New Things To Learn

Boy! Do I have tonnessssssssss of new things to learn when it comes to cake baking & decorating! I hardly finish touching base with the basic things & already new tutorials on cake baking/decorating are booming like mushrooms all over the internet :-P It's so hard to catch up when you're just a novice like me :-P Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to really finish learning all the basic things in cake baking & decorating :-P

I guess looking at all my previous goodies, one could clearly see what a true & true novice I am in this cake business *blush* Heck! Sometimes I would see works of an 11 years old in the internet & his/her work is sooooooooooooooo much elegant than mine! Infact, watching those Junior Masterchef Australia is enough to put me to shame :-P What an embarrassment! *double blush!*

Nevertheless, I'm so thankful with the little knowledge that I have...I guess it's just enough ( for now! ) to keep my passion going ;-) Honestly, what I'm most thankful for is the non-stop encouragements that my goodies lovers had been showering me through out my journey in this passion of mine...Yes, without all those love & support, I don't think I'll ever have the guts to move forward & try all the new things in cake decorating :-P

One such occasion was when I'm asked to make a cake with a cartoon character of Barney...The moment Dida told me of her cake requirements, my jaw practically dropped to the floor! :-P Yes, it may be the easiest thing to do for a much experienced baker. A piece of cake, as they might be saying but do bear in mind that I'm a novice & never did know the do's and tricks of any cake decorating :-P So how am I supposed to come up with a cake with a cartoon character on it?!! *dilemma*

I told my dilemma to Dida & had in fact suggested some edible or toys to be put as her cake's deco...Dida wouldn't hear any of it & insisted that I try my best to explore more on my cake decorating abilities. My reaction to Dida was, "Abilities? What abilities?!!" :-P In which Dida said, "Just try! Use my cake order as an experiment". So sweet of her, right? *muahhhsss to you Dida!*

Well, as much as I appreciate Dida's offer, I told her that I wouldn't feel nice if later on ( after I experimented my cartoon drawings ), her cake turns out NOT as per her expectation...And guess what sweet dear Dida said?..."It's okay, I'll accept the cake however it turns out. As long as you'll try"...

Thanks to such encouragements from Dida & so much of self's 'kick-in-the-you-know-where' moments, I finally managed to self taught myself another cake decorating method :-) Yeayyyy! Now I can scratch out another item from my 'I-need-to-learn-this' list :-P

Here's the outcome of Dida's cake, made especially for her son's birthday...

Barney Themed Birthday Cake

( Red Velvet Cake & Lemon Cream Cheese Frostings )

My 1st Ever Making A Cartoon Character :-P

Heyyy!! Stop laughing! I know it's not perfect but the important thing is that I DID try, right? *patting my own back* :-P Well, I guess I could do it better next time *wink*

To Dida...Dear, all I can say to you is THANK YOU! Thank you sooooooo much for your encouragements, for your support & most important of all for your confidence in me. For willingly giving me the chance to explore more on my cake decorating skills. I couldn't have done it without you sweetie...You are indeed the wind beneath my wings! Hugs!!

I'll end this post with a message which Dida sent me after receiving her cake :-)

"Ur cake memang superb! My son sangat teruja!! Sampai tak boleh control. Hahaha!! As usual, ur cake memang menjadi KEGILAAN & KETAGIHAN my family & guests! Harap2 bila we all ketagih lagi, u sudi buatkan"

Translation:-

"Your cake is indeed superb! My son was so excited that he's uncontrollable. Hahaha! As usual, my family & guests went crazy & addicted to your cake! Hopefully the next time we crave for your cake, you are willing to make it for us again"

Ain't that the sweetest message one could receive? :-) Thanks Dida! *a big smile on my face*

Give-Away Alert!

Image Taken From The Wide World Of Web

Yes, it's so true that I haven't been around here lately to update my goodies news :-( Been buried under layers of flour & I couldn't free myself long enough to update my post here :-P

However, no matter how busy I am, my heart is always with you, my goodies lovers ♥♥♥ So much so that while I was busy baking & rushing out my orders recently, an idea came to mind...Yes, I've decided to have a give-away contest. Yeayyyy!

