Cheesecakes Spell Y-U-M-M-Y

What's your favorite dessert?

Mine's cheesecake. But not just any cheesecakes. I'd choose the baked cheesecakes over no-bake cheesecakes anytime. Baked cheesecakes, or New York Cheesecakes, are richer in taste.

I have been baking cheesecakes since college days. Back then, I would just use a basic cheesecake recipe. But through the years, I've learned the art of tweaking the the basics and add my personal touch.

Here are some of my signature baked cheesecakes:

Strawberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

Truffle Cheesecake

Did I mention I make cheesecake balls, too? Here are some of those little goodies:

A few years ago, I attempted to make a small business out of it. But it was short-lived. Tough luck, if you want call it that way. Apparently, not all people are into these sumptuous desserts....

But this little bump on the road won't stop me from making cheesecakes and other baked goodies to share with everyone.

I'll keep you posted with my plans soon!

In the meantime, cheesecakes, anyone? :)

Chocolate Decadence

They say, "Diamonds are a girl's best friend. I say, "Chocolates are a girl's best friend, next to diamonds."

Let me rephrase that: "Chocolates are a girl's best friend since diamonds are way too expensive." :)

My point is, I don't think anyone or any girl (for that matter) hates chocolates. I love chocolates -- in all its form and glory! Especially dark ones. I'm not particular of any brand, so long as they satisfy my chocolatiness craving.

Here's my last year's attempt to make a chocolate cake:

 I used a basic chocolate cake recipe and tweaked it a bit.

And made my own marshmallow filling for the in-between the layer, just to balance the sweetness. :)

Chocolate craving: Satisfied! :)

I'm Back!!! (Part 2)

Talk about a loooong hiatus from blogging! But I'm happy to say write that I'm definitely back.

Pardon me for not updating my blog as often for the past few months. I have been busy with crafts and cake art, and a whole lot more. So expect a lot of posts about my previous projects....soon! :)

Till my next post... Have a great week ahead! :)

I'm Back!!!

Oh wow! How long has it been since I've last written here? Well, glad to say I'm finally back from a long writing hiatus.

There are so much things I'd like to share with you guys. I'll be posting some photos and stories of what I have been busy with for the last few months.

Catch up with you pretty soon! :)

A Sweet Surprise

Here’s another cupcake project:

Mylene is one of my dear friends from work. We thought of a unique way to surprise her (it was her birthday last Sunday). What better way to do so than with cupcakes? :)

I baked a batch of cupcakes and decorated them with fondant. To add a personalized touch, each of us wrote her a birthday message. We made small flags with messages printed on them, inserted the flags on the cupcakes, and were given to her one at a time.

These are vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting and fondant. Here are some photos of this cupcake project:

Inspired by daisies



Here they are with the messages on flags
(Photo courtesy of Myzyl)

(Photo courtesy of Myzyl)

The birthday girl with her cupcakes
(Photo courtesy of Myzyl)

Hello Kitty Cupcakes

Don’t you just love cupcakes? The sweet little treats are just enough to satisfy any sweet tooth’s dessert craving.

I’ve baked some in the past, and even made them as party favors for the little princess’ first birthday. Last weekend, I channeled my inner Martha once again and made batches of cupcakes for her 15th month (do we really have to celebrate monthly?).

Here are some photos of the Hello Kitty vanilla cupcakes with fondant. Pardon the imperfections. It was my first attempt on making fondant. :)

For lack of food coloring available that time, I made the whiskers
purple instead of black.

Here's the Little Princess with her Hello Kitty cupcakes:

Can't wait for the next cupcake project! :)

The Bagnet Experience

A trip to Ilocos is never complete without trying their famous bagnet—a slab of pork deep-fried to its crispy perfection and cut to bite-size pieces. Crunchy, crunchy, crunchy.

I am a self-confessed meat-lover. I could not survive a week without pork or beef. So you could just imagine my excitement when I heard of Bagnet 8065.

Tucked in a quaint street in Makati, Bagnet 8065 is a not your typical hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I first heard of the place from my officemates, they have been raving about it for quite some time. I have been wanting to go there for so long, and finally had my chance last week.

First, let me tell you a bit about the place. The interior is packed with a mish-mash of furniture and knick-knacks. You can tell by the décor that the owner of the place is a free-spirited artist, a book-lover, a traveler and a bagnet-lover all rolled into one.

I love it how the owners of the restaurant incorporated pieces of artworks and books in the decor of the place. Made the interior looked so homey.

Wall gallery beside the staircase leading to the second floor.

They even set-up some graffiti walls:

This graffiti wall spelled "bagnet" in graffiti writing but I realized it only on our way home.
Will try to take a photo of the whole wall next time. :)

Allow me now to tell you about the FOOD!

Bagnet 8065 has a simple (and very affordable!) menu. It has a selection of bagnet dishes cooked in every Filipino-way possible. They have vegetable and fish dishes as well.

We ordered two dishes--Original Bagnet and Bagnet Curry:

The Original Bagnet was served with pickled green mangoes, bagoong and atchara on the side. Every bite of bagnet was crunchy and absolutely delicious. It was not like your typical lechon kawali. Their bagnet was not oily on the palate.

Original Bagnet

When I first saw the Bagnet Curry in their menu, I was a bit apprehensive in ordering it. I love curry dishes, but I could not imagine how the curry taste would blend with the bagnet. And how the bagnet might not be crunchy anymore because of the sauce... But we ordered it anyway. My apprehensions proved me wrong!

Bagnet Curry

The first bite of Bagnet Curry was yummy! I love how they separately cooked the curry sauce and the bagnet. Then topped the crispy bagnet on the plate of curry sauce. The bagnet pieces remained crunchy till the last piece.

Bagnet 8065 is located at Estrella Street in San Antonio Village, Makati City. Parking may be a bit of a problem, though.

Hope you could try their dishes soon! :)