Black Rice Pudding

Go to any restaurant in Bali, and I bet you'll find Black Rice Pudding tempting you from most every dessert menu. Black Rice Pudding is a bit like if mushy oatmeal made a baby with a shot of Malibu Rum. I tried this black & white dessert at ocean front Ombak Cafe. 

If you cant make it down to Indonesia, here is a little recipe for a Black Rice Pudding...

Mix together, 1/2 cup of black glutinous rice (I used Forbidden Rice), 1/3 cup of white glutinous rice, 

1 or 2 pandan leaves (Try finding at an Asian Market) and 3 cups of water, and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Bring 1/4 cup of palm sugar (or white sugar or preferred sweetener), and 1/4 cup of water to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until syrup-like. 

After rice is cooked, add to rice bowl and continue to simmer till liquid has evaporated. 

Cool slightly, and then pour 1 cup of  coconut cream/milk over rice. I like to add fresh slices of banana or other delicious fruit for some extra "spark"/nutrition. 

One Love <3

Ubud's Daily Deli

Pat and I scootered down a dark windy road, filled with "George of the Jungle Vines" in Ubud, Bali in search of dinner one rainy night. We came across a small market place on the side of the road that had many restaurants and stores. Pat, in desperate need of a cheese burger, went to a small shop called the "Daily Deli" and instantly had me come in to try their cupcakes. We got two cupcakes, that were more like muffins in that they had no frosting piled on top of them; a chocolate with a couple almonds on top and a vanilla one with a drizzle of glaze. 

(They had some display cupcakes that had some frosting, but i guess you don't get the sugary topping on them unless they are special ordered). 

The cupcakes were pretty good, even though they had no frosting. They tasted almost more like muffins in that they were not as sweet as the typical cupcakes us American are use too, but they definitely satisfied our taste-buds. The texture was spot on and the flavors were very delicious. The girls working at the deli were super helpful and spoke very good English, which allowed us to have some extremely interesting and very informational conversations with them for awhile after we were done devouring our meals. This little deli was a great place to stumble upon, and allowed us to eat some food that did not consist of rice...finally and amen!  

Buddha Likes Cupcakes Too

Off a beaten dirt road near Canggu Beach is a grocery store, Canggu Deli, that is filled with quality meats, produce, snacks and baked goods. And, of course I had to get a cupcake from the bakery! 

I got a vanilla cupcake topped with little heart sprinkles. I dont know what else to say besides it tasted like a typical vanilla cake, with a stiff, thick, sugary vanilla buttercream. But I will tell you that Buddha seemed to like it! 

Bali Bakery

Since 1994, Bali Bakery has filled the island's air with their freshly baked bread, contemporary pastries, steaming hot beverages, and breakfast through dinner menu. The fancy schmansy, no photo's allowed bakery was filled with mouthwatering treats that made it hard to pick out a couple to try. 

The bread that lined the shelves in the first part of the bakery looked absolutely fantastic (plus the first place we could find in Bali that had whole grain bread!!!) We got a Corn Bread Roll that was soft and airy, and with every bite you got a mouth full of warm corn. 

Of course, I had to get a cake ball, which was about 3 times the size of most cake balls you can find in the states. The larger size of the cake ball was a VERY good thing- you got to taste the cake center a lot more and the chocolate shell was not as thick and not overpowering unlike the cake balls I have stumbled across in US bakeries. 

Pat dove in at the chance to have a traditional chocolate chip cookie. This cookie was extremely hard and crunchy, which is one thing i cannot stand. It was like biting into a stale cracker, and with the surprise nuts inside, it only made it more crunchy! I love me some slightly undercooked warm ooey-gooey cookies, and this was completely opposite. And who knows how long the cookies were sitting in the jar before i bit into it... not recommened! 

Lastly, we got a ever so rich, Chocolate Praline Pastry. This dessert was like a rainbow of flavors and textures exploded into this little pastry-there was chocolate, white chocolate, praline, gelatin things (yuck!), cake, mousse, chocolate bits, etc. All in all, it was pretty good, until i bit and felt a piece of gelatin slip into my mouth, because switching from mousse to having to chew something that wont break down is just not my thing. 

Bali Bakery is definitely a bakery inspired by European and American bakeries, in what they offer, style of shop and in prices. And with four locations on the island, you will have no excuse not to try Bali Bakery. 

Indonesia's Purimas 3 Cake & Bakery

On our second day in Indonesia, we scootered down the busy jammed packed roads of Southern Bali, and stumbled across Purimas 3 Cake & Bakery. This bakery was packed with rainbow colored bite sized pastries and cakes that looked like they came straight from a 1980's grocery store (oddly, in a very lovely way).

