One of my Favorite Shops in Manila: Celebrations Party Central

While other people seek party supplies store because they're planning a party, I usually seek one because I am always on the lookout for cute props for my blog. And I know Celebrations Party Central has a lot of potential blog props (for me) and lots of party supplies (for the party planners)

So when they announced on their Facebook Page that they have opened another shop in Rockwell, I know I  have to go visit. I have been to their other store in Makati, near Cash and Carry. While the branch near Cash and Carry is a little out of the way (at least for me), it carries a wider range of products than the one in Rockwell. So if you're serious party planner go visit the other branch as well. 

In the meantime, let's take a stroll inside their Rockwell shop, shall we?

Lovely paper straws. You know I have a penchant for them. They are all over my blog. See, here's one.

Some colorful pinatas are also displayed! I am liking the cupcake pinata. I would have taken it home, but I don't know where to place it. 

Cool headbands and wigs here. I love the pink wig. Hmmm... I might as well go back and buy that. 

Now this is what tickled my fancy the most, piggy banks and bubble gum dispenser. What would I give to be a kid again?!

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

I'm not sure I can rock any of these shades, but wow they look sooo fun!

Planning a party? How about some cute paper plates? 

... to go with these cute paper napkins?

Strolling into their store is a feast to the eyes. Cute ice cream displays. Reminds me so much of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream Tour. 

Celebrations Party Central

CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER : 0999-998-8833

MAKATI SHOWROOM STORE BRANCH:
Celebrations Building
3890 Araro Street
Palanan, Makati City
T: (02) 831-6383
Monday to Saturday: 9:30AM-6:00PM
Accepts CASH, VISA, MASTERCARD & DEBIT Card Payments

ALABANG BRANCH:
Level 3, Festival Mall, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
T: (02) 511-7960

ROCKWELL BRANCH:
R3 Level, Power Plant Mall
Rockwell, Makati City
(beside Toys 'R Us)

Email : supremecelebrations@ymail.com
celebrationspartycentral@ymail.com

Website: www.celebrationsph.com 
http://www.facebook.com/love.celebrationspartycentral 

Caramel Cake Recipe

I call this recipe a marriage of posts. 

I now pronounce you, Japanese Cheesecake and you, Caramel Pudding, a Caramel Cake. 

Just like that. (I am doing some finger snaps for some added effect)

Simple.

Easy.

Bake Happy.

Did I just make an impromptu poem? Can't remember the last time I made a poem. So I guess this calls for a toast. Or a bite into this oh so cottony soft cake with caramel pudding as its icing. I have been thinking about   making a caramel cake for a while now and this is all I have say - why didn't I make this sooner?! I mean, really, just now?! I think I just missed one half of my life by making this only now (that's me making an exaggeration. Okay fine, just one fourth).

So a word from me to you - 

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet.", okay so that's from Sarah Louise Delany. But if I may add, "Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet. So go bake a Caramel Cake" :)

Caramel Cake

What we need:

For the Cake:

recipe adapted from Diana's Desserts

140g granulated sugar 

6 egg whites 

6 egg yolks 

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 

50g butter 

250g cream cheese 

100 ml fresh milk 

1 tsp. lemon juice 

60g cake flour 

20g cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt.

1tsp vanilla exract

For the Caramel Icing:

adapated from Smitten Kitchen

1/2 cup milk

6 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoon water

3 1/2 cups milk

Here's how:
(1) To make the cake, melt cream cheese, butter and milk in a pan over a pot of simmering water. Let it cool.  

(2) Once the mixture has cooled down, fold in the flour, cornstarch, egg yolks, lemon juice. Make sure to mix well. 

(3) In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Add in sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.

(4) Gradually fold in the cheese mixture into the egg white mixture. Lastly, add in the vanilla extract. 

(5) Pour batter into a 8-inch cake pan. Since we'll be baking the cake in a water-bath  make sure to prep the pan before baking. Line the inside of the pan with parchment paper then wrap the outside with aluminum foil. Our goal is not too let water seep into the baking pan, okay? 

