Baker's Corner: Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

I must admit that don't have any interesting anecdotes to share today 😆 

But what I do have for you is a great recipe for strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting. So, if you are a fan of cupcakes, or strawberries or even better, BOTH, then you know what must be done.

My daughters love strawberries. They eat strawberries several times a week so every trip to the grocery store invariably sees me loading up my shopping cart with these red beauties. While still on the subject of berries, the two critters love blueberries and raspberries as well so you will never find my fridge devoid of berries at any given point in time 😀

During the Easter long weekend, I was feeling particularly generous so I told them that they could demand any dessert they wanted and I would make it for them. It came as no surprise to me when they chimed in unison - "Strawberry Cupcakes"! 

Cupcakes are a big hit in my household. Everybody likes them irrespective of the flavour. When it comes to the frosting, there is a clear winner - buttercream. I personally find this frosting too sweet but the rest of my family doesn't agree with me. So, I scoured the internet for what I felt would be a good recipe for strawberry cupcakes with a buttercream frosting and I found one that I liked. For me, strawberry cupcakes need to taste like strawberry. Not like pink tinted vanilla cupcakes with a generic sweet but flavourless buttercream. What appealed me to about this recipe was the generous use of strawberries in them - in the cupcake batter, in the buttercream frosting and even topped on the cupcakes before frosting (the latter of which I skipped). This recipe uses both fresh chopped strawberries as well as concentrated reduced strawberry puree. 

At the start of making these cupcakes, I decided that I did not want to use any artificial food coloring at all. I bought frozen strawberries to make the strawberry puree because they are more tart and generally have a deeper red color. I wanted the tartness to offset the sweetness of the buttercream and the vibrant hue to contribute to the lovely pink color of the finished product. But I noticed that not adding food coloring to the cupcake batter made the cupcakes take on an unappealing shade of purple-grey after baking. The frosting looked a little dull too so I added a miniscule amount of a gel-based red food coloring just to brighten it up. Whether or not you want to add any coloring is entirely up to you. No judgement here.

The strawberry-perfumed cupcakes turned out fluffy and delicious with delightful chunks of strawberries in every bite. The buttercream although sweet had a pronounced strawberry flavour too and the sliced strawberries on top served as the proverbial cherry on the cake. My daughters were thrilled by the outcome and one of the highlights of this long weekend for them has been greedily tucking into these cupcakes 😄 I have had to negotiate to my best capability to limit it to 1 per day.

That's all from me today. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend folks. Belated Happy Easter 😊

We'll meet again soon...

Restaurant review: El Patio at Holland Village, Singapore

I've realized it has been ages since I posted a restaurant review so here goes.

Last Friday afternoon, I found myself in one of my old haunts in Singapore to catch up with a friend I hadn't seen for long. 

During the 5-6 years that I was studying and then working in NUS, I would visit Holland Village (or "Holland V" as we endearingly call it) at least once every two months with my colleagues to enjoy the delectable nosh that this Bohemian enclave is known for. Sometimes me and my husband would meet up there after work for dinner. Wala Wala, Hatched, La Nonna, Fatboy's, Al Hamra and NYDC used to be eateries I'd frequent. Not to mention, the mandatory pit stop at Provence to tapao my favourite milk pan *sighs*. Being the foodie that I am, it is one of the few aspects of NUS life that I miss the most 😞

Whether you want to chill out with a drink, are hungry for a hearty dinner, looking for in-between meal nibbles or crave sumptuous desserts, Holland V has something to offer for everybody. Every time I visit, I find a new and interesting place to add to my growing list of eateries to try. The vibrancy of the location, quality food establishments and laid-back vibe makes this hipster neighborhood popular with both the locals and expats alike. 

Not having any agenda as to where to go, me and my friend walked around taking a peek at a few of the menus of the eateries dotting the streets. Finally, we settled on the Mexican restaurant El Patio. My love for Mexican food runs deep and having been to both El Patio and its neighboring Mexican establishment Cha Cha Cha in the past, I knew that vegetarian options were available and the quality of food would be decent. I will say that I still don't think Singapore has any mind-blowing Mexican restaurants which is such a darn pity. Of the lot, my favorite continues to be Margarita's. 

El Patio is a medium-sized restaurant that serves Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes in an alfresco setting. The restaurant has a cozy and chilled-out vibe and is well-maintained. The interiors are eye-catching, dominated by a Mexican-inspired bold color palette, wall art and decorative elements. 

The restaurant happened to be quite empty when we arrived. We picked a table of our choice and poured through the menu.

