The results are in...

I am surprisingly chipper, but perhaps that's the Coke talking. haha :)

Recently one of my mom's really good friends, decided to help me out and take some pictures of my cupcakes. How thoughtful! So I'm posting my favorites right here:

SO the results are in! As a part of my last week at CSULA, I will be doing a farewell cupcake. It'll be super chocolately goodness. Maybe I will make goodbye flags...who knows? Oh and some Kahlua Brownies! Yum. Well there is more to come next week! So stay tuned! Holla!

Congrats Class of 2011!

Here we go!

I actually want to dedicate this post and these cupcakes to all my amazing friends/co-workers who graduated this June! 2011, whoo hoo! :) Congrats and I wish you nothing but SUCCESS in the future and I know you'll do all great things.

SF, here I come again! Have another great weekend everyone :)

Fondant Toppers!

Hi everyone! Happy June :) Summer is almost here and honestly I can barely tell. haha Although the warm weather will be oh so NICE!

This past weekend I was able to make some green fondant toppers for a baptism party. It was quite festive! I really loved the colors Chartreuse-green and blue. Although initially I couldn't get the shade of Chartreuse just right, I think the blue (ish teal) and white went along with it quite nicely. Some things just work out like that.
Since I made about 125 toppers, blending in the colors were exhausting! I like to call it massaging the fondant in five different colors before it turned a somewhat pretty Chartreuse color. Are you still with me? :) So here are the pictures! Enjoy.

A close up! :)

See how they match? 

My many shades of "Chartreuse" =)

A closer look...

The Final Display! So Beautiful! YAY :)

 So I have to hand it to Naomi, her camera does take better pictures. Great zoom quality! Thanks! Anyway if any is curious how I cut the cross, it was actually very simple. I used a diagonal plastic sandwich cutter. Interesting I know, I was browsing around the Dollar Tree and there it was. heh :)

On a side note, I do have an interview tomorrow! My very first kitchen test, here goes nothing! Have a great week everyone! holla.

Some things in life are just worth the wait.

Drum roll please...

I've made my decision! I'm going to DVC to pursue a Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate. I also plan to get another certificate in Restaurant Management (who knows when it might come in handy anyway? :) It's interesting because DVC was ultimately my first choice, but I struggled with it because it meant a big life changing move to NorCal. With all the expenses and the fact that I would be living on my own for the first time in my life was a big issue. A part of me wanted to take the easy way out and just go to a local school so I could commute from home which would ultimately be easier to handle. But after many weeks of researching and late nights I came to the conclusion to what I really wanted, what I really needed. A program that would suit my needs and interests but also help me get to where I want to be in life, to become a Pastry Chef Extraordinaire. So in the end, DVC came out to be the best choice. The only con I would say is I start in Fall 2012. Part II of my plan is to work and save for the next year (yes, that means cutting out coupons :) and hopefully I will have enough saved to reach my destination.

Well I couldn't very well leave this post without mentioning what I spent my entire weekend doing (well almost...). Since I get the pleasure of working with a good high school friend of mine, I decided that for her birthday that I would go out with a bang and make her a island theme cake. I originally got this idea from the super fancy FoodNetwork Magazine (so their idea, I just executed it! heh)

It's a Coconut Cake filled with whipped cream and coconut buttercream frosting :) The skewers are made with strawberry and dried white peaches (whoo hoo Trader Joe's!) The plate is really cool too! It is a Hawaiian flip flop (which matched the card too hehe). Sometimes it just really all works out.

Here's an aerial view of the cake...

Pretty Cool huh? :)

Cheers! Have a wonderful week everyone. And a have a Happy Birthday Naomi! 

Cakes Galore!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! I spent the weekend in my kitchen baking like a busy bee! Of course I was multitasking by baking, frosting, decorating, and watching the Laker game! Game 5 is on tonight (hint hint) :)

I had my very FIRST order this past week! How exciting! I can't wait to go back to school and start my certificate program. I think I've narrowed it down to just 2 schools, but I'll leave you in suspense! haha

Here is the red velvet cake with buttercream! The colors were purple, peach, and dark brown. ;)

Here are the chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream! Although I have found out that almond buttercream is just as delicious! :)

This past week was also another birthday in my office! I did it to her request, teal colors with chocolate and red velvet cake inside (I think it turned out nicely! :)

And here's what it looked like on the inside!

Oh and last but not least, I finished my 3 month cake decorating class...yesterday! I'm going to miss my group of girls. Hope we continue to keep it touch! Here is my final cake project:

In the spirit of Easter...

Thanks to my photographer, my mom! :)

Have a great week everyone, May is almost here!

NorCal or SoCal?

Hi my fellow readers!

Much has changed in this past week. Really. So I have decided to go back to school and earn a Certificate of Achievement in the Baking and Pastry Arts field. Yay! Instead of paying for a spot at the fancy smancy Culinary Schools which by the way costs $$$, I am going to be taking them at a Community College. I've narrowed my choices to 4 schools all within California. I have 2 that are located in Southern California and 2 located in Northern California.

I'm really excited about this new path that I am taking it feels like a step towards the right direction. All classes start in beginning or early August which means I need to start applying and search for housing if I decide that the program in NorCal suits me better. It's quite scary and intimidating, but the opportunities after I finish seem amazing! Most schools that have the Pastry and Baking Arts Program involve intern or externships and help prepare you with the tools to start at an entry-level job in the field. Whoo hoo! It'll be quite nice to be excited to go to class for once... :)

So this past month I have been baking an abnormal amount (especially with Easter coming too), so I have posted some pictures (courtesy of my amazing mom who loves to snap pictures like crazy!) of my baking projects. Enjoy and have a great weekend everyone!

Past Month Updates!

It's been another month already, time flies by fast. So far? I've been on a couple of interviews, but so far no luck. It's completely frustrating, there are many times that I just want to give up and settle into a stuffy finance office job. But I know that I can't give in and you know what...I won't.

Many months ago, my uncle asked me if there was any job in the world that you could do for free--- what would you do?

My answer? Opening up my own bakery. I'd even settle for just working in one.

I'd never knew how hard it would be to start at the bottom, but even dishwashers need experience right? RIGHT. Unfortunately I have none.

This week I get another, "We regret to inform you response..." Although it's a step up from having an interview and waiting for that phone call or email and you get nothing for weeks.

In other news, I have officially finished my flowers and cake design class. Whoo hoo! 2 classes down and 1 more to go. The class deals with mostly fondant and gum paste...exciting! :) I actually can't wait til some of my friends start to get married, I love the idea of making someone's dream wedding cake (cheesy I know :) Of course, I'll need more practice and hopefully I'll have a few more years of practice. Oh the possibilities of what you can do with cake! Below I've posted a couple of pictures of my practice cakes and cupcakes. Enjoy! Have a great rest of the week everyone (Cheers to those who get Cesar Chavez day off like me! heh).

I love piping in print only, sorry no cursive here. (This is part of my cousin's birthday cupcakes :)

My second cake project! It was so much fun piping the basket edge! :) I wish I had plain white sheet cakes to practice on...wouldn't it be cool to head to Costco bakery after hours? hehehe


This is not one of my cupcakes, but I thought it was a really sweet gesture. I got a pair of cutie cupcakes from my interview in Brentwood. Crazy, since after I left I went straight on a 6 hour drive to SF (let that excuse my bad picture taking skills)