Baking for good

Inertia is such a sneaky lil' thing.

It somehow feels SO comfortable doing things we're familiar with, even if it doesn't make too much sense sometimes. Like taking a certain route to work, though it means walking a bit longer. Or drinking our coffee a certain way, with just the amount of milk and temperature we're used to.

Inertia's not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes we forget to grow when our roots get fossilised.

So I'm trying to use my baking as a means of jiggling up inertia, to support causes I care about, in my own small way.

Food scarcity is an area that bugs me (blame it on my greed and my equally greedy friends), as is health. I generally want to think there is a liveable future for all of us.

And kids - they're a particularly vulnerable group jostling for resources among the millions of other causes, and children without anyone to fight for them, is especially hard to see.

That's Megan on the right, sharing giggles with one of the kids at the orphanage. 
Photo by Zann Lim.

When a friend Zann shared about her daughter Megan's efforts to support an orphanage they've been visiting in Selangor, the pieces came together.

It stinks not to have basic life items like adequate food, healthcare, footwear and clothes, and these kids were at the disadvantaged end of the life spectrum, from such an early age.



I wanted to support both Megan and the orphanage through my baking, and am pledging happy day cake pops for folks who wanted to pitch in. Proceeds go directly towards Megan's fund-raising, and my extremely supportive friends have been eagerly snapping the pops up.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Everyone gets a little something, everyone has a reason to smile a little more.

> Read more about Megan's fund-raising initiative

I'm also partnering with the Yoga Loft (29 Mayo Street #02-01), a 3-month pop up that's home to things wellness/yoga. There are all sorts of classes to participate in, and oodles of well-thought-out apparel, food, accessories to facilitate living well.

It's a cute little space with amazing heart.

Drop by to say #helloyogaloft, and look out for Petite Pops' granola and snacks there. Put yourself down for the 2 bonus yoga classes just round the corner - Jun 1 at 7pm, Jun 4 at 3pm - get some good fun in, at completely no cost!

We all have the power for good, and I'd love to push for positive change, in whatever way we can manage.

And of course, always remember to do it with a glad spirit and a belly full of desserts!

Bringing on my Emmy bling

It's almost Emmy night, 2 day countdown!

Snacking while watching the Emmys:
> Chocolate Almond Sables
> Sesame Ginger Cupcakes, Ginger Crunch

So many things we love about the Emmys...

Predictable clockwork wins we saw from miles away, crazy audacious losses (McConaughey didn't win Lead Actor in a Miniseries??), remembering insane talents like Robin Williams.

And priceless gems making entertainment history - yes, that Ellen selfie, we're still talking about it.

Oh yeah....

Photo from The Hollywood Reporter

Not forgetting the best value-for-money hosts in Hollywood for the night who have to sing, dance, reel off scripted jokes to make sure the most glitteratti audience on the planet laughs loud and long.

And so much bling!

Gorgeous suits, flawless gowns, the most handsome people draped in bling, all gathered in one room.

I want to live that fabulous life too.

But since I'm not even remotely close to celeb-ship in this lifetime, I'll settle for bling desserts.

Gold and black.
Studded with more gold, dusted with gold flecks.

Sounds almost glitzy fabulous.

Good enough for me, I'll take that.

I'm warming up to gold recently, it's quite a sexy sheen.

Elegant in such an... elegant way.

I used to think gold was 'old'.

Guess I'm getting old, might as well embrace it.

Stay gold everyone, place your Emmy bets and let's hope Adam Sandberg nails it!

Celebrate, woot woot!
> Welcome, 2015
> Fairytale weddings
> A lovely elephant day

Indulgent desserts
> Chocolate indulgence
> Chocolate Pistachio Torte

More Cake Pops:
> Bicycle challenge, accepted!
> Pony pops

Friday logic: Eating chocolate is like eating a salad

This is how it goes: Chocolate comes from cocoa, which makes it a plant.
So that makes chocolate = salad.

I didn't come up with that, but I'm buying it - it's genius!

And with that gleeful thought, let's dive headlong into chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

First up: a good ol' chocolate cake.

Plan, simple.
A slice or two for dessert with the family.



There are so many ways you can go with a chocolate cake.
Light and fluffy, dark and decadent.
I like mine moist and earthy, not too heavy.

The Italian Dish, Food 52 and Bon Appetit have great fail-safe recipes, not too fussy, easy eating.

Nigella does a kickbutt Guinness Chocolate Cake that's my go-to, packing flavor and warm fragrance. If you prefer a super dense version that's really more like a torte, Martha Stewart  does it really well (but of course).

For friends or family who are gluten intolerant, Jamie Oliver and A Girl Defloured have you covered.

