Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!

Get out, Devil! Come in, Happiness! 

- Traditional Setsubun formula

Granted, the traditional Japanese wish may sound a tad dodgy, coming - as it is - from one who picked a mischievous li'l fire demon (*) as her online persona (and who isn't even Asian, for heaven's sake!)

But, well, I kind of like the whole Setsubun symbology. And since I haven't posted anything on New Year's Day, I will blatantly exploit this holiday (as well as the beginning of the Lunar Year of the Horse three days ago) to catch up on the kind of stuff that normal people post on January 2nd. And no, I don't mean "detox" or "skinny" recipes. Ewwww, the very idea!

(*)  Have you seen the new pic in my profile btw? It's by one of my favourite DeviantArt members, and I love it more than I can explain. Isn't it the sweetest thing ever?

Image belongs to YamPuff @ http://yampuff.deviantart.com

 Now the reason why I commissioned a (literally!) sparkling new avatar, is that I am now seriously considering baking for a living. Not as my primary job maybe (not yet, at last), but hey... why not? 

 

I won't go into my working situation here, because it would be a long ramble which wouldn't probably even make sense to those of you who live in a less ludicrous country than Italy, but I have reasons to fear that the company I work for will undergo some serious pruning two years from now. Mind you - I say "fear" because this job is still my main source of income at the moment, but I almost hope for the worst to happen, since I'm too chicken to willingly quit a position I despise, and that is slowly seeping every ounce of energy, joy, and creativity out of me. 

 

So... for the time being, I am proceeding at baby steps. I am now a member of Con.Pa.It, the Italian bakers' federation. I am gathering information about the legal requirements for opening my own business. And above all, I'm slowly working up my courage.  

 

This very blog, unassuming as it is, has been a huge factor in my attempt to build up my confidence. At the same time, though, there have been times when the mere thought of having to dig out my camera, stop every few minutes to snap WIP pics, clean the mess on my table for the "hero shot", and edit the photos afterwards - it has been enough to dissuade me from trying some new idea right away. 

There might be a problem there because, you see, if I ever take the plunge and turn my hobby into a proper job, I'll have to deal with the "boring" stuff - administration, balances and what have you - on a daily basis. Which, knowing myself, might very well kill all the passion I put into baking. 

 

So, what am I going to do? Wait and see, as they say. 

In two years' time I will be turning 40, and that sounds as good a time as any to change my life for good... 

Happy Year of the Snake!

Best wishes to all of you Snakes out there... and to my Asian readers, have a joyful New Year celebration!

...See? I remembered! 

(Seeing how I, like, totally forgot about Setsubun one week ago... Sigh! And it's one of my favourite international holidays too...)

FHTAGN! Cthulhoo is born!

I think today's Doodle says it all:

Sheesh! SO MANY THINGS TO DO!

Did you list your resolutions for the new year? I certainly didn't; I'm not that kind of person. 

It's not that I am weak-willed - I can be very focused, as long as it's something I truly feel like doing. If, on the other hand, I don't really care, then no amount of public flaunting of  good intentions will shame me into action. 

Right now, the one thing I honestly feel like promising is: I will strive to become a better baker and designer, and post more frequently on this blog. So there!

Anyway, now that I am more or less sober again - although I'm still sleepy as hell, and so filled with food that the mere thought of it makes me want to barf - I'll keep my promise and post more images of my Unspeakable Vault of Doom cake. 
Those among you with an eye for photography (awww, let's make it, those among you with barely decent eyesight) will probably notice that the following pics are exceptionally good for my standards. That's because I didn't take them, you smart***es!
My sweetie did. With a swipe of his smarthphone. Dammit. 

...Well, anyway. Here's the cake, freshly unwrapped by its intended recipient... 

...and here it is again, waiting to be cut and savoured!

Finally, a close-up of the dramatis personae: 

*   Cthulhoo as baby Jesus
*   Nyarly as St. Joseph
*   Shubby as Mary
*   Yogzotot as the angel
*   Zatoth as the comet
*   (a) Shoggie as (both) the ox & ass

If you're still wondering, you probably don't know The Unspeakable Vault... of DOOM!
Take my hint: forget all about cakes for a moment (gosh, did I really write that?) and click the link. Unlike my other links, it will open in this very same page - yes, it's deliberate. I want you to take your time and browse through the archive... because, man, you've been missing out on a lot of fun! 

PS - I sent a pic of this cake to the Vault's author - right, to Mr Fracois Launet himself!  (hey, I was a bit tipsy at the moment, 'kay?) - alongside with my heartfelt thanks and New Year's wishes. He did me the HUGE honour of featuring it in his own Guest Art gallery! 

WOOT! THANK YOU SO MUCH MR LAUNET, YOU MADE MY DAY! (...er. My aeon?)

Happy 2013! ...Will the Stars be Right?

First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS! 

(And also to you, who just happened to stumble in here while googling for cute pig pictures or a Japan/Okinawa map. I know you're out there... You know who you are!)

I am right now slightly overwhelmed with preparations for tonight's party - if you are a girl you'll know what I mean; if you're a guy, you most definitely don't need to. 'Nuff said. 

I am relieved to say that the cake was successfully baked yesterday; I swiped The Pioneer Woman's recipe for a Literal Coffee Cake (or, as I like to call it, a Knurdcake).
I had already experimented with a (slightly tweaked) version of it for my Hobbit door cupcakes, so I knew this recipe gives a cake that won't rise too much and will be dense, sturdy and, well, cake-y (in the best possible way).

(I have no idea why I got such a nasty pitted surface. Thankfully it's going to be covered  later!)

I also knew it would be rich, moist, and packed with unbelievable coffee flavour - OMG heaven! 

I filled it with a storebought spread (think Nutella, but with coffee). There's still a buttercream crumbcoat going on, but I didn't want to use it as filling as well. I think this combo will work perfectly with the cake!

And, here's a quick preview of the finished thingie... 

(I will hopefully have more pics in a couple days or so, once the party's over and the hangover's gone. Stay tuned!)