptism. On the inside, a triple layer of Valrhona Indulgence Cake covered with Dark Chocolate Ganache, and on the outside, fondant tinted a girlish shade of pink and brightened with cheerful daisies and delicate icing sugar butterflies. All the hard work was worth it when I saw the smile on the girl's face, and her "complaint" to her mom after the cake was cut that there was not enough cake.