All these recipes can have their sugar, butter, creams reduced so experiment and find the right proportion for you.

You can stop right there if you're keeping balanced on a lean-eating week, chocolate cake tastes just fine on its own, and you get to sneak in a few more slices. It's all about keeping the intake even.

But if you're buying the whole chocolate = plant spiel and looking for some frosting to be the icing on the cake, check Williams Sonoma's recipe out, it's da bomb and so easy to make.

Now - on to more chocolate matters.

I love giving little packages as gifts. Small desserts are much more tedious, but so darn cute it's totally worth it.

Chocolate Cake Balls are absolutely gorgeous little chocolate gems, "double-chocolated" in a creamy chocolate coating. YUM.

Use your favorite chocolate cake recipe, roll them into smaller balls of fun and dip them in good quality melted dark chocolate.

If you're talking to an all-adult crowd, I strongly recommend turning them into Chocolate Rum Balls - the same way you'd make regular cake balls, but using rum as your binder when you roll them up.

These little bombs are quite indulgent, so just make sure you run a couple more minutes or keep lunch light so you have some caloric space for these sweet babies. It's all about the balance.

That's it for today's episode of Friday logic, I know it all made perfect weekend-sense ;)

A pop of green... or four - St. Paddy's Day!

Time to Wear the Green, it's St. Patrick's Day!

Hong Kong had its first St. Patrick's festival over the weekend, and it's inspired me to share the love for green - an oddly strange choice of color that actually works on desserts.

What's St. Paddy's day without some chocolate and beer?
> Guinness Chocolate Cake
> Death by Chocolate
> Chocolate Pistachio Torte
> Deep Chocolate Ganache Cake
> Darkside Chocolate Cupcake

Reds, pinks, yellows, browns and oranges are naturals with cakes, they bring cheer and brighten desserts immediately.

Blues and peaches fall into my "hmm" category. Blue has been officially named the worst color to have in foods (not my words, it's those tests out there they've carried out!) - off-putting and not quite appealing. Peach is just kinda ho-hum to me, not much personality.

Greens and blacks are in that sweet spot: done right, they'll add pizzaz. Done wrong - and they'll look radioactive or depressed.

Color your treats:
> Color me happy!
> The colorful Robin Williams
> A summer carousel

So let's hustle up some green - good for the eyes, good for nutrition - just like veggies are ;) and get our green on!

Green Tea & White Chocolate Cookies

Green tea's a natural when you're talking green in desserts. They're more predominant in Asian desserts like chiffon cakes, and I used mine in bite-sized cookie poppers. The great thing about green tea bakes is they tend not to be overly sweet because of their natural bitter edge from the tea flavors, and have so much character so you don't want to drown them in sugar.

> Get the recipe here

> More Asia-inspired treats:

   - Gula Melaka Granola

   - Chai Spice Honey Granola 

   - Chai Spice Cookies

Minecraft Cake

Making cakes for kids often makes me the 'hip one' because they want their cakes in all the latest game and toys characters, and I rely on them to bring me up to speed on the hottest. I can say with 'authority' (ahem!) that Minecraft is in with the kids now, and I had so much fun building this cake for an 8 year old's birthday. 

I made the mistake of using the paint technique for the mosaic tiles - making long slabs of fondant, scoring them and hand-painting each square a different shade of green. It seemed a good idea when I researched the techniques, but this only works for much, much smaller cakes when just a couple of squares are painted. It takes all day to paint a cake this big, takes ages to dry and the long fondant panels break easily. So I was really better off making each individual mosaic square in different shades greens. 

You learn, and you learn to laugh about it - about many deranged hours ;)

Cartoons, characters and toys:

> Invasion of the Minions

> Who's Henry Hugglemonster?

> Elmo cake pops

> Rilakkuma cake pops

Lime Top Cupcake

I like contrasting colors so they don't all scream for attention, and this red velvet cupcake goes just beautifully with the pale green buttercream frosting. The colors were perfect for the Christmas season when I made them, and you should get creative and experiment with different flavors for the buttercream. We eat with our eyes as much as our tongue, so go with flavors associated with green - like mint, lime, basil, green tea - and they'll match visually.

> A pretty darn good buttercream recipe

Kermit-toned Cake Pops

Cake Pops are a ton of fun, you can pretty much do anything you want with swirls and designs, and something about little desserts on sticks makes them just irresistible. My cake pop idol Bakerella does an amazing job creating the most unexpected itty bitty balls of fun perched precariously on rainbow hued straws and sticks, she's da bomb.

Cake pop fun:

> Bicycle pops, challenge accepted!

> Hello kitties

> Fairytale dessert table

Happy St. Patrick's day, remember to load up on 'em greens!

