When orders flow, they come in droves! Christmas 2012 has been a bit hectic but a lot of fun!

Over the last 5 days, we have created 20 gingerbread trees, 2 macaron trees, over 30 gingerbread men, 100 macarons, 2000 fondant cookies, 4 large fruit cakes, 48 cupcakes and toppings, fillings, decorations to match!!

It's been a long week from day time job to night time job (it's a good thing I LOVE TO BAKE!). A lot of early starts (day time job) and late nights/early mornings! And I can't thank the tireless efforts of my parents enough. Who else was going to help me package over 300 bags of cookies? Deliver them and still be smiling after only a few hours sleep!

These macarons below turned out amazing. So happy with both the colour and the feet. And that jaffa orange filling is awesome, especially with that little kick of Cointreau.

Next came the most time-consuming order of them all. The order for 2000+ cookies, individually gift-packaged into 300 bags. This was a mammoth task that took a few days and great planning to achieve. Again, so happy with the result - we managed to get the colours of Christmas in there!

Follow that (there's no stopping!) with an order for gift boxed cupcakes. These were my favourite to make. Love the flower sitting on the holly leaf. Adds that bit of Christmas touch! And the candy canes (hand made of course) aren't so bad either. However, I am partial to pretty things and I love the flowers.

And to finish it off (okay, there was a lot more in between but I think you get the gist), gingerbread trees as my gift to friends, family and colleagues. These will go down a treat I am sure!

Time for a break though - hope you all have a safe and very Merry Christmas. We'll be back in the New Year with more baking adventures (and finger's crossed, more orders!)

xx

Wynnie

To finish off the week, had a midweek order for a Tiramisu. The very first cake I ever made. Still popular I see.

Rather simplistic in comparison to the other things I have made recently but its kind of hard to dress up a cake that's basically cream, cheese and coffee dipped sponge. Smells delicious though.

Hard to disappoint with one of these - great for a girls' night. Or any night really...

The secret is to plan. And to plan well! And to plan for the unknowns.

Truffle mixture. Macarons. Cookies. Icing. Fondant. Cupcakes.

Easy right? Not a walk in the park by any means and definitely tested one's time management but I am quite pleased (and relieved) at the way everything has turned out!

Macaron shells can be pre-made a couple of days ahead of time. You don't have to necessarily fill them right away. (Hint: Macarons almost always taste better after resting for 24-48 hours). So these were timed perfectly.

Next came the truffles (sorry, no photo). Fairly straight forward. Just requires refrigeration time. A good day or so will do the trick. Them you need to hand make each and every one. Roll them in your choice of topping and you're done. Good idea to keep them in the fridge and bring them out to stand for about 20 before serving. Quote colleague today "these are like gold".

And then you do cookies. Make dough, roll, cut, bake, fondant, ice, wrap, seal. Repeat. And repeat some more when you need to make 80! I have to say though - this part was a lot of fun. And the final product looks so pretty!

Cupcakes. Lots and lots of cupcakes. These of course, I saved till last. Made these the night before for optimal freshness and I am so pleased the way they have turned out. Alas, I didn't have enough time to put them all on a tree for a tiered photo but there is always next time. Imagine 80 of these little beauties sitting on a wedding stand. They are mighty delicious too!

So happy to have been able to cater and be apart of this wedding. The bride-to-be came and picked up these goodies on her way to Kangaroo Valley today. Congrats to Kelly and wishing her and her husband all the very best for the future!

It was something along the lines of 37 degrees outside.

It wasn't much better in the kitchen... reaching 32 on the thermometer, furthest away from the oven!!!

We sweated through a whole day of baking for charity and whilst there were some downs (re: macarons don't work in extremely hot, humid conditions), we were able to get there in the end!

Caramel Slice
Brownies
Lamingtons
Gingerbread People
Anzacs
Macarons

Loads and loads of goodies to sell which should make a nice little donation towards Vision Rescue!

Check out my helpers / packagers in action!

It was hard work - something that we have never done before i.e., baking in extreme weather conditions. And whilst some things didn't go to plan, thankfully most things did. With a little help from "this is what I prepared earlier" (and also, "this is what I will do after you have all left"), we got there!

100+ gingerbread people (all different in some way, some already broken before eaten) and enough sugar loaded tea time treats to last someone a good while. 

We're baking this weekend for Vision Rescue! Caramel slice, brownies, gingerbread, cookies and macarons!!! Please donate & Support at http://www.visionrescue.org.in/.

Finally Friday! Albeit a wet one. Not that that deters one from baking...

So whilst Cat is in the US - possibly picking up the pieces from Superstorm Sandy (?!) and enjoying herself immensely (Hawaii, the Big Apple, checking out the US in general so she can tell me what to do and what not in Feb!), I took up the awesome job of making 40 cupcakes for her cousin's 20th Birthday. I would crash the party too but I think I'm too old :-(

In true St Georgian style, she was super prepared and had already made silver stars and blue letters for the cupcake toppers. One less job for me! And they look pretty awesome.

