KEBAYA CAKE HOMECLASS on MARCH 6th 2011

Its another post in the long running and still on-going Kebaya Cake Chef Baini style homeclass! Today, Chef Baini welcomed 3 friends who dropped in to learn about kebaya cakes. Sometimes Chef Baini gets a lot of students, sometimes just a few, sometimes just one or two. It doesn't matter to Chef Baini, for she is always glad to teach to anyone who cared to learn from her, especially on Kebaya Cakes. Now the Kebaya Cake class conducted at home does not use dummies, its a real cake that you would be decorating. Which makes it good enough to eat!

Here is Suraya rolling out the fondant. On the extreme right decked in red is Nora. Below is Kak Lin rolling out the fondant for her cake.

Well, well, well....we have a surprise guest today. Nurul  didn't get to finish her cake the other day and dropped in to finish it off. Anyone who wants to learn is welcome to do so! So Nurul just joined in and pretended her cake is just like a Kebaya Cake!

This cake below is by Kak Lin

This one in green is by Nora

While the last Kebaya Cake, also in red, is by Suraya

Now here at Norbaini Cakes, there's no pre-set style that you have to follow. Chef Baini encourages your own creativity so you are most welcome to select your own theme and any colour that you prefer! It allows for comparative learning among friends.

Not to be outdone, here is Nurul's wedding cake flowers......

Of course, you-know-who is justly proud of her creation!
Here she is posing with her cake.

That's it for today's blog post, dear friends.
Thanks for stopping by, and
Chef Baini will see you again very, very soon.
Until next time, take care!

Love always,

Chef Baini

KEBAYA CAKE CLASS at BAGUS BAKERY KAJANG on FEBRUARY 27th, 2011

Today's blog post is Part II of the Kebaya Cake Weekend Show!

Just 24 hours ago, Chef Baini was at the Bagus Bakery in Shah Alam teaching a few students about the Kebaya Cake. Today, Chef Baini drove across the KlangValley in the opposite direction to Kajang, where she had a few students waiting for her.

Now, every Malaysian would have you know that Kajang is the premier satay town in this country. Satay is a famous Malaysian treat; its pieces of meat (beef, chicken, tripe, venison, veal, rabbit) on skewers barbecued on an open flame that is fed with charcoal, seasoned with spices and lemongrass,and is usually eaten with thick peanut sauce. A close equivalent would be the Japanese Yakitori, or the ubiquitous Kebab, from the Middle East. Ain't nothing like the Malaysian version, though!!!

As you might have guessed, the Satay capital of Malaysia is a bustling little town on a Sunday, so Chef Baini had a tough time finding a parking lot for her jalopy! The commercial centre where the Bagus Bakery at Kajang is was jammed packed with cars and people!

And an unexpected surprise at today's class also.....its a rare day when a man showed up to attend the class here at Norbaini Cakes. Today's class was graced by the presence of Zulkifli, or Zul, for short. He drove all the way from Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan to join Chef Baini's class today. Negeri Sembilan is a neighbouring state, you see......

Young Zul is an entrepreneur who sells tarts and cakes.

He proved to be quite deft with fondant, too.

Next is this pretty lass by the name of Iza...

And we have Ms. Lee, whom ironcally,
lives not too far away from Chef Baini's house....

Here is Mastura, working on her cake.....

Here is Zul once again, decorating his cake,

in the colour of the royal yellow....

It's nice to have a man about the house, especially when he's the helpful sort!

Here Zul gives a helping hand to Kak Shidah

Lastly, there is Liza who appeared to be very
focused in being as precise as humanly possible.....

And after the lunch break, class proceed smoothly with the decoration of the Kebaya Cakes. Below are the cakes that today's students produced.

This one above is by Liza

Miss Lee did hers in this beautiful lavender hue....

This one in blue is by Mastura

This one in green is by Iza

 And this one in the royal yellow is by Zul.