It has been a long time dream of mine to share some of my favourite things with my goodies lovers but due to time constraint & unpredictable baking schedules, I've been postponing it far tooooooo long! Decided that it's been wayyyyyyyy to long, so here I am announcing it ;-)

There's a catch though for you to be able to win yourself my give-away...*Yup! Who says it's easy to get free goodies!* :-P

The catch - you will have to be a 'Liker' of my page, Ritz Passion to be eligible for the give-away contest. Easy peasy!

So head on to my page & check out the give-away contest updates as I will be running the contest from my page ;-)

Part Of The Give-Away :-)

Some ( yes! there's more! ) of my favourite things & what you'll stand to win ;-)

♥ From My Ultimate & All Time Favourite Store a.k.a My 2nd Home, Ikea - A Set Of Whisk & Spatula ♥

♥ From My Favourite Book Store , MPH - Easy Baking Cookbook ♥

♥ From My Favourite Supermarket, Cold Storage - Fackelmann Brand Muffin Pan ♥

You know how sometimes good news is always followed by bad news?...Ermmm, well, this is one of those times :-P

Sad to inform that the give-away contest is only applicable for those staying in Malaysia only *glum face* My sincerest apologies to all my oversea's goodies lovers for not being able to share my favourite things with you. As much as I would love to, I found out that the cost of shipping my gifts overseas are wayyyyyyyy so much more than the cost of all the items in my give-away basket :-P Sorry my dear sweeties! Maybe next time I can think up of another give-away that includes you ;-)

Hope this news of mine will bring some happiness & smiles your way ;-) Much love to all! ✗o✗o

♥ Little Elves Of Love ♥

The thought of me being able to spread my love to others through my goodies was the MAIN reason on why I decided to leave my 9-5 job & venture into this home-based business of mine...Yes, I honestly wanted to share my love as I have soooo much to share :-) Little did I know that in time, without me even realizing it, my goodies has worked it's magic on it's own...Now, instead of me spreading love to others, in turn, it's me who's getting love from others! Magic, right?! :-) Who would have thought that a little something like cupcakes, cakes or even cookies could bring so much love...

Looking back, I honestly could say that my little elves a.k.a goodies have done wonders in brightening up my life, especially when it comes to friendship & relationship :-) I'm blessed with so many wonderful new friends, local & abroad...strengthened the love between myself & my good old friends...bringing my family closer than ever...Gosh! Just so many blessings! And the best part of it all, not only does it affect my life, but others as well! :-) I lost count the number of times I've received a 'thank you' note/message from others saying that my goodies has helped them mend a relationship...or even that my goodies has made someone's love for each other grew so much stronger...or that my goodies simply brighten up their day! Those are the things I lived for & am just grateful that I'm able to take part in spreading & sharing love :-)

This brings me to sweet dear Ms. Syikin...An acquaintanceship my little elves a.k.a goodies played a part in :-P Yes, my acquaintanceship with Syikin started out from an order which was  placed by Syikin's close friend, dear Ms. Halifah. Halifah ( who's now a loyal fan of Ritz Passion's goodies...Yeayy! Love you dear! ), initially ordered a set of cupcakes to celebrate both their close friend, Ms. Dat's birthday. That was where Syikin got to know about me & my goodies :-) Now, in turn, Syikin approached me & ordered a set of cupcakes to celebrate Halifah's birthday :-) Beautiful right just how goodies help form friendship? ;-)

Syikin's request was for a set of Red Velvet Cupcakes & for the deco, she wanted me to do something sweet for Halifah...Lucky for me, from the short time I got to know Halifah, I knew exactly the kind of things she likes ;-)

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Lemon Cream Cheese

Sweet Deco Specially Made For A Sweet Lady :-x

The Birthday Girl, Haley & Her BFFs

( Top Right Is Dear Sweet Syikin )

I Simply L.O.V.E The Look Of Glee On Haley's Face :-)

Haley & Her Loved Ones - Hubby Dearie & BFFs

To my dear sweet Syikin, it was indeed an honour to meet your acquaintaince...Thanks so much for choosing my goodies to grace your event. I am indeed over-the-moon that my goodies was a part of Halifah's special day :-) Much love to you Syikin!

