Sweet Escapes by Jenn

Archive for the ‘A Few of My Favourite Things’ Category

Hermes Birkin Bag

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Remember the ninja cake (my 2nd video post) I wrote a few months ago? My friends from Buffalo came over to Toronto to celebrate two special birthdays at one of my favourite Japanese restaurants — Takara Bune. And not only did they come alone, they brought THEIR friends from NYC! All this for cake and sushi! I am so honoured

Winnie ordered her good friend Anna’s cake and she told me that she loved shopping, money and handbags. And lots of money. She kept emphasizing that So I made her a cake with a red hot Birkin bag with lots of money flowing around it.

I really love the red + purple combo. It screams bold and SEXY and I love how it looks. I also wanted to try out a pearl lace texture on the cake and although it was time-consuming, I enjoyed cutting the flowers out and sticking them together like a puzzle.

At the restaurant they were sitting at the end of the table and the white gold sparkles on both their cakes glistened in the subtle lighting and I felt like a proud parent watching her kids perform at a school concert. Weird comparison, I know… but that’s how I felt!

After we had lunch, we unanimously decided that we were too full for cake so they would bring the cakes back to the states. Andy was driving and when he hit a bump, Anna yelled, “Hey careful! My Birkin bag is in the back!” Haha… so silly

These are the moments I cherish the most–my friends (and some new friends) driving 9 hours from NYC and 2 hours from Buffalo just to have cake. It doesn’t get much better than that!

And after they got home, I got a text message that said that both cakes made it back in one piece and they both didn’t want to cut it. Ooh, they travel well too! I was so proud of them

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Birthdays, Boys will be Boys, Cakes, Girly Girl | No Comments »

BACK from VACATION!

Monday, January 21st, 2013

Hi everyone! I’m finally snapping out of holiday mode. While most people had to go back to work in early January, I took 6 glorious weeks off, went to a bunch of fun places and now I’m back, for good. Or, for now I just got back from LA yesterday afternoon and am adjusting from the 25C weather to… whatever you want to call what we’re experiencing. Ha ha…

Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s been going on!

We took the boys to LEGOLAND and it was so fun! Everything was made out of Lego and let’s just say, THEY were the boss that day! Who taught Zachary how to read a map?! He would point to a direction and say, “let’s go there!” and we’d follow him like his little slaves. It was fun though!

This was at Tim and Joanna’s wedding with my bestest Bear! Look! We both match — purple!!

Me at Dolcissimo at the Shops at Chino Hills. It was a cutesy little bakery and there I was, doing “competitor research”

One of the best Korean BBQ places I’ve ever been too — at Rowland Heights. Here with the cousins! I smelled like meat for days

We ordered one of every item on the menu — and when it time for VEAL CHITTERLINGS, I almost lost it. You can google it. It was… tubey :S

Mom’s SURPRISE birthday lunch at the Olive Garden. A good family friend owns a ginormous bakery in LA and gave us a box of petit fours. They were absolutely DELICIOUS and talking to him has given me a lot of insight for my business. Can’t wait to work on those ideas!

In other news: look who got a feature in Ryerson’s Alumni magazine?! Even though they called my company ‘Cake Designs’, at least they got the website right… which is all that matters!

I’ve been so blessed this past year and this was definitely the cherry on top! 2013 will be an amazing one.

And after MUCH reflection on everything that happened in 2012, my greatest achievement was losing 17.9% body fat in just a year. My clothes don’t fit anymore but I’m too cheap to go on a shopping spree so I’m just going to make do with what I have, for now! Ha ha.. spoken like a true Asian girl!

2012 has been the best year of my life not only for my business but for personal achievements as well. If you want to know how I did it, don’t be shy and send me an e-mail! I would love to help other people be successful as well!!

I don’t even recognize the “before” girl anymore. WHO IS SHE?!?!

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Best Things in Life, Every Day Tidbits, Inspiration | No Comments »

Hello, Cupcake! :)

Friday, November 30th, 2012

I’ve gone cupcake-crazy this past week with more than 1,000 leaving the kitchen of different sizes, colours, flavours and designs! Last weekend was The Centre for Dreams’ Borealis gala…

Penguins with earmuffs… does it get any cuter than this?!

