And for those whose weakness, handbags........

One step up from perfume, the handbag is also the most accessible item an ordinary working woman can afford from a very exclusive house. Status bags are a cheap thrill, comparatively speaking, for those who want business class but are living coach.

I bake one instead......

Presenting my designer bag.

“Our purses shall be proud, our garments poor: For 'tis the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit”

William Shakespeare.

• Chocolate Mud Cake
• 375gm butter
• 300gm dark chocolate
• 3 cups castor sugar
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp espresso
• 1 1/4 cup self raisin flour
• 1 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs
• Ganache Coating
• 300 gm chocolate
• 100gm double cream
• 50 gm butter

1/ Add butter, dark chocolate, castor sugar, water, espresso together in a pot cook in low heat until chocolate and sugar melt. Cool for 10 mins.

2/ Sift the two type of flour and cocoa power together, stir into the butter mixture and beat gently.

3/ Beat the egg lightly but do not injure your wrist.

4/ Add the eggs to the flour mixture and mix gently.

5/ Lined the 10 inch square cake pan with grease proof paper. Pour cake batter into cake pan and bake in pre heat oven for 1 1/4 hour hours or until cook.

6/ Leave the cake in the cake pan until completely cool.

7/ Remove grease proof paper, cut the cake into 3 pieces.

8/ Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganache in between each stack.

9/ Chilled in the fridge until chocolate set.

To make the handbag cake

Ready made white fondant 1 kg

Scissor

Knife

Basic fondant tools

Rolling pin

Tracing wheel

Wilton Christmas red coloring paste

Wilton green coloring paste

2 small paint brush ( soft type )

water as glue

Edible gold dust 18K

Roll 1/8 inch x 2 inch and loop 2 together to form into chain link. Make 21 pairs plus 2 single rings and logo for the bag. Brush with a little tiny bit of water and use a dry brush and paint with edible gold dust.

Use red fondant make a 1 inch leather strap and run 2 sewing lines on the side with a tracing wheel. Make 24piece.

Lay the chain link on the bag and thread the leather strap through it. Press lightly.

Pinch both end of the leather strap and shoved into each link, press lightly.

Bake the cake 1 day a head. Cut the 10 inch cake into 3 pieces and stacked together. Apply a thin layer of chocolate ganche in between each tier. Coat the cake with chocolate ganache and smooth it with a spatula. Chilled in the fridge until set.

When you try this cake make sure husband don't disturb.

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick, run the tracing wheel on the fondant to make the quilt design.

You need 2 pieces of fondant for the front and back of the bag. While you wrap the cake with fondant, cover the top part of the cake with cling wrap to prevent chocolate stain all over the bag.

2nd part cover the side of the bag, make a 1/2 inch fold as per picture to make it look slightly bulging.

Roll another piece for the top part of the bag, fold in 1/8 inch for all the four edges to make it look like the seams on the real bag. Covered the back of the bag about 2 1/2 inch and went up and over the front of the cake for the flap.

The front flap is about 3 inch. Pinch the edges of the fondant with your fingers.

Use the white fondant to make the bag logo and stick on a 1 1/5 inch small flap. Glue with a little water just below the flap.

Roll a 1/8 inch piping to seal the 4 corners of the bag.

When a man meets catastrophe on the road, he looks in his purse, but a woman looks in her mirror.

The piping for the edge is completed.

Lastly lay the chain link and leather strap to the bag.

My bulging bag which it's full of cash.

Fondant Roses

Roll the fondant to 1/8 inch thick and cut 8 pieces of tear drop shape and 1 piece of oval shape. Press the edge of petal slightly to make it thinner.

Roll the oval shape petal to make the rose bud.

Wrap the 2nd piece of petal on the rose bud and the 3rd piece facing the 2nd piece petal.

Repeat the 4th and 5 the piece and fold down the petal slightly to make it look more realistic contour.

Attach the7th and 8th piece of petal and press firmly. Trim of the excess fondant at the rose base.

My fondant rose.

Have a fabulous week ahead.