Sunday 13 December 2015

Dementia Cake

Good evening readers,

This post, I would like to focus on a cause that is close to my heart, and a terrible disease. I'd like to tell you a little bit about the many forms of dementia.

Left: normal brain - Right: Dementia brain (c) Wikipedia

When someone is diagnosed with dementia, they forget things. First it's little things, like keys, appointments, cooking.. But it gets worse: they forget memories, faces, family members. And the worst bit is: there is no cure. Alzheimer is the most common kind of dementia, followed by vascular dementia (often caused by a stroke). 1 out of 5 people get the diagnosis dementia.

When I was 18, my grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. After her death in 2011, it turned out that she had a rare form of dementia called Lewy Body. Lewy Body is a very quick and aggressive form of dementia and very different from the 'kind' Alzheimer. People with Lewy Body start hallucinating, get confused and mood swings. They can be all calm one moment and very very angry the next. You don't know how fast you can lose someone you love, when they have Lewy Body.

Thankfully, I never saw the worst bit of Lewy Body. My mother, however, did. First with her grandfather and then with her own mother. She doesn't talk about it a lot, but I can't or want to imagine what sort of pain it must be, to see your own mother disappear so fast and aggressively. It's terrifying.

Alzheimer Socks! 

A couple of months ago, the Alzheimer fund in Holland started a special campain to make people more aware of the illness. By doing this, two famous designers created 'Alzheimer Socks': one blue sock and one black-white striped sock.

Mixed socks to raise awareness!

They represent the struggle that people with dementia have every day. Buy the socks and you're donating money towards the Alzheimer Fund in Holland. Isn't it just a great idea to get attention for dementia? As soon as I saw the commercial for the first time, I nearly ran out to buy them. I got two pair and started wearing all my socks mixed up. I wore my socks mixed for 30 days, and told a lot of people about it. After the 30 days, I donated 30 euros to the Fund.

Needless to say I like dots and stripes :)

Shortly after donating, I had an idea. To raise more awareness, I decided to bake a special cake: a Dementia Cake!

Dementia Cake :)

The idea for this cake is the same as the Alzheimer Socks: to represent the struggle people with dementia have every day. One half is a chocolate/coffee cake with chocolate icing and roasted almonds, the other half is a vanilla/lemon cake with jam, whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Very different kinds of cakes now combined :)

The dementia kind my grandmother had, Lewy Body, is a special kind of dementia that couldn't be diagnosed until the patient had passed away. Lately, there have been some developments in science that made it possible for the disease to be diagnosed. But it's still a very unknown disease and that simply HAS to change!

This is a very personal post, with a personal request: please help the Alzheimer Fund, so they can do more research and hopefully find some sort of cure. But maybe it's not that personal. 1 out of every 5 people get the diagnosis dementia. In a family, that could be you or your mother or father. Wouldn't it be nice if the researchers found a cure before that happens? I know I'll be screaming with happiness if they do find a cure!

Thank you for reading this, thank you even more if you're donating <3 Donating is also possible by buying the Alzheimer Socks :)

I wish you a wonderful week ahead <3

<3<3<3

Love, Rebecca

Friday 11 December 2015

First cooking workshop

Hello readers,

Happy Friday! It's been a terribly busy week for me (end of the year). I've had my first university class on Tuesday (very excited! :D), on Thursday I had a late visit from sinterklaas (aka my boss <3) and today I had a goodbye lunch with my manager. Busy busy busy, but very fun!

Last Monday I did a tremendously fun thing: I had my first cooking workshop! The department of one of my manager is going to abolish. So to go out with a bang, I joined the organising group to help organise the farewell party :) Our group decided that a cooking workshop would be a nice fun last thing to do together. We sent the invitations, picked the location and the menu and off we went!

Kookplein, an excellent restaurant in The Hague! 

I have visited the location before during a lunch with my manager (other manager, confused yet? :)), and the first thing that noticed me was the 'comfyness' of the restaurant. It's very bright with open kitchens and nice furniture. I like those restaurants! After a funny quiz (I was the 'charming assistant'...), we started cooking. 

