Malteser Cake

Finally! I've baked it! Malteser Cake! I've been planning to make this cake for quite sometime now, I've been so busy with work I haven't been baking lately. Last Sunday morning, I woke up early and dedicate myself in making this cake. I found the recipe in Nigella Lawson's Book aptly called "Nigella Feast".

What made me decide to try this cake is because it has Malteser's on it, which I sooo love! The recipe called for malt powder and I have no idea where I can find that I've seach supermakets around Metro Manila I can't find them. So decidedly I use ovaltines, a chocolate malt drink (hey it has malt in it!). Its an easy cake to make even the frosting is quite a breeze to make. Though I have to tweak the recipe a bit to suit my family's taste I find the frosting too sweet even though I have already reduce the sugar the recipe calls for. The cake itself is a bit dry and I like moist cakes and more importantly I can't taste the malt! So it's not yet a Malteser Cake.....Hmmmm..... I better find some soon to try this recipe again...

COOL SUMMER DRINK

In the sweltering heat of summer my favorite drink is non other than a BIG TALL Glass (in my case a mug) of ice cold Coke Light. Technically, my parents don't allow us to drink softdrink or other bicarbonate sodas especially since having diabeties is in our genes. However, mom allow us an exception with Coke Light. Ever since I was a kid I hated regular coke, even now I don't like regular coke because for me it taste funny like I'm drinking mdecine or something. I've always preferred Coke Light. This year the summer heat is much worst than the year before after a hard day of work or shopping we all wind down to a glass of icy coke light with all that fizz! Aaaahhhhh........so refreshing!

Fondant Deconstructed

I've recently (Saturday Aug. 21) attended my cousin's (well..technically speaking she is my 2nd cousin) wedding in Gloria Maris in Greenhills. I've noticed quite recently the growing trend in weddings where in there is no grand wedding cake but the wedding cake are composed of many small cakes lined up in a tier to mimicking the look of a wedding cake. I guess its much more economical to make small cakes that would serve as the giveaway too! My sister and I both agree that wedding cake makes the wedding looks grand and elegant even if its just a small tiered cake. Moreover, we (my sister and I) like receiving giveaways remeber all those giveaway wedding bells before? My mom has a cabinet of them displaying them all and from time to time we look at those bells and remember the couple who gave it.

I've been often curious about fondant cakes, intrigue actually on how to make them because they look so elegant and chic. But whenever I'm about to try it I kept thinking hmmm... fondant doesn't taste good why waste all the ingredients in something that my family and I won't enjoy eating, so I don't.

But receiving a free mini fondant cake from my cousin's wedding (yeah yeah I know 2nd cousin) gave me an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. Late Sunday night, after malling with my parents, I dismantled the fondant cake, got rid of the unedibles (another reason why I don't make fondant cakes, I mean I'm all hands for elegance and beauty of a cake but the bottom line for me is is it good does it taste good?), I got my cake knife (its actually an ordinary knife that is long, just like to call it mine hehehe....) and cut a wedge & took a bite.

My verdict: As always I love the fondant cake look however in terms of taste I don't really care for it. I can actually live without it ever. Its not something that I would miss or crave.