pumpkin spice cupcakes

it's been a long time since i've actually baked! probably a bit over a year now..wow. i've been craving pumpkin spice cupcakes for the longest time, and i finally decided to do something about it. i made a batch for a dinner with family friends, and they were well-enjoyed!

the presentation looks quite nice, doesn't it? (: i loved the cracked tops!

these are completely 100% hand made from scratch. and by scratch, i mean even the nuts on the top were cracked open by a hammer HAHAHA. seriously. (those who know me understand that i only like eating nuts that i take out of the shell by myself..peanuts, pistachios .. and everything else keke). okay wait, i realise that i used canned organic pumpkin - but everything else was definitely from scratch!

i altered the recipe i got to cater to my crowd - i used mostly whole wheat flour, added some extra pumpkin, and i probably cut the sugar by half, if not more. the frosting was also made with light cream cheese, and instead of the normal amount of sugar, i used only 1/3. it wasn't as sweet as normal cupcakes would be, but they're definitely better for you!

the preparation was a tad difficult because, like i said, i had to do everything by hand, including the mixing. it's very, very hard creaming butter & sugar when you only have your arms and a fork. time to invest in a kitchen aid mixer for sure haha (:

let me know if you want the recipe! these are fun to make and definitely makes your house smell delicious!

Patisserie Valerie

once i got to London, i immediately researched all over to see which food establishments i had to visit. though most of them were quite out of my budget, there were some bakeries that i knew i HAD to check out. one that kept popping up in my searches was Patisserie Valerie, and though i never made any plans to eat from there, i ran into one during a visit to Spitalfields Market. the place was super, super crowded, and even though i had already eaten that day, i knew i had to get some goodies to go..

they pack everything for you in a cute little paper bag btw (:

i chose the grilled croissant with cheddar cheese & ham (£2.50) for lunch, which was definitely a steal because it was HUGE and delicious!

they generously gave lots and lots of ham, and they heated it up for you before putting it in a nice black box. the croissant was very, very crispy on the outside - something that i didn't know if i liked or disliked. it flaked a lot when you tried biting into it, so it was a bit annoying. still, i felt like it was very well made for the price.

i also got a blueberry muffin (£1.60) to take home for breakfast the next morning.

it was one of those café style muffins where the top is cracked and overflowing - my favourite.

there were lots of blueberries jammed into the muffin, and the batter wasn't overly sweet. definitely a huge plus! and for £1.60, it's extremely affordable as well.. pair it with a great coffee and you're set for a great day!

Patisserie Valerie
37 Brushfield St.
London E1 6AA

dimsum in Londontown

generally, dimsum in LA is served between 9 am and 3 pm, and you go with a bunch of friends and order lots of goodies to share. consider it Chinese tapas, if you will. however, it's quite different in London's Chinatown; food is available from noon until 5 pm, so i guess it's eaten more as a lunch / afternoon snack. the prices are obviously a bit on the steeper side, so that left me with no choice but to order less dishes than i normally would.

E and i had dimsum twice while i was in London, and the pictures below are from my second (and final) experience. we went to a little restaurant in Chinatown called Harbour City, and it looked quite nice inside. even though it was 4 pm, they were still serving all the delicious dishes! yay for long hours of dimsum..