The menu:
- Flatbread with mozzarella, roasted pumpkin and courgette/zucchini
- Swordfish with a Cocos Blancs salad (white beans :))
- Roasted duck (<3) with a risotto made with truffles and wild mushrooms
- Tiramisu
- coffee with chocolate chip cookies

Sounds delish, doesn't it!?! Yes, thought so. I decided to join the group to prepare the flatbread. I NEVER bake bread cause I don't like the smell of yeast. I don't like the smell of beer either (yeast). So time to face my demons and bake some bread! 

The dough felt very bouncy, which is such a lovely feeling

The recipe was surprisingly easy to follow. And the best part: NO YEAST <3 my colleague/fellow chef proved to be a master chef, and cooked very naturally. It was a bliss to see. I'm naturally a baker, and not so much a chef, so I really enjoyed this lesson. I learned a lot and will definitely prepare this flatbread at home again around Christmas :)

Roast the pumpkin, roast the courgette, prepare the dough, rip the mozzarella and cut the herbs. Roasting the dough to create flatbread was very fun to do :) 


*drooooool*

Trust me, it tastes as good as it looks. One of th ebest party snacks I've ever had! Gladly the others thought so too :) Our job was done (box!), so it was time to sit back, relax and wait for the troups that were cooking the main dishes. 

Roasted duck always makes me smile. I love the tenderness of duck (I'm sorry duckies, I just do :( ) when it's prepared well. And in my case it was. Surpringly, I liked the risotto a lot. Normally I prefer rice (less wet), but this one had a nice and strong flavour. The fish was excellent, the tiramisu was nice and strong (I like comparing desserts :) ) and the chocolate chip cookies were warm and moist, JUMMY <3

*even more drooooooooling*

It was a lovely evening, I was amazed how well all my colleagues can cook, even the hard dishes like duck. Good job everybody! I laughed and learned a lot. Maybe I'll focus a bit more on cooking from now on, it's never a bad idea to explore :) 

More news this week! My blog had a feature on another fabulous blog <3 please visit Passion 2 Create, for lots of fun lifestyle, beauty, creativity and reviews! Thanks for the feature, Sandy, love your blog! :)

This weekend, I will create something very special, for a cause that is close to my heart. More info soon :) I will end this post with a picture of the present Sinterklaas got for me <3 bye readers!

Thank you Sinterklaas! <3

Love, Rebecca 

Saturday 5 December 2015

Happy Sinterklaas

HELLO MY FELLOW READERS!

I bet you all know Santa Claus. I'm sure you do. Did you know that Santa Claus is actually based on a Dutch holiday figure? It's true! I'm talking about Sinterklaas :) 

Sinterklaas vs Santa: let the battle begin.. xD

On December 5, we celebrate the birthday of Sinterklaas (Saint Nicolas). Saint Nicolas was a bishop, living in Myra (Turkey) from 270 to 343. He used to be called a patron saint of children, for he was very generous towards them! Giving them presents and candy to kids in Europe. In the Middle Ages, everybody was talking about him and celebrating his birthday! After many ups and downs (wars, poverty, change of religion), we still celebrate his birthday. 

The kids can put their shoe (not socks like Christmas!) by the fireplace, and during the night, Sinterklaas will visit all the kids on his horse Amerigo, with his helpers (Zwarte Piet), and bring them presents. It's common that kids leave a poem in their shoe and a carrot for the horse :) 

A hunch of the many snacks to eat in December..

There are many traditional snacks to eat during Sinterklaas, the most common to be: kruidnoten (spiced nuts). They're made with a special dutch spice: speculaas :) it's spicy, sweet.. It's a unique flavour that's inexplicable! You have to eat it in order to know its flavour. It's used for a lot of Sinterklaas treats: speculaas cookies, speculaas filled with almond paste, KRUIDNOTEN <3

Another common snack (MY FAVOURITE) is amandelstaaf. The best translation I found for it is: butter almond filled puff pastry. It's basically puff pastry, filled with almond paste, with extra flavours to taste. It's my favourite Sinterklaas snack <3 .... Ok kruidnoten too! And marzipan! <3 

The pets get presents too :)

So december is a very busy month for dutchies, but that doesn't stop us from celebrating <3 Sinterklaas is mostly a children's holiday, but grown ups (not me ;) ) also create a happy feast around it. It's the perfect day to have a nice meal with family and friends, and share presents! 