Unionville Spa’s 1st Year Anniversary event…

And Ambassadors For Christ’s (AFC) 40th anniversary celebration…

This one…

… and this one…

… this one too!! Getting dressed!

Completely naked *GASP!!*

And of course, at the show!

It was an exhausting week but my SPIRITS ARE LIFTED and I am running on passion. You know you love what you do when you bake more than 1,000 cupcakes (alone) and still want to keep going. I may have had a few in the process. I have a new vanilla cupcake and oh-MY… it is addictive and delicious. Can’t wait for you to try it!

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Cupcakes, fresh from the oven | No Comments »

My Old & New Favourites

Sunday, June 17th, 2012

Greetings from our nation’s capital!

We got here on Friday and attended my cousin’s wedding yesterday at the Museum of Nature. It was gorgeous! And the cake was delicious It was one of those RARE weddings where I got to attend it as a guest and not as a vendor so it was STRESS-FREE! I got to play with my cutesy nephews, drink and meet new people. In a surprising (and scary) discovery, I realized that I could out-drink my brother. Don’t ask me why I sound so proud of myself… haha! Actually, I could drink a lot… I just never realized that.

After the wedding, we went out for tiramisu gelato crepes with fresh strawberries and nutella. SO… good!

Tiramisu gelato was super sweet but I’m on vacation, I’m allowed this “quota”, right? Today, we are heading to a French church (!!!! how cool is that?

) and then we’re going to take the Lady Dive tour around the city… followed by a Father’s Day dinner at some fancy restaurant (which I have a $26 gift certificate to — thanks to OpenTable.com) and then drinks with an old friend. Tomorrow morning, we’re going out to brunch, check out Parliament Hill (cause you know… it’s just “one of those things” that you HAVE to do!) and then go golfing in Kingston. Might not sound like a very “exciting” weekend to you but ANY LITTLE BIT OF TIME I can get away from my cake (and other) business, I am HAPPY and RESTED… and I will take whatever I can get!

I feel extremely rejuvenated and this weekend is a glimpse of my summer to come. Jess and I also went to Byward Market yesterday to check out the vendors/farmers’ market and we had a… **drum roll** BEAVERTAIL! I haven’t had one in 5 years… it was… delish

Oh yah… the birds! I used to LOVE making the blue birds because they’re just SO CUTE! I realized that the placement of the eyes are extremely important, no matter what character I’m sculpting. The eyes could make or break the character (make = be recognizable by others, break = a loopy, drugged-up version of their bizarro half!). The blue birds look like they’re up to no good. I started making the white birds recently and I love them! They’re so grumpy and cute!

Those are my new favourites!

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things | No Comments »

I heart Angry Birds

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

I’m thinking about making ANGRY BIRDS my official mascot. I know I mentioned it before but now I’m serious! I’ve gotten so many inquiries for them and I LOVE IT because it motivates me to come up with new ideas/designs and not the same ol’ pig-steals-eggs, birds-get-mad, birds-destroy-pigs, pigs-eat-scrambled-eggs storyline.

At first I was so excited when people ordered AB cakes/cupcakes but when the requests started piling up, I became lazy didn’t come up with very inspiring ideas. I started dreading the AB theme. “Ugh. Another one?” (I know I sound like an unappreciative, spoiled brat!

) But after taking a mini break and re-evaluating WHY I love doing cakes, I was refreshed and looked at every new cake order with a fresh perspective. Now it’s, “YAY! ANGRY BIRDS!” I have to remember that these cutesy pigs and birds make people happy and that I should approach every order with the mentality that this is another opportunity to make someone’s sugar wish come true. You can call me crazy, but I call this passion!

I got to make a TON of AB cupcakes this weekend and I welcomed it with excitement. I also bought new boxes that fit 24 standard size cupcakes so that was fun. Seriously, you know I love what I do when I get excited about boxes. But then I guess scientists get excited when they get new test tubes, artists when they see a painting that inspires them and my brother when he sees packaging that uses advanced heat-seal technology.

*side story*
My brother and I were at a bakery and both of us saw these chocolate wafers packaged in a clear bag. I said, “Wow! I’ve never seen this wafer before! I’m so excited!” and he said, “They used heat-seal technology to package these wafers! How exciting!” That was when I shot him a look. Clearly both of our passions are VERY different! Me = food, him = nerdy sciencey stuff. He’s an engineer if you haven’t figured out!

