CAKE W JAM

Light sponge cake to go with home-made cranberry jam.

SYDNEY NEW TOWN

We ventured out of Sydney city into inner West suburb New Town.  Its attractions range from restaurants and bars, to theatres and clubs.  Specialist shops include vintage fashion and music stores, bookshops, antique stores, hairdressing salons and homeware shops.  Many restaurants and cafes offering a range of ethnic cuisine.  We spent half a day strolling, seeing, shopping to our heart content and eating.

This is what draws us to New Town Black Star Pastry Shop  -  their famous strawberry watermelon cake we have been raving for.  The sweet strawberries and water melon, delicious rosewater cream coupled with the biscuit bottom for texture

BLUEBERRY FRIANDS

Baked some blueberry friands to enjoy in the leisure weekend afternoon.  

Ingredients and method can refer to http://makan-mania.blogspot.sg/2009/02/friands.html

BUTTER CREAM CAKES

These rich butter cream cakes brought back from Bedok by DH evoke the most memories in me. I grew up eating these cakes, during celebration of events like birthdays, weddings, engagements and babies' 1st month celebration.   These cakes were considered luxury during the 60s to 70s and most birthday cakes were decorated in butter cream.   Tay Ban Guan Emporium (ceased operation) in Katong during the those days was known for their butter cream birthday cakes.  Small boxes of these little traditional cakes, together with the invitation card, were given to the bride's family 2 weeks before the wedding, known as 'Guo Da Li - 过大礼', to be distributed to relatives and friends. 

Present cake shops are more trendy and innovative but you still can find handful of these cake shops in housing estates selling these  traditional cakes.

They still taste good, soft, spongy and fluffy with thick butter cream top with whatever fancies 

BLUEBERRY SPONGE

A blueberry sponge cake for tea

KUEH LAPIS

Had not been baking kueh lapis (layered cake) for many years.  As there was ample time left after finished baking all other types of cookies I decided to bake the cake.  The recipe was from Mr Richard Goh whom baking class that I attended and was a huge success after the first try.  The cake was spongy and soft with rich butter and egg aroma.

OLD VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE

Sydney is a raining city in June. With its overcast sky and strong wind the best place to hide from the unpleasantry is the interlinked shopping malls and cafes.  While shopping in QVB we dropped by Old Vienna Coffee House to have hot drinks and desserts to wait out the rain. 

The Old Vienna Coffee House is lavish and traditional in decor.  Looking up at the chandeliers make ones feel you are at a ballroom.  Good atmosphere to linger with soft entertaining music

Classic stylish menu

A hot cup of Macchiato

Orange Pekoe Irish breakfast tea

Lemony crepe to go with lemon ice-cream

Cherry Strudel - Filled with luscious cherries and velvety smooth custard sprinkled in icing sugar

Rich chocolate mud cake in heavy chocolate frosting

Rain stopping while the sun going down and time for dinner

CEDELE

Cedele serves semi-healthy food.  It offers a variety of grilled salad meals serves with a generous helping of mixed salad leaves and many types of dressings.  Their cakes are well-known especially their signature carrot cake.

Prawn & avocado salad serves with citrus vinaigrette + mesclun.  Appetizing and delicious!

Sausages with bacon and scrambled eggs

Grilled salmon in olive oil

The banana chocolate cake is moist and chocolaty top with crunchy nuts.  The red velvet cake is a bit dried but make up with a covering of rich cream cheese

Overall the food is good but service still needs to improve

STRAWBERRY CAKE

My daughters bought a strawberry cake for my birthday from Paris Baguette at Wisma Atria. This is a top Korean bakery with 3500 stores in Korea, USA and China.  The cake was covered in fresh yogurt instead of fresh cream and generously decorated & filled with big and juicy strawberries.

BLUEBERRY BUTTER CAKE

A simple blueberry butter cake for tea. I used brown sugar to bake an aromatic cake