Halloween companions

Most people enjoy a good hair-raising scare.

Which is why Halloween is so popular, and heart-splitting horror movies get more freaky each year.

There are a few however, who like hanging out with humans more than with ghouls. Those who get chills when the window shutters flap about for no reason.

Like me.

So instead of disguising myself as Frozen's Anna or a sexy vamp bunny wannabe, and getting my wits scared out in a devil's mansion, I've rounded up a couple of desserts to snuggle up to on Halloween night, when the clock strikes 12.

Till Death Do Us Part

Adios and Ciao Ciao, part of the cultishly popular Tokidoki series, are condemned to wander the earth after 500 years in hell. Could there be a more perfect Halloween dessert??

> Get the recipe for Martha Stewart's perfect chocolate cake.

More night-friendly cakes:

> Death by Chocolate

> Guinness Beer Chocolate

> Deep Chocolate Ganache

Darkside Chocolate

Chocolate works really well for a night snack. Maybe cuz it's forbidden (says all the healthy folks!), or maybe it's the midnight darkness of the cacao that lures. Either way, this chocolate cupcake topped with dark chocolate ganache, is a definite walk on the dark side. 

Death by chocolate, anyone?

More darkside desserts:

> Salted Bailey's Mint Chocolate Pie

> Deep Chocolate Crunchy Granola

Nighttime Ice-Cream

I-C-E  C-R-E-A-M cravings. They hit at midnight, and they hit hard. If like me, you're not about to venture out into the darkness of Halloween night even for ice cream, you gotta do the next best thing - ice cream cake pops.

You could do ice-cream cone style, like Bakerella's. I had ice cream sticks lying around, so I did the popsicle version. Pretty much the same way you make all your other cake pops - just make sure the cake pop adheres well to the ice cream stick when inserting, press the pop around the base in a little if you need to.

> What are cake pops?
> Making basic cake pops
> So-darn-good Rum Balls
> Ride away Bicycle Pops

Deep Dark Double Chocolate Trouble

Wash them down with milk. Or good coffee. Or a smoothie. That's how you need to eat these little devils. This soft-baked cookie is so decadently good, you'll be fighting demons to stop at one. Their cracked tops erupt into soft chocolately chews, and these are made extra large - for double the evil indulgence. 

Get Martha Stewart's recipe here.

Not enough cookies?

> Ombre Swirl Cookies

> Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Embrace your midnight companions and eat up, welcome to the dark side!

The softer side of the World Cup

Sports is amazing.

Team loyalties are crazy fierce, fans go to the ends of the earth to support, defend and rally their players.

And as far as beautiful games are concerned, football is king.
> Awesome ways to use the football beverage - beer!
> What to do when things get hot (under the collar)!
> Get through the late nights, with chocolate

Sports can divide, sports can unite.
As certain as politics and religion can.

In this World Cup season, I want to celebrate the joys of sports, and the happiness it brings.

Presenting... The green, blues and yellows of.. Henry Hugglemonster!
> Who's Henry Hugglemonster?

> More yellow desserts
- Busy day at the construction site
- Minions at work
- A Rilakkuma birthday

Right: The real Henry

Left: My version!

I know it's not what you'd associate with football. But besides the colors of Brazil, Henry also does his part rallying little kids in the challenges of life, teaching extermination, diversity and drive.

Just like sports and football do.
You see the similarities I'm sure :)

Happy splash of colors paying World Cup homage 

The starting point: Base cake layers decked with surprise fillings (crushed oreos, chocolate
chips, mango), and chocolate and vanilla buttercream. These get stacked and covered with
blue fondant, before a smaller 2nd tier goes on top.

With a fairly flat top tier, you can try and cover the entire cake with a single piece of fondant
like I did here. If your top tier is high, you should cover the 2 tiers separately and stack them.

Recipe for the cake base:

> Martha Stewart's delectable Chocolate Torte

> Bakerella's amazing Chocolate Cake

Handpainting takes a steady hand, and good spelling.

Practice, practice, practice till you get good at it, like sports!

Final touch: Cake pops for a poppin' backdrop, they add such a wonderful cheer!

> Bicycle cake pops 

> Hello Kitty cake pops

> Elmo cake pops

> Pony cake pops

Ole World Cup!

Sugar & spice

It's been a girly couple of weeks, filled with sugar and spice, and all things nice.

Little divas love being princesses for their birthdays, and big divas too - we had a mommy turning 60 with her sparkly best.

It's lovely making pretty dreams come true, and I wanted to share some of the pearly pops we made.

Never too old for sparkly birthdays

Ringing in 60!

