Thursday, May 22, 2008

Tell-A-Tale (Part 10): Virginal Orange Mocha Brownies

I wouldn't say my tools are huge. Nor would I consider them puny. For my virginal do, I hope to fully utilise whatever I own for my chastity is afterall, at stake here. I sought the oracle for guidance and he bestowed upon me a (what he called) fool-proof recipe. And that marked the beginning of my first baking experience, with my first cake mixer.

I shall not re-post the full recipe here as I followed it to a tee. Ok, being a defiant student (as I always have been, even back in kindergarten), I did alter a bit here and there. For example, I :-

1) used aluminum foil instead of baking paper (where got time to find this kinda thing??)
2) used 5 eggs instead of 4 (I thought the batter looked too stiff with 4)
3) omitted the vanilla essence/extract (because I could only find the perisa tiruan type...yucks!)
4) used 6 tablespoons of cognac instead of 2 (which made my frosting too diluted, bad mistake)
5) double-boiled my chocolate frosting instead of zapping it (because I don't have a microwave oven)

I used both the systematic and scientific approaches for my baking. Everything was laid in front of me before I started the mixing process. The recipe was right next to the cake mixer. And of course, I preheated the oven. Everything went rather smoothly.

Until the batter began to take its form. Looking at my aluminum tray, I thought it was too big for that amount of batter. I panicked. Gone was systematic. Leaving the mixer to entertain the batter, I looked up and down for a container of a more suitable size. And all I found was this casserole. I quickly washed it and was ready to pour in the mixture. Right then, scientific gave me a good slap on the face. Ceramic vs metal? Heat transfer?? Engineer??? Duh???? With no other alternatives, I poured the batter (and my guts) into the tray. And surprisingly, it fitted okay. And into the oven it went. Setting the timer to 30 minutes, I whistled a tune and started clearing the table. And guess what I found? A bag of chocolate buttons which was meant to be IN the batter. At that point, I could only laugh at myself. And continued to whistle.

The frosting turned out rather well until the AA me decided to jazz things up abit by increasing the dosage of the cognac. The result? A way diluted frosting. And there was no more chocolate. As I am writing this, I wonder why didn't I think of using the chocolate buttons to thicken the frosting???

Ok, the brownie baked rather well and after cooling it for 10 minutes, I poured the "frosting" on top of it. I waited for it to cool and harden. How long it took? 3 hours only. Did I not let the brownie cool long enough?

I was pretty anxious as I cut my first brownie. My first bake. It is going to be edible? Will the excess liquor soak up the filling by now already? Will the on-looking eyes burst into a big laughter? Will my baking chastity be wasted on a brownie?

Cutting was easy as the filling was kept intact. I took my first bite.

And it was good. I mean it! The subtle taste of the orange rind/juice really made it special. It was rather moist and soft as well. The only down side being the hardened frosting. But the scent of the cognac was alluring. Despite some stains and silly mistakes, I thought my virginal do was quite satisfying. And friends & family loved it. The brownie, I mean. A happy outcome that also marks my 100th post (not that it is of any significance-lah).

So, thanks a lot, FatBoyBakes for the recipe. Will be digging for more, o' oracular one!

For the complete recipe, please click here.

38 comments:

sc said...

wow, your first time baking brownies looks fantabulous! i recalled my first batch of brownies looks like cracked, dried mud! hahaha..dude, were you wearing boxers while baking? :p

choi yen said...

add a scoop of ice-cream mayb....hehe

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

wahlau eh..the 1st para takes raunchiness to the next level..but those brownies do look kinda sexy and prob make the other baking goddess jealous to the max..

Shell (貝殼) said...

the brownies looks nice~~
agree with mimi, add a scoop of ice cream will make it prefect

fatboybakes said...

WELL DONE!!! they look yummy. they go best with pure cream actually. ice cream i find makes it too sweet. i'm glad your loss of virginity was a worthwhile endeavour, and am so proud to have been a part of the experience.

Live2Talk said...

Well ... it looks good to me. Keep up the good work dude and don't ever stop experiencing. You will never know what 'miracle' you can produce! Bravo :)

ling239 said...

