401: My chocolate banana cake

I've been craving for some "me time" for a long time now. Playing my favourite Chris Tomlin songs, lazing around in bed with my minimac on my lap, just giving thanks for all in my life - the good, the seemingly bad.


don't get me wrong, the trip to Edinburgh was just fantastic. Beautiful scenery, great weather (although the wind could literally blow me away), awesome food at great prices, and best of all, the best bunch of people to travel with. so very thankful for the opportunity to get to know minghao better, for the heart-to-hearts with lingyi. I felt so well taken care of. (:

blessed with great weather! 

Edinburgh's one of the prettiest cities i've ever been to. I felt like i was in one of those 3d story books. 

one of my favourite photos.

Now that exams have finally ended, theres a part of me that wishes for more time to just hang with God and be in His presence without any interruption. there's so much to process now that i'm going back to Singapore. so much to think about. but i'm still very thankful that i now have more time to do what i enjoy doing. so according to old traditions, the day of the last paper should be spent with awesome friends doing awesome things. and i spent it....

watching thor and having dinner with 2 of my favourite boys in notts.

with impact at church, which was awesome as per usual 

baking lingyi's favourite Chocolate banana Cake.

watching sappy romantic drama, Dear John with the two boys, 

chatting until the sun rose. 

My chocolate banana cake:

I accidentally set the oven to a higher temperature so it wasn't as moist as i would have liked it to be. but nevertheless, the recipe was a great one!

p.s. the photo only sucks coz i used Johnston's IPHONE to take a picture. :) if i knew how to double underline the word, i would. 

oh,

 i have decided to name this cake 401. 

anyone can guess why? :) 

so it's goodbye for now, (or, goosebye), and i'll see everyone back in Singapore for my "end of the academic year" post. 

with all my love,

Banana Cinnamon Flop

It's the day before our last paper and we're all fidgety! I'm just glad that we're only hours away to freedom. (: I can't wait to spend time chilling with the LRP gang tmr. (: i can't wait for our trip to scotland, i can't wait to be back in Singapore! There are so many things I'm looking forward to doing in summer. the top of the list being... baking, of course! (:

Cinnamon Flop  success :)

It's like a cinnamon bun, except it looks like a cake and it's sooo easy to make! This banana version turned out great. So it's back to crim law for now. 

A Crumble of Joy

I was getting bored of Criminal Law and suddenly, a name for the Apple streusel cake came into my mind.

A CRUMBLE OF JOY.

Another picture of the same Apple Streusel Cake (B's piece)

Apple Streusel Cake

I've fallen in love with the lake in school. I know, a bit late. but at least, i've still got a year to immerse myself in its beauty. Just looking at the stillness of the water, the Trent clock tower, and the cute little ducks dipping their heads into the lake, gave me a sense of peace. It felt so good to be still before God and to give thanks for the many blessings in my life.

Morning jogs with God have given me much comfort and joy in the midst of the exam period. (:


So i finally got down to trying a recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days recipe book. Baking always gives me a sense of joy and satisfaction. It's quite the same feeling i get after a run. And they're both quite addictive. hoho.

So here's the Apple Streusel Cake, which was described by most in 18 Lower Road as "moist" and "crumbs on top are damn nice" It's definitely a cake that i'll be making quite often, especially when i'm back home. It's not as rich as a chocolate cake and would make a perfect breakfast/tea break. ah, the cinnamon scent has the same effect as the vanilla scent. comfort and bliss. except, i probably wouldn't want to walk around smelling like cinnamon. One of the best scents a kitchen can have is the smell of cinnamon and brown sugar baking in the oven. YUMS!

I know i need to learn how to take better photos! This was quite the perfect recipe. moist, flavourful, with just the right amount of streusel. wouldn't change a thing! but i guess, if i do want to put it up for sale in My Sweet Serendipity, i would have to make some alterations. I'm thinking, perhaps increasing the proportions for the batter so it'll be thicker. Also, a digestive biscuit crumbs at the bottom would add some texture, wouldn't it? alternatively, i could add a maple syrup glaze over the top, (as suggested by the ming chu). would definitely try out these alterations when i'm back in singapore! 

I haven't actually thought of a name for this potential family favourite. 

well, i'll leave that for after the exams. 