Whatever your passion may be, CHASE it. Don’t follow it. Don’t put it on the backburner and forget about it. Embrace it. Do something about it! Whether you love food (who doesn’t?!), music, public speaking, numbers, buildings, hockey, occupational therapy… chase it. When you take that first step in pursuing your dreams, you will surely be an inspiration to others.

And that dear friends, is why I love Angry Birds.
(after all, isn’t this what this whole post is about?

) —

Happy Wednesday, lovelies!

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Best Things in Life, Cupcakes, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

I never knew I could experience such a strong emotional attachment to a cake until this weekend when I couldn’t bear to part with my newest creation. I wanted to keep it for myself… not to eat, but to put on display and admire and perhaps take shameless, off-centred, self-portraits with it and use it as my Facebook profile picture. I was in love with this cake from start to finish and how fitting that the recipient was also named “Jennifer”. It was meant to be! *winK!*

When I received a request to do a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-themed cake, I was ecstatic! I’m not a fan of square/angular cakes because of its sharp edges and the pressure to get them exactly at 90-degrees but me being me, I never like to turn down a challenge. Complex techniques stretch and build my skills as a cake artist and if you’re not moving forward, you’re just staying still (or possibly slipping back). In order to grow in your profession, you have to continually take risks and do something different. You can’t expect to do the same thing every day and get different results. So instead of turning away or being intimidated by detailed cakes, I stare at it and say, “BRING ITTTT!” I’ve always been an admirer of Tiffany’s jewelry, from AFAR. How far? FAR… FAR… farrrr. I browse their website once in a while and I even went to their store at the Peninsula Hotel (Hong Kong), but that’s as connected as I am to this brand (until I find my rich husband, of course!).

I love everything about this cake from the pearly white bow to the edible image of Ms Hepburn herself. I love the softness of the pink and ivory roses preserving the delicateness of the cake and how the signature Tiffany Blue is just right. I enjoyed every minute that this cake and I spent together… all 8 hours!

During that time, I was watching one of my favourite movies, Sweet Home Alabama and lookie! They have a scene dedicated to Tiffany’s! (start from 0.33 minutes)

Is it every girl’s dream to receive a Tiffany’s engagement ring? I thought about this when I was making this cake. I’ve never really been big on jewelry so if my boyfriend proposed with a 25c candy ring pop from one of those vending machines, I’d be fine with it. However, I can foresee problems in the future (many many problems) and a lot of, “Remember when you proposed with that ring pop that I forgot in my purse and it attracted ants?”… ha ha!

Also, I would like to THANK everyone for entering Sweet Escapes’ Valentine’s Day Cupcake contest on Facebook. The question was, “What is your perfect date?” and I love all your responses!

I guess it’s fair that I answer that question as well, huh?

I don’t have a picture of a “PERFECT DATE” in mind but I would like my ideal partner to be versatile, spontaneous and grounded. We can do anything and everything together from working out to traveling together, from going ice skating to dining out. He has to be a true man of God and have a BIG loving heart to match his larger-than-life spirit.

Life to me is a sum of the little moments we share together. Those moments that we get so lost in each other that the world fades away and all we want to do is STAY there. I love trying new things so doing something that is foreign to both of us would be my perfect date. Life is about sharing adventures together and what better company to share that with than your potential life partner?

I’m such a cheeseball.

Have a GREAT first day back to work, everyone!

Tags: breakfast at tiffany's, favourite cake
Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Birthdays, Cakes, Girly Girl, Special Occasions | No Comments »

I Dream of Vanilla Beans

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Vanilla beans are so expensive and I rarely use them… until now. I bought some pods before I went to Hong Kong and I couldn’t believe that such a fragrant and powerful aroma came from tiny little seeds. I brought back a bottle of Madagascar vanilla bean paste to experiment with and when I used it for the first time… I fell in love. There’s just so many things I love about them like how the cost of one bottle is equivalent to the cost of 4 vanilla beans (and they taste/smell the same AND are made from actual vanilla beans). They’re also already made into a paste and I don’t have to cut + scrape the seeds out of the pods (although that’s my favourite part!). And there’s less of a mess to clean up!