(6) Bake the cake in a water bath for 1 hours 10 minutes or until set and golden brown at 325F

(7) To make the icing, combime 1/2 cup milk, vanilla and cornstarch. Mix well until well combined. Set aside.
(8) In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook over moderate heat. 

(9) Now, I used flash for the next pictures so you can see how the color changes. Caramel is very moody. There's a thin line between a good caramel and a burnt caramel. You need to keep your eyes open and your senses alert. Now it starts to boil. Action is starting! This step will happen in about 8 minutes.

Changing color very slightly...

Now it's in the color we want it, golden brown. It's as caramel as caramel can get.

(10) When it's achieved the color we want, remove from heat and add the 3 1/2 cups milk. The sugar will seize but don't be disappointed. Continue cooking and the sugar will melt into the milk. Cook for another 10 minutes.

(11) Gradually whisk the cornstarch mixture into the milk mixture. Cook again over moderate heat, stirring, until the pudding thickens, about one minute. Strain and transfer to a bowl. 

(12) Now here's the tricky part, how do we cover the cake with the icing? Icing should still be hot and fluid when we pour it over the cake otherwise the icing will look like it curdled as we apply it to the cake. 

You can do it 2 ways - 
(a) Set the cake in a cooling rack (make sure the cooling rack is placed above pan of some sorts to catch the caramel drippings. Yum! (oops I got disracted). Then pour the icing over it, evenly. Let it cool and transfer the cake in a stand (or wherever you want it) using spatulas. 
(b) Place the cake in a cake stand (this is what I did) and insert strips of parchment paper under the cake. Place the strips just about at the edges, otherwise you'll get a hard time pulling them out later. Then pour the icing over it, evenly. The strips will catch drippings. Let it cool and one by one, pull out the strips and tada! 

Caramel cake is served.

Mocha Chiffon Cake Recipe

This time travel concept is pretty tricky yet intriguing... very intriguing. I guess am not the only one intrigued by it since a lot of movies are based on this concept.

Their choice of time machines may differ (but I think the DeLorean is just about the coolest of them all), but I just have one question. When the hero needs to go back in time, why doesn't he set an allowance? I mean what if he fails and gets trapped? Shouldn't he have a contingency plan?  Just in case things doesn't work out? (We all know that won't happen, yeah I know, it's the movies). And yes, I am watching Men in Black III while writing this post. Just so you know where I am coming from. Because if I were Agent J, I would have set the time machine a week in advance (or was it a week before Agent K's life is endangered?.. Ahhh time travel confuses me!) You know, to acclimatize, familiarize and strategize. But maybe that's just my OCD speaking.  

Anyway, enough about time travel. Can I interest you in some mocha chiffon cake? My mom is a fan of mocha be it in ice cream or cake form so when I made this, it just made her day. And since it made her day, in my mind I did the Snoopy Happy Dance. Yes, just in my mind. In my mind, I got the moves. Too much going in my mind right now, wow! Oh well, here's the recipe. 

Mocha Chiffon Cake Recipe

What we need:

For the Mocha Chiffon Cake - 
325F
adapted from CDKitchen
2 teaspoons instant coffee powder
3/4 cup hot water
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the Mocha Icing:
adapted from Martha Stewart
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Kahlua (or just water)
2 tablespoons instant coffee

Here's how:
(1) Mix together coffee powder in hot water. Let it cool. 

(2) In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients well -  flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in center; add oil, egg yolks, vanilla and coffee. Beat until smooth.

(3) In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. 

(4) Pour the mocha batter over the egg whites. Using a spatula or a wire whisk, fold it carefully. Spoon batter into 2 8-inch round pans (or a 10-inch tube pan)

Bake in preheated 325 degrees F oven for 30-40 minutes (for 2 8-inch round pans) or 60 to 70 minutes for a 10-inch tube pan or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Turn pan upside down and let cake hang until cool. Remove from pan. 

(5) To make the Mocha Icing, beat egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Whisk until the texture is smooth and sugar has been dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk until stiff peaks form. Let ir cool (I usually place my bowl in the ref to hasten cooling process, but that's just me). 