Time to eat <3<3

My family and I celebrate Sinterklaas by giving each other small presents and having a good meal. This year, we'll prepare our food on a raclette grill! 

And for dessert, I made something special... Pecan cake <3 

Pecan cake with walnut ice cream, roasted almonds and maple syrup

Use the basic cake recipe, add a splash of milk, along with 120 grams of ground pecan nuts. Eat it luke warm, with a scoop of ice cream, and you'll have a feast for dessert!

The best part about this day is having lots of fun and being together :) We had a great day today! Also, can you believe Christmas is only three weeks away?! Time flies when you're having fun.. I hope you're all well. 

I wish you a lovely December and a lovely weekend <3 see you soon! 

Thank you for the presents, Sinterklaas <3

Love, Rebecca 

Sunday 29 November 2015

Becca Week: Saint Pancake

Hello readers,

I would like to wish you all a happy and blessed Saint Pancake <3

No, I haven't just lost my mind. Today is a very special day: it is Saint Pancake! 

Yaaaay Saint Pancake! :D

Ok, I admit, this isn't an 'official' holiday. But who doesn't want a holiday which is all about pancakes? I know I do! 

The first time I heard about Saint Pancake was when I was about 11. My godmother used to read these comic books called 'Jan, Jans en de kinderen' (Jack, Jackie and the kids), created by Jan Kruis. The comics contain funny stories about the family, the kids growing up, the father's job and more :) One special comic story, was about Saint Pancake. 

The story started with the grandfather preparing vegetables with one of the kids. The child didn't really feel like having the veggies, and so the grandfather sort of 'made up' the holiday Saint Pancake :) Which suppoingly 'originates' in Rotterdam, and is very 'traditionally' celebrated on November 29. When father comes home from a long day at work, everybody in the family puts a pancake on their head and wishes father a "happy and blessed Saint Pancake". 

Many thanks to Jan Kruis for creating this lovely Holiday :) 

Don't you just love this story and picture? :D And ever since, me and my family have also celebrated Saint Pancake! 

Pancakes come in many many MANY forms and flavours. There are regular pancakes, french crêpes, thick American pancakes, Russian blini's, Japanese okonomiyani's, you can eat them with fruits, chocolate, vegetables, bacon, honey, whipped cream, mushrooms, cheese, ham, maple syrup..!

I love maple syrup <3<3

Basic pancakes contain only four ingredients: butter, milk, flour and salt. That's it. You can add flavours to choice, like sugar, vanilla, almond. You can decide to change the flour (make it gluten free, be sure to add some baking powder then too). The variations are limitless! Did you know that the recipe for pancakes dates back to the year 5 BC? Incredible, right?! 

My most successfull recipe contains 500 ml of milk, 2 large eggs (or 3 small ones), 200 grams of flour, a pinch of salt, and the seeds of 1 vanilla bean. Mix, mix, mix, melt some butter in the frying pan, fry 2-3 minutes on both sides and voila. 

It's commonly said that the first pancake always fails. Truth or false? FALSE. The reason why the first pancake always fails, is because your frying pan isn't hot enough. Make sure that, when you turn the heat on, you won't pour in the first batch right away. Leave the frying pan for a minute to get hot. You'll know it's hot enough when the butter sizzles right away. Continue as instructed and you'll always have a perfect first pancake.

Bon appetit :)

Time to round up this post and eat my pancakes :) See you soon!

Love love love love,
Rebecca 

Saturday 28 November 2015

Becca Week: Afternoon/High Tea

Good evening my dear readers,

Imagine sitting in a yard, on a warm, spring day. You're drinking tea and your waitor places a gorgeously filled cake stand in front of you. It is time for one of the finest moments of the afternoon <3 

Tea... Tea... Tea please!!


