Dear Jenifer,

Ganache! Some call it food of the gods Hmm, maybe not but I bet it’s pretty close!

Other than cracking, did the ganache turn dull as well? It could be due to either you’ve over heated it or cooled it too fast. When your ganache gets too hot the oil separates itself from the chocolate and floats to the top. Cooling it too fast is what usually causes it too look dull. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before you stick it in the fridge.

But all is not lost. Try this simple remedy; after refrigeration, gently run a hair dryer (on low setting) over the ganache coated cake, make sure that you don’t keep it pointed at just one place or else you’ll melt the glaze. Here’s a general guideline for making ganache.

1. To make a glaze or coating: use one part cream to three parts chocolate.
2. To make a truffle filling: use one part cream to two parts chocolate.
3. To make a light filling: use one part cream to one part chocolate.

To achieve that dark glossy glaze, try adding some butter, oil, or corn syrup. Hop on over to the recipe section and do try it out soon.

Hi Shannon, it can be quite confusing eh, all this butter business. And yes you're right, American recipes usually call for a stick of butter where as in other parts of the world like us here, that would translate to 113 grams.

Here's a simple conversion table for your reference.

• 1 stick of butter = 1/4 pound
• 1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup
• 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons
• 1 stick of butter = 4 ounces
• 1 stick of butter = 113 grams

Happy baking!

It’s true what they say, good things come in small packages  Cupcakes are such gorgeous little things but I must agree with you, nothing beats home made, baked from scratch ones. I have chosen a quick and easy (it’s vegan too!) Chocolate Cupcakes recipe for you to try out, do visit the recipe page. Happy baking!

Hmm….the way I see it, keeping them around should be the problem, no?  Back to your question, there are a few ways to help keep your cakes moist. But before we get there it is first and foremost, important that you do not over-bake. A recipe might call for a certain temperature and baking time but you need to have a ‘feel’ of your oven. Some ovens (especially new ones) are hotter than the rest, so keep an eye on your cake. Now as for keeping it moist, here’s what you can do;

• You might want to frost (with ganache, buttercream, etc) the cake as soon as it cools. It will act as a barrier and prevents air from having a go at the cake.


• If possible wrap the cake with a layer of plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container.


• After slicing a cake, ‘seal’ it by pushing the two ends together (for loaf cakes) or wrap the cut area with plastic wrap (for round/square cakes).


• And lastly, try this - put half an apple in the cake box to keep it moist.

Cornflakes cookies are yummy! I personally love the no-bake ones, (mainly because it’s soooo easy to whip up!)

You mentioned that you can’t seem to get them right; (assuming that it’s the baked variety you’re referring to). Alas, there’s a myriad of cookie woes that one might encounter. Sometimes, they tend to spread too much during baking. If so, try replacing butter in the recipe with shortening in your next attempt. Cookies made with vegetable shortening tend to have a crispy texture, and are less likely to spread. Try refrigerating the dough for a bit before baking, it helps! And lastly, store crispy type cookies in a loose lid container, like a cookie jar.

Meanwhile, do check out the recipe section. There’s an awesome recipe for you to try out. It’s slightly different than the conventional ones that we make for the festive season. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!