Daily: Baking the Ultimate Japanese Ogura Cake

So, I was always aspiring to bake but never really had the courage to do it. Well, that was the case until the neighbour aunty taught me how to bake the Japanese Ogura Cake which I absolutely love because she was always offering some of it to us everytime she made it.

Here's where I began to have the slight confidence I need to start baking. Haha. So, I'm sure you guys are curious of my first adventure! Don't expect my first attempt to look perfect kay :)

Here's the recipe I got from Aunty Dionne, my super nice neighbour aunty! :)

Ingredients:

(A)

1 Whole egg
5 Egg yolks
70 g Fresh Milk
45 g Vegetable Oil
65 g Cake Flour (self raising flour)
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

(B)

5 Egg white
80 g Castor Sugar
1 tsp of lemon juice


1. Preheat oven at 170 Celsius for minimum of 15 minutes.

2.  In a large bowl, beat ingedient (B) until stiff peak forms (it doesn't curl down).

3. In a separate bowl, mix 5 Egg yolks, 1 whole egg, vegetable oil and vanilla essence. Beat until small bubble and then add in flour (sieved 3 times) and continue to beat till smooth.

4. Fold and combine both gently. Pour batter into 7 inches cake tin.

4. Bake in the oven using steamed baking (place a water tray in the most bottom level of your oven) for 45 minutes to 60 minutes.

5. Invert cake on standing grill for 10 minutes after completed.


And, now for my outcome!

My cake which is inverted and what you can see is the bottom of the springform pan!

I know it looked pretty bad with cracks and stuff. But, the taste was superb, so don't judge the book by its cover.

Do you guys see a weird layer at the bottom? It tastes like egg tart and its actually the uncooked bottom of the cake. Well, its because my oven is not big enough and the cake ended up not getting baked evenly. I will probably have to cover the top with aluminium foil next time while i let the bottom cook.

Nevertheless, the texture was near perfect for the rest of the cake. Very light and soft, my mum even did an elasticity test with the cake and it was very bouncy! YAY, not too bad for an amateur like me haha.

Alright, that's all, I made a Japanese cotton cheesecake today by the way but that was so terrible that I probably wouldn't be making it anymore in a million years.

Daily: The Fashion Social @ TANGS 1 Utama

I never thought I had the potential to be a stylist. Never in my wildest dreams, to be honest. Why, you may ask? Simple. My sister is the absolute fashion diva in the family and I conveniently wear whatever she chooses. Well, of course, I have to mix and match myself and that’s where my creativity comes in.

I had the opportunity to unleash those hidden styling skills in me at a recent event yesterday at TANGS 1 Utama. ‘The Fashion Social’ was an event aimed for bloggers to get to know some of their brands which are new and/or exclusive to TANGS Malaysia.

We were briefed on how TANGS started out and it was kind of interesting to learn about how they came about. TANGS is usually thought of as a normal departmental store but it is actually a lifestyle concept store. There are 3 outlets in Malaysia with a slightly different concept to each and is therefore, unique & one of its kind!

The organisers of the event, Caden & Nikki brought us around the store and introduced certain brands to us. Here are some pictures for you guys who have never visited their outlet previously.

After touring around the store, the styling game begins! Here comes the fun part, where our plus ones had to be the model while the bloggers were given one item from each featured brand as listed below:

• HEADLINE SEOUL (Exclusively at TANGS 1 Utama, TANGS Empire Subang)
• ARROW BLUE JEANS (Exclusively at TANGS 1 Utama, TANGS Empire Subang, TANGS Genting Highlands)
• CLOSET (Exclusively at TANGS 1 Utama)
• PORTRAIT (Exclusively at TANGS 1 Utama, TANGS Empire Subang)
• DANDELION ACCESSORIES (Available at TANGS 1 Utama, TANGS Empire Subang, TANGS Genting Highlands)

I’m grateful that Jason was all ready to be my model of the day although he was my plus one for this event. We randomly picked a number and got a black blazer from Portrait. It was exciting and the best part is, I was allowed to grab anything off the shelves to match with the given piece. It was entirely up to my own creativity as the stylist to make Jason look as handsome as possible.To be honest, it wasn’t that tough but it was definitely an adrenaline-filled time of dressing him up in the fitting room.