 We got a bunch of different baked goods to try out ranging from chocolate glazed doughnuts to bright green Angel Food Cake. 

The doughnuts were extremely soft and fluffy, and with the crazy humid heat the chocolate glaze was melting a bit, which made them even better. There were many pastries that were a buttery flaky dough, almost like a croissant, filled with different things such as chocolate and some weird custard-like filling that I could not even begin to describe. 

They were good, but nothing spectacular. This bakery was pretty  hyped on the gelatin jell-o like squares, which I cannot even stand the idea of eating, but people were buying them like Charlie Sheen buys crack. 

Purimas 3 Bakery was a fun place to try out, but nothing keeps you running back for more. Well, the fact the adorable girls looked like people that work at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland and that each pastry was around $1,700 Rupiah, only $0.17 USD, kept me a bit intrigued. 

Living the Not So Sweet Life...

I would blame it on a taste bud malfunction or an over happy gag reflex, but I cant lie to myself, let alone all of you out there. I have found yet another, horrible bakery in the Denver Metro area. Pat came home with 3 paper bags, yes another place making you take home your desserts in a freaking paper bag,  from the  Lower Highlands bakery, Living The Sweet Life, located at 1535 Central Street. I hoped I was going to find at least something in the bags filled with $17.00 worth of sugar that didn't taste like sawdust, but I was wrong. 

We first tried the cookies, the sugar cookie in the shape of Michael Jackson's lips, was just extremely blah and this  disaster of a cookie tasted like plaster. The traditional chocolate chip cookie was better than the lips, but it tasted very similar to Otis Spunkmeyer cookies. If it was fresh out of the oven, and cooked by blind grandma, then i would say it was good, but I'm sad to say she didn't bake it. There was also a Mexican Wedding cookie, and growing up surrounded by Mexican bakeries in Carpinteria CA, i know what the best of the best taste like, but this cookie had me choking on the powdered sugar and foulness. 

Next was the Chocolate croissant, which again was a major Oops! The chocolate seemed to only be in one spot of the croissant so half of it had absolutely no chocolate and when you finally got some chocolate you almost passed out from chocolate overload. It tasted as if it had been sitting in the bakery since the morning, as it was crunchy and did have the fluffy airy texture as many croissants do and should have. 

The Cherry Brownie was up next, and seriously, how hard is it to screw up a brownie? The frosting was piled so high and tasted so artificial i almost vomited at first bite. (Oh, and please let me know where they grow hot pink cherries, thanks!)

Now was time for what they are "popular" for, according to the "space cadet" (quoted from Pat) sales girl, a Pecan Caramel Bar. And if this is what they are famous for, they must be related to the Octo-Mom, because this thing was wack! I think i might of lost two of my teeth trying to bite into this thing. 

Finally, and thank god, the last two things; Cake Balls. Frosting, cake and chocolate, where can you go wrong? Well, this bakery surely did these wrong! The Red Velvet was the worst, I don't know how they did it, but it tasted like corn bread!?!? The all chocolate one was just...well I don't know what to say, two of us didn't even come close to finishing these balls, and I'm leaving it at that!

One last thing, what cupcake shop doesn't have any freaking cupcakes to sell?!? Im done, DENIED!

Katherine's French Bakery

            Katherine’s French Bakery is a European style bakery/café with two Denver locations (one in Bonnie Brae and the other in Aurora) that both serve traditional French pastries, quiche, crepes, coffee and much more. The atmosphere of the bakery and what the pastry cases contained didn’t do much for me sight wise, but I decided to give them a chance anyways.I got a traditional Napoleon and aTogolais (I think this was what it was called) pastry that the sales girl recommended, which honestly, I have never heard of in my life.

The napoleon cream was pretty darn tasty, it tasted how a real French napoleon should taste, as many places think whipped cream will do just fine (note to self: IT DOESN’T!).The cream was not too sweet, while not being bland at all. But, the pastry puff pastry was soft and soggy, definitely not a crispy pastry dough like it should be.

The Togolais (I think) was a cookie like base topped with a thick chocolate cream dipped in ganache with coconut patted on the sides. The cookie tasted like a marzipan-based cookie covered with way too much chocolate. It was so rich I only took ONE BITE! I couldn’t take another without feeling sick, and let me tell you, I can handle my sugar extremely well, but this was just too much.

This bakery just didn’t do it for me, in looks or in taste. I would rather of spent the extra the money to fly to France and have a real French pastry then waste the time and calories on this place. 

Kara's Cupcakes Video Review

A big thanks to Mr. Alfie Dang for making me do a video blog, and editing it!!

Enjoy...

one love

Kara's Cupcakes Video Blog

When I was home in the Bay Area, my great friend Alfie and I hit up Kara's Cupcakes in Walnut Creek California!! Alfie insisted on a video blog....check it out

Las Vegas Bakery Randoms....

Here are some random photos from my recent trip to Las Vegas....

mmm...chocolate

Jelly Bean Statue of Liberty

Sugar High....

Sin City's Retro Bakery!

Las Vegas is the home of casinos, Elvis impersonators, hookers and the addicting Retro Bakery. For my Frank Sinatra obsessed father’s 60^th birthday, my family headed to Sin City for a weekend of delicious food, the new Sinatra Show, and as much relaxation as Vegas will allow. And what is a birthday without some sugary sweet cake!?! So, without a doubt, my dad’s birthday dessert was going to be coming from Retro Bakery. Retro Bakery is located at 7785 N. Durango Dr. #130 in Las Vegas and is owned by Kari and Brian Haskell, who were the nicest and easiest people to work with! (With our party on a Sunday, a day they are closed, and Brian still baked us our cupcakes fresh and delivered on his day off!!! Thanks a million!!)

I ordered a dozen mixed flavored “Sinatra Themed” cupcakes that were so perfectly decorated I couldn’t believe my eyes when they came out! They each had a fondant circle on the top with music notes and Frank’s Signature on them in black and white. The detail in his signature was right on point! I could not of been happier!!!

Me Devouring some  Retro Goodness

Now the best part…the way they tasted! I ordered some Vanilla loves Vanilla, Salted Caramel, HopScotch (Vanilla dipped in Butterscotch), Pucker-Up (raspberry with lemon), Maple Bacon, and two vegan cupcakes for my mom. Each one was so uniquely delicious, and we all had such a good time trying all the different flavors. My mom was so stoked to finally have a dessert her little vegan self can enjoy, so Thank you Retro!! Everyone was going ga-ga over the cupcakes, and especially the Maple Bacon cupcake that was a vanilla cupcake with bacon pieces and maple syrup baked into the cake with maple buttercream. “It tastes like breakfast in a dessert! As weird as it sounds to have bacon in a cupcake, its absolutely fantastic!”.

Pro Snowboarder Pat Milbery, and my Dad @ the Encore's Sinatras eating some dessert!

My favorite thing about these cupcakes was that they were actually filling! They weren’t some overly fluffy cupcake that leaves you still starving; these cupcakes are a meal in themselves. The cake was perfectly dense, as well as being moist at the same time. And the buttercream….oh the buttercream…it was thick and fluffy with the ability to make you drool just at the sight of it! These cupcakes were fantastically amazing!

My Uncle and Aunt on their 2nd round (They live in Vegas and now my aunt in addicted to the Maple Bacon!) 

These cupcakes were so worth every bite, and would make me almost want to move to Vegas just so I could eat them whenever I please! I cant wait to go back, just so I can try more of their truly unique flavors. My Dad (as would of been Frank Sintra, as it was his 95^th birthday on the same day!!) was so stoked about the cupcakes; he had the biggest smile on his face as he shoved cupcake after cupcake in his mouth! 

 Thank you so much Retro Bakery for all your help and for taking the time to play a part in such a special birthday for my dad!! 

Gateaux....

Gateaux is a little pastry shop in downtown Denver that sells beautifully decorated cakes, cupcakes, cookies, breakfast pastries and tarts. Almost every dessert in the bakery has a very colorful, fun and funky creative touch, whether it’s a whimsical chocolate piece or a fondant bow. Their customized cakes are really great; they could pretty much do whatever kind of decoration you could ever want.

 The White Chocolate Peach Torte…of course…was calling my name. As a sucker for white chocolate, as well as fresh fruit, I had to jump mouth first into this pastry. This was so good; the white chocolate was a perfect match for the juicy chunks of peach in the middle. I would wish for a bit more of the actual cake part, as it was a bit much with all the creamy filling for me. If you are a frosting inhaler, this is what you need to devour!!

I also got a…uh…coconut petit four?!!? Haha, I can’t remember the name of this one, but the sales girl picked it out for me. It tasted like a Girl Scout Samoa cookie. It was a coconut covered chocolate cake brownie thing with a coconut filling, I think. It was pretty darn good I must say, whatever it was.

I also got a cookie in the shape of a cupcake. It was so cute and their cookies would be perfect for a party! It tasted all right, not my favorite treat of the night. The “frosting” part of the cupcake cookie was dipped in chocolate, which was actually really good, but the bottom half of it was just the cookie, which was not impressing my sugar craving.

The only bad thing about their customer service was it took the girl almost 10 minutes to realize I was there; I had to yell back in the kitchen to get her attention! But their stuff is surely yummy, and I would LOVE to sit for hours and look at their books of decorated cakes!