What is Caramel Factory?

Let me talk a little bit more about Caramel Factory.

What is Caramel Factory?

Caramel Factory is a baking school & patisserie. We are offering various kinds of baking classes from adults to children class, and are also selling some cakes in the near future. We actually already did children baking classes in December (Dec.19th-22nd 2011), as one of the school holiday program. You can see the details in my previous posts!

As for the adults, we are starting soon in January 2012!

There are three types of classes; Basic, Advanced and Seasonal Special Classes. Here are the class fee and the duration for each class;

 Basic – 3.5hrs, RM180/class

 Advanced – 4hrs, RM195/class

 Seasonal Special Class – 5hrs, RM220/class (occasionally held)

This includes all the ingredients cost and baking tools, so students can come with bare hand and oh, with apron. We will also prepare the ingredients in advance so that the classes can be held smoothly and with shorter time.

During each class, you get to learn two kinds of cakes including one main item and another sub-item. As I wrote in an earlier post, the cakes you learn are mostly French influenced and Japanese style pastries.

This is one of the cakes I’ll be teaching in January. It’s a Japanese Souffle cheesecake!

Basic Class Menu (January)

Also, we are focusing on hand-on workshop style, so that the students get to learn how to bake on their own. Thus each of the class is limited to 8 students.

At the end of the class, there will be a food tasting time over a nice cup of tea or coffee with the cakes I prepared. Of course you will bring back all the cakes you made!!!

Hanae’s 1 year old Birthday @ Caramel Factory!

Merry X’mas!

December 25th is my daughter Hanae’s Birthday! She was born last year on X’mas day, here in Malaysia. I didn’t expect her to be a X’mas baby but she came out at 1:09 AM, right after the clock turned to 25th!

We decided to celebrate her 1 year old birthday at my shop. It was a small get together with my family, friends, and some 5 other babies all around Hanae’s age! We also had some children too. We planned this birthday party & X’mas party at the last minute, but were glad to see so many of our friends squeezing their time to be with us. It was also their first time to visit our shop, so this became like a cerebration for my new shop too! Thank you all, for coming to see us all the way><!!!

Our main dish; Turkey & Smoked Salmon!

I baked small Birthday cupcakes for Hanae. I wanted to bake X’mas cake separately but had no time…

This birthday girl just woke up from her afternoon nap when we sang her a Birthday song. She was too excited with the guests, so was tapped out half way her birthday party (actually she kinda missed her party, haha…) and I had to wake her up to sing the song.

Where am I?

What is this?

Stop kicking your cupcakes, Hana…

So who am I?

Oh, it’s my birthday party?

It was only after all the guests left when she realized it’s her special day.

She was happy with all the gifts she got.

Yeppie~~~

She played around for a while with grandma, grandpa and uncle while I did the cleanings, and it was time for us to wrap up the party…

I was so glad to have this party. As a mother, you can’t miss this right!?

I hope you all had a wonderful X’mas with your family and friends, too. And at last, thanks for visiting and reading my blog!

Welcome to our shop!

Two days ago the signboard finally came and was hanged up onto the wall! Now people can recognize our shop!

I was so looking forward to this date because for this past few weeks, people were passing by curiously peeking through the window but didn’t really know who & what we are. And those people driving were just passing by indifferently. Now that we have our shop name, logo, description of “patisserie & baking class”, and KEDAI KEK (cake shop), you will have some sort of idea on who & what we are!

The floor came too!

I actually received a delightful customer (mother & a child) asking me for a X’mas cake… only I had to tell them that my shop is not opened yet and will be opening from January 2012. Too bad…

So Caramel Factory is officially opening in January 2012, and the first class for the adults is scheduled on January 5th 15th!

The menu is Japanese Souffle Cheese Cake & Diamant Vanilla for Basic class and Week-end au Citron & Mango Mousse for the Advanced class. I’d like to talk about the course in details in the coming post!

Day 4 – Gingerbread Man!

Christmas is here, ho ho ho!  On the last day of Children Baking Class we made Gingerbread Man.

By this time, the children already learnt how to 1) wash their hands, 2) use a scale to measure the ingredients, 3) use whisk to mix the batter, 4) use sieve to sift the flour, 5) use rolling pin, 6) use a piping bag, 7) fold a box, and so many other things! These are all important elements in baking (well, not the no.7).

Children helping each other

So on the last day, I let them do on their own as much as they can.

