This is my recent discovery and I'm very happy with it, is an understatement.

I found a recipe for banana cake that has cream cheese frosting on it. It's very simple but tastes really good. Just a proof that it doesn't have to be complicated to be delicious.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
226 grams or 8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup icing sugar

Directions:
Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.

Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Add icing sugar and beat in low until well combined. Then on high speed until smooth.

Spread on your cupcakes or cakes and enjoy the creamy cheesy goodness!

-AcousticChef - cookin' one tune at a time!

I thought it's befitting for me to create a recipe just for cream cheese icing or frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting is tricky for me because it develops-as-you-go kind of thing for me. There are times when my cream cheese is not stable enough that adding more sugar seems like the best option to stabilize it. The problem is it becomes sickly sweet. There are times when it just happens perfect. 

One of my reliable cream cheese recipe is the one that I use in my carrot cupcake and cakes.

The number of sugar you want to add depends on how sweet do you want your icing to be? So you have to consider the base cake, is it sweet enough, then lessen the amount of sugar in the icing. Is it a cake that needs to be complimented further by a sweet frosting, then, be my guest, follow the recipe or add more if you wish.

Again, it is finding the right consistency and taste that YOU prefer. At the end of the day, you're the one eating (for some, licking) it.

Ingredients:
1 ounce white chocolate
4-ounce cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:
In a double boiler, melt white chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth, and
allow to cool to room temperature.

In the first bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in white
chocolate, vanilla, and orange extract. Gradually beat in the confectioners'
sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Mix in heavy cream.

Spread it on your cake!

-AcousticChef - cookin' one tune at a time!

Wow. Never ever thought I'll be writing about Fondant anytime soon. Not the chocolate fondant where it's gooey on the inside which I also love.

I'm talking about rolled fondant that you use to cover cakes for special occassions. The fondant that intimidated me for soooo long, I think a lot of people for that matter. I can't even begin to explain my relief when I looked at my first ever cake, covered in glorious fondant.

Having the stand mixer made my baking life easier. Making a fondant? Stand mixer is truly heaven-sent.

Tip 1: When you reach the stage that you have to add the remaining 4 cups.
If you have a stand mixer, then use it, speed no. 2, using the hook attachment.
Tip 2: To roll out fondant, your pin must be silicon made. Fondant will stick to wooden pin.
Tip 3: To know if your fondant is ready to be rolled by moulding a small shaped stone, drop it on your work surface. It should spread slightly but must retain its shaped.
Tip 4: Sprinkle your work surface with confectioner's sugar to avoid getting your fondant stuck on your surface. If you are in a humid location, like the middle east for example, then use half cornstarch, half sugar. If you use only sugar, it will become more sticky because sugar attracts moisture from the air.
Tip 5: After a couple of rools, turn your fondant a quarter turn at a time to avoid it from getting stuck on the surface.
Tip 6: You should only cover cakes which are firm. Fondant is heavy and any cake that's not strong enough will be easily weighed down by fondant. I made a mistake of covering a carrot cake with a soft bodied cream cheese frosting on my second try, and let's just say, it didn't keep its shape well.
Tip 7: Because fondant is practically solid sugar, most people don't like the taste of it and peel it off the cake, so make sure your cake inside is full of flavour.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 cup glucose
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon glycerin
8 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
icing colour and flavouring, as desired
Extra confectioner's sugar to find your right consistency

Can cover 10 inch x 4 inch high cake. (appox 36 oz)

Procedure:
Mix gelatin and cold water, let it stand for 3-5 minutes, until the gelatin is well soaked. Using a double boiler, heat the gelatin mixture until it's dissolved. Add glucose and mix well. Add shortening and wait until it's almost completely melted. Add glycerin (flavouring and colour, if adding any). Cool the mixture until lukewarm.

Grease the side of your mixing bowl with shortening. Place 4 cups confectioners' sugar and make a well in the middle. Pour the gelatin mixture into the well. Start mixing from the middle with your wooden spoon until all sugar all sugar are well combined.

Add the remaining 4 cups of sugar, a cup at a time. Mixing well on every addition. Knead until the stickiness disappears and mixture becomes pliable. When it starts clearing the sides of your bowl, transfer the mixture on a smooth work surface, either on a granite counter top or a silicon mat for further kneading. 

Knead your fondant with additional sugar if needed until your fondant becomes smooth and pliable.

Use your fondant immediately or keep it in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. Do not refrigerate! If you're ready to use it, knead it again until soft.

Roll your fondant about 1/4 inch thin. Transfer fondant to your previously crumb coated cake and smooth it until your happy with the end result. Add your finishing touches, either other moulded fondant or royal icing designs.

Enjoy your well deserved pat on the back!