A year ago, I jumped onto the bandwagon for food blogging, not knowing what to expect, what to do, or what was important. I've changed my blog name several times, changed the blog formatting, and the style of my posts, recipes and photographs. 

A year on - I've learnt so much, not just on how to better manage this space, but more about myself, my style, my strengths and my weaknesses. 

My aim of this blog is not to get a million viewers, but to be a space to share with you, my viewers, what worked for me, what didn't, what I've tried, what turned out extraordinary, and what turned out to be a complete blob of mess. I hope to inspire you, my readers, to keep baking, to ignite that spark in you, to keep the baking spirit alive. And to share with you new recipe ideas I've found that you may not have heard of where you live. 

It's also a place for me, to keep recipes that I've tried and tested, so that I can keep improving myself to be better than who I am. Starting a blog hasn't made me dislike baking - it has made me fall in love with baking even more. It has given me more opportunities to work in my kitchen, inspired me to keep trying, and ignited that flickering spark in me. It has made me realise that, yes- I really do love baking. And I really do love running this blog. It's something I look forward to everyday, something that I think about every night before I go to sleep, and dream of when I'm asleep (the other day I dreamt of making raspberry muffins haha). 

These Ondeh Ondeh Cupcakes are the perfect kind of fusion - pandan cupcakes filled with gula melaka syrup, topped with a gula melaka swiss meringue buttercream and sprinkled with coconut. The kind of cupcakes I hope, will inspire you to try. 

Happy birthday! 

116g butter, room temperature 

2 eggs, separated 

24g + 60 sugar 

90g self raising flour 

Pinch of salt 

30ml milk 

3/4 tsp pandan extract 

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

In a stand mixer, whisk the 2 egg whites until foamy. 

Add in 24g of sugar, a bit at a time, until stiff peaks form. 

Remove from the bowl and set aside. 

In another large bowl, cream the butter, 60g sugar, and egg yolks until light fluffy. 

Add in the milk, flour and salt, and stir until combined. Stir in the pandan extract. 

Gently fold in the whipped egg whites in 3 batches.

Using an ice cream scoop, portion out the batter into 8 cupcake lined moulds. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Let cool completely before filling and frosting. 

4 egg whites

140g sugar 

Pinch of salt

200g unsalted butter (about room temperature, but slightly cool) 

1/2 cup gula melaka syrup 

In a large heatproof bowl over a Bain Marie, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and salt, ensuring that the water does not touch the bowl. 

When the sugar has completely dissolved into the egg whites and is very smooth, transfer to a stand mixer. 

Whisk on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks. 

Add in the unsalted butter, a piece at a time. 

If the mixture splits and starts to become soupy, leave it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then whip it on low speed until it thickens to become thick and fluffy. 

Add in the gula melaka and whisk until the frosting is light and fluffy. 

8-12 tablespoons of gula melaka syrup 

Desiccated Coconut 

Using a pairing knife, cut a hole in the cooled cupcakes about 1 inch deep. Remove the bit of cake. 

Add in about 1 tablespoon of gula melaka syrup, then cover with the bit of cake. 

Pipe the swiss meringue buttercream on top, and sprinkle with desiccated coconut.