RSPCA Cupcake Day 2009

I got all excited when I recently read an article in the local paper about the fundraiser for the RSPCA. It was as simple as 1,2,3...or so I thought. 1: I registered with the RSPCA to become a volunteer baker.2: I started making small figurines made out of sugar paste to be placed on each cupcake, which took more than a few hours/days to make......ok...so there ends the simple part because 3: finding people to buy the cupcakes...well! lest just say that was the hardest part. I approached several people only to be knocked back...mmm...no thank you or not interested. Its a shame...when the same people see an add for a homeless dog or an injured animal they make all the uuuuhhh and ahhhhhs but when it comes down to actually donating or helping raise money for a charity that helps millions of animals every year...the answer was a simple NO. I shed several tears over this, given the fact that the RSPCA receive less than 2% of the governments funding and I wanted to do my best to help. But as luck may have it, I did find genuine people, who even though did not have pets of their own, did not hesitate in donating or purchasing cupcakes to help the RSPCA.

This is a big THANK YOU to all of you from me and Mya (our 3yr old Labrador ). Thank you Harry, Jane, Linah, Jin, Shafali, Supriya, Smitha and Heather. Your donations have been forwarded to the RSPCA. I am still hopeful and so I hope for a better result next year.

Sweet beginnings

My passion for baking and cooking started in my mothers warm loving kitchen when I was 12yrs old. Pasta was unheard of in India at that time (.....late 1980's) and I found one of my mothers Good House Keeping magazine which had a recipe for home made pasta. Need less to say I tried my hand at it.....without mum knowing and used a whole lot of whole wheat flour instead of plain flour and several eggs and peanut oil, the outcome: Yuck! but my mother still smiled through it all. After that, I stuck to learning the basics and then progressing to the much more complex dishes. My mother used to bake the most moist, delicious and decadent tasting caramel sponge cake ever. It was so good that my dad learnt it from her and watching them I learnt it too.

My early days into my undergraduate degree saw more and more cakes being baked by me and devoured by my brothers and family....so much so that I used to bake my own birthday cakes too!!

Moving to Australia showed me a completely new side to baking: decorating. It took me a while to discover the different types of icing and fondant. All these new tools, gadgets and techniques kept me busy baking batches of cupcakes and cakes which my daughters daycare and my husbands work were more than happy to try out. A few cake/cupcake decorating course with Plant cake and Sweet Deliveries has brought me here today. My ultimate aim is to enrol for a course with Le Cordon Blue and master and sharpen my skills.

Through my very many ups and downs, my husband Neil and my mother have been my pillars of strength and my shoulders to cry on. They have encouraged me through every step ...even when the step was not so perfect and to them I will be forever indebted. My conscience: Neil (my husband) and my mum have always believed in my ability and this achievement of mine is dedicated to you.

This is my journey, my Zen and I share it with you all through this blog.