Today I will take you back to last weekend, when I had a High Tea with my closest friend <3 In Holland, when we mention a High Tea, you can expect multiple courses: sandwiches, sweets, scones, savoury snacks, chocolates and more! Including unlimited tea :)

Chatting away, numerous goods are being placed on the cake stand, we start with the most british snack: scones with jam and cream.

Scones make me happy <3

Scones originate in Scotland, 1513 to be exact. The very word "scone" can be pronounced in two different kinds: 'scone' as in 'tone' (most common) and 'scone' as in 'gone'. It all depends on your class and region which way you pronounce it. I imagine in Scotland, they use the word that sounds like 'gone' :)

Fun fact: it is believed that the word 'scone' is based on a Dutch word :) which is 'schoonbrood' (clean/pure bread). This isn't confirmed though, some say it originates in Scotland too. I like to believe the first ;)

Egg, samon and carpaccio sandwiches are next! 

The trick for a successfull Afternoon Tea is to make all snacks finger-sized or bite-sized. The traditional Afternoon Tea is a very light meal that takes place between 15:00 and 17:00, which can easily be consumed before dinner. It's a very social gathering, which used to be for the upper class of Britain. The social part never went away (chatting chatting :)), but nowadays, an Afternoon Tea is for everybody!

Common flavours for Afternoon Tea sandwiches are: cucumber, egg, salmon and ham. When I create a High Tea with my mom, we also make sandwiches with chicken and bacon :) Try it out, it's very good!

On to the next round :) 

An Afternoon Tea traditionally contains only tea, scones and sandwiches. A High Tea is a whole other thing when it comes to food.

While an Afternoon Tea is being held in a more informal room, with comfy chairs and coffee tables.. The High tea is actually a savoury meal for the 'working class'. You can get a mug of tea with vegetables, meat, potatoes, which you eat by a dinner table. Your regular dinner you could say.

Nowadays the term is also used to continue the High Tea with savoury bites. These can differ per restaurant, country, region, but usually you can get sausage rolls, omelette or mini pies :)

Sweet tooth acting up.. <3<3

My favourite part is up last: sweets! <3 Cakes, pastries, cookies, cream puffs... Anything that is sweet, it can be used for the Afternoon/High Tea!

I like how you can play with the ingredients and flavours during this lovely event. A very important notice when preparing an Afternoon/High tea: the flavours of the food simply can't be predominating. Remember, it's all about the tea and combinations. You can adjust it to the region you're in, the season that's currently there (think black tea with cinnamon cake in autumn or jasmin tea with citrus pasties in spring). The sky is the limit! <3

Empty cake stand.. boo :(

As you can tell, last weekend's High Tea was very nice :) I do wish to visit the restaurant again, where I had the best High Tea I ever tasted.. We'll see what the future brings!

Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, is a very special day. Stay tuned for a detailed post about.. Pancakes ;)

See you tomorrow!

Love, Rebecca 

Thursday 26 November 2015

Becca Week: TBT #7

Hello readers! 

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you're celebrating it with your family and loved ones :) Today's TBT is a personal favourite TBT (number 7 already!), and very unlike thanksgiving. 

Sushi... Sushi everywhere.. :D

As I told you earlier this week, sushi is something I love very much. This is a picture of the second time I made sushi. This was through an online workshop by 24kitchen. Yes, an online workshop :) which meant I was cooking while watching my laptop. 

I received a shopping list a week before the workshop. I got all my things and put all my bowls and utensils set. Totally ready to follow the workshop! 

My favourite kind of sushi is the one with eel!

It was very easy to follow. Every kind of sushi (nigiri, maki, handrolls) was made online too and you could ask questions if things were unclear or if the instructions were going too fast or slow :) and I'm very pleased with the results. 

