I'm Baking and Blogging Again... Finally!

It's been such a long time since I last blogged; I say more than two months? My blog is starting to collect dusts and creepy crawlers are starting to take notice. Fear not, I'm back! I finally have an oven! Yey yey yey! Oh, it was driving me crazy not being able to bake and blog. I have to thank everyone though for still visiting Ambitious Bubble even if there was a clear scarcity of updates.

Looking for an oven in China was not the easiest task as ovens are not common in Chinese kitchens. I did my research, searched hard and finally saw one that looked decent. The oven I finally decided to invest on turned out to have no new stock in the store, so I had to make a decision and get the display model that had little scratches here and there. I would normally try to check other shops but since it was such a quest to find an oven, I settled for the display oven; plus, I so wanted to start baking already! 

Oven was not the only difficult mission I encountered. Finding baking supplies was also a nightmare since baking/desserts are not Chinese staples. I had the same experience in Korea, but was blessed with a friend who's good with her googling skills and managed to find a baking supply shop (which I totally miss). So in my mind, if Korea has one, then China has to have one especially that most things are 'made in China'! I was very determined to find a baking shop; search after search after search, alas, I found one! The shop is an hour away from where I live but I am happy to travel just so I can bake!

oven + well stocked baking ingredients + growing baking utensils and pans + my beloved mixer = baking galore! ♥

Chocolate Chocolate Cake from Sugar Bowl

While I was idle with baking and blogging, my mind was wandering and dreaming. Then came this idea - an online shop. It was, after all, part of my ambition to have my own pastry shop one day, so why not start small with an online shop, right?

So for the past week and a half I was working like a horse, getting my online shop ready for my scheduled launch date: November 20. Did I meet my deadline? Yes I did! I was editing my site to the last minute, but I did it!

Raspberry Lemon Cake Bonbon from Sugar Bowl

I named my online shop Sugar Bowl. You can check it out at http://sugar-bowl.weebly.com/ although the shop only caters to residents in Shenzhen, China. Maybe in the future I'll go global! haha I have narrowed down my product list to serving cake bonbons, cakes, bars, cookies and pies. I also decided to cater to customized orders as well! I don't know how the residents of Shenzhen would respond to my shop; all I know is I'm making my first step towards making one dream into reality. For the shop to succeed, only time will tell. I have my fingers crossed!

On a positive note, two days before my launch, I received an invite to join a cookie & muffin contest that would be held the same day as my online shop launch. I decided to attend the event even though I was so drained already; I wanted to grab the opportunity to meet people that share the same love for baking as I do. The event was fantastic; people were nice and friendly. I felt welcomed even though I was a complete outsider (most of the people who attended know each other already), I even managed to grab 2nd place in both cookie and muffin category! That was definitely unexpected!

Melting Moments with Raspberry and Peanut Butter Buttercream

Cake Bonbons (they were allowed to compete for the muffin category)

So here it is, my first blog after a long halt! My new oven was put into test by baking 4 cakes, a pie, brownies and cookies within its first week in my kitchen... I think I chose the right oven! 'Til my next post!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte