Today's my only day off baking class (yes, I have class on Sun too...) and it so happens that I will end up learning how to cook black pepper crab/ red ruby as part of a short cooking class treat from D :P Have never spent so much time in a 'kitchen' ever!

If you're interested to take a look at my baked goods for the week, you can check out my other blog here :)

I suddenly find myself thrown into baking boot camp! Class overran today (10am to 8pm instead of ending at the official 6pm) and my afternoon after lunch was spent non-stop making cakes. It feels somewhat overwhelming but i suppose it gives me a realistic picture of a baker's life! I am pretty exhausted just after one day and wonder if I will remain so passionate about baking after this :P

Below: My Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty cake "orders" as part of the day's imaginary cake "orders"- the cartoons are made from scratch (piped using pre-printed stencils as reference) using milk/ white chocolate

Come tomorrow, I will commence an intensive 14-day professional full-time baking course with Creative Culinaire. I signed up for this after much deliberation in January - since it was pretty costly and because I was wondering if it was really necessary for me to know all the things taught in this class. After the class, you're supposed to be able to know baking well enough to come up with your own recipes and be confident enough to start your own bakery. Seems like quite a feat in just 14 days - but the chef claims that we will be more than empowered by the end of the class. During the 2-day prep class this Thurs/ Fri just past, she proudly shared that several of her past students have gone on to set up their own shops etc.

For now, my objective is quite simple though - to just learn how to bake better, via understanding the science behind baking, so that I can troubleshoot my own baking failures in future. In an increasingly saturated F&B (bakeries included) marketplace, I don't think I want to put myself through all the stress and headache of setting up and running a physical bakery or cafe. At least not for the time being! I hope I survive the trials of standing most of the day and washing up (everyday for 6 days a week). The chef also joked that she might ask participants to come in in the middle of the night to bake/ occasionally turn off the aircon to simulate real-life conditions. If I remain/ become more passionate about baking after this course, I guess then there is a glimmer of hope for grander dreams heh. Wish me luck!

On a related note - I finally made and blogged about my birthday cake project here :)