Recipe of the month: Iced Caramel Macchiato

Although I love coffee almost as much as life itself, I'm not a Starbucks person. I make trips to the popular coffee house probably less than 6 times a year. I have my reasons. Maybe it's because I get my coffee fix in the comfort of my home and that is enough to see me through the day. It is also too much of an effort for me to walk all the way to the nearest Starbucks. Not to mention, the portion sizes are too big for me (even the small size) and not being a black coffee drinker, I tend to worry that it will become a habit and I really could do without all the added sugar and calories in my life.

Having said that, I love some of the desserts at Starbucks and I do like to indulge once in a while. When it comes to their coffee, I have a clear preference - the Caramel Macchiato. Depending on my mood, the time of day and the weather, I either go for the hot version or the cold one. Milk with vanilla-flavored syrup, strong espresso and topped with a buttery caramel drizzle for an oh-so-sweet finish. Hot or cold....what's not to love, amirite? 

For this recipe, I prepared the vanilla syrup and the caramel sauce from scratch (easy-peasy). If you have store-bought versions ready on hand then it'll take you even lesser time to put this drink together. You can prepare the espresso using a macchinetta or espresso machine. I used my stovetop Bialetti which I absolutely love. After that, it is a matter of layering the drink and you are done. You can enjoy the individual layers as they naturally settle or stir them together, whichever you prefer. 

Cold, sweet and refreshing....this layered espresso drink is for all you coffee lovers out there 😊

Book review: A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett

And here it is folks - my first book review of 2019 😊

Since the start of the year, I have faithfully stood by Ken Follett and it seems like the ensuing months have plenty more in store for me.

Here is another one of Follett's novels that I deemed worthy of review. This is a book that I finished fairly quickly and that usually (but not necessarily) serves as an indication of a positive verdict. 

A Dangerous Fortune is a novel that was penned by the Welsh author in the year 1993. The story is set against the backdrop of collapse of a bank in the 19th century. It is a saga of love, power and revenge, set amid the wealth and decadence of Victorian England. 

The book also features Follett's first female villain, the domineering and unscrupulous Augusta. 

***Plot***

 Contains spoilers

The book begins on a somber note with an incident that culminates in tragedy. Young Peter Middleton is found dead as a result of drowning in a swimming-hole of the prestigious Windfield school. Five young boys are at the scene of the crime but what really transpired is shrouded in mystery. Hugh Pilaster is pulled out of the school immediately following his father's suicide over bankruptcy. South American nationals Tonio Silva and Micky Miranda may know a bit more than they are letting on. Edward Pilaster offers an explanation that is not contested by anyone except for the dead boy's family. The tragedy sets a ominous tone for the ensuing treachery of the next three decades.

The illustrious Pilaster banking family based in London is controlled by a manipulative matriarch. The Pilasters are wealthy and well-respected but with twisted family dynamics. The inscrutable Augusta Pilaster leaves no stone unturned when it comes to advocating for her husband Joseph and protecting the interests of her son Edward. She despises Hugh from the time his father Tobias (brother of Joseph) withdraws his capital from the Pilaster bank. Making things worse is Hugh's banking expertise and undeniable potential that far eclipses Edward's limited capability. Augusta's co-conspirator is her son's best friend Micky Miranda and together they hatch devious schemes and cover-up dark secrets - the former, to increase her prosperity and gain a title and the latter to aid his criminal father in his ill-conceived war efforts in the South American city of Cordova.

Young Maisie Robinson runs away from home to escape a life of poverty. At 11, she finds herself on the streets but at 19, she finds herself married to one of the wealthiest Jewish bankers in London. Her husband Solly, heir to Greenbourne bank is upright and benevolent. Having schooled at Windfield, his circle of friends and acquaintances include the five boys (now grown men) associated with the Middleton tragedy and as an extension of this, to Maisie too. Although originally Maisie envisioned a future with Hugh, destiny intervenes and sets her on a different path.

Several people pay a heavy price in the wake of Augusta and Micky's unchecked ambition to fulfill their goals. After Joseph's passing, the Pilaster bank is looking for a senior partner and the incompetent Edward bags the role. After making a catastrophic mistake by secretly financing a controversial project at the behest of Micky, civil war breaks out in Cordova plunging the bank into an unprecedented financial crisis. Hugh has no choice but to clean up his cousin's mismanagement. Forced into bankruptcy he has to make difficult decisions to protect the bank's reputation further deepening the rift in the Pilaster family.

Meanwhile, skeletons are tumbling out of the Pliaster family closet and the final straw is when Tonio Silva is found murdered in cold blood. Scotland Yard is now on a manhunt for the killer.

Does Hugh manage to save the bank? Do Hugh and Maisie have a future together? Will Micky and Augusta end their trail of devastation?

Read the book to find out more...