And of course, this one in pink is by Kak Shida

Chef Baini hopes that you have not grown weary of the Kebaya Cake, because she loves teaching them as much as her students love learning about them. If you would like to learn about Kebaya Cakes, just contact Chef Baini! You might have just as much fun as everyone else who attended this class had! And Chef Baini believed that today's batch did just as well as yesterday's! Wouldn't you like to see if you can do just as well if not better?

That's for you to decide and for all of us here at Norbaini Cakes Blogspot would love to see, too!

That's all for today, dear friends! See you again real soon. Until then, take care!

Love always,
Chef Baini.

KEBAYA CAKE CLASS at BAGUS BAKERY SHAH ALAM on FEBRUARY 26th, 2011

Goodness gracious, it seems like ages since Chef Baini last visited the Bagus Bakery at Shah Alam. When Chef Baini showed up for class on this day, Chef Baini was greeted with an incredulous "Chef Baini! You're alive!" . Hee-hee! That's right, folks! Chef Baini is alive and kicking! Nice to see that everyone there still has their sense of humour! 

When class time came, only three friends showed up. Despite the no-shows, the Norbaini Cakes Show must go on and Chef Baini decided to proceed with what few students were there! Chef Baini couldn't bring it upon herself to disappoint the three who showed up today.

Now today's class was on the very popular Kebaya Cake; in fact, tomorrow's class due to be held at the Bagus Bakery at Kajang is to be on Kebaya Cakes also! Not to mention that Chef Baini has another Kebaya Cake class scheduled for the coming weekend too! It seems that the Kebaya Cake is very, very popular indeed!

So without further ado, lets meet the three diehard Kebaya Cake fans who came all the way today to learn from Chef Baini.

First is Kak Su
You will notice that the fondant dough she is kneading is green,
very much like the colour of her blouse and headscarf!

Next up is Kak Ani

And last but not least is Siti
You will notice that her cake is bright blue (cyan) while her
blouse in red; redder than a robin's redbreast!

Now, Chef Baini doesn't teach decoration on dummies usually. But due to the time constraint here at the Bagus Bakery, and indeed at all bakery studios, Chef Baini is left with no choice but to have these ladies decorate the Styrofoam dummy. the outer effect is the same, though. Unless you cut the cake with a knife, or lift it up, you probably wouldn't know that its a dummy cake!

The picture above shows Kak Su laying on the fondant sheet.....

Then we have Ani piping on the lacework on her cake.......

And here above is Kak Ani putting on the finishing touches on her cake.

Although the cake is a dummy, Chef Baini gave a cake block of prune buttercake to all her students. Together with the recipe for the cake, of course!

As the students built their cakes, Chef Baini did hers also, just to better illustrate how exactly it is done. What's good for the goose is good for the gander!

This white Kebaya is by Chef Baini....

The one in green is by Kak Su, of course...

Not to be outdone, Ani's cake is in blue (cyan)
Notice that she made her label in pink to stand out against the blue....

And finally, Kak Ani's cake tops off the cakes for today.

Chef Baini thinks that each of the three today did an outstanding job on the Kebaya Cake. Just look at the many folds of the sleeves. It lends that extra bit of realism to the cake. Though it may look really good, it can't be eaten! (they are Styrofoam, remember?)

That's it for today's blog post, dear friends! Chef Baini hopes that you enjoyed reading about and looking at the cakes that were made today. Be sure to read the next blog, 'cos its like a Part II of a Kebaya Cake Weekend!

Until tomorrow's post,

Love always,

 Chef Baini.

KEBAYA CAKE HOMECLASS DECEMBER 10th, 2010

Salam once again, dear friends!

Chef Baini is back once again with the popular Kebaya Cake homeclasses....but today she has only 2 students, However, Chef Baini is all too happy to have 2 students, as it allows her more time for give each student personalised attention! Hopefully, it will make for a better Kebaya Cake!

Today Chef Baini welcomes Mummy Zenty and Siti into her home and went to work straight away!

