I have been meaning to get around to showing you guys this for ages. I made this lovely cake for my lovely friends Dominika and James as their wedding cake. I had stared looking at these lovely cakes on pinterest and never dreamed I would be able to pull one off myself. But it came out perfectly. I had done the rose design on a small scale before but now it was time to tackle the ombre. I have a plan to make this for my own wedding so actually relished the opportunity to have a little practice. It took me three nights, but if you had time you could easily do it in two. Probably a whole day overall. I also went through an insane amount of butter cream frosting, so this is definitely a job for Costco if you don’t want to be bankrupt by the end of it. The actual roses are extremely easy to do and the most novice of bakers could pull it off. It’s all about the tip which I bought at the bakers mart, that provides the rose, all you have to do is make a swirl.

Ingredients 

Cake

4 sticks of butter (550g)

550g grams of white sugar

5 eggs

550g of flour

2 tablespoons of baking powder

A pinch of salt

200ml of milk

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Pink food coloring

Frosting

500g of cream cheese

4 sticks of butter (550g)

650g of icing sugar

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Pink food coloring

Directions

First you need to make 6 sponges. I made mine in two batches as my mixing bowl is not nearly big enough, so split the ingredients about in half if you are going to do this.  If you want to speed things up or take the easy road you could use 2 boxes of cake mix instead.

First cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl and mix the vanilla extract with the milk in another. Start off by folding in a third of the flour mixture, then adding half the milk, then adding the second third of flour, then the second half of the milk, then the flour. Make sure your mixture is combined well, then share between 3 bowls. You will need to repeat the process with your second batch of ingredients so you have six bowls of cake mix overall.

To make the ombre layers you need to have 6 different gradients of your base colour. I left one plain then started on the lightest pink. One drop of  food colouring was almost too much for this so be careful. I think I did 2 drops for the second level. Add your colouring until you reach colours that you are happy with.  I filled my tins with each of the different colours . I used the throw away round silver foil dishes, I just found it easier. They have a slight ridge on them but you can iron this out with frosting later. I baked them two at a time, because my new oven is lovely and big and can fit in two. When I made my rainbow cake I had to do it singly though. If yours is big enough, cook a few at a time. The layers are thin so they don’t take too long, about 12 minutes each at 175 degrees Celcius. Whilst the first 3 colours were baking I started on making the second batch of mix for the last 3. Remove them from the heat and allow to cool. I left mine overnight.

To make the frosting allow the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Then mix together with the vanilla extract until combined. Add the icing sugar a bit at a time until all the icing sugar has combined and the frosting is a good consistency. You can add more or less icing sugar depending on how sweet you like it.

To assemble the cake. Place your sponges in the fridge or the freezer for an hour to let them harden. They will be much easier to work with. Put the darkest sponge at the bottom and add a layer of frosting then top with the next darkest one. Add another layer of frosting and top with the second to last darkest one, then put the whole thing back in the fridge for about an hour to let it harden. If you try to assemble all the layers at this point it will end up being very wonky or could collapse. After an hour add a layer of frosting to the top and place the next sponge on top. Add another layer of frosting, then top with the light pink. Top with another layer of frosting and finally top  with the lightest colored sponge. Give the top layer a very thin coating of frosting. Then do a fine crumb coating around the edge of the cake trying to fill in any gaps between the layers. When that’s finished put the whole thing in the fridge for at least another hour.

Now it’s time to start your ombre roses. I decided to do mine light to dark, but you can do the opposite if you prefer. I started with the base colour and did one layer of roses around the edge. You literally just make a spiral, starting in the middle and go once or twice around. Try to join them up as best as you can, and fill in any gaps with blobs of frosting. Once your first layer is finished, pop the cake back in the fridge and let it set before taking the next one. Add a little food coloring to your frosting to make your next layer and do the same as before. Then pop it in the fridge before doing the third and fourth layer. Cover the top with the same color you used for the fourth layer, making sure you fill in any gaps. When you have finished decorating leave in the fridge for at least another two hours to let it set properly.

This cake may have taken quite a few hours to make, but it was worth it to see the guests smile about it at the wedding. Everyone said how lovely it was and for me that made all the hours worth it. It’s not really a difficult thing to make at all, it’s just time consuming. So if you want to make a beautiful cake for a friend’s wedding or event and don’t have much skill decorating wise, ombre roses are the way to go.

Last Sunday morning I was lying in bed trying to decide what to have for my breakfast. I was craving french toast, but wanted to amp up the volume and change it up a bit so I hit upon that old British classic, bread and butter pudding. What could be better than lovely custardy french toast slathered in even more, lovely vanilla custard. Part breakfast part dessert; I am not ashamed to admit that I ate the whole thing over the course of the day whilst watching episodes of Columbo on Netflix. I’m not sure if I should be rather ashamed that I am turning into my Nan, but I am not. It was a lovely way to spend the end of the weekend on a cold rainy day. Next time I might add a few berries or some Nutella to mix it up.

Ingredients

French Toast

1 1/2 loaves of bread (Morning toast bread from Paris Baguette)

300ml of cream

300ml of full fat milk

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

4 tablespoons of sugar

Half a stick of butter (for frying)

Custard

6 egg yolks

1 egg

75g white sugar

25g of flour

4 teaspoons of corn flour / cornstarch (They sell it in all Korean supermarkets, it’s got a picture of corn on the front)

500ml of milk

1 tablespoon of Vanilla syrup

A few drops of vanilla extract (you can use the extract, the syrup or a vanilla pod)

Directions

Cut your loaf into 3/4 of an inch thick slices. I made mine using a fresh loaf but if you let it go stale for a day I am told it’s even better. In a large bowl beat together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla until mixed together. Heat your pan to a low/medium temperature and throw in a knob of butter. Dip a slice of bread into the custard mixture, let it soak up those juices, then turn it over to do the other side and throw it into the frying pan. Depending on the size of your frying pan you will be able to cook 2-3 slices at a time. After a few minutes it should be golden brown on the bottom side. Flip it over and do the other side for a few more minutes. Making sure that the custard has set in the middle, remove from the pan and cook the remaining slices. When all of your french toast is made, cut into triangles and arrange in your dish. Then make the lovely custard.

To make the custard whisk your egg yolks and egg with the sugar until it has become a very pale yellow. Whisk in the flour and corn flour until it has combined then set aside. Heat the milk and vanilla on a low heat until it has just started to boil then take it off the heat and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly mix the hot milk into the yolk and flour mixture until it has combined then pour it into a saucepan. Put the custard on a very low heat and whisk it continuously until it begins to thicken. This will happen all at once so make sure you keep an eye on it or it will curdle. Once it’s thickened into custard you can remove from the heat and pour it all over the french toast.  Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake in the oven at 180ºC for about 20 minutes, until the sugar has browned and you have a lovely bread and buttery goodness on your hands. Serve with extra maple syrup if you have a seriously sweet tooth.

I love these babies so much, I had to share them with you. They are insanely easy to make and taste just like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, but bigger! I love peanut butter and chocolate combinations, it’s possibly my favourite sweet pairing. I’m pretty sure I could manage to eat peanut butter cups all day long. However here they are just so pricey and hard to find. It’s easy enough to make them yourself but with the double chocolate layers it can take a while to make them. This way they are made in 10 minutes. The only hard part is waiting 40 minutes for the chocolate to set. I love them so much I already finished the entire pan, and have already bought the ingredients to make a second batch, except next time I’m going to add Nutella too! I shall let you know the results.

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits (called Digest)

226g of butter (2 sticks)

3/4 of a jar of peanut butter

3/4 of a cup of icing sugar

150g of chocolate (I used 3 dove bars)

4 tablespoons peanut butter

Directions

Line a square tin with a layer of grease proof paper and set aside. Crush the digestive biscuits until they resemble fine crumbs. Melt the butter on the stove then stir in the biscuit crumbs. Stir in the peanut butter and icing sugar until you have a golden paste then pour into the tin, and level off with a knife. Put in the refrigerator to chill while you make the topping.

Melt your chocolate in a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, then stir in the 4 tablespoons of peanut butter. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the peanut mixture and leave to set in the fridge for 40 minutes to 1 hour. You can lick the bowl to help comfort you during the long wait. Pull the paper out from the tin and cut your delicious treats into slices and devour. Voilà peanut butter bars in an hour all from a quick trip to your local Korean supermarket.

It’s my birthday!!! Today, A Fat Girl’s Food Guide is 1 year old. I am amazed at my staying power and the fact that I have managed to keep it up all this time. It is thanks to you dear readers for all of your comments and support that has kept me going all this time.  I would also like to thank all my friends, family, and dining companions that have accompanied me on various meals out and have graciously let me take pictures of all the food before tucking in, no matter how hungry they were. lastly I want to thank my boyfriend, for his numerous trips to supermarkets and shops to buy endless ingredients, for his patience and support when I have been up all night cooking and lastly for editing each and every post.  I am in awe of what I have managed to achieve in the past year, it has surpassed all my expectations of what I ever thought I would accomplish. In the past year I have written 227 posts. I have gained 971 likes on Facebook, gotten over 117,000 hits and 1 mention in The Korean Times.  Numerous recipes have been made and tonnes of restaurants visited. I have gained 4lbs in the past year that can only be accredited to the endless amount of baked goods I have been forced to eat all in the vein of this blog.

So to celebrate my one year of blogging I had to make myself a cake. It’s not a birthday without cake is it? I had been planning on making this rainbow cake for some time now but hadn’t managed to get around to it. Actually, that’s a lie, I have been putting it off, as baking a cake is a lot of work, especially in 30 degree weather, but the time had come so I rolled up my sleeves and got to it. If you want to make this a whole lot easier on yourself then buy two boxes of the white cake mix from the foreign food mart. I would have done this myself but I couldn’t bear to spend 10,000 on cake when I already had all the ingredients all ready at home. I just used a plain vanilla sponge recipe, that I have been making since school. I also bought little foil containers to bake all the sponges in and they worked like a dream. I only have one cake tin so it would have made the process a whole lot longer had I had to re-use it over and over again. The frosting I used was half cream cheese half butter, so it didn’t make the whole thing too sweet. I am immensly proud at how this cake turned out, possibly the best one I have ever made. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients

Cake

4 sticks of butter (550g)

550g grams of white sugar

5 eggs

550g of flour

2 tablespoons of baking powder

a pinch of salt

200ml of milk

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Food colouring to make red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Frosting

500g of cream cheese

4 sticks of butter (550g)

650g of icing sugar

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

Directions

I made my cake mixture in two batches, so if it’s easier for you, split the ingredients in half and do it over twice. Or, if you’re short on time buy two boxes of cake mix.

To make the cake, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl and mix the vanilla extract with the milk in another. Start off by folding in a third of the flour mixture, then adding half the milk, then adding the second third of flour, then the second half of the milk, then the flour. Make sure your mixture is combined well, then share between 3 bowls. Add your colouring until you reach colours that you are happy with. It has been suggested that the gel food colouring provides a better result but I was out of red so I just used liquid and I was pretty happy. Yes, I could have added more but I didn’t want to eat a cake that tasted of food colouring. I filled my tins with each of the different colours and baked them one by one. Oh the joys of having a toaster oven! If yours is big enough cook a few at a time. The layers are thin so they don’t take too long, about 12 minutes each at 175 degrees Celcius. Whilst the first 3 colours were baking I started on making the second batch of mix for the last 3. Remove them from the heat and allow to cool. I left mine overnight.

To make the frosting allow the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature. In this heat it shouldn’t take too long! Then mix together with the vanilla extract until combined. Add the icing sugar a bit at a time until all the icing sugar has combined and the frosting is a good consistency. You can add more or less icing sugar depending on how sweet you like it.

To assemble the cake. Place your sponges in the fridge or the freezer for an hour to let them harden. They will be much easier to work with. Put the purple sponge at the bottom and add a layer of frosting then top with the blue one. Add another layer of frosting and top with the green then put the whole thing back in the fridge for about an hour to let it harden. If you try to assemble all the layers at this point it will end up being very wonky or could collapse. After an hour add a layer of frosting to the top and place the yellow sponge on top. Add another layer of frosting, then top with the orange. Top with another layer of frosting and finally top  with the red sponge. Give the top of the red layer a very thin coating of frosting. Then do a fine crumb coating around the edge of the cake trying to fill in any gaps between the layers, then put the whole thing in the fridge for at least another hour. When it has been chilled, coat the whole cake in another layer of frosting to make sure you cant see any of the colours shining through. Try and make the edges as neat as you can. My skills arent really up to much but there are some amazing ones I have seen online. Decorate the top with sprinkles or any decorations you have. I have seen a cake that is completely coated in sprinkles that looks spectacular, however I didn’t have the foresight to visit the bakers mart to get them. It’s not really the outside of the cake that counts here though, the surprise is inside. When you have finished decorating leave in the fridge for at least another two hours to let it set properly. Once set, slice into your beautiful cake, give yourself a pat on the back, and taste the rainbow. Voilà the truly fabulous rainbow cake. Happy birthday to me, feel free to send presents! x

I have been making and devouring this cake for ages now but have only just got around to posting it. It was another pinterest find. The second I saw it I knew it had to be mine. I love chocolate éclairs, can’t get enough of them, so I was intrigued by a cake that shared the same name but that was made with graham crackers. How could it possibly be like a delicious, delicious éclair? Turns out I was wrong and the texture was very similar. I have changed the recipe a bit as the original called for vanilla pudding and cool whip. I used good old custard and regular cream and it went down a storm. It is possibly one of my new favourite desserts. The only bad bit is that you have to refrigerate it for at least 12-24 hours before you can eat it.

Ingredients

custard

6 egg yolks

1 egg

75g white sugar

25g of flour

4 teaspoons of corn flour / cornstarch (I got mine at the bakery mart)

500ml of milk

1 tablespoon of Vanilla syrup

A few drops of vanilla extract (you can use the extract, the syrup or a vanilla pod)

Graham crackers (Itaewon foreign food mart)

150g of milk or dark chocolate (I just used Dove or Ghana)

100ml of milk

200ml of cream

Directions

To make the custard whisk your egg yolks and egg with the sugar until it has become a very pale yellow. Whisk in the flour and corn flour until it has combined then set aside. Heat the milk and vanilla on a low heat until it has just started to boil then take it off the heat and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly mix the hot milk into the yolk and flour mixture until it has combined then pour it into a saucepan. Put the custard on a very low heat and whisk it continuously until it begins to thicken. This will happen all at once so make sure you keep an eye on it or it will curdle. Once its thickened into custard you can remove from the heat. Sprinkle icing sugar on the top to stop a skin forming as you wait for it to cool.

Whip the cream until it is stiff then fold into the cooled custard.

To assemble the dessert put a layer of Graham crackers onto the bottom of your dish. Top with a third of the custard and cream mixture then put on another layer of the Graham crackers. Top with the second third of custard then another layer of Graham crackers. Top with the final third of custard and the fourth layer of Graham crackers.

In a clean metal or glass bowl melt the chocolate and milk over a bowl of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted you should have a nice glossy chocolate sauce. Pour this over the top layer of Graham crackers and spread it over to make sure it’s even. Put the dessert in the fridge for at least 12-24 hours. Overnight is best, as this makes the Graham crackers soft and éclair-pastry like. Voilà, éclair cake, the easy way to make a chocolate éclair.

Last week I made this cake in honor of my friend Sarah’s birthday. It is a coconut and mango cake  (aka the Princess Sarah) in tribute to a costume she once wore at a fancy dress themed birthday. I had been longing to make this for a while now. I made a coconut sponge and coconut cream cheese frosting and it’s filled with mango curd. It was nice change from my usually chocolate or coffee creations and will swiftly be added to my repertoire. I once again made the sponge in the rice cooker. I just find that they bake a lot more evenly than when I do them in the toaster oven as the heat is more evenly distributed.

Ingredients

Cake

2o0g of all purpose flour

200g of white sugar

200g of butter

3 eggs

4 tablespoons of coconut milk

1 teaspoon of baking powder

Mango curd

200g of frozen mango (you can use fresh, but it’s very pricey in SK)

85g of butter

4 egg yolks

100g of white sugar

1 tablespoon of corn starch

200ml of orange juice (you could also use mango juice)

1 lemon (juice and zest)

Frosting 

200g of cream cheese

1 stick of butter

400g of sugar powder

3 tablespoons of coconut cream (the thick white stuff at the top of the can of coconut milk)

Directions

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Then beat in the eggs. Stir in the coconut milk then mix well. In a separate bowl sift the flour and baking powder. Then fold into the coconut mixture. Take your rice cooker pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Then put the cake mixture inside. Press the cook setting and then continue to keep checking it every time it pops up. You may have to go though several cycles depending on the make and model of your rice cooker. However you will get there in the end so hang in there. You can tell when it’s done when the top is spongy to the touch. Remove the cake from the pan and leave to cool for a couple of hours.

To make the mango curd blend the mango and the juice until the mango is completely pureed. Put the pureed mango in a saucepan along with the sugar, cornflour,  lemon juice and zest and whisk together. Turn on to a medium heat. Continue stirring, until it starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Continue to stir until the butter has melted, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. When the mixture has completely combined, turn the heat back on to low and stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Allow to cool completely before using in the cake. You can store any remnants in an air tight container and keep in your fridge for weeks.

To make the frosting, let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature and mix together in a bowl. Stir in the sugar powder bit by bit  until none is left and you have a very thick butter-cream consistency. Add the thick coconut cream from the top of the can a spoonful at a time. Add as much as you need but don’t let the frosting get too runny, you can add more powder sugar if you need it.

To assemble the cake cut the sponge into two halves. Pipe a circle of frosting all the way around the edge then fill with the mango curd.

Top with the second half of sponge then add another layer of frosting on the top and sides so it is completely coated. You can decorate the cake however you wish. I made my pretty frosting flowers on the top and decorated the sides in desiccated coconut. Once you have finished decorating pop the cake back in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Voilà a fruity delight of a cake, perfect for any princess or birthday girl.

This is why I am fat. Recipes like this which I just cannot resist. I’m never going to be slim, I just love food far too much (more than being slim anyhow). The second I saw a picture of these babies I knew I had to have them. I wasn’t sure if the taste would live up to the picture but oh my god these were cramazing (that’s crazy amazing to those of you unfamiliar with my lingo). To be fair though how could they not be, with pedigree parents like the cookie and brownie its pretty obvious that their babies are going to taste delicious too. Throw  a Reeces peanut butter cup inside that baby and you have got food porn of the highest caliber  The best part is they are so easy to make! I made my own cookie dough, but you could totally use one of the pre-prepared mixes. This is baking at its most basic but throwing 3 magic ingredients together to come up with something insanely good.

Ingredients

12 Reeces peanut butter cups (I also tried some with Rolos)

1 pack of brownie mix (Tous le jours brand)

Cookies

1 stick of butter

100g of white sugar

50g of brown sugar

60g of chocolate chips

1 egg

150g of flour

1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda

Directions

To make the cookie dough, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Cream together the sugar and butter until its light and fluffy. Next add the egg  and mix in the chocolate chips. Then Stir in the sifted flour and baking soda. Mix together until the dough has formed. In a separate bowl make the brownie mix according to the instructions on the back. On my box you just add water.

Grease a muffin tin with a little butter. Place a a tablespoon of cookie dough into each section and press down with your fingers so it covers the bottom layer. Place a Reeces peanut butter cup face down. Then top with a tablespoon or two of  brownie mix.

Bake in the oven for about 12-20 minutes or until the brownie is cooked. Allow the brownookies to cool completely before removing from the pan if you want them to stay intact. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, repeat until your jeans no longer fit you or until they have all gone. Voilà the easiest and tastiest baked treat ever.

As promised here is my recipe for the second rice cooker cake. Its very much the same as the first one, except instead of using chocolate and coffee I’m using lemon. This makes a much fresher and lighter alternative. I think this one is actually my favourite, as I’m madly obsessed with lemon these days. I also added a layer of lemon curd in the middle as well as the cream cheese frosting to make it extra special. You can omit this step if you like though.

Ingredients

Cake

200g of butter

2o0g of white sugar

200g of all purpose flour (I use the buksul one for noodles and dumplings)

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 lemon (zest and juice)

Creamcheese  frosting

130g of butter (1 stick)

200g of cream cheese (softened)

400g of icing sugar (sugar powder)

1/2 lemon (zest and juice)

Lemon Curd

3 lemons (zest and juice)

100g of white sugar

4 egg yolks

2 tablespoons of corn flour

85g of butter

100ml orange juice

100ml of water

Directions

Cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the lemon juice and zest then mix well. In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking powder. Fold into the lemon mixture. Take your rice cooker pan and line it with a piece of parchment paper. Then put the cake mixture inside. Press the cook setting and then continue to keep checking it every time it pops up. You may have to go though several cycles depending on the make and model of your rice cooker. However you will get there in the end so hang in there. You can tell when it’s done when the top is spongy to the touch. Remove the cake from the pan and leave to cool for a couple of hours.

To make the frosting let the butter and cream cheese get to room temperature then beat together  add the lemon juice and zest and mix. Finally beat in the sugar powder until it has all been fully combined. If it a little dry you can add more lemon juice or some milk.

To make the lemon curd put the corn flour, sugar, lemon zest and juice into a saucepan and stir. Add the orange juice and water then turn on to a medium heat. Continue stirring, until it starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add the butter. Continue to stir until the butter has melted, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. When the mixture has completely combined, turn the heat back on to low and stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken and bubble. Let the curd cool completely before using it in the cake. This recipe will make about a pint of lemon curd which you will not need for the cake. You can halve or quarter the recipe if you wish or use the remaining curd to make lemon bars like I did, recipe coming soon!

Slice you cake in half one it has cooled and fill the middle with one half of the frosting and a layer of lemon curd. Sandwich the two pieces together then top the cake with the other half of the frosting. Decorate with a dusting of icing sugar or lemon zest. Voilà the tastiest lemon cake that was ever made in a rice cooker!

I have been making lots of Valentine’s Day themed recipes lately. For me nothing says I love you like a big pile of cupcakes. Incidentally if I have any secret admirers out there then a batch of these babies could be just the ticket to win my girlish heart. They are red, tasty, and everyone loves cake. I whipped up some to handout to my co-workers and they went down rather well. Had I had the foresight to buy some I would have made them extra special by topping them with the heart shaped sprinkles you can buy at the bakers mart. However let’s be fair here it’s the cake that counts. Mine are also displayed in some very adorable union jack cupcake cases my lovely mummy sent me for Christmas.

Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

250g of flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (dutch or regular)

113g or one stick of butter

300g white sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of buttermilk (just put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into a cup of normal milk and leave for five minutes)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

2 tablespoons of red food coloring (Foreign food mart or Bangsan market)

1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar (foreign food mart)

1 teaspoon of baking soda

White Chocolate Butter Cream

113g of butter (1 stick, room temperature)

150g cream cheese (philadelphia)

150g of white chocolate

250g of icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to about 185 degrees Celsius. Cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well, either with an electric mixer or by hand, then add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add one third of the flour mix into the butter and sugar and fold in with a metal spoon in a figure of 8 movement (do not whisk). Add the red food coloring to the buttermilk then add half of it to the cake mix. Stir together then add another third of the flour. Mix in the second half of the buttermilk then finish with the last third of the flour. In a cup mix together the vinegar and the baking soda then quickly add it to the cake mix and stir thoroughly. Next put the mixture straight into the cupcake cases and bake for around 10-15 minutes or until they are spongy to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean. When all the cupcakes are done leave them to cool before frosting them.