Handrolls are surprisingly good :)

I going to have sushi again this weekend <3 I love sushi, I love all Japanese food! Have you ever watched the YouTube channel Cooking with Dog? They produce amazing dishes, using traditional Japanese recipes and very Japanese preparation ways :) I love their channel, I will feature them in the future for sure.

Ok I'm hungry now :(

So, today's TBT was a savoury one! I do have quite a sweet tooth but I do like my savoury bites. Give me crisps any time! My favourite dutch savoury dish (winter dish) is "stamppot". Which is basically potatoes and vegetables mashed up. Add gravy and sausage and you've got "stamppot"! The food is mashed with this very special, very dutch device:

Mashmashmash! 

It needs a lot of muscle power :) but it's worth the while! 

Also today, I had a team session for work (lunch and snacks tasted very good ;)) and I've taken a lot of pictures. Time to look through them :) have a lovely thanksgiving people, see you soon! 

Love, Rebecca 

Wednesday 25 November 2015

Becca Week: Sharing

Hello readers!

"Oh, you baked! Is it your birthday?"
Nope, I just love to bake :) 

The best thing about baking isn't eating your results. It's not even the results themselfs. It's sharing them with others <3 

Sharing is love <3

When I baked something, I always watch other people's faces/reactions. That is the joy in my hobby. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing lit up, bubbly, smiling faces when they've taken a bite from your bakes. 

I always share my bakes with my parents. I bring a lot of snacks to neighbours and friends. But quite often, I bring sweets to work. Last Monday, I brought some mini apple cinnamon muffins. 

Left overs! :)

I have to tell you, apple cinnamon (in any form) is an award winning flavour on the working floor. Everybody loves apple cinnamon, the mini muffins were gonna in a flash (I brought 12!). 

There is one challenge waiting for me though: baking something special (and savoury!) for my manager, who doesn't like sweets. Challenge accepted!! 

See you the next time readers <3

Love, Rebecca 





Saturday 21 November 2015

Becca week: Origins

Aloha readers!

Welcome to themed week #2: Becca's Week! 

Hello there! :D

I will take you with me for a whole week to tell baking stories, adventures, opinions and more :) I will share recipes, old favourites and tell more about me and my life.

Today's post is an origin post about yours truly: Becca. This is my mother's nickname for me :) and my favourite nickname! My closest friend calls me Bexx (coolest nickname ever) and other friends (and one of my managers) call me R. Not many people call me Rebecca actually, funny :) 

Mini me x3!

I have liked baking and cooking ever since I can remember. I remember helping my mom when she's cooking. When we visited my grandparents, I would help out my grandmother. My mom and grandma have these unique ways to present food, which I truly love. I remember my mom once telling that she made a tower of cream puffs. A tower..... Note to self: add to baking list. 

Just like everyone else, I started with the easy, 'only add milk and eggs' packets you can buy in the supermarket. This is the best way to start baking: practising with easy ingredients. After a few years of occasionally baking, I heard on tv that a new food channel would air. That's when things started to get worse :) 

This is a part of my collection of cooking books.. 

I bought cooking books, watched the new food channel 24/7. Tv shows are very motivating for me, I want to be able to bake the same things as the people on tv. Watching The Great British Bake Off on Wednesdays would make my hands twitch, because I usually only bake in the weekends, I had to wait such a long time! I wanted (still want to) be able to be as good as the people on TV. With my own twists! 

The reason I started this blog, is because I want to share my stories with the world and share my inspiration. I get my inspiration out of everything! Tv shows, cook books, stories, pictures, Internet of course but also walking outside :) but the most important thing with baking (cooking too) is: listening. Listen to what your surroundings love. Baking with love and seing loved ones enjoying the bakes is most rewarding <3

My name on a Nutella jar.. What more do you want? :)

Random facts about Rebecca:
- The first cupcake I baked was the Peche Melba cupcake :) 
- Chocolate used to make my face cringe.. Long time ago, I love it now! 
- I am a huge lover of sushi. 
- Other things I love to do besides baking are: photographing, listening to old records, reading and going to the cinema/watching movies. Especially the last one is something I love <3 

And thus, this post comes to an end. I hope you liked my 'origin' story :) I'll tell more about myself and my baking origins later this week. Lots to look forward to :D

I will end this story with a picture of a lot of peppernuts. Peppernuts are a traditional dutch snack, eaten around December 5th. More info about that later.. ;)

So many peppernuts! <3

See you soon readers!