(6) Combine Kahlua (or water) and coffee. 

(7) Pour it over butter. 

(8) Mix until well combined. 

(9) Add butter to egg whites gradually (in small batches).

(10) At one point, it will become soupy and will not look like a good batch of icing at all but have faith, it will pass. 

(11) Mix until all is smooth and creamy. 

Assemble the cake decorate it with chocolate covered coffee beans or coffee bean shaped chocolates. I used the ones Meiji made. I just can't remember the name. Maybe I'll time travel to when I bought it then go back to the future and properly finish this post. 

Bake Happy Up and About: Chef Glenda at the Maya Kitchen

From what I know, Chef Glenda Barretto rarely makes public appearances nowadays so when you get to be invited to attend her Maya Kitchen Demo, you don't think about it twice. Definitely a no-no. Just get up and attend. That's what I did. 

And wow her demo was a delight! Aside from showing us how to make her version of our well loved Filipino dishes, she also regaled us with her interesting anecdotes which I tell you is a lot. Wait till you hear her story about sinaing-lada. Yes, sinaing as in cooked rice in salad form. It was really funny!

What I love about her is her creativity. Her twists on the most well loved Filipino dishes elevated our cuisine to greater heights. It makes me feel so good and so proud to be Pinoy. If only I have 1/16th of her creativity in the kitchen, I'd be happy.

Want to see what she made at the Maya Kitchen? Here it is. Banana Hearts Vinaigrette for starters. 

Now this is one my my favorites, Ensaladang Pako. I always order this when I go to Via Mare - really good!

Anyone who doesn't have a thing for Tinola might suddenly become a fan of this Filipino dish. To say this Tinola Flan is out-of-this-world-so-good-can-I-please-have-lots-more is an understatement. 

 Adobong baka, now see what I mean about presentation? I have never seen adobo presented like this. So pretty!

 And lastly, the dessert, pichi-pichi, a cassava delicacy with coco chantilly. Who knew you can make chantilly out of coconut? Hmmm... now it got me thinking, can you make whipped cream out of coconut?

 Here's Chef Glenda and her wonderful team after the demo. 

Thanks to Ms Tess Laurente for always inviting me! 

How to Make Watermelon Cupcake Toppers

Fact: Julia Child started her career as a respected celebrity chef when she first starred in her very own cooking show. At the age of 50. 

Fact: Yup, 50 years old. 

Reading between the lines: Better late than never.

Why am sharing this? Aside from the fact that I love Julia Child, I need a good explanation as to why I am posting a summer themed post when summer is almost over (Or is not "almost"? Is summer really over already? Not sure if that loud rain happening outside my window is an indicator. 

Oh well, yep, better late than never indeed. 

This is what I call "huling hirit sa tag-init", my last summer hoorah or end of summer salvo. Because right up this minute I still haven't even had a proper summer post. Which is really sad so I am making up for lost time. Humor me. Pretty please. 

Today we're making watermelon cupcake toppers. Ideally I should have made this from marshmallow fondant but these are made out of Pettinice Red fondant and Fondx Green fondant because this little old blogger unfortunately didn't have time to make a fresh batch of marshmallow fondant. 

Anyway, this is super easy to make. As easy as deciding how to eat watermelon. I eat is as it is, though I know Ate Sienna from Batibot likes to sprinkle a little salt into hers. Batibot kid here, I know (might as well say '80's kid here) - and I am dating myself again. Ok, stopping now. 

Back to watermelon and how to make it in fondant form, here it is. 

How to Make Watermelon Cupcake Toppers

What we need:
Fondant in red and green
Yellow sprinkles
Scissors
Knife
Rolling pin
Brush and water to glue fondant together

Here's how:
(1) Roll red fondant into a ball

(2) Divide it into four, as evenly as you can.

(3) Roll green fondant thinly. 

(4) Paste the green fondant into to the red fondant. 

(5) Cut the edges using the scissors.

(6) Lastly add the sprinkles. 

Easy peasy right? And, hope you all had a blast this summer!