bake week

Here ends a week of sore legs from standing for hours at one stretch, agonising over the taste and aesthetics of the cookies throughout the week, or the cake yesterday.

Prior to this week we had 2 days of Chinese New Year baking. New family tradition I helped create since I developed an interest in baking.


Less butter this year,but still oily nonetheless. And still in search of a good recipe for those almond cookies. 




 Almond cookies





Same good melt-in-your mouths this year, except I reduced the butter to 250g.

Our class had a bake sale on Friday as part of the CNY street market, and what was good was that all profits went to Breakthrough Missions, a halfway house that provides rehabilitation to former drug offenders.

To be honest, I was so so tired after coming home late from baking that I almost dreaded going for the next session. But once we started, I was in my element again I guess.


Failures dressed up: Most of the rocky roads we made on the first day seriously weren't presentable; for some reason they all rebelled and spread out. So we got the idea of making bars out of them.

Plus, they really sold!

Sorry there aren't more photos of the other cookies, which were much more successful. (We did lollipops and drizzled icing over for more class)

Yesterday was birthday cake for my brother. Pretty good,considering how the yellow butter cake I made for my birthday last year was a flop.
The cake was moist like I how I like it to be and the frosting not too overwhelmingly sweet.


Made this from the Root Beer Bundt Cake recipe from Baked. One of the best cookbooks I've read.

Root Beer Cake
Adapted from Baked

Cake
2 cups root beer (no diet)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups AP flour
1 1/4t baking soda
1 t salt
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Butter the inside of a 9-inch round cake pan, dust with flour and knock out excess.

In a small saucepan, heat butter,root beer and cocoa powder over medium heat until the butter is melted, stirring constantly. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool.

In a large bowl,whisk flour, salt and baking soda together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten,then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined.

Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. Batter would be slightly lumpy- do not overbeat which could cause a tough cake.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway.

Frosting
2 oz unsweetened chocolated, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 t salt
1/4 cup root beer
heaped 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4  cups icing sugar

Mix all the ingredients together until shiny and smooth.

Use spatula to spread over top and sides of cake.

Serve at room temperature!

(You can put the remaining into molds and refrigerate them for a quick sugar rush like I did!)




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