Surprise Party For Mom

Planning the surprise party was a bit stressful honestly, especially with all the things you have to prepare and take note of: guest list, reservations, the food, banner (courtesy of Auntie Mary), the cake (by Elaine), the cupcake souvenirs (Elaine, too), and the flowers.
This we had to do in a span of one week and it didn't help that mom's schedule was a little hectic due to her other birthday treats. But thankfully, we pulled it off. Despite the fact that SM was having a three-day sale and traffic was heavy, everyone (except for a couple) we invited was there and there were no slip-ups. The suprise party was successful and everything went well.

But as stressful as it was, seeing the look on my mom's face when she came into the room and everyone started singing Happy Birthday? Ahh, nothing beats that.


*Quotable quotes from the party:

Mommy, wearing a plain purple empire dress/top with white leggings and black sandals, who at that night wasn't really at her best fashion-wise ("I thought we'd just be having a small, simple dinner," she later explained) said this right after everyone greeted her at the party: Gwa eh sah huan hiong oh! (My outfit looks hideous!)

Sophie, seeing mom's pic on the banner: Amaaaaaaa!!!!!

Chiz, to one of the guests: Goodbye, Vick.



Thanks to Elaine for providing the lovely (and yummy!) fondant cake and rose cupcakes and making the surprise party a special one.

*Please visit her other blog, Cosmo Bread to see her complete list of baked goodies.

Have Your Chocolate Cheesecake And Eat It Too

I'm sure every baker is equally proud of each baked goodie that comes out of his oven, but there will always be that one dessert he will consider his best work yet. His masterpiece, or his signature dessert, if you will.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no pro. I don't bake a lot. The first batch of cookies I made back in 5th grade? Hard as rocks. Although I have improved a great deal since then, I'm still no expert. But Mrs. Fields or no Mrs. Fields, I'm telling you-- with all biases aside: I do make one hell of a chocolate cheesecake.

I'd like to share to you this recipe I got from the magazine Martha Stewart Living. In that issue, she featured various cheesecakes like the classic Baked New York, Frozen Espresso, Raspberry Swirl, Citrus Ricotta, and even the No-Bake. Being such an avid fan of the deepest darkest chocolate, I just had to try the Chocolate Cheesecake recipe.

Well, technically, the recipe is Martha's but taking into consideration the few adjustments I did here and there, I can call it my own now...At least that's what I tell myself. :P













Photo by Elaine


NEEN'S CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE-- Haha.
Serves 8-10

1 cup finely ground chocolate wafer cookies (5 ounces; about 22 cookies)
***note: chocolate wafer cookies is just a posh baker's lingo for Oreo.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
***note: I added a little more to make the cheesecake richer.
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
***note: I'm loyal to Philadelphia.
Pinch of salt
¾ cup sour cream, room temperature
***note: I only added around 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Depends on your preference, really.
3 tablespoons Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature


(1) Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together cookie crumbs, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a medium bowl. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up 1 inch on sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
(2) Melt chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
(3) Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add remaining cup sugar in a slow, steady stream. Add salt; mix until combined. Add sour cream, cocoa, vanilla extract, and melted chocolate; mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix). Pour cream cheese filling over crust.
(4) Bake until set but still slightly wobbly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.


And here's what the critics have got to say on my take on Martha Stewart's Chocolate Cheesecake:

One forkful melted into a velvety mass accompanied by a burst of real deep chocolate. The sweetness from the chocolate was evenly tempered by the sourcream. The crust was thick enough and even crunchy like, it tasted like it had roasted nuts in it, but it didn't. It left me in a subliminal state. Even my brother, who's not really a dessert person, couldn't resist a second helping. He aptly described it as "a cross between a chocolate bar and chocolate ice cream."

- Elaine, excerpt taken from "The Only Chocolate Cheesecake For Me," dated March 13, 2006 from her blog Just Desserts

Undoubtedly THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE I have ever tasted! So heavenly!

- Margarita

When all else fails, there's always delusion.

- Conan O'Brien

Okaaay...I added the last one just because I'm a HUGE Conan O'Brien fan.
Aaand...I don't really know anyone named Margarita...

Cupcakes vs. Muffins

If cupcakes and muffins were in a fight (well, it could happen..), cupcakes would win hands down.

Most people usually interchange these two baked goodies, probably because of their size, but there actually is a difference between the two.





Cupcakes by Sonja at Serendra Piazza, The Fort.


Muffins are small baked breads which have a totally different texture than that of cupcakes'. They, most often than not, are denser and tend to be less sweet.
Since I'm a chocoholic (and a proud one at that), I usually buy chocolate muffins, but I also enjoy different varieties like blueberry, banana, and Brown Sugar Muffins' orange (which I'm sad to say has been discontinued).
Sure, I like muffins. Give me one and I'd gladly take it. But give me a cupcake? Ahh, that's a different story altogether.

Cupcakes are literally just that-- cakes in a cup. Their batter is the same one used in cakes so they come out of the oven (and into your mouth) airy and soft. They're usually iced and decorated just like you would a normal cake. And come on, just admit it. They're a whole lot cuter than muffins. Right?
















Don't you just love the retro-shabby-chic interior?















I recently discovered Cupcakes by Sonja thanks to my sis-in-law Chiz who knows that I'm a sucker for anything dessertlicious.
Hearing that Ms. Sonja previously worked at the uber-famous Magnolia Bakery in New York, I knew that her cupcakes would be a definite must-try.

We were on our way to dinner one Friday when Elaine and I decided to pass by the shop and sample the cupcakes. What was supposed to be a quick run eventually turned into a photo-op. As we entered, (cue sound: OoOoOooh..) we were like excited lil' kids who couldn't stop giggling. Out came our cameras and we snapped away.

The interior was just perfect. Everything was so retro, from her pink floral and stripes wallpaper to her very vintage-y Smeg chiller.
It's like a scene from Pleasantville, immortalized.

And the cupcakes? I cannot even begin to tell you how lush they were. (When we got home, everyone wanted to have a taste of each one, they were gone in just a few minutes).

The Red Velvet Vixen, most famous in the southern part of the US, is known for its unique yet subtle taste. Although one of the main ingredients is cocoa powder, food coloring is added to make it look red, hence its name. Topped with a cream cheese frosting, the combination was just simply yum.

Vanilla Sunrise tastes just like every other vanilla cupcake. But the difference, from the ones I've tried, is the texture. Ms. Sonja's are without a doubt the softest and although I'm more of a chocolate fan, I definitely didn't mind munching on this one.

Chocolate Surprise would surely delight any chocolate lover. Aside from the moist sponge and the chocolate icing, you would be- yep, you guessed it- surprised to find that there's a chocolate filling for you to enjoy as well.

Pistachio Dacquoise was purely mousse. I liked that it was light and the pistachio flavor was not overpowering.

The Chocolate Cream Pie was Ms. Sonja's take on a chocolate mousse, the authentic kind. The bottom part was a chocolate cookie-like crust, not the crumby type we commonly see in bakeshops (although those are good, too). She added a silky chocolate filling and then topped it with whipped cream.

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate. The name says it all. :)

All in all, the mousses were velvety smooth while the sponged ones were so light you will want a second helping. And although it's a bit expensive (prices range from P45 to P100), I wouldn't mind having another cupcake fix.

..Until I move on to cookies, that is. :P















You could almost hear them scream: "Eat me, eat me!"

Clockwise from top: Red Velvet Vixen, Vanilla Sunrise, Chocolate Surprise, Pistachio Dacquoise, Chocolate Cream Pie, and Melt-In-Your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate.