Christmas Macarons

I made pastel red and green french macarons for Christmas gifts.
My macarons are not perfect shape yet, but its taste is very chewy and creamy like Laduree's! (believe or not ^^)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sugarpaste Rose

 

Large Gumpaste Rose

I remember someone said that the gumpaste rose would be one of the simplest flowers to learn, but one of the most difficult to master.
I think this is true. My very first sugar flower was a rose and it wasn't that hard to learn it, but as I want to make more beautiful roses, it was a bit of challenge to me. I collected real rose photos from google search, and even bought a rose to figure it out how many petals I needed. Finally, I finished my large sugar rose, and I think it's beautiful!

Canada's Coolest Cupcake 2012

Photography by Ian Kim

I was very lucky to participate in Canada's coolest cupcake project last month and I still cannot believe my cupcake is one of the coolest cupcakes in Canada! Thank you so much again for giving me this unforgettable opportunity, Jen!!

To see the coolest cupcakes, please visit weddingbells.ca.
 

Featured in weddingbells Magazine Spring & Summer 2013

My wedding cookies were featured in weddingbells magazine spring & summer 2013 (page 118 and 336)!
I'm so thrilled and excited!

Thank you so much again for giving me this awesome opportunity, Roseanne!

Nutcracker Cookies - Holiday Cookies - Christmas Cookies

Christmas nutcracker cookies!

I always wanted to make nutcracker cookies and finally I designed my own version of nutcracker cookies, aren't they cute? :D

Also I would like to share my favorite royal icing recipes.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Royal icing for Piping or Outline

2 cups(1 pound) confectioners' sugar
4 tsp meringue powder
about 3 TBSP warm water
1 TBSP lemon Juice or 1/2 - 1 tsp any extract(vanilla,almond...)


Royal icing for flooding

(Make about 12 3inch cookies)

2 cups(1 pound) confectioners' sugar
4 tsp meringue powder
about 6 TBSP warm water
1 TBSP lemon Juice or 1/2 - 1 tsp any extract(vanilla,almond...)

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your electric mixer.

2. Beat on high for 5 minutes if you're using an electric stand mixer or for 10 minutes if you're
using an electric hand mixer. (If your mixer has multiple attachments, use the PADDLE)

3. When you reach the desired consistency, it's important that you immediately cover the mixture of store it in airtight containers.

** You can always add more confectioner's sugar or water if your icing is too runny or stiff.

Recipes are from "Cookie Craft", Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer.

Handcrafted Sugar Flower Cake

 Moist yellow cake layered with sweet and fluffy vanilla buttercream and covered in white fondant

Finished decorating with handcrafted sugar flowers; open peonies, hydrangeas, filler flowers, flower buds and leaves.
What a lovely cake!! :D

Inspired by Petalsweet Cakes, Jacqueline Butler.

French Macarons - Vanilla Macarons filled with Dark Chocolate Cream

Vanilla macarons filled with dark chocolate cream, taste like heaven! :)

The chocolate filling is super good, not too sweet, but very chocolaty, so I would like to share this recipe with you.

Chocolate filling recipe

160 ml Heavy Cream 33%

200g very good Dark Chocolate 60% (I used Callebaut, very rich and true chocolate taste)

30g unsalted butter, soften

Heat up the cream.

Add it to the dark chocolate and emulsify the filling(ganache) until smooth.

Add a last the soft butter to it.

Cool the filling until it has a piping consistency.

Happy Baking! :D

Sugar Flower - Ranunculus

Gumpaste Pink Ranunculus

I used rose petal cutters to make this beautiful gumpaste ranunculus, but had to make at least 10 of them to get a right look.
I think this flower is the most tricky one so far and is a lot of work to make , but it's so worth it to try! :D

Sugar Flower Cake

Fondant covered chocolate cake

Finished my first sugar flower cake :)
LOVE it!

How to make a gumpaste closed peony

Please see "Cake Journal" Louise's  how to make a gumpaste peony part 1 to make this center peony, CLICK HERE.

Louise made 3 layers at her part 1 tutorial, but I made 5 layers instead and then let them dry overnight.

2 small petals for the 1st layer
6 small petals for the 2nd layer
6 medium petals for the 3rd layer
5 large petals for the 4th layer
5 large petals for the 5th layer 

Make 10 of the largest petals with floral wires and then let them dry on an apple tray for overnight.

Using floral tapes to attach the 5 wired petals for the 6th layer.

 After the 6th layer,

Using floral tapes to attach another 5 wired petals for the 7th layer.
After the 7th layer, finished look.

Beautiful closed peony! :)

I will show you how to make wired petals next time and
please visit my previous post for the supplies, HERE.

Gumpaste Closed White Peony Supplies

1.5" Styrofoam balls glued on a 18 gauge floral wire or a wooden skewer,

other supplies to make gumpaste peonies

and apple trays for drying petals or storing dried leaves and buds.

You can find most of supplies at
www.globalsugarart.com or
www.sugarcraft.com/

And, apple trays were free from local grocery stores and the Styrofoam balls were from dollar stores.

 Happy crafting! :)

Handcrafted Sugar Flower - Ranunculus and Cymbidium Orchid

Gumpaste flower Ranunculus with purple and green hydrangea

Gumpaste flower cymbidium orchid


 I've been trying to make real good ranunculus gumpaste flower last couple of weeks, but the first 4 weren't very successful. Since ranunculus has many petals, I realized it's quite hard to make a beautiful one like real. This is my 5th one, I know it's still not big enough, but I think it's cute enough :)

And the second flower is a cymbidium orchid, I learned it from James Rossells's onlie class. James is an exceptional teacher who thoroughly explains every detail of the process.

 Happy Halloween!!

Handcrafted Sugar Flower, Closed Peony

Handcrafted sugar flower, closed pink peony with filler flowers.
I got inspired by sugar flower artist, Jacquelin Butler and learned how to at Cake Journal, thank you Jackie and Louise!

Stay warm! :)

Michael Massie 50@50

 

 "The ties that bind us"

"Knight owl"

Great artist Michael Massie's 50@50 exhibition cookies.

This project was a great opportunity for me to translate his art pieces on my cookies. It took about 3 days to finish, but it was such an awesome experience :) 

Please visit Here for more information about this exhibition.