Caramel latte

Every morning I crave for vanilla latte. It's great and it really cheers me up especially on a gloomy day. but the first sip always seems so underwhelming. I guess, it's really the expectations that ruins it all. wow, expectations.


So I expected my cup of vanilla latte to fill that void in my heart when I really should have counted on God instead. Last night I felt God reassuring me of the hope that I can have in Him. isn't it just so wonderful, that I can have hopes for a better day, and hopes for a brighter future even when it doesn't seem like it right now. and it's all because God has promised good things to come.

today I attempted to make my own cup of caramel latte.

 It's always a joy to cook for others or to do something special for others. I guess it's just my way of showing love. that's why I rarely take the effort to do something special for myself. Although it paled in comparison to the starbucks/cafe nero/costa option, i enjoyed it! possibly because I didn't really expect it to turn out well. 

Expectations are so unhealthy. possibly more unhealthy than donuts. It places so much pressure on both sides and it allows negative thoughts (which aren't from God) to take control. It's so easy to give in to those thoughts but it's a process that God is bringing me through.

I take comfort in knowing that no matter who walks out of my life at whatever stage, I'll be secure in God.

Hot Chocolate

I sent my dad the picture below and he said "very good ready for your cafe". i'm pretty sure most dads don't use punctuations when they type. I really miss my dad and I can't wait to spend our weekends jogging, having brunch then going grocery shopping! I think i do have the best dad in the world (although yes, technically i wouldn't know because i only have 1 dad :P)

Was on the phone for about 30 minutes attempting to change my flight. i'm glad it's all done now and my  apologies for being so impatient to you, Ms telephone-operator. Funny thing, I was giving her the reference number for lingyi's flight and it was PVH---. so i said, "P for penguin, V for....... vendentta.."I cant believe i said that! well, now that it's confirmed, i'm looking forward to flying home in just 17 days time. (: 

until then, it's really just intensive studying. afterall, it's a week to the exams. May God's grace be upon us during this period of time!

Late nights are made better when I'm able to show some love to the people around me. Hot chocolate is good for the soul. especially the souls of 18 lower road. haha. too bad not many people share my love for vanilla latte.

"home made" hotel chocolat Hot chocolate.

I'm feeling exhausted! late nights and restless days. :( What cheers you up when you're feeling listless?

Happy Mothers' Day!

Sometimes it's so easy to take what we have for granted that we forget we don't deserve any of what we have today. I don't deserve to have friends around me who care for me and I don't deserve to be treated nicely. I have no right to say that I deserve anything because everything I have today was given by the grace of God. It's so easy to slip into that "but I don't deserve to be treated like this!" or the "but I deserve better" mentality but days like this one remind me to always have a heart of thanksgiving.

Today is mother's day and I'm thankful for my mother. I'm also very thankful for the people around me who remind me the importance of showing love to my mother.

I'll make sure my next post will be on food! (:

Dark Chocolate Cake on Johnston's Birthday (:

I love planning surprises but I'm better at ruining them than planning them. Haha. I would have failed terribly if not for everyone's contribution and cooperation. chocolate souffle, eh?


I've always loved Birthdays because everytime it's someone's birthday, it gives me a reason to do something special for the birthday boy/girl and to show him how much I appreciate our friendship.



Dark Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache.

Happy Birthday, dear Johnston. I really hope you liked the presents and that we made you feel special today. (: because you are very special in our hearts. (:


Come to think of it, I really enjoyed the whole experience of planning the surprise. Baking the cake and frosting it was really memorable. I know it sounds strange but i guess the company makes all the difference in the world!

I think I really need to spend more time giving thanks to God tonight. Just be thankful for the things that I've been blessed with, and stop asking for more.

Chocolate Fruit Cake.

I hate being ill because it makes me feel grumpy and moody. but I'm very thankful for the care that many have shown me, It makes the pain so much more bearable. (: sometimes, little actions bring huge comfort to me. 

We're 16 day to exams and i'm 26 days to home. We all need a little stress reliever and mine would be baking. (:

Nigella's chocolate fruit cake smells like Christmas in the oven. 

I'm so fortunate! so fortunate to have friends who are willing to try what i bake, so fortunate to have friends who appreciate me! (: 

sometimes I do think about how change will make me feel. but I guess it's time to trust God and let Him take over. Change might be a good thing, I just need to get used to that thought.