Deco Marshmallows

I am super excited to share what Deco Marshmallows is about and will update this blog post periodically once I receive any news from Marshall Cavendish about the book.

ISBN: 9789815084191

Here are the dates of release for various sources that I received from the publisher and what I gathered from the internet and people who notified me.

Singapore: Available at Popular, Kinokuniya and Amazon Singapore.

UK*: Available on Amazon and other bookstores  (no longer available from 1 Sept 2024)

Australia and New Zealand: October 2024 (Already available for pre-orders on Angus & Robertson)

Malaysia: Available at MPH

Thailand: Available at Kinokuniya 

USA*: October 2024 (Already available for pre-orders on Amazon US and Barnes & Noble) (Will not be available from 30 Dec 2024)

Ebook: Amazon, Google, Kobo and Overdrive in due time

I have received many of requests for getting the book earlier overseas when unfortunately the wait for it to be on Amazon or ebook forms is a long one. You may try this service that matches travellers to buyers if you would like it earlier at a more affordable shipping cost.

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I stumbled into the arena of marshmallows by accident because I had no intention of exploring what to me a couple of years ago, was simply one-dimensional tasting candy. Someone wanted to learn character marshmallows and one of the  baking studios I work with asked if I could teach. One thing led to another and after discovering the endless possibilities and depth of flavour you can achieve, I decided to do a book to share my discoveries!

What motivated me to write yet another book despite knowing the tremendous amount of work involved was precisely what I am going to share in Deco Marshmallows:

1. You can use templates to create piped shapes more consistently instead of using freehand piping. Great for the artistically challenged!

2. You can do away with piping on a bed of dusting so you save a lot on dusting.

3. You can use gelatin or agar-agar as gelling agents according to your dietary preference so vegetarians can have a go at marshmallow-making too! (Note that egg whites are still used so it is not vegan but I have a vegan option mentioned in the book)

4. You can make it sugar-free if you like and it will not look any different from marshmallows made with regular sugar! Diabetics can have a taste of cute marshmallows too!

5. Many types marshmallow flavours from natural ingredients, various fillings and coating options are covered in the book to show you how to make marshmallows much more than one-dimensional tasting candies.

6. Marshmallows can be paired with other pastries or confections too to create something extraordinary!

7. I like to make use of common kitchen items like foil, zester/grater, citrus juicer, skewers and scissors as tools so you don't have to own a large collection of specialized tools for making cute marshmallows.

I am sharing what went on during four days of photoshoot. We took it at a more relaxed pace this time, spreading over more days than previous books. Note that these pictures were taken with my phone camera off the screen of the photographer's laptop or tablet so quality isn't the best but you can get the idea!

Back cover

Title page

Page fillers. My favourite shots because they are super whimsical and hilarious!

The gingy on the table looks like he is happily running towards his friend in the mug. "Wait for me! I want to join you in the hot chocolate onsen!"

I think this one is hilariously self-explanatory 😆

Grumpy octopus is not too thrilled about being with a cheeky friend and having an audience of narwhals

Cats in watermelon wonderland. This one has more of a subtle sweet feel and will be used with the acknowledgements/dedication pages.

The design portion of the book is broken up into three sections.

Pretty Awesome covers everything that is not a creature so it is mainly plants and objects.

Cute and Magical covers all kinds of creatures...well... cute and magical.

Update 06/10/23: There has been a delay in the book hitting the shelves due to potential copyright issues with one of the entries in this section "Cute and Magical". We have taken out the princess and replaced it with a cute girl dressed up for the Lunar New Year instead.

Perfectly Matched covers how marshmallows can be paired with other pastries, confections or desserts.

Here's a special behind-the-scenes reel I shared on Instagram! 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtRTiczgJOQ/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

As with all our Creative Baking books, we cover the basics, techniques and frequently asked questions/troubleshooting in detail so you can apply what you learn for your own designs. My motto has always been "Teach people how to fish and not simply feed them the fish."

Having seen all these, are you as excited as me?

Stay tuned for periodical updates!

UPDATE 25/07/2024:

All the recipes in this book are based on the use of fresh egg whites. If you have concerns about having unbaked egg whites in your food or if the sale of food with unbaked egg whites is not allowed in your country, you may use egg white powder or meringue powder as replacements. I mentioned this briefly in the book but if you need exact ratios and method of using these replacements, please watch the reels and read the caption for :

Egg White Powder

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84I744ywEl/?igsh=MTIzOGI1OGQ2b2syOA==

Meringue Powder 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9wt2xmS_ca/?igsh=cmpzZ3RnaGJoOXR6

I also included a point-by-point comparison of all 3 forms of egg whites in the caption of the meringue powder replacement reel so that you can see which type is most suitable for your needs.