I’ve been substituting vanilla beans in my recipes that call for vanilla extract and although the difference is minimal to the average person, that is certainly not the case to the discerning palette. Fireworks. An explosion of taste. Amazingness! (it yields such results that it caused me to make up new words! )

No matter how many new and exciting flavours are invented (or found on Google) each day, my tried and true cupcake will always be classic vanilla. There is something so fresh and pure about vanilla cupcakes. This photo drives me crazy, but in a good way. I’ve been obsessed with purple lately and I love how the background looks pixelated (completely by chance that it came out that way). I also love the ripple on the cupcake from the liner, the way the sunlight kisses it at the right angle and the tiny black specks of vanilla bean seeds in the buttercream.

Like catnip to a cat…

Tags: cupcake, ingredients
Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Cupcakes | 2 Comments »

My Favourite Street of All

Monday, October 31st, 2011

I’m BACCCCKKK! Did you miss me? It’s so surreal to be back. My vacation in Hong Kong was very fast-paced and there was lots to do each day. Our biggest worry was where/when we were going to eat lunch. It was the best two weeks this year, by far! I feel so rested and refreshed – like getting 100 massages! But massages for my mind, body and spirit. If you’re on the fence about taking a vacation, I’d say, “GO FOR IT!” Your day-in and day-out routine will thank you for it!

While in Hong Kong, I stopped by Shanghai Street in Mongkok which sold commercial kitchen equipment. This street was like Sesame Street to me – I just want to live there. All the tools and equipment or “toys” as I like to call it, were a fraction of the price if I were to buy it here. I found a store called, “I *HEART* CAKE” and I stayed in there for a good hour. It was STOCKED with cookie cutters, fondant, food colouring, gumpaste tools, cutesy packaging and everything in between! The only bad thing about the store was that it was super small and packed with people and I’m a claustrophobic at heart.

I won’t say anything else… I’ll let the pictures do the talking

See what I mean?

I bought about $50cdn worth of toys and they filled up two reuseable bags. I had a “FUN” time carrying them home in the cab! Each cookie cutter was 50c, each cutesy character cutter was $2… and all Wilton tools were re-packaged and sold at 1/10th of its North American price. Just thinking about my shopping experience and the goods I brought home makes me heart beat faster.

Stay tuned… more to come!

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things | No Comments »

Spicy Cheese Crackers

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

I’m still trying to decide if these will be going on my Holiday Cookie Line-up. They are extremely addictive and my kitchen always smells nice when they’re baking in the oven. I used to cut them really thick but I discovered that if I cut them really thinly, they taste better. Cookies are meant to be kept in an airtight container to stay crisp but it was really late when I baked them and I forgot to pack them away. I ate them the next day and they tasted AMAZING! Like cheese chips. So so good (but so so bad at the same time).

I added more cheese on top before I baked them and it was heavenly. Although there’s chilli powder in them, they’re not as spicy as I want it. Maybe I’ll add more next time. If these are available for Christmas, I’ll be in big trouble because they will not make it out. I can eat the broken ones, right?

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, fresh from the oven | 1 Comment »

My New Favourite Cupcake(s)

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

It’s been a busy few days in the kitchen for me. Lots of recipe-testing, lots of successes + *sigH*… lots of failures. Okay, one failure but it felt like a lot more! I’ve been keeping a wish list of all the recipes I want to try and I’m glad I got to cross off a few this week I feel so productive. I’ve also been putting together tons and tons of packaging (boxes/ribbons/tags) for upcoming events. Now I remember why I hate glue. So sticky and messy… blah!! Double-sided tape rocks my world

This apple cake was DELISSSH! It made my kitchen smell like Thanksgiving. The marriage of apples and cinnamon was a match made in heaven and when it hit my tastebuds, they thanked me repeatedly and anticipated the next time they would meet again. Then there was the creamy, rich, smooth frosting that complemented the moist and airy cake. The frosting that when eaten with the cake, filled each air pocket and my senses with sheer delight. And to top it off–the crispy oat topping added texture and CRUNCH and the perfect finish to my new favourite cupcake.

Double chocolate cupcakes with mango buttercream. Another beautiful cupcake.

Posted in A Few of My Favourite Things, Cupcakes | No Comments »