To make the butter-cream melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir and leave to cool slightly. Beat together the butter and the cream cheese. When the chocolate is still melted but not hot (you don’t want to melt the butter) add to the butter and cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract and stir in the icing sugar until the butter-cream has thickened to the right consistency. Leave at room temperature. If you put it into the fridge it will set and make it hard to frost the cupcakes. If you have a piping bag and nozzle then use these to decorate them, they look much better than if you just use a regular knife. Decorate with sprinkles if you like. Voilà red velvet cupcakes, the perfect way to share your love this Valentine’s Day.

Just to name just a few they have: baking ingredients, beans, herbs, spices, dressings, marinades, couscous, quinoa, tea, coffee, vitamins, herb extracts, dried fruit, herbs, nuts, oils, stock cubes,vinegar, Kettle crisps, and chocolate!

They have an expansive range of herbs and spices, I picked up cumin seeds, Cajun seasoning,  and Mexican seasoning. Although some of these things are available at the foreign food mart in Itaewon , there are so many people living far away that cant get to them. Also the prices are very cheap, its much easier to order online than go out trekking in the cold and I live 15 minutes away.

Here’s a picture of my first order:

I am a big fan of apple cider vinegar. I discovered it about 6 months ago and have been an avid fan ever since. There has been a lot written about it but I think one of the many benefits of taking a spoonful in water twice a day is weight-loss. When ever I return from holiday a few pounds heavier I start up on the apple cider vinegar and the pounds are usually gone within a week. However I never have a large enough supply to keep this up for a significant amount of time. I haven’t found anywhere in Korea when you can get it that includes the active mother which is vital. Now I know they have it on iHerb I can order until my hearts content.

I ordered a bag of quinoa. I used to use it a lot back home so was disappointed not to find it here. It is now available at Emart, but it’s pretty expensive. But an order from Iherb was lovely and cheap.

I also ordered some wheat bran for my muesli. I love muesli and eat it on top my fruit and yogurt for breakfast everyday. However too many of the pre-packaged ones you can buy here, have so much sugar in them you might as well be eating chocolate for breakfast. I’ve always liked making my own, chocking it full of fruit, nuts, and seeds to make it healthier. I’ve always had trouble finding bran or wheat flakes so now I have a large supply. They do have wheat flakes at high street market though if you live in the Itaewon area.

I also bought some instant miso soups for instant work snacks and some kettle crisps. Just because I love them. My total order with the discount and shipping was $29.98!

Delivery is a flat $4 for 15 pounds of goodies. An absolute bargain! I placed my order on Tuesday and it was ready and waiting for me on the Monday. So not long at all to wait really. I’ve already placed another two orders since then which I’m very excited to receive.

The best part about I -herb is you only have to enter you details once. They will retain your address and credit card so you just have to click a button to place your next order. Although I might add it’s also a little a dangerous, if you’re anything like me. At 3am last week I decided on a whim I’d like to give the master cleanse a go. I selected all my items and just one click later they were on their way. If I had had to get up and find my bank card and address I probably wouldn’t have ended up getting them so beware if you are a shopaholic like me. I very much doubt I will last very long on the cleanse but its only cost 20,000 for everything including the postage and packing. That’s less than a pizza, so I can hardly go wrong.

They also have a freebies section, so with every order you can get one free gift, how cool is that?

If all that wasn’t enough you can also get a big saving on your first order, just use my gift code MRV792 and you could save loads, $10 on a $40 spend and $5 for under. Its worth spending more though as mine actually got cheaper the more I put on to it. You can visit this lovely online store here.  Happy shopping!

http://www.iherb.com/