To my sweetie pie Halifah, I just loveeeeeeeee your photos, especially the look of glee on everyone's faces, especially yours dear! Priceless! :-) Seemed like a great party indeed! Thank you so much for sharing your photos dear. Wishing you lots of love & happiness always...Muahhhhhhh!!

Hhmmm...I'm really excited & sooo looking forward to see what other magic my little elves a.k.a goodies have in-store for me ;-) In the meantime, I'm sending each & every one of you much...much...MUCH love! ♥♥♥

Baby Shower Cookies

Hhmmm...Handling last minute goodies request might not be a big deal to most cake makers / bakers, but for a novice like me, it's really a big deal! Oh yeah! A big, BIG deal indeed as being a newbie, I have yet to learn the tricks on how to get everything done in an orderly & smooth way :-P From preparing the items needed for each recipes, to setting the baking time & not forgetting the time needed for me to do the decorations. And yes, don't forget that I'm such a fussy person & with this minor OCD that I have ( Yup! I fuss over every micro little details! ), what took others just an hour to bake their goodies, it can easily turn to 2 - 3 hours for me! Not to mention the extra time I need to think up on the decoration ideas, which usually takes me some time since I'm the least creative person ever! :-P

Yes, I'm still soooo much a novice as you could obviously read from the above *blush* Imagine then my reaction when I received an S.O.S 'I-need-some-cookies-pronto' phone call from dear Surya :-P With panic of course! :-P By the way, imagine my panic times two! Why?!! As I'll be making my goodies for another great baker! Uh-huh, for your info, Surya herself is a great baker! Can't blame me for being panicky, rite? :-P

Anyway, Surya's request was for some baby-shower cookies which she would like to present to her mum-to-be friend & since I was so much in shock when Surya gave me the task, my body & brain simply went on 'auto mode'! Ha! Ha!...Auto mode is a time when I don't allow myself to think, worry, panic & anything of that nature :-P Instead, I just went to the kitchen & whipped up some cookies batter. Even the design was an impromptu one! It was what came to my mind at that moment, so I had no choice but to just stick to it :-P Had to since I wasn't spared any creative moment :-P I did however ran through my ideas with Surya, just in case she had some other ideas....And the best part is, all she said was, "I trust you & I know you'll come up with something, so just go ahead & do what ever you think best"...Auwwww, ain't she sweet!

In the end, these was what I did came up with...*blush*

Vanilla Butter Cookies

Huwaaaa!!! :-P

Baby Shower Cookies All Nicely Packed & Ready For Collection :-)

Peek-A-Boo! :-P

Truthfully, I was a little worried on how Surya would react to my cookies once she received it...Luckily my worry was put to rest when I received Surya's text. She simply lovessssssss it! Yeayyyyyy! Not only that, she even told me that all her friends was practically fighting over it :-P Phewwwww! What a relief! :-P

Surya & friends snapped some photos during the baby-shower party & they were kind enough to send me some of it :-) I truly love all the photos Surya sent me & practically begged her to allow me to share some of it here...Surya & friends, thanks sooooooooo much for making my cookies looked so pwettyyyyyy :-P

Sweet Surya...Loving This Photo!

Last but not least, Surya dear, thanks so much for your business....I truly appreciate it! Most important of all, thank you for trusting me to create your cookies :-) I heart you, sweetie!

A Cake For A Drummer

'Erkkkkkkk! What kind of cake should I be making for a musician?'...

Yup! That was how I reacted & the first thing that blurted out of my mouth when my dear uncle told me that he wished to order a birthday cake for one of his studio's band member, Putera. He was planning a surprise birthday party at his studio for Putera & wanted something special for the occasion.

Not wanting to disappoint my uncle, I cranked up my brain & finally an idea hit me! What about a drum shaped cake? I think it would fit perfectly for Putera, who's a drummer to an up & coming underground band, Heart-A-Tack. A drum cake would definitely fit the occasion. The problem is, I've NEVER made a drum shaped cake before! *dilemma*

Always the 'ever-so-eager-over-a-new-project' kind of person, I choose to ignore my lack of experience & insecurity and just went ahead making the cake :-P Hey! I have to at least try, right? :-P I did however warned my uncle that he might end up having an 'urghhhh' cake. Should see his face when I warned him! The look of complete terror! Ha! Ha!

