Cake Cubes

Since moving back to the tropics, I haven't really re-started the baking engine, what with settling into a new home and juggling the newest little dude and all. But, I can't say no to help out a friend. I was surprised to find that she was 37+ weeks preggers when we came back into town! Fortunately, we were able to catch up over lunch before she gave birth the very next day! 

Chocolate Cake Cubes

Time really has gone quickly cuz my friend's new little girl is already turning a month old! So when she asked if I could make cake pops for her 1st month favour boxes, I had to say yes! Chinese traditionally celebrate baby's 1st month, or Full Moon, cuz it was a big deal for babies back then to survive the 1st month! The new parents traditionally gift their family and friends with red eggs and ang ku kueh (red glutinous rice cake shaped like tortoise shells), cuz red symbolises luck and blessings, tortoises symbolise longevity and good fortune, and eggs symbolise fertility and new life.

red eggs & ang ku keuh boxes from my younger daughter's Full Moon

Anyway, my friend was DIY-ing the boxes, instead of buying pre-made ones from places like Sweetest Moments or Lulu's, so that she could pick exactly what was going to go into it. And she was going to dye all the red eggs herself! 

Since it was a 4-slot box, she wanted one red egg, one mini cupcake from a famous old school confectionary shop, one mini ang ku kueh from the famous Poh Cheu Kitchen, and one of my "famous" cake pops! (She made me blush, calling my cake pops "famous"!) And because she wanted to be different, she wanted cake pop cubes like I had made last Christmas!

Rice Cube + Nespresso Ice Cube mould in action

I was gifted a nifty little food cuber called a Rice Cube, which I used to make the first batch of cake cubes last year. Crumbled devil's food cake swirled with vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream was smooshed into a cube using the Rice Cube, and then frozen. And then I simply dipped those guys into melted chocolate to make cake cubes. But being OCD, I wanted to make the cubes, well, "more cubey" this time around. Since coming back, I now also have my Nespresso ice cube mould to work with. 

dark chocolate drizzle 

So instead of dipping the frozen cake cubes into melted dark chocolate, I first coated the ice cube mould with dark chocolate, tapped out the excess, and then popped the mould into the fridge for 10 mins to harden. Then, I stuffed in the chocolate cake cubes (formed using the Rice Cube) into the ice cube cavities, and then sealed it with more melted dark chocolate, allowing the chocolate to set and harden in the fridge for 15 mins.

finished off with a sprinkling of nonpareils

But, getting the cake cubes out of the ice cube mould was tricky! You have to gently tease the cake cube out by pushing the bottom of the mould slowly. I was only able to get 5 out of the 9 cubes out of the first batch cleanly. The rest got stuck and cracked, so I had to remake them. It was a slow and painful process, but eventually, I made 35 perfectly uniform 3 cm x 3 cm chocolate cake cubes :)

I drizzled the tops with some melted dark chocolate and sprinkled pink and white nonpareils on them to tie them with the baby girl theme. Love how they came out! (my kids thought they were brownie bites cuz they are so square!)

uniform cake cubes!

Here's a sample of the 1st month boxes that my friend put together, containing two red eggs, the cake cube and an ang ku kueh. You might be wondering where the "mini cupcake" cupcake is right? Well, my friend's aunt told her that she just can't give one red egg cuz traditionally, a pair of eggs are given! So, that's that. Happy 1st month, sweet baby Daphne! 

Happy 1st Month, Daphne!

PS, The ang ku kueh from Poh Cheu Kitchen is so so good. The skin is so soft and the peanut filling is very generous! I need to go make a trip and get a dozen for no occasion whatsoever! This isn't a seamless plug. They're really just so good!!