At the end of the class, I gave each of them a Cirtificate of Participation in attending this 4 day baking program! The children liked baking so much that they all wanted to continue in January 2012. So I’m thinking of holding children baking class every other weekend or few times a month. Please look forward to the upcoming classes!

And to all the children and parents who joined this course, thank you once again for attending Caramel Facoty’s 1st Baking Class!

Day 3 – Angry Bird Cupcakes!

Children Baking Class – 3rd day was Angry Bird Cupcakes! This was the day that the children were most looking forward to! Kids are crazy about Angry Birds^^!

There are many kinds of Angry Bird Cupcakes, and mine is using icing sugar and some toppings such as sugar sprinkles, chocolate and apricots. I figured fondant might be a bit too difficult for children, and also I personally prefer icing sugar to fondant (cuz they are easier to eat) so I chose this kind.

Here are some of my students Angry Birds!

I honestly didn’t expect the children to do this good. Boy, I am so proud as a teacher!

This little boy’s favorite bird was a black one, the bomb bird.

This little girl followed my sample and made white bird’s cheek with yellow sprinkles. Well done!

This little girl is only 4 years old! Good job! (I helped her finish up with the other birds.)

When we made doughnuts (Day 1) and cookies (Day 2), the children were shaking their boxes left and right and all the items went all over inside the box, but this time, they were carefully and preciously carried their boxes back home…^^

Children Baking Class Day2 – Disneyland Cookies!

The 2nd day of Children Baking Program was Disneyland Cookies! Look at how excited they are!

Now that they are familiar with my shop, the children rushed into the kitchen as soon as they reached! I told them to stay outside and wait for other friends to arrive while I was preparing, but they didn’t want to leave the classroom^^; They carried their stools and stood right in front of my kitchen table like ducklings, haha. Well, I was happy to know that children enjoy baking with me!

Girls were very good at decorating… trying their best to make them as pretty as possible. I know they are imaging their mommy n daddy’s happy face!

Boys were good at eating… they kept munching on the cookies they made, so that the box became lighter and lighter. But here I still see Mickey. I know they want to keep this for their mommy n daddy.

Oh, you got two Mickeys there.

By the way, making Mickey face was too difficult for the children, so most of them were made by me. (That’s why all the Mickey face looks the same..) After all, the theme is Disneyland Cookies and I wanted them to at least have one Micky to bring back to their home!

Children Baking Class started today!

Caramel Factory is BUKA ‘opened’ from today! This week will be a soft launch, and the official opening will be in Janury 2012!

The night before…

I was busy preparing the shop until the last minute, so last night my parents-in-law dropped by to help me clean-up and decorate the shop at about 11pm. This week is a Children Baking Program week (4 days course), so the shop is in kids color. Thanks mom!

Here is our kitchen!

The first day today’s menu was colorful doughnuts. Children loooved playing with the doughs. yep, it’s very soft and nice! The best part for them seemed to be throwing the dough into the air… well, smashing them onto the working table! Each of them were taking turns to smash it onto the table, and wooowing at each other, haha (just so you know, this dough was not being used to bake). Children do know how to enjoy themselves.

Some boys and girls tried frying them, too.

Lovely smile…

and smiles…

These are one of the children’s masterpiece! We made about 70 over doughnuts in total!

Well done kids! See you tomorrow~!!!

Hanae falls sick…

My daughter Hanae caught a cold last weekend ><! She is almost one year old but this was the first time she had a high fever about 39-40 degree C. Even during the teething time, she managed very well and only cried for one night. She didn’t cry much this time either, but her body was so hot that we were worried and we brought her to the hospital emergency room. It’s always said that baby falling sick is parents’ nightmare, but yes… we had to watch her the whole night. But thanks to Hanae’s strong and healthy body, she is almost recovered after two days. We are so relieved… (but now papa is sick^^;)

In the meantime, oven has arrived last weekend. Oh my, it was bigger than I thought! But the stand was too short, so I’m having them change it…

Shop as of this week!

Now the shop looks like this!

The lights are fixed, the glass window frame are fixed, and the paintings are almost done! We chose the wall color to be light blue (a little bit greenish)…  Do you like it?

As for the inside, which is going to be our main baking classroom, I chose a little bit darker tone than the outside area. I thought this would give you more ‘focus’ onto the baking. You know, baking requires full concentration, haha…

I’m still waiting for the oven to come. Our main equipment for baking is supposed to arrive this weekend! Can’t wait!