* UPDATE 09/08/2024:

I just received news from the publisher that their third party warehouse and book distributions partner in the UK has gone into administration. This means that my books will no longer be available in the UK market and on Amazon UK with effect from 1 Sept 2024, and will cease to be available in the US market and on Amazon US with effect from 30 Dec 2024.

So if you have been considering getting my books, you should try to get them before the dates given. In the meantime the publisher is trying to find other sources to reach the international audience. Book distribution within Singapore is not affected. Digital version is also not affected.

with lots of love,

Phay Shing

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Creative Baking: Deco Choux Pastries

I am so excited to present to you the sixth book in our Creative Baking series -- Deco Choux Pastries!

Update 11/10/2019:
Deco Choux Pastries is already available on Book Depository! Click on this link to go to the website!

Update 20/06/2019:
Deco Choux Pastries is already available at Kinokuniya and Popular bookstore in Singapore! It is also available for ordering from MPH online in Malaysia! Click on this link if you would like to place an order.

Update 8/6/2019:
Book event for this book will happen on 30th June at Redman, Star Vista! I will demonstrate the making of some absolutely adorable sheep choux pastry cases from start to finish. From the making of batter from scratch, all the way to piping batter, assembling and decorating baked cases. There will be a free giveaway of some sheep choux pastries as well as sale of the books where you can get them autographed on the spot! So do save the date and come and see the demo if you are interested!

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Although this book comes after the chiffon cakes and macarons cookbooks, I first ventured into making non-traditional choux pastry designs in mid 2014, and saw the huge potential for creative expression back then. I just didn't have the bandwidth to focus on developing this area until I made a deliberate effort to make time for it in early 2018.

Let me share with you why I am so excited about Choux pastries. I love the complementary textures and flavours of the crisp outer pastry case and cold and creamy filling! It's like party in your mouth as you take time to savour the flavours and textures 😊. In terms of technical difficulty, Choux pastries are easier than chiffon cakes and macarons as you don't have to deal with meringues and you don't need to have sophisticated equipment like electric mixer or candy thermometers. Even people who don't bake often are able to get it right the first time as seen from my Choux pastry classes! Choux pastries contain much less sugar than chiffon cakes and macarons, and you can even make it totally savoury! Only a few basic ingredients are needed to make choux pastries and steam power is the source of raising agent. No artificial chemicals are used!

Deco Choux Pastries is a full length recipe book with 30 different designs, unlike our shorter Deco Chiffon Basics and Macaron Basics books which have only half that number. Like all the previous books in this series, I cover the basics, ingredients and equipment, frequently asked questions, recipes for various fillings (savoury as well as Asian flavours are included!) and storage. Printable templates are provided, along with the recipes for each design. The designs are divided into four sections -- basic, chocolate coated, Craquelin coated and assembled choux pastries. There are a few video tutorials that I made to provide better visual aids than still photos. The QR code can be found in the respective pages of the book. Unlike the few deco choux pastry designs that are already around in specialty cafes, I try to use Choux pastry itself to create as many features as possible, instead of relying on fondant or chocolate.

Here is a sneak peek at the photoshoot sessions which spanned over three consecutive days. Bear in mind that these are photos of raw photos on the photographer's tablet so the quality of pictures will be much better in the book. It was tiring but I was charmed by how whimsical the whole thing was!

Such as...

 A group of hamsters laughing so hard that they can't stand up straight

Pandas who are looking a little lost while driving past towers of orange juice

Durian puffs like you have never seen before

Sheep that look slightly puzzled.

Happy bees...

And happy snowmen too!

There's the absolutely adorable,

As well as simple and elegant.

Are you excited about getting a copy of this book?

I will update this blog post in the future for various book launch dates. This book will eventually be available on Book Depository (estimated date is December 2019), Amazon (estimated date is March 2020) and Kindle.

With love,
Phay Shing

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Creative Baking: Macaron Basics

Update 4/12/2018: Creative Baking: Macaron Basics is now available at Popular bookstore in Malaysia! You may also Preorder from Book Depository and Amazon!

Update 2/10/2018:
Creative Baking: Macaron Basics is now available in Singapore's major bookstores!