Birthday mommy's full of life, lovin'
the spunky colors of life pink, red, purple!

The magic of 'pretty' - applicable and accepted all
across the world. Enquire with your favorite baker
for your very own 'pretty'.

Desserts: the perfect way to celebrate life

> Baked with love

> I love birthdays

Fairytale Princess

I made these little sweetheart cake pops for my physiotherapist's
daughter who was turning 4, and at that age when she wanted
EVERYTHING to be pink and pretty

She especially loved the teeny butterflies!

More pretty in pink desserts: 

> Sweet, sweet strawberries

> Pink rabbit cake pops

> Pony cake pops

Razzle Dazzle!

A forest of green & pink cake pops for a birthday princess

Behind the scenes: just half an hour before the
serene picture above - the unruly bunch running amok!

Jimmies, confetti, dragees, sprinkles &
pearls - the stuff of princess dreams

Sparkle, sparkle, toil & trouble... that's what little
girls get up to, especially on their birthdays

Read about A Very Lovely Elephant Day

Never stop dreaming everyone, never stop feeling like a princess, carry that sparkle through life!

Get on daddy's sweet side!

It's a myth that women like desserts more. 

According to our highly-reliable in-house research done in the Petite Pops kitchen, men have that same secret dessert compartment in their stomachs. 

They may scoff at us girls. But really, they have a space for dessert. Even after a full meal. 

That mysterious kangaroo dessert pouch exists. 

Even for men. 

Especially after they become daddies. 

So get on daddy's sweet side with our Father's Day bakes, leave the neckties and tool kits to the rest of them. 

> Click above mailer for clearer pop up

Related stories:

> A golf-y birthday

> Bicycle pops... challenge accepted!

> I love birthdays

> Sweet, sweet strawberries

Happy, Sweet Father's Day!

Hello there, Kitty

I'm not at all a fan of cats.

They strike fear in me. I don't know why...

Hello Kitty is probably the only exception to my lifelong nemesis.
Perhaps it's the lack of a mouth and fangs (yes, they DO look like fangs to me).

Her cute little red ribbon perched askew might have something to do with making her less feline scary, too.

Check out more of our red desserts:
> Sweet, sweet strawberries
> Rich red velvet cake
> Red Santa hats
> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones

Whatever the case, she's the only kitty I'm gonna be friends with.

Ever.

I drew inspiration from cake pop goddess Bakerella, with just a few minor modifications. She's got the most amazing imagination, and has the superhero power of visualizing uses for any piece of candy.

Start off with regular cake balls, shape them into ovals and flatten them a little.

Then it's off to the details:

Minute oval balls for her  black eyes and pert lil' yellow
nose - these were barely 1mm each, soooo teeny tiny!

Uh-oh... she has SIX whiskers each... that's a whole of
ant-sized rods to make by hand. I lost count of how
 many I broke along the way, they were so fragile.

Just make sure you make tons of extras, they'll break
every step of the way. Oh. and don't freak out if they're not
perfectly shaped, animal parts are never symmetrical anyways :)

I had these sweet little confetti hearts that
were perfect for her signature bow

A cheeky lil' Hello Kitty towel to top the birthday basket off

Mission completed - my kitty litter is born!

More character cake pops:
> Never too much red with Elmo around
> A Rilakkuma birthday
> Curious George... almost!

I love birthdays!

Next to Christmas, they're my favorite celebrations.

They're your day, with your name on it (even the cake message says so).

Everyone's extra sweet, you're queen/king of the day.

There's a legitimate reason for you to eat, drink and be extra merry, and push the food guilt all away till the celebrations die down.

More birthday celebrations:
> A very lovely elephant day
> 10 years young
> Hole in one, anybody?
> Petite Pops goes to the zoo... dinosaur roarrr!

You probably share your birthday with 10 dozen people round the globe. BUT as long as those 10 dozen birthday babies stay well across the globe and far out of reach from my birthday treats - I can live with that :)

This birthday request was spur of the moment, for an office celebration of the boss' 40th.

I thought it'd be nice to make it extra rich and decadent, and paired the 4-0 cupcakes with rich, chocolately cake balls.

Started off with a sea of scrumptious red velvet
cuppies... impossible to walk away from, I tell you.

The right corner cupcake's missing, found it's way
into my stomach (taste test!), the empty spot
conveniently cropped out of the picture. 

Each of the survivors got their own crown of
strawberry buttercream, topped with gold rocks

The chocolate cake balls - dipped in a layer of bitter chocolate,
topped with a teeny bit of green sprinkles for color and sparkle

Happy 40th birthday!

Cake pop birthdays:
> Petite Pops goes to the zoo... Ponies
> Never too much red with Elmo