Chocolatey love

Friends-giving or Love-giving, Valentine's is a wonderful time to laugh a little, love a lot, be grateful for the people in your life.

I like celebrating with chocolate. 

The decadent molten darkness is just too good. 

I want to crown it Nectar of Happiness.

Everyone should have a bar, a stash, some slivers - on their person at all times. 

You never know when you need to celebrate.  

And if you should ever have excess chocolate lying around (I don't know why you would, honestly), here are a couple of sweet ideas you can use them in:

DECADENT CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO TORTE

Martha Stewart is a kitchen goddess.

I love the glistening, dripping chocolate ganache in this creation, it looks irresistible and tastes amazing. 

But this torte is not for the faint-hearted. 

It packs a decadent punch, and my version below uses bitter chocolate - be prepared for a bit of bittersweet nosebleed (so worth it)!

You can see the greedy baker that I am at work  -
double-stacked cake layers instead of the skinnier
torte Martha meant it to be!

SALTED BAILEY'S MINT CHOCOLATE PIE

This pie needs a bit of an age clearance, a grown-up's pie if you will ;)

I'm not usually fond of Bailey's - as a drink. 

But its signature milky sweetness works beautifully in desserts, imparting a soft richness that works nicely with my usually (deliberately) under-sweetened cake bases.

This luscious pie recipe is from She Wears Many Hats. 

I've just swopped the Bailey's Caramel for Bailey's Mint in mine below, and you can use a graham base or an oreo base - both are equally scrumptious. 

Add whatever toppings/decor you like after
the pie's set in the fridge for a while and semi-firm,
so they don't sink under Titanic-style.

BOOZY CHOCOLATE RUM BALLS

These little darlings make perfect gifts, and are oh-so-versatile.

You can make these out of cake or brownies, just crumble and roll.

And of course, for that special Valentine's day touch - a good splash of rum. 

Mmm yum...

The alcohol acts as the binder in these balls, and I like to add mix it up with a bit of Bailey's as well. The sweetness balances the slightly edgy taste of the rum, and you get a good ball of happiness at the end. 

Substitute with Grand Marnier or Cointreau - all good.

> How to make cake balls

Pick sprinkles/toppings that contrast well with the dark
chocolate. Sanding sugar sprinkles and white sugar granules
are a no-no - they sink into the chocolate and disappear.

In a tin, lined up in a box, on a tray - these
lil' rum balls are delightful and delicious. 

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE (CHIP) SHORTBREAD

I love making chocolate chip shortbread. 

The kitchen smells heavenly as it bakes. 

The recipe is forgiving (dosen't seize up and sulk if my measurements are a bit off!).

Keeps so well.

And I just love the slight crunchy buttery chocolate bite.

Our weather is harsh on desserts. 

Heat and humidity: bitter bedfellows for cakes, buttercream, fondant, trifles - you name it. 

Shortbread though, holds up beautifully. 

Shortbread doesn't sweat it (yes, literally).

The recipe I use is from one of my baking books Mmm Chocolate, a little hard to transport it here. But this recipe from the Food Network is very similar, and will set you straight.

Chocolate chips with chocolate ganache - what's not to like?

Hope you'll get to try some of these out this Valentine's Day - chocolate is the source of universal happeiness ;)

Oh and if you're enjoying these at home, dig in to Spotify's Valentine's playlists to set the mood.
Extra sweet ;)

Other sweet bakes you might like:
> Red velvet cake
> Sweet, sweet strawberries
> Sugar & spice, all things nice

Weddings - also known as Fairy Tales with Cake and Dessert...

Fairy tales exist.
They really do.

Especially when they involve lots of cakes and more desserts than you can count.

Oh wait, think we call those weddings! ;)
> Check out how we 'bake with love'

We had a chance to get involved with one of those fairy tale weddings recently, with a very apt 'Fairy Tale Knights' theme... bliss!
         > Get some sweet treats:
            Sugar & Spice
            Sweet, Sweet Strawberries

The couple chose a lovely silver, pink and white as their wedding colors, and we were thrilled to play a part creating their church luncheon dessert table, and the wedding gala dinner at night.
> More on a very lovely Elephant dessert table

The Wedding Dessert Table

We had their theme colors accentuating the cute mini desserts

And itty-bitty personalized tags with the couple's
names and wedding emblem 

A little kerfuffle of panic when the air-conditioning
didn't work (humidity is dessert's worst enemy!),
but it got sorted and everything turned out perfectly.

Dessert world's definition of 'living life on the edge' LOL.  

The color-themed candy bar piled high with happiness
in all sorts of pink and white shapes and forms

Spot the Knights & Castle centerpiece, with
hidden mini cupcakes scattered around ...

Do you feel dreamy yet?

Glorious blooms adding zing to every table

The Gala Dinner

The amazing dinner ballroom, just minutes before the guests arrived

Our pride and joy - the 2-tier wedding cake
awash in pink and white blooms

Every one of the 130 guests received a
hand-wrapped slice of wedding cake to bring home

It was a mad day with too little sleep and too much to do,
but a beautiful note of thanks wiped all that away in a snap.
So. Worth. It. 

Bee-do, bee-do, get ready for some Minion cuteness!

They were never meant to be such a big part of the movie, creators thought they'd be a fun little something-on-the-side for a bit of a laugh.

But their indecipherable babble and staccato tottle and skips were so endearing, they upstaged the stars and will now have their own movie.

Bellooooo Minions!
That's 'Helloooo Minions' for you.

Yes, Minion-ese apparently exists, a language with Spanish, Italian, Korean, Japanese and Filipino influences created by the Despicable Me director.

Yellow fever hit everywhere (I'm guilty of a certain banana-song ringtone!), and these highly excitable creatures with very little self-control were in hot demand - even as desserts.

Read about:
> Another yellow birthday: A day at the construction site
> Another fidgety creature that can't sit still: Bunnies!

Cupcakes are a great backdrop for the Minions, you could create different personalities for each.

The gang waiting to surprise Karlye!

Before they got to Karlye, these 4cm tall tic-tacs-on-steroids had to
spend some time in the workshop dressing up and getting some eyeballs

Running amok uncontrollably, as they do in real life

Kevin - impulsively (as all minions are) overtaken
by the Saturday Night Fever

Dave (right) - slightly appalled that he has to
stand next to Stuart in that green frock 

What's a minion got to do to get that banana??

Poopaye = Goodbye, an apt farewell gift for a wild Minion fan

Couldn't resist finishing off with the adorable Minion bubble wand
I spotted at the party favor shop next to my physiotherapist's office

Another little boy was celebrating his birthday with the Minions, and this time I went with some cheeky 2D faces:

Minion - deconstructed

Fun fact: Minions love bananas and apples, and the mere
sight of either of these fruits can cause complete chaos.
Low maintenance friends, what's not to like? ;

The birthday boy in the background, grinning as widely as his minions!

Other themed desserts:
> The Very Hungry Caterpillar
> Hello there, Kitty!
> Never too much red with Elmo!
> A Rilakkuma birthday