The cake I came up with in the end.... Drum-roll please *no pun intended* :-p

Drum Cake For A Drummer :-)

Though I've never made a drum cake before, I have to admit that I had great fun making it :-) Apart from it being a learning experience, I too get to apply a few new cake decorating tricks which I learned from the wide world of web ( plus You Tube, of course! ) but never did get to try before :-P

In all honesty, what made me happy & touched my heart the most was the reaction I received from both my uncle & aunty when they came to pick up the cake from me...The look of utter disbelief & pure excitement! Such a priceless reaction & one I would always remember :-) They were both so blown away & keep saying 'it looked exactly like a drum!' over & over again :-P Phewwww! A big relief to see that my cake has 'passed' their strict inspections :-)

To my dear uncle & aunty, Tacu & Auntie Miza, thank you so much for believing in me...For trusting me enough to create a cake for Putera's special day. Both your support & encouragement means a great deal to me & I hope I'll be receiving more in the near future :-)

To dear Putera, aka Baby, wishing you all the happiness in the world & praying that all your dreams will come true. Hope you've enjoyed your surprise party & birthday cake :-)

I'm ending this post with a few shots of Putera's at his surprise birthday party...Enjoy!

The Birthday Boy, Putera & His Cake

Putera & His Heart-A-Tack Band Mates

Putera & Close Friends

All About Cookies

Hhmmm...Feels like it's been ages since I update my blog! Sorry goodies lover :-( Mama goodies has been super duper busy of late, rushing out tonnes of goody orders :-P I'm in between orders now & thought I'll grab the moment to pen down ( or should I say, type up? ) something ;-)

Today, it's gonna be all about cookies! Cookies...Boy! I sure love eating them! As far as I can remember, I've been a cookie junkie ever since my childhood years :-P I guess it started with all those ginger snap cookies my parents love to stock up in the kitchen as I was growing up :-P

Being a cookie lover, I usually purchased my cookies from the supermarkets. Yeah, all those Arnott's, Kjeldsens's & Pepperidge Farm's were my choices of cookies...But that was before I discovered my passion for baking :-P Now, ever since I discovered that I can bake ( a fact that I, myself still can't belief! ha..ha...*still pinching myself!* ), I'm just crazy over my home baked cookies. There's nothing yummier than a fresh home baked cookies, especially when it's hot from the oven :-) 

I've been receiving a lot of request from my friends & followers via my Facebook & Emails, asking me for a list of my cookies that is available for purchase...So here it is ;-)

Chocolate Cornflakes Cookies

An all time favourite of my family & close friends, this cookie is a very chocolaty goodies. A crunchy chocolate cookie with strips of white chocolate. A must for all chocolate lovers!

Chocolate Chips & Pecan Cookies

Another one of my family's favorite :-) A crispy chocolaty cookie with loads of pecans & chocolate chips.

Golden Cinnamon Cookies

A different twist from the normal sweet cookies, this cookie is rich in spice. It's texture is similar to those ginger snaps cookies. A supreme treat for cinnamon lovers!

Peanut Butter Cookies

A recipe I especially created for my peanut butter lover honey bunny :-P Yup! It's full of peanut butter taste & not to mention loads of crunchy peanuts. It's like licking a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter, only it's in a cookie form :-P

Rock Cookies

A chocolaty cookie with an irresistible crunchy sugar topping. Another must for chocolate lovers!

Honey Cornflake Cookies

An addictive mixture of crunchy cornflakes with loads of peanuts & almond slivers coated with caramelized honey.

Butter Cookies 

A crunchy & buttery cookies with various flavours to choose from - vanilla, lemon, orange or chocolate. I usually use this cookie recipe for all my fancy cookies order :-)

Ginger Cookies

A richly spiced ginger cookies for all the ginger lovers! I also use this cookie recipe for my fancy cookies order :-)

There are just so much more cookie recipes I wish to whip up...Unfortunately the time is quite envious of me & have yet to grant me some free time for me to play dough ;-) I'll keep you posted whenever I come up with new cookies flavour ;-)

Till then, have a cookielicious day all!