Love, Rebecca


Thursday 19 November 2015

TBT #6: Boterkoek and dinners

Hello readers!

Welcome to TBT #6! :D

This looks like quite a good bite, doesn't it? Don't be mistaken, there is a ton of butter in this very jummy dessert.. 

This is the traditional dutch Boterkoek, which literally means 'butter cake'. It's a very full, creamy cake, every dutch person knows Boterkoek! The beautiful golden brown colour appears cause of a mixture of milk and egg yolks. Whenever you need to bake something with a crispy top: mix egg yolks and milk :)

Sorry for the radio silence. It's busy times at work and at home. End of the year celebrations, big meetings, team building, dinner meetings and I'm starting a study in December too :) busy, but I'm very excited! 

...... <3<3

Yesterday, my mom and I went to a 'new' (new to us) restaurant in the city, and BOY. The food was just... Omnomnom!! 

I had Lobster soup for the first course, which was my first time eating lobster. It's a very rich taste, I'd like to try fresh lobster sometime too :) For main, I had roasted duck. Duck is my favourite kind of meat, along with lamb <3 and last but not least: a mixed dessert plate. 

Mixed desserts: my favourite! <3

There is yoghurt ice cream, chocolate mousse and tiramisu. Nothing makes a girl more happy than a good chocolate mousse. Yoghurt ice cream is very delish but perfection hit the spot on the tiramisu. I've never had such light but creamy tiramisu with very little alcohol taste. Perfection!! <3 Definitely one of the best restaurants I've eaten with so far. 

More dining posts coming up in the next weeks, I counted 5 dinner meetings until Christmas.. Oh dear! Stay happy, healthy and bubbly readers. See you soon :) 

Love, Rebecca 

Sunday 15 November 2015

Autumn feelings

Hello readers,

Autumn is seriously knocking in here. In Holland it's been around 15 degrees Celsius for a couple of weeks (which is pretty rare in October/November), but next week it'll be colder, more storming and the weathermen even predicted snow.. Time for a classic, autumn-flavoured bake! :)

Autumn reminds me of coming home in a warm home, after walking through a rainy storm. Getting a mug of hot chocolate or tea and sit down with a blanket and watch a movie. Warm, comfy, trusted. There is only one baked good that comes to my mind with that description.

Caaaake!! <3

Yes, I'm talking about an apple-cinnamon (and crumble) cake! Nothing beats the smell of an apple-cinnamon cake in the oven <3 Don't you just love it when your whole house smells like apples and cinnamon? I know I do!

Lots of people buy a cake mix in the stores for an apple-crumble cake, because they believe it's hard to bake such a cake yourself. It really isn't! And the taste is a lot better and more natural too. All you gotta do, is bake a regular vanilla cake, and add apples and cinnamon. Add crumbles too if you like! Even the regular vanilla cake is one of the easiest bakes to master.

Here is a basic recipe I always use when baking a vanilla cake or an apple-cinnamon cake:

Vanilla cake
- 200 grams of butter
- 200 grams of sugar
- seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- a pint of salt
- 4 medium sized eggs
- 200 grams of self-raising flour

- a cake tin
- baking parchment
- a bit of butter

For the apple-cinnamon cake (text colour red), use the top recipe and add:
- 1 apple
- 3 tablespoons of cinnamon

Easy ingredients, easy instructions, here we go :)

Beautiful cake mixture you're about to make! 

Preheat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius. Butter the cake tin and put a piece of baking parchment in it. If you don't have baking parchment, use some flour. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod. Be sure to use the back of your knife, we don't want to leave seeds behind or to damage them!

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds (make sure it looks pale). Add the eggs one by one. Make sure the added egg is well-mixed with the butter mixture before adding the next. Add all of them at once and you will get a big soggy mess that won't mix well. So one at the time!