Update 17/8/2018:
Pre-orders for Creative Baking: Macaron Basics is open from 18-28 August.

Those of you who want to order from outside of Singapore, do send an email to booksorder101@gmail.com. You will receive a quote for the book plus shipping charges before you commit to the purchase.

After the pre-order period, the respective expected release dates are:

US release date -- April 2019

This will be for all customers in Canada, North Central and South America.

UK release date -- January 2019

This will be for the Book Depository, and the rest of Europe, Australia and India.

South Africa

Marshall Cavendish has a South African distributor, so those of you in South Africa who are interested can order the books according to the Singapore publication date.  

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The photoshoot is finally over! Thank God for a wonderful team and very smooth phototaking session! The purpose of this blog post is to share what went on during the photography session and I may use this post for any updates about the book in the future. Keep in mind that these are photos of photos taken on screen using my phone camera so what's going to appear in the book will be more beautiful. Presenting my second macaron book, Creative Baking: Macaron Basics!

The focus of Creative Baking: Macaron Basics is different from my first macaron book, Creative Baking: Macarons. Although there is a little overlap in the sense that the basic Italian method is covered for both, I decided to introduce the French method in this book as most homebakers will find the French method easier. Macaron Basics focuses more on different techniques to create various features or designs whereas my first book focuses on a larger variety of designs based on different themes, and the use of natural sources of food colouring for colouring the shells.

Rest assured that although this second book has less designs (total of 14), they are carefully selected such that they are relatively simple and are suitable for special occasions, but yet unique enough, such as...

Valentine's Day

Mother's Day (or Valentine's Day too)

Or even Chinese New Year!

I doubt that you can find any other book giving you instructions on how to make hemispherical macarons...

Or create pretty swirls like these 😉

I had my moments of cute overload too! When I saw the team working on setting up the chick macarons,

I couldn't help but exclaim "Oh my! So cute!!"

Of course the unicorn carousel made it to this book too!

It may seem complex but it's actually made up of fairly basic pieces. I cover how you should make macaron structures in this book too.

Much as the carousel is pretty, we felt that it shouldn't be the center of attention for the book cover as the book title implies something "Basic". After some discussion, we decided to include a deconstructed version of the carousel in the foreground to better reflect what the title of the book (and aim of the book) says. And that is why my hand ended up on the book cover too 😅.

I also included some updates in the recipes for fillings and FAQ/ troubleshooting sections so this is a great companion book to my first one. Templates and links to video tutorials are also provided in the book.

Macaron Basics is expected to be available in stores in Singapore end September/early October. The book will be available on Amazon, Book Depository and Kindle in due time. For those who want to know, the ISBN is 9789814828604.

Keep a lookout for updates!

With love,
Phay Shing

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Creative Baking: Macarons book with Marshall Cavendish

*Update (26/4/17): The Chinese edition of Creative Baking: Macarons is in print! Available only in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

You may purchase the book online from here:
http://www.yesasia.com/global/zao-xing-ma-qia-long/1058352110-0-0-0-zh_CN/info.html

The books are available in major bookstores in Hong Kong and online here:

http://www.popular.com.hk/jsp/product/product_search.jsp?vca001=2&vas001=PRODUCERS&KEYWORD=%AE%FC%C0%D8

The books are available in the following bookstores in Macau:

澳門星光
澳門文化
宏達

Readers from Taiwan are advised to purchase from online store at this stage.

*Update (14/6/16): Creative Baking: Macarons is now available on Amazon!

*Update (13/4/16): Great news! Creative Baking: Macarons is now available on Book Depository!

*Update (29/3/16): I have included a section at the end of this post to answer any queries that readers may have. Some have contacted me in private but I thought it would be good to collect all the queries and record it here.

* Update (8/3/16): Creative Baking: Macarons is available at all leading bookstores :).

*Update (19/2/16): Great news! Creative Baking: Macarons is available for preorders in Malaysia from MPH! Click on this link to find out more and take advantage of the 20% discount! The book will also be available on Amazon in the near future. Will post the updates here when the time comes!

Here's a short write-up on what the book is about, taken from the Marshall Cavendish 2016 catalog under the Cuisine section.

