Koguma (Golden Sweet Potato) Cake

The other day, I bought a bag of golden sweet potato at a Korean market and steamed them. They turned out very tender and sweet, and made me want to use it in some kind of sweets.


Then I thought "This would be a perfect chance for me to try making that Koguma Cake I sometimes order at Korean Cafes!"


Koguma means golden sweet potato in Korean language. When I first heard this name, I though the cake has something to do with a baby bear because Koguma in Japanese means baby bear.

Anyways, since me and my husband was invited to a weekend dinner party at our friends' place, I've decided to try making one for the occasion.


Between the sliced sponge cake, the creamy golden potato cream is sandwiched. Then the surface is decorated with chantilly cream which is whipped cream. Finally, the top is sprinkled with cake crumbs, sweet potato cream, chantilly cream, and chocolate.


The cream was rather soft, so I was a bit worried about cutting it into slices, but it turned out pretty well.

Since the sweet potato cream is made of custard and chantilly cream, it's a pretty rich cake even though it tastes delicate on your palette!


I was very happy to see my friends enjoying the cake after the dinner, and we ended up finishing the whole cake : )


I love when people smile while eating my sweets.  Thank you everyone :D

FARMSHOP in Santa Monica

I recently went to this nice place for lunch with my friends, and wanted to share the experience with you. 

The restaurant's name is FARMSHOP located in Santa Monica.The food served was very fresh and tasty. You can also purchase deli selection and ingredients at the market in the same shop.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood, give it a try. 

Enjoy the photos :D

Kid's character birthday cake

 Hello everyone! I felt a shake from an earthquake today, here in California. It makes me scared, so double checked where our evacuation kit and flash lights are in the house. Always better to be prepared, right?


During the weekend, I made this cake for my friend's daughter's birthday party. The request was to make it a face of her daughter's favorite animation character "Anpan-man". This guy is soooo popular among young kids that it always amazes me.


The birthday plate and miniature "Anpan-man" faces made with extra cookies. 

The cake is a delicate sponge cake filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, coated with milk chocolate whipped cream. Since I used the high quality French chocolate for the cream, it tastes good that adults can enjoy even though the look is for the children.

The mini faces and the number plate were placed on the side of the cake. I heard that the cake was a big hit at the party and the two year old birthday girl was very very excited :D


I always feel happy when people gets happy and smiles with the sweets I make. Happy Birthday Kyla :)

Lemon megengue tart

 How was your weekend everyone? Mine was calm and peaceful. It rained a few days before the weekend, so the air was refreshing and the sun was shining :)


Our bougeainvillea in the backyard is blooming beautifully and adding great bright color in our life. I love watching outside from my kitchen at this time of the year.

Inside the house, I've decorated our dining table for the spring. Even though Easter has already passed,  still keeping this centerpiece because I enjoy the pastel color in this decoration setting.

The porcelain egg holders are adding the cuteness to the table. Agree? :D


Speaking of spring, citrus is still in season here in California, and since one of my friends gave me some lemon from her friend's backyard, it made me want to make something sweet as a dessert to enjoy its fresh taste.


Lemon merengue tart. Usually, you see lemon merengue pie, but I personally like some texture added to my dessert, and decided to make it a tart instead of a pie. Plated a piece with fresh strawberry and honey sauce. Love the color combination, and the lemon part has a nice fresh flavor from the great lemon.


Now I'm waiting for the strawberries I planted a while ago to be ready to be picked. We should enjoy the spring before the summer arrives. Have a nice week everyone :D

Orange Marmalade

Hello everyone :D
I've been wanting to make this year's orange marmalade for a while, but hadn't got the chance because it takes about six days to complete.

Finally got some time to work on it, so pulled out the large stainless steel pot which usually sits in the storage area. Since I had 2kg of oranges, this pot worked so well! 

Then for the final cooking, I replaced the pot to Le Creuset ones because they do such a good job for this type of cooking. 


As you work on making marmalade, almost the whole house gets filled with the lovely orangy aroma, and that made me so happy and excited!


Now they are perfectly jared, some of them will be off to mid-west, to the in-laws. Hope they will enjoy this year's seasonal gift :D 


Bon Apetite!!!

Thank you to the world!

Good evening everyone!


Today, I would like to share a special poster designed by Mr. Yoji Shibaoka, an art director who contacted me and shared about the project he is working on.


As you may know, Northeast Japan, the area called "Tohoku" was hit by a horrible earthquake and tsunami on March 11th, 2011. Since right after the earthquake, many people have been giving supports in different ways. 


This project is named "LOTS OF HEART PROJECT"  and its aim is to say 
"Thank you!" to everyone who have been supporting Tohoku area. 


Thank you everyone, and hope your warm caring heart will continue to support not only the Tohoku area in Japan, but every parts in the whole world who are in needs.


If you are a Japanese person and interested in supporting this project, please visit " www.lohp.jp " and you can download a poster. There are different versions in various languages, so please chose the one that is useful for you to share your "Thank you" in the country you are in.


You can also check out the info and share on facebook. 


Thank you to the world!!!!! :D

Farmer's market vegetables

 The other day, I went to a farmer's market and bought a few kinds of fresh vegetables. Ones on the photo are yellow cauliflower, celeriac (celery root), kale, and fresh spring onion.


It is always fun to choose which vegetables to pick up at farmer's market :D

Out of those vegetables, my favorite this time was the yellow cauliflower. The lady who was selling them told me that the yellow ones have the most sweet taste out of all the cauliflowers.


To enjoy the fresh taste, I simply steamed it and ate with home made sesame vinegar dressing. It was sweet, and now became one of my favorite veggies.

Also steamed the celeriac and mashed it. Half of them was mixed into mashed potato, and the other half was eaten by itself with a little sauce. It had a slightly bitter taste, but was actually enjoyable, and my husband liked, it too.


When the ingredient is very fresh, you only need to add minimum to enjoy them, and I consider it as a very luxurious way to eat. What do you think everyone? Enjoy your evening :D