Butt Cake - Happy 30th Birthday Laurence!!!!

Is it mean that I dedicated a "Butt Cake" to my husband for his 30th birthday? I was tossing ideas for ages planning for his special occasion. There was mention of golf, a golf ball, putting greens with flags, soccer ball cake, soccer cupcakes, a numbered caked, etc. They are all him, but this seemed a lot funnier. And there is a bit of a joke when it comes to his butt-crack. You see, he's quite the handy man and I think anyone that has been around him while he's doing these odd jobs around our home, or their home, would have had the pleasure of seeing this view. Hahahahaaha! So when I googled cakes for inspiration, I came across a couple and based it on their versions. I was intending to add a tool belt with tools hanging off it and a spanner in his back pocket, but that didn't turn out and I was running out of time with all the rest of the preperations I needed to get done. So this was the end result. It did definitely get a good laugh. And my hubby was a very good sport about it all.

The final result

Butter cream frosting

I had baked the butter cake the night before because I knew I'd be short on time. I doubled the mixture because this tin is an extra large one (I think it's 12 inch pan from memory)

I tried to carve the sides to round it off a bit and then used these crumbly bits on the top of the cake to give it a "fuller figure"

After spreading the butter cream frosting

First layer of fondant - the actual butt cheeks.
I was quite frustrated already at this stage because my fondant kept cracking. You can probably see the crack (HAR!!!) on the left butt cheek. It was the best I could do because I had rolled and re-rolled this fondant at least 5 times already. I figured most of it would be covered so I should be safe enough.

Second layer of fondant - white t-shirt.

At the top of the cake. This was the easiest part of decorating because it was plain white so I didn't have to dye it and knead it.

Last layer of fondant - blue jeans.

After abondoning the idea of a tool belt and tools, I changed it slightly to have a waste band with loops instead.

I was quite pleased with my end result. However, the cake itself was a bit too dry. Since I had to double the quantity, the timing was a little wrong on my part and I overbaked it. Also, I needed to use more butter cream frosting (1/2kg was not enough). Still, overall I was happy enough. And people still ate it whilst laughing away. That's successful to me : )

Happy 30th Larry!

Love you with all my heart!

Swissotel - My Baby Shower

How awesome is my sister-in-law Chhay and my best friend Prem?!
Prem rounded up the troops and Chhay arranged to have my baby shower at Swissotel and also organised these party favours. Aren't they the coolest party favours you have ever seen?

Inside the "oven" is a bun candle

High tea buffet at Swissotel ($39 per person)

Crowd favourite. It was a coffee cake of some sort.

My first plate

My 3rd plate....lost count after that.....

For a buffet high tea, I thought this was worth it considering all the other places Chhay looked up were around the same price for a normal high tea (ie not all you can eat) and being the glutton that I am, I definitely wanted buffet....I mean if you are going out you have to go all out, come on....

Everything was really nice, except for the sandwiches. They had obviously been made well in advance (possibly even the night before) because the bread and the filling were very dry (some commented the bread was stale). I found the egg filling was crusty and dry on the outer edges. But apart from the sandwiches everything else was really enjoyable. I failed to try everything (good excuse to go back perhaps?) And I didn't even get near the chocolate fountain except to take a photo.

Either ways, I had a great time because I had all my wonderful friends and family around me! Thank you all for attending and a big special thank you to Chhay and Prem who are absolutely amazing!

Jas My Waffles

My family informed me of Jas My Waffles saying "You HAVE to go. It's soooooo good". And they are right. It is that good. Particularly the churros. These cured all my cravings for anything doughy, deep fried and coated in cinnamon and sugar. Being out in Rooty Hill though was a bit further than I'd like to go. Maybe just as well because my stomach and waistline would never forgive me.

We ordered the Jas my Favourites Platter which comes with 5 waffles to go, 4 churros and 1 sauce ($18)

These are part of the platter.

From left to right: Caramel, pistachio, honeycomb, don't remember the one on the far right.

For our fifth one I chose the hot dog waffle to go and it's basically like a pluto pup, but instead of the cornflour batter, it's a waffle. Sounds gross? I quite enjoyed it. Forgot to take a photo though.

Regular waffles with cream and maple syrup (about $7, it was on the board but not on the menu)

Waffles with berries and strawberry ice cream (about $8, it was on the board but not on the menu)

Waffle to go with cream and maple syrup ($2.50)

Do you know of any other churros place worth trying? There use to be one upstairs in Market City near the foodcourt that I would frequent, but it's been closed down for a long time now. I've also tried the "healthy version" one at wowcow (Darlinghurst), needless to say it was not that good. Then there are the ones from the Easter Show which aren't that common anymore either. I had some pretty good ones at El Bulli, but I wouldn't go to such a restaurant just for churros. So anyone with suggestions, please let me know.

Taste of Sydney 2010

I didn't expect going to "Taste of Sydney" this year. I knew it was coming up, I heard of people who bought tickets and were excited about all the food on offer, but I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to go. There are just too many birthdays and celebrations coming up for the next 2 months that I told myself I'd be good and not spend the $30 per ticket for Taste of Sydney (which is just the entry price). Maybe possibly next year? Anyway, as luck would have it I was catching up on some Facebook gossip when I saw a competition being posted up as a status by one of my favourite food bloggers Not Quite Nigella. The first person to email their address to her would get two tickets for free. I saw that her post was up 1 min and thought I might be in for a chance and guess what? I won! Thank you so much Lorraine!!!

Now on to the food...

Restaurant Balzac: Saddle of Suckling Pig with Garden Peas and Smoked Bacon Jus (12 crowns)

This was my favourite out of everything we had. You did not need a knife to cut this, just a slight poke with a fork was all you needed for the meat to fall apart. Even the crackling was super crunchy

El Toro Loco: Paella a la Maestre (10 crowns)

The best seafood paella I've had. I really want to buy a paella pan now and try make my own. Talk about being inspired. This was my husbands favourite for the day.

Preparing the paella

I heard the chef call out that he will need 3 bags of seafood for each pan of paella plus another 3 bags of mussels to go on top. That looks like a lot of seafod. This was reflected in the portion we got.
I was too busy taking photos of the process and eating and forgot to take a photo of the bowl of paella. Darn.

We passed by the Planet Cakes stall where they were holding demonstrations.

So cute!

Bird Cow Fish: Braised Cape Grim beef cheek and glazed onion pie in a sour cream & puff patry case; red wine veal jus (12 crowns)

This is no ordinary pie.....it is a gourmet pie....and a very nice one at that

This insides of the gourmet pie. Yum.

ARIA: Slow Roasted Moran Family Lamb Spit Roast (12 crowns)

We weren't expecting it to be in a bread roll but glad it was. And it came with rocket and some type of sweet relish. This wasn't initially highlighted on my menu list, but we saw so many people walking around eating one we just had to try it. And just as well we did. Delicious!

Danks Street Depot: Beef Ribs Smoked in Watermelon with a Watermelon and Avocado Salad (12 crowns)

I've never been a fan of fruit with meat in a dish, but this was surprisingly really good. The beef rib itself was juicy and tender and the watermelon salad was really refreshing alongside it.

Plan B: Organic Grass Fed Wagyu Beef Burger (12 crowns)

I still hadn't gotten around to trying this burger from the cafe so was delighted to see this available.

We didn't go for desserts in the end. We were so fixated on all the heavy meaty meals we just tipped ourselves over the edge. Full and satisfied, we rolled out of Centennial Park and back home. Now that's what I call a great day out!

Thank you again Not Quite Nigella! Love your blog!