And, I was very proud of his after look! I was rather shocked myself when I saw this boy in the outfit as he stepped out after changing into everything I threw to him. He reminded me of ‘Super Junior’ for their distinct white pants during concert performances. It seemed that I transformed Jason into a Korean superstar!

Here are some pictures of my end product:

Doesn't his outfit looks like what your favourite Korean idol would wear? I'm in love with the ensemble and I secretly wished for all Malaysian boys to dress like this 24/7 :)

With Shades from Dandelion Accessories!

Selfie time, as usual with the model :)

Well, that's it for the day and I'm starting to think, maybe I should start working as a part time stylist. Haha. Thanks to TANGS 1 Utama, it was a Saturday well spent and a huge thanks to my pretty boy model, Jason too :)

Food: Bari Uma Ramen @ Jaya Shopping Centre

So, these days I have been to a few Japanese restaurants claiming to serve authentic ramen, but unfortunately, it still didn't manage to entice my tastebuds. Little did I know that after my visit to Bari Uma Ramen, my perception on ramen would change drastically.

Bari Uma Ramen is now available in Malaysia but bear in mind, it is not a new ramen house. In fact, they have two shops in Singapore with Japanese chefs whipping up gorgeous bowls of ramen and about 40 outlets in Japan itself. Just a note for the uninitated, Bari translates to super while Uma means tasty. 

Bari Uma boasts on their chewy ramen and their thick soup base. Their pork slices which are imported from Spain are grilled, instead of roasted to bring out the best in the meat. 

Here are what I've tried during my visit:

Noritama-Uma Ramen

This was a bowl of heavenly goodness. The Original ramen I chose was just right for me, springy but not too firm. The soup broth was very thick and I found that it was very flavorful. The eggs which were 50% cooked was so good that they literally melt as you take a bite. 

Kara-Uma Ramen

To be honest, this tasted more like curry noodles. However, the best part of this dish was the 3-layer pork which had a little fat for that juiciness needed to compliment this bowl of ramen. 

Gyoza (Japanese Pan fried Dumpling)

Usually, I don't enjoy gyoza because I hate dumplings. But, I tried this and they were very juicy. Take one bite and you'll know what I mean. I like the dumpling dough which wasn't too thick or floury. Here's a tip, try it with some soy sauce to enhance the flavour of these dumplings.

Negi Mayo Gyoza

This was a little spicy for me and had too much mayonnaise. Since I'm a health conscious person, I would forgo this in my next order. However, for those who don't mind to indulge once in a while, give this a try.

Yakitori Combo

Yakitori is made up of bite-sized of marinated chicken pieces grilled on skewers. It is pretty similar to our Malaysian 'satay' but this one was different because Bari Uma uses pork as well instead of the usual chicken. So juicy and fragrant!

Ishiyaki Chaofan Chashu

I find this pretty unique because it was served in an authentic hot stone bowl. You can even mix the ingredients and literally, cook it yourself in the bowl. It was a bowl of steaming hot fried rice and I enjoyed this very much because they used the special Japanese short grain rice.

Bari-Uma Ramen

Jaya Shopping Centre, L3-11, Level 3, Jalan Semangat,

46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Contact Number: +603-7932-2958

Operating Hour: Monday-Sunday (10am-10pm)

Daily : Discovering Curated Clothing

Online blogshops are all the rage these days and I recently came across Curated Clothing which offers some pretty amazing stuffs. They are still new kids off the block but hey, their site was bornt out of love for Tumblr & fashion! 

I found them different than the rest because they sourced for their items worldwide and therefore, the variety. For you shopaholics out there who wish to buy and contribute to society in one way or another, you'll be glad to know that 10% of their revenue will be directed to charity.

So, here are some of my picks after flipping through their website :) I'm always bias towards pretty dresses by the way! Oh, just a note, the pieces are all pre-ordered, so there is approximately 2-3 weeks before the items get delivered to your doorstep.

Lace Back Romper

RM 55

I'm a die hard fan for lace, because they look so delicate and accentuates your feminity. And, lace on rompers look so sexy, don't they?

Dark Sequin Daisy Dress

RM 75

This piece would be perfect for a casual date on the weekends :)

And here's my personal favourite! How could you not fall in love with this beauty? :) 

Neon Skater Dress

RM 55

OMG! I absolutely need to have this dainty princess piece because the skirt is so poofy and cute :) 

To be honest, I find their pieces pretty affordable in comparison to other blogshops. Head over to Curated Clothing and follow them for latest updates!

