Cake Decorations

I was having a conversation with a friend one day, and as my conversations sometimes do, the subject moved to baking. We discussed about making cupcakes for sale, and how we could decorate them. After all, like my school teachers used to say as they pointed out our untucked shirts and ankle socks, "first impressions are very important."

I wasn't sure how it happened, but I made a remark off-handedly during the conversation: "Don't bother using good chocolate."

European standard of living, right here. I wished I studied in Europe. 

Panna Cotta

Baci di dama 

I am a newbie at decorating, and my products, more often than not, come out looking plain and ordinary: a cake served without any buttercream or food colouring in the mixture. No crunchy silver balls along the perimeter of the cake, or any coloured sprinkles on top.

Chocolate pots de creme. I made 2 batches, one using Lindt, and the other using Nestle Plastowe. The contrast was stark.

Which was what I wanted when I use the best ingredients I can afford. There's no point using the best possible chocolate to make a cake, only to bury every note of the premium chocolate under an avalanche of sweetened whipped cream, decorative festive balls and sprinkles that distract from the smoothness and flavour of the chocolate.

The quality of the chocolate I use depends on the recipe. Where chocolate is the one and only flavour,  I find that it helps to use a good one. If combined with many other ingredients like cream, eggs, flour, butter, sugar and artificial flavourings, an ordinary one may do.

I'm sad to say that their taste was identical. Although the cookies got saltier with  every bite I take. Salted with my tears. 

"Money doesn't grow from trees, you know" was another saying my teachers loved to echo, usually when they overhear my friends and I sitting around during class making plans to watch a movie after school.

It's a pity that they didn't have any wise sayings to share about people who eavesdrop. Or perhaps money do grow from trees, but I'm just been growing all those useless types all my life. I always was a slow learner...

I was recently sent this by Abbott's Bakery when I bought a loaf of bread from them. It's fantastic for their customers.  But it's not the money-growing kind. Nice try, Abbott's, I'm onto you.