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

'Nekkid' series: Sweet, sweet strawberries

I'm quite in love with strawberries.

Hokkaido has the best ever. Sweet, alluring, beckoning, juicy.

Strawberries sing of spring.
Ooh, almost got a whole line of alliteration in there.

Strawberry jam. Strawberry ice-cream.
Mmm-mmm good ....

My strawberry epiphany happened in Phuket. Strange... yes, I think so too.

As a child, I had not-so-tasty King's strawberry ice-cream and chucked strawberries in the 'ulgh' part of the food spectrum. Won't miss that for sure.

On a steaming hot Phuket afternoon about 7 years ago however, we were seeking sun refuge at a cafe. We sat down, and I was drawn (I could not look away, I kid you not) to a mountain of strawberry ice-cream piled high at the next table. A little boy was polishing it off with extreme gusto, his dripping shirt pulled back around his head, a temporary hairband as he tunneled through his mission.

The ice-cream beckoned. It called my name. It singled me out.

I caved.

It was such excellent ice-cream, I tasted meadows and happiness.
I'm serious.

I'm now a strawberry-holic, and proud of it.

Ok, that was a long intro for this post.
I'd meant to talk about two strawberry desserts I'd made recently - Chocolate Strawberry Cake, Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries.

Maybe too much strawberries makes you forgetful.

I'm willing to risk it.

Oh yes, back to the desserts. 

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Start with a rich chocolate cake,
doesn't matter if it aian't too pretty yet...
make sure it tastes good though!

Mix up a batch of strawberry happiness,
also known as strawberry frosting. 

Pile on frosting, lick fingers,
stack on strawberry mountain.
All done.

Need some help with the recipes?
> Fantabulous chocolate cake from IAmBaker
> Strawberry frosting that actually tastes GOOD - I just swapped the raspberry for strawberry in IAmBaker's awesome recipe 


Classic Cheesecake with Strawberries

Assemble your classic cheesecake. Make sure there's plenty
 of crust (double's a good place to start) cuz everyone loves crust.
Me and my greedy family and friends can vouch for that.

Whip up fluffy cream cheese topping. Feel free to make
a little extra, just for you and anyone who walks through
the kitchen when you're working on the cake.

It takes steel will to resist the wafting smells of freshly baked
cheesecake, you WILL need that extra frosting.

  

Crown with strawberries - the key to making any cake look delicious!

The cheesecake recipe I used came from one of the many baking books on my shelf, so it's a little hard to teleport that here. 

But no fear, I will lead you to my Cake Oracle - Bakerella! 

She can do no wrong, and you're in good hands with her cheesecake recipe.

Other crimson bakes:

> Red Velvet cake

> Red Santa hats

> Never too much red with Elmo around

> Baked with love

Sit back, smell the strawberries and enjoy!

Psst... a Mother's Day secret... licking beaters!

Be adventurous, be bold!
Ok, but we really don't want to see what happens when you lick those beaters if mommy forgets to turn them off.

Take all that danger out of Mother's Day (yes you, find another way to live life on the edge), and let Petite Pops do the baking for you ... uh-huh, we do love getting our hands dirty.

> Click above mailer for clearer pop up

Cake Pops are a lot of fun - pop it, bite it, trash the stick. Easy as that. We can play with colors and designs for something that fits mommy.

If you're looking for rustic bakes, the Chocolate Berry Cake & Key Lime Pie should hit the spot. Nekkid, yummy. That's all you need.

> Read about other rustic bakes
Rich Red Velvet Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Cupcakes are awesome for a party. Everyone grabs one, problem solved. *dust hands, stand back, enjoy!*

It's always nice to bring a smile and remind people around us they're loved.
Make sunshine, and be safe this Mother's Day!

A very lovely Elephant day...

So I had a surgeon tinkering about my knee a couple of days ago, fixing my torn ligament. 

I'm now hobbling around like a grandma, and it takes me forever just to arrive at the bathroom. 

"Hmmm..." said the surgeon when I asked if I could go back to baking by this week. Which in doctor-speak, is NO. 

Guess that makes this just the time to sit my hiney down and get back to blogging :)

I had the perfect entry to cheer things up - baby Teja's one year birthday bash, just before I checked in for my day with the surgeon.

Love doing dessert tables!

