pink lemonade icing on cupcakes

In a moments notice, I want to bake a few cupcakes as a little surprise birthday treats for a very dear relative. I throw together a batch of these jumbo cupcakes.
As I do not have any icing sugar in my pantry to make frosting for these cupcakes. And I really need to frost these cupcakes and since I do not want to run out to the store to get the icing sugar. I just opt to use a tub of pink lemonade icing I have handy. This is a store bought Pillsbury Creamy Supreme pink lemonade frosting. Quick and easy when you are in rush and it works well for emergencies.

Ingredients:
3 eggs separated
2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 milk
1/2 sour cream
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp oil
3 tsp baking powder

Directions:
Measure flour and baking powder together, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350
Line cupcake pan with paper/aluminium cups, this batch could make 8 jumbo cupcakes.
In mixing bowl, start beating egg white for 5 minutes.
Slowing add in 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until mixture becomes thick and stiff. Set aside.

In another big mixing bowl, mix together egg yoke and 1 cup of sugar.
Add in oil and stir and mix well.
Mix in sour cream, mix well.
Alternating flour and milk to the mixture.
Gradually, fold in egg white to mixture until all egg white incorporate together with batter.
Do not over mix.
Scoop batter to cupcake pan.
Bake for 25-30 mins. Do not over bake, if toothpick test/come out clean from cake, cake is done.
Cool the cake completely and frost with icing.
Store in cool place, cupcakes stay fresh for several days!
Cupcakes is soft, moist and tasty :)

Here is the picture of the frosted cupcakes.

Banana Cake with Ganache frosting

I have so many riped bananas, I can't possibly eat all the bananas. So baking them is a good way to use them. Instead of baking the usual banana bread, I am trying my new recipe, here I am baking a chiffon like cake with lots of banana, thus my banana cake.

I will crumb coat the cake with buttercream and frost with ganache frosting.
And here it is!

Ingredients:
3 large eggs separated and at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup + 1 tbs vegetable oil
4 ripe bananas


Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Prepare 2 baking pans, I used oval pans, one medium and one small
Grease sides and line bottom of each pan with parchment ovals.

Beat egg whites until frothy then add 1/2 cup of the sugar, a tablespoon at a time until egg whiles are stiff and glossy (reserving the rest of sugar for the batter) . Set aside.
Measure flour and mix together baking powder in separate bowl, set aside.
Break and smash banana in mixing bowl with rest of the sugar (1 cup).
Add in egg yolk, mix well to banana mixture.
Mix in oil, mix well.
Gradually add in flour mixture.
Fold in egg white, (do not over mix this) incorporating the batter.
Pour and distribute into the baking pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes (33 mins just about right, insert toothpick to middle of cake and toothpick comes out clean).
Cool for 10-20 minutes in the pan then turn out onto cake rack to cool completely.
Make the same recipe again for the 2nd layer.

Prepare buttercream frosting.
Set medium cake on cake plate.
Spread frosting on top of cake.
Stack small oval cake on top of medium cake.
Lightly crumb coat both cakes, starting on top and work your way to the sides and finishing to the top.

Set crumb coated cake in the fridge for at least 30 mins or longer.

Prepare ganache frosting
3 oz of semi sweet chocolate, chopped into pieces
4 oz of heavy cream

Heat heavy cream in microwave for 30 secs.
Pour heavy cream to chopped chocolate pieces
Stir chocolate and pour over top of cake and smooth top.
Lightly coat and smooth side of cake.
Sprinkle dots/sprinkles on sides and top of cake as decorations.

toss pillow

Quick and fast is key to this patch work.

Ms Ella is spending weekend with her grampie and me. And we are thrilled to have her. Ella has asked if I could sew her either a toss pillow or a small blankie. Since I only have a weekend to sew something quick yet durable and hopefully a little something pretty.

We decided I sew a toss pillow. Without further ado and a little help from Ella, she pick out these favorite color schemes on the fabrics that she wants on the pillow.

The patchwork begins and the stitches got started right away, piece by piece I sew away until the last bright pink is sewn, knotted and trimmed. With that we got Ms Ella her toss patchwork pillow. I hope Ella likes this pillow and that she will add this pillow to her pillow collections; as her sleep companions :)

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients:
2 small or medium apples, chopped (crisp or golden delicious)
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar plus 5 tsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
2 eggs
8 Tbs margarine
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon.

Directions:
In my kitchen aid mixer, mix sugar, margarine and eggs until well incorporated.
Measure flour and mix in baking powder in a bowl.
Gradually alternate adding flour and milk to mixture and mix well.
Add 1/2 chopped apple to the mixtures and mix well.
Sprinkle and stir in cinnamon to mixture.

Lined 5 mini loaf pan with parchment paper at the bottom.
Scoop to each mini pan 1/2 full of dough mixture .
Sprinkle a big tablespoon of apples to each mini pan.
Scoop the other 1/2 of dough mixture to mini pan.
Sprinkle the rest of the apples to each of the mini pan.
Sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on top of apples.

Heat oven at 350 degree.
Bake for 35 mins.
Cool slightly and slice and serve.