Congratulations !!
at least they tasted good and look good after cutting ^O^


btw the first two pic... some thing exploded ? :p

HairyBerry said...

sc, thanks! i had a good recipe, i guess ;) ... and yes, i was wearing boxers while baking :) wah, liddat also can notice...respect...well, my house was empty that day anyway... :D

mimi, oh that's what fbb's recipe said too! it goes well with ice cream...well, i had green tea ice cream but i thought it was quite inapproriate...hehe...

joe, omigosh, i'm pretending i dunno who you are talking about...hehehe...actually, i'm sure she has her moments one lar...just that she didnt post abt it...hehe

shell, hey, thanks for stopping by! :) and yupe, i guess with some vanilla ice cream would be good. and perhaps with somemore chocolate frosting! nice!

fatboybakes, thanks for the compliment. and thanks for the recipe. well, it was indeed worth losing...haha! and about being "part of the experience"...yupe, the baking experience, of course...lol! will be digging for more of ya recipes...

live2talk, hey, thanks for stopping by! thanks for the encouragement. wow, u sound like a motivational speaker...and yes, i agree, i shall never stop experimenting with food! :)

ling239, thanks, thanks! i was so afraid that it would fall into pieces like sandcastle liddat...haha!

haha, sort of lar. some of the mixture actually flew out of the bowl because i went directly for the maximum rotation speed! how silly of me hor...haha!

Unknown said...

normally if your earnest virgin toolings get fast( some say premature ) gratifications and straightaways highly enjoys with not many spontaneous wayward spills then probably you are doing it not thinking about tomorrows,for then your probably already overspeedy seasoned apparatus will find the nex supposed to be ascending thrills diminishing descendingly a day slower by the night.but dun worry you got a lota time haha

a honorary member, team bsg

~Christine~Leng said...

I can't imagine YOU baking. haha..
Good one :)
looks perfect.

Jun said...

so fast got 100 posts liao, not bad not bad *pat on the back*

but cheh... i thought that was the "nice dessert" for the emo me... *sniff*

Xiu Long Bao said...

I thought you want to lose your virginity to that chocolate marshmallow wateva?

Looking good. I would add 3 big scoops of hokkaido ice cream to it.

JOjo said...

Will i get to taste it? It looks absolutely delicious-lah~
My first attempt on brownies turned out to be soft-baked cookies.lol...

LianneK said...

*gulp*

I though I accidently went in to porn blog. Hahaha .. good one. What a teaser youuuuuu ...

aiya, liddat, how lah your Ochana san?

p/s : brownie looked damn good and super professionally done lah. better than secret recipe's slices. Your brownie slicing skill also damn good. What's the trick?

Big Boys Oven said...

Walio! another baker in making, this is so cool! boys can bake! hmmm sound like a good name for a new website! lol!

J2Kfm said...

haha, glad you lost it all, NOT for nothing, but instead bearing some sweet, chocolatey 'fruits of your loin ...' =P

HairyBerry said...

bogor (team bsg), and i am glad there is the honorary member to keep me grounded! definitely not premature but yes, it was a fantastic lesson learnt and next of each shall be attempted with more concentration and dedication as well. it makes pleasure more pleasurable. the juvenile hormone trained the brains to believe time is not lotsa and should be fully utilised. and maintanence of the tools is a must, i agree. haha.

christine, hehehe...it was fun lar! you should try to make some ;)...but i guess you are busy packing already. and thank you for the compliment! i shall work harder next round! ;)

jun, thanks alot! well, i still consider myself a slow blogger. but i really do enjoy every post i that do...hehe

well, baking a nice dessert sounds more macho than eating a nice dessert, doesn't it? aiyoh, u stay so far, how to send to you? and i'm sure you'll get much better brownies in aussie...hehehe...

xiu long bao, ya lah! that was my fantasy! i looked up and down jusco that day for a bag of marshmallows but found none. so, i guess when there's an urge, we just get the next best thing lar...hehehe...

wah, you compliment me ar? thanks ar! hokkaido ice cream? definitely. vanilla flavour hor....

jojo, i baked it back in kl lar..hehe...thanks for the compliment. i thank the recipe for that...hehe...
soft-baked cookies? hmmm, too little flour or too much liquid, is it? well, do try out this recipe and i think u'll love it! ;)

lianne, porn blog? haha! that's very flattering leh ;) i was kinda inspired by all the alcohol and jokes over the long weekend...hehe

oh, ohana-chan. my april snow. well, she'll always remain in my heart. we are both very understanding one...hehe...

p/s: WAH!!! i am really flattered by your compliment. *blushing* secret recipe somemore! slicing skill? i think the texture of the brownie made the cutting easier. no trick leh. i just got one of those normal knives and made a clean, direct cut. i wanted it to look petite and hotel-like. hence the shape ;)

big boys oven, aiyoh, no lar...how can i stand amongst you fabulous bakers? my fist time baking somemore. i hope it's not beginner's luck. hehe..."boys can bake"...hmm, sounds really good hor? let me try a few other recipes first lar..hehe

j2kfm, oohh..u nottie ar...hehe...this was not one of those teenage angst, peer pressure decisions but came rather quite naturally. so, i guess, yupe, fruits of my loin! i agree! hehehe...all thanks to ma tools! especially first cake mixer! ;)

Camemberu said...

