Hibernation Over

Three months of idleness... I feel bad for abandoning my blog for so long, and I've missed three Daring Bakers' Challenges. I have good reasons though; I went back to Philippines, but not for a holiday. Majority of the time I was on duty at the hospital taking care of my dad. No worries though, my papa is doing well now! Ugh, but those precious months taught me so much. If you were to ask people close to me, they'll tell you how low nil my medical knowledge was. After this whole medical episode of my life, I may well be a doctor. Kidding! 

Despite having such crazy 'toxic' schedules, I did manage to squeeze in some treats.

First treat: I bought this ready mix here in Korea, but my H doesn't like cinnamon, so I took it to Manila as I know my family would love it. It's called hoddeok (호 떡); hoddeok is a popular street food snack here in Korea. It's a sweet pancake made of sweet yeast dough that is stuffed with cinnamon, sugar and nuts (usually peanuts) that are then flattened while it is being pan-fried. This is one of my favourite food here in Korea; I'm glad I was able to share this with my family. Next time, I'll try making hoddeok from scratch!

Next, I made red velvet cake. My sister J had been bugging me for a red velvet cake for a long time, so I gave in. Given the limited time, I was thinking of a cake design that would be easy to assemble and fuss free. Then I remembered Donna Hay's 'Four Tier Chocolate Layer Cake'; it's as simple as it gets - four layers of chocolate cake sandwiched with chocolate cream cheese frosting. Very simple cake design, but absolutely seductive. Easy? Not! There's no further explaining to do; simply look at my cake! Hot mess... Note to self: never underestimate.

Then it was my sister J's birthday. She absolutely adores rose flavour, so I planned to make her some Marie Antoinette worthy rose macarons. I don't know why I thought I would be able to pull this off considering my macaron history... Alas, my zillionth attempt was... surprise surprise, a bust! Although, the last shell that I piped came out perfect! Thus, I got a shot focusing on it... Yes, I'm lame! Oh, it's not actually a complete fail because the taste was impeccable; it was, in the end, still a wonderful birthday treat.

Lastly, another birthday treat; this time, for my sister N. She had a special request for her cake that I took as a challenge. She wanted Maltesers cake. I've been looking for inspirations over the internet for the cake; unfortunately, most of the cakes are simply chocolate cakes then decorated with Maltesers. I wanted something that would highlight Maltesers, so I came out with my own. The cake I came out with was a dome shaped chocolate malt mousse with Maltesers disc center and brownie base that is covered with chocolate ganache then garnished with a swirl of Maltesers. I was really happy with how everything turned out, but more importantly, the birthday girl absolutely loved her cake!

It was so nice to be able to bake a little while I was back home. Now, since my medical mission has finished, I will resume baking and blogging. I already have a couple of things in mind that I want to make. Plus this month is my birth month, so expect a fondant cake. Glad to be back.

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte