you know how much i love junko's roll cake and among so many roll cake recipes i've tried, hers is still the best in terms of taste, texture and flexibility in rolling. like a good basic macaron batter, all you need is just one to experiment with other endless flavor possibilities. i'm not usually a fan of instant coffee from grocery stores since most are too acidic for my liking but i went to isetan last weekend and chanced upon this UCC one from japan which is really really good. its not acidic at all and is pretty strong and full-bodied so i decided to add it into my favorite recipe to make a coffee roll cake. also jazzed it up a little by adding cocoa powder to part of the batter to make the dots. turned out fab!

happy birthday to me! :)

for my birthday this year i chose to make a rainbow layered cake instead of an entremet. i think the pastel version looks way better compared to one done in primary colors. i used junko's roll cake recipe since i really liked it then used a meringue frosting for the cake. i adorned it with a gumpaste flower from the baking supply shop. never used to like their flowers but this one caught my eye (though i have no idea what this is). it looks like a cross between my favorite peony and ranunculus. definitely looking to make other ombré/pastel versions of this someday!

wow ok, it must be eons ago (10 months, to be exact!) since i last made an entremet. i was afraid if i don't make one soon, i'll *really* forget how to do it. i was in a mood for something pink and pretty so i decided on a berry entremet. while no stranger to berry entremets (i've made countless - hidemi sugino's paradis, fruits rouges, sous bois etc), i've not made a sliced one like this so i was really looking forward to it.