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The photoshoot is finally over!! I am sharing this post to let you have a sneak preview of the Creative Baking: Macarons book that is going to be published by Marshall Cavendish :). It's been a privilege and joy to work with the same talented team as the one that helped on Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes. Unlike the photoshoots for chiffon cakes that were spread over a few weeks and 3 sessions, the photoshoot for macarons took place over 2 consecutive days with the team from Marshall Cavendish and Hongde Photography working overtime on both days to complete the shoot. Thank you all for your hard work! Still amazed at the professionalism and spontaneous creativity that the team displayed!

It was a hectic two days but we had our moments of cute overload. My favorite dose of cute overload is this bunch of sheep :).

These crabs gave us a good laugh with their smiley faces and playful demeanor :)

There's also cheery rainbows...

Delicious looking food...

Modes of transportation that actually look cute...

Wonderful group shots....

And some photos of my hands :p. Here's one of them...

The book is not just all about pretty pictures. There will be sections covering the basics, use of natural ingredients for colouring macarons, different types of fillings that are not too sweet, FAQs, and recipes and templates are provided for all 30 designs featured in the book. If you think that macarons are too difficult to make for homebakers, fret not! My first attempt at macarons did not look like macarons at all! But with more practice and knowledge of what is needed for a batch of successful macarons, I managed to churn out macarons that are good and cute! The Italian method is used for all recipes, which is more forgiving and foolproof than the French method.

Susanne and I are also very thankful for the generous support of Phoon Huat and Chew's eggs for providing ingredients that we needed for the photoshoots.

Thankful to my hubby who helped to take care of our kids while I was busy with the photoshoot, and to the kids for providing us with toys and even artwork as props.

Creative Baking: Macarons is scheduled to be out at Kinokuniya, Times and bigger Popular stores in March 2016. Really thank God and the team again!

Queries from readers

I am including the following section for readers' queries. Will update now and then if necessary.

1. Can I reduce the recipe by half?

Yes you may divide all ingredients by two and work with a 100g almond meal recipe. I have included 200g almond meal as the basic recipe as some people may have difficulty working with small quantities of egg whites when preparing the Italian meringue. But I have worked with half the amount and it's OK too :).

2. Do I turn on the fan in the oven when baking macarons?

Please don't. My apologies for not including this detail in the book. You may end up with browned and/or lopsided shells. You may turn the fan on for the first minute just to stabilize the oven temperature if it drops too much when you first place the tray of macaron shells in. But don't leave it on for too long or your shells won't turn out well.

3. Must I use an oven thermometer at all times?

Yes!! Well this question wasn't asked but I realised that many homebakers assume that their actual oven temperature is exactly what is set on the oven. Home ovens can be off by 10-20°C so it is crucial for an oven thermometer to be in the oven during baking at all times. It's an inexpensive investment that is necessary. I use a cheap basic built-in oven with analog functions at home but rely on the thermometer (which costs $10) to achieve better temperature control.

4. Why is my batter runny even if I just folded until no traces of meringue is seen? 

Chances are you didn't beat your egg whites until soft peak stage before adding the syrup into the egg whites. You may find that your piped shells take an awfully long time to dry as well.

5. Why does my batter turn bubbly after sitting out for a while?

This is a sign of the meringue breaking down. When the Italian meringue is prepared properly, this should not happen. Either the egg whites were underbeaten before the syrup was added or the meringue was not beaten long enough to cool until body temperature after the syrup was added. 

6. Why are my macaron shells hollow?

This question has been addressed in the book but I have gotten this same query from quite a number of people on foodie Facebook groups so I will just highlight it here with a more detailed explanation than what is included in the book. It seems like this problem is pretty common among homebakers.

There could a few factors or a combination of these factors that can cause the space between the top outermost layer which is formed during drying of the shells before baking and the fluffy cake-like interior.

- Baking temperature is too low during the initial baking time before internal structure has set. The oven has to be at 130-140°C during the initial 10-15 minutes (depending on size of macarons) of baking time. Use an oven thermometer to monitor the actual oven temperature at all times!

- Underbaked. This is related to the previous point. Underbaked shells have internal structures that are not fully set yet. So when you remove the tray of shells from the oven, the internal structure will collapse. Reduce the heat towards later half of baking time to ensure shells are baked through but not browned.

- Egg whites not beaten to soft peak before pouring in the syrup. If the egg whites are unable to hold a peak for a second before disappearing and the egg white bubbles still appear large instead of fine, the egg whites are not beaten long enough. The resulting meringue will not be stable.

- Italian meringue not beaten long enough. Make sure that the meringue is sufficiently cooled before you stop beating at high speed. This make take anywhere from 10-15 minutes depending on size of your batch. I usually blow a fan at the stand mixer to help it cool faster. Make sure that the meringue is at least body temperature before you stop beating.