This was an extra special bash.
Teja's mommy is a dear friend, and I had the chance to collaborate with summer77 - another special friend who's also a baker.

Mommy's brief was simple - greens, purples, elephants - Teja's faves.

      > here's another mommy's birthday bash -  her love was dogs!

We started out with an elephant-themed invite, and the rest of the setup quickly fell into place...

A little corner to share a little love for the birthday princess

Beautiful chocolate elephant cake, baked by summer77. Took all my
resolve not to reach out and lick some of that purple frosting right off!

Sprinkles and splashes of green & purple
add magic to the strawberry cake pops

Edible landscape of berry financiers & mini
mushroom pies, where do we start?

Finally had a chance to do layered sweet treats
I'd been dying to try out. Next to do them in jars, super cute!

Just for the snackers - pretty jars of crunchies and munchies

Everyone got to bring home a triple chocolate brownie, sweet!

Looking for more birthday inspirations?
> Dinosaur roarrrr!
> 10 years young
> Tanjoubu Omedetou, a Rilakkuma birthday
> Hole in one, anybody?
> 3 cherries in a row, jackpot!

It's Spring-time, thanks to Easter!

So we live in eternal summer here. The blazing heat is absolute, unequivocal proof... we're feelin' it all right, phew!

But if we've connected with the idea of a winter wonderland Christmas, Spring is far less of a stretch ;)

Easter is a period of fresh beginnings, symbolized by Spring and its chirpy glow. So we've put together some Springy-ness to help welcome Easter, dessert-style.
> Click on image above for clearer pop-up

The Chunky Chocolate & Banana Brownies are wonderfully decadent, and you could wash it all down with tea - we've got Chamomile Easter Muffins to help with just that ;)

Cake Pops are always a lot of fun at any party - pick up, pop in mouth, trash the stick. No fuss at all. Butterflies, flowers, lil' spring chix are perfect, mmm mmm yummy!
> Hop Right In With These Rabbits!

Get ready for Easter, it'll be a blast of fresh air!

xoxo,
Petite Pops

Crimson splash: Rich Red Velvet Cake

There are some things in life made to go together.

Cookies and milk.
The morning paper and coffee.
Fish and chips.
Kaya and toast.
Michael Jackson and music.

Things that make sense together work because they:
a) compliment - sweet to offset salty, light to counter heavy, yin to balance yang
b) enhance - bring out hidden layers, enrich and embolden. Like how surrounding black with white, makes the black look even deeper
c) sound nice together.. what's Burt without Ernie? It just doesn't work... there's no ring to it

Red velvet and cream cheese is that sort of a match, the sort that happily ticks all the above boxes.

Mmmm...  

I decided to make a red velvet cake for a farewell party, without adornments, just good 'ol fashioned rustic. Or 'nekkid', as I like to call it. 

Fuschia red when it starts in the mixer...

... after baking, a layer of luscious cream cheese frosting goes on ...

... topping the now rust-colored baked red velvet cake. 

Gimme some of that!

The cake went well with the office crowd at the farewell, folks who wanted good-tasting cake and didn't need the adornments.

The next time you're thinking of tea, coffee, weekends, taking a breather, celebrating or just indulging a little, think of cake.

It's a natural fit, a perfect match :)

More stories with a hint of red:
> Crimson splash: Red Santa Hats
> There's never too much red with Elmo around

Red - also the color of lurve...
> Is it time for Cupid yet?
> Baked with love

Get in on the lunar new year, bring your bit of red / auspiciousness to the party!
> Year of the Snake, don't let it be a party without cake
> Dong Dong Chiang!

Petite Pops goes to the zoo... Hop right in!

A brand new entry for our Zoo series, and today we're hoppin' right' in!

More Zoo stories:

> Ponies to the zoo

> Canines go upscale

> Curious George... or rather his friends!

Meet Tooth and Friends, bringing the power of pink and a grand grin to the birthday girl :)

Now this birthday girl is not your regular 'child' category, but that's the beauty of cake pops. Never too young or too old, always space in your heart for pops that make your day dance.

Taking inspiration from my baking idol Bakerella's bunnies, I set about creating my own little bunny colony.

Start by shaping the bunny heads into giant tear drop shapes. You won't get these perfectly symmetrical to the next, but just like real live pets - that's why each is distinct and special, so embrace them.

Getting your shapes right - part of the battle won.
Getting your colors right - you can almost start celebrating.

