Green Hatchling's Play Date (A whimsical marshmallow creation)

 My younger kid is an early teen now, doing various things that teenagers do. But he is still very attached to his special green Angry Bird hatchling plushie. Actually the whole family treats that furry green creature as part of the family too because it has so much character after a few years 😆. So for my kid's birthday bake, I decided to include the bird again for the third consecutive year but along with other friends for a fun day out!

Here's a picture of the plushiemallows along with the real plushies!

Actually there are 3 duck plushies but I only took a photo of them with the whole creation toasted on a giant brown sugar cookie with crunchy Biscoff spread.

Looks terrible but marshmallows toasted are another level yummy compared to untoasted ones!

I would have used chocolate instead of Biscoff spread for a classic S'mores but the birthday boy is not a fan of chocolate.

If the shark plushiemallow looks like a slipper to you, that's because I used the cute shark slippers that people wear as my inspiration. I made the shark plush (Blahaj from Ikea) in the slipper form.

How do I get such ideas you may ask? I usually give myself time to muse over concepts and ideas by daydreaming now and then. This idea had me giggling so it's an "Aha! This is it!" moment. See the stop motion video of what I imagined and you know what I mean 😉.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyvXtaSyEAt/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Here's the process of making it with most frames sped up by 10x as I needed to fit everything into 1 min or less 😅.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy0jUOoSNVI/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

For those of you who prefer to slow down and view some still shots, here are some pictures of the in between process...

I didn't take any video footage of piping the eyes because I didn't want to have the camera in the way of something so delicate.

I made a spare flap for the Blahaj slipper just in case I accidentally uglify one.

If you want to know what recipe I use, how I created the furry texture on the hatchling or how to create marshmallow plushies (plushiemallows) of your own imagination, grab a copy of my newly launched book Deco Marshmallows!

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

Sanrio Strawberry Shortcake Bites

 

Strawberry Shortcake 🍰🍓 transformed into blanket cuddles with sweet Sanrio friends✨💖! Assembly video here. 


Have a great week! 

Love, 

Susanne 

Monkeys with Apple Tree Macaron Ferris Wheel

I have an interesting request and challenge for a monkey themed macaron ferris wheel bake. This was what I made!

It's my first attempt at changing the ferris wheel design while retaining the working mechanism. I also made use a stiffer macaron batter to create textures for the tree foliage and trunk. I used my default Swiss Meringue method recipe but in two ways for this bake. I used all the egg whites for the Swiss meringue for the ferris wheel frame, small parts and base to create sturdier shells as well as create the textures by underfolding the batter. I used part of the egg whites to mix with sifted dry ingredients to form an almond paste, and used the rest for the Swiss meringue to make the bananas and monkeys as I wanted the macaron shells to have a smoother finishing.

I used royal icing and edible marker for the details. Have a look at the decorated macaron shells! I made them concurrently with the Charizard carousel bake!

I always make extras in case of accidental uglification or butter fingers

Mango flavour was requested. As this creation consist of some load-bearing parts and parts that do not need to bear load, I filled them differently. I used a firm and fairly low water content mango white chocolate buttercream as the base, but include homemade mango jam for pieces that can afford to be softer.

Mango jam

Ingredients:

250g mango flesh, cubed

25g sugar (or to taste)

pinches of salt

1-2 tsp lemon juice

Steps:

1. Place all ingredients in saucepan and cook until 50% of original weight. For a drier jam if you want to reduce water content further, which I did for jam in the ferris wheel base and wheel itself, I reduced it further to 30% of original weight but left the portion for monkeys and bananas at 50% of original weight. You may puree the mango but it's optional. Cool completely before using. You may prepare in advance and store in the fridge or freezer.

Mango white chocolate buttercream
Ingredients:

300g White chocolate, finely chopped or use chips

60g unsalted butter or vegetable shortening

1/8 tsp salt

45g Freeze dried mango powder (you may add more but I didn't want to soften the structure too much)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Place everything in microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate. Mix well.  You may use double boiling method too if you wish.

2. Place bowl in a cold water bath and use electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Remove from cold water bath once the buttercream starts to firm up, continue beating until desired fluffiness. You may also choose to let the mixture firm up slowly at room temperature for half an hour before transferring into piping bag.

Here's the reel of the assembly and the ferris wheel in spinning action! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cyam2-syoAz/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

If you would like to learn how to create macaron ferris wheels that is as sturdy as what I made and spins as smoothly, do join me for my Penguin family Christmas Carnival masterclass. I have both online and studio versions. Studio participants get to have access to online class material free of charge! Online class is ready for viewing anytime and there's no expiry date.

with love,

Phay Shing

Charizard Macaron Carousel

 This is the third consecutive year I am baking for a little man's birthday so you may find a common theme here 😉

The knight is slaying Charizard this year and it's a mini macaron carousel! The Pokeball on top of the carousel is an iced cookie with chocolate coated marzipan ball inside. 

I used my default Swiss meringue method recipe for the macaron shells and used royal icing and edible markers for the details. I used royal icing transfers for the Pokeball that the knights are holding to make it easier. 

Just to share some photos of the process...

Piped batter for knight with royal icing transfer Pokeballs

Charizard piped batter

Filling the knights with dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate buttercream with a dark chocolate chip added to turn it very slightly brown

Filling Charizards the same way

I added crunchy chocolate balls for the large carousel pieces

Assembled carousel frame. I think it looks breathtakingly beautiful in this earthy neutral colour😍

The fillings I used are adapted from my default recipes to make it either dairy-free or with minimal dairy. I made them firm enough to stay firm at 30C, which is a pretty common temperature for room temperature in Singapore.

Dark chocolate ganache

Ingredients:

90g bitter dark chocolate, finely chopped or chips

25g water

3g light corn syrup

9g unsalted butter, softened

Pinches of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Place all ingredients except butter in microwave-safe bowl. Use medium power and 20 second bursts to melt the chocolate. Stir after each heating cycle. You may also use double boiling method to melt the chocolate.

2. Add butter and mix well. Let the ganache sit at room temperature to firm up for half an hour before transferring into piping bag.

White chocolate buttercream

Ingredients:

100g white chocolate, finely chopped or chips 

20g vegetable shortening (or butter if your ambient temperature is cooler)

1 dark chocolate chip (optional, I added for a slight brownish tinge)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinches of salt

Steps:

1. Place everything in microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate. Mix well.  You may use double boiling method too if you wish.

2. Place bowl in a cold water bath and use electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Remove from cold water bath once the buttercream starts to firm up, continue beating until desired fluffiness. You may also choose to let the mixture firm up slowly at room temperature for half an hour before transferring into piping bag.

Here's a reel for the assembly process. I took the liberty of using two-toned icing for Charizard's flame.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyLaa8-ynqE/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg==

If you would like to learn how to create macaron carousels like this one, join me for my studio or online masterclass for the reindeer macaron carousel, one of my classic pieces. The online class version is available internationally, ready for viewing any time and there is no expiry date. You may ask me any technical questions that you have and learn from other participants who have joined the class over the years 

with love,

Phay Shing

Hello Kitty Pumpkin Chiffon Roll Cake

 

Hello Kitty on a pumpkin, the purr-fect autumn roll! 🍁🎃

Watch the video tutorial here. 

This bake was inspired by the @sanrio 's adorable Hello Kitty autumn baking sets! 
Too cute to eat? 🥰 

I will be embarking on an exciting new project on this type of cakes too! Working on many more. Can't wait to share more in future! =) 

With lots of love,

Susanne