The thing about Chef Baini's homeclasses is that there is no time limit...the class ends when you finish the cake..Think of it like a girl's day out!

Plus another thing about Chef Baini's Kebaya Cakes homeclass is that you get to label the cake too! So you can imagine yourself like a designer...(Designers...didn't they used to be called tailors? ha ha!). Here are the dynamic duo's potraits......

All too soon the day ended and its time to say goodbye...for now at least. Thank you dear friends, for visiting today's blog post. Chef Baini will see you again very, very soon, OK?

KEBAYA CAKE HOMECLASS 22nd NOVEMBER 2010

 

The Road Not Taken

By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

Salam again, dear friends!

I bet not very many of you know that Chef Baini loves reading poetry in her spare time. A few days after today's home class, Chef Baini rediscovered one of her favourite poems that keeps on inspiring her time and again: THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by the American poet from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, USA.

Some of you may have watched President Barack Obama's inauguration on TV a few years ago. During that ceremony, there was a reading of a poem by an Afro-American poet, chosen by the then President-Elect himself. At the risk of stating the obvious, Barack Obama, the 44th President of the USA, is the first non-white president of that country.

Well, Robert Frost was the first ever poet invited to read a poem at a presidential inauguration, a tradition started by John F Kennedy at his inauguration sometime in January 1961. In fact, JFK said of Frost " He has bequeathed his nation a body of imperishable verse, which shall be the treasure of generations."

This poem, one of his many that are famous, tells the story of a traveller that came upon a road that split in two directions, stopped for a little while to evaluate his options before deciding which one to take. The parable is clear, one has to make choices somewhere along one's life, a choice that can't be undone very easily.

How many of you have faced that defining moment in your life, especially when you have to that life-defining decision all by yourself, without advice or counsel? Things would be so much easier if there were roadsigns at that pivotal moment so you will know which way to take. Like so:

 So if you chose the road to NORBAINI CAKES, you will reach Chef Baini's humble little hut where you will be welcomed like an old friend! Even if you are a friend who is Greek and brought a gift! Arigato!

 

Chef Baini's door is always open to the lonely and hungry traveller, so if you happen to be famished, today at Norbaini Cakes, the main course is the Kebaya Cake!

Some of you may be saying to yourselves "Am I watching a movie by Quentin Tarantino? Because he always starts his movies with a long winding road before getting to the point!" Well, Chef Baini likes to take a leaf from other people's books every once in a while, you can learn quite a few tricks that may prove useful sooner or later!

So lets get straight to it then....Today Chef Baini had 3 travellers who wanted to learn about Kebaya Cakes.....

All three proved to be very serious students, following Chef Baini's instructions to the letter....

Surely this will be a another Red-Letter Day!

The picture above shows the stages of transformation....Transformation -  a word that's en vogue in Malaysia nowadays....especially in July 2011 when the TRANSFORMERS 3 movie hits the screens!

Thus at the end of the day, the 3 travellers wiped the sweat off their eyebrows and saw their handiwork...Their achievements today did raise some eyebrows as well, not to mention smiles too!

Chef Baini salutes today's 3 travellers: Rozy, Kak Yan and Kay for their dedication to making the Kabaya Cake and making it well! Salud!

If we take the road not taken, not knowing where it will lead, relying on hope and determination, we will likely be better off, even though the road may get a little bumpy. Just think: Now Chef Baini's 3 friends know how to make a Kebaya Cake. What they choose to do with that knowledge is up to them, be it to sell Kebaya Cakes, give it as a gift or mark a special occasion with it.

Here's the last stanza of the poem, for us to contemplate on its meaning:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

Hard work is always worth it.

 P.S.>

Since Chef Baini is in a poetic mood, CB will treat you with 1 of her seminal poems that she wrote way back high school. It goes like this:

Two three cats running,

Where got same with striped cat,

Two three Leng Chai I can find,

Where got same with you my darling-lor!

Ha-ha!CB hopes you enjoyed that poem too! Take care, everyone!