That's all, toodles!

Food: Crave Cafe @ Oasis Square, Ara Damansara

Waking up early in the morning for breakfast is definitely not a norm for me. Yes, I love sleeping in on weekends. But then, the breakfast served at Crave Cafe @ Oasis Square, Ara Damansara is worth getting up early on a lazy weekend. We headed to the cafe around 8 AM and thank goodness for the smooth traffic.

Crave caters for the younger generation as a perfect hang out place with friends after a busy week. The ambience has that calming effect and with so many couches to laze around, I can definitely spend one whole day at this cafe. It has been opened for about 1 year and they plan to cater to customers outside the area itself. 

Coffee is a necessity for most at breakfast, but for me, I can't take caffeine because of its bitter taste. But for those coffee lovers out there, here's some picture for your viewing purposes. Just a note, the coffee beans are from Toby's Estate Arabica Coffee in Sydney and are of the Woolloomooloo Blend, named after the surburb where they begin roasting their coffee beans.This blend is perfect for milk coffees & Crave is the only place where you can find it because they are the first to bring this into Malaysia.

Cappucino Flat White

Dirty Chai Latte

Hot Chocolate

This was so delicious and savoury with its rich chocolatey taste! Perfect for those die hard chocolate fans :)

Toby's Breakfast Blend Tea

Since I could only drink tea for breakfast, this was great for me. It was naturally rich and had that slight floral taste. For those who don't mind, it is recommended to have this without sugar :)

Crave's Big Breakfast

This consists of sausages, beef bacon, roasted tomato, mushrooms, baked beans, eggs and toasted ciabatta. I particularly liked the bacon since it wasn't fattening and I could taste the sweetness of the mushrooms.

Pancakes with Caramelised Banana & Maple Syrup

The pancakes were light and fluffy on the inside, but crispy and fragrant on the outside. Bananas was never my favourite fruit but this was great as some cashewnuts were added to give the usual pancakes a slightly different twist.

New Item 

This is a new dish off their menu and it hasn't been named yet. This has eggs, beef bacon and avocado paste on ciabatta bread. Oh, and there are some cheese added as well. The avocado paste complimented the bacon and brought out its true flavour. It was definitely something different and unique :)

Chicken Parmigiana

For those uninitiated, this dish consists of breaded chicken cutlets which is baked with Parmesan cheese and served with tomato sauce as well as pasta. The aroma of cheese was so strong and cheese lovers like myself will love this. The potatoes which were served together was so good. They were soft and sweet, a perfect side to the rich cheesy chicken.

Salmon Scramble

This dish was perfect for light eaters as it consists of only slices of smoked salmon with scramble eggs on toasted ciabatta. The salmon slices were fresh and the bread was crispy as well :)

Green Pesto Chicken

Pesto is usually made using green basil and for this, spiral pasta were used. The uniqueness of this type of pasta is that it usually works well with any sauce, so I guess that was the reason why the chef chose this particular pasta for this dish.

Nutella Mille Crepe Cake

Their cakes are homemade and baked fresh daily. Crepe cakes are my favourite but I don't like Nutella in general. However, this combination managed to surprise me as the chocolate taste wasn't overwhelming, in fact, it was just right for me. 

Salted Chocolate Cake

Doesn't this look mouthwatering? It was rather unusual to have salted chocolate cake because chocolate is usually slightly bitter and sweet, but this surprisingly had a layer of salted chocolate. It was very rich and dense with that burst of chocolate flavour the moment you take a small bite of it. Perfect as a comfort food :)

Gula Melaka Cake

Something different from the usual cakes. This cake is definitely worth trying for the sweet tooth. For me, it actually tasted a little like Malay 'kuih' (bite sized dessert). Therefore, this is perfect as desserts for the Buka Puasa feast this month :) 

Ramadhan Buka Puasa Promotion

Crave is having a promotion which comes with a homemade Soup, a choice of Main Course, a slice of homemade Cake and a Dragon Fruit Juice. All this for only RM 29.00!

Main Course Selection:
Honey Glazed Roasted Chicken with mashed potato and grilled vegetables
OR
Seabass in Spicy Cream Sauce served with Butter Herb rice
OR
Beef Stroganoff with Steamed Rice

Crave Cafe

BG-03 Oasis Square, Ara Damansara

Petaling Jaya Malaysia