Took my time tonight and still got it all done in a couple of hours. How one loves efficiency and her kitchenaid. And so rare that I take pictures of my WIP (not the photographer in the fams). Have to say though, looking pretty orderly!!!

Happy with the piping. Thought about chocolate overkill on the top (monkey tried to encourage it) but decided to be reasonable. Moderation is an important word. Even the cookie monster preaches cookies are a "sometimes" food.

Then decided to take them to another level anyway...

Then boxed them all up in these awesome 12-cupcake boxes that were conveniently delivered JIT today. And that's me for the week!

I think we're gearing up for wedding season. Almost every other weekend, I hear of people attending engagement parties, hen's nights or weddings. Must be the season for it. . .

So I was asked to make these cute (some might say otherwise) cupcakes for a colleague's friend for the weekend. They look pretty awesome :-) and loads of fun to make. Loving the red sugar crystals.

Red velvet (its a very popular flavour!!!) and vanilla buttercream frosting.

A late-ish order came through midweek from a friend who happens to work around the corner from me. He needed a cake for a friend's birthday and of course, I was more than happy to oblige.

Rather than going for a smooth finish, I thought I'd go with the slightly rustic look with the white chocolate shards around the cake and finished off with a ribbon. I think the two roses add a nice touch of colour to an otherwise simple cake.

White Chocolate Mud cake topped with airy light whipped white chocolate ganache with a layer of strawberries through the centre. nom nom!

I was a little concerned with the fondant roses in the fridge as fondant loves to suck in condensation and moisture. However, not as bad as the stories I had seen and read! Excellent outcome :)

Ingredients:
1 C hazelnuts, chopped
1/2 C flour plus 1 T cornflour
1 t baking powder
500 g dark chocolate, chopped
2 T butter
1 1/4 C sugar
4 eggs
1 T vanilla
1 C dark choc chips
1 C white choc chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and line cookie tray with baking paper.
2. Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler.
3. Beat sugar and eggs until thick and glossy.
4. Beat in melted chooclate and vanilla.
5. Sift in dry ingredients and stir in nuts and choc chips until just combined.
6. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
7. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the cookie sheet placing them about 5 cm apart. Press slightly with a fork.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are dry and cracked but still shiny.

The best thing about cupcakes is that they are so versatile and you can come up with endless different combinations, designs, patterns and themes for any occasion.

I tried a few different combinations for these cupcakes this week and so easy to mix and match!

First off, we have a mud chocolate cupcake with silky smooth dark chocolate ganache topped with mini marshmallow flowers. I think the contrast in colours - dark brown and red - can be quite dramatic and goes pretty well together.



















Next and always a favourite - Red velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. I tried to keep these as simple as possible, with just two lovey dovey hearts on the top and a touch of red sprinkle to finish. Great for weddings or Valentine's Day too!















Finally, we have a super moist white chocolate cupcake with whipped white choocolate ganache topped with a pretty marshmallow daisy. Simple and elegant, these always look great in a crowd!

Hey guys! Some of you may have heard that I have started taking orders for cakes :) (some might say finally...!) Starting from the bottom, one step at a time. I finally have that facebook page set up so please do visit it @ wynwyn's place. You'll find a few of my projects there also. Or drop me some mail at wynwynsplace(at)gmail(dot)com.

 It's been a pretty busy week non-baking-wise but still managed (or committed!) to two order's this week! I made a dozen cupcakes for a hen's/engagement party as well as a White Chocolate Mud Cake for a birthday (funnily enough, my sources tell me that she use to go to my school... small small world).

 Think there's a couple of other cupcakes orders in the pipeline and my cousin and I have been talking about doing another fundraising event for his church. This time bigger and better!!! More sugar, chocolate, macarons, brownies, caramel slice, cookies, etc etc! Probably coming up in the next 3 or 4 weeks. If you are interested in donating or ordering, please do let us know!

all for a good cause... my cousin is raising money through his church for children in poverty and a whole heap of other things!

Makes 12

Ingredients:
1 punnet blueberries
2 t vanilla sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
125 g butter
1/2 t vanilla
2/3 C sugar
2 eggs
2/3 C dried mixed berries
1/2 C silvered almonds
2/3 C plain flour
1/3 C SR flour
1/4 C milk

Use either cream cheese or buttercream frosting.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line muffin cases on tray.
2. Brush each blueberry lightly with egg white and dip in vanilla sugar to make berry topping. These will need to dry for over an hour on a piece of baking paper.
3. Beat butter, vanilla and sugar until combined. Add eggs one at a time until just combined.
4. Sift in flours and add dried berries and almonds.
5. Mix in milk until just incorporated.
6. Divide among 12 patties and bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool before decorating.

okay, so the girls at work got jealous that i made jungle cupcakes so i made them berry ones... =D

Baby Justin's Jungle themed Birthday today!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3