- Didn't bang tray on the table after piping. Any trapped air bubbles that are not released in the batter will gather to form the air pocket under the outermost layer of the shell.

- Under-folded batter. Not enough air is knocked out of the batter.

With lots of love and thanks,

Phay Shing

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Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes book with Marshall Cavendish (Chiffon book 1)

*Updates
(20/10/17) Creative Chiffon book 3, a most comprehensive Deco Chiffon Cake Basics book is launched. The 3rd book is a step-by-step picture guide to Basic Techniques and recipes centred around the pictures!

(20/9/16) Creative Chiffon Book 2, titled Creative Baking: Deco Chiffon Cakes is launched at all major bookstores.

The second chiffon book covers more innovative 3D patterns, festive cakes, cute animals (character chiffon), and trending flavours like salted egg yolk lava chiffon cake! And an extended 6-page troubleshooting FAQ section for creative chiffons and free basic recipe!

Creative baking: Chiffon Cakes (Book 1)

(10/4/16) A Bestseller cookbook that sold out its first print run in 3 months. 2nd print run in shops from mid-April 2016!

(31/1/16): Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes makes Strait Times Bestsellers list for non-fiction! Thanks everyone for your support!

(6/2/16): A Bestseller book in Kinokuniya SG!


Singapore - Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes is available at Kinokuniya, Popular, Times and all major bookstores (from Jan 16 2016).

Malaysia - Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes is available at Kinokuniya and MPH online. It was sold out at MPH bookstores so only available at MPH online now (from Feb 2016).

Other countries - Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes will be available in neighboring countries like Indonesia from March in Kinokuniya, and Australia (Melbourne) from June.

Online stores - Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes is available on Book Depository, Kinokuniya online and Amazon!


6 Flavour Rainbow Hearts Chiffon Cake Demo in the book Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes!

News feature in Straits Times!

Watermelon Chiffon pops from the book featured in Smartparents.sg, mediacorp (formerly Mother & Baby) (March 2016):

Pandan Ogura Cupcakes from the book featured in Food & Travel Magazine (June 2016):

(24/4/16) Creative Chiffon Cakes demo and display at the joint Creative baking books event @ Kinokuniya, Ngee Ann City. It was really fun and encouraging! A big big thank you to everyone!

(2/4/16): My first book event! Creative Chiffon Cakes Book event @ Times Punggol Waterway. A big thank you to everyone who came and supported!

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Very blessed to have three Creative Baking books with Marshall Cavendish in the pipeline! It was really a great privilege to work with the pros and a very good learning experience!

The first is a Creative Chiffon Cakes book, which has a cute collection of chiffon cupcakes/pops, multi-colored chiffon cakes, patterned chiffon cakes, hidden chiffon cakes and shaped chiffon cakes!
I'll be the main author of this book, sharing more on the big chiffon cakes.

The second is a Creative Macarons book with lots of cute creative macarons by Phay Shing. Do look forward to her updates! =)
Here are some photos and details to share for the Creative macarons photoshoot and book :).

Here are some sneak peeks into the Photoshoots for the Creative Chiffon Cakes book!

Photoshoot 3: Decorated, Patterned, Hidden and Shaped chiffon cakes!

Photoshoot 2: Multi-colored Chiffon Cakes! Rainbow, ombre, dual-colored etc.

Photoshoot 1: Chiffon Cupcakes/Cake pops!

All photo credits and styling to the talented people at Marshall Cavendish!

The book is not all about pretty pictures, but it is a Recipe book with detailed picture tutorials covering the Basics as well as for each recipe. It will also cover Tips for getting the fluffiest, prettiest chiffon cakes as well as a Troubleshooting section.

We like to thank Phoon Huat and Chew's eggs for their generous sponsorship of the ingredients for the book! I absolutely love the quality of the Redman castor sugar and flour! And I only trust Chew's fresh eggs for the shiny meringue of my creative chiffon cakes!

Creative Baking: Chiffon Cakes will be out at Kinokuniya, Times and bigger Popular stores in Jan 2016. Really thank God and the team again!

With lots of love,

Susanne

Updates (May 2016)

Here's featuring wonderful bakers who have tried out the recipes in the book and made their chiffon cakes so beautifully!

(10/8/16) My Rainbow Chiffon Cake is trending! Even Polar has started introducing it into their range. Why don't you try it too? =)

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