Lets eat cake!

Cake makes me happy.

This cake could make you and your family and or friends VERY happy!!

This cake is over 30cm tall and will serve a lot people!

Delectable chocolate mud cake with dark couverture chocolate ganache, flawlessly pearlised and hand piped and topped with a delicate sugar peony, handcrafted by the ultra talented Handi Mulyana.

Handi is a finalist in the 2011 Best Cake Decorator in Australia (watch this space....award will be announced Tuesday next week!)

Imagine surprising your mum / grandmother/ wife on Mothers' Day with this beautiful cake!!

To win this cake, visit Cake Love's facebook page, share the link (and like us if you don't already...) then comment on this post telling us who you are going to share this cake with and why.

A winner will be chosen for our favourite entry.  

Entries are welcome for Perth, Western Australian residents only.  Entries close midnight Friday 6 May 2010.  Make sure you check your facebook mail then!

Good luck!!

the small print

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You are providing your information to Cake Love Couture Cakes and Sugar by Winz and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our records.  To win, you must like the Cake Love facebook page and comment on this post.

Entries for Perth metro residents only.  Winners will be published on Saturday 6 May 2010 (WST) and contacted by  facebook mail.  Cake will be available for pick up Sunday 8 May by arrangement.

Picture of cake is for reference only, finished cake may vary slightly in design. 

Easter and a busy week!

So after a fabulous time away....feeling a little penniless.....it was time to put the head down and get on with the lead up to Easter.

The amazing Ms G and I ran our first macaron classes and our kids cupcake workshops.

 Such creative & talented students.  They even invented a totally different technique for making a sugar rose!

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Let's do the Macaroner....!!

Making macarons is great fun when you know how....especially if you're making 300 of them!  Don't they look adorable all lined up and drying happily?

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And of course the cakes for the week.

A cherry cake for Cherry.

photo courtesy of Noon via facebook

A sweet christening cake for baby Matilda, along with matching cupcakes

A dream fishing boat and the dream catch (a massive marlin) for Gus' 30th birthday!

I hope Gus got to go fishing over Easter break!

A Cannon EOS 5D Mark II camera with zoom lens for a special hubby's 38th birthday.  The lens needed to be longer....for those of you who know what its supposed to look like....little oops.

A Hermes gift box for Beam.  Seems like he had a whole birthday weekend and was really spoilt!

And lastly, this beautiful Irish Indian wedding at the beautiful Sitellas vineyard in the Swan Valley. 

The venue looked amazing with the heady smell of fresh jasmines.  Beautiful bride Rhatha was right when she said she wanted her guests to remember the special day when they smelt jasmines.

Simply gorgeous old world charm.  I just adore jasmines!

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Hope you all had a simply wonderful Easter break.  Nothing like a 5 day holiday!

Here is my international Easter stash!  There is never enough chocolate!

Pearls from Artisan du Chocolate - London, praline speckled eggs and Madagascar single origin 64% from the newly opened Koko Black Perth, Saduharu Aoki's chocolate cookies and truffles - Paris (including flavours like bamboo and wasabi!).  Truffles from Ganache Melbourne and the Margaret River Chocolate factory..and then chocolate berries from Haighs Sydney.

Hope you all slept off your chocolate hazes with a leisurely afternoon snooze....like I did!!

In the name of research

As someone who is obsessed with all things sweet and or delicious, it is little wonder that one naturally goes a little loopy in the land of gastronomy!

Eating my way through Paris, turned out to be a really amazing experience.

Hidden treasures around every corner, and too much interesting food, with too little time!

Starting the morning with a typical French breakfast, an egg, a baguette, some butter and jam, a croissant, some ham, some cheese, some yoghurt and some tea.

Next, head to a Creperie

Crispy on the edges, lathered with full fat butter, filled with chicken and oozy French cheese..... or, filled with ripe strawberries and lashings of nutella.......definately drool worthy!

Off to the markets for some fresh fruit and curious vegetables from all over Europe.

Something more substanial?

You can't get more French than Foie Gras & Escargots.

Well, actually, you can....some Champagne, two steps away from where the grapes are grown.

And then of course we would need something sweet.  The award winning Raspberry iced souffle,  melt in the mouth creation of fresh raspberries, finely crushed meringue and whipped cream.

And then of course the chocolatiers and master patissiers.

Master Chocolatier Jean Charles Rochoux with his windows full of perfectly tempered chocolate babies and minature animals, that just seem too adorable to eat.

Inside the chocolate and pastry cabinets of La maison du chocolat....the LV of chocolates!

Poilane with her beautiful shortbread cookies, delightful sourdough and lovely bread themed oil paintings

 

Inside the cabinet of Pierre Marcolini - the studio in Brussels even more impressive!

 Saduharu Aoki, Japanese born, French trained patissier.  An amazing accomplishment to have several studios in a country that is generally rather conservative to its approach to foreigners.  The Aoki Millefeuille should be on everyone list of to try in a lifetime.  Millefeuille means 1000 leaves in French, and is all the rave at the moment in Paris.

Monsieur Pierre Herme aka the Picasso of Pastry and the insides of his store counter - how hard it was to get permission to take these photos with limited high school French.....

You cannot but help admiring a patissier with a conscience, for one whole day (19 March) Monsieur Herme opened his doors to all 6 of his Paris studios for the Autour Des Williams - a local childrens' charity.  Anyone who was happy to make a donation to the charity would receive their pick of 3 free macarons from his Spring range.....and you could line up as many times as you like at any of the stores.

Its no wonder the line went around the block.

After Herme, naturally one must do some comparisons....

Powerhouses Lenotre and Laduree of course.  Never made it to Dalloyau, and Gerard Mulot was closed the day we were there.  So naturally, more research to undertake for the next visit!

Back to reality with our goings on back in Perth, I will share the London pics once I get those organised! 

Galavanting through France

Where to start?

As I am writing this post, I can't decide whether to share the beautiful places of France with you first, or the gorgeous foods first!  This is after all, a blog about the sweet things in life.

Well, let's do beautiful places first then.....

Admitedly there are many more photos of stunning Architectural masterpieces than the selection below, but these would have to be some of my favorites.  

 The charming streets of St Germain des Pres - 6th arrondissement

Sunday mass at St Sulpice......da Vinci code anyone?

The terribly charming Luxembourg Gardens whilst the sun was out.

Tulleries Gardens beside the Musee du Lourve with the Effiel Tower in the background.  (please read with French accent)

Even outlet shopping looks chic.  All the big names at La Vallee Village.  Every label is housed in its own little building.

The amazing ceilings and opulent gilding inside the Chateau de Versailles

Some champagne?  World famous houses side by side, separated only by a name marker.

Oh, and Moet et Chandon just on the other side of the road......

Unesco listed Cathederal Notre Dame - Reims, celebrating 800 years.

Louis Vuitton headquarters on the Avenue Champs des Elysees.

Appearing like a fairytale, perched on an island surrounded by the sea.  None other than the Le Mont St Michel.

The impressive expanse overlooking the coast of Normandy.

 and of course, the Eiffel Tower.  The French are so stylish and chic that I couldn't help but take photos of good looking strangers.

last but not least, my favourite snap - on Rue de Rivoli beside the Tulleries Gardens at dawn. 

**Sigh**

Next post.....

The food and the famous patisseries of Paris