Oh my, I haven't even done it yet! Get my first cake mixer, that is!

What beauties your brownies turned out to be! They look positively artisanal!

And now that you're no longer a virgin at baking, we're expecting even better performance next time! ;-)

HairyBerry said...

camemberu, wow! thanks for the compliment! i must say it was the recipe that was fantastic ;)

oh, so this virgin-no-more gotta work harder on the next attempt, eh? the pressure's on..haha!

Sharon Y. said...

Wow good job! Loosing your virginity for something that mouth-watering is worth it ;D Looks like red velvet cake!

LianneK said...

Now that you have revealed your first time (ahem) experience and chest hair, I'm giving you the OPPORtunity to reveal moreeee ...

Hahahaha ...

You've been tagged. For details, visit my allaboutyum blog :-)

say thank you lah.

Sugar Bean said...

Wow, looks so delicious. Wish I could do the same too! Hehe, better not or I'll mess up the kitchen. Anyway, good job!

Ciki said...

gosh.. u can bake too..? is there anything u cannot do... lol

Kenny Mah said...

Virginal Orange Mocha Brownies? Not anymore, not after this... teehee. Thanks for sharing your "first time" with us, Pakcik Nic... Now, how about Round Two? ;)

HairyBerry said...

durianberry, thanks! i won some, i lost some, i guess...haha! red velvet cake? wow! i guess it's the lighting lar. i love that orange twist! ;)

lianne, thank you lor...haha! you know, i've been blogging for a few months now and i've not been tagged before. another first for me. hehe...ok, will see what i can do with it ;)

sugarbean, hey, how's things? thanks for the compliment. go ahead and try the recipe la. i'm sure you will do well. even a first timer like me could do it. give it a try, ya! :)

cumi & ciki, haha! well...*i'm thinking hard here*..hehe...thanks for the compliment. i hope it's not beginner's luck though. am already planning for another baking adventure. *akan datang* ;)

kenny, yes, bro, i lost it. major. haha! and why do i get the feeling that i'm like telling sex stories on my own blog ar? haha! my bad. round two ar? hmmm, i already have plans in mind. and i hope it'll turn out alright...haha! wish me luck!

Unknown said...

blushing..you have got erm not so great 'tools' but yet u manage to lose ur virginity to....brownies

wmw said...

And you shall make us brownies so that we can eat and sing??? Heheh...

HairyBerry said...

kampungboycitygal, well, the 'tools' were alright lah, i guess...haha! and i was kinda happy that my v was not lost in vain. all thanks to a good recipe. ;)

wmw, i thought of that as well...but, can bring makan stuff inside 'k' one meh? (what a great excuse, eh? hehehe).....aside, am looking forward to 'k' soon!!!! *practice, practice*

Miss Tam Chiak said...

wow! ur brownies look real good!

Christine said...

virginity lost worth while..it looks good..or shud i say fabulous..not bad after those alteration..

Jun said...

dude, email u soon for a meet up k? quite busy settling in to a new hospital these days...

ai wei said...

whoa! looking really good! when can i get to sample?! haha.

is this recipe hard/easy?! shall i try a hand?! haiz

Jason said...

Wah, what inspired you to bake all of a sudden? :P

HairyBerry said...

jaime-la-nourriture, thank you, thank you! :) i think it tasted alright, well for a beginner lar...haha! do try out the recipe, ya!!!

christine, oh my, oh my...thanks for the compliment...and yes, it was worthwhile ;) haha, i guess the alterations were just an excuse to be lazy..hehe

jun, no problem. take your time, girl! i'm sure there are lotsa things to be done at the hospital..juz give me a buzz la, when u are free ;>

ai wei, when ar? errr, hopefully the next time we meet lar...which will be soon, right? ;>

the recipe is pretty straight forward...do give it a try and let us know the result, ya!

jason, wah, that's a tough question leh...well, food blogs and nigella express i guess..haha! plus a good deal at carrefour..hehe...

Simon Seow said...

Not bad wor for first timer. I only know how to fry egg, bacon and sausage.

HairyBerry said...

simon, give this recipe a shot. you wont regret it, i'm sure! ;>

ai wei said...

the next time we meet?!
aiks aiks... i won't be joining for the K session next week ar. gonna stay at home to 'study' sobz.

HairyBerry said...

eh, i tot your exam finish d...now waiting for result, right? niways, hang in there ya! gambatte!