Use light/similar colored cake bases for pale colors
like pink so they don't show up underneath

Don't be scared off by the strong colors candy melts come in.
I kinda like this hot fuschia actually, it's just not very rabbit-y...

Mix and color up or down till you get the right shade
- takes patience, a good eye and lotsa luv

Ta-da just right!

I had these pretty flower marshmallows tinged in yellow, pink and blue - perfect for ears. Cut them up and each petal became a perky bunny ear.

You gotta have imagination when making cake pops. Visualise pieces and parts in unusual ways. 

Oh yes, 'think outta the box' applies to bakers too ;) Add heart sprinkles for noses, white confetti for eyes, pipe on the eyes, lashes and mouth - we're good to go.

 And when you get it right, cake pops are just the best thing to bring on a big, bright birthday smile!

Baked with love

This tin was my inspiration over the weekend.

I'd picked it up a couple of months back (how do you say no to "Baked With Love"??), but hadn't had a chance to use it. The fine-engine-red top signaled to me from the avalanche of baskets and supplies I'd been steadily accumulating (I can't help it, things call out to me...), and I thought it was time.

Looking for more red?
> Gotta be Elmo!
> Poppin' red cherries, even the jackpot ones

A girlfriend had reached a milestone in her life, the perfect time to bake her a little something to celebrate.

Related reading: happy things in life
> Happy Dayz
> My OLPT: Official Little Pops Tester
> What in the world are Cake Pops?
> How to share a good pineapple tart

I decided on some lemon & poppy seed cookies, a recipe I'd been mentally pinning on my 'to try' list for a while.

Cookies can be a little quirky, like kids. Or dogs. Or just human beings in general.

They kinda surprise you when you first try them out,  keep you guessing till the time you bite in. And then - you discover: this is a crunchy cookie recipe just what I expected, or darn that one's too soft, a nightmare to decorate.

That's the fun with cookies.
Ok I have to qualify that... it's only fun when you're not up against a delivery deadline!

Back to my lemon poppy seed dough... I wanted the cookies rustic, and I had a hunch these were going to be light and crumbly, just what I was looking for...

Not the prettiest photo but I wanted to show you the
chilled dough log before they got dissected into 4cm circle patties

Fresh from the oven, yes they did indeed turn out light and crumbly!

Food twine does wonders in prettying bakies,
just handle with care cuz those cookies are fragile! 

These made someone smile today, now it's your turn
- pass the smile on, spread the happy (not a typo, I do mean 'happy'!)

3 cherries in a row, jackpot!

"My aunt loves the jackpot, I want a jackpot-themed birthday surprise for her!"
And with that, I ventured into my first jackpot cake pops.

There's something for everyone, check out some other birthday themes:

> Coming of age: 10-years young!
> Golf for the boys
> Elmo-lovin 2-year old 
> A mom who loves her dogs

I'm no gambling expert, but I do know my three cherries in a row, and when to jump and holler "JACKPOT!"

I decided we also needed to have the 7s in a row, some money bags and poker chips to set things right. It's just not a proper jackpot-do without these.

After letting the rum cake balls chill for a bit, I set to work bringing lady luck to the table.

The money bags were the most challenging.

I molded them to look like big fat teardrops, in hopes they would look like sacks. Hmm, not quite right. No bag of money is that symmetrical.

I pinched the sides a little, indented some parts.

There, better.

Next were the sack tops - molded individually, laid to dry out and stiffen, before getting fixed to the grey-coated cake pops.

1cm wide fondant circles marked with $$ signs left no doubt these were money bags; dusted with lustre pearl for the extra moolah-shine, and added.

Something was still missing.... Rope!

Rolled-out strings of pale beige fondant went round the top of the sacks.
Finally done.

Yay! One design down.... just oh, 3 more different types to go.
Yes, a little ambitions, I'm realising now.

Ah well, if I could get the toughest one out, the rest aian't gonna stop me.

Fondant add-ons waiting to join the party

Teeny cherries (half the size of a 5-cent coin!),
big on luck - 3 in a row, JACKPOT! 

Keep these poker chips in your pocket
for an extra bit of luck when you hit the casino!

JACKPOT WINNER!

The next time you're feeling in need of a lil' luck, head over for a Petite Pops boost, it could well make you a millionaire!