Sift in the self-raising flour and salt and mix at high speed for 1 minute.

This part is for the apple-cinnamon bit :) apples and crumbles! 

Make sure you get a sturdy, bit of sourish apple. Sturdy is important, it needs to keep its form in the oven at 170 degrees! Cut it in tiny cubes and add to the cake mix. Add the cinnamon (add more or less to flavour, but I like my cinnamon, so three tablespoons is recommended :) ) and mix well. 

Good luck cake! Do your work! ... I'm talking to a cake, sorry. 

Put the mixture in the cake tin. For the apple-cinnamon cake, you can add a bit of crumble if you like. For this, mix 120 grams of flour120 grams of (brown) sugara pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and knead it until crumbles form. You can also use a fork, but kneading it with your hands is a lot more fun :) Sprinkle over the cake. 

Place the cake tin in the oven and bake until golden brown (50-60 minutes). Test if the cake is ready by poking in a bamboo sewer. If it comes out clean, it's ready. Leave it to cool in the baking tin for 5 minutes, then remove and let it cool on a cake rack.

Lovely crumbles... :D

And there you've got yourself a delicious, moist (;)) cake with vanilla or apple-cinnamon. Adding whipped cream with apple bakes is always a big bonus. Try it out :)

A simple cake like this is always a big favourite on birthdays at work. I read somewhere that nowhere in the world people use the same work tradition as in Holland. Usually, when someone has his/her birthday at work, the colleagues treat him/her to cake.

In Holland it's very common for the birthday boy/girl to bring the cake for colleagues :) Funny, huh? I always bring my home-baked goods on my birthday (June 17th). They usually get eaten pretty fast.. :)

That's all for today! Have a lovely Sunday, where ever you are :) See you soon!

Happy weekend! *nomnomnom*

Love, Rebecca

Thursday 12 November 2015

VIP: Very Important Photoshoot (of the Cake Shop)

Hello readers!

I hope you're well. I haven't posted a lot the last days because I have been preparing for a very very very VERY special event: the photoshoot!

As you know, the photos of this photoshoot will feature in my company's newsletter. I was really so excited and prepared well. I picked my, what I call, signature bakes. They've featured before on this blog: Pêche Melba cupcakes and rainbow jelly.

Tadaaaa! 

I have to admit, the rainbow jelly turned out much better than the first time I made it. One color just flowing into the next. I'm very pleased with it!

Cupcakes are really my signature bake :) especially these Pêche Melba cupcakes. Pêche Melba is my favourite ice cream of all time, so baking this cupcake was not a hard decision to make. The icing turned out exceptionally well, very fluffy! The photographer liked it a lot :)

Cupcakes.. Omnomnom!

Preparing for the photoshoot, I already made the cupcakes, put the icing in a piping bag and the fruits in bowls for 'live' decoration. I finished the jelly and set my decoration ready to put on.

The photoshoot went very well. I did feel a little funny being photographed while working :) While being photographed, it's essential to move extra slowly. Which was perfect, because decorating slowly creates perfect bakes. Yay! <3

Fresh raspberries are so pretty <3

For the photoshoot, I picked up my old trusty Nikon D60. I have to admit, I truly and honestly missed this. I love photographing and I haven't used my camera in a while cause, like everybody else, I think taking pictures with my phone is a lot quicker. But the quality of the pictures I have taken during the shoot (yes I was photographed while I was photographing) is just beautiful. You can see for yourself, all pictures in this post are taken by my Nikon!

Rainbow jelly v2 :)

The article and pictures will feature in the company's newsletter in December. I will share it with you by the time it's there. I'm very curious :)

Speaking of December: it's only a couple of weeks left till Christmas! Amazing how time flies. 

I found a bunch of old photos on my camera, all of London in 2013. I will end this blogspot with one of my favourite museums in London. Little fanbased, but still! <3 Bye readers!

"If you eliminate the impossible, what ever remains, however improbable, it must be true."

Love, Rebecca